Call Me Jacob

God Provides...

2012-01-27T11:08:00.000-05:00

    Mondays are my days. It’s my day off, and I religiously take that time to regroup, rejuvenate, and simply let go of all the stuff I have to deal with on a day to day basis. Last year I stepped up my running and decided to start running marathons, and when I did I realized that training takes a lot of time because one has to put in a lot of miles. As such Monday is not only my day off, but it has become the day when I go out and run my long mileage – 12, 16, 20 miles – just my podcasts, the beauty of nature, and my thoughts all to myself. I LOVE my Mondays.
    This week my training schedule called me to run a shorter distance, so I decided to run the Blue Ridge Parkway, which though it has some significant elevation changes, is beautiful. This past Monday was a dreary day. The forecast called for rain and/or freezing rain later in the morning, and fog warnings were issued for the morning. As I made it toward the overlook where I’d park, I realized that that was indeed the case.
    The fog on Parkway was not too bad at lower elevations, but the higher I ran the more socked in it was. At the highest elevations visibility was about 5 car lengths ahead, which is why I was running with a headlamp and bright clothing (for that one car that passed me during the hour and a half I was on the parkway).
    It is fascinating and fun to run in the fog, because when doing so it’s like running in a tunnel. It’s as if one is inside one of those hamster/gerbil tunnels, cocooned and enveloped in an environment which hides the reality around. One can hear cars below, animals scurrying, and trees creaking, but see little to nothing. And yet the isolation was not deafening or stifling, rather for me it was freeing. Just God, me, and nature in communion together. However, the fog was not what had the most impact on me during this run. Instead it was what that fog became.
    As I reached the higher elevations, the moisture from the fog turned from simply wetting the roads and mountain down, to freezing into ice. Only this was no ordinary ice. Instead of hanging down from branches and signs, when the wind blew, the wind's power was stronger than gravity on the tiny molecules of fog, thus forming sideways icicles.
    These icicles were not formed by dripping, instead, they were tiny needles of ice, much like a needle used to repair clothing, and the needles were side by side, connected at the body. These needles were melded together and formed arching formations similar to a fin running down the back of a fish or lizard, all of them sticking out to the side, just as the wind formed them.
    Amazingly these formations took hold on everything except the road itself. The pine needles were extended with ice needles, ice sculptures jutted out from branches and signs, and on the individual weeds and grass along the side of the road, the same. Running through a tunnel of fog, I was surrounded by beauty I’d never experienced before, and I soaked in as much as I could.
    One of the things that I am aware is vital when running is to remain hydrated, for if one gets behind on water intake, then one can get into trouble physically and mentally. This was a shorter run, so I didn’t take water with me on the run but left it in the car for my return, however when I reached the point where I needed to turn around I could feel the need for water begin to hit.
    Though it wasn’t an overwhelming urge it was there, and so I did the most logical thing at the time, I went to a tree and simply broke off the ice from the branches. It was sweet and clean, and it was the perfect consistency to simply melt in my mouth. The needles dissolved as the medicine that I needed at the time, and I looked around realizing that I had an endless supply of what I needed. It was a beautiful thing.

    In the 22nd chapter of Genesis there is a difficult story – Abraham taking his son, Isaac, up the mountain to sacrifice him. This old man being faithful to what he believed was God’s call, taking his only son to a place where a sacrifice would be expected. I can’t imagine, and you probably can’t either. And though I won’t get into the inexhaustible amount of theology that is wrapped up into this story, there is one point that is central, and that is that God will provide.
    In the 7th and 8th verses Isaac asks his father where the lamb was, and Abraham responds out of faith, “God will provide.” And the author says, “the two of them went on together.” They go upon into that mountain, maybe with a little bit of tunnel vision, trusting that God would provide, and God did.

    As I think about my experience Monday, I realize what a powerful reminder this was for me of God’s grace. God provided the time, at the right time, in the right way, to see and experience communion. God provided the space and the setting in which I experienced the grandeur and majesty of God’s world. God provided the essential element of water in a most unlikely place, and when I received that gift it was the best I’d ever had.
    Where are you in your life? Are you needing a God that provides? God is providing. Are you feeling lost and in a fog, living in a tunnel, or maybe even frozen by the winds of life? God provides a way out. Are you running away from something, someone, or even yourself? Look beside you, and you’ll see the great Provider. There may even be some mountains and treacherous roads ahead, and yet God provides.
    God provides. Thanks be to God.

Where do you need to experience God’s provision? Pray and look around. The signs and assurances are there.

Love Beyond Expectation

2012-01-06T11:24:00.000-05:00

    Today is the day of Epiphany, the day in the Church when we remember and celebrate the coming of the Magi to the stable with gifts for the infant King. It is also marks the end of Christmas and beginning of the season of Light. This is also a day when many, if they have not already, will take down their Christmas decorations.
    When my wife and I were married, she had a tradition of putting up the Christmas decorations Thanksgiving weekend and taking them down around New Year’s. My family would get a “live” tree, so we didn’t put our stuff up until almost Christmas Eve, but we’d leave ours up until January 6th. We combined our traditions, and we put everything up Thanksgiving weekend, but we keep it up until after January 6th.
    As I reflect upon this day and the task before my family, I wonder how many of us will pack Christmas away (or already have). These Magi, considered Gentile outsiders, came and brought gifts, and the message from God was that even those outside the normal realm of religious influence would be invited to be part of the Kingdom of God. There is not putting away anything in their gift-giving, nor in God’s message, rather the very opposite is true – there is a bursting forth, a breaking open, and a tearing down of any barriers or boxes that humans can try to place around God.
    The message of Christmas, that God would send the Son, is a marvel, but for God to reveal a bigger picture, that all would be invited, is even more astounding. And the gift received, both the Son and the invitation, is all about love. It is about God loving so much that God wanted it all...wanted us all. It is a love beyond expectation and limits...a love that we can so easily close ourselves off to, simply because we can’t imagine the vastness of such mercy and grace.

    Evidence of such love is peppered throughout the Bible, most especially in the New Testament. Matthew recounts Jesus saying, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest....”(Matthew 11:28). John quotes Jesus as saying, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but...the Light has come into the world...so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” (John 3: 17, 19, 21) And John wrote in his first letter (1 John 4: 9), “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”
    God didn’t have to do this, and yet God did. God reached out to make a way for all to be a part of God’s Kingdom and receive the fullness of God’s gift. And the result is that no one can, or should ever, put away such a gift, for once it is given and received, it resides in our hearts and souls, and if we allow it, God will bless us and others through the gift.

    I have been reading a devotional book entitled, Watch for the Light: readings for Advent and Christmas,” and the reading for Epiphany is simple but profound – a poem from the opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors” by Gian Carlo Menotti:

Love Alone

The Child we seek
doesn't need our gold.
On love, on love alone
he will build his kingdom.
His pierced hand will hold no scepter,
his haloed head will wear no crown;
his might will not be built
on your toil.
Swifter than lightning
he will soon walk among us.
He will bring us new life
and receive our death,
and the keys to his city
belong to the poor.

    For me this poem captures the amazing love of God that moves beyond our expectation. As I put away the Christmas decorations and begin the process of moving into Epiphany, my hope and prayer is that neither you nor I will put away the messages of Christmas nor Epiphany, but instead let it burst for as love for all.

How might God be calling you to take the gift you've received this Christmas and share it with the world?

Jesus is Always in the Picture

2011-12-02T10:45:00.001-05:00

Last night when I came in from work I was greeted by the usual enthusiasm of my seven year old daughter, only in addition to the joyful cry of “Daddy! You’re home!” She added to the sentence, “...and I want to show you the picture I drew. It’s a picture of what Christmas means to me!”

    She pulled the picture out from behind her back and proceeded to explain the various elements of the picture. First she pointed to the most obvious, the man in the red suit and hat, then she named each person in the family, colorfully illustrated with wonderfully creative hair. She pointed to a present and explained that Christmas is a time to share gifts, and then she pointed to a heart, which she told me was a reminder that Christmas is about love. Finally, she pointed to something that I at first didn’t see, and as she did she said, “And this is the baby Jesus. You can’t have Christmas without the baby Jesus.” It seems like an obvious statement that we can’t have Christmas without Jesus. After all, it IS Jesus birthday, and Jesus really IS the reason for the season, and yet how easy it is for Jesus to get lost in the shuffle of the season.
   This past Sunday began the season of Advent. Part of the reason we celebrate this season is to remind us that Jesus is the focus of Christmas, and from the very beginning the early Church mothers and fathers understood how easy it is for Jesus to not be the focus. Thus, a season of preparation, reflection, and prayer was instituted by the Church so that, like the nine months of preparation in anticipation of any child’s entry into the world, we too prepare. We get ready for THIS child to come again into our hearts.
    “You can’t have Christmas without the baby Jesus,” my daughter said, and as I’ve thought about that statement my mind has expanded the concept. I started thinking about other things that can’t be without Jesus, like grace, salvation, or even Christian worship. I got a little less theological and thought about how we couldn’t experience true Joy without Jesus, and at least from my experience, we can’t experience the fullness of life that God intends for us. As I thought about the context of the statement and I was reminded that Jesus is always in the picture.
    We United Methodists have this understanding of God’s love which is centered around “grace.” This understanding is based in a belief that God loves everyone and God’s grace is available for everyone. The technical/theological term for this is “prevenient grace,” and it implies that God’s love is always there. God goes before us, holds us up, and pushes us to live into that same love. In a nutshell it means that Jesus, God’s gift of love, is always in the picture.

    St. Matthew ended his Gospel with something called The Great Commission (Matthew 28: 16-20), and it gives instructions, even a command, for the disciples to go out and tell Christ’s story to the world. It is referenced as a key part of evangelism as well as our call as Christians, and rightly so, but it ends with an interesting phrase. Matthew ends the whole book with this interesting phrase...”I am with you, even to the end of the age.”    It’s easy to read these verses as a rallying cry to get folks out of their comfort zones and into the streets, sharing the love and Word of Christ, and miss the power of such a phrase. “I am with you, even to the end of the age.” Some translations even say, “I am with you ALWAYS, even to the end of the age.”
    God, with US always, or to be more relevant to the season, “Immanuel, God with us,” IS with us always, even to the end of the age.   As shared by the presentation by my daughter, Jesus is always in the picture.

    The term “Advent” is translated, “coming,” and it describes this time in the Church year when we prepare for Christ’s coming at Christmas. And yes, it may feel and sound a bit odd to prepare for someone to come who has already come, died, rose, again, and whom we expect to come again, one whom we know is still with us every day, and yet we celebrate this season as a way to remember who Christ is and to be reminded of the power of Christmas. We go through Advent so that Advent might go through us and remind us of the gift given.
    And as we do, we discover (or discover again) that Christ really is always in the picture. That Christ shows up in places that where we might not always see Him clearly or neatly, and yet when we see Him it makes all the difference.
    It’s sort of likes seeing a picture and there is something drawn that is easily missed. Though easily missed, it is the most important element, and one might not see it if it weren’t for someone...a child...to point it out and say, “and this is Jesus. You can't have _______________ without Jesus.”

Where do you see Christ in the picture of your life?
Where have you missed seeing Christ in the picture?
How might Advent be a time for you to look for Christ in everything?

Breathe...

2011-11-18T10:18:00.001-05:00

    It’s been over a month since I’ve taken the time to write a blog entry, and I have missed it! The reason behind this is that I filled my schedule up so much that I didn’t feel like I had the time, almost to where I didn’t feel like I could breathe.
   My guess is that you too have been through seasons in your life when you feel the same way. I would also venture to say that if you are reading this, you are either out of such a season or using this as a break from the chaos. Either way, it is so easy for us to fill our lives with so much that we can feel overwhelmed and over taxed.
   It happens in our work life, in our family time, and even in our time with God, and the scary part is that the urge to do more, be more, and keep going is perpetuated by the society around us...and that little voice inside that pushes us to take on just one more thing. And yet, to do can be at our own detriment.
   Don’t get me wrong, this season I’ve come through (and we are all about to go through) was one where the things I did were all for great things. Activities around the church benefited many, the Emmaus walk that I helped with had a huge impact on many men including myself, and the marathon I ran was the fulfillment of a long-term goal I’d set for myself. Family activities were a blessing for me, and even the time on the road in between activity was used as time to reflect, but there is something about stopping all the “doing” and simply “being” that brings focus, renewed energy, and wholeness.

   I mentioned that I completed a marathon. This was last weekend, and it was my first official marathon. I trained, and for most of the way ran, by myself, and for me that time on the road is a time to “be.” It is a time to reflect on where I am in life and what I’m doing, and I need that time. In fact, it’s probably what kept me sane over these busy recent days. It helped me to catch my breath.
   Breathing is an integral part of running. After all, if one doesn’t breathe correctly they can have issues. They can get cramps in their sides, and even pass out if they are not processing air effectively. More common and important however, is the fact that the way one breathes affects their performance.
   Beginning runners often breathe in through their nose then exhale through their mouth, but when one does this they do not maximize their breath. That is, they do not get a full breath, and on the exhale they may or may not be able to completely expel the carbon dioxide from the body. One really needs to inhale and exhale from their nose and mouth.
   One thing worth noting is that the amount of oxygen needed for the body, thus amount of breaths one take in minute will increase or decrease depending on how much oxygen the body needs. Thus, the more energy one exerts, the more oxygen they need, thus the more quickly their breathing, for just as food and liquid are fuel for the body, so is oxygen.
   Ultimately, however, when one gets used to running and trains for awhile, they begin to get “in shape,” and when they get in shape their heart, lungs, and muscles begin to work together. A coordination of the three work together to create a cadence of breathing in, then out...2 steps in, 2 steps out..., and as that cadence is set the runner relaxes. They give themselves over to the activity, and they simply go. And at some point in the training of every runner there is a moment when the activity is less about “doing” and almost completely a way of “being.”

   At the beginning of the Bible God creates everything, and on the last day, the 7th day, God names something which we know as “Sabbath.” Sabbath is a day of rest. A day to spend time with God and family. Ultimately, it is a day to simply “be.”
   Now I know that very few of us actually take a Sabbath day each week as commanded, myself included, but as always God did know what God was doing when God commanded us to take Sabbath. God knew that we need time to simply let go and be. That the constant working, constant running, constant doing will run us down.
   If you’ve ever been diagnosed with hypertension or high cholesterol, you know that a common cause for these diseases is stress and never taking time to simply “be” because there is too much to “do.” Some wonder why heart issues are so prevalent in our society, but God knew a long time ago, if we but listen.

   I wonder, how well are you breathing? Where are you deliberately taking “Sabbath” time, even if it’s just 30 minutes during the day, to stop doing and simply “being”? How close to burn out are you? Statistically, at least a few are feeling a little “crispy.”
    What is hopeful and wonderful to me is that when we begin to ask such questions and become aware of how busy we are, we can begin to take note of our breathing. We can note whether we’re “inhaling through our noses and exhaling through our mouths” through compartmentalizing our lives in order to cope. That is, we breath in running the kids to practices and rehearsals, then think breathing out is heading to the gym to fit in a quick work out.
   When we step out of our schedules and genuinely look at how much time we take for ourselves, we are able to assess whether the pace is so fast that we cannot breathe, and adjust accordingly. In fact, if we do it enough, we might even be able to pull back enough to establish a healthy cadence in life, where we take everything in stride and can breathe deeply.
   But ultimately, when we do these things, we discover, and/or are reminded, of what God knew and taught from the very beginning. That we need to breathe, not just air, but life. And the way to do that is to step back, take note, then receive the grace of God that is lavished upon us all the time. A grace that is easily missed when we never stop.

Look at your schedule or think back on the last three months. Where has the time gone? The ways we spend our time reflect our priorities.
Look at your checkbooks. Where has the money gone? Money and time are integrally connected, and in the same way, how we spend our money reflects our priorities.
Take some time to pray about how God might help you to “breathe” better. Then set your mind on a goal...then do it.

More than Apple Butter...

2011-10-14T11:34:00.000-04:00

    This week Bonsack UMC has carried on a tradition that has been a part of the ethos of this congregation for decades – making Apple butter.    On Sunday bushels of apples were purchased for the activity, and on Wednesday and Thursday many volunteers, men and women, showed up to peel, core, and slice the apples, placing the prepared product in large trash bags ready to be ground for cooking.
    Tonight even more volunteers will show up at 6 PM to grind the apples into mush which will be placed into large copper kettles for cooking over an open flame. The mush will be seasoned and cooked overnight, while at the same time constantly stirred to prevent burning. Thus more volunteers will work shifts stirring, talking, and sharing in this activity of fellowship, fun, and work.
    Tomorrow morning a whole new set of volunteers will come in early to can the freshly made apple butter, sanitizing the jars, filling them with piping hot apple butter, then sealing them so they can set for 24 hours before being sold for consumption.
    As one can imagine, this is quite a process. It takes much coordination, many volunteer hours, and materials, all to create a finished product that is wonderfully tasty and brings joy to those who receive it. Many consume it themselves, but many give apple butter away as gifts. All of it is intended to be a blessing.
    Not only does the blessing come in the tasting, however, for the funds that are received from the apple butter purchases is used for ministry and mission.   These funds have been used to help improve the facilities but most often used to help this church be in ministry to those outside this place through mission opportunities. They have been shared locally, nationally, and internationally, but the blessing has come through the sharing of what God generated through this congregation’s efforts and care.

    Every year when apple butter comes about I am reminded, however, that this activity is about far more than just making apple butter. As stated before, it is about raising funds for mission and ministry, but it is about even more than that, it is also about being the Body of Christ together. It is about fellowship, sharing in a common task, and listening and learning things. It is about meeting Christ as we work together.
    Around those tables when the apples are being peeled, cored, and prepared, conversations arise which otherwise would not take place. The young mother sits across from the table from the new widow, and God weaves Godself into the conversation and connects their hearts and lives. The pastor or staff member sits among the flock, laughing, learning, and celebrating the blessing of being a part of this part of the Body of Christ. The outsider or new visitor to the church shows up and experiences something that is so easily lost, missed, or never experienced, community.
    Tonight around pots of steaming mush, children, youth, and adults will take turns stirring the pots while groups will share in conversations about life, sports, news, and mostly how God is moving among us. We will stand under the stars, warming ourselves around open flames, and the scene enfolds us so that we experience what it’s like to be in the moment, in creation. And slowly, patiently, as the mush boils down to the finished product, we are given an analogy for the Christian life being something that takes effort, coordination, and lots and lots of time.
    As the canning takes place, we capture a moment in time and pass it on to those who receive it. We take all of that effort, love, and joy, and we try to bottle it, passing it on to those whom we love. And God works among those who do the work to knit us together as community. Indeed, this is about more than Apple butter.

    In Matthew 18 Jesus is waxing eloquent about how to live in community, and He is addressing what happens when community is broken down and there are divisions. He talks about how, if we have an issue with someone, then we are first called to seek them out and seek restoration, then if that doesn’t help, bring some people from the community along to help, and if not, then release them and pray they will return. Then Jesus ends this instruction by saying, “if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, then my Father who is in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I’m there with them.” (Matthew 18: 19-20)
    That last line is used over and over again in many contexts, but what I find most interesting is the original context in which it was written. Often we don’t use this phrase of two or three being gathered in the context of conflict, but instead we like to use it as a reminder that when we gather, God is with us. And yet, in every situation, the truth of the original context is present, even if we don’t name it.
    Around those tables, kettles, and jars, there are folks that have been, or even are, in conflict. They have not sought reconciliation nor been reconciled. They are hurting from life, as well as from each other. They are not whole, and the brokenness can be laid bare. And yet, despite such things, Christ is there.
    Even more powerfully, despite the pain, brokenness, and unspoken conflict, there can come reconciliation and understanding...among the conversation, the working together, the producing of something for the glory of God. Indeed, in the midst of the activity, fellowship, and sharing of a common task, God weaves Godself among us, and we become the Body of Christ for each other and the world.

    This tradition of which I am blessed to be a part is about far more than apple butter. It’s about God at work through us, among us, and in us, and for me that’s a gift God graciously lavishes upon us year after year after year.

Is there some activity or mission or class that is going on among your church or circle of influence in which you need to be engaged? Are there folks with whom you need to be reconciled?
Pray about it and listen. Maybe God needs you to respond. May the community of faith needs you to be more fully a part of the Body.

Why Do We Give?

2011-10-07T11:12:00.002-04:00

    Next week my daughter will turn 7, and tonight we will have a small birthday party for her. Over the last month or so we’ve been thinking about and asking her to think about what she might want for her birthday, and as those thoughts have percolated we’ve been able to obtain some things which we hope will bring her joy. As we’ve thought about what gift we might get her, I have found myself thinking on a deeper level about the whole concept of gift-giving, and as I have the question has kept coming to me, “Why do we give?”
    The answer to that question can be many and varied. Some give simply because there is an expectation to do so. It is the norm to give a birthday gift or to send a card when something major happens in someone’s life, and so folks follow the norm. Some give because they like to make others feel good. When we receive a gift it does feel good, especially if it’s something we like and can actually use, and when the giver sees that kind of satisfaction they receive a blessing for making the other happy. And yet, there is a deeper answer which we often avoid or neglect to remember, and that is, we were made to give.
    For my oldest son’s 8th birthday we had a party for him and a few of his friends, but before the party Caleb decided that he really didn’t need any more toys. Through the church and in school he had caught wind of a population of kids, however, who did have needs, and this was a population of children in the community whose mothers were being hidden because their significant others/spouses had been abusive. Having heard that there were kids there who had had to leave their homes in the middle of the night and were unable to take any of their things with them, on the invitation he asked that they bring toys for the kids of the Battered Women’s Shelter.

    The party was grand, and we did all the things one does at an 8 year old’s birthday party. We played games, had a piñata, ate cake and ice cream, and Caleb opened the gifts. Only when he opened the gifts, at least for me, there seemed to be a deeper meaning to the gift-giving and receiving. When he opened the gifts he, and all of us, paused to think about how excited the unknown recipient would be to play with the action figure or game, and as we did the answer to the question “Why do we give?,” came to the fore. We were reminded of the purpose of gift-giving in the first place.

    The whole concept of giving begins for us at the very beginning of the Bible in Genesis. There is nothing, but out of that nothingness God created everything. Out of chaos, God brought order, and the reason God did unfolds quickly. God creates all the stuff that we know of as the world, and it is all good. But that goodness had a focus and a purpose, and that was that God desired to be in relationship. God wanted to give life, and so God created humankind in God’s own image.
    As the story unfolds we discover that this God of ours loves to give. God gives love through covenants with Noah, Abraham, and David. God gives life to children and saves lives of prophets and kings. And ultimately, God gives everything in Jesus, who came to live, love, teach, die, and be raised again so all might live and give as God does.

    In a world where we are easily enticed to hold on, white-knuckled, clutching what we have with all our might, but when we learn to live lives with open hands and open hearts, always ready to give, we learn that in giving, we are truly living. We learn that our purpose is to live outward and give as we feel led. We learn that, in being created in the image of God, we have instilled within us an innate need to give, and the irony is that, until we allow that need to be a driving force in our living, we’ll never truly live.
    We listen to the news and look around at our society, and we see and experience less than life. There is joblessness and despair. There are struggles and losses. There is a sense of helplessness and hopelessness, and much of this comes from the resistance to truly live...the resistance to be givers.
    In the Church, in politics, in the midst of wars and Wall Street protests, in our communities and in our homes, much of what we wrestle with comes down to an unwillingness to see the bigger picture or allow that voice inside of us to be heard or allow our hearts to be stirred. For if we look for the bigger picture or listen to that voice or follow our hearts, we might just be moved to give up a few things. At first that may seem difficult, and yet if we do and trust in those promptings, what we give up can become the very things that weigh us down.
    Why do we give?
    Better yet, why don’t we give more?....

