Intimacy

I am a creature of habit...especially on Sundays.

A typical routine on Sunday includes going to Untitled at 9:45, service at 11:15, and lunch with friends right after. This Sunday my typical "routine" was modified. I was asked to speak to the Singles (over 40) ministry. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous. For some reason I can speak all over the country, but speaking to a group at my own church, Riverbend, can be a bit intimidating. Their topic for July is prayer and I was entrusted in kicking it off. Pressure! Additionally, my Sunday routine was officially out of whack...how could I possibly have a meaningful Sunday experience?

So rather than going to Untitled at 9:45, I went to service. I wanted a little inspiration before I spoke...the part of the message that hit me was intimacy...intimacy in your faith. After service was over, I rushed over to the Singles ministry.

As I was speaking to the Singles ministry about prayer and how prayer is simply a conversation with your maker, I realized that the topic of intimacy was in my message as well. I spoke on prayer and read some prayers I wrote in Footprints in the Boardroom and we talked in depth. And established that we all have certain routines when we pray. We pray at certain times of the day in certain ways.

But the one thing that I hope reached that group was this:

We spend so much time in life giving our relationships a shot of energy: married couples go to counseling or take vacations to rekindle the relationship; friends go out to the newest place or take dancing lessons.
We change up the way we communicate in relationships: phones, letters, texts...it keeps it interesting, current. And by changing up the routine those relationships become a bit more meaningful...intimate.

So why don't we do that in our faith relationship?
Why do we always go for the routine i.e. my Sunday routine?
And why do we always have the same conversation with God?

There is no reason to be afraid of changing our routine. We may find that praying at a different times of the day, in a different way leads us to a deeper understanding...intimacy.
Interestingly enough, my Sunday routine was totally our of whack this week, but the meaning was deeper...more intimate.

-RXW

Simple Thanks

One of the things I love about my relationship with my father is learning from his perspective on life. Jeffrey (yes, I call him Jeffrey) has lived a full life with tragedy and joy. He lost both of his parents by the time he was in his mid-teens and grew up poor in Trinidad and Tobago, Through his faith and perseverance he moved to the United States, earned a PhD., and is an amazing professor and soccer coach. I could go on and on about what he had done and continues to do.

My father is my go-to person for my questions about life and faith. One day he and I were talking about prayer and my father told me that when he prays he doesn't pray for anything. I asked him for clarification on this. I mean surely if nothing else Jeffrey must pray for guidance or discernment, something, Right? Wrong. My dad doesn't pray for anything. My dad's prayers consist of thanks. Nothing more than thanks. I was amazed.

In Untitled this week we were talking about when we are thankful...during the obvious times right? When we get something we have been hoping and praying for, when we just miss crashing into a car on the freeway, when our nephew is born healthy, or when a loved one goes into remission. That is when we are thankful. But how about just getting up in the morning? What about being thankful for merely breathing? We forget about the mundane or routine because we have come to expect it. Who remembers the little things.

And the conversation with Jeffrey came right back to me. His prayers are mere thanks--for nothing but thanks.

I am working towards that...

-RXW

Community

Where do you find your sense of community when you aren't near your family?

I was reminded of where I find community last weekend.
Untitled, the young professionals group at Riverbend hosted an "On Location."

What is an "On Location" you ask?
Well rather than staying at Riverbend for an event, Untitled headed downtown to the Ale House for a night showcasing creativity. It was a featuring the amazingly talented musicians from Riverbend performing their original music. In addition to the music a comedy troupe performed an improv routine that brought the group to bellows of laughter.

What I loved about it more than the music and the improv was the sense of community. I looked all around the room and could see so many people talking and enjoying themselves and the atmosphere, and I just smiled--it felt like "home."

So many times we forget how important community really is until we no longer have it. And life can get in the way of that community. I love the fact that Untitled can be and is anywhere...whether that is at church on a Sunday morning, at an "On Location" downtown, or hosting a bowling night for the girls at the state home, the sense of community is always present. It is hard to lose that sense of community when you can go so many different places within Untitled, and find it.

What does your community look like?

-RXW

A Spiritual Smack

Have you ever had a bad/weird/bizarre day that consumes you? Have you ever been smacked out of the funk of your bad day by unexpected kudos?

