Glimpses of Healing and HopeKern Road Mennonite Church is an Anabaptist Christian congregation in South Bend, IN, seeking to learn, love, and learn God's dream for the world.https://krmc.net/news/blog2024-03-29T02:59:31-04:00Kern Road Mennonite Churchkeith@krmc.netJoomla! - Open Source Content ManagementI lost a job2020-05-07T10:42:12-04:002020-05-07T10:42:12-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/470-i-lost-a-jobPodcasttech@krmc.net<p>Here is a sad, but necessary, update from us on our planned service trip to DR Congo this summer. We continue to pray for our fellow brothers and sisters in Kinshasa as we share in Nancy's grief. She has done so much tremendous good and work in DR Congo, and we are so grateful and honored to call her part of our KRMC family.</p>
<p>+++</p>
<p><em>by Nancy Myers</em></p>
<p>Everybody has lost something in this pandemic.</p>
<p>If we weigh our losses against others’, some of us could easily discount our individual losses, especially if we have been taught to count our blessings. I am alive, I am well, I have enough to eat, I have friends and family and the means to communicate with them, and I am financially secure. And it is spring. So why am I feeling sad today?</p>
<p>The universal experience of loss gives us an unprecedented opportunity to explore the nature of loss and mourn together. Okay, let’s have a cry now. Or a scream. Or a community howl. Or a banging of pots on porches. For everything we have lost.</p>
<p>Name your losses. I dare you. Think of at least one thing that you will probably never get back, even when this is over.</p>
<p>For me it is a kind of job I have grown over the last ten years that has felt in many ways like the culmination of what I have to offer to the world: I have been a self-appointed goodwill ambassador and liaison between <a href="http://mennoniteusa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mennonites in the USA</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Democratic Republic of Congo</a>.</p>
<p>I have been a bridge-builder between cultures. An encourager. A catalyst of good works. An interpreter. A channel of love. I have built personal relationships and grown a web of relationships in two contrasting cultures that share membership in the body of Christ.</p>
<p>I have demonstrated, for myself and for others, the electrifying power of face-to-face contact, on-the ground presence, of the sort that can only be developed when we directly participate in each other’s lives—when we wander in each other’s cities, eat in each other’s homes, worship together, talk and plan together.</p>
<p>That is the key. My involvement in Congo has required travel. Since I started on this connectivity venture (it dates from 2010) I have made 7 or 8 trips to Congo (I’m losing count). I have sometimes gone alone, but often I take someone with me and spread the connections and goodwill that way. I quickly relearned how to get around in Congo, my French was still serviceable (after our 3-year stint in then-Zaire in the 1970s), and I am a pretty good travel leader.</p>
<p>We have often entertained Congolese visitors—established friends and new ones—in our home as well, but travel this direction has been severely limited in the past five years. So the best way to build connections continues to be by taking fellow American Mennonites and family members to Congo.</p>
<p>The trip that I was planning this year was a culmination of that effort: I was going to shepherd a delegation of half a dozen people from my congregation to our sister church and its community in Kinshasa. The focus was to be sharing worship music and working together on a school building. The trip was scheduled for July. When the word “pandemic” began to be spoken in February, however, I cancelled the trip. I did not want to be responsible for taking people on a long-distance plane trip, to a country with shaky medical services, during a global pandemic.</p>
<p>It turns out that the virus is, so far, more prevalent here than there but, in my opinion, long-distance air travel should be out of the picture anyhow until there is a vaccine for Covid-19 and it is widely available.</p>
<p>That could take a couple of years. By then, this whole trip would have to be replanned and that would require energy that I can’t now imagine generating. I will be in my late 70s. The <a href="http://www.aimmintl.org/congo-literacy-project.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Congo literacy project</a> that I helped start doesn’t really need me anymore, either, so my main reasons for traveling to Congo are rapidly disappearing.</p>
<p>Thus I am seeing this “job” I have created, that I have loved into being and that has been a primary focus of my retirement years, coming to an end. I am mourning its loss.</p>
<p>What losses are you mourning these days, when you let yourself be sad?</p>
<p><em>NOTE: This originally appeared on Nancy's blog <a href="https://thepracticalmystic.org/2020/04/27/i-lost-a-job/#more-2209" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Practical Mystic</a>.</em></p><p>Here is a sad, but necessary, update from us on our planned service trip to DR Congo this summer. We continue to pray for our fellow brothers and sisters in Kinshasa as we share in Nancy's grief. She has done so much tremendous good and work in DR Congo, and we are so grateful and honored to call her part of our KRMC family.</p>
<p>+++</p>
<p><em>by Nancy Myers</em></p>
<p>Everybody has lost something in this pandemic.</p>
<p>If we weigh our losses against others’, some of us could easily discount our individual losses, especially if we have been taught to count our blessings. I am alive, I am well, I have enough to eat, I have friends and family and the means to communicate with them, and I am financially secure. And it is spring. So why am I feeling sad today?</p>
<p>The universal experience of loss gives us an unprecedented opportunity to explore the nature of loss and mourn together. Okay, let’s have a cry now. Or a scream. Or a community howl. Or a banging of pots on porches. For everything we have lost.</p>
<p>Name your losses. I dare you. Think of at least one thing that you will probably never get back, even when this is over.</p>
<p>For me it is a kind of job I have grown over the last ten years that has felt in many ways like the culmination of what I have to offer to the world: I have been a self-appointed goodwill ambassador and liaison between <a href="http://mennoniteusa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mennonites in the USA</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Democratic Republic of Congo</a>.</p>
<p>I have been a bridge-builder between cultures. An encourager. A catalyst of good works. An interpreter. A channel of love. I have built personal relationships and grown a web of relationships in two contrasting cultures that share membership in the body of Christ.</p>
<p>I have demonstrated, for myself and for others, the electrifying power of face-to-face contact, on-the ground presence, of the sort that can only be developed when we directly participate in each other’s lives—when we wander in each other’s cities, eat in each other’s homes, worship together, talk and plan together.</p>
<p>That is the key. My involvement in Congo has required travel. Since I started on this connectivity venture (it dates from 2010) I have made 7 or 8 trips to Congo (I’m losing count). I have sometimes gone alone, but often I take someone with me and spread the connections and goodwill that way. I quickly relearned how to get around in Congo, my French was still serviceable (after our 3-year stint in then-Zaire in the 1970s), and I am a pretty good travel leader.</p>
<p>We have often entertained Congolese visitors—established friends and new ones—in our home as well, but travel this direction has been severely limited in the past five years. So the best way to build connections continues to be by taking fellow American Mennonites and family members to Congo.</p>
<p>The trip that I was planning this year was a culmination of that effort: I was going to shepherd a delegation of half a dozen people from my congregation to our sister church and its community in Kinshasa. The focus was to be sharing worship music and working together on a school building. The trip was scheduled for July. When the word “pandemic” began to be spoken in February, however, I cancelled the trip. I did not want to be responsible for taking people on a long-distance plane trip, to a country with shaky medical services, during a global pandemic.</p>
<p>It turns out that the virus is, so far, more prevalent here than there but, in my opinion, long-distance air travel should be out of the picture anyhow until there is a vaccine for Covid-19 and it is widely available.</p>
<p>That could take a couple of years. By then, this whole trip would have to be replanned and that would require energy that I can’t now imagine generating. I will be in my late 70s. The <a href="http://www.aimmintl.org/congo-literacy-project.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Congo literacy project</a> that I helped start doesn’t really need me anymore, either, so my main reasons for traveling to Congo are rapidly disappearing.</p>
<p>Thus I am seeing this “job” I have created, that I have loved into being and that has been a primary focus of my retirement years, coming to an end. I am mourning its loss.</p>
<p>What losses are you mourning these days, when you let yourself be sad?</p>
<p><em>NOTE: This originally appeared on Nancy's blog <a href="https://thepracticalmystic.org/2020/04/27/i-lost-a-job/#more-2209" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Practical Mystic</a>.</em></p>A Gracious Understanding of Your Concerns2020-04-17T10:44:19-04:002020-04-17T10:44:19-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/469-a-gracious-understanding-of-your-concernsPodcasttech@krmc.net<p style="text-align: center;"><em>by Beth Gerig</em></p>
<p>It’s been so nice to see and hear from so many in the congregation through Zoom on Sunday mornings. I am missing getting together with friends and family. As Easter weekend approaches it’s been a real temptation to find ways to “work” around the social distancing. Maybe if my family went to Robbin’s Lake and ate outside in the open air, we could be acting responsibly, right? </p>
<p>Kevin and I stood outside of our son Nate's house last Saturday and visited with his wife Brie and our grandkids while they stood on the front porch. Alinna, Brie's niece who we consider to be our granddaughter, was concerned that Grandma and Grandpa might be missing her too much. Their neighborhood association encouraged everyone to put teddy bears in the windows so that families taking walks could count them. Surprisingly, even the older children were engaged in the activity as they walked by! </p>
<p>On a more sobering note, telechaplaincy is something to get used to. The extreme vulnerability of high risk individuals hits home for me. One of the PTs on the high-risk COVID-19 unit was not intubated and, therefore, able to actually speak with me via phone even though they struggled to breathe. Their first emotionally-laden, breathy words as they choked up were, "I'm still alive --I'm still alive." </p>
<p>These are dramatic stories to hear but what about your experience in this time? I suspect that those who read this will either consciously or unconsciously use some form of the ages-old thinking pattern of using someone else’s tragic circumstances to put one’s own life “into perspective.” Some of this thinking finds merit in helping us to be grateful. I hear this all of the time and let me tell you, there are faulty internal responses to this thought pattern. “Someone’s got it worse than me” is often code for “I am making sure I am not pitying myself, and I am making sure that the person hearing it won’t think poorly of me.” Even more concerning is that the cavalier attitudes people adopt regarding their own experiences may skim over or even press down their senses of loss, grief, or fear. That’s avoiding pain -- not dealing with it! Sadly, spiritual and emotional growth or true resilience does not occur when this happens. </p>
<p>All of us are experiencing disorienting things to a greater or lesser degree. They have meaning, and they are significant even if they do not involve imminent personal threat to us and ours. </p>
<p>Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation for March 30 finds resonance in my personal and vocational understandings of the chaotic nature of upheaval, loss, and grief when the disruption of "Order" (which we somehow decided is God's understanding of goodness that is achieved by following rules and doing the right things) occurs. Rohr writes, </p>
<p><em>"All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain. Creation has a pattern of wisdom; and we dare not shield ourselves from it, or we literally will lose our soul. We can obey commandments, believe doctrines, and attend church services all our lives and still daily lose our souls if we run from the necessary cycle of loss and renewal. Death and resurrection are lived out at every level of the cosmos, but only one species thinks it can avoid it—the human species. </em></p>
<p><em>I am afraid that many of us with privilege have been able to become very naïve about pain and suffering in the United States and the Western world. We simply don’t have time for it. However, by trying to handle all suffering through willpower, denial, medication, or even therapy, we have forgotten something that should be obvious: we do not handle suffering; suffering handles us— in deep and mysterious ways that become the very matrix of life and especially new life. Only suffering and certain kinds of awe lead us into genuinely new experiences. All the rest is merely the confirmation of old experience."</em></p>
<p>In her book <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Listening for the Soul: Pastoral Care and Spiritual Direction</span>, Jean Stairs invites Christians to understand the ways the cycle of loss and renewal in our everyday experiences and, in our states of upheaval, can be seen through the (Easter) lens of death and resurrection. </p>
<p>I wonder what goes through your minds at this time, and what emotions rise to the surface? Be with those thoughts and feelings. Examine them, hold them, and share them if you wish with a trusted person/group. Wallowing in them is not what I am encouraging here! <strong>Find a gracious understanding of your concerns not a dismissive one! </strong>Honesty with feelings is an act of bravery and a road to spiritual well-being and resilience.</p>
<p>On a brighter note, I have taken a picture of the seedlings growing in my basement. We saw the snowy egret that comes to our pond once or twice a year on its way to wherever it goes. The cardinal is back that tries every year to go through my dining room window. Spring is a time we are reminded of hope, resurrection, and RESILIENCE! </p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/seeds-krmcblog.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/egret-krmcblog.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Totally off topic here, but if you are able, watch the Netflix docuseries <em>Chef's Table</em>. It's definitely not just for foodies. The stories are hopeful, poignant, masterfully presented, and touch on themes of social justice, immigration, and earth care. This documentary would make great Zoom conversation if you are lucky enough to enjoy dinner table conversation at this time.</p>
<p>To my community of faith, I wish you resurrection and resilience.</p>
<p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><em>by Beth Gerig</em></p>
<p>It’s been so nice to see and hear from so many in the congregation through Zoom on Sunday mornings. I am missing getting together with friends and family. As Easter weekend approaches it’s been a real temptation to find ways to “work” around the social distancing. Maybe if my family went to Robbin’s Lake and ate outside in the open air, we could be acting responsibly, right? </p>
<p>Kevin and I stood outside of our son Nate's house last Saturday and visited with his wife Brie and our grandkids while they stood on the front porch. Alinna, Brie's niece who we consider to be our granddaughter, was concerned that Grandma and Grandpa might be missing her too much. Their neighborhood association encouraged everyone to put teddy bears in the windows so that families taking walks could count them. Surprisingly, even the older children were engaged in the activity as they walked by! </p>
<p>On a more sobering note, telechaplaincy is something to get used to. The extreme vulnerability of high risk individuals hits home for me. One of the PTs on the high-risk COVID-19 unit was not intubated and, therefore, able to actually speak with me via phone even though they struggled to breathe. Their first emotionally-laden, breathy words as they choked up were, "I'm still alive --I'm still alive." </p>
<p>These are dramatic stories to hear but what about your experience in this time? I suspect that those who read this will either consciously or unconsciously use some form of the ages-old thinking pattern of using someone else’s tragic circumstances to put one’s own life “into perspective.” Some of this thinking finds merit in helping us to be grateful. I hear this all of the time and let me tell you, there are faulty internal responses to this thought pattern. “Someone’s got it worse than me” is often code for “I am making sure I am not pitying myself, and I am making sure that the person hearing it won’t think poorly of me.” Even more concerning is that the cavalier attitudes people adopt regarding their own experiences may skim over or even press down their senses of loss, grief, or fear. That’s avoiding pain -- not dealing with it! Sadly, spiritual and emotional growth or true resilience does not occur when this happens. </p>
<p>All of us are experiencing disorienting things to a greater or lesser degree. They have meaning, and they are significant even if they do not involve imminent personal threat to us and ours. </p>
<p>Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation for March 30 finds resonance in my personal and vocational understandings of the chaotic nature of upheaval, loss, and grief when the disruption of "Order" (which we somehow decided is God's understanding of goodness that is achieved by following rules and doing the right things) occurs. Rohr writes, </p>
<p><em>"All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain. Creation has a pattern of wisdom; and we dare not shield ourselves from it, or we literally will lose our soul. We can obey commandments, believe doctrines, and attend church services all our lives and still daily lose our souls if we run from the necessary cycle of loss and renewal. Death and resurrection are lived out at every level of the cosmos, but only one species thinks it can avoid it—the human species. </em></p>
<p><em>I am afraid that many of us with privilege have been able to become very naïve about pain and suffering in the United States and the Western world. We simply don’t have time for it. However, by trying to handle all suffering through willpower, denial, medication, or even therapy, we have forgotten something that should be obvious: we do not handle suffering; suffering handles us— in deep and mysterious ways that become the very matrix of life and especially new life. Only suffering and certain kinds of awe lead us into genuinely new experiences. All the rest is merely the confirmation of old experience."</em></p>
<p>In her book <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Listening for the Soul: Pastoral Care and Spiritual Direction</span>, Jean Stairs invites Christians to understand the ways the cycle of loss and renewal in our everyday experiences and, in our states of upheaval, can be seen through the (Easter) lens of death and resurrection. </p>
<p>I wonder what goes through your minds at this time, and what emotions rise to the surface? Be with those thoughts and feelings. Examine them, hold them, and share them if you wish with a trusted person/group. Wallowing in them is not what I am encouraging here! <strong>Find a gracious understanding of your concerns not a dismissive one! </strong>Honesty with feelings is an act of bravery and a road to spiritual well-being and resilience.</p>
<p>On a brighter note, I have taken a picture of the seedlings growing in my basement. We saw the snowy egret that comes to our pond once or twice a year on its way to wherever it goes. The cardinal is back that tries every year to go through my dining room window. Spring is a time we are reminded of hope, resurrection, and RESILIENCE! </p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/seeds-krmcblog.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/egret-krmcblog.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Totally off topic here, but if you are able, watch the Netflix docuseries <em>Chef's Table</em>. It's definitely not just for foodies. The stories are hopeful, poignant, masterfully presented, and touch on themes of social justice, immigration, and earth care. This documentary would make great Zoom conversation if you are lucky enough to enjoy dinner table conversation at this time.</p>
<p>To my community of faith, I wish you resurrection and resilience.</p>
<p> </p>How Can I Keep from Singing2020-02-13T14:39:54-05:002020-02-13T14:39:54-05:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/466-how-can-i-keep-from-singingPodcasttech@krmc.net<p style="text-align: center;">by Danile Martens</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We had a musical meditation Sunday morning by a sister-brother acoustic threesome. The music was quite nice and was a bit of a landmark experience for me because I could hear decently, though not all the lyrics, and I heard the high notes as not in tune or not audible. The surgery I had two years ago to remove an acoustic neuroma and that resulted in significant loss of hearing left me with quite a lot of phantom noise in the operated ear that causes audio distortion, a roaring that was at first quite unpleasant and exhausting. The first time I heard congregational singing and our very excellent pianist play, I was appalled. Hearing the trio this Sunday was a marker of sorts of how far I had come. My hearing has not changed; rather, my brain has been busily working to make sense of what I hear and to filter what is not useful, and getting better and better at it with no intentional help from me other than to keep exposing it to sounds that I can’t understand. And it has learned how to help me hear precisely through exposure to what is unpleasant and confusing. My tendency at first was to back away from external sounds, away from communication; but through the din and uncertainty a thread of meaning has slowly emerged.</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/0.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><em>My life flows on in endless song above earths lamentation. I catch that sweet though far off hymn.</em></p>
<p>The response song Sunday to the musical meditation overwhelmed me. It is such a familiar song, and yet I apparently had not sung nor listened to the words in two years: </p>
<p><em>Through all the tumult and the strife I hear that music ringing. It finds an echo in my soul. </em></p>
<p>The underlying noise could not obscure the music I heard that Sunday. The good work of my brain met my memory of song, and of music generally, and restored a semblance of what I used to hear.</p>
<p><em>No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I’m clinging.</em></p>
<p>There was another side to this significant loss: at my lowest point, immediately after surgery (and I suppose mediated by the drugs involved), I was graced with a palpable and profound awareness of a loving presence with me in my drugged misery. It was not a presence that lifted me out and away from that misery, but which occupied the same space; the set of misery (to use a math metaphor) completely enclosed by the set of Love.</p>
<p><em>What though my joys and comforts die? What though the darkness gather ‘round?</em></p>
<p>In the following two years, as an almost mystical experience of love has given way to the realities of life which must also be lived on a mundane level, I am learning what I can do to inhabit that other consciousness, even as I recall it was/is a gift: the veil of normalcy is parted briefly at times, but it also necessarily closes. Our part is to be alert, to watch for it.</p>
<p><em>The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart, a fountain ever springing.</em></p>
<p>Take joy where you find it, as Mary Oliver advises in one of her prose poems. Yield fully to beauty and to love when they come to turn your carefully guarded soul inside out for a time. And in between times, when you come down from the heights of experience and feeling to live your love in more mundane or difficult ways, remember well what has been, and hope to welcome it again at the appointed time in new guise.</p>
<p><em>Since Love is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing? </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://restorationfarm15.wordpress.com/blog/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://restorationfarm15.wordpress.com/blog/</a>.</em></p><p style="text-align: center;">by Danile Martens</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We had a musical meditation Sunday morning by a sister-brother acoustic threesome. The music was quite nice and was a bit of a landmark experience for me because I could hear decently, though not all the lyrics, and I heard the high notes as not in tune or not audible. The surgery I had two years ago to remove an acoustic neuroma and that resulted in significant loss of hearing left me with quite a lot of phantom noise in the operated ear that causes audio distortion, a roaring that was at first quite unpleasant and exhausting. The first time I heard congregational singing and our very excellent pianist play, I was appalled. Hearing the trio this Sunday was a marker of sorts of how far I had come. My hearing has not changed; rather, my brain has been busily working to make sense of what I hear and to filter what is not useful, and getting better and better at it with no intentional help from me other than to keep exposing it to sounds that I can’t understand. And it has learned how to help me hear precisely through exposure to what is unpleasant and confusing. My tendency at first was to back away from external sounds, away from communication; but through the din and uncertainty a thread of meaning has slowly emerged.</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/0.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><em>My life flows on in endless song above earths lamentation. I catch that sweet though far off hymn.</em></p>
