Forward On the Journey

Jesus and the Samaritan

2009-11-02T23:05:00.003-05:00

One of the greatest joys of being a Dad is greeting Rachel when she first wakes up. Now I'll be the first to admit that when she wakes up in the morning, usually I am still asleep myself, or at best I'm only half awake, so there's not much joy in those moments. But when she wakes up from her afternoon nap, usually she is uncommonly still and gentle, in the mood to be held, and particularly affectionate. I cherish these moments.

Often as we're sitting together, I will ask Rachel, "How was your sleep?" and then "Did you have any dreams?"

The other day Sara and I were together with Rachel following her nap, and I asked about her dreams. She responded, "I dreamed about Jesus."

"Really?" I asked. "What was Jesus doing in your dream?"

"He was on the cross, when they hurt him," she said.

Now I'll say that this is not one of the Jesus stories we have spent a lot of time discussing... It's a little beyond a three-year-old's comprehension. Frankly, it's a little beyond this 39-year-old's comprehension. But it is a story Rachel has encountered in her children's Bible and in some of her Christian storybooks, and probably in snippets from being in worship.

"Was anyone with Jesus in your dream?" I asked.

"Yes, the Samaritan," she said.

"The Samaritan?" I asked.

"The Samaritan," she said. "He was there to help Jesus because his mother was at a meeting."

Clearly, Rachel is reading Scripture through the lens of her own experience -- and at such a young age... I'm not sure if this is good news.

Waiting... Anticipating... Praying...

2009-11-01T23:53:00.004-05:00

Just so you know, we are in serious waiting mode here.

A baby is coming, and no one knows when.

Sara's due date was October 31st, Halloween (and what fun that would have been!), so we're just past that, but the thing is, we've been actively waiting -- on-the-edge-of-our-seats waiting -- for twelve days now, and frankly, that's getting a little old.

It was twelve days ago that Sara endured a long day of off-and-on contractions, and so when day turned to night and contractions were getting more and more intense, every 2-6 minutes (picture me with my stopwatch, timing, recording, gearing up for the big event), we kind of settled in for what we expected would be a long night that culminated with a new baby. Around 12:30 am, the contractions stopped quite suddenly, so we went to bed, hoping to catch a few hours of sleep but fully expecting the labor would continue. Wrong.

That was twelve days ago, and over these twelve days, there have been more periods of off-and-on contractions, more wake-ups in the middle of the night, more expectations... and we're still waiting...

I've been reflecting a lot over these twelve days: particularly about how few things there are in life that can't be scheduled. Seriously, very few things in life that can't be scheduled. Birth is one (save scheduled C-sections and labor inductions, of course). Death is another. I have shared the sacred journey with many families as they've cared for a spouse, parent, or sibling through the final days, and often there's a lot of waiting and preparation as God and nature take their course. Eventually there are labor pains (is it fair to call them that?), and life gives way to death and then to new life. And so it is as we anticipate this birth. We're at the starting line, waiting for the gun to fire... waiting... waiting... waiting.

Meanwhile, life continues. Waiting can't be our full-time job, and thankfully so. Our three-year-old Rachel needs the constant attention a three-year-old needs. Halloween has come and gone, complete with parties, costumes, trick-or-treating, and candy. Ministry continues (and yes, it was a bit odd participating in worship this morning with a substitute preacher, despite the fact that there's still no baby). Lots of people are praying for us, but since we've cried wolf several times over these past two weeks, the intensity of their waiting-with-us has subsided a bit. Now they just smile or laugh when a still-pregnant Sara enters the room.

And one of these days, with or without warning, the contractions are going to continue, labor will ensue, and yes, there will be a baby -- a living, breathing, demanding baby -- another human being who's going to live in this house.

Until then, I'm not missing the significance of this lesson in patience, trust, surrender to a power greater than self, and the sacredness of life.

Weather Woes

2009-07-05T13:26:00.006-05:00

The sun is shining, and I hardly recognize it.

During the month of June, we got measurable rain 21 of 30 days. Portland had 8.56 inches. According to the weather service, the normal June rainfall is 3.28 inches. So far, July isn't looking so good either. Everyone and everything is soggy.

On Friday, during a brief break in the rain, Sara, Rachel, and I went strawberry picking -- something we like to do every June. It was so sad to walk up and down the rows of strawberry plants, seeing soggy, rotting, and molding berries lying on the ground everywhere. We did manage to pick quite a few, despite the challenging conditions, but there's no question: this year's crop is suffering.

Yesterday we spent the Fourth of July at the rustic camp on Center Pond that's been a center of family summer fun since my grandparents bought it when my Mom was a teenager. It rained the entire time. Once in a while, there would be a little teaser -- a brief glimpse of lighter gray on the horizon, and someone would say, "I think it's starting to break across the lake" -- just in time for the next wave of torrential rain. My brother and sister and I used to spend lots and lots of time at Camp when we were growing up, including the Fourth of July most years. I don't ever remember a Fourth quite as bleak as this one.

And yes, it looks like still more rain in the forecast for the week ahead, with maybe, just maybe, a change in weather patterns for the end of the week.

For most of us, it's just a nuisance or maybe a minor inconvenience. It seems important to pray, though, people for whom too much rain can mean floods and great loss, for farmers who are finding their crops are rotting in the fields, and for all who depend on outside work for their livelihood.

Meanwhile, let's pray also for those who are in places of drought, whose lives are equally impacted.

If it's okay with you, I think while I'm offering this prayer, I'm going to head back outside, while there's still a glimpse of blue and that bright round orb is still up in the sky.

Why I enjoy Annual Conference

2009-06-19T20:04:00.004-05:00

reconnecting with old friends, spending quality time with some of the people whose company I enjoy most, and meeting new people
celebrating some of the transformative ministries that make New England such a cool place to serve
growing through learning experiences, like this year's inspiring teaching by Adam Hamilton
enjoying worship I don't have to lead
checking out all the titles at Cokesbury... and resisting the temptation to overspend
being part of the celebration as new pastors are commissioned and ordained
getting my fuel tank refilled and remembering why I do what I do
sleeping in a really uncomfortable dorm room bed and eating overcooked cafeteria food (not so much)
seeing what crazy cross-dressing thing John Blackadar is going to do next

How about you?

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T13:05:00.006-05:00

On this Mother's Day, I can truly say that two of the greatest blessings in my life are these two people pictured above: my wife, Sara, who is a fantastic mother; and our daughter, Rachel.

We took this photo last week at a park in our neighborhood. Next year when the tulips are in bloom, there will be an additional person in the family photo: the little one whose cells are multiplying every day in Sara's womb, who will make his or her appearance this fall, when the grass is more brown than green and the tulips have been replaced by pumpkins and cornstalks.

Today I'm giving thanks to God for the gift of mothers!

Rethink Church

2009-05-09T07:16:00.001-05:00

Heartbeat

2009-05-08T15:47:00.004-05:00

Sara is now in her 15th week of this pregnancy, and it's starting to hit me, in little waves, that we're bringing another human being into the world. Not only that, but this human being is going to live with us... be part of our family... require frequent diaper changes... wake us up somewhat regularly in the middle of the night... and eventually require food and clothing and another car seat and my time and attention.

Whenever this hits me, I find myself asking the rather somber question, "Am I ready for this?" Last time around I was blissfully ignorant about all the ways parenthood would change my world. This time I know enough to be scared.

I also know we will be incredibly blessed, and despite the waves of panic when I think about the fact that we're about to double the number of children under our roof, mostly I'm excited.

One thing will be very different this time around: we're doing a home birth. Yes, that's right: this baby is going to be born in this very house where we live. When Sara first suggested the idea, I had a little panic attack on the spot. "You want to do what?" I asked, eyes wide, mind racing. In retrospect, I can see that was a silly reaction, especially since my fears had little to do with the big things, like whether a home birth would put Sara or the baby in danger. I've learned, thanks to Sara's coaching, that birth is really not so much a medical event as it is a natural human event, and that only in the past 50 years or so -- the blink of an eye in the scope of human history -- and only in the most industrialized countries, has childbirth been medicalized, resulting in huge increases in the numbers of interventions. That knowledge, plus the awareness that we live literally within two miles of two outstanding hospitals, made me almost immediately comfortable with the medical concerns. Mostly, though, my fear had to do with the much larger questions like, Who's going to answer the phone when it rings? Will I be able to separate myself from the dirty dishes in the sink? Where will we get food if there's no cafeteria? And who's going to wash the sheets when this is all said and done?

Once I got past those big questions, the idea of a home birth is a pretty special thing, especially since Sara is feeling 100% confident that this is the right thing for her. And really, she's doing all the work... The least I can do is be supportive.

So today, Robin, one of the two midwives with whom we're sharing this journey, came for our third or fourth visit. After all the questions and the pee-in-a-cup thing and the blood pressure check, we got to hear the baby's heartbeat. It was strong and loud -- 150 beats per minute -- healthy. Wow.

This baby is really coming.

A Reconciling Conversation

2009-04-18T23:25:00.005-05:00

On Sunday following worship with the congregation of Chestnut UMC, we're gathering for a "Reconciling Conversation" -- the first step in a process as we consider a proposal to join the Reconciling Ministries Network and declare ourselves a fully inclusive church, particularly in welcoming the gay and lesbian community.

This process was initiated by a conversation at a visioning gathering that we held last month. At that time, with unanimous approval and enthusiastic support from everyone in the room, one of the goals we set was to pursue becoming a Reconciling Congregation. I'm looking forward to this first conversation with a widened circle, and whatever the outcome, I'm praying the process will be prayerful, respectful, and Spirit-led.

A couple of weeks ago, Sara and I had an opportunity to participate in an event at Portland High School sponsored by a student group called the Gay-Straight Alliance, affiliated with the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. The event, called "Claiming our Sexuality and our Spirituality," brought together students, adults, and leaders of faith communities for sacred conversation. Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire (a truly amazing person!) was the keynote speaker, and then each of us spoke briefly about our faith traditions, extending a welcome to the students in the room, whatever their sexual identities. Then students were invited to circulate among the room to talk, ask questions, and make connections. Sara and I felt honored to be there. (See Sara's post, "A Sacred Night.")

When the advisor for the sponsoring group called, she said, "The most commonly asked question when I'm alone with a student is, 'Does God hate me?'" She said, "It breaks my heart every time I hear a student ask that."

I think it breaks God's heart, too.

So please, dear readers, join me if you will, in praying for the church -- the church I serve in particular as we engage in this process, if you'd like, but more specifically for the church universal, that we might more faithfully communicate the all-embracing, all-inclusive, full-of-grace and longing-for-relationship, reconciling love of God to those who feel like God must hate them because of who they are. They are everywhere, and they are beloved children of God, our brothers and sisters.

When will it all melt?

2009-03-05T01:03:00.002-05:00

I like snow as much as anyone, but it's March, and there is something wrong with this picture...

The crown of thorns in the manger

2009-03-02T22:39:00.005-05:00

In preparation for worship during this Season of Lent, we recently ordered a crown of thorns to be used as part of our worship space.

Last week, upon returning home after picking Rachel up from daycare, we found a box at the door, and sure enough, it was straight from Holy Land Imports.

At two-and-a-half going on three, Rachel is super excited whenever there's a package at the door, and it's hard for her two-and-a-half-year-old brain to comprehend that it could be a package addressed to someone other than her. So I explained, "No, this isn't a package from Nana and Papa or Grammy Jeanne and Grampa Bud. This is a package for Mommy and Daddy." Well, of course, she wanted to see what was inside, so I continued, "This is something very special," and with that, I pried open the box to reveal its contents.

"This is a crown of thorns," I explained. "Jesus wore one of these on his head when he was on the cross." Okay, this is way too much, I'm thinking, but how do I explain this? By now she's grabbing at it, because it is, after all, a package that arrived at our door, and packages contain treasures to be enjoyed. "It's very, very sharp," I said, and I had her touch one of the thorns, gently, with her little finger so she'd understand. "You have to be very careful when touching this."

"Jesus wore it?" she asked, understandably puzzled. And then, imagination running, putting it all together in her mind, she continued, in her little sing-songy two-and-a-half-year-old voice, "Now I go put it in the manger, and Baby Jesus will be there, and Mary will be there, and Joseph will be there..."

It makes me think about how often we parcel these stories out, keeping them separate, protected from one another. Anyone knows Baby Jesus, with his beautifully laundered swaddling clothes, his disinfected manger, and his mother Mary dressed in light blue, belong to Christmas, where the star shines bright and the angels sing good news. The crown of thorns, though... the cross... the angry crowds... the darkness... well, these belong to Good Friday. Let's not be confused.

Maybe, just maybe, Rachel is starting to understand a connection we'd rather ignore: Birth, life, witness, pain, death, resurrection -- one great story, one Jesus Christ, one life, one Savior, the foundations of one faith.

A crown of thorns in the manger, Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and all -- not a bad idea.

Inward or outward?

2009-02-27T15:15:00.005-05:00

If you want to see me get all worked up, talk to me about how we in the church need to take care of ourselves before we can begin to look outward.

This happened recently, at a meeting of interfaith leaders in the area. I facilitate this group which gathers monthly, along with leaders from some social service agencies, to talk about ways to build community and strengthen families. We were brainstorming possible community outreach projects which might present opportunities for collaboration among faith communities -- things like occasional neighborhood dinners to which we'd invite our neighbors -- and one of my colleagues spoke up. I'm sure he had no idea he was about to push one of my buttons:

"You know, we have to take care of ourselves before we can begin to look to the needs of others," he said. "We're a very busy church with a lot going on. We've got to take care of our own needs first."

Oh man. I wanted to jump across the table. My first thought: Does this guy read the same Gospels I read? Are we following the same Jesus? Something here does not compute.

I spoke up, more with passion than with substance, letting him know that I totally disagreed with what he'd just said. I think it surprised him.

But really, isn't this why so many of our churches are struggling, or worse, on the edge of closing their doors -- because we've lost our bearings -- because we've become little more than social clubs whose primary purpose is institutional maintenance? What's up with this logic? Does anybody really believe that somehow, when we've taken care of all of our own needs, when the institution is finally running like a well-oiled machine, when we've focused inwardly long enough, that then we'll magically have the resources of time and money and skills to begin looking outward to care for needs beyond the walls of our church? Does anybody really believe this?

Before we moved to Portland, I served a church that had bounced back in a pretty dramatic way from a place of dismal decline. Once strong, over the course of decades the church had declined, not unlike thousands of other mainline Protestant churches in cities and towns across the U.S. Worship attendance was such that they'd move out of the sanctuary in the winter, into a small adjacent meeting room because (a) they couldn't afford to heat the big, beautiful sanctuary; and (b) they were small enough that they could. Their focus was inward. Morale was low. They wondered how long they'd survive.

But then over the course of ten or fifteen years, this congregation experienced dramatic change. Worship attendance began to grow... and grow... and grow... from a low of 40-something, I'm told, to something close to 300 fifteen years later. The church came alive with children, youth, and adults of all ages. A growing spiritual vitality manifested itself in diverse programs of mission and ministry that enlivened the church and impacted the community in profound ways. By all accounts, this church had experienced revitalization -- new life!

I remember being in a meeting where the pastor from another church was asking questions, trying to understand the factors that had led to such dramatic change. One of the church leaders whom I respected tremendously -- someone who'd grown up in the church and experienced the changes firsthand -- described it this way: "We used to be a church that looked inward. We were most concerned that the bills were paid, and when money was tight, we worked harder to balance the budget. All of our efforts went into trying to keep this church afloat." (How many churches could describe themselves this way?) "But then one day, a newcomer to the church stood up during the sharing of joys and concerns, and through tears, she shared her struggle. She had a parent back in Brazil who was dying, and she was desperate to make it home to see this parent before it was too late. It was hard for her to ask, but she wondered if there was anyone who might be able to help her financially."

This church leader described that as the pivotal moment. Presented with a challenge, they began to understand that they could help a sister in need. The tearful concern of an immigrant in their midst grabbed their hearts and took precedent over a balanced church budget. They began to work together to meet the need of the newcomer, and this need became their rallying cry. When they were able to raise enough funds to send this person to Brazil to see a dying parent, they realized God could use them for powerful things.

"Our focus changed, from inward to outward," said this church leader, "and that made all the difference. It was the beginning of a totally different focus for this church, and once we began looking outward, we've never stopped."

By now, of course, very few in the congregation could even remember this event, because the congregation had grown so dramatically. Certainly there were many factors that led to this church's revitalization, but the point was clear: When the focus is outward, some of the inward things begin to take care of themselves.

No church at that address...

2009-02-26T23:09:00.006-05:00

Two months after my last post, I'm going to try my best to dig this thing out of the annals of inactive blogs...

Wow, so much has happened -- I can't possibly reflect on all that's happened -- but suffice it to say that this is an exciting season. We are closing in on the final pieces of the renovations to the new facility we purchased last fall. As of this coming Sunday, March 1st, we'll be celebrating worship in our new space at 185 High Street -- a space we've named Hope.Gate.Way.

It's a little 2,800 square foot facility which we've renovated so there's a good-sized room for worship and other larger gatherings, an office, a small open gathering space, two kids' rooms, a kitchen, and two bathrooms. As one of the units on the ground level of a parking garage, surrounded by an architect's office, some Maine Medical Center patient billing offices, and a recording studio, it looks nothing like a traditional church -- which we think may well be more an asset than a deficit. It has four large banks of windows overlooking High Street -- a street with lots of foot and car traffic -- giving it high visibility. And it's adjacent to Parkside neighborhood, the most densely populated square mile in Northern New England -- a neighborhood with many, many opportunities to be in mission and ministry. We are so excited about this new facility... excited about the renovations that are nearly complete, which are transforming the facility into a beautiful, inviting space... excited about partnerships we've begun to develop with neighboring churches and community organizations, which are already bearing fruit... excited about the vision for ministry that's emerging as we prepare to move into the neighborhood.

So today I got a call on the church cell phone -- an out-of-state number I didn't recognize. "Um, hello?" the voice on the other end began, tentatively. "What city are you in?"

"Portland, Maine," I said.

"Okay... [long pause] ... Uhh, I have a driver trying to deliver a dishwasher, and I've got you listed for 185 High Street, but my driver says he just drove by that location and there's no church at that address."

No church at that address. Wrong.

I wanted to launch into, "The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is a people..."

But I didn't. Instead I said something more like, "Okay, well tell your driver to go back, because while it definitely does not look like a traditional church, that is our space, and that is our dishwasher."

It's amazing to me how deeply held are these ideas about what a church might look like -- so deeply held that this driver, pulling up at 185 High Street (which does, by the way, have a very large sign in the window announcing, 'Coming soon: Chestnut United Methodist Church & New Light..."), wouldn't even get out of his delivery truck, open the door, and check to see if he had the right address. Nope, one quick glance and he drew the conclusion: no church at that address.

