Living Stones Comes to Life: 10-9-8-7...The Website has Launched.

Living Stones Ministries Rock On! has come to life with the launch of the organization’s website.

My long-time friend from high school, Shannon Johnson, who is the Creative Director with Cruz Management Solutions in Indianapolis, has created a well designed website.

When you go to the homepage, choose a stone with a title and click on it. You will go to that subject page. These stones are living stones!

Check out the website: http://livingstonesministriesrockon.net/.

I am not showing you this website for financial donations at this point because I do not anticipate Living Stones to have their nonprofit designation until late 2017 or 2018. Instead of casting stones, I am encouraging you to volunteer with an organization that resonates with who you are and your values in 2017.

Rock On!

Living the American Dream

I have never thought I have lived the American Dream or my personal. I am living it with the help of others.  One individual is my long time friend from my Northrop High School in Fort Wayne, Shannon Johnson.  Shannon is the Creative Director with Cruz Management Solutions in Indianapolis. (Please see CruzManagementSolutions.com) I cannot imagine building a foundation for Living Stones Ministries Rock On! without Shannon’s creative direction and assistance.

Shannon has created a mission filled logo, stationery, envelopes and business cards. He sent me the brochure last evening.  Shannon is presently creating the website. The website should launch in the very near future.

I am not asking for financial donation from you. You are welcome to use my ideas in your community to be of service to others. That’s all I care.

I give gratitude for team of family and friends, who are making my dream a reality.

I encourage you to share this post so maybe just maybe one person will be inspired to volunteer and give back their respective community.

Live the Dream. Rock On!

Reaping What You Sow

I drove by this church sign on Friday. Just wondering..."How are you planting your seeds? What do your seeds grow? Are you doing your best?"

I then read Vince, a church friend's post later the same day. I am not a political animal but I am concerned about our world.

"The sun will rise on Wednesday morning regardless of what happens on Tuesday. Each of us will have a decision to make that day – do we roll up our sleeves and work to build a future together? Yes or No. This past year has shown us many areas of difference… how best do we move forward, reaching out to find common ground? We do not fully exist outside of our community – those whom we know and love, who know and love us in return. I am committed to have those hard discussions, to truly hear concerns, to continue relationships which have grown strained, finding ways that we can grow and learn together. My prayer for today is that you join me, with full knowledge that it will not be easy and that we must find a way to love each other.?"

So I ask you once more these questions: "How are you planting your seeds?" What do your seeds grow? Are you doing your best?"

Reaping What You Sow

I drove by this church sign on Friday. Just wondering..."How are you planting your seeds? What do your seeds grow? Are you doing your best?"

I then read Vince, a church friend's post later the same day. I am not a political animal but I am concerned about our world.

"The sun will rise on Wednesday morning regardless of what happens on Tuesday. Each of us will have a decision to make that day – do we roll up our sleeves and work to build a future together? Yes or No. This past year has shown us many areas of difference… how best do we move forward, reaching out to find common ground? We do not fully exist outside of our community – those whom we know and love, who know and love us in return. I am committed to have those hard discussions, to truly hear concerns, to continue relationships which have grown strained, finding ways that we can grow and learn together. My prayer for today is that you join me, with full knowledge that it will not be easy and that we must find a way to love each other.?"

So I ask you once more these questions: "How are you planting your seeds?" What do your seeds grow? How are you planting your seeds?What do your seeds grow? Are you doing your best?"

How would you like to 'Rock On!?

I need help with hats for those in need. When my seniors in nursing homes and assisted livings pass on, I need to help other residents learn to loom hats. I found out that one of the seniors, who passed on, promised two organizations hats. I plan to keep this woman's promise. By completing and donating the hats, Living Stones will be honoring the recent passing of our seniors and their community work. I have yarn, looms, hooks and needles to stitch up the hats. If you live in the Seattle area, I will provide you with the looms and yarn that I have on hand. Help me to honor the five women, who passed on and fulfill the promise made. If you cannot help by making a hat, share a kind word with a person in need and Rock On!

Lessons Learned from Dumbo

The first time I watched “Dumbo” with my family as we sat in my parent’s Oldsmobile at the Lincolndale Drive-In, and we were allowed to eat in the car. (Fun Fort Wayne Fact: The Lincolndale had a 500-car capacity.) 

