Ramadan at the White House

President Obama hosts a Ramadan dinner at the White House. Cabinet members and foreign dignataries joined the president in breaking fast this evening. Rachel Sladja covers the story for TPM:

"President Obama will hold a dinner to celebrate Ramadan tonight at the White House.

During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast during daylight hours. The fast is broken after sunset with a dinner, or iftar, usually as a community. Tonight's dinner will be held at 8 p.m. ET.

The dinner will also "highlight the contributions of American Muslims," according to the White House. A guest list will be released later today." Click here for the rest of the story.

350 - Global Climate Action

Jimmy Carter Breaks with the Southern Baptist Convention

I've often wondered why he stayed so long given his outlooks on so many topics. In "The Age" President Carter writes an essay reflecting upon his reasons to finally leave his denomination of 60 years. I think this essay asks many Christians to define for themselves why they do or do not stay within the denominations that form and inform their lives.

23rd Psalm - Bobby McFerrin Style

For those following the lectionary, this week's psalm is the 23rd Psalm. Here, performed by Cantus, is an adaptation of the psalm by Bobby Mcferrin:

Ted Turner - Nothing But Nets

Now that Ashton Kutcher has gotten on the Nothing But Nets campaign wave along with Ted Turner, evidently the campaign is too cool to mention the relgious groups that have been behind it all along. I am very glad the anti-malaria movement is growing. I just wish that religion could get a break for the good things that it does and not just the denominational sniping and other less than missional activities we too often engage in.

"Practical Matters" - A New Journal

Practical Matters is a new journal for and by scholars, practitioners, and teachers of religion. Out of Emory University and supported by the Lilly Endowment, the journal is a "transdisciplinary multimedia journal of religious practices and practical theology." The first issue is now online and is called "imagination." The goal is to publish 1-2 issues a year. The next issue will be focused on "youth."

Of the dozen or so articles included in the first issue, Monastic Imagination? A Pedagogical Reflection by Robyn Neville intrigued me the most.

Wilderness Confession

Well, I've been out of the blogosphere for quite a while. I have been wandering in the wilderness for some time, wondering what God would have me do if I would respond with a "yes" to God's call. Much of the time I feel like a spiritual coward who is unwilling to wade deeply into God's healing waters out of fear that it will do what it promises - change me and, thus, require changes from me. Fear has become, unfortunately, too normative and standard in how I live life; I allow it to dictate and limit how I live. So, I confess this fear and express a desire to move through and out of it.

I know that I am not the only person to have hopes and dreams that fall by the wayside. We say that we have obligations, that we've grown up, that our visions aren't practical. We use the pressure of normative life to let us off the hook of living the full lives that God would have us live. The problem, of course, is that we do grow up and take on obligations. Sometimes dreams aren't practical; they can be foolish. Discerning between foolish day dreaming and bold faith can be a difficult, tedious, and confusing process. This is where I am.

I want to get a PhD. I want to create a video-based curriculum focused on spiritual practices and a Christian "Way" of life that could be used in adult Sunday schools. I want to work in water management and protection: eco-stewardship. And I want to help start a new Christian community.

I want to gather people together who have a deep hunger for more meaning in life - people who find chanting the psalms, celebrating the Eucharist, and praying meaningful. I want to gather these folks together in covenant relationship taking Sabbath, Sacrament, Stewardship, Service, Simplicity, and Scripture seriously. The community would include ancient rituals and be relevant for postmodern life. There would be an intentional living community living among the poorest in my city, offering hospitality, living simply, and shining with God's love. Eventually we would have a small working farm where people could go for transition and discernment: after a divorce, after treatment for alcohol or drug abuse, after leaving a bad relationship, during times of vocational change, on sabbatical, and so forth. I see this community clearly. It is radical and faithful to the God who has captured my heart.

The question isn't "what" for my life. The question is "how." How? How does one start a project like creating a curriculum? How does one start a community with monastic components, worship components, and covenantal components? How does one do these things and pay the mortgage, maintain health insurance, and keep family intact? How can I move from dreaming to living? From fear to faith?

Obama at the National Prayer Breakfast - VIDEO

The Mobilization to End Poverty - Anyone Going?

Will you be there? Let me know. Maybe we can meet up!

"Ash Wednesday" by TS Elliot

There are so many devotional books written for the season of Lent. Rather than relying upon these ready-made materials, however, the church that I serve is putting together its own booklet. It's part of our theme "Our Journey With God." The stories that we write, collect, and edit together will be a part of our own journey, more so than a booklet with stories put together for an anonymous public. I am looking forward to what people submit. I know one submission is T.S. Elliot's poem "Ash Wednesday."

Ash Wednesday
Because I do not hope to turn again
Because I do not hope
Because I do not hope to turn
Desiring this man's gift and that man's scope
I no longer strive to strive towards such things
(Why should the agèd eagle stretch its wings?)
Why should I mourn
The vanished power of the usual reign?

Because I do not hope to know
The infirm glory of the positive hour
Because I do not think
Because I know I shall not know
The one veritable transitory power
Because I cannot drink
There, where trees flower, and springs flow, for there is nothing again

Because I know that time is always time
And place is always and only place
And what is actual is actual only for one time
And only for one place
I rejoice that things are as they are and
I renounce the blessèd face
And renounce the voice
Because I cannot hope to turn again
Consequently I rejoice, having to construct something
Upon which to rejoice

And pray to God to have mercy upon us
And pray that I may forget
These matters that with myself I too much discuss
Too much explain
Because I do not hope to turn again
Let these words answer
For what is done, not to be done again
May the judgement not be too heavy upon us

Because these wings are no longer wings to fly
But merely vans to beat the air
The air which is now thoroughly small and dry
Smaller and dryer than the will
Teach us to care and not to care Teach us to sit still.

Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Pray for us now and at the hour of our death.


II
Lady, three white leopards sat under a juniper-tree
In the cool of the day, having fed to sateity
On my legs my heart my liver and that which had been contained
In the hollow round of my skull. And God said
Shall these bones live? shall these
Bones live? And that which had been contained
In the bones (which were already dry) said chirping:
Because of the goodness of this Lady
And because of her loveliness, and because
She honours the Virgin in meditation,
We shine with brightness. And I who am here dissembled
Proffer my deeds to oblivion, and my love
To the posterity of the desert and the fruit of the gourd.
It is this which recovers
My guts the strings of my eyes and the indigestible portions
Which the leopards reject. The Lady is withdrawn
In a white gown, to contemplation, in a white gown.
Let the whiteness of bones atone to forgetfulness.
There is no life in them. As I am forgotten
And would be forgotten, so I would forget
Thus devoted, concentrated in purpose. And God said
Prophesy to the wind, to the wind only for only
The wind will listen. And the bones sang chirping
With the burden of the grasshopper, saying

Lady of silences
Calm and distressed
Torn and most whole
Rose of memory
Rose of forgetfulness
Exhausted and life-giving
Worried reposeful
The single Rose
Is now the Garden
Where all loves end
Terminate torment
Of love unsatisfied
The greater torment
Of love satisfied
End of the endless
Journey to no end
Conclusion of all that
Is inconclusible
Speech without word and
Word of no speech
Grace to the Mother
For the Garden
Where all love ends.

Under a juniper-tree the bones sang, scattered and shining
We are glad to be scattered, we did little good to each other,
Under a tree in the cool of day, with the blessing of sand,
Forgetting themselves and each other, united
In the quiet of the desert. This is the land which ye
Shall divide by lot. And neither division nor unity
Matters. This is the land. We have our inheritance.



III

At the first turning of the second stair
I turned and saw below
The same shape twisted on the banister
Under the vapour in the fetid air
Struggling with the devil of the stairs who wears
The deceitul face of hope and of despair.

At the second turning of the second stair
I left them twisting, turning below;
There were no more faces and the stair was dark,
Damp, jaggèd, like an old man's mouth drivelling, beyond repair,
Or the toothed gullet of an agèd shark.

