tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24949622698833868112024-03-13T14:35:13.874-07:00Linnea TrampeLinnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-70814381846447794222022-08-22T10:41:00.006-07:002022-08-22T11:01:02.215-07:00Specks and Planks<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Curiosity over... judgement. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"><i>I’ve already written and talked a lot about why I believe it’s so important to posture oneself with curiosity over certainty. But, I also believe that one of the best things the Christian community could do is to posture themselves with curiosity over judgement. </i></span></div>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here’s what I mean…</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This morning I woke up to a text message that said: “Is it true that both of you no longer worship Jesus Christ? How did this happen?”</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Now, my issue is not with the person asking. At all. In fact, I love that she did. I love that instead of continuing the rumors that have been flying about what Dustin and I believe, she asked us directly. She was curious to know where we were at. From us.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Unfortunately, she is the exception and not the norm. I could rant about how often Jesus talks about approaching people directly and how much Christians love to “worship Jesus” but not actually follow what he says, but that’s for another time. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Somewhere in the past few years, after leaving the Evangelical Church, we’ve crossed a line from being insiders to being outsiders. There have been whispers here and there about what we do and do not believe, if we are “saved” and how far “astray” we have wandered. Much of it has been blamed either on emotional burnout from pastoring or too much liberal intellectual influence. And to be honest, the only people who have been truly curious about our beliefs are those outside of the Church. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">While people are concerned about our souls, they are not concerned enough to have a conversation with us about them. Every once in a while, a widespread rumor will break the surface about what we now believe (or don’t believe). Apparently we have been great fodder for the juiciest of gossip that has been covered under the guise of concern or prayer requests. It’s almost laughable.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What’s worse is that the assumptions made about our faith have allowed others to write off our thoughts, opinions and actions without much hesitation. You don’t like the choice I just made? It’s probably because I’m not thinking correctly about the world anymore. You and I aren’t getting along? It’s clearly because <i>I’m</i> not listening to Jesus right now… And on and on. It’s a simple form of scapegoating. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">How can I be certain about this? Because I’ve seen it happen over and over again. I’ve heard it happen to those I love. Just a few weeks ago someone was talking with me about how concerned she was about one of my friends and how far he has wandered away. Problem is, she started the conversation with “I haven’t had a conversation with him since 2014!” </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If someone who has been incredibly serious about their faith for their entire lives - and in fact, has chosen to center their entire lives around their faith - and has some changes in thinking, you can be certain of a few things: </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">-They have spent a tremendous amount of time thinking about what they believe and why. Change in thought did not come quickly.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">-If you haven't talked with them, you probably don't have the whole picture. </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">-They are more than likely to be very willing to talk about it.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">-They know you’re talking about them and would love for you to stop and talk to them directly.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This type of gossip/slander does nothing to draw a person back to faith. It is not the way of Jesus. It never has been. It’s not healthy. Let me frame it this way - you’re worried about <i>my</i> faith, you have not talked to <i>me</i> directly about your concern, but you feel the need to discuss with others … and <i>I'm </i>the issue here? There’s something Jesus said that I find really helpful here - take the plank out of your own damn eye first. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Imagine how different the conversation could be if we approached a person with curiosity instead of judgement. If there was less gossip and more listening. If we valued the humanity of a person enough to avoid making assumptions... </span></p>Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-21576859653955825972022-05-24T20:05:00.004-07:002022-05-25T10:07:24.560-07:00Not even for our children... <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzFgwwbg_G1Oz9YgWg20bUJCnToa9O2tfnO5-4V9dQG2nR2o6dlrGRVI2nISqSReZL2-kgYep0grbsvSpRKbsiAnnUwCetZNWsXvu78YViMd2YFUyPXVYwHvv7ZaqZGAYk_1LIKQlnKGkRjryl-LkcAhxqIP8tq8GBVxn386WArbRsUAsUMIZ5Djw/s4032/boys.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzFgwwbg_G1Oz9YgWg20bUJCnToa9O2tfnO5-4V9dQG2nR2o6dlrGRVI2nISqSReZL2-kgYep0grbsvSpRKbsiAnnUwCetZNWsXvu78YViMd2YFUyPXVYwHvv7ZaqZGAYk_1LIKQlnKGkRjryl-LkcAhxqIP8tq8GBVxn386WArbRsUAsUMIZ5Djw/s320/boys.heic" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"> As a parent in America, I am under no grand illusion that my children are safe at school. Most days, I am able to keep the discomfort at bay and move along as “normal” in our day to day. But it’s not normal. It’s not normal that my children have “active shooter” drills throughout the school year. It’s not normal that some days I wake up thinking about whether or not today will be the last day I see my child and our school will just be one more name in a long, long list of schools that have been victims of gun violence… It’s not normal that I wonder if I should tell our boys about today’s news - I want them to feel safe when they go to school tomorrow, but cannot promise them that they are.</span><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As parents in America, we live with the tension of the hope of normalcy and the realization of our vast brokenness as a country. We send our kids to school, knowing there’s been close to <i>nothing</i> done to address school shootings - which inevitably means, someone's children are going to be facing this violence in the future. Most days the busyness of life drowns out the nagging fear that our babies just aren’t safe. And, the worst part is, there’s so little we can do. There's just way too much money behind perpetuating the system... </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I feel so helpless. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tonight, I watched my 7 and 9 year old giggle as they watched a ridiculous show on Netflix. I gave my 7 year old more affection than he likes to receive in a year… I watched as they read together and their world moved on as normal. I breathed a selfish prayer of gratitude. It wasn’t my kid… this time. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And then I thought about the parents of these beautiful children in Texas… I thought about how they went about their days today - worrying about being on time for school pick up, thinking through what they were going to have for dinner, putting another endless load of laundry in the washing machine (and cursing that all of the clothes were turned inside out…). And then, with the shot of a gun, the normalcy stopped. Because of rage. Because of guns. Because of mental health. Because of the celebrated violence of our culture. Because of so, so many things… But at the end of it all, it seems to me that it’s because we (more than any other country in the world) couldn’t possibly surrender what we feel like are “our rights” for the sake of another. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not even for our children… </span></p><div><br /></div>Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-51256941387499968732022-04-17T14:24:00.008-07:002022-04-18T09:36:24.864-07:00Good Fridays & Holy Saturdays<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_KCMaEhLD_HC7o4x_0j5rZpxRX_Di-cCud_HS5lHZpv-9Rkr6zAgwFgmugIBphdt9xwGM5IWrQ0yB4rZSktyeMjEEGD24S99qS7SXeNF3nmLjK-3b2RMGxIWAdaG4Nn-S1Cjzij-khXhVDwu2X6tFkI31KoZKzVTkF70dRCr7jH94OO1ICqu7Zl5/s3024/Grandma.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_KCMaEhLD_HC7o4x_0j5rZpxRX_Di-cCud_HS5lHZpv-9Rkr6zAgwFgmugIBphdt9xwGM5IWrQ0yB4rZSktyeMjEEGD24S99qS7SXeNF3nmLjK-3b2RMGxIWAdaG4Nn-S1Cjzij-khXhVDwu2X6tFkI31KoZKzVTkF70dRCr7jH94OO1ICqu7Zl5/w200-h200/Grandma.heic" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two days ago, I found myself sitting in a nursing home, holding my grandma’s hand, knowing that she has only a matter of days left to live. I sang hymns to her with my parents and my aunt, read psalms and prayed with her. I told her how much I loved her and how grateful I am for her influence on my life. At the end, I struggled to say goodbye, knowing it would be the last time I would see her. </span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Death is an ugly thing. As loved ones watching, we don’t know the hour or the minute, so we wait. we watch. I hold her hand and weep that I will never again laugh with her, that she won’t just “pop in” at my house anymore, that my daughter will not remember her… my story with her is over here and now. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As I drove away in grief, it felt deeply profound that it was “good” Friday. It occurred to me how cheap it feels to celebrate Good Friday when we add the tag line “but Sunday’s coming!”. Sure, it’s all going to work out in the end, but what do you do with the real grief of pain and loss of the moment? </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When Jesus was crucified, the disciples lost everything. Their Good Friday and Holy Saturday experiences were of fear for their own safety, the unknown future without their leader, and the deep sorrow over the death of a friend. They sat in suffering for days. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Could Easter Sunday have come earlier for them? Could they have skipped over the long hours and days of grief and pain? Yes. If Jesus could rise from the dead, there is really no reason he could not have chosen to do so earlier or to better spell out the story for his closest friends ahead of time. But, something about those moments/days was important for the fullness of the resurrection story. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Too often we glaze over real pain and loss. We rush to the Easter Sunday moments for an array of reasons; yet, if we fail to sit in the raw reality of the most difficult things in life, we lose sight of the beauty and the significance of the resurrection. We cheapen it to be about me and my personal salvation story, when it’s really about something so much bigger. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that more often than not, we are living in the violence of Good Friday or in the grief and waiting of Holy Saturday. We’ve learned to roll with the waves of a global pandemic that has killed over a million Americans… we continue watch with horror the racism that is killing people of color in our own country over and over again… we are confronted with brutal images of war, genocide and famine around the world. I have often found myself looking to the heavens and asking “God, where are you now?” </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It’s in this place -the unknowing, the unspeakable sadness, the hopelessness - that the resurrection happened. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">God showed up and placed a comma where a period was always assumed. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Suddenly, there was hope that there’s more to the story than we can see right in front of us. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And, my friends, hope is everything. With it, we continue on - despair and all - in hope that we can create a better future, that healing will come, that things can change. Hope helps us see that, in the end, even when death prevails, we are assured our stories matter and there’s more to life than we could have imagined. That is the beauty the story of the resurrection brings. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So, in one hand, we embrace the Good Fridays and Holy Saturdays that surround us. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We sit in them. We feel the fulness of them. We don’t run away. And in the other hand, we hold on to hope. We persevere. Just when we thought the story was over…. resurrection life is waiting to break through. </span></p></div>Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-49083406015420901662021-11-30T12:44:00.002-08:002021-11-30T12:44:33.967-08:00The Weary World Rejoices (Advent 1)<p><span style="font-family: Merriweather;">This past week and a half has felt impossibly heavy. I have often paused, wondering, ‘how much more can we really handle?’ Between the Rittenhouse verdict, the tragedy in Waukesha and the emergence of a new Covid variant, it all feels like too much. And it does not escape my attention that this “too much” is coming from a cis-gender, white, middle class woman. I am weary. I cannot imagine the weariness of my brothers and sisters in the world who are fighting additional battles that I do not need to based on my sexuality, race, and class.</span><span style="font-family: Merriweather;"> </span></p>
<p style="font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Many days have passed for me without adequate words, while feeling both grief and longing in my soul. Grief over the world as it should not be; longing for the world that it could be. In these past few years, the apocalyptical literature in the Bible has gone from sounding a bit terrifying to being something I genuinely long for… This past week’s lectionary reading starts with this passage:</p>
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<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: "The Lord is our righteousness.” -Jeremiah 33:14-16</i></p></blockquote>
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<p style="font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Bright and cherry and oh-so-perfect for Advent, huh? It gets better. Here’s the start of the Gospel reading for the week:</p>
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<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>Jesus said, "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." -Luke 21:25-28</i></p></blockquote>
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<p style="font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Maybe these passages are not exactly what we pictured meditating on in the warm glow of Christmas candles and glittery decorations. But this year, more than ever to me, these passages seem to offer hope in a way we desperately need right now. </p>
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<p style="font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It is in grief and longing that we enter into the season of Advent. Wearily hoping for the Divine to break through anew - bringing justice, healing and deliverance from the things that oppress and dehumanize. </p>
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<p style="font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I have a sign in my house that simply says “the weary world rejoices,” which is obviously from the Christmas song “Oh Holy Night.” I keep it up all year as a reminder to keep my heart open to the light and love that is bound to breakthrough. </p>
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<p style="font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">As weary as we may be, hope is not lost… The Divine is not finished with us yet. </p>
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<p style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>Long lay the world in sin and error pining</i></p>
<p style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.</i></p>
<p style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices</i></p>
<p style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!</i></p><p style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Jesus, give us a reason to rejoice again. </p>
<p style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: right;"><i></i><br /></p>Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-62649565700519459942021-11-22T10:32:00.006-08:002021-11-22T11:15:49.451-08:00Processing the News from Waukesha<p> <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">It’s difficult to find adequate words when tragedy strikes your community.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">How do you even describe the frantic feeling of trying to reach people you love to make sure that they’re safe? And how selfish it feels to be relieved that they are, knowing that there are many who are not. And then you wait. Knowing that in such a smallish community you will most likely have some connection to one of the victims.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It’s surreal to watch images of the places you have lived and worked on the international news. It’s difficult not to be frustrated when people outside of the community are claiming the tragedy as their own. Yet, grief and shock show up in all kinds of ways and we are all doing our best to process. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In 2008, Dustin and I moved into Waukesha. It was our home for over a decade - most of that time we lived within half a mile of the downtown area. We were very involved in the community there - I even ran for alderwoman at one point. Our kids went to school there - we took many, many walks along main street, frequented the downtown businesses, hung out at Friday Night Live, and meandered through the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings. While many looked on Waukesha as a second-rate city, preferring the nearby suburbs, we knew better. Waukesha is a gem. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">For the past five and a half years, I have worked at Spring City Wine House on Main Street. When you work at a bar, you quickly get to know the people who live in the surrounding community as well as a slew of local business owners and politicians. They become friends - people you genuinely love, and the city becomes a little smaller and and closer to your heart. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">During my shift on Saturday night, I talked to many people who were excited about attending the parade on Sunday. One of our staff members asked to leave on time so that she get some rest ahead of a busy day the next day, which included attending the parade with friends. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When the notification came across my phone late Sunday afternoon, I was stunned. CNN reported a simple headline that a SUV had run over parade attenders in Waukesha, WI. If it was big enough news for CNN to send me an alert, it had to be significant. A quick scroll through Facebook confirmed… it was bad. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The next hours were spent frantically checking in with our staff and friends who I knew were there, waiting anxiously to hear back. Like many, my eyes were glued to my phone all night, learning more and more details. It feels like it just keeps getting worse. There was no sleep to be had for many of us. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I still don’t have words. Just waves of grief, shock and horror. Little quips that “God is somehow in control” are just not helpful right now; and in fact, they are nothing less than irritating.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Yet, it is incredible to see the way the community is coming together. Even writing that sounds cliché - you hear it over and over from communities experiencing tragedy - but it’s true. I don’t know where we go from here, but I am confident in the community’s ability to figure it out together. This tragedy is deeply communal and healing must (eventually) be as well. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We love you, Waukesha. We are weeping with you and holding you close. </p><div><br /></div>Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-82371496561991138812021-07-26T12:17:00.003-07:002022-04-20T11:24:12.324-07:00#MeToo... 20 years of healing<p> <span><span style="font-family: georgia;">It’s been 20 years since I was sexually assaulted by my ex-boyfriend.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We were at a friend’s house and he asked me to check out his new car. I followed him outside alone. Foolish? Sure - but he was my friend and I trusted him. What ensued was both violent and deeply violating. I am not sure the details will ever fade out of memory. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The next year brought invasive, demeaning police interviews, conversations with lawyers, court dates set and cancelled, and a very traumatic final court session. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">After I went to the police, it was revealed that there were five of us who were assaulted by the same man. In the end, I was the only one who followed through on pressing charges. I often still wonder if it was worth it. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Why? Certainly not because he was not guilty - he pled “no contest” to the charges.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Yet, I’m not sure it was worth it because of the extended pain it caused me and my family. I am not sure it was worth it because of all the time I spent with police officers who didn’t really believe me and scolded me for not doing better. I am not sure it was worth it because I don’t think the 15 days he was sentenced to an “outpatient” style inmate facility really changed anything. I am not sure it was worth it because I lost so many friends in the process. I am not sure it was worth it because of all the lies and gossip spread about me and my family. I am not sure it was worth it because everything that ensued after the actual assault was just as painful as the assault itself. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The strangest thing that ensued and still persists was the feeling of <i>shame</i>. I felt so exposed. It felt like everyone knew this deeply personal part of my life. Long term friends sat in judgement as to wether or not I was telling the truth. I wanted to hide, but had no where to go. I moved to Sweden for a semester - and even there, I could not escape it all. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Thankfully, the years have brought distance and healing. I rarely think about the event anymore. But, strangely, the shame still ebbs and flows from time to time. I have long avoided people from high school for this reason - I want to keep this door to my past closed forever. I have moved on, as much as one possibly can from a sexual assault. </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">While I wonder if it was worth it for me to report being sexually assaulted to the police based on how it impacted <i>me</i>, I am hopeful that it was worth it because it was just one more step towards a more just world for other women, who will come after me. </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>The #metoo movement has brought some course correction for future women facing these scenarios, but it is not enough. We must do better. We must believe women and honor their stories. </span></span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I wrote this on the night of the 20th anniversary of being assaulted: </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Today, I am crying tears for my 18-year-old self who had no idea how brave she was; who couldn’t fathom surviving this pain, let alone thriving and loving again; and who’s world was small and simple. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">July 17th will always be an anniversary I remember. This moment shaped me - shaped my life in ways I still cannot quite pinpoint - both good and bad. it shaped my family and my friendships and my future relationships. Things like this have a way of doing just that. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">To those who believed me, thank you. I do not have words deep enough to describe the beauty of your trust and the importance of it in helping me move forward. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">To those who stood by me, listened, sat through court cases, provided a shoulder to cry on… thank you. It means more than you will ever know. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">To my family, who walked through a year of police interviews, court dates, therapy, and tremendous public exposure… thank you. I am sorry for the way this shaped your life and impacted you as well. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">To my husband, who has helped me walk through so much trauma… thank you. You are more than my 2001 self could have dreamed of or even hoped for. You are consistently such a gift to me. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Today I raise a glass to those of us who have survived. To those of us who have learned to keep going and eventually, how to thrive… this does not define us, but it certainly has shaped us.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And to those who cannot imagine finding hope again - you will. Keep persevering. It’s worth it. There is beauty on the other side of this pain. </span></p>Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-34150625404921049782020-03-27T20:34:00.004-07:002020-03-27T20:36:55.053-07:00Friday - the 4th Week of Lent<div style="font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Friday - the 4th Week of Lent</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Wisdom 2:1a,12-24</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Psalm 34:15-22</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">John 7:1-2,10,25-30:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him. Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">How much easier it is to listen to someone we do not know. When we know a person and the background from which they came, it is quite easy to disregard their voice or perspective. I wonder how many times I have confronted a prophet in our midst, yet did not take their prophetic voice to heart because it was a person I had previously made all kinds of assumptions about. How often have I assumed such people were speaking out of bitterness or were jaded in some way? How often have I disregarded someone for their lack of understanding or biblical knowledge? How often have I written off the very voice of God speaking through a person because I just didn’t like them? </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">And so we find the Jews in this position. They see Jesus, but they are blinded by the lens of expectations. They assumed they understood both Scripture clearly and that they knew Jesus’ background - these two things combined could not possibly equate to Jesus being Messiah. Their assumptions and expectations blinded them to what was right in front of them. Not only were they blinded - they were <i>enraged</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This is not an uncommon response when we feel that our lifestyle and core beliefs are being challenged. Especially when we are in a position of privilege and/or power. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Old Testament scholar, John Goldingay, writes “It’s regularly a prophet’s job to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed… Prophets exist to disagree with people.” This is both why the prophetic voice is <b><i>so</i></b> important in our world and why it is also so largely disregarded. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A deeply significant take-away from the Bible is that God doesn’t act the way that humans expect him to (and often demand that he should). And, when we are the most confident that we know what God is doing in the world, we should be listening carefully for the voice of a prophet, lest we be wrong and more hard hearted than we realized. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Who is challenging your understanding of the world today and are they a voice you should consider listening to? Where do you sit in a position of privilege? Having the humility to recognize the answers to these questions is key. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Today, let us repent of the places we have silenced the prophets in our midst. </span></div>
Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-66320380745697195362020-03-25T20:51:00.003-07:002020-03-25T20:57:02.646-07:00Wednesday - 4th Week of Lent (The Annunciation)<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Wednesday - 4th Week of Lent (The Annunciation)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Canticle 15: The Song of Mary <i>Magnificat</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Luke 1:46-55</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">From this day all generations will call me blessed:</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He has mercy on those who fear him</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>in every generation.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He has shown the strength of his arm, </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>he has scattered the proud in their conceit.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>and has lifted up the lowly.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He has filled the hungry with good things, </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>and the rich he has sent away empty.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He has come to the help of his servant Israel, </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>for he has remembered his promise of mercy,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The promise he made to our fathers, </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>to Abraham and his children for ever.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I first read today’s passages, I was surprised the liturgical Calendar Turns out, centered around Mary and the Annunciation. Turns out, today is 9 months before Christmas. In the middle of the Season of Lent, we pause to anticipate Christmas. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But, even more than that, we pause to see God in the least expected places. He is with a young, poor virgin. He has not forgotten the promises made to Israel. He will fulfill what he said he would do long ago. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Friends, if I am being honest, as I write this, my soul is disturbed within me. All over, there are news reports of the idea of sacrificing peoples lives for the sake of our economy. And, as I read the Bible one thing certainly rings true: you cannot serve both God and money. When push comes to shove, you must choose. And if the Bible is clear about anything - it's that God is consistently on the side of the sick, the poor, and the oppressed within society.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I know that I do not understand all the economic details and arguments (almost none of us do) - but, there is a reason that Jesus was born to a poor family. There is a reason that Jesus interacted with those on the outskirts of society… money was not clouding their vision or ruling their hearts. They had no security, and because of that, they were ready for a Savior - for a new story. All the while those around them who had security missed him altogether. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Friends, as a pastor, I urge you - people over economy. This should never be a political statement for those following Jesus. People. That’s it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Certainly, much hardship could come with economic collapse. Yet, perhaps in that collapse we would be able to recognize our own poverty of spirit and our solidarity with those around the world that we have so often criticized out of a position of privilege. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let us today hear the words of Mary as a warning, and let us have open hearts to see the places God is at work in the least expected places. Today, let us repent of our love for money and our arrogance that is born out of privilege. </span></span></div>
Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-72045712126540273482020-03-25T20:48:00.001-07:002020-03-25T20:48:47.166-07:00Monday - 4th week of Lent<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Isaiah 65:17–25</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am about to create new heavens</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and a new earth;</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the former things shall not be remembered</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">or come to mind.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But be glad and rejoice forever</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">in what I am creating;</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and its people as a delight.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I will rejoice in Jerusalem,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and delight in my people;</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">or the cry of distress.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No more shall there be in it</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">an infant that lives but a few days,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They shall build houses and inhabit them;</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They shall not build and another inhabit;</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">they shall not plant and another eat;</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They shall not labor in vain,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">or bear children for calamity;</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord--</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and their descendants as well.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before they call I will answer,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">while they are yet speaking I will hear.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the lion shall eat straw like the ox; </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but the serpent-- its food shall be dust!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They shall not hurt or destroy</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This passage is beautiful - brimming with hope and potential. A restored earth. Not done away with - but perfectly renewed. The Bible is filled with stories, poems and prophecies beckoning us to hope in more than we are experiencing in the current moment. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In a world that is obsessively focused around the media of the moment, it is necessary for us to be reminded over and over again that what we are experiencing here and now is not a forever reality. God is already at work rescuing and restoring the world and one day that work will be completed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet, this call for hope does not shutter out the reality of the moment. The real grief, loss and pain. The fear and longing. Instead, real hope embraces these things. Real hope sits with the pain and acknowledges the adversity with honesty and openness of spirit. Real hope does not ignore, it is not naive, it doesn’t ask us not to feel or to blindly trust. Real hope does not skip the moments of grief, but carries us through them. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, most of us are grieving something. I am grieving the loss of all normalcy, having space to move about in life, and a job that gave me an outlet for my passions and an income for my family. Today, a new wave of restrictions has come and we do not know when they will be lifted. Today, we are living a life we never chose. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And the only way to the restored life is through the grief. Not around it - not over it - not under it, but <i>through</i> it. Embrace it. Let it linger as long as it must. Dawn is coming. But, the grief is real. </span></div>
Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-57532515405927187352020-03-21T21:03:00.001-07:002020-03-22T14:05:02.622-07:00Saturday - 3rd Week of Lent<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Saturday - 3rd week of Lent</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hosea 6:1-6</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Psalm 51:15-20</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Luke 18:9-14</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">J</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">esus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, `God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, `God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s somehow in our nature for us to believe that we are better than others. Or at least, for us to believe that we somehow have better insight to the world than most other people. Don’t believe me? Just scroll down facebook for a minute or two. Today, everyone is an expert - everyone seems to believe that they somehow have the corner on what is right and good. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The amazing thing: This is not a new problem to the world. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jesus confronted this issue over and over again in his day. And, it wasn’t the people who were viewed as the most sinful in society who ultimately were in the wrong. It was the religious leaders who spent all of their time studying the Bible who were the furthest from God. They lacked compassion for the other human beings around them. They elevated themselves to the position of judge, and in doing so, felt certainty over where they stood with God. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The great warning of the Gospels is that when we are at our most certain, we are the most vulnerable to arrogance and hard-heartedness. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I believe the question we must all ask ourselves is - what if we’re wrong? What if the tables are turned and we are the ones who are being arrogant and judgmental? What if God sees the world quite differently than we do? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Are we humble enough to know that we don’t have everything right? Are we humble enough to be challenged? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And at the end of the day, do we see the image of God in those around us? Are we affirming the dignity and goodness of every human in our path? Are we bringing light and love into the world around us? </span></span></div>
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Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-24588647892553800852020-03-20T22:31:00.002-07:002020-03-20T22:31:32.919-07:00Friday - 3rd week of Lent<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Friday - 3rd Week of Lent</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hosea 14:1-9</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Psalm 81:8-14</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mark 12:28-34</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the scribes came near and heard Jesus and the Saducees disputing with one another, and seeing that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’ —this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The truth is many of us as well-intention Christians, have made things much too complicated in the name of Jesus. We’ve unfortunately followed suit with the religious leaders of Jesus’ day in defining who’s in and who’s out and what rules must be followed to gain God’s favor. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet, when asked about the law by the religious leaders of his day, instead of affirming this mentality, he abolishes it. He makes things simpler and more complicated in one swipe - love God and love your neighbor. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Simple. Yet devastatingly complicated. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Perhaps the reason we so desperately try to define who’s in and who’s out and what’s right and what’s wrong is because the command to love my neighbor is just too difficult. It offends my sensibilities and cultural norms. It requires my own change of heart and mind. It’s too painful and requires far too much of myself. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Instead, we find ways to get out of loving our neighbor. For example, if my “neighbor” is a heretic (by my, or my church’s standards), acting in love towards them would only encourage their heresy and ultimately lead others astray. Or, perhaps if we dare welcome a human with homosexual orientation into our congregation and treat them with the same level of dignity that we treat our pastor with, we may leads others to “stumble." Yes, we must hate the sin and love the sinner. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But that’s not what Jesus said.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Not at all. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What Jesus said comes without pre-requisite or condition. It was horrifying to the religious people of Jesus’ day and I would dare say it is horrify to those who feel morally upright in our own day. Love.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet, the complications in truly loving your neighbor continue. In this time of Covid-19, a specific difficulty has been brought to light for so many of us: it is terribly difficult to love your neighbor in the mundane. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s dramatically easier to love in a grand-gesture sort of way like going on a missions trip, serving at a local shelter, or helping feed the hungry. It’s even easier for a pastor to love their congregation, or for a person to love their Bible study group - the world outside - instead of the world inside their own home/family. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This week it hit full force for me. It is much more difficult to be quarantined in a house with three tiny humans and your spouse and choose to love them in the moment to moment than it is to go to work and love people for 8 hours. But, this is exactly the kind of persistent love we are called to embody. This is the kind of love creates depth of soul. This is the kind of love that shows children that they truly are beloved and ultimately changes the world. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the weeks ahead, we have a very real challenge: Love the people in front of you. Love your neighbors as yourself. As we love our neighbors, we love God. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, let us repent of the ways that we have tried to redefine our neighbor; and for the ways that we have skipped the mundane ways of Love for something more spectacular and showy. </span></span></div>
Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-27639116234616409332020-03-19T10:29:00.001-07:002020-03-19T10:29:12.785-07:00Thursday - 3rd Week of Lent<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, the liturgical calendar focuses around the “Feast of Saint Joseph.” I love the start of today’s prayer: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">O God, who from the family of your servant David raised up Joseph to be the guardian of your incarnate Son and the spouse of his virgin mother…</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The passages for the day (check them out <a href="http://www.lectionarypage.net/YearABC/HolyDays/Joseph.html"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">here</span></a>) flow through God’s beautiful promise to David that was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus - the promise of a kingdom that would reign forever. The Jewish clung to these promises in times of hardship - believing that God would be faithful to what He said he would do. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And in the most unexpected way - God fulfilled his promise. And he is still fulfilling his promise as He is establishing a Kingdom of light and love that will last forever. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, the global Church celebrates Joseph’s role in this story. We don’t often give Jospeh enough attention - instead we tend to focus on Mary or on Jesus. When I have given thought to Joseph’s circumstances, I have tended to pity him. How challenging his life must have been by no choice of his own. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet, Jospeh is anything but a figure to be pitied. He courageously embraced his new life - supporting Mary as she birthed a child that was not his own, listening carefully to God in dreams and visions, moving his family from place to place to protect their lives, and providing for them through his work as a carpenter. In the background - in the often mundane - Joseph wrote an incredible story for his life. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Currently, most of us have unexpected and difficult situations to live into that came about by no choice of our own. Most of us are self-isolating to try to stop the spread of Covid 19. Some of us have lost jobs because of massive shutdowns. Some of us are having to take on jobs we never expected or desired. We don’t know how long this will last or what will come next. Life just took a drastically unexpected turn for all of us. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Like Joseph, we have tremendous opportunity to live faithfully into our new situations. We can keep our eyes open for the wisdom and beauty of the Divine that is all around us. We can do the hard work of the moment, trusting that for today, that is quite enough. As we do these things, we are laying the groundwork of light and love - the very groundwork of the Kingdom of God. </span></span></div>
