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By Elia King

“How can we get our church to be more relevant?”

“How can we get our church to be more welcoming?” When was the last time you heard one of these questions come up in a conversation about church? When was the last time you asked? Usually these questions are followed by responses that fall into one of two categories: so-called practical steps that often fail to take local context into account or broad philosophical foundations that can be difficult to implement in “real-world” situations. In my conversations with friends and colleagues, I have to admit to a sense that we may never reach a long-term, universal solution to the problem of how to reach our neighbors.

Sometimes the questions are attached to some other agenda. When we say words like “welcoming,” what we really mean is that we wish certain people in our congregation were friendlier or more open-minded. When we wish for more relevance, we are really saying we’d like others in our church to be as in-touch with the real world as we are.

If our goal were simply to be relevant, we could study what is popular and create worship-like performances that reflect the values of our culture (and in fact, some do). But the likely result would be little more than a commercial for Jesus that doesn’t really stand out above the static. If our goal were simply to be more welcoming, we could adopt a model of community that shimmers of acceptance on the surface, but neglects the real needs of everyone who walks through our doors, regulars and visitors alike. The challenge of being more relevant means we have to learn to be in conversation with the stalwart supporters of irrelevance. The difficulty of being more welcoming is that we must also welcome the unfriendly.

When we talk about being more relevant or welcoming as a church, more often than not, I believe we are looking for ways to express a much deeper question: how are we, as a church, creating and sustaining a culture where individuals and families in our neighborhoods can connect with God?

Of course as a worship pastor in a local church, I do believe there are some practical things we can do and systems we can put in place to create a culture that is both inclusive and seeks to present the beauty and truth of the gospel in meaningful ways for our communities. Strategies like avoiding “in-speak” and thinking about each service through the mindset of a visitor can be extremely helpful in planning an inclusive worship service. And what church couldn’t use a few more friendly greeters? But at some point and on some level, we have to be OK with the idea that we are not just providing people with quick-fix solutions to their problems. If we’re really interested in being part of a shared journey following Jesus, then we should, as churches, be looking for ways to overflow into the streets and homes in our neighborhoods and not simply trying to get our neighbors to fill our pews.

I love the story of Oasis, a ministry that begin in 1985, when Steve and Cornelia Chalke launched a hostel for homeless young women in South London. Oasis now has over 40 different sites around the world, including churches, hostels, schools, and medical clinics. When asked about the secret of their growth, the couple answers that they have always taken seriously Jesus’ call to serve “the least of these.” Every time they are presented with the opportunity to launch a new initiative, they ask the question: what are the greatest needs we can help with in this community? By looking for the greatest needs surrounding them, Oasis discovered the most meaningful ways to be part of the lives of their neighbors, and in turn, they have experienced community that is both relevant and inclusive.

In our local churches, we have opportunities every day to be part of the communities around us. Block parties, bike races, neighborhood garage sales, online forums—each of these offer their own opportunities to be involved in the lives of the individuals and families around us. But none of them follow a specific formula.

And that, I believe, is the main problem with formulas: they promise a shortcut to authentic, Christ-filled community. But there are no shortcuts. There is only the life-long work of a journey together, following Jesus.

Elia King is pastor for worship at the Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church.

By Mitch Williams

On a cold January Sabbath morning in 2015, there she stood before the church. No one knew Stacy other than the church member who had invited her. We called our team of prayer warriors forward and they gathered around Stacy. Days earlier, a devastating fire destroyed the contents of her home. Yes, she still had her boyfriend David and their young daughter Olivia, but all their earthly possessions had gone up in smoke. And so during our worship service, we paused to pray over Stacy. We then collected an offering and presented it to her at the end of the service. It was far short of what she needed, but it was a start in meeting a relevant need.

The next Sabbath, to our surprise, she was back again. Before long, her boyfriend David and little Olivia were also routinely attending. Olivia loved the new doll she was given by a member since it was her first new toy after the fire. Through the ensuing year, David and Stacy also attended various church social events helping them to make friends. In time they engaged with our Hunger Ministry and with Vacation Bible School. Early on, a pastoral visit revealed they had no plans to marry. However, about a year after their first visit to The Adventure church, they asked the pastor for premarital counseling. They also recently expressed an interest in Small Group Bible studies.

