Closing a Door; Opening a Heart

Six years of my life (10-16) were spent in Danville, VA; where my dad served as pastor of Schoolfield United Methodist Church. Those were interesting and complex years. The transition from Virginia Beach to Danville was difficult, even for a 10-year-old boy. However, it was in Danville that my love for baseball was nurtured. I also realized that there was an opposite sex (and that I was interested in them). Here I entered High School, and was taught how to drive. In the midst of these life experiences and others there was another significant event—Confirmation. On a Sunday morning at Schoolfield United Methodist, I accepted for myself the vows of baptism that my parents took for me some 14 or so years before at Scott Memorial United Methodist Church (less than 2 miles from where I currently live and work). Through the process of confirmation, I accepted God’s promises for my life. I have not always lived out of those promises; there were plenty of times that I struggled or even turned my back on Christ. Nonetheless, a major milestone along my journey of faith was confirmation at Schoolfield United Methodist Church.

The people of this church expressed love that was recognizable even at a tender age. There was a sweet lady who gave us sourdough bread every week, a woman (who is now a pastor) who was willing to take up the challenge of being a youth leader for 3 young persons, and a family that nurtured and mentored me as I learned how to make money by cutting grass. Through a memorial fund honoring the husband, I was later able to participate in a mission trip to Reynosa, Mexico. And of course, who could forget the lock-ins where sleeping bags mysteriously ended up in different places than they began or the trips to Carowinds amusement park? The relationships that developed there those years are still strong.

On May 17th of this year, I had the privilege of being a part of Confirmation Sunday for 25 young persons at the church I now serve. On this same Sunday Schoolfield United Methodist, the church where I was confirmed, celebrated its last homecoming. Ironic? Yes, but also promising. Promising in that the ministry of the Church is greater than any one local church, person, or event.

There is sadness in realizing that Schoolfield United Methodist is closing. Through misty eyes, I rejoice and give thanks for the faithful persons and ministry of Schoolfield United Methodist Church. Through her faithfulness by God’s grace I was shaped in ways that I am even now just discovering. The day-to-day ministry of Schoolfield may be coming to a close, but the effects of her ministry will be experienced by many through many for years to come.

Back to the Future; A Return to Innocence

My wife and I recently settled on a movie. Our decision process concluded; we were off to see Star Trek. While getting settled in my seat, I was surprised by a preview for a G.I. Joe movie… and then an upcoming Transformers movie. Here I was, getting ready to watch Star Trek… and there are reminders of my childhood. I was beamed (pun intended) to Saturday mornings of long ago—the safety and security of not worrying about what the day held; oblivious to anything other than my parents and brothers while I enjoyed Saturday morning cartoons. There in the movie theatre, I wondered; “How old am I? What year is it?”

Now, I know that movies are produced based on what Hollywood believes will make money. Could it be that right now money can be made as persons want to be reminded of another time? I was raised in a secure environment. I didn’t have concerns or worries about the world around me. There are words that now have significant meaning that as a child meant nothing—terrorism, economy, nuclear weapons, bills, meetings, etc. Not to say that these things did not exist, but rather in my mind they did not exist. I may be reading too much into a couple of previews… but, as I sat in that theatre reminiscing on the blissful ignorance of childhood I remembered how Jesus welcomed children.

In the Bible there is a story where Jesus welcomes the children even as the disciples try to shoo them away. Jesus gathers the children close and instructs that persons are to enter God’s Kingdom like a child (Mark 10:13-15). This means that we come to Jesus like a trusting child—trusting in the safety and security that he offers. Whether we have tried to follow Jesus for a few years, or if we are just now discovering the possibilities of how Jesus can change our life; it is always good to be reminded of how we are to first seek him—like a trusting child; allowing Christ to give us peace in a tumultuous world. Today, may we find rest in the sustaining grace of Christ—regardless of our age.

