This far by Faith

"We have come this far by faith: leaning on the Lord" - Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals

This quote marked much of my devotional time in the early part of July. As I found it used repeatedly I began to reflect on how significant it was in describing our present moment.

At the end of May my family knew we would need to be in Springfield, Missouri by July 1 so that I could begin a new role as Pastor of Discipleship at Schweitzer United Methodist Church (sumc.co). But we had almost 40 days between the ending of the Beeson program and the beginning of the new role. We had two weddings to attend at the end of June, we had to figure out where we would live in Springfield, and how our things would find their way to Missouri, but there was not a responsibility keeping us located in one spot.

At the end of May we set out on a westward trip that was spontaneously planned. We had talked for almost a year about how it would be fun to go out west. When we realized the the window of opportunity was before us, we stepped on the gas and went for it. We traveled to Denver, Driggs,Idaho, Billings, Montana, Gillette, Wyoming, Rapid City, South Dakota, and Osh Kosh, Wisconsin. By the time we arrived in Springfield at the end of June, we had added 9,000 miles to our van and visited 13 states in about 40 days. .

Our travels connected us with some great people. We stayed with friends and family in Denver, Gillette, and Osh Kosh. It was marvelous to be in their presence and see what God is up to in their lives. In other cities and the great wide open spaces we met fellow sojourners who added a rich harmony to the tremendous sights of the incredible west. There exists a sweet reflective tapestry between the places and the hospitality of the people we met along the way.   

As we traveled we kept the phone lines open to a realtor from the Springfield area who is a member of the church. We met Phil on our first visit to Springfield and he gave us a tour of town and showed us a few houses. In a short amount of time he began to sense what kind of people we are and understand what things we might find of value in a home. As we were traveling, he was looking for houses in the Springfield area that might fit our needs and maybe meet some of our desires.

We talked with Phil often. As we were arriving in Jackson (Hole), Wyoming we pulled into the local library to print off documents so we could make an offer on a home. We had looked at it on-line, watched some videos Phil made of it and decided to make an offer. Our trip felt like a sprint in places, we had to print, sign and send documents, ASAP. We would do this on two houses with no success.  Phil would say, we just need to keep praying. He was right.

About 10 days before our anticipated arrival date in Springfiel, Phil called with another possibility. We had surrendered hopes of buying and were sure renting was going to be the only option. Phil went to a meeting where they talked about new listings, he thought we would be very interested. He made some videos and posted them on youtube. In about 72 hours from the time of listing we had made an offer that was accepted. We had a place to land, and a place to grow and live into.

The place is east of Springfield - mailing address is Strafford - about 6 miles. It is about 10 miles from the church. It is a ten acre parcel that has a gradual slope from the rear of the property to the road, mostly flat. It has a great blackberry patch and an old cemetery on it. There was a pond but it no longer holds water, and most of the ponds that do are dried up because of the drought. The back three acres are fenced and are helping to feed the neighbors cows. The sunsets are beautiful and the sounds of the country compel us to quiet wonder at the goodness of God. I think of that God's goodness and love as I peer west over the fence and see the lights of downtown Springfield. The city and the people are not far away.


The journey we have been on has been filled with unknowns. Today we wake up thinking that we know a little more than when we were traveling across the country, but the reality is, we have come this far by faith. It has been a great journey leaning on the Lord. We have been led to good places, with peaceful people, who are in the midst of the God's project in the world. 

Answered Prayer

This past weekend an ardent prayer in the life of my family received an answer.
On July 1, I will join the staff at Schweitzer United Methodist Church, Springfield, Missouri. I will be working in the Discipleship area of the church.
How this came about is a remarkable story and a rather vivid indicator that the Lord has been walking with us in our journey. He is always faithful.

We have many questions that are yet to be answered, a big one is, where are we going to live? We know that these things will become clearer as the time approaches.

Today we are packing a trailer and celebrating Kyrie's 4th birthday. Tomorrow we travel to Michigan to reunite our things in KY, with our things in storage in MI. Saturday we celebrate the life of Anna's grandpa Gordon. Sunday we head to the west for a great western adventure.

