04 May 2008
Sermon for the Seventh Sunday in Easter: "Transition and Termination"
From the beginning of my first call, I probably called Larry at least once a month for conversation and guidance. When you learn what it means to lead a congregation by watching someone as gifted as Larry lead a congregation, you tend to return to that source when you’re the one on the front lines. After losing Larry, I had to learn to stand before the congregation without that guidance and without that wisdom. Add that feeling of loneliness to our grief over the loss of our good friend, and you can imagine that it was a bit overwhelming. I remember feeling as though I could certainly understand the fear the disciples must have felt as they watched Jesus, their teacher and friend, leave them to return to His Father in heaven in his Ascension; when Larry died, I felt a little bit as though I would now be going out into the wilderness alone.
This is the life we live, however – a life of termination and transition. Try as we might to keep things the way they’ve always been, we are time-bound creatures who are forced to march toward the future, with or without the companions we thought we would have with us forever. Look at the things that are ending in our lives right now. Today, some of you begin your last finals week at Iowa State University. You’re preparing for exams and making plans for the next step: graduate school, employment, moving, moving back home, and everything else that goes with a massive change in your life. High school seniors will soon graduate and prepare to take your place at colleges around the country. Four and five year-olds will leave home and begin kindergarten next fall. People who are aging are leaving homes in which they’ve lived for decades. Others are dying, some “before their time.” Our lives are constantly surrounded by the presence of termination: everything that which once seemed permanent and eternal will end at some point in time.
At the same time, look at the things that are in transition all around us. Those same high school seniors will be moving away to college or finding work in our community – they will become the adults we’ve been raising them to become. Kristin and I spent yesterday with my family and some good friends from Nebraska. One couple just became parents for the second time, and my Kristin and our sister-in-law Donna are preparing to do the same this summer. Some of you are getting ready to be married, two people making the transition from man and woman to husband and wife – you are committing themselves to changing together for the rest of your lives. All around us, lives are in transition right now: children are learning to tie their shoes, parents are learning to change diapers, grandparents are learning to depend on others for their care, and fields that were brown and dead are being planted and will soon begin to grow and bear fruit in time. At the same time that many old things are ending, new things are beginning, and we find ourselves in the midst of transition everywhere we look.
God knows we would sometimes prefer it if things were always the same. God knows that I’m grieving this morning as I think of Larry and how going back to Nebraska has never been the same. God knows that parents hold their breath as their children take their first steps, drive their first car, or receive that diploma and step toward the future. God knows that the disciples might have stood on the Mount of Olives and looked for Jesus for the rest of their lives if it had been up to them. But God had a purpose for God’s own termination and transition, and that purpose is still at work among us today.
Here are some of the things that were brought to an end as Jesus ascended to His Father in heaven: it was the end of the barriers between Israel and the gentile world; it was the end of keeping the law to make yourself righteous; it was the end of God’s presence being limited to one space, one time, one person. It was the end of God’s personal witness to himself. Now: look at some of the things that changed as Jesus ascended to His Father in heaven: when Jesus ascended, the Spirit was promised, to come and give holy power and presence to ordinary human beings. When Jesus ascended, God’s presence would still be right here, among God’s witnesses, people like you and me who follow in the disciples’ footsteps. When Jesus ascended, God prepared to send the Holy Spirit so that the disciples could perform the greater works Jesus had promised to them (John 14). When Jesus ascended, the termination of the old world began, and the transition toward God’s kingdom began as well.
Let’s face it, folks: our whole life as Christians is a transition toward termination: we are in all our days moving toward our own death. But we do not make that transition alone, and in the church of Jesus Christ even our approach to termination and transition can be a powerful witness to the power of the Holy Spirit among us.
The first disciples were afraid after Jesus left them, but the church survived. The disciples’ disciples must have been afraid after the first generation of the church passed on, but the church survived. We are often afraid after our own teachers and loved ones leave us, but the church survives. Why is that? What is it that keeps the church of Jesus Christ alive through transition and termination? How is it that fear-filled people like you and I are called to be the ones to stand in the face of transition and termination and proclaim that God is here? There is something happening that we can’t explain, because if the church’s survival depended on us, it never would have left the Mount of Olives in the first place.
Lutheran historian Martin Marty once said that “the church is always one generation away from extinction.” The church survives because each generation is prayed over by a Savior who desires eternal life for His disciples and gives it to them through the power of the Holy Spirit. The church survives because God our Creator and Jesus the Christ will not let our fear overcome the faith God has given us. The church survives because people are called by the Holy Spirit through transition and termination to proclaim the gospel to the next generation. The church survives because God uses termination and transition as tools in this march toward the end of time and the coming of the kingdom of God.
In the midst of this ever-changing, ever-ending life of transition and termination, God’s steadfast love, which we receive through the power of the Holy Spirit, gives us witnesses to build our faith and MAKES us witnesses to build the faith of the next generation. As we grow deeper in our relationship with God through the Holy Spirit’s calling, gathering, enlightening and sanctifying, the never-ending, never-changing love of God in Jesus Christ breaks through all our transition and termination to give us eternal life: a relationship with God in faith that stands against all the chances and changes of life and says that God is good, God loves His people, God will not let God’s people slip from God’s hand.
