Shepherd's Pastor

When the voice is silent....

2012-01-25T22:05:00.003-07:00

A wonderful word from my friend Claude May, "Remember, when the students are taking the test, the teacher is silent." Often our voices cry out for help from the Lord, but we forget that there are moments when the Lord is teaching us a lesson, attempting to gather in our trust and waiting spirits. We are quick to demand of the Lord, but sometimes the Lord is watching us. "Be patient in your suffering" Look for the Lord not just to fix your issue, but to teach you something.

The Journey continues...

2011-12-07T17:21:00.003-07:00

Been awhile since I have been on the blog! The last five months have culminated in huge changes for Anne and me! We are now living in St. George and serving a wonderful collection of saints at Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church. We are loving the area and the many new adventures find us celebrating a new chapter of faith and growth. Soon the blog will be connected to the church website and I will once again be using it to celebrate the unexpected moments when God's Spirit teaches and blesses! Looking forward to the next portion of the journey, so keep praying out there!!

Self importance.....

2011-03-22T12:14:00.001-06:00

Whenever I get full of myself, I simply recall the nice elderly couple who approached me with a camera in Honolulu one day. They wanted a picture, so I struck a pose for them and then the man said, "no, we want you to take a picture of us!"
Tom Selleck, actor

Lent is helping us to not make assumptions about ourselves or the Lord...

Lent

2011-03-14T16:37:00.004-06:00

Lent has claimed a season of the calender and now my days are spent thinking of the actual faith journey. Not faith statements, faith ideas or faith moments, but the faith journey. Progress seems to take so much out of us, yet it also grants a awareness that life is a series of spiritually connected occurrences. I like the idea that faith is not a t shirt slogan, but moving with grace around the matters of the heart. Yes, Lent threatens our soul's equilibrium, but it also invites us to do more than gather information. We are a people who believe in a Spirit forged life, but so often our only reference to that life occurs when a song comes on that warms our heart or a picture recalls deep affection or brought us joy. Lent, for me is one of those times when I feel the heaviness of failure, but know it is not what completely defines me. Lent is the period that recalls lost love ones and my mortality, but also speaks of the price eternity costs and my security therein. Lent challenges me to see that I regularly think I have it so right, and still manage to uncover so much wrong! A time of repentance, a time of staring at the mirror, looking squarely into the darkness and waiting for the light to come. Don't be afraid of the dark, unless of course you never wish to get through to the light...

2010-09-21T14:53:00.001-06:00

Some people make things happen, some watch things happen and some just ask what happened.

Casey Stengel

Thank you!!

2010-09-13T14:25:00.001-06:00

Thank you to all who read Brian McLaren's "The Secret Message of Jesus'! A very nice gathering last night and I know we are a bit richer knowing the secret is not hidden from us, but simply waiting to be discovered!

Musings....pt II...

2010-08-31T17:50:00.002-06:00

Well, I am preparing for the memorial of a very special man. He was a person who adored his family, a man who raised his kids well, who brought a wonderful sense of stability to those who surrounded him even though his life as a child knew no such stability at all. He never complained about his lot, chose to nor rewrite the terrible chapters of his life over, and he stayed true to the values and virtues which make peoples lives better. As I think about all the secret message aspects of Jesus' ministry, I am drawn to those who, as B Mc lifted up, make such a difference without having to get credit for their "good works". In their jobs, while on the road, compassionate at unexpected times; these mark a message in which faith is not "measured" but experienced. Not that measuring our faith is a bad thing! We should always measure our own discipleship with the anticipation of growing and glowing in the best of ways! What we really like to do, however, is measure others. And when the message is less concrete, less verbal, less obvious; then it is hard to measure the health and state of others. The secret message gives us the opportunity to feel the warmth of love found in discipleship, without having to always "show off". As I say goodbye to him with his family, I am awfully glad that he didn't take the shortcut of blaming the world, carrying anger and projecting his tough past out on others. He chose the better way, as Paul calls it, the most excellent way, and in doing so avoided skeletons in the closet as his model for behavior and instead chose love.

only way to keep a secret.....

2010-08-24T09:53:00.004-06:00

... is when someone is actually embarrassed by it!! Unless it is someone else!! Then it is straight to the National Enquirer!! What did you think of B Mc's paraphrasing of the four gospels on page 73? The vast scope of the task can make us tired just thinking about it! That is why all this ministry stuff is a team effort. Jesus asking people to step beyond their own tribal inclinations (how many times have we heard "we have to take care of things here at home first"?)and engage a much larger purpose seems hard. But as Mc. continues, the task is not one that is "hard" but one that requires passion. The mention of guitars always tickles my ears and the story of Master Crabb brought a smile to my face. A chance to learn led to a passion for music which brought the song to others. And all began with 5 chords and some advice... we don't always have to do spectacular things to live out the gospel... in fact, talk about a misdirection! "Our community must be big" or "we have to feed all the hungry" diminishes the impact of a single act of grace bestown upon another. When we don't share a word of encouragement, the gospel remains hidden. When we fail to help someone on this day, the gospel remains secret. We don't have to move mountains for the gospel to be proclaimed. Just walk the valley with eyes open and hands ready to be extended. Then the secret gets out.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where the is hatred, let me sow love
Where their is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
Where there is sadness, joy

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as console
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love;

For it is giving we receive, in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Scannnndalized....

2010-08-18T17:52:00.003-06:00

or having one's soul scanned by the holy emotion detector! I have been doing some serious struggling with the kingdom of God and its manifestation. My heart is heavy because the power of Christlife is so far from so many, and that there is a painful reminder that those who do locate and live in that realm truly stand in a place of blessing. Why wouldn't EVERYONE want that??!! This chapter took me to the woodshed and reminded me that our God is a God of different ideals, and I love the line that if the Lord simply imposed His power upon the creation then it would look no different from all the other despots who rule with violence and fear. The secret, God is soooo powerful that He can allow his ministry and the vessels of its fruit to be "destroyed" because such things which proceed from eternity cannot truly be destroyed. Perseverence Michael! Resurrection Michael!! Those are the signs of the kingdom. And the sign of Christ as well. Victory is indeed his, but the message is not that Christ overcomes in the way we are used to fighting our battles, but that he overcomes with the power of love and strength as his weapons.

Have you seen the failures which sometimes thwart the coming of the Kingdom? Have you experienced a time when the people of the Kingdom "let you down"? When have you let down the Kingdom? How did you feel about that?

Signs!! And wondering.....

2010-08-11T11:32:00.002-06:00

Demonstrating our faith has become a bit cliche for often it is a bumper stick that proclaims "God said it, I believe it (not not I act on it!)that settles it!" or "Believer on Board!". Our tendency is to wear our faith rather than to live our faith. Culture grants us many opportunities to stand in a position of salvation; it doesn't often give us the chance to live out our salvation. I love the world view discussion because our way of thinking was exceptionally foreign to the time of Christ. Miracles in this day and age are deemed as the hand form outside changing our circumstances when we need it rather than a moment of actually finding ourselves changed.

I remember my dad once making the statement that with his five children the way he treated them was "exactly the same." Well, being the one who only saw him for a few weeks a year, I would beg to differ! In his mind he could see everything as equal, but my experience of his presence and guidance etc was most certainly not. I think this is a huge gap which exists in our signs and wonders dialogue. We expect all things to be equal with god, our sense of cultural entitlement with regard to fairness is often compromised in this department when we see what is happening in the lives of others. If there is anywhere life is not fair, it is this one. "Lord, I know that I smoked heavily for 40 years, but make my lung cancer go away" pales when put into the context of a child born with cancer who only sees 5 years of life. The idea that the signs and wonders are not at our whims and desire but at the descretion of God is the main directive we must understand when working with this topic.

Shaped by a new faith.. or shaping our "faith"?

2010-08-09T15:23:00.004-06:00

I must say, Dr. M is running this ex pentecostal around the block!! I so recall the experience of being born again as a moment when I said "Jesus is Lord" and that confession was supposed to signify a new start, wonderful grace and forgiveness. But the idea of literally starting over? Throwing away all I had learned and beginning again? Replacing all my assumptions about life and love and culture and ideals and... well.. you get the picture!! I actually love this; I think most folks would rather signify being born again as "changing majors" instead of going "back to kindergarten"! And perhaps that is our problem in encountering the message.
Jesus expecting to teach us, not just "save" us. Jesus longs for those who understand the work of transformation, not just a few more hands to "do the job". Does your experience of salvation look more like you just "changed majors" and you are still working with old assumptions, values, etc? Or have you the spirit of going back to kindergarten, learning anew, not trying to make faith fit into your life but rather becoming a person of faith?

Secret? Go figure....

2010-08-04T12:19:00.002-06:00

Welcome to our late summer read! And I must say, the very idea of the title sends up some yellow (not red... seminary told bought the messianic secret of Mark, so I recognize the relevance to the idea of Messiah) flags for me! I have always understood Jesus' message as being one for the nations, one that is shouted from the rooftops, one that is so obvious people cannot deny it! Yet here we delve into, as McLaren tells us, "uncovering the truth that could change everything". And the first three chapters waste no time telling us the intention of our author; he is not impressed with the strain of faith which occupies our pews, and who can blame him? Passive, benign, often our faith is only an expression of a block placed upon the calender setting aside some sunday mornings for "fellowship". Our faith looks like oil and water; only when it gets shaken up by trial or tragedy does it find mixing, otherwise our "regular" life and our faith life are separated by calender and circumstance.
So in asking troubling questions, McLaren points us back to a core, a center, a presence where faith is more than just a collection of values and statements. Is your faith more than just statements and values? Think of one way in the last two weeks you have been motivated to do something not because you are "nice" or it is the "right" thing to do, but that you were motivated by discipleship.

I have a feeling our minds will be stretched, and I think we will painfully encounter a harsh reality about the message of Jesus; it is not secret, it is just often ignored, and at best, a message tailored to suit our whims and desires.

Summer musings...

2010-07-12T15:19:00.003-06:00

I pray the summer has been most wonderful for all of you! I have been doing some summer reading, but the two books I am devouring right now are "Gulag: A History" by Anne Applebaum and "Cadillac Desert" by Marc Reisner. Two exceptional tomes with all kinds of history and intrigue fashioned therein. Gulag is a dark history whcih tells of the many trials and despair of those incarcerated in Russian camps in the early 20th century; the depth of sorrow and despair leaps from the pages, but I am struck by the power of the human spirit as well. Both are wonderful books and great reads, but save them for another time for our book read of "The Secret Message of Jesus" by Brian McLaren is about to commence! We will begin in August and gather at the end of the month to have a discussion... keep your eyes on the blog and I will be throwing out my two cents worth as well!!!

Spurt of dreaming...

2010-05-19T10:35:00.002-06:00

This week's DISCIPLE class is about Revelation, the story of victory in the face of defeat. John dreams of a new heaven and earth with an eye toward the future, but as United Methodists our aim is to bring a bit of eternity to today! The power of transformation is a process often lost upon the church; we give lots of lip service to it, but in the end succumb to the emotional gravitational forces which keep us in familiar territory, similar and comfortable expressions of how life is lived and processed.
May we welcome this summer with a new vision which takes us out of the cycle of seasons, but instead feel the warmth as a sign of a future that will not be the same, opportunities which will not be missed and potential that demands to be realized. Let's dream, in an doing so seek the Lord's dreams.

Alaska journey and a summer read....

2010-05-17T17:22:00.002-06:00

Soon we will be heading up to Alaska and the anticipation is indeed building! I do very much look forward to the sights and expereinces which will mark our journey; I also am thankful for the friends going with us and the friends we will soon see. Annual Conference is also right around the corner and Our choir is hoping to be a part of the ordination worship. We say farewell to the Stewarts and August will ask us to reach high on behalf of our wider missions. Let us pray for one another and seek the fulness of Spirit which accomplishes so much!

Our summer read will be Brian McLaren's The Secret Message Of Jesus.. I have about 7 copies for $4.00 or you can get them on Amazon if you wish... we will read July to the middle of August and then meet for a Coffee Clutch in the Cafe.. looking forward to a new take on the Good News!! Join me for the summer read!!

Quote for the day...

2010-05-17T17:21:00.001-06:00

Call upon God, but steer away from the rocks!
Anonymous

Musings....

2010-04-28T16:15:00.001-06:00

on a night with the bedbugs!! Russ and Jeff and I spent last Saturday night at GSUMC and wow, what an amazing night! Bit of chill in the air, sounds of basketballs bouncing and the joy of watching people learn a bit about malaria was exceptional! Total amount raised; just over $1000, which means that we will provide over 100 nets to families in Africa!

Buzzzzzzkill!!

2010-04-15T17:33:00.002-06:00

On April 24th the pastoral staff of GSUMC will be joining the UM's Change The World campaign by sleeping out in the back yard to raise money for The "Nothing But Nets" campaign. There will be a interactive pathway and an opportunity to reflect upon the circumstances of others in the world. Join us for this exceptional night and enjoy seeing Russ in his sleepwear! The pathway will be from 6 pm to 9 pm and is there will be a donation net to provide nets for those in malaria susceptable countries. Come fellowship and let's work on providing safety nets for another!

In honor of the Barnabas Experience...

2010-04-14T10:42:00.002-06:00

"Save a dreamer"
Motto of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship fund

"Compassion is not a weakness, and concern for the unfortunate is not socialism."
Hubert Humphry

Give all you can, in all the ways you can, at all the times you can."
John Wesley

May the Lord bless our Sunday and may the gifts for others abound!

Quote for Saturday..

