Buttercups in Bloom

Keys are simple yet elegant works of art that have the power to unlock memories, a sense of belonging, a place of peace and calm and a sense of assurance. Keys have changed over the years.  My grandparents had the larger, heavier skeleton keys with one hook that when inserted in the door allowed you to almost feel the lock inside being released. I have one such key in my possession,  it is tucked away in my jewelry box so that I don't lose it. My skeleton key unlocks my hope chest my dad hand crafted for my high school graduation.  My hope chest stores my most treasured items from my childhood and young adulthood. My key seems a bit insignificant compared to the key that has been passed down through generations, literally generations that span 1300 years. This key that has spanned the generations is a key that opens the door to some of the most treasured items within our Christian tradition. The key unlocks part of the mystery that is held within the core of our faith;

This morning as I was driving off the mountain I punched the seek button on my radio because there was literally nothing playing worth listening to.  It paused on an early morning 'message' from one of the local Christian radio stations.  I must confess; I listen to radio preachers.  it is like that wreck that is so awful that we cannot turn keep from staring at the carnage that lie on the side the road.  This morning was one of those I cannot stop listening because of the carnage that will be left in the wake of what was being proclaimed. The radio pastor was using the story of David and Bathsheba to talk about the validity of God's punishment upon us.  For those of you who might not know the story I'll provide you with the cliff-note version.  David, the very one that God chose to be king at a very young age oversteps his bounds and orders a man killed because he wants his wife.  Yes, David orders an innocent man murdered because he wants what is not his; Bathsheba.

Tonight was breathtaking. Lately I have felt as though I'm not doing a very good job at any of the titles that fall upon my shoulders as a pastor.  My title encompasses being a shepherd (tending and caring for the people in my flock), administrator (giving oversight and order to the life of the church), preacher (having to bring a message of hope and resurrection each and every Sunday at a specific time), leader (giving guidance and clarity to situations), and teacher (creating learning environments and facilitating so persons can dig deep into their questions of faith).  It's been difficult to keep all of those titles moving in the same direction as a vision is cast and purpose is lived out. I have felt flat and ineffective. As the summer rushed to an end and the fall ministry calendar began unfolding I wrestled with what to teach for our Wednesday Night Bible Study.  Finally, with time pressing upon me I made a choice but that choice lacked confidence or conviction. T

Several months ago I was asked to be part of the leadership team for our Conference Young Adult retreat.  The retreat is called Re: Connect  {re: being the retreat itself and the purpose was to connect. Connect with God to discern where you are being called to connect into the world}.  I was excited because honestly I love being with young adults. I have always loved being with young adults because they see the world so differently.  They are not afraid to take a leap. Young adults are always caught in the 'in between'. I love listening to their stories. This morning I received a text for my friend and colleague telling me about the group that I'd be hiking with and speaking to. The text read: "6 boys from Greenbrier and Lindsey" I was a bit taken back. Three years ago I left Greenbrier to make the move to the mountain and my sweet community of Morton Memorial UMC and Lindsey grew up across the street from my Nannie and PawPaw;attending the church that m

Tears are flowing. There is an excitement. I want to stand up and say finally we are going to be treating everyone with the respect and dignity that they so deeply deserve. I want to shout it from the roof tops for all of my friends who have waited so long. I want to pull away the darkness for all of my friends who have hid in the shadows hoping that their partners will be recognized.  I want to hold the hand of my friends and raise them high above my head as if cheering for the most important game in history as the most courageous team experiences their victory. These are the things that I want to to do today. In the midst of it all.....my soul is filled with trepidation. I have longed to stand with my friends and rejoice with them as human beings.  Respected.  Dignity given.  Equality given. But ..... I know that civil equality does not measure religious equality. I know that in the days and weeks to come that members of my flock will be divided.  We are not all goi

The sun is bright. The birds are chirping. Music is being played for a Bar Mitzvah behind the wall. I climb the steps and look out over the south portion of the city.  The great wall sits directly behind me.   To my left I can see the white washed hillside of the Jewish Cemetery.  In front of me I can see the house of Caiaphas, where Jesus was taken after his arrest. I sit upon the steps. These aren't just any steps they are known to be the steps that Jesus sat upon and taught his disciples.  In our faith tradition they are known as the Teaching Steps  I sat there thinking of all the people that might have climbed the steps and entered the city through the gates that I sat under. Jesus' firmness and yet gentleness as he spoke came streaming through the steps that I was sitting upon.   The life that he was offering was being lifted up for me to come and drink from. As I sat there this morning I was overwhelmed by all that God has entrusted into my care.  He has ask

I've been here long enough that relationships are being forged.   Shop owners nod as I pass by. They acknowledge my presence here. I wave letting them know that I am passing them and that I know who they are and where they are within the maze of the Old City. Today I did not venture out of the comforts of the Guesthouse until it was dinner time.  The streets (if you have never been the streets inside the Old City are more like alley ways and not proper streets.  People are often wall to wall in the streets. Often your personal space does not exist as people brush by you when they are passing or stop to shop) were almost empty.  Many of the shops closed within the Christian Quarter to honor the Sabbath.  For others their days were quickly winding down.  I passed the Tamara shop and the nephew of the owner asked if I wanted to stop to have tea.  I really wanted to make sure that the restaurant I wanted to dine at for dinner was still open so I told him that I would be back by.

