"Follow Me, Follow You"
Friends,
I have not been on Twitter/Facebook very long but have begun to find how difficult it is to follow everyone and stay up to date. So beginning today, 6-16-2010, I have developed a "Following/Social Networking" policy. This way everyone can clearly understand how and why I use Twitter and Facebook; how and why I may start following you; or I don't and why. If you have any questions, please leave a comment or email.

My General Goals Regarding Social Networking:
  1. Professional networking
  2. Look for opportunities to help/mentor people
  3. Grow professionally/personally
  4. Gather news/information
  5. Make friends
  6. Have fun
Twitter Goals: @RevCraigGommer
  1. Professional Networking
  2. To Help & Mentor
  3. Learn & grow both professionally & personally
  4. Keep in touch with latest news in different groups
  5. Make new friends
  6. Have Fun
Facebook Goals: Private
  1. Professional Networking
  2. Generally Private
  3. Keep in touch with family/friends (old & new)
  4. Keep in touch with friends from school/college
  5. Keep in touch with former co-workers
  1. Writing about topics that interest me.
  2. Providing a discussion forum for those issues through comments
  1. For general or detailed communication 
My Following Policy:
  1. I will follow (almost) everyone who follows me.
  2. I will follow you if you engage me in meaningful conversation.
  3. I will NOT follow you if you are abusive.
  4. I will NOT follow you if you are trying to sell me something.
  5. If you follow me please introduce yourself (It increases chance that I will follow back).
  6. I will do my best to respond to @ and DM messsages. Please be patient with me.
  7. I reserve the right to amend this policy without notice.
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A Bitter Sweet Time
I cannot explain the roller coaster of feelings I have had this past week and a half. During that time I was preparing for the final session, the 159th session of the Wyoming Annual Conference of the UMC. I was a part of the worship team as we put together services to help us have some closure, grieve and prepare for the future...a future in which God was doing something new. I was so busy through the two days of our conference, it really did not hit me what was happening. That was until the final worship service. We did a lot of remember our baptism, our history together and the fact that while we would no longer be an annual conference, we were still church of God and United Methodist. While one connection was ending many more were still in place. The idea of connectionalism was and is alive and well within us. My emotions came alive as I was one of a couple of people to help lower two banners, one for our NY districts and the other for the PA districts. The NY lay and clergy followed one banner out one door and the PA folks out the other. We came back together in place where our bishop offered a benediction and we sang "God Be With You Til We Meet Again." Tears flowed, hands held and hugs exchanged..again not saying Goodbye but til we meet again.Here is a link to an article about the final conference: http://tinyurl.com/34j6wqa
I drove home just thinking about what I had just been through with so many others. The conference that so many were as part of for so long like my father and grandfather, both ordained in the conference, was no more. How would I feel as we headed into this "new thing" from God...the "Susquehanna Conference." Well I told myself I wouldn't have to wait long...One week later the former Central PA COnf reps and the former Wyoming Conference PA reps met at the Community Arts Center in Williamsport PA. I believe we filled the place with close to 2000 people including roughly 480 clergy. We started with worship and then moved into business. As the worship began, I felt a swelling in my heart (strangely warmed?) as we began to sing. As we moved through the business of enabling motions to begin as the new conference. But after lunch as we prepared for ordination/commissioning, it hit me. the feeling of being lost and now found, blind but now I see. The music, worship, ordaining/comissioning and recognizing 28 people, gave me a feeling of hope. Hope in the midst of uncertainty in beginning to be a part of this new thing God has created.
I started by candidacy process in the Central PA Conference. So being in this place, a part of this new thing, made me feel as though I was coming home. I saw a new friend whom I had met about a year ago, Mark Reisinger, be ordained elder in the UMC. I also saw and old friend, Jean Blackie ordained elder. I saw a friend from CPE at Hershey Med center in Hershey PA, Eric Funk, doing some of the behind the scenes work, while my new friends, Heather, Natalya were coordinating worship. Who would have thought one week ago, I was devastated by the ending of something that God started. Here now as Mark Miller lead the music, as we celebrated ordination, commissioning and Holy Communion, I felt the Holy Spirit moving. I felt the hope for the future with my new and my familiar brothers and sisters, together children of God, and Methodists at heart surrounding me singing the songs of faith. I left there on a high but not without a caveat: we have plenty more work to do. We are still in the wilderness time with this new thing. We need to stay faithful to the vision and when need be pull back to and reevaluate where we are and determine where God calls us to go. As my new bishop, well new to me for the most part, Bishop Middleton said, this is a new day. In the evening she said we have to answer the question that Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?" If we say yes then there is only one task we have...Go and tell about Jesus. Even amidst this new thing, as we search for a way to do ministry together in this new thing, that is our role as we work for the kingdom together. Please pray for us and we continue to wander in the wilderness!
www.susumc.org
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"I See You & I Love You"