Concrete and Cardboard Tensions

The church I serve has a keen and acute heart for those who are less fortunate. We display in many ways what it means to reach out and share the love that we experience in Christ. The challenge is that God will not simply leave us where we are… For, it is where we are right now that is comfortable; but, where we might be going could be uncomfortable—and thus the tension of being God’s people in a foreign land. This tension is not in only knowing what we are supposed to do in tough circumstances… but also in having the mojo to actually do it!

The real issue: we live in a broken world. This is evidenced by the fact that there are people who do not have adequate sleeping arrangements. There is a group of persons that have found sanctuary at the portico’s of the worship space at the church I serve. This means that on any given night, there are multiple persons crammed together in a small space that is somewhat protected from the elements. These persons are somewhat organized: they help by picking up trash and providing an extra level of security for our young persons working in the parking lot. They police their own by calling the cops when someone comes on site drinking or etc., and they try hard not to be there at times when they would be in the way of church folk coming and going—they are not always successful in this.

However, for persons who frequent the church facilities for reasons other than sleeping; there is an uneasiness of seeing folks preparing to bed down for the evening on a concrete slab. There is also the frustration of seeing others’ belongings stowed in the bushes by day—bushes can only hide but so much. And of course there is always a concern for safety—particularly of the unknown. But, there are others who visit and converse with them while offering a sandwich; trying to get to know them so that they can walk with them to a more fulfilling way of life.

Because of the incredible ways that we answer God’s call in our context, our faith community has grown and now includes persons that may not ever come into our buildings to sing hymns, listen to sermons, or fill the offering plates. But none the less, these persons experience the presence and peace of Christ on the grounds of the church. They are indeed a part of the faith community.

Why does God put us in these places? How will we reconcile our concerns with who we are as God’s people in the midst of a broken world?

commDIGIunity

I have recently been reminded of the lack of a personal accountability and prayer partner, something that I once practiced regularly, yet in recent years (& circumstances) have neglected to pursue—no one to blame but myself. However, in preparations for an online CE course entitled “Would Paul Twitter?” my mind began to wander. This will be the first for me in doing a live on-line classroom experience (guess that I am behind the times a little). Anyway, in doing some scripture reading, personal reflection, and getting set up with camera/microphone I had a realization. I realized that with current technological and digital means, I could use my laptop to do a live session with an accountability partner. Granted, we would not be able to shake each other’s hand, but we could eat (break bread) together from the comfort of our own home, see each other via the webcam, converse, and spend some time in prayer.

My mind did not stop there, what if the church (I am sure that there are some already doing these) offered Bible study or small group experiences in somewhat the same manner? Folks could do it from the comfort of their homes. For those with children, they could put the kids to bed, and then log on at a specified time. That means no worry about paying for childcare in your home while you are away, or worries about having the kids out late in the nursery (which can provide for a stressful evening with the family at home after a great time of study and fellowship). For others that work late or have struggles with getting home and then to the designated place for a study, they could simply logon from their home. If churches offered some of these things, then we could do Bible studies or small groups at 9 or even 10pm (sorry Leno).

Obviously, there would be some things to consider; the “touch” aspect and physical presence of one another. In addition, would persons be more apt to be vulnerable or less if they were doing it up close and personal online – yet from the comfort and distance of their “own” space? I don’t know. I am sure that there are other things to consider here, but it would be well worth our time to consider and even possibly experiment with this “way” of doing community and fellowship.

sex-ed grace

Last evening I watched “Definitely, maybe” , not really my style or type of movie… but I enjoyed watching it with my wife. It is about a young separated father who picks up his young daughter from school, to discover that she was taught sex-ed that day. Of course, this begins a conversation that ends with the father agreeing to tell his daughter the story of him and her mother. The story that he tells is full of twists and turns and several relationships. He tries hard to mask aspects of the story but his daughter is quick and is able to see through the smoke screens. After one such attempt in the movie, the daughter turns to her dad and says something along the lines of, “Dad, I can’t believe that you drank, and smoked, and were such a slut… But I still love you.” Well, this got me thinking (unfortunately for you) about a child’s acceptance and love for their parents; which then led me to think about God’s love expressed towards us … even though we did such and such. This is what the church refers to as grace.

