Creative Spirit is growing!  Our core group has doubled, averaging 12 on Saturdays and 8 on Tuesdays, and we have new folks joining us each week.  Our decision to move to a discussion format in the fall had a very good impact on our group and we’ve enjoyed experimenting with what works to meet all of our needs.

The most recent decision to join Meetup.com (http://www.meetup.com/Creative-Spirit-UCC/) and start meeting in coffee houses and restaurants has *really* worked well. We’ve been out-right told, “I waited until you were in neutral territory before I was willing to check you out.” It seems our previous location in a yoga studio was still too churchy for those who are understandably leery of organized religion, while a coffee shop is “neutral territory” with an easier exit strategy!    So, coffee shops, it is.

Cafe Caffeine, where we’ve met in recent weeks for our Saturday gathering, has the capacity to continue to be a great place which we can pack each Saturday from 5:00-6:30.  As our group grows, we do NOT want to lose our discussion format.  We’ll continue to discuss topics together in groups; we may just have 2 or 3 groups sitting around that space and then coming back as a large group to share our small-group insights.

The exciting thing about starting a new faith community is the core of folks starting it can make it whatever they think it needs to be!  The vision of a faith community that is radically open, values the beauty of all faiths, and practices a much more progressive form of Christianity than many have ever seen is really catching on.

We DO stand for something.  Our dogma list is just a LOT shorter than some–God loves you, now lets get off our duffs and go do good in the world.  Everything else is up for dialogue, and even those first two can be up for discussion.  Our Tuesday 6:00 pm. G.I.G. (God Investigation Group) at Freddie’s Place has been excellent as we discuss The 8 Points of Progressive Christianity.  We’re moving onto the second point this week, but I’m sure we’ll come back to our differing understandings of Jesus (point 1) as we jump around from time to time in our discussion.

Our Saturday gatherings have kicked off the new year by considering our personalities and how they influence our spiritual path and way we relate to God/the Divine.  It’s been really interesting, and we have new “a-has” hitting us all the time.  Saturday the 17th, we are taking a roadtrip to College Station for my ordination and the party afterwards (all are welcome to join us!  Carpool leaves at noon Saturday and returns early evening).  But THEN, on the 24th, we’ll talk about our “spirit-given” gifts and how our personalities influence the way we move and work and serve in the world.  For instance, an introvert with the gift of hospitality will use that gift differently than will an extrovert with that same gift; each equally important!

We hope you’ll check us out whenever you can.  We you do, we’ll treat you like family, and here–that’s a good thing!

Peace,

Carla

The story goes that God gave an angel a glass bubble with Truth inside to deliver to us.  But the angel dropped the bubble, which burst into millions of smaller, tiny bubbles of truth.  Now, our job, is to put all our bubbles together until we’ve discovered the whole Truth once again.

We’ve had some really interesting and stimulating conversations the last couple of weeks at our Tuesday G.I.G.–God Investigation Group.  Last week, we discussed a quote from Marianne Williamson’s “Return to Love”, which is often mistakenly attributed to Nelson Mandela (see this link for details about this).

Here’s the quote:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Last week, the theme of our conversation seemed to center around claiming our voices and unlearning the censors that we, our families, society, and even the Church have put on us since we were young.  Last night, we came back around to this quote, and seemed to center this time around the theme of leaving behind toxic relationships and thought patterns that hold us back and how we go about doing that.

It’s interesting to hear others’ thoughts and learn from their perspectives.  It helps me better understand my own and I always come away awed and humbled at the beauty and wisdom going on below the surface in all the people I meet each day.

So take a moment today to share your bubble of truth, and listen to the bubbles of others.  In the end, we’ll all find ourselves closer to God, and to one another.

Join us next week as we pick up with a discussion of “The 8 Points of Progressive Christianity” to learn from the areas in which we agree, as well as disagree!

I had an incredible experience on the streets this evening with the anawim, (Hebrew for “the poor little ones”, God watches out for).  I do not write this to brag, as I was not the blessing tonight.  My new friends and teachers on the streets were.  I hope I can do it justice and encourage you to find ways to give in whatever method you feel called…

First, as a reminder, please join us this Saturday evening at Shady Grove on Barton Springs at 5:00 p.m. for our Weekly Gathering and then walk the Zilker Trail of Lights with us.  Then come out Tuesday at 6:00 for G.I.G. at Freddie’s Place on S. 1st street.