I have been reading Laurie Beth Jones book, "Jesus: Life Coach." In one of the chapters called "Be Seen." She  begins by telling the story of Zacchaeus from Luke 19:1-5. Jesus basically says, "Hey Man, I see you! Come on down and let's get to know each other." Laurie shares several stories of how people have come to know God is with them. One of folks has an agreement with God that God will send white butterflies. Another woman asks God to show her a penny. I won't share more. You'll just have to buy the book.
Last weekend I was getting ready for our confirmation retreat as I mentioned in my previous post. I had read the chapter about being seen and kind of offered up, "Ok God, you know I am going through some rough waters. If you could find a way to share with me smiles from people that would be great." Well the retreat was all smiles! Seven and eighth graders chasing each other in tag and having a blast.
I started the week with good vibes but trying to help a church turnaround is not easy. I quickly got hit with several things because people want a leader that tells them what to do not help them figure it out. As I moved through the week I felt my energy waxing and waining. I spent time today getting things done around the house which I have been putting off for too long. Then I needed to head to the office. My office and the church are in walking distance to my home. Not in my typical garb for the office, jeans and tshirt, I got in my office, stopped at the church and then proceeded home. As I was, I noticed a white station wagon trying to park on courthouse square as I crossed the street. As I approached the car walking on the sidewalk, A gentleman got out and shouted, "How are you Pastor?" That happens every now and then in this small town. But I did not know or remember this man. We shook hands and I asked how he was. "Well, I have been out for seventeen months and I remember how you always came and talked to us." This man was one of the inmates I see every month to lead worship in the county jail. He told me he was working and clean and going to meetings. He was spreading his resume around to see if he could get a better job. He told me he was doing well. I told him it was great to see him and I would be in prayer for him.
Wow!!!
As I walked away I said, "Okay God....Ya got me..You see me and are with me." While I will remember the smiles of our confirmation class for a long time, the smile and conversation from this young man getting his life turned around, meant so much more today. Because it was from God. Maybe that is what we all need to do. We need to covenant with God about when we need to be seen through his eyes. Maybe we need to pick something that we know will put us back on our heels. Something that then gives us the continued courage to move forward. I half-heartedly asked God for smiles thinking this was kind of silly. But God showed me that even the smallest gesture, a smile, at the most unexpected time from the most unexpected person, can remind us Zacchaeuses of the world to hear that still small voice from God: "I see you and I love you." I found my courage today through God smiling at me today....how about you? What has God put before you to let you know you are seen and loved?
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Passing the Mantle

Soon our annual conference, The Wyoming Annual Conference (NE PA & Southern Tier of NY) with be no more. We are in a time of change, exciting and challenging and a little fear thrown in. God is telling us a new thing is happening. But sometimes even when we are doing that new thing memories return and call to our mind people, places, events which remind us of that past, brought to the present and thrust us in the future. For all you English majors, sorry about the LONG sentence.
This past weekend my co teacher for confirmation and I took seven our our eight confirmands to Sky Lake. It is a camp which has been associated with our conference for a long time. www.skylakecenter.org Through my candidacy process this place became a touchstone. When I was commissioned to begin the process toward elder in the UMC, we had a retreat for those being commissioned and ordained. I am still in contact with many who were commissioned/ordained in 2002. Again in 2005 my commissioned colleagues and I would be ordained. Through that three year process we had two years of short retreats with our leaders, Rev. Lynn Snyder and Rev. Bill Highfield. We always had a great time and learned a lot. But one of the things that I remember is Bill always sitting in the rocking chair in the lounge we spent time in while learning. We all joked that it was Bill's place. No other chair would do. Within the last year, Bill died and went to be with the Lord. But before then, I was always reminded of his ministry with us. One of the folks I was ordained with and I were asked to lead the probationer's class. While budget constraints would not allow a retreat every time. We had one day meetings but were able to have two retreats, one to begin the fall and another to close out a year of meetings. When we met we went to Sky Lake. The same building, Underwood lodge in the same lounge. While I would sit on the "comfy couches or chairs" I often sat in the rocking chair. the very same rocking chair that Bill sat in. I did so initially with a little bit of fear and trepidation. I mean after all that was Bill's chair. But soon I realized that my sitting in that rocker was more of an honor, in remembering Bill, and a duty, in passing on what he passed down to myself and so many others.
That whole idea came to light even more so this past weekend with the confirmands. Here my partner n teaching, Barb and I were discussing the UMC and sharing history and "language" with them. Each time we got together I sat in that rocker. Only thing missing was the pillow Bill often used as lumbar support but I didn't mind. I even sat in it as we watched our movie. The more we sat and talked the more I felt that I was following not just in Bill's footsteps but so many that went before me. I was taking time to help lead, guide and teach young people not only about the faith, the role it can play in life but about the church and what kinds of roles it can and does play in lives here and around the world.
I am so thankful for the many who have touched my life and journey of faith. But today I give special thanks to two people; First, Lynn who is still faithfully passing on the faith, serving the people of God in parish ministry; Second for the life of Bill Highfield in his ministry to so many. I will never look at that particular rocking chair at Sky Lake or any rocking chair for that matter in the same way ever again. that chair and all those rockers will remind me of the story telling and passing on of faith Lynn and Bill did for us and now I am called to do for others.
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1 Peter 1:14-16
1 Peter 1:14-16 – do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance

Posted using ShareThis
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A Time of Wilderness
Over the course of my time in varying appointments, I never really had a plan so to speak. I just kind of went in listened and preached. I lead bible study, shared at meetings, did visits etc. I did all the pastor stuff. I couldn't really figure out why the church was not growing. I mean there was excitement, invitation etc but once I left it seemed to drop off.. In the past three years I have read many books, still reading in fact. articles, went to a conference and I continue to draw one conclusion: my role in ministry, no matter where I am is to help/guide people to find their gifts, pulling them together so they might impact the community an world around them, That means everything from my preaching, curriculum, structure, etc needs to be geared toward the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ so as to transform the world. The more I have come to that realization, I have this feeling that I need to do things that not only are out of the box but not necessarily how the church would have them ordered. I am ordained to word, order, sacrament, and service. Sometimes we have the rules to make sure things don't get out of hand. However, if the structure is not creating space for new ideas, or allowing room for a new way of doing things, should we not step out of the box where we have a little more freedom to think?
It has become harder and harder to "fill committee slots" to the point that many churches end up placing warm bodies in those vacancies. The infrastructure we have the harder it is to make decisions even at the basic level. I mean if we need new carpeting, a group can't just do it or offer to have it done, we seem to need to give permission at more than one meeting. So by the time the decision is made after a couple of months, the group has forgotten about it and moved on. While I need to mentor the committees in their roles, my goal is to get them to the point that no matter who steps into my shoes, they can not only continue the administration but also be able to focus on ministry.
I feel myself in a role in which I do not think pastors have been before and I know I didn't get the "how to turn a church around" course in seminary. So in a sense I am feeling unsteady on my feet trying to lead the people through change. In my reading the turnaround churches ending up losing people who could not handle the change which would set the church free to be who God is calling them to be. I worry about that and maybe I shouldn't as I move in this wilderness of tough times, decreasing denominations and with a few trusted and devoted to this new idea stuff. I don't want to leave people behind. But at what point does moving forward in Christ's name become the goal rather than member retention, coddling the good monetary givers of the church, and maintaining the status quo. When I was ready to move this last time, I told my district superintendent I wanted to go where: they had little to no financial problems, they were ready to move and a group ready to embrace technology in ministry. The DS giggled and told me they didn't think there was any place like that in our conference. OUCH! Well there should be, I thought. When's the last time we created a new church not recreated a church with a merger/closing of churches?
This wilderness place is very disconcerting. Part of me just wants to simply do what the people want me to do. But my faith tells me otherwise. My faith tells me that Jesus always spoke truth to power. He held the light of God in one hand and a sword in the other. The sword was not one for inflicting pain but cutting through all the actions/words and call forth the truth by proclaiming what is false. That is hard. I have been trying to do that and found a couple of unsigned letters given to key people in the church anonymously to challenge me at every corner. I keep feeling like Moses, taking time to meet with God and coming back and seeing the people melting gold for the calf. I feel like Peter sometimes denying Christ, when I don't follow or hesitate for a moment to do what God calls me to do.
This wilderness is not an easy place. I am anxious and yet somehow th Spirit provides confidence to get out of bed and step closer to the goal of bringing the kingdom. I know there are so many that are hungry for Christ. I am listening to Jesus' voice but also asking, "Lord can you help direct me to those people so we can connect them to your love, grace, mercy and hope? Help me to shepherd and protect them and lead them until they can carry the torch and sword for others." Here I am Lord send me.
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When Did the World Change?
For some time now the church has not been the big influence in culture it was decades ago. Denominations have not kept up with the times and we seem to be like Rip Van Winkle waking up to an entirely changed world view. People in our churches are struggling with wanting to do church the same way they always have. A.K.A. "The good ole days." We hear "if we only did this" or "if we did that activity again people would come." Years ago people rented there pews. Not only did that provide money to support the church, which was expected, the renters were also expected to be in their pew in church. We have brought that mentality forward into our culture in which individuals and families have a which has a small measure of life available to be a part of a church. While we have all these new machines to "make our work easier" they sometimes cause us to take more time by filling the extra time doing more work/stuff. So we don't have the "Pew Renters" we had before. Now we have people who are "Time Sharers." They may be in there one week and not the following. Their children may only be able to attend Sunday School/Christian Ed two out of four Sundays a month because of other activities. The question is not how we get people into the church? They are not the salvation of the church. We know who is....It is Jesus Christ. The question is why would anyone come to our church and why would they stay? It is our job in faith to share Christ with those outside the walls. These Time Sharers are hungry for meaning in their life but may not be able to be a Pew Renter. That doesn't mean they count any less nor does it mean they are any less hungry than those who are there every week. We need to find ways to have the most impact for those every week but also for those who are there every other week as well. We need to move, quoting Rev. Mike Slaughter from Ginghamsburg UMC, from "Broadcasting" to "Narrowcasting." (Thanks Mike for the words) It means sharing those weekly services not only in the church but outside to individuals/families who cannot physically be there. The technology out today gives people, who can't physically be there, the opportunity to watch/listen to a service by streaming video on a website or setting up podcasts/MP3 files for people to download/listen to. These are not problems to be solved but conditions in which we live that require us to do things differently to reach the most people we can. Denominational free fall is not a problem to be solved but a condition we need to live in and through by adding ways to proclaim the message rather than focus on something which is not a problem to solve. We like solving problems but we can't change conditions. We must live, move and have our being in this wilderness time.
I read a story in a book by author Laurie Beth Jones called "Jesus: Life Coach." In the first chapter she tells the story of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson sleeping in the woods camping. Holmes wakes up and says, "Watson! Wake up! What do you see?!" Watson wakes up and said, "Sherlock I see the North Star, which has helped guide us to this spot. Beyond that I see the Big Dipper and the tail of Orion. I also can make out the edges of the Milky way and know that there are universes expanding beyond that." Sherlock elbowed him and said, "Watson, you idiot, someone has stolen our tent!" (Thanks Laurie Beth for the story)
We spend all of our time trying to maintain the institution and local churches worry about maintaining the order and mortar they know. All the while, Jesus has come as a thief in the night and stolen the tent. We need to be more like Watson and see our current reality and begin to move(doing God's will in our community) rather than Holmes who was only worried about the tent(institution/mortar).
So let's shoot for the stars not look down at our feet. Being the church is a journey not a destination. Look at your bible maps of the Exodus. It was not a straight line and sometimes they had to go backwards to go forwards. Whatever happens, let's trust our faith in the one who is the way, the truth and the life. I pray Jesus steals your tent too.
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The Golden Calf vs Wandering

I began my week by reviewing the scripture from Lectionary from Acts 5 for Sunday and got this:

"When they heard that, they were furious and wanted to kill them on the spot. But one of the council members stood up, a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel, a teacher of God's Law who was honored by everyone. He ordered the men taken out of the room for a short time, then said, "Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to these men. Not long ago Theudas made something of a splash, claiming to be somebody, and got about four hundred men to join him. He was killed, his followers dispersed, and nothing came of it. A little later, at the time of the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and acquired a following. He also fizzled out and the people following him were scattered to the four winds.

