Annual Conference (Part 2)

Well, the first day of conference is always a time of endings and beginnings. We have the memorial service and recognize those saints who have gone on before us and surround us with the great cloud of witnesses that cheer us onward toward the prize that is eternity with Jesus.

We also have our commissioning service sending into ministry those who have, with the great efforts of friends, mentors and others, jumped through enough hoops to be barely recognized as real official ministers, even though that most of them have been in ministry already. I can make fun of them, because I are one of them. On Wednesday we have the ordination service in which they become real official people who are *special.* I too hope to become *special* next year.

Of course, I am making light of a serious thing, only because, well....it is kind of funny that we have to be 'probationary' (the new language calls us 'provisional' which I think sounds a bit more ominous) for three years. I understand the purpose behind this process, in fact, I believe it is a good thing. I think it is a good thing to check people out, see what you are getting yourself into. Of course, being in the middle of the process myself, I want to tell them "sure, you can trust me, just ordain me already." But, alas, I am a committed Methodist, and that just isn't the way it works.

In any event, the first day was good and I am looking forward to tomorrow. Apparently, it is "casual day" but the Bishop was certain to inform us that in no way should we look "like we are going to the beach." "It's dressy casual" he tells us. Of course, many people come like that everyday!

Blessings for your ministry whether it is ordained or commission, clergy or lay, regardless of our designation, we are all called to be ministers by our baptism. Thanks be to God.

Annual Conference (Part 1)

Well, it's that time of year...the time of year you get to go hang out with friends you never get to see...you hear amazing testimonies of ministry in action...you have wonderful spirit-filled worship services and fellowship with other Methodists....and if the reports get boring, you can always go shop at Cokesbury!

I will be posting daily this week about things that have moved me, maddened me, or otherwise ministered to my heart and pass along the blessings.

For starters, we worshiped this morning at Boston Ave., and heard our Bishop preach. I am always blessed by his messages, and this morning was no different. He spoke of Jesus healing on the sabbath and of Peter and Paul healing the man at the temple. Basically, it was of how Jesus was turning things upside down and right side up and everyone knew it was no longer business as usual. He spoke of how when the spirit fills us - we may look the same on the outside, but we are UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT on the inside. Thank God for God!

As I am writing this I am sitting in the hotel lobby where there is free wi-fi and watching the arrivals check-in. I am reminded that although this week is largely about business, it isn't our business. We should be about the ministry of Christ. It isn't our agenda, but Christ's. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Get Real

I read a blog called beauty and depravity by Eugene Cho. Recently he had an “open mic” post which opened the forum to those who read his blog. The following is by a woman name Rachel:

this is my first time really reading your blog. my aunt kept sending me the link
and always forgot to check it out. really love your blog. i have been chewing on
something for a while now and wanted to share.

i teach 4th grade
ESOL (english speakers of other languages). my kids are mostly refugees from
africa and burma mixed in with a lot of cuban, mexican, p.rican flavor…i’m on a
mission trip everyday it seems like! i love it. love is in full force…. my
husband on the other hand is in construction. he rarely meets warm-hearted
people who love God.

so, his ministry, aside from buying his crews
lunch and sitting down and spending time with them, is the “PPM
“(portapottyministry). he writes encouraging scriptures inside the potty. one
day last week, he got a response back…”Religion is the cause of war, genocide,
hate crimes, etc. Your God is responsible..Why would i want to be involved in
that?”. It hurts because we as a church (worldwide) can represent God in such a
horrible way…

then i read your blog…and relate to the people who
post comments…no religion, just real….it’s so relevant..anyone would be open to
reading it.

I pray that everyone who knows God now, is really led
to know Him more-so confident in their relationship that they can be normal with
everyone-that they can stop hiding behind their religion for one second and
truly be Jesus’ hands and feet.. Paul wouldn’t have a religious flow if he
walked the earth today…neither would Jesus…so thanks for being like Jesus…

I think her observations are interesting. We are so busy being “religious” we forget to be “real.” We want God to change us so much, we go about doing the work ourselves and it comes out as the cheap, second-rate imitation that it is.

