A Theology of Dog Ownership pt. II

(Note: A shout out goes to Don Bird, Senior Pastor of Hope United Methodist Church in Greenwood Village, CO. His theological reflections on Facebook provided the basis for this particular post).

Hildegard, our Chihuahua/Terrier mix, is the undisputed queen of my house.

I have written on her in the past and reflected on the Divinely inspired connection represented by the leash I use during our walks. Like grace, it never breaks. No matter what she does and where she goes, the connection remains.  That doesn't stop her from getting into trouble though, or from eating anything she finds that is not nailed down. I am sure it is her past as a stray coming through, but we just can't rid her of it!

I can't even begin to list the things Hildy has eaten: Cotton balls, clothing, sandwich wrappers, unattended scraps , pens, whole chapstick rolls, etc. Sadly, this doesn't even include the things she nabs on our walks. I know it makes me sound like a bad owner, but it is not uncommon for me to look up and see her munching on something in the grass, which ends up being part of a dead bird, rabbit droppings or God knows what. I always yank her back when this happens. Or I yell at her and chase her around the house, trying to get her to spit out the offending object . However, most of the time it is too late. Hildy is an efficient eating machine, so I tend to find she has swallowed whatever it was and is eager to find the next bit of trash to consume.

I absolutely hate this habit of hers,  because all too often it leads us right to the vet's office. Unfortunately, Hildegard has a very fickle digestive tract, meaning that the junk she consumes tends to make her very sick. It is morbidly amusing in a way though, because the second we drive into the vet's parking lot, a profound change comes over her. Gone is the diva who is used to being Queen Bee and challenging the Great Dane down the street for control of the neighborhood. Instead, she morphs into a shaking, whimpering mess who tries to escape at all cost. This is no more apparent than in the consultation room itself when she squeezes in behind me on the bench to hide. I guess in her mind, if the vet cannot see her, she cannot get the shot, have her teeth cleaning or deal with whatever unpleasant things her actions have brought on.

 

I know it is common for pets to hate the vet, but they are far from the only creatures who fear a healing entity of great power. Humans have that problem too. Genesis chapter 3 tells us as much when it recounts the actions of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Despite God telling them not to do so, the first couple chose to eat from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the center of the garden. Their action subsequently made them sick so to speak. They realized they had done something profoundly wrong and were suffering from disharmony with the Divine. As a result, when the "Vet" comes round "they hid from the Lord God among the trees," (Gen 3:8 NLT).

 

I realize this is a rather evangelical interpretation of what Christians term as sin. They view it as a disease spread to all humanity after Adam and Eve's rebellion and fall. I do not necessarily adhere it this viewpoint, but it does somewhat explain what creatures ranging from Hildegard to humans feel when their actions land them in the "Vet's office." It's ironic really. All creatures freely chow down on unhealthy garbage (like junk food, gossip or reality TV in humanity's case).  Then they pick fights with others or freely chose to do other things that endangers their wellbeing. It is just in our nature. But when we come to someone, a greater power, who can actually heal us and make us better, we fear them. We turn away and do anything we can not to go through the pain and misery our actions require to be made right.

 

I am not sure Hildegard will ever realize this or learn her lesson. But we certainly can. We humans can comprehend the crappy things we do, which cause our brokenness and with God's help, halt them. We can then tackle the issues of larger life changes, which, if done successfully with God's guidance, will keep us from having too many bad "veterinary visits" in the future. Instead, it will allow the Vet to help us with the easier, routine things that keep us healthy and happy. In this, I hope you can see God in a true light. The Divine Life is sot a s a vengeful entity punishing us for our acts, but a Great Physician seeking to heal and guide us on to better ways of life.

 

I pray we will all one day see this and about our garbage-monging ways. Especially Hildegard, because her habit is really starting to add up!

 

Hope you are having a good day, friends.  

 



Autumn Arrives!

 Friends,

We passed a milestone in my house this week. As I went outside to walk the dog yesterday morning, I got so chilly that I had to run inside to get a sweatshirt. Strolling around the block, it set in that fall is here in force. The clouds were grey and ominous over me, the wind cutting past my face. Yep, the warm days of summer were gone, quickly becoming a thing of the past. I don’t mean to sound bleak, because many people I know welcome the cool, crisp air. My wife is one of these fall fanatics. She relishes this time of year and you can bet that our house now contains all manner of pumpkin spice themed products.

This time is so different that what we usually get around Colorado. We are known for our long days, perfect for hiking, biking, camping and such. Those are now increasingly gone, and our inclination is steadily changing. As it grows cooler and darker, it is easier to stay inside. Our preference shifts from exercise to getting comfy under a blanket, lighting a fire and spending some time with our families or a good book. Essentially, fall is a time to be still and enjoy the quiet comfort of home.

As our potential for physical activity drops with the temperature, an opportunity for spiritual growth arises. Our inaction allows for rest, to take time away from a world where so little is sacred. In turn, we can reconnect with God and restore the holiness we lose during the week. We can remember that we have value outside of the daily grind. Everyone needs this; a haven were where we find rest, take time to let our souls just be, and, if nothing else, let our tensions be at ease.

