Much To Do

House and Home

It is wonderful to be home and in Traverse City, MI.

In my opinion, I am spending too many hours working in my yard.  Yes, I am remembering “green side up,” but why does the green have to be the green of weeds?

This area of Michigan has a lot of natural beauty.  Visitors from all over the world come to Traverse City all summer, but especially this week for our National Cherry Festival.  A town of about 14,000 hosting 100,000 creates the joy of summers here.

A Parade and Justice For Our Neighbors JFON

Central United Methodist Church was in a Cherry Festival Parade on Thursday.  Everyone had a great time and the youth handout invitations to their Daily Vacation Bible School.  Some of us walked with the others wearing our Justice for our Neighbors shirts advertising Central’s Immigration Ministry.

You are Invited

Mint is growing in my garden.  I would love to treat you to mint-tea or mint-lemonade the Tastes of Bethlehem served here.  Please plan a visit sometime soon, at least, within the next 3-4 months.  I am hoping to be a “snow bird” and fly south when the cold weather.

West Michigan Conference of United Methodist Church

Conference Annual Meeting

I had the privilege of being a representative of my Grand Traverse District at the Annual Conference.  The worship, preaching and teaching gave us a chance to grow, grow deep and strong.

Decisions items were considered with much discussion on the pros and cons.  We “practiced” treating each other as brothers and sisters who came and reasoned together.  Love created the grace and space needed to accomplish the decision necessary for the Church.

I was particularly interested in a resolution that passed.  It was a resolution asking next year’s General Conference to consider removing our church’s involvement with companies that are causing the pain and suffering of our Palestinian brothers and sisters.  From my perspective, it is a “no brainer” decision.  However, to our “financial types” a decision put off for years.

Christ United Methodist Church

It is my joy to worship with my church family, and it is all in English. 

Some Spanish is soon expected.  A conversational Spanish class is in the process.  We will be using the book, Who Is My Neighbor? Learning Spanish as Church Hospitality.  We are developing a roster of teachers and students.  If you live near and/or are interested, let me know.

West Michigan Conference United Methodist Women, UMW

I am so glad the Conference UMW is allowing me to serve as social action coordinator.  Wow, much to learn, much to do being God’s hands and feet bringing God’s justice to our neighbors.  At the end of July, it is my privilege to attend the UMW National Seminar.  The title of the Seminar is, Jesus, Justice and Joy.  The UMW’s web site, www.unitedmethdistwomen.org is a great source of information and direction as we answer our call.

 

A learning opportunity titled “Mission u” is happening.  One is in Mt Pleasant, the other in Gaylord.  I plan to attend both.  I hope to see some of you at these events.

Because some of us go to churches that are too small to have UMW Units, a district unit is starting.  Those of you, who do not have a UMW unit in your church, join us!

United Methodist Church

I treasure the many ways that the United Methodist Church provides resources for my actions. 

It was as an Individual Volunteer in Missions with GBGM-General Board of Global Ministries that I had my experiences in the Middle East, ten months 2013-2014.  I saw violations of international law, injustices to individuals, destruction of homes, loss of private property, and injury.  These are more than vivid memories; they are ongoing experiences breaking the heart of God.  Jesus is still crying over Jerusalem and violations of the call to Love.  www.umcmission.org

The General Board of Church and Society, GBCS continues to inform me about the events in our world.  Much of the wisdom needed to fulfill our call to action comes through their web site, www.umc-gbcs.org.  Christ’s love compels us to actions for justice.

I am also gaining wisdom as I connect via the Internet with the United Methodist Council of Bishop’s Office of Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships OCUIR.  I am reading their articles and follow them on Facebook.  It is so important to understand our neighbors as we fulfill our called to Love, www.ocuir.org.

Ethiopia

My sister, Donna  was a missionary in Africa for thirty years.  She is a linguist and helped translate the scripture into two different native tongues.  In August, my sister-in-law, Jan, and I will be traveling to Ethiopia with Donna for the dedication of a Bible she helped produce.