I have read a great deal recently on how “religion is the cause of war, genocide, hate crimes, etc.” But as Christians we should know, as others do not, that God isn’t responsible for this. This is the work of people who have created God in their own image rather than allowing themselves to be transformed. What have I done to embarrass God? What have you done to embarrass God? It’s time we get “real.”

Spinning out of Control

Have you ever felt your life spinning out of control? You are going along in life with a nice little rhythm, and the next thing you know, the rhythm is messed up. Now sometimes it isn’t messed up to the point that it truly disrupts things, or it isn’t critical if it does – like…forgetting to dust the house one week, after all, the dust is going to be there next week and you can get two weeks worth of dust for the same amount of effort! (This is especially true in Spring when we have windows open all over the house – lots of dust!) Maybe you can get the cat to jump around on the furniture and knock a lot of it off to the carpet which is your husband’s job.

But there are systems that are so delicate that the littlest disruption sends things spinning out of control. For me, this delicate system that the slightest thing can totally disrupt is paying bills. I have a very tight budget (did I say VERY and TIGHT). There is a little wiggle room (I have learned a few things over the years) for those bills that tend to fluctuate such as heating and cooling costs seasonally. So although it is tight, it isn’t impossible. But then there is the time that it takes to actually sit down and pay bills.

I had a nice little rhythm of income and a nice little system of paying bills and life was good (or at least okay). But something came along, I am not even sure what it was, and I got behind in the rhythm. Then I got really busy at work and I didn’t take time to sit down and pay bills, and then BAM – the next thing I knew it was “out of control.” Unfortunately, I tend to handle “out of control” by ignoring the problem. (FYI – not the best way. I do not advise.) Then out of control turns into nightmares and panic attacks that things are going to be cutoff or hauled away or whatever said penalty is for being a financial idiot.

Can you tell I have been this road a few times? And each time I get it back together, generally by the skin of my teeth, or more likely by the grace of God. I vow never to let it get that way again and purpose myself to stay on this nice little rhythm that enables me to sleep at nights without evil utility people with wire cutters lurking in the dark recesses of my imagination. But then….

There are always times of craziness. Sometimes it is just a period of blowing the budget on outdoor and gardening stuff (my most recent error). Sometimes it is a period of having to be away on business and then attending to stuff piling up at work because you were away, and not spending enough time sitting down taking care of personal business. Seriously, I am too poor to need a personal assistant this much! But no matter how much I intend not to let it get bad again, occasionally it does; it just does.

This is like sin. Sin is missing the mark of perfection. We can try and try and work and work to try to lead perfect sin-free lives, but something always comes up and we miss the mark – again. Some people have that wretched personality type that we quit trying something that is impossible. So we quit trying to live perfect lives because it isn’t possible and therefore it doesn’t really matter what we do, and oh yeah by the way, we aren’t as bad and Mr. and Miss XYZ living down the street, and then we feel that we’re okay and aren’t we just perfect the way we are, we like ourselves. Rationalizing is one long run-on sentence.

Then one day something comes along to rock our delicate system built on lies to ourselves and others that we are doing okay, and we are face to face with reality. BAM. Don’t ya just hate that?

That’s where God comes in. Unlike my financial woes, where there is often nothing to bail me out of these stupid situations, in the case of sin in our lives Jesus has erased our sins and is faithful to forgive us when we ask forgiveness. And unlike my not having a personal assistant, we have the Holy Spirit to give us the strength and encouragement to continue on with the rhythm of our journey of faith. Do things happen? Of course, they do, but we need not fear the evil lurking in the recesses waiting to capitalize on our mistakes, because God has told them to shoo!

Of course, this is a slightly simplistic view of sin, but isn’t it really simpler than we tend to make it? So, what do you do when life gets crazy?

Things to Check Out

My friend, Jeremy Smith at Hacking Christianity has posted on what he is reading, and a few videos to watch. In this same spirit, I would like give you a few things I have been reading or looking at online, and have you check them out for yourself.