2010-03-27T14:05:00.006-06:00

"She placed her faith in Christ rather than placing her faith in her faith. Entrusting her soul to the invisible Savior, the world saw Christ in her when she could not see Christ in the world."
Rev. Brian Kolodejchunk, Come Be My Light
Autobiography of Mother Theresa

So, you thought you were doing great....

2010-03-26T22:16:00.003-06:00

with this discipleship stuff! High demand religion is a dream we pastors have for our communities of faith for it means the money is plentiful, the volunteers are numerous and the ministry is huge!! Not big, in numbers necessarily, but huge in impact. The High demand chapter is the one that birthed the Barnabas project; this is why the leftovers for Jesus was never the goal, but something which had value. And that is still not EVEN close to the demands placed upon those who are joining the monasteries! Galli puts us in our place; we think we give so much, we pat ourselves on the back for the 'great things we do to make a difference" and, like when humans plan (God laughs).. an emotion is elicited from the Creator. The Lord weeps. Our "high demands" are usually not high at all; most the time they represent things we would do naturally and we reward ourselves with arrogance; I should have a say because I do so much, My voice is the one that's because I am a big giver. My opinion is the most important because I said so. I love the guy who said recently about politicians "They never listen to the people"... the issue he was talking about had an approval rate of 70 %! He was on the wrong side of the issue and generalized his frustration. His demand to be heard was lost on him "because everyone thinks like I do." Wrong! That is the problem with this Jesus stuff.. faith doesn't mean we get to make up the rules for faith; Jesus tells us what it looks like. God doesn't listen to us... we listen to God. I agree with Galli; if you REALLY want to serve Jesus be afraid, be very afraid. In a good way.

quote for today

2010-03-26T22:09:00.002-06:00

"How can we live in harmony? First we must remember we are all madly in love with the same God."
St. Thomas Aquinas

Book Talk...

2010-03-25T17:14:00.002-06:00

this Sunday, March 28th at 7 pm!! Stone Soup is at 5:30 (and roast beef... mmmmm) so come for dinner and then we will gather for a conversation around Jesus: Mean and Wild.. See you Sunday night!!

crazy.....

2010-03-25T13:51:00.004-06:00

like a fox!! That is Jesus at work.. and sobering power is far from our experience of Christ. Mostly because that is what keeps us from the power; the power. There never is the power which constructs, tends, creates; the slower, gentle presence (power) which is mundane and sometimes hard to notice. No, when we want to see power, we want big! The gospel of John chides those who just come looking for the miracles, reminding them it is not the miracle which shapes the life, but the life that is shaped after the miracle. The miracle is a moment, the belief in the miracle is what lasts. Or we are content to have the Lord be a figure on the shelf, the "creator" who has pulled itself out of all contact and watches with a voice of affirmation or condemnation. With no power. and we don't receive the power of forgiveness, healing, comfort or grace and we are disappointed. Sobering power means God will forgive us even though we keep telling ourselves God won't, God will stand by us and we don't need everyone standing by our side saying "it'll be okay". No, sobering power takes us outside of our earthly limitations and gives us the chance to believe when we don't feel, to stand when we would like to fall, and to close our eyes and remember life is life, but God is God. A power not produced, defined or managed. God being God. And, as Galli points out about Christ, we are a people with an unfailing confidence the Lord will work with us, love us and call us to be the people who see, feel and bring the presence of the Lord alive. That is a miracle.

What is YOUR passion?

2010-03-23T15:49:00.003-06:00

"All sins are in one sense an attempt to fulfill a genuine, righteous longing, but in a way which is inappropriate." (p. 105) I love passion, and I am moved by conviction. There is so much to be said for those who seek the ways that lead to wholeness and struggle with perfecting a skill or talent. However, we are sometimes wrong. In our rightness we are wrong, in our manner, we are wrong, in our inflated sense of importance, we find ourselves wrong. Inappropriate. Self righteous. Pitiful. And often, probably the worse part of the whole picture, continuing to assume we are right when we are so very wrong. It is easy to point to the hardened hearts of the world and say wow, look at what they are missing. The actual tragedy in faith communities is really not the hearts "out there" which are hard, but how many hearts that gather around the communion table who are closed to the power of the message, the word of challenge and the grace which gives wholeness. The ears in the sanctuary which no longer listen, the arms crossed and the frowns which do not reflect love but self righteousness and disdain. Ironically, attitudes like the crowd which gathered and that shouted at Christ on the cross "save yourself" and "crucify him". Then, when we find ourselves betraying our motives, too close to the ugly image of sin, we wipe the disdain off our face, feign concern and level the "I am only thinking about the church"... but really only thinking about ourselves. I wish my experience could chalk this up to "passion", but very rarely is this so. Passion is the hunger for the experience, to learn more, to grow more, to place oneself not above but within the confines of what inspires. Anything else is just critique. And God is not looking for critics, God is looking for servants who "hunger and thirst for righteousness." Hungry for the food of the soul?

What are your passions? Can you think of a time when you were not passionate about an idea about God, but actually passionate about God? What does that mean?

Quote for the day...

2010-03-23T15:47:00.004-06:00

"It takes a (skilled) carpenter to build a barn; but any jackass can tear one down."
Sam Rayburn

Tthe other side of the coin....

2010-03-22T17:54:00.003-06:00

or.. the Christian on steroids!! The story of Bill Curry speaks to the need to keep up with the shifting standards, to shape ourselves for advantage by any means necessary not because one is lazy, or one is taking an easy way out, but because so much is at stake. For pro football players, it is millions of dollars gained in a career that is very short. For the Church and the Christian, there is the desire to be a part of something successful, something that is "making a difference". But there is a part of us that is drawn to the americanized ideal of success, and as the last chapter pointed out, we as individuals are the evaluators of such! Pump up not the jams but the church! Big, brawny and powered by everything we are looking for! A church on steroids! The is a danger, a warning however; the church on steroids pumps up the mind and warms the heart without bringing the pain of the world to our doorstep. The church on steroids sings and dances and raises its arms and when the time for mourning comes it is ignored or dismissed in the guise of "they are in a better place". The church on steroids pretends to be strong and deep, when all one will garner at the end of the journey is faith cells out of control, tissue stripped and malnourished and a mind that is dead and empty. Warnings don't seem to come to those people; they are so very busy doing "the Lord's work", living a pumped up sense of self which implies that needs are being met and the soul is safe. Jesus definitely has other ideas about that ideal. Our faith is not meant to "build us up".... our faith is meant to bring us down. Down to the place where our lives reach out into the muck and mire of the day. Where lives are being lost, where drugs and hunger are daily bread and bodies are sold to meet the immediate demands of the day. The truly strong can handle that ache, the strong can look into the eyes of death and brokenness and know what to do to heal it.The ones who have run the drills and are working out their faith in the context of the community known as the kingdom are never defeated. For Christ is not just "with' them, but within them. Great quote; "ministry as warning must be grounded in weakness and death". (p.100) Jesus says take up your cross and follow him; that is a warning if I have ever heard one. The ones who are looking for the steroid faith will simply move on to the new fix; and then wonder why holiness eludes them.

You are not alone....

2010-03-17T09:36:00.004-06:00

and you are not an island. This section reminds me of the Lord's Prayer: "OUR Father who art in heaven.... give US this day and forgive US as WE forgive.... In teaching prayer Jesus is very clear. This is not a Lone Ranger ideal we are pursuing here. The only way one finds real salvation is in relationship on the Lord's terms. Relationship with Christ, relationship with others, relationship with creation, relationship. Sin urges us to see ourselves as alone or set apart; Christ affirms how much we need each other. And Galli is so very correct; without some good interpretive skills we can easily turn the mother vs daughter stuff into a solo act. Worse yet, into a validation of our capacity to "be right". People don't like me anymore so I must be right becomes our mantra and before long we are doing more harm than good. Jesus is more than willing to be in relationship with sinners; he urges them toward a higher state of existence. So relationships become more solid, not more fragile. But the stress of seeking the welfare of others will always put us at odds with those we love. The story of Francis is one of my favorites; and to see that he didn't always get it right is very comforting to me!! He was fearful, he suffered punishment and was probably shaken by a few doubts. But, he eventually found his footing and makes a stand on behalf of the work of the Lord and in doing so finds life. The kingdom matters, the life together in community matters; and anyone who says we can do faith/discipleship thing alone is either quite uninformed or a liar.

Has your faith ever put you at odds with others? How did that feel? How much of your disagreement was theological rather than action oriented? Have you ever undertaken a radical endeavor and found yourself having to defend it?

Love makes enemies?

2010-03-15T09:50:00.004-06:00

No, that can't be... love is nice and makes us feel good! Not according to Jesus; love empowers us to do the scandelous, the difficult, demands honesty. And one doesn't do these "crazy" things so that others will talk about what great persons they are. Because even though others are going to talk, soon the one who does such things called faithful will be required to challenge the status que, to confront selfishness, to say yes to even exile and death while discovering life.

Like Galli, I remember the stories of those who went out into the mission field and died for the faith; those who were willing to leave behind everything for the call of Christ. More spiritualization ahead; I am more than ready to "give up my soul" for the gift of ministry. But what about my life? Yes, I think all of us would be willing to face death for those we love. but what about face life with those we love? Julie, who gives a kidney so that her father can live, knowing that her future is more fragile. Carol, whose readiness to offer care leads her to the halls of healing and death so that she serves as a bridge between heaven and earth. Jim, whose hours are marked by silent stretches of of service without cheering crowds or accolades. Ryan, who gives up his Sunday afternoon to go sing words of hope for a collection of people who have often have no hope. So many others as well; and I am not talking simply about the folks who "make our worship more enjoyable" or "do something nice for someone." Sadly, we reward ourselves for what Jesus will tell us are requisites, requirements, expectations of the kingdom. And no further we travel, just content that "I do good things". Not loving things, not life giving things; just good things. For the kingdom to come, the will of Christ must be done. And that requires a love which pushes us beyond ourselves and into the realm of death, of sorrow, of madness, of pain. Then we are doing ministry, then we are purveyors of life. And a love that will make us if not enemies, at least some critics.

Love hurts...

2010-03-11T10:30:00.003-07:00

...and not in the way we think of love hurting!! Love hurts us, and it definitely hurts others. At least true love does. Several years ago we decided to read a book called good to great and it had a wonderful premise; too many of us reveal in the minimum, or worse yet, in the middling of what life was truly meant to be. His solution was the part that was the most challenging, something that systems guru Patrick Leconic also stresses; in order to be all you can be, be prepared to leave a few by the road. Not because you don't want them to go, but because they do not want to go. The Scriptures tend to celebrate those who are faithful and the followers, but if you look, one will also see the many who never make it to the promised land, the ones who walk away from the ministry of Christ. And you will also find those who stand in complete opposition, those who attempt to destroy the word of love which heals and brings about holiness. Carlo Carretto has a wonderful explanation of this.

Those who do not love (I very much appreciate his inclusion of choice in this! Failing to overcome the lack of love or a warped love in our lives is mostly a choice) feel superior to others.

Those who love consider themselves as equals to everyone else

Those who love greatly gladly take the lower place

Carretto goes on to explain the results of chasing the challenge of loving greatly;

Those who do not love find death

Those who do love find life

Those who love greatly discover holiness.

When we turn our backs on our ministry, when we deny the potency of the church or community, it is almost always our subconscious sense of superiority exerting itself; humility doesn't lend itself to assessing the work of God which the tools of creation! aasessing Our works, our motivations, perhaps, but even that is dangerous; those who love greatly, those who are seeking the purity of holiness and not the illusion of "image" cannot be judged by those who think that faith is assessed by the eyes, our even the mind. Galli presents us with the reality; love will drive a wedge not because we are seeking "what is right", but because we are scraping and clambering for what is lifegiving, rich and abundant in soul and society.

We say we want true love, but our actions speak a very different story. Most of us just want to be important, and that is not love.

That is where I have stood condemned in my recent ministry reflections; I have longed, with all the trappings of "doing it for God", to be important as a leader, as a clergy, as a person. Time to repent. Time for God, and true love, to be the most important.

How can you transcend the pull to categorize love as being "the most important" in some one's life or attention?

No makin' a fuss....

2010-03-10T21:06:00.003-07:00

... unless of course, you mean to induce some change!! Then playing nice is not an option, honesty is the best policy! Catherine of Seina is one of my favorite saints; the awesome moment in front of the Pope (p. 60) mirrors her passion for the work of ministry on behalf of others. A passion which obliterates niceties, demands integrity and challenges the soul of another to become greater. Jesus has some moments of intensity and the wonderful exegesis of the word "stern" drives a different image of the Christ. Maybe he is not "our buddy"after all! Perhaps there are times when we are rebuked, we are captured in our most base self and Jesus will say to us "not good enough". Not because he hates us, but because Jesus dreams more for us. We are often content to enjoy the niceness of God in the hope of being absolved and excused, and yet repentance demands confrontation and disturbance. One thing is for certain, at some point we will be challenged or have the opportunity to call someone else concerning "bad" behavior; if we have any courage in us, we will stand for the truth and find ourselves helping another or ourselves to find eternal life. May we be open and receptive to the opportunity...

Have you ever been confronted with some brokeness or sinfulness? How did you respond? When have you repented of a behavior that was detrimental to you or someone else?

Scandels of praying for what you don't want!

