LuLuRoe: a review for plus sized (really for all) women

Last spring at a clergy gathering, I was admiring several of the outfits the younger clergy women were wearing.  When I asked where they got the outfits, they all said:  LuLuRoe!

Lulu-what?

For those who have not experienced LuLuRoe yet, it's a line of clothes marketed primarily in home parties.  Of course, it has all the pluses and pitfalls of this marketing strategy:  

• You have to know someone to buy.
• If you're invited to a party, there's pressure to buy something even if you don't want to, 
• There's pressure to host a party yourself.
• You are limited to purchase what the consultant has in stock (for LuLuRoe at least - other home marketing companies allow the consultant to order specific items).
• If you purchase on-line (consultants do have on-line stores) there's the issue of not being able to try on the item first. Sometimes the colors look different in the pictures than in real life.  And there's the whole matter of shipping to you and shipping returns.  

Then there's the consultant's side (I learned the following from various reviews of LuLuRoe):

• Some people are good at this sort of thing and do very well.  
• Some are not and end up spending a lot of money on inventory they can't move.
• Consultants order styles and sizes, but can't order particular patterns or colors.  Which means they can't tailor their inventory to the tastes of their clients, and sometimes get stuck with patterns they can't sell
• If you want to get out of the business, LuLuRoe will not buy back your inventory even at a discount.

Still, I like the idea of supporting women who are running their own businesses.  So I have purchased several outfits. This fall I was invited to an on line party.  And I admit I am hooked.  There are several things I love about these clothes, and several things I don't love.  

Your shopping experience will vary greatly depending on your consultant.  One I have worked with has her on-line store open all the time.  She readily will exchange or refund items if you don't like your purchase. Another consultant I have purchased from only has the on-line store open if there is an on-line party.  And if the size is wrong - you get store credit, not a cash refund.

I've read reviews that say the price point is good, and review that believe the clothes are too expensive.  I find the prices are comparable to Lane Bryant and Torrid (my go-to stores), but there are not the kind of sales you find at LB and Torrid.  Tops are around $35, leggings are $25, dresses are $50-65.  The jackets are a little pricey.

I have tried most of the shirt styles, the leggings (LOVE), most of the dress styles, most of the jacket styles and one of the skirt styles.  Here is my opinion of the clothes I have tried:

What I like: 

• They are super comfortable.  I wore a Carly dress and leggings to a women's meeting and I admit - it really did feel like I was in my comfy lounging around the house clothes!
• The leggings are buttery soft.  The shirts and dresses are not as soft, but still really, really comfortable.
• The necklines are reasonably modest.  I have been having issues with much of the clothes marketed to plus size women at stores like LB and Torrid.  The necklines are plunging and the whole "cold shoulder" thing?  It's pretty hard to find work appropriate clothing!
• The fabric is fairly sturdy.  Again, many of my purchases from LB and Torrid have been sheer or paper thin.  And of course they just don't hold up.  I haven't had my LuLuRoe very long, but the material is much thicker and I think it will hold up well - as long as you wash it correctly.
• FYI - The washing instructions for everything is wash in cold on a delicate cycle and hang dry.  This works for me, since I wash everything in cold, and hang dry all of my shirts and dresses. But you might consider it a minus, if you just toss everything in the dryer.  

What I don't like:

