"Where God Wants Me" - Published in The Upper Room 11/14/2012

Background

I decided to write a devotion about the numerous interruptions to my daily schedule. I usually make a detailed to-do list for the day without much wiggle room for anything else. One day I realized maybe these "interruptions" were actually opportunities to share the love of Christ with others. What if interruptions are part of God's plan for me that day? You never know!

Scripture Reading - Luke 10: 25-37 (NIV)

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denariiand gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Focus Scripture - Luke 10:27 (NIV)

He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your soul and all your strength and with all your mind' and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Where God Wants Me

     I find interruptions to my daily routine frustrating, especially when I'm on a tight schedule. This morning I was interrupted on several occasions. At the grocery store I encountered a clerk who was abrupt and somewhat rude. I asked how he was doing, and a story of anger toward a family member came tumbling out. Later I sought out a co-worker for advice. After answering my question, she tearfully told me of the recent death of her mother. At lunchtime a group of students asked if they could eat in my classroom. They had been teased, and they feared the bullying would continue in the cafeteria.

     But were these really interruptions? Or was I simply where God wanted me to be? Often we rush through our busy days with blinders on, oblivious to the needs of others. Jesus commanded us to love those we meet each day. It takes little time to love our neighbor by listening, being compassionate, or offering sanctuary. The grocery clerk is my neighbor, and as I left he was smiling. My co-worker is my neighbor, and she thanked me for allowing her to express her grief. My students are my neighbors, and they left their lunch break happy and more confident.

     If we look at our days for opportunities to spread Christ's love to all we meet, we'll often find ourselves exactly where God intends us to be.

Prayer

Help us, dear God, to see the interruptions of our life as opportunities to share your love. Amen

"Unfinished Pots" - Published in The Upper Room 9/18/2011

Background:
This devotion was inspired by my friend, Marilyn Sakeva, who lives in the Hopi community of Polacca, Arizona. We met at Hopi Mission School in Kykotsmovi the summer of 2006 where she was the school's office administrator. I and the rest of our United Methodist Volunteers in Mission team from Maryland had never been to Hopi before and we knew absolutely nothing about these amazing people or their fascinating culture. We stayed at Hopi Mission School for a week sleeping on air mattresses in the gym, fixing our own meals in the school kitchen, and helping out around the school. We did light construction and electrical work, cleared tumbleweed from the playground, and sorted Campbell's soup labels for a new school bus. We also invited local people each evening to join us for dinner and to begin teaching us about Hopi history, traditions, and culture. One evening, Marilyn shared a pottery demonstration with us. In her soft, gentle voice she explained how she gathered her own clay, demonstrated how she hand-built the pots, and showed us how she mixed her own paints and fashioned delicate paint brushes from yucca. She explained the meaning of the various symbols she chose to paint on her pots and described how she fired them in the traditional way using dried sheep dung. Clearly she was a gifted Hopi potter but through many conversations that week I also came to admire Marilyn's deep Christian faith. Our group has continued to serve in Hopi almost every summer for the past twelve years and I'm pleased to say that my friendship with Marilyn has continued to grow to where we talk, laugh, cry, and pray with each other. We consider ourselves sisters (qööqa) and I treasure that connection as a precious blessing!

Reading - Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message)

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;

you formed me in my mother's womb.

I thank you, High God - you're breathtaking!

Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration - what a creation!

You know me inside and out,

you know every bone in my body;

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,

how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;

all the stages of my life were spread out before you,

The days of my life all prepared

before I'd even lived one day.

Focus Scripture - Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. 

Unfinished Pots

     Most of the Native American pots that sit on my shelf I purchased because I see them as works of art. But my most valued pot is an unfinished one. It was given to me by my Hopi friend, Marilyn, three years ago. She gathered natural clay herself from the mesa near her home, worked the clay, and formed the vessel.
     During the week I was there we had become close friends, and the morning I left she hugged me, not knowing if we would ever see each other again. She pressed the small pot into my hands and tearfully whispered, "I didn't get the chance to finish this, but I want you to have it." I value this pot the most because of my relationship with the one who lovingly created it.
     As I get older, I sometimes look in the mirror and feel like an unfinished pt. At first glance I notice only the fading hair and additional wrinkles. I question my value. Nothing can stop the aging process, but we can turn from the world's definition of beauty and focus on what the Bible says makes us truly valuable. The Bible tells us that God is the potter and we are the clay (Isa. 64:8). As with my unfinished pot, our true value is in the one who created us. Our Potter not only formed us at our birth but continues with loving hands to mold us into a new creation each day.

Prayer: 
Dear God, thank you for fashioning us in love. Amen.

Serving at Stepping Stones Shelter

My church, Covenant UMC, has prayerfully decided to provide one meal each month for the residents of Stepping Stones Shelter – a transitional shelter for families with children. We prepared and served the first of these monthly meals two weeks ago. What an amazing experience! 

Over twenty people helped with that first meal by going to the grocery store or baking food. Five of us then traveled to the shelter to prepare the food and set the table. Before we began to unpack groceries, we offered a prayer in the kitchen of Stepping Stones Shelter – praying for the residents and other volunteers, thanking God for the opportunity to serve, and asking God to bless the meal and those who would be fed by it.

Dinner is served!