2010-03-08T13:37:00.003-07:00

Which I guess is what makes prayer so hard! We are so used to "God fix this" and Lord can I have that?" we never get to actually ask "Lord, where shall I go and what shall I do for you?" As MG suggests, the other awareness we have is that God might actually ask us to do some of those crazy things like Francis, Antony, Robert Morrison and others have done. Leave behind comfort and go into the world and bring the good news unto others. Perhaps that is why our pray lives stay only in the realm of fix and haves.
My Spiritual Director has me working with one of Jesus' hard sayings in Matthew 19 and it is so tempting to "spiritualize" it, to adjust the context so that"what Jesus is REALLY saying" is far less difficult and demanding. Jesus doesnt really want my stuff... "He wants my heart"... unfortunatley, Jesus does want my stuff. My 12 guitars, my three computers, my waredrobe of clothes and my three cars and my..ouch... this is hurting. "And he went away sad, for he had many possessions" was the response of the rich young ruler. When we choose to spiritualize, we face the danger of "going away sad', of clinging to the world and having our prayers get grounded in the corporeal where few answers are found, celebrations are short, and anguish over our surroundings buries the emptiness in our hearts. No, Jesus doesn't need my guitars, my rationalization is there are times in worship and praise they are helpful, and they are! But, songs need not accompaniment to have value; Sarah's most excellent voice has rung out in many a afternoon and sounded like the heavens opening with no accompaniment whatsoever. That clear and direct relationship is what God seeks with us; not one marked by the Jabez style "God loves me because I have lots of things"....
Many know my stand on petition prayer; when we are surrounded by a loving collective, we don't need to worry about praying for ourselves because someone else is already doing it for us! That fuels our attention to focus upon the needs of others, and our petitions are rising in the truest fashion of intercession; Lord, please help another this day.

The battle belongs to.....

2010-03-06T18:18:00.005-07:00

those who are willing to pick up the standard of faith, not the "illusion" of it... "the difference between the Pharisees and Jesus is that the Pharisees avoid the unclean; Jesus attempts to make the unclean holy." (p.44) A holiness ethic that doesn't exclude itself from the difficulties of life and self examination, and ethic that believes the power of ones salvation is so very great that it can transform the ones around it. But that requires us to see our lives as not marked by the attention others devote to it; this is probably the saddest and most debilitating issue with those who leave the community of faith; most give great excuses why they are withdrawing, but the reality is that very few are actually valid. Most are simply self centered assertions of importance; "they don't support our favorite program", "they didn't take care of me when I was (sick, in trouble, sad, filling the blank!)", there are so many others...... Each being a reminder that the battle over self is not being won by most who call themselves believers. Holiness is not the achieving success with "my" goals/needs in mind, but the realization of the work the church is called to accomplish doesn't center on the needs of its 'members', but the needs of the world. Yes, being a part of the community has its privileges, and we do stand with each other in times of challenge and ache! But our strength is not that the community does what "I want", but that I do what God needs. Far too often the battle for the church is waged by those who wish to dominate rather than subjugate themselves to the needs of the world. As Galli points out, when we see ourselves through the eyes of self righteousness, we not only are open to personal failure, but we will also find ourselves hindering the arrival of the kingdom of God. Prepare for battle; not to take on the world, but to take on yourself.

sophisticated repentance...

2010-03-05T20:32:00.002-07:00

Galli has a really cool take on theology: I love his intentional Anglican perspective and his evangelical fervor! His fervor is gloriously tempered by a much deeper sense of inquiry; repentance is not the easy "Jesus loves you so tell him your sorry" that so many evangelicals posit. Galli, in quoting the church fathers, brings to the surface the depth of emotional and psychological wells that must be dug in the soul in order to meet true repentance. With that digging come the potential for healing; that is what is missing for those who would like to just "say sorry". No real "turning around", no change of the heart, just cheap forgiveness that stilts the soul and compromises decision making. The Cyril quote reinforces the need to hope in repentance; change and go deeper, don't accept what is because easy grace is available.. the giving something up for Lent often reflects this perspective. "I will give this up for a few weeks and discipline myself to not really give something up, but to just set my weakness aside for a moment Rather than for a lifetime. How the church fathers and mothers would be disappointed in us!

What do you need to give up? Repentance is (according to Eugene Peterson) is "the renunciation of the lies that we have been told about ourselves, our neighbors and our universe". What falsehood do you need to renounce in yourself and others?

All this suffering... why not eternal bliss?

2010-02-24T16:53:00.003-07:00

One question I sometimes find at events where we meet as believers involves "do you remember when you became a believer? An extension of this involves the call to ministry... do you remember when you felt or heard the call upon your life? Because we are a people of nostalgia we love to center our lives around special events or sacred moments which help us to mark our place, to center our existence. The interesting thing is when someone responses to above question with "I don't really know", or better yet, "well, I think I have always lived this way (had this call), we don't quite know what to do!! There is no burning bush moment, no road to Damascus experience to mark the rite of passage, so some feel like those who cant chart thier sacred moments have missed out on something. I do think many are frustrated by this, which is probably why we often approach suffering through the eyes of nostalgia; one big event which cause great pain and sorrow. One moment of loss or failure that crushed our souls and wrecked our spirits. And it is easier to console someone with such a paradigm as well; "it will be over soon", "time will heal your wounds" or "the clouds of today will be replaced by the sunshine of tomorrow!"...
Galli speaks of the Difficult Love with a mind for re framing suffering and moving it past an isolated event or moment and connecting it to the human experience. What good are our sufferings if they do not translate into a greater awareness to suffering in the world? What good is suffering if we cannot learn to trust, find strength and ultimately be prepared to see pain and anguish not through the eyes of a moment but rather as a course of lifestyle? In seeing suffering through eyes of faith, we are not absolved from it, but Galli says that in it is found the crucible to bring about a deeper understanding of the ways of the Lord.

The scripture from Philippians is great; I want to know his resurrection and share in (Christ's) suffering... How do you see the love of Christ in the sufferings you endure? What theological insights do you uncover in the midst of pain?

How is your spirit suffering today? Where are the barren parts of your soul, what is causing you ache? Burnout? unresolved issues? Because we see suffering as events rather than a state of emotional being we often repress feelings that give us the sense of never being well.... How will you allow God to know that suffering? How is the Lord changing you and your capacity to see suffering in the world?

Time for a new read!!!

2010-02-21T21:23:00.004-07:00

I pray all are looking forward to a stimulating Lent!! Well, one that challenges our minds and opens our hearts to some new visions of Christ!! We will be reading "Jesus: Mean and Wild" by Mark Galli.... Mark is an editor of Christianity Today and his intent is to reject the "domesticated Jesus" image that so many Christians cultivate. His argument is that most of our contemporary images of Christ weaken our experience of Christ to the point where Christ is simply our servant instead of the other way around.... We will read, I will blog and at the end of Lent we will have some great discussion about the book!! Welcome to our Lenten read for 2010, Jesus Mean and Wild!! Pick one up today!!!

Annual Conference reflections...

2009-07-05T19:59:00.004-06:00

Annual Conference always brings to mind the old line 'the best of times, the worst of times'.... lots of admin details, lots of time listening to talk and the reminder that the UM system is built on a ton of dysfunctions... and yet there is also some great reminders of the genuine ministry dreams in the covenant, some wonderful fellow servents in the lay and clergy ranks, and the far reaching joy that comes from being apart of something far bigger than one pastor, one congregation or even one city. This 09 edition enabled us to meet our new bishop, Bishop Elaine Stavonsky, who is a wonderful lady as well as a talented leader. I was also blessed with the opportunity to play lots of music with a collection of fellow clergy who are not just immensely talented, but visionary in thier own communities worship settings. We had a blast, and the music is still shakin' the halls of Two Rivers! We dealt with several issues, one involving the future reshaping of the Annual conference boundries and another which reminded us that having a pastor is getting evermore expensive...but in the end we did have a conference that came off with few challenges...One important program we will be utilizing in 2010, Rethink Church. expect to hear more about it soon! A special thank you to Bob and Candy Schroder and Kristie Newton who served us well as AC reps!

Pastor's Summer read....

2009-05-17T20:15:00.002-06:00

Greetings to all!!! I am at present looking at a book for the summer read so I will keep you posted.. time to curl up in the patio chair or sit by the pool and enjoy a good book about faith! And get a tan!!! be on the lookout the second week in June and we will have one to go! Keep an eye out via church bulletins and newsletters or check the blog so we can read again... may your summer be a healthy and whole one!! Blog you soon!!!

Rev. Michael

Thank You.....

2009-03-28T15:08:00.002-06:00

to all who have been following along and participating in the Sunday night seesions!!! I hope that the journey has been good as well as informative. May the days be filled not with regrets and feelings of failure, but with the capacity to engage life with a hope and joy that brings to the surface the core love that the Lord has for us!! Our next text will be a summer read, so be on the lookout for another good book!!!

Thanks again for the time and travel together!

Closure....

2009-03-28T14:36:00.002-06:00

how we seek to close things out, to end the chapter and to move on to the next. Or do we? Often times our past intrudes and assists in writing the present.... do you think that in Mack's closure moments Papa is attempting to end this tendency to allow the past to write the future?

The choice... interesting.. "You can stay here with us and grow" or go back to that cruddy place and "know" we are with you! Ok, some addition (we call this eisegesis in the seminary world..taking our experiences and shaping the interpretation with them rather than letting the words speak for themselves) on my part, but I am one who talks up the relevance for knowing the Lord in this life makes a difference, for seeing that growth and progress happens down here as well, not just existence. Fortunately Sarayu comes to the rescue "if anything matters, everything matters'. Yes!!!! I love that idea....

How about the transformation of the Shack back to old and ugly? Why not something that is reassuring, comforting? Something beautiful? Because the past doesn't "change". It is still the same, it is simply our way of incorporating it that changes. Mack sees the shack with a new vision, and it no longer owns him. How has "The Shack" encouraged you to see the past through different eyes?

Forgive me... for give you...

2009-03-27T16:15:00.004-06:00

Time to buck it up, to face the worse circumstances and gather up the strength to be healed. Sounds strange, gathering up the strength to be healed, but this does make sense when placed in the context of therapeutic restoration. Mack is not wanting to forgive the killer, and can you blame him? But, some very interesting and, in some ways frightening, responses come Macks way. "Forgiveness does not establish relationship. In Jesus I have forgiven all humans sins against me, but only some choose relationship." Is there a difference? How would you see your understanding of God; just limited to forgiveness or as being in relationship? Is a relationship with God necessary in order for salvation to find its relevance?

Do you find it difficult to forgive? How do you ask the Lord to help you forgive?

I do like the way my spelling mistake came out in the title... to forgive is to give... to give something to someone that they have not earned, and in most cases, they don't really deserve. To give to someone the chance to live differently (although remember, we don't change others; they can only change themselves) without "our hands around their throat."

What do you think of the reciting of forgiveness mantra over and over in the hard cases? Does forgiveness become easier as time goes on?

Why can't we all just get along???....

2009-03-25T07:54:00.006-06:00

Edward Hicks, "Peaceable Kingdom"

...so echo the words of Rodney King as I take in the "Festival of Friends" chapter.. a very nice visual to experience our communication as colors and light... a bit new agey, but I think it does apply readily to us as those seeking so much from those around us. So, what colors were your communication yesterday? bright and colorful, filled with energy and vitality, or dark and foreboding, greys that are marked by distrust and fear, or perhaps blues or blacks that were created by sorrow or anger?

The reuniting with Daddy dearest is just not working for me.... I am one who believes that in this world the things we do matter, and heaven is the continuation of the steps we have made toward the best life can offer, not the annulling of everything that has happened on the earth. This is Young's break with Scriptural workings of Jesus, whose voice often spoke of a separation which is marked by the sheep heading one way and the goats going another.....simply put, chasing the dreams of God and following in the steps of Christ does matter, and I find it hard to believe that feelings between two people that never existed are suddenly not just present, but the center of the relationship. Do I think Mack would have just looked at him and said "you @$#$#*^ slimeball from hell" kind of thing... no, yet Jesus teaching about heaven is that it is a place where paradise is offered and Mack's dad played no part in bringing a touch of paradise to him. This is painfully over simplified for me and in it's own way it goes against much of what the church teaches as far as afterlife. If everyone gets in, then why the following? And even for the Ted Bundy's of the world who repent, I am thinking that the families of all the girls he murdered are going to find a heavenly Realtor and relocate if put into the same zip code as him. Not because they are vengeful and spiteful, but because what he did while on earth mattered, and they suffered through a loss that Mr. Bundy could care less about. Still, that is why I am not in charge of the heavenly roles and I don't get to say who gets to heaven!

Still, we are chasing the dreams of God, so in its own way we are blessed to bring a touch of heaven to those who surround us each day. Acts of kindness, a loving touch in the midst of discord, a challenge when one is going astray, perhaps even a stern word which protects one from hurting others. All of these are blessings blown from heaven, a gift of grace that lightens the load and prepares us for the days when the wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard lies down with the kid!

How did you feel about the reunion with dear ol' dad? do you think that all the emotions and feelings we carry through life are just erased when we all get to heaven?

This was the most calm and peaceful ever....

2009-03-24T10:17:00.005-06:00

...even though my computer at the church went down!!! Ugh... and Jesus may save, but I didn't back up very well!!! Might be heading to the geek squad soon!!!

Accordingly, I had a day which found me, like Mack, exploring nooks and crannies I might be missing out on, and I really enjoyed it! Time to seek God's presence in a different way, and Sarayu is helping Mack to understand it is very dangerous to say "The Lord told me.." I remember when we had a Chrysalis leader in another state who had "visions from the Lord" about how the program was terrible and needed to be tossed out and "the Lord wanted something different". Well, let's just say several things happened; 1) the program, which had been pretty meticulously structured, wound up chaotic and messy (and heck, Emmaus/Chrysalis with the program can seem awfully messy! But without the proper structure and guidance of the time lines and the program, the thing just sank) 2) the oversight group for the national conference had to step in and pull the charter which meant that others could not put on a flight for a while, and 3) the Lord didn't bless the endeavor. It is a ok to make mistakes, as Sarayu puts it; you had just better not couch everything in absolutes! Or your mistakes will be deadly at worst and devastating at best. I have heard so many stories of people who are pushed away because of the failure of grace blessed people who are way too concerned with telling others "what God wants you to do, how God expects you to act" instead of grabbing a hand and holding on to heart that are wracked by guilt and shame and reminding them their lives are and can be so very special!!
Mistakes are apart of the picture, the courage is found when we own up to them... Can we repent and not keep making the same ones over and over?

