tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226640802024-03-06T23:42:25.509-08:00Mark's MindA peek inside the mind of a not-so-traditional pastorRevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-76660838545909753832012-06-29T12:03:00.000-07:002012-06-29T12:03:50.800-07:00Gooooooaaaaaaallllllll...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know its not politically correct, but I have a confession to make… I have never really liked soccer (or futball as my friends who are purists like to refer to it) … there I said it. Partly because, in general terms, it seems to be a sport that discriminates against people who have, and/or like to use their hands. While I was in college, one of the members of the track team I was a part of, lived in an Asian country. On a sunny afternoon we were walking on the infield of the track and someone had left one of those red rubber “cherry ball’s” out. As we were beginning our warn ups I picked up the ball and threw it to him to get it out of our way. To my surprise he let it hit him in the chest, then trapped it under his foot and kicked it off the field. My first reaction was to say “What is wrong with you!?” What kind of person lets a ball hit him in the chest rather than catch it?<br />
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It’s not that I don’t understand the game. I worked for several years as a sports reporter for a daily newspaper. That job required at least a basic understanding of most sports including soccer. Two of my close friends in High School went on to college on soccer scholarships, and became national caliber athletes, one now coaches at the collegiate level. I just never “got it”. That is until this last week…<br />
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As many of you know (apparently) the Eurocup Soccer Tournament is taking place this month in… you guessed it, Europe. I was given the opportunity to watch several of the matches this last week with some friends. I was attending my denominations annual meeting in Pasco Wa. and during the lunch breaks the group of friends that I usually spend time with at such meetings was heading to a nearby restaurant to watch people who I had never heard of, run around on a field, not use their hands and kick balls for about 90 mins.<br />
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So I sat with them, ordered the lunch special and watched Portugal take on the Czech Republic. As the game … oops I mean match… unfolded my table mates talked smack to one another, jumped to their feel when shots missed the goal by inches, groaned at missed opportunities and compared memories of past matches. Some of my friends pumped fists in the air when Portugal scored the one and only goal of the game while the Czech Republic supporters sat quietly in the face of defeat. It was fun! Their excitement was contagious and I returned with them the next day to watch the match between Germany and Greece . This time a new friend I had met who is a pastor of Longview United Methodist Church, German native and former Olympic Soccer trainer was with us. During this match I cheered along with my friends. I even made a correct call when I said “that goal shouldn’t count, they were off sides” and low and behold the goal didn’t count because… wait for it… they were off sides!<br />
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It seems that when you find some (or someones) who are excited about something it’s easy for you to get excited about it. I have a become a HUGE fan of motorcycle racing in the last couple of years (I have even been on the track a few times) partially because I love things that go fast, but mostly because some friends of mine are HUGE motorcycle racing fans. When I get an opportunity I tell friends about racing. I recount moments from races I have witnessed and I get excited. In the same way, I was never really a fan of jazz music until I saw someone performing a jazz piece and I saw the reactions he had to the music and the reactions of those who were listening to him play.
So why is it that when it comes to matters of faith we don’t often see that same scenario? For most of us I would venture to say it was exactly this scenario that awakened us to some transforming experience with God, but I am hearing less and less of those moments from friends. Could it be that our passion around that transformation is easily replaced by the details of the institution we have built around that transformation. Sometimes conversations about faith feel like a conversation about soccer in which the topic is the geometric patter on the ball or the length of legal and illegal cleats on the player’s shoes.<br />
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My prayer for all of us (and I say “Us” because I include myself in this group) who have experienced something wonderful around our faith, is that we would find a joy and passion that others would feel and be drawn to. Maybe not a fist pumping joy, but a joy that exudes “you should come see this”.<br />
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I’ll still catch the ball if you throw it at me, but I’m praying for something more in our lives of faith!RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-92190654445100151932012-03-28T10:57:00.002-07:002012-03-28T11:06:24.773-07:00Would the real Jesus please stand up...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLWkgHyPGVfjbuPSimRFwBlCzFBmSO_4mdJ2LG0_Uy9XZNtB71oPnTUrk_baTehWb3-wyoUpRA1It9KAJki_Xzc-FiqRk75srJ9DimkOXfVIbB1JY20J4AxSUq7O_P1qb0ISTzg/s1600/Jesus-Facepalm.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLWkgHyPGVfjbuPSimRFwBlCzFBmSO_4mdJ2LG0_Uy9XZNtB71oPnTUrk_baTehWb3-wyoUpRA1It9KAJki_Xzc-FiqRk75srJ9DimkOXfVIbB1JY20J4AxSUq7O_P1qb0ISTzg/s320/Jesus-Facepalm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725010775884147794" /></a><br />One of the parts of my job as pastor of a new kind of church is that I get to facilitate a series of discussions we call Theology Pubs. They are designed to be a safe place where we can talk openly and honestly about our experience and ideas of some of the elementary ideas of the Christian faith. Last week we talked about Jesus (good place to start huh?). We discussed the historical man that lived in 1st century Palestine, and compared that to the Jesus we see in scripture, and the Jesus that popular culture identifies, and the Jesus Christian churches worship. Depending on your experience and history and worldview those four men are very different. When ever we discuss this topic at Theology Pubs we undoubtedly come to a point where we wrestle with the tendency we all have, whether we are people of faith or not, to turn Jesus into a bigger better version of ourselves, which ironically is pretty much the opposite of what the historical and biblical Jesus was all about.