The Need for Speed!

"Why don't you go with us to the Holy Land?" My pastor/boss was standing at the door to my office.

I was adding up the cost to attend a Christian Education event in New Orleans. The cost, if I drove and didn't fly, was going to be around $800 by the time I figured in the cost of the event, lodging, and meals.

"For that amount you can go to the Holy Land on a partial scholarship since you are working on your certification in Christian Education," he offered.

Count me in! Holy Land here I come! (Not by the car pictured! There's another reason for that picture).

I was serving as the church Business Administrator and Program Director, which meant I did just about anything the pastor didn’t want to do. I had also started my Christian Education Certification process, so the Holy Land was a dream trip - until I discovered that the Holy Land was in Israel! Yes, embarrassing as it is to admit, as an adult I did not realize that the Israel in the Bible was the Israel that was the same country called the “Holy Land”!

“Isn’t that the place where there is all the unrest between the Palestinians and the Israelis?”, I innocently inquired.

“Yes, that’s the place”, he answered.

(Hmmm. Second thoughts seriously racing through my mind.)

Bob was a very smart man. His preaching was very educational, however most of the congregation seemed to get lost in his detailed explanations (which I found fascinating). His intelligence seemed to affect his personal relationship skills. He could be demanding and frustrated easily. When he first came to serve the church, I was asked to attend all “Cottage” meetings held in members' homes . Cottage meetings were held in different neighborhoods surrounding the church. 8 to 12 adult members were invited to come meet the pastor and talk about the things they liked about the church and things they wish the church would change or do better. I was asked to attend all the meetings to help him with meeting and talking to the people who attended. “Mediator”would be my role in many other situations that were to come while I worked with Bob.

I met Bob while he was serving at another church. In his office one day I noticed he was a bit gruff and demanding of his wife who just happened to stop by. After he came to the church I was serving, he was also a bit gruff and demanding of me. His social skills needed some work.

Here is where the lime green roadrunner pictured comes in. One of the many interesting things about Bob was that he rode his motorcycle to church (with his comb-over blowing in the wind). When he wasn't riding the motorcycle, he was driving an old Lincoln convertible that looked the size of a 17 foot boat. I took a ride in the "boat" to a barn that was filled with collectible cars. Yes - FILLED with collectible cars! They all belonged to Pastor Bob.

"This car", he said pointing to the lime green Roadrunner, "goes from 0 to 160 mph is 10 seconds. Wanna try it out?"

"No, thank you, " I replied thinking about my second grader at home and how important it was for me to continue to be his mom. (The ride in the "boat" had been pretty fast, so I was still catching my breath). "Where did you get all these? And how can you afford to buy them?" I added in amazement.

"Buying and selling rare coins and stamps is my hobby", he explained. "Then I use some of the profit to buy cool cars."

I told you he was a very intelligent man! Collecting and selling coins and stamps sounds fascinating to me. It can also be a lot of work. Then using those profits to buy a barn-full of cars, just for fun, is was also interesting to me. It was like a museum that very few people knew about. It is amazing what people find to value and invest in their lives. Some people buy diamonds, some people donate to causes, and some people just store their savings away for a rainy day. I imagine when and if he ever sold those cars, he may be able to do all of those things and more.

We made it back to the church safely. And not long after that, we did make that trip to the Holy Land. Bob had studied in the Holy Land so he took our small group to many places that we would not have seen if it had not been for his knowledge and experience. After that trip I made two more trips to Israel, two additional trips called "The Journeys of Paul" to Greece and Turkey, and a trip to Italy called "History of the Early Church in Italy".

That first trip took me out of my comfort zone of doing safe educational trips in the United States. I am so thankful for Bob. His encouragement to try something new enriched my life. However, his social challenges lead me to look elsewhere for future employment. Another church, another pastor, and more experiences.

Have you dealt with challenging people who encouraged you to try something new and out of your comfort zone that lead to life-changing results? Think about what they taught you. Let me know what you learned by commenting below.

