WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get

Archive for August, 2022

Something to say

Sometimes I wonder to myself: “What makes me worthy to be listened to?” In saying this, it may appear that I am fishing for complements, or that I might be second-guessing my vocation. It is neither of these. The question reminds me that I am not always worthy to be listened to when I tell others about my own thoughts – my own opinions – about anything that flows through my own brain from my limited experience. What makes what I say worthy to be listened to is when what I speak is the truth.

When Jesus was questioned by Pilate, he asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” to which Jesus replied something like, “Where did you get your information from? Is this what you believe, or what you have heard from other people?” Pilate admitted that he knew nothing about Jesus. So, he asked Jesus what he had done to be turned over to him for judgment. Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate, catching on to the word “kingdom” said, “So you are a king.” to which Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world – to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate then asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:33-38 my emphasis added) Sometimes the truth is standing in front of us, but we cannot recognize it because of our own perspectives.

If I am worth listening to – I must be speak truth. It is helpful to know who I am speaking to, and understand their perspective. If I do not fully understand the other person’s perspective, it is usually because I do not know them in some way. It is same for the listener – when we do not know the speaker well, we often judge that person’s words by either their reputation with people who we do trust, or by our gut feelings about the speaker. We often let our hidden biases, prejudices, and ignorance influence how we speak or hear someone. If we do not “see where the other person is coming from,” This I believe, is what fuels misunderstandings, assumptions, mistrust, and damage of different sorts which cause relationships to break down. It is far to easy to offend, or take offense in our polarized world. It is far to easy to confront than to sit down with the person and work for peace.

I draw comfort from knowing that in time, the truth will prove itself. If what I said in all sincerity turns out to have not been true, or if it harmed someone then I need to know, so that reconciliation can take place. The sooner, the better. Sometimes the truth will only be revealed after we leave this life and cross over into eternity. When we stand before our maker, I believe that we will be given complete understanding about how our actions and words were true or not, and what their affect was. I also believe that God forgives us and we will be forgiven by others when we all know the truth and can confess and humbly ask for forgiveness for misspeaking or mishearing.

I believe that I do have something to say. Time has proven to me that God is good, Jesus Christ came to save, and not condemn us, and that the Holy Spirit will guide our lives, and help us live rightly. I believe that this is what I have been called to say with conviction. If what we say about God is 100% true then we need to speak up so that the world will know the One who is true. If what we believe about God contains doubt, we need to wait to speak, be open to and keep seeking truth, even if it comes from unexpected places and we know for sure. Everything will be revealed by and by.

May all that we say, and all that we do be filtered through God’s truth and love for each other,
Grace & peace,
Deb

Category:

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Aside

Re-entry from a short pilgrimage.

The 5-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation in Virginia ended today. We have waited since 2020 for conditions of the pandemic to be right so that the Academy could be held. The theme was: Pilgrimage with the Psalms.

One of our speakers, Rev. Dale Clem spoke about many different pilgrimages that are meaningful to Christians, including his own pilgrimages to some of the places he spoke about. He shared how his personal pilgrimage hiking the Appalachian Trail was part of healing from a tragic event in his family’s life when a tornado hit his wife’s church in northern Alabama on Palm Sunday in 1994 killing his daughter and 19 other members of the congregation while he was on a mission trip in Oklahoma. His pilgrimage of healing can be found in his book: 40 Days in the Wilderness: Reflection and Prayers Along the Appalachian Trail.

Our other speaker, Jerry Webber shared his depth of knowledge of the Psalms. He has 3 published 40-day devotional workbooks. His teaching included writings from many different authors and inspired us to study the Psalms using our imagination and wonder.

The Academy for Spiritual Formation offers both 5-Day and 2-Year Academies and online versions as well to enrich our spiritual lives and help us connect with other pilgrims who are seeking to enrich their faith in community with others. Rhythms of prayer, study, silence and Holy Communion all all part of the Academy’s model. These experiences are for anyone, not just clergy, and can help people seek and find God in ways that churches are not able to offer.

Re-entry back into “normal life” for me is going to take a bit of time. Our days were ordered, beginning with an early prayer service, breakfast, the first presentation by one of our speakers, silent reflection time, a time of sharing our reflections with the community, midday prayer together, lunch, free time to rest or be with God, our second presentation by our other speaker, silent reflection time, sharing our reflections with the community, a Eucharist service (Holy Communion), a meal, small group discussion, an evening prayer service, and then silence until the next day’s early prayer service before breakfast. After 4 days of this rhythm, you may see me stopping for reflection or prayer in the day, walking slower, or noticing the world around me more closely. It was good to slow down, and I feel that I gained some insight through my personal prayer time about how God both affirmed my calling and my efforts in ministry, and challenged me to order my days in a way that makes the most sense for my life at this time.

I pray that anyone who is in a season of seeking a bit more of God will consider setting time apart to pray, talk with others who are seeking God, and feel part of a community of believers who are walking some of the same “trails.” Jesus calls us into community. This is a very good thing.
Feel free to contact me, or ask any questions!

Peace and grace to you today and always!
Pastor Deb

Written

on August 19, 2022