Nacho Libre is the movie of our life. If you haven't seen it, go now, so we can talk of holy things.
Saturday, we were reminiscing about how the boys called Jessie "Sister Encarnacion."
About a month ago, we had a discussion. What are we going to call her? Not just Jessie. Or other names they have for her. Joe has called her "Mommy" quite a bit. John has been hesitant. For the longest time we thought it was about divided loyalties. But he kind of broke down and said that if he called her "mom" he was afraid something bad would happen to her, too.
He got that out, and now he and Joe both call her "mom," and keep "Mommy" for Melissa.
So back to Saturday. They started singing Jack Black's Encarnacion song, but changed it to "encarnaci-mom."
I had to fight back some tears through hilarious laughter when John said, "Orphans, smile and be happy..."
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Slowing Down
Michael and Becca Hughes came over to the Friday night dinner. They are moving into the neighborhood, just down the street, so we are very happy to have them with us. But they also came over because Michael and I are doing some music tomorrow in worship: “He Reached Down,” an Iris Dement song; “Moses Put Your Shoes On,” a kind of fast bluegrass number; and Kris Kristofferson’s “Why Me, Lord?” I am playing mandolin on the first and last, which is an instrument I am really getting to love. Luckily, Michael can carry a lot of the load, so I just show up and play a few chords—cause that’s all I know…
Around the dinner table, Michael, Rebecca, Melissa, Jessie and I got into a discussion that started out on how if you love the medieval period (and Michael and Becca did some architecture studies in Italy), this “postmodern” thing is no surprise. They may be nothing more postmodern, Michael said, than a baptistery he saw in… and I can’t remember the city! I agree; the cathedral of Notre Dame—postmodern. James Joyce knew that the Pearl-poem was more “modern” than his novel, Ulysses.
We got into crop biodiversity. And the slow food movement. And why the slow food movement has not necessarily invaded other aspects of our lives—such as relationships, or work. Michael opined that it’s because of a perfect storm that happened in urban planning and house development: cars, air conditioning, and t.v. Cars have us going all over, abandoning the “places” of our lives for significant stretches. AC means no more big porches. And t.v. means you look at the box, and you don’t have to talk to anyone.
Can technology aid the slowing down? So far it doesn’t look good. My Blackberry does if I make it—that is, I get more done during the day and turn it off at night. Otherwise, I ended up doing stuff I did not finish at home. Michael and I were on youtube looking up Bob Dylan and Bill Monroe. So there’s a chance to use it for a purpose besides something that is just done alone.
It will take some real thinking about how to slow down.
Around the dinner table, Michael, Rebecca, Melissa, Jessie and I got into a discussion that started out on how if you love the medieval period (and Michael and Becca did some architecture studies in Italy), this “postmodern” thing is no surprise. They may be nothing more postmodern, Michael said, than a baptistery he saw in… and I can’t remember the city! I agree; the cathedral of Notre Dame—postmodern. James Joyce knew that the Pearl-poem was more “modern” than his novel, Ulysses.
We got into crop biodiversity. And the slow food movement. And why the slow food movement has not necessarily invaded other aspects of our lives—such as relationships, or work. Michael opined that it’s because of a perfect storm that happened in urban planning and house development: cars, air conditioning, and t.v. Cars have us going all over, abandoning the “places” of our lives for significant stretches. AC means no more big porches. And t.v. means you look at the box, and you don’t have to talk to anyone.
Can technology aid the slowing down? So far it doesn’t look good. My Blackberry does if I make it—that is, I get more done during the day and turn it off at night. Otherwise, I ended up doing stuff I did not finish at home. Michael and I were on youtube looking up Bob Dylan and Bill Monroe. So there’s a chance to use it for a purpose besides something that is just done alone.
It will take some real thinking about how to slow down.
Largest Black Methodist Church in Kentucky
A few weeks ago, Dwight Ashley came to the Rock. He has a music ministry that is really something. He just has a powerful voice and testimony and praise. He sings across all styles it seems, but he has a decidedly black flavor. It’s soul music in every sense of the word!
That Sunday morning, Michael Hughes said he had thought about going to a black church, but came to the Rock… you just never know what it’s going to be!
We are within striking distance of being the largest black United Methodist Church in Kentucky. But we’re not black. Not white. Not Hispanic.
Tomorrow, Anthony Everett is coming to preach. He is the director for African American church development for the Kentucky United Methodists.
Can we dream that we will worship, not according to the color of our skin, but the confession of our souls?
That Sunday morning, Michael Hughes said he had thought about going to a black church, but came to the Rock… you just never know what it’s going to be!
We are within striking distance of being the largest black United Methodist Church in Kentucky. But we’re not black. Not white. Not Hispanic.
