on Solitude

"Keep your eyes clean and your ears quiet and your mind serene. Breathe God's air. Work, if you can, under His sky."


Thomas Merton

Change

A theme of our lives right now is change. We change diapers, we change little boys' clothes, the boys change/grow everyday. Our lives are revolving doors of change. Just when you get used to one thing, it is replaced by another.


And yet, amongst all this other change, there are even bigger changes ahead. Last week, I accepted the position of Campus Pastor at the Wesley Foundation of Macon in Macon, Georgia. This is not a change we saw coming. I mean, I did apply for the position and interview for the position, but if you had asked us in January if we thought we might move this summer, we would have said no.


So, why move? Why now? The boys are not the only ones changing these days. Corrie and I are changing, too. We're growing as people, as parents, as a couple, and in our faith just by living life. One major thing that has changed in our hearts since Ezra was born is a desire to be closer to our families. We are keenly aware of how far away our boys' grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins live - and that has changed us. The desire that grew in our hearts became a prayer, and that prayer became a way for us to be open for God's next movement for our family.


We are truly happy in Oxford. Each new day with this decision makes us aware of how much we will miss this place. Our friends have become our family, and we are beginning to grieve the loss of community we will experience when we leave. This is also an exciting time for the Wesley at Ole Miss. My time as campus minister here has been characterized by building and foundation laying for a ministry that needed to figure out who it was. That has happened, and good things are stirring. I feel like Moses looking over the promised land - seeing it from a distance, but not experiencing it in person (Deuteronomy 34:1-4).


But we are also very excited about what's ahead. We believe the new position will enable me to minister and grow in ways that complement and challenge who I am; we believe there will be good space for Corrie to write her dissertation; and we believe Macon will be a great environment to raise the boys (especially since we'll be closer to the Braves!).

Ash Wednesday Reflection

The season of Lent is marked by the discipline of self-denial. Just this morning on the radio I heard two broadcasters discussing what one of them should give up – coffee, sweets, or meat? Some give up things in an effort to be healthier, some give up things for the challenge of it, some give up things because everyone else seems to be doing it. At its core, however, the season of Lent is a journey back to God.

When we read the words of the prophet Joel, it is easy to focus on the fasting, weeping, and mourning the Lord asks of his people. These are practices associated with repentance, attitudes that are expected of us during this time. But these practices are empty if they do not turn us back to God. The Lord's first words are, “Even now, return to me...rend your hearts, not your garments and return to the Lord, your God.” This is an invitation from the Lord God to return, to once again be recipients of his loving kindness.

The self-denial of Lent is meant to open up space in our lives and in our hearts for God to speak, work, and move. By emptying our lives of things that we regularly enjoy, we are saying no to the world, and yes to God; we are accepting the invitation to return. Unfortunately, many will wonder about the rules of Lent, concerning themselves more with perfecting the rite, than perfecting the relationship. Those same broadcasters from this morning discussed whether or not Fruit Loops were considered sweets since they are technically a breakfast cereal.

It is similar rule keepers that Christ addresses when he teaches on giving alms, praying, and fasting. The hypocrites, as he calls them, have become slaves to themselves, so guilt ridden about doing all the right things that they do them all wrong. I believe their position can be summarized by this quote from Henri Nouwen:

“There is an awareness of sin that does not lead to God but to self-preoccupation. Our temptation is to be so impressed by our sins and failings and so overwhelmed by our lack of generosity that we get stuck in a paralyzing guilt. It is the guilt that leads to introspection instead of directing our eyes to God. It is the guilt that has become an idol and therefore a form of pride. Lent is the time to break down this idol and to direct our attention to our loving Lord.”

In this season of Lent, I do encourage you to deny yourself one of life's pleasures. Coffee, sweets, facebook, or music – whatever it is that would help create space for God in your life. But let us not become preoccupied with selflessness during this time of denial, but on the loving God who invites us to return to him.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Micah 5:2-5a

2 * But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

are only a small village among all the people of Judah.

Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you,

one whose origins are from the distant past.

 3  The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies

until the woman in labor gives birth.

Then at last his fellow countrymen

will return from exile to their own land.

 4  And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength,

in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

Then his people will live there undisturbed,

for he will be highly honored around the world.

 5  And he will be the source of peace.

"I'll be Home for Christmas" is a popular song at Christmas because of the common desire to be with those we love during the holiday season. Many are fortunate to have a home to return to; many are not. Many will travel and find that home; many will stay put not having anywhere else to go.