 Because Janet is going, We will have a lot of very good photos!

Stay Tuned!

Called to Action

The Joy of being Home

Michigan Wild Flowers in the Woods

I have had a wonderful variety of things to do since I arrived back in Michigan.  Each day is filled with important events and my to-do list is never done.  Connecting with friends and family is an ongoing joy.  I have had the chance to meet my new neighbors.  

I love the people in my subdivision.  So many “neighborly” people willing to help each other.

I have had the chance to host family, friends.  I even hosted a couple baseball players who were here in TC as they worked their way up in the baseball world.  That was really fun!  

Watching a Curling tournament was a new experience for me. I am still not sure what is going on!

House and Yard

Now, yard work season has started here.  Yard work is not my favorite thing to do, but seeing it done is a relief.  To be honest, I look forward to rainy days in the summer so I can stay inside and read.

TC Christ United Methodist Church

Pastor Dianne Doten Morrison continues to plan meaningful worship for us.  Vespers during Holy Week are always a significant experience.  Easter’s celebrations are a highlight for me.   I am so glad we are Easter People! 

Native American Sunday was especially interesting.  Pastor’s message was meaningful and our Tribal Blessing Ceremony was fun.  

An exchange student, Shareen, completed a school assignment by setting up a display about our Native American heritage as well as providing native food.

TC Christ is reaching out to the community in some exciting ways.  

Rod Snow, a ventriloquist and chalk artist present at Christ TC.

I worked with others doing some yard work getting the church yard ready for our Garden Party.  

This is your invitation to a Garden Party Event 

at TC Christ UMC 

I hope everyone who lives close will plan to join in the fun next Saturday!

If you are coming in from a distance, let me know.  I am answering my call to hospitality, using my extra bedrooms,  

West Michigan Conference Annual Meeting

I am reading as much as possible!  It is reading with a purpose, however.  I have been reading getting ready for West Michigan Annual Conference meeting.  Important issues for our United Methodist Church are going to be voted on during the conference in Grand Rapids.

One important item, which I hope passes, is the call for United Methodists to Divest from funds that are making money from the pain and suffering of the Palestinian People.  

www.kairosresponse.org

United Methodist Women (UMW)

My new volunteer position as Social Action Coordinator for the United Methodist Women of the Michigan Conference fills my mind and heart.  I am thankful for the opportunity to be on the leadership team.  God is building my skills in many ways through the interactions with the UMW’s of West Michigan.

I attended UMW Leadership Development Days in North Carolina.  What a joy it was to witness the dedication of my United Methodist Sisters in Christ.  Ask me about my mute and un-mute lesson.

Being a part of the UMW’s Lunch Bunch at Central United Methodist Church has been a big part of the community spirit I need.  It was fun to work together getting ready for the rummage sale; it yielded funds for missions. 

Linda, the Grand Traverse District Social Action Coordinator, facilitated a wonderful social action day in Ludington.  We were presented with information about mental health and learned ways we might be able to help.

Piccola, of the Petoskey Unit created an informational display about the Grand Traverse District of United Methodist Women.

Justice For Our Neighbors 

I took the on line training and have started volunteering for Justice for Our Neighbors.  This organization reaches out with legal help for those refugees and immigrants.  

I have answered God’s call to be involved in showing love to refugees in their need.  

I am volunteering for Justice for our Neighbors in Traverse City, Michigan.  Sue and Alline helped establish the clinic at Central UMC.

It will be interesting to see where God may use the skills provided me come next winter.  I sure hope it is in a warm area.  

My Schedule

I will be making some trips in Michigan to make presentations about my mission and Social Justice actions.  I am going out of state for the UMW National Seminar, Jesus-Justice-Joy.  I have a trip to Ethiopia planned for August. 

