theocracy [θɪˈɒkrəsɪ]
n pl -cies
1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) government by a deity or by a priesthood
2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a community or political unit under such government
theocrat n
theocratic , theocratical adj
theocratically adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003



I make my home in Iowa and right now the TV airwaves are dominated by the Christmas shopping deals of the day and political advertising. 


As friends have pointed out, it feels as though the GOP candidates are running for Pastor-in-Chief.

When other governments are led by a religion different than their own approved brand of Christianity, these same candidates wage war against them for imposing their beliefs on their people and the rest of the world.

Just saying...

Need a little Christmas?

Many years ago, I remember looking across the street with utter disdain at my tacky neighbors who had decked their yard and home with all their Christmas regalia before Thanksgiving. It was certainly beautiful but... Good Lord, it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet, let alone December.
I spent a few days in my puritanical Congregational "you just do not get it, do you?" line of thought, until I met her in the grocery store for that last big shop before Thanksgiving.
"Laura, I'm so excited!"
"Your home looks really lovely right now, all ready for the holidays." I said with the best false voice I could muster...
"I know it's a little early to have it all up and ON, it's not even Thanksgiving and all... but our entire family is coming and we haven't been together for years. We will celebrate Christmas together for the first time in ages. I'm really looking forward to it."
So much for my prissy view of WHEN and HOW we should celebrate Christmas.
In today's UCC Daily Devotional, writer Martin B. Copenhaver says that Christmas is a surprise party, illustrating Mark 13:22-25 from today's lectionary.
Martin writes, "In a way it is unfortunate that we always celebrate Christmas on the same day of the year, because that makes the coming of Christ seem almost predictable. But Christmas is more like a surprise party."
We never know the hour or the day... be ready at anytime so you don't miss it.
I'm an Advent person. I am. This can be a richly transformative time of year for me. I'm very good at waiting. I am extremely patient - anyone who knows me well knows that to be a true fact. And during Advent, I can do all the right things and it still feels anticlimatic on Christmas.
Waiting and patience...

Lately though,  the holiday song on my mind comes from the Broadway musical, "Mame."

Haul out the holly
Put up the tree before my spirit falls again
Fill up the stocking
I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now

For we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute
Candles in the window
Carols at the spinet...

For I've grown a little leaner
Grown a little colder
Grown a little sadder
Grown a little older

And I need a little angel
Sitting on my shoulder
Need a little Christmas now

For we need a little music
Need a little laughter
Need a little singing
Ringing through the rafter

As I have seen more and more houses decorated with holiday lights turned on, Christmas trees in windows...I am reminded that the days are tough. We've grown a little colder, a little sadder, a little older...People need a little hope, a little joy, a little laughter... maybe especially right now. And just because I am an Advent person, doesn't mean that I get it any better than anyone else.

Stripping Away the Layers

Don't we all have stuff? You know, a drawer, a closet, an attic, basement, garage...your heart, your soul...

Our stuff is one of the hallmarks of American life. We overspend, overconsume, and obsess, and we're left with too much stuff crowding our lives. Television programs help us "sort" and "store" and even show us how our stuff can be a psychological disorder when it becomes hoarding and some of us live in filth because we simply cannot let go.

It is said that our internal life can be manifested in how we live. Life coach maven Martha Beck says that our psyches choose and arrange our homes according to our life histories.

I believe this because I have lived this... there is a dumpster in front of my house right now. Dear friends have come in to help me sort it out... Am I holding onto something because it is important or is this one of the things needs to be passed on to someone else who can use or appreciate it. We've created a new verb, "Goodwill it," we say.

Recently at the Iowa Conference United Church of Christ annual meeting, J. Bennett Guess, likened this time in the life of the church as a time of going through the attics and closets of our church and denomination. What do we really need to move forward? Just like going through our own personal things, it is hard. We are attached in many ways both emotionally and spiritually to that which we hold on to at home and at church.