A relevant church is comprised of members who care enough for their friends, neighbors, coworkers and community to tangibly show the love of Jesus in relevant ways. It is truly amazing how many people are hurting emotionally, struggling in relationships, suffering from health issues, barely making ends meet or are simply lonely. Being a relevant church means being an active army of Christ followers who are intentionally looking for ways to minister to people. Yet in such a busy, go-go, overworked, deadline driven world, how can a church manage to find the time and energy to be relevant with the care of Christ? Consider these five strategies for leading the church to greater relevancy in your community:

Be relevant first with love. The church is not a club only for members. The church is God’s model for bringing people to himself. Therefore the pastor, leadership team and church body must all be singularly aligned with a fundamental purpose—to grow the church by loving people. And loving people means being intentional about meeting their needs. One of the fundamental needs everyone has is friend- ship. At The Adventure Church, we routinely challenge our members to invest time by making greater connections with coworkers, neighbors, friends who are not members of our church, and family members. Currently, our members are intensively praying for 40 days for 3 to 6 individuals in their lives to open their hearts to Jesus. Members are also making contact with these relationships, looking for relevant ways to serve and love them for Christ. One member recently had their neighbors ask to join their small group because they long for greater connection. Jesus said, Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39 NIV).

Be relevant with fundamental community needs.

Being a relevant church also means taking the time to identify the pressing needs in your community. A fundamental need in our area is hunger and shelter. We have taken a bite out of hunger in our community by adopting a neighborhood and bringing them lunch one Sabbath a month. Relationships have been built and some of those families have attended The Adventure. The church has also partnered with the Guadalupe Homeless Shelter to serve the residence with healthy meals. We are in the process of developing a diaper ministry for needy mothers. And preparations are underway to offer the community multiple plots on the church property to grow their own gardens. Every year at Thanksgiving, we offer approximately 100 needy community families a special holiday meal. At Christmas, church members purchase and wrap a toy for needy children in the community. Being a relevant church means help- ing the least of these (See: Matthew 25:40).

Be relevant with community health needs. The Adventure has partnered with the local blood bank to initiate blood drives throughout the year. The blood mobile arrives on Sabbath mornings at the church and affords members a convenient way to donate blood. Members from the community also participate. The church conducts an annual Health Fair offering free medical care and assessments to the community. Members are encouraged to invite their friends to attend. Periodically health seminars are offered to the community on topics such as Smoking Cessation and Healthy Cooking. Being a relevant church means helping our community to understand how to care for their temple. (See: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Be relevant with community fun and fellowship needs. The Adventure has a calendar full of social events designed to be an-invite-event by church members. Spring, Summer and Fall Carnivals attract families to come to the church property or farms for fun activities such as bouncy houses, games, tasty food, hay rides, horse rides and most of all, fellowship. VBS and music concerts with poplar artists (i.e., Steve Green, Aaron Shust) offer our members and community another opportunity to mix together. Every other month, the church holds a family night with food and games or a Christian movie. Friendships between members, new members and with guests are often nurtured at these events. Everyone likes to have fun and clean fun is something relevant in a progressively dark world. Our role model, Jesus, spent time ministering in social settings, such as weddings, dinners, or parties where he sat with “disreputable characters, as The Message refers to “sinners” (See: Matthew 9:10). He mingled among the outsiders, and so should we.

Be relevant with community education needs.

One of the most relevant educational needs in our community, and with our church membership, is personal financial management. Every fall, we host a 9-week seminar entitled Financial Peace University created by Dave Ramsey. Attendees watch a DVD and then respond with discussions in small groups. One recent participant named Barb found herself forming new friendships. She is now part of a small group and regularly attends The Adventure church. The church has also hosted marriage (i.e., Mad about Marriage) and parenting (i.e., Growing Kid’s God’s Way) seminars.

At the end of the day, all of these church functions and events may fulfill relevant needs but will miss the bull’s-eye if we fail to take the next step—to bridge people to Jesus.

In Ministry of Healing, Ellen G. White put it this way: “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Savior mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me’” (p. 143).