PRAY FOR PEACE WITH JUSTICE 

The New Arabs

I wanted you to know about this event.  Let me know if you are able to attend with me,randie.clawson@gmail.com.

The New Arabs: How the Millennial Generation is Changing the Middle East  with Juan Cole, Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Michigan April 16, 2015 International Affairs Forum Dennos Museum 6pm. Free for current students and educators 

The renowned blogger and Middle East expert Juan Cole illuminates the role of today’s Arab youth—who they are, what they want, and how they will affect world politics. In his stunning new book, The New Arabs: How the Millennial Generation is Changing the Middle East, Cole outlines the history that led to the dramatic changes in the region, and explores how a new generation of men and women are using innovative notions of personal rights to challenge the authoritarianism, corruption, and stagnation afflicting their societies. Can the Millennials shift from being a catalyst for rebellion to a governing force? Was the rise of the Internet as central to these social movements as reported in the western press? Are western governments prepared to engage with the Millennial Generation to promote democratic change? For three decades, Cole has sought to put the relationship of the West and the Muslim world in historical context. Don’t miss this unique opportunity!  COME PREPARED WITH QUESTIONS.

More on Juan Cole at http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/jcpers.htm. 

Juan Cole's blog: http://www.juancole.com/

Florida - Saying Good Bye to Warmth

Family, Computer and Book Time

My visit in Florida gave me the opportunity to catch up on “Sister Time.”  We have thirty years to make up because my sister Donna was away as a missionary for thirty years during out adult lives.

The SIM Village where Donna lives is residential community of 90+ retired missionaries.  

It is a VERY special place! 

 Donna and I enjoyed the beauty of Butterfly World near Ft Lauderdale. 

Seeing so many butterflies struggling to leave their cocoons to become what God created them to be. caused me to wonder how our spiritual struggles and messes look to God  as we make every effort to add to our faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection and love, 2 Peter 1:5.

Butterflies like bananas.

I enjoyed watching the tugboat help our cruise ship into the Bahama harbor.

 It reminded me of the story and song about Little Toot.  Do you remember Little Toot?  It was stories like Little Toot that instilled a strong work ethic into our little hearts. 

Church Family in Florida:

In Sebring, Florida, I attended St. John United Methodist Church.  The Snowbirds from many states fill the services.  Coffee after church is served outside! 

My Sunday school class was wonderful. We did a series on Wesley’s three rules, Do No Harm, Do Good, and Stay in Love with God was studied. 

Laura, my teacher offered the book, Praying with John Wesley by David A. deSilva.  I recommend this book because it blessed my soul. 

Through class discussions, I came to love and appreciate the members.  

Together we used the book, Give It Up! A Lenten Study for Adults by Dottie Escobedo-Frank.  This book asks us to give up various things each week of lent; I was a failure the week we were to give up talking.

 

I shared about a book I was reading,Tell It Slant by Eugene Peterson.  .  A recent email let me know that the class has decided their next book series will be using this book, 

These books are available at www.coksbury.com.

You might know my teacher, Laura, and her husband Bill.  They serve at Henderson Settlement during the summer, www.hendersonsettlement.org.

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN

www.unitedmethodistwomen.org.

As I warmed up in Florida, thoughts of getting to be a part of United Methodist Women in West Michigan Conference warmed my heart.  I used computer time to expand my understanding of issues pertinent to my new volunteer position as social action coordinator.

I attended a weekend conference of the United Methodist Women at a retreat center in Florida. 

Some things are different, like moss from the trees. 

As you might expect, I found the same warm hearts and kindnesses fill the hearts of the women at this conference. I even found another snowbird from Michigan who was also there by herself.

Racial Justice

Racial justice is still needed in our communities, country and world.  In a prior blog, I reported on the Martin Luther King Junior Parade in Sebring, Florida.  I also viewed the movie Selma while I was in Sebring.  I am glad to be a part of continuing the push for racial justice. It is a United Methodist Women’s focus. 