<br /><br />I think most of us are pretty good at constructing a “savior” that looks like us, and acts like us; a Jesus who likes the people we like, hates the people we hate and supports our world view and behaviors. A Jesus who condemns the behaviors and worldviews that we conveniently condemn. Wars and violence have been waged with this understanding of Jesus. Policies and systems have been enacted because of this idea of Jesus, and as much as I hate to say it, the core ideas of forgiveness, sacrifice and transformation have been modified at best, and destroyed at worse, all in an effort to serve or share Jesus.<br /><br />I realize that those of you who follow my blog or are reading this, are probably thinking “Ya! Those people I disagree with have perverted the message of Jesus” but I think Paul was correct when he wrote to his friends in Rome and said “we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). I don’t think the political left has a corner on the Jesus perspective, nor does the political right. We all manipulate, mold and create a Jesus that serves us. Which makes me think that God was warning us more about our selfish sinful nature and using God/Jesus/Holy Spirit (It’s a trinity thing!) to profit and get what we want, than saying “God damnit” when we crack our knuckles on the engine block of our 1978 Yamaha XS 400 we are restoring in the garage…(Sorry I’m telling you a bit more about myself than you need to know..) when he commanded us not to use the Lord’s name in vain (Exodus 20:7).<br /><br />I guess what I am most convicted by this Lenten season is how easily my desire to be a follower of Jesus, and being one who is transformed by the one sent by God to show us a new way, can turn into a desire to manipulate the divine to get what I want, whether it be comfort, wealth, power or influence. Lent reminds me that my life needs the transforming work of a savior, not that Jesus needs to justify my world view. My prayer for myself and for all of us, is that as we wrestle with the transforming work of Jesus, examine the sin, both personal and corporate, in our lives that we would find peace wholeness and life as disciples. <br /><br />I’ll keep stumbling through Lent. I hope yours has been equally as challenging!RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-66869428608754582842012-03-16T11:12:00.002-07:002012-03-16T11:38:13.242-07:00Of Fernando and lab coats<a href="http://healthyinfluence.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Billy-Crystal-Fernando.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 225px;" src="http://healthyinfluence.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Billy-Crystal-Fernando.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />So this week I was walking through the mall and I walked through Macy’s (if you walk into one of the stores it doesn’t look like you are “mall-walking” for exercise!) anyway. As I walked into the store there were several women wearing white lab coats walking the aisles of the store. Were these women medical personnel? Maybe they were scientists taking a break from some important research to cure some terrible disease. My next clue as to who these women were was the fact that they all seemed to have on very tall high heels and dangly earrings. I’m not positive but I’m sure that both of these accessories would hinder a certain amount of productivity in scientific lab research and/or medical field practice. Of course we all know that these were Macy employees who were working at the make up counter, but it struck me that the lab coat they were required to wear as part of their position was meant to send a certain message. I’m not certain what the message was but it seemed to me that it was supposed to inspire a certain confidence in the product as a “healthy product” if someone in a lab coat sold it to me. I’m not trying to impugn the quality of the make up in Macy’s or the ability of their employees but it illustrated to me how much appearances determine our feelings or how we can mask our insecurities or fears by “looking good”<br /><br />When it comes to faith I don’t think it is much different. I know that in my own situation there have been times that I felt like I needed to look like I had it all together, when the reality was that I was struggling spiritually and emotionally. It is especially true for those of us who serve in ordained ministry. I think most of us like to know that our pastors and priests are human, but we don’t want to know that they have issues and problems like the rest of us. As one of my favorite SNL characters Fernando of Fernando’s Hideaway used to say “It’s better to look good than to feel good.” I’m afraid we have all bought into that thinking.<br /><br />I have been teaching a very basic overview of the Bible at <a href="http://www.salmoncreekchurch.org">Salmon Creek United Methodist Church</a>. As with most of the events or classes I lead I put a lot of effort in creating safe places for people to ask honest questions. What I have found is that for many of us church-goers we don’t really understand the story or themes of scripture. They are confusing for us and seem to be unrelated. We realize that they are important, after all we hear sermons about them every Sunday don’t we? So we tend to cover up our confusion or doubt, and smile and nod our heads when we talk about faith and scripture. I am so happy that the class has been a place where there are no stupid questions and the friends that are participating feel safe enough to ask questions that they may not otherwise, because we may see under their white lab coat. It also dawned on me that many of us don’t feel as though communities of faith are places where we can find the support or help when we are struggling with issues of faith and life. We talk a lot about unconditional love, but most of us are afraid to expose our struggles because we aren’t sure whether or not churches and other communities really mean it when it comes to us. <br /><br />During Lent Christians for centuries have set aside 40 days to wrestle with exactly these issues. The problem I find myself and others, struggling with is that we interpret Lent as a purely individual effort. “it’s time for me to hunker down and ‘get right’ with God.” Although that is not a bad idea for most of us. I hope that we realize that a huge aspect of faith is living as part of a community and that we can find help, support and life in when we come across those dry, confusing and challenging times in our faith. I hope that this season of Lent is not only a time for you to deepen your relationship with God, but also a time where you can connect with a community of faith that fosters growth, joy and hope in you.