J si 5 W vat
'

Ube wh Sos Vp ‘,

TOP OF IT ALL WE ARE LEARNING THAT THE
See =

HEALTH OF THE MINISTER IS ALWAYS RE-
Sana eal ier

FLECTED IN THE HEART _OF THE CHURCH. ® Vice Wirse.
Cd

to e** -_ —
herr ch mmm SURVIVAL_SKILLS FOR MINISTERS IS A

ko

ya ws
whe *
&
«our
Ww ad .

TOPIC OF INTEREST TO ANYONE WHO CARES

Soe

ABOUT THE cnurcs. | BuT FIRST A STORY.
el ————

ONE OUGHT TO GO HOME WITH AT LEAST ONE
Ce eee
USABLE STORY FROM A MEETING LIKE THIS.
AND THE BEST ONE I HEARD RECENTLY WAS

Ss

TOLD BY NONE OTHER THAN HELEN WALTON,
ere

{ Mrs. SAM WALTON Ho FOUNDED THE WAL-MART

DEPARTMENT STORE CHAIN - AND WHO IS A

STRONG PRESBYTERIAN AND SUPPORTER OF

PRESBYTERIAN wrsszon. \ Tn FACT SHE WAS
ETL |

SPEAKING. TO_A-GROUP-OF—GLERGY AND LAY
PEOPLE ABOUT MISSION. WHEN SHE TOLD A

STORY ABOUT A MINISTER WHO WAS MAKING

HOME CALLS. AND WHO STOOD AT THE DOOR OF

ONE OF HIS PARISHIONERS. \\ HE COULD HEAR

THE TELEVISION INSIDE SO HE KNEW SOMEONE

WAS AT HOME, BUT NO ONE CAME TO THE DOOR

Keolace = Yorkwueshs )
TVorou -

IN RESPONSE TO HIS KNOCKING. HE PERSIST-

ANYONE WILL OPEN THE DOOR I WILL COME IN

AND EAT WITH HIM.")| HE PUT THE CARD IN
Sete

THE MAILBOX, WENT ON ABOUT HIS CALLING
bn

AND PRETTY MUCH FORGOT_ABOUT THE INCI-
DENT. \\THe NEXT_SUNDAY, AFTER THE SERV-
ICE AS HE WAS GREETING HIS CONGREGATION,

A wWe@ie/COUPLE - HANDED HI
eee) =

CARD. \ tr SAID SIMPL HE
PUT THE CARD IN HIS POCKE LATER, IN
Seo

HIS STUDY, GOT HIS BIBLE OFF THE SHELF,

eee

LOOKED UP GENESIS 3:10 AND READ: ( "I

HEARD THE SOUND OF YOU...AND I WAS

AFRAID BECAUSE I WAS NAKED AND I HID

—=—

MYSELF." \

SURVIVING IN THE PARISH - ALLIMELY

Topic I TRUST IN THE MIDST OF WHAT FOR
ows

US HAS ALWAYS BEENLA CRITICAL TIME OF

~~ THE YEAR, PROBABLY THE BUSIEST 1 paomone

IN ABOUT 4SmD7EYS Wo OM Len
THE WHOLE CIVILIZATION IS GOING TO HAVE wea ~ Wu
A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY season. |\ AND JUST AT ‘Meee
THE MOMENT, THE REST OF THE WORLD TAKES A

DEEP BREATH, \PULLS BAC ROM TH uUSI-

NESS OF LIFE, IN ORDER TO ENJOYEAMILY, festa Wut
AND TRAVEL “Erase oneansssntemmeenss
_

- JUST AT THAT MOMENT THE CLERGYPERSON
IS WORKING overtime. \ I LOVE CHRISTMAS -

BUT IT EXACTS A HEAVY LO ON CLERGYPER-

sons\\ THIS YEAR_IHE CALENDAR IS MOST

UNKIND \ CHRISTMAS DAY COMES ON A SAWFUR- Sunony
DAY. \ WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WHILE THE
Prepor—) POPS wat
WORLD IS PARTYING ON Y - WE'LL BE
PREPARING FOR CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES AT

5:30 anpd 11:00 Boe] ae THE) ON SATBRDA? oe

a ee

P Suusp~w =A

Shore FF U5 ua \ Lars UU x baes

- CHRISTMAS DAY - we*fe HAVE WORSHIP AT
Sree

11:00 A.M. AND A COMMUNITY MEAL AT ae.

