Shalom!
There are at least two streams in the flow of this story. Three, perhaps, if one counts my own thought process.
The first is the introduction of the theme of “Christmas found.” One of our pastors shared a story with the children at the family Christmas Eve service. The book is HAVE YOU SEEN CHRISTMAS? by Vicki Howie http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=96782 . It’s the touching story of a homeless boy and his little scruffy dog named Christmas. It’s Christmas Eve, and as the boy wakens from his sleep in an out-of-the-way doorway, he discovers that Christmas has wandered away. Two friends of the homeless boy offer to help, looking in a fancy store and on the city square and here and there, asking “Do you know where we can find Christmas?” Finally, with the help of a friend, they “find” Christmas the dog—and the spirit of Christmas—in a church basement at a meal offered the public.
[Cokesbury is offering the book at a big discount: http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=446355 and one can read more about the book at the author’s site: http://vickihowie.co.uk/picture.htm (scroll to bottom of page).]
The children were pretty good in the telling of the story, though they were caught up in the Christmas thing, and the story may have gotten just a little long. As I listened, I wondered how much we might actually be like the children in the story, who ended up inviting the homeless friend to their home for Christmas Eve. Would we—would I?—and do we? The sentiment makes us feel good though: that folks who really truly have found Christmas would be the kind of people to do something for others. Of course, that “something for” might also be advocacy on behalf of the homeless or participation in the area homeless shelter program.
Surely, though, we must find Christmas each year or, perhaps, be found by it. William Willimon suggests in his book UNDONE BY EASTER: KEEPING PREACHING FRESH (Abingdon 2009) http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=790297 that those who attend worship services may have less a need for novelty than the preachers, that the holyday is found simply in the faithful retelling of the story. Does this simplify the pastor/preacher’s task as that one thinks of Easter at Christmas, Pentecost at Easter, stewardship at Pentecost, Advent in the autumn? Is it important to come up with that snazzy theme or unique twist on the celebration, or is it better to present the story as part of the developing life of the congregation?
Is Christmas found in the story, or maybe in the music, or possibly in the preparation? Is it found in the candlelight, or possibly in the pageant, or maybe in the accompanying cultural ornamentation? Does it help that all around our churches, the stores and the streetlights and the airwaves are filled with reminders of this holyday? Or might we be better off with a sharp counter-cultural stance?
I found Christmas this year—or was found by Christmas—in the story of a little dog and in a piano solo played just before that little candlelighting ceremony that so many have come to anticipate.
Then the next day—Christmas Day, we went to Milwaukee to pick up a daughter flying in from California. Allowing for weather conditions, we arrived at the airport in plenty of time, and I was delighted to discover that the used bookstore at the airport was open for business. I was looking very casually through some of the religion books when I found it. My Christmas find. Many years ago I had found in a small town library a book by Alan Watts titled EASTER: ITS STORY AND MEANING (Henry Schuman 1950). I checked out that little book time after time because I found it so helpful.
My little Christmas find still had its book jacket, now covered with a plastic jacket in addition, and it still had its original price of $2.50 on the flap. But in 2009 it has a new price: $16.50. Having found my find, I found my voice and said “I’ll take it” and proceeded to find enough money to buy it.
Here’s the quotation shared. From the Preface, these two paragraphs:
However, the orthodox Christian need feel no offense if the story of Christ is somewhat uncritically included with tales which are obviously myths. For if the resurrection of Christ is a fact of history it is also a myth. A myth is not a lie; it is not a falsification of history. Myth is a special kind of language, quite distinct from historical or scientific language. The purpose of myth is not to relate concrete facts and events which take place in time and space; it is rather to symbolize certain realities beyond time and space, realities of the divine and eternal order. In this sense of the word, no orthodox Christian will deny that the story of Christ is mythological as well as historical, for he believes that the very events of the life of Jesus differ from other events for the precise reason that, among other things, they reveal the mind of God.
Looked at from this point of view, the study of myth is one of the most exciting and worth-while tasks in the world. It is exciting because, on the surface, it is a realm of fabulous wonders, of story and poetry, comprising much of the most splendid and absorbing literature which the past has handed down to us. It is worth-while because, unlike modern fiction (great as much it of may be), myths are not the deliberate inventions of individuals. They arise in the mind of man as spontaneously and as naturally as his dreams, to represent, as psychoanalysis has shown us, things that are going on in the very depths of his psychic life—depths where, as the Christian would say, the soul has contact with the Holy Spirit of God. (pp. 10-11)
For me, these paragraphs are golden. Though it appears that Alan Watts had his own quite apparent tragic flaws http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Watts , here he has offered a most helpful insight into “myth” and its power. Perhaps Christmas is like this: a gathering together of event and story and possibility and power in a fashion that creates for us a “truth” about ourselves and our relationship with the transcendent, a truth that provides a vehicle for our hope and health, our present joy and our future wholeness.
My story for Christmas 2009 is told. I’ve found my find this Christmas, and it will sustain me through the cold clear white of Winter and the steaming blaze of Summer. It will offer substance and sustenance for the growth of Spring without and within and for the aging of Autumn. I am grateful!
Shalom!
dave
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Everybody! Seeds and Tasks
Shalom!
Michael W. Smith and The African Children’s Choir share "Everybody's Got a Seed to Sow," which seems to me like a good start for the season of Christmas and a new calendar year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irUzutYx5r0
Possibilities, gracious possibilities, abound!
Shalom!
dave
Michael W. Smith and The African Children’s Choir share "Everybody's Got a Seed to Sow," which seems to me like a good start for the season of Christmas and a new calendar year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irUzutYx5r0
Possibilities, gracious possibilities, abound!
Shalom!
dave
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Argument weak. Yell.
Shalom!
Remember the old joke? In the margins of a sermon, the preacher had penciled "AWYLH," which meant "Argument weak; yell like hell."
Dan Dick writes recently in his blog about "how contentious and competitive we have become."
http://doroteos2.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/pushing-buttons/#more-2451
It is amazing to me how contentious and competitive we have become. We seem to struggle so hard with holding opposing views on important issues. Somehow everything gets boiled down to good or bad, right or wrong, smart or stupid, spiritual or worldly. Why is it we do this to ourselves? If every issue is either/or, then everything is a debate at best, or a fight at worst. All a person has to do to push another person’s hot buttons is to disagree.
What does this do when it enters spiritual community? Well, if the spiritual community is strong, it does very little. But where spiritual community is weak, it is amazingly destructive. The weaker the faith, the stronger the negative passion. People who feel assurance in their beliefs are rarely threatened by someone who disagrees with them. I find this to be especially true about ecumenical and interfaith engagement. When Christians are strong and secure in their beliefs, they joyfully and gladly engage with people of other beliefs and faiths. The weaker the personal conviction, the more hostility, distrust, disrespect, fear, and judgement define the relationship. Same goes with secular phenomena as well. Evangelicals got all up in arms about Harry Potter swaying the weak and spiritually immature. However, it seems that this was little more than projection — raising the alarm from their own weak faith. Those who were strong in their faith and intellectually rigorous saw the stories for what they are — stories. Only those who believe that the devil is as strong as, or stronger than, God had anything to fear. Doubt is not the antithesis of faith; fear is. Where people scream loudest against opponents, it is fear that motivates them, not faith.
It seems to me that we need to be strong in our trust of God, so that we do not need to yell and condemn and put down one another! One of the strengths of "the congregation" can be its mutual regard for one another as a spiritual community. Things happen in a local church that point to the unity that God offers us as a gift.
I commend Dan Dick's blog to anyone for his provocative and evocative way of bringing the reader to reflection!
Shalom!
dave
Remember the old joke? In the margins of a sermon, the preacher had penciled "AWYLH," which meant "Argument weak; yell like hell."
Dan Dick writes recently in his blog about "how contentious and competitive we have become."
http://doroteos2.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/pushing-buttons/#more-2451
It is amazing to me how contentious and competitive we have become. We seem to struggle so hard with holding opposing views on important issues. Somehow everything gets boiled down to good or bad, right or wrong, smart or stupid, spiritual or worldly. Why is it we do this to ourselves? If every issue is either/or, then everything is a debate at best, or a fight at worst. All a person has to do to push another person’s hot buttons is to disagree.
What does this do when it enters spiritual community? Well, if the spiritual community is strong, it does very little. But where spiritual community is weak, it is amazingly destructive. The weaker the faith, the stronger the negative passion. People who feel assurance in their beliefs are rarely threatened by someone who disagrees with them. I find this to be especially true about ecumenical and interfaith engagement. When Christians are strong and secure in their beliefs, they joyfully and gladly engage with people of other beliefs and faiths. The weaker the personal conviction, the more hostility, distrust, disrespect, fear, and judgement define the relationship. Same goes with secular phenomena as well. Evangelicals got all up in arms about Harry Potter swaying the weak and spiritually immature. However, it seems that this was little more than projection — raising the alarm from their own weak faith. Those who were strong in their faith and intellectually rigorous saw the stories for what they are — stories. Only those who believe that the devil is as strong as, or stronger than, God had anything to fear. Doubt is not the antithesis of faith; fear is. Where people scream loudest against opponents, it is fear that motivates them, not faith.