<br /><br />I pray this is a wonderful season of Lent for you!<br /><br />MarkRevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-59828277593590538312012-03-03T11:28:00.002-08:002012-03-03T11:32:47.056-08:00Little Wounds<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKeocbssy6swe2nGt7XeLoBdS5Fbpwgp8KaEYRf53KDjzBaDVxHhl2UtWqlao3O38ejODGGBBX7T_Dk6r9uU7E6DfeU2px-BgvUKoKhiwL6IaxBeB0wZIZyyiNNvNf-RWsc_iRg/s1600/man-pain-expression-150.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKeocbssy6swe2nGt7XeLoBdS5Fbpwgp8KaEYRf53KDjzBaDVxHhl2UtWqlao3O38ejODGGBBX7T_Dk6r9uU7E6DfeU2px-BgvUKoKhiwL6IaxBeB0wZIZyyiNNvNf-RWsc_iRg/s320/man-pain-expression-150.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715755935617734130" /></a><br />Hi friends, <br /><br />This last week I was asked by a friend who is not particularly familiar with the traditions of the Church or the idea of the “Christian Seasons of the Year”, what this whole Lent thing was all about. She, like most people, understood the season of Lent merely as the time of year when you give up something you like for a while (Of course only after over indulging in it on “Fat Tuesday” and collecting beads in the process). Having grown up in a protestant church I must admit that we didn’t pay too much attention to the seasons of the Christian year, other than the table cloth colors on the alter table in the sanctuary at church were a different color when we changed to a new season.<br /><br />It wasn’t until much later in my life that I started to see the value in reliving the story of scripture through the seasons of the Christian year, and recognizing that there was a pattern to the seasons of preparation, celebration and growth that were evident in them. So how do I explain Lent to my friend you may be asking? I told her the story of something that happened to me, hopefully it will give you some insight into Lent as I see it:<br /><br />I was sitting on my couch watching the opening round of the 2012 World Superbike races that I had recorded while eating a sandwich during my lunch break. As I was intently watching the races I took a bite of my sandwich only to also take a bite of my cheek! For those of us who have bitten your cheek or your tongue while eating (which is all of us!) you know how much it hurts. The momentary muscle freeze where you don’t move waiting for the lightening bolt of pain to hit… the combination of the “squeek” and “crunch” sound you hear in your head… all make this experience how shall I say?? …. intense. I spit my bite of sandwich out on my plate and instinctively put my finger in my mouth to feel a little flap of skin open in my cheek and of course a nice amount of blood accompanying it. I went to the bathroom and rinsed my mouth with cold water shoved a wad of toilet paper between my cheek and gum and after stopping the bleeding went back to work grumpy and hungry.<br /><br />For the rest of the day my cheek hurt. No matter how I tried, I could NOT keep my tongue from touching the wound or playing with the flap of skin. It affected everything I did all day, and most of the next, yet the event that caused it took place in a nano-second, and the wound itself was about the size of sesame seed …. Oops I mean a “Mustard seed” for you churchy story type people. It is amazing how something so small can have such a huge affect on your life, physically and emotionally. There are lots of little things that affect us negatively, especially in a spiritual sense. Little things that have happened to us, little experiences we have had; some of them accidents; some of them small decisions that we made unconsciously or consciously thinking “oh something that small wont matter.” The problem is that little things easily become big things. Think of coral reefs, or the wad of lint you pull out of your dryer every time you do laundry (you do clean the lint trap don’t you? It’s a fire hazard!) Ok here is the punch line… thanks for hanging on so long!<br /><br />Lent is the time we take a look at ourselves and we see what are those things we have experienced or picked up along the way that damage our relationship with God and others. They may be small, but they have a huge effect on us. For forty days (not counting Sundays) before Easter, Christians have been, for centuries, looking at themselves asking what are the things that damage my relationship with God and with others. Some of us have been asking God to reveal those things to us, some of us give up those things, some of us add disciplines like fasting or study or sabbath as a way of growing closer to God.<br /><br />Whatever the mechanism is, the idea is that we spend a significant time in introspection and then emerge from that, sometimes difficult journey, with a celebration that pronounces the work of God is alive and well and not even death can stop God from transforming all things in Easter.<br /><br />I hope that ya’ll have a wonderful season of Lent and that we all discover something new about ourselves and our relationship with God during this time. Now go clean your lint trap and be careful eating lunch! <br /><br />See ya next weekRevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-36575511458166830562012-02-23T14:18:00.003-08:002012-02-23T14:34:34.405-08:00Back in the swing of things<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40twr-c_vb0t0phHMCvNoUZrNEBx3bQ3JtePu34ngFApv3-dUqnRVOevWKPUpie_9pp8fX0lggUXC2BfFcVmAdnSCPHEHttovSSo2NDyfE1QDWmJg2wJJsi-Q9EMHqfZAKSnfzA/s1600/swing_seat.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40twr-c_vb0t0phHMCvNoUZrNEBx3bQ3JtePu34ngFApv3-dUqnRVOevWKPUpie_9pp8fX0lggUXC2BfFcVmAdnSCPHEHttovSSo2NDyfE1QDWmJg2wJJsi-Q9EMHqfZAKSnfzA/s320/swing_seat.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712462418057070338" /></a><br /><br />Well friends, I have let this blog languish for about a year and decided that it was time to start posting some thoughts and ramblings back up here. I find that it is a matter of discipline for me and a good place to put my thoughts down in text.