Intensive seminary class on the main campus for the first time... feeding my soul and mind

I would like to sit down and write and write and write.  But, I have one more book to finish.  I also have a paper to finish that I started last night.  So, I will get my writing in, just not the way I'd prefer. ☺

There are so many ways I could go with this post.  Therefore, it could seem like random ramblings.  But, I think I'll focus on where I am and why I'm here.

I am in Kentucky for my first intensive on the main campus at Asbury Theological Seminary. I am taking a course in United Methodist Theology under Dr. Steve Seamands.  I am staying in Nicholasville, an 11 minute drive from the campus, at The Cottage which is part of The Corner House Bed and Breakfast.  This is a great place to stay and the host has been super!  The breakfasts have all been yummy!

I am getting some good silence and solitude time this week.  I needed it.  With my Academy time over, I knew I would need to be very intentional in getting time apart into my schedule.  I knew I would have some time to myself this week, but I wasn't prepared for how much this week would minister to me Academy-style.

It hasn't replaced Academy by any means.  There isn't much that can replace the vibrant worship of Academy #32, the bilingual atmosphere, the relationships that were knit over two years, etc.  BUT, through the direction of Dr. Seamands, our class is a space not only for learning, but also for spiritual formation, for worship, for the holy.  I have several times felt like I was in the Academy setting listening to the faculty presenter challenge us to reflect spiritually on things. 

Dr. Seamands has done this each morning through a time of teaching on the Character of a Methodist in which he presents Scripture, shares with us, challenges us to reflect, invites us to sing and worship and then pray together.  Wow!!  The topics have spurred sermon ideas. ☺  More importantly, they have opened up places for healing and have allowed me to have some spiritual formation time while being in class.  Head and heart time.  Just like the Academy.  My soul has been blessed.  I have been able to gaze upon several icons, including one of my favorites, that of Rublev's Trinity.  I have practiced visio divina while watching some of the incredible backgrounds for the songs we've sung.  I had a class with Dr. Seamands online at some point early on when I was working on the Certificate for Christian Studies.  That would be somewhere between 2007 and 2009, but I will have to look through my folders to figure out which one it was.  I remember that he was a good online instructor.  He is an even better in class professor.  The way he directs the activities of the learning process, how he uses songs, pictures, stories, group discussion, class interaction, etc.  I admire and appreciate his teaching methods both as a student and as a retired educator.  Well-done, prof!

Being on campus has been a blessing in other ways too.  I finally got a student ID after all these years (I started in 2007).  I got to go to my first chapel today.  Though I had to ask someone who it was that spoke, it was a powerful message.  And, it was good to share in communion. 

Getting to know fellow students in person has been good too, just as it was the first intensive I took in FL two summers ago.  I have also been able to connect with two local folks.... one I was expecting to see and had made plans to visit with over coffee; the other I knew was taking classes, but I thought she was gone for the summer.  So, I was surprised to see one of my former Wesley Life Group students and Costa Rica missionary buddies at lunch time today. 

Solomon's Porch truly has good coffee and a wonderful atmosphere.  Though I haven't eaten there yet, all the food items I have seen look wonderful. 

Here is a picture from Wesley Square of John Wesley.  It's really the only campus picture I've taken so far.  (On my camera.  On my phone I took a picture of the fountain and some pictures at chapel.)

 

 

Well, at this point I had better return to the writing that is required of me and the reading too.  At some point later I can hopefully return to writing here the things that have stirring around in my heart, mind, and soul.

Blessings on your journey,

Debra

Advice from Nature... T-shirts and journals

I am almost finished using my Advice from a River journal.

I have some pages left, but I look forward to my next journal, Advice from a Mountain.

I bought them at the same time, at an eclectic shop in Apalachicola, FL where I also found wooden hand crosses. 

The main advice from Advice from a River was "go with the flow" and that is how I've been living it since 2006, though this journal has been in used from July 2011. 

I took a sneak peek at the Advice from a Mountain journal and was pleasantly relieved to find the advice to be "Dear friend...reach new heights".  WHEW!  I was a tad concerned that I would be moving into a rough time.  Well, that could still be the case.  Reaching new heights requires striving and climbing.  I am hoping and praying that the journey won't be too difficult.  I know that I can take rest stops along the way.  One page in this new journal says, "Stand in the strength of your true nature."  The back of the journal says this:

"Reach new heights! 

Savor life's peak experiences

Stand in the strength of

Your True Nature!

Rise above it all

Get to the point

Rock on!"

