Where’s God
Sometimes my spiritual life reminds me of a Where’s Waldo book. Jesus promises to be with us always, “until the end of the age” as it says in Matthew 28:20. What age, six or maybe seven? Then life begins to get more and more complicated. The logical portion of our brain seems to wake up like a hibernating animal and steals the wonder, awe, and childlike trust we started out with. And the rest of our lives, we spend trying to get that back. As a child we have no problem seeing and feeling the goodness of God. There is so much happiness, joy, laughter, and simplicity. But as we get older we lose that lightheartedness, that joy, because we have a harder and harder time finding God. He gets lost in our pursuits, in our disappointments, in our busyness, in our loses, and in our fears. His promise to be with us always is forgotten, doubted, or clouded by life. But it’s precisely in that life that he can be found and found in a very intimate way if we look with the eyes of our old selves, our childlike selves. We have to look amongst the fullness and the chaos for simple, small, quiet, peaceful, calm, and comforting proofs of God’s presence. That’s where we find him. And what a thrill when we do spot him! Among the daily grind, if we look small enough, we get glimpses of him. Here are a few of mine since I wrote you last. Spotted him in the smiles and energetic discussions of the one hundred plus women who came out on a cold Saturday morning to spend four hours with me at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton learning about their gifts and their God. What an inspiration. Spotted him in the smile and the clinking of the glasses on my son’s 38th birthday that we celebrated together with a mom-son dinner out. Spotted him in the joy of my daughter as she shared a new awareness of God’s intimate presence in her life at Well Time at Firstfruits. Spotted him in the precious words of my three-year-old granddaughter as we were leaving Firstfruits and she said, “Wait, we didn’t say good bye to Jesus.” Spotted him in the hopeful and holy words of two retired priests, who have been ordained for over 70 years, that I had lunch with at San Camillus. Spotted him in the ugly face, deep belly...
Hope and Happiness in Him
I had the privilege of speaking to a group of women from St. Alphonsus parish Saturday morning. We met at the Conservancy for Healing and Heritage in Greendale. What a lovely place. (See the picture above) As the brochure says, The Conservancy for Healing and Heritage is a 36-acre parcel of land whose centerpiece is a 35-foot deep, spring-fed kettle lake. The lake is flanked by a steep glacial moraine covered in hardwoods. The forest floor is alive with wild flowers in the spring and wild mushrooms in the fall. To top it off there is a beautiful little chapel as you enter the Conservancy. That is where we met. All this is hidden away near 74th and Rawson Street in Greendale. A space where people can come and “just get better,” says Susan Rabe, CEO of the Conservancy. And who couldn’t use a good dose of “better?” Upon completion of the grounds there will be hiking trails, a gazebo, bridges at tree top level and a healing garden complete with a gently flowing waterfall cascading over rocks right outside the chapel’s towering wall of windows. A place to retreat, exercise, celebrate, and learn. A big part of the mission of the Conservancy is to provide physical, emotional, and spiritual healing through nature. Studies have shown the positive effect that natural environments can have on reducing stress and the many benefits to our general health from that reduction in stress. I have to say my natural environment the last week hasn’t exactly reduced my stress. There is something unnerving about snow falling before the leaves do. It’s disordered. And watching the Trick-or-Treaters stomping through snow to get their Kit Kats leaves me very stressed! It’s not supposed to be this way. The talk on Saturday was titled "Hope and Happiness in Him." It was based on Lysa Terkeurst’s book entitled It’s Not Suppose to Be This Way. The subject matter focused on how to find unexpected strength when disappointments leave you shattered. Have you ever been shattered by disappointed? Have you ever thought to yourself, “It’s not supposed to be this way?” Disillusioned by the reality of a challenging situation that seems to have no end in sight? We all have. The unexpected strength to rise above all of life’s disappointments lies only in Him. As Lysa says in her book, it lies in viewing disappointments as Divine appointments. Looking at our current challenges as just what...
