All Blog Posts – Page 3 – Katie Stickney, MA, LMHC

Jul 08

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Come see me at Derby Days!

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Like many Redmond residents, I am very excited for this weekend’s Derby Days Festival. It is hard to believe I’ve been involved in this festival for almost 20 years now. Whether I was in the parade myself, cheering on my sisters in the kid’s parade, riding the carnival rides, handing out water bottles along the parade route from Redmond UMC, or taking my friend from England to show off Redmond’s best festival, I’ve been at Derby Days nearly every year since my family moved to Redmond in 1991.

I thought I’d dig up some old photos from Derby Days in years past.

1997—Redmond High School marching band

1999—Redmond United Methodist Church’s float–I’m trying to hand out balloons but they have gotten tangled!

2004—kid’s parade and a float (my English friend was happy to see a Big Ben in our local parade!)

2006—some photos of the carnival

The Redmond Historical Society also has some good information about Derby Days in years past.

If you have a chance, I really encourage you to come down and check out this great festival, whether you’ve been living in Redmond for decades or you’ve never had a chance to come to Derby Days.

And when you’re there, look out for me at Redmond United Methodist Church’s booth, where we will have fun games for the kids and great information about upcoming events the church is hosting for the community, including Vacation Bible School and a free workshop I am teaching called “Navigating Life’s Transitions.” If you’ve been reading and we haven’t been introduced, I would love to meet you. So please, come find me and say hello!

Jul 06

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Pride: it’s about love

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This year I attended my first Pride parade, and it inspired in me some reflections about Pride festivities in general. Allow me to share these reflections with you, along with pictures taken at Seattle’s Pride parade.

Pride festivities are usually pretty well-known for the more outrageous, outlandish, and sometimes shocking displays. Naked (with full body paint) bicyclists join men in leather fetish gear and 8-inch platform heels. Women and men alike don feathers, sparkles, and wear very little else. Here are a few examples:

Of course, many others join in the Pride festivities who don’t make quite the same impression. Take, for example, the Seattle Librarians, doing a choreographed dance with book carts:

There are also sports groups, political figures, and military representatives:

Most people know there are the religious nay-sayers who stand on the sidelines and make their disapproval known. This man held up a sign near us; his sandwich board read, “Fear God”:

another woman across the way was holding a sign pointed at the parade marchers that said something like, “God loves you and hates your sin.” Seems like it just wouldn’t be pride without the naysayers.

In the midst of all of this, I personally believe that the true crux of the matter is this:

Pride is about love.

It is about loving shamelessly, loving without regret, loving unconditionally. It is about loving ourselves the way we are and loving one another in the midst of our differences.

It’s about encouraging and celebrating romantic and familial love in all its glorious incarnations:

It’s about God’s love for ALL of us, exactly the way we are:

Simply put, it’s about love.

So to all the outrageous, outlandishly-dressed Pride partiers, I say, more power to you! And to the churches and political figures and librarians and everyone else who came to show their support, you are so very appreciated. And especially, thank you to those who point out the heart of what Pride is really all about: love.

Jul 04

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On the 4th of July, this is my song

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Today is a day we celebrate our nation’s birthday, the day of independence from Britain. It also tends to be a time when people express their pride in being American. While I think that there can be value in honoring our country and her traditions and history, we also must remember that America is not a favored nation in the eyes of God, nor should we allow nationalism to get in the way of loving our fellow humans from other countries.

That is why my favorite hymn for patriotic days like today (and one of my favorite hymns in general!) is “This is my Song,” a 1934 song by Lloyd Stone:

This is my song, Oh God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine.
But other hearts in other lands are beating,
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
Oh hear my song, oh God of all the nations,
A song of peace for their land and for mine.

May truth and freedom come to every nation;
may peace abound where strife has raged so long;
that each may seek to love and build together,
a world united, righting every wrong;
a world united in its love for freedom,
proclaiming peace together in one song.

This post has been cross-posted to my Kataphatic blog.

Jun 07

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Now open: Green Lake UMC satellite office

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After discussions with the pastor and approval by the Church Council, this week I am “open for business” at Green Lake United Methodist Church!

