educator and expert in history and current affairs, to our Summer Coffee House Conversation. Jeanette will guide us through an exploration of how understanding history can illuminate our present realities and inform our actions as Christians today.
In these times of uncertainty and rapid change, it is crucial for us, as a community of faith, to stay informed and engaged. Through Jeanette's insightful presentation, we will delve into current events through the lens of our Presbyterian values, seeking to discern how we can contribute positively to our community and beyond. As we embark on this journey together, let us reflect on the words of James 1:22: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." (NIV) This scripture reminds us of our call not only to hear the teachings of Christ but also to act upon them in our daily lives. We encourage each of you to attend this enlightening event and to invite friends and neighbors who may also benefit from this discussion. Let us come together in fellowship and learning, seeking to grow in our understanding of God's world and our role within it. Please mark your calendars for Saturday July 27th at 11am and join us in welcoming Jeanette to our church. Together, let us explore how we can actively live out our faith in today's world. Blessings to you all, Donna Community Outreach Committee Chair
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Mikal has compiled meaningful quotes and Bible verses that describe what love is. As we strive to always Love 1st, these are beautiful reminders of how we can show and feel love.
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” I Corinthians 13:1-3 “There is only one who is all powerful, and his greatest weapon is love.” Stan Lee “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” I Corinthians 13:4-6 “The greatest moments in life are not concerned with selfish achievements but rather with the things we do for the people we love and esteem.” Walt Disney “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” I Corinthians 13:7 “Whoever loves much, performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.” Vincent Van Gogh “Love never ends.” I Corinthians 13:8(a) "Listening is where love begins." Fred Rogers So now abide these three; faith, hope, and love… and the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13:13 “When we love a person, we accept him or her exactly as is: the lovely with the unlovely, the strong with the fearful, the true mixed in with the façade…" Fred Rogers “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12 “If every single man is not an individual, deserving respect, simply by being human, then all is lost and it is not worth the trouble to hear about the great world-historical events and the achievements of mankind are meaningless.” Søren Kierkegaard “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 “That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt, a real superhero.” Stan Lee “These things I command you, so that you will love one another.” John 15:17 “I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.” Vincent Van Gogh “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 “We speak with more than our mouths. We listen with more than our ears." Fred Rogers In His Name, Mikal
As I faced my Maker at the last Judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives, like the squares of a quilt, in many piles.
An Angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that was our life. But as my Angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares were. They were filled with giant holes! Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in everyday life. I saw hardships that I had endured, (which were the largest holes of all). I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Others had a tiny hole here and there, other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My Angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air. Finally, the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light and the scrutiny of truth. The others rose each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My Angel looked upon me and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, death, and false accusations that took from me my world as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I had spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully; each time offering it up to the Father, in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me. And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it had been. I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with eyes wide. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded through the many holes, creating an image. The face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, "Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you...Welcome Home My Child" -Author Unknown
single prayer that seemed genuine and encouraging for today. Then I felt like God turned on a spotlight to highlight a few things for me. Those prayers were all public prayers, they were not the quiet prayers of a man talking with their Heavenly Father. They were prayers of a leader as a crowd watched their every move. These prayers had been written out and every word scrutinized for any offense or any potential political hot button. The language Washington used to emulate the greatness of God probably had a lot to do with him feeling humbled at being our first president and wanting to communicate that to the crowd as well. After all, no one wants a proud first president when there could have been another, more humble man. Likewise, Lincoln’s prayers for unity when our nation was facing war or FDR as our world faced dark times calling for an end to evil. I started to see a layer of necessary political wording in these prayers. My attitude, as well, was political in how I viewed the public prayers of these men based on their political party. Then the spotlight became blindingly bright. These presidents were elected to be political figures, not pastors. God invites all of us to prayer. Some prayers may be public such as an event or Sunday service. Some will be routine, like family dinners. Some will be desperate prayers, like those times when we are at the hospital or about to be in an accident. However, the prayers God values most highly are the quiet times with just us and Him. There is no book of these kinds of prayers written because they are often personal and not meant for the public. In a way, thank goodness, because many of us would not wish our personal moments with our Father in Heaven to be on display. I think God does not want these tender moments on display either because they are precious to Him. He calls us to those inner times of prayer so we can be honest and vulnerable with a Father who loves us. In those private moments we find the courage and resolve we need to face the public with the grace that God gives each of us. My beautiful coffee table book with our president’s prayers is not meant to be a devotional book. I cannot testify to the spiritual condition of each of our presidents, nor can I trust their words to be the spiritual guidance I need. They were elected for a certain task for a certain time. I have only to look to God and all of my needs will be met by Him, and thankfully He is always ready to listen to my prayers.
