Today I got caught off guard. There I was in the church kitchen talking with a great guy who had just helped play music, plan Sunday School, when he dropped a bomb on me.
"Could you take me off the Sunday School list?" He asked me.
"Sure." I replied. "What is going on? Are you guys moving like you thought might happen?"
As we talked I found out the reason is that the family wants to be down the street where there are more kids showing up for church. The family likes the church and the ministry that is happening. They just want to be at a more active place.
This is what caught me off guard. The thing that keeps perplexing me about the congregation is how people are so critical (especially the families) that no one shows up. These are the same families that do not make it a priority to show up 70% (or more) themselves. The truly frustrating part is how this family will leave and then another will take their place. Given a year they will leave too, after rarely participating.
The issue then becomes two fold. One how do we keep them and help the church family grow. Secondly how to make them see that their own lack of commitment plays directly into the cycle. I wish I could answer these two issues, but unfortunately I have no solution.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Truth and the wealthy
A year ago I lead a retreat to a little place called Children's Country Home, which supports medically fragile kids and their families. The group was of all 6-8th grade students. We set discussed service, loving others, and also being afraid. This was to prep them to see kids there age who needed machines to breathe and live. We spent the day with the medically fragile children working on the yard, painting, and playing with them. At the end of the day we sat down and discussed the experience.
I asked all the students a classic youth ministry question, what was your high moment of the day and "Ah ha!" moment of the day (vague so they do not have to have a "low" but could also be something that God taught them). The students all were obviously touched with what had happened, and came away with some great thoughts. Many let us know how blessed they realize now they are and how they appreciate the things they have much more now after being with the medically fragile students. While nice on the surface it made me cringe a little inside after every student who said it.
The experience sat with me for a long time after and continued to churn my soul like an unsettled stomach. What was missing is their sense of blessing. The students associated blessing with material items, or physical ability. They had yet to see the real blessing that the medically fragile students had that they could not fathom. The simplest and most amazing blessings, joy and love.
Their life experiences of living in a wealthy area had given many of them a sense of entitlement and scued version of value. I saw this recently as I was asked by a student about my phone. They wanted to see how "cool" the stuff was that I have. When finally showed them (I resisted for a while but when they start reaching for your pockets it is better to just get it out) they commented on how simple and boring it was. My heart was broken. Not because I care how cool my phone is, but that a young child already places so much worth on material goods.
Mother Teresa weighed in when she said "It is among the wealthy that we can find the most terrible poverty of all - loneliness." It is through this loneliness that we try and find a home. We try and find an identity. A reason. This has lead to seeing value in material items beacuse they will help us fit in or achieve our identity. This is why people want to create an identity using the internet or have a million friends on facebook. We no longer understand what is really vaulable. We no longer remember our community and what it truly means to love others as we love our selves. I am not sure I ever learned how to do this as it took me decades just to learn how to love myself.
We live in the richest country in the world. Even when we say we don't have much it is a lie and deep down we know it. We are among the top 2% of entire planets population. I may not have as much as those living next to me, but I know I make more than 1 dollar a day like most in third world countries. We are called to more. More than simply pray for those whom we like. More than tithe when it is convenient. It might be hard to hear, but we know it is the truth.
"You may recall the old comic in which two pastors are talking, and one of them asks the other, "How's your church?" The other pastor boasts, "Quite well, I should say. When I got there, we had only thirty members and I have only been there a year. Now we are seeing over four hundred people on Sunday morning. And how's your church?" The first pastor says, "Well, I don't know. When I got there we were seeing about a hundred. I've been preaching the gospel, and I've preached that ole church down to ten." (Irresistible Revolution pg 317)
The truth is hard for us to hear. I have seen huge congregations that were there because it was easy. I have knew many people in college who did not like to hear the challenging messages during chapel. They want it to be simple. In the end "Following Jesus is simple, but not easy. Love until it hurts, and then love more."
The beautiful thing about loving is that it cures the poverty that afflicts the wealthy, since we can not love without community.
I asked all the students a classic youth ministry question, what was your high moment of the day and "Ah ha!" moment of the day (vague so they do not have to have a "low" but could also be something that God taught them). The students all were obviously touched with what had happened, and came away with some great thoughts. Many let us know how blessed they realize now they are and how they appreciate the things they have much more now after being with the medically fragile students. While nice on the surface it made me cringe a little inside after every student who said it.
The experience sat with me for a long time after and continued to churn my soul like an unsettled stomach. What was missing is their sense of blessing. The students associated blessing with material items, or physical ability. They had yet to see the real blessing that the medically fragile students had that they could not fathom. The simplest and most amazing blessings, joy and love.
Their life experiences of living in a wealthy area had given many of them a sense of entitlement and scued version of value. I saw this recently as I was asked by a student about my phone. They wanted to see how "cool" the stuff was that I have. When finally showed them (I resisted for a while but when they start reaching for your pockets it is better to just get it out) they commented on how simple and boring it was. My heart was broken. Not because I care how cool my phone is, but that a young child already places so much worth on material goods.
