tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-207118462024-03-07T10:52:13.867+01:00so this fits how?Such is the story of my life: seemingly random elements that somehow fit the puzzle that God is making out of my life. This blog shares those pieces of the puzzle as I continue to study the Old Testament, minister to graduate students, strive to build up community, and remember well my former life in Amsterdam (and Michigan).Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.comBlogger811125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-9878118806642908452024-01-25T22:17:00.005+01:002024-01-26T21:15:50.149+01:00The Spirit makes me uncomfortable?<p><i>I wrote the following in the summer of2020 (and posted on the <a href="https://campusedgemsu.com/2020/07/24/the-spirit-uses-my-being-uncomfortable/">Campus Edge ministry blog</a>). As we are looking at 1 Peter as part of our study at <a href="https://crc.sa.utoronto.ca/graduate-christian-fellowship/">Graduate Christian Fellowship,</a> I thought it might be helpful to post it again: </i></p><br />As we were reading 1 Peter 2 and 3 this past week at study, a student noted that the text made her uncomfortable. As the text was talking about slavery, women, and submission, it was easy for me to understand why she felt uncomfortable. As we noted in our <a href="https://campusedgemsu.com/2016/02/13/colossians-problem-texts/">study on Colossians</a> a number of years ago, too often those of us who’ve grown up in the church have seen how submission has been used to validate abuse, or, at the least, make women second-class citizens.<br /><br />It would be easy thus to dismiss this text as no longer being culturally relevant to today. Yet, to do so would be to lose an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to work to challenge what assumptions we might bring to the text, whether that be errors in our own perception or unhealthy assumptions that we have learned from church/Christian culture and/or society at large.<br /><br />For instance, the dominant voices of our society invite and encourage us to put me first and not let anyone hold us back from unleashing our inner potential. Might our discomfort with the word submission be because such a narrative of me first leaves little space or validation for submission of any sort? What picture of God’s love might we show when we actively choose to let go of some of our own personal wants and desires for the good of others?<br /><br />Yet, might our discomfort with the word submission be a misunderstanding of the word submission? Might our submission be less of a diminishing of self and more of a living more fully into who God has called us to be, including through <a href="https://campusedgemsu.com/2016/02/19/colossians-problem-texts-2-re-thinking-submission/">challenging systems of oppression</a>, as Walsh and Keesmaat propose in their book, Colossians Remixed?<br /><br />While dismissing the text might be the easiest way to get rid of the discomfort brought by the text, it is worthwhile to sit awhile with the text and acknowledge that discomfort. Through <a href="https://worship.calvin.edu/resources/resource-library/1-peters-prickly-passages/">consulting wise teachers</a> and allowing the Spirit to work (sometimes also through our peers), God can use our discomfort to help us grow in wisdom about the biblical text and ourselves.Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-40628875053866127132023-04-21T19:00:00.008+02:002023-04-21T19:00:00.234+02:00Less agency, less pressure, more grace, more hope.<p>Jonathan Haidt, made infamous for his article on <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/">trigger warnings and coddling of the American Mind</a>, was recently in the news again concerning the well-being of teens and young adults (see <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/24/opinion/social-media-and-teen-depression.html">article</a>, and Haidt's own words in <a href="https://jonathanhaidt.substack.com/p/mental-health-liberal-girls">article1</a> and <a href="https://jonathanhaidt.substack.com/p/the-teen-mental-illness-epidemic">article2)</a>. The argument once again points to social media as playing a significant role in the well-being of youth (see also Twenge's now famous article on <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/">whether smartphones have destroyed a generation</a>). </p><p>Another part of Haidt's argument about the decreased well-being of young adults is his articulation that certain ways of thinking, "say identifying with, or privileging victims and a victim status, tends to disempower people because it puts someone else in charge of your life." <a data-id="https://mbird.com/religion/church/the-cognitive-distortions-of-legalistic-preaching/?" data-type="URL" href="https://mbird.com/religion/church/the-cognitive-distortions-of-legalistic-preaching/?">(Robinson)</a> While we should acknowledge that many of us, and some more than others for various reasons, have been and continue to be victims of unjust behaviour and/or institutions, the problem comes not from recognizing that we are victims, but by allowing being a victim to become one's sense of identity. Victims have limited agency and there is limited focus on resiliency. Without conversations about resilience and agency, people are more likely to become depressed. </p><p>While this is an interesting conversation to be had in terms of how such thinking is affecting young adults, especially at university, it's also an interesting conversation in wondering, like <a href="https://mbird.com/religion/church/the-cognitive-distortions-of-legalistic-preaching/?">Robinson</a>, "if there is some cross-over to all this in churches." Have we lost our sense of agency in the church? Or, more accurately, have we forgotten God's agency?</p><p><a href="https://mbird.com/religion/church/the-cognitive-distortions-of-legalistic-preaching/?">Robinson</a> notes that in the "more liberal and progressive church context, there’s a lot of emphasis on the problems of the world, <em>and on what you should be doing about it. </em>Which begins to sound a lot like law, not gospel. It’s all about what you should do or feel or think. If God is in the picture, it’s about what God needs us to do, <em>demands</em> that we do. There’s little emphasis on what God has done or is doing on our behalf or on God’s capacity to bring good out of or in the face of evil. So it’s kind of all on us."</p><p>That sounds exhausting and debilitating. </p><p>In a world where so many are exhausted and overwhelmed, when we feel like we have too little agency <em>and</em> too much responsibility, church can't be a place that tries to give us more of that. Church - and all Christian organizations - need to be places of grace and hope. </p><p><!-- wp:paragraph -->
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<!-- /wp:paragraph --></p><p><em>Please pray with that I, along with the Christian Reformed campus ministry at the University of Toronto (and broader) might indeed create spaces where we extend grace and help people hope. </em></p><p><em><br /></em></p><p><em>Cross-posted at the blog for my work: </em><i>http://crc.sa.utoronto.ca/2023/04/less-victim-less-pressure-more-grace-more-hope/ </i></p>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-15142762923457127352023-04-20T18:27:00.005+02:002023-04-20T18:27:58.954+02:00Jury DutyLast May I received a summons to report for jury duty, something which I've never had happen to me before (but apparently is a fairly common experience for people living in Toronto). I couldn't make it then and was asked to choose a week in early 2023 when I could be available for jury duty. In the week after Easter and the semester ends, I'm not particularly motivated to do much of anything, so it seemed a good week to make myself available for something very different.<div><br /></div><div>Leading up to the experience, I was hoping to get out of jury duty. After all, if I did, I'd then have the rest of the week free to catch up on all the odds and ends leftover from the semester! But the evening before, as I watched the recommended video about jury duty, God convicted me enough to help me be open to serving God and others in this way, recognizing that such an openness to serve is how I want to live my life, even if jury duty wasn't entirely my ideal for doing that. </div><div> </div><div>Monday morning I showed up at the Toronto District court at 8:30 and then I waited in a room with about a hundred other people. Around 9:30, they explained the process, and around 11:30 all of us received a questionnaire that let us know about the trial - it named those involved as well as the nature of the case (sexual assault) - and asked us for our connection to either, as well as asking about whether we had any hardships that would prevent us from being able to serve for 7 days on the jury, the anticipated length of the trial. (Note: Court is held from 10-4:30 each day, and the jury goes home at the end of each day, except at the end of the trial if they are still deliberating after the day ends). </div><div><br /></div><div>Around 12:30 we moved upstairs to the courtroom, the accused pleaded not guilty, and the judge addressed the potential jurors, explaining the whole process to us. The judge reminded us that though serving on jury would be likely be a hardship in some way for all of us, that this is a way we could serve our country (and there weren't many other ways that we were asked to do so). It felt a bit like being lectured by a teacher (with a bit of a parental guilt trip mixed in), but it was also part of the process of helping me to be open to serving God in this way. </div><div><br /></div><div>Potential jurors would be slected to appear before the judge in a random order of selection. As each potential juror appeared before the judge, the judge would look through their questionnaire to see if there was any significant reason they should not be involved in the case (the more detail we provided in the questionnaire, the fewer questions the judge would need to ask which would then be public to the lawyers and accused). If the judge thought they were fit to serve, the person would be asked a series of questions by the judge (to check for bias) and then each of the lawyers had the opportunity to choose to reject or accept the juror. This would continue until 12 people were chosen for the jury (along with 2 alternates). </div><div><br /></div><div>After convening for lunch, we returned to select the order in which people would appear before the judge for selection. People's juror numbers were chosen randomly. When the person came forward to get in line, their profession was announced (I was the only pastor in the first 60 people chosen). I was chosen 46, so I figured my chances of being chosen were about 20 percent. </div><div>I spent the afternoon waiting again in a small courtroom with about 30 others (and wondered a bit about the inefficiency of the system). About 40 potential jurors went before the judge before finding enough people to serve. Those of us not chosen were then released around 4:30 and could go home, free from being called to jury duty for the next 3 years. </div><div><br /></div><div>I left, mostly thankful at being released, as it would have been an emotionally exhausting experience. But it was also a bit disconcerting and tiring: after a day of waiting and uncertainty and trying to open oneself up to the possibility of having to serve in this way, I had to let go of all those emotions and possibilities and return to regular life. </div>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-36754599615083843052023-03-21T19:36:00.008+01:002023-03-22T18:34:31.636+01:00Reading Ezekiel 16 and 23 in the Red Light District<p></p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><i>A variation of the following was publ</i><i>ished in <u>Global perspectives on the Old Testament</u> (2014), edited by Mark Roncace.</i></span></p><p></p><p>
</p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Calling
someone a prostitute is generally considered a great insult. In
Ezekiel 16 and 23, however, Jerusalem is called more than a whore:
she is considered to be worse than a prostitute as she scorns
payments and bribes her lovers to come to her. Furthermore, the
descriptions of her prostituting would make many readers blush. The
prostitution of Jerusalem is clearly shown in the text to be a
metaphor for Jerusalem’s chasing after other gods, but that hardly
abates the prostitution motif. The question asked here is whether a
fuller understanding of prostitution as a social phenomenon affects
