The Earth is the Lord's

 

I love Fall.  Even though each season has its gifts and special weather, Fall is my favorite.  I can't place a finger on why, but I attribute it to the face I am a child born on the September Equinox.  For whatever the reason, I love the changing of the leaves, the cool night, the smells of Fall, the leaves, even though I am finding I have allergies to the leaves, the wood smoke, the "clean" smell which comes with the winds blowing in the cooler air.   

 

 

 

The view from my kitchen window

     When I drive to church through Goshen Pass (what a gift to have a commute like that), I took time to look at the reds, the yellow, the browns and the evergreens, as they lined the highway, as they mingled upon the hills in the pass, and I was reminded of Psalm 24, "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof;" and, "I lift mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help."(Psalm 121).   The wonders of what we witness are God's, the One who does help us in our daily needs.  And God also makes the beauty which surrounds us, the beauty we can so easily take for granted.

Such beauty is a gift, a gift from God and a gift which we  have accepted and need to care for and preserve.  That makes us ecological stewards, and if we love to see such scenery, we need to step up and allow our love to grow into a passion which will cause us to be active in making sure such sites are around for  children and grandchildren and all those other generations. 

The Maury River 

 This means that we need to be aware of what goes down our drains, and where it goes from our houses.  This means we need to consider how to save on gas, the use of fossil fuels and if there is a way to use alternative energy i.e. water, wind or solar.  This means keeping habitats alive and healthy, keeping green areas green and finding ways for more of them.  These are ideas we hear this all the time, but do we really listen?  When we read or hear Psalm 24, do we consider what it really means when we say "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof"? 

Just something to consider on a cool Fall evening.....
Olivia

 

 

 

Hope, we always need hope

I haven't written anything lately because listening to the news has been depressing.  This doesn't sit well with a person who is usually optimistic, upbeat, and can always see the sunny side of life.  But, it is time to put on my big girl panties and find the hope that is out there. This means finding hope in the state of Bath County, the state of our country and especially the state of the church.

Let's begin with Bath County.  For those who read this and live here, you know exactly what I mean. Not including the supervisor from my district, I truly believe the rest of our elected officials have decided that a wall on our boarder isn't enough; we need a wall around our county.  However, there is hope.  It did my heart good to see the courthouse full on Tuesday to fight for the future of our home. Even though some don't want to see it, tourism is our life here, from The Homestead to Millboro General Store, the businesses of our county need not only the support of our residents; they need the support which comes from those who come here to hike, to celebrate anniversaries, to take part in our triathlon, to view the beauty of God's creation.  Yes, there is hope even in the chaos of Bath County.

Let's look at the state of our country.  In the past couple elections, I personally feel that our election process has declined.  We, as the voters, want to hear about the issues, how these people we vote for will work for us, will help us, will, with our support, make our lives better.  Instead, we hear about personal vendettas and accusations thrown around like a basketball in practice. Today, I said to John that as sad as it sounds, I am glad that my parents are not alive to hear the language used in this election cycle.  They would not be pleased.  We turn on the news, the debates, the internet and it is bad.  As I paraphrase John Oliver, "We are down so far we cannot the the underside of rock bottom."  However, there is hope.  In spite of what we hear, we are a great country, a great people; people of all races, people of all lifestyles, people of all backgrounds,  We live in a country where our speech is still free, we can worship where we wish, and we can vote every year.

My hope is in the vote.  Everyone who reads this needs to remember that we have the right and we must vote come November 8.  I have heard people say that this election isn't worth it; this election is SO WORTH IT!  My hope comes that each November, no matter who or what is on the ballot, we cast our votes because we are free.  So my motherly advise is: GO VOTE, IT IS YOUR RIGHT, IT DEMONSTRATES YOUR PATRIOTISM.  We publicly cry that we are citizens and patriots; voting is the ultimate of our rights, so exercise that right and vote!

Finally, let's look at the state of our church, and for me that is the state of the Presbyterian Church (USA). We have been beat up a whole lot lately, and we have been divided and spent a great deal of time talking about who's leaving and who's staying.  In the middle of this mess we tend to forget, that we all are children of God, redeemed by Christ and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.  We tend to forget that we can have different opinions and diverse theology and yet we can still sit together every Lord's Day, side by side and sing praises to God, confess our sins, hear God's Word, and be called to ministry and mission to the world.  We tend to forget that God is in control of everything and that God's hope is that all things will work for good for those who love and serve the Lord.  So my hope, when it comes to the church, is in God and in all that God has planned for us as His chosen Children.  My hope is in the fact that my Redeemer Lives; He lives in each of us, and calls us in exciting and different ways.  My hope comes in how I see Presbyterian Disaster Assistance be ready to be in Haiti, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina as the flood waters recede from hurricane Matthew.  My hope comes when I read the blogs of our YAV's (Young Adult Volunteers) who are spreading God's love and grace all over the world.  My hope comes when I hear the stories of our missionaries and where they are working globally.  My hope grows each and every day as I hear the stories of how the church is growing and changing to meet the world where it is and share the love of God. My hope is in where and how God is pushing me to see the world differently.

I probably went on longer than usual but I have been struggling with what I have been hearing, seeing, reading and witnessing, and how God is stirring the pot of soup in which we live.  I hope that my hope can help you in the days ahead.

Grace & Peace,
Olivia

   

Greatness

World Records broken.  Olympic Records broken.

