Clergy Spirit

Southern (Methodist) University: Where's the Accountability?

2008-06-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

If Chick-a-Fillet wants the foul poles at Minute Maid ballpark to be named, they simply have to pay for it and then honor the contract. Is anyone deeply concerned about the Methodist name and the institution of SMU being attached to the proposed "think tank" Institute that will, independent of any church teaching, lift up the politics and policies we have endured for the last 8 years in this nation of ours?

Of course Bishops and University officials are not immune to big money and power, and I don't blame them for presenting this issue as one that concerns only the SMU Trustees and the South Central Jurisdiction's Executive Council. And perhaps Dean of Perkins, William Lawrence, has made a good point, that having the institute on the SMU campus does not equate agreement with its politics, but rather, invites debate, learning, and discussion. Keeping your opponents closer to you than your friends is an interesting rationale.

However, questions should be asked at the upcoming Jurisdictional Conference (July 15-July 19 in Dallas). Why? Because there doesn't seem to be any accountability (to the Jurisdiction, the UMC or University) built into the entity being created. Power usually does not want questions asked, but by simply asking questions, South Central delegates can be faithful to a church that has always lifted up the importance of equal representation, transparency, and accountability. Those should be the norm not the exception in the way we do church. And Jurisdictional officials should allow those questions to be asked, freely and openly.

New Site for Clergy Self Care

2008-06-13T09:06:00.000-07:00

Click on the post! This a great little site featuring short articles for busy clergy.

VBS @ Chapelwood: A Wonderful Blessing!

2008-06-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

Where else can you go to engage and be lifted by the energy of hundreds of children and youth than in the Jerusalem marketplace?

This was an awesome week! Thanks to all who made this happen. The adults are the ones who are blessed to have participated.

I want to thank my fellow upper-roomers and youth, Mark Cotham and Steve Moen for their great assistance all week. They were a delight to work with. Thanks to them, dozens of kids made some great looking plaques featuring a Psalm or a masonry nail cross.

And the kids will be singing about VBS this Sunday, June 15 at the 8:25 service at Chapelwood. Come and hear them!

Shalom!

Home Repairs

2008-06-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

With the abundance of major home repairs that have cascaded over us this month, we are faced with the choices of what to put on the back burner and save for another day. Seems like last year was the year to replace existing autos, while this year, we are down to have-to jobs: new AC coils, extensive new drain lines, replacing rusted doors, and a new apron for the drive, something put on hold for years.

So it will feel good to have this stuff completed, with always more that could be done for the future. If you think this is parabolic of the spiritual life, just remember the times you have heard "makeover" over the last year or two. The fact is, we find the idea enticing.

The church talks a great deal about transformation. I wonder how much of that word is more about makeovers that we can see than about the realm of God's reign, which we often cannot or do not see. Jesus' seed parables in Mark 4 point to our reactions and resistance with wanting God's rule (4:1-20), how it happens apart from our own control and recognition (4:26-29), and that in its beginnings, size DOES NOT matter (4: 30-34).

The temptation in church life is to have the one answer that will fix everything, such as a new mission statement, strategic plan, or consultant. In the spiritual life, the lures work the same way- what is the one thing that will repair- renovate- my spirit?

The famous physician and endocrinologist Hans Selye, noted that nature loves diversity. And so it is in the spiritual life. There are many practices that will provide strength and hope for your journey. But it is a gradual transformation more than a makeover. The journey to God is also with God.

Selye's book, The Stress of Life is worth picking up. It's a classic in the physiology of stress reaction.

Shalom!

Servanthood or Friendship? Can You Have it Both Ways?

2008-06-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

It would seem that servant-friendship is as much an oxymoron as servant-leadership, which is, in itself a creation of 70's corporate America. The UMC has really majored in this metaphor. Servanthood has dominated much of the denominational literature related to discerning and defining the call to ordained ministry. Of course, Jesus teaches his disciples- followers- to be servants of one another. But in a world that no longer recognizes slavery as it existed and functioned in the first century, we miss the the power of the image that Jesus used.

The gist of Jesus' teaching, as I see it in Luke 22:24 ff, is intended to diffuse power distinctions instead of reinforcing them. Ironically, we seem to use the word servanthhood to make more distinctions among us. In our ego-driven world, it is not long before we are at the game of determining who the best servant is.

Like alot of things in church and religion these days, the call to servanthood is often used on others. We bring the word out when we want. It is a very risky thing to surrender yourself to the Holy Spirit, because it means death and resurrection. And this is the missing piece: we cannot copy Jesus, but we can be obedient to the Christ in us and love the Christ in others.

