Lent Drama - Trees of the Field

Every year during Lent we perform dramas at our midweek services. For the past two years Jennifer has written these dramas. So for today's blog I have uploaded our radio show from this morning when we performed the latest drama.

This year the dramas have revolved around different trees in the Bible, and this week it is the Trees of the Field and Isaiah. Please copy and paste the link below into your browser to hear the drama. Enjoy!


http://emedialink.com/video/15379/The-Trees-of-the-Field-–-March-9-2012-Radio-Show

The Vomiting Fish

Last fall, Jennifer and I started an on-line radio show. Every week we take another step through the Bible, telling the stories and how they relate to our daily lives.

Last week our intern, Jeremy, did the show with me. And with the two guys talking about Jonah, well, we had a little bit of fun. So for today I am linking that radio show for your enjoyment. You can find the rest of our shows at the church website: oursaviorsbeloit.org.

Please copy and paste the link below into your browser to hear the drama. Enjoy!

http://emedialink.com/video/15341/Guest-Host-Intern-Jeremy-and-Jonah–-March-2-2012-Radio-Show

Imagination

Our girls have amazing imaginations. I remember when Sierra was younger and the stories she would make up, the games she would play, and the wonderful worlds that she would live in.

And now Scarlett is the same. She turns the living room into a bedroom for her puppy (named pup-pup this week), she hides the marbles for one of her toys under blankets and tells us they are sleeping, she plays restaurant and she is the waitress named Willy, and she tells her mom where to hide when playing hide and seek.

It is a joy to watch these two and see where their imaginations take them, the worlds they create, and the joy that they have in living out in their fantasy worlds.

And there are times I am jealous, because I would like to live in their imaginative worlds as well. Growing up and losing some of that imaginative world is a real loss. So when I make the time and enter into their worlds, into their imaginations, it brings back some of that joy of being a kid and not having all of the worries and the struggles that we adults face on a daily basis.

It has also reminded me that I need to let myself be imaginative, be creative, be willing to let the Spirit invade me and be open that what might happen. Taking time to dream gives life to my soul and joy to my heart, so I have started to let myself do more and more of that on a regular basis.

What are some of things you miss from childhood and how can you recapture some of those moments?

Earlier Riser

Scarlett, our youngest, has now gotten into the habit of waking up well before 6am and deciding that she is no longer tired and that it is time to get dad up. The mornings have become fairly predictable.

5:30 Scarlett is at her doorway yelling for dad (not mom, but dad)
5:35 Dad gets Scarlett back in bed, telling her it is too early to get up
5:45 Scarlett is at the door again, I not tired, she says
5:46 Dad is in bed with Scarlett trying to get her back to sleep
5:47 Scarlett starts poking dad, and the next 15 minutes are trying to get her to stop
6:05 Dad gives up, takes Scarlett to the bathroom and down to watch TV, trying to keep her quiet so the rest of the house can sleep

I finally got to the stage where I have stopped fighting her on this. I still try to get her to stay in bed until at least 6, but when she comes down stairs I decided to turn this into daddy/Scarlett time. So we cuddle in the chair, watch some cartoons and joke around with each other.

Once I made that change, from fighting it to embracing it, my morning got a lot less stressful and I started to enjoy my time with her in the mornings so much more.

Now don't get me wrong, I would still love for her to sleep an extra hour or so every morning, but as long as she is up, I am going to make the best of it.

So what are some areas in your life where you learned to embrace the issue rather than fight against it?

52 Weeks of Joy - Social Media

For those of you who know me, you know I am big into technology, especially when it comes to ways to connect with others. Facebook and Twitter are two of the outlets I use on a regular basis, and I read blogs galore to learn more about so many different issues.

And today I am looking at all of the Social Media stuff as one of the great joys in my life. The reason that this is such a great joy for is that it is all about the connection, all about the relationships. And as anyone who has ever heard me or read my stuff knows, relationships are essential to me.

Example - Last week in worship I noticed two young ladies who were new to the service. So I went up and introduced myself to them and it turns out that one of them had lung cancer surgery exactly one year after I did by the same surgeon. She had found my book somewhere, found out where I was through the websites out there, and wanted to come and talk with me. So after the service we all went out to lunch and shared in a great conversation.

That relationship started because of some social media links that we had. And that is why social media is my joy for the week.

What are your feelings about social media?

Temptations

Below is a sermon from a few years ago on our lesson for this week, Mark 1:9-15.

1^st Sunday in Lent 2006

Mark 1:9-15

Today, on the first Sunday of Lent, our travels take us with Jesus as he is cast out into the wilderness by the Spirit and tempted for 40 Days. I always thought how interesting it was that this time of temptation occurs directly after his baptism. For right after he comes out of the water, and the Spirit descends on him like a dove, then God speaks, saying those beautiful words – You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased. And then the Spirit, that innocent looking little dove, grabs Jesus and tosses him out into the wilderness of life. There is no potluck celebration, no gift-giving, he is just thrown out to be with Satan and the wild beasts, to be tempted with all that life has to offer.

