Living Waters, Leaking Waders

$3,000,000,000,000.00

2011-05-06T12:01:00.000-04:00

From the outset, I must say that I respect the military and the men and women who are willing to serve in facets few of us are knowledgeable or willing to serve in; I do not claim to know every last detail about why decisions are made and what leaders know; and, as with any blog post, the information that I report will be skewed. Yet, when I read an article by Tim Fernholz and Jim Tankersley at www.nationaljournal.com claiming that conservative estimates show that the United States spent $3 Trillion in 15 years to hunt down Bin Laden, I was struck with a hint of worry. There are a lot of zeros attached to that 3.

More importantly, there is a lot of blood lust attached to that $3 Trillion.

When the government continues to practice finances in a fashion that would land many of us in jail if we tried to do the same with our personal finances, it is hard to justify the cost. When a child dies of hunger and malnutrition every 6-7 seconds in the world, it is hard to justify the cost of hunting down one man when thousands die from lack of resources every day. I could continue in a "bleeding-heart-liberal" manner, but will save you the indigestion. I could tell you that it does not please me that "my" tax dollars continue to be spent carelessly, but will save you from that side of me, as well.

What I do want to share is that I, to the best of my ability, try to follow the One who said things like, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). I'm still trying to figure out what $3,000,000,000,000.00 spent finding one man, though evil he may be, says about our hearts.

- BCS

The "Fishless" Fishermen

2011-04-27T11:24:00.001-04:00

I first heard this parable preached by Rev. Grace Imathiu about ten years ago. There are a number of versions with a number of pastors claiming authorship. I know that it has made the rounds, but it still holds some profound questions.

Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry.

Year after year these who called themselves fishermen met in meetings and talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how they might go about fishing.

Continually they searched for new and better definitions of fishing. They sponsored costly nationwide and worldwide congresses to discuss fishing and to promote fishing and hear about all the ways of fishing.

These fishermen built large, beautiful buildings called "Fishing Headquarters." The plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and every fisherman should fish. One thing they didn't do, however; they didn't fish.

They organized a board to send out fishermen to where there were many fish. The board was formed by those who had the great vision and courage to speak about fishing, to define fishing, and to promote the idea of fishing in far-away streams and lakes where many other fish of different colors lived.

Also the board hired staffs and appointed committees and held many meetings to define fishing, to defend fishing, and to decide what new streams should be thought about. But the staff and committee members did not fish.

Expensive training centers were built to teach fishermen how to fish. Those who taught had doctorates in fishology, but the teachers did not fish. They only taught fishing. Year after year, graduates were sent to do full-time fishing, some to distant waters filled with fish.

Further, the fishermen built large printing houses to publish fishing guides. A speaker's bureau was also provided to schedule special speakers on the subject of fishing.

Many who felt the call to be fishermen responded, and were sent to fish. But like the fishermen back home, they never fished.

Some also said they wanted to be part of the fishing party, but they felt called to furnish fishing equipment. Others felt their job was to relate to the fish in a good way so the fish would know the difference between good and bad fishermen.

After one stirring meeting on "The Necessity for Fishing," a young fellow left the meeting and went fishing. The next day he reported he had caught two outstanding fish. He was honored for his excellent catch and scheduled to visit all the big meetings possible to tell how he did it.

So he quit his fishing in order to have time to tell about the experience to the other fishermen. He was also placed on the Fishermen's General Board as a person having considerable experience.

Now it's true that many of the fishermen sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and bore the smell of dead fish every day. They received the ridicule of some who made fun of their fishermen's clubs and the fact that they claimed to be fishermen yet never fished.

Imagine how hurt some were when one day a person suggested that those who didn't catch fish were really not fishermen, no matter how much they claimed to be. Yet it did sound correct. Is a person a fisherman if year after year he never catches a fish?

Oops

2011-04-27T09:41:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry about the lack of posting in recent weeks. Somehow, in trying to post via mobile phone, I managed to mess up the publishing settings. Nothing like having a Lenten Blog and going silent during Holy Week!