how the reader understands these texts.</span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span> When
I moved to the Red Light District in Amsterdam a number of years ago,
I was immediately confronted with women behind the windows who were
selling sex. Wanting to know and understand these new neighbors of
mine, I read studies on prostitution, read prostitutes’ own
stories, and even had short conversations with the women as I helped
bring coffee with the Salvation Army. I also tried to </span><span><i>see</i></span><span>
my neighbors: from the skinny young blond model type to the Eastern
European with limited Dutch knowledge to the grandmotherly types who
seemed like they’d be more at home entertaining in the kitchen. It
soon became clear to me that prostitution is complicated, just like
the text of Ezekiel. </span>
</span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span> Based
on its use in Ezekiel 16 and 23 it would appear that to act as a
prostitute is unambiguously wrong and deserving of punishment, even
death (cf. also Deuteronomy 22:21). However, the stories of
prostitutes named in the Bible paint a different picture: Tamar was
declared righteous (Genesis 38), Rahab was the only one rescued from
Jericho (Joshua 6), and Gomer was bought back as Hosea’s wife
(Hosea 2:5). Prostitution in the Bible, then, like the phenomenon of
prostitution in society, is not simply seen as all bad. </span>
</span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span> Those
working behind the windows in Amsterdam perceive their prostituting
themselves in various ways: a necessary evil, an interesting and even
enjoyable job, or one’s worst nightmare come true. For some,
prostitution is seen as the only option (whether by force or general
circumstances) and for others, prostitution is hardly their only
option but the one they still choose because of the opportunities it
presents. The description of Jerusalem and Samaria in Ezekiel 16 and
23 falls into this latter category, what is sometimes referred to as
the “happy hooker.” In such an understanding of prostitution, the
person is so infatuated with sex that prostitution would be
considered the “ideal” and he/she could not imagine doing or
wanting anything else. Jerusalem fits this category through her
longing after foreign men, bribing them to come to her. Yet,
describing Jerusalem as happy in her prostitution is going too far:
she is constantly thirsting for more and despises the men after she
has been defiled by them. The judgment depicted in the text—that of
being stripped bare and stoned—further clarifies that, irrelevant
of any claims made about Jerusalem’s willful intention in
prostituting herself, she experiences too many “bad tricks” for
her to be described as a happy hooker. </span>
</span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span> The
other extreme is to see the prostitute as being inherently a
victim—no one could willingly choose to have one’s body used by
so many different men. Human trafficking, pimps, and </span><span><i>loverboys</i></span><span>
have most likely forced and sometimes brainwashed the women into
selling their bodies. Abuse, lack of self-worth, political unrest,
addictions, and/or a love of money push women into prostitution. Seen
in this way, Jerusalem and Samaria would be understood as having been
brainwashed by these other gods: these are </span><span><i>loverboys</i></span><span>
who had promised her their love, but ultimately just abused her and
pushed her into turning to even more gods. This understanding clearly
shows Jerusalem’s need to be rescued by God; yet, it seems
difficult not to hold Jerusalem responsible, since her blatant guilt
is one of the main points of these chapters.</span></span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Very
few prostitutes fall into either extreme: For many, prostitution is
seen as a means to an end. While few of them would consider
prostitution an ideal job, they have made some choice in either
becoming or staying prostitutes, even if leaving is exceptionally
difficult. Few would argue that prostitution is healthy or good for
them; it is harmful for their body, it messes with one’s emotions,
and it is often demeaning. Yet, few are rushing to leave the life:
the money is too good, the other options are lousy, and this is the
life they know. It is in this context—the complicated reality of
prostitution—that one can better understand Ezekiel 16 and 23. As
despicable as the description of her actions is, Jerusalem cannot be
simply despised and dismissed as a deviant woman. Rather, she is a
complex character in a messy and complicated world, much like each of
us and much like the women in the Red Light District. To some degree,
Jerusalem was lured into prostituting herself by the other gods,
unaware of the dire consequences, and she became a victim of her own
bad choices. The text depicting her story is intended to shock the
reader; the shock is even greater when we realize that we are being
asked to identify ourselves as the prostitute in the story, as people
who also whore after other gods. This identification allows us to
turn away from condemnation and toward hope for restoration for both
Jerusalem and ourselves. Jerusalem and Samaria have been promised
that their fortunes will be restored in order that they, and those
who identify with them, might remember and be ashamed.</span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> In
the years that I have lived in the Red Light District, one specific
topic of conversation stands out. Visiting the women with a cup of
coffee often leads to simple conversations about the weather,
business being bad, children, and house pets—fascinating
conversations, but it is not always easy to sense that the regular
visits serve any kind of pastoral function. Yet, when a person
decides to leave the work, then no matter how short or mundane the
conversations previously were, there is no holding back in sharing
this good news. There is a great joy in finally leaving—not only
having survived the physical and emotional dangers of the work, but
also anticipating the start of a new and different life. It is that
joy and wonder that is missing from these chapters in Ezekiel; that
part of the restoration comes only later in the biblical narrative.</span></p><p></p>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-64973745961213373272023-02-15T17:58:00.003+01:002023-03-21T19:30:26.083+01:00Preaching while FemaleAs a campus minister, I don't preach that often. Yet when I do preach, I travel around to different locations. This can provide several challenges as Beth Carroll describes in this article: <a href="https://network.crcna.org/topic/leadership/women-leadership/no-shoes-no-pants-no-service">No Shoes, No Pants, No Service</a> <div><br /></div><div>People aren't always sure what to do with the fact that I have long hair and choose to preach in a dress or a skirt. The sound person that I work with is usually male, and they're not sure what to do if the headphone set gets stuck in my hair (because I didn't think about putting it up). Most are thankful when I remember to wear a dress with a belt, on which the microphone pack can then hang. Others are grateful that I'm okay with a standing microphone instead of risking a 'wardrobe malfunction' because the weight of the microphone pack might be a bit much for the skirt I chose to wear that day. </div><div><br /></div><div>But other than the awkwardness of getting me set up to preach, I've rarely had people comment on what I've worn. I'm thankful that I can choose to preach in clothes that feel comfortable while also appropriately dressy for the context to which I'm preaching. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't want my clothes to get in the way of people hearing the message I believe the Holy Spirit has invited me to share with the church. At the same time, while I want to be respectful in how I dress, I also do not wish to hide the female body that played a role in my receiving and preparing the message. I certainly do not wish to be a distraction, but I also believe that hiding my body by conforming to a male-dominated standard and expectations is also an unhelpful distraction from how God speaks in and through different genders.</div>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-56940827357926702912023-01-02T22:16:00.005+01:002023-01-02T22:16:30.374+01:00Welcoming the new year with messy church<p>We welcomed the new year with my preaching on January 1st in my home church. While I'm not entirely sure if wrestling with a sermon is the best way for me to spend my last day of the year, I was thankful for yesterday's service and getting to preach. </p><p>But I was also thankful that it was a bit messy, as that feels more true to who we are and what life has looked like these past few years. After all, we started off last year with most things closed down (again). And it feels like God meets us more in messiness than when we have our act together. After all, it is often only when I recognize my inability to do things on my own that I realize how much I need God to intervene, not only in and because of my failures, but also in every aspect of daily life.</p><p>And so I pray that my coughing at the end of the service didn't get in the way. Whether that be out of concern for how I was doing, as I struggled to stop coughing and finish the service, or whether it made others anxious that I was sick and potentially making others sick. Or even out of my own sadness that I coughed after taking the communion bread, as that association feels wrong (even if I realize that God is not always as digestible as we'd like God to be!)</p><p>And I give thanks for the second chair on the stage behind the pulpit and my child's enthusiasm in joining me there. And thanks that I belong to a church where she has been welcomed with joy so that I feel most people would be more delighted to see her up front than be distracted by how much she moves around. Next time, though, I'll make sure that she leaves the stage before I start preaching. Near the middle of my sermon, I felt her crawling by my feet and making herself comfortable under the pulpit (which is thankfully closed and actually a pretty cosy space for a child). Other than being a bit surprised, it wasn't that distracting for me (although I can imagine it might have caused some suspense to those watching me). </p><p>One of the main messages of my sermon is that we are welcomed as God's people, that we are seen and loved, not just when we have our act together, but also in the foolishness and messiness of our real lives (see <a href="http://crc.sa.utoronto.ca/2022/09/the-wild-god-who-sees-me-a-sermon-on-genesis-16/">here</a> for an earlier variation of the sermon). I find it a bit ironic (although fitting) that my leading the service got to be an illustration of that message. </p>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-69779095997367299012022-02-16T16:47:00.005+01:002022-02-16T16:47:48.102+01:00The messiness of marriage and parenthood<span style="font-family: inherit;">Valentine's Day brought with it cards, cake, candy, and tulips. It also brought declarations of love from my four-year-old and my own thankfulness for all of the morning coffees (and accompanying snack) that Matthijs has brought me on all these days I've worked from home during the pandemic. </span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even as I am deeply thankful for my marriage and parenthood, I also recognize that<a href="https://mbird.com/everyday/the-moms-are-still-not-alright/"> parenthood is hard</a>. So is marriage. I laughed aloud at the following description that Stephanie Phillips <a href="https://mbird.com/social-science/relationships/my-favorite-trap-thoughts-on-foreverland/">wrote about her own relationship</a>:</span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20;">My pronouncements of [my future husband's] perfection stretched far and wide, or at least to my meager blog audience, who were treated to glowing stories about his strength of character and witty repartee. The way I saw it, he had saved me from (shudder) a life of singleness as one of New York City’s resident Cat Ladies.</span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then we got married, and had kids, and now those cats don’t sound so bad."</span></span></p></blockquote><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #231f20; line-height: 42px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a season when we've spent a bit too much time together and I sometimes desperately just want time alone, those words resonate me. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yet, I'm also thankful that not only do I still have the cat (who follows me around the house, acting as my personal heater in my cold basement office), but I have a family who patiently allows me space to struggle through the challenges of being human and grace for me as I learn better how to love them and extend them the same grace they extend me. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Phillips describes her own coming to terms with the messy reality of marriage in the following way: </span></div><blockquote><p>"Some readers (and reviewers) — most, if you read the comments section of that review — would be more comfortable with the fairy-tale version of marriage that we believed in when we were kids; the one I unwittingly expected when my own knight showed up to rescue me from spinsterhood. But at some point (usually around the first time one of you farts, or during a sleepless night full of infant screams and threats of murder), the wheels do come off, which is to say that you actually begin to see each other. All of each other. This is when grace enters the picture, because sticking around becomes a choice when both of your flaws show in the marked relief of everyday light. Which feels reminiscent of another kind of love I know.<br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Sometimes you fear possibility itself: the possibility of growing into something more expansive and generous than you are now, growing into a shape that might look ugly from the outside but feels beautiful from the inside,” writes Havrilesky, who is describing marital love but could be documenting my own interaction with God’s grace over the years."</span></span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #231f20;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>For more of Phillips' words about marriage in response to Havrilesky's recent memoir, follow this <a href="https://mbird.com/social-science/relationships/my-favorite-trap-thoughts-on-foreverland/">link</a>.</i></span></div>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-42258498884825160492022-01-06T20:23:00.004+01:002022-01-10T19:22:54.702+01:00Presumed covid<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While pandemic life has always been a bit uncertain, it feels like we've reached a new level in our house this week. <span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyone living in Ontario with covid symptoms this last week (and trying to figure out </span><a href="https://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/publichealth/coronavirus/docs/contact_mngmt/management_cases_contacts_omicron.pdf">the new PCR testing regulations</a><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">) can probably relate to our family's conversations: so I think the little has covid? so we should probably isolate, right? should we use one of our last rapid tests on her (and if so, swab throat or nose)? </span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">We can't actually get a PCR test for her. We do have 2 rapid tests left - and used one to get a negative result on Sunday (when we first heard her cough and we wanted to be safe in leaving the house), but is it worth trying again? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The same document tells us that if you're not eligible for testing, then "if you have any of the symptoms listed below, the individual is
presumed to have COVID-19 infection and is advised to self-isolate." And yes, the little has had a few symptoms: a nasty cough, some chills, a runny nose, extra fatigue, and even some shortness of breath a few days ago. Even if it's not covid, whatever she has is unpleasant and shouldn't be passed on to others. (Matthijs and I thankfully haven't gotten what she has). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">As for how much it matters - well, there are now new regulations for isolation: "If the individual is fully vaccinated OR is a child under the age of 12
years old, they should self-isolate for at least 5 days from symptom
onset AND until their symptoms have been improving for 24 hours, whichever is longer in
duration." Unfortunately, we didn't realize we all should have started isolating sooner - because we're still adjusting to the new rules - but tomorrow will be day 5. On top of that, our one housemate is mostly managing the inconvenience of staying out of contact with us (and the other has yet to return), and the little is slowly getting better. She's well enough now to enjoy being sick and so she fake coughs every time we ask her if she's getting better - so that she can avoid school and stay in her pyjamas all day. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">So I presume everything is okay and we're doing the best we can with the information we have - but I think I'd still like to know. Perhaps because I have a lingering sense of getting covid as being connected to some moral failure (<a href="https://mbird.com/holidays/a-very-covid-christmas/">even though I know that's wrong</a>). Or perhaps simply because I'm tired of trying to make the best decisions when I don't feel like I know enough.</span></p>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-5095660862972038032022-01-03T21:05:00.002+01:002022-01-03T21:05:38.565+01:00Strength for the ordinary<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWAe4qcvteag4c4iwaPaLhoLmwaFCWT5ks9WyaNLf4HvJGzpeXePx6bO1mwNKPoeNflAgwv7UUl6FyITAzQmVM09Ev7L8d7kxbO0_qn3YUwsIMkbv96m92Da67VOv8wzWc89R9E-6cExQUTsLQZ5Z4GY3pL2KpRvdwP0PFGCXINQIkGxp2lQ=s2813" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="2813" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWAe4qcvteag4c4iwaPaLhoLmwaFCWT5ks9WyaNLf4HvJGzpeXePx6bO1mwNKPoeNflAgwv7UUl6FyITAzQmVM09Ev7L8d7kxbO0_qn3YUwsIMkbv96m92Da67VOv8wzWc89R9E-6cExQUTsLQZ5Z4GY3pL2KpRvdwP0PFGCXINQIkGxp2lQ=w320-h209" width="320" /></a></div>As we face another January that is shaped by a pandemic and pivoting, my prayer is that I would be able to trust that God would give us enough strength and hope in all of it - and that I might see the joys of the world around me, even if it's only the proud exclamations of my child's colouring of a Paw Patrol character (or a lunch picnic in her bedroom). <p></p><p>A poem by Lisa Rieck about Mary's response to the angel's news, posted at<a href="https://thewell.intervarsity.org/arts-books-media/after-angel"> InterVarsity's Well</a>, resonated with me - about the challenges of living into what we are being asked to do. I can be filled with<span style="font-family: inherit;"> adrenaline for a new challenge, but it's a lot harder to actually follow through with a project and to keep my heart open to hope and love.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The following is an excerpt:</span></p><blockquote><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"In that moment, </span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">our holiness soars to its feet, ready to </span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">greet whatever epic task was just passed to us.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s the next moments that matter...</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">when no one knows what to say to a girl who</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">claims her seeming disgrace is actually </span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">good news of grace for the world.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope then that I will still </span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">be the Lord’s servant, opening </span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">my hands to welcome, like a </span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">womb, the Word that is being fulfilled."<span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></span></div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;">Lisa Rieck </span></div></blockquote><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I encourage you to read the full poem<a href="https://thewell.intervarsity.org/arts-books-media/after-angel"> here</a>.</span></p>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-33296260958271690062021-10-14T17:30:00.001+02:002021-10-14T17:30:00.220+02:00Chaos until Thanksgiving<p>Every job has its seasons of chaos and calm. With campus ministry, summer is usually a time of calm, while September is chaos. The pandemic has only increased the chaos for <a href="http://crc.sa.utoronto.ca/">us</a>, as we've been figuring out how to gather safely in-person. </p><p>One of my campus ministry colleagues would argue that things should shift around Thanksgiving. Before then, our lives and ministry could be chaos. We should expect to be busy with organizing and meeting. With the beginning of the year, we should expect extra hours and extra chaos. But it should always be something temporary. Experience had taught us that (Canadian) Thanksgiving was a reasonable date to shift away from the mindset that overwork is normal. Instead, we should be paying attention to re-creating sustainable rhythms and to rest enough. by doing that, we are more able to be present for those coming to us, to be able to imagine and wonder what God might be asking for us, and to have the energy to deal with the inevitable (and temporary) crises that will still come up. </p><p>I'm so thankful we've reached Thanksgiving. I'm ready for more sustainable rhythms and more wondering.</p>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-53589304233139060532021-10-13T03:15:00.000+02:002021-10-13T03:15:13.982+02:00Sharing my work with my family<p>Several weeks ago, I helped host a breakfast in honour of our re-starting <a href="http://crc.sa.utoronto.ca/wine-before-breakfast/">Wine Before Breakfast</a> in person again. I got up early, packed up my things, and left Lydia behind with Matthijs. </p><p>The next week we hosted our Wine Before Breakfast service online. I got up early and started to go downstairs. Lydia heard me, demanded to know where I was going, and insisted on coming with me. She was not going to be left out again! The next week was a repeat of the same. </p><p>The following week we met in person. We weren't sure what to expect, and once again Lydia was left behind. She was not impressed. We promised her that if she woke up early enough, she could come with me this week. </p><p>Matthijs and I woke up this morning, got ready, and were seated at breakfast, when I heard footsteps in the hallway upstairs. The footsteps went into our room to see if we were there, and then started running to go downstairs. When Lydia was at the top of the stairs, I told her: you made it! After getting her ready, Lydia and I left only a bit late (thankfully I have a fantastic team who can handle that). </p><p>Lydia got to put out the bulletins and then gladly claimed the children's corner at <a href="https://theredeemer.ca/">Church of the Redeemer.</a> She let me know that she'd join the rest of us when the singing started. She spent the service moving between the children's corner, dancing some, and hanging out with Matthijs or me (including when I was leading). And she got to have communion with us - Jesus' bread, as we call it. And then it was off to school.</p><p>My daughter loves being included in what we do. But today I think I delighted even more than she did with her and Matthijs being present. While she has had brief glimpses of my work through joining us briefly via Zoom, it has only been in the last month or so that she and Matthijs have gotten to participate in a Wine Before Breakfast service or meet 'my people' at our graduate group. </p><p>As Matthijs has been such a supporter of what I do, it has been strange for him to be so distant. I am thankful that this is changing and for the images I am given of these changes: Lydia's solemn face in taking communion, as well as her joining us in singing Taize music. </p>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-46697563565813546282021-09-27T15:49:00.004+02:002021-09-27T15:49:20.210+02:00a day of small joys<div>Saturday we slept in and spent the day doing small things, good things that needed doing, but nothing overly urgent.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAblvvVNsuYC2q6attNTmq4GB7bAZpekF159E00jodaSVQ6t-wnk4HIfHO2gSc7oO5QDuvaKSftE7PObKlmiddCOBSqENDuLhzd5hUP7GUTpzg8cG-FzI66tZmCf1gX6E8jqb/w225-h400/1632621347013653-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="225" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthijs and Lydia working at the kitchen table.