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“there is something challenging about starting over, however ludicrous that may sound, of having the chance to experience the divine once more as though it were the first time” (renita j. weems, listening for god, 30).
the university of memphis campus was abuzz yesterday with activity. sidewalks that have been covered in snow for a week appeared again with the return of foot traffic. there are now new syllabi to be filed away, new paper and test deadlines to record (or ignore), and new routines to master. on top of it all, we’re not far enough into january to abandon new year’s resolutions or intentions.
things at 449 patterson are new this semester too. i am just a couple of weeks into my position as presbyterian campus minister, and i am working hard to gather the information needed to construct a viable, inclusive program. but first, a little info about me:
- my name is mary allison cates
- college ministry has been my passion since i became a minister in 2004, and the majority of my work experience has been with students.
- my little boys (ages four and two) occasionally let me ride their tricycle (see above).
- i like to run, do yoga, cook, quilt, and read everything from mind-boggling theology to mind-numbing fluff.
- my ministry-related interests include the theology of love and service, honoring the body, counseling, leading small reflection groups, servant leadership, vocational discernment, etc.
i’ve started a new job, you’ve started a new semester, and with your help and god’s guidance, a new day at presbyterian place will dawn as well.
to that end, please take a minute to fill out this survey. your input is crucial to me!
here’s to new beginnings! may they be chances to experience the divine once more.
It’s funny, but for some reason this year I’m having more conversations with people about lent. Personally, I love it because it helps me to reflect on the season, which I always need a good reminder. The funny thing is that it is an odd set of conversations. As a matter of fact, they’ve run the gambit of funny to introspective to just plain frustrated.
The amazing thing is how often the “frustrated” conversations are happening. It seems that with the world being what it is, more and more people are feeling like they need to be giving things up. There are lots of people who are suffering and they want to make some kind of sacrifice. The downside comes when they “fail” to meet their expectations.
Several conversations have been with folks struggling with their to give something up, and it ultimately wants to make them, well, give up. They are tough on themselves, and feel like they’re not living up to Jesus example of sacrifice. They feel like failures.
After reflecting on all of this, I have come to the conclusion that Jesus wasn’t trying to set the “bar high” to make the rest of feel bad. In fact, the Lenten season should really remind us of God’s love and grace. The fact that Jesus sacrificed himself for us is an amazing act of love. It is that loving act that is done not to make us feel bad, but instead to demonstrate the depth of God’s love.
Instead of beating ourselves up, we should take the time to stop and thank God. Use the lenten season as the reminder of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, that the “chief end of man is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” I want to stress the enjoy portion of this. Notice that it doesn’t say, beat yourself up, make yourself feel bad, and/or basically hate yourself in the name of God.
It seems simple, but remember that wonderful old song “Jesus loves me, this I know…”
As I’m sure most of you are now aware, a magnitude 8.8 earth quake occurred in Chile this morning. Needless to say, it was very destructive and there have been many people’s lives that have been changed forever. There are many people in need of help, and we are still waiting to hear the complete impact of the earthquake.
In times like these it is easy to feel helpless. Which for many people, that’s exactly how they felt after the earthquake in Haiti. I’ve talked with some people who have had these feelings resurface in the wake of today’s events. It doesn’t help with the wall to wall news coverage, so that we are aware of every detail (whether we want to be or not).
I would encourage people to be active in the response to these crisis. As Christians, our first response should be to pray. Pray for hope and relief for the survivors; for peace and comfort for families that have lost loved ones; for thanksgiving to God for being with us, even in our darkest and loneliest hours. There are many things that we can pray for, but the most important is that we pray.
This past weekend, the Presbytery of the Mid-South hosted it’s annual Presbyterian Youth Connection retreat out at Pinecrest. The theme was From Walking to Talking, and it was a fantastic experience for everyone there. The focus was on we learn to live out our faith, which is something that I know we’ve talked about a lot at Presby Place.
For the third year, Presby Place provided leadership in the areas of music and recreation. Jared, Sally, Lauren, and I threw our collective knowledge out for the fun and entertainment of everyone. The youth that came had a lot of fun, and there is a good chance that we might have had even more.
To share in the fun, I’ve added a slide show from our trip to the post. Enjoy the pictures, and who knows, maybe you can join us out there next year!
Author’s Note: You can keep up with our photos on our Picasa account. http://picasaweb.google.com/presbyplace And you can follow us on Twitter on @Presby_Place. http://twitter.com/Presby_Place
The start of the Lenten season is upon us, and today is Ash Wednesday. It marks the beginning of the journey to Easter. You may also think about it as the day that ashes get put onto your forehead. Either way, both are correct.
When I was a child, I love lent. I’m not sure why, but it may have had something to do with kicking it off with a pancake dinner. Still, as I grew older, I like that it was a time that everyone stopped to reflect upon lent. It was a look inward at ourselves and our relationship with God. When I was in college, this was tremendously appealing to me, because I was constantly reflecting upon my life experiences.
Needless to say, I’ve spent more hours than I care to admit to thinking about lent. As I sat in an Ash Wednesday service today, I was struck by something that was said. Lent is about our quest for understanding and deepening our relationship with God, and not for being vogue in giving up something to “diet”.
It is a statement that I’ve tossed around my head a couple of times, and for whatever reason, it stuck with me this year. Perhaps it was the numerous conversations leading up to today that dealt with what the individual was going to give up. Those always seem to lead to people out doing each other, and there never seems to be a permanent change.
This year, I’m going with a different approach. I am aiming to simple listen to God on a daily basis. That’s not to say that I don’t do it now, but instead, my want is to be more intentional about it. I know that God is talking, but the question is, am I listening. My hope is to hear God’s will for me, and to do my best in living it out.
This is the only place that you will hear me talk about this, because I don’t want to make it a show. However, I would ask you, what are you doing to be closer to God?
A few weeks ago, we started studying social justice, taking up To Do Justice as a dicussion text. During our first discussion we talked about justice for the workers, and what an eye opening experience it was.
We are all aware of poverity, and we live in a city that has struggled with poverity. However, many Americans thank about people who are homeless when they think of poverity. Many people would never stop to think about the fact that someone could have a job (or three) and be poor.
The truth is that there are lots of hard working people that do not have enough. When you begin to look closely at the American working class, you see that there are lots of cracks and inperfections. There are companys that will not intially work there employees enough hours to qualify them for medical insurance. Many have a huge disperatey between the highest paid employee and the lowest paid.
It is easy to think that charity, which is extremely important, is the solution, but in order for important change to take place, the system needs to change and not just be helped. You can see why the concept of a living wage is tremendously appealing. A wage that is set to help people meet their basic needs, and not have to work themselves to death, simply trying to make the ends meet.
It is interesting to listen to people’s reaction to a living wage. I think it has a great deal to do with the contrast it sets to “The American Dream.” In the American Dream, your hard work and determination make you rich. However, if you’ve ever had the chance to talk with someone working three jobs to support their family, you’ll know they are definitely hard working. It almost feels like we are short changing the American Dream because we are only dreaming of “enough”.
The truth is that Jesus challenges us to move away from a competitive spirit, and instead move to one of help and concern for all people. Instead of focusing on the fact that “it’s not fair” mentality, Jesus forces us to see the value that all workers bring. The truth is that without all of the various workers, the system would not be able to run.
My challenge to you is to look at a living wage, and begin to see the steps that YOU could take to help make it a reality.
Presbyterian Place 