It’s that word that we use frequently, sometimes so frequently that its meaning or consequence in our life becomes diluted—particularly in a world where everything is earned or purchased. Many of our behaviors are based on our attempt to get something from someone else. Think about it. At work we may seek approval of our co-workers or boss; at school we seek approval of our professors/teachers; even in our families some of our behaviors are based on an attempt to elicit some sort of response. When we refer to God’s grace—God’s love expressed towards us—we are referring to God’s action towards us that we cannot manipulate. There is nothing that we can do to earn it or to even justify it after we realize that it is there for us.

So here is the question: What are the behaviors that you and I practice out of an attempt to earn God’s love? Our answer has something to do with how we see ourselves AND how we interact with others…

“Eat Our Own Dog Food”

This is a saying that supposedly has its roots in the dog food industry and perhaps in corporate industry as well (see Wikipedia submissions). Last Sunday’s message was entitled “Where the Hypocrites Roam” and was an attempt to help us as God’s people to confront the accusations that we are hypocritical (we are). I used the phrase “eat our own dog food” as an illustration pointing to the fact that persons who strive to follow Christ need to eat our own dog food … practice what we teach/preach/read … you get the point. In doing so, I ate several bites (throughout the three services), what looked like canned dog food. In reality, it was Hormel Corned Beef Hash which looks like and smells like canned dog food … I would even suggest that cold and straight out of the can that it tastes like dog food as well.  Anyway, when such a dramatic illustration is used there is always the danger that folks will experience the “wow” effect, getting so caught up in the image that they will miss the point that the illustration is trying to make.

Ah ha… another form of hypocrisy; getting stuck on the show instead of the message. The same is true in our lives as well. Sometimes we get so caught up in our image, our wow effect, or whatever that we actually miss-communicate the actual message that we intended to convey. We in essence aren’t eating our own dog food.

So here it is. Eating our own dog food or practicing what we teach doesn’t always taste good… in fact it is sometimes down-right disgusting. However, there is nothing like being true to our Savior and ourselves as we journey down the path of faith. It is probably high time for me to take a bite out of my own dog food … to clean the inside of the cup instead of worrying so much about the outside (Matthew 23:25-28).

United Methodist Ordination Response

I stumbled upon Mark Beeson’s blog yesterday during my internet travels.  I was intrigued with his project of doing an “open source” project in writing a book to help United Methodists. In doing so he is going to post 8 “Methodist Monday” blogs for folks to respond to.  Check out the link to read his blog for yourself.  Below, you can see my response to his first “Methodist Monday” which has to do with why someone would choose to be ordained as a United Methodist pastor over doing a non-denominational church start-up.

I think the response has to do with call and discernment. The type of person that you are referring to is someone who is obviously up for a challenge and willing to take the risk in order to make an impact! Someone like that may be called to start a nondenominational church … or they may be called to effect visionary reform within one of the historical movements of Christendom. I would share with the individual that in my opinion the way we “do” church is going to be very different within the next 10 – 15 or even 20 years. I am not referring to music styles or worship styles (although these will be impacted); I am referring to the “how” of doing church. None of us know what that will look like… However, in the UM there are all sorts of possibilities and opportunities for passionate persons of God who possess a heart for those who have not yet responded to God’s grace. These passionate persons will help guide and fashion what we will look like as we continue to be a community that lives out our faith through our hands, mind, & heart. Is this person you are talking with up for the challenge?

http://profile.typepad.com/edsedge

Single Encounter-s

By Guest Blogger (Summer 2010 VA Beach United Methodist Church Intern) Becky Copeland

Circles of Influence

Last week, our church had an announcement about the Single Mom’s book club up on the sign out front in the resort area.  Two women, evidently tourists, were deeply offended that a church would not only have something for single moms, but would go so far as to advertise it for all the world to see.  As they walked down the street asking why on earth a church would put something like that on a sign, a friend of mine waiting at the bus stop happened to overhear.

