Reminder of the Call

   January 1, 2009 is an anniversary.  You see, on December 31st 1998, I went to bed with a prayer that God would make himself real to me.  The next morning, I awoke to what I have described as the scene in the Wizard of OZ, when Dorothy opens the door from her house to OZ.  It was the movement from black and white to color.  That morning, I awoke to God's technicolor in my life.        Ten years later, my life is very different because of that prayer.  I'm ordained and I'm serving under appointment in the North Carolina Annual Conference.   What a difference a decade makes.     

    My prayer today is that God will make himself real again.  To open doors I didn't expect.  To visit the equivalence of OZ.  To meet the people like the Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion again.  Actually, they all exist in our churches.  Would that we as pastors be willing to share the journey with them to the Emerald City.  Isn't that the call of pastors, living in communities that seek God.  

   My prayer during 2009 is that all pastors, myself included, live into God's reality not their own.  God's plans are better than ours any day!

Betwixt & Between

    So New Year is almost upon us--at least the secular new year. New Year in the Church began at Advent. What New Year resolutions will you make? What habits will you change this year?
   We live betwixt and between the Advents of Christ. Which are we closer to--the first or the second? Depending on your doctrine, it could be the second.
   For me, I'm living in a betwixt and between time.  I know I will move in June (yes, we Methodists like our summer trips to be across the conference to somewhere new).  I'm engaged in my ministry, but I don't look to start things as much as prepare things for new leadership.  Everyone wants to know where I'm going.  Speculation is a worthless commodity.  I've come to realize that I want certain things in the next appointment, but I'm reminded by the Holy Spirit of the Wesleyan Covenant prayer:
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

Perhaps the New Years Resolution is to pray the prayer in earnest and live the prayer faithfully.

Happy New Year

Wisdom Reminder

From Tim Keel's blog (http://www.timkeel.com/timkeel/)
"The monastic perspective can assist us specifically with regard to understanding the value of community. Imagine for a moment that the people you encounter at home, work, or school are the very people God has given you to pray with, eat with, and play with for the rest of your life. And you are supposed to thank God for this, every day, several times a day. This is what monastic people take on. And what they've learned from this particular asceticism, in attempting to live in peace with themselves and with others, may constitute their greatest gift to us. How radical to think that we can best know ourselves by embracing commitment, not rejecting it; by relating to others, not callously relegating them to the devilishly convenient category of 'other.'"

From Kathleen Norris, Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life.

'Nuff said!

Getting It Right!

Get two or more pastors in a room and roll out this request, "Tell me about your church." Invariably one or more of the pastors will begin to regale the others with what is wrong with their church. I know, I've been on both sides of that statement. Most of the time, this refrain is added, "They just don't get it." It stands for a myriad of shortcomings.
However, tonight--TONIGHT, St Paul got it right.
Tonight was the end of the fall semester Spirit of St Paul Wednesday night dinners and programs. More about Spirit of St Paul another post.
Here's the point of tonight. We invited 40+ students from a local elementary school to our Wednesday night program. We had a couple teachers as chaperones. In addition, we had approximately 160 of our own men, women, youth and children at the event. We served the kids first, sat them at the front of the room at reserved seats. Several of our youth acted as table monitors helping the kids with dinner and dessert.
Afterwards, we had Santa Claus come and read "The Night Before Christmas" to everyone there. Then, all of the kids from the school received a gift bag with small toys, mittens, a ginger bread man and a copy of "TNBC." Several of the kids had never been to a church before. Several were taken to our sanctuary to see it. After the evening, the kids were taken back to school to their parents.
For one evening, the focus of the evening was not about us or our kids, but the least, the lost and the lonely. For a church more willing to write a check instead of getting our hands dirty, this is the start.
Tonight, they got it right--it is better to give than to receive. Amen!

Paying Out

For all you Methodist pastors, here's a thought.

Over the last couple months, we've had this internal conversation in our church about the budget. It seems that September panicked everyone about giving. We dropped tens of thousands that month over last year. As such, we've looked at the budget, tried to figure what we could do without over the period and looked to limp into the new year where all of a sudden, we will have money that we don't have now.