It feels like living out a relationship, a bit more complicated than following rules"... (p197) How do rules help you in relationship building? how do they hinder?

How about understanding God as a verb? (I am who I am) Powerful movement beyond seeing God as "an old man who is wise" or a "powerful God on a throne".... God simply is. Motion, movement, a verb, not a adverb or a noun.... How do you experience God as a verb? What verbs do you use to describe the Lord? Did Jesus uses verbs to describe the Lord?

Eclipse of the heart......

2009-03-21T16:08:00.004-06:00

Roussou's quote is very intriguing... falsehood has a million variations, truth one expression....sigh.... if only it were that easy!! Do you see truth as absolute or as shaped by circumstance?

How about the ideas expressed on p. 185.... "Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it.." God working in circumstances rather than directing the result...we still like the idea that God is in control!! But this exchange seems to imply that God is not "in control" of the moment but the process... how does that make you feel? In Process Theology God invites us to "co-create" along with the Lord... in this model the Independence of the creature is the greatest love of the creator.. a true Independence is offered, but also is a true accountability for ones decisions and the results therein.... Does it feel more comfortable to have God as the one who orchestrates life, who dictates all results? Or do you find it more captivating to think that the Lord is inviting us to play a role in the creation, placing upon us the need to not just "let God work" but also to have us work for the good of the Kingdom?

"Lies are a little fortress; inside them you feel safe"... of course, sometimes the truth hurts!!! Do you like my outfit???!!! Is it better to skirt reality to save someones feelings?

Jesus is the very center of our purpose (p. 192)how do you understand this to be true? is it salvific or is it more practical that that? How do you try to embrace the wholeness of Jesus teachings so that they are not just knowledge in your head, but actions felt around you as well?

Chasing what was to get to what is.....

2009-03-20T15:24:00.003-06:00

So, how would you feeling if you knew someone whom you cared about was not just gone but very much ok? Mack has passed (in the school sense of course!) the judgement and the sadness is gone.. would you want such a glimpse into heaven for the sake of being comforted? What role would faith play in such a contact?

Jesus says that Missy was never alone during her abduction and murder... what connection do you thing Christ had with Missy during that time of fear and evil? Do you think Missy knew Jesus was there? What is the difference between Jesus being present and being Lord of all circumstances? How does this affect the way we pray? Is it misguided to ask Jesus and God to change our circumstances?

"Have you noticed that in your pain you assume the worst of me.." (p. 176) How does our prayer life often assume the worst of Jesus? I am thinking in the realm of sports where someone on both teams prayers to "play well" (read: win... sorry... I am a Lombardian (as in Vince!) here.. if the competition is to matter, then the measure is winning... playing is great, and one can feel good about the effort, but the measure is winning) but only one wins... does God seek a specific outcome or is God making a statement about one team over the other? Make no mistake, there are those who believe the prayers of the righteous trump the prayers of the pagan... If your prayers are not answered in the way you had hoped, do you assume the worst of God?

"What (I came to build) is a living breathing community of all those who love me, not buildings and programs" p. 179... How do we experience the love of God at GSUMC? How do we bring our hearts in love to GSUMC?

Jesus is not too big on religion... what could this statement mean for the church? What does p. 182 (definitely more universal in its approach to salvation) represent for us and our capacity to exclude others because they don't meet our standards of judgement/faith?

of judgement and other messy topics....

2009-03-18T09:45:00.003-06:00

Mack placed not before the Judge, Mack becoming the one asked to make decisions about who should live, who should die, who did right, who is wrong.... when given the absolute authority to make the call, Mack backs away!! God is not primarily in the judging business; God is in the healing business. How often have you envisioned God as the arbiter, the one who holds the scales in His/Her hands expecting to present the already known verdict? Do you fear judgement?! Most of us tend to see ourselves in one of two extremes; either filled with a self righteousness and high opinion of self or laden with self loathing and deprecation. And, I find it interesting that for Jesus in the scriptures there is not much middle ground either. The gospels all speak of the goats and sheep, the "for me or against me" mode, the weeds and the fruit giving gardens. Mack is discovering that our capacity to judge is flawed, our values are too skewed by the aforementioned extremes to adequately serve as judge in any case!

Now, how do we deal with discernment? Is a judgement an absolute, or is placed in the moment? Discernment tends to deconstruct for the sake of clarity and identify what is "helpful" and what is "destructive ". What is the difference for you? Judgement demands all the facts and does seem to be rather final, but discernment is supposed to inform and affect how we respond to circumstances as disciples.

Ah, the freedom issue... "You demanded independence and are now angry at the one who loved you enough to give it to you." (p. 164) That independence seems to be one heck of a catch 22... it is what makes us potentially our best, and yet allows us to be the worst. My devotion this morning included a reading by CS Lewis. Lewis stated that there is a special center we all have, and our lives are either moving that center of being toward the heavenly or the hellish. We are either growing toward the good, or we are heading toward the evil. We are either defending our self, or we are becoming more selfless... we are doing the right things for the right reasons, or we are stumbling around trying to convince ourselves that we are doing the right things and yet the reasons are very debilitating and destructive.

"Judgement is not about destruction, it is about setting things right" (p.169) How can we become better equipped to effectively assess the world and those around us? How can judging be a sinful endeavor? Have you ever judged thinking that you have all the information and yet later found out you were lacking a great deal of the necessary facts?

Do you think Jesus expects us to discern what is good for ours? How are you aware of the hurt and anguish that surrounds you, and how do you address it?

That was yesterday...

2009-03-12T18:45:00.003-06:00

today I am walkin' on water!! Jesus speaks of living in the past, present or future as a place of imagination. I love the idea that imagination without wisdom is something which enslaves us, wounds us, a cruel task master. Where do you spend your time? In the past, trying to change something that no longer has any relevance? Wishing for a different combination of circumstances so that the future will be different? Or in the present, allowing your past to inform a place where you live life in the moment, trusting in a future which is guided by love and hope? Will you picture Christ in your future? Does that seem hard to envision?

How about the section were Jesus speaks of the earth, that the earth "having no one to guide or direct her, only use her." Stewardship is about many things, money, time, gifts, but it is also about the way we cherish the earth. Anyone who believes in a creator God must recognize 'the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof". How do you care for the earth? Do you recycle?

Get a trowel.......

2009-03-10T15:40:00.004-06:00

and tackle the wild garden!!!! Or would a shovel be better!!?? Does the image of the soul as garden sound appealing to you?? I have never been much of a gardener... planted some tomatoes once. Oh, and some radishes!! I liked those radishes! The garden metaphor for the soul is one that resonates because the garden requires care...attention.... time. Mack sees Sarayu who takes to the task with ease while it translates into labor for him. Her line on 131 sinks his frustration with the hard work.... "It is not the work but the purpose which makes it special!". What does Sarayu mean by that?

How much time do you spend cultivating your spirituality, your garden?

Poisonous plants have a purpose... there are lots of plants which in the proper amount have great healing properties, but in excess cause death. How does the idea of poisonous plant in your garden feel? Threatening? Anxiety producing? What would be a "poison" plant that could accomplish some good? (Think Jesus in the temple! Matt 21:12)

Do you feel like your soul is a mess? What kind of tools would be necessary to clean it up? How could the Holy Spirit help you accomplish the task? How much of your Independence would you have to give up? How would you have to change the means (read :values) that you utilize to assess right or wrong?

ouch.. sin hurts....

2009-03-03T13:48:00.002-07:00

I stopped yesterday at 119 because the next page drives me nuts. The good news is I am not the only one!! David, Peter and other Biblical writers all struggled with "why does it seem as if the unjust go unpunished?". Why does it seem as though we go through experiences that hurt us greatly and there is no resolution? Sorry papa, not satisfied with "sin is its own punishment". I guess that it why it is so easy to fall into the framework of "God, please smiteth the evil" and our failure is that we then accuse those whom we are at odds with as being of the devil! I think Jesus had it going on when he spoke of repentance.... everyone who has fallen short or is living separated from God (that is sin, not simple acts but a state of brokenness and separation which leads to those acts.. that is why even as I am frustrated with papa's quote s/he is very right!) and we are required to turn it around.. I'm sorry will only go so far! Eventually we have to mean it. Otherwise, we do serve as our own punishers, also punishing those around us as well. And page 121 says it all: "Each seemed more aware of the others than of themselves." That is what a life committed to holiness is really all about! Being aware of the world around us, seeing and accepting our impact upon it, the impact of others upon us, and then growing toward the best rather than the easiest or the self interested. When our great hope is not to dominate but to consolidate, then the Kingdom of God begins to be realized.

How do you evaluate your relationships? Are you one who finds it easy to say your sorry? How far should we go in a broken relationship before we acknowledge incompatibility? When have you found yourself wounded by someone whose pride will not bring resolution? Have you ever hurt someone and not offered and apology?

What are the sins in your life? How about the tendencies that might lead to sin? (arrogance, pride, self centeredness, anger, contempt, etc?)

Does accepting the awareness of those who surround us mean that we roll over and become martyrs when wounded? Should Christians be doormats for the broken?

Mmmm.. tasty!!!

2009-03-02T14:58:00.004-07:00

Is your relationship with the Lord made of words or stuff? The incredible potency of the sacraments is bound up in the reality that they are made of stuff.. bread and wine (ok, juice for us UM's!) and water for baptism...we use oil for healing prayers, incense to add scents and aroma, ashes to speak of mortality and musical instruments to give sonic substance to a message that sometimes seems far away, "eternal" if you will. I remember going to the monastery in Jerusalem where the Lord's prayer lined the archways on many tablets written in dozens and dozens of languages. As inspiring as it was to hear the LP spoken in so many different tongues (we wound up hearing it in French, German, Arabic, and Spanish among just a few; I tackled the Russian!), the heart felt expressions of many languages stayed right there on the wall and the only thing we carried from that encounter were words. Comforting yes, but waiting for each of us to bring them to life, to put them into action. By giving someone else some bread when we had some left over, extending the hand of forgiveness when it was needed, grabbing ahold of the strength of another when feeling weak and tempted, remembering that God has set us apart to not just be good, but to do good! Mack is getting a sensory experience which coaxes the most basic needs out of him; need to eat, to be touched, to look not into a word about Jesus but directly into his eyes.

Does God get mad? It sounds like the kids of the kingdom can make one heck of a mess of their lives! Have you ever felt God was mad at you? Revelation (3:19) tells us that God reproves the ones the Lord loves, so correction is not a sign of dislike, but of love!
"But the only one pretending is you.".... Papa addresses Mack's assumptions by challenging them (p.119). What assumptions do you have about God which might be challenged? How do you work though the challenges?

Jesus is real... really real??!!!

2009-02-25T16:02:00.002-07:00

Metaphysics aside, let's face it; one of the most difficult ideas to gather in is the idea that Christ is not just with us, but within us. The "Footsteps" poem is really great and a powerful source of comfort in times of trial, but it would seem that Jesus is expecting more from us than just another opportunity for carrying us. Jesus is looking for a relationship, a connection which is not just supportive, but trans formative. I read a great article in TIME about spirituality and it pointed to studies that are showing certain portions of our brain are actually wired for spiritual things, to come alive not with tangible, physical events but something that cannot be sensory appreciated. Jesus speaks to Mack of a relationship which is dynamic and active, a union transcending the stuff of creation. Page 122 gives us a window into what Jesus is talking about; "being always transcends appearances". Are we often content with how things appear as opposed to how they really are? Is how something "is" obvious, or are we required to use something called discernment? Do you think Missy's attacker was initially rude, mean and cruel to Missy, or do you think he appeared to be helpful, kind and sharing to her in order to gain her trust?

Trust is the issue; have you encountered people who are far different in their public persona as opposed to their private persona? My stepfather growing up was a prototypical parent/ husband, yet what we experienced at home was far different than how he was in public. Does this say anything to you as to how the lives of others can be so very complex and beyond a simple assessment? Do we sometimes make judgements and use appearance instead of being as the standard?

How have you known Jesus as human? Or are you more comfortable with the Christ image, the divine image? The difference is huge; are you content with Christ as your savior, or do you wish to be his disciple, his friend?

so why does it seem.....

2009-02-17T17:15:00.002-07:00

that Papa is always in the kitchen? And what is this about the Lord of life actually dropping something? What might be the metaphors/ideas at work here?

Devotions are definitely different in God's kitchen! How nice to not make a "theological point" in devotions but to just make a point about relationship and its beauty!! We should all try that sometime!!! The gift of authenticity is the one power that changes us and those around us. It is also very scary, for culture (even Christian) teaches us that our authentic selves are broken or unworthy. How can we seek the more authentic person rather than the persona we often assume in order to be important, powerful etc?

The visit to the dock is a very personal one, often our meditation attempts to get God to act in the small portions of the world rather than us seeing the more majestic place and that we are a part of it, not the sum. How could our admiration of God be more majestic, more vast?

Limitless and limiting...