This will allow me to offer my services to a broader geographical region. It is a temporary arrangement until a more permanent arrangement may be made for an office in Seattle.

I continue to be based at Redmond United Methodist Church, where I offer counseling on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sunday afternoons. At Green Lake UMC, I will be offering counseling on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Green Lake UMC is a great fit because they are in a relatively central location, close to bus lines, and are committed to being involved with and serving the neighborhood. Among their many outreach projects is a Coffee Cart ministry on weekdays from 7:30-10:00. Stop by for a free latte and good conversation; if you come by on Wednesday mornings you might even be able to say hello to me! Pastor Lisa also keeps a wonderful blog, which often highlights neighborhood goings-on.

I am so excited about this new opportunity to minister with and to the wonderful folks at Green Lake UMC.

Jun 02

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Tea & Empathy June 2010 – Turn, Turn, Turn

By Katie | All Blog Posts, Tea & Empathy | No Comments

“To everything, turn, turn, turn / There is a season, turn, turn, turn” says a popular Byrds song. Is your life turning? Perhaps you or a family member are graduating preschool, high school, or graduate school. Perhaps you have recently begun a new job, or lost an old one. Perhaps you’ve been diagnosed with a new illness, or an old illness has gone in remission. Perhaps a new relationship has begun for you; perhaps one has ended. Our lives are often in flux, and my guess is that most of you reading this are experiencing a turning somewhere in your life.

The Byrds song is loosely based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which reads:

3For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
²a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
³a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
⁴a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
⁵a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
⁶a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
⁷a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
⁸a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

I find this scripture both challenging and comforting. It is challenging in the sense that it reminds us that there is a time for both things that are pleasant and things that are unpleasant; time for things that are joyful and that are painful. It reminds us that our joys and pleasures are temporary, for a season of mourning will come too; this challenges us to enjoy and savor those moments when they come.

It is also comforting because it reminds us that even when things are painful, or scary, or very difficult, we are in the midst of a season that will, truly, pass. Sometimes in the midst of a deep depression or an excruciating grief, we may forget there was ever a time of joy and have a hard time believing there ever will be a time of joy again. This passage in Ecclesiastes reminds us that all of these times pass eventually. If now is a time for weeping or mourning or loss for you, take comfort in knowing that there will soon be time for laughter and dancing and seeking.

You are invited to a Transitions Workshop, led by Katie, on Saturday, July 17^th from 1:00-3:00pm in the Fellowship Hall. We will examine the ways that we experience all of life’s transitions, large and small, joyful and painful, and learn strategies for coping with the painful aspects of transitions. A free will offering will be collected for the counseling scholarship fund.

May 02

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Tea & Empathy May 2010 – Mother’s Day

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This month the community celebrates Mother’s Day, a day that for many can be a wonderful time to share gratitude and love between mothers and children. For some, however, the day may bring other feelings—sadness, grief, or disappointment. Some of us are missing a mother who has passed away, some of us wish that we had more healthy relationships with our mothers or children, and still others of us want children and don’t have them. Mother’s Day can be a reminder of the joy of the gift of family and it can also be a reminder of that which we no longer have or never had.

But whether Mother’s Day is a joyous or difficult occasion, I think it is an excellent opportunity for all of us to reflect on the mothering aspects of God. As we know, there are many images for God found throughout the Bible and in Christian tradition. Most of the images are male but there are female images as well. One that is particularly relevant to Mother’s Day is found in Luke chapter 13. Jesus says, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem… How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings!” This gives us the image of God as a mother hen, drawing her chicks into the safety and comfort provided by the loving embrace of her wings.

Another image of a mothering God that has been on my mind recently is the image of the “babywearing” mother. Some mothers choose to carry their babies in a sling on their person most of the time. This doesn’t work for all families, but when it does work it can be a beautiful thing. And I wonder what it would be like if we really felt ourselves being held and carried by a babywearing mother God at all times.

Whatever your experience of Mother’s Day is this year in your community and family, I invite you to use it as a time to reflect on how images of God as a mother can deepen and enrich your relationship with Her.