Of course, check out Hacking Christianity for a wide variety of interesting observations. Don't forget to watch the video of them moving the 100 year old church. Pretty interesting!


Adam Hamilton is senior pastor at United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and author of several wonderful books, including my favorite, "Selling Swimsuits in the Artic" which is about evangelism. He writes a blog called Seeing Gray. His recent post And Jesus Went to a Quiet Place to Pray talks about getting away to spend some quality time with God, but it also talks about the "process" preachers go through to come up with sermons. I like they way he gets ideas for sermon planning from the people of his congregation. Here is a quote from his post:

Over the next month I will invite our staff, our leaders and our congregation to share with me their thoughts and reflections on what our congregation most needs by way of sermons to deepen their faith, to bring healing and help for their lives and to be equipped to live for Christ. At the end of June I’ll spend a week in Colorado praying, reading and meditating on the scriptures before outlining possible sermon series for the next two years.

I believe this is important, and I will see about the best way to implement such an idea. Until I formally implement this, feel free to give me feedback by email.


Also on preaching is my friend, David Mercer's, blog Deep Calls to Deep. David is a UM pastor soon to be moving, but hopefully will continue his blogging in his new location. His post on The Myth of Certainty really punctuates how ignorance is truly bliss. Here is a quote from his post:

People don’t like their preachers to be uncertain. They don’t want to hear my verbal meandering where I say, “on the one hand we have this view… then on the other hand there’s this thought.” Many people come to church to hear what they’re supposed to think and do. They want answers stated in snappy phrases that remove all doubt and uncertainty.

I think we have a responsibility to seek to know more, but more knowledge often means more wrestling; and therefore, more work. We like things in neat nice packages and wish our pastor's would put it all together for us. Sorry folks, we wrestle just like you. Which is why, I will be implementing Adam Hamilton's suggestion above - to find out where we need to struggle through the questions together.


There is a blog I have stumbled across entitled beauty and depravity by Eugene Cho, pastor of Quest Church in Seattle. In the age old gender struggle, he weighs in and in order to fully appreciate the male side of this check out his post Ultimate Fighting Jesus. I loved reading his post on his conversation with Rob Bell. Here is a quote from the blog:

Rob Bell is bluntly, one of the most visible and influential figures of Christianity in the 21st century. He is arguably the face of the emerging Evangelical Christianity in North America. It must be both a burden and blessing and I’m interested how he will use the platform of his visibility to distribute and share that power and influence.

For women and on a lesser level, people of color, it’s an uphill journey. It just is. And if you have to ask…you just don’t understand. And on this uphill journey, it’s uplifting when those who have power can acknowledge and advocate for those on this uphill journey.

Rob Bell, is the senior pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church, author and is well known for his NOOMA videos.

Of course, the really funny gender struggle post on Eugene Cho's blog is 10 Reasons Why Men Should Not be Ordained for Ministry. This is of course, in conversation with the top arguments given on why women should not do thus and such. It's a hoot and worth the read.

Of course, I have to keep track of my favorite author - CurtissAnn Matlock. She writes delightful books about women and life in a small fictional town called "Valentine, OK." She has a blog entitled Pressing On which talks about a variety of topics, writing, living gluten-free (she is a Celiac), and life in general. Of course, I keep up with her blogs not because she is my favorite author, but because she is my friend. One of her blogs in particular is near and dear to my heart, Blessed Bread. It is about how her pastor included her in communion.

Of course, I check out Scribbit almost everyday. It isn't about theology or posted by someone I already know, it is something I actually stumbled across and have been going back to check it out. It is about parenthood, family, and life in general in Alaska. My favorite was a guest blog by her husband entitled Driving Miss Gracie: Teaching My Teen to Drive. Apparently in Alaska a 14-year old can get their learner's permit. YIKES! Glad I live in good 'ol Oklahoma. But it is a delightful recounting of what those of us with driving children have all been through.

These are but a few and will keep you busy for a bit.