Fall is a time where we can make such investments and find new, holy spaces. I’d like to think that our church is such a place for you all. It can be a place of life giving connection to the Divine at any time if you need it to be. But if it doesn’t quite fit the bill for you, I urge you to seek out a new sanctuary in the fall months ahead. I’m not necessarily talking a building or structure. It can be anywhere where you feel connected with God. So where could it be for you? Wherever it may be, find it! As one devotion I read the other day stated so aptly “We all need places where we can encounter the holy presence of heaven; we need community and we need solace. So whatever it takes for you to allow your soul to be at rest, find your holy place.”

And I hope your holy place has a good heat source, because I think it’s going to be a frosty winter!


Stay warm everyone!

Even this is Beautiful

Here's a low down on how my day (8/14) has gone so far. This morning I met with a woman who's husband beat her black and blue. Now she's on the run trying to start a new life in Northern Colorado. Then I took a call from another lady who has been going through a lot of pain in her abdomen. She has a doctor's appointment today and she is terrified what they will find. After this, a round of hospital visits, complete with a parishioner who has been told they will likely need to enter hospice in the next day or so. Finally, a return to the church where the lady who went to the doctor earlier is waiting for me distraught because she will need a procedure.

Good God Almighty, did anyone get the license plate number of the truck that hit me today and then kept backing over me for good measure?

Thankfully, most days as a pastor are not like this. On the contrary, they are mostly filled with great things: scripture studies, visioning for the future, talking with people about their passions in life and such. But when I encounter a day like today, it's like running head first into a wall, so all I can do to recover afterwards is haul myself into the sanctuary to spend some time in silent prayer. Thankfully, First UMC, Fort Collins has a the perfect space to engage in reflection. Our sanctuary stands quiet and empty during the week. It's large size reminds me of the vastness of the Divine, while the stained glass windows bathe the room in soft rays of multi colored light, reflecting off the organ pipes in small dancing rainbows.  The hue gives everything a soft purple/blue tint, kind of like the twilight of an summer evening where you sit out on your porch with a good beer and ponder the day that has been.

And ponder this day, I did.

It had been tough. Very tough, actually. One of my pastoral care mentors in seminary described it aptly as "getting in the dirt" with people. Literally, as their pastor, you get to go through whatever cruddy, dirty, nasty life situations they are experiencing, much like Job's friends from Job 2. It's all you can do sometimes to just sit there next to the person, lending your support while they wallow in the mud. However, as I am learning, it's not possible to do this without getting some dirt on you, or get dragged fully into the mud as the events of today proved possible.

It is so hard, and I couldn't help but wonder, why do we subject ourselves to it? Isn't there an easier way? I was reflecting on this, feeling tired and beat down, when I heard a small voice come up unbidden, saying

"Even this is beautiful."

God speaks to me in this way. Little emotional prods or sometime an internal voice that comes out of nowhere. Yet,I had no idea what this statement meant. How could something so hard and difficult be beautiful as the same time? Then it hit me. Being with people in the dirt is sacred because it is as Christlike an act as there can ever be, short of giving your life for someone else, I suppose. Jesus never had it easy and in days like today it becomes possible to understand Him more; to comprehend why he got frustrated when He encountered  some many problems due to people's lack of faith. Jesus knew a greater reality existed. The Kingdom of God was only breath away. All people had to do was conscientiously decide to follow it and it would come roaring into reality. But since that was hard for people to do in their current state. So out of pity and mercy, the Christ decided to get into the mud to save them.

As believers, we all have inherited this mantle and I pray that those who are trying to help others who struggling remember the purpose behind their headlong dive into the dirt. We are here to help others in the hardest of times. It may be hard, but it  is always a beautiful thing when we help others find the hand of Christ waiting to lift us up just out side the mudpit.

Look for it, my friends, it is there.

Bryson

10 Things I Learned in My First Year of Solo Ministry.

I recently read a blog from a colleague who reflected on his first year in ministry. It resonated with me as I have also just completed my first year in solo ministry. My time was a bit different though since I serve two settings and have already been active as a pastor. First, I’ve been an Associate at a large church (First UMC, Fort Collins, CO) and now have two years of service under my belt there. However, my main setting is a new church ministry at Wellington Fellowship, a five year old new church replant. It is a vastly different place than First Church and I have learned much in these first 12 months (complete with many lumps to prove it!). So, I thought I would reflect here and share the 10 things I discovered as a young clergy operating in the crazy world of church planting for the last year:


1) New Church Ministry is amazing. . . .

Honestly, I cannot imagine a more freeing and invigorating place to serve than a new church plant. My other ministry setting is a 150 year old, 1700 member church, which I absolutely love. Yet, there are so many traditions, expectations and social barriers to traverse when doing ministry there that it often becomes frustrating. This is not the case in the new church. Working up here in Wellington, it’s like I have been given a clean slate and free rein to design this ministry with my people. I remember coming in during Easter time last year and asking my leaders, “What traditions does this congregation have? What services do you all do?” They looked at me and said, “uh, we haven’t done anything regular around but Easter so far, what do you think we can do?.” Do you know how exciting it was to hear that? To know I had the chance to help this church build Holy Week traditions from the ground up? It was tremendous! So yes, it is so nice having flexibility to determine the structure of your church instead of amending an old model. But still. . .