That's why I am drawn to basic friendship as the healthiest model or metaphor for ordained ministry. If we had to describe what it could be or should be, I like friendship because it is much more personal. Friendship with each other and with Jesus seems to be the direction of the last Gospel, when Jesus calls his disciples friends, in direct contrast to being slaves. (John 15:15)

So if you can't have it both ways, here's my vote for FRIENDSHIP as the better way to describe what the pastoral role can be, perhaps is meant to be. Not that friendships with parishioners can or should ever take the place of friendships with peers. Remember, we are talking friendship as metaphor. The Celtic Christians, who talked about the soul friend (St. Bridget) and not the spiritual director, understood the importance of walking together (St. Aidan) humbly with God. (Micah 6:8) It's about mutuality.

So the point of the journey is not to repeat Jesus' own death, the laying down of his life, the emptying of his God-ness. We cannot copy Jesus. But we can live a Spirit formed life where others, because of our love for them, do not have to be sacrificed. We are FREE to act out of love, because we know what being a friend is. Which would be a transforming way to think about friendship and ministry, don't ya think?

The Day Hope Died: Bobby Kennedy Forty Years Ago Today

2008-06-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

Having been born in '58, memories of RFK's assassination are more vivid than JFK's. 1968 was a violent year- with both Martin and Bobby being gunned down in their prime. The impact of RFK's is what I remember today, forty years after his shooting the evening of June 5, 1968. We did not know about it until the June 6 morning newspaper since the California primary victory celebration was very late into our Ohio night. Even with the surgery, he lingered for a little over day.

I prayed, as did some of my fourth grade classmates, that somehow RFK would survive. RFK raised the hopes and idealism of so many of us! It was a terrible wound through which, combined with MLK's murder, I wonder if we are healed as a people. Learn from it- I hope and pray so.

The movie, BOBBY, captured some of the mood of the time before the actual shooting. The plot actually follows the lives of the five others who were shot that night, June 5, 1968. The movie closes with words on nonviolence spoken by RFK as we see the quagmire of the shooting aftermath in the hotel kitchen.

Is it deja vu? Forty years after it appeared RFK was on his way to the nomination and probably the presidency, we have the rock-star evening of Obama, declaring victory for the Democratic Presidential Nomination. What a speech he gave last night! His nomination yesterday, forty years minus 2 days from June 5, 1968, is amazing in many ways, but also for its peculiar timing.

1968- what tumultuous time to have lived through the brutal deaths of two God-gifted, hope-inspiring visionaries in our public life; 2008- what an amazing time to be alive to see and experience the rebirth of hope and healing in our national life!

Breaking through Storey's Cultural and Our Suburban"Bubble"

2008-05-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

Preaching and teaching this week at the Texas Annual Conference, The Reverend Peter Storey, the long-time South African Pastor and former professor of Duke Divinity School, challenged clergy and laity alike to see anew what Jesus' friends look like. And, according to Storey, they are a somewhat different cast than many of the folks we have surrounding us in the UMC in America today.

In his Tuesday afternoon talk, Storey's remarks, by implication, drew stark parallels between white church life in South Africa before racial reconciliation and the current state of affairs in our own church. The more he described his location in South Africa, the more I saw similarities to our location in American suburban faith. For example, he mentioned that the current success of the prosperity gospel in Nigeria and elsewhere are actually transplants or copies from American preachers of weal.

Methodists should focus our concern on breaking out of the cultural bubble that keeps us from meeting the people that Jesus calls his friends: the poor, the untouchables, the unclean, the sick, the uneducated, the powerless, the oppressed. Instead of figuring out how to be "amateur politicians" in preparation for the next General Conference, we would better use our time by breaking out of the bubbled life that keeps us from encountering Jesus, who "always brings his friends with him!" WOW.

Well, there are some very concrete steps you can take to do this. It will refresh your spirit and your ministry but this growth also has to be a choice on a personal level. I offer some suggestions below, based on my personal experiences:

1. Volunteer for an activity at a long term care facility- they need you there! Many states have training for ombudsman (resident advocate) who visit nursing homes. And the training may be useful for anyone you already care for or about.

2. Participate in anything that gets you out of your comfortable faith community. The Amazing Faiths dialogues in Houston are done every fall and there are similar programs in Texas and New York. By the way, this program is based on the book, THE AMAZING FAITHS OF TEXAS.

3. Be a reading coach at a free and reduced meal school in your area. Help one or two students practice what they are learning.

You would be amazed at the friendships and connections that you will discover on the outside and a respect and appreciation for others that will be born on the inside. And you will meet some of Jesus' friends that have been missing from your life.

Peace to those who are near and to those who are far away! And thank you Peter!

Empty Nest- in Search of a Better Metaphor

2008-05-19T13:07:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the graduation of my youngest child from high school, My wife and I are headed into the season when they are ready to be on their own but they can't yet be on their own. Their physical, emotional, and mental selves deign them ready, but their financial independence is still several years away.