2009-02-16T14:06:00.002-07:00

Mack finds himself greeted by the essence of holiness... God as one, God as three... God in whatever way God wishes to be perceived! Perhaps this is why Yahweh means "I am what I am", or "I am".... God will not simply be what we want God to be, but rather God will be what God needs to be. The opening quote is very powerful (p.88); The power trip we place upon God often obscures the most potent power that creation or humanity fails to mimic, seeking and honoring limits. Interesting that in theological constructs evil seeks no limits, while God seeks limits. Why would this be? How do we play into this trap of thinking that true discipleship has no limitations? When have you found yourself thwarted or constricted by the limits of the people who surround you? What do you see as your own limits in discipleship? Are the limits real or perceived?

What do you think about the differentiation between the need for fathering as opposed to mothering? (p.94) God assumes a form out of necessity rather than out of purpose, is this why he comes to Mack as a female?

What is the difference between head issues and heart issues? How would you characterize each? One seems to be about information, one about context...

"You, on the other hand, were created to be loved. So for you to live life as if unloved for you is a limitation." p. 97.... What is Papa saying in this phrase?

Are you God????

2009-02-11T10:36:00.003-07:00

No, not are YOU God, but would you recognize God if s/he walked up to you?!?! Don Miller continues to inspire and amaze me (I am reading his "Searching for God Knows What" and it is just as captivating as BLJazz!). Early in SFGK, he talks about impostors and his struggle to comprehend and envision the Lord in his life. He makes one of those awesome risky statements which opens him up to charges of heresy when he says "God is always changing the way I think of Him" (p. 21) Yes, he continues with the "not that God changes, just the way I think of God changes" reaffirmation that still keeps God's ubiquity in tact!! His wonderful awareness, however, is how much we tend to make God fit our image(s), our expectations, our understanding. His final thought; if we do this to God, then we don't really believe in God. Oh, we believe in something; one who fixes our problems, one who gives us presents, one who always agree with we we say or who punishes us so we will stay in line, but that is not God. That is the magic man that so often earns us our well deserved derision from non believers.

When God introduces herself (OH MY!) to Mack, we begin one of Don's moment of change encounters; God is not only a she, but African American! And, to continue on, "she had breached pretty much every social propriety behind which (Mack) had so safely entrenched himself" (p. 83). We sometimes talk about the God who intrudes, but to be so overwhelmed by such grace and acceptance! It brought tears to Mack's eyes! Tears that are then gathered by a small Asian woman... afterward, a hug from a man and, pow! We have been introduced to the idea of the Trinity!
Why would the Asian woman collect tears?
What are the self described roles for each?
How does this section make you feel? Hard to accept? Challenging of all your previous imaging of God? Does it free you at all to see God in a different way? How can three be one?

Have you ever missed the presence of God because you are a slave to your preconceived notions of what God could or should be? What are the preconceived notions which you have about God?

dually noted....

2009-02-10T15:22:00.002-07:00

Willy states that God doesn't send notes... at least personal ones! Mack is struggling to respond to what is before him, and the requisite response is......... faith! Ugh... how hard is that!!??? Feeling a burden and then receiving help and yet being in disbelief.. we have been there before haven't we!?!! I do really like the judgement section where Mack relates Missy to what he did to his father... we do have an instinctive response to the presence of sin that cries out we deserve the bad stuff which happens to us because we have messed up somewhere down the line (see John 9:1-7). An exceptional response from Mack... "All I know is I need to go back". No figuring it out, no bargaining or mapping... just the visceral stomach churning of I must respond.

Have you had a time when you felt the Lord was punishing you for something you had done in the past? Does God look to "get even", or is that a trait for humanity? What biblical stories might lead us to believe that God evens out our lives? What biblical passages tell us a different story about God "getting even"? (7 x 70 is a hint! pull out that Strong's concordance and look up seventy)

I love the anticipating "what God looks like"! How do you envision the Lord? Are you more easily drawn to Theo centric images (God) or Christocentric images? Find three ways in which God is biblically represented. What emotions do you think Mack is feeling as he heads toward the Shack?

Reflection is a dangerous thing.....

2009-02-03T15:28:00.002-07:00

we might actually learn something!!! Or, if reflection doesn't have a center of grace, we might actually just run through our regrets like the hamster in the Habitrail wheel... then guilt and failure are not a moment of informing and engendering of repentance and rebirth... they become the chains which bind us to the darkness and pain so that we relive it again, again and again...
Mack experiences it as the "if only" moment (p.65). And, here we see that he actually has a false choice; if only he had not gone to save his son, he would have not lost his daughter. Dang... talk about a losing circumstance! There are times in our lives where we are left with a no win situation.. can you remember one? The choices we make are never crystal clear.. I think if people knew the Titanic was going to sink that the passenger list would have been very very small!!! And yet this is a reminder to us that life is risky, that we are not in control as much as we would like to be, and regret can only serve not as a means of feeling sorry, but that it has to be a source of turning our lives around. And then living in a way which affirms the riskiness while also allowing us to face our fears with courage and hope. The UM Book of Worship has a prayer which says "Help us to live as a people prepared to die" (p. 142) What does that mean to you?

What are your "if only" moments?

Wandering...

2009-02-02T13:39:00.002-07:00

One of the scariest times in my life was the time when Sarah had recently learned to walk and wow, was she getting around! I went to pick her up at the Child care guy's place and we had always left the carseat with him in case he wanted to take all the kids to the park. I was putting in the carseat with Sarah right outside the door, strapping that crazy thing meant that I had to crawl in the backseat and wrestle it like a gator! After fastening it in, I climbed out and a two year old was no longer there. my heart dropped like a rock, and I frantically wandered around the car, tot the right, to the left.. she was nowhere to be found. I was sick.. crying out her name and no answer. I stood frozen in panic after what had seemed like weeks and then she wandered right back from the other side of the car! Seems we had been chasing each other around the car and didn't even know it! But it gives me an insight into what Mack must have been feeling...

Mack has a choice not knowing he is even making a choice... son or daughter... son is the obvious answer because he is in immediate danger... Missy's danger is unseen. Interesting; only time of reflection will give Mack the chance to see a choice where there really was no choice... have you ever made a decision where the choice or resolution seemed obvious, then discovered later that there were other options?
When have you experienced a sense of loss that brought a darkness upon your soul?

Dark nights of the soul...

2009-01-28T10:23:00.002-07:00

St. John of the Cross called it the dark night of the soul, implying that a broken life is always lost in the dark! It seems for Mack the nights are sometimes ok, but the great sadness is never far from his shoulder. So nights seems like a better fit.
What about the opening quote? Nothing makes us as lonely as our secrets.... how is this true? Something about appearance and vulnerability perhaps?

Several have expressed their struggle with the loss of a child... did you dread this part of the story?

How does Mack's relationship with Missy compare with the other kids? What did you think about the waterfall story? Many cultures have sacrifice traditions; do you remember any other biblical stories that reflect sacrifice?

couldn't stand the weather!!!!

2009-01-27T15:49:00.002-07:00

A bit of Stevie Ray Vaughn to get us underway!! Seems like Mack is finding the weather influencing his life as well in the first chapter... snow or freezing rain frees you from expectations, demands and the tyranny of appointments and schedules (p. 15).... do you agree? The US postal service would take issue with that!!! When has the weather changed your plans? Did you feel relief, or where you frustrated that something you had planned or organized wasn't happening?

Have you ever got a "letter from God"? I mean a letter, not the "I think God is saying something to me" we all experience at one time or another... but not necessarily a letter in the mail though!! That feeling, a definite sense that God is speaking to you, crossing all the boundaries of generalities and saying something specific for you? Was it head oriented, heart oriented, or perhaps came from someone or something around you... usually these things happen and you think you are going crazy!! Like Mack!

How do we listen for the invitation that comes from God? Do you find that the prayers you send are more talking than listening?

So, where do you hurt?

2009-01-21T10:56:00.002-07:00

"Mack's relationship with God is wide, Nan's is deep"..... Young sets us up with some character development that defines our reading.... Loving God takes so many different shapes. Often our failure in faith is marked by our inability to see that the shape of the heart is different for each one of us. Do you feel your relationship is wide, or deep? How do you define those two ideas?

"Mack has a great intelligence, and even though you sense he has strong convictions, he has a gentle way of letting you keep yours." (p. 10) "What do you mean I am not right?" I have got to be right!! Ever met anyone like that??!!! How does this work? How can we have multiple convictions in our midst? Is that a good thing or troubling? How do we discern the truth that will set us free? Is the use of the word "the" the very problem?

"I know that grace rarely makes sense to those looking from the outside"..... do you find this to be so? when is a time that you couldn't make sense of God doing good things for people who had done things not so good? Does that disturb you?

Well team, that is just in the prologue!!!! Oh, are we in for a treat!!! We will meet in the middle of February and then do a 4 week study during Lent on the book... I am finding it really great! More soon, may God bless us all as we grow in His/Her gift of comprehension and joy... and may we all seek the healing that comes from facing our worse fears and sorrows, hurts and disappointments, knowing that in every life there is a place in each of us for a love that truly changes things. Be whole, be whole in Christ!

Let's get ready to spend some time in "The Shack'!

2009-01-12T15:27:00.003-07:00

Ok, I have started reading and it is pretty catchy... Topics include what is heaven like, who is God, why is Jesus not the most handsome man to have ever existed, why go back to a place of great pain to get well, how do we see the Trinity in action and theology.. that is just to name a few!!! I am impressed with the means Young uses to make some pretty tough ideas accessible; I can already feel the theologian in me pulling out the "oversimplified" description... and yet in some ways, one of the really neat elements I am encountering is that he is actually expanding our way of thinking in a sacred way... the images are in no way simple and demand a bit of flexing on our part. I remember sitting in class in seminary as the requisite fight over masculine and feminine language occurred and how the dialogue at that point became a monologue about how it so offensive to describe God in only masculine terms... the end result was not the realization that God is both and neither but that language was to be gutted of its history and influence, not matter how right or wrong it may be. Young will fascinate us in his imagery and his defense of it.

I hope you are enjoying it... I am heading to Vegas for a BFS gig this weekend, so pray for us and Heritage UMC! When I get back, we shall go to work!! We will have two gatherings for our time together, so start jotting down your questions!! Check back soon for our dates and keep the fires of faith burning strong!!

Do you know of Jesus, or do you know Jesus?

2008-12-03T12:55:00.004-07:00

Dr. Bright has long been a staple of evangelical Christianity, a soul who does chase the power while also understanding it is not his to wield, but to share. The tears are amazing, because Bill Bright understands that he doesn't need to know of Jesus, he has to know Jesus in a personal and vulnerable way. In need. I think this is probably why we are so impatient with those who we define as "in sin". We don't know Jesus through need, rather we know of Jesus, which means that as we stand in proxy we are able to define and condemn the sins of others; we use our doctrinal positions to assert our superiority and in the end push people away (intentionally, although subconsciously) from a result (salvation) rather than welcome them into a process of sanctification. Accordingly, we miss out on the best part of the faith because we are not participating in it ourselves; the process of being made holy by the hand of God.
Rick is also a gift, one who is not afraid to face the questions of those who have yet to be convinced of the validity of Christ. Don says he has an emotional relationship with the scriptures, a relationship that in not in his head but his heart. He can speak of the compelling nature of the scriptures because the don't just tell him of his salvation, but they bring to life in his soul the Jesus who teaches, loves and touches in order to heal. Can you face the questions of others? How often do you find yourself not "defending" the faith, but sharing it?

Do you listen to jazz music? I was reading one of my guitar mags the other day, and the columnist who is the jazz teacher was teaching that jazz is designed to go beyond the rules, to expand the structure of music to the point where it stretches and grows into a beautiful expression of the soul. Don is right; the act of faith, the discipline of faith is designed to learn the rules so that we don't toss them out, but instead we are transformed by them to do the work of a transcendent God. The rules are so grounded in they ways of the world; this is why they matter. But the transcendent is what Jesus was directing us to when he said I come not to destroy the law but fulfill it. (Matt 5:17)

Are you ready to experience faith as the bounce of an upbeat clarinet solo? Perhaps it is the in the mournful sounds drawn from a deep sax over a Gibson 335 guitar. Maybe the hyper sounds of a piano rolling outside the scales and yet singing of virtuosity?

I was watching something on Neo nazis the other day and was surprised by the uniforms they issue.. uniforms that are designed to affirm their oneness in hate, and those who don't wear unis are ready to tattoo the symbols of the organization all over their body so that everyone could know their values and commitments. In the end, the uniforms just covered up the humanity of each individual (it is very interesting how we often say that we are affirming our individualism in such a context while everything the organization does is designed to remove that individualism) and deny a distinctive potential which exists in each person. This is why God doesn't issue uniforms. God instead prepares us to help create amazing melodies which speak to the nature of eternity. No "oneness" because we are the same; no, oneness because in spite of our differences, in spite of our seemingly divergent values and experiences, we always understand we are part of the melody, not the sum of it. Such humility allows us to listen, to heal, to hurt, to live, just like the Jesus we love so very, very much. Or at least we say we do.

What song will you sing? Ask the Lord, the composer of all things great to teach it to you. Get ready for a class, not a indoctrination. Don't expect to learn about the instrument of faith, but be ready to use it. Yeah, it will squeak like one learning the sax or hurt our fingers like beginning guitar, and sometimes we will feel blue (and even red!) figuring it all out!

But then the time will come that you appreciate the depth of faith, when you feel your life is moving in sound, sometimes the melody, sometimes a harmony, all the time something beautiful expressing a hope and a peace ground in the deep of eternity. Then you will see what faith can do for others, and the blues won't be a moment of pain and ache, but rather you will know that the blue you feel is God taking you through the best and worst not with a formula or "4 spiritual Laws", but by expanding your reach and growing your spirit, outside the lines, and you will know what a reflective, connected love with Jesus is all about.

