I have recently been quite surprised by the number of surprise calls from friends and folks whom I think of often, yet fail to keep in touch with very readily. These are actually people I consider friends and even family. I have been in their weddings, they in mine, I have even officiated a couple of them. And what a wonderful feeling it is to be extended God's grace in this way. To be thought of also in the same way your are thinking of them, yet something in life seems to get in the way at that moment you decide to reach out and touch them by phone. And I just don't care for the e-mail thing. That's for work in my opinion - a convenient way to help pass information that the world seems is important more quickly (i.e. get the crap out the way quicker).
I have decided that it is an important spiritual discipline to "keep in touch." Jesus was always reaching out and touching. That was the helaing ministry. And though in these relationships I have not been worthy to touch the hem of Christ's garments, I have been turned upon and healed wiht grace all the same. Of course, this may not be news to many. Of course it is spiritual to be keeping in touch. But I mean deeply touching each other, not just constantly or rapidly. I mean taking time every other night and devoting the kind of time you devote to your children or spouse - the kind of time where nothing else matters.
I am looking forward to my new practice. I am going to make it a priority to take time and call those who have recently contacted me first and work form there. As I enter more and more into this pastor stuff I am beginning to understand more and more the wise words Garrison Kiellor uses to sign off each morning from NPR's writer's almanac: "Be well, do good work, and keep in touch." And for those who think, "2 out of 3 isn;t bad at all," I'm here to tell you of these three none is greater than the other.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Friday, June 08, 2007
What Was Up There?
I was recently asked by a friend regarding my "bridge" post, what exactly I saw up there on the bridge. Here are just a few things:
someone who needs a little more guidance and attention now...
I saw what time it truly is in my life...
someone who needs a little more guidance and attention now...
celebrations of life that are taken for granted (and two parades)
The endless possibilities that the priority of happiness has to offer
some things are just too much of a sticky situation
you'll always have your friends ... I love this pic by the way... I call it 'Livy E' because they look so natural and wonderful in this picture plus it looks like an album cover and their duet would be called 'Livy E'...
God's helping hand is ready for those willing to take the journey
Peace to you my Friends.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Diversity Management...
In recent months I have been blessed with a great deal of revelation and spiritual renewal, hence the previous post of crossing the bridge. Part of that renewal has been through defining things that have been with me and agitating me all along without a full understanding. One of these "defining" moments came through a mix of understanding the need for particular shifts in church culture, a slight discontent with youth ministry experiences, and the quote a quote from Ed White that recently lit up over my head.
Ed White was one of the facilitators at the missional/emerging church conference I attended in Princeton back in April. He is retired Presbyterian minister who still does consultation with Presbyteries and churches through Alban Institute. He was in a dialogue with Brian McClaren when he asked if Brina agreed with this statement: "Would you say that churches and the whole Christian faith are overmanaged and underled?" Of course, everyone in the room agreed. I agree, but was only seeing half the picture. I was seeing how the congregation I serve overmanages with none of its leadership positions neither currently functioning nor envisioned to function as leaders. The chruch overmanages and underleads. And here is how it has transformed my life and ministry.
I was also recently engaged in some sort of middle judicatory argument over the involvement of several generations in the discernment of some serious regional decisions. The "young adults" in the region got up in arms about the lack of "young adult" representation in this discrernment. On one hand, it is a theologically valid point in many ways. However, on the other the proposal of the said discouragment was sinful and simply a carry over of past overmanagement of different groups of people. Beside the fact that there is no clear way to define "young adult" except by age, and that age range is different with every person you ask, there is a problem with leading us all together into one vision of what God desires of all people. My friend April icnurred me to think the following: (mostly her thoughts adopted ofr my own spiritual renewal - thanks Pastor April!) At what point am I no longer a "young adult" and fenced in by all the misgivings and generizations aht come with that title. I am 33, a father of one and one on the way, married for 71/2 years, have nearly twelve years of experience in pastoral leadership, have been through college, seminary, and continuing ed seminars at some of the finest insititutions in the world, have lost a mother to terminal illness at 19, baptized a 4-month still born fetus, layed to rest an 8-month pre-mature baby, led younger and older couples than I into marriages that will certainly last longer than a lifetime, sandbagged a river with Desmond Tutu, paid off three automobiles, and have purchased a house, just to name a few things. At what point can I no longer limit myself to being a "young adult" and be considered a child of God with knowledge, wisdom, experience, wit, energy, and desire that is worthy enough to make my gifts considerable beyond my demographic? I have been offended by many older folks in my pastoral positions, but I have really been recently offended by my own "clan."
