Seeking Authentic Voice

A radical Islamic militant group moves through Iraq and Syria killing civilians including American journalists, touting an extremist ideology and terrorizing a minority religious group in the region, forcing them to seek safe harbor on a mountain top. A police officer shoots an unarmed black man in Ferguson, Missouri, and a week of riots erupt. News reports cite years of conflict between a black community and it’s mostly white police force are coming to the surface. Hamas and Israel enter into open conflict once again in a fierce and seemingly endless battle over land rights.  Russia invades the Ukraine in a play for power. A woman runs into a hotel in Libya, begging for help. Government agents are captured on hotel video hauling her away. Mayhem erupts in Libya.  Genocide - people killing other people because of race, ethnicity, or religion, from Rwanda to South Africa, to Guatemala and countries in South America. From the Holocaust to the war between Serbia and Croatia

Deb, over at the RevGals, offers this Friday Five: There’s no real theme today, just some random topics. Have fun and don’t forget to post your link in the comments! 1. True or False: You can wear white shoes after Labor Day*. (Please explain to me why!) For me the real question is, who wears white shoes anymore?  2. If “the dog days” are in August, when are “the cat days”? Every other day of the year, and really, cats just give dogs the month of August because it's too hot for cats to care. 3. Share a memory from your life of going back to school. Shopping in the fall for new clothes and school supplies. The beginning of each year filled me with anticipation and hope. I loved school. 4. My dad had a rhyme he used to tell us:  “I eat my peas with honey; I’ve done it all my life. It makes the peas taste funny, but it keeps them on my knife!”  What’s the strangest use for honey you’ve ever heard of?  I put raw, uncooked, unfiltered honey produced from the region I live in

Forced Pastoral Exits- A Tale of Three Churches by The Rev. Terri Pilarski One story: The months preceding the formal “New Rector Installation” service were relatively calm and easy. Afterward, a member of the Vestry claiming to have “issues with authority,”  began blatantly opposing every point raised by the Rector in Vestry discussions. The wardens and Rector teamed up to listen to and work with this Vestry member, enabling better communication and more effective Vestry meetings. Later, another parish conflict arose over human sexuality and whether openly gay and partnered persons should be bishops. The Vestry and Rector along with other community faith leaders organized a series of ecumenical and congregation-wide conversations on human sexuality. Although a few people left the parish because of the Episcopal Church’s stance on partnered gay bishops, most people stayed. The leadership encouraged open conversations which revealed more diversity within the congregation than w

Ordained fourteen years, I have gathered around the table with a community of the faithful three or four times a week. “The Body of Christ, the bread of heaven.” Into countless open hands I’ve placed a piece of bread, broken off of a larger loaf. “The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ keep you in everlasting life.”   A holy and sacred moment shared. “One bread, one body.” We become this body through baptism, partaking of meals together, sacred and ordinary, opportunities to connect with our friends and colleagues, and as we care for friend and stranger. We share our lives and find ministries in common that help make life more meaningful. We serve on committees and commissions, boards and teams, striving for vibrant and transformational relationships with God and our neighbor. Scripture, such as Matthew 18, Ephesians 4, and 1 Corinthians 13, remind us that we are called to be in relationship with one another. This means we are to lead a life worthy of that to which we have been called; to b

RevKarla, over at the RevGals, reminds us to live our weekends instead of pushing through so inspired by this, here is a Ramblin’ Friday Five. 1. First, take a moment to pray. No words? Here is Julia’s  timely prayer . Can I get an Amen?  I walked to yoga class this morning where I had some lovely time to pray, meditate, sit quietly, be grateful. 2. What is one thing you have been thinking about doing this summer? Well, can you still take an hour/afternoon/day/overnight to still make it happen?  My need for this summer is to find as much time to just "be" as I can possibly manage. I have had some time, but need more. I have sat and read novels. I have sat and knitted. I have sat and had fun conversations. I have sat quietly and done nothing. I have sat and written. It's been good. But I still need a little more time to just "be" before the fall hits and life takes off at a rapid pace. 3. Give a shout-out to someone who has been a blessing/kick in your pants/good

A reflection on Proper 13A Genesis 32:22-31  Murray Stein, a prominent Jungian writer and analyst, wrote a book called, “Transformation: Emergence of the Self.”  He writes about a very profound transition that most human beings go through, usually in our mid to late forties, which takes about a decade to complete, sometimes known as a mid-life crisis. He uses the life stories of Carl Jung, Rembrandt, Rilke, and Picasso to describe the struggle and the creative result. The process begins with a sense of being unsettled in life, something is amiss. We then experience years of doubt, confusion, unsettledness, where everything we thought we knew and understood about ourselves, or our hopes and dreams, our expectations, our life goals, even our faith, comes into question. This is the place where we find Jacob in our readings this morning. We have moved through the Genesis story from Abraham and Sarah, who are Jacob’s grandparents. We’ve heard their story of struggle and transformation. We h

3dogmom, over at the RevGals, offers this Friday Five: Lately I’ve been a bit obsessed with tracking some genealogical mysteries in my family. I’m reaching back through generations into the past, but I’m also moving from the past toward the present in an effort to locate cousins descended from the same ancestor. Naming patterns prove to be useful clues in these endeavors, and in turn, lead me to today’s Friday Five theme. Share with us: 1. Is there a story behind your name? My mother use to say that she wanted to name me something other than the typical names for that era, which were Debbie and Mary. One day she saw in the birth announcements in the paper, the name Terry and decided on that name for me, but changed the spelling to Terri. I've never really liked my name. Too simple, too plain, and no one knows how to spell it. But it is what is. 2. If you have children, how did you choose his/her/their name(s)? If you don’t have children, how about a pet?  My husband and I made list