August, 2007
Recently, Kieran Monahan and I went to Women’s Spiritual Life Day at Fellowship Deaconry in Libery Corner, NJ. (It occurs every year, on the day after Mother’s Day. If you haven’t been, I encourage you to go–you will be blessed.) The speaker this year was Dotty Schmidt, a feisty woman in her late 60’s. She is proof positive that “the best is yet to come”, and that age does not equal the cancelling out of passion. Kieran and I were so grateful to sit at the feet of this incredible woman. She reminded me of Mary Anne in a lot of ways (though Mare is a lot younger!), in the sense that she has attained something with her life experience that is contagious–you want to catch what she has.
Though there were many themes that she taught on, there was one that stuck out to me. She showed us that when Jesus entered the world, there were three generations of women who welcomed him (there were men, too, but hey–this is a women’s blog!).
Mary–the teenager
Elizabeth–the middle-aged woman
Anna–the elderly woman
We all fall somewhere in that spectrum. (more…)
Posted by Vesper on August 31st, 2007 in States of Life, Women to Watch | 2 Comments »
Ladies,
Mary Anne sent this as a comment, but I’m choosing to post it as an entry. As we remember Gregorio’s word about remembering our spiritual “parents”, I want to honor Mary Anne as a mother to us women. I encourage all of us to avail ourselves of her measured wisdom, and to trust that she is for us–she is the champion of the women of Lamb of God. Thank you, Mare.
“Ladies, As I think about this great man of God who came to minister to us this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I can become very discouraged. This man told us of the miracles he has seen and done, and all the thousands of people he has led to Christ. He reminded us of those great ones who have gone before us. Those great evangelists who endured suffering and persecution to proclaim the name of Christ and lead others to Him. He told how much he has given up for the ‘call of Jesus’ on his life. Wow he has lived in a tree for Jesus He has given all he has to fulfill the will of God in his life. And I end up feeling “this guy is in another league,” “my life is a joke,” “the idea that my life can count for Jesus is just theoretical.”
And then I spend some time with Jesus. I read His word. I turn my attention from myself to His word. Have I answered the call of God on my life? I can honestly say yes. This call has been to be a wife, to remain in my marriage those early years (we were so young) and there I learned faithfulness. To be a mother both spiritually and physically to my threee children (they were not easy teenagers) and there I learned humility. I have answered the call to be involved in our congregation for the last 12 years, as I was in the congregation I was in for 12 years before this as a mentor and an example, and from this I learned fulfillment.
The secret of happiness in life is perspective. Some are called to be Elijah’s, some are called to be a leader like Moses, but all of us are called to be sheep and obey the one true Shepherd. love mare”
Posted by Vesper on August 31st, 2007 in Going Deeper, States of Life | 4 Comments »
Ok, ladies, what would you like to talk about here at the Kaffe Klatsch?
And…as I said before, I welcome your submissions!
To submit a suggestion, click on “add a comment” below.
To submit a work of your own, email me: vespersongs at hotmail dot com.
And for something interesting, check out this video about Sinead O’Connor’s new album, Theology. It’s based in her study of the Old Testament Prophets. VERY interesting. She’s always been a fascinating woman to me.
Love,
Vesper
Posted by Vesper on August 28th, 2007 in Going Deeper, Welcome, Women to Watch | 2 Comments »
There’s a lot of mention of water in the Bible, and not surprisingly. The Middle East is a thirsty place. Geologists will tell you that it was not always the “desert” place it is now, but all that talk of wilderness and wandering was real. Water could be a precious commodity.
I want to introduce you to what’s called the Mikvah, or ritual bath. (more…)
Posted by Vesper on August 20th, 2007 in Going Deeper | 2 Comments »
I am eating up this biography of Aimee Semple McPherson. It’s called “Sister Aimee” by Daniel Mark Epstein.
Here is an excerpt from one of her sermons on healing.
“God heals that they may go out to save others. He does not heal that the sick may take up worldliness and travel in sin again. The central thought they must have when they come to me is first and last and all the time—-save their souls.”
Aha! Did this ever occur to you? It didn’t to me until today when I read this passage. McPherson had been having a huge crisis in her ministry, because she started out as an evangelist and became known as a faith healer. Because sometimes hundreds of people were “hanging their crutches on the rafters” after her touch, invalids were lining the streets, crowding the basements of the venues where she preached. Now, that’s a good problem, right? Except that she would say that her ministry was really 99% about saving the lost, and 1% about healing. And the quote above sums it up. WHY do we want people to be healed? So that their sickness and pain would not distract them from the real life and the real work.
(more…)
Posted by Vesper on August 18th, 2007 in Healing | 1 Comment »
Please visit this for a moment: http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Oct2001/Wiseman.asp
This former Franciscan monk did a little research into the saying attributed to St. Francis: “Preach the Gospel at all times; and if you must, use words.” He found that it was not anywhere within 200 years of his writings. He says:
“In Chapter XVII of his Rule of 1221, Francis told the friars not to preach unless they had received the proper permission to do so. Then he added, “Let all the brothers, however, preach by their deeds.”
I think the thought was that he wanted his friars to be preaching with knowledge and foundation. That’s good. We should have a solid footing on what exactly it is we believe.
I met Jesus when I was 16, and was filled with this urgency that the people around me were all headed for disaster. I needed to tell them where to find safety. I was hungry for any resource that would tell me how to bring people to Him. I even bought those books like “How to Reach a Mormon”. As if people are really interested in the deeper theological arguments for their unbelief. Unfortunately, I was met with very limited success, and I think I fell into thinking that I was destined to be “always a sower, never a harvester.” But I still had this real need to tell people about Him, and always really valued my friendships with “the lost”*. Recently, this has been reaching a higher level of urgency.
(more…)
Posted by Vesper on August 15th, 2007 in Sharing Jesus | 3 Comments »
I’m currently reading a biography of a woman of whom you may or may not have heard. Aimee Semple McPherson was the founder of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. She was larger than life. Her drive to preach the gospel was like a steam train. I encourage you to listen to this past weekend’s podcast about her from Speaking of Faith, an NPR program that deals with religion and ethics. You will be moved and inspired, and I promise you that it will raise a lot of questions for you.
McPherson was an imperfect woman; a celebrity in the pre-TV age; a strong woman where most women of the day did not dare to tread; a woman with maybe too much energy for her own good. Like any celebrity, she faced accusations of scandal–no one is sure to this day whether or not they were true. Yet she moved on undeterred, passionately preaching the Gospel; reportedly fed a million people during the Great Depression; was an advocate for the poor and for ethnic equality decades before the official Civil Rights movement.
What do you think? Let me know.
Posted by Vesper on August 14th, 2007 in Women to Watch | 4 Comments »