</td></tr></tbody></table>Matthijs fixed my bike tire, and Lydia got a new bike bell. I did the laundry and reviewed a <a href="https://us15.campaign-archive.com/?u=a59241441ce087e809e2e27d8&id=dc18e9359d">mass email for work</a> before sending it out. We now have clean bathrooms. </div><div><br /></div><div>I went to my local library for children's books, my corner fruit store for grape tomatoes, and the local grocery store for bread. We made potato salad and fruit salad (from the mangoes and bananas we'd also picked up - and taught the little that tomatoes don't belong in a fruit salad). We had good conversation at dinner (again).</div><div><br /></div>In a season that continues to be challenging, days filled with small joys are a gift. I'm thankful that we've had more such days this past month, and for how God is using them to restore my soul.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5FzeYGnb3i1Y4umnXqOx1IsDyjOoTXUhlKe2RP_B7ou0wjV3P_8QjVY0dUZI243BdOFl6CefQ-Uee9WFeWPXQsVFNSgKg2tpV9BLTkXw4B0IZj6m0nLSwTpNWN97lX7x2s4Q/w225-h400/1632621342720157-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="225" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Admiring Pandaland, which I'd bumped into while walking the neighbourhood.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-74431349881509577852021-02-10T18:21:00.001+01:002021-02-10T18:21:01.080+01:00Learning to live with myself - and accepting grace<p><span style="font-size: small;">Last week Friday I managed to get my email inbox down to 13 emails, which seems like a success. It's been months since my inbox has been so low, what with the chaos of starting a new job, moving, and the general challenges of life during a pandemic. Getting my inbox down to a manageable level gives me the sense of control over my life. Yet, the control was a bit of an illusion, as I'd been using my inbox as a good excuse to not work on writing my sermon. </span></p><div class="gmail_default">When I was in college, my house was always cleanest around exam time. By doing something else good, I could make myself feel better about not doing what I actually should be doing. One would hope, twenty years later, that I should be beyond that. In reality, I've simply shifted around what needs doing and the 'good' thing that I can do to avoid that.</div><div class="gmail_default"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default">I feel like learning to come to terms with ourselves - all of our quirks and needs, talents and skills - is something that we continue to struggle with, even as we grow older and hopefully wiser. This past week this struggle came out when faced with the daunting task of wrestling with a text and wondering what the Spirit would have me say. Is working through my email a good thing, something I can do to get an illusion of control, a sense of accomplishment, or even some tiredness so that I no longer fight to avoid doing what I really ought to be doing? Yes. no. maybe. It all depends on the day. </div><div class="gmail_default"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default">As I get older, I can recognize that I can either choose to be frequently frustrated with who I am and how I act, or I can choose God's grace. </div><div class="gmail_default">Grace to accept who I am and my difficulties to stay on task. </div><div class="gmail_default">Grace to accept how much I like being in control and feeling productive (and that this is ultimately an illusion). </div><div class="gmail_default">Grace to see what I do as sin and name it as such - so that I can stop trying to fix myself on my own but accept my need for the Spirit to show up and work in and despite me. </div><div class="gmail_default"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default">As I learn to accept myself and accept grace in the middle of that, it also allows me to rejoice more easily in the good that comes out of who I am, including my tendency to procrastination. Like being thankful for getting through emails I was behind on (and thanks, too, that the sermon did get done). And I can be delighted by how the Spirit shows up in surprising ways, like how I read last week's reflection from First CRC when I was trying to figure out how I was going to be present at our ministry's silent retreat while also being present for my small daughter. The email showed me a way that I could be creative and delight in both the nature surrounding my new house and in my daughter's joy in doing an art project with me. The results, including the joyful daughter, are in the picture below.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eG2tJlRLj8jZTVI6vCkaRMMsdyEgJeQJyEgIyQMRyiYxDNMBoSwiTCkd145JAF4A49eB_v_4U4Y68zj2cFlBhMG2TC8YYxq-KQaFmjipesstcyNGqwfZ1Iqdr1cQ-2YinrhK/s3264/20210207_120534_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eG2tJlRLj8jZTVI6vCkaRMMsdyEgJeQJyEgIyQMRyiYxDNMBoSwiTCkd145JAF4A49eB_v_4U4Y68zj2cFlBhMG2TC8YYxq-KQaFmjipesstcyNGqwfZ1Iqdr1cQ-2YinrhK/s320/20210207_120534_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-16085655885322863472021-01-06T16:54:00.001+01:002021-01-06T16:54:01.575+01:00Prayer connected to Amos 9<i>The following prayer for a service on Amos 9 was written for Wine Before Breakfast in the fall. Along with allusions to Amos 9, it also contains allusions to Amos 7 and 8, as well as Psalm 139. <br /></i><br /> Gracious God,<br />You who control hurricanes and earthquakes, ,<br />Have power over the wind and the storm. <br /><br /><div>Where can we go from your presence? <br />‘Though we hide from your sight <br />at the bottom of the sea, <br />You will search us out.’<br /><br /><b>‘The wings of the morning <br />and the farthest limits of the sea’<br />Even there we cannot flee <br />from Your presence. </b><br /><br />Such power is too wonderful for me. <br /><br />How do we reconcile that no one <br />can hide from you?<br />None can hide<br />from the fierce love of a mother,<br />From the power that can leave a trail<br />like that of the wake of a hurricane. <br /><br /><b>Too often our images of You are incomplete:<br /><br />We picture a loving friend-God <br />Who seems unaware of injustice,<br />Or an angry king-God, <br />Who seems bent on judgement.<br /></b><br />How do we see the fullness of who You are?<br />How do we be honest about Your anger<br />and passion for justice,<br />while still resting in your grace?<br /><br />We thus pray for the church <br />and how we proclaim who You are,<br />We lament especially how people have been harmed <br />when your image has been distorted<br />by proclaiming only one side of who you are.<br /><br /><i>[Silent, spoken, and written prayers for the church and for those you have been hurt by distorted images of God.]<br /></i><br />All-powerful God, <br />‘You who build your upper chambers in the heavens,<br /> and found your vault upon the earth;<br /> You who call for the waters of the sea,<br /> and pour them out upon the surface of the earth—<br /> the Lord Almighty is your name.’<br /><br /><b>You punish those who turn their backs on justice,<br />who reject their identities as divine image-bearers;<br />You call for justice to flow down like waters.<br />So why then does injustice seem to thrive? <br /></b><br />The poor are still bought for silver<br />and the needy for a pair of sandals.<br />So many goods are produced by those not earning a living wage.<br />The land is exploited, <br />a continuation of treaties that took advantage of others. <br /><br />We lament the injustice in the world<br />and the suffering of those around us.<br /><br /><i> [Silent, spoken, and written prayers of lament for the suffering and injustices in the world]. <br /></i><br />God of all justice,<br />Protect us from your anger. <br />Fix your eyes on us for good <br />and not for harm.<br /><br /><b>We confess for how <br />we’ve participated in the wrong around us.<br />We’ve had a part in the fires raging in the world.<br />We have made it hard for others to breathe.<br /><br /></b>Distracted by social media and the news,<br />caught up in our work and worries.<br />Attracted to images of strength<br />instead of humility and truth.<br />We suffer a famine of ‘hearing the words of the LORD.’<br /><br /><i>[Silent, spoken, and written prayers of confession]<br /></i><br />God of all hope, <br />May we see that you relent <br />not because of who we are <br />– and whether we are good enough - <br />But because of who you are.<br /><br />Give us eyes to imagine a different story.<br />To see how your might <br />shapes a new world. <br /><br /><b>May we see how you care for all people.<br />That we, who are not the chosen people,<br />who were not the first people -<br />But instead are the Ethiopians,<br />the settlers and colonizers - <br />That you would care as much for us <br />as for any other.<br /></b><br />Recognizing the great gift of being included,<br />We lament all those who continue to be marginalized<br />and also give thanks for how you have included all of us.<br /><br /><i>[Silent, spoken, and written words of thanksgiving] </i><br /><br />Gracious God,<br />Even as we long to hear <br />and speak words for restoration, <br />may we never stop mourning the suffering of the world.<br /><br /><b>May your presence inspire comfort and not fear. <br />May we look for how You are working in the world. <br />May we see justice rolling down like rivers. <br /><br /> Amen.<br /><br /></b> <br /><br /> <p></p></div>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-63196608126856287512021-01-02T23:26:00.004+01:002021-01-02T23:26:51.313+01:00Lab Girl (2016) - insight into the life of an academic in the sciences<p>I found <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25733983-lab-girl"><i>Lab Girl </i>(by Hope Jahren)</a> helpful for understanding the experience of academics in the sciences, both graduate students and faculty, especially those involved in labs. I wasn't sure, though, what to make of the interspersed chapters on plant biology, as fascinating as they were. They did provide a metaphor for understanding the rest of the book: “People are like plants: they grow toward the light. I chose science because science gave me what I needed – a home as defined in the most literal sense: a safe place to be.” (18)</p><p>At times, though, these interspersed chapters on biology felt like they got in the way of the story I wanted to hear more about, even as much as Jahren's telling us of the biology of trees is as much a part of her story as all the (mis)adventures that she had. Her story was unique: “there’s still no journal where I can tell the story of how my science is done with both the heart and the hands.” (20) Nor can she speak fully of all the non-successes that obviously don’t make it into journals. Instead she notes that “I have become proficient at producing a rare species of prose capable of distilling ten years of work by five people into six published pages, written in a language that very few people can read and that no one ever speaks. This writing relates the details of my work with the precision of a laser scalpel, but its streamlined beauty is a type of artifice, a size-zero mannequin designed to showcase the glory of a dress that would be much less perfect on a real person.” (20)</p><p>The book was also helpful in providing insights into some of the unseen challenges of academic, especially that of science professors (and those who direct labs). She notes how, while we might expect knowledge and research to be the hardest questions that scientists face, funding is actually the biggest stress:</p><blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>"Next time you meet a science professor, ask her if she ever worries that her findings might be wrong. If she worries that she chose an impossible problem to study, or that she overlooked some important evidence along the way. If she worries that one of the many roads not taken was perhaps the road to the right answer that she’s still looking for. Ask a science professor what she worries about. It won’t take long. She’ll look you in the eye and say one word: “Money.” " (124-5)</p></blockquote><p>She also talks about the challenges and loneliness that she experienced, particularly as a female in her profession. Despite being someone who won some prominent awards (and was on the tenure track at 26 already!), funding was a significant problem for at least ten years. She also speaks about being taken advantage of by another lab in the building, of being yelled at a conference presentation, of being ignored socially at conferences by the senior scientists in her field. She also notes about how hard when her life went against a lot of societal norms, especially what is expected of females: </p><blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>“I didn’t know if I was crying because I was nobody’s wife or mother – or because I felt like nobody’s daughter – or because of the beauty of that single perfect line on the readout. I had worked and waited for this day. In solving this mystery I had also proved something, at least to myself, and I finally knew what real research would feel like. But as satisfying as it was, it still stands out as one of the loneliest moments of my life. On some deep level, the realization that I could do good science was accompanied by the knowledge that I had formally and terminally missed my chance to become like any of the women that I had ever known. In the years to come, I would create a new sort of normal for myself within my own laboratory. I would have a brother close than any of my siblings, someone I could call any hour of the day or night. . . I would nurture a new generation of students, some of whom were just hungry for attention, and a very few who would live up to the potential that I saw in them.” (71-2). </p></blockquote><p>Despite all the challenges, there is a lot of hope in the book: the community that she builds, the grace and acceptance that she presents, and the quiet presence of God:</p><p><!-- wp:paragraph -->
