Healthy Diversions #2

Almost one month ago exactly, I wrote about me taking a much needed diversion, biking Skyline Drive in Virginia in two days with three friends. The past two weekends I have taken a couple of well needed diversions of health that are of a totally different nature. The past two months have been incredibly intense and diversions of a healthy nature were very much needed. Here is what I just completed of a diversionary nature.

Diversion #1 – I love concerts. That is not news to anyone who knows me. I wrote a few months back that I do not simply attend concerts, “I emote them,” was my words. With that as a background, one of my favorite bands of all time is Fleetwood Mac. I love all their various styles (Peter Green, etc.), but I especially like them beginning with the Buckingham – Nicks era. That being said, when I was informed via his web site, that Lindsey Buckingham was releasing a new solo CD I was very excited. I made plans the other week to travel to hear Lindsey Buckingham in concert. The fact that I was able to see Lindsey in concert was extraordinarily cool. I believe he is one of the most overlooked and underrated guitarists of all time. He is a bit eclectic, which may be another reason I like him so well; but he is incredibly talented and this concert was one of the highlights of my year for many reasons. It was worth every mile of the five hour drive to simply enjoy music and "emote" a concert.

Diversion #2 – Gavin, my four-year-old grandson, and I traveled last weekend to NC to visit my brother Randy, who is in rehab recovering from a pretty severe stroke he suffered in late August. Gavin and I travel well together and quite honestly, I enjoy the little fellow’s company. He adores me, and I do him so it is a good match. He is so much fun. I will write in a day or so concerning him in a hotel room. What a blast! Anyway, this diversion was made possible because I accepted my new position (more on that in a future blog as well) and I had the time to take the, albeit brief, trip.

Sometimes, I am continually learning, it is necessary to take a change from the routine, a diversion if you will . . . for health.

Healthy Diversions

“Life comes at you fast,” the commercial so creatively states. It is likewise, very true. Sometimes it is just good to do something you enjoy without the hectic stuff of normal activity. Three friends and I just spent two days riding the 100+ miles of Skyline Drive in Virginia. In the two days we climbed over 6,000 vertical feet on our bicycles. It was a purging as much as anything.

Day 1 was cool and much more difficult. Day 2 started in the rain, but became very nice and was not nearly as tough of a climbing day. It was a great couple of days. Here are some photos. In the group shot the guys are Left to Right – Me, Greg Toomey, Don Creasy and John Creasy (my son-in-law).

Taco Bell and Integrity

As I am making a major life change, I had the following words sent to me by several folks. It was a quote from a message I delivered 2-1/2 years ago. The text: "What is your integrity worth?'

Here is the context.

I stood in line at a Taco Bell a few years back patiently awaiting my opportunity to order. (Yes, I am a connoisseur of fine dining.) I noticed that the woman in front of me act a bit squeamish and quickly shift down the line. As I completed my order and stood behind her, I overheard her whisper to the person in line with her, “The clerk just gave me a dollar too much change.” They looked at one another, said “Yes!” then gave one another a quick high five.

I thought to myself, “How much is your integrity worth? That woman just told me that she would sell her integrity for $1.00. Her integrity was worth $1.00.

How much is your integrity worth? What value do you place upon it? Where is there the line where you say “I am done”? That is a line I will not cross. If that is how you are planning it, then count me out.”

On the White Album, the Beatles sang,

We all want to change the world.
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out?

For all of their talk about what they wanted to do, they had their line. There was a point where they could go no further.

What is your integrity worth?

Little Victories Need Applause Too

Prologue: “Emo” – emotion as used here is not in the current juvenile vernacular where someone is so emotional that it affects their life in negative ways. It is hilarious to me that the age of individual who are the most driven, plagued, and hindered by emotions are the very ones who list being emotional as a bad thing.

Q: How many non-emotional teens does it take to change a light bulb?
A: No one knows. There is no such thing as a non-emotional teen.

==============================

I am a man who thrives on passion. When I am at my very best is when I am driven by a passion for particular event or philosophy or idea or ministry. When I am at my absolute worst is when I am void of that passion and that ability to dream. And everyone knows that to be passionate is to be emotional about something. This does not necessarily mean in a bad sense, but in the best sense.

The very essence of motivation is emotion. How many underdogged, out manned, over achieving athletic teams have won games against a superior opponent by sheer emotion. Ever watched Hoosiers or The Replacements? And it is not only on the movie screen where that is a reality. The late George Allen and Dick Vermeil made careers out of keeping players playing above their ability by motivation.

Read the passage where Jesus weeps over Jerusalem. Read where he overturns the table of the money changers. Listen to him talk about the harvest being plentiful, but the laborers few. Do you hear any emotion? If not, read it again, this time with your eyes open.

