Friday Five: Connecting

 

Jan at Rev Gal Blog Pals writes:

I am currently reading Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam, where he explores the changes in community in the USA in the 20th Century. He explains how communities, people, and especially children function better when they live where there is high social capital. Basically, it means that "relationships matter."
We all know this because Christianity (and other religions) emphasize the Golden Rule:

All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.
Matthew 7:1

So here are some questions to ponder for this Friday Five about connecting with:

1. Self: Who was your hero/heroine when you were about ten years old?

No one person particularly stands out at this age although there have been many mentors and Sunday School teachers over the years who helped mold and shape me.

2. Family: Who are you most like? Who is most like you?

Having just attended the funeral for an uncle on my mother’s side, I am constantly amazed at how much my cousins and I have in common – even though we’ve shared precious little time together over the years. We seem to have inherited a gene for singing and a love for music and a host of mannerisms and a constant faith in God. We are truly blessed.

3. Friends: How do you stay in touch?

Facebook has definitely helped with communication. My constant companion in seminary use the time spent on road trips making catch-up calls. This year we were able to spend a few days together – although it was as usual, interrupted by drama. This time a surprise wedding and the realization that my Father would be going to his eternal rest in only a short time.

4. Neighborhood, community: What are ways you like to be involved?

Football games seem to be a place where everyone gathers – although for most of my friends, it’s the band that is the big attraction.

5. Job/church: Do you see a need that will help in developing connections?

We were the recipients of a community memorial gift this summer – a pavilion in memory of Susan McAndrew. Susan knew what it meant to love God and your neighbor. It is our hope that we will spend more time together as a result.

Bonus: A link or anything else about connecting.

And remember today is BLOG ACTION DAY!

Refrain from trampling the Sabbath …

Isaiah 58:9-14

If you remove the yoke from among you,

the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,

if you offer your food to the hungry

and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,

then your light shall rise in the darkness

and your gloom be like the noonday.

The LORD will guide you continually,

and satisfy your needs in parched places,

and make your bones strong;

and you shall be like a watered garden,

like a spring of water,

whose waters never fail.

Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;

you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

you shall be called the repairer of the breach,

the restorer of streets to live in.

If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,

from pursuing your own interests on my holy day;

if you call the sabbath a delight

and the holy day of the LORD honorable;

if you honor it, not going your own ways,

serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs;

then you shall take delight in the LORD,

and I will make you ride upon the heights of

the earth;

I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob,

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

 

Friday Five: Fall Word Association

Singing Owl at Rev Gal Blog Pals writes:

The Canadian geese are excited, forming up and practicing, encouraging each other with honking, the Wisconsin fall color is at peak where I am, and in Kohl's Dept. Store the Christmas decorations are up. Yep, Fall is here. It's my turn to do the Rev Gal Blog Pals Friday Five. It has been a while since we did one of these word association Friday Fives, so here goes, with an autumnal theme. I know, fall is one way on this side of the world and different in other places, but please bear with me as I post words that say FALL--at least where I am.
Give us the the first word that comes to mind (you know how that works, right?) and then add a little something about why, or how or what.
1. Pumpkins – Jack o' Lanterns – with a light shining through its face.

2. Campfire – Singing around the campfire in LOTS of places – Girl Scout Camp, church camp, family outings and now in this place of service as we gather around the fire each fall for an evening of relaxation and fellowship.

3. Apples – Cider made fresh in the cider press. One of my favorite childhood memories is making cider with my Dad at home.

4. Color – Trees with their leaves turning red and yellow – but particularly the reds – unfortunately the extreme hot weather this summer seems to have flattened the colors this fall here in Pittsburgh.

5. Halloween – one of my favorite holidays – but I sure had a had time explaining this holiday to our visitors from Malawi this past week. The leaves are simply dropping to the ground.

And since it is REV Gals and their Pals, here is the bonus question, sort of a serious one:

What does the following passage from Daniel 2 make you think about?
"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
Wisdom and power are his...
He changes times and seasons

A reminder that wherever he leads, it is safe to follow. I have seen the time and seasons of my life change seemingly overnight but have always found that God knows the plans he has for me … even when I have failed … he is faithful!

