Journeys 9-17-06
Half-way healed. That’s how I feel right now. Yes, I’m making progress. Yes, I’m taking steps to build my atrophied muscles back. But there is the nagging question in my mind, “Will this ever be over? Will I ever actually walk again?”
Since May 10th, I’ve gone from bed to wheelchair to crutches to one crutch to my new one week old cane. As I’d get fast with one apparatus, we’d move to the next one and start all over again.
Physically, it’s about healing bones, ligaments and muscles. Mentally and spiritually, its about trusting that my leg won’t give out on me if I put full weight on it; having the confidence to take a risk. This week for the first time, my physical therapist said, “Go ahead, try taking some steps without touching the parallel bars.” For some reason, those parallel bars make this creaking noise when I lean on them, so even if he was working with another patient, I couldn’t cheat without making some noise.
My Spiritual Director talked with me some this last week about the possibility of being “whole” even though I’m only half-way healed. He said, my soul, my person, is still the same in God’s eyes even if my body is broken and unable to perform. We talked about how, age makes it possible for something to be “wrong” all the time for the rest of my life. Everything doesn’t have to be fixed and in perfect condition for me to be whole.
I told him that going to those first two Husker football games had helped put me back together again inside. Even from the handicapped section, hearing the band play those same old songs, the sound of eighty-some thousand clapping and cheering together, healed something that had come apart inside of me. It was kind of like worship. It was coming home. In worship we sing the same old songs, do the same old things, shake the same hands, see the same people, and whatever has been pulled apart inside of us gets put back together again. We know who we are and who’s we are, and we have confidence to step out that church door and risk giving ourselves away again.
Everything is not, “right.” Everything is not perfect, and may never be perfect again, but through our brokenness we can see the brokenness of others and God nudges us to step forward through the pain offering love and caring.
Now, I think, maybe, my whole life, I’ve been half-way healed, and just didn’t know it.
Grace & Peace,
Friday, September 15, 2006
Journeys 9-10-06
On this, “Bring a Friend to Church, Blessing of the Backpacks, Sunday School Kick-off, Third Grade Bibles, All Church Picnic,” Sunday, I thought it would be good to re-introduce you to our Centenary Staff.
Cindy and I are Co-Pastors. We’re starting our fifth year here in Beatrice. We are entering our 22nd year of full time ministry at Elders in the Nebraska Conference. We both received our Master of Divinity degrees at the Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Cindy received her bachelor’s degree from Wofford College in Spartenburg, South Carolina. I received my degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln.
Today we consecrate two new members of our staff: Mrs. Janine Harvey, Youth Director/Kids Kamp Coordinator, and, Mrs. Cindy Waltke, Treasurer/Secretary. Cindy has been holding down the duties of church secretary most of the summer. We have now hired her as one-quarter church treasurer, three-quarters church secretary. Come take a look at the newly re-arranged office! Cindy has been with us 5-1/3 years.
Mrs. Linda Bierman is our part-time financial secretary overseeing the counting and accounting of our incoming offerings/building funds/special funds/stocks/bonds/commodities, quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies. Linda has been with us 11-1/3 years
Terry Terhune is our part-time T.V. Ministry/Sound System Coordinator. Terry coordinates fundraising for our T.V. Ministry and makes sure volunteers are available to operate the audio and video systems for worship, weddings and funerals. Terry has been on staff 3-1/2 years.
Kathryn Denny is our part-time janitor, cleaning our building mostly in the late evenings and early mornings. Kathryn has been with us 1-1/2 years.
Beth Mais is our part-time Nursery Worker, taking care of our little ones during worship and Sunday School Sundays from 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.. Beth has been here for 1-1/3 years.
Mrs. Edna Schmidt is our part-time Organist/pianist/summer gracenotes director/summer music coordinator/chancel choir accompaniest. Edna plays the organ in worship at all three worship services all year round. She also sings solos and plays for funerals and weddings and special programs throughout the year. She has been with us 22 years.
Sue Sindlar is our part-time adult handbell director. They meet on Monday nights to practice each week. They present their musical selections with us about once a month. Sue has been with us for 15-1/2 years.
Grace & Peace,
Cindy and I are Co-Pastors. We’re starting our fifth year here in Beatrice. We are entering our 22nd year of full time ministry at Elders in the Nebraska Conference. We both received our Master of Divinity degrees at the Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Cindy received her bachelor’s degree from Wofford College in Spartenburg, South Carolina. I received my degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln.
Today we consecrate two new members of our staff: Mrs. Janine Harvey, Youth Director/Kids Kamp Coordinator, and, Mrs. Cindy Waltke, Treasurer/Secretary. Cindy has been holding down the duties of church secretary most of the summer. We have now hired her as one-quarter church treasurer, three-quarters church secretary. Come take a look at the newly re-arranged office! Cindy has been with us 5-1/3 years.
Mrs. Linda Bierman is our part-time financial secretary overseeing the counting and accounting of our incoming offerings/building funds/special funds/stocks/bonds/commodities, quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies. Linda has been with us 11-1/3 years
Terry Terhune is our part-time T.V. Ministry/Sound System Coordinator. Terry coordinates fundraising for our T.V. Ministry and makes sure volunteers are available to operate the audio and video systems for worship, weddings and funerals. Terry has been on staff 3-1/2 years.