No one understood the desire for home more than the Israelites in exile. Generations of God's people were born and raised in a land that was not their own, growing up hearing stories about the land God had given them, and the days when they had their own king ruling justly over them, instead of a foreign oppressor imposing his will.


It is this desire that the prophet speaks into; he speaks of life, freedom, and peace. But the source of this peace will come in an unexpected way, a child. He will be born in Bethlehem, a town so insignificant that it fails to appear in all the rest of the Old Testament. And there is no mention of this ruler vanquishing the enemies, but of leading the flock with the Lord's strength, and in the majesty of the Lord's name. This ruler will be different. This ruler will truly lead as God himself leads, and the people shall finally be "home".


Advent Action: Are you already home for Christmas? Look around your community and find those who have no one returning home to them for Christmas, and extend your family to include them. Invite them over for Christmas dinner, spend time with them on Christmas Eve, or take a group of friends caroling to their home.

Second Sunday of Advent

Malachi 3:1-4

"I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the Lord Almighty.

But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

Christmas is usually considered a time of joy and celebration, and in many ways it is. But the words of the prophet remind us that Jesus' coming is not without heartache, too. The Lord is being sought by the people, who are looking for the age-old covenant to be fulfilled (see Gen 12:-13; 2 Sam 7:12-14); they are longing to be the people God promised they would be, dwelling in the land God promised them, and living in God's presence.

"But who can endure the day of his coming?"

Christ comes to keep the covenant, but like any promise, our side must be kept, too. God does not desire blind obedience, but heartfelt, life-changing devotion. To be refined like gold and silver means allowing all the old, corrosive elements of our hearts to be painfully removed in order to shine in the light of God's love. Will we heed the words of the messenger, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance" (Luke 3:8)? Will our lives reflect the life-changing devotion God desires from us?

May this Advent season challenge us to prepare our own hearts to receive God's promises by shedding the dross from our hearts, and filling them with God's love.

This post originally appears on theorchardadvent.blogspot.com

Tis the pre-Season

One of my favorite seasons of the year is Advent (the other is Lent), and now that November has arrived I have started some pre-season reading in the book of Malachi.

I've never intentionally read Malachi, but it seems like a logical choice to read before Advent. Malachi is the final word before the start of the New Testament. Through Malachi, the Lord continues to confront the people of Israel with how they have strayed from the righteous way. These confrontations anticipate the ministry of both John the Baptist and Jesus as they will one day preach, "Repent for the kingdom of God is near!"

If you're looking for something to read over the next three weeks, give Malachi a glance. How do these words confront us in preparation for Jesus?

Living the Story

I got the chance to preach at my church on Sunday morning in Oxford. My work for Wesley was less than normal the week before, so I got to spend extra time preparing the sermon.

The End of the Beginning, part 2

Our time Oxford started with a great deal of excitement, but also with a fair share of fear and trepidation. In a six month time period, we were going to experience a new home, new positions, new friends, new church, and a new baby. Somewhere there's a chart of the most stressful things that people have to deal with and I think all these are in the top 20 (if not 10). We will always look back fondly of that first year in Oxford, but I look back now and realize it was very much a honeymoon period for us.

This is especially true of the ministry at Wesley.

I came in with grand ideas, plans, and expectations. I had just come from seminary, after all, and I was feeling pretty confident in my ability to run a top notch ministry. All my ideas, though, quickly fell by the wayside when I realized what the ministry (and the running of the ministry) was versus what I had expected. There's not enough room to here to go in to detail, but suffice it to say that while I was excited about where God had led us that first year, I was also disappointed and frequently frustrated.

One expectation that did not match up has to do with how I perceived myself when we got to Oxford. In my overconfidence and naivete, I expected to be the teacher for the students, the one imparting wisdom and guidance, the one leading and inspiring. This is what it means to be a leader, right? While some of those things might have been true, I see myself now more as the student, not the teacher, a follower, not a leader, and a journeyman, not one who has arrived. My role as campus minister has more to do with listening to students than telling them things, and empowering them to be leaders by first being faithful followers...through my example as a follower of Christ.

