Tuesdays with Parables

There were eight of us, Tuesday night; seven fragile and firm humans and the Holy Spirit.

We gathered around the table for soup and bread, song and story. We'd come from as many diverse places as there were people: young and not-so-young, those who'd grown up in the faith and those who hadn't, those who'd never been to First Pres before and those who'd been here for many years. Hearts were poured on the table in beautiful ways. Spontaneous harmonies sprang up around Create in Me a Clean Heart, Sanctuary, and Be Thou My Vision, which was surprisingly unspoiled even though I quite confidently and loudly sang the wrong line to one of the verses. I was just so caught up in the song I forgot to look down at the words. Ah well, grace abounds.

And that's exactly what happened. For those two hours, in a small white church in Phoenix, Oregon, grace abounded. We shared hope and heartache and the absolutely extravagant love that Christ has for us.

It was most definitely a new creation. If you are looking for a new experience of the living Lord, please come. We'll be there again Tuesday at 6:00, with soup and bread, the parables and the Spirit.

Where has God called? Where is God calling now?

Reflection is a good thing. It helps us remember where we’ve been, helps us understand why we are where we are. I was reflecting on where we’ve been, and some of the amazing things I’ve seen this congregation do.
• When a preteen girl wrote a letter and asked your Pastor Nominating Committee, “If my dad becomes your pastor, will you let us have a dog in the manse?” you smiled and said yes. (You said yes to her dad, too.)
• You look around each Sunday morning for your long-time friends and for new faces to meet.
• When someone needs help, you give…and give…and give. You’ve given shelter to those who would otherwise be shelterless, food to the hungry, and friendship to the lonely. You’ve made connections with people who are unlike you and found the face of Christ.
• Each fall, you provide supplies (and self-esteem) to kids at Phoenix Elementary. Some of you take that a step further and volunteer to help kids learn to read.
• You’ve been thoroughly unselfish with the space we have, sharing it with twelve-step programs, the Presbytery office, the Boy Scouts, and the Hispanic Apostolic Church. You’ve opened your arms and hearts as well as our doors.
So where is God calling us now?
• When you hear that children are in need, do you hear the call of the Spirit? How will you respond?
• When you wonder if your neighbor in the pew is doing ok, is God calling you to make a visit, or a phone call?
• We all see people in need, every day. In what new ways, large or small, might you be called to meet those needs? Pray for new opportunities to meet Christ.
• We have a lot of grandparents, and there are a lot of kids in this community who could use a grandparent. How might the Spirit move here?
• How else can we open our doors, our arms, and our hearts? How else can we meet Christ today?

Eclectic Elder? What on Earth?

You may wonder why I'm writing under the name of Eclectic Elder. Well, if you've ever been involved in a small church, you know that you end up doing a little bit (or a lot) of just about everything. For me, right now, that means I play with all the following:

• teaching Sunday school for a small group of students ranging from 5th grade to 11th
• leading youth group weekly
• planning and leading youth activities
• singing - with the choir and in a solo or two
• co-chairing Christian Education (and reinventing as we go)
• co-chairing the Mission, Outreach, and Fellowship super committee
• serving as an active member on Session
• working with the Opening Doors Task Force for the Presbytery of the Cascades
• and a few other minor things... (oh, yeah, I'm married to the pastor, too)
  

Still wondering about the title?

So what am I hoping to do with this blog? I'm hoping to bring you all into conversation about all the many ways that our hearts, our minds, our souls, and our strengths intersect with one another in Christ's body, the church. I'm hoping to muse out loud, so to speak about the hopes, dreams, and prayers - as well as the frustrations, fears, and failures - that we encounter along the journey. I'm hoping we further one another's faith.

Let's start the journey again, today and every day.