In His Name, Bonnie
universally put it all together in seemingly limitless ways … and I find it undeniably divine. Music is like a flower. How does it exist in such perfection . . . over and over and over again in nature? There’s a song I sang in a church a year or so ago called “Why Flowers” by Allen Levi and the premise of the song is just that:
Why music? Why the ability for a collection of frequencies put together in some mathematical fashion we have all organized collectively to move us to tears? To hit just the right mood when we’re feeling happy, to lift our spirits when we’re feeling down, to deliver exactly the right message deep into souls when nothing else can? It’s amazing. I could go on and on.
A few weeks ago we drove over to Seattle to see one of my all-time favorite artists — Billy Joel! I think he is a spectacular song writer. I’ve always been drawn to those artists who not only write great music but fully embody it. His concert, of course, was awesome. What it must feel like to sing so comfortably in front of sixty thousand people! He seemed to barely blink an eye -- that’s a pretty unique perspective he has! I have to say though, my favorite part of the concert was not just him but being among a fully-packed stadium all singing in unison to “Piano Man” and others. It was amazing! We all collectively knew this song and our differences became irrelevant along with all the little things that drove us crazy that day, and all the arguments … instead we sang a song — together. What a crazy thing. What a gift. I can find no other reason for a spectacular argument for not only God, but a God that is exceptionally loving and so beautiful that it almost hurts. Music is a slip behind the curtain. A chance to see and deeply feel the love of God in the most unique and, I believe, closest ways. What a divine gift. In His Name, Jenny
that he was fascinated by the ocean. We spent a few years trying out different places to stay on the Oregon coast when he saw an ad for a place called Sunnyside Beach on Orcas Island. He jumped at the chance to stay there and thus began a tradition of summertime visits. Initially we rented the cabin weekly but over the years we were offered five years leases and we were there as often as possible. The cabin itself was very modest. It was originally part of the military housing at Fort Lewis just outside of Tacoma. After WWII was over the cabin was separated into two sections and sent up to Orcas on a barge. It was placed in a small cove next to Pole Pass with a beautiful west-facing view. There were four other cabins in the cove and we became friends with the other tenants and owners of the property. To us they were family. The summer, after my freshman year at the University of Oregon, was spent working on the dock, cleaning cabins, pumping gas and cooking burgers at the Deer Harbor Marina. Quite a change from my academic life! It was a great summer and it was hard to get back to school in September. My parents lived in Eugene, Oregon and continued to faithfully spend time on Orcas until age caught up with them and they could no longer travel. After their passing my brother and I continued to lease the cabin and shared the miracle of Orcas with our own children. So now, many years later, we came to the conclusion that our time on Orcas was coming to an end. We made the difficult decision to give up our lease and say goodbye to the cabin. It had gotten more difficult to get up there, the cabin needed some major renovations and a lot of the people that we loved and spent time with had passed on. Additionally, the daughters, who had inherited the property when their father, longtime friend, Calvin, and his wife, Claire, were gone, were arguing about whether or not to sell the property. Many tears were shed as we tried to make a decision which was further complicated by the fact that our older sister is battling cancer and her future is uncertain. We felt that she deserves our attention now, our time and our love. We were comforted by the belief that the place was important but the memories of the people will live on in our hearts forever. So a couple of weeks ago my brother, John, and I went up to the island to empty the cabin. More importantly we needed to say a final goodbye to our parents. Their request after their deaths was for us to co-mingle their ashes and scatter them in the waters of Puget Sound in front of the cabin. We had a lovely ceremony. We took a row boat and went about half a mile out from the cabin. No power boats were used as our mother was an environmentalist and would have appreciated the silence and the lack of dependence on fossil fuel. We prayed, remembered their lives and said goodbye for now. Ever since that day of remembrance, I have felt the presence of my parents every time I have visited the island. There is a small rock outcropping on the northside of our beach we called “The Point”. Whenever I went to Orcas I spent time there talking to my parents, praying, asking for their advice and their courage to help me face the challenges of life. Two weeks ago, as I sat once more on the rocky point in the early light of dawn, a sudden peace descended upon me. I knew for certain that the one I now need to turn to is Jesus. He is the one constant presence in my life. He is always there when I need Him. My parents will always have a special place in my heart but Christ is my Savior and I trust that He will always be there for me. He will give me strength and courage and direct my path.