<p>The response song Sunday to the musical meditation overwhelmed me. It is such a familiar song, and yet I apparently had not sung nor listened to the words in two years: </p>
<p><em>Through all the tumult and the strife I hear that music ringing. It finds an echo in my soul. </em></p>
<p>The underlying noise could not obscure the music I heard that Sunday. The good work of my brain met my memory of song, and of music generally, and restored a semblance of what I used to hear.</p>
<p><em>No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I’m clinging.</em></p>
<p>There was another side to this significant loss: at my lowest point, immediately after surgery (and I suppose mediated by the drugs involved), I was graced with a palpable and profound awareness of a loving presence with me in my drugged misery. It was not a presence that lifted me out and away from that misery, but which occupied the same space; the set of misery (to use a math metaphor) completely enclosed by the set of Love.</p>
<p><em>What though my joys and comforts die? What though the darkness gather ‘round?</em></p>
<p>In the following two years, as an almost mystical experience of love has given way to the realities of life which must also be lived on a mundane level, I am learning what I can do to inhabit that other consciousness, even as I recall it was/is a gift: the veil of normalcy is parted briefly at times, but it also necessarily closes. Our part is to be alert, to watch for it.</p>
<p><em>The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart, a fountain ever springing.</em></p>
<p>Take joy where you find it, as Mary Oliver advises in one of her prose poems. Yield fully to beauty and to love when they come to turn your carefully guarded soul inside out for a time. And in between times, when you come down from the heights of experience and feeling to live your love in more mundane or difficult ways, remember well what has been, and hope to welcome it again at the appointed time in new guise.</p>
<p><em>Since Love is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing? </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://restorationfarm15.wordpress.com/blog/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://restorationfarm15.wordpress.com/blog/</a>.</em></p>Be Still2020-01-10T11:47:25-05:002020-01-10T11:47:25-05:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/452-be-stillPodcasttech@krmc.net<p style="text-align: center;">by Associate Pastor Jen Shenk</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/night_sky.png" alt="" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Some of you may have heard me share reflections this past Sunday about our family’s trip to Michigan’s Headlands International Night Sky Park, and how that experience of contemplation was personally powerful. I’m so grateful that many of you have shared varying responses with me. Some have expressed enthusiasm for trying contemplation. Others have asked “how do I do this?” and, in addition, some have shared concerns of “what if my contemplation turns into inaction?”</p>
<p>I get Richard Rohr’s daily emails, and his latest ones have been on this exact topic of inner silence. I share some of his thoughts with you in his own words, as he says it so much better than I can:</p>
<h5><em>Silence has a life of its own. Silence is not just an absence, but a primal presence. Silence surrounds every I know with a humble and patient I don’t know.</em></h5>
<h5><em>The soul does not use words. It surrounds words with space, and that is what I mean by silence. Silence is a kind of wholeness. It can absorb contraries, paradoxes, and contradictions. Maybe that is why we do not like silence. There is nothing to argue about in true inner silence, and the mind likes to argue. It gives us something to do. Yet true interior silence does not allow you to take sides. That is one reason contemplation is so liberating and calming. There are no sides to take and only a wholeness to rest in—which frees us to act on behalf of love.</em></h5>
<h5><em>To be clear, the kind of silence I’m describing does not ignore injustice. The opposite of contemplation is not action, it is reaction. We must wait for pure action, which proceeds from deep silence.</em></h5>
<p>Silence can be a great teacher, if we allow it. In the space and the quiet, we can remember who we are, and who God is. We can connect to our deepest self and to one another in a way that goes beyond words and leads to a deep, centered knowing.</p>
<p>May you find ways during this season of Epiphany to create regular times of silence, stillness, and times of “doing nothing” so that you can remember who you are-- BELOVED. Hang out with God, and see how God’s light already shines in you (and in everybody else!). Once this becomes a starting point, then it is out of this space of centeredness that our light can shine as we serve one another.</p>
<p>Be still.</p>
<p>And then... SHINE!</p>
<p> </p><p style="text-align: center;">by Associate Pastor Jen Shenk</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/night_sky.png" alt="" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Some of you may have heard me share reflections this past Sunday about our family’s trip to Michigan’s Headlands International Night Sky Park, and how that experience of contemplation was personally powerful. I’m so grateful that many of you have shared varying responses with me. Some have expressed enthusiasm for trying contemplation. Others have asked “how do I do this?” and, in addition, some have shared concerns of “what if my contemplation turns into inaction?”</p>
<p>I get Richard Rohr’s daily emails, and his latest ones have been on this exact topic of inner silence. I share some of his thoughts with you in his own words, as he says it so much better than I can:</p>
<h5><em>Silence has a life of its own. Silence is not just an absence, but a primal presence. Silence surrounds every I know with a humble and patient I don’t know.</em></h5>
<h5><em>The soul does not use words. It surrounds words with space, and that is what I mean by silence. Silence is a kind of wholeness. It can absorb contraries, paradoxes, and contradictions. Maybe that is why we do not like silence. There is nothing to argue about in true inner silence, and the mind likes to argue. It gives us something to do. Yet true interior silence does not allow you to take sides. That is one reason contemplation is so liberating and calming. There are no sides to take and only a wholeness to rest in—which frees us to act on behalf of love.</em></h5>
<h5><em>To be clear, the kind of silence I’m describing does not ignore injustice. The opposite of contemplation is not action, it is reaction. We must wait for pure action, which proceeds from deep silence.</em></h5>
<p>Silence can be a great teacher, if we allow it. In the space and the quiet, we can remember who we are, and who God is. We can connect to our deepest self and to one another in a way that goes beyond words and leads to a deep, centered knowing.</p>
<p>May you find ways during this season of Epiphany to create regular times of silence, stillness, and times of “doing nothing” so that you can remember who you are-- BELOVED. Hang out with God, and see how God’s light already shines in you (and in everybody else!). Once this becomes a starting point, then it is out of this space of centeredness that our light can shine as we serve one another.</p>
<p>Be still.</p>
<p>And then... SHINE!</p>
<p> </p>Resources to Check Out: December 20192019-12-13T15:50:19-05:002019-12-13T15:50:19-05:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/451-resources-to-check-out-december-2019Podcasttech@krmc.net<p>In this month's Kernels newsletter, we mention Pastor Brian Zahnd.</p>
<p>Pastor Zahnd is is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church located in St. Joseph, Missouri. He has written several books including <em>Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God</em> and <em>Unconditional?: The Call of Jesus to Radical Forgiveness</em>. You can read more of his writings on his <a href="https://brianzahnd.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">blog</a> or listen to his <a href="https://brianzahnd.com/sermon-podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sermon podcast</a> on his website.</p>
<p>We especially like his Advent category which you can access <a href="https://brianzahnd.com/category/advent/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</p><p>In this month's Kernels newsletter, we mention Pastor Brian Zahnd.</p>
<p>Pastor Zahnd is is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church located in St. Joseph, Missouri. He has written several books including <em>Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God</em> and <em>Unconditional?: The Call of Jesus to Radical Forgiveness</em>. You can read more of his writings on his <a href="https://brianzahnd.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">blog</a> or listen to his <a href="https://brianzahnd.com/sermon-podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sermon podcast</a> on his website.</p>
<p>We especially like his Advent category which you can access <a href="https://brianzahnd.com/category/advent/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</p>LOGMichiana Shower Project Complete!2019-12-04T10:20:07-05:002019-12-04T10:20:07-05:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/450-log-shower-project-completePodcasttech@krmc.net<p>After almost a year of work, the shower project has been completed, and two LOGMichiana weekends have been successfully held here in our facility. Praise be to God!</p>
<p>We couldn't have done it without the financial contributions of both the LOG community and our congregation as well as the labor that went into converting this old kitchen-turned-storage-room into a fully functional shower room complete with new flooring, new lighting, and new plumbing as well as the finishing touches like shower curtains, liners, mats, soap, and even little rubber duckies. Like so many things in life, we were able to transform something little-used and sometimes-forgotten into something functional and beautiful with some determination and a lot of hard work.</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/image.jpg" alt="" width="328" height="437" /> <img src="http://krmc.net/images/image_1.jpg" alt="" width="329" height="438" /></p>
<p style="font-size: 12.16px;">We are so excited and grateful for the opportunity to better serve our community by offering space and showers for those interested in hosting weekend-long events and retreats here. It's always been our hope to provide the Michiana community with the chance to use our facilities for their meetings and events -- and with these showers in place, we are now even more capable of doing so.</p>
<p> </p><p>After almost a year of work, the shower project has been completed, and two LOGMichiana weekends have been successfully held here in our facility. Praise be to God!</p>
<p>We couldn't have done it without the financial contributions of both the LOG community and our congregation as well as the labor that went into converting this old kitchen-turned-storage-room into a fully functional shower room complete with new flooring, new lighting, and new plumbing as well as the finishing touches like shower curtains, liners, mats, soap, and even little rubber duckies. Like so many things in life, we were able to transform something little-used and sometimes-forgotten into something functional and beautiful with some determination and a lot of hard work.</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/image.jpg" alt="" width="328" height="437" /> <img src="http://krmc.net/images/image_1.jpg" alt="" width="329" height="438" /></p>
<p style="font-size: 12.16px;">We are so excited and grateful for the opportunity to better serve our community by offering space and showers for those interested in hosting weekend-long events and retreats here. It's always been our hope to provide the Michiana community with the chance to use our facilities for their meetings and events -- and with these showers in place, we are now even more capable of doing so.</p>
<p> </p>Are You Ready to Bond with Bondeko?2019-10-31T11:36:28-04:002019-10-31T11:36:28-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/449-are-you-ready-to-bond-with-bondekoPodcasttech@krmc.net<p>by Nancy Myers</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><strong>Before you tie up your summer plans for 2020, think about signing up for the trip of a lifetime to the Democratic Republic of Congo, as part of KRMC’s “Bondeko Bonding” delegation.</strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/IMG_5030-sm.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Francis Kabanza, secretary of Bondeko’s youth group, would like to meet you. He is a recent university graduate in geology and speaks English.</span></em></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>When: July or August 2020</strong></p>
<p><strong>What: 10 days of work, worship, and cultural immersion with members of our sister congregation, Bondeko Mennonite Church, Kinshasa</strong></p>
<p><strong>Who: 4–8 hardy souls from KRMC, including (we hope) one pastor, one videographer, and one tour leader</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>This will be no ordinary tourism</strong>, though you will see some exotic sights. There are hints of a boat trip up the Congo River. And people-watching in Kinshasa is as good as anywhere on the planet.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>This will be no ordinary service trip</strong>, though you may be called upon to do some good, hard physical labor. Bondeko’s school-building project is on hold right now as they finish construction on their church building. By next summer they hope to be putting up the walls of “Menno Simons Academy.” While some of us may help with construction, it will be in the spirit of partnership more than benevolence.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>This will be no ordinary adventure</strong>, though it will require an adventuresome spirit. Ready for a yellow fever vaccination? A 24-hour journey by air in economy class? Being ferried by skilled and daring drivers through traffic jams in one of the world’s largest and poorest capitals? All this is in order to experience full force the dynamism, warmth, energy and joy that is Africa, and to strengthen the special relations we have with members of one small church in the heart of one of Kinshasa’s poorest sections. Music will likely be an important part of this visit. It may include:</p>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span></p>
<p>• Two Sundays, one at Bondeko and one with a joint service of Mennonite churches in Kinshasa that would include numerous choirs. You may participate in both rehearsed and impromptu African-style worship music. <br /><br />• Several days construction work on the school, with members of Bondeko.<br /><br />• One day trip outside the city.<br /><br />• Visits in the city to adult-literacy classes, homes, fabric shops, craft markets, etc.<br /><br />• Simple but comfortable accommodations in a Protestant hostel.<br /><br />Costs are likely to be $3500–$4000 per person, to be provided by church support, special fundraising, and individual contributions. The principal qualifications for participation in this trip are goodwill and strong desire. We do not want to exclude anyone because of finances.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Are you intrigued?</strong> Come to an informational brown bag lunch after church November 17, no commitment required. If you can’t make it to this meeting but would like more information, please contact one of us.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Global Partnership Committee</p>
<p>Nancy Myers, Cal King, Gail Weaver, John Martens, Andrew Tucker, Paul Herr</p>
<p> </p><p>by Nancy Myers</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><strong>Before you tie up your summer plans for 2020, think about signing up for the trip of a lifetime to the Democratic Republic of Congo, as part of KRMC’s “Bondeko Bonding” delegation.</strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/IMG_5030-sm.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Francis Kabanza, secretary of Bondeko’s youth group, would like to meet you. He is a recent university graduate in geology and speaks English.</span></em></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>When: July or August 2020</strong></p>
<p><strong>What: 10 days of work, worship, and cultural immersion with members of our sister congregation, Bondeko Mennonite Church, Kinshasa</strong></p>
<p><strong>Who: 4–8 hardy souls from KRMC, including (we hope) one pastor, one videographer, and one tour leader</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>This will be no ordinary tourism</strong>, though you will see some exotic sights. There are hints of a boat trip up the Congo River. And people-watching in Kinshasa is as good as anywhere on the planet.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>This will be no ordinary service trip</strong>, though you may be called upon to do some good, hard physical labor. Bondeko’s school-building project is on hold right now as they finish construction on their church building. By next summer they hope to be putting up the walls of “Menno Simons Academy.” While some of us may help with construction, it will be in the spirit of partnership more than benevolence.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>This will be no ordinary adventure</strong>, though it will require an adventuresome spirit. Ready for a yellow fever vaccination? A 24-hour journey by air in economy class? Being ferried by skilled and daring drivers through traffic jams in one of the world’s largest and poorest capitals? All this is in order to experience full force the dynamism, warmth, energy and joy that is Africa, and to strengthen the special relations we have with members of one small church in the heart of one of Kinshasa’s poorest sections. Music will likely be an important part of this visit. It may include:</p>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></span></p>
<p>• Two Sundays, one at Bondeko and one with a joint service of Mennonite churches in Kinshasa that would include numerous choirs. You may participate in both rehearsed and impromptu African-style worship music. <br /><br />• Several days construction work on the school, with members of Bondeko.<br /><br />• One day trip outside the city.<br /><br />• Visits in the city to adult-literacy classes, homes, fabric shops, craft markets, etc.<br /><br />• Simple but comfortable accommodations in a Protestant hostel.<br /><br />Costs are likely to be $3500–$4000 per person, to be provided by church support, special fundraising, and individual contributions. The principal qualifications for participation in this trip are goodwill and strong desire. We do not want to exclude anyone because of finances.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Are you intrigued?</strong> Come to an informational brown bag lunch after church November 17, no commitment required. If you can’t make it to this meeting but would like more information, please contact one of us.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Global Partnership Committee</p>
<p>Nancy Myers, Cal King, Gail Weaver, John Martens, Andrew Tucker, Paul Herr</p>
<p> </p>LOGMichiana Shower Project Update2019-10-16T11:58:51-04:002019-10-16T11:58:51-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/443-logmichiana-shower-project-updatePodcasttech@krmc.net<p>As we mentioned in a previous blog, one of our hopes for our facility in the years to come is as a home for organizations that provide regular meetings, events, conferences, or retreats that need a big physical space with all the amenities at an affordable price for their members. With that in mind, we have partnered with LOGMichiana, a local organization dedicated to bringing the love of God to high school students in the area, and are working on a renovation of our basement to that end. The shower project has met some obstacles and delays but we have overcome them all and are on pace to complete this project before the first LOG weekend in this facility which is scheduled for November 8-10, 2019.</p>
<p>Our Administration team, and especially our Ministry Team Lead Van, has really taken this project and made it work within our time & budget constraints. LOGMichiana's Executive Director, Terry, as well as the rest of the LOG organization and its alumni have provided us with the finances and some hands-on help. KRMC's people, especially Harold, have put in many many hours of planning, demolition, and construction to turn an old storage room into a fully-functioning four-stall shower room with all new plumbing, venting, electricity, and dividing walls. </p>
<p>With just a few weeks to go, things are really shaping up. We are currently waiting on more electricity & drywall.</p>
<p>It's hard to tell in the dark, we know, but this is the fourth shower, separated by a door to the hallway, and then three more showers.</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/Photo_Oct_16_10_55_08_AM-forblog.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Here are the other three showers:</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/Photo_Oct_16_10_54_53_AM-forblog.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Here's what the plumbing for the showers looks like so far:</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/Photo_Oct_16_10_54_34_AM-forblog.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>We're excited to see this project come to a close so LOG (and other organizations like it) can really feel at home here at Kern Road Mennonite Church. We'll be sure to post pictures when the work is completely done.</p><p>As we mentioned in a previous blog, one of our hopes for our facility in the years to come is as a home for organizations that provide regular meetings, events, conferences, or retreats that need a big physical space with all the amenities at an affordable price for their members. With that in mind, we have partnered with LOGMichiana, a local organization dedicated to bringing the love of God to high school students in the area, and are working on a renovation of our basement to that end. The shower project has met some obstacles and delays but we have overcome them all and are on pace to complete this project before the first LOG weekend in this facility which is scheduled for November 8-10, 2019.</p>
<p>Our Administration team, and especially our Ministry Team Lead Van, has really taken this project and made it work within our time & budget constraints. LOGMichiana's Executive Director, Terry, as well as the rest of the LOG organization and its alumni have provided us with the finances and some hands-on help. KRMC's people, especially Harold, have put in many many hours of planning, demolition, and construction to turn an old storage room into a fully-functioning four-stall shower room with all new plumbing, venting, electricity, and dividing walls. </p>
<p>With just a few weeks to go, things are really shaping up. We are currently waiting on more electricity & drywall.</p>
<p>It's hard to tell in the dark, we know, but this is the fourth shower, separated by a door to the hallway, and then three more showers.</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/Photo_Oct_16_10_55_08_AM-forblog.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Here are the other three showers:</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/Photo_Oct_16_10_54_53_AM-forblog.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Here's what the plumbing for the showers looks like so far:</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/Photo_Oct_16_10_54_34_AM-forblog.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>We're excited to see this project come to a close so LOG (and other organizations like it) can really feel at home here at Kern Road Mennonite Church. We'll be sure to post pictures when the work is completely done.</p>Thirty Years of Tuesdays2019-10-01T10:38:32-04:002019-10-01T10:38:32-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/442-thirty-years-of-tuesdaysPodcasttech@krmc.net<p><em>by Vicki Smucker</em></p>
<p class="Body">This past Tuesday was a bit disorienting for me. There wasn't anything on the calendar, but I seemed to be missing something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was just a shadow following me that day.</p>