38-39"So I am telling you: Hands off these men! Let them alone. If this program or this work is merely human, it will fall apart, but if it is of God, there is nothing you can do about it—and you better not be found fighting against God!" (The Message)

A leader from my church who just was elected in January came to me and said he wanted to resign. he couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take the behavior of a few people trying to hold onto the past much like the Israelite people wanting to go back to Egypt. But rather than just complain they have begun to attack not only me but others who want the church to be what God calls it to be. I tried to talk him out of it and he may change his mind. But if not I completely understand. I have been dealing with it for almost three years now. In my opinion people are fighting God. They would rather worship the calf than wander. They would rather fight me and each other instead of letting all pan out to see if it is from God or from humans.

I fear for the church ans specifically the United Methodist Church. We seem to have lost our way on all levels. Here I am in a local church fighting to keep something they hope God will bless, rather than seeking the current reality and trusting that God will provide if the vision changes. Trading old mortar for new does not work. But the lines have been drawn, secret meetings held, pastor/staff/elected leaders left out of the loop. All because why? We value what we can see rather than what we can't. Which begs the question do we not get what Easter is and Holy Week are about?

If what I am proposing that I believe God has given me to share for the people of God here, works then it was of God. If not then it was not of God. It is about prayer and discernment along the way not pushing an agenda.

Part of what is happening here is described in a blog written by a person I follow on Twitter, Jonathan Pearson. he can say it better than I can.

http://jonathanpearson.net/2010/04/499/

All I would ask is prayer for my self to be able to held the leaders stay strong and hang in. The wilderness is a scary and lonely and frustrating place. We can't afford to to waste time with golden calves. God has better plans for us.

Is this what Moses felt like?

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Somber Reflection Leads to Hope

Last night we had our Tenebrae/Good Friday Service. Tenebrae meaning shadows. We start with a bright sanctuary. We join in a call to worship, opening Hymn, "We Sang Our Glad Hosannas" only singing four verses, then a prayer. At which point the church lights are turned off, with the only light coming from the candles (14) & the Christ Candle. I use powerpoint to bring the images forth from each of the scriptures being read. As I proceed through I felt the emotion. This is no happy service as we hear the story of betrayal, abandonment, and agony of the events.
It was striking this year for me, as the candles where extinguished, I noticed the continued loss of light after each reading until only the Christ candle was left. Once the sanctuary was in darkness, I had a black slide up to plunge us into darkness. We just had the ambient light from outside coming in. I waited what felt like an eternity before flipping to another slide telling us that by his stripes we are healed and that all are encouraged to leave in silence pondering all these things in our hearts. I kept the sanctuary dim so people could leave. Once they left I began to "tear down" as it were like we did in stripping the altar.
I began to feel an emptiness. I began to recall my trip to the Holy Land oh so long ago when we were in the cell that Jesus was lowered in, the Holy Sepulchre, Golgotha and the Garden tomb. This wave of sadness and all the whys came to my head. Too often we see Jesus on the cross sanitized without a lot of blood or goriness. I sort of get that but without the blood we lose sight of what Jesus really did for us. The Romans were so savage to him.
I recently watched on the History Channel the program, "The Real Face of Jesus." It was a new study on the Shroud of Turin. Using updated technology, one of the conclusions one of the scientists came to was how the technology showed the immense blood loss and pain and torture this person must have gone through. Twice as he described it, he became very reflective. The 3D animation of the figure from the Shroud showed it as well. I sort of felt like Thomas, saying,"My Lord and my God" as I looked at this animation and realized a little more visually what he did for me, for us. While I understand there is no "proof" the Shroud of Turin belonged to Jesus, it clearly made me think more about what happened to him.
I was not paying attention as I was cleaning up, I seemed to be in autopilot mode. As I was reflecting, I had the Christ candle in my hand, unlit or rather blown out. I placed it on the bare empty altar against the empty cross behind the altar. There was a moment of silence and power as I stared at it. I took in a deep breath and slowly breathed out. I felt like saying it is finished.
The final realization came as I began to turn off the lights of the sanctuary. Slowly the darkness started in the back and moved forward to the front chancel area with each click of a switch. I looked back one last time and saw the candle and the cross and turned the light out. Total darkness. As I left, locking the door behind me I felt as though I too was walking away from the tomb(the church, ouch, that is for another blog). I walked home thinking, is this what it felt like on some level after they placed him in the tomb? Lots of questions? Not the least of which was "why?" Was there conversation between Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus? Who else was with them? The women who had been at the cross? The disciple whom Jesus loved and said, "here is your mother"? Or was there no speaking? Lives changed brought together Jesus now silent, now lost. A common bond of his teaching and healing touching them, hope given, now hope dashed against the cross. What now? If he wasn't here to change the world than why did he die?
They would soon know. They would know and feel more than what we experience each Easter. I can't even begin to fathom the feelings/emotions/thoughts on that first Easter. But I know what our sanctuary is like for tomorrow. I know the songs we sing, the prayers we say, the meal we join in and it is then that it hits me...reminding me of my one moment inside the Holy Sepulchre when I touched the slab and saw the candles, the emotion built up and I knew: IT IS TRUE!!! The tomb is empty! Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia & Amen!
My words to you my friends are the same every year and no less true today then they were that first Easter but need to be heard again and again: IT IS TRUE!!! The tomb is empty! Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia & Amen!
May you all experience the life altering truth of Easter and the abundant life that begins by believing in and living to make disciples of the Risen Christ so as to transform the world!
Shalom
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When Does "a vision" Change?

