Christ: The Ultimate Comfort Food by Tyler Marz

The other day I made Chicken and Noodles, or Chicken and dumplings as some like to call it. This is one of my comfort foods. Homemade broth, slowly poached chicken, rustic hand-rolled egg noodles, thickened slightly to form a creamy comforting concoction that warms the heart, body and soul.

This is a newer comfort food, something I didn’t grow up with. I actually had it for the first time while working as a Baker in Arizona, near the north rim of the Grand Canyon at Jacob Lake Inn. A homey little catch-all, hotel, delicious home cooked food, kind people, and natural beauty. You see, Jacob Lake (which is really a misnomer, as it is a dry mountain with a pond of collected rainwater) is 30 miles from the closest town which doesn’t even have a grocery store. The next closest town with a store is another 10 miles. The “Big City” closest to us is St. George, Utah… 2 hours away (ok it depends on how fast you are driving). So if you didn’t get the picture Jacob Lake is literally in the middle of the most beautiful nowhere.  Surrounded by luscious ponderosa pine and abundant wildlife, you really are in nature. Just a few miles up the road is some of the most beautiful natural meadows I have ever seen. Surrounded by pine and birch trees that turn a glorious golden hue, purple, blue and yellow spots of wild flowers growing in the idilic grassy meadows truly is a sight to behold.

Sundays were treated as special days for employee’s at Jacob Lake. Comfort food and clover leaf rolls, or as they were cleverly called, “three headed rolls” were always on the menu! It was one of these sundays, after a days work (because tourists don’t stop coming on sunday) that I had Chicken and Noodles for the first time. Pure, silky, warm, indulgent comfort. It feeds the sprit too.

You see, Christ knows us individually. For some that might be a hard concept to grasp and I think in reality, all of us who know it, are still learning more about it. Every time we rejoice in triumph, dip our head in sadness, dance for joy, Christ is right there with us. Even in our most beautiful nowhere… He is now here.

Christ is present during the ruckus of little ones during communion, in the silence right before answering a question, in the chilly fall gloom of a doldrum-like day speckled with autumn colors of changing leaves. He is there in a child’s laughter, and music that makes us smile and relieves a tinge of stress. He is there as we lay in bed, looking at the ceiling and wondering what am I doing in life? He is there when our car makes that funny noise for the first time and you wonder, how much is that going to cost? He is there when you think back to how did I get here?, and am I making the right choices?… but then you think back to if life had gone that other way, would you be here now?

I know most certainly I wouldn’t. I can start at multiple points in my life and see how, looking back, had I not been lead down that path I would have taken a completely different fork in the road and gone a different way. While I was attending univer, I was prayerfully figuring our which career path to pursue. I had two that would have been great. After weeks of fasting, prayer and council, I received direct and simple words from God (while in class, in the middle of a conversation with a classmate) that spoke to my heart. And so I pursued that degree. Yet toward the end of my senior year, I realized (after some failure as well) that maybe this wasn’t the path for me. I knew that I wasn’t meant to do this for forever. But I asked God again, if this is my path, I will keep going, If not, I will pursue something else. He told me my second option of a career was ok too. My first thought was, what was the point of me going through all of this then, for me to switch? Well that answer became apparent a year later in my graduation, moving to a new city, pursuing a career that definitely has its challenges, loving myself more, using those things that I learned from my first degree path in my second degree’s field literally every day, and in growing closer to God than I ever had before. In finding a church that gives me room to ponder and grow. That lacks judgment and critique. That allows me to blossom truly into a Son of Him.  That He loves ALL OF ME. And, that He was there on the journey with me, and at every closed door…which He then opened a window. Better yet, He still is there with me.

Christ’s love has no bounds. Neither does His grace.

Christ is there, even in our bowl of Chicken and Noodles. He is the ultimate comfort food.

God is Ever Present by Carla Long

Even though I’ve been a World Church minister for twelve years, there are still many moments when I’m offering ministry that I feel “less than” and not up to the task.  This past Women’s Retreat in Red Cliffe, Utah was no exception.