<p class="Body">Of course, I knew the reason for this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tuesday is the day that, for the past 30 years, has been the day I spent volunteering at the front desk of the Center for the Homeless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the first Tuesday of my "retirement" from my volunteer job that I wasn't traveling.</p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">The Center for the Homeless has been part of my life since I first moved to South Bend in 1988.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that point it was still in the planning stages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old Gilbert's Men's Store on South Michigan had been purchased, but no steps had been made to repurpose the building. However, The United Religious Community of St. Joseph County was putting out the word that the day was coming when volunteers would be needed to help as the Center opened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard about it from the service committee announcement at church and it piqued my interest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The work and population would fit with the work and training I'd had in social work and vocational rehabilitation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would also give me a way to engage with my new community.</p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">The Center opened much sooner than anyone expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A fire in a transient hotel made a large number of people homeless overnight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Center opened without furniture or a kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The community scrambled to pull together beds and meals for a group of people suffering loss and trauma with nowhere else to turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a show of compassion and generosity that drew me in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was something of which I wanted to be a part!</p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">I became one of a small group of volunteers who chose to work on a regular basis manning the front desk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were only a couple of paid people at the time, so the place was staffed by volunteers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That's probably where I came to my understanding of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>volunteering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I didn't show up to answer phones and do intakes on new guests, there was no one answering phones and doing intakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I couldn't cover my shift, I would find a replacement by switching with another volunteer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The seriousness with which we volunteers took our commitment to the Center is the kind of commitment most people make to their daily jobs: you showed up; you stayed with it.</p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">I enjoyed showing up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gained so much in staying with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">You only get one life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My life is good—a loving Christian upbringing, a wonderful husband and family, a good education, good health, a nurturing church community, and financial stability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I live in a community of people just like me, then I have a certain picture of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a certain understanding of life and of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's a little skewed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe a lot skewed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">I learned about a different kind of life from the people at the Center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every day there I met people who have challenges I'll never face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not just the challenge of homelessness, but the causes of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How would it be to need to survive in a world where you had to face it all alone, or with a mental or physical illness that you couldn't afford to treat, or with no education or skills, or with insurmountable debt, or addiction, or a prison record, or crippling grief, or just plain poverty and hopelessness?</p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">There are personal stories of tragedy that touched me deeply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won't forget the woman who came to the Center years ago, weighed down with grief and the responsibility of caring for her children after the drive-by shooting in which her husband was killed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She got well and started a day-care center in her home when she moved out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She came back for a time because a rent increase forced her out of her house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also won't forget the family who left their home in Gary,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>IN because it was getting too dangerous to live in their neighborhood. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their 18 year old son chose to stay behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was killed in a gang shooting two weeks later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I won't forget the man whose parents abused him and told him he'd never amount to anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That legacy follows him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He finds nothing worth living for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has debilitating depression and has tried suicide on several occasions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won't forget these moving stories which expand my understanding of life and of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">I've known some people at the Center for nearly 30 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They're friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know their children and, in some cases, grandchildren.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've been treated to meals in the homes of former guests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've received gifts from meager resources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've been amazed by their generosity and resilience. Their acceptance of me is a true blessing.</p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">I've also been dismissed by some people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe they see me as too different, too privileged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I understand this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's always a good reminder—I am privileged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That reminder makes me work harder to understand the chasm that can exist between us…and work harder to overcome it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm reminded to be intentional in my interactions with people, because a careless remark or action can be taken as a purposeful insult or prejudice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm reminded to be humble, to take criticism, and try to make something good of it.</p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">I'll miss the people who I've met at the Center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'll miss the occasional phone call from a former guest who calls on a Tuesday because he knows I'll be at the Center and he just wants to hear a friendly voice and catch up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'll miss the "old timer" who stops by the Center to know if I<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>remember him and to let me know that he's doing well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'll miss the new guest who asks if I know who she is and is delighted when I recall she lived there with her mother many years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">I've learned a lot through my volunteering, but two things stand out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First of all, by the most important measures, volunteering has given me far more than I've given it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Secondly, the effects of showing kindness may not be immediately knowable, but should never be underestimated. Sometimes it works miracles.</p><p><em>by Vicki Smucker</em></p>
<p class="Body">This past Tuesday was a bit disorienting for me. There wasn't anything on the calendar, but I seemed to be missing something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was just a shadow following me that day.</p>
<p class="Body">Of course, I knew the reason for this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tuesday is the day that, for the past 30 years, has been the day I spent volunteering at the front desk of the Center for the Homeless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the first Tuesday of my "retirement" from my volunteer job that I wasn't traveling.</p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">The Center for the Homeless has been part of my life since I first moved to South Bend in 1988.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that point it was still in the planning stages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old Gilbert's Men's Store on South Michigan had been purchased, but no steps had been made to repurpose the building. However, The United Religious Community of St. Joseph County was putting out the word that the day was coming when volunteers would be needed to help as the Center opened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard about it from the service committee announcement at church and it piqued my interest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The work and population would fit with the work and training I'd had in social work and vocational rehabilitation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would also give me a way to engage with my new community.</p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">The Center opened much sooner than anyone expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A fire in a transient hotel made a large number of people homeless overnight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Center opened without furniture or a kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The community scrambled to pull together beds and meals for a group of people suffering loss and trauma with nowhere else to turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a show of compassion and generosity that drew me in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was something of which I wanted to be a part!</p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">I became one of a small group of volunteers who chose to work on a regular basis manning the front desk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were only a couple of paid people at the time, so the place was staffed by volunteers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That's probably where I came to my understanding of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>volunteering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I didn't show up to answer phones and do intakes on new guests, there was no one answering phones and doing intakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I couldn't cover my shift, I would find a replacement by switching with another volunteer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The seriousness with which we volunteers took our commitment to the Center is the kind of commitment most people make to their daily jobs: you showed up; you stayed with it.</p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">I enjoyed showing up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gained so much in staying with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">You only get one life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My life is good—a loving Christian upbringing, a wonderful husband and family, a good education, good health, a nurturing church community, and financial stability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I live in a community of people just like me, then I have a certain picture of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a certain understanding of life and of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's a little skewed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe a lot skewed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">I learned about a different kind of life from the people at the Center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every day there I met people who have challenges I'll never face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not just the challenge of homelessness, but the causes of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How would it be to need to survive in a world where you had to face it all alone, or with a mental or physical illness that you couldn't afford to treat, or with no education or skills, or with insurmountable debt, or addiction, or a prison record, or crippling grief, or just plain poverty and hopelessness?</p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">There are personal stories of tragedy that touched me deeply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won't forget the woman who came to the Center years ago, weighed down with grief and the responsibility of caring for her children after the drive-by shooting in which her husband was killed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She got well and started a day-care center in her home when she moved out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She came back for a time because a rent increase forced her out of her house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also won't forget the family who left their home in Gary,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>IN because it was getting too dangerous to live in their neighborhood. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their 18 year old son chose to stay behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was killed in a gang shooting two weeks later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I won't forget the man whose parents abused him and told him he'd never amount to anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That legacy follows him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He finds nothing worth living for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has debilitating depression and has tried suicide on several occasions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won't forget these moving stories which expand my understanding of life and of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">I've known some people at the Center for nearly 30 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They're friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know their children and, in some cases, grandchildren.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've been treated to meals in the homes of former guests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've received gifts from meager resources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've been amazed by their generosity and resilience. Their acceptance of me is a true blessing.</p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">I've also been dismissed by some people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe they see me as too different, too privileged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I understand this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's always a good reminder—I am privileged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That reminder makes me work harder to understand the chasm that can exist between us…and work harder to overcome it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm reminded to be intentional in my interactions with people, because a careless remark or action can be taken as a purposeful insult or prejudice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm reminded to be humble, to take criticism, and try to make something good of it.</p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">I'll miss the people who I've met at the Center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'll miss the occasional phone call from a former guest who calls on a Tuesday because he knows I'll be at the Center and he just wants to hear a friendly voice and catch up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'll miss the "old timer" who stops by the Center to know if I<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>remember him and to let me know that he's doing well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'll miss the new guest who asks if I know who she is and is delighted when I recall she lived there with her mother many years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="Body"> </p>
<p class="Body">I've learned a lot through my volunteering, but two things stand out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First of all, by the most important measures, volunteering has given me far more than I've given it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Secondly, the effects of showing kindness may not be immediately knowable, but should never be underestimated. Sometimes it works miracles.</p>A Foretaste of the New Heavens and New Earth2019-09-17T10:25:02-04:002019-09-17T10:25:02-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/441-a-foretaste-of-the-new-heavens-and-new-earthPodcasttech@krmc.net<p style="text-align: center;"><em>by Pastor Dave Sutter</em></p>
<p>Hidden Valley is the destination of a one-mile loop trail in Joshua Tree National Park in southern California. Back in the 1800’s of white American expansion in the West, the valley was said to have been a popular spot for rustlers to hide their cattle -- thus the name “hidden valley.” The valley is nearly totally enclosed from the outside world with walls of rock. The rock surrounds a pristine watering hole where herds could find shelter and drink. </p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/nftp1-sm.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>As one hikes the trail back to Hidden Valley today, the National Park Service has placed markers describing the many ways in which the varied plants and animals have adapted and changed over the years enabling them to survive the extremes of the environment: sun, cold, drought, and wind, finding ways to borrow and contribute one to the other as need arose. At the conclusion of the trail is a sign with a poem written by Robinson Jeffers. The sign highlights the co-existence of varied species of plants, animals, and humans in the valley and the delicate balance they have achieved over time as they have adapted to the needs of the environment. </p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/nftp2.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>The poem highlights something even bigger:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Integrity is wholeness…</em></p>
<p><em>The wholeness of life and things,</em></p>
<p><em>The divine beauty of the universe,</em></p>
<p><em>Love that, not man apart from that.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>If it is true that, in Christ, God is bringing together all things and that God is uniting all things in Christ, perhaps the Hidden Valley is a foretaste of the new heavens and earth God is creating. In the midst of God’s love for the earth and God’s love for humans, we are linked one to the other. </p>
<p>May we continue to seek our call and our connection to God and to all of God’s creation. May we learn and grow and adapt that we might coexist together in love and affirm all that Christ has invited us to experience in God and in the Spirit. </p>
<p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><em>by Pastor Dave Sutter</em></p>
<p>Hidden Valley is the destination of a one-mile loop trail in Joshua Tree National Park in southern California. Back in the 1800’s of white American expansion in the West, the valley was said to have been a popular spot for rustlers to hide their cattle -- thus the name “hidden valley.” The valley is nearly totally enclosed from the outside world with walls of rock. The rock surrounds a pristine watering hole where herds could find shelter and drink. </p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/nftp1-sm.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>As one hikes the trail back to Hidden Valley today, the National Park Service has placed markers describing the many ways in which the varied plants and animals have adapted and changed over the years enabling them to survive the extremes of the environment: sun, cold, drought, and wind, finding ways to borrow and contribute one to the other as need arose. At the conclusion of the trail is a sign with a poem written by Robinson Jeffers. The sign highlights the co-existence of varied species of plants, animals, and humans in the valley and the delicate balance they have achieved over time as they have adapted to the needs of the environment. </p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/nftp2.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>The poem highlights something even bigger:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Integrity is wholeness…</em></p>
<p><em>The wholeness of life and things,</em></p>
<p><em>The divine beauty of the universe,</em></p>
<p><em>Love that, not man apart from that.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>If it is true that, in Christ, God is bringing together all things and that God is uniting all things in Christ, perhaps the Hidden Valley is a foretaste of the new heavens and earth God is creating. In the midst of God’s love for the earth and God’s love for humans, we are linked one to the other. </p>
<p>May we continue to seek our call and our connection to God and to all of God’s creation. May we learn and grow and adapt that we might coexist together in love and affirm all that Christ has invited us to experience in God and in the Spirit. </p>
<p> </p>New Partnership: LOGMichiana2019-08-23T15:19:22-04:002019-08-23T15:19:22-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/437-new-partnership-logmichianaPodcasttech@krmc.net<p>Over the last several years, our congregation has wanted to focus on reaching out to other local organizations to offer the use of our facility for their meetings and events. We want to be a good neighbor within the greater South Bend-Mishawaka neighborhood, and what better way than by providing physical space to those groups and clubs without a permanent home in this neighborhood?</p>
<p>One of these long-term partnerships is with <a href="https://www.logmichiana.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LOGMichiana</a>, a non-denominational senior high youth program that has been serving Michiana for over 20 years, and we couldn't be more excited about this opportunity! The LOG (Love of God) program was planted here in the mid-1990s by Reverend Terry McBride and since then has served more than 1792 youth and held 102 weekend-long events. The program focuses heavily on relationship-building and building a community of like-minded teenage believers (or wonderers). After someone participates in a weekend, they can choose to come back and work on the leadership team that will run the next season's weekends. Leadership teams meet weekly during the fall and spring, with guidance and supervision from adult advisers (who are often alumni of the program), to pray, fellowship, and work on their assigned weekend and its assorted talks and tasks. </p>
<p>Many former and current KRMCers have attended or worked with the LOG program over the years so it seemed like a natural fit when LOG was looking for a permanent space to host their weekends. We are currently working on creating a shower room in the basement to make the LOG experience better and in hopes that other organizations who will use this facility in the future will also find it helpful. This shower renovation will be done just in time for the November 2019 weekends which will be the first time LOG will be hosting a regular weekend retreat in our facility. </p>
<p>We'll keep this space updated with our renovation progress as well as more news about LOG and other future partnerships. Keep us and LOGMichiana in your prayers as we strive to live out God's dream for our community!</p><p>Over the last several years, our congregation has wanted to focus on reaching out to other local organizations to offer the use of our facility for their meetings and events. We want to be a good neighbor within the greater South Bend-Mishawaka neighborhood, and what better way than by providing physical space to those groups and clubs without a permanent home in this neighborhood?</p>
<p>One of these long-term partnerships is with <a href="https://www.logmichiana.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LOGMichiana</a>, a non-denominational senior high youth program that has been serving Michiana for over 20 years, and we couldn't be more excited about this opportunity! The LOG (Love of God) program was planted here in the mid-1990s by Reverend Terry McBride and since then has served more than 1792 youth and held 102 weekend-long events. The program focuses heavily on relationship-building and building a community of like-minded teenage believers (or wonderers). After someone participates in a weekend, they can choose to come back and work on the leadership team that will run the next season's weekends. Leadership teams meet weekly during the fall and spring, with guidance and supervision from adult advisers (who are often alumni of the program), to pray, fellowship, and work on their assigned weekend and its assorted talks and tasks. </p>
<p>Many former and current KRMCers have attended or worked with the LOG program over the years so it seemed like a natural fit when LOG was looking for a permanent space to host their weekends. We are currently working on creating a shower room in the basement to make the LOG experience better and in hopes that other organizations who will use this facility in the future will also find it helpful. This shower renovation will be done just in time for the November 2019 weekends which will be the first time LOG will be hosting a regular weekend retreat in our facility. </p>
