Reyes Gibbs Blog

Can I ask you just one question?

My granddaughter's godmother decided to take all the girls on a manicure/pedicure outing this evening.  After a week of camping, I decided to tag along and get my hands and feet pampered.    I figured since I was doing a wedding on Wednesday and leaving for Chicago on Friday, that this was a good time to go and have a mani/pedi time with girls.   

You know when you are having your nails done, the manicurist tries to have a conversation with you, Julie asked me what my plans were for this weekend.  I told her that I was going to Chicago on July 4 for work.   The woman next to me heard me and asked, "What kind of job do you do that would make you fly out on July 4?"   I always cringe when folks ask what I do?   I get so many unique responses or I find out how they feel about women pastors.

So I told her I was a pastor of a local Presbyterian Church.   She offerend that she too was a member of a Presbyterian Church.   Then she asked, "Can I ask you just one question?"  So another cringe, I preapred myself to hear the question about the ordination of gay and lesbian persons and ready to tell her what I believed.  She asked, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

Ghosts?  I told her that I was raised in a culture that believed in spirits of persons who may come and visit once in  awhile and our job was to welcome them and to respect and honor them.    I said, for me God is spirit.  She agreed and shared more about her son active in a youth group at church and then said, the reason why I asked you is that I have seen a ghost and  just wanted to know what you thought.   I told her that believing in Ghosts doesn't define her but her faith does define her.   She thanked me for not treating her like a crazy person and turned her attention to the painting of her nails.  Then she thought for a moment and asked, "Do you want to see the picture of the ghost?"   I declined and said that I may not be as gifted as her to see the ghost!

Then I smiled and said, remember we believe in God, the creator, Jesus the son, and the Spirit, sometimes referred to as the Holy Ghost.....then I told her that Bruce, my son, was elected Moderator of the PCUSA then it was her turn to look at me like I was crazy!!

A Blessing or a Curse? I wish I said...

The  day of the election for Moderator of the PCUSA, Bruce "told" me that Evelyn and I would do the Blessing for him IF he was elected.    I learned long ago in a seminary class that sometimes the word "blessing" could be translated into "curse."   Asking me to write a blessing was for me an honor and a curse!!  I had no idea what to say, how long it should be and then he said I had to work with Evelyn on it. (I think she was doing something really boring, like swimming!!)   I rarely write down prayers.  One of my mentors  shared a story about how she had always writen her prayers befoe giving them until one of her parishioners told her she didn't need to read her prayers just say them from her heart.  In my past nine years of ministry, I have rarely written down prayers unless I am officiating at a wedding or memorial service.   And then if they have to be written I go to resources available for those events.   

So I angst about a prayer that would be "good enough" for my son that we could say before the thousand or so people that would be hearing our words.    The following is the prayer and I have added another few words that I wish that I had said at the time:  (Evelyn's part is in Italics)

Dear God, mother and father, of us all.  We give thanks for all those gathered here and for all the communities represented.

We thank you for your presence in the life of the church and especially in our family's life.

We thank you for your abundant blessings.  We ask that you continue to bless the ministry of my dad as he continues his journey of faith as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.

On this journey provide my son mentors to guide, friends to support and send the love of his sisters and brothers in Christ to affirm and nurture your call to Bruce.

We ask that your spirit provide my dad with energy, humor, and courage to spread your love and justice.

Give him the wisdom and patience to hear the question, "Are we there yet?"  Over and over again.

And most of all God help us to all remember that this journey requires all of us to share the Good News of Jesus the Christ.

And all God's people in Christ say AMEN.

I ask God that you be with Bruce, Robin, Evelyn, Abigail and Analise as they accompany each other on this journey you have called Bruce to begin this day.   I know God that his new call will create challenges and hardships upon his family that only you will be able to help  provide a way for balance, harmony, and good choices.   Help them! Help us, help them!   AMEN

A Real Rock Star!

In my previous post I shared "awe" of my son's new post as Moderator of the PCUSA.  I compared it to the status of a rock star.  With all the lines and photos and the eagerness of the stranger to come up to him and become his best friend, I thought I had seen it all until...

I actually went to my first rock concert last night.  It was the True Colors Tour Concert, a fundraiser tour featuring Cyndi Laupher, the B52's and Wanda Sykes.    The fundraiser was for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities.   

