Lord, teach me. . . .

Money can buy you a fine dog, but only love can make him wag his tail. –Kinky Friedman We hear a lot of conflicting messages every day. Eat eggs; don’t eat eggs. Run, don’t walk; walk, don’t run. Let little children use that tablet—no, wait. Not until they’re at least six years old. They make the rules; they change the rules. How are we supposed to know what to do??? Bob Merrill, in his musical Carnival! tells us straight out, “ Love makes the world go ‘round.” But then along comes the Emcee ( Cabaret ) to remind us that “ Money makes the world go ‘round.” Both can’t be true, can they? Then which one is it? I’ll take both, please. It’s hard to argue with the fact that money is very, very important in our everyday lives. Without it, we would struggle even to survive. The same is true of our churches; even as we (reluctantly) talk about budgets and salaries, without such conversations, we could soon be forced to close our doors and no longer be able to effectiv...

It is not the creation of wealth that is wrong, but the love of money for its own sake. –Margaret Thatcher It’s that time of year again in churches everywhere: stewardship time. Time to look at our budgets, look at our giving, and figure out how to make the two line up. And in some churches, the real challenge seems to be how to make this all happen without actually talking about it. Somewhere along the line, we decided that in our efforts to be like Jesus, to be in the world but not of the world, that meant money belongs in the world. Therefore, while our churches need money to continue doing what we do, we don’t want to hear anyone talk about money. Eww. (Which begs the question: how will folks know our needs if we don’t talk about them?) But here’s a news flash: Jesus, after whom we are trying to model our lives, is recorded in the New Testament talking about money more than any other single topic . More than he spoke about heaven and hell—combined. In fact, in ele...

Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts.  Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won'ts.  Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me: Anything can happen, child. Anything can be. –Shel Silverstein From the time we enter the world, we receive messages telling us how to behave, what to do to be accepted. Parents, teachers, friends—virtually everyone we encounter, in one way or another, offers input into how to get along in the world. And much of the time, we accept these words and actions without question, without really stopping to think if it’s best for us . In fact, many times, we may begin to question and find we haven’t the courage, strength or knowledge to change our beliefs. Or we may be awash in guilt for considering discarding a cherished belief. But if we are to grow, change is oh, so necessary. There is a house I pass by regularly. I know the family: very devout, very conservative; many children. Their front yard is fil...

But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.—Khalil Gibran Deep roots We recently returned from a trip out west to Colorado, just in time for the beautiful colors of fall. We drove up over Kenosha Pass one day. The beauty of the groves of quaking aspen, golden and quivering in the cool sunshine, was absolutely breathtaking! Did you know the quaking aspen is believe to be the largest single living organism in the world? They present as trees standing shoulder to shoulder, but in reality, these slender trees share a common root system. The same root system can connect acres of trees. This common root system ensures the strength and health of the entire grove, and is virtually indestructible. Eventually, spruce and older forests will take over as they deprive the aspen of light, but one good forest fire will bring th...

To him shall prayers unceasing and daily vows ascend; His Kingdom still increasing, a kingdom without end. --James Montgomery (UMH #203) It’s almost that time of year again, when churches everywhere begin grappling with stewardship issues (read: budgets and money ) and we revisit once more who we are and who we are called to be as a church and as the  Church. This prayer project was begun, in a sense, as a stewardship offering, guiding us along our path as we seek to draw ever closer to God. Many come here, to this place, with the same goal: to draw closer to God. People might come to UCUMC for the first time because we are near where they live or work, or maybe  they saw our “holy oilcan.” Maybe they heard about our magnificent organ; but they will return because they experience the irresistible, winsome love of the Christ moving in our midst. And they liked what they experienced. They long for more . We don’t get to “choose” who walks through the front...

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. –Lao Tzu The Summer Day (Mary Oliver) Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean- the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down- who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away. I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do With your one wild and precious life? It’s never too early. And...

When you get to a place where you understand that love and belonging, your worthiness, is a birthright and not something you have to earn, anything is possible. –Brene Brown We have become a deeply consumer-driven society. We are convinced that money can buy happiness—or at least, money can buy more stuff, which is supposed to make us happier. Everything seems to come with a price tag. And on top of that, we talk about love as if it, too, is something we can purchase. It’s become a cheapened emotion: We love our car, we love that new café on the corner. And we simply love what you’ve done with your hair! Now seems like the perfect time to remember that nothing you can buy, nothing you can say (good or not so good)—nothing you can do with your hair changes God’s Love for you. Nothing. In the eyes of the Almighty, you are absolutely perfect, just the way you were created. And as soon as we internalize that message and believe it for ourselves, we change. We begi...