Saint James Blog

How often to we wish that we had more time?  We feel like there isn’t enough time in the day and we fault time.  Is the problem too little time or too many things on our plate?  But how do we choose?  There are things that have to be done, things that we want to do, things that people need, etc.

Not just that, but how often do we wish days away?  I caught myself saying today that I just want Friday to be over.  Am I ready to be finished with my Missios exam?  Yes.  Do I really want to wish a day away?  I hope not.

On the other hand, we are taught from little on up to countdown the days with enthusiasm and anticipation of what is to come.  It is part of our culture and part of what keeps us going.  James and I both have a countdown until Saint James Kingstowne launches on our laptops.  Children have advent calendars for Christmas.  Even the Bible tells us to be on the look out for Jesus’ return.  We are very future focused.

There are a few passages that have been on my heart as I have had conversations with people this week about time.  Here are some of them, if you have others that come to mind please share them in the comments section.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven”

Galatians 4:4a “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son,”

Matthew 6: 34 ‘Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Galatians 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Tags: Thoughts by Erika
No Comments »

Do you ever feel like there is a common thread in the people and things you encounter in life? Sometimes I am humbled and powerfully aware of a message that God has for me. It makes me wonder how many times we miss His messages. At the same time I am so grateful that He cares enough to try so hard to get into our thick and distracted heads.

This past week I have been reminded in the midst of preparations for the launch of Saint James Kingstowne, among other things, that it is not about me or anyone else. We can’t do it all and we are probably going to miss some things along the way. I find hope in knowing that He has it together and is the the one guiding us and constantly pulling us back to Him.

As for SJK, like James shared in his post, God has gone before us and prepared this place for us. As we have shared in other posts, it is evident that God intended this place and vision for us. I can’t wait to see that vision become a reality, because it is to His glory, not ours.

I could go on, but I am trying to be still and listen. I am trying to live what I feel I am being taught. I am trying to return to the heart of John 3:30, “He must become greater, I must become less.”

Tags: Thoughts by Erika
No Comments »

I’ve been doing some more reading of that Mark passage we’re working on for the weekend: 8:14-21 (see my previous blog). Jesus sees the bread as a teaching opportunity, as something more than a loaf a bread. While the disciples are anxious about their poor lunch planning, Jesus is anxious about religious folks who will attempt to ruin the message he is bringing for all people.

Sometimes when we get so focused on one problem or issue, we miss anything else that might draw our attention or even be more important. The disciples are doing just that in the boat while Jesus is trying to show them something more. I don’t want to miss the more for my myopic focus on the less, whatever that “less” may be for me today.

Tags: Bible by James
No Comments »

It seems like we’ve been getting ready to launch Saint James-Kingstowne forever and now time is getting short until it actually happens. How close is October 21st? 17 days and about 10 hours from now. The pieces are coming together. The launch team met at the Franconia Volunteer Fire Department Bingo Hall this past Sunday night to get a feel for the room. We broke out into smaller teams to be sure we had the details covered (not a strong point for me but fortunately, a strong point for Erika, our assistant pastor, and others on the team). How do you make a  temporary place a welcoming community gathering spot? What are the pieces besides our mission, vision, and values that we can bring with us to Saint James-Kingstowne and what will grow up there on its own?

Essentially the closer we get, the more I have an opportunity to reflect on what is most important about who we are and what we offer. I know that for me, I offer the experience of Jesus I cannot live without, the absolute acceptance and unconditional love of Jesus. That truth has shaped me and has shaped the ministry I do and has shaped the community of which I have a part in leading. I know that we have open hearted people who want to share the journey of faith with others. I know our style is a bit different than some other churches (just like everyone is different). In the end it was our desire to be in the intersections of everyday life that brought us to launching Saint James-Kingstowne. It was a pulling, a calling, a loving placed on our hearts from beyond ourselves that brought us here.

I don’t know what the future holds (nobody does- duh!). I know that Jesus journeys with us into the future, that he has gone ahead of us much as was promised at the tomb when the young man at Jesus’ tomb said to the women who had come to anoint his body in Mark 16:7:

But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

Jesus goes ahead of us and so I hold on to that, trusting that he is already where I am heading and is waiting there for me, for us.

Tags: Thoughts by James
No Comments »