conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

an aside

So...um...is it just me or is the current presidential debate being fashioned as the old "aristocracy vs. meritocracy" debate?

It's just a question.

saturday sermon mumblings

Only by creating for hearers an encounter, even confrontation, with the concrete witness of Scripture to God's action in Christ can a preacher hope to speak into the actual world that his or her hearers inhabit.
- David Lose

The sermon preparation continues apace. There have been a few interruptions for chores (vacuum the bedroom, water the garden, dishes...always dishes) and some play (Football!). I'm working on what God's vision may be for CCW. I have some ideas of what this is, but first I need to continue to look at what it means to encounter God's vision. I find Moses' encounter with the burning bush and Peter's encounter with the Messiah wonderful and rich with ideas and implications for us. Encounter is intimate and personal. It shatters many of our conceptions of what we think God wants. It shatters many of our conceptions of who we might be in that Godly vision. It is sociopolitical (Moses is sent to Pharoah, if you recall.). It is interpersonal and demanding (We will have to take up our own crosses at some point.).

God's Vision is at the end ultimately liberating and joyful. It is, as a friend often reminds me, Good News. It sets prisoners free. It sets us all free. The sermon title is "A Vision of Flames." Poetic? A little. We'll see how it goes.

I've read through some very good and helpful commentaries to prepare for this sermon. I want to share some stuff will you. I don't use a lot of what they shared, but they got my juices flowing. Follow the extended link for some interesting stuff.

Sarah Dylan Brewer says this about deciding to follow Jesus:

We've got decisions of our own to make. There are times when there's tension or flat-out contradiction between how our culture defines being a good, patriotic citizen -- or being a good liberal, for that matter -- and following Jesus. It might be at a point when we're advocating forgiveness for enemies and a neighbor sees this as a slight to a son in danger while serving in Iraq. It might be when we're accused of being bad parents as we encourage our children to spend time on their spiritual formation and serving the poor even if that displaces some studying or going to an S.A.T. prep class. It might be when we're accused of betraying "the cause" by working with people on the other side of important and divisive questions. It might come when we let go of needing others to see us as right in service to letting someone else feel deeply heard and fully understood. There's a price to pay for defying these cultural mandates, and though it's often miniscule in comparison to the price Jesus paid on our behalf -- or, for that matter, the price paid by those murdered for their stance against apartheid, for example -- it's going to feel like a steep one for those of us accustomed to privilege.

Clayton Schmit has this to say about the Matthew passage and following Jesus:

This passage is a sure cure for preaching that tends to turn Jesus into a moral example. It often sounds like this: "If Jesus was willing to die on the cross for you, then shouldn't you be willing to serve him in return?" Here is a comprehensible Messiah, a tit-for-tat leader who sets an example and expects people to follow. The moral of the Jesus story is to ask, "What Would Jesus Do?" But, this story demands that we reset our habit of having our minds set on human ideas. Jesus is to die, not as an example of good behavior, but so he could rise again and reveal the incomprehensible power of God to change the world.

Mark Reasoner shares this idea about the Romans passage and genuine love:

Genuine love is the deepest theme in this section of Romans. At a more surface level, there is a theme of good and evil that operates throughout this text. Notice how "hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good" follows immediately after the opening title of "Let love be genuine." Then the good and evil theme is explicitly mentioned at the end of the text: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (12:21). This helps us see that genuine love is not just being nice to people. Genuine love has a moral orientation toward the good. When we show love toward someone, we are moving them toward God's goodness. To love someone is not simply to cater to specific likes and dislikes of that person. It is rather to act toward them in ways that help them experience more of God's goodness.

an aside

Here are two different takes on McCain's choice in V.P.

Commentary: Palin is brilliant, but risky, VP choice

The "why" is she is a governor and outside the Beltway. Conservatives love her, and she shares John McCain's value system. She is also known for taking on the establishment and ethics is her forte.

Commentary: Is McCain out of his mind?

In choosing this featherweight, McCain passed over Tom Ridge, a decorated combat hero, a Cabinet secretary and the former two-term governor of the large, complex state of Pennsylvania.

The landscape has changed for a great many people now. We have to focus on issues...the minority voice and the feminist voice are now front and center. No one party can claim that particular victory.

It's going to be an interesting couple of months.

still working something out

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
- A.A. Milne

I'm still working something out. It's still there...frittering away in my mind waiting for me to do (or NOT do) something. I just cannot figure out what it is. Hmm...Ideas? I'm all out of 'em. Seriously. What do you know that you aren't telling me?

the friday before me

But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's about you. It's about you.
- Barak Obama

I do not have to muct to say this morning. I am feeling a little limited by my position as a clergy person and the knowledge that a blog is always a public forum. Let me simply say that no matter what our political leanings are, last night was astounding...I know it's melodramatic to some, but I do think about growing up in Virginia and the things that my great-uncles and aunts used to say...the scandal of segregation and busing kids to school that exists to this day. White flight, segregated Sunday mornings, and the racism that rides just below the surface only to appear when our jobs are threatened...these things are all real to me. I think of Chicago and the incredible racial segregation that exists here. We are still uncomfortable in our own skin as a nation sometimes and I think it plays out in our cities most clearly.

Then there is the past that haunts the imagination. There are many I know who likely cannot bear Obama being where he is simply because he's supposed to be weeding their garden...fewer of them than there used to be, but the attitude is not dead.

Last night...the last few years, really, our country has been wrestling with its demons. Perhaps we overcame a few...I certainly am inspired today. You can go to cnn.com to watch videos of Obama's speech or read the text.

