Drivin' Me Bunkers!

Time for a new "Jedism"...you know, one of those things my son says that is just too cute to forget.



So we're in the car, all three of us, driving home one evening. Suddenly, there was something in the road, and my husband had to swerve to avoid it. We continued talking, only to hear our son in the back yell in an exasperated tone: "Dad, you're drivin' me bunkers!"


The way he said it was so funny, we started to laugh. I then said: "Buddy, what does that mean? How is Daddy drivin' you bonkers?"


Here was his priceless response:
Well, when you swoosh the car around like that when you're drivin', it makes my head go back and forth really hard and go "bunk" on my seat! That's drivin' me bunkers!


Of course it is!

The Ultimate Donation

Tomorrow I will conduct my third memorial service/funeral in this church. I've been here just over a month now. All three of these services will have celebrated the lives of women, and two of them will have been memorial services. In my definitions, "memorial services" are conducted in the absence of a body, while "funerals" are conducted when the person's body is present (whether in a casket of in the form of cremains).

I'm pretty sure that every other end-of-life service I've conducted in my 7 + years of pastoral ministry has been a "funeral," whether with a casket or an urn present. But, for the second time in less than a month now, I will conducte a "memorial service" tomorrow in the church. And the reason for the "memorial service" rather than the "funeral" is the same in both cases: Both women donated their bodies, as their husbands had also done, to the Medical University of South Carolina.

We live in a day when suicide bombers are blowing up themselves and as many innocent victims as possible, when gunmen are targeting Christians in their own churches (let us pray for the our brothers and sisters in Christ as well the perpetrator of this terrible act in Knoxville, TN), when so many people are taking the lives of others without regard for their value. What a powerful witness to the self-giving love of Christ, then, when one chooses as a final act of grace to give one's body away so that others might learn to give and preserve life.

I've thought about what I want done, or rather what God wants done, with my body after my death, I really have. I thought I'd decided that my faithful witness would be to have it buried in a plain wooden casket built by my husband with no metal parts at all, in a grave with no vault--the most natural burial possible. But now I'm thinking...I almost went to MUSC as a medical student earlier this decade...maybe one day I'm supposed to actually let myself go there in a much different way.

I'll be praying about that, thanks to Mrs. D and Mrs. M., two women for whom I and my new church family give thanks to God.

Have I said how much we love this town?

There's a dedicated group of students from the three institutions of higher learning that are based in this little city who are set on being "changers." The organization they've formed is called "Changing the Perception, Inc."

The reason they've formed themselves into an organized unit with a common goal is an obvious one to anyone who's heard what we heard before we moved here. This town is perceived negatively by many in other places. And everyone who loves this place, who calls it home, is now dead-set on changing that image.

I'd heard it all before I came here: "You're moving THERE? Oh, I'm sorry. Well, just never go out at night. Don't go to Wal-Mart past sunset."

But guess what? We love it here. My son and I went less than 5 minutes from our home on Sunday afternoon to see a GREAT production of Seussical, Jr. performed by a highly talented group of youngsters in a recently, and beautifully, renovated little theatre downtown. Then yesterday, our family went another direction less than 5 minutes from our home to walk through a world-class rose garden to a duck pond where children gather to feed turtles and Canadian geese and Mallards. The whole park is situated along a natural river, the longest black-water river in the world. We went there after eating in a great restaurant, again, less than 5 minutes from home.

We've been embraced by everyone in our churches with the greatest hospitality, care, and enthusiasm imaginable. Everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE, we've met in the community has been kind and welcoming to us. We have a beautiful home in a beautiful neighborhood near downtown.

We love this place. Of course, no place is perfect. And there is plenty here besides the perception that does beg to be changed according to God's perfect plan for humanity. Part of my role as a minister and spiritual leader in the community is to help us understand what needs to be addressed and address it. That, I will attempt to do as faithfully as I can.

But for now, I just want to say...we love it here. If you're one of those who thought we were moving someplace that isn't simply great...please come visit! We've got a guest room!

Ever had a song in your head...

that you just couldn't get out?

Well, for my son, apparently it's not a song, but trucks.

So tonight as we got on the interstate in our drive home from my parents' home (they'd been keeping him while I performed my last wedding of the summer--congrats to Allison and Nick!), he said:

So Mommy, you know those big trucks that drive on the interstate? I've been thinking about them. I think I'm not gonna think about them anymore.

If only it were as easy for us to "meditate on God's goodness and God's Word" as it is for us to get silly thing like pop songs or even trucks stuck running around in our heads!

In Today's English Version of the Bible, the Psalmist of Psalm 63 prays to the Lord:

As I lie in bed, I remember you;
all night long I think of you,
because you have always been my help.
In the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
I cling to you, and your hand keeps me safe.

There's something else for ALL OF US to think about!

Living in "Connexion"

The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, believed in living in communion with God and with one another. The polity and operation of the Methodist movement therefore involved what Wesley called "connexion." Wesley insisted that the movement be one in conferencing, in mission, and in practice.

