A faith environment

I spent Saturday at our synodical women's organization's annual conference (WELCA).  It's something of a retreat with a business meeting mixed in.  Over 300 women (most as old or older than my mother) from the Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA joined together to worship and focus on "Fishin' for People".  (How appropriate on this fishing weekend opener!)  I didn't know anybody that I sat with since I was a voting delegate, but I knew I was going no matter what.

Pastor April Ulring Larson, the mother of my friend Ben, was the keynote speaker that morning.  I wanted to hear what she had to say.  Not only is she Ben's mother, but she among the first wave of woman ordained in the ELCA and the first female Bishop in the ELCA.  She focused on the song of Mary.  Mary's magnificat and how it was the song of the women before her.  It tells our faith story.  She tied it beautifully into the story of her son and his death in the earthquake last year in Haiti.  I excused myself after the first few minutes and spent my time standing in the back of the sanctuary sobbing.   I miss Ben.  I've blogged about it before.  The tears this time were for his mother.  I don't know how she did it.  I can barely mention Ben without getting teary eyed.  The thought of losing one of my own boys can bring me to tears in an instant.  But there she was.  A woman of God, standing before us reminding us that God breaks through.  God always breaks through into this world of sin for us.

After her message she came to the back and was stopped by many women.  I waited patiently for my turn and she saw me first and excused herself to tend to the red eyed crying woman that she was sure she was suppose to know.  As pastors and the family of pastors we rarely hear others preach or speak.  I had never heard her speak and I told her so.  I also told her I knew where Ben got part of "it".  Between her and his father (also a pastor) I knew that he saw faith lived out daily in his life.  She told me he didn't get it from her, but that all she did was create the environment.  I can see that she created a faith environment that Ben thrived in.

She has put words to what I was struggling with this week.  Finally words to fill my blogging silence and maybe organize my crazy thoughts in my brain. I want to spend more time on the faith environment my kids live in....

Chapter 5- Living Room Intimacy

This was actually a long chapter, but full of good "stuff". Living Room Intimacy is how we draw closer to God. How we can connect with our Creator. "All over the world, people go to unimaginable lengths to find God--which is sad when you consider the unimaginable lengths God has already gone to find us." (quote from Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World page 65) That's what the living room is about. It is the place in our heart where we meet with God.

I connected a lot with her comparison of our spiritual life to a snickers bar (or your candy of choice). We want to curb the hunger in our tummy for just a little bit before dinner. So we munch on something that is meant to take the edge off. When in fact that snickers bar takes the hunger away and all of sudden we can't eat of the feast that was prepared. It is like that with our spiritual lives. We eat a snickers bar here and there forgetting that God has set a table with good china, crystal goblets, and wonderful food but we aren't hungry enough to eat it. I admit that this is me. I've been working so hard at making sure to get my fill instead of a snickers bar that only leaves me hungry later. I read a blog about some ones faith or a bible verse on a facebook page and think that can fill me up for the day. I read a devotion I get in my email but don't have the time to open my bible. Now, don't get me wrong we all have those days. The days where I am just lucky to say a quick prayer and read that email devotion before my hubby heads out the door to work and my work day starts. I believe that those days are "ok". It's making them a habit that is not. Why use the drive thru everyday when you could eat at the buffet inside most days? I want to go in and eat. Not just drive thru and eat in the car on the run.

Our hearts are a home for God. They are beautiful but can be full of dark, dusty, moldy spaces that need to be cleaned out. In our hearts can be a beautiful drawing room. Weaver quotes Robert Boyd Munger's article My Heart Christ's Home. Munger talks about a journey one man makes through his heart with God. They look at all of the places both beautiful and not so beautiful. They come to one room "the drawing room" and the Lord tells the man they should meet there every morning. It is a beautiful room and just perfect for the two of them. The man begins coming every morning to the room. Soon though the time gets shortened with the demands of the world and finally the man misses a few days and a few more. One morning the man walks by the room and sees a fire. He steps in to see the Lord waiting for him. The man asks for forgiveness for missing their time and asks if the Lord has been waiting all of the days for him. The Lord replies yes, and then says "the trouble with you is this: You have been thinking of the quiet time, of Bible study and prayer time, as a factor in your own spiritual progress, but you have forgotten that this hour means something to Me also."