<p>We'll keep this space updated with our renovation progress as well as more news about LOG and other future partnerships. Keep us and LOGMichiana in your prayers as we strive to live out God's dream for our community!</p>Who Is In Your Web of Support?2019-08-09T13:23:15-04:002019-08-09T13:23:15-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/432-who-is-in-your-web-of-supportPodcasttech@krmc.net<p style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN">by Pastor Jen Shenk</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">It was a random picture I snapped with my phone<br /> the last day of summer vacation,<br /> the day before a new school year.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><img src="http://krmc.net/images/image89476894.png" alt="" /></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';">The August air hung heavy and hot<br /> with white puffy clouds set against a<br /> brilliant blue sky.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /> All three boys climbed up on a spider web<br /> going higher<br /> higher<br /> higher<br /> until they were each stretched to their limit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /> I watched them<br /> suspended on cables woven together, connected,<br /> their silhouettes standing out from the sky beyond.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /> Now, today,<br /> I watched them leave for school.<br /> Releasing them into this vast, open world.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /> I cannot go with them.<br /> It will be their own journey to climb<br /> to struggle<br /> to stretch to their limits.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /> But they will not be alone.<br /> They will be undergirded and supported by a vast network <br /> of a spider web of their own:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teachers who know school isn't just about test scores<br /> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Classmates who share a smile and end up becoming a friend<br /> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grandparents who celebrate new beginnings and growing up<br /> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friends, cousins, pastors, family, babysitters, neighbors,<br /> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The list extends in a beautiful and complex network of connection.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /> They will climb while I watch.<br /> I will see them get to the top and<br /> I will feel joy right alongside them<br /> when they conquer fears and get stronger,<br /> holding onto their web for support when they need it.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!-- [if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[endif]--></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';">A web of support that<br /> stretches when necessary<br /> yet is</span><span lang="EN"> <a href="https://inchemistry.acs.org/content/inchemistry/en/atomic-news/spider-webs.html"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; color: #1155cc;">stronger than steel</span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';">.<br /> So delicate it's barely visible<br /> unless the light catches it just right.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!-- [if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[endif]--></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';">Calm and believing,<br /> I will give thanks for the infinite number of threads<br /> that connect them to me,<br /> to each other,<br /> and to others all around.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';">I will give thanks<br /> that I am not the only lifeline they know.<br /> I will feel grateful for the sturdy and tender web</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';">set against a vast open sky<br /> that will give them strength to climb<br /> higher,<br /> higher,<br /> and higher still.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">*<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>*<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>*<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>*<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>*</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I wrote the above poem six years ago, but I’m struck by how timely it still is even today. And while it’s obviously written from the perspective of kids going to school, I think it can apply to all sorts of transitions, new beginnings, and growth.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">As I reflect on our summer series of scattering seeds, and how each one of us has Divine DNA (aka. God’s Spirit) planted within us from the moment we are created, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I think the Divine Intention is that-- ultimately--<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we bear fruit.</i></b> However, it’s almost impossible to bear fruit unless we are connected. We need to stay connected to God through spiritual disciplines like prayer, reading the Bible, and regular worship. And we need to foster connections to one another-- being in real relationships where honesty, grace, love and forgiveness are abundant.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Who is in your web of support? My prayer is that our congregation can be a strong part of this web that supports, undergirds, encourages and equips you for what God is calling you to do. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">May you know strength, peace, and joy as you grow in faith-- climbing, stretching, and leaning on God and others in the journey!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">(John 15:4,5)</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN">by Pastor Jen Shenk</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">It was a random picture I snapped with my phone<br /> the last day of summer vacation,<br /> the day before a new school year.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><img src="http://krmc.net/images/image89476894.png" alt="" /></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';">The August air hung heavy and hot<br /> with white puffy clouds set against a<br /> brilliant blue sky.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /> All three boys climbed up on a spider web<br /> going higher<br /> higher<br /> higher<br /> until they were each stretched to their limit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /> I watched them<br /> suspended on cables woven together, connected,<br /> their silhouettes standing out from the sky beyond.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /> Now, today,<br /> I watched them leave for school.<br /> Releasing them into this vast, open world.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /> I cannot go with them.<br /> It will be their own journey to climb<br /> to struggle<br /> to stretch to their limits.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /> But they will not be alone.<br /> They will be undergirded and supported by a vast network <br /> of a spider web of their own:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teachers who know school isn't just about test scores<br /> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Classmates who share a smile and end up becoming a friend<br /> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grandparents who celebrate new beginnings and growing up<br /> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friends, cousins, pastors, family, babysitters, neighbors,<br /> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The list extends in a beautiful and complex network of connection.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /> They will climb while I watch.<br /> I will see them get to the top and<br /> I will feel joy right alongside them<br /> when they conquer fears and get stronger,<br /> holding onto their web for support when they need it.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!-- [if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[endif]--></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';">A web of support that<br /> stretches when necessary<br /> yet is</span><span lang="EN"> <a href="https://inchemistry.acs.org/content/inchemistry/en/atomic-news/spider-webs.html"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; color: #1155cc;">stronger than steel</span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';">.<br /> So delicate it's barely visible<br /> unless the light catches it just right.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!-- [if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <!--[endif]--></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';">Calm and believing,<br /> I will give thanks for the infinite number of threads<br /> that connect them to me,<br /> to each other,<br /> and to others all around.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';">I will give thanks<br /> that I am not the only lifeline they know.<br /> I will feel grateful for the sturdy and tender web</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';">set against a vast open sky<br /> that will give them strength to climb<br /> higher,<br /> higher,<br /> and higher still.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">*<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>*<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>*<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>*<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>*</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I wrote the above poem six years ago, but I’m struck by how timely it still is even today. And while it’s obviously written from the perspective of kids going to school, I think it can apply to all sorts of transitions, new beginnings, and growth.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">As I reflect on our summer series of scattering seeds, and how each one of us has Divine DNA (aka. God’s Spirit) planted within us from the moment we are created, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I think the Divine Intention is that-- ultimately--<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we bear fruit.</i></b> However, it’s almost impossible to bear fruit unless we are connected. We need to stay connected to God through spiritual disciplines like prayer, reading the Bible, and regular worship. And we need to foster connections to one another-- being in real relationships where honesty, grace, love and forgiveness are abundant.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Who is in your web of support? My prayer is that our congregation can be a strong part of this web that supports, undergirds, encourages and equips you for what God is calling you to do. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">May you know strength, peace, and joy as you grow in faith-- climbing, stretching, and leaning on God and others in the journey!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; line-height: normal; background: white;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">(John 15:4,5)</span></b></p>MennoCon'19 Recap Part One2019-07-10T11:13:25-04:002019-07-10T11:13:25-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/431-mennocon-19-recap-part-onePodcasttech@krmc.net<p>10 of our high school students as well as 5 adult sponsors and 3 delegates recently attended MennoCon'19 -- the biannual national convention of the Mennonite Church USA. Their actual words and reflections and experiences will be available soon as a podcast but in the meantime, you can look through the <a href="http://mennoniteusa.org/kcsauce/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">archives of MC USA's articles & photos from the last week</a> to get a taste (yes, I had to do it -- this will make more sense once you see what the name of the archive is!) of what happened and how it impacted Mennonite people around the nation (and world).</p>
<p>We believe this is such a powerful experience that we spend the year prior to the convention hosting fundraisers and selling/auctioning items to raise enough money for every youth in the church who wants to attend to have the opportunity to do so. This year we partnered with another local Mennonite church to charter a bus to Kansas City, and that turned out to be a great experience for our youth as well. </p>
<p>Our church's Congregational Principles and Practices, in part, read as follows: <em>"Welcome and celebrate the gathering of God's diverse people in our church and community (intercultural, intergenerational, and interchurch)."</em> and <em>"Nurture authentic relationships with God and one another in Christian community so that we might stretch and grow in Christ individually and collectively."</em> We believe that attendance at MC USA's convention is a great way for us to live out both of these practices and principles in a meaningful tangible way.</p><p>10 of our high school students as well as 5 adult sponsors and 3 delegates recently attended MennoCon'19 -- the biannual national convention of the Mennonite Church USA. Their actual words and reflections and experiences will be available soon as a podcast but in the meantime, you can look through the <a href="http://mennoniteusa.org/kcsauce/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">archives of MC USA's articles & photos from the last week</a> to get a taste (yes, I had to do it -- this will make more sense once you see what the name of the archive is!) of what happened and how it impacted Mennonite people around the nation (and world).</p>
<p>We believe this is such a powerful experience that we spend the year prior to the convention hosting fundraisers and selling/auctioning items to raise enough money for every youth in the church who wants to attend to have the opportunity to do so. This year we partnered with another local Mennonite church to charter a bus to Kansas City, and that turned out to be a great experience for our youth as well. </p>
<p>Our church's Congregational Principles and Practices, in part, read as follows: <em>"Welcome and celebrate the gathering of God's diverse people in our church and community (intercultural, intergenerational, and interchurch)."</em> and <em>"Nurture authentic relationships with God and one another in Christian community so that we might stretch and grow in Christ individually and collectively."</em> We believe that attendance at MC USA's convention is a great way for us to live out both of these practices and principles in a meaningful tangible way.</p>Traction2019-05-16T10:00:56-04:002019-05-16T10:00:56-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/424-tractionPodcasttech@krmc.net<p style="text-align: center;">by Danile Martens</p>
<p><em>That connection between enlightenment and house holding…forces us onto rougher ground than that of the smooth purists— but it gives us traction.</em></p>
<p>Wendell Berry to Gary Snyder in A Distant Neighbor</p>
<p> </p>
<p>These days the work becomes more rigorous: lifting and tossing damaged hay, moving soil, bending and stooping to prepare ground for planting. It is true that spring’s coming can be enjoyed from behind glass windows, or at one’s ease on patio or deck: the barely perceptible softening and greening of fine branches, the emerging bulbs and flowers. It is pleasant to take a walk through woods wildflowers, hearing songbirds, feeling the warm air currents; but the immersion experience of house-holding in spring is rougher terrain. The body feels the increase of activity and complains in joints and old injuries. Mud and animal shit are tenacious and abundant. One’s hands dry and are darkly lined in creases.</p>
<p>Mucking in spring, as opposed to viewing it, is participating in the rush of growth and disposition of fecundity. Having one’s hands and nose in the soil, makes emerging from it into warmth and light that much brighter.</p>
<p>The tended garden provides traction of many kinds: Laying leaf mold mulch between the rows of seeds recalls shuffling in fall under the trees of the woodlot. Strategizing inducements to attract the beneficial tiny helpers of the topsoil— fungi, bacteria, insects, worms– reminds me that I am not alone in my endeavor. I appreciate the view from the earthen row of the sprinkling of tiny birds against the blue heaven. Planting, I am one with the soil.</p>
<p>The outsourced life, on the other hand, misses these anchoring activities. Life is derived from commodities provided by others’ ingenuity and strategy. Goods and services are disconnected from biological cycles, as well as from familial sympathy and generational forethought. Entering physically into the larger themes of life and death, infolding and unfolding, allows one to hitch to the Great Life through which one is connected to all that is. Seasonal changes and the weather become the backdrop of success or failure of a crop, and a measure of reasonable labor or daily exhaustion. The inevitable dry period, short or long, enters one’s bones, and its end comes as mercy. Farming, we join ourselves to the earth, acknowledging its discipline.</p>
<p>Traction also comes from limitation: I can do this much, but further affect is beyond my power. Superstitions and petitions are equally unavailing: one simply waits and watches for the rains. We can supply moisture in the meantime by contrivance, but we are always aware that irrigation and rain are separated by orders of magnitude.</p>
<p>There is the daily pull against the earth’s fecundity: life constantly rising. We must have it or die, and yet, some interference on the crop’s behalf to the ever-growing weeds, the constant pressure of marauders, is necessary. Traction becomes, literally, planting feet to dig or chop or pull against the earth.</p>
<p>Enlightenment is tethered, referenced: by what effort today will I receive the gift of daily bread?. What grace will be creased with soil and drenched with sweat? By what exertion will my soul rise up in gratitude for what is given?</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Note: This article originally appeared on </em><a style="font-size: 12.16px;" href="https://restorationfarm15.wordpress.com/blog/">https://restorationfarm15.wordpress.com/blog/</a>.</p>
<article id="post-364" class="post-364 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-musings" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin-bottom: 7em; position: relative; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><footer class="entry-footer" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin-right: -1200px; margin-left: 180px; color: #686868; font-family: Montserrat, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.61538; margin-top: 0.153846em; float: left; width: 180px;"><span class="posted-on" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin-bottom: 0.538462em;"><span class="screen-reader-text" style="box-sizing: inherit; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); height: 1px; overflow: hidden; width: 1px; position: absolute; overflow-wrap: normal !important; left: -1000em;">Posted</span></span><span class="cat-links" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin-bottom: 0.538462em;"><span class="screen-reader-text" style="box-sizing: inherit; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); height: 1px; overflow: hidden; width: 1px; position: absolute; overflow-wrap: normal !important; left: -1000em;">Catego</span></span><span class="comments-link" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; color: #686868; text-decoration: none;" href="https://restorationfarm15.wordpress.com/2019/04/16/traction/#respond"><br /><span class="screen-reader-text" style="box-sizing: inherit; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); height: 1px; overflow: hidden; width: 1px; position: absolute; overflow-wrap: normal !important; left: -1000em;">on Traction</span></a></span></footer></article><p style="text-align: center;">by Danile Martens</p>
<p><em>That connection between enlightenment and house holding…forces us onto rougher ground than that of the smooth purists— but it gives us traction.</em></p>
<p>Wendell Berry to Gary Snyder in A Distant Neighbor</p>
<p> </p>
<p>These days the work becomes more rigorous: lifting and tossing damaged hay, moving soil, bending and stooping to prepare ground for planting. It is true that spring’s coming can be enjoyed from behind glass windows, or at one’s ease on patio or deck: the barely perceptible softening and greening of fine branches, the emerging bulbs and flowers. It is pleasant to take a walk through woods wildflowers, hearing songbirds, feeling the warm air currents; but the immersion experience of house-holding in spring is rougher terrain. The body feels the increase of activity and complains in joints and old injuries. Mud and animal shit are tenacious and abundant. One’s hands dry and are darkly lined in creases.</p>
<p>Mucking in spring, as opposed to viewing it, is participating in the rush of growth and disposition of fecundity. Having one’s hands and nose in the soil, makes emerging from it into warmth and light that much brighter.</p>
<p>The tended garden provides traction of many kinds: Laying leaf mold mulch between the rows of seeds recalls shuffling in fall under the trees of the woodlot. Strategizing inducements to attract the beneficial tiny helpers of the topsoil— fungi, bacteria, insects, worms– reminds me that I am not alone in my endeavor. I appreciate the view from the earthen row of the sprinkling of tiny birds against the blue heaven. Planting, I am one with the soil.</p>
<p>The outsourced life, on the other hand, misses these anchoring activities. Life is derived from commodities provided by others’ ingenuity and strategy. Goods and services are disconnected from biological cycles, as well as from familial sympathy and generational forethought. Entering physically into the larger themes of life and death, infolding and unfolding, allows one to hitch to the Great Life through which one is connected to all that is. Seasonal changes and the weather become the backdrop of success or failure of a crop, and a measure of reasonable labor or daily exhaustion. The inevitable dry period, short or long, enters one’s bones, and its end comes as mercy. Farming, we join ourselves to the earth, acknowledging its discipline.</p>
<p>Traction also comes from limitation: I can do this much, but further affect is beyond my power. Superstitions and petitions are equally unavailing: one simply waits and watches for the rains. We can supply moisture in the meantime by contrivance, but we are always aware that irrigation and rain are separated by orders of magnitude.</p>
<p>There is the daily pull against the earth’s fecundity: life constantly rising. We must have it or die, and yet, some interference on the crop’s behalf to the ever-growing weeds, the constant pressure of marauders, is necessary. Traction becomes, literally, planting feet to dig or chop or pull against the earth.</p>
<p>Enlightenment is tethered, referenced: by what effort today will I receive the gift of daily bread?. What grace will be creased with soil and drenched with sweat? By what exertion will my soul rise up in gratitude for what is given?</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Note: This article originally appeared on </em><a style="font-size: 12.16px;" href="https://restorationfarm15.wordpress.com/blog/">https://restorationfarm15.wordpress.com/blog/</a>.</p>
<article id="post-364" class="post-364 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-musings" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin-bottom: 7em; position: relative; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><footer class="entry-footer" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin-right: -1200px; margin-left: 180px; color: #686868; font-family: Montserrat, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.61538; margin-top: 0.153846em; float: left; width: 180px;"><span class="posted-on" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin-bottom: 0.538462em;"><span class="screen-reader-text" style="box-sizing: inherit; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); height: 1px; overflow: hidden; width: 1px; position: absolute; overflow-wrap: normal !important; left: -1000em;">Posted</span></span><span class="cat-links" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin-bottom: 0.538462em;"><span class="screen-reader-text" style="box-sizing: inherit; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); height: 1px; overflow: hidden; width: 1px; position: absolute; overflow-wrap: normal !important; left: -1000em;">Catego</span></span><span class="comments-link" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; margin-bottom: 0px;"><a style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; color: #686868; text-decoration: none;" href="https://restorationfarm15.wordpress.com/2019/04/16/traction/#respond"><br /><span class="screen-reader-text" style="box-sizing: inherit; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); height: 1px; overflow: hidden; width: 1px; position: absolute; overflow-wrap: normal !important; left: -1000em;">on Traction</span></a></span></footer></article>Easter is a Super Bloom!2019-05-10T10:12:51-04:002019-05-10T10:12:51-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/422-easter-is-a-super-bloomPodcasttech@krmc.net<p style="text-align: center;">by Pastor Janice Sutter</p>
<table class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; min-width: 100%;" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter">
<tr>
<td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="text-size-adjust: 100%; padding-top: 9px;" valign="top">
<table class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%;" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="left">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="mcnTextContent" style="text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px;" valign="top">In March, Dave and I traveled southwest to explore national parks, drinking in the beauty and gaining perspective as we marveled at God’s creation in those places. Without knowing what to expect, we entered Joshua Tree National Park in southern California, a park known for its boulder fields and Joshua trees, a distinctive type of yucca. Long ago, when travelling Mormons saw these trees in the distance, they thought the trees looked like Joshua welcoming them to the Promised Land.<br /> <br />Much of the land in this park lies in the overlap of two deserts: the Mojave and the Colorado. It’s a transition zone and home to diverse species of plants and animals found in both deserts. This spring they have had more water than usual.<br /> <br />As we drove deeper into the park, we noticed more and more wildflowers. Just a few gorgeous blooms at first, and then whole carpets of color! An unexpected gift! The desert was in bloom! A super bloom! An explosion of wildflowers that exceeds typical spring blooms.<br /> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; min-width: 100%;" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter">
<tr>
<td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="text-size-adjust: 100%; padding: 9px;" valign="top">
<table class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; min-width: 100%;" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="left">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="mcnImageContent" style="text-size-adjust: 100%; padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center;" valign="top"><img class="mcnImage" style="border: 0px; height: auto; outline: none; vertical-align: bottom; max-width: 800px; padding-bottom: 0px; display: inline !important;" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9c0bbdc92c829045286d2ee68/images/bd4b491a-d962-4ce8-8f48-b2239b5d59a4.jpg" alt="" width="564" align="center" /></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; min-width: 100%;" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter">
<tr>
<td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="text-size-adjust: 100%; padding-top: 9px;" valign="top">
<table class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%;" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="left">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="mcnTextContent" style="text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px;" valign="top"><br />As we talked to locals and the park rangers, we learned that the last time this desert had bloomed like this was in the 1940s. That is, some of these wildflower seeds hadn’t bloomed for 80 years. They lie dormant in the drought for years, being preserved, able to bloom when the time was right.<br /> <br />When these dormant seeds have the right combination of rain and warmth, they come to life again. They bloom! And this is what we took in: the desert in full glory blooming with color. Beauty everywhere! The conditions were right. Seeds that had been dormant for 80 years blossomed! A miracle!<br /> <br />The walk through the desert in Joshua Tree this March became a way for me to think about Easter. I don’t know how to explain what happened on that first Easter morning but I can see how conditions were right for the miracle of new life to burst forth! For the impossible possibilities of God to blossom!<br /> <br />Jesus gave his all for God’s mission. He remained true to himself and true to God’s way of nonviolent, active, self-giving love. Jesus gave his all, and that self-sacrificing love (his choice -- not forced on him) released something into the universe.<br /> <br />Conditions were right, enabling us to see evidence of the mighty power of God. God burst forth with the miracle of life, raising Christ from the dead. From Christ’s death came new life! God took what Jesus offered and released a super bloom!<br /> <br />By Jesus Christ’s self-giving love, God released, empowered, and raised up a whole community of people to carry on Jesus’ Way of self-giving love. The good news of Easter includes this: we can be part of God’s super bloom. </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table><p style="text-align: center;">by Pastor Janice Sutter</p>
