Pastoral Ponderings- Teddy Bear Communion

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Pastoral Ponderings- Teddy Bear Communion

I was out sharing communion with one of our parishioners in a rehab facility, and thought that might be a good time to engage our Teddy Bear Ministry.  For several years now, the Twin Falls congregation has been inviting teddy bears to help in our ministry, having them join us in worship, to then go out and be a tangible reminder of God’s presence for those who can’t get out so well.

I love the power of the communion service in that it brings a tangible reminder of Christ’s transforming power to us that literally reaches every cell of our being.  And as we take these signs of God’s grace into all of who we are, we are embodying the proclamation that “YOU are the Body of Christ, and individually, each a part of it.”

The bread and juice that literally become a part of who we are, are what we call the “elements” of the sacrament of Holy Communion.  The teddy bear doesn’t have quite that same honor.  Yet though while the bread and juice are consumed, the bear remains, also as a tangible reminder of God’s grace.  Most frequently when I deliver these teddy bears, as was the case this time, the recipient automatically grabs and hugs the bear—as if grabbing, hugging, and holding onto the community of faith, which—even when not able to get out—incorporates them into the Body of Christ.

The Teddy Bear Ministry is not original to this congregation—it was an idea brought from a church far away, where it was seen to be a powerful too for conveying the grace and tangible sense of God’s presence.  As such, it is also a reminder as well that the Body of Christ reaches across the globe, and includes us, even when we’re not able to share in its physical presence.

Our world full of loneliness, loss, isolation, and a desperate need for hope, needs the real presence of the Body of Christ in so many dark corners.  And this is a central part of God’s calling on our lives.  Not that we need more tangible signs of God’s presence in our churches—it is there in abundance, even if sometimes seemingly trapped inside those walls.  But “YOU are the Body of Christ”—taking Jesus’ presence with you in tangible ways wherever you go.  NOT to merely have His presence with you in your dark places, but to SHARE it with others into the dark places in which they find themselves.

Unfortunately, there’s no way for us to know when the person right in front of us is finding themselves in the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  But that just means it’s all the more important for us to share that presence wherever we are, because, as our teddy bears proclaim, “Love BEARS all things, hopes all things, believes all things, endures all things…”

And it’s BEARLY any effort to share that grace with others!–  Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings- Tough Old Bird

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Pastoral Ponderings- Tough Old Bird

How do you like this weather we’ve been having?  A little chilly, isn’t it?  Among the weather warnings has been guidance to bring outdoor pets in to not have them suffer (but what about the poor wild animals?), so we we’ve even gotten Delilah, the barn cat, back into the catio with her nice, warm little cave. But what about the chickens?

As the extreme cold had been approaching, I’d been looking for wisdom online, seeing all these things on extra insulation and such.  I then saw a posting from someone who had been traveling in Siberia, pointing out that hardly anyone had their chickens in insulated coops, though it regularly got as cold as 30 below (Celsius) there, and the chickens did fine.  Some chickens are bred for cold hardiness—ours are among them, called Australorps.

So though I’ve been shaking in my boots going out to check on them, they’re not even complaining.  At zero first thing this morning when I brought them some hot mash, rather than huddling inside their coop with the heat lamp, they were outside, greeting me cheerfully as ever.  Before the first hard cold, I insulated one of their two coops—but they have consistently, even on the coldest nights, preferred the uninsulated one.  Tough old birds for sure.

How is it that we, then, in human skins, have let ourselves get so wimpy?  (I’m wearing a sweater and huddled under a blanket in my nicely heated home as I’m writing this!)  Have you heard the phrase “That’s a first-world problem” in reference to some of the many things we complain about, that are generally just about lack of comfort, or lack of something most of the world would consider a luxury?

We spend so much time and energy teaching people to have a good attitude, stay positive and all—but I don’t think anyone’s ever had to be taught how to complain!  Why can’t we be more like those tough old birds staying out in extreme weather without complaint?

Have you ever noticed that suffering is often addressed in the Bible as something that can deepen our connection and relationship with God, rather than being something to complain about?  Suffering is also presented as something in which to rejoice—“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope” (Romans 4: 3-4).

I’m thinking I want to be like a touch old bird when I grow up!—Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings- Eyes Wide Open

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Pastoral Ponderings- Eyes Wide Open

Have you ever noticed that when you are TRYING to notice things, you tend to notice a lot more than when you’re just drifting through life without really paying attention?  I think it was the character Atreyu in the Neverending Story for whom the term “Eyes wide open” became a pivotal key—a good piece of wisdom to look for God sightings all around us!