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<!-- /wp:quote --></p><blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>“My lab is a place where my guilt over what I haven’t done is supplanted by all the things that I am getting done. . . My lab is a place where I can be the child that I still am. . . . My laboratory is like a church because it is where I figure out what I believe. The machines drone a gathering hymn as I enter. I know whom I’ll probably see, and I know how they’ll probably act. I know there’ll be silence; I know there’ll be music, a time to greet my friends, and a time to leave others to their contemplation. There are rituals that I follow, some I understand and some I don’t. . . And, just like church, because I grew up in it, it is not something from which I can ever really walk away.” (19)</p></blockquote>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-30150717921286578222020-12-31T02:35:00.001+01:002020-12-31T02:35:00.406+01:00The Spirit will show us truthI love how Chong, in his Banner article, <a href="https://www.thebanner.org/columns/2020/12/truth-will-win">Truth Will Win </a>describes his experience hosting a "no-topic-is-taboo discussion for students, which sounds a lot like the hopes we had at <a href="https://campusedgemsu.com/2020/01/28/pub-theology-as-an-opportunity-to-explore/">Campus Edge for Pub Theology</a>: <br /><div><blockquote>"Everyone had a fair voice in this forum. It was dialogue, not debate. I didn’t allow any harsh words or tones. I had a number of non-Christians, even ex-Christians, who not only kept returning every week but invited their non-Christian friends to attend. </blockquote><blockquote><b>Rather than controlling the discussion, I trusted in the Holy Spirit’s guidance that the biblical truths shared would take root in the midst of other views.</b> Sure, some of the opinions shared made me cringe. But I trusted that God’s truth would resonate more with people in the end. The Christians grew in their faith because they learned to answer for their beliefs. The non-Christians learned more about Christianity and the Bible in a safe, non-threatening, and uncensored environment."</blockquote><p>There is much hope in trusting that the Spirit will convict people of truth. I can trust that the Spirit will use my efforts (and that of others) to share who God is with others, but I can also trust that God will also help me see where my understandings are incomplete. </p></div>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-45649299875347210122020-12-29T22:26:00.002+01:002020-12-29T22:26:22.846+01:00Called to find God's presence in our actual lives<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I found Tish Harrison Warren's recent article in <i>Christianity Today</i>, "<a href="https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/november-web-only/coronavirus-pandemic-parenting-motherhood-god-calls-life.html">As a Pandemic Parent, God Calls Me to This Loud and Lonely Life | Christianity Today</a>, to be both encouraging and challenging as she invites us to look for God in our lives today.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Warren shares how Nouwen retells, in <span class="citation" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Genesee Diary, </span></span>how he longs for God to show up </p><blockquote><p>“in such an intensive and convincing way” that Nouwen would let go of his idols and commit himself unconditionally to God. In response, the abbot is neither surprised nor impressed. “You want God to appear to you in the way your passions desire,” he says, “but these passions make you blind to his presence now.” He calls Nouwen—and me—to find God’s presence in the only place where it can be found: in our actual lives."</p></blockquote><p>I find this challenging, because I find being present in my actual life hard at times. It's easier to imagine that - if only ' circumstances changed, I'd be able to be as holy and loving as I imagine I can be.</p><p>Yet, I also find it encour<span style="font-family: inherit;">aging because I find it comforting to know that I'm not alone in my spiritual 'fantasies.' I also find it encouraging to be reminded that I do not have to wait for </span>circumstances to be perfect to experience God's presence in my life. God is already here in the middle of my messy and imperfect life. </p><p>In fact, as Warren notes, my messy and complicated life is an invitation to a different kind of spiritual discipline: </p><blockquote><p>"Typically, when I forsake spiritual practices like silence or solitude, I tend to conceive of it as a failure of discipline—like skipping a workout and eating a pint of Ben & Jerry’s instead. But during Covidtide, having to frequently surrender these practices is its own kind of suffering. The call to notice God in the actual moment I’m in is therefore a call to meet him in suffering, however quotidian that pain may appear."</p></blockquote>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-18549458835202862932020-12-26T22:51:00.001+01:002020-12-26T22:58:58.761+01:00Jesus, wake up<p><i><br />The following is a sermon I preached earlier this month at <a href="http://crc.sa.utoronto.ca/wine-before-breakfast/">Wine Before Breakfast</a>.</i></p><p>Th<span style="background-color: white;">ese past few months I have deeply appreciated
the lyrics of the song “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKl2D35fyw4">Wake up Jesus</a>” by The Porter's Gate. The song stood out to me at first because Jesus in
the storm is one of my daughter’s favourite Jesus’ stories, but I have kept
listening to it as the words have resonated with how I feel this season. When I
look at the world around me – at the injustices we hear about and the suffering
connected to covid-19 – I feel as lost as Jesus’ disciples on the raging sea. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32UKKNhfey4rBWd699aEiw0jzoiRNzPY9-6VAXns9aEN7ygxXoecobzwpNcyaysCuJ8rmYlZOLnodbAHye0NiA_evgL54bnS3Gx8_3C44bIC0VGjtpTB0a-pIrvx_WN4snoOe/s357/icoon00130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32UKKNhfey4rBWd699aEiw0jzoiRNzPY9-6VAXns9aEN7ygxXoecobzwpNcyaysCuJ8rmYlZOLnodbAHye0NiA_evgL54bnS3Gx8_3C44bIC0VGjtpTB0a-pIrvx_WN4snoOe/w224-h320/icoon00130.jpg" width="224" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">And I wonder, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Jesus when are you going to wake up? </span><span style="background-color: white;">Don’t you care that we’re
drowning?</span><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">This song captures Advent, especially Advent this
year. </span><span style="background-color: white;">We are in the middle of a storm. Waves of anger
and hurt crash over us. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Polarization and frustration rain down us. The
wind blowing over us carries the cries of the downtrodden. Our boat has been
shaped by the systems of privilege that help some of us but do tremendous harm
to others of us.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">We’re sailing blind in the middle of that boat, not
sure if we should jump out or hold on. We catch glimpses of the suffering
around us: domestic abuse, gun violence, empty stomachs, discrimination. But we
also realize how little we see when most of our attention is focused on our own
feeble attempts at staying afloat.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br /><i><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">Jesus, wake up. Gracious God, do something.</span></i><br /><i><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">Come and heal this world.</span></i><br /><i><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">Don’t you care that we’re drowning here?</span></i><br /><i><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">Wake up already and calm this raging sea.</span></i><br /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br /><span style="background-color: white;">I find it easy to imagine the panic of the
disciples in the storm, as it echoes my own sense of being overwhelmed.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br /><span style="background-color: white;">When I tell this story to my small daughter, though,
her reaction is not that of being overwhelmed. Jesus in the storm is really one
of her favourite Jesus stories, and she interacts with and interprets the story
with the enthusiasm – and wisdom – of a 3-year-old.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br /><span style="background-color: white;">When I start talking about how the disciples are
panicking because of the wind and the waves and the rain, and they start
looking for Jesus to come fix things, I ask my daughter where Jesus is. And she
enthusiastically replies that Jesus is sleeping. Perhaps her enthusiasm is
because she recognizes the absurdity of the situation – that in the middle of
the raging sea Jesus is sleeping.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />But perhaps my daughter's answer is one of joy because she knows what comes next in the story. The disciples go to Jesus and tell him to Wake up. Jesus, Save us. Jesus, wake up. And sometimes my daughter lets me know that the disciples must have stolen Jesus’ blankets to help him wake up. And just like her Papa responds so well when you pull the blankets off him in the morning, Jesus must also have woken up. And when Jesus wakes up, he tells the wind, the waves, and the rain to stop. And they stop. And things are restored to the way they ought to be. <br /> <br />When I tell my daughter this story, I am struck by her complete and utter conviction of how things ought to be. Of course, Jesus will wake up. Of course, Jesus will fix things. Of course, Jesus can be asleep in the middle of chaos – because he sees and knows things that his disciples – and we – do not.<br /> <br />When I listen and read <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Mary’s song</a>, I hear that same conviction. The words Mary speaks are the words of someone who knows how the story ought to end. Mary knows the stories of God redeeming the people of Israel. She knows that the Messiah’s coming will change everything. She knows that God will keep the promises made long ago to the people of Israel.<br /><br />Because Mary knew these stories and knew she belonged to the Mighty God who does great things, she could sing this song, a song that was active resistance and fierce hope. Because as much as Mary’s song is a song of elation – of joy that the Messiah is coming and that she gets to play a part - it is also a song that is sung in a time when Mary’s words were not obvious – like us, Mary was living in a time when it wasn’t obvious how God was working.