It seems to me that we need to be strong in our trust of God, so that we do not need to yell and condemn and put down one another! One of the strengths of "the congregation" can be its mutual regard for one another as a spiritual community. Things happen in a local church that point to the unity that God offers us as a gift.
I commend Dan Dick's blog to anyone for his provocative and evocative way of bringing the reader to reflection!
Shalom!
dave
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Happy Birthday (almost), Joyful Noiseletter!
Shalom!
For many years I have subscribed to a monthly newsletter called "The Joyful Noiseletter," put out by Cal and Rose Samra in Michigan. The best features for me have been the cartoons and the jokes, and the marvelous thing about this newsletter is that subscribers can make use of much of the content in church newsletters, etc. This has been a wonderful gift to me, as I think humor is essential in our faith lives. For years my goal was to have at least two cartoons in each newsletter, and sometimes I'd use some in the weekly bulletins too, especially on Holy Humor Sunday, the Sunday after Easter.
I had only been vaguely aware of the story of this publication...until this evening, when the January 2010 issue arrived via email. (I use the electronic subscription; one can also receive a hard copy.) Cal has written a history of the last 25 years, and, since he put the history on the website, I can share it as a link:
www.joyfulnoiseletter.com/history.asp .
It's quite a story, with a lot of actors.
The annual subscription ($29, I think) is worth every penny, and you can get all that info and subscribe from the link above.
If you don't know about this grace, check it out! If your pastor isn't aware of it, check to see if she or he would appreciate a subscription. And for goodness sake, laugh!
Shalom!
dave
For many years I have subscribed to a monthly newsletter called "The Joyful Noiseletter," put out by Cal and Rose Samra in Michigan. The best features for me have been the cartoons and the jokes, and the marvelous thing about this newsletter is that subscribers can make use of much of the content in church newsletters, etc. This has been a wonderful gift to me, as I think humor is essential in our faith lives. For years my goal was to have at least two cartoons in each newsletter, and sometimes I'd use some in the weekly bulletins too, especially on Holy Humor Sunday, the Sunday after Easter.
I had only been vaguely aware of the story of this publication...until this evening, when the January 2010 issue arrived via email. (I use the electronic subscription; one can also receive a hard copy.) Cal has written a history of the last 25 years, and, since he put the history on the website, I can share it as a link:
www.joyfulnoiseletter.com/history.asp .
It's quite a story, with a lot of actors.
The annual subscription ($29, I think) is worth every penny, and you can get all that info and subscribe from the link above.
If you don't know about this grace, check it out! If your pastor isn't aware of it, check to see if she or he would appreciate a subscription. And for goodness sake, laugh!
Shalom!
dave
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Pastors: are calendars and clocks your friends or your foes?
Shalom!
Once again, the Alban Institute people offer very helpful material!
“Taking Control of Your Time: It's All About Priorities” by Bradford Agry
http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=8654
which concludes with:
Your calendar is a finite universe. Learn to prune activities that are less important to your job and your organization's mission. This may involve delegating or re-assigning tasks to others, sharing parts of the work, or perhaps making them a lower priority. If you and your colleagues are in agreement as to what the shifting set of priorities are, then all can plan accordingly. By explicitly making room and intentionally planning for the crucial items, you will begin to shift from being a purely reactive scheduler to a more proactive time manager.
“Ministers Managing Time” by Ronald D. Sisk
http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=8655
which includes
I contend that time management is best addressed sequentially, through a series of touch points that punctuate a minister's relationship with a congregation—times when mutual expectations and intentions can be shaped and spelled out. Those touch points include the negotiation of an initial contract; the establishment of a ministerial schedule; the observation of contractual vacations, holidays, and sabbaticals; the minister's daily self-management; and times of congregational change. For the most part, it is the skill with which we ministers address the issue at these critical points that determines our competence as time managers.
IMO there's much to be said for being proactive at times like appointment and annual evaluation regarding the best use of time!
Shalom!
dave
Once again, the Alban Institute people offer very helpful material!
“Taking Control of Your Time: It's All About Priorities” by Bradford Agry
http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=8654
which concludes with:
Your calendar is a finite universe. Learn to prune activities that are less important to your job and your organization's mission. This may involve delegating or re-assigning tasks to others, sharing parts of the work, or perhaps making them a lower priority. If you and your colleagues are in agreement as to what the shifting set of priorities are, then all can plan accordingly. By explicitly making room and intentionally planning for the crucial items, you will begin to shift from being a purely reactive scheduler to a more proactive time manager.
“Ministers Managing Time” by Ronald D. Sisk
http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=8655
which includes
I contend that time management is best addressed sequentially, through a series of touch points that punctuate a minister's relationship with a congregation—times when mutual expectations and intentions can be shaped and spelled out. Those touch points include the negotiation of an initial contract; the establishment of a ministerial schedule; the observation of contractual vacations, holidays, and sabbaticals; the minister's daily self-management; and times of congregational change. For the most part, it is the skill with which we ministers address the issue at these critical points that determines our competence as time managers.
IMO there's much to be said for being proactive at times like appointment and annual evaluation regarding the best use of time!
Shalom!
dave
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Mirror-gazing: Spiritual Reflection
Shalom!
The book is
ETERNAL LIFE: A NEW VISION--BEYOND RELIGION, BEYOND THEISM, BEYOND HEAVEN AND HELL by John Shelby Spong. HarperOne, 2009.
I’ve begun what Bishop Spong thinks might be his last book (or maybe not). Because it looked interesting, and because I often read newspapers and books from the last page toward the front, I read the last chapter first. Next, the Preface (and the page of dedications), and now the first chapter. Among other things, I’m discovering pithy statements, a lot of reflection on his experience with the benefit of his mature perspective, and some statements that could just as well be mine, though to be sure, no one would pay to read my observations!
He writes in his very personal first chapter of his experience as a pastor helping families at times of grief. Spong understands now that many people viewed him as one of the professionals who are assigned the task of handling the matter of talking about death. (The three professional groups he identifies are undertakers, doctors, and pastors.) He writes:
I do not mean to demean a pastor’s attentiveness to task or what such a person might mean in her/his presence, words, or works with a dying person or a grieving family. But I do understand in my spirit that the pastoral importance is likely to be valued because the pastor is a flesh-and-blood symbol or stand-in for the presence of Christ.
“What a friend we have in Jesus” is comforting, in part, because this is a friend who is identified with God, and in those crisis times, we want all the symbols of God’s care that we can gather to us! I recall being a stand-in for a stand-in in a place where I served. I was covering for a pastor of another denomination, and one of his parishioners died. The family dutifully called the pastor who was covering for their beloved young pastor. They really didn’t know me; I surely didn’t know them. Yet they expressed gratitude for my being with them that day as they “said their good-byes,” made the necessary calls, and tried to decide what to do next. It wasn’t MY presence they valued—they didn’t really know much about me, but I think it was the presence of God/Christ that I stood for that mattered. For my part, it was moving to watch a grandchild sit on the bed next to the body of her grandpa and say what she wanted to share. We really do need to talk about death!
So I continue now from the beginning, moving toward new beginnings. I know I’ll like this book. Bishop Spong mentions Bret Favre on p. 218.
Shalom!
dave
The book is
ETERNAL LIFE: A NEW VISION--BEYOND RELIGION, BEYOND THEISM, BEYOND HEAVEN AND HELL by John Shelby Spong. HarperOne, 2009.
I’ve begun what Bishop Spong thinks might be his last book (or maybe not). Because it looked interesting, and because I often read newspapers and books from the last page toward the front, I read the last chapter first. Next, the Preface (and the page of dedications), and now the first chapter. Among other things, I’m discovering pithy statements, a lot of reflection on his experience with the benefit of his mature perspective, and some statements that could just as well be mine, though to be sure, no one would pay to read my observations!
He writes in his very personal first chapter of his experience as a pastor helping families at times of grief. Spong understands now that many people viewed him as one of the professionals who are assigned the task of handling the matter of talking about death. (The three professional groups he identifies are undertakers, doctors, and pastors.) He writes:
I learned in that process that what [the grieving] perceived that I represented was far more important than anything I said, or did, and even more important than who I was or what I thought. It was humbling to learn that my ministry was deeply symbolic and not really about either my being or my doing. (p. 7)Yup. Been there. Did that. Got an honorarium.
I do not mean to demean a pastor’s attentiveness to task or what such a person might mean in her/his presence, words, or works with a dying person or a grieving family. But I do understand in my spirit that the pastoral importance is likely to be valued because the pastor is a flesh-and-blood symbol or stand-in for the presence of Christ.