A relevant church is comprised of members who care enough for their friends, neighbors, coworkers and the community to tangibly show the love of Jesus in relevant ways. But as relationships are strengthened, as needs are met, as trust is built, there comes a time to talk about Jesus. Since we care for the eternal destiny of our friends and community, why wouldn’t we ask: “Would you check out my Small Group this week?” or “Would you be my guest at my church?” or “Can we talk about my friend Jesus?”

Being relevant as a church means creating relationships that can lead to conversions. May we have the courage to not just cast out the nets of relevancy, but to actually pull them in with prayerful, Holy Spirit induced evangelism.

Mitch Williams is pastor of The Adventure and Greeley churches. both located in Greeley, Colorado.

By Craig Carr

When considering the effectiveness of a pastor’s role in a church, a list of job duties and essential skills is just the beginning. Given the vast array of ministry tasks and responsibilities, for a pastor to know where to prioritize his or her time and energy can often be overwhelming.

In the spring of 2015, a special committee of pastors was assembled to bring a bit more focus and clarity to the pastor’s role. This committee met monthly until they reached a consensus on identifying, prioritizing, and simplifying the role of pastor. Out of this process came a set of shared core values for ministry, which were introduced in the fall of 2015. These values are summarized in the five-word acronym that is the foundation for the ministerial core values of Friendship, Adaptability, Integrity, Teamwork, and Humility.

F-A-I-T-H represents the common ground on which pastors collectively stand in every part of the Rocky Mountain Conference. These values have the potential to bring greater clarity, consistency, and common under- standing to the role of ministry among pastors in the Rocky Mountain Conference. They are meant to benefit pastors both in their personal lives as well as in the focus of their ministry; a two-fold aspiration of “Living and Leading by F-A-I-T-H.”

Recently, during the winter retreat held at Glacier View Ranch, January 9-11, 2016, pastors had a chance to further explore the committee’s vision and intent of F-A-I-T-H. Here is a brief synopsis of that discussion as further application is made for how pastors can best exercise F-A-I-T-H in their lives and ministries.

The value of Friendship is measured in time, communication, and connection. It’s about loving God and others through genuine, personal contact through meaningful relationships.

The value of Adaptability is about being accepting,  open, flexible, and sacrificial. It’s about maintaining a curiosity and a wider view of things with a willingness to try new things.

The value of Integrity is modeled through honesty, transparency, consistency, and character. It is the foundation of personal influence and leadership credibility, to be guarded through constant connection with Jesus Christ.

The value of Teamwork can also be described by words like unity, synergy, cooperation, togetherness, unselfishness, and helpfulness. Teamwork is essential to ministry and is grown through building relationships of affirmation and accountability.

The value of Humility helps one maintain a teachable spirit that finds its greatest strength and truest identity rooted in Jesus Christ. A humble spirit is quick to apologize, confess, and show courage under fire; a heart ready to praise God for successes and embrace challenges as  growth opportunities.

When requested and in coordination with the local pastor, the RMC ministerial department is available to facilitate leadership training focused on F-A-I-T-H.

Craig Carr is RMC ministerial director.

By Rick Mautz

Recently, a friend talked to me about the importance of the church being relevant. This thought has stayed with me and I have started to look at most everything that I do and its relevancy to real life issues.

As health ministry director, the first place I began to apply this z was in the area of health. Logically you would think that your health would be the highest on your list of relevant subjects but it is usually relegated to the level of “what ever happens will happen, I have too many other important things to concentrate on”.

Even though it is certainly connected to the matter at hand, we put it on the back burner, and there it stays until something pushes it to the top of our priority list. Unfortunately by that time it is often too late.

Take a look and see if any of these examples ring a bell in your life.

Every year you seem to put on a few more pounds but it is gradual and doesn’t shock you into doing anything until the doctor informs you that you are now obese, or maybe even morbidly obese. And with this condition come the added side effects of high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes, not to mention your inability to hike and do things with your kids or grandchildren.