All that being said in defense of well balanced emotions . . . I sometimes am a sap for those sorts of songs. (Notice I said sometimes. Sometimes they are just plain cheesy too.) The other week at my faith community, I played a song by a 1980-1990 vintage singer songwriter named Wayne Watson. It got me to listening to some of his other stuff. He had some really good things to say in his day that are still applicable.

I was listening to Watercolour Ponies while watching my grandson Gavin playing and the phrase “And little victories can go by with no applause.” It is in reference to children growing up and our support of them often lacking by our busyness.

I watched Gavin, at a month shy of four years old scream down our drive in his bike and ease on his brakes. This was a big deal for him to learn to ease on the brakes not slam on them as he had. It was a little victory. I walked over to him and clapped.

When was the last time you clapped for someone’s little victory? It does not have to be a child. It can be an adult. When was the last time you clapped for someone’s little victory?

Yeah. That is what I thought.

Missing Concerts

This past week was a difficult week in many respects. There is a lot of personal stuff taking place, but the real issue for the difficulty is regarding missing a couple of concerts. Last week in Pittsburgh Tom Petty and Sheryl Crow both had concerts here. I would have loved to attend both. Actually this summer there were six separate concerts I wanted to attend. Heck, I would have even taken my grandson to see the Wiggles! How bad is that?! Financial realities prevented it, but it did not prevent my desire to attend.

My wife has always sort of laughed at my love for attending concerts. Her philosophy is that you can buy a CD cheaper and listen to it over and over. My response is always the same, "A concert is not simply about the music.” It is an experience! A complete and total experience.

My friend Terry Timm said in a recent post of his that he is an “emo” kind of guy. Well, anyone who knows me knows that to be the absolute truth for me as well. (I will talk about that in my next post too.) But the “emo” thing is why I love concerts. I don’t just attend concerts . . . I “emote” concerts. Even in my younger days I NEVER attended a concert bombed out of my mind or incapacitated with substance abuse. I have never done that anyway, but even if I did I would never have done that at a concert. One beer, maybe two, is it! The concert is to be experienced and I want nothing to reduce my ability to experience it.

So, I am doing a very shallow thing. I am grieving missing concerts this year. I love Tom Petty’s stuff, I wear the shirt shown here with pride. I will not miss the next one!

Writer's Block

Several years ago a ministry colleague mentioned to me that he knows some folks who simply HATE to write articles. I remember thinking, “Not me.” I love writing. It is one of my main joys. I had heard about people experiencing writer's block, but never imagined I would ever feel it.

Until now that is. I know you don't believe it, but it is true.

The past few months have been extremely difficult ones for me. Consequently, since I am a private person by nature, I have been struggling with my blog and writing. Most people accuse me of being too prolific not too brief, so this time has been tough. This has been something totally foreign to me. (Many of you could never see me with “talkers block” either but that is another subject entirely.)

It is not that I did not have some things ready; I have at least twenty or twenty five articles in various stages of completion. It is that I just have not felt (there is my Myers Briggs getting me in trouble again) any of them have been appropriate.

So I guess these brief paragraphs are me confessing “writer’s block.” It is my AA sharing or my “coming out of the closet” moment. (I am not making light of those difficult decisions by folks, so PLEASE do not comment and make some hair brained accusation here that is totally inappropriate and totally misses my point. It is a metaphor people!!)

I promise to get back at this regularly, but at least folks now have a SMALL bit of explanation.

My Love-Hate Relationship Being a “Presby”: Part 3 – The General Assembly – This is Not Just Another Boring Denominational Read . . . Really!!!

Today is my birthday. It is really not a big deal to me, and has never been for my entire life as best I recall. It is basically just another day. However, my birthday will be forever linked in my mind with the PC(USA)’s national gathering called the General Assembly because in 2001 I spent my entire birthday mired in that annual symposium of contention and strife as a voting commissioner. It proved to be one of the more forgettable experiences in my life.

Yesterday began this year’s installment of this bi-annual national gathering. Each time this event seems to serve more for contention than for unity. All of this in spite of the fact that everyone who publicly talks weaves a tale of unity and harmony.

This year has a lot of talk circulating saying the Assembly is expected to cause a lot of dissension. The fact that will occur is probably a given. But the end result of that dissension is totally up for grabs.

This denominational gathering is when both sides of the various theological debates strut and parade around and use the term “church” and “PC(USA)” synonymously. That is a fact that irked me then, and does so even more now.

I am one that does not fit neatly into either side of these debates. I likewise cannot be called someone who fits in the middle of the road. If pressed, I could probably be found on either side depending upon the issue. I see myself as on a continuum between the two extremes.

Many folks talk (as they have every other year it seems) that this Assembly could finally lay the foundation for schism in the denomination.

My response: “Ho hum.”

There are four primary reasons for my response.

The Herman’s Hermits Response – I have heard it all before. As Herman’s Hermits sang in the 60’s. “Second verse, same as the first.” This is the same thing they say every year. The names, faces, issues, and reports may differ, but little else has changed.