In His Name, Ellen
Usually, I send Janet my blog the day it’s DUE! because that’s when I finish writing it — that’s how 99.3% of all my writing assignments have been written. This isn’t scheduled until June, but I’m writing it WAY early because my thoughts (and emotions) are bouncing all around the topic of friendship and need to be tacked down or I won’t get anything else accomplished (can’t say ‘done’ because I will hear the echo of my 7th grade English teacher, “‘DONE’ is for when to pull a turkey from the oven”. ‘Friendship’ is selected for four reasons, all to be presented here, from easiest to much less easy. First, I have a beautiful book, Between Friends by Lynne Gerard, with amazingly poetic thoughts on friendship. I recently revisited this book and felt it would be good to find an opportunity to share a few. I hope they offer points of reflection, connection and perhaps remembrance.
Second, McLane mentioned our next sermon series (which we are now appreciating I’m sure) will be on Friendship. When he said it, his sentence was a normal sentence, but his tone and affect were a teensy bit excited. He might have even raised his brows. So, I feel like offering some thoughts on friendship may be timely., McLane mentioned our next sermon series (which we are now appreciating I’m sure) will be on Friendship. When he said it, his sentence was a normal sentence, but his tone and affect were a teensy bit excited. He might have even raised his brows. So, I feel like offering some thoughts on friendship may be timely.
Third, I am excited to share the exciting news (so excited I can’t provide a simile for excited) that Adult Discipleship, at the behest of a group of women, will present to Session, the idea of planning a Women’s Retreat for this fall! (I write this the week before Session meets, so if for some strange reason, it’s not approved, I’ll have to edit this blog. And be sad. Very sad.) Our last retreat was in 2014. Math is not an area of strength, but even I can see that it was 10 years ago, literally, a decade! That retreat was wonderful, delightful, enriching, uplifting, relaxing, and at the top of the descriptors: friendship building. Established friendships were refreshed; acquaintance friendships were deepened and new friendships were planted. Can you hear why I am so, so, so ... thrilled? (Decided I better look up a synonym to excited.) AND — it wasn’t only the women who attended who were blessed, the whole church benefitted from the renewed joy and genuine connections created through this time together.
Finally, I close this blog with the reason my mind wouldn’t settle this morning and I needed to process my feelings of sorrow and gratitude connected to the gift of friendship. I have had my dear friend Doreen on the church prayer list a few times over the past 18 months, since she was diagnosed for cancer. This morning, Doreen texted me to say she has requested no more treatments. She will now do pain mitigation until she is in pain no longer. Doreen is the friend who invited me to come to church where, at 27 years old, I realized the ever-present love of Christ and was called to be baptized. I am forever grateful for her responding to Spirit’s whisper to invite me. Doreen is a true reflection of the vision of Love gathering her chicks under protective wings. And her wings just seem to always expand, making room to include all who Christ brings to her life. I aspire to be such a friend.
In His Name, Yvette
plant can sprout and grow to nearly three feet tall in a matter of weeks under the right conditions. It amazes me how perfect each plant becomes in the shape and design God intended. I would like to think it was because I’m such a great gardener, but I’m only the caregiver.
