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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

Uncertainty is nothing new

As a Christian, I read the Bible and learn as much as I can about God and how God works. In my tradition when I refer to the Bible, I mean the protestant version which contains the “Old Testament” and “New Testament.” The authority that I give the Bible that is so familiar to me shaped my faith, guides my life, and teaches me that God is the only certain, unchanging constant, and everything else is uncertain.

The Bible has stories that are a mixture of life-giving, surprising, tender, unfair, hope-filled, unjust, and confusing history, poetry, prophecy, and instruction that leaves me contemplating. If I read my Bible looking to affirm all that I believe at this moment, God leads me to places which help me strengthen my faith by asking my beliefs to be challenged and affirmed by the situations of faithful people, and of unfaithful people. Every story has the potential to shift my perspective closer to God’s perspective about me, about us, and about “them” (those who are not like “me” or like “us”.)

Uncertainty is nothing new in the Bible. If anything, the Bible is a tool that God uses to show us that when uncertainty is present, faith will help us win. Winning has nothing to do with our efforts, but with our faith. Life is terrible? – That’s nothing new. Faith that God is there with you can bring you through the uncertainty. Life is awesome? – that’s nothing new. Faith that God is celebrating with you is the way that your faith is being strengthened by the real and present hope in this moment. This faith stays with you so that you can remember hope when terrible comes back to your life. Chances are that most of the time, our lives are both terrible and awesome all at once. Our response to life will depend on which of these you focus on.

Don’t get me wrong – sometimes life is completely terrible – like when an enemy is destroying your home, your city, your life in war – or when a tornado rips apart your home and kills your family. It is next to impossible to see the awesome in times like that. And yet. in the midst of terrible is hope. that spark, or promise that after we live through the pain, loss, despair and terrible reality, we can head toward awesome even if it is a slow journey.

Some people are stuck in terrible. And that is why we have faith. People who are stuck in terrible need to see our faith. Not as a passing lecture, a temporary handout, or a greeting card wishing them well. People living in terrible need us to put ourselves where they are, and help them move with faith toward hope so that they can even imagine awesome again. Sometimes there is too much terrible uncertainty in the world and we turn our backs because we cannot help them all. But with faith, with guidance from God through prayer and the Holy Spirit’s direction, we will find a way to help one or many with what we have.

There is much more to be said of faith and how it helps us through uncertainty. But as I ponder, I know that I need to balance the spiritual exercises of faith (prayer, study, and contemplation) with physical exercises of faith in action. Thank you Lord for reminding me again, that we are not alone.

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Reflection from today’s Kindred Project Prayer Group

On of the readings today was: from “God Speaks Through Wombs” by Drew Jackson. It was entitled. “The Anointing” Based on Luke 4:18.

The Anointing

There are times when that something comes over you. You know those times. Pay attention. Let it fill you to overflowing. Allow it to move your pen to write. Open your mouth to say those words, at which you tremble. Pick up that brush to paint. Or sweep. But whether that something moves you to do, let the Spirit take you.

To shake the foundations and make new worlds.
To break open new paradigms and design an unforeseen story.
To love. It will always move you to love.

When it comes it will drip slowly. Like oil. Running down the crown of your head, leaving little droplets of sweet smelling perfume in the dust around you. Don’t wipe your brow. Let it fall. The place on which you stand is holy ground.

Sometimes that genius will find you in the midnight hour. Other times it will overtake you at the high point of the day when all eyes are on you. No matter. The time will always be firth. I have learned not be be surprised that I’ve been chosen. We all have been chosen for love. The anointing was given at creations dawn. The oil always drips. Waiting for you, and for me, to stand under its flow.

The passage was read, and then we sank down into prayer. I write my prayers, not because I think that I cannot speak audibly to God, but because by writing my prayers, I can look back some time later and see how I have grown, or how I have not or how God provides, and helps me understand what I really needed. Oftentimes I look back at my writings and see: God is always there. This is what I wrote today:

“In a world that expects productivity, whether out of necessity or expectation, the never-ending pressure to do – to succeed without flaw, to create your own worth is like a tiger ready to pounce at the first misstep. When you let your guard down, you are entering the short grass where your every move can be seen and makes you vulnerable.
But God is never a predator. God waits in the same way as the tiger, but not to pounce – to devour – or destroy, but instead to catch you, to protect you, and to pull you closer to the safe places, where like a womb, you can grow – develop – and let your heart once again syncopate with the heart of the One who cradles you. Then, when you are renewed – you are released, to find others, and bring them to God for renewal. The renewal may be overwhelming to some, or maybe to all of us. But it is what we deeply long for. It is the only thing worth working for. Presence.
Presence – knowing that no matter what, it is well with OUR souls, when we know the way to the place where presence once again saves you.” Deb Washer 1/19/2022

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The privilege of social distancing.

