Mid-week News 1-30-13

Dear Family of faith, “Incredible” and “Wonderful” are two adjectives used by those who attended the musical, Billy Elliot, last night at Ruth Eckerd Hall, a church-outing to see the production which is set in a coal miners’ strike in England during the time of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. It’s a story of a miner’s son who found his true identity not in boxing or bullying, but in dancing. The 13-year-old boy from MA who played the part of Billy was unbelievably talented, but it was the theme that captured all our interest and affection—that people should be free to be who they are and be true to themselves. In the end, life is not about living up to someone else’s expectations, but rather about being who you are and embracing that identity. It’s about letting the real you out, letting your soul soar, letting your spirit free; and finding in that freedom, the joy of living. That is what I have tried to do in my ministry; that is what I have desired for our church. What it means for me is that I have to stop putting labels on people, cease trying to find a “slot” for them in my limited vocabulary, and just let them be who they are. Maybe you can try to be that for others, too. Instead of looking at family and friends or strangers and asking “What are you? What label do you wear?” Try just saying, “I love you just as you are.” After all, didn’t Mr. Rogers teach us that? Do you worry a lot? I can when the threats of life are pressing down and things seem so uncertain. I learned long ago that trying to “distract myself” from worrying never works. I can’t “keep busy” and avoid thinking about things. The only way that I’ve been able to stop “worrying about tomorrow and let tomorrow worry about itself” (as Jesus teaches in Matthew 6) is to bring my worries and leave them with God. It’s a conscious choice, and it takes some practice; but in the end we have the assurance that all things work for good for those who love God. I hope that you can do that with your worries this week. Let God handle them! With affection for all of you, Pastor Carlan

Mid-week News 1-23-13

Dear Family of faith, Life can change so fast! I was thinking about that as I drove home one evening last week with all the cars whizzing toward me at 60 m.p.h. in the opposite lane. All it would take is one distracted texter or someone juggling a cell phone to swerve into my lane and that would change my life forever. It really is an act of faith to get in your car these days, isn’t it? We have to believe that those in the cars around us will stay in their lanes and drive safely even though we have no control over what other people do. A lot of life is like that—we have no control over it, and things that happen outside our control can radically change our futures. I don’t know about you, but, in view of that, I am so glad that God promises to walk with us through all of life. And if others choose to hurt us or make life difficult for us, God can use every circumstance and event for good. Remember that if you find yourself in a hard spot today. This Sunday will be a day of celebration, not only because we are installing our officers, but we are also receiving into membership 18 people. Come, welcome the new members and celebrate God’s goodness! My sermon for the day is entitled “What Could Have Been.” Do you ever think that you are too old to be of any good? I read with interest about the Nobel Prize winner Rita Levi-Montalcini, a biologist from Italy, who died last December at age 103. She kept an intensive work schedule through age 100! When I read about people like that, I wonder whether they ever complained about their aches and pains or said, “It’s somebody else’s turn” and “I’m too old to help”? Sooner or later we all come to the full-stop in life (death). Until that time shouldn’t we keep running? I have a feeling that those who keep going last longest? What do you think? You are wonderful people, and God has blessed me much through you. Keep hugging! With affection, Pastor Carlan

Mid-week News 1-16-13

Dear Family of faith, Have you ever had so much to do that you couldn’t do anything? I have been feeling that way this week—overwhelmed! Some days I have more than twelve hours of church work to do. I have begun to discover that when I have more to do than seems possible in a day, it often helps to do nothing for a while. I know that this goes against all common sense and certainly it can, in those who are driven people, increase the anxiety level as the number of hours left to finish work decreases. On the other hand, sometimes what I really need when I feel overwhelmed is not more time as much as a morale booster. When life gets rough, we need some encouragement, some delight to give us the courage to get “back to the grindstone” and accomplish what needs to be done. So next time you have more to do than is ‘humanly possible,’ consider taking a break. Go for a walk; sit in the sun; work a puzzle, get yourself a Starbucks latte, do something to bring you a moment of joy so that you can get back to being who you need to be to do what needs to be done. Last night I was online trying to buy airline tickets for a trip later in the year. I worked through choosing the flights and then went through choosing all the seats; then I got stuck. I couldn’t find out how to get back to continue the process, so I lost about half an hour’s worth of work. After calling the airline to get some instruction, I started all over again (not a happy camper!). But to my surprise, and for whatever reason I don’t know, but when I selected exactly the same flights again, the price for the ticket had dropped $300! Needless to say, I wasn’t too put out by the whole experience! I think it was God’s way of telling me that He can turn my failures into blessings. Think about that next time you find yourself in a funk over some mistake you’ve made. Instead of berating yourself (and others), think about what might come of it. Too often we make life too hard for ourselves; God wants to make it easier. God comes, not to hurt us, but to help us; not to curse us, but to bless us. That ought to keep you smiling for at least a week! I look forward to seeing you on Sunday. You are my family away from family. What a day to celebrate God’s faithfulness in the past year, and a day to celebrate you whom God has called and chosen to be a light to our world! With affection, Pastor Carlan