I most recently had that exact experience this weekend. I had a bizarre experience Saturday night...I found out that I was being deceived by someone I guess I trusted. And the way I found out was so public that I had to act aloof. ( I will explain all on Friday...believe me it is a doozy and is well worth the wait)

Naturally I felt embarrassment and hurt among other things. But the embarrassment and hurt didn't hit really hit me until I was driving to church on Sunday. I guess I was numb the night before. But I felt it on Sunday. I woke up super early on Sunday and got some work done before church. Of course I was a little sidetracked and ended up getting to Untitled Gathering a late. As I was sitting in class listening to the discussion about adult baptism, I must admit my mind wandered to my own bizarre experience. It's weird when you find out that the wool is being pulled over your eyes because you start to question your own discernment. So there I was wondering what if anything I had done to bring this bizarre experience about. Before I knew it the Gathering had ended and it was time to head to service.

As I was heading out of the room, I was stopped by a man who came to talk to me about Footprints In The Boardroom...I did a booksigning at my church, Riverbend on Memorial weekend. This gentleman had just finished reading Footprints, was touched by it and the impact it was having on his prayer life, and wanted me to come speak to the Singles class next month. Wow! Before I could even take in the magnitude of that a woman came up to me. She had just started reading Footprints and like the man was touched. I won't go into full detail about what she said, but by the end all I could say was thank you.

I felt as though someone upstairs was telling me to stop being so silly--stop doubting yourself! Experiences happen-- good, bad, bizarre, etc...we are meant to learn from them. Some experiences sting--but we can't forget the big picture. While I was sitting there feeling hurt and embarrassed, I forgot that I can make an impact that makes an embarrassing experience seem like peanuts. Hearing the impact that Footprints was making in people's lives snapped me out of my daze and back into reality. Who says that the smallest bad news always trumps a lifetime of good news? I happily object. I would like to think that the kudos I received was a little gift from God...a spiritual smack if you will, to snap me out of it.

Does anyone else out there need to snap out of it?

- RXW

Our Prayers Are With You Virginia Tech

I was sitting at my desk hashing out some projects with the television on in the background. All of a sudden I am glued to the television's breaking news about the massacre at Virginia Tech. I must admit at first I thought my ears were deceiving me. I was shocked silent. As I watched the news trickle out all I could do was pray and cry.

We have had a calm for so long that I think I was beginning to relax a little. My heart goes out to the families of those who lost their lives today. I also pray for the students, staff, and faculty of Virginia Tech. Their safe haven for knowledge has been shattered. I pray that y'all will heal as best as you can. Know that we are all mourning with you and supporting you.

God be with you...

-Roxanne

Seder

When I was in law school at Michigan, my friends invited me to a Seder meal. At the time I didn't even know what a Seder was. Unfortunately, I had a prior commitment and couldn't make it. Since then I have always I wanted to participate in a Seder. Four years later, I got my chance. On Good Friday, I went to a Seder meal put on by the Sunde's, the leaders of Untitled the young professionals group at Riverbend.

A Seder is an interactive retelling of the enslavement and subsequent Exodus of the Children of Israel from Ancient Egypt. Each step of the Seder has symbolic meaning and the ceremony is for all ages. During the Seder, we recited several prayers, sang, and took of the following elements from the Seder plate:

A small bowl of salt water
Parsley sprigs
Three Matzah
A bowl of kharoset (a paste like substance made by combining nuts [walnuts], fruit [dates, apples, bananas or any others in any combination] and some fruit juice or wine)
A bowl with a scoop of horseradish.
Four glasses of wine

Also present on the Seder table were:
A hard boiled egg
Lamb Shank
A candle
Bowl of water
A cloth

The entire experience was amazing from the perspective of the meaning of Passover, all that the Israelites endured, and how it all plays a part in the history of Christianity.

Participating in a Seder meal two months after visiting Egypt made it even more meaningful. I just climbed Mt. Sinai, touched the burning bush, saw the Red Sea. To actually read and participate in the retelling on that story with the vivid memories of Egypt in my head was surreal.

If you have the opportunity to partcipate in a Seder this year or in the future I highly recommend it.
- RXW


What Rox: Interested in having a Seder? Check out 30-Minute Seder.com.

Easter Through a Grown Up's Eyes

Christmas is holiday I think I have always understood. I just got it. Maybe it was because every year we would have a Christmas Program (I was often in charge of the program ;-) where each of us would sing, play the piano, or act out songs we had prepared exclusively for the program. The night would culminate with my father reading the Christmas story out of the Bible. Then we would pray and begin the gift opening. All of the festivities were fun, but they also helped me understand what Christmas really means.

