As I prepared my sermon for this past week this song went through my head from bible school eons ago..
Dem bones, Dem bones them Dry bones
Dem bones, Dem bones them Dry bones
Dem bones, Dem bones them Dry bones
Now Hear the Word of the Lord.
Then I started to think about all the crime drama shows on TV. There is one though that is a little different than the others. That is the show Bones on the Fox Network. It seems to have a little intellectual edge to as it emphasizes forensic anthropology and archeology. The main character "Bones" is logical and trusts her experience and observation. She thinks there is a rational reasons to everything in life. She might not get the pop culture when folks around her make references to slang, metaphors, or movie quotes. When that happens she utters her signature line, "I don't know what that means." Bones gets bones as they refer to crimes and what happened. But what if she were standing in the valley of dry bones describes in Ezekiel 37:1-14?
¹ The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. ² He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. ³ He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
   I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”
 ⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! ⁵ This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. ⁶ I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
 ⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
 ⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
 ¹¹ Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.¹³ Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”
My guess is Bones would stand amid it all a little confused. She would probably taken aback as the bones came together in human form. Then she would utter her signature line, "I don't know what that means. " we might too as we stand there in that valley. The scene is weird, irrational and has no rational explanation. But this vision given to Ezekiel by God can inform us as individual Christ followers and the corporate Body of Christ. 
This vision comes as the people of Israel are in exile after the Babylonians have scorched the earth and sacked Jerusalem. God warned them what would happen if they were unfaithful. After being displaced and even losing their faith, is it any wonder in an earlier chapter they cry out to Ezekiel, "How then can we live?" The way our world is sometimes we ask the same question, "How then can we live in this world?" Haven't we asked that question too? Maybe you have made these statements. "I feel spiritual dried up. I haven't heard from God in years. My prayers feel like they never leave the room." These fell hopeless. No God. No end in sight. 
But even thought we may cry out feeling spiritually dead, these cries, these laments, are a sign of life in us.Real change comes in honesty and vulnerability before God. Read the Psalms or Lamentations and you too will read and hear how the great saints before us endured the dark nights of the soul.  We find hope again by embracing our spiritual despair. Ezekiel had to see death before he could be shown new life. There is no rational answer. But only one that can come from God. In this place Ezekiel knew that answer could only come from God to bring life. Life literally came into death as He prophesied to the wind and the life entered the "dead" bodies before him. 
The only way Ezekiel knew this was because what happened to the bones had first happened to him. What God does for us, God first of all did for Jesus. God overlooked the generations of Israel's dry and decaying spiritual life and provided undeserved blessings again. This is also know as grace. Life into death. We always have hope. There is no situation beyond God's reach. They need God's holy breath/Spirit to give us the new life. 
I have a lot of favorite movies. One that I enjoy is Tommy Boy starting Davide Spade and Christ Farley. Chris plays Tommy Boy a "screw up" of a son seeking redemption from his past mistakes. Towards the end of the movie there is redemption. He loves to get out in his boat, onto the water and sail. He does that bit there is no wind. Nothing happens. That can happen to us too. We thing if I just do this something will happen. When it doesn't we get discouraged. But no matter what difficult, dry bone time we are in, we need to keep placing out boast in to the water, shove up and raise sail. All the while praying to God, begging God, lamenting in prayers with hope and faith, that God's Holy Breath will come into us, we willingly accept it and receive new life. But it does not end there for us as Christ followers. We have to then share that with others who see nothing but a dry, dusty  valley of bones.
What have been the dry bones times in your life?
How did God breathe life into death for you?
What gives you hope in the tough times?
Try just taking a deep breath...breathe in God's Spirit! Peace as we prepare for Holy Week!
Michael W. Smith's Breathe... http://youtu.be/XgUAvMyclbU 

Friends
This week in Blain, Perry County, Pennsylvania, seven children from one family died in a house fire. While they are still in the grieving process trying to find some way to make arrangements for a loss many of us cannot even begin to understand, the Westboro Bapstist Church has decide to protest at the children's funerals. A much as I find this just disgusting and unforgiveable, I must go back to my faith and find a way to answer this group of people who have differing views of what God's kingdom is all about. In reading all this I am reminded of Matthew 5:43-48 (The Message)

^43-47"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. ⁴⁸"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."


