What's Your One Word?

If God asked you to tattoo one word on you about God's story of love that changes everything, what would that one word be?  For you, what word best reveals something about God, you, and your place in God's story?

Hurry Up and Wait

We have entered the season of Advent, the four-week period prior to Christmas. The word "Advent" comes from a Latin word which means "arrival" or "coming." And, yes, we wait for Christmas to arrive because we have been waiting to open presents! But, more importantly, we wait for Christmas to arrive, because we wait for the birth of Jesus. Wait a minute! (No pun intended) Wasn't Jesus born over 2000 years ago? Why are we waiting for his birth if it already happened. Advent is an odd time in that it captures past, present, and future. Yes, Jesus was born a long time ago. But, we wait to celebrate his birth as our reminder that God fulfills promises! God promised to send a redeemer to resurrect the earth and all its people. And God did! And, the word "Advent" also comes from a Greek word that refers to Jesus' second coming. So, while we live in the present and remember the past, we also wait for Jesus' second coming to make God's Kingdom complete - on earth as it is in heaven. 

What is it you are you waiting for? A broken heart to mend, a job opportunity, your bills to be paid, a relationship to be restored? Whatever you wait for, Advent is a time to slow down and listen for God's voice. God is speaking and letting us know that all will be well, peace is coming, and all of us are loved! May we wait with hope, peace, love, and joy for the coming of the One who resurrects all our hopes, dreams, and lives! 

Who We Are

Someone at church invited me to attend a volleyball game that his 12 year-old daughter's team was playing. They would be playing a rival team. I watched in awe of the talent of some of these 12 year-old girls, with their wicked, perfectly-arcing serves, incredible digging, and their attention to their teammates. It also took me back to my school days, where I was not very athletic. It was a little painful trip down memory lane of wanting to be good at sports, like many of my friends. I wanted to fit in. I wanted to be cool. But, I am not a 12 year-old girl; thus, I am not cool. You get the idea.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote that we are who we are because of others. I mentioned this in church this past Sunday. We are who we are because of others. That doesn't mean we are who we are by comparing ourselves to others. It means I am who I am because you are who you are. A little difficult to comprehend, but here's one take (mine) on this notion. This past Sunday I also told the story of a friend of ours who struggled with an addiction to alcohol. I sat with this friend one afternoon as she was in the throes of her addiction, telling me about the really bad things that happened to her when she was a child. As I listened, I thought to myself: I don't know if I could have gotten through all she went through. Then I verbalized it to her: "Maybe we all go through the things we do in life for the sake of others. I don't know that I could have been strong enough to come out on the other side of childhood trauma. But there are people who do, and I think you're one of them." She smiled at me, with a look of peace in her eyes and said, "I don't know how you can be a pastor, and have to listen to so many people's problems. I could never do that!"

Maybe I am a pastor because of the cool 12 year-old girls who can serve a volleyball better than I ever could. I was not given the talent to play volleyball well; and I love to play volleyball - especially beach volleyball. But it was a beach volleyball incident that knocked my back out of whack many years ago. And it still bothers me to this day - almost as if it is telling me, "This isn't who you are." And it's true. I am not a volleyball player. And I am also not my back pain. I am someone lucky enough to have been woken up by the Spirit. I am someone fortunate enough to have been transformed by love. I am someone blessed by my life's experiences; they have taught me to look beyond myself to others and to God.

I am who I am because of who you are. And whoever you are, I thank you for being who you are. I will do my best to live the rest of my life as me so that you can be who you are, and we can be who we are - together. As God intended.

Poppin' the Clutch

How many of you out there learned to drive in a manual-transmission car?  Maybe you had an old standby VW Beetle.  There is a finesse that is required to smoothly operate a stick - whether 4, 5, 6, or more gears.  I've always loved cars and driving, but I remember those first few attempts at trying to get the car going with out the engine cutting out, or jerking the car so badly the radio popped out of the dashboard. Being new with a clutch meant I needed to practice - over and over - in order to work out the kinks (usually the kinks in the riders' necks!). Fortunately, the more I drove, the smoother the experience was.  

Recently, I offered a 'first' sermon at my new church appointment - Spruce Pine United Methodist Church. And although I got great feedback from the folks there (who, by the way are wonderful), my first Sunday felt like I was poppin' the clutch of a 1972 Bug.  I wasn't quite sure where to stand or sit, when to stand or sit, and I wasn't familiar with the nuances of the order of service.  Thus, it felt like a clunky ride that morning.  

Fortunately, the people of the church are very understanding.  They know the feeling of being the new kid, or being in an unfamiliar situation.  All of us have our 'first' days - all throughout life.  They assured me all is well, and all will continue to be well.  

So I embark ever-deeper into this next chapter in our lives.  And I know the more I drive - the more I get to know the area, the people, and the nuances of the church services - the smoother the ride will be. In the meantime, here's to enjoying the clutch-poppin' experiences that make life fun and shape us into who we are!  