When does vision change? As I grow older that question seems pretty silly. As a person with Asthma, for quite some time all they had to treat it was steroids. It changed my vision literally. I ended up with cataracts caused by the steroids. After having them removed, my sight changed. I loved only having to use my readers, although I bought a bunch so I had them in each room of the house. Sort of kidding there. But as I aged again, I soon needed glasses again. I often don;t need them to watch tv but everything else, absolutely. Another change. Here I am about a year or more past my last change and I seem to need another correction. Ugh! Does it ever stop?
I wonder if God's people feel that way sometimes? In my tradition as a Methodist, pastors change churches often. That continues even when research shows longer pastorates are beneficial. When I started to be honest, I had no plan or vision for the church. I just assumed people would come. My next appointment offered more possibilities but in a highly Catholic area, my expectations were too high. Not to mention the number of UMCS within a mile or more of that church. As I moved to each charge and stayed a little longer each time my vision changed. I soon began to learn that many times when a pastor leaves, there is not just a miss of a step or two but a fall down the whole staircase. I had to do more than preach, it meant teaching. Teaching that from day one of my arrival I needed to prepare then for my leaving. Sounds kind of bleak but in reality there is a lot of hope in between those moments.
So what vision has God given me? For the church to be able to keep doing ministry and stay together, they need to do the ministry together. That means, no more top down but side by side teamwork where the people take stock of who they ar and what they are called to do. Sounds good on paper huh? Or should I say looks good on the screen? I believe I am preaching to help people see what the church and each of us is called to be and do. Second, I am working to get the committees to know their duties and responsibilities and finding people to take on the challenges of working together. They are not to be a place where I push an agenda and get them to rubber stamp it.
There was a time where I am serving was literally busting at the seams. They developed a vision based on where they were and found some property. There they hoped to start a "second campus" and eventually build a new church. But times change. Pastors changed, people moved, left and the busting at the seams slowly dropped off. The vision is still talked about but all the changes have begun to spawn questions about what we do with property. What is God calling us to do and be because we are not now what we were then?
When I was helping coach my son's baseball team, I can remember many of the kids who would go through hitting streaks and slumps. They loved "crushing" the ball into the outfield. Funny how when they hit the ball just right they stood and looked at it fly admiring it instead of running. "Run!!!" We would scream from the bench. When they lost their technique we often had to help them anaylise their swing and help them get the basics back. Sometimes it worked other times, not. BUt the bottome line was we had to go back to basics.
As we in so many churches are finding out, we are swinging for the fence with one program or another and can't figure out why we can't hit the ball. Maybe we all need to take some time to figure out why? Best place to do that is in the Book of Acts. We need to learn to live and grow with each other. We need to get to know each other. And when people see what hope we have in how we live, they will ask the question, "Where do you get that hope?"
The vision for where I am at has changed. It is time to see the Great Physician and get back to basics:
Works of Piety, such as:
Individual Practices--
Prayer
Fasting
Searching the Scriptures
Healthy Living
Communal Practices--
Holy Communion
Baptism
Christian Conferencing (or "community")
Works of Mercy, such as:
Service focused toward individual needs--
Doing Good (Good works)
Visiting the Sick
Visiting the Imprisoned
Feeding & Clothing those in need
Earning, Saving, & Giving all one can
Service focused toward communal/societal needs--
the Seeking of Justice;