The "E" Word...

What is the difference between a dolphin and a shark? This is a picture of a fellow I feared running into every time i was in dark beach water. Even in lake water where I couldn't see below the surface, I was sure there was something slimy that was going to attack me (could have been related to seeing my friends covered with leeches after diving into a lake on a church camping trip - definitely nightmare material).

So, why didn't I think about happy, jumping dolphins instead of sharks? Fear. Sharks will eat me. Dolphins just jump, play, and swim away.

By now you may be wondering what "E" word has to do with either of these swimming images. Both were images I read about in "Conspiracy of Kindness: A Unique Approach to Sharing the Love of Jesus" by Steve Sjogren. Being a part of a church brings the opportunity of developing relationships, if you take the time to get to know the people sitting around you. The challenge in developing relationships in church is that I didn't anticipate "sharks". I thought the church was a place where people went to share the love of Jesus and tell nice stories. To be fair to the author, he is describing the "emotionally edgy" word - evangelism. "Sharing the gospel", the "Good News", is something that seems to me a topic that would bring joy, peace, and happiness. Instead, I ran into people wanting something from me that I wasn't sure I was ready to give because I didn't understand why I was being asked to give it. I wanted a relationship with a loving God. Many times I ran into angry, hurting, needy people. And I stayed, because I felt God might be able to use me to show God's love to others.

At the church there was information about a good place called "heaven" and a bad place called "hell", and I definitely preferred the former to the latter. There were rules to follow and actions to be performed to become a part of the group. My parents told me it was a good place to make friends who were good people. They even drove me, my brother, and my sister to the church every Sunday. They didn't just drop us off, they actually got out of the car with us, went inside, listened, and participated.

I made friends and heard nice stories, but eventually (another "e" word), this place of love and nice stories started to fall apart. Some people got upset about something (nobody told me what it was) and soon the preacher was gone and people left - to start another church. This process happened more than once in my early church years. I hear it continues in churches today.

I have survived my church experiences because I still believe the church is a good place where there are good people with good intentions. I still believe in a good God. However, the word "church" indicates a gathering of people. Wherever people gather, for whatever reason, there is a possibility of pain. Experiencing that pain and focusing on the hurt can create division, or it can just be a diversion, a diversion that God uses to help me grow in my relationship with God. 

I intend to use this blog to write about my experiences with people in the church over the years that challenged me. Some challenged me to grow. Some challenged me to go. I would like to hear from you if that would encourage you to grow closer to God. There are many stories to share. Just like the Bible, some are good, and some are scary. The "good" book is the backbone of many good places with many good people.

Discipleship Pathway - New Book

This is the cover of the most recent book written by Nelson Roth. The book introduces two tried and proven tools to be a disciple and to be a disciple maker. The coaching approach to discipleship made a difference in my life and in my relating to God. 

Finding the NEXT STEP in growing in a  relationship to God is a challenge for many
people. There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day. However, using a coach and working with a tool called The Relevant Discipleship Manual, I found time. Time to read. Time to reflect. Time to have the privilege of working with Nelson as my Discipleship Coach.

I found Nelson and his wife Pam when looking for CEUs to maintain my ICF coaching credentials. As part of the training, students in the online class were given the option of using the Relevant Discipleship Manual, authored by Nelson and Pam, as a tool for a one-to-one coaching process. The manual covers seven spiritual disciplines. There are four 2-page articles related to each discipline. There are also an additional two pages of coaching tools for each discipline that will take each of the seven disciplines deeper through the use of powerful questions. 

The manual also has 12 additional lessons that can be used in small groups or Sunday School classes. 

Here is my review of my experience of one-to-one coaching. Nelson and I talked for approximately an hour every two to three weeks. The disciplines were picked by what I wanted to focus on. Each time it seemed like there was a relevant reason I was given the opportunity to focus on that particular discipline. The first one I chose was evangelism - because I am not that good at sharing my faith with others outside of the church. I needed guidance to make the extra effort to remember and share stories of God's activity in my daily life.

