Jibstay

Hyatt elevator ride!

2012-02-01T14:33:00.000-08:00

I love the Covenant

2012-02-01T05:25:00.000-08:00

"I Love the Covenant" has become, over the years, a semi-sarcastic way of tweaking denominational loyalists who uncritically support all things and everything Covenant. Those of you who know me, know that I'm not one of those. Though I have family roots going way back into the Covenant, I've been quick (sometimes too quick) to point out faults and take shots a leadership, programs, events, and initiatives.

Not this year. Why? Am I getting old and sentimental? Old yes, sentimental...no. What deeply and truly impresses me this year at the Midwinter is the spirit and quality of emerging leaders. Start with the worship team who leads us twice daily in worship. The creative blending and breadth of songs is rich. I look forward to each session of worship, knowing they will take me to the familiar, the ethnic and the new seamlessly. It's not about their musicianship and performance as much as about being servants leading us into the presence of God.

I love their embrace of technology. I went to the luncheon (above) composed of worship leaders who arranged to have it live-broadcast. Over 40 worship leaders around the country tuned in and participated in on-lince chatting over a wide range of topics. Technology is embraced to broaden and extend community, not "wow" us.

I love the focus on the local church and not the big initiatives. This conference blesses me over and over again for just being a local pastor. In past conferences big named pastors of mega-churches came out and showed us their formulas that we could bring home and be just like them (never worked). Now we have video testimonies of renewal and revival in a little church in North Dakota that has delivered over 150 meals to hungry people in a town of 80! Local faithfulness is valued.

The days of advocacy and pushing seems done and the time of conversations and questions is happening. I know the battles women and minorities have faced getting a place at the table in this formerly Swedish/white tribe of believers. It's so fun to see the blend and mix of men and women and multiple ethnicities on the floor, the stage and in leadership of all levels. Are we done? By no means. But I sense the direction is less about how the photo looks and more on the character and competence of persons.

This is a fun group to be a part of

Chicago Sunset

2012-01-30T14:28:00.001-08:00

Elise at 1 week

2012-01-30T08:44:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Chicago

2012-01-30T07:38:00.000-08:00

Oh it's good to be back in the grey, windy city! The noise of street and air traffic, the smell of diesel and jet fuel is totally urban. It's cold while not too cold. After my second cup of coffee and showering it's time to register and reconnect with colleagues and old friends....and Luke

Playground Work Day

2012-01-28T10:42:00.000-08:00

Why I love this church! Today is the re-scheduled work day for the new playground. It's a dirty job of shoveling wood chips out down to the dirt to prepare the site for the installation of the new equipment. Who showed up? Other than the former Children's Ministry Director, members and friends who have no little children at home. None of the volunteers today will directly benefit from the work. It's not about them, but others! I couldn't get them all in the picture because they were moving too fast and did not want credit anyway. It's about the kids, not them. What's not to love about a church like this?

Staying Fresh

2012-01-28T09:56:00.000-08:00

A friend asked me how I keep enjoying being a parish pastor for so long? That question, in itself, made me pause. Is it that long? I guess both time and age become increasingly relative over the years. I don't think of myself as either old or long-timer. But I guess when I do the math and start counting post-seminary pastoring years, it's soon 32 and if I add the part-time youth pastoring/interning years, it's 36! Yikes!

So what's worked? Here is a list of things that work over the long haul:

1. Keeping the daily devotional well clear and fresh

2. Prayer

3. Read (current and dead people)

4. Have a couple of good friends

5. Expect sabotage

6. Learn to lose graciously and let it go

7. Be OK with being wrong (correctable)

8. Learn to negotiate

9. Play regularly

10. Learn new things

11. Find "reverse mentors" (younger people who can teach you)

12. Don't take yourself too seriously

13. Be open to and critique all new church trends

14. Practice personal sabbath rest

15. Cultivate generosity (tithe to the local church you serve)

16. Embrace interruptions

17. Critique your own personal entitlements

18. Always be open to change

19. Say thank you without needing to get credit

20. Take vacations away

Morning Glory

2012-01-23T09:41:00.001-08:00

Experiencing Generational Shift

2012-01-22T07:37:00.000-08:00

There it was. My wife holding the daughter of my son, whom my wife held some 30+ years ago! Yikes! It happened. The generations go on. Isaac and Anna became a married couple and now have become a family with all mystery, baggage, chaos and joy that goes with that. Priceless!

Being Grandfather

2012-01-21T08:51:00.000-08:00

Some changes are gradual and others seismic. I monitor changes in me with interest and sometimes sadness. I am changing, aging, maturing, curmudgeoning, extending and exploring. Watching the changing in me in our move to California has been delightful. Observing the changes as our children married and became distinct, spiritual entities is so much fun! Enjoying a new routine and pattern as empty-nesters is also fun (we love hiking together!).

And when Anna announced that she was pregnant, I prepared myself for becoming a grandfather. I listened more to other friends who are grandfathers. I thought of my own grandfathers and who they were to me. Then the call came on Thursday that Anna was going in for induction Friday morning. We left early afternoon and drove south to San Diego. There were challenges in the labor. Then the call came that they were doing a C-section. Silence. No news. Prayer in the car. Waiting.

The phone buzzed...there was a video of a squirming, crying little girl. Instantly I was a grandfather (Martha a grandmother) and it was not about us any more (as if it ever really was!). Isaac and Anna are parents (talk about floods of memory of our own experiences three times) and they were making all the big, early decisions well. Our job: to watch, pray, support and not get in the way. Whew! What a ride!

Off to the hospital.

Epiphany!

2012-01-19T11:24:00.000-08:00

Mornings have their issues! Like cold floors, love of warm blankets and sleep and the issues a new day brings. But today..there was light, streaming across the living room onto the dining room table, exploding and refracting on the candlesticks. Epiphany!

Preparing for a Playground

2012-01-19T11:12:00.001-08:00

We are getting a brand new children's playground here at MCC! Through a generous donation from a couple I never met, a large gift was given with the intention that it be used for children. So the Director of Children's Ministry and her Ministry Team searched out option and interviewed playground companies, bringing their recommendation to the staff and then council. It will be so sweet; safe surface, age appropriate equipment, and fun and active. It will send the right signal about the priority children have here.

But....the old equipment had to be removed, an old, rusty fence removed, and deep concrete footings extracted. Our sexton, Tom Shank, has done superb work sawing off fence pieces and tediously digging out cement footings. Right now, the site looks like a war zone (or an invasion by very large gophers!). And we are not done yet. The other set needs to be removed (no footings) and all the bark chips from 20 years need to be shoveled out by a volunteer crew next Saturday. So, as bad as it looks now, it will look worse.

That's what good preparation does; it makes a mess. Preparing to paint, plant, move, or loose weight takes work and sweat and mess. I think my life often looks more like the photo above than the new. safe surfaced playground. But hope makes me believe their is purpose behind the mess, that God is at work digging and tilling, removing and scraping for his new plans. So, keep on digging Lord!

MLK: my story

2012-01-16T19:59:00.001-08:00

I was 15 years old. I lived for myself and my pleasures: skiing, biking, swimming, cars and girls (in that order of success!). St. Paul was a lily white community. My dad was the senior pastor of one of the largest Covenant Churches in the denomination at that time (1st Covenant St. Paul). The Jr. High I went to (Cleveland) was almost totally white. I paid little attention to the news and do not recall hearing or watching news about Dr. King's assassination.

What I recall is this; my dad told me he wanted me to go with him to an important Sunday evening service at the St. Paul Cathedral. When I asked him why, he said that someone really important to the world and to the Christian faith was killed and he was going to pay his respects. I so revered my dad, that I knew this was a big deal. So that night in 1968 I rode with my dad to a church to honor Dr. King. So memories of Dr. King are always through the lens of my father.

On Following

2012-01-14T11:56:00.000-08:00

Sunday is the third in a series of sermons based on the phrase: It's Time. Using the "B"lectionary Gospel texts, we saw how Simeon was able to say "Now, Lord, let your servant depart in peace." Last week we explored Jesus' baptism in Mark 1:4-11 and God's beginning words to him "You are my Son, whom I love, in you I am well pleased." We reflected on what it means to have God declare our identity, his love for us, and his pleasure in us.

This coming Sunday, the text comes from John 1:43 "Follow me" Jesus declares to Philip. How I love to lead and how I resist following! One of the costs of preaching a text like this is taking a deep and hard look at my own spirit of independence and a desire to lead, not follow. But looking at all the places where Jesus uses that phrase makes a pretty deep impression:

Matt 4:19/Mk 1:17

“Come, follow me, and I will send you to fish for people.”

Matt 8:22/Lk 9:59

“Follow me, and let the dead bury the dead.”

Matt 9:9/ Mk 2:14/ Lk 5:27

“Follow me” (to Matthew)

Matt 10:38

“Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

Matt 16:24/ Mk 8:34/ Lk 9:23

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me.”

Matt 19:21/ Mk 10:21/ Lk 18:22

“If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come, follow me.”