I would call on all of us who are profess Christ, to stand up and let the family know there are people who do care, and grieve with them and do not hold this particular church's views. 
The first link below is from one of the local tv stations in the Harrisburg area. It provides an address for people to help send donations to the family. The second link is one from a story about the Westboro Baptist Church deciding to protest the funerals. 


Let's fight back in love. Let their worst bring out the best in us. Let's live generously and graciously towards this family just as God does with us!

I have been following the news this morning regarding the earthquake /tsunami in Japan causing death and devastation and now the warnings all long the west coast of the US and other areas some type of tsunami. With what is happening globally and what is happening locally here with flooding as well as up and down the east coast, I think we need to pray for each other here and around the world. I would encourage you to pray the following prayer I found on the General Board of Discipleship Website www.gbod.org and pass it along for others to pray:
Our Hearts Ache Eastward(For victims of floods, earthquakes and tsunamis in the Pacific)Safiyah Fosua

Over my life, I have come to appreciate all kinds of music. Being a pastor, of course, I love sacred music, hymns, praise songs etc. I find myself every so often leaning towards today's pop hits. I have heard some new artists and others that I have heard before. Katy Perry, Usher, Tai Cruize, Bruno Mars etc have become some of my new favorites. One of the artists I have heard before and enjoy their music is the artist Pink. Her current single, "Raise Your Glass" has become, dare I say it an anthem for me. I know sounds crazy. Here is a link to the official video via YouTube.
VIEWER WARNING: Some of the scenes and language may be offensive. http://youtu.be/XjVNlG5cZyQ
The lines which have meant the most to me in the song are the following: "So if you're too school for cool, And you're treated like a fool, You can choose to let it go, We can always, We can always, Party on our own."
In the video towards the end, the words to the chorus play as the faces intermingle on the screen. A reflection of the diversity of who we are and how much we all hold in common. As a Christ Follower, the song for me means we are truly to be outside of the secular world. We are to be a place that people want to point at and say "Hey look at that!" We want to be "out there" so people are so curious about us that they will want to see what makes us so strange. Peter in one of his letters even says, always be ready to answer the question as to why you have this hope!
As I struggle in my current ministry setting, there are people here feeling much like I am. Judged by what they wear, their life, their jobs, their addictions and even worse the balance in their checkbook. I am drawn to and have shared with this group words from Paul in 1 Corinthians 4 which says (Message version):"^9-13It seems to me that God has put us who bear his Message on stage in a theater in which no one wants to buy a ticket. We're something everyone stands around and stares at, like an accident in the street. We're the Messiah's misfits. You might be sure of yourselves, but we live in the midst of frailties and uncertainties. You might be well-thought-of by others, but we're mostly kicked around. Much of the time we don't have enough to eat, we wear patched and threadbare clothes, we get doors slammed in our faces, and we pick up odd jobs anywhere we can to eke out a living. When they call us names, we say, "God bless you." When they spread rumors about us, we put in a good word for them. We're treated like garbage, potato peelings from the culture's kitchen. And it's not getting any better. ^14-16I'm not writing all this as a neighborhood scold just to make you feel rotten. I'm writing as a father to you, my children. I love you and want you to grow up well, not spoiled. There are a lot of people around who can't wait to tell you what you've done wrong, but there aren't many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God's Message to you that I became your father. I'm not, you know, asking you to do anything I'm not already doing myself."
Lent is a time of self-examination and repentance. A time to reflect on who we are, who God calls us to be and no matter how we have failed to be restored to relationship with God, each other and welcomed back into community. On this journey, if you have found yourself being judged, "being too school for cool" as Pink says, being treated like a fool, judged, take time today to come back in faith to who you are in Christ Jesus. We may be the prodigals who have spent everything. God is the prodigal as well in that God continually and without hesitation, will pour out love, grace, mercy and forgiveness on all the people. Even the people who have been judged unworthy by the Pharisees in the church. Oh and the cool thing? The Pharisees have that available to them as well!
"So Raise Your Glass, if you're wrong in all the right ways, All my underdogs, we will never be never be anything but loud, and nitty gritty, dirty little freaks, won't you come on and raise your glass."
Signed
Your fellow underdog, dirty little freak, wrong in all the right ways, Jesus Freak, brother Christ Follower!