I love watching the Olympics.  As a child, it was every four years, Winter games, then Summer games,on a regular schedule.  Then the IOC decided to split the years so that every two years, we get to witness greatness.  Be it Mark Spitz, Mary Lou Retton, Lindsay Vonn, Apolo Ohno, Bonnie Blair, or some of the 2016 greatness, Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, and (my personal favorite), Michele Carter, when we sit on our comfortable couches, we witness greatness. Even though  I only named Team USA members through the years, during every Olympic game, we also witness global greatness.

I have seen these games mature; I do remember when Cold War politics were played out in the Olympic arena.  I do remember boycotts where now we deal with doping.  I remember the 1972 Munich games, which was probably my introduction to global terrorism, so now, it does my heart good to see the sportsmanship exhibited and the friendships formed, even when in the pool or on the track, they are rivals for the win.  This does my heart good, this gives me hope in our tense world.

The Olympic games bring out the greatness in each athlete who trains and puts everything into their competition. The games and the athletes are examples for us, as we sit in our air conditioning, adding our commentaries to those of Bob, Matt, and everyone else at NBC. As Christians, we are called to achieve our best in the name of Christ.  We are called to be open to all people, globally.  We are called to a greatness to love and welcome all, from East and West, from North and South because Christ teaches us to love all, for we are all God's creation.  That is our goal of greatness.

I am glad that the Olympics are the last big TV event for the summer.  I am glad that our political conventions were first.  I am glad that the politics got out of the way so we can see athletes, women and men from all countries and from all backgrounds, inspire us with greatness.  They all represent the best of their countries as they work hard to achieve their best.  That is true greatness.

Stay cool and be great!
Olivia



    

From Sea to Shining Sea

We have returned home after pretty much a month on the road, and probably most of you have skimmed through all the pictures I have posted, but bottom line...it was a great vacation!  It was nice to get away, rest. renew, etc., but the most meaningful part of being in Oregon, California and Washington was to observe the beauty of God's creation.

It probably didn't hit home with me until Sunday night, at Rocky Spring's Patriotic Sing as we sung, "This Land is Your Land", and knowing that within a month I got walk through the Redwoods of California and play in the Gulf stream waters at Emerald Isle, NC.  Our country is physically diverse; we witness this in Virginia, (the contrasts between the Eastern Shore and the Shenandoah Valley) and we see this anywhere we travel. God has given us the gift of creation and seeing the differences God has given us, seeing how centuries have altered creation, is truly magnificent.  To read about the "Ring of Fire" volcano circle which encompasses most of the West Coast, Canada, and circles around through the Pacific Ocean, and how all this volcanoes are still active, opened my eyes to how vulnerable the "beauty of the earth" is.

So, there are two thoughts I would like to share with you today.  First, this trip has brought home to me that we do have a responsibility to take care of this world that God has given us.  As John described Crater Lake as "eco-awesome", (and it was!), we need to take care of what God has given us.  This will only occur when we take seriously our stewardship of creation.  So I suggest and urge each of you to become more environmentally educated.  It doesn't take much to recycle, or compost, or take a stand on a pipeline, or use alternative energy, and yes, it does make a difference!

Second,  as geographically diverse as our country is, America is also culturally diverse, and we need to truly embrace this.  We returned to the political conventions, and we are hearing a great deal of anger, hatred, and fear.  We need to embrace the reality that the majority of our population came from another part of the world, so many of us are American Immigrants, so to speak.  Since we come from different countries and heritages, we too, like our physical land, are diverse, from the Redwoods to the Gulf Stream waters, but as Woody Guthrie wrote, "This Land was made for you and me".      

Til next time, Olivia

  

Over the years

I began blogging in 2012 and stopped in 2013.  I didn't get mad, I didn't get criticized, I just got busy and stopped.  I went back to work part time, which I got a few blogs in as I began at Mt. Carmel Presbyterian, but it just stopped.  I thought about it, just didn't get back in to do it.

Life has changed over the last couple years.  Friends and family have moved, some have gotten married, some have had children and some have died.  I have written more sermons, moved children to school, moved some back home, and moved some away again.  I have had some health issues, restructured my eating habits and lifestyle, lost weight and feel much better.  That helped me justify some new clothes, which was really neat!  Life has been happy and sad, but through it all God has been good, and even when I have been in tears with what was a broken heart, God's grace has broken through the grief and love has surrounded me, and I have found the way to begin to heal from the hurt.

Yet, even though these opening paragraphs have a lot of  "I's" in them, life isn't about me.  As I sit in the observer's seats at our church's General Assembly, as I have semi watched the "sit-in on Capitol Hill", I am always reminded, it is not about just me, or just you, or just the other person;  it is about us.

So I am making a committed effort to get back to a blog.  My intention is that this blog will not a place to rant about how frustrated I am at Congress, or The Donald, or The Hillary, or the Church (Presbyterian and Universal).  My intention is that this will not be the place where I embarrass my husband, children or any other members of my family.  My intention is not to make this a sermon, I write enough of those. I will try to review and edit what I desire to write so if I do fall off the wagon and begin to fuss and fume, I will catch myself.  It might not end, but I hope it will be worth the words.  Words are powerful and I don't wish to abuse them.

What I intend is to share hopeful, good news of the love I witness in family, friends, and strangers on the street.  What I intend is to give thanks to the beauty around us, and how we can make our communities, churches, and lives better through environmental stewardship, through God's gift of patience and endurance, and through loving one another.  What I intend is to remind us that no matter what may happen in our lives and in our world, God has always been and still is in control, and that God works everything to His Good.

Please join me on this journey.

Olivia