Apr 26

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Live your life well

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Do you ever feel a general sense of a lack of well-being? Maybe you are not sleeping as well as you would like, but don’t feel your problem is serious insomnia. Perhaps you wish you were happier, but don’t believe that you are depressed. Maybe you wish you had more energy or just felt better in general. The way we have managed to organize our society doesn’t always allow us to take time to rest, allow ourselves to sleep as much as we need to, or spend the money and time creating nutritious, tasty meals. We often feel we are always on-the-go, grabbing a bite here and there, trying to squeeze 8 hours of sleep out of 6 hours of time, and never having quite as much time as we’d like with our family.

What would it take to slow down, cut out unnecessary obligations, and really allow ourselves to engage in self-care? Perhaps just the realization that we are worth it; that our pace of life isn’t healthy or sustainable, and simply, we deserve to live a more relaxed, connected, satisfied life.

The United Methodist General Board of Church and Society points us to the Live Your Life Well website, launched in anticipation of Mental Health Month in May.

Live Your Life Well is a national public education campaign dedicated to helping people better cope with stress and enhancing their well-being. Stress can take a huge toll on a person’s health, mood, productivity and relationships, but specific, evidence-based tools can help counterbalance these effects, according to Mental Health America.

The site suggests 10 guidelines to live your life well:

connect with others,
stay positive,
get physically active,
help others,
get enough sleep,
create joy and satisfaction,
eat well,
take care of your spirit,
deal better with hard times, and
get professional help if you need it.

The website gives more information about each of these ten and suggestions for implementing them in our daily life. It also provides wonderful resources for managing stress. For more information, check out the Live Your Life Well website or the Mental Health Awareness Month website.

Apr 04

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Tea & Empathy April 2010 – Easter

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This month I begin a new monthly column for the Redmond United Methodist Church newsletter called Tea and Empathy. Here is April’s edition:

The eleventh chapter of John tells us about what Jesus was doing just before the Passion Story begins. He has arrived at the home of his dear friends, Mary and Martha, as they are grieving the death of their brother Lazarus who died four days prior. The two women have very different reactions to Jesus’ arrival.

Martha’s conversation with Jesus is primarily theological; they have a nice little talk about Martha’s faith that Lazarus will be resurrected in the last days when all are resurrected.

Mary’s reaction to Jesus is a little less, shall we say, “spiritual” or “rational” about the whole thing. Mary has been weeping, deeply distraught, and many others have been with her consoling her. She cries out to Jesus, saying only, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died!” Mary doesn’t have any less faith than Martha in Jesus as Lord, but in this moment she is expressing her deep pain and anger over her loss.

Jesus, in response to Mary’s pain, weeps with her.

What is remarkable about this is that Jesus has known since before he even arrived that he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead—he all but says so in previous verses. And yet even though he knows that in a few short moments Lazarus will be alive again, he still weeps. Jesus’ response to human suffering is empathy—feeling with—and because Mary is in deep pain, Jesus too experiences emotional pain.

Easter brings with it the amazing story of the way that love conquers death, reminding us that one day we will be reunited with those who’ve passed on, because physical death is not the end of life. While this is a beautiful sentiment and may be helpful in our healing process when we are grieving, it doesn’t stop us from weeping in the here and now of the deep pain of loss. Jesus’ empathic weeping with Mary affirmed the goodness and rightness of human emotion, and tells us that we do not have to suffer in those feelings alone.

So this Easter, if you are able, celebrate with Martha that Jesus is the resurrection and the life! But if you are like Mary, feeling sad or angry or grieving, allow Jesus to weep with you, and know that you are not alone.

Feb 22

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YES! — Wedding Homily — 2 Cor 1:20

By Katie | All Blog Posts, Sermons | No Comments

I had the privilege of officiating the wedding of an old friend this last weekend. It was my first time “flying solo” at a wedding though I had co-officiated two previous weddings, and what a blessing to be part of my friends’ lives in this way. Below you’ll find the full text of the wedding homily. Before that, though, I’ve included the poem that the bride’s brother read right before it, so that it will make more sense.