Charmaine Chvala-Smith was the guest minister and she is so talented and wise and kind and just the person that I always wanted to be, and she and I were helping to plan out our time together with the other women.  We decided that we wanted to explore all kinds of ways of tapping into the divine—through art, scripture, and song.

Charmaine was in charge of the art and scripture part.  We took big sheets of butcher paper, had a friend draw around our bodies, and then we could decorate our bodies in any way that we felt called to, I have NEVER, in my life, been in a room full of women where it was so quiet! Everyone was working diligently and peacefully on their body creation! It was certainly a spiritual moment. 

For the next session, we explored scripture in ways that, perhaps, many of us had never experienced before.  We stepped into a Bible story and found ourselves looking around us for new insights, new smells, new sounds, new ways of “feeling” what the characters in the story were feeling.  It was an awesome experience!

And then…it was my session!  Remember how I said I felt “not up to the task”? Well, my part was all about song, and going deeper with God through song.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy singing.  In fact, when I lived in Australia, I tried out for Australian Idol, made it through the first round, and then was disqualified because I’m an American!  So, I can sing.  But, I’m not (in any WAY, SHAPE, or FORM) an excellent and trained singer.  But, I should have relied on the spirit, because whatever you offer (just like in the parable of the talents), God takes and makes beautiful and bigger than you might have thought.  We talked about the Taize community in France and what song means to them, and then we practiced it.  We sang a few songs out of the hymnal and while the unfamiliar words and notes were hard at first, soon, I could feel that we truly leaned into them, and allowed the music to take us where sometimes we are vulnerable enough to go.  We sang, we lifted our voices, and we were carried away.  What an AWESOME experience.

I’m so grateful for a God who takes what we have to give and multiplies it.  I’m grateful for the reminders that God is ever present.

SPEC by Brittany Mangelson

I delight in any opportunity to get out of my congregation and meet the larger body of Community of Christ. So, when I was asked to attend Spectacular in 2017, I jumped at the chance! Originally my husband and I were asked to be SPEC Today facilitators, but we couldn’t juggle both of us going, so I went and helped with a class, participated in a Q&A and spoke during the Communion service.

Because of childcare, I arrived a few days late when the activities of the week were in full swing. I was hesitant and nervous, feeling like the new kid on campus in more ways than one. A friendly face picked me up from the airport and I was reminded for the millionth time that Community of Christ is my home and my community. Being at Graceland was exciting. I’ve heard countless stories of love and faith found on those grounds. So much history has happened in those dorms without air-conditioning and with those ice cream cones dripping on the sidewalks in the Iowa humidity. I was finally getting to experience it for myself!! Thankfully, I too found faith, love and ice cream at SPEC.

Because I attended as SPEC staff and not delegation staff, I was able to take a bird’s eye view of the week and spend my time getting to know campers and leaders from all over the place. It was wonderful, but a little overwhelming for a new convert to the church like myself. Sometimes, I let the smallness of our church get to me. I wonder if our message is really something that will stick with younger generations. I wonder what my place in Christ’s mission really is. However, that week I was able to let go of all my questions, take a step back and be overwhelmed by the love and potential of this community. As I walked the sidewalk between Walker Hall, the Shaw Center and the football field, I kept thinking of my own three kids and what kind of church they will have in 10-20 years. I was overwhelmed with gratitude for those who have come before me and of those who are paving the way for them. During SPEC, I was able to see the Enduring Principles and Mission Initiatives being lived out among teenagers as they planned and put on daily worship services (sometimes two in a day!) As they worked together to put on an entire play in a week, participated in group activities, and asked hard questions about the relationship between politics and faith. These kids WANT Community of Christ’s identity to be their own. They want to lead. They want to participate. They want an active place at the table.

