The Etch-a-Sketch
This time of year reminds me of one of my favorite childhood toys, the Etch–a-Sketch. I had a love/hate relationship with my Etch-a-Sketch. I found it fascinating to try to draw an accurate depiction of anything other than a square or rectangle. Trying to make a perfect circle drove me insane, but I kept trying. When it got to be too much, I would take out my frustrations by just turning it upside down and shaking the daylights out of it. Then, I would start the process all over again. Resolve, determination, failure, frustration, repeat. With the turning of the calendar page last week we’ve begun a new year. Out with the old and in with the new. We can shake the daylights out of the picture we were in and resolve to start anew. With resolutions we often end up like I did with my Etch–a-Sketch, in failure and frustration unless we invite a power greater than ourselves into our picture making. When we resolve to let God lead our hands (and everything else) it becomes more of an evolution than a resolution, a slow process of creation in partnership with the One who knows the twists and turns that are necessary to shape the life He has intended for us. Eating less, exercising more. Spending less, giving more. Showing up on time, calling your mother-in-law more often, and cleaning the top of the refrigerator on a regular basis are all honorable resolutions. But I challenge you as I challenge myself to a deeper New Year’s evolution. Prayerfully consider what God might be calling you to work on, with Him, these next twelve months. Is He calling you to meet Him through the study of His word? Come join us for Weekly Word on Monday mornings. Is He urging you to take time away from the busyness and be still? Come join us for a mini-retreat on January 23. Is He showing himself to you in a restlessness that isn’t going away? A nagging feeling that there is more to life? A feeling that there is a deeper purpose for your life? Come join us for the Called and Gifted Workshop starting February 5 on Tuesday mornings or Saturday mornings. Resolve to evolve this new year. Listen to the promptings and act on them. Shake off the excuses, come to God with a clean slate, and join Him as He etches and sketches the abundant life He has waiting for...
Good Bye Old Friend
Anthropomorphism is a term that means attributing human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. I have found myself indulging in anthropomorphistic behavior of late. Only I have attributed human emotions to an inanimate object, my circa 1980 Sunbeam Mixmaster hand mixer. Let me explain. As I was contemplating the upcoming holiday baking season, I decided that it was time to get a new hand mixer. The one I currently have was a wedding gift from my parents’ good friends, Ruth and Gene. Ruth was a great cook. Unfortunately, that skill didn’t come with the mixer. It’s a simple mixer really: only three speeds, no retractable cord, and one set of beaters. But it does the trick. I just felt like I deserved a new one. I put it on my Christmas list being too cheap to just go buy myself one. Yesterday, I was at my daughter’s house. She went down in her basement, came up with a box, and handed it to me. It was a brand-new Oster hand mixer that she had, along with some other unused wedding gifts, collecting dust. She patted me on the back and said “Merry Christmas.” So, today, I was all set to use my new six-speed, ergonomically designed, retractable cord mixer with four different beaters. There is a dough hook, whisk, drink rod (whatever that is), and the beaters I recognized. I was excited to start the holiday baking. Then, it happened. I went to take my old mixer out of the drawer to throw it away and a wave of anthropomorphism came over me. I thought my old mixer must feel a twinge of sadness. Or was it me? I couldn’t just discard it. I was flooded with memories of the times I spent with that mixer over the last 38 years. Looking at the crusted-on flour on the handle and chocolate stains on the non-retractable cord, it brought back such good memories. The mash potatoes I used to make as a newlywed trying to compete with my new mother-in-law for best cook award in my husband’s eyes. The birthday celebrations of our kids and cupcakes I made for them to take to school on their birthdays until the teachers outlawed cupcakes for being too messy. The banana muffins, the banana muffins, the banana muffins I would be forced to make when our bananas went black and my frugal husband would say “Looks like WE should make some banana...
Birth
Congratulations are in order. My son-in-law’s cousin and her husband had a baby girl last week. You may have heard about them. It was all over the news. Mom delivered baby Layla in their car in the parking lot of the Country Inn on Moreland and Greenfield Ave! Unusual circumstances providing a beautiful new life for one family. As we enter into the Advent season this week, it reminds me of the birth of another baby under somewhat unusual circumstances. No parking lot, no car, no 911 call announcing the arrival. Just a stable, a manger, and a star. Unusual circumstances providing a beautiful new life whose sole purpose was to bring new life to all who would believe. Do you ever wonder what your sole purpose is? Why you were born? Try asking Siri that question next time she asks what she can help you with. ? I’m old enough to remember the Baltimore Catechism classes we had in grade school. It consisted of a series of questions about the Catholic faith and we were required to memorize the answers. That’s actually half true, I am old enough but I don’t remember much except for one of the questions that has stayed with me. It has had a profound effect on my life. The question was “Why were you born?” The answer: To know, love, and serve God in this life and be with Him for eternity in the next. Boom, bang, drop the microphone! Need I say more. If you’ve ever wondered why you were born, there it is in a nutshell. Nothing else should matter. If we spend our lives getting to know God, living in right relationship with Him, opening ourselves up to His immense love, mirroring that love to others, and discerning our gifts and where we are being called to serve with those gifts, we are living our sole purpose. So often I hear people talk about their desire to find purpose and how unsettling and scary it can be at those times in life when the purpose they were functioning under becomes blurred or pulled out from under them. A good portion of our sense of security and well-being comes from a solid feeling of purpose. When that is shaken, we are shaken. We need to keep our sights set on that sole purpose, on why we were born. That is where we find God, the ultimate security...
