Theology Bimbo

I think that most of us that make regular use of Facebook are aware that it can be a potentially volitale networking tool. One minute your posting something on your wall and then a full-on digital debate breaks out among your friends.

With that, such an occasion almost occurred yesterday when Scott posted this blog on his profile yesterday.  Rather than go over the intracacies of the issue here, I will leave you to read the article if you so choose. Anyway, back to the post. One of Scott’s “friends” commented on the post, basically saying, “You actually believe this Scott?” Being the miniature pit bull I am, I jumped out from behind Scott’s legs and started yapping defensively at the one who dared to ridicule my beloved.  First though, I read the article to make sure  I backed Scott for reasons that went beyond loyalty. I drew my conclusion on the matter and responded to his friend expressing my view. Within a few minutes, his friend brushed off my critique, saying that since I am Scott’s girlfriend, of course I agree with him!

Wait a second, did he just ASSUME that I AUTOMATICALLY parrot Scott’s thoughts? Oh, no he didn’t!!

Perhaps some of you reading this blog out there in the intertubes don’t know me very well. Perhaps some of you know me very well and are scoffing at this dude’s comments. Whichever you are, I will tell you right now… I am a very independent thinker. I very rarely follow without question. Depending on the situation, this can be a good or bad thing.

  To be fair, this gentleman (if he deserves that title?) has never met me before. If he had, I am sure he would not have made that borderline chauvinistic response.  Surely, anyone that knows me would not think that for a minute…right? I let myself grumble and grouse for a few minutes over the insult, then I replied to his comment,  elaborating on my argument in favor of Scott, while employing  a bit of mild sarcasm to respond to this person’s outright brush-off that I share a brain with Scott.

Before I go any further, I adore Scott. I think he is a great guy (obviously!), but we don’t agree on everything.  We both find this perfectly acceptable.  In fact, the good-natured debates that spring from our minor disagreements seem to make our relationship more interesting! At least, neither one of us complain….

Wait, wasn’t there a story involved here? Back to that…

Within a short time of my reply, I felt guilty.  I hadn’t consulted Scott before I jumped to his or my own defense. I called him, and not only had he found my response perfect, but he was just as indignant as I. Scott wrote his friend a private message asserting that I drew my theological conclusions on my own. Scott stated was offended by his friend’s comments and demanded a public apology.  (By the way Having a man who defends your intellect is HOT!) Before we hung up, Scott told me he wouldn’t be dating me if I was a bimbo without an original thought. Well, thanks darlin’, cause I wouldn’t be dating you if you didn’t have a mind of your own, either. I said so before we even met, way back when I wrote my “husband list.”

Well, back to Scott’s  friend.  The “friend” responded to me once more on the blog comment.. There was no apology. He didn’t really attempt to defend against my argument, and addressed his statement that ticked Scott and I off by simply saying so many of the people he knows will tailor fit their views to that of their signifcant other. I will have to admit, I did that in the past… and was not a happy person at all. I am with someone who hasn’t tried to change me beyond spiritual encouragement in my conformity to Christ. He has no desire to push me into a mold I don’t belong in… and it’s refreshing.

After his friend’s last comment, I let things go. Why bother?

Last night was my church’s midweek prayer meeting. As I relayed the story to our small gathering, everyone laughed. My dear family from Jordan Valley responded with, “This guy must not know you very well!” to sarcastic comments like, “Yeah, Scott tells you exactly what to think and you just listen.”

See why I love these people? At least they know better!

Maranatha’s Ministry

Today is the last night the Maranatha Baptist Church’s youth group is in town. I hope to say goodbye after this and then its off to get Kristin at the airport for our fun-filled weekend. (Utah? You have been warned. The Lucys are here.)

I could tell you all kinds of rambly stories of the fun we had together. It could take forever to document in words all the songs sung, the stories told, the lessons learned, the memories made. Instead, I will show you.

They sang.

They worked.

They taught.

Two childen came to a saving faith in Christ.

They toured and learned.

These kids came here wanting to change lives. What they found was that they were changed by God. This trip was as much for them as it was for us. They walked away with a deeper understanding of how God works in the hearts of man. I was reminded of zeal for evangelism and ministry. Also, it reminded me of why I miss home so much. These kids were friendly, warmhearted, and ready to work. How deeply our society lacks those things!