I hope you will pick up a copy of this book, and the Relevant Discipleship Manual. I am currently discipling two people through the manual, and have already asked another individual to let me know when they are ready to begin!

If a tree falls...?

I am currently traveling in Virginia. Our son is having several dead trees on his property removed and while my son and my husband are off playing golf,  I am watching the guys who are cutting the trees down. One guy had angel wings on the t-shirt he was wearing and that made me a bit nervous. (I wasn't sure if he was hoping to go to heaven soon!). As I watched the trees fall (and made sure they weren't falling on the "lumberjacks"), the philosophical question about "trees" popped into my mind. I definitely heard the trees as they fell. And it made me think about coaching.

If you never try coaching, how will you ever know if it works?

According to the work of philosopher George Berkeley in 1710, "the objects of sense exist only when they are perceived". Although Mr. Berkeley never actually wrote about the tree question, several years later a similar question was posed in The Chatauquan in June 1883, "If a tree where to fall on an island where there were no human beings would the be any sound?". All this is based on Wikipedia so I decided to see what they have to say about "coaching".

Or better yet, how does the International Coaching Federation (ICF) define "coaching"? Their definition is "...partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential...".

To encourage you to use a coach, I am providing a simple curriculum on my website as a free sample of coaching principles. Currently I have only posted two of the 4 or 5 lessons (since I haven't finished, I am not sure how many lessons there will actually be). The lessons are particularly designed to help churches and church ministry teams. The principles can be applied to any goal setting situations and opportunities.

Check out the downloads at www.moreteamspirit.com. Together everybody accomplishes more. Let me know what you liked best.

A Wedding on Easter Sunday

It all began with a wedding on Easter Sunday. Coaching has traditionally been associated with sports. Every top athlete has a coach. I decided to hire a coach for 3 months to get me through a difficult time I was having with my job. My job was at a church. Church budgets tend to have limited budgets for continuing education, so I used my personal resources and hired a coach to strengthen my performance.

The coach I hired was someone I met when I owned a beautiful Bed and Breakfast called "The Browning Plantation" in Chappell Hill, Texas. (It is now a private home). Both my husband and I were working full time and had a manager who helped run the B&B, which was also our residence. The man who eventually became my coach, who I had never met at that time, wanted to get married on Easter Sunday.

Easter Sunday at many churches tends to be a "more than usual" busy time. The whole week prior to Easter Sunday involves additional worship services and activities (choir rehearsals, egg hunts, etc.). I would be waking up on Easter morning around 4 a.m. so I could be at the church at 6 a.m. for the Easter Sunrise service that started at 6:30. I would be heading back home around 1 or 1:30 in the afternoon. Upon arriving I would be ready for a little nap - not a wedding.

I said absolutely not. Besides wanting to rest, I didn't think that I could convince my normal staff to be away from their families on Easter Sunday. Also the caterers we used would more than likely want to be with their families. Besides, "Why Easter Sunday?", I asked (sure that I would get an answer about the specific date being the reason). "Easter falls on a different day every year", I continued. To which my inquirer answered, "I met my wife-to-be on Easter Sunday, so we want to exchange our vows on Easter Sunday - and we want it to be at the Browning."

After several ways of trying to turn down the business, I finally gave in. We needed the business, and he was determined and convincing (money talks). Oh, by the way, did I mention the name of his business was "The Wealth Source"? 
 
I rented a hotel room close to the church and took a nap there before going home. When I arrived back at the house, the caterers were packing up and leaving, the guests were gone, and the wedding had taken place. That was the beginning of my coaching adventure. A few years later, the man who arranged everything for the wedding became my coach.