In other news: My day is full. I have a meeting downtown at 10:00am to meet with the people who will be providing ASL interpretation at church all year. At 3:00 I am in the city again meeting another pastor to discuss the Emergent Church and simply to get caught up. It's a full day. I am not sure I'll make it back up to the office. This evening we're going out with friends to celebrate a birthday. Tomorrow I sleep...and write my sermon...or something.

it matters

Obama is ready to speak...and all I can think about is how many slaves my family might have owned at one time...how the city I love, Richmond, is still divided...and the other city I love, Chicago, is still divided.

I'm overwhelmed. I just am.

the power of celebrity and then some

If only we could get out of our heads and into our hearts
- Cheryl Crow ala The Dali Lama

Once again I find myself sitting in front of the TV watching the DNC concert or rally or whatever it is...It's pretty stunning. Cheryl Crow is on right now. I'll be honest and say that I am enjoying it. It's great entertainment. We'll see if the content comes like they promise. Will.I.Am did his usual Thang. I love it.

So, let's talk about the power of celebrity and a grass roots movement. Does anyone remember the 1960's? This is not new. I am not sure why some are getting so bent over it. As a people, contemporary Americans respond to this kind of thing. Cornerstone to Lollapalooza to Woodstock...we love our big concerts with some political (not always) content...Does anyone remember MTV getting out the vote?! This just tips the scales the other way. More politics than entertainment...or, perhaps, politics as entertainment.

Maybe this is just what the American people want. I don't know.

thursday sermon mumblings

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
- Romans 12:14

Coffee is doing its work in the press pot. In a moment I'll wander down the steps to pour myself a cup. First I need to start thinking more seriously about this Sunday's sermon. The lectionary is challenging this week...so much to choose from. As it stands, I''l likely preach from Matthew and Exodus. Romans, however, is an incredible passage where Paul summarizes for the Church Jesus' understanding of how one treats enemies yet again. Bless those who persecute you. Love your enemy. It's that simple. Those who bring pain into our lives cannot receive vengeance...not from our hands at least. They must receive blessing, for that is how Christ lived and showed us God's love. (See: Turning over the tables in the temple to avoid Jesus as Ninny.) Paul is offering a challenging understanding of how the vision that Jesus has of the Kingdom of God actually plays out in real life. The passage ends with "'Vengeance is mine,' says the Lord."

Moses has a vision of a burning bush and speaks with the great I AM. Peter, who was so wise last week, shows his incomplete understanding this week. "Get behind me, Satan." It's a painful moment. Both are likely fearful moments. When we encounter God there is much that is left unknown, unknowable. Peter demonstrates this in his encounter with Jesus...and will demonstrate as much again and again. Moses receives a formal introduction and little more. He'll be led by the hand eventually. This is not something we should think of as easy. Moses' mission and responsibilities become more arduous as he continues to follow God. As it stands this Sunday, he simply must take off his sandals, speak to a burning bush, and learn how to recognize God.

I have a friend who is a pentecostal Anglican preacher. Yes, they exist. Charismatic Anglicans...two great tastes that taste great together? Anyway...He preaches barefoot. It's something he learned from his bishop. Preach barefoot. It's holy ground. Preaching...prayer, worship...is an encounter with the burning bush. Or it very well could be. We simply need to approach God with humility knowing that we too are in the presence of the I AM. Our orders will be like Moses'...liberation of the oppressed. To bring God's word to all the world, liberating the oppressed, blessing those who persecute.

This is, as someone reminded me recently, restorative justice. True justice is merciful. It restores all of creation and not simply those who are oppressed. God's blessing is for all. What may differ is the ability to receive that blessing.

Let my people go.

sitting in

That will be the task of our next president...to give voice to the vision of the American people.

There is a meeting at church this evening. It's the beginning of our usual budget conversation. Flex time is my friend, so I am hanging out at home this morning watching a little MSNBC coverage of the DNC. It's interesting stuff. Yes, talking heads are only so engaging, but I'm interested in this election like I have not been for a couple iterations now. The talking heads are evaluating Hillary's speech right now. Did it do what they needed it to do? Of course, it is impossible to say this soon after it was delivered. Some of her supporters will never vote for Obama. It's that simple.

Right now they are talking about Obama's age. He's older than JFK was when he ran. He lacks "gravitas," however, and this is what is troubling the pundits. He's too much of a rock star. Interestingly, I think the youthfulness cuts both ways. Everything in this country is marketed to either youth or people who wish they were still youthful...or who are older and think of themselves as youthful. So, Obama resonates with the prevailing culture. Youthfulness and vigor wins. The "new" excites. So, Obama lacks gravitas. Okay. McCain lacks freshness. He can say "maverick" all he wants. But it doesn't necessarily compete with Obama's youthfulness or "celebrity."

They'll both have to focus on the positive aspects to the characteristics that cut both ways. There's no way for Obama to spontaneously have 20 years of federal legislative experience. There is no way McCain can take off 20 years and seem more hip. They simply have to present who they are...warts and all...and see what happens. Now, if only the talking heads would let this stuff go and focus on the meat of the race...

No matter what we think of these two men (age, experience, maverick-ness/hood, celebrity) they are our candidates for the highest political office in the country. They will have that authority and responsibility and will need our support and reasonable challenges. Their success depends on our involvement and support. The comment I heard in Hillary's speech that resonated with me last night was about W's failure to galvanize the American people. I agree with the statement. He was unable to do that. It's one thing to make unpopular and still correct choices. Hard choices come with the presidential territory. It's another thing to push people where they will not or cannot go...and make mistakes in reading the will of the American people. I think that's been W's failure. He did not catch the people's vision. Instead he foisted his own vision upon us.