2) . . . . it is also a double edged sword.

New church ministry is at the same time the hardest thing I have ever done. Some of that is due to the nature of Wellington , which has had six pastors in its first six years (it’s a long story, trust me). It was a beatdown at times dealing with the conflicts around here while also getting my people reanimated for ministry after all they have been through. In addition, since we are in the Rocky Mountain West we are on the front lines of the great culture change that is sweeping through the United States. There is simply not a church going attitude here in Colorado. Most of my people can only make it to church 1-2 times a month because their schedules are so crazy! Add in the difficulty of evangelizing the young millennials in or town and difficulty retaining leaders, you see the pickle we are in. I do recognize that almost all churches are experiencing this shift. We just see it more clearly here at Wellington since we are so new in the game. 

3) It is hard serving two radically different Church settings!

I love and am so blessed to serve two amazing churches, but overcoming the cultural divide between them is very draining. As I mentioned earlier, First Church is a large congregation, which presents its own dynamics. Yet, it also sits right next to Colorado State University, so almost everyone has a connection to the school. It is very much the “University Church” in this way and I am often the least educated person in the room despite my Master of Divinity degree. As such, the FC congregation thrives on the academic theology. They love having name theologians come to lecture or do complex studies on social issues. It's just the way the Spirit reaches them. The church at Wellington couldn’t be more different than this, as my people there are farmers/ranchers, young families or people who have recently retired to the area. Spiritually, they thrive on tangible action aimed at improving their community. When I have done Bible studies, they end up being lightly attended, but when we do a school supply or food drive for the community, donations pile up everywhere! We even got 100lbs of food donated in 20 minutes before. Lastly , my pastoral role differs in each church. So making the abrupt switch from being the man-in-charge to 4th Banana on staff is taxing. I like doing it, but a lot gets lost in translation particularly at First Church since my focus is always to the north.

4) New Church people are made of solid steel.

You have to be crazy to exist in a world of uncertainty where you don’t know what time worship is going to be, where it is going to be and who is going to be leading it. It is so hard to continue being a church when the world seems like it is always coming down on your shoulders. Yet, that is what my people at Wellington have done over the last 6 years. They are the most determined group of people I have ever met, and have survived occurrences that would have closed lesser congregations. This is a huge strength, so if God can encourage them to take risks again and put themselves out there once more, look out world because God we are going to end up in an awesome place.

5) Church Administration is draining

I am not a numbers person. Not at all. I got a C- in my “Math for Liberal Arts Majors” in College to give you an idea of how bad I am. And yet here I am, trying to help balance a church budget and dole out resources where they will do the most good. My most common thought during all this is that it would have been far better to get an MBA instead of an MDiv. I am also in the spotlight at most meetings; a role I am not used to playing. As an introvert it’s so very tiring, especially when the outcomes don’t go as I would like. Slowly but surely, I am getting better though. Maybe by the time I retire I will know how to handle a P/L statement.

6) It is so rewarding trying to find your Community’s heartbeat

A new church is all about vision; about finding ways to hear the heartbeat of your community and connect what your church is to what you context needs. Discovering this takes a lot of questioning and getting outside of yourself to converse with community officials, local business owners and such. It’s long, hard work, but it is validated the second someone tells you a bit of town news that you already know. At that point, you are tuned in, so you can start figuring out how to relate to what the real issues are for your community.

7) It’s all about Rhythm

Upon being assigned to Wellington, I went from preaching 4-5 times a year to 48+. This required a lot of reorganizing and adapting myself to doing a sermon on top of all the other meetings and activities I do every week. I sacrificed a lot at first, particularly my Sabbath as I was always struggling to finish that week’s message. This angered my wife and strained our relationship somewhat. There was a lot going on with our personal lives too, so at some points I questioned if I could keep this up. What saved me was creating a rhythm of doing certain things in the office at certain times and dedicating an entire day to sermon writing. It has made life so much easier, even though it occasionally gets thrown off by the odd funeral or wedding. 

8) It is so easy to become the Lone Soldier

In the new church, every one of my leaders wears multiple hats. They do so much for our congregation already so it’s hard to ask them to take on more. Plus, it is hard to get younger people into ministry since their lives are so full already! So I tend to take a lot upon myself and soldier through a lot of difficulties. Many of you (especially my clergy colleagues) are probably shaking your heads reading this. It is the classic formula for burnout. When you doing everything and do not giving yourself a break, where else can you go but down in flames? And boy did it almost end up that way. I was so tired by the end of Christmas that it was all I could do to come back to work in 2014. My mentor pastors were not happy with me at all, so they insisted I find time to rest and empower people to help me by telling them what I need. I have been fairly successful for the most part, but I still have trouble getting volunteers. I imagine this is the norm around the denomination, so at least I am on the right track.