I think that everything is back up and running and will continue to post Post-Resurrection style!

Conflict

2011-04-12T23:03:00.001-04:00

While buzzing around the Internet I came across a clip posted on The Raleigh District's website concerning conflict within the church.

To be sure, Jesus did not shy away from conflict. As Christians, however, we tend to avoid conflict at all costs which often leads to unhealthy portrayals of passive-aggressive behavior and avoidance. Initially, we might look at Jesus' ability to take on his detractors with a sense of "Right on, Jesus! Let 'em have it!" Yet, Jesus does not seem to pick a fight that he wasn't willing to use to point to a greater reality. Maybe one of the reasons we avoid conflict within the church stems from the fact that we are unable to point to a greater reality made evident through the conflict, itself. Maybe.

George Bullard shares some valid reasons why churches would do well in embracing a little conflict. With Jesus' help a bit of conflict just might point us in the right direction. Here is a link to Bullard's synopsis on Seven Reasons Why Every Church Needs A Little Conflict.

-BCS

They Can't Take That Away from Me

2011-04-07T15:11:00.002-04:00

I love the Gershwin tune They Can't Take That Away from Me introduced into the world through Fred Astaire in the movie Shall We Dance. Essentially, the lyrics state that no matter what may happen to the singer, nothing can take away the memories of the one he/she loves.

Sometimes we scoff at repetition and ritual. We fear that when we do something over-and-over that that something will lose its meaning. Yet, I wonder if repetition, despite the dangers of "going through the motions," isn't a valuable asset for us in life. Repeating the same motion in basketball helps a player become a better foul shooter. Learning the rhythm of fly casting through repetition helps the angler concentrate on things other than counting while trying to fish. Also, I think repetition in our Christian life can enhance our relationship with Christ.

When I first started out in ministry I was charged with leading a worship service for senior citizens at a local nursing home, some of them afflicted with Alzheimer's. During my first few services I found myself saddened because I felt as if I was doing nothing for the participants. I would have a short devotion, a short prayer, and finish with communion. There seemed to be little, if any, engagement on the part of those gathered and I wanted to know how engage them. On one occasion, while praying, I instinctively went into reciting The Lord's Prayer. Suddenly, persons who could not tell you their own names sat up in their wheelchairs and started reciting The Lord's Prayer with gusto! From that point on I started incorporating things into the service we sometimes utter mindlessly in Sunday worship like The Lord's Prayer, The Apostles' Creed, the 23rd Psalm, and communion responses. I found the engagement for which I had been hoping.

What I discovered was that repeating the prayers and creeds of our faith, while sometimes seeming dull to us, is a gift. Those words become for us a treasure that we can open whenever we don't have the mind or strength to find the words to utter on our own. Whenever I hear an Alzheimer's patient recite these treasures, I can't help but think on their behalf (and mine): "No, they can't take that away from me!"

- BCS

Their Eyes Were Watching God

2011-04-06T10:56:00.000-04:00

I want to share with you the reading for today (April 6) from a prayer book that I often use called Celtic Daily Prayer:

Psalm 27:3-4 Isaiah 40:4 John 10:10

Let us try with all our strength to occupy our minds with only God. Even whilst doing our tasks we must keep our eyes fixed constantly on Him, never detaching our heart from Him, only keeping our attention on our tasks as much as is right and necessary, never our hearts. God must be King of our minds, the Lord of our minds, so that the thought of Him never leaves us, and we speak, think and act always either for Him or guided by the love of Him. Let our souls be thus a house of prayer and not a den of thieves. Let no stranger enter in, no profanity even in passing. Let it always be occupied with its Beloved. When one loves one never loses sight of that which it loves.

I love the book Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Hurston's book was forced upon me in an undergraduate English course, but I've kept the book through the years because I love its haunting imagery and powerful message.

The book's main character, Janie, does not have an easy life - a life of great expectation that leads her into a sad marriage at 17 and challenges her into sometimes bittersweet reflection in her wiser, older years. Her life is a journey of emotional experiences and heartache. Janie, however, is able to reflect upon her struggles and offer these words that pierce into the reader's soul: “Love is lak de sea. It’s uh movin’ thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it’s different with every shore" (191). “Two things everybody’s got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin’ fuh theyselves” (192).

