Congratulations, Jamie!

My sister graduated from St. Kate's this weekend with her Master's in Social Work. It was such a wonderful weekend of celebrating all of her hard work! I am so proud of her and all of the work that she put into this - working, doing an internship, writing a thesis, and going to classes all at the same time. She deserves a nice, long break!
Jamie will be a great social worker and the world is a better place to have her in it!
Mel

Back after a hiatus...

I'm back! It took much longer than I thought, but Holy Week and the weeks following have been rather busy! I have now entered the 21st century more fully, with internet access at the touch of a button in my very own home, so I expect to have an easier time with keeping up on the blog.

I thought I would share a picture of a party the young adults at Centennial hosted to celebrate my upcoming ordination. I couldn't believe how kind and thoughtful they all were with putting this together. We had cake and played "compatibility" (one of our favorite games) and had lots of fun sharing stories! I ate my first ever "Jesus cake" - they special ordered a preaching Jesus cake for the occasion - it was great!!!

Melanie

Thanks so much...

to everyone that sent in a lenten reflection for this post. It was an honor to read your thoughts, ideas, and reflections. I fell out of cyberspace during the last days of Holy Week, and am spending the best of today sleeping at home before going back to work tonight with several meetings. Other than that, I'm crawling out of my "post-Easter" crash of exhaustion and will be up and running in the next day or two!
Usually Easter reminds me of spring, but not so this year, with the snow expected to come tomorrrow...ack!
-Melanie

Jan Daniels writes...

I once had a wonderful, wise mentor who gave me a piece of wisdom that has been of enormous help many times in my life. When I first received the suggestion, I was the new acting director of nursing at a long term care facility. I had been an employee health and clinic nurse in this facility for several years. My appointment was well received by all but two nursing supervisors on the pm and night shifts. They barely knew me as I always worked days.

I was discussing my concern with my mentor and he suggested I keep the advice of Dr. Erich Fromm: "How it changes someone for us when we begin to love them." I admit to some skepticism, but I wanted to win these women over. Subsequently, I met with them separately, asked what would make their respective shifts better for themselves, co-workers, residents. Some of the changes they suggested could be made an, over a period of only months, I began to feel their support. They came to believe that I was temporarily in the Director of Nursing position because I could possible affect change. They became supporters and even cheerleaders! When a permenant director was named, the supervisors gave me a luncheon. At the luncheon, one of the "converts" told me: "I was wrong about you and I apologize for my disbelief and lack of support. Please know how much I support you now." The other supervisor said, "Amen!" It worked! And it has worked in the thirty years since then. We all encounter people we don't like or who don't like us. Just try Dr. Fromm's advice; it really works!

Jesus, in his ministry, often used his enormous love for us to change our lives. How it changed all of us because He loved us!

Anita Mayfield writes...

The Will of God

In 1974 our son, Robert, had his first heart surgery at age five. After two more heart surgeries in his teen years and many difficult times, he passed away in l989 at age nineteen. Reverend Ken Rice, who spent time with us at the first surgery, gave me a small booklet called "The Will of God”. It has defined and clarified my faith and beliefs over the years.

Written in 1944, during the bombing of London in World War II, it is actually a series of sermons given by Reverend Leslie D. Weatherhead, a pastor in the Church of England. In his effort to comprehend God’s will in those horrific times, he examines the subject by dividing it into three:
Intentional Will – God’s ideal plan for us
Circumstantial Will – God’s plan within certain circumstances, and
Ultimate Will – final realization of God’s purposes.

Because of this book, I found a better way to see God’s will in my life - in ways I’d never thought about. When I think, and listen, and apply this understanding, I have been able to find a certain amount of peace and acceptance. When I so often fall away from God’s intentional will, I feel God guides me through my failures or the many situations beyond my control, to recognize His circumstantial will. And, above all and after all, I know that somehow God’s control and guidance and His ultimate will prevails.

