lilly's pad

shrove tuesday pancakes

ok...lent begins tomorrow! so today we eat! whether you're celebrating mardi gras or shrove tuesday, food is an important part...so if you're in cincy, join us for pancakes at IHOP in oakley (near target and mejeir) at 5:30pm .
here's some history on shrove tuesday...the day before lent that provides an opportunity to confess our sins and to get all the fat and sugar out of the pantry before the lenten fast begins.
shrove tuesday AND more here

the lenten season is not just about giving up things, at least for me. it's about preparing my heart for easter. getting ready for the death and suffering of jesus and then the joy of his resurrection. it's a 40 day opportunity to journey with jesus.

 a 40 day opportunity to discover the things i've lost along the way.

a 40 day opportunity to rediscover my first love...jesus christ.

so get ready, pack your bags, the adventure of lent begins tomorrow!

off to the abbey

 just spent a great weekend creating a sacred space prayer room for methodist youth in nashvegas. the theme was "undignified" so the prayer room was a modified "life of david" from SACRED SPACE. also led two art worship workshops ...lectio and art! great fun. haven't been around 2000 jr/sr high students in one place in quite a while...you could just see the energy and hormones....rather a different vibe in the convention center than was there in november at YS!

thanks to gavin and brad for hosting me. great to see tony jones in action (despite his back pain) and great  to hang out with sally chambers too! i also had a chance to meet miss bethany penner! and get my baby fix!

i'll post photos next week.

today i'm off for my annual birthday pilgrimage to the abbey of gethsemani...not that i've been blogging regularly, but i'll be out of touch with facebook and cell so it will be a chance to detox from technology and get my head together for the new year (yeah, i know it's february, but i'm still getting used to the 09 thing)

it takes the til wednesday for my head to get silent enough to hear anything from God...i'm hoping for snow and i can't wait to be quiet...even extreme extroverts need to stop meeting people and stop talking!

so happy february, and wherever you are, take some time to be still.

happy new year and happy inauguration day

great day to be born and to celebrate a new year in america!   praying for our new president and our country that we can shine God's grace and compassion locally and globally. check out the fun facts of the day here

the days after christmas

The word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood.
Missional living…God initiated it.
He designed us for his presence and we f’d it up.
We ran from the intimacy that his walks in the garden gave us.
We embraced fear rather than relationship
We listened to each other’s limited reason rather than that of the creator
And we’ve been wandering away from the garden ever since.

I was thinking about these things this morning
The beauty of the Christmas story…the intimacy of God being born
In the midst of the mess of our real life.
The re-introduction of the intimacy of the Garden.
And really feeling the mess….in my house, my kitchen, in my soul.

I had a day off yesterday …a down day from the busyness of the holidays.
A day of watching movies and not doing much of anything constructive.
That’s always a good thing…to rest and recover after several stressful days in a row
(hudson’s surgery on Tuesday, coming home from the hospital wednesday, finishing shopping on Christmas eve (at 6pm) since I’d procrastinated due to worrying about the surgery )
If I’m honest I was really feeling
a little guilty that I wasn’t creating/hosting anything worshipful for Christmas even though I’d consulted by phone on 2 or 3 christmas events in the last week.

Being a recovering workaholic means that I battle days off…I don’t take enough of them and I don’t always enjoy them when I have them….there’s an old book called” when I relax I feel guilty” and that’s a great title for much of my day yesterday. Too tired to be productive and too guilty to rest.
Here I have to take my own medicine and know that we have lots of time in the next week to rediscover this “God moving into the neighborhood”.

Don’t you think mary needed a break too?
I was thinking about when I had babies…mine were both controlled emergencies so there wasn’t a lot of peace on earth….it was noisy and confusing and fearful…and there were loads of people and then I just wanted to be alone and quiet.
I’ll bet mary felt this way too.  After having a band of shepherds and townspeople crowding around after jesus was born…the trauma of birth itself in a stable not a hospital or even a home! Do you think anyone offered them their home after they saw the baby? Did any of the townspeople make room for them the next day? Or did they just go back to their routines?

I’ll bet mary and joseph needed some time to rest and recover….to get their balance back before starting again. And for me, the wisemen, the magi didn’t get there the first night, or even the second. There was down time, time for getting used to being parents and time to learn how to be with each other with a baby.
Think of the emotions and mood swings….and finding food and shelter…needing a job in a strange town.
And I know mary didn’t want to get back on the road right after giving birth, I know I wouldn’t.

