spirituality

So, I did a thing.

| PastorChixsta

This past weekend, my daughter and I joined hundreds of other women and completed our first Mudgirl Run. What’s that one might ask? While the run hosts detail the Mudgirl as “an obstacle race dedicated to women,” I would describe it as fun, challenging, humbling and utterly worthwhile. And yep! It was pretty muddy, too, just in case you were wondering if it lived up to its name.

MUDGIRL MORNING TIMELINE

4am: Wake up; get ready and head out

5:15am: Meet and caravan with teammates from my local gym (A huge thank you to the inspiring ladies at Motivated by Lisa! and especially to Lisa for motivating me to join MBL’s Mudgirl Team 2026!)

6:30am: Arrive and park at race site – Castaic Lake State Recreation Area (dark and a little chilly which sorta gave the whole thing an eerie vibe, tbh)

~ 6:40am: Sunrise!

Many very important decisions ensue such as: should I wear the baseball hat that I brought? Should I wear my glasses? Am I actually hungry, or is that just nerves? What will I do if I don’t wear my glasses, and I can’t see? What will I do if I do wear my glasses, and they break? Was that a bird? What if I really can’t do this? Why did I get up at 4am again? Wait … what did I actually get myself into?

~ 7:30am: Race site opens. We grab our race tickets, and head to the course. Women are forming lines; selfies and group photos abound. I can really start to feel the energy rising. This is happening! We check our bags and take more photos. We start to move toward the starting line. The energy continues to rise. So many smiles! So much pink!

~8:30am: We walk/jog across the first (!) starting line, and corral into a pep area. Lots of dancing and encouragement and some powerful moments from two breast cancer warriors. This short time was powerful, moving, energizing. There were tears, nerves, energy … lots of well-channeled motivation.

While the Mudgirl run does raise funds to fight breast cancer with the Pink Army Foundation, this morning I learned that the Mudgirl run provides that and somehow also? so much more.

Since 2017, Mudgirl has contributed over USD $554 000 to breast cancer causes. Since 2025, a portion of every Mudgirl profit, including 50% of spectator ticket sales and proceeds from the Pink Army T-shirt, goes directly to the foundation.

We were told at the race start a few things to challenge and encourage us:

  1. Complete all the obstacles. All 20 of them. (as much as we possibly could, within reason. obvi? don’t hurt yourself; no one wants that.)
  2. It is mandatory to stop and take every water break offered along the course.

And also, this gem that will remain with me for some time:

  1. We can.
  2. We will.
  3. We are.

And with that … we were off. The course was approximately 5k and included 15 obstacles (not the announced 20! tricky!). Early in the course, we tackled some inflatables and all the MUD that I could ever want … and then some. The worst part of the entire course was the smell of the mud and when I accidentally got the mud in my mouth. ICK ICK ICK. And that’s all I’ll say on that.

We crawled under and through muddy waters; we ran jumped and climbed up muddy trenches and hills. None of it was easy, but I was reminded every time that few things in this beautiful life that are worth achieving come easy. And that none of us were made to walk alone, especially the rough patches. God crafted us — God crafted me — to be in community, help one another and contribute to a greater whole. And it is that community that supports us (if we allow …) to both enjoy and MUDdle through the beautiful (and challenging at times, too) gift of life.

I learned that again and again on this muddy morning. And nowhere did I feel it more with my whole heart and soul than when after one of the early tough and muddy obstacles … my daughter took my hand …

As the obstacles shifted out of the mud and onto the lakeshore, we stopped for a water break. It started to get hot and the earlier excitement and adrenaline was wearing off. So I was thankful when I remembered this gem:

  1. We can.
  2. We will.
  3. We are.

And then? We arrived at the hardest obstacle on the course. Both my daughter and I doubted whether we could pull this one off. It might have to be the ONE challenge that we skipped. But, I thought: I have to try, if not for me, then for my girl. So, I stepped up and took the rope and starting lugging 25lb over sandy moguls. I fell flat on my butt several times, and the whole awful thing felt never-ending. But, my gym friends were there CHEERING me on, and countless others who I didn’t and will never know were cheering, too. In the midst of the cheering, I stopped to catch my breath and evaluate my chances to get through this. When I glanced up and into the sidelines, a teammate’s husband and little son stared right back at me and yelled: “You GOT this!!!” And I chose in that moment …. to believe those words; and while it was not pretty in any way: I turned back and I finished that obstacle. I believed; I trusted; I can; I will; I am.

My daughter had a different experience with this one. She pushed and pulled that 25lb weight through the first half of the course, and then really hit a major wall. She just couldn’t get the weight moving; it would not budge. I cheered her on to no avail, and then watched as three teammates stepped onto the course to help. They gave her words of encouragement; showed her how to use her legs and not her back; and together, these women together – they got that weight moving. And after that, my daughterer pushed and pulled through with all of her power and might. And, she also finished that obstacle.