At the first turning of the third stair
Was a slotted window bellied like the figs's fruit
And beyond the hawthorn blossom and a pasture scene
The broadbacked figure drest in blue and green
Enchanted the maytime with an antique flute.
Blown hair is sweet, brown hair over the mouth blown,
Lilac and brown hair;
Distraction, music of the flute, stops and steps of the mind
over the third stair,
Fading, fading; strength beyond hope and despair
Climbing the third stair.


Lord, I am not worthy
Lord, I am not worthy

but speak the word only.

IV
Who walked between the violet and the violet
Whe walked between
The various ranks of varied green
Going in white and blue, in Mary's colour,
Talking of trivial things
In ignorance and knowledge of eternal dolour
Who moved among the others as they walked,
Who then made strong the fountains and made fresh the springs

Made cool the dry rock and made firm the sand
In blue of larkspur, blue of Mary's colour,
Sovegna vos

Here are the years that walk between, bearing
Away the fiddles and the flutes, restoring
One who moves in the time between sleep and waking, wearing

White light folded, sheathing about her, folded.
The new years walk, restoring
Through a bright cloud of tears, the years, restoring
With a new verse the ancient rhyme. Redeem
The time. Redeem
The unread vision in the higher dream
While jewelled unicorns draw by the gilded hearse.

The silent sister veiled in white and blue
Between the yews, behind the garden god,
Whose flute is breathless, bent her head and signed but spoke no word

But the fountain sprang up and the bird sang down
Redeem the time, redeem the dream
The token of the word unheard, unspoken

Till the wind shake a thousand whispers from the yew

And after this our exile


V
If the lost word is lost, if the spent word is spent
If the unheard, unspoken
Word is unspoken, unheard;
Still is the unspoken word, the Word unheard,
The Word without a word, the Word within
The world and for the world;
And the light shone in darkness and
Against the Word the unstilled world still whirled
About the centre of the silent Word.

O my people, what have I done unto thee.

Where shall the word be found, where will the word
Resound? Not here, there is not enough silence
Not on the sea or on the islands, not
On the mainland, in the desert or the rain land,
For those who walk in darkness
Both in the day time and in the night time
The right time and the right place are not here
No place of grace for those who avoid the face
No time to rejoice for those who walk among noise and deny the voice

Will the veiled sister pray for
Those who walk in darkness, who chose thee and oppose thee,
Those who are torn on the horn between season and season, time and time, between
Hour and hour, word and word, power and power, those who wait
In darkness? Will the veiled sister pray
For children at the gate
Who will not go away and cannot pray:
Pray for those who chose and oppose

O my people, what have I done unto thee.

Will the veiled sister between the slender
Yew trees pray for those who offend her
And are terrified and cannot surrender
And affirm before the world and deny between the rocks
In the last desert before the last blue rocks
The desert in the garden the garden in the desert
Of drouth, spitting from the mouth the withered apple-seed.


O my people.


VI
Although I do not hope to turn again
Although I do not hope
Although I do not hope to turn

Wavering between the profit and the loss
In this brief transit where the dreams cross
The dreamcrossed twilight between birth and dying
(Bless me father) though I do not wish to wish these things
From the wide window towards the granite shore
The white sails still fly seaward, seaward flying
Unbroken wings

And the lost heart stiffens and rejoices
In the lost lilac and the lost sea voices
And the weak spirit quickens to rebel
For the bent golden-rod and the lost sea smell
Quickens to recover
The cry of quail and the whirling plover
And the blind eye creates
The empty forms between the ivory gates
And smell renews the salt savour of the sandy earth

This is the time of tension between dying and birth
The place of solitude where three dreams cross
Between blue rocks
But when the voices shaken from the yew-tree drift away
Let the other yew be shaken and reply.

Blessèd sister, holy mother, spirit of the fountain, spirit of the garden,
Suffer us not to mock ourselves with falsehood
Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still
Even among these rocks,
Our peace in His will
And even among these rocks
Sister, mother
And spirit of the river, spirit of the sea,
Suffer me not to be separated

And let my cry come unto Thee.

--

The lines most meaningful to me in this poem are:
"And renounce the voice
Because I cannot hope to turn again
Consequently I rejoice, having to construct something
Upon which to rejoice" - Lent is a time to let go of "the voice" and construct something new in which we can rejoice - a new faith, a renewed faith.

"Teach us to care and not to care Teach us to sit still" - This has been my mantra for several years.

"Shall these bones live...and the bones sang chirping" - the question for each of us and for the Church itself. The power of faith, the power of life, the remnant singing to the wind.

"The desert in the garden the garden in the desert
Of drouth, spitting from the mouth the withered apple-seed." - Exile, exile of spirit, exile of soul, exile of people. Lent is exile chosen, but exile comes all too often unplanned and uncharted.

"Suffer us not to mock ourselves with falsehood
Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still
Even among these rocks,
Our peace in His will
And even among these rocks
Sister, mother
And spirit of the river, spirit of the sea,
Suffer me not to be separated

And let my cry come unto Thee." - The perfect prayer.

You can hear TS Elliot read his own poem.

Bishop Gene Robinson on The Daily Show (and more)

Bishop Gene Robinson was on The Daily Show on January 20.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Bishop Gene Robinson

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

The bishop was in Seattle, WA on January 12, 2009. Listen to to an interview that he gave to Seattle's local public radio station KUOW during that visit.

Additionally, at 8 PM on Thursday, January 22 KUOW will air the full speech that Bishop Robinson gave at Town Hall.

UPDATE: While Bishop Robinson was in Seattle, he preached at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral.

Joseph Lowery's Inaugural Benediction

Eighty-seven year old United Methodist clergy person and Civil Rights activist Joseph Lowery provided the benediction at President Obama's inauguration on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. Updating scripture, providing advice, and infusing the event with humor, Lowery struck a homerun (IMHO), vastly outpacing Rick Warren's long, rambling, and slightly offputting invocation.

Let me say that Rick Warren surprised and impressed me with his invocation. It was relevant and - for the most part - appropriate. Where he ran aground was in his inability to refrain from "speechifying" and in the use of the Lord's Prayer. While Rev. Warren and President Obama are both Christian and, thus, the prayer may in many ways be pertinent, the invocation serves as a call for the whole nation and not just for Pres. Obama (or all Christians gathered). He erred on the side of exclusion using a prayer exclusive to our community, even though some can and will argue its use as both appropriate and meaningful.

I found Rev. Joseph Lowery's benediction more meaningful. Was it because I watched in an interfaith setting? Because I'm United Methodist? Because I'm just simply not a big Rick Warren fan? I don't know. In the end, even though some might accuse me of doing so, I don't need to take anything away from Rick Warren in order to praise Joseph Lowery. While others may have found Lowery's benediction "interesting," I thought it was absolutely delightful. He spoke out of his faith, but in a way that appeared to be more inclusive and invitational - but, that is just my opinion.

Here is video of Joseph Lowery's benediction:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

VIDEO: Bishop Gene Robinson's Prayer

If you watched the HBO special of the inaugural events at the Lincoln Memorial, you will know that Bishop Gene Robinson's prayer was omitted from the broadcast. For a full story on this, head over to the Huffington Post, which also has the missing video.

National Prayer Service with President Obama Webcast

On Sunday HBO broadcast the events at the Lincoln Memorial - and they did so for free. CNN has been using Facebook to create a virtual viewing party of the inaugurgation on Tuesday. And, unknown to most people, the Washington National Cathedral is webcasting the National Prayer Service on Wednesday.

Webcasting will begin at 9:30 AM with the service scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM. The newly sworn in president will be joined by religious leaders of many faiths for this by invitation only worship service. The National Prayer Service has been a part of the inaugural events since the election of George Washington as our first president.

