We're here, now how do we get out?

So many people have been traumatized by these horrendous events.  And watching them over and over again does not help, rather it produces further damage.  We don't need to see the horror again, it's crystal clear in our memories.  Moreso, than we'd like it to be. Perhaps we'd like to be blissfully unaware of these events or to just stuff them, not think about them again, but it's impossible to fully enjoy the blessed gift of life if we are blind to the parts we don't like.  I've been struggling over this series of blogs because I know they're not flowing.  Today I realized they're rough because of my own struggle.  My blog is partly to help me heal as well as to hopefully help my readers find their way through the muck to their healing.  I keep thinking about one of my favorite stories about Jesus.

Why now?

I was under the impression that these mass killings, horrible traumas are new to the human experience.  I started to wonder how did we all go so wrong so fast?  Then I researched it.  I thought it all started w/ the World Trade Center bombings in February 1993.  Then in 1995 there was the Murrah Federal Building in

Yet another ....

According to the Washington Times, there were 7 mass shootings in 2012, which is the most in one year so far.  One week before Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, we were once again stunned with 26 or 28 deaths, depending on how you count.  And already in 2013, on January 20 a teen

Tadpoles and other miracles

Remember when you were little and you ran down to the creek and low and behold ... there they were.  Hundreds of little black things swimming all over the place in the shallow water.  Fascination ... wide eyes ... oos and ahhhs ... what are they?  You and your friends came up with all kinds of possibilities and stories.  Big brother told alien stories and you ran screaming back home to mom.

Whale tails and and Sacred Spaces

The other day I was talking with another clergy person about religion and spirituality. As we discussed the differences between the two, we were looking at pictures on a Power Point depicting each.  All of a sudden the pastor sat up and sharply declared, "That's pagan. It doesn't belong there."  I looked at the screen, not

Joy

Breathtaking ..

Have you ever experienced the complete joy of the beauty of nature?  An awe inspiring, breathtaking, natural view that fills your very being with a feeling of wholeness and the joy of knowing that the one who created

Chaos to life

I just came back to work after two incredible weeks of vacation with my husband.  What a challenge it is to re-engage my mind into the process of work, which happens to be my ministry.  As I sit here in a bliss of chaos, I'm amazed at how strong the struggle is to move from that chaos to forward moving life. 

Becoming: A Spiritual Journey

My book is out!  Yea!  It came out the week before we left for a 7 day cruise to celebrate my moms

Back to Blogging

I was just reminded that I haven't blogged anything new for quite some time.  It's amazing how sidetracked we can become with life.  Thank you D for reminding me.  I've been focused on writing my book, which now

Home Sweet Home

Finally, after one whole year the remodeling on my house is completed.  I was beginning to wonder if it would ever happen.  But finally, here I am, relaxing after a days work on my beautiful patio, watching one of my favorite shows (Ghost Whisperer), working on my book, and taking a few minutes to write a blog.  My steady loyal and deeply loving companion sits next to me on the futon.  Her name is Sweetie.  Well, she was just sitting there but had to jump down to bark at an innocent golden retriever taking a walk with his dad.  Oh well, she’ll be steady, loyal and deeply loving in a moment I’m sure.  I made supper in my incredible kitchen.  What an amazing joy I never believed would be more than a dream.  My home is my personal sacred space.  A place of happiness, comfort, friends, family, and a steady, loyal, and deeply loving dog named Sweetie.  She’s back. 

Salvation and 21st century living

Salvation calls us to live our lives in reflection of our experiences of God and at the same time graces that living with life-giving power. 

This makes perfect sense to me.  How do I express it so the Easter crowd, especially those who don't believe they've experienced God, can develop their faith and faithful living.  I'm watching "Amish Grace" which is a perfect example of what I'm talking about.  The forgiveness of the Amish was something that was not easy or even neat and clean.  But as they struggled to continue to forgive (not pardon or forget) by living in reflection of their relationship with God, they continued to grow in their ability to forgive and by God's grace life giving power was a blessing given to all including the wife of Charlie.

Everyone experiences God all the time.  Unfortunately, many people aren't able to identify their spiritual experiences or the Church has damaged their desire to either experience God or recognize these experiences.  God is often thought of as an old man with a long beard.  The truth is, we don't know that the divine power that we usually refer to as God even looks like a human being.  Perhaps it would be easier for some to envision God as energy.  Energy that permeates all while providing guidance, grace, agape, life, forgiveness, salvation, and much more than we even know or understand.  God is often thought of as the judge and punisher that is to be feared.  Many spiritual leaders teach this.  God is often thought of as being the one to decide the time of life and death.  God is often thought of as the inflictor of pain, sickness, injury, struggle.  Any time we paint a definitive picture of God we sell our creator and ourselves short.

I wish I could give everyone the ability to recognize divine action and presence in their lives, whatever/whoever the divine is.  I wish everyone knew how truly precious they are.  Because I believe that if we truly knew, we couldn't be so cruel, evil, hateful, hurtful to one another.  Mental illness aside, I don't believe we could treat one another badly intentionally.  Is it realistic to believe that all humans could come to this understanding?  Is it realistic to believe that all humans could choose to come to this understanding?  With the current state of our choices in living, it sure doesn't feel like it.  Regardless, please make the choice for yourself to live as one beloved by the divine.  Choose to know the divine increasingly each day.  Choose to believe that the one who created you, who breathed life into you is one of grace, strength, integrity, fullness, blessings, forgiveness.  Choose to grow your living and life in ways that enhance others as well as yourself.  Choose to be.

toilets and other exciting things

Continuing on my "con-de-struction" explorations, today I had the ... enlightening experience of purchasing a toilet.  Now the world of toilets holds rather interesting surprises for the novice.  We have the Sloan Flushmate Flushometer System, one piece gravity toilets, dual flush systems, designer toilets, toilets with sinks on the tank, loud toilets, quiet toilets, round seats, elongated seats, high toilets, short toilets, one piece toilets, 2 part toilets ... yes, what an expansive world of toilets.

Of course we have your basic "toilet humor".  Among these exciting choices I found Mr. Bean and the toilet.  I hope you'll enjoy the link.  Then there was this gag website where you can actually purchase toilet monsters!!  These things (green or red) actually attach to your bowl and lid so that when some poor unsuspecting friend or family member innocently goes to the water closet to descreatly "take care of things" upon opening the seat, UP pops this hideous monster scaring the c___ out of them.

So, I'm sure you're wondering with all these choices what did Pam get.  Well, I got the Sydney Smart dual flush toilet 305.  This is a high efficiency toilet with two buttons on top, the "half-flush" and the "full-flush".  Now a friend of mine asked me, "Uh, Pam, is the "half-flush" for when you ___ and the "full-flush" for the other?"  Well, now there would be a good question.  According the the salesperson (yes, I did ask), this toilet is SO powerful and is virtually unblockable, therefore, one should never need the "full-flush".  I say, we'll see when the kids come to visit just how unblockable it is.  :)  Oh, I almost forgot to mention the quite exciting toilet seat.  This would be the "soft closing" elongated seat.  That's right folks, you know those drawers and cabinet doors that no matter how hard you try you can't slam them.  Well, here is a toilet seat that closes itself in a dignified and quiet manner.  The "male" salesperson assured me that this is one seat men will always close.  Now that's a selling point!

Oh, and it sells for over $500 and I got it for $150.  That closed the deal.