Coming from Salt Lake, I’ve been lucky to see the church in an area that is growing and thriving. Still, the energy and life at SPEC was unlike anything I could have imagined. The depth of understanding, faith, and leadership potential of the campers fired me up for the future of our church. In the Q&A I participated in with President Veazey, the campers asked questions about our unique identity, our history, why I find my home in Community of Christ, the process of receiving revelation, how they can get involved on a local and global level, and how they can take the spirit of SPEC back into their congregations. I was struck at how deeply they loved what we stand for, but were hesitant to know how they can live those things out in their local congregations. Over and over again I told them things like, “If you have a ministry you want to start, start it! Get a class on the Enduring Principles going. Start a Wednesday night service and sing your way through the hymnal. Contact local shelters or after school programs and see how your congregation can help. Just DIVE in!” It is one of my deepest hopes that they do just that.

I don’t want to downplay the troubled times we are finding ourselves in as a church, but I also don’t want to let the bright, beaming hope of the future go unnoticed. If you have youth in your congregation, use them in every way you possibly can. If you don’t have youth in your congregation, get to know the ones in your neighborhood and invite them to activities. We can do this! The message of Community of Christ is more relevant today than ever before. I saw that as I shared Communion with 1,000 on the lawn of Graceland. I heard that in the songs, the prayers, and the conversations that were happening all around me. The talent we have budding up in our youth is breathtaking. I even joked with the campers who were in the worship class that they should come to Salt Lake and teach the adults in my congregation how to plan a worship service. Except I wasn’t really joking!

As I was waiting to catch my flight home, I opened my kindle and highlighted before me was this verse from Doctrine and Covenants 162,

“Again you are reminded that this community was divinely called into being. The spirit of the Restoration is not locked in one moment of time, but is instead the call to every generation to witness to essential truths in its own language and form. Let the Spirit breathe.”

This sums up my experience with Spectacular. Community of Christ was divinely called into being and that divine call isn’t over. I think there’s something particularly special about the physical old, old path being in Lamoni where SPEC takes place. As disciples, we take that path into wholeness with ourselves, God, and community and then go out into the world in mission. We must seek out and open the doors for those disciples, young and old, who want to witness essential truths in their own language and form. We have something special to share with the world, and as I told the campers, it’s time to DIVE IN!

Crossroads by John Chatburn

When you stand at a crossroads in life, knowing that a step in any direction will lead down paths not previously travel, it can be scary.  Two years ago I found myself at such a crossroads.  I made the decision to ask for a leave of absence from church employment and go back to school to study urban planning. It wasn’t a decision that I came to quickly, but one that I discerned over a number of months.

            It was terrifying because all I had ever really wanted to do was to work for the church.  Going back to school was the first step in a journey that led me down a path that led away from my life long desire to work for the church.  It may seem weird that I wanted to step away from the thing that I had desired most of my life.  Life decisions aren’t always rational, because they are made with the heart and the head, but I knew that even if I stayed in my role with the church, life would not be the same. 

            The past two years I have met people that have made my life fuller, richer, and better.  I can’t imagine life without them just as I can’t imagine life without the people whom I am so richly blessed because of my connection in the church.  The God that traveled with me as I traveled across large chunks of the Western United States for the church also traveled with me into graduate school and into a new profession. 

We are each in charge of our own happiness.  There are a lot of voices in our world that attempt to articulate what will make us happy.  I think that is really only a question that can be answered when you examine your life and figure out what points towards more joy, more love, not just for you, but for your community as well. 

I found happiness working for a group that develops affordable housing for vulnerable populations across the state of Washington.  That doesn’t mean that each day I leave work with a smile on my face, but I do know the work that I do points towards a better world and brings me fulfillment.  It is also work that is consistent with my priesthood calling to the office of Bishop to be a minister of economic justice for the marginalized in our communities. 

            There are no easy answers when you find yourself at a crossroads.  Sometimes when we want so desperately for God to tell us which way to go it can seem like God is silent.  Perhaps God is waiting for us to take a step so God can walk with us.

God Loves Without Expectation by Lavera Wade

A few months back I read the book “The Shack”.  Amazing story, I was deeply touched by the words God loves without expectation.  My first thought after reading these words were, of course, that’s it.

