Are You Ready to Shift?

I was 28 years old when I learned to drive a standard (manual) transmission. I was really, really bad at it, too. I popped the clutch too fast, I ground the gears, etc. Yet, with perseverance and dedication, I finally mastered the art of driving a stick shift. Now, I love it. It gives me so much more control over the vehicle!
Well, friends, our mainline Protestant churches have been coasting along on cruise control for so long, that we've forgotten how to drive the gospel and reach the people God intends for us love and care for. We are at a place in the 21st century where we have to shift or wreck! In his book, Shift: Helping Congregations Back into the Game of Effective Ministry, Phil Maynard teaches us how to shift gradually and consistently as we try to get back into the driver's seat.
The first shift is FROM FELLOWSHIP TO HOSPITALITY. Every church thinks it is friendly, because everyone who goes there has friends to be friendly with! Strangers may not find the environment so cordial. "The biblical tradition of hospitality was focused on welcoming the stranger...Not only did Jesus urge his followers to generously welcome those in need, but he also promised that these acts of kindness were personally experienced by the Son of Man himself (Matthew 25)." It's not just about us!!! We are called to put the needs of others above our own! We are called to put the focus on God's grace, not our personalities. It's all about the relationships we build and maintain in the Body of Christ. Our relationship with God, our relationships with each other, and our relationship to the world are all a crucial part of growing in grace and into the likeness of Christ. "This relational dimension is the engine that drives our witness in the community and world, our worship as the body of Christ, and our growth in maturity as disciples of Jesus Christ." (quotes from Shift, p. 15)
Beginning in August, I will be focusing our attention in sermons and committee meetings on this first gear of our shift: From fellowship to hospitality. Watch the bulletin and Facebook pages for more information on this vital need in our congregation. Begin to join in prayer NOW for the revival that will come from following the lead of Christ in all we do!
Love in Christ,
Pastor Caren

Intelligence Lost

I've recently been moved to read Shakespeare again. The Sonnets moved me to pull out my old poetry books. I would get lost for hours in my books as a child and young woman. Poe, Dickson, Tennyson and others were my companions all through college. I even dabbled in poetry, having published a few by the time I graduated. 

Then, I entered divinity school. There was only time for assigned books and papers. Of course, I read the Bible, but the beauty and meter were lost in the dissection of each verse for the sake of scholarship. Now, I only read professional books and journals, or online articles arriving by the minute from various sources. Then, a quick check of Facebook and emails I'm responsible to answer. Finally, as I climb into bed, I take my book of Gaelic poetry to steal a few minutes of pleasure, and fall asleep before I finish a page. 

And the Bible? Yes, I still read it every day. Yet, as the English translations simplify, though increasingly more accurate through solid scholarship, they lose much of the poetry and beauty of earlier versions. I sometimes feel as though we have "dumbed down" the Word of God to the point no one actually studies it anymore except those who preach or teach it. 

Is it truly wise to reduce the scriptures to simple, short, manageable sound bites?

I think I'm going to pull out the old, worn-out Bible with all the writing in the margins written in the old King James English, and read the Psalms, just for fun. That is, if I can stay awake that long. 

15 Minutes a Day

I am into scrapbooks! I look at them. I make them. I gather with others at "crops" to learn new designs and techniques (or more often, to laugh, fellowship and eat!) I also teach the art of scrapbooking. My motto as a teacher is:

• A scrapbook a month in 15 minutes a day.

This is based on 5 days EVERY week. If you skip a day (or worse still a week!), you won't finish on time. Once that happens, I've found, the scrapbooker will:

1. Lose interest - especially if you don't have a dedicated space, you'll find yourself burying the materials, and then you'll have to deal with the pile-up before you can crop again.
2. Get discouraged - This happens because you missed your goal. And since most of us scrap for ourselves (not professionally for others), this means we've let ourselves down. This is often self-perpetuating, because we feel bad about not doing other things or we haven't taken time for ourselves or 100's of other reasons we find to beat ourselves up.
3. Take longer to get a book done - The simple reason is that scrapbooking is so personal, it depends on you - your ideas, creativity and attention. When you skip, you lose your train of thought. "Now why did I pick THAT paper to go with that picture?" "What WAS I thinking when I chose THOSE embellishments?" When you touch your art every day, you are much more inclined to remember lessons learned, and trains of thought don't jump the track as often.
4. Forget where the picture was taken and who was in it - I often work with people who've put boxes and boxes of pix in closets or basements and forgotten about them. This is especially true when the pictures are separated from their original roll (yes, many people still have photos on rolls!). Even on the smartphones, if pictures aren't tagged, sometimes they're forgotten.

Why would your pastor give you a newsletter article about the ins and outs of scrapbooking? Well, it's because the same principles apply in our spiritual lives! Want to grow spiritually? It just takes 15 minutes a day! Pray for 15 minutes. Read the word for 15 minutes. Meditate for 15 minutes. Every day. For a month. Then tell me what's happened in your life! In my personal and professional experience I have found that, if we skip a day or a week, we will:

1. Lose interest - If we only pray once in awhile, we don't see consistent results. The prayer requests mount up. The worries and trials multiply. By the time we finally get around to praying, we are in a very dark place. Why put ourselves through that?
2. Get discouraged - time with God is time for us to re-fuel. So many things in our lives make demands on us. We have lost the whole idea of Sabbath time. It's not just a good idea, it's essential to our health and well-being! If we don't pause for "me & God" time, it's like constantly writing checks on our account without ever making a deposit! So we get used up, burned out and hopeless very quickly. Some people never come back to prayer after a long absence because they feel guilty. Again, why put ourselves through that?
3. Take longer to grow into the likeness of Christ - How can we follow someone we don't trust? How can we be like someone we don't know? I'm a huge fan of Billy Graham, but I could never be like him because I don't know that much about him. If you don't spend time with God, how will you know you can trust him? How will you know you are His beloved? How will you know how to love in His name?
4. Forget - In one of Jesus' last acts on earth, he told his followers to "Remember me." We remember by using the means of grace he gave us. We pray. We study. We read His Word. We gather with other believers. We renew our commitments. We prioritize. We choose. We remember in Holy Communion. We remember in living our lives to please God, not others.

So, as we approach the season of Lent, think about committing to 15 minutes a day spent with God. Every day. Every week. Every month.  And remember, if you don't do it perfectly, there is ALWAYS forgiveness!

Love in Christ,
Pastor Caren