WHERE IS GOD?

I had thought that God was in our hearts as we enumerated the attributes and characteristics of Grace Church. When all was said and done, the lists compiled, the obvious was obvious. And the Bishop asked "WHERE IS GOD?" Well, everywhere. But you don't SAY it, he answered. Nowhere on these lists that you made is the word God or Jesus. NOWHERE.

Oops! What were we thinking? Inward, of course. And some were thinking of how Grace Church WAS; and some were think about how we want Grace Church TO BE. There was very little of what Grace Church really IS. And we certainly did NOT mention God in any of it.

We don't like to look at what is and we seem shy about even mentioning God. We are afraid to look because we know we are going to come up short. So, why not just look at the short of it and build from there? How hard can that be? And put God into it. A better question for us to be considering might be "How do we experience God?" And the ways that we can hear this is by listening to one another. Gathering and listening. Hearing how God has worked in our lives and how we expect to go forward following Jesus. Talking. Listening. Hearing. Gathering together. Praying.

COMING UP REALITY

Yep, reality. Tomorrow is going to be a big day in the life of Grace Chruch. It is the day for meeting with Bishop Drew Smith and his cohort Jack Spaeth. We will all be meeing after a three thirty Healing Service.

The title of the Bishop's offering is "Six types of congregations we have known and loved in the Diocese of Connecticut." My hope is that this presentation will awaken parish members to the obvious plight of our parish. That it can no longer exist as it has up to this point. That there is just enough money to take us through 2011. That there is no longer a choice. Well, yes, there is a choice. Remain how we are, then close the doors.

My greatest hope is that reality will open hearts and minds to new ways of doing church. New ways of worship. New ways to spread the gospel. CHANGE!

I can hope.

LABYRINTH

Several years ago I got really into labyrinths. Read all there was on the web at that time. For more information check here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth and for more information than you will probably ever want to know check here http://lessonsforliving.com/labyrinth.htm. I read a couple of books. Then I discovered that a Chartres labyrinth on canvas was open for public walks once a month at a local church. I became a once a month walker. Basically, for me, this is a meditative/prayerful walk. I stand at the opening facing the center, take a few quiet moments to settle myself, and then step by step, make my way to the center.
The Chartres style labyrinth is much more intricate than the basic seven path Cretan ones pictured below. It takes me about three quarters of an hour to walk to the middle. Now this is a slow meditative walk, mind you. I have seen children delight in a labyrinth run. And I once had the privilege of seeing Helen Curry, author of "The Way of the Labyrinth: A Powerful Meditation for Everyday Life," dance around it. That was a spiritual vision to behold. It is a great book to read, by the way.

My son Jeff and I put two labyrinths on the floor of the undercroft at our church. (Undercroft -- that is church talk for basement.) We used masking tape so it wasn't permanent. We encircled each one with votive candles, had a CD player for Celtic type music, and invited one and all to come walk the labyrinth. People of all ages came on a Saturday evening, removed their shoes, and quietly walked these labyrinths. The next morning, the Sunday School children enjoyed themselves also -- in a much more playful way. It was such a great success that we wanted to paint it on the floor, for a more permanent meditative tool. Alas, the knowledge about the origins and use of a labyrinth were not fully understood, and the project was suppressed.

Now, though, years later, we have more knowledge, acceptability, and an enlightened priest. We are planning labyrinths. Did y'all get that? LabyrinthS -- plural. I am excited about the future of this church. We are going forward. The Holy spirit is pushing us.

LIMES

Some people buy fresh cut flowers. I buy lemons and limes for our table. Sounds weird. I am a weirdness in many areas of life. Why pay a lot of money for flowers that are going to drop petals and stickiness and lose color and droop muddy the water and ...yuk.

I don't have anything against cut flowers. Actually I am pretty good at making passable and pleasing arrangements and I have discovered that cutting the stems every other day or so and replacing the water with fresh VERY warm water, will hold the flowers for ten days and more. The frugality of it is that this is an expensive luxury and one of my main weirdnesses is frugality. Not cheap, mind you, but definitely frugal.

Lemons and limes last for a very long time AND they are practical -- edible, tasty, a wonderful addition as zest, juice, slice, wedge. Can't say that about cut flowers. I have a favorite use for lime wedges which I keep in a little baggie in the frig. I wet the rim of a tall drink glass, dip the rim in salt, squeeze the wedge into the glass, shake in a few drops of Tabasco, and top with a can of Miller Light. Don't laugh, it is a wonderfully refreshing drink.

My friend Kathy has discovered that lime wedges and slices, frozen on a tray/plate and then bagged will keep in the freezer for a long time and are instantly ready for culinary use. I haven't tried this yet. Today's super bargain of a dozen limes for $1.99, of which I purchased TWO dozen, is certainly incentive to give this a try.

Lemons and limes, do turn, though. Lose color. Sometimes get fuzzzy spots. I can't bear to throw them out so I move them to a "past their prime" spot. Maybe not as attractive as fresh but interesting in its own way.

When my sons say to me, "Mom, you're weird," they are undoubtedly right.

Lovable though.