Over the last couple months, the question that has resonated with laity and staff is, "Are we going to pay out?" In other words, are we going to pay our apportionments in full by the end of the year. Apportionments are the funds that support the structure of the UMC. Paying 100% is so important that it's on the pastor profile we fill out each year. Bringing people to Christ is good, preaching sermons are good, providing discipleship to others is good, however, don't pay your apportionments, no gold star by your name on the pastor profile.

So we're worry that we might not "pay out."

Question: Is the focus on paying out or on discipleship? In my naive and simple way, I believe that giving even in an era of economic stress is a spiritual issue not a financial one. Many times, we frame the debate in terms of obligation. In order for us to meet our budget, we need you to give X amount. Perhaps that mindset should be framed in terms of generosity.

In John's gospel, God so love the world that he gave his only begotten son. "Only begotten" seems to imply all. Or the widow's mites. Jesus remarked about giving her all. Jesus speaks of an abundant life--does it come from obligation or generosity? Which fuels the abundant life?

In other words, if we give out of our generosity, will we worry about "paying out"? Hmm?!

Can I get a witness

Ben Witherington has this video on his blog. Any pastor who has been a pastor for more than a year has a wedding story. Or several. One of mine occurred out of high school. (No I was not a pastor yet) The young couple wrote their own vows. When the time for the vows cames, the bride (an angel) recited her. The groom promptly forgot his and replied, "WOW!" We were on the floor.
Or there was the wedding in the mountain in college in a small Baptist church on the side of the mountain. It was hot that day, no air conditioning--just funeral home fans (this was 1979!) What made the wedding was the bridal march played over busted speakers--"Here Comes the Bride" sounding like Thomas Edison had produced that version.
Ah, weddings!

Can I Get A Witness

Ben Wetherington has this video on his blog.  Any pastor who has been a pastor for more than a year has a wedding story.  Or several.  One of mine occurred out of high school.  The young couple wrote their own vows.  When the time for the vows cames, the bride (an angel) recited her.  The groom promptly forgot his and replied, "WOW!"  We were on the floor.  

Or there was the wedding in the mountain in college in a small Baptist church on the side of the mountain.  It was hot that day, no air conditioning--just funeral home fans (this was 1979!)  What made the wedding was the bridal march played over busted speakers--"Here Comes the Bride" sounding like Thomas Edison had produced that version.  

Ah, weddings!  

Simple is NOT easy

So I begin to blog this past summer.  Four blogs then silence.  Blogging is simple.  Put thoughts on a screen and push publish.  But no blogs for several months.  

Or trying to change my life--loose weight, get organize and live abundantly.  Sounds simple.  But it's not.  

Perhaps the problem in the Church is that we are more attuned to easy rather than simple.  Simple takes time to master.  We like easy.  We like to push the easy button and magic occurs.  Simple is different.  Simple requires practice.  Ah, perhaps that's the missing word, practice.  Practice implies effort, repeatability and sustainability. 

The more I'm part of a church community, the more I'm beginning to believe that the Church is not lacking in orthodoxy as much as orthopraxis.  What the church as understood and done for centuries are the spiritual disciplines.  Wesley called the means of grace--study, pray, etc.

Disciplines require effort, repeatability and sustainability.   

This thought resonated with me earlier today.  I go to the gym to run on a treadmill for 30 minutes and 15 minutes on an elliptical walker.  I don't like to go.  However, the accountability of having to loose 5 pounds by Sunday, December 7 and weigh in front of the congregation drives me forward.  Call it shame!  It works.  I'm within 2 pounds and possibly will close the gap in the next couple days with good dieting and exercising.  Disciplines.  Simply though not easy.  

Let's shoot for simple instead of easy.

Clutter

So it's been nearly 5 months since I wrote.  With the exception of one individual, the world hasn't missed my profundity.  

Why the silence?

Nothing to write, hardly.  

Nothing to say, hardly.

Perhaps it is the realization that my life has way too much clutter.  Having spent 1/2 day in a time management class in November, I have learned that clutter is delayed decisions.  

Sadly, my life is crammed full of closets and boxes and tubs of delayed decisions.  Sadly, most of us are encased in clutter.  What decisions have we put in closets, boxes and tubs to delay the decision.  Paul writing the Corinthians speaks of the day of salvation--a time of decision.  

Perhaps today is the day of decision making.  I know that over the last several months, I've wrestled with the need to make decisions and live out those decisions.  More about those in the coming days.  

However for today, perhaps the most important decision is to profess and believe, "Come Lord Jesus!"  Welcome to Advent!!