On a good day, I try to keep my eyes wide open, so my ears pricked up at Disney Hollywood Studios when I heard the classic churchy word “redemption” in a very un-churchy situation.  Our son had his disability pass for the lines at the rides.  For most rides, he had to talk with one person first—then that’s where I heard it.  The staff person then told him he had to go to someone else to “redeem” the pass for the ride, that is, so he could put it to use at that ride, or essentially, to make it real.  It was one thing to have the pass—but it didn’t “work” FOR HIM until it was “redeemed.”

Redemption is often challenging term.  It’s rarely used except in church or with coupons, but how spiritual can coupons be?  The classic song proclaims “I know that my redeemer lives…” which is in effect saying that I know SOMEONE can make it all real. Yet I can also know that a bunch of those gifts under the Christmas tree are for me, but it takes more than just “knowing” that to make the gifts “real” to me.  I’ve got t make the effort to open them!  Or in Kristopher’s case at the ride—he had to go to and ask his “redeemer” to make that pass actually work for him!

We’re focusing on training for discipleship this month, which includes a passage that comes from I Timothy 4: 10– “For to this end (godliness) we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”  So how is it that God is “the savior of ALL…” but “ESPECIALLY of those who BELIEVE,” as if those who “believe” are more better than others?  Perhaps redemption is the key- the gift is for all- but it is only made real in the lives of those who redeem, or put their trust and actions in that gift.

“Eyes wide open” as Atreyu proclaimed—what can YOU see to help make your faith (or that of others) more real?  I noticed something else at that ride—look inside the yellow circle on the picture.  Is it just an architectural detail, or maybe a sign that our Redeemer lives even in the most unlikely of places?

Eyes wide open—Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings– The Gift of a New Year

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A gift meant for sharing– please send to your friends and neighbors to help bring in the new year:

The Gift of a New Year

The new year’s upon us again and once more,

Why bother with this date, what’s it really for?

New Beginnings’ the gift of this annual day,

A reminder this gift is central to God’s way.

So what is the message of this day, what ho?

Taking the Light with us, ever-where we go!

Taking the Light of God’s grace on our way,

               And having it enlighten all that we say.

We say we love God and our neighbor as well,

               Is that how we act, are we really that swell?

Our words, they are nothing, when not how we live,

               So show that true love, in how we act and live!

Each new year’s a new start, a new chance to bless,

               How we might make a diff’rence in our worldly mess.

So what will you do, and how will you share,

               God’s grace and God’s openness, how will you care?

The Wise Men, the shepherds, the boundaries they bent,

               When showing the meaning of One who was sent,

Helps dim eyes to see maybe what God’s Gift is for,

               The Whos and the Whats to invite through the door.

So what’ll it be with another new year?

               What will it take to get our hearts in gear?

Empty resolutions, or vows or intentions,

               Or some other fancy or bright-eyed inventions?

As simple as “one foot in front of the other…”

To show grace, as if to a sister or mother?

Kringle’s wise words to the frozen of heart,

               Just might be a simple and good way to start.

“A happy new year!” to all whom we greet,

               Not just in our words, though, to all we might meet–

True happiness comes through the blessings we bring

               So do what it takes to help sad, lost hearts to sing!

Keep being a blessing this  new year!

Rev. Jim Lewis—Ravenna, Twin Falls, Charlestown UM Churches-

FUMCofRavenna.org, TwinFallsUMC.org

Pastoral Ponderings– Never Have I Ever…

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Pastoral Ponderings– Never Have I Ever…

A DRINKING game for a church note?  How can that be!?!  Easy for me—“Never have I ever played a drinking game.”  Being the son of an alcoholic, I think there might be wiser ways to invest my time!  But might we be able to try to redeem a drinking game with a little twist?  If we church folk are called to be like Jesus, might it be a way to better clarify “WWJD” (What Would Jesus Do?”) by having fun with exploring how Jesus might play “Never have I ever…” and what we’ve never seen in Jesus before?

But we’ve got to be careful, too, in our assumptions about Jesus!  Would Jesus be able to say “Never have I ever – gone to the bathroom…”?  Sure!  Where in the Gospels do we ever hear of Jesus “relieving himself” (that valuable, human descriptive term used elsewhere in the Bible)?  Never!  But does that mean it didn’t happen?  If we’re not careful and just think literally, we might be led astray, when a key tenant of our faith is that Jesus was fully human.  So maybe that’s NOT something Jesus could say.

There are a lot of other common things we don’t see described of Jesus in the Bible—but we can make some pretty safe assumptions based on what we DO know about Jesus.  It’s also true that it’s harder to show what someone did NOT do, than what someone DID do, so the game certainly has its limitations, but we might still be able to have some fun with it.

