TINK is Knit Backwards...

I started crocheting in earnest in 2005 when I went on a business trip with my husband. The plans I had to antique with a friend fell through and I was left with hours and days of free time. So I picked up a skein of yarn and a "teach yourself to crochet" kit for less than $10.  It was remarkably relaxing, and it because a favorite way to fill my time, even leading to migration from paper to audiobooks, and later podcasts.

During the next ten years, there were lots of scarves, hats and scarfs that flew off of my hooks. But my yarn life took a dramatic turn when we moved back to Germany in 2014. Just a few days after arriving in Stuttgart, I discovered a group of women knitting and crocheting in our Post Starbucks. Little did I know how much my life would change. Funny, irreverent, loyal, great teachers... they have it all, and while many have come and gone, it's a really wonderful place to grow friendship and skills over the years.

They have taught me much. First of all, collecting yarn and actually making something from it are two different hobbies. Germany and Italy have some of the most amazing natural fiber yarns... merino wool and silk are some of my new best friends. The colors, the textures, the variety of options... it really boggles the mind.

Second, since most of these new friends knitted, they wanted to share that gift with me. So on a late November day, my friend Becky invited me over for pizza and put a set of circular needles in my hands at said, "Knit!" And because she makes amazing pizza, I did what she said. Since then, I've made six or seven shawls (which I love) and attempted a pair of socks, which gave me absolutely ZERO joy, so no socks for any of you.

Third, they taught me that understanding how to TINK is as important as knowing how to KNIT. Tinking is the process of actually unknitting what you have just done. In crochet, when you see a mistake, you figure out how far back you have to go and you just pull it out, rewind on your ball, and pick up where you left off. In knitting, it's not that easy. Pulling out your needles often leaves you with a terrible mess. Tinking lets you work backward to the place of your mistake, maybe a dropped or skipped stitch, and then move forward when you've figured it out.

But the best benefit to me of learning to tink is figuring out how the stitches actually work. That means paying attention and asking the right questions... what came before... what will come after... when am I in over my head and need to ask for help? Do I keep ripping out the mistakes or let them be a testament to how much I've learned in the process? (this is related to the question, do I post a picture of the mistakes for all the world to see?)

It is so easy to live life on autopilot... cruising along just the way we've always gone. Running into roadblocks or unexpected situations often throw us off course, and we are not sure what to do. Knitting and tinking remind me that there is no mistake big enough to cause us to just throw in the towel, especially if you love the yarn and project that you have chosen.

The same is true in life. We will make mistakes or be impacted by the mistakes of others. Life doesn't always go the ways we want to expect. A life of faith and knitting encourages me to choose well, to start something new, give away the things I make, learn new things, ask questions when I need help, and release what I don't love.

I used to say that I love it when my fiber world and my faith world crossed paths, but more recently I've realized that they are all the same world... God continues to show up everywhere, even in the places and projects where I expect it the least. 

Yeah, God!

Peace, Deb

Ministry reminders... No phoning it in!

I taught my first confirmation class in January 1992… and in my 5 years at Bethany UMC we confirmed over 200 youth… crazy, right? Especially in the beginning, it was super stressful because that’s a lot of responsibility. Fortunately, we had great confirmation mentors who made it possible to have ongoing conversation and discussion with such large class sizes. These confirmation classes fed our youth directly into our awesome youth programs, and I am always heartened when I hear and see these same youth, now adults in their 30’s and 40’s, living out their faith journeys all over the world. 

But there was always this underlying prayer surrounding my lesson preparation and teaching, “Lord, please don’t let me screw them up too bad.” 

27 years later, I still pray that prayer. But instead of being stressed by my confirmation teaching experience, I am exhilarated by it. And in our first class yesterday, I was reminded about why we can’t just phone it in when we are inviting people to take the work of Jesus and the Church seriously.

When we moved back to Germany in 2014, I figured it wouldn’t be possible to remain totally anonymous because there were people still here (or here again) from our previous assignment ten years earlier. But I didn’t expect that on the first Sunday, I would be asked to help the Protestant congregation have a conversation about why a confirmation class might be a worthy endeavor for us to undertake.

But it wouldn’t be just any confirmation class. We would be working with youth from many traditions who had all been baptized as infants or small children. It was a little overwhelming. I was challenged to put together a curriculum that addressed the common theological doctrines of different denominations – baptism, communion, the Trinity, missions and ministry, and spiritual disciplines – while also trying not to touch the third rails that separate us. And over the last five years, I have whipped together something that works, both for me and for the youth, their families and congregations.

I love all of my Stuttgart confirmands. I am so happy to see them successful and pursuing the questions of faith in local churches and our military chapel. Each class has had its own personality, and it usually takes a couple of weeks to figure out how to get them engaged with the material.

But this year’s class – they offered me no time to settle in. You know you’re in for a good time when it’s evident they have read the lessons, formulated questions, and took notes when I went off script with my answers. It was exhilarating! And now that I think about it more, it is scary – but in a very good way.

I have two bookshelves filled, mostly with books I’ve read before. This makes no sense to my husband. He reads a book and he’s done. He watches a movie and its classified a “recommend” or “see something else.” I scan through the channels and if “A Few Good Men” is on, he knows we are settling in for the night.

In the same way, I don’t mind leading a class or book discussion multiple times. Each group encounters the topic differently and those differences are always enlightening. 

But it does leave room to be a little less proactive in preparation if I’m not careful. Trust me, that lesson has been learned.

Here’s the whole reason I’m writing this all down… I am so thankful for the opportunity to reexamine my own faith journey and theological quest through the questions of these youth. It’s giving me the chance to not only help these youth develop a language of faith but to give mine a little tune-up at the same time.

In 1996, a cheeky 11th grader asked me a question with 5 minutes left to go in our Sunday night youth group… note to self – be careful when you ask “Are there any more questions?” She asked, “What the deal with the Trinity?” And maybe in the biggest turning point in my ministry, I did not blow her off but attempted to honor and answer her question in the spirit of my amazing Christian Theology professor, Frederick Hertzog… which took about 20 minutes. By the end of class, not one youth had left, and 20 parents were sitting behind me, taking it all in. I don't know that I gave the most theologically accurate answer, for I did want them to know that the question was worthy of our time.

Taking these questions seriously is so important. It tells the youth that their questions matter… that no question is too silly or simple that it doesn’t require a hearing. For those of us with a little more information and experience in Christian living, these questions help us perform a checkup on how we talk about what we believe. And often those words need to be spoken aloud. Added bonus, it’s the main reason I can still justify keeping all those books I’ve read before and buying new ones to add to their company.

First-week questions in our discussion of baptism included: 

• Why does the bible always refer to God as a man? 

• How is the Holy Spirit different from God and Jesus? and 

• If God has a plan, does that mean we don’t get to make choices for ourselves?

Please let it be noted that sometimes the answer is, “I don’t know… but let’s try to figure it out together.”

And now, I hope you’ll excuse me while I go read up on the Eucharist for next week’s class. 

Peace, Deb