_ Syl” —
NOON.. oe rele SarORDAY NIGHT, CHRIST- VYvie. a Sob.
MAS NIGHT - WHEN THE WORLD COLLAPSES - aunat

Se

IN W. H. AUDEN’S WONDERFUL DESCRIPTION:

“HAVING DRUNK (AND EATEN) SUCH A
LOT,

STAYED UP SO LATE, ATTEMPTED -
QUITE UNSUCCESSFULLY - TO LOME_ALL OUR
RELATIVES, AND IN GENERAL GROSSLY OVER-
ESTIMATED OUR powers." |

JUST AS THE WHOLE WORLD "CRASHES"

——
ON CHRISTMAS NIGHT, THE WORKING CLERGY-
PERSON IS IN-HIS_OR-HER-STUDY WORKING ON
Perec seen aad

A SERMON FOR—THE-NEXT MORNING ~Sunvay?~

AND yee OFTEN AS NOT ON A’ DAY
—

LIKE TODAY, WHEN THE WORLD IS PLAYING
oS A SD
GOLF, \wakrne IN THE WOODS, DOING ER~-

——— qo ES,
RANDS, CLERGY_ATTEND MEETINGS TO HEAR

ANOTHER OF,/THEIR PROFESSION TALK ABOUT

IT - ye OUTSIDE CHANCE THAT WE MIGHT

seine

\

LEARN SOMETHING NEW ABOUT HOW TO DO IT
ae

BETTER.
I'M NOT CRITICIZING - WE DO IT FOR
GTR ty,
LovEn\ | WE DO IT BECAUSE WE LOVE QUR_ LORD

AND WE LOVE THE AND WE LOYE_OUR
—
PEQPLE_AND|WE DO PROFOUNDLY PROCLAIM AND
oe, ————

a ( BELIEVE THAT YOU FIND YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU
fn I

LOSE IT.

cS

(Bu3, I AM DEDICATED TO THE PROPOSI-
TION THAT MANY_OF US LOSE OUR.LIVFS = =~
ee a

UNNECESSAR zy, |ano THERE ARE_WAYS TO
ENHANCE LIFE AND REVERENCE. Gop's GIFT OF
a

OUR OWN LIVES AND ACTUALLY TO LOVE AND
ace
Wowor
468@W THOSE PERSONS GOD_HAS GIVEN US TO
SSS,

LOVE AND HONOR... AND JUST, PERH IN

THE PROCESS, TO BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE IN

OUR PROFESSION AND TO HELP_OQUR CONGREGA~
TIONS TO LIVE FAITHFULLY.
= ee
I Love A MINISTER. Seer

EASTER LAS NG -RHER bite aT y= "POUNE ~
Ss i TO
THINK..n AGREES,
| But I WOULD HAVE US ATTEND TO A
a

ian C\Wre
DEEPER PHENOMENON ‘To WHICH OUR OWN

FRENZIED PACE OF LIFE POINTS AND THAT IS

A NEW AND SERIOUS EPIDEMIC OF STRESS,
=e

AND STRESS REL s.\ It AF-
FECTS OUR_PEOPLE: \\ 7HeEy BRING_IT TO
cnurcu, . \\some OF THEM COME TO H

BECAUSE OF el IT Is conTagzous.| AND
REY!
IT AFFECTS us.\ URBAN PHYSICIANS EVEN

4.
HAS A NAME FOR IT. | IT’S Synwa YUPPIE
Le oS

DISEASE/((YUPPIE IS OUR AFFECTIONATE
=

ACRONYM FoR YOUNG URBAN PROFESSIONAL) .

IT'S SYMPTOMS ARE ANGER, DEPRESSION,
CHRON LEA LEGUE .