Makes me wonder: Where is the church, anyway, and what qualifies? I've visited lots of imposing church facilities with the requisite stained glass windows and a steeple visible for miles around, and after spending time within those doors, I'd be inclined to make the assessment, "No church at that address." And I've spent the last 18 months serving a church that meets every Sunday morning in borrowed space -- an aging synagogue, badly in need of a facelift, hard to find, without so much as a sign to mark its presence -- and another community of faith meeting around dining room tables and in living rooms in homes around the city -- and in both cases, I'm more than ready to make the assessment, "However odd the address, this is church."

It's clear to me: the Body of Christ cannot be contained within four walls, and defining the church has nothing to do with bricks and mortar, or stained glass, or steeples... but rather, everything to do with the Spirit at work among its people.

I can't wait to see all the ways "church" will manifest itself as we begin this new journey. My message to those who will gather on Sunday morning and Sunday evening: "Welcome to our new home for worship and ministry. Let’s make ourselves at home, but let’s not get too comfortable: this is a launching pad to send us out as disciples in mission and ministry to our city and the world."

Now that's church.

Christmas with family

2008-12-30T15:48:00.000-05:00

Was it really 20 days ago when I last posted that little diatribe about the offensive holiday e-mails? What have I been doing with myself, except maybe getting ready for Christmas?

We're in the mountains of North Carolina -- Lake Junaluska, near Asheville, to be exact -- where Sara's parents and grandparents live, celebrating with an extended family time. (Yes, both the time and the family are extended.)

It's been a wonderful Christmas, for lots of reasons:

We spent Christmas Eve with friends Shelley and Mike, who provided fantastic music to make our Christmas Eve worship celebration special. We celebrated twice: with an indoor service in a meeting room at Portland's historic Eastland Park Hotel, next to what will soon be our home for worship and ministry on High Street; and with an outdoor celebration in Congress Square, at the intersection of Congress & High Streets. It felt great to be able to worship in our new neighborhood. Following worship we went to Don & Sue's house for a magnificent Christmas Eve dinner. Before we knew it, it was after 10:00, which meant late to bed for Rachel, and even later for Sara and me as we wrapped gifts, packed for our trip, and finished a few last-minute preparations.

We had a relaxing Christmas morning, made merry with the opening of gifts like a snuffed Snuffleupagus, a set of wooden blocks, a CD of Sesame Street music, and a tricycle which has been in our basement for some time, waiting for the perfect age. After breakfast with Shelley & Mike and good-byes, we headed out for the Manchester NH airport and on to North Carolina, by way of Detroit.

We've been at Lake Junaluska, NC since Christmas night, celebrating with Sara's family. Sara's parents live here, and her sister Elizabeth and brother-in-law Greg are visiting with their 14-week old baby (our niece) Lydia. Sara's Turkington grandparents also live here, and every year the extended family comes for a Christmas celebration that lasts several days. This year there were 24 of us! We've enjoyed many wonderful meals, times of singing, giving and receiving gifts, attending worship together, going for walks around the lake, and catching up with each other. Now that most of the Turkingtons have left, Sara's Ewing grandparents and Aunt Nancy have arrived from Florida, and the celebration continues. We'll be leaving tomorrow, and then heading to Searsport, Maine where we'll celebrate Christmas with my extended family.

I'm so thankful for the hope of Christmas, for family, and for these times together.

It's hard to believe we're creeping up on 2009, but I guess we are. I'm looking forward to blogging more consistently in the new year.

Happy Holidays, anyone?

2008-12-10T10:25:00.011-05:00

Here we are in the season leading to Christmas, which means my "In" box is getting clogged with junk like this:

THIS IS A CHRISTMAS TREE, NOTHING ELSE.

This is NOT a Holiday Tree.

This is a Christmas tree.

It is not a Hanukkah bush.

It is not an Allah plant.

It is not a Kawanza shrub.

It is not a Holiday hedge.

It is a Christmas tree.

Say it... CHRISTmas , CHRISTmas , CHRISTmas!!

Yes. CHRISTmas - celebrating The Birth of Jesus Christ!!!

If this offends you...too bad. Get over it ~ Take a stand and pass this on !!

Jesus is the reason for the season... Amen!!!!!

-------------------------

I have to be honest: I don’t see why this is a big deal. We live in a country where people practice many different faiths, and it seems to me that we can do this peacefully, openly, authentically, and with appreciation for one another.

Right now the established church Sara and I are serving meets in a synagogue. We meet there because when the congregation sold its historic facility three years ago, the Jewish congregation a few streets over reached out to them and said, “We would like to invite you to come and worship here in our space. We don’t use it on Sunday mornings, and it’s all yours.” They don’t charge us rent (although we send a gift several times a year to help cover the cost of utilities), and they have welcomed us with a hospitality that is truly extraordinary. They open their doors to us not only on Sunday mornings, but also when we need space for a special meeting or something else. We put a cross on our altar every Sunday morning (this does not offend them), and we walk in under a beautiful stained glass window depicting the Star of David. On Easter morning, we arrived at the synagogue to find bouquets of flowers, chocolate candy, and “Happy Easter” signs welcoming us – gifts from the Jewish congregation. In turn, we remember their special holy days with gifts and expressions of love. We also are careful to honor their space by not eating shellfish or pork, out of respect for their traditions. We have recently purchased a new facility, and when I told the leader of the Jewish congregation he said, “Please let us know when you’re having your last Sunday at Etz Chaim – we’d like to come and make your congregation a special breakfast.”

Would it offend me if my Jewish sisters and brothers from Etz Chaim Synagogue wanted to put up a tree in their home and call it a Hanukkah bush? Not one bit. If we’re honest, we have to acknowledge that Christians stole the tree (and many of our Christmas traditions, actually) from pagan origins. I also don’t think my Jewish friends would be offended if I wanted to light candles on a menorah in my home, if I did this respectfully. I think there's a richness because we can all celebrate holy days in the same season, and honor and respect each other’s traditions, even share them from time to time.

I may be in the minority, but it does not offend me when someone wishes me “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” “Holiday” literally means “holy day,” so I think it’s great when someone can wish me a happy holy day, acknowledging that while people celebrate different holy days, this is a holy season. Isn't it arrogant and presumptuous for me to insist that someone who’s Jewish ought to wish me a Merry Christmas (although many from Etz Chaim have) when that is not their tradition? It’s not about being “politically correct” – it’s just about honoring and respecting one another in the spirit of love.

Let's face it: the greatest threat to a spiritually centered Christmas is not the way our borrowed symbols like the Christmas tree are appropriated by other faiths, and it's not the greetings the cashiers at Hannaford use when we finish our purchase. Our competition is not those who celebrate a spiritually centered Hanukkah or a tradition-rich Kwanza. But I'll stop short, because that's another post.

Discuss.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T10:35:00.003-05:00

Wherever you are today, I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with the joys of family and friends, good food, meaningful conversation, plenty of laughter, and a little time to reflect on the blessings of life.

Happy Birthday, Sara!

2008-11-12T08:48:00.012-05:00

Today I'm wishing my beautiful wife Sara a Happy 32nd Birthday!

I put together this slide show early this morning, but I didn't get a chance to post it, and then I got swept up in a busy day.

Now, after getting home from an evening meeting, Sara's putting Rachel to bed, and we'll enjoy a late dinner together. Tomorrow Sara leaves for a five-day trip to North Dakota to spend time with her sister and brother-in-law, Elizabeth and Greg, and their new baby Lydia. Rachel and I will have some Daddy time at home.

So... a little pictoral celebration of Sara's life, and mostly of our life together...

Who are we?

2008-11-11T23:58:00.005-05:00

Tonight we gathered in our new property at 185 High Street with some folks from New Light and some folks from Chestnut United Methodist Church, for the first of two brainstorming sessions as we think about naming our new home for worship and ministry.

Here are the questions we explored:

Who

Who are we?
Whom do we serve?
Whom are we currently reaching?
Whom do we want to attract?

What

What do we do?
What is our ministry about?
What are our goals (for ministry, for the new building)?
What is important to us? (key words)
What do we want people to know about this place?
What do we want people to think about this place?
What adjectives describe us?
What do we envision will happen here?

Where

Where will people come from? (how far? from what neighborhoods?)
Where will people learn about us?

When

When will we be ready to announce our purpose for being here?
When will we be ready to open the doors to the outside world?
When will the building be open and in use (Sundays only? all week? 24-hrs?)

Why

Why do we need a building?
Why will people come here?

How

How are we perceived in the community?
How do we want to be perceived?
How will we know if we are successful in accomplishing our vision?

Some of these questions are particular to our particular situation, but it seems to me many of these are questions every church should ask itself from time to time. Wouldn't we have a clearer understanding of our own identity and purpose in the world, as well as a clearer sense of direction for the future, if we paused on a regular basis to ask ourselves these basic questions of who, what, where, when, why, and how?

No Parking

2008-11-09T22:53:00.006-05:00

I hope you'll take a minute to read this article in today's Portland Press Herald, and then to respond in some way to support our sisters and brothers at St. Patrick Catholic Church.

I just sent an e-mail to Paul Brandes of Charter Realty & Development Corp. expressing my complete disgust with their recent actions, which I find to be outrageous and offensive.

Portland is a wonderful place to live, work, and do business precisely because this is a city where neighbors know how to be neighbors. From his desk in New York, perhaps Mr. Brandes is unaware of the far-reaching implications of decisions like the one described in this article. One thing, however, is clear: If this decision is any indication, it’s clear that Charter's business practices are reprehensible. Perhaps there are places where actions like this are tolerated. Not in Portland.

Whether you live in Portland or not, I hope you'll take a minute to express your thoughts to Mr. Brandes. Charter has shopping centers in 14 states. Let's let them know that this practice is simply unacceptable.

I am urging members of Chestnut UMC and New Light to respond by writing letters and e-mails, and by boycotting all businesses at Westgate Shopping Center until the chain link fence is removed and the “no parking” policy is revoked.

A new day...

2008-11-05T07:41:00.005-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, Rachel surprised us by saying, "Barack Obama." It came from nowhere, in the midst of her playing, and it caught Sara and me by complete surprise. At two years old, surely she didn't have any sense of the enormous significance of that name, but it was a name she'd been hearing on the radio, as Sara and I eagerly listened to election news, and probably in the conversations we'd been having all day, too.

Still it surprised us to hear that name, "Barack Obama," in her little two-year-old voice, as clear and articulate as you or I might say it, there in the midst of doing the things two-year-olds do. She didn't look up at us or anything -- didn't look for a reaction or any feedback, as she often does when trying something new -- just went on with her business. It was as if she were practicing saying those new and unfamiliar words, recognizing somehow that they were significant. Sara and I looked at each other, wide-eyed and smiling.

And today we have a new president-elect: Barack Obama.

It fills me with joy to think that Barack Obama will be the first president Rachel will remember. She won't remember this day. She won't remember the ugly campaign. She won't remember today's headlines or the endless commentary about the significance of yesterday's decision. But she will remember something of President Obama. His face will be the last one in the long string of pictures of U.S. presidents high on the wall in her first grade classroom. His will be the face she colors when learning about presidents, and she might not use the "flesh" crayon that I used, but maybe a shade of brown.

It fills me with such hope and joy to know that Rachel will only know a world where someone like Barack Obama can get elected President of the United States. It is my prayer today that she'll know a world where diplomacy, not military action, is the first response; where health care is accessible to all who need it, not a commodity available only to a privileged few; where poverty and hunger are unacceptable, and efforts to change systems that perpetuate suffering are considered a priority; where women and persons of color can go wherever their aspirations take them; where those who are gay or lesbian are afforded the same rights and privileges that heterosexuals have long taken for granted.

I'm fully aware that we do not need another Messiah. We have one of those, and Jesus is the only one we need. Everyone else -- Barack Obama included -- is a human being, with strengths and weaknesses, capable of great things and prone to make mistakes. Still, this election gives me hope for a new direction for the United States of America, and new hope for peace and justice in the world. Today I'm offering a prayer of thanksgiving, and especially a prayer for healing and for unity.

God is Bigger Than the Boogie Man!

2008-10-31T20:12:00.004-05:00

Rachel is infatuated at the moment with Veggie Tales. She has several of the old VHS tapes, which she loves to watch, and whenever we get in the car, she wants us to put in the Veggie Tales CD.

So, in honor of Halloween, Rachel's favorite Veggie Tales song (with big props to someone for this very creative home music video, courtesy of youtube):

You were lying in your bed
You were feeling kind of sleepy
But you couldn't close your eyes
because the room was getting creepy.

Larry:
Were those eyeballs in the closet?
Was that Godzilla in the hall?

Bob:
There was something big and hairy
casting shadows on the wall.

Now your heart is beating like a drum
Your skin is getting clammy.
There's a hundred tiny monsters
jumping right into your jammies!

Bob:
What are going to do?

Junior:
I'm going to call the police!

Bob:
No! You don't need to do anything!

Junior:
What? Why?

Bob:
Because... God is bigger than the boogie man
He's bigger than Godzilla, or the monsters on TV
Oh, God is bigger than the boogie man
and He's watching out for you and me.

Junior:
So, when I'm lying in my bed
and the furniture starts creeping
I'll just laugh and say, "Hey, cut that out!"
and get back to my sleeping'
Cause I know that God's the biggest
and He's watching all the while.
So, when I get scared I'll think of Him
and close my eyes and smile!

God is bigger than the boogie man
He's bigger than Godzilla, or the monsters on TV
Oh, God is bigger than the boogie man
and He's watching out for you and me.

Boxes of Remembrance

2008-10-30T21:47:00.002-05:00

A little over a year ago, about three months into our ministry here in Portland, during a goal-setting gathering, the congregation of Chestnut United Methodist Church formed a Site Team for the purpose of participating in the Urban Mission Training Program, and especially to move forward with a process of discernment and planning for the future. After 12 months of praying, planning, researching, learning, hoping, dreaming, trusting, daring, discussing, disagreeing, finding consensus, and stepping out in faith, we have articulated a new vision for ministry that feels God-led; we've purchased a new home for worship and ministry; and we've begun ministry in the Parkside neighborhood of Portland, Maine.

Today we gathered for a little ritual, led by Priscilla Dreyman, to mark the ending of one phase of the journey and the beginning of another. On a piece of watercolor paper, each of us wrote about some of the things that stand out most about this journey we've shared. Then we did some painting with watercolors... first on strips of paper, which later we cut into smaller strips on which we wrote words of blessing for one another... and then on two square pieces of watercolor paper: the one on which we'd written our memories and another piece. When our paintings were dry, we folded them into beautiful little boxes, which we're calling Site Team boxes. Our memories are folded inside, not visible, but enclosed within the box. We had a time of sharing -- about what we'd written inside, about what we'd painted on the outside, about our experience together -- and then we passed around the little strips with the words of blessing, so each of us has a strip from each sister or brother on the team. The blessings will remain in the box, and the box will sit on my desk as a symbol of this journey.

I'm so thankful for this team of faithful folks: Priscilla, Sue, Geraldine, Tom, Pat, Shirley, Erica, Sara, and sometimes Jim. I'm thankful for all that we've experienced together... for the laughter we've shared... for the love is at the center of our community. I'm thankful for times of deep discernment and deep sharing. I'm thankful for the faith and trust with which we embarked on the journey -- faith and trust further confirmed by this experience. I'm thankful for this place where God has led us, and for the feelings of hope and joy and possibility with which we embrace the adventure that lies ahead. And I'm thankful for today's ritual, which gave us the space to remember, to give thanks, to mark an ending and lean forward to a new beginning.

The system is broken

2008-10-27T20:23:00.006-05:00

I am privileged.

This morning, I picked up the phone, called my doctor's office, and made an appointment to see a doctor. I've been feeling icky for 4 or 5 days with a sore throat that's gotten progressively worse, a headache, alternating fever and chills -- all the good stuff. I suspected strep. Nothing major, in the grand scheme of things. I'll definitely live.

But that's not the point. The point is, I'm sick, so I picked up the phone, called my doctor's office, and made an appointment. At the designated time, I went to my doctor's office, paid my $15 co-pay, and got the care I needed.

At that moment, I found myself thinking about the 46 million people in this country who don't have that privilege.

46 million -- that's a lot of people. That's about 1 in 6. (About 10 million of them are children. Are we okay with that?) Statistics say these numbers are growing. Something is terribly, terribly wrong.

The United Methodist Social Principles say that "health care is a basic human right." I totally agree: not a privilege for some, but a basic human right for all. We decided a long time ago that every child deserves a free public education. When are we going to decide that every person deserves health care when they're sick?

One more question: Who in their right mind really believes that providing a $5,000 tax credit and then deregulating the health insurance system so we can all find our own health insurance is going to solve the problem? The sources I trust predict that scenario will quickly result in increasing numbers of uninsured.

Something is terribly, terribly wrong, and it's time to fix the problems. Whatever we do, let's not make them worse.

This Lawn is Your Lawn

2008-10-26T07:26:00.001-05:00

All in favor of an organic garden at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in 2009? That's the modest proposal of Roger Doiron of Scarborough, Maine.

You can even bid on a 1' x 1' piece of the organic turf this guy cut from his lawn -- check it out on e-bay. All the proceeds will benefit Kitchen Gardeners International, "a Maine-based nonprofit network of over 10,000 gardeners from 100 countries who are working together to help more people to enjoy delicious, home-grown foods that are good for them and for the planet."

Check it out!

Young adults express their thoughts about church

2008-10-25T12:43:00.003-05:00

I recently received a message through facebook from a former student. (Some of you may be surprised to learn I was a high school English teacher for four years between undergrad and seminary.) He had read this article about our work with Chestnut United Methodist Church and New Light, which was recently published by The United Methodist Reporter -- first in their online version, The United Methodist Portal, and soon to be published in their print version, in the October 31 issue.

Here's the message I received, and my response. It seems to me this is a very typical perspective of young adults.

----------------------

The message:

Hi, Allen -

I read the article about the great work that you and Sara are doing, and I have to say, you never cease to amaze me! This is so right up your alley, it sounds like year 'round Camp Mechuwana for adults!

As a new father, faith has been on my mind a lot lately. Although I have not been a part of institutional christianity for over 10 years, I really began to understand after meeting with the pastor who married us last year how I live my faith and spirituality on my sleeves each day. The compassionate work, respect for human life and even fellowship that I have participated in through the [nonprofit organization he works for] over the years is quite comparable to the work of New Light.

Although we are not churchgoers, [wife] and I have made the decision to have [new baby son] baptized by the church where she grew up, which happens to be Lutheran (the same church that married us). I have felt somewhat conflicted as I feel that I live my life in the ideals of the Judeo-Christian model, and intend to pass these ideals on to my son, but have a lingering mistrust of conventional Christianity institutions.

I find it encouraging to know that there are progressive faith communities out there appealing to a new generation of compassionate people. I wish you and Sara continued success in your ministry.