<br /><br />Today is the second day of the 2012 Lenten Season. I figure what better time to embark on a spiritual discipline like writing?<br /><br />I will try to post something each week during Lent, and hopefully get back in the habit of posting from here on out. I pray that this is a fruitful and meaningful season for all of you.<br /><br />See ya'll soon!<br /><br />MarkRevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-83446204327364557382009-10-19T06:00:00.000-07:002009-10-19T06:00:00.938-07:001 year later...Well today is an odd day, a year ago my father passed away after a massive heart attack. There are alot of jumbled emotions, I expect it will be a long day. If you think about it raise a toast to my Dad Bill McMurray todayRevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-18684799557836765382009-10-13T22:12:00.000-07:002009-10-13T22:24:01.769-07:00Compassion is always a good thingOne of the things I have found in starting a new congregation is that in talking with people about doing church a new way, people are pretty willing to talk. In fact they are willing to talk a lot... especially about hurts and struggles. I must admit I have been surprised by the amount of people I have met who struggle with addictions, or have suffered some type of abuse in their past. It only reinforce how much a community like the one I feel called to help create is needed. A safe, honest community of friends to experience faith and grow together in a life that reflects that faith.<br /><br />Having said that, I wanted to post a link to a monologue from my favorite late night talk show host, Craig Ferguson of the Late Late Show. This clip is a couple years old now, but I still think it is admirable and one of the best things I have seen on television in years. <br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7bbaRyDLMvA&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7bbaRyDLMvA&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-48341805885778441092009-09-29T21:45:00.001-07:002009-09-29T21:56:12.465-07:00Welcomed Friends!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuac7QDiKF1U9SQMjeiC3JZhQBu9pzX6Hk7ixaFNfrIn73Ch9rWjQUsOcen9n8Sb07fi2KrVJ9ZvNeiY316BdV77NLE23xvweJ1FKzB_i_nP6IjeGJs8AJdbbgTDFsYlEeNQWfsQ/s1600-h/100_0045.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuac7QDiKF1U9SQMjeiC3JZhQBu9pzX6Hk7ixaFNfrIn73Ch9rWjQUsOcen9n8Sb07fi2KrVJ9ZvNeiY316BdV77NLE23xvweJ1FKzB_i_nP6IjeGJs8AJdbbgTDFsYlEeNQWfsQ/s320/100_0045.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387118537395086738" /></a><br /><br />Well, now that I have got a couple months under my belt at this whole, starting a new congregation thing. I am starting to feel like I kinda’ know what I am doing. I had planned on using this blog to try an record some of the things I have learned, and am learning, as I go through this process so that others can benefit from my wisdom, or as more likely the case... my ignorance and naivete’ ( I have always wanted to use naivete’ in a sentence)<br /><br />The four areas that the launch team at <a href="http://www.vianovaumc.org">Via Nova</a> and I are focusing on, as we make this journey together, are: “Gathering people” = Getting groups of people together to have conversations about faith and “what church could be...” “Celebrating/Worshiping with people”= Gathering people to worship God and celebrate our relationship with God and each other. “Serve people” = If you don’t get that one...well, i guess ...buy a dictionary... and “Discipleing people” = Helping people form friendship and a community as they make this journey of faith together and grow spiritually.<br /><br />Our first “Gathering people” event was two weekends ago, It went so well that we decided to do it again last weekend. It’s cool when doing a “church thing” is actually fun and you like doing it! <br /><br />So anyway, I want to debrief a little about what I learned from the event: <br /><br />Here in Vancouver we have a very good farmers market downtown. One of the members of our launch team came up with a great idea of having a booth at the Farmers Market to tell people about Via Nova (You Rock Kimmy!) So I went down to the Farmers Market one Saturday morning and find the information booth. I met a very nice gentleman at the booth and we started a conversation. Things were going well, he laughed at my jokes, I laughed at his... Then I make my first ignorant step... I say “ Well, I’m Pastor of a new church in town, and we were wondering about setting up a face painting booth at the market...” The nice gentleman’s posture changed, his facial expression changed, and he stopped laughing... His reply was “Well, the market is supposed to be non-political and non-religious.” Now I want you to know that I, in no way fault the nice info booth guy. That’s his job! I was just surprised at the change in his sub atomic structure, when I said I was from a church. But since Via Nova was wanting to just paint kids faces and have fun, we were in a weird grey area; not being there as a church, but there as face painters, so he wanted more info. “Are you gonna ask people for money?” he asked. “Nope, just paint faces, meet people and have fun” I replied .... “Are you going to confront people as they walk through the market?”... “Nope, just paint faces, meet people and have fun...” We talked a little bit longer and he started to warm up to the idea that maybe I wasn’t so bad, and we might be an ok group to be at the market...maybe... He gave me some other possibilities, but I could tell it was going to be a lot of work to get a booth. So I thanked him for his time, shook his hand, wished him a great afternoon and went home.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiniHa48un1YykbiVG9PuP9r29gWVwHXXCjujFQc2Qd9ypdKMggTZTjotqJ7RPu7Fwt7siPEwfoSvCA5cqO43zYivYNXCCYJZueQPOo-jQh-6BC96nAIhOqaOSMhRce9gS6Fiz6VQ/s1600-h/100_0054.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiniHa48un1YykbiVG9PuP9r29gWVwHXXCjujFQc2Qd9ypdKMggTZTjotqJ7RPu7Fwt7siPEwfoSvCA5cqO43zYivYNXCCYJZueQPOo-jQh-6BC96nAIhOqaOSMhRce9gS6Fiz6VQ/s320/100_0054.