Forty hours of classes, three years, and two kids later, I am finishing my seminary career. I am once again reminded of the seedbed, and now I understand what I didn't understand three years ago. While the seminary is a special seedbed, a unique season of learning and growing; the life of ministry is one as well. Sometimes we (as ministers) get so caught up in helping others grow that we fail to see how God is trying to grow us as well. But we need to see each ministry opportunity, each season of life, as its own seedbed and be asking God:

What are you trying to teach me? Am I being teachable? Forgive me for not seeing what you want me to see, or hearing what you want me to hear. Open my eyes that I might see, my ears that I might hear, my heart that I might be truly transformed in to the likeness of your Son.

The End of the Beginning, part 1

96 credit hours + 35 classes + 23 As + 9 Bs {3 classes were Pass/Fail - I passed all 3} + 5 years = 1 degree.

Five years ago, Corrie and I had just moved back to Wilmore, KY. We had been married just over a month, and within the next few days I would be going back to school. I had spent the previous year as an intern for Wesley here in Oxford as a way of confirming my call to ministry (and to be close to Corrie - whew, glad that worked). Now, I was about to start Asbury Theological Seminary - a more formal way of beginning my life as a vocational minister.

We lived in a basement apartment just behind

Asbury College. In fact, I even did laundry in my old dorm a few times because it was closer (and cheaper) than the laundromat. The basement was maybe 500 square feet, and as I started school, our income came from Corrie teaching adjunct English classes, and I working part-time for a church in downtown Lexington.

I remember listening to JD Walt during New Student Orientation talk about how seminary comes from the word seminarius, meaning "seed bed". He went on to say that seminary is much more than a place to learn about God, but it is a place where we begin a season of growth to really come to know God.

As I went to my first classes, I could see that what JD said was true. I sat in awe of my professors; they had spent their lives studying, writing, and living in their respective fields of study. They were so knowledgeable, so published, so well known, but more than that, I could tell that they really desired to know God.

My dad thinks seminary is a place that teaches you to grow facial hair to be more like Jesus. He's half right - it is a place to learn to be more like Jesus (I grew the goatee just because). Many think seminary is a place to learn theological terms, theories of biblical interpretation, ancient languages, and pastoral counseling skills. As if it's the vo-tech for pastors. But seminary is much more; seminary is place to be fed from the rich resources of Christian tradition, passed down from those who first heard, saw, and touched (1 John 1:1) the minstry of Jesus to those who faithfully give their lives to teaching it to men and women called of to God lead the Church.

Just after a year of living back in Wilmore, Corrie got the itch to start the process toward her PhD. Soon after that we received word that the Wesley position at Ole Miss was going to be hiring for the next year. We began to pray about our next steps. We didn't really want to live in Mississippi (10 and 12 hours away from our families), and I wasn't sure I was ready for a full-time ministry position. God called us anyway. With 56 of 96 hours complete, and no full-time ministry experience, we moved back to Oxford from Wilmore on July 1, 2006. Corrie received a full fellowship from Ole Miss to pursue her PhD, and we were expecting our first baby the following January.

to be continued...

40 Days of Prayer for Campus Ministry

Yesterday marked the beginning of 40 Days of Prayer for Campus Ministry. I hope you will join with us in praying for campuses, students, and ministers. A prayer guide can be downloaded here, and you can also follow it on facebook and twitter.

Pray for Campus Ministry

I am a campus minister. Many people try to describe what I do as "youth ministry". No offense to youth ministers, but NO. It's not youth ministry.

A campus minister picks up where the youth minister leaves off because we are on the college campus, where the students are taking the next steps in their journey. We're also different from youth ministry because many youth go to church because their parents want them to. The new found freedom of college life means not doing those things anymore, and (as statistics show) church/church-related activities are one of the first things to go. So I minister to students who truly desire to grow in their faith as well as those who are searching and wondering what this crazy life is all about.

There are campus ministries on every college campus in the United States, but they often fly under the radar, go unnoticed, and receive very little praise or attention. But it is these ministries that are producing the next generation of leaders in the church.

I am a campus minister with the United Methodist Church, and some of us are committing to pray for campus ministry for 40 days as we head in to a new school year. We are inviting you to pray with us, and if you'd like to lean more, please visit this site. The more we pray, the more students' lives will be transformed by God's grace through our ministries.

Read. This. Book.

I don't usually recommend books I've read for my seminary classes, but I just finished a book I think everyone should read. It's not a distinctly Christian book (meaning you probably won't find it in LifeWay or Family Christian), but it is about Christianity...or rather the power of living our faith faithfully.

Same Kind of Different as Me is a the story of a sharecropper turned homeless man and a wealthy Texas art dealer whose lives intertwine at a homeless shelter in Fort Worth. If I tell you much more, I'll ruin the story.