Maranatha kida, you will be missed!

Next, though, look out for less serious posts. With Kristin coming to town, excessive silliness isahead! Watch out Utah…. the Lucys are being reunited!

Utah Ministry

I have had some people ask what I do out here in Utah for church. I tell them I attend a small, independent Baptist church. I am then asked if I am involved in ministry. I teach Children’s Church on a rotating basis, and I attend the nursing home ministry.

I have people ask me how large the congregation is, and they are in shock when I tell them it is small. My church runs 20-30 people regularly, tops. Indeed, we are a small congregation, but Jordan Valley Baptist Church is filled with lots of love.

I also try to explain to people outside of Utah we don’t have a regular building. What, you don’t have your own building? But how do you meet? Well, I just bought a new camera on Saturday (FINALLY!!) and decided to test it out. Here are some photos of what ministry looks like at Jordan Valley Baptist Church on a Sunday morning.

Right now, my church is meeting in a Seventh Day Adventist School. We  set up for the main services in the school gym.

Here is a view of how the gym looks from the front. The children’s Sunday school classes are set up in the back.

Here we have a view of the set-up for the adult Sunday school class.

And then during the main service, if it is my turn to teach Children’s church, then I take them back into this room and present my lesson. Here are some shots of my kids:

My kids are not usually so somber.

Now THIS is how they really are!

That's what I get for calling them monkeys

I had to get in on the act too.

So, there you have it, a small glimpse of a church plant in Utah. I have had people ask me how it is to be in a small church and if I miss a larger group… and yeah, sometimes I miss having a stable meeting place. But being in a church plant forces you to think outside of the box when it comes to ministry, and (gasp) sometimes you have to go against tradition. I think it has helped me grow, and understand that ministry is less about methods and truly about the glory of God. We get so caught up in our preconceived notions of what a church should look like- its structure, how over/underogranized it is, the types of ministries used, who runs them- that we lose sight of the purpose of the church: to worship God, bring Christians into a maturity of faith, and make disciples.

Bittersweet Sunday

Nancy Johnson was back at church today. She was looking wonderful, and was in good spirits. I was so happy to see her! She is not 100% but seems to be recovering well. She is being careful about what she has been eating and trying to give herself extra nutrition. Whatever it is, it appears to be healing and we are overjoyed she is on the mend.
Today was also the last day with Zoe and Sandy at be with us over at Jordan Valley Baptist Church. Sandy is a missionary with Children’s Evangelism Fellowship, and she and her daughter Zoe are re-locationg to Orlando to be closer to her family while Sandy raises more support for her ministry. She feels led by God to be a director for a local chapter of CEF. Check her out here. I am going to miss Zoe, she teases me far more than your average six year old. Also, I am going to miss those huge, doeful eyes of hers.

 

Seriously, how could you not miss those eyes?

 I will also miss Sandy and my occasional McDonald’s run with her. If you recall, I was out with Sandy when I had this gentleman ask me out. Feel free to check out her ministry here.

June is going to be a busy month here. Maranatha Baptist Church in Grimes, IA will be coming out here to help with a Vacation Bible School at Jordan Valley. The last weekend, my LutheranMe Kristin will be around to visit me for four whole days. And then…. it’s off to Iowa in July! I am so excited to see my friends and family!  So until the end of the month I am just going to try to relax and finish strong on my Blog-A-Day-In-May. It has been a challenge, but I hope you have enjoyed some of the introspective and Christian posts I have made. I don’t want to turn this into a straight theology blog, but I am going to warn you now: more God stuff is going to be added to the  mix. I have chronicled some of my struggles from last winter. I severed some friendships and have restored some of my clarity back. I feel like myself again, and now I want to focus on the most important element of my life: God. So that means less snarking and more Spirit. There is also going to be less complaining about boys, since I am on another current project. That is a secret mission for now, so I will leave it there and let you all speculate.

I promise, though, I will snark sometimes. Its part of my charm.

Random Updates

For the lack of a real post yesterday, I will attempt two make two posts today. I have discussed some on here this month without really providing any updates on the posts. So I will go over those things, and hopefully, my Igor research will be presented later.

