final benediction for Apostles

As the family of our Living God,
may you know God as absolute Father,
and yourselves as His true children and cherished posession.

Being sure of this,
my hope is that you would not hesitate
to redeem the time given to you,
viewing all things through the mirror of eternity,
holding all things loosely
that you may not miss out on the adventure of life in Christ.

My hope is that prayer would be the pulse of Apostles Church,
both the initiator and response for the amazing things that God would do.

And together, as a Community of Faith
may you strive to keep your hearts aflame, courageous, and restless
to discover new depths to the love of Christ
To keep your ears open to the wisdom of His voice,
and your wills softened to the working of His hands.

May your inmost desires, aspirations and thoughts be fixed
on how to defend life,
witness light,
and live out love without reservation.

May God do this for the purpose of your joy
and to the resounding glory of His great name. Amen!

end scene

I'm a mere 4 days away from packing up my manhattan life and trucking out to Boston. Or should I say, Bahstan with a soft a. And when I say Bahston, I really mean South Hamilton. That's where Gordon-Conwell is. I hope I'm ready for this. I know that I'm excited-and maybe this excitement has blurred the indistinguishable emotions of leaving this city and people that have become home. It could be that I'm tired of just talking about it and need to just do it. Rip it off like a band aid. I have a feeling, though, that I will get there and it will hit me. That sick feeling in your stomach that you've left your big relationships that took so long to build, the loud streets and construction that you always complain about, but over time has become comforting. You'll remember those incredible summer days that are quite nice as long as you stay above ground. The days you spent frolicking in brooklyn. You'll miss the chocolate chip pancakes at Tom's Restaurant and how much they were worth the wait in line. You'll remember the day you spent riding bikes with your friends all over Manhattan and twice over the brooklyn bridge, and how it was an August day, but it was in the 70's and beautiful. You will even miss the long rides on the A train with your roommate to the free beach at Far Rockaway and how you couldn't get enough of the fish tacos from Rockaway tacos. You'll think of your church, recalling the first time you walked into the doors to the double tree ballroom so long ago, and how you had no clue how much that day would influence the next 4 years of your life. You'll think about the people who have helped to shape you over this time, encouraged you along the way, prayed for you. It's going to be sad and difficult to start that process all over again, but you'll remember how God got you there. You'll look back on every tiny and big way he provided for you and all through the hands of His people. He's ready to do something new with you.

So, over the next few days I will prepare to rip the band aid off and flee this nest (to be so cliche). Thanks for keeping up with me as I've traveled through the ups and downs of doing life in NYC. I invite you to come along with me to Boston. Let's see where this all leads.

Benediction 3

Stand up, oh Church, shake off your fears,
Continue on the pilgrim's course,
Renounce all earthly comforts,
Which moth and rust destroy,
And girded with the Holy Spirit and the gospel-armor on,
March through the gates outside the camp,
Where our great Captain-Savior's gone.

With the cross of Christ lifted over us,
May we journey in its light,
For the crown awaits the conquest,
Lead us on Oh God of might!

Benediction from Sunday, June 13

She knows now...

Do you remember that guileless girl with the wide eyes
23 and restless for something new

the city was a planet of possibilities
unpredictable and refreshing in so many ways
a welcomed change

she didn’t know then
that the island would devour her and woo her
break her heart
and tether it on a short leash

she didn’t know

Now she sits on her hand-me-down Ikea sofa
In her loft apartment overlooking the filthy, humid street
thinking about June,

And how two and a half months remain

Go slowly, June
Her bucket list is too long
And September looms and lures

Benediction 2

As the children of God
Let the love of Christ constrain us
To love not secretly, but bravely
To be content with little, that we may give much
To be put to doing and to suffering
To be exalted, or brought low
To freely and heartily yield all things
All for the pleasure and glory of King Jesus.

Benediction from Sunday, June 6

Benediction

As we share in Christ,
Let us exhort one another while we still have today,
Confident in our faith and boasting in our hope,
Attentive to the voice of our God,
And keeping our hearts free of the deceitfulness of sin,
That we may enter the promised rest,
In the revelation and deliverance found in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Execption to the Rule

It had been two years since I last was in Monroe with my family, sharing Thanksgiving together. I’d missed them.

I got to return this year, and re-visit familiar smells, accents, and stories. It felt so good to hug my Gran and Grandaddy and tell them how much I love them. My cousins are all grown up and are at the age where they enjoy taking care of my niece and nephews the way I used to take care of them.

Cousin Ian is not a teenager anymore. He lives a train ride away from me (getting his art degree at Sarah Lawrence) and we lamented how we have to travel all the way to Monroe to actually see each other. We promised we’d make an effort to change that.

His sister Claire left nyc (and the dream of acting) a couple months ago and has been frolicking in Scotland with her grandparents, enjoying her mother’s roots. I missed her at Thanksgiving, and miss her now.

It was good to see Auntie Allison. Donning a fresh scar on the right side of her face that forms a backward 7 from the edge of her eye to mid-cheek, she brings new meaning to the term “hard-core.” Her accident with the tree and the fall that broke her thumb is not enough to keep her off the bike. She’s committed to what she loves; I like that about her.

I came across a green binder with my name on it our first night there. Inside, I found all my blog posts printed out in order. My mom told me that gran takes them with her to share with her bridge club. I nearly cried. “My gran is proud of me.”

My mom’s cousin Barbara joined us this year, adding a new twist to our family traditions. She said the reason she wanted to come was because she read my post about my last Harkey Thanksgiving . I hope it lived up to her expectations. We all enjoyed her company. She got to witness the intense scrabble and board games, the clashing of rivalries in the UT/A&M game, and community naps. In honor of tradition, Uncle Matt prepared the bonfire on the levy in which we snacked on S’mores and sang every ridiculous camp song we could think of, as loud as we could.

My favorite moment of the whole weekend by far was when the entire family circled up to pray around the living room, holding hands. Before I bowed my head, I took note of what an incredible gift this was. Twenty plus people, who love each other so much, and share a strong love for the Lord, giving thanks to Him who made them family.

I’m aware this is not the norm, and I’m so grateful we Harkeys are an exception to the rule