Day 8

Monday. April 13, 2015

Quinton, VA

I freely confess that Monday was yet another day of finishing all tha many things I had left undone, one of which was my taxes.   Gethsemani called me first thing in morning to confirm my room reservation.  That made my decision to stay home and get caught-up easy.  I told them I was coming but I would be arriving on Tuesday.  So I stayed home to wash clothes, pay bills, finish my correspondence and do my taxes. I had wanted to get an oil change before I traveled.  I called Jim and Scott’s and Jim told me to come on they could squeeze me in. So I went to shop and waited.  While I was there I had the most delightful conversation with a man who like me was waiting for an oil change.  When he left Jim told he was 95.  I couldn’t believe it.   He had more vigor than I did and I would have only guessed him to be in his 70’s.  Our  chat was a nice way to pass the time and helped to slow me down.

As I was leaving the shop, Jim handed me a nickel and said, “Vallerie, I want you to have this nickel to remind you that I will be praying for you every day while your away.”  What a gift!   I felt like I had been given pure gold and in a since I was for there is no greater gift we can give one another than to pray for each other.

I count it all joy,

Pastor Vallerie

of 
Day 7

April 12, 2015

New York City

Riverside Church

I am so proud of The Rev. Dr. Amy Butler. She broke the stain glass ceiling when she was called as Senior Pastor to Riverside Church. Riverside has a rich history of outstanding preacher/pastors and a reputation for working for social justice. While I was in New York, I had hope to hear her preach, but on this Sunday she was away visiting family. The preacher for the day was The Rev. Dr. Robert C. Dykstra.
Dr. Dykstra is a professor at Princeton’s Divinity School.

Dr. Dykstra began his message by sharing a frustration about his electronic devices. The spiral that shows up on a blank page was an annoyance. A technician explained to him that the spiral was not a bug but a feature. This is mantra he repeated throughout his sermon: “It’s not a bug, it’s a feature.” His sermon text was taken from Luke 24. It is the story of Jesus joining two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He spoke about experiencing doubt and fear while at the same time discovering faith and joy in the presence of Risen Christ. He suggested that both are necessary for a genuine faith.

The service was filled with Easter joy! The pipe organ rang out and the choir almost lifted the roof off the ceiling. Although Riverside Church is cathedral like is size and structure, the atmosphere, stain glass windows and congregation reminded us of our home church, Takoma Park Baptist in Washington DC. At the end of the service it was announced that next Sunday the choir would be in the pews and scaffolding would be around the altar. We were glad we came when we did.

Doubt and faith, grief and new life, scaffolding and renovation, crucufixtion and resurrection are all part of life.  Dr. Dykstra got it right, “It’s not a bug, it’s a feature.”

I count it all joy,
Pastor Vallerie

Day 6
Saturday, April 11, 2015 (Liz’s birthday)
The MET Opera

I was childlike. I sat in the front seat next to cab driver chattering all the way. This is my first time…. a lifelong dream.. I can’t believe I am going to a live performance at the MET.
We arrived at Lincoln Center almost an hour before the opera was scheduled to begin. We were attending Verdi’s Don Carlo. The production had been given stellar views. Because we were early, we visited the MET gift shop. I was in heaven.
As we waited in the forger before the ushers allowed us in, I noticed a white slip of paper extending out of my program. The small slip of paper said that the role of Don Carlo will be sung today by Mr. ______because Yonghoon Lee is ill.
The lead role was a substitute. I wondered to myself, when did this tenor get the call. How much time did he have to prepare? What must it be like to asked to come in at the last minute and sing a major operatic role.
By the first intermission I whispered to Sallie, the lead tenor is in trouble. By the second intermission, the rumors were flying that he would be replaced. Before the curtain went up, an announcer came out and said Mr.____is not feeling well but has decided to finish the opera. We ask for your patience.
He finished the opera but his voice was clearly in trouble. At the end when the cast came out for their final bow, he came out last. Most applauded but some choose to boo. I clapped politely.
I remember the first Sunday of January waking up so sick and unable to speak. I called Rev. Bill Corey at 7:3o a.m. and asked if he could preach for me. He did and did it well.
I thank God for those who are willing to put their necks on the line and serve as substitutes.
Pastor Vallerie

Day 5 Part II
Friday, April 10, 2015
New York City
The Rainbow Room

When we began planning our New York City trip, we had hoped to attend a taping of the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. However, we were unable to secure tickets.
Sallie want me to see the Rainbow Room at the top of Rockefeller Center. We knew the Rainbow Room itself was not within our price range so we settled for lounge. The view of the city was magnificent. From our table we saw the Empire State Building from top to bottom. We ordered two beverages and a small cheese plate. It cost my sister over $70.00 for that experience. (Bless her heart.) But she got her revenge and I received a nice memento. Lets just say a certain preacher now writes with a lovely pen that has written on it: Rainbow Room!
Sallie posted our picture from the 65th floor on Facebook.
She learned from Facebook that is was National Sibling’s Day.
Who knew? Or as Sallie said; “Hallmark strikes again!” It couldn’t have been a better way to celebrate.
After we left 30 Rock we visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The church is undergoing renovation and there was scaffolding everywhere. We lit candles for our other siblings (5 brothers) and said prayers for them.
Thanks, Sall, for a wonderful Sibling’s Day!
Pastor Vallerie