So a couple of nights after finishing the book, and I could not stop thinking about how God loves us.  I have said my prayers and am just drifting off to sleep and I am suddenly filled with the knowledge of how much I love God.  I understand the words, with all my heart, and soul, and might, with every cell in my body.  It is wonderful. 

We talk a lot about how much God loves us.  We fill our prayers with pleas for ourselves and others for healing and peace and guidance knowing because he loves us he hears us.  But what do we do with our love for God

I want to do something with all this love I have for God.  So I try to love without expectation.  Oh boy, loving perfectly without expectation is going to take some practice.  I have come to see each person as Gods precious child so we have a start, but my tiny human mind just jumps in there with my idea about what would make them just perfect.   

Jesus brought the good news that God’s blessing is on the Poor in Spirit, the ones who do not have it all together.  And here I am battling with my idea of how someone should be perfect.  Do I have a lot to learn about God’s love.

I have spent a few days searching the internet for others thoughts on loving God.  There is a lot of talk about evil and sin, and I can see how it is important to put the love of God first, and that love will work as a shield against temptation.

I am looking more for how to love God by loving others. 

I read a lot of Rob Bells work, in his book “What We Talk About When We Talk About God”, he talks about gospel.  To quote ”Gospel is the shocking , provocative, revolutionary, subversive, counterintuitive good news that at your greatest moments  despair,  failure, sin, weakness, losing, failing, frustration, inability, helplessness, wandering and falling short.  God meets you there- right there-in that place and announces “I am on your side”.  That has been true for me.

So how do I start to learn to love others like that?

Every journey begins with a first step and I believe I have taken it.  I suspect I might begin with believing how precious I am, just as I am.

 I suspect that has something to do with really seeing how precious we all are.

I am excited about this journey and look forward to sharing more with you as I grow in the love of God.

May God Bless you and all you.   

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 NRSV by Lori Martell

16 ‘But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places and calling to one another,

¹⁷ “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.”
¹⁸For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”; ¹⁹the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.’^*

25 At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank^* you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; ²⁶yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.^* 27All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28 ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

   The scripture passage for today reminds us of Jesus’ humanness as he expresses his frustration at people’s lack of understanding, and then his grace as he invites people to rest in him.  We also sometimes fail to understand how to truly emulate Jesus in our lives, and, yet, he still welcomes us into his waiting embrace. 

  We each need a regular reminder of Verses 28-30:

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

   This isn’t simple platitude to give us a fleeting sweet warm fuzzy.  This is a heartfelt invitation to let Christ be our safe place in the midst of the storms of life, and to let Christ reorient us when we lose our way. This passage also provides wise counsel for us to take care of ourselves, to seek rest when we are depleted.

   Spend a few minutes exploring Matthew 11:28-30.  We’ll do this in two stages, first a confession, then a celebration. 

Confession time:

Explore with your group this question, “When have you resisted resting physically, spiritually, or emotionally, and how did that go for you?”

Celebration time:

Explore with your group this question, “Being weary or burdened, when have you rested in the Spirit and how did that change your state of being?”

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

This scripture is particularly meaningful to me because there have been times in my life I was desperately in need of rest.  Probably the most extreme example came when I was trying to recover from Lyme disease.  Until that point in my life I didn’t really know I had limits.  But then my 30s happened and I found myself fighting for my life. 

I had a complicated case of Lyme that wasn’t diagnosed until I had it for a year or two.  I would improve and then relapse again.  I was exhausted, couldn’t think straight, and was unable to read for pleasure.  I had terrible joint pain and body aches.  At my worst I needed to sleep 16 hours per day.  Eventually, I found myself working at an integrative medical center in Washington DC.  There I ran the practice of one of the preeminent Lyme doctors in the country.  He figured out why I wasn’t healing and came up with a treatment plan that worked.  The treatment, while it worked, took its toll on me.  I didn’t use wisdom and failed to rest even through weeks of daily intravenous antibiotic infusions.  I never missed a day of work.  I never took a break.  I just kept pushing beyond my limits until the candle I was burning at both ends melted in the middle. 