<br /><br />As much as Mary knew the stories of how God had acted in the past, she and her people were living in a time when God seemed silent. The great stories of Elijah and Hana were from the distant past. Despite the fiery message of the prophets, the people had gone into exile. While some returned, as the books of Ezra and Nehemiah tells us, it was only a small remnant. And after that came the Greeks, and then the Romans. Even Judas Maccabeus, who had looked like he might be able to rescue the Jewish people, was more than a hundred years in the past. <br /><br />Mary’s song is more powerful because of the context in which it is sung. She is singing out of the conviction of who God has been to the people of Israel and out of trust in the promises that God has made – and not primarily out of her current situation as a young woman whose people had not been free for centuries. <br /><br />Furthermore, Mary sings this song even though she does not yet know what will happen in her own future – she does not know if she will be rejected by Joseph and forced to raise her child alone, if she even survives childbirth. She didn’t yet know that Jesus would reject her one day or that she would witness the world’s rejection of him with his death on the cross. She did not know what would happen and yet, because of who she knew God to be – the Mighty One who does great things - because of this she declared that all people would one day call her blessed. <br /><br />It is one thing to sing this song of joy when all is well. It is another thing to sing these words about God’s mercy from generation to generation, words of how God has shown strength and scattered the proud – when you were still waiting for those to happen in your own life. Mary expected Jesus to be the answer. And he was and is, but perhaps not exactly the way Mary or even we expect.<br /><br />Because of Jesus, the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. (Matthew 11). Because of Jesus everything has changed. But the changes are not always how we want them to be. Jesus didn’t come as king into Jerusalem and conquer the Romans. Instead, his love and power were shown by his laying his life down. Even Mary’s song invites us into this revolutionary way of power and love – letting go of our own power, riches, and privilege so that we might be part of what Jesus started – a kingdom where all are welcomed, the silenced are given voices, the loud are invited to listen, and all have enough. <br /><br />Because of Jesus’ life and the Spirit’s working in this world for hundreds of years, we now know more than Mary did about how the Mighty God has done great things for all people. At the same time, we, like Mary, haven’t lived to the end of the story yet. We often feel like we are still in the middle of the storm waiting for Jesus to wake up, waiting for God to come and heal us and this world. <br /><br />In Advent, we name the difficulty of living in the middle of the storm, living in the middle of the story. As we celebrate Christmas, especially when we long for things to be different, we need to be reminded of the whole story – and that we, like Mary, can be certain of how the story ends. Mary’s song of active resistance and fierce hope is a reminder to us of how God has worked in the world and will continue to do so. <br /><br />By singing this song with her, we can find hope when all seems hopeless, courage enough to keep fighting the waves of injustice and despair around us, and strength to turn to each other and Jesus when the storm overwhelms us. <br /><br /><i>In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p>This has been cross-posted at the <a href="http://crc.sa.utoronto.ca/reflections/">CRC campus ministry website</a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p>
Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-61581932668223603612020-11-16T02:39:00.001+01:002020-11-16T02:39:04.594+01:00What can happen when you try to arrange things for GodOver a year ago, the main chaplain for the CRC campus ministry at the University of Toronto made known his plans to retire. As a fellow CRC campus minister, I'd become friends with some of the U of T staff team and hoped they'd find a new staff member who was a good fit for the ministry. And, because I'd like to see more female campus minister colleagues, I also thought it'd be great if they could find a female to take on the position. <div><br /></div><div>When it became known that the campus ministry was indeed looking for someone to fill the position full-time, I started reaching out to people who were qualified. I brainstormed with Sara, a friend of mine who used to work as part of the staff team in Toronto, about all of the qualified females we could ask, trying to help arrange things for God.</div><div><br /></div><div>And then in February this year, Sara and I were wondering again how we could help out the ministry (and God) with filling the position, and she suggested again that I apply. When she'd suggested this previously, my answer had always been a quick no, sometimes with a laugh at the absurdity of the idea. I loved my job in Lansing, and if we moved again, it would be back to Europe. </div><div><br /></div><div>But that February, when Sara asked again, what had once seemed an obvious 'no' felt differently. So I wondered if perhaps the Spirit was prodding me to look again - had God even been using my intense interest in arranging things for the ministry as a preparation for being open to the idea of applying to the position myself? But it still felt absurd to contemplate moving to Toronto, and so when I asked Matthijs about his thoughts about moving to Toronto, I assumed he'd respond negatively. But he was enthusiastic about the idea, and I had a stronger sense of what chaos God might be asking us to enter into these next few months. </div><div><br /></div><div>And then the pandemic hit, life turned chaotic, and I was in a position to provide needed encouragement and pastoral care to folks connected to Campus Edge as we navigated this new season. And still, sensing God's hand on the whole process (and with some extra help from Matthijs), I applied to the position at U of T. And the folks of U of T continued with the search and hiring someone. And I couldn't help but wonder what kind of idiot contemplates upheaving their life and moving jobs across a closed border in the middle of a pandemic! </div><div><br /></div><div>We are now in week two of self-isolation in Toronto, and as of tomorrow I am officially working full-time as a<a href="http://crc.sa.utoronto.ca/"> chaplain at the U of T</a> (I've been working part-time, gradually increasing my hours, since mid-August). I still feel like one does need to be slightly crazy to move countries and jobs in the middle of a pandemic. Or perhaps one simply has to have a strong sense that God is better at arranging things than I am: how else can I account for our selling our house, the tremendous help we had in finding housing here in Toronto (and how graciously we've been welcomed)?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQm-zcXYozQCSu0VWMMafEyvRK-vneWwpy6ttDwXxo1nCuk9iO9nDRcFmoycclQlPHuIJd7PWZJUVEpUdKSmQS-FP1RRfue_idyDyftiMjRc1alQPAJ2qnYDhOupjzShDFmv4/s3264/20201112_085811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQm-zcXYozQCSu0VWMMafEyvRK-vneWwpy6ttDwXxo1nCuk9iO9nDRcFmoycclQlPHuIJd7PWZJUVEpUdKSmQS-FP1RRfue_idyDyftiMjRc1alQPAJ2qnYDhOupjzShDFmv4/s320/20201112_085811.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running around in our new house</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnT17ivCoKqxOZnavaGlH7dNfV8M9hivkTF0MlgQxgbS6qV9ueWVAF6XsJNPNqpsoI_kKDA8dKZ_rMI8DCwciegsulj9F0BpGgrPWSSaY4R8WBCjT65g377EVgf3SUmdmo2ot/s3264/20201115_200624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnT17ivCoKqxOZnavaGlH7dNfV8M9hivkTF0MlgQxgbS6qV9ueWVAF6XsJNPNqpsoI_kKDA8dKZ_rMI8DCwciegsulj9F0BpGgrPWSSaY4R8WBCjT65g377EVgf3SUmdmo2ot/s320/20201115_200624.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making a bridge (and slide) with stuff loaned from a colleague for our 2-week mandatory quarantine<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </div>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-45735423447972623372020-08-25T14:51:00.002+02:002020-08-25T14:51:20.611+02:002 Kings 5 - when God shows up<p style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The
following is a sermon preached at <a href="https://campuschapel.org/">Campus Chapel</a> in Ann Arbor on August 25. The sermon is less exegetical and more of an interaction with the text of <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+kings+5&version=NRSV">2 Kings 5</a>.<a href="http://brendahey.blogspot.com/2020/04/2-kings-5-in-time-of-covid-19.html">
It started with a rumination on </a></span></i><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://brendahey.blogspot.com/2020/04/2-kings-5-in-time-of-covid-19.html">2 Kings 5:13</a> (“<span style="background: white; color: black;">But his servants approached and said to
him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would
you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be
clean’?””) and then moved gradually into exploring how God enters into our
lives.</span></span></i></span></p><p style="line-height: normal;"></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">If
we were asked to do something hard,</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">I
think most of us would do it with conviction. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Especially
if it meant saving someone’s life.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Yet,
when this all started back in March,</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">we
were asked to wash our hands umpteen times a day.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Singing
a song so we would wash long enough.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
then we were told to stay home to stay safe.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Where
are the heroics in that?</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">It
seemed so little. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
even almost cowardly. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">As
if we were afraid of illness and death. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">At
first, it seemed so little, </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
so I didn’t understand why I chafed,</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Why
was I protesting so strongly?</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Why
do I want to turn away in anger, like Naaman in 2 Kings 5?</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">If
I had been commanded something difficult, </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">would
I not have done it?</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">How
much more then, when only this little is being asked of me?</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Wash,
be clean, keep others clean.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
then the protests started.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Protesting
masks. Protesting injustice.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
I understood that the words, wash and be clean. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">Actually
meant so much more: </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Wash
away your ideas of control</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Let
go of your life as it used to be.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">For
Naaman, the command was an invitation.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">Humble
yourself, </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">wash
yourself in the river of this other country, </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">follow
the strange commands of this prophet and his God.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Let
go of your life as it used to be.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">Recognize
that all your best efforts cannot save you. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">God
alone does the impossible.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
we, we are invited to wash our hands, </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Let
go of our plans.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Recognize
how little control we have over the future.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">Deny
ourselves </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Trusting
that God can use our small efforts to save lives.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Be
baptized by the water</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">That
washed away our sins</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
also washes away our good desires</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">That
sometimes grow</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">As