My role is to make sure that each plant is getting the water, feed, and sunshine they need. When weeds try to invade, I need to remove them. When the plants are done flowering or fruiting, I need to remove the spent flowers or harvest the fruit so that new blooms can replace them. But even though I do the work, I cannot make anything grow. God provides the seed, soil, water, sun, all the conditions needed for each plant to grow. He is the one that decides which seed will grow and what fruit it will produce. He only gives me the tools to care for the harvest He provides. Forty-one years ago, God planted a seed in my heart. My brother was the caregiver in this case. He had become a Christian and wanted to make sure my parents and I heard the Gospel. When God saved me, my brother’s first response was to help me find a church where I could grow and get involved. God hasn’t stopped growing me over the years. There are times when I was weak and He lifted me off the ground, knocked off the dirt in my life, and propped me up so that I could grow stronger. There were times that He had to prune me because I would try to get ahead of God’s plan for my life and He had to put me on the right path. Through my life His care for me has been constant in a way that shows that I am His and that He loves me. He shows me His love in His Word everyday and each day as I go about living life. When I get the chance to sit on my porch and enjoy the beauty of the gardens around me, I sometime wonder if God is pleased with my life. Is my life beautiful in His eyes? Have I been a good caregiver of the things He has given me to do? I can only believe that He is happy with me, because of the peace He gives me. In Christ, Stephanie Rogge
He doted on Grandma, and they had a way of putting each other first. Pap Pap was very much a man’s man, but when Grandma had her stroke, Pap Pap put on an apron and called all us Piovesan ladies for recipes. Even in his 70s, he would wrestle his grown grandsons and I remember one such wrestling match in which he bested all four boys at once. The thing I remember the most is that Harold was the kind of man who read his Bible every day. Above all, he lived a life that showed he loved Jesus. Pap Pap had a deep understanding of God’s love for people and he dedicated his life to serving those around him. He spent nearly 30 years on the foreign mission field in Papua New Guinea. When he retired, he lived at the mission home in Florida and continued to serve in any way he could. In his 70’s he wrote a children’s book and several commentaries on various books of the Bible. In his 80’s he volunteered as a chaplain at the local hospital. In his 90’s he was still volunteering with what he called the old people. All of us younger Piovesans found it hard to keep up with Pap Pap's busy schedule. When he passed away at 96, he died in his sleep with a package of cookies in his bed. We knew a lot about Pap Pap, and it is hard to capture the witty and tender person that he really was in just a few words. What none of us, except maybe Grandma, knew much about was his time in the war. He was part of the 99th Infantry Division of the Army in the European theater during WWII. We knew he was in the Ardennes and the Battle of the Bulge as part of the push into Germany. He carried a part of the mortar and helped to quickly assemble this when needed. During one battle his unit was behind enemy lines and they were trying to get across the Rhine River; out of the 125 men in his unit only 26 survived. The 99th Division was also known for liberating Dachau Concentration Camp and three labor camps. We are not sure if Pap Pap was part of the liberation of these camps as he never talked about this with any of us. We know that during one battle, when things seemed at their worst, Pap Pap prayed to God with a typical battlefield prayer and vowed to serve God if He would get him out alive. Later Pap Pap learned that Grandma was also praying and vowing to serve God if Harold would come home alive. Neither of them was a Christian at the time. Over this past winter my husband and I watched Band of Brothers. We expected a typical war theme miniseries. However, we were both forever humbled by seeing the reality of what Pap Pap endured during WWII. While watching this TV show, seeing what a fox hole was like, the freezing cold these men endured, and the endless movement of the battlefield, we realized this is what our dear Pap Pap had survived. During one episode I started crying, realizing that the sweet and tender man I knew was at one time in his young life hunkered down in some freezing hole as bombs were exploding all around him praying God would spare his life. Knowing how much Pap Pap loved people, I cannot imagine the heartache he suffered seeing his fellow soldiers die and then having to march past their bodies on the way to another battle. I cried even harder when they portrayed the soldiers finding a camp, not knowing what it was, and realizing these young soldiers would have been the first to see the horrors of the camps. It became all too clear why Pap Pap did not talk much about his time in the war. After he came home from Europe, he and Grandma built a life in Pennsylvania. He had a home and a good