Mother Teresa weighed in when she said "It is among the wealthy that we can find the most terrible poverty of all - loneliness." It is through this loneliness that we try and find a home. We try and find an identity. A reason. This has lead to seeing value in material items beacuse they will help us fit in or achieve our identity. This is why people want to create an identity using the internet or have a million friends on facebook. We no longer understand what is really vaulable. We no longer remember our community and what it truly means to love others as we love our selves. I am not sure I ever learned how to do this as it took me decades just to learn how to love myself.
We live in the richest country in the world. Even when we say we don't have much it is a lie and deep down we know it. We are among the top 2% of entire planets population. I may not have as much as those living next to me, but I know I make more than 1 dollar a day like most in third world countries. We are called to more. More than simply pray for those whom we like. More than tithe when it is convenient. It might be hard to hear, but we know it is the truth.
"You may recall the old comic in which two pastors are talking, and one of them asks the other, "How's your church?" The other pastor boasts, "Quite well, I should say. When I got there, we had only thirty members and I have only been there a year. Now we are seeing over four hundred people on Sunday morning. And how's your church?" The first pastor says, "Well, I don't know. When I got there we were seeing about a hundred. I've been preaching the gospel, and I've preached that ole church down to ten." (Irresistible Revolution pg 317)
The truth is hard for us to hear. I have seen huge congregations that were there because it was easy. I have knew many people in college who did not like to hear the challenging messages during chapel. They want it to be simple. In the end "Following Jesus is simple, but not easy. Love until it hurts, and then love more."
The beautiful thing about loving is that it cures the poverty that afflicts the wealthy, since we can not love without community.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
All the small things
It has been a while since I have posted on here. I have had so many thoughts over the last few weeks (or month) to write about, but unfortunately life has been in the way. Today though I am going to try and go back to some of those thoughts over the last month and delve into some of the ideas.
The big thing that has taken up my time was Vacation Bible School. It was a great week, but very tiring. The week had me thinking about children's ministry, what is our goal with VBS weeks, and also some of the different ministries like "Puppet Ministry."
Then I took a vacation. It was great to get away. Kessia and I went around the Olympic Peninsula. There we enjoyed lots of reading, hiking, long car rides, debates over where to go next, and beautiful places. I found myself wanting to write about creation while on the hikes. The different pace of life had me thinking about culture and our reliance on technology and media. The vacation in general had me thinking about writing some thoughts about the sabbath.
The winner for my first post in this hiatus is going to be "Irresistible Revolution". There were so many points and thought in it that took me a while of digesting. It was not comprehension that was difficult, but the internalization of what the concept would look like in reality. Over the next week I hope to look at several different quotes and flush out what they mean to me.
I have big dreams. When I think of a project at church I enter into a fantasy land of how much of an impact it will make to the church, community, and world. Point in case: We had a movie night planned for once a week this summer. I had thought that it could become a far reaching community event. It would start out small, 10 people, and as they shared with their friends and neighbors it would grow. I envisioned 20, 30, 40, 50 coming to the movie and having it become a hit. I thought intensely about each movie and when it would fall during the summer to maximize the attendance. I thought of ways to help it spring board, like advertising to the school. I thought of how this could help accomplish the mission of the church and help everyone grow together towards Christ.
Now into August we are around 4 people. We have had showings where no one has showed up and I have been left by myself wondering where I went wrong with this event. Why did my dreams not come true?
"We can not do great things, only small things with great love. It is not how much you do but how much love you put into doing it." Mother Teresa
As I read this quote in Irresistible Revolution I thought of all the things I try and do. All the big plans, ideas, thoughts. Instead of realistic I am often trying to accomplish great things. I do not think there is anything wrong with that, but I was missing the most important aspect of what I was doing. I need to make sure Love is at the center of it.
During Vacation Bible School we had a missions component. I threw it in there as an add on to most of the great things I thought we were doing. We had a great theme, stations, decorations, and plans. In the end it was the add on that made the most impact.
We started the week by asking kids to bring in socks to help out the homeless. I thought most of them would forget and we would end up with maybe a pair of socks or two (most likely the ones I bought!). On third day the box was almost completely full. By Friday it was over flowing and takes three garbage bags to hold. This came from 25 students. We had over 6 pairs of socks per child! It was simply a small thing done with lots of love.
Working in a small church that is something I need to constantly remember. It is not about the numbers, but about the heart. It is about the amount of love and care that we put in. It is about showing Christ.
In the end it is not about lowering expectations. This not about trying less, or not having dreams. But instead, making sure that we remember the small things.
The individual.
The heart.
The love.
The big thing that has taken up my time was Vacation Bible School. It was a great week, but very tiring. The week had me thinking about children's ministry, what is our goal with VBS weeks, and also some of the different ministries like "Puppet Ministry."
Then I took a vacation. It was great to get away. Kessia and I went around the Olympic Peninsula. There we enjoyed lots of reading, hiking, long car rides, debates over where to go next, and beautiful places. I found myself wanting to write about creation while on the hikes. The different pace of life had me thinking about culture and our reliance on technology and media. The vacation in general had me thinking about writing some thoughts about the sabbath.
The winner for my first post in this hiatus is going to be "Irresistible Revolution". There were so many points and thought in it that took me a while of digesting. It was not comprehension that was difficult, but the internalization of what the concept would look like in reality. Over the next week I hope to look at several different quotes and flush out what they mean to me.