----------------------

My response:

[Name], you are just too cool. And I think what you said could be echoed by millions of young adults, Sara and I included (although whether I'm still considered young is debatable). We were meeting with this couple the other day, and they asked, "What made you want to do this?" The best answer I could come up with was "dissatisfaction with the church." And I'm a pastor! I've devoted my life to this work. What does that say?

I totally get where you're coming from, and you and [wife] are the kind of people we're connecting with in Portland -- people who either have no church experience but feel a nudge to explore Christian spirituality, or who grew up in the church and became disillusioned, or who've been wounded by the institutional/conservative church in the past (and there are many of those). We're trying to offer something that's totally different -- an experience of church that's not about maintaining an institution, that's not about showing up for the weekly event one hour on Sundays, that's all about building community and making a difference in the world.

I think the work you're doing with [nonprofit organization] (which I'd like to hear more about, by the way) connects very well with the ideals we're trying to cultivate and nurture. I think it's awesome that you're doing that.

I don't know much about what's happening in [your state], but I do know that communities like the one we're creating here in Portland are popping up all over the country -- a "postmodern" response to that mistrust of conventional Christian institutions that you talked about. Often these communities are connected with a loose, grass-roots, organic network called "emerging church," and often they are socially progressive (as we are); but because it's such an organic movement, nothing can be said universally. Anyway, if I hear of anything happening in your area, I'll let you know. At some point in your life, you may feel like you want to explore church more deeply, if you could find one that's the right fit.

In the meantime... hey, it's great to be reconnected. Facebook is awesome for that. Congratulations, again! Fatherhood is pretty amazing, isn't it? Keep in touch, and make sure you let me know if you're ever back in Maine.

----------------

What do you think about this message and my response?

Blog Action Day - Poverty

2008-10-15T21:02:00.005-05:00

Today is Blog Action Day, and I'm late in posting, but still under the wire...

We recently spent a couple of weeks exploring the critically important issues of wealth and poverty in our New Light LIFE Groups, and thinking about how, as followers of Jesus living in the richest country in the world, we have a reponsibility to care for our sisters and brothers who live in poverty.

The question for us, as people of faith: In a world where someone dies of hunger or hunger-related causes every 3 1/2 seconds -- 25,000 people a day! -- can we simply go on with our lives as usual?

Our United Methodist Social Principles acknowledge that "In spite of general affluence in the industrialized nations, the majority of persons in the world live in poverty." A resolution adopted by the 1996 General Conference and amended in 2004 states this: "As people of faith and religious commitment, we are called to stand with and seek justice for people who are poor. Central to our religious traditions, sacred texts, and teachings is a divine mandate to side with and protect the poor."

True. So why is eliminating poverty and the suffering it causes not a primary concern for most who consider themselves followers of Christ?

Several years ago I had the opportunity to hear a lecture by Christian scholar and author Ched Myers, a prophet in the field of economic justice. In his talk, he focused on what he called the most often misunderstood Biblical text in the debate over the church's relationship to the poor: Mark 14:7, words of Jesus typically translated, "For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me." Says Ched Myers, "This text has notoriously been used by politicians and preachers alike to justify the existence poverty, as if Jesus is stipulating its inevitability as a condition of nature or, worse, as a divine plan." I remember that he went on to exegete the text in a way I'd never heard before, arguing that this text is emphatic: not giving Jesus' followers permission to put off caring for the poor for another day, but rather, creating a sense of urgency -- establishing the social location of the church, or of Jesus' followers, among the poor, always. Jesus was giving his followers their marching orders.

The poor are with us always. But only if we begin to see them. Isn't it easy, from our place of comfort and privilege and relative prosperity, to ignore them? To insulate ourselves from the suffering? To bury our heads in the sand and plead ignorance? To look upon those who are suffering as faceless commodities? They are with us, and they are real people, our sisters and brothers, with all the same hopes and dreams, needs, and emotions that we have. And they are children of God, loved by God as deeply and passionately and completely as you and I are.

It seems to me the situation of global poverty demands demands both individual response and government response:

Individual response:
I own a car and a refrigerator, and I'm not wondering if there will be food on my table tonight. That puts me in the wealthiest 5% of the world's population. By the world's standards, I am rich. I have to acknowledge, that's nothing I accomplished on my own. I got the luck of the draw. I find the words of Scripture, and particularly the life and witness and words of Jesus, to be absolutely convicting: I have a responsibility to do my part to care for the poor and to seek justice for those who live in poverty. Sara and I struggle with how to do this most faithfully, but it's clear to us that it means living simply and giving generously. I applaud the work of organizations like UNICEF, the ONE Campaign, World Vision, Oxfam, UMCOR, Heifer International, Compassion, Society of St. Andrew, and local food pantries everywhere -- especially those which respond by providing compassionate care as well as seeking long-term solutions to systemic problems by pursuing social justice. All of these provide opportunities for individual response.

Government response:
It's important to realize that the resources exist to end the suffering. What is missing is the collective will. In September 2000, the 189 countries of the United Nations developed a clear plan to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, with unanimous approval. As illustrated in this chart, some of the countries are already doing their part. Sadly, our government here in the United States -- the wealthiest country in the world -- has no plan in place to fulfill its commitment. That is simply unacceptable. I've heard the estimate that $19 billion would eliminate starvation and malnutrition globally. That's roughly the same amount Americans spend on ice-cream annually; it's a tiny fraction of our $481 billion U.S. military budget for this year alone. Something is terribly, terribly wrong. We must insist that our government fulfill its commitment to the UN Millennium Development Goals and do its part to eliminate poverty.

I think it's important to learn as much as we can and to wrestle with the realities of poverty, rather than simply looking for quick and easy answers or dismissing the problem altogether. We must think about how our own actions, habits, lifestyles, and behaviors impact others, as well as how changes in our own actions, habits, lifestyles, and behaviors might make a positive difference. Additionally, it's essential that we communicate clearly with our elected officials that we are deeply concerned about poverty -- that we insist upon government response, and particularly that we take seriously the commitment our leaders made to the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Ultimately, it comes down to this: If my life has been impacted by Christ, shouldn't my heart break over the things that break the heart of God? And so I'm praying: What can I do? What can we do together? The situation is enormous, but it's not hopeless.

Just practicing for Halloween

2008-10-13T22:44:00.001-05:00

Walk on Water!

2008-10-09T22:11:00.004-05:00

I'm on the planning team for this event - WOW: The School of Congregational Development for The United Methodist Church in New England - coming up November 6-8 in Bloomfield, CT.

I just created this blog with a lot of the information, as well as a link for online registration.

Paul Nixon is our keynote speaker. Other presenters include Safiyah Fousa, Bishop Peter Weaver, Gwen Purushotham, Kwasi Kena, Larry Homitsky, Cookie Santiago, Doug Ruffle, Kent Millard, and a number of gifted pastors and laypersons from our own Conference.

It's going to be a great event with uplifting worship, dynamic speakers, more than 30 workshop options, a great Cokesbury bookstore, and plenty of opportunity to connect with sisters and brothers from other churches around New England and beyond! Hope you can join us!

Meanderings of a church planter

2008-10-07T22:00:00.004-05:00

In the world of church planting, there are basically two categories of church planting pastors: (1) those who are serving full-time as church planters, usually enabled through partnerships that include generous funding from "mother churches" or from denominational sources; and (2) those who are bi-vocational church planters -- part-time pastor of a new church start and part-time in some other profession, with the salary from the second job most often providing the bulk of financial support for the pastor and his/her family.

There are pros and cons to each approach. Certainly those who serve full-time are able to devote more time and effort to the ministry, and time and effort are not to be overlooked or underestimated when taking on a project as demanding and prone to failure as church planting. (Something like 80% of all church plants fail.) There's something to be said for singleness of focus, and having the time to devote to the ministry -- particularly the relational aspects of church planting -- is a big advantage, assuming the church planter has the right combination of gifts, and her/his gifts are the right match for the particular context. When a partnership with a mother church or a denominational church planting initiative is enabling full-time ministry, generally funding starts at 100% the first year and drops off sharply each year, until by the third or fourth year, the project should be self-sufficient. Clearly articulated benchmarks are generally established to ensure that the project is making the progress it needs to be successful, and missing the benchmarks calls for corrections.

On the flip side, those who advocate for bi-vocational church planting suggest -- probably with merit -- that there's a real advantage to keeping one foot in "the world": having a day job that pays the bills and also allows the church planter to build relationships in non-churchy settings, to keep a pulse on the secular culture, and to break free from the church bubble that often distorts the church planter's sense of reality. Additionally, the financial resources required to enable a new church start are significantly reduced when the pastor is bi-vocational. Ultimately, regardless of what the appointment listing or the paycheck might suggest, I think church planting is always full-time. It is a vocation.

Last week, Sara and I met with our Director of Congregational Development, one of the people who was instrumental in our being appointed to Portland to begin this ministry. One of the things he said was, "We won't be doing many church planting projects like yours in New England -- most church planters will be bi-vocational."

Which got me thinking...

Are we full-time church planters, or are we bi-vocational? We're serving a new church start, and we're excited about this ministry as we develop New Light, a brand new United Methodist community of faith here in Portland. But we're also serving the former Chestnut Street United Methodist Church, this small remnant congregation that sold their historic facility 2 1/2 years ago. Together we're a two-person pastoral team serving (on paper) one full-time appointment and realistically working pretty much the equivalent of two full-time jobs. There are many times when it feels like one unified project with different pieces -- Chestnut/ New Light, one ministry, one budget, one project. Much of the time, though, it's pretty clear that we've got two very big things going on, not unlike a two-point charge.

When we came to Portland, we sort of imagined Chestnut might be a kind of hospice ministry: we'd lead worship, visit the folks when they were in the hospital, and love them until they died or the church evaporated. That hasn't been the case at all. To the contrary, what we found was a committed, enthusiastic group of people who were tired of playing church, tired of trying to maintain a museum, tired of spinning their wheels, and ready to focus on mission and ministry. This is a true revitalization project, so we've been discerning and articulating a new vision, equipping folks, encouraging them, and helping them to focus on something new. Together we set some ambitious goals, and we're well on our way to achieving them. The future is filled with hope.

But to say the least, that has made it impossible to focus all of our best time and energy on the new church start. I don't say that with regret, either, because both parts of this ministry are exciting, worthwhile, and fruitful. We're certainly giving New Light all that we have, and the new ministry is bearing fruit. But let's be clear: we are not full-time church planters.

Nor are we bi-vocational. It's one vocation that we're pursuing: one vocation with many pieces. Ministry is always like that, I think. And it's all good.

Makes me wonder about the conclusion our Director of Congregational Development drew, though: "We won't be doing many church planting projects like yours in New England -- most church planters will be bi-vocational." I have nothing against bi-vocational church planters. I thank God for them, and I pray for them because that must be a huge challenge. But it seems to me there are lots and lots of older, established churches with declining and aging congregations that are going to be forced to make the agonizing decision Chestnut United Methodist Church made almost three years ago. I suspect before the snow begins to melt next spring, more than one Church Council agenda is going to include some early discussions (no doubt with fear and trembling and no small amount of conflict) about selling those enormous, historic churches that right now are soaking up precious ministry resources -- those sanctuaries that are nearly empty on Sunday mornings -- those facilities poorly maintained by struggling congregations who will not have the financial resources to pay this upcoming winter's heating bills. Could it be that one strategy might be to pair those remnant congregations with energetic pastors who have been identified with gifts and passion for church planting, so that new communities of faith begin to emerge in partnership with established congregations on the downward slope of the church life cycle curve? I have no illusion that it's a guaranteed success, but we're giving it our best shot here in Portland, and it seems like it might have potential in other places, too.

God, bless and sustain and equip and encourage church planters everywhere -- those who serve full-time and those who are bi-vocational -- that new communities of faith being formed right now might be agents of transformation in the lives of people who never thought church could be relevant to their lives. Bless those pastors taking on the hard work of revitalization, too, that their efforts might bear fruit and their congregations might catch a fresh wave of your Holy Spirit and be re-energized for ministry. And bless faithful laypersons who serve in congregations new and old, that they might be so filled with your love and so transformed by your grace that their energy and passion are contagious. Use your church, broken vessel that it is, for the work of your Kingdom. This is my prayer, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let us make bread

2008-10-04T22:35:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow we celebrate World Communion Sunday -- a day to give thanks for our interconnectedness with sisters and brothers around the world, especially whenever we share the bread and the cup at Christ's table.

---------------

Come on.

Let us celebrate the supper of the Lord.

Let us make a huge loaf of bread

and let us bring abundant wine

like at the wedding at Cana.

Let the women not forget the salt.

Let the men bring along the yeast.

Let many guests come,

the lame, the blind, the crippled, the poor.

Come quickly.

Let us follow the recipe of the Lord.

All of us, let us knead the dough together

with our hands.

Let us see with joy

how the bread grows.

Because today

we celebrate

the meeting with the Lord.

Today we renew our commitment

to the Kingdom.

Nobody will stay hungry.

- Elsa Tamez, Mexico

from Bread of Tomorrow

Orbis Books, 1992

Party on High Street!

2008-10-03T22:06:00.011-05:00

Today was a big day! After a full year of praying, discerning, researching, hoping, imagining, and exploring, we finally signed on the dotted line, and we now have a new home for worship and ministry!

Two-and-a-half years ago, after decades of decline, the small congregation of Chestnut Street United Methodist Church sold its historic facility -- a National Register of Historic Places property with a sanctuary with seating for 850, 44 rooms, a gymnasium, a separate office/chapel building, apartments, and a good-sized parking lot, all next to City Hall -- and rather than experiencing this as a death sentence, instead chose life and began to imagine a new kind of ministry.

When Sara and I began our appointment here as co-pastors in July 2007, we added a new dimension to the adventure by covenanting with them to provide pastoral leadership while also planting a new community of faith. That new church start, soon to celebrate the first anniversary of its inaugural gathering, we call New Light, and together, Chestnut UMC and New Light are moving into the future as partners in ministry and mission.

Already the two communities share pastoral leadership. We've begun to imagine some shared ministries, and certainly parallel and complementary ministries. And starting today, we also share a facility. Chestnut UMC will hold its Sunday morning worship services in this new home on High Street. New Light will continue to be made up of LIFE Groups that meet in people's homes, but we'll begin a public Sunday evening worship gathering monthly as soon as the new facility is ready, and then in March, a weekly Sunday evening worship gathering.

We're working with an architect to finalize plans for some renovations to open up the space and make it a bit more accessible, so it will be a while before we can begin to use it fully. When it's complete, it will include a main gathering space with seating capacity for about 75; an office; two children's rooms, a good-sized kitchen, and two restrooms.

Here's what I wrote in a letter to the congregation:
--------------------
It is our great joy to join Rev. Mike Davis, Tri-State District Superintendent, in giving authorization for the purchase of 185 High Street, Unit 6, as a new home for worship and ministry for Chestnut United Methodist Church and New Light.

Let this new facility be called…

a launching pad for mission and ministry
a house of hospitality and hope and healing
a neighborhood center
a place where children are always welcome
a testament to the prayer and discernment of a faithful remnant
a sanctuary for encountering God
a symbol of resurrection and new life
a classroom for out-of-the-box thinking
a safe place for exploring the way of Jesus
a home for open hearts, open minds, and open doors
a breeding ground for peace and justice
a shelter for the dispossessed
a living room for building community
a witness to the power of the Holy Spirit

Let it never be called a fortress, a club for insiders, an island disconnected from its neighbors, a museum celebrating the past, or a place where people go through the motions.

The prophet Jeremiah conveys God’s words of assurance to God’s people: “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope” (Jer. 29:11). This purchase marks the beginning of a new chapter of ministry, and the future is filled with hope!

----------------------
If you're the praying sort, we'd really appreciate your prayers as we begin this new adventure. It opens up a lot of possibilities for incarnational ministry as we literally move into the neighborhood. Of course, it also ushers in a host of new challenges. But we trust that the same God who has guided us to this place will surely guide us through the challenges that lie ahead, and for that we are thankful.

If you're in the Portland area, we hope you can join us for a big ol' celebration when we officially open the doors -- and then join us as we move out of the four walls and into the city, renewed in spirit, re-energized for ministry and mission, ready to serve, ready to learn from our neighbors, and ready to be the Body of Christ in the world.

Blog Action Day 2008

2008-10-01T22:19:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Andrew of Thoughts of Resurrection for this post alerting me to Blog Action Day 2008.

If you have a blog, consider participating. It's simple, really: on October 15, join thousands of other bloggers in sharing a blog post on the topic of Poverty.

Organizers of Blog Action Day say this:

"Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.

"Global issues like poverty are extremely complex. There is no simple, clear answer. By asking thousands of different people to give their viewpoints and opinions, Blog Action Day creates an extraordinary lens through which to view these issues. Each blogger brings their own perspective and ideas. Each blogger posts relating to their own blog topic. And each blogger engages their audience differently."

I just joined, and I'm starting to think about what I want to say. How about you?

Oh no!

2008-09-30T16:25:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, Rachel had just enough unsupervised time with the markers to accomplish this. She was quite proud of the artwork she created on her own arms.

Sara took this picture as I was helping to restore Rachel to her normal purple-free state, intending to document Rachel's beautiful creation.

What I want to know is this: What is happening to the hair on my head?

Sharing

2008-09-29T22:13:00.009-05:00

It's not easy being two.

I'm convinced that's true. Sometimes when Rachel is having a toddler moment, I ask her: "It's not easy being two, is it?" and invariably she confirms my suspicion is accurate: through tears, "Noooooo!"

Our Monday night LIFE Group met at our house tonight -- usually we rotate back and forth between several other homes, but for space reasons, we met at our house tonight -- and Rachel and her friend Charlotte played with Erica (God bless Erica!) mostly upstairs in Rachel's room. Downstairs we were talking about the Advent Conspiracy, our plans for celebrating a more Christ-centered Christmas -- worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all. The discussion was punctuated, frequently, by the sounds of a very unhappy Rachel wafting down over the stairwell.

Turns out Rachel simply would not share with Charlotte tonight. That book Charlotte wanted to read: "mine!" That stuffed animal Charlotte wanted to play with: "mine!" That doll Charlotte wanted to carry: "mine!" That gadget Charlotte was holding: "mine!" And on and on it went. It's hard for a two-year-old to understand, I'm sure -- it is her house, and technically, they are her toys. Sharing, though! Sharing is supposed to be fun! Not always, I guess -- and when Erica didn't comply with Rachel's every wish -- well, can you say meltdown?

It's not easy being two.

Sometimes it's not easy being the parent of a two-year-old either.

Meanwhile downstairs in our LIFE GRoup, we wrestled with tough adult-sized questions about sharing, like how we might covenant with one another to practice deeper generosity in our celebration of Jesus' birth. Consistent with the suggestions offered by the organizers of Advent Conspiracy, we're looking at sending gifts to enable the construction of a well in a developing country, in order to provide clean, accessible water for people who have none. Specifically, we challenged our New Light friends to give to this cause (possibly paired with a local cause) the same amount they spend on friends and family -- that is, to match their expenses for gift-giving, dollar for dollar. Meeting this challenge probably requires both spending less and giving more, since few people will want to -- or be able to -- double their typical Christmas expenses. The challenge was well received, but of course, it's only September -- it will get harder as Christmas draws near.

