Change is all around; can you feel it? The heavy and somber season of Lent has been replaced with the light and joy of Easter! More and more people throughout the country are getting vaccinated, which is allowing for glimmers of normalcy. It has been touching to read about the grandparents who are finally able to travel and visit their grandchildren, some for the first time. And, for many of us, springtime changes, the bursting forth of the beautiful trees and flowers, has meant always having a tissue box close at hand!

Change is always happening all around us… good change, fun change, painful change, unexpected change, unknown change. Sometimes, we are able to anticipate it before it happens, and other times, we are blindsided by it. Experiencing change is part of what it means to be human; however, how we adjust and adapt (or not) to change significantly impacts our overall health and wellbeing (as individuals, communities, and beyond).

I find that the fifty-day Eastertide season, in which, as I write this, we are on day six, is a wonderful time to reflect on the various changes that are taking place in our lives and how are we being moved to respond. This liturgical season is a reminder that, through Christ’s death and resurrection, our lives were, and are forever, changed. How do we adequately respond to this amazing good news?

In addition to reflecting on change and movement as it relates to Easter, Travis and I have been experiencing these themes physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as we packed up our belongings in Decatur, GA, at the end of February and moved to Murrysville, PA (20 miles east of Pittsburgh). 

Leaving Decatur was bittersweet. It was the place where we had lived the longest as a married couple. It was there where Travis and I felt called by God to establish HSHC. It was there where we had established many wonderful relationships. 

Yet, it was also there, after much prayer and discernment with others, that we felt God calling us to move to Murrysville, PA, so that Travis could become Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church’s next associate pastor and so that I could continue to develop and expand the outreach of HSHC.

In the midst of all of our recent changes and new beginnings, one of the scripture passages that helped us stay grounded (moving is stressful enough even without COVID… yikes!) is Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” While we are starting to settle into our new home and community and are excited to be here, we are both a bit anxious as to how the next chapter of our lives is going to unfold. However, knowing the consistency of God’s love, in and through what Christ did for us, gives us great comfort.

During this season of new beginnings and change, we want to invite you to reflect on the following questions:

• How do you feel about change right now? Are you ready for it? Fearful of it? Exhausted by it? Something else? 
• What does it mean to you that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever? 
• “Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have—and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up.” – James Belasco and Ralph Stayer, Flight of the Buffalo (1994)  Do you agree or disagree with this quote? Why?
• Do you feel God calling you to make some sort of change (big or small)? 
• Where do you find God in the midst of change?

Peace, 

Karen and Travis Webster 
HSHC Co-founders

January 2020 – Happy New Year and welcome to ordinary time! Ordinary time? While vaccinations are starting to be distributed and hope is on the horizon, sheltering in place, social distancing, and wearing masks are still expected. If that is what is considered ordinary, no thank you! 

Ok, no, things are clearly not back to “normal” yet, but we have circled back to the liturgical time of the year that is called “Ordinary Time” and today is actually day two in ordinary time. It is the time of year that is not directly connected with either the Christmas or Easter seasons (second week in January through the start of Lent as well as the days after Easter through the beginning of Advent). So the meaning of “ordinary” comes from the ordinal numerals by which the weeks have been identified as opposed to how we might feel about our present circumstances. 

I don’t know about you, but even in previous years, when we were not faced by the challenges of COVID, this time of year between Christmas and Lent has always felt strange to me. Living in between the time of joy and celebration of Christ’s birth and the excitement of the New Year followed a few short weeks later by a season of penance and fasting during Lent. It feels a bit like some sort of spiritual and emotional whiplash. Given this tension I experience in “normal ordinary times,” I found myself pondering, “Is there something I can do this year to approach this ordinary time differently?” 

I found myself drawn to a piece I read years ago by author Kathleen Norris. In“The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy, and Women’s Work,” Norris begins by defining “quotidian” as that which occurs every day; belonging to every day; commonplace, ordinary [1].” She goes on to discuss the challenges that can arise when “the daily routines that provide a modicum of discipline in our lives are perceived as a drag, a monotony that can occasion listlessness, apathy, and despair [2].”