For instance, while I—and likely most of us– can certainly say “Never have I ever faced down the ruling authorities”—Jesus couldn’t say that!  What a guy!  And while I’d LIKE to be able to say “Never have I ever—done something dumb…” I imagine there are a LOT of you who could wholeheartedly disagree with me on that!

What we see in the Gospels is not ALL of what Jesus did—but it is enough to prove WHO Jesus is, His character, and what we can depend on in Him.  So from our teetotaling version of that drinking game—Never have I ever seen Jesus getting in the way of God’s love.  Never have I ever seen Jesus obscuring or hiding His Light.  Never have I ever seen Jesus making decisions based merely on a personal preference—but in fact, we see Him overtly saying “Not MY will, but Thine be done…”  When we do our best to do what Jesus did, and don’t what Jesus didn’t, we’ll go a long way in getting closer to being able to say “Never have I ever—hidden Jesus’ Light”

The now almost forgotten “WWJD” fad is still a valuable tool in living our discipleship—but the flip side of the WWJD coin—”What Would Jesus DON’T”—might even be a way to transform what’s mostly thought of as a drinking game, also into a tool for discipleship!

So remember BOTH sides of WWJD in this season of shining Jesus’ Light!—Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings- Warmth in the Cold

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Pastoral Ponderings- Warmth in the Cold

“But it’s a WARM 20 degrees…” I was telling Karol the other day.  It always boggles my mind how the same temperature on the thermometer can feel very differently depending on other factors.  This Sunday does promise to be cold, but while we can’t promise it will be a “warm cold” outside, we CAN promise that for the Pastors’ Open House, you’ll find ample warmth inside, and two houses full of food and Christmas treats, regardless of how cold it may be outside!

What is the magic that comes from visiting in peoples’ homes?  You’ve probably experienced this magic more than once yourself, whether from being the visitor, or the visited.  There’s a depth of connection, an authenticity of experience, when you’re invited in to another’s life-space.  I think some of the most important times we have recorded in the Bible are when people are invited in to another’s space, both in the Old Testament, and in Jesus and the Apostles.

When we invite you and others into our home for our Christmas Open House, it is both to elicit that magic, and to show that it’s not really all that difficult for others to do and create more of that same kind of magic!  And MOST of the time, you’re not inviting a crowd, but only one to a handful, so there’s no complexity of a mass feeding (but do note that all we have to share are the simplest of recipes—and easily replicated on a smaller scale).

In this time of holidays, and even the winter cold that follows, we have great opportunities to invite our neighbors into our life spaces.  I’m eager to hear of the magic you’re able to create with simple invitations—and for those who have eyes to see—you might even find a few God sightings along the way.  Create a bit of that magic in your space—and see and share how God is showing up with blessings from such a simple magic!

Building the Hospitable Kingdom, one visit at a time—Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings—Snow Day!

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Thanksgiving continues for another week, as every kid in NE Ohio has been celebrating and giving thanks for the first snow day of the year!  And it couldn’t have been better weather– cool enough to keep the snow on the ground, but warm enough to have allowed for a jolly good time making snowmen, angels, and having snowball fights.

So what happened?  Somewhere along the line, too many of us lost the love, fascination and fun of a great snow day.  Is that what it means to be an adult?  I HOPE not!  Makes me wonder how many of us have also forgotten how to enjoy the abundance of other simple pleasures and blessings God pours out on us like a snow storm?

Have you noticed that, though God created all the world full of awesome beauty and opportunities for great experiences, God also created the world to offer countless simple pleasures, beauties, and opportunities for small blessing as well?  Is that just coincidence?  I think not!  Not to minimize those great and awesome adventures—I wouldn’t trade my hike in the Grand Canyon, or other globe trotting adventures for the world—but if we wait for those rare blessings, what all will we miss?

In the same way that a winter storm and snow days are made up of the unique beauty of tiny, individual snowflakes, God created our lives both for those big blessings, as well as for the beauty of the countless little snowflake adventures every day.  I pray we never forget how to appreciate and enjoy the little blessings—as they are so abundant that they can come together for glorious snow days of blessings for all of us!

Pastoral Ponderings—Podcast Wisdom

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Pastoral Ponderings—Podcast Wisdom

My youngest, Kaz, had been helping me get a little more up to date and exploring podcasts—which, for the uninitiated, are series of discussions from people on-line that can cover any area of interest, anywhere from just a few minutes long, to “long form,” that can be an hour or more.  My favorite thus far is Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown.