To be fair, any party, any president can make that mistake. Carter certainly did. Obama and McCain are at risk of making the same mistake. It's the geography of the office. Vision matters. And a healthy vision comes from the grass roots up...mediated by the facts understood by those "in the know" not the other way around. MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech worked because his dream was already the dream of those around him. He did not hand it to them. He articulated what they already had. That will be the task of our next president...to give voice to the vision of the American people.

working something out

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
- A.A. Milne

I'm having one of those days...you know the ones when there's that niggling bit of goodness stuck in the back of your mind waiting for something creative to bring it out, something to bring it to the fore? I dunno what it is. Sometimes a good book...a good story will bring it out. Sometimes I need to write. That occasionally helps. Sometimes I need to pray, or play the mandolin, or sing. It can be any number of things that helps.

All of this usually means I'm trying to capture something that cannot be captured. Feh. It's frustrating and enlivening at the same time. I dig it. Somewhere God's voice is whispering and I'm still a little hard of hearing.

It's about promises and hope...whatever this thing is. And it's about urgency subverted by patience...and gentleness.

I say "gently" because a tense diligence is harmful both to our heart and to our task and is not really diligence, but rather over eagerness and anxiety...I recommend you to God's mercy.

I keep this quotation on my page so that I'll be reminded from time to time not to burden myself with too much crap. It's a constant struggle. Old memories, new problems, and everything in between sometimes crowd my mind. It's mental or psychological consumption.

This is America. We don't have enlightenment here. We have Big Macs, strip clubs, shopping malls, Las Vegas and HBO.

That quotation is from the movie "Bulletproof Monk." I don't know why I am sharing it other than the movie is on television right now and one of the characters said the line. I laughed. I'm sharing it with you.

From this chaos will spring something helpful...I hope. It may take a day or six.

Blessings on you all this night. I'm gonna be sorting this out for some time.

tuesday beauty and some news

The Denver television station quoted a law enforcement source as saying one of the individuals told them of a plan "to shoot Obama from a high vantage point using a ... rifle . . . sighted at 750 yards."
- Chicago Sun Times

The weather today should be amazing. Highs in the 70's. Sunny. I awoke this morning to silence in the house. The whir of the fans that has become ubiquitous this summer was silenced for the first night in quite some time. Lovely. The birds are chirping. the insects are starting to awaken as well. Some cicadas have taken up residence in my back yard. They have very lively conversations with one another.

It's a beautiful day.

I've been poking around the news this morning waiting for the French press to do what it does so well: brew my coffee. I found this article about a possible plot against Barak Obama. It'll be very interesting to see how this plays out and if it comes to light that this was a credible charge made against these men. Not to be sensationalist (God forbid.), but if this doesn't show all of us just how far some in our nation have to go in dealing with its own racism, I don't know what will. The good news, of course, is that these people were caught. That's a sign of our moving forward...of the strength of our own police. And I am thrilled to hear it.

I'm just glad everyone is okay. What a horror that would be.

Now if only we could all keep our heads. The Democratic National Convention will continue apace. Chaos and politics. What great bedfellows. Heh.

In other news: It's been a busy couple of weeks as I've slowly gathered the pieces together for our fall programs at church. But today it kicks off in earnest. Our "Revive-All" (revival) is in just a couple of weeks. I have a long list of things that I need to do today...step one is to see if I can put up a big tent and have a band on the lawn on Friday, September 5. I'm hopeful that the village will say "yes." One cannot hold a proper revival without a tent meeting.

monday videoblog: knife sharpening for jesus

an aside

I love it when other Baptists post about going to Benedictine monasteries. I feel less alone. Heh. It's some beautiful stuff. Some day I hope to meet this guy.

final sermon mumblings

Idealism must always prevail on the frontier, for the frontier, whether geographical or intellectual, offers little hope to those who see things as they are. To venture into the wilderness, one must see it, not as it is, but as it will be.
Carl Becker, Kansas (1910), quoted by William Least Heat Moon in Prairyerth, p. 362.

What does it mean to discern God's presence? What does it mean to see God? Or perhaps to see like God? It's a slippery notion to many people. This week's readings have this as an underlying question. Isaiah says:

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended.

This is a vision articulated in exile and given God's own voice. Matthew tells the tale of Simon who will be named Peter.

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it."

In both of these cases the stories are written with hind sight. If we have the courage, however, to read these in the present tense, without the benefit of our own knowledge and experience then perhaps we'll see that these visions are seldom truly clear or clairvoyant. Instead they are proclamations fraught with fear of the unknown and the insecurity of not knowing just how it'll all come about. Ignorance is not always bliss.

Nonetheless these are powerful proclamations who both come at the beginning of a new thing. God's will unfolds moment by moment, decision by decision, and in each effort to live out of Divine Love...successful or not. One cannot scry God's Will. And it is not a puzzle one pieces together. Instead it is an act of faithfulness lived out...one day at a time.

haunted

I've been haunted by this song this week...

the important things

I believe, indeed, that overemphasis on the purely intellectual attitude, often directed solely to the practical and factual, in our education, has led directly to the impairment of ethical values.
— Albert Einstein

The sermon preparation continues apace. I have a 10am meeting today...and then a lunch scheduled. Oh, then I'm heading out to a "rain date" baseball game this afternoon. What was I thinking? Saturday we have a regional denominational meeting. I may have to bow out of that one, but I don't know if I really can.

Oh, but I have over-scheduled myself this week.

