To Plan or Not to Plan

Well, I am off and driving on my three week adventure! I will be visiting family and friends as well as having time to write and enjoy the wonders of the southern part of the U.S. This trip was high up on my list of things to do during my sabbatical year. I had hoped to do it much earlier but things conspired against me, so I was thrilled to finally be hitting the road.

I am not usually a big planner. My joy of trips is the trip itself, stopping at places that pop up along the route, meeting new people, enjoying the adventures I encounter.  Normally I would put little effort into the planning as long as I knew where I was going. But this time I thought I would do it differently. Since I was going for three weeks and wanting to see people I put time and effort into setting up the route, contacting friends and family and putting together a great trip.

Things came together nicely.  After my sabbatical year not going anywhere close to the way I had planned, at least this trip would be perfect.  I even spent time and money to ensure my Jeep Patriot would be ready to go - new brakes front and back, oil change, a new windshield due to a crack that appeared one day, and even getting a problem the car had had for years fixed. Bags almost packed, car ready...

Until the day before I was supposed to leave!  All of a sudden my car problem came back with a vengeance.  This problem makes the car not shift so all of a sudden it will hardly go. Not a small problem.  I lost my mind for a while when it was clear the problem wasn't going to go away. By the next morning I was so frustrated I couldn't think clearly. There was no way, after all that planning, I was not going on my trip!

I must admit I was not kind to the people around me who tried to help with the problem because I didn't want to budge on the plans I had made. Sorry!  After going round and round, I finally realized I had to decide what was more important - the trip as I had planned, or the money it would cost to rent a car.  I ended up renting a car from Alamo, and the great guy at the counter upgraded me, so I am now traveling in a Volkswagen Atlas which is an SUV and rides like a dream. My trip will go on as planned but with a lot less spending money!

Lesson learned - planning can only take you so far. The rest of the way to my dreams has to come from my ability to be resilient and find my way through the problem to a solution.  To do that I need to be clear on what I want to do and where I am going.

So, to plan or not to plan? A little bit of both, I say!

What A Difference A Year Makes

One year ago this week, after having a routine physical and mammogram I received the dreaded phone call from my doctor announcing that I had breast cancer. I knew it was possible as I had gone in for further tests, but I didn’t believe it would happen to me. No breast cancer in the family and I was getting ready to travel the world on my sabbatical to research what healing means!



But the call came and my life shifted in ways I never would have predicted. Now not only was I trying to get my house ready to sell and saying goodbye to the wonderful congregation at Hope UMC where I had been pastor for nine years, but I had to figure out how to deal with cancer!

Many members of the congregation had had cancer, several breast cancer, and they turned into my lifeline. The helped me to understand the process and gave me invaluable advice as I began the journey.  They continued to be my strength by accompanying me to radiation appointments and helping to lessen my work at church to help with the healing process.

My sister Susan was also my biggest lifeline. She came with me to all of my doctor appointments to be a second set of ears as we learned about the process.  She even took me to my lumpectomy surgery in a snowstorm and stayed with me through it all.

The biggest lesson I learned from having cancer is that you cannot beat it alone. It takes many people helping in all aspects of life to get one through to the other side.  From walking my dog to making me laugh to helping me know how to treat radiation burns the people in my life were and are invaluable. Even now I am still receiving love and support. The greatest group of professionals has to be the nurses in the oncology department and the radiation program. They also made this journey not only bearable but filled with laughter and support.

As I continue forward one year after my diagnosis and treatment it is my turn. I have friends who have recently received a cancer diagnosis and I hope I can be support and love as they begin their own journey. If you want to understand the web of life and how we are all connected just talk to someone who has had cancer. Bravest people you will ever meet!

Thanks to all of my supporters. You made my last year one of victory and the cancer journey bearable. Time to pay it forward.

Seeing Things from A Diiferent Point of View

My two weeks in Australia was wonderful! So much to see, people to meet, and family with whom I enjoyed the adventure.  But what struck me was seeing things from a different viewpoint.

