Eastside Summer Picnic
I don’t know about you but I am super excited about our picnic at the Hunt’s home this coming Sunday after church! If you haven’t signed up…that’s okay! We would love to have you join us! If you have signed up and plan to bring a dish to pass, thank you so very much!
Why do we do things like this? Well, besides the joy and adventure of swimming in the Hunt’s beautiful pool, eating delicious food, and enjoying the gorgeous weather…we do it so we can be together! We do it for relationships and connection. You see, part of the secret to success (if you will) behind why the early Church grew so fast was that they created spaces where people could be known and belong…where they could feel connected.
They ate meals together as often as they could. They played and had fun together. They experienced life together. They created community–together! And through that togetherness they found the heart of Jesus–the heart of God, because God is love. And it’s that love we share with one another that unites us but also fills our lives with God’s presence! And I think that matters so much now in a world where so many people feel lonely and unworthy. We come together to remind one another that we are not alone and that we are worthy of love!
So, I can’t wait to see you at the picnic on Sunday! Bring your lawn chair, bring your swimsuit if you plan on swimming, and don’t forget to bring yourself! But also please bring your loving heart and join me in making sure everyone feels welcome and that they have a place to belong and feel connected to our Eastside family.
Praying the Psalms
This past Sunday, we talked about hearing God’s voice through scripture. Do you remember that? And I shared how every morning I’ve learned to pray through a psalm or at least part of a psalm. It has revolutionized my prayer life in so many ways! It has also enhanced my mindfulness and awareness to God’s daily presence in my life!
Now, I didn’t come up with this idea on my own. Surprise! This practice is as ancient as the Christian Church. In fact, those very first Christians were using the Psalms as their main resource for worship and prayer, two-thousand years ago. And get this…the Jewish historian, Philo, who lived at the same time as Jesus, claims that Jesus prayed through the Psalms everyday as well! How awesome is that? And it’s really no surprise because as part of the Jewish tradition, Jesus would have learned to do this at a young age.
The Psalms have been revered and loved for centuries! Martin Luther called the Psalms “A Little Bible, wherein everything contained in the entire Bible is beautifully and briefly comprehended.” And John Calvin articulates well so many of our experiences with the Psalms when he says: “… there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious of that is not here represented as in a mirror.”
A mirror. I love that image, don’t you? As we pray through the Psalms, we often find ourselves within those pages. We find words that match our emotions, our feelings, our experiences. We are comforted by someone who can empathize with our sufferings. We are uplifted by someone who can relate to the great joys of life. We are challenged when the psalmist says things like, “I pray for the King,” and the Holy Spirit nudges us to pray for our leaders and President more.
I hope you have given this practice an honest try. Sometimes it takes a little practice and getting used to. It definitely takes some creativity and attention figuring out how to turn the “we’s” into “I’s” and the “our’s” into “my/mine.” But I find the practice causes us to slow down, to pay attention, and to think through what we are saying and praying. In our busy lives, slowing down to be mindful is a good thing! I also want to give you permission to not be legalistic about this. Find freedom and flexibility to make this practice what it needs to be for you. If you miss a day…that’s okay! If you struggle trying to turn the whole psalm into a prayer…that’s normal. If you’re a bit of a perfectionist, embrace “good enough.”
What is meant to come out of this practice is not getting every word right or just getting through it. The greatest gift is just putting ourselves before “the Lover” so he can speak his love into our lives–allowing the stillness of his Spirit to wash over us, touching our natural with his supernatural.
Peace of Kindness
“I don’t like that at all.” Startled, I turned to see my neighbor walking in my yard pointing down at the flower bed in front of our house. It took me a moment but then I quickly realized what he was talking about. A few days earlier he registered the same complaint with my wife, Michele. Honestly, I was surprised he survived that encounter. Michele’s not one easily pushed around (Haha!).
You see, my son, Joshua and I have been collecting large field stones to create a lovely border around our many flower and garden beds. We’ve come across so many perfect stones but one day in our hunt we found one covered in a thick layer of dirt. “Do you think this is a good one, dad?” Joshua asked. “Well son, let’s take it home and see what the rain reveals.” We placed it along the border and after a few heavy rainfalls we discovered that it was a large clump of gravel. Sure enough, it didn’t take long for my neighbor to spot it and see that it didn’t fit.
“Nope, don’t like it one bit,” he added. My blood pressure rose. My heart began to race. The fight side of my brain was beginning to win over the flight side. My ego felt threatened. Who does he think he is, I thought to myself. You’re definitely going into my next sermon, buddy. Yup, I already know the theme and verse…Matthew 7:3…remove the beam out of your own eye before trying to remove the speck out of your brother’s…because people in stone houses shouldn’t throw glass…or something like that.
As my neighbor continued his speech about why he didn’t like my decorative “plop of gravel,” I was reminded of these wise words: “Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you” (Proverbs 11:17). You see, our cruel and hard responses, when meant to hurt others, usually end up hurting us more. We end up having to live with the guilt and shame that tend to haunt and exhaust us over time.
And so, I asked myself a question I’ve learned to ask in moments like these that has monumentally shifted my perspective and responses: What is the kindest and most generous way I can understand this person right now? Well, he’s always been a great neighbor! We’ve helped each other with yard cleanup and other projects, he greets us every day with a smile, and he generously gives us plants and fresh grapes from his small vineyard. He probably feels he’s being helpful and useful–a sort of grandfather figure to my family. As I began to process this in my head, a calm washed over me. And the next thing I knew, he was inviting me over to his yard to pick out any stone I wanted to replace my “plop of gravel.”
What is the reward kindness brings? There are many rewards but above all else there is PEACE! There is peace that comes from kindness. So, choose kindness and you’ll experience that peace!