It seems that sharing is not just the struggle of a two-year-old. Makes me wonder... Do we ever outgrow it?

Back in time

2008-09-28T21:57:00.003-05:00

This afternoon, I had a chance to go back in time.

Sara and Rachel and I went to Wilmington (MA) United Methodist Church for a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the consecretation of their sanctuary.

I spent two wonderful years in ministry with the good people of Wilmington UMC -- my second and third years of seminary. At the time, it was the custom of the congregation to employ a seminary student as "Assistant to the Pastor" -- sort of part intern/ part associate pastor -- for a two- or three-year experience. I lived in the church's second parsonage for those two years, commuted to B.U. for classes, and pretty much immersed myself in every aspect of ministry, working with Rev. Herb Taylor, who became a good friend and mentor. That was 1998-2000. It’s hard to believe that it’s been ten years now since I first arrived in Wilmington and eight years since I left!

Being back in Wilmington among so many familiar faces (and pat on the back for me -- I did quite well remembering names!) brought back a flood of memories. When I moved there, it was just me, and I had almost nothing to furnish a parsonage. Not to worry, though, because the Wilmington congregation took good care of this single, young minister-in-training with extra pieces of furniture, curtains for the windows, a pantry already stocked with essentials, home-cooked meals delivered to my door, and lots of invitations to dinner.

And what fun those two years were! Here are just a few memories that come to mind…

learning to preach by listening to Herb Taylor preach – three times every Sunday! – and learning what it means to be a spiritual leader of a growing congregation by following his example.
Youth Group trips to Rockport and Osterville and Boston and Canobie Lake Park and lots of other places! I don’t know who had more fun – the youth or the counselors!
watching the congregation grow, grow, grow!
being part of all the planning for a building expansion project, serving on the capital campaign team, and being able to watch the progress daily as the walls went up!
pulling lots of all-nighters after attending Administrative Board meetings and then going home to write a major paper or study for a big exam – and occasionally having encouraging gifts left at my door during final exams week.
grace-filled conversations with some of the elderly members of the congregation, in their homes or in long-term care facilities – such wisdom and faith, and such love for their church!
a youth group trip to New York City – the hottest three days in recorded history, I think, and we were sleeping on the floor of a church that had no shower facilities. Someone took pity on us, as I recall, and took us to his apartment where we each got a 30-second shower. The church where we stayed was being used as the set for the movie “Keeping the Faith,” so we got to rub noses with Ben Stiller, Ed Norton, and Jenna Elfman. We chased Herb from one subway to another all over the city and only lost one youth group member who got on a wrong elevator at the Empire State Building, but only for a few panic-stricken minutes.
trying to right a capsized canoe with Dan Sgrulloni at a youth group barbecue – over and over and over until we were both exhausted, mostly from laughing so hard!
being part of the Singing Waiters at the UMW Christmas Dinners, Choir Christmas Parties at Brian & Ruth King’s house, and a surprise 29th Birthday Party (not quite 30!) at Dan & Sandi’s house
the septic system backing up from tree roots all through the pipes in the backyard, and John Arvanitis coming about once a week to try everything he could think of to remedy the situation. I lived with it the whole time I was in Wilmington, and the day I moved out, the backhoe arrived to tear up the root-bound pipes and replace them with PVC.
lots of crazy fun with Herb Taylor – in fact, it was always fun working with Herb. Our gifts complemented each other’s well, and we kept each other from taking things too seriously by laughing a lot.

After my two years in Wilmington, I went on to serve for seven wonderful years in Hudson, MA, where at least two or three times a year I’d look up on a Sunday morning to find a pew occupied by Wilmington friends and then after the service, a package of chocolate chip cookies on my desk.

Some things have changed over these years that have passed: My hairline is a bit higher than it was, and I have a few more grey hairs. More importantly, I’m now married to Sara who is a gift from God – my partner in life and my partner in ministry – and we have this beautiful daughter, Rachel, whom I couldn't even have imagined ten years ago. I am blessed beyond measure.

I thank God often for the blessing of those two years in Wilmington, where I grew deeper in my faith and gained tremendous experience that has served me well in ministry. I can honestly say, almost everything I needed to know about being a pastor, I learned in Wilmington.

Richard Foster on Prayer

2008-09-27T22:40:00.004-05:00

A great passage from one of the best books I know exploring prayer...

"We today yearn for prayer and hide from prayer. We are attracted to it and repelled by it. We believe prayer is something we should do, even something we want to do, but it seems like a chasm stands between us and actually praying. We experience the agony of prayerlessness.

"We are not quite sure what holds us back. Of course we are busy with work and family obligations, but that is only a smoke screen. Our busyness seldom keeps us from eating or sleeping or making love. No, there is something deeper, more profound keeping us in check… It is the notion – almost universal among us modern high achievers – that we have to have everything “just right” in order to pray. That is, before we can really pray, our lives need some fine tuning, or we need to know more about how to pray, or we need to study the philosophical questions surrounding prayer, or we need to have a better grasp of the great traditions of prayer. And on it goes. It isn’t that these are wrong concerns or that there is never a time to deal with them. But we are starting from the wrong end of things – putting the cart before the horse. Our problem is that we assume prayer is something to master the way we master algebra or auto mechanics. That puts us in the 'on-top' position, where we are competent and in control. But when praying, we come 'underneath,' where we calmly and deliberately surrender control and become incompetent. 'To pray,' writes Emilie Griffin, 'means to be willing to be naïve.'

"I used to think that I needed to get all my motives straightened out before I could pray, really pray. I would be in some prayer group, for example, and I would examine what I had just prayed and think to myself, 'How utterly foolish and self-centered; I can’t pray this way!' And so I would determine never to pray again until my motives were pure. You understand, I did not want to be a hypocrite. I knew that God is holy and righteous. I knew that prayer is no magic incantation. I knew that I must not use God for my own ends. But the practical effect of all this internal soul-searching was to completely paralyze my ability to pray.

"The truth of the matter is, we all come to prayer with a tangled mass of motives – altruistic and selfish, merciful and hateful, loving and bitter. Frankly, this side of eternity we will never unravel the good from the bad, the pure from the impure. But what I have come to see is that God is big enough to receive us with all our mixture. We do not have to be bright, or pure, or filled with faith, or anything. This is what grace means, and not only are we saved by grace, we live by it as well. And we pray by it.

"Jesus reminds us that prayer is like little children coming to their parents. Our children come to us with the craziest requests at times! Often we are grieved by the meanness and selfishness in their requests, but we would be all the more grieved if they never came to us even with their meanness and selfishness. We are simply glad that they do come – mixed motives and all.

"This is precisely how it is with prayer. We will never have pure enough motives, or be good enough, or know enough in order to pray rightly. We simply must set all these things aside and begin praying. In fact, it is in the very act of prayer itself – the intimate, ongoing interaction with God – that these matters are cared for in due time."

— Richard J. Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home
(Harper SanFrancisco, 1992)

America's Economic Heart Attack

2008-09-27T08:51:00.002-05:00

A great post by Adam Hamilton, entitled "America's Economic Heart Attack"

Check it out.

Fall has arrived!

2008-09-26T19:45:00.010-05:00

My friend Beth Dimond, who is brilliant behind the camera, sent this beautiful photo which she took the other day here in Maine.

It's clear: Fall has arrived.

I used to dread fall. For all of my growing-up years and well into my early adulthood, fall only symbolized the regrettable end of things -- the end of summer, the end of long days, the end of open windows and warm nights. And along with the end of things I loved so much, it was the harbinger of terrible things to come, like shoveling snow and cold mornings and long, dark nights.

I know so many people -- my wife, Sara, included -- who say fall in Maine is their favorite time of year, but I'll confess, for years, I saw nothing redeeming about fall.

Sara has brought many gifts to my life, and one of them, I can honestly say, is a newfound appreciation for this season. By her influence, I've learned to really enjoy some of the fall traditions: apple picking, going to the Common Ground Country Fair, walking in the fallen leaves (and raking them, too!), decorating our house with colorful chrysanthemums, enjoying the incredible harvest of fresh fruits and vegetables from the farmers markets, and yes, taking the time to admire and appreciate the majesty of God's Creation displayed in the bright colors that fill the roadsides.

I'm thankful for this new appreciation, I'm thankful for Sara and the influence she has on my life, and I'm thankful for the reminder that there is always reason to find the joy in each present moment when we're attentive to God's gifts.

Wherever you are, may your autumn be filled with joy!

Good things come in small packages

2008-09-24T08:08:00.004-05:00

Sara and I are so excited about the arrival of a new little blessing in our family. Last Friday, at 3:26 in the morning, Sara's sister Elizabeth (we call her Lib) and her husband, Greg, welcomed their first child, Lydia Anne. They live all the way in Fargo, North Dakota, so we haven't had a chance to meet little Lydia yet, but we've seen lots and lots of pictures, and we even had a webcam phone conference and got to see streaming video in real time. Rachel was squealing with joy to see her new baby cousin. Sara's parents, Nana and Papa Ewing, are there with their second granddaughter now, and we'll look forward to meeting her at Christmas when we all gather at Lake Junaluska, NC, if not before.

If you're interested, check out the blog my brother-in-law, Greg, has started -- Northern Journey -- and some of the pictures in their web albums. I think you'll agree, this new little niece of ours is pretty adorable!

A chicken in every yard

2008-09-23T23:11:00.004-05:00

An article in today's Portland Press Herald reports that our neighbors in Falmouth are considering a change to town zoning ordinances to allow the raising of chickens in all residential neighborhoods. No roosters. No slaughtering poultry in the backyard. Coops of a reasonable size (less than 100 square feet isn't bad) and set back 20 feet from all property lines. But chickens and eggs in the backyard, thanks to the Dyhrberg family, who wanted to have a closer relationship to the source of the food on their table. Talk about eating local -- right from the backyard!

Several months ago, our friend Erica had this weird, but reportedly quite vivid, dream that Sara and I had started raising chickens in our kitchen closet. Apparently Sara was excited about the venture, exclaiming, "Now I'll never have to wonder where my eggs come from again!" Erica reports that I was less enthusiastic. Okay, I was rolling my eyes, disgusted. Clearly, Erica knows me too well.

But now, it turns out, maybe Erica's dream was prophetic. Because, who knows? Maybe Portland's next, and if so, I feel a coop coming on.

Urgent Correction!

2008-09-23T19:36:00.003-05:00

Dear Reader:

It has come to our attention that the bozo who posted our recipe neglected what is perhaps the most important ingredient in our topping: brown sugar. I mean really, what's apple crisp without the brown sugar? Not crispy, not sweet, not delicious at all! And if there's anything we want to be for you, it's delicious. So please, go back and re-read that recipe, which is corrected now, and if you're planning to make some magic with us in the kitchen, be smart: don't leave out the brown sugar, whatever you do.

Yours truly,

Apple & Crisp

Apple-Picking!

2008-09-22T07:12:00.007-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, a group of us from New Light went apple picking -- a rite of fall here in New England. After we'd filled our baskets with the round, red delights, we came back to our house and made apple crisp, then moved on to pizza and worship. (Read about our time of worship here.)

I highly recommend this recipe, shared with us by Sara's friend, Heidi:

Apple Crisp

Mix together the following:
About 10 cups of apples, peeled and cut up
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 T orange juice

Place in 8 ½ x 11” baking pan.

Topping:
1 ½ cups rolled oats
¾ cup flour

1 ½ cups light brown sugar
1 ½ sticks of butter

Mix topping ingredients together and place on top of apples.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice-cream (of course!).

-----------------------------------
P.S. For your viewing pleasure, there are lots more pictures of our apple picking excursion here...

Saturday at the Fair

2008-09-21T23:20:00.003-05:00

We had a great time at the Common Ground Country Fair on Saturday! Coordinated every year by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), the fair has been described this way: "Maine's most authentic country fair, uniting, as it does, old-time folkways with progressive ideas about living the good life on a fragile planet."

Rachel enjoyed the sheep and the alpacas and the cows; trying out her new skill - galloping - with lots of horses nearby to imitate; and the french fries. Sara and I enjoyed people-watching - oh, the people watching!; exhibits and demonstrations; down-home music - fiddle and banjo and guitar and mandolin; free expression of political ideas and values like earth stewardship, care for the poor, peace and justice; and yes, the french fries. We all enjoyed the time together on a perfect fall day in a beautiful spot.

One thing we did not enjoy, though -- this, just before we got to the fair entrance:

Of course, we were stuck in stop-and-go traffic, so we had more than enough time to take in the graphic images and read the foolish signs, most of them reviling the Democrats (my favorite: An Obama Vote = Dead Babies). We did our best to distract Rachel so she wouldn't see this, and we didn't engage the protestors, although I'll confess I was tempted to shout, "And a McCain vote = thousands more dead troops, to say nothing of innocent civilians!"

I guess free expression is free expression.

Singing the Old Standard Hymns

2008-09-19T14:44:00.007-05:00

While we were driving on some of the back roads outside Portland recently, we came upon this old country church. The sign fascinated us. Of all the things this congregation might have chosen to say about itself, here's the one thing that made the church sign: "Singing the Old Standard Hymns."

... which makes me wonder about a few things:

What are the "Old Standard Hymns"? I would guess "How Great Thou Art" and "Amazing Grace" make the cut, but is there a canon that defines what's generally accepted as old and standard? And if so, who decides?
How old are these "old standard" hymns anyway? "How Great Thou Art" is only as old as 1953 -- some of the people in the congregation I serve were in their 40s when that was first included in a hymnal. The words of "Amazing Grace" date back to 1799, but the tune is 19th century. When you think of the 2,000 years spanning Christian history, that's not so old, really -- in fact, those are pretty new hymns. And the first time a congregation sang "Amazing Grace," you can be sure somebody complained: "That song is unsingable!" "Who picked these new-fangled hymns today? Why can't we sing the old standard hymns?"
And why do we draw lines and place boundaries around our identity based on the songs we typically sing in worship anyway? We have such a rich bounty of musical options -- the classic hymns and some beautiful songs that have been composed in more recent years; music from the global community; music from Taize and Iona and Australia and Africa and everywhere else; music from every generation spanning 2,000 years of Christian history. Why do we so often limit ourselves to one genre or style?

Don't you wonder what kind of conversation in some Church Council meeting led to that on this church sign?

Oh, the things we do. Only in the church! Only in the church... this strange, beloved, flawed, very human, ordained and blessed by God and limited in vision and impact by our own human "stuff," always-striving, alive-by-grace, and full-of-such-potential thing we call the church.

Single Dad for a few days

2008-09-18T23:27:00.002-05:00

Sara has been away at a meeting in Cincinnati this week. Rachel and I took her to the airport on Wednesday afternoon, and she'll be home tomorrow night. It's fun having some sustained one-on-one time with this little two-year-old I love so much, and I think she enjoys it too -- every once in a while she exclaims, "We're having Rachel-and-Daddy time!" -- but I wonder...

How do single parents do this all the time?

Seriously. That is my big question for the day. How in the world do you hold down a job and parent young children all by yourself?

Post-Christian New England?

2008-09-17T19:12:00.005-05:00

Through an interesting six-degrees-of-separation chain of events, Mary Jacobs of UMReporter, based in Dallas, ended up reading my blog post on the Random Acts of Kindness Day our New Light community sponsored a couple of weeks ago, and on Monday afternoon, I had an extensive telephone conversation with Mary, while she was visiting Boston. Over the course of an hour or so, we had a chance to talk about all that's happened and is now happening in Portland: the decline of the former Chestnut Street United Methodist Church, the sale of their historic 44-room facility two and half years ago, and Sara and I being appointed here to help revitalize this small remnant congregation while planting a new community of faith. She seemed excited about this partnership between old and new, the new vision for ministry that we're in the midst of discerning, and the out-of-the-box (and out of the building) direction that we're going with New Light. It looks like she's going to write an article for UMReporter about what we're up to, which is very exciting.

In addition, Mary had a chance to talk to a number of folks in the Boston area and is continuing to explore some ideas about our post-Christian context for another story. "New England is one of Methodism's toughest mission fields," she says, and I think she's right.

Check out Mary's post on the UMReporter blog, "Post Christian in New England," and particularly if you're in New England or have some familiarity with New England culture, including religious culture, take a minute to weigh in. Mary is anxious to get other people's perspectives as she pursues this story.

You're welcome to comment here, but if you wish to share some thoughts directly with Mary, and maybe even get quoted in her upcoming article (woo-hooooo!), comment here.

Priorities

2008-09-16T00:27:00.003-05:00

Despite what the post may say, it's 1:27 am as I sit down to pull together a few thoughts before heading to bed, and I find myself reflecting on priorities.

Why can't I seem to set them and keep them? That is my question.

I want to be able to compose a blog post every day, as a discipline and also as something I enjoy doing. I want to be able to read and offer comments on others' blogs more regularly than I do. And most importantly, I want to take time to read more than I generally do. I have a stack of books calling out to me all the time. I keep a running list of books that I want to read. I have to confess, though, that I am not consistent about building into my schedule the necessary time to read. Sure, I go in spells where I'm reading regularly, and I always find it meaningful and uplifting and enjoyable, but then several weeks have passed and I'll realize that I've only managed to keep up with the periodicals, like Newsweek, Christian Century, Sojourners, and The Progressive Christian, and the bookmark in the book I'm reading hasn't moved.

It's definitely not because I'm sitting around watching television. Too often, my days are packed -- it seems like I run from one thing to the next, taking time in between only to eat, change a diaper, and respond to e-mail. Depending on the day, I may have some assigned time for giving Rachel my full attention, but too often, she gets shuffled along with Sara and me as we go about the tasks of ministry.

So... a question for friends and ministry colleagues who have developed a workable schedule... How do you do it? Where do you build in time to read? What does a typical (or ideal) day look like? How do you pace yourself to accomplish all the things on your task list while also being faithful in setting priorities for family, reading, exercise, and oh yes, adequate sleep?

Speaking of which... time to head in that direction. Tuesday Morning Prayer begins at 8 am, and that's going to come too early!

Calm me down...

2008-09-14T06:03:00.004-05:00

Prayer for an Average Sunday

~ Kenneth G. Phifer

Eternal God, look now upon me as I wait,

stilled for a time,

subdued and quiet.

You know that it is hard for me to wait.

It is hard for me to be still.

I rush from one thing to another,

churning up my life

into hectic waves of accomplishment.

When night falls, I confess I feel a bit guilty

if I have done nothing except be myself.

I even come to prayer with the feeling

that it is apart from life,

that when it is over I had best do something.

Even in church I want to sing a hymn

or take up an offering.

And then when church is over,

I plunge back into my world where the action is.

O Lord, do I have it wrong,

twisted around?