For thirty years or so, the image for this transition in adolescence, when the kids first leave home for long periods (college) and finally move out and have their own place (career and possible family) has been described in a negative sense: empty nest. It assumes that everyone is just waiting around for the procession out of the house. Or that they are somehow pushed out of "the nest."

The more contemporary image of the launch is more positive. Its emphasis is on the adventure instead of a season of life coming to an end. We would rather think on the excitement of the journey than what is lost. Which brings up the idea of the journey as a spiritual quest.

The Celtic Christians of Europe's Dark Ages took on the journey as a spiritual call. Traveling long distances was apart of their cultural roots as Celts. As Christians, it became a dedication, a service to God. Columbanus taught that life is not a resting place, life is a road: “Let us concern ourselves with things divine, and as pilgrims ever sigh for and desire our homeland: let us ever ponder on the end of the road, that is of our life, for the end of the roadway is our home.” Seeking solitude for contemplation, monks traveled farther and farther away from their home in Ireland; some were never heard from again. This practice was called peregrinatio or “traveling for God.”

The launching phase for families is holy work and a journey for everyone- very difficult, rewarding, exciting, a struggle. And from Abraham to Paul, the movement toward God has always been WITH God. For this journey, the words from Moses of the Exodus are very appropriate: "The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms." Deuteronomy 33:27

Peace!

Spotted Owl or Lemming?

2008-05-14T15:04:00.000-07:00

Without commenting on the actual recruiting efforts or the various studies that have been touted regarding younger pastors, there is a sense in which every generation needs to be reached and who better than folks from their own generation? Remember the plethora of workshops on reaching baby boomers 20 years ago? There was a sense of urgency about reaching these folks then, many of which were baptized but never confirmed. But most clergy are now baby boomers. Second career, older clergy have been, in part, very functional in the system because they could be better equipped to pay their tuition, depending on their former employment. So for a long time, older, second career men and women seemed to be a very good fit for the system.

The x'ers as well as the millennials want and need a different church. In a few years, it will be all theirs! Too bad most churches are already comprised of many AARP-ers. Dwarfing the ordination process will help. If Annual Conferences really want control of clergy effectiveness, then why not sponsor the best blue chippers and pay for half (or more) of their seminary tuition? UM seminaries could offer more paid tuition for UM students, such as Brite Divinity does for its denominational students (Disciples of Christ). Is it unfair to expect young pastors from various income brackets to shoulder the expense solo for such a community endeavor?

It comes down to being the kind of church that values and respects others for who they are, not their sense of entitlement. Entitlement is one of the deadliest, costliest, and most pervasive forms of spiritual dis-ease we have today. It blights spiritual health and its harbingers, gratitude and appreciation. It ruins harmony and peace in the community and destroys personal well-being, and happiness. Cedric the Entertainer says in Barbershop: "You've got to give it to get it." He is talking about respect. We don't get much of it until we learn to give it, genuinely, in community. Whether "spotted owl" or "lemming."

Welcome: Is Blogging a Spiritual Discipline?

2008-05-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

If you are someone I have recently met at the Perkins Mentor Training or General Conference, welcome to this blog! In it, I try to address concerns which I face as a 50+ yr. clergy person marking 25 years under appointment in the UMC! Feel free to reply with your comments or suggestions!

And the question comes out of my own pursuit of a spiritual practice. Blogging is writing and so it can be form of spiritual discipline. A spiritual director seems to agree and encourages likewise.

As you are probably aware, the UMC wants (is desperate?) to recruit younger (under 35+) clergy for its aging leadership. Many judicatories are starting special "spotted owl" settings where these folks can meet to experience more community and support. When it comes to clergy over 35, it seems if you have survived that long, you have been thoroughly institutionalized in a sense, and that in itself can take a toll on spirituality, not to mention mind and body health. So can life!

To serve and to give from the full cup is only healthy. To want this is a yearning that I believe is given to us by the One Spirit who called and gifted us. There are many ways to pursue this- but it comes down to a change in self rather than a change in the church at large. Or anything outside of the self.

When I was five years out of Duke Divinity and in my second staff position, the pastoral counselor (who happened to be a Presbyterian clergy), compared the clergy ladder to an "iceberg"- very difficult to ascend with lots of slipping and sometimes sliding down. I think he was pretty accurate on many levels, as well as the spiritual level. The official line from the institution is all about effectiveness while being spiritual. For the benefit of all concerned, I guess. "Clergy need both (fruitfulness and spirituality) in order to be successful," words spoken by a seminary leader just last year (L. Weems). But the motivation for your own health, self- care, and wholeness, has to come from you for you are the one who will reap the most immediate consequences.

A guided retreat with a spiritual director is a good start. There you will have a chance to reflect on where you are, where you need to be, and how you can begin a new spiritual practice to foster a deeper experience of God's love wherever you are.

Peace!

Choose Something Like a Star: Dedicated to the 2008 Grads!