Jn 1:43

“Follow me” (to Philip)

Jn 10:27

“My sheep listen listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

Jn 12:26

“Whoever serves me must follow me.”

Jn 21:19

“Follow me” (to Peter on the beach)

Jn 21:22

“You must follow me” (to Peter asking questions about others)

Confession of a Constant Critic

2012-01-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

I am critical. That's my confession. I can critique, scrutinize, analyze and suggest improvements for just about everything (and everyone). That can be a good skill when collared and controlled and it can be a virus when it runs rampant.

In preparation for an Ignatian Prayer Retreat, I have been re-reading "The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius" again. What I'm discovering over and over again is that the retreatant is guided to self-critique vs other (outside) critique. We are instructed to look inward and collaborate with the Holy Spirit in order to follow Christ with more abandon and joy. But that means taking a long, slow look at my own interior. Frankly, I'd rather critique your performance and behavior than look at myself.

I'm wondering today if there is a corollary between self-critique and other-critique? To the degree that I concentrate on my own following (or lack of following) of Christ, I am not so concerned about your behavior. And to the degree that I focus in on others around me allows me to avoid paying attention to my own interior condition. So the challenge I offer (me and you) for today is voice no criticism of anyone else. See what happens.

It's Time...for Baptism

2012-01-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

I was drawn to the ocean again this morning! The surf is higher than normal and it was high tide. The waves hit the break wall and splashed almost onto the sidewalk. Talk about power! But, then again, you know that, living here in Santa Barbara with the ever-present ocean reminding us of the power of water.

The text for this coming Sunday is Mark 1:4-11, where Jesus enters the waters of baptism to begin his public ministry. We will be returning to the waters of baptism to rediscover its power in our lives. If you have not been baptized, this might be the time to consider talking to me, Jon or Lisa about your own baptism some time soon. If you have been baptized, this will be a great Sunday to renew your own baptismal vows.

January abundance!

2012-01-06T11:27:00.000-08:00

Morning Surf

2012-01-06T08:49:00.001-08:00

Air Fish

2012-01-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

Ordinary Blessing

2012-01-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

Taking down decorations is a lot less fun than putting them up. At the beginning of Advent we held a "hanging of the greens" Saturday and lots of folks showed up to cut greenery, bundle sprigs, decorate the tree and set up angels.

Today we called for a "stripping of the greens" event, no knowing who would show up. A wonderful group of members and staff showed up and took the tree apart, hauled out branches and packed away ornaments. Then we ate a lunch that Sandi put together out on the patio. What happened was lots of laughter, story-telling and love! I hated to see the lunch end so soon, but it was that glimpse of genuine fellowship that included everyone.

It was a good day to be a pastor!

2012 Vision

2012-01-01T09:20:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Martha and I hiked Cold Spring Trail that began at about 800 feet above sea level and went up to 1600 feet before looping around and back down again. At the top of the trail we walked along a cleared fire break road and came to this vista. Out in front of us was the ocean covered by a marine layer of clouds that crept up onto the beach and lower village. For those below, the day was cold and foggy with little to see. For us, it was hot and clear and gorgeous. It all depended on the elevation.

May your 2012 have sufficient elevation to see the beauty!

Favorite Books: 2012

2011-12-29T12:38:00.000-08:00

Here's my list of the best books I've read in 2012:

Edwin Friedman "A Failure of Nerve: leadership in the age of the quick fix"

Seth Godin "We Are All Weird"

David Platt "Radical: taking back your faith from the American dream"

Mark Labberton "The Dangerous Act of Worship: living God's call to justice"

Eugene Peterson "The Pastor: a memoir"

Thomas Friedman & Michael Mandelbaum "That Used To Be Us: how America fell behind in the world and how we can come back"

Thomas Green S.J. "A Vacation with the Lord"

Thomas a Kempis "Imitation of Christ"

2012...the year of unsubscribing

2011-12-29T09:14:00.000-08:00

I'm starting it now. Instead of hitting the "delete" button on the endless emails that come in for everything from pharmaceuticals to vacation real estate, I'm taking the time to go to the bottom of the page and click on "unsubscribe". Simply deleting is no longer enough. They come cluttering into my in-box with such a flurry, I spend too much time deleting junk and not enough time responding to legitimate emails.

What else do I need to "unsubscribe" from? What mental clutter is displacing important priorities? Hulu+ videos, facebook comments, basketball, ....? My first task is to determine what is and isn't clutter. How about you? How do you determine the clutter in your life?

Creating or Controlling

2011-12-28T16:22:00.000-08:00

Martha and I had a long conversation the other day about the topic of creating and controlling. She commented that some of her students have within them the creative spark that allows (demands) them to create. She can see it when they are pursuing an idea that demands innovation and doing something new and risky.

On the other hand, some students just want the safe formula that works. They want rules and borders, boundaries and technique, but refuse to take risks, opting instead for the certainty of the known.

That translates into much of life. The creatives try the new, explore the adventure, delight in the unknown, while the controlling stick with routines, patterns and known commodities. I can think of musicians, cooks, and writers in both camps. I can also see faith working in both areas as well.

Some believers want the rules, formulas and prescriptive advice for life, while others are content with a few verities and then improvise. I wonder about my life as a pastor of a church (really the fourth church) and where I'm creative and where I like control. The church bounded by routine, rules and fixed order is safe, but sometimes dull and stifling. We find our spot and do our job and then do it again and again.

Creative types ask questions and think of new ways of loving, worshiping and doing mission. Creative types are not bound by titles and degrees, roles and routines and are, often, disruptive. Control is not a bad thing. It's a good thing to stay within budget and to know what's happening next. But when control dominates faith there is little room for surprise, wonder, awe and adventure.

How do we invite in more creativity without succumbing to chaos? How can controlling types welcome and not be threatened by creative types? How can creative types love and appreciate the gifts that controlling types bring to the church? Where do denominational structures help and get in the way?

It's going to be a fun 2012!

A Wonderful New

2011-12-26T08:07:00.000-08:00

As the post below stated, this Christmas was a whole new experience for me. None of my children and spouses could be with us in Santa Barbara this year. I'm on the cusp of being a grandfather (any day/week now).

So Martha and I took this as an opportunity to start some new things (I'm not sure if they're customs yet). We bought a tree just for ourselves, smaller and funkier. Martha bought a bunch of clear bulbs of random designs and hung them from the center ceiling beam in the living room, creating this floating space. We moved the family room eating table into the center of the living room in front of the fire place. Then Martha started cooking, marinating fine cuts of meat in a wine sauce for three days (they were clearly unable to drive!). We invited a friend over who is also alone on Christmas Eve and, after the candle-light service, we ate a really long, slow, wonderful meal together.

After our friend left, Martha and I opened each other's gifts, just like we did in our first years of marriage. By that time it was well past midnight.

Church the next morning was really fun; different but fun. We did not think many people would come to a Sunday Christmas Day service following a huge Christmas Eve candle-light service, But they did, and they sang, and they stayed and hung out together.

Martha and I quickly changed clothes, packed up all the presents and drove down to San Diego for dinner with Isaac and Anna. Anna had a feast planned for us (a different post later).

It's a quiet Monday after Christmas. Everyone is still asleep (including grand-dog Lily) and I'm enjoying the bright quiet of the couch, a cup of strong coffee and life!

When the change began

2011-12-20T16:32:00.000-08:00

Three years ago tonight, I officiated at our daughter's wedding. That was the year everything changed. Now looking back on that day/night, it was SPLENDID! Family and friends flew in from around the country. We put up a tent and hired a Gypsy Band and Liz and Jeff's swing-dancing friends literally "danced into the night" leaving us in rapt attention to the beauty of bodies in motion on a dance floor.

Earlier that Fall Martha's mom died after her battle with cancer. Then while attending the funeral, the Tea Fire devastated our hills, burning 12 church families' homes to the ground. Within 13 months of Liz and jeff's wedding, Isaac married Anna and Luke married Kelly. We became in-laws real fast and watched our children become couples and families in their own spiritual sovereignty. Later in the Spring my dad died and we had another evacuating fire.

Now we are in the exciting waiting phase of the birth of a first grand-child in January sometime. At that means that this Christmas is the first one in 32 years with no children or spouses around us Christmas Eve. Oh, we are fine! We are driving to San Diego Christmas Day after worship and will have a Provencal dinner Christmas Eve with a good friend.

But it's all different, a new time and new season with the same God. What a ride!

Familiar?

2011-12-19T19:43:00.000-08:00

It's so familiar we don't always see it. Like a stop sign at an intersection, our lives get filled with familiar signs, foods, customs, people, places and traditions. I know what I'm familiar with...and I like those familiar things. I have sampled different foods and beverages and find that I like unflavored coffee made dark with a touch of cream in the morning. When I see a cheeseburger, tri-tip, or grits, I know what they will taste like...and I like those tastes. When I see a person whose name I know well and who likes me, I like spending time with him/her. I know the tv shows I go to on Hulu and those I avoid (animations and sci-fi among a few). There are authors I know and love reading and those I have not read, and probably won't

There is nothing wrong with the familiar. We come by the familiar after long work with the new and the strange. Some lessons we learned the hard way (hot spices or goat hearts). And the older I get, the more I like what I like because I like it (thank you very much!).