• The sizing is not consistent across sizes.  A 2x in an Irma top is much larger than a 2X in a Classic T.  A 3x in a Amelia or Nicole is smaller than a 2x in a Carly.  And I wear an Large in a Lindsey.  Which means you really need to try everything on.
• My recommendation:  Go to a pop up store or a in-person party and try everything on.  Write down your sizes in each style you like, so if you later see something on-line you like, you'll know if it will most likely fit.
• Different materials also make the sizing inconsistent.  I know that's an issue for all women's clothing.  My husband thinks I'm crazy for trying on the exact same shirt in white, black and the cool pattern I like - but I have found that even in the best retail stores, the size can be vary radically between colors and fabrics.
• Some consultants in their on-line stores will note what fabric an item is made from.  And some don't.  I tend to stay away from the jacquard - they tend to run small and are not very stretchy.  Which means, if the consultant doesn't list the fabric, I have to contact her before buying - and rely on her judgment as to if it will fit me.
• The sizing runs small - really small.  It might say its a 3x and will fit a 24-26, but don't believe it.  I have found that most of the 2x (which is what I typically wear) are too small, and the many of the 3x sizes are too small as well. Especially if you are a - ahem - well endowed woman.  
• The consultants will encourage you to wear something that fits tighter than you are comfortable with.
• Most of the fabrics are pretty clingy.  
• What's up with the black leggings?  They are the unicorns of LuLuRoe.  I know one consultant that hold them back for special promotions, or will allow you to purchase them if you buy a dress.  And they are almost impossible to get in the TC2 (size 20 and up).  The other legging patterns are sometimes cute, but there is a limit to how many wildly patterned leggings a grown woman needs!
• The same goes for solid colors - they seem to be few and far between,  I know some of the fun is pattern mixing, but again there are only so many of these "fun" outfits an adult needs in her wardrobe!
• On the other hand, the kids and teen patterns are so stinking cute, it makes me wish I had grandchildren to buy for!
• The selection of colors and patterns:  since consultants can only order styles and sizes, there is no telling what colors and patterns they will get in each order.  And the company limits the number of items produced in a particular pattern/color.  This means:
• It's not as likely that you will see someone wearing the exact same outfit as you as if you bought it from a mass retailer - a plus IMHO.
• But if you see something you really like, you need to buy it NOW.  I don't like this - I think it promotes impulsive spending,  It's really hard to see that cute color/pattern in your size and the style you love and  know that if you don't get it now, it may be gone when it's in your budget.  My usual on-line shopping habit is when I find something I like, I wait to purchase it for a few days (or longer).  If I still want it and it's in my budget, then I purchase.  This helps me avoid most impulse buys, and LuLuRoe's marketing strategy seems expressly designed to counteract it!
• The consultants will tell you to shop the pattern - they are always saying how they can wear multiple sizes in a style and it works if you just do such-and-such (like wear a belt, or tie it, or pin it in a certain way).  I have found that this really doesn't work for me, as most of the sizes are too small.  
• IMHO, the cutest colors/patterns are in the standard sizes.  Especially for the tops and the leggings.  I am pretty sensitive to 'fat lady' patterns and patterns that look like my grandmother would wear (and I'm old enough to be a grandmother myself so if I think my grandmother would wear that pattern, you know it's pretty bad!) and these type of patterns seem to be the go-to for the plus sizes.  Which means if I do see something cute in my size, I feel like I better jump on it now (see the comment above about impulsive spending).
• IMHO leggings are not pants.  There may be some women who can pull off leggings and a shirt for casual wear, but I am not one of them.  The tops are too short for me to be comfortable appearing in public wearing them with the leggings - even the Irma, which is billed as a tunic.  (it's not - it's just a long top).
• The cut of most items are flowing - which means not very structured.  This can lead to a frumpy outfit, if it is not accessorized with a belt or a structured jacket.  You have to be pretty intentional about what you buy and how you wear it to avoid the frump factor.

Yes, there are more things I don't like than I do, but I'll still buy LuLuRoe,  For me, the comfort and quality of fabric, and the modest cuts outweigh the minuses.  I have developed a strategy for my purchases:

• Know your sizes and what styles you like and don't like.
• Ask what fabric an item is make from, and if it is a tighter fabric don't buy it no matter how cute it is.
• Ask the consultant what her return policy is before buying.  The consultant I mentioned above that only offers store credit?  I only purchase what I can try on first (except for the 2 styles that I can wear regardless of the fabric).  
• Don't be pressured to pattern mix if you are not comfortable with it.  Think about the pattern and what you will wear it with. 
• Don't give in to pressure to "shop the pattern."  Stick to the sizes that fit you.
• Don't buy leggings to go with everything.  You'll end up with a drawer full of leggings that you won't wear.  I know it's tempting - they are so comfortable!  
• Mix and match LuLuRoe pieces with other items in your wardrobe.  
• Go for the solids and smaller patterns.  Save the bold patterns for 'fun' outfits.
• Keep in mind how the piece you are buying will fit in your wardrobe.  Is it a lounge-around-the-house piece?  Something you will wear for work?  Do you have a jacket or belt, etc that will go with it? Make sure you are spending your hard-earned money on a piece that will give you lasting value.
• Above all - make sure you LOVE the piece you are buying.  

I hope this helps guide you through the craze that is LuLuRoe.  

