Sin and a prayer

Taken from 'Day by Day':

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE (from W.J. Burghardt, p. 127):

To sin is to break a bind, to destroy a relationship, to withdraw myself from God, my Father, and from his love... A sinful act is less important for the disorder it creates than for what it says about me as a person: Who am I? Whom do I love? What is my attitude toward God?"

PRAYER FOR LIGHT AND COURAGE (p. 124):

God our Father in heaven,
send your Holy Spirit into my heart.
Point out my sins.
Supply the courage I need to confess them honestly.
Help me to believe you are always willing to forgive.
Remove my sin and guilt,
fill me with peace,
then send me away strong, free,
and determined I will be better in the days ahead.
I ask for these things through Jesus, your Son,
who is my Lord and Savior.

Commitment, community, and other random church thoughts

Just some things that have been swimming around in my brain...

I saw this tweet from Rick Warren awhile ago: "A crowd is not a church; attendance is not discipleship."

Yeah, I think that's a big problem for a lot of churches. We think if we can just get some people to show up for something, then we're really doing something. But I'm not so sure. I think there needs to be more than just a random crowd, and random attendance.

Ben has a quote from Jean Vanier on commitment:

Some people flee from commitment because they are frightened that if they put down roots in one soil they will curtail their freedom and never be able to look elsewhere. It is true that if you marry one woman you give up millions of others - and that's a curtailment of freedom! But freedom doesn't grow in the abstract; it grows in a particular soil with particular people. Inner growth is only possible when we commit ourselves with and to others.

Nice quote, and I thought Ben had some equally meaningful words to say. In speaking about the church he is attempting to plant he said:

Freedom does not rise from an obligation-less life, and we never grow spiritually in a vacuum. True spiritual growth and freedom are only possible in the context of commitment and community.

Hmm... yeah... that's kinda what I've been thinking lately. Probably the three biggest problems our church faces are a lack of: community, committed people, and spiritual growth. The frustrating thing is - they are so closely tied together. A lack of people committed to spiritual growth so hinders the development of community; a lack of community makes it so hard to help people commit to spiritual growth. So how do you address that? Where does one start?

Of course it's not that we don't have some committed people. But part of the problem is that commitment isn't all that is necessary. For instance, we have some people who are very committed to the church, but they aren't necessarily 'capable' to do a lot about it. For some this is because of age; for some it's other factors. On the other hand, we do have some people who are more than capable, they just can't seem to make a commitment. And there are always those who make commitments but then don't follow through. What you end up with are a very few people who end up doing things, unable to depend on others to help or to follow through, and the few who were committed soon become burned out or discouraged, and pretty soon no one is doing anything. Then those who won't make a commitment complain about there being nothing to commit to, and it's like throwing gas on the fire (or maybe it's more like throwing water on a spark).

Honestly... I just don't know. It seems to be the age-old question, and it pertains not only to leadership stuff, but even (or especially) small groups. I firmly believe small groups are essential to spiritual growth, but so many people fail to see the impact their presence or absence has on this (or on others). People get discouraged because people won't show up, and then it's hard for those who do show up to maintain any type of passion - especially among teachers who put in work and effort week after week, only to end up with the same old thing. It is very discouraging. It's more discouraging for me to see others get discouraged than to be discouraged myself. And it's equally tough seeing those who are 'so close' to making some kind of breakthrough in their life, and then they take a step away. And I don't see how people can not see the difference their life makes in the lives of others. How can we be so.... whatever? We care too much about the trivial, and not enough about the eternal (I read that somewhere the other day too).

I understand that Jesus came to give us 'life' and not 'church.' But I believe it is 'through the church' that we find that life in Christ. It is found 'in community.' Without the commitment to Him (and his body), we're just doing "stuff." And most of us don't need more stuff in our lives. We need more Christ in our lives.

I just read in ReJesus (p. 31) where they quote John Eldridge as saying, "God is calling together little communities of the heart, to fight for one another and for the hearts of those who have not yet been set free." Yes! I like that. THAT, to me, is what church is supposed to be. So the question remains... getting there; and finding some others who want to get there too.

All jazzed up

Last night m'lady and I went to c2g and listened to the Todd Harrold Band. Wow. How did it take me this long to hear these guys? I've known of them for years, but never really knew anything about them. I was pleasantly surprised, and so glad we went out last night. They're sort of a jazz, funk, rock, blues, jam type of band. Good stuff.

We arrived a little after the advertised showtime of 7:30, and a guy was just walking out as we walked in. He said hello, and we did back. We didn't know until later it was Rob Dixon, the saxophone player. We found a table and I don't know exactly why they were just then doing a sound check, so the show didn't start until 8. I wasn't real thrilled about having to sit through a drum micing, but it was worth it.

I also wasn't sure how well I would like them. Todd - the leader of the band - is the drummer and vocalist. I'm pretty much a guitar-driven sort of guy, so I was a little worried. But when he introduced John Swain, I recalled seeing him several years ago in another band (ASQ), though he had really long hair then, but I remembered being slightly amazed by him. It was, in fact, the same guy, because he made his telecaster sing, scream and wail. Wow. I love listening to him play. And I don't know much about saxophones, but Rob Dixon has to rank right up there. Superb. The other member of the group playing last night was Matt Collins on keys. I wasn't so sure about the bass being provided by the keys, but it was actually quite good, as well as the other fills and whatnot he provided. Of course Todd Harrold is a master drummer, and I really liked his voice too.

All told, it was an hour of some pretty darn mesmerizing-good music. I will definitely check them out the next time I see them around. I know the show last night was taped for television, but I have no idea when it airs. You might check here if you're interested, but I don't know how it works.

Arrested

There has been an arrest made in the death of the daughter of one of our church members. Her husband has been charged with her murder. This is the first news story I've seen about it (so far).

It's kind of weird, because not only does the mother attend our church, but this couple has been to our church several times, and we've been around them at other times too. He even put the roof on part of our church building. Actually, I've always gotten along with him quite well. It's all very sad though. I honestly don't know if he did it or not. Either way, I feel bad for everyone involved. I don't like stuff like this.

Animal blessing sunday

I noticed a neighboring church was having a "Pet Blessing Sunday" coming up, and thought that was a little odd. I vaguely remember hearing of churches doing this, but didn't realize it was commonly associated with "St. Francis of Assisi Day" (I didn't really know there was a day for him either). Anyway, there are a scad of liturgies for blessing beasts found here: http://www.textweek.com/festivals/francis.htm

This particular article states:

Although many saints are associated with particular animals, Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226 C.E.) is most closely associated with the popular trend of animal blessings. During or near October 4th, the feast day of this patron saint of animals and the environment, a significant number of animal blessings take place.

St. Francis developed a profound connection with living things through his fascination with nature. His main inspiration came from animals. He viewed animals as living examples of spiritual integrity, blessing them and striving to understand and connect with them. St. Francis is remembered for his love of all creatures, especially birds, and is probably most known for his "Canticles to the Creatures" and "Sermon to the Birds."

Well, I am somewhat familiar with St. Frank, but I don't think I ever knew any of this stuff. Innaresting. Anyway... we will be observing 'World Communion Sunday' this week.

Sometimes it's ok

You know, there is plenty wrong with the church. And there are plenty of people more than willing to point it out. But sometimes the church is ok too. And the sad thing is, most of the naysayers never see what's right about it, because they're too busy pointing fingers and complaining, that they miss it. That's too bad.

Yesterday afternoon we hosted the local women's shelter for a picnic at our pavilion. Jane's Sunday School class started this project of providing supper for them once a month, and it's a really nice ministry. This is the second time they have come out to the country. Both times have gone extremely well. The kids LOVE to run and play on the playground, or shoot baskets, or play games. And the ladies just really seem to enjoy being out in the farm-fresh air. Yesterday someone donated pumpkins and they made faces with stick-on decals. At first it was just the kids, but before you knew it the adults were decorating their own pumpkins. I think they thoroughly enjoyed it. And the funny thing is - even for someone as uptight as me - you just feel relaxed around this group of people. I don't know what it is. They have little pretense, and they are so kind and appreciative. I think it truly is one of those cases where we get more out of it than they do.

So, yes, there are some really good things the church does too. Not a lot of people know about it, but I feel privileged to have been a part.

New coffee maker

We started using our new coffee maker this morning. We actually bought it the other day when I went to make coffee in our old one, and as I picked up the pot, the bottom of the coffee maker came off. I just set it back down where it went, and it seemed to work ok. But we've had that maker for a long time, so we picked up a new one that night (Thursday). We were still using the old one, and this morning when I made coffee, it spilled out all over the place - coffee and coffee grounds all over the counter - and then it got coffee down inside where the electronics are, and I think it is safe to say it is now dead.

So, we actually bought a Bunn coffee-maker this time. We've never had one, but my mom has always used a Bunn and liked them very much. We debated, because, you know, you can buy like 4 or 5 regular coffee makers for the price of a Bunn. But... what the heck; you only live once, right? Now we will have great tasting coffee in only 3 minutes! Of course, we got it all set up, and it won't fit underneath of our antiquated cupboards. So it's kind of the centerpiece of the kitchen now - along with the computer and the piano. Argh.

And, I forgot to mention, not only was there coffee all over the kitchen this morning, there were bandaids everywhere too. Carrie cut their foot at the Kings of Leon concert last night. I heard them at 3 am doing 'something.' Hopefully everyone will survive. We were also informed that son Isaac won some prize for dressing up as a gay porn star or something being best dressed at a disco dance. Hmm... always knew that blue suit would come in handy.

Peace out; and in.

Mowing

I mowed today - east to west - and it took 2 hours and 15 minutes. Nice grass. It sprinkled a little a couple of times, but nothing serious.

I wasn't going to mow, because I have not felt good since yesterday. A pain on the left side of my chest, hard to breathe, it hurt to breathe, actually, and I was just feeling plum worn out. It seems to be best first thing in the morning, but as the day went on it got worse. It was the same today. But I needed to mow. So I took both of my regular allergy medicines, then I took a benidryl, and 2 ibupofren. I don't know if it was the meds or the bouncing around on the mower, but I felt some better afterward. I still can't take a real deep breath though. It feels like when I've had bruised ribs. I hope it's not pneumonia. I usually just say it's allergies, or maybe pluracy - even though I don't really even know what plurosy is, but someone said they had it once and it sounded like what I feel like. Whatever. At least I didn't fall off the mower and mow myself.

Random links

A variety of things from various places around the internet:

• How good is health care in the USA? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVgOl3cETb4
• Dave Schmelzer talks about the difference between Bounded vs. Centered-set thinking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWqk1o6bDxA
• Smoking and the emerging church: http://djword.blogspot.com/2009/09/obamas-clove-ban-creates-crisis-in.html
• The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne has the Lincoln Collection: http://gotobig.com/acpl/lincolncollection/
• Good-bye to youth ministry: http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/communitylife/discipleship/istheeraofagesegmentationover.html?start=1
• Notes from The Nines (62-page Word document): http://thenines.leadnet.org/NINES_NOTES.doc

Social media revolution

Is social media a fad, or the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution? Check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8

Maybe we're more "social-ist" than we thought.

News stuff - grand jury

I wrote about this earlier. Here are some more items dealing with the grand jury - which began yesterday.

• Lafontaine Couple Involved in Domestic Dispute Months Before The Woman's Mysterious Death (msnbc)
  
• Asphyxia death ruled a homicide (journalgazzette)
• Death on weight bench ruled homicide (wane.com)
• Pattison Grand Jury Begins (wane.com)
• Grand Jury Process Used Infrequently in Indiana (ch. 21/33)
  

Surgeries and such

Today I had three people from our church having surgery at almost the exact same time. Fortunately they were all at the same hospital (that hardly ever happens). And they were all ortho-type surgeries (2 hips and a knee). I also had someone else involved with a grand jury thing that started meeting today in Marion. One of those days.

A grief observed

I just finished reading daughter Carrie's copy of the C.S. Lewis book 'A Grief Observed.' Very good; and a nice, easy read at only 76 smallish pages. My kind of book in more ways than one. It was written in 1961, and the back panel states:

Written after his wife's tragic death as a way of surviving the 'mad midnight moments,' A Grief Observed is C.S. Lewis's honest reflection on the fundamental issues of life, death, and faith in the midst of loss. This work contains his concise, genuine reflections on that period: "Nothing will shake a man - or at any rate a man like me - out of his merely verbal thinking and his merely notional beliefs. He has to be knocked silly before he comes to his senses. Only torture will bring out the truth. Only under torture does he discover it himself." This is a beautiful and unflinchingly honest record of how even a stalwart believer can lose all sense of meaning in the universe, and how he can gradually regain his bearings.

I would highly recommend it for anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one... or basically just anyone and everyone, for that matter. The following are some quotes I want to remember. Many of them won't likely make much sense without reading the book though.

p. 3 (the first lines of the book) - "No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on swallowing."

p. 10 - "An odd byproduct of my loss is that I'm aware of being an embarrassment to everyone I meet. At work, at the club, in the street, I see people, as they approach me, trying to make up their minds whether they'll 'say something about it' or not. I hate it if they do, and if they don't."

p. 11 - "Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything."

p. 12 - "One never meets just Cancer, or War, or Unhappiness (or Happiness). One only meets each hour or moment that comes. All manner of ups and downs. Many bad spots in our best times, many good ones in our worst. One never gets the total impact of what we call "the thing itself." But we call it wrongly. The thing itself is simply all these ups and downs: the rest is a name or an idea."

p. 14 - "Alone into the Alone."

p. 17 - "For the first time I have looked back and read these notes. They apall me. From the way I've been talking anyone would think that H.'s death mattered chiefly for its effect on myself."

p. 24 - "If the dead are not in time, or not in our sort of time, is there any clear difference, when we speak of them, between was and is and will be?

p. 25 - "...the past is the past and that is what time means, and time itself is one more name for death, and Heaven itself is a state where 'the former things have passed away'."

p. 25 - "Talk to me about the truth of religion and I'll listen gladly. Talk to me about the duty of religion and I'll listen submissively. But don't come talking to me about the consolations of religion or I shall suspect that you don't understand."

p. 33 - "It doesn't really matter whether you grip the arms of the dentist's chair or let your hands lie in your lap. The drill drills on."

p. 37 - "If my house (or world) has collapsed at one blow, that is because it was a house of cards. The faith which 'took these things into account' was not faith but imagination."

p. 43 - "What do people mean when they say, 'I am not afraid of God because I know He is good? Have they never been to a dentist?"

p. 45 - "You can't see anything properly while your eyes are blurred with tears. You can't, in most things, get what you want if you want it too desperately: anyway, you can't get the best out of it."

p. 46 - "Was it my own frantic need that slammed it in my face? The time when there is nothing at all in your soul except a cry for help may be just the time when God can't give it: you are like the drowning man who can't be helped because he clutches and grabs. Perhaps your own reiterated cries deafen you to the voice you hoped to hear."

p. 52 - "God has not been trying an experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn't... He always knew that my temple was a house of cards. His only way of making me realize the fact was to knock it down."

p. 52 - "To say the patient is 'getting over it' after an operation for appendicitis is one thing; after he's had his leg off it is quite another."

p. 59 - (on why this is the last chapter) "Sorrow, however, turns out to be not a state but a process. It needs not a map but a history, and if I don't stop writing that history at some quite arbitrary point, there's no reason why I should ever stop."

p. 66 - "Images of the Holy easily become holy images - sacrosanct. My idea of God is not a divine idea. It has to be shattered time after time. He shatters it Himself. He is the great iconoclast. Could we not almost say that this shattering is one of the marks of His presence? The Incarnation is the supreme example; it leaves all previous ideas of the Messiah in ruins."

p. 68 - "If you're approaching Him not as the goal but as a road, not as the end but as a means, you're not really approaching Him at all. That's what was really wrong with all those popular pictures of happy reunions 'on the further shore' (notions of heaven); not the simple-minded and very earthly images, but the fact that they make an End of what we can get only as a by-product of the true End."

p. 68 - "Lord, are these your real terms? Can I meet H. again only if I learn to love you so much that I don't care whether I meet her or not?"

p. 69 - "Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable."

p. 71 - "Heaven will solve our problems, but not, I think, by showing us subtle reconciliations between all our apparently contradictory notions. The notions will all be knocked from under our feet. We shall see that there never was any problem."

p. 75 - "The best is perhaps what we understand the least."

p. 76 - "How wicked it would be, if we could, to call the dead back! She said not to me but to the chaplain, 'I am at peace with God.' She smiled, but not at me."

Preaching and prayer

Two nice posts I've seen around the blogosphere...

DD pulled this gem from Spurgeon's Lectures To My Students warning against becoming too enamored with preachers:

A certain lady had gone to the communion in a Scotch church, and had greatly enjoyed the service. When she reached her home, she inquired who the preacher was, and she was informed that it was Mr. Ebenezer Erskine. The lady said that she would go again, the next Sabbath, to hear him. She went, but she was not profited in the least; the sermon did not seem to have any unction or power about it. She went to Mr. Erskine, and told him of her experience at the two services. "Ah! madam," said he, "the first Sabbath you came to meet the Lord Jesus Christ, and you had a blessing; but the second Sabbath you came to hear Ebenezer Erskine, and you had no blessing, and you had no right to expect any."

The second is a prayer for listening and changing from Brueggemann. This would be good for Sunday mornings, or, God forbid, that we ever had any type of small group learning events. (via)

Holy God - in this precious hour, we pause
and gather to hear your word -
to do so, we break from our work responsibilities
and from our play fantasies
we move from our fears that overwhelm
and from our ambitions that are too strong.
Free us in these moments from every distraction,
that we may focus to listen,
that we may hear, that we may change.
Amen.

I bought a cd

I actually bought a new cd yesterday: The Rolling Stones: Hot Rocks (1964-1971). It's a "greatest hits" double cd, and I think actually does have their best stuff on it. We used to have it on vinyl and it was one of my faves. Though I have to say, the digitally remastered sound on this cd is rather crappy. It lacks power.

One of the best things about the Rolling Stones music - I've always thought - is their intros. How they layer sound in. And the raw power of the guitars.

I was listening to 'classic vinyl' on sirius fm yesterday while jogging on the treadmill and "Gimme Shelter" came on. That's what inspired this purchase. I always thought that was one of their better songs. Though "You Can't Always Get What You Want" ranks right up there for me too. But the Stones put out a lot of crap too. And one of the better laughs Lady Jane and I have had in the last couple years was watching them in Marty Scorcese's film "Shine A Light." Mick is not the same as he used to be. :)

I did not know until yesterday that "Gimme Shelter" was originally "Gimmie Shelter." Somewhere along the line the "i" was dropped. Just in case you were wondering.

Third place church

Tipping my hat to Ed for pointing out Matthew's Table. This is similar to what Jane and I were thinking about oh-so-many eons ago. The idea seems to be catching on nicely now (and I don't mean to insinuate it was our idea in any way). I doubt ours would have ever been quite as classy or hip as this one. I like their liturgy: Blessing, Eating, Listening, Learning, and Sending.

