Well, Friends and Family,
It finally happened....God placed me in Time Out. After succumbing to a one-two punch where one child brought home germs that took me over a week to fight off, immediately followed by even stronger germs brought in from the other child, I am now battling fatigue and laryngitis. When there's nothing left (or no ability) to say, that's when it's time to stop and listen.
I will be taking time out over the next month to rest, reflect, and "Think on These Things...." as I seek to recharge and refresh myself.
My blog will be on hiatus during this time, but I look forward to returning reinvigorated and ready to continue challenging and exhorting us to not gloss over God's movement in our lives, but to deliberately slow down and "Think on These Things..."
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
A weekly posting of encouraging and challenging thoughts about life from Rev. Karen W. Curry, a pastor's wife and mother of two who is also --in her "spare time"-- a dynamic preacher, teacher, motivational speaker, facilitator, writer, reviewer, poet, MC, liturgical dance/drama consultant and storyteller. Contact Rev. Karen at BNcouraged247@msn.com to speak at your next service or retreat.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
OVER AND UNDER
Overwhelmed
and under qualified.
That’s how
I feel many times when I survey the things that fill my plate. Actually, I should say plates, because on any
given day there are a number of plates that I juggle and attempt to keep from crashing
down. Remember the circus trick where a
clown would take a stack of plates and spin each plate individually on the tops
of thin poles? The clown would run back
and forth to spin each plate to keep it from falling off and would somehow
manage to keep them all going for a while. Then, slowly, one or two plates would
start wobbling before he could get back to them. Before long, one would
crash. Then another. Followed by
another.
There’s
nothing good about having plates crashing down around you, but at least in the
circus act, the plates are all empty. In
real life, there are usually far more things on top of the plates than there
are plates. And, when one of our plates falls down in real life, it can get
really messy.
As I
struggle to juggle the plates of ministry, marriage and motherhood, not only do
I find myself trying to keep the plates from falling, but I end up scrambling
to keep what’s piled on top of each plate from falling, too. Sometimes I think it’s a juggling act that
should only be attempted by a trained professional and should not be attempted
at home! But, try at home we must, because such is the substance of home life
for many of us today.
At times, I
actually experience a measure of success with the juggling act. And, just like the circus clown, I
occasionally get applause for how well I keep all of the plates spinning! Yet, I still tend to feel overwhelmed at
trying to consistently spend quality time with God, quality time with my
husband, quality time with both of my children, do quality ministry and invest
in the quality of my own physical, spiritual and emotional well-being.
This is
especially true with regard to quality time with my children. Quite frankly, I don’t know how anyone
handles more than two children. My hats
(all of them!) are off to all mothers who have raised three or more children. You are modern-day miracle workers in my
book!
I have
“only” two children, but each child requires 100% of a mom. Just because there are two of them it doesn’t
mean I can divide what they get from me in half. No.
Each child requires the same quality and quantity of nurturing and
rearing they would receive if they were my only child. And, that 100% of me
(times two) doesn’t even include the wife, ministry, or self-care hats.
My children
are 10 and 13 years old. Anyone who has
raised children knows exactly what I’m dealing with right now—Endless questions
(“How does this thing work?”, “How come this thing doesn’t work?”, “Are we
there yet?”); Puberty (Too deep, and too grossly humorous to begin to get into
in this forum!); Competition/rivalry (Over everything from how many pages they
can read per day, to how much they can milk a minor injury to get mom’s
attention, to how many bubbles one has in their bathwater versus the other. It’s endless, I tell you! Endless!); Growth
spurts (Can you say, clothes that fit one week and are two sizes too small the
next?); Chore-dodging (I’m beginning to think it’s a real sport. You should
hear some of the incredible ways my children try to legitimize why they didn’t
get something done); Chauffeuring to: music lessons; youth ministry activities;
community service activities; after school programs; sports activities; school
musicals—with months of early morning practices; birthday parties; sleepovers;
doctors visits; emergency room visits, and other things I know I’m forgetting
(or perhaps trying to forget).
Thanks be
to God, that with a load that often overwhelms me and leaves me feeling underqualified
to handle, God’s Holy Spirit reminds me that I am an overcomer because I am under
the blood of Jesus Christ. Truly, I can
do all things through Him who gives me strength, because there is no earthly
way I could get all of that done and have enough sanity to even write about it,
nonetheless live it day by day and still have enough joy to exhort others.