I have big dreams. When I think of a project at church I enter into a fantasy land of how much of an impact it will make to the church, community, and world. Point in case: We had a movie night planned for once a week this summer. I had thought that it could become a far reaching community event. It would start out small, 10 people, and as they shared with their friends and neighbors it would grow. I envisioned 20, 30, 40, 50 coming to the movie and having it become a hit. I thought intensely about each movie and when it would fall during the summer to maximize the attendance. I thought of ways to help it spring board, like advertising to the school. I thought of how this could help accomplish the mission of the church and help everyone grow together towards Christ.
Now into August we are around 4 people. We have had showings where no one has showed up and I have been left by myself wondering where I went wrong with this event. Why did my dreams not come true?
"We can not do great things, only small things with great love. It is not how much you do but how much love you put into doing it." Mother Teresa
As I read this quote in Irresistible Revolution I thought of all the things I try and do. All the big plans, ideas, thoughts. Instead of realistic I am often trying to accomplish great things. I do not think there is anything wrong with that, but I was missing the most important aspect of what I was doing. I need to make sure Love is at the center of it.
During Vacation Bible School we had a missions component. I threw it in there as an add on to most of the great things I thought we were doing. We had a great theme, stations, decorations, and plans. In the end it was the add on that made the most impact.
We started the week by asking kids to bring in socks to help out the homeless. I thought most of them would forget and we would end up with maybe a pair of socks or two (most likely the ones I bought!). On third day the box was almost completely full. By Friday it was over flowing and takes three garbage bags to hold. This came from 25 students. We had over 6 pairs of socks per child! It was simply a small thing done with lots of love.
Working in a small church that is something I need to constantly remember. It is not about the numbers, but about the heart. It is about the amount of love and care that we put in. It is about showing Christ.
In the end it is not about lowering expectations. This not about trying less, or not having dreams. But instead, making sure that we remember the small things.
The individual.
The heart.
The love.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Sheep feed your shepherds!
This last week I went to the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference for the United Methodist church. It was a great time with lots of fun, faith, and rock band. I loved getting to meet with more pastors and chatting about church with them. Far and away the high point for me was getting to see my good friend (and mentor) get ordained.
The whole ceremony was a wonderful celebration. It was one of the few times I got to sit down and actually pay attention to a sermon. A bishop named, Roddy White, spoke and did a wonderful job. His message centered on Jesus talking with Peter about feeding his sheep (John 21: 15-19).
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
This passage makes a lot of sense in an ordination as a bishop is reminding those who are entering the pastorate that they must feed the sheep that Jesus has entrusted to them. They are now becoming a shepherd to take care of all those at their churches and in the communities around.
What struck me was that the bishop shifted and told a story of visiting a woman, Mrs. Quinn. In his first church he found out Mrs. Quinn expected him to visit each week. He was nervous going over there the first day. As his time with her ended he prayed for her. He was ready to leave, but Mrs. Quinn stopped him and prayed for him. He told us how amazed and lifted up he was by this prayer. He made sure to visit her every week because she fed him. She fed the shepherd.
We often forget taking care of our shepherds. We have pastors, mentors, ministers, leaders, and teachers that all give so much to all of us. The pour out into our cups and we soak in their wisdom, guidance, and care as much as we can. In the end though who pours back into the servants cups?
Bishop White spent double the time talking to the "sheep" about feeding their "shepherds". It was fascinating to see this stress to the laity to take care of these shepherds. All I could think was "amen" to this line of thought.
As I have worked in youth ministry for three years now I resonate completely with this sentiment. While I worked at Mary, Queen of Peace there were very few there helping to feed me. My shepherds there did not reach out to support or encourage faith. My personal faith was not something of concern. If I knew the right prayers, did all the motions then I must be ok. The stress was program not ministry.
The families there were wonderful, and tried. The stress in the Catholic church is much more on how the leaders are to teach and lead the laity. The laity ends up not seeing themselves as ministers. We are all ministers! We are all theologians!
When I worked with Dj, he constantly taught and told his kids how they were theologians and ministers. He broke down that boundary for the students and had them pursue and grow in leadership. They intern were able to take up the mantel and grow. The families there continue to encourage and feed me even though I was only there for two summer internships.
This is the response we all need to have for our shepherds. I am racking my brain now to think of the other ways I can support my shepherd. She has supported me and ministered to me. I want to make sure I do what I can to represent God to her and help her grow. If that means making it possible for her to leave on a vacation and know that everything is taken care of then that is what needs to happen. If it means taking one of the responsibilities off of her list then we all need to step up and do that for our ministers.
There is an analogy I have heard used many times. It is that ministers come to God to get their cup filled. Then they must pour out their cup into others. Simply put this is how we burn out pastors. It implies that when ever I am low they need to step up and feed me. It takes all the responsibility off of the "sheep".
Instead we should all pull close to God, the living water, so that all of our cups can overflow into one an other's. This allows us to all become full, and for the living water with us to flow back into our pastor's cup.
Feed your Parents!
Feed your Mentors!
Feed your Teachers!
Feed your Shepherd!
The whole ceremony was a wonderful celebration. It was one of the few times I got to sit down and actually pay attention to a sermon. A bishop named, Roddy White, spoke and did a wonderful job. His message centered on Jesus talking with Peter about feeding his sheep (John 21: 15-19).
