This is What Beauty Looks Like. . .

I have had some pretty amazing and humbling moments in ministry.  Moments when the precious people I serve in the name of Christ let me "in" to their grief, sorrow, pain, and joy.  One day a number of years ago it was a dear lady who knew she had breast cancer and was keeping it to herself (and her husband) because she didn't want to disrupt her family's life.  It got to be too much to handle alone, her faith was faltering, and in she walked through the door of my office.  I knew immediately that something was wrong, my first instinct being concern for one of her beautiful daughters.  When I tell you that she ended up as a heap of tears in my lap that may sound very, very strange.  But that's what happened and it was not weird or awkward one bit.  We sat there woman to woman and cried together, no words could express the fear and grief.  No words could express the presence of the Holy Spirit.  I am fully and utterly aware that that moment would have NEVER happened with a male pastor and I am so deeply humbled that God made me a woman for just that moment.  I hope I never, ever forget it.  That was the beginning of an arduous journey for her and her family, and the opportunity for the communion of saints to pray when she was unable to utter a prayer on her own behalf.

Yesterday, God gifted me with yet another Holy Spirit moment.  I had the privilege of driving another precious person with the dread disease of cancer to the place where they offer wigs, hats and other things to cancer patients.  What a ministry!  The woman who fitted my friend with a wig suggested that she take the remaining hair that she had and cut it close to the scalp.  Her hair has been falling out in clumps as it does when chemotherapy ravages the body.  With a little gentle prodding, she assented to letting me cut her hair.  Words cannot describe the honor I felt (and still feel) about this moment.  She sat in front of my bathroom mirror and watched as I clipped her hair, touched her head, combed the loose hair out and dusted her off.   The Holy Spirit gave us one of the most intimate, grace-filled moments of my life.  (She gave me permission to write about it and said she was going to write about it in her journal as well.)

When another person allows us to serve them in such a deep and intimate way it is life transforming.  In the face of crisis it becomes a moment of grace.  To be allowed to come that close to another person in their dark time is a privilege that not many get to experience.  Pastors have an honored and privileged place in the lives of those they serve and it is not to be taken for granted.  Thank you Miss R. and Miss S. for trusting me with these moments.  I will never forget that gift you gave me!  These moments are what bond us together for life, they have shaped who I am, and I am so grateful that you have let me be a part of your journey!

Here is a picture of Miss S. with her new wig. . . I don't think she would like it if I posted the picture of her nearly shaved head even though it looked good!  She can pull it off because she is a true beauty!  Please take a look at her and see what beauty truly is. . . it's not a magazine cover, it's not a "head shot" in the sense of the modeling or acting industry. . . it is real life. . . it is real love. . . it is the image of a precious child of God.  My heavens you are beautiful Miss S.!  

Love,
Your pastor and friend

Why the Price of a Gallon of Gasoline is an indicator of How High Communal Anxiety Is

As one who has been studying Bowen Family Systems Theory for about 14 years now I am usually on the watch for "triggers" of anxiety.  Maybe signs of anxiety getting ready to move through a system is more of what I'm thinking about right now.  At any rate, ever notice how it seems that when things are going swimmingly well all around, someone will bring up the price of a gallon of gasoline?  Doesn't matter how old they are or how young they are. . . they blurt it right out and we all just nod our heads in assent!

In good old Lutheran fashion, I ask, "What does this mean?"  "Vas ist das?"

In the church, as we are brainstorming what God is calling us to do next with our time, our talents and gifts, our particular passions, building space and location, human-being power, and resources (as we all do in church around those strategic planning meetings and council sessions) eventually the caveat comes . . . loud and clear it is iterated. . . make no mistake, it means something, "Did you hear that the price of gas is up to $3.59!"  That's what it was at the Marathon as well as the BP station I passed while shuttling my brood back and forth today through the snow to their extracurricular events. $3.59!  Well, I guess that it's better than the $4+ a gallon of a while back.  That really stank, didn't it?!  But it's not quite as good as a few weeks ago when it dipped under three bucks a gallon for a quick minute.

But let's think about this rationally (is that is okay to do?):  
Gas has been hovering around $3.29 or $3.39 lately so to fill my stupid gas hog, idiotic Chevy Trailblazer (we have issues that go beyond gasoline, she and I) it costs about 65-70 dollars for 20 gallons.
To be precise, if gas is $3.29 it costs me $65.80 to fill up.  If it is on the high end at $3.59 then we are talking $71.80.  That is a difference of $6.  Six dollars in a week.   Cause for alarm?  I'm not so sure.  What do you waste six dollars on each and every week and don't even think a thing about it? A Cafe Latte or two? A deliciously unhealthy Big Mac Meal?  A Subway sub and chips?  Maybe, a pack of Marlboro Lights?  Or a six pack of beer?  Come on, be honest now.  What is it?

But. . . when gas gets to a certain threshold per gallon, I'm sure quite what that number is. . . we gasp in shock and horror!  Anxiety ripples through the room!  Oh no, what will we do?  (Now I know my critics will say, "Yes but all of life is connected, you said so yourself a million times, and if gas goes up then so does everything else."  But we don't notice "everything else." We don't show up at church and say, "Bread is now $2.99 a loaf!" Gasp! Cough! Choke!)  It's only gasoline that does this to us! How can gasoline have so much emotional power over us?  How can we allow BP, Sunoco and Marathon make us FEEL this anxious?

And just an aside. . .I haven't seen too many people carpooling it to church to save on gas!  For that matter I haven't seen too many people doing without just to save for the trip to the Marathon.  It's simply a matter of expressing our collective anxiety over things that we cannot control. That's what I think it means when we say, "Did you see the price of gas is now $3.59?"  Whoa!  It is our way of conveying our anxiousness over lots of things we cannot control.

By the way, "Did you see the price of kosher salt?  It's $1.19 now!"  Just kidding. . . it's still around a dollar a box and by the way it's the best salt for cooking, bar none!

So relax.  Take a deep breath.  Put it all in perspective.  And don't let the oil moguls ramp up your anxiety by talking about rising gas prices.  Have a mochachino and be on your merry way!  God bless!

Image credit: en.wikipedia.org