Wednesday Wisdom

I don't know about "wisdom" but today I thought I would offer you a peek behind the curtain of what the routine of ministry can be like for a pastor - at least this pastor.

There have been long stretches, "seasons" if I want to use church terminology, where I would reflect on my weekly schedule and wonder if I was spending too much time in books. 

Sermon preparation is a important. Sometimes pastors make it too important, as if a 20-45 minute message is going to completely override the hundreds of hours of other messages our people are consuming during the week. And for that reason this pastor sometimes wonders if my week has been taken up by too much commentary reading and message-preparing. Proclaiming God's Word is a vital task but that wondering is helpful self-evaluation that ensures things are in balance. 

That's how some stretches of my routine can go. Then there are days and weeks like the last few I have been through. A elderly widow needs moved, people call in looking for basic assistance, lunches are planned, and meetings must take place. Sermon prep gets done but it gets done more in the margins while relationships and interpersonal interactions dominate my time. It is during these times I remind myself that pastoring is by definition more shepherding than studying.

Ebbs and flows have marked my almost 9 years now as a full-time pastor of our church. I'm thankful I have had room to use my stronger gifts for the edification of our people. But even more so, I'm grateful to have had the space to grow in areas where I wasn't as polished. Pastoring is a multi-faceted calling and our people have been patient and gracious and appreciative of the learning curve I have been on. 

Now, on to the rest of my day full of sermon prep, ministry lunch meetings, and two other appointments.

Thursday Thoughts

It has been and will be a fun-but-busy month at church. 

For the past two-and-a-half weeks we have been living out our polity, our special church practices that go beyond simply meeting for worship.

Two Sundays ago, we had a baptism. A young man who has been coming to church since he was a hyper-active toddler. It's a privilege to see how God's worked in his heart. You may notice from the picture, we baptize in an unique way - three times forward. It makes it a little more awkward but it is our tradition and we make it work. After this particular event, I remember as I was changing my clothes in a separate room and hearing lots of "church chatter" in the pool room. There's few sweeter sounds than God's people celebrating steps of discipleship.

This past Sunday, we held Communion. The Brethren have long observed not just the traditional "Bread and Cup" but also serve each other in foot-washing and incorporating a Fellowship meal. All done to mirror the last supper Jesus had and to literally obey his words in John 13. 

Then last night we held our annual business meeting. Admittedly it's less worshipful than these previous events, but it doesn't have to be. We adopted a newer, more specific and accurate mission statement to serve as a general guide for what we want to be about as a church. I purposefully tried to connect that with the various reports that were given to show how God's worked through us this past year. 

This busy ministry month isn't over either. Regional Gatherings, leadership meetings, plus we have an annual Halloween Fun Fair we put on for Trick-or-Treaters. 

It would be unwise to pack every month full of activities like these. But it is a good boost as we finish out the fall to celebrate and serve in these various ways.

Wednesday Wisdom

So my wife and I started our family "late" according to convention. We were married 11 years before we welcomed our oldest into this world. Almost exactly two years later, boy #2 came along. 

Both have taught us a lot of lessons. Lessons people talk about plenty but only parents really know. So I realize I'm not breaking new ground here but one parental observation hit me today.

Our youngest is turning into a real unique individual person. 

Astonishing right?

So, he's got ear and eye infections along with being contact-traced at daycare which means our routine is upended and he's hanging out with dad a bunch. 

Being our second, he has more or less been a tag-along as he's grown up. His big brother is more active and naturally advanced meanwhile #2 is just along for the ride. 

Well, as I tried to get some study in and work done from our church nursery today, I suddenly recognized, "this little man is his own dude". He's at a fun stage where his personality is starting to show and he can communicate verbally just enough.

I'm thankful they get along with each other pretty well. I'm thankful for a great wife to share this privilege of a burden (or is it burden of a privilege) with. And I'm thankful for my little guy who's growing and learning and proving to be both a handful and a blessing.

Postscript: This is kind of dumb but I notice a lot of parents don't use names or post many pictures of their kids online for often unspoken but understood privacy and security reasons. I don't buy it all 100% but abiding by those principles nevertheless.

Wednesday Wisdom

Yikes, it's been almost exactly a month since I posted. 

Not that the world is desperately clamoring for my perspectives on things, but I do intend to be disciplined with regular posts here. 

In my defense, I'm working through my third week battling pneumonia. I feel like the worst is over thanks to antibiotics and meds. 

It has certainly thrown me for a loop though. And I've certainly had extra time to take stock of things and think through lessons and reminders God may be wanting to show me.

Here are a few:

• Rest is both good and essential. Unsurprisingly, this illness has made me tired and worn out on a daily basis. That's kind of what pneumonia does. Thankfully my wife allowed me to take extra naps often at random times and away from the chaos of our toddler boys. I was mostly home-bound and had to miss two Sundays at church as well. It was good to have a break in my regular routine. It was good to remember there are limits to my energy and capacity to do things. Busy-ness is not a fruit of the spirit. Sabbath rest is still a critical principle of discipleship. It allows for both my body and spirit to heal and recharge.
  
  
• My church is filled with capable people. I love the smaller community God has placed us at. And when this illness set in, the last-minute prep was fairly smooth. Responsibilities got covered, sermons were preached, fellowship still happened. My church needs me, but they don't NEED me.
  
