The Traveling Presbyterian

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead

[theproactivepresbyterian]

It’s The Third Debate And You Want To Cry. Helpful Links To Help You Survive.

Hello Friends, 

We meet again. So I know you have been dreading today. Beads of stress sweat have been forming and you have developed a weird chill across your body. You’re okay, we’re all feeling it going into the last debate. 

Shhh, shhh my child. Take a deep breath in. Breathe out. Maybe put down the wine for a second and close that buzzfeed tab that has all the drinking games people have planned for tonight. 

We’re going to make it through this. I believe in you. When the feeling of sudden doom clutches your very soul and you look to the heavens for some form of hope or guidance take a quick pause, look down, and check out these sites for a brief reprieve from our inevitable death and doom. 

In our post-apocalyptic landscape love will be an ancient concept. Check out this list of 100 romances as defined by the liberal media known as NPR. http://www.npr.org/2015/07/29/427477293/100-swoon-worthy-romances-the-printable-list

In our new world we’ll need skills to help us survive. Check out this survival blog for “simple” ways to survive the apocalypse. http://survivalblog.com/

Is Trump seriously talking about Hillary’s emails again? Shhh, shhhhhhh. Here’s an entire tumblr devoted to puppies. http://themostadorablepuppies.tumblr.com

Puppies aren’t your thing? Here’s a 24/7 kitten cam. http://explore.org/live-cams/player/kitten-rescue-cam

Need a picture to share with your Facebook friends to reassure them? Here’s link to all the photos tagged “Everything is going to be okay” https://www.google.com/search?q=everything+is+going+to+be+okay&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiZt6y6lOjPAhUKQSYKHXTPDC8QsAQIMw&biw=1408&bih=742

Take deep breathes. Hold your family close. Hoard canned food. We’re going to make it through this. 

Love,

KDB

[theproactivepresbyterian]

Help. The Debate is making me want to cry.

Friend, 

Good for you for trying to be a responsible member of society. You turned on your TV at the appointed time, told your family you loved them, and braced yourself for what was to come. 

Shhh, shhh... I know, I know. It’s scary. Just take a deep breath. 

Here’s a list of different links that you can check out when you just need to take a break from the inevitable moments of cringe, headaches from the eye rolls, and bruises from where you slam your fist down in frustration. 

http://www.apl.tv/puppies.htm - The Animal Planet 24 Hour Puppy Cam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwgdRw2Nc34 - Here’s a woman finding her dog in the rubble after a Tornado

http://www.bubblegame.org  - Bubble Game to help pass the time

http://explore.org/live-cams/player/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls - 24 hour view of Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park. Bears!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92i5m3tV5XY A proper meditation (with cuss words!)

https://www.shutterstock.com/search/stained-glass - Pictures of Stained Glass

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMi0ECl5Mek - 10 hours of waterfalls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIVIegSt81k - Learn about Hexaflexagons!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-J0nwZz_fo - Here’s a hognose playing dead. Just like we will when the computer overloads take over. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glii-kazad8 - Corgi belly flops!

Alright there friend. Now just wrap yourself up in the fetal position, put on some calming music, and repeat after me. 

“It’s just four years. It’s just four years. It’s just four, long, years.”

Love, 

Katherine

[theproactivepresbyterian]

#sabbath #pastorlife #thetravelingpresbyterian #priuslife #westvirginia #dontpostponejoy (at Bluestone Wildlife Management Area)

[theproactivepresbyterian]

Taking part in the first keynote for the "Let Us Be Our Selfies" retreat! Sharing our favorite images of who we are. #PWVYouth #beourselfies (at Bluestone Camp & Retreat Center)

[100reasonstorecover-blog]

Our older reasons are getting a new look. Find out why we are recycling reasons here. We are still collecting new reasons! Click here to submit your own reasons to recover. They can be anonymous, and they can be about recovery from anything.

[theproactivepresbyterian]

I believe in honesty, which is why I’m sharing this. When unchecked my ED means that I spent the better part of my life in isolation, fear, and loneliness. Because of this I support the #100reasonstorecover blog, because they offer resources and support for those experiencing similar struggles.  #100reasonstorecover

[theproactivepresbyterian]

Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, is is nobody's business. What we are asked to do is love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbor worthy.

Thomas Merton

[theproactivepresbyterian]

Great days meeting with different agencies, brainstorming projects, and visioning ways to be partners in the Raleigh community! #LoveMyJob #RealTimeMinistry #ClergyLife

[theproactivepresbyterian]

Just registered for #unco15! #StonyPoint #StopCollaborateAndListen #TheTravelingPresbyterian

[theproactivepresbyterian]

Tonight's dinner is some seriously delicious palak tofu "paneer" from @veganricha! The spinach curry is creamy and spicy, served hot and a real treat on this cold night. Be sure to check out her blog at http://www.veganricha.com! #vegan #vegansofig #veganfoodshare #whatveganseat #curry #whatsfordinner

[theproactivepresbyterian]

Great day in the Asheville office with these two working on our curriculum for Summer 2015! Stay tuned for updates and big unveil later this spring! #AYM15 #RYM15 #YouthMinistry (at Asheville Youth Mission)

[theproactivepresbyterian]

A Prayer For Sunday

This prayer was originally offered as words of welcome by David Crabtree at the Raleigh Congregations for Social Justice meeting on February 2nd, 2015. 

"Pray for those who are hungry… pray harder for those who will not feed them.