Are there more occasions than I realize

when I would be a better person

if I didn't do anything but just stand there?

Do I fail to hear the real needs

of loved ones, friends, and neighbors,

because I am too busy figuring out

what next to do for them,

or maybe to them?

Am I so absorbed in running the world

that I am not aware of you

and of the things you have to say to me?

Calm me down, I pray.

Calm me down

to the place where I can remember

how many times you have managed to keep me going

when I thought I could not make it.

Calm me down

so that I can recall times of steadiness and fear

when a courage was infused in me

that enabled me to hold on.

Calm me down

so that I can accept my limitations without panic

and in the knowledge that I cannot do everything.

In many ways I do not do anything.

In some ways I do the wrong things.

In the silence before the mystery and the meaning,

I stand waiting,

still,

quieted by wonder.

For life is filled with mystery, meaning, and wonder.

The mystery of being itself.

The meaning that keeps breaking through to me,

meaning encompassed in words

like faith, hope, and love.

And I wonder why when I pray, I believe,

and why when I believe, I pray.

May I be assured that what I do matters

and what I say counts,

because you are in me and for me.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-- Kenneth G. Phifer, A Book of Uncommon Prayer

Nashville: The Upper Room, 1981

(a book given to me by my church family at Searsport (Maine) United Methodist Church when I graduated from high school ~ it's inscribed June 5, 1988 ~ that I've carried with me all these years)

The things kids say...

2008-09-13T22:23:00.002-05:00

So this afternoon we're driving to Ft. Williams Park, home of Portland Head Light, for a picnic with a bunch of families with kids about the same age as Rachel. I had been drinking a Coke, and as I often do when I'm drinking Coke -- mostly to aggravate my wife -- I let fly with an obnoxious belch.

"Excuse me!" I said.

"Excuse you!" Rachel said from the back seat.

"Daddy just burped," Sara, the more responsible parent, explained, "and when we burp we say 'Excuse me.'"

"Do you ever burp?" I asked.

There was a short pause, and then Rachel said, "Sometimes I burp on my bottom."

Yes, we call that something else... but there will be other days to explain that one.

Life is good.

2008-09-12T06:49:00.001-05:00

Life is good. Very, very good.

We had an awesome day yesterday...

We began with breakfast with our coach Paul Nixon, Erica, and Sara at a funky little place called Hot Suppa (they serve breakfast and lunch, but not 'suppa')... then a pretty extensive driving tour of Portland, orienting Paul to the diverse neighborhoods of this awesome city we call home...
As we drove by the former Chestnut Street United Methodist Church, the longtime historic home of the established congregation we serve, next to City Hall, we noticed the doors were open as construction workers carried in sheets of plywood -- the first time we've seen them open since we've been in Portland! -- and we got to go in and poke around. Wow! It was my first time in there, believe it or not. We got to talk to the couple who've bought it and are doing a major renovation, interior and exterior, to open a restaurant in the former sanctuary (stained glass, pipe organ, balcony, and all!) and an events venue in the basement hall. Apparently the chancel area is going to be an open kitchen, with the high arch and the elaborate pipe organ and facade fully visible. There will be a bar in the middle of what used to be the nave full of pews. I can already hear the reaction of some of the more traditionally minded members of the congregation, but personally I'm delighted that the building won't be sitting empty much longer, and honestly, I can't wait to see it.
From there, we toured the High Street property that we're in the process of purchasing -- a stark contrast from the enormous and architecturally imposing Chestnut Street facility, but full of possibilities nonetheless. We spent an hour or so there (long enough to get a parking ticket), and Paul had some really great suggestions about things we should and shouldn't do. We'll spend some time talking with the Chestnut congregation about some of these things over lunch today.
After lunch outside on the Custom House Wharf at Port Hole Restaurant, we had a really helpful meeting with our District Superintendent, who has been incredibly supportive. It was really good to be able to talk through some specific things with Paul and Mike in the same room -- things like a more effective process for developing a unified budget for our combined ministry, the importance of articulating some benchmarks with specific metrics, strategies for navigating potential pitfalls... good stuff.
We gave Paul a little break while we picked Rachel up from daycare, and then returned to our house for a New Light community gathering. Wow! Amazing! We had Thai take-out and just enjoyed some relaxed time sharing table fellowship. After dinner, we shared worship, during which we remembered the tragedy of 9/11 and lit lots of candles representing our prayers for the world, and then had some really good conversation time with Paul. The energy was great -- Paul says we have a "really good vibe," and I think he's right. There were 17 of us, I think -- almost all of them in their 20s -- and just a wonderful spirit, lots of laughter, deep and growing relationships, hope and excitement for the future of our ministry, thoughtful questions, affirming words about the approach we're taking... just really, really good. I feel like New Light is really headed somewhere, and those who gathered tonight totally confirmed that for me.
And today's going to be another great day. We have some focused time with Paul this morning, and then we're off for a good old-fashioned potluck lunch with the Chestnut congregation. Paul will be challenging in some places and I'm sure encouraging in others. We'll conclude the afternoon with some focused time with the New Light Leadership Community before sending Paul off on a plane for D.C. We're just so thankful for someone like him to coach us as we navigate these waters, and thankful for this face-to-face time we've had together.
I'm starting a new day so filled with hope and joy. More every day, I love this city to which God has called us. More every day, I feel a passionate commitment to this ministry we're beginning. More every day, I see the hand of God moving so clearly. Oh, I know there will be many more discouraging moments ahead, just as there have been many in days past -- I'm not naive enough to think otherwise -- but I know I am where I am called to be, doing the very thing for which I was created, and that is good. Very, very good. Thanks be to God.

September 11 remembered

2008-09-11T06:36:00.001-05:00

This week we have our coach, Paul Nixon, visiting. He arrived last night and will be with us through Friday evening -- an exciting time of conversation, dreaming, planning, and imagining.

During our New Light gathering tonight, we'll remember, in a brief time of worship, the tragedy of September 11, 2001 before engaging in conversation with Paul. Our worship experience will include these powerful words written by Ted Loder:

The Final Word ~ Ted Loder
“God doesn’t control everything. We’re free to make choices and, so, to make terrible mistakes. But the key is in the resurrection — or resurrections. History suggests there’s a resurrection to the Inquisition, if only because the final word isn’t the Inquisition. The final word isn’t Hiroshima; the final word isn’t the Holocaust; the final word isn’t Pearl Harbor or September 11th or the Iraq war. Yes, all those are real, painful, terrible and evil. But none of the ‘bad stuff’ — or, for that matter, none of the ‘good stuff’ — is the end of God’s world and work in it. It’s the witness of the gospel that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. That’s as much of a creed as I need. How about you?”

— from Loaves, Fishes, and Leftovers: Sharing Faith’s Deep
Questions by Ted Loder

We'll sing beautiful words attributed to Desmond Tutu:

Goodness is stronger than evil,
love is stronger than hate,
light is stronger than darkness,
life is stronger than death.
Victory is ours, victory is ours
through him who loved us!
Victory is ours, victory is ours
through him who loved us!

We'll light candles as we offer our prayers for a post-September 11 world.

And we'll listen to a beautiful song by Andrew Peterson:

After the Last Tear Falls, from "Love & Thunder"

Words and music by Andrew Osenga & Andrew Peterson

After the last tear falls
After the last secret's told
After the last bullet tears through flesh and bone
After the last child starves
And the last girl walks the boulevard
After the last year that's just too hard
There is love
Love, love, love
There is love
Love, love, love
There is love

After the last disgrace
After the last lie to save some face
After the last brutal jab from a poison tongue
After the last dirty politician
After the last meal down at the mission
After the last lonely night in prison
There is love
Love, love, love
There is love
Love, love, love
There is love

And in the end, the end is
Oceans and oceans
Of love and love again
We'll see how the tears that have fallen
Were caught in the palms
Of the Giver of love and the Lover of all
And we'll look back on these tears as old tales

'Cause after the last plan fails
After the last siren wails
After the last young husband sails off to join the war
After the last "this marriage is over"
After the last young girl's innocence is stolen
After the last years of silence that won't let a heart open
There is love
Love, love, love
There is love

And in the end, the end is
Oceans and oceans
Of love and love again
We'll see how the tears that have fallen
Were caught in the palms
Of the Giver of love and the Lover of all
And we'll look back on these tears as old tales

'Cause after the last tear falls
There is love

Oh, how thankful I am that after it all, there is love -- a deep and abiding love, and a Giver of Love from whom nothing will ever be able to separate us.

How will you remember September 11?

Good News

2008-09-10T21:47:00.006-05:00

I consider myself to be an evangelical.

I've committed my life to following in the way of Jesus. I believe strongly in the hope that is in Christ, and I have a passion for sharing that hope -- that Good News, the evangelion -- with others.

But my understanding of the Good News is not a narrow one, and it doesn't lead me to the political views to which many who call themselves evangelicals cling so tightly. In fact, the more deeply I grow in my faith, the more closely I walk with Christ, the more I'm led not to a conservative worldview, but rather, much of the time, to a progressive one. For me, pursuing peace instead of war, seeking economic justice for those who live in poverty, widening the circle of God's grace, opening the doors of the church to the one who is gay or lesbian, caring for God's Creation, speaking out against the death penalty... all these are as much a part of living a faithful life -- a life that has been transformed by the Good News of Jesus Christ -- as faithfulness to spiritual practices, or worship, or holiness in my actions.

I guess that makes me a progressive evangelical, if there is such a thing.

Maybe all that is why I took such an interest in this fascinating article from the issue of Newsweek that arrived today, about how Sarah Palin's candicacy for the Vice-Presidency is calling attention to the tensions between the "old evangelicals" and the "new evangelicals"...

I despise the hatefulness, the mud-slinging, the accusations, the spread of falsehoods, the sarcasm, the ugliness of political campaigns. And yet I care deeply about a broken world and pray for peace, for justice, for compassion, for leadership that is committed to the work of God's Kingdom. And that calls me to action in a political arena.

There are no easy answers. No easy answers. No easy answers. And so I cling to the Good News that God is with us in the ugliness.

God, help us.

The joy of a two-year-old

2008-09-08T20:48:00.000-05:00

One day last week, two-year-old Rachel came home from daycare really excited. She came bounding through the door, squealing with joy, "Daddy, we did Humpty Dumpty!"

I'm not sure what the Humpty Dumpty activity entailed, but it was clear that she was pretty excited about her first encounter with the classic nursery rhyme, so of course, I began: "Humpty Dumpty sat on a..."

"Wall!" she said.

And I continued, "Humpty Dumpty had a great..."

"Day!" she exclaimed.

So there you have it -- Rachel's version: Humpty Dumpty had a great day!

And I hope you did, too.

Random Acts of Kindness Day

2008-09-07T22:41:00.012-05:00

Saturday morning was so awesome. We got together with a bunch of people from the New Light community and just had a blast blessing the City of Portland.

We had a little over $100 in quarters -- money we'd received in a special offering for this purpose at our Beach Worship gathering a couple of weeks ago and then changed into quarters -- and we split up into small groups and just totally went wild, stuffing parking meters, leaving quarters on flat surfaces (window ledges, the edge of parking meters and pay phones), intentionally dropping quarters on the sidewalk as we walked, and giving them away to anyone who asked for change. We also had 200 coupons for free coffee at Coffee By Design, which we gave away, along with a business card-sized card about New Light. After a while we met up again and made a little scene standing on the sidewalk, blowing bubbles... It was our own little version of the Lawrence Welk set, right there on Congress Street.

A few memorable moments...

First thing, a family pulled up in a car, just as we were getting organized. Someone immediately ran over and stuffed their meter with enough quarters for a full two hours (the maximum). They didn't notice what we were doing, and we were happy to remain inconspicuous. They got out of their car, and the Dad went to the meter with quarters in hand. It was fun watching his puzzled look and then turned and said to his wife, "Hmmm... It already has a full two hours!"

Without knowing what she was doing, Caitlin, who's a 9th grader, offered a coffee coupon to a guy going into a porn shop. I've never heard Caitlin giggle so hard as when she told me the story later.
I met up with a guy, down on his luck, who claimed to have a broken arm and said he was on his way to the hospital. He was happy with the coffee coupon I offered, but said, "Do you think you could give me money for a beer?" So I did! Later, the same guy came upon the bubble blowers. He stopped, exclaimed, "I love bubbles! Bubbles are magical!", grabbed a wand out of someone's hand, and proceeded to blow bubbles of his own.

I stopped and talked for a few minutes with a woman who turned down the coffee coupon, saying she didn't drink coffee, but in the course of conversation, she shared that she was worried about whether she'd be able to have dinner that night. She didn't ask for anything, and was embarrassed to take anything when I offered, but what a joy it was to share $5 with her. Five dollars totally made her day. I don't know that I've ever felt so blessed in spending $5.

As we were nearing lunchtime, a young guy on crutches came hobbling along and sat down on a bench near the bubble blowers. He started a conversation with the group and all at once he said, "Wait a minute! Are you guys dropping quarters on the ground?" He proceeded to tell us that he'd found $2.50 in quarters that day, which he thought was unbelievably cool. He hung out with us for a while and ended up reading us some of his poetry, and when we invited him to join us for lunch, he gladly accepted. Over lunch, we had a really wonderful conversation, learning that he was new to Portland and new to recovery from a drug and alcohol addiction. When some people began to eat without a blessing, he asked if he could offer one, and he prayed, "Bless this food to our use and us to your service, and keep us ever mindful of the needs of others." We all came away feeling like we had totally been blessed by this guy. We're hoping he'll join us for a New Light gathering soon.

It's unanimous: our first Random Acts of Kindness was a blast, and we have to do it again!

The wrong hymn

2008-09-06T07:57:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I went to the memorial service for a retired pastor who died last week. I ended up sitting with another retired pastor who's known for a somewhat irreverent sense of humor, but also for having strong opinions about matters great and small.

The service began with the great hymn of the faith, "God of Grace and God of Glory," which the congregation, filled with active and retired pastors and their spouses and lots of good singing Methodists, sang with gusto.

As we finished the hymn and began to take our seats, this retired pastor with whom I was sitting leaned in my direction and whispered, "I would never begin a worship service with that hymn."

'Here we go,' I thought, fully expecting a lengthy explanation of the theological reasons why he'd decided that was such a miscalculation. Instead, he quietly pointed to the end of the first verse -- a prayerful plea to God: "Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the facing of this hour, for the facing of this hour."

I'll never again begin a worship service with the hymn "God of Grace and God of Glory."

Or if I do, I'll do it smiling. :-)

Catching up after a long silence...

2008-09-05T22:05:00.008-05:00

Ugh. Has it really been almost a month since I posted last? I guess I got out of the habit while I was away on vacation and never got back into it. I will, though.

Just a few thoughts, each deserving its own blog post, but alas...

We had an awesome, relaxing week at a lakeside farmhouse with my extended family -- 10 of us -- just kayaking, swimming, reading, watching the Olympics, playing games, eating good food... Check out pictures here.
It was truly inspiring to be part of an interfaith witness on behalf of Rabbi Moshe Wilansky of Portland, who was ordered by the City Council to stop the weekly prayer services he's been holding in his home for something like 20 years. With the support of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, the Maine Council of Churches, and hundreds of Portland area residents, who showed up for the rally on the steps of City Hall, Rabbi Wilansky eventually won an appeal. The outcome was the right one, but even more than that, it was powerful to be part of this collective witness by people of many faiths (and no faith at all), together for the purpose of defending religious freedom and expressing our oneness in something that lies pretty close to the core of our humanity: the desire to pray and to be part of spiritual community. I hope the effects of that event will be long-lasting.
Exciting news... Things are progressing as the congregation we serve pursues the purchase of a new facility for worship and ministry! We've made an offer on a commercial condominium with several meeting spaces, a kitchenette, and two bathrooms. The offer has been accepted by the seller, and now we're working through a long and time-consuming process of securing approval from both city and denominational leaders, while completing inspections, developing a budget, consulting with attorneys, meeting with property management, and on and on. Sometimes it seems like an endless process, but things are looking good!
I went to my 20th high school class reunion last weekend. I'll confess, I was a bit ambivalent beforehand, but it really was good to see old friends after all these years. I was class president, which sounds much more impressive than it really was -- there were only 63 in my entire graduating class! -- but that meant I was part of planning the event, which proved to be quite an undertaking. This was only our second reunion in 20 years -- the first at our 10th. I hadn't seen many at the reunion since the day we graduated back in June of 1988! Amazing, though, how much people looked the same -- and I guess personalities are pretty well formed by age 18 because in that regard, it was truly like stepping back in time!
Tomorrow we're meeting up with others from the New Light community for a Random Acts of Kindness service day. We have something like $100 in quarters and 200 coupons for coffee at Coffee By Design, and we're going to spend the morning handing out coupons for free cups of coffee, stuffing parking meters with quarters, opening doors, picking up trash, maybe giving out quarters for loads of laundry at the laundromat, dropping quarters on the sidewalk, offering free hugs, blowing bubbles on the sidewalk, stuff like that... We plan to end with lunch, and of course, we'll invite some people who look like they could use a free lunch or a friendly conversation to join us. I'll post an update later!

Go World!

2008-08-08T20:46:00.005-05:00

I'm watching the Opening Ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Olympics, and I'm overwhelmed, as I am every time this comes around, by the beauty of the whole thing. Sara commented, "This is so amazing! There is nothing else like this in the world."

True, isn't it? For me, the Olympics represent a wonderful hope for peace and a spirit of unity as sisters and brothers from countries that span the planet gather to celebrate what's best about humanity. Some will leave with medals and others without, but what matters most is not who wins the Gold, the Silver, or the Bronze, but rather the ideals of peace and harmony and the realization that there is a oneness that runs so much deeper than any differences in language, dress, color, religion, or culture.

Have you seen the Visa commercials? I wish they weren't for Visa, but the message is wonderful. In the voice of Morgan Freeman (ironically, recovering right now from a serious car accident): “There are six billion of us. We all come from unique places, with unique ways of looking at the world. We don’t always agree but for a few shining weeks we set it all aside. We come together to stand and cheer and celebrate as one. We forget all the things that make us different and remember all the things that make us the same. GO WORLD."

Go World. That will be my prayer during the days ahead, and long after the 2008 Summer Olympics have come and gone.

Broken Eggs

2008-08-07T23:42:00.004-05:00

This morning, I was cooking some eggs, when two-year-old Rachel decided to reach up and grab the carton from the counter.

I was looking the other way when I heard the telltale sound: eggs cracking on the floor.

I turned around, and there stood Rachel, frozen, staring at that upended carton and six broken eggs, spreading out in a yellowy, oozing mess. The world stood still as she and I both assessed the damage, and the look of shock and panic on her face spoke volumes: she knew she had done something terribly wrong.

"It's okay, Rachel -- you made a mistake, but we'll clean it up," I said, wrapping my arms around her in a big Daddy hug. And at that moment, she and I both learned something about God's grace.

