Author: SusannahDB

Worship Words-What Time is It?

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This is my sermon from August 28, 2016 Sermon at Takoma Park Presbyterian Church

 

As I spent some time living with this text over the last week, it was fascinating to read this passage in different translations. When a passage is so familiar it can be hard to hear the words anew. So I spent time listening to the words, noticing what words changed and what words stayed the same. I reflected on how much words matter. How much our words matter. The words we think matter. It matters what we say outloud and what we choose to leave unsaid. Our words matter.

Hear now these words that matter from the book of Ecclesiastes 3: 1-13.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to throw away;

a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

What gain have the workers from their toil? I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. God has made everything suitable for its time; moreover, God has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil.

These words come to us from the book of Ecclesiastes. This is not a book we spend much time talking about at church. In fact, if not for The Byrds’ 1960’s hit, Turn, Turn, Turn, we might think about this book of the Bible even less than we do now.

The first 8 verses of this text are 14 pairs of opposites, which the writer tells us we will do or have done to us in the seasons of our lives. How do we measure the seasons of our lives? The musical Rent offers these suggestions-

“In daylights, in sunsets

In midnights, in cups of coffee

In inches, in miles

In laughter, in strife?

In truth that she learns

Or in times that he cried

In bridges he burned

Or the way that she dies?

Measure your life in love”

Ponder how you measure your life as we journey through these 28 things for which there is a proper time.

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A Fun Way to Play Jenga

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A few years ago while searching for games for youth group, I saw an idea of using empty soda boxes to play Jenga. When I shared this idea with my husband, he suggested that we do it without wrapping each box in paper. We have created Soda Jenga twice now and have some tips to share if you’d like to give it a try.

1-Start saving your soda boxes. If you know someone who drinks soda, ask them to save for you. Be careful when you open the boxes. The less you rip now, the less you’ll have to tape back together later.

2-Save your newspaper. We suggest using 4.5 full sheets of newspaper crumpled up into each box. Adding weight to the boxes provides more stability.

3-You are ready to make boxes. You’ll need your soda boxes, newspaper, and packing tape. Stuff 4.5 sheets of newspaper in each box. Tape boxes shut including the hand hold in the middle of the box. Tape carefully as any bumps will make it more difficult to play!

That’s it! You are ready to play. I’ve used the boxes for youth tournaments and as a fun way to start youth group while waiting for everyone to arrive. I’m looking forward to playing one more time with my youth before passing the boxes on to another youth group. When your youth get tired of playing or your boxes are no longer useable for Jenga, you can recycle them. Enjoy!

A New Way to Drink Tea

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I love getting real mail. You know what I mean. Not advertisements. Not bills. Not mail for people who don’t live here. Mail addressed to me sent by another human. When the mail arrives and there is a package addressed to me inside, I am so excited. Recently I received the most wonderful package and inside was this-

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A dear friend had been shopping at a thrift store, saw this, thought I would love it, bought it, and sent it to me. How wonderful is that? So now I have another way to enjoy a fancy cup of tea. This is an all-in-one tea making cup.

 

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Today I am thankful for a delicious cup of Flowery White Pekoe from My Favorite Tea Shop, for friends who think of me, and a new-to-me fancy cup of tea.

A Fork in the Road Means Big Changes

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Up on the watershed
Standing at the fork in the road
You can stand there and agonize
Till your agony’s your heaviest load
You’ll never fly as the crow flies
Get used to a country mile
When you’re learning to face
The path at your pace
Every choice is worth your while

–Watershed by the Indigo Girls 

 

Today is the beginning of a new adventure for me. I’ve accepted a full-time position at Coastal Hospice as a Spiritual Counselor. On Monday-Fridays, you’ll find me visiting people in their homes and in facilities as they live out their last days of life. I’ll be spending my time talking, laughing, crying, praying, reading Scripture, serving communion, and listening to patients and families who are facing hard decisions, saying good-bye, praying for a different outcome, and living each day they have been given. I will be walking with people who have deep faith and people who don’t believe in God. I will be listening to their stories and helping them to fulfill last wishes. It is hard and a great joy. It is a privilege to be invited into one’s home, to sit by someone’s bed, to hold a hand, and share a hug. This is where God is calling me to be and the work God is calling me to do.

