Will It Never Be Settled?
As I finally got the chance to start some leap-blogging, I was amazed to see a series of discussions on the place of women in the church. (Dave the Rave has a good listing of the posts.) My first reaction was, "Oh no. Not again!" The second was "Won't this issue ever be settled?" The third was to ignore it. The fourth is to blog it.

For me this issue started- and was settled for me- over 30 years ago. I graduated from seminary with the first woman to be ordained a pastor in the American Moravian Church. She was ordained 29 years ago. Nineteen years ago my wife, who had been trained as a teacher but was not working in the field, heard the call to ordained ministry. This June she will celebrate the 15th anniversary of her ordination. We have worked in a team ministry for all but the last three weeks of that time. She is now on her own as the full-time pastor of the church we had served together for four years.

In short, what's the issue?

Yes, I know it is all about scripture and the authority of scripture and the inerrancy of scripture. If you can throw out a few passages about women in leadership you have to throw out the whole Bible. If you can't trust every word, how can you trust any word? If you don't know which passages are culturally biased, how do you know which ones to follow?

It is also all about culture and interpretation and who's in power and who doesn't want to give up power. It is all about the changes in the world and society. It is not about equality. It is about listening to the call of God in one's life and the work of the community to allow the call of God to work in the community. Who am I to say that a person cannot serve out the call that they perceive from God? Who am I to say that God doesn't call whoever God wants to call?

Here, of course, is where my struggle gets real. It has nothing to do with women in ministry. It has to do with what I just said and how it may apply to other people. (No, I am not about to enter the Bishop Robinson debate again.) There is a logical extreme to which ANY argument can be taken and which will go somewhere we don't really want to go. But that is NOT a reason to exclude women from the work and word of God. Nowhere in scripture that I know of is it sinful to be a woman. Nowhere does it say that it is a sin for a woman to have leadership. It was a religio-cultural issue. It was not a question of right and wrong. It was a question of socialization.

Yes, I am biased. After working with women pastors in all kinds of ministries over these 30 years, there is no question in my mind that God calls them into ministry and leadership in the institutional church. I am not going to argue about it. Been there- done that. I am not going to respond to those who may feel otherwise. Been there- done that. I am going to celebrate the gifts of ministry of all the people of God. And praise God for all that the men and women called into leadership are able to do.

Which Sermon Was It?
Charlie asked me which sermon the one I preached last weekend at my previous church turned out to be.. Hard hitting, powerful, or dull? Judging from the response I didn't get them upset at me and a number commented on how they liked it, so I guess it was good. I thought it hit some things hard. I used as the title- Sitting in the Garage? which is based on a statement I heard somewhere-

Sitting in church won't make you a disciple any more
than sitting in a garage will make you a car.

It was my now standard push on there being a difference between being a Christian- a simple act of believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior- and being a disciple- one who learns constantly from and tries to follow Jesus in their daily life. I, of course, urged them to do more than sit in the pew and to continue a strong tradition of having a mission. Nothing new or extraordinary, but it was fun and I really enjoyed being there and renewing acquaintances!

Boredom and Blogs
Bene Diction, among others, has noted the mediocrity and apathy that seems to have hit some of us in the blogosphere this month. He blames the weather. Not a bad choice. When I saw how LOW the HIGH was up in Calgary and Edmonton (- 28 C and -27 C- that's around -17 F) I realized that our daytime high of -8 F today was downright balmy. Even tough northerners get bogged down by this kind of weather.

But in general the January Blahs are more prevelant than January Thaws. Let's see, next Monday is Groundhog's Day. Put an umbrella over his burrow and keep the sun away and we'll be fine!

Decline and Fall
Pen at Gutless Pacifist has gone on an interesting thought. He talks about the reasons for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire and then makes the jump to some thoughts about the decline and fall of the institutional church. Here's the closing:

What if we were to make an analogy of this to the church -- is the American Mainline Protestant Church going the way of the Roman Empire? If so, what five major reasons would you give for the decline and fall of the institutional church?

Here's my suggestions:

+ Biblical literacy disintegrates
+ No/low expectations for church members causes the loss of basic disciplines (prayer, study, social justice, etc.)
+ Worship becomes interchangeable with entertainment - watering down the community's focus
+ Vast amounts of money spent maintaining buildings, organizations, and relationships that no longer serve the mission of the church - but only serve to prop up the institution.
+ The system of tithing (biblically based) collapses.

As you might expect, there's quite a conversation going on in the comments. The most come from the comment on tithing. I would agree with Pen on the others, but I think the collapse of giving to the institutional church has been a symptom of the other ones and actually bringing the problem to a head. There isn't enough money to support the instititional system hence the problems become magnified. After all, money makes the world go 'round- and the lack of it can bring a screeching halt- and lots of finger pointing. Anyway, thanks, Pen for the start of a good conversation on this one.

What's In A Word?
In talking to a member of my previous church about my change in jobs, I said that I'm no longer a "pastor" although all Christians are "ministers." They agreed about the second part of the statement but said that I would always be a "pastor." They said I will always bring my "pastoral skills" to whatever I do. I tried to talk about the fact that "pastoral skills" can have many names- compassion, counseling, a good listener, a wise ear, etc. They insisted that it must be "pastoral."

In the wise, old days perhaps the word "pastor" had a different sense than I am giving it. Shepherd of a flock was one of those senses. While I understand where that came from, I am not sure that it is an idea that still makes sense. It has a very perjorative side to it that may not have been there before, but is when you think about it. The "pastor" is the one who knows the way. All others are less knowledgeable and like sheep who will follow anyone who feeds them. There is no interaction. No mentoring. No teaching. That is NOT what I am about- nor have I ever been. So I don't know what makes "pastoral" skills unique to an ordained Christian professional, but I am not sure it is what I bring to my new tasks and calling.

From the Other Side of the Pulpit
A friend and clergy colleague said something interesting though in an email this past week. They said they were interested in seeing what insights I had about life on the other side of the pulpit that those still on the "preacher's" side needed to hear. Now THAT is an intriguing comment. It follows on what I said to someone else about my personal task in the new job. I said that for years I have been saying to the people in the pews (or wherever they would listen to me) that we all have to live our faith 24/7 - in the world outside the Sunday morning worship hour. Now I am going to have to figure out how to do that.

Brrrrr!
Between 4:00 and 5:00 this afternoon, the local temp dropped below 0 F (-18 C). It is not expected to go back above that until sometime Saturday. There went the January thaw! Tell me one more time why I live in Minnesota in the winter time.

22 Down- 2,161 Needed
Kerry wins. Dean second. Edwards and Clark battling for third. Lieberman bringing up the end of the Top Five.

So run the projections at 9:00 est. No surprises again this week. Unless it is that everyone will claim some kind of victory. Will Lieberman stay in the race? Is this Clark's big move? Does Kerry have unbeatable momentum? Is Dean gaining? So many questions. So few answers. But if we had all the answers already, what would happen to all the news reporters and the ratings? (Me? Cynical? Since when?)