That evening we learned what matters most to the residents is the fact that we care about them and want to do what we can to support them. Lured by the smell of tacos, several residents stopped by the kitchen as we were cooking to thank us for coming. One woman explained that often groups sign up to take meals yet fail to show up. It meant a lot to her that we had carried through on our promise to prepare a hot meal.

I think my favorite part of the evening was getting to know “cute, little grocery cart girl”. She walked into the kitchen at one point with a toy grocery cart filled with plastic vegetables. She chatted with each of us about the vegetables – what they were and which ones she liked or disliked. She especially enjoyed handing us the plastic vegetables and then watching us pretend to chop them up and add them to the taco fixings.

CUMC members who helped prepare and serve!

It was also wonderful getting to spend time with the other four people from my church who helped to prepare the meal. We got to know each other a lot better as we worked and laughed together.

I’m really looking forward to serving at Stepping Stones Shelter in the months ahead. We have already learned it’s not just about the food. The loving, caring relationships we’re building with each other are what truly feed us all. 

Stepping Stones Shelter:

Here's a video with information about Stepping Stones Shelter. 

How You Can Help:

Covenant UMC is sponsoring a Help-the-Homeless walk to benefit the shelter. Please consider signing up to "virtually walk" with us on October 26! If you're reading this after Oct. 26, you can still sign up to make a donation.

1. To register and make a donation:
2. Go to www.hthwalks.org
3. Click on Washington D.C.
4. Under Register to Join a Community Walk, click on Search for a Community Walk by event name and enter Covenant UMC Walk then click Search
5. Click Join next to “Covenant UMC Walk” and the follow directions to make a donation that directly supports Stepping Stones Shelter. Thank you!

“This wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t take God out of our schools!”

I cringed when I heard this after the murders at Columbine High School.

I bristled when I heard this after the slaughter at Virginia Tech.

And now I’m angered whenever I hear this in the aftermath of the senseless tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

God IS in our schools!

God is everywhere and God has always been in our schools! I see God every day at my school. In fact, just this past Friday I experienced God’s presence in the student who stopped in the hallway to help another student pick up colored pencils that had been spilled... and in the kind words of welcome for the student who just moved here from Nigeria. I hear God in the laughter and words of encouragement pouring out from every classroom. God IS in our schools!

Prayer is ALSO in our schools!

I pray every day at school. I pray for patience when dealing with a difficult student, I pray for wisdom and creativity as I plan how to present a science topic in an engaging way to thirteen-year olds, and I pray for students who are struggling with grades or acceptance or difficulties at home. I’ve also heard from my students that they pray at school. They pray before tests. They pray for their friends. After my father passed away several years ago I had students tell me they had been praying for me! Prayer IS in our schools!

It’s true that, because of our nation’s commitment to separation of church and state, students in public school are not required to recite or listen to prayers that reflect only the beliefs of one particular religion. Let’s not forget that the United States is a nation that enjoys the richness of many religions. Separation of church and state does NOT mean, however, that God and prayer are not in our schools!

I hope we never forget that God is everywhere and that we commit to praying FOR our schools and IN our schools! Amen?!

Missions is Risky Business

Being active in missions is a lot like that book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"... you never know what could happen. Here's what I mean:

·      If you serve a homeless man a meal, he’s going to ask why you did it.

·      If you explain that your love of God makes it so that you can’t help but love others, he’s going to ask what’s so loveable about him.

·      If you sit down and begin a conversation to get to know him better, he’s going to think you’re his friend.

·      If he considers you his friend, he might want to go to your church.

·      If he goes to your church, he might bring his cup of coffee into the sanctuary.

·      If he brings a cup of coffee into the sanctuary, everyone will think they can bring coffee to worship.

·      If everyone thinks they can bring coffee to worship, it’s going to feel more relaxed.

·      If it feels more relaxed, then people might actually get to know each other better.

·      If people get to know each other better, they might realize each other’s hopes and struggles.

·      If we get to know each other’s hopes and struggles, we might actually become a community.

·      If we become a community, others might want to join the community.

·      If others want to join the community, we might outgrow our building.

·      If we outgrow our building, we might need to move Church outside the walls.

·      If we move Church outside the walls, we might meet more homeless people.

·      If we meet more homeless people, we might serve more meals…

And we know where THAT could lead! 
It could lead to actually BEING the Church.

Wow! 

Wouldn’t that be great?

Prayer for the first day of school...

As I prepare for the first day of school, I pray for…

·      * the child who was teased last year. God, show me the right lab group to put her in so she can make some good friends.

·    *   the child who thinks he isn’t a good student. God, let’s remind him learning is a process… that I won’t give up on him… and let’s celebrate everything he’s really, really good at.

·     *  the child who can’t sit still. God, help me appreciate and guide her energy.

·      * the child who is embarrassed because his parents couldn’t afford back to school shopping. God, give me insight so that I can discretely supply what he needs.

·    *   the child who forgets her locker combination for the eight time… in one day. God, grant me a sense of humor and patience.

·      * the angry child who builds a defensive wall to keep from being hurt. God, give me a gentle voice and a smile that says he is loved, welcomed and safe in my classroom.

God, I do believe you have a reason for putting each of your beloved children into my science class. Open my eyes and my heart to recognize the gifts and needs of each of your precious children. Remind me each day that the most important thing is first to teach students… and then to teach science.

Amen