And yes, we will be changed for this effort. There's no doubt that change happens, whether you want it to, or not. Ben says that you simply cannot go through a period of change without changing yourself. A true fact. And that can be just a little more than daunting for some of us.

For me, it has gotten to the place where I have really evaluated everything and pared down. Household stuff, books, clothes, some bad habits...even found that my body is getting smaller.

Our congregation is in the midst of transition. The theory is that when people move to a new house, they go through their stuff so they don't spend money and effort moving what they don't need any longer. Same is true as a congregation evaluates where they have been and where they think they are headed. Lots of closets and attics to go through. Lots of dark corners to shine light into and see what's there. It is hard work and hard to let go of things that we have a strong emotional attachment to. There are good reasons, we might say, for why it is kept away in the dark. It's better just left there...

But it is necessary work. Just as it is good for us to have a good sort and clean at home, in our personal lives, and in our congregations. It's important to have a good look. There are certainly things that need to be brought out, dealt with, and let go. It could be the phrase, "that's the way we've always done it," or "we tried that and it didn't work."

We may also find treasures that are worth dusting off and using again. What's waiting for you?

The honor is mine

On Friday afternoons as others are gearing up for a weekend, I am honored.

Yep. Honored.

I spend time reading to a friend in a retirement community here. I knew him for a few years before a stroke rearranged his mind. No longer can the pastor preach or read. But, he's been every bit as much of a pastor to me than any other I have ever had on my journey.

It was a Friday in mid-March when we first started meeting. On one of the first Fridays, I came to him to read to him and broke down in tears. My husband, from whom I am separated was very seriously ill and being taken to a major hospital from our community hospital. I was facing the reality that my kids' father might not live and how would I handle that.

I imagine in times like these, clergy and spiritual leaders must pray, "Please God, help me to say what you need me to say. Help me to say what they need to hear..."

I had been totally numb until I walked into his room. It was in that moment when I could let down my guard and allow the tears to come. Without saying a word, we prayed, we sat, and he was the presence of God for me. I felt compassion and care. I was pastored.

When I come into his room, we smile and giggle. He whispers a few words and I blather on...

Why am I honored ?

Because I get to read his mail to him. He receives gobs of church newsletters, wonderful cards and letters. We often get misty from the lovely and encouraging things these dear friends write to him. We often laugh until we cry. I do not know any of the people who write to him, but I feel like I do. I enjoy the everyday stories of life that friends share with other friends. It's what real life is. I feel honored to be invited in to share in these moments.

"What if the mightiest word is love?"

My view today was that of love. It was a day to focus on love as much as possible. Not to forget the violence of the week, but to choose love instead.

Today is the Sunday that the church celebrates the baptism of Jesus and ours was no exception. We were offered the chance to remember our own baptism, hard to do if we were baptised as infants, though... Many of us chose to dip our hands once again in the baptismal font and wash our hands or bless ourselves.

My view was that of a young woman coming to the font with her father. She took her hand out of the bowl and rubbed it over his balding head. Her father smiled with nothing but love. It was quite a sight to see them connect in such a way. 

"What if the mightiest word is love?" Elizabeth Alexander 

A song will outlive all sermons in the memory

"A song will outlive all sermons in the memory." Henry Giles

This quote came from Terry Hershey, who used this quote from Giles as a reminder for his clergy friends who are crafting meaningful worship for this week. Hershey is an author and speaker on matters of faith.

The view from the pew is likely a different one than the view from the pulpit for the Christmas Eve homily. For my clergy friends preparing worship, this is one of the big ones of the year. What to say to those twice a year attendees that will make them want to come more often? The sanctuary is usually blessed with many, many more in the pews than on a Sunday in July. This service demands extra attention because it carries a lot of weight in the course of the year. 

