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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

PROGRESSIVE

To some people this can be a scary term; so many people don’t like change. The reality is that life is constantly changing, maybe in smaller ways for some, and in varying larger ways for others, but life is a trajectory that includes change.Jesus’ ministry didn’t support the status quo. His ministry upset the apple-cart of life by reminding people of the connection God hopes to be in with us that plugs us into new possibilities, hope and joy, continually. That connection, called faith, when…See More
Wednesday
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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

OKAY

Are you okay? “How are you doing?” “Okay.”One of my colleagues turned to me this morning at our text study and asked “Andrew, how are you doing?” My response was “Okay. And how are you?” Their response was “Yup, just keepin’ on keepin’ on.”Okay is good. If it’s an honest response, depending upon responsibilities and relationships, okay can mean a lot; like maybe things are off-balance in one place, doing really well in another, and kind of middle of the road someplace else: it’s kind of a…See More
Apr 30
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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

GRACE AND ACCEPTANCE

We just returned from the annual Mission Trip that our cooperative (ELCA) youth group makes each year during the Massachusetts spring school vacation. Upper middle and senior high youth from five local parishes combined to be Christ’s hand and feet at work in service for “other” in the Gettysburg, PA area.Drawing from a wide range of communities and school systems our youth are truly a reflective mix of society at large: products of various income strata, family and neighborhood aggregates.…See More
Apr 23
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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

UNDONE

Today is the warmest yet here in Central MA. I wore a hooded top over my cleric this morning, and while it was fine then it isn’t now. On campus at WPI the tank tops, shorts, flip flops, sandals and near beach wear are out in force: apparel-wise, things are becoming undone!But when our lives become undone, when some things are broken, it isn’t cool.When things are undone is our natural tendency to head into the arms of mercy to relax in faith with Christ and be renewed/redirected? Or do we…See More
Apr 9
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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

NONE-SENSE

When I got bored as a kid and my sister was hanging around she could become the object of my teasing. And to be honest, sometimes I could be brutal. So at times when I wasn’t teasing her, but stuff happened to her, my sister would say “Andrew did it!”Teasing and stuff “happening” to her became associated with me, even though everything that happened to her wasn’t of my doing.Any group of people with a mission and plan can get to be known by what members say and do, especially when stuff is in…See More
Apr 2
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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

OFF BALANCE

Whenever I watch gymnasts on the parallel beam I think back to high school gym class when we were all given a chance to try it out. While I’m “good” walking a fine line and can hop stones to cross a small brook, spinning and twirling on a narrow beam whatever the height doesn’t work well for me; I become off balance and land on the mats.Sometimes when we’re assaulted by responsibilities all with deliverables, on top of just considering life in general, things begin to spin and we begin to…See More
Mar 26
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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

SLIPPERY

I don’t think everyone in the Northeast is happy about the lingering snowy weather: except for the ski resort owners and snow-sports crowd. As I left the church this afternoon following the early morning storm I noted that the walkways were just wet since the shoveling and ensuing heavy mist with slick spots isolated to where snow had become compressed due to driving, walking or removal efforts.However, by the time I driven the short distance to WPI, parked the truck in the garage on my way to…See More
Mar 19
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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

THANK YOU BABY JESUS

Have you ever heard someone happy about a turn of events say “Thank you, baby Jesus!”?At first blush it might seem kind of nice.But, what if the person said it because they found out the beer at the party was free from an open bar? Should we really be thanking Jesus for that?We learn from sacred texts that everything which exists came from the One who created all: a pretty big task and rather awesome.The extension of the creation stories is that our Maker is present in, thru, and around…See More
Mar 12
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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

AT RISK

I heard a story about this group of people who thought they knew what they were doing.All of them had patterns of living that satisfied their needs, kept a roof over their heads and put food on the table.Sounds kind of nice; maybe even stable.And then they lost everything, even their mortal lives: they were proud, looked out only for themselves and were unwilling to accept Grace when disaster swept them away through their ignorance. Their center was in themselves.Actually, this story is…See More
Mar 6
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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

TURBULENCE

Usually you hear of this term connected with some jet flight that encountered stormy weather, or a commuter flight that hit thermals rising off the desert. Engineering students, and those working in design with many aircraft and automotive firms, study the effects upon the craft they are conceiving in order to reduce noise and improve cruising efficiency and safety.Yes, that’s the engineer in me talking :)Yet, when we encounter an opinion or set of circumstances that impede our way turbulence…See More
Feb 26
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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

ACCEPTANCE

It was a beautiful clear morning as I took my daily walk up and around the neighborhood. As I came to the cut-through by the former Mixter School I wondered if I might see the friendly black lab who sometimes accompanies me. Sure enough, she popped over from her owner’s yard, gave a friendly wag and preceded my direction.There has never been a time when she was out and free that she wouldn’t skip over and attach herself to my course: full acceptance of me from as far back as I can remember.I…See More
Feb 19
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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

DILIGENCE

With all of the snow from the Nemo storm this past weekend, and though a new roof went on the house last fall, the drift on the porch roof up and over a second story window needed tending to. A little diligence with a snow rake should help prevent a) water build-up under the flashing during melting, b) damage down below, and maximize the benefit of the contractor’s work.Diligence in the practice of faith, trusting in God’s promises, can produce hope while minimizing damage from the…See More
Feb 12
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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