This is the promise that God always gives to God’s people: “I will not let you go. No power in heaven or earth or anywhere else in all creation can take you away from Me. You are mine and I will be with you through every transition and termination of your life; and your life will be part of a great cloud of witnesses to the glory, power and strength of My love.” No transition can ever change this promise to you. No termination can ever end this promise’s hold on you. From the moment Christ ascended to His Father in heaven, this promise has been prepared for you, to hold you in ever storm and to comfort you in every sorrow. I hold on to it now as I grieve the loss of my friend and mentor, because this promise is greater even than the death of one I loved dearly. May this promise be a strength to you, too. It is a peace that passes all human understanding, this promise, but it is God’s peace, meant to hold you in the power of Christ’s love and in His unity with His Father, now and forever. Amen.
02 May 2008
Friday Five: Waiting
1. How do you pray best, alone or with others?From Sally at RevGalBlogPals:
Part of the Ascension Day Scripture from Acts 11 contains this promise from
Jesus; "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and
you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends
of the earth.”
Then he was taken from their sight into the clouds, two
angels appeared and instructed the probably bewildered disciples to go back to
Jerusalem, where they began to wait and to pray for the gift Jesus had promised.
Prayer is a joy to some of us, and a chore to others, waiting likewise can
be filled with anticipation or anxiety....So how do you wait and pray?
Alone. As a pastor, of course, I do a lot of praying with others, but when it comes to prayer for just me and God, I feel most connected, most ‘in conversation’ when it’s just me and God. But I’ve been struggling with prayer lately, so perhaps I should be seeking out others with whom I can pray.
2. Do you enjoy the discipline of waiting, is it a time of anticipation or anxiety?
I. DESPISE. WAITING. Hate it hate it hate it. I’m not anxious, necessarily – I just want what I want NOW, which explains our terrible credit card debt, the lovely 2007 VW Jetta that I love and can’t afford (and can’t sell at the moment – anyone need a great German car?), and many, many other problems.
3. Is there a time when you have waited upon God for a specific promise?
Yes – in the healing time after my divorce. I knew that in time I’d be able to get through a day without thinking of and dwelling on the divorce, and that I just needed to trust and wait until it happened. Eventually, it did. In his video about forgiveness, Rob Bell says that true forgiveness is when you start wishing your enemy health and wellness and joy – thanks to waiting for God to help me forgive, I know how that works, and agree with him wholeheartedly.
4. Do you prefer stillness or action?
Oh, action, definitely. Why wait when you can do something? (Even if the something in question won’t help at all, at least you’re doing something!). Case in point: I’ve been known to take non-freeway routes to destinations in major cities to avoid sitting still in rush hour traffic. I don’t care if it actually takes longer and means more miles; if I can avoid sitting behind the wheel doing nothing, I’ll go farther and longer just to keep moving forward.
5. If ( and this is slightly tongue in cheek) you were promised one gift spiritual or otherwise what would you choose to recieve?
Patience, without a doubt. I just don’t have much of it at all. And I’d like it now, please. :-)
01 May 2008
Catching Up On Pictures
Ainsley helping Grandma Johnson read a book:
Ainsley and Daddy with Ainsley's first car, courtesy of Grandma & Grandpa Johnson
Playing outside in the new back yard. Check out the boots!
Bathtime for Baby & Daddy!
Playing in the street at Uncle Jerry & Aunt Kimmie's house.
One Day of Running
I mention this because one of the new gadgets I've discovered is the training log program that Runner's World runs through their website. It compiles your mileage, times, how many miles are on the shoes you wear, what the weather was like on your last run, and about as much detail as you'd like to add. They even have a mapping program so you can enter the routes you run where you live and know the exact mileage of each route, which is a marked improvement from my old method of driving the routes and using the trip odometer on my car (and guestimating the distance when I ran where I couldn't drive). AND they have a button you can add to your blog, so that others can keep track with you - you can see it to the right, just under the "About Me" section.
As I was entering tonight's tempo run (1.5 mile warmup, 4 miles at 8:23 / mile or faster, .75 mile cooldown), I noticed that my comprehensive running time for 2008 is 24:12:44. So far in 2008 I've run for just over one day, total. The thought of it just amazed me. I started running for fitness eight years ago, when I finally got fed up with wearing jeans with a 40 inch waistband and getting seriously winded walking up the hill from Burntvedt Court on the Luther Seminary campus. Back then, I couldn't run constantly for very long - I'd go 3 minutes running, 2 minutes walking, for 30 minutes or so. But slowly, I made progress. I got to where I could run without stopping for much longer than I thought I ever could. On my internship in Florida, running kept me sane when lots of stuff around me was driving me crazy (and, let's be honest, a fair amount of my own stuff was contributing to the craziness). I came back to seminary the next year so thin that my classmates didn't recognize me: one friend who'd been in a monthly marriage care group and several of my classes walked right past me in the weight room before doing a double-take and coming back to say hello. Two years ago, in response to a particularly rough stretch that included my first diagnosis of depression, I entered the Fargo Marathon to give me a goal to work toward. Today, I'm a little heavier than I was then, but I'm still running, and I still enjoy it nearly every time I go out.