Jesus Reinstates Peter
15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?""Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
16Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. 18 I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." 19Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
This passage makes a lot of sense in an ordination as a bishop is reminding those who are entering the pastorate that they must feed the sheep that Jesus has entrusted to them. They are now becoming a shepherd to take care of all those at their churches and in the communities around.
What struck me was that the bishop shifted and told a story of visiting a woman, Mrs. Quinn. In his first church he found out Mrs. Quinn expected him to visit each week. He was nervous going over there the first day. As his time with her ended he prayed for her. He was ready to leave, but Mrs. Quinn stopped him and prayed for him. He told us how amazed and lifted up he was by this prayer. He made sure to visit her every week because she fed him. She fed the shepherd.
We often forget taking care of our shepherds. We have pastors, mentors, ministers, leaders, and teachers that all give so much to all of us. The pour out into our cups and we soak in their wisdom, guidance, and care as much as we can. In the end though who pours back into the servants cups?
Bishop White spent double the time talking to the "sheep" about feeding their "shepherds". It was fascinating to see this stress to the laity to take care of these shepherds. All I could think was "amen" to this line of thought.
As I have worked in youth ministry for three years now I resonate completely with this sentiment. While I worked at Mary, Queen of Peace there were very few there helping to feed me. My shepherds there did not reach out to support or encourage faith. My personal faith was not something of concern. If I knew the right prayers, did all the motions then I must be ok. The stress was program not ministry.
The families there were wonderful, and tried. The stress in the Catholic church is much more on how the leaders are to teach and lead the laity. The laity ends up not seeing themselves as ministers. We are all ministers! We are all theologians!
When I worked with Dj, he constantly taught and told his kids how they were theologians and ministers. He broke down that boundary for the students and had them pursue and grow in leadership. They intern were able to take up the mantel and grow. The families there continue to encourage and feed me even though I was only there for two summer internships.
This is the response we all need to have for our shepherds. I am racking my brain now to think of the other ways I can support my shepherd. She has supported me and ministered to me. I want to make sure I do what I can to represent God to her and help her grow. If that means making it possible for her to leave on a vacation and know that everything is taken care of then that is what needs to happen. If it means taking one of the responsibilities off of her list then we all need to step up and do that for our ministers.
There is an analogy I have heard used many times. It is that ministers come to God to get their cup filled. Then they must pour out their cup into others. Simply put this is how we burn out pastors. It implies that when ever I am low they need to step up and feed me. It takes all the responsibility off of the "sheep".
Instead we should all pull close to God, the living water, so that all of our cups can overflow into one an other's. This allows us to all become full, and for the living water with us to flow back into our pastor's cup.
Feed your Parents!
Feed your Mentors!
Feed your Teachers!
Feed your Shepherd!
Monday, June 15, 2009
To plan or not to plan?
I have been on both sides. I have been the volunteer. Relying on the leader to supply the materials, planning, updates, and organization. I also have been the coordinator that brings those things to sessions, meetings, gatherings, and trainings. Just recently I was reminded of how some volunteers feel towards planning.
It was a few days ago that I received an email giving me the advice to "wing it" with scheduling leaders and planning for Sunday School. This had happened to me in my first week at my church. At then I took it as the individual was used to this style from the previous directors. Now at the end of the year, this new "wing it" suggestion let me know that the vision is not going through. We are stuck in the previous mind set.
I had hoped that after a year the leaders would start to get the idea that we will be planning ahead. There was a training at the beginning of the year letting them know why we needed the correct ratios, background checks, and training for all our leaders with youth. This is for the safety of the children, adults, and the comfortableness in roles in the classroom. I have never had a volunteer express that too much info, planning, leadership by the director made them uncomfortable. It always seems easier to have a plan and move from that as needed.
After my initial frustration with the volunteer, I realize now that I need to keep working at communicating the vision with the parents, leaders, and volunteers. Until the community gets the standard and the expectation we have for students and leaders they are going to continue to resort to the old way, the comfortable way.
Here's to the long journey and constant communication...cheers.
It was a few days ago that I received an email giving me the advice to "wing it" with scheduling leaders and planning for Sunday School. This had happened to me in my first week at my church. At then I took it as the individual was used to this style from the previous directors. Now at the end of the year, this new "wing it" suggestion let me know that the vision is not going through. We are stuck in the previous mind set.
I had hoped that after a year the leaders would start to get the idea that we will be planning ahead. There was a training at the beginning of the year letting them know why we needed the correct ratios, background checks, and training for all our leaders with youth. This is for the safety of the children, adults, and the comfortableness in roles in the classroom. I have never had a volunteer express that too much info, planning, leadership by the director made them uncomfortable. It always seems easier to have a plan and move from that as needed.
After my initial frustration with the volunteer, I realize now that I need to keep working at communicating the vision with the parents, leaders, and volunteers. Until the community gets the standard and the expectation we have for students and leaders they are going to continue to resort to the old way, the comfortable way.
Here's to the long journey and constant communication...cheers.
Friday, June 5, 2009
"Love all, Worship one!"