Day 5 Part I
Friday, April 10, 2015

The 911 Memorial

On a cloudy,foggy morning we took a cab to Ground Zero. As I walked on the ground where the Twin Towers once stood, I was overwhelmed with emotion. The foundation those two buildings once towered above, has now become a deep sacred space where eternal streams of water flow.
Inside the museum. you move in a downward spiral. One foundational wall remains. Artifacts of all sorts tell the story in human terms…lives lost, families changed forever, and a city and nation shaken to its core. I listened as a NYC fire fighter retold the story of his company whose shattered fire truck was on display. As you continue to descend, you come to a room where you relive that day moment by moment. I was moved to tears as listened to the voices of those who were taken calling their loved ones for the last time to say, I love you.
But the 911 Memorial is also a place of HOPE! On the ground where the towers once stood, there stands the Survivor Tree. This callery pear tree was found damaged but still living in the midst of the rubble. It was taken by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and replanted. When the 911 Memorial was built, it was placed in the ground on the museum site as a symbol of hope. The flowering pear tree is a reminder to all who pass by that evil never has the last word and with Christ, there is always the hope of resurrection.
Pastor Vallerie

Day 4
Thursday, April 9, 2015
New York City

MET of Art
I have always wanted to go. From the time I saw the beautiful Christmas Tree with Neapolitan angels descending from the top pointing to the Nativity Scene in the center, I have longed to see it. But I was simple was not prepared for the beauty and the extent of the collection that is the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It would have taken a week to have seen everything. Sallie, Liz and I only had an afternoon so we took in what we were able. We visit the Renaissance room where the Christmas tree is placed every year. Around the room there were various statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, Each artist portrayed their faces in a unique way. Each one was different,
We went to the French Impressionism rooms. We saw some of the best known paintings by Degas, Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh to name a only a few. It was breath taking.
C. S. Lewis writes that art, literature and music give us a new pair of lens to see the world through and to see beyond ourselves. That was my experience at the MET.
Pastor Vallerie

Day 3
Wednesday, April 24, 2015
Richmond Hill in Richmond, VA

The Laying on of Hands

Our Tuesday Evening Centering Prayer Group shared communion. This was something new for us. It was our way of encouraging Mike and Cindy Edson before they traveled halfway around the world to return to the place where they serve so faithfully. After sharing the Lord’s Supper, our group leader asked those present to place their hands on Mike, Cindy and me while he prayed and share a prayer written by one of our members. They prayed for us and blessed us. Mike and cindy were leaving to go back to ministry. I was leaving to rest and renew for future ministry. Both journeys are sacred.
I felt the Holy Spirit pour over me as my friends placed their hands upon me and spoke words of blessing. I was blessed several times at Emmaus before leaving. The Board of Deacons laid their hands on me and prayed for me. The Pastor Relations Committee did the same. The entire church was invited to place their hands on me as Pastor Mike prayed at the conclusion of our Easter Sunday service.
The Laying on of Hands is an ancient rite which has been practiced by believers since the 1st century. I so grateful for this gift of anointing.
Pastor Vallerie

Day 2 

Tuesday, April 14,  2015 

Mechanicsville, VA

As I began to share the news that Emmaus had been awarded a Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Grant, family and friends all seemed to have the same reaction.  They would say; “Vallerie, you deserve this!”   I would always counter with, “No, I really do not but God is good and I am grateful.”  

I never felt worthy of this grant and the generous opportunity that I was being given. Tuesday morning, I hurriedly cleaned, sorted through sacks of mail and washed clothes.  I was doing all the many personal chores I had left undone.  In the midst of all this, I had a lunch date with my friend, Jerry.  We met at the Peking resturant.  Jerry is very self aware and he shared a powerful story about dealing with his own defense mechanisms.   Then he asked me this haunting question, “What is keeping you from embracing this gift God wants to give you?”  The answer popped out immediately, “I don’t deserve this.” Jerry, gently but firmly, remind me that God loved me abundantly and wanted me to enjoy every moment of his gracious gift to me.  “You DO deserve this!” 

My friend treated me to lunch and when the fortune cookies arrived, I grabbed one but he insisted that we switch cookies.  It turned out to be the right move because his fortune was just right for him and mine was just right for me.  Here is what mine said: “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”  May this gift of time God has so graciously given, strengthen me so that I might change the world for Christ in an ever so gentle way. 

I count it all joy ,

Pastor Vallerie

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