I would echo Terry's advice to all my clergy friends planning a moving and heartfelt worship for Christmas Eve. Leave room for the Spirit to move. As wonderful as your words are, as gifted you are with the ability to preach and share the good news, recognize that the presence the person in the pew is seeking comes during the reading of the beloved story, the time-honored carols, the memories that rise from beneath the surface. Its the moment when we all sing "Silent Night" by candlelight at the end that brings the emotions, the hopes and fears, and ghosts of Christmases past. The glow of that light in the face of our growing children, our aging parents, ourselves. On Christmas Eve, most especially, this is the night when the words that are sung are the ones we take into our hearts most readily. 

May the peace of Christ be with you and may you always dare to choose love. 

Sticking with my view from the pew

Nope. 

No, thank you. 

Actually, no, I'm really not. But thank you anyway.

These are my new responses to the question, "Laura! When are you going to seminary?"

Honestly, I have wrestled, analyzed, discerned, prayed, and tried every which way to make myself fit into a box that really and truly looked like it had my name on it. 

Do you have any idea how liberating it is to recognize that it really is NOT a call? Others might be horribly disappointed. I'm not. Really. It hasn't happened yet because it really isn't going to. And that feels very good.

Yes, I can read well from the lectern. I like to write and I'm not bad at leading worship. I enjoy doing it. I LOVE church and I am the biggest non-clergy UCC polity nerd you will ever find. Dare ya. 

This doesn't mean I won't continue working on my Center/Learn studies but do I need to be licensed? I dunno...maybe.  

God knows. And that's enough. 

A Chance to Be Yourself

When you first see the youth gathered for last week's regional youth event, they look like a typical group of midwestern high school students. All shapes, sizes, ethnic backgrounds, abilities, interests, and personalities. Dancers, musicians, theatre students, trekkies, athletes, teens who are popular in their school and those who are not, all came together to participate in a church youth event with other teens from Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. 

Here's the thing:  Everyone fit in here. Ask any of the youth and they will tell you how easy it is to make friends at these events. "People don't judge me here like they do at school." It is a safe place for teens to be themselves. At their age, this is huge. Someone likes me for who I really am, that person I don't share with the rest of the world unless I feel very safe. 

In addition, youth and adults attend workshops on what youth can do to prevent HIV, what it means to be a progressive Christian, how to be a straight ally, wondering if God tweets, and many others. They learned about immigration issues and environmental justice. And at the end of a particularly intense day, they did what more adults should do. They hit the slip n' slide, play volleyball, throw water balloons, and have duels with inflatable swords for hours with kindergarten rules. 

Nicole Havelka and I laughed that in the midst of all the heavy topics of discussion, probably no other topic had as much discussion as who calls it "pop" and who calls it "soda." 

These can be mountain top experiences for many of these youth and the return to reality can be difficult. Making friends is very easy at events like these and saying goodbye to return to what may or not be a positive situation at home can be difficult. But keeping in touch with new friends is very easy these days. All the way home, the youth in my car slept and texted those friends. 

Experiences like these are intense in many ways, spiritually, intellectually, and sometimes physically. Every person I had a chance to visit with was amazing. My dear friend Elizabeth Dilley is very good about stating that the youth of the church are not just the future of the church, they are the present. I reminded them that they are not leaders at some other time, but they are leaders now and they are needed and wanted. My hope is that our churches will see it that way, too, and be open to the ways in which the spirit moves them. 

He's just one of 'The Boys'

When I was growing up, my dad's brother and his family lived a block away. They had three boys. The oldest boy, Steve, was two years older than me, then Mark, then me, and then Chris. When we were kids, they were the closest thing I had to brothers. We were together a lot when we were growing up.

Over the years, we moved on and moved away to college and marriage and children of our own. We only seemed to see each other at funerals. 

Within the last month, we've spent some time at happy family occasions. Their parents had their 50th wedding anniversary and Steve's oldest son got married. It has been wonderful reconnecting with them, getting to know their nearly adult children and watching the next generation get to know each other. 