“What a friend we have in Jesus” is comforting, in part, because this is a friend who is identified with God, and in those crisis times, we want all the symbols of God’s care that we can gather to us! I recall being a stand-in for a stand-in in a place where I served. I was covering for a pastor of another denomination, and one of his parishioners died. The family dutifully called the pastor who was covering for their beloved young pastor. They really didn’t know me; I surely didn’t know them. Yet they expressed gratitude for my being with them that day as they “said their good-byes,” made the necessary calls, and tried to decide what to do next. It wasn’t MY presence they valued—they didn’t really know much about me, but I think it was the presence of God/Christ that I stood for that mattered. For my part, it was moving to watch a grandchild sit on the bed next to the body of her grandpa and say what she wanted to share. We really do need to talk about death!
So I continue now from the beginning, moving toward new beginnings. I know I’ll like this book. Bishop Spong mentions Bret Favre on p. 218.
Shalom!
dave
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Leadership is not a solo performance!
Shalom!
While for much of my life and ministry, I have practiced the fumbling art of the lone ranger, I'm beginning to see the light! Recently too, I've been trying to read Dan Dick's blog regularly. Here's a quote from a recent entry:
Leadership in the church, by its very definition, must be a collaborative concept. With very few exceptions, we simply don’t have individuals with all the skills and gifts needed to effectively lead a congregation. And if we are truly serious about this disciple-making stuff, we are equipping all people to use their gifts and talents for the greater good — we are training, nurturing, and equipping people to share in leadership. All of ministry should be “with.”
http://doroteos2.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/to-for-or-with/#more-1922
ISTM that our congregations could be stronger and happier and more fruitful if we practiced collaboration in leadership!
Shalom!
dave
While for much of my life and ministry, I have practiced the fumbling art of the lone ranger, I'm beginning to see the light! Recently too, I've been trying to read Dan Dick's blog regularly. Here's a quote from a recent entry:
Leadership in the church, by its very definition, must be a collaborative concept. With very few exceptions, we simply don’t have individuals with all the skills and gifts needed to effectively lead a congregation. And if we are truly serious about this disciple-making stuff, we are equipping all people to use their gifts and talents for the greater good — we are training, nurturing, and equipping people to share in leadership. All of ministry should be “with.”
http://doroteos2.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/to-for-or-with/#more-1922
ISTM that our congregations could be stronger and happier and more fruitful if we practiced collaboration in leadership!
Shalom!
dave
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
More on criticism of the pastor
Shalom!
In the UM REPORTER, Mary Jacobs interviews some folks about how a pastor might handle or cope with criticism.
http://www.umportal.org/main/article.asp?id=5732
Again, I think this article offers some helpful advice!
Shalom!
dave
In the UM REPORTER, Mary Jacobs interviews some folks about how a pastor might handle or cope with criticism.
http://www.umportal.org/main/article.asp?id=5732
Again, I think this article offers some helpful advice!
Shalom!
dave
Monday, July 6, 2009
Lifelong learning
Shalom!
The Alban Institute kindly shares this link with us: http://http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=8112 , and for what my opinion is worth, I highly recommend it!
The author shares his ten lessons about being a learning-centered teacher. All the ideas revolve around learning as a lifelong process which is cooperative between teacher and learner.
Good stuff!
Shalom!
dave
The Alban Institute kindly shares this link with us: http://http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=8112 , and for what my opinion is worth, I highly recommend it!
The author shares his ten lessons about being a learning-centered teacher. All the ideas revolve around learning as a lifelong process which is cooperative between teacher and learner.
Good stuff!
Shalom!
dave
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Wandering in the Pastoral Fields of Praise and Otherwise
Shalom!
“Slings and arrows” is an article by Martin B. Copenhaver in the June 16, 2009 CHRISTIAN CENTURY, pp.20-24. I offer three paragraphs and a comment or two particularly for pastors...and maybe for parishioners as we think about the possibilities and perils of praise and criticism.
I have become convinced that in the ministry it is important not to take either the criticism or the praise too seriously. In fact, that may be the only way to survive. If you take the criticism too seriously, you can feel as if you are being “nibbled to death by ducks,” as one person has put it. Or you will be only as happy as your most unhappy parishioner. Or you will avoid speaking the truth. Or you will try to please everyone, which is impossible.
If you take the praise too seriously, you may find yourself doing more of whatever brings you praise, whether or not it is what you need to do to be a faithful and effective pastor. Praise may be a fitting reward, but it is a misleading motivator. And if you take praise too seriously, you put yourself in danger of forgetting that ministry is not about you.
Not taking criticism or praise too seriously reflects a certain paradox of ministry. The ministry requires that one care deeply about God’s people, including what they think. Otherwise why would one go into this work? At the same time, the ministry requires that one not care too much about God’s people, particularly about what they think. Otherwise how could one survive in this work? (p. 24)
Some suggestions offered by the author about how to deal with criticism include
+ the criticism isn't always ABOUT you, though it may be directed AT you;
+ if you think the criticism may have merit, ask "Would I seek out this person's opinion?" If your answer is "No," then perhaps you will want to disregard the criticism;
+ ignore anonymous criticism; and
+ understand that some times are better than others for receiving criticism!
Some words of advice about how to deal with praise include
+ beware of the pastor who needs too much praise;
+ keep a folder for notes and letters of encouragement;
+ become aware of your pastoral gifts and have confidence in them; and
+ understand that faithfulness in ministry is more important than seeking praise.
I like a lot of Copenhaver's ideas and phrases, one of which is the pastoral paradox of caring deeply but not too much for the people you are serving. It's a balancing act to be sure, but a necessary one. One test is when one moves or retires: can you let go of the deep attachments one forms in the pastoral role?
Another excellent short piece of advice: "Praise may be a fitting reward, but it is a misleading motivator." In my mind, this is paired quite well with his good point that ministry is not about the pastor, but it is about God. Our worship and our ministry point to God, not Pastor Soandsuch.
Shalom!
dave
“Slings and arrows” is an article by Martin B. Copenhaver in the June 16, 2009 CHRISTIAN CENTURY, pp.20-24. I offer three paragraphs and a comment or two particularly for pastors...and maybe for parishioners as we think about the possibilities and perils of praise and criticism.
I have become convinced that in the ministry it is important not to take either the criticism or the praise too seriously. In fact, that may be the only way to survive. If you take the criticism too seriously, you can feel as if you are being “nibbled to death by ducks,” as one person has put it. Or you will be only as happy as your most unhappy parishioner. Or you will avoid speaking the truth. Or you will try to please everyone, which is impossible.
If you take the praise too seriously, you may find yourself doing more of whatever brings you praise, whether or not it is what you need to do to be a faithful and effective pastor. Praise may be a fitting reward, but it is a misleading motivator. And if you take praise too seriously, you put yourself in danger of forgetting that ministry is not about you.
Not taking criticism or praise too seriously reflects a certain paradox of ministry. The ministry requires that one care deeply about God’s people, including what they think. Otherwise why would one go into this work? At the same time, the ministry requires that one not care too much about God’s people, particularly about what they think. Otherwise how could one survive in this work? (p. 24)
Some suggestions offered by the author about how to deal with criticism include
+ the criticism isn't always ABOUT you, though it may be directed AT you;
+ if you think the criticism may have merit, ask "Would I seek out this person's opinion?" If your answer is "No," then perhaps you will want to disregard the criticism;
+ ignore anonymous criticism; and
+ understand that some times are better than others for receiving criticism!
Some words of advice about how to deal with praise include
+ beware of the pastor who needs too much praise;
+ keep a folder for notes and letters of encouragement;
+ become aware of your pastoral gifts and have confidence in them; and
+ understand that faithfulness in ministry is more important than seeking praise.
I like a lot of Copenhaver's ideas and phrases, one of which is the pastoral paradox of caring deeply but not too much for the people you are serving. It's a balancing act to be sure, but a necessary one. One test is when one moves or retires: can you let go of the deep attachments one forms in the pastoral role?
Another excellent short piece of advice: "Praise may be a fitting reward, but it is a misleading motivator." In my mind, this is paired quite well with his good point that ministry is not about the pastor, but it is about God. Our worship and our ministry point to God, not Pastor Soandsuch.
Shalom!
dave
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
A brief look at VITAL SIGNS, a book by Dan Dick
Shalom!
I'm offering here and elsewhere (Holy Leftovers and UMCommunities) a brief look at a book that I think is very helpful. Once again, I'm delighted that Dan Dick is going to be with us in the Wisconsin Conference, UMC, for a while.
A Review of Sorts of Dan Dick’s VITAL SIGNS: A PATHWAY TO CONGREGATIONAL WHOLENESS (Nashville: Discipleship Resources), 2007.
http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=519483
The description from the Cokesbury link above reads
Becoming a vital church means having stable and growing congregations that are willing to challenge and be challenged in ministry. After years of research, Dan Dick is able to identify four church types: Decaying Congregations, Dystrophic Congregations, Retrogressive Congregations, and Vital Congregations. Dick carefully describes each category, while pointing out that the goal of being a vital congregation is “neither simple or easy.” The text provides examples of communities in each category, coupled with tools to move congregations down the pathway to vitality. As faithful Christian leaders it is time to transform congregations into communities which work hard and sacrifice to be called a church of God.