But today I began to reflect on "familiar" as a spiritual adjective: familiar hymns, familiar texts, familiar prayers, familiar spiritual routines and practices, familiar churches and traditions, familiar architecture, music and theology.

I'm blessed to be in a church that embraces a wider variety of music than I experienced or prefered. But gracious believers are teaching me to stretch out of my familiar patterns and try some new songs and styles, some new instruments and sounds. And it's good, not always familiar, but good. Moving across the country, pushed us out of familiar friendships honed over decades into brand new relationships here in this community. And it's good, not always familiar, but good. Why? Because I keep encountering a God who loves beyond my boundaries of familiar and invites me into new relationships, sounds, customs and friendships.

The danger of the familiar to me is that I can put the familiar on a pedestal and let it be my only lens for what I will try, experience, eat or relate to. If you are an outsider and not familiar, I am tempted to not let you in under any circumstances. When I get to worshiping only the familiar, God is not God, the familiar is.

So, as we enter this most tradition-weighted week in the Christian west, watch out for the familiar...and try something new!

Mmmmmm!

2011-12-18T16:58:00.000-08:00

There are times when church life gets wearily tough; endless meetings, intractable problems, strong personalities, unanticipated events, and the budget struggles.

But today was an "Mmmmmm!" sort of day. The staff hummed. Bob pulled together a brass ensemble and vocal group that sang Christmas carols marvelously. Lisa used her strong voice to sing with the group and lead in a song. Jon led worship and preached a great sermon on God's sovereign freedom. The story at the steps was delightful. A care group lit the fourth candle and one member let me interview her about how this group carried her through the death of her husband and provided a sustaining community. Then Ashely corralled the kids into a sweet "pageant" with angels, shepherds, oxen, Mary & Joseph (maybe a couple Josephs) and wise men decked out finely. We were worshiping at one time instead of two and the congregation delighted seeing each other. Afterward Martha and I were invited to join this fellowship group for lunch and blessings.

It was good to be church today!

Church Den: life in community

2011-12-15T08:57:00.000-08:00

It wasn't necessarily impressive. It was a hodge-podge gathering of about 40 people with kids sitting on sofas, chairs, the floor. Some of the kids were playing ping-pong while others colored. Lights were low. There were no microphones or screens. Bob played guitar, Allyson played piano and Bruce played flute, and Jon sang along.

There was coffee and cider and cookies. They sang nothing but familiar carols and interspersed them with personal stories about songs, caroling or Christmas. Our confirmation class ended early and we joined in. Around 8 pm some with younger kids needed to leave, confirmation parents picked up kids who needed to do homework, but others lingered, kept singing, talking and hanging out.

One couple turned to me and said, "This is like the church den, where we can just hang out!" I think we discovered something precious!

Our Little Tree

2011-12-03T15:06:00.001-08:00

2nd Sunday in Advent

2011-12-03T15:01:00.001-08:00

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins." Isaiah 40:1-11

That's the good news: Comfort.

Hanging of the Greens

2011-12-03T10:35:00.000-08:00

It's one of my favorite Saturday events....the hanging of the greens. We're never sure who all will come, but an informal group of "regulars" shows up to work all morning. We wire-wrapped juniper bundles and hung them under all the exterior lights. Large bundles of juniper and other found plants were wrapped to frame the entry doors to the sanctuary and around the large lights in the patio. Then a group, pictured above, put lights on the large tree, hung ornaments and decorated both large ledges along with swags under the side lights in the sanctuary.

Right now, the sanctuary is filled with the aroma of pine and juniper....and Advent!

Advent #2 Comfort

2011-12-02T14:50:00.000-08:00

A formative class I took in seminary was “Clinical Pastoral Education” (or C.P.E.). It was a hospital-based class that taught us how to minister in a clinical setting. We were assigned various units at the hospital. We were taught how to read and write our activity on patient charts. We did rounds and were assigned overnight duty in the Emergency Room. We attended autopsies and had intensive group sessions.

One of the more rigorous parts of C.P.E. was having our supervisor shadow us as we visited patients. Later in the day, he debriefed us on our bedside manner and our language. Until that experience, I had no idea how fast I talked, how much I interrupted people and how forcefully I directed the conversation. My supervisor’s word to me was “relax and listen.”

I’m still trying to remember and relearn those lessons. Because the question from Isaiah 40:6 is as relevant today as ever: “What shall I cry (say)?” What should I be saying (or not saying)? What is the message that I should bring? What is it that you and I should say in the circumstances in which we find ourselves? For some of us, the challenge is to not say too much. For others of us, the challenge is to share openly from our hearts. But for all of us, the deepest question is, what does God want us to say?

The two repeated words from Isaiah 40:1 is the answer: Comfort. As you prepare for worship this coming Sunday, reflect on this word “Comfort.” Where do you find comfort? Where do you expect comfort? Where do you need comfort? Where do you provide comfort?

Advent 1 Hope

2011-11-26T10:26:00.000-08:00

"Hope" can be such a light and nice word. Hope can be innocuously thrown into a conversation to stop rigorous doubt (e.g. "Oh well, I hope it turns out OK"). Hope can become the language of unrealistic fantasy and wishing. Hope can be the word qualifies my personal interests and desires.

But when pushed, Hope can be brutal and demanding. Do we hope that the congress can address both the deficit, necessary cuts and increased revenues? Do we hope that politicians can learn to work together with wise compromise and abandon vitriolic sound-bites? Do we hope that our investments will rebound and we can face retirement? Do we hope that love can return to the marriage of friends who are locked in long-term conflict?

Biblical hope goes into the darkest corners of life with one flame. It stands against the cavernous fears, dreads and worries and shines. It believes that no matter what, God will show up...God has shown up....God is showing up. Advent hopes!

Greatful ...Thankful

2011-11-24T18:52:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Witness

2011-11-20T20:36:00.000-08:00

Welcomed into community

2011-11-20T17:03:00.000-08:00

It was listed as a wedding shower, to which I was invited. I'm never invited to wedding showers. That's normally something I've seen Martha and women attend, maybe the groom shows up later. But this, Martha said, was a mixed shower and I was invited.

Sunday afternoon events are not high on my list, naps and football are. But dutifully I drove in the rain to this house filled with college and post-college students. A lot knew me from church, Young Life, and officiating at weddings of their friends. They were genuinely glad to see me (us) at this event. Martha drifted off with art students and I bounced among several conversations.

The food came out (piles of tri-tip, chicken, sausages, guacamole and salads. It was a feats! Looking around, one of the hosting young men said "Pastor Don, would you pray for this?" What an honor! I prayed, we ate, we visited and laughed. Then this same young man got our attention and asked the group (maybe 25-30) to bless this couple and share memories. Wow! These people really love each other. Tears were shed. Laughter echoed through the house. They took turns telling stories about the guy, the girl and the couple for well over an hour.

As they shared, I realized I was invited in to something precious, not as an observer but as a friend. This was a good afternoon!

"The Burden of Spontaneity"

2011-11-19T20:53:00.000-08:00

M-4 had its annual Thanksgiving service last Wednesday night. The four churches (ECC, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian & Episcopal) gathered at All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal church for a delightful evening of readings, lessons, anthems from a combined choir and responses. They were all printed out carefully in a beautiful bulletin.

As we debriefed the service the next day, our Associate Pastor Jon Lemmond remarked how much he loved all the rich language we used in worship together. Jon comes from Texas Baptist tradition, earning a PhD at UCSB in medieval German history, adjunct teaching at Westmont and now licensed with the ECC. As we talked he threw out a phrase that I quoted above about how good liturgical language can liberate a person from "the burden of spontaneity." That phrase sang in my heart too.

There is in the air a hubris about the extemporaneous versus the carefully crafted. I know that the danger of the well crafted phrase, sentence or speech can come across as dry and heartless.

My dad was a champion of the well crafted manuscript, whether for a sermon, a prayer or a class lesson. "Why" he rhetorically asked "is the Holy Spirit more active in the pastor in the pulpit before the congregation than with him or her alone in the study?"

Equally liberating is the notion that I do not need to depend upon my own words at the moment, but can draw from the rich heritage of the ages and the saints (with proper attribution of course!).

One of the customs at Montecito Covenant that I am growing to appreciate is the handing off of the congregational prayer each Sunday to someone from the congregation (once a month the staff prays). Some pray without notes, and others pray from prepared and read notes. But others come into the pulpit with a book and share how the prayer today comes from this or that spiritual giant who made a deep impact on them. So in those times we get to pray across time! It's so nice not to bear the burden of spontaneity!

Christ the King: Mark 5:9

2011-11-19T15:18:00.000-08:00

A name is a touchy topic. Just try mispronouncing a young person’s name (or an older person). Most of the time there will be an immediate correction. Many of you have had great fun helping me pronounce the many Spanish names in and around Santa Barbara: Salsipuedes, Los Olivos, Arrellaga, Hermosillo, and the list goes on.

