Thanks be to God

As Thanksgiving was celebrated last Thursday, I have been reflecting on the many blessings of this life. I am certainly thankful for the opportunities Resurrection House has provided, to push me out of my comfort zone and engage in new ministries. I am also thankful for the hospitality Nebraska has shown me, and I pray for the wisdom to accept that gift. For the remainder of this blog post I would like to share some of my reflections on what I am grateful for. This list is far from comprehensive, and represents only some of the blessings God has generously bestowed upon me………

• God’s grace and mercy.

• The Sermon on the Mount, the Greatest Commandment, the Seven Woes, and the Great Commission.

• The Old Testament Prophets, Paul’s Letters, the Book of James, and the Book of Revelation.

• Psalms 23, 27, 46, 91, 100, 131, 139, and 148.

• The baptismal covenant, apostolic succession, the Book of Common Prayer and the Nicene Creed.

• Lessons and Carols, Pentecost, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday.

• Northern Virginia in the Fall, when the leaves change colors.

• Omaha’s Old Market, the Joslyn Art Museum, and the Henry Doorly Zoo.

• A grilled cheese sandwich on a cold day, sweet tea on a hot day, and pecan pie in any weather.

• Steel guitars, banjos, fiddles, and horns of all kind.

• Joe Gibbs, Mark Rypien, Darrell Green, Art Monk, Brian Mitchell, and the rest of the Super Bowl Champion 1991-92 Washington Redskins.

• In Football -- Goal line stands, trick plays, and well executed special teams.

• In Baseball -- Sacrifice bunts, strike em out/throw em out double plays, and inside the park home runs.

• In Basketball -- High percentage free throw shooting, taking a charge, and fundamental box outs.

• The Macho Man Randy Savage, Ric Flair (Woooooooo!!!!!), The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Randy Orton, and all other professional wrestlers.

• Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Tommy, Uncle EC, Aunt Mildred, Aunt Trosie, Aunt Fran, and the rest of my family who has passed on to glory.

• Dogs of all shapes and sizes.

• Life’s challenges, mysteries, and struggles.

Creating a Home

Well it has almost been three months here in Omaha for the Resurrection House interns, and as I was driving my regular route back to the Resurrection House, from Church of the Holy Spirit, I began to think how this was really becoming my "home." I am becoming more and more familiar with the land, the city, my home at Resurrection House and Church of the Holy Spirit, but it is within more then the physical entities of Nebraska that I have come to find and create a new home. As I come to know and be a part of the communities here within the greater Omaha area I find myself identifying with Nebraska, as my home. Going to the grocery store and running into neighbors, enjoying coffee every Tuesday morning with parishioners from Church of the Holy Spirit at the Bellevue Panera, seeing familiar, friendly faces at local Episcopal events, and knowing I have friends to call on to share in times of joy and pain. Through these events, experiences, people I can see myself being enveloped by, and embracing, the home I have found within the communities here in the heartland of America, so far away from the place that was my home three months prior.

As I listened to Bishop Barker's sermon yesterday evening, Sunday November 20, 2011, at the Bishop's Seating Evensong, I found myself identifying with the beautiful picture he painted of coming home, to Nebraska, to Omaha. He spoke of the physical landscape and of well known places, but most importantly he spoke of the people, the communities he had once embraced and was now coming home to as they welcomed him with open arms. Hearing this, I found began nodding my head and finding that a big smile had overtaken my face as I was able to associate his feeling of comfort and home hear in Omaha, in Nebraska, within my own.

So, thank you, thank you to the people of Omaha, of Nebraska. You knew I might only be here for a short while, but you still accepted me as your own and gave me the gift of finding a new home, and for that I am truly thankful. I look toward the next sixth months of my time here with joy and excitement as I come to grow with you and  your communities here in my new home of Omaha, Nebraska, "The Good Life."

From the Desk of Intern Steven

Last Friday 11/11/11 we had a gathering offered in Omaha. It was geared towards our 20s & 30s population and we had a potluck and movie night. The movie we watched was The Adjustment Bureau. The movie challenges your ideas on how your life is lived. Do you have free will? Is everything pre-destined? Can you change your fate?

As true Episcopalians our thoughts were all over the map. Some loved the idea of predestination. That God has a plan and that plan is in effect. Others liked the idea of personal choice. That God loves us enough to let us try our own way even if it leads to us making mistakes.

Scripture can imply both. In the Old Testament, we see God have His mind changed on more than one occassion. We also see him change the hearts of people on earth in accordance with His will. Which is really true?

We'll never know. Like so much of our relationship with the Lord it will be clouded in mystery. And for that I am grateful. We aren't meant to know all and see all. If we were - faith wouldn't be as powerful. We are meant to leap - meant to take a chance. The stars of the film took those chances for better or worse. Our existance from creation has been a chance. God knew we'd mess it up. He gave us life anyways. That decision is the greatest testament of love there is.

The event had 12 in attendance including all 3 interns. Discussion was lead by myself, but really I was more then to keep the conversation moving in a meaningful way. There was a great deal of participation. It was a roomful of young adults dedicated to sharing their story and trying, if just for a couple of hours, to understand God's will and the role He plays in our day to day life. It was beautiful. Proof that my generation hasn't fallen away from the Church. That we are here. We will worship, we will pray and we will participate in our church. That participation can (and ultimately will) include questioning. We will use the reason we are blessed with to find our way.