What was I thinking!?! Surviving the first week of my DMin program

What was I thinking?

It's a question I've asked myself over and over again that first week of my doctoral program as I struggled with writing papers and a sermon and the intense classwork you expect in a 3 week summer program.

What was I thinking?  Am I ready for this?

What was I thinking? Am I smart enough for this?

What was I thinking? I chose to have to write an exegetical paper - again!  I must be crazy!

What was I thinking?

Sitting there on Saturday morning after surviving that first week, I remembered what I was thinking the prevous Saturday as I packed for this adventure.

I knew I'd be busy during the week.  There would be books to read and things to write, maybe some evening discussion with my classmates.  I was sure I wouldn't have time to spare during the week (and I didn't!).

But then there was Saturday and Sunday.  Two long, lonely days looming large on my horizon.  Surely there wouldn't be enough class work to fill them both.  How would I fill those days stuck in seminary guest housing?

What was I thinking?

Well, I wasn't thinking that there would be others in my position, far from home who would also be stranded in the seminary housing.

I wasn't thinking about Chris and Laurie, who love the wonders of the city they live in, and said, "Come and see the Stone Arch Bridge!  And you HAVE to have Izzy's Ice Cream!  And aren't you tired of seminary food, I know this great place where we can go and have good food and great fellowship!" And organized dinner on Thursday night and a field trip Friday afternoon - and then proceeded to tell us of other great places to see and to make some tentative plans for next weekend too.

I wasn't thinking of Trish, who led me into temptation by telling me as we walked to breakfast Saturday morning about the art in the park show right next to our breakfast destination.  I spent the morning immersing myself in beauty with - and this is the amazing part to someone who drags her spouse to these things- someone else who loves art shows!  So many lovely beads.....

I wasn't thinking of Elisabeth or Steven who joined Trish and I in making dinner Saturday night.

I wasn't thinking of Lee who accidentally overheard a conversation with my kids, and asked, "Is everything ok?"

I wasn't thinking of Cindy or Amrela or Lesley who also struggled with the same doubt and fears and asking "What was I thinking?" and yet shared their stories and support as we all begin this new adventure together.

I wasn't thinking of the cohort two years ahead of us that was eager to meet us and share their wisdom and encourage us.

I wasn't thinking of the community that grows when we gather together.

As Trish and I explored the artist's tents and ooh'd and aah'd over the art, I reluctantly moved away from a particular piece of art that was just out of my budget, And then I said, "I just realized we'll be back here next year!"  She responded, "I thought of that too!"

I think in that moment what I understood that this is more than just a class, or a program, or time at continuing ed.  The ten us us are more than classmates - we are a community.

Community is so important.  Humans are social creatures – we were created to be in relationship with one another and with God.  We may admire the myth of the rugged individual pulling him/herself up by the bootstraps, but that’s just not the way we’re designed.  We need each other.  We need God.

That’s why worshiping together is so important.  Yes you can worship God in the middle of a lake or a forest – I’ve done so myself.  But we need each other - just like I needed the others in my Dmin cohort.  We need to bear each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), to rejoice with each other and share each other’s suffering together (1 Corinthians 12:26).  We need to hear the testimony of others who have traveled down the same roads we are travelling, who can proclaim God’s steadfast love and faithfulness at the times we need to hear it most.  And we need give others that encouragement gleaned from our own encounters with God.  As it says in Hebrews 10:24-25:  And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

This is why gathering together as a community of believers, worshiping together, working together, praying and playing together is important.  Sure, God can be worshiped any place and time.  But God knows that we need each other – especially in those times we ask ourselves, “What was I thinking!”    

Happy Reformation Day!

I love Reformation Day.  It's one of those few Holy Spirit days in the liturgical calendar - and frankly, it makes me happy when the color of the day is red.  I love the idea that the church is a living thing - growing, reforming, finding fresh new insights into how much God loves us.  I love that a scholar asking questions by posting them on the door for debate shook up the whole social fabric of his time.  And I love that Martin Luther rediscovered that just how amazing God's grace is.

So here's a little Reformation Day joy for you - courtesy of David Lose who had this video posted on his blog.  What's not to love - one of my favorite Bangles song, telling the story of Martin Luther.
Just think - I made my confirmation students watch the Luther Movie and we could have accomplished the same thing by watching this vid!