Now it's on to
~~ South Carolina ~~ Missouri ~~ Delaware ~~
~~ Oklahoma ~~ Arizona ~~ New Mexico ~~ North Dakota
next week.

Excellent Questions
Thanks to Gary at Country Keepers for finding a song by Casting Crowns. Here's the chorus:

But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?

Here's a link to an audio clip.

An Authority on Psychiatry?
Found this today on MSNBC. A quote from mega-star Tom Cruise talking about psychiatry:

There’s nothing scientific about it. Communication is a good thing, but I think people get more mentally out of having a good meal or going for a walk. I think psychiatry should be outlawed.

Hmmm. It must be all in our head.

Can You Give an Extra $1,900?
According to the news tonight, the national budget deficit is now at a record $477 billion. Or, $1,900 per person in the United States. I am sure glad that we have a conservative in the White House who is committed to fiscal responsibility!

“Make no mistake; President Bush is serious about the deficit,” said Treasury Secretary John Snow.

THE Worst
So says Forbes.com. Here are the worst cars of all time!

AMC Pacer (1975-80)
Chevrolet Vega (1970-74)
Citroen SM (1970-72)
Fiat Strada (1978-88)
Ford Bronco II (1983-89)
Ford Edsel (1957-59)
Ford Pinto (1971-80)
Honda Accord hatchback (1978)
Mazda RX-2 (1971)
Oldsmobile Delta 88 (1979-84)
Pontiac Fiero (1984)
Renault Dauphine (1956-68)
Sachsenring Trabant (1957-62)
Yugo GV (1981-91)

A Snow Storm
At least I made it home from Wisconsin yesterday before it started to snow. I guess my whining the other night paid off. :>)

OK. Here's a Good One
Thanks to Lee Anne and Reverend Mike:
The rules: Bold the ones you've seen. Italicize the ones you want to see. Put an asterisk by your favorites. Underline the ones you own. Here's my list:

1. The Godfather
2. The Shawshank Redemption*
3. The Godfather: Part II
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (not on DVD yet)(I know- I HAVE to see it!)
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers*
6. Casablanca*
7. Schindler's List*
8. The Seven Samurai
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring*
10. Citizen Kane*
11. Star Wars*
12. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
13. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
14. Rear Window
15. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
16. Raiders of the Lost Ark
17. Memento
18. The Usual Suspects
19. Pulp Fiction
20. North by Northwest
21. Amelie
22. Psycho (1960)
23. 12 Angry Men
24. Lawrence of Arabia*
25. The Silence of the Lambs
26. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
27. It's a Wonderful Life*
28. Goodfellas
29. American Beauty
30. Vertigo
31. Sunset Blvd.
32. The Pianist
33. The Matrix*
34. Apocalypse Now
35. To Kill a Mockingbird*
36. Some Like It Hot
37. Taxi Driver
38. Paths of Glory
39. The Third Man
40. Once Upon a Time in the West
41. Fight Club
42. Das Boot
43. Spirited Away
44. Double Indemnity
45. L.A. Confidential
46. Chinatown
47. Singin' in the Rain
48. Requiem for a Dream
49. The Maltese Falcon
50. M
51. All About Eve
52. The Bridge on the River Kwai*
53. Monty Python and the Holy Grail I don't believe I haven't seen it!
54. Se7en
55. Saving Private Ryan*
56. City of God
57. Raging Bull
58. The Wizard of Oz
59. Rashomon
60. The Sting
61. American History X
62. Alien
63. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
64. Leon (The Professional)
65. 2001: A Space Odyssey
66. Life Is Beautiful*
67. Touch of Evil
68. The Manchurian Candidate
69. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon*
70. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
71. The Great Escape
72. A Clockwork Orange
73. Reservoir Dogs
74. Annie Hall
75. Amadeus
76. Jaws
77. Ran
78. On the Waterfront
79. Modern Times
80. High Noon
81. Braveheart*
82. The Apartment
83. The Sixth Sense
84. Fargo*
85. Aliens
86. The Shining
87. Blade Runner
88. Strangers on a Train
89. Duck Soup
90. Metropolis
91. Finding Nemo
92. Donnie Darko
93. Toy Story 2
94. The Princess Bride
95. The General
96. City Lights
97. Run Lola Run
98. Full Metal Jacket
99. Notorious
100. The Seventh Seal

But where's Fantasia and A River RUns Through It?

Which Sermon Do I Preach?
I am in my old pulpit tomorrow as part of the church's 150th Anniversary year. So, do I~~
~~Preach the sermon I always wanted to preach but couldn't because they were paying me?
~~Preach so good they will raise me even higher in their pantheon of great preachers?
~~Preach so poorly that they will wonder how they stood me for 15 years and why they have missed me?

I guess I will just preach and let them decide which one it is.

On Travelling
It is sad when one has become such a computer/Internet/blog addict that one cannot stand trying to use dial-up in a motel. Oh, for my old home DSL.

So Now I Have to Drive Home Tomorrow
Having just checked the weather, there is a Winter Storm Watch for three-quarters of the trip home tomorrow- the last three-quarters when it will be getting dark- and then be dark. Consider that a whine.

More on Letting Go
Yes, I am learning to do it more often. Even with things that I used to think would be important. That is one of the wonders of the vocational shift I am in. Letting Go- the grief of change- is tough. But it is happening because what I am finding is just as fulfilling and joyful. Perhaps that is one of the true keys to truly letting go- knowing that what is ahead will be just as important as what is behind.

Fortunately I learned a long time ago a bit of wisdom that the grass may only look greener on the other side because they use a different kind of compost. That also helps in the letting go. And finally to know that God is in the everyday details as much as in the calling in the first place.

Letting Go
Letting Go:
The ability to not control a situation.

I control situations in order to:
   ** Feel like I have power;
   ** Make myself look better;
   ** Give me a feeling of self-assurance;
   ** Help me feel like I belong;
   ** Give me a sense of self-esteem;
   ** Get others to like me;
   ** Keep my emotions in check.

I am afraid to let go because:
   ** I might disappoint others;
   ** I might appear weak;
   ** I might appear like a quitter;
   ** People will judge me negatively;
   ** I might become “out of the loop”;
   ** I will lose prestige or position;
   ** I don’t want to feel sadness or grief.

Some Quotes on Letting Go: [from http://www.denialqueen.com/lettinggo.html]

A man falls down a deep chasm and as he falls, grabs hold of a teeny twig which breaks his fall. "If there's anybody up there listening," he shouts, "please help me!" With that, the clouds part and a ray of light hits him as a deep voice booms out, "Let go, my son, and I will bear you up". The man thinks for a moment and says, "Anybody else up there?"

When you get to the end of your rope. . .let go.

Detach with love, serenity, poise, gratitude and fortitude but if that doesn't work, detach with an axe.

The fastest way to end an argument is to give up being right.

When the horse dies. . .dismount.

Be patient, God isn't through with you yet.

Trying to pray is praying.

If you don't understand the concept of a Higher Power, go down to the ocean and try and hold back a wave.