I don’t know about you but I am super excited about our picnic at the Hunt’s home this coming Sunday after church! If you haven’t signed up…that’s okay! We would love to have you join us! If you have signed up and plan to bring a dish to pass, thank you so very much!
Why do we do things like this? Well, besides the joy and adventure of swimming in the Hunt’s beautiful pool, eating delicious food, and enjoying the gorgeous weather…we do it so we can be together! We do it for relationships and connection. You see, part of the secret to success (if you will) behind why the early Church grew so fast was that they created spaces where people could be known and belong…where they could feel connected.
They ate meals together as often as they could. They played and had fun together. They experienced life together. They created community–together! And through that togetherness they found the heart of Jesus–the heart of God, because God is love. And it’s that love we share with one another that unites us but also fills our lives with God’s presence! And I think that matters so much now in a world where so many people feel lonely and unworthy. We come together to remind one another that we are not alone and that we are worthy of love!
So, I can’t wait to see you at the picnic on Sunday! Bring your lawn chair, bring your swimsuit if you plan on swimming, and don’t forget to bring yourself! But also please bring your loving heart and join me in making sure everyone feels welcome and that they have a place to belong and feel connected to our Eastside family.
Praying the Psalms
This past Sunday, we talked about hearing God’s voice through scripture. Do you remember that? And I shared how every morning I’ve learned to pray through a psalm or at least part of a psalm. It has revolutionized my prayer life in so many ways! It has also enhanced my mindfulness and awareness to God’s daily presence in my life!
Now, I didn’t come up with this idea on my own. Surprise! This practice is as ancient as the Christian Church. In fact, those very first Christians were using the Psalms as their main resource for worship and prayer, two-thousand years ago. And get this…the Jewish historian, Philo, who lived at the same time as Jesus, claims that Jesus prayed through the Psalms everyday as well! How awesome is that? And it’s really no surprise because as part of the Jewish tradition, Jesus would have learned to do this at a young age.
The Psalms have been revered and loved for centuries! Martin Luther called the Psalms “A Little Bible, wherein everything contained in the entire Bible is beautifully and briefly comprehended.” And John Calvin articulates well so many of our experiences with the Psalms when he says: “… there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious of that is not here represented as in a mirror.”
A mirror. I love that image, don’t you? As we pray through the Psalms, we often find ourselves within those pages. We find words that match our emotions, our feelings, our experiences. We are comforted by someone who can empathize with our sufferings. We are uplifted by someone who can relate to the great joys of life. We are challenged when the psalmist says things like, “I pray for the King,” and the Holy Spirit nudges us to pray for our leaders and President more.
I hope you have given this practice an honest try. Sometimes it takes a little practice and getting used to. It definitely takes some creativity and attention figuring out how to turn the “we’s” into “I’s” and the “our’s” into “my/mine.” But I find the practice causes us to slow down, to pay attention, and to think through what we are saying and praying. In our busy lives, slowing down to be mindful is a good thing! I also want to give you permission to not be legalistic about this. Find freedom and flexibility to make this practice what it needs to be for you. If you miss a day…that’s okay! If you struggle trying to turn the whole psalm into a prayer…that’s normal. If you’re a bit of a perfectionist, embrace “good enough.”
What is meant to come out of this practice is not getting every word right or just getting through it. The greatest gift is just putting ourselves before “the Lover” so he can speak his love into our lives–allowing the stillness of his Spirit to wash over us, touching our natural with his supernatural.
Peace of Kindness
“I don’t like that at all.” Startled, I turned to see my neighbor walking in my yard pointing down at the flower bed in front of our house. It took me a moment but then I quickly realized what he was talking about. A few days earlier he registered the same complaint with my wife, Michele. Honestly, I was surprised he survived that encounter. Michele’s not one easily pushed around (Haha!).
You see, my son, Joshua and I have been collecting large field stones to create a lovely border around our many flower and garden beds. We’ve come across so many perfect stones but one day in our hunt we found one covered in a thick layer of dirt. “Do you think this is a good one, dad?” Joshua asked. “Well son, let’s take it home and see what the rain reveals.” We placed it along the border and after a few heavy rainfalls we discovered that it was a large clump of gravel. Sure enough, it didn’t take long for my neighbor to spot it and see that it didn’t fit.
“Nope, don’t like it one bit,” he added. My blood pressure rose. My heart began to race. The fight side of my brain was beginning to win over the flight side. My ego felt threatened. Who does he think he is, I thought to myself. You’re definitely going into my next sermon, buddy. Yup, I already know the theme and verse…Matthew 7:3…remove the beam out of your own eye before trying to remove the speck out of your brother’s…because people in stone houses shouldn’t throw glass…or something like that.
As my neighbor continued his speech about why he didn’t like my decorative “plop of gravel,” I was reminded of these wise words: “Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you” (Proverbs 11:17). You see, our cruel and hard responses, when meant to hurt others, usually end up hurting us more. We end up having to live with the guilt and shame that tend to haunt and exhaust us over time.
And so, I asked myself a question I’ve learned to ask in moments like these that has monumentally shifted my perspective and responses: What is the kindest and most generous way I can understand this person right now? Well, he’s always been a great neighbor! We’ve helped each other with yard cleanup and other projects, he greets us every day with a smile, and he generously gives us plants and fresh grapes from his small vineyard. He probably feels he’s being helpful and useful–a sort of grandfather figure to my family. As I began to process this in my head, a calm washed over me. And the next thing I knew, he was inviting me over to his yard to pick out any stone I wanted to replace my “plop of gravel.”
What is the reward kindness brings? There are many rewards but above all else there is PEACE! There is peace that comes from kindness. So, choose kindness and you’ll experience that peace!