2008-05-13T14:33:00.001-07:00

I love Randall Thompson's Frostiana, the poems of Robert Frost composed for choir and piano. In it I find something for graduates of all ages to consider, words from "Choose Something Like a Star," and the lines go like this:

So when at times the mob is swayed
To carry praise or blame too far,
We may choose something like a star
To stay our minds on and be staid.

Peace!

Prayed for or Preyed on?

2008-05-06T23:12:00.000-07:00

So many are turned off by hypocrites.

It may begin with realizing some who call themselves real Christians are not real people. There is the disappointment that comes with knowing that the ones who use all the right religious words can also be the ones who can cause the most harm and injury to others. That is more serious than just pretense or hypocrisy. I have heard lately about secular employers, as well as churches, letting their employees or staff go, and in an effort to soften the blow and to claim that they are somehow "christian," these same folks who are cutting a person's job will claim they have prayed about the decision, or that they are praying for the soon to be departed.

One word for those who would want to use religious words to sugar coat a painful situation or to cover guilt, or to look good. Please don't do it, even if you happen to be sincere! Don't bring God into the pain of that moment. If you do, you not only injure that person's sense of God, if there was one, but also you can make prayer an instrument of harm. God is not the cause of this action and your referencing God has no place in what may feel like, or may be in reality, being thrown out on the street.

In my opinion, much of what we do in taking God's name in vain is not just ugly or hurtful language (see Exodus 20:7), it is also using God's name to minimize, not to bless others. The CEV reads, "Do not misuse my name." If everytime I hear God and I am manipulated or lied to, then I begin to associate God with being manipulated, lied to, or even abused. So misusing God applies to people who take the name Christian and use it to degrade.

We would be healthier if we just owned it ourselves. Be healthy.

My Hero: Marvin Cropsey

2008-05-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

Marvin Cropsey's title doesn't really fit on his business card anymore. Marvin, has been in ministry many years with the United Methodist Publishing House and is an amazing servant of the church. Currently, Marvin is General Editor over all our denomination's Quadrennial Resources (a fancy name the many, many volumes General Conference generates), plus other things like the Mature Years, etc, etc., etc. I recently saw him at our General Conference last week in Ft. Worth; we had a chance to renew our 30 year association dating back to when he was with Cokesbury in Ohio in the late 70's.

In the midst of General Conference, he was easily one of the busiest persons there. The Daily Christian Advocate, one of his responsibilities, covers every word of General Conference. The DCA had a large suite of makeshift offices where the large staff was working for two weeks. Marvin arrived very early each day; he retired each evening in the early morning hours. He was also the one of the first to arrive and the last to leave the city.

Most folks think his job is not fun, but Marvin disagrees. In fact, Marvin's energy remains constant. His stamina is due, in part, to the fact that he loves General Conference and his part in it. Passion really overcomes so much! After reflecting on all this, I wonder if it is not the better part of wisdom to return to our first love, our passion. It is easy to lag behind energy-wise when we forget why we do what we do- and what we loved about it all initially.

I have a sense that the famous do-gooder Ephesians of Rev. 2, the first of John's Seven Churches, would understand about losing the love and passion we once had. Maybe this had to do with "christian" phonies and they got tired of them. I do think it is consequential, not really punitive in Revelation. As love continues to grow cold, the lampstand will be taken away; just as the light we offer to the world will dim and go out when we forget our first love.

Marvin says everyone marvels at the joy and dedication he has for his work, his ministry. Indeed, his energy seemed boundless last week. In this week of recovery,I thank Marvin for reminding me of what it looks like to give from the full cup. And to be used by the Holy Spirit. We all need to see that for ourselves (rather than envy it in others) and to do it.

You fill my cup until it overflows. Psalm 23:5

Review from Lloyd Rediger's The Toxic Congregation

2008-04-29T11:04:00.001-07:00

I happened upon Lloyd Rediger's new book yesterday as it was among the top reads at the 2008 General Conference of the United Methodist Church in Ft. Worth, Texas.

First all of all, the subtitle (How to Heal the Soul of Your Church)is really daunting, but once you can get past that initial turn-off, the language is recovery oriented. For example, chapter 7: Pastoral Self Care of Detoxification grabbed me, so here is my review of it.

Working within a framework of pastoral and congregational health and wholeness, the pastoral-congregational relationship can be nurturing and encouraging when enough participants are seeking discipline in the spiritual life. However, when there is a conspiracy between the pastor and church to run the congregation as a small business, pastoral relationships can easily become distorted.

What is healthy pastoral self-care? According to Rediger, most of us think we are modeling time and commitment and energy to ministry when what we are really doing is mostly neglecting self care, making ourselves vulnerable to mind-body-spirit breakdowns while missing the chance to show parishioners what they really need: someone to show them a sane, balanced life-style. He then defines the clergy syndrome as such: depression, burnout, role confusion, boundary violations, addictions.

