Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Day 29: 40 days 'til 39
Today's item was to read a new prayer or check out some readings from the Book of Common Prayer or other prayer book. Loren was raised in the Episcopal Church, so he has an affinity for the Book of Common Prayer. I read a few prayers from it online, and here are some that I appreciated. The prayer for church musicians is an obvious choice, since I am one :). The Nicene Creed is one of my favorite prayers that we regularly use in our worship service at New Song. A friend at church made a really artistic version and printed it on T-shirts with our church logo, and I love it - now one of my favorite shirts. There is just something about the Nicene Creed that touches me; I feel like it is such a great summary of the teaching of the Bible on what we as Christians believe about God (especially the person of the Son), and it reflects the shared beliefs of Christians worldwide.
For Church Musicians and Artists
O God, whom saints and angels delight to worship in
heaven: Be ever present with your servants who seek through
art and music to perfect the praises offered by your people on
earth; and grant to them even now glimpses of your beauty,
and make them worthy at length to behold it unveiled for
evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father;
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried;
and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures,
and ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;
and he shall come again, with glory,
to judge both the quick and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and Giver of Life,
who proceedeth from the Father and the Son;
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped
and glorified;
who spake by the Prophets.
And I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church;
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins;
and I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
For Church Musicians and Artists
O God, whom saints and angels delight to worship in
heaven: Be ever present with your servants who seek through
art and music to perfect the praises offered by your people on
earth; and grant to them even now glimpses of your beauty,
and make them worthy at length to behold it unveiled for
evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father;
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried;
and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures,
and ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;
and he shall come again, with glory,
to judge both the quick and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and Giver of Life,
who proceedeth from the Father and the Son;
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped
and glorified;
who spake by the Prophets.
And I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church;
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins;
and I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Day 9: 40 days 'til 39
Today we are praying for 5 people we don't normally pray for. Honestly, I am not very good at being diligent to pray for people (just not my gift I guess!), so just about anyone fits this category, sadly enough. I was going to post who I prayed for, but y'know what? I think I'm going to keep it to myself. I don't want anyone to be offended that I don't normally think to pray for them, and I just feel like keeping this private.
If you are a praying person, join me and pray for a few people you don't think of as often as you'd like to.
If you are a praying person, join me and pray for a few people you don't think of as often as you'd like to.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Some thoughts on politics
Disclaimer: I blog a lot about racewalking and my kids and also about weight loss issues, and not usually too much about other things. But this is my blog, and it's the place I have to write things, so if you're not interested in my political opinion, feel free to skip this post.
I am coming out of the closet. I am voting for Obama.
After being barraged by e-mails from well-meaning family and friends who tell me I'm going to hell if I vote for Obama (OK, not really, but close enough), I feel like I have to speak up just a little. I am not telling you who to vote for, reader. And, by the way, I do not think you are not going to hell because you vote for McCain :). I just want to tell you some of the things I am thinking about. This is only a very small list, by the way.
I just want to point out that 1) it is consistent with my Christian faith to vote for Obama (and y'know, honestly, some have been so in my face about this that it makes me ashamed to call myself a Christian because I don't want to share that label with people who can be so hateful, so please, consider how you sound before you open your mouth!), 2) it is consistent with my passion for science.
With that in mind, I am linking to an article Francis Collins wrote endorsing Obama for president (thanks, Ollie, for calling this to my attention). Collins is a Christian AND an outstanding scientist. He led the Human Genome Project to its successful conclusion, and has a great grasp of the issues involved as they relate to science. I admit I do have a personal interest here, as I lost my job this year due in large part to the slashing of NIH funding by the current administration. However, this is more than personal interest. Along with Collins, I believe strongly that the future of our country is going to be affected greatly by the amount of money that we invest in research. And yes, I believe we need to do this at the federal level. Some have told me that they believe such research should be privately funded. The problem with this is (in part anyway) is that BASIC research is needed to lay the groundwork for the specific advancements (drugs, medical treatments, etc.) that we see in biomedical science. The basic research takes years to complete and is not going to be funded by private companies that only care about their bottom line; basic research is never and will not be a moneymaker in the short term. Taxpayers need to pay for this research, because (among many other reasons too numerous for me to list here)in the long term it benefits us directly through new medical advances and it benefits the economy when we are a leader in research and technology. Anyway, read Francis Collins' article, because he says it better than I do.
I am also NOT a one issue kind of gal. I care about other things besides funding scientific research. I do care about social issues. One question well-meaning people have asked me is, "how could you support a candidate that voted against a ban of partial birth abortion"? Well, my friend Sara has a blog where she addresses that question SO much better than I can (hey, she is a writer by profession!). So, with Sara, I affirm that a pro-life position is about caring about ALL of life, from the womb to the grave, including issues of poverty and war/peace. Right now, the Democratic Party seems to me to be in a better position to address the majority of those issues in a manner that cares about people most deeply.
