SATURDAY, MARCH 31

1 Corinthians 14:1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts.

October 15, 2007: It was a beautiful fall day in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I had met Kevin Calloway about a week before, and we had chosen to meet for lunch on this day. The independent film I was working on was wrapping October 23rd, and then, back to Los Angeles for me.

Lunch was wonderful. Conversation flowed easily and I was very impressed with Kevin. After lunch, we drove up the mountain to the aspens which were at their golden peak. We talked of film, music, our dreams, our families – the connection was instant and seemed destined from the start.

As the week passed and we spent more time together, a conflict arose in me. I was 32 years old, almost 33. My undertaking of producing and acting in this small film was somewhat of a swan song effort. I had been in Los Angeles since 1992, grasping and reaching for success in the industry, with varying degrees of success. But I always knew there was something deeper and much more profound to be experienced. Why was this amazing man coming into my life at exactly the most inopportune time? Is it time to abandon this "dream" that really, if I were totally honest with myself, never really seemed fulfilling enough? Or, should I snap out of it and make my way back to Los Angeles where I belonged, and resume my life as it once was?

Well, we all know which path I chose. It was the best decision I have ever made. Up until October 15, 2007, it had only been me, Julian Howland, navigating LA as a free agent. I had many friends, some deep, most surface and shallow. I decided to trust my heart for the first time in my life, instead of my mind (and my ego). It was all entirely new for me, but I have learned so much in the past four years. I have learned that love and faith are important. I have learned to risk wisely for lasting, honest commitment. I have learned about partnership, gratitude, and sacrifice. I have learned the joys of relationship with a partner who believes in me fully – and how to do the same – even if it means going places (literally and figuratively) that I thought I never needed or wanted to go. I have gained a partner who loves me unconditionally, friends that mean the world to me, and a community at FPC of the most ethical, passionate and compassionate people I have ever met.

Julian Howland

FRIDAY, MARCH 30

Acts 4:31 When they finished praying, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim God’s message with boldness.

“And then a scholar said, Speak of Talking. There are those among you who seek the talkative through fear of being alone. The silence of aloneness reveals to their eyes their naked selves and they would escape. And there are those who talk, and without knowledge or forethought reveal a truth which they themselves do not understand. And there are those who have the truth within them, but they tell it not in words. In the bosom of such as these the spirit dwells in rhythmic silence. When you meet your friend on the roadside or in the market place, let the spirit in you move your lips and direct your tongue.” (Kahlil Gibran: The Prophet)

When I first lived alone after 23 years of marriage, I had to have “noise” in the house all the time. The radio, television or my favorite music was always on. Perhaps I did not want to experience the “silence of aloneness.”

Over the years I began to appreciate the “alone” time. At first, it was appreciating the silence after a hectic day at work. Gradually, the sounds in the house did not matter to me at all. I never feel lonely – and I am always comfortable in the silence.

I have to say that I’ve done my share of talking as well “without knowledge or forethought,” perhaps hurting those I’ve encountered with my words. And a few times in my life I’ve kept silent when I know I’ve had the “truth within” me but was not courageous enough to speak the words.

The gift of the Holy Spirit, given to us by Jesus following his death and resurrection, is extremely powerful when we open our eyes to see and our ears to listen. In this Lenten season, I hope we take time to hear God’s voice in the silence, to think before speaking, and to be courageous enough to speak the truth.

God of compassion, preoccupied with ourselves, we fail to see your work in the world. We speak when we should listen; we act when we should reflect. Empower us to walk in your ways for the sake of Him who is the light of the world, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Sandra Nicholls

THURSDAY, MARCH 29

Matthew 18:12 “What do you think?”

In pondering Christ’s death and resurrection, many feelings of wonder, fear, and longing arise. The youth of our church share their wonders, fears, and longings in the hope that you might also take time to consider what images these feelings arouse in you. Their responses range from pensive to playful, demonstrating the breadth of human feeling.

Scripture: Luke 5:26 They were filled with wonder.

I wonder...

• why we rush to judge others
• why some people are bad
• where the universe ends
• why we sleep at night and are active during the day
• how to get rid of bad dreams
• why we cook bacon but bake cookies

Scripture: Isaiah 43:5 “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.”

I fear…

• clowns

• needles
• dying
• others dying
• fear
• drowning
• sharks
• guns
• dark
• snakes
• spiders
• failure
• thunder and lightning

Scripture: Mark 10:51 “What do you want me to do for you?”

I long for...

• an end to bullying
• peace
• a loving family
• selflessness
• friends
• world peace

I give You these stirrings inside me. I give You my discontent, I give You my restlessness, I give You my doubt. I give You my despair, I give You all the longings I hold inside. (The Northumbria Community)

FPC Youth Groups

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere, but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere, but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere, but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful.