Surrender is following the direction God's finger is pointing

I felt a lot better when I gave up all hope.

You can either let go or be dragged.

If you resist it, it gets worse. If you accept it, it gets better.

Progress not perfection.

We are never given more than we can handle.

Let go, let God.

Passion After All
No. Not the movie. Mine. For Jesus and being part of a Jesus-following community. I found that the passion is still there. No, I wasn't exactly surprised, but I was caught unawares by it. Here's a brief version of what happened.

I got into a discussion with a friend this evening about where the church has been going in the last 20 years or so and how the world around us has changed so drastically. I started to talk about what the church can do to begin to reach whole new generations of the unchurched- something that hasn't been as imperative in our western world for a long time.

I found myself talking about the future where infant baptisms (the children of present believers being brought into the community) are surpassed by adult baptisms of unchurched. Perhaps even bringing their children for "children's" baptism and celebrating as Family Baptisms. Even sounded Biblical. Then we talked about who would do communion in small house church/small group settings if there isn't an ordained person present. The answer was, of course, whoever wanted to. (Yes- I know. I am stepping outside the clergy-centered boundaries. I think it has something to do with the priesthood of all believers or whatever it was that the Protestant Reformation didn't finish the first time.)

I realized that I was passionate about what I was saying. It is important to me that the church find ways to reach the culture and the unchurched. Not to convert the culture, but to bring the hope and grace of Jesus to those who don't yet know him. Not to turn the church into an apologist for post-modernism, but to bring the Gospel into the post-modern debate as an alternative that brings truth and hope.

I discovered that I am still deeply passionate about what Jesus is doing in the world and what Jesus wants me to do as a disciple of His. For the moment, I have been called out of the church to live my vocation in the world beyond the church. For the moment- and perhaps for more than even just the moment- my gifts and vocation are to be in the world living out what I have preached for years. That may include helping develop small group or house churches. It may be in bi-vocational church planting. It may include being a lay-based clergy, finding ways to empower others to be part of that priesthood of all believers.

In any case, it was actually refreshing to discover that the passion is still within and waiting for the time for it to become part of my ongoing vocation in whatever ways God is calling.

Now, as for the movie.... no thoughts at the moment.

Passion and Prayer 24-7
Justin at Radical Congruency has started reading a book on the 24-7 Prayer Movement called Red Moon Rising. He has some interesting things to say about what he has discovered so far. His closing paragraphs are a good statement of why he is reading the book- and what we all may be able to learn from the movement.

It seems that this book will describe the emphasis on 24-7 prayer and the resulting missional success that has been seen. People have been coming to Christ through this movement. Lots of them. Some of it is probably hype, but some of it is most surely God working through people who are earnestly seeking him. I want to see what this movement and this practice of 24-7 prayer can mean for us.

I find myself currently longing for more worship, more heart-devotion, more prayer, than I am doing personally. I feel a strong need to approach God together with others in this way. I'm done being cynical about worship service, and I'm ready to move into the next phase of authentically biblical, intellectually serious, and radically devoted ways of worshipping together. Prayer is and must be at the heart of this.

As a spiritual descendent of the Moravians of Herrnhut that were the founders of Protestant 24-7 prayer, I look forward to hearing more about it, too.

Never Too Late for a Dream
It's two days after the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday here in the US, but came across a link on Jonny Baker's page to an audio file of Dr. King's I Have a Dream speech. Here's the link.

Christian Carnival
Nick Queen at Patriot Paradox has this week's first Christian Carnival posted.

Not the Energizer Bunny
I realized this evening that I have no energy left right now for the church and what I had thought I might be doing now that I am not the professional church person anymore. I had talked about "tentmaking" and "bivocational ministry" as what I hoped to be doing. I knew that the job transition would take a good chunk of energy and direction this month. I knew that if I was to truly wrap my mind around the new job that I would be out of my old loops for a while.

But I am surprised by how much that has happened. When I think of going to church to do something, I don't have any emotional energy to face it. I am loving the new job. I am excited by the possibilities and the ways I am being called to use my passion. I have discovered a new side to my vocational passion. While I am still in the transitioning phase I am getting positive responses and good direction.

Which is probably why I am spiritually and emotionally drained right now. I have even wondered (aloud to my wife) whether I should just turn this into a leave of absence and not bother with the tentmaking stuff. I don't know if I want to plant a "regular" church in my tentmaking time? I don't know if I want to go back and start something new in the church when at times it has felt like there is no energy there to do it.

But I don't want to feel like I am abandoning the church, turning my back on what God wants, etc. I want to be sure that this is what God wants of me as I move into a new phase of life. Time will tell, of course. I tend to be impatient and want to make up my mind right away. This one doesn't seem to be at that point yet. So keep me in your prayers as all this church-stuff sorts out.

Going Back
I'm preaching at our old congregation Sunday. It's part of their 150th Anniversary celebration. Perhaps that is part of what is playing into this as well. It was hard leaving and now to go back and be in the pulpit that was home for 15 years is not easy.

Jesus at the Football Match

Jesus Christ said he had never been to a football match. So we took him to one, my friends and I. It was a ferocious battle between the Protestant Punchers and the Catholic Crusaders.

The Crusaders scored first. Jesus cheered wildly and threw his hat high up in the air. Then the Punchers scored. And Jesus cheered wildly and threw his hat high up in the air.

This seemed to puzzle the man behind us. He tapped Jesus on the shoulder and asked: "Which side are you rooting for, my good man?"

"Me?" replied Jesus, visibly excited by the game. "Oh, I'm not rooting for either side. I'm just enjoying the game."

The questioner turned to his neighbor and sneered, "Hmm, an atheist!"

We took him up on this after the game. Was he in the habit of never taking side? I side with people rather than religioins," saod Jesus, "human beings rather than the Sabbath."
-- Anthony de Mello, The Song of the Bird

I wonder if that applies to political campaigns as well?

And This is a Surprise to Anyone?
Kerry Wins Iowa Democratic Presidential Caucuses (Google News Headline)
Did anyone really expect Dean to be the long-term front-runner? If this year is "normal" for politics, we have a long way to go until there is a true front-runner. My guess is still leaning toward Clark or Edwards for no clear-cut reason other than I think that the Democrats will somewhere along the line see that they might have a chance to beat Bush- instead of beating around the Bush. (Sorry. I have been wanting to get that out of my system for a long time.) Just my gut tells me that Clark would be the most likely to mount a strong campaign, and Edwards - no reason, just a hunch. But don't quote me in the fall unless I'm right.

By the way, The Command Post which started off with great blogging coverage of the war in Iraq, has a 2004 Election Page.

Another Wow!

This is from the European Space Agency's Mars Express Orbiter and its first high-res picture from Mars. It is of Valles Marineris, the Grand Canyon of Mars, taken from nearly 300 kilometers above the planet's surface.

Here is the site for the news article.

The Steps of Non-Violence
In A Letter from a Birmingham Jail, April, 1963

In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps:
    1) Collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive.
    2) Negotiation.
    3) Self-purification and
    4) Direct action.


