Lessons from "The Monuments Men"...

I have only seen the movie, but I am quite enamored with the story of the Monument Men. The movie shares the story of 8 soldiers and one museum employee, but in truth almost 350 men and women worked to right the wrongs created by "the greatest theft in history."  In fact, I am so intrigued, that I have requested the book from several library systems, both in print and electronically. Apparently others are also intrigued to read more about it.  I am currently 166 of 176th in line for the 29 copies in the library system.

Just a little background: The Monuments Men were art, architecture and culture experts who were charged by the US President with finding, recovering and returning precious art objects when it became evident that the Nazi regime was removing (stealing) them from private collections, museums and churches. They did all of this as members of the US, French and British Armies, and as private citizens. They did this with only the resources they could scrounge up for themselves. They did this when almost every superior officer they encountered told them 1- no one would tell them what they could and could not blow up, and 2 - works of art were not worth risking a man's life. And yet they were relentless in their pursuit of millions of the world's most classic works of art.

Have you seen the Mona Lisa, Michelangelo's David or the Madonna and child statue at the Church of Our Lady in Bruge, Belgium? Have you every visited a major museum in the US - in Washington, DC or Chicago or Minneapolis? If so, you have benefited from the work of the Monument Men.

This wasn't the best movie I have ever seen. But it has probably made me think more than most. And it has inspired me to read more, to know more, to talk more about their mission and their successes and how they have affected me.

I'm thinking that this is also the way I should be living out my faith, taking on tasks and ministries which may not seem like my responsibility, but doing it for the greater good, and because it's the right thing.

At the end of the movie, President Truman asked the main character if it was worth it, loosing good people all in the pursuit of recovering art.  I'm pretty sure that's the question many ask about why we go to Haiti or the Sudan in the midst of natural and political crisis, why we open our churches for sleeping as people transition from homelessness, and why we love outside out comfort zones.

Is it worth it?  When I think of the sacrifice made of my behalf, all I can say is, "It's the least I can do."  Now, all I have to do is go out and be faithful to the call.

Peace, Deb

"What Clooney has crafted in The Monuments Men is a movie about aspiration, about culture at risk, about things worth fighting for. I'd call that timely and well worth a salute." - Rolling Stone Magazine

The Monuments Men - Official Site

The Art Army - Harvard Magazine
The True Story of the Monuments Men - Smithsonian.com

A time for every purpose...

Sometimes life just gets away from you. Things come up that are unexpected. You make decisions, and then the premise on which those decisions get made are challenged. In the end, you feel unsettled, unsteady, and a little teary. You wonder, "Did I make the right choices?"  "Was there something I should have done instead?" or even the dreaded "Who can I blame for life taking a difficult turn?"

With that question, we often lay the blame for our unexpected life on God. Because, in truth, there is sometimes no one to blame. There is just life, with its twists and turns and multiple outcomes. So whether it's career questions, health scares, or difficult relationships, every once in a while, we just have to accept that things won't progress the way we expected.

It's at those times that I remember the scripture from Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, made famous to the religious and irreligious alike by singer Pete Seeger and the 1960's rock band, The Byrds.

 1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
    a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
    a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
    a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
    a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
    a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
    a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
    a time for war, and a time for peace.

If we think, as people of faith, that God's love for us will protect us from trouble, sickness, doubt or death, then we misunderstand who God is. If we think, as people who have no faith, that God is a mixture of Santa Claus and Aladdin's magic genie, then we have mislead about what God's relationship has been with God's people throughout time.

I know that my current situation is par for the course. If there have been fewer troubles than normal in my life, I feel blessed. Or maybe it's not that there are fewer troubles, but that I see challenges as opportunities to grow and serve, rather than as a curse on my life. If I am not handling these changes very well right now, then I ask for prayers for me to see God's presence in the midst of the challenge, and to be reminded that I am not alone.

In his book, Where is God When it Hurts?, author Philip Yancey calls suffering "a problem that won't go away" and "the gift that no one wants." I don't really think of my current state as one of suffering, but I do feel a kind of burden at many the uncertain circumstances that surround me right now.  Yancey reminds us that at the times when things are going well, we don't remember that we need God, but when things take a turn for the worse, we feel as if God has turned away from us or slammed a door in our face.

But in reality, pain can be a gift.  It tells when things are going wrong. And it is one of the ways that we are reminded that this life is not be lived alone. Family and friends help us to bear the pains and disappointment that are normal to life. They are one of the ways that God's presence is made real for us, and as we are loved and cared for, we understand more fully the circle of life ... for everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose in our lives.

Many of you are in a place similar to mine. Your parents are getting older. Cancer or chronic illness is rearing its ugly head. You are separated from many of the people you love. Times of change are coming closer and soon life will enter a new phase.

