In sweet rejoicing now we sing and be joyful.
Our heart’s delight lies in the manger and shines like the sun in his mother’s lap.
Thou art Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
O tiny Jesus, For thee I long alway; Comfort my heart’s blindness,
O best of boys, with all Thy loving kindness, O prince of glory, draw me after Thee.
O love of the Father, O gentleness of the Son,
Deeply were we stained, through our sins, but Thou for us hast gained,
The joy of heaven, O that we were there!
Where are the joys, in any place but there?
There are angles singing new songs, and there the bells are ringing,
in the king’s court, O that we were there!

Heinrich Suso (d.1366)?

This excerpt was taken from the program text of the Juniata College Choral Union Concert, directed by Russ Shelley, at their 2009 Fall Concert. Below is a picture from the fantastic Christmas concert I attending with some students and surrounded by many familiar faces from campus and the community.

Juniata College Choral Union

For the Standing Stone Coffee Company

We are more than a polite gaggle,
clustered uncommonly close
in this clean, well-lighted place
where steam rises from our cups
and we face the reader, fully present.
We are luring glances of voyeur pedestrians,
nearly successful at not looking
into our poetry terrarium. The driver
of the pickemup truck eases up to the STOP sign,
asks his passenger, “Whathey really doin in there?”
A tall dog straining to cop its first good look
at a poet’s back through the window
has its leash jerked by the woman
it is taking for a walk.

We are the ones rejected from cheerleading tryouts
because our attention-spans were too long.
Now we sit expectantly in the presence
of someone else’s dreams, alert to any overlapping
with our own. We are cheerleading for poetry,
awaiting the Hail Mary stanza, the verbal dunk
with or without the slam, or simple evidence
that, against all odds, one of us made something
from nothing with words – an original thing
we didn’t know we were waiting to hear.

We have excommunicated ourselves from
the Church of Traumatic Haste, with its instant
coffee communion, seeking solace here,
where the owner-priest uses the espresso machine’s
asthmatic gargle to edit botched similes
and despondent spondees. His gasping steam-clouds
redolent of fair-trade beans can only mean

Jack Troy

Dripping. It’s an unpleasant sight. With every ounce of mysterious fluid splattering on the ground we wince at the unknown source and where the problem may lie. A pop of the hood may reveal low tank levels or signs of problems to come, depending on your familiarity of engineering and mechanics.

On Wednesday my radiator decided to shed a fear of its green tears upon the asphalt of the driveway. Stellar. What I hoped was a puddle from my de-froster turned into a puddle coming from this box-like structure in the front of my 1987 Chevy Celebrity (pictured right).

Yes, I know what you’re thinking, and no, it’s not for sale! This antique wonder with over 160,000 miles, 6 cylinder mobile of merriment is a flashback to the days of big hair, big hairspray, and stir-up pantaloons. Despite it’s lack of cup holders (a great disadvantage for savvy coffee drinkers like myself), cruise control, and a half-decent radio you have to pound with you hand to hear anything past 100.6, I enjoy the spacious trunk, classy appearance,  bragging rights, and the infamous middle front seat (with seat belt!)

Enough about the features of this car and back to the problem at hand. My radiator is leaking! This inconvenient discovery resulted in a prompt phone call to mechanic extraordinaire, my father. Being a mechanic himself for his entire life, I have yet to know of anything that has stumped this fellow of victory under the hood, around the frame, and even in a paint job. After describing the situation, the temporary attempt to plug this leaker is some AlumaSeal Stop Leak. Open, pour, drink, and hope for the best.

Although I am waiting to see whether this Stop Leak is holding true to it’s name, the actual process was quite enjoyable. There’s something inherently good about caring for something (even if it is just a year younger than you and twice as old as everything else on the road). There’s something to being a steward (fancy word for caretaker) of something, whether it be your home, a yard, the environment, and yes, even your little vroom-vroom. Opening up something, getting dirty, and working to solve a problem wasn’t intimidating but actually exciting. I was learning something new. I was taking care of the Chevy Celebrity (which is usually done by my father. The extent of my duties are car washes and fuel fill-ups.)