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387117741809237538" /></a><br /><br />Here is the first couple of things I have learned from this exchange with Mr. Info Booth Guy. First of all, the “church” is not seen as a “welcomed friend” to an awful lot of people. I say that because at the core of what we are trying to do, and be, at Via Nova is to be involved in our city as welcomed friends in the community. That is not as easy as it sounds. In this part of the country “church” is not a welcoming word. In fact for the people with whom I have an affinity, there is still a bit of mistrust because I am a pastor and connected to the church. If we can’t live lives that contradict that mistrust and image, we will not get very far in forming this community God has called us to. <br /><br />The second thing that sticks out for me as I think about Mr. Info Booth Guy, is that the first two things he thought of when I said “church” was “Are you gonna ask for money” and “Are you gonna confront people?” Of all the things that I pray we will be known for, as we form this community, confronting people and asking for money aren’t two of them. (Having said that, I do pray that we will the type of community that does call people on their crap, and stand for justice, mercy, life and hope as disciples of Jesus, and I do believe that you can tell pretty quickly what is important to someone if you look at their Visa Statement for about 15 seconds) In fact that part of the conversation with Mr. Info Booth Guy didn’t make me mad, or just point out a public relations problem the church has... It really just made me sad. Not “oh thats too bad” sad, but a “quiet, kinda cuss a little to yourself, cause something is wrong” sad.<br /><br />Ok ready for the good part?... I am! We decided that the nearby park with the huge play structure is probably a better place to set up a shelter and hand out balloons, paint kid’s faces and have conversations anyway. So after a call to the Parks Dept. and a thumbs up from them, we set up a shelter and started handing out balloons, painting faces, handing milk bones to people’s dogs and having fun with people, while we talked about forming a group of friends who wanted to see the world be a better place as an act of faith. (Notice no use of the “C” word) We had fun! People said “thank you” to us, and things like “right on, that is great!” Even people from my <a href="http://pnwriders.com/vancouver/115518-face-painting-balloons.html">motorcycle group</a> came out and told us what a great thing we were doing. People sat under the tent and talked and laughed and smiled. <br /><br />There was another “religious group” at the park that day as well. (They wore white shirts and black ties and had little name tags... the group name rhymed with “granola spitless”) People interacted with us in a very different way then they did with our tie wearing friends. People walked quickly past their tent and and avoided eye contact, or did that zombie stare right through them, thing. At about lunch time I noticed the difference. There were people people waiting in line to get faces painted, kids were playing with dogs by the tent people were smiling and having conversations with the launch team. I leaned over and said to one of my launch team folks “See all the people just hanging out with us?... Now look at the tent across the park and see how people avoid it? That’s what I mean by “welcomed friends” in the community. If we can get a grip on that we are on our way!”<br /><br />Sooner or later we will find ourselves in the place where we realize what Jesus meant when he told us to love God and love everyone else. I’m glad that Via Nova is a community that is moving there!<br /><br />I’ll post up some other reflections/learnings from this first Gathering people event. <br /><br />Have a great week friends!RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-3686904293853691792009-07-03T14:33:00.000-07:002009-07-03T14:34:44.648-07:00A name by any other name...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispLEYJYkWxlWldavYoMeJn1sfBWWi0rsMW805BmQxSAid4ewvzCj83sHe-wUuLmOw7P71uR2waEMfhqbzZLiJgTvCVHYjagUYiLivgI2vMnlhlq0fgOdDmNIO0cN64RZJ0X6Img/s1600-h/23321453.bridge.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispLEYJYkWxlWldavYoMeJn1sfBWWi0rsMW805BmQxSAid4ewvzCj83sHe-wUuLmOw7P71uR2waEMfhqbzZLiJgTvCVHYjagUYiLivgI2vMnlhlq0fgOdDmNIO0cN64RZJ0X6Img/s320/23321453.bridge.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354350496927740674" /></a><br /><br />Ok, so it's official now, as of 12:01AM July 1st, I am appointed to a new church start in Vancouver Wa. My best wishes to Kathy Neery who is now the Pastor of Orchards United Methodist Church.<br /><br />So, I have a pretty clear idea about what I feel God is calling me to begin in this new church start but am running short on ideas for a name. I wanna stay away from the "churchy" names that are so prevalent like "Living hope" or "Living waters" or "Crossroads" or any other thing that sounds "gimmicky" (No offense if you are pastor/member of a church named one of those :-)<br /><br />The driving idea behind the community we are creating is a desire to be disciples that tangibly and intentionally make a difference in the city we are a part of. That means intentionally being involved in service as an act of faith and discipleship; being part of a community that shares their lives together, cares for one another and become "spiritual friends" on a journey of faith; and creating a community of faith that sees their identity as a compassionate community called to transform the world as disciples of Jesus, not a group of people that gather once a week for a worship performance or to listen to a "self help" lecture.<br /><br />Those are the type of things that we want to reflect in the name of this community, but also stays away from the image of traditional/attractional Church that so many people are running from, or scared of.<br /><br />Any Ideas?? Please post up a reply and let me hear them :-)RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-43327766539781799852009-06-15T17:09:00.000-07:002009-06-15T17:11:49.248-07:0018 years ago today...I know i promised to write some reflections about the language we use for church and what that says about our ideas regarding “church” but today is my 18th anniversary to the most beautiful and awesome woman i have ever met - Jennifer. <br />At the moment we have way too many unresolved things going on in our lives like job transitions for both of us, and being 7/8 of the way through buying a new home which is always stressful (anyone have $200,000 lying around taking up space they need to get rid of???) So instead of spending time today writing here I’m heading out to try to put together something nice (and cheep) for my anniversary. Talk to ya next weekRevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-79643963256999141772009-06-01T10:05:00.001-07:002009-06-01T10:07:59.991-07:00Pick-ups or Motorcycles???