Solidarity
I’m writing this to you from Berkeley, California. My sister and I are visiting my niece who attends law school here. The highlight of the trip so far was biking across the Golden Gate Bridge. I have to say there was a bit of false advertising in the online description of the guided tour. The bike rental shop called it “family friendly.” Well, maybe if you’re the Lance Armstrong family. But we made it and the scenery was spectacular. As we walked around the campus and surrounding areas in Berkeley, one thing really stood out to me. There was such diversity, so many people that looked so different from me. I realized what a sheltered life I live. We joined some of my niece's law school friends one night. Some of whom are interning at law firms that are in the heat of the immigration policy battles that are going on. They were telling real life stories of the plight of immigrants seeking asylum in this country. Suddenly, what I had been hearing on the news at home and turning a blind eye to became very real. Not to mention the many homeless men and women we passed by on the streets of San Francisco. All this has left me feeling embarrassed and sad. Embarrassed by my lack of a more global outlook and sad at my lack of a more global compassion. Sitting in church this morning, I had a strange new awareness of the inherent beauty and dignity of God’s people. And the need to help each other. The question is HOW? That is a question that I can tell isn’t going away anytime soon. Our study of the book of James at Firstfruits these past weeks isn’t helping the situation. Much of the commentary centers on helping the poor. It is a convicting reminder of Jesus’ words in Luke 12:48. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more. On this trip west God has shown me new sights and insights that will not soon be forgotten. Something has been put on my heart and for that I am grateful. And for padded bike seats. Joan...
Sounds of Silence
I attended a movie today with my daughter as part of the annual Milwaukee Film Festival. It was entitled Moonlight Sonata. This documentary told the story of a boy who was born deaf but with the aid of cochlear implants was able to hear. He was also a very accomplished pianist, thus the connection to Beethoven and his Moonlight Sonata, which he composed as he was losing his hearing. The interesting part of the movie for me was that when given the option, often the young boy would purposely remove the device from his head that allowed him to hear because he came alive in his silence. It was in the silence he found his voice. It was in the silence he found freedom and his greatest creativity. Think of how many words we hear and utter in the course of a day. How full our heads are with useless information. (Especially if you spend any time with three to five year olds.) Every day we have the choice to fill our heads with the noises of the world or turn it off and enter the silence. A silence waiting for us. A silence where our greatest source of creativity exists. Where true freedom lies. Where our true selves lie. And where God is present whispering His truth. And I don’t mean cloistering ourselves in a room isolated from life. I mean choosing throughout the course of the day to take minute “vacations” from the noise and just listen. Even if all you hear is a quiet din, let it be. The boy in the movie had a set of grandparents who were deaf from birth and didn’t receive implants until much later in life, and when they could hear better, they commented that it really wasn’t all that meaningful to them. The words they had missed all those years didn’t keep them from experiencing what really mattered in life. There are many ways to express ourselves other than through words and often those ways are much more powerful and leave a lasting impression. A tender touch or a smile goes a long way. Not to mention the trouble we can get into with our words. So better to limit them anyway. That goes for written words too. Joan...
Set It Free
Well, it happened again. Only this time it came from a somewhat unusual place, not the norm for Firstfruits. There was a gathering of high school basketball coaches at the Firstfruits space this week. Our son has had a passion for all things basketball as long as I can remember. He went from dribbling in a bib to dribbling in a gym with little time in between. As a coach he knows and respects the powerful impact you can have on players, good and bad, and strives always for the former. He likes to gather like-minded coaches to share strategies and to support each other as they strive to be the best coaches and role models for their players. One such gathering took place this week. As I was making the coffee and putting out the donuts in the Kiwi Café, one of the coaches came up to me and thanked me for letting them meet at the space. He said, “I really like this place. It’s so peaceful.” When all the coaches left, my son mentioned how being in the space made it easier to have some really open, honest conversation. It was noticeable. Much different than when they meet in a classroom or conference room. That’s the kind of comment we get all the time from the women who come to Firstfruits. To hear that same sentiment from men made me smile. We are in the process of producing a video for our website (Watch for the premier sometime in January!) and as part of that process we taped some testimonials from Firstfruits regulars and so many of those testimonials touched on that feeling of peace that is prevalent at the space or the feeling of being filled up with whatever it was they needed when they walked in. Whether it was calm, comfort, assurance, wisdom, or hope. What is this invisible thing that continues to touch all who enter Firstfruits? That fills them up? That breaks down defenses and opens up communication? That gives some goosebumps? That is the Holy Spirit. Arguably, the most misunderstood of the Trinity. It’s not a ghost or a dove or a tongue of fire. At least not at Firstfruits. There, it’s a gentle but powerful presence that brings with it all the intangibles. And all we had to do is invite it. Welcome it with open arms. Set it free. From day one we have invited the Holy...