Transformation is a pretty incredible thing to see in hindsight. One day you're running just to drop a couple of pounds, the next you're wondering how much weight you could drop and whether you actually could take a shot at qualifying for the Boston Marathon in a few years. I didn't get into this to do anything other than be healthier, but now it's become such a part of my life that I can't imagine myself NOT running. It'll be interesting to see where this takes me.
Anyway, since I don't currently have a book on the iPod (problems with audible.com), I did a random shuffle for the run today. (the iPod is, by the way, another great gadget) Here's the list:
1. "Satisfied Land" by Storyhill (a great start if you ask me)
2. "Light As The Breeze" by Billy Joel
3. "Come Back To Bed" by John Mayer
4. "Like a Child (Live)" by Jars of Clay
5. "Grace Is Gone" by the Dave Matthews Band
6. "Nightingale" by Norah Jones
7. "Begin" by the Wailin' Jennys
8. "Jill" by Harry Connick, Jr.
9. "Peaches & Diesel" by Eric Clapton
10. "New York Prophesie" by Blues Traveler
11. "Good To Have A Friend" by Peter Mayer
12. "Bela's Reels" by the Chieftains
13. "I Got Stripes" by Johnny Cash ("on a Monday, I was arrested...uh huh...")
14. "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes" by Paul Simon
15. "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down (And Write Myself A Letter)" by Nat King Cole
16. "Peace Of Mind" by Boston (possibly the best intro to a song ever written. ba da da dum, da da dum da dum da diddly-a dum...)
17. "Rhythm Of Life" by Soul Support
18. "Let's Live It Up" by Brian Setzer
19. "Black & Tans" by the Wild Clover Band
20. "Jerry Was A Racecar Driver" by the Cornhusker Marching Band Drumline
Now, here's the funny thing about the last two - tomorrow the fam and I are off to Omaha to visit my brother and his family, to enjoy a birthday party for my nephew, AND to see the Wild Clover Band at the Brazen Head Pub. My college friend Aaron Svoboda plays bodhran and sings in the WCB, and I can't wait to see him and his wife. It's going to be a great weekend, made even better by the run I'm going to enjoy in Plattsmouth, NE on Saturday morning. So, in the best Irish I've got, let me wish you all:
Slainte!
More Holy Than Can Be Described
Interestingly, my bravest friends, be they Christian pastors or confirmed heathens, have tended to explain the least. Instead, they have quietly anointed us with their kindnesses. They have prepared meals for us in the presence of our bitter enemy. They are holding our hands as we walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
You should go read the rest, right now.
30 April 2008
Wednesday Reflection: "Labor Pains"
We spent the afternoon chasing Ainsley all over the place: first, at the house, then we went to the park for a good long time. We’re pooped!
This parenting bit is some hard work. You get some awesome moments of happiness, to be sure, and I love being a Daddy, but this work is not for the faint-hearted or the uncommitted. We’ve been up several nights this week helping Ainsley sleep after major coughing attacks. We clean up the house and get all the food out of the carpet only to watch our little darling get it messy again as soon as she gets up. My wonderful book collection, so lovingly sorted by author and genre when we moved in, is a gigantic, haphazard mess because we don’t have time to put them back in order after Ainsley pulls them off the shelves. And let’s not even talk about what I’ve seen in her diapers, or the sheer amount of snot, spit and puke we’ve wiped up or absorbed on our clothes over the last fifteen months. No, being a parent isn’t easy – but nothing worth doing well is ever easy.
In tonight’s reading from the Gospel of John, Jesus talked to his disciples about the pain of delivering a child. He did get it right, you know: holding the new life in your arms drives all the exhaustion and pain right out of you. I should know: I didn’t sleep for almost twenty hours before Ainsley was born! J In all seriousness, Kristin did enjoy holding our little one almost right away when she was born, and the 30 hours of labor she had endured were reduced to almost nothing in that moment. But that doesn’t mean Kristin was ready to get up and dance in celebration. The joy of becoming a parent is beyond description, but it leaves scars and changes your life forever.
Living the life of Christian discipleship is much the same. When Jesus was telling his disciples about his coming death and what it would do to them, he knew they wouldn’t understand, because you can’t understand this kind of thing until you’ve actually lived through it. Jesus knew that the crucifixion would not be a “get over it and move on” experience; the disciples would be tested, pushed and pulled past their breaking point, and finally scattered and left to fend for themselves, before the resurrection would bring all things back into some semblance of restoration. But the resurrection doesn’t reverse the effects of the crucifixion: the scars remain. The resurrection was the joyful end to a terrible ordeal, and, like a parent with a newborn child, resurrection joy can never be taken away from those who follow Jesus Christ.