The Lord is Good. All the time, the Lord is Good.

Written In Pencil

Over this past month we have been learning once again that our plans are best written in pencil instead of in pen.

Approaching the month of May we did not have a clue as to where we might go once we completed the classroom journey of the Beeson year. We had a couple of conversations about jobs but the fit was not right. We, or someone else, kept looking and praying.

Last Saturday Anna and I took our morning run. We had much to discuss. We needed to make plans regarding her grandfather's memorial service. We needed to think through a trip we had been hoping to take to the west, and what June was going to look like. Furthermore we needed to make plans without having anything to do, or anyplace to be on July 1. 

Over the course of our run we talked out some details for the upcoming month and one-half. We decided it would be best to depart Wilmore on May 24th. We will join our material things here with those we left in a semi-trailer in Michigan. On the 27th of May we are going to depart for an out west trip. We will travel to Denver to meet up with The Cooper's. Then we are going to head to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. We will start our trek eastward with a stop in Gillette, Wyoming with a visit to an Aunt & Uncle, and Cousin. Following that we will stop at Mt.Rushmore and then a wedding in Pennsylvania, followed by another wedding in Michigan. 

The whole plan sounds great, but we had to think through the "what if's?" Finally we settled on this, it all needs to be written in pencil. To use a phrase we learned on our trip to Asia,"we have to participate, not anticipate." Whatever we plan has to be flexible with what the Lord may be up to.

On Saturday Anna started packing boxes and I've been putting other things in motion for the transition. On Sunday I had a conversation that will take us to Missouri this weekend for an interview. We might say it is an opportunity that came out of the blue, but we would be more true in recognizing that the kind Father is leading us along as we journey in faith. 

This teaching from Jesus has real grit in our lives, Mt 6.25-34:

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

This has been a good adventure and we are glad it is carried out under the care of the Father.  

 

 

 

A mini photo shoot

Today our great neighbor, Jeff French, took a few photos of my family. The immediate need was to accompany a resume. The other reason is that our kids have changed a bit over the last year. Here is how we were caught in the frame today.

Moses is growing and Kyrie can't be seen

Moses has moved places. Kyrie and Asa are being silly. Aravis is loving life.

This is the one we sent along with the resume.

The Learning Continues

A week ago I was in Orlando with my Beeson cohort. We were having a great time. The Exponential Conference was fantastic. The general sessions encouraged our souls, the workshops gave us some new insight into church planting and missional movements. What we really liked was the end of the day - the conference was completed by 5 PM. An early closure gave us time to leisurely unpack the evening. We enjoyed this because most of our Beeson trips have not been leisurely.

Our last night in Orlando we were discussing the pace of our trips and the pace of our learning. As we were doing so a different reality began to unfolded. A reality where we had to own more responsibility than what we had, and realize that we had not always served ourselves well.

A major experience for us included a trip to Southern California. We were in Southern Cal for nine days. One of the objectives there was to participate in a game called "Catch The King." The game incorporates at least three major prongs of our course work, anthropology, theology, and leadership. We were given a vast array of resources to play the game with; time, transportation, guidance systems, technology, food, etc. While we had an abundant supply, many of us came away sensing we had little down time. Many of us lamented that we missed a leisurely pace and time to enjoy the environment we were in.

However, the learning from the King continues. Upon our return from Asia three of us were tasked with overseeing the game for students taking a masters level course at the seminary. Unlike our 9 days and unlimited resources, the grad students would play the game in three hours. They would be limited in transportation, the group I was with did most of its work on their feet. They would be limited by physical boundaries. At the end of the day, the three teams had not only completed the game, they had acquired more points than any of the teams in California. We had more, they had less, yet they achieved more.

In Orlando, we talked into an epiphany. Our pace was set, not by the game, or the game master (prof), but by us, the gamers. We were the ones responsible for not carrying a non-anxious presence. We were the ones who went here and there, scouring for points, when a simple afternoon would have produced what we needed and given us time on the beach. We had been welcomed into the Kings land and we frittered.

