3 Months is Pretty Sweet

Although this won’t post until “three months and a day,” I wanted to make sure these words came out on the very day of three months!  Three months?  Of what?

Sarah (my wife) and I have been married exactly three months today (this Sunday)!  It’s been very good, and at least at this point, I can confidently affirm and recommend the institution of marriage to any daring couple considering the next step.  Do this!  Hang on for the ride of your life, but do this!

I’m sure many will chuckle and say “Of course it’s been sweet.  Three months hasn’t been enough time for the real relationship to settle in.” 

But let me tell you what’s been sweet about this whole marriage thing and these infantile three months:

• ·         Sarah and I feel that we had both been waiting all our lives to be in union with the other—before we even met.  We were simply waiting for the other to come along in life and light up our lives the way we do.  Thus, regardless the tension or the stress that creeps along in our home from time to time, any night that we lay our heads down under the same roof is far better and more blessed than any alternative.

• ·         In three short months, given all the “delightful extras” God has put in our life, we have successfully pushed and led each other much further into our Christian lives than we could have gone alone.  Sometimes it’s because of those miracles that we witness between us, and sometimes it’s because of the deep theological conversations we have while driving in the car or sitting across from each other at the study table.  But other times it’s because of the elevated need for prayer at times, or because of need to seek God’s counsel and resolution in the midst of challenging moments.  Sometimes it’s because we have the chance to pause for a moment and wonder exactly what God was thinking when he picked us for each other. 

• ·         It’s also been sweet because in the midst of running to separate lives, either in Omaha or south Lincoln, early each day and returning late each night, we have learned to give 100%, to rely on each other to carry the other’s load of responsibilities, and we’ve learned to love each other no matter what state our house is in.  We’ve also learned to catch the beautiful, charming moments of our life together, even though they are often in flight like the activity of finches always coming and going.  

• ·         There are other sweet things about three months as well, but you get the idea. 

Sarah and I don’t know much about marriage, but we know that there is much, much more to come.  We are simply thankful to start off in such a way that begins building a strong foundation for the days to come—both beautiful and trying.  We are also thankful that we had the chance to put Jesus in the middle of who are as a couple from the very beginning.  Through Christ, all things are possible—whether it is 3 months, 300 months!  Amen.

More to come…

J <><

So (too?) Eager!

"Here!  Take my card!  Come see what it's like!"

That's what I keep shouting with excitement to others, and especially strangers, lately.  Sarah has made several notes about my new habit--commenting on the level of "smoothness" verses the level of "creapiness" or "sleezyness" in my approach, timing, and handoff.  

My what I like to call "church cards" finally came in last week, and I have been very eager to pass them out to others.  Obviously, there's little difference between my "church" card and a business card.  A lot of people would probably argue that the whole concept of handing out a card with contact information in regard to Church is altogether too much a business thing.  

But here's the deal:  I love my church cards.  They're attractive and useful, and I know that when others see them, they're going to see and find only good things!  But here's what I love even more than my cards:  Horizons.  

I don't know what people know about Horizons already or what they've already seen.  All I know is what I see right now, and I love it.  I love seeing and feeling how heavy, powerful, and productive the Spirit is in this place right now.  I love hearing on a daily basis how peoples' lives have been changed, reawakened, or affected in beautiful ways.  I love feeling the energy of passion, compassion, hope, and Christ-desire coming off of others as we worship, gather, and share together.  I love seeing where we're headed and where we can go because of the faith that is present.  

When I go to trainings and seminars for pastors, the speaker will often ask us whether, if we were free to choose and make our own call, we'd actually go to the churches where we serve.  It's a good and sometimes cutting question for pastors.  The answer is not always yes.  It makes each of us think.  But this is what I know for sure:  if Sarah and I were to go church shopping and pick where we wanted to go and grow, Horizons would be a top runner.  I'd go here!!  

Is it just because I have an enormous ego about my own pastor abilities?  Hardly.  I might be a little caught off guard by me if I were to walk in and see "that guy" being pastor.  What draws me most is seeing and feeling what's going on at Horizons and who's got it going on spiritually!

And so I get excited.  And when I run into someone, you can be guaranteed that whether it's appropriate or good timing at all, my church card will start flying out of my back pocket.  "Here!!  Take my card.  Come see what it's like!"

I am making no attempt to boast.  But honestly, I think this is how it's supposed to feel for all of us as Christ followers--so excited and convicted that we've simply lost the social filter that helps us see the right timing or appropriateness.  I firmly believe that when Jesus gets in and starts working in us, relighting our lives, we can't help but tell others!  

So join me!  There are a lot of free "business card" services online that will print cards for you. Share with others your faith, your Horizons home, your changed life.  Put your light on a hill and let it shine!

More to come...

J <>< 

Why Be Methodist? Top 3

It's not the first time someone has asked me why I am United Methodist, or why have I stayed in the Methodist system.  In fact, we used to ask each other all that time in seminary--often tauntingly, sometimes jokingly, and once in a while, quite seriously.

Why do I stay?  Why am I a United Methodist?  Lists seem to get to get the most views, so I'll proceed in such a manner.  But first, it might be helpful to note that if I can actually keep my list to three, I'll be demonstrating John Wesley's power to be concise and yet meaningful in his teachings.  If I fail to have just three, I'll rely on the grace upon which much of Wesley's theology also rested.