But I will tell you that this is more than a story. There are complex issues addressed in this book, issues of wealth and poverty, issues of race, and issues of faith. Though it reads pretty easy, it is not for the faint of heart.

The Meaning of the Ham and Eggs

Yesterday, I tweeted this:

Many people give eggs, but we're called to give ham.

Since then, several people have wondered what it was all about. Well, yesterday at church, the preacher gave an illustration in relation to Romans 12:1-3. It went something like this....

On a farm, there was a Chicken and Pig talking about how thankful they were for the farmer. The Chicken had the idea of cooking breakfast for the farmer the next day. She said, "I'll sponsor the eggs if you'll sponsor the ham." The Pig thought for a minute, and then said, "I like the idea, but you only have to give eggs, I have to make the ultimate sacrifice."

As Christians, we are called to give ham. The passage in Romans, the words of Jesus in Mark 8:34-38, and Peter's command to be holy as God is holy all reflect the idea that we are meant to give our whole lives to Christ, not just parts.

Food for thought.

Almost done...

There's light at the end of the tunnel....and no, it's not the train.

After almost 5 full years, I am two credit hours away from finishing my Master of Divinity degree. Today, I finished an exegesis of Galatians class. You may be wondering what "exegesis" is, well, it's studying the original language of the Bible in order to come to a deeper understanding of the text. I've been working on my final project all week, and I emailed it in just a little while ago.

Here's a taste of what I had to do...


Maybe you had to diagram sentences in english class growing up. Well, we do it in Greek too. What you see (sorry it's a little small) is my diagram of Galatians 6:1.

More than a Feeling, Part 1

(Pastor Pat and Ezra, and Kevin)

On Easter Sunday, we had Ezra baptized. We picked Easter because it is the traditional day of the Church (early church) receiving new members in to the community. The phenomena of membership as we know it today (walking down the aisle or coming forward to be received on any given Sunday) is actually quite new and quite American. Anyone who wanted to join the early church had to first go through instruction (catechism) about what it means to be a follower of Christ, and then if they still believed, they were baptized and confirmed as members.

As far as anyone can tell, infant baptism has always been practiced by the church. Many believe the New Testament only shows believers' baptism by immersion, but these are just baptism's most explicit references.

For instance, when Peter goes to Cornelius' house after his vision of food in Acts 10, we are told that Cornelius' entire household was baptized. I think it is reasonable to assume that there might have been small children or infants in the house who were also baptized. There are other implicit examples as well, just pay attention as you read.

In the early church, baptism was not just about making a profession of faith, but it was about being initiated in to the community of faith. It was about being identified as belonging to those who believe. As my sons, Isaiah and Ezra are part of the community of faith because I am part of the community of faith. Eventually, they will have to make that decision on their own, and I hope that when that day comes they will confirm their place in the community. But until then, they have been baptized as a way to signify the grace that God is already extended to them...even though they don't understand it yet.

Eastertide

After a stormy Easter Sunday afternoon, today could not be any more spring like. The sun is shining, the grass is green, the skies are blue, birds are singing, and the smell of spring is in the air. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure this is what it was like the day after the Resurrection. God knows how to set a scene, c'mon.

We are now in the season of Eastertide. We would do well to remember that Easter is not just one day on the Christian calendar, but a 40 day period of appearances followed by a 10 day wait for Pentecost. I hope to write periodic Eastertide posts over the next 50 days, this being the first.

We've been listening to Andrew Peterson's new CD Resurrection Letters Vol. II pretty consistently for about 6 months now. He's one of our favorites and I encourage you to check him out. Here's a line from one of my favorites on the album:

You have crushed beneath your heel the vile serpent.
You have carried to the grave the black stain.
You have torn apart the temple’s holy curtain.
You have beaten Death at Death’s own game.
Hosanna!

May we live in the reality of a crushed serpent this Easter season!

Note: AP is going to be in Birmingham Thursday night at Shades Mountain Baptist Church. If you live close by, you should go. Cancel all other plans and go. Just go. Do it for me. Go. And tell him Corrie, D. and Matthew say hello!

Where in the world...

fathertide is on location this week in Blaine, KY. I brought some students here for a Spring Break Mission Trip. What's that? You've never heard of Blaine? Well, most haven't. It's a tiny little community nestled in the mountains of Eastern KY. Get a feel of what it's like by looking at the map below.


