*And by liberal... I do not mean radical left wingism* But I thought it might catch your eye.
I was trying to get a word that grasped the breadth of the matter. Synonyms for liberal actually include lavish and generous (I know right? How on earth did liberals get so far from their own definition? Everyone can do their own thing... except Christians. "Oh wait... you can't talk about God... and you can't talk to him either") AHEM. *Sorry*
Politics aside. I titled my post in such a way because I am learning that the diameter of ministry practically stretches from east to west. Monday I attended a meeting entitled "Task Force on Ministry to the Poor in our Neighborhood" You think the title's a mouthful? You should have been at the meeting! Anyway, the main speaker was a lady from Open Doors which kind of reminds me of Guiding Light (even though I really don't know the details of Guiding Light). Open Doors targets the homeless and disenfranchised so to speak. They have clothing, financial counseling, a place for healthcare, housing and other referral services. You've probably all met similar minstries.
But what struck me was when the lady speaking said "When I was in seminary, I never thought I'd be a landlord" Here she is managing about nine small houses worrying about plumbing and other random housekeeping things. A lot of us are headed toward seminary... but that is only the tip of our adventures. There is such a rich and varied life ahead of us. Prepare to be amazed!
Today we closed on the estate for C., JoVeta's friend who died last year. On the way, she said... this is ministry too. As far as it seems from ministry, it is also a part of my ministry. I've told a couple people that one of my goals is to be the best neighbor possible. I also want to be the best friend, the best mother (even if I don't get married) and the best nurse that I can be. I am pretty sure that I am not going to be a pastor, but I want to be a minister to as many people as possible. Neighborhoods are great places to make relationships, because you're around the same people. See someone regularly? Try and make a trusting relationship with them... and sometime check on their soul state. Throw out some of Ren's questions... or your own to get them talking. Everyone likes to talk about themsevles. Then plant the gospel in whatever way you can - even if it's just. I believe in Jesus Christ who died and rose again so that I could be saved. :)
As a result of that meeting, I now appear to be spearheading the "Bench Ministry"* We have locked gates around the church because otherwise everyone would come in and use the bathroom... so to be more friendly there are benches right outside the gates in the front of the church. LOTS of people lounge out there. The easiest way to minister to them is to go out and talk to them! But as we can't even get the deacons to pray with members in hospice (too scary!), JoVeta didn't even want to bring up the suggestion. However, I thought it was a great idea, and we both realized that I'm more gungho about this idea because I'm "young" and used to charging into relationships (haha). I also have a good knowledge of mental illness and won't be too alarmed by people exhibiting strange behavior. I'll know when to get out. Of course, I'm not dumb enough to do this on my own, nor would JoVeta let me, but who am I to get to join me when there are no other people my age?
The unsuspecting ADOLESCENT of course. I am currently stalking and ready to pounce... (uh you might have spent too much time in Africa Katie). My plan is to do a crash prep course on what to expect, what to say, what to do, what NOT to do... and then spend a couple of afternoons with some senior high out on the benches. Sounds like fun right? I'm PUMPED... ew did I just say that? I serverely dislike that word. I'M EXCITINATED!
*Note - we joked seriously on how this is not a ministry to the benches. We figured the benches would be very bored by our message. End note.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Art Gallery
Jewels on a Leaf I
Mad Scientist's Brain (aka a walnut)
Jewel's on a Leaf II (I can't quite get the cool reflection right)
Deserted Beauty
Dragon's Eye (Jewel's on a Leaf III)
Sunday, June 28, 2009
The show
So... fireworks are legal here in KS. They're going off right now actually :) Yesterday was pretty sweet. In one direction, there was a man made show... in the other direction there was a super awesome lightning storm going on. I felt God as like "Well I INVENTED fireworks!" cept I don't think He was that sarcastic. :) One lightning bolt rocked the entire car that I was sitting in at a stoplight. I was pretty excited. Something about lightning. I like a little bit of danger. I hope that someone finds out I'm not a complete bore.
Two neighbor guys run their own cologne shop from their house via internet. Anyway, I was investigating this... um THING... that sounds like a cross between a woodcock and a cicada (It must be some kind of bug). But I was creeping around looking like an idiot... and those guys were out, so I said hi to cover up my weird behavior and be friendly. And somehow (ironically... after my post) they got to asking whether I drank. When I said... no... not really. They were like, "Oh... what do you do for fun?"And I was like... uh... well I read books" LAME I know. But I was flustered. I should have been like....