We are in our third week of “social distancing” to help the COVID-19 virus go away. The other day I stepped outside onto my deck – and the environment around me – the whole world – seemed in a way physically and tangibility different. It was as if I were visiting an unfamiliar place where I didn’t know the language or the streets around me. It was a helpless feeling because we are told to trust the leaders who, frankly are not leading with the confidence that gives us peace. When the path ahead rounds a curve and we don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel, hope is eroded bit by bit – like a stream shaping the river rocks within it. Doubt and fear increase when we do not know how long it will be before we can disembark this lonely train.

We receive daily updates: how many people have died – how many cases have been confirmed – how many people have been tested. This part of the day seems unusually grim because the unsaid tagline on it seems to be #youcouldbenext.

“Social distancing” was not in our vocabulary a few months ago – but now we hear and say it every single day – many times – over and over. Slowly it is “who we have become” – not just something that we do. Learning how to be a social distancer is difficult for everyone because it is against our nature – and something within us is fighting back against it. We must resist the temptation to “cheat” – by thinking that we are the only one breaking the rules.

We are created for connection. I believe that God designed us this way. When the connections are severed by the act of a decree – we want to rebel. “How dare you tell me to stay away from people I love.” And so, we sink into a victim mentality that destroys our emotional health little by little.

What if social distancing is truly the hero that will save the world? It makes sense. Viruses cannot infect if there is no one there to infect. Simple as that. But will our stubborn human need for connection be the downfall of our society’s health? I believe what is needed is a shift in our thinking from victim to victor! We have the chance – no, the privilege – in taking part in the greatest effort by mankind to destroy one common enemy. If we do this right – we can potentially defeat this SOB in less than 4 weeks.

What if today – everyone stayed put and stayed away from each other and no one was infected today? What if tomorrow we did the same thing? Then the next day, and the next, and the next until our leaders can yell, “Olly olly oxen free” and we can call come out of hiding? We win by not getting caught.

We have the privilege of being a part of the solution. It is temporary reality that we are asked to live in for a short period of time. We need to see this as the gift that it is. We have never before in history had the means to connect with the whole world and share information about one common enemy. We are lucky to be able to participate in the world-wide effort to defeat it.

We will come through this with battle scars: – loved ones lost – financial losses – lost freedoms – and other losses. But if we all are obedient to serve each other through sacrifice, then the humans win – and the virus loses. Let us move forward seeing the privilege of being part of the solution instead of being a victim to it. Let us begin to plan the celebration that the whole world will share when the virus is dead, and we can show those who we have saved the love that we have been storing up all of these weeks.

Peace, Deb

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Tuesday is My Favorite Day

Yes! It is Tuesday again! I love Tuesdays because it is my day to visit my shut-ins. The two ladies I visit are two bright spots in my life.

Sylvia is 92 years old. She has had a good life in the country. She grew up in a family of 8 children. She shares stories about life in the day when the preacher came once a month. He would come on Saturday night and stay in a bedroom in their home which was off-limits to the kids all the time. We Methodists would have called him a “Circuit Rider”. She told me that the preacher would come from about 30 miles away. He would come in a carriage which was a luxury for the kids when he gave them a ride across the street to church in the winter. But most of the time, the horses for all the church members were put in their barn during church, and then people walked to church.

Stories of a simpler life where people lived and worked together, taking responsibility for themselves and one another have helped me remember that the most important thing is relationships.

Tuesdays are the days that my congregation thinks I am sacrificing to go and see the shut-ins, but little do they know the good that the shut-ins do for me. When I go home on Tuesday I hug my husband, and relax in a way that the rest of the week doesn’t let me.

Maybe it would be a good thing if everyone who was hurried and stressed, like me, who often forget that the tasks will always be there, but the people won’t, would make a standing appointment with one or two people who lack human contact. We can be lonely in our busyness, while others who can’t get around anymore are just plain lonely. It seems like a no-brained for me.

Blessing on you today,
Pastor Deb

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