 

Toward the end of the journal is this page: "To summit all up... It's the journey step by step by step."

 

Just as I have enjoyed the river journal, I imagine I'm going to enjoy the mountain one. 

 

Both of these journals come from the company Your True Nature.  For more about this company in Fort Collins, Colorado, simply click on their name in the previous sentence.

 

On our recent mountain get-away trip to Amicalola Falls State Park in Dawsonville, GA I found some t-shirts that also carried advice from nature.  I was pleased to see a t-shirt with advice from a mountain.  I found another one with advice from a waterfall.  What I did not see there at the gift shop was a t-shirt with advice from a river.  But I did learn that the t-shirts are from the same company as the journals, so I might be able to find one there. ☺

 

Because it is in Creation where I connect best with the Creator, both the mountain and the waterfall shirt express to me ways I can live out my journey.  Rocks, earth, mountains, water, waterfalls.  Ahhhh!!! ☺

 

Here are the shirts:

 

Being a linguistic geek, I like the phrase "to summit up" to mean 'to sum it up'.  So, "to summit up", I plan to attempt to live in to nature's advice from these t-shirts and journals.  Notice that the waterfall offers some of the same advice as the river in "go with the flow".  So, I'm not done with that just yet. ☺  Additionally, the waterfall advises: "roar with excitement, let your cares fall away, create your own music, immerse yourself in nature, stay active, make a splash!" 

I recognize that not all persons are "nature" people.  So, you may get your advice somewhere else.  Your wisdom comes from other sources.  There's nothing wrong with that.  For me, enjoying Creation from my Creator is a source of strength, peace, and life.  Without it, my journey would not be complete.

However you choose to learn and grow on your journey, may you find something to bring you some encouragement and a smile to your face today.

Blessings on your journey!

Debra



Poured out Love--Rumi, kenosis, Philippians, Christ's example

I was able to go to the Centering Prayer group yesterday, making it back two weeks in a row now! Hurray!  We are still working through Cynthia Bourgeault's book Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening.  The section we read together on Friday was primarily on kenosis, the act of self-emptying. 

As part of the reading, there was a poem by Rumi on love.  Bourgeault mentioned that this poem goes well with the hymn found in Philippians 2:9-16 (which she had discussed earlier in the chapter as an example of kenosis, page 83).

Rumi's poem:

Love is recklessness, not reason.
Reason seeks a profit,
Love comes on strong, consuming herself,
          Unabashed.

Yet in the midst of suffering
Love proceeds like a millstone,
Hard-surfaced and straight-forward.

Having died to self-interest,
She risks everything and asks for nothing.
Love gambles away every gift God bestows.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

These words by Rumi speak to me (as do the verses in Philippians 2:9-16 and kenosis). 

Love radically given and poured out for others..... that's Christ's example for us.  It is truly an awesome example.  Not so easy to model.  It resonates within; it just doesn't seem to flow out so readily, at least not all the time.  I think some drops drip or ooze out from time to time.  There might even be a steady flow here and there, but then my selfishness and humanity plug up the open places from where the love was flowing and then the outpouring isn't pouring out so much anymore. 

Desiring to be like the One who died to self and gave everything up for others, yet not always being able to live into that skin.  It's an ongoing growing process.  It's a journey.

Thankfully, we're not in this process or on this journey alone.  We are surrounded by others who are seeking to grow and learn and love too.  We are able to encourage and support one another in the ups and downs, in the ebb and flow, in the ins and outs.  Community is a true blessing, whether that community is visible, local, or across the ocean.

Blessings on your journey,
Debra

Reading United Methodist Doctrine while on vacation...

Last week we took a short family vacation to Amicalola Falls State Park in the north Georgia mountains, near Dawsonville, GA.  We rented a cabin that backed up to the creek.  That was where morning coffee and reading took place.

creek behind cabin (Amicalola Falls creek)

 

One morning while reading the first book of six required texts for an upcoming United Methodist Theology course, United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center by Scott J. Jones, I found myself in the midst of creation reading about creation. 

Chapter 5 of the book is entitled "Creation, Sin, Law, Grace, and Repentance". 

Leading up to the part about creation, a few lines that caught my attention:

"The heart of United Methodist doctrine is saving grace, so, not surprisingly, grace is also the starting point of its anthropology." (145) 

What REALLY caught my attention is the first clause of that sentence.  It caused me to draw a heart to the side of the page, write inside the heart "saving grace" and above the heart "UM Doctrine". ☺

"God's grace is an expression of God's essential nature, which is love." (146)

Then, the author quoted from "Our Social Creed" from the Book of Discipline. 