<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/RevrdMark/Motorcycle/IMG00265.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/RevrdMark/Motorcycle/IMG00265.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />It has been an interesting week for various reasons. First of all, my family and I are in the process of finding a new place to live come July 1st, as we start this new chapter in our lives by starting a new congregation in the Vancouver area.<br /><br />Second, I have had several conversation the last couple of weeks that I would like to unpack a little here.<br /><br />Earlier this week i was sitting with a group, and the conversation turned to the new congregation I was starting. As I spoke about the values and methods I am hoping to instill in this new community, I found several people becoming defensive. It was very apparent that in hearing me talk about something new and different, they heard that the old style/system was was wrong or evil or worthless. It dawned on me that our churches (the ones that exist now) are pretty fragile, not only financially or in terms of facilities, but emotionally as well. I find myself reassuring people (my colleagues included) that the style of “church” they pastor or participate in isn’t evil, wrong, or worthless. After all it was in a church like that where I first learned of Jesus.<br /> <br />I admit that I am running up against something that I didn’t expect, even before the official date of an appointment to start a new congregation begins. This notion that a new or different church is a threat to existing churches. Well, let me clarify that. I always new that some people will always see a new church as a threat, due to turf issues and and the fear “of stealing members” (as if we own them). I have certainly run into that , but what i didn’t expect was the defensiveness and perceived threat that voicing something new is needed for a different group of people evokes. <br /><br /> It feels like a conversation I had last year with a stranger in a parking lot. I was riding my motorcycle and had stopped to get a coke and fill up with gas. I came back out after paying for my coke and sat on my motorcycle. For those of you that don’t know, motorcycles typically don’t come with cup holders, and drinking a coke through a full face helmet is not really very practical. I took a drink of my coke, screwed the lid on the bottle and tucked it into my jacket and was about to put my helmet on when I hear from the guy next to me in the parking lot “That's why I don’t ride those things...” I looked over and smiled and said “ya sometimes you have to be a little creative when carrying something”... He then went on for 5 minutes about how his pickup was the only vehicle worth a damn, and that motorcycles were worthless. I just smiled realizing 5 minutes of my life was gone that I will never get back, and restrained the urge to throw my empty bottle in the back of his pick up as i drove off. What a worthless conversation! If i were wanting to haul a palette of 2X4’s my SV650 wouldn’t be the vehicle of choice. If i want to get 50 MPG and always have a place to park, a 1973 Ford F150 wouldn’t be my vehicle of choice. To argue that one is worthless is just idiotic. To argue that a congregation that addresses the issues of discipleship and faith in a different way for a different group of people somehow implies another congregation is worthless is a conversation that i am growing weary of. But I also know that when I feel emotionally fragile or vulnerable I make arguments that maybe I wouldn’t otherwise. Your milage may vary...<br /><br />Next week I will be writing a little bit about the language we use for “church” and what that reveals about us . In the mean time please continue praying for my family and I as we prepare to begin this new congregation. <br /><br />1 month and counting till I am officially appointed to start a new congregation in Vancouver, WA!RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-30187128460823737672009-05-11T09:55:00.000-07:002009-05-11T09:57:11.787-07:00More than "church"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGHv51hY8UC8WisoYeFGXA8J1xMySqFfrk6yKaAqAQFP1yskNDLY3kd6KYHOS4MW230RUI4gNGCIg5qfv0595T5L-EkrjA2L5un1GbrMbnLrh8-Ng2f-AZdUUa8eaLIiKZIid3A/s1600-h/creation.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGHv51hY8UC8WisoYeFGXA8J1xMySqFfrk6yKaAqAQFP1yskNDLY3kd6KYHOS4MW230RUI4gNGCIg5qfv0595T5L-EkrjA2L5un1GbrMbnLrh8-Ng2f-AZdUUa8eaLIiKZIid3A/s320/creation.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334611398655030930" /></a><br />Hi friends,<br /><br />Sorry it has been a while since I have posted anything up on the blog. The last three weeks have been filled to the brim. I serve on my conferences Board of Ordained Ministry, so I was in Seattle for a couple days interviewing candidates for full membership in the PNW Conference. Then home for a day, then off to Ocean Park Retreat Center for the All-Church Retreat, that Orchards UMC does every year. Then home for one night in my own bed before Jennifer (my wife) and I flew out to Fayetteville, Arkansas for a week of “New Church Start Boot Camp. I was a little disappointed, I didn’t get to shoot a gun, or throw a grenade or anything :(<br /><br />I have a lot to process, and mull over in my head after the week in Fayetteville. I have been appointed by the Bishop of the PNW Annual Conference to start a new church in the Vancouver area, beginning this July. The catch is that I have felt a call from God over the last three years to start something very different than most churches. The focus of the new “church” wont be a traditional worship service, but rather a community of disciples that actively work towards the transformation of the world, and hopefully ourselves along the journey. The building block of this congregation is the community and service we are a part of as disciples of Jesus, rather than the overwhelming focus being on a worship experience on Sunday morning. (although somewhere down the line we will be participating in some type of community worship together). As I sat in session after session at “boot camp” there was a presupposition that seemed pretty evident to me. There was a very real tendency to equate Church to a one or two hour block that we call “Sunday worship”. We talked about “previewing” the church to the community, and “launching”. In 99% of the cases I talked about with my fellow “boot campers” previewing and launching meant, Previewing a worship band, or a preaching style, or a worship facility, or “launching” a Sunday morning worship service. <br /><br />I have always wanted church to be “more”; more than just a worship service, more than a bible study in the church basement, more than just a Sunday school program, (not that there is anything wrong with those things) I have wanted my world, and community to be different - to be changed because there were disciples of Jesus living there. I desperately want “church” to be something more than a worship experience.