Learning from HopeSpring

2008-08-04T16:36:00.006-05:00

Yesterday we participated in worship at HopeSpring in Winter Garden, FL -- originally a new church start that began as a daughter church of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Orlando, now considered an extension campus of St. Luke's. That may sound like an insignificant distinction, but actually it represents a huge and challenging change in identity for the people of HopeSpring, resulting from concerns about sustainability based on projections for worship attendance and financial solvency.

Our visit to HopeSpring provided some helpful learning:

Hospitality, hospitality, hospitality! We were warmly greeted -- in the parking lot, at every entrance, in the worship service -- and afterward, we were treated to a tasty lunch, complete with little buckets filled with treats with our table settings.
Holding worship in a school is challenging. They shared that with only one morning a week in the space, and no permanent "home base," it's very difficult to cultivate a sense of identity among people in the community. Additionally, they talked about the incredible commitment of resources -- time, energy, and finances -- it takes: about $20,000 a year in rent, plus all the equipment and the movable units for storing it; and human resources for transporting everything in a big trailer, schleping the stuff in and out, and setting it all up and taking it all down week after week. Add to that the challenges of working with school administration, time constraints, and difficulties with consistent air conditioning (a particular problem in Florida!), and it hasn't been a breeze. In a few months, HopeSpring will be moving into a more permanent home for worship and mission: 10,000 square feet of an old Winn-Dixie supermarket, which they're converting into ministry space.

Mother-Daughter relationships between congregations aren't easy either. Lead pastor Gary Shockley planted a church in Pennsylvania before -- a parachute drop -- and he went into this one naively thinking that it was going to be a piece of cake with the energy and passion of a large team of people already on board and significant financial resources to invest. Even with two years at St. Luke's building a culture of invitation and hospitality and nurturing a core group to prepare them, before the church plant even began, and even with significant funding from the mother congregation, the district, and the Conference, he's found it incredibly challenging to navigate all the dynamics. Particularly with the recent change from daughter church to extension campus, and all the resulting changes in budgeting and staffing relationships, it's been complicated.

Planning is an imperfect science. When they made their plans to plant HopeSpring in Winter Garden, the housing market was booming. They specifically targeted this community because there were plans for 60,000 new homes and a town center to be built. They did their homework, studying demographics and designing their worship and ministry to meet the needs of the people with whom they expected to be neighbors. However, only about 12,000 homes were built, and with the economic slump, everything has come to a screeching halt. The school is literally in the middle of nowhere -- a stark reminder that projections are only projections, and lots can change without fair warning.

In spite of all the challenges that accompany any church planting project, God is faithful! HopeSpring leaders are genuinely excited about this new venture, and lives are being transformed by the grace of Jesus Christ. I suspect HopeSpring will be successful, even if it's not exactly what those who began expected, and even if it's not according to the timeline they originally developed.

Notes from Orlando, Day Three

2008-08-02T21:38:00.006-05:00

Wow! Today was the best day by far. Honestly, some parts of the School of Congregational Development have been a bit disappointing, because I feel like a lot of what we're receiving is based on an older model of congregational development that isn't likely to engage younger generations or those in progressive cultures like Portland -- but today was really good.

First, we heard from Carol Howard Merritt, a young Presbyterian pastor from Washington, D.C. and author of The Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation. She started out by telling a story about one of her parishioners, a member of the church council (or whatever they call the governing board in Presbyterian churches) who arrived late for a meeting, apologized for her tardiness, and explained that she'd run into a friend on the way there. When it accidentally slipped out that she was on her way to church, she'd felt the need to explain... to clarify... "No! It's not what you think it is! My church isn't like that!" And Carol confessed she finds herself doing the same thing, all the time, when people learn that she's a pastor.

Oh, man! Does that sound familiar?!

"Yes, I'm a pastor, but it's not like that! My church isn't what you think it is. We believe in peace and work for justice, and we don't reduce faith to moralisms, and we aren't homophobic or sexist or narrow-minded, and we don't think you have to be a Republican to follow Jesus!"

Yes, all too familiar!

"Church can be very scary," Carol says. "If you go to church and you still dare to admit it, you have some explaining to do."

As a young adult in ministry (although getting less young all the time, I must confess: I turn 38 tomorrow!), I found it fascinating to hear Carol's presentation. So much of it rang true, from my experience, both personally and with others from my generation. A few things to hold onto:

Six million people who used to go to church no longer do -- they're under age 45. They are "The Missing Generation." Six million!
Too often, we in the church think in terms of life cycles. We celebrate a child's baptism, we raise them in Sunday School, and we celebrate a big "graduation" when they complete confirmation. Then we send them off, expecting they'll come back when they have kids of their own. Then we plan ministries for Mom-and-Dad-and-the-kids, but we don't offer much for those in between. The problem is, only 25% of households have Mom and Dad and kids. 51% of women in our society aren't married. When the single young adult comes to worship for the first time, the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) message we convey is, "You are not what we're looking for."
Misunderstandings about young adults:
- Employment: that young adults quit their jobs if they don't fit in with their yoga schedules. Truth: many, many young adults are in temporary employment because it's the only work they can get. They work long hours, and their productivity is higher than previous generations. Because they're in temp jobs, they have few benefits, and they are often the first to be laid off. 30% of people ages 19-29 have no health insurance -- particularly troubling when you remember that this is the time period when people have typically had babies... today many young adults can't even get a doctor's appointment!
- Finances: that young adults prefer to "mooch" off their parents. Truth: young adults find themselves in terrible financial hardship because of the tragic combination of enormous student loans, the high cost of housing (particularly in urban areas, where young adults can find work), and stagnant wages. She described college students with whom she works who hold down four jobs while taking a full course load, and then celebrate that they've been able to keep their student loans to $50,000.
- Commitments: that young adults are "commitment-phobic." Truth: marriage rates are lower (often because of financial insecurity), but among young adults who are married, divorce rates are lower, too. And commitment to a job can't be measured fairly, since so many young adults find themselves forced to work temp jobs.
Young adults aren't looking for entertainment in church: they find contemplative prayer and labyrinths to be incredibly engaging. Often the parts of worship that appeal most to this generation are times of silence.
Gen X (ages 25-45) is the most innovative generation ever in our nation. Young adults are eager to start new things. Gen Y (under age 25) is huge -- bigger, Carol says, than the Baby Boomer generation. At the same time, Gen Y is more institutionally minded than Gen X. So what if, she asks -- what if we allowed Gen X to develop new communities of faith to engage Gen Y? Wow! That question is rocking my world right now. It sounds to me like a recipe for the most incredible transformation of the church... the next Great Awakening, yes?

And then from Marcia McFee, the coolest stuff ever about music and worship! If I had come just for this seminar, it would have been worth it. Just a few snippets, because it's late and I'm tired:

One size does not fit all. Use the full repertoire: jazz, traditional hymns (including with new arrangements and even new melodies), bluegrass, old and new contemporary (which really is not an oxymoron), global, Taize, blues, Iona, popular songs...
Question: Is this the right song for this moment, to evoke the feeling I'm trying to create? It's not just about using the right genre.
Question: How do we create an environment in which to experience the Holy? ... for this message... for this place... for these people?
Think like a filmmaker: create a "score" or "soundscape" for our experience of the Holy. Use music for transitions. Let it be the glue for the layers of worship, connecting the verbal, the visual, and the visceral.

Good stuff today! Lots to process! Lots to utilize!

Personality and Prayer

2008-08-02T13:36:00.005-05:00

In some spare time this afternoon, we made Erica take the Myers-Briggs test, and learned that she's an ISFJ. Sara is an INFJ, and I'm an ENFP.

Carlie (a fellow ENFP) shared this blog post (ignore the title and subtitle of the blog) that shares prayers for each Myers-Briggs type. They're pretty funny.

The prayer of an ENFP: "God, help me to keep my mind on one th - Look! A bird! - at a time."

What are your Myers-Briggs letters? Don't know? Take the test here.

Notes from Orlando, Day Two

2008-08-01T21:54:00.007-05:00

Greetings from steamy Orlando -- day two of the School of Congregational Development.

The day began with Mark Beeson, senior pastor of Granger Community Church in Granger, Indiana, whose talk was called "Innovate or Die." His presentation was very inspiring. A few nuggets:

Most of the people in our churches are underchallenged. Our churches are full of what Beeson calls "high capacity" people, and we ask them to do things like hand out bulletins, when they are capable of so much more.
If you can do your ministry by yourself, your vision is too small.
The most dangerous person on your team is not the person going backward while everyone else is moving forward, and not the person going completely in a different direction -- everyone knows they're completely off. The most dangerous person is the one who's just a little bit off, who claims to be on the same page when you confront him/her. This person will wear you out, Beeson says. You need to deal with it.

I'm a little confused about Granger Community Church, though. Apparently they're a United Methodist congregation -- at least that's how they were presented today -- but I get conflicting information when I do a Google search. Their own website says "nondenominational." What's the deal?

I went to two excellent seminars: "Creating a Discipleship System," with Claudia Lavy (formerly of Ginghamsburg Church, now part of the consulting team Deepening Your Effectiveness); and "Leadership in the Wesleyan Spirit" with Lovett Weems of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership. Both were very helpful.

A few nuggets from Lavy:

The church is called to the ministry of life transformation. We get so caught up in the day-to-day stuff of the church that we forget our calling: life transformation.
Lavy's workshop included a quick run through some excellent stuff about the stages through which people develop a deeper and deeper trusting relationship with God. I recommend the book Deepening Your Effectiveness: Restructuing the Local Church for Life Transformation by Dan Glover and Claudia Lavy, which provides an in-depth look at these steps and how they ought to impact the ministry we develop.
Particularly helpful: at stage 3, the new or rededicated believer is asking the question "How can I help?" Be careful! When we take energetic new believers and invite them to serve before they are spiritually developed, we push them on a road to burnout and cynicism. The real question they're asking is "How can I fit in?" So how can we invite them to deeper spiritual development? The question for us: Do we want actively serving believers or spiritually developed servants? Lavy says our churches are full of actively serving believers, but they're drying up on the vines because we're not providing the spiritual nourishment they need to become spiritually developed servants.

A few nuggets from Weems:

In 1784, Methodists were called "the most insignificant religious body." Eighty years later, in 1864, Methodists were the largest denomination, and 50% larger than the next largest denomination. How did that happen?
We should develop "so that" statements for everything we're doing -- i.e. "We offer Vacation Bible School so that..." Everything should be organized to accomplish the mission.
Thousands of churches across the country have said, "We love our traditions more than our children." We refuse to change, even if it means we are failing to pass on the life transforming message of God's love to the next generation.
In the early days of a church, that church will be very responsive to the needs around them, but gradually that changes. Instead of looking upon the world as our parish, we begin to look upon the parish as our world.
"Leadership is helping God's people take the next faithful step." -- Scott Cormode
An alarming statistic: from 1980-1990, there was an increase from 1.8 million to 4.3 million people who claim prison as their primary residence. From 1990-2000, that number saw another 70% increase.
A district superintendent is not the steward of the United Methodist Churches in his or her district -- pastors do that. A district superintendent is, rather, the steward of the United Methodist witness within that geographical territory. This is an important distinction.
The primary question a district superintendent should be asking: How do I improve the quality of pastoral leadership for the pastors in my district?

Notes from Orlando, Day One

2008-07-31T22:51:00.004-05:00

Here we are in Orlando, and today was Day One at the School of Congregational Development.

It felt a little like we limped into the event, which was kind of disappointing. The welcome and opening music were extremely low-key -- almost as if those organizing the event weren't quite ready for it to start, or maybe that they've done it so many times before that it ceases to inspire any excitement or energy -- but fortunately things are picking up a bit.

We heard a great sermon from Bishop Minerva Carcano this afternoon. She is a great storyteller. I especially appreciated her stories about visiting with church planters in the Philippines, where there is such passion for sharing the Gospel with nonbelievers, and about Christians ministering to immigrants on both sides of the border with Mexico. Clearly she is a faithful servant leader, and I appreciate her impassioned witness.

I am participating in an urban ministry track, called "God at the Crossroads in the City," led by Kelvin Sauls of the General Board of Discipleship. Here are a few nuggets from our first track session:

More churches are closing in urban contexts than anywhere else.
Cities are at the crossroads.
Churches are at the crossroads.
Cities are coming alive again. Urban flight is over, and people have moved back -- not the same people who left, but young people, many of them single.
Urban churches have mostly reorganized to serve the poor, but those coming back to the cities are not necessarily the poor.
How do we undertake an innovative both/and ministry that cares for the poor and advocates for the poor, while engaging newcomers?
Newcomers to the city are experiencing "Post-Suburban Syndrome" as they react against the decisions their parents made. They are not churchy, but spiritual. They don't care about denominational labels. Largely, they think the church is irrelevant to their lives. They may not come to a worship service, but they're eager to engage worship through service.

And a couple of nuggets from tonight's plenary with Ed Jones, founding pastor of The Living Water UMC in Pearland, Texas, which we received as a live feed from Grand Rapids, the second site for this year's School of Congregational Development:

We must lead from the overflow of our devotional life.
Take the values off your charts and plant them in people's hearts.
Pray for eyes and hearts to notice what Jesus notices.

And the summer is flying by!

2008-07-30T09:29:00.006-05:00

Probably no one else has noticed, but last night on the telephone, my father-in-law said, "I haven't seen any new posts on your blog in a while" -- so I guess it's time!

A few random thoughts:

I counseled for a week of Middle School Camp at Rolling Ridge, our United Methodist retreat center in North Andover, MA. Pictures here.

On Sunday afternoon, we had a special family birthday party for Rachel, who turned two last Friday. Pictures of our fun on Friday here, and pictures of the party here.

We are leaving today for Orlando (such a great time of year to visit Orlando!) for the School of Congregational Development. Erica and Carlie from New Light are going with us. It should be a good time of learning and connecting with others who share our passion for helping communities of faith to thrive.

I had a great time with my 13-year-old nephew, Jake, who came on Sunday and stayed until Tuesday morning. Among other things, we saw The Dark Knight and had crazy-delicious ice-cream at Cold Stone Creamery in the Old Port.

Super exciting developments for Chestnut UMC - the small established congregation we serve here in Portland, Maine - and by association, for New Light as well. It's too early to be specific, but excitement is in the air! I'll disclose all the specifics as soon as I can...

My alma mater, Boston University School of Theology, has announced the appointment of a new dean. I'm impressed and hopeful!

My brother, Brian, has written a second book -- a wonderful resource book with facts about every U.S. president, their vice-presidents, and their Cabinets. It will be published soon, and I'll be sure to post a link.

Summer blessings!

Catching Up...

2008-07-09T23:12:00.003-05:00

~ We had a great time at the family camp on Center Pond on the Fourth of July... good food, time with family, kayaking, swimming, sleeping on the porch, lots of (illegal) fireworks over the pond... good times.

~ I'm praying for my friend David and his whole family as his father, Jim, is in critical condition at Maine Medical Center. Pray, please.

~ It was fun helping Ben & Melissa move into their new parsonage in Haverhill, MA last week. We're excited for them as they begin their new ministry there - another clergy couple sharing an appointment and imagining exciting new ways of being church!

~ I spent some time this week - overnight and a meeting the following day - at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, CT, which will be the site of our New England School of Congregational Development in November. I'm on the planning team, and it's coming together. What an amazing facility!

~ Next week I'm at Rolling Ridge, counseling with middle schoolers for the week. Pray for us!

~ We're looking forward to a couple of days with Paul Nixon, our new coach, coming up. Paul is pastor of Epicenter Church in D.C. and author of the book I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church.

~ We're also looking forward to the School of Congregational Development in Orlando, July 31 - August 5. Anyone else going to be there?

~ Fingers crossed for a possible new site for worship and ministry... We're not there yet, but it feels like we're making good progress...

~ Rachel turns two on July 25. Is that really possible?

~ Where is the summer going already? And how do I make it stop?

An Independence Day Prayer

2008-07-04T08:09:00.004-05:00

by Kerry Walters

Lord, we are a mighty empire,
proud of our arms and our wealth.
We fancy they make us independent.
We believe they are signs of our righteousness.

But arms and wealth -- they are idols,
abominable in your sight.
They stunt our hearts and bind our spirits.
They breed fear, distrust, arrogance, greed.

The temple we have raised for them is called
Fortress America.
We are prisoner-priests within its walls.

Move us this day, good Lord,
to yearn for real independence.
Open our eyes to our self-imposed shackles.
Rip asunder the veil of our temple-fortress.

Stir our hearts, that we might seek
vulnerability rather than power
service rather than dominion
peace rather than war
reconciliation rather than preemption.

Inspire us to witness to the world by
demolishing our killing instruments of war
giving our wealth to the needy
practicing apostolic simplicity
forgiving our debtors
and renouncing our mania to be a superpower.

Let us repent of empire, gracious God,
that we might embrace your Kingdom. Amen.

_________________

The Rev. Kerry Walters is an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church, peace activist, author, and co-editor of Episcopal Peace Witness.

Three years and counting...

2008-06-24T16:24:00.003-05:00

Three years ago today, on a blistering hot day, Sara and I exchanged vows of love and faithfulness and began the adventure of marriage. It was an intimate little service with 350 of our closest friends and family members, at First United Methodist Church of Hudson, where I was serving as pastor, with 12 pastors officiating (all of them family members and close friends -- that was our wedding party!), lots of music, Holy Communion, and many special elements, followed by a dessert reception (chocolate fountain and all!) at Rolling Ridge.

We're headed out to dinner in a few minutes to celebrate (we have a babysitter and everything!), and tomorrow, while Rachel plays with her grandparents, we're taking the day to relax and enjoy each other. We don't know what we're doing yet, but it doesn't even matter, because we'll be together.

I am blessed to have a wonderful wife, life partner, and partner in ministry.

Leadership

2008-06-20T18:40:00.004-05:00

As I think about my ministry as a pastoral leader, one thing is abundantly clear to me: there's a big difference between being a leader and being a manager.

It's a tension in ministry that almost every pastor I know faces. So much of day-to-day ministry demands effective management: keeping track of all the finer details of ministry, day in, day out; making sure tasks are completed, worship is developed, a sermon is prepared, people are cared for, records are in order, budget numbers are reviewed, phone calls are made, e-mails are read and composed, and all the required forms are completed and submitted according to deadline. These are important aspects of ministry. Each of them helps to ensure that ministry continues, and yes, ministry is about impacting human lives.

Most of the time I'm able to stay on top of the management responsibilities -- sometimes very well, sometimes adequately -- but I'll confess that in my less effective moments, I can feel like little more than a machine churning out ministry, without passion or conviction and with hardly a nod to God. I note that I've used the passive voice to describe these tasks, and that's significant because there are days when I can check all the boxes on the task list and still remain fairly passive. Too often I get caught up being a manager and find there's little time for the real stuff of leadership.

Management is important for any effective organization, but the church calls out for leadership! There's the old expression, "Leadership is doing the right thing; management is doing things right." It seems to me if our primary focus is on doing things right, we might easily manage our way into extinction.

