mamasoup

RLP Franciscan Retreat

I want to give a "shout out" to all of my new friends that came to Covenant for our first ever Franciscan Retreat this weekend. We had people from all over the country come to our little church in the woods and create a little community for a little while. I was amazed at how God orchestrated the details of the weekend.  The people who attended were the perfect people to be there. I was amazed at how quickly we all meshed together as if we had known each other before and were getting together after a few years apart.

I am serving as the "Retreat Coordinator" for these events. This is a job that I volunteered for and have really been enjoying. I get the privilege of helping everyone find their way here by plane, train, or automobile. (I think we even have someone riding down on their motorcycle for the next one.) It was refreshing to finally put a face with a name and "email voice" after over a month of communicating with some of these people.

I appreciated the openness of the weekend. Everyone was so willing to share and open up about where they were in their spiritual journeys and thoughts on God. I was encouraged and challenged to think about my heart and where God has been leading me this past year.  The resounding thought or word I had from the weekend was "simplify."  I am looking forward to exploring all the ways that I can do this:  with my money, my possessions, my time with my family and God, with my expectations of others and myself. I desire to live a simpler life.

One of the best treats was seeing Elisa and Shannon. It was nice having two people there who I had known before but hadn't been around in a while. Elisa's joy in getting away for awhile was contagious.  She just needed some time away. I can really relate to that.

Lastly, I want to share how thankful I am to my friends and neighbors who made this weekend possible for me by watching my children so that I could focus on some of the details of the weekend and participate as well.

Old Friends-Good Times

    Tonight my family and I spent an evening with some old friends.  By old I mean friends that I have known for a very long time, not people who are elderly.  Although, we were belatedly celebrating David's 37th birthday, so we are getting up there in age. The two families who were there with us are people that we have known since before we all had kids.  We have been through major life changes together. And now that our kids are older and at different schools, are paths don't cross as much as I would like.  There is something special about being with people who have known you for so long.  I felt so comfortable and at ease.  I can really be myself and not worry about what anyone will think. 
    I got to hear about one friend's recent trip to Uganda and see all of her wonderful pictures.  I got to catch up with my other friend and hear how her life as a home school mom is going.  We have nine children between us, but you wouldn't have know that there were more than three in the house. They have all known each other since birth, so they get along very well. 
    I had lentil soup for the first time and really enjoyed it. I did not try the Cuban sandwiches since the only ingredient I liked was the bread.  I will post another day about my eating issues.  Anyway, I assigned several categories to this post because when we get together we cover so many different topics.  We all used to go to church together but now we worship at 3 different places, but we still share a common faith in Christ.  I think that is what carries this friendship along year after year.
     I am thankful for these friends and I pray that we would find the time to continue to fellowship together for many years to come. 

I Am Grateful

Much like my thanksgiving post entitled I Am Thankful, here is the list of what I am grateful for:

•a husband who loves me and appreciates who I am and what I try to do for our family each day
•children who love me and each other
•parents who love me and tell me that each time I talk with them
•extended family (brothers, in-laws, etc) who I love and get along with very well
•neighbors (2 different ones) who are willing to come to my house while Emma sleeps so that I can go to the dentist
•friends who care about me and ask how I am doing and who pray for me
•a job that allows me a respite from "normal life" (being a mom)
•a home that is filled with joy and laughter and tears and love
•a church who has welcomed us into their fellowship and allowed us to heal a bit from recent wounds
•a God who cares for me deeply and who created me in His image to bring glory to Him

Ash Wednesday

    Tonight I experienced a very special Ash Wednesday service.  At the church we have been visiting the past few months, they have a Wednesday night Pot Luck.  Usually they have a huge variety of food, but tonight they scaled it back in light of Lent and just served soup and bread.  After dinner the kids played around and had a great time together.  Then we had a short service where we marked each other's foreheads with ashes.  It was a very meaningful way to receive the ashes which are meant to symbolize many things including grief over our sin nature and our humanity. 
    The sweetest moment was when my six year old daughter Kate went up with her new friend Anna and she marked Anna's forehead and said a prayer for her which was, "I hope the baby in your mom's tummy is growing good."  Later my two year old, Emma, who had been watching the whole scene very intently, exclaimed, "Mommy's turn, Mommy's turn!" (she noticed I didn't have the ashes yet) 
    It was a semi-quiet service (18 adults, 25 children) of reflection to ready ourselves for this most important time in the church calendar:  a time to reflect on the humanity of God through Christ and all that he endured to bring salvation to this world. I hope that you find a way to experience the Lenten season.

Lent

My church had a Fat Tues. Pancake Dinner and an Ash Wednesday service this week.  I am really enjoying following the church calendar.  I have been in an evangelical-free church for the past 12 years, and a lot gets forgotten when you aren't following the seasons of the church calendar.  I haven't celebrated Palm Sunday or Lent or Pentecost since I was a child being raised in the Episcopal church.  It has been a refreshing start to this year.
    I have been struggling this week with what the Lenten season symbolizes and means to me and my family.  I was raised to "give up" something during Lent. However, it was not explained to me why I was doing this.  I have come to understand that by denying myself certain luxuries that I am accustom to, I will better appreciate and understand the true joy that comes on Easter morning. 
    So I have challenged my family to think of something they could change during Lent.  Kate has given up morning TV, which is very hard for her. I am still trying to decide what combination of prayer, fasting, and "giving up" is going to work best for me. I would love to hear what some of you have to say about this topic.  Maybe we can learn together how to better prepare for the coming Resurrection of our Lord and Savior. 