I have been listening to the presidential election coverage a lot lately. Obama and McCain are interesting candidates. In some ways they are quite similar...usually in the ways where the simple political geography dictates their policies and initiatives. Health insurance, agriculture, international relations...there is a geography to these things that no candidate can change. The candidate can only navigate them. But it's interesting stuff nonetheless.

A couple of weeks ago a candidate for the House of Representatives was campaigning in my neighborhood. They were knocking on doors to introduce themselves and ask what our concerns were. That's never happened to me before. I'm trying not to overthink that. Anyway, I've been reflecting on what is important to me. I gave the obligatory "faith and politics" response. That led to a good conversation. I would love to have a forum on this issue at the church. We'll see. Maybe I can work something out with another congregation or two.

Since then I have been thinking some more on the question, trying to avoid some of the knee-jerk responses I have. This week I have been thinking about education. Our public education system...educating people in general...is very immediate on my radar. How we spend our money...where, when and upon whom we spend our money is of serious concern. Then there are curriculum issues. Our curriculum is ultra-focused upon the measurable, the testable. It is focused upon economic competition between nations...preparing children for careers in engineering and other such "hard" (read: practical) subjects for the economic stability of the nation. But what of diversity or the ethical/human stability (or better, sustainability) that we should be upholding as well? Does our education system educate or simply train?

I'm not yet convinced that our government is interested in much more than the financial bottom line, international economic competition, and how we measure up. I find that I am more concerned about our ability to make sane, responsible, and generous decisions no matter what the economic landscape may be. I'm not interested in our being an economic super power if we have to sell our political souls to achieve it.

So, that's where I am today. And that's the lens through which I evaluate the potential office holders. What about you? What's important to you?

st bernard of suburbia

All urbanization, pushed beyond a certain point, automatically becomes suburbanization. … Every great city is just a collection of suburbs. Its inhabitants … do not live in their city; they merely inhabit it.
— Aldous Huxley

Do you awaken to the radio or to some buzzer? What alarm do you use? I'm a radio guy. The buzzers startle me awake. "Bzzzzzzzz! Bzzzzzzz!" That only serves to ruin my morning. But lately I've been pondering whether or not the radio...well, the station...has not become a problem as well.

I've tried classical, rock, talk radio, and news radio. All of these ways of waking up are a crap shoot. Classical sometimes luls me to oversleep. Unless Aida is broadcasted or some piece featuring cannon in the percussion section starts my day, classical stations help me sleep. Rock...you never know what you're gonna get. AC/DC? The Cardigans? ELO? Sometimes I would rather hear about Albanian terrorists than awaken to some pop chanteuse. Talk Radio? Please, God, no. I love it when I'm driving. But first thing in the morning? So, I settle on the news. NPR in Chicago works well enough. It's often enlivening. Lately, however, I find the news too engaging. I wake up, for example, trying to puzzle out the difficulties of suburban sprawl and ex-urbanization. That's a light and easy way of getting up. Yeah.

So, where do you live? Suburbs? City? Ex-urb? Rural? Some place that fits none of these definitions? Where I live is a "near exurban" community that historically was it's own village. So, the governance recalls the early founding of the town. The vast majority of the residents commute to work in Chicago. I call it a "near exurb" because the public light rail line in the city terminates here. Public transportation is not something you typically find in American suburbs or exurbs. Yet here it is. It's an interesting mix.

I grew up all over. Rural, suburban, ex-urban...and after college until just two years ago, urban. I have likes and dislikes regarding each way of life. And if I am honest, I do have preferences of where I'd like to spend the majority of my life. The thing this morning that the reporter spoke of was interesting. Growth is American cities is not about thinking about spreading fringes and sprawl. Growth is more about finding central locations. Does where you live connect you to more than one industrial corridor? If you live on the east coast, can you get to more than one metro region within an hour by car? This is where developers are looking.

Families are often balancing two careers. They stand a better chance of finding what they need if they can plug into more than one metro region. Or, on a micro level, a family might live and work in suburban and urban areas simultaneously. Kids go to school in different private schools...separate from the suburb where they live. Parents work in the city. Everyone sleeps under a suburban roof. "Bedroom communities" can blossom anywhere.

Now I also hear that there is a contradicting effort. People are trying to live and work in the same area. Walk to work. Walk to school. Walk to church...our monetary and relational economies mutually contained.

It's hard not to wake up to all this wondering if there is a better way to live than another or if there are ethical and moral questions we need to ask ourselves in America. I don't have an answer. I want to say "of course!" But I am not yet convinced. We can talk about right allocation of resources. That might be a place to start. Gas prices? Maybe. Economic practices have ethical consequences...and real estate is hard economics. I dunno.

So, I pick up Bernard. He's no help at all. He writes this to a Benedictine Abbot who wishes to join Bernard's Cistercian order...to abdicate his position and start over somewhere else.

If I am to say what I think (about your plan), I must tell you that, unless I am mistaken, it is something I could not advise you to attempt and that you could not carry out. Indeed I wish for you what has for so long been no secret to me that you wish for yourself. But putting aside what both of us wish, as it is right we should, is safer for me and more advantageous for you if I advise you as I think God wishes. Therefore I say hold on to what you have, remain where you are, and try to benefit those over whom you rule. Do not try to escape the responsibility of office while you are still able to discharge it for the benefit of your subjects. Woe to you if you rule them and do not benefit them because you shirk your duty of ruling them.

To put it another way...