I've included a link to an article about my cousin Mark and the ministry he founded in Des Moines. Mark is a man of deep faith who is living that out everyday. Congratulations to Mark and all the staff and volunteers who make Freedom for Youth so important for so many. 

Are We There Yet?

I've shared before that Lent is not my favorite season of the church year, but it's working this year. The liturgy of the season is helping focus my mind on the things I need to sort through, edit out, strip down so that I can make room for the good stuff.

We're about halfway into Lent and I'm enjoying the weekly community Lenten services and LUNCH. Like having lunch at Grandma's once a week - church ladies' lunch. Enough said about that. Angel food cake, come on, where else do you get that except a church basement or at Grandma's?

Right now, Lent feels like my neighborhood looks. There's mostly just the bigger piles of snow left and it's warmer, but the sun hasn't really shone in days. It's really very gray out there. The things that have been buried under the snow since December have been unearthed. It's thawed out enough that I can get my Christmas lights out of the shrubs now. The neighbor's blow up Christmas tree. A downspout in the middle of someone's yard. All the things that were covered by two feet of snow for months are now exposed. It's a mess, really.

I'm kind of at that place in my Lenten journey. I've uncovered a lot, and there's still more to go. There's hopeful signs that Easter will come, like the spots of green in the grass and seeing tiny yellow-green daffodils pushing through the mud at Sally's house. But it is muddy, damp, and not very pretty right now.

I'm ready to move on to the next leg of the Lenten journey and this Sunday, that means planting seeds with the children at church. Planting seeds is a way of planting hope. There's no guarantee they will sprout but we certainly hope they will. It's time to start thinking towards the hope of new life on the journey. What are the seeds God is planting in you?

Labyrinth

My experience with walking a labyrinth has been positive. They have all been of the Chartres Cathedral design, circular and large. They've mostly been portable, with the design painted onto canvas and stretched out in a large room. I used to work close to a church that had one painted on their patio which made for a great lunchtime escape.

I had the opportunity to step on one recently at the college student wellness fair in our community. The room that included the labyrinth is a wonderful space, modern design, warm with rich wood, beautiful lighting, and the music fit the walk beautifully.

I started the walk with three other young men. They just wanted to be done and were almost hurrying through the curves of the labyrinth. They did not like meeting each other or their paths coming too close to each other. They were clearly uncomfortable with the process and one actually asked another about a short cut...I said there was a shortcut, he could simply step off the mat. But he kept going without waivering from his path.

There were a few new students who joined the labyrinth as I spent time in the center. Meeting each other, passing each other's path, all parts of walking our journey on the labyrinth. By the time I finished, there were nearly ten others walking the labyrinth - more than I have ever experienced on the labyrinth at one time. A young woman walking backwards. Two others in the center in silence. Others dancing in and out of each other's paths. The energy was amazing. I walked out of the labyrinth energized and tingling from the experience. The students were much younger than I. In fact, I am very aware of the fact that I am old enough to be a mother to a college student. I clearly soaked up their warmth and energy that affected me for a couple of days.

Wrestling with the journey in the beginning, finding some peace in the center, a new awareness of the turns and twists brings me to the end of the journey with an energy and often feeling lighter than I did when I stepped into the labyrinth...

Broken and Whole, All are Welcome

I don't normally get a lot of time in worship on Sunday mornings. It all depends on where the children's message is in the order of things. Today, it was really a good 30 minutes or so into the service, which doesn't often happen.

As I sat there, I got to thinking about today's view from the pew. What I saw made me feel very good. Families, wonderful and unique. Single parents and their children. Two moms and their children, sitting with their chosen family. Children interspersed, quietly engaged in activity, all sharing snacks. Everyone feeling comfortable.

Directly in front of me were a father and son I enjoy sitting near. The father is older, and his twenty-something son has special needs and limited communication skills. The son loves music and enjoys being in worship. He takes his father's hand and brings it to his head, wanting his father to stroke his short hair. The father lovingly does so. A few moments go by and the son puts his hand to his father's head and returns the gesture and says, "Dad." I felt the lump rise in my throat and the tears to my eyes.

