Lent 2018 -- Gratitude Diary, Day 5

These kids.

These wonderful, amazing kids.

I am grateful that their parents send them to church. I am grateful that I get to work alongside them. I am grateful for their faith. I am grateful for the trust they place in me. I am grateful for these kids.

Since I was called to be the Assistant Pastor of St. Stephen United Methodist Church in Arlington, TX in 1983 I have worked with youth and children in some capacity. I have been an Associate for Youth and Children, and as a Senior Pastor I have continued to work with the youth along the way. Besides St. Stephen I have worked with children and youth from First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Richmond, KY; Arlington Christian Church in Lexington, KY; Providence Christian Church in Jessamine Co. KY, and now at First Christian Church in Winchester, KY. These young people  are a source of joy for me. They are so important to me. I am grateful for them.

These kids. I am grateful.

Lent 2018 - Gratitude Diary Day 4

Short post today.

I’m grateful for grace. I’ve made more mistakes than most people I know. I’ve hurt people. I’ve paid a price for mistakes sometimes and worse, others have sometimes paid a price for my mistakes. I’m regretful about it all. I don’t deserve grace. I certainly haven’t earned it. So today I’m grateful for grace, for forgiveness, for second and sometimes third chances. I’m really trying to improve and be better. I’m grateful for grace.

Peace and Love,
Jerry

Lent 2018 -- Gratitude Diary, Day 3

Shoshone Falls, Thomas Moran. On permanent display at the Gilcrease Museum. https://gilcrease.org/ Photo copyright, Gilcrease Museum.

Today I am grateful for the Gilcrease Museum.

I was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. One of the great treasures of Tulsa is the Gilcrease Museum. Located in the Osage Hills on the west side of the Arkansas River the museum offers a beautiful vista of downtown Tulsa.

The Gilcrease was born of the vision of Thomas Gilcrease, an oilman who made a fortune in the oil fields that surrounded Tulsa at the turn of the 20th century. Mr. Gilcrease collected more than 10,000 works of art, over 100,000 rare books and documents including the only surviving certified copy of the Declaration of Independence and over 250,000 Native American artifacts. The museum is now owned and operated by the University of Tulsa.

The museum is a marvel to me. When I am back home I try always to make at least one trip to the museum. It is a touchstone; a power center, the place that helps me feel grounded and connected to my beloved hometown. I am especially fond of the collection of Moran, Russell, Remington and Bierstadt landscapes and sculptures. The painting pictured above is entitled Shoshone Falls, and was painted in 1900. It is an enormous canvas measuring nearly seven feet in height and thirteen feet in width.

In this season of Lent where darkness and light meet, where we look inwardly that we may live outwardly, Shoshone Falls is an apt image. It is wild and yet sublime. It is dark and it is light. It is filled with detail and is enormous in size.

Today, I am grateful for the Gilcrease Museum; a gem in the heart of my hometown.

Peace and Love,
Jerry

Lent 2018 -- Gratitude Diary, Day 2

Ash Wednesday is a day of penitence and of the recognition of our mortality.Yesterday it was a day of massacre, destruction and as the headline for this picture read, it was "Catastrophic." Seventeen people. Gone. From dust they were born......

Last night I made the sign of the cross in ashes on the forehead of a four year old girl. I said, "From dust you were born and to dust you shall return," as I imposed the ashes. It was difficult to hear those words on my lips. Not too soon, little one. You are supposed to live a long and happy life. You are but dust, yes, but live first.

This is supposed to be a Gratitude Diary. Writing something for which I am grateful every day is a part of my Lenten Discipline. There aren't many words today.

I am grateful to have been a part of an Ash Wednesday Service last night shared with First Presbyterian Church. I am grateful that we stopped and turned our hearts and our spirits and our prayers toward Parkland, Florida. I am grateful for the friends today who have affirmed that we cannot allow school shootings to become the new normal. I am grateful for people who have had enough. I am grateful for a church community where love binds us when opinion divides us.

I am grateful for the ashes of repentance. Kyrie Eleison. Christe Eleison.

Peace and Love,
Jerry

2018 Lenten Discipline -- Gratitude Journal

The season of Lent is upon us. This year I have decided to eschew as much sugar in my diet as I am able. There will be no carbonated beverages, no pastries, no sweet breads, no desserts. This is a serious amount of denial for me. I don't necessarily intend to eat or drink such things, but sometimes unfold in a way that those are the choices before me. For these 40 days I will look away.

I have also decided to take on a practice for Lent. Thanks to Diana Butler Bass who suggested a Gratitude Journal. Her new book, "Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks" will be on the store shelves soon. Here is an Amazon.com link to her book.

 https://www.amazon.com/Grateful-Transformative-Power-Giving-Thanks/dp/0062659472/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518617965&sr=8-1&keywords=gratitude+diana+butler+bass&dpID=41RTjmwF9XL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

Consequently, my first entry into the Gratitude Diary is for Diana Butler Bass. I first met Diana when she was the keynote speaker for the General Minister's Pastor's Conference in San Diego in 2010. Her presentations were timely and informative and she piqued my interest in her books like, "Christianity After Religion," and "A People's History of Christianity." Then, in 2014 I met her again when she was the keynote speaker for the Christian Church In Kentucky Regional Assembly which was held in Hopkinsville, KY. I was honored to prepare a gift basket for her and of course I included bourbon and Old Kentucky Chocolates. I was also asked to be her transport to and from the hotel. We discovered during those rides that we share a birth month and year, and our children, her daughter Emma and my son Dallas, also share a birth month and year. Our conversations over those short excursions covered a lot of ground, and in her book, "Grounded" she included a recounting of those conversations. I was so flattered to be included in her book. It makes me smile.

Diana's contributions to the study of Christianity in current America are academically sound and insightful. She is a delightful person; a proud mother, and a person of great value to our theological and spiritual conversations. So, today, I am grateful for Diana Butler Bass.

As we gather to impose ashes today may the Spirit of eternal life breathe life into our dustiness.

Peace and Love,
Jerry

Worship and Sermon, August 17, 2014

Continuing to unfold the Lectionary Gospel texts for Year A keeps us in the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 15:21-28
²¹Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²²Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” ²³But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” ²⁴He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” ²⁶He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁷She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” ²⁸Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

The links below are for the worship service and the sermon.

Prelude to Pastoral Prayer
Special Music
Sermon
Invitation to Benediction

Worship Audio - August 10, 2014

The Lectionary text for this past Sunday, August 10, was Matthew 14:22-33 and the sermon was entitled, "Walk On Water." The full service is available here in three audio files.

Matthew 14:22-33 

²²Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. ²⁵And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. ²⁶But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. ²⁷But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” ²⁸Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³²When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” 

Prelude to Pastoral Prayer
Sermon
Invitation to Benediction