Generally speaking I am a lectionary preacher. Where I serve now that fits this congregation. Although I do know some who would see value in something other than that. As I read the texts for Epiphany 4 which include Micah 6:1-8, Psalm 15 & Matthew 5:1-12, I decided to pull and dust off my ole Works of "Johnny" Wesley. You know who that is right? I cannot remember when a Methodist at heart said the name without adding the phrase, "the founder of Methodist." What is that saying? That is for another blog post I believe.
But I pulled the book volumes 5 & 6 off the shelf and turned to his treatment of the Beatitudes. First I looked up the definition of Beatitudes.Certainly you will find many dictionary that tell you that the meaning is the statements made by Jesus. Other definitions mention the idea of utmost blessedness or happiness. Harper's Bible Dictionary says, "Many scholars believe that Luke’s Beatitudes, with their more direct reference to socioeconomic circumstances (e.g., ‘Blessed are you poor’), are more nearly original than are Matthew’s, which appear to represent a later, ‘spiritualizing’ tendency on the part of the church (e.g., ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’); others, however, disagree. Since the four Beatitudes of Luke reappear, with some modification, in Matthew, this interpretation concentrates on the latter."
Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row, P., & Society of Biblical Literature. (1985). Harper's Bible dictionary. Includes index. (1st ed.) (100). San Francisco: Harper & Row.

Every week in our worship bulletin, there is something called, "For your Meditation." If find these things from various sources. Sometimes devotionals I have others from online postings or thoughts, hymn lyrics. Today as I was putting the bulletin together, I found the following. It comes out of a devotional book called His Promies:Devotions for Every Day of the Year. It covers writings by many theologians regarding promises of God/Jesus. It was put out by Integrity Publishers. I have had it for awhile but only recently pulled it off my shelf. Hope it speaks to you as it did to me today.

I hardly ever post twice in one day but this came to mind...a little less serious but maybe not so much. Was doing my usual shopping at our local Wal-Mart and needed vitamins. I have been taking them most of my life. Usually I reach for the name brand but lately have been buying more generic. What made this shopping trip was my birthday in December. By now you may start raising and eyebrow and saying, "Huh?" That was when I turned 49. I reached the shelf to grab the usual high energy vitamins. You know the ones with the extra boost and stuff to help your mental acuity. For those I know who are thinking it, and you know who you are... Watch it! LOL.

Anyway I put them back and reached for the "Mature" vitamins. You know the ones where the label says for those "50 or over"? They over call them something other than "mature" like "silver." I chuckled a little to myself and and said, "Why not get an early start?" I dropped the "Mature" vitamins in my cart.

As I finished my shopping I got starting thinking about the word "mature." An Online Dictionary defines the mature as:
1.a. Having reached full natural growth or development: a mature cell.b. Having reached a desired or final condition; ripe: a mature cheese. 6. No longer subject to great expansion or development. Used of an industry, a market, or a product.