9) Experience is the best teacher

Over the last year I have had so many situations pop up at Wellington. Many stem from the church’s chaotic past, so they were well outside anything I had dealt with before. For example, how do you deal with a parishioner who is so mad that she wants to contact your District Superintendent or Bishop? What about that long buried time bomb you discover that has hampered a ministry for years? How do you mediate between mindsets that are diametrically opposed to one another? I have dealt with all of these and learned a lot about myself in the process. Its good, practical knowledge too, but I am ready for a nice period of calm is that’s possible.

10) Amidst the Difficulty, Hope Always Abounds!

This is the main message I have trumpeted to my people time and again. No matter how bad the past has been, with God, there is always hope for the future. Even if everything was lost, if the world itself blew up into a million tiny little pieces, there would still be hope because of God. This means so much to us, because it tells us that the Divine Life has not given up on us and is dreaming up a beautiful future for our church as we speak. All we need to do is discern what that path is and do our best to live into it, knowing that God will serve as our strength, companion and trailblazer on the way. I am committed to this and it is going to work friends, I know it. Moreover, I look forward to the next year and the new lessons it will bring.
Thanks for walking with me.
Bryson

Keep Talking

“Just keep talking”

Sounds like something you would hear in a verbal squabble, doesn’t it? You can almost picture it actually. There is a person on one side making all sorts of empty threats and gestures while the other goads them on, telling them to “Keep Talking” because nothing is likely to happen. I don’t think there are many other social situations you might here this phrase uttered it. Most times, we want the opposite to occur. Someone has been yammering on long enough, so we ask them to be quiet and leave us alone for a while. Yes, urging people to talk is not exactly a popular thing to do in our world, which is why it might sound odd for me to ask you all to “just keep talking” in the months ahead.

Why am I asking this? Well, first of all it's ironic to ask this here being that I only blog about once a month of so. But beyond that, talking is a vital part of our Conversation Initiative that our church is doing this summer in order to prepare ourselves for further visioning in the fall. I have been talking it up for a while now, so I hope that all of you are familiar with it. But for those of you who may be newer to our group (and there are a few!), we have been using a technique called “One-on-One Relational Conversations” to get to know the people around us. It is actually a format that used by Franciscan Monks and Community Organizers in the inner city to promote change. It functions by helping people get to know one another so they build relationships, uncover passions, develop clarity and gather info about what is going on in the community. Essentially, relational conversations are a deeper form of networking; of establishing connections to help utilize the gifts people bring to our community.

So why are we doing this? Our Church Coach, Beth Estock, has asked have these talked to figure out what talents and drives are present here in our church before branching out into the community. They will allow us to discern who we are and what we can do to reach out to Wellington! But they have another outcome that I did not realize until I actually tried one, and that is to ignite hope in our church. As many of you know, we face steep challenges to grow as a congregation. We live in an age of church decline and shrinking cultural relevance, so it has been difficult for us to move forward. This is no more apparent to me than when I look at the facts and figures around our church. They tell me we are stable and solid, but that is not good enough for a new church like us! It is so disheartening to see all that has to be done for us to move. . . until I have a relational conversation with someone in our church. I have had about 4-5 now and each time I come out brimming with hope. The stories I hear are amazing. I learn about what drives our people, how they have dreams for their lives, our church and what they see us doing. I love it because God reaches out in every word we speak and by the end of our chat we know one thing for sure, this church is going to work, and when it does it will be absolutely amazing. These conversations have kept me afloat, my friends. In this difficult world of ministry, your hope is my hope, so “just keep talking” please!

For those of you who haven’t joined in on this, there is always time. I have links to the conversation guidelines in our update emails and there are a few copies on the info table out in the narthex. They are fairly rigid in scope (which is good for socially awkward people like me!) so please adapt them as you see fit.

In closing, I leave you with the words of Proverbs 18:20: Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction. So if you are feeling anxious, if you are unsure about this church and where it is going, have a relational talk with me or someone else. Together, we can gorge on the content of deep relationship and gain a great satisfaction of what God is doing among us.

So again my friends, “Just Keep Talking” because God is in the words.

Always proud to be your Pastor,

Bryson

One Year In: Thoughts on the Current State of WUMF

Hi Folks,

Below is my newsletter article for this month. I wanted to send it out via this method as it has to do with some pretty heavy stuff as you will see. Thus, I thought to get it out to as many people as possible on the Web and start a conversation if possible. Please feel free to reply and share your thoughts.   - - - Pastor Bryson

                I am going to say something that everyone in this congregation knows all too well. It is difficult being a new church start. These difficulties manifest themselves all over our congregation. We have all experienced them, so we all know what it’s like when:

• We look out on some Sundays and see that there are not a lot of people in the seats, or few cars in the parking lot. So we wonder, where is everyone? Why don’t people have the commitment they used to?

 

• We think about our past, the many twists and turns we have endured. It is so tiring, so exhausting, so it is worth it? Can this church survive?

 

• We are one of the tireless leaders of this church who have been in our roles for a long time. But we can’t help but look to the future and wonder, who is going to take over for us and continue to lead when we cannot do it anymore?

 

• We look at the state of our current ministries and lament for what was, why did the people involved in them leave? Why can’t our current efforts be better?

