reality blog

A SETBACK TO 2020

/ joseph elon lillie / 2 Comments

The night before last my grandson awoke from sleep crying and wheezing. My son and daughter-in-law packed him up into the car and were off to the emergency room at 2 A.M.

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The day before he had been bitten by a mosquito and the bite had swelled up into a giant egg on his leg, so the chief concern was all the fall viruses that come in our area with mosquito bites, like West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis.

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Several towns in our state have put restrictions on afternoon sports programs and other youth activities because of an increase in the number of cases of these dangerous diseases.

As it turns out Sevy does not have West Nile or EEE. He has Covid. And Kristine is also displaying symptoms. Amanda has also tested positive. Amanda has just completed radiation treatments, and so the concern about her immune system’s ability to fight the sickness is pretty high. She also cannot take the medication for Covid offered to many immuno-compromised individuals because of the kind of cancer she had.

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Everyone is doing OK this morning. Sevy’s breathing seems to be good now that he is on steroids. Kristine has mild cold systems, and Amanda is experiencing more flu like symptoms but no breathing issues. Joe and I are testing negative, symptom free and feeling fine.

This morning I got up and sanitized both bathrooms and all the living room and dining room furniture.

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Amanda is quarantining in her room with Bakari, her kitten.

Kristine and Sevy are quarantining in their bedroom and the playroom.

Joe and I are doing the household chores. Yesterday I made a corn chowder for lunch and a macaroni salad and hotdogs and cheeseburgers for supper. We bought some ginger to make tea along with all the medicines we will need over the next couple of days.

It feels like a throwback to 2020, but it is different. Back then the whole world went quiet. This time we are stepping aside a bit but the world is still spinning.

I AM WONDERING, IN THE NEW NORMAL DO YOU FEEL GUILTY WHEN YOU HAVE TO PULL BACK FROM THE WORLD TO QUARANTINE OR TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF OR WAS THAT ISSUE SOLVED FOR YOU BACK IN 2020?

OF DINNERS AND DENTISTS, RETIREMENTS AND REST

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Tuesday is the busiest day of the week for me, even busier than Sundays if you can believe that. It usually starts with prayer sometime between 3 A.M. and 5 A.M. After this I do morning chores: walk and feed the dogs, make the coffee and my breakfast, get ready for the day, feed the birds, check the cellar to empty the dehumidifier and fill the furnace, and if needed feed and water the chickens. Tuesday is technically Kristine’s day to do the chickens, but she has to work at the church on Tuesdays too and get Sevy ready for the day, so it’s kind of a whoever gets there first kind of thing.

After morning chores I head to the office for our weekly staff meetings. Today we also had a staff retirement lunch for one of our long time administrators, Nancy Phelps.

. Nancy has worked at the church for over a decade. We are going to miss her presence. My daughter-in-law is taking up Nancy’s position.

We had an amazing celebration and lunch at Williams Restaurant in Gardner.

Then it was home and into another time of prayer and then a few spare minutes to write, between calling the dentist about my broken tooth and the plumber about the broken toilet (well I called the dentist and Kristine called the plumber).

Now it is off to youth group and after that family prayer here at The Vicarage. Tomorrow is the day of rest. I always look forward to Wednesdays as a rest day… tomorrow I guess I will rest at the dentist.

IN SEARCH OF THE WORDS AGAIN

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I have written here about the projects going on with the physical property of The Vicarage and the micro-forest gardens. I have written about some of the projects going on at Cornerstone Church. All of those are still in process. If time allows today and the rains hold off I will be working on the chicken paddock and bringing in some more of the fall harvest (which is not huge but is keeping us in healthy vegetables just now). I also have a plant shelf to set up sometime this week and an office to clean. Today I am also putting together a worship set for THE WORSHIP ROOM HOUSE OF PRAYER and I am writing my sermon for Sunday.

That said, there are other projects I have shelved for years now that I am finally taking down and dusting off.

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I am talking about my writing projects. When I took on the lead pastorate at Cornerstone and then when Mom’s health failed, I just didn’t have the brain space to keep up with writing regularly. Life has changed, now, and I am seeing my way clear to what I think my next steps in life are supposed to be.

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The rhythm of prayer and ministry is the constant anchor of life drawing me continually to my Divine Center in Christ. Cornerstone Church, The Vicarage and its gardens are the launching pad from which my life goes forth. These places are the earthly center from which I currently work. They create a context for me. But I think that I have long neglected the part of my life which brings me so much joy. That is the story telling. That part of me feels like it is coming back to life even as I reorient in this new phase of living.

This blog and my other blog LILLIE-PUT are becoming part of that storytelling work. I have been enjoying editing NOTES FROM THE VICARAGE over the last several weeks. I have added pages in the heading and I have begun going through old posts, deleting those that do not lend themselves to the story and figuring out what I really want to say here in the days to come. I have come up with an intentional writing strategy that I have begun to practice. I am not successfully writing everyday yet, but I am closer to that goal than I have been in years.

Searching for the words again is giving me great joy. I am having fun with life right now and all its many projects.

WHAT IS BRINGING YOU JOY THESE DAYS?

THE LEADERSHIP RHYTHM

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This week God has been speaking to me about fully embracing the rhythm of my leadership. I believe, there is a leadership rhythm that spiritual leaders must follow consistently if we are to walk in the fullness of our giftings from God. Without the consistent rhythm we will not walk in the fullness of our gifts or reach the fullness of our ministry callings.

I don’t believe that this rhythm looks the same for everyone. Each of us are called to discover the rhythm of our spiritual leadership for ourselves, and then to live it constantly We must no longer allow distractions of the world to take us away from the rhythm.

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For me, this involves a rhythm of constant prayer throughout the day, everyday: Matins, Laudes, Prime, Terce, Sext None, Vespers, Compline. For me, work and the rest of life flows out of prayer and back into prayer. Prayer is the constant rhythm and it must not be allowed to stop…ever. 

The Lord showed me that this rhythm is the manifestation of the armor of God for us as leaders in the church, this is why Paul says…“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground” (Ephesians 6: 11-13)

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This means that letting go of the rhythm is akin to taking off the armor, and therefore not being able to stand in the day of evil against the agents of evil. 

Here is the struggle I am having. I have sought God and told Him how overwhelming this thought is. I know I cannot be consistent to this level of constancy on my own. In my own nature I am too distractible, too flighty.

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The Lord has sent me a quiet assurance in prayer that the rhythm is not something I accomplish on my own. It is something He accomplishes and I receive.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.Ephesians 2:10

So now I am taking time everyday to believe and receive the rhythm that is God’s gift to me and which opens up my ability to use my gifts for Him.

DO YOU HAVE A RHYTHM GOD IS TRYING TO ESTABLISH IN YOUR LIFE?