What is holding you back from being a person who gives with the heart of a giving God?

Life is a process of Adjustments...

2011-09-23T11:33:00.000-04:00

    Every Friday morning on my way to my men’s Bible study, I listen to “Story Corps,” on National Public Radio. Story corps chronicles the stories of everyday people by providing small, mobile recording studios where people can set an appointment, and they tell of a relationship, event, or vignette from their lives. If you’d like to learn more, simply go to: www.storycorps.org, while you are at it, you might listen to Earl Reynolds’ story from this morning.
    I was immediately drawn into Earl Reynolds Jr.’d story, because he is from, and grew up in, Roanoke, VA, my current hometown. He grew up the son of a barber, and tells of how one day the singer, James Brown, came into the shop and young Earl got to shine Brown’s shoes. Earl shares tells this story to his daughter, and as he does he quotes one of his own father’s frequent sayings, which is “life is a process of adjustments.”
    This phrase struck me, and thank goodness this came at the end of the narrative because I began thinking about the many ways in which life is indeed a process of adjustments. I thought of how life unfolds, and the result of that unfolding we have to adjust to the realities of life, otherwise we’ll either go crazy, be frustrated, or get lost and depressed.
    I reflected upon what a process of adjustments looks like and was reminded that, just as in life, so in faith do we find ourselves in the middle of a process, adjusting to where God is and where God might be calling us to serve. To how our faith or forgiveness or love or hope are all well described as a “process of adjustments.” But then I found myself thinking about who makes those adjustments and how those adjustments affect others.
    Certainly from Earl Reynolds Sr.’s perspective, the process and adjustments are personal. That as we go through life, or as life goes through us, we discover that we have to adjust and that it helps to see things as a process rather than an ends and means game. That we face situations day in and day out, and how we approach and address these situations can make all the difference. But this has implications which are more than just personal, they can also be communal.
    As a pastor, daily I encounter how one person’s response or ideas can disrupt the whole apple cart or make all the difference in bringing harmony. I am reminded that the process that is going on in one life is interlinked with my own...and a whole congregation of people...and when one person adjusts, others are forced to adjust their lives as well.
    This happens in committee work. It happens in mission and outreach. It happens in finances, and even among the work of church leadership and staff. This process of adjustments is constantly at work, and in order to become community there must be give and take, as well as sometimes placing the needs of the community and the communal process of adjustments ahead of our own desires and ideals.

    In the middle of the book of Acts there are story after story of Paul and his companions traveling from town to town, region to region, sharing the story of Christ. Toward the end of the 14th chapter Paul and Barnabas head back to Antioch. When they get there they are greeted by their friends and fellow Christ followers. They share the stories of what they have been through, and Paul says to them, “We must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.”
    In reading the New Testament and reflecting upon Paul’s writings, there is an evolution that took place from who he was at the start to who he ended up becoming. One can almost see the process of adjustments lived out in Paul as his theology was shaped by his experiences and the movement of the Holy Spirit. As he made those adjustments and shared them, those with whom he shared, including us, were blessed, for they witness to a call to grow and be changed as people of faith. They witness to the blessing that God does not leave us where we are but moves us to become who God needs us to become. Through a process of adjustments, and learnings, we grow as disciples.

    “Life is a process of adjustments.” It is a simply but profound statement. Even more powerfully, when lived out, it is more than just a statement. It is a way of living. It is a way of growing. It is a way of becoming. It is the way of faith.

How do you approach life? How do you deal with change? When was the last time you reflected upon the process of adjustments that you are making, and where is God in the midst of that process?

2011-09-16T10:27:00.001-04:00

    In 2007, before I was assigned to shepherd this congregation, a fund was established to produce and install a stained-glass window as a memorial to the saints of Bonsack United Methodist Church who are now a part of the Church Triumphant. Over the years the fund has grown, and unfortunately, over the past year it has grown considerably because of multiple deaths of some of the great saints of the Church. As that fund has grown, so has the interested in completing the project, and over the past few months we moved forward, contracted with a company, and earlier this week the window was installed.
    The window enhances our worship space considerably, and it is both a fitting backdrop to the cross while also giving a beautiful focal point to connect us with God. But this window is about more than just beautification of our worship space, it is also a reminder of the beauty and color that these saints, upon whose memory the funding came, brought to the world and our lives.
    At memorial services and funerals, a common practice is to share stories of the lives of those who died. Sometimes those stories are touching and at other times they are comical. Often they encapsulate who that person was, but always the intent of the story telling in this setting is to share where Christ was revealed in their living. It is a means of remembering, giving thanks, and celebrating the life and love of those who shaped our lives.
    The window that has been installed tells the story of Holy Week. At the bottom is a palm branch, the symbol of Christ’s entrance as humble King, and that symbol points toward the nails and crown, reminding us of Christ’s suffering and death. But death will not be defeated, for trumpeting Easter Lilies move our eyes upward to the Hope and assurance of Resurrection. We follow the path to the light of the Sun, the symbol of God’s source of light and life, and overarching the whole work of art is the dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit, which is with us always. This window is a visual reminder of the story of life. It reveals the Kingly nature of the faith and embraces the suffering, but all points toward the Hope and assurance of God’s presence and life with us now, and forever.

    In chapter 11 of John’s Gospel one can find the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. Jesus shows up four days after Lazarus’ death, and quite frankly his sisters are a bit bewildered and angry at Jesus for taking so long. They say, “If you’d only been here, he’s be alive!” As they converse Jesus assures them that Lazarus will rise again, and in the ultimate proclamation tells them, “I am the resurrection and I am life, and those who believe in me, yet shall they live. If they believe in me, they will never die.” Jesus then proves it, and Lazarus, bound in graveclothes, walks out of the tomb.
    Here is a visual reminder, even proclamation, that indeed Jesus is the Resurrection and life, and when those who believe live into our faith, then life comes. Resurrection is made real. Death is defeated, and those who are bound by so much, are released. They are freed to live true life, life that reveals to the world, the hope that they have been given.

    Just as this window is a visual reminder of our story, when I think back on the lives of those honored and remembered through this work of art, I envision a visual reminder of their story. In them God’s story was lived out and shared, and the Hope of Resurrection was revealed to many, including me.
    Thank God for such visual reminders. May we remember, and may we too reveal Christ to all who cross our path.

Who are the saints that have shaped your life? Are you a visual reminder of Hope and Resurrection to the world?

The Influences In Our Lives

2011-09-02T13:09:00.000-04:00

    Three weeks ago (August 12, 2011) I wrote a tribute to our faithful dog, Sadie, and in that I mentioned our, now 7 year old dog, Chloe. Chloe is a Chow/Husky mix that we picked up from the humane society. What first struck us about her, and what strikes most folks when they see her for the first time, is her tongue. It is completely black. This is how we know she has some Chow Chow genes in her blood. But the other striking feature is that her thick coat is white.
    When we were trying to come up with names for her I thought maybe it would be fun to name her “Blacky.” I figured the irony of seeing the white dog with a black tongue was obvious, and the irony of such a name would be priceless. However, I quickly realized that that really wouldn’t be a good if she were to get away from us, and we’d be crying out to the world, “Come here Blacky!”
    The Humane Society had named her “Clover,” but that didn’t seem to fit. We figured that our children were all named Biblical names, so why not the dog? We named her Chloe, and she’s been a wonderful companion.
    Now Chloe is not the smartest of dogs, and at times she can be a bit goofy, but she is the sweetest dog I’ve ever met. I say that not braggingly or from too strong a bias, but she really is sweet. She is always ready to receive and give love, and when visitors come by, unlike Sadie, she doesn’t bark but simply runs to them smiling. Really, she has a sort of smile to her face. But the characteristic of Chloe that is most obviously exhibited in her is that she is subservient.
    When I returned with Sadie after her episode of being gone for 9 weeks, I wondered how things would go when they met, though I predicted well what it would be like. Upon getting out of the car Sadie hobbled as quickly to the door as she could, and when she saw Chloe on the other side of the threshold she immediately established dominance. She barked and snapped at Chloe just to make sure Chloe knew who was boss. Chloe cowered in the corner, and for weeks kept her distance.
    Though their relationship eventually grew to where they did things together and shared the affection of the family, Chloe was always the one who placed herself last. When we fed them, Sadie would be the first to eat, and Chloe would stay back. Only after Sadie was finished would Chloe take her turn to eat, and almost always we had to monitor Sadie’s intake. Otherwise she’d have eaten Chloe’s food.
    In the “Sadie/Chloe” chapter of our lives, Chloe was the one in the background, rarely seeking a place of power, and always aware of where she was in the pecking order of the family. She was the follower, part of the pack, and she played that roll well. However, over the last few weeks, things have changed a bit.
    I won’t say that she’s the Alpha dog in the house, and who knows what would happen if we got another dog, but she has certainly come out of her shell. Once she realized that Sadie was not coming back, we have noticed that she was a bit more relaxed. Of course, the weeks before we put Sadie down Chloe sensed the emotions in the house, but this relaxed nature digs deeper.
    Though not every night, Chloe is more apt to sleep in our room, which was not as common an occurrence with Sadie around. She’s there to greet us when we come home and excited to see us, a pleasure she’d not been so apt to take advantage of with her domineering mate around. But what is most funny is how her sense of entitlement has been bolstered as her olfactory senses have led her to begging.
    Recently she’s been much more attentive to us when we sit at the table to eat, usually lying down under the table, but if the food smells really good she’s sitting beside us with an anticipatory look on her face. Whenever we use the microwave or the timer goes off on the oven, we turn around, and there’s Chloe waiting for a morsel. She can even be found around the corner coming closer when she hears a package opened.
    This is all kind of cute, but what is most amazing to us is that not only does she come into the kitchen to see if she gets some scraps, but she has taken to barking a piercing bark when we don’t! She has never been a barker. We don’t feed her scraps too much, but the times we do are etched in her memory. She’s not afraid to lay it out there and bark sharply, “I want some!!”
    This is a far cry from the dog we knew just weeks ago.

    Throughout his ministry Jesus got in trouble for the folks He hung out with. Often that trouble was rooted in the norms of the day. It wasn’t Kosher to hang out with a leper or Samaritan or Gentile. If one wanted to be “in” then it was good to seek out and remain faithful to the Pharisees and Sadducees, because they had the power and influence. It probably wasn’t overly helpful that the folks he chose to follow him were regular, everyday people with little influence or experience. And yet Jesus hung out with them.
    He did this so that He could influence their lives and impact their living, but I also believe that He wanted and needed their influence on His life as well. Otherwise, Jesus would not have been fully enmeshed and influenced by the realities of this world.
    What Jesus did, however, was to use His influence in amazing and powerful ways to reveal the Kingdom to others, and as He did the others embodied who Jesus was and what Jesus taught. His influence changed the disciples, and that change and influence was passed down to the next generation of disciples. This same influence and change has been passed to us, and we’re to do the same.

    As I think about Sadie’s influence on Chloe, as well as Jesus’ influence on the disciples, I find myself thinking about the people who influence my life. There have been periods in my life when there have been good influences, and there have been times when the bad influencers affected my actions. I’ve been able to shy away from folks that get me in trouble, and embraced those who help me along the path (see last week’s blog “Brothers With Arms”). But always I have the ability to allow their influence to sway me. The bottom line is that we control how much the influences around us affect our living, and depending on our choice, we suffer the consequences or reap the benefits.
    What’s interesting to me as a pastor is asking the question, “How are Christ-followers, and/or how is the Church, influencing the world?” Though a hard question to ask, if we’re honest with ourselves, that’s what we’re called to do.

Who and/or what influences your living? Are you influencing others? Is that influence for good or bad? How is the Church influencing, or not influencing lives? Is our influence a revelation of the inbreaking of God’s love to the world?

Brothers With Arms

2011-08-26T13:10:00.001-04:00

    This morning, as with every Friday morning for the past 2 years, I met a group of men at one of the local restaurants in town. There we shared a feast. Yes, we ordered up and ate breakfast together, but the real feast came, and comes, in the hour of sharing around the table.
    A key component and catalyst to the sharing is Bible study. We choose a book of the Bible and chapter by chapter, verse by verse, go through that book. One of our number does some research and gets the background of what’s going on in the passages before us, and we speak of it’s relevance to our lives.
    I say that the Bible study is a key component and catalyst, because there is more to the time than simply reading the Bible, gleaning a nugget of wisdom or truth, then walking away saying to ourselves, “well now I’m a little bit enlightened by the Word.” No, it’s more than just the words from the page that set our hearts aflame and draw us closer together, it’s what those words do to us and in us as we share.
    Often it is less the biblical wisdom that has the impact, as much as how the biblical wisdom spurs conversation, vulnerability, and accountability among us. It’s in the willingness for the unemployed men among us to share their stories and seek guidance and help. It’s in the person who can only be there for forty-five minutes and has to leave early but rarely misses. It’s in the fact that every one gets at least a hug, if not a handshake, from every one of the others who are there. It is there that we are learning, growing, and becoming one with Christ and one another.
    Most have heard the phrase, “Brothers in Arms,” often sited among music and literature sources and referring to soldiers being drawn close as brothers enduring together, and in some ways I think of this group as being drawn close as brother who are enduring life together, but a more apt phrase to describe what we share is that we are “Brothers WITH Arms.” Brothers with arms that hug, uphold, and help build up as we journey through these days. The gift that we give and receive is that these brothers with arms are in it for the long haul and reveal light and strength that, if we were alone, we’d never experience.

    At the beginning of John’s Gospel there is this description of Jesus that is somewhat cryptic and difficult to wrap our minds around. John says that in Jesus “the Word became flesh.” Embodied in the fact that the conception of Jesus took place through a word from God spoken by an angel, this makes sense. It is the Word that lives, teaches, shapes, and saves, and that Word, God, became flesh in Christ. And yet, the meaning of the phrase digs even deeper.
    What is amazing is that God’s plan was that that Word would reproduce and multiply, as the Word, Jesus, shared, taught, and saved those who would follow Him. As He shared His life, He commanded them, “Go and do what I did! Go and be who I am!” And suddenly that Word was no longer embodied in one body but among 12...then more and more and more, generation after generation...the Word became flesh. And as we share life, love, hope, and faith together, that Word becomes flesh, and heaven is embodied here on earth.

    In the 1600's in Germany, Philip Jakob Spener wrote a seminal theological work entitled Pia Desideria, which began what is know as the Pietist Movement. This was an invitation for personal and communal piety among Christians. Personally, this was about putting faith into action and being deliberate in connecting with God through prayer and meditation. Communally, he spoke of “the ecclesiola in the ecclesia,” or the “little church within the big church.” Today we call this “small groups.”
    Spener’s influence was vast, and his teachings are the basis of John Wesley’s work and calling to transform the Church through the uplifting and accountability which takes place as smaller groups within the church meet and share in life. Today, this is the model for effective discipleship, and it can be transformative on both personal and communal levels.
    In a very real sense, Spener recognized that in order live into the faith we have to be connected on deep, spiritual levels. We have to share our joys and struggles, and as a people in community, we are called to walk together, enduring and celebrating whatever life throws our way. In a nutshell, we are called to be the Word made flesh to each other, for in doing so, we embody the faith and witness to the hope that God gives.
    For me these brothers with arms are the Word made flesh. They are Christ in my life, and they encourage me to be Christ to others. They reveal life while also encouraging me to live life. They are the church within the church that truly brings to life the reality of God's grace and love.
    I thank God for my brothers with arms. My prayer is that you, sisters and brothers, have the same such place to share, and if not, maybe God’s inviting you to find your sister and brothers with arms.

Where are you being spiritually fed? Where are you sharing life? Who do you have that you can call at anytime, and they will be Christ to you?

A Tribute to Sadie: God's gift for whom we give thanks

2011-08-12T20:32:00.000-04:00

    Before we were married Teresa and I shared a desire to have children after at least a couple of years, and that we did. However as with many, we discovered that this might not be possible for us. After a series of tests, we were told that there was about a 50/50 chance that we would not conceive. Infertility was something we did not expect but the reality we were possibly facing.
    We were crushed and discouraged, but we also wanted to be able to care for someone or something and share the lives with which God had blessed us. So we went to the pound and looked around. After a few visits, we found Sadie, or should I say Sadie found us. A wonderfully cute, 10 week old Shepherd/Retriever mix captured our hearts, and upon entrance to our home, captured and took over just about everything we had and every room, including our bedroom! Sadie was a wonderful, playful, joy-filled puppy who loved to exercise with me, protect us from strangers, and give us lots and lots of love.
    Interesting enough, soon after we got Sadie, our prayers were answered, and we found out we were pregnant with our first child, a son who was the object of Sadie's care and attention. Subsequently, she shared the same relationship with another son and eventually a daughter. The Tate family has known no life without canine companionship.
    Nine and a half years later, on December 26, 2008, however, this changed. We took a vacation to Florida the week after Christmas, and we knew Sadie would love a week of vacation on my in-law's dairy farm in North Carolina. It was a perfect place for her to run, play, and explore, only when we reached our destination, we received a frantic call from my mother-in-law telling us that Sadie was gone. She had gone out and not come back. Despite searches, calls, and food on the porch, Sadie was nowhere to be found.
    It was then that I first felt the sting that comes from the absence of our first "child." We were in Florida trying to make the best of it, while our hearts remained connected with our four legged friend and love. At the end of the week we sped to North Carolina and looked for ourselves. We road the roads, called her name, and prayed. We prayed and we prayed that she would come out of the woods. We prayed and prayed that she had not been shot as a nuisance dog or that a pack of dogs had not killed her. After all, she was alone in the country with no one and nothing to protect her.
    One of the hardest things I have ever done was to drive home without her. Though certainly not on the same level, I felt a touch of what it must be like when a child goes missing. We felt an emptiness and frustration that leaned toward desperation. Our minds raced and our hearts ached, for our friend and family member was out there somewhere, and we couldn't do a thing about it. We prayed some more. Every night, each of our children prayed for Sadie – for her protection, comfort, and return.
    Devastated and wanting to take some control, as well as take care of another, we went to the Humane Society and picked out Chloe, a 2 year old, Chow/Husky mix. Her personality and looks were very different than Sadie's, which was good, and we fell in love with her. After 2 visits we brought her to her new home and have been blessed ever since.
    On February 9, 2009, nine weeks after she went missing we received a call from an unknown number. The night before our children had prayed for her again, while my wife and I were pretty sure she was gone. The area code indicated that it came from North Carolina. My wife answered the phone and a voice said, "Can I speak to Sadie Tate?" My wife responded, "Sadie is our dog, and she is no longer with us." The woman on the other end of the line said, "Well I have her. My children are feeding her hot dogs right now. She's not in great shape, but she is here."
    She was only 10 miles from the farm, where she'd made it into town, only a mile from where my mother-in-law worked. Immediately we called and her them know. My mother-in-law got in the car and picked her up, while I jumped in the car and drove two hours to pick up the prodigal dog. Upon seeing her for the first time, it is amazing that she survived. She had obviously broken her hind leg and the leg had healed an inch shorter. Later we would find out that this was a classic injury from being hit by a car. In addition to this, malnutrition was obvious. Her previously 64 pound body returned to us 18 pounds lighter. She'd lost almost 1/3rd of her body weight, the gleam of gold in her coat, and the full plume of her tail, and her tendency to be "a grazer" when it came to food was forever lost for fear of hunger again. But she was home, and all the way back she lay beside me, sleeping with her head on my lap. Probably the first deep sleep she'd experienced in more than 2 months.
    Over time and with care she lived on. Her limp was pronounced, but she adapted. The weight she lost was not completely regained, but she was okay. Healthy, all things considered, and happy to be home.
    Three years ago she survived another move, this time to the mountains of Roanoke, where we wondered if she'd be able to make it since the terrain was so taxing. But Sadie was a survivor, and after 6 months, she was navigating our steep yard like a champ. God had saved her and kept her going, and for that we were and are thankful.

    I've never had to make the decision to relieve the suffering of a pet...until today. It’s an odd feeling mixed with second doubts, peace, hope, and a deep ache which is centered in the concept of “forever,” or at least a sense that this is forever. However, I sure hope, and believe, that on the other side she’ll be waiting for me with a greeting and a wag of the tail.
    It was only 2 weeks ago that she began to have problems with incontinence, and the deafness and diminishment of sight only came about over the past year. And though the arthritis got gradually worse since she was hit by the car, she still seemed to get around. And even last night, she lumbered up the stairs to take the place she’d taken just about every night of her life, sleeping on the floor beside us. Can it be possible that we needed to do this?
    Monday Dr. Bruce found a large mass in her abdomen. We attempted to shrink it with some steroids, but it was not to be. Her health was deteriorating quickly. It was time, and we all knew it. Teresa, the kids, Chloe, me, and I think even Sadie. We all knew it, but it still wasn’t easy to pray a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing just beforehand. It was hard for Teresa and me to hold her as she went to sleep peacefully, and yet God assured us it was okay.

    There’s this often quoted saying, and rightfully so, that is shared in times of struggle. It’s from Matthew’s Gospel, the eleventh chapter, and in it Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Through the love and support of family and friends this week, Jesus has given us rest, and even for this one whom we loved so deeply, Christ did the same. We know this because we saw that peace just after she was gone.
    After we’d said our goodbyes, cried many tears, and gained the courage to take steps toward the door, Teresa and I turned back one more time and she said, “Look at her. She looks like she’s laying on the end of the pier at Shady Side, looking out over the water at the sunset on the horizon.” Shady Side is our family vacation spot, and the pier there was one of Sadie’s favorite places in the world. Most mornings when we were there, she and I would make our way to the pier to watch the sun rise while I did my devotions, and many evenings we’d all sit and watch the sun set for the day. Always, Sadie was with us, and always she was at peace...we were at peace.
    It is with thanksgiving and gratitude that that image and memory is etched in my mind. She was at peace, and that brings me peace. She had labored and was heavy laden, but she was given rest. We have labored, and though our hearts are heavy, we are at rest, and in the midst of it all, is the One who brings that rest, who sustains the hope, and who is the source of all love.

    God provided for us a wonderful, loving first child, and God has cared for her. In fact, God blessed us through her care for us. For that, and for her, I give thanks. Though we miss you, Sadie, we’ll always love and remember you.

LIKE a child

2011-06-24T10:08:00.000-04:00

This is a special week in the life of the church in which I serve, as this is our Vacation Bible School (VBS) week. All this week about 100 kids and almost half as many adults have been here each evening to celebrate life, learn about Jesus, and share in fun, snacks, and fellowship. It is one of my favorite weeks of the year, because at VBS there is always great joy shared and received.

    I love seeing the expressions of joy on the faces of the children and love hearing them excitedly tell of God’s love, not just for others, but for THEM. I love the songs that are sung and the stories that are told, the creativity of the staff, and the transformation of the church into a sacred space that looks very different than it normally does. I love all of these things, but I think what I love most is to see how we adults respond and grow through the experience.
    It is amazing to catch a glimpse of Christ’s light twinkling in the eyes of the adults who help out. Part of their joy comes from the stirring of memories of their own VBS experiences as children, and part of it is experiencing the joy of the faith all over again. It is awesome to see them singing and doing the motions with the music, then laughing and sharing what a blast they are having. It is a blessing to see children holding their hands through the halls of the church, and I especially love to see the occasional adult male weighed down by a child or two climbing all over them. Indeed, VBS is a blessing, not just for the children but for God’s adult children as well.

