While the day of Christmas is now in the past (albeit a day), let us not forget we are still in the Christmas and holiday season. We bask in the aftermath and glow of family, friends, dinners, presents and our old and (for some of us) new holiday traditions. Let us not throw all of it aside just yet. Let's see how long we can make the Christmas spirit last. As we come out of the hustle and bustle, we still have another holiday coming our way...New Year's Day. I've been thinking a lot about the New Year, lately. And the song "Auld Lang Syne" comes to my mind. I've never really picked up the tradition in singing it, but I think I might have to now that I've been pondering its meaning. We hear it in many holiday films (When Harry Met Sally, It's a Wonderful Life, to name a couple). But, I've been wondering what this song really means to me.
Matt has started a new call with a church in Indiana. In November, we moved from Colorado to Indiana. It was an exciting adventure and a bit scary at the same time. We were leaving routines, jobs, friends, favorite restaurants and even a few favorite watering holes. All the people and places we've known for 6 years. Very hard to leave. (But, we've done it before; going to seminary, moving to Matt's internship site, back to seminary and then to his first call as a pastor). It was never easy to leave family and friends every time we had to do that. This may have been the hardest because we were in Colorado for the longest period of time. Moving on is difficult, exciting, scary and depressing and just an emotional roller coaster. So, we are now settling into Indiana. And now we are finding new restaurants, finding a new routine, making more friends. And while we are making new traditions and meeting new people, all of the things we have left behind in places past (Oregon, Columbus, Nashville and now Colorado) we will never forget. And that brings the celebratory song we sing during the New Year to my mind.
Auld Lang Syne asks us a question.... "Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot in days of auld lang syne" (meaning days of old)? Well, should we? Should we forget it all? Then the song goes on and we sing in favor of the old days. "For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne!" Maybe the meaning is to sing of the old days and think of them fondly (have a glass to raise to the past) as we move to other things that our lives bring. This song has definitely been on my mind lately and I'm keeping this song on my heart.
I guess it's a question we all ask ourselves from year to year as we renew our resolutions, kept and "slightly" kept, events that we want to, indeed, forget, or memories that we now cherish everyday. Some of us will answer the question to the song with a resounding "Yes! I just want to forget this year and all the days of old"...Some of us would say..."Well, some of it is certainly forgettable!" And then I would put myself in the category of answering the song with a "No!". I want to remember my acquaintances and keep them close to my heart. I want to remember the blessings throughout and I want to remember the painful times, as we can sometimes find more blessings in the midst of them and really see how we are still standing. While I don't necessarily want to relive them, I don't think I want to forget them. I do believe that our past somehow shapes us and educates us on how we can choose to move forward.
When midnight comes on January 1st, 2013, I will raise my glass to my old friends and to my new ones, too, to my old routines and to the new ones, to my favorite places and to my new favorite places. It will all be NOT "forgotten". I will bring it all to mind. I may have had to move on, but I will not forget. I will keep hold of my acquaintances (new and from over the years). I will take a cup of kindness and toast to the old days and look forward to the new days of 2013. Happy New Year to you all!
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
A Ukulele, Ian Somerhalder and Saving the World
"You want to play the what?" my friend said with a laugh. "The U-KU-LE-LE!" I said. "Um. Why?" she said. "Um. Why the heck not?" I said. And so, the adventures with the Ukulele begin. I actually found a local Ukulele group that meet once a month and I know one of the ladies who attends the group. She is the one that promptly invited me when I mentioned the daring word, Ukulele. She had a spare Ukulele and got me started with learning a few chords. You see, I've always had a dream, hanging out in the back of my head, to play the guitar. I have borrowed guitars and borrowed music and youtube-d the "How-to's" for beginning guitar, but it was frustrating, because I have short stubby fingers and couldn't manipulate them enough to reach certain chords. And only until recently did I put together the cheery sound of a Ukulele with the fact that they are smaller and my stubby little fingers could maybe, actually, form a chord.