I like this book! Perhaps one reason is that Dan recognizes the differences among us. The same “success formula” does not work for all congregations. Moreover, he points out that there are many ways of evaluating “success” for a congregation.
In his study of over 700 congregations (p. 9) he developed two sets of criteria for determining the health of a congregation: growth and stability. From his research four “types” emerged to describe congregations. In his study, “vital churches” (stable and growing) made up just under 10% of the total. “Dystrophic churches” (not stable but growing) made up about 33%. “Retrogressive congregations” (stable but declining) made up about 7%. The largest type in the study is the “decaying congregation” (unstable and declining), which made up just under 51% of the total. Lest this information dismay you, Gentle Reader, Dan points out that he thinks most United Methodist leaders want vital churches, most congregations can work to become more stable, and every congregation has “at least pockets of vitality” that can generate growth.
(p. 13)
The author offers information about issues that matter for vital congregations:
The following seven focus areas are identified by vital churches as those critical areas that emerged as the greatest challenges to vitality. Unless and until the church dealt with these issues, health and vitality was impossible. The critical focus areas for congregations seeking vitality are: thinking holistically about the congregation, balancing inward and outward focus, pursuing lifelong learning, developing ways to measure and evaluate impact, establishing standards with accountability, becoming developmentally complex, and creating transparency. (p. 115f)
Regarding measuring and evaluating impact, Dan Dick suggests that
Vital churches develop qualitative metrics that measure:
· number of lives touched in a positive way
· number of people served
· evolution of participants’ understanding of Scripture and theology
· healthy lifestyle changes of the participants
· improvements in relationships
· levels of connection and commitment to the faith community
These are just a sample of the kinds of things that vital churches learn to measure. These standards take them away from a ‘growth as more’ mentality, to a ‘growth as depth’ mentality. (p. 119)
Dan Dick appears to be an enthusiastic supporter of the “high expectation” church, one that requires that members participate in ways that are subject to measurement and accountability. I waver a bit on this but think having expectations might at least “set the bar” for measurement purposes. He writes:
Vital churches define a set of ‘non-negotiables,’ things they believe describe the least a person must do to be considered a member of the church. Among the things they have identified are:
· prayer with other members of the congregation every week
· development of a personal devotional life (to which they are held accountable)
· participation in some form of communal worship each week
· participation in some form of spiritual formation group (Sunday school, Bible study, accountability group, or discussion group)
· participation in some form of Christian service, outreach, or witness every week (to which they are held accountable)
Individual congregations may have other criteria, but these emerge as the basics in every setting. What happens when someone fails to keep covenant with the basics? They are removed from the active membership roles until they meet the base criteria. (pp. 120-121)
I’m a bit more in tune with what Gustav Nelson has written in his book. Nelson has written SERVICE IS THE POINT (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000), in which he states: If the church would see the life and work of each member as part of the mission of the church, then every member would be active. He encourages each member to write a personal mission statement articulating how the member will carry out discipleship within the congregation and in everyday life as well.
Some questions I would ask of these authors and anyone else:
1. How can we learn to balance our evaluation with a tendency to judge the value of a congregation? Or, how do I participate happily in a “decaying church”?
2. In what ways might we “hold one another accountable” for prayer or service?
3. How ought Conferences, etc., allocate resources among the four types of churches?
Shalom!
dave
I'm offering here and elsewhere (Holy Leftovers and UMCommunities) a brief look at a book that I think is very helpful. Once again, I'm delighted that Dan Dick is going to be with us in the Wisconsin Conference, UMC, for a while.
A Review of Sorts of Dan Dick’s VITAL SIGNS: A PATHWAY TO CONGREGATIONAL WHOLENESS (Nashville: Discipleship Resources), 2007.
http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=519483
The description from the Cokesbury link above reads
Becoming a vital church means having stable and growing congregations that are willing to challenge and be challenged in ministry. After years of research, Dan Dick is able to identify four church types: Decaying Congregations, Dystrophic Congregations, Retrogressive Congregations, and Vital Congregations. Dick carefully describes each category, while pointing out that the goal of being a vital congregation is “neither simple or easy.” The text provides examples of communities in each category, coupled with tools to move congregations down the pathway to vitality. As faithful Christian leaders it is time to transform congregations into communities which work hard and sacrifice to be called a church of God.
I like this book! Perhaps one reason is that Dan recognizes the differences among us. The same “success formula” does not work for all congregations. Moreover, he points out that there are many ways of evaluating “success” for a congregation.
In his study of over 700 congregations (p. 9) he developed two sets of criteria for determining the health of a congregation: growth and stability. From his research four “types” emerged to describe congregations. In his study, “vital churches” (stable and growing) made up just under 10% of the total. “Dystrophic churches” (not stable but growing) made up about 33%. “Retrogressive congregations” (stable but declining) made up about 7%. The largest type in the study is the “decaying congregation” (unstable and declining), which made up just under 51% of the total. Lest this information dismay you, Gentle Reader, Dan points out that he thinks most United Methodist leaders want vital churches, most congregations can work to become more stable, and every congregation has “at least pockets of vitality” that can generate growth.
(p. 13)
The author offers information about issues that matter for vital congregations:
The following seven focus areas are identified by vital churches as those critical areas that emerged as the greatest challenges to vitality. Unless and until the church dealt with these issues, health and vitality was impossible. The critical focus areas for congregations seeking vitality are: thinking holistically about the congregation, balancing inward and outward focus, pursuing lifelong learning, developing ways to measure and evaluate impact, establishing standards with accountability, becoming developmentally complex, and creating transparency. (p. 115f)
Regarding measuring and evaluating impact, Dan Dick suggests that
Vital churches develop qualitative metrics that measure:
· number of lives touched in a positive way
· number of people served
· evolution of participants’ understanding of Scripture and theology
· healthy lifestyle changes of the participants
· improvements in relationships
· levels of connection and commitment to the faith community
These are just a sample of the kinds of things that vital churches learn to measure. These standards take them away from a ‘growth as more’ mentality, to a ‘growth as depth’ mentality. (p. 119)
Dan Dick appears to be an enthusiastic supporter of the “high expectation” church, one that requires that members participate in ways that are subject to measurement and accountability. I waver a bit on this but think having expectations might at least “set the bar” for measurement purposes. He writes:
Vital churches define a set of ‘non-negotiables,’ things they believe describe the least a person must do to be considered a member of the church. Among the things they have identified are:
· prayer with other members of the congregation every week
· development of a personal devotional life (to which they are held accountable)
· participation in some form of communal worship each week
· participation in some form of spiritual formation group (Sunday school, Bible study, accountability group, or discussion group)
· participation in some form of Christian service, outreach, or witness every week (to which they are held accountable)
Individual congregations may have other criteria, but these emerge as the basics in every setting. What happens when someone fails to keep covenant with the basics? They are removed from the active membership roles until they meet the base criteria. (pp. 120-121)
I’m a bit more in tune with what Gustav Nelson has written in his book. Nelson has written SERVICE IS THE POINT (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000), in which he states: If the church would see the life and work of each member as part of the mission of the church, then every member would be active. He encourages each member to write a personal mission statement articulating how the member will carry out discipleship within the congregation and in everyday life as well.
Some questions I would ask of these authors and anyone else:
1. How can we learn to balance our evaluation with a tendency to judge the value of a congregation? Or, how do I participate happily in a “decaying church”?
2. In what ways might we “hold one another accountable” for prayer or service?
3. How ought Conferences, etc., allocate resources among the four types of churches?
Shalom!
dave
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Shalom!
You know how it is as we age. We wonder about how our lives got to the place where they are now. What shaped us? What shapes us now?
I noticed the end feature in the May 4th NEW YORK TIMES email page, and it took me back to seminary days. I was finishing up my first year.
TODAY'S HEADLINES
The New York Times on the Web
Monday, May 4, 2009
- ON THIS DAY -
On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on anti-war protesters at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20090504.html
Besides all the turmoil of the Vietnam era, there were at least two other things working on me around that time. One was the Chicago Eight/Seven Trial, and the other was the subject of this TIMES look back to Kent State. I can remember washing dishes as I listened to the soap opera that was the trial and wondering what in the world had happened to us as a people!
Apparently I was asked to edit the student newspaper (one typed it, proofed it, dittoed it—remember the ditto fluid and those blue sheets?—and placed it in the mailroom) right after the Kent State killings. I edited that issue and the entire next year. But those killings affected me deeply. There were other killings on other campuses too. How could we do this to our own people?