I had to quit my job and we moved from DC to co-house with my parents in the lovely North Georgia Mountains where my family gave me a generous gift of a year off.  After six or seven years of illness, I gave myself the space to finish healing and God met me in that space.  I rested in the Spirit, sometimes laying in the woods right on the ground and just soaking up all that peace.  My hymns were birdsong and the gurgle of cascading streams.  The lush greenery of the mountains spoke to me of the life-giving power of God.  I truly let myself rest and my body, mind and soul responded by healing.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Let us pray,

Dear God, Here are your people.  Some of us are weary; and some are burdened with heavy hearts and concerns.  Help us turn to you and trust you and listen to the counsel your still, small voice whispers to our souls.  Gather us in to the safety of your embrace and give us rest.  Give us peace that we may walk with a lighter step and walk even closer with you throughout our week.  In Jesus’ name, Amen

Our Heavenly Father’s Eyes Are Always Upon Us – Wherever We Are By Joachim (Joe) Stephan

I shared in previous blogs that as a young man – fervently seeking for God’s presence in our times – had an experience that confirmed for me that God speaks today. Not that he still speaks today – but that he has spoken in all ages. That was my first encounter with the presence of the Lord in my life. The year was 1954. The place was Maxwell AFB, Alabama.

I also shared how my Heavenly Father led me to a Godly family when I least expected it – the Stewart and Maxine Wight family.  When I was young airman stationed on the island of Taiwan I was uniquely led to them and was looked after and given council by them in a most unexpected time and place. That was my second encounter with the presence of the Lord. The year was 1956. The place was the capital city of Taipei.

After initially finding the church in Montgomery, Alabama I found myself in 1954 assigned by the US Air Force to Japan. I soon found the small group of church members in Tokyo and worshipped/fellowshipped with them every other Sunday. There I soon asked for baptism.  The leader of the mission was Carl Crum who worked in the American embassy. He guided me in the study of the church and how it began and what we believed. Then – on December 4, 1954 he baptized me in a Seventh Day Adventist Church whose pastor had kindly made their baptismal fount available. I had become the first member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that had been baptized in Japan. Imagine – a young man born in Germany and now baptized in Japan!

I visited with Carl Crum and his hospitable wife often in order to learn more about the church and what its member believed. But in May 1955 I was suddenly (and secretly) sent to the island of Taiwan to assist the National Chinese Army and Air Force in the installation and use of radio equipment all over Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands. It was during that time that I became “lost” to the church until our Heavenly Father directed another member of the church who was also stationed in Taiwan – to find me. You will find that account in my earlier blog.

I returned to the United States in May 1956 and since that time found myself and soon my wife to be in churches in Montgomery, Alabama, Evergreen, Alabama, Pensacola, Florida,  Oak Ridge Tennessee, Columbus, Ohio, Mansfield, Ohio and finally in Richland, Washington. We were privileged to attend several World Conferences. When in Ohio we had frequent visits to the Kirtland Temple and on one occasion I had the privilege of marrying a couple in the Temple – the last such event to be allowed to be performed there.

It was around 1979 when we were worshipping in the Richland Congregation that I shook hands on Sunday after church services with our Patriarch – Lloyd Whiting. I had given the sermon that day and spoke of the time when I joined the church in Japan.  Brother Whiting was in his seventies then and walked forward leaning because his back hurt. To reduce his discomfort he would usually prop himself against the door post at the back of the church to greet people. That day when I shook his hand, he asked me: “Did you ever hear the story of Carl Crum?” I confessed that I did not. Actually I did not even know that Brother Whiting knew Carl Crum.  He continued: during the mid-1920s Brother Carl Crum had been called to be an appointee in the RLDS Church. However he had barely entered that service when the Great Depression “hit”. Reluctantly, the church leadership had to dismiss Brother Crum.  Carl Crum was understandably unhappy about his dismissal – so soon after he accepted his appointment. In response to his dismissal he quit attending church in defiance – for several years.

