go on, brush your sandals off

And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” (Mark 6:11)

Shake off your dust;
rise up, sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,
Daughter Zion, now a captive. (Isaiah 52:2)

Jesus gives some pretty strict instructions on how the disciples are to live when they are sent out to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven: they are to travel light and accept the hospitality of those who will receive them. I don't know about you but I have a hard time traveling light--you should have seen how much stuff I brought back with me from Hong Kong! 

But not only are they not to carry too much stuff, Jesus also tells them to shake the dust from their feet from towns that will not receive them. In short, in places where they face problems and failure, they are to shake off the dust and move on.

It seems that negative things stick more than positive ones. We dwell on failures and regrets, on things we could have done better or shouldn't have done at all. Problems and failures are inevitable parts of our lives. If we dwell on them too much we are robbed of our joy and happiness in life, we cannot focus on our mission of healing and reconciliation; of proclaiming the Good News. If we do not shake it off, this dust piles up and weighs us down. We are captive, held down by our worries and failures, and we cannot rise up. 

Most of the time this is easier said than done. Things that happened years ago still sometimes worm their way into my mind, and I feel sad and guilty and ashamed. As I fall asleep at night, an interaction from the day will come to mind and I will feel sad that I misspoke or didn't speak up when I should have. I let someone down. I missed an opportunity to share God's loving grace with someone. But what can I do about it at 10:30 (okay, 9:30...) at night? Nothing. All I can do is cast my anxieties on the Lord and resolve to begin the next day anew. ("Cast your anxiety on him because he cares for you." -1 Peter 5:7)

May we all find the strength and courage to shake the dust off and move on from our failures so that we may walk the path of peace.

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen. (BCP p.352)

Grace & Peace,

Kathleen

Settling In

Phew! It's been quite a busy few days!

I am now moved into my very own apartment in Murfreesboro! I'm just a few blocks from everything, it seems.

I have witnessed a lot of God's loving kindness and grace the last few days through several people. I'm constantly floored by it.

My mother has always been a primary source of God's love. She has loved me when I least deserved it, because that's when I needed it the most. She has loaned me her car, her gas card, her time, her energy. She's brought boxes of stuff up. She's fed me and given me things I didn't even know I needed. So thankful am I to have a mother like her!!

My Aunt, her sister, has shown me great love as well. She's 74 years old but you wouldn't think it by the way she gets around and gets after people. She's been taking care of family members her whole life. My things have been in storage up in Nashville while I was in Hong Kong, so with the help of my boyfriend Lee (who helped even though he wasn't feeling well! <3) we got the things out of storage and down to my apartment. She also bought me a new mattress!! And she cleaned my apartment while I was at work. I am so thankful to have an aunt like her! Also thankful for Lee who helped out too, and got my stuff unloaded in Murfreesboro.

Monday night I went to retrieve my cat Jasper from my friend Rita's house. When I left for Hong Kong I was distraught that I might have to give him away if I couldn't find someone to keep him for me. This cat has been a wonderful companion during some rough times, so I definitely wanted him back when I returned. Rita offered to keep him for me and has taken such good care of him. I missed him while I was gone but I knew he was in good hands. I can't even begin to express how grateful I am to her and her daughter for looking after him. He's just as playful and funny as he ever was and he snuggled up with me on my first night in the new place.

When I told my friend Liz that I needed a couch she said "Ooh let's look on craigslist!" and a few hours later she tells me she's found a great deal. She not only bought them for me, but she got her husband's truck, picked them up, and brought them to my house to unload! "Happy Birthday/Housewarming!" so now Jasper has someplace to lay around while I'm at work, and I have seating for when people come visit me. I'm so grateful for friends like Liz and the amazing love of God that shines through people like her.

Unloading the couch and loveseat meant I missed out on my friend Regina's graduation from Paul Mitchell, but she was gracious about it. I owe her a big celebration!! I'm so proud of her for this accomplishment and I know she will be great. (XOXO!) Thankful to God for new beginnings for my dear friend, and for her gracious friendship.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen!