You have not been feeling the best, you tire easily and you are always thirsty. You don’t even want to see your doctor because you are in denial and feel that if you don’t have an official diagnosis of diabetes you are OK. When you finally see him, you are relieved when he tells you that you are pre-diabetic. So you don’t have to get serious about changes yet. Would it make a difference if you knew that by the time you have the official diagnosis of diabetes you will have lost at least 75 percent of your insulin-producing cells in your pancreas, all by ignoring your pre-diabetic blood sugar state.

Who enjoys having a colonoscopy? Not me, that’s for sure. So you put it off, you are pretty healthy, why worry? But what if you are the one that gets colon cancer? Early screening could have detected that slow growing pre-cancerous polyp before it was too late. Your family will thank you for making a choice that keeps you in their life for many years to come.

Yes I am out of shape and have not been careful about what I eat. Some people even say I am a heart attack waiting to happen. But I do get a check-up every year, so if the doctor sees anything he can take care of it with medication or surgery, so I don’t worry much. That’s what Meet the Press commentator Tim Russert thought at age 58. Two months after a complete heart workup he dropped dead of a heart attack. For 50 percent of people the first symptom of heart trouble is sudden death. There is not much you can do after that. Remember you are the chairman of the board of your health, you need to take it seriously and make good choices now and not put it off till a more convenient time. You can become heart attack proof through your lifestyle.

Is it relevant enough to save your life?

What will motivate us to see our health and how we manage it as very relevant to our daily lives?

One can assume that someone reading this article has decided, “I am going to make my health a priority. My family is important and I want to be around for a long time.” If so, it is never too late to start on a lifestyle that will improve your health. For instance, I know of people who have been able to achieve non-diabetic blood sugar levels without medication in two weeks. Others, who had risky arteries, became heart attack proof in two weeks.

Here are a few pointers to get you started:

Get the support of those around you, especially the one that does the cooking.

Check out some of the videos on the Rocky Mountain Conference Health Ministry website rmcsda.org/healthy. Check out “The Hidden Epidemic,” and the diabetes section first. Go back and look at these resources often for encouragement if and when you slip up.

For heart health, visit Caldwell Esselstyn’s website heartattackproof.com.

See your physician, and let him know that you are ready to make some lifestyle changes, get a baseline for where you are so you can monitor your progress.

Walking is a simple and safe exercise. Start slow and add a little more as you are ready. Overdoing is the undoing of most good intentions.

A whole food, plant based diet is helpful for each condition mentioned above. You can find great evidence based information on nutritionfacts.org. Great cooking instructions can be found on “Naturally Gourmet” on rmcsda.org/healthy.

Pray for strength to succeed. God is available and able to give you victory.

If I can be of help, please e-mail me at [email protected].

Now, go out and enjoy life with your health as your priority.

Rick Mautz is RMC health director.

By Joshua De Oliveira

The distinct smell of unwashed clothes and hair begins to fill the basement of our church in Boulder. Men of various ages and sizes trot down the stairs carrying stacks of thin Boulder Outreach for Homeless Overflow (BOHO)-provided blankets which they spread on the floor. Many of the men bring their own sleeping bags. My mom, brother, and I, along with a rotating volunteer, set up our food station. We offer simple items—sandwiches, noodles, pizza, cookies—along with a variety of hot and cold drinks. Most of the men thank us profusely. Many stop to chat.

One of the men, who wears a surgical mask over his stringy grey beard, presumably covering up some sort of injury, grins wildly and explains that he cut his own hair in a McDonald’s restroom with a pair of broken scissors. He is in an unusually good mood. Usually he rants about conspiracies to kill him. He thinks everything we serve tastes like formaldehyde. He tells stories about toxic sewage sites in the mountains containing huge amounts of radiation. He’ll mumble about a brother taken away by the government for secret testing. He hasn’t seen him for ten years. He sees talking wolves on Pearl Street.

We listen and respond to this man and to all the others who have sad stories, tragic stories, sometimes crazy-sounding stories. We often feel depressed at how little we have to offer. Macaroni and cheese. A hard rectangle of lino on the basement floor. But listening makes me feel good about what we’re doing. Listening is one of the greatest acts of service a human can provide to another. Everyone craves attention, especially when they have nothing else and are so undervalued by society. Churches often talk about the need to serve and that the servants will come first in the eyes of God. It isn’t always easy or comfortable to serve, but I’m glad we make it a priority to try to make a small difference in the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church is one of 14 hosting congregations that partner with BOHO. It provides shelter every Tuesday for a small group of Boulder homeless individuals with a record of good behavior.

