Well, after two short years we are moving again. I will be appointed to serve Covenant United Methodist Church in Spokane, Washington effective July 1st. We are really excited for the opportunity, but we are in that bittersweet time of saying 'goodbye' to friends on one hand while getting to know new friends on the other.
During this whole process of discerning and now getting ready to move, I have been extremely aware of how my anxiety has PHYSICAL manifestations. I have been trying to pay attention to that, and to manage it in healthier ways this time around. Probably the biggest step I have strived to take is to not eat anything except when I am truly hungry... Eating for comfort has been one of my modus operandi throughout my life, and it is a pattern that I am seeking to change.
Because of all the times of uncertainty, I have been reminded of a sermon entitled, "Floating on a Sea of Faith." In it, the author tries to convey that for all of our seeking of stability and certitude, we still have to ultimately rely on the gift of faith. He is clearly postmodern in his orientation (against any form of foundationalism), and he contentends that there is nothing that is ever REALLY certain. If we can accept that without fear and anxiety, then we will truly be FLOATING ON A SEA OF FAITH.
May God help us do exactly that!
(cf. "Sex and the Single Savior," by Dale B. Martin)
Friday, May 29, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Ordination Question
I finally finished my ordination paperwork a week or so ago. Here is one of the questions...
I thought I would share the question and my answer with all of you. Has anyone else read this book?
1. Reflect on a recent book you’ve read regarding ministry. In what way was your heart/mind/soul expanded? How can you apply these insights to your future as a pastor?
Over the past year, I have read and reread the book, “A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix,” by Edwin Friedman. The book struck me with the depth of insight and new paradigms for the task of leadership. The first part of the book traces the challenges facing leaders (“from parents to presidents”) in our current society, while the second part helped me to see new ways I might provide effective leadership through self-differentiation. His thesis is grounded in the view that our society is filled with a chronic anxiety, and his encouragement for leaders is for us to focus first on our own integrity and on the nature of our own presence rather than focusing on techniques of manipulating or motivating others.
My heart and mind was expanded greatly relative to his framework for understanding our society, and I see the ways that our society, as well as the congregation and the community in which I serve seems to focus on the most anxious members of the system rather than putting our energy into the most energetic, visionary, imaginative and motivated persons. In order for medieval Europe to have a renaissance they needed bold and imaginative leaders. For the earliest European explorers to move their civilization into the New World they had to reorient the Old World that was stuck in its’ orientation. Friedman hypothesizes (and I wholeheartedly agree) that we experience similar societal anxiety in contemporary American society, and we need adventurous leadership to pull us out of our anxious existence.
My future as pastor will continue to be informed by my insights from this book. I believe I can more effectively identify the symptoms of this chronic anxiety: “reactivity, herding, blaming, a quick-fix mentality, and lack of leadership.” To counteract these destructive forces, I can only stand apart from this anxiety (refusing to get “sucked into it”) and be the presence of change that I wish to see. I believe that I can only do that if I am fully grounded in my identity in God, if I regulate myself well (with the help of God), respond to challenges in creative and imaginative ways, and allow time for processes to mature. Maintaining my connection with God through spiritual disciplines is vital.
I thought I would share the question and my answer with all of you. Has anyone else read this book?
1. Reflect on a recent book you’ve read regarding ministry. In what way was your heart/mind/soul expanded? How can you apply these insights to your future as a pastor?
Over the past year, I have read and reread the book, “A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix,” by Edwin Friedman. The book struck me with the depth of insight and new paradigms for the task of leadership. The first part of the book traces the challenges facing leaders (“from parents to presidents”) in our current society, while the second part helped me to see new ways I might provide effective leadership through self-differentiation. His thesis is grounded in the view that our society is filled with a chronic anxiety, and his encouragement for leaders is for us to focus first on our own integrity and on the nature of our own presence rather than focusing on techniques of manipulating or motivating others.
My heart and mind was expanded greatly relative to his framework for understanding our society, and I see the ways that our society, as well as the congregation and the community in which I serve seems to focus on the most anxious members of the system rather than putting our energy into the most energetic, visionary, imaginative and motivated persons. In order for medieval Europe to have a renaissance they needed bold and imaginative leaders. For the earliest European explorers to move their civilization into the New World they had to reorient the Old World that was stuck in its’ orientation. Friedman hypothesizes (and I wholeheartedly agree) that we experience similar societal anxiety in contemporary American society, and we need adventurous leadership to pull us out of our anxious existence.
My future as pastor will continue to be informed by my insights from this book. I believe I can more effectively identify the symptoms of this chronic anxiety: “reactivity, herding, blaming, a quick-fix mentality, and lack of leadership.” To counteract these destructive forces, I can only stand apart from this anxiety (refusing to get “sucked into it”) and be the presence of change that I wish to see. I believe that I can only do that if I am fully grounded in my identity in God, if I regulate myself well (with the help of God), respond to challenges in creative and imaginative ways, and allow time for processes to mature. Maintaining my connection with God through spiritual disciplines is vital.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Spirituality versus Psychology
I haven't posted to this blog in quite awhile because (I can speak honestly, right?) I have been in quite a little “funk”. Have you ever had a time when you felt negative about everything? For most of the last month and a half or so, I have felt a little like I have been under a little bit of a cloud that I just couldn’t shake, and it really began to encompass every area of my life…
Physically, I wasn’t eating very well and my exercise habits dropped off significantly. The holidays can be a very difficult time in this regard, with all of the good food inside and terrible weather outside. I found myself eating way too much, and moving/breathing way too little to the point that I felt like a sloth (a sloth that was getting progressively fatter nonetheless).