This started me thinking about what our lives are like after we are baptized. Do we expect that once we are claimed by God that life will be a bed of roses? Do expect that once we are washed in the water and the Word that we will have an easy ride? Okay, God claimed me, now I can just sit back and everything will be fine? Or do we expect that once we were brought out of those waters, now the temptations will come, and they will come fast and furious.

One of the struggles in being human is that no matter what, we will be tempted. Some of our temptations will no doubt come from Satan, but I think more of the temptations we face in our lives come from other humans, the wild beasts of creation as they may be. These temptations may be harder for us to face, for they are temptations with flesh on them.

Back in my first parish I had a dear member who was a major thorn in my side. Bill was an ornery old coot, and from day one he wanted to make my life as difficult as possible. You see, Bill never wanted the previous pastor to leave – and it was my fault that the previous pastor left, because I was the one who followed him, even though it had been nearly a year since his departure

So from the very beginning I had an uphill battle with Bill. After worship he would stand out in the parking lot and publicly critique my sermons in comparison with my predecessor. He would drive by the parsonage on a daily basis, and then go to the coffee shop and talk about what an awful job I was doing on the lawn. To say dealing with Bill was a struggle is putting it mildly, and he quickly became one of the wild beasts in the congregation.

One day one of the parishioners in the church called me up and told me that Bill’s brother had died. The parishioner then asked if I could go over and spend some time with Bill as he grieved. My first thought, as I hung up that phone, was no way. This man had made my life awful, and I had no desire whatsoever to spend any time with him. This was my temptation, to abandon a member of the flock in a time of need.

And it as a major temptation no doubt. I thought of many excuses I could use to not go over there, so valid, yet so very made up. But in the end, I knew that I was called to minister in this situation, even if I really did not want to. So after a very strong cup of coffee, I girded myself up, and drove out to Bill’s house. He welcomed me in, and I spent time with Bill as he wept over the loss of a loved one.

I shared with him those great promises that Christ had made, that neither life nor death could separate us from the love of God. I reminded him that Christ had promised that in the end all the tombs would be emptied and we would joyfully celebrate the gift of eternal life with all God’s children, and I sat and listened to the many stories that Bill told of the life he shared with his brother.

I still remember sitting there in my kitchen, and the fight I went through to battle this temptation to abandon this wild beast, and how God gave me the strength and the words to share, words of hope, forgiveness, and life.

Now I won’t lie, life with Bill after that encounter was not all rosy. He still held his critique sessions in the parking lot. He still drove by the house and inspected the lawn. But through that time in the wilderness with Bill, I was changed. Through this time of temptation, the Spirit led me into a struggle that I did not want to face, and in the process, the Sprit strengthened my faith in my calling as well as in God’s desire to love all of creation, even the wild beasts.

God strengthened my in the call that Jesus gives to each and every one of us – the call to be about mission. The call to love the unlovable, the call to journey with the outcasts, the call to go into the wilderness, and face the temptations that come our way.

And so we continue on this journey. We continue to hear God telling us that many times in our lives we will feel like we are being thrown out into the wilderness and the wild beasts will be tempting us at every turn. But we also know that we do not enter this wilderness, or face these temptations, alone. For Christ faced temptations in his life as well, and he is the one who journeys with us into the dark areas of life. He is the one who will face the wild beasts with us. And in the end, he is the one who will strengthen us through these temptations: Strengthen us in our love of God; Strengthen us in love for our neighbors; Even strengthen us in our love for the wild beasts of creation

For through Christ, all things will be made new. That means that through Christ, and even through the temptations we face with him, we will be made new again.

Water, Water, Water ...melon

Today is the start of Lent, a season of reflection and penitence. It is also a season that brings back a family tradition in the Jelinek household.

A little background: When we were teaching Sierra to brush her teeth we wanted to make sure that she would brush them long enough every morning, so we would sing a song to her while she brushed. And, being the pastors we are, it was a church song - Halle, Halle, Hallelujah. Below is a link of the song from another church:



Well, when lent comes the church omits the Hallelujahs from worship. For this somber season it is too joyful, and we wait to sing them until Easter Sunday.

And Sierra has decided that she should omit the Hallelujahs from her morning teeth brushing rituals as well. So what she has done is keep the tune, but changed the words. During the season of lent she sings, "Water, Water, Water ...melon."

So today she comes running down stairs and says, "Daddy, guess what I sang today while I was brushing my teeth?"

Gotta love the liturgy of teeth brushing in lent.

So what will you be doing different during lent this year?