I also
thank God that when the mommy hat starts squeezing too tight, He reminds me that spending
even a few minutes a day reading and praying His Word truly helps to adjust my
vision. When I see life as God sees it, I see my daily cares and concerns
shrink in comparison to the blessings I have now and those in store for me in
glory. When I see life as God sees it, I
am humbled by the thought that He chose me to be the mother of two of the most
beautiful, talented and lovable children in the world who are worth every
sacrifice and investment put into them. When I see life as God sees it, I see a
loving husband who loves to surprise me by whisking me away from the kitchen to
a restaurant so someone else can do the menu planning, cooking, serving and
cleaning up.
When I see life as God sees
it, I remember that the two young children I see before me now--the ones who,
at ages 10 and 13 still love to climb up on my lap and cling to my neck--are
growing up quickly. When I step back,
take a deep breath and really survey my situation, I realize that one day,
before I know it, my little sprouts will grow up and ….cook for, serve and
chauffer me!
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
(Edited version of my blog entry originally
published on the American Baptist Press News blog site www.abpnews.com)
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Nothing Gets the Point Across Better
This past Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day. Most moms probably appreciate having at least one official day in which we are thanked and acknowledged for our sacrifices, because a mother's responsibilities and contributions are often taken for granted, even though they clearly under gird every aspect of our daily lives.
Mothers take care of the 1001 dangling threads in life that may appear harmless, but if left to unravel, would cause an entire ensemble to fall apart. These are the threads that somehow only a mother has eyes to see.
Whenever my kids claim they have cleaned their room, I always tell them to go back and look one more time with "Mommy eyes" and then tell me if it's really "clean." That usually results in them discovering that hiding things under the bed or behind the door does not qualify as "clean" in my book.
Sometimes it seems mothers can give and give and give, and yet it's never enough --"Homemade smoothies again?!" Instead of inspiring our families to appreciate our efforts, sometimes we inadvertently spoil them, and instead of appreciation we are met with more expectation.
When kids and husbands ask mothers, "What do you do all day?" it's hard to know where to begin to answer. Should the answer cover everything we've done from the top to the bottom of the house, or should it focus on what we've done from the top to the bottom of the day, or maybe it would be best to go from the top to the bottom of our "to do list" for each family member? I finally concluded it would be much easier to answer the question, "What don't you do all day?"
In fact, I've often thought that nothing would get the point across better than, well, nothing. If mothers simply stopped doing every single thing we do in a given period of time, the "nothing" that we would do would probably speak volumes over the overlooked and under appreciated "somethings" we do every day.
This tribute to mothers (author unknown) illustrates it best:
A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house, and there was no sign of the dog.
Proceeding into the entry, he found and even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was covered with toys and various items of clothing.
In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, etc.
He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.
He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.
As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.
He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?" She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?" "Yes," was his incredulous reply. She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."
I think you'll agree....Nothing got the point across better....
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
Mothers take care of the 1001 dangling threads in life that may appear harmless, but if left to unravel, would cause an entire ensemble to fall apart. These are the threads that somehow only a mother has eyes to see.
Whenever my kids claim they have cleaned their room, I always tell them to go back and look one more time with "Mommy eyes" and then tell me if it's really "clean." That usually results in them discovering that hiding things under the bed or behind the door does not qualify as "clean" in my book.
Sometimes it seems mothers can give and give and give, and yet it's never enough --"Homemade smoothies again?!" Instead of inspiring our families to appreciate our efforts, sometimes we inadvertently spoil them, and instead of appreciation we are met with more expectation.
When kids and husbands ask mothers, "What do you do all day?" it's hard to know where to begin to answer. Should the answer cover everything we've done from the top to the bottom of the house, or should it focus on what we've done from the top to the bottom of the day, or maybe it would be best to go from the top to the bottom of our "to do list" for each family member? I finally concluded it would be much easier to answer the question, "What don't you do all day?"
In fact, I've often thought that nothing would get the point across better than, well, nothing. If mothers simply stopped doing every single thing we do in a given period of time, the "nothing" that we would do would probably speak volumes over the overlooked and under appreciated "somethings" we do every day.