A list of religious leaders participating in the event has been released by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. They are:

-Reverend Samuel T. Lloyd III, Dean of the Washington National Cathedral (Welcome)
-Reverend John Bryon Chane, Episcopal Bishop of Washington (Invocation)
-Reverend Otis Moss Jr., Senior Pastor Emeritus, Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio (Opening Prayer)
-Reverend Andy Stanley, Senior Pastor, North Point Community Church, Alpharetta, Georgia (Prayer for Civil Leaders)
-Dr. Cynthia Hale, Senior Pastor, Ray of Hope Christian Church, Atlanta, Georgia(Scripture Reading)
-Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, New York City (Scripture Reading)
-The Most Reverend Francisco Gonzalez, S.F., Auxiliary Bishop of Washington (Scripture Reading)
-Rabbi David Saperstein, Executive Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Washington, D.C. (Psalm)

Responsive prayers given by six leaders will symbolize America’s traditions of religious tolerance and freedom:

—Dr. Ingrid Mattson, President, Islamic Society of North America, Hartford, CT
—Rev. Suzan Johnson-Cook, Senior Pastor, Bronx Christian Fellowship, New York City
—Rabbi Jerome Epstein, Director, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, New York City
—Rev. Carol Wade of the Washington National Cathedral
—Dr. Uma Mysorekar, President, Hindu Temple Society of North America, New York City
—Rev. Jim Wallis, President, Sojourners, Washington, D.C.
—Rabbi Haskal Lookstein, Congregation Kehilath Jeshurunm, New York City
—Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell, Senior Pastor, Windsor Village United Methodist Church, Houston, TX

-Sharon E. Watkins, General Minister and President, Disciples of Christ (Christian Church) (Sermon)

-Donald W. Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C. (Prayer for the Nation)
-Bishop Katherine Jefferts-Schori, Presiding Bishop, Episcopal Church USA (Closing Prayer)
Reverend Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America (Benediction)

This is an opportunity for us to come together not only in celebration (as on Sunday) or in the transfer of power (as on Tuesday), but in a spirit of unity. In this interfaith worship we are called to remember the commonality of our faiths, each of which teaches us about a power that transcends the frailty of humankind. I will be there on Wednesday (virtually, of course) and I hope that you and I will be joined in an attitude of prayer, hopeful for our nation's future, hopeful about our planet's future.

Bishop Gene Robinson's Inaugural Prayer

Today The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire opened the inaugural events at the Lincoln Memorial with these words and this prayer:

"A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama

Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.

O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…

Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.

Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.

Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.

Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.

Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.

Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.

And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.

AMEN."

For more about Bishop Robinson, head over to Diocese of New Hampshire website.

Religious Presence at the Inauguration

When it was announced that Rick Warren would participate in the events of Barack Obama's inauguration, it seems that the whole GLBT community took to arms. Not only them, but progressives everywhere cried foul at the choice of Rick Warren at such an historic event. I think that I might have been one of the few GLBT identified people whom I know who did not feel great outrage. In support of the Obama team, let me say that Rick Warren took a real chance with his congregation and with his larger religious community when he invited Barack Obama to speak at his church. Intense criticism was levied against him, but he stood firm with his invitation. Warren said that it is important for people to find ways of building coalitions around issues on which they can find agreement. He broke with the typical "He doesn't believe like me on most things so I'm going to ignore him or worse speak badly about him" mentality held by both those on the Right and on the Left. Choosing him to be present at the inauguration was an act by the Obama team to show their intention to do likewise - to keep their tent wide, to build coalitions, and to keep ideology from stagnating progress. At the same time, the timing is very unfortunate. Warren's work in advocating for Prop 8 in California and its approval by voters wounded many GLBT people and their families. It was a moment when a minority was once again treated unjustly. How disappointing on a day when justice seemed so important for the American people. Perhaps if the voters had voted another way, even if Warren had supported the proposition, then the GLBT community would have been more forgiving. Or, had the proposition passed but Warren had been less vocal, perhaps they would have felt less strongly. Regardless of the "what ifs," this is what happened and Warren supported it, helped it to pass, and Prop 8 did pass, denying marriage to GLBT people. Many were sad and angry.

However, the Obama team invited three other Christian religious leaders to participate in the inauguration. The selection of these religious leaders illustrates Obama's commitment to diversity. Joseph Lowery, co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, will provide the benediction at the inauguration. An African American United Methodist praying at the inauguration! WOW! Bishop Gene Robinson, Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire and openly gay man, will offer the invocation on Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial. And, Rev. Sharon E. Watkins, General Minister and President of the Disciples of Christ/Christian Church will provide the sermon at the prayer service in the National Cathedral on Wednesday. She will be the first woman to do this.

I actually applaud the Obama team for inviting such a broad representation of Christianity - the faith of the new president - to participate in these historic events. And, I have to say that I'm a little excited - especially so - for Joseph Lowery's presence.

Who Would Jesus Smack Down?

In a recent article, the New York Times magazine featured an article about Mars Hill Church founder Mark Driscoll. I was interviewed for the article so I knew it was being written. When I read the final product I was surprised by its content. An article that I thought was going to be about the phenomenon of the church, the charisma of its pastor, and the church's place in the emerging church movement wound up to be more of an assessment of New or Neo Calvinism.

I'm wondering if others have read the article and what you thought of it. I am still mulling over its contents.

Since I was quoted (albeit a very short and insignificant quote) in the article, several members of the congregation that I serve have come to me to discuss Calvinism, how it differs from Wesleyanism (if I can use that as a word), and to delve more deeply into the particulars of theology. If the article achieves no more than that, I find it a very helpful thing.

Bible Basics

Christians need Bible study. That may sound trite, obvious, or odd to say. However, I hear an alarming number of stories about churches that can't sustain a Bible study because people won't attend. Furthermore, when I review the materials for many Bible studies, they are often boring, filled with errors, and (did I say it already?) boring. The Bible is anything but boring, but we do a good job oversimplifying, complicating, convoluting, dumbing down, and drying out the rich, wonderful text of our faith.

I recently was looking for a short introduction to the Bible to teach in adult Sunday school. Curriculum mostly included role-playing (my folks won't do that), collaging, and reading. After culling through about five different written curricula and a few video based ones, I wound up putting together my own session.

This week we're going to have an introduction to Bible - both to the Bible in general and to our own Bibles in particular. People will spend time taking a look at their tables of contents, maps, book introductions, and appendices. We are going to explore the order of books, why they are ordered that way, and the history of the canon.

The Bible brings to us God's mystery, but the Bible itself should not be too mystifying. Christians need to know how to use their Bibles in order for them to find God's word in them.

If you have found good Bible studies (I already know about Disciple Bible Study), please let me know. We are moving to a study of the prophet Amos next...and, would you believe it, I couldn't find much user-friendly material so I'm writing this, too! So, I especially invite heads up to materials on Amos.

Just in case you are interested, Bible Basics includes: What is the Bible? What is the Old Testament (books, language, development)? How does the Old Testament compare to the Jewish Bible? What is the New Testament? When were the books written? How was the canon put together (Jewish Bible and New Testament)? What is the Apocrypha? Did the Reformation affect the Bible? What version is my Bible? What's in it? Are there special articles, explanations, or concordances?

If I've left out anything important, let me know!

Worship is Worship - What I Want in Worship

Worship is Worship. Well, that might seem self-evident, but in actuality we have done a pretty good job of transforming worship in to all kinds of things except worship.

I don't like to make universal claims - okay, I do, but they aren't very helpful...who am I, after all? I don't like to make universal claims so I'll just speak about what worship is to me and, as a leader of worship, what I hope for during worship services.

I want worship to be special time - sacred time - and to be held in a special place - sacred space: If I am to come into the presence of the HOLY HOLY HOLY, then certainly time and space are different from when I do other things and I am different from how I am when I meet other people/things. I don't think that a church has to have gothic architecture to meet this criterion or that a sanctuary has to have an eternal flame, altar candles, pews, and a pulpit, but something has to mark this space as separate from other space. Of course the goal is to see the sacred nature in all things - the God in all things - but the goal is also to honor a God who is more that all things. I also love the church calendar and I love that it is different from the annual calendar. Churches would do a much better job of reaching into the hearts and souls of people if we celebrated the church calendar more wholly rather than cramming it with all kinds of non-church items.

