You know you're in Pastor Carley's Office when:
1. You walk halfway in the office and still not sure I'm here.
2. a. There are more toys & game supplies than there are books.
2. b. There are still a lot of books.
3. You know exactly why there are three black buckets scattered around the room.
4. You can always find some sort of sugar in close vicinity.
5. You see a roll of bubble wrap on my desk and realize it's how I prepare for unfortunate events at youth.
6. You have to move a chair to talk to me.
7. You have to move a chair to get in my filing cabinet.
8. You have to move a roll of carpet to get in my filing cabinet.
9. You aren't quite sure how all those plants stay alive.
10. You're delighted to see new art work and pictures on the bulletin board every time you come.
11. It's always 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the offices.
12. The trash can is never in the same place.
13. My To-Do List on the whiteboard seems to be more colorful every week.
14. The worship "equipment" collection grows, but none of it makes sense. (What does a mirror, a feather, rope, honey, and a bucket all have in common? They've all made an appearance during Sunday morning worship.)
15. You see the piece of giraffe art you've added to my collection.
But most importantly:
You know you're in my office when:
1. You find someone always happy to see you.
2. You find someone ready to listen.
3. You find someone who understands you are wonderfully and fearfully made in the image of God (and God doesn't make junk).
So, please, come visit sometime. Pull up a chair, fidget with a funoodle or bounce a ball on the floor, and share what's going on in your life. Steal some candy while you're at it, too.
- Pastor Carley
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Faith and Technology
Admit it. You've checked facebook at least once today. You've probably texted or called someone on your cell phone. You've started the morning off with the TV. You aren't alone. Our relationship with social technology is more prominent than ever. Technology is now part of who we are, and our lives reflect this dependence.
The Barna Group has put out new research on family and technology. The technology they were interested in was media and social technology (like cell phones and laptops), as opposed to scientific and medical technology. The research is based off of over 400 households of parents and youth from the ages of 11-17. They were asked questions like, "Do you feel technology has a positive or negative impact on your life?" and "Do you ever take a conscious break from technology?" These questions revealed something we probably already knew: We leave and breathe technology without considering its effects. The more depressing result: The church as a whole has avoided addressing this topic within its walls even though it knows how important technology is to families.
To be clear, technology is not bad. Our improper use of it, however, threatens God design for humanity. From the very beginning, God created us to be in relationship with one another. This was an immediate, face-to-face relationship that over the years has spread through the invention of the car, telephone, and airplane. A hundred years ago, your farthest relatives might live three towns over, maybe even a state away. Now, we can connect with family around the world in a matter of seconds.
We face a new problem now - with internet and cell phones, we are able to disconnect from the people and places around us. Have any of you checked your facebook in class or texted during a meeting? While it seems harmless, if God is calling us to embody Christ to all we meet, shouldn't we pay attention to the people around us? The Bible doesn't have specific verses on technology (though the Ark was a technological feat), but it does warn us of the ways we might abuse its benefits.
Technology is bad IF we make it into an idol. Idols come in many shapes and sizes, but they are constructed for worship. Worship occupies our time and energy - mentally note how much time you spend online in a normal day. It may not feel like the hour of worship we spend on Sunday, but our behaviors and loyalty reflect who and what we consider our God. (Also, mentally note how much time you spend in prayer and reading scripture if you want a sobering comparison.)
Technology is bad IF it turns into an addiction. Can you disconnect? Try going 24 hours without checking your email, sending a text, or watching TV. If you can't comfortably give it up, you are on the brink or addiction or already in its grasp. God does not intend for us to give too much of our life to any one thing - He sent his son so that we might experience a freedom from the powers that long to rule our life. To give ourselves over to something else deprives us of a better life. Even if what you look at feels like harmless content, the fact that you're drawn to look signifies a dependence upon the medium (internet, tv, cell phone, etc).
Technology is bad IF it keeps us from authentic and real relationships. Chances are that the more you spend connected to some form of social technology, the less you spend in face-to-face contact with people. Technology (text and facebook especially) leads us away from real, soul-bearing conversation. God longs for us to have a deep connection with our neighbors, complete with non-verbal communication and emotion. We often let social technology rip those opportunities away from us. There's a commercial on TV that shows how technology has done just that.
Has family time become just another experience of sharing TV time? Notice how often the family looks at each other during the commercial.