Check it out: http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/09/matthews-table.html

Another random yesterday

Yesterday was a nice day. I drove over to Findlay, Ohio and gave a presentation to the long range planning committee at Winebrenner Seminary. I was one of two people giving the perspective of a small church pastor. The other was a woman from Pennsylvania - who wasn't able to be there, but she participated over the phone. We were the second team of presenters - following the large, suburban church pastors. It was a bit of a contrast. Anyway, I had fun, and it was kind of a restful day just driving there and back, and hanging with some nice people for a bit.

Last night we decided on the spur of the moment to attend the last Tincaps home game. They are in the championship series of whatever league they're in, and the remaining games are in Burlington, Iowa I think. Oddly enough we walked in right when Drew Carrie walked in. We also apparently parked in the same parking lot off of Berry. It was a good game (Tincaps won and are up 2-0); it was a nice cool evening; good crowd; dollar hot dogs (though we didn't have any). Although, the 3 people sitting behind us in row y were the kind of people that wanted to include everyone else in their conversation. It's funny how some people, when they talk you can hardly hear them, but some people just really make themselves heard. But they were nice seats - seats 1 & 2 in row X of section 101. And I forgot, but the last game we were at - we were sitting in section 102 - and there were two foul balls hit just across the aisle from us. The first one bounced off the rail and landed right in the lap of the girl sitting across from us. She wasn't even watching, and it was just right there. It was kinda funny at the time.

Carrie also got some exciting news yesterday: she got a part-time job at Best Buy! Not sure yet what she'll be doing, but I'm hoping it might mean discounts for family members. :) This is in addition to her job at Harrison College. Apparently she had too much free time.

We found out Sunday that son Isaac 'may' have a job lined up after graduation too. Working at a transitional living house for men. It would be nice if that worked out.

Other than that... I am tired as a dog this morning. And I've got just short of a million things to do. I don't even have my sermon done yet, let alone anything else. One of those weeks. And I literally have piles of stuff sprawled around my office. Ugh. But it's been a good week so far. Hopefully it will remain so.

Peace out; and in.

Press accuracy hits low

Not like this is probably news to anyone, but the public's assessment of the accuracy of news stories is now at its lowest level in more than two decades according to this story (http://people-press.org/report/543/).

According to the article...

Just 29% of Americans say that news organizations generally get the facts straight, while 63% say that news stories are often inaccurate.... Similarly, only about a quarter (26%) now say that news organizations are careful that their reporting is not politically biased, compared with 60% who say news organizations are politically biased. And the percentages saying that news organizations are independent of powerful people and organizations (20%) or are willing to admit their mistakes (21%) now also match all-time lows.

None of this surprises me, as I have very little use for most of the news. However, I would be curious to know how reliable and accurate most of us are personally in comparison? It could be that people in general are just not very accurate or reliable. Or maybe I'm just a tad cynical. Or maybe everyone is. Or maybe I don't know...

Three dying myths about preaching

Fitch has a nice post "If I Just Preach A Good Sermon-They Will Come: Three Dying Myths (of Christendom) About Preaching." You really need to read the whole post (and comments), but the three myths he says are no longer true are:

• If you preach a good sermon the church will grow (in numbers).
• Who you preach to is who will be in your congregation.
• The goal of preaching is to make the Bible relevant.

He says the kind of preaching we desperately need is... "the proclaiming of the truth out of Scripture over us so as to bring the truth into being... into reality... a speaking forth of an interpretation (from Scripture) of our lives in terms of who God is, the gospel and what He is doing to bring it about in our lives and thru us into the world... It is the re-narrating of our selves corporately into God."

In other words...

The bottom line is, even if you only have ten people left, once we preach for formation, where God’s truth is birthed in and among us, we become shaped for His Mission in the world. We can see things we didn’t see before. We act out of assumptions we didn’t have before. We imagine what God is doing in ways not possible before. And the little congregation of “ten” becomes a powder-keg for Mission and the harvesting of fields ready for the gospel (the mission will grow!). Such preaching is essential to the missional community because it is the means by which the Spirit shapes a community into the reality of God, the Lordship of Christ and His Mission.

I hope I never preach a congregation down to ten people, but I do try to preach for formation. I thought this an interesting "pro-preaching" piece. Nice.

The most loving place - finished

I finished reading Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges' little book The Most Loving Place in Town. It was a nice easy read. It's only 161 small pages, and it's fairly simplistic in its approach. The blurb from the back of the book says...

Biblical excerpts and bulleted takeaways make 'The Most Loving Place in Town' a user-friendly blueprint for positive change. From the leadership experts who wrote 'Lead Like Jesus', this parable will equip and inspire not only church leaders but all who yearn to be part of the church Jesus had in mind - the most loving place in town!

The front, inside cover says...

A compelling story with practical truths, The Most Loving Place in Town shows readers, step-by-step, how to infuse unconditional love into their lives and into their churches. Read it, apply it, let it rekindle your passion for God, and watch as it transforms your community.

I am thinking about buying a copy as a gift for each of our council members (4). And it might even be a good small group study for the church at large - there are discussion questions for each chapter. I'm glad I read it.

Weekend

Saturday we attended a wedding. A friend of Jane's' daughter was getting married. It was at Emmanuel - a fairly large church. I believe this was my first "themed" wedding. It was a Purdue Boilermaker wedding. Everything was in Purdue colors, they had the Purdue train - which is how the wedding party left and traveled to the reception (in Huntington), everything was about Purdue. It was also the first time I had seen the wedding party walk in and stand together on the stage in pairs instead of in a line. They spread out in various spots and looked back at the audience. It helps to have a big huge stage to do this. And the bride's father stood with her for probably half the ceremony. The pastor did all the vows and everything first, and then gave his message at the end. That seemed kind of different. This was also the first time I had seen anyone do the 'pouring of sand' thing instead of a unity candle. The wedding went fine, and things were going ok at the reception... We didn't really know anyone, but a young couple sat beside us who also didn't know anyone, so we chatted a bit. The place was full, and we were one of the last tables to eat. After we had our meal we went to check out the dessert table - we were only gone a minute - and the people who had been serving the food sat down in our seats! We still had our cups and silverware there, and they just sat down. Jane went to get our stuff and they were like, "Oh, is this yours?" But they never offered to move or anything. I was a tad unhappy, but I felt especially bad for the young couple, because they'd kind of been arguing anyway, and as soon as we came back and saw them sitting there the guy just walked right out the door. We kind of stood around a bit and looked for a seat, but finally we felt a bit awkward because we were the only one's standing, so we left. When we went to the car we saw the girl wandering around the parking lot - apparently looking for her boyfriend. Weird, and not just a bit rude.

Saturday night I stayed up way too late watching USC come back and beat Ohio State right at the end. Dang. I am not an OSU fan, but I'm a Big Ten fan. Same old thing year after year.

Sunday we started our Sunday School classes again (or Life Impact Groups, or Small Groups, or whatever they're called). We had a fairly good turnout for not making a big deal about anything. Some of the teachers changed, and some of the classrooms changed. We still have 3 adult classes, and this year we started a 'young adult' class (for twentysomethings); then a high school class, and just one class for everybody from middle school on down. We don't presently have any middle schoolers attending Sunday School, so it's mostly younger kids. Jane's adult class moved up to the old high school room, and they are watching and discussing the 24 Nooma videos.

Yesterday was an ok day. Not a big crowd, but for some reason I felt pretty good even though I didn't get much sleep. The music seemed natural too. I wish I knew what made the difference from one Sunday to the next. I also made a change at the last minute and decided to show the 9/11 powerpoint slideshow I made following the 2001 terrorist attacks. I had a bunch of pictures taken from newspaper headlines, and interspersed Scripture verses, and put it to the Rich Mullins song "Bound To Come Some Trouble." I don't really want to prolong the 9/11 thing, but I like that song and whatnot, and thought it suitable what with all the other troubles our little church has been dealing with lately.

After church we had a preschooler hit her head on the playground and her dad came running inside with blood all over him and her. It made for a tense few moments, but she ended up just having a small cut by her eye and on her lip. She was ok.

Jane and I did lunch by ourselves. We stopped and got Subway and went to Jefferson Pointe and ate outside. It was nice. Then it was home to nap to some football.

Now it is Monday again.

How to clean stuff

I found this neat web site on thisistrue.com... it is howtocleanstuff.net. You can find out how to clean anything from anything else. The site covers automotive, flooring, pets, kids, indoor & outdoor surfaces, electronics... everything from the mundane (how to de-skunk a dog, how to clean gum out of your kid's hair) to the more unusual (how to clean ivory elephant tusks & mesquito netting) to how to repair skipping CDs. The site is very well organized, and they even donate 25 cents to the Clean Water Fund for every reader-submitted tip that is published.

The list also shares ideas on How To Organize: Loose change, instruction manuals, your refrigerator, luggage, a marriage proposal, road trip, emails, a yard sale, and all kinds of other fun and interesting things.

Office 2007

I almost forgot that we installed Office 2007 on our home computer the other day. Jane was able to get it for $50 through her college. I think it is actually Office "enterprise" 2007. It has all kinds of stuff: Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint, Publisher, Groove, Onenote, Infopath, Outlook, and more. I don't even know what all those things are. She needed Word, Excel, Access and Powerpoint for the class she is currently taking, and oddly enough the version of Office that was the cheapest was the one that had the most programs on it.

I still have Office 2003 on my laptop. I pretty much only use Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Publisher for the church. Supposedly a new version is coming out in 2010. We'll have to see about that.

Remembering 9/11

I purposely did not write anything about 9/11 yesterday. There was plenty being written/talked about by people way smarter than me, and sometimes I feel things like that are sometimes best left to themselves. But a good friend of mine (Ron) posted this on his Facebook status:

As important as it is to remember what happened on September 11th, it is perhaps of even greater importance to remember why it happened. If we forget whatever lessons may have been learned we will be destined to experience that same tragedy - or greater - again.

I thought that was well-put. Of course, right away someone left a comment that they had no idea what he was talking about. I believe that proved his point right there.

Please understand, I am not condoning or sympathizing with terrorists or terrorist activity or anything of the like. And I don't claim to know or understand what was really behind the events of 9/11. To many people though - whether they were militant, terrorist Muslims, or just your run-of-the-mill Muslims; and in some respects many foreigners (non-USA) in general - what happened on 9/11 was a reaction against America... the arrogance, pride, and immorality.

I know that's hard for us Americans to hear, but it's hard to argue against if we could actually look at ourselves objectively. Just last night I attended a minor league baseball game in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It's the heart of the Midwest.... farm country.... and it was "dollar beer night." People were acting stupid. A woman sitting next to us was just a little too old and a little too large for her tight jeans seemed intent on showing everyone her underwear, while wearing a Miller Lite box on her head for a hat. People walked around with no consideration for those near them. They shot off the regular wad of fireworks afterward that cost I-have-no-idea how much. Grown men were fighting over foul balls. People were yelling the f-word right in front of grandma and little children, and didn't care one bit when someone suggested they stop. And that's just one night, in one small city, at one ballpark. Look at our billboards, our tv shows, movies, magazines; listen to the radio, conversations at water coolers, on the internet, outbursts by congressmen at Presidential speeches! And this is to say nothing of the news. What are we concerned about; what have we become?

We don't have to condone acts of terrorism to admit that our society is messed up. And, heck, I don't even have to get political - though I certainly could.

So, by all means, we should remember the lives of those lost on 9/11; remember their family members. Certainly there was much suffering and heart-ache. But let's remember what precipitated those events as well. We could stand to change some things not just in this country, but even right in our own lives. Perhaps a commitment to morality and ethics; a return to living by the Golden Rule; more empathy and concern for the welfare of others. And, as I read somewhere (maybe Ed Stetzer said this), we don't need more judgment, we need more Jesus. Rather than just remembering how we responded to the events that took place that day, what if we spent some time in prayer considering how we may have contributed to what led to those events as well. And this is to say nothing of all the innocent lives that were taken AFTER 9/11. May God help us all.

Peace out; and in.

Mowing

I mowed today. North and south. Two hours fifteen minutes.

The most loving place - pt. 4

Leadership lessons on pp. 98-99 of Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges The Most Loving Place In Town:

• Jesus is the greatest leadership role model of all time.
• Leadership is an influence process. Anytime you're engaged in influencing the thinking, behavior, or development of others, you're engaged in leadership.
• Leadership is not just about positions. There are organizational leadership roles and life leadership roles.
• Effective servant leadership is first a matter of character and intention. Are you leading to serve or to be served?
• Daily habits of solitude, prayer, and application of Scripture help you to stay focused on being a true servant leader.
  

Depression in the ministry

A nice post here quoting D. Martin Lloyd Jones on Depression In The Ministry. I kind of like the insinuation that if you're never bothered by anything, THAT might be more of a problem than occasionally getting depressed. I also like the idea that the way out is to remember why you are in ministry to begin with. So often what gets me depressed is when I lose focus, or when people give me crap for doing what I do and so I try to please them instead. Anyway, good stuff.

A plea for republicans

I am not a Democrat or a Republican (I'm a Christian), and I guess (since I'm a pastor) I am not supposed to have any thoughts about politics either (unless I'm politically conservative). However, Brian McClaren has articulated what I have been thinking for some time now. He has written 'A Plea for a New Generation of Republican Leadership.' Good stuff. And it's not because I think we need more Republicans. But I would like to see people who are willing to think, rather than just react; people who can inspire hope, rather than incite fear; people who want to help, rather than just keep others from getting their way. I recommend you read it.

http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/08/a-plea-for-a-new-generation-of-republican-leadership/

The nines

Yesterday I watched a little bit of The Nines. This was a wonderful idea by Leadership Network and Catalyst - a free, live conference right in front of your own computer; and they limited speakers to 9 minutes each (at 9:09 on 9.09.09).

I didn't listen to very many speakers, but Nancy Beach was by far my favorite. There were some I listened to that were not even close to being my favorite. If I had a complaint it was that I didn't see a schedule of speakers until it had already started. I would have liked to be able to pick and choose a little better. I really didn't even hear about the event until a day or two before. This would be one of those things where it would be nice to have a denomination to inform us of these things.

Anyway, I can honestly only take so many people talking on leadership at once, and it got to be a bit much yesterday... but I really did want to hear some of the speakers. Does anyone know if the individual talks will be available anywhere for download?

Top six tactical mistakes that churches make

Bill Easum has a nice post on the Top Six Tactical Mistakes Churches Make, and a second with Two More. via

I like his point about the announcements (they should not be the first thing you do, because they're like commercials, and nobody likes commercials, so why would we start out with all of them at once?). We usually do announcements first - though recently I had been starting with a song and then doing announcements. I am thinking about moving them back to when we take up our offering (which is when Willowcreek has done them when I've been there). And they need to be wayyyy minimized. I have put them on the screen before the start of the service before, but I don't think people read them, and it takes me too much time.

The other thing I liked was the deal about children not being the future. Not that they're NOT the future - they are - but as I've always said, they are the present too!

The most loving place - pt. 3: seven characteristics that define the church jesus had in mind

On pp.85-86 of Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges book The Most Loving Place in Town the fictitious "Pastor Mike" lists seven characteristics he believes define the church Jesus had in mind:

1. "Love was to be the distinct internal characteristic that guided the lives and relationships of the church community." Jn 13:34-35

2. "His church would be an everlasting community of interdependent people called in time and circumstance to glorify God."

3. "His church would have all the resources it required to fulfill its mission." Mt. 28:18-20

4. "His church would have prayer as the most distinctive practice of its daily life and relationship with Him." Mt. 21:13

5. "His church would have ongoing access to an unimpeachable source of knowledge, wisdom, and power to guide its actions." John 14:26; Acts 1:8

6. "His church would have His guidance." Mt. 18:20

7. "He would sustain the church." John 15:5

These would be summed up by focusing on three things:

• Love of God's people for one another remains the defining characteristic of Jesus' church.
• Love continues to be the foundation of His church's impact and reputation in the world.
• Jesus is still actively at work refining His church, using imperfect people and leaders who are willing to surrender their weaknesses, pride, and fear to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
  

iworship test

This past Sunday we tried one song off an iworship DVD ("How Great Thou Art"). I have a "home" dvd, and I just recorded the one song onto a vhs tape and played it. I used it with the words on - hoping that people would sing along with it. I thought about taking a Sunday where we did all the music from this, but decided to just try one song first and see how it went. So we did several songs the regular way (Jane on keys, Jim on drums, me on guitar and vocal, and Robin on vocal), then I had everyone sit down and I played the iworship video.

I don't know how much people sang. I suppose maybe if I'd had everyone keep standing it would have been better. And I heard more people singing at the beginning. I don't think it helped that they sang it a little different on the video than we do. But what surprised me was... after the service was over I had several people tell me how much they enjoyed that. And they were ALL older people. I thought that was interesting.

Labor day love labor

It was a rather uneventful Labor Day yesterday, but ended somewhat nicely at C2G attending Seth & May's cd release party for her new Love Labor cd. There's a nice article on Seth Bernard and May Erlewine HERE. (Note: this picture is not from last night)

I don't know if this was the second or third time I have heard Seth and May, but I love this couple. And they played with an excellent band last night too: superb drumming, and a stand-up bass. But these two lovebirds are the center. May is a flower of a girl even in her great-big-huge boots, and her voice is like the morning dew. I could watch her smile and sway forever. Seth is the perfect complement - his point-guard skills scanning the band and crowd and his playing always on cue; enviously long hair down his back; and he doesn't really *play* the guitar... it's more like he holds his old Gretsch and music comes straight from his fingers. May's strumming and Seth's licks and leads are almost as perfect as the graciousness this couple shows one another on stage. I can't really describe it any other way than they just have 'a look.' As I have said many times - you show me people who appear to love what they're doing, and I will watch them for any amount of money. It is a joy watching them play. I would love to book them for the pavilion sometime. If only I knew if anyone else would like it too.

It was a somewhat bittersweet evening, as Lady Jane was at class so I attended by myself. Brad greeted me as I walked in, and that made me feel better (we had a left-hand shake). There were a few moments that were like first-level heaven too. I don't know many of their songs by name, but there were two that drew tears and sent me sailing. And 2 of the 3 covers were equally moving - Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" was mesmerizing, and some Van Morrison before they ended with an old Hank tune had everyone calling for more.

It was a nice night.

Blood pressure

Checked at JP food court. First time: 140/79; second time 133/81.

President obama's speech to schoolchildren

Here is the text of President Obama's speech to our nations schoolchildren scheduled for tomorrow: http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/09/07/obama.school.speech.pdf. Man, somebody needs to point out to me what is so evil about this. Maybe it's this:

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world - and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Yeah, that personal responsibility thing... I can see why parents are all up in arms about that. Most of us don't want anything to do with it either (please note the sarcasm here).

Rebelling against the rebel

I've been thinking about this for awhile, and then in my daily devotional Bible reading the other morning I was hit between the eyes with Titus 3. Just the first two verses...

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men (or mankind).

Argh. You know, I really hate having a rebellious attitude. It's not like I want to be like this. I don't like being a rebel. I don't want to be. I don't want to be disagreeable with people, or inconsiderate, or anything. And I think you can disagree with people, and even protest certain things, but there's a nice way to do it; a respectful way. That's how I want to be. But I need help.

Not in the top 100

Churchrelevance.com has posted the Top 100 Church Blogs... and once again I did not make the list. Darn. Actually, mine probably doesn't even qualify as a "church blog." There are only 3 on the list that I even sometimes visit, and the only one I regularly visit is Jordon Cooper - who is #98. Maybe that's my problem.

No soup for you

Jane and Carrie took off for the old homeland yesterday (Buda). The aunts are throwing Carrie her first bridal shower, and it was also a chance for them to go shopping with grandma. Of course this left me to fend for myself - which is always a little risky.

For lunch I had movie-theater popcorn. I saw Inglorious Bastards, and was mildly disappointed by it. I confess that I like Brad Pitt as an actor, and I enjoy some of Quinten Tarantino's work ('Pulp Fiction' is one of my evil fave's). But this movie was fairly unsettling for me. While I still enjoyed the irreverent rebellion of Brad's character, and even QT's movie in general (the best part was the David Bowie song, but maybe the worst part was the scene it appeared with), it had me thinking from the get-go that maybe it's not good that I enjoy things like this so much. Certainly one can rebel for the right reasons... but I don't know that that's what any of this was about. The brutal violence was a bit over the top even for me, and I found myself looking away not just a few times. Not to mention the whole plot of revenge and gorrilla tactics used to insight fear. These are things that I am utterly opposed to. So... I was left wondering what I was doing sitting in this theater enjoying this film with a bag of popcorn and a giant diet coke. Hmm.

Anyway, after that I dinked around. Got stuck behind a wreck trying to leave Jefferson Pointe. Went home finally and had a tomato and cheese sandwich with Miracle Whip on it. Then I decided to take in the final regular season Tincaps game at home. It was a beautiful night, there was a standing-room-only crowd, the moon was full. It would have been perfect had I not been alone. So I plopped my five onto the counter and looked for a good spot to stand. I lost track of how many times I walked around the concourse, but I found quite a few nice poles or fence spots to lean on. I saw Mark Mellenger (channel 15 news) and his family several times. They must not have gotten seats either. I saw a lady who might be a member of our church - but who never attends on Sunday - and she was with someone that was not her husband (at least the last I knew). She avoided eye contact with me. I also saw the lady who cuts Jane, Carrie and Isaacs hair, with her child and hubby. Actually, I followed them for quite awhile before I realized who it was. It's always nice to get behind a couple pushing a baby stroller when going through a crowd - they work like an offensive line clearing a path. It wasn't until she stopped and bent down to her child (and I almost ran into them) that I noticed her face. Then I couldn't remember her name. It finally dawned on me, but by then the moment had passed. I saw them a few more times, but I never did say anything. Probably should have. I enjoyed our conversations the couple times she cut my hair. I just couldn't justify spending that kind of money on my mop. Anyway, by the sixth inning my legs were getting tired, so I walked back to our usual parking spot behind Cindy's and headed for home. And, even though I didn't stay for the fireworks, I stood and watched the two kids who were setting them up on the trailer for quite awhile. Lots of wires involved.

Once home I was hungry again - as I didn't eat or drink anything at the game - so I thought I would have some beans and weenies. I got some pork and beans at the store earlier. I finally found the can opener and... I could not figure out how to work the stupid thing! I told Jane not to throw away the old one, but she must have. This dern new fangled stuff anyway. So I pounded on and bent an opening in the top of the can and finally got my beans out. Geesh.

On tap for today... Work this morning, there is a pavilion reservation this afternoon (a family reunion, maybe), Illinois vs. Missouri football is on ESPN at 3:30, so I figured that would be a good time to do the treadmill, and... then I guess I'll just wait for the ladies to return. I will probably get some fast food for supper.

New watch

I forgot to blog that I finally broke down and bought a new watch (you can only replace the battery for so long). It is a Timex Indiglo, similar to my old one, but they apparently don't make them exactly the same anymore. This is a WR 30M. It has the same band, and the date (just the number), but the hands are big and black, instead of silver like my old one. I would have preferred silver hands, but it's ok. Actually, the band is an 'extra wide.' I was going to have 3 links taken out, but I kinda like it hanging loose. Time is now on my side again.

This and that (but not the other thing)

A lonely Friday at home on my day off. Jane and Carrie took off for Buda for Carrie's first wedding shower given by the aunts on our side of the family. I need to finish mowing, maybe spray some weeds, maybe go see Inglorious Bastards, and at some point I should probably start working on the four weddings that I have coming up.

Last night we went to another Tincaps game. I tell you... Fort Wayne has to have one of the nicest minor league ballparks in the country. In fact, I think that's a fact. I have never really had an interest in baseball, but I absolutely LOVE going to games downtown. I honestly don't think I would have attended another one out at the Coliseum if they were still playing there. Carrie got us good seats on the third base side for last night. There were quite a few foul balls that came that way. We weren't in our seats too often though. And I finally broke down and bought a Tincaps hat last night. I got one of the gray "batting practice" hats. That's the one I had wanted since I first saw them, but I hadn't been able to find one since that first game we went to. We were just leaving the store last night and I caught them on the bottom row on the side outta the corner of my eye. I like it!

At one point last night I was leaning against the wall outside the restroom waiting for Jane who was getting a water, and there was this white lady with a black child that I had noticed walking back and forth. The lady had the child by the arm. The child was crying and the lady looked like she was about ready to explode. The lady finally ran after this older man as he was going into the restroom. I learned later it was her father. I had started to pray for the situation, because it seemed both lady and child were somewhat frantic... and sure enough, the lady walks up to me. She told the child to stand next to me and wait for "grandpa" to come out of the restroom, and the lady starts talking to me. She says, "Adoption is so great" in a really sarcastic way. I tried to look calm, and smiled, and said, "Well, I'm sure it really is most of the time, isn't it?" And she said, "Yeah." Then she tells me, "I bought a beer for me and my husband, and I had to suck his down and mine is almost gone. I can't take it anymore. Then I finally saw my dad." I said, "Well, sometimes that's how it goes. Good thing your dad was here, huh?" By this time mother and child were both starting to calm down, and then grandpa came out. That was just a bit weird though. I always feel bad when parents get to that frantic point... because I can remember being there a few times myself. I have often thought about learning some simple magic tricks, just for such occasions as this. Just something to maybe help diffuse difficult situations. I should do that.

Yesterday afternoon was a bit frustrating. I have had a note on my "to do" list for eons about needing to change my retirement thing from a private carrier to our denominational pension plan. The church just started the retirement thing not too long ago, and I have absolutely no clue about what anything even is. Last year there were some new rules introduced, and I still don't have a clue about them. So I thought maybe if I went with our denominational plan that might help. Plus I get things from time to time trying to encourage me to do so. So, I finally called the place where I currently have it and talked to them. The guy gave me 3 simple steps and it all made so much sense. And he was extremely nice. So then I called the denominational office and... I was even more confused than when I started. Apparently they don't have the paper that the other guy said they should have. So I called the current place back again and got a very nice lady. She said that was no problem and she would send me something from them in its place. I got it via email while still on the phone. After I hung up I opened it up and it is TWELVE PAGES LONG of stuff I need to fill out. I think I'm just going to forget the whole thing and leave it how it is. I hate stuff like that.

On an even sadder note... we found the baby bunny I walloped with the lawn mower last week. Last night when I was mowing I sent it scrambling from among the bushes and it ran around to the front of the house. It was just teeny tiny. Then, when Jane and Carrie went to leave this morning, they found it laying in the flower box in front of the house. It is just all sprawled out and dead. I don't know if it's too young to be on its own, or if it got too cold - because it should still be in the nest that I threw it out of last week - or what. Bummer.

Well, I suppose I should do something.

Mowing

I started on the yard last night but didn't get it quite done, so I finished this morning. East to West. Nothing dramatic. Back and forth; back and forth.

The most loving place - pt. 2

It has been hard to highlight specifics in Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges book The Most Loving Place in Town. Not because it's not good - it just doesn't fit well with my normal format, and would probably be better with an overall review. But... there were some tidbits in chapter 10 that are worth putting here though.

On p. 76-77 he says, "It's easier to forgive other people because it's a one-way process. The only decision I have to make is to be willing to give forgiveness, and then my part is done. But to forgive myself, I have to be willing to give forgiveness and accept it as well." Excellent point.

On p. 78... "To have your self-esteem up for grabs every day based on how well you perform or what other people think of you is to live an always anxious, always at-risk, never secure, never satisfied life. High sensitivity to negative feedback is a sure symptom of this kind of self-centered thinking. Any indications that your performance is inadequate or your reputation is at risk quickly become a threat to the safety of your self-esteem, to be resisted or denied." Ouch! (but true)

Also on p. 78... "While God is merciful and forgiving, my pride sure isn't! It seems that if I forgive myself, my pride will lose its right to punish me for the damage its suffered. And it's not finished beating me up yet!" Yeah...

Highlights at the end of the chapter on p. 79:

• Get your ego out of the way, and ask for help when you need it.
• Give yourself some slack - leave room for God's grace.
• Recognize that forgiveness starts with yourself.

Lots of good stuff in a short little chapter in a short little book. I think I shall re-read this chapter a third time.

Pastoral expectations

I got the following off a note on Jordan Muck's facebook page:

He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

(The following is an excerpt from Pastor John Catanzaro)

I have the privilege of being a pastor to the pastors in coaching and praying for their wellness. The expectations parishioners place upon pastors in this church age are both complex and demanding. For the last two decades I have observed the continual decline in the health of pastors in the Pacific Northwest. It is both distressing and grievous when pastors share some of the pressures of the ministry and the criticisms and burdens they carry. I believe the best place to begin is to clarify the pastor's responsibility list.

Unhealthy Expectations

• They are not substitute parents
• They are not shrinks
• They are not janitors, plumbers, or construction workers
• They are not crisis managers
• They are not perfect problem-solvers
• They are not corporate executives
• They do not have wireless access to the Holy Spirit concerning your problems
• They are not responsible for your sin
• They are not constructed for long-term bashing
• They are not required to shoulder repeated harsh criticisms
• They are not celebrities
• They have families with real problems too
• They are not always available and tireless
• They are not God in human form
• They can burn out

Healthy Expectations

• They serve
• They teach
• They lead
• They inspire
• They pray
• They cry
• They get tired
• They are human
• They need family time
• They must be renewed

What do you think? Is he right? Is he wrong? Did he miss anything?

You know, personally, I think there probably are many "parishioners" who don't understand this, but I think it is often pastors themselves who are most to blame in many instances. And, to be honest, I think denominations could help in many ways too; but I can't really think of anything my denomination does for the health of their pastors - other than occasionally recommend conferences to attend (which often contributes to our unhealthiness). But that's just my opinion.

Twitter-er

I finally broke down and started tweeting. I don't know why. The last thing I probably need is one more way to piss people off, and I don't really have time to blog, facebook, myspace, and twitter. But... what's a poor girl to do? Anyway, if you're interested you can follow me at: http://twitter.com/dan_horwedel. Of course my first 5 followers were all single girls looking for single guys. Geez. I'm thinking maybe this was a mistake. We'll see.

Forgetting

Man, I seem to be getting forgetful lately. Sunday we had communion by intinction, and I didn't even think about it until it was time to partake that I had never asked anyone to help serve it. So I just asked for volunteers on the spot. I had four people jump right up to offer to help. That was really nice. Almost better than asking people ahead of time.

The two Sunday's before that I actually forgot to pray before we took communion. How can I do that? I don't know, but I did. Just plum forgot. For the one I just prayed after we were done; the first one I didn't do it at all.

Last week I also had another blunder. On my sermon slides I sometimes put the page number for the pew Bibles for the text I am using. Instead of writing, "p.# such-and-such in the pew Bible" I wrote "p. # such-and-such in the HYMNAL." Ha! Only a couple people noticed apparently, as I asked them about it this week.

Anyway, I am glad I am a part of a very patient and loving and forgiving church. For the most part no one is really concerned about all the little things that so many places might nitpick about. Yet I have still been somewhat nervous during our worship gatherings lately. Not so much about my preaching, but in those transitional moments. I'm ok as long as I have things written down, but sometimes I will say something totally stupid off the top of my head. I suppose I am still a little gunshy from the couple who got upset several weeks ago. Sometimes people can be offended by the slightest of things.

Argh.

Joel and andrew at isaac's birthday party

I found some video's of Joel Levi and Andrew Camp playing at son Isaac's 21st birthday party in Isaac's living room on Milton Ave in Anderson. The picture quality is worst on the first one (it gets better). Joel and Andrew have both played at our pavilion (though not together).

1. It's Easy To Be Alone - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiCYd8o_xrE
2. Blind Men Still Dream - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4exKKcKoR8g
3. I Will Follow You Into The Dark - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL2zz3nqDUM
4. The Garden - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr0cFVD8fjg
5. Wrecking Ball - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FniY92HoY0M