So I’m going to rest, to attempt to recover…to allow jesus to move into the mess and into the days after the 25th and I’m going to continue to prepare him room.

ADVENT week 4(or 6)

week 4 is the ANGEL candle or the candle of peace/love.

i don't know much about angels ....
i do believe in them
and i know that i've experienced their protection on more than one occassion.

What do I know about angels?

They are God’s servants,
they do his will, his bidding.
They bring messages

They gather things
They announce things
They can bring life and sometimes death

They roll away grave stones and open jail cells

They tell truth

Usually people are afraid of them.

i've never had an angel appear to me with a message or give me direction for what to do next...but boy would i have liked that! and so often i've wished for that kind of direction from a messenger of God!

one of my favorite angel stories is in  the best christmas pageant ever.

gladys herdman plays the angel of the lord and everyone is afraid of her because she just might clonk them!
she announces to the shepherds "HEY unto a child is born"....shazam!  she pictures the angel of the lord as a super hero or a someone in a comic strip coming to the rescue " out of the black night"!

if you haven't read this book! please make it a new holiday tradition and read it out loud as a family...it's been a lewin traditon for years and i've preached from it many times...the re-telling of the nativity is priceless!

back to the angels...the angels play a major part in the birth story of jesus.
They announce his conception, proclaim his birth and give guidance to the new parents.

Don’t know about you, but I could use a little guidance about now and i need to be reminded that i don't have to be afraid even when things appear to be scary or out of my control.

• "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.”
• "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
• “do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife”
• Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
• "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
• "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
• "Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
• Fear not
• "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

tonight we light the fourth candle, confessing our lack of faith in angels and our need for peace...in our hearts, in our minds and in our world...
and asking for direction and the peace to know that God is in control and He is Immanuel.

thinplace: advent journaling re-cap

so at thinplace journaling group we looked at luke 2 and the angelic host announcing to the shepherds that "unto you a child is born!"  since week 3 of Advent is the JOY candle (along with it being the shepherd candle) we opened and closed our time praying psalm 129 together which focuses on returning JOY.

after the lectio on luke 2: 8-20 we discussed just how loud this little scene might have been....we had lots more questions than we had answers ...how many shepherds? how long did it take to find jesus that night? who got left behind to watch the flocks and just hear about the miracle  not actually "get to see it"?
did this rag tag band of outcasts wake the entire village looking for the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes? was it like that scene in "love actually" where the entire town comes out to see jamie -colin firth- propose to aurelia who is waiting tables in the local cafe. can't you just picture the shepherds knocking on doors, waking up the neighborhood trying to find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. we asked why was the baby a sign? what did that really mean to the shepherds?  what does it mean to us?

we always have art supplies out to use during the journaling time and the last two weeks God has spoken to as i sketched even more than through my journaling. as i drew a babe wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger,  i got the picture of jesus wrapped in grave clothes lying in a tomb.i had this picture of  new life leading to ever-lasting life. birth conquoring death.  i guess this also hit home to me because i'd drawn a clay manger rather than a wooden feed bin. i found this image in reading a sermon by st. jerome found in a book called proclaiming the christmas gospel earlier in the week. before reading jerome i'd never thought about the manger being made of clay rather than wood. and this image of a slab like resting place fit with the future slab in the tomb where the cloth is abandoned due to the resurrection!

on a much lighter note, we laughed hysterically picturing the shepherds as everything from red neck rough necks to biker dudes on harley's.
we ended our time by passing out small "mini" presents ...taking one as a reminder that God is giving us the gift of JOY in jesus and taking a second to give to someone who needs JOY this christmas.

i also encouraged them to do one of my favorite prayer practices "teeth brushing"
on the YS podcast last week i suggested that in the morning when you brush your teeth, pray for someone in your life who is an outcast (like the shepherds) or groups of outcasts in our world who need to experience the joy and love of jesus this advent season. in the evening when you brush your teeth pray for someone who needs the joy of jesus, including yourself. you can even write the names of those people on the handle of your toothbrush with a sharpie marker! and if i'd had the time, i would have picked up a few new toothbrushes to give away so folks would actually try this prayer exercise at home!

