Prayer of the Day for Lent 2B

Holy God, all that you promised your people came true in the person of Jesus Christ. He is your Word made flesh, your Wisdom in human form, your Justice in poverty, and your Covenant with breath. Through our Lenten journey, help us to examine our hearts fully and without prejudice that we might wholly embrace your covenant of grace. In these days, give us the faithfulness of Sarah and Abraham, that we might trust you to lead us and use us for your holy purposes. And, sustain us in the hope of Jesus Christ and by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Bully Project is Coming - Check it Out!

In October of 2010, two other United Methodist clergy and I posted an "It Gets Better" video on youtube. Over the course of the past year, I have heard from many people about how moving it was for them to hear three pastors apologizing to queer youth for damage done to them by church. Even my more theologically conservative colleagues and friends agree with me that a child should never be bullied for being LGBTQI (or simply perceived to be LGBTQI). Bullying is not a Christian virtue!

We made the video because 2010 was a particularly bad year for queer identified youth. A helpful move is that attention is being paid to all kinds of bullying, not just bullying of queer identified youth. The horrible tentacles of bullying extend far beyond the LGBTQI community. Kids are bullied for all kinds of reasons - for being fat, thin, dark, freckled, pale, tall, short, male, female, poor, rich, smart, dumb, physically challenged, socially awkward, introverted, shy, or any other thing that sets them apart from whatever the dominant culture is in their particular situation. If a kid is Jewish in a Protestant area, odds are that he or she has been made fun of, even bullied, for being Jewish. If a kid is African American in a predominantly Euro school, odds are that she or he has been pushed around, been told at best insensitive things and at worst been subjected to painful verbal assaults. Being "different" puts us in the position of being examined, and all too often that results in awkward, insensitive, and even threatening situations. Let me say once more to any one who reads this blog: If you are different (whatever that means), it doesn't mean that you are less than those around you. If you are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or intersex, you do not deserve to be demeaned, threatened, or harassed. Ever. Period. And, for all of those who mistreat you in the name of religion, I am both ashamed and deeply sorry. If you are mistreated for being an ethnic minority, a girl, poor, shy, awkward, or anything else, I hope you find a safe adult and tell them their plight. There are more of us out here than you might think.

I find it amazing that any of us make it through childhood and adolescence. Even those of us with loving families and mostly easy lives still go through growing pains, awkward adolescence, body image issues, and confusion about the world. For those kids who do not benefit from loving and supportive homes or who suffer silently with secrets or in fear, the situation becomes much more complex. Despite the awkwardness of growing up, let me be clear, bullying is not a normal part of growing up. It is not a normal stage of development. It should not be expected or tolerated in our homes, schools, faith communities, or community groups. Adults who become aware of bullying behavior have a duty to stop it in the moment and to make it crystal clear how very unacceptable the behavior is. That's our job as adults.

In their new documentary, filmmakers Lee Hirsch and Cynthia Owen focus on the stories of five families who have lived with the effects of bullying. These are just five families out of an estimated 13 million kids who are bullied every year. Simply entitled "Bully," the documentary will be released in select theaters on March 30 with a wider release in early April. Check your local listings. If you live in a small town, encourage your local theater to show this movie. Some movies are for entertainment; others are for life. This is the latter. For more information, the website for "Bully" is at www.thebullyproject.com.

New Ministry - The Well

I see that I haven't posted anything since January 24. That's a long time. Too long. But, the length of my time away doesn't reflect the amount of activity that has had me captured. One might say that the quieter I am here then the more active I am out in the physical world. What has kept me at bay? A new ministry. The Well.

"The Well, a gathering place for conversation" is a new ministry that will take place at Queen Anne United Methodist Church in Seattle. Geared to provide an intimate space for big conversation, "The Well" will bring scholars, teachers, activists, poets, dreamers, and all the rest of us together to delve into those things that touch our souls, minds, bodies, and communities.

Meeting weekly, at its simplest, The Well offers people an opportunity to go deep about issues affecting them, to ask questions about life and faith, and to enter into dialogue about these things. When does The Well meet? That will vary, depending upon the speaker, the topic, and the format. In general, meetings will take place on Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 in the church's sanctuary. Sometimes we will head out for a beer or a coffee. Sometimes we will meet on different days altogether. You will have to keep abreast of our calendar (still emerging).

Why The Well? In our highly partisan country, real discourse is becoming all too rare. In our churches, going deep is often difficult to do. The goal of The Well is to offer people who want to genuinely go deep in exploring matters of faith and life the opportunity, frame, and space to do so. The Well seeks to offer clergy a space to come and find community. It seeks to reach people who have left church because they have experienced sentiments that are anti-science, anti-question, anti-love, anti-inclusion. The Well is the opposite of all of those "antis." It is the perfect place to bring questions, loves, dreams, hopes, and concerns.

The Well is always open to the public. No expectation will be placed on anyone coming to The Well other than for them to honor their neighbor in conversation.

This is what we have lined up so far. The calendar will continue to evolve.

Schedule:

• March 1, 8, 15, 22 – 7-9 PM. Wes Howard-Brook and Sue Ferguson Johnson. Topic:“Coming Out of Empire, Moving into Christ”

March 1: “It was necessary to go through Samaria” (John 4)

March 8: “All I know, is I was blind and now I see” (John 9)
March 15: “Come out!” (John 11)
March 22: “I have given you an example” (John 13-17)
Wes Howard-Brook has an article in the Tikkun Daily that discusses his own Jewish-Christian experience.

• April 18 - Robert V Taylor. Topic: "A New Way to Be Human" Time TBA.
• May 12 – 3:30 PM and 7:30 PM. Grammy winning Singer/Songwritier Carrie Newcomer. Topic: Afternoon conversation on "Life as Sacred Story." Evening Concert.
• May 26-27 -- John Dominic Crossan. Topic: "The Lord's Prayer."
• June 6. Kathleen Norris. Topic: "Acedia."
• June 10 -- Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. Topic: "The Wisdom of Stability in a Mobile World."
• Summer - Jan Richardson.
• October 22 - Alexander McCall Smith.
• March 14, 2013 - Phyllis Tickle.

More to be announced soon. Not every week will be a conference or a structured workshop. Sometimes, we will just gather, pray, and talk. A website is being formed. Keep your eyes open. Send recommendations of topics and facilitators my way! I hope you enjoy this new ministry.