If management is about reducing risks, leadership is about pursuing opportunities. If management is about managing tasks, leadership is about leading people. If management is about seeing the present clearly, leadership is about articulating a vision for an improved future. If management is about tracking progress, leadership is about initiating change. If management is about reacting to perceived needs, leadership is about taking a proactive stance. I'm convinced it takes both effective management and visionary leadership to enable the healthy, growing church God calls us to be.

My prayer: God, help me to grow in my leadership abilities, and kindle in me a passion to pursue opportunities, to lead people, to articulate a vision for the future, to initiate change, to take a proactive stance, to lead with my head and my heart, for the sake of your church and your Kingdom!

Back from Annual Conference

2008-06-17T11:11:00.004-05:00

We returned on Sunday night from our New England Annual Conference, held at Gordon College in Wenham, MA from Thursday night through noontime on Sunday. It's always a joy to be part of a worshiping congregation of 1,000 voices, and to celebrate some of the ministries around our New England Conference which are impacting lives with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

I'm still processing all that took place... There certainly were frustrating moments, but also many joyful moments. A few highlights:

great energy around the Nothing But Nets campaign, with something like $50,000 raised during Annal Conference to purchase bed nets, which will help to alleviate the spread of malaria in Africa, which causes such suffering
the report that $6.3 million has already come in through our "Together for Tomorrow" capital campaign, supporting congregational development, camps and retreat centers, pastoral retirement support, local church ministries, and our covenants with the churches of Nicaragua and West Angola
Eric Dupee winning the Ziegler Preaching Award and sharing a fantastic sermon challenging us to simply love God and love our neighbors
Saturday night's ordination & commissioning service - congratulations, Rick!
many opportunities to connect with old friends
having Rachel's four grandparents there all at once!

Check out some of the news from Annual Conference, courtesy of our Conference communications staff:

News from Friday, June 13
News from Saturday, June 14
News from Sunday, June 15

What kind of church do we want to be?

2008-06-09T22:12:00.002-05:00

What's This Really About? - an excellent post by Jan Edmiston on her blog, A Church For Starving Artists

... and from Mark Batterson, lead pastor at National Community Church, some really helpful thoughts in a post called Random Firings of the Synapses.

Why?

2008-06-02T21:49:00.003-05:00

The other day I went to the hospital to visit a member of the congregation, whom I'll call Lucy. When I walked in, right away, I noticed her husband sitting next to her and a woman I didn't recognize standing at the foot of the bed. It turned out this visitor was the hospital chaplain, who had stopped by to say hello and offer her services.

"Oh, this is my pastor," Lucy said to her visitor. "And this is the hospital chaplain," she said to me. "Isn't it nice that she came to visit?"

We shook hands, and I thanked her for coming to see Lucy.

I was glad for the chance to visit with Lucy and her husband. Both have been dealing with some serious health issues, as well as a number of complicated life situations -- really a lot on their plate all at once.

"I was just telling her," Lucy said, "how my minister is always saying, 'God never gives you more than you can handle.'"

Ick. How to respond?

I promise, I have never said those words to Lucy or to anyone else. I detest those words.

I couldn't tell if those were words of comfort in that moment.

I wanted to scream, "Who are you talking about? I have NEVER said those words to you!"

What is the implication? That God gives us challenges, and then challenges on top of challenges, because God knows we can handle them? That somehow God pushes us to the breaking point, because God knows it'll make us stronger? That God is somehow orchestrating all the details of our lives -- orchestrating the tragedies, sending us pain and sadness and then piling on more, for some greater good?

I don't believe that. In fact, I'll be the first to say that sometimes I think the situations of life force people to face more than they can handle, and it's downright unfair.

Oh, I do believe that God works in powerful ways in the midst of challenge and tragedy, giving people the strength they need to weather the storms of life. I've seen some truth in Romans 8:28, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God..." I celebrate moments when I've seen God transform despair into hope, hatred into love, misery into joy, and conflict into peace. That's the miracle of Easter, isn't it? But that's not the same thing as saying that God causes our pain, orchestrates the challenges we face, or trips us up to make us stronger. I don't believe in that God.

I'm tired of platitudes. God never gives us more than we can handle -- but sometimes it seems like life does. I've walked with too many people through life's pain. I look around and see too much suffering. Frankly, I think there's a lot that happens in life that's completely beyond God's will, and in those situations, I think God wants to be a source of love, hope, joy, peace, and strength.

I have a long list of questions for God, and I suspect there are no easy answers, but I hope God gives me the strength to be present with people in the midst of their suffering and without offering shallow explanations that ring empty, allow them the space to wrestle with the biggest questions of life, which always seem to start with "Why?"

Home from our travels...

2008-05-28T21:16:00.024-05:00

We had a wonderful trip to Northfield, Minnesota to spend time with friends Heidi and Alan and their new baby, Addie, and to Fargo, North Dakota, where we had a great time with Sara's sister and brother-in-law, Elizabeth and Greg. If you're interested, there are lots more photos...

On the plane I read The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne - a book I've been meaning to read, and which I've skimmed around, for quite some time. (Yes, I know, the rest of you read this book eons ago.) Wow. Powerful stuff. I have a lot to process, and a lot to examine about my life. If you haven't read it yet and you want to be serious about living a Gospel-centered life, it is an absolute must-read.

After 13 hours of traveling - rental car from Northfield to Minneapolis, plane to Milwaukee, plane to Boston, bus to Portland, and cab to our house - Rachel was very tired, and so were her parents. It was a great trip, but we're glad to be home!!

WOW - 2008 School of Congregational Development

2008-05-23T08:21:00.002-05:00

I'm on the planning team for WOW: The School of Congregational Development for The United Methodist Church in New England - November 6-8, 2008.

It's going to be a great event!

Overheard on the plane

2008-05-22T12:23:00.003-05:00

Just a couple of rows ahead of us on the plane, there was a young mother with two sons, maybe 3 and 4 years old. She spent a considerable amount of time getting the two boys situated in their seats on one side of the aisle - seatbelts on, snacks out, toys to keep them occupied available - and her seat was to be on the other side of the aisle, next to a woman with white hair.

Son #1: Mommy, where are you sitting?

Mother, pointing to her seat on the other side of the aisle: I'm sitting over here.

Son #1: Over there with that old lady?

Everyone nearby: embarrassed laughter.

The Best Care in the Air

2008-05-21T23:08:00.002-05:00

We're in Northfield, Minnesota tonight, where we're staying with friends Heidi and Alan and their new baby, Adelaide. Tomorrow we'll head to Fargo, North Dakota for several days with Sara's sister Elizabeth and her husband Greg. We are really looking forward to the time with them.

For tonight I just have to say Midwest Airlines is the best! They call their signature service "the best care in the air." Three things did it for me:

extra wide leather seats, making for plenty of room
Dr. Pepper on the menu
complimentary ooey, gooey, warm chocolate chip cookies, baked on the plane! Does it get any better than that?

Called to Ministry

2008-05-16T09:55:00.005-05:00

Almost two and a half years ago, the established church we serve sold their enormous facility - a sanctuary with seating for 850 people, 44 rooms, a full-sized gymnasium, several apartments, and a separate office building with a chapel - to a developer who built a six-story condominum complex in the parking lot. The small remnant congregation has been meeting for worship in a synagogue on Congress Street, at the invitation of that congregation, while undertaking an intentional process of discernment. Although there has certainly been plenty of nostalgia about the past, this new building-free identity has also opened up lots of new possibilities! Without an aging, outdated building tying up all its time and financial resources, the congregation has felt a refreshing freedom to focus on ministry, and to consider an entirely new identity apart from its physical structure.

Since last fall, we've been meeting weekly with a group of leaders of the congregation, to continue this discernment process and to get serious about articulating a vision for a new and very different kind of ministry in Portland. We've met with city leaders, pastors and leaders of other churches, and leaders of social service organizations. We've gone on several field trips to visit the sites of other organizations doing work to care for people in need, both within and beyond Portland. It's been an exciting process.

After months of researching needs and opportunities for ministry within the city, in February we identified the neighborhood where where we feel led to sink down some roots. It happens to be the most densely populated square mile in the State of Maine - a neighborhood of mostly several-family homes and apartments, some of them in serious need of renovation, many of them rented out by landlords who live in other parts of the city or even out of state. It's a neighborhood with a reputation for drug use and trafficking, as well as prostitution and domestic violence -- all of which are still present, but expressed in more subtle ways than they used to be. Since it is the most affordable neighborhood in the city, it tends to be one of the places where recent immigrants and those who are recently homeless settle, but residents also tend to be very transient, moving on when they can afford to go elsewhere. It's also a neighborhood where students and some young professionals have chosen to live, and where a neighborhood center and a community policing program have had a very positive impact. Our vision for ministry in this neighborhood is taking shape, and although we have a lot of work to do to implement the vision - including talking more with people who live in the neighborhood to determine if our vision really meets a need they feel - we are hopeful and excited to get on the ground.

Yesterday at our weekly meeting of the team, an 82-year-old woman who's a relatively new member of the church and an active member of this team, said, "I've been praying that I live long enough to see this vision become a reality, because this is the first time in my life that I've ever felt called to something."

How powerful is that? We had a great discussion about that sense of being called, and I've been living with that comment ever since. Wow. God is good!

Rude friends stink.

2008-05-15T22:50:00.004-05:00

Erica's been giving me crap about the fiddleheads post. I think her exact words were, "You did NOT just post that thing about fiddleheads. What a dork!"

Someone make her stop.

At least Krista appreciated it.

Fiddleheads

2008-05-12T07:15:00.001-05:00

In honor of Sara's mother's arrival on Saturday evening, we made a classic Maine dinner: baked stuffed haddock, thanks to a trip to Free Range Fish and Lobster on Commercial Street; purple mashed potatoes that came from the Wednesday farmers' market at Monument Square; and fiddleheads that we bought out of someone's trunk on the side of the road Friday afternoon.

Yes, fiddleheads - a Maine tradition! Not quite Maine lobster, but almost as popular with some people! Here's what VeganYumYum has to say about fiddleheads:

Fiddlehead ferns are one of spring’s most elusive goodies. The are available for about three weeks in May (as in right this second), and are generally harvested in the northeastern United States. A fiddlehead is the tip of an unfurling Ostrich Fern frond, quickly snapped off with the flick of the wrist by professional foragers in the wild. If you see some growing in the woods near you, take care. There are many other ferns that resemble the Ostrich Fern, some of which are considered to be carcinogenic, like the Bracken Fern. Unless you have a guide with you, leave the collecting to the professionals and pick some up at Whole Foods. They cost $6 a pound in Boston.

Their flavor is mild, and perhaps most closely resembles asparagus, and asparagus is the best substitute for the ferns. Some also say they are similar to green beans and
artichokes. They are pleasently crunchy with a nutty, slightly bitter bite, which is why you’ll see so many fiddlehead recipes calling for butter and salt. Treat the fiddleheads like asparagus tips and you can’t go wrong. If you really want a treat, serve them up with some morel mushrooms; their season coincides almost exactly with the ferns and they pair well.

I wish I liked fiddleheads more. They're okay, but I'm not one of those people you'll find scouring the sides of roads this time of year. But then again, they're only available during a short window of time each year, and once a year is just about perfect for me...

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T14:13:00.021-05:00

Today I am thankful for my Mom, Jeanne Merrill, shown here... with my Dad and my older brother Brian and me when I was 10 days old... with my whole family, including Brian and my younger sister Karen, when I was 6... on Thanksgiving 2007 being a little bit silly at the dessert table... and opening a funny gift on Christmas Day 2007.

I'm thankful to have a mother who is loving and generous in every way, and who has passed on her crazy sense of humor to the rest of our wacky family!

A different kind of church - YES!

2008-05-07T22:20:00.004-05:00

On IM tonight, Sara was chatting with Erica, a member of our New Light community, who was telling her about an experience at work today. Another member of the community, Carlie, had stopped by to see her at work, and they were talking about some of the things we've been doing lately, like our Cinco de Mayo party. Afterward, a friend and co-worker (whom I've met a couple of times) said, "I'm starting to think more and more that this is a different kind of church you go to."

And I just have to say, that is the best thing I've heard all day! Music to my ears!!

Words to serve by...

2008-05-07T08:22:00.003-05:00

The Earth and the Poor
Leonardo Boff

Is it possible to live in peace and happiness when you know that two-thirds of human beings are suffering, hungry and poor? To be human we have to have compassion. This solidarity is really the defining factor of our humanity and is gradually being lost in a culture of material values. It's not only the cry of the poor we must listen to but also the cry of the earth. The earth and human beings are both threatened. We must do something to change the situation....

There won't be a Noah's Ark to save only some of us. To meet people's fundamental concerns, change is needed. The world as it is does not offer the majority of humanity life but rather hell. I believe that change is possible, because I cannot accept a God who could remain indifferent to this world, but only one who cares about the poor and the suffering.

Source: Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor

with a tip of the hat to Inward/Outward, a project of Church of the Saviour

Clearing Committee

2008-05-06T22:10:00.006-05:00

Today I participated in a day-long retreat, "The Heart of Leadership: Leading with Spiritual Awareness," at Rolling Ridge, our United Methodist retreat center in North Andover, MA. The retreat leaders were Margaret Benefiel, Quaker, professor at Andover Newton Theological School, CEO of ExecutiveSoul.com, and author of Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations; and Larry Peacock, United Methodist pastor currently serving as executive director at Rolling Ridge.

One of the most meaningful exercises, for me, was time spent in a group of three, reflecting on an issue we're dealing with in our leadership, through what is called a Clearing Committee - a Quaker tradition. It goes like this:

Silence (1 min.)
Focus person speaks (4 min.)
Clarifying questions - focus person responds (1 min.)
Silence (1 min.)
Questions and comments - focus person does not respond; someone in the group records (7 min.)
Prayer (2 min.)
Transition to the next focus person (1 min.)

I found it incredibly helpful to reflect in a very focused way, confined by clear parameters of time within a prayerful, supportive, reflective space; and then to receive not suggestions or advice, but questions and comments, to which I could not respond, but which invited me to further reflection. The idea is that the wisdom comes not from those in the group who have advice to share, but from within the person dealing with the issue, and from God.

I need to spend some time thinking about how this exercise might have application in my ministry. I think there are some real possibilities. The Clearing Committee -- sometimes called Circle of Trust -- invites spiritual groundedness when dealing with leadership issues.

How could you imagine utilizing the Clearing Committee in your ministry, workplace, church, organization, or family?

Cinco de Mayo!

2008-05-05T22:49:00.007-05:00

We had an awesome New Light Cinco de Mayo party at our house tonight, complete with (virgin) Margaritas, a huge spread of Mexican food potluck style, Mexican music, cheesy decorations (including a five-foot inflated cactus and strings of red pepper lights, thanks to the leftovers from Fiesta Vacation Bible Camp!) and lots of wacky games -- games that included things like Sprite and gummy worms, sombreros, Bible verses in Spanish, jalapeno peppers, maracas, balancing cups of water on heads, and singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" while gargling. Not all at once, of course.

Oh, it was great fun. Someone commented, "It's like Youth Group for adults!" Oh, wait -- that was me. But everyone agreed.

I'll try to post pictures soon -- especially the one of Sarah (the other one, not my wife) with a gummy worm sticking from each nostril.

What's the purpose of events like this in the context of a newly forming community of faith? Well, one thing I know for sure: laughter is an important spiritual practice. And besides that, it was wonderful to see community being strengthened and relationships being sealed across the two small groups. We do lots of things that have a stronger spiritual component, of course. We're intentional about engaging in acts of devotion, worship, compassion, and justice. But it sure was fun to hang out, eat good food, and laugh hard tonight.

Tomorrow I'm off to a retreat focusing on leadership and spirituality at Rolling Ridge. Good times.

Random Thoughts on a Friday Night

2008-05-02T21:54:00.006-05:00

Sara and I spent a good part of the day outside. We raked the back yard (last week I raked the front) and uprooted a few thousand tiny maple trees that have sprung up everywhere. Then we spent a couple of hours removing sod and tilling soil, preparing some spots to the left and right of our front walk where we'll eventually plant some flowers and herbs. It feels really good to get your hands in the dirt!

I've been watching pieces of the live stream of General Conference now and then, and I have to say, I find the whole thing quite puzzling. Petition 81,000-something-or-other... Calendar item 1100-and-then-some... page 2,149 in the DCA... I'm sure all that is really important stuff, but I do have to wonder, did God intend for the church to become a bureaucracy? And I wonder.... Whom would Jesus exclude, really? Is there hope for our church? What would we need to do differently to truly focus on being the Body of Christ, seeking first the Kingdom of God?

Tomorrow we're participating in a Potato Planting Party, sponsored by Cultivating Community, an organization that uses gardening to empower youth and then donates the vegetables it harvests to low-income families and elderly persons living in public housing, who otherwise might not have locally grown, organic produce.

Sunday is my grandfather's 92nd birthday, and we're headed to his birthday party following worship. I don't recall that I've ever been with him on his birthday. Should be a good time.

We went out for ice-cream tonight with friends. Mmmmm...

New Light update

2008-04-28T22:08:00.005-05:00

It's getting more and more exciting to see the way the New Light community is forming. We've had this little influx of new people lately - 8 newcomers, all in their 20's, most of them invited by a friend. Most of them are already well connected into the community. Last night we had our monthly community gathering at our house - a yummy potluck dinner followed by conversation and worship. It was great to have the full community together.

Some of the things we've been up to:

We have a Monday night LIFE Group that alternates between Oliver & Alison's house and Paul & Carlie's house, and a Thursday night LIFE Group that meets at our house.

On Tuesday mornings we gather for Morning Prayer, just to pray for one another and people we know who are in need, for the New Light community, for Portland, and for the world.

Now and then we've been getting together specifically to build community. Last week a bunch of us went to a Kutless concert in Lewiston. Next Monday we're having a Cinco de Mayo party. Good times.

This Saturday we begin a new ministry. We haven't come up with a snazzy name for it yet, but on the first Saturday of every month we'll come together for a mission project... this first one being a Potato Planting Party with Cultivating Community, an organization that grows organic vegetables and distributes them to people who live in low-income and elderly housing in the Portland area, who might not otherwise have access to fresh, locally grown produce.

We're putting together the plans for Journey Groups, which will be three-person, gender-specific groups specifically for accountability, support, and intentional spiritual growth. We'll be rolling out men's and women's pilot groups very soon.

Four of us, a group which we're calling the Leadership Community, have been meeting weekly to develop a strategic plan and a discipleship system. We recently finalized some statements that articulate our Core Values, which we're pretty excited about...