unhealthy as the disease that covered Naaman’s skin.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Naaman
returns to the prophet healed.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">Deeply
thankful, </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">ready
to make a great sacrifice.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Except
he is not allowed to pay for the gift he received.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">A
reminder again</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">that
no matter how mighty we are</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">God
does not need our help.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">But
instead God invites us to keep asking. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">On
top of the healing,</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Naaman
asks for dirt.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Something
to take with him</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">So
that he can serve the God of Israel</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">While
not needing to give up everything in his life. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">An
ancient prototype of technology, you could say</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Allowing
Naaman to remain with those he cared about.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">While
continuing to be reminded of God’s gift</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
so live in thankfulness for the gift he received.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">Our
gifts today are internet and zoom, </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">Social
distancing and masks, </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Keeping
us connected to those we love</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">Allowing
us to keep coming together. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">As
we live into the rearrangement of our lives</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">That
began with a focus on washing our hands. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
as hard as this time has been, </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">The
story of Naaman speaks </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">to
how God enters into our lives.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Challenging
and shaping us.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Inviting
us to wash ourselves</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">Opening
ourselves up to God cleansing </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
healing us.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">Naaman’s
cleansing began with a stranger. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">A
foreign captive in Naaman’s house.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Who
spoke up and was heard</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Who
brought words of hope</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">A
promise of the impossible.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">In
a time when distancing makes helping hard</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">When
every other person I interact with</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">could
be a potential threat</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
even those I love </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Are
disrupting the order of my life.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">How
does one keep loving and listening? </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">When
I’ve spent so much of the last months</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">With
barely enough energy left over,</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">How
do I care for those who are part of my communities?</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">my
next door neighbors?</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Let
alone the foreigner and stranger</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">All
the potential threats. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">How
do I not become contaminated by this illness</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">that
spreads through being connected?</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">How
does my physical distance</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Not
become emotional and spiritual distance?</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">How
do I not become like the king who tore his robes:</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">How
dare you expect me to do something? </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">I
cannot heal others.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">But
to ask that is to blind myself to the truth</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">That
<b>God </b>is the one who heals.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">God
who has entered into our lives.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">God
among us - Immanuel </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Jesus
who healed so many during his time on earth</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
then conquered death</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Before
returning where he reigns on high</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">God
the Spirit who is with us </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">This
God is the one who heals.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">This
God can do the impossible:</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">This
God can renew our earth and climate; </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Heal
the polarization in this land</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">Enact
changes to end structural racism. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
this same God invites us,</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">Like
the servant girl, </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">To
be part of that healing.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Not
because our efforts will change the world.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">But
because sometimes,</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Like
the servant girl,</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">our
words are heard.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
we become part of God’s </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Entering
into the world.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">The
servant girl spoke. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Naaman
listened.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Elisha
intervened.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">God
acted.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
so the impossible happened.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">But,
oh we so want to claim</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">That
it was our voice that changed things.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Or
get some kind of reward</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">For
what we have done.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Or
perhaps simply we are tired</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
just want something to make life a little easier. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">What
was Gehazi thinking? </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">The
request – </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">The
slight distortion of truth</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Just
2 sets of clothes</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
some silver</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">How
could that be a big deal?</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">As
a child, I couldn’t believe Gehazi’s greed!</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">How
dare he!</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
as an adult,</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">I
see in him myself.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">That
longing to be rewarded</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">For
all that I have done.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">To
be compensated</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">For
that all I have given up. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
God enters the story here,</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Just
not perhaps the way we’d like.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Elisha
confronts Gehazi.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
Gehazi is punished harshly.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Probably
not so much for his greed</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">As
for how he has distorted God’s image.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">What
picture of God is shown</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">When
Naaman is able to ‘pay’ for his miracle</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">When
instead of radical grace</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">His
healing has shifted into a transaction</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Especially
if that transaction comes from Gehazi’s desire</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">To
take advantage of their enemies. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Instead
of trusting that God does provide.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And
so God enters anew into Gehazi’s life</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Through
sickness</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
what has often felt, to me,</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">a
harsh punishment.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">But
Gehazi’s story does not end here</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">He
shows up again in chapter 8</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">In
the courts of the king, of all places!</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">He
is advocating for the Shunammite woman.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Reminding
the king of Elisha’s great deeds</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Of
raising her dead boy to life again</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">While
also advocating that the king</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Give
back to the Shunammite woman</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">The
land that she had left</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And,
even more, giving her back all the income</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">That
her land produced in the time she was gone.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">Radical
provision. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">A
story of God providing</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
so I wonder, </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">if
the story might have more grace than we first might see.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">If
God’s interruption of Gehazi’s life</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Was
a catalyst for something new.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Something
good.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Being
open for God’s intervention</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">Washing
ourselves in the Jordan. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">It
sounds simple.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Yet,
just like with Naaman, it asks so much more of us.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">It
sounds like nothing heroic, </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Except
to speak up with courage when needed</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">and
allow God to throw our whole lives into chaos</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">Rearrange
our schedules again and again.