Tomorrow, Anthony Everett is coming to preach. He is the director for African American church development for the Kentucky United Methodists.
Can we dream that we will worship, not according to the color of our skin, but the confession of our souls?
Friday, June 26, 2009
They peed in my baptismal
It is a Lebowski moment. Andres points out that someone peed in our watering trough that we use for baptisms.
Whose hide do I take this out of?
Who is the Jackie Treehorn behind this. The nihilists, I can find them easily enough...
Whose hide do I take this out of?
Who is the Jackie Treehorn behind this. The nihilists, I can find them easily enough...
I'm an Uncle
My brother Nate and my sister-In-law Heather, have had their baby girl, Emersen.
Click on the link to their blog under "my peeps" to see that sweet little baby
Click on the link to their blog under "my peeps" to see that sweet little baby
Science Fiction Church
I grew up around Air Force personnel, on Air Force bases, and I spent a lot of time in the library. Air Force libraries have pretty decent science fiction sections, because so may of the airmen are in such high tech jobs, that science fiction is not far off from their day to day. Radar technicians, jet fuel labs, weapons/payload masters, jet engine mechanics, you name it. Occasionally I would meet them in the library and they would point me to the classics. I spent a lot of time reading Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, Frank Herbert, Poul Anderson. In a lot of ways science fiction did not seem far off to me, either. Part of sci-fi is a kind of mind-numbing and exciting diversity of cultures. On some days I woke up, went to my neighbor Urban’s house, had good German bread with hot chocolate made from fresh sheep’s milk, then I’d go to the base where it was little America, but still a little tweaked. We moved a lot, made friends with all kinds of people.
Some days I would wonder, “will it be like Stranger in A Strange Land? What will it be like to interact with completely different people and mindsets?” And then I came to The Rock. It’s hard to tell what drives things. Have we accreted the groups we have—White and Hispanic to begin with, then African, then seeing class as culture in the white population, then African American, now possibly an outreach to refugees from Nepal—have we become this and it looks like Ensign Flandry’s world, or the court of Shaddam IV? Or is it something in our imagination, something embedded-- a kind of speculative anthropology—pulsating, in the Gospel?
Some days I would wonder, “will it be like Stranger in A Strange Land? What will it be like to interact with completely different people and mindsets?” And then I came to The Rock. It’s hard to tell what drives things. Have we accreted the groups we have—White and Hispanic to begin with, then African, then seeing class as culture in the white population, then African American, now possibly an outreach to refugees from Nepal—have we become this and it looks like Ensign Flandry’s world, or the court of Shaddam IV? Or is it something in our imagination, something embedded-- a kind of speculative anthropology—pulsating, in the Gospel?
Saturday, June 20, 2009
more of the good, the bad and the ugly
Friday was a huge evangelism day. I mean, that’s all it was, and I needed it. There is a part of doing evangelism that is therapeutic, something the Lord provides. Any time I start complaining, my friend Steve says, “who have you shared Christ with today?” Usually the answer is nobody! So I go out and find someone. Pretty soon, you realize that there is great need out there for the salvation that is found in no one else but Jesus, and what was bugging you while it may still be there, doesn’t seem so important.
Friday was visiting in the neighborhood and then helping Rosario do some evangelism downtown.
First house I met someone home, I knew it was a mistake to knock. I remembered the house as my hand was knocking. It’s a family where the two sons like to get drunk and grope women and the mom will cuss you in a heartbeat. Well, after I knocked, I hear a hard, woman’s voice (close your eyes if you’re of delicate sensibilities): “God damn it! If that’s Mike, I’ll run his ass off! That son of a bitch!” For information purposes: Mike is her son…
She flings the door open, I smile sweetly and say, “it’s not Mike, it’s worse. It’s the preacher.”
She came out kind of sheepish, but then was right back at it. “I know you, you’re that preacher at the church with that woman from the Bottoms!” I know she means Martina, our administrator. Martina used to be the pastor at the Nathaniel Mission in Irishtown, sometimes called Davis Bottom, or simply “the Bottoms.”
“That woman was hateful to me! Ran me off from the Mission, and I was born and raised there!”
“Well, to tell the truth, I have known Martina for 12-13 years, and that doesn’t sound like her. She must have had a reason.”
“She didn’t have no reason…”
“Do you remember what you were saying when I knocked on the door?” I repeated what she said. “You were jacked up before you even knew who was here. I bet she did have a reason.”
She said something about never coming to my church. That’s fine, it wouldn’t do her much good in that state anyway.