The Over Sized Ego Effect – The PC(USA), in my opinion, just like most other denominations, have overestimated their importance. In reality, I wonder what difference it would have on the kingdom if the denomination actually did split. In talking to literally hundreds of non believers, our denominations are such a non-issue that they would not even notice if the religion reporter for the newspaper did not get a great amount of attention. It matters to those steeped in the Christian subculture. It matters to those geographic areas where there are large numbers of a particular denomination that is affected, but I kid you not, most non Christians really could not care less if we split, merged or ceased existence. They do care what the Christians they interact with say, because on some level it is a real person talking about Jesus not an entity.

Yassar Arafat Principle – You remember Yassar don’t you? He was the long time leader of the Palestinians in the Middle East. (Did anyone else ever smile so much with so little to smile about?) During Arafat’s leadership there were several attempts at peace with the Israelis. None came to pass for reasons on both sides. But I think one issue was Arafat himself. I believe he had allowed his identity to become blurred with the conflict and he could not envision life without it. Thus, he unconsciously, could never fully barter a truce. I think that is exactly where BOTH sides are in this denominational debate. They cannot split. They would lose their identity. Their identity is so merged with these denominational issues that they cannot allow schism to take place.

The Flat Rate Income Tax Principle – We will never have a flat rate income tax in the United States. If we were to have a flat rate income tax, it would put hundreds of thousand of accountants and government officials out of a job. Just the same way there are so many folks whose entire livelihood (“ministry”) is tied up in the conflict, they would not know what to do. I think many of them have truly forgot how to serve Jesus. I wonder when was the last time many of them actually led an unbeliever to Christ? When did many of these churches last have a non-Christian join them? I honestly believe many of them could not function in a world void of Christian conflict. How much do the various factions actually enjoy gathering to talk denominational stuff? So much so that last summer when the denomination’s General Assembly took the year off, both sides of the debate had their own separate gatherings! I rest my case.

I am now about to be tarred and feathered. But as I said it is my birthday. I am 52 years old. I am too old for these continual games and quite simply I am tired of playing. It is not what I signed on for when I agreed to ministry.

My Love-Hate Relationship Being a “Presby”: Part 2 - Getting Inside the Mind of a Bureaucrat

Okay, I will now pick up what I started a few weeks ago. Go to archives for May 16 to read Part 1. When I graduated from high school, I wanted to be an attorney. It had absolutely nothing to do with making a difference or any of that other stuff. It was purely a financial / power issue on my part. I had figured out that I lived in a poor home, and wanted to have money. I saw being a lawyer as a way to achieve that. It did not take me long to realize that career was not for me. That is a longer story, but the basics are that even at that early age I sensed that I was not one for bureaucracy. I am not sure why, or how, but I did.

That is still true today. I do not care for bureaucracy.

That puts me in an odd situation in the PC(USA) which is a bureaucratic heaven and haven. Here is what I have noticed. Many of the folks in the branch of the church I currently call home, are very impressed with their polity (read "church government" for those non theologically trained types). It is at the core of so many discussions that I am not sure whether to laugh or cry.

PC(USA) Bureaucrats admire and love their polity and their system (and it does have its good parts) so much that they remind me of a mechanic bragging about his great tool box as the end of all greatness and totally missing the smooth running engine located beside him. (Although our PC(USA) engine is in need of a few well selected tools, a jackhammer would be a good starting point. But I digress.)

I also compare it in my mind to one of the primary critiques I have regarding some veins of Christianity that are so much about the aspect of faith that it seems to me they have "faith in their faith" . . . not faith in God. Of course they would deny that, but it sure looks real to me.

The same is true of the denominational bureaucracies. They are so proud of their system that they miss the very thing their system was intending to do.

Is good government bad? No, of course not. But when a heavy bureaucrat gets involved, and things focus on the system at all costs to ministry, I liken it to idolatry. Is it worshipping the tool box? Is it faith in my faith? Is it noticing the image and missing God? It sure seems to list in that direction.

If it looks like a dog, barks like a dog, wags its tail like a dog, smells bad when wet like a dog, licks your hand like a dog, uses the bathroom in the yard like a dog . . . guess what? It just might be a dog.

Next Up: The Upcoming General Assembly

Missional with a Capital “M” – Part 6

Here are the final quotes from Origins and Ethos.