One of our number wondered, "think we can get a do over?" Probably not. But maybe the experience  will have revealed a deep truth. We are the ones, who because of anxiety and/or lack of faith, miss the gifts of the King that are in our midst right now. We turn the gifts of grace into burdens and so often miss out on experiencing the Kings land, and the presence of the King. We won't get a "do over" on California. But thankfully, in the economy of the King, those who learn from the past gain wisdom and bears good fruit in the course of this life and on into the fullness of the King's realm.

Let the learning continue . . .  

Exponential

On Monday the Beeson Pastors '11 went to Orlando, Florida, for the Exponential conference. Exponential is hosted by Dave Ferguson and the good people at The New Thing Network. It is a gathering of church planters and pastors exploring how to partner with the kind Father in extending the ministry of Jesus in the mission of the Holy Spirit. This year's theme "sifted" revolved around Luke 22.31 - “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”  

The general session addressed the soul and character of those seeking to follow Jesus and serve as a leader in His work. The break-out sessions spoke to leadership issues, and nuts & bolts of church planting. I found the sessions by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay who lead a church in Denver, Co. and work at Missio. Their concepts on the Tangible Kingdom add to the ruminations of this year.  


A very pleasant surprise was the ability to connect with IWU classmates and colleagues in ministry from the Wesleyan and Free Methodist Church. 


One surprise in the week was an incoming text from Anna that she was at Urgent Treatment with Asa. He was there to have staples put into his head. Why? The story is that he and Moses were at a friends house. They were having target practice, Asa with a spear, and Moses with a sling and rock. Moses had his sling in motion, with a rock in the pouch, Asa stepped up to throw his spear and the sling dinged him on top of the head. The net effect was three staples near the top of his head. Anna told me later how the PA put them without numbing him. Incredible. I told my cohort that I don't think my sons need to read John Eldridge's book, Wild At Heart. I'm blessed to be the father of some tough and tender young men.

Prayer Sign

Here is a sign the kids made. I arrived home from a trip to Orlando to find that they had hung the sign. It hangs over the entryway to two townhouses, both of the families inside are praying this prayer.

Needing Discernment

We are in the last month of course work for the Beeson program. The experience has been tremendous and the learning has expanded our hearts and minds in countless ways. We've made new friends and been blessed by reconnecting with existing friends in Wilmore and around the world. The course work has explored areas of theology, leadership and anthropology that are new and fresh to me. Jesus work of doing new things within our spirits and family has been a profound blessing. This is an experience we have deeply enjoyed and are thankful to be a part of.
 
As we celebrate the journey we have been upon, our minds have been turning to the question, what will be next?  That question has consumed a great deal of energy. We have been praying earnestly. The kids put our spoken prayer into a banner that they hope to hang outside our doorway, it says, "Dear God, What Now?"(I'll post a picture once it is hanging.) We have had a couple of conversations and have an interview in the works. Yet clarity and the appropriate sense of the Spirit is still not with us. If you think of us today, would you ask the Lord to help us in discerning His leading? Many thanks.

Building from Asia

At Tiananmen Square

Towering Cranes were everywhere as we scanned the skies in Beijing, Sozhou, and Shanghai. Overcome with amazement at the scale of the tremendous building boom I pointed it out to my traveling companions, some 30 scholars and spouses, and thus I picked up a new nickname - Towering Crane.

The Cranes and the buildings were not alone in drawing our attention while on our journey in China and Korea. We were there to notice and explore the culture, learn from leaders of a kingdom that is not of this world, and ultimately listen for the voice of the kind Father.

From the culture, we discovered traditional and cosmopolitan (local and global) streams intermingling. We visited market areas in Beijing and Shanghai, experiencing shopping among the marginalized and the cosmopolitan. We ate traditional dishes, including Chairman Mao's favorite, discovering similarities and differences to our own tastes. We made home visits in Korea and were showered with extreme hospitality for the act of visiting.

In the Forbidden City

From leaders we heard about perseverance, especially in prayer. Many of the leaders talked about hindrances and obstacles they have faced. Some leaders lead large organizations and others smaller ones, each has faced unique and significant setbacks. In the face of obstacles a spirit of perseverance,  a shifting of expectations, and finding new solutions arise as the leaders turn in prayer to the kind Father.  