So I ambled on down the street, but she went right behind me to every house and said who knows what. I figured the day would be a wash with her hot on my tail, so I went to the only place on that street I knew a crazed preacher could be treated right: there’s a porch full of drunks in various stages of recovery and sobriety, so I sat with them until I figured mean old lady was back in her house and it was safe to go home…
____________________________
Kingsford Competition Briquets are some good charcoal. Last night, I smoked some ribs, and that charcoal burned long and hot enough to keep the smoke from the applewood rolling. A kid we know came by and asked nonchalantly if he could spend the night. Jessie knew right away what was up and why he did not want to go home. So we let him stay. We talked about what was going on and how for a couple of days he has thought about banging on the door late at night to see if he could stay. He said we ought to put one of those yellow Safe Place signs on the house. When you work with the poor, when you do evangelism, there is a never-ending line of people ready to kick your butt. But if you do the work, you’ll know why you do it, and why you’ll take the beating. So we stayed up late, smoking more ribs, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.
___________________________________
Roz is having a series of 3 welcoming services building up to a big service in the Fall, hoping to increase visibility, let people know about the church. So we have been passing out ice-cold water this week downtown, along with information about Embrace, his church. Couldn’t have asked for better days—hot, so people want the cold water.
Most folks are receptive, a few don’t want to be bothered, one hates church, one said he won’t come, but wants the water.
____________________________________
A word about the future. The church in America will be on hard times by the end of my life. It’s not just about declining numbers, or the secularization of the Church. It’s not even about the attack on the church by ACLU-type legal activity. It’s more about being a minority. When you are a minority, you can guarantee that your rights will be trampled, and beyond that, what you do will become more difficult. While we may like to think that the society and justice work on ideals, they really operate on what’s popular. So while taking prayer out of schools and ten commandments out of courthouses is a problem, it’s only a symptom. An example, the reason smoking is being “phased out” is not so much because of health, but because fewer people smoke. Alcohol is a serious problem, but there’s not near the effort put into stamping it out because enough people want to drink that they’re willing to put up with billions in lost productivity, death, serious health problems and dysfunctional families.
It won’t matter that people believe in the ideal of freedom of religion. When people are more secular, when Christians become more and more of a minority, no one will care. We might ought to hasten this along. I say let’s lose as many “rights” and privileges as we can. Then what we’ll have left is serious Christians, because the lukewarm people won’t want to be marginalized. Then maybe we can have a real revival.
Friday was visiting in the neighborhood and then helping Rosario do some evangelism downtown.
First house I met someone home, I knew it was a mistake to knock. I remembered the house as my hand was knocking. It’s a family where the two sons like to get drunk and grope women and the mom will cuss you in a heartbeat. Well, after I knocked, I hear a hard, woman’s voice (close your eyes if you’re of delicate sensibilities): “God damn it! If that’s Mike, I’ll run his ass off! That son of a bitch!” For information purposes: Mike is her son…
She flings the door open, I smile sweetly and say, “it’s not Mike, it’s worse. It’s the preacher.”
She came out kind of sheepish, but then was right back at it. “I know you, you’re that preacher at the church with that woman from the Bottoms!” I know she means Martina, our administrator. Martina used to be the pastor at the Nathaniel Mission in Irishtown, sometimes called Davis Bottom, or simply “the Bottoms.”
“That woman was hateful to me! Ran me off from the Mission, and I was born and raised there!”
“Well, to tell the truth, I have known Martina for 12-13 years, and that doesn’t sound like her. She must have had a reason.”
“She didn’t have no reason…”
“Do you remember what you were saying when I knocked on the door?” I repeated what she said. “You were jacked up before you even knew who was here. I bet she did have a reason.”
She said something about never coming to my church. That’s fine, it wouldn’t do her much good in that state anyway.
So I ambled on down the street, but she went right behind me to every house and said who knows what. I figured the day would be a wash with her hot on my tail, so I went to the only place on that street I knew a crazed preacher could be treated right: there’s a porch full of drunks in various stages of recovery and sobriety, so I sat with them until I figured mean old lady was back in her house and it was safe to go home…
____________________________
Kingsford Competition Briquets are some good charcoal. Last night, I smoked some ribs, and that charcoal burned long and hot enough to keep the smoke from the applewood rolling. A kid we know came by and asked nonchalantly if he could spend the night. Jessie knew right away what was up and why he did not want to go home. So we let him stay. We talked about what was going on and how for a couple of days he has thought about banging on the door late at night to see if he could stay. He said we ought to put one of those yellow Safe Place signs on the house. When you work with the poor, when you do evangelism, there is a never-ending line of people ready to kick your butt. But if you do the work, you’ll know why you do it, and why you’ll take the beating. So we stayed up late, smoking more ribs, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.
