LET ME EXPRESS MY “THANKS” TO THE REVERENDS REBECCA AND CLAUDIA! THANKS FOR THINKING OF ME FOR THIS SEASON IN THE
CHURCH ,LENT.
I WAS NOT SURE WHERE TO START, SO THINKING OF DEFINING THIS TITLE, -MY FAITH JOURNEY! SEEMED TO BE THE THING TO DO “ FIRST” ! IT SOUNDED SELFISH, WHICH IS NOT ME! ‘THEN IT CAME TO ME THAT , WE ALL HAVE A “FAITH JOURNEY”. YOUR TIME WITH GOD! TODAY I GET TO SHARE MY STORY OF ……MY FAITH JOURNEY.
***DEFINING FAITH….COMPLETE TRUST AND/OR CONFIDENCE IN SOMEONE OR SOMETHING.
I am sometimes referred to as lifer. Not in terms of prison sentence, but meaning I grew up in the church and, even more, that I grew up in a UCC church.
My parents were quite involved in the church. They wanted to raise their children in the church, so I went to Sunday school, the after school program, and Pilgrim Fellowship.
After my confirmation, my parents had a rule. I could choose to be in worship
or help in the Sunday school. It was my choice, but it had to one or the other.… [Read More]
When the phone rang, I had an earworm, one of those recurring inner tunes you can’t shake. Usually my earworms are old folk or rock tunes from the 70s, occasionally an annoying ad jingle. That morning it was the haunting hymn by Ralph Vaughan Williams, “Come Forth, O Love Divine,” which asks God to “seek now this soul of mine, and visit it with your own ardor glowing.” Why? No idea. It was Rebecca on the phone, calling to invite me to give this meditation. I tried to say no. I really did.… [Read More]
When I was very young, 4-5 years old, my vision of God was not dissimilar to my vision of Santa Claus. In fact, in my little kid’s mind, God was somewhat less powerful than Santa. After all, prayers were everyday requests, that sometimes did or did not materialize. Santa usually came through with a lot of the items on my list, even though he did so only once a year. I knew Santa was making a list, checking it twice, and he was definitely going to find out who was naughty or nice.… [Read More]
The Reverend David Mehl offers his Lenten Meditation on Leadership
Marilyn Edwards offers her personal faith journey
Mark McLaughlin offers his personal faith journey
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity, as a new Deacon, to write the “Deacons’ Bench” section of the newsletter, and I took that opportunity to challenge us to see Central as more than just a source of comfort, that in fact sometimes what we need is to be rattled out of our complacency, at least a little bit. Well, now with an opportunity to share with you, in public, some of my own faith journey thus far, I think I feel just the right amount of rattled.… [Read More]
Readings: Hebrews 11: 1-6, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
So far, I have been given about 28.2 million minutes on this earth (give or take 100,000). Tonight, I’ve been given about 15 minutes to tell you about it. Fortunately for you all, my memory isn’t that good…
My thoughts may seem a bit random or scattered as I share them with you. But, I hope, when I’m done, you’ll see the connection.
I was born in Providence. I’ve always found special meaning in being able to say that. Even when the context of that statement refers to a locality or a zip code, which it almost always does, I say it with an understanding that I truly WAS… born in Providence – born into the loving and benevolent guidance of God – born into God’s loving grace, as were all of you.… [Read More]
Hello, fellow members on this journey! During this year, two experiences have changed my life. First, this simple act of describing my own spiritual journey. And second, traveling on a month-long series of airline journeys. To illustrate, I will ask for the help of 3 ghosts, imitating Dicken’s Christmas Carol.
For the Ghost of Journeys PAST, I’ll point first to my family: Many parents can tell you how their children created a new connection with the world. In turn, my husband Jack & I celebrate our 40th anniversary this year. It‘s been a fascinating 40 years – Thanks, Jack!… [Read More]