IT AFFECTS CLE ggy. | THe PEOPLE IN
CHARGE OF THE HEALTH, WELFARE AND _PRO-

FESSTONAL_DEVELOPMENT OF PRESBYTERIAN

MINISTERS IN THE U.S.A. REPORT HE 25%)

9

OF US ARE TRYING TO MOVE TO NEW POSI-
TIONS. \ I THINK THAT'S CONSERVATIVE AND
——
I DON'T THINK FOR A MOMENT THAT IT IS
—_——_
PRESBYTER NON. | I BELIEVE HALF

OF US ARE HOPING TO MOVE FROM WHERE WE
eae

ARE AND ARE INCREASIN P v.{ Our

INSURANCE PROGRAMS REPORT THAT SIGNIFI-
[a "

CANT NUMBERS OF US {ano our SPOUSES

NEED THERAPEULLGSCARE, |FROM MARRIAGE

COUNSELING, TO PSYCHOTHERAPY, TO.__SUB-
— =e

STANCE ADDICTION procrans’s| WeE’RE HURT-
eee p ee]
ING, I THINK, AS A PROFESSION. \ Anp I
BELIEVE OUR PAIN.IS AT LEAST IN PART A
REFLECTION OF A CULTURE THAT IS HURTING

AT A DEEP LEVEL.
a

sinmes -

10

f

Le

the pump and yelled.\'Can you F171 it up? »Can you

fill it up paw?") The attendant was Jey and

indicated that he would be thege“in a minute. | The

efation in a
about stress. it

was one of articles in

tellers,Inows that eee ue i
used,

going g.00, something. \ We are ine ne

becoming a Sinasserseuecarat? Cr Mkt werk.

———— We are acknowledging that st ioe

B2

time. = have always experjenced stress, but
at nowhere gab the level that has become the norm
forays. \ We know that stressis sometimes creative
but mostly it is unhealthy and debi ting, | It
makes us feel misgcaple. \ IF it is unresolved it
results ina condition called Bure) - which is
the collapse of tbe human spirit. \the emptiness
which qccursahen one has spent out all on all lee
hysigal, emotjgpa] and spini
apetearning @ Isssqaethat is. aged as = be
race, namely, that the ways to cope with : with stress areca
"the threat of t_are oft i a Alba,
What_i 2 \A psychologist friend of

mine Says its "any outgide posssure. lat makes you
feel bag_ipside. ™) | We Can Hualvgizee uw)

a Stress is part ot.peina buman. in 2 of

creation, God gave_US, alone, the ability to worry, te P IS
the cone to maze the worst ang/we are

experts at iti 3 oe Frederick

Buechner says telling us not.to be anxious is Tike

—_—

telling a person with a/ead cold not to sneeze...

ee

\3

situation calls for a long, sustained response -
like driving a camor like putting up witha
Se em,

demanding boss. \ the trouble is the Fight/Flight

response gets triggered in the office... and you
pi ee nT

can't reach through the ee a ee ew é L
person who_set it off.) ~ Bde ve ty diane bbb

It not only.feels miserable to be stressed,
it is very er The simple fact is tha’ that when
_you are stressed_your disestive system isn't

working very effici | those jolts of
adrenal ine walls of your arteries and
they thicken over ime. \ The cost of stress-related

p=" What ig_new and particularly dangerous is
its from our way Of Life and

that stress

corrosive ve Ways to Wear down our bodies and
spinits,"7 Newsweek observes. | Fury thpee-quarters

Wer \ are. >
of Ameri icang_saytheir job causes stress. _ .
A Hew-Yori-Times-article-reponted-a-maior nen = 7

BANS

study of occupation related stress|\ It described

the classic case of a broker ¢ whose "w & day
blood pressure and pulse perfectly reflected the hun Lei

drop ‘in stock prices. \ the more the mack

, \that is peopie who hayg.to.praduoe
but have Tittle say in how to,pooduce. | Aamesentt

nearly as stressed hurtling around the tracat 200

mp.h. as they are_in the pit, when the mechanics
ees ee

———

are in steal me highest pisk category of a1.
it turns out, is mothepsapg.bomemakers whose
daytime job is high demand/low control, and who
then come home to.meal preparation, Piangwlessons
and an argument with a husband.
we The good news. relatively speaking, is that

|

you" pe_olger, ‘S]ower_and not able to keep up.