First, let’s start with Nancy. I wrote about her here, explaining she has breast cancer and asked for prayer the day of her surgery. Now, for a post-op update:

Nancy is recovering well. The cancer was caught in Phase 1, and the lymph nodes removed did not indicate the cancer had spread. Also,  an MRI has not shown signs of additional spreading. For now, it seems as if Nancy’s biggest concern is healing from her surgery. Harley said she had an infection but she is on the mend. She has not come back to church yet. I had a lovely chat with her tonight, and she said she would probably be back Sunday. She better be, or I might be moving in with her. I miss her like crazy!

Now, time to update on Angela. Angela is my newest roommate, and several weeks ago, I asked you all if she should return her engagement ring in this post. After mixed responses, Angela accepted my advice to wait a week or so and then decide. As an olive branch, she returned the ring to her ex. She said they were trying to be friends.

Famous last words.

Today when I came home from work, Angela was home. I listened in shocked silence as Angela said she quit her job because it was too hard to work with Bob. She walked out with no prior notice. She has no other income, and the economy in in bad shape. Somehow this does not thwart her confidence that she will find a new job soon.  She spent an hour on the phone calling friends and telling them off, telling them this was all their fault and she wanted them out of her life. She made unreasonable threats if they disagreed. This, and other erratic behavior have made me wonder if it was really all Bob’s fault that they broke up.

Emily Ann and I were hanging out in the apartment early this evening. I was fixing cordon bleu for dinner when we heard an impatient knock on the door. Emily Ann scurried up to answer it, and a female cop practically burst in, asking for Angela. Angela came down the steps, and a male cop walked in. They started asking her questions. From what I heard, someone had reported Angela as suicidal and the police were doing a welfare check. A few minutes later, a fire truck pulled up and EMS filed in, and began checking Angela’s blood sugar. They asked if she was on medication, if she’d had suicidal thoughts, made suicidal statements, all to which Angela emphatically answered no. Emily and I were questioned and confirmed she had been any more erratic than normal. Satisfied, the EMS and police left, and Emily and I cracked up as we watched the enormous fire truck pull a 20-point turn on our tiny cul-de-sac.

So, there’s the update. And after all of that, I am too tired to discuss Igor… so, maybe tomorrow?

Trials and Blessings

For all you prayer warriors out there, Nancy Johnson’s masectomy is today. I was told by Nancy she would most likely be out Wednesday, should all go well. I’m asking that you pray specifically for these things:

-Wisdom in the surgeon’s judgement/saftey during surgery
-Physical healing for Nancy post-op
- That the cancer is unable to spread
-Comfort for the Johnson, Schaff, Best, and Gunter families (these would be the last names of Harley and Nancy’s offspring)

God, though, in His mercy, seems to combine trial and blessing. Sometimes, the blessing itself comes through the trial, which I am sure will be the case for the for the Johnsons.  On Sunday my church family was given a reason to rejoice with my other pastor and his wife, Chuck and Irene. Brockas have a new grandson that was born Sunday evening. Brody Stoker is a healthy baby boy weighing in at 7 lb 9 1/2 oz, and a headful of curly blond hair. Both mother and baby are doing well.

So, just a remind to all of you (and myself) trials are tough, but they happen that we may be refined and better conformed to the image of Christ. Also, don’t let trial steal a blessing away from you. If you look hard enough, you can always find one (or several) to be thankful for, maybe even a circumstance in the trial!! Blessings help us bear up under our load.

Retirement Homes

One of the things I really enjoy doing with my church is going to the nursing home service we hold at the Olympus Retirement Center in Murray. Each week, I go with the Johnsons and Brockas to do an hour long song and preaching service for a handful of senior citizens who attend.Together, we sing the old hyms and Pastor Chuck gives a small sermon. We st for a while after and talk.  Each week, they seem delighted to see me. I am complimented on my hair, my clothes, my singing voice. I am given small hugs of appreciation.

I am lavished with love.