___________________________________
Roz is having a series of 3 welcoming services building up to a big service in the Fall, hoping to increase visibility, let people know about the church. So we have been passing out ice-cold water this week downtown, along with information about Embrace, his church. Couldn’t have asked for better days—hot, so people want the cold water.
Most folks are receptive, a few don’t want to be bothered, one hates church, one said he won’t come, but wants the water.
____________________________________
A word about the future. The church in America will be on hard times by the end of my life. It’s not just about declining numbers, or the secularization of the Church. It’s not even about the attack on the church by ACLU-type legal activity. It’s more about being a minority. When you are a minority, you can guarantee that your rights will be trampled, and beyond that, what you do will become more difficult. While we may like to think that the society and justice work on ideals, they really operate on what’s popular. So while taking prayer out of schools and ten commandments out of courthouses is a problem, it’s only a symptom. An example, the reason smoking is being “phased out” is not so much because of health, but because fewer people smoke. Alcohol is a serious problem, but there’s not near the effort put into stamping it out because enough people want to drink that they’re willing to put up with billions in lost productivity, death, serious health problems and dysfunctional families.
It won’t matter that people believe in the ideal of freedom of religion. When people are more secular, when Christians become more and more of a minority, no one will care. We might ought to hasten this along. I say let’s lose as many “rights” and privileges as we can. Then what we’ll have left is serious Christians, because the lukewarm people won’t want to be marginalized. Then maybe we can have a real revival.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
John Owen is in love with the AME pastor's wife. He thinks she looks like Tina Turner. I know, he's a mess. In the innocence of children he says, "I think I am going to marry a brown woman." For those of you who don't know, the AME church is the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which broke off from the larger Methodist Church over integration issues a long time ago, 1790s if I remember.
John can't figure why if they're Methodists and we're Methodists, why aren't we all together? He says we ought to have the "All Methodist Church." Amen.
_________
There's a drunk maintenance man in the neighborhood who has it out for me. A few weeks ago he was spouting off at a pretty bad car wreck. I mean, really, you hate the preacher, we get that, but let's help the medics work.
Last night he came over and cussed me pretty good. Mama Itoula and Ines were planting peanuts and cassava. Luckily they did not understand what he was saying. I asked him if he could lean over and talk to the plants because the crap coming out of his mouth would really help them grow. They didn't teach me that in seminary. Actually, Jesus did (see Mark 7:1-23, The Parable of Those Whose Butts and Mouths are Reversed) What a jerk. He cussed Osman a few weeks ago. He really hates the church. I asked Leo about him and all Leo would say was, "That dude preached my funeral a time or two..."
John can't figure why if they're Methodists and we're Methodists, why aren't we all together? He says we ought to have the "All Methodist Church." Amen.
_________
There's a drunk maintenance man in the neighborhood who has it out for me. A few weeks ago he was spouting off at a pretty bad car wreck. I mean, really, you hate the preacher, we get that, but let's help the medics work.
Last night he came over and cussed me pretty good. Mama Itoula and Ines were planting peanuts and cassava. Luckily they did not understand what he was saying. I asked him if he could lean over and talk to the plants because the crap coming out of his mouth would really help them grow. They didn't teach me that in seminary. Actually, Jesus did (see Mark 7:1-23, The Parable of Those Whose Butts and Mouths are Reversed) What a jerk. He cussed Osman a few weeks ago. He really hates the church. I asked Leo about him and all Leo would say was, "That dude preached my funeral a time or two..."
Monday, June 15, 2009
Live from St. Anthony's
We just got out of the worship service at St Anthony's. That's what we call our Monday night ministry amongst ourselves. St Anthony was a man dedicated to serving the poor, and that's what Monday night is all about-- a service, a meal abd felllowship, and then families leave with a food basket.
The crazy thing-- a guy got up out of service, pissed because he "didn't come to hear abour religion" and at the communion rail another guy thanks me for serving the Lord's Supper.
What I want to call attention to tonight is the communion ritual. We have been using the hymnal, a ritual. What - have in mind is that for a lot of people who can't read, repeating the same words over and over is how they learn. Those of us who read the ritual usually miss the content...
So tonight, after four weeks, some people know it. It was loud. It wasn't just that 60 of us were in the small chapel-- no, they were primed when I asked them to "proclaim the mystery of faith:" and they rocked, in various cadences but clearly: "Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.". It makes a difference when you really need Him to come, more than when you just sort of think it's cool He might come."
The crazy thing-- a guy got up out of service, pissed because he "didn't come to hear abour religion" and at the communion rail another guy thanks me for serving the Lord's Supper.
What I want to call attention to tonight is the communion ritual. We have been using the hymnal, a ritual. What - have in mind is that for a lot of people who can't read, repeating the same words over and over is how they learn. Those of us who read the ritual usually miss the content...