This tribute to mothers (author unknown) illustrates it best:
A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house, and there was no sign of the dog.
Proceeding into the entry, he found and even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was covered with toys and various items of clothing.
In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, etc.
He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.
He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.
As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.
He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?" She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?" "Yes," was his incredulous reply. She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."
***********************
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
Thursday, May 9, 2013
What Do You See? It Depends on Where You Stand....
I was surprised, yet not really surprised to hear of the Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Haggray's departure from the historic First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, DC. Rev. Haggray was the first African-American to pastor the renowned church, but his unexpectedly short three-year tenure has now doused the initial excitement about his historic appointment.
I was surprised to learn he was leaving because I had hoped that the marriage between Pastor and people would somehow work out, in spite of the inherent challenges that come with launching into unchartered territory. Then again, I was not surprised because I realize that asking for change is one thing, while actually living through it is another thing altogether.
I am proud to say that I know Jeffrey Haggray personally and professionally. In fact, one of his last official acts as the first African-American pastor of my church, The Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church, was to license me into the gospel ministry.
Based on what I know first-hand about Jeff Haggray, he was and is more than capable of taking the First Baptist Church of Washington DC as far as it desired to go. And, therein lies the question for me. I wonder how far did and does First Baptist really want to go on its journey toward becoming the "biblical version of beloved community, wherein there is no distinction or discrimination due to race, national origin or gender," as Jeff was quoted as saying in a March 6, 2010 Washington Post article about his appointment to First Baptist.
In that 2010 article, written over three years ago, Jeff said that in hiring him, the first African-American pastor for First Baptist, the church's action was "consistent with the biblical vision of beloved community....." Now it appears that neither Jeff nor the congregation were able to see that what they thought was a shared vision would be viewed far differently from Jeff's position in the pulpit than from the position of the pews. It all depends on where you stand.
In an October 14, 2009 press release, Jeff Woods, associate general secretary for regional ministries with American Baptist Churches said, "The DCBC has benefited greatly from Jeffrey's visionary approach and results-oriented leadership style," adding, "We will miss his contributions to the wider American Baptist family, but we know that God will continue to bless his efforts in this next chapter of ministry." October 14, 2009 ABPnews.com
How is it that Jeff's "visionary approach" and "results-oriented leadership style" was good enough for him to effectively lead the 150 diverse churches in the DC Baptist Convention while he was at the helm, but became the source of anguish for some at First Baptist who allegedly sent letters of complaint to him on a weekly basis. I guess it all depends on where you stand. By the way, I certainly hope those letters were simply follow ups to face-to-face conversations that were held.
"Churches have a high calling to be houses of prayer for all people, regardless of their identity. I know no better way to communicate that message than to embrace and affirm racial diversity in our leadership...In time, we will add diverse worship services to our schedule that meet a wide range of needs and will make more effective use of technology to stay connected with the faithful wherever they are." -- Quote from Jeff Haggray, Washington Post Saturday, March 6, 2010
At the outset of his tenure, Jeff talked about racial diversity in leadership, meeting a wide range of needs, and making more effective use of technology. So, how does that translate into maintaining the traditional liturgical style of worship that some at First Baptist continue to hold dearly? It doesn't. Maybe it means services that have quiet moments interspersed with exuberant moments. Maybe it means different styles of service offered at different times. It could mean a lot of things, but it definitely didn't mean that Jeffrey Haggray intended to maintain First Baptist's regularly scheduled program already in progress.
The Christian walk has got to be one of growth and transformation. Whenever we get to a place where our worship routine has become...well...routine, that's probably a good place for us to grow. Those who grew up with the exclusive notion that "the Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silent" would benefit tremendously from making a "joyful noise unto the Lord," "shouting with a voice of triumph," and "praising Him on the loud resounding cymbals." Likewise, those who are used to exuberant worship would benefit greatly from quiet times of reflection and learning to "be still and know" that God is....
Jeff Haggray has a tough calling on his life. God uses him time and time again to blaze trails that some would never undertake, others will never understand and still others will never even want to understand. Trail blazing is dirty, thankless work in the short term. But, in the long term, those who come face-to-face with the uncomfortable things that get dug up along the trail will find that God truly uses the foolish things to confound the wise--what looks like a stumbling block turns out to be a stepping stone; what feels like the end of the road is actually a bridge over troubled waters....
