Do A New Thing
““The only thing that counts is faith working through love.””
My desk is cluttered and covered in post-its. Permission slips and snippets of permission from other people's wisdom. These phrases grab me because of their truth and encouragement.
An encouragement to do something as difficult as it is simple. Be me. Just be myself - all the time! Trust that what I do with my time and energy matter, even if the endeavors feel unnecessary, self-serving, and/or trigger that oh-so-familiar voice - "Well, now! Just who do you think you are?"
You know that one, right?
When I hear her lovely voice, I glance at the post-it bearing the above quote. Yes, it's from the bible, but I don't think it’s wisdom is just for Christians. The faith Paul means is so much bigger. It is spirituality defined as our inherent connection to everything and everyone. The faith in things not seen (yes - bible again). The faith in something coming to life for you, within you, something that you pursue because you believe, it will feed the souls of others as much as it feeds yours.
Faith as trust. To trust in the purpose of our gifts.
When you give someone a gift, do you hope they never use it? I don’t. Why would God?
This is the basis for my new endeavor, Feeling Beings Who Think. This podcast is me living into my faith, working through love.
I love podcasts. One of the first blogs I wrote was to share my love of podcasts. When I started at my church over a decade ago, my introductory letter to the congregation was a summary of my top ten podcasts because I thought that was a lighthearted yet real way to describe - me.
So at a certain point, I wanted one. What can I say, it is as simple as that. I craved a place to have more intentional conversations with the incredible network of people I am fortunate enough to know. I wanted to share the wisdom that my friends and colleagues have shared with me. I want others to hear that priests are just people.
I know you've heard this before, but the last two years have been hard on clergy, and the church is not bouncing back. Our "pivots" (and I do not like that word), wonderful and exciting as they are, have not produced pews full of people. And I have to remind myself that that is ok. Because producing pews full of people is not the job of a priest.
My job is to model faith working through love and to proclaim that is the only thing that counts. The seeds we plant when we do that are planted in God’s field and God (not me) gives the growth. (1 Cor 3:5)
So, if you are listening to this podcast, thanks! I hope you find wisdom, support, and encouragement. I hope it prompts questions about your gifts and callings and how you might share them. I hope these conversations encourage you to consider and connect with communities that support your faith. And if you have wandered far from faith communities, maybe it’s time you try a new one. Or, dare I say, give your old one another chance.
I hope that listening to people talking about grief gives you permission to feel your own. I hope that listening to people share their imperfections gives you permission to embrace yours. I hope that listening to how others have wrestled and wondered about who they are helps you feel more at home with those wrestlings too.
I hope, as I say often, that this podcast encourages you to love who you are and who you are becoming.