A neighbor fellow came over to chat and asked if I needed any help. I truly didn’t because things were pretty under control. We chatted briefly as he smoked a cigarette by the hood of my engine (which is always weird. At least he wasn’t standing next to my gas tank). This guest voiced his concern/opinion about my situation, questioning the effectiveness of my handy dandy bottle of Stop Leak. I played the Father card and stated “Well, it has worked for him, worth a shot!”

Upon reflection, these situations and prime for when we become stewards of things and care of people, places and things in our world. We need tough questions to think out our intentions and choices (although that is a stretch for this example. Not a lot of tough questions coming across).

So I wait and shall see what becomes of the Celebrity and it’s radiator malfunction. At least the test drive was accompanied by NPR’s show Car Talk. Fitting and always a good laugh.

Go on a date with your car. Check the fluids and take it to a car wash.  Then enjoy the purr of thanks on the open road.

I just ate an entire pan of roasted potatoes. I’m not kidding. These amazing spuds were intended to feed guests arriving in an hour.  Looks like batch two is in order.

I’m a horrible hostess! How did this happen? Do I have no self-control? Well, maybe and maybe not, but let me explain what happened. I taste-tested this potato dish to check on the quality. Seriously! I drifted from the recipe because this lactose-intolerant gal didn’t feel like throwing in cheese and a 1/2 cup of milk in a cassarole if she didn’t have to. Therefore, the recipe went for an adventure in the kitchen and straight into the oven.

I thought the first bite was a trip to heaven and back. I don’t think I’ve ever made anything that tasted so incredible. Fresh dill, red potatoes, sauted onions, garlic powder, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, basil, spinach, and olive oil were the ingredients to this euphoric pan of wonder. Good golly.

I can’t believe I’ve actually started cooking. The story begins over a year ago when I left the nest of community life and ventured into a single apartment with a single bathroom, single livingroom, single deck, and a single kitchen. How sad and single. Since my adventure of being single in the kitchen began, I have eaten for meals the following things:

• A can of spinach
• Whole wheat pasta spirals with butter
• Lots of tuna
• Cereal

Pretty pathetic, eh? But this story of scraps and arriving at friends houses at meal times came to an end when summer began.

I’m part of a farm co-op called “Plowshare Produce”. These certified organic growing experts are located just 15 minutes out of town with a wide variety of delicious rutabagas, carrots, onions, kale, potatoes, herbs, spinach, squash, pumpkins, and a zillion other tasty treats from the soil. I receive a half-share, which means every other Friday is an organic blessing in a bag at one of their distribution points, Standing Stone Coffee Company.

What the crow do I do with a turnip? Beets? Well, it’s time to get creative in the kitchen! This summer has been a journey of experimenting of cooking, baking, eating healthy and eating well while supporting the local scene. This week was the last plowshare until next year. I think I can hear my heart whimpering (but my stomach will be first to let me know).

It’s time to re-define some sterotypes of single folks. Sure, we may have odd meals but we are also creative cooking folks with creative minds and satisfied tastebuds when the oven door swings open and the spoon dives into our meals. And the best part? This cooking creates opportunites to give food to others, to share in the bounty of what we are blessed with as others have blessed us through lunches, brunches, dinners, snacks, and best of all, companionship around a table.

Examine life. Forget the grade
forget the promises you’ve made
to study useful things, and hear
the distant voices, whispered clear
a moment now, before they fade.

There’s time, later, to learn a trade.
Be like those wanderers who strayed
away from roads other revere:
examine life.

And listen to the serenade
that other, wiser heads forbade:
seek out the unexplored frontier
before the time can disappear
then, looking back, now unafraid
examine life.

W.F. Lantry

Fall rain showers and gloomy gray skies have swamped the lands across Pennsylvania this weekend. In fact, it would have been extremely helpful if I could transfigure into a bright yellow duck with webbed feet from Saturday to Monday (without the bothersome molting of feathers, of course).