Stand in the place where you live
Now face North
Think about direction
Wonder why you haven't before
Now stand in the place where you work
Now face West
Think about the place where you live
Wonder why you haven't before

Good stuff. I'm going to go to work now. Have a good day.

sermon mumblings

He who labours as he prays lifts his heart to God with his hands.
— St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Today for some of the church is the feast day of St Bernard of Clairvaux. I have been paging through a book by Merton on Bernard's life. Merton calls him "the last of the church fathers." It's an interesting honor. I find Bernard to be a bit of a mixture for me...but then that's what makes him such an interesting human being. He wrote treatises on Love and God and also orchestrated a Crusade that fell apart because of the political infighting between princes and abbots and bishops. It was more than just a little mess, really. Here's another interesting quotation: "The Christian glories in the death of a pagan, because thereby Christ himself is glorified"

He was a famed preacher...known to get people fired up for things like Crusades. The very troubling quotation above is a great example of his rhetoric. Performer of miracles...inciter of violence and crafter of Crusades. Holy cow but was this guy a mess.

So, Peter is in the scripture assigned for Sunday. "Who do people say that I am?" asks Jesus. Peter has an answer. Doesn't he always? "You are the Messiah!" Good on Pete. Truly. He, too was a mess, a complicated mess of a man who was put in charge (given the keys) some say of the whole kit and kaboodle known as The Church. Somewhere in here is a sermon. I just know it.

russia and georgia and hitting snooze

The desire to rule is the mother of heresies.
—St. John Chrysostom

I awoke this morning to the continued coverage of the conflict between Georgia and Russia. NATO and the EU are posturing though likely to no avail. The US is putting a missile defense system in Poland. "Nuclear Deterrent" is a phrase I have not heard in a while.

I don't have a deep reflection on this yet. Chrysostom's quotation came to mind...But it often does. Talk of "Super Powers" and regional might always call the opposite notion to mind. Ruling or serving? What is our call. And does invasion serve all? For that is what we are called to do...I ask that question many mornings.

This conflict sounds all too familiar. I wonder how many people are like me and are suddenly a child again in the midst of the cold war and remembering the frightening posturing that took place on both sides of that conflict. Now I see the American military stretched out all over the Middle East while the EU/NATO is tied up in Russia's energy export industry. It's a complicated business. Tremendously so.

Noz is talking about it. He's a little more knowledgeable than I.

the long and short of this is that the unwillingness to deal with iran is distorting a lot of seemingly unrelated areas of american foreign policy. georgia is one of them. if not for its iran policy, i wonder if the u.s. would have pushed for georgia's entry into NATO over russia's strenous objections. and if georgian president mikheil saakashvili hasn't assured by bush that the u.s. would back his state, i wonder if he would have sent georgian forces into south ossetia and touched off the current crisis 11 days ago.

Well, that's what I have this morning. I'll likely pipe up again later today...once the coffee has done it's work.

In other news: The Theobilly has a couple of posts that have me thinking. The first is about altar calls. He quotes Hinson:

Although justifiable criticism may be made of actual practice, invitations in Baptist churches in America to respond to the word by commitment or renewal of the covenant are doubtless an authentic way of manifesting this response. The earliest Christian preaching, at any rate, included such appeals.

The second is about appropriate church headgear...liturgical casual?

gearing up for a full week

"…when making really important decisions, a contrarian leader listens carefully to his conscience, or if he is religious, to his God. The operative word here is listen. When most people try to carry on a conversation with their inner voice, (be it the voice of God or conscience), they wind up doing all the talking. That’s because we naturally fear our inner voice — we’re afraid it might tell us something we don’t want to hear. Nonetheless, listening carefully to that voice for 20 minutes or so through contemplative prayer or silent meditation is often a key factor in making good decisions in the long run.”

- Steven Sample
The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership

How many of us actually practice listening. You know...practice. Do it again and again to improve...employ it as a discipline or technique to attain some kind of goal? Who practices listening?

I occasionally tune in to Margaret Marcuson's leadership website. She's tied in with the ABC-USA. She posted recently on this notion of listening when preparing for big decisions. It's not enough to simply have the relevant information. One must listen...to one's God or to one's Self.

Yes, I know we could debate that they are not the same thing. On a Christian blog, that would be appropriate. This time I think it's best to avoid the picking of this particular nit. I know that listening is something that does not always come easily...speaking for myself, of course. Listening is frightening. Truth seems to rear her frightful head when I listen. Not that it's not a good thing in the long run, but often the initial shock is tremendous.

There's a lot of listening in the forecast.

In other news: Hell in a Handbag Productions is holding a benefit tonight. I'll be there. VIVA LA'DIVA! You should try to come out to the affair as well. It should be a good time. C'mon by!

monday videoblog: relaxed for the olympics

saturday readiness

Today Trish and I host a birthday party for a friend. It should be a good time. The weather is supposed to be great. We may even get outside to play some badminton or "smashminton" in the back yard. There will be grilling and some fresh mint tea. The mint has come on strong in our yard this year. It's huge. There's not enough mint tea.

Trish and I have spent some time this week working on the home office. It's something we've been meaning to do since we arrived here in Ouilmette two years ago. Finally it's less a storage area and more a place where we can read or pray or stuff headshots into envelopes. It's a great space. Oh, and we finally have some of Trish's Wonder Woman stuff up. She's a collector. What can you do?

The sermon is coming along. I'm interested in the change of mind that Jesus has in the passage. The God-man learns? Perhaps. It should be a good time.

In other news:Rick Warren is hosting a presidential election forum at his church...a little interview with the two candidates. Saddleback is an enormous congregation with a ton of money and, it would seem, perceived influence. CNN will broadcast it live in prime time. I don't know what I think about it. On one hand, it's neat...cool to see something like this in a church. On the other hand, I'm not sure it makes sense. This is what Warren hopes:

In addition to my primary calling to proclaim the Gospel Truth of salvation in
Jesus Christ, these Civil Forums further three other life goals: helping individuals accept
responsibility, helping the Church regain credibility and encouraging our society to
return to civility.