On the Road Again!

Well...once again, Suzanne and I find ourselves packing to move.  Being a United Methodist pastor, I operate in a system that appoints me to serve in specific communities at specific times.  We are about to move from Asheville, NC, where we have spent the last 6 years, to Spruce Pine, NC, a beautiful mountain town about 60 miles northeast of Asheville.

We are moving in stages.  The U-Haul pictured holds the contents of my new church office.  I am following an incredible pastor, husband, father, and friend.  He has led this church for the last 6 years, and I am honored to be following him.  As I write this, he and several from the church are on a mission trip in Honduras.  As if moving wasn't stressful enough, he thought he'd add an out-of-the-country trip to his to-do list.  Thanks for the setting the bar really high, my friend!  :-)

We have begun the moving process.  We've dropped off furniture and decorations, and we have begun to paint the walls with a lovely TarDevil blue - a fusion of light and dark blues to represent my history!  I will officially be "on the clock" on July 1.  My first day in the office is July 8 - hopefully fully decorated and ready for business.  I greatly anticipate my first message, which will be on Sunday, July 14.

In the meantime, I will keep you updated with the moving progress.  From the bottom our our hearts, we say thank you. We are genuinely excited to start this next chapter with everyone at Spruce Pine UMC and the community!

Change and Transformation

Over the past year or so, I have been experiencing much change and transformation in my life - because of the people who have crossed my path.  I've been fortunate to be able to spend time with lots of folks in the generation before me, and learn from their priceless life stories.  In particular, I've been in the presence of folks who are retired, but in name only.  See...I have a certain picture in mind of what I would like to experience - if I am blessed to live long enough and am able to retire.  I see a time when I can casually face each day.  Start out with a cup of coffee and the newspaper.  Eat a late breakfast.  Read some more.  Maybe write some music.  Travel.  Visit with family and friends.  Wash a car or two.  All the above.  None of the above.

But many of the retired people I've encountered over this past year or so are living a retirement that doesn't look much like what I would consider retirement (until now).  See...these people are busier than ever.  And they're not busy for busyness sake.  They're busy giving, serving, teaching, sharing compassion, and sacrificing their time - all for the sake of making someone else's life a little better.  I've often joked with these good folks, saying things like, "I sure don't want to retire like that!  That doesn't seem like retirement to me."  I'll admit, I had a hard time wrapping my nugget around this.  I guess I had bought into the idea that life was about working hard for many years, and then slowing down and taking it easy in my golden years.  Not that there's anything wrong with working hard, and taking some time for self in retirement.

I got caught up in a vision that I created.  But God has been showing me a vision that He's Created.  And God's picture scared me and threatened me.  It threatened my way of thinking and acting.  But after spending lots of time with people, and listening to their stories, and serving with them, and seeing the changes and transformations that occur because of genuine selfless giving, I got inspired.  I realized that God is never done with any of us.  We're never too young or old to make a difference in people's lives.  And being involved with people - living in relationship - is how God works miracles, change, and transformation.

Every day, I see the gap between those who are rich and those who struggle to survive.  And I continue to be surrounded by folks who give of their time, effort, energy, money, and love in order to help usher in change and transformation.  I still hope to retire someday.  But now, I hope I can retire in a way that allows me to offer the relentless, self-giving love of God in fabulously crazy ways.  And when I do, I believe that people will see how close God is to us, and will experience how real God is in this world.

I've Got A New Beatitude

Our small group continues to examine the power our language has to create or destroy. Last time, we looked at the Ten Commandments. When I posted my translation under the title of "New Ten Commandments," I realized afterwards that this wasn't meant to be new or different. The post was supposed to reflect how I like to live into the Ten Commandments. So, the same goes for this post. This is not a re-write of part of the Beatitudes, but is my attempt to put into my own words what this passage means to me. Jesus' words are often hard to understand, and even harder to put into practice. How do we make sense of statements telling us that we can be happy when we grieve or seem hopeless? 

The Scripture text is Matthew 5.3-11. I'm posting the Common English Bible (CEB) translation, then my own life translation. 

CEB...

Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.

Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.

Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.

Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.

Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.

Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children.

Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Happy are you when people insult you and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me.

Here's mine...

When all seems lost, pay attention, because God is close.

If you are grieving, you can be thankful, for it means that you have had love in your life.

If your way is a quiet, gentle wisdom, the whole world will listen to you.

If you passionately and consistently do the right things, you will be fed because you feed others. 

When you offer forgiveness, you will turn an adversary into a ally.

When you live with integrity, people see God's character.

When you seek a higher and better way, chaos subsides.

When someone gives you a hard time for doing what's right, God feels the pain, too.

Sometimes, life will be hard, and people won't understand why you do the things you do. we humans tend to kill the brightest and the best among us. But God believes in us. And God knows that love is the best way. And Jesus showed it to us. 

We are looking at the "salt and light" verses (Matthew 5.13-16) this week.  Until then...