I am sure there are many more instances out there. There are just so many questions; so many sources of anxiety that are causing this church to worry and wonder about its future.

I am right there with you. I ask myself these things all the time and when the answers don’t produce blatantly obvious results, I beat myself up because I feel like I have failed as your pastor. Sadly, this is not an isolated occurrence. Many of you feel like this. You pour your very heart and soul into this place. Then when it doesn’t respond with dynamic signs of growth, we feel like we have come up short.

Friends, it is all too easy to engage in this repeating process of self-abuse when it is largely unfair to us. We are not the only church dealing with these factors. Almost every church is nowadays. I learned this while meeting with one of my Clergy Support groups a few weeks ago. After the rough month of May, I vented a little on how bad I was feeling, only to find that my colleagues feel exactly the same. They are also having problems getting people to commit to worship, or become leaders. Their people have seen signs of church decline and have big questions about the future.So we are all in the same boat in dealing with a radical shift in the culture around us. Like I have been saying in this sermon series on When Christians Get it Wrong, young people are leaving the church and not coming back. Demands on people’s times are getting to the extreme, so even the most committed Christians have trouble making time for their faith. I have many resources backing this up if you are curious to see them. They all paint the same picture; it is a difficult time for most followers of Jesus Christ.

The only difference is, these questions are not as prominent for the pastors in my support group. They are there yes, but the churches they lead are 300, 500, 800 and 1000 members respectively. Therefore, they don’t threaten the daily activities of the church, and they have the luxury of time and resources to apply to the larger problem. It would take years for them to be as close to the realities of the world as we are.

Now before I go sounding too dour, remember there is always, ALWAYS hope.Even now, there are endless possibilities that see us living into God’s Kingdom and achieving our goal of becoming a permanent part of the Wellington community. In my opinion, this success rests in two things. First, we have one quality that these larger churches do not, flexibility. Our small size and lack of restricting traditions means we can experiment with approaches and ideas. We can stretch the boundaries of what it means to be the church until we find what works with the needs of our community. The second thing we need is continuing determination and energy. As difficult as it has been, we need to keep up our good work. We are slowly but surely going in the right direction, and I know it will pay off!

Essentially, my message here is have faith. Draw upon the people around you for guidance and support. This is a huge reason why we are doing our current conversation initiative. We want everyone to get to know each other, so we can build deep relationships that encourage us to take risks for our new friends. So do me a favor, if you feel compelled to retreat, or to withdraw, do the opposite. Reach out to someone new. Get to know that person who you’ve seen around the church. For in building a connections and cultivating them, we will create a deep community full of the Spirit. And with God so palpably in our midst, we will want to spread that love outward.

This is deep, abstract stuff, I know, so I am open if anyone wants to talk. I also plan to have sermons and conversations opportunities in the future. Otherwise, keep the faith, folks. God is at work in us still and I am, as always, honored to be your pastor.

Thanks friends, thoughts?

Faith Lessons from Donald Sterling

             NBA Owner Donald Sterling and the United Methodist Church. The connection between these two things is something I never thought I would reflect on in a blog. However, the flow of the world brought these elements together in my mind this past week. Thus, I thought I would expound upon it. It’s ironic really. We just started a sermon series at Wellington on “When Christians Get it Wrong,” and in our first message we looked at hypocrites and Christians who are too judgmental in their faith. Afterwards, I challenged our people to see this trend at work in the world, so we might counteract it with Christ’s message of unconditional love. And lo and behold, the world produces Donald Sterling, the perfect example for us to learn from. For those of you not following this story (which is hard to do in this media saturated world), Donald Sterling owns the Los Angeles Clippers franchise of the National Basketball Association. Last week, he was recorded making racist comments against African-Americans, which is horrible in itself but even more so considering the majority of his players, the people who he makes money off of, are black. His words set the media world aflame and rightly so, but it was hardly news for many NBA insiders. Apparently, Mr. Sterling has made unpublicized comments like this for years and was recently sued for discriminating against the minority tenants of his housing projects.  Yet, the majority of people did not know this due to how Mr. Sterling covered up his true opinions with donations to the NAACP and tickets to inner city kids. It must have been quite a shock therefore for these people to find out his true beliefs and realize how “two-faced” he really is.   

Like we discussed on in the sermon, many outsiders and young people encounter this sort of mindset in the church. They come to worship and find Christians who claim to be holy, yet have scary skeletons bumping around their closets.  And when these skeletons come out; when people backbite and gossip about each other; when the pastor is found to be having an affair (which is just an example by the way); or when people say they want to help others but ignore those in need on their doorstep, it turns these potential believers off. It is too easy to pin this tendency on others and ignore our role in it. Or as the Matthew 7:2-5 says, and I am paraphrasing here, “we see the speck in other people’s eyes while ignoring the log in our own.” In other words, we are all hypocrites from time to time. We are all blinded by our own prideful mindsets and don’t see what we are really doing to others.

Seeing this, if we really want to represent an open and inviting quality, we need to recognize our own hypocrisy.  We need to be accepting of the fact that we are not perfect, just like the people who we want to come into our church are not perfect. Realizing this commonality opens doors. For if we can see people as human beings no matter what and treat them lovingly, we will have a wonderful base from which to build up the church.