Kathryn Denny is our part-time janitor, cleaning our building mostly in the late evenings and early mornings. Kathryn has been with us 1-1/2 years.
Beth Mais is our part-time Nursery Worker, taking care of our little ones during worship and Sunday School Sundays from 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.. Beth has been here for 1-1/3 years.
Mrs. Edna Schmidt is our part-time Organist/pianist/summer gracenotes director/summer music coordinator/chancel choir accompaniest. Edna plays the organ in worship at all three worship services all year round. She also sings solos and plays for funerals and weddings and special programs throughout the year. She has been with us 22 years.
Sue Sindlar is our part-time adult handbell director. They meet on Monday nights to practice each week. They present their musical selections with us about once a month. Sue has been with us for 15-1/2 years.
Grace & Peace,
Journeys 9-3-06
Journeys 9-3-06:
According to Wikipedia.com:
"The origins of the American Labor Day can be traced back to the Knights of
Labor in the United States and a parade organized by them on September 5,
1882 in New York City. They were inspired by an annual labor parade held in
Toronto, Canada. In 1884 another parade was held, and the Knights passed
resolutions to make this an annual event.
Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United
States since the 1880s. The September date has remained unchanged, even
though the government was encouraged to adopt May 1 as Labor Day, the date
celebrated by the majority of the world. Moving the holiday, in addition to
breaking with tradition, could have been viewed as aligning the U.S. labor
movements with internationalist sympathies.
Labor Day is generally regarded simply as a day of rest and, unlike May Day,
political demonstrations are rare. Forms of celebration include picnics,
barbecues, fireworks displays, water activities, and public art events.
Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel
before the end of summer. Some teenagers and young adults view it as the
last weekend for parties before returning to school.
One of the largest modern traditions of Labor Day in the United States is
the annual telethon of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, hosted by Jerry
Lewis to fund research and patient support programs for the various diseases
grouped as muscular dystrophy. The telethon raises tens of millions of
dollars each year. In 2005, despite the recent catastrophe caused by
Hurricane Katrina, nearly $55 million was raised over 21 hours."
In the Karges family, for years, Labor Day meant getting together in Albion
for my grandma's birthday. It started on her 90th and continued a decade
until her death a couple years ago. We'd get together at the City Park or
at the Wolf Home's "Hospitality Room," and eat and cluster in generations
around the room to talk. The third and fourth generations would run around
getting to know each other. For me it brought back memories of growing up
years and Sunday dinners at Grandma's house; the adults in the dining room,
the "kid table" in the kitchen. You had to be married to sit with the
adults. After dinner, the adults would sit around and talk while we kids
would go outside for football or baseball and play until somebody got hurt.
This year, Labor Day means the first Husker home football game in
conjunction with the State Fair and a day of rest on Monday. It is a
Sabbath day of rest before the fall schedule takes off in full stride. May
God grant you rest as we transition to the next season, (starting NOW!).
Grace & Peace,
According to Wikipedia.com:
"The origins of the American Labor Day can be traced back to the Knights of
Labor in the United States and a parade organized by them on September 5,
1882 in New York City. They were inspired by an annual labor parade held in
Toronto, Canada. In 1884 another parade was held, and the Knights passed
resolutions to make this an annual event.
Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United
States since the 1880s. The September date has remained unchanged, even
though the government was encouraged to adopt May 1 as Labor Day, the date
celebrated by the majority of the world. Moving the holiday, in addition to
breaking with tradition, could have been viewed as aligning the U.S. labor
movements with internationalist sympathies.
Labor Day is generally regarded simply as a day of rest and, unlike May Day,
political demonstrations are rare. Forms of celebration include picnics,
barbecues, fireworks displays, water activities, and public art events.
Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel
before the end of summer. Some teenagers and young adults view it as the
last weekend for parties before returning to school.
One of the largest modern traditions of Labor Day in the United States is
the annual telethon of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, hosted by Jerry
Lewis to fund research and patient support programs for the various diseases
grouped as muscular dystrophy. The telethon raises tens of millions of
dollars each year. In 2005, despite the recent catastrophe caused by
Hurricane Katrina, nearly $55 million was raised over 21 hours."
In the Karges family, for years, Labor Day meant getting together in Albion
for my grandma's birthday. It started on her 90th and continued a decade
until her death a couple years ago. We'd get together at the City Park or
at the Wolf Home's "Hospitality Room," and eat and cluster in generations
around the room to talk. The third and fourth generations would run around
getting to know each other. For me it brought back memories of growing up
years and Sunday dinners at Grandma's house; the adults in the dining room,
the "kid table" in the kitchen. You had to be married to sit with the
adults. After dinner, the adults would sit around and talk while we kids
would go outside for football or baseball and play until somebody got hurt.
This year, Labor Day means the first Husker home football game in
conjunction with the State Fair and a day of rest on Monday. It is a
Sabbath day of rest before the fall schedule takes off in full stride. May
God grant you rest as we transition to the next season, (starting NOW!).
Grace & Peace,
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