How do you feel when you hear "Somewhere over the Rainbow" played and sung by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole? Or Matthew Morrison (from Glee) demonstrating his mad Ukulele skills? Or when Jason Mraz sings "I'm yours"? Oh sure, we remember (if you're old enough) Tiny Tim and his trademark Ukulele singing "Tiptoe, Through the Tulips", but it seems that the Ukulele is making a comeback into many songs or maybe the ukulele has always been there, but now we have recognized it as cool, hip and happy. Personally, it reminds me of Dole Whips before entering the Enchanted Tiki Room, but that's another blog post for another day. Either way, I decided I needed to bring a bit of happiness back into my life (did I mention being a pastor's spouse is sometimes not so happy?). I think learning a new instrument that can bring happiness of a tropical oasis, and makes any song sound uplifting is a good thing in my book and should be tried at least once in your life. I found out on Wednesday that my fat, stubby fingers can fit around the neck of the Ukulele perfectly and I've already learned about 5 chords. I have been able to play a few songs even with only trying this out for 3 days. "On Top of Old Smokey" has never sounded the same since! No, that's a good thing!
I highly recommend learning something new and trying it out and making a new change. It's refreshing and can be fun. If you've always wanted to dance, take a dance lesson. If you want to learn a new language, find a community class. If you want a new way to exercise, might I suggest Zumba? You're never to old to learn something new! Take a chance and make yourself happy, today, right now, right this minute!
On the same topic of learning something new and doing something that makes me happy, this Sunday is Earth Day. OK, that part wasn't really new, but if you forgot or if you didn't know about Earth Day, it is April 22nd. Last December, I learned of a wonderful non-profit group, the IS Foundation. Their Mission Statement is as follows:
How do you feel when you hear "Somewhere over the Rainbow" played and sung by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole? Or Matthew Morrison (from Glee) demonstrating his mad Ukulele skills? Or when Jason Mraz sings "I'm yours"? Oh sure, we remember (if you're old enough) Tiny Tim and his trademark Ukulele singing "Tiptoe, Through the Tulips", but it seems that the Ukulele is making a comeback into many songs or maybe the ukulele has always been there, but now we have recognized it as cool, hip and happy. Personally, it reminds me of Dole Whips before entering the Enchanted Tiki Room, but that's another blog post for another day. Either way, I decided I needed to bring a bit of happiness back into my life (did I mention being a pastor's spouse is sometimes not so happy?). I think learning a new instrument that can bring happiness of a tropical oasis, and makes any song sound uplifting is a good thing in my book and should be tried at least once in your life. I found out on Wednesday that my fat, stubby fingers can fit around the neck of the Ukulele perfectly and I've already learned about 5 chords. I have been able to play a few songs even with only trying this out for 3 days. "On Top of Old Smokey" has never sounded the same since! No, that's a good thing!
I highly recommend learning something new and trying it out and making a new change. It's refreshing and can be fun. If you've always wanted to dance, take a dance lesson. If you want to learn a new language, find a community class. If you want a new way to exercise, might I suggest Zumba? You're never to old to learn something new! Take a chance and make yourself happy, today, right now, right this minute!
On the same topic of learning something new and doing something that makes me happy, this Sunday is Earth Day. OK, that part wasn't really new, but if you forgot or if you didn't know about Earth Day, it is April 22nd. Last December, I learned of a wonderful non-profit group, the IS Foundation. Their Mission Statement is as follows:
"The IS FOUNDATION aims to empower, educate and collaborate with people and projects to positively impact the planet and its creatures."
Now if the above statement is something you believe in and/or agree with, I highly recommend you check them out. I have chosen this foundation as one that I will continue to support in my life by educating myself about our planet, environment and all of God's creation and trying to make it a better place little by little every single day. Ian Somerhalder is the founder of this foundation and I learned of his organization through my vampire obsession. Yes, he's a vampire on the Vampire Diaries and some of you may even remember him from the TV show "Lost". We will most likely put people on the planet Mars before we find out the cause of women and their vampire obsessions, but anywho, by watching the show, it led me to his foundation. The IS Foundation is on facebook and their website is (http://www.isfoundation.com/) and it has all the latest news about legislation, volunteering and getting involved in your community to help our planet flourish for years to come. Check them out and learn something new today!