Easter was also a big deal in our family, but it was celebrated differently. When I was young, my mother used to sew our Easter dresses. I remember watching her each night work on our dresses. I so looked forward to trying on a sleeve or being measured for the skirt because I couldn't wait for Easter to be here and my dress to be made. I remember a yellow polka-dotted dress in particular. I loved colors so my mom sewed a little rainbow patch right at in the middle of the sailor collar. I loved that dress. I loved the Easter egg hunts, the patent leather shoes, and looking at hats that all of the women would wear. And although I think that somewhere in all of that, I knew we were celebrating Christ's resurrection and our salvation, I mean after all we would say, "He is Risen." "He is Risen Indeed," the magnitude of Easter hit me in a different way.

I don't know if it was because the Easter musical we were singing in choir really spoke to me or what, but it was like a reminder of the heart of matter, or rather the depth of the matter. Maybe it was because I was older and closer in age to Christ when he died than I had ever been. At the time the song The Glory of the Blood by Avalon hit it home for me. The heartbreak that Christ's followers and really the world felt when he was crucified, and the jubilation felt when he rose are things I have tried to but do not think I can possibly fully comprehend. But I try to. I try to imagine what it must have been like for all involved.

And that is how I connect with Easter...it is easy to get caught up in the eggs and the hats and the Easter dresses, but somewhere in all of that, just try to imagine what it must have felt like to be there. And try to remember that because of Easter we have been set free.

Happy Easter!

-RXW


What Rox: If you are in the Austin area, I invite you to visit Riverbend Church this Easter season. Good Friday: 8:00PM The Shadow of the Cross --Musical performed by Riverbend Choir. Easter Sunday: Services at 8:30AM, 9:45AM, and 11:15AM.
Hope to see you there.

Meat and Potatoes

When I moved to Austin four years ago, I went church hopping. Church hopping is my least favorite part of moving. It's like after you have gone through all of the unpacking, sorting, and decorating to make your new house a home, you still have the quest to find your community. Part of community for me is found at a church. But let's face it, a church can be the best community when you are a part of it, but when you are on the outside looking in, it can be unfamiliar and uncomfortable.

When I go church hopping, I have flashbacks to younger days when my mom, sisters, and I would go to different churches in search of the one that fit. There is nothing more uneasy than being a young girl searching for acceptance walking into an unfamiliar Sunday school class full of children who already have friends. Oh I didn't like it. And during service, my mother made us stand up or raise our hands when the pastor asked if there were any visitors. Of course that meant that directly after the service, people would come greet you or they would farm you off to a visitor's center. Even as a young child I never felt comfortable with this configuration because it was intimidating and uncomfortable.

When I moved to Austin, not only was I fighting flashback of my childhood, but I was church hopping alone. The key to finding a church for me, a single female, is quite simple in theory. My college friend Hector put it best, "when you go to church you need your meat and potatoes." The meat is the sermon and the potatoes are the worship, music, etc. In practice finding the right combination is harder than you think.

Determined to find a church I could call home, I went to a different church each week. Some churches served tasty meat but didn't serve my style of potatoes. Others had the best potatoes but tough and dry meat. Sometimes I would go back to a church, but three months in, I was still church hopping. During month seven, I attended Riverbend church with my friend Chris' aunt. While I enjoyed the meat and potatoes, I still wanted to make sure there wasn't more out there. Attending other churches, my thoughts still went back to the Riverbend meat and potatoes. It didn't take me long to get another helping...once I did, I knew that I had found my community...my hearty meal.

Over the past few years, Riverbend has been a source of stability, comfort, and growth in my life. Through Riverbend, I have enjoyed singing in the choir, experienced forming a young professionals group, Untitled, and made life long friends--all of this in ways that glorify God.


Recently we started a new chapter at Riverbend under the guide of our pastor Dr. Dave Haney. In addition to our Heritage, which is traditional, and Celebrate, which is choir led, services, we added Resonate. Resonate is our third service--a band led worship service. The meat is the same in each service, but the potatoes are organic. Or as Riverbend would say it, "One Message. Three Expressions."


When Resonate started, I am not sure that anyone knew exactly what to think or how to feel about the new style of potatoes. But now two months in, Resonate just clicks...the potatoes are just right. I left service on Sunday and I felt like I just shared something special with each one of the people who attended. I felt a connection...a community. And it was awesome. Finding a community makes all the church hopping I have done in my life worthwhile.

- RXW

What Rox: I was honored to recently tape a radio commercial for Riverbend Church. Click here to listen. For more information about Riverbend, go to www.riverbend.com.