Apples, Applesauce and Home

It amazing how easily you can slip back into the rhythms of something you learned in childhood.

This particular trip down memory lane started when a neighbor gave me a couple of grocery sacks of apples.  We love apples in my house - especially in applesauce, crisps, and dumplings.  In fact, I have to make 2 kinds of applesauce because my husband loves the chunky stuff his grandma used to make and my son will only eat the smooth variety that my family made.

My husband peered in the bags.  "Are you sure you have enough freezer containers?  That's a lot of apples." 

It was a lot of apples - but they were 'windfall' apples. Windfall apples aren't picked from a tree, they are picked up from the ground after the wind knocks them off.  They aren't pretty - backyard apples are never as pretty as the apples from the store.  In addition to the usual uneven shapes and blemishes, these apples were bruised.  There wasn't as much there as my husband thought.

Still, it was a lot of work.  I set up my apple chopping space and dug in.

Only a few apples in, and I picked up the rhythm of halving-quartering-coring-peeling I had learned in childhood.  It had a meditative quality about it.  Cut an apple in half, then quarter.  Slice out the core.  I marveled that I still could take the thin bite of peel leaving as much of the white fruit behind as possible - a skill I envied as I watched my mom or grandmother peel apples.  I struggled to make my thick peels thinner and thinner until I finally matched the older women's skill.

I was delighted when Mom proclaimed me old enough to join the women in the kitchen during applesauce making days.  It wasn't so much that I wanted to chop apples or hang out with my mom, grandmother or great-aunt.  My promotion to the kitchen meant an end to my days under the apple trees picking up an endless supply of apples. 

The women would chat as they processed the apples.  Just stuff, nothing world shaking.  Easy companionship.  Mom would usually handle the apple cooking, and the rest of us would have dishpans in our laps full of apples.  Half, quarter, core, peel.  Half, quarter, core, peel.  Hands would fly through the motions.  Sometimes Grandma would switch jobs with Mom so she could rest her hands from the knife.  Sometimes Mom would ask me to mash the cooked apples through the sieve - I was young enough to find the job fun.

I learned a lot sitting at that table.  There's a difference between being bruised and rotten.  There's still good stuff under the bruises, but rotten is rotten.   I learned that you just can't tell by looking if an apple is good or not.  An apple might look bad, covered in bruises that are only skin deep with lots of good fruit underneath.  An apple could look beautiful, but when cut open be full of rot, bugs. or worms. 

I learned that even a bad apple might have some usable fruit - we cut away bruises and blemishes, sometimes only keeping a quarter of the apple.  I learned that even the leftover peels and cores had a use - I'd carry dish tubs of peels from the kitchen to the field, flinging the apple debris to return to the soil.

I learned that a task shared not only goes quicker, but is more enjoyable.  I miss my mother's kitchen during apple putting-up days and the gathering of women intent on making use of every bit of harvest, putting up summery sweetness to brighten the winter, food to nourish their families.

My apple-ly endeavor was solitary.  After 4 hours of work, I  had 8 pints of applesauce - 4 of each kind.  Perhaps that seems like a lot of work for such a small return.  But for me, it's a labor of love, a kind of stewardship of the earth, and a little piece of home.

Treats for Hard-working Sermonators! Sugar Cream Cake and Pie

(If you're looking for my sermon for Mach 11, go back one post.)

I frequent a on-line preaching party at RevGalsBlogPals.  During tonight's conversation, I mentioned we were making bars for tomorrow's youth spaghetti supper.  So, since you asked, here is the recipie for the oh-so-yummy sugar cream bars.

Sugar Cream Cake (we call them 'bars' here in South Dakota) are based on Sugar Cream Pie. If you've never heard of it, that's because as far as I can tell, it's a Hoosier treat.  Outside of Indiana, I understand there is something similar in the South, but I'm not sure it's exactly the same.  So as a bonus, I've included the sugar cream cake recipie from the Dutch Mill - a restaurant in my home town of Bluffton, Indiana that made the very best sugar cream cake (Wick's Frozen - eat your heart out!).

 Sugar Cream Cake
18 oz yellow cake mix
½ c melted butter
4 eggs
8 oz softened cream cheese
16 oz powered sugar        
1 tsp allspice
 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Beat together cake mix, butter, and 2 eggs.  Pat into greased 9x13 cake pan. 
Combine cream cheese, 2 eggs and allspice, add powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  Spread over cake mixture.
 Bake 35-45 minutes. Center of cake will be moist when tested. 
Cool and top with powdered sugar.