So tonight, after four weeks, some people know it. It was loud. It wasn't just that 60 of us were in the small chapel-- no, they were primed when I asked them to "proclaim the mystery of faith:" and they rocked, in various cadences but clearly: "Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.". It makes a difference when you really need Him to come, more than when you just sort of think it's cool He might come."
Live from the courthouse
We are at court with Ines. She is a refugee from Congo with 5 kids. For a variety of reasons she had to leave the apt where she had a lot of support. John abd LG were there. The Itoulas. Now she is across town and it's hard for her to find anyone to watch her kids. So she' facing neglect issues.
What gets me is I know some families that should lose their kids. I have called and called, and nothing. I can't figure out how this works.
Thankfully, it seems that this is a preliminary hearing, and we can work on bringing her back close to us. By African standards she is a simple woman, so you can imagine how weird this country seems to her. We'll have to surround her with a family. Maybe North Broadway--Idlewild--Highland Park can be a new village?
What gets me is I know some families that should lose their kids. I have called and called, and nothing. I can't figure out how this works.
Thankfully, it seems that this is a preliminary hearing, and we can work on bringing her back close to us. By African standards she is a simple woman, so you can imagine how weird this country seems to her. We'll have to surround her with a family. Maybe North Broadway--Idlewild--Highland Park can be a new village?
Saturday, June 13, 2009
More on Why We Suck
Go to the post on Why We Suck a few entries down, and you'll see a great comment from Inis, a blog friend and poster-of-challenging-comments.
Inis asks how it is that I push that the Church can't accept homosexuality. She asks, if I say we'd accept it because we cave, wouldn't not accepting it be caving to another side?
My answer is no, because this is the Church's position, that it's not acceptable. There may be many who dispute this, but that does not change anything. Maybe soon I'll post on Vincent of Lerins' formula for Christian Doctrine, "what was believed from the beginning, by all, everywhere."
But for now: Inis refers to the prohibition in Leviticus against homosexuality. That's not the only place the Bible prohibits homosexuality in the Old Testament. But more to the point for Christians, the New Testament prohibits it as well. In the first instance, homosexuality was rampant in the 1st century world. Jesus, following the order in Genesis, sees marriage as only one man and one woman.
Romans 1:27
1 Corinthians 6:9
Jude 7
Revelation 21:8
Additionally, Inis remarks that the Gospels don't condemn people for what/who they are. Yes, they do. Otherwise there'd be no call to repent. If we were just fine, Jesus would never have come, much less died for us. The gentleness that Inis sees is the kindness of God that sees the helplessness of humanity in its sinfulness, and God's grace in providing a remedy through Jesus Christ-- homosexual, adulterer, murderer, slave-trader, me-- all these things can and MUST be changed.
Inis asks how it is that I push that the Church can't accept homosexuality. She asks, if I say we'd accept it because we cave, wouldn't not accepting it be caving to another side?
My answer is no, because this is the Church's position, that it's not acceptable. There may be many who dispute this, but that does not change anything. Maybe soon I'll post on Vincent of Lerins' formula for Christian Doctrine, "what was believed from the beginning, by all, everywhere."
But for now: Inis refers to the prohibition in Leviticus against homosexuality. That's not the only place the Bible prohibits homosexuality in the Old Testament. But more to the point for Christians, the New Testament prohibits it as well. In the first instance, homosexuality was rampant in the 1st century world. Jesus, following the order in Genesis, sees marriage as only one man and one woman.
Romans 1:27
1 Corinthians 6:9
Jude 7
Revelation 21:8
Additionally, Inis remarks that the Gospels don't condemn people for what/who they are. Yes, they do. Otherwise there'd be no call to repent. If we were just fine, Jesus would never have come, much less died for us. The gentleness that Inis sees is the kindness of God that sees the helplessness of humanity in its sinfulness, and God's grace in providing a remedy through Jesus Christ-- homosexual, adulterer, murderer, slave-trader, me-- all these things can and MUST be changed.
The Night That Was Church
Last night, we had a birthday for Jose (pronounced Jo-say), a boy from Congo. He got here with his family almost 3 years ago. What changes! He was so traumatized in those days. He saw horrible things in the war, in fleeing for his life, not knowing if he would be reunited with family. Then some years in a refugee camp in Gabon. Then here, a new culture... but a good church family.
People have rallied around him and his family.
LG and John wondered if we could make Friday night's dinner a birthday party for him. Of course!
