Monday Musings, June 26, 2023

Siblings in Christ–

Grace and peace to you this Monday morning.  This is my last Muse before leaving on sabbatical.  I am grateful for this time away.  Some folks have asked “what will you be doing?”  “Resting” is part of the answer.  Alexandria will be home base for the next three months—my heart is happy to spend that time with Nick and Sassy.  

Nick and I will be doing a bit of travel.  I plan to hike Ben Lomand in Scotland.  I’ll also be spending a week with the Iona Community on the isle of Iona.  The two of us are going to Budapest—because we’ve never been and hear wonderful things about it.  We’re also spending a couple of days in Stockholm where we will see the ABBA museum among other things!  Friends have invited us to Montreat—and so we’ll pay homage to that Presbyterian gathering spot.  

I’m also planning on exploring Organizational Identity.  I have lined up conversations with people who are a part of organizations who have a clear idea of who and why they are and how they invite others to join them.  I also have three books on my list. Each addresses change in some form or another.  Some of you have indicated an interest in reading with me and I look forward to the conversation that will come from that.

There are not enough words for me to express the gratitude I have for Laura, Judy and Josh.  They are amazing colleagues and are attending to some of my responsibilities while I am gone.  Details on that coming in a separate email.

Thank you for supporting this time away.  My prayer for you is that you experience times of rest and rejuvenation over the summer.  I look forward to seeing all of you in October.

Many blessings,

Sharon

Monday Musings, June 19, 2023

Siblings in Christ–

Grace and peace to you this Monday morning.  Today, Bryce and I muse on what’s inspiring me on my sabbatical.  Sabbatical beings July 1.  I’ll be back October 1.

I am planning on time of rest and of conversation.  I am interested in exploring organizational identity—groups that know who and why they are and how they invite others to join them.  Links to four of the organizations I’ll be learning from are listed below.  

How does your congregation or organization “rehearse” its identity?  Who has a story big enough to change their world?

Also, in this week’s muse are a couple of articles on sabbaticals and our Presbytery’s sabbatical policy.  Does your congregation offer a sabbatical to your pastor?

Monday Musings East Meets West

Greater Cleveland Congregations

Shalem Institute

Church of the Savior—Potter’s House

Iona Community

The Work of Rest:  Investing Yourself with a Sabbatical

When a Day Off Isn’t Enough

Clergy Continuing Education and Sabbatical Leave Policy—PWR

Until next Monday!

Monday Musings, June 12, 2023

Siblings in Christ–

Grace and peace to you this Monday afternoon!  It’s still Monday and so enjoy these musings a little bit later in the day!  

Today’s musing comes from a conversation I had with Shavon Starling-Louis (that podcast will be up on the site in a bit).  

Do our words matter?  Does it seem like people make lots of money and power from keeping you angry all the time?

In the conversation with Shavon she brought up a phrase she HATES to hear Presbyterians say.  

Joining in the sentiment of what co-Moderatory Starling-Louis suggests, instead, we wonder together about things we WISH Jesus followers would put on repeat (repeat, repeat).

Thus saith the Lord (we need to bring that back, right?) through Scripture and Neuroscience:

“A hateful word may cause your brain to flood your bloodstream with hormones, squandering resources from your body budget”

Or as Ephesians suggests, put on your Christ-drag-costume which causes those of us who would follow Jesus to… “putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labour and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.”

Let’s be careful friend of Christ, what we post 

Monday Musings East Meets West

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Until next Monday!

Monday Musings, June 5, 2023

Siblings in Christ–

Grace and peace to you this Monday morning.  You may have noticed this little gem did not appear in your mailbox last Monday—Happy Memorial Day (belated)!  I trust you are enjoying the unofficial beginning of summer.  The Summer Solstice (the official first day of summer) is June 21.  Also Juneteenth is June 19 (and no Musings that day).

This edition of Monday Musings introduces us to Jerry Bennett, an elder at Kinsman Presbyterian Church.  We muse about prayer a bit more as Jerry answers the question “What is your prayer for the Church?”

How might we turn Jerry’s Prayer into one for liturgy? I think the acknowledgment that we don’t live forever could come, rather than the beginning, at the end, as we share in the knowledge of serving a God who not only serves, but also, dies.

Monday Musings East Meets West

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Until next Monday!

Monday Musings, May 22, 2023

Siblings in Christ–

Grace and peace to you this Monday morning.  In this episode of Presbyterians on Paths with Pastries (PoPwP), Marcia Alcorn and I take a walk talking about prayer and birds!  And then Bryce and I muse about the many truths pertaining to worship with the birds, and naming the women of faith who have been fundamental to operating the Church for much of history. Thank you to the women whose work was never acknowledged or celebrated.

Bryce and I are enjoying taking these walks and if you want to join us, click on the link below.

Happy listening and reading!

Presbyterians on Paths with Pastries: Worship with the Birds and Marcia Alcorn

Monday Musings East Meets West

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Is there a prayer practice, for you, that is fun to do together?

Name some women in your life who have influenced your faith.

Until next Monday!

Monday Musings, May 15, 2023

Siblings in Christ–

Grace and peace to you this Monday morning.  Here is it!  The third episode of “Presbyterians on Paths with Pastries (PoPwP)!

Today we muse about fun and laughter as essential in ministry, spurred by Bryce’s recent conversation with Rev. Betty Angelini of Warren (Ohio) First Presbyterian Church, who brings the spirit of fun and laughter from years in nursing and camp ministry into her current call as a solo pastor.