  
• I need to accept my newer, older identity. Ever since I was a kid, I had above average athletic endurance ability. That's very specific but here's what I mean. I always found myself able to run long distances or play sports for long periods of time without feeling like I was dying of fatigue. I was usually one of the top runners in the elementary gym class mile run they always had us run. I had fun playing basketball for long hours and found myself able to keep my energy up when others tired. In addition to basketball, I ran track in college and though the season was already underway, I was able to be fairly successful at the 400 hurdles (an ideal race for someone who isn't speedy fast, doesn't have time to build up endurance for long races, but can do a little bit of both). Even after my college years, I stayed active regularly playing recreational basketball, slow pitch softball, and staying in semi-decent shape. As I've hit my late 30's and now into my 40's, I've noticed more physical limitations. It is harder to stay in shape and other family priorities get in the way of those activities I once participated in. And now this pneumonia really made reality set in. I could barely chase my boys around the living room without having to catch my breath. Bouncing back from being winded has been hard. Now I hope to be able to stay in some kind of active shape once this is past. But I'm more and more resigned to the fact that a part of my identity - being physically capable of doing stuff and not tiring - is changing. My pride has and is taking a hit. And I need to adjust.
  
  
• I can be grateful this isn't worse. I was worried at the beginning I'd contracted COVID. That worried me not just for myself but because I had been around a bunch of people that week. Thankfully, two tests showed I was negative. But I had some restless nights where coughing made rest rare and breathing was labored. During this same time, three people I know have gotten COVID and all had severe symptoms. One even passed away. I am ok, my family is healthy, and getting medical attention was pretty effective and not super expensive. I am grateful it has not been worse.

Wednesday Wisdom

 ANNOUNCEMENT: Given my changing personal schedule, it looks like I will be switching to either "Tuesday Thoughts" or "Wednesday Wisdom" from my traditional "Music Mondays" feature. I anticipate still incorporating musical thoughts, memories, and opinions but I will probably tackle a more diverse range of subjects here.

If you read my last entry, you know that I've started a sermon series going through The Sermon on the Mount of Matthew 5-7. I'm taking the Beatitudes one by one and last Sunday we studied 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy."

Mercy is a concept I know from growing up in church but it first registered in my mind from TV, specifically Uncle Jesse on Full House. 

  

From the show's inception, he employed the catchphrase "Have Mercy!" whenever something good happened or his girlfriend/wife Aunt Becky gave him some loving, family-appropriate affection.

It was funny but even as a kid I knew it didn't quite jive with what mercy actually is.

Later on, I learned the oft-cited definition of mercy as it relates to the concept of grace. Grace is "getting what you don't deserve" while mercy is "not getting what you do deserve."

When reading through Scripture, it becomes quickly apparent that the above definition is too simple. Mercy is more than the absence of something. Mercy is something that is active, demonstrated, given and received (Hosea 6:6, James 2:12-13, etc.).

Mercy is the Good Samaritan. Mercy is raising Lazarus from the dead. Mercy is operating a local food pantry. Mercy can even be lived out by getting a COVID vaccine. In his commentary on The Sermon on the Mount, Scot McKnight defines the merciful this way, "The 'merciful' are those who...because they have experienced God's merciful love, empathize and show compassion to others."

During this week, we've seen political and national turmoil chaotically descend on the nation of Afghanistan as our nation has withdrawn our military presence. Heartbreaking images have flooded the news and social media as people desperately try to flee the coming darkness that is Taliban rule. I pray that our government leaders change course and act in mercy towards those people. 

Outside of prayer, it feels like there's little someone like me can do to really make a difference in that situation. But the overwhelming scope of the latest tragedy should not stifle my impulse to be merciful. Instead, to quote Ernie Johnson, I'm going to ask myself "what can I do today to make someone else's life better today?"

Music Mondays/Sermon Snippets

So I went the entire month of July without posting here. In retrospect, I'll call it an unintentional blogging sabbatical. 

This month has been filled with hot weather, family get-togethers, church events, yard work, our denomination's national conference, a mini-vacation...and now we are getting into August all of the sudden.

As I've traditionally done in the past, this summer I switched to a sermon series that lends itself to people's summer schedule (ie, traveling-vacation-inconsistent church attendance). I picked "The Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew 5-7 and am in the middle of the Beatitudes. 

Yesterday brought us to, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" in Matt. 5:4. Like many of these other sayings, Jesus doesn't seem to make worldly sense with this assertion. I had some extra time to prepare leading up to this and providentially I kept finding myself personally confronted with lamentable situations.

I'm convinced more and more that mourning/lament are the most ignored part of Christian discipleship in our modern times. Read Scripture with an eye for this and you'll find it everywhere. Whether it's mourning over the death of faithful saints (Gen. 50), the deplorable condition of God's city (Nehemiah 1ff), the depraved condition of God's people (Lamentations 1, all the Prophets), or simply suffering injustice (Ps. 22, 86), lament is an integral part of what it means to walk with God. It's not just about being sad. It is about seeing how the world is not as it should be - but still trusting in God to make it all right.

This brings me to our music for today. A Facebook memories reminder pointed me in this direction. Of all the modern CCM artists out there, I find Jars of Clay to have utilized this lament genre as much as anyone. Here are a couple examples I find notable and meaningful. 

If you find yourself in a time of lament, grief, or mourning - may you find God's comfort and consolation. And may we all learn to patiently protest the present while confident of God's future reconciliation.

Music Mondays

 So my cousin posted a link to this song on Facebook. 

It's from my mom's record, from, well, a long time ago. 

It is a rendition of "Amazing Grace" like I'm sure you've never heard before.

It is also not my mom. Apparently, the album also featured her friend Teddy Swinehart. It didn't sound like my mom and after asking her directly she confirmed that this song wasn't her but her friend.

But I should take this opportunity to praise my mom for her musical gifts. She was an accomoplished guitar player and won a talent context that allowed her to make this record. She met my dad in a music ministry group and they later traveled as a duo even while I was a little kid, singing and speaking in churches.

And if nothing else, she gave a platform to a friend that allowed a cover of Amazing Grace to the tune of "The House of the Rising Sun" to be released to the world.