Today, this "connectionalism" is expressed in many ways, not the least of which is through Christian Conferencing at every level of the church's organization. Local churches in the United States are connected in districts, annual conferences (which meet, as the name indicates, each year), and jurisdictional conferences (which meet every four years). The General Conference, the defining global gathering of United Methodists consisting of lay and clergy delegates from every annual conference in the denomination, meets every four years, as well.

The last General Conference was held back in April, and now it's time for Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference! It begins tomorrow at Lake Junaluska, NC. The main focus of each Jurisdictional Conference is the election of bishops.

If you click on the the link embedded above, you can follow all the happenings of SEJ, including election results. One of South Carolina's own, Columbia District Superintendent Dr. Tim McClendon.

In invite you to be in prayer for Jurisdictional Conference, for all the delegates, and for all the Episcopal nominees, including Tim. I certainly will be!

"You're a baby!"

The church of which I am now pastor has about 30 members living in a United Methodist retirement community, The Oaks. I had the privilege yesteday of visiting the six who are in the nursing center, introducing myself to five of them for the first time. I enjoy talking with people who are decades older and wiser than I am.

One of the ladies I met yesterday asked me how old I was, after confirming with a disbelieving voice that I am, indeed, the new PASTOR of the church. I told her the truth: I'll turn 34 years old this year.

Her reply: "Well, you're just a baby. A baby."

My response: "Yes, ma'am. I suppose I am."

Her again: "Yep. You're just a baby."

I suppose I may have been offended if I didn't believe that we're all always babies in comparison to our Lord, and that we all need to be reminded of that from time to time. I think we all get into a little trouble when we think we're "all grown up" in the faith and all wise. It's like I Peter 2:2 says:

Be like newborn babies, always thirsty for the pure spiritual milk, so that by drinking it you may grow up and be saved. (TEV).

So thanks, Mrs. T., for the reminder!

Anyone Believe In Reincarnation?

Of course, the belief that our souls return to earth again and again from heaven, to inhabit different bodies at different times, is simply not a part of traditional Christian belief.

But the other day while riding in the car, my 3.5 year-old-son says:

So, mommy, when I rused (used) to be a big man, I drove a big ol' blue dump truck.
And I would hook up a big ol' trailer to my big ol' blue dump truck and I wore red boots when I would climb up into the truck. Yea, red boots.

And I said:
Really. Hmmmm....
That's very interesting, baby.

The Spirit Blows Where It Wills

The other day I was having lunch with a wonderful older couple in my new church. After our bread arrived, I prayed a blessing over our meal. The prayer was nothing special, just a simple sharing of thanksgiving to God for the goodness we enjoy, and a request for blessing, nourishment, and strength for the journey of faith.

Following the prayer, the three of us continued in conversation, enjoying the fellowship and good food. We were practically oblivious to others around us; we were simply concentrating on our own sharing.

And then another approached. She was not someone any of us knew. But she extended her hand and said: "I'm sorry to interrupt you, and I wasn't even going to come over. But then I was just waiting for my check to come, and I felt like I needed to come speak. I just lost my mother two months ago, and I've been having the hardest time. I know that when you were praying, you were just praying for you all, but I just wanted you to know that it felt like you were praying for me, too. As you prayed, I felt the Holy Spirit, and I wanted to thank you. I needed that."

For the longest time, I was a person who felt a little funny about praying openly in restaurants. (Yes, I do realize how strange this sounds coming from a preacher). I'll never feel funny about it again.

Time for Updates

If anyone is still reading this blog, allow me to update you on the last month.




1. We have moved. We received the warmest welcome possible at this beautiful downtown church, full of wonderful people. I felt full--full of joy, full of hope, and full of the Holy Spirit--in our first Sunday worship service last week. We feel privileged to be here, and humbled at the tasks that lie ahead. But I also know that God is at work, and that "all things are possible with Christ." I plan to spend the next six months or so just getting my bearings--listening to people and to the Holy Spirit, getting to know the people of this congregation, and planning for what our years of ministry together will entail.




2. My sister got married! She is ten years younger than I, and it is hard to believe she's an adult. But time does march on, and she is a married woman now. It felt strange to be the Matron of Honor rather than the officiant, I must admit.

But as further proof that "time marches on", my baby boy (age 3.5) was the ring-bearer. More than that, he took this picture! He insists that he wants to be a tow truck driver when he grows up (not just any tow truck, mind you, but the big huge kind that can tow 18-wheelers and such), but I'm seeing the possibility of professional photography as a career! We've told him that he can be "whatever he wants to be and God wants him to be." We'll teach him to evaluate choices further as he grows. For now, we're just trying to get him to use the potty consistently again and to want to do something besides watch Noggin during the day!


3. Our home is not yet set up. I've decided that this project, like many other things in life, is one more reminder that God is never finished with us, just like I'll never be finished getting my house in order. Just one more reminder of sanctification...I've decided so many things are.

So that's where I've been for the last month + a week. I pray that everyone is having a safe and celebratory Independence Day. I've been sick for the last three days, so I'm resting up for my second Sunday.

Thanks for checking in on me. I expect to be more faithful about posting as I move into this new ministry adventure. I'm sure I'll have a lot to write about! So check in again soon...

In the meantime, may God's grace and peace be with you this 4th of July and every day.