To be perfectly honest, I bought the tickets with a friend because I thought it was a good cause and liked the featured artists and had no idea that it was PRIDE weekend!!  At the time I bought the tickets, same gender marriages were illegal in California and the proceeds of the concert were going to actions for  equality!   So when we went, folks were coming from the Pride Parade still dressed in their uniform for the day!  Very cute couples were wearing matching t-shirts with "just married" on them.  Carson from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" or something like that was a funny MC. 

I admit at the age of 59 a rock concert isn't really one of my best favorite things, but it was an adventure to sit in the UC Berkely Greek Theater on concrete benches for four hours watching some mediocre acts and some good before the featured stars came on stage.   There was a lot of jokes about same gender communities that I sometimes didn't get!!   Wanda Sykes was amazingly funny!!  And the people watching was rich!!

I think the only thing similar to Moderator Rock Star status to the REAL rock start status was when the artists appeared on stage, everyone stood up.  That's where the similarity ends.   Because the crowds were dancing, singing, clapping and having a great time while songs and great music played.   And after the stars left the stage, the people still stood up and begged for more!!!   Nope I don't think Modoerators get that kind of affirmation!!

So I've changed my mind, Bruce is not a rock star!   But...he is a pretty decent son, daddy, and husband and I guess that about all a momma could ask for!!!  Oh yeah and he was elected Moderator of the PCUSA, that's pretty significant!!

My son the Rock Star

Okay so being elected Moderator of the PCUSA General Assembly is not exactly "rock star" category!  But the treatment he gets WOW!!  It really hit me when we went to the Moderator's reception the following day after Bruce's election and I saw this line of people (hundreds!) in line to shake his hand and take a picture with him.  I thought, "This is Bruce!  My baby!  Do you really know about him?"  Watching each person come up to him and Robin with high hopes and expectations for the future of the church was amazing.   I am very proud!! If his grandfather Esteban Bacosa de los Reyes were alive today, he would be sobbing hysterically with pride.  Bruce and I get our emotional side from my daddy!

Bruce's family including his siblings, Deanne, Ron, Lauren, Beadle and Kevin,  his aunties and uncles, Jonelle, Cheryl, Chuck, Mike, Nikii were all on hand to set up the celebration festivities and provide support.  THANK YOU!! Joel and I are truly blessed with a wonderful family.   

Bruce as Moderator of the 218th General Assembly marks the first Filipino American Moderator, the second under the age of 40 and probably the first that wears earrings and doesn't tuck in his shirt!! Oh well!!! he is intelligent, faithful, and raised with a culture and community of faith that teaches respect, compassion, and service, what more could the PCUSA ask for?

I pray as his mother (Mother Moderator for a few!) that he is treated well and takes care of himself.

It is hard to believe that as part of the tradition of the church, the office of Moderator is highly esteemed and as such when the Moderator walks into a room, all stand and applaud and he hasn't even done anything yet!!!   Keeping him humble will be the task of his family and his faith community!!  Annie his youngest said out loud at the press conference after the election, "Why are we here?"   

My response because "God has a sense of humor!" 

To look at all the pictures of Bruce at General Assembly .

From a brilliant almost five-year old

While watching "Sleepless in Seattle" there was a scene where Tom Hanks tells someone that real love only happens once in a life time!!!  Analise looks at me and says, "Yes, that's right!" except if you break up you could find another love, but if your love dies, you can't find another love!   Interesting... or

Analise:  "Did you know my Filipino side has the same computers?"
Lola:  Who has the same computers?  (Expecting her to say, Lauren, Deanne and Me)
Analise:  Yes, Auntie, Lauren, You and my Mommy.
Lola:  Is your mom Filipino?
Analise:  When my mom married my daddy she became Filipino.
Lola:  Really...
Analise:  Yes, she says "suka" (Filipino for vomit!) and other Filipino words!...or

I love my Analise!

From one Generation to the Next!

I recently shared my thoughts about what generations pass down or don't pass down to subsequent generations.  This lack of communication create mis-perceptions between the generations about "what happened" or "what it meant."  And I don't see much of this changing, especially if generations hide from each other what hurts, what is important, and the need to work to save this world!  This morning I received photos of the aftermath of the Holocaust.   General Eisenhower ordered that these pictures be taken so that "we" wouldn't forget.   I definitely won't deny the occurrence of genocide in this world!   The Holocaust is a reminder of what we aren't supposed to do against humanity but the genocide continued and continues in many parts of the world!    If remembering the Holocaust is to prevent us from repeating history why hasn't it?