Only by living in this way, will a new vision for God's people be found. We might live in the same frames but the new lenses of faith/vision will give us clarity. Now if you'll excuse me I have to find my own glasses... Peace
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A Tale of Two Friends
"A long time ago in a land far far away.." How many times have we heard that as kids or even read it to our kids. As we share our lives with each other we may not start "a long time ago..." but we do say "well here's the thing..." This past week I spoke to two friends. Both of which will remain anonymous. The first friend sent me a Facebook message about having a question of faith. He is long time Catholic, a situation occurred where a staff member of his Catholic church was fired because the annulment of her marriage did not go through. He also told me that someone gave him the book "The Shack" by William Young. Those two things came together and had an impact on him. What I heard was him having trouble with what I called the institutional church. We talked about how rules have become important in churches rather than taking care if each other. We talked about how the culture rather than be over an against culture, has actually assimilated the culture. We talked about the disrespect not just of clergy but leaders in all venues and a lack of disrespect to each other as human beings. I mean just today, the value of free speech was on display as people protested for and against the health care bill but...of course some took it too far spitting on one congressman and the other being called the N-word. After about talking for an hour I recommended he pick up a book by Barbara Brown Taylor called, "Leaving Church." In it she describes her journey as an Episcopal priest who thought she would retire from parish but left. Interesting book. Highly recommend it. I also said we all need to find what feeds us. There are so many churches, that fit so many different people that I was sure he could find a place, even another Catholic church, which would feed his soul. Keep his family in prayer.
My other friend was in seminary with me. She was prepared to interview for ordination and in the nicest terms I can use, was told not at this time. A nice way of of saying we see potential but you need some work. Anyway, as a local pastor doing ministry, she had a crisis of faith and left the ministry to pursue a degree in education. God took her from that one venue and has placed her in a completely different one using her gifts and graces. She was not "ordained" by the church but God "ordained" her in another venue to touch and meet the needs of her students. She does not regret her decision to drop out of the system but now has an issue with someone in her current church. That person is very controlling and rule driven in how things should be. She has not been to church in awhile and misses it. Even her daughter says they need to go back. Please be in prayer for her and her family.
When did the church become more of the culture than over an against it? When did brick and mortar = the church rather than church = mission? I continue to be struck by people who say, "we need to get more people in the church" or "we need more volunteers." The people outside the church are not our salvation. Our salvation is found in Jesus Christ. When we see the people outside as the church's salvation rather than broken and hurting people who need grace and have lost our way. We don't need more volunteers, we need more disciples/servants ministry. So how do we do that. Rather than being in the church we we need to go outside the church. We need to invite and be inviting. Most churches say and think they are friendly but in reality they are only friendly to the people we know. What this comes down to is truly praying for God to allow the Holy Spirit to remold and make the church into a outward looking people with an eye to mission, rather than inward focus and survival mode.
The fact that I spoke to two friends on the same day and and both are struggling in their connection of faith through their church says volumes to me. Unless we as the institutional church learn to listen for the voice that calls us beloved we will continue to to miss the mark in reaching those who are hurting, lost and alone or just searching.
To my two friends: I will keep you in prayer as you continue to journey in your faith and pray that you find what feeds your soul.
If your pastor and it's leaders are trying to move the church according to biblical principles, find a way to support them. People who try to turn around churches have a huge & difficult calling. Most churches do not turn around. If they do it takes a minimum of seven years before the fruit of the labor of turn around is seen. Please pray for them.
If you are a pastor trying to live up to your calling to pastor the people and be true to what God calls the church to do, to turn them around, take heart God is with you. There are many of us trying to do the same thing in an atmosphere that is not particularly open to change. My favorite professor in seminary, and one I think I can call friend, said to me something that was shared with him, "we often suffer as much from the church as we do for it." Please know the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Pray. I will hold you all in prayer as you do the same for me. Peace as we approach Palm Sunday and Holy Week.


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"Who's on First?!"

When I first discerned I was called to ministry, excitement swelled in my heart with love for God who called me into these deep waters of ministry. When I went to seminary at Drew Theological in NJ, I was excited to learn all the tools I would need to help people know who they are and what God was calling them to be. We often joked during that time that we offered up our views of Jesus, he was dismantled and we got him back with our diploma. Don't misunderstand me. Many of us had this pie in the sky thoughts about Jesus and needed to learn the hard, daily work of being in ministry amid the struggles of culture, and denominational slidding as we learned more about our relationship with each other and Christ. It was most certainly an education about ministry and culture and more importantly ourselves. I still joke we need to come up with a class called, "How to Fix a Boiler 101" along with worship and theology. All of which was groundwork created for me to head out into the world to take on the world.

To this day, after starting the process in 1994, ordained in 2005, I feel ill-equipped for ministry. In the early years, I figured I was going to set everyone straight on how ministry is. In the process of that, they, the people I was serving, set me straight. The mission was not making disciples but "not changing our church." I was hurt pretty bad in those early years as I got my come uppance more than once. Eventually I heard and read these words for the first time: "clergy killer churches." There were people who knew the church needed to set a new risky course and set sail, but the powers in charge were happy just being anchored in port. My spirit and that of many others were beaten down.

By the next time I moved, I still didn't really get it, or have a plan, although more of the local church wanted to fly with Christ and meet the needs of the community. Mission locally and globally became more of an aim as we grew together learning about God and going deeper in faith with Christ. I didn't really have a plan in my early years. I didn't really have one in my current appointment really. However, I felt my role became a little clearer. That came out of information about how to help people into a deeper relationship with God through very basic classes, (Bible 101, UMC 101, Prayer 101, etc) and more exploratory classes (like Becoming a Contagious Christian). It also came out of reading people like Len Sweet, Doug Paget, Brian McClaren and Mike Slaughter and others. It really became solidified for me at the "Change the World" conference at Ginghamsburg UMC.

Through these early years, and even to some extent now, I have felt like Lou Costello playing the funny man with the "straight" lines come from the church followed by people laughing at me. It reminds me of the old "Who's on First" bit from their act. Here I am asking the silly questions and people saying, "What don't you get this? Let us explain: Status Quo is on first, Comfort is on Second and Solutions is on Third." I say, "But aren't we called to help the Whos reach first," "No Status Quo is on first." "Huh?"

Both Len Sweet and Mike Slaughter talk about what the church is supposed to be about. Sweet mentions the Mega-Narrative, aka the Big Picture. We are a part of the big picture. Our goal is to find, our story, the Meta Narrative, our story line, and how it fits into the big picture. Slaughter says we need to move from broadcasting the message to narrowcasting. We need to move from pulpit to outside the doors to encounter specific groups of people whom we do not see in church.
Said in another way we need to ask: Who are we?(Our Identity); Who has God called us to be? (Purpose); and Who is our Neighbor? (Our Context). Here the "Whos" come first in order to begin to determine our calling to our communities. Identity is on First, Purpose is on Second and Context is on Third. Now that causes confusion and chaos doesn't?

