Dear Rose Park,
So much has happened in the past several months. Schedules have been drastically altered. Organizations have been creative in how to keep moving forward. Businesses have changed their model on how to keep doors open and manage risk. Churches have had to re-imagine what worship looks like from a distance. Our vision and expectation of societal structures (i.e. schools, businesses, churches, etc.) are changing and the Reformed Church in America is not exempt from that change.
Dear Rose Park,
Have you ever heard the phrase “idle hands are the devils workshop”? It’s a phrase I can remember being uttered at my grandparent’s home during the summer. Every summer I would visit Grandpa and Grandma Brinks in Kalamazoo, MI. They had a white house that sat at the end of Circlewood Drive. I would stay up late and watch cowboy movies (or good guy and bad guy movies as Grandpa called them), eat too much popcorn in the basement, hit too few golf balls at Milham Park Golf Club, and then undoubtedly spend time working with Grandpa in the lawn. It seemed as if he always saved projects for when I was visiting. Some days we would replace sod in his front lawn, other times I would edge along the curb and pull weeds in the garden but, on the best of days we would spend time caring for the small putting green he manicured in his backyard. Regardless of the project, my hands were rarely idle when I was with Grandpa and Grandma.
Dear Rose Park,
One of my favorite authors is C.S Lewis. Lewis wrote in a variety of genres. He had theological works, children’s stories, and even science fiction on his resume. One book in particular that I’ve found helpful in ministry is entitled, “On Grief.” In this work, he reflects on the death of his wife Helen. He writes, “I dread the moments when the house is empty. If only they would talk to one another and not to me”…”And no one ever told me about the laziness of grief…Not only writing but even reading a letter is too much. Even shaving. What does it matter now whether my cheek is rough or smooth? They say an unhappy man wants distractions - something to take him out of himself. Only as a dog-tired man wants an extra blanket on a cold night; he’d rather lie there shivering than get up and find one.”
Dear Rose Park,
This coming weekend our country celebrates its’ freedom. July 4 marks the date of the Declaration of Independence signifying freedom from tyranny and oppression. We celebrate this holiday with fireworks, hot-dogs on grills, and sitting by the pool. Why we celebrate our independence in this way, I’m not exactly sure. Nevertheless we celebrate our freedoms and we give thanks to those who have continuously fought for those freedoms. Unfortunately, not all of us are free.
Dear Rose Park,
One of my favorite books is entitled, “Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, & Finding the Church” by Rachel Held Evans. Evans’ writing style has a bit of Garrison Keillor, Barbara Brown Taylor, & the Gospel of John all wrapped together. She’s witty, clever, thought provoking, and sincere. In one particular chapter she describes a conversation with a young man named Andrew who is excited about his upcoming baptism. She writes, “‘I honestly never thought I’d get baptized,’ Andrew confessed as he studied his half of the brownie. ‘I didn’t think I’d ever be good enough.’
Dear Rose Park,
Lately, Simon has been asking the question ‘why?’ As in, “why do I have to take a nap?” or “why do I have to take a bath?” or even “why do I have to drink milk?” In the beginning Sam and I tried to offer a highly educational and reasonable answer. Very quickly we realized this was useless because our thoughtful response was simply met with another “why?” Sam and I have now begun to respond with a simple, “because I said so.” This isn’t said with any sort of meanness or even an aggressive tone. At this point “because I said so” is the easiest and simplest explanation.
Dear Rose Park,
I’d imagine many of you have been watching the news lately. If you’re anything like me, this typically happens in the morning while drinking a cup of coffee and munching on a piece of toast. Like clockwork, the Waterstone children are awake at 6:30am almost every day. Winnie has her morning bottle and Simon will snack on cheerios as the news cycles on our television. A few days ago, Simon saw someone getting hurt on the news while a fire was burning in the background and the sounds of sirens filled the air. He looked at me with curiosity in his eyes and said, “what’s happening Daddy?” I stood there and simply said, “I don’t know.”
Dear Rose Park,
Six days ago I spread top-soil all over my backyard. Five days ago I tossed grass seed all over the top-soil. Every day since then I’ve been watering the soil just as the bag of seed instructed me. After checking every single day since I spread the seed, I saw the tips of new grass coming through the soil yesterday morning. It’s the simple things in life that bring such great pleasure.
Dear Rose Park,
I can remember one of my most favorite parts about going to the mall or the airport as a kid was getting to ride on the escalator. Don’t get me wrong, walking up stairs or hopping into the elevator is just as useful, but there was something so fun about watching the steps move as you held onto the handrail and ascended to the next floor. We don’t typically use the word ‘ascend’ in today’s language, but the concept of ascension is very important to the Christian faith; in fact, this coming Sunday is Ascension Sunday.