Thus the problem with the whole church. We do a great job of managing programs, age-defined groups of people, as well as gender and culturally-definded groups. But we are doing a poor job as doing the one thing we are supposed to do the most - lead all of God's people, diverse in more ways than just culture, race, and gender, into one holy and "catholic" union of believers bound together for the purpose of making disciples and presenting the good news of Jesus Christ. I know, I just started to meddle and even made a broad sweep at a theologicla statement. OOPS. I'll just go back to pastoring now. I am sure there is someone who needs me to take care of them in some way. Time to go change another diaper.
Ed White was one of the facilitators at the missional/emerging church conference I attended in Princeton back in April. He is retired Presbyterian minister who still does consultation with Presbyteries and churches through Alban Institute. He was in a dialogue with Brian McClaren when he asked if Brina agreed with this statement: "Would you say that churches and the whole Christian faith are overmanaged and underled?" Of course, everyone in the room agreed. I agree, but was only seeing half the picture. I was seeing how the congregation I serve overmanages with none of its leadership positions neither currently functioning nor envisioned to function as leaders. The chruch overmanages and underleads. And here is how it has transformed my life and ministry.
I was also recently engaged in some sort of middle judicatory argument over the involvement of several generations in the discernment of some serious regional decisions. The "young adults" in the region got up in arms about the lack of "young adult" representation in this discrernment. On one hand, it is a theologically valid point in many ways. However, on the other the proposal of the said discouragment was sinful and simply a carry over of past overmanagement of different groups of people. Beside the fact that there is no clear way to define "young adult" except by age, and that age range is different with every person you ask, there is a problem with leading us all together into one vision of what God desires of all people. My friend April icnurred me to think the following: (mostly her thoughts adopted ofr my own spiritual renewal - thanks Pastor April!) At what point am I no longer a "young adult" and fenced in by all the misgivings and generizations aht come with that title. I am 33, a father of one and one on the way, married for 71/2 years, have nearly twelve years of experience in pastoral leadership, have been through college, seminary, and continuing ed seminars at some of the finest insititutions in the world, have lost a mother to terminal illness at 19, baptized a 4-month still born fetus, layed to rest an 8-month pre-mature baby, led younger and older couples than I into marriages that will certainly last longer than a lifetime, sandbagged a river with Desmond Tutu, paid off three automobiles, and have purchased a house, just to name a few things. At what point can I no longer limit myself to being a "young adult" and be considered a child of God with knowledge, wisdom, experience, wit, energy, and desire that is worthy enough to make my gifts considerable beyond my demographic? I have been offended by many older folks in my pastoral positions, but I have really been recently offended by my own "clan."
Thus the problem with the whole church. We do a great job of managing programs, age-defined groups of people, as well as gender and culturally-definded groups. But we are doing a poor job as doing the one thing we are supposed to do the most - lead all of God's people, diverse in more ways than just culture, race, and gender, into one holy and "catholic" union of believers bound together for the purpose of making disciples and presenting the good news of Jesus Christ. I know, I just started to meddle and even made a broad sweep at a theologicla statement. OOPS. I'll just go back to pastoring now. I am sure there is someone who needs me to take care of them in some way. Time to go change another diaper.
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