We hate change. We do everything we can to avoid pain. But, in reality, both change and pain remind us that we are alive and moving forward in life.

So embrace the experience before you. Live and love to your fullest possibility. Receive the inevitable changes as an opportunity to grow and serve. And know that God is right beside you, present in friend and stranger alike, and helping you in any ways that you are willing to receive.

And if things are going really well for you right now, be that one who holds others up in the midst of their needs, and the changes that can come when least expected.

Peace, Deb

Sermon - Jesus Didn't Teach to the Test

Epiphany 2 – January 19, 2014 Audubon Park UMC, Spokane, WA
Matthew 5:1-12

Raise your hand if you have taken a class in Organic Chemistry. Now raise your hand if you failed said class… oh, good, it looks like I’m in good company. But I will tell you today that failing that class taught me one of the most important lessons of my life, and it wasn’t about chemistry at all. At the beginning of the semester, our professor had given us a study guide he said would prepare us to take the “winner take all” final exam. So we worked in groups to make sure we could answer every question. We studied these guides day and night and went into the exam with plenty of scrap paper and our calculators at the ready. What we received was the shock of our lives… a 100-question multiple choice test with the little bubble answer sheet. Have you ever started an exam and felt like you were going to lose your breakfast? Yeah, it was that bad.

We were offered the opportunity to come back at 12:30 to get our grades… the room was almost full. The teaching assistants handed out index cards with our test and lab grades, final exam grade and overall grade for the class. I had a weak C going in. I made a 59 on the test, which meant I failed the class. There was lots of wailing, which I’m sure the professor expected. And he said something that I only began to understand almost ten years later when I was in graduate school. He said, “I don’t teach to the test. I teach for you to understand the broad concepts of organic chemistry so that you can apply them in whatever ways are appropriate. If those of you who failed had spent as much time trying to understand that as you did trying to game the test, you would have understood that this test was actually easier than expected. Some of you will change your major today. For the rest of you, when you take this class again next semester, remember this lesson. It’s about learning chemistry, not about taking the test.”

Jesus didn't teach to the test, either, even though we often act as if he did. We try to figure out the fastest, easiest way to get into the Kingdom of God. We memorize the Ten Commandments, and we try to figure out which rules we really have to keep and which we can skirt around. We align ourselves with theological personalities and institutions which make us feel good about ourselves. We hold people to a high standard that we often cannot meet ourselves. We judge other by our expectations, not in ways Jesus taught. We are most often like the rich young ruler, who told Jesus that he loved God and neighbor with all his heart, but could not find it in himself to give up his fine lifestyle to follow Jesus on the way.

Today’s sermon focuses on the implied question that Geoff left us with last week: What does it mean to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God?  The picture is not pretty. The journey is often difficult.  Many have suffered for taking Jesus’ instructions seriously. Most end up in places they never expected. Are we willing to follow Jesus on the way, or do we just want to do enough to get our final reward?

I could have used any set of Jesus’ sayings to illustrate what Kingdom citizenship is about - the Lord’s Prayer or the farewell discourse from John’s gospel are equally as helpful. But today I want us to look at the Beatitudes as Jesus’ alternative to checklists of behaviors which will guarantee us admittance into the heaven. The Beatitudes show us the way God’s reign operates, the way reality looks when seen from God’s perspective.

As middle class Americans, we don’t often want to see ourselves as poor, meek or hungry, because when we hear about that, we think that makes us the people that God has forgotten.  And we often don’t want to be people of mercy or peace, because we don’t see those as being places of authority or power. And we certainly don’t want to be people who are persecuted for the sake of our faith, because it might feel like our faith didn't really do us any good after all.

But if that’s the way we think about the Beatitudes, then we are looking at them all wrong… as those who live outside of the Kingdom, not as members with privilege. If we take them in the context intended, the Beatitudes show us what the world really looks like.  If we want to know what it means to be “blessed”, we will have to risk letting go of our limited, distorted view of reality and step into this vision of Jesus.   It is only in our poverty, our grief, our limitedness, and our hunger that we can fully know God’s reign. It is only in pouring out ourselves for others through mercy, love and peacemaking that we can experience true brother- and sisterhood with others. It is only in taking the risk of rejection that we can know how important the love of God really is.

So let us step on to the mountain and begin to understand who Jesus is calling us to be.

In the movie “The Blind Side,” Sandra Bullock plays Memphis housewife Lee Anne Tuohy, adoptive mother of Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher. The book it is based on documents the power of NCAA football within our society. But within this exposé, Michael Lewis shares with us this remarkable story of a black teenager who becomes a son and brother to this white affluent family.