Grace & Peace,
Kathleen

What Ails This Episcopalian

So, this article was published.

Scott Gunn and Bishop Kirk Smith have already responded to it with some facts, thank goodness.

I did a little digging on the author, though. Know thy enemy and all that. Turns out that Jay Akasie is a very Pro-Anglican (as in Traditional Faith & Values, ACNA) "Episcopalian" and this is not the first time Akasie has made slanderous and inaccurate comments about TEC.

My first response to this article is outrage. Indignant outrage. Sure, people can (and do) criticize the Episcopal Church. We can take it. But when criticism goes into false representation and slander (or I guess it would be libel since it was printed), it gets my dander up.

My second response is love. Not only should we know our enemies, but we also should love them. Clearly this person was wounded in the past by what he (or she?) saw as a beloved church breaking away from traditional faith and spirituality. Many Pro-Anglicans feel that way. I knew a man several years ago who was deeply torn by what was happening and ultimately chose to go with those who broke away. He went with his conscience and I can't fault him for that. He must go where he is spiritually nourished.

Sadly it seems that Akasie has turned this hurt into angry diatribes against TEC. It ails this Episcopalian that there is so much hurt and anger between us. After all, the mission of the Church is to bring reconciliation and healing to the world. Hopefully, God willing, someday we can reconcile with one another. For as long as this tear remains between us the Kingdom of Heaven is far away.

Jay Akasie, I pray that you find healing, hope, and love in your life. Whether it's with TEC or ACNA, I pray you are spiritually nourished and that you know you are well loved by God. And maybe, someday, you will look at that Episcopal Church Welcomes You sign and know, in your heart, that you truly are.

Grace & Peace,
Kathleen

Be It Resolved: Same Sex Blessings and Restructuring Task Force

Two resolutions have created quite a buzz at GC77:

1. A resolution approving the liturgy for the blessing of same sex unions
2. A resolution creating a task force to explore restructuring the church


The approval of the liturgy for same-sex blessings is a HUGE deal, but it is still only provisional. Bishops still have the right to say "Not In My Diocese!" and the issue will be revisited at the next GC in Salt Lake City. (Boy that will be interesting..) I sat in on the House of Bishops when it came up for debate, and was a little surprised to see my Bishop get up as the first to speak in opposition. He spoke eloquently and intelligently, and it was very plain that he opposes it for well thought out theological reasons. (Not squicky reasons...) My priest pointed out to me that our bishop has a PhD and did his dissertation on Human Sexuality, so he has much to offer in the way of intelligent debate. However, the resolution did pass in both the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies, so it will be available for use starting in advent.

The restructuring of the church has been bouncing around for a while and there were something like 90 resolutions initially proposed. Well, the committee finally agreed on one and it was unanimously approved by the House of Deputies. (Doesn't look like the House of Bishops is going to reject it.) For a more in-depth look I recommend checking out this blog. What excited me about this resolution is the intentional inclusion of people under 35--those who will inherit whatever restructured church they come up with. I am full of hope for the future of this amazing church which I am a member of!

YAF @ GC: Day 5

The last day of the Young Adult Festival at the 77th General Convention was full of hugs and goodbyes.

Phone numbers were exchanged, friend requests made, and by the time I rolled out around noon I felt both exhausted and invigorated.

In the morning I also got to sit down for a nice chat with one of my favorite Episcobloggers, the Crusty Old Dean, a big thrill for me!

On the way back I again stopped at my brother's to pick up some wine and peaches I had picked (which turned into quite an excursion since my sister in law was stranded at the car dealership where her car was being worked on...) and I made it to Nashville by about 6 o'clock. Not bad time! I am glad to be off the road though--driving for long periods of time makes me turn into an old woman. My hip gets all stiff and I can't stand up straight for a few minutes.