Ian Somerhalder is my hero and I'm so happy to be a supporter of his foundation. He is saving the world little by little, every day, and I get to help. And while I've never met the man (maybe one day I will get to and I would most likely squeal with joy or die of embarrassment, because I might or might not have fainted) what he has created in his foundation and seeing the energy that he has to changing our planet for the better, and he will always be an inspiration for me to do the same.
Now that is something we can be happy about <cue in the Ukulele music>!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
How Will You Make Your Cup to Runneth Over?
I've been thinking....I know...uh oh...now what! Well, I have been thinking and lately I've wondered if we truly need to think of another way to actually "do" church. I have recently heard several comments from members that have upset me a tad and the one common theme has been "I just don't get filled when I go to church". While this thinking kind of angers me because my knee jerk response is "What you put into it is what you get out of it", I have to think about new ways we can truly be filled without it always sounding so selfish. And I still truly believe that if we all put our time and talents (and not just our treasures) into church whether it's worship, fellowship, lay ministries, community outreach, etc.. we will receive much more than we can imagine.
But the reality is that people go to church nowadays to be filled with warm fuzzies and when they do not feel it, they stop coming, they stop participating, they stop giving. People do the bare minimum to get by. Church has become an individualistic institution where we arrive to the building and sit in our usual place and let others do all the work (unless we've signed up for a duty that day). We walk in and sit down and possibly peruse through the bulletin and when we discover we might be singing a new song that we don't know or not singing our favorite hymn, we're disappointed. We walk through worship with a disappointed heart. Then we hear the sermon and since it wasn't maybe what we wanted to hear, we are again, disappointed. Maybe some days we want people to walk up to us and ask us how things are or in a sense, "mind read" that we need someone to talk to us. I can tell you that no one is a mind reader (Not even Shawn Spencer from Psych or Patrick Jane from the Mentalist), and no matter how much we'd like to believe it that also includes the pastor. So, on that note, if you need something, by God, tell someone! However, no one walks up to you and asks you how you are, and again, more disappointment. Now you walk out of church not getting your way with anything in today's worship. You sit and fester about it and decide to complain to others about it or you decide to stop coming for awhile.
Church has become selfish and individualistic for many people. We have become a consumerist society. We go church shopping to find the right church for our needs. We tithe to the church we choose and if the church is not doing what we think they should be doing, we pull our funding. We stop volunteering for events in the church because we don't like what they're doing or we're not interested in what they do. If you don't like the produce at one grocery store, you just go to another. We view church the same way.
I propose a challenge to everyone. What if we were to walk into church with the intention of filling someone else other than ourselves? What if you woke up on Sunday morning and said to yourself, "I'm going to walk into church and make sure I walk up to someone and ask them how they are doing!", "I'm going to sing every hymn like it's my absolute favorite". You never know, the song you are singing might not be your favorite, but maybe the person sitting next to you desperately needs to hear this message. Sing out and participate in filling someone else! So, the sermon isn't exactly what you wanted to hear. Take notes and really reflect on one or two points of the sermon that jumps out at you. Ask the pastor questions about it. Ask one another. Maybe the message in the sermon rang true for someone sitting in the back row. Be there for them to help them be filled with the message. You might end up being filled and you don't even know it!
If you know of someone who has an idea or wants to organize an event, instead of saying "That's a good idea....I won't come because I don't want to, or don't care about that, or better you do that, than me", say instead "I will go to support you in your ministry!". "I see that this is important to you and I will support you in this ministry or event, or potluck or whatever it may be." I see, too often, that people will not verbally shoot down people's ministries. They shoot them down by not being there and showing support. To me, that's worse than telling someone you won't come. We had a member work really hard to purchase equipment for us to start a Sat. evening worship service. And when we had all the equipment and we had the service sorted out on power point, the day came to start it and only 3 people showed up (and that included myself and the pastor and it didn't even include the person who wanted to start this project). Each week on Sat. evening no one showed up. The "if you build it, they will come" mentality is dead. It doesn't work. You HAVE to have members come and truly support this ministry. Just leaving it for someone else to do it will not help any ministry for outreach or spirituality or worship, etc... successful.
We have to really be in it for each other in order for anything to be successful. Not just the same 10% of people that show up for everything. Eventually, even those people get tired and there is no one around to fill them up again either.