In the movie, the first time Leigh Anne meets Michael, he is walking on a dark, rainy street, carrying all of his possessions in a plastic shopping Walmart bag. She drives by him, thinking for a minute or two about passing him by, but eventually stops to give him a ride. When she learns that he no place safe to go, she brings him to her house and makes a place for him to sleep on the couch. When she figures out that he is going to be a permanent fixture in their lives, she makes up a bed for him in her guest room, and promises him better accommodations in the future. “This is mine?” he asks. “Yes, sir,” she replies. “I never had one before,” he answers. “A bedroom to yourself?” she asks. “A bed,” he replies.

And thus is born a new family. When her friends get over their shock, they commend her for changing his life. Her reply is simple, “No, he’s changing mine.” When they question whether or not it’s safe to have a black teenager living in her home with her daughter and son, she picks up the check for lunch and never looks back.

In his book, I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to the Blind Side, and Beyond, Michael Oher said this about being a part of the Tuohy family, written in part to clear up assumptions people had made about the relationship between him and his adopted family.

I didn’t start by staying every night… But the Tuohys starting asking questions.  Leigh Ann wasn’t a lady who just lets things go. She asked about my family, and while I wasn’t ready to open up, I did like how she was concerned about me… I liked that she and Sean noticed me. I didn’t feel invisible when I was with them… They didn’t crowd me with emotion, but that also made sure I knew I was always welcome. They didn’t treat me like I was fragile, or with curiosity… They treated me just like they treated everyone else, and I think that helped me feel so at home there so quickly (pp 138-9). 

The Tuohy’s always wanted Michael to have a relationship with his birth family, and in his book Michael talks about all the ways that they tried to help make that happen. Some things went well. Michael was able to continue to include his mother and several of his brothers in the successes of his football and academic careers. But in the times when the burdens of poverty and addiction came barreling in, Michael has always been able to count on the Tuohy’s as his family.

In their book, In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving, Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy give me some hope. They operate under the Popcorn Theory.

‘You can’t help everyone. But you can try to help the hot ones who pop right up in front of your face.’ The Popcorn Theory is about noticing others. It starts with recognizing a fellow soul by the roadside as kindred, even if he doesn’t belong in your gated community and, at six foot five and over three hundred pounds, is the biggest piece of popcorn you ever saw. It's about acknowledging that person’s potential and value. It’s about seeing him, instead of looking past him (p 1-2).

I think about this real life relationship between a homeless teen and an affluent family. This family committed themselves to be with this young man for the long haul, officially making him a member of their family when Michael was 19.  And I ask myself, could I have done the same?  Will I have the courage to take on that kind of responsibility when called to do so? Will I even recognize the opportunity when it comes, or just go on to live my quiet, comfortable life?

In his article, “Four Reasons Churches Stink at Transformation (and What We Can Do About It)” Sean Palmer argues that for being a people who are called into a life-changing ministry, we don’t do change very well.   The New Year is the time when many of us take on resolutions for change… I bet that like me, you have decided to “do better” this year… eat better, exercise more, read the bible in a year, spend more time with your kids, or less time on your computer… pick your poison.  Statistics say that by February, all of hopes and dreams for a new, better life will be a faint memory for most of us.

Mr. Palmer, who trained as a fitness instructor, gives us four ways to get more fit. These ideas work on our spiritual lives as well as our physical ones. And they play right into what Jesus was talking about in how to live faithfully in the Kingdom of God.

Less discussion, more work:  If you look up “spiritual growth” on Amazon.com, you’ll get over 81,000 books which have been categorized as related to helping people grow in their faith.  The same topic garners over 25 million hits in .26 seconds on Google.com. I have a stack of books in my office which I have been meaning to read, and bookcases full of others which I have read, or at least skimmed, mostly designed to bring me closer to God and to the life he intended me to live. Maybe the same is true for you. We want there to be a magic bullet, the one true book (or article, or podcast or sermon) which will answer all of our questions. Or give us the best, shortest, foolproof method of communicating with God.

But just because a diet pill has sold 20 million bottles doesn’t mean it’s going to help me lose weight. It only means that millions of other people are looking for the same shortcut to fitting into clothes that used to fit. It’s easy to be lured into their promises – “but wait – there’s more”… No matter if it’s in the physical or the spiritual world, thinking, talking and reading will not get us to a place where change can happen. Instead, it’s all about the work that we put into the process that makes the difference.

Conversion is a process:  Some faith traditions teach that there is a miraculous change that comes over us at the moment that our faith becomes real to us. Whether we call that being saved or being baptized, it is true that the Holy Spirit makes a new claim on us and puts us on a new path. But that is just the beginning of the process. I often tell newly baptized or confirmed people, “This is not graduation – this is just the first step on the journey of faith. So don’t judge yourself or others by someone else’s standards. Listen to how God is calling you to live in the Kingdom. Even if you take two steps forward and one step back, you’re still going further that someone who is content to stay in the same place all the time.”