I hope that everyone who reads this - finds a way to support the future of the church. Reach out to the younger generations and give them a way to get involved. We may not be rich (we may not even be employed) but that doesn't mean we aren't ready to share our faith with the larger community. Across the board I've heard about the graying of the church. Find a way in the next few weeks to bring in some youthful color. Middle School, High School, Campus Ministry, 20s, 30s, Singles, Young Professionals, Young Married - we are all trying to find our place in the church. A helpful hand from a wiser more experienced member will always be appreciated.

Faithfully,
Steven

The Lord be With You

One of the common stereotypes of Nebraska (from those who have never been there) is that it is flat and boring. This is clearly unfair, and having lived here for about two months I can feel my ignorance being peeled away like an onion. Hearing people talk about the sand hills, the crane migration, the black hills, and other “God spots” of natural beauty has piqued my interest. Sometime in the Spring I would love to take a few days and really get out in the open spaces and reflect in God’s creation.

I am thankful to be past the complete newcomer phase at All Saints Episcopal Church. Everyone was very welcoming, but it is a relief to not have to constantly explain who I am or worry about making first impressions. It’s been awesome getting to know the characters that make up that community, and also work to bring more people into that community. I’ve gotten some valuable hands on experience in church life such as working with kids, discussing facility management and budgets, and teaching an adult education class. On Sunday, October 30^th I was given the great honor of preaching at Church of the Resurrection (it should be posted to the COR website – http://www.cor-episcopal.org/ - under the weekly sermons tab). It was a challenging experience, but one of the most invigorating I’ve ever had. The best advice I received was from the Sexton at Church of the Resurrection, who told me to “trust God, let him use you, and come from your heart.” Nobody threw tomatoes at me, so for my first time out I consider it a success. I Peter 3:15 reads

“…In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to every one who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

Through researching to prepare the sermon, reading the scripture over and over, and delivering it on Sunday morning I felt as though I was living into that teaching of Peter.

I have also been fortunate to experience how the Christian community is trying to live out Matthew 25, taking care of our brothers and sisters in need, with the knowledge that we are all sinners and are susceptible to a fall ourselves. I was thoroughly impressed with the order and precision at Siena Francis, as well as the service ethos that maintained dignity without bleeding into condescension. Helping out at Miller Park Elementary School is a blast; the kid’s energy provides a boost when I get too stuck in “important” things in my life. Later this week I will be trained through Desert Ministries to do social visits to elderly care facilities, hopefully allowing for a two way interaction where both parties learn from the other. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was (Matthew 22:34-40), he actually gave two commandments because it is not possible to love God without loving your neighbor. I feel much more in touch with that commandment in Omaha than I did in Virginia.

It was a privilege to attend Annual Council in North Platte last week. There was a positive energy to the proceedings, and I experienced several spiritual highs. I am more impressed with Bishop J. Scott Barker every time I see him, and will continue to pray for him as he leads this Diocese. In a practical sense it was educational to see how decisions get made and experience the voting process. There was a random seating assignment, which was fantastic because it allowed me to meet people from Scottsbluff, Grand Island, Lincoln, and other parts of Nebraska I was not familiar with. It’s a wonderful thing how when people pray together the superficial differences start melting away. No doubt there are challenges for this Diocese, as there are for every Diocese, but the sense of optimism at Annual Council was palpable.

One of the themes of Annual Council centered on Luke 16:10,

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

We are all given the responsibility of proper stewardship of our material resources, as well as our unique spiritual gifts. As we approach Advent and celebrate the coming of the best news the world ever received, that Christ was born in Bethlehem, I would like to carry on that theme from Annual Council into my life as a Resurrection House Intern.

A Change of Season

I would have to say that fall is one of my absolute favorite seasons. I relish in the red and orange hues, the crisp air, and especially the smell that comes with the turn of the season. Fall greets us with a refreshing cool breeze and leaves us with a blank slate, as the canvas of foliage is wiped clean. In the past few years my own life’s “foliage” has been turning. As my habits, tastes, and daily life’s activities have been continually changing I have begun to realize that one season of my life is coming to a close as I enter into an exciting new one. Looking toward a new season I find that the change of “weather” in my life has allowed me to embark on this new season with my own fresh canvas.  As I have begun to embrace the beauty of this new season I realized that to fully grasp the opportunities that come with this new season great change would be necessary, or at least desired.

In moving to Omaha, Nebraska, I have been given the opportunity to join many new communities. These include the Resurrection House, Church of the Holy Spirit, and very soon Omaha Together One Community (OTOC), my non-profit placement. By leaving behind those communities, at home, which have become familiar and comfortable to me I have been able to embrace and face the changes all around me. As I look toward great change in my life, embarking on a chosen vocation, creating new community, etc… I chose Omaha, Nebraska and the Resurrection House Program because I knew that through this experience I would be able to develop and broaden the lens through which I see the world. It is through the great changes in life that I believe ones most beautiful colors are allowed to show and be truly appreciated. This is why I have looked toward embracing great change in my own life, for change is inevitable, through the wonderful experience of my intern year at Church of the Holy Spirit, and Resurrection House.