You’re in the crucible of your semester: it’s Dead Week, finals are looming and while the end is in sight, there is much to be accomplished before the work is completed. You’re delivering the fruit of four months of gestation, if I might stretch a metaphor to its breaking point. There are probably days when you feel like just walking away from it all and settling for the anesthesia of happiness instead of the deep joy that comes from an ordeal such as this. I pray that you won’t let that happen. There is great joy and grace to be gained in going all the way, in following along the hard and narrow road and not taking a side trip onto Easy Street. I won’t commit the heresy of comparing your semester to the ordeal of the crucifixion, but I will ask you this: in grace you’ve been set free to serve God – wouldn’t a fully committed, 100 % push to the end of the semester be a fine and fitting way to offer praise to the God who gave you this opportunity in the first place?
Wherever we are, whoever we are, our lives mean more if we live them deeply, fully committed, going all the way. Yes, the road can be hard. Yes, living this life fully can be painful. But you do not live this life alone, and you do not live it without help. Your savior Jesus Christ has gone all the way before you, that in Him you may have peace and joy – even in the midst of your toiling. Be blessed friends, and work, for Christ has called you here to give it all you’ve got. Don’t settle for anything less. Amen.
28 April 2008
Parallel Principles of Performance
Being a Husker fan has been an interesting thing this year. Being a Husker fan and making a roughly concurrent move with a new Husker regime has led me to do a lot of reflecting on leadership principles. When you're reading articles about Bo Pelini and Tom Osborne and the change they bring to a belaguered program (not that I'm saying the Lutheran Center is beleaguered, mind you), you can't help but examine your own performance and principles.
I like a lot of what I read about Tom Osborne and Bo Pelini. They both seem to have that ability
to evoke the best out of people without browbeating or psychologically exploiting them. Of course, growing up playing football in Nebraska, I once dreamed of playing for Dr. Tom, but genetics got me there - I stopped three inches short of being tall enough to play O-line for the Huskers (by my admittedly less-than-scientific judgment). But there's a lot to learn from these excellent coaches and leaders of people all the same.Like Coach Bo, I'd love for people to feel like I speak bluntly, with passion, without animosity except where "my kids" are concerned. Like Dr. Tom, I hope people someday see me as a man of impeccable integrity, humility and energy for helping others. Are these traits I can embody as a minister? I think so. Much of what I do is comparable to what Coach Bo does - I, too, train
young people to give their best efforts, albeit in a much different arena and with a few thousand less screaming fans. Much of what I do is also comparable to being an athletic director - making schedules, promoting the program, finding people who will be a good fit in certain spots. There's a lot to be learned from the coaching world, good and bad, and I'm lucky to have two stellar examples to follow as a dedicated Husker.Your thoughts? Folks you emulate from other professions that are similar to your own? Please add them in the comments!
27 April 2008
Out of the Mouths of Babes...
Now, just so you know that the lunatic fringe didn't totally take over the project, here's one of the numerous "nice" cards the students made for us:
See, this is when the church is awesome - when we do things in great love for one another. What a morning!
St. Olaf Choir - Praise To The Lord
For this Sunday morning, a song of praise that never fails to bring tears to my eyes.
Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him.
All that hath life and breath come now with praises before Him.
Indeed. Amen.
26 April 2008
Sulking on Saturday
But I can't write right now. It's just not coming. So, I'm going to veg in front of the television and go to bed, to rise early and knock out a Sunday Special. We'll see how it goes.
Because I spent last night working at the office, I also spent last night fretting about this morning's retreat (for no good reason, as it happens - the retreat went very well) and thus my idiot brain refused to shut down until well after midnight.
AND we didn't get a morning paper. Grrrrrr.
In addition, due to said Senior Retreat, a very pregnant wife and a very demanding child, and the love I bear for all of them, I didn't get my 10 miler in today. That got bumped to tomorrow afternoon. But I DID mow the lawn - at least, the part people see when they drive past our house.
Thus endeth the sulking. Good night.
25 April 2008
Technological Friday Five
Yesterday I had two separate conversations in which people were musing about how much change is occurring. The WW II generation, of which my mom is a part, went from horse and buggy to automobiles, saw the lessening, or even the end of many diseases, went from widespread use of kerosene lamps and outhouses (in the country, and most folks were rural)) to a totally electrified and plumbed society. The fastest means of communication was a telegraph. The second conversation--gulp--was about MY generation and how much change occurred in the last half of the 20th century. The person said his 13 year old had not seen a vinyl record album until a few days before, couldn't remember a time without cell phones, and on and on.
As for the questions!
1. What modern convenience/invention could you absolutely, positively not live
without?
My iPod. I resisted getting one for quite some time, and now I’ve no idea why I would do such a thing. It is my companion on the treadmill, driving to conferences, riding the bus to the office. Errands around the house? NPR Podcasts make a great soundtrack. BUT I’ve noticed that it can definitely separate me from the world around me, so I try to abstain from using it too much around the family. That having been said, we definitely enjoy car trips with a couple episodes of “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” to pass the miles!
2. What modern convenience/invention do you wish had never seen the light of day?
Why?
I don’t have a problem with cell phones, but I could really do without text messaging and Blackberries. There’s something anti-social about watching our students stop in mid-conversation to tell someone “LOL.” On my way back from
3. Do you own a music-playing device older than a CD player? More than one? If
so, do you use it (them)?