So I commented on the killings in the paper. In fact, though I am no artist, I drew a “cartoon,” which consisted of a peace sign with four bullet holes in it. Among my comments was this sentence: “Revising politics, regaining compassion, restoring relationship, and renewing life all begin at home.”
Now about two years after retiring, I observe that the challenge remains just about the same, and the violence we use to contain violence has about the same effect it did then. When will we ever learn? How long, O Lord, how long?
I note that in the article the TIMES did in 1970 it was reported that when the National Guardsmen fired their guns, some of the guns were pointed to the sky, and I remember that my college roommate, a gentle, sensitive man, had been drafted. I read his letters. One was about his attending a Bob Hope show before he was shipped to Vietnam. He wrote to the effect that he wished he could tell the protesters that he didn’t favor the war either. He came home. He was different, said the woman he married, but he came home.
“All we are saying,” sang protesters, “is ‘Give peace a chance.’” It’s the song we still need to sing!
Shalom!
dave
You know how it is as we age. We wonder about how our lives got to the place where they are now. What shaped us? What shapes us now?
I noticed the end feature in the May 4th NEW YORK TIMES email page, and it took me back to seminary days. I was finishing up my first year.
TODAY'S HEADLINES
The New York Times on the Web
Monday, May 4, 2009
- ON THIS DAY -
On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on anti-war protesters at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20090504.html
Besides all the turmoil of the Vietnam era, there were at least two other things working on me around that time. One was the Chicago Eight/Seven Trial, and the other was the subject of this TIMES look back to Kent State. I can remember washing dishes as I listened to the soap opera that was the trial and wondering what in the world had happened to us as a people!
Apparently I was asked to edit the student newspaper (one typed it, proofed it, dittoed it—remember the ditto fluid and those blue sheets?—and placed it in the mailroom) right after the Kent State killings. I edited that issue and the entire next year. But those killings affected me deeply. There were other killings on other campuses too. How could we do this to our own people?
So I commented on the killings in the paper. In fact, though I am no artist, I drew a “cartoon,” which consisted of a peace sign with four bullet holes in it. Among my comments was this sentence: “Revising politics, regaining compassion, restoring relationship, and renewing life all begin at home.”
Now about two years after retiring, I observe that the challenge remains just about the same, and the violence we use to contain violence has about the same effect it did then. When will we ever learn? How long, O Lord, how long?
I note that in the article the TIMES did in 1970 it was reported that when the National Guardsmen fired their guns, some of the guns were pointed to the sky, and I remember that my college roommate, a gentle, sensitive man, had been drafted. I read his letters. One was about his attending a Bob Hope show before he was shipped to Vietnam. He wrote to the effect that he wished he could tell the protesters that he didn’t favor the war either. He came home. He was different, said the woman he married, but he came home.
“All we are saying,” sang protesters, “is ‘Give peace a chance.’” It’s the song we still need to sing!
Shalom!
dave
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
New Wesley Journal: Methodist Review
Shalom!
The NEWSCOPE for May 6, 2009, reports that there is a new, online, free source for Wesleyan studies!
The board of directors and the sponsors of The Methodist Review, Inc., launched “Methodist Review: A Journal of Wesleyan and Methodist Studies” on May 1. As an open access, peer-reviewed electronic academic journal at www.methodistreview.org, Methodist Review publishes scholarly articles in all areas and eras of Wesleyan and Methodist studies, including biblical, theological, ethical, philosophical, practical, historical, biographical, and social-scientific topics and methodologies. The journal is partly a successor to and partly a transformation of “Quarterly Review: A Journal of Theological Resources for Ministry (QR), which was published jointly by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and The UM Publishing House from 1980 to 2005.
The lead article looks interesting. Here's the abstract:
What Makes Theology “Wesleyan”?
Sarah Heaner Lancaster, Catherine Keller, Donald A. Thorsen, Dennis C. Dickerson, Charles M. Wood
Abstract
In an address to the 1982 Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies, Albert C. Outler outlined an agenda for what he called “Phase III” of Wesley Studies, proposing a slogan for Methodist theologies: “Back to Wesley and his sources, and then forward—with his sense of heritage and openness to the future as one of our models.” Subsequently, much work has been done in the area of Wesley Studies to illumine Wesley and his sources. This has led to questions about the possibility of, and need for, what might be called a “Phase IV” of Wesley Studies—moving beyond Wesley Studies per se to apply the results of research in the area more broadly to the constructive theological work that is now being carried out in the life and thought of the body of Christ (and not only in those church traditions having a historical connection to John and Charles Wesley). Some theologians use Wesley and Wesleyan themes in their work, but they may or may not self-consciously identify themselves as standing in the broad Wesleyan (or Methodist) tradition. Some make specific reference to or use of the theology of John and Charles Wesley in their own constructive theological work; others do not. The panel discussion presented here, from a Wesleyan Studies Group session at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, focused on the question of whether a “Phase IV” of Wesley Studies can yet be discerned by addressing the question “What makes theology ‘Wesleyan’?”
Shalom!
dave
The NEWSCOPE for May 6, 2009, reports that there is a new, online, free source for Wesleyan studies!
The board of directors and the sponsors of The Methodist Review, Inc., launched “Methodist Review: A Journal of Wesleyan and Methodist Studies” on May 1. As an open access, peer-reviewed electronic academic journal at www.methodistreview.org, Methodist Review publishes scholarly articles in all areas and eras of Wesleyan and Methodist studies, including biblical, theological, ethical, philosophical, practical, historical, biographical, and social-scientific topics and methodologies. The journal is partly a successor to and partly a transformation of “Quarterly Review: A Journal of Theological Resources for Ministry (QR), which was published jointly by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and The UM Publishing House from 1980 to 2005.
The lead article looks interesting. Here's the abstract:
What Makes Theology “Wesleyan”?
Sarah Heaner Lancaster, Catherine Keller, Donald A. Thorsen, Dennis C. Dickerson, Charles M. Wood
Abstract
In an address to the 1982 Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies, Albert C. Outler outlined an agenda for what he called “Phase III” of Wesley Studies, proposing a slogan for Methodist theologies: “Back to Wesley and his sources, and then forward—with his sense of heritage and openness to the future as one of our models.” Subsequently, much work has been done in the area of Wesley Studies to illumine Wesley and his sources. This has led to questions about the possibility of, and need for, what might be called a “Phase IV” of Wesley Studies—moving beyond Wesley Studies per se to apply the results of research in the area more broadly to the constructive theological work that is now being carried out in the life and thought of the body of Christ (and not only in those church traditions having a historical connection to John and Charles Wesley). Some theologians use Wesley and Wesleyan themes in their work, but they may or may not self-consciously identify themselves as standing in the broad Wesleyan (or Methodist) tradition. Some make specific reference to or use of the theology of John and Charles Wesley in their own constructive theological work; others do not. The panel discussion presented here, from a Wesleyan Studies Group session at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, focused on the question of whether a “Phase IV” of Wesley Studies can yet be discerned by addressing the question “What makes theology ‘Wesleyan’?”
Shalom!
dave
Monday, May 4, 2009
Change and Church
Shalom!
The Alban Institute is featuring an interesting book with the following excerpt:
http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=7754
Seems to me that there's a lot of helpful recognition there! The local congregation is its own organism, and in my opinion, each one is unique. When we keep trying to apply the latest "thing" to every situation, we keep being frustrated!
Shalom!
dave
The Alban Institute is featuring an interesting book with the following excerpt:
http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=7754
Seems to me that there's a lot of helpful recognition there! The local congregation is its own organism, and in my opinion, each one is unique. When we keep trying to apply the latest "thing" to every situation, we keep being frustrated!
Shalom!
dave
Thursday, April 30, 2009
May is Mental Health Month
Shalom!
The Mennonites are offering good resources for mental health issues, including worship resources.
http://www.shadowvoices.com/topics/faith.asp
Shalom!
dave
The Mennonites are offering good resources for mental health issues, including worship resources.
http://www.shadowvoices.com/topics/faith.asp
Shalom!
dave
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
How are you today, Pastor?
Shalom!
Clergy health, physical and emotional: an ongoing concern! Here's a report from the Lewis Center:
http://www.churchleadership.com/leadingideas/leaddocs/2009/090429_article.html
I'm appreciative of The United Methodist Church taking an interest in my health, as much as I complain about it!
Shalom!
dave
Clergy health, physical and emotional: an ongoing concern! Here's a report from the Lewis Center:
http://www.churchleadership.com/leadingideas/leaddocs/2009/090429_article.html
I'm appreciative of The United Methodist Church taking an interest in my health, as much as I complain about it!
Shalom!
dave
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Art of Preaching
Shalom!
Dan Dick, recently with the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church, is coming to Wisconsin to work as a leader in our Conference, and I'm excited about that!