God does nothing by accident. So, He was up to something in allowing Jeffrey Haggray to pastor First Baptist. That "something" may not be readily apparent, but through serious soul searching, each member of the First Baptist family will be able to see what God is showing them. And, what one person sees may not be the same as another, because it all depends on where you stand....
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
I was surprised to learn he was leaving because I had hoped that the marriage between Pastor and people would somehow work out, in spite of the inherent challenges that come with launching into unchartered territory. Then again, I was not surprised because I realize that asking for change is one thing, while actually living through it is another thing altogether.
I am proud to say that I know Jeffrey Haggray personally and professionally. In fact, one of his last official acts as the first African-American pastor of my church, The Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church, was to license me into the gospel ministry.
Based on what I know first-hand about Jeff Haggray, he was and is more than capable of taking the First Baptist Church of Washington DC as far as it desired to go. And, therein lies the question for me. I wonder how far did and does First Baptist really want to go on its journey toward becoming the "biblical version of beloved community, wherein there is no distinction or discrimination due to race, national origin or gender," as Jeff was quoted as saying in a March 6, 2010 Washington Post article about his appointment to First Baptist.
In that 2010 article, written over three years ago, Jeff said that in hiring him, the first African-American pastor for First Baptist, the church's action was "consistent with the biblical vision of beloved community....." Now it appears that neither Jeff nor the congregation were able to see that what they thought was a shared vision would be viewed far differently from Jeff's position in the pulpit than from the position of the pews. It all depends on where you stand.
In an October 14, 2009 press release, Jeff Woods, associate general secretary for regional ministries with American Baptist Churches said, "The DCBC has benefited greatly from Jeffrey's visionary approach and results-oriented leadership style," adding, "We will miss his contributions to the wider American Baptist family, but we know that God will continue to bless his efforts in this next chapter of ministry." October 14, 2009 ABPnews.com
How is it that Jeff's "visionary approach" and "results-oriented leadership style" was good enough for him to effectively lead the 150 diverse churches in the DC Baptist Convention while he was at the helm, but became the source of anguish for some at First Baptist who allegedly sent letters of complaint to him on a weekly basis. I guess it all depends on where you stand. By the way, I certainly hope those letters were simply follow ups to face-to-face conversations that were held.
"Churches have a high calling to be houses of prayer for all people, regardless of their identity. I know no better way to communicate that message than to embrace and affirm racial diversity in our leadership...In time, we will add diverse worship services to our schedule that meet a wide range of needs and will make more effective use of technology to stay connected with the faithful wherever they are." -- Quote from Jeff Haggray, Washington Post Saturday, March 6, 2010
At the outset of his tenure, Jeff talked about racial diversity in leadership, meeting a wide range of needs, and making more effective use of technology. So, how does that translate into maintaining the traditional liturgical style of worship that some at First Baptist continue to hold dearly? It doesn't. Maybe it means services that have quiet moments interspersed with exuberant moments. Maybe it means different styles of service offered at different times. It could mean a lot of things, but it definitely didn't mean that Jeffrey Haggray intended to maintain First Baptist's regularly scheduled program already in progress.
The Christian walk has got to be one of growth and transformation. Whenever we get to a place where our worship routine has become...well...routine, that's probably a good place for us to grow. Those who grew up with the exclusive notion that "the Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silent" would benefit tremendously from making a "joyful noise unto the Lord," "shouting with a voice of triumph," and "praising Him on the loud resounding cymbals." Likewise, those who are used to exuberant worship would benefit greatly from quiet times of reflection and learning to "be still and know" that God is....
Jeff Haggray has a tough calling on his life. God uses him time and time again to blaze trails that some would never undertake, others will never understand and still others will never even want to understand. Trail blazing is dirty, thankless work in the short term. But, in the long term, those who come face-to-face with the uncomfortable things that get dug up along the trail will find that God truly uses the foolish things to confound the wise--what looks like a stumbling block turns out to be a stepping stone; what feels like the end of the road is actually a bridge over troubled waters....
God does nothing by accident. So, He was up to something in allowing Jeffrey Haggray to pastor First Baptist. That "something" may not be readily apparent, but through serious soul searching, each member of the First Baptist family will be able to see what God is showing them. And, what one person sees may not be the same as another, because it all depends on where you stand....