Nope – but we do own a car with a tape deck, no CD player. We use a trusty “tape with a cord” for a portable CD player or my iPod. My parents bought a stereo about ten years ago, and they had to look long and hard to find one with a vinyl record player for all their old Statler Brothers / Peter, Paul & Mary / Herb Alpert records.
4. Do you find the rapid change in our world exciting, scary, a mix...or something
else?
Nothing, really – technology, as wonderful as it can be, is only a tool. The 42” plasma TV we were lusting after a few weeks ago remains a dream, and that’s no problem for us. When it becomes a problem, then we know that we’re putting too much value into our stuff.
5. What did our forebears have that we have lost and you'd like to regain? Bonus
points if you have a suggestion of how to begin that process.
- The joy of creation. My great-great-grandfather built much of what he used with his own hands. My grandparents were accomplished cooks, toolmakers, toy-menders, etc. I would love to be more of a creator and far less the consumer that I am.
- The rhythm of life. I truly believe we are meant to follow the seasons and the sun, and electricity, with all its benefits, does give us the false impression that we are the ones in charge of our lives.
Now, as to how we can begin the process: start creating, start listening to the world around us. When the sun goes down, I try to go down with it – I’ve been known to spend some time in the basement with only one lamp by which I read, and I find that I sleep much more soundly when I do so. I try to make my own food as much as possible, and to find ways to fix and reuse the stuff we own rather than just pitching it and buying something new. It’s just a start, but it feels like I’m being a better steward by doing so. AND sometimes technology can play a part, too. After all, downloading the latest Chieftains CD to my computer and my iPod doesn’t use any natural resources: no plastic for the CD and jewel case, no paper for the insert, etc. The issue is really stewardship, not the ethics of the things themselves. Or so I think as I sit here blogging and listening to Pandora via my computer – good stuff, eh?
23 April 2008
Wednesday Reflection: "Grounded and Centered"
“[Wisdom] is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
Those who hold her fast are called happy.” Proverbs 3.18
“…there is no place in you for my word.” John 8.37b
In the final chapter of The Centered Life, Jack Fortin tells how a group of church folks, lay and clergy, gathered together to “identify what is needed in congregations to help people connect Sunday with Monday to Saturday.” [1]
The group made a drawing that represented “the congregation in its present state. Then the same group created a drawing to illustrate their vision of how they would like to see the congregation’s presence in the world. You have them in front of you right now – which do you think is which?
The longer I do this pastoring business, the more I’m convinced that our God and our faith have been far too small for far too long. It could be that when we begin the journey of faith, God is one element within the many facets of the life we live – but if God remains just one part of our life for too long, everything else begins to crowd God out, until, finally, the words of Jesus become true: there is no longer a place within us for Jesus, God’s word.
I’ve had a little of that going on in me lately. I’m not experiencing the kind of faithful angst that Mother Theresa faced, but it’s somewhere around there. For whatever reason, God and I aren’t particularly close at the moment. I don't doubt or feel like I'm straying or anything like that, but at present it feels like a good friendship that has gone dormant for some reason. Maybe it's the parenting thing - I certainly don't have a lot of peaceful moments right now, and when I do I tend to sleep right through them. But our rootedness is coming in different ways in this new call, and I think we're still figuring them out, and part of figuring things out is figuring out where God is in all this newness in our lives.
Losing God’s presence is not an easy thing to experience on your own. You try to make time for God in the rest of your busy life, until you begin to feel stretched and out of sorts, like the rest of your life is pulling you away from God (or God is pulling you away from the rest of your life) and things just don’t fit right. This is why the ‘tree of life’ image on the right is so brilliantly done. If you look close, you’ll notice that the figure is actually lots of little people together in one body, and everything is a part of that body which bears fruit.
Part of our calling as the body of Christ is to live as the body which bears fruit for one another, and sometimes we keep each other going just by being here. One major change that’s coming in the church is a willingness to meet each other where we are broken, where we struggle, where we’re frustrated, and hang in there together, openly, vulnerable, able to give each other life simply by being here together. By sharing in each other’s joy and sorrow, love and remorse, we become vessels of the Spirit to each other, through whom the love of God becomes active and real, present in tangible ways throughout every waking and sleeping moment of our lives.
While I’ve been walking in this somewhat bewildering distance from God, I’ve been drawn into this fellowship of forgiven sinners and found a place of welcome. I may not be particularly close with the Father at the moment, but I do feel the presence of the Spirit of Life here, keeping me connected with the Father and the Son through the community of faith, and for that, I’m grateful. You’re being stretched at the moment – classes, papers, work, family and many other things are clamoring for your attention. But the tree of life that grounds you in faith isn’t one of the many voices calling for your attention – it’s the wisdom of the faith community, reminding you that you are grounded, centered and swept up into the everlasting love of God. I pray for your peace, as I know you pray for mine – God bless you all as you finish out the semester. Amen.
22 April 2008
Hi, I'm Scott - this is my blog...
