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Tag Archives: stone

The path of life

03 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by laceduplutheran in Church, Theology, Travel

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Letchworth State Park, new york, path, stone, water

I wonder how often we feel that the paths of our lives look like this:

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An uphill climb that look rugged and dangerous.  But with some footings.

Or maybe we see life like this:

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Swimming upstream with no way out, just swimming and swimming.

Yet, I think we all envision the path of life should be like this:

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It’s not perfect, but we can at least walk along the way.

Lesson for church:  Life is a combination of a climb, a swim, and a walk on a path.  We are called to be with people on the side of the cliff, in the water, and along the path.  Not to shout at them and harass them and ask them why they aren’t on the right path.

Rock and Water

02 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by laceduplutheran in Church, Theology, Travel

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Letchworth State Park, new york, stone, water

Rock and water.  That’s what a good portion of the earth is made up of when it comes right down to it.  Yes, there are variations on this, but in general, we’ve got rock and water.  And so often, the two interact in interesting way.

Rock is hard and immovable (or really difficult to move anyway).  It stays put.  It is solid.  It’s heavy.  It can force its way through many things just by the weight alone.  And it’s not alive at all.  Rock can be comforting though too – it’s predictable.  It can be controlled with the right equipment and shaped to suit our needs.

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Water is fluid.  It is flexible by going around and through the easiest path, not forcing itself through (unless there is a ton of pressure built up).  Water carves away at stone and other objects slowly, wearing them away little by little, changing them to make the flow go easier.  Water is full of life and therefore full of movement often.  It changes.  You can’t put your hand in the water and grab it.  Instead you have to cup your hands and allow the water to pool in it.  In this sense we can’t ever fully control water – although we can direct where it goes pretty well.  But when there is enough water, even we can’t manage it and it goes where it will.

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Which leaves me a question – When dealing with people, we have the option to be like stone or water, what do we choose?

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Sometimes we need to be the stone and sometimes the water.  Knowing when either is appropriate is important.  Being stone when water is needed can crush a person.  And being water when stone is needed can drown them.

Lesson for church – too often we think the church should be either stone or water, but never cross over and be both at different times.  Yet, life is messy.  Sometimes we need the sure and steady rock in our lives and other times we need life-giving water that flows easily.  Church isn’t an all-or-nothing place, or at least it shouldn’t be.

I’ve been working on the rail road…

14 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by laceduplutheran in Travel

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Allegheny portage railroad, living history, Pennsylvania, quarry, stone

After watching the hewing of logs, we went over to the last stop on our time at the living history days of the Allegheny Portage Rail Road – the quarry.

At the quarry, we learned about how the stones were carves and made ready for the rail road.

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And then #3 got to participate in making a stone ready.  He was talked into being the guy who held the chisel.

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Yes, this was actually a job.  Let’s just say, this type of work would never pass safety regulations today.  That’s because the other guy would be using the hammer to come down on the chisel.  He told us that accidents could happen, but they weren’t as often as you’d think.  Regardless, #3 held on as the guy cocked his hands back and let her rip.

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No worries, he didn’t actually go at full force or even come all the way down for that matter.  But it was enough for #3 to realize that this was not the job for him.

Thank goodness that we aren’t in the 1830’s.

Up next: we take some time away to be at a cabin in the woods.

Carved Stone!

06 Thursday Oct 2016

Posted by laceduplutheran in Travel

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Allegheny, portage rail road, stone

This might not look like much.  It might look extremely boring.  But it’s am important stone.

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It’s one of the stone from the portage rail road that has been left behind.  In a future post, I’ll walk you through the process that workers did in order to make the stone just right.  Keep in mind, this would have been carved by hand with hand tools.  Think about that for a minute and let it sink in – that’s hard work for very little wage.

These stones served as the foundation on which the rail lines sat and were attached to.

Up next: Militia!

Good Friday Reflection -the Stone’s Perspective

25 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by laceduplutheran in Theology

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death, Good Friday, stone, tomb

I am the stone.  The stone that seals a body in a tomb.  I have been around so very long.  The humans talk in terns of days and weeks and months and years.  I think in terms of eons.

I could have been anything or even left alone.  But the humans can’t leave anything alone.  They are always rearranging everything to suite their own needs.

Recently I was taken out of the ground and then chiseled.  I was shaped in such an odd way.  Not round like a ball, or with smooth rounded edges where I could roll along easily.  No, more like a cork that fits just perfectly.

I was taken to a place where I would rest – a place with more stone – a tomb.  And there I waited.  The humans would have thought it a long wait.  For me, it was a short time.

And then it was today.  The humans call it Friday.  Today I learned my fate – to seal in a body – a dead body – in.

The body was laid inside the tomb with great care.  Who was this human that was laid inside?  It wasn’t the one who had bought the tomb, or had me carved.  That human was carrying the dead man.

Yet, this dead man was familiar to me.  I remember his footsteps in recent times – when he was younger and he would climb and run and jump.  He was happy then.  Now he is dead.  His body wrapped in linen to cover the wounds of death.

Death has requirements.  It requires that certain things be shut and sealed away.  I and those like me have been tools of death for so long.  We know death intimately because death can’t harm us.  But death speaks to us.  Like us, death is cold, hard and been around a long time.

Death tells us to seal away life.  To seal away and separate the dead from the living.  To seal away those that are different.  Death requires the hush of silence – no open discussion about what could have been or really what truly was.  Death requires the living to seal away their hurt and sorrow because the rest of the world has moved on to a new distraction.  Death requires silence from talking with one another – how can there be wars (which will yield more victims for death to feast on) if there is communication?  Death requires that reason be sealed away.  Death shrouds itself in fear and the humans willingly oblige.  They won’t even talk openly about death, but use coded language out of fear.  They remain sealed in a tomb of fear.

Yet, I know that death also fears an end to it’s reign.  It has told me so.  And today, death came to me and yelled at me.  Death was agitated.  It tried to make a demand of me – to stay sealed.  This is unlike death.  Instead of wearing fear with pride, it was fearful.  The only reason I can determine was because of the human laid inside this tomb.  Who is this person that strikes fear into death?  Who is this that makes death tremble and demand anything of a stone?  Who is this that is laid, apparently dead, yet still commands the emotions of death itself?

I will wait and see if anything happens.  That’s what I do.  I am the stone that seals a tomb…for now.

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laceduplutheran

I believe that God, church, and theology are approachable, enjoyable, and relevant for everyone. I write about this a lot because people need to hear it. So many people feel lost, hopeless, alone, and are searching for identity and meaning. I'm an ELCA Pastor (Lutheran) who has a background in politics, business, and the non-profit worlds. I take churchy theological ideas and words and communicate them in everyday language that people can understand, in ways that relate, and show that God, church, and theology matter a great deal. Oh, and it doesn't have to be boring either - mostly because it's the best news ever!

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