It was not until the mid- thirties that Brother Carl and his wife again felt a hunger for the fellowship of the “Saints” as they were called then. They chose Silver Lake reunion in the hope that nobody would know them there.

So it was that they attended a morning prayer service at the reunion. As they had hoped nobody seemed to know them there.  But the Lord knew where his son and daughter were as they soon found out.  There was a young couple there who had come grief stricken to the reunion.  They had just lost their little boy who had been killed in a roadway by an automobile.  It was sometime during the prayer service when the little boy’s father – knowing nothing about the Crums stood up and pointed across the aisle at Brother Crum and spoke under the influence of the Spirit: “Thus sayeth the Spirit:  “Unless you - Son of Man - repent and rejoin the fellowship of the Saints you will lift your eyes in hell with regret. I command you to return to the flock. There are those souls who live now and there are those yet to come who await your ministry!” (I cannot vouch for each word but the part about “lifting his eyes in hell with regret” and “those souls who await your ministry” I will always remember.)

I stood there stunned looking at Brother Whiting. I knew then that I had been one of those souls whose life had been touched by Brother Crum’s ministry because he obeyed the Lord.  And I remember the Sunday when I stood in the baptismal font in Tokyo, Japan with him and heard the words, “Having been commissioned by Jesus Christ …….!” He remained faithful to his commission all his life after that fateful encounter with God’s presence.  My life among many were touched by his faithfulness. Not only his faithfulness but his companion wife’s as well.

On my business trips I usually travelled through Seattle. On those occasions I tried several times to phone Brother Crum in Seattle. My only regret was that I never reached him. But I will always remember Brother Whiting’s story of him and the times we were together in Japan.

JESUS IS THE WAY By Seventy Gil Martell of Billings, MT

Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way, truth, and the life,” (John 14:6).  To be disciples of Jesus means to do that which Jesus did, and to imitate Jesus in all we do.  Jesus offered God’s generosity of Grace through compassion, love, validation, and forgiveness.   Jesus taught reconciliation and other positive ways of making the safety and welfare of others a life priority.

We are who we are today because we are shaped within the context of all our life experiences and influences, both good and bad.  If we do not question the way of things, it is all too easy to blindly react to life circumstances or allow unjust assumptions to manipulate our behavior.  Our culture tends toward obsessive individualism, but Jesus promoted community.  Our political system seems to value only the rich and powerful, but Jesus was concerned with the needs of everyone. 

I do not think of myself as an unkind person, but the more I try to emulate Jesus the more I realize that discipleship is a constant journey of growth, evaluation, and discovery.  Trying to see through Jesus’ eyes, I realize there are times when I have built walls of isolation from others or I have treated others in unkind ways or I have refused to give of myself when I should. 

Jesus gave his all for us.  We too must give our all for each other.  To be like Jesus is to be here for each other.  Serving others has a liberating effect on our hearts.  We are blessed with Christ’s peace, no longer a slave to fear, hate, and selfishness.   Serving others breaks down walls of  judgment, condemnation, and unfair expectations. 

The Word became flesh and dwelled among us.  Jesus took on this responsibility to show us the way to live according to divine principles.  He pushed back against society’s unjust ways and promoted peace, hope, joy and love.  Jesus’ life was not just about what he did for us, but what he called us to be.  He lived his mission as our example.  It is our responsibility to make Christ’s mission our mission.  

In other words, we fall short of fully understanding the life and sacrifice of Jesus if we assume that once we accept the grace of God then nothing else is required of us.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book, The Cost of Discipleship, explores the concept of Costly Grace.  To follow Jesus means to love God with all we are and to turn that divine love outward into the world.  We accept Grace and then we share that Grace with others.  It takes faith and courage to walk in Jesus’ footsteps; it costs us something.  Thankfully, the rewards of discipleship far outweigh the costs.