Loose Lips
Loose lips sink ships. Not sure exactly what that old idiom meant but the basic message is clear and very true. There is great power in our words. Power to lift up and power to destroy. Our conversation at Well Time this week at Firstfruits still has me thinking. It was about being impeccable with our words. The topic came from the book, The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz. The word impeccable was defined as “without sin.” How do we sin with our words? Let me count the ways. Think of the last conversation you had. Were your words impeccable? Or were they despicable? Were there subtle hints of criticism, judgment, passive aggression, or anger? Did they leave the person feeling ashamed, guilty, insecure, or worthless? How easy it is to sin through our words. Oh, the power we have in our mouths. And then there is gossip. It is so prevalent by the number of comments we had about it in our group, and so destructive. How often we find ourselves in situations where there is gossip going on and we don’t know what to do. Our options are limited. Or are they? What is the right thing to do? Tell the person to stop. In most cases however, that isn’t going to happen. We don’t have control over anyone else’s use of their words, but we can have control over our own. One of the women in the group gave us a valuable tip on how to break the habit of destructive words. She heard it in a homily at mass. The priest said to “put love on your mouth.” Like physically touch your lips and imagine putting love on your mouth. Like a filter or screen. Every word must pass through that screen of love. When I picture doing that I immediately thought of those oversized, bright red wax candy lips I used to wear when I was a kid. So when I am tempted to use words that I know will be destructive, I imagine putting on my wax lips of love. It makes me chuckle a bit and in that moment of visualization I give my mind a chance to regroup and my mouth a chance to save itself. It really is working. Give it a try. That is what I love about Well Time at Firstfruits. We have the best conversations about such relevant topics and come away with such...
Generosity
My dad was a generous man. I remember when I would ask him for money to go to a movie, which back then was under five dollars. He would give me a ten-dollar bill and say, “Buy yourself some ice cream.” He was generous in his compassion. He cared about people. When he and my mom would travel, if there were women travelling in their group without a partner, he made sure they were never alone. He included them at meals and on tours. He was generous with his forgiveness. He was quick to move on from the teenage follies of my brother, like when he let a friend drive the family car and he crashed it. He was generous with his time. He worked hard to provide my three siblings and me with a comfortable home, quality education, and a lasting faith life. I was blessed from early on with a good example of what it means to be generous. My dad knew how to celebrate generously too. From the almost weekly Saturday evening get-togethers with my aunts and uncles and cousins to the Luau (always a luau, see picture) themed block parties and anniversary parties, my dad gave it his all. He loved to see people having fun. Too often we only associate generosity with monetary giving. There are so many other ways we are called to be generous. The priest at mass today gave a homily on generosity. In it he said, “Be generous in all that God is.” Think about that. All that God is? I started to make a list. God is: kind, merciful, forgiving, caring, loving, wise, tender, faithful, truth, available, aware, involved, and good just to name a few of His attributes. So we are to be generous in our kindness, mercy, forgiveness, care, love, wisdom, faithfulness, availability, awareness, involvement, tenderness, and goodness just to name a few. Good food for thought. I’ve been thinking a lot about generosity ever since the Firstfruits Anniversary celebration a couple weeks ago. We are still receiving cards in the mail, offers of help and promises of prayer. It’s amazing. One amazing supporter of Firstfruits is Jamie O’Donoghue who owns O’Donoghues Irish Pub in Elm Grove. He has generously provided us with abundant and delicious food for our events the past two years. To show our appreciation to Jamie and to have an excuse to gather Firstfruits friends more than just once a year, we will begin something...