1. I was born a Methodist, so why not??  Some have heard me say that I'll be Methodist until I have sufficient reason not to be.  But I suppose there might need to be more than that.
   
2. Grace.  Wesley believed it was indeed true that the "grace was always greener on the other side."  We understand that there's God's grace before we know God, certainly as we accept Christ, and (which is rare) that after we are saved, the grace keeps growing in us, bringing us closer and closer to Christ.
   
3. Free Will!  This is the idea that not everything is set in stone for our lives.  We make real choices that matter--to our lives,to others' lives, and certainly to our relationship with Jesus.  In fact, God's love for us and our love for God can only be real if there is this element of free choice.  (If love were forced, it defeats what love really is.)
   
4. Care for our neighbor.  The Methodist Church is at the top of those who selflessly give, love, protect, and support others.  It's beautiful to see Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan be lived into so passioinately by a body of believers.
   
5. In short, Wesley also believed in putting it simply:  Do Good. Do No Harm. Stay in Love with God.  He also proposed 4 sources or norms for our faith foundation:  Scripture, Tradition, Experience, and Reason.  I'd put prayer in there too, but I wasn't asked. This is a list of where we go for direction, what's our foundation, and what lenses we look through to view the world and our faith.  Lastly, Wesley also said concerning money:  Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.  Brilliant!
   
6. But the REAL question is, why not believe in all the Wesley stuff, but leave the rest behind?  (especially if it makes me move to new places even if I don't want to.)  Truth is:  the Methodist church nurtured and supported my faith from the day I was said to be "9 months away."  If it weren't for that kind of love, I don't know what kind of pastor I would be.  It was the church that walked with me until I saw my call.  It was the church who journeyed along my side as I learned what it meant to be a pastor.  It listened to me, taught and challenged me, it supported me with tens of thousands of dollars for my education, it embraced me, trusted me, gave me opportunities, and has always made sure that I am still growing and still being challenged.  I don't know how others might see it, but what I just described reminds me a lot of how Jesus would be like if he were among us today in person.
   
7. Finally:  My response to how I feel about not being able to decide how long I'll stay at a church or where I'll go next is as follows.  I knew from the beginning it would be like this.  Personally I desire it, although I know it has the potential to make things harder painful for a season.  But the way I see it is that this is my opportunity to give my life fully to Christ, to trust that God is fully in control of my call, and to see myself more as a missionary, being sent and serving wherever, rather than me choosing what I believe is the absolute best for me.  

Wesley always said to his congregations:  to "Think and let think."  It refers to the open community of thoughts and spiritual intuitions that are allowed to thrive in a place of diversity and unity both.  As you can see, I like it, and have thought and thought and thought--although it might be different from what another Methodist pastor may think.

J <><

Help. Top 6!

A question asked of me the other day was where, as a Pastor, do I go when I need help, am struggling with faith questions, or simply don't know.  Great question.  Luckily, although I am a pastor and do feel uniquely called and equipped to serve God in this leadership role, I am still human, and much like the rest of us.  There are a lot of times when I don't know, don't have the answers, or simply need to get a second opinion.  We have to go somewhere!

The only place I try not to go, but often consider going, is inside and away.  I think that one of the worst, yet fairly popular notions we buy into today is that we all our own heroes, that we all have the stuff it takes to be the shining star or our own epic success stories.  We call it the rugged individual, the self-made man/woman, or the diamond in the rough.  But the truth is that we were called to succeed in community, in togetherness.  Otherwise, Jesus wouldn't have called 12, and then 72, and then millions to do his work.  Otherwise, man and woman, family, and churches would not have been part of the plan.  From the very beginning, we would've been out on our own, making the world a better place, solving all our and only our problems.  But this simply isn't the case.

So, where do I go?  To whom do I go?

1. Prayer.  God needs to hear that I'm lost.  God needs to see me come before him in my moments of humility, despair, and confusion.
   
2. Scripture.  It's the foundation I stand upon.  But I rarely go searching by index or google search for scripture to speak specifically to my needs.  I feel like that's forcing what I want to hear--like looking for something to satisfy what I already think I need to hear.  But I don't blindly pick a spot either.  I'm always on a reading schedule, so I usually just read the next chapter or section and read until I feel I need to stop.  God has a mysterious and powerful way of speaking to us through his word, regardless of what the words say exactly.
   
3. Wife.  Sarah is my sounding board for most of life and faith.  She hears it, thinks about it, throws it back at me.  Often she'll respond in just the right ways, as God leads her to.  Other times, she'll also has no clue.
   
4. Fellow Pastors.  I have a covenant group with some other pastors.  We often have wisdom for each other, even if that wisdom simply flows out of our re-hashing the question or situation.  They're essential to be connected to.
   
5. Friends.  YOU might be the one who God chooses to speak through.  We never know.  I trust that God is fully capable of working good through anyone.
   
6. Books.  A quote I picked up on once was that "If you want a new idea, read an old book."  It's very true.  All wisdom started first with God.  From there, we pick it up, build upon it, move on from it, and often need to revisit it.  The point when we've forgotten is the point when we need to go back and remember.  

LASTLY, there are some answers that aren't supposed to be known.  There are some questions that no answer will suffice.  Mystery is sacred.  Not knowing keeps us searching, keeps us from building up our own pride, keeps us from isolating ourselves (Isaiah 6:9-11).  There are those moments when, even as a spiritual leader, I own that I don't know.  Then I draw near to God.  Those are very spiritual moments.

Thanks for asking!  

J <><