Speaking of Facebook, it's been kinda fun suggesting friends and having them suggested to me. I've connected with a few old friends and lots of new ones, and I've kept in touch with some folks from our previous calls as well. Scrabulous, though, is definitely the best thing about Facebook.
Ainsley continues to be a wonderful blessing to Kris and me. Having learned some basic children's signs, she can now ask for food, help with various things around the house, and lots of other stuff. I took her to the pediatrician on Monday, and all of a sudden she started signing "Baby." Then she pointed to the picture of a mother and baby on the cupboard above my head. Talk about a proud moment! Then she asked for milk and food to eat and we proceeded to enjoy a snack together in the examination room. I've remarked more than once to Kristin that she may not be talking yet, but she is communicating, and it's a lot of fun.
I've picked up my training for Grandma's Marathon, which is two short months from yesterday. *gulp* We've joined a gym in Ames and have been putting our membership to good use - in the 23 days of April I've gotten in 13 workouts, and that includes my trip to Nashville when I was so tired from the long travel days that I just slept in. In the past week alone I've lost two pounds - hopefully I'll keep losing weight and approach my goal weight of 190 lbs. for the marathon. If I'm going to make it under 4 hours I'll need to cut the weight. On Monday night I enjoyed my last bit of ice cream until my birthday, and I've eliminated the late night TV snacks as well. We'll see how it all goes, but I'm pretty happy thus far.
Is it me, or does it seem like God just flipped a switch and spring came ON? We went from cold and rainy and even snowy to green and warm in less than twenty-four hours, it seems, and I'm loving every minute of it. So is Ainsley, who now asks to go outside several times a day (when she's not already out there, that is). We were definitely feeling cabin fever the last few weeks of March, and apparently we weren't the only ones: either Ames is home to the highest per-capita percentage of runners in the world, or everyone's out feeling their oats this spring.
Watched a neat little program last night on NOVA: Tom & Ray Magliozzi, aka Click & Clack the Tappett brothers, hosted The Car of the Future. It wasn't as funny as I'd hoped it would be, but damn, as soon as Tesla comes out with an affordable plug-in I'll be first in line. That sports coupe they are building right now is HOT. Here's a video promo for the show that also shows the Tesla AND Ray's beloved '52 MG:
Good stuff there - brought to you by Dewey, Cheathem & Howe, naturally.
In book news, I've finished the Irish Century series by Morgan Llywelyn. 1999: A Novel of Ireland and the Search for Peace was the last and, unfortunately, very disappointing. After the Halloran family was so deeply involved in the republican cause for most of the century, watching them watch the rest of the century happen was very much underwhelming. You just never got the sense of the historic figures in 1999 like you did with Padraig Pearse, Michael Collins and even Eamon de Valera in the earlier volumes. That having been said, it's a worthy series with much to recommend it, even the final volume. Now I'm looking for good books on ancient Irish history, Brian Boru and the like, and not necessarily historical fiction, so if you've got suggestions, please send them my way!
Campus ministry continues to feel like a good fit for me, and I'm very thankful for the opportunity to work with and for these young people in our community. It's just incredible to watch them live and study and work and grow and become who they're becoming. Jan E at A Church for Starving Artists had a post about her church and their struggle to be a better community for each other - her frustration hits why I feel called here squarely on the head. I did NOT become a pastor to churn out confirmands and pray at every church supper - I'm here to help people ask the questions for themselves and learn what it means to be a disciple of Jesus every day for the rest of their lives, to never stop growing in faith, and in campus ministry I feel like I can really put that passion to good use. As I said a while back, it's good to feel useful again.
Well, that's the news from Ames - blessings to you all!
Peace,
Scott
17 April 2008
Thursday Coffeehouse Update
Mind you, I'm not having a bad afternoon - but I'm beginning to feel like I've been surreptitiously cast in a Mr. Bean episode. I walked into Panera at 2:00 p.m. It's now 2:30 and thus far I've gotten bupkis done on the sermon this week. But I have:
- found my favorite table, right next to the fireplace (essential on a cold, rainy day like today).
- spilled a good portion of my first cup of coffee because said table was wobbly.
- fixed the aforementioned table with several trips to the counter for napkins.
- spilled coffee again because I didn't actually fix it as well as I'd thought.
- taken two more trips back for napkins and, finally, fixed the table.
- answered the comments from the guy at the next table who also hates wobbly tables.
- fired up the trusty laptop.
- dropped my Bible on the floor.
- hit my head on the wobbly table while bending down to pick up my Bible.
- discovered that my laptop battery is low and, unfortunately, I'll need to move because no outlets are open in the vicinity of my favorite not-so-wobbly table.
- walked around for several minutes looking for an open outlet.
- found an outlet, moved all my stuff, bent over to open up my laptop & hit my head on the low-hanging table sconce.
- knocked over the other chair at my table while piling my jacket & bag on it.
- finally gotten my computer set up, coffee refilled, Bible opened and ready to go.
- sat down & discovered my chair is wobbly. At which point I burst out laughing.