2
le

mews: The bad news is that it feels terrible, can
ruin_your relationships.{ deplete your spirit,
render you ineffective, make you sick, and
ewer chr

6( ve
Part Of Our UpRemienpems — the threat to our

survival comes from our pantécipation.in our
as eee

— Clergr ses!

system ae

and“ CoTIeaaLes.

us;jand we josi

an nf
= ioe
ald

esq: The loca] _papishin which most of us work ‘is
a WwW’ , @ lonely gutpost.\\ “‘- Ss difiieu to tor some of us to
lea, we are the youngest person around - by 20 years. \ A
————

young womap.eaileaduie,sat_and wept in m ice and
_ told me that in one_ygar she had not_hada@single .

social contact in hgeecentral I1inois, rural,

a

‘“?

wn

parish and she was dying of loneliness.

mecataya\ te a avers Tees
ad remain \ 4

We are always QuL.of ste

eet, rors ama who wants Monday
off? i want_Saturday a ‘long with _everybody else.
So -do_my children\\\ There ; are —,~ go
away far. \ \roTigays are when you
When your neighbors are Packing UpdestbeaddlACO Dan Or
coring possk,{ vou're in the middie of tol Week .

We live by diffepepiamules, exogatations and
possibilities, and while that's part ofthe pegson
we went into this business, there is a time .between
the ave of 25 gpdlQahen your peers ape. beainring
to hit-itaspio|and bose pauses and cars. ard vou
know with a terribl ity, that your 3.5% cost
of living increases aren't evei going to make much .
of a difference.and that what.you.fsew a71 around
you is esseatially it.

Ambition, drive, upward mobilityere
encouraged, nurtured, celebrated and rewarded ‘in
=
1S,

the culture, but not in the aes We are not to
let ambjtion, dreams, pride - interfere, so we

We have high denen demsmeroabaias. \ ve
must functignwith considerable sicil and. expeciase

as counselors. scholars, executives, teachers.
een’ tants, Landes. a= of course ~

— we’ can't really get foun |
pf it with sila. and yet we're
paasusnios. |Me ipererelt

real

|

And, since ther

Bia.

no sales quota. £o,mect no prodygtion schedule to

accomplish, we never know when e working,

and we are suscepiible to the work schaef*
describes (althoudh Ln suspiciounof-aculiiral

a
~ One of the best essays - a of the t
helpful — was written years ago by iT _sttty\

Sittler under the title <{""The Mgceratién.of the

Minister \It-

and portions ‘in Grace Notes and

. Other Fracmen the Tittle e-book of essays

pub] ished_on ‘ttler's 75th birthday. | I commend it
of{| Even if you don't Tike what Sittler says,

he uses jthe ‘language beaysifully and ‘innovatively.

CO LOC

Reading good pod Sf of sentence Ay a little Tike
prev Wy, ; oe \bTa off at/the {pee throw
ein, hod aioritts sla :

aed ‘To mas to “chop up into small
pieces." |The size_or_location of the congregation

doesn't matter; \although I have a sense that

oo

$F 20.

f .

‘Anne uae

1 Schr i
a

e

macerat‘ion is more of a likelihood for mén and
wonen in solo situations, going it alone and doing
it ali«
Sittler wrote tnat(in seminary classrooms,
the student comes to know that the 'basileia tou
— a,

’ theou' is a phrase of enormous scope and depth, and
its study ought to persist throughout life. | snc
then the professor visits the graduate on the job

ame
and sees the lines of old books on the shelves.
aa
Filed on top of these will be mementos of present

concerns:| a role of blueprints;( a file of

negotiations between the parish, the bank_and the

Board of Missions; samples of asphalt tile; and a
—_—eee— ———— EE _

eS estimate’) {Grace Notes and Other

Fragments, p. 58]

rine the heart ache | the senge.that
thins are not not right, are maybe even out-of-
- ———————

seems to be living orderly, intenti istences
with jobs that pay them what they_are worth and
—= a