View Larger Map

This place is about as remote as you can get. If you're looking to come visit, go to the end of the world and take a right. I have no cell signal, we're 30 minutes from the nearest Wal-Mart, but the community does have a general store (hopefully some pics of that will come later), and a bank. Something they do have, evidently, is high-speed internet because I'm currently "borrowing" a neighbor's signal! Wow.

Seasonal Resources

I take the seasons of the church year pretty seriously. I usually read some kind of devotional books during times like Lent and Advent as a way to bring more focus to my life. I think Lent has become one of my favorite ones over the past few years because it's the only one we get to fully experience together at Wesley. So I thought I would give you a glimpse of what I'm reading.


This is a blog of Asbury Seminary, which gives a Lenten reading everyday. It will also give readings during Eastertide (because Easter is more than just one day long). Additionally, there is a devotional thought or quote from one of the great saints of the faith.


I've owned this little book for almost ten years. I pull it out about once a year as a guide for just reading the Bible, but also for reading the Lectionary passages every Sunday.

As a reminder, I continually update my bookshelf on the lower right side of my blog. It gives you a look at what I'm reading for school but also for fun.

Farewell Flesh

You ever wonder what the big deal with Mardi Gras is?

My friend and former roommate Swaim had a great blog post about the origin of the word carnival. It means, "farewell meat/flesh". Mardi Gras is also known as Fat Tuesday, and the reason it is such a carnival is because it precedes the season of Lent in the church calendar.

Most of us are familiar with Lent because it is the annual giving up of chocolate, soda, or various other legally addictive products. We say farewell to those things on Mardi Gras - the last day to indulge before abstaining for 40+ days until Easter.

So what are you giving up?

This year I am really trying to figure out how to say farewell to the flesh during Lent. What is it in my life that I feel like I cannot live without? What is something that I have allowed to take control over me, instead of me over it? That's what it means to deprive the flesh. I have come up with a few things I am going to say farewell to over Lent, but one in particular will be harder than the others. twitter.Many of you may not understand twitter and always wonder why really random comments keep showing up on the right side of my blog. But twitter is a way to connect with people, as well as a way to chronicle what's going on in your life. It's a micro-blog. Micro because you're limited to 140 characters per entry. But you can share pictures, music, links, news...whatever! For instance, here is a list of some of the updates I receive on twitter:

• AsburySeminary
• BravesMLB
• dukebasketball
• compassion
• emergentvillage
• Sojourners
• tapdraw
• statedog
• lorimerricks
• Twiturgy

These are just 10 of 92 things/people I follow on twitter. So why am I giving this up?

Reason #1: It is an addiction. I check twitter more times per day than I check email and facebook combined. Whenever I pull my iPhone out of my pocket, it's the first thing I click. I am not in control of twitter anymore, it controls me.

Reason #2: I want more time. This semester I have a full-time job, a wife, 2 kids, and 3 seminary classes. I need all the time I can get. And I also need personal time. Time to be a husband. Time to be a dad. Time to think. Time to write. Time to read. Time to be with God. Time to just be.

Reason #3: I need order in my life. My life feels a little out of control right now. I have to work extra hard to keep everything going, and it's not easy. Twitter is like the chaos of my life...all the updates just keep coming and there's nothing you can do to stop them. If you go too long without reading it, you find yourself way behind and spending way too much time trying to catch up. If I can give up twitter, one form of chaos, then I feel I can find order throughout.

Reason #4: Jesus demands it. He demands that we give up what we think we can't live without. Just look at Luke 9:23-27 and also Luke 9:57-62. In each case, Jesus calls for a radical denial of what we think is important so that we can follow him. For me right now, it's twitter.

And so, I say farewell twitter. See you April 13. Happy Mardi Gras!

Who is John Wesley?

HT to my friend Ashlee for posting this:

Kevin Watson at http://deeplycommitted.com has started an experiment to see how much social capital Methodist bloggers have. This experiment was prompted by the feeling among some Methodist bloggers that United Methodism does not always do as good of a job as it could at getting the Wesleyan message out there, particularly on-line. So, he wants to see how many views a YouTube video can get if Methodist bloggers work together to promote it. The experiment is to see how many hits the video will receive in two weeks.

If you want to participate you can: First, watch the video below. Second, copy and paste this entire post into a new post on your blog and post it. Third, remind people about this experiment in one week.

Based on the results of the experiment, Kevin will get in touch with the folks at Discipleship Resources and let them know the ways in which Methodist bloggers are often an underused resource.