You will know what it means to be blue, blue like jazz.

Shalom and see you soon as we begin "The Shack"!!

After Christmas special....

2008-12-01T16:40:00.002-07:00

Time to pull up a stocking stuffer from a loved one; our next read! Let's begin "The Shack" by William P. Young... I am hearing great, great things about it. It may be a read that deals with some challenging material, but I do think the trek will be worth it. So ask for a copy from Santa and we will begin right after Xmas! (yes, it is ok to use Xmas, chi (X) is the letter in the greek alphabet which the ancient church used to describe Christ, so it is not some kind of war against Christmas thingy!) Let us learn more about Jesus this holiday season!

The end draweth nigh....

2008-12-01T16:02:00.003-07:00

at least the end of "Blue like Jazz"!!! I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I did... Let talk about one of the most challenging aspects of the church: worship. If there is anywhere poeple have strong opinions about God, it is in the context of worship. And sadly, my experience in the UMC has found me fighting wayyyyyy too many battles around people's expectations rather than their desire to actually worship God. Yes, we make worship about ourselves rather than about God. "I like this, worship should be like that, are we going to do it the Methodist way" all imply that worship is not an extension of who we are striving to love, but that somehow we should walk away having been "pleased" with worship. There is a reality that must be addressed in the context of worship; an introvert is not going to find their opportunity for expression in a community that believes in shouting, running around and loud guitars! Thier time of adoration might be much more actualized in a Taize setting, or the tradition and history of the ancient liturgy. Likewise, those of us who love lots of praise activity are left out of the structure of a liturgical standard which feels confining and oppressive.

Here me now and listen again later: NEITHER IS "WRONG"!!!!!! Yeah, I have wandered into many settings at the district and conference level of clergy gatherings with a guitar and the appalled looks make me feel like I brought Satan to church! (remember my assertion that just putting a drum set on the chancel will drive away 10% of the congregation in many churches; you don't even have to play them, just put them up there!) I would argue that for worship to be truly an embodiement of our desire to know God, then we are obligated to regularly try a different mode of worship. No, not that "I went to 3rd service and it was so loud so now I am back where I am comfortable" cloak that so many self righteously put on, but on a regular basis keep worship fresh by engaging in many styles. Out of our comfort zones the Lord leads us (our Egypt if you will), and into the place where our return to a specific style reminds us it is all about Jesus, not our opinions, self validation or doctrine/dogma.

Don proclaims that worship is about the mystical, and I do agree. Otherwise it is only about the stuff of life, the tangible, the seen, the selfish. Unless we follow to the "beyond our selves", then we wind up in a very bad place, a place where God is excluded. And then we don't worship. We cling to the formulaic, and there die even as we convince ourselves we are "growing". God is above our ritual and formula, the arithmetic which we keep so simple expecting God to work within it and all the while losing our souls while trying to convince ourselves we really are sheep as we behave like goats.
And it is not just our loss that worship is missing from our lives, it eventually becomes the loss of the people who are called to be community.

How is the Lord mysterious to you? Have you lost the "fear" (awe) of the Lord which commands a respect for moments and people who are holy? What might lead us back to that sense of holiness that grants God a sacred status, not a predominatly human stature?

Have you recently attended a worship form that challenges your capacity to experience God?

What style of worship helps you pray, praise and adore God? Why?

Show me the Money!!!

2008-11-24T13:52:00.003-07:00

That great line from Jerry Maguire is built around a wonderful exchange in which the agent is being urged on to go and get the best contract possible, to not sell the negotiation process short and settle for less.

Don begins with where we all tend to feel we are; having no money. It seems like there is never enough, never a sense of comfort and confidence that the next day won't find us on the streets seeking alms and sharing a warm manhole spot with another who has nothing. The last 2 months have been a real eyeopener for me. Sarah keeps making decisions that keep her buried in nothing and it breaks my heart and yet I find myself having to use tough love. She suffers from a dis-ease that most of us at one time or another find ourselves infected; a lack of gratitude. It is while teaching the lesson that I have been most convicted.... God reminding me that even though Anne and I are by no means well off and secure for the future in the traditional sense of economics, we really do have so much. And this is not that "wow, I have so much stuff so that I can really feel good about how much God loves me and wants me to know He is caring and providing for me" distortion we tell ourselves; no, it is that powerful conviction that comes from knowing that each and every one of us is blessed not to be blessed, but to be a blessing unto others. The call to share, to give, to embody the very core values of that itinerant preacher of the first century that I so readily claim to serve is compelling and grace inspiring. If there is anywhere that Jesus knew sin would hide inconspicuously, it would be in the way we deal with money. Seven deadly sins: greed, envy, wrath, pride, gluttony, lust (Latin= luxuria, ie. luxury), and sloth all are related through a foundation in wealth and power. The simple words of expression by Curt really puts all that blessed to be a blessing into perspective; it's God's and you need to give it back. The text in Malachi is just as harsh; if you are holding out the tithes and offerings from God, you are in sin. (Mal 5:8-10) Curt essentially states the same thing to Don. Get right with God in the way you give. It is not a "left overs" process, I will give to God out of what is left; it is I will give to God at the start, I am going to pay the rent. The work of the Lord depends on the second part of our commitment to the Christian faith; being a blessing. That is why I feel such a sense of joy in the Journey to 10 program; it gets us heading toward the tithe while also giving us a chance to learn about living within our means and growing through generosity.

Do you define yourself based upon what you have? When you think about the idea of paring down to 100 possessions, what emotions rise from within?!! (confession; I have more than a hundred pieces of guitars and accessory stuff... I get REALLY stressed!!!)

"I wish I had more to give so that I would have more to give to God"... how might this idea have the whole concept of giving and tithing backwards?

Church... ugh sometimes....

2008-11-18T11:29:00.003-07:00

and why? Bill Easum tells us that inspite of Jesus' wonderful intentions and dreams about the church, there is more often nothing heavenly about it at all. Bill E says it is because the personal (read self absorbed) nature of the message of God's love and forgiveness is regularly compromised by nasty (and sometimes just selfish people who appear "nice") folk who expect the church to validate them through that "divine acceptance" that God has for everyone... you know, "God loves me like I am, so you have to as well!". I love the message of St. Andrew and it's pastor, the Rev. Dr. Harvey Martz, who says God accepts you where you are, but loves you far too much to leave you there! Church is about the greatest work of all; people chasing the dreams of God by discovering who they are and what God aims to do with them.

Do you think tha twe are a benefit to the world at large, what are some of the ways we reach beyond our walls to bring that message of grace to others?

Of legislation and confession....

2008-11-17T16:23:00.004-07:00

Hey folks... I am sooooooo hoping the cafe will get done soon... we need to get Blue!!! At least get finished!

Ok.. some thoughts on belief and confession.... I am captivated by the section where Don is talking about his friend Andrew... the idea that you cannot legislate morality is fascinating simply because it states you cannot "tell" people what to do... you have to show them how to be... And for Andrew, that means doing what Jesus said to do, you have to do. Feed the poor... just feed the poor. Don't make better worship services that tell them God will help them get out of poverty. Feed them. This is the way to add to the power of evangelism, address a need and then let them know it is because Jesus addressed needs in your own life. What do you believe about Jesus? (p. 112) Do you agree that Jesus is the most important figure in history? How do we keep Jesus for simply being history in our lives?

The Ren Fayre segment is just about the most powerful stuff I have ever read from a practicing Christian... an amazing section of standing against the surrounding sin without feeling "above it"...moving beyond that self righteousness that seems to excuse our own failures and the accusations which should be our daily bread and yet often go unleveled against us... remember, the little stuff counts too!! When Jesus begins that excellent section in the sermon on the mount (that it has been said, but I say section beginning around 5:17...) he is telling us it is always easier to condemn the sins of others that to see where we are failing. The Ren Fayre moment is meeting a self indulgent, sensual pagan revelry by the community with humility instead of condemnation. The confession session with Jake is so beautiful... a dialoge, not a diatribe, with Don showing how sin, even sins of the parents, have given the faith, and accordingly him, a terrible reputation.... a rep that has come from being sanctimonious instead of empathic. Believers need to confess also! I think of the love the sinner, hate the sin, and I am saddend that so many who walk in the shoes of Christianinty so easily forget that Jesus charged us with a big task and that if we are not finding failure because of our humanness (sin boldly Martin Luther said!! remember, sin means missing the mark, not doing bad things!) , we are probably not doing much for Christ. This is why self righteousness is such an affront to God; any time we forget our own need for restoration, we will most certainly deny others the love and encouragement and challenge (within the context of relationship) which brings them to a better sense of wholeness. And, we are never truly whole if we do not have that empty place only Christ can fill...
How frustrating is it to you tha Jesus and Christianity are supposed to make you whole and vital, and yet what we often feel is broken and burnt out?
Have you ever used spirituality as a social collateral?

God's grace is enough...

2008-09-16T15:56:00.001-06:00

I love Don's opening statement.. "I was a Christian fundamentalist once"..... like it is something that requires a twelve step recovery program or an intervention from which to recover! Yeah, I was too.. so I know where Don is coming from on this point...the determination to do what is right, to find the proper path and to feel like we are doing God's will is soooooo compelling. However, the imposition of the artificial standard only reminds us how much we need God's grace and help. We just can't live right... but I thought I was, even in my days of hypocrisy, above the fray, living right and doing good!! But only in my dreams... I was self righteous and arrogant, not empathic and definately not working with the larger bubble including others in thier pain and sorrow. after some reflection, I saw the reality, the eroor of my faith. Like Don, I felt was a failure. "Getting right with Jesus" was all about the visuals... and I just couldn't get to them. That is where Paul helps us... The things I should do I do not do, and the things I should not do I do... That Romans text is the first step to the recovery we seek... we need God's love and God wants to give it to us. We are just too above grace... except when we need to excuse ourselves! Which often only clouds our experience and understanding of grace rather than appreciation of it. Have you had a time when God's great love for you was abundantly clear? What was the context? Do you still need to experience that?

How frustrating is it for you that Jesus and faith are supposed to make you whole, together and holy and yet you face all the same kinds of troubles?

Do you have emotional peace with God? What do you need to find that peace? What specific self reflection can help you find a connection with God?

Back to Blue.....Chapter 2... uh.. no chapter 6!!

2008-09-08T15:28:00.002-06:00

Chapter 6 is about redemption, a concept that often is shrouded in our understanding of faith. We need to be redeemed? From what? For what? Such a big word, so much nuance. Let's face it, Don is on to something; redemption is often framed in the idea that something romantic will happen between God and each of us. We like the idea, until we remember what it was like to fall in love.. yeah, the mushy stuff!! Always wanting to be around that person, constant phone calls and the pics and notes everywhere (yeah, we did all have I heart ____ all over didn't we!?). What would it be like to share that kind of affection for God? Heck we would never get anything done!!! and yet....... do you think that falling deeply in love would put a crimp in your lifestyle? Do you believe that filling your life with images of God makes God more real for you? Does redemption serve a necesary purpose in your life?

Did you think the story of the sexy carrot and don rabbit was valid? What were the conclusions of the story? Are those conclusions relevent for you?

Been a long month.....

2008-09-02T15:57:00.002-06:00

"No, in these things we are more than conquerers through Christ who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor powers.... will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus" .....Romans 8:37.... Paul reminds us in the face of the greatest tribulation, the most trying of circumstances, we are surrounded by so many faces, so many encouragers, so many hands which wrap us up and tell us that we are loved it is impossible not to feel the depth of love that the Lord of Life has for us.

The month of August has been a very difficult one; the Mission trip opened our eyes to the depth of poverty which exists in our world and how difficult it is to break that cycle. The death of my younger brother Craig leaves me with a sense of ache and has got me thinking about how much of my last 15 years or so has found me far away from family to the point where I feel disconnected and isolated. Time for reflection has been great, but also giving me that nudge to once again revisit priorities and clarify what is necessary in my life. The grieving process will be a long one and yeah, I am a bit Blue Like Jazz right now. Say some prayers and I am going to remember that with the people of God and the strength of love I am indeed more than a conqueror!

I will find us a new date and will begin posting some of the questions from BLJ over the next few days... until then let us remember one another, celebrate one another and never forget that the Lord of life has surrounded us with so many gifts, let us never squander them!!!

Who's your Laura?

2008-07-02T12:16:00.002-06:00

Chapter 5 gives us a wonderful example of evangelism at work... no easy answers, no glib responses, no trite solutions like "just read the 4 laws of spirituality". Simply a Laura who is empty, troubled and seeking a visit from the Lord. Don converses, doesn't inform or intimate (I long to use the word intimidate, for that is often what evangelism feels like!), just listens and encourages... a bit of his own experience is peppered in for a realistic discussion of faith. Laura longs for an experience, and I think the informational tendencies of our culture tends to push experience to the side (i.e, information is power). I love his assertion that love is not rational; so much of our faith stances are tied up in rationality. God is... Jesus does... angels are... the church is.. fill in the blanks with what reason brings and we got it! Remember, part of the Wesleyan Quad is reason! However..... reason is only one of the variables for discerning value... when we use reason as a sole guide we wind up with rules and regulations.. Pharisaic at best and downright oppressive at worst! So... Laura reminds us that evangelism is not saying the right words... it is about a simple relationship with God, a mercy filled love which begins not with the words of theologians but in the needy and aching heart. God is love... I John 4:7-8, and that is the point of conversion, not "sure, I believe in Jesus"... confessional evangelism is often just a means of making the evangelist happy... true conversion comes when a dialogue begins in our hearts, a warmth that is indescribable starts in our souls, and a hope ground in experience works inexorably toward the heart and we sense God in our life. Not know, but feel the Lord in our life.