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Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-56711423221727598602020-03-13T13:28:00.003-07:002020-03-13T13:34:08.468-07:00Friday - 2nd Week of Lent<div style="font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b>Friday in the Second Week of Lent</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Genesis 37:3-4, 12-28</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Psalm 105:16-22</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i> Jesus said, "Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, `They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, `This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.' So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures:</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>`The stone that the builders rejected</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>has become the cornerstone;</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>this was the Lord's doing,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>and it is amazing in our eyes'?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">There’s something about rejection that is so incredibly painful to the soul. Especially rejection by those who one would expect to welcome and love them. Whether this rejection by a family, by friends or by a religious community - rejection is perhaps one of our greatest fears and its impacts can be far reaching and deeply scarring. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Most of us tend to avoid rejection at all costs from a very young age. We dress the way the other kids at school are dressing. We stop playing with toys we love or watching shows because other kids make fun of them. We grow up into teenagers and desperately want to be accepted by our peers. This doesn’t change as we interact with our in-laws, adult siblings, coworkers and friends. By this point have been programmed to cater to those around us to ensure that we will not experience rejection. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Yet, even when you do all of these things, rejection still happens. It’s heartbreaking and lonely. Yet, it is a common theme in biblical stories. Through no fault of his own, Joseph was rejected by his brothers - hated so deeply by them that he was sold into slavery by them. Those are some insane family dynamics… At some point, we will all have to face rejection and how you handle it says a tremendous amount about your inner character. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Jesus was quite familiar with rejection. You are not alone. In fact, Jesus knew what rejection was facing him and he steadfastly moved towards it. His embrace of rejection showed us a way forward as humanity. He showed us how to live with conviction and confidence. In knowing how loved hi was, he was able to surrender his need to be accepted. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">What would it look like to embrace rejection? To sit in the pain of it and learn from it? To allow it to make us more empathetic to those around us? How might rejection free us from unhealthy relationships and organizations? How can it show us our own insecurities and growth areas? </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">As we begin to realize how loved and lovable we truly are the need for acceptance melts away. We have already been accepted by the only voice that ultimately matters. </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Today, let us repent of the ways our fear of rejection has driven our actions and kept us from living with authenticity and integrity. </span></div>
Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-58500180742795459592020-03-09T13:06:00.000-07:002020-03-09T13:06:38.084-07:00Monday - 2nd Week of Lent<div style="font-family: Merriweather; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Daniel 9:3-10</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Luke 6:27-38 (The Message) </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>“I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i> </i></b><i>“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">A few weeks ago, our boys received a prize from school for participating in a fundraiser (which is ridiculous, but that’s another topic). This prize was a small stuffed animal sloth that wrapped around your arm - from the way the kids at school were treating it, you would think it was made out of pure gold. One of the boys from Judah’s class did not participate in the fundraiser and was found crying after school because of he was lacking the ultra popular sloth bling wrapped around his arm… I approached Judah and asked if he would be willing to give his sloth away to the boy, because we were given two (one for each of our boys), and in exchange I would let him pick out something at Target later. He struggled. Immensely. In the end - he told me “Mom, I want to do the right thing. I really do. But, I am going to keep the sloth.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">All Judah could see was what he would be giving up - what he would be losing. He could not be convinced that one sloth per household was actually enough. He was not able to imagine what he would gain by giving this silly toy away. All he thought about was what he would lose. It wasn’t about the action itself - it was about the mindset behind it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This passage challenges so many of our innate patterns of thinking. Too often we read these verses and look at the “rules” we find in them. When it is broken down to this, we find these actions difficult, if not impossible. But, the real invitation here is to an entirely new way of thinking about the world - to move from a mindset of scarcity, to that of abundance. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">One of the massive challenges we face as American Christians is recognizing how deeply capitalism has influenced our thinking and how we carry that lens with us when we seek to read and understand the Bible. This does not make capitalism inherently wrong, but it is a way of thinking of which we must be aware. Capitalism has programmed our minds to think about the world in terms of scarcity - there is only so much of a resource to go around. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">However, in God’s Kingdom, there is abundance beyond measure. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">When your pattern of thinking about abundance and scarcity changes, you are free to live generously - in the way you love, forgive and physically give away your possessions. These new commands Jesus gives move from impossible to a new way of living. </span></div>
Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-62130239852693476952020-03-08T20:56:00.002-07:002020-03-08T20:56:29.471-07:00Saturday - 1st Week of Lent <div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have so many thoughts on this. My initial post on this passage was filled with encouragement, difficult questions to evaluate oneself and such… And two days later I still have not been able to post. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There was one question that continued to hold me up: what happens when your “enemy” is abusive? What does love look like in this situation? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This phrase has been used over and over to cover up abuse, keep victims quiet, and perpetuate false peace. Women are encouraged to stay in violent relationships, people are outright told not to report sexual assault to the police, and people in positions of power go unchallenged in their gross abuses. All in the name of “loving your enemy.” However, when the ownness of loving one’s enemy falls entirely upon a person in a position of lesser power, something is terribly wrong. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Does this excuse us from Jesus’ command to love your enemy? Not at all. But it pushes us to understand what “love” looks like beyond just smiling faces. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In a culture of violence and abuse, sometimes the most loving thing you can do is step away from a relationship. Love in these difficult situations often looks like speaking the truth, seeking justice, and establishing boundaries. Love does not enable. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the end, we learn to forgive over and over, let go of bitterness and resentment and no longer allow the same person to hurt you over and over because it is not healthy for you or them. This kind of love hopes the best for your "enemy" - but realizes you are not able to control their choices. In love, you walk away - not out of anger, but out of an understanding of your own belovedness in the sight of the Divine. </span></span></div>
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Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-51398187579646330712020-03-06T21:55:00.000-08:002020-03-07T11:14:46.369-08:00Friday in the 1st Week of Lent<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 10px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Psalm 130</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">J</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">esus said, “I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I’ve read through the Gospels afresh these past few years, I’ve been struck by the emphasis Jesus places on interpersonal relationships - specifically reconciliation within those relationships. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This passage particularly gets me every time I read it; Jesus says: “if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you… first be reconciled to your brother or sister…” Above worship or offerings - reconciliation is required. At the end of the day, that is what God desires from us - to live at peace with our fellow humans. In fact, he cares about this way more than he cares about our worship. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Can you imagine what would happen if every Christ follower put these words into action? Before worship on a Sunday morning, before an offering of service or money… we would to be reconciled to our brothers and sisters. No excuses. And crazily enough - the responsibility here is not on the person who is angry - it is on the one who senses that the other has something against them. </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This means that I would take the time to pursue those I know are angry with me or who feel wounded by me. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is not for the faint of heart, yet this is the posture of Jesus - and the posture of those who would follow him - open arms to a world that is rejecting him. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jesus set aside the need to be right and pursued peace, absorbing the violence of the world around him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Don’t get me wrong, there is only so much we can do. Pursue peace and love to the best of your ability. Speak truth in love. Do what is right, even when it hurts. Release when you must. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today, let us repent of the ways that we have kept wedges between us and our fellow humans. </span></span></div>