Now, for the real story–Tonight, in preparation for our Celebration of Service/Weekly Gathering Saturday the 27th at 5:00 p.m., I went by Savers discount store (4001 S. Lamar) where we will meet that day to gather whatever items we can afford to purchase, and then go out to deliver them on the streets.  I asked the manager to hang onto whatever sleeping bags, backpacks, and socks that come in so we can buy them next week.  He graciously agreed.

Then, figuring I’d better go out to the streets first before taking Creative Spirit folks there on the 27th, I took blankets, socks, warm clothes, and shoes from the thrift store of the Neiderwald church (the church I pastor on Sunday mornings) out to Woolridge Park on Guadalupe, where homeless persons gather.  Another huge cold front is coming through Sunday and one more homeless person died on the steps of a church in Austin this week.

I spent a couple of hours with these, our brothers and sisters who happen to be homeless, and was completely humbled by how warmly I was received by all 30 plus persons gathered on the gazebo in the center of the park. They laid out the items I brought and helped each other find things they knew each other needed.  They looked out for each other.  They watched out for me, though there was no threat whatsoever.  There was no sign of selfishness, no pushing or shoving, just sharing.  They especially took care of a couple of new folks, recently homeless, who they know need everything.

They talked theology and world religions, some of them quoting books and theologians and passages of scripture from various traditions that put all the years of my education to shame.  They thanked me for spending time to talk with and listen to them, stating folks often come, hand out items, and leave as quickly as they possibly can.  But it was easy to stay, given how readily they accepted me in as part of their family.  They humbled me and blessed me beyond measure.  I’ve long cared about homelessness and have worked in various small ways to help and to educate myself about the topic.  I’ve sat on sidewalks and talked with and listened to individual folks before, but tonight I dove in head first, and am changed.  I have to talk less, and do more.

Not one person asked for money or anything else of me.  They did answer my questions about what was most needed–to my previous list of toiletries, backpacks, blankets, sleeping bags, and socks they added small alarm clocks (some churches let them sleep on their grounds, but they HAVE to be gone by 5:00 a.m. or risk the cops being called to issue trespassing citations), AA and AAA batteries, baby powder, and bus passes.  They asked about coming to our services.  I’m ashamed to admit a moment’s hesitation about how others would respond to their presence, but then remembered God calls me to not care, so I welcomed them.

They have Internet access at the library (where many of them spend hours reading voraciously) and will keep up with our meeting locations on Saturdays through our new group on meetup.com and may show up at G.I.G. at Freddie’s.  I look forward to learning more from these teachers and trust they will be as warmly received as they received me tonight.

We stood around talking so long, waiting for the Mobile Loaves and Fishes (MLF) truck to make it’s regular stop with food at 6:00, that by the time we realized they weren’t going to show because MLF was hosting a special holiday meal at Caritas, some of the less-abled persons were not going to be able to make it over there to get their daily meal.  I felt bad about this, but no one complained.  As I drove home, I passed a fast-food place a few blocks away, and went in to pick up several bags of cheeseburgers…not the healthiest meal, but it was better than nothing.

I went back and they were surprised to see me, and the bags.  Again, there was no shoving, no hoarding.  They even saved one for me.  Those who did take extra immediately took them to friends who could not easily make it over to where we were.  The sincere and humble gratitude expressed, the hugs of thanks, the whispers of “God bless you, my sister”, made an indescribable impression on me, and made it hard to come to my warm home with a kitchen full of food and a soft bed.  I know folks make choices, but I’ve had advantages in this life some of these folks have not had, and Jesus didn’t take a social or work history before offering healing and food, so how can I?

Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz in her book Mujerista Theology discusses “Solidarity as Salvation”, in which she essentially argues that salvation isn’t about our individual faith, but is found in standing in solidarity with others in need, such that, until all of us are saved, none of us are.  She talks about not just reaching out to offer charity, which can serve to maintain an imbalance of power by keeping others “in their place” as we “reach down” to help them, but truly entering into the struggle with them to make a difference.  I’m not sure what form this solidarity with the homeless will take for me, or for Creative Spirit, but I trust that we will all find a little more salvation as we strive to make a real difference, this Advent season and beyond as we continue one Worship Gathering a month where we worship by going out to DO, and try to “be” Jesus in this world through service.

If you would like to help us Saturday the 27th and cannot join us, you can make a donation out to Creative Spirit with “Celebration of Service” in the memo line and mail it to Church of the Savior, 3402 Little Elm Trl, Cedar Park, TX 78613.  We’ll make sure the money goes toward purchasing needed items the 27th and in future outings.  To make sure we know how much we have available to spend next Saturday, you can e-mail me or call me to let me know how much to add to our offering tally.

Thank you for your on-going support and prayers as we seek to follow Jesus in caring for all of God’s children.  It’s an incredible journey, and it is truly far from over.

Peace,
Carla

I recently had the chance to visit with another UCC pastor, who told me she had begun saying something close to the following every week to begin worship:

 

“Welcome to _______ , UCC.  No matter where you’ve come from or where you’re going, for the next hour you’re home.  We’re going to treat you like family, and here, that’s a good thing.  We teach love, practice justice and compassion, and expect diversity.  So get your coffee, sit back and relax, and let God love you because that’s what we plan to do.” 

 

She explained she had found it important to say those words because of the stories she heard from person after person who came to their church wounded, rejected, and disillusioned by the treatment they had received at another church…

 

…the teenage son of a local pastor, who overheard church members bashing him one more time as a “good-for-nothing boy” because of his long hair and concert t-shirts, asked his father to find him another church.  That afternoon, the father called my colleague in tears asking, “Will you give my son a church home?”

 

…a family with a daughter with Down’s Syndrome, whose fellow church members told the pastor they didn’t want the girl in the confirmation class with their children, because it was supposed to be a perfect, happy time and her presence in the class photo would marr that digital memory.  The pastor refused their request, but the damage was done.

 

…a woman from a church where members had called her on the phone and asked her if she was gay.  It seems there was some controversy brewing, but church members didn’t really know what was going on.  So they decided that it MUST be that someone in the congregation was gay, and went through the church directory and decided she was the most likely prospect, so they called to check.

 

As person after person came to them, broken and abused, she felt compelled to speak directly to their need.  So, on Sunday she said the words above.  The feedback was good, so she said them again, and again. 

 

But for some reason she can’t remember, she did not say the words one day and, after the service, a long-time member came to her in tears, “You didn’t say it–those words you’ve been saying to us each week–you didn’t say them.  So I’ve gotta ask, I have to know, DO YOU STILL BELIEVE THEM?”    

 

My colleague was heartbroken.  This woman, having known her pastor and her church’s fierce love and gentle compassion for years, after NOT hearing those words just one week rasied doubts that maybe, just maybe, they had decided not to love her just as she was.  My new pastor friend says she now NEVER fails to say it.

 

They are important words–words we all need to hear.  We spend too much time hearing society, the media, the Church, and even our loved ones telling us we are not worthy, we are not accepted, we are not HOME for any number of contrived reasons.  I consider this spiritually abusive.  But if we in progressive, moderate-to-liberal churches do not stand up and speak out just as loudly as others spout rejection, then we, by our negligence, are complicit with the abuse. 

 

A legal concept I once heard states qui tacet consentire videture,  or “who is silent seems to agree”.  Fearing being seen as “those” kinds of Christians, not wanting to offend anyone, we remain silent when we should be speaking words of welcome and acceptance JUST as loudly as those who spout hate.

 

So if you, or someone you know, is looking for something, come check us out at Creative Spirit, UCC.  We’re far from perfect, but we’re creating a spiritual home for those who feel spiritually homeless. Our mission reads, “Because we are deeply loved by God, we follow Jesus and others in living fully, loving wastefully, and leading courageously.”  Our pledge is to be an alternative voice speaking out to offer the words we all need to hear…WELCOME HOME! 

