My dear friend, Rabbi Terry Bookman is in the hospital in NYC with Covid 19.
We've worked together for well over 20 years in the Mastery Foundation. As our leader, Anne is starting to retire, Terry has taken over managing the Making a Difference workshop which I help lead.
He is a dear and tender man, with great character and a commitment to ministry.
He usually lives out west but comes to NYC from time to time because he has family there.
I don't know how serious he is yet, but he's a fighter.
We sound like the beginning of a joke: 'A rabbi and a priest walk into a bar....'
Which we've done from time to time.
I pray the God we both worship in our own ways will heal him and make him whole.
He is the first person I know well who has contacted the virus. My patient zero.
(The thoughts in this blog are mine and mine alone and not meant to reflect thoughts of the people I serve in MACM.)
Sunday, June 14, 2020
Three good things
Two of the churches I serve have decided to wait until after Labor Day to re-open, if then, giving the circumstances then.
The other church vestry has figured out a way to meet remotely tomorrow (Monday) and the Senior Warden says he things they'll do the same.
This proves the three things I've always know about these churches: they are cautious, caring and smart!
"Cautious"--no too quick decisions to regret later. And if caution was ever called for, it is now.
"Caring"--one of the reasons for the caution is because they genuinely care about their members. They don't want to expose vulnerable people whom the love to danger.
"Smart"--we see what rushing back to 'normal' is doing around the country. New spikes of the virus in states that wanted to move quickly. I've always know these folks are smart--this proves it.
So Zoom and FaceTime services for the rest of June, July, August and the first Sunday of September.
It's working well and numbers are still impressive.
And no one has to risk their health and lives.
I love these three churches.
And admire them greatly.
(This blog is my beliefs and should not be thought to be the opinions of all the people in the three churches.)
The other church vestry has figured out a way to meet remotely tomorrow (Monday) and the Senior Warden says he things they'll do the same.
This proves the three things I've always know about these churches: they are cautious, caring and smart!
"Cautious"--no too quick decisions to regret later. And if caution was ever called for, it is now.
"Caring"--one of the reasons for the caution is because they genuinely care about their members. They don't want to expose vulnerable people whom the love to danger.
"Smart"--we see what rushing back to 'normal' is doing around the country. New spikes of the virus in states that wanted to move quickly. I've always know these folks are smart--this proves it.
So Zoom and FaceTime services for the rest of June, July, August and the first Sunday of September.
It's working well and numbers are still impressive.
And no one has to risk their health and lives.
I love these three churches.
And admire them greatly.
(This blog is my beliefs and should not be thought to be the opinions of all the people in the three churches.)
Chilly nights
I didn't sleep well last night. I kept waking up cold.
Tonight I closed the window by my bed and will use a blanket.
It's already 50 in Cheshire at 9:27 p.m.
I was worried a bit mid-morning because I was chilling. But I put on a sweater and all was well.
Hardly what we think about when we think of June.
I'm glad it's not hot but waking up cold isn't so great.
Plus, I'm on a new medicine--an every three week injection my Oncologist gives me. She warned me it could make me feel quite tired. Today was the first day that it happened.
Not helped by not sleeping well.
Oh, well, closed window and blanket I should make up for it tonight.
(The ideas in this blog are purely mine and not those of the three churches I serve.)
Tonight I closed the window by my bed and will use a blanket.
It's already 50 in Cheshire at 9:27 p.m.
I was worried a bit mid-morning because I was chilling. But I put on a sweater and all was well.
Hardly what we think about when we think of June.
I'm glad it's not hot but waking up cold isn't so great.
Plus, I'm on a new medicine--an every three week injection my Oncologist gives me. She warned me it could make me feel quite tired. Today was the first day that it happened.
Not helped by not sleeping well.
Oh, well, closed window and blanket I should make up for it tonight.
(The ideas in this blog are purely mine and not those of the three churches I serve.)
Saturday, June 13, 2020
As the sun passes
Our house in Cheshire, CT, faces north/south. The front faces north, toward Waterbury where I ministered for 21 years. The back faces south, toward New Haven, where I served a church for 5 years before that.
All of which means that the sun passes over us from east to west, every day.
