Harbor at St. Paul

Pondering Parenthood at Christmas

2009-12-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

This month our thoughts easily turn to our children. What will we get them for Christmas? What did we get them last year? Will they wear the Christmas sweater we bought them? When is their Christmas program for school? Do they know their part for the church Christmas pageant? Did we get a babysitter for the office party yet? Yes, the season definitely forces our attention to our children, at least in part. Of course if we are parents of faith, then all of our “merry-making” is hopefully done in some effort to direct our children’s attention to the Story of Christmas. In worship this month, we are directing our attention to the two children who started all of this…Jesus of Nazareth and his cousin John. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke introduce us to the families that bring Jesus and John into the world. And while there are huge gaps in the stories from the childhood years of these holy cousins, Luke especially offers a few poignant glimpses into some surreal moments. As a mother, one of the passages that resonates in my heart is Luke 2:17-19[NKJV]: “Now when they (the shepherds) had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Mary could not possibly have fully imagined all she would see, experience, grieve and celebrate over the next 33 years. But I suspect that if we could ask an older, wiser Mary if she would do it all over again, we would hear a resounding “Yes!”. The truth is, none of us know on what path parenthood will carry us, what things we must see, experience, grieve, celebrate, and ponder. But I personally take great comfort in knowing that my Creator loves my children more than I do. It really is almost unbelievable that God would choose to implement the plan of worldwide redemption by becoming a baby, maturing naturally through childhood, and experiencing day to day life just like you and me and our kids. Then again, that God would go to any extreme to lead His children to salvation is really no surprise at all. There is a particular chain of stores that is promoting itself this Christmas by saying “Where kids are big deal.” Maybe this season…and every season…God looks at all of us, young and old, and believes we’re a big deal…a big enough deal anyway to become a baby, be born in Bethlehem, and save the world.

More Orange...

2009-10-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

From page 159 of Think Orange by Reggie Joiner...

"Uh-oh. It's the H word. Halloween. Have you ever considered that the problem with Halloween may be that we have thought so much about what is wrong with it and have never considered what might be right about it? No, I'm not suggesting you should dress up like a witch. Nor am I trying to make any kind of statement about Halloween being right or wrong. So don't judge too quickly here or you will miss the point--I just want to use the concept as an illustration to help us understand something about family. Here are few stats about Halloween:
* An estimated 47 percent of household consumers decorate for Halloween.
* Halloween is second only to Christmas is the volume of decorations sold.
* Over 790 million pounds of Jack-o-lanters and pies will be sold.
* Candy sales will exceed $2 billion.
* More than 93 percent of children go trick-or-treating every year.

Most families loves Halloween. Right or wrong, there is something about October 31 that stirs the imagination of children and engages the hearts of parents. Watch your neighborhood closely this fall. Listen to the laughter. Take a look at the generosity. Taste the sugar. Feel the energy. See the glow in the children's eyes. Notice the parents walking with their kids. And observe how families connect with other families. It seems kind of...magical."

Now (this is Leanne again), maybe you're wondering, is there a controversy about Halloween? Yes, among some conservative Christian groups, there is the argument that Halloween is a dark observation, not a family holiday that people of faith should enjoy. Many communities have gone to great lengths to remove Halloween celebrations, or at the very least change the nomenclature: fall festival, harvest festival, etc. So some families find themselves wondering if they can enjoy themselves at Halloween and not feel guilty about it at church. Or maybe the church has to respond by have the church version of Halloween: fall fest, pumpkin patch (to benefit missions of course), trunk-or-treat, and (my favorite) Heroes Unmasked! All cute ideas, all tried by yours truly, none judged for being anything but the church attempting to engage culture. The point Joiner is trying to make is that Halloween celebrations, regardless of its inception, has something to teach today's church about the heart of the family. So how do we, the Church, go beyond engaging the culture, and doing our version of Halloween...inside the walls of the church...and live in the culture**...being salt and light***...on October 31, November 1, November 2, November 3...

