Stuck

Today I feel stuck. Do you ever feel that way? I haven't had writers block since I started preaching every Sunday. When asked "What is your sermon writing like", I always reply that it is one of my favorite things to do and it always just flows out of me and wherever I am, no matter what I am doing, I will sit down and write it out. 

Not this week. This week I am stuck.

I am stuck on what to preach about, I am stuck on what to talk about, I am stuck on how to tie it all together. So I sit here, at my desk, writing this blog post- STUCK. 

All around my office, I have words of inspiration. In the car, I listened to music that would surely give me a direction, I have laid awake the past nights thinking about it. 

And...you guessed it, I am stuck!

Why do we get stuck in our lives? Why do we all of a sudden see no direction? When things are going just right, when everything we do just flows naturally and we know the next steps- why do we then have absolutely no idea what we are doing and get completely stuck?

I wonder if that is the Holy Spirit telling us to look a different direction. That maybe the way we have always done things, the lens to which we have always looked through needs to change. Things need to be adjusted so that we can see clearly what path we are on, what direction to go down. 

It is amazing how God works in our lives like that. How one minute we are trucking along, doing everything the same way, living our lives, doing the work that we do then...BAM out of nowhere here comes God to turn things upside down, to point you in a different direction, to force you to look outside of YOURSELF and to look through a different lens. Perhaps it is a lens that leads to a new outlook on the world, perhaps it will be a lens that helps to define what your life is really about and what your purpose is or perhaps it is simply a lens that just need a little bit of adjusting, a little fine tuning to get you back to where you are supposed to be. 

Whatever it is that is going on with me, whatever "rut" I am stuck in, I just hope I can open my eyes to what God is saying to me, to open my heart and mind to the word of the Gospel and to allow the Holy Spirit to guide me to what needs to be said this week. 

If not, I hope everyone that attends church enjoys watching live streams of other Pastors because maybe they will know what to say this weekend :-)

Enjoy your weekend, apparently this bitter cold is going to turn warm! And always know that even when you are stuck, even when you feel as though you can't move forward, God is right with you telling you that you are enough, you are worthy and you are beloved.

Blessings,

Pastor Ali 

                                           

There is ENOUGH...yet, enough what?

This morning started out in the wee hours, with the snow glistening off the ground and the sun just peeking up from a long nights rest. I had a full cup of coffee in my hand, bundled up and headed out for the day. The radio was on, there were no screaming children and as I pulled up to my destination I thought "OMG, THEY WERE SERIOUS, THERE IS ALREADY A FREAKING LINE FOR PRESCHOOL ENROLLMENT AND THE DOORS DON'T OPEN FOR ANOTHER 15 MINUTES!!!"

You likely imagined me in the mountains or driving somewhere serene and beautiful. It was quite picturesque until the moment I pulled up.

There were people camping out, literally with chairs that had been out there since the wee hours. I honor them honestly, what bravery to brave the cold for preschool enrollment. I know that sounds sarcastic and maybe it is a bit but seriously they were brave souls.

I had always been told about this trend yet I hadn't experienced it yet. I had been lucky to work for the church the preschool is in and the perk as a staff member was you got to skip the enrollment chaos and turn in your form first.

Well, I had fallen for the fear of not enough room. I fell for it and showed up and was #30 in line.

I was out of there within 25 minutes of the enrollment actually starting and I am quite sure my daughter got the class I need her to be in.

Here is the thing- why do we live in a society where we truly believe there isn't enough room? Sure, this particular school will fill up and yes, you may not get the exact teacher you want but the chances of the first round of enrollers not getting in is slim AND we all showed up early, we all got out in the 6 degree weather to make sure there was enough space for us. And just like many other parents, I plan my work day around this preschool schedule so YES I also HAD to get there early and make sure my care was secured.

We never have enough in life- enough money, enough clothes, enough of this or that. I live in an affluent area where sending your kid to school with a hole in his pants is likely frowned upon but my kid really likes those pants and I don't like to fight in the morning more than I have to.

We live in area with the best cars, gyms, restaurants, shops, etc... And I love where we live, it is a wonderful place to raise children but how do we raise them to know WITHOUT A DOUBT that there is ENOUGH ROOM for them.

That they matter, that they are valued and that they are loved and there is enough for them to be as big as they need/want to be in this world.

The church is a place where I have always felt this. At least in the churches I have grown up in. The United Methodist Church is filled with grace, love and hospitality for all of God's people. All are welcome, all are loved and are all are valued. You don't have to look a certain way to come in, you don't have to make a certain amount of money, you don't have to be a certain color, you don't have to be anything but you.

I believe that we often find Christ in the messiness of our lives because our lives are messy. They are filled the "not enoughs", they are filled with despair, they are filled with joy and happiness too and in the messiness of ALL of this we often find God or the need for something more- and that is the time to walk through doors of the church and fill the love of those that surround you in that place and know you ARE enough.

We are all a part of this church whether we know it or not. We are all a part of the Body of Christ and the Body of Christ only functions if all parts are working and working together.

Our country is in dysfunction right now, our own denomination is as well YET our job right now is to show the world that there is enough of the church to go around, that you don't have to prove anything to belong, that you don't have to act a certain way; you simply have to come as you are and know that when you leave for the day that  YOU ARE LOVED, YOU ARE VALUED, YOU ARE WORTHY AND YOU ARE ENOUGH!

God bless all of you and good luck with your preschool enrollments!

-Pastor Ali