Seeking beauty …

To Seek Beauty: Introduction
What we do not nourish
within ourselves
cannot exist in the world around us
because we are its microcosm.
We cannot moan the loss
of quality in our world
and not ourselves
seed the beautiful in our wake.
We cannot decry the loss of the spiritual
and continue ourselves to function
only on the level of the vulgar.
We cannot hope for fullness of life
without nurturing fullness of soul.
We must seek beauty, study beauty
surround ourselves with beauty.
To be contemplative
we must remove the clutter of our lives,
surround ourselves with beauty,
and consciously, relentlessly,
persistently give it away
until the tiny world
for which we are responsible
begins to reflect
the raw beauty that is God.
–from Illuminated Life by Joan Chittister (Orbis)

Friday Five: De-Cluttering

Jan at RevGalBlog Pals writes: Since posting about de-cluttering, I am still muttering about the need for it in my house. How about you?

Yes, I am feeling the need to de-clutter. We (I) definitely have too much stuff … too many clothes, too much of everything. My husband says I am becoming a hoarder, and while I argue, I am feeling very overwhelmed by stuff and the need to take care of the stuff – organize it, clean it, remember where it’s stored.

1. What things do you like to hang on to? I love dishes!

2. What is hard to let go of? This week it’s been tough sorting through my daughter’s collection of stuff. She graduated from college in May, married in July and is moving to San Diego in August. Not much is going with her … just 15 boxes shipped UPS and what could fit in her Kia Forte. She needs the money from stuff we sell to buy new stuff for her new life. It’s another bittersweet moment in our journey through life.

3. What is easy to give away? Things that will brighten someone else’s life … I tend to not mind giving stuff away but when I go to sell it – I always think “gee, you don’t get anything for it – might as well hang on to it.”

4. Is there any kind of stumbling block connected with cleaning out? After moving more times than I can count and nearly ridding myself of everything that wouldn’t fit in a U-Haul trailer or a pickup truck, never thought I would accumulate so much stuff. However, two five-year stents in one place led me to realize I like the stuff – it’s a sign of putting down roots and a desire to stay in one place. If I have too much to move, maybe I’ll stay put. I also am very hesitant to unpack the last box since every time I get to that point, it’s time to move again … this time I’ve left several things in the boxes …

5. What do you like to collect, hoard, or admire? Books, music, dishes, teapots.

Bonus: Tell us about recycling or whatever you can think of that goes along with this muttering about cluttering.

Truthfully, I’m not very good at recycling. However, this past year our church has been part of the Abitibi Recycling program. I find myself disposing of at least a box of paper every week. It feels good, and it’s encouraged me to think of recycling other items.

I’m also a fan of yard sales – which is a form of recycling – but also contributes to my tendency to collect stuff.

Suscipe Prayer Saint Ignatius of Loyola - Loyola Press

Suscipe Prayer Saint Ignatius of Loyola - Loyola Press

Book Review: The Prophecy Answer Book by David Jeremiah

 

I would argue that scripture is deliberately vague about the end of time and clearly tells us that only God will know the day when Christ will return. David Jeremiah writes as though he has the answers – all set in simple little paragraphs for us to swallow easily. His ability to translate current events into the biblical writings seems just a little too glib and marked with a certainty that is troubling.

I recently signed on with Book Sneeze at Thomas Nelson to review new books and the first one I received was The Prophecy Answer Book by David Jeremiah. Having learned the importance of knowing an author’s theological background, I knew before the book arrived that David Jeremiah is labeled as a conservative, evangelical Christian. And, I tend to label myself loosely with those adjectives so I was looking forward to reading his research.

My first impression was negative. I did not like the small, coffee table book format for a topic that has such a diversity of opinion and many who disagree with dispensational theology. Yet it does cover a great deal of information about this understanding of end times. It clearly addresses the following terms and their implications: the rapture, tribulation, antichrist, second coming of Christ, millennium, and the new heaven and the new earth. He includes a great deal of scripture and research.

However, the biggest negative for me is his conclusion that this theory of the rapture, tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ should “provide a compelling motivation for living the Christian life.” I would argue that we are to live life joyfully and bring glory to God’s name, not because we are fearful, but because we are grateful for the work of Christ in our lives. We are to reach out to the world because we are compassionate and want to share the Good News of the Gospel – which includes salvation and redemption not just from the bowels of hell but also from the things here on earth which cause us pain and destroy our ability to praise and worship an Almighty God.

One positive was his list of 10 ways to connect our daily lives with the promise of Christ’s return: refrain from judging others, remember the Lord’s Table, respond to life spiritually, relate to one another in love, restore the bereaved, recommit ourselves to the ministry, refuse to neglect church, remain steadfast, renounce sin in our lives, and reach the lost.

 

This book was provided by Booksneeze.com as a complimentary review copy, and all opinions contained in this review are mine and mine alone.