while this is a slight break from the normal (if you can call it that) fare on this blog, i found out about some developments with fellow young clergy in the UMC that i wanted to share and support here.
in some way, i guess this isn't such a huge break because over the past couple of years i've found myself saying "that's preposterous" about many things involving young clergy. we seem to be told simultaneously "you're the future of the Church, and we need you so badly" and "we don't care what you have to say right now. wait your turn - pay your dues, and then you can talk...but only if you sound just like us." i think more and more people are attentive to this kind of schizophrenic behavior, but even though we recognize the problem, few seem to know where to begin working on a solution.
i firmly believe that when you arrive at such a place (i know something's wrong, but i don't know what to do), you should start praying regularly (hopefully you are already). i was thrilled to hear yesterday that a group of young clergy are committing themselves to forty days of prayer about young clergy issues. i believe this will be done primarily through different blogs with a different young clergyperson offering a prayer each day.
anyway, i hope you will join those in prayer and spread the word by all means possible. be sure and visit www.umcyoungclergy.com for more information about this and other developments.
05 May 2009
01 May 2009
miscellany
a new word needs to be found to capture the total lack of writing i've done on this thing in 2009. slacker doesn't even begin to cover it. i'm not really sure why - plenty of preposterous things keep happening left and right. there's certainly no lack of material. and i've been meaning to write stuff for a while. i have been actually writing more in a journal (the ink and paint kind), so i guess that's something. also blogging more on the other blog. still, i can and must do better. so, for the fall back - movie reviews!
"knowing" (or as i want to call it, "the knowing")
i'm still in utter disbelief about the fact that one of my cousins (who i have always looked up to and thought the world of - and really still do) thinks nicolas cage is one of the greatest actors of all time. i mean, don't get me wrong, i've liked some of his movies. some i've even loved. but he's been a on streak lately...well i just think he doesn't know how to say "no" to something. i don't know. however, i must say i liked this movie. pretty much everyone i saw it with hated it, but i enjoyed it on a certain level that's hard to describe. it kept my attention and kept me entertained, and there was good action and a few decent twists. without giving too much away, i liked what they did with the whole "ezekiel and the wheel" thing (Old Testament nerd that i am). of course, i then had "ezekiel saw the wheel - way up in the middle of the air" stuck in my head for the rest of the night (choir nerd). so yeah, as far as my rating goes, i'd say "rent it."
"seven pounds"
so hard to say much about this one without giving huge stuff away - which of course had already been done to me before i saw it. i wish they actually had those mind eraser things like in "men in black" - at least as it relates to people ruining movies for me. anyway, i thought it was amazing. it was admittedly a very "will smith" movie. i don't even know how to convey what i mean by that, but you'll either get what i'm saying or you won't. i thought it was beautifully done - especially the scenes and the score. it's how a great modern movie should look and sound. there were a couple of twists i really liked - although i wish they'd stuck with them in the credits (you'll see). even though some stuff was ruined for me, i liked that what i found out came in little doses along the way. for some reason i never liked rosario dawson until this movie, so there's that. i like that it had "little things" like the relationship between will smith's character and the motel manager. good to see barry pepper back in something - i feel like he was in everything, and then all of a sudden, gone. anyway, i'm going on and on cause i can't really say anything more. it's really great - i think. so since it can't get my top rating of "see it in the theater" (unless it's just now getting to china or something - although i think it'd be the other way around) make the next strongest financial commitment and get it on dvd.
"knowing" (or as i want to call it, "the knowing")
i'm still in utter disbelief about the fact that one of my cousins (who i have always looked up to and thought the world of - and really still do) thinks nicolas cage is one of the greatest actors of all time. i mean, don't get me wrong, i've liked some of his movies. some i've even loved. but he's been a on streak lately...well i just think he doesn't know how to say "no" to something. i don't know. however, i must say i liked this movie. pretty much everyone i saw it with hated it, but i enjoyed it on a certain level that's hard to describe. it kept my attention and kept me entertained, and there was good action and a few decent twists. without giving too much away, i liked what they did with the whole "ezekiel and the wheel" thing (Old Testament nerd that i am). of course, i then had "ezekiel saw the wheel - way up in the middle of the air" stuck in my head for the rest of the night (choir nerd). so yeah, as far as my rating goes, i'd say "rent it."
"seven pounds"
so hard to say much about this one without giving huge stuff away - which of course had already been done to me before i saw it. i wish they actually had those mind eraser things like in "men in black" - at least as it relates to people ruining movies for me. anyway, i thought it was amazing. it was admittedly a very "will smith" movie. i don't even know how to convey what i mean by that, but you'll either get what i'm saying or you won't. i thought it was beautifully done - especially the scenes and the score. it's how a great modern movie should look and sound. there were a couple of twists i really liked - although i wish they'd stuck with them in the credits (you'll see). even though some stuff was ruined for me, i liked that what i found out came in little doses along the way. for some reason i never liked rosario dawson until this movie, so there's that. i like that it had "little things" like the relationship between will smith's character and the motel manager. good to see barry pepper back in something - i feel like he was in everything, and then all of a sudden, gone. anyway, i'm going on and on cause i can't really say anything more. it's really great - i think. so since it can't get my top rating of "see it in the theater" (unless it's just now getting to china or something - although i think it'd be the other way around) make the next strongest financial commitment and get it on dvd.