<table class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; min-width: 100%;" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter">
<tr>
<td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="text-size-adjust: 100%; padding-top: 9px;" valign="top">
<table class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%;" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="left">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="mcnTextContent" style="text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px;" valign="top">In March, Dave and I traveled southwest to explore national parks, drinking in the beauty and gaining perspective as we marveled at God’s creation in those places. Without knowing what to expect, we entered Joshua Tree National Park in southern California, a park known for its boulder fields and Joshua trees, a distinctive type of yucca. Long ago, when travelling Mormons saw these trees in the distance, they thought the trees looked like Joshua welcoming them to the Promised Land.<br /> <br />Much of the land in this park lies in the overlap of two deserts: the Mojave and the Colorado. It’s a transition zone and home to diverse species of plants and animals found in both deserts. This spring they have had more water than usual.<br /> <br />As we drove deeper into the park, we noticed more and more wildflowers. Just a few gorgeous blooms at first, and then whole carpets of color! An unexpected gift! The desert was in bloom! A super bloom! An explosion of wildflowers that exceeds typical spring blooms.<br /> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; min-width: 100%;" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter">
<tr>
<td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="text-size-adjust: 100%; padding: 9px;" valign="top">
<table class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; min-width: 100%;" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="left">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="mcnImageContent" style="text-size-adjust: 100%; padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center;" valign="top"><img class="mcnImage" style="border: 0px; height: auto; outline: none; vertical-align: bottom; max-width: 800px; padding-bottom: 0px; display: inline !important;" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9c0bbdc92c829045286d2ee68/images/bd4b491a-d962-4ce8-8f48-b2239b5d59a4.jpg" alt="" width="564" align="center" /></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; min-width: 100%;" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter">
<tr>
<td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="text-size-adjust: 100%; padding-top: 9px;" valign="top">
<table class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%;" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="left">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="mcnTextContent" style="text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px;" valign="top"><br />As we talked to locals and the park rangers, we learned that the last time this desert had bloomed like this was in the 1940s. That is, some of these wildflower seeds hadn’t bloomed for 80 years. They lie dormant in the drought for years, being preserved, able to bloom when the time was right.<br /> <br />When these dormant seeds have the right combination of rain and warmth, they come to life again. They bloom! And this is what we took in: the desert in full glory blooming with color. Beauty everywhere! The conditions were right. Seeds that had been dormant for 80 years blossomed! A miracle!<br /> <br />The walk through the desert in Joshua Tree this March became a way for me to think about Easter. I don’t know how to explain what happened on that first Easter morning but I can see how conditions were right for the miracle of new life to burst forth! For the impossible possibilities of God to blossom!<br /> <br />Jesus gave his all for God’s mission. He remained true to himself and true to God’s way of nonviolent, active, self-giving love. Jesus gave his all, and that self-sacrificing love (his choice -- not forced on him) released something into the universe.<br /> <br />Conditions were right, enabling us to see evidence of the mighty power of God. God burst forth with the miracle of life, raising Christ from the dead. From Christ’s death came new life! God took what Jesus offered and released a super bloom!<br /> <br />By Jesus Christ’s self-giving love, God released, empowered, and raised up a whole community of people to carry on Jesus’ Way of self-giving love. The good news of Easter includes this: we can be part of God’s super bloom. </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>New Eastertide Series My Heart Sings: Joy in Meeting Jesus2019-04-25T13:52:18-04:002019-04-25T13:52:18-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/421-new-eastertide-series-my-heart-sings-joy-in-meeting-jesusPodcasttech@krmc.net<p>Easter has come! Jesus has risen! Now what? Come join us on Sunday mornings for our new Eastertide series: <em>My Heart Sings: Joy in Meeting Jesus.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Easter is not just a day. In the season of Eastertide, we celebrate the Risen Christ who brings us the gifts of joy and new life! In these springtime weeks, we’ll encounter the stories of people whose hearts sing as they meet Jesus. These women and men, some disciples and some strangers, have their lives turned upside down as they meet Jesus. Their despair turned into dancing. Their worst moments rescued. Their futures restored. Their hearts singing! In this series we celebrate new life in Jesus, our own transformation, and the joy that we might have if we are open to encountering Jesus. We’ll hear about the joy experienced by some among us as they share about songs that help their heart sing. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>"You changed my despair into a dance—</em></p>
<p><em>you stripped me of my death shroud and clothed me with joy!</em></p>
<p><em>That’s why my heart sings to you, </em></p>
<p><em>that’s why I can’t keep silent—Yahweh, you are my God, </em></p>
<p><em>and I will thank you forever!"</em></p>
<p>-Psalm 30:11-12, Inclusive Bible translation</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;">Apr 28 Meeting Jesus in the evening John 20:19-31 </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;"> </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;">May 5 Meeting Jesus by the sea John 21:1-14 </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;"> </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;">May 12 Meeting Jesus at the table Psalm 23 </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;"> </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;">May 19 Meeting Jesus in a crowd John 7:53-8:11 </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;"> </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;">May 26 Meeting Jesus in early morning John 20:11-18 </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><i><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;"> </span></i></strong></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro','serif';"><strong>June 2 Meeting Jesus by the pool John 5:1-15 </strong> </span></p>
<p> </p><p>Easter has come! Jesus has risen! Now what? Come join us on Sunday mornings for our new Eastertide series: <em>My Heart Sings: Joy in Meeting Jesus.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Easter is not just a day. In the season of Eastertide, we celebrate the Risen Christ who brings us the gifts of joy and new life! In these springtime weeks, we’ll encounter the stories of people whose hearts sing as they meet Jesus. These women and men, some disciples and some strangers, have their lives turned upside down as they meet Jesus. Their despair turned into dancing. Their worst moments rescued. Their futures restored. Their hearts singing! In this series we celebrate new life in Jesus, our own transformation, and the joy that we might have if we are open to encountering Jesus. We’ll hear about the joy experienced by some among us as they share about songs that help their heart sing. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>"You changed my despair into a dance—</em></p>
<p><em>you stripped me of my death shroud and clothed me with joy!</em></p>
<p><em>That’s why my heart sings to you, </em></p>
<p><em>that’s why I can’t keep silent—Yahweh, you are my God, </em></p>
<p><em>and I will thank you forever!"</em></p>
<p>-Psalm 30:11-12, Inclusive Bible translation</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;">Apr 28 Meeting Jesus in the evening John 20:19-31 </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;"> </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;">May 5 Meeting Jesus by the sea John 21:1-14 </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;"> </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;">May 12 Meeting Jesus at the table Psalm 23 </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;"> </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;">May 19 Meeting Jesus in a crowd John 7:53-8:11 </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;"> </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;">May 26 Meeting Jesus in early morning John 20:11-18 </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong><i><span style="font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro', serif;"> </span></i></strong></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro','serif';"><strong>June 2 Meeting Jesus by the pool John 5:1-15 </strong> </span></p>
<p> </p>Don't Miss Out on MC USA's Lenten Resources This Season!2019-03-15T13:38:28-04:002019-03-15T13:38:28-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/415-don-t-miss-out-on-mc-usa-s-lenten-resources-this-seasonSuper Userkeith@krmc.net<p>During the Lenten season, many Christians pause to reflect on Jesus' last days and His sacrifice and sometimes give up (fast from) something in their lives that may keep them from reflection & thankfulness. Some people begin a new practice (praying or meditation, regular exercise, healthier eating, daily Bible readings, etc.) during this season in the church to help them focus on our Savior.</p>
<p>Our denomination, Mennonite Church USA, has provided a free resource for those who wish to dig deeper into this time and what it means to us as followers of Jesus. This resource, entitled Blessed Hunger, Holy Feast, promises clear accessible language that connects congregational worship and life at home, child- and family-friendly suggestions for responding to the season's themes and scriptures, and the opportunity to engage Christian practices and to consider how God is at work.</p>
<p>You can read more about this resource and download a digital-friendly, as well as a print-friendly version, by clicking <a href="http://mennoniteusa.org/resource/lent-at-home-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a> to access the MC USA website.</p>
<p>Let us know in the comments if you find this resource helpful and use it during the Lenten season this year.</p><p>During the Lenten season, many Christians pause to reflect on Jesus' last days and His sacrifice and sometimes give up (fast from) something in their lives that may keep them from reflection & thankfulness. Some people begin a new practice (praying or meditation, regular exercise, healthier eating, daily Bible readings, etc.) during this season in the church to help them focus on our Savior.</p>
<p>Our denomination, Mennonite Church USA, has provided a free resource for those who wish to dig deeper into this time and what it means to us as followers of Jesus. This resource, entitled Blessed Hunger, Holy Feast, promises clear accessible language that connects congregational worship and life at home, child- and family-friendly suggestions for responding to the season's themes and scriptures, and the opportunity to engage Christian practices and to consider how God is at work.</p>
<p>You can read more about this resource and download a digital-friendly, as well as a print-friendly version, by clicking <a href="http://mennoniteusa.org/resource/lent-at-home-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a> to access the MC USA website.</p>
<p>Let us know in the comments if you find this resource helpful and use it during the Lenten season this year.</p>Forgiveness2019-03-08T10:19:45-05:002019-03-08T10:19:45-05:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/413-forgivenessSuper Userkeith@krmc.net<div style="text-align: center;"><em>by Sabbatical Pastor Harold Yoder</em></div>
<p><br />What is the first think you think of when the word forgiveness is mentioned?<br /><br />What emotions come to the surface? What incidents from your life quickly come to mind? The times when you needed to be forgiven? The times when you needed to forgive someone who wronged you?<br /><br />Forgiveness is an act that we are often called upon to experience simply because we are so very human. We are so imperfect, so prone to make mistakes, so in need of correcting our thoughtless and sometimes purposeful acts that hurt others deeply. Research in the area of forgiveness points out the need for forgiveness simply in terms of our own health – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The holding tight of hate, grudges, and the desire for revenge all hurt us much more than the person we despise. And furthermore, lack of forgiveness leads to a spiraling upward of acts of revenge that only leads to more hurt and hate, and not to a return of loving relationships that we desperately need in our lives. The difficulty of the ongoing efforts to bring peace in many parts of our world all point out the long term effects of lack of forgiveness.<br /><br />All religions point out the need for forgiveness. But the followers of Jesus Christ have a unique and wonderful model of forgiveness. As we begin the season of Lent, we are again reminded of how Jesus, while suffering on a cross undeservedly, asked his Father to forgive those who put him through such suffering. And we are reminded that through his sacrificial death on the cross Jesus provided for our forgiveness and a way to a new life that offers forgiveness to others. We are freed from self-centered desires for revenge and retribution and can focus on attitudes and actions that deal graciously with our own wrongdoing and wrongdoing that others do to us.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><em>by Sabbatical Pastor Harold Yoder</em></div>
<p><br />What is the first think you think of when the word forgiveness is mentioned?<br /><br />What emotions come to the surface? What incidents from your life quickly come to mind? The times when you needed to be forgiven? The times when you needed to forgive someone who wronged you?<br /><br />Forgiveness is an act that we are often called upon to experience simply because we are so very human. We are so imperfect, so prone to make mistakes, so in need of correcting our thoughtless and sometimes purposeful acts that hurt others deeply. Research in the area of forgiveness points out the need for forgiveness simply in terms of our own health – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The holding tight of hate, grudges, and the desire for revenge all hurt us much more than the person we despise. And furthermore, lack of forgiveness leads to a spiraling upward of acts of revenge that only leads to more hurt and hate, and not to a return of loving relationships that we desperately need in our lives. The difficulty of the ongoing efforts to bring peace in many parts of our world all point out the long term effects of lack of forgiveness.<br /><br />All religions point out the need for forgiveness. But the followers of Jesus Christ have a unique and wonderful model of forgiveness. As we begin the season of Lent, we are again reminded of how Jesus, while suffering on a cross undeservedly, asked his Father to forgive those who put him through such suffering. And we are reminded that through his sacrificial death on the cross Jesus provided for our forgiveness and a way to a new life that offers forgiveness to others. We are freed from self-centered desires for revenge and retribution and can focus on attitudes and actions that deal graciously with our own wrongdoing and wrongdoing that others do to us.</p>Quiet Humility2019-02-08T14:59:46-05:002019-02-08T14:59:46-05:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/342-quiet-humilitySuper Userkeith@krmc.net<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">by Barbara Devereaux</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“There is a quiet humility about the earth in the winter months, as animals and people retreat inside to do their deep work.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Madisyn Taylor</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Just when we thought we were going to enjoy a mild winter, Mother Nature did a one-eighty and polar vortexes slipped over the Midwest sending us into a deep-freeze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People and animals suffered from the severe cold, but I was heartened to see how many people worked to make sure brothers, sisters, and animals survived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> A friend of mine took in an assortment of stray cats into his house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They didn’t get along with each other and he spent several days trying to be a feline peacemaker – not easy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People in South Bend donated time and food to shelters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>School bus drivers drove around offering rides to those who appeared to be in need of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>South Bend Animal Control rounded up pets left outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Goodness is all around us and, as we all know, the worst of times will bring out the best in people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lent is just around the corner and we will be exploring how many among us have come though the worst of times to emerge into grace-filled sunlight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Blessed Hunger, Holy Feast” invites us into the deep work of winter stillness that precedes the miracle of spring.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Note: This originally appeared in the February 2019 Kernels monthly newsletter.</em></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">by Barbara Devereaux</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“There is a quiet humility about the earth in the winter months, as animals and people retreat inside to do their deep work.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Madisyn Taylor</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Just when we thought we were going to enjoy a mild winter, Mother Nature did a one-eighty and polar vortexes slipped over the Midwest sending us into a deep-freeze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People and animals suffered from the severe cold, but I was heartened to see how many people worked to make sure brothers, sisters, and animals survived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> A friend of mine took in an assortment of stray cats into his house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They didn’t get along with each other and he spent several days trying to be a feline peacemaker – not easy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People in South Bend donated time and food to shelters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>School bus drivers drove around offering rides to those who appeared to be in need of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>South Bend Animal Control rounded up pets left outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Goodness is all around us and, as we all know, the worst of times will bring out the best in people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lent is just around the corner and we will be exploring how many among us have come though the worst of times to emerge into grace-filled sunlight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Blessed Hunger, Holy Feast” invites us into the deep work of winter stillness that precedes the miracle of spring.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Note: This originally appeared in the February 2019 Kernels monthly newsletter.</em></p>Shine On!2019-01-10T14:53:27-05:002019-01-10T14:53:27-05:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/341-shine-onSuper Userkeith@krmc.net<div style="text-align: center;"><br />by Associate Pastor Jen Shenk</div>
<p dir="ltr"><strong id="docs-internal-guid-ea648376-7fff-a0c3-b082-25a44f80095e"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/k1Shje1WcXhOOQeJ1T9ykHfwl8UFFwlfg_a2kgl7lxeugqWx4C2HuUZLyHGoyha4Gk8tvY48l-vOF7Pv0vwBV9Jf2SwMHDMAeuPP4rNmjuZG9NdAPeYqb8sP6-r7Z30QR6RforNc" width="624" height="327" data-cke-saved-src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/k1Shje1WcXhOOQeJ1T9ykHfwl8UFFwlfg_a2kgl7lxeugqWx4C2HuUZLyHGoyha4Gk8tvY48l-vOF7Pv0vwBV9Jf2SwMHDMAeuPP4rNmjuZG9NdAPeYqb8sP6-r7Z30QR6RforNc" /></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><em><strong id="docs-internal-guid-ea648376-7fff-a0c3-b082-25a44f80095e">Arise! Shine! Your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.<br />See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,<br />but the Lord rises upon you and God’s glory appears over you.</strong></em></p>
<p dir="ltr"><em><strong id="docs-internal-guid-ea648376-7fff-a0c3-b082-25a44f80095e"> ~Isaiah 60:1-2</strong></em><br /><br /></p>
<p>I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for a great sunrise (or sunset). When I see one in the sky, I love to take a moment- no matter what I’m doing- and just watch, soaking in the changing colors. Sometimes it’s subtle and barely there (thank you, northern Indiana Permacloud). Other times it’s spectacular and I feel like I have a front row seat to an amazing display of color and majesty like no other.<br /><br />To me, a sunrise is like God’s love and grace. It’s a new beginning-- a fresh start. No matter what I do or don’t do, it’s always there. I can’t earn it, and no one can take it away. It’s free, it’s unconditional, and it’s expansive. I also know that this sunrise is for every one of God’s creatures-- available to all-- as a reminder of a steady loving Presence who is always gently and powerfully with us.<br /><br />When I think about the sun, I also think about this scripture verse from Isaiah, one that we often hear during Epiphany. We, too, like the sun, are commanded to “Arise!” and “Shine!” As I’ve been reflecting on this verse, especially with the new year upon us, I wonder what it might mean for me, and for us here at Kern.<br />Every single one of us has a gift. We are created for a purpose, with God’s shining light and love written into our DNA from our very beginning. This gift is not limited to age, education, gender, sexual orientation, race, or income. This gift of God’s love and light is free to all, and it is for all. Period.<br /><br />So what is your gift? Perhaps you find joy in encouraging others. Or maybe you get satisfaction from solving problems. Explaining ideas, creating art, organizing, praying, singing, working with numbers, healing the sick, relating to children, listening well, cooking … the list is endless.<br /><br />Your gift is exactly that-- a gift. Just like the sunrise, it cannot be earned or taken away from you. It is given to you so that you can shine. You can be radiant. When you live into who you are created to be, God’s joy and love will flow through you to others. The beauty of this is that no one person can do it all-- we are simply called to arise, shine, and use our particular gift to dispel the darkness.<br /><br />Speaking of darkness, just like each of us has our own gift and light to shine-- we all have different areas of darkness where we are called to radiate God’s love. Where I am called to shine my light may not be where you are called to shine your light. Some of us are called to be lights of service across the ocean; others may be called to shine lights of joy in a nursing home. Part of knowing what our gift is also involves discerning where and to whom we are called to use our gift.<br /><br />As this new year dawns, I invite you (if you haven’t already) to take a step back and reflect. Take inventory and discern what God is calling you to in life-- regardless of your age or life stage. If you’re not sure, keep listening and paying attention to what brings you joy, and what gives you deep satisfaction. When you are centered in knowing who God created you to be, you are free from the expectations and approval of others. You are free to act without guilt, fear, or concern for external praise. You can shine your light in the darkness. You can have joy and be radiant.<br /><br />Shine on!</p><div style="text-align: center;"><br />by Associate Pastor Jen Shenk</div>
<p dir="ltr"><strong id="docs-internal-guid-ea648376-7fff-a0c3-b082-25a44f80095e"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/k1Shje1WcXhOOQeJ1T9ykHfwl8UFFwlfg_a2kgl7lxeugqWx4C2HuUZLyHGoyha4Gk8tvY48l-vOF7Pv0vwBV9Jf2SwMHDMAeuPP4rNmjuZG9NdAPeYqb8sP6-r7Z30QR6RforNc" width="624" height="327" data-cke-saved-src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/k1Shje1WcXhOOQeJ1T9ykHfwl8UFFwlfg_a2kgl7lxeugqWx4C2HuUZLyHGoyha4Gk8tvY48l-vOF7Pv0vwBV9Jf2SwMHDMAeuPP4rNmjuZG9NdAPeYqb8sP6-r7Z30QR6RforNc" /></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><em><strong id="docs-internal-guid-ea648376-7fff-a0c3-b082-25a44f80095e">Arise! Shine! Your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.<br />See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,<br />but the Lord rises upon you and God’s glory appears over you.</strong></em></p>
<p dir="ltr"><em><strong id="docs-internal-guid-ea648376-7fff-a0c3-b082-25a44f80095e"> ~Isaiah 60:1-2</strong></em><br /><br /></p>