I know that some within our congregation have double-names; a nickname from their youth and their legal name today. I love California casual and our disinclination to use titles, but on certain occasions those titles are important to use: Chief, Officer, Your Honor, Doctor, Coach, President.

Then there is the arena of labeling, diagnosing, and understanding. Names are critically important for finding a remedy for an ache or a funny noise under the hood. Naming helps us respond to certain behaviors. In Genesis 2:19 God brought his newly created animals before the man “to see what he would name them.”

In this last sermon on the questions of Jesus, he asked: “What is your name?” in Mark 5:9. How would you answer that?

Tarte au chevre!

2011-11-14T16:07:00.000-08:00

Martha just made this cheese killer for a baby shower!!

Are you still sleeping?

2011-11-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

Sacred Space

2011-11-12T11:54:00.000-08:00

Saturdays are devoted to devotions, finishing the sermon and altar-piece work with Martha and Jeanne. So my friend's call to join him at the ocean while his boys surfed disrupted my normal pattern. That probably meant it was important to follow. We walked down to the high tide as three boys paddled through nasty surf out to where the big waves were. And the two of us just sat there, talking, observing the boys crash, and listening. Then the light broke out of the clouds into shafts of white on the ocean...epiphany!

Do you do this full time?

2011-11-11T13:29:00.000-08:00

Just when I think I've heard it all, I'm surprised. Hospital calls are something I love to do. It's an occasion to bring grace quickly via a Psalm or prayer to people who are vulnerable (especially church members in medical need). So I have a routine established now that I call first and ask if I can come and visit. Then we set a rough time. I prayerfully read Psalms (usually) prior to the visit that would "fit" the person I'm visiting. I check in at the desk asking for permission and direction to the room. I try to stay just a few minutes, sitting down and becoming relaxed and quiet with them and their family members.

Today I did that. But a nurse was present the whole time, taking vitals and attaching wires. I brought a prayer shawl MCC knitters make for just such a purpose. The nurse was impressed and asked about it. Then she asked what I did. I told her I was the pastor and where we are located. Then she asked, "Are you the kind of priest that can get married?" I knew right then that this woman was not a regular church-goer so I explained a little about who we are and what I do. Then came the kicker: "Do you do this full time or do you have a job?"

Hmmm!

Embarrassed to Return

2011-11-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

A church member told me a fascinating story this week. While out shopping he ran into a friend he had not seen in church for quite some time. So thinking he was going somewhere else to worship, he told him he missed him and wondered where his new church home was. Then it came out.

He went on a trip for several weeks. After getting home, he used Sundays to catch up on things he was behind on and got out of the habit of going to church. He was not angry or upset, but got into a new habit, a habit of not attending. And now he was embarrassed to come back to church.

My friend assured him that there was nothing to be embarrassed about and he was warmly missed and wanted. But the thought struck me: embarrassed to return. What makes that happen? Is it guilt, awkwardness, maybe a lack of deep relationships that sustained him? Are there others? Are there other people out there whose lives are overwhelmed with deadlines and stressors, who have gotten out of the habit of worship (or prayer, or Bible study or fellowship) and are now embarrassed to return? How can we in the church send the unmistakable signal that you are not just welcome, but wanted...whenever you come back?

Miracles on Facebook!

2011-11-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

Confirmation increases as a joy in my life. This year Martha and I are teaching 15 students, ranging from a mother and her son, a college freshman, three high schoolers, the traditional 7th & 8th graders and a 6th grader who is ready. We are a multigenerational confirmation class!

Last night's topic was Jesus' miracles and what they mean. We gave each student a miracle of Jesus to read and digest. Then, on colored strips of paper we asked them to post the miracle on a facebook page. They were priceless, precious and insightful: "Messiah born, angels talk to shepherds" "Jesus Christ, son of God stopped a storm. Everyone on boat saved." "Jesus just did an exorcism and healed man and sent the demons into pigs they ended up jumping off a cliff committing suicide"

Too fun!

Luke 18: 35-43

2011-10-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

In Thomas Friedman’s newest book “That Used To Be Us” he analyzes what it will take for the USA to address both internal and global challenges facing us. Early in the book he described an Air Force term called OODA loop. It stands for “observe, orient, decide, act.” The Air Force determined that “when you are a fighter pilot, if your OODA loop is faster than the other guy’s, you will always win the dogfight.” Friedman translates that into the realm of politics and charges that we spend too little time and energy observing, orienting, deciding, and acting and more time “shouting, asserting, dividing, and postponing.”

When I read an author like Friedman, I translate these observations to the faith life. It is vitally critical for us to be spiritually observant, biblically oriented, spiritually decisive and obediently acting. But everything hinges on observant. What we see and don’t see makes all the difference in the world. What we pay attention to and focus on matters deeply. Who I see and don’t see is vital for my obedience as a disciple.

If you read this and are wondering, “Haven’t I heard something like this before?” You have! The last three questions Jesus has asked have focused (no pun intended) on spiritual vision: seeing specks or logs, seeing the woman, and this Sunday on healing blind Bartimaeus. Seeing matters. Last Sunday I closed worship asking you if God was doing spiritual eye surgery on you? How are you seeing others differently because of what God is doing within you?

As you prepare for worship this Sunday, reflect on Jesus’ question to blind Bartimaeus: “What do you want me to do for you?” (Luke 18:41) What’s the next step you need Jesus to do in your life?

Do You See This Woman?

2011-10-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

I was eating lunch alone today at a local restaurant. Two men across from me were engaged in a spirited conversation that occasionally drifted toward me. One man’s voice was distinctive. I “knew” that voice and slowly recognized his face from a number of older movies I’ve seen. All of a sudden he became “famous” because I linked his face to movies.

I quickly assigned him to a social and economic category. My mind plugged him into a convenient box because of that quick recognition over lunch. The problem was that I could not remember his name!

How easily we see others and rank and rate them by appearance. We can do it with car brands, watches, shoes and jewelry. In the story for Sunday’s text (Luke 7:36-50) Jesus asked a prominent Pharisee, “Do you see this woman?”

So the question I’d like you to begin asking yourself as you get ready for worship Sunday is “How do I see people?” How do you see people you know really well? How do you see newcomers? How do you see old people? How do you see young people?

Santa Barbara Century Ride....mission

2011-10-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

In Thomas Friedman's newest book "That Used to be Us" he argues that for USA to regain a competitive edge we must "think like an artisan". That describes people "who made things or provided services with a distinctive touch and flair in which they took personal pride" (p. 137). When I read Friedman I think of his theological ramifications. Doing church the old way does not work. Just getting people into pews is not making disciples. Our busy schedules are not enhanced by more programs. The Kingdom of God is not extended by us talking to ourselves.

Two guys at MCC "get it". They love bicycle riding with a passion. They got inspired to organized a bike race through the hills of Santa Barbara and Carpinteria with proceeds going to a local bike not-for-profit that helps low wage immigrants commute to work and to Sports Outreach that does missions in Africa through sports. What began as a "small" idea blossomed to over 800 riders with two checks of $30,000 each given to the two organizations.

This year MCC became a listed rest stop for bathrooms, water, food, and repairs. All morning long groups of riders stop, rest, eat and visit. MCC members staffed the food and drink stations, welcoming neighbors and friends and offering hospitality to exhausted riders. This is fine and creative mission!

Pastoral Job Description: Bearer of Hope

2011-10-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

The news remains bleak and bleaker. The economy is not showing signs of improving. More houses have yet to be foreclosed on, dripping home values and consumer confidence. Unemployment numbers are not improving. Certainty, confidence, enthusiasm, optimism are taking a beating by so many realities on the ground. I have never been surrounded by so much unrelenting bleak news.

So what's a pastor to do? We cannot disregard the news, the economy, the environment or politics. These are the contexts in which we and our congregations live. But we cannot be driven by them either. We need to dig deeper into Scripture, prayer and devotional disciplines to be the bearers of hope to a weary and exhausted people. We do not need to echo the weary refrains of the news. We all know how bad it is "out there." The question is: where is the good news? Where is the hope? Where can I find joy and deep peace? Answer? Jesus.

Do You Want to be Made Well?

2011-10-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

I have this bad habit of stereotyping people. When we are driving and someone takes too long on an entrance ramp, driving right to the end of the ramp, I can assume the driver’s gender…and then find out I’m wrong! I can make assumptions about a person covered with tattoos and piercings. I make assumptions about fat guys with beards riding Harley Davidson motorcycles. I make assumptions about folks pushing grocery carts down Milpas Ave. I can make an assumption about cars people drive and houses they live in. The list of my assumptions (as I write this) is scary. I am so prone to put people into boxes of my own making.

Guess what? Jesus does not make assumptions like I do (or maybe you do). If an assumption could be made about someone, it would be about the person in the text for Sunday: the man sitting by the pool of Bethesda in John 5:6. He had been there for 38 years with no success! What does that tell you about him? But Jesus comes to him with one question: “Do you wish to be made well?”