“Have we asked, 'who are the furtherest people from conversion?' Who are those folks that come to Christ and we celebrate it?” – Erwin and Staff

“One fear I have from what I see, is that there is no sweeping movement of creation in the postmodern church. There appears to be only a sweeping movement of deconstruction.” – Erwin

“Are we creating a place of questions more so than answers?” – Erwin and Staff (compiled)

“You can either control the organization or you can control the character of the people.” – Erwin

“You attract who you value. If you value an artist, you will attract them. If you value dancers, you will attract them.” – Mosaic Staff

“Love is the context of our mission.” – Eric

“Structure must always submit to spirit.” – Mosaic Core Value

“God could have called us. He could have emailed us. He chose to encounter us.” – David

“There are three ways to think about the future: 1. By studying human nature. 2. By studying macro trends. 3. By creating it.” – Alex

“A key in studying trends is trying to analyze if it is a trend or a fad.” – Alex

“Humanity tends to move toward the darkness of the horrific past.” – Alex

“Human nature is of the sort that it will always move toward eliminating the freedom of other human beings.” – Alex

“The west and the east both tend to objectify women. They drape them. We strip them.” – Alex’s Wife

“The greatest danger of humanity is not the environment it is humanity itself.” – Alex

“One of the reasons that we are not appreciative of art is that we have lost an appreciation of western culture and a lack of a belief we have something to give the future. When you lose that appreciation, you are not appreciative of artists who depict it.” –Alex complied

“Put the wrong people in power and the weak are abused.” – Erwin

“Serving others will produce humility.” – Erwin

“Part of wholeness is to forgive and ask forgiveness.” – Erwin

“Character may not affect your talent, but it will affect your contribution.” – Erwin

“Do we as a pastor see people for what they can do or do we invest in them?” – Erwin

Missional with a Capital “M” – Part 5

I am nearing the end of the posts that are primarily quotes from Origins and Ethos. This entry and next will simply be those final quotes.

“Movements are sustained by having non-negotiables. If you have non-negotiables that means that everything else is negotiable.” – Erwin

“If you do not know what is most important to you, you hold on to everything.” – Erwin

“There is so much potential, so much untapped, unused potential in the church.” – Erwin

“Blogs are a form of human migration. It used to be that migrations were geographic, especially in ancient human history. Then in the 20th century humans migrated into cities. Now humans are migrating into cyberspace and we see that with blogs. There are 27 million blogs. That number doubles every 5.5 months. 13.7 million of them are still active after three months. As we ride the wave into cyberspace, we have to ask how can we push it down again so folks do not live on their pc screen?” – Alex

“How do we model for folks that we need to live our lives beyond me? Everything is calling us to move to – to momentum – to live beyond ourselves.” – Alex

“Creativity is the result of Spirituality.” - Alex

“You can’t teach a person to share Christ until they love someone who does not know Christ.” – Erwin

“If you live a low risk Christian life, you are 98% guaranteed that your kids will walk away from the church.” – Erwin

“Buddha is the one who sits, not Jesus. So why have we made coming to sit as our goal and not activity?” – Erwin

“Why do we not see every person as being creative? We confuse being artistic with being creative.” – Erwin

“You have no control over whether you have 1, 5 or 10 talents. But you have 100% control over what you do with them.” – Erwin

“To talk about ourselves as if we do not have a talent or a gift is dishonoring to God.” – Erwin

“We have created a religion of passivity. If I do good, it is God. If I do bad, it is me. So, we sit and do nothing.” – Erwin

“We have to value and unleash creativity in everyone if we expect people to release it in themselves.” – Erwin

“What is the ½ step we can take that will move us in the direction we need to go?” – Erwin

“What is the one thing we can do that would make a difference?” – Erwin and Staff

Missional with a Capital “M” – Part 4

I am writing this from Nags Head, NC where I am on vacation with my family. It has rained thus far, but rain on vacation, is better than sunshine off it! Or so THEY say.

This is Saturday evening. Tomorrow will be the first of two weeks for me to be away from Fountain Park, the faith community I lead. I learn a great deal about where folks are in their spiritual walk by what I hear upon my return. It is a gauge for me of sorts.

Funny, just a week ago, I was returning from LA and Origins. I stood last week with my feet in the Pacific Ocean. Today they were in the Atlantic Ocean. So stinking cool!! That being in my head, here are some more misc. quotes from Origins and Ethos. Everything in this entry is from Erwin.

“When you are in bondage, the first thing to go is the vision that you could be more. In Acts 2 you have Peter telling a nation that has become accustomed to being in bondage that their visions will return and dreams will come back.”

“When most churches talk about their great fellowship, it is great fellowship with one another. It is great fellowship with their great Christian friends that they have not seen in seven days. However, to an outsider it feels like walking in on two people who are making out.”

Our language informs us regarding our culture and informs our culture. We have a lot of language for what is important to us. In Alaska there are 30 distinct words for snow. In the Christian world how many different words do we have for “salvation?” (“Saved,” “redemption,” “come to faith,” “believe in Jesus” – the list could go on and on.) How many words do we have in our church cultures for being missional to non Christians? –
(Compiled)

“The stories we tell on Sunday, affect the culture on Monday.”

How do we move our church culture from requirement to value? We brush our teeth when we are young because we are required to do it by our parents, but at some point we see a cute girl or guy and it moves to being a value. Our culture wore seat belts as a requirement at first, but for most it has now moved to a value. How do we affect values? – (compiled)

“Adults only learn in crisis.” Child seminars reach those with that issue. Marriage seminars reach those who have that issue in the forefront of their mind. It is their particular “crisis.” A part of leadership is creating crises for folks in the areas where we feel the leading of God.