We have two Adirondack chairs on our back deck where we sit and read in warm months.
Works in the morning until the sun lights on the one on the right and then the one on the left.
In the afternoon, the one on the right is in the shade first, then the one on the left.
So, my reading, which I do a lot of in these days, is limited by the sun.
I also remember driving to Waterbury for an evening meeting with the sun setting in my face.
We are surrounded by nature out back.
Birds and squirrels and chipmonks galore. Sometimes a rabbit.
And trees and flowers everywhere.
During his strange time, I have had the time to take it all in.
And it is wondrous.
I hope you are enjoying nature too.
Be still and know.....
All of which means that the sun passes over us from east to west, every day.
We have two Adirondack chairs on our back deck where we sit and read in warm months.
Works in the morning until the sun lights on the one on the right and then the one on the left.
In the afternoon, the one on the right is in the shade first, then the one on the left.
So, my reading, which I do a lot of in these days, is limited by the sun.
I also remember driving to Waterbury for an evening meeting with the sun setting in my face.
We are surrounded by nature out back.
Birds and squirrels and chipmonks galore. Sometimes a rabbit.
And trees and flowers everywhere.
During his strange time, I have had the time to take it all in.
And it is wondrous.
I hope you are enjoying nature too.
Be still and know.....
Friday, June 12, 2020
A beautiful day in many ways
There was little humidity and lots of sun and a brisk breeze. Just the kind of day to sit on the deck and be joyous.
Too bad everyone didn't see how perfect it was.
The current administration has rolled back Obama-era health protection for Transgendered people in the Affordable Care Act. Transgendered folks will have a harder time getting health care because the new regulations say people must apply for health care as 'their biological gender'.
Amazing!
Plus, Corona 19 cases are increasing in mostly southern states that have re-opened by not obeying the guidelines outlined by the government.
Plus, there was a photo on Twitter (since taken down) of Mike Pence at a campaign headquarters with nearly a hundred people standing side-by-side with no masks.
Plus, Tucker Carlson of Fox News said that 'Black Lives Matter' is lots of things, but not about 'black lives'.
On such a beautiful June day, lots of bad things happened.
Oh, and in addition, the president is holding a rally in Tulsa, a site of a great racial group of murders on Juneteenth--the day blacks celebrate as the end of slavery.
We live in a dangerous and confusing world.
Pray for change.
Pray for hope.
Pray for new possibilities.
Pray.
(The opinions in this blog are solely mine and have nothing to do with the 3 churches I serve.)
Too bad everyone didn't see how perfect it was.
The current administration has rolled back Obama-era health protection for Transgendered people in the Affordable Care Act. Transgendered folks will have a harder time getting health care because the new regulations say people must apply for health care as 'their biological gender'.
Amazing!
Plus, Corona 19 cases are increasing in mostly southern states that have re-opened by not obeying the guidelines outlined by the government.
Plus, there was a photo on Twitter (since taken down) of Mike Pence at a campaign headquarters with nearly a hundred people standing side-by-side with no masks.
Plus, Tucker Carlson of Fox News said that 'Black Lives Matter' is lots of things, but not about 'black lives'.
On such a beautiful June day, lots of bad things happened.
Oh, and in addition, the president is holding a rally in Tulsa, a site of a great racial group of murders on Juneteenth--the day blacks celebrate as the end of slavery.
We live in a dangerous and confusing world.
Pray for change.
Pray for hope.
Pray for new possibilities.
Pray.
(The opinions in this blog are solely mine and have nothing to do with the 3 churches I serve.)
Thursday, June 11, 2020
Being honest
A dear friend let me know today in an email that he/she disagrees with my politics.
I knew that fair well.
But her/his concern was that my blog is publicized through the three churches of the Cluster I serve and on their facebook pages.
He/she is right.
She/he asked if I would give a disclaimer about my blog saying 'The thoughts and opinions here are solely mine, not those of the churches I serve'. That's my wording not her's/his.
I'm glad to do that. I may even ask our Cluster Administrator to take my blog off the bulletins and our web guru to remove it from the Cluster facebook.
But, I do disagree with what she/he said in their email--that church and politics must be separate.
I do try as best I can to be non-political in sermons.