What caught my attention here was the line: "We affirm the natural world as God's handiwork and dedicate ourselves to its preservation, enhancement, and faithful use by humankind." (146, Jones; 122, Discipline)

So, there I was, sitting on the edge of the creek surrounded greenery, rushing waters, and chirping birds.  What better place to be to read this portion of the book?!?!

I could definitely affirm God's handiwork around me.  Not only at that spot, but throughout the park with the gorgeous waterfall, valley views, geological beauty, etc. 

Amicalola Falls

 

top of falls and view of valley

view of valley from East Ridge Trail

Creation has always been a connecting point for me to God, the Creator.  And, that makes sense... at least it does to me.  How can one not connect with the Creator through the creation?!?!

The author went on to remind the reader that "we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it [creation].  Water, air, soil, minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life, and space are to be valued and conserved because they are God's creation [...]" (146)

Reduce, reuse, recycle... those are words that will help all of us help creation.  Though I do some things to take care of creation, there is more I can do.  There have been books and programs in the past few years to help folks become more aware and begin to be more "green" within their families, churches, and communities. 

In case you're interested in learning more about the Green Church Initiative, here are two links below with information.  The second one includes Rebekah Simon-Peter's book/curriculum on the topic.

Links:
Green Church
Green Church by Rebekah Simon-Peter (her website)

Doctrine in its simplest meaning means "teaching".  I enjoyed the book by Scott J. Jones on the United Methodist doctrine.  I especially enjoyed the serendipity moment of being outdoors in creation to enjoy the Creator's handiwork as I read the section on creation in the book.

Enjoy some of the Creator's handiwork today!  And while you're enjoying it, look around to see what part you can do to keep it in good shape. (You may have heard the saying: "take only pictures, leave only footprints".)

Blessings on your journey,

Debra

Good Earth Tea Quotes.... an abundance of quotes shared

I have posted several (or at least two) Good Earth Tea quote posts in the past.  Yesterday I was cleaning off my dresser drawer and found a handful of Good Earth Tea tags and decided I would compile them all for one post.

The tea tags were collected over time, so I'm not on a "tea buzz" or anything like that.  Once I get the post written, then I can recycle the tags. ☺

Quotes:

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome." Booker T. Washington 1856-1915

"The only way to fail at something is to fail to learn from the experience." Mary Jane Nirenberg

"If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends.  You talk to your enemies." Moshe Dayan 1915-1981

"The first and great commandment is: Don't let them scare you." Elmer Davis 1890-1958

"Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can." John Wesley 1703-1791

"Unless you believe, you will not understand." Saint Augustine 354 AD-430 AD
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Success, obstacles, failure, experience, peace, commandment, make, save, give, believe.... all good topics for reflection.  From a tea bag tag!

There were three authors I didn't know, so I looked them up:

Mary Jane Nirenberg-- Though I found two "Mary Nirenberg" listings on Linked In, I don't know if either is "this" Mary Jane Nirenberg.  Both were professional business women.

Moshe Dayan-- An Israeli military warrior who became a spokesperson for peace.  Jewish Virtual Library Information. Encyclopedia Britannica.

Elmer Davis-- News writer and radio commentator.  Infoplease. Encyclopedia Britannica.

I don't know if any of the above quotes will speak to you today or not, but maybe one of them will.  If not the quotes, then maybe something you learn about the author.

Enjoy a good cup of tea somewhere along your journey,

Debra

"Opening Your Heart to Guidance"-- thoughts and reflection from reading Macrina Wiederkehr on this topic

I sat down yesterday afternoon with Macrina Wiederkehr's Abide: Keeping Vigil with the Word of God and started where I had left off.  Chapter 7: "Opening Your Heart to Guidance".  Oooh... that sounds good.  The Scripture reading was Psalm 25 and the opening instructions: "Prayerfully read Psalm 25." 

As I have gotten accustomed to doing this, I put down the book and looked for a Bible to read the Psalm.  But, before I read the Psalm, I thought I would peek at the devotional.  This is what I read: "Before immersing yourself in the words of this meditation, obey the words above."  OUCH!  I was caught!  Not only was I supposed to obey the instructions, but there was also this I needed to obey: "Unbar your heart and simply wait for God.  There is so much grace in waiting."  Unbar my heart.  That's a powerful statement that says quite a bit and assumes quite a bit.  However, if I am honest with myself, my heart does somehow grow bars around it from time to time... bars of protection.  And, that's not necessarily a bad thing.  Yet, when coming before God, Creator, those bars need to be gone.  And then I need to prepare to simply wait.  I'm not so sure that "simply" and "wait" should go together.  Waiting is not so simple.  Yet, there is definitely grace in the waiting.