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
A Hostile Work Environment
The words, "hostile work environment" describe a negative situation in which someone is repeatedly subjected to harsh treatment in the workplace. Anyone who has ever been subjected to that type of abuse knows how distressing it can be. It's only by the grace of God that those caught up in such situations are able to come out.
A hostile work environment is the last thing anyone would voluntarily face. In fact, the more hostile the situation, the quicker one starts looking for the exit. With that in mind, why don't Christians decide to create a hostile work environment for evil? Why not make the environment around us so uncomfortable for evil that it starts looking for a way out instead of the other way around?
I know it sounds really strange, but just think about it. What would happen if we deliberately chose to infect our workplaces and other settings with the fruit of the Spirit? What would happen if the love in the room was so thick you could almost reach out and grab it? Sounds crazy? Why? We are certainly familiar with situations in which we say the tension in the air was so thick we could "cut it with a knife," so why not the opposite?
How would our day go if we came in and claimed the territory around us for the Lord and invited the Holy Spirit to have free reign in it and us? What if we didn't just try this once or twice, but were relentless in our efforts to fill the atmosphere with all that is holy on a daily basis?
Light and dark can't co-exist. So, what we have sometimes depends on which one we choose and nurture.
Why is it that people influenced by evil seem to have more energy and commitment than those of us influenced by Christ? Someone obsessed with harming someone else will fixate on that mission so intently that they will even wait years to accomplish their goal if necessary.
On the other hand, we will pray for something and then are ready to give up completely if it doesn't come to us right away or in the time frame or packaging we think it should.
I'm fighting off a nasty cold today, and as I gargled with Listerine, drank lots of orange juice and hot tea, etc,. I realized I was creating a hostile work environment for the germs in my throat. If I simply did nothing, the germs would continue multiplying in their attempt to take me over. It's their job to multiply, but I was interfering with their work by changing the environment in which they had to operate.
When we look at the world around us, we see evil multiplying more and more. It may be an uphill battle, but we must be determined to interfere with evil whenever we can. Let's refuse to just sit back and let evil have an easy triumph. Let's step up our game and start boldly and relentlessly creating a hostile work environment for the devil. Let's take God at His word when He says,
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
To submit is to trust. To submit is to commit. To submit is not to quit.
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
A hostile work environment is the last thing anyone would voluntarily face. In fact, the more hostile the situation, the quicker one starts looking for the exit. With that in mind, why don't Christians decide to create a hostile work environment for evil? Why not make the environment around us so uncomfortable for evil that it starts looking for a way out instead of the other way around?
I know it sounds really strange, but just think about it. What would happen if we deliberately chose to infect our workplaces and other settings with the fruit of the Spirit? What would happen if the love in the room was so thick you could almost reach out and grab it? Sounds crazy? Why? We are certainly familiar with situations in which we say the tension in the air was so thick we could "cut it with a knife," so why not the opposite?
How would our day go if we came in and claimed the territory around us for the Lord and invited the Holy Spirit to have free reign in it and us? What if we didn't just try this once or twice, but were relentless in our efforts to fill the atmosphere with all that is holy on a daily basis?
Light and dark can't co-exist. So, what we have sometimes depends on which one we choose and nurture.
Why is it that people influenced by evil seem to have more energy and commitment than those of us influenced by Christ? Someone obsessed with harming someone else will fixate on that mission so intently that they will even wait years to accomplish their goal if necessary.
On the other hand, we will pray for something and then are ready to give up completely if it doesn't come to us right away or in the time frame or packaging we think it should.
I'm fighting off a nasty cold today, and as I gargled with Listerine, drank lots of orange juice and hot tea, etc,. I realized I was creating a hostile work environment for the germs in my throat. If I simply did nothing, the germs would continue multiplying in their attempt to take me over. It's their job to multiply, but I was interfering with their work by changing the environment in which they had to operate.
When we look at the world around us, we see evil multiplying more and more. It may be an uphill battle, but we must be determined to interfere with evil whenever we can. Let's refuse to just sit back and let evil have an easy triumph. Let's step up our game and start boldly and relentlessly creating a hostile work environment for the devil. Let's take God at His word when He says,
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
To submit is to trust. To submit is to commit. To submit is not to quit.
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)