Living life with steps of faith

Came across this blog post and just had to share!  It it Sarah Jakes writes, “Frustration arises when those surrounding us [clergy] begin to believe that the cost of my calling is relinquishing my humanity.   Because I have been given this or that, I am not allowed to receive the same grace I see you seek every Sunday?”

A young man sits dreaming out his window, looking out across the sky at the beautiful sunset and the painted sky.  He dreams of another life and as his mind wanders he dreams of receiving recognition, just once, through the attention of the man his people honor with the title of "emperor."  He realizes that it is just a title, and the man is an ordinary man, but the title still makes this man special and revered.  So special, in fact, that they are willing to move walls and structures in order for people to honor this man.  The boy sits and dreams and imagines this "emperor" as weak and dying and in the midst of his great weakness the "emperor"sends a message to this Chinese boy who sits at the edge of the empire.  To the boy, he recognizes the reality that a thing like this would never happen, but in his fantasy he also realizes that a message like this would never make it to him, because he is too unimportant and too far off and there are too many peopl...

This Sunday I fell off a member of my church's pedestal.  And it hurt some when I fell.  From this person's perspective, I had done wrong; from my perspective, I acted with grace in alignment with the church's teaching.  I have to admit that I don't like having people not pleased with me.  I want to correct or fix the situation.  But what I realized today as I sat before God, contemplating the wise words of a woman of prayer in our church and the words just read of Jean-Pierre de Caussade, I should celebrate and be glad that I fell, because I never should have been on the pedestal in the first place. I can come up with very human reasons as to why God is blessing us as a gathered community of faith right now.  I can also come up with very spiritualized reasons.  But I know that according to God's word and my life experience that it rains on both the righteous and the unrighteous.  We may be in a season of blessing right now, but I am sure we wil...

"God has no more precious gift to a church or an age than a man who lives as an embodiment of his will, and inspires those around him with the faith of what grace can do." - Andrew Murray, Leadership (Fall 1986)

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what it means to be set apart for God and how all of us Christians are set apart for God.  I've thought about how I started the race well as a child, having been confident of my faith and committed to living differently as described in the Bible.  Then considered how my teenage years I gave into pressures to "conform to the world."  It was in little ways that I gave in - telling a dirty joke, laughing when I shouldn't, and wearing "attractive" clothes.  I remember hearing my grandmother say on multiple occasions, "what is so bad about being a nerd?"  Then in college, I chose to be set apart by joining other Christians at a Christian college. I had hoped to be humbled by having others around me of deep faith.  Instead what I discovered were things that I didn't like about Christians.  Yes, I was blessed my first couple of years in a cocoon of growth, but in the later years I began to questio...

I think reading the reflections of pastors from the past is a gem in my collection of tools for ministry.  Sometimes they seem so much wiser than the writings from pastors today.  Pastors who are too consumed with contemporary life to recognize the truths and principles of ministry that have stayed consistent through the years. I want to be that type of pastor. The one who holds on to and lives the core values of pastoral care.  The shepherd who knows her sheep by name and their stories by heart.  One who listens and creates sacred spaces of hospitality where God's love and grace is shown.  A minister who keeps Jesus Christ first and lives a life of prayer, soulful rest, Bible study, and joy-filled fellowship. I want my life to reflect God's peace.  I want to be a presence that brings people home to Jesus. I want to love and to live freely.  When people think of me and my profession, I would like them to think "pastor" before "minister." I apprec...

A good friend of mine who is a pastor in Iowa recently blogged about the tension she feels as a person and a pastor in regards to her attendance at a caucus.  I appreciate what she wrote, so I want to share a link to this post: "Confession of Repentant - Iowa Caucus" Here is my response to what she wrote: "I'm glad you wrote about this.  I was wondering the same question this morning.  I know how Iowans feel about pastors expressing themselves politically - more than one pastor has lost his/her job as a result.  I understand and respect the boundaries of the pastoral role, but I too wondered how this works itself out in a caucus situation.  If you attend the Republican caucus, no one may know how you voted, but they know that you attended the Republican caucus.  If you attend the Democrat caucus, everyone who also attends knows exactly how you vote.  I thought about the importance of attending to show the value of participating in this US American...