A Dream Come True
The Firstfruits second anniversary FUNraiser last week raised a lot of fun and much more. A big thank you to all who so generously supported us with your attendance, your donations, and your prayers. There were definitely some powerful prayers being said because the anticipated rain didn’t arrive until much later than was forecast so we were able to move things out into the beautiful courtyard in the Village Court where Firstfruits has its new home. Ironically, the minute my head hit the pillow later that night, there was a loud clap of thunder and the downpour began. I smiled and said “Go ahead, bring it on.” I didn’t care at that point because I had witnessed a dream come true. At one point during the evening I looked out at the courtyard and saw a vision I have had floating around in my head for a very long time playing out right before my eyes. A crowd of men and women sitting at tables and around the wooden gazebo under twinkling lights eating, drinking, talking, and laughing in a very secular setting yet they were all there to celebrate the faithfulness and goodness of God. The common ground we all shared was a deep sense of gratitude and ever increasing awareness of the constant presence and love of God. I stood out there to thank everyone for coming and to share with them stories of God’s faithfulness to Firstfruits. It felt surreal, a bringing together of the worldly and the other-worldly. Bringing God out of the sky and into the courtyard, into our everyday lives. A dream come true. I felt so blessed that God had cared enough to make my dream come true. And he used many of you to do that. I am so grateful. Being together with so many Firstfruits supporters, eating delicious, generously donated food from O’Donoghues, and dancing to an amazing band of local talent called No Expectations which includes a singing dermatologist as the lead singer, just added to the magic. The Holy Spirit is alive and well at Firstfruits! In addition to the weekly events we have going like Weekly Word on Mondays, a bible study of the book of James on Tuesdays, and the ever-popular Well Time on Wednesdays we have some exciting new offerings coming. Because of the popularity of Well Time we will be adding an evening Well Time beginning October 16. If you have wanted...
The Eight-Year-Old
We have a lot to celebrate this week! Firstfruits turns eight years old and will celebrate the second anniversary of settling down into its forever home in Elm Grove. If you have the pleasure of hanging out with any eight-year-olds for any length of time, you know how fun that age is. Every once in awhile you get a peak at their maturity and are in awe but for the most part they still have that innocent curiosity about life. They have come a long way but still have a lot to learn. They still need your help. Eight-year-old Firstfruits is much the same. I think back to its birth and early formative years with a smile. God had a plan and nothing was going to stop it. A vision of gathering women to grow in their relationship to God was given life. A community of support was established in a safe and loving environment. There were lots of growing pains along the way but nothing a little prayer, patience, and perseverance couldn’t remedy. And now, eight years later, by the grace of God, there are signs that this baby has matured. Firstfruits isn’t just a ministry that provides programs for women. It has grown into a lifeline, a life giving community. Firstfruits isn’t a calendar of occasional events. It has become a lifestyle. Firstfruits isn’t a just a legal 501c3 non-profit organization bound by lots of rules (Well, kind of.) It is a movement of the Holy Spirit full of creativity, curiosity, openness, and FUN! That’s just a peak at the maturity of this eight-year-old and isn’t it awesome? But Firstfruits still has a lot to learn. It still has much to discover and do. And with that will come more growing pains, I’m sure. It still needs your help. We are celebrating God’s faithfulness to Firstfruits this coming Thursday, September 12 from 6:30-9:00 at our Second Anniversary FUNraiser. We hope you can be there with us! The celebration will take place in the courtyard of the Village Court in Elm Grove with live music, good food and drinks, and lots of FUN. For more details check out our website at Firstfruits.info. Come raise some fun with us and some praise and gratitude to the One who makes it all possible! Joan...
Read the Manual
Someone once told me the bible isn’t a museum piece to be displayed on a shelf. It isn’t just a textbook to be studied. It is alive. It is the living word of God. It has the power to transform lives. It contains the wisdom we need to live our lives as they were intended to be lived. In short, it is our life’s manual. Well if that’s the case, I did the first thirty-three years of my life never having read the manual. Which is typical for me. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t read instructions or recipes thoroughly and then gets totally frustrated when the tent collapses during the first basement “camp out” or the chocolate chip cookies are hard as a rock. (I always blame it on the oven or the pans.) I never read the booklets that come with appliances. I’m sure my washer and dryer can do so many more things than I give them credit for but who cares, as long as they wash and dry. So ok, I ‘m not the wisest consumer and my appliances aren’t maintained as they were meant to be. That’s not a good habit to have when it comes to life. Doing life on our own without the wisdom of God can lead to much worse than hard cookies and underachieving washing machines. It can lead to unnecessary hardship and suffering. It can leave us mired in anxiety, doubtful of our purpose, fumbling with decisions, and caught in resentment to name a few. God’s word addresses all these things and many, many more of the daily challenges we face in our worldly walk. I experienced the “aliveness” of the bible for the first time in my early thirties. Up until then I was doing life on my own. I had what I thought was a faith life but now I see it lacked intimacy with God. I didn’t really know God. Then I met Anxiety. It took up residence in my life and refused to leave. I tried everything to deal with it on my own. One day it just became too much and as a last resort I prayed. Immediately, I felt a peace that I knew was not of me. It was a comfort and a call. God wanted me to know the wisdom He had for me in his word. I opened the bulletin from our parish and saw that there...