I watched late last night “Dumbo,” celebrating this classic’s 75th Anniversary, and I had forgotten the lessons learned, including:

• If you have faith in a feather or something or someone else, the unexpected can happen. “Don’t just fly, soar.”
• It is not the quantity of your friends matter. It is the quality.
• People can change their minds and help you in a moment’s notice.
• A mother's love cannot be replaced.
• Adults can be mean in their actions and words.
• Some clowns aren’t funny. They are scary.
• Drink clean water or you could end up in a tree and out on a limb.

And mostly, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.” NLT
The lessons from "Dumbo" can be valuable in our lives.

Protecting the Homeless from the Elements

Seattle's Morning Commute Today

We are driving to work with the rain pounding on the car. Maybe we are complaining about the commute; however, we are being protected by the elements.

I give gratitude for my friend, Jolynn and the reminder she posted on her Facebook page this morning:

"The weather is awful today and as I work (from our branch office) I can hear multiple people outside the window who are picking up their "homes" from last night's stay on the sidewalk. The sidewalk, my friends. The current conversation is about an umbrella. Reliance on an umbrella to protect them from this horrible weather. An umbrella, my friends. It hits me at my core that we live in a country full of wealth and resources yet we have human beings living on sidewalks only relying an a tiny umbrella to protect them."

I buy umbrellas and the blue plastic tarps throughout the year at discount and thrift stores and hand them out in my neighborhood during the rainy season. It's time to get them out of my storage unit and pass them out in my neighborhood.

I am not a proponent of giving money to those living on the streets. I encourage you to give to an organization that walks the talk in my neighborhood through their Street Ministry and other programs. It is Nightwatch.

I would like to thank the Rev. Rick Reynolds and  for their work with Seattle Nightwatch. I encourage you to go to their website and read their mission and history and learn about their respective programs:http://www.seattlenightwatch.org/index.htm

If you do not have the means to financially help or to volunteer, offer a prayer for those in need.

Mats from Bags

Join us. I will be there. And feel free to join Mats From Bags group on FB: 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1801435326802560/

If you are interested or want to be a part of making mats out of plastic bags for our homeless neighbors, we will meet again at Third Place Books in Lake ForestPark this Saturday at 9 am. We need people to flatten, fold and cut bags into strips, others to loop strips into 'plarn' (plastic yarn) and we can all learn to crochet.

Hope to see you this Saturday at 9am. More details will be posted in the FB group Mats from Bags.

Out with the Old and in with the New

I noticed this this church on my way home a few weeks ago. I parked my car and walked around it. The lights were on and no one was home. I knocked on the front door, and then I knocked on the side door. I wanted to walk in and sit on a pew and imagine the people who had been in the Sunday worship service. The stained glass windows were mesmerizing.

I wish I had a home where I could use these windows. I am saddened. I have always wanted to live in a church and make it into a community center.

Is change always good? All I am sure of is that "God is Good. All the time."

http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2016/10/109-year-old-church-slated-for-demolition-on-14th-ave/

You don't focus on what you don't have; you celebrate what you do.

I left my orthopedics appointment last evening disappointed but not devastated. He genuinely said that there is nothing more he could do my right knee and the scar tissue without breaking my femur. I now need to walk with a cane. I do not think so. My back, hip and right ankle constantly hurts me.

I was not happy that there is nothing more that can be done for my knee with 60 to 67 degrees of flexion. I was not happy so I walked a different neighborhood and toured two gyms. I have a 4-day pass to a gym, starting tomorrow. I have scheduled an appointment with a sports medicine in 2-weeks. I have charged my FitBit.

“I AM” willing to work towards more flexion and healing. That is why my evening walks are a gift. I will continue to walk slow, take pause and give gratitude.

I am requesting that all my family and friends become my prayer warriors. Please pray and ask your family and friends and you churches to pray for me. Help me to believe and have faith. "God will heal and restore."

I was encouraged this morning when I watched this video Gatorade made with Elena Delle Donne and her sister, Lizzie, who cannot hear or see but she can feel.Lizzie can feel the wind. She can feel joy.

In my life, I have always loved basketball, and I was hurt playing it many years, ago. I have worked with developmentally disabled throughout years, and my residents love unconditionally. If you have been hurt, it does not mean you cannot still love what hurt you unconditionally as you overcome obstacles.

You don't focus on what you don't have; you celebrate what you do.

Be True to Yourself

This photograph was taken during my Northrop class reunion at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. The reunion was wonderful – especially the words she shared me touched my heart. You never know how your words resonate with someone. Joella shared how I said something during a conversation in high school, and she held onto the words and imparted them to her students throughout the years.