Part of this process entails the internal work of making others feel at home. But the other part requires action. It will be interesting to see what Donald Sterling does in this regard. He has done something heinously bad, but haven’t we all? So like any of us, redemption is possible for the things Mr. Sterling has done. Granted, it will be a very large hole to dig out from. He can’t continue to make empty gestures of reconciliation because the money and tickets he sent in the past just won’t work! So it is with us here at Wellington. Our passive approaches of working in the background, sending food to the Food Bank and such, will not be enough anymore. These are still good things mind you, and we will continue doing them. However, if we want to show our community our changed hearts, we need to act! We need to make a huge splash with something, some new ministry, some new way of showing how Christ is transforming our lives.

It is likely this way with many churches out there, so what will your new thing be? Now that our visioning process is winding down here, our Leadership Team will be pondering this question in the near future. But it should not be restricted to this group or this church. Instead, I want all of us to begin to look out into the world to see its needs. Where can we be at work? It could be that something will pop up just like this Sterling situations. We may go out and see a glaring issue right in front of us! So let us take this month to ponder this so we might begin showing how Christians can get it right.  I do hope that month is a good one!

Reflecting on My First Lenten Fast

       

  

 This Lenten season has been unlike anything I have ever experienced. It is technically my first as the “solo pastor” of the Wellington Campus Congregation, and I am quickly discovering it exhausting work. Most pastors and lay leaders reading this are probably shaking their heads in agreement right now. Lent is a time when the already hectic life of a church gets "kicked up a notch" as Emril Legasse would say. There are special services to plan, Lenten studies to lead, and a lot of spiritual prep that needs to occur to be ready to guide the flock into Easter.  This last element is something I am especially learning about this year. My normal regime of self care has definitely not been enough, so I chose to engage a new spiritual practices this year by fasting from beer for lent.

I can guess what some of you are thinking: He is fasting? How mundane! Doesn’t every Christian (especially a pastor!) do this sort of thing during Lent? And beer? He fasts from beer??? Good God! Is beer that large a part of his life? This guy must be an alcoholic! So please let me clarify. I chose beer because it is something I enjoy. There is nothing better than having a good ale with a nice meal, or sitting down to enjoy  nice weather with friends over a craft brew. For me, it is a way to both increase my enjoyment of things (in a very moderate and responsible manner of course!) and to occasionally come down after a stressful day or meeting. So to lose this for 40 days was disconcerting, as I will address  here in a minute.

As for the fast itself, it is true that Christians traditionally engage in this practice during Lent. But I was never one of them. Lenten fasts are not a requirement for Methodists. So I never chose to partake in them growing up. Moreover, I never took on any other  seasonal practice. I never read the scriptures more than usual, never prayed if I didn’t have to, never attended a special study, etc. In my mind, there was no need to do this. Jesus was going to come on Easter regardless of what I did. The message would be the same, just as it was year after year. So, I chose to skate through Lent just like I would any other time of the year. Until this year in all honesty.

Last year, my first in full time Pastoral Ministry, I discovered that it is not enough just to know that the new life of resurrection is coming. The blanket message of Easter is not enough when you are exposed to it in the same way time after time. Therefore, if you want it to feel unique and revitalizing in your life, you need to find the ways it specifically applies to you in this place and time. This is what spiritual practices help us with. They help people reflect on their areas of brokenness and show us what God could address and bring forth new life in if we chose to open up.  Additionally, they can urge us physically us to seek out new ways to feel the Divine life at work around us. I feel I am generally pretty good with the former practices involving self-examination (introverts unite!), so I decided a tangible thing like a fast was the best way to go. 

Fasting has certainly been a challenge for me. Without beer I lost a minor coping mechanism, and a nice method of increasing my enjoyment in social situations.  In turn, I sought to fill this newly empty space in my life with God, which was difficult at first. That’s right folks, even pastor’s struggle with this sort of thing, but it improved when I finally figured out to the right approach. Eventually I learned to pray every time I would feel tempted to have a beer (which was near unbearable on some nights, especially after church council). It wouldn't be a long prayer, maybe 30 seconds or so, and I would ask God to take whatever stress was ailing me or to help me fully engage in a social situation.  If the urge for suds was strong, I sometimes prayed multiple times. Or I would have to withdraw from the immediate vicinity of the fridge to avoid temptation. It was hard, but after the initial wave subsided, I would feel an odd, peaceful satisfaction unlike anything I have ever felt before.  The “peace that passes understanding” as the Apostle Paul would put it. In this, I knew God was at work and in future instances, that feeling provided me strength to draw from. After 36 days, it has become strong source of inner satisfaction. And although I am looking forward to having a nice beer with Easter Dinner, I know I have found a much deeper way of coping or accentuating my joy. 

This was the goal of fasting all along, to allow God to have a foothold within me that God has never had before. And through Easter, it has become a way to promote new, life giving connections between myself and the Divine. This has certainly happened for me during Lent,  and I hope it has happened for those of you who have engaged in other practices. The trick now is to make this last the next 8 months, the next year, the next decade and so on. We can’t give up the inroads that God has made if we want to continue along the road to Christian Perfection. We are Methodists after all and on the Wesleyan Road to Sanctification, right?.