With the great turmoil in our country and world today, I’ve wondered how all this hatred and warring could be God’s will. I’ve tried to understand how we’ve gotten to this terrible place from just a few years ago, with the future so much more uncertain than I’ve ever known. But Rev. Weatherhead’s ideas concerning God’s will, have given me an anchor for understanding. Amidst so much that’s been lost, I believe there are many things to be gained as well, even if we can’t see them very clearly right now. In whatever small ways possible, we can each contribute to the good in this world. It is surely a time of renewed challenge to help achieve God’s ultimate will in these dire circumstances.

An example that beautifully reflects God’s will was in the answer to a question asked of a young Amish girl after so many of her schoolmates were killed last year. The question was “how can you accept this awful thing and still go on?”. She responded by saying, “we learn to let it go and turn it over to God to make something good out of it.”

We can be certain that it was never God’s intentional will for that terrible event to happen, but in the circumstances of it having happened, she knew God’s ultimate will prevails.

David Wright writes...

"Mr. Atherton, may I please have your autograph?", the young boy asked me as I exited the Metrodome following an afternoon game in 1988. In order to make ends meet, I was employeed as a beer vendor by the Metrodome from 1988 - 2003. The lad (obviously) mistook me for the Twins' relief pitcher and began to cry as I explained over and over I wasn't Keith Atherton. I eventually gave in and signed his ball "Keith Atherton".

It's not the only time I have been mistaken for someone, I have had a drive through clerk drop my order because she thought I was Garth Brooks as well.
Not being a country music fan, I hadn't a clue who "Garth Brooks" was.

The week before Palm Sunday a lady stopped and talked with me after the service and asked if she knew me. Obviously, I'm not sure if she did or not. Who am I? What is my "faith story?" Good questions for certain. I don't have a favorite spot to sit in during Sunday services. In fact, I tend to drift around on purpose; one Sunday towards the rear on the left side of the church, the next, right side, middle, and the next....who knows? My seating is similar to my faith,...all over. I've been influenced by my mother, Pastor Al Maetche, who when finding out my father was deceased treated me as his own son, and authors such as Og Mandino, Norman Vincente Peale, and Anthony Robbins.

Faith to me can be summed up simply in being open to see what is being shown to you from God. It may be as simple as a breeze, or as straight forward as a billboard not seen before. Or perhaps, it's just a case of mistaken identity.

The prayer I share most often is: God grant me peace, love, health, happiness and the power of your holy light, now and forever, amen.

Melissa Kerr writes...

Many times in our lives, we face hardship. We’re forced to deal with death, broken hearts, letting go, and so much more. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that God is really there through all the tough times.
One of my favorite Bible stories is found in 1Kgs 18, when Elijah faces the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to cut up an ox and lay it on wood and he agreed to do the same. Elijah told them to call on their god and he would call on his God, and whoever puts fire under the wood is the true God.
When the prophets of Baal called on their god, nothing happened. However, when Elijah called on his God, the Lord not only lit fire to the burnt offering, but he also made the fire so large that it “licked up the water” (v.38) in the trench that Elijah had built around it.
Elijah had extreme faith to believe that God would not let him down. Like Elijah, we should also have extreme faith. Elijah believed that God was powerful enough to start a fire, so there’s no doubt that God is powerful enough to bring us through every situation. No matter what hardships we might face, we should always remember to have extreme faith that God will bring us through it.

Mary Hopkins writes...

As my thoughts went to Jesus this Lent, I thought I mightwrite a poem, but could not. I can only offer what I have in mind. My thoughts went to the beginning of Matthew 8:27,"What sort of man is this? What would happen if I inserted after the word this what appears in scripture --or other phrases, thoughts -- that even the winds and the sea obey him? that heals the physically and mentally ill? that challenges hypocrites? that prays without ceasing? that talks about forgiving seventy times seven? What manner of man is this?

None of us can see him face to face, and even in my imagination his face remains hidden. But all day long I feel a current as of flowing water repeating the words,"This is my beloved son, my beloved, beloved, beloved. Listen to him, listen, listen."

