Category Archives: Church

April 21, 2013 · 4:10 pm

Prayer for Peace

A Prayer for Peace

May we see the day when war and bloodshed cease, when a great peace will embrace the whole world.
Then nation will not threaten nation, and mankind will not again know war.
For all who live on earth shall realize we have not come into being to hate or to destroy.
We have come into being to praise, to labor, and to love.
Compassionate God, bless the leaders of all nations with the power of compassion.
Fulfill the promise conveyed in Scripture:
I will bring peace to the land, and you shall lie down, and no one shall terrify you.
I will rid the Land of vicious beasts and it shall not be ravaged by war.
Let love and justice flow like a mighty stream.
Let peace fill the earth as the waters fill the sea.
And let us say: Amen.

This is the prayer I said yesterday standing at the bema of Congregation Kol Emeth in Palo Alto, California, celebrating the Bar Mitzva of my young friend Max. The prayer for peace text is part of the regular service. Even though I am an Episcopalian, I was deeply honored to be part of his big ceremony. I was very impressed not only with Max’s first public leadership of the large congregation but also with his wise interpretation of the Torah verses he had read in Hebrew – on leading a decent life.

All of Max’s family and friends were there and the whole weekend has been devoted to joyous gatherings and celebrations of his coming of age – including a big Chinese dinner with a video game truck for the younger guests. I have known Max since he was born – I am so proud!

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Filed under Church, Home & Family, News & Reviews

Tagged as Episcopal church, Middle East

March 31, 2013 · 6:44 pm

Easter Egg Hunt

Despite all official weather prediction to the contrary, we had no rain but a warm lovely morning for today’s Easter Egg Hunt. This year, we made some procedural changes. Young people who have been coming to this party for years volunteered as Associate Bunnies – staying over the night before or arriving very early to help the Assistant Bunny (me) hide 500+ plastic eggs with candies inside. Jessica (Senior Associate Bunny, in the Washington DC Branch Office) drafted the Gold and Silver Egg poems:

Gold Egg (hidden on the roof beam of the cabana, next to the hot tub) – found by Paul:

In my hutch I am squatting,
Through a triangle I see,
Above the earth I’m spotting
A train, two dogs, and a tree.
Next door water is too hot
But folks sit in there alot.

Silver Egg (tied up inside the San Francisco fire plug) – found by Jim:

My nest was moved from the city,
There its job was very gritty.
It once was wet but now is dry.
A little river I can spy.
Like a bunny safe in a log,
I’m hidden here from nose of dog.

Hunters lined up by age on the new porch – where they could see the eggs in the garden and plan their launch strategy. One family arrived late – I was so pleased to watch the big kids re-hide their eggs so that the new little ones could hunt. One teenage boy dumped his whole basket for them. Of course, there was food and drink (John made pulled chicken sandwiches, mint tea, and punch) and WP668 caboose tours for all.

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Filed under Church, Home & Family

Tagged as garden, House Work, Jessica, John, Paul, San Jose, Willow Glen, WP668

March 21, 2013 · 4:00 pm

Pre-Easter (aka Lent)

We are getting ready for our annual family Easter Egg Hunt here in Willow Glen (San Jose, California): tidying the garden, coordinating schedules with guests and family, thinking about menus and decorations. This Lent (the forty days before Easter), I am also enjoying the unique Episcopal devotion called Lent Madness:

Lent Madness began in 2010 as the brainchild of the Rev. Tim Schenck. In seeking a fun, engaging way for people to learn about the men and women comprising the Church’s Calendar of Saints, Tim came up with this unique Lenten devotion. Combining his love of sports with his passion for the lives of the saints, Lent Madness was born on his blog “Clergy Family Confidential.”

The format is straightforward: 32 saints are placed into a tournament-like single elimination bracket. Each pairing remains open for a set period of time and people vote for their favorite saint. 16 saints make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen; eight advance to the Round of the Elate Eight; four make it to the Faithful Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the coveted Golden Halo. The first round consists of basic biographical information about each of the 32 saints. Things get a bit more interesting in the subsequent rounds as we offer quotes and quirks, explore legends, and even move into the area of saintly kitsch.

Today’s contest is “Hilda of Whitby vs. Harriet Tubman“. It sounds silly and it is (but I am also learning more than I ever knew about the inspiring lives of 32 men and women who have given their lives to the service of God).

My flowers in full bloom for Easter:

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Tagged as Episcopal church, garden, House Work, San Jose, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Willow Glen

March 18, 2013 · 12:47 pm

Shakespeare Reading Group – Update

Since the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (Saratoga, California) Shakespeare Reading Group started meeting in 2012, we have read:

Last night was Antony and Cleopatra. I had great fun as the ambitious and deadly Octavius Ceasar (whom Rome later called the Emperor Augustus). John read Domitius Enobarbus (who gets most of the famous lines in this play) with delightful energy. Melita Thorpe was the subtle Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, and John Watson-Williams read Antony (Marcus Antonius, Consul and Triumvir) with verve. All of the other major characters had great fun dying dramatically – it being a tragedy after all.