Let us keep our eyes upon God and grace will show us a life worth livin'.

-BCS

Getting Serious

2011-04-04T20:02:00.001-04:00

In his book, Even Brook Trout Get the Blues, John Gierach describes the true angler:

One thing you'll notice about fishermen is that - in the time-honored tradition of humans everywhere - they never seem to be able to get enough. Once an angler has become serious about the sport (and "serious" is the word that's used) he'll never again own enough tackle or have enough time to use it. And his non angling friends and family may never again entirely recognize him, either.

So, here goes my attempt at reworking that paragraph:

One thing you'll notice about Christians is that - in the time-honored tradition of Christians everywhere - they never seem to be able to get enough of the One whose name they bear. Once a Christian has become serious about the faith (and "serious" is the word that's used) she'll never "own" enough spiritual tackle or have enough time to use it. And her non-Christian friends and family may never again entirely recognize her, either; but, they'll be mysteriously drawn to her way of living.

Okay, it may not be as funny as Gierach, but I think that there is some truth there.

-BCS

What?

2011-03-30T12:25:00.000-04:00

I felt inclined to share some "news of the absurd" today as well as the post following this one.

A friend of mine shared today that he went to his local Christian bookstore to pick up Rob Bell's new book. The store informed him that their distributor will not carry the book because they don't consider the book's title to be a Christian title. Bell is a Christian pastor and author. Title of the book that the distributor does not consider "Christian": Love Wins. If the love of God does not win, then what does win? Things that make you go "hmmmmm?"

-BCS

Community

2011-03-30T10:07:00.003-04:00

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. - 1 John 4.20

I like to joke with our interns about their writings for divinity school. I recollect from my time in divinity school that no professor thought a paper worthy until it made some mention of Community, no matter the paper's intended subject. I understand that things haven't changed much.

When I first started divinity school, many moons ago, I found the professors' obsession with the concept of Community a bit strange. I found a lot of things strange. For instance, I wrongly assumed that all one had to do to get through seminary was gladly join in with other divinity students in a few bars of Amazing Grace and take a few courses in preaching (which I needed, but didn't think I needed). I had my little, naive world rightly rocked; fortunately, I caught on quickly. Yet, while I am inclined to agree with my professors' insistence on making Community such a large part of our education, I'm still trying to understand what Community truly is and should be.

I think that my own difficulty, as well as many others, is that we are trained early on to praise the rugged individualists, those persons who picked themselves up by their own bootstraps and persevered. I still think that there is something to be praised in persons who are able to overcome. I fear, however, that we sometimes fail to notice that whenever we are able to overcome there always seems to be others who have made the chance possible, sometimes "others" we've never even met. In short, we are trained early on to have a myopic view of the world.

When we do think in terms of "Community" we often think in terms of those closest to us - our family, our neighbors, our town, our church. This makes sense because these tend to be communities that we see and seem "manageable" within our minds. We can navigate through some understanding of smaller communities. Yet, as I continue to struggle to gain some understanding of what Community truly is, I am beginning to find my own mind stretched to its limits. For instance, we are told that we now live in a "global economy." In some ways, a global economy is a community because when I buy just about anything I am affecting the lives of persons I've never met, persons living many miles away from me. In turn, I see how a global economy affects persons within my family, my neighborhood, my town, my church - sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. This, I guess, is one way to point out that we are all connected.

Connection. Beyond looking at things like a global community, I need not look any further than my own bellybutton to understand that all human beings are connected in some weird way. All of us share some common DNA. For the sake of time, I do not wish to get into a long diatribe about genetics. I simply wish to point out that what genetic tests seem to indicate is that we all seem much more connected genetically than we probably ever realized. What implication does this knowledge have on our concepts of Community?