Mid-week 1-9-13

Dear Family of faith, Aren’t you glad to see all the snowbirds back among us? Most of them have now fled the north for balmier days down here, and I’m so excited about it! Jan Bastow told me on Sunday, “I’m ready to party!” So am I, and if any church is a partying church, this is the one! I’ve always known that partying is good for the soul. Now even health professionals are recognizing it. In the last issue of the AARP magazine there was an article on “10 Tips for Better Health.” The very first one was “Throw a party!” (The others were “Adopt a pet; Eat chocolate; Drink coffee; Drink a glass of wine or beer; Have sex; Listen to music; Take a nap; Enjoy nature, and Stop using antibacterial soaps.” ) At one of our team meetings this week, Jan Thayer, our Vice Moderator who had been absent for many weeks, remarked, “I’ve sure missed this place.” It was a response to listening to Ellen Niemann sharing a spiritual moment in her life. That says along about what God is doing in our midst: comforting us, healing us, leading us, and changing us. Many who have gone away can’t wait to come “home” to the family we find in our church. It can only be that way if we continue to open ourselves up to God’s Presence and love and share that with others. This week, don’t run so fast that you miss the beauty of those in front of you. Take time to ponder your surroundings, to delight in the beauty of God’s world, and to listen ardently to those who share this journey of life with you. It makes all the difference! With affection, Pastor Carlan

Mid-week 1-2-13

Dear Family of faith, Happy New Year! I pray that this new chance at life in 2013 brings you good health and much joy. Jill and I had a great week away in the south of Florida (where the weather was a few degrees warmer and sunnier). It was a much needed vacation and, to be truthful, we weren’t in much of a hurry to come back! Of course, we would miss all of you even more if we stayed away too long, though. While we were in Naples, we visited Jill’s aunt and uncle, who live on a lake on the road to Marco Island. As I sat on the couch in their modular home, I noticed a cabinet on the wall opposite me, stuffed with Precious Moments figurines. I thought to myself, “Those must be really valuable to Aunt Ginny since she has taken up so much space with them in their small home.” The couple had downsized considerably when moving from the north. You can imagine how surprised I was a few minutes later when Aunt Ginny asked Jill, “Would you like my Precious Moments collection? None of my children want them.” Jill had no interest in them, either; but I got to thinking about the irony of the situation. This woman had avidly amassed a fortune in figurines during her lifetime, and now they were worthless—not just to her offspring, but even to herself. It had all been a waste of money. I have collected things in my own life that later turned out to be of little interest to me. I’m not sure what it is about us human beings, that we find a strange delight in amassing things that have no practical value. I only wish that I could recapture the cost of the things I collected and later disposed of and given it to those who really needed help. I’m much more careful now not to spend money on whims or things that have no intrinsic value. Especially as we begin a new year, it might be worth our while to ask the question before we buy, “Who would want this when we’re gone?” If the answer is “No one,” it’s probably not worth buying. On Christmas Eve morning as I was taking my shower, I took down my washcloth and discovered, to my great surprise, a big black blob underneath it. I couldn’t quite tell what it was, so I called Jill in to check it out. From the other side of the glass, she could discern the makings of a frog. What to do? I could just see myself running around the house naked, chasing after the hopping amphibian! Jill came up with a better solution. She used a pastry scraper and a jar to capture the creature. Then the question was “What should we do with it?” Since we didn’t have frog legs on our Christmas Eve menu, we opted for letting the frog go in the yard. I got to thinking about that whole experience: There are a lot of things in our lives that we make into problems that really aren’t problems at all. Instead of stewing about them, we ought simply to take hold of them and let them go. Why should we keep anything in our lives that gives us headaches? Don’t stress about anything you don’t need to get stressed over. Just let it go! Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday. And happy dieting and exercising! With affection, Pastor Carlan