It was one of those bittersweet moments. It was so good to be with everyone, but that was the problem. It was church, and I wonder why that's rare, why Sunday is not like that, why church gets bogged down in organization and structure and money? There we were, eating together, playing together, laughing together-- white, African, Hispanic, young, old. The gifts ranged from sports equipment and money to some salted fish, an African delicacy that put a pong in the house!
See, even really bad news was ok. Unfortunately the Africans think that I have some pull and knowledge as a pastor. One of our flock is just totally beat down and might be losing her kids. She is distraught, unable to understand how it is that she could come here and have her kids taken away. So I get to be the one to say it will probably happen, find the way to help her understand that we can work on getting them back... it really pisses me off when they don't make any effort to translate, can't get the kids' name or sex right and then expect anyone to understand what they're talking about... they told her in English that she could get a lawyer or have one appointed. She is poor (and the poor are forced into decisions that got her where she is, about to lose her kids), and would have the court appointed attorney. The refugees' experience with court appointed lawyers is not so good... Misty and James, we need you down here!!!
I can handle being "Papa Pasteur," and all the outrageous demands and expectations that come with that when we're all together loving and eating. But too often church isn't church. We should have taken up an offering and preached a sermon... but then, I guess we did.
People have rallied around him and his family.
LG and John wondered if we could make Friday night's dinner a birthday party for him. Of course!
It was one of those bittersweet moments. It was so good to be with everyone, but that was the problem. It was church, and I wonder why that's rare, why Sunday is not like that, why church gets bogged down in organization and structure and money? There we were, eating together, playing together, laughing together-- white, African, Hispanic, young, old. The gifts ranged from sports equipment and money to some salted fish, an African delicacy that put a pong in the house!
See, even really bad news was ok. Unfortunately the Africans think that I have some pull and knowledge as a pastor. One of our flock is just totally beat down and might be losing her kids. She is distraught, unable to understand how it is that she could come here and have her kids taken away. So I get to be the one to say it will probably happen, find the way to help her understand that we can work on getting them back... it really pisses me off when they don't make any effort to translate, can't get the kids' name or sex right and then expect anyone to understand what they're talking about... they told her in English that she could get a lawyer or have one appointed. She is poor (and the poor are forced into decisions that got her where she is, about to lose her kids), and would have the court appointed attorney. The refugees' experience with court appointed lawyers is not so good... Misty and James, we need you down here!!!
I can handle being "Papa Pasteur," and all the outrageous demands and expectations that come with that when we're all together loving and eating. But too often church isn't church. We should have taken up an offering and preached a sermon... but then, I guess we did.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Little Seminary
Annual Conference, Again
One of the great things about Conference was the boys had a great time. They’ve been coming to Annual Conference since they were born. They actually want to go and be in the evening services. They got to see Rosario be commissioned.
Well, I think they are still thinking about some of the things they heard. Saturday evenings, I rehearse my sermons a few times. John went out with me about a month ago, walking around the block, just listening. Well, he wanted to again tonight. And then Joseph wanted to, as well. So we walked around the block and I worked on my sermon, and they were very quiet. They held my hand now and then, held each other’s hands, whispered to each other now and again. When I finished, Joseph started singing, “There’s Something About That Name.” That song has never been sung more sweetly.
I hope that maybe we can do this each week. Maybe, if the Lord calls them, they will have a jump on sermon preparation. But more importantly, it’s a time to be together, to plant seeds, to deepen their discipleship. Funny; you can be so intentional about something you forget about it. It becomes natural. Our house and family is what I looked for: a little seminary.
One of the great things about Conference was the boys had a great time. They’ve been coming to Annual Conference since they were born. They actually want to go and be in the evening services. They got to see Rosario be commissioned.
Well, I think they are still thinking about some of the things they heard. Saturday evenings, I rehearse my sermons a few times. John went out with me about a month ago, walking around the block, just listening. Well, he wanted to again tonight. And then Joseph wanted to, as well. So we walked around the block and I worked on my sermon, and they were very quiet. They held my hand now and then, held each other’s hands, whispered to each other now and again. When I finished, Joseph started singing, “There’s Something About That Name.” That song has never been sung more sweetly.
I hope that maybe we can do this each week. Maybe, if the Lord calls them, they will have a jump on sermon preparation. But more importantly, it’s a time to be together, to plant seeds, to deepen their discipleship. Funny; you can be so intentional about something you forget about it. It becomes natural. Our house and family is what I looked for: a little seminary.
Annual Conference is over
We had a good time at Annual Conference. Bishop Davis really keeps things moving. We had a lot of really good times, and it seems to me that the “real” work of Annual Conference is in a hundred conversations and lunches where old friends and new get together and where people in similar ministries share stories.