Blessings
I have a lot of blessings to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. There are the more universal blessings that remind me there is a loving God. A supportive husband, three grown children and their spouses who are genuinely good and kind human beings, five beautiful grand babies, my health, purposeful work, and friends and family who love me...
The Thrill of Hope
I met four incredibly inspiring women this week. I can’t stop thinking about them. Last Wednesday evening as part of the Firstfruits mini retreat, we had a session on grief and loss. I was blessed to be allowed to share in these four women’s stories of loss and heartbreak. Three of the women had lost a spouse. Two of them at a very young age. For one, widowhood had come to visit for a second time. And one of the women had lost a son. I can’t stop thinking about them because of the impact their strength and courage has had on me. Even as they spoke of living in a fog and finding it hard to just get out of bed some days, their courage and strength shone through. They somehow found the strength to continue on. I know there are many other grieving women and men and children out there that these women represent. Some reading this blog, some in my exercise class, some in my neighborhood, some in my own family. Along with the inspiration I gained from being allowed into the hurt these women have endured was a lesson I learned that I want to share. A lesson on how to help those who are hurting. Here’s what I learned from these brave, tender hearted teachers: · Talk about the loved one that has passed. Use their name. Say it out loud. · Don’t worry about what to say, about saying the right thing. Just be there in silence. Less is more. · It’s a couple’s world. Include those who are single in your plans. Think of them. Include them. · Don’t put parameters on their grief or a timeframe. Just let them grieve. Don’t try to fix it. With the holidays coming up it’s important to be especially caring and compassionate to those who are grieving. The holidays aren’t a Hallmark movie for everyone. Some are having to dig a little deeper to find something to be thankful for and to some the coming Christmas season is anything but merry. The other reason I can’t stop thinking about the strength and courage of these women is that it’s such a testimony to the love and compassion our God has for us. At our weakest he is strong. He is our strength. He is our hope. He calls on us to deliver that hope to others. His hope promises to soothe the grief. Not remove it but soothe...
Destiny
I met someone this week who told me she actually reads my blogs! (Rosie, you know who you are?!) It felt good to be affirmed and encouraged. I met her when I was asked to speak to a group of women who began meeting monthly about three years ago to share fellowship, faith and spirits. (The liquid kind that is!) I came to find out that I was their swan song so to speak. The gathering I was invited to speak at was the last for this group of women committed to their faith. There wasn’t anyone able to take over the responsibility of organizing the group going forward. I thought maybe there is a reason I was asked to talk to this group at this time. The topic I was to speak on was my faith journey and how it led to Firstfruits. To explain what the mission of Firstfruits is and what we are all about. And what Firstfruits is all about is gathering women for fellowship, to grow in their faith and to experience the Spirit. A perfect match. A perfect solution. Perfect timing from our perfect God. Have you ever discovered you were put somewhere or met someone or went through something at the time you did, for a reason? That God had something to do with the timing of events? Often times we don’t see it as it’s happening, only in retrospect. How often our history plays a part in our destiny. On Tuesday mornings we have a bible study at Firstfruits. We are studying the book of Esther. It’s all about destiny and how God shows us dimensions of our destiny throughout our lives. The providential hand of God is at work in our lives all the time. Esther, a Jew, is crowned Queen of Persia which in that time was a miracle in itself. The timing of her queenship is perfect because a decree had gone out to annihilate all the Jews. Esther, however, is in a perfect position to influence her husband, King Xerxes, and save her people. Speaking up is risky for Esther. She possibly could face death, but if she doesn’t act on what she knows she is being called to do, not only will she die but her people too. A dimension of her destiny is before her. She has to make a decision. She’s scared and unsure. Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, responds to her reluctance with...
Goodness
I have a Firstfruits hangover! There was just too much fun and happiness and love all in one room at our First Anniversary celebration last Thursday. I don’t know what was better: the band, the food, the raffle items, or the fellowship. God’s hand was in it all! As I looked around the room at people laughing and dancing I was reminded of the importance of recognizing and celebrating the profound goodness that is around us every day. So often we get mired in disappointment, discouragement, and defeat. The “glass half empty” syndrome. When right in front of us is God’s constant reminders of his unfathomable love. How did he show that love? Free use of a beautiful space for our event when the weather didn’t cooperate. Through the generosity of Jamie O’Donoghue who provided food for us and the Brzezinski family who provided the beverages. Through the talent of No Expectations, a band of local musicians lifting our moods and our feet with their beats. Through the loyalty of an old friend who drove hours to be there to surprise me, who “wouldn’t have missed it.” Through the unfailing dedication (and patience with my crazy ideas) of Mary Stachowiak and the band of merry volunteers that truly are God’s hands. ...