It’s easy to get out of shape:  I’m sure you have noticed that this train keeps moving.  Even when we tired.  Even when we’re afraid.  Even when we don’t like where we think it’s going… And if we get off at a stop to take a break, it’s hard to get back on the in the same place as before. Either we get distracted and take a path to a place that distracts us from our journey, or we don’t have the stamina to start where we stopped. If you play a musical instrument, you understand this phenomenon. Stop practicing for even just a little while, and it takes a lot longer than you thought it would to get back to the same place. My husband took up his hobby of playing the tuba after taking a 13 year break. Let’s just say nothing said “I’m sure I need something from the grocery store” like seeing the tuba come out of its case for the occasional practice session. It wasn’t until he found a small group to play in that his playing (and our enjoyment) improved. It turns out that working toward a goal and being with others makes staying in shape worth the work.

It won’t be easy. It won’t be painless. It won’t ever be over:  The Beatitudes are the living example of this philosophy. Understanding the power of God’s blessing often means that we are in need of something that is bigger than ourselves. When we are in positions of power or wealth or in control of our own destinies, then it is hard for us to experience, or even see the need of the blessedness of God. But when we are poor – in spirit or in wealth, we are able to recognize and need God in a whole new way.

A middle class family stopped off at a Wendy’s for lunch on a Saturday, and noticed an older man paying for items from the 99 cent menu from small change from his pockets. He had gathered enough for a small hamburger and drink, when the mother took a $5 bill and asked the clerk to give him whatever else he wanted for that amount of money. Soon he took a tray with a couple of burgers and fries and a drink to his table, after stopping by to thank them for their generosity. The mother was brought to tears when he uncovered his food, and then bowed to say a blessing over his food before gobbling it all down. They went to Wendy’s to get something healthy to eat. But once inside, they realized that they also had another kind of hunger met – the desire to be present with others in the midst of their need.

This Sunday, United Methodists observe Human Relations Day, a time to make a renewed commitment to social justice and work with at-risk youth.  We celebrate those ministries in conjunction with the Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday deliberately, because Dr. King’s work was all about social justice, and all about bringing the Kingdom of God to its fullness right here in the USA. Dr. King started as a normal preacher, committed to teaching and preaching the Word and taking care of people. But it did not take long for him to realize that taking care of people meant something more than just being with the people of his congregation.  He began to speak out in support of those whose civil rights were being violated, and in the end it cost him his life. Dr. King’s work was never intended to be a political movement, but drew in those who knew that legal and governmental change would be required.

Three years ago the MLK memorial opened on the Mall in Washington, DC. And on the same day that we visited this memorial, we also visited the FDR memorial, just down the path, and the Air Force Memorial, just to the south of the Pentagon. I was struck at the similarities between them – not in the way they look, but in the quotes that they shared in order to help people know what each stood for in their work for the country – and for the Kingdom of God.

From FDR: In these days of difficulty, we Americans everywhere must and shall choose the path of social justice… the path of faith… the path of hope… the path of love toward our fellow man.

From MLK: Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.

At the Air Force Memorial we saw a display that explained the The USAF motto: “Integrity First, Service Before Self, Excellence in All We Do”.  One explanation seems to be on point today: “Service before self is that virtue within us all which elevates the human spirit and compels us to reach beyond our meager selves to attach our spirit to something bigger than we are.” General John Jumper

It is possible that we look at the Beatitudes and see them as a burden, or maybe as an impossible dream. But maybe that’s what Jesus wanted them to be… an opportunity to shed our old behaviors and expectations and move on to something more important than we could ever have imagined being a part of.

I end today with a reading from Eugene Petersen’s version of this passage from The Message. They are a plainspoken reminder of who God is and who he is calling us to be.

3 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5 “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
6 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
7 “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
11-12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

Peace, Deb

Thanks to the following resources which gave me clarity in my creative process:

“Get the Picture?” by John van de Laar at the website Sacredise: Loving God, Loving the World. 

I Beat the Odds: From homelessness, to the blind side, and beyond by Michael Oher, 2011

The Blind Side - Movie starring Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron & Tim McGraw, 2009
In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving by Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy, 2010
“Four reasons churches stink at transformation and what we can do about it,” by Sean Palmer at the website Sojourners: Faith in Action for Social Justice. 

Sacrifice is all about perspective...

It is not my intention to make a political statement with any of this - this is just where I am... today.