Worship is ritualistic and therefore repetitive. Repitition doesn't have to be boring. It sure can be boring: "Bueller? Bueller?" However repetition can be inspiring and calming: "I have a dream...." What makes repitition work is whether it's performed with intentionality. Few things sadden, anger, and disappoint me like rituals poorly performed, dead, without joy. Are rituals understood by those performing them? Are they rushed and hurried? Are prayers "prayed" or read? For example, the Lord's Prayer is a prayer not a recitation or words. Enfuse rituals with intention, joy, and care. Then the repitition invites us into something familiar to our hearts.

Worship is both joyful but not chaotic and quiet time is not dead time. I have been in too many worship services that confuse noise for joy. Chaos, noise, and overstimulation are not the same things as joy. I have also been in worship services that are deader than a door nail. Slow and dead are not the same as intentional and reverential. I find meditation important for worship services to reach into my soul, but intentional quiet time is different from dead time. Get it right and it makes a real difference.

Worship is participatory; it is not a spectator sport. A lot of worship services have attempted to become participatory by using "culturally relevant" music, images, and media. I know this works for a lot of people. Most of the time it does not work for me. I feel like I'm at a concert; and while concerts are highly participatory, they are things that I consume. They are consumerist based. Worship is not something to "consume," to "purchase," or to "meet my needs." Worship invites my whole being into a separate world where God's kin-dom is manifest so that I might return replenished to this world where it has yet to come fully. Worship reminds me that I am needed and necessary as a part of the body of Christ. Worship requires me to use my mind, my body, and my heart.

These are just a few things that help worship to be meaningful for me. I know that I'm getting old now and that I'm no longer part of the demographics that count, but am I alone? I can't believe that I'm the only one out here who still wants sacred space, quiet prayer, the occasional organ, incense, chanting, musical variety, discreet media, and an emphasis on the sacraments. But sometimes I wonder...

Christ Candle Reading 2008

We light the Christ candle in celebration of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the Prince of Peace, the Light of the World. Let God’s light shine forth, splitting the darkness of our making to bring God’s everlasting peace on earth and goodwill among all peoples. Amen.

Advent Candle #3 - Justice

Your light pierces the darkness of this world, shining with your justice. You come to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, and to proclaim Jubilee. You come to adorn the heads of the lowly with garland. In your presence, all the earth is restored to wholeness. We light this candle today joyously expecting you to come and break into our world. Christ is coming. God's kingdom is coming. Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Advent Candle #2, 2008 - The Way

Since the Advent candles serve only to count down the weeks to Christmas, they can stand for any theme that a church would like to attribute to them. Historically, certain of the candles have been given certain names like The Prophets' Candle symbolizing hope, The Bethlehem Candle symbolizing humility, The Shepherds' Candle symbolizing joy, and the Angels' Candle symbolizing peace. However, any themes or no theme at all can be used. They can simply be lighted as part of the countdown to Christmas. After all, that was the purpose of the candles for Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808-1881)who popularized the use of them - to help young children know how close Christmas was getting! Have fun with them!

At the church I serve, we are are using these themes this year: Hope, The Way, Justice, Peace.

Here is our reading for Advent Candle #2 - The Way:

We light this candle in preparation for the coming of the Christ child. God sent the prophets to prepare the way for Jesus. John the Baptist cried out in the wilderness that a Messiah was coming. Christ is the embodiment of God's light, love, justice, and peace. We pray to walk in the way of Christ, shining with God's light, brimming with God's love, embodying God's justice, and establishing God's peace. Christ is coming. God's realm has begun. And we are God’s children who are told to prepare ourselves and who are invited to walk in the way of the Lord as we wait in hope for that glorious day.

Advent Candle #1, 2008

Last year I posted the readings that we used in worship during the lighting of the Advent candles. Many people have read those reflections, so I am posting this year's readings as well. They are very similar to last year, but with a few changes.

Here is the First Advent Candle - Hope
We light this candle in a spirit of hope. This Advent season we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ child and for God’s realm which he brings to us. In a world deeply divided and often arrested by fear, the promised coming of the Christ child, the breaking in of God’s realm, and the power of God to tear open the heavens to come to us bring us hope. Christ is coming. God’s realm has begun. And we are God’s children who are told to keep awake and who are invited to walk in the light of the Lord as we wait in hope for that glorious day.

Churches and the Economic Crisis

The effects of the financial crisis have begun to translate into real economic hardships for everyday folks. As the Dow slipped below 8,000 at today's close while the Senate refused to bail out the auto "Big Three," people far away from Wall Street are beginning to feel the ripple effects. Our churches are made up of the same hurting people as those that make up the rest of society. As the old song goes, "The church is not a building/The church is not a steeple/The church is not a resting place/The church is the people." People in our churches have begun to hurt. How will we respond and how will the hurt of our people affect our ability to help those beyond our church doors?

Every year the church that I serve donates animals through the Heifer Project. It's typical for us to raise 10, 11, 12 pigs (we always give pigs). I was concerned that this year we might not be able to raise quite as much as people nearing retirement feel cautious about their pensions, as people in retirement worry about rising prices, and as those in the earlier phases of life worry about job security. And yet, we raised enough for 16 pigs! I was surprised and impressed. However, that was a few months ago.

As Christmas nears and I hear more and more stories of hardship I do wonder how we will respond? How will we interpret what our baptismal vows demand of us? How are we to take care of one another? Will we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and open and accepting of care? Will we retreat and hold one another at bay?

People inside and outside of the church are feeling the hurt of our current economic crisis. I don't keep a log of the number of calls I receive for help, but I can say that I have received a marked increase in contacts from people seeking help. I hear reports of food banks are running dry. I also am aware that as the city of Seattle creates its budget for next year, it faces some difficult choices given the economic report of our area; Washington faces a $5 billion shortfall as lawmakers try to create two year budget. How do churches respond to the need of their city and also care for those in its covenant community?

Reuters has a video on how the crisis is affecting the ability of churches to maintain themselves.

These are big problems and many of us are in small churches. I am hoping that this will be a time of loaves and fishes; that God's abundance will find its way into our communities. If you have any ideas of how to offer care for one another as our neighbors lose jobs, file bankruptcy, or struggle to make ends meet, I would love to hear them. I am also interested in knowing if your communities are doing anything differently in the running of your congregations in order to stretch the dollars that you do receive for ministry.

Colbert's Christmas Special THIS Sunday

Stephen Colbert's Christmas special airs this Sunday at 10 PM. Tune in for fun and satire. You'll find the show on Comedy Central.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
A Colbert Christmas: Preview - Jon Stewart
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election March to Keep Fear Alive

Tracing Today's Election

Today the US hosts an historical presidential election. A filibuster-proof Senate and control of Congress also hang in the balance. State and local elections also take place. Please VOTE!

Sabbath Poems - Wendell Berry

As I've been thinking a lot about worship this Sunday during which we will remember our saints and as I've been thinking a lot about the election next Tuesday, this poem by Wendell Berry came to mind. It comes from the book "A Timbered Choir: The Sabbath Poems, 1979-1997." Every Sunday after church Wendell Berry walks the grounds of his Kentucky farm and then writes. This is the collection of the ideas and thoughts that came to him during his walks. Here is one poem:

"A gracious Sabbath stood here while they stood
Who gave our rest a haven.
Now fallen, they are given
To labor and distress.
These times we know much evil, little good
To steady us in faith
And comfort when our losses press
Hard on us, and we choose,
In panic or despair or both,
To keep what we will lose.

For we are fallen like the trees, our peace
Broken, and so we must
Love where we cannot trust,
Trust where we cannot know,
And must await the wayward-coming grace
That joins living and dead,
Taking us where we would not go--
Into the boundless dark.
When what was made has been unmade
The Maker comes to His work."

Thank you, Wendell Berry.