As you prepare for worship this coming Sunday, review some of your assumptions about people, about what to expect in worship, and about your own life. Then allow Jesus’ question to speak to your assumptions.

Manzanar

2011-10-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

My 5th grade teacher in St. Paul was Japanese-American. He moved to Minnesota from California. He told us about growing up in a camp, which sounded really cool to all of us who were living in homes and neighborhoods. This camp, he told us, was filled with other people of Japanese heritage and they were forced to live together way out in the country because the United States was afraid some of them might be terrorists (that's not the term he used, but it would be the word he'd use today). The camp was named "Manzanar".

This week when Martha and I were driving to Mammoth Lakes for a long weekend away, we were driving north on California Highway 395 when the little sign said "Manzanar" ahead on the left. We pulled in and quietly drove through the now barren landscape. This was one of ten US locations in the west that housed Japanese-Americans. Manzanar held 110,000 people! Such pain in the midst of such beauty.

Come Away

2011-10-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

The offer was made about three years ago. I officiated at a wedding and the family thanked me by offering me the use of their condominium in Mammoth Lakes CA anytime I wanted. Years passed and I did not use the gift. The mother asked me if we were ever going to visit their condo? When I looked at the map, Mammoth Lakes was a good 6 hours away! When could I find that sort of time? What would I do? Martha is not a skier and I'm not a fisherman. So, we procrastinated until this summer.

This summer Martha and I took a two day escape to Lake Tahoe to visit a former student of Martha's. That brief getaway fueled my heart like little else (other than our travels to France). We saw new and spectacular beauty. We connected with old friends (the Halvorsens) and came back fresh. We knew we had to do this again, especially living on campus. So with the Columbus Day holiday giving Martha a Monday off, we asked to use the condo and I asked Jon Lemmond to preach for me and we took off Thursday morning until today (Tuesday). What happened? Refreshment!!

Each morning I woke before light and sat out in the living room (where I am now) with candles lit and coffee on. I have been reading long stretches of the Bible (Jeremiah, Lamentations, and now Ezekiel), aKempis, and Edwin Friedman's "A Failure of Nerve". And I have had long stretches to think, contemplate and pray.

Then, after breakfast, we set out each day to explore and hike. Hiking is something we do well together. Long stretches of silent stepping along trails that open up into spectacular vistas. The colors have been high-contrast stark: deep blues, brilliant whites, bold greens.

It was as if God was saying to me, "See, you need to come away with me so I can remind you that this is MY world. I own the beauty and the glory. Lighten up. Enjoy. Rest in me."

Mammoth Mtns

2011-10-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

Bookstores

2011-10-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

Amazon.com has been a great gift to me. When someone recommends a must-read book, I can immediately go on-line, find the book, order it and know it will be in my mailbox in a couple of days.

In Santa Barbara, both Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores have packed up and moved away. Those were easy drop-in bookstores downtown. Now there are none. But yesterday Martha and I visited Chaucer's Bookstore (an old, well-established, independent bookstore) and browsed shelves for over an hour! What great fun to look for one book or topic, and then browse those next to it, above it and beneath it. I found all sorts of interesting books, topics and authors I do not find when I order specifically on line.

Browsing bookstores might be a new discipline I need to practice!

Matthew 6:27 "Why worry?"

2011-10-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

How many times have I preached on "worry" in thirty years? A whole lot of times. It's a favorite topic of pietists I think. We are relationally driven out of our relationship with Christ and then our relationships with each other. Fellowship, community, trust and love are big deals in our tribe in the family of God. Worry? It messes things up a lot. Worry sets us not trusting each other, God and the community (or read organization, institution, denomination).

What's new to say on it? Is it fixable? Are worriers just worriers the rest of their life? Is worry a neutral psychological orientation that we should leave well enough alone? Is a propensity to worry like left-handedness? Aren't optimists smilers and worries frowners? On the human plane I'm so tempted to not try to preach this because I see so little change. Yet on the other hand, the good news from Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34 demands another go at it.

John 13:12 "Do you know what I have done to you?"

2011-09-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

Image is everything. Pictures drive a lot of what we do. Leaders have vision of where an organization needs to go. Brides have images of what their wedding should look like. Companies invest vast amounts of money and energy in creating logos that "brand" their product or service. Auto makers sell an image of what owning a particular vehicle says about you.

In the text for Sunday, John 13:12, Jesus asked his disciples if they knew "what he had done to them?" The answer is that he gave them an example. It wasn't till this week that I unpacked the word example. In greek the word is "hupo-deigma" or "under-image". A synonym to "hupo-deigma" is "para-deigma" from or "beside-image". It's also the root word for paradigm. We all know how important paradigms are, they are our driving images, our reality lenses. The reality lens Jesus gave us as disciples is the basin and the towel.

Who Do You Say That I Am?

2011-09-17T16:31:00.000-07:00

Anointed one? Christ? Messiah? Cornerstone? Light of the world? What's your title for Jesus?

M-4 9/11 Service

2011-09-11T19:00:00.001-07:00

We chose to celebrate the 10th anniversary of 9/11 together as a community of M-4 churches. That allowed each church to have full worship in our own tradition and then gather for a totally 9/11 focussed service. 8 clergy from the 4 churches gathered in robes and processed in together, led by an ecumenical choir. One priest from the Episcopal church gave witness as a mother to a daughter who worked in the World Trade Towers. To illustrate her role as a mother, she took off her stole, robe and clerical collar. It was powerful. Then she invited us all to turn to our neighbors and talk about what we still remember.

M-4 is such a gift to me!

Genesis 4:9 "Where is your brother?"

2011-09-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

Thank You

2011-09-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

She came by at the worst possible time. The church fire alarms, strobe lights and clanging bells were all going off at the same time. None of had the reset buttons and nobody knew quite what to do. We called various people who all gave us good partial advice.

Then she showed up with a bright big smile, carrying a poster. A poster in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon? What was she selling? What group was she promoting? My mind went to all the wrong places

"I'm from the trailer court" she said. "You know, the ones who received all the back packs M-4 gave away. This is from the kids....they wanted to say Thank You."

The bells were still going off and the alarms still screeched. I half-heartedly took the poster back to my office. And it wasn't till the alarm guys silenced the alarms that I had the peace of mind to look at the poster. Bright colors saying "Thank U" from their area. Inside were over a dozen hand-written thank you notes, mostly in Spanish.

M-4 does make a difference.

Fig leaves wither

2011-09-04T07:50:00.001-07:00

Who told you that you were naked?

2011-09-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

In the recent movie “The Help”, one of the maids is charged with the care and feeding of a chubby little girl. The girl’s mother has issues with her overweight daughter and constantly belittles her. The maid wakes her in the morning, and puts her to bed and night by holding her close and saying three wonderful words that I think are: “You is kind, You is smart. You is important”. That tender scene reinforced to me the power of an inner narrative.

Not all of us have a positive inner narrative. Some of us have battled a lifetime of negative narrative: “not good enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not ________ enough”. When I first dug into the text for Sunday from Genesis 3:11 “Who told you that you were naked?” I was amazed at all the old voices I heard from my childhood, and not all were good. Teasing phrases friends used on me still sting. Behavior by bullies still makes me wince.

Part of getting ready for worship on Sunday would be for you to spend some time reflecting on both the positive and negative voices that shaped you. What voices still speak? How do Jesus’ words about you silence some of the old noises?

Broken Church

2011-09-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

The church has so many problems. It is so messed up. I/we are so over the church. These are just a few of the comments I have heard directly or indirectly over the past weeks. A guy I know and am coming to find as a friend sat with me and said how he just couldn't take it any more, not God, but the church. So he stepped away and has no plans for ever coming back again. A couple recently told me that their faith is not about going to a building and sitting in a pew once a week.

When it comes to the litany of complaints about the church, I have to exercise great self-control because being a pastor's son and married to a pastor's daughter and grand-daughter, having a brother who is a pastor and a son who finished seminary (and spent time as a youth pastor) I can see and raise someone on any complaint they have.

So after a particularly long week, I was talking to my good friend in Michigan (another pastor) about my frustration with the church. His response to me was a question: When has the church not been broken? Certainly the disciples under the direct leadership of Jesus did a non-stop messup, bailing out at the end and reluctantly accepting his resurrection. Maybe from Acts 1-4 the church is seen at its vital-best. But then Annanias and Saphira show up in Acts 5 and off we go again.

Several months ago a visitor asked me to use one word only to describe the church I am serving. After some time the word came: recovering. We are a people continually recovering.

Desperately Miserable Christians?!

2011-09-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

A younger Christian told me about her circle of friends, noting one characteristic in common with a group: single, employed, and theologically very conservative. They were, as a group, serious, committed, earnest, focussed, constantly vigilant and.......desperately miserable. They were aware of all the people they needed to avoid, not be tainted by or yoked to. Their life was a spiritual police-state.

As I listened and reflected I wondered....who wants that?

Where are you?