Our time with God in the living room should be a time to both speak and listen to what God has to say. I know that is why sacred space is so important to me. The living room in your heart should be open and ready to embrace God, but there should also be a place in your home. I am still working on my sacred space with God. Both my time with him and the place I feel most comfortable being with him.

This chapter was so full and I know I didn't cover it all but I hope this post can getting you thinking about both the intimacy in your heart with God and the space in your home. In the end I also hope you know (learn) that it should be a delight and not a duty to meet with your Savior in the living room.

National Running Day

I didn't know National Running Day was today or that there even is one. It's a good thing I ran this morning. I am feeling pretty good. It is slow going but I am at least being consistent. I walked for one minute and ran for 3 today. I think I will do that all of this week and next week do 4 minutes of running. Then I will probably need to start adding time to my runs but 20 minutes is about perfect for my family. I can run and get showered in less than an hour and that is good for the hubby and kids.

It was nice to post about running right now. I'm am feeling really down and posting about my running at least made me feel a little better. You see, I'm just overwhelmed with this house! We are blessed. Let me say that again b-l-e-s-s-e-d by this house. The only problem is this house was not blessed with storage. I have no basement and no attic. I have a two car garage that will only fit one car and a house full of things that have no place to go. I am positive I can get rid of some things, but I am also positive I don't have as a ton of "extra" stuff. My craft supplies have no home, the magic closet (which is our only "large" storage space) needs a make over but that won't necessarily take care of the whole problem. What do I do with our bikes? Our Christmas tree? It is not like these are "extra" things. Most normal people have a bike or a Christmas tree. By me having bikes and a Christmas tree it mean I can't fit my car in the garage. By me saving clothes so the baby can wear them it means I have no where to put craft supplies or other keepsakes.

Anyway I just had to get that off my chest. The house is a mess. It's a mess with things that can't find a home. I am trying. I was praying all day for God to show me the next "one thing" I needed to get done and I just feel overwhelmed.

I printed and am going to re read an article on sacred spaces that I have. I want my house to be a sacred space. Not a spotless place like in the magazines, but a place where I don't feel overwhelmed and hopeless. I just have to pray for the stamina to keep going. One thing, one closet, one item at a time. I guess I just have to keep tossing the "things", but sometimes it's hard to toss the memories that are associated with them.

More Sacred Space

We discussed the article and resource for the sacred spaces at our bible study this morning. I really thought it was interesting. The Women of the ELCA have put out a resource on sacred spaces. You can find it at Women of the ELCA. You can find it if you scroll through the resources listed. As usual with our bible study, at the end we take time in silence or some other type of activity to work on our "Soul Type" or spiritual practice. Today we spent time in prayer, journaling, and meditation about our sacred space. Three good questions were used to help focus the meditation and I have really been thinking about them a lot. For days really! They are...

1. How are things between God & me?
2. What is my intention with a sacred space?
3. What purpose will it (your sacred space) satisfy?

I've been thinking and praying a lot about my intention and purpose with the space and it's purpose. It's so easy in my life to become overwhelmed and I could see that happening with my space. I could use it for crocheting, bible study, theological reflection and reading, prayer, and so many things. So many things that maybe it would become just another space and not my sacred space. I did feel called to try and use my sacred space in the mornings while I was meditating this morning. I would love to make it a habit to get up before Martin and be able to spend some time in my sacred space and then be ready for the day. We will have to see where that leads. I will be open to my space changing and growing, but right now I just need to find it's intention and purpose, because I know I would love to sit at my kitchen table and use it as my sacred space in the mornings with a candle and the quietness of the town in front of me. We'll see where it grows.

Sacred Space

I remembered to check Cafe, the young women of the ELCA magazine and found a very interesting article on Lent and sacred spaces.

www.boldcafe.org/0607/hottopic.html

I know I need a sacred space, but somedays just keeping up with our "space" is hard enough let alone adding a "sacred" space to the mix. I know where my sacred spaces are (2 of them), but it's a struggle to keep them from just becoming another "space" in my life full of clutter and the mess that is real life. This article has made me realize that my 2 spaces, the kitchen and the bedroom, are important enough to work on everyday. I need them to be a place free from clutter so that when I sit down to use them I can free my own mind from clutter and focus on whatever I am trying to soak up in that moment. God has been shifting my priorities recently in the things I have been reading and studying including this article. My #1 priority is awake and wanting some "MILK" so that is where I need to be.