You could ask, "Why are you writing away from your office in the first place?" Well, I've discovered that when I'm at the office, it's really easy to be distracted by housekeeping details and never get any writing done on Thursdays. I spent the better part of the morning working in the sanctuary: cleaning out the old sound booth, setting up the pews (which are still out of order after being moved for renovations last summer and fall) and cleaning & reordering the sacristy so that we can start using it again. This is stuff that needs doing, mind you, and it's part of my unspoken job responsibilities to be the building caretaker, but I can't do it ALL the time. Unfortunately, there's a part of me that would rather spend my time finding new ways to organize the cleaning closet and replacing lightbulbs instead of doing the hard work of proclamation. There's a different kind of creativity that's needed to create order from the chaos that is this building, and it's a creativity that appeals to me, but the primary reason I was called to be a campus pastor was NOT to change lightbulbs and reorganize closets.
I made a promise to myself that when we moved here, I'd spend more time meeting people than I would "nesting." I did pretty well in that regard - it took me two months to get all my files into the filing cabinet, and I didn't get my posters and degrees hung on the wall until last night. I've spent the time I would have spent organizing my books, etc., getting to know folks in the community and learning about stuff here, and it's paying off already. After all, knowing which folder contains my Ancient Hebrew History notes from UN-L is far less important than knowing that Susie's grandpa is sick or Pastor Inquist has been a strong supporter of campus ministry in the past.
We had a great ecumenical prayer service last night. Some of the students at the St. Thomas Aquinas Center were doing a cardboard city sleepout to raise awareness for homelessness and poverty relief, and I sort of invited ourselves to worship with them instead of holding our usual service at the Lutheran Center. About eleven of our students and the same number of RC folks stood in the Campanile and joined together for song, prayer and just a little bit of preaching from yours truly. We talked about doing a joint sleepout next year and getting more Lutheran Center folks active in the ONE Campaign at Iowa State, which would be really cool since I'm a ONE campaign member myself. Good times with our brothers and sisters from the RC church, especially with Papa Ratzi having come to America yesterday.
So, that's the news from the coffeehouse, and since I've managed to avoid hitting, dropping or bumping into anything for a while, I think I'm safe to get back to work now.
Slainte,
Scott
13 April 2008
Sunday Morning
Spent all day yesterday out and about. Drove to Cedar Rapids for our Iowa Lutheran Campus Ministry Committee meeting, which was fun. As I was heading out of town at 7:00 I thought to myself, "this is why campus ministers work too much - so much of what I do is really enjoyable!" Almost five hours behind the wheel was a good "check-out" time for me; listening to a book on the iPod and just driving is almost meditative, even when the book in question is an almost-bodice-ripper like World Without End (seriously, I could do with less descriptive "sex among the peasants" and more plot, please!) Upon returning, Kristin and I got dolled up for a night on the town. We went out to eat (Panchero's for burritos and Cold Stone - YUM) and then took in the play Doubt: A Parable at Actors Community Theatre here in Ames. Following the performance I moderated a discussion between cast and audience, which was great fun and a neat opportunity to introduce myself to the local theatre group. You just might see me in a production next summer, assuming we can emerge from the mountains of diapers we'll have changed by then.
So, that's the Sunday morning story. Blessings to all as you preach, hear the gospel, receive the Sacrament and worship together in God's name.
Peace,
Scott
11 April 2008
Moving Friday Five
We are right in the middle of a move--only twenty minutes away, but we're still a mix of busy, excited, nervous and surprisingly full of grief about what we're leaving, for me at least. So this week's Friday Five asks about your experience of the marvels and madness of moving...
1. How many times have you moved? When was the last time?
Let’s see – from birth to 18 I never moved. Not once. My parents farm less than a mile from the farm where my great-grandfather was born. I’ve always thought that was cool. But since 18, I’ve moved quite a lot – eleven times, which doesn’t count several “non-permanent” moves to summer camp, my CPE site, etc. The last time was January, when we moved from
2. What do you love and hate about moving?
I don’t love anything about moving – it’s a big pain in the tuchus, if you ask me. I hate everything in boxes, how something essential always goes missing, and the sheer annoyance of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if we stayed put here in
3. Do you do it yourself or hire movers?
The policy in the ELCA has moved toward movers, and I’m pretty happy about that. Sure, there’s the hassle of the moving truck and strangers handling your stuff, but really, do you want to move that incredibly heavy oak entertainment center all by yourself? Really? Okay, great – can you come take mine next time, then?
4. Advice for surviving and thriving during a move?
LET THE MOVERS DO THE PACKING. We tried to save money by packing up non-essentials this last time: books, summer clothes, etc. The movers packed our boxes into their boxes and still charged us for it. They’re professionals, and they know what works – let them do it. Besides, you save yourself a lot of hassle that way!
5. Are you in the middle of any inner moves, if not outer ones?
Yes – several, in fact. Parent of one child to parent of two. Renter to homeowner. Caretaker chaplain to visionary campus ministry leader. Minnesotan to Iowegian. You name it, it seems to be changing for me lately!
Bonus: Share a piece of music/poetry/film/book that expresses something about what moving means to you.