I don’t know about you, but, yes, I’m tired of not being able to interact with others without fearing that “I” or “they” could make each other sick. Yes, I’m tired of trying to make plans, but then having to cancel them due to COVID. I’m tired of… fill in the blank… and quite frankly my patience is starting to wear thin! She then goes onto write, “Just when daily life seems most unbearable, stretching out before me like a prison sentence, when I seem more dead inside, reduced to mindlessness, bitter tears or both, that what is inmost breaks forth, and I realize that what has seemed ‘dead time” was actually a period of gestation [3].” 

During this ordinary time, I want to challenge us all to consider how God is using this time to birth something new within us – as individuals, in our communities, and in our world! Given all of the possibilities, I’d say we are truly living in an extraordinary ordinary time!

Peace and blessings be with you during this extraordinary time and beyond! 

Karen Webster 

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV) 

Photo by Murray Campbell on Unsplash

[1] Norris, Kathleen. The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy, and “Women’s Work”. New York: Paulist Press, 1998, preface.
[2] Ibid, p. 6. 
[3] Ibid, p. 10.

November 2020 – Last month, Travis and I had the opportunity to “unplug from technology” for several days by staying at my family’s little cabin in the woods in northern California. The cabin is modern enough to provide the comforts of electricity and hot water (thankfully!), but rustic enough that there is neither TV nor internet and, in order to make a cell phone call or send and receive email messages, one must walk about a quarter of a mile down the road and hope that it is not too windy or too cloudy. 

Something we did this past trip that I have never done during my whole time going to our cabin (almost 45 years!) was to sit still on my favorite log in the meadow behind our cabin long enough to watch the sunset behind the mountains. It was so fun that we did this not just once but on several occasions! In the past, I had been accustomed to going out to the meadow, but only for a few moments; I would briefly pause and enjoy the amazing beauty that surrounded me, quickly reflecting on the changes that had taken place in my life over the previous year, before hurrying back to the cabin so that I could get in a quick game of horseshoes or a few swings at the whiffle ball before it got too dark and/or I had to go inside to help with the next meal. 

The result of pausing? The opportunity to hear a silence that is loud with life! 

So often, when we think of or hear the word “silence,” we imagine “a lack of sound or noise,” which is natural, since that is the technical definition of “silence.” However, in being silent (not speaking or moving), Travis and I found that the “noise and constant chatter” in our minds were quieted long enough for our other senses to be awakened. In the silence of the meadow, we: 

● Heard the autumn trees gently “clapping their hands” in the late afternoon breeze as the frogs croaked.

● Saw cobwebs drifting across the sky, insects dancing, birds soaring, and the shadow of the mountain gradually bringing about nighttime rest from the fullness of the day’s activities.

● Felt the temperature drop drastically and suddenly, reminiscent of what it was like experiencing the full solar eclipse several years ago. 

● Experienced the subtle changes in the scent of the meadow as the fragrance of the dry grasses baking in the afternoon sun transitioned to a sweet earthiness that rose from the soil as twilight set in. 

Silence can sometimes lead us to a sense of emptiness and loss because we are so used to being surrounded by noise (both internal and external). Yet, the silence we experienced was far from feeling empty. Rather, in the silence, we were spiritually refreshed and physically rejuvenated as we sat surrounded by the company of God’s creation. Right now, there are many who are experiencing a great sense of “loneliness,” while others are longing for some “alone” time, especially for those whose residences are serving as home + office + school + gym + church + entertainment venue + other. 

Whatever your situation, we want to encourage you to pause for some silence and perhaps reflect on the following questions: 

● For those who find silence uncomfortable: take some time to observe the richness that can come from silence. What new things do you see, smell, taste, feel, etc.? 

● For those who yearn for some silence: consider creating intentional times and spaces for silence. If you are in a crowded home, this may take some negotiation and creativity, but it is well worth the effort! 

Peace, 

Karen and Travis Webster
HSHC Co-founders

September 2020 – As with many of you, this past summer continued, for me, to be nothing at all like what I had expected or envisioned at the beginning of 2020… trips and plans were canceled and interactions with others were restricted to online gatherings. While I am thankful for the virtual option, it does not, and nor should it, compare with enjoying in-person community with others! 

One of my biggest disappointments involved the 124th annual Boston Marathon, which I was supposed to have run on April 14, 2020. I found out that I had qualified for the race in September 2019 (by only 13 seconds!) and started to train in earnest at the beginning of January 2020. By mid-March, I was well on track to hit the personal goals I had set for myself. At that point, the reality of COVID caused the world to come to a screeching halt, and all of my “hard work” quickly came to an end. 