I hear folks say the Holocaust didn't happen and it was fabricated by the powers that be to gain sympathy for them in their own struggle.   The truth of the matter is, there have been atrocities all over the world some even perpetrated and supported by our own government and we have been witnesses to it. But yet, it doesn't matter.

Humanity has caused so much violence against its ownself that it has become second nature.   So what if we believed the Holocaust happened, have we changed as a nation or as people.   Live in the urban setting, and we experience a type of genocide in and on our streets where young people of color are being killed everyday as a result of gangs, economy, and just general stupidity.  But what do we do?  We open more jails.  We "label"  "those people" struggling as their own fault and we do little if anything to sacrifice in order that the "little ones" would have a chance in this world or just even in the Oakland community. 

Yes, I believe the Holocaust happened and the people I am in relationship with believe about the same things I do.   And that's where it ends, because I choose not to be in relationship with people who dismiss history as "false," "didn't happen."  etc.  and that is where the problem begins.    Unless I am willing to share my thoughts and my life experiences with others,  one  "non-believer" at a time, not in the "you're wrong" but how my life is different because I believe.    Wait that sounds like if you believe in Jesus Christ, your life will reflect it. which is my point, you are what you believe.     Whatever the President of Iran believes really doesn't matter, what does matter is how he acts, look at how he treats the people he governs, or interact with those outside his belief system.   Whether or not he believes in the Holocaust is beside the point, it should not be the reason why we "attack" Iran, because we should be attacking a lot of other places that have allowed their people to die or be killed over religious, tribal, and economic sanctions....

My believing in the many genocides in the last century isn't going to change the President of Iran's mind or belief of the many who live in our own country who believe the same way.  So what will?   Before we knew the holocaust was occurring, we turned back a ship of Jews seeking refuge on our shores, because "not our problem."  We now turn back thousands because they burden our systems and take jobs away from us and we are doing everything we can to keep people out no matter their circumstances.  So if a group of folks came to our shores to avoid being part of a Holocaust or Genocide, what would we do?  Turn them away..again?

We have our own problems as  a nation, state, county or city to come up with ideas about how to affirm and nurture our children so that they will become responsible productive citizens.   We demand that everyone who comes here speaks English, but if born here, we hope that our educational system will teach you to read!  We are creating a different kind of "genocide" in our educational system.    When we allow our businesses to "outsource" we defend it by saying we are improving the standards of living for those outside our country but what we really are sayings is "we want to buy cheap, not willing to pay the higher prices so that people in our own country will have a better life...we want to make a profit... but yet in our own country there are no jobs or the hope of improving the standard of living for millions.  I could go on and I have, sorry!

So what does it matter if we remember? Next time you take a drive through a "depressed" area, does it matter that you know that humanity has done horrible things against humanity?  Maybe...Then what?  What do you or I do?   I'll keep praying, lighting candles, and teaching my grandchildren that treating other people with compassion and kindness is just one small step to stop the madness!!

A sign of the Holy Spirit - A Pigeon?

Yesterday was a great day of praise and celebration!!   The children prepared the table for communion and helped lead service.  The band performed a Bono song and the Choir was truly amazing!!!    I also am now asking folks who speak more than one language to share the scripture reading in one of the languages not English.   As Elizabeth started to read the gospel about hospitality in her Cameroon dialect, a pigeon walked into the sanctuary.  Feeling very comfortable and rested on a bookcase. Elizabeth continued reading not aware of the peoples turned heads and focus on the bird, now flying into the front screen!    As the pigeon flew back, the bird sat next to a woman who proceeded to panic, who caused the person next to her to panic which then almost knocked the person next to them down.   I had to stop Elizabeth from reading and point out how the Holy Spirit had heard Elizabeth's words of hospitality and came to visit in the form of a pigeon.   The bird eventually landed on top of a parishioner's head and another person came from behind and picked the bird off the head and sent it on its way outside.

With the bird gone, Elizabeth continued reading!   And we all celebrated the rest of the service with a renewed sense of being touched by the Holy Spirit!!