    Yesterday I led the devotion for our staff meeting, and I found myself drawn to Frederick Buechner’s book Whistling in the Dark, which gives brief snippets of commentary on specific topics. As I leafed through the pages I came across a statement about “childhood,” and nestled in the center of these paragraphs was the concept that “There is a difference between being ‘childish’ and being ‘childlike,’ and that our invitation is to be like a child and not childish in how we live.”
    Buechner referenced Jesus calling the children to him and saying, “Those who would be like a child will be saved,” and he referred to Paul’s famous words in the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians: “When I was a child, I spoke, reasoned, and acted like a child, but when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.” Both of these refer to the purity of childlike living, and that to be like a child is to trust, to see the world with joy and hope, and to share life with all around us. I like that.
    I like this concept of the call to not be childISH but to live in childLIKE way. To not hold onto the immature, self-focused aspects of childhood, but to open up to the seeds of life that God plants in us when we are born but which can easily be quelled as we ‘learn the ways of the world.’ I like this, because so often if we are observant, we see Christ alive through children...and those who boldly live like children of a loving and gracious God.

    I love VBS week, not only because of the children and what God does to and through them, but also because of what God does to and through God’s more seasoned children. In the midst of a week of childlike living and growing, God always shows up, and when God shows up God brings life.
    But there is one thing I love even better than VBS week and all that it brings, and that is when the seeds that are planted during this special week take hold and sprout. When the joy, hope, life, and love that is shared at VBS begins to be lived out at home, at work, and in the neighborhood. When the Christ, or should I say ‘Christ-child,’ within each of us is revealed. I love this especially because, not only does it change those around us and change the world, but it changes us. It brings life to us. It brings hope...resurrection...a kind of life which can only be described as “Childlike”...like the Child of God.

When was the last time you were bold enough to live a childlike life, unreserved and with reckless abandon? If it’s been awhile, take some time to observe a child, learn from them, and act a bit more like them.

In the Midst of Life...

2011-06-15T14:12:00.001-04:00

As you may or may not have noticed, I’ve not updated my blog in over a month. Wow! Hard to believe. This morning I was thinking about why, and though we can always carve out time to do the things, when I think about it, it just feels like I’ve been overtaken by life.

   Not to belabor the point or sound whiny, but when I think back on the last month, here are just a few things that I’ve encountered: the departure of an employee and training of two others to take over those responsibilities, the receiving of new members, the purchase of a new car and transport of the old car to my in-laws in North Carolina, lots of time and work dealing with a shortfall in the budget, a church fire (literally), the last week of school which included my son’s fifth grade graduation, the kick start of swim season (yes, I’m swimming), and various other topics that have cropped up on the fly. My wife and I look at the summer schedule ahead and think, “Where has summer gone?”
   Interesting enough, as I have reflected upon the craziness, I’ve begun to observe the lives of others and talk with them about what they are going through, and I find that I’m not in alone. We’re in the same boat together. It seems as if everything has kicked up a notch, and the pace has quickened for a lot of people. I wonder what that is?
   Does it have to do with the economy? That is, since things are tight, do we keep ourselves more busy so we won’t have to think of it? Or do we add work so we can make more money? Or, since it seems the economy is starting to move a little, are we trying to get some momentum going so we won’t be in a slump again?
   Does it have to do with pushing so hard during the regular seasons of the year, that we push hard in our “play time” so we don’t miss out? I remember in college, we worked hard and played hard.
   Does it have to do with the increase of technology and lack of silence? When we never unplug from cell phones, iPads, computers, and TV’s? When the information that is out there comes at us fast and furious and we don’t want to miss anything?
   What is it that beckons to keep us so frazzled?
   I’m thinking that it is a combination of all of the above, and because of human nature, it’s so easy to get so caught up in everything outside and around us, that we neglect to deal with the things inside and closest to us. Sometimes it is deliberate and conscious and at other times it is unconscious, but it’s easy to get caught up in the pace increase and schedule filling to where we feel overwhelmed, or even worse, we stop feeling and simply forge ahead.
   What is interesting to me, however, is that in simply naming the busyness, it helps. It helps me to recognize the state I’m in and what I’m facing, but in a way it also forces me to step back and simply think about what’s going on. It places things in perspective, and when it does, I begin to see God in the midst of life.
   This past Sunday, a central theme to my sermon was an invitation to ask the question, “Where’s God in the midst of this?” and “Where did I see God today?” Though this whole conversation wasn’t a part of that sermon, maybe there was some unconscious thought going into making sense of the quickened pace. Whatever the case, to ask the question forces us to name where we are and where God is, and to do so re-centers us and makes us more attuned to God around us.

   If one was to go through the Bible, one would read about God’s servants stepping away from the busyness of life to draw closer to God. We see it in Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, and it is most prominently in Jesus. Time and time again Jesus “went away to a quiet place” to pray and simply “be” with God. It was there that He reconnected with the source of all things, and He was able to align Himself, so that He’d see God in the midst of life.

   It’s been far too long since I’ve written, but what this has meant to me is that I didn’t take the time I’ve needed to simply “be” with God. The schedule, events...life...have overtaken, and I’ve placed myself and others in the center of life and not God.
   I wonder if you feel the same? And though this is the topic of another entry, I wonder if the Church only perpetuates the busyness rather than provide a place of sanctuary and connection? What I don’t wonder about but know, is it’s important to step away, breathe, and simply ask, “Where’s God in the midst of this?” It makes all the difference.

Where do you see God at work in your life? Slow down enough to ask the question...

The Next Generation

2011-05-13T13:36:00.000-04:00

     This Sunday we will receive into membership 13 new members, only they are not your everyday, run of the mill members, they are our youth. This Sunday is Confirmation Sunday, and over the past 15 weeks we have journeyed together, learning, growing, sharing, and asking lots of questions. We’ve gone on retreat, worshiped in a synagogue and a Catholic church, discussed everything from life to death, and along the way God has revealed some wonderful and amazing things about the future of the Church.
    This Confirmation class is special to me because my oldest son is a member of this class. In journeying with my son, I’ve been blessed to share in conversations I probably would not have had with him as easily, experience things that we will share forever, and see the work of Christ within him. Every week God has revealed some way in which he, and his fellow journeyers, gain insights and grow in their faith, and it has been an amazing gift for me, and for all the leaders.
    This morning I find myself thinking about the power and significance of this upcoming Sunday. Part of this reflection is personal in relation to my son, but it goes beyond this. Just as happens every year, I am reminded that the future of the Church is in good hands. What I discover year after year is that God continually provides servants for the Kingdom, and when I see the next generation at work, I see Kingdom-builders. When I experience the joy they share and insights they give, I see Christ at work molding and shaping the Church of the future. When I engage in the privilege of journeying with our youth, I am blessed to gain insights into who I am, who Jesus is, and who we are all called to be.

    In the book of I Timothy, the writer shares some powerful words (I Timothy 4:12). He says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.” As I read these words, I am reminded of how many times I have seen the next generation witness to things that older, more experienced folk, don’t dare address.
    In Confirmation, on mission trips, at youth group, in Sunday School, and in daily observation, I have seen youth stand up for what is right and reveal trust and faith in ways that many adults fail to embrace, and when they do there is no looking down on them. Instead, it is I and many who look up to them, for they reveal Christ.
    Such thoughts remind me of the many times that God used the younger generations to change the world. Of how God used the young David to remind all that God works among those whom the world does not expect. Of how Mary, a young virgin, was used to change the course of history. Of Timothy, Paul’s young disciples who was a witness and leader, one much more mature than his years would indicate.

    I’ve quoted before in this blog the scene where Jesus takes the children on his knee and says to everyone in earshot, “Let the children come to me for the Kingdom of God is to those such as these...” I think that a large part of what Jesus was saying was that it takes childlike innocence for us to truly live into the faith, and this is a lesson we need to all remember and live into, but what I love about our youth is that this faith is still in them AND they are not yet tainted by the world. They have the faith, but they also don’t have the fear or the rationalization that can so easily get in the way of those of us who have a little more age and experience under our belts.
    I love working with youth for many reasons, but this is one of the main reasons. They constantly remind us who we are called to be – those who trust in God, look for the joy, but also are not inhibited to be on fire for Christ, all the while asking the hard questions and seeking the difficult answers. Not only are they examples but they also humble us, because it is so easy to leave behind childish, youthful ways and “grow up.” But if I grow up, there is something lost...sometimes ourselves and/or our connection to Christ.
    So as the 2011 Confirmation Class of Bonsack UMC comes forward to join a great line of witnesses...as Confirmation Class all across the globe come forward to be a part of the Church...my prayer is that they will be less settled and/or tainted by the way “things have always been”, and continue to live by the zeal that they hold right now. May they be the generation that reveals Christ’s Kingdom in new and powerful ways, and may we who so easily think we “get it,” be schooled by God through them, so that this and future generations will be incorporated into the grace and love of the Christ, the head of the Church.

When was the last time you spent some time with youth (other than your own kids)? When are going to let them teach you a thing or two about Jesus?

Implications for Easter

2011-05-06T11:31:00.001-04:00

My favorite class in seminary was Dr. Willie Jennings’ seminar on Eschatology (the study of “the end”). It was a discussion about death but also about New Life. It was about Eternal Life now as well as after we pass on. It was a time to delve into what the life that surpasses the division of this life and what is to come looks like. Most centrally, it was a class about Resurrection.
   It was during that semester that the raid was held on David Koresh and the Branch Davidian ranch in Waco, TX. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Koresh ) This sparked much interest since Koresh claimed to be the Messiah, so Dr. Jennings brought in the concept of Christ’s Messiahship and compared it to Koresh’s claims.
   The discussion took place over a couple of days, and in the midst of that sharing Dr. Jennings said something that I will never forget and made me pause. To paraphrase, He said, “If Koresh came back to life and was Resurrected, I think I’d be one of the first one’s to follow him. Of course, Koresh didn’t.” But then he nailed it by saying, “This is the lynchpin of the Gospel, because if Jesus hadn’t been raised, we wouldn’t be here, and He’d have been relatively insignificant.”
   Maybe you’re thinking, “Well yeah...” But at the time that phrase struck me. If we were to pare it all down, Jesus was Messiah because of Easter, and we follow a Risen Lord. Okay, so now I’M thinking, “Well, yeah...” And yet, it’s so easy to forget this. Or should I say, it’s easy for this Truth to be lost and not have an affect on how we live our lives.

   I was fascinated this week at the initial response to Osama bin Laden’s assassination being one of elation and celebration, but I was even more fascinated by how many folks, when it was asked whether such elation was really appropriate from the standpoint of a Christ follower, took a step back and realized how easily they’d gotten caught up in the moment. Some might respond differently if they had it to do over again.
   Foundational to and vital for Christ’s Resurrection was the Truth of His teaching, witness, and example on earth. He remained in a state of connection with God, and the Eternal Life that He revealed after His death was really a continuation of the Eternal Life He shared here. That is, I do not believe that, just as He did in the stories of compassion in the Gospels, His response at bin Laden’s death would have been one of elation but rather sorrow that One of His children was gone, and that that child had been so lost and misguided. I think an implication of Easter is to be more closely aligned with the One who came back.

   Next Sunday 13 of the youth at the Church will join the church. Over the past 14 weeks this Confirmation Class has studied, learned, and grown. They have asked questions of the leaders, mentors, themselves, and God, and as they have I’ve been blessed to see God working among and through them.
    The other night I did a final interview with each youth to see if they were ready to join and take the next step, and as we shared, every one of them said that they didn’t want Confirmation to end. They felt that they were a part of something and were blessed by the fellowship and learning. I encouraged them to find their place at Youth Group or Sunday School, but that what they were feelings was a blessing, for we all need those people and places to keep us moving forward in the faith. I think an implication for Easter is that God is constantly seeking to move and grow us, and if we try to stop this, or stagnate the Spirit, then we begin to die on the vine.

   Over the past four months this congregation has experienced much grief. We have lost four members, three of whom were foundational members, and congregants seem to have had numerous sicknesses, diagnoses, and difficult experiences, and what has happened along the way is that blow by blow the grief has moved beyond the families affected to the staff and congregation. Leading up to Easter, there was a sense of heavy corporate grief that could be tangibly felt, and yet, throughout the process there were glimpses of hope. A Word was spoken, a hug given, a birth came, or a sharing of faith that reminded again that God is indeed with us. In the midst of the struggle and the pain, arose the One who took all the pain and is bringing forth wholeness. I think a vital implication for Easter is that no matter where we are, who we are, or what happens to us, God has placed us together to experience hope and grace, especially in times when the one thing we need is Resurrection.

   There is an amazing and telling miracle story in the 11th chapter of John’s Gospel, where Jesus’ friend Lazarus gets sick and dies. They bury him and four days later Jesus and the disciples arrive. Lazarus’ sisters are a little peeved that Jesus didn’t come sooner, but Jesus performs a miracle and brings Lazarus back to life. But before Jesus acts he says, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will life, even thought they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” Jesus ends this phrase by saying, “Do you believe this?”
   Seems to me that this short story encapsulates well the implications for Easter, for it was through Christ’s example on earth that He revealed True Life, and when He showed up, the Life He witnessed was the life He had revealed. He showed them what happens when we align ourselves with Him rather than follow our own path or respond without thinking.
   In the midst this whole situation Jesus was teaching the disciples, those who were grieving, and us, that there is always room for growth and trust, and that Jesus would never abandon or forsake His friends. Like my confirmands, the blessing of the journey had drawn them all together in strong fellowship, and Jesus entered and blessed that fellowship to bring new life. Just as He does in our fellowship with Him and one another.
   Probably most importantly, Jesus entered the collective grief of those standing outside the tomb. He stepped into the grief, even to the point of weeping and grieving Himself. But then He transformed that grief into Joy and brought wholeness.
   And the question that was left with them and with us is, “Do we believe this?”

   The implications for Easter if we DO believe, it changes everything, and God makes a way. The God who revealed New Life in Christ reveals the same New Life to us – in the aligning of ourselves with Him, in seeking to grow in our faith and share in fellowship, and in journeying together in communion with Him and one another. And it’s all because of Easter.

Where is God inviting you to embrace Resurrection?

Christ is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

2011-04-24T07:16:00.000-04:00

Easter Morning

by Ann Weems

The stirring wildness of God

calls brittle bones to leaping

and stone hearts to soaring.

Old women dance among the stars...

Holy Saturday

2011-04-23T07:09:00.000-04:00

Silence.

Stillness.

Death has come.

Within the Wounds

2011-04-22T16:08:00.000-04:00

Somewhere within the wounds
There is a language deeper than words
Deeper than wells
Deeper than woods

Somewhere within the wounds
There is the fragrance
Of love, of gift,
A heart of sacredness
An altar of the lamb

Somewhere within the wounds
Is where Christ is
And where I,
In my unworthiness,
Am.

Somewhere within the wounds
Petals unfurl
As the flower of His sacred passion

Is loosed onto the world.

The Lenten Journey

2011-04-08T10:55:00.000-04:00

We’re headed toward the homestretch of Lent, the season of introspection, self-examination and re-alignment with the Holy, and every year it strikes a bit harder that Lent is less a season and more a journey. That is, it’s not just something that we’re invited to step into walk around a bit, as if we are looking around and learning in a museum, but it is more like road that we choose to take as part of the greater path of our own lives. It is less a self-contained unit of time or series of disciplines, and more a journey with Christ toward the Cross.
    Of course, this is not a new concept, and I am only reiterating what the Tradition teaches, but in this day and age where we try to maintain control and we like to organize and segment our lives (and faith), it is easy for us to simply tell ourselves, “I can do anything for 40 days,” while missing the point that Lent is intended to shape us and our living faith.
    This quote by Bishop Will Willimon is on the front of our bulletin for Sunday, “The toughest task is to live with unexpected, unwanted answers.” I believe this is a true statement, maybe more true than we’d like it to be, because it reminds us of the challenge and invitation of faith. So often the answers we want and expect are not the ones that we are given. The diagnosis doesn’t make sense or that the accident was not really anyone’s fault. What we believe is best for us may not be what really is best, or our desires are not our needs and/or our needs are not necessarily our desires. That ultimately, in these lives and on the journey of faith, we have little control...and it is a tough task to live with unexpected, unwanted answers.”
    Interesting enough, there are many who would and do argue with God. They’ll fight for their perspective and the answers they want. They will hold onto their truth at all costs, while the world (and God) moves on. And for folks such as these it is the toughest task for they refuse to have a new way revealed, much less accept something new.
    And yet, there are also folks who are able to deal with the unwanted and unexpected, even if they don’t like what they face. There are those who find themselves facing life’s hardships and even terminal diagnoses with grace, boldness, determination, and peace. Those who are able to step back and compose themselves, almost as if to brush themselves off and turn a different direction, then chart a new course. They receive the unexpected and unwanted in a way that almost seems that they take it in stride.
    In reflecting upon these two responses in light of this quote, I’ve been reminded that the difference really comes when we let God enter the picture, or should I say it comes when we allow God’s grace and love to lead.
    I served a congregation in which there was a woman whose family had been sent to Siberia as part of Stalin’s horrific rule. Though she didn’t speak much of this period in her life, she lost almost all of her family and she nearly died of hunger, thirst, and exhaustion. I have often thought about the many options she had in responding. That is, she could have been bitter with God and angry, or she could have entered life with God and looked for God in the midst of the suffering. She chose the latter.
    The blessing that I received decades later was that this became the way she approached life. She looked for God in the midst of every situation, and in doing so the task of receiving unexpected and unwanted answers just didn’t seem to have as much impact on her as it did for others. She was able to rest in her faith that God was with her, and the answer she received would be the answer needed for God is a redemptive and fully present God who makes a way. Because she’d experienced this Truth is such a startling way, it became a way of life for her. Subsequently, this way of living was and is a witness to many.

    In John’s Gospel (John 14), Jesus is talking with His disciples, and Thomas says to Jesus, “Lord, we don’t know where we are going, how can we know the way (to the place You prepare for us, Jesus)? Jesus answers, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”
    Soon after that Jesus was taken away, beaten and killed. They had experienced His way of healing, wholeness, and mercy. They had witnessed his miracles and blessings, and in the end they watched as He approached his unwanted answer of death, and Christ showed them the way.
    I imagine that when the disciples looked back after the resurrection, they reflected upon the way Jesus approached life, and they saw that in all things He trusted God. I imagine that they put the pieces together, and they realized that His life was a journey of faith, and that that journey became a witness to the way of true life.

    In my friend that was shaped at such a young age by such horrific situations I saw that indeed her life was a witness to the same kind of journey of faith. It was a witness to the way of Christ, and in living this journey Christ’s light shone through her.
    In the same way, I think that this time of Lent is intended to teach us that same way of living. It is a journey where we learn to trust in God, where we look to Christ to show us the way, where we align our perspectives to understand that it’s about trusting God despite the unexpected and unwanted. For in doing so, God finds a way to take that trust, and take us, and not just form our lives and our living, but also reveal His light as a witness to all, even through us.

What has God taught you during this Lenten Journey? What part of Christ’s way and witness resonate with you? What can you do to more faithfully live out that way and witness?

Gratitude

2011-04-01T10:25:00.000-04:00

    I find it interesting that one of the blessings and byproducts of Lent is a sense of gratitude. I guess it shouldn’t be too surprising, but so often Lent is associated with purging, giving up things, contrition, and sacrifice. It includes these things, but if we get bogged down in these, we miss the point of why we go through Lent in the first place.
    I’ve always loved the idea of “fasting,” from things. For some it is food, another coffee, some soft drinks, some TV. It is different for each because each of us have our own vices. Most often fasting is associated with food, but the whole point of fasting is to be reminded of where our sustenance comes from.
    The tradition of the Church teaches that the point of fasting is partially to purify the body, but mainly it is that, when we feel the hunger pangs (or the urge to respond to the vice), we stop ourselves, make the choice not to respond, then turn to God for strength to work through the urge. The whole point of the exercise is that we re-align ourselves with God and trust that God will give us the strength to turn and follow Christ, rather than our own desires.
    There are folks who don’t understand this, and like the person who simply gives an offering each week because “it’s what one does,” they simply enter the season of Lent saying, “I have to give up something.” They don’t think of the deeper meaning and purpose of the fast. This is why things like chocolate and soft drinks CAN (to clarify, I don’t mean to downplay anyone’s observation of the season) become a bit trivial. Like anything, the giving up of something can become simply a thing to do, rather than a discipline of the Spirit; a discipline which is intended to create lifelong habits for more faithful living.
    Put another way, it’s a far cry for one to give up caffeine for 40 days to an alcoholic giving up alcohol for a lifetime. Yes, both feel the urges and “hunger pangs,” and both might resist, maybe even ask for God’s help, but one is simply a temporary state, while the other faces the reality of life. To fast is to do far more than just give something up, it is to give ourselves up...all of our selves...to God’s care.
    But to go back to the first sentence of this writing, the interesting and wonderful byproduct of this kind of living is a sense of gratitude for God’s gifts to us. To live by Lenten disciplines and truly seek God’s help in the midst of the urge, is to recognize that all things come from God and God helps us in all things. It is to name where our strength and life comes, then turn toward that source. It is to align ourselves with the one who loves us, and when we do this we naturally feel gratitude, because in the midst of our asking God comes and reveals His love and hope for us.

    We are headed toward the cross of Christ, and at the end of this season of Lent we will find ourselves together on Thursday night sharing in a meal. On Maundy Thursday we recount the last meal Christ had with His disciples just before He was taken away to be placed on trial, beaten, and killed.
    We read accounts of this Last Supper in the Gospels, as well as in a few of St. Paul’s letters, and they each recount how Jesus took the things of life, bread and wine...a Passover meal...and He transformed them into something Holy. In preparation for the days ahead, for Him and His disciples, He aligned Himself with the One who would be there with them through it all. He lifted the bread and said, “This is my body, broken for you...This is the blood of the New Covenant shed for you and for all. Do this in remembrance of me.”
    In our tradition we call this the “Eucharist,” which means “Thanksgiving.” It is called the Great Thanksgiving, for despite the fact that this was the LAST supper, despite it symbolized the preparation for the sacrifice of Jesus the Passover Lamb, all very depressing and astounding things, underlying it all is genuine gratitude.
    Grateful for God’s providence, Jesus reveals His trust in God being with Him. So much so that He finds a way to align his followers with Him and the Father, so they’d be faithful and trust in the only One who could give them strength. Jesus finds a way to show them how to enter life fully, journey into the darkness, and follow God, even if it led to darkness and death.
    I’ll admit, Jesus soon went to the Garden and tried to get out of it. Who wouldn’t have? But even then, He turned to God, trusted and followed. He gave up everything, so God’s will would be done. For that WE are grateful.

    I have to admit, I didn’t choose anything to “give up” this year for Lent, except to try and be more willing to follow. It’s been a rough Lent simply because life’s realities have seemed to come to the fore far more often than in a normal cycle. At times I’ve gotten a bit frazzled and my first response was to try and control what I could and just weather the storm. It wasn’t until I fasted from myself, my desires, my frustrations, and my will, listened to my heart and gave it up to God, literally praying, “Uncle! I give,” that God then brought peace, gratitude, faith, strength, and hope, even in the midst of difficult days.
    The result has been thankfulness. Grateful to be reminded that I can’t and don’t need to be in control. Grateful to know that you can’t and don’t need to be in control. Instead, the one thing we know is that God does have control ultimately, and God takes all that life throws at us and makes a way for wholeness to come.
    For that, I am thankful.