Yes, the Boston Marathon was quickly rescheduled for September 14th , meaning that, in theory, I would restart my training at the beginning of June. However, by mid-spring, I knew in my heart that this was not going to happen. I was not going to be able to run in one of the world’s premier races, and who knew if I would ever be able to qualify again? Yes, I was aware that not being able to participate in the Boston Marathon was quite minor in comparison to the number of people who were dying (and would die), as well as the devastating impact COVID was having, and would continue to have, on the world (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially, and more). Thus, when the September 14th inperson race date was officially cancelled at the end of May 2020 and replaced by a “virtual” race, I thought I was fairly at peace with what had happened. “Really, it is no big deal; it’s just a race,” I told myself and others. 

And yet, the moment the registration for the “virtual” race became an option, I quickly signed up because, truth be told, I discovered that my pride was at stake! If I ran the 26.2 miles (anywhere I wanted) between September 5-14, 2020, I would complete something to which I had committed. Plus, I would receive the t-shirt and racing bib I would have received if I had completed the “real” race back in April. Yes, it is amazing what one will do for a tshirt. What is even more amazing is the lesson I learned from God in the process! 

Now, one might think that training for a “virtual” race would be easier than training for a “real” in-person race, because the pressure of racing against others would no longer be a factor. I just needed to complete the race. However, what I discovered several weeks into training for the virtual race is that, when I thought that I didn’t have the accountability to anybody or anything, not only did my training suffer, but this attitude generally impacted other aspects of my life. For example, cutting corners by running fewer miles, getting less sleep, or not stretching as much was mirrored in putting off calling a friend, not cleaning the house as thoroughly, or neglecting to weed the garden. I found that the sense of hopelessness and anger COVID had instilled in my training was like a fog, seeping into every other aspect of my life. 

About a month ago, on the day I set out to do my longest training run for the race, I left the house mad… mad because the weather was miserably hot and humid (after all, it was August in Georgia!), mad when I ran by others because they had no idea how far I had to run or why I was putting myself through all of this, mad at myself for being mad…until I passed by another runner who simply smiled and said, “You’ve got this!” 

At that very moment, my attitude noticeably changed, from one of anger and frustration to a sense of calming peace. In fact, I found God’s small, quiet voice saying to me, “Karen, you know that what you do matters to you, to others, and to me. Even when you think no one is watching, you know that I am with you.” That led me to think about what kind of steward I was being, with my body, soul, time, attitude, money, and more, during this continued period of disruption, a time when we yearn for just an inkling of normalcy in our lives. By the time I got back from my 20-mile run, I was physically exhausted, but emotionally and spiritually renewed. September starts the beginning of the new school year (in whatever form that is taking in your area!). Even though I have been out of school for a while, I find this season still brings with it a sense of expectation and beginning, and invites me to take stock and reflect. 

In that spirit, I want to challenge us all to consider: 

• What are some things we are currently doing “in secret” that are not glorifying to God, neighbor, or self? 

• What are some ways that we can love God more fully, neighbor more fully, and self more fully – not only bringing honor and glory to God and without drawing attention to ourselves, but also instilling greater joy and peace in our own lives? 

As my fellow runner told me on that hot August day, “You’ve got this!” Indeed, especially in the face of ongoing challenges, let’s take these words to heart. You’ve got this. I’ve got this. By God’s grace, together, we’ve all got this. 

Peace,
Karen Webster

“I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.”

Jeremiah 17:10

Introducing HSHC’s Summer 2020 Intern – Lucas Mburu!

June, 2020 – Lucas will be working with us part-time in partnership with Columbia Presbyterian Church, which is located across the street from HSHC’s office, and Columbia Theological Seminary (Decatur, GA).

Snapshot Bio

Home Country: Kenya

Studying: This fall, Lucas will be a second-year student in the Master of Arts in Theological Studies program at Columbia Theological Seminary, emphasis on the New Testament.

Family: His wife Eunice, daughter Grace (13 years old), and son Timothy (8 years old).

Personal Statement: Each human is God’s work in progress, whom God created “sovereign,” able to imagine and create meaningfulness in their environment for flourishing.