As promised I am going to write a few thoughts about the high school youth retreat theme. The subject for the retreat centered on exploring the monotheistic religions (Islam, Christianity, Judaism). The theme, "Love all, Worship One," ends up leading to a tension between steering others to a new faith or developing a better understanding of God through the experiences of others.
At the basic level the theme is about unity and tolerance. Methodists have the classic saying of "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors." In the spirit of this motto the theme fits very well.
By listening and talking with others we begin to break down the fear of the "other". This allows us to understand the human experience around the world and by extension God too.
Probably the most difficult talk given at the retreat was the discussion on Christianity. The majority of the group are Christians and so the speaker is "preaching to the choir." The speaker tried to balance this with presenting questions and how in our own faith we have lots of diversity. Unfortunately, this then leads to the impression that we have no basics in our faith where the other two have something they believe in.
We ended up exploring other faiths tenets, practices, and understandings to engage in a interfaith dialogue. The problem with this though is what one of my friends pointed out when I told them about the topic of the retreat. They pointed out that in interfaith dialogues it is important to be grounded and secure in what you believe before discussing with others. I am not sure how many High School students are secure and solid in their own faith to have that discussion. Case in point: I heard from one of the other ministers afterward that the girls from their church now want to be Jewish. This does not sound like a group that was secure in their faith and ready to learn from others, but several students who were fascinated with the aspects of Judaism they were exposed to.
The other thing that needs to be present to have an interfaith dialogue is being aware of one's own biases. After we know our faith then we know what biases and premises we bring to an interfaith dialogue. If we do not know our biases then we will often ask many questions that are either offensive, aggressive, or based on our own assumptions. This was very obvious from the questions that were asked of the Islamic speaker. There were questions about terrorists and angry Muslims (which come from our cultural bias- media).
This ends up begging the question of if at high school age students are ready for an interfaith dialogue. My assessment would be no for most. There were some rare students there who have had deep conversations about their faith and what it means for the last 3-6 years. These students are ready to engage in a meaningful way into this dialogue. As I explained in my post about attitudes in ministry, this was the minority there. Most groups did not have a solid, trusting, safe foundation with their faith and ministers to be able to go there yet.
Even though there is the obvious difficulty of this theme for the group the weekend ended up being very good. The group balanced the tensions of the topic very well. I did not expect it to be pulled off so well. There were difficulties with the age group, their foundation, and the question of if this really helped them in their faith, but all in all it was done very well.
At the basic level the theme is about unity and tolerance. Methodists have the classic saying of "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors." In the spirit of this motto the theme fits very well.
By listening and talking with others we begin to break down the fear of the "other". This allows us to understand the human experience around the world and by extension God too.
Probably the most difficult talk given at the retreat was the discussion on Christianity. The majority of the group are Christians and so the speaker is "preaching to the choir." The speaker tried to balance this with presenting questions and how in our own faith we have lots of diversity. Unfortunately, this then leads to the impression that we have no basics in our faith where the other two have something they believe in.
We ended up exploring other faiths tenets, practices, and understandings to engage in a interfaith dialogue. The problem with this though is what one of my friends pointed out when I told them about the topic of the retreat. They pointed out that in interfaith dialogues it is important to be grounded and secure in what you believe before discussing with others. I am not sure how many High School students are secure and solid in their own faith to have that discussion. Case in point: I heard from one of the other ministers afterward that the girls from their church now want to be Jewish. This does not sound like a group that was secure in their faith and ready to learn from others, but several students who were fascinated with the aspects of Judaism they were exposed to.
The other thing that needs to be present to have an interfaith dialogue is being aware of one's own biases. After we know our faith then we know what biases and premises we bring to an interfaith dialogue. If we do not know our biases then we will often ask many questions that are either offensive, aggressive, or based on our own assumptions. This was very obvious from the questions that were asked of the Islamic speaker. There were questions about terrorists and angry Muslims (which come from our cultural bias- media).
This ends up begging the question of if at high school age students are ready for an interfaith dialogue. My assessment would be no for most. There were some rare students there who have had deep conversations about their faith and what it means for the last 3-6 years. These students are ready to engage in a meaningful way into this dialogue. As I explained in my post about attitudes in ministry, this was the minority there. Most groups did not have a solid, trusting, safe foundation with their faith and ministers to be able to go there yet.
Even though there is the obvious difficulty of this theme for the group the weekend ended up being very good. The group balanced the tensions of the topic very well. I did not expect it to be pulled off so well. There were difficulties with the age group, their foundation, and the question of if this really helped them in their faith, but all in all it was done very well.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
How do you see Church?
This week I got an interesting glimpse into how others might see church. It happened on Monday morning. A family dropped in that had left a few things at church. I caught the mother and daughter as they were looking through the sanctuary.
I let the mom know that there were some things turned into me that probably belonged to their family. As we walked to my office the mother quizzed me about what was left. She did not care about the clip boards and books, but wanted to know if there was a few hand drawn sheets. I told her I had not seen any with the group.
When we grabbed the materials she quickly went through them and found this "priceless" thing that she was hoping for. What it was was a small comic book that her daughter had made. The comic book was titled "Church". She pulled it out and had her daughter explain and show me this twenty page masterpiece.