***************

Dutch Mill Sugar Cream Pie

About This Recipe "The Dutch Mill was a restaurant in Bluffton Indiana that was famous for it's pies. It burned down about 10 years ago, but we've still got the Sugar Cream Pie recipe to recreate at home! Sugar Cream Pie is unique, sweet, dense, and creamy ...additively yummy! The recipe is easy but there can be a "little" bit of trial and error since ovens vary. Stick with it though, because the reward is well worth it!"  (I found this recipe at Jill4man on November 20, 2005.  Thanks Jill!)

Ingredients
1/2 cup brown sugar **
1/2 cup white sugar **
1/2 cup flour ( a good 1/2 cup, not level)
1 cup milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
**(I’ thought the pie wasn't sweet enough, so next time I make it I'll put in a total of 1 1/3 to 1 ½ cup sugar instead of the 1 cup total the recipie calls for.)

Directions
Beat or whisk the sugars, flour, salt and milk together until foamy.
Then fold in heavy whipping cream and vanilla.
Pour into pie shells.
Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake at 400°F for 10-15 minutes.
Turn back oven to 350°F and continue baking 20-25 minutes or until just firm.
**********

Enjoy!

Musing to Myself: Information Overload

Yesterday at one of my favorite facebook pages, there was an invitation to join a tweetchat for a discussion on social media and ministry.  As I read through the comments, I thought, "Hmm.  Maybe I should take another look at Twitter.  This may be vital to doing ministry in the 21st century - even in a small rural community. 

Now, I had first become aware of Twitter while I was on internship.  My internship congregation was dipping their toe in the social media pool - beyond the website.  So I signed up and started to tweet.  Once.  Or maybe twice.  I don't remember.  I 'm the type of person who doesn't update her facebook status much because I can never think of anything cool or pithy to say.  So the very tell-all premise of Twitter was a bit much for this dyed-in-the-wool-introvert.

But I hung on for a week or two.  I thought being able to follow various news outlets and my favorite shows and authors and charities would be wonderful.  And I love facebook for keeping me in touch with friends and family.  I hope twitter would do the same for me.

Even with the small number of people/things I followed, I was quickly overwhelmed with information overload.  I started to panic - I mean a full blown anxiety attack.  I couldn't breathe - how was I going to keep up with all these tweets and still have a life? 

But that was 3 years ago.  And the trends say that the way to reach the under 30 group is through twitter.  And the promised tweetchat sounded so beneficial, I just had to try again.

So I set up a new account.  I have to admit, twitter has improved in the last 3 years.  It's much easier to set up an account and much easier to find people/things to follow.  On the other hand, it's been about 18 hours since I set up my twitter account, and I'm already on information overload!

Some of that is due to my choices of who to follow.  There is one news organization which, as much as I love it, I will have to unfollow (is that a word?) - they just send too many tweets.  So there's apparently a balance to using twitter -how do you decide who you want to follow, how do you sift through the informational deluge to attend to tweets that interest you? 

It's a question for our age:  how do you balance the overwhelming amount of information available with your need to know what you need to know, and having a life outside of the Internet?  I would suggest that this is a spiritual question.  It's about balance - striking that happy medium between work and play, worship and rest, time with family and time with God.  Basically, it's asking, "what is important to me?" and not allowing interesting but ultimately extraneous information (as a rabid trivia lover, this a huge trap for me!) to get in the way of focusing on the important.

In other words - sometimes there are things, good things, we choose to let go in order to do/have those things that we really want or need.

BTW - once I figured how to tweetchat, the advertised conversation was very thought provoking.  While I am not nearly as social media sophisticated as those who did the tweeting (I mostly lurked), it was enlightening to hear the experiences of those integrating social media and ministry.  And while I'm not ready to take tweets from the pulpit - my imagination has been set on fire! 

Time to dip a toe in the social media pool.

Ash Wednesday: Ashes, Giving Up and Hope

I love Lent.  I love the solemn Ash Wednesday service, the ashes on my forehead, and now that I am a pastor, placing ashes on the foreheads of my congregation.  There's something about marking an ash cross on a woman, saying "Remember you are dust, to dust you shall return" and then making the same mark saying the same words to the infant tenderly cradled in her arms.  It's shocking and scandalous and altogether true.