My heart grieved when I read the report about injustice in Ferguson, Missouri. 

Please take time to read the article: Because We Believe: A Wesleyan Response to Ferguson, Missouri, www.unitedmethodistwomen.org.

St Augustine: 

The Oldest City in the United States

I was glad that my sister in law, Janet, was able to join us for a couple weeks in Florida to be a tourist with us as we visited the old sites in St Augustine.

A familiar name in Saint Augustin-Yes we bought some chocolate!

My visit to a National Monument, Castillo-De-San-Marcos caused me to ponder. 

 The brochure reads,”…symbolizes the clash between cultures… Still resonates with the struggles of an earlier time, these original walls provide tangible evidence of America’s grim but remarkable history.”

Our grim, remarkable history begs the question, “grim and remarkable” to who, in what ways and at whose expense?  Guns, violence land grabbing, displacement of indigenous people, home demolition, and colonization name just a few of the problems suffered in the process.  It caused me to think of the similar problems my friends in Palestine and Israel are experiencing.

I felt blessed to see the 1964 effort for racial equality memorializes at the park in St. Augustine. 

Florida’s Space Coast

We had the fun of visiting the John F Kennedy Space Center, NASA’s launch site. 

Getting to view the actual spacecraft helped clarify the sizes, power and amazing technology that allowed it all to happen.

 I watched to my first 3D movie, the repair of the Hubble Telescope.  Wow, I was impressed with the amazing courage of astronauts and scientists.  

My awe of God expanded exponentially as I ponder the universe and the God that created it!

We live in one of the arms of a large spiral galaxy called the Milky Way.  The sun and its planets, including earth, lie in the quiet part of the galaxy, about half way out from the center.  According to the best estimates of astronomers, there are at least one hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe.  Scientists come to this estimated number by counting the galaxies in a particular region, and multiplying to estimate the number for the whole universe.

O Lord, how great are thy works, Psalms 92:5.

My soul is singing the hymn, “How Great Thou Art.

Ah-tah-thi-ki seminole Mesuem 

After gaining some knowledge about the suffering of the indigenous people groups in St Augustine, we visited the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Museum, www.ahtahthiki.com.  The name means a place to learn, a place to remember.  It is located in Big Cypress, just north of the Everglades.  It was interesting learning about the tribal customs.  

My heart grieves over the historic injustices.

Everglades

The history of this region is intertwined with the dilemmas of the indigenous people, the extreme heat and hurricanes.

A two-hour tram ride through the everglade park was an opportunity to hear about the changes in climate.  We learned how weather conditions are affecting the animals. 

Did you know alligators have to lie around in the sun in order to have their temperature high enough to digest their food?  Some summer lying around sounds good to me.

One of the highlights was our Everglades National Park boat trip in the area of the Ten Thousand Island National Wildlife Refuge.  

Good company, many birds, and the sightings of dolphins made for a wonderful experience. 

God blessed us with the beauty of sunset as we watch the sun go down over many islands while we sped back to port. 

 

Not to be outdone, the full moon made an appearance when we were almost to shore.

The evening was finished off with a wonderful fish dinner. 

The little town of Everglade City does not have any of the usual type chain motels. 

 

How thankful I was to hear my sister-in-law say, “I’ll take the top bunk.” 

Trip Home

Praise God with me for the safety of the trip home.  What a joy it was to have Janet share the driving. 

Janet and I shared the fun of having lunch in Tennessee with Mary. We both met Mary in Sierra Leone.  Janet met her on a VIM Trip and I met her on an Ubuntu Journey. 

Circumstances-Passions

We serve a God of justice.  God uses the circumstances of our lives getting our attention and shaping us for action.  What an adventure is ours as we allow God to reign in our hearts. As we work together to bring God’s reign into our homes, church, community, nation and world.

Back Home!  Praising God for the Circumstances of My Life.