What are you holding on to? What’s bogging you down? For what are you most thankful?

Addendum...

2011-03-24T11:02:00.000-04:00

    One of the things that I miss is the vividness of my dreams. I’m not sure what has happened but over the last 5-10 years the memories of my dreams have basically disappeared. Though I know I have them because all of us have dreams every night, I have not been cognizant of dreaming and certainly not remembering.
    When I was in college I had a professor of Spirituality that made us keep a dream journal as part of the class. This meant that we kept a pen and pad beside the bed and trained ourselves to wake up enough to write down what we remembered about the dream after the dream was over. Though many of the writings made no sense and were illegible, it was in interesting insight into the soul, for our dreams express much about where we are with God and where we are in life.
    Last night, however, I was awakened by one of the most vivid dreams I have had in years, and it was directly related to what I wrote in yesterday’s blog – “The Presence and Power of God.” Much of the stress I wrote about in that blog came from the loss of a friend and dear church member and the many emotions/thoughts that went into preparing the funeral and giving pastoral care. Now to the dream.
    In my dream I dreamt I went to a nursing home to visit someone, and there I was greeted by two sisters from our congregation who are some of the sweetest women on earth. They somehow were connected with the nursing home and I think they were volunteers there. As in dreams everything was a bit fuzzy, but what I realized was that I was there, to visit more than just one person but to visit many people by having lunch there.
    These two sisters said to me, “We have dinner all set. Ken provided it for us.” (Ken is the person who died last week.) I looked down at the packaging for the meal, and the food came from the “Rainforest Café,” one of my family’s favorite places to eat. As they opened up the bags, they explained that Ken loved “Rainforest” and he especially loved 2 meals that were there, as well as Pepsi. In those bags were multiple orders of one item but Ken’s 2 special orders, and enough Pepsi to serve everyone. It was then that I woke up from the dream.
    Now it may seem to be a bit of an odd dream to have, but I was struck by a few things. I was again, struck by the vividness and the fact that it was memorable. That hadn’t happened in awhile. I was also struck by the characters in the dream, for these two are quiet, faithful servants who would be in the middle of such a situation in real life.
    I was also interested in the fact that the food came from the Rainforest Café. After all, the closest one to where I live is hundreds of miles away, and yet it is a place where my family has shared some great memories. The memories of my children in awe of the sounds and visions of eating in the middle of a rainforest are some of the most joyful memories I have of their childhoods.
    Most significant to me was the fact that this was a meal scene, a Last Supper of sorts, and for this man to offer this, especially in his absence was so characteristic of him. I believe it was a way in which he was/is reaching out and saying “thank you.” And it is so appropriate that he would choose something special, just for me...that which he loved, he just had to share, including the Pepsi.

    During this season of Lent we are on a path that heads to the cross, but just before we get there, this Jesus sits down with the disciples and has a meal with them. He shares what will happen, but he offers himself for all, and he says, “Take. Eat.” They do, and life is shared. They do, and everything is put together. They do, and though not then, on the other side of the empty tomb, there is much thanksgiving. So much so that the very name of this meal, Eucharist, means “Thanksgiving.”

    Maybe it’s just a dream, but I tend to think it is more. At least for me, it is a gift that puts all things in perspective, and for that I give thanks...

The Presence and Power of God

2011-03-23T10:45:00.000-04:00

    I remember as a child being frustrated at times with the amount of time my father had to spend at work in the church. As a pastor he was one who was called on by the congregation to walk with them through their pains and struggles, and inevitably it seemed that whenever the family was going to take a vacation or we were going to get a day away, someone would get sick or die, thus taking my father out of the equation.
   The past few weeks have been a season where the same kind of dynamic are being lived out in my life, and now that I am on the other side, it is my children who have their father called away unexpected. Though I don’t see their frustrations and disappointments exhibited blatantly, I did receive a text the other day and as I was opening it up I heard my son say, “Did someone else die?” I know their feelings and perspective.
   And yet, in the midst of such a season the presence and power of God is revealed. In fact, it is in the seasons that are most stressful that God’s presence and power is felt, because it is in times such as these that God reminds us that we are not alone. It is in times such as these that God reaches out with a hand of grace or a word from a friend or a simply insight or even a moment of peace or joy, and there the God who shows up and brings peace out of chaos, reminds me...us...that He knows, loves, and is with us, even carrying us through.
   So often as a pastor, or as a caring friend or Christian, we take upon ourselves the pain of another, not in a dysfunctional way, but as a brother or sister in Christ walks with another through the pain. In the midst of that, the burden can become heavy. It can be overwhelming, and it can become more than one can bear alone, and yet what I have been reminded of in this season is that I’m not alone. In fact, God has provided many to surround, pray for and care for my family, the staff, and me.
   In the midst of the turmoil, God has revealed a presence with calms hearts and brings light to the darkness. God has engaged the powers, and God’s power makes a way where there seemed to be no way. In the midst of the turmoil of life, God is there, if we but look for God and let God in.

   There was a time in Jesus’ ministry when it seemed like He was being attacked from every side. Some of it situational and some it by those who didn’t understand Him, and yet He held fast to His calling, and at the end of this section of scripture (Matthew 11) He says, “come to me, all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest...”
   Jesus is speaking to those who will suffer in life, but on a deeper level He is speaking to those who are called to live the life of faith, whether pastor, parishioner, missionary, or ministry. He gives a simply invitation, “Come...” Then leaves it up to us to go to Him.
   On an even deeper, and more comforting level, in saying this there is a part of Him that I believe is simply communicating the truth that He’s been there and done that. “You can come to me, because I’ve experienced it all! I’ll give you rest because the very one in whom I have rested will work through me to carry you through.”
   I can tell you from first hand experience, that this is true, and at least for my family and me, much of that rest is revealed by God through the great people of the church who have cared for us. It has come in folks simply coming up and asking, “how are YOU doing?” It has come in the fact that they understand the burdens of ministry and join hands as a net to catch whomever falls.
   In a way, this season has been a blessing, despite the painful aspects of people’s lives which have been unearthed, because it is a reminder that we’re all in this together. Even more powerfully it comes during the season of Lent, a time when we have the chance to reflect upon who we are and whose we are, including where we are with God and where God is with us. It comes during the painful journey to the cross.
   But the great Good News is that this season, this journey, even the painful unearthing, ends, not at the cross but at the empty tomb. The great Good News is that because HE has come, we can come to Him, and He gives us rest.
   Someone said, “There’s no rest for the weary.” I disagree. There is peace and joy, even for the weary, if we but look for God, receive the gifts offered to us, and live into the days He has given us.

What burdens are you carrying? Ask yourself, “Where’s God in the midst of all this?

Lint vs. Lent

2011-03-17T17:01:00.000-04:00

    Last week we entered the season of Lent, and invariably as we do, someone says reiterates the old joke, “I thought ‘lent’ was the stuff that is a byproduct of drying clothes or in one’s belly button.” Maybe it’s a little off, and certainly it is not liturgically correct, but as I’ve thought about that little joke I’ve come to the conclusion that, though it misses the mark, it’s not a bad analogy for what happens to us when we go through Lent...or should I say “when Lent goes through us.”
   Lint is a byproduct of fibers being rubbed off through the process of cleaning. When it comes to dryer lint this is a collection of small fibers which lay on the outer surface of clothing, and when the cloth is dried, loose fibers rub off the surface. It leaves the cloth cleaner and smoother. Logically, the same kind of process happens with belly button lint, but I won’t go into the details of that one out.
   As I thought about lint being made up of fibers that are sloughed off, I realized that that’s a pretty good analogy for what is intended to happen as we go through the season of Lent. The reality is that we are people who have plenty to slough off. We are people who have rough edges, carry on the surface many fibers that need to be rubbed off, and need to release the unfinished parts of ourselves. So when we enter this season of Lent and take it seriously, God makes a way to clean us off and smooth us out.
   Through the process of meditating on the Cross, giving up something significant, and seeking to connect with God consistently and deliberately, we begin to add some heat to our lives. A little tumbling and chaos can ensue as we explore the depths of what we so often avoid, but slowly, sometimes painfully, the pieces are sloughed off. In the end we emerge a little different, a little shaved on the rough edges, but cleaner and smoother.
   As I reflect upon this, I find myself asking, “So what is the lint God has prepared to be sloughed off of me this Lenten season?” I ask you the same question. “To where is is God inviting you to go so that the hot places of life will be tumbled dry and cleansed? What needs to be sloughed off of you this Lent?”
   These are questions worth asking, but no matter the wondering, the truth of the matter is, in order for us to be made clean, to be smoothed, to be shaped into who God needs us to be, we have to be willing to go to the places where God needs us to go, seek the things God needs us to seek, and be the people God needs us to be, even if it means we find ourselves at the foot of the cross with Jesus.
   Lent is one of my favorite seasons of the church year for many reasons, but one of the big reason is that it exposes the rough edges and invites me to let God take them away and reshape me clean. I challenge you to take this same attitude and live into Lent in the same ways. You’ll be blessed if you do.

2011-03-09T10:44:00.000-05:00

    In my faintest memories I still remember my father looking into my eyes and marking my forehead with Ash. As the sign of the cross marked me as God’s own, he spoke, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” To hear my father say these words while participating in this ancient ritual was way too confusing for one so young. I didn’t want to think about death. I didn’t want to go there, but year after year I did.
   It wasn’t until I had grown to near maturity and had experienced some of the hard-knocks of life that I began to know why I went there. In fact, it was an odd feeling to want to go there. To be drawn into the realm of the Spiritual and hear those words, feel the gritty symbol placed upon my skin, and walk away with this urge to wipe it off quickly, it was both disturbing and comforting at the same time. I still didn’t really understand. In my first appointment I learned why.
   I was blessed to work with a seasoned pastor whose understanding of life and ministry shaped my own life and ministry in ways that continue to be a blessing to others and me. Our first Ash Wednesday service he shared with me that he had adapted the traditional saying during imposition by adding just four words, and yet they made the difference for me.
   “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return. But life in faith.”
   Every year since I remember. I remember that I am dust, but I also remember the sense of confusion as a child. I remember the years of coming to the communion rail on my knees and not understanding but coming anyway. I remember the sense of urgency that came and still comes on Ash Wednesday. I remember, and I can remember because those last four words capture for me the hope the lenten journey upon which we embark.

   Though this scripture comes into use in the very last days of this season, I often start the season remembering the scene of Jesus and the thieves on their crosses. (Luke 23: 32-43) The two thieves are on either side and one gets smart with Jesus calling Him to prove that he is the Messiah. “If you are the One, then save yourself and us!” But the other thief claim the Truth. Jesus is innocent. Then this same thief looks at Jesus and says, “Jesus remember me when you come into Your Kingdom.” To which Jesus replies, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
   These three knew that indeed they would die. They would soon return to dust, and yet there were two there who lived in faith. The one thief, in requesting salvation, put his faith and trust in Jesus, and in doing so lived on. Jesus on that cross placed His trust in God’s plan and lived on.
   “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return, but life in faith.”

   As we receive the Ash on our foreheads this day, dare we go to that place where we remember? Dare we reflect upon why in God’s name we remember that we will all die? If we do, it might creep us out a bit, bring about some confusion, and even draw us toward a place that makes us uncomfortable, but it also might bring us to know that faith that carries us through to new life. It might bring us to grasp hold of God’s hand, trust in God’s plan, and live on.”

Dare we go there? ...Dare we not?

World Day of Prayer

2011-03-04T09:54:00.001-05:00

    When I opened my calendar earlier this week, I saw that today is the “World Day of Prayer.” (WDP) It got my curiosity going because I didn’t know what the World Day of Prayer was. I’ve heard of the National Day of Prayer, but never the World Day. So, I did what every internet-accessible person might do, I Googled it. Imagine...the web site is: www.worlddayofprayer.net .
    What I discovered is that it’s origins reach all the way back to the 19th Century when Christian women in the US and Canada worked together to support women’s involvement in mission at home and around the world. Their focus was on women and children, prayer in mission work, a vision of Christian Unity, study, organization, and commitment to mission, with a hope that all of these would be linked to world peace through mission. (www.wdpusa.org/about.html)
    Today the World Day of Prayer is a worldwide movement of Christian women of many traditions, and on this day they pray for missions and the world. It is always on the first Friday of March, and it is carried out by women in more than 170 countries and regions! On this day women around the world affirm their faith in Jesus Christ, share their hopes, fears, joys, sorrow, opportunities, and needs, and they are united in a day of prayer and action intended to change the world through Christ and His mission.
    As I read up on the WDP, I imagined the beginning of this grassroots movement. Somehow God brought together women of faith from different cultures, and as they shared with one another, the Spirit touched them and gave them this idea that they could make a difference. That they were united in Christ, and the call of God is to change the world. So they figured, why not pray? Why not discuss and act on mission? Why not live out what they believed?
    As I think further on this, I can imagine this same process happening over and over again when someone new learns about the WDP. This sense that indeed, though we may be one, or though we may feel isolated, when we come together AND Christ is in our midst, great things can happen.

    In the Bible, these same kinds of interactions take place, and a few folks get together and say, “we can make a difference, especially with God on our side!” It happened when the Israelites faced difficult odds and yet trusted in God. It happened with Jesus and the disciples being brought together as one in mission. It continued when the disciples went on to establish the Church and live out Christ’s call to “go and make disciples...remembering that Christ was with them to the end of the age.”
    It continues in our own lives and among our own people, as churches come together and say, “We can make a difference, especially with God on our side.” It happens when churches step out in faith and commit to a mission project or seek to change a community. It happens when denominations unite so seek peace and justice in places of war and destruction. It happens when two or three are gathered in Bible Study, and they feel a calling, then respond.
    The truth of the matter is, that this World Day of Prayer is a reminder, at least to me, that we can and are expected to make a difference in the world. That with God on our side, anything is possible, and Christ can change the world through us.

    So as we go through this day, I invite us each to say a prayer for the world. Lord knows the world needs it! Say a prayer with thousands of women from hundreds of countries, that indeed, Christ is able to make a way where there seems to be no way, and that when we unite, all things are possible.

With whom are you united in prayer? How is God calling you to make a difference? Will you trust God and take that step?

A Most Meaningful Birthday gift

2011-02-18T14:13:00.001-05:00

    Today is my 43rd birthday. My history with birthdays is that it is a day to give thanks and mark another year of blessing, while at the same time looking toward the year ahead, setting some goals and reflecting upon who I am and where I am. In terms of gifts, that’s always nice, but that’s not something I expect or need. In a nutshell birthdays are not a big deal for me (good or bad), but they do mark an opportunity to remember and give thanks.
   This birthday I received a special, unexpected gift. Though it was not a gift given to me in the more traditional sense, it was a gift that revealed the power of love invested by many into my son.
   When it comes to school fund raising, my oldest son is a wheeler and dealer. Fund raising companies use “prizes” to motivate and form child salespeople, and for my son, this is the great motivator. So much so that through one of the sales earlier this year, he received about a dozen rubber duck key chains, which he proudly displayed on a lanyard! Who’d have known that rubber ducks could be so motivational?
   In this last round of sales, Caleb ended up being top seller for his grade level. As top seller he received some prizes. Last night he shared with me that his most prized reward is a miniature toilet which one can fill with water, then handed to a parent or friend. Upon opening the lid, the toilet squirts water at the innocent victim. A lot of laughs for him. I better warn him not to play this joke on his mother...
   The other thing he received was a cash reward. Now my kids are sticklers for money. Their wallets are bulging from allowances and gifts, and every few months my wife and I go into their rooms and transfer funds into their accounts rather than let the money stay there. But Caleb did not save this money, instead he gave it to me.
   Now before you go thinking that I was touched by a $13.00 cash gift from my son and wondering if I was off my rocker, I need to share with you that every communion Sunday we receive funds for what we call the “pastor’s discretionary fund.” It is money given above and beyond regular offerings to subsidize our mission program and help those in the local community with food and electricity.
   Picture this. I was sitting with my wife catching up on the day, when Caleb walks in and says, “Oh dad, can you put this into the pastor’s discretionary fund?” I responded, “Sure,” and he left the room, leaving me behind reflecting upon the example he set for me. After he left I looked at my wife, and she said, “He wanted to give during the last communion but forgot. That’s money he earned from his sales.”
   That was last night, but as I brought that money in this morning and gave it to my secretary for safe keeping, I realized that that was one of the best gifts I could have received for my birthday. It was not given to me or even in my name. It was not a tangible gift, but a gift of love’s expression. Most powerfully, it was a gift that revealed how God has and is working in Caleb’s life.

   Though it is hard to believe, Caleb is going through Confirmation right now. That is, he is learning about what it means to be a member of the Church, and that learning will culminate in him deciding if he wants to be a member of the Church. As he goes through this process there are many who are and will model their faith and share themselves with him, but what I see in this act of kindness is that many have already done this.
   Part of his willingness to share comes from us and our families, and part of it, I believe, comes simply from the heart God has placed within him, but I also see this blessing as the result of Caleb growing up in churches and among people who witnessed what it means to be a Christ follower. Time after time he has seen examples of faithful giving, and he has learned that, when we give, we are blessed as well.

   In his second letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul writes about what it means to give after the example of God. He says, “Whoever sow sparingly will reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each should give what is decided in the heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, but God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9: 6-7)
   It’s interesting how such a passage is received, because for many, when one begins to talk about giving in the church, they immediately shut down or close their hearts and ears, and yet Paul is speaking about more than just giving money. Paul is actually talking less about a way of giving but mostly about a way of living. Paul is telling them, and us, that this is the way to truly live, for when we live as those who give, we receive far more than we share.

   As I receive this gift for my birthday, it has become a reminder to me of my need to be a cheerful giver. That, as I enter this new year, when the reluctance comes and I want to hold on and hoard, I can remember Caleb’s example and respond by God’s grace and by Christ’s example. I am reminded that indeed, God wants me to receive the fullness of life, and that gift is given to me, when I am freed to give to others.

How “cheerful” are you in your giving? What kind of life is God calling you to live (or should I say "give")?

Walking Together on the Road

2011-02-11T10:36:00.000-05:00

    One of the “themes” that I’ve become cognizant of lately is just how much individualism and self-preservation is played out in our world. From dictators who refuse to be moved to community leaders who can’t see the forest for the trees to church folk who continue to believe that it is their time and money rather than God’s gift to be used for God’s purposes, we are bombarded by messages that encourage us to watch out for number one, rather than trusting in THE One.

    I distinctly remember being a child and walking with my father and brother, both of whom were much taller than I was and walked much more quickly. As opposed to what happens with my own children who are easily distracted along the path and stop to inspect every rock and flower, in this memory, there was no time for dawdling. The elders who I was with had to get somewhere, and I had to keep up.
    I remember being conscious of the fact that, for every one step they took, I had to take 2-2.5. My little legs were booking, while my father on one side and brother on the other, were not even breaking a sweat! I tried to keep up, but finally I had to say to them, “Can you slow down?” They did slow down, and as they did I followed up with the question, “Why are you walking to fast?” They didn’t have an answer. We weren’t late for anything, just heading into a store.
    This memory popped upon into my head earlier this week as I took my children to the pool for swim practice. Maybe it was because I was ready to swim laps myself, but I was ready to get there. We weren’t really late, but I was moving forward and leaving them in the dust. Before they could say anything, however, that memory bonked me on the head, and it prompted me to slow down and simply walk with them. Walking together is one of the most important things one can ever do.
    It’s funny how we can become so focused on the next thing that’s on our plate that we trudge forward with tunnel vision, our feet and legs moving at the racing pace of our mind, while we miss the things around us – a flower, a rock, the hand or conversation of a child. We can physically get in a zone where we just go, and when we do we can risk missing the journey.
    Of course, this happens in our lives on more than a physical level, but it happens on a relational and spiritual level as well. How many times do our schedules get in the way of time with our family, or even more poignantly, our time with God? How often do we become so focused on our own little worlds, that we miss what is going on in the lives of those around us.
    In my first congregation I was in charge of Missions, which meant that I took the phone calls for those needing assistance. There was one week where I had a lot to do and not enough time to do it, and apparently God wanted to teach me a lesson, because I received more calls for assistance that week than I think I ever did up to that point at that church.
    After the fourth interruption of the day, before picking up the phone to talk to the person needing assistance I said aloud to God, “I don’t have time for this, God! I’ve got work to do!” As distinctly as God can speak to one’s mind, I heard God say, “This is your work. This is my work, and the rest can wait.” Ever since receiving that message, I have tried, and still strive, to worry less about what gets done and when it gets done, and trust that God will take care of it according to God’s time line and not my own. (This is especially important in sermon preparation.)

    There are tons of references in the Bible of Jesus taking time away to be with God. He would be in the midst of the crowds for days, healing and teaching, but there came a point when he had to step away to a secluded place. There are references to Jesus seeking out the lost, lonely, sick, and outcasts, and in doing so Jesus’ connected with God and showed people that God was connected with them, even if no one else saw their pain and struggle. There is even a story of the disciples trying to keep the children away from him, after all they were children and he was the Lord, but instead, Jesus stopped them and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Mark 10: 14)
    Jesus, because of his power and who he was, revealed to us that a key ingredient to abundant living is that we walk together on the road. In reading story after story of His life and teaching, we are reminded that God is with us, but God also provides each of us, brothers and sisters for the journey. Our job is to open ourselves up and let them in. In doing so, we find that when we get out of ourselves and take off the blinders, place our schedules in right perspective, and seek to live among and learn from those around us, God transforms us in powerful and amazing ways.

    Every Friday morning at 6:30 I meeting with 15-20 men at a local restaurant for fellowship and a Bible Study. We’ve been doing this for over a year now, and one of the great lessons it has taught us is that we are not alone, but we walk together on the road of life. Even more importantly, through this weekly meeting we are able to place our lives and schedules in proper perspective, and that helps to align us with one another and Christ.
    At first there were some who were worried that they didn’t know enough about the Bible to give input, but soon we learned that we are all at different levels and that is okay. What’s great is that the questions asked by folks at whatever level, reveal Truth to all. It reminds us that we walk this road together.
    This past few weeks have been rocky in the lives of many in the group. There are folks who are grieving loss, some who are touched by illness, and others who find themselves facing things they don’t really want to face again, but through the fellowship, sharing, and cohesion of God’s love we persevere and are actually bolstered, knowing without a doubt that we are not alone. We walk this road together.
    I could go on about this group, or other small groups in the church, or community groups, or wherever people are brought together, but what is so wonderful is that we were made to be in community. We are made to walk the road together, and when we do a whole new world opens up to us – a world Jesus called, “The Kingdom of God.”

Who has God placed in your life to walk the road with you? (Say a prayer of thanks for those persons)
Who is God calling you to walk with or what is God calling you to do, even if you are resistant? (Say a prayer for discernment, courage, trust, and the ability to do God’s will.)