So, as I accepted my gentle reprimand, I went to Psalm 25 and read.  The verses that spoke to me most yesterday were 1a, 4-5, 9, 16-18, 19-20.  Depending on what version is read, the word "hope" is used instead of "wait".  They both have a feel for expectation, but the focus on the devotion was the waiting aspect.

When I finished reading the Psalm slowly and prayerfully, I went back to the meditation and read it.  Here are the parts that stood out to me from Macrina's words:

• "We tend to live rather distracted lives; thus the inner turning toward the soul is an excellent spiritual practice." (81)
• "If we desire to move into a deeper relationship with God, it is essential that we live with unguarded hearts." (81)
• "Psalm 25 is a prayer for guidance." (81)
• "Openness! Readiness!  Patience! Spend a little time reflecting on those qualities in your life." (81)

Then Macrina offers these questions to aid in that reflection:

• "How do you experience being open to guidance?"
• "Who are your teachers on the spiritual path?"
• "How is this readiness to go deeper into God's ways visible in the way you live?"
• "How do you feel about waiting for God to make known the paths you should walk?" 
• "How do you feel about waiting for anything?"

There is quite a bit to chew on here.  This might take a while. ☺ 

Continuing on with Macrina's words that captured my attention:

• "In order to go deeper into our interior life and be molded by the Source of all life, it is important that we learn the art of creative waiting." (81)
• "Creative waiting is a deep listening that is at the heart of all discernment." (81)

What caught my attention from these words/phrases/sentences and why do they resonate within my soul?  My desire is to continue moving into a deeper relationship with God and waiting has been part of the ebb and flow of my life's experience for several years now.  Listening and discernment are areas in which I desire growth. 

Macrina suggests that the foes/enemies in verse 19 of Psalm 25 could be considered to be "interior blocks to spiritual growth." (82)  This is a great way to reflect on this.  What stunts/blocks/hinders my growth?   Your growth?  If we can name it, we can begin to deal with it.   This is part of the deepening process.

As with every meditation, Macrina ends with a beautiful prayer.  I'm not going to include it this time (I don't want to give you everything in the book!), but I will include a Psalm Prayer from the Upper Room Worshipbook that I looked up yesterday.

It is #249 and is adapted by Judy Holloway.  Copyright 2006. Upper Room Books.

Psalm Prayer (Ps. 25)

 

O God, in you there is shelter and comfort.

Lead us in your truth and teach us your ways.

Your path is steady and sure.

Be our companion, our protector, and our deliverer.  Amen.

I don't know if Psalm 25, the portions from Macrina Wiederkehr's meditation, or the Psalm Prayer will speak to you or not.  I don't know where you are on the journey.  I only know that each of these spoke to me and I wanted to share.

Blessings on your journey.... May there be grace in the waiting!

Debra

Bless the Lord, O my soul.... what a day!

Today started off with being able to sleep in because there was no school for my daughter!  That was nice.  My main responsibility today was to teach a women's Bible Study from 10am--11:30am downtown.  Today was our last meeting of the year until next Fall.  We finished our study of Esther today, finishing up with chapters 9 and 10. We also finished the last segment of the video we've been watching along with our study, Esther by F. Murray Abraham.  It is the only film version of Esther I've seen so far and it honored the biblical text for the most part with a few artistic licenses here and there. 

After finishing the DVD, we talked about visiting Israel for a while because the movie led us to think about being able to be in the places of Biblical times.  I shared about my trip to Israel in 2000, the archaeological dig that I took with Associates for Biblical Research while I was teaching at Bryan College.  What a great trip that was!  David Fouts led our group from Bryan.  We got to go through Paris there and back and I got to use French!  In Israel, I got to dig (at Ai--see the link above for Associates for Biblical Research), see sights, touch the Western Wall, visit Yad Vashem, go to Jericho, En-Gedi, the Dead Sea, Hezekiah's Tunnel, Herod's place, Abraham's tomb, be above Jacob's well in an area folks weren't allowed in typically in Samaria because of our guide, go to Bethlehem, etc., etc., etc.  Some of the highlights were having the Scriptures opened up and read in location.  Very powerful.  Thinking about that trip today and sharing about it is bitter sweet.  That trip was a highlight in my spiritual journey.  Then several months later is when I got pregnant, wrestled with God, resigned my teaching position, and started a journey in which I learned more about God's grace and forgiveness in a tangible way than I had previously. 