“Every word in the Bible that describes what happens when a human being meets God is all about change. So, why does the church not change? Here is a scary thought, Maybe we are no longer helping people change.”

“We need commonality in our values, not in the way we look.”

As a leader we have to ask, “What structural changes can we make that will affect the Ethos of our community?”

“Do not try to be a church for everyone. There are plenty of ‘blue’ churches.”

“People do not burn out because of stress. They burn out because they are doing the wrong job. We should seek to get them on the right job.”

More to come . . .

Missional with a Capital “M” – Part 3

As of 6:45 this morning Terry and I are back home in Western Pennsylvania. (Sigh)

As you progress in reading my comments, let me urge you to go to his blog and read his comments as well. Terry Timm is a great thinker who has a wonderful way with language when it comes to unraveling a lot of this stuff. I owe him a world of thanks for turning me on to this gathering.

This is where I must be to unpack the last few days. This was not a conference where we go to learn a new way to do things or learn some new methodology. These core discussions are much much deeper than mere methods.

Wednesday afternoon after one of the sessions on Synergy and the various types of leaders Terry and I were doing some discussing. Erwin was talking about the three basic types of leaders: catalytic leaders, corporate leaders and causal leaders. They had us unpack each of them with a Q & A with their staff folks in each of those arenas. There was good discussion regarding the need in each of these three arenas for leadership.

At one point in that discussion, Erwin made these statements in reference to his two staff members who were listening, nodding their heads and agreeing.

“The worst thing you can say to Eric (corporate leader) is, “Start this from scratch.”

“The worst thing you can say to David (causal leader) is, “Commit to this for life.”

I attempted to get in a question, but was unable to do so. The question was this, “What is the worst thing you can say to a catalytic leader?” When I mentioned that to Terry he said, “You are that sort of leader, what is the worst thing that can be said to you.”

My reply, “You can’t do that,” or “That is impossible.”

Those comments to me are not a road block. They present a challenge. Come hell or high water, it is an obstacle to overcome. It then makes me all the more incensed to do it, and unfortunately, if I am not careful, for many of the wrong reasons.

As Terry and I talked further, we began to realize that there are times when leaders may be a combination of one of these types and not fit into the exact areas. I am sure others realized that as well.

Okay enough for now. Here are a few more quotes:

“I turned to God thinking he was a fool for wanting me.” – McCall

“We must connect everything we do to the human story, so folks do not forget it is about people.” – Erwin

“We need more chaos and movement, not more organization.” – Erwin

“The Western Church has become at best an employment agency for those who like to study and at worst a movement of managers and administrators, but it is void of dreamers and visionaries.” - Erwin

“The common denominator of declining churches: ‘They have great fellowship.’” – Erwin

“Theologians say, ‘We think.’ Experientialists say, ‘We feel.’ What we need to do is to take ‘thinking’ add ‘feeling’ and combust it by adding ‘doing.' Then we really learn.” - Alex

“Many if not most of the folks in our churches are bulimic. You feed them on Sunday. They vomit on Sunday night. They starve themselves all week. Then come back next Sunday so they can gorge themselves again.” – Erwin

“If you are in a church and you are not affecting the Ethos of that congregation, regardless of the grief you may take, you are not the leader. The leader may very well be someone who is dead or gone.” – Erwin

“Part of spiritual leadership is creating a crisis for people that forces them to grow and address issues in their life.” – Erwin

I am just getting started here . . .

Missional with a Capital “M” – Part 2

It is Thursday morning. Origins and Ethos are over. My brain and my spirit are far from over. I have so much to process and decide how it fits into our faith community that the task could seem daunting if I were of that ilk. But those who know me, know I have a hard time visiting, much less living there.

I took notes at this conference unlike I have ever at any conference in the past. I am not really sure why, but I did. Maybe it was a God thing. I do like it when those happen.

In any event, what I did in addition to the “normal note taking” was to just write down quote after quote that spoke to me and made something really live. I gave some on the previous post. Well, for the next day or so I will give some more. If I put them all out here now, it would be like drinking from a fire hydrant, which is what I have been doing for three days.

Do not look for a particular order, I intentionally mixed them up. Why? Because I am just that way. I did start and end with two that really spoke to me.

“If you change what people believe, you are an apologist. If you change what they care about you are an apostle.” - Erwin

“You know what you care about by what you DO.” - Erwin

“Fellowship is what we do with each other to reach the world.” – Eric

“God is not trying to catch up to us. He slows down for us.” – David

“Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the absence of self.” – Erwin

Alex on Relevance:

“The first question is not, are we relevant to culture? It is are we relevant to Jesus Christ and who he is and his mission to the world?”