The Birthday Party
The last eight years of my life have been full of grand babies. I had gone almost twenty years without endless crying in the house (unless the Packers lost), the unmistakable scent of a dirty diaper, or macaroni noodles cemented to the floor. But it’s all back, and this time around I can’t get enough of it! I especially love the birthday parties of my grand babies, in particular, that first birthday. Each time I witnessed the first birthday ritual of suffocation with frosting and cake, I couldn’t help but be in awe of the dramatic development that occurs in those first twelve months. It’s truly a miracle only attributable to God’s perfect design. I’ve been reminded of this as Firstfruits is celebrating its first birthday this week. We are in awe of how things have developed over the course of the last twelve months. God had a perfect design for this spiritual home and through his provision and faithfulness it has begun to unfold. And it has only just begun. Like a one-year-old child there is so much yet to happen, so much purpose to be discovered, so much potential to be unleashed. As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. To enable that child to reach his or her fullest potential. To be all that God intended them to be. The same is true for Firstfruits. God’s perfect design for Firstfruits includes you. For Firstfruits to reach its full potential we need your input. We need your wisdom, we need YOU. If you are a regular at our events let us know why. If you have never joined us, or it’s been a while since you joined us, tell us why. If you have ideas or suggestions let us know. If you are feeling a pull to help us nurture and develop this one-year-old by volunteering, be sure to let us know. And remember, you’re all invited to a birthday party for Firstfruits this Thursday, October 18 from 7-9pm at our new home in the Village Court in Elm Grove. Live music, beer and wine, food from O’Donoghues Pub and plenty of FUN! The only gift required is the gift of you. ?Happy Birthday dear Firstfruits, Happy Birthday to you.? Joan...
Baseball Fever
I’ve had writers block lately. I can’t seem to concentrate on writing a blog. Well that isn’t really true. I’ve actually had Brewer fever, being that I’m a huge baseball fan and live in Milwaukee. The time I have when I should be writing is now occupied with the Brew Crew’s post season antics. But to be honest, tucked away in me is a sentimental love for the Chicago Cubs. (Every time I say that out loud I duck because I think someone is going to hurl something at me.) I have fond memories as a kid going to Wrigley Field with my dad and siblings. If we weren’t at the game we were listening to it on the radio or TV sitting on our screened in porch sipping on Hawaiian Punch. One of the highlights of my life was meeting Ernie Banks in person 26 years ago. He was moving a lot slower than I remembered him but it was still a thrill. Baseball has consumed me the last couple weeks. A far cry from one year ago. Last October I didn’t care who was occupying the bases I was consumed with getting a permit to occupy the new home base for Firstfruits. We were scrambling to finish the remodel of Firstfruits’ new permanent home in Elm Grove. I can’t believe it has been a year already since we began welcoming women, children, and men to this holy space. It’s been a year of learning and growing. We had our share of laughter and tears. But most memorable was the deep sense of awe at how things unfolded. It wasn’t a year of worry, anxiety, or fear as you might expect when starting something new because we were constantly reminded of God’s presence and provision. We trusted and He didn’t disappoint. That’s the God we’ve come to know at Firstfruits. That’s the God that is waiting to provide for you in the uncertainties of life. We hope you will join us October 18 from 7-9pm as we celebrate God’s care and provision for Firstfruits at our One Year Anniversary FUNraiser! We’ll have live music, food and drinks, and raffle opportunities. Save the date, it’s sure to be a home run! Joan...
God Lenses
My husband asked me to go with him last weekend to pick out new eye glasses. That’s considered a date for us old married couples. Something new and exciting to do on a Saturday afternoon. Sad but true. He ended up getting glasses that look just like the ones he was replacing. I was hoping he would go for something wild and out of the box like maybe brown frames instead of black. But alas, you can take the man out of the bank but you can’t take the banker out of the man. He did do something kind of radical however. He opted for the transition lenses. The ones that gradually turn dark as you transition from indoors to outdoors. Dark to light and vice versa. They adapt to whatever environment you find yourself in. You don’t have to even think about it. It just happens. They keep you protected and help you adapt to sudden changes. Life is a series of changes, transitions, some more painful than others. Some transitions are common and to be expected: marriage, childbirth, menopause, the empty nest, retirement, and the golden years. Others are forced on us: divorce, unemployment, loss of a spouse, miscarriage, and acute or chronic illness. All these situations require courage to accept the change, trust in an unknown and hope for something better. Wouldn’t it be awesome if there were a type of lens we could put on that would see us through life’s transitions? That would protect us and help us adapt to the inevitable changes life sends our way? There is such a thing and its available, without a prescription, to anyone who wants it. We just need to begin to see life through God lenses. See that every “end” is really a new beginning. That in the midst of all the change, one thing is constant and immutable and that is the presence and the love of God. That is where the courage, the trust and the hope come from. Fall is nature, transitioning. The sights and sounds and smells of autumn remind us of the beauty that is part of change. It trains us year after year to see the purpose in change and helps us trust and hope in what is to come. Eventually there will be new life again. We see it year after year after year. We can rest knowing there will be blooms again in Spring. The God...