 

 

Come join us at Maria’s Taco Express  (see map of 2529 S. Lamar) for our First Saturday “Potluck”.  It’s an informal time to get to know one another better in a low-key, no-pressure environment with food and drink and lots of fun.

Think of it as “Is Your Pastor Smarter Than a Fifth Grader”!  Come with any questions you may have and all views are certainly welcome. 

Call Pastor Carla with questions at 512-527-4455.

Come join us tonight at Guero’s Taco Bar in South Austin (1412 S. Congress) from 5:00-6:15 p.m. and then stay if you can for some great live music with Erin Jaimes at 6:30!  Ask the host for “Creative Spirit” and call Carla with questions at 527-4455.

I hope to see you there!

If you read nothing else of this post, skip to the end and learn more about Randy Pausch and watch his “Last Lecture”…trust me, you’ll not regret it.

As some of you know, I’ve been doing a great deal more work for Hospice Austin as a chaplain this summer, and it’s given me much to think about.  People almost always say, “That must be so hard”. At times it is, but over all it’s actually a tremendous priviledge and I am humbled by the work. 

At Hospice, we say we don’t help people die, we help them live as fully as possible as long as possible so they can enjoy every moment they can doing what they love.  So every day, I get to experience Life, not death; real, honest, nitty-gritty, gut-wrenching, poignant LIFE in all its messyness and mystery, chaos and beauty. 

I get to see people discover and focus on what really matters to them.  I get to see people putting aside the petty to focus on what’s truly significant.  I get to see them work to resolve internal and interpersonal issues and struggles.  I get to see them forgive and accept forgiveness.  I get to see them reconcile their faith, find meaning in their life, and pass on the best of themselves to their loved ones.

Of course, it’s not always that pretty.  I also do funerals where at least one family member shows up drunk to cope with their grief, and see some of people’s worst selves come out in greed and bitterness, and any pre-existing dysfunction or mental illness can simply get worse with the stress.  Luckily, in death as in life, this is the exception and not the rule, but just like in life if you focus on the negative you can become jaded thinking that’s all there is. 

I get to see Life.  In the process, I get to learn more lessons than I could ever teach or preach.  Rather than try to pass them on here, I encourage you to check out an ordinary man doing extraordinary things as he lives, and prepares to die. 

His name is Randy Pausch.  He’s a former computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon who learned he was dying of very aggressive pancreatic cancer.  The 47-year old father of 3 has chosen to spend his remaining days teaching the rest of us what it means to really live.  He states his motivation is to leave a legacy for his children, imparting his wisdom now so that as they grow they can still learn what he wants to teach them.  In the process, he’s teaching all of us invaluable lessons.

He was invited to be part of a lecture series where top academics were asked to consider what matters most to them and based on that give a hypothetical “final” lecture, i.e., “what wisdom would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance?”  Randy’s “Last Lecture” has inspired millions and this Spring was published as a book of the same title. 

CLICK HERE to go to Randy’s website where you can see his “Last Lecture” (76 minutes long), an ABC special Diane Sawyer did about him (which is where I learned about him), and more about his inspirational and on-going story.

Then share YOUR wisdom…come back here and post your thoughts.  We’ll all be enriched as we consider together what it means to truly live.

I took my rescued border collie, Hank (yes, like the cow-dog!), kayaking for the first time today.  So many things scare him that I wasn’t certain how he would do, but he jumped right on the boat and settled in like he knew exactly what he was doing!

As we were first floating around in a shallow area so I could be sure he was okay to go into deeper water, we came across a family swimming in the clear waters just below Barton Springs.  The youngest girl wanted to pet Hank, so her mother held her up to him. 

Hank is affectionate, but I’ve never, *ever* seen him respond as he did.  He first licked the little girl a few times and then stretched as far as he could off of the boat to the mother and absolutely covered her surprised face with gentle kisses.  Watching him continue to kiss her I said, “Wow…”, but before I could say anything else, I realized the mom had big tears in her eyes. 

She took a deep breath and, when she could speak, she said, “Our dog died this morning, and he must sense it.  Thank you, Hank.  Thank you…”  I just kept quiet and let him do the pastoral work as he and the woman loved on each other.  