</span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Confronted
by how little control we have,</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
invited to offer our whole lives up to God. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">This
invitation, as hard as it is, is also a gift.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Let
go of our efforts.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Trust
in those of God.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
perhaps we will, </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">just
like in the stories of Elijah and Elisha,</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Be
a witness to God showing up.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Be
a witness to the impossible.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In
the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Amen.</span></i></span></span></p><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="background: white; color: black;"></span></span></i><p></p>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-8570398763748684082020-08-20T04:06:00.002+02:002020-08-20T04:06:01.485+02:00Genesis 35: getting the details right<div dir="ltr">
Reading through Genesis 35, two details struck me: the naming of the place, Bethel, and Jacob's renaming as Israel. Both of these namings were ones I was familiar with; the surprise for me in the text is that both are a repeat.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Jacob had named the place Bethel after his dream there when fleeting Esau. He even specifically moved to that place (El bethel) because that was where he'd met God. Why then is the explanation later in chapter 35 given about the place being given the name Bethel?</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Jacob was named Israel after wrestling with God. Why is he then given the name a second time?</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I don't know the answers to the questions, and I'm not sure if there are any obvious answers. Especially since the text doesn't provide contradictory information, but is simply repeating itself, the need for answers seems less. However, it does make me wonder about the way stories are told.</div>
Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-38380248213365374322020-08-18T05:39:00.001+02:002020-08-18T05:39:00.798+02:00The lie of depression<div><i>The following is part of a series of posts that I found in my draft and are only now publishing.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i></i>The <a href="https://www.thebanner.org/features/2019/04/me-and-the-black-dog?"><i>Banner</i> published an article last year on depression</a> that describes some of the difficult complexity of depression. What I appreciated most about it was the author's description of depression as a lie:<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Depression is a shape-shifter and it is a liar. The lies are probably the cruelest part of the illness. It tells you that everything you’re feeling is your own fault, or that what you’re experiencing isn’t real and the pain is only in your head. If you just tried harder, it says, the noise in your head would stop and your soul wouldn’t ache.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Depression is a lying illness, and its most sinister and dangerous lie is that this darkness around you will not end, that the pain is permanent, that there is no relief.<br /><br />It lies. It lies about the most important truth that all new things begin in darkness, that dawn comes out of the deepest night, and that if the light isn’t there yet, then sometimes you have to reach into the darkness and pull it out." Theresa A. Miedema, "Me and the Black Dog" </blockquote><div>
I am a bit disappointed, though, that she seems to emphasize what <i>we</i> have to do in the midst of depression - here it sounds too much like it is <i>my</i> own hope and <i>my</i> own strength that get me through depression. That, too, is a lie. At the same time, I can see how it is hard to talk about God's presence in the midst of depression, as it is hard not to blame God. Yet, the vision she gives of God at the end of the article -"a God who sees you, who knows you in all your passion, in your good moments and your bad moments—and who welcomes you as God’s beloved" - ought also to highlight how God can handle and even welcomes all of your anger and disappointment about how God is not intervening more powerfully to heal.</div>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-73374275684852906372020-08-15T22:50:00.002+02:002020-08-15T22:50:22.603+02:00How I'd like to live my life - 2009 and now<div>These are words I wrote back in 2009:</div><div><i>I live in a community whose goal is to be a joy and hope to those around us. We invite others into our lives, whether for a coffee or a meal or a conversation or a chance to start over again. And simply by being part of this community, I get practice in being open and gracious to others - in ways that I couldn't on my own. and even as I know that it is not healthy to be always open and available for everyone all the time, I still wish I had the courage to be more caring and hospitable. I wish I wasn't scared of whether I should or could, but that I just did it - just reached out to others. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>And today?</b> While I no longer live in that <a href="https://oudezijds100.nl/english-info">community</a>, I feel like God has answered the prayer I gave above. In doing campus ministry, I have found a way to practice hospitality and being open, as well as sharing joy and hope with others. </div>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-4553792512741438062020-07-29T23:19:00.002+02:002020-07-29T23:19:33.409+02:00Aachen and Trier - a memory<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; direction: ltr; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I've been cleaning up old files and came across this unpublished post of pictures from a trip to Aachen and Trier - from right before we moved to Lansing. We took the trip to </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; direction: ltr; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">celebrate being together again and to allow me to see a bit more of Europe. Near the end of his university studies, Matthijs spent four weeks in Trier giving tours in the Cathedral. He would mention it every once in awhile, so I was excited about visiting this place in his past. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZhhEEuCT6oOgVz8VIQbssbx4aKwWUSc8sjNbmKEGBqR9pDA2UbVhIcLRkJh_IlJ4nnC8fZqRxoBtvSO96MdGG0IhaD2wPuu1YmgoR8OjEvcZdH9agmM0RkdO_nWD-9l-BYMM/s1600/20140705_124913_resized.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: left; color: #0066cc; float: left; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UvrreNY4sygptx5yLKiqjCOF4nHeS7HglwTe7bQnDq-o5ajV-yn-zS_yq0PMeWZxsSXhRdxzRM-C3xDvdo8XBGnqtXVpEj2aPWAtDQtzfnE7LgYDwp5BpX-xjcg72IwhnzyR/s1600/20140704_212449_resized.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UvrreNY4sygptx5yLKiqjCOF4nHeS7HglwTe7bQnDq-o5ajV-yn-zS_yq0PMeWZxsSXhRdxzRM-C3xDvdo8XBGnqtXVpEj2aPWAtDQtzfnE7LgYDwp5BpX-xjcg72IwhnzyR/s1600/20140704_212449_resized.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; direction: ltr; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">We first headed out to Aachen, stopping along the way in Heerlen at a museum containing the remains of a Roman bath that is 2000 years old. In Aachen proper, we got to witness the German response to their win in the quarterfinals. It was impressive, although I have to say I'm glad not to have been there for the last match!</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /></div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; direction: ltr; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</span><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Then we headed to Trier. The following are some of the pictures from that time. I am reminded of the beauty that is so much a part of life in Europe. </div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; direction: ltr; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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</span><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><u><font color="#000120"></font></u></div><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU693YA4Mhl6IjxY-hVV1DtPRRS-tGPg_73A2BRh5S3asz4SXClBZMSEGZP_mYDg0Ts1bKYwZFBDN4ENyyu9Qjr_qp0FZcQPxMn4G5F8Ci-_Qevf_XetE4exZkltElqqJgef_k/s1600/100_6238.JPG" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU693YA4Mhl6IjxY-hVV1DtPRRS-tGPg_73A2BRh5S3asz4SXClBZMSEGZP_mYDg0Ts1bKYwZFBDN4ENyyu9Qjr_qp0FZcQPxMn4G5F8Ci-_Qevf_XetE4exZkltElqqJgef_k/s1600/100_6238.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE41JchXwzpwx8ux6O7VVe5lFOoNeC12VQlf8gjNx62LPktSrgp1pg1an7SrFP7Y36SFw6mcRd1FMM31VkyJDpI7RtsFmSFv4Rpvn4YsOFjrzIpsqFIA9po0jBZTOwO-lsIMBR/s1600/100_6236.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE41JchXwzpwx8ux6O7VVe5lFOoNeC12VQlf8gjNx62LPktSrgp1pg1an7SrFP7Y36SFw6mcRd1FMM31VkyJDpI7RtsFmSFv4Rpvn4YsOFjrzIpsqFIA9po0jBZTOwO-lsIMBR/s1600/100_6236.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIC6kX7h4aYXNUpPjQex0BTPhCcRiObOOkqI6VKz5n0OLezbuV_Ff3axTg1NE83ey5wATIjiQuZAgOUoa1EHWXf_7-eaL_hLrk1TVlQRu7doqxf9Mp6ogwt7Chuzq5kofnXhE/s1600/100_6240.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIC6kX7h4aYXNUpPjQex0BTPhCcRiObOOkqI6VKz5n0OLezbuV_Ff3axTg1NE83ey5wATIjiQuZAgOUoa1EHWXf_7-eaL_hLrk1TVlQRu7doqxf9Mp6ogwt7Chuzq5kofnXhE/s1600/100_6240.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Looking through the pictures, though, it took me awhile to determine the significance of these last two pictures. It's a pretty enough view of the city, but not spectacular. And then I remembered. I'd booked a fairly nice room at a conference center in Trier, but it was a ways away from the train station. Unfortunately, I hadn't realized that it was up a rather large hill. Worse yet, there was no public transportation to get to the top. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IBTPVFx9oyWPyrumsgo7YMRJJcI2hXr4tUlVLngiB_5TToCp-x2p4w2fahmDCkyM0d5XU8WQU2naoK60383VQWSvllKeIRxiBfcZ4GrJuGVI3xTvsL1iTpQpgIlyssegWCbZ/s1600/100_6244.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i></i><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IBTPVFx9oyWPyrumsgo7YMRJJcI2hXr4tUlVLngiB_5TToCp-x2p4w2fahmDCkyM0d5XU8WQU2naoK60383VQWSvllKeIRxiBfcZ4GrJuGVI3xTvsL1iTpQpgIlyssegWCbZ/s1600/100_6244.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_KyuWhUkCTy8jiX-t-VS9nF7gA6msGc5T_T96irM53qU63dvqvDfWXadfBX8xye6rbb_qEhbPQVNWmEmoULSGSy3yTbhRMxkDm4BhGeKQaPd_qSKV4t_zVfFm2bNK0KIjm0O/s1600/100_6246.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_KyuWhUkCTy8jiX-t-VS9nF7gA6msGc5T_T96irM53qU63dvqvDfWXadfBX8xye6rbb_qEhbPQVNWmEmoULSGSy3yTbhRMxkDm4BhGeKQaPd_qSKV4t_zVfFm2bNK0KIjm0O/s1600/100_6246.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">That hill (and the hotel booking) are remembered as one of our more spectacular failures at trip detail planning. I'm so thankful that we've had even more years to practice (6!) and that we've gotten better at it - having a car helps a bit, too :)</span><br /><br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711846.post-91166165362478214312020-07-10T19:58:00.001+02:002020-07-10T19:58:43.708+02:00Enough time to waste?<span style="font-family: helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Day care reopening has been the biggest shift in my life this past week. Time thus feels a bit <a href="https://brendahey.blogspot.com/2019/09/patience-and-presence.html">more like a gift</a> instead of something I have to carefully schedule. Time has also become something I can once again waste, which makes me feel guilty - how dare I waste this new gift from God?!? And yet, I also believe that God's gifts are abundant - and so there is enough even to waste it on sitting still, biking, reading, catching up, and ultimately resting. </span></span>Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06297355349266574983noreply@blogger.com0