Archive for February, 2008

Day 1 of our 3 Month Travels: Two Worlds

February 29th, 2008

Yesterday we took a taxi to the airport. I’m so glad we did. He took us the long way right through the center of town. And I’m really so glad he did. We got to see Prague one more time before leaving for 3 months. The city had never looked so beautiful. Bryan and I sat their beaming at each other in pride: “This is where we live.”

When we got to the airport I pulled out a present my friend Carrie had given me before we left. It was a piece of Prague – a rock from one of the city sidewalks. I looked at the rock and made a small vow to myself that I would carry it with me in my purse where ever we went on this trip. Then I read Carrie’s note – I hadn’t read it before and had been so busy before we left this was the first time I had to sit down and read through it. Thank you, Carrie! I will be praying the same for you.

The flight was smooth, nothing really eventful. I started a new book – a beautiful story. I particularly liked this quote from it: “’I can see the two world I am between,’ she said, unheeding, ‘although why the second one chose to rise up and snatch me I still don’t understand’” (from the book The Blue Sword).

When we arrived in the New York airport it finally hit me. And I cried. I hadn’t really had time to think about and process and allow myself to feel much about the trip the last few weeks. I kept my heart sort of on a short leash knowing that there was too much to get done and if I let her out she would overwhelm me and I would never get it all done. But, then I couldn’t keep her at bay anymore. I couldn’t stop myself, in a small deserted bathroom at JFK I sat and cried. I wish I could have cried longer and harder but again I had to pull myself together – there were things to do and people to see.

Now its morning and I’m sitting awake in Ryan and Joanie’s apartment – tired from my trip, conscious of my untended heart, aware of my two homes (my two worlds) and very grateful for the generosity of friends on both sides of the ocean.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Beth Stedman

 

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Dreaming about church…

February 26th, 2008

copy-of-img_9803.jpgI used to dream about church a lot – and ask questions about church a lot – what should church look like? What can church look like? How would it change people’s walk with God if this part of church was different? Why are certain things done certain ways in the church? I loved thinking about church, talking about church, dreaming about church and asking questions about church.

But then I stopped… I think partly because life got sort of busy and partly because I feel in love and started dreaming about Bryan instead J and also I think partly because I was frustrated by the discussion – it was too hard sometimes – the questions I asked were uncomfortable sometimes – the churches I saw didn’t fit my dreams of church. But, maybe more than all that I wrestled with a question: If I really believed in the unity of the church, in the idea that God could work through any form, any church, any people, if I really believed that church wasn’t just for what I could get out of it but was for what I could bring to it, if I really believed that family mattered and part of Sundays joy was to spend time with family and connect with them, then is it really right for me to go looking for a new church to fit my ideal of what I want? Shouldn’t I instead just participate in and allow God to use the church that I already go to with my family/Bryan’s family? So, that’s where I landed for a while. I tried to just push my dreams about church aside, tried to get involved in the church structure that already existed and bring what gifts/ideas I could to that structure, but it was frustrating for me. I didn’t feel like I was selflessly serving where God had me (like I had intended/wanted) but instead I felt like my heart was turned off and I was just going through the motions. It was an interesting time in my life.

Then we moved to Prague… suddenly we had a chance to choose a church. For a while we just went somewhere where we knew people because that was easiest and I think it was good for us to meet people in an established church structure for a time when everything was so foreign in our new lives. But, then we met Craig and Sarah, and heard their vision for a church plant and decided that was where we wanted to be and what we wanted to be involved in. And slowly I felt this “church” part of my heart coming alive again. I started to dream about church again. I started to read emerging church blogs again. I started to ask questions about church again and ask them now with a vested interest… it wasn’t just what could church look like, it was what could this church look like. I started wrestling with some common assumptions about church again. I started thinking about how I could get involved and not only support what they are doing but add myself to it – give ideas and start things. I dream…

….But, it’s funny dreaming from the inside but still sort of on the outside…

This week’s focus for Lent is the Church – “Praying for her patterns of behavior and for new patterns toward health and life. Praying for unity among brothers and sisters and for a turning back to Jesus (not programs) to lead His church.” Tara and her family will be focusing specifically on praying for the US church and I will be joining them in that prayer but extending my prayer also to the church more generally around the world and more specifically here in Prague since this is where I am and where my local church is.