We said our goodbyes, and as we paddled away into deeper waters, I had to wonder, if dogs can be open and sensitive enough to notice the pain of others, why can’t we?  It was a humbling reminder of all the times I’m too distracted, too busy with “important” things, too caught up in my own struggles to notice that someone needs a gentle smile, a quiet hug, or some simple acknowledgment of their pain. 

In Matthew 25 we read, “For I was hungry, and you gave me food, thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”

Then the righteous will say, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?”

And the Lord will say to them, “Surely I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers (or sisters!) of mine you did for me!”  

May we remember to be open to the divine, and the all-too-human and frail, in those around us and use whatever simple gifts we have to offer them a moment of peace. 

This evening, I went to see “The Visitor“, about a man who once again finds passion for life while struggling with a family dealing with being undocumented immigrants in America.  I won’t ruin the ending, but I will say it isn’t easy as we face the dehumanization of thousands upon thousands of people and families and it left me saying, “What do we do now?”

Most will agree that our current immigration system is broken, but many of us feel helpless to do anything to fix it.  So I came home looking for answers, which I’ll share with you in a moment.  But first, before I even got home, I found my hope.

After leaving my friends at the movie exit, I found I had a flat tire.  Thinking it not wise to try to change it in a darkened parking lot by myself at 10:00 at night, I drove around the corner to a well-lit gas station.  Just as I was jacking up my car, I heard a heavily accented voice say, “Ma’am, do you need help?”

My good Samaritan did not ask me my documentation status, my religion, my sexual orientation, or what I do for a living.  He simply helped me and only asked, “Do you live here in Austin?”  When I told him I did, he said, “So you won’t have far to drive home, and you’ll be okay, right?”

We read of Jesus answering a lawyer who challenged him with, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  The lawyer and Jesus agreed that the answer was to love God and love our neighbors.  But the lawyer wasn’t through arguing and asked, “But who is my neighbor?”  Jesus’ answer was the story of the Good Samaritan.  He finished by asking which of the men in the story was a neighbor to the man beaten and left for dead on the side of the road.  The lawyer answered, “The one who showed him mercy”, to which Jesus responded, “Go and do the same.”

I needed mercy tonight.  My brother born of another country, whether documented or not, went out of his way to show me mercy.  Who is my neighbor?  The one who needs mercy.  I left remembering the hope that I can go and do the same. 

But how?  My answers to ”What do we do now?” came from www.takepart.com, a social action network where we can find facts and figures from amnesty international, an iPaper we can download to have discussion with others about the film, and groups with whom we can get involved to make a difference.

It may not seem like much.  The issues are very overwhelming.  But as one of my favorite seminary professors (a Filipino man who was a Jesuit Priest, studied and taught about indigenous religions in Japan, became a Zen master, fell in love with and left the priesthood to marry a German woman, and now teaches World Religions at a U.S. Protestant seminary!) often said, “Do not be overwhelmed so that you fail to act, even if you just do one thing.  Write one letter.  Say one prayer.  Make one phone call.  If we all do this, we will make a difference.”

Sounds to me like another immigrant, the apostle Paul, who wrote to the Christians in Rome, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).  As people of faith, we are called to love, to hope, and to action.  Paul goes on in chapter 13 to writes that it is time to wake up and to love our neighbor.

My friends, let’s wake up from our helplessness-induced apathy and take up the challenge, because we have neighbors who need mercy.  So write one letter.  Say one prayer.  Make one phone call.  But for the love of God, for the love of our neighbor, and for our own salvation, let’s DO SOMETHING!

Peace…

Bring your intentions and join us at Creative Spirit as we seek to “do good” in the world by first, creating together and then reflecting on the art in our midst and how it calls us to action to make the world a better place. 

We’re still experimenting with our worship format and would love to have other creative minds help figure out how to have a meaningful worship experience that has some structure and yet makes room for people to create and view creation (which I call “art”).

Whatever your gifts, whatever your journey, we believe nothing can make God stop loving you, and we are excited to learn with and from you, so join us each Saturday evening just to see what’s going to happen next!!

Peace,

Carla