I could spend a long time blogging on my thoughts on other issues, from the environment, to the war, to the economy, to our overdependence on fossil fuels, but I just don't have that time. Please believe me when I tell you I've done my homework on the issues and I have not arrived at my position lightly. I do not think that any political party is going to save us. In fact, if we are placing our trust in them, we will be sorely disappointed. But we still need to vote, and vote responsibly, and do our part to make a difference in the world, whether big or small.
I am coming out of the closet. I am voting for Obama.
After being barraged by e-mails from well-meaning family and friends who tell me I'm going to hell if I vote for Obama (OK, not really, but close enough), I feel like I have to speak up just a little. I am not telling you who to vote for, reader. And, by the way, I do not think you are not going to hell because you vote for McCain :). I just want to tell you some of the things I am thinking about. This is only a very small list, by the way.
I just want to point out that 1) it is consistent with my Christian faith to vote for Obama (and y'know, honestly, some have been so in my face about this that it makes me ashamed to call myself a Christian because I don't want to share that label with people who can be so hateful, so please, consider how you sound before you open your mouth!), 2) it is consistent with my passion for science.
With that in mind, I am linking to an article Francis Collins wrote endorsing Obama for president (thanks, Ollie, for calling this to my attention). Collins is a Christian AND an outstanding scientist. He led the Human Genome Project to its successful conclusion, and has a great grasp of the issues involved as they relate to science. I admit I do have a personal interest here, as I lost my job this year due in large part to the slashing of NIH funding by the current administration. However, this is more than personal interest. Along with Collins, I believe strongly that the future of our country is going to be affected greatly by the amount of money that we invest in research. And yes, I believe we need to do this at the federal level. Some have told me that they believe such research should be privately funded. The problem with this is (in part anyway) is that BASIC research is needed to lay the groundwork for the specific advancements (drugs, medical treatments, etc.) that we see in biomedical science. The basic research takes years to complete and is not going to be funded by private companies that only care about their bottom line; basic research is never and will not be a moneymaker in the short term. Taxpayers need to pay for this research, because (among many other reasons too numerous for me to list here)in the long term it benefits us directly through new medical advances and it benefits the economy when we are a leader in research and technology. Anyway, read Francis Collins' article, because he says it better than I do.
I am also NOT a one issue kind of gal. I care about other things besides funding scientific research. I do care about social issues. One question well-meaning people have asked me is, "how could you support a candidate that voted against a ban of partial birth abortion"? Well, my friend Sara has a blog where she addresses that question SO much better than I can (hey, she is a writer by profession!). So, with Sara, I affirm that a pro-life position is about caring about ALL of life, from the womb to the grave, including issues of poverty and war/peace. Right now, the Democratic Party seems to me to be in a better position to address the majority of those issues in a manner that cares about people most deeply.
I could spend a long time blogging on my thoughts on other issues, from the environment, to the war, to the economy, to our overdependence on fossil fuels, but I just don't have that time. Please believe me when I tell you I've done my homework on the issues and I have not arrived at my position lightly. I do not think that any political party is going to save us. In fact, if we are placing our trust in them, we will be sorely disappointed. But we still need to vote, and vote responsibly, and do our part to make a difference in the world, whether big or small.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Ordination
With my brother Alex after the ordination service last night. It was a pretty long service, as they ordained over 100 people. It had a bit of a feel of a commencement ceremony and a worship service combined. We almost didn't have child care (long story) but at the last minute it came through. Whew. It would have been really tough to watch the kids during the 2 hour service.Sunday, June 15, 2008
Thoughts on freedom
I was in the bookstore yesterday, and I saw a book entitled "The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation" there. Naturally, it caught my attention. I glanced through the book, a collection of short stories, and the title started me thinking about freedom. I really have no idea what the book is about, or even whether it's good or not (it looks promising), but my thoughts on freedom started from the title.
Is freedom really doing whatever you want? In the arena of food, I have to say that the answer is a resounding NO. As a recovering foodaholic, I can definitely say that the food made me its slave (and still does sometimes). Freedom in this case means freedom from the compulsion to eat when I'm not hungry, freedom from the compulsion to eat way too much chocolate, freedom from desire for food, and freedom to focus on other things. Even right now as I write this, I am wanting to eat chocolate. Lots of it. I feel compelled, but instead I will have a sugar free hot cocoa and curl up with a book. I want to be free from the chains that have bound me for so long, and the act of liberation here is to say NO to the food that enslaves. Food is pleasurable, true, and can be used for good, but it can also be used for evil. The pastor of our church often says that we don't sin - rather, sin does us. There is a lot of truth in that. I have been set free, and I am being set free, and I will be set free, by the grace of God. A long journey, but a rewarding one.
