Continuing our series on the wisdom of women, here are the words of someone I have found to be inspirational in my life. There are sermons I've heard that have been life-changing for me, words that have stayed with me for years, and Judy Peterson has delivered more than one that I carry with me. 

When asked how she stays connected to God in busy ministry seasons, here is her answer: 

Yesterday morning I got up early to get a workout in before my day began. I chose a path through the woods, and as I was walking, I had the opportunity to watch a mother quail tend to her eggs, and God reminded me how he hides me under his wings (Psalm 91:4). Along the way I stopped to smell several different flowers, and I thought about their short, beautiful, fragrant lives, and God reminded me how much he wants my short life to be beautiful and fragrant too (Psalm 103:15-16). I had the opportunity to rescue a baby fawn that was stuck in a ditch, and as I put its feet back on solid ground, I thanked the Lord that he rescued me from the pit, and he said, “You’re welcome” (Psalm 40:2).

As I continued walking I noticed two small clouds in the sky and thought about Elijah and the tremendous faith that was required to believe that a small cloud could bring a mighty storm. And I prayed that God would increase my faith so that I, too, could believe that all of the small things in my life can be used to bring refreshing to God’s people (1 Kings 18). At the end of my walk I realized that I had never gotten my heart rate up into the target zone, but I was quickly consoled by the truth that my heart was back on target for the day.

Real life is going on all around us and so often we have our heads down, our ears plugged in, our minds usually thinking about something we have no control over and our eyes fixed on a place about six feet in front of us. And all around us our real life is going on mostly without us. I think we walk through life this way because we’re waiting for our real life to begin, looking for our mission on the horizon, hoping that it’s just around the corner. But here’s the deal, this is your real life. Your real life isn’t just around the corner, and it won’t begin after you get the next thing done, and it isn’t just over the horizon…it is right here and right now.

Even this moment is a part of your real life and God doesn’t want you to miss out on your real life while you’re wishing for the life you thought you’d have or wishing for a life you’d like to have or just wishing your life away because you think next week might have something better for you. This is not a dress rehearsal and we can’t come back and do it again.

And so for the past 15 years I have practiced the spiritual discipline of not missing out on my real life. In the midst of a very busy ministry life I remind myself that there is enough time to smell flowers, notice clouds, rescue fawns and do a little bird watching. I do this because I believe it is not a waste of time to be fully present in my real life. In fact, in the midst of my real life God is just waiting to speak into my moments and margins if I will simply stop, unplug, breathe in and listen.

-Judy Peterson-  

Pastor Judy Peterson is the Campus Pastor at North Park University. She spends her life loving God and loving people, drinking coffee, loving her husband and trying not to miss out on a moment of real life. 

If you look at the date from this post to the last, you will not be surprised to know that I have been experiencing an intense ministry season. I knew that a season of long hours and late nights was on the horizon, so I asked a few women that I love and respect, the following question: In busy ministry seasons, what spiritual practices have you developed to keep you connected to God?  

Here is the answer from my former co-worker and continued friend, Krista Dutt.  

First, I should say that I have in no way figured this out, especially as a new mom where I have a new “always on” feeling.  But the new mom gig has reminded me of what I need to do to keep sane.  I think when we get busy, we have been taught to cut things that seem like additional luxuries to us or sometimes in my case I cut things that others might see as “she-doesn’t-need-to-do-that” things.  However, I am learning some of those practices are the very things that keep me going.  I offer the following as my learnings:

1.      Reading:  Soon after Benjamin, my son, was born, I realized that holding a book while nursing was impossible for me.  (It was much easier to watch TV or browse the internet on my phone.)  A few months later, Ben became more interested in the crinkling noise that books made which made it hard to read a book whenever he was around me.  But, without a constant book I felt like I was not complete.  So, instead of giving up, I stopped listening to the radio in the car and turned to audio books.  It has been great!  I feel more me, and have enjoyed listening to books.  Now, I know reading isn’t everyone’s thing – but reading allows me to dream, create new thoughts that may connect to my current life, and be a student of the author.  Audio books are expensive; so check the library or my other source paperbackswap.com which is almost free (you pay to ship the books you are swapping so requesting books is free). 

2.      Take a whole day off:  I have a job that allows me to be flexible in what hours I work.  Its 11:30 at night and I am planning on spending about an hour working on email, but this afternoon I took Benjamin to play for several hours at the park.  I have always been grateful for this type of schedule, but I often think that ministry jobs like this one can lead to more burnout because we can always take some time, but then do we?  I have found that taking a whole day off can really help me.  Since I am easily tempted to check just one thing if I go online or really on my computer, it tends to be a media fast as well.  I find I am more productive the next days when I do this.

3.      Go to church!  I have a ministry job that could be my church; but I have found having a solid place to go that I am Krista, a sinner more than a saint, is hugely important.  I realize that for pastors this safe place might be harder to find – but I urge you to take the time to find it.  Having the place that you are a celebrated, loved child of God more than you are the leader – good or bad has been life saving for me.  I show up; I share; I just am.  It’s a beautiful thing.

Lastly, I have a job I love.  It energizes me; and sometimes I use that as an excuse to do what refreshes me.  I urge you to love what you do but also take care to do other things as well.

-Krista Dutt-  

Krista is a lover of God, Chicago and her family.  She is passionate about people coming together and tries to give the space for them to do so.

 

After ten years of being committed to reconciliation work, I have found that occasionally it is necessary for others to point out the fact that I am young, black and a woman.