As Christians, we are called to live differently.That doesn't mean you need to immediately sell your phone, ditch the laptop, or hide the TV. Instead it means we should consider what we allow to enter our life and how much power we will allow it to have over us. Maybe everyone else is on the internet all the time, but does that mean we can't consciously decide to unplug? What if we decided to silence our cell phones just because it would be nice to stop thinking about the texts we aren't receiving? What if we took some time to talk to our family around the dinner table instead of in front of the television?
It doesn't have to be big changes, but maybe those little things will help us reflect a little more on God's gift of relationship. Maybe when we let go of our social technology connection, we'll find that the people that matter most are still within physical reach. We choose the kind of life we live. Let it be filled with real, deep, life-giving relationships.
The Barna Group has put out new research on family and technology. The technology they were interested in was media and social technology (like cell phones and laptops), as opposed to scientific and medical technology. The research is based off of over 400 households of parents and youth from the ages of 11-17. They were asked questions like, "Do you feel technology has a positive or negative impact on your life?" and "Do you ever take a conscious break from technology?" These questions revealed something we probably already knew: We leave and breathe technology without considering its effects. The more depressing result: The church as a whole has avoided addressing this topic within its walls even though it knows how important technology is to families.
To be clear, technology is not bad. Our improper use of it, however, threatens God design for humanity. From the very beginning, God created us to be in relationship with one another. This was an immediate, face-to-face relationship that over the years has spread through the invention of the car, telephone, and airplane. A hundred years ago, your farthest relatives might live three towns over, maybe even a state away. Now, we can connect with family around the world in a matter of seconds.
We face a new problem now - with internet and cell phones, we are able to disconnect from the people and places around us. Have any of you checked your facebook in class or texted during a meeting? While it seems harmless, if God is calling us to embody Christ to all we meet, shouldn't we pay attention to the people around us? The Bible doesn't have specific verses on technology (though the Ark was a technological feat), but it does warn us of the ways we might abuse its benefits.
Technology is bad IF we make it into an idol. Idols come in many shapes and sizes, but they are constructed for worship. Worship occupies our time and energy - mentally note how much time you spend online in a normal day. It may not feel like the hour of worship we spend on Sunday, but our behaviors and loyalty reflect who and what we consider our God. (Also, mentally note how much time you spend in prayer and reading scripture if you want a sobering comparison.)
Technology is bad IF it turns into an addiction. Can you disconnect? Try going 24 hours without checking your email, sending a text, or watching TV. If you can't comfortably give it up, you are on the brink or addiction or already in its grasp. God does not intend for us to give too much of our life to any one thing - He sent his son so that we might experience a freedom from the powers that long to rule our life. To give ourselves over to something else deprives us of a better life. Even if what you look at feels like harmless content, the fact that you're drawn to look signifies a dependence upon the medium (internet, tv, cell phone, etc).
Technology is bad IF it keeps us from authentic and real relationships. Chances are that the more you spend connected to some form of social technology, the less you spend in face-to-face contact with people. Technology (text and facebook especially) leads us away from real, soul-bearing conversation. God longs for us to have a deep connection with our neighbors, complete with non-verbal communication and emotion. We often let social technology rip those opportunities away from us. There's a commercial on TV that shows how technology has done just that.
Has family time become just another experience of sharing TV time? Notice how often the family looks at each other during the commercial.
As Christians, we are called to live differently.That doesn't mean you need to immediately sell your phone, ditch the laptop, or hide the TV. Instead it means we should consider what we allow to enter our life and how much power we will allow it to have over us. Maybe everyone else is on the internet all the time, but does that mean we can't consciously decide to unplug? What if we decided to silence our cell phones just because it would be nice to stop thinking about the texts we aren't receiving? What if we took some time to talk to our family around the dinner table instead of in front of the television?
It doesn't have to be big changes, but maybe those little things will help us reflect a little more on God's gift of relationship. Maybe when we let go of our social technology connection, we'll find that the people that matter most are still within physical reach. We choose the kind of life we live. Let it be filled with real, deep, life-giving relationships.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The End of the World as We Know It?