I could not remember the story from that night so I instant messaged Joella. She responded:

“I have been thinking back to our reunion and that story and realized your words have been absorbed into my world. I have been trying to recall the specifics and realized your inspiration carried me through my many years as a school principal, now becoming part of me. You were wise beyond your years in high school when you challenged the status quo and made it a good thing to be true to yourself and be proud of who you are. Kids today still struggle to fit in and define themselves by the social groupings of popular and not popular. You made it cool to be proud of who you are and not to let others define you. Thank you!"

Joella’s words were with me today as an article was forwarded about “All Lives Matter.” The article said that white people say all lives matter because they are uncomfortable with “black lives matter.” It was funny that the article made assumptions. I believe all lives matter since I was a chaplain with folks, who were in the last chapter of their lives. It did not matter to me about their respective belief system or the color of their skin. I was honored to be allowed into their lives and to hear their stories. I was humbled. I will always cherish these moments.

After tonight, I plan to take a few days break from my personal Facebook page and television. I chose not to hear about Colin Kapernick tomorrow and the Presidential debate on Monday evening. There are positives in life. What are those positives for you?

Remember, be who you are, words matter and all lives matter, too.

Believe

A classmate from my alma mater, Northrop High School, Laura Thomas Miller, posted a song her daughter, Hailee, wrote this morning on her Facebook page.

Laura prefaced this post:  "My baby wrote and composed...a testament that it's okay to wonder about God...this is a heart, like many of us, that honestly asks, " God, who are You, I want to know you, am I enough where I am?". Can u forgive and love me no matter what I've done or where I've been?"

I am proud of her as my child and humbled at her transparency. We all fall short, but by the very grace of God we are able to stand and through Christ we can enter boldly to God's throne , sit at His feet and share our hearts without fear of condemnation. Thank you, Precious Jesus, for the gift of Your Love..."

I have listened to this song a number of times, and I will listen to it again. The words resonated with me. "I want to believe. But it is just so hard." Some days it is harder than others. It does not mean one does not believe. It means that one is questioning and seeking answers, which are part of life's mysteries and help one, grow in their faith.

I plan to share it with others – especially pastors and those in and outside of churches because the lyrics will generate a time of discussion with those of all ages and life experiences.

All I can say, "Believe."

\

A Labor Day Message: More Than a Telethon

As a kid, I thought Labor Day was watching Jerry Lewis and the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Telethon in my Grandma Shaffer’s Huntington, Indiana home. As a young adult, I answered and accepted donations as a WKJG- TV33 MDA phone bank volunteer in Fort Wayne.

After my college graduation, I worked in a Garrett, Indiana factory that assembled the Sonobouy for the Navy. I worked with two men named, Wee and Hi from Vietnam, who were genuinely appreciative of living in the United States. Wee shared with me how he made his way to the roof top of a tall building in Vietnam. He jumped, grabbed and held onto with all his might a helicopter. His wife was in a different location and took their two young sons into the water to a makeshift boat. Somehow they were reunited. (Hi has a similar story.)

Wee’s wife gave birth that year to one more son. Wee said that they named him Charlie because of the U.S. Military, who tried to protect them. Both of these men appreciated living in the U.S.A. and exhibited through their labor.

Wee and Hi’s English was not good. They wanted to learn English. Wee and Hi purchased Walkman’s, and I checked out audiobooks from the Allen County Public Library. They listened to the audio books while sounding out and writing down the words. During our lunch break, I figured out the words written. We pronounced the words over and over together, and I then defined them.

It was funny. Wee and Hi said clearly, “Oh, no, John Cougar Mellencamp!” as I placed the “Scarecrow” cassette tape in my Walkman. I would sing and dance as I soldered.

One day Wee and Hi asked, “Why do people get flowers at works?” I was leaving the Sonobouy factory the next week. I had a dozen colorful flowers delivered to each Wee and Hi and my last day with them. I wrote a note to Wee and Hi that came with their delivery, “You received flowers because I am thankful for working with you.”

I am thankful for Wee and Hi. They taught me to be proud of being an American but mostly the “Joy of Labor.”

This song from "Scarecrow” is for these men as I smile, and I still hear their voices, “Oh, no, John Cougar Mellencamp!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwHpzdKe8cY

As the week begins…Prayer

I sat in reflection early this morning in the darkness as I looked into the candle’s flame burning on my world Religion table, where one of my Bibles sits with crosses and a small tabletop Tibetan prayer wheel. Okay…my table is a dresser because I wanted a mirror so I could reflect on the person in the mirror.