Most clergy have learned to cover these afflictions very well and in fact the danger is not that they exist, but that so many seem to be functioning normally without ever seeking help and health before breakdowns in wholeness occur. On the positive side, wholeness is utilizing the best resources in four ares: modern medicine, psychology, alternative therapies, and spiritual salvation. Wholeness is relational, functional or purposeful, corporate, transforming, and NOT perfection.

The best part of this chapter on Clergy Self Care and Detox are the prescriptions given:

1. Guidelines for Health (how we eat, exercise, drink water, think freely, and pray),

2. Self-Observation, which is more about improving ourselves, our unhealthy behavior and thinking. Be comfortable observing yourself, and how we are thinking about what we are thinking. The spiritual discipline of meditation can help us, Rediger maintains, in self-observation. When used honestly, few skills are more helpful.

3. Energy Management, where a way to name your energy drains and sources is offered. How to discern whether you are functioning from a deficit or surplus is also critical and makes good sense.

4. Ethics of Consequences, where no matter what we claim, actual consequences of our behavior are always the reality check. Here we ask what consequences we have on others and the world, as long as ourselves.

5. Boundaries is the ability to place limits of time and our role as pastor. Decision making is an essential skill for setting appropriate boundaries.

6. Pastoral Presence where inner peace is the result of the spiritual disciplines. Listening actively and good facial expression is part of projecting peace to anxious, stressed out others.

7. Persistent Training of Leaders, since untrained leadership, according to Rediger, is one of the most vulnerable aspects of congregational health or sickness.

8. Mentoring is important since being alone is one of the major factors making clergy vulnerable to the syndrome of burn out. Finding a mentor that works for you is the important thing: who can help with your role as well as your person?

9. Don't Do Dumb Stuff like betray a confidence, injure or confuse. First do no harm.

What I like about this chapter is the discussion of clergy health as holistic, and the breakdown in that health occurs when the mind-body-spirit shalom is weakened or compromised. The topic of toxic and dysfunctional relationships are apart of our vocabulary, so it was helpful to have an explanation of the terms themselves. Accordingly, Rediger talks about toxicity in a system in terms of control issues of a group; dysfunction seems to be more about diverse agendas and general role confusion. The exercises in the appendices are also helpful.

One of the best ideas I came across was from chapter 6 (Instruments of Peace). Here is offered a membership vow renewal which I found interesting since UMC's do that every time a new member joins. But making the renewal the main focus of a worship or series of worship gatherings would be helpful, I imagine, when inviting the unconnected member back into active participation. The process offered for grievances is worth a look.

Alarming Sameness

2008-04-22T14:32:00.000-07:00

The Christian spiritual life is very unspectacular, in spite of the ways we tend to market the exotic spiritual experience. On his television spots touting why you should visit his church, one mega church pastor claims, "You'll feel right at home in a second." If most worship guests decide in the first few minutes whether or not your church is for them, then what this pastor hopes is that most people will find community or a sense of belonging within the first visit to his church. Sure it feels good to be welcomed and greeted- to be noticed.

But the spiritual life is also about not being noticed. It's about finding within the purpose and motivation for serving others. Sameness doesn't have to be boring, far from it. It can be freeing to simplify what our motivation is in the spiritual life: to draw closer to God, to experience more of God, to be motivated out of love for God and others, etc. The challenge never goes away. The world system and our own ego always tries to seduce us into using our gifts in ways that undercut our spiritual health and others in the name of building up the self.

Jesus, in commenting on various uses of spiritual disciplines, explains that those who are gratifying ego needs "already have their reward." In essence he is saying that subverting the spiritual life to meet our self-centered needs serves no greater purpose, and certainly no spiritual purpose of connection to God or others. So when you're asked who sabotaged your spiritual well-being, you have only to reply, "It is I."

Church systems are certainly not immune from using the spiritual practices for their own ends and not always for the spiritual health of others. When clergy are burnt-out from their work, might it be because we have become so used to attaching our own institutional goals to the spiritual disciplines that we lose sight of our unique gifts and those we serve? The best book I know about clergy in spiritual direction is Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity by Eugene Peterson. It is more prophetic, but it should shake you up, even if you are returning to it a second or third time. Peace.

Which "Second Half" Clergy Interventions Work for You?

2008-04-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

Even as my denomination laments the dearth of entering clergy under the age of thirty-five, there is another issue often left on the back-burner, the one of retention of middle aged clergy. For me, surviving in life seems to be related to the sense of growth versus stagnation. If I feel I am learning and useful, I usually feel that I am doing well. So I have been drawn to educational routes for renewal. And, generally, the church has offered educational programs as well.