She became well-known as a comedy actress, first as a kid with “Blossom,” and more recently on “The Big Bang Theory,” but despite that, her schooling is as a neuroscientist.  And not only that, but one just as committed to scientific skepticism as she is to her vital Jewish faith.  While her podcast covers a wide range of interests from that neurological perspective, often focused on human wellness and thriving, she also has frequen explorations into the convergence of science and spirituality.  Needless to say, that’s right down my just slightly nerdy alley!   The other I’ve been trying to listen to more is skeptic.pastor Jeremy Steele, who, as you may have recently heard more locally, thinks God is big enough to handle and not be threatened all our doubts and questions

I usually get the joy of listening on long drives, especially late at nite when the rest of the crew is sleeping, so not complaining about my eccentric interests.  On this most recent late night drive, I was listening to both these podcasts with an amazing convergence—though coming from very different perspectives, in effect, describing the Spirit of God in That Which Is Bigger, and all-encompassing, and finding the heart of our spiritual life in how we can connect, and grow in our connection with this Bigger Spirit.

Even from a hard science neurological, skeptical perspective, that brings up and can’t deny the hard science in support of the importance and power of spirituality in our daily and social lives.

AND both from their differing perspectives, pointing out that all of us in human skin–despite our many and deep differences—can find a shared commonality and respect in our mutual connectedness with this Bigger Spirit– what can variably be referred to as our “Higher Power,” “the Divine,” or what many us call “God.”  One of them even referred to that passage in Acts 17 where St. Paul is quoting—thus bringing into our Christian scriptural understanding of Truth- ancient Greek pagan understandings that “in Him, we all live, move and have our being,” and “for we all also are His offspring.”

SO WHAT? You might ask… It’s tools like these that can help us both deepen our own faith, while at the same time, giving us tools to better connect with those who might otherwise thing that church folk need to check their brains at the door.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  (and it can also help keep us awake and alert on late night drives!)

Check them out—feed your brains and your spirits—and build bridges of hope with those who might otherwise be stuck in hopelessness! – Pastor Jim

https://www.bialikbreakdown.com/ ;  https://jeremy-steele.com/

 

Pastoral Ponderings—Alone, but not…

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It was too early for Karol to join me, so I was alone for the hearty tasty start to my Veterans Day rounds.  Shout out to Dennys, and the many other places who show appreciation in hearty and tangible ways!  Yet I was not alone.  I was one of the first to enjoy Denny’s hospitality on this cold, icy morning.  But I was seated by the door—and received many nods of greeting and welcome from others coming in—strangers, yet comrades to the core.

While I waited for the tastes and aroma of hospitality and appreciation, I was reconnecting online with several of my friends in uniform from days gone by.  So while I was physically alone, I was not really alone at all!  I often heard in my Ohio Guard and my deployment days “One team, one fight!” recognizing that while we were all coming from different places, settings and backgrounds, together we were a team—and now, spread out all over, we are still “together” as a team, even in our diaspora.

Why is it so rare, even in the church world, to recognize that same camaraderie, that same “one team, one fight” spirit, despite differences in settings, contexts, backgrounds, and focus?  Why can the mere call of “O-H” elicit such a sense of camaraderie–even if far from OH?  Yet such obvious markers of faith can be so divisive—especially when Jesus Himself, in one of His most important prayers, says with the power of Gospel Truth, “I pray that they might be one, even as You and I are One”?

Happy Veterans day—and thanks to those who served and sacrificed so much.  Any praying that one day, veterans of spiritual battles may one day also feel such strong camaraderie.   – Pastor Jim, Chaplain (Lt. Col., retired)  USAR, OHARNG

 

Pastoral Ponderings– Morning Fog

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Pastoral Ponderings– Morning Fog

I’ve always loved catching pictures of the morning fog—other than pictures of my favorite people in memorable situations, morning fog pics are among my favorites.  I’ve sometimes wondered what it is about such pictures that I love so much, and it might be how the fog, by how it obscures the background, highlights whatever the focus really is.

I wonder if a morning fog picture can help us better navigate life?  I’m not thinking here of any high-brow understanding of how “art” helps us see what is real, but what the importance of focus is in what we actually notice.  You know how when you’re in a crowded or high-stimulation place—a store, a mall (do people still go to malls?) an airport, a city street—and you’re having a conversation with Someone Truly Important?  There may be a plethora of things going on around you that COULD command your attention (squirrel!), but you’re focused, and can see and actually hear and attend to what is Important.

That seems natural enough—yet how often do we go through life distracted by that which is less important, including pain of whatever sort—rather than focusing on Truth, Beauty and Goodness.  I’ve been reflecting on my dad’s death, now almost 12 years ago, the family gathering around his hospice been, soaking in the love, the laughter, the precious time.  Despite his impending death, it was a Truly Happy and Blessed time.

How could that be?  Because of our focus—perhaps the morning fog was obscuring all that was distracting and inconsequential, so we could focus on the Truth, Goodness and Beauty of the moment.

Thank God for the morning fog, and what it highlights!  Pastor Jim (Philippians 4:8-9)