Jesus had some things to say about how we treat our neighbors. He seemed inclined to have us refer to one another as "brothers and sisters." Paul tells us that the good news of Jesus Christ is for Jew and Gentile, alike, for everyone. So, Jesus and the Scriptures seem to support an understanding that all of God's creatures are connected to one another. This connection comes not just through economics or genetics, but from a God that seeks to live in harmony with all of God's created order. So, when we are living out of harmony with those we are intricately connected to, it would seem that we are living out of harmony with God and God's hope for creation.

What am I hoping to get across with all of this? I'm not entirely sure. As I stated, this concept of Community continues to stretch my brain to its limits. What I can say with some certainty is that what this all indicates is that my own actions have an affect on not just me. We are connected to a much wider community than we can see. Science seems to support that we really are "brothers and sisters" as Scripture states. When we live in ways that have us living in disharmony with one another, this seems to go against God's desires. And, while the scripture that I quote above from 1 John seems to point us to our "smaller" communities, I would argue that there is a sense in that passage that we need to expand our view.

I guess that all of this leads me to one question: If we understand ourselves to be connected to all of creation, then how should this change the way we interact with creation and our "brothers and sisters" within creation?

- BCS

Being a Reminder and our Frenetic Pace

2011-03-28T00:00:00.001-04:00

I must admit that I am a bit concerned about the frenetic pace in which many Americans seem to live their lives. We work more hours in a week than we ever have in history - those who can find work, that is. We joke about our automobiles being "taxis" for our children as we drive them to every activity possible. Increasingly, I hear people talk about how busy they are but wonder if their busy-ness leads to anything good. Can we continue upping the pace? Should we?

As a Christian pastor, I sense that the frenetic pace of looking busy is creeping into our communities of faith. Sadly, I had a friend recently tell me that he no longer has time to "be still" and listen for God's direction. "Too much to do for the church to slow down," he told me. If he never stops, however, to discern God's voice, then how does he know that he is doing that which is right in the sight of God?

As we were reminded today in worship, we are called to be "reminders" of God's acts of deliverance. If we are too busy simply being busy, what are we actually reminding people of other than being busy?

With that in mind, I would like to leave you with something from Robert Schnase's book Five Practices of Fruitful Living:
Concert musician Ignacy Paderewski tells about how he continues to practice every day, even after years of focused learning. "If I miss one day of practice," he says, "I notice it. If I miss two days, the critics notice it. If I miss three days, the audience notices it."
Neglect our feeding the Spirit for a few days, and we sense the difference. Something feels unsettled. Avoid it for several days, and our family notices. Neglect the spiritual life for too long, and even those who know us from a distance - neighbors and co-workers - begin to notice it. (p. 83)

It is hard to be a "reminder" of something when we are never in touch with the something about which we are trying to remind others. Try saying that 10 times as quickly as you can and see if it still makes sense.

- BCS

Living Waters, Leaking Waders

2011-03-27T10:17:00.000-04:00

Someone asked me to explain the title of this blog and what it has to do with Lent. Quite simply, I tried blogging a few years ago combining my love of fly fishing with my love of God. I kept the blog site. I simply use it for different occasions such as this.

In trying to remember my original thoughts on this blog title I recall thinking that when it comes to leaking waders the waters tend to slowly seep in. There isn't a lot you can do about leaking waders once you step into the waters except getting out and patch the poor things. A lot of times you don't even know the waders are leaking until you've got a leg full of cold water. I guess the point behind all of that is to say that when it comes to us, we're kind of like leaking waders - the living waters sort of seep in. We tend to go along and think we're well protected from any intrusion of the living waters, but God has a way of seeping in despite us. And once you discover you have a "leg full," you, along with C.S. Lewis, exclaim to God, "Oh, it was you all along."

So, Pastor Lindsey said last Sunday that if you want to know what goes on in a pastor's head, you should read this blog. You may conclude, after this entry, that there isn't much going on, at all...

- BCS

Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can...