From the Father we continued to hear about his forging Kingdom that does not wither when confronted with worldly might. We heard about his transformation in the hearts of the powerless and powerful as grace and mercy counter injustice and ridicule. We hear his bidding, asking us to commit our knees to prayer, our hands of service to the world, and our hearts to Him alone. 

In the land of towering cranes we encountered towering faith and a work by the Father that is more than amazing.

You can read more about the trip on the Travelogue page. 

Early Morning in Beijing - Notice the smog

Preparing for a journey

This Wednesday, Anna and I will join with other Beeson scholars and spouses for an immersion trip to Asia.  We are looking forward to the conversations and the cultural experience. I am excited that Anna is able to join us on this journey. She has been our lead learner in our home preparing for the trip. She has immersed herself in knowing about what we should expect with regard to infrastructure, deli's, markets and the like.

While we are away our kids will remain in Wilmore. A good friend from Michigan is coming to being the week and then our mothers will come in to cover the remainder of the time. We are thankful and blessed for their contribution to this journey. We return March 26th.

The trip is marked by a tinge of sadness. One of the families in our cohort has a set of parents in Korea. They are taking their kids to visit their Korean grandparents for three months. Aravis and Kyrie have said a tearful goodbye to a very good friend.  It is a reminder that our program is nearing the end.

With the end fast approaching there are three concerns we talk about each day: 1) where we're going to live next, 2) how is the dissertation going, and 3) what are the last class assignments. The conversations come in that order of priority. We are thankful for the prayers of our friends who lift us up to "the kind Father." In this liminal moment we are waiting with expectation for the call to "follow me" in a particular place. We identify with ancients who could be at rest and at the same time, be restless in the care of the "kind Father."

These are days when we are preparing for many journeys, all converging at the same time. Kind Father, be our guide.

Leading Change

My present leadership class is studying change. The goal is to better understand aspects of change so that we can better lead and shepherd others through change. Two short films speak to this process and I'll post links here.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__IlYNMdV9E&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDAoxuYeGa4

Numbers

The book of Numbers in the Bible is often overlooked because many assume that it is all about numbers and genealogy. Those numbers that represent people and the people who make up the genealogies are a gold mine of stories. For many their story has been forgotten or lost, but their names still stand and serve as reminders that numbers and names stand for stories, within the story of God.

This past weekend on a visit to Ginghamsburg Church, Tipp City, Ohio, there were some numbers that I found significant. 

• $120,000 instead of $2.1 million. A few years ago Ginghamsburg was approached by a United Methodist church in Fort McKinley. The church in Fort McKinley was struggling and they needed a new mission. They wondered if they could become an extension campus of Ginghamsburg. In talking, thinking and praying about the prospect Ginghamsburg completed a feasibility study. They discovered that if they were to plant a brand new church; buy land, build a building, put a pastor in place, the initial cost would be in the neighborhood of $2.1 million. The cost to retrofit a building already designed and designated as a church and to get initial ministry up and going, $120,000. Ginghamsburg went with the $120,000 option. The church is connecting people to the ministry of Jesus in incredible ways.  
• $31,000, 300, under $2. At the Fort McKinley church there is a weekly breakfast served from 8 - 10 AM. The average number of people who eat each week is somewhere around 300 people. They are able to provide it for less than $2 a person. When we talked with the Director of the breakfast ministry she told us that they were looking for some help refining their process. They talked with a manager of a restaurant known for its breakfast and large dining room. When the manager inquired about the details, the manager exclaimed, we can't do what you're doing. Not on the monetary side, nor the number of people served.
• 6 and up. Most churches talk about the joy and responsibility of Jesus followers to serve others. When it gets down to the sticky details, at some point there is usually an age threshold where service can begin. At Fort McKinley we asked about volunteers for making the breakfast ministry happen. They have a set up crew of 6 that makes things ready on Saturday. On Sunday volunteers arrive at 7 AM and stay until about 11 AM for prep and clean-up. They need at least a 12 volunteers on Sunday. Volunteers come from small groups, families, class groups. On the day we visited we watched in awe as a 12 or 13 year old young man created a perfect omelet. He volunteers often and he made the 2 adults on either side of him look like amateurs. We watched as 3 sisters, the youngest being about 6 and the eldest 10 or 11, walked among the tables, clearing and cleaning them after guests had eaten. These young people were fully participating in the ministry of Jesus and not only as receivers, they were serving joyfully.  

