I have moved!!!

Well, in cyberspace.
Come check out my new blog, Do. Love. Walk.  at
https://revkarlajeanmiller.wordpress.com

NaBloPoMo Day 10

O.k.,
so I am late the NaBloPoMo party.  But today's prompt was an excellent one, and explains everything about why I am late.

"What is the hardest part of a big project: getting the energy to begin, finding the time to work on it, or feeling down that it's over?"

Definitely for me, the energy to begin.   I can work my way all around a project except for actually beginning.   Writing sermons, for example.   I can read my head full of discussions, blogposts, write liturgy, etc. etc.  But getting that first sentence down...

Or take the yoga videos on my desk.  Right now I have an excuse, because I can't walk right now, let alone stand on two feet, (or one)....but I LOVE yoga.  So I bought two beautiful videos to help me with a home practice---six months ago.  They aren't even out of the wrapper.  

Cleaning toilets.  Well, o.k., hopefully not a BIG project, but a constant project, cleaning house.  I can find all sorts of things to do instead of.  Until I can't stand it anymore.  

I love thinking about the project at hand.  Dreaming it, seeing it, wondering about it....but getting started. 

Oh my. 

A prayer for Tuesday.

Holy, holy, holy…

Mercy, mercy, mercy…

Grace, grace, grace…

silence in my heart, breath filling my lungs, refreshing my bones and blood,

exhaling, centering, breathing.  Over, and over, and over again until there is peace like a tiny river in my soul, for these moments at least.

Holy, holy, holy One

have mercy. May I be your mercy.

Graceful One,

might I live into your grace today.

Amen.

There's A Woman in the Pulpit: Christian Clergywomen Share their Hard Days, Holy Moments & the Healing Power of Humor

Sweet Lord,
I am remembering that day,
so, so, so long ago
when I was about 14 or 15 and a total church geek.
Or, actually, could I have been 29 or 20 in college?
What I remember is sitting in my grandmother's kitchen.
That kitchen where I would sit at the table
and watch her make donuts and pyrizhky, those meat-filled buns that were so good until I figured out what all that ground meat was ground FROM.
That kitchen table where she would feed us cheerios for breakfast and fizzies for a treat.
It was at that table that she looked at me and asked,
"You will be a minister someday, maybe?"

That was first of many call-seeds planted in my soul,
and it came from a Ukrainian immigrant with a Seventh Day Adventist background but as far as I could tell she never went to church but she kneeled by her bed every night and said the Lord's Prayer.
During the Great Depression, she kept her family fed and farm afloat from selling the eggs from her chicken coop.   I will take a seed like that any day.

But what I am trying to say, dear God, is that I am blown away by the myriad of seeds of call you fling across the world to call women to ministry. And I am so, so grateful.  Because without my women colleagues, I wouldn't be half the pastor I am today.  I am especially grateful for the RevGals, because I found them in a time of isolation, and over the years, deep connections have formed, dear friendships woven, and a dream team of colleagues advise me daily through the inter webs.

And this book, oh! this book!  Your Spirit is threaded and splashed and hidden and bold throughout the stories and prayers in this book.  They resonate with my experience of ministry, and of You. Thank You for bathing it and blessing it, and may it be a blessing in your kin-dom here, and in all the places you have flung your whispering seeds of "you will be a minister someday, maybe?"--no matter what or how that is interpreted.

Thanks be to you, Sweet Lord, thanks be.
Amen.

There's A Woman In the Pulpit can be purchased through the publisher, Skylights Path or Amazon where it the #1 New Release in Christian Books, and also at Barnes and Noble.    It is available in softcover or by e-book, but I highly recommend the soft cover (and I NEVER buy real live books anymore, but this is a book you are going to want to turn down the pages, hold, smile and cry over.)

yesterday...

It was Sunday at 6:45 am.
And I stood in a short line at Starbucks to order my venti cold pressed iced coffee-
(whatever, it sounded good.)
As I looked at the guy with the red sox jacket and the bespectacled barista and the woman in her snoopy pajama flannels,
I wanted to just tell them:
How wonderful is this day!
You are beloved just how you are!
And, guess what I get to do this morning?
I get to tell other people they are beloved and empowered
in face of their doubts and misgivings and anger,
they still can be love in the world.
AND
I get to baptize a 12 week year old baby.
I get to tell her she is beloved, and that she has a crowd of people who embrace her...
I get to whisper in her ear,
"You are God's special one, sweet thing, may you always know that"
and then I will get to
anoint her in the Holy Spirit.
How strange and amazing is that?

And, it was.
Amen.

A Sunday Prayer, on Being Called...

Oh God…

You call us, 

and some of us immediately get it,

because we are smacked up the side of our hearts

with your glory*, 

and the only response is to drop everything

and go with you, 

even though we don’t know or care about the details….

most of us

think You are crazy

although we are are so drawn to your love.

We are the ones who take baby steps, 

fall down, 

get up, 

and toddle again towards your grace

and your invitation

to accompany you.

So we wander,

we wonder,

we walk,

and hope that being by Your side,

we reflect and share your love and hope

with the corners of the world in which we live.

We tentatively drop our nets, 

and serve the people and the world 

which you love so much. 

Oh sweet Lord,

we pray, 

we pray so much for that which you love,

for those whom you love--especially 

the places in our world where people are suffering from war, political violence, from what we don’t know except it’s unspeakable.

We offer our prayers

for those we know 

who suffer from grief, loss, illness…

sadness,

desolation of heart,

or uncertain futures. 

We pray, for our earthhome, 

who cries out everyday for your justice, and our care. 

Oh God,

You call us. 

We wonder, 

We wander, 

We stumble,

We drop our nets, 

We cling to them, 

We are flooded with your glory, 

and in our disarray,

We want to follow you. 

We have decided,

to follow you. 

Amen. 

                                       *Barbara Brown Taylor phrase

A Prayer for Transfiguration

Holy One,

We come before you,

Many of us feeling like we have climbed just a part of the mountain,

and there is so much more of a climb left to even get to point to dream that we might be dazzled by what is Divine.

Our loads are heavy,

with worry, with regret,

with fatigue, with illness,

with despair for all in the world that is hurting, in danger,  in bondage and more.

We trudge ahead, following you,

stumbling, hoping, praying…

breathing hard, hearts pounding, and yes,

even some of us are nimble and skipping.

Lead us Lord,

to the top of that mountain,

where we might be dazzled by your Light,

lifted by what is Divine,

filled by the sheer delight of what is numinous and ethereal and grounded and real.

We pray this,

for ourselves, for one another, and for the worlds in which we live in.

Amen.

(also posted at www.revgalblogpals.org)