Unconventional Prayer

In a world with so many distractions, where do you find time to commune with God, mediates, refocus, and/or center yourself? For me, the time and place has changed throughout the years. When I was little I used to pray when I woke up, ate, and went to bed. The prayer before bed was simple and I could say it in my sleep:

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

As I got older I would still say the same prayer but then add on my personal prayers. In Jr. high, I still prayed the same prayer, but I added 'journaling'. I journal my prayers, thoughts, hopes, fears, and dreams. Footprints in the Boardroom is based on my journal while on The Apprentice. I also have found value in praying in the shower, at my computer, and through music.

So this weekend as I drove to Houston for the Inspire The Desire semifinals, I refrained from picking up the phone, and instead listened to music, enjoyed the scenery, felt the rays of the sun, and took the opportunity to be closer with God. By the time I got to the Inspire The Desire semifinals, I truly felt rejuvenated. What I have learned is that there is no one way to pray, mediate, or talk with God. I have tried many different ways and they all have their value. I find comfort in the fact that I can worship anywhere and anyhow.

What are some ways you find to pray in your daily life?

-RXW

That Kind Of Legacy

Although I didn’t lay it out last Monday, in keeping with my new themed days, Monday will be the day I talk about spiritual things, events, thought, devotionals, experiences, you name it. (To recap: Tuesday-Physical, Wednesday-Professional (Book Tour), Thursday-Service, Friday-Social)

One of my favorite songs is Legacy by Nichole Nordeman. The lyrics of the chorus are:

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to you enough to make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who blessed Your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

So the past few months, I have been seeing this legacy in action at some of the biggest named events: the Super Bowl, Grammys and Oscars.

When Tony Dungy, the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts won the Super Bowl this year, becoming the first African American coach to ever win a Super Bowl, he first pointed to Jesus Christ, giving him all the glory.

Mary J Blige, R&B/Hip-Hop artist, who has lived a hard life that included drug abuse and physical abuse, turned her life around. And on a night of great celebration and accomplishment, winning three Grammy awards, Mary J pointed towards God and Jesus, before her 53 other acknowledgements.

Jennifer Hudson, American Idol reject (I still remember being furious when she was voted off…she, Fantasia, and Latoya London were in the bottom three, and I knew it was going to be a lose-lose-lose situation.) and now Dreamgirls star won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and said, “Look what God can do.”

Did I point to you enough to make a mark on things?

Each of these three people pointed to God enough to make a mark on things…I mean not only did millions hear it live, but it was in the press for weeks to come and can be googled readily even today.

Their actions, Nicole’ song are all reminders to me to thank God each day in the big and little events in my life. It doesn’t matter whether I am touching billions like Tony, Mary J, and Jennifer, all that matters is that I point to God and give him the thanks for everything. I want to leave that kind of legacy.

- RXW

Listen to Legacy

Legacy
By Nichole Nordeman

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all the who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best
At such 'n such...it wouldn't matter much

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an "Atta boy" or "Atta girl"
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
the temporary trappings of this world

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to you enough to make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who blessed Your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, "Well done" good and faithful one

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me

Inside Out 2007

I recently participated for a second year in Riverbend Church's "Inside Out." "Inside Out" is a weekend excursion for high school and middle school students. It's an opportunity for all involved to reconnect with God in the new year.

This year's theme was "Closer than you think" as in, God is closer than you think. My friend Jackie and I co-led a group a seven eighth grade ladies.

Over the course of the weekend we discussed the theme in small groups, met at the church for praise and worship, stayed up late talking, laughing, and eating junk food (admittedly these ladies wore me out. I was in bed much earlier than they were). One of the changes we had this year was in our service project. For the last several years Inside Out served a local ranch for troubled individuals. Our tasks ranged from outdoor maintenance to working in the greenhouse. This year, we teamed up with Mt. Zion church and served East Austin by hosting a community block party

This gave the group a chance to commune with each other, their counterparts and Mt. Zion, and the community.

The entire experience was an opportunity for me to get back to the basics. It is so funny, because I volunteer for Inside Out to be a mentor and serve young ladies. But after spending five minutes with them, I realized there is so much that I can learn from them. Their perspective on faith is so much clearer at times...its like they lack some of the interference that builds up in your life after 27 years. I am also reminded that the problems facing an eighth grader young lady are not that much different than the problems that Jackie and I face in our late twenties—career/school, men/boys, societal pressure/peer pressure, body image issues, abuse of all kinds. All of these issues are issues that we all deal with. Inside Out was a chance for us to remember that God is closer than we think...he is next to us, carrying us, through the good and the bad and no matter what, he is always there.

When the weekend ended we all felt closer to God and closer to each other.
I am thankful that they...my eight graders have each other to lean on as they go through their day to day issues, and I hope they will remember that (Jackie and ) I are there for them as well.

- RXW