There was a great lunch at Molly Malone’s for those of us in what I call “freaked out ministries,” those ministries that work in marginal areas. There are a lot of opportunities for soul-saving ministries, but we struggle with a lack of resources. There is a lot we could do if we had the financial base a more prosperous church has. What I can’t figure out is why it is so segregated? Why are there rich churches and poor churches?
The Mission Night was awesome, raising more than $43,000 for a pension fund for pastors who have given it all for 30, 40 and more years in the third world, retiring with nothing. It’s amazing, isn’t it? The church is in decline in America, but the pastors here have it good. The church is growing and on fire, but the pastors have nothing. Can anyone doubt that in the Western Church, many other things besides Jesus occupy the pastors’ time?
When Conference was over, Roz, Jess, the boys and I ate lunch, and got to see some more friends on the way out. I slept as Jessie drove, and slept some more when I got home. I didn’t sleep much at Conference. A lot of things were on my mind, well really only one thing: how long does a ministry to the poor survive when everyone thinks the economic situation means hunkering down? The need is greater than ever, but the resources slimmer. But I had some really refreshing moments with Larry Stoess and Anthony Everett. So I caught up on some shut-eye with a full heart.
Got up, mowed, fixing to grill some yardbirds, and then see how the gardens are doing in the evening cool.
So, tomorrow it’s back to the valley, a good place in its own right.
There was a great lunch at Molly Malone’s for those of us in what I call “freaked out ministries,” those ministries that work in marginal areas. There are a lot of opportunities for soul-saving ministries, but we struggle with a lack of resources. There is a lot we could do if we had the financial base a more prosperous church has. What I can’t figure out is why it is so segregated? Why are there rich churches and poor churches?
The Mission Night was awesome, raising more than $43,000 for a pension fund for pastors who have given it all for 30, 40 and more years in the third world, retiring with nothing. It’s amazing, isn’t it? The church is in decline in America, but the pastors here have it good. The church is growing and on fire, but the pastors have nothing. Can anyone doubt that in the Western Church, many other things besides Jesus occupy the pastors’ time?
When Conference was over, Roz, Jess, the boys and I ate lunch, and got to see some more friends on the way out. I slept as Jessie drove, and slept some more when I got home. I didn’t sleep much at Conference. A lot of things were on my mind, well really only one thing: how long does a ministry to the poor survive when everyone thinks the economic situation means hunkering down? The need is greater than ever, but the resources slimmer. But I had some really refreshing moments with Larry Stoess and Anthony Everett. So I caught up on some shut-eye with a full heart.
Got up, mowed, fixing to grill some yardbirds, and then see how the gardens are doing in the evening cool.
So, tomorrow it’s back to the valley, a good place in its own right.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Why We Suck, and other thoughts
Random Notes from Annual Conference
It has been a good conference, I think. I mean, parts of it are boring and tedious. And then I wonder, what would a neutral observer learn about the church? A related question: is Annual Conference important? If it is, then a neutral observer should come away with some sense of what Christianity is. But I don’t think they would come away with what Christianity is about. So maybe we need to change what Annual Conference is and does.
The New Church and Congregational Development (NCCD) Committee report was good news. The Rock was started by NCCD, and they are helping us plant Roz’s church downtown. The reason I say it was a good report is that it vindicates our work. The United Methodist Church in Kentucky had a net decline of 400 people in worship from 2007 to 2008. But the new churches started by NCCD provide the church with 2000 worshippers. So the decline would have been pretty steep without us.
In those moments you snatch from Conference, I compiled a list of reasons as to why we suck. Actually, the list came in response to the Indiana Bishop, Michael Coyner, pointing out that there is not a county in Indiana where Christians are in the majority. Man, if you lose the heartland, what are you going to do? So here goes:
Why we suck (or, causes for the ineffectiveness of Christianity)
1. We’re not relevant. I don’t mean doing things the way “the world” does to be relevant, because even hard-core pagans know the world is not relevant to real life! I mean we don’t help people live life. Most of this is because we don’t preach from the Bible, the source of life-wisdom. Another part is that we ourselves don’t understand life. We miss how terrible and wonderful it is. We reduce it to some strange saccharine middle ground where all is well if you smile hard enough.
2. The people in the pews are not committed. They don’t tithe, they don’t invite, they barely worship beyond showing up. It’s a miracle I even show up for church. Seriously, if it weren’t that I know how wild Jesus is, and how much He wants to do with me, I don’t think I’d choose to worship in most churches.
3. The people in church don’t believe Jesus saves. They don’t believe that if you don’t believe in Him you go to Hell. If they do believe this and have not told anyone, they are the most hard-hearted, pitiless people the world has ever seen.