Pray for those who struggle each week to pay their bills… pray harder for those who do not care.

Pray for those who cry out for dignity… pray harder for those who do not listen.

Pray for those who are homeless… pray harder for those who deny them shelter.

Pray for those oppressed by unjust wages… pray harder for those who exploit them.

Pray for us as we seek God’s justice in our community…. pray harder for our own transfiguration, that we may become the change we seek in the world. Amen."

I struggle some times with prayer. I struggle to find the right words and then getting them in an order that makes sense. Because of this I enjoy reading prayers that other people have offered, to see how we might go about the same task in new and different ways. Which brings me to this prayer. At first glance the encouragement to "pray harder" for some people was troublesome for me. What does it even mean to pray harder for one person over another? And if we were going to pray harder, shouldn't we be praying harder for those whose daily life includes the struggle to find shelter, safety, and food?

Prayers have a habit of evolving as you read and return to them. With this prayer, I found myself going back to the words of Matthew 5:44, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you". When I'm honest with myself, I'm scared to acknowledge that for me, it's not that I think those who are homeless, hungry, and in need are more deserving of prayer, it's that I struggle to find the strength to pray for those who ignore the needs and pain of the word. So for today I will continue to pray without ceasing for my brothers and sisters who started the day cold, hungry, and uncertain, but I will also pray for my brothers and sisters who have never worried about where to sleep, or if there will be enough food, or whether they will be safe. 

Hopefully, if you are willing, you'll join in this prayer with me. 

Prayerfully,

The Proactive Presbyterian

[theproactivepresbyterian]

Dinner tonight is lentil stew with roasted garlic, green peppers, yellow onion, carrots, kale, curried tempeh croutons, and wheat baguette slices. #WhatVegansEat #vegansofig #vegan #winterstew #AllUpInTheKitchenLikeItsDinnerTime #ThankfulForGoodFood

[theproactivepresbyterian]

95 reasons why I love my job. #WhereISeeGodInTheWorld #youthministry #ThisIsTheChurch #aym14 (at Asheville Youth Mission)

[theproactivepresbyterian]

It was pretty fun coming home to find this gem waiting in my parent's mailbox. I guess it's official now!

[theproactivepresbyterian]

Deja Vu

A few years ago I was having coffee with a college friend when I experienced the worst bout of deja vu. It lasted for several minutes, well passed the point of intrigue and into the territory of uncomfortable panic. I couldn't shake the feeling that all of this had happened before, and the worst part was was that I could remember dreaming about it a few months before. In the dream I had tried sitting still, making up new words, and rubbing salt on my hand, anything to shake me out of where I was. In the midst of my growing discomfort I found myself doing these very same actions in the present as my poor friend looking on completely bewildered. 

When the feeling finally passed I remember her telling me I shouldn't fight deja vu, I should ride the feeling like a wave and give myself the chance to be a participant observer in the moment. This was right at the time when I was starting to realize my call to ministry and I was fighting tooth and nail to reclaim some control of my life, so this laid back approach to the feeling of discomfort was not appealing in the slightest to me. I rolled my eyes and turned to my food, ready for us to move to a new topic when she delivered her final argument. 

"I've always thought deja vu is God giving me a nudge to let me know I'm in the right place at the right time."

Years later this has stuck with me. I've realized I never get deja vu when I'm doing something I'm not sure of. It's always when I'm caught up in a meaningful conversation, or seeing something really beautiful. A handful of times I've had deja vu when meeting someone for the first time who will eventually become a good friend or an important person in my life. I always get the feeling I've dreamt the experience before. 

This week I've had two really intense experiences of deja vu, not to mention a string of really intense dreams every night. In fact, this entire week has been peppered with increasingly intense situations. Earlier today while having lunch with a friend we saw a pretty serious wreck. As we passed by we saw people standing around the scene which prompted us to have a conversation about the similarities and differences in our own ministry styles in crisis situations.

Within a few hours we were living those crisis roles as we found ourselves on the side of a road with some panicked young men who had just pulled a badly injured man out of a road and oncoming traffic. 

The bible is filled with stories of people with "broken" bodies. From the hemorrhaging woman to the Gerasene demoniac, the son in Mark 9 to Lazarus, we are faced with the reality of how fragile our bodies are. I think I forget that sometimes. I think it's easy to get caught up in a faith that focuses solely on healing one part of us, whether that be our body, mind, or spirit. It's easy, and if I'm honest with myself, tempting, to get caught up in seeking God in the comfort of a business causal ministry.

I run the risk of forgetting that the best way to see God in the world is to live. To be present. To remain watchful and be willing to listen. So much of my life right now is made up of experiences that remind me of things I have already done, skills I have already developed, dreams and goals I have already conquered all crashing up against the feeling that I am creating experiences, goals, and dreams that I will be spending the rest of my life working towards. My life is a deja vu - feelings of remembrance and presence and aspirations all falling together, begging me to sit still for just a minute and listen for what God will say next. 

Here I am Lord. Let's do this. 

[theproactivepresbyterian]

Beginning to shape my reflections on 2 Corinthians 5:17 that will eventually become my keynote offering for the Presbytery of New Hope's #ReCreate even in October. I love the beginning, when it's all questions and possibility.

[theproactivepresbyterian]

Just finished the last worship service of the summer and said goodbye to our groups. I'm a strange mixture of grateful and a little mournful, all the while filled with love, hope, and thanksgiving. #bittersweet #rym14 #giftedgivers (at Raleigh Youth Mission)