I challenge you to go to church (or to work or any function that you may be attending this week) and go for others. Be there for others! Support others! Don't think about how much you are or aren't being filled. Think about how you can fill others today, tomorrow, each Sunday. What you put into it is what you get out of it! I bet that when more and more people let go of the "me mentality" and start showing care and concern for others, with no expectations of receiving anything in return, we will then truly receive the greatest reward and that our cups will runneth over. How will you make your cup to runneth over?
But the reality is that people go to church nowadays to be filled with warm fuzzies and when they do not feel it, they stop coming, they stop participating, they stop giving. People do the bare minimum to get by. Church has become an individualistic institution where we arrive to the building and sit in our usual place and let others do all the work (unless we've signed up for a duty that day). We walk in and sit down and possibly peruse through the bulletin and when we discover we might be singing a new song that we don't know or not singing our favorite hymn, we're disappointed. We walk through worship with a disappointed heart. Then we hear the sermon and since it wasn't maybe what we wanted to hear, we are again, disappointed. Maybe some days we want people to walk up to us and ask us how things are or in a sense, "mind read" that we need someone to talk to us. I can tell you that no one is a mind reader (Not even Shawn Spencer from Psych or Patrick Jane from the Mentalist), and no matter how much we'd like to believe it that also includes the pastor. So, on that note, if you need something, by God, tell someone! However, no one walks up to you and asks you how you are, and again, more disappointment. Now you walk out of church not getting your way with anything in today's worship. You sit and fester about it and decide to complain to others about it or you decide to stop coming for awhile.
Church has become selfish and individualistic for many people. We have become a consumerist society. We go church shopping to find the right church for our needs. We tithe to the church we choose and if the church is not doing what we think they should be doing, we pull our funding. We stop volunteering for events in the church because we don't like what they're doing or we're not interested in what they do. If you don't like the produce at one grocery store, you just go to another. We view church the same way.
I propose a challenge to everyone. What if we were to walk into church with the intention of filling someone else other than ourselves? What if you woke up on Sunday morning and said to yourself, "I'm going to walk into church and make sure I walk up to someone and ask them how they are doing!", "I'm going to sing every hymn like it's my absolute favorite". You never know, the song you are singing might not be your favorite, but maybe the person sitting next to you desperately needs to hear this message. Sing out and participate in filling someone else! So, the sermon isn't exactly what you wanted to hear. Take notes and really reflect on one or two points of the sermon that jumps out at you. Ask the pastor questions about it. Ask one another. Maybe the message in the sermon rang true for someone sitting in the back row. Be there for them to help them be filled with the message. You might end up being filled and you don't even know it!
If you know of someone who has an idea or wants to organize an event, instead of saying "That's a good idea....I won't come because I don't want to, or don't care about that, or better you do that, than me", say instead "I will go to support you in your ministry!". "I see that this is important to you and I will support you in this ministry or event, or potluck or whatever it may be." I see, too often, that people will not verbally shoot down people's ministries. They shoot them down by not being there and showing support. To me, that's worse than telling someone you won't come. We had a member work really hard to purchase equipment for us to start a Sat. evening worship service. And when we had all the equipment and we had the service sorted out on power point, the day came to start it and only 3 people showed up (and that included myself and the pastor and it didn't even include the person who wanted to start this project). Each week on Sat. evening no one showed up. The "if you build it, they will come" mentality is dead. It doesn't work. You HAVE to have members come and truly support this ministry. Just leaving it for someone else to do it will not help any ministry for outreach or spirituality or worship, etc... successful.
We have to really be in it for each other in order for anything to be successful. Not just the same 10% of people that show up for everything. Eventually, even those people get tired and there is no one around to fill them up again either.
I challenge you to go to church (or to work or any function that you may be attending this week) and go for others. Be there for others! Support others! Don't think about how much you are or aren't being filled. Think about how you can fill others today, tomorrow, each Sunday. What you put into it is what you get out of it! I bet that when more and more people let go of the "me mentality" and start showing care and concern for others, with no expectations of receiving anything in return, we will then truly receive the greatest reward and that our cups will runneth over. How will you make your cup to runneth over?
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