Rev. Sue Montgomery, one of the four Disability Consultants for our denomination, consults with churches on inclusion issues especially in the areas of mobility/accessibility and developmental disabilities. She recently recounted an experience of driving through the desert in Tucson, Arizona with several other people when they spotted a saguaro cactus that was quite different from the image we typically have of that variety of cactus with its two “arms reaching toward the sky.”

For this group of people accustomed to people wanting to “fix” them, she described it as “a marvelous moment of “ah ha.” She says they “all sat there looking at it thriving in the desert. With no attempts to ‘rehabilitate’ it – no braces, no reconstructive surgery, no judgment, not even a social worker or counselor – just as it was. It was beautiful as it danced!” So we all are in God’s eyes.

Each person is given something to do that shows who God is. God has made each of us to shine in our homes, our schools, our communities as beacons of God’s own self with all of our uniqueness. In this season of Lent, may we see ourselves and others with new eyes as the beautiful gifts of God we were created to be – just as we are.

Creator God, thank you for the variety of gifts you breathed into us even before our birth. Help us to recognize you as the Source of those gifts and to use them to show who you are. Amen.

Cindy Merten

* See picture on preceding page.

TUESDAY, MARCH 27

Philippians 4:11 For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The advantage of having lived awhile is to be able to look back over my life and to begin to see my past journey from today's view. To me it is amazing to look at both my joys and my struggles and to see how they all fit into the entire pattern, and most especially to see how each experience has been necessary to my ability to move on in my journey.

For this I feel great gratitude to God, very often after the fact, I must admit. I feel that gratitude to God is most important each day of my life and in each experience, especially throughout the greatest trials and the special joys.

Dear Father Mother God, may I recognize you as the Supreme Being in my life, and may I recognize with joy and gratefulness your presence in each moment of my life. Amen.

Barbara Lewis

MONDAY, MARCH 26

Matthew 4:1-2 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness … He fasted forty days and forty nights.

IDEAL FAST for LENT

(anonymous)

Fast from criticism, feast on praise.

Fast from self-pity, feast on joy.

Fast from ill-temper, feast on peace.

Fast from resentment, feast on contentment.

Fast from jealously, feast on love.

Fast from pride, feast on humility.

Fast from selfishness, feast on service.

Fast from fear, feast on faith.

Gracious, loving God, may Your Spirit, lead me into my own wilderness where I will be inspired, motivated to keep an IDEAL FEAST throughout these forty days of Lent. This I pray in the name of Your Son, Jesus, the Risen Christ. Amen.

Patricia Lindroth

2 Corinthians 1:8,9 We do not want you to be uninformed about the hardships we suffered … but this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God

I got up too fast from the floor and hit my head on the bed frame. I said, “Thank you God for the pain because pain helps us to be aware.” I will remember next time not to get up so quickly. I checked to see if I had a dent in my head. Pain leaves a dent in our lives for good. When we look at our desk or our stack of bills, we may say, “I have hardly made a dent in it” –or– “I have not removed any of the papers and made this pile any different than when I started it seems.” But when we suffer, God promises to use that pain to turn to Him, to trust Him and not ourselves, and to be changed by Him for good.

Dear Father, Thank you for Jesus whose dents in His palms are a permanent reminder of the pain he suffered for us on the cross. Thank you that you don’t leave us in our pain and suffering alone. I pray that we might turn to you, to trust you in all our sufferings. Amen.

Melinda Smith

SUNDAY, MARCH 25

Psalm 78:1-4 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching, incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

The Emergence of a Visual Storytelling

Following in the weeks since our basement flooded as we have renovated the rec room, I have been able to work on continuing to “scrapbook” many more of our photos which were salvaged from water damage. These are from so many great times over such a long span of years. They were shared vacations and happy celebrations of special occasions and holidays. In reclassifying these pictures and trying to enhance their presentation, they seem to become a form of storytelling that would be a kind of chronicle of events. It came forth to me as a wonderfully fun gift that was given to me. I will be looking forward to having everybody else share in these memories.

During this process, I encountered my book, “Dancing with Words: Storytelling As Legacy, Culture, and Faith” by Ray Buckley. His learning was part of his heritage as a Native American. In their oral language they were often religious. They found their stories were often like songs and were “gifted” as they were shared. There were often examples of people with disabilities who became exceptional storytellers. They discovered so many ways to descriptively connect their communities and culture. It seems such a good way to augment a journey by expressing it orally and visually in pictures.

Gracious God: Help us to listen and look. We are trying to tell a story that was your Creation. A Story of all stories, begun long ago. And by remembering, tell someone else, so that they will know. Amen.

Carol Morrill