.... I gradually gained a bit of satisfaction from being considered an extremist.
    Was not Jesus an extremist for love -- "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you."
    Was not Amos an extremist for justice -- "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
    Was not Paul an extremist for the gospel of Jesus Christ -- "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus."
    Was not Martin Luther an extremist -- "Here I stand; I can do none other so help me God."
    Was not John Bunyan an extremist -- "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience."
    Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremist -- "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free."
    Was not Thomas Jefferson an extremist -- "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

So the question is not whether we will be extremist but what kind of extremist will we be. Will we be extremists for hate or will we be extremists for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice--or will we be extremists for the cause of justice?

In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill, three men were crucified. We must not forget that all three were crucified for the same crime--the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thusly fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. So, after all, maybe the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.
        MLK,Jr, Letter from a Birmingham Jail

A Blast from the Past
Listening to American Routes on NPR tonight. They were remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. and the music of that era. One of the closing songs was by folk singer John Prine. Here's the chorus:

But your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
They're already overcrowded
From your dirty little war.
Now Jesus don't like killin'
No matter what the reason's for,
And your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.

I was taken back to those days of yester-year when war was a controversial and dividing subject; when you were called "unpatriotic" if you disagreed with what the government was doing; when kids were beat up for having long hair; when you were arrested for wearing a bandana that looked like a flag. It was a difficult era. In some ways it is a long, long time ago in a far different world. In others it is like the news - or even the blogosphere at times. It was a polarizing and divisive time. As we get ready for a presidential election this year, we are ripe for that kind of divisiveness again. It kicks off next week in Iowa. Pray that it will be the start of something we can be proud of as Americans. It can be our shining example to the world.

But as John Prine's old song reminds us, we must remember that our faith is a different story in spite of what all the politicians try to make it. I have the hunch that our faith will often (if not almost always) cause us to wrestle with issues that may sound un-American or at least un-patriotic. But that is okay! It can only lead us deeper in both faith as individuals and the shining example we want to be in our best times. I guess in that way I am beginning to look forward to this year. I continue to struggle with myself and my pacifist leanings. I continue to struggle with easy black-or-white answers that both sides of debates like to make. I hope to struggle here as this year continues.

TXT fr JSS
Company Cuts Heavenly Mobile Link Fri Jan 16,10:25 AM ET

HELSINKI (Reuters) - A service promising to answer people's prayers with a text message apparently sent by Jesus has been shut down after complaints by Finland's mobile services watchdog.

The heavenly service offered answers from Jesus in response to a text message prayer at the cost of a hefty 1.20 euros ($1.52) per message, but lasted less than a month.

"These kinds of services are against basic norms," Ville Nurmi, ombudsman for Finland's mobile content watchdog MAPEL, told Reuters on Friday.

Accountability or Effectiveness
Had an orientation session at the new job this morning. The department head does this monthly with all new hires. I was the only one this morning so we managed to have some discussion. He talked about why, from his perspective, government is run differently from the buisness world and why it can never be run like a business. It is the issue of accountability vs efficiency. Having worked in the religious (non-profit) world for 30 years, a world more similar to local government than we realize, I know he is right.

It has to do with money, probably, more than anything else. Taxes, to be exact. That and the ease, on a local government level, of being in contact with the locally elected officials. It is more important to be accountable than to be effective (in a business sense). What the public- the electorate- thinks is of top importance if you are going to keep your job. It becomes opinion-driven governance. It is why elected boards/councils/etc. in government tend to get into micro-management instead of letting the management team do what they are hired to do.

Any pastor or local church board member knows the problem can be the same in the church. Everyone is in charge. Everyone has an opinion and lets someone know. Everyone knows as much as those in charge. (Kind of like that Monday-morning quarterback Visa ad with Brett Favre.) Where this bogs things down is in the need to bring everyone on-board or to sell the idea to the whole group or make sure that people's opinions are heard.

Now there's nothing wrong with that. As Churchill said, democracy is the worst form of government. It just happens to be better than anything else. In reality it should be in that give and take of ideas and thoughts and opinions that the consensus of the people is built. Government at its best is just that. Church at its best can be just that as well. But too often in both- kind of like in life in general- the reality doesn't meet the ideal. We get stuck in our own opinions and become closed to the possibility that another interpretation may be truer. We become afraid to listen and may even start to attack or call people names. That is when democracy is in danger.

Sadly, more and more of that is happening in politics as well as the church- and perhaps in society as a whole. We are losing the ability to disagree politely and work together for a common good. More than we care to admit we live in a world of so many choices that when we don't like it- it's my way or the highway.

And if you don't like it, so be it.

Not a Money-Back Guarantee
This morning's Star-Tribune had a Metro section front page (below the fold) story about a man who is suing his church to get back a major donation he made, he says, in the emotional aftermath of a divorce. (Story here. Free registration required.) Here's a snip:

[Mr] Mager, 55, anonymously donated about $126,000 to the church in 1999 at a time, he said, when he was clinically depressed over the breakup of his 18-year marriage. Five months after making the gift and after being treated with antidepressants and counseling, he asked for the money back. The church said no.

"It was totally out of character for me," Mager said Tuesday. "I was always very thrifty. I'd never given away a large amount of money like this." The money, he said, was a large portion of the life savings he and his ex-wife, Debbie, had accumulated.

Now, five years later, Mager and the church are at a stalemate. He has sued and contends that he made the gift under duress. The church's attorney counters that a gift to a church can't be revoked.

Now I don't want to get into the politics, the legalities, or the medical aspects of this. It just strikes me as more than interesting.

Every now and then one of these stories pops us. Sometimes it is suing the pastor because the person gave a tithe under the promise that God would bless them materially as a result. When it didn't happen- straight to the lawyer. Money is such an incredibly touchy subject. Just ask those around Jesus. It was all he ever seemed to talk about.

Government and Marriage
Jeff Jarvis is upset at the Bush administration's idea to spend gobs of money to support marriage. Here's a snip from the NYT article:

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 — Administration officials say they are planning an extensive election-year initiative to promote marriage, especially among low-income couples, and they are weighing whether President Bush should promote the plan next week in his State of the Union address.

For months, administration officials have worked with conservative groups on the proposal, which would provide at least $1.5 billion for training to help couples develop interpersonal skills that sustain "healthy marriages."

The officials said they believed that the measure was especially timely because they were facing pressure from conservatives eager to see the federal government defend traditional marriage, after a decision by the highest court in Massachusetts. The court ruled in November that gay couples had a right to marry under the state's Constitution.

"This is a way for the president to address the concerns of conservatives and to solidify his conservative base," a presidential adviser said.

Jarvis says this:

Government is there to run the government, not our home.
Neither the sanctity nor the success of marriage is government's business.
This should cut across ideological lines.