Lately there's been a buzz about the end of the world. On May 21, 2011 it is said that all Christian believers will be taken from this earth in the blink of an eye, as Christ comes in final victory. So as people pile extra food supplies into bomb shelters misled to believe that a) the prediction is correct, b) rapture and Armageddon are the same thing, and c) that a bomb shelter can stop God, consider the words of Douglas Adams in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy:
The Origin of the Claim
The claim began with the mathematical calculations of a man by the name of Harold Camping. Camping is the head of Family Radio and a long time Bible code enthusiast. He previously predicted the end of the world would occur in September 6, 1994. Either Camping miscalculated, or we were all left behind. Followers of Camping are enthusiastic about the idea, wearing T-Shirts and passing out pamphlets explaining what the future does or doesn't hold.
Profittable Outcomes
If you are prepared to evaporate into Heaven this coming Saturday, be sure to invest in rapture pet insurance. For $135, your pet will be cared for by atheists if the rapture occurs in the next ten years.
For $15- $25 you can pick up your very own rapture t-shirt, complete with the mathematical equation Camping developed for explaining his conclusion.
What does this mean for Christians?
We must remember what Scripture tells us: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Matthew 24:36
While you believe that the world will end on Saturday or not, we must remember that we cannot predict the hour of Christ's return, nor do we know what the events of that day will look like. Instead we must live in the freedom given to us by our God. The only thing we can do to prepare for Christ's unknown return is to live with the hope of Christ in our hearts.
So, again, don't panic. Don't feed into the hysteria. Don't invest in rapture pet insurance or their flashy tote bag. Trust that the God who formed you and knows you by name will take care of you even in uncertain times.
The Origin of the Claim
The claim began with the mathematical calculations of a man by the name of Harold Camping. Camping is the head of Family Radio and a long time Bible code enthusiast. He previously predicted the end of the world would occur in September 6, 1994. Either Camping miscalculated, or we were all left behind. Followers of Camping are enthusiastic about the idea, wearing T-Shirts and passing out pamphlets explaining what the future does or doesn't hold.
Profittable Outcomes
If you are prepared to evaporate into Heaven this coming Saturday, be sure to invest in rapture pet insurance. For $135, your pet will be cared for by atheists if the rapture occurs in the next ten years.
For $15- $25 you can pick up your very own rapture t-shirt, complete with the mathematical equation Camping developed for explaining his conclusion.
What does this mean for Christians?
We must remember what Scripture tells us: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Matthew 24:36
While you believe that the world will end on Saturday or not, we must remember that we cannot predict the hour of Christ's return, nor do we know what the events of that day will look like. Instead we must live in the freedom given to us by our God. The only thing we can do to prepare for Christ's unknown return is to live with the hope of Christ in our hearts.
So, again, don't panic. Don't feed into the hysteria. Don't invest in rapture pet insurance or their flashy tote bag. Trust that the God who formed you and knows you by name will take care of you even in uncertain times.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
May Events
Sunday, 5/1: Race of Grace. Meet at the church parking lot at 2:00 PM, return home around 6:00 PM. www.raceofgrace.org
Sunday, 5/8: No Youth. Happy Mother’s Day!
Monday, 5/9: Youth Council Meeting. 7:00 – 8:00 PM in the Middle School Classroom
Tuesday, 5/10: Mission Planning Committee. 7:00 – 8:00 PM in the Middle School Classroom.
Sunday, 5/15: Youth. 5:00 – 7:00 PM.
Praise Band. 7:00 – 8:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall.
Sunday, 5/22: Youth. 5:00 – 7:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall.
Sunday, 5/29: No Youth. Happy Memorial Day Weekend!
FINAL MISSION PAYMENT DUE. Checks are payable to “Mount Zion UMC” with “youth mission trip – name” in the memo line.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Our Lenten Journey: Maundy Thursday
Today our church celebrates Maundy Thursday with "A Taste of Passover." On this Thursday, we remember Christ and his disciples as they shared the Passover Meal in the Upper Room.
The Passover meal was a highly scripted event. Much like our "taste of passover," much was written out and recited the same way every year. That is why the disciples were confused when Jesus broke bread with the words, "this is my body." It wasn't part of the script! It wasn't part of what they'd always done. These words weren't said out of habit, and it caught the disciples off guard.
Little did the disciples know how quickly their relationship with Christ would come into question after that. Soon Jesus would be arrested while praying, charged, beaten, and crucified.
So what's in the name "Maundy"?
Maundy is most commonly believe to derive from the Latin word, mandatum or commandment. Jesus left his disciples with these words: "Do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19)
The disciples did not know this would be their "last supper," but they were left with a way to remember and honor Jesus long after he ascended into Heaven.
