Go & Tell the Story

 By Brenda Rivas, Communications Manager When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.      --Viktor E. Frankl Change is not an easy thing for people. We are hard wired to resist it. Even our physiology finds change difficult; just think of how much our bodies put up a fight when we want to lose a few extra pounds.  Still change happens everyday, all around us. Day turns into night and back to day. Summer becomes fall, then winter, then spring, and the cycle begins again. Every year we grow older. Eventually our hair grows whiter and our skin grows more wrinkled.  So, with all the change going on around us, why do we still fight to keep so much of our lives the same? Why do we hold on so tight to so many of the things we could let go? Is it fear? Is it a desire to avoid what makes us uncomfortable? Does it really matter why, when the world will continue to shift and change and progress whether we want it to or not?...

  Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. — Psalm 107:1 This year has been a difficult one. But I don't need to tell you that. You know that, everyone knows that. It couldn't be more obvious. We've seen it. We've heard it. We've definitely lived it.  But for just one moment, a couple of hours, even a day, let's try to forget all the negative, unknown, chaotic, and sometimes scary things that we've encountered this year. Let's put it all aside to make space to remember any of the positive and joyful moments, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem.  This week has been about Thanksgiving- a time to get together and be grateful for the good, as well as the less than ideal lessons learned in our lives. I know it's hard to be filled with gratitude when we can't really gather to celebrate. But why shouldn't we take time to celebrate in spite of it all.  Let's congratulate ourselves and our loved ones for th...

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”   --John 8:32 Over the last six months I have spent a lot of my time alone. As an introvert, I enjoy my alone time more than most. But this time it felt different. It was different. There was a quiet that there truly has never been before. In this quiet I found myself reflecting on my life far more than I ever have in the past. Much like binge-watching Netflix or Hulu, my mind kept replaying scenes from the past. I revisited the decisions, interactions, and some of the major emotional moments that have marked my life thus far.  This self-reflection left me wondering about where I currently find myself. Left me questioning where I am being called. Left me to face what more God could be planning for me. I also wondered how many others out there were finding themselves in a similar place of discernment. If the question- how is God calling me, has come up for you over these past few months, maybe it’s time to l...

  By Brenda Rivas, Communications Manager “God is in the business of blessing us more than we can even understand.”    --Cory Driver, ELCA minister of word and service In searching the internet, one can find endless quotes, verses, poems, posts, and more about blessings. Many of us cover our walls, both in our homes and on our social media sites with words reminding us to “count our blessings” and focus on gratitude. But that is often easier said than done with all the negativity and fear that surrounds us. It is so easy to fall into a trap of despair or anger when we’re stuck at home, when we find it harder to engage in our usual distractions.   As an introvert, I actually enjoy being home alone. I’ve been taking this time as an extended refresher. But even an introvert like me has things that they miss, people that they wish they could connect with in person. I get frustrated at the fact that with all the restrictions it becomes more difficult to travel and I ...

By Brenda Rivas, Communications Manager “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial”   ---James 1:12 I remember it like it was yesterday. I had flown into Boston less than eight hours before. The hour-long car ride had me ready to sleep long before I made it to my parents’ house. As soon as I walked in the door, I slipped off my white worn-in sneakers, dropped my bags, and snuggled up on my mom’s grey overstuffed couch to rest my eyes. The next thing I knew it was morning. My mom was shaking me saying- Wake up, wake up! You have to see this. It can’t be real! I opened my eyes to see a large red stripe across the TV screen that read- Breaking News: tragedy at the twin towers New York City. I immediately sat straight up and tried to clear my vision. But there it was, clear as day. One tower lit up by flames with a large, dark cloud of smoke billowing out from inside. The other tower suffering the same fate as a commercial plane flew into its side. I...

By Brenda Rivas, Communications Manager “The thing to do, it seems to me, is to prepare yourself so you can be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud. Somebody who may not look like you. May not call God the same name you call God... But be a blessing to somebody.”  —Maya Angelou As the end of the year approaches, we get ready for Christmas and to welcome a new year. From an early age I thought the fact that Christmas and New Years are so close together always made sense. For me, it is more than just about celebrating the birth of Christ and having the chance to embrace the promise of a new year. It is about more than mere resolutions. It is about the chance of getting a fresh start and finding new ways of seeing Christ in our everyday lives. It is about opening ourselves up to the love and grace Christ shares with us through others. About taking another step towards living in His example to love each other, to give a little bit of grace and forgiveness to ourselves and e...

By Brenda Rivas, Communications Manager Walking Together, there is no better time to be considering the meaning and the importance of such a phrase, than right now. Now, when there is so much division, so much animosity, and so much blame or shame permeating our communities. Everyday images and words of fear, hatred, jealousy, anger, confusion, and so many other negative emotions inundate our inboxes and social media feeds. It makes it so easy to sit there and watch, and eventually we find ourselves affected by it all, even buying into it at times. The more we surround ourselves with these messages, the harder it becomes to ignore them. The harder it becomes to see past them. But pushing past obstacles and doing the right thing are not always easy. Taking the time to look outside ourselves, to look outside our inner circles of friends and families requires some resolve and some effort. It requires us to consider walking together with those outside of our comfort zon...

By Brenda Rivas As I sit here on this special day of giving thanks, appreciating the time I get to spend together with my family who I only get to see  four times a year, I am thinking of all the things I am grateful for, as well as all the things we can often take for granted in our daily lives. It makes me think of how the big things in life can become small and the little things can become so big they can consume our entire world.   I look around at a table full of food, surrounded by the people I love, under a roof in a warm house on this cold day, and I am so thankful for all of it. I am reminded that the arguments we have are nothing compared to the fight for survival of those without a home or care. I am reminded that the chaos and stress of traveling during the holidays is nothing compared to the struggle  of finding food for your family when you don’t have the means. I am reminded that the family moments lost to work are nothing compared to...

By Brenda Rivas, Communications Manager Here we go again. As the Fall falls on us again, we prepare for another winter, another Holiday season, and another new year. Living in a landlocked state, we get to enjoy some of the things that autumn brings, such as the changing colors of the leaves and college football. We don’t usually think about this time of year as a time to prepare ourselves for possible disaster or tragedy. Unfortunately, that is the reality for the people of the Southeastern U.S. and the Caribbean. When September comes, for them, it signals hurricane season. Growing up in the Northeast, we rarely saw hurricanes. And even when we did, the storms had lost their strength to wreak havoc. I remember in grade school going out during the eye of the storm to witness the incredible stillness and peace. For a moment, it was as if the world stood still. It was one of the most beautiful moments I ever experienced. It was so powerful, that even as a child I re...