“The second question is, are we relevant to the future? If we build a church that we like but our kids hate in ten years, we have failed.”

“The third question is, are we relevant to the outsider? After all it is not about us. We have become very good at running programs but not so good at throwing parties.”

“God is not a fireplace to warm you, or a firework to entertain you, He is a consuming fire.” – David

“I am more committed to your character than I am to your talent.” – Erwin to Ricky

“We need to wake up to our dreams not wake up from our dreams.” – Ricky

“Sometimes a person’s talent is too heavy for their character.” – David & Eric

“It is not that teaching” the Bible in church “is not a good thing, it is just not enough.” – Erwin

“There are some things about God that will only be revealed in community.”

“We have a European, mostly Germanic, approach to communicating Scripture.” - Erwin

“When you love someone, you design and experience. It is not just about sharing the information.” – David

“We need to be serving others with others.” – Erwin, David, Ricky, Eric, Dana, etc. etc. etc. (Get the point?)

“If you are not living the word and serving, you are missing the point.” - Erwin

“Ingratitude is a toxin.” – Eric

Missional with a Capital “M” - Part 1

I will pick up the "presbyterian with a small "p" series in a week or so but for now . . .

I am writing this from Southern California. I would say “sunny” but it appears we brought the drear and rain with us from western Pennsylvania. The forecast is far better the remainder of the week. Otherwise Terry and I rented a convertible so we could open the top in the parking garage.

Okay, let me back up. I know I promised to write some more about the presbyterian church, and I will. But Terry Timm and I are attending the Origins and Ethos conference put on by Mosaic (the church where Erwin McManus the author of Unstoppable Force is the Lead Pastor.) It is an absolute creative haven. I have two more days of this and I am eating it up. So I will try to share some of what is taking place with you while I am here.

Considering I did not sleep well (I never do the first night in a new bed) and we had capped a long day of travel to get here, I needed something to connect me to God quickly this morning. I know I should do that on my own, but it was not going to happen.

This morning before the opening session they opened with some percussion played on garbage cans that brought back memories for me. At the opening session the band kicked in to a driving song about human need and God. It was at around 100 decibels in the room and my eyes were filled with tears. I honestly do not recall the last time I fully worshipped while singing in a worship gathering, at least on this level. It may have been at my farewell night 2-1/2 years ago at my former church or at another convention in San Diego about 4 years ago. For me to worship during singing it usually requires a strong driving lead guitar, a bass rift that thumps your chest, drums that engage the heart, and vocals sung with reckless passion. This band did all of that. I stood there alternating between clapping, jumping, and raising my hands while tears filled my eyes. And that was just the opening three songs.

This entire gathering is built on how to be the church in missional fashion the way Christ intended it. Here are some miscellaneous comments that I put in my notes:

“How do we become what Jesus was imagining when He was on the cross?” – Erwin

“Look at what we are doing and ask, ‘Is this worth the death of God?’” – Erwin

“Most Christians are self absorbed and all consuming narcissist, not servant oriented and outward focused.” – Erwin

“Do we wish to do the right thing . . . even if it means losing people?” – Erwin

“As a leader are you always unsatisfied?” – Erwin

“Mission is not what the church does . . . it is why the church exists.” - Alex

“The question is not. ‘Can we just . . .,’ it is ‘We must . . ..’” - Alex

“Everything is calling to us to move, to momentum, to live beyond ourselves.” – Alex

“Most Christian discipleship has been reduced to Buddhism. We are getting rid of the large sins in our lives, and then moving on to the smaller one until we have no sin. That my friends, is the gist of Buddhism. It is about nothingness . . . nihilism. Reincarnation is not a blessing, it is a curse that traps you in its cycle until you can end up at nothing.” – Erwin

“God created us to create.” – Erwin

“What is the ½ step we can take that will get us in the direction we want to go?” – Erwin

“God is not limited by your intelligence or your ability; He is limited by your dreams.” – Erwin

“We have to create a context where people can fail gloriously.” - Erwin

More to come. As TT says, “Stay connected . . .”

My Love-Hate Relationship Being a “Presby”: Part 1: presbyterian with a little “p”

As a pastor when I am talking to folks about our worshipping community, I get a lot of questions as you would expect. One that I get quite often is “What denomination are you affiliated with?” Well, the language may not be exactly that, but the gist is the same. I usually answer with, “We are presbyterian . . . with a small ‘p.’” That always gets a smile from folks who seemingly know what I mean.

Everyone who does not have their head located on the wrong end of their anatomy knows that folks today, by and large, do not make a church decision based upon the signage out front. That alone may not seem too unique, but we have to remember it is a radical shift from not too many years back, when you automatically looked for the label on the sign. I am not saying it does not matter any more, but it is nowhere near the issue it once was. And in almost every case, it is just not the deciding factor. I have a church full of people who come from every almost every background, and they still choose us. Many of us find the label quite often to be a deterrent as much as a draw. So in our case, we hide it as much as we can. That, however, is a comment for another time.