Vision: To build a community that lives into this “sovereignty.”

Mission: To live my call, passion, training, analytical, and stewardship potential by exercising love, faithfulness, professionalism, and ethical conducts in communicating God’s love to humans in their day-to-day matters, for the glory of God.

Slogan: Doing good to as many people as I can, in as many ways as I can, in as many places as I can, and as often as I can.

June, 2020 – “Why does it always seem to take our world being turned upside down before we recognize ourselves in each other? . . . A thoughtful reflection written by a Lenten Challenge participant & HSHC supporter Ann M. Frensley.

The Lenten Challenge was timely for me and affirmed much in my spiritual journey of the past two years. While it is easier for me to avoid the difficult questions, to even deny the necessity of them, what I learned by staying with those questions during this season of Lent is significant. I prayed for deeper discernment and wanted to reflect with greater intention on the questions. I did not want to throw down rote responses.

What did my relationships look like? Did they feel authentic? Had I been authentic, i.e., honest, patient, present, vulnerable, forgiving? God knows I lack patience sometimes, especially with family. I thought I knew what to expect by asking for deeper discernment. Ha! After reading the daily reflections, I wrote them in my journal to revisit later. I was surprised by my responses as the prayer for depth began to open up to me. But I was uncomfortable. It had not always been easy to be honest with my thoughts and feelings, even to myself. I experienced life differently from others.

The Challenge offered an opportunity to be authentic, my true self before God, my family, and friends. It might be too much to ask from me. Could I allow myself to be vulnerable, answer honestly, even to myself? The ugly and uninvited, vicious and deadly coronavirus thrust itself into the midst of Lent, taunted and dared me to reexamine my relationships and my responses to the Lenten Challenge with more urgent intention. The cause and effect that the pandemic was having on so many lives was affecting me, my community, and the entire world. The event was expanding exponentially and holding humanity emotionally hostage. Why was this happening? How long will we have to be separated? Life will surely be different. But how? No answers. Doubts? Many. I missed my weekly interactions with people I had come to know and was aware of how much I had relied on facial expressions, gestures, and body language in conversations. Visual cues and tone of voice do not exist in emails and texts. Virtual face-to-face encounters are helpful and can brighten my day, but nothing compares with the actual presence of a loved one, a friend, a confidante. It has not been easy for me to accept the loss of physical presence, and I grieve it like a death. Whatever the pandemic serves up, I can still choose how to respond, but I’ve had a hard time with that.

The unexpected has burdened me with many questions. How can I communicate with others in a clearer and more conscious way? How can I create new ways to be present from a distance and celebrate meaningful moments of intimacy in my relationships, and for how long? What’s next? Why me? Why us? Why now? Can I manage to be kinder to myself? Maybe the seasons of Lent and Pandemic occurred together so I can appreciate how fragile and interconnected my relationships are. I must celebrate them now in as many imaginative and creative ways as possible. Why does it always seem to take our world being turned upside down before we recognize ourselves in each other?

Easter was celebrated differently this year, and I celebrate the Resurrection from a new perspective. I have another chance to renew my relationships, soften tough scars, forgive and be forgiven, reconcile with and be kinder to others and to myself. I continue to hold the questions with no answers in tension with hope and the expectation of clarity.

In Letters to a Young Poet, Rainier Maria Rilke wrote, “…be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and… try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”

Ann M. Frensley April 2020

June, 2020 – Anna Grace Clauch, HSHC intern, interviewed Maggie Burgess, a seminarian spouse who originally hails from Wyoming. She is passionate about health equity, immigration, and coffee. Maggie has worked a variety of positions in the non-profit sector and is involved on campus with the HSHC small group and SAGE (CTS students group) community garden. Here is what she said when I asked her about her experience with HSHC this past semester…

Small-Group Participant Maggie Burgess
“Attending HSHC’s small group each month was a breath of fresh air — a much-needed time of honest conversation and new perspectives on daily living. I felt welcomed as a non-student and LOVED each plant-based meal we shared together. I especially enjoyed our discussion of rest and the expectations we place on ourselves and our churches. I’m grateful for the diverse perspectives of the group and the thoughtful leadership of HSHC. “

– Maggie

June, 2020 – HSHC’s student intern, Anna Grace Claunch, graduated from Columbia last month. She served as our intern for the past two years and we are thrilled that she will now be on HSHC’s board of directors! Anna Grace is currently moving to Pelham, New York, where, at the end of the month, she will begin a year-long residency at Huguenot Memorial Church (Pelham, NY).