I love the Lenten mid-week services.  I love the fellowship of the soup suppers, or as my congregation is doing "lunch after." (In this part of South Dakota, lunch is not a specific meal, but any meal at any time other than breakfast, noon - which is dinner -  or supper, and can consist of desserts only, sandwiches and bars, or a full meal.)  I love the flexibility of Wednesday Lent worship.  There's no lectionary - so what shall we do this year?  Focus on the Lord's Prayer?  Book Study?  Dramatizations of the Jesus' Passion?  Dig deeper into ways of discipleship?  There's room for creativity in those Lent services.  

This year, I'm participating in a round-robin with 2 other pastors in the area.  We're using a purchased program - I think the idea is that having everything prepared for you will save time, but I'm finding I have to re-write the bulletins and edit the dramatic monologues for length.  So I'm not sure it's really saving much time.  But the dramatic monologues will give me a chance to stretch my theatre-wings, and hopefully by hearing the voices of Jesus' accusers (it's called "The Trial of Jesus, and we get to hear from Satan, Annas, Herod, Caiaphas and the like) it will stretch the imaginations of my congregation and challenge us to see those places where we also 'accuse.'

We're also participating in a synod-wide book study on Max Lucado's Fearless.  Again, I am finding that I want to re-write some of the 'canned' discussion guide.  The first study starts today and I am looking forward to this Lenten journey through the valley of the shadow as we name our fears, and more importantly, discover those mountaintop-Transfiguration moments that we cling to in the valley.

I almost forgot to schedule a personal Lenten study for myself and then, on RevGalsBlogPals, there was a link to a 40-day study guide for Lauren Winner's new book, "Still, notes on a mid-faith crisis."  I just got the book (thanks Lauren!)  and hadn't even been able to crack the cover.  I just did the first study this morning - I've only read the preface (and preface ii) but I want to do this book with my congregation too!  I'm looking forward to some great Lenten reflections on God's presence in the midst of God's absence. 

Yes, Lent is a wonderful season - study and growth, contemplation and busyness, solitude and fellowship, penitential and hopeful.  After, all the solemn Ash Wednesday, the thoughtful Lenten journey may lead us to the cross, but also lead to the empty tomb.

God's love is like....Meditations on Matthew 13

God’s love is like…. a mustard seed

God’s love is like…a woman making bread with yeast

God’s love is like…a treasure hidden in the field

God’s love is like…a pearl of great price

God’s love is like…

Tim and I spent a good part of the day Friday working on the yard around the parsonage.  We pulled weeds and pruned lilacs run amok, cut away ‘volunteer’ seedlings that were well on the way to becoming shrubs, divided irises. 

As I weeded, I thought about the parable of the mustard seed.  Where I come from, mustard is considered a weed.  I don’t know of anyone who would deliberately plant mustard.  It takes over where it’s planted and it’s almost impossible to get rid of.  I know that somewhere someone must harvest mustard otherwise we would not be able to buy mustard seeds in the store.  But I wouldn’t plant it.

I thought about how hard we work to keep weeds at bay in our yards and fields.  We want the predictable, the orderly, we want to maintain things just so.  Jewish gardens and fields were like that – no mixing of types of plants, everything in its place, well-ordered. It was against the laws of the Torah to plant something like mustard in a vegetable garden.  Only a gentile, who did not know God, would plant mustard.

I weeded the herb garden and thought about how before I ever planted mint, I was warned to plant it only in a container.  It seems that mint will take over a garden, in fact will take over the whole yard.  I saw firsthand how pervasive mint can be – one small seedling quickly overran my large pot and sent out runners to the ground around the pot. 

As we cut back the lilacs, I thought of the lilac at home in the center of our front yard.  It was huge – over six feet in diameter and close to 8 feet tall.  Birds sang in that lilac and I saw a mouse or two scurry into the depths of the bush.  I played in its shade, and delighted in its fragrance.  My teachers always received a large bouquet of lilacs each spring, but you could never tell that any were picked.   Here, we pruned unmercifully to keep so that the parsonage lilac might be kept manageable.

I divided irises for the first time.  I only took about half the plants, wanting to move them to the bare spots along the side of the house.  Only 3 or 4 clumps of irises and we have more than enough plants – enough to share with neighbors, probably more than even they can use.