<br /><br /> I am finally seeing people recognize that “church” is more than just a pretty building, which I think is a great step for the community at large, but I know that when I say “I am starting a church,” and someone replies “Great! When do you start?” they have in there mind a “worship experience”.<br /><br />So my work this week will be processing the gold mine of information that I received from Don Smith, and Bob Crossman at boot camp, and molding it and customizing it to fit a new community that is less about presenting a worship service, and more about forming a community of disciples that transform our world. If you have any thoughts please post them!<br /><br />Having said all that “boot camp” was a GREAT experience! I came back with more practical tips and plans than I have had in three years of networking with people, and reading books. I and my family have a huge task ahead, that i am incredibly excited about!<br /><br />Have a wonderful week friends!RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-29912785448113561502009-04-13T09:48:00.000-07:002009-04-13T09:51:56.246-07:00Easter Debriefed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/RevrdMark/448421298_6e087bb625_m.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 211px; height: 240px;" src="http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/RevrdMark/448421298_6e087bb625_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I hope ya’ll had a wonderful Easter yesterday! Easter is one of those bitter sweet days for pastors like me. The congregation I serve has a pretty busy schedule during Holy Week, with a Seder dinner, Good Friday service, Saturday prayer service, and three services on Easter Morning. Holy Week and Easter are a pretty emotionally and spiritually charged time for me (Duh!) so each of those gatherings and events have their own meaning and emotional connection for me. There is a lot of effort and emotion that goes into them, so as I make those last few step on the journey of Lent, to Easter I am pretty exhausted (Not to mention i have had about the worst two week stint of allergy symptoms I think I have ever had!). It’s easy for Easter to be another item on a busy week, in fact the biggest item on the check list for that week.<br /><br /> I suck at taking my own advise. Typically, I tell people get rid of that idea that this is one of the biggest crowds that will gather all year at the church so, “I better have something impressive for them,” and just let them know that Jesus loves them and so do you. We’ll i try to have every preaching moment show Jesus in some way, but on Easter i spend probably three times the amount of prep-time for that preaching moment. I put a lot of pressure on myself to “hit one out of the park”. So again Easter can feel like a looming, ginormous event that I have to really perform for. I tell you this to confess that I am usually kinda grumpy and short with people all through Holy Week ( how pastoral of me huh?) <br /><br />BUT, once we get into that time of worship, the incredibleness of what Easter is really about hits me like a ton of bricks. I think i set a record this year by not crying like a baby until about 46.8 seconds into the time of worship. Usually i make it to “happy Easter “ and I’m gone. This year I was halfway through the opening prayer before i lost it <br /><br />After worship my wife made a great ham dinner that we as a family shared (My wife is awesome, and totally hot, in case you didn’t know!) My son said grace and thanked Jesus for loving us “and oh i forgot thanks for the food too... Amen” After dinner the kids got their Easter baskets, and we all played video games and relaxed (well, they played ... I watched, My family has a fondness for Zelda that i don’t share, I’m more a drive race car, fly fighter plane kinda guy) but it was a good day. Perfect after a long Holy Week!<br /><br />I hope you had a similarly good Easter day!<br /><br />Talk to ya' next week<br /><br />MarkRevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-2220227513238125642009-03-30T09:19:00.000-07:002009-03-30T09:24:15.089-07:00Pastor V. 2.0... Maybe 1.8...A letter was read during the worship services at <a href="http://www.OrchardsUMCVancouver.org">Orchards UMC</a> on Sunday informing the congregation that it was <a href="http://www.pnwumc.org/Bishop/meetthebishop.html">Bishop Grant Hagiya’s</a> intention to appoint me to start a new church in the Vancouver, Wa area July 1, 2009. The reading of that letter brings to fruition over 3 years of work to answer a call that my wife and I have felt from God. <br /><br />I don’t have a whole lot to write today on the topic, mostly because it is by far the largest thing occupying my thoughts today, and I have written much of my ideas in the pages of this blog over the past couple of years. <br /><br />I will say this; although my wife and I are beyond excited to be called to this new chapter in our lives of ministry, we enter it with a tear in our eye. We have served Orchards UMC for 9 years. They are are the only church my kids have ever known. I have baptized kids there, I have officiated funerals for dear friends there. I can remember trying to make sense of the attacks on September 11th during a children’s sermon in the sanctuary of that community. I have prayed with families when son’s and daughters, husbands and wives, moms and dads were deployed to very dangerous places for military service, I have rejoiced when soldiers came home to waiting families, These are friends who I chose to share my life with. I say “chose”, because some think that when you are appointed by the Bishop to serve a congregation you are automatically part of a community. That is not the case. You choose to be part of a community. It was wonderful to have friends from that community meet me on the platform after the worship service, and hug me and tell me they loved me, and will miss me, but that they know God is calling me to this work.