Air Force

Memorial,

Washington DC

On this Veteran's Day, I think about my spouse, who has spent most of his adult life as an officer in the US Air Force. He has been away many days from the comforts of home, has gone without enough sleep on innumerable nights, stood watch over airfields from pickup trucks in blustery North Dakota to the blistering heat of Oklahoma, and flown back and forth across the ocean countless times in support of military and humanitarian missions. Since completing OTS (Officer Training School), he has moved twelve times and had over 20 different job titles. He has missed birthdays, anniversaries, family and church events, and rarely worked normal business hours. And while I am his most trusted companion, for the last eight years we have traveled few places and slept few nights without his trusty work-issued Blackberry at his side.

On this Veteran's Day, I think of my dad, who graduated from high school in 1944 and entered the US Army with many of his closest friends. After a short time in basic training, he took a troop train to the West Coast, and got on a ship headed for the Philippines. He spent his last year of military service in Tokyo with General MacArthur's staff, and helped organize the return of troops and equipment back to the US at the end of the war. He thinks his crowning achievement was figuring out how to fly back the States himself so that he didn't have to get back on the blasted boat.

When he returned to North Carolina in 1947, he entered college, got his degree and teaching certificate, and spent a lifetime changing the world with his own special sense of honor and humor. We celebrated his 87th birthday yesterday, and he is happy to be alive, recently overcoming a bout with colon cancer. I've only heard him talk about his military service at length once, but I remember the details well because they explain so much about who he is and how he lives.

Tomb of the Unknown - Arlington National Cemetery

On the Veteran's Day, I think of my Uncle Johnny - my mom's younger brother, who entered the US Air Force as an enlisted Airman, graduated from college, and then re-entered as an officer. He lived in exciting places like Panama and Alaska. When he retired, he returned to Texas and spent the next twenty years taking care of his parents, inviting them into his home and bringing much joy to their lives. His service continues as a lay leader in his church and his Annual Conference and as a lay chaplain to people in need. He brings the same dedication to his work as a civilian as he did to his work as a member of the military. Today is his birthday, and he is a young 75 - still going strong.

This weekend we went out and ran errands, and when people saw my husband's ID card, they responded, "Thank you for your service," or "Thank you for your sacrifice to make our land free." It's a humbling experience, but I will be honest and say that the life we live doesn't really feel like sacrifice on most days.  It feels honorable and necessary and sometimes misunderstood, but I believe we have gotten more out of this life than we could ever have imagined, and that each of us has made a difference in some way wherever we have lived.

Yes, my life looks nothing like I imagined it would when I graduated from college or seminary... nothing like I expected when I got married and made our first PCS (Permanent Change of Station) as a family. I think of all the people I have met, the friends I have made, the places I have been, and the opportunities that have been laid before me, and I am in awe. I am so honored to be a military spouse. Honored to be a part of a special group of people, women and men, who are willing to wait while their military member does important work, at home and far away... people who give back to the community a measure of what they have received from those who came before us... people who are the family that we choose, in places far and wide.

Air Force Memorial, Washington DC

And while Veteran's Day celebrates the contributions made by all military members, here and abroad, who work for peace and accept the risks that go with that work, I also think today of those who have made a true sacrifice, the sacrifice of life and liberty. I think of military members who are separated from their families by oceans and time zones and experiences. I think of those who are lost as Prisoners of War and Missing in Action. I think of our three recently fallen Fairchild airmen, Tyler Voss, Victoria Pinckney, and Tre Mackey and their families, for whom this is more than a day of remembrance, a mere six month after their loved ones died in the line of duty. And I pray that one day we will truly live in a world where this is war no more.

Yesterday at church, we sang this wonderful hymn by Lloyd Stone, "This is My Song" ... you can see all of the lyrics here, but this verse by Georgia Harkness, a Methodist theologian and hymn writer, most caught my attention for this Veteran's Day celebration.  This is my vision of what makes the sacrifices, real or imagined, worth it all in the end.

May truth and freedom come to every nation;
May peace abound where strife has raged so long;
That each may seek to love and build together,
A world united, righting every wrong;
A world united in its love for freedom,
Proclaiming peace together in one song.

I saw and heard a lot of quotes today. These were some of my favorites.

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die." -- G.K. Chesterton

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” -- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“I believe it is the nature of people to be heroes, given the chance.” -- James A. Autry

Peace to all on the 2013 Veteran's Day. May it come true in our lifetimes.  Deb

Giving Our Undivided Attention

Today we celebrated PWOC Sunday at our base chapel.  The Protestant Women of the Chapel is the ministry by and for women at military chapels all over the world.  PWOC has four aims:

• to LEAD women to accept Christ as personal Savior and Lord;
• to TEACH women the history, beliefs, and programs of the church, all built on a solid foundation of worship and Bible study;
• to DEVELOP in women the skills of prayer, evangelism, stewardship, and social service, against a background of personal spiritual development;
• to INVOLVE women in the work of the Chapel, in keeping with their abilities and interests.