LOVE THE PEOPLE

There are people we meet in life who we don’t get along with for one reason or another. It’s just the way it is as a human creation, and it has led to many struggles and even war over the millennia.Perhaps the best piece of wisdom I ever received before being ordained, and think upon often, was from The Rev. Dr. Charles Leonard of Philadelphia Seminary who said to me one day “Andrew, love the people, just love the people.” And he was spot-on!You see, it’s when we start parsing-out love as if…See More
Feb 7
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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

RELEVANCE

What we can take away from the Christian Gospels is a synopsis of the overall relevance of God’s relationship with us. It’s all there: references to the history of the prophets and patriarchs, story of the Son’s incarnation, and a drawing out of what is important to remember, ponder, pray about and hopefully accept: that our Creator cares intimately about each and every one of us, won’t let us go, and extends grace 24/7 that requires our acceptance to know!Today when any of us opens up our…See More
Jan 30
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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

A MODERN PSALM

Before there was the Earth and our galaxy, a small part of the expanse of potential universes, our Creator with the Alpha & Omega and Wisdom worked weaving together the tapestry-of-life: Trinity in harmony. Ours, within humanity, is but an instance of Godly logic within the pale of time: time that for us has come to have particular bounds in understanding but for which our Creator is not bound. In our “space”, our dimension, we bob and weave amid the miraculous web of life: sentient and…See More
Jan 24
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Rev. Andrew H. Borden posted a blog post

AWESOME

Not everything is awesome. That knot in your lower back, the headache in the middle of the day, the bill that went forgotten and is now due immediately: not awesome.But, looking out upon a mountain vista at sun-down, watching a sunrise at the beach, for me watching a solid launch at the drags, these can be awesome!Yet, they’re not what we necessarily experience each and every day: they are events we remember from when we’re away from the day-to-day and then look back on with fondness as awesome…See More
Jan 15
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Blog Posts

PROGRESSIVE

To some people this can be a scary term; so many people don’t like change. The reality is that life is constantly changing, maybe in smaller ways for some, and in varying larger ways for others, but life is a trajectory that includes change.

Jesus’ ministry didn’t support the status quo. His ministry upset the apple-cart of life by reminding people of the connection God hopes to be in with us that plugs us into new possibilities, hope and joy, continually. That connection, called…

Continue

Posted by Rev. Andrew H. Borden on May 15, 2013 at 12:49pm

OKAY

Are you okay? “How are you doing?” “Okay.”

One of my colleagues turned to me this morning at our text study and asked “Andrew, how are you doing?” My response was “Okay. And how are you?” Their response was “Yup, just keepin’ on keepin’ on.”

Okay is good. If it’s an honest response, depending upon responsibilities and relationships, okay can mean a lot; like maybe things are off-balance in one place, doing really well in another, and kind of middle of the road someplace else:…

Continue

Posted by Rev. Andrew H. Borden on April 30, 2013 at 3:49pm

GRACE AND ACCEPTANCE

We just returned from the annual Mission Trip that our cooperative (ELCA) youth group makes each year during the Massachusetts spring school vacation. Upper middle and senior high youth from five local parishes combined to be Christ’s hand and feet at work in service for “other” in the Gettysburg, PA area.…

Continue

Posted by Rev. Andrew H. Borden on April 23, 2013 at 4:12pm

UNDONE

Today is the warmest yet here in Central MA. I wore a hooded top over my cleric this morning, and while it was fine then it isn’t now. On campus at WPI the tank tops, shorts, flip flops, sandals and near beach wear are out in force: apparel-wise, things are becoming undone!

But when our lives become undone, when some things are broken, it isn’t cool.

When things are undone is our natural tendency to head into the arms of mercy to relax in faith with Christ and be…

Continue

Posted by Rev. Andrew H. Borden on April 9, 2013 at 2:39pm

Forum

Humbleness

The tensions in our world include the possibility of hostage taking. Recently journalists were released who were simply trying to objectively provide reporting on conditions that needed a wider world…Continue

Tags: patience, ELCA, love, grace

Started by Rev. Andrew H. Borden Jun 9, 2011.

The meltdown...

So, when I got to church early this morning I noticed a strange odor coming from the chapel area and my office (on the other side of the wall). I checked out both areas and nothing really seemed…Continue

Tags: faith, ELCA, Spirit, Holy, trust

Started by Rev. Andrew H. Borden Jun 1, 2011.

Reality check

Lady GAGA is really popular now, as evidenced by the turn out @ Rockefeller Center on The Today Show this morning.Jesus was as popular, or more, in his day, drawing huge crowds, preaching, teaching,…Continue

Started by Rev. Andrew H. Borden Jul 9, 2010.

Relevance and grace

One argument that is used against the church today is relevance: that it doesn't have anything to do with life. How many times do we feel like life is crashing in on us? How many times are we upset…Continue

Started by Rev. Andrew H. Borden Jul 1, 2010.

 
 
 

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