A Letter to Rose

A Letter to my goddaughter...

October 9, 2012

My Dearest Rose,

Before time gets away from me I want to write to you and reflect on your baptism. It is still fresh in my mind since it just happened two days ago on October 7th. It was a beautiful sunny day, a little chilly, but a perfect fall day. Everyone from the family gathered at the church in Monroeville where your aunt Amy (yep, t hat’s me) is the pastor. All of you sat in the front row of the church and another family filled the front row on the other side of the aisle as their baby was being baptized too. Your daddy looked so nice with a tie on that day! He was ready for his baptism as well. It is so neat that the two of your share the same baptismal anniversary. Every year the two of you can remember your special day together!

The time came for your baptism. Your cousin Noah was the acolyte that day, and so he poured the water into the font as I read the prayer that described how God used water to bring life and redemption to the world. First I baptized baby Sydney. She had lots of dark curly hair and I soaked her. She slept right through it! Then it was your turn. Uncle Jeff took you in his arms and held you over the font and I poured the water out of a seashell onto your head, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” You stared at me the whole time, never took your eyes off of me! It was like you were thinking to yourself, “This is the most amazing and wonderful thing I have every seen so far!” It was really precious. When I was done with the water, I kissed you on the forehead. I have NEVER done that to any other baby I’ve baptized. Ever. Of course, you are very special to me, my niece, my goddaughter.

Then I did the same for your daddy, he had water running down his face when it was all over. I guess I got a little wild with the water! 

After that we moved forward to the altar as your cousin Anna sang the first verse of the baptismal hymn from the balcony. “I was there to hear your borning cry. I’ll be there when you are old. I rejoiced the day you were baptized, to see your life unfold.” Uncle Jeff was holding you and you held my index finger tightly in your little hand and wouldn’t let go. I sang the rest of the verse to you as the congregation joined in singing too. Mommy was almost in tears she loves you so much!

After the service we ate cake and went back to our house to eat and play with you and visit with one another. It was a wonderful day. A wonder-full day indeed! God is good and he loves you. I love you. We all love you, Rosebud!

Your loving godmother,

Aunt Amy

Something Different from STS: How to Make a Newspaper Mask by Anna Little

My ten year old daughter is super crafty and creative! I came home from church today and she was working on a paper mask for Halloween that is made of a Rice Krispie Treat box and some newspapers.

 Step One: Take a cardboard box and draw a mask shape on it.  Anna says to use the rough side of the cardboard for gluing on the paper when you get to that point. The shiny, printed side won't take the glue very well; things get slippery.

Here she is showing the mask shape she made. . . don't forget to cut the eye holes out!

Step Two: Next cut small squares of newspaper, Anna says the ads work best because they are in color!

Wrap the paper squares around a pencil and dip the end in glue.  

Stick them down on to the mask and wait for them to dry.

Step Three: All you have to do then is attach a string to the mask and you are ready for Halloween!  She is going to be the Mysterious Newspaper Girl! She will expose evil and "write off" crime!  Stay tuned for that picture!  

Welcome Children!

Yesterday was a day full of reminders for me about how many adults around us give of themselves so unselfishly to the children around them. This Sunday's lectionary text is Mark 9: 30-37 where Jesus teaches his disciples to welcome children in his name. Whose life do you invest your life in? Is there a child around you who needs your love, attention, support, mentoring, guidance, love?

One of my best friends has devoted her life to serving young people.  Unfortunately she was never able to have children of her own but here's the thing: she has her own children!  Gobs of them!! Children run to her knees. . . even my own daughter when she sees my friend, flies into her waiting arms, ready to tell her all of the events she's experienced since the last time they saw each other. This precious woman has godchildren that she adores, children in the church she serves that are the light of her days, nieces that are her pride and joy, kids at the school where she lives whose ball games she attends on a very regular basis. . . and on and on she goes. The love she has for children can be seen in her green eyes as they twinkle in a child's presence. She gives her life to them, each and every one of them that desires it. . . and I know for sure that they are better off for having her in their lives!

I have another dear friend who happens to be a member of the congregation I serve.  She is a grandmother, having raised two boys into successful adulthood. She could be done with all of this kid stuff, but no. . . a few years ago she saw a need in the community and so she decided she would become a Girl Scout Leader for the young girls who swirled around her! She faithfully invests herself in their little lives and they flock to her like a sweet mother hen who will look after them and correct them when they need it. They love her! She loves them! She has no reason to invest herself so deeply in these 15 girls' lives other than that is who she is in Christ. . . one who welcomes children (despite the enormous chaos!).

I know a sweet man who waits by the front doors of the church every Sunday to see if his favorite girl will walk through the doors early in the morning. He won't sit down until he sees her and she knows that this fellow is her kindred spirit. . . they got to know one another on a mission trip. Their relationship was solidified through service to others. She brought him back to faith. The love they share benefits both of them and inspires the rest of us to give of our selves to others, to form a bond with another human being and make them feel as special as they are.

Now, all of these kids that I'm thinking about come from good homes. And yet, all kids need someone outside of their genetic tree to tell them that they are worthy, valuable, important, special! Mom and Dad have to say those things you see; other adults do not have to say these things. The impact that you make on a child's life just by consistently being there, showing up, asking them about their life, praying for them, welcoming them into your arms. . . this makes us parents very, very happy! It does amazing things for our kids, trust me! We know we cannot do this alone, we need you to help us! It doesn't matter how "good" a child's home is. . . they still need other adults to be in their lives; if a child has a less than "good" home then they need it all the more!

Today I say thanks to all of you who give of yourselves to kids! Teachers, lunch room workers, janitors, pastors, neighbors, brothers and sisters in Christ, coaches, instructors, grandparents, you name it! You are very, very, very important! God Bless you! Please keep up the good work, we are all depending on you!

Give Thanks in All Circumstances

Have you ever read the The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom? It has been years since I read this true story of a Dutch family that hid Jews in above their watch repair shop and ended up in concentration camps because of their actions. But it is one that I can never forget, especially when I think of the words of Paul who urged believers to "Give thanks in all circumstances." (1 Thessalonians 5:18) In the story Corrie is complaining of how bad things are in the camp and it seems she is losing heart as her sister is ill and they are worried about so many things. Betsy, her sister who is with her in the camp struggling to stay alive, replies with Paul's words.  Corrie cannot understand how her sister can be so upbeat, so hopeful in the face of evil, pain, death and persistently annoying lice that plagued their barracks. She will come to understand later those lice kept the guards away from their crammed quarters which allowed them the freedom to share the Word of God from a tiny bible they managed to smuggle into the camp against their frail, emaciated bodies. This Word of God brought hope, courage and the will to live to many women who otherwise would have certainly given up.

Give Thanks (Photo by Amy Little)

Life can be very hard sometimes.  Circumstances can be very trying. . . especially when they are forced upon us by someone else, when things happen that are not a result of our own doing. Sometimes just living can be a struggle, dealing with demons of the past, or watching things fall apart before our very eyes and realizing that we are helpless to affect the outcome. But Paul instructs us in these matters as well, words that are hard to hear and hard to understand right now, that we are to GIVE THANKS is all circumstances!  ALL circumstances you ask? That's what Corrie asked her sister Betsy.  The answer was "YES! In ALL circumstances." Paul continues by saying, "for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ."

Give thanks, even when we don't feel like it? Yes.

Give thanks when we are in pain and cannot find relief? Yes then too.

Give thanks when our world is turned upside down and we don't know which was is up? Ummm hmm.

Give thanks when it seems there is nothing to be thankful for? You betcha.

Why? Because you don't know what Jesus is doing behind the scenes. Because you need to give up on fixing everything yourself and fully rely in the One who loves you most and who promised to never leave you! Because God has a bigger plan in mind and it is one that you cannot fathom no matter how you try, it's not rational, it's not reasonable, it's not even understandable-- right now that is (and maybe not in this lifetime!) It's a matter of faith, deep faith. . . and even though things are difficult there is always, always, always something to give thanks for in your life! And maybe you will come to find out that the lice that infest your life are just the thing that God is using to create a new thing!

Give thanks to the Lord for his mercy endures forever. Amen.

Growing Pains Really Hurt

Philippians 1:22

The Message (MSG)

 ^22-26As long as I'm alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I'd choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it's better for me to stick it out here. So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues. You can start looking forward to a great reunion when I come visit you again. We'll be praising Christ, enjoying each other.


Why does it hurt so darn much to grow? We see it in our kids as they maneuver through each phase of life from toddlers to kindergartners to elementary school student where drama begins to unfold with friendships. . . to adolescence and young adulthood. And it all happens so darn fast doesn't it? At least when you are the parent it does, I can't say it felt like it went fast when I was a kid however. There was always something else to learn to navigate, to learn to deal with, to figure out how to handle or not handle as the case may be. The thing is, we never stop growing. We never stop learning: how to navigate friendships, relationships, life, work, and yes- faith.

I remember when he was the size of his baby cousin he's holding!

Isaac Newton changed our thinking about objects in motion when he said, "An object moves in the same trajectory unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." And likewise, "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." I remember when I first learned this concept, I was 17 years old and in High School Physics with an amazing teacher, Mr. Mizer. He taught us this concept by hitting us all where we longed to be, behind the steering wheel of a car (since most of us back then didn't have cars and barely had driver's licenses that we could actually put to good use). He had us imagine a small rubber ball on the dashboard that sat there minding its own rubber ball business until suddenly the car made a very sharp turn sending that ball out of its forward motion (you see it was moving forward with the car even though it sat there on that dashboard minding its own rubber ball business) and bouncing all around the car that decided to change trajectory.

Each and every one of us is like that rubber ball.  We are moving along in life, happily minding our own rubber ball business until WHAM! an unbalanced force acts upon us and moves us out of our trajectory. It could be sickness, death of a loved one, or simply dealing with "growing up" (and no matter how old we are we still have some growing up to do). So the other concept comes into play. . . how we react to a reaction. How do we deal with others' stuff? Not so good sometimes. . . I admit that sometimes I take things WAAAAYYY too personally. But how to separate what is "mine" and what is "someone else's?" The closer we are to a person the harder it becomes. We feel every reaction and we react to it. . . sometimes not so well at that. In Bowen Theory this is called Differentiation of Self: Knowing where I begin and you end and vice versa. Staying in touch and not running away when things get tough. And sometimes it hurts like all-get-out. . . but you know what? That's when we learn: who we are, how to handle things better next time, how love deeper, how to accept someone more, how to forgive, how to stay calm, how to rely on God when we cannot do all the other things we'd like to be able to do that resemble being grown up.

Life is going to take some serious twists and turns throwing us rubber balls bouncing around, but we are not alone in this! St. Paul reminds his congregation that he is with them, accompanying them on the journey as they grow to trust God more fully and completely. As pastors we companion those we serve. . . we also companion one another on the journey because believe it or not, pastors are human too, filled with doubt, fear, darkness, and pain just like every other person on earth.

Growing pains can really hurt. . . but they are necessary! Nothing easy is worth having. . . nothing that isn't hard fought is ever really appreciated. . . well that is except God's gift of mercy and grace! So keep going and keep growing and rely fully and completely on Christ who loves you and said he would never leave you! Amen.