She is eager to show her new congregation the many ways in which one’s faith and health overlap, and teach them how to live more fully into a life of wholeness, not only for themselves, but for the world in which we live.

Trail Notes – June 2020

June, 2020 – I clearly remember the day when I interviewed for the Th.D. in pastoral counseling program at Columbia Theological Seminary. This was something I very much wanted, and I was quite nervous! During the interview, I had the opportunity to speak with many of the professors with whom I was hoping to study.

I distinctly remember one part of that interview in particular. I was describing the work of Healthy Seminarians-Healthy Church, and how that informed my academic interests. One of the professors, thinking about what I had said, asked, “How does that work apply to black bodies?”

That was a good and insightful question, and one we still wrestle with, especially given recent events – the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many more – that prove yet again how our culture, our church, this organization, and I, as a human being, struggle with the value of black lives and black bodies.

The Bible repeatedly offers a vision of constructive unity in a blessedly diverse world. But, like so many aspects of the divine kingdom, it is one that we are far from living into fully. In the meantime, people keep dying, and living in fear, and suffering in ways both large and small.
Intentionally or unintentionally, I am part of the system that makes this happen. The “intentionally” aspect of this is bad enough, but it is the“unintentionally” part that especially scares me and makes me realize just how much work I have to do around this manifestation of sin in my own life. Wendy Farley, professor of spirituality at University of Redlands, writes:

“Sin damages human beings and their communities by diminishing their capacity to perceive injustice, to experience compassion, and to perceive right from wrong. People participate in the process through which they are dehumanized by evil, acquiescing to it, accepting it…

This is the characteristic way sin functions: it corrupts the environment in which human beings must act and deceives them about their real situation… (it) so deeply infects a community that every action is tainted and corrupt… (it) becomes a kind of bondage that entangles human beings and communities even before they choose or desire evil.”

How blind am I? How often do I choose evil without realizing it? What kinds of evil do I tolerate, accept, even sanction? Too much, too often, too many.

The good that comes from this, I hope, is lasting structural change, and that lasting structural change starts with difficult, and ongoing, self-examination, confession, (hopefully) forgiveness, and commitment to something both different and far healthier. The time for this came long ago. I pray for the courage, finally, to live into this call.

Peace,
Travis Webster
HSHC Co-Founder

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.”

April 2020 – When I (Travis) was growing up, and we had discussed an unpleasant subject for too long, my mother would redirect the conversation by saying, “Let’s talk about butterflies.” I don’t know about you, but I have consumed plenty of information about the coronavirus and the profoundly negative impact it is having on the world around us. Not to hide from reality, but I need a break! Perhaps it is time to talk about butterflies.

This spring has been absolutely stunning in Georgia. The blooming trees and flowers have been beautiful. The weather has generally been wonderful. While spending time in our garden last week, one of our hummingbird friends let us know it was time to set out our feeder for the season. Moreover, since we let our springtime backyard grow until the daisies go to seed, we also noticed that some of our favorite butterflies had returned.

Seeing the butterflies last week was very fitting, especially given that it was the first week of the Easter season. Butterflies symbolize:

Abrupt change: prior to mid-March, most of us were carrying on in our routines (the equivalent of a caterpillar just munching on its leaves), when everything suddenly came to a screeching halt. Now, people all across the world have been asked to embrace these changes – physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually, environmentally, etc. – while we shelter in place (forced to spend time in our cocoons, wondering what we and the world will look like when we are finally able to emerge).
Mystery: our expectations of how life is supposed to be have been completely altered, and we don’t know how God is going to use this situation (just like the mystery of how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly).
Transformation: we recognize that neither we, as people, nor the creation are the same as we were a month ago, and we will not be the same in the months to come. Seeing the butterflies reminds us of how something so magnificent comes from an ordinary caterpillar. As Christians, as Easter people, we trust that the God who brought resurrection from crucifixion can also work miracles in and through our current situation.

Christ is Risen! This fact offers us new life and new hope in the midst of our uncertain present and into the future.

Peace,
Karen and Travis Webster
HSHC Co-Founder

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash