Politics

As you can tell from the topic, this post was written last fall.  At the time I had a new computer and had issues with copying and pasting from my word processor.  Even with the new baby now here I hope to start posting again more frequently.  Thanks for coming back.

Politics are such a mixed bag for me.  On the one hand I love the way the political process works in our country.  Those who put together our government and how it would sustain itself accomplished one of the most brilliant achievements in human history.  On the other hand I hate how polarizing politics have become in our culture.  I can’t stand the way that folks who would normally get along in almost every other way can end up down right nasty when politics come up.

This is the major reason that I play it close to the vest in terms of my political views.  As a pastor I would hate to think that my position as a spiritual leader may be compromised because of differing political views.  That’s not to say that I lack conviction when it comes to my political beliefs, it’s just that communicating the Gospel that transcends politics is my main priority.  Truth be told, I am usually just as disgusted with both our major parties, and feel that with any major election there is a mixed bag of pluses and minuses with the candidates I have to choose from.  I have also seen this reality play itself out in each of our presidencies that I have witnessed since I started really paying attention in the early 90’s.  Each president has accomplish amazing things while in office, as well as failing in ways that hurt our country and the world we live in.  In fact the only reason that I have keep my registration with the party that I initially picked at age 18 is so that I can continue to vote in the primaries.  I may even rethink that since I have yet to vote for a winner in any primary election that I have participated in.  To complicate the process even further, as a Christian as I try and look at what the scriptures point to as important for a government and society to be about it seems unlikely that there would ever be a legitimately electable candidate that would fulfill all those requirements.

The way that I typically handle political conversations with people from my church is to mostly listen.  Rarely, if I am having a one-on-one conversation will I make a comment about an issue if it does not have a blatant scriptural point of view to be spoken for.  This will often put me in the middle of some interesting discussions.  I think that too often we feel the need to share our opinion on a particular subject that someone has brought up and we miss out on what may be some of the most amusing listening opportunities available in life.  One of the things that I have observed in these situations is how many people will assume that if others agree with them enough to worship at the same church then everyone must also be of similar political views.  You don’t have to see the variety of bumper stickers on peoples cars to realize how funny that idea is.  

Over all, will annoying as this all can be, and as sick of it as I am already becoming (with two more months of joy to come), I am glad that we go through this every four years as a country.  It’s a time to re-examine what is important to us.  It gives us a good snapshot of what is occupying the important priorities in our society.  And it shows us that while we may disagree about somethings with every fiber of our being that we can all still get along and live in a country where the democratic provides a vehicle for the peaceful passing of power from one leader to another at least once every decade.  With all it’s flaws we live in a wonderful country.  My prayer is that this political season results in the type of dialog that regardless of who is elected will lead us to a place that makes our country even better.

When Will I Be a Man?

So I’m on vacation for a couple of weeks, and this first week I am local because Angie is working. I decided about 10:30 last night that I was going to wake up wicked early and go fishing today on Hemlock Lake. It required me to do a little work before bed since I didn’t want to have to load the canoe and gear come morning. This was a good call, because when the alarm went off at 5:10am I was looking for excuses to crawl back into bed. Instead of excuses not to go, as I contemplated how comfortable my bed is, two thoughts hit me. The first was if I get back into bed after my alarm going off this early Angie will most likely kill me. The second was that I already strapped the stupid canoe to the top of my car so I might as well take it somewhere.
I stopped near the lake for some gas station coffee and because there was a sign in the window that read, “bait.” While gas station coffee is a serious affront to my coffee snobdom, it just didn’t seem like a real man morning to brew Starbucks before fishing alone. I thought it a good idea to get some live bait since all my other attempts at fishing this year have led to me losing the lures I had on my line. I’ve always found it kind of gross that a place that primarily sells people food also sells fish food, but I guess most of what a gas station sells doesn’t really qualify for people food (I would like to see Morgan Spurlock live off that fare for a month). I felt good about the worm purchase because of the reassuring writing on the container. It told me that they were genuine “Canadian Nightcrawlers.” I’m not so sure why they are better than worms from the states, but if they came all the way from the Great White North it must have been worth the trip. The other thing that I liked about the packaging was the disclaimer, “Not meant for human consumption.” Since I wouldn’t be drinking on my aquatic adventure I didn’t need the warning, but I’m glad it was there.
Hemlock Lake is amazing because there is no development around the lake because it is owned by the City of Rochester for a water supply. For this reason they also only allow hand propelled boats, and very small motorboats. All this leads to the sensation that you’ve stepped back 200 years in time because you hear almost nothing from other humans and rarely see anyone out there. As you can see from the view, not a bad place to spend your morning. It’s kind of hard to have a bad time when you have this lake as the backdrop for your prayer time, even if are technically there to fish and haven’t caught a darn thing.
Which brings me to the question at hand: If real men are supposed to be able to do things like fish, do I officially have to have caught a fish to be a fisherman? I do think that I came as close as I have yet this morning as it’s possible that a fish or two chewed my worm off the hook without getting caught. But seriously, how hard can this be? I just want to catch a fish. Something, anything, I’ll be happy with a goldfish at this point. Well, fishing aside, I kind of took a step further toward manhood last night when I actually crawled under Angie's car and used my drill and those plastic pull ties to connect some shielding that had come loose. So I am making some progress, but keep me in your prayers.

Economic Stimulus

Even though we’ve bought and sold a house in the last couple of years I guess there are still some things in life that are blatant reminders that we are definitely, really adults now. Sure we’ve bought furniture before, but a piece here and a piece there, in fact we didn’t even buy our mattress and bed frame at the same time. So when we went out tonight in search of two matching couches, I guess I wasn’t prepared for the sense of responsibility that would come with the decision. Seriously, when you buy two couches that match you are committing long term to large pieces of furniture; furniture that will require me having to remember that the color of our living room for years to come. And if I am ever asked about my opinion on a different color for the walls in the living room in the next 15-20 years, I better have darn well thought out the implications of how that color matches with the couches (not because I really care, but because I am maritally challenged). That’s a lot for a man like myself to get a hold of.
The thing that I can appreciate most about this adult purchase is the way that it expands our ability to comfortably host larger groups of people. That is a real plus, since the small couch and two chairs made it uncomfortable for entertaining even two other couples at the same time. Besides, it would be un-American to not go out and spend our Economic Stimulus Package immediately, right? Come on over some time after delivery and have a sit down on the new couches. They are rather comfortable (and they sure do match the blue walls nicely as well ;-) ).

Who You Are (No, not you)

“Lord Jesus, thank you for who you are.” If you have even heard me give the children’s message at church you have heard me pray these words with our kids. You may have even wondered if you’ve heard me lead our children to pray like this week after week, “why can’t he think of anything new to start that prayer with?” Since I’m realistic enough to realize that it is unlikely that any child that comes up on a Sunday morning will remember the specific substance of a children’s message into adulthood I am intentional about teaching them to pray in this way. Maybe, just maybe, after starting prayer with their pastor each week in this way (I pray a short phrase and the kids repeat after me), that this will be ingrained in their prayer life for all their days.
So with all the ways that one might attempt to teach children to pray, why “Lord Jesus, thank you for who you are?” Acknowledging who God is and our gratitude for that is to recognize what prayer is really about. Jesus promised as he left his disciples that the Holy Spirit would be with us always. So let us not think that in prayer we are summoning a far off God who comes close at our beckoning, or getting the attention of a God who is distracted by many chores and voices, and needs us to say, “Hey, God listen up, I need your attention right now!” Author Henri Nouwen has reminded us that all prayer is answering prayer. Meaning that God is already active and present in our lives (weather we recognize it or not) and in prayer we are answering what God is already doing. God starts the conversation, and when we slow down enough to pray we are simply joining in that conversation with the One that longs to share time with us.
Starting prayer with thanking God for who God is also reminds us that our relationship with God is not that of an ungrateful child that always has a hand out looking for more from God. When we understand that the God of the universe wants to have relationship with us, that he loves us with more care, tenderness, and intimacy, than even the most perfect human parent ever could, we should not be able to contain our gratitude. Particularly as we realize that this relationship isn’t based on who we are or what we do, our good deeds or our eloquently crafted prayers, but simply on the fact that God loves us and has done everything possible to make sure there are as few barriers between us and him as possible. So to remember with gratitude who God is as we begin to pray is to acknowledge all God has done, will do, and is doing, and how that affects all we have done, will do, and are doing. Prayer is not about having the words exactly right, or saying them with a certain inflection, but the words should reflect the attitude of our hearts as we join in conversation with God. Perhaps if we start our prayer with gratitude for who God is that we will connect with what the deepest part of our souls already knows, that God is completely different from us and yet desires to be with us more than we could desire anything in our hearts. May we be filled with gratitude at such a God and never stop thanking Jesus for simply being who he is.

Prayer

I was with some folks at lunch and we were talking about all sorts of things. When there was a lull, one person declared that they had a theological question for me. Through that question we got to talking about the dark times in our lives and the response of another present was that we should pray during these times. And while I certainly believe in prayer, everyday prayer, during the good and the bad, I had to acknowledge that in the dark it is sometimes hard to find the switch that would give us the resolve we need to be able to pray. There are times that the pull of the darkness is so heavy, there is no way to get our souls in a place that they can look to heaven and talk to God, even when God is right there with us. I would also agree that these are the times that we especially need to pray, that prayer needs to come from a place of obedience and not just because we feel like it, or feel that we are heard. But more than anything, what I heard God saying to and through me today was that during these times of darkness that is what the church is for. When we are not able to lift ourselves up to God, then we must trust others to lift us up to him for us. I know that this is hard, to admit that we can’t find the switch on our own, but we must. And we must consider the alternative, what if we didn’t have anyone to pray for us. If you read that and think, I don’t have anyone to pray for me, am I missing out? I would tell you yes, yes you are certainly missing out. People sometimes like to get down on church, the politics, the ornery people, and the very unJesuslikeness that it is sometimes. And yes, those things suck, and those things maybe shouldn’t be, but they are and the alterative is much worse. To have no one to pray for us, that is not an enviable place. As best as is possible, I pray that for you, you are able to let the church be the church.

Eulogy

(This post was actually written in mid-August, just getting to post it now)
I obviously haven’t posted lately. That’s a product of a couple things. Between getting the house ready for sale and transitioning into pastoral ministry at a new church there hasn’t been much time. I am also debating on the best use of my blog now that life circumstances have changed so much. Still working on that.
I had both a wedding and a funeral this week (two completely separate events, although the groom did come close to passing out from the heat). The funeral was my first and in talking to people about it this week I got to thinking about eulogies and wondering if they will last in my generation. I guess what I mean is that it just seems so odd to have a pastor that may not have known a person very well give the defining statement of who that person was and what their life amounted to at the end of life. While I wouldn’t mind having a pastor that knows me well, which in my case there might be one or two, give the eulogy, it just seems rather unauthentic to have someone that didn’t know much about me have such a task. I certainly understand why it is the norm, often those that are closest to the deceased are very emotional at the service and it is a fitting way to honor that person. I do wonder with my generation’s premium on authentic relationship if the pastoral eulogy will be a thing of the past, in exchange for emotional loved ones sharing from the heart.
So here’s my request for an eulogy: I would like someone (or more than one) to share about the real me. Don’t get up there and make me sound all saintly. Tell about the time that I really made you mad, hurt your feelings, didn’t make it any better when I could have. Tell about the times that I changed your life for the good, made you laugh, scratch your head, about how strange I could be. I hope that this person might also share that they saw Christ in me. Despite all the crazy, messed up, broken parts of me, I hope more than anything to be defined by Christ’s light shining through me.
I guess that last part is something for me to work on while I’m still alive.

Welcome New Comers

Welcome and greetings to those of you from Honeoye Falls UMC that have found my blog. I wasn’t planning on advertising that I had a blog because I was curious if it would be found. I was informed last night that at least some folks have found it and have been reading up. Angie and I had a good laugh about that as we talked about it. I think it is really funny, strange, and slightly disturbing, that those that have read some of my thoughts here will already have formed some mental images about me (or Angie) because of what is here. I give you my assurance that there will not be a follow up sermon to the post “Would God Pick Up Your Poop.” For churchgoers to HFUMC this is probably a relief. For those of you that have expressed interest in stopping in some Sunday to worship with us because of my blog, you might be a little disappointed by this. However, I will do my best to be witty and insightful in my preaching, even without any references to poop.