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-lifted from the no
of all nothing-human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

– e e cummings

I just love the first verse of that poem. I thank You God for most this amazing day. This truly is an amazing day, not just for Ailey and Ritchie but for all of us, to be honored by sharing in their joy as they commit to sharing their life together in marriage. I thank You God for most this amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky. And literally, we really do have this sort of “leaping greenly spirits of trees” as buds and blossoms are coming on the wings of an early spring, and this weekend we are graced with a gorgeous blue sky. It’s like the whole earth is celebrating with us!

And the last line of that poem thanks God for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes. What better way to describe the marriage covenant—natural, infinite, yes. There is a naturalness to the way that I see Ailey and Ritchie interacting. They are comfortable in their own skin around each other, accepting one another’s weaknesses as well as strengths, and accepting the growing edges of their relationship right along with it’s tremendous joys. There is an infiniteness to the love that these two share; it is unconditional and uncontainable. And they come together today to say yes to life together, to say yes to one another. And we come, as a community, to say yes right along with them, yes to each of them, and yes to their new life together as husband and wife.

This reminds me of a passage from 2 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 20: For in Christ every one of God’s promises is a “Yes.” For this reason it is through Christ that we say the “Amen,” to the glory of God. This scripture tells us that, through Jesus, God’s promises were yeses. Jesus’ life is an affirmation that God says yes to human living, to the point of living among us for a time, experiencing all of the joys and sorrows, the pains and celebrations that human life has to offer. In Christ God expressed unconditional, uncontainable love for us. In Christ God said yes to us.

In just a moment, Ailey and Ritchie will say yes to one another, in their own words, in the marriage vows. In this sacred moment, they covenant with one another to choose to say yes to one another, to the family they will create, and to their future life together. The kind of love expressed between Ailey and Ritchie today becomes an example of the kind of love that God has for us. Their love is like a shining light out into the world saying yes to love. The love that they share, and the love that God has for us, is unconditional and uncontainable. It is everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.

We thank you God, for most this amazing day.

Feb 02

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Meeting us where we are

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There is a very thought-provoking article up on Slate right now called The Vancouver Experiment. It details a drop-in center in Vancouver, BC where addicts can come to get their fix. Yes, you read that right. Of course, the center doesn’t provide drugs; the folks have to bring their own drugs, and they have to inject themselves. There are booths which provide a safe place for users to use. According to the article:

For many of the users, the injection room is a first point of contact with the health care system. Users get medical treatment from the nurses, who clean and bandage abscesses and give referrals for further care. The addicts are a deeply traumatized population, many with mental illness and histories of abuse and so require an extraordinary amount of patience. An oft-repeated dictum for the staff at Insite is to “meet people where they are.” It is a constant effort to be nonjudgmental about the choices addicts make.

This is a place where folks who struggle with debilitating addictions can be “met where they are,” without judgment or moralization. They come to this place, get high in a safe environment, and have access to some basic health care and other help. When they are ready, they can enter a two-week detox program located upstairs in the same building, and graduates of that detox program can take advantage of temporary housing on the third level until they are able to secure more stable housing.

This is a truly revolutionary approach to health care. So often, we expect people to reach a certain level of health or wherewithal before we are even willing to help them. Many health care providers require folks to be “clean” or “sober” before giving treatment, others may expect other behaviors or attitudes before willing to provide help. Here at this place, the health care and social workers are meeting the folks exactly where they are, so that when they are willing to enter a process of healing, they will have trusted individuals to whom they can turn for help.

I did a 20-month internship with Craig Rennebohm of the Mental Health Chaplaincy during my masters program. While I spent most of my time there placed at the Recovery Café, a drop-in day center for folks recovering from addictions and homelessness, I was incredibly blessed to have Craig as my supervisor because he taught me so much about meeting people where they are. Craig is a true example of this, as he literally goes to where the people are–on the streets of Seattle. He goes to them and respectfully, compassionately, and patiently reaches out a hand in friendship. By meeting people exactly where they are, Craig has opened doors to healing and new connection for many folks.

Another example of meeting people where they are can be found in the life of Jesus. As he traveled and ministered, he ate with “sinners” and “saints” alike, communing with tax collectors and prostitutes and lepers–those most cast aside by society. While he challenged and encouraged them to grow, he always started by meeting them exactly where they were, reaching out in peace and love.

I wonder what the world would look like if more of us lived like Jesus, like this Vancouver clinic, or like Craig. It would certainly be a place of much deeper compassion in general, but I also wonder if it would be a place where folks found that healing and recovery would come easier in the midst of a community that truly supports rather than judging and moralizing about one another’s behavior.

Jan 04

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Start the new year with love

By Katie | All Blog Posts | No Comments

Love has been on my mind lately!

Lately I’ve been experiencing a synchronicity as a variety of different areas of my life are pointing me toward love. I have been thinking about love and the many questions about it. What is love? From where does love come? What does it mean for God to love us? What does it mean to love ourselves and our neighbor?

I have been reflecting on how Jesus was the embodiment of God’s love for us, and how we in turn can embody God’s love for others. (This was the topic of the sermon I gave at All Pilgrims Christian Church yesterday morning).

Many people like to start out their new year with resolutions. They will go to the gym more often, spend more time with family and friends, organize and/or get rid of things they no longer need. Many people also forget their resolutions by February or March, but despite this, we keep making them year after year.

This year, I encourage you to start out the new year with love. It’s a new year, a new decade, a new start. How will love inform your actions this hour, this day, this year? How do you love those it is easy for you to love, and how do you love when it is difficult?

I will leave you with the “love chapter” of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, to meditate on:

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

Jan 02

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Light in the darkness – Depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder

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January can be a very dark time, in more than one sense of the word. While the shortest day of the year occurs in the midst of a time when many are celebrating religious or secular holidays, the short days stay with us well into February before starting to lengthen noticeably. As the Hannukah gifts are put away, the Christmas tree taken down, the New Years confetti vacuumed up, we return to “life as normal.” We return to our daily responsibilities and challenges. This part of the year, when the days are still dark but the partying is largely over, can be a difficult time for many to face.

In the Seattle area, and especially this year, we often experience quite a bit of cloudy weather. This, combined with the shorter days, can exacerbate feelings of sadness, lack of interest in life, and hopelessness.

Seasonal Affective Disorder, commonly referred to as SAD, is common in this area. It is estimated that half a million Americans may suffer from SAD, and the further away from the equator a person lives, the more likely she or he is to develop symptoms of SAD.

SAD is very similar to clinical depression, but the key difference is that SAD is only experienced during these dark, winter months. Are you experiencing any of the following symptoms of depression?

decrease in energy
excessive tiredness
sadness
anxiety
appetite changes
loss of interest in sex
withdrawal from friends and family
difficulty concentrating
strong feelings of sadness
a sense of hopelessness

If you are experiencing some of these things, then you may be suffering from SAD or Depression. The good news is that, because these are very common conditions, there are many known treatments, including things you can do at home and techniques that a counselor may use with you. It is also a good idea to have a medical check-up if you are experiencing symptoms of Depression, because certain medical conditions may cause Depression.

While it may not feel like it to persons experiencing SAD or Depression, there truly is hope for life to get better. Sometimes in the midst of darkness it feels like there will never be light again. But, even in the midst of this–literally–dark season, the beauty is that each day is getting slightly longer and lighter than the day before. The weather will continue to get better as spring approaches. The changing of the seasons teaches us that even in the midst of darkness, there is light.

If you’re having trouble seeing the light on your own, talking to trusted friends and family may be a great help, as well as discussing your concerns with a professional–a counselor and/or a doctor. If you are concerned that a friend or family member may be experiencing Depression or SAD, this website has some very helpful information.

Life can get better. There is hope. It may be hard to gather up the energy to seek help, but reaching out can be the first step toward light in the midst of the darkness. And you are worth it.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Nov 03

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A prayer for fall

By Katie | All Blog Posts | No Comments

Today as I ran errands I noticed the splashes of color that some of the trees still painted with their leaves, while others were almost barren. Dead, brown, dried leaves littered the road while vibrant, spectacular reds and yellows still grew on some trees. The season of Fall can remind us of the cycle of life and death. Trees must shed their leaves to conserve their resources during the winter, in which they are invisibly preparing for the spring, when they will paint the world a vibrant green once again with leaves (and sometimes pinks and yellows and oranges and purples with blossoms and fruit).

This fall, what are you allowing to slough off? What negative emotions, harmful habits, or unnecessary commitments are you ready to allow to shed–to release–so that you can make room inside for the growth that will lead to the spring?

A Prayer for Fall
by Jim Winkler

O Thou who hast shaped both the world in which we live as well as our lives as individuals and nations according to seasons,
we thank Thee
for realities changeable and unchangeable,
for gentle mornings and cool evenings,
for gifts that sensitize and deepen our spirits
and for the mounting anticipation of holy days and holidays.
We thank Thee for lives deepened and nurtured by loving relationships,
the warm acceptance of friend and family,
the deep ties nurtured within Thy holy Church
and the peace of Thy Spirit in the midst of the struggles of war and torture and debasement.
May these and all Thy blessings shape us into people
more prone to giving than receiving,
more given to gratitude than complaining,
more aware of need than our own self-satisfaction.
Thou knowest, O God, that there is another side to us:
discouragement often tempts us to despair;
anger leads to depression;
tension grows into anxiety;
grief makes us withdraw;
incapacitation tempts us to self-pity;
rejection leads to loneliness.
We bring such subtle turns of mind to Thee, yielding our lives to thine inestimable grace, seeking trust in Thee and Thy will. Lead us from the deserts of unfaithfulness into the rich plains of hope. Guide us from the dark caves of doubt into the illumination of faith. Heal our spirits, give us new life.
Complete the work Thou hast begun. Because of our blessings, release us through a flow of gentleness and mercy that will bring
healing where there is hurt;
peace where there is violence;
beauty where there is ugliness;
justice where there is brokenness;
beginnings where there are dead-ends.
O Thou who art beyond our grasp yet within our reach, past our knowing but answerable to our searching, disturber of the assured and assurer of the disturbed, grant thy grace to those for whom we especially pray:
those who live in darkness of poverty and need the light of prosperity;
those who live in the light or prosperity and need the grace of sharing;
those who live in the midst of defeat and need the peace that passeth all understanding;
those who suffer pain and those who give their lives to healing ministries;
those who have heard the Word and strayed away and those who tell the Truth.
O Keeper of Promises, renew the promise in us and in those we love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Oct 20

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Fat Talk Free Week

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This week is Fat Talk Free Week, sponsored by Tri Delta.

This is a week for all of us to take stock of how we talk about our bodies. Are we using negative language or positive language to talk about our bodies? Does the language we use reflect our thankfulness for being alive, for having the wonderful gift that is our body, which allows us to move through the world and do things that we love and that make the world a better place?

Let’s take this week to try a new way of being; a new way of speaking and thinking. Let’s try not to disparage our bodies with “fat talk” such as “I’m so fat!” or “look at my rolls!” or “I really need to lose weight.” Let’s try this, and see how it might make life more vibrant, more life-giving, and allow us to be more grateful for the one wonderful body we’ve been given!

Oct 07

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A prayer for Mental Health Awareness Week

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October 4th-10th is Mental Illness Awareness Week. My mentor and internship supervisor, Craig Rennebohm of the Mental Health Chaplaincy, wrote the following prayer in honor of the week:

We pray for all who struggle with brain injuries, mental illness, addictions, trauma, and abuse; for all who are fearful and anxious, and for all who suffer in the health of their self and personhood.

We pray for our families in their love and care and limits as they seek to provide relief and foster recovery for loved ones.

We pray for counselors, nurses, doctors, therapists, psychologists, social workers, and case managers, for their good training; and for the administrators and support staff of mental health centers, clinics, and hospitals.

We pray for our neighborhoods, that in every community there may be effective outreach, doors that open readily to care, supportive housing, meaningful work, and opportunities to share in sport, craft, art, and fellowship.

We pray for our public servants, representatives, and leaders, that they may organize effective systems of service and care, blending well the strengths and power of local, county, state, national, and world resources, both public and private.

We pray for institutions of research and learning, sot hat the human community may advance in its understanding nad treatment of mental disorders.

We pray for the conditions of peace, justice, and harmony necessary to the health of us all.

