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