As is true for many Silicon Valley social events, the professional backgrounds around our table were highly varied. In addition to the expected high-tech gurus and computer company executives, our cast included among others, a church Deacon, mortgage expert, haematologist, astronomy travel director, social worker, physiology professor, technical writer, video director, artist, and physical therapist – all of who enjoyed an evening with The Bard. We will read Othello in May.

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Tagged as Egypt, Episcopal church, John, Middle East, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

March 18, 2013 · 12:06 pm

Sacred Threads Embroidery – Chairs

Yesterday, the Sacred Threads group at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (Saratoga, California) displayed the first two of the chair seats they are replacing – which look very good! I wrote about the Sacred Threads embroidery ministry last year when they finished a set of beautiful kneelers for the sanctuary.

The current project is more ambitious: re-covering the many dozen chairs in both St. Andrew’s chapels. The original 50-year-old chairs were caned – but those seats are falling apart. After research, Sacred Threads group leaders found it would cost about US$300/chair to re-cane (lasts about 50 years) but only about US$250/chair to replace the old cane seats with embroidery (lasts about 200 years). Caning has to be done professionally but church members can embroider once the materials are purchased. This was an easy decision! The new chair seat designs are inspired by the stained glass church windows by Mark Adams.

October 2012 – chair project presentation:

Original chairs:

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Tagged as St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

March 12, 2013 · 11:23 am

Mentor Certification: Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes

Last weekend, I completed my second mentor certification class (1st re-certification) by The University of the South – School of Theology, Education for Ministry (EfM) program. It was an honor and pleasure to work with an inspired, generous, and talented group. I value this structured and carefully managed program – not the least because I have the opportunity to improve through specific feedback and advice from other experienced mentors.

About EfM:

EfM is a unique certificate program of experiential theological education for laity under the direction of The School of Theology – University of the South. Since its founding in 1975, this international program has assisted more than 30,000 students in discovering how to respond to the call of Christian service. EfM helps students encounter the breadth and depth of the Christian tradition and bring it into conversation with their experiences of the world as they study, worship, and engage in theological reflection together.

EfM mentor certification requires 18 hours of training and observed interactions every 18 months. EfM groups can meet either in-person (as does our group at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Saratoga, California) or on-line. Here is an excerpt from the “Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes Expected of Mentors” document which guides the training and evaluation of EfM mentors:

Mentoring is an art. The following list of competencies are like “paints and brushes” that allow the art to flourish. These basic competencies help mentors and trainers to discern and evaluate mentor effectiveness.

Each mentor is rated by the mentor trainer in each competency as “not observed” or “needs improvement” or “proficient”.

Knowledge:

familiarity with the variety of voices within the Christian tradition
know the purpose of EfM and the components of an EfM seminar
know the theories and model of theological reflection in EfM:
- four sources (action, tradition, culture, position)
- four “movements” (identify, explore, connect, apply)
- perspective questions (creation, sin, judgment, repentance, redemption)
know how to recruit, register, start, and maintain a group

Skills:

framing questions
facilitating reflection
sharing leadership
planning and managing the seminar
managing energy
listening
communicating clearly

Attitudes:

openness to growth
invitation
- empowerment
- valuing participation
encouragement
respect for human and theological differences
comfort with ambiguity
willingness to receive and give feedback
willingness to transmit EfM

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Filed under Church, Mentoring & Other Business

Tagged as Education for Ministry, Episcopal church, Mentoring

March 11, 2013 · 6:16 pm

TSA Afraid of Rocks

Ever since I read “Why It’s Time To Break The Code Of Silence At The Airport” by Christopher Elliott (15 February 2013, TheHuffingtonPost) and my daughter’s TSA posts (including “TSA Touching Crosses The Line: Update”), I have been considering how much more invasive and offensive the TSA has become over time and how we enable this behavior by not objecting to it.

This weekend, I flew from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles for training (to renew my mentor certification with Education for Ministry, a program of the University of the South – School of Theology), and to visit my brother and family in La Crescenta. I used two small-ish airports, San Jose (SJC) and Burbank (BUR) for convenience.

This morning, I walked quickly to the head of the extremely short security check point line at Burbank, hoping to have time for a quiet coffee before boarding my flight home. However, I was pulled out of line in the nearly-empty security area not once but twice.

The first time I was pulled from line was so that the security lady could feel my face – after her full-body scanner drew a little yellow box around my apparently-dangerous earring. As you can see from the picture below (and as she herself could clearly see), there wasn’t anything for her to find while she patted down my ear, cheek, and short hair.
The second time I was pulled out a few minutes later was so that the security man could unpack my small roller bag, re-scan my toiletries, and try to take away my rock. I was bringing home a small piece of granite as a souvenir of La Crescenta. He said, after feeling my rock, that I had to get rid of it or check my bag because a rock could be a weapon. It seems that there is a TSA rule saying that rocks over five pounds are dangerous. I chose to keep my rock, so I was escorted out of the security area, then had to walk back to the airline counter (where the counter lady told me that she hears an unusual number of complaints about the Burbank TSA), check my carry-on bag, and go through security all over again.

I made my flight home, but no quiet coffee for me. I object.

Category Archives: Church

Prayer for Peace

Easter Egg Hunt

Pre-Easter (aka Lent)

Shakespeare Reading Group – Update

Sacred Threads Embroidery – Chairs

Mentor Certification: Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes

TSA Afraid of Rocks

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