So, what rules and disciplines can you instill to make your Lenten changes permanent?  Or maybe you can start to think of what you will do next year? For me, my first move will not always be to beer cooler, but to instead rely on God in prayer. So what will yours be? Let us ponder this over the next few days as the new life of resurrection comes to us once again. And may the Risen Christ bless all of us during this most sacred of times.

-Bryson

 

Exciting Times

                Last night (3/24), the leadership team and I finished three months worth of conversation about our church’s future. As I have said in previous articles/email updates/conversations, this process has required a lot of soul searching. We have looked at who we are, what qualities we have as a congregation and how they might relate to the community of Wellington that surrounds us.  The first part of the discussion was easy. Most of our leaders have been a part of this church for years. So we know all too well the gifts and qualities of our congregation. 

 What we were not so sure about was the nature of our community. Sure, we knew a little bit about it. All of our leadership lives around here. So they are well versed in what the City government is up to, the latest town gossip and some of the other big goings-on around here. However, in order to discover our town’s true nature, we needed to go deeper than these surface level issues. We needed to get to “the heart of Wellington” as our church coach, Rev. Beth Estock, would say. So we could understand the role God wants us to play in its future and vice versa. So, I challenged our people to dig deeper, to find this heartbeat. As a result, for the last month, our leaders went out to ask questions. We connected with people who don’t go to church to ask how they perceive faith and spirituality. We wondered, what are their opinions about the role of the church in our town? And how receptive might they be to our message when we take measures to broadcast it outside WUMF’s doors?   

We analyzed our conversations yesterday evening, and looked at some demographic data as well. The results are extremely promising in my mind. We heard stories about young people who grew up in the church, but are so busy that it is hard for them to get back. Then we discussed people burned by religion, those who got hurt in the past and are still spiritual despite their encounters. Finally, we heard about the people who turned away. They want nothing to do with church whatsoever and are quite content with life thank-you-very-much! Reading this, you might be wondering, what is so promising about these people? They don’t appear outwardly churchy. In fact, some of them appear downright hostile to us! This is true to a degree. But through taking the time to talk with them, we now know who they are and can craft the Gospel message to reach them. We can find ways to help resource young families who are travelling at warp speed.   We can help tend the wounds of those who have been hurt, and demonstrate a lifestyle that even those who will never cross our threshold will respect. 

We can be that church because we have found the heartbeat of Wellington, and we are going to do what it takes to make that heartbeat stronger.  

 I hope you’ll be there on April 5^th when Rev. Estock joins us to help us make these concrete plans. But even if you are not able to make it, know that you will soon hear about the ways God is leading us to connect with our town. I am confident that so many good things are in store for us and we are just inches away from uncovering them. Please pray for this, my friends, ask God how you can connect with us in this process. Or better yet, ask and see if God wants you to lead! What new avenues can God open up with your specific set of gifts and abilities? Yours may be the key to unlocking our vision, so seek the Spirit!

It’s an exciting time, friends, and I am blessed to be pastoring you in it.  Now, let’s see what happens!

Mardi Gras Thoughts

Tonight, as many of us know, is Mardi Gras. Perhaps for some of us it is Carnival, or for the church types out there (which I am guessing are the majority who actually stop to read my ranting), it is Shrove Tuesday.

Normally, we associate these festivals with hard partying and debauchery (especially Shrove Tuesday! We churchies know how to party ;) ). In fact, from what I can see of my old fraternity brothers on Facebook, this has not changed! For them, and many others, Mardi Gras/Carnival is just a time  to go absolutely nuts for a night for little to no reason.

This begs the question, why do we celebrate Mardi Gras? Why is there such a party that proceeds Lent, AKA one of the holiest seasons of the year?

To answer the first question (in case anyone was curious),  Lent is such a stark, austere time that it became popular in the middle ages to have a festival, or a "last fling," before the prayerful fasting and abstinence of Lent began. At these feasts people would eat rich, luxurious foods and drink the best wines because the next day would begin fasting leading up to Easter. This is indirectly where the tradition of pancakes for Shrove Tuesday came from. Often there were so much flour, eggs, milk  leftover that they only thing people could make with them is pancakes.  So now you can answer that question if it comes up on Final Jeopardy. I'll take "Obscure Religious Holiday Roots" for $100, Alex.

Now for the second question hidden all of this. Since these celebrations have such a wild, irreligious context, it is possible for us to find some sort of religious meaning in them?

Why yes! Thanks for asking! So whatever you are doing tonight, whether it is a Mardi Gras party, a Carnival parade or a wild-and-crazy Shrove Tuesday Pancake supper, let your feasting anticipate your fasting.  This way, it gives much more meaning to your actions. It creates a sense of anticipation, like an athlete eating a meal in preparation for a competition. Essentially, enjoy what your are doing and know that that the food we take in and the people we relate with will power us for something exceptional, namely, following Jesus on the final journey to Jerusalem and the cross.

