She Thinks She's Witty

My sermon from September 28 , in case you're interested. The title printed in the bulletin was "Silence is Not an Option." The true title, however, was " Silence is Stupid ." If you would rather just listen to it, you can find the audio recording here . Or the video of the service  here . Bethany : Mark 3:3-6 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come forward.” Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. Rachel : Jesus was g...

I’m standing over the stove, smelling the lentil soup starting to heat up. I add the next ingredient and start into chopping the carrots. Cooking has a calming effect on me most of the time. (Now, baking on the other hand…) As I chop I start to think about where this recipe has come from. Who made it for me first and who I’ve made it for since. One thought keeps circling through my head. Food is what brings us together. (Which quickly turns into “Food is what bwings us togever, today.”) But seriously. Food is my connector piece to all those I’ve known and a lot of good memories. A few weeks ago, Katie mentioned that the kitchen in the BVS house is the central hub of that always changing family unit. People come, people go, but we always have the kitchen to gather in. I’ll take it one step forward and say it’s also the meals that happen in that kitchen and in kitchen’s around the world that bring us together. It makes me think of the gospel of John which I’m currently s...

I've done a couple series of haiku in letter form and thought I'd share. This first series is called Heroic Haiku. You'll see why. Dear Hubert, I am under siege. Chipmunks are throwing acorns. Get me out alive. Love, Daniela ~~~ Dear Daniela, You are surrounded. There is no hope, I'm afraid. Better luck next time. Love, Hubert ~~~ Dear Hubert, You are a real jerk. I hope they come for you next. Get a new girlfriend. Love, Daniela ~~~ Dear Daniela, I tried my best, dear. I'm sorry you feel that way. Good luck and goodbye. Love, Hubert

Yesterday I was in one of my seminary classes and we were telling stories. One of our assignments has been to do a formalist analysis of an Old Testament story of our choosing. Someone across the room picked the Cain and Abel story. She was telling her story and when she came to this verse, I could have sworn she was looking right at me: Genesis 4:6-7   (MSG)  God   spoke to Cain: “Why this tantrum? Why the sulking? If you do well, won’t you be accepted? And if you don’t do well, sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; it’s out to get you, you've got to master it.” My religious background is not heavy in the language of sin and condemnation, but this verse really hit me in the chest. I feel like lately I've been sulking. Not literally, but spiritually. No one event happened to start me on my spirit sulk, but I've just felt it lately. And this verse just finally touched on something I hadn't even realized I had been holding onto. Now that I've b...

Scripture : Habakkuk 2:1-3 Duly Noted Fair Trade The goodness of the deed  Is in it's name. You expect God to trade fairly You expect others to trade fairly Why not support those  who make it their trade to be fair. Simple. Not complicated. Help them. Help yourself. Help your world. The world is not as bleak as it seems When there's even a little bit Of fair trading going on Somewhere on this big 'ole rock! Peace & Kindness

I preached Sunday on the book of Ruth and, in particular, Ruth 1:16-18 . I used several sources and had a lot of fun putting it all together.  An Act of True Love: The " Framily " Plan The story of Ruth was one of the first love stories I remember reading. Smack dab there in the middle of the Old Testament with its talk of war, famine, and disease, is a love story. Seemingly out of the blue. And just like any good Disney movie, Ruth starts with grief and loss. [1] Did you ever notice that about Disney? They like to clean up old fairytales and give them happy endings but they always start with some kind of sadness. Cinderella’s dad dies at the beginning and she’s left with her evil step-family. However, she finds her prince and lives happily ever after. Again, in Snow White , her father dies in the beginning, she’s left with the evil queen and she’s almost killed, but she finds her true love and lives happily ever after. Even the movie Frozen , which we’ll revis...