Other than a two-year mentor program for younger pastors that Perkins School of Theology offered twenty years ago, most of the programs (most of which are D. Min.) are geared for more experienced clergy. (By the way, if more schools had spent the money to offer programs specifically for younger clergy, you might have seen an increase in retaining them. But even for Perkins, the program, which is no longer in existence, was renamed as a program for "new" as opposed to "younger" clergy).

It seems much has been done to train new second-career clergy. What about lifers whose only crime was that they were in seminary in their twenties? If you haven't attempted any kind of educational or spiritual growth experience that is more than just the two day CE event, then how do you stay alive in ministry? Most programs with any impact go from 2-3 years.

There are many excuses for not engaging in a program of self-development as a pastor: cost, time away, frequent moves, an already loaded schedule, fear of the unknown. Yet, most of the second-career clergy I know have had to balance an almost full time school load with full time work. Depending on denominational culture, a sabbatical or doctoral program is more popular or supported.

As a second half clergyperson, or as one preparing for your second half, let me say that the reasons and benefits for engaging in a program far outweigh the potential pitfalls. The biggest one is fighting boredom and rediscovering challenge! Unless you want to attend Willow Creek-styled three day conferences the rest of your ministry, you are on for a boring second half if you do not engage in something that calls you beyond the day-to day acts of ministry. All you will be doing is learning about whatever that year's fad is- until the next big thing comes along. There is a place for the Willow Conference or even the Seminary-sponsored CE week, but they just aren't designed to work long-term, they are flashes in the night.

Take a look at the survey on the blog and share what works for you! We might be able to start a dialogue and start something new!

Peace in Christ!

Wintery Openers: A Day with Dad

2008-04-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

The opening of baseball season brings back tons of memories. Dads are in the business of making good, happy memories.

My Dad would get us out of school before noon so that we could make it down to old Cleveland Municipal Stadium in time for the first pitch. When we were older, we would get the bus from the corner nearest the school and meet him in front of the County courthouse. We often took a buddy from class.

Doing this of course irritated the teachers to no end. They would whisper and point at me the day of my dismissal. I remember our music teacher, whose personal calling was to make my life miserable throughout gradeschool. She made an accusatory announcement to our class that Scott Endress would soon be leaving her (precious) classroom for a baseball game. The tone clearly indicated a criminal offense.

Most openers in Cleveland- make that all openers there- were ice cold, even if the sun happened to be shining. It was all over in the blink of an eye. And I would have to face the same testy teachers the very next day. But it was absolutely worth it. One memory that stands out to this day was Frank Robinson, Cleveland's Player-Manager, homering in his first at bat the 1975 game. Robinson was baseball's first African American manager. It was a high drive down the left field line right past our third base seats! Wow- the place shook as the Indians eventually downed N.Y.

Dads, you are fortunate if you can take your son to a ballgame or even particpate in another rite of spring, such as a fishing trip. It will benefit him more than anyone and it will do so for years to come.

Play ball!

A Day at the Races- It Came Down to a Coin Toss!

2008-03-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

Thousands flocked to the Sam Houston Racetrack to partipate in the Senate District #7 Democratic Convention. It was pretty chaotic and long, hard day, going from 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Each delegate that was elected from the precinct meetings in February was given a chance to send to the June State Convention a delegate and an alternate, with most precinct votes based on Obama or Clinton.

We waited all day to place our votes within each precinct. Three of our Clinton delegates had to leave during the day, which left us with three Clinton and seven Obama supporters. The top vote getter got the state delegate seat from our precinct- an Obama supporter. There was a 3-3 tie for the alternate. A Clinton devotee was named the alternate as the tie breaker came down to a coin toss. Ten hours and it all came down to a coin flip!

Amazing also because this was my first try at politics beyond just voting. Why did I wait so long? I would be complacent if my candidate was elected and just disgusted if mine was not. One thing is for sure, this 2008 race has got tons of people fired up and in the process already. The more idealistic you are, the more you are likely to get hurt or at least disappointed. Of course, idealism works- people want to think the best of their candidate.

With churches, the same is true. People are pretty idealistic when joining a faith community. They are thinking the best of their new church home, hoping and believing that it will work for them. If the church doesn't somehow measure up to their expectations, expectations usually formed by the church's own self-presentation, then it is easy to become disillusioned, a disillusionment, by the way, often experienced by new clergy who realize that a community of faith is not all it was cracked up (read: presented) to be.

There is a line in the Serenity Prayer that comes to mind: "...that I may be reasonably happy in this life..." Balancing our expectations with reality is the way of wisdom, and the art of becoming happy within reason is perhaps what St. Paul meant: "I have learned to be content in all things."

It is easy to enjoy the excitment of this political season, and the hope it raises. The joy in finding a new church or going to a new pastoral assignment is also wonderful, a gift and a vessle of God's grace. Hopefully, our political hopes and the grace of the new can and will draw us closer to the One that we cannot do without- and the One beyond our wildest dreams.

Easter Food for Thought from an Atheist

2008-03-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

“I think if more people were willing to treat beliefs as beliefs instead of facts, it would make talking with each other easier... I guess I’d just like Christians and church leaders to be more honest…with everyone. Stop treating faith as a fact. Call it hope. Call it confidence, not certainty.” Matt Casper, Jim and Casper Go to Church.

Praying with Saint Patrick (March 17)

2008-03-17T11:52:00.001-07:00

The Rising
from the Breastplate of St. Patrick

I rise today
in power’s strength, invoking the Trinity,
Believing in threeness,
Confessing oneness,
Of creation’s Creator.
I rise today
In the power of Christ’s birth and baptism,
In the power of his crucifixion and burial,
In the power of his rising and ascending,
In the power of his descending and judging.

I rise today
In the power of the love of the cherubim,
In the obedience of angels
And service of archangels,
In the hope of rising to receive the reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs and matriarchs,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the deeds of the righteous.
I rise today
In heaven’s might
In sun’s brightness
In moon’s radiance
In fire’s glory
In lightening’s quickness
In wind’s swiftness
In sea’s depth
In earth’s stability
In rock’s fixity.

I rise today
With the power of God to pilot me,
God’s strength to sustain me,
God’s wisdom to guide me
God’s eye to look ahead for me,
God’s ear to hear me
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to protect me
God’s way before me
God’s shield to defend me
God’s host to delver me:
From snares of devils,
From evil temptations,
From nature’s failings,
From all who wish to harm me,
Far or near,
Alone and in a crowd.

May Christ protect me today
Against poison and burning,
Against drowning and wounding,
So that I may have abundant reward;
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me;
Christ to the right of me, Christ to the left of me;
Christ in my lying, Christ in my sitting;
Christ in my rising;
Christ in the heart of all who think of me,
Christ on the tongue of all who speak to me,
Christ in the eye of all who see me,
Christ in ear of all who hear me.

I rise today
in power’s strength, invoking the Trinity,
Believing in threeness,
Confessing oneness,
Of creation’s Creator.

For to the Lord belongs salvation!
May your salvation, Lord, be with us always.

Your After Easter Questions Welcome Here

2008-03-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

There is a Beginnings gathering starting Wednesday, March 26, 6:30-8:15 p.m. at the Moveable Feast, 9341 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas. The series goes for six more weeks, with the format being an informal talk and discussion over a great meal. Instead of being video based, this will be unplugged, giving more time for reflection and questions and discussion over the meal. The meal if free for guests and the book Chapelwood provides, Along the Way, is one the best for anyone starting and restarting an intentional faith journey with Jesus Christ. Consider this your invitation to know and experience more, and see where it takes you!

“Our objective is…for us to step aside and let Christ gently accompany participants on their own spiritual journeys. Women and men need to claim God’s grace in their lives and to find Christ at their own pace rather than for us to force them to drink from the living water,” Beginnings Authors Langford and Ralls.

Can I give God and the church another chance?
What kind of God do Christians believe in?
Why is Jesus so important?
How do I start an intentional spiritual journey?
What does it mean to be a Christian?

I invite you to take a fresh look at Christian faith!
Scott Endress @ sendress@chapelwood.org, 713-354-4470

Birth Order Theory: Not for Youngest Children?

2008-03-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

Most birth order books are garbage written by older siblings who are still trying learn how to share their toys in adulthood. Alot of this theory is written by so-called Christian authors. I have yet to find anyone holding this theory up who gives a favorable review of the youngest child's supposed role in the family structure. Maybe it's just me being a younger child, but my suggestion for these folks who love talking about birth order is to get a life, get therapy, or both.

Normally, birth order talk seems to leave little hope for the youngest child. They are totally useless. Sort of like parasites, they often do positive harm. Youngest children, so it goes, are sinners by nature of their birth order. The only non-condemning treatment I have read about seems to be from that parable of Jesus in Luke 15 about the two sons. In the story, the misdirected, malicious, selfish youngest son receives the grace of the father's unconditional acceptance, as does the misdirected, malicious, and selfish oldest! So it is God's grace in Jesus that defines us.

My suggestion for youngest children is to avoid birth theory folks altogether, or at least don't take them too seriously. Most of it is an attempt to explain why the olders suffer so- and that explanation usually rests on your existence. Make peace wherever you are and see it as a gift. You can be a leader wherever you are. The gift that olders have is that they are often able to teach the youngers what it means to share in a loving way. The gift that youngers have is that they are often able to listen and to be taught.