Today I begin moving into my new apartment in Murfreesboro (if I can get my dad's truck...) and I am SO EXCITED to not be driving soooo much and to have more of a presence. I haven't been to my home parish very much since I came back due to me being sort of homeless...

Also, I really want to get some kind of young adult thing going at the Diocesan level. Another girl from my diocese, Rachel, was also at the YAF and we are kicking around some ideas. It would be so amazing to get at least ONE thing going for young adults in the Diocese of Tennessee!!

More to come on some of the resolutions that passed since I left. It's a great time to be Episcopalian!

Grace & Peace,
Kathleen

YAF @ GC: Day 4

Happy Birthday to ME!

I am so excited to be spending my birthday among such an incredible group of people. This is definitely one of the most memorable birthdays I have had!

Today was kind of a slow day at the convention, a time when we could catch our breath and gear up for the next few days. There were some sessions this afternoon but I elected to stay at the hotel and hang out in the Young Adult Festival lounge with a few others.

It was great fellowship time being creative and crafty (they have arts and crafts stuff!) and just talking about mutual interests. I am admittedly a bit of a nerd---we talked about Stargate, The Wheel of Time series, Game of Thrones, Dungeons & Dragons (I used to play back in the day), among other things. We had a blast together!

Around 4pm we decided to go down to one of the restaurants in the hotel because they wanted to have celebratory birthday beverages with me. (Thanks Zeke!) We were talking, laughing, being generally church-nerdy when our waiter came over and said they had gotten a complaint about people talking about religion and asked us to keep it down (or not talk about it, I can't remember exactly, but it was along those lines)... we were initially kind of shocked, and the woman sitting at the bar who had I guess made the comment was like "Uh that's not what I said..." and it was just generally awkward and weird all around. Nobody really knew what to do but there it was, hanging out there, those words. That feeling of public awkwardness when something happens and you're not sure what to do with it. Someone offends you or says/does something that takes you aback.

Sound familiar?

After the initial shock we just sort of went back to our conversation but quieter. It was still there though, weird and uncomfortable, like a giant elephant had just squeezed into our booth. So I decided to do something to bring reconciliation to the situation.

I took my card up to the bar and got the waiter over and asked him to put the lady's lunch on my card. He was kind of shocked like, really? are you sure? why? and I was like, yes, really, I don't know, I want to do it. He apologized for what had happened, that she had just made a comment like, if they keep talking about religion I'm not going to stick around. A bit innocuous, maybe it was just an offhand comment, maybe he agreed with her and didn't want to listen to us yakking about church rites and theology. Either way, I put my card down and went to the bathroom. I signed for it when I came back, and I left the waiter a good tip because I knew he felt really bad about the whole situation too. What he said hadn't quite come out right and maybe he just wasn't totally thinking about the situation before he came over and said something. Who knows what's going on in his life anyway, but I wanted him to know that it was okay.

I'm pretty sure the waiter told her what happened when she asked for her check because I saw her glance over at our table with a surprised look on her face before she left. I wish this woman well, and I hope that she can reconcile whatever feelings she may have about the church that made her make the comment in the first place. I know that religion is a tough topic for a lot of people; I am extremely fortunate in that I have had overwhelmingly positive experiences with the church. But I know I am lucky and I wish more people were.

A little while after she left we all went our separate ways. I went to meet up with a few people for a birthday dinner at Bucca di Beppo, an Italian place near the hotel. It was so yummy! I left with a full heart and a full stomach.

There seems to be some kind of bug going around the Convention, and one of our attendees had to go to the hospital earlier today. She is doing better now but I went with another girl from the Diocese of TN, Rachel, to pick her and P'tricia (member of our amazing design team) up from the hospital. We made it back in time to attend Compline though, which was good since I was slated to be a reader!