"I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change."

I returned to a moment last Saturday afternoon when Catherine Crisanto walked with me through the San Juan Island Sculpture Park. We spent time with the prayer wheel sculpture, which had ceramic prayer wheels with a wooden structure. Slips of paper with pens and pencils were available. I wrote prayers to place in each wheel. I opened each wheel and noticed hundreds of prayers in each wheel. I then closed and gently spun each wheel, releasing the prayer.

I contemplated on my journey back to Seattle on the San Juan Clipper prayer. A patient from my chaplain residency asked me to pray with him. I did. He then requested that I teach him to pray. I looked directly in his eyes, smiled and said, “There are as many ways to pray as there are people. You will find your way to pray and it will speak to you.”

I prayed with him each day during his stay. The nurses paged me later that week and said this patient needed me to come now. I hurried to his room and looked in the door. He sat on the bed fully dressed. He was discharging in a few minutes. He said, I’d like to pray.” I started to pray, and he stopped me. He offered the prayer.

As one denomination says, “God is still speaking.” I will take this a step further. “God is still listening. You are being heard.”

What message will you send out this week? And how will it be received and answered?

Mother Teresa Canonization

“I see somebody dying, I pick him up. I find somebody hungry, I give him food. He can love and be loved. I don’t look at his color, I don’t look at his religion. I don’t look at anything. Every person whether he is Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist, he is my brother, my sister."

- Saint Mother Teresa

I give gratitude to Saint Mother Teresa, who served others no matter the times she lived in her own darkness. She worked through the light.

You were and still are through your spirit an "instrument of peace."

"I've been a victim of a selfish kinda love

It's time that I realize

There are some with no home

Not a nickel to loan

Could it be really me pretending that they're not alone

A willow deeply scarred, somebody's broken heart

And a washed out dream

They follow the pattern of the wind ya see

Cause they got no place to be

That's why I'm starting with me

Take a look at yourself and then make the change

You gotta get it right, while you got the time

Cause when you close your heart

Then you close your mind"

-Man in the Mirror

Photograph was taken in my neighborhood in Seattle, WA

"For once in my life
It's gonna feel real good
Gonna make a difference
Gonna make it right
As I turned up the collar on my favorite winter coat
This wind is blowin' my mind
I see the kids in the street, with not enough to eat
Who am I to be blind, pretending not to see their needs
A summer's disregard, a broken bottle top
And a one man's soul
They follow each other on the wind ya know
Cause they got nowhere to go"

- Man in the Mirror

Photograph taken in Seattle;s Chinatown-International District

As the week begins: “Are you true to your calling?”

As the week begins, I am asking you, “Are you true to your calling?”

I met Sue Hogan originally at the Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry. When she became as a resident of mine, Mama Sue left an unframed piece on my desk. I framed it, and I take in the words in each morning. Mama Sue’s friend, Sister Joyce Roach, O.P. created it.

I am called daily to Living Stones Ministries Rock On! As the week begins, I give gratitude to my friends and the strangers, who continue to be supportive of this venture.

I also give gratitude to my most recent supporters including Deb, Diane and Theresa; friends in Bremerton, who made yarn and loom donations; my friend Michael, who will be making a donation of his talent to raise funds; and even the staff at The Central. As I ate my turkey wrap, the staff at The Central shared with me about the neighborhood so I took the time to look in the faces of those in need, and possible ways to serve.

Mostly, a big thank you to my new friend, Keri Pollack, who believes in my projects and those I am serving. She has connected me with a possible partner for Living Stones. Loving it!

A previous team member and always a friend, Michael appeared at my office door one morning. He presented me with a painting, “The Holy City of Juju.” I was surprised. I never knew Michael had this talent and developed it.

How blessed are you

for you have remained

true to your calling

and have carried the torch

of light for all to see.

You are an

instrument of change,

a prophet of hope,

a catalyst for transformation!

Be glad and rejoice,

For you are the voice

Of a new creation

And you are the

new light of the word.

More Gravy, Please!

Grandma Ruby and Grandpa Kenny celebrated a birthday in the 1980’s.

My Grandma Ruby (Figert) Kirby would have been 99 today. She passed away at 95. I celebrate her and the memories of the old farmhouse in Wabash, Indiana, which was filled the smells and sounds of the fried chicken crackling away in the frying pan or as Grandma would say, “The chicken is in the electric skillet.” I loved eating the fried chicken as much as hearing my Grandma saying ‘the electric skillet.’