The experience always blesses my heart. So many seniors have families dump them in care facilities and rarely contact them or visit. I have been lonely before; feeling as if you are alone can be unbearable. I want to reach out to the older generations to show them I have not forgotten them. I go to show that young people still care for the older generation, for the Lord, and for ministry History and people’s experience are important to me. I love to listening to the stories seniors tell me– the tales are fascinating, show so much character, and have many life lessons. Also, I like knowing I have blessed these seniors and made them feel happy and valued.

 But what do I find? Instead of me just being a blessing, the blessing I wish to provide returns to be a hundred fold. I walk away feeling valued. I walk away feeling uplifted. God turns around my intentions and multiplies the love.

I suggest you all go out and connect with some “senior saints” in your local church body or volunteer in a care facility. You won’t regret it.

Pray For Nancy

Nancy is the wife of my pastor, Harley Johnson, over at Jordan Valley Baptist Church.  Let me start off by saying this: Nancy is not your stereotypical Baptist pastor’s wife. Rather than the dour faced, 80’s dress clad, hat wearing image that her title evokes, Nancy is a spunky, smiling, sincere, stylish woman in her sixties.

Look at that stunning lady!

 Nancy is one of those people you fall in love with instantly. She is that Proverbs 31 woman that every Christian woman wishes they could be.  Godliness practically radiates from every surface of this woman.  She is the type of person whose light pulls in anyone who encounters her. Nancy lavishes love on anyone who comes into her presence.  At the same time, though, she is not afraid to express her opinions and can be blunt and frank. Somehow, she balances this with discretion and grace. She can be serious, but she has a fantastic sense of humor that can send you in stitches. Nancy is sugar and spice and everything nice, a near perfect mix of sassy and sweet, stern and slapstick. Above all, she is humble. She tells me of the things she has problems with in her life, and how she is still learning from God.  To someone who has so far to go to be Christlike, I find it almost unbelievable that Nancy still deals with the chastening of the Holy Spirit.

Nancy is a prayer warrior. Since I joined her congregation last year, Nancy has been one of my chief cheerleaders and healers. She tells me constantly she is praying for me, that she loves me, and how special I am to her. She often checked up on me and encouraged me, knowing the pain I held last spring. Nancy is an intregal part of my extended family in Utah and is as precious as a grandparent to me.

Nancy also has cancer.

This week, my wonderful, vibrant, woman of God is going in for a masectomy. We don’t know what day. We don’t know how long the healing process will take. Nancy has decided, though, she is not going to undergo chemotherapy and radiation. She has decided that the side effects of these treatments would weaken her body as much as cancer would, and is going to follow natural methods of fighting the disease.

When Pastor Harley announced her prognosis in church a few weeks ago, I wept openly in the service. I wasn’t angry at God for allowing Nancy to have affliction. I wept, though, with the comprehension that someone I love is going to undergo pain and is fighting for her life. Instead of feeling helpless, I want to fight with her. She has uplifted me so much, now I have the supreme priviledge of uplifting her. She has ministered and been a tool of God to heal my heart, and I pray I may do the same. It’s my turn to be a prayer warrior for my beloved pastor’s wife.

Now I want to ask all you praying people out there: Will you join me? Will you pray for Nancy Johnson as well? I’ll keep her physical state updated.   So, will you accept the challenge of James 5:16 with me?

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Please do.

Meet Froggy

On Sunday at church, Jerry presented me with a gag gift. The joke went back to our St. Patrick’s Day exchange on Facebook, where I asked people not to kiss me even though I am part Irish. Jerry responded that I could kiss him since he was a frog, that if I kissed him would be one less frog that I would have to kiss. To read the entire exchange, which was extremely humorous, read my blog about St. Paddy’s here.

So, in honor of an official inside joke….. Meet Froggy.

I think I am going to make a new tradition. Every time I meet a gentleman I don’t want to go out with again or that decides I am not their cup of tea, I will kiss my friend Froggy here. If not to laugh at myself a bit, but also to celebrate. Celebrate that I am one frog down, and one step closer to my prince.

When I get home, I think I need to give Froggy a kiss. I will discuss that a bit more. Maybe later? Maybe tomorrow? I’ll let you know.