The New York Times on a "New" Kind of Hospice Chaplaincy

One of the most sacred things I do as a pastor is be with people as they end their lives. Rarely am I there at the moment of death, but I am very often there within hours of someone moving from this world to the next. People often want to talk about the most interesting topics right before they die - how they met their spouse, whether or not they have regrets, how their families should act once they're gone, what their service preferences are, how the weather is, why they liked certain foods, why they never did certain things. Listening to people - deep listening - is probably the most important things I do. It's how I best understand chaplaincy - listening. Occasionally people ask questions, but more often than not those questions are not for me.

Today the New York Times has a very interesting article on hospice chaplaincy. The article was written in part because of a sharp rise in chaplain services since 2004, nearly doubling in this time period. However, the article's main focus is a change in what chaplaincy has become. What does that mean? More secular, less religious. To me it just looks like plain old chaplaincy.

This article raised some questions for me. What do the authors think traditional chaplaincy is? (It appears they see it as death bed conversions or long talks about God.) What has traditional chaplaincy been? (Are they correct?) And how long as this "new" chaplaincy been around? (It's all I was ever taught.)

Like the chaplains in the article, it's been my experience that when someone who is not a member of the church I serve asks for a chaplain (me), then that person has at best a loose affiliation with religion. They aren't looking for orthodoxy or conversion. They are looking for confession, tenderness, companionship, and care. It is my job to help make the transition out of this world as painless and loving as possible. Perhaps I've only been trained in this "new" chaplaincy.

I encourage you to read about the rise in requests for chaplain visits and about a "new" kind of chaplaincy taking place in hospice care.

"Father, Just..." - Communication Filters

I am in Fayetteville, Arkansas for the second session of the New Church Leadership Institute, which is a training to help people plant new churches/faith communities. I grew up in Arkansas, with a seven year interruption during which my family lived in Mississippi so coming back to Arkansas should be a form of coming home. In many ways it is and in many it simply isn't.

When I return "home" to Arkansas, there is so much that is familiar. I remember how much I miss the warm nights, the sound of crickets and tree frogs, and the warmth of the people. People are hospitable, intrested in you, and kind. I hear turns from phrase that I haven't heard since the last time I was here and when I hear them I hear my dad speaking (he passed away four years ago). And yet, even as so much is familiar and reminiscent of home, I realize how I have changed (although if you ask my mom or sister, I've always been a bit on the outside of the culture which reared me).

One of the great challenges that I have faced during these two training events - the same challenge that I faced when I attended the Congress on Evangelism in Atlanta a few years ago - is the contant necessity to filter and translate the language used in talking about ministry, mission, and even about God. Often I struggle to get to the speaker's core message because I get hung up in the colloquialims, cadences, and language choices made by the speakers. What catches me up?

*When people talk about "unbelievers" and "believers." I want to know exactly what they mean by that. I make assumptions and translate this language into what I would have it mean, but I'm not sure if it's exactly what they do mean.

*Talk about "bringing people to Christ." I never understood this even when I lived here. Is this simply a prayer, a profesion, or a new way of life in which a person learns to walk the way of Christ? Too often it just sounds like a profession - a statement with no long-term impact. Some speakers talk about a life of discipleship - this is language I understand. Is discipleship what others mean when they speak of "bringing someone to Christ?"

*"Lord (Father) just..." is a phrase that creeps into prayers. I never heard it growing up. "Lord, we just ask you to, Lord, fill ___ with your power, Lord, so she can bring the lost to you. Lord, we just..." I don't know why a little smile crosses my lips when I hear prayer expressed in this way. This is a perfectly fine way to pray; it's "just" that it isn't my way.

*Saving souls for Jesus. Hmmmm. I am a Wesleyan with a strong understanding of salvation, but there's something about this phrase that catches me up. I get hung. I pause and wonder if the speaker and I really mean the same thing. And, sometimes, I am quite sure that we aren't.

*When speakers talk of the supernatural. I have a strong and abiding belief in the mystical presence and infinite ability of God, but that word - "supernatural" - just makes me shake my head. To me, that relegates God to a marginal position. I clearly hold a negative feeling toward the word "supernatural" when used in conjunction with God and God's power.

*The conversation between the preacher/presenter and the congregation/conference attendees. I grew up in a United Methodist church in Arkansas. The loudest unplanned sound I ever heard was a hymnal falling off a pew. While I certainly visited many churches with lively conversations punctuated with "Well," "Preach it," "Amen" and other things; this conversation simply didn't happen in my white, upper middle class home congregation. But at both NCLI trainings, not only have attendees participated, they have done so vigorously.

None of these differences is in and of themselves good, bad, right, or wrong. They simply highlight the importance of language. These gatherings remind me of how out of sync I might be with visitors that attend the church that I serve, especially those who are unchurched or dechurched or who come from other traditions. Is the language that we use in worship and in our communications (newsletters, bulletins, etc) clear for everyone? I suppose this rambling post is really a reminder to me that I need to be mindful and careful about the language used in teacihng, preaching, and communicating the gospel, the mission of the Church and the nature of God in order to speak through people's filters and reduce the need for translation.

Religious Oppression is an Opportunity for the Church

An article came out today about the difficulties that Iraqi Christians face. Rather than stay in Mosul and face pressures to convert, Christians are leaving the city. On a recent radio broadcast, travel expert Rick Steves advised those of the Baha'i faith not to travel to Iran because the religion is outlawed. Earlier this year, Tibetan monks engaged in severe conflict with Chinese authorities. And, of course, we hear a good bit about the prejudices of people who still believe that Barrack Obama is a "secret Muslim" - whatever that means. Unfortunately, religious oppression is alive and well in the world. This month Bill Maher's movie "Religulous" sets out to show the inherent insanity in all religions - and it would seem that perhaps he has a point: If religion demands that one leave critical thinking at the door and incites within that person a hatred of "others," then why tolerate religion at all? Especially during a time of economic and financial crises when people are apt to regress, retreat, and revert to their most own kind, succumbing to their prejudices, isn't this the time for religion to shut up and sit down?

No. I don't think so. While religion can certainly be used to scare, oppress, demean, and diminish, so can any powerful philosophy, social structure, or world view. Religion is dangerous because it is powerful. And, power is neither good nor bad - it simply is. It's how we understand power and how we use power that reveals the worth of any person or any power structure. Jesus redefined power as life poured out for many. He set forth a program for the world that challenged the production-consumption society of his time, that looked the might of Rome's military in the eye and declared it impotent over him and his God, that told the people to seek a new power, born of the Spirit.

As religions begin to slide into their worst selves during this time of world unrest and financial crisis, there exists an incredible opportunity for the Church to witness to Jesus-power. Too often the Church has stepped away from the Jesus we claim to follow and we have embraced systems and structures of coercion, exclusion, and oppression. Even as early as twenty years after Jesus' death, churches became embroiled in battles over purity, inclusion, and identity. These conflicts gave rise to the letters of Paul. We have a two thousand year history that includes horrible acts of violence against Jews and Muslims, humanists, and animists. It seems that whenever a religion finds itself in ascendancy, it inflicts harm on the weak, the outcast, and the other. Christianity has no monopoly on this behavior, but it is to Christians that I write since I myself am a Christian.

In this time of upheaval, the Church and those of us who are part of the Body of Christ have before us a choice. We can slide into old ways of being, into old arguments, fighting old fight or we can become our best selves. My heart aches for the Christians fleeing Mosul who face death because they won't convert to Islam. How can we support these people in their quest to live whole and joyful lives free of persecution and oppression? How can we tend this part of the body that is hurting and wounded? Additionally, we can speak up for Tibetans persecuted by China. We can welcome our American Muslim brothers and sisters, challenging the prejudices held by too many Americans against them. We can pray for peace in the Middle East between Jews and Palestinians and between Israel and Iran.

Christianity is a powerful belief system. Our local churches need to teach a gospel of love and care. Too many churches teaches hate and intolerance. We allow ignorance to flourish; too often we promote ignorance among our communities. A faithful Christianity cannot allow vitriol to take hold, set down roots, and grow among us. We have a gospel to share and at its core is a message of love, grace, and peace. It is also a message of impatience in the face of intolerance, hatred, and violence. We have opportunities - as individual Christians, in our local congregations, and in our larger assemblies.

