My Writings. My Thoughts.

I’m sick of Lent

// March 10th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

I’m tired of Lent.
 
The worship team hatched this clever idea of trying to ‘destabilize’ our regular worship pattern during Lent as a way of asking how much is Enough? How much can we strip away and still have a Holy encounter? What if we mess up the chairs and make it all chaotic and/or force [...]

Take This Bread

// March 3rd, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

The Isaiah passage for this week raises some interesting questions that disrupt a simplistic take on Lent as merely the season “to give up” or even to “take one” new practices. Isaiah probes deeper – asking his minority community in exile: “What are you really hungry for?” “What do your feed yourselves with?” And perhaps most interestingly for our contemporary context “What do you spend your money on which doesn’t actually nourish you?” Calling out with the cadence of a merchant at a busy market, Isaiah invites his listeners to come, even with no money in our pockets, and to fill arms and baskets with Yahweh’s good food and drink.

Moving Forward into an Unknown Place

// February 24th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

And part of the journey into enough is also one of asking for and receiving help, acknowledging that it is in our inter-woven state, a community of individuals who support each other, that we are in fact enough. So Paul today graciously agreed to write the reflection, which I include below. He is a man of many talents- and I am thankful for his time on this day when he also is hosting our community meal and making home-made pizzas! Please bring an appetite and an open heart as we continue to walk together in this season of preparation. peace, Courtney

Ash Wednesday: Enough

// February 17th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Uncategorized

I am really sick of the idea of abundance. Everywhere you turn there is another church conference on ‘Scarcity and Abundance’ or ‘Resting in God’s Abundance.’ I don’t really get it. I mean-doesn’t this idea collude a bit with the dominant culture? Isn’t it the American dream to have more, bigger, better? Is abundance therefore the best way to talk about God and what God provides in our life?– More than we could ever want, need or imagine? What if instead God was simply enough? And our spiritual work then becomes about resting in God’s enough, even when it looks different than our own expectations. This Lent at Church in the Cliff we are exploring practices that help us discern how much is enough.

Shiny, Happy People

// February 10th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

What happens to our bodies when we spend time near to God?
I love this scripture about Moses leaving Mount Sinai after forty days and nights with the Holy One and his face is shining like the sun. And he doesn’t even know it. That is the best part for me.
I have known lots of sparkly people. I have even at times tried to be a sparkly person, or better stated, to perform what I thought other people thought was ‘a sparkly person.’

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