Over my short time in ministry, I have been seen a treated many different ways. Recently the thought of being seen as pastor vs employee has come to the forefront. 
Miriam Webster Dictionary defines a pastor as: "a spiritual overseer; especially : a clergyperson serving a local church or parish." They define employee as:"one employed by another usually for wages or salary and in a position below the executive level." As you think about your pastor or priest, do you see him/her as one or the other or both. For IRS standards, the pastor is an employee of the church. But for denominations, pastors are often called, sent or appointed to serve a local congregation. 
So the question becomes for me, how do people see pastors? Some see them exclusively as that spiritual leader, guide, shepherd (an older image but still in some minds). Others say we pay them so they need to meet our expectations or we find someone else. So there are clearly defined job descriptions. In the United Methodist Church Book of Discipline there are roughly forty items pastors of the church are responsible for. I don't know anyone who can accomplish them all. 
For example, say your congregation wants your pastor in the office Monday through Friday 9-5. The church also wants the pastor to visit, start a youth program and lead Bible study as well as sing in the choir. When does your pastor get to do all this? That is on top of preparing, worship, a well thought out sermon, and at some point and Sabbath day and time in prayer with God. Wow a lot of expectations and responsibility. How can any of those things get done and done well?
I have had some time to think that there can be no either/or but both/and. The pastor is that and an employee. As there needs to be a covenant between pastor and people about expectations. Not just expectations of the pastor but expectations of the people that pastor is serving. The pastor and people need to prioritize what is the mission of the church and work the joint expectations around that mission. 
When people put their pastor exclusively in that definition, they are often placed on a pedestal. When there is a break in trust, people have a hard time being close to a pastor again. In the same way treating a pastor exclusively as an employee can take the relationship out of the picture and it is solely about get checkboxes completed. "Exceeds Expectations;" "Meets Expectations;" "Needs Improvement." 
In churches I have been called to that understand the duality of being pastor/employee, there has been an openness to be in relationship with one another as well as hold each other accountable to the expectations the people and pastor have for each other. Even in those churches which are on the poles of pastor or employee, there is still a chance for meaningful mission, ministry and relationships but it takes more work and effort.
So as you think about how you see your pastor, consider first and foremost they are human just like you. They hurt they have pain, joy and sorrow. They have their highs and lows. They did not choose this. God chose them for the gifts they can offer the people of God to bring the Kin-dom and share the Message found in Christ Jesus. I encourage you all to start there and begin to look at covenanting with each other and your pastor to speak expectations and goals. There is no greater death for our spirits, the spirit of the church and your pastor as when hope is dashed not once but twice in unmet and unspoken expectations and conflict. 



Have you prayed for your pastor today? Try these ways to pray for your pastor.

How To Pray for Your Pastor

You want to pray, but you’re not sure how to pray for your pastor. I’ve listed below 10 prayer requests that can help you start praying for them.

• Insight into scripture and an understanding of how it applies to people today.
• Protection from the work of Satan.
• Help your pastor keep a soft heart in the face of abrasive and abusive people.
• Your pastor's personal spiritual growth.
• A successful ministry – however God defines success in your pastor's life.
• Boldness to speak the truth, and grace to speak it with humility.
• That your pastor would persevere through whatever trial they are facing.
• Your pastor's children – that they will grow up with a positive impression of church ministry.
• That your pastor ould remain pure, and that his love for his wife would increase daily.
• That you would know how to encourage your pastor today.

Pray for Your P-A-S-T-O-R

Here's another way to pray for your pastor - especially if you have trouble remembering what to pray about. Use the letters of the word, P-A-S-T-O-R to remind you of specific prayer requests. For example:P - Purity. Pray that your pastor will remain pure in the face of constant pressure in an immoral culture.
A - Adversity. Pray for your pastor that they will be able to confront adversity with faith and endurance.
S - Strength. Most pastors work long hours and at least six days a week. Pray that they will have the strength to continue their ministry.
T - Teaching. Pray for your pastor that their teaching and preaching will be effective, powerful, and clear.
O - Organization. Your pastor has more to do than any one person can handle. Pray for your pastor that they will be able to prioritize correctly.
R - Rest. Your pastor needs rest. Pray that your pastor will sleep well each night and that they will take enough time away from ministry so that they do not get worn out.