My friend does not attend my church’s Sunday morning services.  He does come out to help with urban ministries whenever he can get time off from work at a job members of our church helped him to get last year.  Homeless himself, he joins with others who are currently homeless in performing random acts of community service on Saturdays.  Usually soft-spoken, those ladies must have touched a nerve for him to speak up.

He told them that they don’t know the folks at that Methodist church the way he does.  The folks at the Methodist church have really big hearts, he said, and they’d put something like that up on a sign because they know that there are a lot of women trying to make it, raise a family without a man.  They’d put it right there on the sign so those women would know there was someplace they could go, someplace where they wouldn’t be judged.

Rather than storm off in a huff, the ladies talked to my friend about the church and Christianity.  Maybe they learned a little more about grace.  Hearing this story from my friend after we had spent an hour picking up trash with other people who are currently or formerly homeless, I thought about the expanding circles formed when you drop a stone into a pond.  Our church assisted my friend, who in turn has assisted countless others.  On that day, he was able to provide a compelling witness about the heart of our church and the real meaning of Christianity.

Unholy Expectations

In October of 2010 I went through an experience that many of us get excited about but yet we also causes great trepidation… searching for a car. Oh, that process is horrible! There are many ways to start this process, I started by defining which kind of a car I was a interested in as well as how much I wanted to spend. Once I figured that out I located what I was looking for and began the process of purchasing the car from the deanship. I ended up getting a used Toyota from a Toyota dealership.

The window sticker on the car indicated that the car was equipped with a keyless remote. The dealership did not have it and I had to go back and forth with them to make sure that I got a keyless entry with the car. Several days later they had a non-Toyota aftermarket keyless remote installed. My expectations where a little higher. I was not expecting to have to bargain for something that was supposedly included.

As I shook the salespersons hand and received the keys he informed me that the car had a half tank of gas… Evidently that dealership only gave a half tank of gas when you bought a used car. Expectations again shattered. I also only received 1 key. Expectations where again shot. I expected so much more!!

But then I realized that I had much higher expectations for dealing with a corporation then maybe I have for God in my prayer life. This goes against all that I understand of God and God’s way in the world. Perhaps you can relate? Do you have higher expectations for your interactions with persons and corporations than you do for God in your prayer life?

Non Eastern Shore Poetry

Now I lay me down to sleep,
The clergy ballots I count like sheep.
“…more young people, more diverse people”
Echoes from year twenty-ten
But here we send the same again.

Structuring/Call/Vocation/Ministry in the Local United Methodist Churches

The last 24 hours I have been at an Ordering of Ministry Event discussing several changes to structures and order of ministry within the United Methodist Church. This is where my mind went…

The more I listen, the more in favor I am of a presiding Elder (perhaps even Deacon) with a team of Elder/Deacon/Provisional/Licensed Local Pastors/Associate Members/Lay pastors/Diaconate/Diaconal… Appointed to a ministry setting which includes several local churches and extension locations. The common tie would be the liturgical/lectionary/missional setting. Pool them all together to make a stronger presence. A lot of challenges here (a lot of sacred cows gotta fall) but at the same time the possibilities for being relevant in a missional setting could be astounding. Not a district, but a group of local churches in a similar local following the same liturgical/missional/worship heartbeat. More of a circuit with an educationally appointive leadership team to guide, inspire, and equip ministry in the making of Disciples of Jesus Christ. In this setting, persons who are appointed to extension ministries could also have a place at the ministry team table and provide input and help folks to see the church vocationally reaching outside of the local church. As well as engage the congregations in possible mission outreach through the extension ministry appointments. Tis was not a part of any presentation, just a model that is I think at least worth thinking about.

AND, wouldn’t it be cool if this came from the bottom up as opposed to being directed from the top down!