But sermons are about God and our lives--and our lives are lived in the political world.
It is, for me, impossible to not, from time to time, offer my thoughts about what is happening in our world and how our God might think about that.
The current and world-wide demonstrations about race in the U.S. can't be ignored.
God has some thoughts on racial discrimination, it seems to me. God has some thoughts about those in charge vs. those they are in charge of. God has some thoughts on love vs. hate. God has some thoughts on equality. God has some thoughts, obviously, on 'the least of these' in our midst. God has some thoughts on loving our neighbors.
So, I will do whatever my dear friend asks: give a disclaimer that my ponderings are mine and mine alone or stop publicizing my blog with the churches.
But I cannot believe the church and politics must never engage each other.
To do that, in my mind, would deny not only who I am...but who God is.
I knew that fair well.
But her/his concern was that my blog is publicized through the three churches of the Cluster I serve and on their facebook pages.
He/she is right.
She/he asked if I would give a disclaimer about my blog saying 'The thoughts and opinions here are solely mine, not those of the churches I serve'. That's my wording not her's/his.
I'm glad to do that. I may even ask our Cluster Administrator to take my blog off the bulletins and our web guru to remove it from the Cluster facebook.
But, I do disagree with what she/he said in their email--that church and politics must be separate.
I do try as best I can to be non-political in sermons.
But sermons are about God and our lives--and our lives are lived in the political world.
It is, for me, impossible to not, from time to time, offer my thoughts about what is happening in our world and how our God might think about that.
The current and world-wide demonstrations about race in the U.S. can't be ignored.
God has some thoughts on racial discrimination, it seems to me. God has some thoughts about those in charge vs. those they are in charge of. God has some thoughts on love vs. hate. God has some thoughts on equality. God has some thoughts, obviously, on 'the least of these' in our midst. God has some thoughts on loving our neighbors.
So, I will do whatever my dear friend asks: give a disclaimer that my ponderings are mine and mine alone or stop publicizing my blog with the churches.
But I cannot believe the church and politics must never engage each other.
To do that, in my mind, would deny not only who I am...but who God is.
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Giving back
I plan tomorrow to write $300 checks to each of the three churches I serve. I got my pay check today and I'm not doing what they pay me for.
All I do in this pandemic time is a 40 minute or so zoom church and a dozen or so phone calls.
That's not what they pay me for.
I'll feel better about taking the other half of my pay if I give back.
We are people who the virus hasn't affected financially. The church pension fund and social security haven't stopped. We're fine.
In fact, I haven't filled up my gas tank for almost 3 weeks and it's half full. Doing what I'm paid to do by the Cluster I fill it up every week and spend time on the road and see people and buy lunch sometimes. So, I spend money. And I'm not putting my $20 or so in the offering in cash every week.
So, I owe them.
If you're doing ok financially in this time of crisis, figure out who you 'owe'--and pay up.
Pass it on. Pay it forward. Give it to charity or your church or your political party (IF YOU'RE A DEMOCRAT, OF COURSE!!!)
Those of us not affected need to pass it on to those who are.
This is the time to form a habit like that for the future.
That future would be better than what we have today.
Wash you hands. Wear a mask. Socially distance. Pass it on.
All I do in this pandemic time is a 40 minute or so zoom church and a dozen or so phone calls.
That's not what they pay me for.
I'll feel better about taking the other half of my pay if I give back.
We are people who the virus hasn't affected financially. The church pension fund and social security haven't stopped. We're fine.
In fact, I haven't filled up my gas tank for almost 3 weeks and it's half full. Doing what I'm paid to do by the Cluster I fill it up every week and spend time on the road and see people and buy lunch sometimes. So, I spend money. And I'm not putting my $20 or so in the offering in cash every week.
So, I owe them.
If you're doing ok financially in this time of crisis, figure out who you 'owe'--and pay up.
Pass it on. Pay it forward. Give it to charity or your church or your political party (IF YOU'RE A DEMOCRAT, OF COURSE!!!)
Those of us not affected need to pass it on to those who are.
This is the time to form a habit like that for the future.
That future would be better than what we have today.
Wash you hands. Wear a mask. Socially distance. Pass it on.
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