2011-08-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

When God Asks the Questions

2011-08-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

Change is definitely in the air. Most schools are now in session in Santa Barbara. Westmont classes begin this coming Monday. Parent friends of mine have been packing up and driving their children off to schools across the country.

Change is in the air here at MCC also. Beginning this Sunday, the worship schedule will change to 9:00 & 10:30 a.m. If you have friends who worship at MCC and might not get this email, would you remind them of the time change? I hate to see the disappointment on people’s faces when they come to church at the wrong time.

This Sunday, we will be starting a new preaching series titled: When God Asks the Question. In any setting there are all sorts of questions from all sorts of sources. Who asks the question often determines the importance of the question. In a medical setting a doctor’s question is far more important than my question. The questions that God and Jesus ask of people are really important questions. In fact, they are the most important questions that can be asked of us.

Bookmarks will be made available at the Welcome Table on the patio listing all the questions, the text and the date. Pick one up for your own Bible and read ahead.

The question for this Sunday is from Genesis 3:9: “Where are you?” God asks that question to Adam and Eve as they hid in the Garden of Eden. As you prepare for worship on Sunday, reflect on why God asked that question? Didn’t God already know where they were? How does that question work in your life today?

PS The photo above this is one I took of Pablo Picasso's work "Figure" he did in Spain in 1930

Scared All the Time?

2011-08-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

I was cruising channels last evening and came across CNN. The meteorologist had a graphic behind him of a totally flooded New York City. This graphic could twist and turn, zoom in or zoom away. Not a drop of rain has fallen yet and Hurricane Irene could be a very serious storm for New York City......but flooded now?

The point? Fear and followers. The way news presents topics maximizes fear and anxiety, keeping us glued to the sets through the commercial breaks, making lots of money! Fear sells, safety doesn't.

When we first got cable TV (and now satellite) I found myself regularly checking out the Weather Channel for video clips of where the storms were. And in doing so, I would get myself nervous where no storms threatened me at all. I would worry about those in harm's way in Oklahoma or Tennessee.

Today I was talking to a friend from the East Coast who told me a story about his daughter who teaches Elementary School. She said her children are frightened most of the time because of the Weather Channel. Her school asks parents to not let their children watch the Weather Channel because it creates such fear and anxiety.

What we allow into our heads does make a difference. Then I read Thomas a Kempis for devotions this morning and he said in 1420 "If you avoid unnecessary talk and aimless visits, listening to news and gossip, you will find plenty of suitable time to spend in meditation on holy things."

Minnesota State Fair...food on a stick

2011-08-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

One of the traditions I most enjoyed in Minnesota was the summer-end trek to the State Fair. It was something I enjoyed doing with Isaac because Martha did not like all the dust, noise and smells of fried foods.

What sets the Minnesota State Fair apart from others is its singular devotion to putting food items on sticks and deep frying them. Over the years they have offered onions, Snicker's bars, pasta, ice cream, along with corn dogs and bacon.

This year Isaac went back with a friend of his and sent me these pictures below:

The Twinkies are a favorite if you want an instant attack of diabetes!

This is a deep-fried Twinkie covered with chocolate and powdered sugar!!

Leadership like a Grandpa

2011-08-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

My brother Tim and his wife Cyd are now proud grandparents. Their granddaughter, Amelia was born yesterday. That now makes my younger brother much older that I am! But more than that, I have noticed something about his language over the months that he has been preparing to be a grandfather; it's all about them. He would tell me about his son and daughter-in-law, about their plans and hopes, concerns and challenges. And it was always in a tone of hope and encouragement, a deep joy in their success and achievement.

Martha and I are in the early stages of preparing for grandparenthood and sense the same inner shift in our hearts and minds. When we were first married, we were all about us; building our home, our nest, our careers, our identities. When we had our children, we were about them and their growth and success. But often I was competitive with other children and other parents. When another parent shared the success of their child, I would counter with an equal or greater success of my child. Their success was really and extension of my dreams and success. No place did that play itself out better than on the sports or music platform.

I guess when our children married, I began feeling the shift from "it's about me" to "it's really about them." But hearing my brother's language about his children and now grandchildren is all about them. There is very little "I", "me" or "my" language. Even their energy and time is not about their convenience but about what their children and grandchild need.

Shift that whole notion to the church: disciples who make disciples really need to be in the mindset of the grandparent who only wants the success of the little ones. Great worship and programs in the church, from a grandparent viewpoint is about others and not my professional accomplishment. Grandparent leadership in the staff is about encouraging and equipping others to succeed and not about me getting the credit or being up front. It's about taking the pictures and not being in them. So, lead like a grandpa (or grandma)!

La Brea tar pits

2011-08-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

Disney Music Hall LA

2011-08-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

Our Lady of Angels LA

2011-08-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

Praise

2011-08-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

Perk of zoo wedding!

2011-08-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

400 M-4 backpacks!

2011-08-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

The economy is bad, the weather is overcast, summer is winding down, the Kardashian wedding circus is in town, and we did not promote it real strongly. Yet at about 10 am today over 100 people from the M-4 churches showed up to fill 400 back packs for underprivileged kids who are residents with their families in "People's Self Help Housing" homes from Carpinteria to Isla Vista. The mood and energy was over-the-top. The age range went from little children to senior citizens. All four church staff were represented, greeting and blessing members. After each back pack was filled, the volunteer went out to a table and, on M-4 note cards, wrote individual blessings to the recipients of the back packs. Talk about fun!

Extravagent floral architecture!

2011-08-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

Martha is in Minnesota with Liz & Jeff and I've been assigned watering duties. It's something Martha always does with care and detail when she's home. She knows and has planted every plant and can tell me how well or poorly it is doing.

I, on the other hand, know very little about the plants, their names, attributes, needs of uses. I often walk by plants going somewhere else (usually to a person, book or magazine). I engage words and people more than plants...until I must water them....slowly....and look at them...slowly.

Yikes! This yellow "flower" was crazy nuts! It sits on top of this plant like a an overdone art project. The colors pop and buzz. I'm sure there is a logical reason for why it is shaped like it is. But today I stood there in wonder and the extravagance of beauty! It did not need an audience to appreciate it. It just bloomed there in the column of sunlight!

What's a Boat Doing in Church?

2011-08-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

(Hint: Matthew 14: 22-36)

VBS Reflections

2011-08-04T11:22:00.001-07:00

1. 8 year old boys are always running

2. There is never enough lemonade

3. 8 year old boys are always running into other 8 year old boys

4. Craft time crosses can turn into excellent swords

5. Music that can be jumped to is preferred at all times

6. 5 year olds know how to look in awe

7. All adults are your friends

8. Water games have only one objective

9. Bible memory is much more fun with rap and sunglasses

10. Quiet times do work….they get the story of Jesus

11. I still can’t clap in time to the music

12. It’s a time when teen helpers and adult leaders really, really get along

13. Pastoral leadership means a lot of smiling, high fives, and not much talking or teaching

14. Kids take their craft time seriously….they are all artists still

15. They care about missions, especially when it involves other children

16. I need an afternoon nap every day

Thailand Mission

2011-07-31T16:40:00.001-07:00

It was the high point of worship for me today. Lisa Holmlund interviewed nine of the youth and counselors who participated in this summer's three week mission trip to Thailand. It began with a moving slide show of their experience. Then each person responded to a question Lisa asked that took us through their three weeks. It was more than a vacation...it was a life-changer!

I have expressed my reservations over the years about the value of spending so much money and energy transporting a group of young people into a complex culture for a very short period of time. Is it worth it? Wouldn't the money be better spent directly in the hands of the missionaries over there already? Aren't we a huge interruption in the lives of already overworked missionaries?

Their witness this morning demonstrated the value of a strategically planned trip that was not just to watch and be entertained, but one in which they added value and were driven into how Christ is at work in another culture. What a joy!

Matthew 14: 13-21 "Butting or Bringing?"

2011-07-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

Five Loaves and Two Fish? It's a story told in all four gospels. Every child and adult growing up in church is familiar with this story (miracle?). It's a story about inadequacy and insufficient resources against overwhelming needs. It's a story about trusting in Jesus to provide. It's a story about obeying Jesus' command to "bring it to me." It's about unlocking generosity in the middle of a culture of scarcity. It's about now.

When Church Converts

2011-07-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

It's almost noon on a Saturday. The parking lot is half full of cars and people are moving about on campus purposefully. There is a lot of laughter. You can smell the charcoal grill heating up. Little clusters of people have taken over every space on the campus, converting each room, each area to a unique theme. It happens each year at MCC. It's the Noah's Half Day Camp set-up day.

The clothes line in front of the sanctuary doors says it all. This camp has been going on longer than any single pastor's tenure. It has major cache in the community as being a safe and healthy place for kids to go for a week. The music is loud. The games are wild. Each day swells with more kids. Adults who do not attend the church show up to volunteer because it is a camp their own children went to.

It's labor intensive. It consumes the entire staff. It leaves a huge mess. But it tells the story of Jesus creatively and clearly. What a fun place to pastor!