This year our church's ecumenical Thanksgiving service is changing into an interfaith service. Bill Maher is right - religion is dangerous. He is also wrong - it should not be abandoned. When our congregation worships with Muslims, Jews, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Buddhists, we will be declaring to the world the religious oppression is not inherent to any of our world views - not a part of our God - not a part of who we are. As a matter of fact, violence encouraged by religion is a perversion of any world faith. Religious oppression is the use of powerful and meaningful symbols in a perverted way to forward the unjust agenda of those who are unfaithful.

Bones - The He in the She

This week Bones dealt with redemption thru transformation by using a storyline about a pastor who undergoes a sex change.

Have you seen it? If so, what did you think?

Watch the episode here.

Happy Feast of Saint Francis

It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.~ St. Francis of Assisi

Today I am off to bless gardens, pets, and animals (i.e. animals that are not pets) in people's homes and neighborhoods. This is the first year I've done a "I'll come to you" day of blessing. It's kind of nice. People have asked me to bless ducks in their neighborhood pond, their gardens, their community pea patches, and animals in a shelter. Many of us have become used to the joy of a service of blessing, but this year when I thought of Saint Francis, I thought of the quote above and of his love for the least, last, and outcast. These will not come into our churches for blessing. I thought of homebound people who have only their pets for company, the local shelter, and animals in the zoo that are far from their natural habitats. I also thought of the environment as a whole. Later today I will go to Golden Gardens a bless the beach and Puget Sound, one of the world's most diverse ecosystems. I am privileged to live next to it.

Too often the church has tamed Saint Francis. While the blessing of pets is a wonderful and joyful experience, we need to remember the wildness of his love and the unwavering commitment to a God of radical inclusion. There is nothing tame about such a God.

Happy Feast of Saint Francis.

Biden and Palin on Church/State Separation

Katie Couric asked Joe Biden and Sarah Palin to speak to the separation between church and state. Here are their responses.

Nothing But Nets Featured on "The Colbert Report" - But Not Methodists!

I'm excited that this got such great publicity! However when Rick gave props to Bill Gates and Jimmy Carter I wondered when the UMC would be mentioned. It wasn't! Hmmmm...I guess that's how the ball bounces (poor net-related pun).

For that rare United Methodist out there that somehow doesn't know yet, the UMC is a founding partner (along with the United Nations Foundation, Sports Illustrated, and the NBA) of the Nothing But Nets Campaign.

I hope lots of folks respond by going to www.nothingbutnets.net and give $10 for a net.

Abundance in an Economy of Scarcity - This Week's Lectionary

The US economy is in quite a bit of trouble with investment houses, insurance companies, and banks failing and teetering on the edge of failure. Even government bailouts seem to have had little positive effect in curbing the panic on Wall Street and around the globe. Today the market fell another 450 points, which, in real money, totals $700 billion. That's a lot of zeroes. That's a lot of money. That's a lot of scarcity. Our lectionary readings for this Sunday may have more important and direct relevance this week than on other Sundays.

If you are following the continuous reading, this week's scripture is Exodus 16:2-15 - the story of manna from heaven. This lesson instructs, tells, and reminds us that God's economy is not bound by the economies of our making, which are based on a zero-sum society - a place of scarcity. God is a different power that makes life abundant even in lean times, even when we are in the wilderness, even when the stock market tumbles. Our text this week is not about a Santa Claus God, but a God that calls people to structure their lives around a different economy that believes in abundance such that all are cared for during lean and difficult times. In God's economy we both receive a gift from God and we are required to share the plenty with others. God's economy reorders how we structure the world and it calls into question our reliance upon certain ways of believing and behaving.

When Christians read stories of our ancient mothers and fathers, we often pass them over too lightly. We miss the depth of life they offer us. Even the stories that make for good Sunday School get dumbed down and prettied up. Take the story about manna falling from heaven. This comes right after Miriam dances for joy after the people pass through the Red Sea and Pharaoh's army is swallowed by the water. The people move from a time of joy at their good fortune to despair at perceived scarcity. They say, "If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpot and ate our fill of bread..." (v2b). Pharaoh's economy makes sense. In his book "The Covenanted Self" Walter Brueggemann says,

"People in our tradition of faith have endlessly struggled with a departure from the myth of scarcity, a liturgical, imaginative, political, economic act of resolve to situate our lives outside this powerful ideological claim. Did you notice I used the word 'departure?' The Biblical word for departure is Exodus. Exodus is not just a geographical event. It is an economic act. It is an imaginative act, to begin to live without permitting the necessities of Pharaoh to dictate the circumstances of our life. Pharaoh, then and now, is endlessly powerful in his definitions of reality, and it is not easy to depart"(pp 113-114).

Brueggemann finds the answer to Pharaoh's strong grasp in a three-fold communal response of "counter-practice" that is a turning away from Pharaoh. In order to break from the economics of scarcity, Israel had to "leave" Egypt, they had to "believe" that "food will be given" to them during their time in the wilderness, and then they had to "share" (pp 114-115). He goes on to say, "Sharing in covenantal solidarity is what distinguishes Israel from the 'atheists of scarcity' who turn neighbors into competitors for bread and finally into enemies with whom there must be endless wars for control of the bread supply" (p 117).

It's no less difficult for us to believe in God's ability and agency today. We live in a world completely circumscribed by production and consumption. Furthermore, Americans have created a myth about ourselves that declares the unlimited potential and ability of each person to accomplish on his or her own whatever he or she would like, if only enough work, know-how, and good ol' moxie are employed. In many ways this is a wonderful characteristic, but it has its limitations. It also inscribes in our hearts a reluctance to believe in the agency of another, particularly God. The idea of receiving a free gift from God seems, somehow, wrong, unfair, ridiculous. People get what they work for. People receive what they make in life. While on many levels we know that people don't always receive what they deserve - for good or ill - on a deep and primal level we do believe this. We have structured our whole economy, our whole lives, even our churches on this premise.

Is it possible to live lives of counter-practice when certainty has transformed into uncertainty? Can we believe in God's agency, in God's abundance, in God's economy when our own economy is in shambles? I believe we must do just this and more. It's time for congregations to enact policies of abundance during this time of scarcity and to make real in people's lives the claim made in the Exodus story. It's time that we allowed God to move among us in unexpected ways, offering us wonderfully fragile bread for a journey to places unknown through territory that can be daunting and stark. In the end this is an invitation to a life of Sabbath and not just a weekly observance of it. Receiving from God the necessary bread for the journey as a free and unwarranted gift is a radical departure from the normal way of operating. It is counter-intuitive; it is counter-practice. Sabbath, if you want one word for it, is God's Economy.

In Search of Adult Curriculum

I don't know about other clergy, but I struggle to find curricula for adults that engage, teach, and challenge. I can't seem to find very many curricula that do all three. Oddly, engaging people seems the be the most difficult thing to do. The readings are either too dry, too academic, too emotional and not academic enough, or they contain incorrect information and I won't buy them. There must be small group materials out there that invite people into the journey of spiritual and faith formation - materials that are substantive and real and wonderful. I want these materials. People need them. People deserve them.

Over the past few years I have been delighted to see an increasing number of books and curricula developed for questioning Christians. "Companions in Christ" and "Living the Questions" have tried to meet the needs of these kinds of folks. I've used both of these with mixed results. "Companions in Christ" has tried to speak into the spiritual vacuum left by many curricula that only address the mind. While being a Christian entails learning about the Bible, church history, tradition, and theology, there is more to one's identity as a follower of Christ. What about prayer? community? forgiveness? grace? and call? "Companions in Christ" has dealt directly with these and many other topics. However, I have only seen it be a partial success. Some men complain that it's a bit too feeling oriented; it feels too "girlie" for them. I know that men need spiritual formation; they need to delve into the mystery of God, too. I wonder what would work better for them. Additionally, like "Disciple Bible Study" and other similar curricula, "Companions in Christ" has homework for people to do. Most people don't want homework. There are too many people who just don't do it. However, I have seen this quite successful in small groups of women.