I am not the first, nor will I be the last to say we appear to be moving into a post-denominational age. I am also not the first, nor the last, to recognize that some alliances are still going to form as like minded folks attempt to serve together and support one another. But in increasing numbers we are finding those alliances in places other than our denomination.

I would love to take a trip like the one in Back to the Future 2 and 3 when they went 30 years into the future. I would like to see if denominations survive. My guess is they will in some form. But I would be utterly shocked if they looked, smelled, or tasted anything at all like denominations do today.

So when folks ask what my connections are, unless pushed, I may increasingly say, “Jesus.”

Next Up: Getting Inside the Mind of a Bureaucrat

Welcome Back . . . Maybe Not

Just to clear up any misunderstanding, I have not died. There was no assasination. I have had several attempts on my life, but they have all failed . . . JUST KIDDING!

My apologies to folks who come here to read what is on my mind. Well . . . as of late you must be thinking the answer is . . . well . . . nothing. You are close.

In truth, I have allowed the busyness of a new church to crowd out something I enjoy doing . . . writing. I hereby confess in public this grievous sin. I promise to get back on track with my two to four posts per week . . . this week.

I am finishing up the touches on my take on the upcoming PC(USA) General Assembly. It will be posted over this week. If what I write gets out, I may be brought up on charges by our Committee on Ministry for denominational heresy. Let's see, Huss, Luther . . . does not follow does it?

As my close friend TT says, "stay connected," for just like Arnold, "I'll be back!"

Being Missional in Suburban FPC

In recent weeks and months I have received a great blessing. I hear more and more folks using “being missional” in discussions regarding Fountain Park ministry, program and budget planning. This is a tremendous advancement from 2-1/2 years ago when Fountain Park was still struggling to understand its less than one year existence and had practically zero understanding of the true meaning of the word “missional” much less knowing what it meant to BE missional in a suburban setting.

In all honesty, there is not a lot written and researched on being missional in a suburban setting. Consider this. The 5-6 blogs I put up last fall on being missional in the suburbs STILL get hits reading them every day. Sad as this may read, almost all work on being missional I have been able to uncover is discussed in an urban setting. Now, please read these next few sentences slowly and thoughtfully. I have no issue with urban ministry. I actually love urban ministry and wish I were in it some times. In 1994, my first look at a ministry change was to a ministry in downtown Chicago. It was not until three years ago that I finally realized that God was not going to allow me to pastor a church in an urban setting – as much as I wanted to. He led me into the suburbs in every discussion with churches at that time. I am here because this is where God has ordained that I should be, not because it is my life’s goal. I was never a suburbanite until I moved to Pittsburgh. I have learned and am learning to love it and learning how to eat shrapnel and enjoy it for what it is. (More on that in a minute.) This plays into why we as a suburban church are trying to develop partnerships with urban missional congregations.

What this means is that, proportionately speaking, there are few of us out here who are moving into this arena of discussion . . . and we do not all agree on every issue!! So, on some level, we are on the cutting edge. Before you get too excited remember this . . . the cutting edge is where the shrapnel is. I have always thought it best to be just behind the “cutting edge.” People on the cutting edge in every area are the ones who get electrocuted, die in experiments, and in general invent all sorts of ways that do not work. They are the most misunderstood and least appreciated until they are dead and gone. The cutting edge, quite frankly, is not safe. It is extremely dangerous. Ask the explorers who ventured across the seas in the 1400’s and 1500’s. Ask the folks who landed at Jamestown in the 1600’s. Ask the first pioneers who crawled into a covered wagon with their family and began the long journey west in the 1700’s and 1800’s. Ask the Mercury Astronauts. Ask the members of Apollo 13. Ask the families of the Challenger.

I am not, and never have been one to play it safe. I see no reason to change now. Jesus never took the safe road. Paul never took the safest route. John the Baptist was not a “safer.” Mary, the mother of Jesus, surely did not take the easy road. Nor did John, Thomas or Priscilla.

We, along with some others in the United States, are on the shrapnel end of things. It is misunderstood. We are often assumed to be just another take off on what is happening elsewhere. Fellow travelers, these are not just tweaks in ministry we are talking about. Being missional is not just the latest church growth fad. It is an entirely new (old) way of thinking. It is apostolic. It moves, changes, and evolves with every new location.

As happy as I am about the language of being missional being used in our venue, I am likewise a bit saddened by its misunderstanding.

Being missional is indeed about caring, reaching out to, and ministering to those commonly referred to as “seekers.” But it goes so far beyond that.

A lot of the discussion I am hearing centers around being missional in this sense: “What do we do in order to have others come to us?” “How should our program look to be attractive?” Friends, that is not being missional. That is being attractional. Huge difference.

Attractional says, “How do we get them here?”
Missional says, “How do we go to them?’

Attractional says, “Here we are.”
Missional says, “Where are you?”