The gravy was delicious she made after the chicken popped and crackled in the electric skillet. Life needs to have more gravy. Yum and more gravy, please!

My Aunt Judy or Uncle Roger shot this photo of Grandma Ruby with her sister-in-law, Arline and sister, ReBerta (Bert). Besides celebrating Grandma Ruby, my Great Aunt Arline had her birthday a few days ago, and she is in her nineties and living on her own.  Arline is a hoot and a holler! My Great Aunt Bert passed away at the age of 92 on May 15, 2014. Bert certainly lived life each day in between her dash between birth and death.

  

You Count so Speak the Truth!

I am not here for a political message. I had the pleasure of meeting and having a one on one with Ronald Reagan at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum and sharing a few stories as a high school student at Northrop High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I have met other politicians, not due my aspirations, which are not political. Mine are more spiritual…more of social justice…more of how others are served in my life time - especially the homeless and those in need of care.

Instead of giving a message of who is the best candidate for you. How do you vote your truth? I have voted for Republicans, Democrats and Independents and sometimes I have felt the Bern. Instead of debating and arguing, I encourage you to “speak the truth in love.” Live your truth without pontificating and pushing your agenda on social media. I do not need to say who I am voting for in the Presidential election. I am voting because I count, and my vote counts.

Excuse me…I am now in search of the Borax Team and that monkey named Bonzo. It does not matter how to spell “potato.” I only know how to eat one. All kidding aside, somethings do not matter like the Borax Team, a monkey named Bonzo and how to spell potato.

I will conclude with a couple of phrases no matter how unpopular in the world and the U.S.A., but the phrases matter.

“God bless you” my friends, and I am a "Christian." I have spoken my truth, and I will vote in the fall election.

Remember, you and your vote counts!

Celebrate Personal and Professional Relationships

I believe in looking back at the positive relationships that have and continue to be a part of my life. It maybe a personal relationship. Or it maybe a business relationship. Reflect and celebrate with a fist bump, handshake, hug or sign in American Sign Language, "I love you." 

I encourage you to celebrate your personal and professional relationships

Surprising Cathy with a birthday celebration in the kitchen of my first apartment, located on Rivermet Avenue in the Lakeside neighborhood, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Cathy's niece, Reannon. Not pictured: Sandy Walker (sister) and Helen (mother).

Cathy's parents were a gift to those who spent time with them due to their faith and love. The following are the words about Helen and Mr. Walker Tom Sir as Cathy's birthday is celebrated this month.

I believe that each person has a gift to share Helen and Tom Walker. A few of their gifts were calmness, humor and love, and Cathy can hold those gifts on her birthday and always.

With six children of their own, Helen and Mr. Walker Tom Sir never hesitated to include me on family trips. Helen said that her children could invite a friend to go on their family trip to Maranatha. Cathy asked me.

Thom Dale, their son, thought of a game that we could play that involved Cathy, Joy, Kathy Minnich, and me. Thom Dale would pitch a ball up to us as we stood on the porch roof and hit it with a large stick. The runner would enter through the window, run down the stairs, exit out of the front door and circle the bases without Thom Dale tagging the individual out.

Joy was on the porch roof, waiting for her pitch. Thom Dale looked down the dirt pathway. He then yelled Mom and Dad are coming. Joy tried to enter through the open window. Her belt was stuck on the windowpane. Thom Dale was yelling for me to pull Joy in. I could not pull Joy in.

Helen and Tom walked by the house as I am trying to pull her youngest in the window. Helen looked at the situation with Joy’s legs dangling from the window. Helen and Mr. Walker Tom Sir calmly walked on by. They never said a word about it to us kids.

Helen and Mr. Walker Tom Sir realized that we were good kids so why not be calm and have a sense of humor. And it was a good ting that Cathy's parents had the above-mentioned gifts because we were always into or doing something as kids.

I sat down with Helen and Mr. Walker Tom Sir as an adult and shared a number of these stories and antics with them. They laughed so hard.

We Pray for an End to Violence

As I walked in the darkness last evening around St. James Cathedral in Seattle, WA, I reflected on the scripture that was posted as a prayer within the building.

We Pray for an End to Violence

If I walk out into the field,
look! Those slain by the sword;
If I enter the city,
look! victims of violence...
Why have you struck us a blow
that cannot be healed?
We wait for peace, to no avail;
for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.
Do not reject us, for your name's sake,
do not disgrace your glorious throne.
Remember your covenant with us,
and break it not.

Jeremiah 14:18-21