Over the course of weekend of resting on the couch consumed in a fantastic adventure (also known as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood and Prince) it gave my brain a moment to downshift. It feels as if I need to manually unplug portions of my thoughts in order to daydream, to escape, and to play (which was helped by the cats and dog that surrounded me that afternoon. They are pro’s at this sort of thing).

Sunday came along with more rain and sporatic and decieving sunshine. My afternoon was dedicated to the office work I neglected from Saturday (some of the items I had to unplug and stop thinking about). As I looked ahead to this week anxiety filled pockets where peace and assurance once dwelled. Funny how anixety and peace are never good roommates. Once has to leave the space for the other to occupy.

Over several years I am continually reminded of my own perceptions of how I spend time. Sometimes I think I make the week out to sound like it’s going to be worse than the reality. In fact, in relatity, the things on my schedule are also things that bring me to life, encourage me, and places and people where conversations are had and connections are made. Yet why does looming fear invade me so?

I forget. I forget the truth spoken in verse 24 of 1 Thessalonians chapter 5: “The one who calls you is faithful”. This phrase, pistos ho kalon (in it’s original language) speaks not only to who God is, faithful beyond our understanding, but also sends a promise-filled reminded to the reader. This message applies to men, women, and children through the daily activities of life. This person who calls you to do great things is the source of energy, comfort, direction, and peace. And He is faithful.

I am constantly encouraged by this idea of faithfulness, especailly when it is pursued together. Being a core value of the campus ministry organization I serve with (Coalition for Christian Outreach), I see this faithfulness pursued together not just in a setting on Sunday morning but around tables in conversation, a chat in a lab, or a spell in a living room. We can regard communion as just a sacrament in religious tradition but forget the communion we have at dinner tables, front porches, or behind the counter or the desk at our workplaces.

In an efficent-centered world where quicker is better, it’s sometimes important to remember that quality sometimes is not quantity. Speed doesn’t always result in success. In our world of reductions, I believe we reduce the message of the Gospel in our lives. We shorten and slice off part of the inbreaking story of Christ into this grand drama of Scripture, a sacrifice of love and justifying and redeeming God’s people, the long-awaited victory over evil, the fulfilled prophecy, the inbreaking of a new Kingdom, and the story we step into as we redeem a creation. In the message of the Gospel, we sadly and regrettably only remember Jesus existed, to behave, and follow the motion assigned. Not radical. Not uncomfortable. Not intentional. Not transformational.

We must be daring. No, you don’t need to sign up for skydiving or learn to stunt drive cars (although sign me up!) but being daring may mean getting out of bed, or reaching forward to begin a converstation, being brave to ask a difficult question or someone else, or even yourself.

And remember: pistos ho kalon.

The one who calls you is faithful.

Fiberglass Adventure

This afternoon I ventured into the unfamiliar waters of the Juniata River. I’ve passed many times by automobile over concrete bridges but never by a light-weight, me-powered kayak. Adventure seized my afternoon.

I met today’s instructor through my partnership with Standing Stone Coffee Company (shameless plug) and his regular visits, often reading a new novel and drinking tea at our bar. After several weeks of busy schedules we finally found a time slot to swift and stride across the cool waters of the river before they become chilly and frozen waters.

The Kayak Expert

Since my kayak experience could be defined as “novice”, it was helpful to have an “instructor” (maybe I should have referred to him as “Mr. so-and-so).My inital reaction was “Wow! I am so level with the water!” It reminds me of the clip from Superman Returns when the flying man in tights was gliding along the water with Lois Lane (only mine is a lot slower and spandex isn’t the look I go for in most settings). While you physically move across the water it seems like you mentally try to soak up everything around you.

After paddling down stream and figuring out how to move, how to paddle, and how not to tip too much, I felt better about the whole floating in a banana practice. Now came the challenge – upstream!

I managed well enough to get stuck on a giant rock (or as I suspected a mysterious dead body) which resulted in my instructor “unlodging” me off the sucker. Despite other rammings and vigorous paddle prodding into the water, I finally was relieved of this rocky situation (pun intended) and drifted back downstream – a piece of cake in comparison to the latter.