Now, nearly two thousand years later, we partake in the command to remember. We share in a ceremony similar to the one held by Jesus and the disciples. In our participation, we're linking ourselves to history that extends back to the time of Moses - when God passed over the houses of the Israelites, sparing them from the punishment of the final plague.
It also links us to the time in which Jesus broke bread with his closest friends, commanding us to remember how his break with tradition would change the world forever.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Our Lenten Journey: Palm Sunday
Next Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week - the time in the Christian tradition between Christ's entry into Jerusalem and his crucifixion. We will start Sunday's worship service with the children processing down the aisle with palm branches. This is meant to be an exciting time in the church calendar, and a celebratory worship service, but we can't forget the meaning behind waving branches in the air and the familiar ring of "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
How did it all begin?
Palm Sunday is to commemorate Jesus' triumphal entry into the city. Jesus is fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 when he enters the gates on the back of a donkey:
How did it all begin?
Palm Sunday is to commemorate Jesus' triumphal entry into the city. Jesus is fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 when he enters the gates on the back of a donkey:
Rejoice with all your heart, people of Zion!
Shout in triumph, people of Jerusalem!
Look! Your King is coming to you:
He is righteous and victorious.
He is humble and rides on a donkey,
on a colt, a young pack animal.
Shout in triumph, people of Jerusalem!
Look! Your King is coming to you:
He is righteous and victorious.
He is humble and rides on a donkey,
on a colt, a young pack animal.
Why a donkey?
The truth is, in that area, kings and nobles processing into the city on the back of a donkey were signifying peaceful intentions. Donkeys were a symbol of peace.
Why palm branches?
Palm branches were laid at the feet of a king or noble when they were arriving in victory or triumph. When the crowd laid palm branches before Jesus, they were implying that Jesus was victorious over all others.
What about "Hosanna" and "Blessed is He"?
Hosanna is a derivation of the Hebrew word "hoshana," meaning "save." When the people shouted "hosanna," they were both desperate and hopeful for Jesus' salvation. Their declarations take us back to the words of Psalm 118:25-27:
LORD, save us!
LORD, grant us success!
LORD, grant us success!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
From the house of the LORD we bless you.
The LORD is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up to the horns of the altar.
From the house of the LORD we bless you.
The LORD is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up to the horns of the altar.
What should we remember from this story?
Palm Sunday wasn't just a "cool thing" that happened, but in a way it marks the beginning of the end. Jesus fulfills the prophecy of the coming Messiah, and continues on his journey to crucifixion and resurrection. Consider everything Jesus stood against as he rode into the city - in peace and victory. On Palm Sunday, Jesus was recognized as the symbol of hope he truly was (and still is), and as we come into the sanctuary this week, we will be honoring the only one who can save us as we wave our palm branches. Christ comes in victory.
You can find the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1–11; Luke 19:29–44; John 12:12–19
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Our Lenten Journey: The Color Purple
I know what you're thinking, and this isn't a reference to an Alice Walker book. Lent is full of symbols. From the ashes that start a period of fasting and prayer, to the unleavened bread of passover, these visual cues transform our understanding of the forty days. The color purple is one of these symbols.
Color is powerful. Ever wonder why most fast food places use red or yellow in their color scheme? Red is used because we mentally perceive it as an energetic and confident color. Red excites us, stimulates us, and causes us to make decisions quickly. Yellow encourages communication, wakes us up, and gives us feelings of happiness. There's a reason McDonalds has "golden arches."
Here is what the ecumenical CRI/Voice Institute says about the symbol of purple:
"The color used in the sanctuary for most of Lent is purple, red violet, or dark violet. These colors symbolize both the pain and suffering leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus as well as the suffering of humanity and the world under sin. But purple is also the color of royalty, and so anticipates through the suffering and death of Jesus the coming resurrection and hope of newness that will be celebrated in the Resurrection on Easter Sunday." (You can find the article here.)
Purple also aims to bring a feeling of simplicity to the season.
When a purple linen is draped over the cross, we are reminded of Christ's suffering on our behalf. In the last 26 days of Lent, consider wearing something purple. Do this as a sign of remembrance, much like the ashes we wore almost three weeks ago. Let seeing this color draw your mind back to the purpose of Lent - to draw nearer to God.
For more on color psychology, this website offers a brief overview of each color and how it impacts the human brain.
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