God is amazing and some amazing stories exist among the numbers. Some numbers drive us to pray, some numbers discourage us, and some numbers remind us of God's amazing work in our world. 

God does great work in grave yards

When it comes to the benediction of a worship service most Pastors want to send worshipers out with a final good word for the week; 'The Lord be with you,' 'Peace of Christ be with you,' etc. This past Sunday my fellow Beeson pastors and I visited Ginghamsburg Church near Dayton, Ohio. At the benediction Pastor Mike Slaughter capped off the sermon for the day with these final words, "and remember, You're going to Die."

The sermon unpacked Luke 9:51-52 where Jesus sets his face toward Jerusalem knowing that the cross is before him. He knows, the disciples know, that Jerusalem is not safe, and yet he goes because he has been sent for this purpose. Pastor Mike connected this text to Ash Wednesday where we receive the imposition of ashes and hear the words, 'remember you are dust' or 'from dust you came, to dust you shall return.' The point was to evoke a wondering; 'What then, am I doing while I'm alive? What am I doing that matters? What is the purpose of my life?' Jesus had a purpose and he set his face toward it, what is our (my) purpose?

Following the service our cohort had the joy of lunching with Pastor Mike and some great staff at Ginghamsburg. In that space he added a follow up his benediction; God does great work in grave yards.  

That follow up foreshadows the coming theme of Resurrection Sunday. It also led into a conversation about the ministry of Ginghamsburg Church and what we had experienced on our trip.

Our first visit of the day was to Fort McKinley, a suburb of Dayton. A couple of years ago a UM church that had not kept pace with the changing environment around them came under the leadership of Ginghamsburg. We arrived at the church around 8 AM to find people gathering for a bountiful breakfast. At the Fort breakfast is served from 8-10 AM. About 300 people gather for this meal each week. At 9 worship begins with two services following. What we saw was a church that was dead, but it found new life. God does great work in grave yards.

Pastor Mike shared about the economic situation in Dayton, how it is city that is dying, and about their work within it. He talked about the church's work in Darfur and South Sudan and said, we go and we give because God does great work in grave yards.

We came away with plenty of good impressions. The first two are profound. You're (we're) going to die. God does great work in grave yards! 

Half-time at Church

This last weekend our family visited a unique church - it had a half-time, or intermission, as a part of the service. The church was smaller than most of the ones we've visited. It has a link to conservative Mennonites but a first time visitor would not have a clue to its heritage. It was a friendly place, a place with simple  artifacts (that is Mennonite, but it's also part of the post-modern movement), a place with coffee and donuts, chairs, projector and a band. The setting and format of the service was normal structure for "simple church."

Then they did something unique, in the middle of the service they took a 10 to 15 minute break. Time for more coffee, more donuts, take the kids to the nursery or their Sunday school class. It was a time to talk with the person around beside you, or in another section of the room, or as two guys were doing, take up a serious theological discussion from Sunday School and continue it on for a moment.  
The band came up for the signal, time to re-assemble. They sang one song. Then we were launched into the sermon that lasted for 18-20 minutes. (Technically, the break came at about the 2/3 mark in the service.)

I found the experience fascinating and worthy of reflection. I wondered, could you do that in a larger church? How large of a church could pull that off every week? How essential is it to a smaller church? My guess is there is a hearty theology that informs this practice. They never applied the language of "passing the peace" but I suspect it is there in the shadows.

My kids really liked it, especially the ability to take donuts into worship.

Sacred Heart of Jesus interpreted

This is one of the many pieces of art hanging on the wall at Ecclesia in Houston. It is a new imagination on the Sacred Heart of Jesus icon.

 

Here's the image location: http://www.ecclesiahouston.org/files/images/jersusalem_icon_blue_crop.jpg