2011-03-22T12:52:00.002-04:00

The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. - Proverbs 22.7

Let's say that I want to take a trip to England to visit some of the holy sites of the birthplace of Methodism. And, for the sake of using good round numbers, I calculate that the trip will cost me $10,000. Up to this point of decision, I have not been very good at saving money. So, if I want to take the trip I must borrow the money from somewhere. I decide to finance the entire trip on a credit card that has a miraculous interest rate of 5% (another easy number). I calculate that I can pay back the credit card in 15 years. When I finish paying that credit card off (assuming that the only expense is the trip to England) I will have dished out $17,500. During that 15 year stretch I will be giving away $7500 that I could have been using to help feed the hungry, tithe to my church, or any number of admirable pursuits.

Now, let's say that I have made the error in borrowing the money. Yet, immediately upon my return I discover a person who can show me a realistic way to pay back the principle ($10,000) without having to pay the interest ($7500). It will require some sacrifice on my part, but is doable. The person's fee for this service is $500. So, instead of paying out $7500, this service will cost me $500, leaving me $7000 to use in admirable pursuits. Would not the right decision be to employ this service after the initial mistake of borrowing the money?

Unfortunately, many of us do not save or give as we should. Many of us borrow way too much finding ourselves enslaved to banks and creditors. And, when we do come to our senses, we tend to think that the sacrifices we must make to get out of debt are too hard to handle. I guess that the questions that I have are these: As Christians, does having our money tied up with creditors diminish our ability to be good stewards? If our goal as Christians is to follow Christ, and Christ only, then can being at the mercy of our lenders afford us the opportunities to be truly followers of Christ? I would argue that when we are at the mercy of lenders, then we greatly diminish our roles as Christ-followers.

Many of us find ourselves enslaved to lenders. The fact remains, however, that most of us, with a bit of sacrifice, can remove that burden. Sometimes, it might entail an initial investment to help us find new ways to be good givers to causes that matter. Perhaps I'm wrong, but being able to give $7000 to charitable pursuits appears to be better than being able to offer nothing.

I know that the example that I offer is somewhat simplistic. Yet, if I employed the simplistic teaching of the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, I most likely would never find myself in a debtor's predicament.

Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can. - John Wesley

On Being Happy

2011-03-21T00:12:00.000-04:00

My friend and I had the perfect fishing trip planned - back country camping away from the electric noise of everyday life and lots of fly fishing. We parked the truck, put on our backpacks and gear, and started hiking to our spot. We knew that the first day would be a wet journey as a storm system was heading into the area. The meteorologists assured all listening to their reports, however, that the system was a fast moving system and wouldn't be around for long. We'd set up camp in the rain before, no big deal.

As predicted, the rains came. And, contrary to reports, the rains never left. Most of our time was spent trying to stay dry while sitting under shelter drinking instant coffee, eating canned beans, and telling stories - most of them true. While bummed about the lack of fishing, I recall being genuinely happy about the trip.

Being happy. Some fairly recent psychological studies contend that about 10% of our happiness is determined by our external circumstances. This makes sense when we think about it. This would explain why people who are miserable cusses prior to winning the lottery tend to be miserable cusses after they hit the jackpot. External circumstances affect our feelings of happiness very little.

I know that this is a bit misleading considering that persons who find themselves in some very dire circumstances have every right to experience sadness. My purpose in sharing this is not to minimize the very real, very difficult circumstances beyond our control that bring pain into our lives.

With that said, it appears that a lot of people like to play the "if" game with their lives and their happiness: If I had a different job, if I lived somewhere else, if I had a new computer, then I would be happy. Yet, as the studies rightly assert, the addition of any of these things will do very little to make us happier people.

While sitting in a car waiting for a friend to run up to his apartment to get his wallet I watched as three little children played outside with nothing more for props than a laundry basket. Ignoring what one child's mother would eventually say about these children dragging her laundry basket through the grass and dirt, I watched in fascination at how much joy that plastic box brought them. They walked around with the basket over their heads marching blindly and proudly. Then, they got into the basket driving it to destinations only their imaginations could carry them. The basket was not their source of happiness; their happiness made it possible to turn a laundry basket into an adventure.