ADVENT 3: The Candle of JOY/ The Shepherd Candle
LUKE 2: The Shepherds and the Angels
 8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.



PSALM 129
1 When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem
      it was like a dream!
 2 We were filled with laughter,
      and we sang for joy.
   And the other nations said,
      “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”
 3 Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!
      What joy!

 4 Restore our fortunes, Lord,
      as streams renew the desert.
 5 Those who plant in tears
      will harvest with shouts of joy.
 6 They weep as they go to plant their seed,
      but they sing as they return with the harvest.

• What is your impression of the shepherds?  Would you have gone to search for the baby? Would you have told others?

• When you hear the word JOY what comes to mind? Are you in need of Joy today in your life? Talk to God about this.

ADVENT week 3 (or 5)

Advent Week 3: The Shepherd Candle, the Candle of JOY

Joy isn’t an emotion we talk about a lot.
I’m so joyful….isn’t a phrase that we say in casual conversation.(check out the dictionary definition if you haven't in a while)

I think of the hymn…Joyful, Joyful we adore thee…
The old youth camp song, “ I have got the joy,joy, joy joy down in my heart! Where? Down in my heart! “
The Newsboys have a song called “JOY” that starts out…..
You give me joy that’s unspeakable, and I  like it , and I like it…..
And during this season I think of “ JOY TO THE WORLD”

But what does it really mean to be joyful?
According to biblegateway there are 242 verses in NIV version of the bible
That mention joy/joyful.

To often I’m more like Pig Pen from the Peanuts cartoons. Charles Shultz is one of my favorite cartoonists and the Charlie Browne Christmas is my all time favorite Christmas special (although the Grinch and Rudolph are close behind, but for very different reasons)
Do your remember Pig Pen…he walks around in his own cloud of dirt/dust, he obviously has an issue with personal hygiene. : )

Instead of a cloud of dirt, I carry around a cloud of frustration, confusion, and too often fear….many of us are like Pig Pen….we carry
Around clouds that are very far from joy.
That dust cloud of fear, anger, despair gets all over other people too ….
We walk around wearing the cloud
We get used to it
It becomes normal
And despair and anxiety, negativity and depression become our norm rather than a cloud of joy….

YET… even Pig Pen danced for joy even with his dirt cloud!

Today’s Advent candle is also the Shepherd’s Candle….
The shepherds probably looked and smelled a lot like Pig Pen….they were dirty and smelly and lived most of their lives outside with their sheep. They were comfortable in this life. The dirt and grim of camping out was just normal. They weren’t the first people on the guest list at the palace. They weren’t invited to the banquet halls or even the living rooms of the day. I even had one pastor friend describe the shepherds as the biker gangs of ancient Palestine.

These guys didn’t expect to receive a royal invitation from the host of heaven. From the Royal family to go to see the King of Kings…..
They were just doing their job out on the hillside watching their sheep.

The Shepherds weren’t just invited by heaven, they were invited first! Not last, not as an after thought, but as the prime guests at the  most audacious happening on the planet. God coming to earth as a baby.

And The beautiful thing is….they accepted the invitation
They actually got up and went to Bethlehem to see what the angels had announced.
They didn’t just roll over in their sleeping bags and keep snoring.
They didn’t say oh…they don’t really mean me…I don’t’ really deserve to go
Or I’m just too tired tonight…maybe I’ll go tomorrow.
Or “you go, and tell me about it when you get back”

They got up, being dirty, and tired and frightened and they WENT to Bethlehem and beheld the miracle.
They saw the Promise
They believed

They experienced the great Joy that the angels were singing about.
And their joy was contagious
They didn’t go back to their tents and keep the joy to themselves.
They spread this joy and their wonder and excitement to all whom they met.
They re-told the story.
They shared the joy that overflowed from their hearts and despite their dirt clouds they danced with the love of Jesus the new born king.