<p>I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for a great sunrise (or sunset). When I see one in the sky, I love to take a moment- no matter what I’m doing- and just watch, soaking in the changing colors. Sometimes it’s subtle and barely there (thank you, northern Indiana Permacloud). Other times it’s spectacular and I feel like I have a front row seat to an amazing display of color and majesty like no other.<br /><br />To me, a sunrise is like God’s love and grace. It’s a new beginning-- a fresh start. No matter what I do or don’t do, it’s always there. I can’t earn it, and no one can take it away. It’s free, it’s unconditional, and it’s expansive. I also know that this sunrise is for every one of God’s creatures-- available to all-- as a reminder of a steady loving Presence who is always gently and powerfully with us.<br /><br />When I think about the sun, I also think about this scripture verse from Isaiah, one that we often hear during Epiphany. We, too, like the sun, are commanded to “Arise!” and “Shine!” As I’ve been reflecting on this verse, especially with the new year upon us, I wonder what it might mean for me, and for us here at Kern.<br />Every single one of us has a gift. We are created for a purpose, with God’s shining light and love written into our DNA from our very beginning. This gift is not limited to age, education, gender, sexual orientation, race, or income. This gift of God’s love and light is free to all, and it is for all. Period.<br /><br />So what is your gift? Perhaps you find joy in encouraging others. Or maybe you get satisfaction from solving problems. Explaining ideas, creating art, organizing, praying, singing, working with numbers, healing the sick, relating to children, listening well, cooking … the list is endless.<br /><br />Your gift is exactly that-- a gift. Just like the sunrise, it cannot be earned or taken away from you. It is given to you so that you can shine. You can be radiant. When you live into who you are created to be, God’s joy and love will flow through you to others. The beauty of this is that no one person can do it all-- we are simply called to arise, shine, and use our particular gift to dispel the darkness.<br /><br />Speaking of darkness, just like each of us has our own gift and light to shine-- we all have different areas of darkness where we are called to radiate God’s love. Where I am called to shine my light may not be where you are called to shine your light. Some of us are called to be lights of service across the ocean; others may be called to shine lights of joy in a nursing home. Part of knowing what our gift is also involves discerning where and to whom we are called to use our gift.<br /><br />As this new year dawns, I invite you (if you haven’t already) to take a step back and reflect. Take inventory and discern what God is calling you to in life-- regardless of your age or life stage. If you’re not sure, keep listening and paying attention to what brings you joy, and what gives you deep satisfaction. When you are centered in knowing who God created you to be, you are free from the expectations and approval of others. You are free to act without guilt, fear, or concern for external praise. You can shine your light in the darkness. You can have joy and be radiant.<br /><br />Shine on!</p>Preparing for the coming of Christ2019-01-03T12:36:01-05:002019-01-03T12:36:01-05:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/340-preparing-for-the-coming-of-christSuper Userkeith@krmc.net<div style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">by Pastor Dave Sutter</div>
<p><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">The Hanging of the Greens at Kern Road Mennonite begins with a chili supper (a tradition established long before the trees and wreaths appeared). The evening concludes with prayer. Sandwiched in between is the decorating. Accomplished in varying ways -- sometimes with scripture, sometimes with story, sometimes song or creative arts, sometimes with order, and sometimes not so much -- the hoped for outcome is the same. We aim to prepare our space and ourselves to remember the greatest event in human history. God sends God’s son into the world as a selfless act of love. </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">This particular year, the decorating process was informal and simultaneous, maybe even a bit raucous. Advent music played as we decorated but instead of background music in a dimly lit space, the CD was loud and lively and the lighting bright and celebratory. The atmosphere was energizing, and the sanctuary was a beehive of activity. Items were pulled out of storage. Hands and bodies of varied age and size bustled about to place the decorations in position. Candles and greenery on the window ledges, lights and homemade decorations on the trees, gold and red balls hanging from the window sashes, a wooden crèche in front of the world banner, wreathes for the glass doors -- all positioned in 30 minutes or less. We returned to our seats to look at the transformation. </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">As the activity slowed, the music was turned off. Pastor Janice invited us to transition to a new space of reflection and prayer. We were invited to visit one or more of three stations: one at the back where we were instructed to write down things that might distract us during this Advent season before placing them in the gift wrapped box, the second at the wall of Peace, Love, Joy, and Hope where we lit one candle to place in front of the emotion we sense we need most this year and lit another to place in front of the emotion we are most likely to be able to share with others, and the third at the large nativity where we were asked with which character do we identify and why before placing a note or a cutout near that character. </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">The lights dimmed, and the place grew silent. Movement began again but this time it was quiet and reverent. As if someone had a flipped a switch, dark shapes moved from station to station but at a different pace. A different kind of preparation was happening. The smell of burning candles filled the air as did the prayers being lifted. Little by little, the crowd grew surrounding the wooden statues of the nativity, now standing in holy honor at the foot of the world banner. The words of Isaiah were read to proclaim the coming of peace and light. We closed in song and prayer standing in a different place than when the evening had begun. </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">How will you make room for the coming of Christ in your life in these next weeks of this Christmas season? And with whom will you share the light and hope, the peace and joy, that will surely come to you when you open yourself anew to the coming of Christ into the world? </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px;"><em><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;">Note: This originally appeared in the December 2018 edition of Kernels.</span></em></span></p><div style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">by Pastor Dave Sutter</div>
<p><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">The Hanging of the Greens at Kern Road Mennonite begins with a chili supper (a tradition established long before the trees and wreaths appeared). The evening concludes with prayer. Sandwiched in between is the decorating. Accomplished in varying ways -- sometimes with scripture, sometimes with story, sometimes song or creative arts, sometimes with order, and sometimes not so much -- the hoped for outcome is the same. We aim to prepare our space and ourselves to remember the greatest event in human history. God sends God’s son into the world as a selfless act of love. </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">This particular year, the decorating process was informal and simultaneous, maybe even a bit raucous. Advent music played as we decorated but instead of background music in a dimly lit space, the CD was loud and lively and the lighting bright and celebratory. The atmosphere was energizing, and the sanctuary was a beehive of activity. Items were pulled out of storage. Hands and bodies of varied age and size bustled about to place the decorations in position. Candles and greenery on the window ledges, lights and homemade decorations on the trees, gold and red balls hanging from the window sashes, a wooden crèche in front of the world banner, wreathes for the glass doors -- all positioned in 30 minutes or less. We returned to our seats to look at the transformation. </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">As the activity slowed, the music was turned off. Pastor Janice invited us to transition to a new space of reflection and prayer. We were invited to visit one or more of three stations: one at the back where we were instructed to write down things that might distract us during this Advent season before placing them in the gift wrapped box, the second at the wall of Peace, Love, Joy, and Hope where we lit one candle to place in front of the emotion we sense we need most this year and lit another to place in front of the emotion we are most likely to be able to share with others, and the third at the large nativity where we were asked with which character do we identify and why before placing a note or a cutout near that character. </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">The lights dimmed, and the place grew silent. Movement began again but this time it was quiet and reverent. As if someone had a flipped a switch, dark shapes moved from station to station but at a different pace. A different kind of preparation was happening. The smell of burning candles filled the air as did the prayers being lifted. Little by little, the crowd grew surrounding the wooden statues of the nativity, now standing in holy honor at the foot of the world banner. The words of Isaiah were read to proclaim the coming of peace and light. We closed in song and prayer standing in a different place than when the evening had begun. </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">How will you make room for the coming of Christ in your life in these next weeks of this Christmas season? And with whom will you share the light and hope, the peace and joy, that will surely come to you when you open yourself anew to the coming of Christ into the world? </span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px;"><em><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;">Note: This originally appeared in the December 2018 edition of Kernels.</span></em></span></p>God's solid loving presence2018-12-18T12:23:47-05:002018-12-18T12:23:47-05:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/339-god-s-solid-loving-presence-2Super Userkeith@krmc.net<p style="font-size: 12.16px;"><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">by Pastor Jen Shenk</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 12.16px;"> </p>
<p style="font-size: 12.16px;"><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">“When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (Psalm 61:2)</span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">My family and I just returned from a trip out west, where we spent the week in Utah. At every turn, we saw immense, rocky cliffs, seeming to touch the very sky. As far as the eye could see, the massive walls of rock lined our view. I found myself gazing up at the rocks with wonder and awe, feeling very small and insignificant.</span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">I don’t know about you, but I have found the events in our country and world very troubling-- the recent Jewish massacre in a house of worship, violent storms and destruction due to climate change, plane crashes, hatred, fear and negativity being spread by our leaders, the list goes on and on. It’s hard to have hope, to continue to work for justice, to even know where to begin. It’s difficult to stay connected to God’s heart of love, life and joy. It can be discouraging and feel overwhelming.</span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">For me, in times like these, it’s more important than ever to take intentional time each day to center on God. I must remember I can choose how I begin and end my day. I may not have mountains to look at, but I have God’s word to read. I can breathe in and out, simply sitting in God’s presence,connecting my heart to God’s heart. I can pause and listen to what the Holy Spirit may be saying. I can pray and sing the Psalms. I can gather with other believers regularly to give and receive testimony to God’s work in the world. These spiritual disciplines help ground me. They help lead me to the “rock that is higher than I.” When my heart is overwhelmed, I have a choice-- I can turn to God. By reorienting my gaze to God’s ways, I can be in a better place to receive clarity, peace and hope. I can gain a better perspective on what Kingdom work needs to be done-- partnering with God and others.</span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">As you face times of trial, anxiety or feel overwhelmed, I pray you can find ways to lean into God’s solid, loving presence. May this grounding in Eternal Love give you peace and strength to do what God is calling you to do.</span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">“God alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress. I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 62:6)</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 12.16px;"><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"> </span></p>
<p style="font-size: 12.16px;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><em><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;">Note: This originally appeared in the November Kernels newsletter published by Kern Road Mennonite Church.</span></em></span></p><p style="font-size: 12.16px;"><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">by Pastor Jen Shenk</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 12.16px;"> </p>
<p style="font-size: 12.16px;"><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">“When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (Psalm 61:2)</span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">My family and I just returned from a trip out west, where we spent the week in Utah. At every turn, we saw immense, rocky cliffs, seeming to touch the very sky. As far as the eye could see, the massive walls of rock lined our view. I found myself gazing up at the rocks with wonder and awe, feeling very small and insignificant.</span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">I don’t know about you, but I have found the events in our country and world very troubling-- the recent Jewish massacre in a house of worship, violent storms and destruction due to climate change, plane crashes, hatred, fear and negativity being spread by our leaders, the list goes on and on. It’s hard to have hope, to continue to work for justice, to even know where to begin. It’s difficult to stay connected to God’s heart of love, life and joy. It can be discouraging and feel overwhelming.</span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">For me, in times like these, it’s more important than ever to take intentional time each day to center on God. I must remember I can choose how I begin and end my day. I may not have mountains to look at, but I have God’s word to read. I can breathe in and out, simply sitting in God’s presence,connecting my heart to God’s heart. I can pause and listen to what the Holy Spirit may be saying. I can pray and sing the Psalms. I can gather with other believers regularly to give and receive testimony to God’s work in the world. These spiritual disciplines help ground me. They help lead me to the “rock that is higher than I.” When my heart is overwhelmed, I have a choice-- I can turn to God. By reorienting my gaze to God’s ways, I can be in a better place to receive clarity, peace and hope. I can gain a better perspective on what Kingdom work needs to be done-- partnering with God and others.</span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">As you face times of trial, anxiety or feel overwhelmed, I pray you can find ways to lean into God’s solid, loving presence. May this grounding in Eternal Love give you peace and strength to do what God is calling you to do.</span><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">“God alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress. I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 62:6)</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 12.16px;"><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"> </span></p>
<p style="font-size: 12.16px;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><em><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;">Note: This originally appeared in the November Kernels newsletter published by Kern Road Mennonite Church.</span></em></span></p>Holding On and Letting Go2018-12-14T14:28:32-05:002018-12-14T14:28:32-05:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/338-holding-on-and-letting-goSuper Userkeith@krmc.net<p>by Deanna Waggy</p>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">(This blog post originally appeared in 2014 <a style="color: #1155cc;" href="http://dwhealingarts.com/holding-on-and-letting-go" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://dwhealingarts.com/holding-on-and-letting-go&source=gmail&ust=1544892142547000&usg=AFQjCNHg6hP6ubZNWcH9izCmDz2RERZewA">http://dwhealingarts.com/<wbr />holding-on-and-letting-go</a>)</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<p>I didn’t feel like celebrating Advent and Christmas in 2014. Grief reappeared as the holidays approached. The usual festive celebrations made me feel tired and irritable. I remembered the events of a year ago, leading up to my father’s death in early January. I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate either the “secular Christmas” or the “sacred Christmas”.</p>
<p>We decided this year to keep the decorations simple so we could focus on spending time with the family. We put a string of lights in the window for a bit of "hygge" cheer in the December darkness.</p>
<p>We chose a few favorite nativities from our collection to place on the mantle as a reminder of our Christian traditions. We replaced the tropical scene hanging above our fireplace with a beautiful winter scene of Yosemite National Park, since there was no snow predicted for the holidays. We looked forward to our young adult boys returning home for the holidays.</p>
<p><img class="m_-4408360467686976194gmail-size-full m_-4408360467686976194gmail-wp-image-700 m_-4408360467686976194gmail-alignleft CToWUd" src="https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/1SatyDOUmwCukpDSDUOY0hVUtbhhZMwSCg5un6YzPuF2ZC8B-7Os6frW1aTFBv7NkHwM1pJJYwrXZckNbkfJPkl7-dp3c-XsPSzI_4L8CdK9NjrsUA=s0-d-e1-ft#http://dwhealingarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1419804971.png" alt="" width="172" height="129" /></p>
<p>Minutes after hanging that picture above the mantel, it came crashing down. Three of the nativities and a beautiful stained glass candle globe were swept off the mantel. They shattered on the wood-stove below, leaving shards of stained glass, broken ceramic pieces and a cracked gourd retablo from Ten Thousand Villages. The entire nativity set of little thorn carvings we purchased in Nigeria were completely beheaded as we watched the little heads roll across the floor. My first reaction was tears, then laughter, then a slow realization that nothing would ever be quite the same again, since my father’s death.</p>
<p>Something began to shift inside of me. I realized this incident symbolized a new beginning. A time of letting go of the past, celebrating in the present moment and starting some new traditions in the future.</p>
<p>It was time to let go of the past. The stained glass candle globe and a few nativities were gone. So was my father. I didn’t have to attend every Christmas event like I usually did. It was time to be present in the moment. We could fix the picture with a secure hanger. We could choose other nativities to be our new favorites. The thorn carving figures could still be salvaged. We could celebrate the lasting legacy my father and other ancestors passed on to our family. My father’s memory and presence was still very much alive in my heart.</p>
<p><img class="m_-4408360467686976194gmail-size-full m_-4408360467686976194gmail-wp-image-701 m_-4408360467686976194gmail-alignleft CToWUd" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/m9A2cVzXV9tqC5fcnrQwYn9LFvlGkOiFOPwbFNdXaQSOPVb4qqvyQgt0txNzj2WU3yTkpNcqFIRspdJ7Pojvi1F1Q-iV-39olSdQpLXJnBqk7hDv0g=s0-d-e1-ft#http://dwhealingarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1419803910.png" alt="" width="123" height="89" /></p>
<p>It was time to start new traditions for the future. The picture was securely placed back on the wall. We found all the missing heads and glued them back on the little carved bodies. Mary was missing her hair covering, but that was OK. It would serve as a reminder that sometimes we are stripped of the comfortable things in life, like our rituals. Sometimes we are vulnerable or stripped of the things we hide behind. Sometimes we just have to show up, be present in the moment and keep moving forward. I resonated with “Vulnerable Mary”.</p>
<p><img class="m_-4408360467686976194gmail-size-full m_-4408360467686976194gmail-wp-image-702 m_-4408360467686976194gmail-alignleft CToWUd" src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/PM_-eUrZeNyq-HE_e-yMtQVC3UoP7vkotAlkEUKLM1PIjBu_0fXdekrDfoQpiCmKSIIvO2Bhs7rncLeYqQGSIk-Uo-bGHhzWzMmxP1roELS96uMTVA=s0-d-e1-ft#http://dwhealingarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1419804065.png" alt="" width="128" height="184" /></p>
<p>I added an angel statue beside one nativity as a sign of hope for the future. I breathed a sigh of relief. I felt ready to face the rest of the holidays. As I reflected on this incident over the next several days, new insights were gleaned.</p>
<p>Christmas morning I woke to a small lit Christmas tree in the living room. Loren decided that rituals were still important when living with grief. He secretly put up only the top portion of our tree in a new stand as a surprise. He intentionally chose one ornament from every stage of our lives to represent the many Christmas celebrations we had as a family. It was fun seeing all those years represented on the tree. It made me appreciate the gift of celebrating traditions in slightly new ways. We enjoyed a new tradition of tacos for Christmas lunch, made by our young adult sons. Something old, something new, nativities salvaged, traditions reviewed. It was a good day.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em><img class="m_-4408360467686976194gmail-size-full m_-4408360467686976194gmail-wp-image-703 m_-4408360467686976194gmail-alignleft CToWUd" src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/7v4YEcUA4Y3j1w3PzHuKJ6TgWFlGuhthC88zqUV-kqCSucOiaIdZdbGHZwlDfhtvbF4QYFjeVYetNIXCD5vgYzv1Q0PmmJFXsyzz8mIgxxwy_Q=s0-d-e1-ft#http://dwhealingarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/7610253.jpg" alt="" width="112" height="150" /><br /></em></p>
<p><em>This little angel on our tree gives me a sense of hope. </em><br /><em>Light in the darkness …</em><br /><em>Joy in the sorrow … </em><br /><em>Peace in the midst of conflict …</em><br /><em>and Hope for the future.</em></p>
<p><strong>Blessings to each one of you as you navigate the past, present and future.</strong></p>
</div><p>by Deanna Waggy</p>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">(This blog post originally appeared in 2014 <a style="color: #1155cc;" href="http://dwhealingarts.com/holding-on-and-letting-go" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://dwhealingarts.com/holding-on-and-letting-go&source=gmail&ust=1544892142547000&usg=AFQjCNHg6hP6ubZNWcH9izCmDz2RERZewA">http://dwhealingarts.com/<wbr />holding-on-and-letting-go</a>)</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<p>I didn’t feel like celebrating Advent and Christmas in 2014. Grief reappeared as the holidays approached. The usual festive celebrations made me feel tired and irritable. I remembered the events of a year ago, leading up to my father’s death in early January. I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate either the “secular Christmas” or the “sacred Christmas”.</p>
<p>We decided this year to keep the decorations simple so we could focus on spending time with the family. We put a string of lights in the window for a bit of "hygge" cheer in the December darkness.</p>
<p>We chose a few favorite nativities from our collection to place on the mantle as a reminder of our Christian traditions. We replaced the tropical scene hanging above our fireplace with a beautiful winter scene of Yosemite National Park, since there was no snow predicted for the holidays. We looked forward to our young adult boys returning home for the holidays.</p>
<p><img class="m_-4408360467686976194gmail-size-full m_-4408360467686976194gmail-wp-image-700 m_-4408360467686976194gmail-alignleft CToWUd" src="https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/1SatyDOUmwCukpDSDUOY0hVUtbhhZMwSCg5un6YzPuF2ZC8B-7Os6frW1aTFBv7NkHwM1pJJYwrXZckNbkfJPkl7-dp3c-XsPSzI_4L8CdK9NjrsUA=s0-d-e1-ft#http://dwhealingarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1419804971.png" alt="" width="172" height="129" /></p>
<p>Minutes after hanging that picture above the mantel, it came crashing down. Three of the nativities and a beautiful stained glass candle globe were swept off the mantel. They shattered on the wood-stove below, leaving shards of stained glass, broken ceramic pieces and a cracked gourd retablo from Ten Thousand Villages. The entire nativity set of little thorn carvings we purchased in Nigeria were completely beheaded as we watched the little heads roll across the floor. My first reaction was tears, then laughter, then a slow realization that nothing would ever be quite the same again, since my father’s death.</p>
<p>Something began to shift inside of me. I realized this incident symbolized a new beginning. A time of letting go of the past, celebrating in the present moment and starting some new traditions in the future.</p>
<p>It was time to let go of the past. The stained glass candle globe and a few nativities were gone. So was my father. I didn’t have to attend every Christmas event like I usually did. It was time to be present in the moment. We could fix the picture with a secure hanger. We could choose other nativities to be our new favorites. The thorn carving figures could still be salvaged. We could celebrate the lasting legacy my father and other ancestors passed on to our family. My father’s memory and presence was still very much alive in my heart.</p>
<p><img class="m_-4408360467686976194gmail-size-full m_-4408360467686976194gmail-wp-image-701 m_-4408360467686976194gmail-alignleft CToWUd" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/m9A2cVzXV9tqC5fcnrQwYn9LFvlGkOiFOPwbFNdXaQSOPVb4qqvyQgt0txNzj2WU3yTkpNcqFIRspdJ7Pojvi1F1Q-iV-39olSdQpLXJnBqk7hDv0g=s0-d-e1-ft#http://dwhealingarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1419803910.png" alt="" width="123" height="89" /></p>