On his blog in March, Dan wrote about preaching.
http://doroteos2.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/preacher-feature/
Among the many interesting things he noted about preaching and its importance is this:
Perhaps the greatest challenge to modern mainline preachers is an almost 50-50 split between those who want sermons to be challenging, intellectually stimulating, and provocative and those who want sermons to calm, pacify and comfort. 51% of listeners don’t want to have to work hard when listening to a sermon. They prefer stories with morals rather than admonition, invitation, or a call to action. However, 49% (predominantly from those not affiliated with a congregation) want preaching that not only educates but also requires a response. There is a deep sense that preaching should motivate (but not manipulate) people to act. There is also a strong preference for sermons focusing on what God wants us to do, instead of what God doesn’t want us to do. In other words, less focus on the past, our sins, and our failures, and more focus on the future, our gifts, and a vision God’s will for all creation.
Besides pointing to one of the challenges facing the preacher who speaks regularly, this points to something I have long tried to practice: to focus less on our past and more on the promise of the future.
What do you think?
Shalom!
dave
Dan Dick, recently with the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church, is coming to Wisconsin to work as a leader in our Conference, and I'm excited about that!
On his blog in March, Dan wrote about preaching.
http://doroteos2.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/preacher-feature/
Among the many interesting things he noted about preaching and its importance is this:
Perhaps the greatest challenge to modern mainline preachers is an almost 50-50 split between those who want sermons to be challenging, intellectually stimulating, and provocative and those who want sermons to calm, pacify and comfort. 51% of listeners don’t want to have to work hard when listening to a sermon. They prefer stories with morals rather than admonition, invitation, or a call to action. However, 49% (predominantly from those not affiliated with a congregation) want preaching that not only educates but also requires a response. There is a deep sense that preaching should motivate (but not manipulate) people to act. There is also a strong preference for sermons focusing on what God wants us to do, instead of what God doesn’t want us to do. In other words, less focus on the past, our sins, and our failures, and more focus on the future, our gifts, and a vision God’s will for all creation.
Besides pointing to one of the challenges facing the preacher who speaks regularly, this points to something I have long tried to practice: to focus less on our past and more on the promise of the future.
What do you think?
Shalom!
dave
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Honor the Earth!
Shalom!
Today, we are reminded, is Earth Day, an idea promoted by Gaylord Nelson, whom I am proud to say was a US Senator from Wisconsin. The Spirituality and Practice folks have some ideas of things we might do to reflect on our connection to Earth:
"Earth Day: 12 Spiritual Practices to Honor the Earth"by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/days/features.php?id=10964
I was reminded the other day as I uploaded my walking steps to the HealthMiles site that since I began walking with this program, I've uploaded a bit over one million steps, or about 442 miles. That's miles around the neighborhood or up and down a Florida beach or, when the weather is not good, around and around a little "garden path" I've fashioned in the basement amidst boxes and bookcases and misc. stuff.
The basement garden path reminds me of the huge footprint I have on Earth and how it would be good to shrink my shoe size. The walks on the beach reawaken a sense of awe at water and wind and earth and sky. The walks around the neighborhood remind me of persons and offer peeks at Spring flowers poking out of the ground.
We need the Earth, and in a sense, the Earth needs us. "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it...." (Ps. 24.1)
Shalom!
dave
Today, we are reminded, is Earth Day, an idea promoted by Gaylord Nelson, whom I am proud to say was a US Senator from Wisconsin. The Spirituality and Practice folks have some ideas of things we might do to reflect on our connection to Earth:
"Earth Day: 12 Spiritual Practices to Honor the Earth"by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/days/features.php?id=10964
I was reminded the other day as I uploaded my walking steps to the HealthMiles site that since I began walking with this program, I've uploaded a bit over one million steps, or about 442 miles. That's miles around the neighborhood or up and down a Florida beach or, when the weather is not good, around and around a little "garden path" I've fashioned in the basement amidst boxes and bookcases and misc. stuff.
The basement garden path reminds me of the huge footprint I have on Earth and how it would be good to shrink my shoe size. The walks on the beach reawaken a sense of awe at water and wind and earth and sky. The walks around the neighborhood remind me of persons and offer peeks at Spring flowers poking out of the ground.
We need the Earth, and in a sense, the Earth needs us. "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it...." (Ps. 24.1)
Shalom!
dave
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Millard Fuller dies
Shalom!
It's of interest to me how Millard Fuller turned his life around and about, as well as how he chose to be buried.
www.koinoniapartners.org/
Fuller got his idea for Habitat for Humanity from the housing work done at Koinonia. What Christians do does matter!
And, in addition, Koinonia sells the best chocolate products!
Additional info from Habitat: http://www.habitat.org/how/millard_feb2009.aspx
Shalom!
dave
It's of interest to me how Millard Fuller turned his life around and about, as well as how he chose to be buried.
www.koinoniapartners.org/
Fuller got his idea for Habitat for Humanity from the housing work done at Koinonia. What Christians do does matter!
And, in addition, Koinonia sells the best chocolate products!
Additional info from Habitat: http://www.habitat.org/how/millard_feb2009.aspx
Shalom!
dave
The Grand Slam
Shalom!
Well, Spouse and I ate breakfast at Denny's yesterday, right along with hundreds of our newest friends. See http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/03/news/companies/dennys_breakfast.fortune/index.htm .
So we "splurged" and she had a cup of tea and I a cup of coffee. Did you know that each drink is $1.80 now? No wonder we usually have just water. Anyway, our free breakfast only cost $8--four for the two drinks (I didn't wait for any change) and four for the tip for our busy but pleasant waitperson. (That works out to about a good tip for the usual bill. No sense in shorting the waitperson because the company had a promotion.)
So I looked around. Folks were pretty happy given the free breakfast. There were several single adults with children. There were some families with several young children. I suppose it was a good way to have a "treat" for the whole family without paying too much. There were a lot of laborers in for a snack and out for the work load remaining. I didn't see a lot of older folks, and I didn't see persons that were "apparently" homeless. They would have had to travel some to get to the location where we ate.
The article cited above suggests that this was a great success for Denny's. They hope to capture or recapture market share with this promotion, and if enough of us paid for drinks, perhaps the "breakfast food" might pay for itself. Good deal all around!
Grace. I thought about grace. Here's a business in business to make money inviting everybody to come in for a free breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes. (Spouse saved part of her breakfast for later; I ate the whole thing; we went walking afterwards.) People responded well to the gracious invitation. Hunger? Value? Freebie? Just checking? I don't know.
What happened at this one Denny's, however, was that people waited patiently and spoke with one another. One young man came out to catch us before we left. We had come in and found the lobby jammed; he came out to tell us it would be just a short wait and he had heard it was worth the wait. People were smiling. People were grateful for this offer on the part of the restaurant. People were wondering out loud just how Denny's could do it and would it help them. The article suggests that it may help: giving away free meals may help business!
Do we in the Church offer gracious invitations to our free meals? (Do some churches continue to have high-priced communion?) When folks come, do they find smiles and conversation? Is the service friendly and good? Is the food nourishing? Do guests wonder how we can do it in the church? Do we share the secret: it's grace!
Shalom!
dave
Well, Spouse and I ate breakfast at Denny's yesterday, right along with hundreds of our newest friends. See http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/03/news/companies/dennys_breakfast.fortune/index.htm .
So we "splurged" and she had a cup of tea and I a cup of coffee. Did you know that each drink is $1.80 now? No wonder we usually have just water. Anyway, our free breakfast only cost $8--four for the two drinks (I didn't wait for any change) and four for the tip for our busy but pleasant waitperson. (That works out to about a good tip for the usual bill. No sense in shorting the waitperson because the company had a promotion.)
So I looked around. Folks were pretty happy given the free breakfast. There were several single adults with children. There were some families with several young children. I suppose it was a good way to have a "treat" for the whole family without paying too much. There were a lot of laborers in for a snack and out for the work load remaining. I didn't see a lot of older folks, and I didn't see persons that were "apparently" homeless. They would have had to travel some to get to the location where we ate.
The article cited above suggests that this was a great success for Denny's. They hope to capture or recapture market share with this promotion, and if enough of us paid for drinks, perhaps the "breakfast food" might pay for itself. Good deal all around!
Grace. I thought about grace. Here's a business in business to make money inviting everybody to come in for a free breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes. (Spouse saved part of her breakfast for later; I ate the whole thing; we went walking afterwards.) People responded well to the gracious invitation. Hunger? Value? Freebie? Just checking? I don't know.
What happened at this one Denny's, however, was that people waited patiently and spoke with one another. One young man came out to catch us before we left. We had come in and found the lobby jammed; he came out to tell us it would be just a short wait and he had heard it was worth the wait. People were smiling. People were grateful for this offer on the part of the restaurant. People were wondering out loud just how Denny's could do it and would it help them. The article suggests that it may help: giving away free meals may help business!
Do we in the Church offer gracious invitations to our free meals? (Do some churches continue to have high-priced communion?) When folks come, do they find smiles and conversation? Is the service friendly and good? Is the food nourishing? Do guests wonder how we can do it in the church? Do we share the secret: it's grace!