Compline has been a truly beautiful and peaceful time here at the convention. Our musicians from the Church of the Apostles in Seattle are A-MAZING. They have a beautiful blend of traditional music with modern twists. I love it. You should all rush over to their website and buy their stuff because it's amazing. And you know if I am going on about their music then it's gotta be great since rarely do I get super excited about buying music. They even sang me happy birthday!!

All in all, a fantastic day. I'm excited for another great day here in General Convention tomorrow but I'm sad that soon I will have to leave. But, I do not leave empty handed!! I have so many awesome new relationships with incredible people, I have met several of my Episcopal Heroes, not to mention all the swag from the exhibit hall!

Most of all though, I leave with a renewed spirit and energy of service to God and to this amazing, messy, wonderful, crazy Church.

Grace & Peace,
Kathleen

Anglican Covenant: where do we go from here?

ENS article here...

Since the Windsor Report came out in 2004 Anglicans around the world have been debating an Anglican Covenant. The final text of the Covenant was released in 2009 after many incarnations and that is the text Anglicans (and Episcopalians) are considering in their various governing institutions.

"The Lambeth Commission on Communion was established in October 2003 by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the request of the Anglican Primates, in response to developments in North America with respect to same-sex relationships. The mandate requested consideration of ways in which communion and understanding could be enhanced where serious differences threatened the life of a diverse worldwide Church. In short, how does the Anglican Communion address relationships between its component parts in a true spirit of communion? ... It should be mentioned that, while the issue of human sexuality brought tensions within the Communion into particular focus in 2003, other controversial issues have affected our common life in recent years. The Covenant is intended to express clearly the Communion’s Christian life, and the process which must be undertaken when disputes arise. " (from here)

Many dioceses in the Anglican Communion have already voted on whether or not to adopt the Covenant. The Church of England earlier this year voted not to adopt it and with Archbishop Williams stepping down later this year supporters will lose their loudest voice. At last count, only seven provinces have voted to adopt it and the rest either haven't voted yet or voted no.

But Bishop Bauerschmidt of the Diocese of Tennessee remains among the supporters of affirming the covenant and his proposed resolution, B006, includes this explanation:

"This resolution builds upon The Episcopal Church’s pivotal role in bringing the Anglican Communion into  being through its own formation as a Church and its ongoing role in the development of the Lambeth Conference and other Communion structures, several of which are the fruit of the call for “mutual responsibility and interdependence” at the 1963 Anglican Congress in Toronto. This resolution affirms the Covenant as a whole and commits The Episcopal Church to it, recognizing that the commitment to seeking a
shared mind with other Churches requires some process by which that common mind may be discovered, hence that the procedures outlined in Section Four of the Covenant, “Our Covenanted Life Together,” are in
keeping with and implied by the affirmations of the first three sections. Finally, the resolution charts a course
for the adoption of the Covenant according to The Episcopal Church’s own constitutional and canonical
procedures, as called for by the Covenant."

The big question I think we are facing as a worldwide Communion is how do we keep pace with a society that changes so rapidly while remaining true to the diversity in peoples, cultures, and generations and the traditions we all hold dear? Change in a big institution like the Episcopal Church or the larger Anglican Communion is not going to happen overnight. It's going to take decades. (it hasn't even been one decade since the final draft of the Covenant was proposed!) But how do we deal with issues that we face in the meantime?

Clearly we are looking for some way to affirm our commitment to being in communion with one another. So what is this going to look like? It's looking more and more like the Anglican Covenant is not going to be the answer, at least not in its current text, so where do we go from here?

I do like the Continuing Indaba process, which comes up in proposed resolution D008. Building up our relationships will strengthen our commitments to one another, and the more we interact and make things personal the more passionately we will pursue Communion.

Wherever we go from here, whether it is into some incarnation of a Covenant or another process as-yet-determined, I hope and pray that the amazing Anglican Communion that I am a part of and came to know more intimately through my time in Hong Kong will grow in love and service to one another and the world.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

And whatever you do,whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:12-17)

Grace & Peace,
Kathleen