Just as I have only recently begun to dream about church again I have also only recently begun to pray about church again and I look forward to this week of focusing on praying intently for the church. Lifting the bride of Christ up to the throne of God and asking that God’s will be done in her.

I also plan on taking this week to share with you some of my recent thoughts and questions on church – I look forward to your input on these thoughts that are bouncing around in my head. In the meantime here are some blogs with thoughts on church that I found interesting…

This blog was fascinating to me – good questions that I will be mulling over for a while I think.

There were a number of blogs on Accidental Blog recently discussing ecclesia and church practice and I found the discussion very interesting. (see posts from Feb 17-21st)

Ok, that’s it for now. More thoughts on church to come…

Rejoicing in the journey -
Beth Stedman

Photograph by Beth Stedman

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Isaiah 58

February 24th, 2008

 6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
       to loose the chains of injustice
       and untie the cords of the yoke,
       to set the oppressed free
       and break every yoke?

 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
       and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
       when you see the naked, to clothe him,
       and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
       and your healing will quickly appear;
       then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
       and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

 9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
       you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
       “If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
       with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
       and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
       then your light will rise in the darkness,
       and your night will become like the noonday.

 11 The LORD will guide you always;
       he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
       and will strengthen your frame.
       You will be like a well-watered garden,
       like a spring whose waters never fail.

 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
       and will raise up the age-old foundations;
       you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
       Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

 13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
       and from doing as you please on my holy day,
       if you call the Sabbath a delight
       and the LORD’s holy day honorable,
       and if you honor it by not going your own way
       and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

 14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
       and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
       and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
       The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

 Isaiah 58:6-14

Rejoicing in the journey -
Beth Stedman

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Roundup From Around The Web: The Quick Version

February 23rd, 2008

So, I finally watched the last two episodes of Lost last night! CRAZY! I’ve been watching the show since day one and I can honestly say I love this show!! Anyway, on from randomness to more randomness…

Julie Clawson has been writing about the life of the mind on her blog – basically presenting a defense of intellectualism. Very interesting stuff that I really felt I agreed with and could relate to.

Phyllis Tickle wrote a blog talking about showing love and hospitality to “strangers” – very challenging thoughts that I felt fit well with Tara’s thoughts on the “invisible”

This was a great blog about Deep Rest.

Ever wondered which US city is the most “sinful”? This study looked at all seven deadly sins and ranked each US city in them. There’s an interactive map to play around with too. I thought it was sort of interesting. I found it from a blog where the author was talking about how the church should interact with the specific needs and problems of the particular city/community it finds itself in.

Well, I think that’s actually it for today.

Rejoicing in the journey –
Beth Stedman

                                                                          

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Friendship and Confession…

February 22nd, 2008

Confession isn’t popular. People not only don’t like to do it, they don’t even really like to think about it or talk about it. One way I know this because I don’t like to do it or to think about it or talk about it (not to mention that the blog I previously wrote on confession is incredibly unpopular statistically, but I digress…)

Yesterday, a friend asked what my focus for this third week of lent was and I told her “friends or more generally focusing on my relationships with those the people I come in contact with.”Her response was something to the extent of asking what that will look like and asking “so will you be confessing to friends this week?” I was kind of taken back by the question… I hadn’t planned on it. I didn’t want to confess to friends. I think as I had been thinking about this week I had thought mostly about praying for people I know and for the strangers I pass by, about being open to God leading me to talk to someone I normally wouldn’t talk to or to listen to a friend who needs a listening ear. I had thought about focusing on being a good friend to my friends and to those I wouldn’t normally consider my friends. But, I had forgotten that being a good friend requires openness and honesty and being open and honest requires confession. And I had forgotten the other focus of Lent that God kept bringing up in my research… repairing brokenness.

Is there brokenness in my relationships with others (whether they are family members, friends, acquaintances, etc) that God wants me to confess and mend?

Lord, look for truth deep within my relationships and show me where I might need to confess to them and to you and repent and change the way I relate to others. In Jesus name. Amen.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Beth Stedman

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