God’s love is like….

·         mint that creeps from its spot in the herb garden to the flower bed across the lawn and continues to flourish everywhere in the lawn no matter how hard someone tries to contain it.

·         an untended lilac bush, huge and fragrant, providing shade and shelter, delight and beauty.  

·         irises that haven’t been thinned in years and when you thin them, there’s more than enough for the whole neighborhood to replant.

Where do you see God's love?

Come and see. Come and follow. Come and serve.

I have been reading the One Year Chronological Bible (the New Living Translation’s version) and although I just finished Genesis, I have also been using it as a quick parallel gospel reference.  The chronological Bibles put the stories in roughly chronological order (as determined by historical and scholarly research).  In the Gospels, the various stories of Jesus are ordered by a combination of the gospel writer’s original order and estimated historical context.  I have been using this time frame to locate each Sunday’s lectionary text “in time,” so to speak, with the other gospels.

The picture I have gotten over during Epiphany so far has been thought-provoking.  We started two weeks ago with Jesus’ baptism by John.  Last week, John again announced Jesus was the Son of God and two of John’s disciples left to follow Jesus.  Next Sunday, Jesus begins his ministry after hearing John has been arrested and he calls Peter, Andrew, James and John to leave fishing nets to follow him.  The sequence of these early events in Jesus’ ministry according to my chronological Bible (gospel writers are in parentheses) goes as follows:

1.       Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist (Mark, Matthew, and Luke)

2.       Jesus goes to the wilderness and is tempted (Mark, Matthew and Luke)

3.       Jesus returns from the wilderness and goes to the area where John the Baptist is preaching.  John tells everyone that Jesus is the Lamb of God.  The next day, John tells two of his disciples that Jesus is the Lamb of God and those two disciples leave to follow Jesus.  Jesus tells them to “Come and see.”  Andrew, Peter, Phillip and Nathaniel (probably John, son of Zebedee also) accept his invitation (John).

4.       Jesus and his friends go to the wedding at Cana, then travel around together. John the Baptist is still preaching at this time, but is arrested (John).

5.       After John is arrested, Jesus begins his ministry in earnest (Mark, Matthew, Luke and John).

6.       He calls Peter, Andrew, James and John to follow him, telling them they will be fishers of people. (Mark and Matthew).

7.       Jesus goes around the area healing, preaching and teaching.  Peter’s mother-in-law is one of the people healed (Mark, Matthew, and Luke). 

8.        Jesus teaches by the Sea of Galilee.  Peter and Andrew have a miraculous catch of fish, and Jesus calls them to be fishers of people (Luke).

9.       Jesus does some more healing, preaching and teaching (Mark, Matthew and Luke).

10.   Jesus calls Matthew to leave his tax booth and follow him (Mark, Matthew and Luke).

11.   There is more healing, teaching and preaching (Mark, Matthew, Luke and John).

12.   Jesus chooses the Twelve Apostles (Mark and Luke).  Jesus would later send them out to preach and heal and cast out demons.

The various accounts of Jesus calling his disciples intrigued me.  It would seem that there were several levels to Jesus’ call.  Maybe it went something like this:

COME AND SEE.  First, Jesus invited Andrew and John, and then Phillip to ‘come and see’  - an invitation to get to know Jesus better, to spend some time with him and find out what this kingdom of heaven business was all about.  From their experience with Jesus Andrew went on to invite Peter, and Phillip invited Nathaniel (and John probably invited James, but that’s not specifically mentioned).

COME AND FOLLOW.  After spending some time with his followers, Jesus upped the ante.  He called them to follow him – to become his disciples, going where he went, doing what he did and learning from him.  Because they came and they saw, Peter, Andrew, James and John were ready to take the next step to become disciples.  Jesus also issues this call to Matthew, who suddenly appears in the text.  We don’t know if Matthew’s decision to leave everything to follow Jesus was based on prior knowledge or a sudden insight.

COME AND SERVE.  Jesus goes around teaching and healing and preaching.  Crowds gather to hear him, but amidst the crowds were those who were regularly following Jesus.  Out of this group, Jesus selects those who will become part of his inner circle, whom he will send out to preach and teach and heal.