  1. We can.
  2. We will.
  3. We are.

And we continued onward: we lifted more heavy weights; we walked a tightrope; we climbed and moved and ran. But while growing tired, we had built confidence in ourselves and abilities on the course. And even more than that, we had developed trust in other Mudgirls with us that morning.

After completing the course as a team together, receiving our Mudgirl 2026 medal and changing out of our muddy clothes, we took more photos (of course!). Then we said our goodbyes and headed home.

On the car ride home, we recounted the morning together. My daughter claimed that she “really didn’t” finish that 25lb obstacle because she had help. And, I wholeheartedly and most vehemently disagreed. On the contrary, I countered that she did 100% finish that obstacle! I explained that needing and/or receiving help does not discount one’s completion of the challenge at hand or detract from the effort that got you to the end. #lifelesson #lifelonglesson

  1. We can.
  2. We will.
  3. We are.

Note the WE. (Not I.)

Jesus taught that throughout his ministry, and this supporting one another is truly what it’s all about. It’s not about what I can do; it’s about what we can do together, and how I contribute to a greater effort for God’s purposes through us all.

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. ~ Luke 10:1

God shows up in that greater effort; God is in the collaboration. God is within each of our contributions and efforts; God is in our cry for help; God is on our offer to help; God is in the helping. God is in the successful pulling of the 25lb weight to get over the hurdle. God is in the spouse calling out to a random teammate, “You got this!”

So now my daughter and I are now both officially Mudgirls and our mud-caked sneakers might never be clean again LOL.

But I think even more importantly as Mudgirls, we were powerfully and most palpably reminded that we are part of a much greater community of God’s people even and especially in the muddiest of times.

A greater community who together practices:

  1. We can.
  2. We will.
  3. We are.

My Mudgirl run was a morning of effort and challenge and humility and joy.

It was a morning of learning about the power of trying and the power of receiving help.

And that we were created to be in community with one another.

It was a powerful morning indeed.

And one that I will gladly do again.

Mudgirl 2027, anyone?

Don’t be troubled.

| PastorChixsta

“Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me.” ~ John 14: 1

My daughter asked me the other day if I would ever get a tattoo. It’s an intriguing idea; I have considered it a number of times. But this week, I decided that if it were possible, this verse should be inscribed on the side of my heart.  Because it’s wisdom that I need to hear with every beat of my heart; in my waking and sleeping; when I rise in the morning and I rest in the evening.  I just need these words from Jesus all day long; and I’m guessing that I am not alone in that. I think we could all hear this wisdom more in our lives.

So, hear them again:  “Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me.”

Take a moment and say them aloud to yourself (whisper or shout or whatever … just do it!) 🙂 Then, read on.

So, I know that there are any number of reasons to be troubled.  Family strife.  Illness.  World hunger.  Broken or stressed relationships.  Work and money problems.  Disappointment. Grief. Not living up to expectations.  I could continue this list for a long while, but I won’t and you can thank me in a comment below – LOL. But, why I need to inscribe John 14:1 on my heart is not because of all of my troubles. No, it’s because Jesus is sharing a means of grace, a means of relief to my troubles that I need to remember always and forever. Jesus invites me and you both (again and again) to a way of life that allows us to not be tied down by the troubles of life.  There is a “YES AND …” that Jesus is sharing that offers peace and comfort and the capacity to live a life infused with joy in the midst of that concerningly long list of troubles.

Here’s what I think that this looks like for me:

“Yes, I am sad. I really, really miss my Mom.”

AND

“Yes, I trust you God to be with me in my sadness.”

Because in that trust is the answer that I need.  Truth is that sometimes I just want God to solve all of my problems! I do; I 100% admit that.  And while that would be nice, what Jesus is teaching me is not that. Jesus teaches that while I might want God to solve it all; what I need is to do is to trust God. 

And in trusting God, the rest follows.   

In trusting God, I am invited to a practice of humility; maybe even to a posture of admitting, “I don’t have all the answers.”  Or, more simply, “I need a little help here because I can’t do this alone.”  In trusting God, I am acknowleding that it’s not all about me.  I am saying:

I need you God.

And I need you, Jesus.

And I need you, neighbor.

I can’t solve all my problems today; I might never ever solve them all.  But, I can let go of the worry and anxiety and troubles that darken my days.  I can trust in God; I can trust in the ways of Jesus. And in that trust, I believe that I can learn to live together with you and my neighbors everywhere as the people of God.

~ Pastor Melinda

Enduring Grace

| PastorChixsta

When I was at divinity school, I heard and read and learned a lot about the concept and faith practice of Grace.  I even had one professor proclaim that in her own faith search for a church home, she was stumped until she landed on a Methodist Church’s emphasis on grace.  She had been exploring a number of Christian faith traditions and denominations. But, it wasn’t until she came upon the Methodist church’s strong emphasis and thorough understanding of grace that she had found her home.