When God is not so friendly.....

2008-07-01T16:23:00.002-06:00

Musings can give us insight into who others are, but they also can allow us to accept the images which frighten us, the ways in which words do not open up possibilities but instead actually cause us to run away from them. What a fascinating place for Don to start.... how Christian understandings of God can bring not comfort and insight, but actually press upon our most hidden fears and anxieties. Fears that God won't accept us, God disapproves of us, God doesn't help us, God actually dislikes us; all perspectives that can be concocted right out of the Bible! With the right amount of spin of course! Spin that inadvertantly comes from the very Sunday School teaching that is supposed to make us more "aware" of God's love; all the commandments, floods and judgements, death on the way to the promised land and even the New Testament is never lacking in ways for us to find despair! (Acts and Revelation alone could scare us into the doldrums!) Do you count yourself as one in whom God is disappointed in?

Well, Don then hits something that can save our faith, that can help us to heal our souls. God is not knowledge, God is experience. Some who like the more physics oriented approach (Collins, Tippett) see the Creator not as static goal, but rather dynamic process. The God of knowledge is impersonal, and the God of dynamics is personal. I personally think tha tis why prayer is so critical; it helps us to find the "presence", to move in step with a spirit that is much more like dancing than sitting at a desk in a classroom waiting to be taught. God's embrace (and leading, if you will!) is filled with warm, acceptance, challenge and mercy. Where the book tells us there are consequences (oh, and there are!.. just not for the judgement reasons we often try to impose), God tells us there is action, where there is fear, God loves us into trust, and where there is doubt the loving creator places others to hold us, help us and in the end remind us that we are not alone in our doubts. Others have them as well; learn from them, listen to them, and walk through them into grace.

Let's meet!!!!

2008-06-24T19:57:00.002-06:00

Ok folks, let's meet for a wonderful video in which you get to meet Don Miller!! Ok.. not really MEET him.. just enjoy a presentation he gave at Willow Creek Church in Chicago... a thoughtful collection of wit and wisdom that will give us some insight into his manner of writing.. he loves the image of story and the way in which he conveys the stories (yes, plural!) of the Bible is fantastic! Date, Michael, you say??? Well then, let's do lunch!! Hopefully in the newly almost completed Cafe!!! July 13, bring a lunch and we will watch (about 45 min) and then talk for just a few... set the table if you will.. then we will close out with a gathering in August where we share our observations! See you on the 13th, and if you haven't picked up the book please do so ASAP!!!

Hard to believe....

2008-06-11T08:54:00.002-06:00

that summer is upon us! I hope that you have had a great season of graduations, transitions and whatever the last few weeks have brought you! I sure have!! Time to get to reflecting however! I hope you have picked up Blue Like Jazz by Don Miller; it reads like a journal, which is very inviting. Keep your eyes open for some of the tension that Don's faith experiences. They might seem familiar, and the beauty is that when we are truly embracing faith, the ONLY result of such a search is tension! Tension with who we are, what we are supposed to be in our eyes as well as God's eyes, how the community of faith functions, etc. Maturity in our Christian faith mirrors the aches in the body, the changing of the voice, the growing reach of arms and legs changing year after year! Our faith should also encounter the very same growing pains.

How can we have....

2008-04-30T12:48:00.003-06:00

....non religious thoughts on religion!? Yes, I know, "preacher isn't talking 'bout religion no more, he just wants to praise the Lord" (Little Country Church, by the band Love Song) was the way I looked at it when I was in the Pentecostal church; delusion built on the idea the my lingustics had shifted and when I was talking about "God" I really wasn't meaning what I said until I got stupid! Ok.. stupid is harsh... but the idea was that dumbing down the religious conversation somehow made me more articulate seems a bit.. well... inarticulate! When we speak of our understanding of a supreme being and the personal and cultural manifestations that surround that comprehension, we are dealing with religion. So, praising the Lord IS talking about religion... the song, at a deeper level, however, asks us to move beyond our words into a LIFE that reflects how those words move us, shape us and comfort us, not just inform us. Our intent is to no limit ourselves to "religious converstion", but to see the way our souls move and are inspired to action.

Pastor's Summer Read 08.....

2008-04-14T15:26:00.002-06:00

Well, team, I have started reading a very interesting book by Donald Miller called Blue Like Jazz... really really great! I think that we will read it for the summer and have a gathering or two... if you would like to take a gander at it, the book can be picked up at the local B&N... the sub text was what intrigued me; nonreligious thoughts on Christian spirituality... very compelling! And I am about 100 pages in and he has some incredible visions about the importance of faith and spirituality and how we often struggle because we confuse the two... let's continue to hear the voices of seekers while also sharpening the edge of discipleship as well!!! More soon, shalom and grace to all!!!

MVC

Thank you to all!!!

2008-03-18T15:24:00.002-06:00

You continue to impress and inspire, o team that loves to read! Thanks for the info and sharing and I anticipate the summer will find us again reading another tome of interest!

The ending was a challange, that much you all said! I think our discussion really made the issue of faith transformation more than just "following the rules"! I got the impression that AJ was profoundly affected, but the personal nature of his trek never lead him to the most compelling aspect of religious pilgrimage; community. That is the problem with the rules; they only help us see the personal side of our realtionship. But when the rules (even when conflicting; that is the other amazing portion of the dialogue, when he found himself conflicted because the rules will sometimes not reach for the same goal) are our focus, we spend far more time on our own personal living rather than the living to mature and grow outward toward others. Far too many have a "personal faith', and it always plays itself out when individuals try to make the program "fit thier needs". The program might feel comfortable for a while, but ultimately it will be resricted by those attached because any growth or change will be suppressed.

Thanks for the moments and comments, and let's enjoy the great weather and see you this summer!!

Shalom and grace and LIFE to all!!

Michael

Spirituality check...

2008-03-10T15:50:00.002-06:00

Aj tackles the wild sphere of Eschatology! Big word that just means end times! Literal vs metaphorical is a huge debate; the whole Left Behind series is a take upon a literalist perspective... is it allegory or literal? Could it be both? what would be the result of actually having to "interpreate" Revelation rather than just assign it a value that feeds our own agendas?

How does your spiritual journey look if it were a nasdaq chart? Are you up or down? Can you remember a time when you were just going through the motions? Aj questions the novelty factor in religion... what are some angles of novelty which can make religion attractive and yet unfulfilling? Like "it solves my problems" or "God answers all my questions"... those are novelty ideas which reflect no basis in the reality of the spiritual journey...

Glimpsing the sacred in the most mundane...

2008-03-05T15:35:00.003-07:00

P.152.... ok, so where is God? Is God in everything? Nice thought in some ways, would force us to revisit how we treat creation and its many facets... but strangly unsatisfying to me. It seems AJ is observing something; when we shape God according to matter, we are left with such a limited means of defing the world. If God is in the stuff, then the stuff is moving and pulsing and growing and expanding and contracting.. all wonderfully active and life expressing, but not relational. I love the section on p. 153... "God is an interactive God. He argues with them, negotiates with them.. etc"... and has emotions. Relational things. And that Makes AJ REALLY nervous!

How do you imagine (not "make up" imagine, but the concept built around the root "image".. I am not using image because I don't wish to break any commandments!!!:>)....) God? Is it helpful to think about God in relationship, or do you feel anxious?

Pilgrimage... where would you go on a pilgrimage? What is a pilgrimage to you? Not a vacation or sight seeing tour, that is for sure!! How can history inform us as to the depth and scope of humanity's quest for the sacred? Think of one Bible story which talks of the quest and how God used the experience to guide a character.

p. 158.. "I faced one of the many cases in which two biblical commandments butted heads...(I chose the wrong one"...!!!!

I who am but dust and ashes...

2008-03-04T21:37:00.002-07:00

has no sense about the holidays!! AJ points out that the Bible has little to say about the holidays, and now having the holidays not far behind us, what are some of the cultural intrusions that have "flavored" our holiday experiences? Do you agree with his take on the the gift giving angle?

AJ also discovers the power of prayer... intercessory prayer! Praying for others, longing to help others is the result of his intercession... Do you find any comfort in the story of Abraham's failed intecession of Sodom and Gomorrah? Sometimes our attempts to bargin with God are met with hallowness and failure... does this mean that God doesn't care about our concerns? How often do you find yourself wrapped in intercessory prayer?

The Bible and sex is also very interesting.. the interview with ms. dawson and AJ feeling like he has two different moral compasses... trying to filter the world through two lenses can lead to guilt and confusion... how do you live as one who is "human" while also adhering to a higher standard? When do we say no to the untruths which too often are allowed to exsist simply because we will not say no to them?

puttin' out fires!!!

2008-03-03T15:40:00.003-07:00

Hi folks!!!

I apologize for the delay.... Will post anew tomorrow, March 4th... been "putting out fires"!! Oh, and a new baby too!! Congrats Keeli and Ryan as we welcome Kelsey Juliann!!!) and working up the Western Slope youth with BFS.. wow, was that and awesome weekend or what??!!! 120 youth and adults just rockin' to the sounds of praise!! Excellent, excellent weekend!! So, check back tomorrow and we shall be back on the road to uncovering the life of living biblically!!

Shalom and keep the prayers going up!!!

MVC

Well, then...

2008-02-19T12:08:00.002-07:00

I am hung up on the lying! I think of the bazillion ways so many of us are forced to compromise our integrity becuase we have to make people happy. Do you know of a truth teller in your life? The person who lays it out just like it really is, who has no intent of harming you or putting you down; they just have a way of enabling you to look past denial and self interest and open up a new horizon! The message of change and transformation is a very hard one to hear; that is why Jesus wound up on the cross instead of in places of honor and blessing! And yet I am not sure tha the truth has to hurt either, that if we are inclusive of the expereinces of others and thinking about the ways in which our lives are influential as well as influenced, then we will always find a safe place where change/transformation is not just inevitable, but welcome.... what do you think??!! Are you reading people's comments? They are great!!

Lies, lies, lies....

2008-02-17T16:23:00.002-07:00

yeah!!! AJ is bold enough to catagorize his lying tendencies... and some of them fall right into "spin".. so, is spinning lying? I love the exchange with his son Jasper involving the bagel! Just the IDEA of it not being a bagel is frustrating for Jasper! When do we assume expediency for the truth??!!! Are there times it is "acceptable"?
I am ready for a sabbath year!! How about you!!??? How would something like that go over very with your employer?!!! Oh my!!! Oh.. I am liking that Jubilee year thing too!!! The meaning of such time periods sound so great, but our society is built upon other ideals like responsibility and accountability. But doesn't this go further than just forgivenness, but also say something about compassion and not builting our wealth upon the indebtedness or need of others?
How about the Sabbath? How do you keep the Sabbath? Is it a day of rest, or is it a day of busy chores submerging the rest!!??? Do you find yourself in worship on Sabbath? that is the other critical part of the Sabbath, the reality that it is not just to rest but to once again center on God.

One month in....

2008-02-14T14:36:00.004-07:00

and AJ is annoying the neighbors! So, does someone in your house blow the horn at the start of each month? The shofar, or ram's horn, has long been a means of calling the people to worship..
Do you see any distinction between moral laws and ritual laws? I think that the power of AJ's journey is especially taxing when put into his family context.. seems his wife is really struggling to make sense of all this "religious" stuff! Have you ever felt matters of faith get in the way of your family relationships?

The capacity for misinterpretation because of the use of words in an ancient context is always a reality just as we struggle to make sense of the communication in this present age. Science and the other means of influencing our communication ( Moderinism, fundamentalism, cultural assimilation just for starters) can make it difficult to share since so often we seek (unfortunately crave) absolutes. The jewish ideal, it seems, is not about being right, but rather about telling a story, about passing along the powerful mythic and faith foundations which speak of God.

Bring wine to those with a heavy heart!! and no singing when people are down!!! In otherwords, unlike the fallacy of much of American church which feels church and God and pastors are supposed to make us happy, be honest and don't figure out why your friend is depressed.. hold them and be a true friend.

To REALLLLLLLLY follow the Bible......

2008-02-11T15:36:00.001-07:00

.....means from the very start we are in over our heads!!! You know you are in for an honest book when the first phrase is "it's only the first day, and I feel the water is three feet over my head!!!" The basic requirements are staggaring; I gather that we really have no idea as to how taxing the "What would Jesus do?" journey would be! AJ is definately a novice (aren't we all??!!!), for with every turn of success he seems to find himself trapped in a web of breaking another law in order to accomplish the success! I love the wondering if the day lead to enlightenment... don't we feel like that often in our journey? The complexity of the faith is lost on soooooo many, frankly, even those who think they know so much.
So where do you come down on the covet issue? (p. 27) The interpretation of its ok to yearn and want, you just can't harm your neighbor, or the more aesetic "long after nothing of this world, keep your eys on not what appears right, but upon the way of doing what is right? I am drawn tot he idea of the slippery slope... the progression of want becomes so visceral it competitively develops need status.

How about the idea of a "spiritual advisory board"? In many ways, this is the role the church commuity is supposed to play. Many voices drawn together to share common expereinces and evaluate the results so that transformation is possible. DISCIPLE serves this purpose; small groups and adult studies can be quite informative also. To whom do you look for spiritual advice? Name at least three people who help you on your journey; look to expand thier influence and add a few others!
Also compelling is the idea of the biblically theamed road trips; what far away places could help you in your discernment of God's laws and how they developed? How do you think the Amish baseball game influenced AJ's idea of competition?