My personal struggle in ministry comes from not being able to get past first base: the status quo. I know if we continue on this course, we will continue a slow death. How do we empower, lead, and begin to help people see the horizon and what's popssible and not the choppy water indicating risk, danger and change? Do we assemble the crew from those who want the ship to sail rather than those who don't want to sail? What if the majority of the crew want to sail and are held back by or fearful of others? When we are afraid to be who God called us to be, doesn't the kingdom suffer and we suffer a loss of identity and confusion? Why is it that when I speak this way to anyone, saying this is about church health not growth, saying we need to be better stewards of the message and all that God has provided, I get the dirty looks, blank stares or an inevitable, "huh?" If I give up or don't say anything, I feel as though I am not true to what God is calling me to be, do and share. I feel like a traitor who slinks back into a cookie cutter ministry and peace at any cost. I feel like when I ask the tough questions in bible study or other small groups, no matter who is there, I get the same looks. It makes me a little fearful that I am headed down the path of most resistance. It is very much like Bud Abbott telling Lou Costello in a scary situation, "We need to find out what's going on. You go ahead and I will cover you from here," he says shoving Costello equipped with a flashlight that quickly dies, down the dim, dark path into the abyss. Isn't that where we are to go willingly or sometimes with fear and trepidation?

This is not about being trendy, be a copycat church, or copying successful programs other people did to "make the church grow." This is about becoming a healthy church and disciples of Christ so as to transform the world. This is fundamentally about how we help people in the pews and outside the walls encounter the transformational, invitational love and grace of a Living God whom we find in and through a relationship with Jesus Christ. A God who is more than some slogan or that can be captured in an hour in church, or canned program. A God who is only known in and through a life lived out with missteps, mistakes and course corrections, joys and sorrows, triumph and tragedy helping us go deeper and live more abundantly than we can evenr imagine. So here's to confusion and chaos, may it get you back on course...but just in case, hand me flashlight, and a pile of batteries as you are pushing me ahead of you to shine the light?

We may not always know "Who's on First" but aren't we all called to weigh anchor and begin a journey in some direction in order to find the direction God is calling us?
Have a laugh on along the journey. Here's a link to Abbott & Costello "Who's on First?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShMA85pv8M
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What Me Change?

Today I drove to Williamsport PA for a meeting at the Community Arts Center. I serve on our conference worship team. Because we are becoming a new annual conference, myself and several others on the current team joined our new brothers and sisters at this venue. Here we discussed what out two opening worship services might look like in June and September as we become the new Susquehanna Conference.

My drive from home to Williamsport was through a lot of rural areas that I covered years ago when I was a paramedic. I actually was on one road where I responded to a one car accident years ago. At that time the unit I was a part of, we responded by ourselves in the vehicle. I got there and people were standing around this women. I beat the ambulance there. The group of first responders was not into having medics in "their territory." But as I began to treat the patient one of them began to help me. I greatly appreciated the extra set of hands in helping my patient in the midstof a hostile atmosphere. I knew what I needed to do and I did it becase someone needed me to do what I knew how to do.

Today many communities embrace paramedics. I started my EMS career in 1980 and paramedics were just beginning to come on the scene. My favorite heroes were Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto. If you don't get the reference try Googling the tv show "Emergency". The idea of people not wanting to help or even call paramedics is a unheard of. EMTs, Paramedics and Pre-Hospital nurses and doctors are dedicated to giving the best care with the latest technolgy. I can remember using a monitor/defibrillator called a LifePak 5. They came out with a LifePak 10 bigger and better. Some didn't trust is as it was new and we knew how the older model worked. But again, in time, the newer model grew in use. I wonder what model number they are up to now? Is that company even in the business of making those anymore?

The church is in the same place I think that paramedics were when I was beginning my career. The church is seeing all these new churches, house churches or otherwise and saying, "We don't need that." Our church is good enough. Look at our facilities. Or maybe some have said, maybe if we just do what we did 10 or 15 years ago like our dinners or some other fundraiser we will come back. Here is one I have trouble with: "How do we get more volunteers in here(the church)?" Volunteers? You mean the people outside the church are the church's salvation? I thought salvation was found in Christ? In the book, "Pathway to Renewal" the authors share that one of the symptoms of a dying church is the people see those outside the church as those who will save the church from extinction.

Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ so as to transform the world. Under that umbrella each church needs to find what it does best and who God is calliing them to reach out to. Is our ministry with families, singles, elderly, youth? Where are we called to focus? We could do everything and do it all halfway or we could choose one or two things anddo the ministry well. The key is being able to come out of our comfort zone, casting a vision together and taking aleap of faith into ministry.

At our meeting today we are nearing the end of this journey in the wilderness with moving from Wyoming Annual Conference and Central Pennsylvania Conference to the new Susquehanna Conference. Many if not all of us have never been here before. But here we all were gathered around the table talking about the birth of something new. It started out as scary and maybe a little frightening as we started this journey. Moments of joy and frustration, grief and celebration, darkness and light have been experienced along the way. While the dates in June and September are the culmination of this part of the journey, we soon will be part of a new one with other brothers and sisters of the faith.

How about the local church? Where are we being called to head out into the wilderness? We will the journey take us? Who will come and who will stay back in Egypt? We will never know unless we take those first steps of recognizing who we are in Christ, what we are called to do in our mission statement and then act on it with a vision that leads us to ministry in our communities, counties, country and the world just as Jesus called us to do in Acts 1:8

Peace

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Praise You in the Storm

The lectionary this week includes a reading from Nehemiah. Ezra comes to the people by the Water gate. The people gathered in the square as one, including men, women and children. "And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law." This was during a sacred festival. It was a great day to say the least. We have here an example of worship. The word was read for the people to understand. In their understanding many began to weep and mourn because of how far they were from God. But the message of grace and forgiveness comes after the word is read. "Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, 'This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.' Nehemiah said, 'Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.'"

