Lord, teach me. . . .

The name “Reflect It Back” comes from the idea of not only giving back, but also seeing yourself in someone else. –Max Carver In many churches (including mine), stewardship season is just around the corner. This is the time of year when we (often reluctantly) begin focused discussions about budgets and giving and other stuff that many people don’t think a pastor should mention in the pulpit. Never mind that the one topic Jesus addressed more than any other topic was wealth and money; we don’t want to hear about it. After all, what I give is between me and God—right? (Sound familiar?) It’s funny, isn’t it, how we seem to have convince ourselves that if we don’t tell anyone how much money we earn, if we don’t tell God, God doesn’t know? We feel obligated (I hope) to faithfully report our income to those agencies who need to have it—but somehow don’t believe God cares. We can throw God scraps, so to speak, and God will never even know. How naïve are we? Granted, the IR

A leader’s job is not to do the work for others, it’s to help others figure out how to do it themselves, to get things done, and to succeed beyond what they thought was possible.   –Simon Sinek Do you remember the story of the Little Red Hen? The Little Red Hen was definitely an overachiever. She found a grain of wheat; she planted it, tended it, harvested the crop, took it to the mill, ground the wheat into flour—and took it home to bake a delicious loaf of bread. (Can you smell it?) Along the way, she asked her friends who would help her with the work. But every time, the dog, the cat and the mouse would all answer the same: “Not me!” Ah, but when it came time to eat the warm, delicious loaf drizzled with honey, all the friends showed up drooling and eager. I will be happy to help you eat the bread, Little Red! Little Red reminded them who did all the work—and she sat down to enjoy the fruits of her labors. And while that might seem selfish, I think

All that is gold does not glitter, Not all who wander are lost. The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. --J. R. R. Tolkein I am told that when I was about three years old, I was left behind. Thankfully, I don’t remember it. The story goes that my mother took the four of us shopping. My three older siblings needed shoes for school, and I was the tagalong. While the salesperson measured their feet and they tried on tennis shoes and oxfords, I sat on the floor and played in the empty boxes and tissue paper. Shoes were chosen; purchases were made, and the family piled back into the green Rambler station wagon and headed for home. There was one problem: little Heidi was still playing in the tissue paper. I don’t know how long it took before I was missed. And I don’t know how much my siblings pleaded with Mom not to go back for me. . . . I do know my mother was quick and embarrassed when she hurried in, scooped up

Am I afraid to die? I am every time I let myself be seduced by the noisy voices of my world telling me that my “little life” is all I have and advising me to cling to it with all my might. But when I let these voices move to the background of my life and listen to that small soft voice calling me the Beloved, I know that there is nothing to fear and that dying is the greatest act of love, the act that leads me into the eternal embrace of my God whose love is everlasting. –Henri J. M. Nouwen Today we said goodbye to a member of my flock, a woman who was truly God’s humble servant. Karen played in the hand bell choir, sang alto in the choir, baked, cooked, taught Sunday School—and in her spare time, she drove a school bus. If something needed doing, Karen was your girl. And she will be deeply missed. At her memorial service, we focused on what her four-year-old grandson reminded us: Today we are gonna celebrate Grandma! Out of the mouths of babes. As Christians, we

Follow the drinkin’ gourd For the old man is comin’ just to carry you to freedom Follow the drinkin’ gourd –African American folk song August 25 commemorated the 400 th anniversary of the 1619 Project, marking the first arrival of slaves from Africa. It’s important to remember; if we don’t remember, we keep making the same mistakes, over and over again. Follow the Drinkin’ Gourd became a way for slaves searching for freedom to let one another know how to find their way to the Underground Railroad. Singing, rather than speaking, lifted their spirits, as well. As followers of the Christ, we, too, often turn to psalms or songs when our spirits sag. Music has always been an important component of worship. While a handful of denominations choose silence over singing, many churches begin and end with music, and include hymns of praise in between The Big Dipper was symbolic of the waters of freedom, as well as the waters of our baptism, where freedom in Christ is re