Shalom!
dave
Monday, February 2, 2009
Parker Palmer's "The Broken-Open Heart"
Shalom!
Got my copy of the March/April WEAVINGS the other day. The issue offers insights from and about the work of Parker Palmer at the Center for Courage and Renewal. In his intro to the theme, editor John Mogabgab writes this interesting line: "The uncontainable energy of God's desire for life in abundance topples the tidy logic that governs our days."
The first article is Parker Palmer's "The Broken-Open Heart: Living with Faith and Hope in the Tragic Gap." He begins the article with some comments that I really appreciate--so much so that I share them. I'm a bit uncomfortable with his phrase "primitive brain," but it sheds light on some things I've been thinking about lately.
On the long list of hopes that have driven our ancient and unfinished project called "becoming civilized," overcoming the tyranny of the primitive brain is surely at or near the top. No one who aspires to become fully human can let the primitive brain have its way, least of all Christians who aspire to a gospel way of life.
When the primitive brain dominates, Christianity goes over to the dark side. Churches self-destruct over doctrinal differences, forgetting that their first calling is to love one another. Parishioners flock to preachers who see the anti-Christ in people who do not believe as they do. Christian voters support politicians who use God's name to justify ignoble and often violent agendas. When the primitive brain is in charge, humility, compassion, forgiveness, and the vision of a beloved community do not stand a chance.
The primitive brain contains the hardwiring for the infamous "fight or flight" reflex that helps other species survive but can diminish, even destroy, human beings. The moment we sense danger, real or imagined, that hardwiring induces a state of tension that we want to resolve right now, either by eliminating its source or by removing ourselves from its reach. That's a good thing when you are about to be attacked by a tiger or hit by a bus. It is a very bad thing when you are dealing with an attitudinal teenager, an idea that threatens some taken-for-granted belief, the challenge of racial or religious "otherness," or a local or global conflict that would best be resolved non-violently.
Unfortunately, the fight or flight reflex runs so deep that resisting it is like trying to keep your foot from jumping when the doctor taps your patellar tendon. But against all odds, resisting is has been key to the project called civilization ever since we climbed down from the trees. Learning how to hold life's tensions in the responsive heart instead of the reactive primitive brain is key to personal, social, and cultural creativity: rightly held, those tensions can open us to new thoughts, relationships, and possibilities that disappear when we try to flee from or destroy their source.
He goes on to list several "cultural inventions" which help us hold the tension. Among them are language, the arts, education, and religion. Palmer quotes a most wonderful Hasidic tale about the need for our hearts to be opened, and he quotes "the Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan: "God breaks the heart open again and again and again until it stays open.'"
"In Christian tradition, the broken-open heart is virtually indistinguishable from the image of the cross."
Great article. I recommend reading your copy of WEAVINGS or finding someone who gets it and will share it. ISTM that with our Wesleyan emphasis on the warm heart, we should have an inside track on what it means to live life today with a "broken-open" heart!
Shalom!
dave
(Posted also at Holy Leftovers and 7Villages)
Got my copy of the March/April WEAVINGS the other day. The issue offers insights from and about the work of Parker Palmer at the Center for Courage and Renewal. In his intro to the theme, editor John Mogabgab writes this interesting line: "The uncontainable energy of God's desire for life in abundance topples the tidy logic that governs our days."
The first article is Parker Palmer's "The Broken-Open Heart: Living with Faith and Hope in the Tragic Gap." He begins the article with some comments that I really appreciate--so much so that I share them. I'm a bit uncomfortable with his phrase "primitive brain," but it sheds light on some things I've been thinking about lately.
On the long list of hopes that have driven our ancient and unfinished project called "becoming civilized," overcoming the tyranny of the primitive brain is surely at or near the top. No one who aspires to become fully human can let the primitive brain have its way, least of all Christians who aspire to a gospel way of life.
When the primitive brain dominates, Christianity goes over to the dark side. Churches self-destruct over doctrinal differences, forgetting that their first calling is to love one another. Parishioners flock to preachers who see the anti-Christ in people who do not believe as they do. Christian voters support politicians who use God's name to justify ignoble and often violent agendas. When the primitive brain is in charge, humility, compassion, forgiveness, and the vision of a beloved community do not stand a chance.
The primitive brain contains the hardwiring for the infamous "fight or flight" reflex that helps other species survive but can diminish, even destroy, human beings. The moment we sense danger, real or imagined, that hardwiring induces a state of tension that we want to resolve right now, either by eliminating its source or by removing ourselves from its reach. That's a good thing when you are about to be attacked by a tiger or hit by a bus. It is a very bad thing when you are dealing with an attitudinal teenager, an idea that threatens some taken-for-granted belief, the challenge of racial or religious "otherness," or a local or global conflict that would best be resolved non-violently.
Unfortunately, the fight or flight reflex runs so deep that resisting it is like trying to keep your foot from jumping when the doctor taps your patellar tendon. But against all odds, resisting is has been key to the project called civilization ever since we climbed down from the trees. Learning how to hold life's tensions in the responsive heart instead of the reactive primitive brain is key to personal, social, and cultural creativity: rightly held, those tensions can open us to new thoughts, relationships, and possibilities that disappear when we try to flee from or destroy their source.
He goes on to list several "cultural inventions" which help us hold the tension. Among them are language, the arts, education, and religion. Palmer quotes a most wonderful Hasidic tale about the need for our hearts to be opened, and he quotes "the Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan: "God breaks the heart open again and again and again until it stays open.'"
"In Christian tradition, the broken-open heart is virtually indistinguishable from the image of the cross."
Great article. I recommend reading your copy of WEAVINGS or finding someone who gets it and will share it. ISTM that with our Wesleyan emphasis on the warm heart, we should have an inside track on what it means to live life today with a "broken-open" heart!
Shalom!
dave
(Posted also at Holy Leftovers and 7Villages)
Friday, January 16, 2009
"Born Again American"
Shalom!
As usual, Bill Moyers can provide interesting and thoughtful and thought-provoking programs, and he did it again IMO tonight. His show was on the American character, and toward the end, he shared a Norman Lear effort to get Americans reinvigorated about community and efforts for the common good in our nation. The song and the website to which he drew attention is
http://www.bornagainamerican.org/ . As I wandered on the site I discovered that the young violinist from NYC began her musical journey in the much-maligned Milwaukee public school system. How about that?
I recommend the whole program too ... but you'll have to find it yourself!
I suppose this song borders on some form of civil religion, but that's part of the point. One of the engines that drive our national character is the sense of religious feeling in some way or another. Perhaps now, as we welcome President Obama, we will find a rebirth of our national spirit, a turning toward another path for us to take as a people.
Shalom!
dave
As usual, Bill Moyers can provide interesting and thoughtful and thought-provoking programs, and he did it again IMO tonight. His show was on the American character, and toward the end, he shared a Norman Lear effort to get Americans reinvigorated about community and efforts for the common good in our nation. The song and the website to which he drew attention is
http://www.bornagainamerican.org/ . As I wandered on the site I discovered that the young violinist from NYC began her musical journey in the much-maligned Milwaukee public school system. How about that?
I recommend the whole program too ... but you'll have to find it yourself!
I suppose this song borders on some form of civil religion, but that's part of the point. One of the engines that drive our national character is the sense of religious feeling in some way or another. Perhaps now, as we welcome President Obama, we will find a rebirth of our national spirit, a turning toward another path for us to take as a people.
Shalom!
dave
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Conversation with the Dr.
Shalom!
SOJOURNERS offers a conversation with Walter Brueggemann at
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&article_mode=edit&issue=soj0902&article=a-conversation-with-walter-brueggemann
For me, it is fascinating to “listen in” to a conversation with Dr. Brueggemann and hear his comments on our present financial crisis. He also speaks of the source of his hope and his well-being today.
I am particularly struck by his notice of the hope that comes from the everyday life of our congregations. ISTM that in congregations large and small and in-between, wealthy or not so much, there is that spirit of sharing which Dr. Brueggemann suggests as vital in our care for one another in this perilous time.
Shalom!
dave
SOJOURNERS offers a conversation with Walter Brueggemann at
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&article_mode=edit&issue=soj0902&article=a-conversation-with-walter-brueggemann
For me, it is fascinating to “listen in” to a conversation with Dr. Brueggemann and hear his comments on our present financial crisis. He also speaks of the source of his hope and his well-being today.
I am particularly struck by his notice of the hope that comes from the everyday life of our congregations. ISTM that in congregations large and small and in-between, wealthy or not so much, there is that spirit of sharing which Dr. Brueggemann suggests as vital in our care for one another in this perilous time.
Shalom!
dave
Monday, January 5, 2009
Self-care for pastors
Shalom!