As professing Christians, perhaps our source of happiness comes in living a life worth living, one that follows the perfect example of Christ. I don't know. What I do know is that there are some folks a lot wiser than I who seemed to understand this in ways that I'm still trying to understand. As St. Augustine once wrote: "You have made us for Thyself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in Thee." And in a strange way, watching those little children offered for me some partial understanding of Jesus' words in Matthew 7:

Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rains came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

C.S. Lewis and The Screwtape Letters

2011-03-17T14:01:00.000-04:00

This morning during devotion and prayer I came across an oldie but goody, C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters. This book is another of Lewis' fantasy books where one devil is offering guidance to another devil sent to tempt a particular human from God (God in the book is referred to as "the Enemy"). I found this particular section on human worry compelling:

"We want him to be in the maximum uncertainty, so that his mind will be filled with contradictory pictures of the future, every one which arouses hope or fear. There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a human's mind against the Enemy. He wants men to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them thinking about what will happen to them."

Have you ever been "inspired" to do something good and just only to be sidelined because you were worried about how that action might make you look? or how much it might cost? Have you ever been anxious about what the future holds and therefore put something important on hold, rationalizing your inaction based upon the contradictions within your mind?

Call it temptation or cognitive dissonance, all of us find ourselves overwhelmed to the point of inactivity at some point, I FEAR (kind of a pun, somewhat intended). Let us pray to God to grant us the courage to stay focused on that which is good and just, and to grant us the grace to do something.

- BCS

Wise Counsel

2011-03-15T18:25:00.003-04:00

On a number of occasions I've had the good fortune to fish with persons much more skilled than I. Considering how bad I am at fishing, these occasions have come quite often; and from these individuals I have learned a number of "tricks" that have proved worthy and have made me a better fisherman. I am grateful for their instruction.

In life, I have had the good fortune of trusted instruction from a number of great people. When I am smart enough to put their lessons into practice, I become a better person. I am grateful for their wise counsel.

As a Christian, I have long struggled to live by the counsel of Jesus, struggles producing some bewildering and contradictory results. My confession is that there have been times when I thought that Jesus would expect certain things from me only to realize some time later that I was mistaken. I suppose you, like me, have oftentimes interjected your own understanding of right and wrong upon Jesus but used his "stamp of approval" to justify your actions. My guess is that this is nothing too shocking for many of us.

The problem with following Jesus' counsel, when we actually seek it, is that upon close scrutiny we find that his counsel is scandalous by the world's standards and often contradicts some of our "instincts."

Imagine that you are standing in a crowd and a strange man offers these words: Do not repay evil with evil. If someone pops you on your right jaw, offer her your left. Love your enemies. If someone curses you, go ahead and bless him. If someone hates you, you must treat her lovingly. This is the way you should act as children of God.

Now, imagine that you decide to make a conscious effort to actually live your life in this manner. Can you imagine how well these instructions would be received on Capitol Hill, where you work, or by your own neighbors? How well would these instructions be received in your church? How long do you think you would endure?

My guess is that for many of us when the inevitable and literal push came to shove, our "instinct" would be to push and shove right back. Yet, if this is true, then can we say that we genuinely live by the instructions of the strange man?

- BCS

Three Simple Rules

2011-03-14T16:18:00.001-04:00

A few years ago I was given Rueben P. Job's book Three Simple Rules: A Wesleyan Way of Living. Every now and then I pull it out to remind myself of the three simple rules: Do no harm; do good; stay in love with God. While it seems simple, I need reminding.

Today, I would like to share with you Job's Prayer at Midday and invite you to start observing The Three Simple Rules as part of your Lenten journey.

Welcoming God's Presence
God of love, holiness, and strength, we thank you for the gift of your presence through the morning hours. Continue to make yourself and your way known to us throughout the remaining hours of the day. Grant us grace to follow you in faithfulness, joy, and peace. We are yours.

Silence

"Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening" (1 Samuel 3.9). Listening for God's direction as we wait for guidance and direction for the remaining hours of the day.

Response

"'It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him'" (1 Samuel 3.18b).