This journey is difficult. It reminds us of our worst qualities, the brokenness and depth of humanities sinful nature. So let the wonderful memories of Mardi Gras/Carnival/Shrove Tuesday linger on through Lent. This way, we can take some good into the pain and anguish of Lenten repentance and let the encouragement it gives remind us that a even greater celebration is to come.

And don't party too hard, because you will lose this valuable lesson in the haze and end up in the broken column before Lent even begins! I'm talking to you, my fellow Delts.

Be safe, and blessings on all of you, my friends.

B-

A Theology of Dog Ownership

We have had our dog, Hildegard (a name that corresponds to both theology and the world of classical music if you are curious about its origin), for about 5 months now. And in that time, we have spent a lot of time walking the sidewalks in our neighborhood. More so than most dog owners actually, as we do not have a fenced backyard for her to frolic in. This means that about 4-5 times a day, we leash up Hildy to go out for a stroll so she can get some exercise and participate in other "refreshing" activities.  Most times, this is a nice break as it gets my wife and I out from in front of the TV/Computer. However, when it is cold like this, it gets kind of difficult. Let's just say there have been many games of Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock to see who gets to put on their heavy jacket and freeze while the dog ignores your pleas to do her business quickly.

Anyway, spending time out with the dog does have its pros and cons. Thankfully, there are more pros than cons. Especially when I can turn on a sermon podcast and lose myself in the Word while the dog snuffs around. On one such day a few weeks ago it was 60 degrees (before plummeting to 25 the next day. Colorado, you got to love our weather) and we were having a very nice walk in the park just north of here.  While Hildy ran ahead, I listened to a sermon podcast from Menlo Park Presbyterian's John Ortberg that pondered how grace connects us and brings us closer to God. 

It’s odd how sometimes the things we are listening to mirror what is going on in our lives. At that point, I too was holding a literal connection to another living being.  And as I walked, watching Hildy dart to and fro, I realized the leash I held operated very much like grace. I know  the comparison of grace to a leash will make some people shudder. It is by far not a perfect metaphor, and indeed this entire illustration breaks down very easily under scrutiny. Yet it does present us with an interesting image and some good lessons about the aspects we typically associate with grace.

As a Methodist, I believe grace is an unmerited, unearned Divine love and favor that follows us everywhere even if we are not aware of it. In this, grace is fairly leash- esque because it is a constant tie that works to draw us nearer to God. Ideally, this relationship draws us in to be closer to God and neighbor. But, as we all know, this is not always what happens on our walk with God. We are very doglike in this manner, as we weave back and forth. Sometimes we are going forward and other times backward depending upon the nature of the path, the obstacles in front of us and the actions of people around us. For the most part though, we do stay on the sidewalk within easy distance of our Master. But this is usually short lived because there are so many things that force us off the path. Sometimes we are chased by another dog or a section of the path has been washed out. Or we leave of our volition because we catch a stray scent that entices us to charge off the path to investigate. 

Believe it or not, she is buries herself like this. I am sure there is something Biblical about it.

Hildy is a big fan of doing this. She is part terrier (or maybe one of her parents was a wire brush, we cannot be sure), so she has that individualistic, hard-headed quality so common in dogs of that breed.  As a result, when she charges off, she charges off full bore after the rabbit or dog (often much, much larger than her) who she feels is threatening her turf. Whatever the case, she runs away not really caring what her master thinks. Most times, this does not cause too many issues. The rabbit always sees her coming and takes off, or the other dog is behind a fence. But other times, it becomes a very sticky situation that causes our connection to be strained. I can think of a few times she has gotten caught in a row of bushes, or wrapped around a tree. Or other times she ends up straining at the end of her lead, poise to fight another dog. In these cases, I picture her screaming at the offender in a fake Scottish accent, but that is beyond the point. What is really is important is when this happens, she is trapped and isolated from me. And in the worst case scenario, she could get badly hurt from the things she is doing.

But the leash never breaks.

The connection remains no matter where she goes, so she can find her way back to me when she realizes how pointless her fight with that evil wiener dog was. Even if she gets stuck, the tie still binds us and when she whines, or looks at me with those pitiful, big brown eyes (dog owners know exactly what I am talking about), it melts my heart and I come a running down the lead to help.

In this manner, our God does the same for us when we get stuck. Or as the Apostle Paul puts it in Romans 8, "Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Put differently, no matter what rabbit or illusion we chase; no matter what barriers of our own making keep us from being with God, Grace always remains. Then when we return, we remember how much easier it is to walk beside the Master. It offers us safety, protection and the joy of companionship. I am hoping that Hildy learns this in the months ahead, because I often grow tired of mediating whatever predicament she is in. I also hope that I learn how to better adhere to the path, because I stray too much as well. Thankfully, God’s energy never runs out and is always there to rescue me. I am so blessed because of this, as I pray that I exist in this crazy world of ministry that I may find ways to stay closer to God so I can help gather the other “dogs” who are out there.

So where are you in your walk? Where is the leash that holds you? Just some questions to ponder if you find yourself chasing rabbits this day.

I hope all is well, my friends.