A special thanks to our wonderful chaplains who have invited me to preach and teach on more than one occasion. I am honored to be a part of a wonderful ministry team.

Giving Our Undivided Attention

It’s PWOC Sunday, a time to celebrate the work and ministry of women in our base family.  PWOC – Protestant Women of the Chapel… the name captures a lot, but is bigger than you might expect.  Our ranks include Protestants, Catholics and people who just love Jesus.  Some worship at the chapel regularly, but not all.  And with four wonderful, helpful, supportive chaplains as members of our ranks, we are not even all women.  But what we are is summed up in our mission statement: We are workers together for Christ.  So I thought today might be a good day to consider the story of Mary and Martha, for whom work was an issue.

[Read passage Luke 10: 38-42]

Hospitality was an important aspect of life people in biblical times.  Hospitality… welcome… meeting people’s needs… it’s against this backdrop that we examine the familiar story of Martha and Mary.  Like so many of the stories in the gospels, all we have are a few brief sentences.  Our imaginations have filled in the details not listed and shaped our interpretations of this story.

How do you see Martha – fussing over dinner, presiding over the kitchen, balancing the dozens of details that go into feeding a dining room full of guests?  I think her modern incarnation would come equipped with the efficient conveniences of an organized life, a smartphone or tablet at the ready with recipes, and information at hand to plan a perfect last-minute affair.  The Martha we think we know is a woman of action – there is no doubt about it!

And what about Mary – what does she look like?  Is she the dreamy, less practical sister, the one whose attention wanders from the task at hand to think of books, art, poetry, and music?  Or is she a young intellectual or perhaps a mystic?  There she sits, her eyes open wide, leaning forward to catch every word that Jesus has to share, her mind busily shaping questions as she listens eagerly, shutting out the world around.

It’s easy to imagine multiple dimensions to these sisters’ characters, but the truth is really only know what Jesus tells us… that they are simply two sisters, reacting in their own unique ways to the awe and wonder over this particular guest.

It’s clear that Martha and Mary have different expectations for Jesus’ visit.  Martha’s head is engaged with her responsibilities, while Mary is filled with Jesus’ presence.  The moment is one of conflict.  Martha has pictured this going a different way.  Her question to Jesus includes a request: "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me."

Many assume that Martha’s distraction centers on marshaling the resources for her household to provide hospitality for her guests.  But, in truth, she could have been preoccupied with any number of concerns.  Whatever they are, the important word used to describe Martha is “distracted.”  Her attention was focused on what she thought was important.  And when it didn’t all go the way she planned, she asked Jesus to do something about it.

In Eugene H. Peterson's The Message, Jesus replies in this way: "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it's the main course, and won't be taken from her.”   In this brief conversation, I don’t think that Jesus is elevating one aspect of discipleship over another.  He is not discounting the need for outer preparations or exclusively commending the inward life.  Instead, he is asking for something more difficult… he is asking for a change in attitude in which he becomes the focus and foundation of everything we do.

My life is busy – how about yours?  Part of that is true because I want it to be that way.  I like being out and about, meeting with all kinds of people in all kinds of places.  I have also not perfected the use of one of the shortest words in the English language – NO, but that’s a sermon for another day.  But this story begs a bigger question:  where is our full attention?  Are we, like Martha, distracted by all of the activities that we have to do?  Or are we occasionally able to be Mary, totally focused on Jesus and who he has called us to be?

There is something in this story for all temperaments and tendencies. We could read it as a story that commends not allowing service to distract us from prayer and study. We could also, coming to Martha's defense, remember that we are not to use prayer and study as a free pass to avoid service.   In the end, we have to be able to put into practice all the lessons that Jesus taught.  Sometimes that will mean being alone with God.  Other times it will be about being in the world – loving people and being the hands and feet of Christ in the world.

Our undivided attention -- this is what Jesus asks of us in a world that holds more distractions than Martha could ever have imagined.  He is not telling us that work and family, and housekeeping, and management, and hospitality have no place. Instead, he urges us to choose Him first and let all of these other things take their place in line behind that choice.

Jesus asks us not to become so preoccupied with the details of life, even in our faith community, that we neglect the one in whom we have that faith.  His hope is that we will not become so concerned about hospitality when it is our turn to host coffee hour that we miss worship with the rest of those gathered.  We should not be so busy greeting old acquaintances that we do not see the guest in our midst.  And his desire is that we do not become so involved in managing our worldly affairs that we have no time for our eternal affairs – for prayer, study, reflection, and loving God in all we do.

If Martha, there in Bethany, could find herself distracted with Jesus actually under her roof where she could reach out and touch him, how much more vulnerable are we?  We have many tempting distractions at our disposal.  Consider our work responsibilities, leisure activities, relationships with family and friends, and volunteering in the community.  Then add to that the ability to be connected at any moment by phone, computer, text or television.    Preoccupied with all we have to do, we forget that church is not where we go – it’s who we are.