Spiritually, I began to feel like praying and meditating was just one more “ought” that felt increasingly empty and absent any contact with the Divine (see previous post on the “shoulds and the oughts”). My spiritual director has been a HUGE asset in helping to find/create some open places to just “be” with God; not worrying about what I need to do necessarily. She has also been a huge asset in helping me to see the bigger picture – to “see by the light of eternity” instead of getting so wrapped up in my own stuff.
Psychologically, I have suffered (at times – especially this past month) with negative thought patterns, negative self-talk, poor body image, and just being downright surly/grumpy. I didn’t always show this outwardly, but it was there and would creep out at times. It wasn’t until about a week ago that I really began to address this junk. I won’t go into details, but this has been a huge help in getting out of my funk! The “exercises” and activities I have been doing have really helped me tremendously, especially with the subconscious thought patterns and self-talk that had really turned corrosive.
So the question I have been pondering is this: What separates the above areas? As I have engaged in deep/nearly hypnotic meditation and exercises, I have felt closer to God and have been more motivated to eat better and move my body. Is there really any difference at all between psychology, spirituality and physicality? Didn’t God, in fact, create us as whole beings (not a body with a soul, but a body/mind/soul)? Isn’t our brain and its subconscious chatter really a gift to be nourished and cherished? Isn’t food really wonderful and meant to be enjoyed? Doesn’t it feel great to use our muscles? Can’t all of the above draw me closer into being One with the Divine?
I think that it can, and I thank God for all these gifts…
Physically, I wasn’t eating very well and my exercise habits dropped off significantly. The holidays can be a very difficult time in this regard, with all of the good food inside and terrible weather outside. I found myself eating way too much, and moving/breathing way too little to the point that I felt like a sloth (a sloth that was getting progressively fatter nonetheless).
Spiritually, I began to feel like praying and meditating was just one more “ought” that felt increasingly empty and absent any contact with the Divine (see previous post on the “shoulds and the oughts”). My spiritual director has been a HUGE asset in helping to find/create some open places to just “be” with God; not worrying about what I need to do necessarily. She has also been a huge asset in helping me to see the bigger picture – to “see by the light of eternity” instead of getting so wrapped up in my own stuff.
Psychologically, I have suffered (at times – especially this past month) with negative thought patterns, negative self-talk, poor body image, and just being downright surly/grumpy. I didn’t always show this outwardly, but it was there and would creep out at times. It wasn’t until about a week ago that I really began to address this junk. I won’t go into details, but this has been a huge help in getting out of my funk! The “exercises” and activities I have been doing have really helped me tremendously, especially with the subconscious thought patterns and self-talk that had really turned corrosive.
So the question I have been pondering is this: What separates the above areas? As I have engaged in deep/nearly hypnotic meditation and exercises, I have felt closer to God and have been more motivated to eat better and move my body. Is there really any difference at all between psychology, spirituality and physicality? Didn’t God, in fact, create us as whole beings (not a body with a soul, but a body/mind/soul)? Isn’t our brain and its subconscious chatter really a gift to be nourished and cherished? Isn’t food really wonderful and meant to be enjoyed? Doesn’t it feel great to use our muscles? Can’t all of the above draw me closer into being One with the Divine?
I think that it can, and I thank God for all these gifts…
Friday, November 14, 2008
Beyond Relevance...
I just found this new blog (www.beyondrelevance.com), and they have a video that they have posted that is very thought provoking:
What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church? A Parable.
Authenticity has been a "buzzword" that I have been thinking about for some time now. As persons of faith, we must engage all of life and not just see faith as a Sunday morning endeavor. "Sales" and "marketing" have a connotation that cheapens what we are doing here on this earth. What is our purpose? It it only to get to a goal - to get to heaven someday?
A guy I know (Andy Bryan from MO) blogged on a similar topic. He is talking about a similar idea - that we are MORE than what we do... Who are we? What is the point of our existence? Check it out his thoughts here:
http://entertherainbow.blogspot.com/2008/11/identity-versus-activity.html
What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church? A Parable.
Authenticity has been a "buzzword" that I have been thinking about for some time now. As persons of faith, we must engage all of life and not just see faith as a Sunday morning endeavor. "Sales" and "marketing" have a connotation that cheapens what we are doing here on this earth. What is our purpose? It it only to get to a goal - to get to heaven someday?
A guy I know (Andy Bryan from MO) blogged on a similar topic. He is talking about a similar idea - that we are MORE than what we do... Who are we? What is the point of our existence? Check it out his thoughts here:
http://entertherainbow.blogspot.com/2008/11/identity-versus-activity.html
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