In order to answer this call, I must end my time with the Cooperative Youth Ministry of Christ Congregational and Takoma Park Presbyterian Churches. It is hard to leave the amazing youth, parents, staff, and congregation members I have gotten to know over the last year. I had hoped to walk with them on their faith journey for many more years. Sometimes to say yes to one thing we must say no to another. This is where I find myself today. As I say yes to Coastal Hospice, I must say good-bye to CYM at the end of September. As I live through this transition and follow this fork in the road, I ask for your prayers-for me, for my loved ones, for the youth of CYM, and for the patients, families, and staff at Hospice. In thanksgiving for your prayers, I will pray for all of you who find yourself wondering where God is calling you and if you have the courage to answer. Be brave, readers! Answer God’s call. Take the “path at your pace” and remember “every choice is worth your while”.

Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus by John Hendrix

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A friend of mine recently found herself at the beach, and so she stopped at the wonderful Browse About Books to see what wonders were contained there. As you might expect from a friend of mine, she purchased many books. She was kind enough to allow me to read one of her new purchases, Miracle Man. This is a wonderful children’s book that brings the story of Jesus to life in modern language and colorful illustrations. It is short enough to read with a child while still including many familiar parts of the Gospel stories. The author admits he could not share every story from the Gospels and yet he does a great job of highlighting the story of Jesus in a short story form. You will enjoy the artwork and the way the art and story blend seamlessly. This is a great book for a church library or your home bookshelf.

Celebrate Another Year of Life!

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If you know me in real life, you have heard me talk about my sister. She’s been an important part of my life since she arrived when I was about 4.5 years old. Today is her birthday! I love to celebrate birthdays because I believe they are one way we thank God for the gift of our lives. Today I am doing a little more celebrating than usual. This past year was hard for my family. Shortly before Thanksgiving we discovered my sister had colon cancer. We spent the week of Thanksgiving (including Thanksgiving Day) in the hospital as she had surgery to remove the cancer. Next came 12 rounds of chemotherapy! Finally in June, the chemo was done and scans showed that the cancer was gone! It has been a tough year and we have so much for which to be thankful! Today, I want to say Happy Birthday to my little sister.

A Prayer for Another Year of Life!

Faithful God, For another year of life, we give you thanks and praise. It is a joy to see the candles glowing on the birthday cake because it reminds us of how much we have to celebrate. For family, friends, laughter and tears, we give you thanks for another year of life! Thank you for siblings who walk this journey with us, who know our oldest jokes, who support our dreams, and who always love us. Thank you, God, for my sister, Becky. Amen.

Tazo Zen

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After a very busy couple of weeks, I tagged along to a conference my husband is attending in DC. I am sitting on a comfy sofa with my feet up watching the Olympics and enjoying a cup of Tazo Zen. It is smooth and calming. This is an easy to drink tea. It is described as, “A harmonious blend of green tea with lemongrass and spearmint.” When life is overwhelming, I recommend holding a cup of this tea in your hands. Let the cup warm you. Let the smells and steam rise up. Take a sip and drink in the relaxation. Enjoy!

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Quiet Time with a Cup of Tea or Not

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As you read this, I am nearing the end of our week long mission trip. I have spent the week working, learning, sharing God’s love, and living among the people of Atlanta and my youth. I’d love to say I prepared for this week by spending the week before resting and relaxing. The morning I wrote this I fixed myself a cup of tea and breakfast. I moved to a quiet place in my house to write a thoughtful piece on the importance of silence and quiet time with God. And then my awesome niece came into the dining room watching a you tube video on her Dad’s phone and shooting me with a Star Wars toy. So, I threw my plans out the window to spend time with my niece and realized that this is great preparation for the mission trip. I spent months planning the mission trip. I know it isn’t going to work out exactly as I planned. I can either be mad that things are not going the way I planned or be flexible and look for God working in my life.