reward them for excel lence while yours feels like

————-
# ai

o
it is careening from one crisis to another |-m&
; — "ene
like the circus performer: spinning fragile plates
on top of sticks, madly rushing from plate to

plate, keeping them al_up_in the air.4\ the
‘ \

Cisappgintment that these little colonjes of heaven
we
we sefise in fact are not always peavenly, that the

people in them are a which means at
least partially pel lish.| translate that_sopetimes
thought ]ssise, U Lad, buchen, | the unflattering
comparison with your successor (“Why when Rev.
Smith was here we used to have big crowds on Sunday

morning”.,| the mindless criticism, the~Senbipetiat—>>

i = The way many of us try to supvive jn the

palish., it seems to me, is by Gutuork ing everypoo
else, | [in the a guage of fosDependency, by becoming
People pleasers ith such a totality of commitment
aa¢ that we we can even Justify ites the Cost of
Richart Pryor ss
Discipleship. \ to-yenpessti-PichaedPryenion
att to make comedy out of_the tammable
—E
incident in which his drug apparatus blew up and

Comedy ers Work

his clothes were op fire and even though he knew ee Jere Waly
better he raced out_of the house and ran down the we . nl Pyar
v es

street ~ becausg_he said he knew as Tong as he was

running he was alive and that if he stopped running

he'd be dead. \; didn tlaushat that. It sounded

too familiar. A ) ey
| ? y G Bep . \
Wayne Oates called i¢ Workeholism - a disease |
Which appears in our 20s and 30s and if | 4.
uninterrupteq_can_and often js fatal inwaur 60s. p
You know the symptoms Ya workaholic salts 4
com $
conversations with allusion to how early he was at 2.
work and how she stayed later than anyone — =

~a workaholic. i how

% 23

much work he s doing

-she is ‘ewe busy, breathless. slight ly

disorganized, in a hungry, always golittle jate.

~he_is truly dver-copmitted, beligving that
if he doesn't do it nobody else will with the sad
result that nothing is done very wel] with

resulting guilt and_des despair.
-she hgsabealtpouble with grace, peal
-_ trouble peceiving, gifts fromothers ~_compiments,

kindoess, Jove! acceptance, grace - from anyone and
from God.

spectral ~ uk im hay

i. zo = al ahi pret an Kay
rvive? \\: do bee ithelps to

And while therg_is_a tisk that

we Wil Lyallow in self-pi en epioy our
martyrdom. [end a very real pgssibility that we will
feel anger and resentment. I think it_makes sense
to look hgnestiy at what we do and why we don't
. Ee
feel good about it.
——
And ati ly - to propose sQne.

»

te a"

!
eg inane ase! (It wes 2 monet of x P
\ Aw -

revelation for me when, reading a book ye ee

Dittes, Mipister on the Spot, I saw that “that
vendertal character ip Joh DeSe lying on his mat for

38 _years_beside the pool of Bethzatha, really
didn’t wept tebe peeled. at least_in the
present... \ | Mave someday... somehow N he'd make it to
the pool on 1 on time. WY. tr think thene ‘2 is sonethina |
_ntrngig so a unit is aroused by th by the

in the future, whatever “it” is.

We conclude, early on, that the Kingdom isn't
coming in thes parish. \\ Mave angther one... with a
few moresenbers. la biggepeunoet, more Jgagerstrip.
‘more couniunent ve invest heave ly nthe hope
that the futupe will bring us Jeet faction,

- Peace, salvation even.\In the meantime we have to

grit Suc.teeth and slug it out.
(ise
That. I propose, isa Tousy Wavt0.be in
ministryand it's & Tousy,.way to. live. \ It's apa art
of our humanity that needs savine.\\ So Jet's as

God to save us from, it t. \Let's stop_taking so
seriously the wonderfull success stories others tel]

‘us abqut their parighes and Took with renewed
interest_apd love and_hope to Ours.)
ee Let's ‘listen to ‘one of-our beothers, Fred

fic are alive. \:t needn't n't have Deen so. It
so once and it will not_be_so forever. out che
‘itis S0.nOh now. G And what is it Tike: to be alive cua 2

cana ee

2.