Is freedom really doing whatever you want? In the arena of food, I have to say that the answer is a resounding NO. As a recovering foodaholic, I can definitely say that the food made me its slave (and still does sometimes). Freedom in this case means freedom from the compulsion to eat when I'm not hungry, freedom from the compulsion to eat way too much chocolate, freedom from desire for food, and freedom to focus on other things. Even right now as I write this, I am wanting to eat chocolate. Lots of it. I feel compelled, but instead I will have a sugar free hot cocoa and curl up with a book. I want to be free from the chains that have bound me for so long, and the act of liberation here is to say NO to the food that enslaves. Food is pleasurable, true, and can be used for good, but it can also be used for evil. The pastor of our church often says that we don't sin - rather, sin does us. There is a lot of truth in that. I have been set free, and I am being set free, and I will be set free, by the grace of God. A long journey, but a rewarding one.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Food for thought
For those reading for the racewalking tidbits, this will be a bit different, so read or not read as you wish. I haven't blogged as much about faith of late, but for some reason it just seems appropriate right now. I know some have separate personal and training blogs, but for me, it's all part and parcel of who I am, so I can't really tease them apart and don't want to.
At New Song today, Sam talked about food in the context of "I am the bread of life" - John 6. Excellent - lots of food for thought. Some ideas I plan to reflect on further -
1. Feasting & celebration - how to enjoy food in its proper place. This is a challenge for me, as I have used food wrongly for so long that sometimes I'm not sure how to use it rightly. Believing and fellowship are activated by eating. How true - gatherings and social interactions and getting to know others better seems to happen much better somehow in the context of food. Food is about communing, not about consuming. Particular foods remind us of things are are a window to memories and shared experiences. For example, in our family, we have a Christmas bread that we eat on Christmas Day and no other time. It just wouldn't be Christmas without it, and the food brings meaning to our family bonding experience.
2. In the context of faith, to believe and to trust involves eating - the physical act of taking communion is about deep trust and fellowship and relying on God for one's sustenance, both physical and spiritual.
I think in the recent past, I've avoided celebratory food (#1 above) out of fear of overindulging. I can often plan for it and enjoy it, but I tend to be more conscious of it than I'd like. Some of that is unavoidable, because I am a former food abuser, and like the alcoholic, will always have to take precautions. But I do want to really enjoy the food in its wider and most appropriate context of relationships.
Thinking about #2 is a bit easier. For a long time I used food as an attempt to fill my emotional and spiritual needs, unsuccessfully. It made me fat, not happy (I am happier now that ever before, even though I'm eating less!). I still have that tendency, and am pretty aware of the importance of filling those needs in more appropriate ways. Not that I do it all the time - but it is slowly getting better. It's a long process, but well worth the effort.
At New Song today, Sam talked about food in the context of "I am the bread of life" - John 6. Excellent - lots of food for thought. Some ideas I plan to reflect on further -
1. Feasting & celebration - how to enjoy food in its proper place. This is a challenge for me, as I have used food wrongly for so long that sometimes I'm not sure how to use it rightly. Believing and fellowship are activated by eating. How true - gatherings and social interactions and getting to know others better seems to happen much better somehow in the context of food. Food is about communing, not about consuming. Particular foods remind us of things are are a window to memories and shared experiences. For example, in our family, we have a Christmas bread that we eat on Christmas Day and no other time. It just wouldn't be Christmas without it, and the food brings meaning to our family bonding experience.
2. In the context of faith, to believe and to trust involves eating - the physical act of taking communion is about deep trust and fellowship and relying on God for one's sustenance, both physical and spiritual.
I think in the recent past, I've avoided celebratory food (#1 above) out of fear of overindulging. I can often plan for it and enjoy it, but I tend to be more conscious of it than I'd like. Some of that is unavoidable, because I am a former food abuser, and like the alcoholic, will always have to take precautions. But I do want to really enjoy the food in its wider and most appropriate context of relationships.
Thinking about #2 is a bit easier. For a long time I used food as an attempt to fill my emotional and spiritual needs, unsuccessfully. It made me fat, not happy (I am happier now that ever before, even though I'm eating less!). I still have that tendency, and am pretty aware of the importance of filling those needs in more appropriate ways. Not that I do it all the time - but it is slowly getting better. It's a long process, but well worth the effort.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Non-critical-thinking rant
Disclaimer: I know I am not perfect either, and I make lots of mistakes and have lots of things I need to work on. I have a large log in my own eye, in other words.
Rant: A visit to the Christian bookstore scared me. The theology section was miniscule (see photo) in comparison with the rest of the store. The "Christian Living" section was easily 4 times this big, and the "Women's Interest" was similarly large, and they were full of what I thought were very "fluffy" books. I realize that deep thinking is not popular in America, especially in more conservative Christian circles (how else could we get stuck with GWB for President?!?). I would like that to change. It annoys the heck out of me - I personally believe that Christians OUGHT to be among the deepest most rational thinkers. I could go on about this for a long time, but I think it would just be counterproductive.
Grateful comment: I love the church I attend. Deep thinking seems to be more popular there.
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