We pray for this congregation, and for all communities of faith, that we may continually take up the work of healing and care as we each are able.

We pray that each may have a home, that all may rest safely and be well.

Feb 21

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A Joyful Noise — Wedding Homily — Psalm 100

By Katie | All Blog Posts, Sermons | No Comments

Psalm 100 (King James Version): Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God; it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Whitney and Sam, we are all so thrilled to be here with you as you covenant with one another today. You come to us with joy, in a sound relationship with a rich history. In this history of your relationship, there have been easy times and difficult times. There have been fun times and there have been boring times. There have been times where you were on the same page and times when you were in totally different books! But in all the times, there was your relationship, growing stronger, closer, more intimate day by day. Today is a different kind of day; today you are taking a new kind of step, embarking on a journey of a new way of being with one another.

Whitney and Sam met each other for the first time at a Chrysalis retreat in the fall of 2000. At the time they met, they were both dating other people! But such is the beauty of the connectional nature of the United Methodist Church. As both of their life circumstances changed and they both grew, mutual friends and church activities continued to connect them. They remember fondly a dinner they shared with some mutual friends, where they wound up sitting together and experiencing some of those initial giddy sparks flying. Slowly and tenderly over the following months, the relationship took its first steps in the form of a trip to the zoo, a Supertones concert, and holding hands while watching the movie Super Troopers.

This relationship has taken them many more steps forward, through a variety of experiences that brought you closer, till today, where we are all gathered here about ready to witness, in just a few moments, the two of you walking fully into a new way of being with one another. The vows you are about to make are both an outward sign of an inward state of the relationship, and they will also speak something new into being. Just as when we say “I love you” for the first time… we love the person already, but saying it speaks a new way of being into the relationship. So it is as well today. You two have already gone through the kinds of ups and downs that might strain or even break an unstable marriage. The vows you are about to speak are not new in the sense that they don’t speak to a new way of being you have never experienced. You already are committed to one another, in sickness and in health… and yet even though the vows speak about the way you already feel and the commitment you’ve already made, the very act of speaking them, here in this place surrounded by your friends and family, will speak into being a new way of relating to one another.

I’m a pastoral counseling student at Seattle University, and one of my classmates, John, recently pointed out that a marriage doesn’t really become real until the couple faces its first real challenge to the marriage. This may take the form of finding out something about the other person you didn’t realize or don’t like, or it could take the form of an external force causing pressure and tension in the marriage that the couple must now navigate as a team. It is at this point, John says, that the marriage is solidified. I agree with my friend John, and I think that it is especially true for couples who don’t have long relationships or engagements before marriage. Because in this case, rather than cautioning you to be ready for the “downs” as well as the “ups” together, I would say you, Whitney and Sam, already know this truth of married life. You haven’t just had good times, it hasn’t all been the “giddy honeymoon phase.” You have faced some serious challenges over the years, and you’ve done so with grace and integrity and in the face of those challenges your relationship has become stronger. I could stand here before you today and caution you that it’s not “always going to be easy” and that “it’s going to take work.” But I don’t need to, because you already know.

I love that in the midst of a very tough year for the two of you, the scripture you picked for your wedding was one of praise to God. Psalm 100 is a call to worship, encouraging people to come from whatever circumstances they find themselves in, to join together and worship God. This scripture lifts up praise, and your choosing of the scripture is so telling. It tells me that in the midst of pain, strife, and weariness can come praise to God. And what better example of the unbreakable human spirit to hope and to live and to love than a celebration of a wedding in the midst of economic turmoil? The external circumstances of the world may bring us security or insecurity, pleasure or pain, comfort or affliction. But in the midst of that we are called to praise God. By choosing this scripture, and choosing this time, to make these vows to one another, you are affirming the hope and joy that comes from God alone and is not dependent on external circumstances.

In a few minutes, as you make the wedding vows to one another, remember that just as the scripture you chose is a call to worship, so too can your marriage be a call to you both and to others to live fully into life, to live with hope and courage, and to love fully in the midst of whatever trials may come. Let your vows be a joyful noise unto the land, declaring that God is an everlasting God of love, goodness, and truth.

Amen.