2? Live a day of it and see.| Take any day and be
ee? ive ay ta any day
alive in it. |Nobody claims that it will be
entirely painless, but no matter. | It is your

‘i —~_ee ——
birthday and there are many presents to open. The

-world is to open.” \Alphabet of Grace, p. 26) Live & DrsscA

If thescane; | If you cannetgay no, if you
respond with ity and immediacy to.eyery
totaliiyand 4
ice! are not in_chgpaeeGh your vitel{ cos
‘is not in charge of your Tife.\\ You.can'tceal
blame your people either. \tte fact is nobody's 1n
charge. fa

— Vv

The Maceration of the Ministey is a fact.

the demand_to be i —
| " po
teacher - all before noor{\ 611s about =_.*

Sos sea

sitting oap airplane talking to a very successful

bus ines$ian — whose whole life_is invested

essentially in se Lipaapabere os ~ and thanking

- God for the magnifiGent diversity of this modest
F a.

Joh-of cane) ~- you don't have & acerbate
the Macerat ign ‘ion. \yo can understand. it pstind it atLggy 10

sometimes and \ believing that stuf f about it
not getting done if you don't do 714. You can

assemits a Personne mmittee - even if its only

hes other: person and clarifywhat the peop le for

Wee yell work want you_to do with your time You
Will—Lam sure, be sucpmised Dysthe-possibi}ities

of gracegirich-elmost always.-occur simply by asking
them to help ith this.

~ Tedious poutine is is not the shadow.side.of our
calling fit ‘is better described as the epgbling |
PO ae lldaSi0". | saministration is neIPina

churches _do what God calls thea, to.c0. (J you ne yqu_ mean

what you_say when you affirm belief in the Holy
Catholic Church, there is nothing more UCIeDt, than
learning how to sc enpelntianeaas with - ee

- intelligence, imagi on. Jats grt ipamcidse
«= The fourth idedis that there is -

B28.

uaste Lhusl. Loci tre tere? cs vf Lak we
‘Wora-- \Uis Valo we do,

Un Can clavb al,

Jim Glasse said it ih Putting it Together in
"Most parishes warit three things from their
(miammecemee ee
pastor. [ he meets these mining) requirements —

he is free free $0.do. what he wants. / Once the rent is
paid she is is free to march for peace, paint
a

——a

pictures, Play golf “a
"But_Cinst =the rent -
GP regi nie 2 Since norning

to which they are not ashamed to bring their
friends. | |

to know that the pastor cares about them and will
a ey eee tte,

help them with their faith Journey.

Administration - a balanced budget, a
working furnace and a visible and.effective
organization."

Glasse says paying the reptis.not full time

work, but_if.we do it - ne will be free.

) Shs cata (a

Remln wand ob shy + wad \
Walk vob la Men okt

Remember that great Michael Quoist prayer

they never have enough time...they

about time.
have_ngmore time.) Lord we have enough time."
lt*s true.

When I was newly ordained, serving a smal]
church in Northern Indiana - steel workers and
small farmers anc ae a teacher or two I knew that it

——

Was important to prove my worth to them by_working
harder and eee en ane le It_was

ae, Satunday Same)» early di was belyind-my.desk.

Into the study came the husband gf the treasurer to

_ bring me my check and a_dozep_eggs. \ Mike Paddock,

grizzled, tough foreman in the miti{ (‘What_the

hel] you doin’ here on Saturday morning?" Mike

asked. “You ought 19, be home with your family,
[SE

Tike everybody else." "But Mie Radkock, I

_ protested, (/I need to be available to Je. I

need to be here when they are and that_means

saturday.” “he said.\_ "People _don't_wanna

They wanna 90.49 the store, get 2

we 30.

haircut |\ wath the cone,( Ge hone | They’ you

tomorrow."

“ff we work abLweek and then tel ourselves
that We must be thene for our peop le when they are
fregs we will work eyeuings-and Saturdays and
Sundays. 3nd we do, many.of.us. \s0 some time.3so I

started pefusins to do inet, and I'm sorry someone

didn't tell me even earlier. (1 missed bathing the —
babies hile - but not for Jona. | I simply.

refuse! to miss one-time games or concerts... [eemela?