Matthew 14: 13-21

2011-07-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

You know that sinking feeling: you invited someone for a meal and when the bill came, you had no cash or credit card. You are driving on a trip, enjoying the conversation and the scenery and the red gas light begins to flash and the nearest station isn’t for miles ahead! You had a very busy day (maybe week) and the leader of the meeting you are attending asks if everyone read and printed out the documents he sent earlier in the week?

I do not like being unprepared, ill equipped, or insufficient. I like having at least a half-tank of gas at all times, an extra tin of coffee in the cupboard, at least a $20 bill in my pocket, and time in the day for a relaxed cup of coffee. But the sad case for many of us is that we are chronically running out of time, money, energy, and hope. The swirl of events and the constant demands on our time leave many of us aware of all that we did not get done and remains on the waiting list (maybe even past due).

The Gospel is particularly good news for those of us who are overwhelmed by the needs and expectations of others and underwhelmed by our own resources and capabilities. You are invited to read Matthew 14: 13-21 to get ready for worship this Sunday. It’s a very familiar story (told in all four Gospels) of Jesus feeding the 5,000. In what ways do you identify with the disciples? Get ready for good news!

Peace,

Don

Complimentary Community?

2011-07-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

I overheard a phrase today that caught my attention. A friend was wondering why their creativity was increasing in a new academic environment when it went nowhere in another excellent academic environment in the past. The response was: "You've got to understand that __________ was not a complimentary community." Wow! Complimentary Community creates a question: what makes a complimentary community and what prohibits it? Is the church I serve a complimentary community?

Competition can hinder the growth of a complimentary community. If I compliment you for a job well done, that means I did not compliment someone else and you win. If we notice and observe excellence we dare not compliment those with whom we are in competition. In a competitive community, any sharing is usually matched with comparison sharing and competitive sharing (e.g. You think you have it bad? Let me tell you how hard it was for me!)

Conformity can also hinder a complimentary community. If the job is to blend in, get along, don't stand out, don't be prideful, you will never hear a compliment because it recognizes the one over agains the many. In a church I was a part of a long time ago I recommended we thank someone for a service they performed. That idea was roundly defeated because then we would be obliged to thank everyone (as if that was a terrible responsibility!). But in this community even being too happy was suspect!

Fear can squelch a complimentary community. When there are rampant toxins in the environment, you dare not stand out to compliment another, just protect your turf and get the job done. The rule of thumb in the fearful community is be safe! At all costs be safe, risk nothing, cover your exposure or you'll get in trouble or be fired.

May we be communities that squander compliments and spread grace!

"Happy Wonder"

2011-07-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

I am reading Richard Rohr's "Falling Upwards; a spirituality for the two halves of life" right now. In the chapter I read this morning (9) he noted that in the second half of life we are privileged to experience "happy wonder" at the world around us. That phrase perfectly described the recent trip Martha and I impulsively made to Lake Tahoe and Yosemite. Our motive for the trip was to get out of town, get away from work, church, parsonage...to get a chance to breathe. Not that any of the above is bad. I love my work, I love the church, and I even love living in the lovely parsonage adjacent to the church. But it all gets a bit close and we needed some distance and quiet together. So we drove 500+ miles north to Lake Tahoe; a place we had never visited before. Oh my! It was so blue, so big, and so high (6,000 feet). We did something we have not seriously done for a long time. We took a 6 mile hike along the shore of the lake at the Bliss State Park. That's where the shot below was taken.

When it was time to leave, a neighbor asked us if we were in a hurry home. We said "no" and he suggested we take an alternative route home from the eastern side of Lake Tahoe, over a pass into Nevada and up through the Tioga Pass into and through Yosemite National Park. Here too was a place we never visited and it was a trip of non-stop wonder and breath-taking awe. The picture below was just before reaching the summit on the Tioga Pass, walking in snow at almost 10,000 feet July 20! What wonder!

The Church of Just Us

2011-07-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

They area wonderful older couple, deeply committed to Christ. I had the chance to have a long conversation with them a while ago. They now live in a resort community. So I asked them where they go to church? "Oh" he said "We go to the church of just us right now." He then explained that the nearest church was too much of a drive and they did not agree with the ones closer to them. So, after years of active, local church leadership, now they worship on their own.

I have a hunch they are not unique. I had another conversation with a woman several weeks ago who is just now beginning to attend corporate worship again. As I listened to her complicated story of church involvement, she said with a sign "I am just so over church!"

What got me pondering was that these friends could be me. They were heavily involved in local church leadership for years (maybe decades). And when the leadership was done, they were done. When they were not in front and taking charge, they were out of sight.

I'm grateful I (and Martha) saw something different in the lives of our parents (both pastors). When they were not preaching, they were worshiping in the local church. When we traveled and were "off" and on vacation, we still found churches in which to worship (even of other denominations). When they retired, they still worshiped (though my dad promised and fulfilled his vow to never attend another committee meeting or congregational meeting.... maybe that's for another blog!).

What we learned was that their presence in the local church was not about a role or performance, but for God and for others. It was never the church of just-them.

Romans 8:12-27

2011-07-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

Memorial Reflections

2011-07-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

I went to a memorial service for a member of MCC recently. I was asked to offer the invocation and benediction. The family did the rest magnificently, with classical guitar, scripture readings, eloquent witnesses from brothers, a friend of 73 years, children and in-laws.

What emerged out of that memorial service was a real, delightful picture of a man I knew fairly well. He was bright, patriotic, brave (marine test pilot) and adventurous. His faith in God was evident in the varied stories we heard.

I needed to attend that service to listen and not lead. Leading a service often means I'm both the chief voice and the "manager" of the sequence of events, making sure things start and stop on time. That functionality often means I'm thinking about the next thing while the current thing is happening. Yesterday I just listened. And what I heard touched me.

His organizational accomplishments were eclipsed by his relationships. His character dominated is achievements and accumulations. His joy and tenderness outweighed efficiency and progress. What mattered to others was who he was and less about what he did and accomplished.

Yet, when I look at my life and my energy, I spend a lot of time on the details, the structure, and the tangibles, often to the neglect of the relationships (that sometimes demand interrupting my timelines). I think I need to listen to more memorial services.

Bob

2011-07-10T07:43:00.000-07:00

Rescue Mission graduations rotate from church to church in Santa Barbara. Saturday was our turn. It was a 5:00 pm graduation. One of our members is on the Rescue Mission board and many members over the years support it. So I showed up at 4:30 pm to a panic. They needed sound and light and I realized the person scheduled did not show up for the soundboard. Soon the sanctuary would be filled with about 300 family and friends of graduates. They needed microphones for singers and speakers and a dvd played for processional music.

That's when I called Bob. "What are you doing right now?" I asked. "Nothing. What do you need?" he replied. I told him the situation and he said he'd be there in 5 minutes. From 4:45 pm till 6:30 pm Bob sat at the controls, playing the music, adjusting volume levels, switching batteries, and adjusting the lights.

The graduation was an emotional experience of six women and nine men giving witness to God's transforming work of releasing them from addiction into freedom in Christ. But without sound, it would have been so difficult to hear. And Bob made it happen! Thanks for his servant heart!

Cost of a Clean Desk

2011-07-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

July Saturday mornings are opportune times for something I avoid...cleaning. After having devotions and going over the sermon and worship for Sunday, I decided to attack the stacks of papers that routinely litter my desk.

What I tend to do, is reshuffle them into new stacks with a paper clip. Then I gather those little clumps and use a larger clasp and stuff them into a folder. Today I attacked the folder and stacks, capturing important names, number and tasks, then shredding the rest, filling up an empty trash can.

The cost of a clean desk is a full trash can. Things have to be thrown out. After cleaning my physical desk, I then cleanup up my lap-top screen of all the files and folders that I allow to pile up there. They went into either designated files or...the trash. Most went into the trash.

It's both hard and liberating to throw things into the trash. When we moved to California from Minnesota six years ago, we threw away lots of things that had followed us from three churches. We were empty nesting and gave the kids what was theirs and realized we still had too much (for me it was ties and books). I got rid of half my library and 70% of my ties (and a lot of other clothing, tools and stuff). Guess what? Six years later I don't miss any of them. My life is not poorer or incomplete. But what's happened is that I'm accumulating more new stuff.

Declaring something as trash is judgmental. I no longer need that item. Someone else might, but I don't. That means I need to know what exactly I do need. And there is the rub. Throwing away also means declaring what is of value and importance. It means knowing what has worth and what really doesn't.

So, next week, my cabinets and shelves!

2011-07-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

Matthew 11: 28-30 "Come to me and rest"

2011-07-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

Summer Thoughts on Pastoring

2011-06-27T16:40:00.000-07:00

What does it take to stay vital in ministry after 30 years? Whenever I hear that type of question asked, I perk up my ears for wisdom. I appreciate discovering what sustains others in ministry over the long haul, because ministry is far more of a marathon than a sprint. I fear a lot of the seminar offerings out there fuel "sprint" behavior; how to crank up and get fast results with a technique, a series, a technology, or a new, charismatic staff person.

