A Ten minute retreat

Today I got some good old-fashioned junk mail. You know, the unsolicited tangible pieces of paper that some company actually pays to send you. Most of the time, this junk mail goes straight to the recycle bin...but...this one had a phrase that spoke to my soul "Go on a retreat for 10 minutes." The line that followed said, "Escape to a spiritual retreat for just a moment each day." There is a picture of an empty adirondack chair waiting for me in a vast, lush, green meadow.

Is God waiting for me in that meadow? This junk mail caused me to dust off my devotional and my journal and give ten uninterrupted minutes to God. I did feel my soul sigh, my spirit renew, and just a moment of rejuvenation. I heard from God, thank you for keeping this appointment, please feel free to make another one. So, maybe this wasn't junk mail this time, maybe it was an appointment reminder card, you know like the one the dentist sends you. A card to remind me that I have missed too many appointments with God. A card to remind me that my chair in the meadow has been empty and I have been missed.

God is waiting for me in the meadow? in my living room? in my office? Ten minutes may not seem like a lot, but it is a gift to have, a gift to receive, and a gift I can give my Creator.

Soul Sister

God has been growing my heart by changing my definitions. Recently, I realized I found myself mentioning my best friend, frequently in conversation. We will call her Ariel. Whenever I mentioned Ariel, or share some of the wisdom or insight she had shared with me, I felt a warm spot on my heart. I realized more and more how much I trust this woman, how much I value her in my life, and how she is the best friend for which I have praying for many years. I still had not allowed my whole heart to be connected to hers because I am afraid of rejection, disappointment, and embarrassment, all emotions I have suffered through broken relationships. Whenever I found myself mentioning Ariel in a conversation, I added and explanation as to how she was connected to me. You know, like, "she is a friend of mine who I met here when we did this" etc. It was like I had to have a logical, explainable reason for her being in my life, that way if she left my life for any reason, I could have an explanation for her departure as well. A clean and simple relationship.

God has been opening my heart, helping me to be secure in who I am. I am a good friend, I am worthy of having good friends. This friend, whom I love like a sister, is a gift from God. She is not some casual acquaintance I happened to meet. She and I were brought by an all powerful being who knows our needs, and knows we need each other. So Ariel and I have connected on a deeper level, I have shared more with her than with any other and she understand me. She is a safe place to fall. This is the philia love, the brotherly (or in this case sisterly) love that has been missing from my life. I love my husband and he fulfills many of my needs, but not all. Sometimes you just need girl time! So, as I was praying for Ariel this week, God gave me a new word to describe our relationship...sister. She is my sister, not by blood, but in every other sense of the word. I no longer need to describe or explain our relationship to others. God has helped my heart heal and grow so that I have room for my new sister.

The Pastor's New Clothes

I have just finished one year as being an honest to goodness, commissioned, full-time pastor. I think I have just started feeling like a pastor. I have realized that since the first day I was introduced as their pastor, my church has looked at me as exactly that, their pastor. On the other hand it has taken me a little longer to get into realizing that I am a pastor. I remember the first time one of my members said "What do you think preacher?" I didn't realize he was talking to me. But, God has been working on me this summer. I guess I can say the robes are starting to fit. I don't freak out every week now about the sermon. I can give all of my parishioners communion by name. Oh and I know where all the clergy parking is at all the hospitals. But really I have learned more than that, when you answer the call, it is the people that God calls you to that makes you a great preacher. Now, if I could just get the nerve up to actually get my picture on the pastor wall, Glamour Shots here I come!

Summertime Siesta?

Well the days are longer but it is HOT. I think we should institute a summer siesta. After lunch, during the really hot part of the day, we should take naps. I have found naps can really refresh me and help me be more productive. I have found during the summer I am most productive in a cool air conditioned room in the evening. In the afternoon it is too hot to be productive. Now that I am a pastor I have this urge to relate everything to a biblical story. I have taken some time to research naps in the bible. Ok, I'll admit I just googled it, but David and Joseph had great visions in their dreams. Angels come to many biblical characters in their dreams like Saul and Joseph (Mary's husband, you know Jesus' step-dad). I did find it a little disturbing that asleep was a euphemism for death, so let me be sure to say clearly I am not advocating us not waking up, but rather just resting. And then of course when Jesus is praying in the garden of Gesthamane (spelling?) the disciples keep falling asleep and Jesus is not too happy with them. If they had only taken a nap earlier in the day they may have been able to stay awake and pray with Jesus when he asked them too. So, I think a summer siesta may be a good thing to do, we would need to plan it, bring our blankies to work, put a message on our voice mail, "It is too hot to work now, I am not away from my desk, I am under it taking a nice nap, I will get back to you when the mercury hits around 90 again, have a nice day!" So, are you willing to sign up for this summer siesta? Let me know your best napping experience.

A moment of zen

Today I took the time to read a whole magazine, cover to cover. I have had a crazy, busy month, and today I made myself slow down. So I did things on my back-up list, you know those things you would like to do but don't make it on the A list. I had breakfast with a good friend, took a long nap, and listened to the birds tweet. Later, I got really adventurous and I made myself an iced mocha tried a new recipe and cooked turkey burgers for my dog. Then I took a bubble bath, put on a moisture mask, and watched Mary Poppins. Oh and the best part, my husband uploaded new songs to my ipod and made new play lists. At the end of the day, I really had accomplished nothing and that was ok, because my moment of zen was when I realized that I didn't have anything more important to take care of then myself.

I love color

Today I am obsessed with color. The sunshine comes and new green leaves bursting forth on the trees seem to glow. Then a rain cloud comes over and the red tulips seem to pop. The winds starts to blow and I put on my lime green quilted coat and it doesn't seem so dark anymore. As I look at the people gathered together, now off the clock, I notice the grey coats and black sweaters come off to reveal brightly patterned ties. I see a turquoise necklace that makes me think of the color of the sea in the Bahamas. I remember the first time I used the word turquoise to describe an object my dear husband was trying to locate for me, he said, "What is turquoise?" Once we located the objected, I showed him this color and he said, that's blue. Through the years he has learned to see more colors in the world, past the blue, black and grey. Like the lady that just joyously greeted her friend, I love the way her chartreuse bag livens up her steel grey sweater and her sensible brown loafers. It give her more personality, it gives me a hint of who she is or maybe who she wants to be. There are many colors in the world each one beautiful, each one seems to make the world a little less flat to me. Colors give our world depth and texture, dark and light, uniqueness and similarity. What is your favorite color and how does it make you feel?

From couch potato to 5k

I have started this program to get me off the couch. It is hard after a day of work to come home and do anything but turn on the tube and act like a potato. But it can waste an amazing amount of time. I mean before I know it I have made a divet in the couch and the hours have wasted away. So, I am going to try to turn from couch potato into a treadmill turnip, or some other vegetable I should be eating. But, I need your help. Give me encouraging words. Give me advice, what do you do to stay motivated to exercise?