Being in the southern hemisphere really does that! Not only was it full summer there, but as you traveled further NORTH the hotter it got! It was more moderate to the south, and that took a bit of getting used to.

Then there was looking at the night sky.  It was like being in another world! The stars were not even the same constellations for the most part and certainly there was nothing in their familiar places in the sky.  But just because they were different didn't make them any less breath-taking! In fact, it was awe-inspiring to look up and see things differently while still being on the same planet.

One of the other startling differences in Australia was the friendliness of the people.  Their assumption was always that we would be friendly and they could be at ease and even joke with people they just met.  There was little of the tenseness that we have in our country when we meet people we don't know, and it was startling and refreshing.  Even airport workers joked with us on the domestic flights!

Seeing the Great Barrier Reef from right above it as we snorkeled and soaring above the rain forest on the Sky Rail also gave new and exciting perspectives on this wondrous creation of Earth. What an experience!

And some things were the same - WiFi available, Uber as well as taxis in the cities, and sunny skies. Of course car travel was on the left side of the road which totally gives another perspective on driving through cities, but there was a feeling of being at home in Australia.

Seeing things from this new perspective reminds me that although we all live on the same planet there are many ways of experiencing the same life and the same creation.  I am reminded that while we are all children of God we have different ways of sharing our faith and seeing what God has created.  And, that gives me space to experience new things without being afraid of what it means. 

I hope you follow your opportunities to see things in new ways so you too can be opened to the new things God has in store!

Anticipation!

Any time I hear the word "anticipation" I think of the song by Carly Simon.  The line is       
                         "Anticipation Is makin' me late. Is keeping me waiting"

That's how anticipation feels to us, right?  We have to wait and wait and it's not always comfortable but sometimes it's exhilarating!  I am off to Australia in less than a week and my anticipation is growing with each item put on my "to do" list as well as for each time I look at pictures and can't wait to get there. 

Anticipation is a neutral - not only good or only bad - but the one thing it does in either case is get us going.  Here's two examples:

First, think about the anticipation of Christmas morning for a child (and many adults!).  Seeing presents under the tree and thinking about coming down in the morning to unwrap them. Anticipation is full of excitement and mystery and it sometimes keeps children from sleeping.  All of their attention and action is focused on getting downstairs to see what awaits them.

Our second example is this: the anticipation of a new administration and new president.  Don't groan, I know we are all being bombarded by this, but it is a great illustration!  Some citizens anticipate a new administration will bring a narrowing of who we are in the world and back peddling on civil rights and even unity.  But others anticipate the new administration will bring their voice to the forefront and will embody their views.  As you know, much of the focus in our country has been on what will happen with a new president.  The anticipation is causing some people to protest and some to celebrate. 

What's interesting is that in both examples anticipation brings us to ACTION! When we are happy and complacent there's no need to get moving, but when we are anticipating something, good or bad, our blood gets moving, we talk to others, we plan, we protest, we rejoice.  But we DO something.  Anticipation may keep us waiting for the outcome - the trip, the presents, the administrative action - but it also gets us up and out of our chairs and out into the world.

Next month Lent begins.  It is, for me, the anticipation of the reminder of Jesus' resurrection.  During that time of Lent the anticipation sends us out to Lenten studies, Taize services, serving our community, looking within ourselves.  It certainly causes us to take action.  Even if we don't have Lent as part of our tradition, this time before Easter is a time of anticipation, of action. 

I can't wait to go on my trip and see all of the new things in Australia and meet new people! I also can't wait for Easter for my trip through Lent will be filled with learning new things and working to deepen my relationship with God.  The anticipation is keeping me waiting - and I can't wait!!

Sun Shine

I don't know about where you are, but here in Duluth, Minnesota it is always a blessing to see the sun shine in the winter!  There's so little light in the day and when it's overcast it feels gloomy and you begin to feel as if there's nothing to do but go to bed.