As I flipped through the pages, I realized just how priceless the comic book was. This was a rare look into how a young child sees church. There were pages that we would expect to see like "Sunday School" and "Kid's Club". What I did not expect to see was the detailed drawings of Cathy, our pastor, preaching. There was pictures of our choir director, Jeremy, leading the choir in singing. Our little artist captured other scenes like "Coffee hour", "Communion", and service projects like "Tent City".
She had noticed more of the different components that make up church than most adults would see. There were details that she included that most adults do not see like in the preaching picture she had even the letters "IHS" that hang from the cloth on the podium. These letters stand for "Jesus" in early greek (or "Jesus Savior of Men"). How many would pick this up this?
Our church has had many discussions since I have been there about what is going on in church. We have asked the adults about the programs when trying to decide on our mission statement. I asked our confirmation class and mentors about the activities in church that we live out our faith. During a "Enrichment hour" I asked the older generation in our church how does the church offer/support intentional faith development. Most of these discussions had the groups struggle to get past two or three programs. Even in that they focus on what they participate in. Then I see a five year old girl understand the many different ways of intentional faith development offered in the church. Not only that, but she pulls out the details and relationships within the different activities.
After discovering this amazing comic it left me with the question of how I see church. There are many different things that I get wrapped up in because I work there, yet I wonder how well I see God. My little student was able to pick up on so many little things and articulate through a comic that church was an important joyful place for her. Could I say the same? Do I notice the efforts, relationships, and little miracles that are present there? Do I understand how important church is for my life and relationship with God?
There is a passage that comes directly to mind right now:
I let the mom know that there were some things turned into me that probably belonged to their family. As we walked to my office the mother quizzed me about what was left. She did not care about the clip boards and books, but wanted to know if there was a few hand drawn sheets. I told her I had not seen any with the group.
When we grabbed the materials she quickly went through them and found this "priceless" thing that she was hoping for. What it was was a small comic book that her daughter had made. The comic book was titled "Church". She pulled it out and had her daughter explain and show me this twenty page masterpiece.
As I flipped through the pages, I realized just how priceless the comic book was. This was a rare look into how a young child sees church. There were pages that we would expect to see like "Sunday School" and "Kid's Club". What I did not expect to see was the detailed drawings of Cathy, our pastor, preaching. There was pictures of our choir director, Jeremy, leading the choir in singing. Our little artist captured other scenes like "Coffee hour", "Communion", and service projects like "Tent City".
She had noticed more of the different components that make up church than most adults would see. There were details that she included that most adults do not see like in the preaching picture she had even the letters "IHS" that hang from the cloth on the podium. These letters stand for "Jesus" in early greek (or "Jesus Savior of Men"). How many would pick this up this?
Our church has had many discussions since I have been there about what is going on in church. We have asked the adults about the programs when trying to decide on our mission statement. I asked our confirmation class and mentors about the activities in church that we live out our faith. During a "Enrichment hour" I asked the older generation in our church how does the church offer/support intentional faith development. Most of these discussions had the groups struggle to get past two or three programs. Even in that they focus on what they participate in. Then I see a five year old girl understand the many different ways of intentional faith development offered in the church. Not only that, but she pulls out the details and relationships within the different activities.
After discovering this amazing comic it left me with the question of how I see church. There are many different things that I get wrapped up in because I work there, yet I wonder how well I see God. My little student was able to pick up on so many little things and articulate through a comic that church was an important joyful place for her. Could I say the same? Do I notice the efforts, relationships, and little miracles that are present there? Do I understand how important church is for my life and relationship with God?
There is a passage that comes directly to mind right now:
Matthew 18:2-4 (New International Version)
2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
With all these simple questions that I could try and rationalize and explain in difficult ways, this passage reminds me to just come before God. There are so many lessons that we could take away from my little five year old student. Now though I believe we need to keep it simple. To humbly acknowledge our reliance on God and His community at church. To slow down and enjoy the little joys and miracles that the LORD presents us.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Attitude in Ministry
This last weekend I went on a trip to "CONVO". This is an annual high school convention in the pacific northwest conference of the United Methodist Church. There were some great speakers, workshops, free times, conversations, and worship. I will probably end up blogging about the subject of the conference later, "Love All, Worship One," but for now I wanted to focus on what I noticed in the many different church groups at the conference.
There were almost a few different types of groups that I ran into. As DSO (Designated Safety Officer) I went out of my way to make sure the boundaries were followed and everyone was having great safe fun. What I ended up seeing was a few different styles of groups: disregard for rules/authority, pessimistic, and healthy.
The first kind of group I ran into was all about fun. They had a decent size group there. The kids were laughing and running around. I noticed however that this group did not seem to respect anyone trying to tell them what to do. When lights were supposed to be out they were running in the halls, shooting each other with darts and trying to take showers. When I would ask any of them to go to bed or head outside during scheduled time they would ignore me. I asked their leaders to get them outside and they commented that their kids are difficult.
What struck me about this style is that they are a group centered on rapport. The leaders most likely are trying to be friends and have fun. This leads to no authority for their leaders or others. The expectations were always stated before but the youth felt like there was no authority to carry through with it. This style of leadership leaves kids with a friend instead of the much more needed mentor/minister.