10 April 2009
the silence of God
It's enough to drive a man crazy; it'll break a man's faith
It's enough to make him wonder if he's ever been sane
When he's bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod
And the heaven's only answer is the silence of God
It'll shake a man's timbers when he loses his heart
When he has to remember what broke him apart
This yoke may be easy, but this burden is not
When the crying fields are frozen by the silence of God
And if a man has got to listen to the voices of the mob
Who are reeling in the throes of all the happiness they've got
When they tell you all their troubles have been nailed up to that cross
Then what about the times when even followers get lost?
'Cause we all get lost sometimes...
There's a statue of Jesus on a monastery knoll
In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold
And He's kneeling in the garden, as silent as a Stone
All His friends are sleeping and He's weeping all alone
And the man of all sorrows, he never forgot
What sorrow is carried by the hearts that he bought
So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God
- Andrew Peterson
It's enough to make him wonder if he's ever been sane
When he's bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod
And the heaven's only answer is the silence of God
It'll shake a man's timbers when he loses his heart
When he has to remember what broke him apart
This yoke may be easy, but this burden is not
When the crying fields are frozen by the silence of God
And if a man has got to listen to the voices of the mob
Who are reeling in the throes of all the happiness they've got
When they tell you all their troubles have been nailed up to that cross
Then what about the times when even followers get lost?
'Cause we all get lost sometimes...
There's a statue of Jesus on a monastery knoll
In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold
And He's kneeling in the garden, as silent as a Stone
All His friends are sleeping and He's weeping all alone
And the man of all sorrows, he never forgot
What sorrow is carried by the hearts that he bought
So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God
- Andrew Peterson
28 March 2009
on parsonages
i have been woefully absent on this blog lately. much has been happening all around, and i've wanted to write about it. but i simply haven't been able to focus on one thing. power was restored to my house (after two weeks without it), most order has been restored to the area where i live. the cleanup continues but will for quite a while. the way people have come together and helped each other has been inspiring and impressive to see. i'm hoping the reaching out in compassion will become more of a rule and less of an exception.
one of the truly interesting things about being a pastor is living in a parsonage. of course all pastors don't live in parsonages, and within united methodism parsonages seem to be going extinct in favor of housing allowances. good arguments can be made either way. i know some people who really dread the idea of living "in someone else's home.' but, i also have friends outside the ministry who are constantly knocked down that i just get a house for free. and i have been extremely fortunate in the two homes i've been given.
neither has been extravagant. no jacuzzi tub or swimming pool. at the same time, both have been more than i need in a house in terms of space. both have had great yards and either a patio or deck. i've been able to have a music room and an office in each while also having a spare bedroom (like i said, lots of room for just a guy and his dog). the houses have seemed to balance each other out. while the one i'm in now has a garage (which i've always wanted and love!) the house in alabama had great trees in the yard while i now only have one (thanks to the ice storm). the tie might go to the current parsonage simply because there is a front porch - another thing i've always wanted. the other night, i sat out on it while it was raining. there's just something about being outside but being slightly covered that i've always liked.
so yeah, who knows what i'll live in next? but so far, i have been very lucky with what i've been given.
one of the truly interesting things about being a pastor is living in a parsonage. of course all pastors don't live in parsonages, and within united methodism parsonages seem to be going extinct in favor of housing allowances. good arguments can be made either way. i know some people who really dread the idea of living "in someone else's home.' but, i also have friends outside the ministry who are constantly knocked down that i just get a house for free. and i have been extremely fortunate in the two homes i've been given.
neither has been extravagant. no jacuzzi tub or swimming pool. at the same time, both have been more than i need in a house in terms of space. both have had great yards and either a patio or deck. i've been able to have a music room and an office in each while also having a spare bedroom (like i said, lots of room for just a guy and his dog). the houses have seemed to balance each other out. while the one i'm in now has a garage (which i've always wanted and love!) the house in alabama had great trees in the yard while i now only have one (thanks to the ice storm). the tie might go to the current parsonage simply because there is a front porch - another thing i've always wanted. the other night, i sat out on it while it was raining. there's just something about being outside but being slightly covered that i've always liked.
so yeah, who knows what i'll live in next? but so far, i have been very lucky with what i've been given.