Recently, I was driving past a church with a marquis that managed to sum up Jesus as the Way in only eight words, “Jesus loved us so we can love others.” 

God’s Spirit Whooshed Through the Pines by Brad Martell

It was a couple of days before the Community of Christ Cromberg, California Family Camp.  Lori and I flew into Sacramento earlier to spend time with our friends Ruth and Mike Seagraves and their family, before we all packed into the cars and headed off to camp together.  Ruth was the director and had asked Lori and I to be guest ministry for the week.  Lori and I were excited to experience a new campground and family camp, spend time with cousins who would be there, and share in ministry. 

As we were sitting around talking and laughing, Mike told us that their middle daughter was going to be baptized during camp by her grandma (Mike’s mom).  This just added to the anticipation and joy of the coming week.  For the baptize Mike was going to play guitar and sing, but was not finding the right song.  Lori asked if he knew the song “O Sun” by Peter Mayer (www.petermayer.net).  Mike loved it and began writing out the music and learning to play it.  Now the house was filled with Mike strumming a few chords, the scratch of his pencil on the paper, more strumming, humming 

. . . by the end of the day he could play it by heart.

At Cromberg campground they have an outside baptism fount.  It is up the hill from the cabins and tucked underneath towering pine trees.  When the time came for the baptism service the camp made its way up the hill gathering around the fount.  Warm sunlight filtered down through the still pines.  Bird song and twitters gave welcome to the sacred moment.  Beginning with hymns we joined our voices with the avian choir in that church of pines. 

As granddaughter and grandma descended into the pool of water, Mike began to play “O Sun.”  The song is about being filled by the sun, wine, and wind.  The lyrics express sacramental language of asking to be filled by life, strength, and breathe.  And to help us shine, to be opened-wide, and to pour forth the same life and love we receive from God through blessings of community, unity in diverse, sacredness of creation, and worth of all persons.

During the second verse of the song that asks “O wind, come fill me” a gust of wind whoosh through the pines surprising us all.  At the end of the verse the wind was gone.  As Mike finished the song, I looked at him and his face was just radiating with the huge bewildered smile that seemed to ask the same question I was pondering: “Did that really happen?”

When the service was over some of us practically sprinted down the hill to download the video that was taken of the baptism onto a laptop.  We hit “play” in wonder and anticipation.  “Did that really happen?”  It did!  That gift of gusting wind filled the pines, filled Mike’s and Ruth’s daughter, filled all of us with God’s Spirit in that sacramental moment. 

This was a baptism experience I will not forget as God’s Spirit whooshed through the pines! 

Lost and Found by Dodie Gregory

Possibly my story may have a familiar ring to some reading this………………..or not.

Due to a devoted mother I was raised in the church through childhood.  I even have a perfect attendance Sunday school sticker book.  I was baptized at 8 years of age and proceeded to embarrass my mom with my giggle attack during confirmation.  After graduating from high school and going off to nursing school, where I had no RLDS classmates and worked weekends, I slowly slipped away.  I married a Lutheran and neither of us pursued a spiritual path.  We had 2 children and occasionally took them to church. The effort was small.

Not to say I didn’t continue to recognize God in my life—there were just other distractions.  Actually I carried guilt along the way.  I drove by our church everyday going to and from work, but couldn’t bring myself to even look at it.

Brothers and Sisters from church extended an invite for years, as did my Mom, but of course I had other things to do.

OH! And I kept promising God I would be back but right then wasn’t a good time for me. By then the guilt was so strong that I felt ashamed to face my congregation.

So if all this applies to you, then you too have been found or else you wouldn’t be reading this.

SOOOO….finally God had enough of my excuses.  This is how it went down.

I’m just minding my own business one Saturday morning and out of nowhere I hear a voice saying “YOU ARE GOING TO CHURCH TOMORROW”.  That was it, no angels singing, no brilliant white blinding lights, no euphoria.  I looked around, no one there, and again, “YOU ARE GOING TO CHURCH TOMORROW”.  Having been steeped in being obedient, I went to the phone called my mother and asked her if she was going to church tomorrow?  She said, “Are you?” Me, ”yes, I’ll pick you up”.  And my life changed.