Words aren't enough

I wanted to post some pictures from our most recent church service ,but I haven't quite mastered that skill yet. Check them out at www.soupablog.com.   My experience with this group of people that make up my church; my missional community; my new church home, has been amazing.  I wish I could adequately put into words the experience we had on Sunday.  It was meaningful, intimate, sacred, peaceful, loving.  I wish you all could have been there. It was healing for my soul.  Thanks Trinity House!

God's in the game

I was just at Sacred Space and this is the thought that I received:

The Presence of God
God is with me, but more,
God is within me, giving me existence.
Let me dwell for a moment on God's life-giving presence
in my body, my mind, my heart
and in the whole of my life.

I like the idea of God being within me and giving me life. It really changes my perspective a little bit.  God isn't just my cheerleader or supporter from the sideline.  God is in the game with me(you know how I love football); beating in my heart to help keep me alive.  I appreciate that fresh perspecitve!

True Confession

This is a confession from the Mission of St. Clare's morning office that I borrowed from Cliff Knighten's blog (thanks Cliff):

Most holy and merciful Father:
We confess to you and to one another,
and to the whole communion of saints
in heaven and on earth,
that we have sinned by our own fault
in thought, word, and deed;
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.

Have mercy on us, Lord.

We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit.

Have mercy on us, Lord.

We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us,

We confess to you, Lord.

Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we have done: for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty,

Accept our repentance, Lord.

For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us,

Accept our repentance, Lord.

For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us,

Accept our repentance, Lord.

Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us;

Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.

Accomplish in us the work of your salvation,

That we may show forth your glory in the world.

By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord,

Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.

The bolded sections are the parts that spoke so strongly to me when I first read this.   I have been stuck in that rut of being angry, and then being angry that I am angry.    The reason I have been stuck here, I believe, is because of the other bolded section.  I have been neglecting the praise and worship of my Lord and calling upon the faith that I do have.  I appreciate this prayer in helping me to right this wrong.  Amen!

House Concert

I was blessed this weekend by Ryan and Holly Sharp who came into our home Friday night to do a house concert.  We were joined by neighbors and friends to hear Ryan sing and tell stories about his life and his faith journey.  The people who came to the concert were a wonderful mix of the many relationships that we have made in San Antonio.  I was pleased that there were just enough people for it to feel comfortable, but not too many where it felt crowded.  I appreciated Ryan's openness and honesty as he sang songs that he has written over the last 3-4 months as he and his wife Holly have been traveling around the country on a sort of personal pilgrimage.  His songs have been playing over and over again in my head all weekend and they already feel at home to me as if I have know them for much longer.

I was blessed to then see Ryan and Holly again Saturday night in Austin as they played for our friends at the Oak Grove Abbey.  As I was standing in the house in Austin, I was surprised when I realized that the 10-12 people that I was having conversations with were people that I didn't even know a month earlier.  They were all people that I had met at the Emergent Gathering in New Mexico.  I enjoyed being able to catch up with all of them, and I especially enjoyed seeing the Jones' one last time before they fly back to Scotland tomorrow. 

There is so much to tell

Because of my full (rather than busy) life as a mother of four kids, and a wife to Paul, and a child of God, I find very little time to blog.  So when I do have time, I feel like I need to catch everyone up on what has happened since my last blog. However, this is impossible and not that interesting, but it keeps me from blogging.  All of that is to say that I will blog when I can, and I will say what is on my mind at that moment in that day, and that will have to be enough. 

With all that said, I want to start by saying hey to all the wonderful people that I met at the Emergent Gathering in New Mexico. What a wonderful and peaceful time spent with kindred souls of the Faith.  Thanks for sharing your hearts and your children and your ideas for the future.  Our family was truly blessed and we look forward to being with you all next year.

I had a wonderful day and evening with my family.  We started the day early at soccer where I coached my four year old's team.  They played so well and really enjoyed themselves. Then I got to go and watch my son play soccer, too.  Then we had great fellowship at two birthday parties of close friends.  And that was all before 1pm today. 

Then we just enjoyed the absolutely perfect day with each other and some other friends.  My close friend Melissa blessed me as she came along side me and helped me to clean my home.  I was so humbled by her service to me.  We decided that we need to do this for each other more often.  So often the task of cleaning our homes is so daunting and we get discouraged.  But when another comes along side you to help in the task; it is such a joy!  Thanks friend!

We finished the day by sharing in a family meal and then had a family meeting.  We all agreed to a weekday schedule that will get our homework and chores done earlier in the day and alleviate my frustration and stress that comes at about 5pm everyday.  We all signed that contract and are going to encourage each other to adhere to it daily.  I was proud to be a mom tonight.  God has blessed me with such a beautiful and loving family.

It was a good day!