          I have a wonderful and talented friend named John. Last week his parents came in to town. I got a chance to meet and gab with them for awhile. Had some marvelous conversation! They came to our 9PM Christmas eve service. Wait. Let me have you read the story that needs to be told from the words of another member of the church.
        "Today in church (12/26), a friend  was anxious to share a Christmas Eve  event that she experienced during the 9 pm service here. With her permission, I explained that I would like to share it with others. She had turned around at one point in the Christmas Eve service to welcome two strangers, a couple, to our service. She also commented on the gentleman's beautiful singing voice.
He handed her a dollar...........
         He quietly explained that he had been waiting for someone to welcome them there that night . He had decided he would hand a dollar bill to the first person to extend that welcome.
What would have prompted a visitor to our church to feel the need to thank someone for simply welcoming them? What does that say about us? It isn't pleasant to hear that our church has a reputation for not being a "friendly" church--like it or not, we do have that reputation in our community. Some would argue that to not be true. Consider this then...the same couple had arrived early for the service. We made some coffee and invited them to sit sat in fellowship hall while they waited for services to begin. As they sat there, fellowship hall was bustling with activity along with choir rehearsing for service. Someone asked them if they were there to join the choir. They explained they were not and sadly, that was the only conversation they had. One or two said “hello” but no conversation.
         That should be the beginning and the end of a lesson in how we have work we have to do in our church, to work harder at welcoming all who are here to worship with us, be it a visitor or  "regulars". However, that's not the end of the story. There is something to add to this--a few weeks earlier the very same person that had turned around to greet our Christmas Eve visitors had herself broken down in tears-- she was sad and feeling unwelcome here in her own church even though she is active and has attended church here for several years. Isn't it ironic that she was the one blessed to have been acknowledged for her kindness toward our guests?
       The end of the story? The husband of the special couple in attendance Christmas Eve is a noted author who holds a PhD in counseling psychology. He has written several books including a book about churches and small groups. The book focuses on the success of small groups helping to form personal relationships and in turn how those personal relationships help to nourish churches. Additionally, the close bonds that are formed help strengthen the congregation. Once the congregation is strong, focus can then be given to our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ in order to transform the world.
       Wait! Where have we heard this before? We hear it still! How ironic is it that God brought these visitors, this person who greeted them and this story to our congregation on the most holy of nights. If we are waiting for a "sign" to help us in our direction, I do truly believe God has given us one huge nudge! So what are we waiting for? There are opportunities for each of us to help turn this around"


       Too often we say, "Oh of course we're a friendly church." But what that really means is friendly to those who are already here, who look like us, talk like us and have the same interests as us. Creating a welcoming and hospitable environment is hard and intentional work. Churches only have one opportunity to make a first and lasting impression. What do you want that to be for your church? cold and lifeless? Or warm and welcoming? 
          Maybe it means developing a usher/greeter program which helps the pastor identify those who are visiting. Have them sign the guest book. Give them a gift with information about the church. Maybe before the people talk to anyone they know they seek out those they don't. Maybe you begin with an outreach group who comes to the services and looks for those who are new, engages them in conversation and then introduces them to the pastor. Here that has happened many times. People have taken the time to go out of their way to introduce themselves and them introduce me. 


      Not only do we need to do better at making a lasting first impression, but we must learn to move quickly. By that I mean once the service ends most visitors leave the service in THREE minutes. So once your service ends, unless you are intentional, they will be out the door before you can get to them. I went to a church while on vacation once. I knew about four or five people in that congregation including the pastor. After the service, I said hello to pastor and slowly moved to get my coat. I wasted more time, by fumbling with my jacket etc. I was there over 3 minutes after the service had ended. I even stood looking around as if lost. Not one person, including the pastor, came over to me to invite me to coffee fellowship or engage me. That seen happens far too often in our churches. 
   So for 2011....have your church make a resolution to be more intentional, more hospitable, more welcoming to those who are seeking that which men and women and children have sought for so long: the love and hope and fellowship that is a part of the Body of Christ!
Happy New Year!

In 1977, Mel Brooks made a movie called, "High Anxiety." In the movie he plays Dr. Richard Thorndyke who appointed to the "Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, VERY Nervous." He ends up framed for murder and has to not only fight the charges but also his fear of heights in order to clear himself. Here's a link to the film's trailer: http://youtu.be/mT8XumoYomE  In the movie he sings a song: 


"Whenever you're near High Anxiety It's you that I fear
My heat's afraid to fly, It's crashed before, But then you take my hand, My heart starts to soar
Once more
High Anxiety, It's always the same, High Anxiety, It's you that I blame
It's very clear to me, I've to give in, High Anxiety, You win"


Our churches today are suffering some major anxiety these days. Recently I have been reading a book by Peter Steinke called, "Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times." He speaks to the idea of leaders, both clergy & laity, learning to be that "non-anxious" presence in the midst of all the anxiety in the church. He calls us to examine ourselves, know triggers and be able to be non-anxious even if the focus is on us. He mentions 13 Common Triggers leading to anxiety. Steinke says one can create chaos. But usually five or six are set off together leading to anxious reactivity. (All points come from Steinke, Peter,  Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times;The Alban Institute; 2006; ISBN-10: 1566993288):
Triggers: 


1) Money: Follow the money trail-how to raise it, how to distribute it, How to manage when there isn't enough.