Aww man.. I can't even come up with a good come back now. There are two chittering swallows in a mud nest above my head. I can't concentrate with them arguing so. It must be their fault. :)
Seriously though... I need a good come back for explaining the AWESOMENESS of WHOA.... I just got distracted by a spider spinning a web above me. Gosh, the world is just such a fun place when you stop and look at the details. That's what I'm talking about. I have plenty of fun without drinking. Why drink when there are swallows arguing... and spiders weaving beauty... and lightning raising the hair on your neck (not to mention your heartbeat) and people always getting into new trouble. :)
God's work... His show is heartstoppingly dangerous and exciting. I mean it's not everyone who gets to help build a kingdom. Not even super heroes are in the business of saving souls from THE most devious schemer in the universe. Not everyone has the eyes to see the beauty in everything and push people toward that beauty. Not everyone realizes that they are loved unconditionally by the creator of the stars. But they need to! Oh God... they need to!
Help us to remember that we are warriors Lord... we are fighting a battle for lives. We are not brave or courageous... but you call us to be. Let us put on the armour of God - 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephsians 6:14-19
Two neighbor guys run their own cologne shop from their house via internet. Anyway, I was investigating this... um THING... that sounds like a cross between a woodcock and a cicada (It must be some kind of bug). But I was creeping around looking like an idiot... and those guys were out, so I said hi to cover up my weird behavior and be friendly. And somehow (ironically... after my post) they got to asking whether I drank. When I said... no... not really. They were like, "Oh... what do you do for fun?"And I was like... uh... well I read books" LAME I know. But I was flustered. I should have been like....
Aww man.. I can't even come up with a good come back now. There are two chittering swallows in a mud nest above my head. I can't concentrate with them arguing so. It must be their fault. :)
Seriously though... I need a good come back for explaining the AWESOMENESS of WHOA.... I just got distracted by a spider spinning a web above me. Gosh, the world is just such a fun place when you stop and look at the details. That's what I'm talking about. I have plenty of fun without drinking. Why drink when there are swallows arguing... and spiders weaving beauty... and lightning raising the hair on your neck (not to mention your heartbeat) and people always getting into new trouble. :)
God's work... His show is heartstoppingly dangerous and exciting. I mean it's not everyone who gets to help build a kingdom. Not even super heroes are in the business of saving souls from THE most devious schemer in the universe. Not everyone has the eyes to see the beauty in everything and push people toward that beauty. Not everyone realizes that they are loved unconditionally by the creator of the stars. But they need to! Oh God... they need to!
Help us to remember that we are warriors Lord... we are fighting a battle for lives. We are not brave or courageous... but you call us to be. Let us put on the armour of God - 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephsians 6:14-19
Full House
Here's a picture of me and Joveta...
Then Molly was miffed that we didn't have her in it... so here's the full house!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Grief
Today I did a full day of training for facilitating grief groups. I learned a lot. Every day I'm amazed by how much I don't know! Most of the time, it's things that I've already taken to heart because of an awesome mother... who's also a walking encyclopedia/the queen of common sense. However, I'm still amazed by my own ignorance.
What was born out of today is an idea to start a grief support group at Calvin. I don't know if we already have one... but one led by students would be pretty sweet. I'm already laden with a bunch of really cool ideas. I want to start painting my rocks already! See... in one of the activities you take out rocks one at a time. Each rock has a feeling painted on it... like HURT... or POWERLESS... or guilty... or tired. Then you pass the rock around and whoever is holding it can "own the feeling" and talk about why they feel that way... or pass the rock on. At the end, you can put all the rocks back into a bag and then have each person carry the bag. (These are fairly hefty rocks by the way). You can say... see how heavy it is? Imagine if you tried to carry all that around without unpacking some of it! How would you feel? That's why it's so important to talk about how you feel with people you trust. Ok so maybe it's a children's activity... but I think it would help me. It's fun just to hold the stones in your hand.
Anyway, it seems that a lot of my interests have one common theme. You have to be a really good listener. I did as a Barnabas, I did as a nursing student, even in SWAT you have to listen well (that's my improv group by the way). Being a good listner is difficult. You have to express connection, but not take over the conversation. You have to be empathetic without being sympathetic. You have to bite your tongue about 7 million times. And number one, you have to remember that you CAN'T FIX things. The rule in counseling or facilitating is always that the clients have to fix themselves... but in the greater scheme of things (aka with eyes of faith) we have to remember that we can't fix people - only God can do that.
Well enough rambling. I thought I would write three posts to make up for the writer's block I had since Tuesday :)
Love and prayers to all (hey if I'm praying for random unknown people hurt/struggling by alcohol... then I'm definitely praying for you too!)
Katie
What was born out of today is an idea to start a grief support group at Calvin. I don't know if we already have one... but one led by students would be pretty sweet. I'm already laden with a bunch of really cool ideas. I want to start painting my rocks already! See... in one of the activities you take out rocks one at a time. Each rock has a feeling painted on it... like HURT... or POWERLESS... or guilty... or tired. Then you pass the rock around and whoever is holding it can "own the feeling" and talk about why they feel that way... or pass the rock on. At the end, you can put all the rocks back into a bag and then have each person carry the bag. (These are fairly hefty rocks by the way). You can say... see how heavy it is? Imagine if you tried to carry all that around without unpacking some of it! How would you feel? That's why it's so important to talk about how you feel with people you trust. Ok so maybe it's a children's activity... but I think it would help me. It's fun just to hold the stones in your hand.