Note - this is in process and may be edited from time to time. Personal Mission To recognize and highlight the Imago Dei in all of God's human creation. 1) As a child of God, I am inspired to embody the aroma of Jesus Christ while daily taking steps of faith that reflect my reliance on the ever-present love and wisdom of God. 2) As a family member and friend, I am committed to being a prayerful, honest, and loving presence; a loved one who is willing to take the risk, to create and preserve sacred space. What I seek in return is a space where I can also be vulnerable and admit my sin and receive God's grace. 3) As a minister of God's healing grace, I am called to be a messenger--translating across cultural ravines--for the purpose of: a) building unity in the church, b) furthering the kingdom of God, c) sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and life in the Spirit. My Core Values: Serving and ministering to those marginalized by church and society. Protecting...

I've just begun reading through the facilitator's guide for "The Significant Woman."  I realize as I finish this first chapter that I am afraid of normalcy.  I am terrified of living a normal life.  I feel that if I do, I will have failed.  I will have failed God, failed my family, and failed myself. I believe this fear comes from a deep sense that I am called for something great.  Is that too arrogant of me? This sense of calling leads me to always be watching for that thing that I am called to do and leaves me with the question "Have I already completed it?"  There is a part of me that wonders if I have already done what God destined me to do and if so, will the rest of life be boring? Recently I heard a story on the radio about a man who had been respected as a faithful/devout Christian who did not finish his life well.  I fear that too -- not finishing well. In many ways I think the older I get the harder it is to be a Christian.  As I d...

"Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you." – Matthew 7:6 Have you ever shared something special with someone and they didn't appreciate what you shared?   Perhaps it was a meal you cooked, a photo you took, or some time and talents that you sacrificially gave.   When I was a child I encountered God in a profound and life-changing manner.  As I have shared the story of my God-encounter over the years, I have learned that not everyone knows how to respond to it nor is everyone ready to hear it.  Some people respond by saying, "there is no way that actually happened."  Others act like they are listening, but really their attention is focused elsewhere.  And still others tell me that my interpretation of the event is wrong. Over the years though, I have learned that there are some people who can appreciate the preciousness of the spiritual event and in t...

As a pastor, one of my responsibilities, or should I say roles, is to help bring people back into communion or connection with God. Richard J. Foster in "Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth" writes, "The truth of the matter is that the great God of the universe, the Creator of all things desires our fellowship. In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve talked with God and God talked with them--they were in communion. Then came the Fall, and in an important sense there was a rupture of the sense of perpetual communion, for Adam and Eve hid from God. But God continued to reach to his rebellious children, and in stories of such persons as Cain, Abel, Noah, and Abraham we see God speaking and acting, teaching and guiding."

This morning as I took a shower I dream about a sermon series I will do once I am the pastor of a church. It was a series that would take place in the summer and the theme would be bio-ethics. I thought about how I would start collecting information in different files for different possible sermon topics, speakers I would have come for an adult Sunday afternoon VBS, and a fun children's Sunday School/VBS curriculum that I could design. Switching between regions of the United States gives me access to whole new kind of resource. My current job has connected me with Christians who are experts in their fields and have learned how to integrate their faith with their work. There is a gift in this. But there is also a gift in my home region and that is a sense of stability and intimacy among a Christian community. In that region I imagine myself doing sermon series that go deeper into one's spiritual walk in a different way. I would still do a bioethics series, but it would probab...

For the past few weeks I've been reading through the Pentateuch. I'm excited that in the next week I'll probably finish! As I reflect on the detail to which God called the writers to record the genealogies and the details of the temple and the law, I realize that God was establishing His boundaries with the people. God was revealing Himself as awe-inspiring and worthy of respect. Imagine with me wandering in the wilderness. No, imagine with me wandering through a dessert that includes cities and interactions with other nomads. Imagine with me being 600,000 people wandering through that dessert together! What keeps you together? A promise from God? The glory of a movable temple? The miracles? The presence of God in your midst? I think that during this time God was teaching His people how to have reverence for Him. He wants His people to be set apart and holy and so He gives them laws and orders to follow, so that they might show their faithfulness through obedience and...

"In the beginning..." Today I started reading through the Bible, Creation to the Throne of God. In just about 5 months I will be ordained as a minister in the Christian church. When I met with the pastor of my home congregation to discuss the ordination process, he challenged me to consider how I might spiritually prepare for ordination. One of the ways I decided to prepare was by reading through the whole Bible between now and then. While I was on my intercultural immersion study trip in east Kentucky, I learned a lot about the relationship between humans and the earth. I was reminded of how I am lacking in my appreciation for and understanding of nature. Consequently, I feel led to use the Green Bible as my source of devotion for this time period of preparation. I also hope to reflect upon nature by planting a garden this spring and reading from my undergraduate Environmental Studies book. Today's reading was the story of Creation and Re-Creation through the flood. ...