So what IS this particularly “Methodist” emphasis and understanding of Grace?  

There are three main components and each one helps us delve into and wrestle with the multi-layered faith experience and practice of grace.  In this, we are trying to put words to a feeling, a sense, a lived experience.  This is not a science nor is it a set of principles that one must adhere to; these three components are more of an attempt to explain a lived and ongoing faith experience.  Sometimes, grace is experienced in a moment; sometimes, it is a lifelong journey. 

What I am sharing today is a commonly-espoused Methodist or (John) Wesleyan understanding of grace. It is based on the writings and commentary of John Wesley who founded the Methodist movement in southern England in the 1700’s.  Interestingly enough, it was also around this time that John Newton wrote the familiar hymn, “Amazing Grace.”  If you don’t know the story behind that hymn, check it out!  It is a powerful story about God’s grace at work.  And? Newton’s story that led to the hymn shares more than a few details with one of John Wesley’s own personal stories of grace.  It turns out that these two Anglican clergy knew each other, and shared a few theological musings in their lifetimes. In fact, here’s a letter that John Wesley wrote to Newton on April 1, 1766.

https://digitalcollections.smu.edu/digital/collection/jwl/id/40

It is from John Wesley’s teachings of grace (such as the letter to Newton) that United Methodists today understand a certain grace process. Often, we see it as a house tour of sorts — with three stops along the way.

Stop #1 … Prevenient Grace.  The front porch.

This stop is on the porch of the house; the front door isn’t even open yet to us.  But the entirety of all that lies outside of the house is open to us.  Prevenient Grace might be a bit off-putting because of the word “prevenient.”  It’s an older word that simply means “prior to; before arriving.“ It means that we are on the front porch of God’s grace … before we even know it. And that is a beautiful thing.

God’s grace is with us often long before we know it; want it; or feel that we even need it.  God’s grace surrounds and embraces us despite our acknowledgment of it.  In fact, it doesn’t matter if we profess to be followers of Jesus, or religious, or “spiritual, but not religious” … anything at all or nothing at all. 

 But God shows his love for us, because while we were still sinners Christ died for us. ~ Romans 5: 8

God’s grace is with us.  All the time, everywhere.

That is prevenient grace … Truthfully, some of us stay on the front porch with God’s grace the entirety of our lives.  And that is 100% beautiful.  Amen to that!

Stop #2 … Justifying Grace.  The front door.

This stop is at the front door of the house.  This experience of God’s grace is unique to each of us who experience it, but it is when we feel God’s energy … 

—  helping us to stand back up when we have fallen. 

—  returning us to God’s embrace when we have done something >> many things? >> that have distanced us from God and what we might call “right relationship” with God or God’s people.

— forgiving us when we have caused harm to ourselves or another of God’s children or God’s creation.

Justifying grace can be felt as forgiveness, acceptance, or freedom. 

It can come in countless forms and experiences.

But all of these experiences of God’s justifying grace all drive us into alignment with God’s original design for us.

We stand at the door of God’s grace and we receive God’s grace as we work to align ourselves — our lives — with God’s intention for us.  We might experience this through the people that we commune with; or the ways that we go about our lives; the choices we make about what we do with tour time and how we go about our lives.  

Again, we need to remember that similar to prevenient grace, we don’t elect or choose to experience God’s grace. It is freely given and freely experienced.  There are no payments due or requirements for the grace of God. We experience it as we align ourselves with the ways of Jesus such as compassion for self and neighbor; sharing of resources for the betterment of all God’s kin-dom; forgiveness; walking a path of righteousness / justice for all persons.

You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith. This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. It’s not something you did that you can be proud of. Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives. ~ Ephesians 2: 8-10

Stop #3 … Sanctifying Grace.  An inner room.

Aha! Now, we step inside the house! Yet, while we have arrived inside, we are still continuing to form.  Truth is, we never stop forming; we are ever maturing in our Christian discipleship.  Sanctifying Grace is the experience of grace where we might have a powerful conversion experience and “come to Jesus.”  Some of our sibling churches might understand this as “being born again in Christ.”

All of this speaks to a powerful means of God’s grace at work in our lives.  It is often experienced inwardly over time, but it can be a powerful one time location-specific event as well.  However we might experience “sanctifying grace,” it is powerful to the point of being almost palpable.  It contributes to our ongoing life in Christ and with Christ as we walk ever onward with God.

So, brothers and sisters, because of God’s mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. This is your appropriate priestly service. Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature. ~ Romans 12: 1-2

I will share briefly my experience of these “grace stops” along my life path just as some reference.