Joshua De Oliveira is a sophomore at Boulder High School. He is co-leader of the Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church’s BOHO Residents’ Shelter.

By Jude Keller

Sometimes just a moment is all we need to be inspired, to find peace, or to experience a new understanding. In 2015, Healing Arts, a program integrated with CREATION Health, provided over 50,000 of these moments to patients, families and visitors at our Adventist hospitals in Denver, Colorado.

Healing Arts is designed to intentionally integrate the arts into healthcare, creating an environment that doesn’t just treat illness, but provides an inspiration for living. Our program is funded solely by community donations to each Adventist hospital foundation and uses visual arts, music, nature, and community outreach to touch and inspire the spirit and heal the body.

Every day, we see how Healing Arts creates meaning, inspiration, and healing in the lives of our patients, families, and staff. How therapeutic bedside music profoundly touches our spirits; how a gentle hand or foot massage reduces the anxiety of a patient facing surgery; the delight of a concert in the lobby, and the inspiration that comes from an emotional connection to beautiful artwork in our hospital galleries.

Lynn, who was visiting her mother, recalled: “Gale, the harpist, stopped in my momma’s room today to ask gently if she could play for us. Our blessing came for our family by singing hymns together. We thank her and the hospital for the gift of music at this time of my momma’s dying days.”

Laurie, another visitor made a similar comment: “I was visiting a friend in ICU when I met the harpist. She was wonderful. While listening to her, my friend immediately fell asleep and I was reassured he was in good hands.”

“The art gallery is such a great way to spend a few relaxing minutes away from the stress of the day. It gives so much joy,” said Diana. One of the nurses commented, “When the flutist comes to the floor to play music, the patients smile, the mood lifts and the stress seems to dissipate. Thank you!”

An artist who created a quilted art piece for Parker Adventist Hospital Cancer Care Center said it beautifully: “My art piece, ‘Healing Winds’ was born from my own experience of caring for my father and a dear friend during their cancer battles. While talking to many others about their own journeys, the words ‘frayed at the edges’ kept coming to the surface, along with their hopes, dreams and fears. This piece embodies many months of hand stitching, praying for those who would see it and longing for the God who created them to lovingly touch people’s lives and bring wholeness.”

Jude Keller is director of the Healing Arts Program at the Rocky Mountain Adventist Healthcare Foundation in Denver, Colorado.

A small orthopedic surgery team left Colorado one cold January morning in 2006 to start what has become a strong and growing movement to improve Christ’s healing ministry around the world. Stephen King, senior vice president for mission and ministry at Centura Health, had a vision of what the Adventist hospitals in Colorado needed to do to support health care in developing countries. “Our church has a legacy of providing health care through hundreds of Adventist hospitals and clinics around the world,” comments Pastor King. “Unfortunately many of these ministries in developing countries have been neglected and are no longer viable operations. They need help and support, and who better to provide that support than our Adventist hospitals here in the United States.”

With that mandate, Global Health Initiatives was launched in an effort to strengthen Adventist hospitals in the countries of Nepal, Rwanda, and Peru, and to provide medical mission opportunities for hundreds of Colorado- based volunteers. Medical teams were formed which partnered with doctors and nurses in the host country to provide care to thousands of the most needy patients.

During the first ten years, more than 2,000 surgeries and 40,000 primary care visits were given free of charge through GHI’s programs.

While the one-on-one care given to individuals is important, GHI doesn’t stop there. The goal of strengthening Adventist mission hospitals has included additional activities such as clinical and administrative training, both here and abroad, provision of medical equipment and supplies, and upgrading facilities. “These are the core activities which help foster long-term change,” adds Greg Hodgson, GHI director. “I am very proud of the accomplishments we have seen over these past ten years,” Hodgson continues. “We want to celebrate the victories that have been achieved. But our vision is to become even more effective in the next ten years. Our plan is to develop even stronger training programs and staff exchanges. We are working to design more meaningful monitoring and evaluation systems. And we want to focus on activities which lead to lasting change.”