The congregation was awesome, no judging, no condemnation.  Just loving. I tease them to this day when I tell them I didn’t feel worthy to be in their presence but found out they are sinners just like me.

It’s been a journey but since we are human and live on earth, there are still ups and downs, challenges and rewards.   I’m no different than any of you but am blessed that God loved me so much that he gave me that extra nudge one Saturday morning.

Forever blessed and loved

The Presence of the Holy Spirit by Laura Carnie

During my nearly 62 years of church membership I have been blessed with an awareness of The Holy Spirit’s presence many times. Some of those experiences were life changing and continue on in memory. Others were for the time, experienced, applied and became part of the fabric of my life.

Possibly the first memory of the Holy Spirit is when, as an elementary school age child, sitting under a big white tent on a wooden pew at the east side of the Hagerman, Idaho lava rock church building during a district reunion prayer and testimony service and being filled with joy and awe at the spirit present.

As I matured, my relationship with the Spirit became more personal. During my teen years, there were a number of experiences at camps and reunions. One Camp Cascade youth camp morning worship, vividly comes to mind. Again at the Cascade Reunion grounds where Cecil Gilmore offered my Evangelist Blessing which helped provide guidance as I made decisions about further education and marriage.

 As a young mother of one, pregnant with a second child, and experiencing problems, I requested administration hoping to avoid a miscarriage. The Spirit rested with me. Even though the words of that blessing requested healing and saving the pregnancy, I came out of that administration knowing that I would not carry the baby to term. Associated with that understanding was a blessing of peace and reassurance.

When called to the priesthood as an elder, I accepted and took the Temple School classes in preparation but kept asking myself, “Is this truly a call from God?” During my ordination, I had a sensation of heat flowing from my feet to my head and the hands of the elders. After the service, Lois Twitchell came up to me and shared that during the ordination, she saw a pink color come over me. Again the Holy Spirit was providing reassurance.

I’ll conclude with one final spirit experience. At the Mission Center Conference in Boise, fall of 2010, evangelist Harriet White walked up to me and indicate that she felt called to offer me a special blessing because she was made aware that I would face some special challenges during the next year. My mind immediately went to various family issues and challenges and accepted trusting her inspiration was from God. We went into a quiet room and I received the blessing. The words were of strength, courage and reassurance that God’s Spirit would be with me as I faced challenges to come.

On Saturday, January 29^th of 2011, I had a medical emergency of a double pulmonary embolism and was put on blood thinners. As part of the treatment, the cardiologist recommended and got my permission for an exploratory angioplasty where a small tube is treaded from groin to heart to check for blockage in the artery and heart. Thankfully the artery was clean. But, in the process a small nick was left in my artery. I was kept until Thursday and sent home.

 By the following Saturday I had extreme abdominal pain and had my husband take me to emergency around four in the morning. After checking me over, I was sent home with an antibiotic. By late morning, the pain had increased to the point that I could not walk on my own, so my husband and son-in-law took me back to the emergency room. After hours of waiting and some testing, it was discovered that my lower abdomen had filled up with blood from the leak. There were no rooms available for hours, but eventually in the evening I was moved to a progressive care bed and then in the early morning Sunday into the intensive care unit. It was there that, having nearly bled out and with my body trying to shut down, I experienced the Spirit with me, reassuring me that It did not matter if I lived or died, God was with me and I with God, in life or death.

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39 NRSV

Physically it was and is an extended recovery. I have been forced to re-evaluate much of life. I find that I am more patient and more accepting of mine and other’s human weaknesses. I have had to take a new look at my remaining gifts and talents as regards my service to God and others. I find that I am more trusting of God, more aware of God’s Love. I am blessed and count my blessings often. God is Good! Our creator’s gift of the Holy Spirit for our guidance and reassurance is a wonderful gift of Love.