When they sit in front of me, I am an intimate witness to the father singing hymns to his son, holding his hand during prayer, or serving him Communion.

Coming to worship, being accepted for who we are with all that makes us unique Children of God is comforting and peaceful for me. Today's view from the pew was all that.

Are you a "closet Christian?"

This essay by Ada Calhoun was printed at Salon.com on Monday, Dec. 21, 2009.

Well said, Ada. Can you relate?

"Because you're in the public eye and God knows you need to look good."

Oh, thank you, thank you LiturgyGeek for introducing me to "Beauty Tips for Ministers!" This is Glamour magazine for thinking girls. I adore this blog.

The writer, PeaceBang, gives beauty advice, and how to walk that appearance line for women in any profession, really. Clergy are rather scrutinized in their personal appearance, most especially women. Men can raise their outward profile tremendously by putting on a tie. Even with ratty jeans, a tie raises the bar for men. No equivalent for women, really.

But beyond beauty tips and advice, all done in a wonderfully fun and girly spirit, PeaceBang reminds those who work for the church and ultimately for God, that this is hard work. Taking care of one's self is so important.

I'm taking an online course to learn how to take an online course... One of the men was sharing that he needs to take better care of himself. The birth of his baby girl, along with his other young daughters, reminded him that he needs to take care of himself to be able to care and raise them. Most of the students in this online class are serving a church part-time for little or no salary. We are beginning our formal education to be licensed lay pastors.

It's the same mentality they use on airplanes when the cabin pressure drops... you know, if you are traveling with someone who needs your assistance, put your mask on first and then help them.

LiturgyGeek's post this week entitled, "Sabbath Rant" uses time-management, or lack thereof, to speak to the all-important issue of self-care...

Join me this week, in finding ways to take a moment for ourselves, to do something just for us. If you have time for nothing else in the midst of it all, simply take five minutes to just rest and let God love you. And to work your lipstick shade as an accessory.

An Advent Poem

First Coming

God did not wait till the world was ready,
till nations were at peace,
God came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.

God did not wait for the perfect time,
God came when the need was deep and great.
God dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. God did not wait.

til hearts were pure. In joy God came
to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame,
God came, and God's Light would not go out.

God came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh,
the Maker of the stars was born.

We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
God came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!

~ Madeleine L'Engle

a new year begins...

A new church year, that is. I'm so excited! Advent is here!

I know, it's odd that I have had such anticipation for THE liturgical season of anticipation. But I love Advent. I love how well the early church glommed on to the winter solstice traditions already in place. (Yes, friends, December 25 isn't actually Jesus' birthday.) How they used the darkest time of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere) and made it into a metaphor for light and how the darkness did not overcome it.

I can embrace the themes of hope, joy, love, and peace. I get that.

Advent has never been embraced by the general public, mercifully, like Christmas has. We don't want to wait. Our preparations are for our homes, our shopping lists, our greeting cards... but when was the last time you prepared your heart for Christmas?

Annually, the old argument comes to life from those who adamantly state that we should say of course say"Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays." This is His Season, isn't it? I would suggest that with all the shopping and buying and Santa and reindeer, simply saying, "Merry Christmas" does not automatically bring Jesus into the picture. I have probably agreed with WalMart management only once, and that's when they said they would focus on Christmas as a winter holiday. Shopping has zero to do with Christmas.

Maybe that's why I enjoy Advent. One cannot go out and buy it. It must be experienced. And that's a daunting thing. That means we really do have to open our hearts to realize that Jesus was born to teenagers who were unwed and homeless. This means that we really do need to think about God's unconditional love there for every one, people we love, people we agree with, people who get under our skin, people we cannot stand...even each of us. Some of us don't want to even open ourselves to let God love us. Advent and Christmas push us to do just that.