Another curriculum that I've used is "Living the Questions." This has, by and large, been more successful than "Companions in Christ" with the folks I teach. We've used this series extensively. We have tried almost all of the series in "Living the Questions." People like that it is video based, that it deals with relevant topics, and that it stretches their understandings of God. They also like no homework! More basic information and teaching aids would be helpful, though. In the newer series "Eclipsing Empire" they used maps and other teaching aids that assist the average person in more fully understanding the material. Because this curriculum deals with difficult to grasp concepts, basic introductory background information would really enhance the learning experience.

There are a number of good books to use in book clubs/discussion groups. Increasingly these books have discussion sections at the end of chapters or at the end of the book.

Last, the Teaching Company produces teaching videos that give excellent information. While they are dynamic as far as lectures go, they seem to fall a bit flat for the typical class. I have loaned videos the individuals who have found them very helpful, though.

What have you found? Do you have ideas that will promote a deeper commitment to discipleship, challenge the mind, engage the spirit, and allow room for big and wonderful questions to arise? I especially want to know if anyone has used "Journey Through the Bible" and if so, how successful was it?

Curricula I already know; some are worthwhile, some not:
*Adam Hamilton's various studies - doesn't work for the congregation I serve.
*Disciple Bible and its new shorter "Invitation" series: We're trying to get a group for "Invitation to Genesis" - we'll see how this goes. No one will make the all year commitment for the traditional studies.
20/30 Bible Study - Young Adults: Great topics but the form and some content are dumbed down for older young adults.
*NOOMA - good conversation starters.
*Living Faith with NT Wright - This was so promising. It is so boring (sorry to be blunt).
*"Beginnings" - reviewed it but never used it. Both format and content did not meet our needs.

Successful book studies that we've done:
*New Christianity for a New World by John Spong
*Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus Borg
*Walking the Bible"
"John Wesley: Holiness of Heart and Mind"

Cleaning the Wound

I remember the first time that I heard about unethical behavior by a professional staff person in a congregation. It was while I was in divinity school. A person at a prominent church had mishandled money...big money. This ethical breach resulted in deep congregational wounds as well as a huge financial mess. Up until this point,I had never come in contact with significant unethical behavior in the church. Unfortunately, this was not the last story that I have heard about actions by lay staff and clergy that create deep wounds for individuals and for congregations. Of course, the media picked up on the sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church, but abuse or actions that result in broken trust can happen in any congregation. Too often it does.

Since I've been an elder in The United Methodist Church, I have heard too many stories about the wounds left by clergy and lay staff. Sometimes the actions don't seem terribly bad even though they result in deep wounds. For example, there is the pastor who complains constantly about a packed schedule, but who really isn't busy at all. Who can trust this person? There is also the controller, the micro-manager, and the preacher who uses theology to further her or his own agenda. Who can trust these people? There are famous and infamous (as well as just ordinary ol') preachers who use the pulpit to deride, condescend, and patronize. We don't want people to trust this kind of leader, do we? And then, of course, there are the really big biggies: sex abuse, theft, and abandonment. Again, trust is broken and the church is wounded. It does the church as a whole an injustice when we don't deal openly and honestly with these realities. We, of course, don't want the public the believe all clergy are abusers (we're not), that all treasurers abscond with the money (they don't), or that all preachers belittle others and live as hypocrites (most don't, we're just human). However, our desire to say, "NO! We're not all like this" can result in acting as though these wounds don't happen at all. And, they do.

Covering up wounds does not help them heal. They fester under the surface, growing little green germs that will flourish in the most unhelpful times. Wounds need to be cleaned. Sometimes we even need to pick a scab (sorry to be gross), drain the wound, and add some medicine to it - even when the wound occurred long ago. Time doesn't heal all wounds. The church must come to a point where it can look at the hurts it has and perhaps even has inflicted and seek healing. The church must become able to seek forgiveness for the wounds it has inflicted, offer grace and healing to those who have been wounded the most in this world, and help those who have done the wounding to find accountability and accept God's grace for their actions. This may, and perhaps often will, be a painful process. But it is the healthy thing to do. It is my understanding of what Jesus did. He named the woundedness of the world and then he acted to heal it.

If your church hasn't dealt openly with issues of sexual boundaries, financial responsibility, appropriate care for the weak in your congregation, or sex education for the young, do so in times of relative health. Don't wait for a crisis to arise before talking about healthy ways to be in community. Once the crisis arises, people's individual wounds will be too raw to deal well with these issues.

If we begin to establish healthy boundaries, engage in difficult but healthy conversation about woundedness, and stay together during the messiness of this work, then we are doing real ministry. We are sorting through our sins and our shortcomings with grace and love. We are being church.

Questions:
Does one group of people have too much power in your church?
Is there an uncomfortable silence about a former pastor?
Does your church have a past that includes sloppy bookkeeping?
Has your church had a series of short-term clergy appointments?
Does your church teach sex education to children that includes what good/bad are, healthy boundaries, safe touch, telling secrets?
How do you accomodate the special needs of people living with "disabilities" such as those who are wheelchair bound, hard of sight and hearing, and those who are in frail health?
Who receives your finance reports and how does the congregation gain access to this information?
Does your pastor know who pledges what?
If you call your pastor, does s/he return your call in a timely manner?
Have you experienced trauma in your past that makes you susceptible to boundary issues today?
Does woundedness in your past make you want to run away from difficulties, resist offering grace, or confuse you in knowing what is healthy and unhealthy in terms of limits and boundaries?
How does your church deal with GLBT people? If they are not welcome, how do you tell them? If they are welcome fully, how are they to know when so many congregations deride and demonize them?
Do you run background checks on people working with vulnerable people?

For more information on sexual abuse and the church, go to the Faith Trust Institute's website.

Worship and Sustainability

I am wondering how other congregations deal with sustainability issues in relation to worship. We are still a church that produces a bulletin to help people move through our service. In fact, we do not have integrated multi-media technology as a part of our sanctuary. From time to time I do use a projector, but it is cumbersome and ill-suited to the space. I am one of those folks who tends to believe that no high-tech is better than bad high-tech. But I digress...

On the one hand, I like the idea of bulletins - something for visitors to hold on to, to look at, to find security in. I feel lost when I attend a new church - as I did on vacation last week - and there is nothing to let me know what's going to happen and when it's going to happen.

On the other hand, producing tons of paper for a one time use seems very wasteful.

I have been to churches that don't use bulletins. They opt for a more media-oriented presentation of worship. Aside from whether or not this is a type of worship that speaks to me, I can't get in to those services because I don't know what's going to happen next. Therefore, our church most likely won't be dispensing with worship guides altogether. I did visit a church once that produced generic worship guides that included the general flow of worship without printing specific hymn titles and other details that change from week to week. These cards were gathered up and used again. This would require a fairly close adherence to the same order of service each week.

Paper, of course, is not the only sustainability issue that our churches need to face, but paper is the one thing that we waste more than any other material. It goes without saying that we recycle. However, we'd rather not use up trees in the first place. It's an issue of life stewardship, of living the care for creation that we preach.

Has your church begun to face the issue of sustainability, especially in relation to worship? If so, what have you tried? What do you find working? What have you found not to work?

As always, I welcome your replies.

"Crappath" - When Sabbath Goes South

For the past couple of months I have been trying to faithfully keep Sabbath. Every Sunday evening I light a candle, turn off the computer, and begin a day of remembering God's day of rest. While I know that the Sabbath is properly from Friday evening to Saturday evening, I observe from Sunday evening to Monday evening, and I have tried to stay clear and mindful about how I spend that time. That is, until this week.