I must admit that I've been there and done that. The fact that I'm writing this on my new iPad reflects my love of technology and gadgets. I'm a sucker for the flash and the new. But here are some thoughts I have about what I find works for the long haul:

1. A consistent personal devotional life. A balanced spiritual formation portfolio works: scripture, relevant, and ancient. Reading keeps me alive and connected to the Word, these times, and the deep heritage we have in our faith.

2. Ask questions and listen. The people God has placed around me, often on the surface are both boring and irritating. I'm tempted to stereotype and discount them. Yet they are exactly the gift God has given me to discover, and the discovering work is that of conversations (often over time) where I ask questions and then listen deeply (not competitively so I can share my stuff). The profundity of the ordinary continues to bless and delight me.

3. Show up. Make commitments and keep them. Learning to show up when I'm not the center stage ( real problem for senior pastors) is another gold mine. When I hang in the back of the room and let someone else lead, something good happens to my heart.

4. Expect good from people (and don't be surprised when they let you down). Vitality in ministry is not sustained by cynicism, sarcasm or gossip. Those approaches, over time, shallow my life. It's so easy to be critical and tougher to be positive (and realistic at the same time).

5. Avoid gossip, but speak directly. Talking around an issue or person corrodes relationships, while going directly is tougher but healthier. The longer I'm in leadership, the more impressed I am by the dis-ease of gossip. If I am unwilling to go to the other person, but simply insist on gossiping about him/her, "what are my intentions?"

6. Take time to play (Sabbath rest). Always being "on" and available is debilitating. Take days off, go away from the church, leave the country, put away the list. When I play, I do not take myself quite so seriously.

7. Reverse mentoring. Someone several years ago gave me that notion, especially for technology. I always need a bright 17 year old around to introduce me to some emergent technology and trend (even language). But now I'm finding that young people can bless me spiritually if I ask them into a conversation and listen seriously. Being near a college campus has been a gift to me. These young men and women often "get it" more than my peers. That give me hope.

8. Tithe to the local church. Money can get a strangle-hold on pastor's lives because we are "never paid" what we are worth and we usually see those around us with more, newer and nicer. Not releases covetousness, greed and stinginess like tithing. Tithing continues to teach me to genuinely trust in God's generosity.

9. Bless your local church. There is no perfect church, council, building, budget or community. We can endlessly critique and resent the flaws in our unique setting. Get over it! There will be no perfect church (or pastors) till Jesus comes again. The church is Christ's bride, and that bride has some issues! But she is still the bride.

10. Learn from the culture around you. The culture is our context, not our enemy. Learn to listen deeply to the media and music. What is the hunger? Where are the hopes? What is the story behind the tattoo.

11. Say “Thank You” often and regularly.

Matthew 10:40-42

2011-06-25T10:40:00.001-07:00

As Jesus sends out his disciples in Matthew 10:1-39, he warns them of the high cost of being sent by him. Yet, in the last verses of Matthew 10, he promises the high reward of welcoming those he sends. Where do you feel welcomed? Where are you providing a welcome?

Church & Sausage Making

2011-06-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

At a recent brainstorming meeting about adult discipleship possibilities, approaches and directions, a participant looked at me at the end of the meeting and said: "Oh, that's how it's done!" with genuine surprise. As a long-time attender, she enjoyed many church programs and activities over the years, but was never involved in the strategic planning until the other night.

When I asked what was surprising about the meeting, she said it was the wide gap between the theological/theoretical and the practical/administrative. Our conversation ranged from discussing what the nature of discipleship among us is to which room and what day of the week would be best for a certain gathering.

The evening was "messy" in that we did not arrive at a clear and concise program schedule, but more questions and options to consider. People were misunderstood and new ideas jockeyed with older methodologies that are well-loved and comfortable. But that's the church isn't it? It's a messy collaboration of saints and sinners, young and old, traditional and cutting edge, certain and risky.

We have our French friends staying with us for several weeks. One of the joys of their presence is the fabulous food Martha and Marylene cook up! But oh do they make a mess of the kitchen, using all sorts of foods and equipment. Ham sandwiches would be much neater and easier to manage, but nothing close to the tastes I get to experience (and clean up later with Yves).

Letting Go of Worship

2011-06-19T19:10:00.001-07:00

I love to preach! Make no mistake, the more I do it, the more honored I am to be allowed to enter the pulpit each with after living with a text for a week. I love the mystery of how a text opens up better than a great wine and takes me places I never planned to go. I love working with Bob Gross and the musical leadership to sculpt songs that reinforce the text and wrap worship with a mystery that goes beyond words.

So asking my friend Yves Pizant to preach was a sacrifice for me. Will he do a good job? Will the congregation follow him in French translation? Will he and the translator, Dr. Marianne Robins click? Will it be too long? What direction will he take the text?

At 9:30 a.m. Yves and Marianne met for the first time and launched into an intense conversation about the sermon and translation issues. Though I understood hardly anything they said, I sensed the chemistry, respect and deep French joy!

Opening singing was great! The altar piece framed the sanctuary. And when Yves began, he began in English thanking me and Martha and the church for inviting him to preach. He even thanked them for teaching them Californian...."Dude!" he said! I knew this was going to be fun.

I won't recap the sermon on Jesus cursing the fig tree out of season (you can download a podcast from the church web site). Yves kept circling the text, going deeper and deeper into the meaning of leaves and fruit, seasons of harvest, Temple cleansing and casting mountains into the sea. He had us on the edge of our pews!

Before I knew it the sermon was over and I offered a benediction after Yves' benediction in French and was out the door. The response was electric. People approached me still chewing on the implications of the text for them now! My people were blessed, but I had to let go first.

Le Figuier Desseche

2011-06-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

I have seasonal amnesia. My memory has been tied to seasons for so long, it hinders me here in California. It used to be easier for me to remember when something happened by pegging it to the weather. When a birthday party happened on a frozen lake, it was between December and February. When the church picnic had to move inside because the tornado sirens went off…that would be late Spring or early Summer.

When something happens here in Santa Barbara, the temperature is somewhere around 70 degrees and cloudy or sunny….all year long. So I’m not always sure what season we were in when something happened. But the upside to seasonal amnesia (of the Santa Barbara variety) is that something is growing, blooming and producing all year long! It takes a good gardener in Santa Barbara to know when something is in season or out of season. In the Midwest, it’s not so hard. Everything goes fallow at the first frost.

In the text for this coming Sunday, our guest preacher, Rev. Yves Pizant, is preaching from Mark 11:11-24 in French. Dr. Marianne Robins will be translating for him, so regardless of your ability in French, you will hear and understand the sermon. The question Yves will be addressing is the “season” our lives are in now. How do you know what spiritual season you are in? If someone asked you, what season would you say describes where you are right now? I know I’m looking forward to Yves’ energy and love as he brings us the good news Sunday.

Why is Yves preaching? Yves and his wife Marylene have allowed us to stay in their summer home in France in our every-other-year pilgrimage to France. Over 10 years we have become close friends and he has invited me to preach at the church he serves in a little village called St. Jean du Gard. It’s both a high privilege and deep joy to be invited to preach in a friend’s church and in a different culture. So when we heard of their plans to visit us, I extended the invitation and he accepted immediately.

Hollywood

2011-06-17T07:51:00.001-07:00

Martha and I are not "Hollywood" types. Our enjoyment of California migrates to parks, beaches, long walks and quiet restaurants with friends. So when our friends from France wanted to see Hollywood, we took a deep breath and asked others the best way to do it. So yesterday, with great adventure, we packed up and drove (for my first time) in to Hollywood and found parking.

When we got to Hollywood Blvd, I was overwhelmed by the street energy and buzz. All the stars on the sidewalk and the hand/foot prints at Grumman's Theater. We too began searching for "our" stars. Note that Martha particularly gravitated to the "Munchkins" (wonder why?). After a couple hours wandering, we drove Sunset Blvd through Beverly Hills. That too was a really fun adventure, seeing mansions stacked up, side by side.

We found Rode Drive and turned left, meandering through quiet streets till we hit "the street" and saw all the shops made famous in "Pretty Woman", which all the women had seen. The slow moving traffic made it easy to gawk into one high priced boutique after another. We even saw a Bugatti Veyron parked on the other side of the street (a ridiculously expensive car!).

We turned right on Wilshire Blvd and they loved the high building elegance of Beverly Hills. But the trip ended at the best place of all, the Getty museum. We took the tram up and had a long, late, lingering lunch as the clouds broke and blue skies emerged. We saw some shows, but had the most fun in the creative gardens and fountains.

An Inch Thick

2011-06-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

Being a licensed pastor is a good thing. I recommend licensure for all staff persons who act in a pastoral capacity and office. So I suggested that Jon Lemmond explore getting a Covenant pastoral license as he takes on more responsibilities at MCC. He made the calls and received the attachments to read....a inch thick!!

I don't remember so much paper for my licensure!

Who is this?

2011-06-14T18:14:00.001-07:00

Getting ready for worship

2011-06-12T08:39:00.000-07:00