The second kind of group that I ran across was the pessimistic. This is one where they would complain, sit in little clusters and poo poo everything that was invited/suggested. In this type of group I noticed that the leaders were burt out. They did not smile, cheer, clap, or sing with the songs. They set the energy level for their youth and the youth meet it.
In this type of group the leaders are teaching their youth about faith. They are teaching it is boring and only worth doing if you are paid (not even then). This type of leader needs to move on because they are not helping their youth grow at all. Instead they are punishing and tainting the view of faith and God. If we as ministers are supposed to be incarnational (represent Jesus) then they are teaching that He is pissed and bored.
The final group that I saw was a healthy energetic group. The youth socialized with people. Listened to leaders. Saught out advice, support and guidance from their leaders and others. They cheered and encouraged others on. They also participated in all discussion (if not led it).
How did they do it? Their leader had created a safe environment where they could be themselves and grow. They never sacrificed authority to speak truth into their kids lives which leads their youth to seek their advice on critical junctures. They participate because they know that is how they will give and receive. Their leaders made it not about just fun, but growth and trust.
It was a great weekend and a facinating case study on what a healthy youth group looks like and how it interacts.
There were almost a few different types of groups that I ran into. As DSO (Designated Safety Officer) I went out of my way to make sure the boundaries were followed and everyone was having great safe fun. What I ended up seeing was a few different styles of groups: disregard for rules/authority, pessimistic, and healthy.
The first kind of group I ran into was all about fun. They had a decent size group there. The kids were laughing and running around. I noticed however that this group did not seem to respect anyone trying to tell them what to do. When lights were supposed to be out they were running in the halls, shooting each other with darts and trying to take showers. When I would ask any of them to go to bed or head outside during scheduled time they would ignore me. I asked their leaders to get them outside and they commented that their kids are difficult.
What struck me about this style is that they are a group centered on rapport. The leaders most likely are trying to be friends and have fun. This leads to no authority for their leaders or others. The expectations were always stated before but the youth felt like there was no authority to carry through with it. This style of leadership leaves kids with a friend instead of the much more needed mentor/minister.
The second kind of group that I ran across was the pessimistic. This is one where they would complain, sit in little clusters and poo poo everything that was invited/suggested. In this type of group I noticed that the leaders were burt out. They did not smile, cheer, clap, or sing with the songs. They set the energy level for their youth and the youth meet it.
In this type of group the leaders are teaching their youth about faith. They are teaching it is boring and only worth doing if you are paid (not even then). This type of leader needs to move on because they are not helping their youth grow at all. Instead they are punishing and tainting the view of faith and God. If we as ministers are supposed to be incarnational (represent Jesus) then they are teaching that He is pissed and bored.
The final group that I saw was a healthy energetic group. The youth socialized with people. Listened to leaders. Saught out advice, support and guidance from their leaders and others. They cheered and encouraged others on. They also participated in all discussion (if not led it).
How did they do it? Their leader had created a safe environment where they could be themselves and grow. They never sacrificed authority to speak truth into their kids lives which leads their youth to seek their advice on critical junctures. They participate because they know that is how they will give and receive. Their leaders made it not about just fun, but growth and trust.
It was a great weekend and a facinating case study on what a healthy youth group looks like and how it interacts.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Click
This evening Kessia and I sat after a long day for some mindless TV. We found a movie on with Adam Sandler, which almost guarantees silliness and mayhem. Instead, I rediscovered the depth of the movie "Click" and the lessons it gives us.
The movie focuses on a character who recieves a remote to better control his life. This allows him to fast forward, rewind, mute, and pause. At first this new ability brings a lot of great opportunities and jokes, but soon the remote has learned what the main characters preferences are and auto executes these commands. Soon Adam is skipping sicknesses, arguments, sex, traffic, and almost all parts of life. He wants to slow down, but can not and misses everything. In the end he is sitting on his deathbed (or street) and tells his son not to make the same mistakes.
There was one line that really grabbed me. "You were already fast forwarding through life before you got the remote." That line says it all. He did get a special power to act it out, but he was already doing that in other ways. When I think about this concept placed in to all of our lives I wonder how many times we fast forward.
When have you fast forwarded in life? For me I know there have been times where I have tuned out, gone through the motions, or just not really been present. I have one vivid memory of growing up and being lectured by my Dad. I got his point and then tuned out. He caught me in it and was like reading my mind. That was scary!
There have been other times that I can think of where I went through the motions. Just recently I was helping with a young life group and towards the end I tuned out. I fast forwarded to the end just so I did not have to think about it any longer. Part of it was a coping mechanisim. I was stressed and it was a way to not allow it to bother me. I used the same thing in other ministry positions where the time there was too stressful. The thing that I forget is that even the pain is worth while. If we tune out or fast forward then we often miss things that could have or would have meant a lot.
The other thing that caught me about the movie is how Adam forgets about people. The tear jerker is when he ignores his Dad the last time he will ever see him. Sadly, when we fast forward we often tune out the thing that is the most important, people. There was a saying that many speakers at APU used to give. They would say "There are two things in life that are eternal. The first is the Bible. The second is people." Those are the two things that live on in the afterlife. If that is the case then we should make sure that those two things are what we do not tune out or fast forward through.
Slow down, enjoy the day, and remember what is eternal.