4. We’ve let the world in. Whatever the world does, we do. So when the world wanted to own slaves, church members and even clergy did, too. Because the world wants homosexuality, the church will swallow its convictions and cave there, too. That’s contextual ministry for you.
5. We are purveyors of Cheap Grace. We teach people, by precept and example, that there is no need for repentance. You might not even need to feel bad. All you need is to trust your cosmic sugar daddy to tell you it’s all going to be ok. This goes back to being relevant. A sinner in the grips of his sin knows that’s crap. He’s begging for a way out. But as long as you’re still ok with your sin, it’s time to join the church.
6. We privilege “brokenness,” creating a climate of hysteria where we won’t let Jesus fix us because we like the attention we get—both for being broken, and “ministering” to the “broken people.” (if you can’t tell, I hate the word “broken.”) This is no more than co-dependency. We’re more prone to have a prison ministry than a victim ministry. I have seen first-hand how this hysteria grips a church. We had a sad case of adultery, lack of repentance on the part of the adulterers, and when they were sent packing, we had people trying to defend them, even to the point of attacking the spouses who had been left.
I know this doesn’t sound like a good conference, but this kind of thinking spurs me on. I love getting to hang with old friends, guys who push the envelope—the kind of guys who ask what was your most spectacular failure, because they know the lessons learned are where success will come from.
Our new Bishop, Lindsey Davis, will he shake things up? Will we live into our job, nothing to do but save souls?
It has been a good conference, I think. I mean, parts of it are boring and tedious. And then I wonder, what would a neutral observer learn about the church? A related question: is Annual Conference important? If it is, then a neutral observer should come away with some sense of what Christianity is. But I don’t think they would come away with what Christianity is about. So maybe we need to change what Annual Conference is and does.
The New Church and Congregational Development (NCCD) Committee report was good news. The Rock was started by NCCD, and they are helping us plant Roz’s church downtown. The reason I say it was a good report is that it vindicates our work. The United Methodist Church in Kentucky had a net decline of 400 people in worship from 2007 to 2008. But the new churches started by NCCD provide the church with 2000 worshippers. So the decline would have been pretty steep without us.
In those moments you snatch from Conference, I compiled a list of reasons as to why we suck. Actually, the list came in response to the Indiana Bishop, Michael Coyner, pointing out that there is not a county in Indiana where Christians are in the majority. Man, if you lose the heartland, what are you going to do? So here goes:
Why we suck (or, causes for the ineffectiveness of Christianity)
1. We’re not relevant. I don’t mean doing things the way “the world” does to be relevant, because even hard-core pagans know the world is not relevant to real life! I mean we don’t help people live life. Most of this is because we don’t preach from the Bible, the source of life-wisdom. Another part is that we ourselves don’t understand life. We miss how terrible and wonderful it is. We reduce it to some strange saccharine middle ground where all is well if you smile hard enough.
2. The people in the pews are not committed. They don’t tithe, they don’t invite, they barely worship beyond showing up. It’s a miracle I even show up for church. Seriously, if it weren’t that I know how wild Jesus is, and how much He wants to do with me, I don’t think I’d choose to worship in most churches.
3. The people in church don’t believe Jesus saves. They don’t believe that if you don’t believe in Him you go to Hell. If they do believe this and have not told anyone, they are the most hard-hearted, pitiless people the world has ever seen.
4. We’ve let the world in. Whatever the world does, we do. So when the world wanted to own slaves, church members and even clergy did, too. Because the world wants homosexuality, the church will swallow its convictions and cave there, too. That’s contextual ministry for you.
5. We are purveyors of Cheap Grace. We teach people, by precept and example, that there is no need for repentance. You might not even need to feel bad. All you need is to trust your cosmic sugar daddy to tell you it’s all going to be ok. This goes back to being relevant. A sinner in the grips of his sin knows that’s crap. He’s begging for a way out. But as long as you’re still ok with your sin, it’s time to join the church.
6. We privilege “brokenness,” creating a climate of hysteria where we won’t let Jesus fix us because we like the attention we get—both for being broken, and “ministering” to the “broken people.” (if you can’t tell, I hate the word “broken.”) This is no more than co-dependency. We’re more prone to have a prison ministry than a victim ministry. I have seen first-hand how this hysteria grips a church. We had a sad case of adultery, lack of repentance on the part of the adulterers, and when they were sent packing, we had people trying to defend them, even to the point of attacking the spouses who had been left.
I know this doesn’t sound like a good conference, but this kind of thinking spurs me on. I love getting to hang with old friends, guys who push the envelope—the kind of guys who ask what was your most spectacular failure, because they know the lessons learned are where success will come from.
Our new Bishop, Lindsey Davis, will he shake things up? Will we live into our job, nothing to do but save souls?
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