There are moments in our lives that are pivotal. There are moments when our very foundation seems to shake and feel on the verge of crumbling. There are moments in our lives when it feels as though the very things that provided security leave us exposed and vulnerable. These are the moments when we begin to wonder if the all-powerful, all mighty God that we have heard so much about and believed in will stand with and for us.  We wonder if the God that has confirmed our baptism is present and watching over us or has left us to fall to our enemy. Yesterday I spent time walking along the rampart of the city.  The view was stunning, I could see the villages in every direction rising out of the desert.  I saw a sneak peak into the everyday lives of those who live here in the city, as their outdoor patios were filled with simple chairs and always a long table that was an invitation to sit and become part of the family. It was during this walk that I began to hear God whisper these

Tonight's blog isn't really thing life shattering or spiritually profound, it's just something that has been on my mind and heart all day. There is something powerful when you have a life partner that allows you to do the things you love and fill your soul.  I am so thankful that Luke Diamond always....always lets me 'run away' when I need it most.  He never discourages my crazy sabbath ideas (even when they leave you stranded on your anniversary with your mother-n-law in a beautiful city).  He knows that I need time away. He knows that I am a better wife, mother, pastor, friend and self when I have time to sit and be, travel at my own pace in places that fill my being. This trip has been one that people questioned from the beginning.  People would say to me, really, you're going alone?  Many have wondered why I would come to the Holy Lands alone.  Some have asked if I was scared to be doing it alone.  Several have commented that they would never take a trip

If you are reading  my blog you know my now that yesterday I did a lot of walking and I do mean a lot! I loved every single conversation that I had yesterday. They were enriching and life giving.  Every single one of them reminded me that we are not alone in our journey of faith, we are all longing to belong and be connected to someone and something greater than ourselves. Confession:  I  was so frustrated because I when I left the Mount of Olives and walked back toward the Dung Gate I knew that I wanted to pass it to enter this Zion Gate but as I made the climb there wasn't anything about the way that seemed familiar. I entered the Zion Gate and began walking to the right.  I knew that the Jewish quarter should be there but it isn't like entering the other gates where the city is full of life and you know exactly where to go. I walked to the right, down and around the corner but I just couldn't get my senses.  I knew the Jewish Quarter should be in that direction yet I

Brian D McLaren has a book entitled "We Make the Road by Walking".  I have been reading this book off and on for the past several months. Today was all about walking . I wish I knew how many miles that I actually walked but in the long run it's not the miles that you cover but what you do while you are walking the road. When we walk there are people whom we are able to meet and have conversation with that we might not otherwise have the opportunity to see the depth of who they are and the strengths that they extend into the fellowship of life. This morning I was able to walk through the Western Wall Tunnels.  It's a tour that takes you beneath the modern day Western Wall. {Short history lesson: our Jewish brothers and sisters Mount Moriah is the holiest place for their faith.  It is on the Foundation Stone that Abraham walked with Isaac, willing to give his only son to Yahweh.  It is believed that this is the spot where the angles were 'walking' /cli

Yesterday was a day of making a movement to come and see all that God was offering. It was a day that challenged me to step into a spirit of setting aside my own desires and my will to listen to the paths that was unfolding. Today began with listening... Listening to the call to prayer that called through the city at 3:30....it moved into listening to the sounds of the early morning trash and delivery trucks that navigate the narrow, dark roads of the Old City......then I listened as the birds made their entrance into the beauty of the day and harkened us to rise from our beds and enter the day with fullness.  As I sat with my bible this morning and listened to the birds greet one another the passage for the day from the book that I am currently reading laid forth passages in John, Galatians and Colossians. Each of the passages were a reminder that our God is a creative and mighty God.  Our God is a God that calls us his children and covers us with the promise that in him there

Getting here isn't easy. It takes planning. It takes stepping away. It may just involve a land of many languages. And yet we are embraced and empowered to Come and Listen. David Crowder has a song entitled "Come and Listen". It has this line, that merely beackons us to "come and listen to what he has done....come and listen to what he has done....come and listen to what he has done....come to the waters edge." The words are ever so slight but oh so powerful because Crowder has this way of gentling bringing you to the edge of these lyrics.  His soft repetitive prose draws us into a space as if the Trinity itself were harkening out name. This seems like such a simple, easy thing to do but if I were honest I'm not sure how fully I've been able come to listen to all that God has done for me lately. I've been walking through the motions that have left my soul aching and longing for a richness that only one that satisfy. Come..... There i

The sun rose and was sitting perfectly in between the trees. The trail was muddy and squishy. The water was flowing with swiftness and the streaming under the bridges and over the ledges. The sounds were pure. The branches were climbing out of the tree trunks that held them with such deep roots.  Branches that seemed to be reaching as high as they could to catch some of the sun's glorious rays. The evergreens will filled with a dew ever so slightly that caught the morning rays ever so gently holding a shine that lured your eye to their presence. The spider's webs were sticky. This morning it was as if everything was caught somewhere between almost here and not just yet. It was as if there was a presence of new life was just waiting to rise up from the ground and spring forth across the branches.  It was as if every step that I took this morning revealed a world that was ready to explode with a sense of transformation....and yet it simply isn't time yet for t

Emma and I have this way of moving through crowds with ease, we simply lightly touch one another's hand reassuring us that we are both present in the movement that surrounds us. Today as we walked the streets of our Nations Capital we were holding hands not because the crowd was thick or because the movement was so strong but simply as a way to connect.  Holding hands is our way of showing affection and our way of saying that we are present with one another in the moment. This afternoon as we made our way through the Holocaust Museum I allowed her to make the journey at her own pace (which I knew would be faster than mine).  We had a specific area at the end of the journey that we knew we would be able to easily find one another and be reunited. I was not concerned. I was not bothered. I was not afraid for her. I was not fearful. I was confident. I was secure. I was pleased that my daughter was wise enough and independent enough to want to walk this journey and