ESS AS pe

Mike Paddock never heard of Henri Nouwen —
but they think_a lot aljkel\ Nouwen talks about the
i — > Sa
cMinjatcy of Unavailahilite ~ of being intentionally
unavailable and what that does_not on] for us -
but for our reopte|| 1ve never refused a.tejephone

=

call because I yas paving |} but I'd like.to,.and I
_ certainly_have refused meetings and appointments
because I have spo tickets. | Je I have had

& 31.

folks say. thank_you for showjpgstpatsit's.O« to
miss a Chupchy ineeting in order to_be with family.

Nouwen_Was appalled at al] the opep doors ip our
wlour relentless accessibility_and_the to1]

it had to t Ss personally.

“Be_a Steward of Voucse lias, bred y your
Ife

Twes_ with ntention\ Give dtauey - with

_imagination.
Na
a). ake cape afwurselt stvsicatts.| ve a are, in

fact, whole ie beinas| Your heart and ‘seicit are

connected to your apmg-and back and stomgch. | so

eat_right_and ond and get regylar exercise
\b) 2 and nurture your spirtt. \ Read - readas much as
vou want Seba is partofvoypJop — and it

Fuavel Tu

STOMA

"At its heart most theology.* like most
fiction, is essentially autobiography. Acquinas,
Calvin, Barth, Tillich, working out their system in
their own ways and in their own language, and all
telling us the stories of our: lives, and if you
press them far enough, even at their most cerebral

and forbidding, you find an experience of flesh and

blood, |a human face smiling or frowning or weeping

or covering its eyes before something that happened
once... I cannot talk about God or sin or grace,
for example, without at the same time talking about
those parts of my own experience when these ideas

4 become compelling and ret." abi, p,3, 4]
So, in the final analysis, it comes back to
[a

and mused_Qyer ur “sitzgimeb ~ we are left
with our dicaall the as of_Jesus Grist to be

AW A\ban 3 Tastitve Aid @ survey
Lawn de End ook why Lay = por

oaks bed WAT Wuir — pratne -

daptc Waals wa \uncmeforte ble Aurel
litle Actus nw . , a

scripture \ we pray {rertiontert*if praying means
ees See
struggling with. wrestling, agonizing over, cursing
Serenata

sometimes, expressing our hearts | week in and week
—— —— ea eee

out. \\re spend a lot of time ea@_spinitual
: discipline and we are on a journey. \ Our faith is
sp grgwiing and-develgping and becoming every time we
f a bo lay itn out beforg a conaresat ion. |
LO / ep SO listen to your life and your cit And

CV pay special attention to moments of paggjgn and

Qt profound caring - when_your_eyes, in spite of
: SE ; a

yourself, are full of tears.
Gee
Van tow And listen to the Gospel. \Listen.to what you

Fai Vs besins - Tike gusic - not in yoursmguth ~

but in your ear, someone said. \ The Gospel is.keard

and exper ienged before it is spoken.
] So listgg.- the words you speak to others ane

for you.

courag¢.apd hagg. which you struggle to articulate

with all your_integrity and strength — thgse words

me 36:

are first of all for you. «
PEs

see kt ite bread you break for others is first of
all ~ bread for your bunger and the cup you are
privileged to raise in the company of the_faithful
‘is first of_all for your thirst.
...the 1 is pot. Limited to_your"
“ | the Christian faith, the

eS 3 “is not limited by jence
of it - or by ab7 11 pig OesG hich late it. in fact,
. =e

there are times when I must apbiculate what I do
——a— |
SS — -~or fully Believe. there
are timéS when I must rely on that larger faith of

the ChurCh.to.get me by - al] the saints have known
that. U-

But that Gospel is for me — and you \ The
grace we announce..is.for, us. \ the acceptance we

proclaim js our S.
The Good News of the Gospel is thgtwin Jesus

Christ God loves us.
Pigisinaeters

That grage requires no work\no mapit, no
overtpnee no mar fypaiom., to memtt it... ¥t requires

CSzere

#27.

nothing - only our Opes ae receptivity, \ That

Ib Can Sa due lives .

even. tw th work 4 wrist :

S Sy,