Anything standing out for you? I close with p. 35; "Back in NY, the Bible is keeping me overscheduled."!!!! Ah, the joy of priorities!!!

Off we go!!!

2008-02-06T16:25:00.001-07:00

What a GREAT gathering on Saturday!! So full of excellent thoughts and ideas... we discussed the role of the law in our lives in a secular sense (to protect us as individuals and to guide us in common behavior) and in the Kingdom of God. As we begin reading, remember that the "rules" AJ is working with are set up to accomplish both a private recognition of God's authority in an individual's life while also pointing to a purposeful expression of that authority; the community is born, cherished and sanctified. How do God's laws enable you to see your weaknesses? How do God's Laws enable you to see strengths in your life?

A Year Of Living Biblically

2008-01-28T12:17:00.001-07:00

Greetings and happy 2008! May we have an inspiring one!

We will gather this Saturday at 9 am at the church to welcome our Lenten book read, A Year of Living Biblically" by AJ Jacobs. Please grab a copy at the local Barnes and Noble, Amazon or Borders... I think you will enjoy this book and the courage of Mr. Jacobs is most incredible! We shall learn a great deal about the structure of the Jewish law and how some of it is really captivating and some of it is, well, a bit bizarre! Bring a cup of java, some thoughts about legalism and the Bible and off we shall go!! Blessings to all and see you on Saturday the 2nd!

Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! I am thinking the blog should celebrate all things thoughtful and inquisitive, and so therefore during our book club hiatus I am going to invite you to slip me a question or two and we'll mull them over. Drop me an email at revmvc@yahoo.com and I will do some researching and sharing and we will have a chance to comment... I look forward to your thoughts!! Take care and see everyone in worship...

next book: A Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs
We will start the first week of Lent and add a touch of levity to our Lenten Discipline!

Shalom

Rev. Michael

Bright and early on December 8th!!!

2007-11-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

Here we go team, let's close up shop on the Adventure on December 8th, at 8 am!!! I hope you have enjoyed the book and the next time we will read will be during Lent... I will pick out a book and let you know in Jan. where we are headed! May God continue to bless our time together and may our holiday season be on of rich and memorable experiences!

Keep that talk around the table..

2007-11-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

really wholesome! You know, that holiday "don't talk politics or religion stuff"!!! Yeah, right!! You have been learning too much!! And I hope you realize that this is a journey toward faith, not a narrow path toward conformity! Accordingly, we begin our next topic... homosexuality in the church.
Right now this is an undercurrent issue and Tony has a very interesting opinion considering he is a committed evangelical. His stance on this issue is one that keeps him excluded from most Conservative action groups and Christian right events. Is Tony's melding of science and faith development a familiar path for you? How do you see his interpretation of the Biblical text as helping or hindering your position on homosexuality? Is the rebuke of homosexuality by many church communities reflective of Christ's position? BMac's final line about the gay man whom he had accidentally wronged and forgave him and contrasting that with the spirit of exclusion which the church too often represents is quite convicting.

Is your position on this issue based upon fear or prejudice? Do you think that God's grace is bigger than our individual capacity to judge and isolate?

I saw the light....

2007-11-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

..'cause there was no smog in the way! Tony is going to enhance much of what we have been talking about in church; stewardship. To care for the creation that God has made and to utilize the resources therein for the good of all creatures. When stewardship is seen as a charge which goes far beyond simply giving $, then we are heading in the right direction and approaching the space in which we live out "the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." Why would Tony stress this angle? Justice and poverty issues spring right out of a misuse of the worlds natural resources... Right now several countries are wrangling over a piece of the Arctic which has been totally uninteresting until someone found oil underneath it... now 4 countries are rushing to plant flags on it and call it "theirs". Ownership belies the failure of the creature to recognize the creator, and in doing so creates access for some and the intentional exclusion of others. B Mac posits the idea that there will come a time when humans have to ask if we have gone to far in our consumption of creation. Do you agree? Do you see God in the process of nature? How can the church help by being faithful stewards of God's creation?

Let's go thata way.....

2007-11-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

The guys are feeling some new images are out there for us to examine! Do you appreciate BMac's "Dorothy image" hits a leadership style home run? Tony is not as fond of it... I do think that too often we do seek out a certain style to anoint as leaders.... Leadership from the perspective of calling is a tough nut to crack! Our seminaries have been historically commissioned with "weeding out " those who like the idea of a call rather than actually have it, but many would argue that instead of offering us well rounded diversity in those who are ordained, what we have gathered in is a particular personality "type" which is equipped for a very long 8 to 10 year journey. From the pastoral perspective, leaders in the lay ranks can also be hard to convince for service! Sometimes it is because we take what the layperson does and slot them in the church equivalent, giving them 60+ hours to do their thing instead of just the 40+! Sometimes the system's need to work put pressure on the leadership to fill slots rather than allow the position to stay open and wait for the right person.
Bil Cornealius and Bill Easum argue that the most difficult task for the 21st century faith community will not be firing the employees, but rather firing the volunteer leaders! Their comprehension of leadership connects persons to the whole rather than by their skills; Their reasoning is that it makes no difference how talented or skilled the individual is, the way in which they improve and multiply the Body of Christ is the only measure that will matter in ministry growth.

Who are some of the persons at GSUMC that you see as effective leaders? What kinds of skills do they have? Are those skills unique or do others possess them? What skills do you possess that would make you an effective leader in ministry?

HEY LADIES!!!!!

2007-11-12T17:47:00.000-07:00

It has been so awesome to be a part of the RMCUMC Large Church immersion experience... taking time to visit some of the large churches in our conference with a class of my fellow clergy is an amazing adventure! What has struck me, however, is the make up of the class.... just over half of us in the group are female. Some richly talented, visionary and fabulously anointed females. They bring a refreshing sense of nurture to the congregation, while also lifting up the relevance of church as a source of grace and justice, not just conversion. They are a tremendous gift to UMC congregations and I am glad to say that the predecessor denominations of the UMC had a very progressive stance upon the grace given to women by God to lead.

Campolo is in an interesting space... he has an infallibility perspective which sees the Bible as having no mistakes, rather than as a legal document which is binding in its literal language. Obviously, as he points out, literalists often find themselves in a corner trapped by mere practicality. The men should be doing ALL the work if Paul's words are supposed to be tried as literal, and obviously this is FAR from the case! None the less, early perspectives on the role of women come from a patriarchal society and this must be factored in our application of the text. How does Campolo help you see the role of women leaders in the faith community? Have you ever been in a church lead by a woman? What are his points about women leadership? How do you feel about leadership standards in some churches excluding women?

Next Wednesday...

2007-11-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

Ok bloggers and readers... next Wednesday, November 14th at 7 pm we will get together for a cursory run at the material! Bring your thoughts, questions etc! We are about half way through so let's begin to put some perspective on this Adventure! See you on Wednesday the 14th at 7 pm!!!

All by myself....

2007-11-07T17:32:00.001-07:00

I just read in Slate magazine the Hot Document portion which presented the judgement against Fred Phelps and his so called "church" which harasses soldiers who have died in battle by calling them homophobic names and disrupting their memorials with the contention that God is punishing them. The vitriol and the nastiness which comes out of their mission is a very extreme counter culture conceptualization of Christianity that alienates and wounds others; the challenge is, however, that He and his followers see themselves as a commentary upon the "sinfulness" which so permeates the world around us. They see themselves as a remnant called to testify to the coming wrath and judgement of God upon the nations of fallen souls. As easy as it is to reject their judgemental and very narrow vision of Christ, we in the mainline church find ourselves in some of the same donnybrooks!

Culture for Christians is a messy topic; take a look at our worship and there you find, in the eyes of some of those over 50, an accommodation to culture when we put in theater lighting and large screens. Listen to Christian radio, and you are consulting with pop fads and music that is shallow and trite, according to some church musicians. A message that has drama or an alternative medium (like crafts or art) is considered by some shallow and unworthy of the depth which God brings to our lives. Some of today's most debilitating tensions in the church are motivated by the clash of cultures in our pews (uh, how about chairs??!!). When do we go too far, how do we discern the value of culture in our faith communities? When do we adopt portions or mechanisms of the culture, and when have we as a ministry lost our way? Is it enough to simply say "as long as Christ is at the center"? How is that negotiated in the life of the community? Generational? Socio-economically?

now alot more action! Social action....

2007-11-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

Faith without works is dead... that is how James puts it... Campolo has long been known for his commitment to the power of Christian social action. He sets up a wonderful examination of the church and government... I can feel this one will have legs with you! Do you agree with Tony that systems are the target, not just individual circumstances? Feed a person a fish ...you feed them for a day, teach them how to fish, and you feed them for life is the old quote.... can we as Christians see the ways in which the ministry of the church might add a new dimension to the skills someone has? How do we serve as a proving ground for folks to learn and grow in ways which add to their skills set rather than just to their knowledge set? I love Tony in that he aims directly at the heart of American hypocrisy; The Bishop Camaro quote on page 117 and the Adam Smith (economist) quote on 118 about greed really challenge our sense of manifest destiny...

How do we as Christians stand up for social justice? List two ways we could impact the world through our faith stand for justice.

How has Good Shepherd been involved in ministries of social action in the last year?

What do you think about Govn't/Faith community partnerships?

A little less talk...

2007-10-29T15:32:00.000-06:00

and alot more... well.... talk!!! When was the last time you entered into a conversation about God? If you are like most, you were probably pretty nervous!! And as B Mac points out, often it is because we instantly feel like we have to have well thought out and annotated answers rather than sharing our experience! Apologetics and Evangelism have some things in common; my thought is that Evangelizing tends to be more assertive and confrontational and Apologetics aims to present one's experience of faith without necessarily convincing or answering inquiries. We simply tell the story and refer ourselves to the ground which gives us the means of seeing the Lord at work in our lives. The answers are why answers rather than how answers. Each section gives some "training", if you will, on how to address some queries into our faith.. are they helpful? Do some feel quite vast? Are you one who like definitive answers or are you comfortable with mystery? Do you answer with small images or broad brush strokes? In the end, which best influenced you; a well crafted answer or the power of someone Else's experience of God?

Think of the last time someone asked or posed a general God or Jesus question to or around you? Did you respond? Would you be more comfortable responding now?

The power of the Word...

2007-10-25T20:21:00.000-06:00

So, when was the last time you read the good book? An amazing compilation it is; poetry, history, narrative, prophecy, chronology... and that list just a starting point! Inspiration of the Word is quite important in the life of the Christian; the Bible carries authoritative weight not because it is a book of wisdom, but rather because it catches the story and guidance which comes from God. Brian Mac labors to remind us, however, that the Scriptural record has a context. One of the challenges in seminary is that often the Scriptures are so over analyzed that they lose the mystery which makes them so compelling; yet we can also fall prey to the ole bumper sticker of "The Bible says it, I believe it and that settles it" fallacy as well. A. J. Jacobs has written a fabulous and humorous look at "The Year of Living Biblically" were he sought to live out every expectation the Old Testament required! Take a gander at it...needless to say, it was very, very challenging! Often those who fall back on the Bible as absolute haven't spent a great deal of time studying it and just simply long to be "right" in their assertions and claim values ascendency.

Maclaren lists three variables which cloud our interpreting the Scriptures; what are they? Do you agree with his list of holistic questions? Is the holistic idea helpful to you? Campolo is concerned this holistic measure/application might lead to reductionist revising of the Scriptures to say what we want it to say rather than what we need to hear God say. How might our own needs our biases become inserted into the interpretation of the text?

It's the end of the world as we know it...

2007-10-22T20:16:00.000-06:00

and I feel fine!!! End times thinking has been a critical part of Christian theology, with several groups building their whole foundations of inquiry on the return of Jesus (Seventh Day Adventist, Jehovah's Witness and most charismatic groups all have eschatology {return of Christ} as the center of their faith declarations). As Tony points out, early Christianity expected Christ's imminent return (Paul had to get on the Thessalonians to keep working!) so the teaching regarding the second coming was not constructed as a "future tense", or prophecy. There is a tremendous challenge with eschatology in that it does create an elitist position for Christians; not only are we believers blessed to be an example of salvation, but we are also given the special dispensation which elevates persons of faith above those who are "pagans". The struggle between the saved and those not yet claimed (notice my reluctance to use unsaved; my assent to Wesleyan idea of prevenient grace which constantly hold out hope for the ones who have not yet embraced the gift of grace) has deep historical roots and in most cases reflects the oppression of the Christians by those in power. For some faiths, the second coming was the time God got "even" with all the oppressors by destroying them, rather than a time of Christ assuming his position of Lordship.

Did you read the Left Behind Series? If so, I do hope you noticed the "fiction" on the binding! How do you see the end times in the context of United Methodism? Have you ever taken a study on Revelation? (notice, Revelation, not the plural Revelations as it is so often described!)
Do you feel the end time scenario is a commentary on the struggle for power? Do you think that there is a correlation with America and Babylon? How can we as Christians stand for the divine justice with the expectation it will be revealed in our lifestyle and culture? What are the characteristics of the Antichrist? List them as best you can.

Thy Kingdom come..

2007-10-15T16:45:00.000-06:00

So, does the word kingdom sound really big to you also?? The church has had a great deal of trouble in using this word; often it has co-opted it in order to define itself as an absolute. Kingdom implies God's complete reign, and under that rule we are given a new perspective and what it means to be in realtionship as a social order. Some are uncomfortable with the word for it can imply a military or dictatorial rule; how do you describe the idea of kingdom? Do you think that the kingdom can be realized on earth or is it a vision only fulfilled in heaven? Do you relate to God's Kingdom as perfection, or is it completion? Does equating God's kingdom with human government structures carry a danger, or is it an acceptable description?