I'm a Christian too!

The best part about traveling is that I get so much to blog about.  Today I left the Oakland airport for Chicago to attend a consultation about 2nd generation Asian Americans & Latina/os in Ministry.  More about that in another blog but here is what I've experienced so far.

• "I'm at the airport.  I think I should tell you that there is a lot going on and I should have told you this before I left...."   I wanted to just stand there and listen but I thought better of it.  Boy, I probably missed a lot of good stuff!!!  But I am sure that others got the scoop.  Makes me wonder, what motivates people to tell the "bad" news over the phone.  I guess the word is "chicken."  Oh well..

• Did you know that you have to have shoes on to go to the bathroom on the airplane?   Yup, they make you go back to your seat and put your shoes on.  Okay it wasn't me!!! I'd never go into a public bathroom without shoes (sometimes my own bathroom but that' is another tale!).   There was a very long line to the bathroom.  I was standing behind a woman who didn't have shoes on.  She had socks on but no shoes.  So instead of making her go all the way back to her seat, I offered my sandals! i got them back when she came out!   My good deed for the day.

• My luck with cab drivers in Chicago has not been good.  So I've taken to mapquesting (is that the proper use of the verb "mapquest") my destination before leaving home so I could tell the drivers where to go.  So to my surprise, I got into a cab where the driver knew where McCormick Theological Seminary  was located, then...he told me..."I'm a Christian too!"  He then told me that he studied the Bible for his own personal education.   He asked me what year I was in Seminary.   Stupid me!  I told him I was a pastor from California.   The trip to the Seminary is usually about 20 minutes...this trip took forever!!   By the time I arrived, we talked about the Old Testament, Gay and Lesbians getting married, Jesus the troublemaker, let's see and the most interesting, he was comparing different translations of the Bible for his own personal education - The KJV, NKJV and the LT  I couldn't help myself. I told him that there are books that do that already and perhaps he could look at the NRSV, NIV or even maybe the NAB.  When he dropped me off, he thanked me for the conversation and was thankful God put me in his Cab.   I guess I was thankful too, he knew where I was going!!!

I'm staying in Catholic housing here, haven't seen my room yet, be expect Jesus to welcome me with arms outstretched ;)

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today I celebrate my 59th birthday and I started it with having breakfast at McDonalds with my youngest grandchild, AVA .  As I strolled her to McDonalds I thanked God for my abundant blessings especially my children and grandchildren.   39 years agol and three weeks, I remember my first mistake as a mother.  Leaving Bruce on a chair and at three weeks old, who would have thought he would have rolled off, probably a sign that he would be a "mover" when he got older!.  All these years, and I still lament my lack of common sense then.   I am thankful that I have learned from my lack of common sense in the past so that I believe that I am much wiser. I still make mistakes but I don't put babies on chairs anymore!   Here are the pictures of my babies that keep me young!  I am thankful for their love and care!

Expectations!

In an earlier post, I told you all that I started an exercise program at Curves.   I've been going now for five months!!!! Almost every week, three times a week,  I owe it all to my good friend Jonelle who encourages me to go with her.   Exercise with a friend is the way to go! Curves recently changed their system so that a computer chip follows you around as you exercise!  At the end of the session, I know how many calories I expended, what parts of my body I didn't work out well, and where I need improvement.  This kind of feedback, I could do without.  I know its good for me but I tried real hard to meet my goals today and it didn't show up on the scores!!

The goals were set by me!  When I was being tested, I pushed myself and wanted to score high.  Little did I know that this scoring high, would push me beyond my heartbeats!!!  My expecations were higher than my physical capabilities.  And now everytime I exercise, I have to tell myself that I am not a failure that at least I am up and moving.  But when that little chip says I am not meeting my previous scores, something inside me says I have to push harder and when I do -- my heart beats faster, my blood flows faster and I think I am going to have an heart attack!   Maybe I shouldn't have made my expectations so high when setting my goals!!   

I should work up to a certain goal then move up again.  Setting a number of goals to get to my final goal which is a healthier me!!

What have I learned?   Set goals that aren't impossible!  and....lose a few pounds so my heart doesn't beat so fast when exercising!!  There goes me and setting "impossible" goals!!!  Back to goal setting!