He says that the Right should object because of the big-government money and the Left on the rigid moral stance coming from it. I think it is just downright opportunistic! It has absolutely nothing to do with preserving culture, people, marriage, or even the jobs of marriage counselors. It is a blatant vote-getting ploy- just like everything else all the candidates do.

Would it work? Probably only if it included significant raises in minimum wage so people can stay home instead of working two or three jobs. Probably if it included good incentives for quality drug and alcohol treatment programs. Probably if it included lots of things that many would love to avoid - like fairness and equality. I am saddened, but not at all surprised that the "family" continues to be a political football instead of what it can be- a place for hope and growth and love for all involved.

But It Seems Like Yesterday
Just a quick note. I found a "sobriety calculator" that figures out the number of days between two dates. Just for the record, tomorrow, January 14 will be 5,555 days clean and sober. No great insights, nothing special, just a lot of 5s. It has been worth every minute of however many hours that is. [133,320- but who's counting.] ;>0

Coming Out of the Fog
I have the sense tonight that I am beginning to get some semblance of normalcy back. To switch roles, vocations, jobs, and schedules in a week does more to one's spiritual and emotional equilibrium than I thought. Unlike a call to go to a new church, I didn't move, sell my house, try to find all new places to shop, etc. I just got up one morning and started going someplace else to do my work. Yeah, right, it isn't a trauma.

Some of it is because I am not stepping into a position that is clearly defined with a lot of history to build on. In some ways I have to rebuild it within the ways of my skills. Just show up and do what you're supposed to do. That's the message. So, as things transition into a new semester, I sit around and watch and wait and get the chance to actually write out my mission and direction.

Then today I got an email from a listserve that I had signed up for a month or so ago. It was the Bob Buford's Halftime organization. They say on their home page:

Halftime is a time out -- a time to think seriously about one's purpose in life and draft a game plan for the second half. It is a time when the quest for success loses meaning, and you ask, "Is this it? I've achieved some level of accomplishment, and done much of what I set out to do. What's next?"

Most call this a "midlife crisis." We call it halftime.

Their understanding and goal is to help those of us who are past half-time in our careers to develop new and renewed ways of doing our lives and ministry. They talked about learning curves of a new job. They talked about the fact that after having been highly skilled and even somewhere up the corporate (or church) ladder, we are no longer in that position. But at the same time, we will be able to bring our experience to bear in new ways.

When I read that email, it all began to fall back into place. The reason why I am not now a paid, professional parish pastor. I am in a new place and time where my skills are being called to go into new things in new ways. I am well past "midlife crisis", but I am not too old for halftime. I am called back into the world where what I have learned in thirty years of ministry and growth and crisis and life can be put to new uses.

Then this evening I got to read yesterday's post from Len at NextReformation. He has been pondering some of the same things I am talking about- going back into counseling, leadership, house church. He had a great quote from Gordon Cosby:

One order of ministry is not eternally more valuable than another. It is easy to absolutize the significance of one type of ministry and leave the feeling with many that they are second class members of the body, important only as extensions of official clergy. This I cannot accept.

It was a great reminder of what I am doing and why. It is good to be into a new ministry where it is deeply needed.

Having Lost the Power
LT had some interesting perspectives on the foolishness of the message of the Crucified Christ and how we have messed it up. Here's part of it:

Many sections of the church have become too caught up retooling and repackaging the message. If we proclaim a message, and there is no power, then somewhere somehow we messed up the message. I believe we have messed up that message.

On the conservative side of the spectrum there are those that replaced God with the bible and have no real faith in the crucified Christ. From this perspective faith in a living God is hard to fathom because we can't base any aspect of our faith on something on something subjective like experience. Faith is all about building on the objective foundations of scripture not silly emotionalism.

On the liberal side of the spectrum there are some who have written God out of the picture because the scientific modern mind thinks it is silly to believe in a supernatural God. Faith in a living God seems primitive and unenlightened.

Spiritual Formation at The Living Room
Just noticed that Darren and the community at The Living Room will be exploring new groups for spiritual formation. They will be utilizing resources from Renovare. I find Renovare's tag line interesting: Bringing the Church to the churches.
[Capitalization, and lack of it, in original.]

[On the topic of spiritual formation, I will plug Doug Pagitt's new book again. It's due out in two weeks, is titled Reimagining Spiritual Formation and you can pre-order from Amazon.com now.]

Still Awesome
For one who remembers the less than clear pictures from Neil Armstrong on the moon, these are nothing short of remarkable. Here is the panorama from Mars. Thanks to Jordon for the link.

Brrrr- and Welcome Home, Darryl
Darryl Dash is back from his holiday and posts a picture to remind him of where he was, since the weather Up North won't help.

No Godblog for Howard Dean
Mean Dean at blogs4God explains why Howard Dean's blog won't make it to the blogs4God list. And it isn't just because Howard Dean's favorite New Testament book is Job.[sic] Now, not to pick on Howard Dean, I am very aware that many people have no idea what Testament many books are in. Some are sure that Hebrews is in the Old, since of course that is the Hebrew Bible. What is most amazing, though, is that Howard Dean gets away so easily with his statements that appear to be begging for votes. Or maybe we all know that is what all politicians do.

Unable to Go Cold Turkey
Well, I changed the colors from Packers Green and Gold- but I had to leave the helmet up there in the corner.

That's Entertainment Politics
Dick Gephardt doing the Top Ten List on Letterman tonight.
Signs You've Been on the Campaign Trail Too Long.
(#2- Agree to appear on a lame late night talkshow.)

Caught
Okay, you caught on. I am simply filling space until my mind starts working again. Bad jokes and a wierdly re-colored balloon yesterday and not this series of non-sequiturs. More tomorrow.

So It Goes....


Back in September who would have thought the Pack would have gotten this far. But Brett and company did far more than it appeared they would. Monday morning quarterbacks will debate not going for it on 4th and 1 with less than 2 minutes to go.

But tomorrow the sun will come up and the world will go on. Thanks, Brett and the Packers for another great ride. Tomorrow the colors of the blog will revert to a more normal color.

Shoeless Joe or Charlie Hustle
Just a thought- shouldn't Joe Jackson get into the Hall of Fame if Pete Rose does? Shoeless Joe never had the chance to lobby for himself. Only Field of Dreams and Eight Men Out give him some publicity. I loved Pete Rose as a ball player. He was a catalyst, along with Tug McGraw, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and others in the Phillies World Championship when I lived in Pennsylvania. He was remarkable. But I am not sure he hasn't used up all his good will and has probably hurt his own case with this shameless and ugly showboating with the Hall of Fame announcements and his book promotion.

Then There's Molitor
As far as we can tell, this is one classy ball player. Paul Molitor, in his first year of eligibility, is to enter the Hall of Fame. His wonderful years with the Brewers, the World Series MVP in Toronto (after Bud Selig felt he was too old to be used in Milwaukee), and a final run with the Twins. He and Dennis Eckersley are well-deserved recipients of this baseball honor. Congratulations!!