Check Your Hearing

2011-01-28T15:02:00.000-05:00

    On Monday my youngest son was a participant in his school’s annual spelling bee. In about the fourth round he was given the word “celery.” His answer: C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-E. As I spelled it out in my head, I chuckled, realizing that Joshua has simply heard the word wrong. The teacher who was calling out the words did not even catch it. She simply said, “incorrect,” and she moved on to the next speller. In looking at my son’s face, I don’t think he caught it either.
    “Celery, C E L E B R A T E” has been the joke around our house all week. Joshua laughs at it and so do we, but as I’ve reflected upon that situation, I’ve come to see this as a way in which God’s reminded me to slow down and check my hearing.
    It seems like the last couple of weeks news stories on the TV and radio have raised attention to the multiple distractions that we have to deal with in our modern society. I’ve seen stories about the affects of technology on our children and families. I’ve heard stories of how social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, have adversely affected the productivity of workers, so much so that there is actually an app for Mac’s which will block such sites unless the computer is rebooted to allow such browsing.
    As our society and technology increases in speed, and as multi-tasking takes over more and more of our days, there is evidence that the depths of our relationships become more and more shallow. That the ability to focus becomes less effective, and that we are less apt to live purposefully but are more likely to follow our bliss or the next thing that comes along. Coming from a family who shares a characteristic tendency to be easily distracted, I understand full-well how easily this happens.
    Such distractions take their toll on relationship in the workplace, in church, and even in our families, but one of the most prominent relationships in which this takes place is in our interactions with God. It is so easy for us to allow time and tasks to so overtake our lives, that unless we are deliberate in our devotion to God, unless we are intentional is nurturing that relationship, we will easily not hear God speaking.

    If we were to examine the scriptures we would see that indeed God does speak, but in order for God’s creatures to hear, there has to be intentionality. God spoke to Abraham and called him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham listened and followed, but had he not continued to listen for God’s direction, Abraham’s son whom he loved, would have been killed. God provided a way, and God’s servant heard.
    In the example of Moses, we see an old man out tending his sheep, when along the path he came across a burning bush which was not consumed. It was a curious sight, so Moses went to investigate. When he did, God spoke. Despite his resistance, Moses heard, responded, and the People of God were saved.
    I could go on and on with examples from the Older and Newer Testaments, but as is often the case, the Psalmist captures well this call to check our hearing and listen for God in Psalm 46. The psalmist speaks to all who are in trouble, all who are in need, all who need assurance that God is with them, and at the end simply says, “Be still and know that I am God.” It is in the stillness, the deliberate stopping and seeking out God, that we know God...and hear God’s voice.

    Though it may sound cliche and takes a bit of work, it is important to take time away from the day to day noise to reconnect with God. It is important for spiritual health, because if we never take time away, we never nurture our spirit. It is important for our relationship with God, which is vital because that relationship affects all others. It is important, because when we do, we check our hearing, and when we check our hearing, we hear the truth...that we are God’s children and that God is with us, no matter what.

Different people hear God in different ways. How do you reconnect with God? When was the last time you heard a Word from the Master? Why not take some time now to simply listen? Check your hearing.

Out of the Mouths of Cows...

2011-01-14T11:25:00.000-05:00

I love jigsaw puzzles, so I downloaded a Jigsaw Puzzle App onto my iTouch. I open the app, and it gives me a few options. How many pieces do I want the puzzle to be? (25, 36, or 49) Do I want the pieces to rotate or not? (which makes the puzzle harder) Then when I push the “play” button, a framed “board” pops up with scattered puzzle pieces. At the top of the app there are two buttons. One will show the picture of the puzzle to be solved, and the other will show the outline of the pieces, both of which help to solve the challenge.
This has become my favorite app, for it is a challenge to take that which I cannot see in full and put it together piece by piece, that in the end I am able to see how all the single pieces create the whole. Sometimes the puzzle is easy and sometimes it’s harder, but always I enjoy putting that last piece in place. It brings satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. If you’ve ever worked a puzzle, I think you know the feeling.

    In my 15 years in the pastorate, I’ve grown to learn that one of the roles that a pastor takes on is to help put together the pieces of the puzzle God lays out for lives. This role is lived out corporately in situations where the pastor seeks spiritual discernment through examining the past, residing in the present, and praying for God’s guidance into the future. The pastor does this in many ways, but often it is received in snippets or visions or promptings that come from the world, parishioners, and/or situations.
    This role can also be live out on an individual basis in situations where people come to the pastor seeking an ear to listen, shoulder to cry on, or heart to help in the discernment process. It’s as if the individual pieces of the puzzle of one’s life are laid out, and with the Spirit’s help, the pastor is given the privilege of helping the person to connect the pieces together to reveal a coherent whole. Time and time again I’ve been blessed to be a part of the revealing of that picture with clarity. Such is the nature of the pastorate, but at least from my perspective, in order to be effected in that role, the pastor must be attentive to his/herself as well as their own past, present, and future.
    This concept of a God-created puzzle of life has been realized in my own life through parishioners whom I’ve served being moved to the same town so that the pastoral connection continues in multiple settings. I have experienced it in the connections between current parishioners and those I’ve served in the past, and I have most recently experienced it through sharing pastoral care with a former parishioner whose parents live in the area. New Year’s Eve her father became ill and a week later was taken off life support where he eventually entered the Church Triumphant.
    In sharing time with my friend and her family, I found myself again amazed at how God intertwined our lives long ago, so that we could journey together through these difficult days. In doing so, we were all blessed. The truth of “God’s intertwining” was revealed powerfully this past Tuesday at the culmination of the funeral and graveside service. Before I describe what happened, however, you need to know that my friend’s father was a dairyman.
    The setting of the church was amazingly picturesque, for as I drove up images of quintessential “Country Churches” raced through my mind. The building itself is classically designed both inside and out, and surrounding the building is a collection of saints who had been shaped by that very church and whose tombstones stand as monuments of Christ’s love for them and their love of Christ and the Church.
    Following the funeral the congregation made it’s way to the cemetery, and I noticed immediately that, as was appropriate, my friend’s father was being laid to rest at a grave closest to both the church as well as closest to the pulpit area (chancel) of the Church. Turning away from the church I looked out to see laid out farms, valleys, and mountains rolling on and on as far as my eyes could see. It was a beautiful sight, and when I placed all of those pieces together in my mind I couldn’t help but think about what an amazing and beautiful place to be laid to rest.
    The pastor led the graveside service with the congregation surrounding the family. Words of comfort were spoken, prayers were raised, the commendation and the benediction were given, and the ending of the service was to be marked by the grandchildren each releasing a helium-filled balloon. Though the balloon release was powerful, God’s message didn’t come most powerfully in that simple act but through the mouths of cows.
    As the first balloon made its ascent a lone cow, feeding on a farm just below the church, began to low its cry. Then as the rest of the balloons were released, her bovine friends joined together in their lowing, and what arose from below was a cacophony of mooing pinging off of the hills and vales. The balloons ascended further and further up, and God led those cows to give a fitting and final tribute to one who had spent a life caring for their own. When the balloons were just about out of sight, the mooing stopped, and we knew that the pastor had not had the last word, but God’s benediction had been given by God’s creatures below. God put the final piece of the puzzle in place.

    We’ve just come through this season of Christmas and now find ourselves in the season of light, Epiphany. It is a season where we remember and share the truth that God came down to earth to proclaim His love for all. It is a time where the message of peace, joy, hope, and love is shared, so that all might hear God’s word of benediction and blessing.
    Many know the phrase, “Out of the mouths of babes...,” but did you know it is scriptural? It’s taken from Psalm 8 and it is referenced by Jesus in Matthew 21: 16, and in both passages it references giving praise to God. However, it implies more than just praise, it implies a praise that overcomes evil and enemies as a stronghold of faith.
    As I reflect upon God placing the puzzle pieces of the life of Curtis Cronise together, “Out of the mouths of cows” was a most fitting and meaningful tribute to God’s servant. It was a reminder to me that God really does bring things together in amazing ways, and if we are attentive and aware of God’s presence and action in our lives, there is praise that overcomes all things – even death – because God loves us that much.

When was the last time you made the time to reflect upon the pieces of your life? Pray that God will bring the pieces together so that you might see the big picture.

Receiving the Gift at New Year's

2010-12-31T12:21:00.000-05:00

    I find it wonderfully refreshing and appropriate that New Year’s Eve/New Year’s falls slap dab in the middle of Christmastide. Though the world celebrates Christmas during the time before and a few days after December 25th, traditionally and liturgically, Christ followers celebrate Christmas for 12 days, with the culmination of the celebration coming on January 6th, which we celebrate as “Epiphany.”
    Though the world may believe we’re a bit odd keeping up the tree and lights so long, to remember and celebrate the birth of the Christ child takes awhile. It takes a lot to absorb the magnitude of God living among us as the Word made flesh. After all, the Gift that is given is THE gift that keeps on giving, and He invites us to be a people who keep on giving, thus modeling ourselves by His example.
    And yet to live in this way, to surrender ourselves to God and others takes a lot of work and much focus. It means that we constantly have to evaluate and assess where we are, where God is, and where our lives and God’s desire for our lives intersect, THEN we have to assess how we might live into God’s desire while boldly trusting enough to follow. Yes, Christmas is about far more than gifts given and received among our family and friends, but it is in receiving God’s gift in full, so we might then give that gift away through our lives.
    One of the traditions I grew up with for New Year’s Eve was that just after midnight the whole family would go outside with noisemakers, pots, pans, and wooden spoons, and we’d hoop and holler to our hearts content (and the neighbor’s discontent). It was our way of “ringing in” the New Year, only I guess we really just “dinged in” the New Year. It was an alert to the world that everything could be different! That this was the opportunity for a new start, if one would simply take the step, embrace the change, and trust in the One who provides the opportunity in the first place. It was a cry of celebration, but it was also an invitation for all to be a part of receiving the gift of New Year with excitement and anticipation.

    As we reflect upon Christmas, the same could be said. God sent the Gift as a way of telling the world, “everything can be different! This is the time for a “do over.” With this child comes a time to take a step, embrace the change, and trust in the One who constantly gives opportunities for a new start. Christmas is an invitation to receive the Gift, then share that Gift with excitement and anticipation.
    If you remember the Christmas story, this is what the Shepherds heard from the Angels and proclaimed to the world – “A child is born who is Christ the Lord!” This is what the star proclaimed to the world – “The Light of the world has come!” This is what the Magi proclaimed to the world – “He came, even for the outsiders.” This is what we proclaim to the world – “This baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a feeding trough, exemplifies the humility and grace of the God of Creation.” And out of these proclamation, the world proclaims to us – “Come adore and receive Christ the Lord.”

    Tonight we ring/ding in the New Year. In doing so, we have an opportunity for a new start. We have the chance to let go of the things that worked against us in 2010 and reach out for the gifts offered to us in 2011. This is the day when the Gift of God that came 6 days ago, leads us into the next 6 days and beyond, always calling out and inviting, “I am here, and because I am, we can journey together with Joy, Hope, Peace, and Love as the foundation of life!”
    May we each receive the Gift of the child in a special way, that as we receive the gift of this New Year, we might receive, follow, then share that gift with the world!
Happy New Year 2010!

What is Christ offering you as you enter 2011? How is God inviting you to receive and share?

Christmas Eve 2010

2010-12-24T10:25:00.000-05:00

Though “eve” implies night,
today we call “Christmas eve.”
We look to the eve
for tonight is the night of nights,
    today...tonight the light envelopes the darkness

Angels,
   Shepherds,
       A mother with child
           A father watches, meek and mild
               ...and we receive.

‘Tis love that came.
‘Tis love that comes.
‘Tis love that is given for you and for me.
               ...we receive.

Does this mean that like any other gift we give something back?
Yes and No.

THIS gift is for us
   no strings attached
       We receive it openly and with joy,
          The expectation and hope is to simply accept it.

And yet, when He comes into our hearts and lives,
   He changes everything.
       We are filled to overflowing...

In receiving, we give...
   or better,
       God gives God’s greatest gift to the world,
           even through us...

LOVE, Love, love...

   The Christ, God’s gift.

       God’s answer...

Merry Christmas 2010!

We Wait...

2010-12-14T11:01:00.000-05:00

   It is bitterly cold over much of the nation, and in my little piece of the world the wind chill this morning was -6 degrees. Of course this pales in comparison to our good friends who are adjusting to Alaskan winters, but still, it’s cold outside.
   It wouldn’t be quite so bad if it weren’t for the wind, because that wind just stirs up the already cold air and blasts it against us. The energy of the wind combines with the inert energy of the cold, and what hits is a pressure and temperature combination that at times seems to burrow deep below the surface and down to the bones.
   Though glad she did, I had to laugh at my six year old daughter this morning. She looked like the kid in the movie, Christmas Story, she was so wrapped up. She was protected. She had a thermal shirt underneath a fleece sweater, then her bulky winter coat over that. Then she’d found a fleece scarf (pink of course), gloves, and the gator which is intended to cover one’s neck, she’d instead placed over her head, so that it looked as if her eyes and forehead were peeking out from a smokestack on a steam liner. To top it off, she pulled the hood of her coat over her head and trekked, or should I say, waddled out to the bus.
   I usually experience such a scene when the ground is covered in the white stuff, and whenever there is any snow, that’s exactly how she wants to be dressed AND out in it! And yet, there is no snow. There have been flurries, but none of the substance which brings such beauty and delight. Just the grip of blustery winds which seem to sweep with it any of the warm that beams down from the sun above.
   As I think about it, this is not the way I usually think of the cold, nor do I want to think of the cold in this way. Instead, the image that comes to mind on days such as this is looking out the window to see the ground and trees covered in beauty, while my family and I sit in front a roaring fire with hot chocolate in hand, simply sharing in the gifts of life. But alas, this is not the reality of today.

   This Sunday’s Gospel reading is Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth [Matthew 1: 18-25], and it reveals that the birth of Jesus wasn’t the ideal situation either. Mary and Joseph were engaged to be married, which in that day and age was might as well have been marriage, for if the woman was unfaithful, she was subject to stoning. And yet, Mary showed up pregnant, and Joseph, well he wasn’t going to push the legal limits of the situation but was going to quietly divorce her.
   This was not the way it was supposed to be for Joseph, or for Mary for that matter! All their dreams and hopes of their relationship would now be shattered, for this event changed everything for them. It changed everything for the world.
   In Luke’s Gospel [Luke 1: 46-55], she sings a song which we call “The Magnificat,” and it is a song of deliverance from the injustices of the world. It is a cry of joy from Mary that she would be the handmaiden of God, but it was also a cry for all who find themselves in places where reality is not what one expects or desires. It’s just not there.
   And yet it is into just such days that Jesus enters. He comes in those times and places where the world’s reality just doesn’t match out hopes or expectations. He enters those situations where those who are wronged, lost, or forgotten, where the hopeless and helpless, are feeling the burden of life. And they are waiting for a Messiah...for a Savior.
   We find ourselves heading toward the end of this season of Advent. This is a season of anticipation of what’s to come. It is a season of watching and waiting. It is a season in which we focus ourselves on God and remind ourselves that the day IS coming when all will be as it should. When the coldness will not just be coldness but will also be beautiful and blessed. When those who are lost will be found. When the injustices of the world shrink before the Just God who sends One to make all things right.
   In these days, we wait, and waiting is difficult sometimes. And yet, the One on whom we wait is the One who brings all beauty and love to us. He is the One who bring light, love, warmth, and hope. He is the messiah, whose hope and desire is that we will receive all the things for which we hope and desire. He comes for you, for me...and for the world.

For what are you waiting as you prepare for Christ’s birth? Why don’t you ask God to give you that as a gift this Christmas?

Waiting Without Even Realizing It

2010-12-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

Most mornings when I get into the office, I spend some time with God behind closed doors, with candles and incense burning. It is the thing that keeps me grounded and focused for ministry. And almost every day I spend at least part of that time with God through the online devotional: www.d365.org .

    We entered the season of Advent on Sunday, which is a time when we prepare ourselves for the coming of the Christ child at Christmas. It is marked as a season of contemplation, reflection, watching, waiting, and preparation, and it is intended to keep us focused on the real meaning of the season, rather than get caught up in the hustle and bustle around us. Like Lent, it is also a time when we invite God into our hearts in order to be changed, and this is done in many ways, but most specifically through devotions and meditation.
    During the seasons of Lent and Advent, d365 changes format, and for Advent the title and focus is “Following the Star” (http://www.d365.org/followingthestar/ ). It has seasonal music and a wonderful graphic of the wise men and the star in the sky, and it is one of my favorite ways to start my day during Advent.
    That being said, when I came in this morning I went onto the site, not thinking about any changes, and to my surprise up popped the “Following the Star” site rather than the usual “D365" site. I had been so busy I'd forgotten. It was a wonderful gift, but then as quickly as the smile came on my face I realized, “I’d forgotten all about this change.” I’d not forgotten about Advent, because I have quickly read through some devotionals, but I’d forgotten about this particular blessing.
    I immediately found myself discouraged and frustrated. “How could I have forgotten this? It’s one of my favorite season of the year, and these devotions are always great!” I couldn’t believe that, during this season where we are invited to slow down and focus, that I could forget this. But then I heard a voice inside tell me to think back through the week. I did.
    I didn’t hook in on Tuesday because I was at breakfast with some colleagues, sharing in important discussion then made visits to parishioners. Wednesday morning I had a breakfast to thank and honor a great servant of the church and share in fellowship, then Thursday, yesterday, I was preparing for staff meeting, which included putting together a meaningful devotion to share.
    I then began to think through the other parts of the week and remembered conversations shared with staff and parishioners. I remembered the opportunities to share deep discussion in counseling, and I remembered the joy of doing the work to prepare for Sunday. As I thought of these things, I found myself realizing that, though I may not have entered this season as I usually do, God has given me time and opportunities this week to experience the waiting in a different way.
    I’ve had more time in the car, which means I’ve been doing a bit more thinking/reflecting. The connections I have made with people have been significant, and as I look back over the sharing, I took away far more than I put into the conversations. And despite all that is going on around me, there is a peace and trust that has settled.
    When God brought forward these things, the smile returned, and I realized again the point of the season. The point is not to connect with God on our terms but to meet God where God wants to meet us. It may not be as it’s always been, and what has happened in the past may not be what the future holds, but where God is is where we need to be, and where we are God meet us, if we just open up and look for God. Basically, God gave me an Advent reminder, and that is that God's been with me all along, even if I didn't notice.

    The daily lectionary reading for today is Matthew 9: 27-31, and it is the story of two blind men following Jesus (which in itself is an interesting image), and they cry out for Jesus to heal them. Jesus asks them, “Do you believe I can?,” to which they reply affirmatively. Jesus touched their eyes, and they could see. He tells them not to tell anyone about it, but they went out and told everyone.
    As I read this story this morning and of my lack of remembering that the web site had switched for Advent, I thought of how easy it is for us to be blinded by our own expectations, the way things have always been done, or even just life, then beat ourselves up over it. And yet, that’s not the point. The point is to remember to stop, then look, follow, and believe. At least they cried out to Jesus for help. I was simply awakened out of the mundane aspects of life and Jesus helped me.
    And yet, isn’t it into the mundane, everyday situations that Jesus comes? Isn’t it in the unexpected that our blindness and need is revealed? Isn’t it in the places where we are simply chugging along that God finds a way to stop us, sometimes inviting us to reconnect but at other times simply to reveal that He’s been there all along? At Christmas, doesn't God send the Son into a world that is simply moving along with no expectation for change?

    Many people don’t take Advent all that seriously. After all, it’s so easy to simply let the world’s fierce pace and capitalism’s pull draw us in. And yet there is a reason the Church invites us to keep a Holy Advent. Well, there are actually lots of reasons, but the one that strikes me today is that maybe this is a time when God desires to simply connect with us, just so we can hear God say, “I’ve been here all along...”

When was the last time you stepped away to simply listen for God? Has God stopped you in your tracks? Where is God with you on the journey to the creche?

the Son rose

2010-11-19T09:56:00.000-05:00

from behind the wheel, through the windshield

just over the trees
streaks of
   pinks
       yellows
           reds
               purples
mixing with the deep dark hues of night
the day breaks
   the sun rises
another gift received and shared

I descend the mountain
stars wink a good night to the world
       at least for a few hours

the unwavering transition is upon us
God reveals the beauty of a new day

   i am reminded of the breath I take
        have revealed the gifts of life
           so many things taken for granted

    but the sun rises
      everything is reoriented
        perspective is back

as the story of the day is written
   i can’t help but remember

there was One who rose
out of the darkness of death
   the gift of life was given
three days nights were shattered
   colors burst forth
       light splintered darkness
           love arose
               and the world was forever changed

the Son rose...love won

   always...

       love wins...

it happens every day

     ...if we but take notice

Did you notice the gift of today? Take some time to simply stop, look around, and take notice.

The Teenage Years

2010-11-05T10:39:00.000-04:00

    Yesterday my oldest turned 13. It’s hard to believe that I am the parent of a teenager. Luckily for us, he has not hit that usual state of teenage rebellion and independence, but I’m sure it’s coming.
   As we returned home from his birthday dinner out and sharing with family, I found myself reflecting upon my 13th birthday. I still remember it. I don’t remember the gifts I received, but I do have vague memories of the dinner together and a sense that this was a big deal. I remember my parents and friends talking about it as if it was a new chapter in life.
   Who knows whether the feelings were felt that day, but I do remember entering “teenage-dom” with a sense of excitement mixed with dread and fear. I didn’t know what to expect nor what everyone was talking about with teenagers being different and evolving (should I say ‘rebelling’?), but I do remember having a sense that I was changing...and with the changes in me, it felt like the world was going to be changing.
   Though I haven’t talked it out with my son, I wonder if he is, or will be, feeling the same kinds of things. Maybe we who have been through it make a bigger deal about it than it is, and adolescence is different for everyone, but the changes are real. They are palpable, and at times they are scary, for the familiar becomes unfamiliar, that upon which we can rely seems to not be as reliable, and the paradigm that we knew of as ‘life’ shifts under our feet.
   Physical changes come which lead to questions, sensitivities, and confusion. Emotional changes occur which keep us, and everyone around us, wondering where “that response” came from and/or what the next response will be. Psychological changes come, and we begin to think different. Our perceptions shift, and the world can close in or expand at the blink of an eye. Spiritual changes occur, and we begin to understand that the faith of our fathers and mothers is theirs. At some point, we’ll have to grapple with what that faith means to us and whether we will embrace it.

   The main characters in the book of Exodus are God, Moses, and the people of Israel. Egypt plays a bit part, but the action is really focused on the other three. The story starts with Moses being sent down the river, but God saves him and actually prepares him for his later life, when he becomes the great leader Israel needs.
   Moses is called by God in a drastic way, and God says, “I need you to lead my people out of slavery.” The reality of such a call was pretty overwhelming for Moses. It meant returning to a land where he was wanted for murder. It meant telling the most powerful person on the earth to simply free his slave labor. It meant allowing the course of his life to be drastically changed.
   Moses did follow, and after a series of actions on God’s part, the people of Israel did get out of Egypt. But on the other side of the Red Sea through which they escaped, they had a long road ahead of them – 40 years to be exact. Along that road there were times when they listened to God and Moses, and there were times when they didn’t. Often Moses would hear them say, “Well at least we had the necessities of life when we were back in Egypt. Let’s just turn around.” Always, Moses would say, “We must press ahead, for God has great things in store. We just have to push through the struggles and changes to God’s gift in front of us.”
   In God’s time, they did push through, and though they didn’t always follow, though they fell and at other times were faithful, the lesson of the wilderness remained. Change is hard, but when they pushed through the change and trusted in God, they ended up in the place they were supposed to be.
   As I think of and pray for my kids, especially my now adolescent, I can’t help but think of Moses and the Israelites and the lesson they teach us all. There will be changes, and it will not always be easy, but when we trust in God and follow, God makes a way for us to end up where we need to be.
   As I think of these things, I also think of the church and the people of faith. There are some churches and some people who are spiritually infants, some who are kids, some who are adolescents, and some who are grown adults in the faith, and at each stage of the spiritual life we go through a shift, a change, and it scares the hell out of us. We don’t want to move to the next level because it’s unknown. We fear what we do not know, and yet if we push through, trust God and trust one another, God can take any church or any person to the place where they need to be.
   As I think of these things, I am reminded of situations within me and around me where transformation is happening in wonderful and amazing ways, and I see (within and around) the desire to keep control or keep the status quo, which though it may give us the illusion of comfort, really only keeps at bay what is needed for us to get to the place God needs me/us to be.
   This life thing, or should I say “faith thing”, is not always easy. It is filled with times of standing on shifting sand as well setting our feet on solid ground. It is a mix of living from who we have been to who we need to become. It is a struggle at times, but it is also an amazing journey, and the way we navigate that most effectively, the way we truly live, is to push through the chaos, ask the questions and sit with the silence, reflect upon the discomfort but then trust in God and one another to take us to the place we need to be.
    When WE do...God ALWAYS does.

Where in your life do things seem to be shifting? How are you responding? Are you trying to maintain control? What might you do to relinquish control and give it over to God?

Colors of Grace

2010-10-27T17:50:00.000-04:00

     This week I have been on my annual planning retreat, and I am blessed to have parishioners/friends who allow me to use their beautiful home on Smith Mountain Lake. This is a time to get away from everything and focus on God’s vision for the Church in the coming year. During the week I do a lot of reading, praying, and visioning, returning home with scriptures and sermon topics/outlines for the coming year. On the first day, I spend time just being, and I read a good book. The actual planning begins on the second day.
    When I arrived this time, I followed the normal plan, only I found a great deal on a camping hammock, which I hung under the covered porch overlooking the lake. I spent some time reading in that hammock, and found myself waking up after a brief nap wondering what time it was and where I was. But when I woke up, I put my book aside and simply looked around.
    Now you have to remember, I’m on a mountain lake in Virginia in October, which means that the colors are brilliant. The trees lining the lake are changing and very few have fallen, so when the lake is calm, which is often, it acts like a mirror to the sky. The rich oranges, reds, and greens reflect upon the deep green and clear water below, bringing about a tapestry of beauty.
    As I said, when I woke up I began to look around and notice the brilliance of the colors around me. At the same time I looked up to the sky only to notice that the usual brightness of the sun was hidden behind darkening clouds. The threat of rain was evident, almost to the point of ominous, and something inside begin to reflect upon the juxtaposition of such images.
    Colors of grace and darkening skies. Bursting hues from leaves and black clouds shrouding the great light source. I wondered which would win out. Would the winds and rain place a pall over the colors and dampen the mood of the day? What would the day bring? And then I saw from the supine position of the hammock, the promise.

    The light refracted from behind the clouds to form a rainbow. The spectrum of light found a way to expose the glory and promise of God. Darkness would not win the day. Instead, God’s light shone around the threat and the promise was fulfilled again.

    Early in the book of Genesis, there is a dreadful story of a flood and God destroying almost all of the inhabits of the earth, (not a story for the light-hearted nor for children). But for one family whom God had instructed to build an Ark, this was God’s great ‘do-over.’ But when Noah and the family all made it to shore after a long and smelly time, God promised never to do it again. And the sign of that promise was the rainbow.

    Everyone loves to see a rainbow. There is something exciting about seeing nature’s brilliant colors displayed as a banner across the sky. It makes children giddy and adults smile, and it makes believers remember.
    You see, those colors are colors of Grace. They are a promise from God to us, that no matter how dark the days, no matter the destruction, no matter the flood of tears, God is with us, never to forsake us. They are colors of God’s love, that when we see them, we remember, give thanks, and hold onto the promise for all generations.

When have you experienced dark times? Where are the threats right now in your life? Look to the skies and remember...

The Will of God...

2010-10-22T11:03:00.001-04:00

    What does the will of God look like? How do we know what God’s will is for our lives? What happens when God’s will is not our will, or when our will is not God’s will? Some may even ask, “Does God even have a will, or are we just reframing our lives to make them more bearable by blaming or affirming life’s ups and downs” on God?” These are the kinds of questions we ask, and rightly so.
    As a parent it is so easy for me to want my children to do my will, and there are times when I go to great lengths to assure that my will is done. (“No, you can’t watch TV, you have to finish your homework first...”) After all, I have the best interest of my family and child at heart, so it only seems right that they listen and follow. And yet from an early age, I learned that my children don’t always listen or follow my will. In fact, dare I say it, they have a will of their own! As frustrating as this is, I have been able to see that, because they have their own will and ways, there are times when they learn from their mistakes and successes...if they are willing and able to step back from the situation and really look at what happened, how it played out, and glean a life lesson from it.
    As a parent, it is wonderfully rewarding to experience this with and for my children, because I am able to see them grow and be changed into people who live into a way of life, that at least for me, seems to be a blessing. At the same time, it is terribly frustrating when they do not step back from the situation or they do not take away the learning from a wonderful opportunity to do so, and yet my only recourse is to simply state my desire and point out the lesson I see, hoping that one day they might understand and be blessed.
    Recently I’ve found myself reflecting up and looking for the Will of God for my life, for the Church, and for others, and I have to say that it is a humbling experience. After all, God is the Holy Parent, and I believe that just as frustrated as I get with my own children, so God must get frustrated with me (us). At the same time, God also must rejoice when we do see and follow, for God knows that when we do, we are growing more fully into who God is calling us to become.

    This morning I was led to read the 19th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, verses 13-30, and through it I recognized an invitation to follow the will of God. It basically breaks down into three sections. It starts with some parents bringing children to Jesus because they want Jesus to pray for and lay hands upon them. The disciples try to stop them, but Jesus says, “Let the Little children come to me.” He blesses them.
    Then they are approached by one who is know as “The Rich Young Man.” He wanted to know how to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to follow the commandments, and the Rich Man replies that he has, to which Jesus says, “Well then, sell everything and give it to the poor.” It’s too much for the man, and he walks away dejected.
    Finally, as the man is walking away, Jesus says something about it being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to get into heaven. After this interchange, Peter pipes up and says, “Well Jesus, we’ve left everything to follow you. What’s in it for us?” Jesus assures Peter and the rest that they will have a place in heaven, as will all who give up their lives and possessions for the sake of the Kingdom.
    He ends it by saying, “Many who are the greatest now will be the least important then, and those who seem least important now will be greatest then.” (NLT)

    As I thought about what was going on here, I found this passage screaming to me about the will of God. In the situation with the parents bringing the children, I thought about how we are taught from a young age to be self-sufficient, even to stand by and live into our will. And yet, those children were not doing that. Instead, it was the parents who brought the children to Jesus. It was their will for Jesus to bless them, and when they did, the children were blessed.
    So often we think that we have to take the initiative on things, but often it is not on us. Sometimes we need others to bring us forward to Christ, even when the naysayers try to push us back. Sometimes it is the will and desire of another for us to be made whole, that leads us to follow Jesus’ will.
    This rich man had a great desire to follow the will of God, but in the end, he couldn’t. His will...his lifestyle...was greater than God’s will. And it was so strong that he couldn’t see or understand how wrapped up he was in his riches and wealth. His comfort was stronger than the world’s discomfort. His power won over the power of submission to Christ. As a consequence, the will of God was not done, and the man was left to wrestle with the meaning of this.
    Finally, in Peter’s question, it is interesting to me how self-focused Peter is. Peter wants to know what’s in it for him and them, and yet Jesus’ response is not one of condemnation. Instead, Jesus connects with Peter in a powerful way by saying, “You know what? I know that your will is to be mine and to follow, and you have proved that. As such, I want what you want. Your will is God’s will and God’s will is Your will. Be blessed.”
    Each person in this story wondered about God’s will for their lives. They wondered whether they were a part of God’s plan. In the end, they discovered God’s will, and the lesson that Jesus shared was that, in order for God’s will to be done, there is an invitation to a call. That call and the answer to that call is for them...and us...to submit to and surrender to Jesus. To let go and let God have the reins of our lives, so that God can use and bless us to reveal God’s will for us, those around us and the world.
    This call is a powerful and always at work, for the great lesson and gift is that, if we do this...if we seek and follow the will of God...we gain everything. If we don’t, we risk losing it all.

What is God’s will for you? What’s standing in the way of living into God’s will?

Revolution or Business?

2010-10-15T10:39:00.000-04:00

    On Tuesday I was blessed to hear one of my favorite preacher and teachers, Rob Bell. It was at a gathering of preachers, and Bell catered his message specifically to us. Though there were many “takeaways” in his sharing, there was one phrase that dug deep into the hearts and souls of every pastor there.
   He was talking about the struggles and difficulties of the pastorate. Naming the societal pressures that are unique to the vocation and revealing the issues of the 21st Century Church, he said, “Western church pastors are exhausted. There are thousands of assumptions and expectations placed upon us, which is hard enough, but we signed up for a revolution only to find ourselves serving a spiritual business.” It was that last line that got me.
   No one dared look around at each other, lest we acknowledge the deep and disturbing truth of that statement, for indeed, what is revealed in the Gospels and what is found in our roots as the People of God is a call to change the world – a revolution. However, it is easy for the demands to work on us in such a way, that we’re just running a spiritual business. The expectations and assumptions placed upon us by the world and the Church point toward such things, mainly because the world and much of the Church really doesn’t expect or want a revolution, because that would require risk, change, and maybe even death, or at least death of ourselves.
   In October 2001, just one month after the 9/11 attacks, I attended a Conference, and the speaker made this analogy. Though Al-Qaida was wrongly focused and antithetical to Christ, the disciples and the early Church had some things in common with Al-Qaida – they were organized as small groups whose mission is to infiltrate the world with their ideals and their God, and they were willing to die for their faith.
   When was it that the Church lost it’s understanding of Christ’s call to change the world? What was the impetus for such an attitude? Volumes have been written to answer these questions, and part of the answer is societal, some is the changing nature of church, but mostly it comes down to our human nature. We like to control, and we resist risk. And yet, when we examine Christ’s life, we realize that He gave up control to God, trusted in God’s ways, and He risked everything, because it was worth the risk.
   TS Eliot wrote, “What did the Kingdom cost? It cost everything.” I would add, “...and it still does.” The only problem with this is that we live in a society that seeks, NOT to lose but to always seek gain. We have this desire inside us to seek for self, rather than ask God, “what do you need me to do for you today?” We constantly adjust our lives and living, so that we won’t have to risk but instead can approach life on our terms.

   If we were to turn to the Bible, we’d see that this kind of living is the opposite of what God’s people have done. Abraham was called to follow God, and he left everything and followed, even into a land that was foreign and dangerous. And yet God needed that small band of folks to reveal God to those around them.
   Or what about Moses, who was raised in the royal court. He had all the power in the world and could do anything, but God called him to follow. Moses did, and he led the people out of Egypt into the promised land, so the oppressed would be freed and shine for all nations.
   What of the disciples, who after just a short time of training with Jesus were sent out into the countryside to heal and preach. They were ordered not to take anything with them, but to trust and follow. They did, and many discovered the Joy of Christ’s love.
   Then there was Paul, who actually did a 180. He was a revolutionary zealot for the Pharisees, killing those who followed Jesus’ way, and yet when God got ahold of him, he stepped on the path of faith and never looked back. He started a revolution that still affects us today.

   As I reflect on these stories I see a common thread, and that is that these leaders and people looked first to God, and as they did, God took care of everything else. God changed the hearts and actions of those who opposed them. God led them to places of protection. God made a way where there seemed to be no way...and THEY trusted God.    Seems to me that that same common thread is often missing in the Church. We get so caught up in the ways things have always been done or what societal understandings of the role of church should be, that we neglect to connect with the very One who is the center of it all. When this happens, we forget that we were called to be revolutionaries, and instead we just live in our spiritual houses, placing barriers up, and looking around with blinders on.
   I wonder what would happen if we did see ourselves in such light? Maybe we’d begin to see the Kingdom of God break through in some of the least expected places? Maybe we’d discover who God really is and who God needs us to be? Maybe we’d get out of our own way from hindering the Spirit’s work in the world, and be invited to let go of control, let God have the reins, and experience what the Church and world can, and is intended to, be.

What role is God calling you to play in God’s revolutionary Kingdom? Can you let go of convention, tradition, or even ‘the Church’ as you know it, in order to reveal God’s Kingdom?

Runnin in the Dark

2010-10-08T10:58:00.000-04:00

One of the things I love to do is to go running, and my favorite time to run is before 6:00 AM. There is something special and powerful about running either as or before the sun comes up. Not only is the temperature great at that time of morning, but when running in the dark it feels as if one is moving quicker than usual. The only problem is that I enjoy running on trails in the woods and on the local Greenways. To do so means I have to use a headlamp.
    There are, however, times when I have the headlamp with me, but I once I get on the trail the stars and moon are so bright that I simply turn it off and allow their natural illumination to guide me. Though dimmer than daytime, one can see the contours of the trail while also observing wonderfully unique shadows from trees and objects that seem to bring to life the many and various perspectives of this world.
    Over the last couple of days, however, the moon has been in a phase where at best it has been a sliver of light, and this morning it was just a black ball with a minuscule sliver of light up the edge. According to the moon phase charts, this morning’s moon was a “Waxing Crescent” which only revealed 1% of the moon.
    Yesterday morning I headed out on my run and forgot to bring my headlamp, which was fine at the beginning of my run, because street lamps illuminated my way to the trail upon which I was to run, but as soon as I stepped onto the trail, everything went black. Because I know the trail pretty well, I continued on, but I was basically running in the dark.
    I found that my senses were heightened, and I was particularly aware of my foot striking, just waiting to hit a root or a gully. My eyes strained to catch any glimpse of the light bouncing off the trail, and I worked hard to discern the darkened edges where bushes or grass absorbed what little light there was.
    There were times when I was unsure of what was ahead, and at those times I found myself slowing down and allowing my feet to fall more softly and with caution. At the same time my confidence was reduced, and I felt smaller and less significant than usual. It was as of the dark confined me and hemmed me in, for without the light I didn’t know exactly what was ahead. And yet, I pushed forward, eventually reaching my goal.

    In the Gospel of John, Jesus is quoted as saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follow me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) At the same time, in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5: 14), Jesus says, “YOU are the light of the world...”
    As I thought about the juxtaposition of these two passages and my little jaunt in the woods, I found myself reflecting upon the power of Christ’s light in our lives. Each of us have been through times when we felt like we were completely in the dark. Probably each of us have been afraid of the dark at some time in our lives, and each of us have probably pushed ahead through the darkness trusting that in the end we will reach our goal and all will be okay.

    All around us there is darkness. In the lives of our family and friends, we see grief and pain in their eyes, and we know the darkness affects them. In the news we hear story after story of the darker aspects of life, and it affects us. Darkness is a part of life, and yet it is not the only part and certainly not the dominating part.
    Instead, Christ came so we could understand and experience that He has overcome the darkness, that He IS the light of the world, and the light of our lives, and when we look for and trust in that light, then He will guide us where we need to go. At the same time, He also tells that WE are the light of the world, which means that we don’t just look for and trust in Christ’s light given for us, but we are also invited to hook into that light and allow the light of Christ to work through us in all we say and do.
Where is the darkness shrouding your life? Are you reaching out in what seems to be darkness with the path un-illumined? Where did the moon and stars go?
Pray to God, then take a step. Trust in Him for he IS the light, that illuminates the world and invites us to allow him to shine through us.

Apple Butter Christians

2010-10-01T10:33:00.000-04:00

   Starting Wednesday on an age old tradition among the people of Bonsack UMC began; making Apple Butter. The process began on Wednesday with volunteers peeling and cutting over 100 bushels of apples. Around tables folks gathered to participate in more than just the tasks at hand, but in the midst of the cutting and peeling God used the time to weave together lives and hearts through fellowship, sharing, and uniting the participants in a common task.
    At times God used the discussions and sharing to reveal the fruitfulness of God’s love among the lives at work, and in bringing them together that same blessing was a reminder of God’s collective blessing to and through this congregation. At other times the discussion and sharing mirrored the very act in which they were participating. Some deeper discussions took place, and vulnerability was revealed, so that the Spirit was able to peel back the skin and expose the need for some cutting and trimming of the soul in order to lay back the meat of who those folks are called to be. It is through such sharing that they will be transformed into something sweet and good.
    The cutting and peeling was finished in a day and a half, thanks to a lot hard work, and now those cut and peeled apples sit, waiting to be taken to the next level. They sit exposed to the air, and though some darkening and discoloring takes place, they are simply preparing for the next stage of their purpose.
    Tonight, Friday, these discolored apple pieces will be ground up into even smaller pieces and mixed into large kettle. Cinnamon, sugar, water, and other elements will be added to them, and over the next 12 hours or so, they will be boiled down. A fire underneath, the brew will be stirred constantly throughout that time so it won’t burn and to mix it all together, and then at the right time, the first will be extinguished and the apple butter is ready.
    Those same workers who stirred the pots will then take pan after pan of the mixture to the kitchen where jars await for them to be packaged and sealed. A team of folks will take that final product and package it for sharing and blessing. Some folks will have purchased the product and some will be given away as a gift from this community of faith, but all of it is offered as a reminder of the sweetness of God’s love, the fruit born and given among a people through whom God works and blesses to be a blessing.

    Just before Jesus was taken away by the authorities, put on trial and killed, He had a ‘sit down’ with the disciples, and part of what he shared with them was the importance of bearing fruit for the Kingdom. He talked about how bearing fruit, however, was not easy, for in order to bear the best fruit, we must be pruned and shaped. He also spoke of how there are times when that fruit is plucked from the branch but in doing so can still be used for Kingdom work. But the bottom line is that, as Jesus says, “He is the vine, and we are the branches.” (John 15) If we cling to this truth and allow ourselves to be shaped into the fruitful people God intends us to be, then God makes away to feed the world, even through us.

    In reflecting upon the process of making apple butter, there are many parallels to how God shapes us as Christians. After all, we are the very product of the true vine. We are Christ’s body that is called to serve but always connected with Him. Subsequently, there are times when we are invited to go to the next level, and often that means we are often led to a place that is outside our norm.
    It’s like we have to be plucked from one area and moved to another, but it doesn’t stop there. If we are really going to be changed, the unwanted parts have to be peeled and trimmed away...prepared for that next stage, if you will. But that’s not all either.
    God doesn’t just leave us there raw and exposed. No, God takes the changed self and places us in situations, or among people, who can show us the new way God is inviting us to follow. We find ourselves in congregations or small groups or among friends who witness what this new life might look like, and it’s as if God has just the right recipe to make us a part of something sweeter through which we can bless others.
    In the end, what emerges is someone new but transformed. Someone whom God can then use to bless others. Someone whose essence is that of the very tree from which it came, but is now prepared to sweeten the world through their witness and love.

One of the traditions in making apple butter is that in each kettle, a few pennies are placed and stirred in with the mixture. They say it helps to keep the apple butter from sticking. Maybe so, but I tend to think that maybe this is God’s way of reminding us that, no matter how much we lean into Jesus, we are still a part of the world and the world is part of us. In fact, the world flavors us a bit, and it can even keep us from adhering to God’s plan.
    And yet, just as with the apple butter, when we are surrounded and enveloped as part of the larger recipe of God’s love, God’s influence and work is more powerful than the world. And what can be a hindrance can actually be that which flavors our lives, so that we know the world’s ways enough, that we can take God’s ways and transform what we know of the world through witness and love.

How do you need God to “boil you down,” so that you can move the next stage of God’s plan for your life?

fall

2010-09-24T10:34:00.000-04:00

A season of change
not only among the leaves but in our hearts
the heat of summer retreats and coolness blows in

before our very eyes
the results of the change
colors burst forth
revealing the beauty beneath
mountains become a mix
of oranges, yellows, greens, and reds
the air is crisp and clear
and harvest moons draw in our gaze
we remember
how much of life we forget

But hues fade
the wind blows
the life on the tree is now crumpled then gone
a pall of browns, branches and starkness cover the earth
arrive the bite of winter
we cocoon ourselves
until life is ushered in again
and the cycle is complete

****

A season of change
the most drastic of changes
the warmth of life drains out
and all goes
cold
dark
lifeless

our loved ones see the change
feel the change
and grief becomes our enemy/friend
no longer will things be as they were

Yet in the midst of the pain
glimpses of life
rich hues fill the heart and mind
memories more vivid that usual
flood over and into us
hills and valleys are woven together
swirling with life
death
sorrow
truth
the peace-filled face draws us in

We cocoon ourselves
until we receive the gift

Despite "the fall"

life is ushered in again

the cycle is complete

A change of seasons is a way for us to be reminded to reflect upon life, death, and hope. May the truth of your life be revealed and the hope of resurrection be a gift received in this change of seasons.

Growing Up and Letting Go

2010-09-17T10:32:00.000-04:00

   I have a program on my computer that will change the wallpaper every 15 minutes or so, and this morning this picture of my daughter popped up on the screen. This was taken four years ago when Anna was just learning of her love for water. Note that in order to love the water, we took precautions to keep her afloat and to protect her. Anna has now begun Kindergarten, swims competitively on the swim team, and as then, is willing and eager to jump into whatever is before her.
   School has been in session almost a month now, and as these weeks have unfolded I’ve found myself pausing more frequently to simply reflect upon my children, their growth and the changes that they’ve been through. I’ve found myself reminiscing about what they used to be like, while at the same time looking deeply into who they are becoming. As I’ve been reflecting upon their growing up, I’ve had to also name that I have to do some letting go as well.
   As they age and mature, they encounter different experiences which shape and mold them. Some of these things are good and some bad. Some have more impact than others, but I have little control over most of these. Rather, I find myself more and more ‘debriefing’ them after the fact to teach a lesson or simply to give them a chance to talk about an experience. As my wife and I go through this process, we find that we’re not the only ones that have to let go of who we thought we were or what we thought would be our reality, but they too have to let go of such things in order to mature into who God is calling them to be.

   One of the great gifts that God gives us is the privilege of growing up and learning. I believe strongly that part of God’s plan for each of us is that we are constantly growing and changing and being shaped into something new, and the more I visit and share with ‘more experienced’ members of society, especially the great saints, the more I recognize this truth. Someone once said, “If a church is not growing, it’s dying.” The same can be said for individuals. If we settle for the status quo or simply try to maintain our piece of life, we’re really dying, or at least from my perspective, we’re not living into the new life God offers us.
   And yet, we live in a society that leans toward the easy fix. We are people who like to keep control and keep things on an even keel so that we can feel secure. We like this because it gives us security.
   If you have any doubts about this, look at what is happening in the world and politics. Much of what fuels the fires of political debate is holding tightly to an ideology, which so often means either keeping or trying to get back to “the way things have always been done,” when in truth change is inevitable, and the only way to navigate change is to seek understanding and cohesion for the good of the community at large. Yes, this means giving up a bit of control, but my experience has been that, when we are willing to do so, we might not agree at the end of the day, but we are changed and moved a bit closer together.
   Of course, this is hard stuff, and for many it is too hard, because the key to opening up is letting go. It is first acknowledging the reality of change, then taking an attitude and desire to grow into the change that comes, then letting go and letting God do what God does best...change is in God’s image.

The stories of the people of Israel are foundational to the faith, and when we begin to really examine them, we find that they are the stories of all people who seek to follow God. Whether Biblical or in our day to day, the pattern remains the same. We have some encounter with God. God shares with us what will bring us true life, and we live into that...for a little bit. But then we harken back to the good ole days or we feel like God is calling for more than we think we can handle or that old friend “control” sneaks in, and we dig in our heels and resist the change. Things don’t usually go as well when we react in such ways, than if we’d just let go and let God.