<p>It was time to start new traditions for the future. The picture was securely placed back on the wall. We found all the missing heads and glued them back on the little carved bodies. Mary was missing her hair covering, but that was OK. It would serve as a reminder that sometimes we are stripped of the comfortable things in life, like our rituals. Sometimes we are vulnerable or stripped of the things we hide behind. Sometimes we just have to show up, be present in the moment and keep moving forward. I resonated with “Vulnerable Mary”.</p>
<p><img class="m_-4408360467686976194gmail-size-full m_-4408360467686976194gmail-wp-image-702 m_-4408360467686976194gmail-alignleft CToWUd" src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/PM_-eUrZeNyq-HE_e-yMtQVC3UoP7vkotAlkEUKLM1PIjBu_0fXdekrDfoQpiCmKSIIvO2Bhs7rncLeYqQGSIk-Uo-bGHhzWzMmxP1roELS96uMTVA=s0-d-e1-ft#http://dwhealingarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1419804065.png" alt="" width="128" height="184" /></p>
<p>I added an angel statue beside one nativity as a sign of hope for the future. I breathed a sigh of relief. I felt ready to face the rest of the holidays. As I reflected on this incident over the next several days, new insights were gleaned.</p>
<p>Christmas morning I woke to a small lit Christmas tree in the living room. Loren decided that rituals were still important when living with grief. He secretly put up only the top portion of our tree in a new stand as a surprise. He intentionally chose one ornament from every stage of our lives to represent the many Christmas celebrations we had as a family. It was fun seeing all those years represented on the tree. It made me appreciate the gift of celebrating traditions in slightly new ways. We enjoyed a new tradition of tacos for Christmas lunch, made by our young adult sons. Something old, something new, nativities salvaged, traditions reviewed. It was a good day.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em><img class="m_-4408360467686976194gmail-size-full m_-4408360467686976194gmail-wp-image-703 m_-4408360467686976194gmail-alignleft CToWUd" src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/7v4YEcUA4Y3j1w3PzHuKJ6TgWFlGuhthC88zqUV-kqCSucOiaIdZdbGHZwlDfhtvbF4QYFjeVYetNIXCD5vgYzv1Q0PmmJFXsyzz8mIgxxwy_Q=s0-d-e1-ft#http://dwhealingarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/7610253.jpg" alt="" width="112" height="150" /><br /></em></p>
<p><em>This little angel on our tree gives me a sense of hope. </em><br /><em>Light in the darkness …</em><br /><em>Joy in the sorrow … </em><br /><em>Peace in the midst of conflict …</em><br /><em>and Hope for the future.</em></p>
<p><strong>Blessings to each one of you as you navigate the past, present and future.</strong></p>
</div>Reflections on Women Doing Theology 20182018-11-15T15:42:23-05:002018-11-15T15:42:23-05:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/337-reflections-on-women-doing-theology-2018Super Userkeith@krmc.net<p>Our church was able to send several staff members and attenders to the 2018 Women Doing Theology conference held this past weekend on the campus of <a href="https://www.ambs.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary</a> in Elkhart, Indiana. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The <a href="http://mennoniteusa.org/what-we-do/peacebuilding/women-in-leadership-project/wdt2018/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Women Doing Theology conference </a>came to be from the Women in Leadership Project of the Mennonite Church USA. The <a href="http://mennoniteusa.org/what-we-do/peacebuilding/women-in-leadership-project/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Women in Leadership Project</a>, in their own words, "works to dismantle patriarchal systems in Mennonite Church USA by empowering women to live out the call of God on their lives, increase their capacities, and contribute their wisdom in congregations, area conferences, agencies, and institutions." In addition to the WDT conference, the Women in Leadership Project also cohosts a podcast with <a href="https://themennonite.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Mennonite, Inc.</a> called <a href="https://themennonite.org/the-latest/holding-together-podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Holding it(,) Together</a>. </p>
<p>It was really an incredible experience for everyone involved but I'll let our conference-goers speak for themselves:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I loved seeing such a broad range of women there. Along with being struck by the diversity (cultural, ethnic, sexual identity, ability), I was especially moved when I realized how intergenerational the conference was: Jenae and others her age were enthusiastically present; tons of thirty- and forty-something women were the confident, inspired planners and leaders of the conference; and many of my mentors--the leaders of such events in my young adult years--were present and quietly cheering everyone on. It was a beautiful sight and a reminder to me that while nothing happens overnight, a generation of commitment can make a huge impact." --Jewel, church member</p>
<p>+++</p>
<p>"I know a lot of women who are social justice movers & shakers and I know a lot of women who are followers of Jesus but the group of women I know that are both is much smaller. Being able to be in the presence and company of women (and some non-binary persons and men) who want to change the world and share the same belief system as me and can help create a path of resistance and resonance was so inspiring and helpful. There was intentional space at this conference for women of color, for women who don't speak English, for women who are differently abled, for LGBTQ women and non-binary persons, and for male allies, and I loved getting to meet them and hear from them and share the weekend with them. Our theme was 'Talkin 'Bout A Revolution,' and I can't wait to continue to talk and act and think and work in revolutionary life-affirming ways. One of our speakers shared the quote, 'Once I get it, I'm going to take the door off the hinges so you can come in, too.' Here's to door-opening and hinge-removing!" --LeeAndra, Communications and Administrative Coordinator</p>
<p>+++</p>
<p>"When I registered for the Women Doing Theology conference, I expected to have a good time connecting with, worshiping with and being inspired by other women. What I didn't know was how deeply I would be transformed and shaped by this experience.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Imagine looking around a sanctuary, packed with women of all different ages, cultures, ethnicities and sexual orientation-- all passionate about faith, justice, and loving God with our lives. We sang, we laughed, we listened, we shouted. We were silent. We cried. We prayed. We heard that God lives in the margins, with those whom society has dismissed, pushed down, or set aside. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The epitome of this conference, for me, happened in the last worship service. As we shared communion together, we passed around a basket of tortilla triangles. About two-thirds of the way back, I noticed the ushers were whispering nervously to one another, "We've run out! Are there more?" There was scurrying and some anxious looks as it appeared that not everyone would be able to partake.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And then, it happened. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>One by one, women noticed the need. Without a word, some began ripping our tortillas in half- keeping half, and getting up to place the other half back into the basket. As the refilled baskets finished making their way through the remainder of the seats, at one point an usher held up a basket and announced loudly, "We have some left over!" and the sanctuary erupted in cheers, laughter and praise. It was the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 right in our midst.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That's how this conference felt to me. God took each one of us, and as we shared with one another, there was abundance and joy. I'm beyond grateful to have experienced this event with other women from all walks of life. My faith has been stretched and I've been empowered and inspired. Thanks be to God!" -- Jen, Associate Pastor</p>
<p>+++</p>
<p>We are already looking forward to attending WDT20 in two years!</p>
<p> </p><p>Our church was able to send several staff members and attenders to the 2018 Women Doing Theology conference held this past weekend on the campus of <a href="https://www.ambs.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary</a> in Elkhart, Indiana. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The <a href="http://mennoniteusa.org/what-we-do/peacebuilding/women-in-leadership-project/wdt2018/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Women Doing Theology conference </a>came to be from the Women in Leadership Project of the Mennonite Church USA. The <a href="http://mennoniteusa.org/what-we-do/peacebuilding/women-in-leadership-project/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Women in Leadership Project</a>, in their own words, "works to dismantle patriarchal systems in Mennonite Church USA by empowering women to live out the call of God on their lives, increase their capacities, and contribute their wisdom in congregations, area conferences, agencies, and institutions." In addition to the WDT conference, the Women in Leadership Project also cohosts a podcast with <a href="https://themennonite.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Mennonite, Inc.</a> called <a href="https://themennonite.org/the-latest/holding-together-podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Holding it(,) Together</a>. </p>
<p>It was really an incredible experience for everyone involved but I'll let our conference-goers speak for themselves:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I loved seeing such a broad range of women there. Along with being struck by the diversity (cultural, ethnic, sexual identity, ability), I was especially moved when I realized how intergenerational the conference was: Jenae and others her age were enthusiastically present; tons of thirty- and forty-something women were the confident, inspired planners and leaders of the conference; and many of my mentors--the leaders of such events in my young adult years--were present and quietly cheering everyone on. It was a beautiful sight and a reminder to me that while nothing happens overnight, a generation of commitment can make a huge impact." --Jewel, church member</p>
<p>+++</p>
<p>"I know a lot of women who are social justice movers & shakers and I know a lot of women who are followers of Jesus but the group of women I know that are both is much smaller. Being able to be in the presence and company of women (and some non-binary persons and men) who want to change the world and share the same belief system as me and can help create a path of resistance and resonance was so inspiring and helpful. There was intentional space at this conference for women of color, for women who don't speak English, for women who are differently abled, for LGBTQ women and non-binary persons, and for male allies, and I loved getting to meet them and hear from them and share the weekend with them. Our theme was 'Talkin 'Bout A Revolution,' and I can't wait to continue to talk and act and think and work in revolutionary life-affirming ways. One of our speakers shared the quote, 'Once I get it, I'm going to take the door off the hinges so you can come in, too.' Here's to door-opening and hinge-removing!" --LeeAndra, Communications and Administrative Coordinator</p>
<p>+++</p>
<p>"When I registered for the Women Doing Theology conference, I expected to have a good time connecting with, worshiping with and being inspired by other women. What I didn't know was how deeply I would be transformed and shaped by this experience.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Imagine looking around a sanctuary, packed with women of all different ages, cultures, ethnicities and sexual orientation-- all passionate about faith, justice, and loving God with our lives. We sang, we laughed, we listened, we shouted. We were silent. We cried. We prayed. We heard that God lives in the margins, with those whom society has dismissed, pushed down, or set aside. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The epitome of this conference, for me, happened in the last worship service. As we shared communion together, we passed around a basket of tortilla triangles. About two-thirds of the way back, I noticed the ushers were whispering nervously to one another, "We've run out! Are there more?" There was scurrying and some anxious looks as it appeared that not everyone would be able to partake.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And then, it happened. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>One by one, women noticed the need. Without a word, some began ripping our tortillas in half- keeping half, and getting up to place the other half back into the basket. As the refilled baskets finished making their way through the remainder of the seats, at one point an usher held up a basket and announced loudly, "We have some left over!" and the sanctuary erupted in cheers, laughter and praise. It was the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 right in our midst.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That's how this conference felt to me. God took each one of us, and as we shared with one another, there was abundance and joy. I'm beyond grateful to have experienced this event with other women from all walks of life. My faith has been stretched and I've been empowered and inspired. Thanks be to God!" -- Jen, Associate Pastor</p>
<p>+++</p>
<p>We are already looking forward to attending WDT20 in two years!</p>
<p> </p>How Our Church Does It: The Leadership Summit2018-10-16T14:38:12-04:002018-10-16T14:38:12-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/335-how-our-church-does-it-the-leadership-summitSuper Userkeith@krmc.net<p>Our church recently wrapped up a a 3-year constitutional review process. As you can imagine, this resulted in many changes for us including the ways in which we meet and communicate with one another. How can we best use our time and talents in a way pleasing to God while also being mindful of the time we have committed to obligations and responsibilities outside the church? What's the best way to gather our entire ministry team, staff and volunteer, together for face-to-face conversation and discussion of issues outside and within our congregation?</p>
<p>Enter the Leadership Summit -- a 3 1/2 hour gathering twice a year of all of the leaders within our church. We have just completed our fourth summit and are continuing to work out how best to use this time. So far, we have used it to discuss a church-wide Listening Process within our assigned ministry teams, review church logistical and educational information, introduce new leaders to one another, gather input on a certain topic, disburse gifts discernment results to our ministry teams, and team build.</p>
<p>Although we have an agenda for every summit, it is not always the same agenda. One of the best things about this twice-yearly summit is the flexibility we have given it to fit what is currently happening in the life of our church. While everyone on the leadership team sees each other throughout the year, these summits are usually the only gatherings where every leader is together. There's just something about bouncing ideas off the whole group face-to-face that doesn't happen in email or within smaller groups. Having a focused leadership time outside of our normal leadership obligations has also been very beneficial to us as we can cross-collaborate with other ministry teams "on the spot" and really build up a lot of momentum for an idea in a very short amount of time.</p>
<p>Just like everyone else, carving a whole Saturday morning, once in the spring and once in the fall, out of our schedule is difficult with all of the other to-dos on our list. We are reaping the rewards, though, and are excited to see how it could continue to benefit us for many years to come. </p><p>Our church recently wrapped up a a 3-year constitutional review process. As you can imagine, this resulted in many changes for us including the ways in which we meet and communicate with one another. How can we best use our time and talents in a way pleasing to God while also being mindful of the time we have committed to obligations and responsibilities outside the church? What's the best way to gather our entire ministry team, staff and volunteer, together for face-to-face conversation and discussion of issues outside and within our congregation?</p>
<p>Enter the Leadership Summit -- a 3 1/2 hour gathering twice a year of all of the leaders within our church. We have just completed our fourth summit and are continuing to work out how best to use this time. So far, we have used it to discuss a church-wide Listening Process within our assigned ministry teams, review church logistical and educational information, introduce new leaders to one another, gather input on a certain topic, disburse gifts discernment results to our ministry teams, and team build.</p>
<p>Although we have an agenda for every summit, it is not always the same agenda. One of the best things about this twice-yearly summit is the flexibility we have given it to fit what is currently happening in the life of our church. While everyone on the leadership team sees each other throughout the year, these summits are usually the only gatherings where every leader is together. There's just something about bouncing ideas off the whole group face-to-face that doesn't happen in email or within smaller groups. Having a focused leadership time outside of our normal leadership obligations has also been very beneficial to us as we can cross-collaborate with other ministry teams "on the spot" and really build up a lot of momentum for an idea in a very short amount of time.</p>
<p>Just like everyone else, carving a whole Saturday morning, once in the spring and once in the fall, out of our schedule is difficult with all of the other to-dos on our list. We are reaping the rewards, though, and are excited to see how it could continue to benefit us for many years to come. </p>The Hope that Keeps Them Going2018-10-05T13:43:22-04:002018-10-05T13:43:22-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/334-the-hope-that-keeps-them-goingSuper Userkeith@krmc.net<p><strong>by Pastor Janice Sutter</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Last month, I got to walk the trails at Camp Friedenswald. To stand in the shade of the towering red oaks. To soak in the late afternoon light on the prairie and oak savannah. To come upon a “kettle pond” created thousands of years ago at the melting of a glacier fragment. In such a place, the beauty and diversity of God’s creation speaks! It is good!</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/P_20171108_092143-web.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p> <br />The event that took me to Friedenswald was a workshop for Mennonite pastors on climate change, led by Doug Kaufman and Amy Huser. Not only did we celebrate the creation around us, we also heard about the impact of climate change in Indiana and globally. We talked about our responses of denial, despair, and feelings of being overwhelmed with this change that affects all in our global home.<br /> <br />A highlight of the event was hearing from Mennonite Central Committee partners from Zimbabwe, El Salvador and Nepal. Each of these leaders, Durga, Zacarias and Sibonokuhle, are working with communities living in poverty whose lives have been severely impacted by prolonged drought and decreased snow line (Nepal), intense rain and drought leading to social crises (El Salvador) and severe heat waves, dwindling resources, and increased conflict (Zimbabwe).<br /> <br />For me, this put a whole new face on climate change. These three courageous leaders are walking with their communities through incredible change that wreaks havoc on families already struggling in poverty. They urge US Christians to pay attention to their struggles.<br /> <br />All three of these leaders named the hope that keeps them going in their work. Sibonokuhle of Zimbabwe spoke of the importance of her Christian faith. God’s call on her life invites her into “radical discipleship, which means that I don’t live just for myself.”<br /> <br />In their testimonies, I heard the need for faith in God, the Creator, along with a call to follow Jesus in radical discipleship that considers the needs of the planet and the people of earth. Such a time as this calls for faith in God alongside responsible human action.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>This article originally appeared in the October 2018 edition of Kern Road Mennonite Church's electronic newsletter Kernels.</em></p><p><strong>by Pastor Janice Sutter</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Last month, I got to walk the trails at Camp Friedenswald. To stand in the shade of the towering red oaks. To soak in the late afternoon light on the prairie and oak savannah. To come upon a “kettle pond” created thousands of years ago at the melting of a glacier fragment. In such a place, the beauty and diversity of God’s creation speaks! It is good!</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/P_20171108_092143-web.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p> <br />The event that took me to Friedenswald was a workshop for Mennonite pastors on climate change, led by Doug Kaufman and Amy Huser. Not only did we celebrate the creation around us, we also heard about the impact of climate change in Indiana and globally. We talked about our responses of denial, despair, and feelings of being overwhelmed with this change that affects all in our global home.<br /> <br />A highlight of the event was hearing from Mennonite Central Committee partners from Zimbabwe, El Salvador and Nepal. Each of these leaders, Durga, Zacarias and Sibonokuhle, are working with communities living in poverty whose lives have been severely impacted by prolonged drought and decreased snow line (Nepal), intense rain and drought leading to social crises (El Salvador) and severe heat waves, dwindling resources, and increased conflict (Zimbabwe).<br /> <br />For me, this put a whole new face on climate change. These three courageous leaders are walking with their communities through incredible change that wreaks havoc on families already struggling in poverty. They urge US Christians to pay attention to their struggles.<br /> <br />All three of these leaders named the hope that keeps them going in their work. Sibonokuhle of Zimbabwe spoke of the importance of her Christian faith. God’s call on her life invites her into “radical discipleship, which means that I don’t live just for myself.”<br /> <br />In their testimonies, I heard the need for faith in God, the Creator, along with a call to follow Jesus in radical discipleship that considers the needs of the planet and the people of earth. Such a time as this calls for faith in God alongside responsible human action.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>This article originally appeared in the October 2018 edition of Kern Road Mennonite Church's electronic newsletter Kernels.</em></p>Why Does a Church in South Bend Sell Kenyan Samosas Every Year?2018-09-28T16:00:00-04:002018-09-28T16:00:00-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/332-why-does-a-church-in-south-bend-sell-kenyan-samosas-every-yearSuper Userkeith@krmc.net<p>Why does a church in South Bend, Indiana make and sell Kenyan samosas every year, anyways?</p>
<p>Kenyan Samosa sales were started about 5-6 years ago by the our Global Partnership Forum group with support from the Service Committee at the time as a way to affirm the talents and gifts of the Kenyan families in the church. The Mennonite Central Committee <a href="http://www.mennonitesale.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Relief Sale</a> had started an International Foods tent, and we thought Kenyan Samosas should be represented. </p>
<p>Since that time, the Kenyan women in our church have cooked, taught, and helped orchestrate the creation of authentic samosas, both meat and veggie-filled, to be deep fat-fried and sold at the annual Relief Sale. This year our junior high and senior high groups and their parents had a samosa-making party one Sunday evening and made over 300 samosas in a couple of hours!</p>
<p>All the funds collected goes to <a href="https://mcc.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mennonite Central Committee</a> world relief and development. The church makes no money for itself on these and often much of the ingredients and certainly the labor is donated by KRMCers. This year's sale brought in $5468 for MCC. </p>
<p>Here are a few pictures from our booth this year:</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/IMG_20180922_122530769.jpg" alt="" width="299" height="555" /> <img src="http://krmc.net/images/IMG_20180922_122622027_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg" alt="" width="490" height="367" /></p>
<p>We are a church in Indiana that makes and sells Kenyan samosas because we are part of a global body of believers that loves and respects all cultures, countries, and traditions... especially delicious traditions like samosas!</p><p>Why does a church in South Bend, Indiana make and sell Kenyan samosas every year, anyways?</p>
<p>Kenyan Samosa sales were started about 5-6 years ago by the our Global Partnership Forum group with support from the Service Committee at the time as a way to affirm the talents and gifts of the Kenyan families in the church. The Mennonite Central Committee <a href="http://www.mennonitesale.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Relief Sale</a> had started an International Foods tent, and we thought Kenyan Samosas should be represented. </p>
<p>Since that time, the Kenyan women in our church have cooked, taught, and helped orchestrate the creation of authentic samosas, both meat and veggie-filled, to be deep fat-fried and sold at the annual Relief Sale. This year our junior high and senior high groups and their parents had a samosa-making party one Sunday evening and made over 300 samosas in a couple of hours!</p>
<p>All the funds collected goes to <a href="https://mcc.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mennonite Central Committee</a> world relief and development. The church makes no money for itself on these and often much of the ingredients and certainly the labor is donated by KRMCers. This year's sale brought in $5468 for MCC. </p>