Groan!
Oxblog asked for some truly bad jokes- and they got them. I just can't resist re-posting this one:

A number of years ago, the Seattle Symphony was performing Beethoven's Ninth under the baton of Milton Katims. At this point you must understand two things: first, there's a long segment in this symphony where the bass violins don't have a single note to play. Not a single note for page after page. And second: there used to be a tavern called Dez's 400 right across the street from the Seattle Opera house, rather favored by local musicians. It had been decided that during this performance, after the bass players had played their parts in the opening of the Ninth, they were to quietly lay down their instruments and leave the stage rather than sit on their stools looking and feeling silly for 20 minutes. Well, once they got back stage, someone suggested that they trot across the street and quaff a few brews. After they had downed the first couple rounds, one musician said, "Shouldn't we be getting back? It would be awfully embarrassing if we were late." Another, presumably the one who suggested this excursion in the first place, replied - "Oh, I anticipated we could use a little more time, so I tied a string around the last pages of the conductor's score. When he gets down there, Milton is going to have to slow the tempo way down while he waves the baton with one hand and fumbles with the string with the other." So the group had another round and finally returned to the Opera House, a little tipsy by now. However, as they came back on stage, one look at their conductor's face told them they were is serious trouble. Katims was furious! And why not?
After all......

It was the bottom of the Ninth, the score was tied, and the basses were loaded.

To which I will add this one:

Milt Famey pitched for the old St. Louis Browns. He was a different kind of pitcher as he was tremendous if he had one beer to drink. However, if he drank more than one beer he was terrible. Milt had his one beer and he stepped up to the mound. He pitched a perfect game. He went back to the dugout and downed two more beers. It was a double header and he didn't think he would pitch the second game but they called him to the mound. He took a half finished bottle of beer and put it in his coat pocket that hung in the dugout.

He walked the first four players and it cost them the game.

Disgusted, he returned to the dugout, ripped his coat off the hook and as he did the beer fell to the ground.

One of the players from the other team walked by and was going to give the bottle a kick when the other player stopped him and said,

"Don't kick that beer - that's the beer that made Milt Famey walk us!"

With that, I will simply slink away into the night.

The First Week
Well, the first week of the new job is over. It was a very good week. Each day got better. Each day I got deeper into the work that I am to be doing. It feels good. Now, I don't want you to get the idea that I am saying that life is better than being in the church. It is different. That's all. For this point in my life and pilgrimage, it is where I am supposed to be. I have no pie-in-the-sky view that any calling is any easier/better/more holy/more important than any other. It just feels good to be doing something that at this moment matches the calling I have. As the writer Frederick Buechner has said in defining work:

There are all different kinds of voices calling you to all different kinds of work, and the problem is to find out which is the voice of God rather than that of society, say, or the super-ego, or self-interest. By and large a good rule for finding out is this: the kind of work God usually calls you to do is the kind of work (a) that you most need to do and (b) the world most needs to be done. If you really get a kick out of your work, you've presumably met requirement (a), but if your work is writing TV deodorant commercials, the chances are you've missed requirement (b). On the other hand, if your work is in a leper colony, you have probably met (b), but if most of the time you're bored and depressed by it, the chances are you haven't only bypassed (a) but probably aren't helping your patients much either. Neither the hair shirt nor the soft birth will do. The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet. -- Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking – A Theological ABC

There is no doubt that my gladness touches a deep need- addiction and alcohol and drug abuse among youth.

It Is a Calling to Healing
Henri Nouwen has been, no surprise, the inspiration of much in the healing ministries. His Wounded Healer nearly 40 years ago explained the Christian paradigm that Jesus so humbly and powerfully lived. It is out of our woundedness that we can be of the most and greatest help to others who are wounded. It is not in our strength, but in our weakness that we find healing for ourselves and the leading to work with the healing of others. But Nouwen wrote about it in other places as well. As I begin this new healing work of healing amidst addiction with youth in the schools I found the following that gives some of the ways it works:

...healing means, first of all, the creation of an empty but friendly space where those who suffer can tell their story to someone who can listen with real attention.

Our most important question as healers is not, "What to say or to do?" but, "How to develop enough inner space where the story can be received?" Healing is the humble but also very demanding task of creating and offering a friendly empty space where strangers can reflect on their pain and suffering without fear, and find the confidence that makes them look for new ways right in the center of their confusion. --Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life, pages 67, 68.

Quite a Discussion
Michael Totten has sparked quite a discussion on ethnic cleansing, total war, and lots of other things with a post from an interview. I won't even attempt to summarize it. It is very thought provoking. Read it here. Link from Instapundit.

Religion and Journalism
Thanks to Jeff Jarvis for making us aware of a new and interesting blog. It is The Revealer and is a publication of the New York University Department of Journalism and New York University's Center for Religion and Media. It's banner says that it is to be "A daily review of religion and the press." First glance looks good!

Jeff, himself, has an interesting post on the reformation in journalism which includes this excellent insight into The Reformation:

.... many have quoted that with this new medium, readers are now writers and writers are now readers.

Well, what that really means is that parishioners are now priests.

The priesthood is being displaced. Before the Reformation in the church, the priests were the holders of the Word; the priests were the only ones who could communicate to the power of God; the priests were the gatekeepers. Then Luther posted his 95 theses and the Bible was translated into the vulgate and printed by Gutenberg. Then then the people could pray directly to God. And the gatekeepers had to find new roles for themselves as caregivers and evangelists.

Which is what all the discussion in the emerging church is really all about. That- and community.

Other Points of View
Since starting on this blogging adventure and all the leap-blogging that goes with it, I have discovered things I never knew were out there. One of the more interesting ones, among many, is to begin to find the significant differences between my Protestant and evangelical theological understandings and those of my brothers and sisters of the Orthodox understanding. Huw at Doxos:GenX@39 has a really thought provoking post on the Protestant and American understanding of a "practical Jesus. Here are some snips:

Erica has struck on something that, I think, marks the difference between the Jesus I see in Orthodoxy and the Jesus I've always expected to see (having been raise a Protestant and having been, for a time, a Neo-Pagan).

The practical Jesus of Erica's post is very much a Protestant. He uses what is to hand because that's what's there. He rides a foal of an ass because that's what's there, in town, and uses bread and wine for communion because that's what's there, in the culture. [snip]

The Jesus Erica talks about is the only one I've ever known.

Until becoming Orthodox.

The Orthodox worship a Jesus who never did anything by accident, who healed certain people in the Gospel stories not because those were the ones' brought to him, but to make certain points; where the foal of an ass and the bread and the wine were to hand not because they were cultural expectations but because Jesus, as God, made choices to put those things to hand. The Creator of the Universe in human flesh can do that. He can fulfill prophecies as a first-choice so that others may see the signs. [snip]

Only in America would we imagine a God who poured Himself out in Love for our salvation would be practical. Only in America would we think that practical god better than the Extravagant Gushing Fountain of Light that we're offered.

There is also a good conversation going on in the comments.