A significant part of GHI’s tenth anniversary celebrations includes a capital campaign the will fund improvements at the three partner hospitals. Plans are now being finalized for a new women’s health center in Nepal, a new surgery center in Rwanda, and new medical imaging capabilities in Peru.

Christ’s ministry on earth highlighted the importance of physical care. GHI seeks to build on that foundation, and looks forward, by God’s grace, to another ten years of extending the healing ministry to those in areas of greatest need. [RMCNews].

By Carol Bolden

Four teams made up of two students each head to HMS Richards School from Campion Academy each week to give Bible studies to seventh and eighth graders. These seventh and eighth graders, in turn, give Bible studies to the fourth through sixth graders.

The Campion students are members of Joe Martin’s junior Bible class where they have been studying the 28 Fundamental Beliefs since the beginning of the school year. After studying one of the beliefs, Martin has his students choose the even Bible verses on that topic that are clearest to them—which they can use in their studies with the younger students. They create their own Bible studies.

“Although for many of these juniors, giving Bible studies is out of their comfort zone, this group is thoroughly enjoying sharing their faith and praying with the kids, many of whom have never prayed before with strangers, says Martin. They are “enhancing their walk with God by sharing their faith,” he concludes.

All 43 of Martin’s junior Bible class students will have the opportunity to give Bible studies. In turn, all 14 of the seventh and eighth graders at HMS will have the opportunity to receive studies and then to give them to the 22 fourth through sixth graders at HMS.

Ashley Halvorson, a 14-year-old eighth grader at HMS, has enjoyed receiving Bible studies from Campion students. “They did a really good job giving them to us,” she states. “They had a lot of Bible verses for us to look up” [on] the Second Coming and what happens when you die,” she shares. “I think it’s fun to tell other people about our beliefs and to see God work through us.”

Christine Eagan-Foster, a 12-year-old sixth grader at HMS, received Bible studies from two girls in seventh and eighth grades, one on baptism. “It’s really fun that we can get taught about these teachings and interact about them. We even learn more than we learned at home. It’s nice to get a kid’s perspective on it,” she shares.

“By the time the HMS students have experienced this [give and take of beliefs] for a couple of years, they will be ready for baptism,” states Davin Hammond, principal of HMS Richards School. “We want every seventh and eighth grader to recognize that they can give Bible studies,” he adds.

Junior Bible students Cassie Carr and Natalie Boonstra, both raised in pastoral homes, believe the things they are learning in the class strengthen what their parents have taught them.

“The Bible class with Pastor Joe has helped me to know God on a more personal level,” shares Natalie. “Bible class has helped me develop in my Christian walk and to prove my faith.”

“We mark our Bibles with several verses to support each topic and cross reference them,” says Cassie. “This gives us the tools to share with whomever we come into contact with. The junior class is coming closer to God because of this class and it is noticed all over campus.”

Carol Bolden is RMC administrative assistant for communication.

By Katie Morrison

As a foreign student in Europe, you can be sure I’m eating my way through both the culture and the gelato. As a Christian in Europe, you might think my interest in ancient religious artifacts and famous churches would be off the charts. Italy especially is overflowing in historical religious richness. Field trip after field trip, our group shuttles into churches, each one more daunting and impressive than the last; and I overhear my classmates say, “All this is fine, but I’m sick of churches!” Unfortunately I have found myself in the same boat. I was bored. How could these structures inspire me without my thoroughly researching their history in advance like a complete nerd?

One of my Italian classes actually helped quite a bit.

During the first quarter, I took a course on the relation between state and church, beginning with the Roman Empire and continuing until current relations. The facts I learned were not new but they sounded fresh and poignant considering where I was re-learning them.

I learned about the original birth of Christianity, the split between Eastern and Western Europe and religion’s role in those power swings. I learned about toleration and persecution, about revolutions and religious reformations. I learned about Italy—especially, about the constant unbreakable bond between the state and religious powers. Despite Italy’s relatively recent separation, or more aptly dubbed “cooperation,” of church and state, their national  budget still dedicates eight percent every year to the Catholic Church.