How I Survived the Forties

2008-03-12T05:59:00.000-07:00

I am 50! The book of Deuteronomy calls Moses the greatest prophet in all of Israel. He received his true vocation from God around age 80 while also a fugitive from justice. On the age front, that should be encouraging to those who seem to be passed over for that promotion because younger people will be hired for alot less. Moses' destiny would not to hang around the Egyptian court as an advisor to the king like Joseph did generations before. His vocation literally saved him.

Most churches are drawn to the young and energetic clergy thinking that they will in turn attract younger generations, as if age and energy alone will guarantee meaningful connections and ministry with unreached, unchurched younger adults. Because churches have budgets and are cost conscious, entry level clergy (not often very young anymore) sometimes fill this function, whether or not their spiritual gifts and abiltities fit this role.

I was the youngest of three brothers, so I have naturally have been drawn to older people all of my life. Because of their wisdom or knowledge or experience, I learn when I am with chosen mentors. I remember front porch visits with my neighbor's grandfather when I was around 5 yrs. old. Dr. John Lennon, my youth minister (Minister of Christian Education in those days), was the one who served as my spiritual director before I knew what one was. Under his guidance, I was confirmed and explored vocation. I could always count on getting an honest answer from him and I trusted him as a person and friend. John retired at 65, the same year I graduated from High School! We had one of the more dynamic youth ministries around. His retiremment was an active one; for example, he consulted in Christian Education in Australia, and held church staff positions in retirement.

I was chaplain at a retirement community for several years. This ministry, which I dearly loved, required dealing honestly with the mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional onslaughts of aging. The frequent question in spiritual counseling seemed to be: "Why am I still alive?" It was a question of vocation, purpose: " What am I now here for?" The search for and the fulfilling of that purpose is a holy one at any age; it also saved my life by bringing a continuity, a sense of wholeness that God is never finished with us.

My mother, Judy Endress, turned 85 this past January 24, and also just "retired" from teaching hospital-sponsored childbirth and grandparenting classes for the last 20+ years. After being an R.N. during W.W. II, Mom went back to college when I was in High School, graduated with the R.N. when I was in college, then started work in a free clinic before working for the hospital. When she was in grade school, her church had a vocation day and the children were asked to wear the clothing of whatever their chosen vocation would have been at the time. They processed down the church, as if to offer these dreams to God and to declare themselves to the world. She dressed as a nurse.

How did I survive the forties? I did it by the grace that God is not finished. Purpose and usefulness saved me.

Hell, Hate, and St. Francis of Assisi

2008-02-29T06:41:00.000-08:00

Years ago, I was phoned early on a Sunday morning by someone identifying himself as a preacher who said he was taking an informal survey of beliefs. The only thing he wanted to know was if I believed in the existence of a physical burning lake of fire where unbelievers go. I suspect his findings were to be aired in a sermon that morning as evidence of whatever he was trying to prove. That was West Texas.

That there is judgement is an undeniable tenet of Christian belief. It is just how that is used that bothers me. When faith is used on others to hurt, shame or harm, then my faith quickly becomes a tool for hate and injury instead of healing. In a 90's poll measuring belief in Americans, around 95% of those polled said they believed in God. Of those, 65% said they believed in a literal, burning hell BUT only about 6% thought that's where they would end up. This means that most American Christians probably believe in hell for someone else, but not for themselves. That is using the faith to do harm, not good. I wouldn't be surprised if current surveys from Gallup, etc. showed very similar results among Americans.

So what would I do if I was asked that question about a real burning lake of fire in 2008? At the advice of a UMC bishop and friend of those years, I would ask in response, "Do you believe in hell on earth?" Another friend who is in my spiritual direction class said, and I quote "Religion is for those who want to be saved from hell; spirituality is for those who have already been there." That's from Bill, a Catholic Christian, who is in recovery. We can all learn from him.

My study this Lent has brought me in close connection with St. Francis of Assisi, who knew Jesus not as the judge but as the judged, the condemned. Alot of the world's suffering seems to be caused by people of faith who think that their God is out to get them- or others who don't agree with them. So much suffering in the world is caused by a false image of God, one that is shaming and condemning and very much like them. Jesus died to show us that, no matter what we do to God, to Jesus, or to love, God continues to love the world in a way that heals and does not harm.

Gratitude and Energy Level

2008-02-11T15:20:00.000-08:00

Researchers at The University of California, Davis, compared the results of keeping a daily gratitude journal with a control group and then measured emotional, physical, and social well being over a three week time frame. The subjects, all who suffered from a neuromuscular, chronic disease, reported:

1. Significantly higher levels of positive emotions in the gratitude group.
2. No difference in negative emotions.
3. Significantly higher positive effects for life appraisal, such as connection to others, life as a whole, and the upcoming day
4. MORE HOURS OF SLEEP! ALMOST ONE FULL HOUR OF SLEEP for those in the gratitude group.
5. No more exercise and no effect for pain was reported.

#4 is amazing! Just think what your energy level could be with almost one more hour of sleep per night!!