Warren is the author or A Purpose Driven Life. He's a goal setting feind of a pastor...a goal guru. I'll be interested to see if this kind of forum actually helps the church regain credibility. We'll see. I hope so. But I don't know what that'll look like.

silence and sermons

God remains alongside us even in the fathomless depths of our loneliness. God says to each person, ‘You are precious in my sight, I treasure you and I love you.’ Yes, all God can do is give his love; that sums up the whole of the Gospel.

- Taize

One of the challenges for me in ministry is finding time for silence during my week. In general, silence is helpful...it's restorative. This silence is both external and internal. It's a cessation of activity and noise...clamor. It's also the slow cessation of internal activity. The mind stills. The breathing relaxes...and God comes unbidden, always present, to the fore. More rightly, I move from my cluttered life to God's presence.

For me to preach well, this kind of thing is essential. Life, however, often dictates otherwise. I pray through moments like this. I wrestle with God through moments like this (see: petulance as spiritual discipline). It can be a constant struggle.

I have been reminded again and again lately that sermon preparation, the spiritual disciplines that may accompany it, cannot be the sum of my spiritual practice. It's a temptation for many pastors, I am told. It is insufficient, however, and will leave me lacking energy and focus. I was told this a couple of times, but the moment I remember was at my ordination. During the laying on of hands, the presider asked God to uphold me in ministry and to teach me that sermon preparation is not enough on it's own to serve as an interior discipline. Challenging.

Yes, I am still struggling with prayer lately. That's why I share this. Silence has not come easily...if at all.

In other news: I think I have a radio interview this morning...8:05 am...Tune in here. Update!: Here's a little blog post on the station's website. This is unreal.

sermon mumblings and cleaning the office

He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me."
He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."
She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed instantly.
Matthew 15:24-28

The cats are circling. They want breakfast. Who can blame them, really? Breakfast is one of my favorite things, too.

Well, yesterday was exciting. The Sun Times article also appeared on the Huffington Post. That's pretty cool, too. I'm really grateful to Cathleen. The church has so much to offer...many of us do. I hope that columns like Cathleen's will help dispel some of the bad press that churches typically (and sadly often rightly) receive. I was at a conference a while ago about the media and the church. One commentator made an interesting observation.

He said that the church is pretty dull. It's supposed to be. It's about day-to-day living. Only when it messes up sensationally will the press be willing to cover it. Even if it does something really good and excellently, it's not particularly exciting. The church is simply doing what it is supposed to be doing. It's a P.R. nightmare. Those of us gathered giggled a little bit...perhaps uncomfortably. He struck on something true. I'm still mulling it over.

And that takes me to this Sunday's readings. I am preaching from the lectionary and not from a John Hughes film this week. The pullquote is a portion of the Gospel passage. Once again we are encountering lines of purity and who gets to be in and who is out (Can you say that like Heidi Klum?). Even Jesus seems to be a little confused about the scope of his ministry in this passage. Is here here for the children of Israel or does his ministry have a wider scope?

Maybe the connection is only in my imagination. But I think that the church always wrestles with perceptions of only being for a few people...that it's either too strange, austere, odd, quirky, cruel, thoughtless, hypocritical, or simply boring (again back to the P.R. challenges). This passage is a reminder to me that the God's grace is poured out upon all with equal generosity. ..and that the church itself can reflect this. That it is responsible to this small epiphany of Christ's...to recognize faith in "unexpected" places. This voyage of discovery can be incredibly rewarding and potentially transformative for a congregation. A congregation can become an unexpected place itself...it can grow and expand it's identity...come to some edge of what it is comfortable with...and embrace the unexpected.

In other news: Trish and I will be cleaning the office at the house. We've been here for two years and are finally getting to the last remaining boxes that have been hiding out in the office closet. It's about time!

Now I need to go feed the cats.

monday videoblog: the breakfast club

Yeah...I know it's Tuesday. I apologize.

who is in the paper?

'Don't You Forget About Me' [the Simple Minds anthem that appears in "The Breakfast Club"], says we are not forgotten. ... But everyone's forgotten on some level. Everyone's a little lost. The underlying theme is, 'I know you feel lost, but you're really not.'".
Hey, that's me! The article appears here.

I try to tag my entries so that searching for them later will be a little easier. I used tags such as "Liturgy" or "Wilmette" or even "random foolishness." Some times I use the tag "current events." This morning I used the tag "current events" and the event that's current is the Gospel According to John Hughes series! Wondrous. (Note: My wife is often in the paper thanks to theater reviewers. We need more "church reviewers.")

Cathleen Falsani, the religion reporter for the Chicago Sun Times interviewed me for an article that appeared in the paper today. I'm all a'twitter. It's true. I'm really excited. There's a lot of good stuff going on at CCW and it's hard to get the word out. I hope that the article will help.

Thanks, Cathleen. I appreciate the opportunity...and what you said. Also, if for some reason the article leads people to this blog, welcome! I'm glad you stopped by. I'll post the final John Hughes sermon later this afternoon.

In other news, my wife is on vacation most of this week. In order to spend time with her, I'll be in the office as little as possible. I'll be checking work e-mails and the like, but I hope to spend some time with my spouse. Oh! Go and see her new play, Eating Raoul. It's a riot...and closes this week!

sunday (b)ramble

I'm at the office early. I've been setting up the video and making sure everything in the sanctuary is in its right place. We had a concert here Friday evening and there are some "footprints" left from our guests. No big deal. I also have a planning meeting at 9:00 this morning. So...yeah...there is much to which I must attend.