<p>Here are a few pictures from our booth this year:</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/IMG_20180922_122530769.jpg" alt="" width="299" height="555" /> <img src="http://krmc.net/images/IMG_20180922_122622027_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg" alt="" width="490" height="367" /></p>
<p>We are a church in Indiana that makes and sells Kenyan samosas because we are part of a global body of believers that loves and respects all cultures, countries, and traditions... especially delicious traditions like samosas!</p>Race and the Church2018-09-13T11:08:55-04:002018-09-13T11:08:55-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/331-race-and-the-churchSuper Userkeith@krmc.net<p>Several of our staff members attended an all-day conference on racial justice this week. We found the following resource from the Catalyst leadership conference in 2016 to be especially eye-opening. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etO3VC6Zh0I" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Race and the Church</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We hope you will find it helpful in some way as well.</p>
<p style="font-size: 12.16px;"> </p><p>Several of our staff members attended an all-day conference on racial justice this week. We found the following resource from the Catalyst leadership conference in 2016 to be especially eye-opening. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etO3VC6Zh0I" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Race and the Church</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We hope you will find it helpful in some way as well.</p>
<p style="font-size: 12.16px;"> </p>Wooly bear caterpillars2018-09-06T12:58:06-04:002018-09-06T12:58:06-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/330-wooly-bear-caterpillarsSuper Userkeith@krmc.net<div style="text-align: center;"><br />by Pastor Dave Sutter</div>
<div> <br />I’ve been driving Kern Road/CR 28 between South Bend and Goshen a fair amount during the last few weeks for various reasons. Has anyone else noticed the rusty brown, black wooly bear caterpillars crossing the road? Watch the pavement for dark moving spots. Some hot days I see lots of them -- like a wooly bear invasion. The fact that you can see them move at all when the car is moving so fast is amazing. <br /><br /><img style="border: 0px; width: 500px; height: 349px; margin: 0px;" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9c0bbdc92c829045286d2ee68/images/78222514-34eb-4357-8f7e-eb14f69335bf.jpg" width="500" height="349" align="center" data-file-id="4188993" data-cke-saved-src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9c0bbdc92c829045286d2ee68/images/78222514-34eb-4357-8f7e-eb14f69335bf.jpg" /><br /><br />I wonder where they’re going and why. Why are they so determined to cross the road? Why would they take such a risk? Don’t they know there are giant cars (and tractors) with rubber tires traveling this road -- some at speeds of 50, 60 (probably even 70) miles an hour? They could be crushed. Some probably are.<br /> <br />I went to the internet. It seems in late summer. wooly bear caterpillar eggs hatch. Now is the time of year when they move to find a prime place for winter (preferably under a rock or log). When the weather warms in spring, they spin a cocoon and eventually transform into an Isabella Tiger Moth. The wooly bear is one of the most recognized of caterpillars because of its fuzzy appearance. <br /><br /><img style="border: 0px; width: 500px; height: 307px; margin: 0px;" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9c0bbdc92c829045286d2ee68/images/60221d5f-d72a-48db-a8a4-75d9ba49d7ab.jpg" width="500" height="307" data-file-id="4188997" data-cke-saved-src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9c0bbdc92c829045286d2ee68/images/60221d5f-d72a-48db-a8a4-75d9ba49d7ab.jpg" /><br /> <br />Semi-scientific studies were done in the 40-50s on these caterpillars. Some still say you can predict the harshness of an upcoming winter by the length of their brown segment. There are still fall festivals in the US hosted to “predict” the upcoming winter according to the stripes -- kind of like how Punxsutawney Phil predicts the end of winter in PA. More recent studies are showing there really may be a link between the wooly’s brown segment and a winter’s harshness but the correlation is more likely to be a statement of the harshness of the past winter than the upcoming one. <br /> <br />So I did learn something but I still don’t know why they need to cross the road. Can’t they find a quality log without the danger of crossing the road? Maybe they sense this particular phase of life is going to be short and they want to see and do as much as possible while they can. Following their instincts, they are preparing for the next life phase, and they are ready and willing to live a little dangerously! <br /> <br />I find myself identifying a bit more now with the sense of life’s brevity. This summer I celebrated both my sixtieth birthday and 30 years as one of a number of pastors in Kern Road’s history. I’m starting to feel life is shorter than it used to be. It’s hard to believe how quickly these years have passed and how much change has occurred in that time in my life and in our congregation, community, and world. I know I’m sounding really old now. <br /><br />But I’m pleased to say that as I think about our congregation, I can think of a number of times along the way that we have taken some risks. We have not always chosen to go the way of other congregations or the culture, and we have crossed some roads that have opened ourselves to be transformed into something new. It would be my hope that we can retain some of that spirit of risk and adventure especially if it helps us to live our witness to the love of God in the world as lived by Jesus Christ. That would need to be the impetus, the purpose. <br /> <br />September and the months of the fall are an exciting time of year in our congregation. We settle into a more regular routine after a more scattered summer. We often welcome new attenders as we are this year. We make samosas and bring our coins to participate in the Relief Sale. There’s a church retreat coming up in November. Exciting new formation opportunities for all ages are on the horizon. Youth Advocate breakfasts return. A new worship series began last Sunday. Area groups meet. Most everyone is around as our families and young adults are back from summer and our retirees have not left us for the winter. What are the new risks we should take?<br /> <br />As members of Christ’s body, I give thanks for the seasons of life, for reminders in creation of the cycles of life, of risks taken and hardships endured. As we enter the fall of the year, I invite you to join me and the wooly bear caterpillar: not afraid to leave life as we have known it behind, willing to take risks of faith in an unknown future, crossing new roads to discover new habits(ats) and new life phases with expectations of joyful transformation and opportunities to participate in greater witness to the risen Christ.<br /> <br />I’m still amazed at how distinctly one can see those little rusty brown and black caterpillars moving across the road in such a rapidly moving vehicle. This gives me hope that one congregation’s witness to our Creator <u>can</u> be seen and make a difference even in a fast-paced, complex, often harsh, and unjust world. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />by Pastor Dave Sutter</div>
<div> <br />I’ve been driving Kern Road/CR 28 between South Bend and Goshen a fair amount during the last few weeks for various reasons. Has anyone else noticed the rusty brown, black wooly bear caterpillars crossing the road? Watch the pavement for dark moving spots. Some hot days I see lots of them -- like a wooly bear invasion. The fact that you can see them move at all when the car is moving so fast is amazing. <br /><br /><img style="border: 0px; width: 500px; height: 349px; margin: 0px;" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9c0bbdc92c829045286d2ee68/images/78222514-34eb-4357-8f7e-eb14f69335bf.jpg" width="500" height="349" align="center" data-file-id="4188993" data-cke-saved-src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9c0bbdc92c829045286d2ee68/images/78222514-34eb-4357-8f7e-eb14f69335bf.jpg" /><br /><br />I wonder where they’re going and why. Why are they so determined to cross the road? Why would they take such a risk? Don’t they know there are giant cars (and tractors) with rubber tires traveling this road -- some at speeds of 50, 60 (probably even 70) miles an hour? They could be crushed. Some probably are.<br /> <br />I went to the internet. It seems in late summer. wooly bear caterpillar eggs hatch. Now is the time of year when they move to find a prime place for winter (preferably under a rock or log). When the weather warms in spring, they spin a cocoon and eventually transform into an Isabella Tiger Moth. The wooly bear is one of the most recognized of caterpillars because of its fuzzy appearance. <br /><br /><img style="border: 0px; width: 500px; height: 307px; margin: 0px;" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9c0bbdc92c829045286d2ee68/images/60221d5f-d72a-48db-a8a4-75d9ba49d7ab.jpg" width="500" height="307" data-file-id="4188997" data-cke-saved-src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9c0bbdc92c829045286d2ee68/images/60221d5f-d72a-48db-a8a4-75d9ba49d7ab.jpg" /><br /> <br />Semi-scientific studies were done in the 40-50s on these caterpillars. Some still say you can predict the harshness of an upcoming winter by the length of their brown segment. There are still fall festivals in the US hosted to “predict” the upcoming winter according to the stripes -- kind of like how Punxsutawney Phil predicts the end of winter in PA. More recent studies are showing there really may be a link between the wooly’s brown segment and a winter’s harshness but the correlation is more likely to be a statement of the harshness of the past winter than the upcoming one. <br /> <br />So I did learn something but I still don’t know why they need to cross the road. Can’t they find a quality log without the danger of crossing the road? Maybe they sense this particular phase of life is going to be short and they want to see and do as much as possible while they can. Following their instincts, they are preparing for the next life phase, and they are ready and willing to live a little dangerously! <br /> <br />I find myself identifying a bit more now with the sense of life’s brevity. This summer I celebrated both my sixtieth birthday and 30 years as one of a number of pastors in Kern Road’s history. I’m starting to feel life is shorter than it used to be. It’s hard to believe how quickly these years have passed and how much change has occurred in that time in my life and in our congregation, community, and world. I know I’m sounding really old now. <br /><br />But I’m pleased to say that as I think about our congregation, I can think of a number of times along the way that we have taken some risks. We have not always chosen to go the way of other congregations or the culture, and we have crossed some roads that have opened ourselves to be transformed into something new. It would be my hope that we can retain some of that spirit of risk and adventure especially if it helps us to live our witness to the love of God in the world as lived by Jesus Christ. That would need to be the impetus, the purpose. <br /> <br />September and the months of the fall are an exciting time of year in our congregation. We settle into a more regular routine after a more scattered summer. We often welcome new attenders as we are this year. We make samosas and bring our coins to participate in the Relief Sale. There’s a church retreat coming up in November. Exciting new formation opportunities for all ages are on the horizon. Youth Advocate breakfasts return. A new worship series began last Sunday. Area groups meet. Most everyone is around as our families and young adults are back from summer and our retirees have not left us for the winter. What are the new risks we should take?<br /> <br />As members of Christ’s body, I give thanks for the seasons of life, for reminders in creation of the cycles of life, of risks taken and hardships endured. As we enter the fall of the year, I invite you to join me and the wooly bear caterpillar: not afraid to leave life as we have known it behind, willing to take risks of faith in an unknown future, crossing new roads to discover new habits(ats) and new life phases with expectations of joyful transformation and opportunities to participate in greater witness to the risen Christ.<br /> <br />I’m still amazed at how distinctly one can see those little rusty brown and black caterpillars moving across the road in such a rapidly moving vehicle. This gives me hope that one congregation’s witness to our Creator <u>can</u> be seen and make a difference even in a fast-paced, complex, often harsh, and unjust world. </div>Beloved Earth2018-08-29T14:17:14-04:002018-08-29T14:17:14-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/329-beloved-earthSuper Userkeith@krmc.net<p>by Danile Martens</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>And did you get what you wanted from your life even so?</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>I did.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>And what was it you wanted?</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>To feel myself Beloved in the Earth.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>To know myself Beloved.</em></p>
<p>from Late Fragment by Raymond Carver</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It is the evening of a satisfying working day, harvesting, weeding, and watering. I picked blueberries. I was surprised by a couple of quarts of the first green beans ready for picking that I hadn’t noticed before. Abby dispatched a groundhog that was investigating the area around my garden! I made a delicious meal from our own wealth of produce: beef, onions, the green beans, garlic, tomatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes. I rode bike on the eight mile loop, then sat outside under the mackerel sky, at first reading about soil, then just watching the sky as the light faded and John and Murray finished stacking the lumber made today from culled ash trees.</p>
<p>And now, absolute contentment.</p>
<p>I watch the swallows wheel and soar around the barn catching last insects, and the dogs wrestle and then rest, heads erect, Blue with one foot precisely behind the other, Abby scanning the farm. I am one with the blue sky, the grass and the borders of trees. I am one with the Japanese beetles (which I drown in a bucket) that eat my roses and peach tree foliage, and with the flock of fluttering white butterflies, and with their larva that eat my cabbages which I defend with BT. I am the phoebe, and the bluebird on the electric wire, and the destructive bittersweet vine, and the gorgeous trumpet flower vine, and the sweet smelling nicotiana.</p>
<p>And this status comes to me by my attention and care for all these things, my acceptance of labor, rest and quiet. Someday I will become one, not only in spirit and by my love, but physically, when my body nurtures the earth that has nurtured me, held in a new form in this Beloved and loving Earth.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>This originally appeared on </em><i><a href="https://restorationfarm15.wordpress.com">https://restorationfarm15.wordpress.com</a>. </i></p><p>by Danile Martens</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>And did you get what you wanted from your life even so?</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>I did.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>And what was it you wanted?</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>To feel myself Beloved in the Earth.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>To know myself Beloved.</em></p>
<p>from Late Fragment by Raymond Carver</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It is the evening of a satisfying working day, harvesting, weeding, and watering. I picked blueberries. I was surprised by a couple of quarts of the first green beans ready for picking that I hadn’t noticed before. Abby dispatched a groundhog that was investigating the area around my garden! I made a delicious meal from our own wealth of produce: beef, onions, the green beans, garlic, tomatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes. I rode bike on the eight mile loop, then sat outside under the mackerel sky, at first reading about soil, then just watching the sky as the light faded and John and Murray finished stacking the lumber made today from culled ash trees.</p>
<p>And now, absolute contentment.</p>
<p>I watch the swallows wheel and soar around the barn catching last insects, and the dogs wrestle and then rest, heads erect, Blue with one foot precisely behind the other, Abby scanning the farm. I am one with the blue sky, the grass and the borders of trees. I am one with the Japanese beetles (which I drown in a bucket) that eat my roses and peach tree foliage, and with the flock of fluttering white butterflies, and with their larva that eat my cabbages which I defend with BT. I am the phoebe, and the bluebird on the electric wire, and the destructive bittersweet vine, and the gorgeous trumpet flower vine, and the sweet smelling nicotiana.</p>
<p>And this status comes to me by my attention and care for all these things, my acceptance of labor, rest and quiet. Someday I will become one, not only in spirit and by my love, but physically, when my body nurtures the earth that has nurtured me, held in a new form in this Beloved and loving Earth.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>This originally appeared on </em><i><a href="https://restorationfarm15.wordpress.com">https://restorationfarm15.wordpress.com</a>. </i></p>Celebrating 30 Years with Dave & Janice!2018-08-24T10:03:58-04:002018-08-24T10:03:58-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/328-celebrating-30-years-with-dave-janiceSuper Userkeith@krmc.net<p>Our co-pastors, Dave & Janice Sutter, have served the KRMC community for 30 years this month, and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate this milestone than with a party! We hosted a hog roast on the church grounds with plenty of yummy potluck sides and desserts, music, singing, fellowship, laughter & fun! After the meal, we went inside to participate in a hymnsing and program highlighting all of the wonderful contributions and memories Dave & Janice have made with us as a congregation. </p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/Photo-Aug-18-4-19-53-PM-sm.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>We look forward to seeing how God continues to bless them and us as we move forward into our 31st year with them at the helm.</p><p>Our co-pastors, Dave & Janice Sutter, have served the KRMC community for 30 years this month, and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate this milestone than with a party! We hosted a hog roast on the church grounds with plenty of yummy potluck sides and desserts, music, singing, fellowship, laughter & fun! After the meal, we went inside to participate in a hymnsing and program highlighting all of the wonderful contributions and memories Dave & Janice have made with us as a congregation. </p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/Photo-Aug-18-4-19-53-PM-sm.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>We look forward to seeing how God continues to bless them and us as we move forward into our 31st year with them at the helm.</p>Drive by and See the New Sign!2018-08-16T14:40:26-04:002018-08-16T14:40:26-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/327-drive-by-and-see-the-new-signSuper Userkeith@krmc.net<p> </p>
<p>After several years of hard work by many people within the congregation, including those on our Sign Task Force, our new sign is now complete and installed ion the front lawn of the church. It was installed at the end of June with the digital display fully functional by mid-July. We're excited to see how this new sign works to help identify us and share our vision and events with the local community and anyone else driving by the church.</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/37111429_1985714484793702_4391318191431745536_n-1.jpg" alt="" /><br /> </p><p> </p>
<p>After several years of hard work by many people within the congregation, including those on our Sign Task Force, our new sign is now complete and installed ion the front lawn of the church. It was installed at the end of June with the digital display fully functional by mid-July. We're excited to see how this new sign works to help identify us and share our vision and events with the local community and anyone else driving by the church.</p>
<p><img src="http://krmc.net/images/37111429_1985714484793702_4391318191431745536_n-1.jpg" alt="" /><br /> </p>The beginning of a life-long journey!2018-08-03T14:00:51-04:002018-08-03T14:00:51-04:00https://krmc.net/news/blog/326-the-beginning-of-a-life-long-journeySuper Userkeith@krmc.net<p><strong>by Pastor Janice Sutter</strong><br /><br /></p>
<div>No, I’m not talking about your graduation from high school or the sentiment on a wedding card, even though that may apply.<br /> <br />I’m talking about baptism into the body of Christ! So whether you are contemplating baptism, been baptized a long time ago or are somewhere in between, here are some things to consider.<br /><br /></div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">You don‘t have to be perfect to be baptized. Far from it. God loves you just the way you are. In fact, God created you that way! God wants you to come the way you are. </li>
</ul>
<div> </div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">You are aware, even in some small way, that God’s Holy Spirit is at work in you, transforming you, empowering you to be more Christ-like. Baptism marks that you are beginning to notice this. As you continue on the Christian journey, you want this to happen more and more.</li>
</ul>
<div> </div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">You are aware that there are things that block your connection with God and with others, typically called sin. You notice these things and offer them to God, to be forgiven and healed, and then to walk in newness of life. This is something that happens many, many repeated times in the life of a Christian. Baptism imitates Jesus’ dying, being buried, and rising again. In baptism, we show our desire to die to the ways of sin and be raised to new life.</li>
</ul>
<div> </div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">In baptism, a believer becomes part of the worldwide body of Christ, and joins a particular local expression of the worldwide body, like the people at Kern Road Mennonite Church. Like any church, we are not perfect, and we don’t expect you to be perfect. Still, together we try to encourage one another as we follow Christ.</li>
</ul>
<div> </div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">There are three parties at work in baptism. Baptism celebrates <strong>God</strong> reaching out and loving you, and <strong>you</strong> responding to God’s love by taking action and being baptized, and <strong>the church</strong> affirming the faith of the believer and testifying to the work of God’s grace.</li>
</ul>
<div> <br />As we celebrate the baptism of three in our midst in the next few weeks, think about your own journey of faith. How is the Spirit at work transforming you? How are you tending your life of faith? How will you welcome and encourage these new believers?</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Baptism begins a journey toward a personally owned and vital Christian faith. It recognizes that our faith is both a very personal inner experience and also something that is lived in the company of others for the good of God’s world.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><em>This article originally appeared in the August Kernels monthly newsletter.</em></div><p><strong>by Pastor Janice Sutter</strong><br /><br /></p>
<div>No, I’m not talking about your graduation from high school or the sentiment on a wedding card, even though that may apply.<br /> <br />I’m talking about baptism into the body of Christ! So whether you are contemplating baptism, been baptized a long time ago or are somewhere in between, here are some things to consider.<br /><br /></div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">You don‘t have to be perfect to be baptized. Far from it. God loves you just the way you are. In fact, God created you that way! God wants you to come the way you are. </li>
</ul>
<div> </div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">You are aware, even in some small way, that God’s Holy Spirit is at work in you, transforming you, empowering you to be more Christ-like. Baptism marks that you are beginning to notice this. As you continue on the Christian journey, you want this to happen more and more.</li>
</ul>
<div> </div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">You are aware that there are things that block your connection with God and with others, typically called sin. You notice these things and offer them to God, to be forgiven and healed, and then to walk in newness of life. This is something that happens many, many repeated times in the life of a Christian. Baptism imitates Jesus’ dying, being buried, and rising again. In baptism, we show our desire to die to the ways of sin and be raised to new life.</li>
</ul>
<div> </div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">In baptism, a believer becomes part of the worldwide body of Christ, and joins a particular local expression of the worldwide body, like the people at Kern Road Mennonite Church. Like any church, we are not perfect, and we don’t expect you to be perfect. Still, together we try to encourage one another as we follow Christ.</li>
</ul>
<div> </div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">There are three parties at work in baptism. Baptism celebrates <strong>God</strong> reaching out and loving you, and <strong>you</strong> responding to God’s love by taking action and being baptized, and <strong>the church</strong> affirming the faith of the believer and testifying to the work of God’s grace.</li>
</ul>
<div> <br />As we celebrate the baptism of three in our midst in the next few weeks, think about your own journey of faith. How is the Spirit at work transforming you? How are you tending your life of faith? How will you welcome and encourage these new believers?</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Baptism begins a journey toward a personally owned and vital Christian faith. It recognizes that our faith is both a very personal inner experience and also something that is lived in the company of others for the good of God’s world.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><em>This article originally appeared in the August Kernels monthly newsletter.</em></div>