Here are the questions I hope you’ll consider this week.  What if we applied Mary’s kind of devotion to the way we live every day?  What if our everyday lives were the place where people encountered Jesus for the first time, and wanted to know him better, not because of a bible verse we gave them, but because of the way we live out those verses?  What if choosing the better part is not about what we do, but about the attitude with which we do everything?  What if our faith journeys were about the way we live, not just what we believe?

Will Willimon tells a story about a Duke sophomore who we’ll call John.  He was a Presbyterian who felt called to work in inner-city ministry after hearing Dr. Tony Campolo, a famous evangelical preacher, speak.  After a rigorous interview process, Mark was asked to join a summer mission team in Philadelphia, and later described his first day experience to Will.

In mid-June, John met about a hundred other youth in a Baptist church in Philadelphia.  They sang for about an hour before Dr. Campolo arrived, and when he did, the youth were all worked up and ready to go.  Dr. Campolo preached to them for about an hour, and people were shouting and clapping and standing in the pews.  Then Tony said, “OK gang, are you ready to go out and tell them about Jesus?”  “Yeah,” the kids replied, “let’s go.”

So he loaded them up on buses, singing and clapping.  But as they began to enter the poor neighborhoods of Philadelphia, the kids gradually stopped singing, and the bus John was on got very quiet.  Then they pulled up to one of the worst housing projects in the country.  Tony stood up, opened the door, and said, “OK gang, get out there and tell them about Jesus… I’ll pick you up at five.”

The young people made their way reluctantly off the bus.  And they stood in little groups and whispered as the bus made its way into the distance.  John walked down the sidewalk, faced a run-down tenement building, said a prayer under his breath and walked inside.  There was a terrible odor.  Windows were out.  There were no lights in the hall.  Babies were crying behind thin, scrawled walls.  He walked up one flight of stairs and knocked on the first door he saw.

“Who is it?” a voice called out.  The door cracked open, and he could see a woman holding a naked baby.  He told her he wanted to tell her about Jesus.  With that she slammed the door, cursing him all the way down the stairs and out into the street.

“What made me think I could do this,” he thought.  “What kind of Christian am I?”  He sat down on the curb and cried for a few minutes.  When he looked up, he noticed a store on the corner, and remembered the naked baby in the lady’s arms.  So he went in and bought a package of diapers and a pack of cigarettes, and went back and knocked on the lady’s door again.

“Who is it?” the same voice called again.  When she opened the door, Mark slid the diapers and cigarettes inside.  She looked at them and invited him in.  He put a diaper on the baby, his first, and smoked a cigarette, his first and last, and sat there listening to the lady and playing with the baby all afternoon.  About four o’clock, the woman looked at him and said, “Let me ask you something.  What’s a nice college boy like you doing in a place like this?”  So he told her all he knew about Jesus.  It took about five minutes.  And she replied, “Pray for me and my baby that we can make it out of this place alive.”  And he prayed.”

That evening, when they all got back on the bus, Tony asked, “Well, gang, did any of you get to tell them about Jesus?”  And Mark said, “I not only got to tell them about Jesus, I met Jesus.  I went out to save somebody, and ended up getting saved myself.  Today, I became a disciple.”

Choosing the better part can mean something different to each of us, but I’m betting that it will always be about making the transition from believer to disciple, and living with intention the life that God has given us.  Will we always be successful?  No, but doesn’t mean that we don’t keep giving it our best.  They don’t call it “practicing a life of faith” for nothing.  So as we go into the world, let us remember, we are all workers, together, for Christ.

Amen.

Thanks to Will Willimon and Alyce McKenzie for inspiring me to think of this scripture in a new way.

Vacation lessons...

We spent ten days traveling through Montana and the Canadian Rockies for our summer vacation. We had a great time together, saw some amazing things, and ate some wonderful food.  Here are a few of the lessons I learned along the way.  .

1. Planning is good, but be willing to change the plan if the occasion arises.  We are gatherers... I like knowing what opportunities are available, and once I have a good feel for what there is to do, I quit looking and make a plan. My spouse just keeps looking.  But eventually, we have to just go.  All in all, we did pretty well. We had some pretty fun things planned, and when necessary, we tweaked the plan to fill in the gaps to naturally occurred. Just in case you were wondering, yes to the Banff Gondola and Columbia Icefield Experience, yes to Johnston Canyon hike and Athabasca Falls, and you must at least do the short hike at Mount Edith Clavell in Jasper National Park.