2) Sex, Sexuality: As sources of identity and self-expression, questions and differences pertaining to sex set off survival reactions.


3) Pastor's Leadership Style: Sometimes this is a euphemism for not liking the pastor. Sometimes it;s a genuine concern that the needed leadership is not happening. Sometimes clergy and other leaders fail to determine the kind of leadership needed. 


4) Lay Leadership Style: Lay leaders can run the spectrum from hands-off to hands on, from enabling to threatening, from expressing a failure of nerve to demonstrating strength of conviction and courage.


5)Growth, Survival: Congregations may be anxious because growth is slow or worship attendance declines.


6)Boundaries: Boundary problems could include how much of a congregation's resources are given away and how much retained locally; people overstepping their authority; misuse of finances. 


7) Trauma, Transition: A Key or nodal even happens with a significant emotional impact, such as storm damage to the church structure or the retirement of a pastor after a long tenure. 


8)Staff Conflict, Resignation: When the church staff is at odds or a staff member departs under a cloud of suspicion or fir unexpected reasons, people become upset.


9)Harm Done to a Child, Death of a Child: Congregations are children sensitive. If a child is hurt or if one dies, there is a sense of helplessness: we cannot even protect or defend those in our care. 


10) Old and New: Tension brews when considering a new hymnal to replace an old hymnal, to change the old time of worship, or to modify the receiving of the sacrament.


11) Contemporary and Traditional Worship: This is a special case of old and new. Immense emotionality is connected to styles of worship. The first murder in sacred history, the story of Cain & Abel, involved worship.


12)Gap Between the Ideal and the Real: When high and lofty ideas are betrayed by reality or when a focus on mission degenerates into a focus on self-concerns, people become disturbed.


13) Building, Construction, Space, and Territory: Add or tear down a building; modify existing space; move offices into a new area; sell land or parsonage; relocate. Anxiety will rise.


Where I currently am serving I would have to say we are over the five or six. I can see the church in just over half of these points. I am just learning to be the non-anxious presence. Not an easy task for sure. The key is learning about ourselves through a process of differentiation. 


Differentiation is the process whereby we move toward a more intentional and thoughtful way of living. It is relying less and less on our automatic responses. All of this takes place in our relationships. There we balance indiviuality and togetherness when we interact with others. Steinke says we need to develop this process within ourselves to be able to:
think clearly
act on principle
define self by taking a position
come to know more about our own instinctive reactions to others
learn to regulate those actions
stay in contact with others 
choose a responsible course of action.


In the movie, Mel Brooks had to find within himself why he was so afraid of heights. He was able to do that through talking with someone. Once he realized where this fear came from, this anxiety, he was able to move forward. 


Our churches are no different. We need to examine them and ourselves. Where are the reactive triggers we have or have seen in our interactions with others? I was in a meeting recently where a large part was devoted to me being a mis-fit. (last week's post). It would have been easy to be reactive and say something like, "I know you are but what am I? Infinity!" But I sat there and asked for God's peace just to be able to hear what they were saying. After the meeting there were some who came to me, angry, upset, even to the point of crying. I spoke with them in a non-anxious way. I attempted to calm them by telling them we have a choice. We can either let it fester within us and cause anxiety or...we can wait for a new day to dawn. The sun came up the next day, there was work to be done and...it was done. 


Whether it be the cloud of presence or fire at night. Whether it be the peace which surpasses understanding or the deep abiding presence of Christ, we are called as heirs, disciples to stand together when the anxiety comes. May we can sing the song Richard Thorndyke sang in a different way:


"Whenever you're near High Anxiety 
It's you that I fear
My heat's afraid to fly, It's crashed before, 
But Lord you take my hand, My heart starts to soar
Once more
High Anxiety, It's always the same, High Anxiety, It's you that I blame
It's very clear to me, I've to give in, Christ Jesus, You win"


May you be the non-anxious presence for the people you serve, now and always....Amen.