Creating God, I long for quiet time and my life to go according to plan. You break into my life through laughter and disruptions to make me look up from my to do list and see those around me. Give me the courage and patience to be flexible. Remind me to look for you in those I meet. When Plan A doesn’t work, God, be with me as I move on to Plan B or C. In the quiet, noisy, and all the in-between times of life, you are with us, Loving God, and we are thankful for your faithfulness. Amen.
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Passing It on to the Next Generation

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My paternal grandmother died in 2013. She taught me about love and faith in the way she lived and the words she said. I have wonderful memories of time we spent together. I miss her. A few weeks ago as I was spending time with my family, I discovered my sister is telling her daughter stories about our Grandma. She is teaching her daughter words and phrases our Grandma said. She is passing her memories on to the next generation.

We are all called to do this. Instead of worrying about the demise of the church, share your faith story and share our faith stories. Pass what is most important to you on to the next generation. This is our joy and our calling.

Faithful God, From generation to generation, you loved us. Thank you for our ancestors in the faith who shared your love with the next generation. Thank you for older generations who told us stories about you. Thank you for children who learn and who teach us. Thank you for your faithful love and mercy through the generations. Remind us how much we love to hear and tell your story. Amen.

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My Grandma posing with her great-granddaughter in January 2012.

Mission Trip Prayer Partners

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A major focus of my ministry is building relationships and one way I have seen this work across generations is through mission trip prayer partners. The concept is easy. Connect each mission trip participant with someone who is not going on the trip and who will pray for him or her during the trip. I like to add a little extra to it by asking the stay at home partner to write a letter or card which I give to the mission tripper while we are away. Everyone loves mail, and handwritten cards are in short supply these days. Also, I have the mission trippers write and mail postcards back home to their partners.

Here’s a request from me (someone who has struggled to find enough prayer partners to make this happen). If you hear an announcement like this at your church, sign up for it. Step out of your comfort zone and pray for someone else. Write a card to a youth or adult you don’t know. By participating in this ministry you are developing and strengthening relationships that are vital to your church. All I’m saying is give it a chance.

I’ll tell you how I do this in case you’d like to make it happen at your church.

What You’ll Need–

One Prayer Partner for Each Mission Trip Participant

One Postcard, Stamp, and Address for Each Stay at Home Partner

Patience, Perseverance, and Prayer to Make It All Come Together

Months before the mission trip-start asking for prayer partners. Put your request in the bulletin, newsletter, on a bulletin board, send it to your boards/committees, and email or talk with people who you’d like to participate.

Here’s my announcement (which has been running for about 2 months).

Would You Like to Support Our Youth?
-Be a Mission Trip Prayer Partner. Sign up with Susannah. She’ll assign you one of the 26 people going on the trip. You’ll need to write a letter/card to your prayer partner (which will be given to your person while we are on the trip) and give the card to Susannah for safe keeping. Each day we are away, you’ll be asked to pray for your prayer partner and our whole mission team. This is a great way for anyone who can’t journey to Atlanta with us to participate in the mission trip.
As the people accept this invitation, you’ll need to pair them with someone going on the trip. A simple spreadsheet will make this easy. As card are dropped off, I send a thank you email to the partner to let them know it is received.
Before leaving for the trip buy postcard stamps and make sure you have the addresses for the prayer partners so postcards can be sent. Printing them out on address labels will make it very easy on postcard writing day.
While on the mission trip, you’ll need to find postcards from your location which is not always the easiest thing to do. I suggest doing a little research before you leave to find where they are available or stopping at a touristy gas station.

 

Find a time on the mission trip to share the cards and write the postcards. I recommend at least halfway through the trip. Mail the postcards while you are still on the trip, if possible.

 

Extra Credit-Find a time after your return for the prayer partners to get together in person. This is a great way to strengthen the relationship!

 

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