   Moses was leading the people of Israel across the wilderness into the Promised Land. At first manna and quail were okay. They were grateful, but after awhile that diet got old. “We were better off as slaves in Egypt! Why’d you bring us out here to die? Let’s go back.” To move forward into that wilderness was to risk being changed, and that’s hard. Then again, it is the very thing that moves us to grow into God’s image.

    Soon after that picture of Anna was taken, as happened with my boys, she learned to swim on her own. The swimmies were removed from her arms and the kapoc left her waist. The protection that she needed when she was younger was removed as she gained experience and she grew into a true swimmer. As this happened, we were beside her with each step, but eventually as she mastered the skill, we were able to let go and let her do the thing which brings her great joy.
   In many ways, this is how God is with us. God helps us along when we first enter the waters of faith, and slowly steps back as we learn and grow more. At times we may falter, but God is beside us to lift us up again. As we grow, God lets us go, but remains close, gently nudging us toward who and what God needs us to be.
   And just as my daughter had to trust us as parent to be there throughout this process, so are we invited to trust God, our Holy Parent, as we go through the process of learning, growing, and being changed into God’s image. When we do so, we don’t just experience great joy, but we receive new life.

Where in your life have you dug in your heels and stifled God’s work to change you? When have you let go and let God work? What was the result?

Loving our Enemies

2010-09-10T10:11:00.000-04:00

     I have been deeply disturbed by all of the rhetoric this week associated with the possibility of an Islamic Center being built close to the site of the 9/11 tragedy. Most disturbing has been the call to have a “Qur’an burning,” by the pastor and his small church in Florida. Such a response represents the antithesis of Christlike living. I am grateful, however, that at least for now, there has been a hold on such a response.
   What has been most interesting for me, however, and the hidden blessing in the midst of so many varied opinions and emotions, is that such controversy has sparked conversations which so often do not happen. There are folks speaking about religious and faith matters who normally would simply let the conversations of the world dominate their thoughts, words, and deeds. But all this week, not just politicians and the media, but people on all levels and from all backgrounds, have come to the table to share their thoughts.
   Some of the conversations have been heated and some have sought resolution. Some have stirred up dormant wounds, while others have revealed that progress, and even forgiveness, has been made. Some conversations have opened the mouths of the silent, and some have shut the mouths of the dominant. In the midst of the push and pull, the wrestles, and the disjointed nature of such volatile subject matter, we’re seeing God at work.

   As the week and the discussions have progressed I have found myself remembering the call ofChrist to “love our enemies.” In both the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) and the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6), Jesus says, “You’ve heard it said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemies,’ but I say, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute (do good to those who hurt) you.’”
   Such a call is horribly difficult, and much of what has been stirred up by this controversy has been the raw emotion of having been attacked by an enemy. Mix that emotion with the human bent toward revenge, and that there are few Christians who hear and desire to live out this truth, especially when faced with such realities, and one has a formula for disaster. And yet, Jesus tells us to love our enemies, even pray for and do good to them.
   In trying to bring together the disturbing truths of this week’s events and the disturbing call from Christ, what I see emerging is that: 1) Love is never easy. 2) Love begins with an attitude of openness and respect. 3) Love is able to make a way, when there seems to be no way. 4) As Paul says, “Love has no end.” The challenge is that love for us, does not seem to be enough sometimes. However, Christ’s love is able to accomplish anything, including loving our enemies when it seems impossible.

As I have conversations with those around me and as I watch the news and hear the commentaries and opinions, there has been a shift from raw anger and misinterpretation of intention on all sides, to an ability to sit down and share. Share time revealing our deepest thoughts and opinions, but also recognizing that, though the issue may never be resolved as we may wish, we can walk away having been changed, if just a little, because of the discussion.
Seems to me, that’s what Jesus was trying to teach us when he said, “Love your enemies.” In fact, I believe that’s where such love begins, and if we are willing to sit down and share respectfully, listen for God’s voice in the midst of the sharing, and trust in God, then maybe we’ll be blessed to catch a glimpse of like God’s “Peaceable Kingdom,” among us.

Where am I being called to love my enemies? Is there some person or situation which I’m avoiding because it is just too volatile or painful? What would happen if I asked God to help me deal with this head on, so that love could be realized?

Memories that Influence

2010-09-03T14:10:00.002-04:00

Last week, just down the hall from my office, some parishioners painted one of the bathrooms. For most folks, that’s not a big deal. People paint all the time. But from the moment the cans of oil-based paint were cracked open, I found myself filled with a deep sense of joy and peace, and I was flooded with memories.

Franklin Lee Derrick, was my grandfather. “Bada,” as we called him, was an interior decorator in Washington, DC. He was born in 1906, and by the time he was in his mid-teens, his father had had a heart attack, and he took over the family business. He became the bread winner for the family, which also meant that he made way for his older brother to attend college.

    Bada was a great businessman, who lived in a day where the men wore uniforms, they were cordial and well-groomed, hard workers. He never advertised his business, only listing “Derrick & Sons” in the Yellow Pages. He used to say, “If word of mouth isn’t good enough, then I shouldn’t be in business.” But word of mouth did bring in the business, and more than one Senator’s home received new wall paper or paint from his hand or the hands of one of his workers. He was well-respected and was blessed for his work ethic.
    Bada was more than a businessman, however. He was also a family man and a man of faith. In the late 1940's he purchased land on the West River of the Chesapeake Bay which became the family vacation spot. Complete with boats and unlimited gasoline, a pool, land upon which we played games, and a big house in which his children,13 grandchildren, and many family and friends were blessed.
    I remember vividly, standing beside him in church while he belted out the hymns of the faith. He didn’t have the greatest of voices, but he sang with the gusto and joy of one who did! Such faith sung, was a faith lived in his day to day life, and because of his example, I was taught what it meant to follow Christ and to become a man.
    But when it was not Sunday morning or he was not playing cards or having fun with his family, Bada was

working. He was always repairing this or that, building some furniture out of wood, or painting what needed to be painted. As such, he was constantly in his shop, and consequently, we were often in his shop, either being with him as he worked or getting supplies for him so he could work.
The shop was filled with paint, turpentine, and various stains, all of which emitted a unique and powerful smell. If one were to deliberately sniff the stuff, they might be in trouble, but what wafted from those confines was a smell, which at least for me, was the smell of my grandfather. Since he worked with it often, the smell stuck to his skin and clothes, and where he went, he carried his vocation and passion with him.
Last week when the smells of paint wafted through the office, most of my staff were opening windows and complaining of headaches, but I simply told them, “point the fans my way, because that smell reminds me of one of the great influences of my life.”

In the Old Testament, the People of Israel were required to bring offering to the temple as sacrifices

of atonement for sins. The animals sacrificed were not just killed and left for dead, but they were burned. The understanding was that the fragrances of the smoke and burning was received by God as a sign of their love for God. It was a way of God being reminded of the One that loved God and whom God loved. It was also a way in which the people remembered and gave thanks for the blessings God had bestowed upon them.

Bada made many sacrifices for many people, and wrapped into the fragrance of paint and varnish was the fragrance of God revealed through his care and example for us. When I smell such things, the memories arise within, and with it come prayers of gratitude for the influence and blessing my grandfather was and is. It’s a gift he gave.
What I find myself asking is, “Do others experience God's fragrance through me?”

Who are the great disciples, mentors, and heros of your life? How are you embodying God’s example through them?

2010-08-18T14:18:00.000-04:00

     I had an interesting experience the other day. My son’s ipod was not working, and instead of sending it off for repairs, I found out that there was an Apple store nearby where we are spending our vacation, so I set up an appointment to take it in and have them look at it.
   I’m not sure how many of you have been in an Apple store, but the whole family was amazed. I try to keep up with the latest trends, and I think I have tabs on what’s hot. Maybe it’s because I’m a tried and true PC user that I’d not seen it coming, but I’d never seen anything like this.
   When we walked into the store, it felt like we were literally walking into the future. The store was simple, yet stark. Whites and shining chrome all around, then around each wall and lined neatly in rows throughout the store were tables. Along the walls at the front of the store were Apple products on display and inviting anyone and everyone to play with them – to engage the customer to fulfill something special with them. There were iphones, ipods, ipads, and macbooks, all open and ready for use.
   On the tables toward the front of the store were more toys to play with, then toward the back of there store, there were employees sitting down and holding session. Like rabbi’s teaching disciples, they were surrounded by potential buyers, showing them all the features of the newest macbooks and answering questions.
   Then toward the back was the service area, where repairs and inquiries were made. Two large monitors mounted on the walls, flashed tips for how to improve one’s Apple experience if one owned an ipod or ipad, intermittently throwing in a numbered list of the next customers to be helped.
   But what amazed us most was the amount of people in the store. It was literally packed, and for the hour that we were there it stayed that way. Throngs of people were there, all absorbing the energy of the place and taking some time to play and explore. Folks were playing on ipads, learning from an Apple guru, or roaming the store simply dreaming of owning a fun new gadget. It was truly an amazing experience.
   As I left the store and for the rest of the day I kept coming back to the question, “Why can’t the church be like that?” Yes, I know, the church shouldn't always follow pop culture and shouldn’t jump on every band wagon, but rarely to do experience the church as a place where another world opens up. Rarely are churches places where the people and/or the experience invite the stranger to experience something which will help them to engage in life and fulfill their purpose. This is sad, because that should be central to who we are and what we are about.

What is it that keeps the church from being a place where invitation to truly live exudes from it’s pores?

In three of the four Gospels, Jesus is recounted as sharing words which I believe speak to this

question. He says, “You can’t put new wine in old wineskins, because the old wineskins will tear.”
   As I read this, I hear Jesus telling the religious leaders of the day that He’s doing something new, but what happens with new things is that we humans have a tendency to place the new in perspective with the old...the familiar...the norm. But when we do that, I think Jesus is saying, it doesn’t work. Instead, we have to be willing to start anew and live into the new paradigm God provides for us.

   What is interesting about the church is that it is “established.” It lives by traditions and seems set in it’s ways, and in many churches, the seven last words of the Church (We’ve never done it like that before...), hold the church and its people captive to the past. In fact, this mentality acts as an insulator toward the change that God is bringing about in the world.
   I’m certainly not saying that we throw the baby out with the bath water and simply jump from trend to trend, but I do know that there is a world out there hungry for meaning for life. And I believe that the Church is the place where they can find that kind of meaning.
   And yet, so many, instead of heading to Church head to the Apple store. I wonder what it would take for the tides to change and the roles reversed? It will take a lot, but one thing is certain, it will take people like me and you to name the needed changes then take the lead in making them happen...

How does your Church insulate itself from the world? Is there anything you might do to be a catalyst for change so that those outside would be drawn to come in?

When was the last time your church or you stepped out into the world and studied what people are hungry for?

Forgiveness Required

2010-07-30T10:35:00.001-04:00

    Last week I picked up the book The Devil in Pew Number Seven by Rebecca Alonso (http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=838521 ), which is a true story written by a pastor’s daughter. The pastor moved into a small town church, and with his leadership the church began to grow and change. There was one man in the church and in town who did not wish such changes, and what began as harassment turned into threats. Eventually, the pastor and his wife were killed by this man whose obsession had become driving the pastor out of town and away from the church.
   It’s unbelievable that such a thing could happen, and just a little more than a quarter century ago, but what is most amazing is how her parent’s teaching and example about forgiveness was lived out in Rebecca’s life. On the back cover the author says that this is a story about how she discovered that as followers of Jesus Christ, we have to forgive.
   I’m a little more than halfway through the book, and in simply reading the things that that man did to their family, one sees clearly evil at work. As I read, those words on the back cover continue to haunt me. “As followers of Jesus Christ, we have to forgive.” How, in such a tragic situation, filled with such evil, can one forgive such things? I guess I’ll gain some insights as I complete the book.

   This morning when I opened my e-mail there was a correspondence from a former parishioner. She

is an elderly woman now, but when she was a child in Russian, she was sent away by the Nazi’s to German labor camps. She was separated from her family and country and forced to work for the enemy.
   Though I never had deep conversations about this with her, I had heard from others with whom she had shared her story, that in order to try and stave off the hunger pangs and to quench her thirst, she used to such on pebbles that were along the road, sucking out as much moisture as she could.
   If you were to meet Maria, you’d know without a doubt that she has a deep and genuine relationship with Christ. She is one of the gentlest and humblest people I have ever met, and many a sermon I looked out to see an aura of Christ-light which surrounded her. Always, she was gracious and built others up, and always she found a way to forgive.
   In this e-mail she shared with me that over the past few years, with the help of the internet, she has unearthed information about the fate of her family in Russia. Her father and brother both died in Siberian work camps, and her family, after 10 years was allowed to return to Russia, but not to their home region.
   She ended the e-mail by saying, “Sad though it has been, getting closure, praying for peace allows me to go on, and accept the “unacceptable” and grateful life.”
   As I read this, that phrase haunted me again, “As followers of Jesus Christ, we have to forgive.”

   Jesus spoke often of forgiveness, and one of the most direct and pointed statements comes when Peter ask about how many times one should forgive another, to which Jesus replies, “...not seven times, but seventy-times seven times.” (Matthew 18: 21-22) In other words, “Forgive, forgive, forgive.”

As I reflect upon what that looks like and how that might be lived out, I find myself naming a few things. 1) In order to live lives freed from powers other than God, we have to name them. 2) When we name them and forgive, then we take the power away from the other and place it (and ourselves) back in God’s hands. 3) Ultimately, God is control. 4) As hard as the narrow way is, we have to forgive.
No one said it was easy, and quite honestly, I don’t know how I would respond if I were placed in a situation where evil descended upon my family or my life, but my hope and prayer is that I would be able to forgive...forgive...forgive...

What or who do you need to forgive? What can you do to make that happen?

Jump Right In

2010-07-21T08:58:00.001-04:00

As I write this I am on a mission trip with our church. We are in Philadelphia, Mississippi working among the Choctaw people, Native Americans who have stood the test of time and lived powerful and humble lives in the face of adversity and prejudice. This is the second year we have come here, and indeed these are an amazingly resilient people through whom God continually reveals Himself to us.
This year we are working on three major worksites. We are fixing things around the mission where we are staying (http://gbgm-umc.org/global_news/full_article.cfm?articleid=5759 ) , painting the exterior of a home, and doing major renovations on a home close by. These renovations include fixing the roof, painting the outside, and completely redoing the kitchen and bathroom. All to be done in 4 days and with one relatively experienced adult leader and a lot of youth and adult helpers.

    Since the family could not go without a bathroom, yesterday was the day when the team pulled out the bathroom, including the rotten floor. As with many projects like this, the team thought they would simply pull up the vanity, toilet and bathtub, but once they got started, they realized that the whole floor had to come out.
   One of the adults started removing items from the small, hot bath, and as he did, cockroaches were skittering away and there was...well let’s call it “stuff”... “flying everywhere,” as he described it. Not wanting to do it all himself he asked, “Anyone else want to come in here and help?” Most of the youth standing and watching declined the offer, but one young woman said, “Sure!,” and jumped right in. She proved herself to be quite good at demolition, despite all the “stuff” that was before the team.
   Then when the toilet was removed it was taken outside to the front yard. At that point it was stated that

the toilet needed to be cleaned. Another one of the youth picked up the cleaning supplies and got right on it, while the owner of the home joined her and they worked together to make it right.
   So often when I come on trips like this, it is the youth who teach me. More often than not, they are the ones who step up to the plate and do the task that other refuse to participate in. They are the ones who reach out to the dirty, lice-headed children. They are the ones who give the devotion that sets it all in perspective. They are the ones who reach out to everyone, uninhibited, unafraid, and with enthusiasm and passion. So often I come away from trips reminded that I need to be more like them.

   Time after time, in story after story, God reveals how we should approach life, and time and again, God says “Trust me.” When God called Abraham, God said, “Follow me and I’ll give you more than you can imagine.” Abraham did. Moses was told, “Follow me and I’ll make you a free people.” Moses did, and they were. David faced a giant, and inside him there was a pull to step up trust in God. David did, and the giant was defeated.
   What’s interesting about these stories, and many of the stories in the Bible, is that God said “Follow. Trust,” and the response is, “Ok.” The faithful jump in and do what they have to do, despite all the “stuff” that is before them. Though there’s “stuff” flying everywhere, the faithful let God take care of all that stuff, and they simply live into God’s blessings.
   As I reflect upon what happened yesterday, I wonder how well I’m doing at jumping in and facing my “stuff.” I wonder how well you are doing facing your stuff. I hear God calling, and maybe you do to, saying “follow...trust.” And when I hear that call, I have a choice, we have a choice. Do we take the seemingly easy step and say, “I’ll pass”? Or do we take a risk, jump right in, and get ourselves dirty in the stuff of life?
   Our youth, our example? They choose the latter, and for that and them, I am eternally grateful.

What “stuff” are you facing? What choice will you make?

Calling

2010-07-09T10:16:00.000-04:00

Growing up my siblings and I spent a lot of time outside playing with each other and friends from school. We’d get together at the graveyard across the street and play hide-and-go-seek or head to the woods to live out fantasies of exploring the great jungles of the world or simply ride bikes or skateboards to our favorite locations. We were free to roam where we felt led, but there were two rules we had to live by: 1) Dinner was at 6, and we had to be home and ready to eat at 6. 2) If my father whistled and we were in earshot, we knew we needed to get home as quickly as possible. We obeyed these rules.

    My father had, and still has, a distinct whistle that pierces the air and travels far. He learned it from his father, who had the same rules we followed, and though I’d love to have learned the art of that particular way of whistling, I never did. Only my sister was able to master the ear piercing sound. But that whistle became a calling from our father for his children.
    When I heard that whistle a few things would happen. First, my heart would step up a beat or two per minute, because if we heard that whistle it usually meant one of two things, that either something had happened or that we were in trouble, both of which were not good news. Once I got over the initial shock, my brain would kick in, and I would think of my family and the need to get home to where my father was. Then my feet would take over, and I’d make my way home.
    It was amazing how far that whistle could travel. I could be at a neighbor’s house far, far away, but when that whistle blew I could hear it. My friends usually couldn’t hear it, but my siblings and I could. After all, it was our calling, and we had learned from an early age to listen out for that sound. As such, our hearts, ears, and minds always had receptors firing, even if we were not conscious of it, which when that sound flew through the skies, we heard and responded.

There’s a story in the Bible that I’ve always loved, and that is the story of the calling of Samuel (I Samuel 3: 1-21). It goes something like this. Samuel is just a young boy, and he is a servant of the temple, learning about the faith through the great priest Eli.
    In the middle of the night Samuel goes to sleep in the temple, and he hears a voice calling out, “Samuel!” It wakes him up, and he cries out, “Here I am!,” then runs to Eli. Eli says, “I didn’t call you. Go to sleep.” Samuel does, but this happens two more times, and after the third time Eli is woken up, he realizes that it is the Lord calling the boy. He tells Samuel, “Go lie down, and if he call you again, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.” Samuel does, and God calls again. God tells him that Eli has not been faithful, and that Eli’s family will be punished. But God also reveals Samuel’s calling – to be one of the great prophets of God who would anoint both Kings Saul and David.

    When I think of my father’s whistle, I realize that I had to be taught to hear it. Whether it was by my parents or my siblings, I don’t know. It was probably by watching my sisters and brother respond when dad called, but whatever the case, I had to be taught to listen and hear. In a similar vein, Samuel had to be taught to hear God’s voice. He had to be told what was happening and how to respond.
    Secondly, there was a part of me that had to remain aware that that calling might come at any time. Though I wasn’t always listening for it, like a radio tuned into a common frequency, there was a part of me that was always connected and ready to respond if the sound came.
    Finally, since I had been taught about the call and been aware, I knew that I needed to respond when it came, and if I didn’t, then I knew that my life would not be as good as it could be if I ignored or resisted it. I knew that I had to return to my father, because I was needed.

    By virtue of our baptism, each of us are called to do certain things with our lives. Even more powerfully, as creatures of the Creator, God has given us certain gifts and callings, which if we follow, will bless us and bring us fulfillment, while also blessing others and bringing fulfillment to the world. The key, however, is to first, learn how to listen, which is something that is taught.
    Whether taught by the community of faith in worship or in small groups, or whether taught by the Spirit in quiet times of meditation, we have to learn to hear the voice of God. We recognize and name that the more mature we get and the busier our lives become, that it is vital that we learn how to do this and practice the skill.
    Secondly, we have to tune in. Most often such learning and hearing comes through taking time to get away from the noise and simply being with and listening for God. It can come through being is service to others, sharing time with Godly people, or in worship. Everyone tunes in differently, but what is most important is to find out how we best connect with God, then be deliberate in connecting.
    Finally, when we connect, we need to respond. But, we don’t respond out of obligation. No, God doesn’t force us to do anything. Instead, we respond because when we follow God, then our lives are enhanced, and so are the lives of those around us. We respond, because when we do, we live in that place where God is at work, and all is right with the world. Oh, it might not be what others believe is “successful,” because it might drive us to live very different lives than those around us, but it is living where God calls us. To do so brings life, hope, and deep joy.

How are you learning to connect with God? Are you tuned in? Are you responding, even if the call seems to be pulling you far outside your comfort zone? Pray about it.

Seeing Through a Lens

2010-06-25T10:15:00.000-04:00

    This week we have celebrated Vacation Bible School (VBS) at Bonsack UMC. Over 100 children and youth and more than 40 adult workers have been a part of the annual tradition of sharing Christ’s love together. I say together, because even though VBS is marketed as something for the kids, in reality it is something that blesses all involved.
    This year I was invited to be photographer for part of the week. In three days I’ve taken almost 700 pictures, and as I have, I’ve found myself seeing VBS from a different perspective.
So often folks come to church in a posture of receiving, or we come anticipating and/or looking for something with which we can walk away, however, as photographer, I’ve experienced the exact opposite.
    Instead of experiencing the environment as something that I take in, mull over, and from which I take away nuggets of grace, I have found myself seeking to capture the moments when God has touched the lives of those in the environment. Instead of focusing on where God is touching my life, I have looked for the joy in

the eyes of the child and seen it. I have sought out the fun of playing games and seen that fun draws us together in fellowship. I have viewed the faces of adults and children alike hearing the stories of faith and capturing the marvel of such grace. I have seen God in a different way because I have been looking at others and seeing the environment through a different lens.

I have worn glasses for 15 years now and contacts for almost as long, and I remember when I first had to

have aid for sight, it took a little getting used to. After all, I was used to seeing with my own eyes. I didn’t like having my work framed by glasses, and often I would find myself taking my glasses off, thinking that I could see better without them, only to realize quickly that it only made things worse. I needed to look at life through lenses in order for all to come into focus.
    As I’ve been taking pictures for VBS, I have been reminded of this truth. I have remembered how often we come into an environment, whether home, work, church, or school, and we see what we know. We come with expectations and anticipations...and lenses..., all of which can distort reality. All of which can actually put things out of our focus on God, rather than focus us on God.
    Behind the lens I am looking at the world and seeking to find Joy and Hope. I am looking up on God’s children with anticipation of God shining through them, then I am trying to capture the moment so that Joy can become a witness to others...a reminder if you will, of the reality of life – that through the eyes of God, it’s not about us and that God surrounds and blesses us each moment.