Today the sun is shining and it's warm! It reminds me of when we let the light of God into our lives, when we take the time to feel the Son shine.  That light disperses the gloom in our souls and lets us reconnect with God and God's world. 

But when there is gloom in our minds and souls it's so easy to block out the light.  Just as we have curtains on the windows that we can pull to keep the light from entering and brightening up our home or office, we can pull curtains over our hearts that can keep God's love and light from entering in.  Those curtains are fear, hate, self-pity, to name just a couple of things.  And we can make those curtains thick or thin - to let in some or none of God's light.

Just like today, with the sun shining and reflecting off of the white snow, filling the world with light and heat, God also shines all around us whether we want God to or not! We have no control over that - the light of the world is with us no matter what.

So, it is up to us whether we let the light in - whether we put on sunglasses, pull the curtains, or stand basking in the light of God's world and God's love.  The choice is ours.  What do you choose?

Blessings,

Pastor Laurie

Contentment

I have been having a number of conversations recently about CONTENTMENT.  What does that mean? And, how does one experience it? 

The dictionary defines CONTENTMENT as: the state of being satisfied. Hmmm. What does that mean?  To be satisfied means to be well pleased or happy with something. 

I like that phrase "well pleased". It has been used in some of the Bible interpretations - God is well pleased with Jesus at his baptism to name one instance.  Well pleased. I think, as people of faith, we should be well pleased because God has taken away our fear of death, so each day should be filled with contentment, right?

There's a story about my grandmother.  Every day she would get up and open the front door.  No matter the weather - hot, cold, sunny, stormy - she would note that it was a beautiful morning! That is what I think of as contentment. Not having to delve into the weather report or have a discussion on global warming before taking a moment to enjoy the world and be well pleased to be alive!

However, if you're like me, contentment, being well-pleased, is not something that comes automatically.  I find I have to intentionally stop myself to note the beauty of my garden or the how pleased I feel as I write or how content I am with my friends.  If I don't stop (and smell the roses as singer Mac Davis once sang) I rush right by the wonders of this life into its problems.

And when I forget to see the beauty and the miracles and the love and laughter that surrounds me, I lose my perspective on life.   Do you ever feel that way? 

Life can get you down if you concentrate only on the negative and don't stop to see all of the wonder and beauty around.  There is so much with which to be well-pleased if we just stop and take note of it. But it has to be intentional.  It has to be something to build into your daily life so that it becomes part of who you are and how you live out a faithful life.

God is well-pleased with each of us - isn't it time we are well-pleased with this life we have?  May you find contentment this week and stop to let it sink into your soul!!

Blessings,

Laurie

The New Year

Happy 2017!  It's been quite a while since I have written on this blog but my New Year's resolution is to get back to it.  So, here we go!!

Another year another new leg of life's journey! Oh I know what you're thinking  - this is the same old journey, we've just turned the calendar page, but that's only true if you want it to be. What happens on your journey in 2017 is what you make of  the events and opportunities, the pain and the sadness.

The New Year may just be a date on a calendar but it can also be the beginning of a new adventure on your journey. In our faith lives it's always good to renew our covenant with God and with one another at least yearly.  It helps us to remember what our faith is all about and how we want to live it out.  

Last Sunday at Hope we participated in the Wesley covenant renewal service which makes one stop and really think about what it means to be a Christian and whether you are ready to place yourself in God's hands.  It was also a time of joy as we celebrated our community of faith and the promise that comes from the light of Jesus.

We also gave out jars (popular now on social media!) so congregations members and friends could begin to acknowledge the good things in life and revisit them next New Year's Eve at a minimum.  I think they will also be useful on days when one is sad or lonely - to be able to look at all of the awesome things that have happened! 

So, it's the beginning of January.  What are you going to do?  How will you approach this new year?  May it be with the faith of Jesus within you and the light of faith leading you all the way!!