What keeps striking me about the outdoors is the bigness of creation. I make the world into my own little domain where it seems easy to think I am the master. This is an easy trap in our culture. “Why need someone else when you can do it yourself? Self sufficiency!” some may say.

But really, I am a small puzzle piece in the grand scheme of things. Even further, I’ve spent time in the outdoors alone and with other people and to be honest, it’s always more fun with a friend. Whether it’s a hike, a walk, or a spell in a kayak, living life with others makes a whole lot more sense in the long run.

Community is like Wheaties for the soul – it’s fuel for life. And Wheaties is good for the body, especially those upper body muscles receiving an aquatic workout.

Couches and Community

I believe our minds function as time machines at various times. Whether it’s a reflection, a familiar scent, or a funny phrase, we can instantly zap into a world of the past, a page from our own story, a place we once knew.

Tonight I wanted to lay horizontal across a couch in a teal colored room, a room I once knew as a meeting space, game spot, bible study location, and soothing livingroom. This room is the living room of my former intentional community house as a college student. After a long day of work after many long days of work, I wanted to retreat to this place, curl up with community of the past, and embrace old friends with hugs and recollections of pranks and muses about the Kingdom.

After my time at Standing Stone Coffee Co. came to a close I entered into phrase two of the Sunday- the first meeting of  Vision of Community Project.  This small group of community members, pastors, campus ministers, business people, and college students will ask tough questions about community, how we understand the concept, where our fit is, and how we respond to our community. In this study of community, community development, and the Christian faith we will reading articles and discussing our findings and thoughts on understanding, digging into, restoring, and forming a vision for community. Incredible depth. Incredible potential.

One portion of our conversation tonight was centered around the definition and understanding of community. Around the small, round tables at the coffee shop, words and ideas were jotted down. Here are a few shared words:

human longing - story - transformation – seasons – family – beyond aesthetic – shared work – sacrifice – piece of shalom – glimpse of meaning – identity – history – group – places of love

For me, personally, this idea of shalom and love is what comes to mind when I think of that couch in a teal room with books, shoes, and scarves laying about. It’s what comes to mind when I hop down the steps of the coffee shop with a grin on my face after a humorous conversation or exchange of dry humor. It’s the laughter around a table with friends sharing a meal or playing a card game. These are sometimes pictures of shalom-  snapshots, more like it. Small snippets of time where a feeling of wholeness is embraced.

In society we join country clubs, fire departments, orchestras, follow sports teams, engage the outdoors, become board members, give to a non-profit, and more as ways of embracing community, thus establishing part of our own identity. In those communities it is possible to experience transformation, and sometimes it isn’t. Depending on the community, it can either walk through seasons of life with you and fulfill this human longing or it can banish you to the side and spawn a sense of cynical perspective about community in general (or super individualism).

Community is beyond any definition but not outside of our grasp. I believe we were created for community by our Creator and we find meaning through our communities. This is one of the many reasons why college life is so transformational – a 4+ year time span of community, life engagement, search for meaning, self-discovery, celebration of life, and vision for the future. It can also be a place for rebellion, confusion, frustration, and cynicism. You could say that college is one giant melting pot of life, serving in a bowl of 4 years, fueling the rest of your life, and possibly taking a lifetime to digest.

Community changed my life and it’s one of the things I love about campus ministry. It’s a passion of mine to bring people into a community where they find a piece of their own shalom, a vision for community, a vision for life, a vision for the Kingdom.As much as I would love to lay horizontal on the couch after a long day, I rather have people sitting on the couch with me. A couch was made for more than one.

I pray we all find our couches.

And you can paint the room whatever color you want.

We are called to do the world of ministry. Unless we understand the nature of that challenge, – the “occupational hazards” of ministry – we in the church will inevitably retrench, scaling back our mission to serve ourselves, not the world. When we do so, we become just like every other human institution and the church’s unique calling fades away.”
Philip Yancy   Church, Why Bother