One of the important things some of these posts do is to give me whole new windows on the faith from a truly ancient perspective. The Orthodox theology, as Huw and Erica point out, has an understanding of God that is definitely prodigal, taking the prodigal son parable and going where it really needs to go- the awesome Prodigal Father who loves enough to let the son go- and return. How impractical. Huw, in the comments to the post, adds this great summary.

You get a God letting Himself be slain by His own creatures to pour Himself into them.

There is nothing logical about it.

It is, I think, only wasteful to our eyes. But God's ways are not ours. Thank God!

Link from Blogs4God.

Figuring Out My New Life
With a new work schedule- and therefore a new evening schedule- I haven't been able to do what had become a discipline since beginning this blog. I am going to be earlier (since I have to get up a lot earlier) and that means I don't get that last hour of quiet after the news to leap blog and write.

So. How's It Going?
Well, the first week is almost over. It has been a lot of "orientation" and waiting for directions this first week. I have been able to use that time to ask questions, do some research, and do some preliminaries that won't get done once things get moving. It has been an interesting week, though, that is hard to explain. So I won't try at this point. I will keep working and watching. Looking forward to next week as I begin to get into the nitty-gritty of working with youth more of the time.


Here and There
Darryl Dash is in Cuba and sending us blogs to keep us up to date.
Andrew has a neat new blog design. Wow! The times are a-changin'.
It sure is cold up there in Canada. Just ask Little Bear and LT.
Andrew Jones, the Tall Skinny Kiwi, has moved to London and started a new Our Daily Blog.
And, finally for tonight, Doug Pagitt announces that his much awaited book, Reimagining Spiritual Formation, is due to be released January 23. You can order from Amazon.com now.

I Knew I Should Have Prayed Harder
Over at Volokh Conspiracy, David Bernstein had the following post:

I've noticed that Americans have a tendency to publicly attribute any success they have had--anything ranging from winning a Little League playoff game to winning the lottery--to God's intervention on their behalf. But I haven't noticed a countervailing tendency to blame God when things go wrong, an especially annoying defect in the sports world, where victories are freely attributed to Jesus's blessings. If God wanted the Marlins to win the World Series, doesn't that mean he wanted the Yankees to lose? Just once, I'd like to see the losing Super Bowl quarterback tell the media "Guess Jesus really had it in for me today." Emphasis mine.

To which I say, Amen! We have this sad tendency to use victories or "blessings" as a "See how much God loves me" promotion. We don't blame God for bad things happening to us.

Which is why the Old Testament is so powerful. It does see the whole work of God- when we are blessed and when we are in trouble, when things go our way, and when they go down to tubes. It is a tough idea to come to, but to see God at work in all that happens- all that happens- can be a big jump in thinking, but an essential one.

Terrorism Defense
Interesting information is now coming out on what the government has been looking for in terrorism defense. Yes, it is a different world, but I hope it does not become one in which we become so paranoid that we cease to enjoy life. But I am also glad that the government has some idea about what to look for.

But On the Other Hand
But does God cause evil things to happen? Like the terrorism? The Gutless Pacifist has dealt with this along with Richard's help.

I do not believe that God made 9-11 happen, anymore than I believe that God gives AIDS to homosexuals or CJD to meateaters. Bad stuff happens. Sometimes by accident, sometimes by evil design but never (NEVER!) because God has a purpose. Did those thousands die in New York to teach the USA a lesson, or were the tens of thousands in Bam merely God's instruments to show Iran the superiority of Western democracy? No they were not - and it would be perverse to claim otherwise.

Which is not to say that lessons cannot be learned and purpose found in and through suffering. It is our response to tragedy and suffering by which we learn and through which God's will is obeyed. "Why did God allow this?" is a natural, but misleading question. "Where is God in this?" is better because its answer is always the same - right there in the chaos, hurt and mess of our world.

In all this we can see the difficulty with all the many different ways of interpreting the events in our world. Where's God? Why God? Does God care? Is God able to stop bad things? Why doesn't He? Especially for me. Maybe he has a greater plan so if we only knew it all we wold understand. It is one of the problems of being human.

In the end, I feel that God wants us to take some responsibility for our lives and the things we can have control in. In the end, Richard is right. No matter what, my direction is to look for God in the midst of my life. God hasn't gone anywhere. It's the rest of us who move away.

Haunted by Waters

Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.
The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time.
On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops.
Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
I am haunted by waters.
-- Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It

Those words haunted me the first time I read them and still do every time I see the movie.

My life has been spent around water.

The Flowing water of The River.
The Rippling water of The Creek.
The Rolling water of The Ocean.
The Flat water of The Lakes.

Water.

The River was the Susquehanna or the Lehigh; the Delaware or the Rock; the Minnesota or the Mississippi. They flow or flood, depending on their moods and meanderings.

The Creek is the Tiadaghton- known to us as Pine Creek. We were always told it was the largest creek in the world; the major tributary of the West Branch of the Susquehanna. Get your feet wet in Pine Creek, the saying went, and you will always return. Perhaps it may also be that your life will always flow with the water of the beauty of the Tiadaghton. A wilderness at the bottom of a majestic pine bounded gorge.

The Atlantic Ocean. From Coney Island as a child to Long Beach Island, NJ or Ocean City, MD, the Ocean's perpetual motion, ebb and neap, wind and wave become both calming and energizing. They mesmerize and pull you in. Like The Creek it is always in your veins, now as the seawater salt of the original home of life.

Last, but no less important or powerful, the Wilderness Lakes of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Isolated, motor-less, awe-inspiring home to loons and wolves and eagles. You get in- and out- through your own power of paddle and portage. Renewal comes through the ripples of a canoe wake and endless skies limited only by islands. It is wilderness and you go prepared to expect the unexpected- or you don't go at all.

One learns much from water. One learns that a cycle of life is going on around us. It is in the tides and waves. It is in the high water of spring and the low water of late August. It is in the quiet of a calm summer day and the relentless wind turning lakes into wave swept danger.

One learns how to flow to connect places. Water provided the first interstate highways; the routes through wilderness; traffic lanes for a growing economy. Water separated from, then led to, the New World and the seemingly endless lands of opportunity.

One learns to be patient and persistent, prepared and practical; a dreamer and a realist. One learns that water truly is the stuff of life. It is no surprise that the basic sacrament is baptism. It is in water that we are most prepared to be reborn. It is through an act with water that we are remineded that while we may be of dust, our salvation is through water being washed clean. There is a "hauntingness" and a mystical quality to water. It will never leave us. It may very well be the haunting of the Holy Spirit of God that first moved over the face of water and made what God proclaimed as "Good!"

Back - and Frozen
Well, on Sunday I was enjoying the wonder and warmth of the Florida sun. There was actually a heat wave and everything was just beautiful. But then one must always return to reality, whatever that may be in one's own situation....

Temp in Tampa when we left.... 75 degrees (F) (24 degrees C)
Temp in Twin Cities when we arrived... 5 degrees (F) (-15 degrees C)
Temp now... -6 degrees (F) (-21 degrees C) and it has not been above 0 F all day!

Remind me again why I still live up here?