If you want to be a Presbyterian on a Path with Pastries, there’s a link below for that, too.

Happy listening and reading!

Presbyterians on Paths with Pastries:  “Sneaky Jesus” and the Rev. Betty Angelini

Monday Musings East Meets West

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What is your relationship with sneaky Jesus?

Where has playfulness and humor shown up as essential in your ministry?

Presbyterian Pastor out in Las Vegas, Rev. Dave Dendy, shares his love of comedy with his congregation (Mountain View Presbyterian Church) in case you need more permission to engage humor within your life of faith.  

Currently out of print, God Laughs and Plays is author David James Duncan’s offering in response to constructions of God as a domineering, body-hating, jerk.  

Author and activist adreinne maree brown (their spelling) offers a book for activists which the Church might get curious about, with Pleasure Activism:  the politics of feeling good 

Cleveland Clinic shares a few notes about the importance of laughter to your health

And this CNN article quotes a Grinnell College (PCUSA affiliated school in Iowa) and has a section header entitled, “Laughter was a Survival Tool” which I humbly suggest should change from “was” to “is”.  

And, finally, A Game for Good Christians might be a fit for some of y’all to play (do Presbyterians have a sense of humor?) but it will require enjoying sarcasm. 

“Sarcasm” comes from the greek root “sarx” and is the word used a few times in New Testament scripture. 

My (Bryce) mother taught me that “Sarcasm” meant something like ‘the tearing of the flesh’ and never to use it to be funny or make a point.  Often, that is good advice.  “Sarx vs. Soma?’ perhaps a Biblical Greek Musing for another day.

And Sharon here, during summer Greek when my study group was trying to remember SO many greek words—this was the way we remember sarx—sarx eat flesh—sarcasm at it’s best, perhaps?

Strong’s Concordance:

sarx: flesh

Original Word: σάρξ, σαρκός, ἡ

Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine

Transliteration: sarx

Phonetic Spelling: (sarx)

Definition: flesh

Usage: flesh, body, human nature, materiality; kindred.

sóma: a body

Original Word: σῶμα, ατος, τό

Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter

Transliteration: sóma

Phonetic Spelling: (so’-mah)

Definition: a body

Usage: body, flesh; the body of the Church.

Until next Monday!

Monday Musings, May 8, 2023

Siblings in Christ–

Grace and peace to you this Monday morning.  In addition to the second episode of “Presbyterians on Paths with Pastries (PoPwP), I’m highlighting two other events happening in the life of the Presbytery.  One at Christ United (May 13) and the other at Fairmount (May 20).  Look for the links below.

The second PoPwP conversation is with Mark Mong, pastor at East Side and Trinity—two churches in Ashtabula City.  Bryce and I muse on my conversation with Mark.  

If you want to be on a Path with Pastries, there’s a link below for that, too.

Happy listening and reading!

Presbyterians on Paths with Pastries: What I Said I’d Never Do

Monday Musings East Meets West

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Safe Spaces Training Christ United: Saturday, May 13; This training program can help to promote an understanding of how we are able to be advocates for those we know are part of theLGBTQ+ community.  For more information contact Christ United at 440-234-0150.

Church Safety and Security Training Workshop:  Saturday, May 20.  In response to concerns from a number of congregations regarding acts of violence and vandalism directed toward houses of worship, including some PCUSA churches, the Committee on Leadership of the Presbytery of Western Reserve will host a Church Safety and Security Training Workshop at Fairmount Presbyterian Church. More information here.  

Until next Monday!

Monday Musings, May 1, 2023

Siblings in Christ–

Here we go!  The first episode of Presbyterians on Paths with Pastries!  This is a two parter—the first link is the podcast conversation.  The second link is Bryce and I musing about the conversation.

And then the third part—where you can sign up to join us on a path with pastries!  

Oh, and this is all grounded in the Emmaus Story.  Blessed walking to you!

Presbyterians on Paths with Pastries:  The humanness of scripture

Monday Musings East Meets West

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Until next Monday!

Monday Musings, April 24, 2023

Siblings in Christ–

It’s baaaaaack!  Monday Musings is back and do we have an exciting thing for this Easter season!  

Inspired by the Emmaus story, we have Presbyterians on Paths with Pastry! By walking, talking and eating with disciples here in our time and place, we hope to discover what is being revealed.  Muse with us on Monday, and take a take a walk and discover: trails, hikes, or parks in our two Presbytery footprint, listen for fun bakeries in the region, or good recipes to share, and thoughts on faith and leadership from the people who inspire us in our faith.

We hope that you will listen and take a walk, yourself, and perhaps sign up to join us as Presbyterians on Paths with Pastry.

Monday Musings East Meets West

Until next Monday!

Monday Musings, April 10, 2023

Siblings in Christ–

Grace and peace to you this Easter Monday morning. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

With this edition of Musings, Bryce and I wrap up our conversation about money. In the shadow of the tomb, we are musing on Matthew 26:14 – 16, 45 – 50. The link to the episode is below. Thanks for tuning in!

Musings is taking this next week off. These nuggets of thought and exploration will be back in your inbox on Monday, April 24. We have a new series in store for you. Stay tuned!

Monday Musings East Meets West

No links for the week, with so many during the month prior, but we pray you find space and time for your selves, your bodies, and your spirits during this week. May we also find courage, in light of the resurrection to admit to even our fears at talking about money. They are well founded. It can wield such power. And when I re-member myself, I know that at each time a thing feels too scary, it is mostly scary because there is some true story to tell. Tell the story. Try to tell it truly.

See you on April 24!