Prayer
Responding with gratitude for God's grace and direction promised and already experienced this day.

Blessing
"My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me" (Psalm 63.8)

Blessings,
BCS

Holding On

2011-03-12T15:48:00.002-05:00

"Staying in communion with one another - holding on to one another through all the stormy blasts that blow us around - that is how we know that God is still with us, no matter what the headlines say. Come earthquakes, come famines, come plagues, come great signs of heaven - we are to hold on to one another - we are to endure that - because holding on to one another is how we hold on to our Lord." - Barbara Brown Taylor, God in Pain

Yesterday one of my parishioners graciously took me to the ACC tournament in Greensboro, NC. It was a day of enjoyment and a nice change of pace. When you sit through four men's basketball games, however, there are some things that you have to endure. For instance, I had to endure listening to adults "booing" a little girl who got displayed on the jumbo screen wearing a Duke shirt. And, just how many times can the Clemson band play "Hold that Tiger"?

While I enjoy a good game of basketball and the good-natured ribbing that sometimes comes along with supporting "my" team, I don't think that I am so far gone as to not realize that the main purposes of any sport are primarily exercising, perhaps teaching teamwork, and providing a bit of entertainment for spectators. To assign any greater purposes to sports probably would lead us into idol worship - but that's another topic for another day.

To get back on topic, while I had to "endure" some things while enjoying the entertainment in Greensboro, it pales in comparison to those things persons in Japan and other Pacific nations are enduring after an earthquake, aftershocks and tsunamis. As Barbara Brown Taylor seems to contend in her book God in Pain, how we respond to one another, particularly in times of human pain, proclaims much about ourselves and the God we profess.

What I wish for us to ponder as professing Christians is this: What would "staying in communion" with our fellow children of God in Japan look like if we were to take this "holding on to one another" concept seriously?

The Kingdom of Heaven

2011-03-10T10:39:00.002-05:00

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people..." - Revelation 14.6

Lent is a time of personal reflection - a time to look inward and discover the ways we fail to be more like the example of Jesus. What about reflection as a church? Lent might be a good time for us to collectively explore how we can more genuinely follow the will of Christ.

I recall a pastor friend adamantly contending that the Church should reflect the Kingdom of Heaven. She argued that the Kingdom of Heaven is a diverse place of people from every tribe and nation. I think she is right. Her worry is that our churches do not adequately reflect the Kingdom of Heaven in their diversity. As many have rightly said, "Sunday mornings in America are the most segregated time of any week."

What would our church look like if we took this seriously? What changes would we make in how we work to reflect the Kingdom of Heaven more closely?

I know that it is virtually impossible to be all things to all people. Surely, we have specific gifts that direct how we "do" church. Yet, I do not think that it is enough for us simply to say, "This is how we are. Not everyone is going to like it." If the good news is truly for everyone, then are we truly open to sharing it with everyone? Something to ponder...

BCS

Wading in the Stream

2011-03-08T22:21:00.002-05:00

You never step into the same stream twice. A stream may carry the same name it has endured for years. You may wade into a stream's waters in the exact coordinates you stepped foot into them a year prior. Yet, the stream (and you) are not the same. Plant life, bugs, sediment, energy, depth - all different when you return to a stream. A year later and you wade into the waters a few pounds heavier (or lighter), grumpier (or happier), perhaps wiser, and maybe carrying the emotional balm and scars of new life and death. When we wade into familiar waters, despite some constancy, there is always something different about the stream and us.

When we wade into a liturgical season such as Lent, much of the same sort of experiences apply to our encounters with streams. The season is the same, but different - as are we. While the symbols and sentiments of Lent have altered very little through the years, there may be specific emphases which speak to you in new ways.

Perhaps this is just my sentimental desires wishing to shine through, but I find myself more-and-more simply awe-struck when I wade in a stream. There is something mesmerizing and mysterious about moving through something that is ever-changing and ever-constant.

I invite you, during this season of Lent, to be awed in the presence of the Almighty. I look forward to wading through this season with you.

- BCS