One of the things that I do every Sunday is call my mom. I am, after all, a good Southern reared girl with a deep sense of family. I touch base with my sister and my mom. When I was growing up I remember my parents calling their parents on Sunday. It is a Sunday ritual in my life. Sunday when I picked up the phone to call my mom I saw that I had an email. For, you see, I have a Blackberry, which is a completely evil tool. I couldn't resist checking the message. It was a reply to an email that I had send previously in the day. And it was an upsetting email. For the past day I have been unable to stop thinking about it, about work, and about my shortcomings at work. In checking that email I tossed this week's Sabbath time right into the crapper.

I have really enjoyed the past couple of months Sabbaths. After demarcating Sabbath time from the rest of the week by lighting a candle and saying a prayer, I read fun books - nothing about work. I sit on my deck, listen to the trees rustle in the breeze, make dinner and eat with family, sleep well, and spend time with friends. I turn off the computer, leave work stuff alone, and don't spend money. It's true that I have struggled to find a rhythm and a set of rituals that feel authentic and right. Being a Christian doesn't bring with it easy to use observance related activities! I enjoy the celebration of the Lord's Day, but I also have been craving that sense of relief that I have discovered in observing Sabbath.

Today was a disappointment. My actions were a disappointment. Why didn't I just leave the email alone? My refusal to do so underscores how far I have to go in remembering that my work is not the most important work; God's work is. The world will wait one day for me to check email. And perhaps if I can learn this lesson then I can get back to observing "Sabbath" and not "Crappath."

Neil Young's Hymn and Cultural Relevance in Worship

Churches can easily be caught up in culture wars. I don't just mean cultural issues like abortion or homosexuality, either. Rather, the cultures of many congregations are stuck solidly in the 1950 (or possibly the 1960s if you have lots of Boomers in the congregation). Culture wars reveal themselves in a number of places, most pointedly in the music we use. If faithfulness is the most important aspect of worship, it is vital for us to honor the power of cultural contexts without becoming divided by culture. We become sidetracked from our purpose: to honor and praise God, to be inspired by the proclamation of the Word, and to be transformed by God's holy sacraments. True worship isn't about us, it is about God and for God. The joy is that when worship is oriented in a God-cetered way, we receive the benefits - our souls are comforted, our spirits lifted, our hearts touched, and our lives transformed.

Several years ago Neil Young wrote a hymn called "When God Made Me." Is this a song that could be sung in your church? Or is it too human-centric and too musically dated for a postmodern congregation?

I've been wondering about how to maintain the integrity and power of traditional liturgy while presenting a culturally relevant worship service. Are there worship services equally comfortable with gospel, hymns from the 1600s, music from the 80s, and music written today? Every now and then I run across a worship service that deeply moves me. Usually this occurs when I find some kind of familiarity in the liturgy, a lot of honesty in the liturgy, comfort with silence in the service, a joyful expression of the sacraments, and music that is indigenous and intentional - intentional in its place in the service, its theology, and its musicality.

So, is Neil welcome in your service. If not, who is? And how does the overall liturgy include a variety of musical expressions that are found in our culture today?

Gorillas and More Gorillas

It's been a while since I've made a proper posting...and it will be a little while longer before I am able to sit down and write about topics directly related to progressive Christianity, or, as I would prefer to call what I'm interested in, deep Christianity.

For now, let me highlight an article that is receiving wide attention. According to a recent census, the number of lowland gorillas appears to be almost twice the population size that scientists have been estimating.

This is excellent news, but it also raises concerns for the continued protection of and care for these animals. We now run the risk of people feeling more free to kill (I would say murder) them for bush meat. It is also possible that the strong laws protecting these animals may come under threat. Let us hope not. This is one of those rare times when we have learned, without caveat, some good ecological news. So, I'll just try and receive it as such.

People have asked me why I post about gorillas (usually the mountain gorillas of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda) on a progressive Christian website. I will admit the decision to post articles here is a bit arbitrary. However, the plight of the gorilla, especially the mountain gorilla, is a living example of the interrelatedness of life, the power of politics, and the consequences of actions taken every day taken by everyday people. I find this deeply connected to my faith and my understanding of God.

Life is radically interrelated. It is folly for me to believe that my search for cheap goods doesn't connect to slave labor, deforestation, or oppressive politics. It is important for me, for you, for all of us to realize that as the world's most active consumers, we have a power to affect the rest of the world in ways never known in the history of the world. This becomes, to use a Christian term, a question of stewardship. The plight of the gorilla raises for me real life questions of stewardship: Do I need a new cell phone that uses Coltan when my old one works just fine? When I buy patio furniture, where does that cheap wood come from? How much packaging should the West be exporting to Africa where they have even fewer options for disposing of plastic? What are we going to do about clean drinking water, waste water management, and the politics of water? Can't we make more progress on alternative fuels so people simply trying to subsist don't cut down trees for charcoal, thus destroying the habitat of gorillas?

The mountain gorilla serves as a symbol for me of how I am called to live as a follower of Christ. It reminds me of the covenant between God and humankind and our commission to tend all of creation. I could just as easily see a wolf, a sea turtle, a Western pond turtle, a sea lion, a whale, or a polar bear. These are all fighting for survival amid the press of human consumption.

I am glad to hear this news about the lowland gorilla and I hope for good things to come for the mountain gorilla. It would help me believe that humans can be good stewards of God's precious creation.

For more on the article, go here.

Magnetism

Magnetic Movie from Semiconductor on Vimeo.

Elaine Stanovsky Elected Bishop

At 12:53 AM this morning, Elaine Stanovsky was elected bishop with fifty-three votes. I suppose I'll be getting a new district superintendent!

Here is an article from the United Methodist News Service about the election.

Western Jurisdiction Elects First Bishop - 2008

The Western Jurisdiction of the UMC is in process of electing two bishops. After sixteen ballots, Grant Hagiya of the Cal-Pac Annual Conference was elected. Voting continues for the second bishop elect. As of ballot twenty, Elaine Stanovsky of the PNW Annual Conference was in the lead with thirty-three votes. A thirty minute recess was called. Voting will continue later this evening. If you would like to follow the WJC's process, the Cal-Pac Annual is giving news updates after every ballot as well as posting other elections within the denomination. Here is their website.

Accountability and Membership

Accountability and membership have been on my mind a lot in recent days. How important is the covenant community to a member who attends worship 1, 4, 8 times a year? How has the church failed its members if some aren't compelled to come for their own spiritual nurture or in order to be with one another to "shoulder the burdens, share the risks, and celebrate the joys of fellow members" (BOD, Para. 218)? And how can the issue of accountability be spoken of with love and care and not in a way that is off-putting, shaming, or just down right annoying? This concerns me not because I want more butts in the seat; that will always be true. It concerns me because the strength of the covenant is weakened, the depth of relationships is hindered, and the nurture of people's spiritual lives is compromised if we aren't engaging in ongoing maintenance of the covenant-. How can we be a community if we don't spend time with one another? How can we be Christians if we don't study and learn together? How can we worship God - our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer - if we never attend worship? And, how can we attend to the hard work of being a community of the baptized if we don't live out our baptism on a daily basis?

It shouldn't surprise anyone that as a clergy person church is more than an activity for me. It is more than just one option among many that vie for my time. Is it possible to build a community of lay person who also burn with a passion for God's gospel, for God's realm, for God's dream for this world? Clergy are here to serve congregations; we aren't here to be the congregation.

I understand that laity have busy lives. They have children, aging parents, hassles at work, vacations, spouses and partners. They have hobbies, illnesses, and families spread all over the United States (and sometimes all over the world). And yet I wonder what the church might do better in order to speak to the deep places in people's lives so that they yearn to come to church, to join a covenant group, to study their faith history, and delve into their faith traditions. I wonder how we might jettison all of the extra fluff that makes church "work" and "superfluous" in order to get to the core reason for our existence. We don't exist to get members. We don't exist to build our budgets. We don't exist for the sake of clergy. We exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. That's pretty exciting. And to do something this exciting requires us to build and maintain a strong and healthy covenant community that rests on accountability within the membership.

If you have had a history of strengthening your covenant, of creating healthy accountability within your congregation, or of growing an informed and invested membership, I'd love to hear more about it.

Finding Zen...LOLCat Style

more cat pictures