    Mark recalls a healing story in his Gospel (Mark 8: 22-25), where a blind man begged Jesus to touch him. Jesus led him outside the village, spit on the man’s eyes, then touched him. Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” The man replied, “I see people, but they look like trees walking around.” Jesus touched the man’s eyes again, and when He did, the man saw everything clearly.
    There are many levels to this story and many interpretations, and that’s part of the reason I’ve always loved it. But what has the most impact on me here is that Jesus gives this man new lenses through which to see the world. At first there is still some blurring, but with another touch from Jesus the man can see everything clearly.
    Seems to me that that’s a lot how we are. So often we are blind to the world or blinded by the world, and so we beg Jesus to touch us. When he does, he gives us a different perspective, new sight, a new lens, if you will, and at first it’s a bit blurry. It doesn’t make much sense because it goes against the grain of society and what we are used to. And yet, when Jesus touches us again...and again and again...things begin to come more and more clear. We begin to see the world, our environment, and others through the lens of Christ.

As I reflect upon the purpose and goal of VBS, I think the same process happens. We share stories together which give all of God’s children a different perspective. They align us with God and God’s purposes, and they implant the lens of faith in our lives, so that children, youth, and adults alike, can see the world, our environment, and others through the lens of Christ.

When you look around...when you look in the mirror...what do you see? Through whose eyes are you looking? Are you willing to see those things that Christ sees, which we are so contentedly blind to?

Gatherings

2010-06-18T10:23:00.000-04:00

    Earlier this week I participating in the Virginia Annual Conference of the UMC, which is a gathering of pastors and laity from across our state to share in worship, church business, and fellowship. This Sunday at Bonsack UMC, we are doing something different, and instead of our usual two worship services, we will all be meeting for Sunday School at 9 then worship together at 10:15. Every Friday morning I gather with a group of men from the church to share in breakfast and Bible study. Through it all, what I am reminded is that there is power in gathering together.
    We live in a society that moves quickly and is easily distracted. Part of this has to do with the increase of technology and the “shrinking of the world,” but it also has to do with the increased prominence of individuality and tendency toward self-focus that pervades. As such we find ourselves easily caught up in facebook, twitter, and blogs. We see the world through OUR lenses and are blind to the needs of others. We focus on our desires and wants, and we so easily forget that others have desires and wants, or even that their needs are more important than our wishes. But there is something about coming together in a gathering which can break us out of these tendencies.
    Yes, Annual Conference is not always the most thrilling of events, but in being together I have the opportunity to hear of other ministries and see how God is working outside Western VA. Coming together for one service may or may not be something that everyone will like (we’ll see), but it is a chance to see the larger body of people devoted to Christ through this church. Getting to a 6:30 breakfast may cause us to lose a little sleep and cost some money, but in the midst of the interaction, in simply being together week after week, we experience something different. In all of these we experience God in a different way.

   Recounted in more than one of the Gospels, Jesus is with his disciples, and they are surrounded by people. All up and down the hillside are folks who have come to hear him preach, and preach he did. So long that it was supper time.
    Jesus looked to the disciples and said, “Feed them.” The disciples would have rather sent them home then invited them to return the next day, but Jesus would have none of that. Instead, they find some fish and some bread. Jesus blesses the food then tells them again, “Feed them.” And feed them they did...feed them HE did. Over 5000 were fed, and there were 12 baskets left over.

    Seems to me, this is an example of what happens at a gathering when Jesus is present. Jesus said that “when two or three were gathered in His name, that He’d be there,” so when more come, how much more present can He be?
    Whether it’s the larger body of the Church or a small ragtag group of journeyers, when there is a gathering, He’s with us. But even more so, when we all come together and all focus ourselves, open ourselves and really look and listen, in the midst of and through those gatherings, Jesus feeds us...with leftovers to share.

Growing and Changing

2010-06-11T10:40:00.000-04:00

No longer will my wife or I be driving our daughter to the big Baptist church in town for preschool. Next year she will join her brother in elementary school, where she will be a Kindergartner and he will be in Fifth grade. At least there will be one year where he can help acclimate her to the next step of schooling. Our other son will be in Seventh grade next year, which means that the next year, as the younger son will have helped his younger sister to understand the change, so the older son will do the same for his brother.

This week ended the school year and today begins summer for my family, and as the day settles I find myself filled with all kinds of thoughts and emotions. Memories ranging from when they were just bundles in my arms to a sense of aging for them and for me. Thoughts range from how far they have come to a sense of apprehension at the learning which will take place as the lessons of life are dispensed to each of them.

Then there is the recognition that I am not alone. Yes, my wife and extended family is in this with me, and so are the parents around us. As I delve deeper, I am reminded that this is nothing new. That generations have had to deal with this, and they survived.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad thing, and I’m not freaking out about these changes from year to year, but it does make one stop to think about life. It makes one carry out a series of internal assessments, raises questions, and positions one to simply be more aware of what life is about and how one is living daily. It makes one reflect upon change.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Jesus healing the man at the Sheep Gate (John 5: 1-11), where there was a natural spring that would intermittently be stirred by a current. The man

had been an invalid for 38 years, and everyday he would make his way to that pool because legend said that, if one were the first one in the pool when that water was stirred, they would be healed of their infirmity. The man was an invalid, unable to walk very well, and every time he tried to get in at the water’s stirring, someone would butt in front of him. Jesus learns about this man, and he asks the man, “Do you want to get well?”
    The man replies, “I’ve tried, but no one will help me.” To which Jesus said, “Pick up your mat and walk,” and the man did. The healing itself is extraordinary, but what is most powerful in the story is that the man said “yes.”
    Now you may think that’s kind of odd. After all, isn’t it a good thing for the man to be able to walk, to which I reply, “Yes.” But the ramifications for saying “yes” are huge. This is a man who only knows a begging life. He’s only known being an invalid. He only knows relying upon others, and if he was healed, then he’d have to change. His whole world would change, and everything would be different.
    Wow! That’s huge. I wonder how I’d respond. In fact, there are many times when I, and all of us choose NOT to go through the change. It can feel like it’s just too difficult.

We live in a world that, on the one hand lives for change, while at the same time struggles with the changes all around us. From technology to culture, change is evident, and we see and feel the impact of this in everything. In such a world it is easy to get caught up in the change and simply miss out on the little things, and yet the nostalgic part of us recognizes how important the little things are.

    This is the reason during this season of graduations and end of school, we feel the change. Its ramifications and implications are far reaching, and if we’re not careful they can make us depressed and/or feel lost. And yet, there is one constant that never changes, in the middle of the change is God.
    I love this Bible story because it is a challenge to us that, if we trust Jesus, then everything will change. It’s scary, and we feel helpless in it, but at the same time it is also freeing, for it means that we are no longer in charge. It means that, despite the changes, Jesus is there making things well. It means that we can give up trying to control everything, worrying about what we cannot change, and seeking our way rather than God’s way.
    God’s there in the midst of my aging children and my aging self. God’s there in the midst of friends who are moving away and those who are beginning new journeys. God is there in the grief of loss, and in the pain of divorce. God is wherever there is change, because God is the One that transforms all things into hope and new life.

Where do you need to be changed? Pray for the courage to trust and live into God’s gift of new life.

The Story of Our Lives

2010-06-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

God is telling a story.
It begins before time itself
And it never ends.
It's about you
And it's about God.
The story is one of reconciliation
And new life.
Join God now in telling this story
With your life.

   Most mornings I begin my day with the online devotional, www.d365.org. It follows an ancient and basic format and pattern known as “Lectio Divina,” which helps one to focus on the scripture of the day and allow the Spirit to connect that scripture with our daily living. The statement above is the benediction for this week’s devotional, and as I have read it each day, I’ve found myself reflecting upon what it means for God to tell a story with our lives.
   One of the things my wife and I have been deliberate about with our children is that we read to them. From the time they were infants we’ve read bedtime stories, and as they have aged, we’ve progressed to more and more complex books. Chipping away, one chapter at a time, we’ve made it through all of the Narnia and Lemony Snickets series, and we are now on the last Harry Potter book.
   In sharing that time, we allow our imaginations to form and develop, and that which is on the page comes to life inside of us. That which another has transferred from thought to paper, is transferred to us and becomes a part of us. It shapes and forms us, and in many ways, that which is word becomes a part of our lives and living.

   The longer I am a pastor, the more meaningful and relevant is the beginning of John’s Gospel. Yes, I know I referenced it just a few blogs ago, but there is much to be said for “The Word becoming Flesh.” Jesus, the Word, indeed became flesh and blood and came to the neighborhood, but the invitation and call for us is that we become that Word, that Body of Christ in the world...in OUR world...so that others might see and receive the joy God invites us to share.

   In light of that Word becoming flesh in and through us, think about the words of the devotional. God is telling a story (and we are included). It begins before time itself and it never ends (and we are a part of that story, characters in the great narrative of life). It’s about you and it’s about God. The story is one of reconciliation and new life (and that reconciliation and new life is not only for you but to be lived into – accepted and give – by you). Join now in telling this story with your life (for the only way to truly live is to live the story of God).

What story is God telling through you? How are you daily living as God’s story teller?

It's about the Journey

2010-05-28T22:10:00.002-04:00

   The last few weeks have been filled lots of activity and more stress than usual. During such times I try to keep tabs on what I’m thinking and feeling, and where I am spiritually. When I find myself quick to react, feeling anxious inside, and sensing a desire to get away from it all, I know it’s time to reconnect with myself and God. Today was that day for me, however what I received was a lesson and reminder from God.
    I decided to spend the day hiking to McAfee’s Knob, a hike I’ve never completed and have wanted to for awhile. So after breakfast and packing the daypack, I headed south on I-81 prepared to get there and get some time to myself, however, my mind was running so fast that I missed the exit. As luck would have it, there was a traffic backup ahead that slowed me down.
    At the time the anxiety that had built up began to build to where I felt my BP rising. I wanted to be on my way and get there quickly, but traffic was stopped. I took the next exit figuring it would connect where I needed to go, but of course, after 10 minutes I realized I was just circling back toward the city. So I turned around and backtracked up the interstate, only to turn onto the very exit I had missed earlier. Lesson 1 of the day: God knows better than I do.
    Ready to get on the trail, I drove to the parking lot, got my gear, then headed up the trail. There were a few folks in the parking lot with whom I shared a quick “Hi,” but I was ready to go, so I headed out. I thought about asking them if I was headed toward McAfee’s Knob but didn’t.
    As I headed up the trail, it was beautiful. It was gorgeous weather, and along the way I came across beautiful insects, flowers, and scenic views. The pitch of the mountain wasn’t too bad, and I was making good time. I figured I’d be there quicker than planned...until I began to head downhill.

At first I figured that I was just going down to head back up, but the trail led down to a meadow. I knew I was supposed to be on a mountain and not in a valley. I checked my mileage, and I had traveled 3.75 miles. The Knob is 4.4 miles from the parking lot. I knew something was wrong, so I called a friend who had been to McAfee’s Knob and asked if there was a meadow on the way. He didn’t remember one then asked, “Did you cross over the road when you parked and head back on the AT toward Roanoke?” “No,” I replied. I was then 8 miles from where I had planned to be. Lesson 2 of the day: Ask others for help.

    I could have flipped out, or I could have laughed. I chose the latter, and as I turned back toward the parking lot, I began to pray. “OK God, what lessons are you going to teach me today.” Though I intended it to be a spiritual trip, this was the first time I had asked.
    I headed back up to the ridge, because I knew just the place to eat lunch, a nice rock cropping.   I found my way there then sat down to eat. It was nice and quiet, and I began to open up to God and listen. About the time I ended finished my lunch, I heard some folks behind me, and three men came up, one from GA and two from SC. They, of course, sat down and asked, “Mind if we eat here?” Inside I thought, “Yes I mind,” but I said, “Sure.”
    They had started their trip on April 5th and they were hiking through to Maine. This piqued my interest, and we began to talk. We shared stories while they ate, and part of our discussion centered around a local restaurant known by folks passing through for a good meal. They hoped to get a ride there when they got to the road. Still a bit guarded, I told them about the restaurant but didn’t offer the ride. Lesson 3 of the day: God provides opportunity to share despite own self-interest.
    Our discussion ended abruptly when I received a call on my cell from a friend with whom I needed to speak. I told them I had to take it and headed on. As I hiked, my friend shared that his father-in-law is under hospice care with brain cancer. In the midst of the discussion I heard a voice say to me, “It’s not about the destination but about the journey.” As I journeyed on foot, I felt the weight of his journey and prayed for them all.

    I continued along the path, coming up on a beautiful and rather large black snake, and was reminded that there are many along the journey crossing paths.   Soon after that, I received another call, only this was from a colleague seeking some support and advice. I sat down on a stump for a bit and listened. After sharing his situation, I shared a bit about why I was on the hike and some of the frustrations I’d been dealing with. He answered, “Can you keep walking while I pray?” “Sure,” I said, and I did.
    Praying with my eyes opened and feet moving, I didn’t realize how much I needed that prayer. He prayed for me, my family, and the church. He invited the Spirit to enter in and out with every breath, and as he prayed I felt that Spirit come and reside in me. I felt the weight lift off and heard those words again, “It’s not about the destination but about the journey...and I am with you in the journey.”
    I was blessed by that prayer, and after I hung up the phone the pieces began to come together. I had been so focused on what I wanted, I had lost sight of what God needed, or should I say I lost sight of what I really needed. I have been so focused on getting things done at work and completing tasks, that I’d found myself frustrated when God had invited me to enter in relationship. Lesson 4 of the day: It’s not about the destination but about the journey.
    My pace slowed, and I began to take in more of the scenery around me. My mind was clearing and I stopped at a few of the outcroppings to simply take in the views. At one of the last outcroppings I heard my friends from lunch come up. We talked a bit more, and I felt a nudge of the Spirit and said, “Why don’t we walk down together, then I can give you a ride to the restaurant.”
    So that’s what we did. We walked and talked, me sharing that I was a pastor, and one of the men sharing that he was Anglican and worked with recovering addicts through a Christian shelter. We spoke of Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline and what it’s like to walk the walk. I believe we both were blessed through the sharing.
    When we finally reached the car, they all decided to go to the restaurant. I shared some flavored waters with them, and as we said our good-byes my new friend said, “I think God placed you on this path to help us out and to be a part of the journey.”
    As I drove home, I said a prayer of thanks, for I believe that my new friend was right.

What are you most focused on, the destination or the journey? Where is God in whichever place you answer?

The Reason He Came, the postscript

2010-05-21T10:21:00.000-04:00

Early this week, I wrote about some of the struggles that can come when we humans interact and navigate relationship, and as part of that blog, I talked about how we are the reason Christ came. The tone of those musing were hopeful in the midst of struggle, and as the week has progressed the hope has turned to Joy, and it came about through a group of diverse and amazing youth. But let me back up...
You see, this Sunday is Confirmation Sunday, and 14 weeks ago, I began a journey with a group of 18 Confirmands, a handful of youth mentors, and my youth pastor. Over the course of the Confirmation

experience we’ve shared discussions, insights, and even some mundane, and at times frustrating, evenings together, but over those 14 weeks, we’ve been blessed. Put more specifically, I have been blessed, for as happens year after year, I have been reminded that indeed, we are the reason He came.
   This past Wednesday was our final session together. It began with a dinner for the Confirmands and their mentors, where we shared time simply talking about the Confirmation experience. After dinner we joined the families of the Confirmands in the Sanctuary for our closing worship. During that time...He came. Christ was present in the songs we sang, prayers we prayed, even a little bit in the words I shared, but the Spirit of God descended during Communion and in our closing.
   For communion we had the Confirmands each serve their mentors and families, and I was blessed with a front row seat, because my youth pastor and I are helping to coordinate and prompt the Confirmands to switch the communion elements as their families come forward. Communion always touches me, but it is powerful to experience parents, siblings, grandparents, and siblings coming forward with hands opened up and eyes wide opened ready to receive to the gifts of God’s grace. In the eyes of some, I saw pride, in others tears, in others even a bit of haziness, as if the minds was trying to put the pieces together that this was all really happening. At the table we were fed.
   But the Spirit’s movement was most powerfully felt in the opportunity to share a simple Word. We made a circle around the Sanctuary, then all were invited to share, as they felt led, a word of thanksgiving for God and/or where they saw God at work through Confirmation.
   If you’ve ever taught or worked with youth, you know what an amazing experience this can be, but you also know that it can be frustrating and at times feel a bit pointless, because you wonder if they’re really getting it. But then when you think that they don’t, they blow you away.

    Well that’s what we felt there in that room that night, for as each parent spoke with pride of their child or shared words of thanks for God and those around the room, the Spirit descended and simply opened up these kids who either had a difficult time staying on task in class and/or simply remained silent week after week. Instead of such reactions, they spoke and shared. Eloquently and emotionally, they shared how God has changed them, and in their eyes, hearts, and voices, we saw, and see, this to be true. It was an overwhelming evening, for which I am truly thankful.

   St. John was not just a disciple, but he was the author of a few of the books of the Bible, most notably, the Gospel titled with his name. In the very first paragraph John speaks of Christ, God’s Word, being with the Father at the beginning. Then he goes on to discuss how Christ came to earth and how John the Baptist would pave the way for Christ to come. Then John says a peculiar thing: “The Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory...full of grace and truth.”
   When I read or pray about this story, I remember and give thanks for the experiences like I did two nights ago. Experiences from mission trips or in times spent counseling people or in worship through which the Spirit comes and transforms the situation and the people involved. The Word, Jesus Christ, becomes flesh and lives among us, and WE see his glory full of grace and truth.

   In that worship, through these amazing youth, the Word has become flesh and indeed dwells among us full of grace and truth, and this Sunday as they are Confirmed as full members of the Church, that flesh takes shape and form and becomes a part of the Body already alive. I can’t wait to see how God is going to use this Word...these youth...to make a difference for the Kingdom of God.

Do you believe this statement?: “The Word becomes flesh through us.”
It is true, and it has great power, if and when we believe it and live it.

The Reason He Came

2010-05-18T10:53:00.000-04:00

    Being a pastor has its ups and downs. There is great elation in being a part of God’s work and seeing God use ordinary people to do extraordinary things. There are great blessings which come when we are (I am) able to let go and let God work, thus maximizing the potential God has placed in us as well as the potential God has placed in the community of faith. At the same the pains and struggles of life and relationships too often reveal that we are indeed human, fallible, and prone to misunderstanding and misdirection.
   I remember growing up as preacher’s kid I hated the unnecessary pain that was inflicted because someone got upset over something or someone did something to another, and suddenly a hornet’s nest was opened up and the stinging was passed from one person to another. This is the very reason I said I’d never be a pastor! I often remember the phrase, “I love the Church, and I’d love it even more if it weren’t for the people...” It would be a humorous phrase if it weren’t so true.
   And yet, as I’ve grown in my faith and in my vocation, I am more and more convinced that it is for just such people and situations that I’m called (and gifted) to minister to. Even more importantly, it is to just such people that He came.
   Now when I say “just such people,” I’m including myself in the equation. After all, like everyone I make mistakes and get caught up in my own desires, and it takes a constant re-examining and re-aligning myself with the Spirit for me to try to stay on the path of faith. But part of what this means is that I too am the reason He came. And He came for you as well.

   There is an interesting story that is told about how one day the mother of James and John, the Zebedee brothers, came with her sons and said to Jesus, “Give me your word that you’ll give these

two the highest seat in heaven – one on your right and one on your left.”
   Jesus responded, “You don’t know what you’re asking.” He looked at the brothers and asked, “Are you willing to die as I die...for the Kingdom?” They say, “Sure. Jesus answers, “Yes, you will die but it’s not my place to give these seats up.”
   As you can imagine, this causes a ruckus among the rest, then they started judging and wanted those places for themselves. Jesus calmed them down and says, “It's so easy to get so caught up in power and ourselves that it goes to our heads. But this is the way it is: Whoever wants to be great, must be a servant, and whoever wants to be first, must be a slave.”
   When I read this, I remember that Jesus knew and knows us all too well. We tend to think of and for ourselves, and when it comes to religion, watch out because it is a very personal and volatile subject. But what I’ve found is that if we just step back from our defensiveness...just risk seeing things from the perspective of the other, and even dare to admit that relationships are messy and can only be straightened out together, then if we do this, God has a way of putting the pieces back together. Even better, God puts them back to a place where they are stronger.
   I’ve learned the hard way, greatness and being right is not all that it’s cracked up to be, and at least for me, that’s not the point. Instead, what God desires is that we seek understanding and living into the kind of life He offers. I know that when I do that and seek that, then at least for me, my life and the lives of those around me are much better.

It’s funny/interesting. Jesus came for you and me. He came to save all, and part of what that meant for Him and means for us, is that He needed to understand us and we needed to understand Him. The way He did it is the very way He invites us to live, to be humbled, to be servant, for in doing so, we discover the very One who was slave to all and who on the other side, brought New Life and Hope.

What situations have I had to deal with lately that have invoked a sense of entitlement or seeking for self? How might I humble myself to try and make things right? What might God be teaching me through those situations?

Olfactory Awareness:

2010-05-05T09:49:00.000-04:00

   As an undergraduate I dabbled with it, but it wasn’t until I was in seminary that I really became hooked on it. Incense.
   A friend in college, who was a vegan, always very spiritual, but not really Christian, turned me onto it. She would burn it in her dorm room, despite the rules against burning in such confined spaces, and whenever I entered, there was a serenity that seemed to settle on those in that space. The smell of ancient meditation engulfed us, and it became a sacred space.
   I learned about meditation in seminary, and my Spirituality professor shared with us that the use of incense is an integral part of Christian spirituality history. That even before Christ, those in the synagogues would burn incense to offer pleasing scents to God, but also as a reminder that God is in the very air we breath. That when we take in the smell, we are reminded that we take in God, then breathe God out again. Ever since then, I’ve always had incense on hand.
   Every morning at the office, I begin with quiet time...and incense. As soft music plays, and I share in the daily meditation of www.d365.org , I light a candle or two and from the light of God light pencil thin sticks coated with natural herbs mixed to the right proportion, let them burn a bit then blow them out. From the burning embers wafts forth fragrance and smoke. The smoke curls with the moving air in circles, winding it’s way toward candle light and wrapping around my computer monitor.
   With the smoke come the unique and powerful smells, a comfort for me since my mind and soul associate it with time with God. As it washes over me the Spirit comes over me as well, and I settle into the presence of holiness. I am reminded that God is in the air I breathe and in all things.

   They say that our olfactory system is the most powerful system in the body when it comes to memory. That which we smell can trigger emotion, memory, and response, and through our olfactory systems we can become aware. We can become more aware of where we have come from, where we are, and where we are going. We can become more aware of the Truth that we are not alone. We can become aware of God’s grace and love.
   I did a search of the Bible, and there are 136 references to “incense” in the Old Testament, most of which reference offering incense as something pleasing to God, which implies a desired connection on God’s part with us. As I think about how smells affect us, I can’t help but reflect upon how maybe the same is true with God. After all, if we are offering smells up to God, God must surely take them in, and a world of emotions, memories, and responses come to life. Maybe God becomes more aware of where we have come from, where we are and where we are going. Maybe God is reminded again that we need God’s love and grace every day. That we need God to be in the air we breathe...

   When Jesus was on the earth, he made a promise which was later fulfilled. He said, “I will send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to be with you.” On Pentecost that promise came true, and God’s Spirit has enveloped the earth, and what is amazing to me, is that that same Spirit envelopes us.
    Have you ever felt alone? Ever felt like God has abandoned you? Ever felt like everyone has abandoned you? Maybe what you need is a little ‘olfactory awareness’? A reminder of the presence, life, and love of God which washes over all of us, all the time.

   If you do, it might stir up some memories for you, and it MAY stir up some memories for God. Offerings do that, and often God and people are changed by what is offered.