Well, there’s Under the Tuscan Sun, which is one of the most gorgeous movies I’ve ever seen, and it’s all about new starts, etc., but it doesn’t really say anything about what moving means to me. There’s a song by Storyhill that might hit it a little. I’ve always been a homebody – someone who needs to sink roots deep to be truly nourished, and when I’m away from those rooted places for too long I can tell that something’s not right. So when Storyhill sings Absaroka Air I can understand what they’re saying – there’s both the loss of home and the hope you can find it again. Hope you enjoy it.
10 April 2008
The Torch and Truth-telling
One gets the feeling that the IOC is experiencing a significant level of buyers' remorse at the moment. No matter how much the Chinese government promised to do / pay / construct to make the 2008 Summer Games successful, the price of negative public perception is hard to overemphasize, and I hope with all my heart the IOC will start paying closer attention to more than just the bank sheet from now on.
The folks in charge of the actual torch run made, I think, a serious mistake in re-routing the run yesterday. True, the disruptions in Paris and London were significant, but it seems to me that route-gerrymandering doesn't solve anything, and takes what is already a rapidly emptying gesture and deflates it even more.
No one benefits when a forum for public commentary is pre-emptively dodged for fear of the consequences. We're lucky that protesters didn't take out their frustrations on each other or, even worse, the innocent who simply wanted to see the torch.
Some have complained that making the worldwide trip is a farce in the first place, that we should return to the prior tradition of simply leaving Greece and traveling directly to the host country. But the route isn't the problem - it's the host country, stupid, and pretending otherwise looks foolish and rather pig-headed.
I'll admit that I really love the Olympics - the spectacle, the drama, the passion, all of it has remained even after the doping scandals and everything else that could tarnish it. But I'm wondering if I should watch this year. Stuff like what happened yesterday doesn't help me make that decision, but it certainly reveals the passion behind the protest and the determination of those in power to carry on with their agenda no matter how ridiculous the truth shows that agenda to be.
09 April 2008
Checking Back In
Last Wednesday I pretty much wore myself out getting campus ministry stuff done and preparing for a four-day trip to Nashville for the ELCA Campus Ministers' Gathering. And between travel and the gathering itself, it's taken me until today to really feel like I'm beginning to catch up again.
My desk is a disaster right now. For a compulsive neat freak like me, that's a HUGE problem. I do not like all the clutter, because when things get cluttered things get dropped, and I do not want to be dropping events, etc. in the days to come. So, tomorrow is a desk-cleaning day, made all the more simple because my administrator will be out of town for a funeral and I'll likely not be disturbed.
I'm really thankful that I went to the gathering, though - it was well worth the time away from family. Well, almost. I caught up with some friends I hadn't seen in years who are still doing great work in campus ministry, and made a bunch of new friends, also. I got some great new ideas for our own campus ministry, and heard about some spring break trips for next year that will be really great (Lutherstadt Wittenberg, here I come!).
Being Nashville, we heard some wonderful music, of course. For starters, we heard a presentation by Pastor Becca Martin, an Episcopal priest and director of Magdalene and Thistle Farms. She was incredible - passionate about her ministry and the uncertainty that comes with doing it. Her husband heard we were in town and said, "Hey, why don't I go down and play a song or two for them?" So he did - we got a free two-song concert by Grammy Award winner Marcus Hummon, writer of Closer to You and God Bless the Broken Road. Not bad when you can get it. AND I learned that if one Peter Mayer is good, two is even better. This Peter Mayer, who moonlights as Jimmy Buffett's lead guitarist, is as good a musician as the Peter Mayer of Minnesota / Blue Boat Home fame. Unfortunately, this Peter Mayer doesn't have any youtube videos, otherwise I'd post something. But you can check out his excellent Lutheran rock (including a song attributed to Luther Seminary's own Dr. Rollie Martinson) at petermayer.com.
Unfortunately, air travel added a lot of tension and very little relief to my trip. I'm enjoying flying less and less each time I have to fly, and at this point I'm seriously considering driving to anything less than 8 hours away for the near future. I spent all day Thursday and all day Sunday in airports, and believe me, the only thing I like to do in airports is walk out the door. Combine that with seats next to the lavatory on a tiny commuter jet with lousy snack service and you've got a recipe for extreme annoyance. I will say this, though: the airline staff were all marvelous. I don't know if they're trying to be kinder and gentler now that their profit margin is getting squeezed more and more by gas prices, but whatever it is, I got way more smiles and hospitality than I'd expected, and that did make for a much more enjoyable experience. Still, next time it's behind the wheel with a good book on CD to keep me company.
I'm discovering more and more that the major drawback to campus ministry is time away from family. I expected this, so it's not surprising, but it's hard to stomach at times. Kristin told me that the second day I was gone, Ainsley walked to the front door and made her "guy with the hat" sign, which was her way of asking where I was. When she told me that over the cell phone it was all I could do to keep from sprinting to the Nashville airport and begging for the next flight home - I missed my girls that much.
So, that's the post-trip report. Today is the anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's murder at Flossenburg Prison Camp, so we're doing a Bonhoeffer video tonight in chapel - thus no reflection will be posted. See you soon, friends. God bless.
03 April 2008
Off to Nashville
Peace,
Scott