Core Values:

Community: Faith is a journey best traveled with others who share common values and a common commitment to life together. We strive to be formed as a community steeped in God’s love, expressed in loving relationships with one another, and engaged in the larger community in which we live.
Inclusivity: No one is outside the bounds of God’s grace. We strive to practice generous hospitality, welcoming and embracing everyone with the same love we have received from God. We affirm the sacred worth of every human being – no exceptions.
Creativity: At the foundation of our faith is the story of a God we call Creator – a God who is continually in the process of creating, who gifts us with creativity and invites us to create. We strive to incorporate music, drama, visual arts, dance, and other creative elements in all that we do.
Transformation: As we journey inward, we strive for transformed lives that better reflect the love of Christ; as we journey outward, we strive for a transformed world that better reflects God’s vision of peace and justice.
Simplicity: In a world preoccupied with materialism, consumption, and greed, we long for a simpler way. We strive to live simply, both individually and in our life together; to generously share our resources and practice faithful stewardship of God’s Creation.

So, please keep the New Light community in your prayers! It really feels like God is doing some exciting things among us!

The Pope Visits

2008-04-21T12:53:00.006-05:00

I'm finding the reporting of the Pope's visit to the United States to be very interesting, and a bit puzzling. Today's Portland Press Herald features a front-page story about the Pope praying at Ground Zero and leading mass at Yankee Stadium. On one hand, I think it's really good to see this level of enthusiasm for something of a spiritual nature. I mean, how often does a religious leader, other than the likes of Billy Graham, draw crowds enough to pack Yankee Stadium? (Well, I suppose Joel Osteen does it every week, but I'll save that for another post...) On the other hand, though, it seems to me there's something just a little off when it's a human being that draws all the attention, rather than the One whom we worship.

A quote from today's article:

John Urban, 71, of Scranton, PA, left his home at 3:30 am and drove two and a half hours to arrive by 6 am.
He could only see the top of the pope mobile.
"It was enough," Urban said. "He's the head of our church. It's probably as close as I'm going to get to him, but that's fine."

Does this strike anyone else as a bit odd? Isn't Jesus Christ the head of the church?

I really don't mean offense to my Roman Catholic sisters and brothers. I have incredible respect for the rich tradition of the Catholic Church, and I think there are many, many things to celebrate about Roman Catholicism (as well as a few things to critique, such as their refusal to ordain women, which is also a topic for another post...). However, the whole mystique about the person of the Pope is one part I just don't get.

Spring has sprung (finally!)

2008-04-09T22:27:00.004-05:00

Winter doesn't let go easily here in Maine! Finally the crocuses are in bloom, and finally... finally... finally... the last little strip of snow along the sidewalk in front of our house has disappeared!

Is it possible that spring has finally sprung? Or am I just ensuring, by saying this, that we’re in for another storm before winter finally releases its grip?

Back from the Walk to Emmaus

2008-04-07T21:59:00.007-05:00

I spent Thursday-Sunday serving on the team for Crossroads Emmaus Men's Walk # 41, Walk to Emmaus, at Singing Hills Conference Center in Plainfield, NH. I am feeling renewed in spirit, spiritually strengthened, and somewhat sleep-deprived.

I've been thinking about a few highlights of the weekend which intensify my confidence in the way God uses the Walk to Emmaus as one tool in transforming lives:

seeing guys take big steps in their faith, confront places in themselves that need to change, and move beyond a place of taking faith for granted
experiencing agape love
remembering again, for myself, the transforming power of God's grace
seeing guys step beyond their comfort zone to give a talk
experiencing Communion that really is communion in its truest sense: Communion with God and communion with one another
laughing until it hurt
crossing boundaries: interacting with people I otherwise might never encounter
witnessing the breaking of emotional barriers
realizing that public speaking is not just about excellent elocution skills, but more importantly, hearts transformed by grace.
learning once again (in the words of a fellow spiritual director) that "rough hewn" works just as well - that sanctification is not the same thing as education or elevation

Have you been on the Walk to Emmaus? If so, what would you add to the list?

Time to Weed

2008-04-07T10:36:00.001-05:00

I have 15,723 e-mails in my Outlook in-box. Does anyone think this is a problem?

Fatherhood

2008-04-01T16:31:00.003-05:00

Rachel has a really bad cold today. It started on Saturday and Sunday, when she was just kind of lethargic. Monday she slept until 9:00 and stayed home from daycare with a congested cough. Today she has a full-blown cold: her nose is running constantly, she's sneezing a lot, and we have to keep wiping the boogers out of her nose and off her little friend Dodo. She's spent a good part of the day in tears... Any little thing is traumatic.

Poor Rachel. I'd much rather have the cold myself (and give me a day or two... I well may!) than to watch my little girl be so miserable.

Easter Challenges

2008-03-31T21:15:00.009-05:00

On the evening of Easter Sunday, we hosted a New Light Easter Celebration at our house, complete with a yummy potluck dinner, an Easter egg hunt in the backyard, and worship. The food was great, and it was really awesome to have the two small groups (the Monday night group and the Thursday night group) together. Three people brand new to our community came, too, so it gave them a chance to meet others who have been part of New Light for a while.

The Easter egg hunt was fun. My neighbor saw me hiding all the plastic eggs out in the backyard and hollered over the fence, "Now that's what I'm talking about!" I don't think he expected to see a dozen adults and a couple of teenagers fanning out, scooping up the goods.

When we came inside, of course we enjoyed the chocolate and jelly beans inside, but first we had everybody put aside all the yellow eggs into a separate basket. Later in the evening, we introduced "The Great Easter Egg Challenge" and had everyone pick a yellow egg from the basket. Inside each egg, besides a couple of pieces of chocolate, was a little slip of paper, on which we had written a challenge. As we went around, each person opened his or her egg and shared the challenge.

Here's a list of some of the things people are doing between now and April 20:

Read all four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
Have a conversation with a homeless person.
Spend an hour in prayer one day a week, either in one sitting or up to three 20-minute sittings over the course of one day.
Visit a church, synagogue, or mosque to experience worship in a tradition other than your own.
Make a sacrificial gift to help care for people in need through United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) or another worthy organization.
Talk to a friend, co-worker, family member, or neighbor about your faith.
Invite a friend, co-worker, family member, or neighbor to New Light.
Forgive someone against whom you have a grudge. If this requires great interior work, take a significant step towards forgiveness.
Practice at least one random act of kindness a week, for the next four weeks.
Fast from something important in your life in order to make more space for focusing on God.
Write at least three letters to legislators about an issue(s) of justice that you are concerned about.
Over the next four weeks live as simply as possible; limit your purchases to the essentials.

We have covenanted with each other to support one another and pray for each other as we undertake these challenges. At our next monthly potluck dinner/ worship gathering, we'll spend some time sharing experiences.

More about my own challenge later...

The Church & Starbucks

2008-03-28T06:54:00.002-05:00

Now here is a compelling question: What if the church took the night off? by Dave Ferguson, lead pastor of Community Christian Church in Naperville, IL and author of The Big Idea: Focus the Message, Multiply the Impact.

Check it out!

A Prayer for Good Friday

2008-03-21T13:04:00.003-05:00

Shock Me with the Terrible Goodness of this Friday

Holy one,
shock and save me with the terrible goodness of this Friday,
and drive me deep into my longing for your kingdom,
until I seek it first —
yet not first for myself,
but for the hungry
and the sick
and the poor of your children,
for prisoners of conscience around the world
for those I have wasted
with my racism
and sexism
and ageism
and nationalism
and religionism,
for those around this mother earth and in this city
who, this Friday, know far more of terror than of goodness;
that, in my seeking first the kingdom,
for them as well as for myself,
all these things may be mine as well:
things like a coat and courage
and something like comfort,
a few lilies in the field,
the sight of birds soaring on the wind,
a song in the night,
and gladness of heart,
the sense of your presence
and the realization of your promise
that nothing in life or death
will be able to separate me or those I love,
from your love
in the crucified one who is our Lord,
and in whose name and Spirit I pray.

— Ted Loder, Guerillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle

More inspiration from England

2008-03-05T19:15:00.004-05:00

Besides time at the Urban Theology Unit, we’ve also spent part of a day in Bradford, a once affluent but now struggling industrial city with lots of poverty and issues of race relations, also home to the University of Bradford and Bradford College. We visited the Desmond Tutu House on the edge of the campus, led by Rev. Chris Howson, the Anglican Diocese of Bradford’s City Centre Mission Priest, who is doing some amazing things to help students and other young people explore issues of spirituality and become active in the struggle for peace and justice. Chris is well known in the UK for his involvement with Fresh Expressions, which has parallels with our emerging church movement. We’re incredibly thankful for his generosity in sharing his time, even taking us on a (very cold and soggy) walking tour of Bradford, with a stop at the German Church in Bradford (once a Methodist Chapel) for midday worship.

The center itself and its ministry are impressive. They have a gathering room, called Peace Chapel, used for worship, but also for meetings of groups promoting peace, justice, environmental awareness, and other causes compatible with their mission. Worship gatherings at the house include SoulSpace (a relaxed, participatory, inclusive gathering) on Sundays at noon and JustChurch (focusing on issues of peace, justice, and human rights) on Tuesday evenings. We ended our visit with a great lunch at Treehouse Café, housed in the Desmond Tutu House but run by the Bradford Centre for Nonviolence – a smorgasbord of local, fair trade, organic food, coffee, and desserts. We learned a lot and left with plenty of ideas. It was a very inspiring visit. (See further notes about this visit on my New Light blog.)

We took advantage of a free day on Thursday and drove about 90 minutes to Epworth, childhood home of John & Charles Wesley (and their 12 or 13 siblings). We saw the Anglican Church where their father, Samuel Wesley, was the rector for 39 years. As a priest and leader of the early Methodist movement, John Wesley was banned from entering this church because his ideas were so controversial and radical… a good reminder that God sometimes moves us to witness and work for change, and sometimes that means doing and saying things that are against the mainstream of society and even against the authorities of the church! Not to be defeated, John Wesley preached from other places in the town, including his father’s grave outside the church. The rectory where the Wesleys lived for almost 40 years was closed for the season, but we got to walk around it (and peek in the windows), and around the village, which was quite a thrill. We also saw the Wesley Memorial Methodist Church and several other historic sites in Epworth.

Rachel is taking everything in stride! She is sleeping well and entertaining everyone, and when it really counts, she’s even settling down and looking at her books contentedly so we can listen to speakers and participate in sessions. We are thankful.

Reporting from England

2008-03-05T19:13:00.000-05:00

We are several days into our England trip, and I haven’t been able to post as I had hoped because our access to the Internet is much less consistent than we had anticipated. I’ll try to encapsulate some of our experiences briefly.

Sheffield is an interesting city. Though diverse in other areas, the sections we have been exploring are largely Muslim, evidenced by Muslim businesses, mosques, and people in Muslim dress everywhere on the streets. Long-time Sheffield residents have no doubt seen many changes over the years!

And here, in the Sheffield neighborhood of Pitsmoor, in the center of Muslim life, is the Urban Theology Unit, where we’ve spent much of our time since arriving on Monday. We have found our work with Rev. Dr. John Vincent to be quite helpful as we continue to sharpen a vision for ministry in Portland. The vision is emerging – quite possibly to include a coffee shop/ laundromat in the Portland neighborhood where we’ve begun to focus our sights – not for the sake of providing coffee or laundry facilities per se, and certainly not because we’re looking at profit potentials, but specifically as a means of developing community in a neighborhood that lacks such amenities and thus lacks stability. Most important, we’re realizing, is to ensure a low threshold, so people in the neighborhood will enter our doors. Then once they’re there, we can practice Christian hospitality, begin to develop relationships, and form community. Our facility might include meetings spaces, a chapel (of sorts), space for children, eating space (of course!), art on the walls, community bulletin boards, and possibly performance space for concerts and the like. We can imagine all sorts of groups – reading groups, discussion groups, worship gatherings, and interest groups focusing on peace and justice issues, for example – that we might form to gather people together. This kind of space would also provide opportunity for a variety of worship gatherings – mid-week Taize worship, traditional worship, more quiet & reflective worship, and possibly worship with musical styles appealing to younger adults as well. Our goal in this proposed center is not to provide social services, and not necessarily to “do good things” for people in need, but rather to form authentic community, striving always for mutuality in relationships.

But these our just our ideas, which sound great in the abstract. First, though, we’ll need to begin by listening… listening… listening to the people who are already on the ground, who call this neighborhood their home, who know their own needs much better than we know them as outsiders looking in.

Yes, I'm still alive!

2008-02-23T20:24:00.004-05:00

Here it is February 23, and I realize I've been silent on this blog for more than three weeks. I guess it's been something of a blur since our plane landed back in Portland following our week in Kansas City, and now here we are preparing for another take-off -- this one for two weeks in England.

We are excited! We're going with two laypersons from the established church we serve -- two delightful seniors (is that an acceptable descriptor?), both of them women, from the congregation. Yes, we are excited, but they are even more excited. At least if the date of packing is any indicator. Both of them have been packed a full two weeks. I still have not begun to pack... but no worries: our plane doesn't leave for 11 hours. From Boston. After I finish my sermon, get some sleep, then lead worship, and get ready to take a bus to Logan. Maybe I should think about locating my luggage and doing some last-minute laundry. That would be a good place to start...

We will spend 10 days at the Urban Theology Unit in Sheffield, where our work with John Vincent will help us to sharpen a vision for a new kind of ministry here in Portland. Our itinerary is still a bit fuzzy in my mind, but as I understand it, we'll participate in some learning sessions on Bible & the City and Living the Gospel in the Urban Setting, visit some churches doing innovative things, meet with church leaders, and participate in worship and fellowship gatherings connected with a faith community of which John Vincent is a part. Assuming we have access to the Internet, we hope to post now and then with updates.

And then, since we're already in England, we'll conclude our trip with four days in London once we've delivered our two parishioners to Heathrow for their return trip. Sara has been to London, when she was in 8th grade and her grandparents took her; I have not. The specifics of our adventures in London will depend on how Rachel is doing at that point. We're learning every day, in new and more profound ways, how unpredictable 19-month-olds can be!

My hope is not to anticipate too much, but just to take in all that this trip will afford us... to learn as much as we can, to enjoy our time away, and hopefully to find the experience renewing on many different levels. We are incredibly thankful for the diverse opportunities we've had over these past nine months or so, to travel, to meet some gifted and generous people, and to learn so much from others. I know God is going to use all of these experiences as we continue our ministry, both helping the established congregation imagine a new future, with new purpose and new vitality, and also in our very exciting efforts to plant a brand new congregation.

So... back to sermonating. And then there's that whole packing thing... But then, sleep is overrated.

Shane Claiborne on Church Planting

2008-01-31T23:04:00.000-05:00

A great post: What Shane Claiborne Would Say to Church Planters, from Dave Ferguson's blog, Velocity. Good stuff. Definitely thought-provoking and challenging...

Day Four in Kansas City

2008-01-29T23:57:00.001-05:00

Here it is almost midnight on Tuesday, and I can't believe how quickly our days in Kansas City have been flying by!

Over the weekend we celebrated worship with The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, First Light, Revolution, and Jacob's Well -- four very different worship gatherings, but each inspiring in its own way. I hope to have time to share reflections and observations more fully in the days ahead.

We also got to meet with Steven Blair, lead pastor at First Light, who was incredibly helpful in sharing his own experiences and insights as a church planter; and with five different staff persons from Church of the Resurrection, who shared their expertise around discipleship formation, leadership development, incorporation of newcomers, and community missions, among other topics.

The icing on the cake was going to be the opportunity to attend a dinner gathering of the "Leadership Community" (I just have to say, that is much cooler than a Church Council or an Administrative Board or even a Leadership Team!) at Jacob's Well, but we got there to find out that the meeting had been canceled. Major bummer. But no complaints -- we have found everyone to be so helpful and generous in sharing what they've learned, and for that we're grateful!

In between all these incredible experiences, we've been having a great time with our new friends Andrew & Nicole. Thanks, you two, for making this such an awesome trip for us!

Rachel hasn't completely adjusted to the time zone change, so she's been waking up at 4:30 most mornings. Anticipating that, I think I better head to bed!

Rachel's first sentence

2008-01-27T17:18:00.000-05:00

Here in our hotel in Kansas City, Rachel said her first full sentence, and what a wonderful sentence it is! She's been practicing it ever since, and it makes my heart sing every time...

Saturday in Kansas City

2008-01-27T15:52:00.001-05:00

We're having a great time in Kansas City!

Yesterday we spent some time with Nicole & Andrew Conard, our new friends who are both on the pastoral team at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. After lunch, they showed us around some cool parts of the city, then gave us the inside tour at COR before the 5:00 worship celebration. It was great to have this time to spend with them, and to learn more about the ministries through which thousands and thousands of members of this church grow and serve.

Some of the things that impressed us about COR:

amazing facilities... from the beautiful Wesley Covenant Chapel , which was the first sanctuary (with seating for about 350) to the current sanctuary (with seating for over 3,000); from the exciting, colorful children's wing with bright and engaging paintings on all the walls to the clean, open, spacious, and inviting gathering areas... everything was designed with attention to detail and intention to fulfill the church's mission
carefully designed childcare facilities and procedures: friendly volunteers helped us register Rachel, pointed us to the room for her age group, and gave us a brief orientation; by the time we arrived at the room, they had already received, electronically, a two-part sticker with Rachel's name (and a place to record allergies) -- one part to go on Rachel's back and the other part for us to keep as our "receipt" necessary to reclaim her at the end of worship
spaces for gathering, a coffee shop, a bookstore, prayer space, and a large "Connection Point" information center with flyers for dozens and dozens of ministrites and opportunities to sign up for study or service
excellent music and preaching
a culture of friendliness and welcoming
more than 200 staff members!
a commitment to the church's mission and vision that is both implicit in the church's ministries and explicit: clearly posted in huge letters across the top of the main lobby area as a constantly visible reminder of the church's reason to be

After worship at COR, we got together for dinner with a bunch of members of Jacob's Well at the home of Brian & Carol, members at Jacob's Well. This proved to be a great opportunity to talk one-on-one with several people, and to hear their stories. It definitely seems like relationships in the small-group context are the heartbeat of this community of faith. Over and over we heard people share that it was easy to get connected, and once connected with a small group, to find opportunities to serve. I suspect this is an intentional focus for Jacob's Well, such that it's become a deeply rooted part of the church's culture. One person told us Jacob's Well spends the least amount of its time and resources on its worship ministry, since worship is only an expression of everything else. We're looking forward to attending the 5:3o worship gathering tonight, and then to attending a leadership dinner on Tuesday night.

Our first full day in Kansas City was full... and informative and inspiring!

Here we are in Kansas City!

2008-01-25T23:33:00.000-05:00

We arrived in Kansas City tonight -- Sara and Rachel and I and our friend Erica, who's a member of our New Light community.

This weekend we'll be taking in worship and connecting with folks at four different churches:

We've arranged to meet with pastors and staff persons from these churches on Monday and Tuesday. We're really excited to learn about their ministries and to hear about some of the innovative things these churches are doing to share the hope of Christ in their communities! Especially, we can't wait to see how these experiences will impact our own ministry in Portland, Maine.