Resurrection Sunday

I choose not to call the religious holiday observed yesterday by “Easter” because several of its traditions are traced back to pagan roots of the worship of the fertility goddess Oestre, or in the Middle Eastern culture, Ishtar. However, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ had nothing to do with these concepts, therefore I call Easter Resurrection Sunday. And that day made my weekend busy!

How does this timeline look?

Friday: Hung out with Emily Ann and Eric. Watched Lord of of the Rings 3. Baked.

Saturday: Woke up. Watched You’ve Got Mail. Baked. Went out to brunch with Irene and Jennie. Went to Amber’s to practice singing special music for the Sunday service (a routine I had only found out I was going to be in on Thursday.) Hopped in Mike’s car to head back home with him so I could make it to another engagement I had that day. Sat in Mike’s car and watched as my Nancy’s (pastor’s wife) car was rear-ended by a white truck.  Inwardly groan and prepare to call my friend to alert them of my late arrival. Mike tells me to run and catch Irene and ride back with her instead so that I can make my appointment, and that they could call me as a witness if they needed to later. I sprint across the parking lot and hop in Irene’s car, making it back to the East side in plenty of time for my late lunch/early dinner (I had weird meal times Saturday) and fidgeted as I sat and read a paper waiting for my meal companion. J walks in, have a pleasant dinner that lasts almost two hours. Go home. Shop for Sunday clothes. Receive call from friend asking if I want to go out. At first I say yes, but realize how late I am going to be in, so I call back and decline. I made a very angry friend. Sorry, its almost eight o’clock, I have not let my house yet, and I am singing in church tomorrow. Forgive me if I think I should be home before one am the night before the most important religious holiday of the year for a Bible-believing Christian.

Instead of go out, I begin to prepare banana bread. Realize that do not have sugar. Afraid to walk in dark to get sugar, so call Irene and she sends Chuck over with the needed sugar. Continue mixing ingredients when I realize I don’t have baking powder and vanilla. (Jessica? Why did you taking the baking supplies I bought? Sugar is like what, a dollar?) Go to the gas station to see if they have any baking powder. They don’t. Power walk to the nearest grocery store (approximately one mile) and buy some and get home in record tine. Fear and urgency drives little legs to pump fast. Mix bread. Look at clock and realize how very, very tired am I. Wrap banana bread and put in fridge. Hit the hay.

Sunday: Wake up at 7:00 am. Run down the steps to preheat the oven, stick in pans of banana bread. Quickly shower and dress. Read Bible. Keep checking banana bread. Not done. Keep checking. And checking. Um, the top looks brown. Move to lower shelf in oven. Ten minutes before I need to leave, bread is FINALLY done. Plop out of pans and wrap tightly, load bread and muffins onto tray. Leave for church with Chuck. Receive frog as a gag gift from Jerry at church (it deals with my St. Paddy’s post, more on that tomorrow)Practice singing for service– I hit the G note! Woot! Consume delicious holiday breakfast, and watched as banana bread is bypassed because it appears everyone bought doughnuts. Have service. Singing goes well. Preaching is on the resurrection (more on that tomorrow).

Head to my friend Amber’s for dinner. Play with Amber’s five-month-old duaghter Irene. Think to myself maybe kids aren’t so bad and I want one of these someday after all. Dinner is served. Eat lamb. Laugh cause I had previously mused about why the tradition is to have ham on Resurrection Sunday with my friend J at midday meal the day before. Why ham and not lamb? Are we Gentiles taking the liberty to have ham because we believe the law has been fufilled in Christ? Lamb would better represent the tradition of Christ being the Passover Lamb. My meal companions understand my joke and laugh. Go figure. Have two or three more hours of fun. Pastor Harley and nancy take me home.

Head to Chuck and Irene’s. Watch guys play monopoly and am happy to witness Mike winning for the 2nd time in his life. Watch movie with Mike and James. Go home at eleven. Am pooped. I was so tired from my weekend that this morning I had to pull myself off of my pillow; I literally felt plastered to it. I need a weekend from my weekend.

Lastly, I survived my Lent fasts. I had Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups today, and I dearly missed them. I don’t miss pizza as much as I suspected, and don’t have any cravings for it. I think I don’t need a pizza budget anymore. Yay willpower! Check back tomorrow when I explain the frog and the importance of the resurrection. Not that they go together.