As a subscriber to "The Joyful Noiseletter," I think I can properly copy this article from the online humor monthly. Cal offers perspective on learning from one another and on taking care of our physical and emotional bodies. As self-care becomes more of an issue for pastors (again), this serves as a reminder to pay attention to our bodies.
BTW I highly recommend and appreciate "The Joyful Noiseletter" and value it for many reasons: humor, cartoons, comments, and persistence!
Shalom!
dave
A LENTEN LESSON FROM AN AGNOSTIC
A tale of three humorists; prevention also a life issue
By Cal Samra Editor, The Joyful Noiseletter Vol. 24 No. 3 March 2009
In the November JN, we eulogized Tim Russert, the masterful moderator of “Meet the Press” and chief of NBC’s Washington Bureau, who died of a massive heart attack at the young age of 58. Russert had a sunny disposition and a keen sense of humor, was fairminded and nonpartisan, and was civil to everyone. In his office he had a large sign proclaiming “Thou shalt not whine.”
A devout Christian, he was a very prayerful man, and had an abiding faith in God and country and devotion to his lovely family. Russert had been diagnosed earlier by his doctors with coronary artery disease and diabetes. He was considerably overweight, and drove himself hard, working unceasingly in his various positions. A colleague noted that Russert showed up for work early one morning after working all night and getting only one-hour’s sleep. “It’s going to take four or five people to replace Tim,” one of his TV news competitors said.
Nobody is sure what his doctors and pastors told him, or did not tell him, in the privacy of their offices, but it’s sad that they failed to persuade him to lead a healthier lifestyle. Tim Russert’s premature death reminded me of the untimely passing of another of my favorite journalists – the great English humorist G.K. Chesterton.Chesterton also was a brilliant writer, a gregarious communicator with a big loving heart, a keen sense of humor, and a devotion to his faith and family. Even those who disagreed with him liked him enormously.
I remember reading accounts of the spirited public debates in the early part of the 20th-century between the merry-hearted Chesterton, a relentless defender of Christianity, and George Bernard Shaw, an agnostic humanist playwright renowned for his wit. (It was Shaw’s play Pygmalion that was later turned into that magnificentmusical, My Fair Lady.)Chesterton and Shaw disagreed on just about everything, philosophically and politically, but their entertaining public debates were models of civility, mutual respect, good humor, and crackling wit. On most issues, I found myself agreeing with Chesterton.
In the course of their public debates, these two literary giants learned a lot from each other and grew to be good friends.Chesterton was a huge man, weighing 294 pounds, with a hearty appetite and a love for cigars. Shaw was forever lean, a nutrition-minded vegetarian who ate moderately, exercised regularly, took daily afternoon naps, and shunned tobacco. Ironically, the agnostic Shaw was almost monastic in his selfdisciplined lifestyle, though he was married. Chesterton once remarked to his lean friend: “To look at you, anyone would think there was a famine in England.” Shaw replied, “To look at you, anyone would think you caused it.”
Shaw mourned when his friend Chesterton died in 1936 at the comparatively young age of 62. Shaw himself lived on to age 94, dying in 1950.
If there is a Lenten moral to this story, perhaps it is simply this: Nobody, even the best of us, has a lock on all the truth. We can all learn from one another. Agnostics can learn from Christians. But Christians can also learn from some agnostics. You’d have to be blind not to see that so many of our political and religious leaders of all persuasions are overweight and underexercised. The Protestant televangelist Rev. Jerry Falwell weighed nearly 400 pounds when he died not long ago in his early 70s.
We should encourage our political, religious, and news media leaders to take better care of themselves, and to stop leading unbalanced, lopsided lifestyles. We need them all in these desperate times.
Perhaps we greatly need in our churches what Rev. Felix A. Lorenz Jr., pastor of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Dearborn Heights, MI, calls a “stewardship of the body.”“Please remember,” he recently told his congregation, “that you are also a steward of your body. ‘Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?’ That is a mandate to take your health seriously.” The good Lord made the body to be used and fed properly. Use it!
And while we’re debating how best to provide affordable health care and health insurance to Americans, we can also serve the people by not neglecting the importance of prevention. Prevention is also a life issue.
(Cal Samra is the editor of The Joyful Noiseletter, the author of a dozen humor/cartoon books, and the former lay executive director of a medical research foundation. His newest book, The Funny Side of Tennis, is also about the health benefits of tennis or any sport played with good humor and good nutrition, and the longevity of players who play tennis into their seventies, eighties, and nineties. The book may be ordered from www.joyfulnoiseletter.com or 1-800-877-2757.)
As a subscriber to "The Joyful Noiseletter," I think I can properly copy this article from the online humor monthly. Cal offers perspective on learning from one another and on taking care of our physical and emotional bodies. As self-care becomes more of an issue for pastors (again), this serves as a reminder to pay attention to our bodies.
BTW I highly recommend and appreciate "The Joyful Noiseletter" and value it for many reasons: humor, cartoons, comments, and persistence!
Shalom!
dave
A LENTEN LESSON FROM AN AGNOSTIC
A tale of three humorists; prevention also a life issue
By Cal Samra Editor, The Joyful Noiseletter Vol. 24 No. 3 March 2009
In the November JN, we eulogized Tim Russert, the masterful moderator of “Meet the Press” and chief of NBC’s Washington Bureau, who died of a massive heart attack at the young age of 58. Russert had a sunny disposition and a keen sense of humor, was fairminded and nonpartisan, and was civil to everyone. In his office he had a large sign proclaiming “Thou shalt not whine.”
A devout Christian, he was a very prayerful man, and had an abiding faith in God and country and devotion to his lovely family. Russert had been diagnosed earlier by his doctors with coronary artery disease and diabetes. He was considerably overweight, and drove himself hard, working unceasingly in his various positions. A colleague noted that Russert showed up for work early one morning after working all night and getting only one-hour’s sleep. “It’s going to take four or five people to replace Tim,” one of his TV news competitors said.
Nobody is sure what his doctors and pastors told him, or did not tell him, in the privacy of their offices, but it’s sad that they failed to persuade him to lead a healthier lifestyle. Tim Russert’s premature death reminded me of the untimely passing of another of my favorite journalists – the great English humorist G.K. Chesterton.Chesterton also was a brilliant writer, a gregarious communicator with a big loving heart, a keen sense of humor, and a devotion to his faith and family. Even those who disagreed with him liked him enormously.
I remember reading accounts of the spirited public debates in the early part of the 20th-century between the merry-hearted Chesterton, a relentless defender of Christianity, and George Bernard Shaw, an agnostic humanist playwright renowned for his wit. (It was Shaw’s play Pygmalion that was later turned into that magnificentmusical, My Fair Lady.)Chesterton and Shaw disagreed on just about everything, philosophically and politically, but their entertaining public debates were models of civility, mutual respect, good humor, and crackling wit. On most issues, I found myself agreeing with Chesterton.
In the course of their public debates, these two literary giants learned a lot from each other and grew to be good friends.Chesterton was a huge man, weighing 294 pounds, with a hearty appetite and a love for cigars. Shaw was forever lean, a nutrition-minded vegetarian who ate moderately, exercised regularly, took daily afternoon naps, and shunned tobacco. Ironically, the agnostic Shaw was almost monastic in his selfdisciplined lifestyle, though he was married. Chesterton once remarked to his lean friend: “To look at you, anyone would think there was a famine in England.” Shaw replied, “To look at you, anyone would think you caused it.”
Shaw mourned when his friend Chesterton died in 1936 at the comparatively young age of 62. Shaw himself lived on to age 94, dying in 1950.
If there is a Lenten moral to this story, perhaps it is simply this: Nobody, even the best of us, has a lock on all the truth. We can all learn from one another. Agnostics can learn from Christians. But Christians can also learn from some agnostics. You’d have to be blind not to see that so many of our political and religious leaders of all persuasions are overweight and underexercised. The Protestant televangelist Rev. Jerry Falwell weighed nearly 400 pounds when he died not long ago in his early 70s.
We should encourage our political, religious, and news media leaders to take better care of themselves, and to stop leading unbalanced, lopsided lifestyles. We need them all in these desperate times.
Perhaps we greatly need in our churches what Rev. Felix A. Lorenz Jr., pastor of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Dearborn Heights, MI, calls a “stewardship of the body.”“Please remember,” he recently told his congregation, “that you are also a steward of your body. ‘Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?’ That is a mandate to take your health seriously.” The good Lord made the body to be used and fed properly. Use it!
And while we’re debating how best to provide affordable health care and health insurance to Americans, we can also serve the people by not neglecting the importance of prevention. Prevention is also a life issue.
(Cal Samra is the editor of The Joyful Noiseletter, the author of a dozen humor/cartoon books, and the former lay executive director of a medical research foundation. His newest book, The Funny Side of Tennis, is also about the health benefits of tennis or any sport played with good humor and good nutrition, and the longevity of players who play tennis into their seventies, eighties, and nineties. The book may be ordered from www.joyfulnoiseletter.com or 1-800-877-2757.)
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