Attractional says, “Come, let me help you.”
Missional says, “Let me be with you.”

Attractional says, “What is appealing?”
Missional says. “Where should I be investing my time?”

Attractional says, “Come.”
Missional says, “Go.”

Both care about those without Christ, but the core movement is opposite.

Now, before you say so, let me. Being missional will indeed be attractional, – at least on some level. When folks see you coming to them, see you caring for them where they are, without a hidden agenda; that is indeed appealing! BUT and this is a big BUT, the key . . . is that being missional starts with the church going to them not us striving to get them to us. Please understand this difference. It is at the core!

As we look to our summer ministry and our future staffing and planning, let us not forget that we should ask how we “go,” not how we get them to “come.”

I am . . . enjoying the roller coaster ride!

Mis(Understanding) My Astrological Sign

This post will probably seem a bit crazy, but that is okay, much of what I do is either misunderstood or misinterpreted. This past week I spoke on Jesus’ miracle in Cana and raised a few eyebrows when I mentioned that this miracle probably occurred in like day 3 or 4 of the 4 to 7 day celebration. This means he had been partying with the folks for some days. Imagine. Jesus partying, dancing and drinking. Sort of blows your normal images away doesn’t it?

An item on my blog that has been misunderstood was the fact that it listed my astrological sign as Gemini. I have known for years that was the official case given my June 16 birthday, but I have spent a grand total of less than 15 minutes in 51 years thinking about that. Be that as it may, I have had many folks question that little piece of information on this blog. (Do not look, it is no longer there.)

For folks who do not have a Blogger account, I never put it there. All I did was enter my birth date and Blogger magically put it there by default. I tried to get it out, but my HTML skills are . . . shall we say . . . less than adequate. So the only way to remove it was to totally take my birth date out. I hope I did not offend folks who never bothered to ask me about it, but it was totally innocent. It was such a non issue for me that I never bothered to consider what to do until several folks had questioned me.

Now you have to look at the photo and ask, “I wonder how old this old f*** really is?”

The answer . . . older than dirt!!

But a lot more cool!!

Giving Up Stuff for Lent

Yesterday was "Fat Tuesday." It actually means, " be a glutton, a pig and a slob to prepare to suffer for 40 days," or something like that.

In case you have not decided if you should give up something for Lent, here are some suggestions that we could give up and hopefully keep them gone! You will notice they are not original with me, but they are still worth reading.

GIVE UP grumbling! Instead, "In everything give thanks." Constructive criticism is OK, but "moaning, groaning, and complaining" are not Christian disciplines.

GIVE UP 10 to 15 minutes in bed! Instead, use that time in prayer, Bible study and personal devotion.

GIVE UP looking at other people's worst points. Instead concentrate on their best points. We all have faults. It is a lot easier to have people overlook our shortcomings when we overlook theirs first.

GIVE UP speaking unkindly. Instead, let your speech be generous and understanding. It costs so little to say something kind and uplifting. Why not check that sharp tongue at the door?

GIVE UP your hatred of anyone or anything! Instead, learn the discipline of love. "Love covers a multitude of sins."

GIVE UP your worries and anxieties! Instead, trust God with them. Anxiety is spending emotional energy on something we can do nothing about: like tomorrow! Live today and let God's grace be sufficient.

GIVE UP TV one evening a week! Instead, visit some lonely or sick person. There are those who are isolated by illness or age. Why isolate yourself in front of the "tube?" Give someone a precious gift: your time!

GIVE UP buying anything but essentials for yourself! Instead, give the money to God. The money you would spend on the luxuries could help someone meet basic needs. We are called to be stewards of God's riches, not consumers.

GIVE UP judging by appearances and by the standard of the world! Instead, learn to give up yourself to God. There is only one who has the right to judge, Jesus Christ.

Rev. Craig Gates, Jackson, MS

February in Pittsburgh - Part 4: Biting Cold

This morning after worship at the church I serve, I was talking to a woman in our foyer about the cold. She said that she did not mind the cold, but she hated it swinging back and forth on temperatures. I had to agree with her. If if just stays cold your body seems to adapt doesn't it? But when it changes you keep getting the "autumn cold feel." You know what I mean don't you? 40 degrees in October cuts through you. But 40 degrees in February and you say, "It is nice out today."

I have been sitting here thinking. We are like that in our spiritual discussions too aren't we? We are terribly excited about something, something good probably, but we get used to it and it is not so cold any longer. We acclimate ourselves to it.

I have done just that on many good issues. Tonight I reminded myself anew, that my experience last fall in Africa is not going to "cool" or "warm"or whatever. I am not going to allow myself to forget God stirring in my heart to make a difference in the lives of some. I need to use my influence, to aid some who are less fortunate than me. I may think I have it rough some times . . . but come on Terry! You are at the top 1% of the world's income level! Get a life! Realize how incredibly blessed you are!