This morning's sermon is the final of the Gospel According to John Hughes series. The Breakfast Club is rich with possibilities. It is in that way the most difficult one to preach. There's a ton of stuff: "Don't You Forget About Me" could be an entire sermon, the "group therapy" session that the students have, the beer chat that Vice Principal Vernon and the custodian Carl have, the letter(s) written by Brian, and much more. I have chosen the letters.

I'll devote the Monday videoblog to the sermon. But just for fun, watch the movie in the next week or so. Then read Galatians 3:23-28 and Matthew 5:42-6:4. It's a good time. It's all about Baptism, people!

Take care.

calendrical evil?

All of life is a fluctuation between effort and rest. You need both every day. But effort is not truly effective until you first have had the proper preparation for it, by resting in a time of quiet meditation. This daily time of rest and meditation gives you the power necessary to make your best effort. There are days when you are called on for much effort and then comes a time when you need much rest. It is not good to rest too long and it is not good to carry on great effort too long without rest. The successful life is a proper balance between the two.

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

The sleep deprivation continues in its usual fashion. It's not unexpected. I've taken on a bit more at the church. We all have, really. The program year is gearing back up again. That brings with it more work, more focus, more meetings, more effort and less rest. That's simply how it works. We've had some staff changes to add to the labor as well. That is what is likely pushing things over the edge for me this year.

I have been trying to find ways to rest. I try to nap, but it's a fitful thing for me. I have never napped well. I'm trying to adopt the habit. I have also been trying to remind myself that I have this wondrous little iconostasis in my home. One would think that a wall with icons and a candle would be a good reminder of the benefits of prayer. One might think that. Lately one would be mistaken.

I simply have not been able to pray. There are too many barriers. I can share only some of them with you here...Laziness is one. I lack discipline. It's true. Anger is another. I'm a little p-o'd at God right now. So, I'm giving The Creator of the Universe the silent treatment. It is to laugh. But it's honest. Can petulance be a spiritual gift? I'll let you know how it goes. The third is simple exhaustion. I am too tired to pray...to tired to work past myself to get down on my knees like I need. I am in my own way.

The television holds more attraction than my icons right now. I've rented far too many videos...and few of them worth the cost of the rental. It's stunning how many bad movies I am willing to watch all in the seemingly vain hope of resting. These movies simply cause more anxiety. I think it's funny, actually. Anxiety? Simply because some producer puts together an average film with a less than compelling story, should I experience anxiety? Absurd. But I do. It's not the producer's fault. I get that. And yet...there's an apparent cause and effect. Interesting.

I was reminded recently of the dangers of anxiety producing behaviors. A friend of mine wrestles with anxiety on a pretty profound level. She was sharing a long list of anxiety producing activities. Stunning. Sometimes there's a catch-22. Cleaning causes anxiety. Not cleaning causes anxiety. It's amazing the knots into which we tie ourselves. Anxiety is unfriendly at times.

So, I am trying to remind myself that prayer might be an option. So far I have been only successful in the reminding but not in the accomplishing (Does one accomplish prayer? Doubtful.). I have been looking through my calendar for a time to go on retreat. I need one. It's the most responsible thing I could do for myself, my family and my church at this point...but I'll have to fight for the time. The calendar is against me at this point. It's the enemy. Pages with dates...the Devil's work in my life right now.

Here is your questions for the day: Are calendars morally neutral?

sermon mumblings

Well, this is something to think about in reference to The Breakfast Club.

“It is quite easy to found a community. There are always plenty of courageous people who want to be heroes…. The problem is not in getting the community started- there’s always enough energy to take-off. The problem comes when we are in orbit and going round and round the same circuit. The problem is in living with brothers and sisters whom we have not chosen but who have been given to us, and in working ever more truthfully towards the goals of the community. A community which is just an explosion of heroism is not a true community. True community implies a way of living and seeing reality; it implies above all fidelity in the daily round. And this is made up of simple things—getting meals, using and washing the dishes and using them again, going to meetings- as well as gifts, joy, and celebration. A community is only being created when its members accept that they are not going to achieve great things, that they are not going to be heroes, but simply live each day with new hope, like children, in wonderment as the sun rises and in thanksgiving as it sets.”

Jean Vanier wrote these words. Hat tip to the Rev Gals for the hookup.

an aside

You can find the full post on CrossLeft.

The Biblical principle on which this is based is that to give alms to the poor is to do justice. Note that this does not mean that charity is an extra good deed above and beyond what is necessary for salvation, but that charity is what is owed to the poor. A further implication is that justice does not simply mean paying just wages and providing benefits, the minimal definition of economic humanity, but that it must include an essential ingredient of generosity, the sharing of superfluous goods. Billionaires are not morally neutral according to Biblical teachings.

the insomnia chronicles continue

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8)

I awoke at three o'clock and have not been able to fall back to sleep. So, I jut decided to roll with it and get up. What the heck? It happens. As you all know, I've been having some interesting dreams. Just the other night I tried out for the Chicago Cubs (They needed a new catcher.) and had to perform in some Shakespeare thing in the city. Not surprisingly, I was unprepared for both of these dreamy opportunities. So, tonight, in stead of having anxiety dreams I'm simply not sleeping.

I don't know about you, but when I wrestle with insomnia I also have some of my more profound thoughts...until I actually get up out of bed. Then the depth vanishes and I'm simply punchy. As I am sure you are very interested, I thought I would try to share my "deep thoughts" with you anyway. Heh.