Scripture : John 1:1-5, 14a Enveloped in Love A healing kiss for a booboo A joke in anxious times A smile A "how you doing?" text Being together Being present Beside me Caring with hands Caring with hearts Destined to cross paths, be in each other's lives, live together, work together, play together, cry together. Embracing Jesus' message God knows best. Daddy knows best. Hearts & Hugs, Rachel

Scripture :  Ecclesiastes 3:1-20 Every Moment I've hit that point, God, Where I remember that I need you. It's not that I forgot,  I just start to go numb with the knowing you'll always be there. It's not that I want to be tested, It's definitely not that I want bad things to happen, But I know you are there when they do. I take you for granted on the good days But I need to remember you on more than the bad. Thanks for sticking with me through the ups and downs the good and the bad For better or for worse, We're in this together. Love & Appreciation, Rachel

Scripture : Psalm 46 In and Out Help me to remember to breath, Lord. In Out In Out I get nervous, In  Out I get apprehensive In Out I start chasing my own tail In Out I take on more than I can chew In Out Like caffeine running through my veins I get jittery I get anxious My stomach churns My brain ticks on What did I forget? What comes next? What am I trying to catch up to? In  Out In Out You are my breath, O God. Help me to remember to breathe. Pause to Pray, Rachel

Scripture : Isaiah 40 Day by Day I wake up with a smile on my face. I sit for a moment deciding what to do first. God has been up for several hours already, Made breakfast,  done the dishes, And made a beautiful afghan. I head to work to start my day, Going over my to do list in my mind. God has already solved to major world crisis, Found a new kind of fossil fuel, And healed 1,000 people of their diseases. I'm done for the day. I reward myself with a TV show to unwind. God works late into the night, Makes a three course meal for the family, And teaches a young girl with no vocal box to speak. I don't want to be God, But God's never ending power and love Will never give up on me, Even when I fall a little short. Hope & Humility, Rachel

Scripture : Ephesians 6:10-18 Armor of Champions I sense a quest coming on. Find the cloak of invisibility. The wing of a broken winged bat. The necklace of eternity. On the surface, this verse sounds Like something straight out of A fantasy novel. But the difference is That God can actually clothes you in truth Shields you from harm And keeps you safe. He is your armor. His love is what keeps you safe. He empowers you to save yourself. Not from the evil dragons of the world, But from those things that would hurt you. Even from yourself at times. Trust in your armor to keep you safe,  Trust in God's warm embrace, And you'll save the damsel in distress, You'll make it to the castle in one piece. Peace & Hope, Rachel

Last year I kicked off Lent by preaching at chapel on Ash Wednesday. Then I was faithful (pun intended) in my Lenten practices and made it through Rachel Hackenberg's book Writing to God . This year, I'm starting Lent with a sermon on the 1st Sunday of Lent. Very nervous but it doesn't actually have much to do with Lent, lol. I'll post it here afterward. (But like for reals, not like I said I would post my chapel last year and then didn't.) But, as I was trying to decide what practice to try this year, I decided that I would like to revisit Hackenberg's book and see the difference--if any--a year has made in how I react and write my responses to her prompts. So, here's the first one: Scripture : Ezekiel 37:1-3 Dear Rachel, Do more than tread water. Do more than stay afloat. Do more. Do more than what you're supposed to do, What you think you should do, What is expected. Don't get stale. You were gloriously made. Live gloriou...

As soon as I saw her, I stopped in my tracks. Then, as slowly as possible, I lowered myself into the tall grass and tried to make myself invisible. She was turned so her back was to me but my body reacted to her presence immediately, the same way I would imagine I would react to stumbling on a rabid bear. Instinct took over and the adrenaline started pumping, but I stayed still and so did she. With her back to me, I could see three things, but these were enough to give me a chill as if someone had walked over my grave. She was wearing a long red cloak with a dirty train that was billowed out behind her as if she had been dragging it along like a broken ankle. It was faded in spots and looked well worn. Her black hair fell past her midsection and was a bit scraggly at the ends as well. There were pieces of the tall grass caught in it and it fell on either side of her face to hide her features from me. The part that terrified me more than anything was the crown that sat on her...