I know. Holiday cocktail parties and putting a little extra into the Salvation Army Kettle feels much better than opening my heart to God. What if God doesn't like me?

This week, it's about hope. What is your heart hoping for? My guess is that your heart is hoping for something you can't buy.

"Love floods us with hope." ~ Jareb Teague

Look up and see what you are missing...

I was recently challenged to note something daily on my Facebook update that I am thankful for and to encourage others to think about the abundance in their lives when it is so easy to think about what is not enough.

My spiritual director sent me a link to Terry Hershey's website and I love it. Terry encourages us all to experience the sacred present, something I have to work diligently to do. This week's post includes a prayer taken from the Jewish tradition.

Days pass and the years vanish, and we walk sightless among miracles. Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing. Let there be moments when your Presence, like lightning, illuminates the darkness in which we walk. Help us to see, wherever we gaze, that the bush burns, unconsumed. And we, clay touched by God, will reach out for holiness and exclaim in wonder, "How filled with awe is this place and we did not know it."

How true this is for me! How easy it is in our over-scheduled lives to feel successful when we simply get through the day. And how sad. I see so many who are crippling themselves with despair who seem to be walking through life just watching one foot go in front of the other. Doing just what they need to get by. And the next thing they know, years have gone by and all they've done is walked sightless among miracles.

The miracle of watching children grow. The miracles of deep friendships. The miracle of simply enjoying a sunrise or having one's health. November is our "official" time of giving thanks, but this is something to do everyday. Reframe your view. You may be very surprised to see the miracles happening before your eyes every day.

Resurrection...

Yes, I know. It's the last few weeks of Pentecost, not Eastertide. But it's been forever since I did ANYTHING here. I guess I thought that my View from the Pew was pretty separate from my view from the porch. Nope. If anything, my views are sort of like a stereo-opticon. Maybe your grandparents had one of those things that had two identical photos on a postcard that you put into a viewer that looked a little like open binoculars. It's called a stereo-opticon. (Aren't you impressed I know that? I am.)

The views from the porch and the pew are looking rather similar these days because since I started the blogs, my work life has changed. I'm now in the pew, as a member of church staff. That's right, I'm on God's payroll (thanks Liturgy Geek for the reference!)

So here's to breathing new life into something that needed to be resurrected. Back on the path!

Conflict and church communities

I often hear people refer to a congregation as a "church family." For some that may conjure feelings of security, belonging, or being with like-minded people. For others, the word, "family" brings up a lot of other issues that may not be very affirming.

Entire careers have been spent researching and analyzing family systems and their impact on congregations. Congregations do act like a family, for better and for worse.

That's why, when conflict arises, we seem to react in a similar way that we would with members of our own family. Some of us can have an open discussion in a positive way. Some of us will talk to everyone except those they have a problem with. And some will just avoid the conflict altogether and pretend everything is just fine.

It's not that conflict is necessarily bad. Some things need to be challenged. "The way we've always done things before" is one of those things that could probably use a challenge.

It's how we handle conflicts when they arise that can show how things can be worked through in a church community. It is our responsibility to speak out when wrongs have been done and when others have not be treated in a spirit of love or concern. How we treat each other when there is conflict says a lot about us as a church community. Unfortunately, many of us have no idea that how we relate to our family of origin is often how we treat other similar "families." And so we don't always keep Christ in our relations - turning the other cheek, loving our neighbor, and forgiving seventy times seven. We act out the script we've been using all along and wondering why conflict seems to follow us.

Can't we all just get along?

One of the biggest things that drive people away from church is conflict. Sure, there's conflict just about everywhere, but when church is trying to hold up the vision that "another world is possible," it's hard to hear the message when that's not what's being demonstrated. Some may believe that of all places where conflict would not be expected is church.

Many seek refuge in church, in a worship or an educational experience that may show us the better side of humanity. A chance to getaway from the difficult relationship, the unfulfilling job, or the seeking for something more to life. And what do they find?

Actions speak louder than words...