And so we listen to him and we observe what he does. And as disciples we follow, we try to imitate. We look to see if we can have his mind in us, a mind that was free, yet obedient. Paul in the letter to the Philippians writes, "..though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, . . being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross."(Philippines 2:6-8) The letter continues with the manner in which God has exalted this Jesus. We know that Easter follows, a gift of grace to us.

Jonathan Ozanne writes...

The theme for Centennial UMC’s Lenten Blog this year is “Enter the Story”. The Centennial Lenten Blog is made up of a collection of reflections about how friends and members of Centennial UMC have participated in the story and watched and listened for signs in which their lives are reflected the lives of the early disciples.

It has been inspirational to read these Lenten reflections and now it is my turn to share…

“He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Mark 8:34.

Reading this passage broadly, it says that following Christ is not easy, and must involve the follower denying himself or herself. (See also Matthew 10:34-39, Luke 14:25-35). Whether you take a literal or figurative interpretation of these gospel lessons, the message is that followers of Christ are called to let nothing stand in the way of following Christ. This denial could come at great personal cost in terms of family or worldly goods or both.

At the Ash Wednesday Service, a worksheet was handed out with a checklist of Personal and Social Disciplines to help prepare for Easter. As another Inward and Personal Discipline I am giving up “ice cream”. I am giving up “ice cream” to focus on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. A sacrifice that is infinitely greater than the trivial sacrifice of giving up “ice cream” for Lent. However my trivial sacrifice, denying myself “ice cream”, has not been easy. My sacrifice has also helped me focus on how much I like eating ice cream and on legalistic ways around my “denial”. (Is an ice-cream cake, considered cake or ice cream? Are sherbet and frozen yogurt considered to be ice cream?)

Denying ourselves that which gets in the way of worshipping God and following Jesus Christ is not easy, but it is something that we are called to do as disciples of Jesus Christ.

If you went to the Ash Wednesday service, take another look at the “My Preparation for Easter” checklist and see how you are doing and if there is another “denial” you could make. If you didn’t go to the Ash Wednesday service, think about what you could do to “deny” yourself.

This denial could take many forms. Maybe it is going to church instead of sleeping in on Sunday morning. Maybe it is giving up eating out once per week and donating the money saved to a mission project or to help the needy. Maybe it is denying the fear of rejection and inviting a friend to worship on Sunday. These are just a few ideas. There are lots of good ideas on the “My Preparation for Easter” checklist.

As disciples, we are called to deny ourselves and follow Christ.

Christi Wirth-Davis writes...

In the preface to his little book How to Find Your Mission in Life, Richard Bolles refers to "one of the indignant Biblical questions": "Has God forgotten to be gracious?" (Bolles says the answer is a clear No.) This is a helpful question for me--akin to someone looking me straight in the eye and saying "Snap out of it!" Life has serious ups and downs and sometimes I allow the particular bumpy road I'm traveling to take over my consciousness. Bolles suggests the beginning of each of our missions on earth is to seek to stand hour by hour in the conscious presence of God, the One from whom our missions are derived. Before we go to work in the world, we need to establish contact with the One from whom we came and the One to whom we shall return.

Our scriptures and tradition tell the story of God who is always with us, who loved us first, forgives us when we need it, and loves us forever. This grace--the graciousness of God--means I don't have to justify my existence or prove my value with cultural status symbols. In the Connectivity class at Centennial we just completed a study of The Centered Life, an initiative based at Luther Seminary. The Centered Life suggests that in the "whosoever love" (John 3:16) of God we can find a dependable center for our lives. In Soul Cravings futurist and postmodern pastor Erwin McManus reminds us that Jesus Christ called to those with exhausted souls, encouraging them with the good news "that God will be for us our place called home." We can depend on God's faithful love and then live out of that center into our callings. Being awake to God's presence and graciousness is essential for living a faithful life moment by moment. Grace--let's stay awake for it!