My parents were recently in town to celebrate Declan's Baptism (A great day indeed!). Our families began sharing stories (which is the job of family) including my failure as a piano player.  Actually typing those words makes me feel kinda bad about how absolutely terrible I was.

To help set the scene you have to imagine I am 6 or 7 years old.  My mother has dreams and aspirations of me learning this wonderful instrument and playing in all kinds of arenas, including church, I'm sure.  The woman who my parents took me to (my father must have been in on it) for lessons decided that I would take part in the fall recital.....AFTER 4 LESSONS! Yep, that right, 4 lessons.  Anyone want to guess how well I performed?

EPIC FAIL!  I plunked the first few notes and then offered a wonderful non melody of cries thru what was probably twinkle, twinkle little star.  I was crushed.  But this is not about my embarassment as a child.  the problem turns out that I could have been very gifted at the piano.  A young man at our church (who is a protege pianist) even noticed the length of my fingers one day and asked if I ever played....sigh :(

All is not lost, I do love the piano....when other people play it.  BUT I feel some remorse about those 4 lessons because I have to enjoy it from a far.  I always feel removed from the enjoyment of this particular instrument.  It got me thinking about the gifts and talents of our congregation....and my responsibility to the people of God to help equip them with 1) a recognition of gifts that God has placed in their lives and B) just how we go about getting them to fall in love with those gifts!

Forcing people to 'do ministry' is an absolute waste of time....like asking a 6 year old to play at a recital after 4 lessons.  There is, however, a wonderful life lesson in promoting a try it before you buy it approach...allowing people to plunk around a while before learning the notes, scales and sheet music.  I remember I tried the trombone because it made the up and down notes like at a circus. (I wasn't very good at that either.)  Finding what people love is more difficult but it is also more rewarding.  There is a heart language there that tells more stories than can be rehearsed. 

Finally, I still love music, I just can't play.  I have entered into that love from a different direction.  I wonder how much that is true for people who want to be involved in the life of God in the world. -Praying Attention - Pastor Andy

I had a strange thing happen to me the other day.  I recently got a new phone.  My new phone has Siri.  Siri acts much like a personal assistant, she takes notes, schedules appointments, places calls for me, etc.  All I have to do is push a button on my phone and say a command.  It's brilliant!  But on Monday my phone reminded me of something that I think we all need reminded of; Sabbath rest.

As many of you know, Monday's are my regularly scheduled time off from the life of the congregation and time to find rest for the rest of the week.  I even have it in my phone, on my calendar as a reminder.  Sometimes that regularly scheduled appointment for Sabbath rest goes unnoticed.  So, I pushed the button to activate Siri and asked her to schedule an appointment with the Bishop on Monday and her response to me was - "you already have an all day appointment called Sabbath.  Do you still want me to make the appointment?"

This event alone made me think of all the times my Sabbath rest was brushed aside for one appointment.  More importantly, it says awful lot about the state of the world we live in.  If I asked the question- "How many of you regularly take a Sabbath rest?" - I think the number one answer might be "what is Sabbath."  The follow up, of course, is - how many of you are able to keep it.  I was surprised that I had to have the software on my phone remind me of the thing that God makes available to us.  If God found time to take a break, God intends us to do the same.  In the professional world that is called modeling behavior.  And it starts at the very beginning of THE story (see Genesis 1).  But Sabbath is more than scheduling time off, it is taking a rest (a break) from all of the things that consume us during the other 6 days of the week.  In the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) we find regulations of Sabbath to include no work.  This is like enforcing no cell phones at the dinner table.  Mostly though, these laws were placed in the life of the community to do what God did - rest.  The word in Hebrew can also mean to cease.  AND the even better part of what God does in the story of creation is to bless this day, set it apart and make it holy.  Therefore, the ceasing, the rest, the Sabbath is something we need reminded to do as part of our healthy relationship with God and with one another so that we don't go phoning it in.  Her's to praying attention - Pastor Andy

I'm listening to Norah watch "Tigger's birthday party" video. (I don't know the real name of the video).  I am struck by Tigger's response to all the things he wished for on his birthday.  He wishes for pogo sticks and banana splits and so forth....AND when he doesn't receive these things he asks everyone the same question: "Did I do something wrong?  i blew out my candle, right?"

Tigger's wishes and his response are a bit how we approach our prayers with God.  I pray them- God makes them happen.  AND if they don't happen...I must have done something wrong.  God's servant Job is told this by his friends throughout the book of Scripture by his name.

Is this really how God works?  Most people even attribute the quote: "God helps those that help themselves." as found in scripture.  In reality that was said by Benjamin Franklin a 18th century deist.  So what then?  I pray and I pray and God doesn't seem to answer my prayers.  If God did answer my prayers my friends, family members, congregants and would never suffer from Cancer, fall on troubled times or be inconvienced in any way.

Job's lesson throughout lots of conversation with 'his friends' and with his God is: how we talk about God is an important aspect of what it means to follow God.  After being constantly bombarded by his friends with the theology (God talk) of 'you must have done something to deserve this' - Job has a breakthrough when he meets God.  He states very simply - 'Lord, I have heard of you by the hearing of my ear but now I see you face to face.'  In this reality we begin to understand that God is not our personal ATM for prayer withdraws to fulfill the things we hope for in life but that God has drawn near to us to be present and live among us.  Thank God for that