Quotes

Loving God, we …

Loving God, we confess that we have forgotten who made us. We have forgotten who loved us. In the midst of trying to remember everything else, in the midst of holding everything together, we have forgotten you. Forgive us, God. Help us to know that you never forget us, and are always taking care of us, guarding and protecting us in the midst of our worries and concerns.

Prayer

Based loosely on Matthew 6:28-34 

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

With all this h…

With all this hubbub about the new PCUSA hymnal (people care more about their hymns than almost anything) I would like to state, for the record, that my current favorite hymn is Blessed Assurance…

favorite lyrics are “o what aforetaste of glory divine” communion (and baptism)! “echoes of mercy, whispers of love” (again, what we experience here are a foretaste of full mercy and love) “Perfect submission, all is at rest I in my Savior am happy and blest” Submission, not losing myself but finding myself, perfect and restful, in Jesus.

And of course “this is my story, this is my song, praising my savior all the day long” I live to praise! And my best, favorite forms of praise are in stories and song (esp. that story part for me)

YAY
Note: Former favorite hymns were “Holy, Holy, Holy” “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God” “Somebody’s knocking at my door” “Here I am Lord”

Hymns YAY

Your a millenni…

Your a millennial pastor, how do you get millennial’s to come to church?
You don’t, you go out and meet them where they are and love them and serve them
But how do we get them here?
::Sigh::

Its like asking an expert for advice and then ignoring it…..

Harry Potter: J…

Harry Potter: Just so you know, one thing that is not highly publicized but is totally true fact (for me) is that shortly after the final battle Percy takes over helping George with the joke shop, quitting the silliness of the ministry for the serious work of laughter!!!

Harry Potter and how I feel theologically about laughter all in one sentence 🙂

‘You know those…

‘You know those moments when you are fully aware of God? That nanosecond-to-a-second fullness of time where you and the universe in it are connected and the beauty of the divine exists? Since we are only human we can only take in that immenseness for a moment in time, but that is part of why we are in a community of faith instead of just living as individual believers!’

A Pastor Katy Theological Apostrophe hehehe

Smee “I think I’ve had an Apostrophe”

Hook “I think you mean an Epiphany”

Smee “LIghting, just struck my brain”

Hook “That must have hurt”

An absolutely r…

An absolutely real conversation had *last week* between a pastor & a congregation….

Pastor: and why did you think about making this big change?
Congregation: well…we wanted young families
Pastor: Why do you want young families?
Congregation: Because we need them…..we won’t survive without them
Pastor: Ok, that is a really practical reason, but what are you doing for young families?
Congregation: um…
Pastor: Do you provide services they need? Are you helping them with their debt, or economic problems? Do you give them a break from their kids? Are there places that address their spirituality?
Congregation: um…we never thought about that…
Pastor: I would encourage you, instead of think of why you need young families, think about what young families need from you….
Congregation: That is an interesting point
Pastor: Remember, desperation isn’t attractive…providing care is…

Overhearing Real Ministry Conversations..or why http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/27/why-millennials-are-leaving-the-church/ hits the nail right on the head.

Yesterday’s Lec…

Yesterday’s Lectionary Text, when Jesus quiets the storm, is one of my favorites. What happens is there is a big storm going on, the disciples start to storm with it. And Jesus tells everyone *not just the storm, but the disciples too* to sit down and shut up–and to focus on the right things (ie don’t panic about the storm, look to God to walk with you during it). This is why the best thing to do during an argument is to stop everything and pray so we are less focused on our opinions and more focussed on God.

Mark 4: 35-41

Mighty God, giv…

Mighty God, give us loving hearts, so that they might become a garden. Root us in loving thoughts, so that we might blossom with the good work that is the fruit of your love. We pray this in Holy Jesus’ name. Amen.

A grace not works prayer

Picture a pasto…

Picture a pastor–chances are you didn’t picture someone like me…now picture church–nope that’s not how I do that either… 🙂

You keep saying that word, I don’t think it means what you think it is