Feeling Weird

It has started again. Back in the summer of 1999, I received my call to ordained ministry. The call and its acceptance left me feeling weird. Then in the summer of 2001, I began my first appointment in Granville/Vance county. I remember that for weeks after the appointment, I kept telling myself that the Bishop and the DS had made a mistake and would realize that they had appointed me to a parish to minister. So for weeks, I felt weird. I kept feeling that I was not a pastor, but playing one in "real" life. Then one day, I realized that I no longer felt weird, but had become the pastor to the parish.

Well the weirdness has started again. Now that I'm ordained, I wear a stole in the traditional worship service and for the funeral I've done recently. Wearing the stole after seven years of not wearing one is weird. I have to remember the color of the paraments in the sanctuary. Prior to ordination, I just zipped up the robe and headed to sanctuary. Now, I have to put on the stole before I leave my office. In addition, I don't seem to have the hang of wearing the stole with both sides uniform. Invariably, I get one shorter than the other.

Now the good part of feeling weird--ministry is still important. It is easy to become cynically or jaded by the routine of ministry (whatever that constitutes). My prayer is that I continue to find ministry weird and exciting and challenging every day, week, month and year under appointment. Too many pastors have forgotten their first love and call. Here's to feeling weird!

Set Apart

Version 2.0 of "Setting Apart". I just lost version 1.0 so eloquently developed that version 2.0 is a downgrade--see Vista back to XP.

The last week and a half has been a time of adjustment to ordination. People ask me, "Do you feel different because you are ordained?" Feel is probably not the best word to describe my understanding of ordination in my life. After 9 years, I have fulfilled the call to ministry that God placed upon me. That which began in late February/early March has come to fruition on June 11th.

Last Sunday, I wore a stole for the first time of my ministry. It felt weird because for 7 years, I have worn a preaching robe without a stole. Looking at the video after the service, I thought, "I need to do a better job of balancing the stole around my neck--one side was longer than the other."

Last Sunday like the previous Sunday and previous days, I performed the responsibillities of first a student pastor and then an associate pastor. My hope after 10 days is that I will continue to grow in Christ. That ordination opens new opportunities to serve Christ, not to lord over others or feel superior because I've been ordained.

In six months, I'll have a better understanding of my ordination. Perhaps then, I can express it better.

Healthy Congregation Initiative

Our church has been moving through the North Carolina Annual Conference initiative for Healthy Congregations. This began last year with our DS giving out the initiative packets to us. I gave my packet to our Church Council chair to review. As he reviewed it and mulled over its consequences, the senior pastor began to move toward starting the initiative in January 2008. Over 5 Sundays after the 11 am service 60 to 75 people (young and old) worked through the daily Bible studies, the evaluations and each others' thoughts. So what came out of it--possibilities. The group gave ideas for action plans for the Church Council. The Council established 3 action plans: 1. Hire a youth director. 2. Emphasize local mission opportunities, especially a partnership with Habitat for Humanities. 3. Rededication to the baptismal vows--to support our local congregation with our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our services.

So where do we stand nearly a year after the initiative was given to us? Regarding the action plans: 1. We have raised over 2/3 of the money for a youth director and have begun the selection process. 2. We have hosted a group working on a habitat house earlier this year, we are moving forward to raise $4000 toward sponsorship of a home. 3. We had our Rededication service on May 18Th with a baptismal renewal service.

In talking with the Church Council chair, it appears we are at the end of the beginning. Call it the end of phase 1 and the start of phase 2.

Why Seinfeld Doesn't Work for Me

Having something to say doesn't mean anyone cares to listen. And blogging tends to affirm that notion.
Therefore, this blog is launched with the intention of spurring listening, questioning and discussing God and The United Methodist Church.
Seinfeld, the TV show, announced it was a "show about nothing." Wikipedia says about the characters, "were 'thirty-something singles ... with no roots, vague identities, and conscious indifference to morals'." While that made the show such a hit on television, it makes for a poor role model for the Church. Yet the Church is filled with Seinfeld-like characters--no roots, vague identities, and conscious indifference to morals. In contrast, the Bible tells us that our baptism establishes our roots and identities as children of God. It goes on to establish that morality is not relative and individualistic but guided by standards imposed by the Creator--God. So Church what do our lives look like then?