The movie focuses on a character who recieves a remote to better control his life. This allows him to fast forward, rewind, mute, and pause. At first this new ability brings a lot of great opportunities and jokes, but soon the remote has learned what the main characters preferences are and auto executes these commands. Soon Adam is skipping sicknesses, arguments, sex, traffic, and almost all parts of life. He wants to slow down, but can not and misses everything. In the end he is sitting on his deathbed (or street) and tells his son not to make the same mistakes.
There was one line that really grabbed me. "You were already fast forwarding through life before you got the remote." That line says it all. He did get a special power to act it out, but he was already doing that in other ways. When I think about this concept placed in to all of our lives I wonder how many times we fast forward.
When have you fast forwarded in life? For me I know there have been times where I have tuned out, gone through the motions, or just not really been present. I have one vivid memory of growing up and being lectured by my Dad. I got his point and then tuned out. He caught me in it and was like reading my mind. That was scary!
There have been other times that I can think of where I went through the motions. Just recently I was helping with a young life group and towards the end I tuned out. I fast forwarded to the end just so I did not have to think about it any longer. Part of it was a coping mechanisim. I was stressed and it was a way to not allow it to bother me. I used the same thing in other ministry positions where the time there was too stressful. The thing that I forget is that even the pain is worth while. If we tune out or fast forward then we often miss things that could have or would have meant a lot.
The other thing that caught me about the movie is how Adam forgets about people. The tear jerker is when he ignores his Dad the last time he will ever see him. Sadly, when we fast forward we often tune out the thing that is the most important, people. There was a saying that many speakers at APU used to give. They would say "There are two things in life that are eternal. The first is the Bible. The second is people." Those are the two things that live on in the afterlife. If that is the case then we should make sure that those two things are what we do not tune out or fast forward through.
Slow down, enjoy the day, and remember what is eternal.
Monday, May 18, 2009
The day
Usually, when I come to post I have a specific message to say. Sometimes it might be a thought that is on my mind or something I have been learning. Tonight I want to do something different. This night I want to come with no expectations and see where the wind (God) carries me. This may end up feeling like a wandering post, but that is exactly what it is meant to be, wandering and searching for God.
Right now I am sitting enjoying classical music while my wife works on her homework next to me. I just finished a very tough weekend. I had three events and each one carried with it expectations, prep, and unsure results. I thought I would have two days off before them to rejuvenate, but instead I ran errands and got surprise calls.
One of those calls was from a youth group across the state. They had made plans with us to stay in the church a few weeks before. I had forgotten they were coming since I was focused on the three events I had to do during the weekend. Unfortunately, I was caught on the other side of the lake when they called. I threw everything I had into the car and raced over the 520 bridge. Even though I had spent all day running errands it was this that broke the straw of the camels back and made me realize that I had worked all of my sabbath away.
The group stayed with us and had some wonderful leaders and kids. I enjoyed showing them around the church. Their youth were very attentive and engaging. Like with any guest though there were struggles. Later, on another day off, I have to take things they left and mail them back. While this is very frustrating for me, I am reminded of several scriptures right now.
What is coming to mind is the many times in the Bible where strangers come and stay. There are countless in the Hebrew Bible. There are many in the New Testament, even as people open their homes up for Jesus and his disciples. The disciples were taught to do this when they went to towns.
I often did not think of the hosts when these out of town guests come. Assuredly the guests meant extra work, time, and were often a surprise. All of those before welcomed them and did what they could do to support the mission of spreading the Good news. I can not help but wonder how God would feel about my attitude of frustration with the guests. It was something I wanted to do to support others in their faith, but at the expense of my health and faith? I now hope to rest, having survived the weekend, and be rejuvenated as I will become the guest this next weekend.
Right now I am sitting enjoying classical music while my wife works on her homework next to me. I just finished a very tough weekend. I had three events and each one carried with it expectations, prep, and unsure results. I thought I would have two days off before them to rejuvenate, but instead I ran errands and got surprise calls.
One of those calls was from a youth group across the state. They had made plans with us to stay in the church a few weeks before. I had forgotten they were coming since I was focused on the three events I had to do during the weekend. Unfortunately, I was caught on the other side of the lake when they called. I threw everything I had into the car and raced over the 520 bridge. Even though I had spent all day running errands it was this that broke the straw of the camels back and made me realize that I had worked all of my sabbath away.
The group stayed with us and had some wonderful leaders and kids. I enjoyed showing them around the church. Their youth were very attentive and engaging. Like with any guest though there were struggles. Later, on another day off, I have to take things they left and mail them back. While this is very frustrating for me, I am reminded of several scriptures right now.
What is coming to mind is the many times in the Bible where strangers come and stay. There are countless in the Hebrew Bible. There are many in the New Testament, even as people open their homes up for Jesus and his disciples. The disciples were taught to do this when they went to towns.
I often did not think of the hosts when these out of town guests come. Assuredly the guests meant extra work, time, and were often a surprise. All of those before welcomed them and did what they could do to support the mission of spreading the Good news. I can not help but wonder how God would feel about my attitude of frustration with the guests. It was something I wanted to do to support others in their faith, but at the expense of my health and faith? I now hope to rest, having survived the weekend, and be rejuvenated as I will become the guest this next weekend.
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