Okay, so they're not so deep. Trish and I were speaking with some friends about High School and what approach we each took. My twentieth reunion is this fall...and there was a bad movie on television about uppity cheerleaders or something...so, High School was a natural topic of conversation. Most of us poke in terms of the kind of work we put in. Did you work more in college? Did you work more in high school? Neither? We were different ages...some thirty years out of high school, some only ten. The focus on extracurriculars has shifted. Most people know this. More is better these days. I did almost nothing in high school. There was Model U.N. and a musical senior year, but that was pretty much it. I preferred to read...and had hobbies not extracurriculars.

We spoke about what keeps us busy now...and if we are too busy. How many nights are we actually home in the evenings with our families or simply home relaxing alone? Very few. One or two a week, tops. There always seems to be something else to distract us or to achieve...though for the life of me I cannot always tell the difference between a distraction and an achievement. Heh.

Ah well, that was our conversation and what I awoke to this morning. Well, that and all of what goes into preparing for the beginning of the church year. There's a ton of stuff to do in the next few weeks and I'm anticipating it all already. Oy.

Stressed. That's me.

monday videoblog: weird science

facebooking for dollars?

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

an anxiety dream

My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth’s lamentation
I hear the sweet though far off hymn
That hails a new creation:
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul—
How can I keep from singing?

- Robert Lowrey ala Cyberhymnal

Do you have anxiety dreams? I have not had one in a very long time. Usually they are about money when I do have them. Or it's some vague recollection from school or something. You know, that one math test that I should have taken in ninth grade but somehow omitted and now I have to start everything all over again...Yeah, that one. Well the one that woke me up this morning was about church.

I dreamt I was at CCW, but the whole scene was different. The place was huge and packed. There were many guests present from other places, friends, family etc. But I wasn't ready. It was Sunday morning and nothing was ready...nothing was right. The bulletin was incomplete. The opening hymn, How Can I Keep from Singing, was to be an insert and was somehow forgotten. It seems that I had a busy week and stuff just fell through the cracks. So, the organist took it upon himself to just start playing a hymn. Everyone had the wrong hymnal, of course. It was an older hymnal that the church had stopped using years before but had never taken out of the pews. It was the beginning to everything unraveling.

I had just come from preparing for coffee hour. The core members of the church were in the lounge with the grand piano (We have no such thing at the earthly CCW.) all wondering why I had strewn my things all over the floor...and marveling that the tea was weak. Yes, the tea was weak. What's the Jungian archetype/significance of weak tea?

But people were happy. This was perhaps the most disconcerting thing. I was late to the service. I was having to do everything. No one understood why I was upset, or that things weren't ready, or that they could help me...And when I walked in the sanctuary...

Well, you see, this is when my cat decided to wake me up. But what I remember is that there were many well dressed Episcopalians from Mississippi attending for some reason. The sanctuary was different than CCW's, but it was CCW in my dream. The furniture was a light wood and everything was enormous. It sat 1,200 people and had no stained glass. The place was packed and people applauded when I walked in. This only made matters worse for some reason.

Then I woke up.

Note: People at CCW are all very helpful. Everyone pitches in. So, I am not sure I know what this dream is about. And I have not seen anyone from Mississippi in a long while much less a multitude of Episcopalians. They wore nice hats though. But that's the dream.

Enjoy your day.

another aside

The Young Fogey pointed me this way.

This is the biblical story of love: the love of God for his world, the love within that world for that which is radically different from me, from us, the love which really does ‘embrace the other’, not in a casual and floppy sense of ‘anyone who’s a bit different from me’, but in the deep ontological sense of a love which goes out into a different country altogether to affirm the goodness of God’s creation there and to discover, in that affirmation, the greatest delight which mirrors the delight of God the creator, the delight of Christ the lover.

Not everyone digs N.T. Wright, but I think I might be one who does.

is it really friday?

Living God, we praise you for the multitudes of women, men, young people and children who, across the earth, are striving to be witnesses to peace, to trust and to reconciliation. - Taize Community

I am exhausted. There's been so much going on since I arrived back in town three or more weeks ago from New York. It's been intense, necessary, but intense. I've been looking back over the time wondering if there was anything I could have done to keep the intensity to a dull roar. I'm not sure there is.

Tonight I am going to be downtown for a wedding rehearsal. I'm presiding at the marriage of some lovely people. The groom is the son of one of the members at CCW. It's an honor to be able to do this for him and his bride to be and I am really looking forward to it. Good company, good times, good food...really, what more could one ask for?

The Shakespeare monologue class is over. With everything going on, I did almost none of my homework, so I am afraid that this term was a wash...maybe not a complete wash, but pretty dern close. I'm really disappointed, but I simply did not have the energy to give to it. The fantasy was that I would spend some of my evenings and all of my Fridays on The Bard, but it just was not to be. These things happen, but that does not make it any less disappointing. I'll try again later in the year.

Let's see...what else...I've been helping prepare to have American Sign Language interpreters in our church beginning in September. There's a move to try to provide that service for the families in our vicinity who might wish to take advantage of it. Also, it creates a relationship with the college that teaches ASL. We might become a good field placement for the students in general. It's been fun. I'm also going to help teach a class there in January on interpreting in religious settings...ASL and liturgy. It should prove interesting.

Finally, the band may be getting back in gear. Our fall schedules appear to be settling enough that we can pick up a regular weekly thing. That would be great! I would love that. Sanity...blessed sanity! O, come you denizen of mist and fable!

Perhaps it's too late.

Peace be with you all today. Weird Science continues apace. I think there's a good sermon in here somewhere. This sermon series has been a lot of fun for me. I don't know that anyone else has gotten anything from it, but it's been great for me.

See y'all on the flip side!