Jesus was born into the “dirt clouds” of our lives.
He wasn’t born in a beautiful place or in gold fleece diapers in a ghost crib.
He was born in a stable or a cave and the manger was made of clay, not gold or silver.
He came into the messiness of our world and he comes into the messiness our hearts and lives.
He comes to remove the dirt cloud of despair and bring us JOY that is unspeakable.

art walk this weekend!

the final artwalks of 2008 are this saturday and coming wednesday at the cincinnati art museum.
bring your journal and a friend and money for food after. the museum is free except for the current special exhibit on china now design (it is $8). saturday morning we meet at 11:15am and wednesday evening we meet at 7pm. we gather for lectio divina in the lobby and then allow the holy spirit to take us wherever in the museum, then we gather for food and discussion after our journaling. email me for more info.  our new year of artwalk will begin january 10th and 14th. i beilieve 2009 will mark year 3 for artwalk! wow!

honoring thomas merton

yesterday was the anniversary of thomas merton's death(January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968)
rob is really the merton scholar in the family. he's read a lot more of his writing...i on the other hand have had the honor of walking the fields where merton walked down in trappist, kentucky. the abbey of gethsemani, merton's monastery,  is my annual pilgrimage site each winter. and merton taught me to look at photography in a whole new way as a spiritual practice of seeing.

i happened to catch the end of the diane rehm show on NPR yesterday and the guest was the film maker
morgan atkinson discussing his upcoming documentary on thomas merton showing this sunday
 night,dec. 14th,   on PBS. it is called soul searching. check your local PBS station for show times. it sounds like it will be an interesting look at merton and his life...how he combined contemplation with justice and social action even while being silent in a cloister.

Journaling Group redux

on sunday nights the thinplace journaling group gathers for lectio divina and dessert. this past sunday night was week 2 of advent (see sunday's post) and we listened to and journaled from luke 1:26-38. the annunciation passage...gabriel telling mary she will be the mother of jesus. the hand out is below...

prior to thanksgiving, we each drew a name from the stable...a name of one of the "characters"/participants in the story of jesus birth. we carried this name around with us and pondered
how jesus birth affected this person. we were asked to see the story from this person's perspective even if we thought we knew it already.  i had joseph and i've posted about joseph before. rob and kyle both had elizabeth (john the baptist's mom).  in our discussion before and after the lectio we realized just how important elizabeth is to the story of jesus birth. she enables mary to receive the news from gabriel and she confirms its validity and most likely helped mary embrace the reality of all the details of pregnancy and motherhood.  elizabeth and her baby first acknowledge mary as the mother of our lord!

after listening to the luke passage, i had many, many thoughts while journaling, first i realized how few questions mary asked gabriel and how many more i would have asked. i always want or seem to need more clarity when God speaks to me or asks me to do something. i want all the details and not just the general stuff! the words that the holy spirit highlighted for me were "You will conceive and give birth"  that's powerful to me because God promised to bring the birth to completion, to fruition...not just conception and a miscarriage or a death...but a birth and a new life!  that's a big deal considering how many babies and mothers died in child birth back then.

for me this is powerful because it's God's promise that he will birth the dreams he's conceived in me. they are not just seeds or hopes, they will have life! and HE DID this! he conceived these dreams and he will make them come alive!  that's something i needed to hear.

after journaling we had an amazingly open discussion about mary, everything from the reality or not of the virgin birth to the fact that in reading this passage i had actually thought about my friends who'd experienced rape and how this holy event might be heard in a very different way if one had been sexually abused. 

we talked about how jesus birth changed everything in mary's world and how God gives us unexpected gifts.  some we didn't expect and some we really didnt' want, yet they are all gifts from our Lord.

we closed our time by each receiving a small red gift box with a bow on it. this gift box was to remind us of the gifts God wants to give us. we are to keep these out this week and throughout advent to remind us of all the gifts God has given us and all the ones we need to receive from Him.  Are we willing to thank him and are we really willing to receive from God this Advent?

our closing prayer is below.

Week 2: the Candle of Faith…the Candle of Preparation…the
Bethlehem Candle

The entire Christmas story is about Interruptions….and how people
Responded to these God gifts of interruption.
Think about the interruptions you’ve had in your life ….Today, This Week, This Month, This Year….

LUKE 1
 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you![d]”
 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel[e] forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
 34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.[f]”
 38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.


Are you willing to receive the gift of interruption?
Are we wiling to allow Go d to interrupt our plans, our ways, our hopes
And even our dreams?
Are we willing to be willing?



Closing prayer (prayed together)
Prepare us Lord God for your coming.
Open our Hearts
Open our Minds
Help us to prepare a place for you.
Open us to the gifts you have for us.
Even the gifts we don’t expect.
In your name. AMEN