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Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-37343044909380459092020-03-05T21:29:00.001-08:002020-03-05T21:29:07.674-08:00Thursday - 1st week of Lent<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thursday in the 1st week of Lent</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Matthew 7:7-12</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Psalm 138</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Esther (Apocrypha) 14:1-6,12-14:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">‘<i>Queen Esther, seized with deadly anxiety, fled to the Lord. She took off her splendid apparel and put on the garments of distress and mourning, and instead of costly perfumes she covered her head with ashes and dung, and she utterly humbled her body; every part that she loved to adorn she covered with her tangled hair. She prayed to the Lord God of Israel, and said: “O my Lord, you only are our king; help me, who am alone and have no helper but you, for my danger is in my hand. Ever since I was born I have heard in the tribe of my family that you, O Lord, took Israel out of all the nations, and our ancestors from among all their forebears, for an everlasting inheritance, and that you did for them all that you promised. And now we have sinned before you, and you have handed us over to our enemies.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>“Remember, O Lord; make yourself known in this time of our affliction, and give me courage, O King of the gods and Master of all dominion! Put eloquent speech in my mouth before the lion, and turn his heart to hate the man who is fighting against us, so that there may be an end of him and those who agree with him. But save us by your hand, and help me, who am alone and have no helper but you, O Lord.”</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I distinctly remember the honor of playing Queen Esther in our 3rd grade Sunday School play. I don’t remember many details about it, but I certainly don’t remember covering myself with ashes and dung… (thank you, Sunday School teacher!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What I do remember is the courage of Queen Esther. I remember feeling powerful and brave as I read and recited her story. Throughout both my childhood and much of my adult life, her story has constantly inspired me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I was in grade school, I read a book “The Courage of Sarah Noble” with my mom. Since then, she has encouraged me to be brave by simply reminding me of a quote from the book, “take up your courage, Sarah Noble…” Whenever I have felt completely at the end of my rope - like there is no way forward, those words echo in my head. In those moments I wonder, what does it mean to be courageous in this situation? I have always longed to be brave. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Esther could have easily lost her life - if she did, we may have never heard her story. In fact, there’s a very good chance that the stories of women who had lost their lives for such boldness echoed in her mind as she contemplated her approach to the king… But for some reason, bravery outweighed safety. And because of that, her story would live on for millions of little Jewish and Christian girls to act out through the millennia. In the midst of “deadly anxiety”, she acted in bravery. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Where are you anxious right now? Where do you long to be brave? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In all things, remember that you are not alone. Remember that you bravery may inspire generations beyond what you could have imagined. Remember, that the world needs you to be brave. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, let us repent of the ways that we are letting fear and anxiety control our actions. </span></span></div>
Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-36166233673651688712020-03-04T20:55:00.004-08:002020-03-04T20:55:59.440-08:00Wednesday - 1st week of Lent<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>W</i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>hen the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!”</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s so easy to look back at the Israelites in the time of Jesus with a critical attitude. <i>How could they not recognize the greatness among them? Why where they so stubborn and hard hearted? </i>And we so easily walk away from reading the biblical text thinking “thank goodness I know Jesus… I would not have missed him”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet, it was God’s people, the Jews, who missed God in their midst. All of the signs they should have known - all of the Scriptures that should have come to mind - all of the hard work of the soul that should have been in place… Yet, as Jesus points out, even the people of Nineveh were more aware of the work God was doing and were willing to hear God’s message. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, what if we are not as on track as we think we are… </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What if we are missing it? What if we are turning a blind eye to God in our midst because she doesn’t meet our preconceived notions? What if we are grossly wrong about what we think the Bible says? What if the real issue lies with the stubbornness of our own hearts and not the rest of the world?</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today let us repent of our stubbornness. Let us ask again for ears to hear and eyes to see the work and wisdom of God around us. </span></span></div>
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Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-31869391858446048282020-03-02T10:58:00.004-08:002020-03-02T10:58:28.711-08:00Monday - 1st Week of Lent<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Monday in the 1st Week of Lent</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Leviticus 19:1-2,11-18</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I can still remember the night a homeless woman wandered into the wine bar I work at. She was clearly out of her element and making our customers uncomfortable. As I watched her stand there, I felt anxiety well up inside me. What was I supposed to do? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That’s when the owner, Tom, stepped in. He kindly approached her, led her to a table and brought her food and water. I was stunned. I could not remember a time I had seen such kindness without hesitation or deliberation. I spent 15 years working in the church and had never experienced simple generosity in this manner - no questions, no prerequisites, no show. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Later that night, as Tom and I were talking, he reminded me of an obscure little passage found in Hebrews 13:2 - “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13 goes on to mimic much of the passage we read in Matthew 25. When Tom saw this woman, he refused to limit her to the clothes she was wearing and her awkward demeanor. I have learned much about hospitality from him. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s a gift to see everyone with divine awe. To see the hidden nature of God inside of them and to treat them as you would treat God herself. But that is exactly what we are asked to do. Jesus takes all of the boundaries of the law (what we are required to do, see the Leviticus passage) and pushes us to something deeper - a love without boundaries. This is the kind of love that leaves bystanders stunned. This is the kind of love that is Good News. This is the kind of love that heals the world. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is no shortage of people in our world who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick and in prison. And the message of Jesus is deeply practical in how we should treat them. Feed them. Give them water. Welcome them. Clothe them. Care for them. Visit them. It’s simple. No political action plan needed. It’s not based on whether or not they deserve it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We can’t do everything. But, we can all do something. We all must do something. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today let us repent of the ways we have neglected to feed, welcome, clothe, care for and visit. Let us repent of the ways our political ideology has interfered with meeting the needs of humanity. Let us repent of the ways that we have been lulled into inaction. </span></span></div>
Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-86540315822326333832020-02-29T13:25:00.002-08:002020-02-29T13:25:35.561-08:00Saturday after Ash Wednesday<div style="font-size: 18.7px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 19.2px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">A</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">fter healing the paralyzed man, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up, left everything, and followed him.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Working at a bar after spending most of my adult life as a pastor in the Evangelical Church was the best thing I could have done. Why? Not because it was this amazing outreach to “sinners” - but because it was an amazing step out of my old patterns of thinking about God and the gospel. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What I began to realize was how arrogant I was. I began to see the places in my own life that I judged people I never sought to understand. I realized that I had a bit of a superiority complex because I thought I understood this “truth” that everyone else had either not heard or had denied. I began to see how truly unloving I was to those I did not know. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I began to see how God was in the places I would have not expected. I began to see the beauty of our shared humanity. I began to listen and empathize. I began to see how my understanding of the Gospel was not good news at all… and that maybe my understanding was wrong. I was being called to repentance - to changing my mind. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s funny, because in this story - the “tax collectors and sinners” are the ones who end up understanding Jesus. He was actually good news to them. The religious leaders who thought they had the corner on God’s work in the world were actually the ones in the end who crucified God’s son. They were unwilling to change their minds…. they were unwilling to be led to repentance. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, let us repent of the ways we are critical of others, especially those we do not know. </span></span></div>
Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-18417718361277479212020-02-29T13:11:00.000-08:002020-02-29T13:11:23.905-08:00Friday after Ash Wednesday<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Matthew 9:10–17</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As Jesus sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span>We often look at the Pharisees in the Gospels as the bad guys - in many of our stories and sermons we paint a picture of stingy, hypocritical teachers who no one really liked. However, it may be more helpful to see them in a different light. Ascribing best intent to these men may help us better understand what Jesus would be speaking into our context today. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What we can be sure of is that the religious leaders of Jesus' day were so stuck in their own patterns of thinking and ways of doing things, that they could not come to terms with the work Jesus was beginning. Who he hung out with, what he said, what he did... these were things that baffled and angered them. Instead of thoughtfully re-examining their own positions and understanding of God, they hunkered down and obsessively tried to silence Jesus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus was doing something new. The old way was not working for the vast majority of people outside the religious elite. This new movement of God, in Jesus, could not be contained within the old system.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I wonder how often we miss the movement of God because we are stuck in an old system or way of understanding... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, let us repent of the ways we are unwilling to change or re-examine our patterns of thinking and beliefs. </span></div>
Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-41963559116463807462020-02-27T10:16:00.002-08:002020-02-27T10:16:28.082-08:00Thursday After Ash Wednesday<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Deuteronomy 30:15-20</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Moses said to all Israel the words which the Lord commanded him, "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span>(The passages follow the Book of Common Prayer Lectionary Readings, Year A)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The way to “life and prosperity” is not what so many of us envision it to be… As Americans we have a built-in idea that we can create our own prosperity and life if we follow the right formula: get an education, get a good job, work hard, save money… But in this, we have set our sights on a lesser prosperity - an individualistic prosperity that has left divided, lonely and often hurting. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But the Bible points to a very different way of pursuing prosperity and life. It’s wrapped up in loving God and loving others. This isn’t a financial prosperity; it’s the deep joy that comes in truly sharing the joys and burdens of life with others. It’s a beautiful fullness of life that comes when we learn to love others as we love ourselves (or maybe an easier way to think about it, is to love others as we love our own children) and realize that we are not alone and we are not powerless to create change in the world around us. It’s the prosperity of the community, the environment and those in the farthest corners of the world. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It seems to me that our idea of individual prosperity has caused us to lose our souls. We’ve bowed down to the gods of security, safety, individualism and control. We’ve gained power, wealth and “freedom,” and are doing everything we can to hold on to it, not realizing how it is making us a little less human every day. We’ve gained, but lost sight of what really matters. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We can gain the security of a warm house, food on the table and a retirement plan… while those around us sit outside in the cold, begging for food and warmth. We can gain the best insurance plans and get to see the best doctors on the timeline we desire… while those around us are sick and hurting without insurance, knowing that seeing a doctor will cost them more than what they have. We can gain cheaper products, fuel and energy… while the world around us decays. We can gain the whole world, anything we could desire… but in the end, we’ve lost.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lent is a season of reflection and repentance. Today, let us repent of the ways we are gaining while those around us are losing. </span></span></div>
Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-36555276829941277852020-02-26T21:32:00.000-08:002020-02-26T21:32:08.054-08:00Ash Wednesday<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For far too many, the world is dark. Lacking hope and meaning. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And what has the Church done? We’ve busied ourselves with Bible studies when we are already fat off of the Bible. We’ve hunkered down on our own political agendas. We’ve taken God’s name in vain by assigning His name to our own ideas and systems that oppress others. We’ve lacked humility and empathy and because of that, we stopped loving in the reckless way Jesus showed us. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We’ve planned outreach events, invested copious amount of time and money into “evangelism” with very little growth. We talk about how dark the world is and how they hate the “truth” - when the reality is that we’ve missed it altogether. Our Gospel is not Good News to anyone but us. In fact, it’s really not good news at all. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The prophet Isaiah (and the prophets who followed) saw clearly the sins of their own people. They had ears to hear God’s voice. They spoke by faith and were deeply criticized for it. Jesus did the same and was rejected by his own people to the point where he was crucified. The human condition is to make God in our own image. To form his values to align with our own - to impose him upon our political systems. Without a spirit of humility, we elevate ourselves to God and we are deeply critical of those who may challenge our status quo. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Friends, we have lost our way. And we are being called back to what matters. This season of lent, let us repent in dust and ashes. Let us humble ourselves and open our ears to hear. Let’s set aside our political agendas and listen to what God actually cares about. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lent is an opportunity to pause. To listen. To “die” where we need to in preparation for the resurrection life. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The liturgical calendar begins this season with a passage from Isaiah 58. I’ve copied it from the Message and re-worded a few parts of it (not much) - I believe this prophetic voice is calling out to us today, begging us to change our minds (repent) from our very American gospel. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What kind of fast does God desire from us this lenten season? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> </b>“Shout! A full-throated shout!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tell my people what’s wrong with their lives,</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> face my family, the Church with their sins!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They’re busy, busy, busy at worship,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> and love studying all about me.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To all appearances they’re a group of right-living people—</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> law-abiding, God-honoring.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They ask me, ‘What’s the right thing to do?’</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> and love thinking I am on their side.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But they also complain,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> ‘Why do we practice spiritual disciplines and you don’t look our way?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Why do we humble ourselves and you don’t even notice?’</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Why are our churches dying? </span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Why aren’t people listening to us anymore? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Well, here’s why:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The bottom line on your faith is profit.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> You drive your employees much too hard. </span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> You are so wrapped up in capitalism that you cannot see how it is impacting your soul. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> You post on Facebook things that degrade other human beings. </span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> You mock others perspectives. </span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> You lash out at those around you who have different experiences. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> You fast, but you swing a mean fist.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The kind of fasting you do</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> won’t get your prayers off the ground.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you think this is the kind of spiritual practice I’m after:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> a day to show off praying in schools?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> social media posts with Bible verses? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To put on a political rally</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> and parade around with your “pro-life” signs?</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To spend millions of dollars on a “prayer breakfast”?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you call <i>that</i> spiritual practice,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> actions that I, God, would like?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“This is the kind of spiritual practice I’m after:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> to break the chains of injustice,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> get rid of exploitation in the workplace,</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> free the those locked in cages at the border,</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> cancel debts.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What I’m interested in seeing you do is:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> sharing your food with the hungry,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> inviting the homeless <b><i>into your homes</i></b>,</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> to advocate for the needs of those in your communities,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> being available to your own families.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do this and the lights will turn on,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> and your lives will turn around at once.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Your righteousness will pave your way.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The God of glory will secure your passage.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then when you pray, God will answer.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’</span></span></div>
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<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“If you get rid of unfair practices,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> quit blaming victims,</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> quit gossiping about other people’s shortcomings,</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> quit elevating yourself to the place of judge. </span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you are recklessly generous with the hungry</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> and start giving yourselves (your money) to the down-and-out,</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I will always show you where to go.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> firm muscles, strong bones.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’ll be like a well-watered garden,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> a gurgling spring that never runs dry.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> rebuild the foundations from out of your past.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,</span></span></div>
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<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15px;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <b><i>make the community livable again.</i></b></span></span></div>
Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-36185493740452771342020-02-19T10:32:00.004-08:002020-02-19T10:32:56.925-08:00The Big Three<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the past few years, terms like <i>gaslighting</i>, <i>scapegoating</i> and <i>enmeshment</i> have been particularly helpful in putting words to my experiences. Leaving a toxic culture while staying in close proximity physically to that culture is an unusual experience, riddled with all kinds of crazy-making, PTSD type moments. Just when you take a step back and begin to feel good about how far you’ve come, something inevitably comes out of right field to take your breath away. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Trying to navigate the value of relationships with the need for emotional health seems never ending. When you leave an organization that’s unhealthy, there’s a distinct split. You wake up the next morning and move forward with the enormous task of healing, but without the need to balance ongoing relationship. But with people, with relationships that you value, there is no such thing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In many ways, it seems that the toxicity of evangelical church culture has seeped into so many of our family systems. It has become so intertwined with our identities that when someone within our family system to rejects their Evangelical faith, it is often quickly equated to them rejecting us. This oversimplification and I would argue, over sensitivity, puts the individual rethinking their faith system in a terrible predicament. Their entire worldview is shifting, yet the cannot talk about it with those closest to themselves. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I began to deconstruct my Evangelical faith, I expected that many around me would not understand. What I did not expect was the anger that came with it. I did not expect to feel the Evangelical rage directed towards me as I had so often seen it directed towards others - democrats, homosexuals, pro-choice friends, etc. But there it was, pummeling me without warning.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For a long time, I did my best to try to keep the peace. To not offend. To skirt around big issues in fear of creating uncomfortable situations for those around me. What I wish I would have known then was that it didn’t matter. Even my best efforts were only delaying the inevitable. When the God that they serve rejects me, there’s no real way forward. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I don’t know why I was silent for so long. Why I was so afraid of what would happen. And the funny thing is, in the end, the painful severing of relationship happened in a manner that was beyond my ability to control anyways. Looking back, I can see now, that it always was. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My ill-fated attempts to keep quiet and hide were merely attempts to control the situation I found myself in. I was clinging on to hope that maybe, just maybe, people would like me enough to over look my theological discretions. I never wanted to stir things up. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’m still a bit taken aback at how easily I became the scapegoat for an entire group. How was it that I became the one who was to blame for the strangest problems that arose? Even after I would step away from situations, somehow I still was creating problems for the whole. The very fact that I existed was problematic. The only way forward for the group was to constantly undermine me, even when I wasn’t around.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FXDlhHOogR0/Xk1_M_wsUFI/AAAAAAAAAkM/cy2F7wZdBc0iJ-zSUXcv-4Bo8BeCJId5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/gaslighting-gas%252Blighting-sex-addiction-partner-trauma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FXDlhHOogR0/Xk1_M_wsUFI/AAAAAAAAAkM/cy2F7wZdBc0iJ-zSUXcv-4Bo8BeCJId5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/gaslighting-gas%252Blighting-sex-addiction-partner-trauma.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And as I slowly began to put my finger on the injustices of the situation, that’s when the gaslighting began… I was overreacting… I was taking things too personally… I was dramatic and overly sensitive… they never said…. I began to feel crazy. Gaslighting makes it impossible to approach an issue directly. Conflict can never be resolved. It is a game you cannot possibly win. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enmeshment, scapegoating, gaslighting. These are toxic tactics that unhealthy groups use to keep the rest of the group in line. They are means of maintaining control and of pushing off ugly truths that a group does not want to confront. Those of us who grew up in the church are particularly prone to this kind of abuse - especially women. It takes awhile to see these tactics at play, and when you do, there are very few options. Unless both sides are willing to move forward with humility and honesty, valuing people over your perceived notion of truth, you must move forward alone. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To be brave, means to step out of hiding, knowing it will likely create emotional turmoil. Bravery means putting fear in its proper place, taking responsibility where you need to, and letting go of the way the story will be told about you - it was never within your control anyways. </span></span></div>
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Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494962269883386811.post-74416872668178171472020-02-16T10:47:00.000-08:002020-02-16T10:48:12.381-08:00Escaping Enmeshment - Part 2<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In an incredibly basic sense it’s the inability for an individual to differentiate themself from the whole, whether this be family, friends or a larger community. The values held by the leader (often patriarch) are expected to be lived out by the children/friends/followers - it becomes almost impossible to differentiate between the leader’s dreams, hopes and core values and those of others. Autonomy is negative. Thinking for oneself is only good if your values remain the same and your final conclusions reinforce the vision of the leader. Power resides at the top. This type of culture is terribly toxic. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Most mental health professionals will tell you that as you become healthy within systems of un- health, it is common for those within the system to lash out. In my last year at Elmbrook, I decided to begin establishing boundaries in hopes that becoming emotionally healthy would enable me to continue my career as a pastor in the Evangelical Church. As I began to use the massive amount of PTO I had saved, called it quits after working 50 hours a week, and stopped responding to emails while I was with my family, those around me began to question my work ethic and my overall dedication to “God’s work”. The more I resisted, the more people jumped in the fight against me. I was becoming healthy, and because of it, unhealthy individuals within the organization lashed out. The healthier I became, the more attacks came.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It was an attempt to control my behavior - to force me back into line with the norm. This is just one of dozens of examples of the outworking of the much deeper issues that lie within a toxic culture. Health and un-health cannot peacefully co-exist. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As you begin to leave an enmeshed system of family and friends, it should come as no surprise that these same tactics will be put to use. Reactivity and emotions are high, relationships you deeply value are at stake, and logic has very little to do with outcomes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">When the value of “truth”, and therefore what a “good life” looks like, is the defining element of a group, emotional maturity for individuals on the inside is often stunted. Maturity in this sort of system can only be as deep as the leader. The ability to hold multiple perspectives, stories, backgrounds and treat them with equal amounts of respect is laughable and an assault on one’s sensibilities. Doing so would be dangerous and unpredictable; and not to mention, threatening to the very core of the system. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Whether its a shift in political belief, religious practice or some other major life choice, personal growth often has unintended cost. Especially for someone who finds themselves within an unhealthy culture. And there’s just no way around it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">An enmeshed culture cannot contain both health and un-health. So when you step out in health, the culture will do whatever it takes to get you to fall back in line with the norm. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In our polite culture, most of this is subtle and passive aggressive. A sort of coaxing back to normalcy. Yet, slowly it becomes apparent that you no longer fit. You begin to awaken to the conversations that have been held in the background about you all along. You see the rejection slowly building, and your heart aches. The easiest option is to avoid and hide as long as you can. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I don’t know what the point is when the grief and pain become too much to bear. I don’t know when you look and decide “that’s enough”. But at some point you are left with an impossible choice - my family or my integrity?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As you consider how to move forward, you realize there is no way for you to come out unscathed. At the end of the day, the story that will be written for the rest of the world is that you hurt and rejected them. The fault must lie with you. You cannot control their narrative. What you only know is that you were left with no choice, because at the heart of the matter, they rejected you far before you ever stood up and took control of your own life again. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Even though you will never be able to control the narrative, you begin to realize that you are not as powerless as you once thought. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So if you’re brave enough, you speak truth to the bullshit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">And that’s when all hell breaks loose. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Feelings are inevitably hurt - and these feelings, become the litmus test for what is good, loving and kind. When this happens, other members of the family rush to the defense. The group is rallied to assure that everyone is on the same page, has the same narrative. This ensures they will be shielded from the idea that they might just be the ones who are wrong. Words are said about you (and if you are lucky enough - actually to you) that can never be taken back. The whole has turned against you - some without even realizing it. After all, in the midst of toxicity it’s hard to see what impact your actions have on others. The confrontational rage is a nervous energy that feeds the group until the next encounter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">And everyone is lulled back to normalcy. Everyone but you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">No one sets out on a path of healing in hopes of losing relationships. In fact, many of us stunt the process of growth in our own lives in avoidance of perceived harm to those we love. We would rather absorb the un-health of others than create a situation of hurt feelings with uncertainty of where that will lead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It’s terrifying to look into the unknown abyss of faith deconstruction. It’s even more terrifying to do this knowing that your journey will likely cause the relationships that have been so important to you to ultimately crumble. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">But my friends, the freedom is worth it. </span></div>
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Linnea Trampehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13554409153621107830noreply@blogger.com0