Interesting
I noticed something on my email today. I was getting a slew of spam about new jobs, etc. Then I realized that this is what I posted on here the other day. I guess some of thos bots or whatever are out here searching for those key words to spam. Which makes me worry about posting about s*x- which could be sox, sax, or six.

Awe and Awe and More Awe
The Mars Rover Spirit is one awe-full and awe-some and awe-producing event! Can hardly wait for the good stuff to start downloading!

Speaking of Awesome!
Packers Advance With 33-27 OT Victory Over Seattle. The site stays Green and Gold for another week!

Trends
Thanks to Darryl Dash for copying and posting a list of trends from the Easum Bandy Advanced Forum.

Team ministries replacing charismatic leadership
Developing cultures of equipping where every level of the congregation is seens as potential leader

Church planting movements underway throughout the world and now in the US

Alternate styles of church configuration such as house church, cell church, cyber church

Emergence of multiple site churches and use of satellite video

Emergence of just plain evil spiritual warfare

Continual decline of mainline and most established sideline (example would be Brethern)

Continual decline of seminary education

Rise of bivocational pastors

The rapid rise of evangelical, supernatural, prayer filled fanatics (in the best sense of the word)

Like Darryl I am a member of the Easum Bandy Advanced Forum and have found it exciting and challenging to everything I used to think was church. This list of trends has a lot of excitement in it- unless you are committed to- and dependent on- the traditional established institution regardless of theology, politics, or label. Bill Easum and Tom Bandy are two of the most creative thinkers around today and I have been impressed by their insights- and willingness to grow as trends die and the real undergirding of what is happening begins to show through.

Bi-Vocational
Someone laughed when I used that phrase. They thought it sounded wierd. Being "bi-" anything gets that kind of reaction, I guess. In any case, as of today, that is what I now am. I do one thing for a living (something I enjoy- alcohol and drug counseling with adolescents) and another for my "church-work". Since this is only the first day, I have no idea what I am talking about yet. It is part of the exciting adventure that life is.

Yet in our ever-increasingly "secular" and pre-Christian world, there are a number of issues:
  ** the sensitivity to diverse spiritual beliefs,
  ** the potential of conflict of interest,
  ** the need- yes, the essential need- to be able to read the culture,
  ** the need respond in appropriate but non-judgemental ways.
These will make this a challenging journey. But isn't that what all Christians are supposed to be about? FOr the first time in 30 years, I am now a non-professional Christian.

I'm excited! I'll keep in touch!

Let's see what email I get from all these wierdly diverse posts.

S L O W
Wonderful weather - sunny and warm, wonderful sunsets, went dolphin watching. Priceless... when the temp in Minnesota will be around 0 degrees Fahrenheit when we get home. Oh well. But the dial-up has been s - l - o - w. So here is the rest of my New Year's thoughts...

The Old and The New
Continued
Thought #3
Looking Back-- For me, it was a year when I discovered the meanings of wilderness.
   -- There was the wilderness of uncertainty and wondering as I looked for what it was the God wanted to do with me and for me to do with him. This one had been going on for a few years. Then in August my wife opened the Bible to any old page and found a passage that talked about a heart being recovered or found or renewed, I don't remember which. She had been worried and was in prayer and these words gave her an incredible lift. It was about that point that I discovered that I needed just to let it all go and quietly wait on the Lord. I turned it over again. Soon things began to move and now, for the next few days I am unemployed until beginning a new job on January 5.
   -- There is the wilderness of the world out there beyond the church where God's love needs to be lived. I have found that the institutional church is, for the moment,not where I am called to be witnessing. Who is to live the way of the Lord in the wilderness of life without God? Who is to be the messenger who will share the hope and promise of God's grace in their lives? The answer is the messengers of the Lord- or the Lord's disciples.

Looking Back-- It was a year of rumors then war. A year when our nation was divided and in disagreement in ways we have not seen in many years. The rhetoric got greater and greater. We remember, forget, and rememeber again the terror of September 11 and yet want to maintain our ethics and morals while stopping a tyrant symbolic in action and threat of much we hold dear. And yet, we walk the edge of living that threat ourselves. So, on March 22, I wrote this as the War was beginning--
My Thought From March 22:

I went to bed last night aware of the silence that was all around me. I could sleep in calm and quiet as people in Baghdad were waking up after another short, and no where near as quiet a night. It is hard to comprehend what it must be like. So I give thanks. But it is a thanks tempered by the awareness that it is only by the accident of birth that I am here in Minnesota and not anywhere else. I can't say it is by God's grace. Why would God's grace be on me and not on some other person lying awake in Baghdad? Why can God's grace be used as to why I am blessed and someone else isn't? Or is it simply that my human awareness and consciousness just can't grasp the meaning of what this is all about.

I guess for me this is the other wilderness of the year past. I have had incredible difficulty sorting out my feelings and thoughts and reactions to the war. This has taken me by surprise. I have found that my old answers are not all that black and white- nor are the questions and answers of today. I continue to pray and reflect and read and think about it and am beginning to think that there is much that I am unable to understand (How's that for being profound!) and have to simply live with in the paradox of being human and Christian.

Looking Ahead--
A Shrug of the Shoulders and a Hearty "Duh!" Guess that about says it all. I make no pretensions on wisdom. I make no claims of prophetic or other powers. All I know is that I will attempt to remain faithful as I seek His direction and wisdom and will for my new work and life. My almost daily blogging will continue to be a way that I seek to share in my small way the movement of God within me and I pray, the people of God.

And a final thought from Lileks at the end of his New Year reflection:

Here we go, friends. If you thought 03 was interesting, 04 will make it look like 96.

Remember what happened in 96? No? I rest my case.

Happy New Year to All!

New Job Starts Monday
Will be back with some more posts late on Monday. Have a good Sunday and beginning of a new week....

The Old and The New
Thought #1
From Lileks on New Year's Eve:

Is it not typically American to celebrate the eve of the new year rather than the arrival of the thing itself? We don’t celebrate the old dead year shuffling off to die, or the new year that gets dropped squalling in our laps. We celebrate that giddy boozy interval between what was and what will be.

I was struck by Lileks' insight into our American (is it also human?) tendency to be in the moment. It is of course the best way - to live in some significant way in the moment. The past is beyond our ability to do anything about but get over it. The future is within some says able to be affected by what we do, but generally, if we are honest, we know that it, too, is pretty much beyond us. That leaves us with today. So let's enjoy it.

But beyond that I think the "in-the-moment" approach to New Year is that it is a way to forget for a moment the fact that we are mortal. Each passing year makes us more aware so we ignore it. Of course both Lileks and me could be making far too much of this. Perhaps it is just the human tendency to go have a party!

Thought #2
So how was my party? It was the 34th New Year my wife and I have known from when we met in late 1970 until now. We turned on CNN in the motel room, I got in my pajamas, crawled into bed and watched the people in Times Square (and Key West) have a great time for the cameras and just for fun. I picked up a book and turned off the TV at 12:10. She was asleep by 12:20 and I was asleep by 12:40. Exciting, huh?