business. Together they had a daughter and nine years later they had a son, my father-in-law Gary. When Gary was a few months old, the doctors found a tumor that needed to be removed. Grandma was working out the details for the surgery and the expected stay in the hospital when someone told her about a charismatic faith healer who had come to town. Grandma went to the church service with her infant son in her arms and sat in the pews listening to the preacher. She recounted the story to us several times over the years of how Gary suddenly became very hot and stiff in her arms and then immediately peaceful. A few days later during another checkup to prepare for the upcoming surgery, the tumor was gone. The doctors said Gary also had a hernia that they had not mentioned as they were going to fix it during the surgery. The hernia was gone as well. Grandma urged Pap Pap to go to the church service. He agreed but said he should not be expected to stand up and say anything. During the service Pap Pap grabbed Gary, rushed to the front of the room, and testified about how God had healed his son. He was not a Christian at this time. This was the beginning of the journey of faith for both Grandma and Pap Pap. They started asking questions and reading about Jesus, and soon both came to the Lord. About two years later Pap Pap said he was reading his Bible when God reminded him of his battlefield prayer. Grandma said it was about the same time God also reminded her of her prayer. Together they prayed about how they could serve God, and sometime later they sold everything they owned and were on a ship headed for Papua New Guinea as missionaries. They spent the rest of their lives learning about Jesus and loving others. About a month after watching Band of Brothers, my husband stumbled upon an excerpt from a book he found online. The author must have talked to Pap Pap, but none of us knew about the interview or the book.
Pap Pap was an amazing person, and he spent his life telling others about the love of Jesus. I don’t know if the horrors he endured during the war were ever forgotten, but he had found a way to live in peace and he wanted to share that peace with everyone around him. He led the way for all of us Piovesans to find a life of faith and love. Those of us lucky enough to have known Harold Piovesan as Pap Pap are eternally grateful that he kept his promise and chose to serve God for the rest of his life. In His Name, Bonnie
Sometimes I forget that following Christ is not supposed to be all sacrifice all the time. Neither is it about making my life more comfortable and pleasant. Rather, the holy presence of God is joyful.
To quote Woven, “To live with real joy is a holy way to live. Joy is an end in itself, a good in itself, because it is a marker of God’s presence.” This reminder was so powerful and encouraging. But the next day, as we went about our normal morning routine of scrambling to rush out the door, I remembered Meredith writing about family routines and the struggle to create joy in the day to day. “Sometimes complaining and anxiety are just easier places to wallow when compared to the work of making room for joy. Joy doesn’t just happen; it takes practice. But the practice is worthwhile, as it helps us anchor to our joyful God.” As I remembered these words I stopped, halfway through brushing my teeth while glaring at Isaac, standing in my way. I saw the routine that we had in the morning was one of hurry and stress and irritation (sorry, Isaac!). But if I could make a space for joy in our morning, a chance to do the day to day differently, with purpose, then the morning could become a chance to grow closer to God together. I finished brushing my teeth, took a deep breath and slowed down. I continued through the morning looking for an opportunity for joy. The transformation of our day was incredible! We still had to gather our one million bags, we still had to pack lunches and buckle car seats. But for the first time in a while, I noticed how bright the sun was in the morning, how fresh the air was, and how many different birds we could hear. Everett and I paused to listen to them and find where the weirdest bird song was coming from. We got into the car and felt excited for the day. We dropped Everett off at his grandparents and instead of rushing through our good mornings we gave big joyful hugs. As Isaac and I drove away to work we marveled at how warm and full the morning had become. And through it all, I could feel the presence of God. Not every morning is so spectacular, habits don’t change so quickly. But now, everytime I hear the birds as we walk to our car, I find myself remembering that God is with us today and He’s calling me to Him. And the sun shines a little brighter. In following such a joyful God we are called to celebrate together. Resting in His presence is a joyful thing. And joy fills our hearts till it overflows into the people around us, inviting them to rest in His presence as well. So I invite you to rest in His presence with me today. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:9-10 Have a Terrific Tuesday, Naomi :-) |
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July 2024
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