A Minister Challenges God (On a Bad Day)

I wrote this as I prepare for Jamie's ordination this coming Sunday. One of the texts she has chosen is Mark  10:35-45 -- when Jesus states, "if you will be great, you must be servant of all." 

A Minister Challenges God 
(On a Bad Day)

You have dragged me to this hell
called your Church.
What a joke!
The servants abuse and misuse.
Their humility is suspect (I should know).
Ego rules rather than
your words - The Word! - and "if you will be great
you must be servant of all."
Indeed!
Servant to this pigtailed little girl
with cookie crumbs on her chin
and Sunday School glitter littering the carpet?
Servant to the incomprehensible schizophrenic
jabbering conspiracy this close
to my nose?
Servant to the adolescent
eyerolling and impudent
sniggering behind my robed back?
Not me!
I have been called.
I have been set apart.

The Language of God

Some people wonder how I can be a part of the Christian tradition.
Some people wonder how I am allowed to be a minister within the
United Church of Christ.
Well, here is an answer to both of those questions:

The Language of God is 

compassion, love, justice, and praise 

FOR ALL PEOPLE. 

view the Language of God
as imaged by the UCC

Peter and the Risen Christ

FORGIVENESS

John 21:1-19

I

Does he not desire

forgiveness?

Does he not believe in

forgiveness?
Not for himself.

He has returned to the sea –

the familiar,

unpredictable waves and

fickle fish.

“I am not a

fisher of the human soul!

I cannot even keep my own intact.”

He mourns.

And he tries to

forget

his failures.

So many

failures.

From the bright

future

of the call, “Come;

follow me”

to the assurance, “You are  Petros – the rock!”

he actually thought he could be more than a

fisherman

with empty nets.

Yet here to Galilee

he has returned…

and his nets are,

once again,

empty.

II

Flying through the waves

onto the beach,

he begs no

forgiveness at all – do you notice? –

he makes no excuses for himself, though he knows he has

failed.

Yet he

breakfasts with the Risen One.

Fish that never touched his net steam over a

beachfire.

And Jesus speaks of love. Simple, right?

Never once does he mention

denial. So Peter (still in denial?),

earnest and

uncomprehending,

affirms

his love.

The Adventures of Coffee Cat (for KT)

Holy Week.
It's been a rough week (I know, I know, it was rougher for Jesus), so I decided to take myself on an un-holy, lazy afternoon with Coffee Cat.
Here is what we did.

We headed out...

 to find some caffeine at the usual places...

but sadly, Plymouth only had decaf shots! So we continued our search...

and first passed by Starbucks (too corporate for a wandering day like today)...

then Cups (because Kendra wasn't there)...

and we settled in at Cuppy's (where I'd never been before!). After hanging out for a while, Coffee Cat was wired...

so we went to work off the caffeine at Rolland Moore Park. Coffee Cat exhausted himself...

so he slipped into his cat carrier. I had errands to run...

which Coffee Cat didn't mind sharing...

and he even brought a catnip treat home to share. 

It was a good day.