Stop #1 (Front Porch) – Prior to my entry into my call to ordained ministry, I wasn’t a regular church-goer.  I had been on and off as a child, but as a young adult, I was not.  This was certainly a time of prevenient grace in my life.  God was with me throughout the time; whether I attended church; whether I professed a faith.  I travelled a lot for work, and God’s grace accompanied me no matter where I was; who I was with; what I was doing.  No matter what, when, why, who, how.  God’s prevenient grace embraced me and enfolded me.

Stop #2 (Front Door) – At some point as I was on the front porch, God started to nudge me to the front door.  I only begrudgingly went; I stayed in that doorjamb for quite a while.  But, it was while in this space that I joined a small group of young adults who read the Bible sometimes and worshipped together on occasion. But, we began to really just live life together all the time.  We met for meals.  We went to concerts.  We hosted football game parties.  We went hiking – to the beach – to the opera – to the movies.  We ran marathons and races.  We went to memorial services of each other’s loved ones.  We went to and participated in one another’s bridal showers; weddings and baby showers.

And it was in this living life together that I began to experience God’s justifying grace.  I experienced and showed forgiveness.  I learned to listen more carefully to others.  I began to volunteer more frequently at homeless shelters and beach clean ups.  My choices with my spending, my companions, my career all began to reflect my deepening faith in and with Christ. 

I experienced God’s justifying grace and my life began to become more aligned with God and the ways of Christ.

And I didn’t earn any of this.  I just lived life and God’s grace was poured upon me.

Stop #3 (Inner Room) – As I stepped across the porch and entered an inner room of the house of grace, I experienced a deepening personal ownership of the ways of Jesus.  My prayer life matured, and I began to let go of my prior demands on my own life. I began to pray for God’s will and to open myself to follow God’s will.

This experience of the house of grace led to who I am today. I am an ordained clergywoman in the United Methodist Church who has served God’s church for a few decades now in a variety of ways. 

  • I never thought I would be a minister. I never thought that I would marry, or have children of my own.
  • I never thought I would be as fulfilled or at peace with the work that I am about and the life that I lead.

I am not without fault, mistakes, mishaps or wounding. But it is through the power of God’s enduring grace that I am who I am, and I serve God’s creation with such gratitude today.

I wonder how you have experience God’s grace in your life; I would love to hear or read of it. I have all the time in the world to listen to God’s people and hear of God’s grace in your lives.

Comment below. Or, reach out to meet up.

Let’s think and listen and ponder and sing of God’s Amazing Grace!

~ Pastor Melinda Dodge

Was jesus an olympian?

| PastorChixsta

 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…” ~ Hebrews 12:1 

Have you been watching?  Have you seen?  Paris Summer Olympics 2024!  Oh gosh, it has been so awesome to come home from Groundlings Camp (when our family isn’t driving all over to Scouts or Ballet or Hockey or whatever else we seem to get on the calendar), and turn on the OLYMPICS. 

I mean …

— the heated back and forth US v Australia swimmers. Cowbell anyone? 

— the Women’s Gymnastics team overcome a myriad of hurdles in recent years.

— the pride of the French when they earned their first gold medal!

To be in some tiny part … just one piece of this immense coming together of the world; to be, in some tiny way, one part of the larger global community …

It means something.

It teaches us all something.

And while as far as I know Jesus did not participate in the Olympics while on Earth, I do think that he would have made a BOMB member of the Men’s Gymnastic Team.  Like maybe on the rings?  I can see it!  Jesus was all about being together with God’s people.  He was part of a team throughout his life.  Yeah, I think Jesus would be pro-Olympics.  

Because … one of the things that makes the Olympics so powerful – so exciting and beloved – is that it invites us into a shared experience; a commonality; a touchstone.  And, Jesus prioritizes that very thing.  Yes, Jesus prioritizes community, and he teaches us the tenets of healthy community like humility, forgiveness, grace, and supporting and helping one another even when we don’t always understand or agree with each other.

The Bible verse from Hebrews is about this wisdom of Jesus.  It’s giving us one little piece of how we live our lives – together. The verse is a short teaching from the Apostle Paul (early founder of the church), and he is helping us to recognize that we are not alone.  As God’s people – as those who learn from the model of Jesus, we are never alone. Paul describes this as

“… a cloud of witnesses who run the race with us.”

In the cloud are people who surround us with love and support; people who cheer us on; people who form our community in life.

And, sometimes we are a witness in someone else’s cloud.

I guess maybe right now, I am in a REALLY big cloud cheering on other people across the world.  In these huge global games called the Olympics.

But everyday, in a much smaller and no less important way, I am called – we are called – to cheer on our community.

And everyday, we have a cloud of witnesses cheering us on and lifting us up.

Breathe deeply and know that you are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses supporting you.

Breathe deeply and know that you are supporting someone else – in their cloud.

#wisdomofJesus #wholenewmeaningofCLOUD