It makes me think of stages on our own faith journeys.  We all start out  -whether in children’s Sunday school, or as an adult seeker or brand new Christian - getting to know Jesus, learning about God and what the kingdom of heaven is all about.  We move from that first flush of faith to a deeper commitment, from learning to doing, becoming more serious about walking in the Master’s footsteps and learning from his example.  Finally, we begin to reach out, to take what we have learned and use it to serve our families and friends, our communities and the world around us.[i]

Jesus calls us all. 

Come and see. 

Come and follow. 

Come and serve.

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[i] As I put this together, I realized that my stages have a similar structure to Rick Warren’s stages in his Purpose Driven Church, although I think he had 4 stages.  While not intentionally using his framework, I think it only fair to give him a nod.

Pastoral superpowers?

It seems I have a secret superpower.

My kids (both teenagers) occasionally will move closer to me or grab my arm for protection.  OK - that seems strange without the context.  It's more or less a game they play.  One of them will say something that they feel is displeasing to God, and then move next to me to avoid heavenly repercussions - all the while laughing at their joke.  For example, last night, my son was talking about a food item (foods are high on the list of 14 year old boys interests) and he said with admiration and a bit of hungry longing, "_(food item)_ is god."  Then he grabbed my shoulder for protection, and laughed, "God won't strike me down for saying that if I hang on to you, 'cause you're a pastor."  Then he asked, a tiny bit more seriously, "Was that blasphemy?"

I said something reassuring to the effect that he should talk to God about it, God has a sense of humor and probably understood it in the context he meant it.  Inside, I was thinking, yeah, it probably is pretty close to blasphemy - I mean we come perilously close to worshipping those things we compare to God.  And I was pretty impressed that my son knew what blasphemy was and could identify it.  Seems he was listening in confirmation class!

Back to my superpower.  Apparently, my kids have this belief that because I have gone to seminary and am waiting on a call to my first congregation (pastor-in-waiting, pastor-wanna-be) I have the supernatural ability to deflect God's wrath from "lesser" human beings.  Their logic goes something like this:  God called you to be a pastor, so you must have something we don't and besides, you went to seminary and did all that work so God wouldn't strike you down because God's put a lot of time and effort into making you ready to be a pastor, so if we stand close to you, we're safe.

I know my kids are joking and it's just a family game.  But deep inside, it kinds bugs me for two reasons.

1.  God is not in the business of smiting people.  Seriously.  If God were to strike down everyone who broke a commandment, say, took the Lord's name in vain, I am pretty sure there would be no one left on earth.  That's just not the way God works.  God is a God of second, third, fourth (and more) chances.  If Christmas, Good Friday and Easter teach us anything, it is that God loves us so much that God became one of us, shares our joys and sorrows, and was willing to do whatever it took (even death on a cross), is willing to do whatever it takes,  to show us  just how amazingly enormous that love is.  God is more about grace and mercy than smiting.  And the only one you can get closer to to be 'safe' is Jesus. 

2.  Pastors are not some God-enhanced "super-Christian."  We are regular people, just like everyone else.  We are both saints and sinners.  God does not favor pastors over 'regular' Christians.  We don't have a special spot in heaven or enhanced access to God.  The pastor's prayers do not carry more weight with God.  If anything, I suspect God listens with more joy to the heartfelt prayer of someone who is first learning to pray than to the practiced prayer of pastors (not that pastors' prayers are not heartfelt. God enjoys them too!).  Pastors are subject to the same temptations as everyone else. They get too tired to pray and there are times when they don't want to get out of bed on Sundays either.  The only difference between pastors and everyone else, is seminary (which only makes us seem smarter and more spiritual), and where God has called them to serve (God calls everyone to serve - some serve in congregations, some as nurses or teachers, or accountants, or parents or neighbors - we are called to serve where we are!).  Pastors are (mostly) further along on their spiritual journey (but not always), which helps them to minister to others.  And pastors have spiritual gifts that make them suited for ministry, but everyone has spiritual gifts that empower them to serve in unique ways.

So, I don't really have supernatural access to God.  And neither does your pastor  - nor that woman whose been coming to church for 50 years and knows the Bible inside and out.  Neither does that man in your congregation whose prayers sound so much better than yours, or that person who seems to have their spiritual life all together.

If anyone has special access to God, Jesus tells is, it's children (Mark 10:14-15). 

Hmmm....maybe I should grab onto my kids instead of the other way around.