Knowing some history of the politics, I started viewing the churches a little differently. I would see the intricacies and grandeur and wonder who paid for it all. I would think about who sat in those wooden pews and prayed for peace. I would imagine these churches in their prime, before the cordoning ropes and “do not touch” signs, and how the walls themselves told stories that didn’t need to be explained on Wikipedia.

At the end of January, we visited Ravenna, a city filled to bursting with mausoleums, museums, churches and mosaics. My favorite was the Basilica of San Vitale, finished  in 548 A.D. The vaulted dome ceiling is painted with muted colors, depicting nature and angels supporting a crown containing the Lamb of God. The presbytery, illuminated by two levels of three-pane windows, is coolly colored. The gold and teal mosaic catch the light and shimmer. Outside the basilica was the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. One room and dimly lit, every inch of that structure glistened in faint candlelight. It was entirely made of mosaic detail, something unheard of in American churches.

And that is the main difference I see between American and European churches. Everything here is physically dramatic and distracting. Your eyes can never rest in a European church. They are drawn from paintings to sculptures to vaulted ceilings. It’s overwhelming! Yet despite the churches having historical status and importance, they still function as places of worship. It’s always refreshing to see worshippers in the middle of such a visual production: a young man with hands clasped, an elderly couple huddled together on a pew, spiritually renewing and quietly living.

That’s something I will try to bring home with me, the attitude of slowing down and appreciating things. Yes, I will notice the glaringly obvious beauty of a church, which is many centuries old or the beauty of a nice day. But instead of just seeing and moving on, I will try to imagine the his- tory. I hope to see the slower things, the softer beauties in life and focus on those.

Katie Morrison writes from Florence, Italy. She was RMC communication intern in 2015.

By Rajmund Dabrowski

If you are a writer, you can sense when a story will write itself. Such a moment came when I reached page 37 of Tom Rachman’s fascinating true-to-life novel The Imperfectionists. The story immediately began in my head—and was put to paper just a little later with my favorite Faber-Castell pencil.

Here’s the scenario: A reporter is sent to interview a once well-known and now-elderly author to prepare her obituary. Facts about her life were sparse. Reflecting on her own impending encounter with death, she describes the absurdity of remaining enthralled with ambition.

“It’s like being a slave all your life, then learning one day that you never had a master, and returning to work all the same. Can you imagine a force in the universe greater than this? Not in my universe. You know, even from the earliest childhood it dominated me. I longed for achievements, to be influential—that, in particular. To sway people. This has been my religion: the belief that I deserve attention, that they are wrong not to listen, that those who dispute me are fools. Yet, no matter what I achieve, the world lives on, impertinent, indifferent—I know all this, but I can’t get it through my head. It is why, I suppose, I agreed to talk to you. To this day, I’ll pursue any folly to make the rest of you shut up and listen to me, as you should have from the start!”

And she continues, “Here is a fact: nothing in all civilization has been as productive as ludicrous ambition. Whatever its ills, nothing has created more. Cathedrals, sonatas, encyclopedias: love of God was not behind them, nor love of life. But the love of man to be worshipped by man.”

This is one slice of our common folly. My folly certainly fits in this picture. Yet, there may be many good examples of self-denial, pursuit of oneness with nature, being engulfed in acts of compassion and generosity, as well as deeds to give back that which I took that make an appearance in my life, too. This is what Christianity is made out of.

But how often do such reflections enter my thinking, I ask myself?

My former boss had an uncanny way of bringing me back to earth. Once, my chest was bursting with pride as I shared one of my team’s great achievements and how happy we were to be recognized for it. “Aren’t we wonderful,” he said, and walked on. It was a moment to forget, I thought at the time. My treasure trove of life’s experiences brought that moment back to me again as I read the words— “ . . . the belief that I deserve attention.”

Frankly, I admit creating lots of madness in my own life. Sometimes lessons come, and they are forgotten rather instantly in the fog of pursuing praise.

A masterpiece in life is decided by the reactions of others. They will tell you when they see it.

In the words of Scriptures, “Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul,” (1 Peter 2:11, The Message).

Rajmund Dabrowski is RMC communication director.