**John 17:16-18
***Matthew 5:13-14

A New Color

2009-10-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

I am reading a book right now called ThinkOrange: imagine the impact when church and family collide... by Reggie Joiner. The idea (which I hope to expound on when I preach Nov 8) is that the love of the family (think red) combined with the light of the Church (think yellow) can make orange...if we work together. Do you ever get the impression that we don't? Or that we work against each other without even realizing it. Let me offer an example from my crazy-busy life. I want to be involved in the local school. This (if I'm honest) has all kinds of angles with it. I want the church to have more influence in the school. I want to be able to invite school families to church. I have control issues with my children's school work. So I volunteer once a week to be in one child's classroom for 2 hours. I love doing this. But in my "volunteer" roll, I'm wearing 2 other hats simultaneously: mom and (perched a bit more precariously) pastor. So as a mom who already volunteers, I get asked to volunteer more, often, and more often. Anyone feeling me yet? And when I was asked to volunteer to chaperone a field trip, I said of course! Turns out said field trip was the same time as a volunteer meeting I had at church. The church meeting was primarily to encourage the moms to keep volunteering for more stuff at church, and I had to be there to make sure everyone sacrificed their time appropriately. So I had to renig on my volunteer job at school to encourage the group of moms who volunteer in both places to volunteer more for my jobs and not renig on me because I really needed them. Is anyone sensing the [hypocrisy, stupidity, insanity] here? So what has to give? How do I free myself and the families I seek to serve from the overwhelming schedule we all keep? Do I have that power within myself? One of school of thought would be a "less is more" attitude. You know, like putting little to nothing on the church calendar during the holiday season ,recognizing that families are already going 90 to nothing. Another school of thought says offer a church alternative to every community event so that we are as visible as the commercial side of Christmas. I've tried to strike somewhere in the middle*...or have I? What keeps me from adding nothing to the holiday calendar, just sticking with the basic calendar? It's this nagging feeling I get when I go to the store or turn on the TV or visit my child's school that everyone is trying to convince my kids what "the holiday spirit" is...without the Spirit. Because really, when my kids hear the phrase "holiday spirit" I want them to think of Luke 1 when the angel says to Mary "and the Holy Spirit will overshadow you and you will bear a son and will call him Jesus." So the church can't disengage the holiday calendar. But that doesn't solve the problem of families disengaging from the church when the holiday calendar gets full. Any ideas?

*ways we've downsized:
1 big Sunday school party, instead of 7 or 8 small ones in each room
carolling and Christmas party on the same night, instead of 2 or 3 nights
Night in Bethlehem community outreach instead of Fall Festival and Family Advent Celebration
Christmas musical on Sunday morning during worship instead of another night

WinShape Camp

2008-03-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

So, my sister Leslie has loved camping ever since she was finally old enough to spend the night away from home...which was at a later than normal age. But when she finally went to camp, it became a life passion. She has worked at Christian camps ever since. So when she called me at the end of last summer and said I just HAD to do WinShape, I trusted her judgement. And after doing a little homework about WinShape and creative work with the budget, I thought why not? And after I presented the idea to the Children's Council and they did a little homework, they thought, why not? I hope you think the same thing, WinShape camp at St. Paul this summer, why not? And just in case you can come up with some reason why not, promise me you'll visit their website first. You'll discover a unique opportunity for our church, a fabulous week in store for you (or your kid if you're a parent person reading this), and really cool camp to invite your friends to. So go take a look. Find the link on the other side of the page. And I'll see you at camp!

Let's Go Camping!

2008-02-19T10:21:00.000-08:00

If you would like to go to Camp Wesley Pines this summer, visit the link to their website on this page. Pick your date, then let Miss Leanne know. You can register with Camp Wesley Pines on their website. I'll let you know when other people are going as soon as I hear from you. There are limited scholarships available if you are in need. Just ask me!

Older Elementary Camp (for students entering 4-6 grade, not older than 12)

June 2-6

June 23-27

July 7-11

July 28-Aug 11

MAD Camp (Music, Arts, and Drama for students entering 4-7 grade)

June 9-12

Jr. High Camp (for students entering 7-9 grade)

June 16-20 (This conflicts with WinShape Camp at St. Paul)

July 14-18

Welcome to Kids4Christ!

2008-02-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

So, do you like to blog? I don't know if I do or not, but I thought I'd give it a try! Together, we can create a place for us to communicate, pray, worship, and keep in touch between Wednesday and Sunday. If you really enjoy creating blogspots, let me know. I need more help than you realize!

Peace out-

Miss Leanne