2. Vacationing with your father-in-law can be fun.  Shawn's dad came to spend a few days with us at home before we left, but we were really excited that he could come with us on the trip.  He is such a good traveler, and offers another perspective on the things we see and do. I can honestly say the only thing we might have done differently is eat a few spicier meals and maybe some sushi. Otherwise, he helped make the trip even better than it would have been with just the two of us. Sometimes it's good to have a buffer or a person to be the tiebreaker when it was time to pick something to do or someplace to eat.

3. Making a vacation budget made it all a lot less stressful.  When we lived in Germany, we took lots of opportunities to travel.  It gave us a lot of practice in getting away and getting a lot done. As we did our research, we developed a reasonable expectation for what our hotel expenses would be, estimated our entrance fees for the things we wanted to do, and factored in food costs.  On this trip we kept our food costs down by eating hotel breakfasts when offered, taking a bag full of snacks with us, and making several trips to the grocery store along the way for water and picnic lunches.  Even with gas at over $5 per gallon, we were able to come in way under our budget.

4. Sometimes a cheap hotel is cheap for a reason.  No matter how many places you check, the "perfect" hotel may not be what you expect.  I booked all of our hotels online and eight of the nine nights were great - a couple close to perfect, in fact.  But there was one that wasn't exactly what we expected.  The good news is that we all decided to make the best of it... and be happy that it was the last night before going home.  I'm not going to "out" the hotel, but if you're planning to go to Radium Hot Springs in Canada, give me a call.

5.  Conversely, a storefront restaurant could give you the best meal of your trip.  Helena's Stube in Radium Hot Springs... authentic Austrian food and the best Wiener Schnitzel since we traveled to Germany last year.  So here's the tip: Ask a local for their recommendation... that usually sends you in the right direction.  (I should have taken a picture of my beautiful plate... trust me, it was absolutely delicious.)

We've been home for a little over a week and are fully immersed in our normal, everyday lives.  But the peace and joy lingers... and that's when you know it was all worth it.

Peace, Deb

PS - How was your vacation?

Reflections on the Rockies...

"Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God." - George Washington Carver 

God is big... WAY bigger than I notice from day to day.

Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Alberta ,Canada

Mt Edith Clavell and Angel Glacier, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

Glacier National Park, MT

 Everywhere I looked, I felt small.  Not in a bad way, but in the "get over yourself" way.  Over the course of ten days, the things I considered to be problems seemed much smaller, and the joys that I sometimes overlook seemed much bigger.  In that time, we collectively took almost 1500 pictures and videos... two cameras and three cell phones trying to capture every amazing sight for posterity and to share.

Athabasca Glacier, Alberta, Canada

Of course, the big problem is that there is no way to capture the amazing things we saw on film.  No way to capture the smell of pines and leaves... no way to record the mist that surrounds you when you are able to get right next to a waterfall... no way to take the reactions of those who are seeing it all for the first time, or with new eyes, or in new ways.



Once again, I am confronted with the BIGNESS of God.  More than ever, I understand this world we have as a gift.  I see it's fragile nature.  Only 35 glaciers remain at Glacier National Park in Montana, and to really see those you must hike away from the road and the crowds. They predict that within 25 years there will no longer be any active glaciers there, and that the park will be a final testament to the power that glaciers had to move earth and shape the landscape in new and powerful ways.

If you see me and ask me about me about my trip, I will embarrass myself by whipping out my phone and showing you the pictures I took on it.  I want them to tell the story of our visit to one of the most peaceful and beautiful places I have ever been.  But on my phone, they are small, and even if I were to blow them up and plaster them all over my walls, they would only capture a part of what I would want you to know.

Our five senses and our brain are even more miraculous than we imagine. Believe me, the pictures only capture 20% of what lays before you when you are standing on that mountain or at that lake or walking down that path. If you are intrigued by what you have seen, then maybe this is your invitation to go on a journey of your own away from the expected and into places you have never been.

This trip has made a lasting impression on me.  It's easy to become blinded to the things that surround us. But in taking time to get away, I realized that I have to try harder to not take for granted how much better my senses make my life.

Just today we spent time in our tiny garden, tending to our tomatoes and peppers, our parsley and basil. We took care to water the parsley and peppers this morning, because we saw how droopy they were yesterday after the heat of the day. We marveled at the spiny fuzz that covers the tomatoes when they are very small, and how the flowers dip their little heads down if they have been fertilized and are making fruit, and how they shrivel and blow away if they are no longer needed.   We remembered the wonderful taste and feel of the meaty flesh of the one tomato that we have harvested, and look with great anticipation for the many that are to come. (I see tomato sauce in my future...)

This is a miraculous world we live in, my friends.  And I am more grateful than ever for the opportunity to explore it, one adventure at a time.

Peace, Deb

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God.  Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.  I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles." - Anne Frank