I would like to pull out all my Israel pictures and put them into an album.  Maybe I can even find my journal from those days.  I have a smiley face yamaka (skull cap) that I bought on the streets of Jerusalem. 

Thinking about Israel makes me think back on my Bryan College days.... 12 years of teaching there.  Time in which I grew as a teacher and in my spiritual journey.  Time in which I went through difficult times in my first marriage and then a divorce.  Then, after the divorce, I went through another difficult time.  John Wesley would refer to it as "heaviness and wilderness state".  I refer to it as my roller coaster from hell.  When you love God and live for God, yet then struggle with self and sin, it's not a pretty picture.  

After leading/facilitating Bible Study this morning, I didn't go workout at Taekwondo (TKD) today because my left hip started hurting yesterday when I stand and walk.  I decided that crescent kicks... any kind of kick wouldn't be good.  And the searing pain that shoots up from the leg joint wasn't something I wanted to endure today.  If the pain persists, I'll be going to a doc to get it checked out.  I've been told I had minor arthritis in that area before.... so we'll see.

This afternoon, I met with a friend at Panera, one of my favorite "third places".  She is a fellow Lay Speaker/Servant and we get together periodically to check in, share, and see how we can pray for one another.  I have been able to hear her share God's Word from the pulpit and she is one on-fire lady for the Lord.  She is one of several folks that energize me spiritually.

While there at Panera, I did two double takes.  One was right after I had gotten my drink and was going to sit down.  There was Michael Palmer, one of my former colleagues from Bryan College.  I have seen him off and on through the years since I left Bryan.  It is always a blessing to see him and catch up with him.  Just another reminder of all the wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ I had the privilege to work with and be around during my time at Bryan.

Then, as my friend and I were leaving, this gentleman walks in and causes me to do another double take.  He is supposed to be in California, or so I thought.  David Masoner.  He was my boss when I resigned my position those years ago.  We had several talks throughout the year, especially when he learned why I had resigned.  Before that situation, he and his wife were instrumentally used by God to prepare me to be back home with my first husband right before my husband left me.  We ended up being together in the Charlotte, NC airport waiting on our delayed flight.  And, unbeknownst to any of us, they ministered to me in a way that sustained me tremendously and prepared me to arrive in Chattanooga and deal with what awaited me that day and the next... and the days to come. 

David and I chatted for a few minutes.  They moved back to this area last June.  He is involved in ministry with Northshore Fellowship and helping the new startup on the south end/shore.  I told him I thought of him and Barbara often and had thought of them in the recent past.  He didn't believe me.  But I have.  I can't remember if it was a few months ago or when, but I have.  "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" has been an important hymn for me since that airport God time.  In fact, if David searched through my blog, he'll find that I've written about him and Barbara before. ☺ I decided to look that up and found that I had written a post in October 2012 about the Red Sea Rule #6 in which I mentioned David and Barbara Masoner briefly.  That was last year.  See, David, you guys are on my mind... and had a bigger impact on my life in many ways than you ever knew.  (As did many of my colleagues and students at Bryan... and friends in the Dayton area.  I am grateful for those who supported me through the rough times of life!)

God has brought Bryan College into my thoughts and life today three times.  First through sharing about my Israel trip with the women's Bible Study and then through two former colleagues.  I have run into others over the years, unexpected and on purpose.  I am blessed to still be in contact with several folks I worked with and taught from my Bryan College days.  There is still a sore spot in my heart and soul though because of my past sin.  I am thankful that God has seen fit to wash me clean as snow. 

Through the meetings and conversations with all people today, I have been extremely blessed.  The song that rises from my heart to my mind is "Bless the Lord, O my soul".   My soul has been blessed to overflowing today.

Bless the Lord, O my soul (10,000 Reasons) lyrics:

Bless the Lord O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
The sun comes up
It's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes
Bless the Lord O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
You're rich in love and You're slow to anger
Your name is great and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
10,000 reasons for my heart to find
Bless the Lord O my soul
O my soul Worship his holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
10,000 years and then forever more
Bless the Lord O my soul O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
Bless the Lord O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name (repeat 3x)
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name (repeat 3x)

Matt Redman YouTube version with lyrics

I don't know what you might be thankful for today.... a successful surgery, answered prayer, a wonderful 50th birthday yesterday, the opportunity to be with family and friends, simply being....

Maybe your soul will find a reason to bless the Lord today.  Mine did.

Blessings on your journey,

Debra