03 February 2009
tom petty's wrong
sometimes you do have to live like a refugee. case in point, me right now. i'm a displaced person as my state of residence (kentucky) was hit by what its governor referred to as the worst natural disaster the state has faced - at least in recent history. who knew ice could destroy so much stuff (other than dennis quaid)?
i lost power tuesday at noon, and with the power went my water (since i'm on a well that uses an electric pump) and my heat (since i'm on gas that uses an electric thermostat). so i went around and checked on as many church members as i could. then i packed up the pup and headed south. i've been bouncing around like a vagabond ever since, but some nice people have put up with me. i go back tomorrow to see what things are like. i'm hoping the pipes haven't burst and flooded the house - that's already happened once in my life, and it wasn't fun.
but now i truly know what the israelites in exile faced, so i will have a much deeper understanding of their plight. and those displaced by katrina or the tsunami, i feel like now we have something in common. wow - now i'm starting to sound like blagojevich.
i lost power tuesday at noon, and with the power went my water (since i'm on a well that uses an electric pump) and my heat (since i'm on gas that uses an electric thermostat). so i went around and checked on as many church members as i could. then i packed up the pup and headed south. i've been bouncing around like a vagabond ever since, but some nice people have put up with me. i go back tomorrow to see what things are like. i'm hoping the pipes haven't burst and flooded the house - that's already happened once in my life, and it wasn't fun.
but now i truly know what the israelites in exile faced, so i will have a much deeper understanding of their plight. and those displaced by katrina or the tsunami, i feel like now we have something in common. wow - now i'm starting to sound like blagojevich.
04 January 2009
why you gotta act like you know when you don't know?
last week i was in the ticket line at the movies, and two women were behind me talking about different options. one of the women mentioned that she wanted to see "doubt." the other asked what "doubt" was about. the first woman then preceded to describe some movie that had little to nothing to do with "doubt." she had no idea who was in it or what the plot was, but that didn't stop her speculating. i was actually laughing to myself a little thinking "she's gonna be really disappointed if she sees this movie cause it's not at all what she thinks it is."
i know i'm guilty of this sometimes too, but what's wrong with just saying "i don't know"? why do we have to pretend to be experts at everything? given the vast scope of knowledge in existence, it's not at all inconceivable that there are many things i/we simply don't know. so where's the harm in owning up to that and being honest?
i guess i find this ultimately frustrating in issues dealing with faith and God. again, i would say the majority of things dealing with God we simply don't know. it is guesswork, but then again, that's what faith is. there is no point or need for faith when we can prove something or have certainty about it. but efforts to "prove the existence of God" are inherently flawed because in seeking to bolster faith they actually negate its relevance.
so i've really tried to be honest with people in my churches when they ask me faith questions about life after death or the character of God. i direct them to places in scripture, and i tell them about different theories or beliefs throughout the life of the Church - but i also remind them that we don't know, and quite importantly, i don't know. to some, even perhaps many, this is troubling. after all, i'm supposed to be an expert and have answers about this stuff. but i'm hoping my honesty to admit the vast number of things i don't know or understand will keep me and others asking, seeking, knocking, exploring, and learning. even if all we learn is how much we don't know.
i know i'm guilty of this sometimes too, but what's wrong with just saying "i don't know"? why do we have to pretend to be experts at everything? given the vast scope of knowledge in existence, it's not at all inconceivable that there are many things i/we simply don't know. so where's the harm in owning up to that and being honest?
i guess i find this ultimately frustrating in issues dealing with faith and God. again, i would say the majority of things dealing with God we simply don't know. it is guesswork, but then again, that's what faith is. there is no point or need for faith when we can prove something or have certainty about it. but efforts to "prove the existence of God" are inherently flawed because in seeking to bolster faith they actually negate its relevance.
so i've really tried to be honest with people in my churches when they ask me faith questions about life after death or the character of God. i direct them to places in scripture, and i tell them about different theories or beliefs throughout the life of the Church - but i also remind them that we don't know, and quite importantly, i don't know. to some, even perhaps many, this is troubling. after all, i'm supposed to be an expert and have answers about this stuff. but i'm hoping my honesty to admit the vast number of things i don't know or understand will keep me and others asking, seeking, knocking, exploring, and learning. even if all we learn is how much we don't know.
31 December 2008
counting down and counting crows
so "counting crows" is one of my favorite bands, and yet i constantly forget this and how much i truly love lots of their stuff. of course, this time of year i always remember "a long december." it has one of the greatest opening lines to any song, and certainly a fitting one when turning over a new (secular/pagan) year (since we Christians started our year like a month ago). so it's my standard line and has been for some time, and it's as much a prayer as i usually have in me for a new year - in kind of an irish way:
"a long december, and there's reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last."
but then the other day i was driving and "holiday in spain" came on. it hit me, for the first time, that my favorite line (verse) from that song would be perhaps even more appropriate. so here goes - for a new year - a new, old line.
"well happy new year's baby. we could probably fix it if we clean it up all day. or we could simply pack our bags and catch a plane to barcelona cause this city's a drag. i may...take a holiday in spain, leave my wings behind me - flush my worries down the drain and fly away to somewhere new. take a holiday in spain, leave my wings behind me - drive this little girl insane and fly away to someone new."
"a long december, and there's reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last."
but then the other day i was driving and "holiday in spain" came on. it hit me, for the first time, that my favorite line (verse) from that song would be perhaps even more appropriate. so here goes - for a new year - a new, old line.
"well happy new year's baby. we could probably fix it if we clean it up all day. or we could simply pack our bags and catch a plane to barcelona cause this city's a drag. i may...take a holiday in spain, leave my wings behind me - flush my worries down the drain and fly away to somewhere new. take a holiday in spain, leave my wings behind me - drive this little girl insane and fly away to someone new."
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