Anyway, it seems that a lot of my interests have one common theme. You have to be a really good listener. I did as a Barnabas, I did as a nursing student, even in SWAT you have to listen well (that's my improv group by the way). Being a good listner is difficult. You have to express connection, but not take over the conversation. You have to be empathetic without being sympathetic. You have to bite your tongue about 7 million times. And number one, you have to remember that you CAN'T FIX things. The rule in counseling or facilitating is always that the clients have to fix themselves... but in the greater scheme of things (aka with eyes of faith) we have to remember that we can't fix people - only God can do that.
Well enough rambling. I thought I would write three posts to make up for the writer's block I had since Tuesday :)
Love and prayers to all (hey if I'm praying for random unknown people hurt/struggling by alcohol... then I'm definitely praying for you too!)
Katie
I have an answer...
For years, I've refused alcohol. For 20 years, it's because I've been underaged. Not breaking the law is cool...
I've been thinking about this for a good amount of time. People like to harass me... why won't you have a glass of wine? Are you afraid of it? Are you being a snit? (Don't ask me... I just made that word up. It's a word that describes how some people make me feel).
I refuse perhaps permanently to drink alcohol... because it's my prayer. I hate the stuff. I have seen too much pain over it. I have seen too many anguished people whose marriages are breaking up because one of them is an alcoholic. I have seen too many broken hearted mothers and fathers whose child has died from a drunk driver. I have seen too many hurting girls who have been raped because of the influence of alcohol. I have seen too many people abusing others, acting stupid, and dying because of it.
Let's back up. I'm NOT stupid. I realize that it's the people's choice and not the alcohol that is evil. However, for many people, alcohol is kind of like sin. You wet your foot (or your tongue) and think... ooo very nice. And then all of a sudden you're drowning. So why tempt yourself?
When I refuse alcohol, it's my prayer that if someone around me is struggling to not drink, that I will give them enough bolster to refuse a drink as well. I extrapolate it even further. When I refuse to drink, I remember all the people that have been hurt by alcohol and I fight back for them... not just in the act, but in prayer. When I am with friends, I'd rather figgle (aka: food giggle. Arielle made that word up because I get really happy when I eat) than get really happy on a drink. And what other reason is there to drink it than to be social and feel a little happier? I really don't think I'm missing that much and if I am? Well there's always heaven.
Thank you for listening. Now you can call me a snit. :)
Yours crying out for the world
Katie
I've been thinking about this for a good amount of time. People like to harass me... why won't you have a glass of wine? Are you afraid of it? Are you being a snit? (Don't ask me... I just made that word up. It's a word that describes how some people make me feel).
I refuse perhaps permanently to drink alcohol... because it's my prayer. I hate the stuff. I have seen too much pain over it. I have seen too many anguished people whose marriages are breaking up because one of them is an alcoholic. I have seen too many broken hearted mothers and fathers whose child has died from a drunk driver. I have seen too many hurting girls who have been raped because of the influence of alcohol. I have seen too many people abusing others, acting stupid, and dying because of it.
Let's back up. I'm NOT stupid. I realize that it's the people's choice and not the alcohol that is evil. However, for many people, alcohol is kind of like sin. You wet your foot (or your tongue) and think... ooo very nice. And then all of a sudden you're drowning. So why tempt yourself?
When I refuse alcohol, it's my prayer that if someone around me is struggling to not drink, that I will give them enough bolster to refuse a drink as well. I extrapolate it even further. When I refuse to drink, I remember all the people that have been hurt by alcohol and I fight back for them... not just in the act, but in prayer. When I am with friends, I'd rather figgle (aka: food giggle. Arielle made that word up because I get really happy when I eat) than get really happy on a drink. And what other reason is there to drink it than to be social and feel a little happier? I really don't think I'm missing that much and if I am? Well there's always heaven.
Thank you for listening. Now you can call me a snit. :)
Yours crying out for the world
Katie
Work hard play hard
Well, no one can say that I'm being worked to death! JoVeta has planned for us to see a play directed by her (?) grandson I think, we're going to try to see UP tomorrow if it's still in theaters, we're scheduled to visit the salt mines July 10th, and we're going to a Keith Urban concert... so can somebody tell me who the heck he is and what I should expect? :) I love being out of the media loop. That's all for this post. I mainly just wanted to ask who Keith Urban was. :) I'm writing short posts in a series so as not to overwhelm you. It's like... um... pizza rolls :)
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