Coaching changed the way I look at life. Coaching changed the way I approached ministry. Celebrations, concerns, action items, and priorities were shared with my ministry teams and team leaders on a weekly basis. I took certification training to become a coach.  

I discovered that coaching involves unleashing the personal power of each person to discover their own solutions by providing support, accountability, and unconditional positive regard. Coaching was so much more effective than managing. Intuitive listening and powerful questions lead to more ministry in less time.

Through TEAM Ministries I want to offer 4 FREE coaching lessons. These will be lessons you can do on your own or with your ministry team(s). The four lessons will cover the topics of "Powerful Questions", "Goals and Values", "Beliefs", and "Perspectives". In each lesson there will be an opportunity to practice the skill you have just learned. Ask anyone who has attended a conference or a class where they learned amazing approaches to ministry, but never actually did anything with what they learned. Doing something after you learned it takes a more intensive approach than just learning something.

Since all this may be new to you, I will be available to answer any questions you may have about coaching by phone. My goal is to develop a coaching package that more churches can afford so that more ministry can happen with less frustration and more joy. Accountability is key to coaching. Another key is heart.
Coaching is a discipline that comes from the heart - a heart that believes in people.

Christians are Easter people. Every morning is Easter morning when you examine your options, discover your creativity, and live your life with meaning and joy. Some options may not be of your choosing. Good Friday didn't seem like such a good choice for Jesus. Easter morning lead to a whole new world.

Look for lesson 1, Powerful Questions, next week. I will be developing them weekly so this process will be good practice for me too. My prayer is that our learning together will create synergy. Your input and suggestions will be valuable as the adventure to create this tool for churches begins. Let's reach for the best and make a difference we were born to make.

Coaching works for individuals (like me) as well as ministry teams. You may choose to practice these skills yourself this summer, and then introduce them to your teams in preparation for the fall. Learning to coach will help you grow, fulfill your destiny, and exceed your own expectations. I believe in it - and I believe in you! 

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Digging for Depth

Just when I think I am getting ahead by finally posting my blog, I forget to hit the "save" button and lose all that I started working on! (SAVE)

With all the sources of communication which include my 3 email accounts, Facebook, amazon.com (and the stack of books I have ordered from them already and are waiting to be read), and the three blogs I try to "follow" - I find it very easy to procrastinate. (SAVE)

I also find that pictures intrigue me so I must start working on my photography - and then I find out from a fellow blogger that I must "watermark" my own photos and make sure that any photos that I use that I find on the internet may be ones that I need to pay for. So many steps that I am sure I can climb - it just takes patience and determining priorities.

I just sat down with my "daily" journal today and noticed the last time I posted about my life was 3 weeks ago (oops...SAVE).

I remember when people used to complain about "junk" mail that arrived in the snail mail box and the time it took going through it. I see things I want to read, I just don't get to them. And I have unsubscribed and unsubscribed from things I don't think I ever subscribed to. At least I didn't mean to, but that is probably because I didn't read the thing I "Agreed" to. (SAVE).

I hear now that people hire ghost writers to write their blogs! I think I need to hire a ghost reader to let me know which blogs that I receive that I actually need to read. They all seem important enough for me to subscribe to them. Then all I seem to have time to do is delete them. (SAVE)

If I looked further into this program I am using now I could probably find that there is an automatic save feature, but now I need to go check my email and Facebook because I haven't done that yet today. (Save)

I will be posting more often and digging deeper into sharing my insights and things I have learned. I do have thoughts that will mean something to someone - if they have time to read them. (Save)

Love the time you have today and use it well. And if you want a fun visual to inspire you, check into "The Crew at StoryPeople". They make me smile.

Faith Club

Met with my "outside the church" book club today. The book for this month was The Faith Club by Ranya Idibly, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner. It was written after September 11 by 3 mothers who got together for the purpose of writing a book for children about the connections between Judaism, Christianity, and Judaism. I hadn't finished reading the book because I kept going back and re-reading parts because I would get confused about who was writing, so I don't know if the Children's book was ever written. I just checked on Amazon and didn't see one mentioned.

What was fascinating was the discussion at our table regarding the different rules of different religions, even the different rules within Christian religions - and the logic behind the differences and the rules. There was a lot of pain regarding rules that separated families from their church affiliation. All of us were Christian. And being a person who listens to other table conversations, I wondered if other people were listening to us.

I enjoy being around smart women, especially smart women who read books of all kinds and can discuss them openly. What became even more evident in our discussion is how religion divides people. Religion brings people together in big and important ways, but our beliefs carry a passion that can be difficult to open up and discuss. After all - who is the authority?

As always, I choose to err on the side of love and understanding. The more we can talk to each other, the more we understand.

I am thankful for my faith background. Our next couple of books will not be on religion. Probably a good thing.

"How to Grow Your Business - What You Need to Know and What You Need to Do"

Went to a Houston Coaches meeting last night and hear Karen McCullough speak on the topic in the title of this blog. I have been buying and reading so many books to help with Directive Coaching with the Texas Conference that I have neglected my individual coaching. Time to renew my determination to blog, post, tweet, and web crawl. Here is Karen's amazing website:
http://karenmccullough.com/
She is a high energy, highly motivating speaker.


Today I am preparing to give a talk for the United Methodist Women at the church I attend on the book "How Is It With You Soul?" (on Wednesday, March 11). My soul seems to be on hyperspeed with social media requirements in this new day and age. The titles of the sections of this study are Pray, Learn, Mentor, and Transform. I have spent a lot of time "learning". Now it is time to "pray"!

Shopping with Joel



This is my grandson on a shopping trip. It looks to me like he is checking out the basket and wondering "What's in the basket for me?" (Actually I think he is just grinding his new teeth and wondering if he will be able to chew on what's in the basket!)

The interesting thing about traveling with a baby is it is almost impossible to travel "light". We are planning to go to Florida to meet up with Joel and his parents and I have been struggling with what to take for him to play with and what I need to just send to their home in Virginia for Christmas. I am sure his mom and dad don't need anything extra to carry home. Maybe I will just take it on the trip and then take it back home and send it.

I also have a hard time deciding which books to take with me on the trip. What are you reading that you would recommend?

Traveling Light is now a CD!

I haven't posted in almost a whole year, so I decided to look up Traveling Light and found it is a fairly common name used by other people for other things. Not unique. Bummer. However - I also found to my joy - that Sara Groves and another guy have created a CD called Traveling Light that is about the 23rd Psalm. I am ordering it today! It may be old, but I found one song on YouTube. Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hgnsMg4z2I
I am working on a retreat for a women's ministry in Kerrville and using the book "Wasting Time With God" by Claus Kissler. Friendship is the section I am reading now. I value my friends. Keep in touch.

Belief

I am reading a very interesting book that has wonderful ideas about love. The author quotes from the Bible. I have heard the author speak from a CD and she is very engaging. However, I am concerned about words like "higher consciousness" and "enlightenment".

I checked out the church the author attends. The website has the belief statement and the articles of faith for the church.

The church is located in Sedona, AZ. which I know is considered a "spiritual" place, but not necessarily Christian.

I wonder if how I am feeling about this church and the book I am reading is like Nicodemus felt when he met Jesus.

The book is supposedly about the conversations the author actually had with Jesus while she painted his portrait. I like the portrait. It is simple and Jesus looks strong and caring. I like what Jesus says to the author:
"True creativity is the presence of God within..."
"There are three enduring certainties around which all positive belief develops. The first is your connection to God. The second is an honest knowing of yourself. The third is that you shall receive as you have been given."
"When you seek and pursue that which is not truly yours, you will develop a kind of hunger that cannot be appeased, and a deep sense of "neediness", which distorts your life and creates dis-ease"."
I have underlined and underlined so much that makes sense. What do you think?
The Book is "The Keys of Jeshua". The church is called Spiritis Church. Seems new age-ish to me, but I think Jesus was new age-ish for Nicodemus.

Unconditional Love

Just finished "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. Great book that follows the idea behind the book of Hosea in the Old Testament of the Bible. It is fiction. And - there are wonderful discussion questions at the end of the book that would be interesting to talk through with a group. The concept of unconditional love is difficult when someone completely turns their back on kindness.
I find most people don't understand the concept of love. I taught a 4th and 5th grade Sunday school class about the love between Jonathan and David (in the Bible). I thought one of the young men in the class was going to get sick when I told him that loving his neighbor meant loving the people in his Sunday school class. "Oh that is so gross" was his comment. The sad thing is that many never get past the 4th and 5th grade level of emotional maturity. Sometimes I find that I regress to that level!
I frequently think, "What would love do in this situation?" I don't want to enable someone to take advantage of anyone (especially if that someone is me). There is such a fine line between letting something go and then settling the situation at a later time. I can let things go, but I am not good about bringing it up later so it can be discussed. I don't like reopening a "can of worms" if it is going to blow up. Sometimes that means there are lots of "worms" crawling around just waiting for the right moment to escape and make a big mess.
How about you? When love is difficult, how do you keep loving?
In the meantime - I still love you!

Dog on Bed

Hank the beagle got in trouble at our "pet friendly" hotel, so we are both being confined to the room. It seems although the hotel is pet friendly, some of the guests are not. Of course that could be because the pup was not happy being left in the room while his room mates went to breakfast, so he raised quite a rucus with his barking. Beagle barking can be quite irritating, so I don't blame the guests. I must say I was surprised the guests were mad at me. I had no idea the dog would go ballistic - and I didn't leave the room until 7:45, so it wasn't that early. Oh well.

Fortunately I have my Nook with me and I had downloaded "Water for Elephants". Very good book. Then, just for fun, went to look up "The Help" and read the two chapter preview.

Now I would like to go for a walk, but it is way too hot outside. So nice to have time to read just for fun.

Living History Lessons

I wish I had lived in Virginia when I was taking United States history! From the settler's at Jamestown, to the Yorktown Victory Center which talks about the Revolutionary War, to New Port News to look at Civil War battlegrounds, and the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space museum at Dulles Airport, I think I have learned more than I ever remember learning in school. And that's just 4 days of breezing through exhibits and archaeological museums.

The most fascinating information was about how the Frenchman named Rochambeau was a key adviser to George Washington and the siege at Yorktown, which lead to Cornwallis surrendering. The French helped us gain our freedom from being just another colonial outpost.

Which comes to the irony of the tension between the French and the Americans. After returning from France and revisiting Normandy, the whole western world might be speaking German if the US and Great Britain had not come to the aid of the French in WWII. Why aren't the French and Americans better friends?

Besides learning about Rochambeau, the most interesting things so far to me:

• The aircraft in WWII that Germany manufactured was fascinating.
• Learning how 5000 - 8000 soldiers were fed during the Revolutionary war AND what they ate.
• The poor women who followed the soldiers during the wars and did their laundry and mending, and how families left at home survived until their menfolk returned from war.
• Ship battles and the importance of ruining the sails.

People seemed to have worked harder for so much less. I don't think I would have made a good soldier (6 to 8 people per tent, and no running water!). Good lessons for all of us...

Book on thie trip: A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron. It's a story about a dog's many lives. Nice light entertainment!

Germany and France - Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Just returned from a quick trip with my husband's company. They had business in Germany and then we all took a side trip to France. There were 4 guys and me in the little car you see Waddy standing by (notice how full the back of the car is!). 2 of the guys had never been to Normandy or Paris.

We flew KLM to Amsterdam, and then Air France to Hamburg, Germany. I love the individual screens for movie and entertainment options. I am preaching to 5th and 6th graders for district camp in July, and the theme for district camp is "Like a Lion", all about courage, so naturally I thought of the C.S. Lewis Narnia series, and grabbed "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" to take with me to read on the plane. Imagine my surprise when looking over the entertainment options and finding Narnia 3 was one of the movies (Voyage of the Dawn Treader!). So I watched it AND read it.

Wish we could have stayed a day in Hamburg, but the meeting was in Bielefeld, Germany. I had fun shopping while the guys had their meeting.

Also read some more in the "Leader's Journey". Now watching Francis Chan and his DVD series on courage. It has some great video examples for youth.

Lost my jean jacket somewhere between the airport and the house, so today I am tracking it down. More to come!

New Books!

I received a Nook for Christmas and I have downloaded several books on it, but to me there is nothing like holding a book in my hand. Now TRAVELING with books is a whole different story because I am usually reading more than one book at a time, and that can cause me to want to drag my carry on through the airport (because my carry on does NOT have wheels). So I went to Cokesbury and spent $165 last week (don't mention this to my husband - he'll find out soon enough). Now one of those books was a new commentary on Romans that includes a CD with all kinds of images, so that was a hefty chunk of change. I am going to encourage our library at the church to start purchasing them. I may even donate mine to them. Stephanie at Cokesbury suggested I get the new controversial book by Rob Bell called "Love Wins". It is good! "Jesus talked about a reality he called the kingdom of God...He spoke of oneness with God...Jesus lived and spoke as if the whole world was a thin place for him , with endless dimensions of the divine infinitesimally close, with every moment, and every location simply another experience of the divine that is all around us, through us, under and above us all the time." (We act)"as if we're trying to play the piano wearing oven mitts. We can make a noise, sometimes even hit the notes well enough to bang out a melody, but it doesn't sound like it could or should." Nursing a sprained ankle, so will start another new book..."Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands:Lessons in Non-Linear Leadership" by Nancy Ortberg. Will quote from it later this week. (Don't you just love that word "infinitessmally"?)

Snow Boots

There is nothing about traveling light when it comes to snow boots. I finally traded my "performance boots" in for just "regular person" boots and it made a huge difference. I am definitely not a performer when it comes to skiing! The snow is fantastic, so I don't want to take it too easy.

A "pre-ski" weekend definitely helps when planning a full week of skiing, and we missed that this year.

Have enjoyed spending time with family.

I have two books with me. One is Missional Small Groups:Becoming a Community That Makes a Difference in the World by Scott Boren. Scott compares being in mission to learning how to play music, particularly improvisational jazz; "Most people play their life rhythms without even thinking about the music their life makes...They must learn how to work together, how to read each other, and how to complement each other's strengths and weaknesses" (pg. 9). At the end of the book is an Appendix that walks small groups through a 12 to 15 weeks of learning "missional rhythms". There are even teaching segments that can be downloaded as video files! Sounds like something that would be very exciting for small groups to challenge themselves and grow in their understanding of what it means to follow Christ out into the world.

Learning to play a musical instrument is challenging. It isn't easy. Just like snow skiing. Some have natural ability, and some have to keep working at it. Some are dare devils (like helicopter skiiers) and some prefer to float down the green slopes and enjoy the scenery (that would be me!). Either way there is preparation that must be done - just in getting dressed!

The other book I have is a fiction book. Fiction is hard for me because I want to read something with purpose. However, so many people read fiction, and I want to understand why, so I will read something if it comes highly recommended. "If I Gained the World" by Linda Nichols is what I am working on. Today I am on chapter 10 and there are a total of 57 chapters. So far it is keeping my interest!

LINGO – CHURCH WORD #8

EVIL (ee-vuhl)

Adjective: Morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked: evil deeds; an evil life.

Noun: That which is evil; evil quality, intention, or conduct: to choose the lesser of two evils.

Adverb: In an evil manner; badly; ill: It went evil with him.

Idiom: The evil one, the devil; Satan.

On, Saturday, February 14, 1976, I called home to wish my family Happy Valentine’s Day. My mother answered and told me to meet them at the hospital because something was terribly wrong with my brother, David. The day before, my younger brother came home from being out that night, sat down on the den floor, and started listening to my Jesus Christ Superstar album. While listening to the music, he continually rocked back and forth and back and forth on the floor at my parent’s house. This was the beginning of a ten year nightmare that eventually lead to my brother’s suicide.

The doctor’s called it “paranoid schizophrenia”. To me, it was evil and diabolic.

What is evil? In the book People of the Lie by M. Scott Peck, the author states “evil is ‘live’ spelled backwards. Evil is in opposition to life…Evil is also that which kills the spirit.” Some people also believe that evil is the result of demon possession.

The New Testament is full of stories about Jesus and the disciples encountering demon possession. Matthew 9:28 talks about the Gadarene demoniacs that were so fierce that no one could pass by them. Jesus tells the demons to “Go!” and enter some nearby swine, resulting in the swine stampeding over a cliff. Matthew 17:14 tells the story about the disciples trying to cure a boy that has a demon. When they are unable to cure him, the young man’s father takes his son to Jesus. Jesus rebukes the demon and heals the boy immediately.

Do you believe demons still exist? Eric Fromm, the author of the book The Heart of Man: Its Genius for Good and Evil, says “The longer we continue to make wrong decisions, the more our heart hardens...with each step along the wrong road it becomes increasingly difficult (for them) to admit that they are on the wrong road.” Some people make wrong decisions that effect innocent people, such as sexual abuse victims. The presence of evil is then experienced by the innocent as well as the wrong doer. God doesn’t want this, what He does, however, is invite all people to choose wisely. Choose goodness.

If God created everything and everyone, why were evil and the devil created in the first place? Understanding free will helps us to understand this paradox. He gave us choices, so we either choose to allow God to shape and mold us into loving humans or we chose the opposite. God loves us and wants us to choose His loving ways. God is a life giver, and Scott Peck explains it this way, “having forsworn the use of power against us, if we refuse God’s help, God has no recourse but, weeping, to watch us punish ourselves.”

In the movies and television, we see evil. The recently realeased movie The Rite starring Anthony Hopkins is a true story based on the life of an American priest who now lives in California named Father Gary Thomas. I could barely watch the trailer (so I know I won’t be going to see the movie)! Father Thomas believes there is evil in the world, demon possessed people, and a need for more exorcists. In fact, there was an exorcism conference held in Baltimore, Maryland in October 2010 that was attended by 56 Bishops of the Catholic Church and 66 parish priests.

How do we conquer evil? With love. 1 Corinthians 13:4 -7 says “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.” Love isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.

Evil is not something we like to talk about. The book "People of the Lie" by M. Scott Peck helped me understand the evil that I experienced with what happened to my brother.

I choose to love and live with Jesus Christ as my guide, my saviour, and my Lord.

Does everyone around us know God?

That question is from the book "Unfreezing Moves" by Bill Easum. When thinking about this I wonder about the difference between doing "great" things and doing "good" things. We do a lot of good things when we do church work. What would be great things we could do? Good question. I look forward to your comments.

From the Mountain, To the Valley...Back Home

It is amazing to me that people's lives are so complicated today that many don't realize the value of slowing down and being still. Some slow down by plopping down on the couch in front of the TV (guilty!). I miss creativity time when I waste time with TV instead of using my time to reconnect to my playful, fun self.

In the book "Creativity and the Divine Surprise" by Karla M. Kincannon she reminds us that "Creativity fine tunes our listening."

Just started the journey through this new read. Karla writes beautifully. "Without creativity we are deaf to God's call; what we are to be and do remains a conumdrum." Conumdrum is a fun word. I think I will use that word creatively today!