Sometimes the words are said with disdain, dripping from the mouths of men who cannot fathom that such a being could possess something so precious, so risky as authority. But usually it is spoken quietly, in hushed tones, as if my brownness might flee in fright if spoken too loudly. It seems that major portions of my identity are tethered to confusion... assumption... and often require deep reflection for others to comprehend, to accept, to enjoy.

I realize that for many white churches, I am the first black woman they have encountered in a ministry director role- the first to lead the class or host the meeting, the first to guide down the streets of Chicago, the first to preach to their kids and the first who was in control of the plan.

This is sometimes hard for me to remember since I grew up around strong, capable, confident, educated, preachin' black women. There are so many of us out there. So, I do not write this to suggest that history books will remember my name because I have been "the first" so many times... I write this in lamentation of all the young, brown-toned women who face confused looks when even small amounts of authority are expressed. I suspect there are many of us who are "the first" as we continue to expand our reach beyond our homogenous church roots.

The confused looks can and will catch us off guard. It does not happen often, but when it does, it is a very jolting experience. After all, only one of the three components will change over time; I shall always be both black and woman. 

In those moments when I wonder if the skin I'm in can penetrate minds, when I question how far I can go, when I wonder if my impact on the world will be limited after all, when I wonder if anyone can hear me- or if they can only see me- I go back to my roots. 

And today, it is Langston Hughes who reminds me of who I am, brown skin and all, in one of the first poems I learned as a child. 

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong. 

Tomorrow,

I'll be at the table

When company comes.

Nobody'll dare

Say to me,

"Eat in the kitchen,"

Then.

Besides,

They'll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

                                   --Langston Hughes

This is an edited version of my sermon on Acts 2. Hope you enjoy! 

The Book of Acts opens with Jesus’ ascension into heaven and in verse 8, as He rises into the clouds, He declares “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when the Spirit does descend, just the sound causes a raucous! As a crowd forms, trying to figure out what happened, they become witnesses of the power of the Holy Spirit, but misinterpret the Spirit for drunkenness as the apostles speak in different languages. Peter rises, giving a sermon about Jesus that rocks the crowd to their core. They are so moved by Peter’s declaration that 3,000 people accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and join this fellowship of believers.    

Acts 2:42 records this process of being joined into fellowship: There is the learning of the apostles’ doctrine. There is fellowship with others. There is the breaking of bread with one another. And there is public prayer. The new believers entered a process of knowing, understanding and practicing this new faith in the risen Christ.  

But then the Word records something that seemed strange to me. Acts 2:43 states that after joining this fellowship, “fear came upon every soul…” But why would these new members become fearful after joining this community? They’ve just become a part of this amazingly multiethnic, multilingual, multiracial group… shouldn’t that provide security, courage, protection? Well, it seems there was quite a bit for this body to fear- condemnation by Jewish leaders not willing to declare this Jesus the fulfillment of the Messianic prophesy, and they would be even more closely watched by the Romans who were not interested in hearing about anyone’s kingdom besides their own. Perhaps “fear came upon every soul” because truly understood that they had joined a group absolutely committed to a very dangerous idea.  

The dangerous idea is that salvation lay not in military power or royal ascension. That salvation could not be found in the rich lifestyle, the sinful lifestyle or even the religious lifestyle. That salvation had little to do with class, profession, race, or geographic location. The dangerous idea is that this covenant God has been forming since Abraham, this kingdom everyone has been waiting for is bigger and deeper than most imagined. The dangerous idea is that salvation lay in the throes of death not the comforts of life. An unwavering commitment to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ rather than to the systems and structures of this world made these believers a prime target of persecution- torments and sufferings to be feared.

This group of believers cling to another idea… an idea none of us have been fond of since kindergarten- the idea of sharing. You see, in kindergarten we all learned that sharing is giving what is mine to you to barrow for a moment, but then you are required to give it back to me. Why? Because it is mine. But this is not the kind of sharing that this first body of believers was practicing. They chose a deeper form of sharing, a perpetual kind; they chose to hold all things in common with one another.

I believe this choice to hold all things in common grew out of their lifestyle of fellowship as described in Acts 2:42. In Greek the word for fellowship is Koinonia. Though koinonia is easily translated into words like communion, association or participation, the true essence of this word is weightier. It means not just holding your possessions in common but holding your life in common with others. It is a relationship of great depth, great intimacy, great union. It is a joining together that does not hinge on class, race, language, or station, but seeks to be inclusive, loving, all-encompassing. This isn’t just sharing space, but purposefully seeking to close any and all gaps that separate. It’s no wonder that out of this fellowship springs a desire to care for one another, a desire that supersedes the individual inclination to acquire wealth, status and fame.  This group wields a two edge sword- with one edge they cut off their individual greed, their need to be above, to have the most; by separating from this desire, they move toward one another in care and love. But the other edge of the sword sits under the neck of the Roman Empire and as it quivers declares, "We don’t need you- not your wealth, not your power, not your military… we have chosen to practice love."   

I am convinced that the only way this level of fellowship can be achieved is to be in one accord. That phrase “with one accord” is a compound of two Greek words meaning to "rush along" and "in unison".  I pray that the church would once again feel the urgency necessary to inhabit the phrase ‘rushing along’. I pray the church would be sparked, inspired, ignited to move towards koinonia once again. That we would be in unison- playing our unique roles, offering our specific gifts, working together for the sake of being a soul nurturing body.  That we would tear apart the seams of unjust systems just by the way we live and move together! Amen.