The people had come through a very difficult time and in the midst of there return to Jerusalem and the wall built, they knew they had wandered far from God. Yet through the word read and then proclaimed, the people were offered forgiveness and words of comfort. But that was not the final word. God's people gathered, called to worship, the word read & proclaimed, they responded and then they went forth. In their joy in the Lord they were led to fellowship not only together but to share the gifts of food and drink to those who did not have anything to prepare.

This all made me think of my theology of worship. Worship is a place for all to gather and encounter and experience the living Christ who calls us to himself, to remember who we are and then to go forth having that knowledge and sharing the word and all that we have with others.

Our UM Book of Worship has an order of worship. Some have argued the cookie cutter order is not conducive sometimes to bringing us into God's presence. In fact I would offer that if you visited ten different UMchurches, you would find similar elements but ten different service orders.

I would argue that using the headings: God's People Gather, God Calls Us to Worship, God's Word Read & Proclaimed, God's People Respond and God's People Go Forth, that a carefully Spirit created service can usher us into the presence of the holy. Elements under each could vary but with creativity we might have different services but experiences which lead us into a deeper relationship with God. I struggle many times when I visit worship services and elements are all over the place. For example, the offering. I have seen it in many different places, after the opening prayer, after the scripture readings, and even at the very end of the service. Question is what is the offering? What purpose does it have within worship? I know there are many thoughts out there, but for me, again in my theology, the offering and the sacraments are a response to hearing God's Word. I joke sometimes that we take the offering before the sermon so people can't get their money back if they don't like the sermon. But really I see baptism, Holy Communion and the offering as times when we give thanks to God for all God has given and prepare to send what we have given out to those who are in need. The people that heard Ezra and Nehemiah gave their offerings but also shared what they had with others. In other words, the word, read, proclaimed and heard was then acted upon by the people. Out of their faith, joy of the Lord being their strength, they shared in many ways. The community of faith did that. With all the gifts and graces we are given, with all that we are, all that we have, the good, the bad, the light, and the dark we come into the sanctuary to remember who we are, that God is with us, that we are a forgiven people and called upon to act out of the love, grace and mercy we have been offered by God.

I follow Rev. Mike Slaughter on Twitter. He is the pastor of Ginghamsburg UM Church. He tweeted recently, "Jesus gives his followers the power to hurt or heal, to bless or to curse. What are you choosing today?" With a theology or rather to use the words from Nehemiah, helping people understand about God, worship is the place where we are given the chance to know God. Do you know about God through Jesus Christ? Or do you know them?
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Standing in the Gap

I had breakfast with a good friend today. She had enough time to have breakfast before she shot out to visit someone at the hospital whom she was asked to see yesterday. From there she will dash to a funeral she is officiating. She said she has had more funerals that anything in the last year. I prayed before we ate, it was my turn anyway, and I prayed for her to be able to offer the family hope in peace in their time of grief. As I headed back to my retreat space, I was thinking about our role in the midst of chaos and tragedy. What is our role as pastors and laity in times of trouble? Too often we try to find the right words to say. These times are awkward and we are uncomfortable around death. So we us those favorite sayings to get us and others through. While many offer those phrases, and they fill a void in trying to explain the unexplainable, we are all called to more than catchy phrases. We are called to stand in the gap. The gap between the why did something happen and what God promises us. We often ask where is God? God is not only in the midst of it all but is truly seen in the aftermath. The poorest of the poor suffer tragedy and the world responds. Some pundits are quick to point out the US gives more and everyone should give out of abundance. “See how we do it?” Umm what was that about pride going before the fall. We ought to give whatever we can. But through the midst of it all the hope needs to be returned to the people.
My friend will do that with scripture inspired words to a family in need of hope and beginning again without a loved one. In Haiti, we need to help them heal, both physically and spiritually, as we help them dig out, clean up and begin to rebuild their city, their homes and their lives.
I read this morning from Numbers 14:6-9 and Matthew 19:14-30. Numbers takes about two of the scouts who saw the promised land saying, “hey God promised…let’s trust and move into the promised land.” We are called to risk all that we are and all that we have and move out in faith into the land God has promised. Matthew talks about the encounter between Jesus and the rich young ruler. He couldn’t part/risk giving up what he had to follow. He was looking for validation and Jesus said, you won’t find it there but with me. You can follow all the biblical precepts but unless you are willing to give up “stuff” for the substance I bring, you will continue to struggle.
I was watching the movie “Up” which was given to me at Christmas. What a great movie! The story is about a man who marries someone from childhood. They have this wonderful life together in adventure but then she becomes sick and dies. All this man has is his memories and the house filled with her. He vows to move the house to their dream site. But in the course of doing so he encounters a young scout who accompanies him. At one point the man turns his back on those he has met because his journey to move this house is not done. But there comes a point where he has to make a choice between his agenda and the safety of others. He chooses to rescue those in trouble. Transformation happens. A relationship is born and lives are changed…forever.
We are all called at some point to stand in the gap between memory and hope, between death and life, light and dark and make a choice. That is what we as disciples of Christ are called to do. So to quote the music group the Clash…”Should I Stay or Should I Go?” Choice is yours. The benefits are not to us but to the community and world we live in.
BTW Sue, I am proud of you. I know you will offer what the people need at the funeral because of one thing: you are standing on God’s Word! You will help them praise God in the storm.
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