<br /><br />The church I feel called to start doesn’t fit well into the United Methodists boxes and categories. There isn’t a manual that I can turn to page 3 paragraph 5 and read how to do this. At this point I have probably as many questions as I have answers, and this blog will be a place where I work out ideas, share thoughts and stories of this journey. <br /><br />For those of you that read this blog fairly regularly, please be praying for my family and I, as we prepare to begin this chapter. AND be praying for this new community that will be forming in Vancouver, WA. - Pray that this would provide the perfect avenue for those who have given up on a relationship with God will find new life in it, that those who have wanted “church” to make a difference in the world will answer a call to service, that those who have felt alone and lonely in their journeys of faith would find a compassionate community of faith hope , love and service. JUST PRAY.<br /><br />Have a great week friends!RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-50895138269789823862009-03-23T10:08:00.000-07:002009-03-23T10:11:51.258-07:00Coffee with Pastor SuitOk I admit it. I am an eavesdropper. As I sit in <a href="http://www.monamicafe.com/contact.html">Mon ami</a> coffee shop today I have spent the last 15 minutes listening to the conversation behind me, as i surf my <a href="http://www.pnwriders.com">PNWRiders.com</a> web site.<br /><br />I also have to admit that i know nothing of the backgrounds of the people I am going to be writing about, and that i have my own personal “chip on my shoulder” that will affect my hearing of their conversation. And I wish that the clothes they were wearing were different but hey i didn’t get a chance to make the wardrobe call.<br /><br />The two guys behind me are having a deep conversation about church. One is wearing a black expensive suite and tie with shiny shoes the other is in jeans sweat shirt and converse shoes. Its obvious that the suite guy is either the pastor or on staff in some way at a church and the other guy is deciding weather he wants to be involved with his church in some way.<br /><br />I wasn’t planning on writing about my two fellow coffee house patrons this morning but I was intrigued by their conversation. Mr. Sweatshirt seemed to pretty knowledgeable about the Christian faith and especially with the teachings of Jesus and had a pretty well thought out theology of community and grace. which is where i think his rub with Pastor suite came in. But what stood out for me was the lengths sweatshirt guys went to to avoid being labeled “liberal”. He said “I don’t wanna sound like a no rules liberal” and other like phrases. To which pastor suit would reply “Oh no i don’t think you are that...” Sweatshirt man jumped from topic to topic ; leaders in the church being divorced, grace those that don’t fit the “behavior” of the congregation. He used phrases like “whose in and whose out, who is like me?.” Pastor suit responded in several ways and ultimately said “well, it takes practice”. I didn’t know if he was saying it takes practice to welcome those who look, act and see the world differently with God’s love... or it takes practice to not be bothered by the fact that people like sweatshirt guy wont be welcomed...<br /><br />I think Mr. Sweatshirt, as much as he doesn’t want to admit it, is a liberal... DUN DUH DUNNNNNN........ Maybe not in a political agenda sense, but in a “liberty” sense. In fact it took all that I had, not leave my business card on his table, because i was resonating with him on a pretty deep level. BUT I also feel for Pastor Suit and his inability to really address the frustrations Mr. Sweatshirt was struggling with. In my very biased opinion, one was speaking about issues of discipleship and incarnation, the other was talking about organizational identity and church growth. One wanted to know how is being part of this group or church going to make me a more compassionate person and a disciple that connects and transforms the world. One wanted to know how you could be a member of his church. <br /><br />They ended up talking about some non “churchy” things as the conversation ended.<br /><br />I wonder how many of these conversations happen all over Vancouver. I wonder how many faithful Christians are struggling to find communities that encourage them and even join them on their journey of discipleship that isn’t rooted in “join my church” but in liberty found only in Jesus.<br /><br />As a pastor i hope i never find myself in the position of saying “it takes practice...” rather than “what can i do to help you answer this call to be what God is calling you to be?...” After all the Kingdom of God is at hand isn’t it?<br /><br />your milage may vary...RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-47806436540528039742009-03-02T15:31:00.000-08:002009-03-02T15:38:46.434-08:00News that my friend Sisyphus needs to hear<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1qCmdcJzM1dFOVdJpmb3s7GLA-wWGyWzlb268Mg6kCAiMgKNj_nGEAEx-O0nivdRGBNTN3ZE89YDmJz09up6_UOFihO9ihOKJpGdhvw5cozhn-y0vEFuW37EuBH-od9j11exCg/s1600-h/sisyphus.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1qCmdcJzM1dFOVdJpmb3s7GLA-wWGyWzlb268Mg6kCAiMgKNj_nGEAEx-O0nivdRGBNTN3ZE89YDmJz09up6_UOFihO9ihOKJpGdhvw5cozhn-y0vEFuW37EuBH-od9j11exCg/s320/sisyphus.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308737574751347634" /></a><br /><br /> I have been re-learning a lot about Greek and Roman mythology lately. The main reason is that my son has discovered a new series of books called <a href="http://www.percyjacksonbooks.com/">Percy Jackson and the Olympians</a>, which retells many of the stories of Greek mythology with a modern twist. Last week my son and I were getting a hot chocolate and latte' at one of my favorite coffee shops in Vancouver called <a href="http://www.monamicafe.com/contact.html">Mon Ami</a> before he went to school. While we were enjoying our warm beverages I was reading a small local weekly paper that was on the table (I’m sorry i don’t remember the name of the paper or I’d provide a link) Anyway, one of the articles/advertisements was an interesting thought about the myth of Sisyphus, the poor man who angered Zeus and was doomed to push a rock up a hill only to have it roll down the other side for an eternity. The article mentioned a french philosopher named Albert Camus who saw the myth in another light. Camus proposed that the only way Sisyphus could bear such an eternity was if he “loved the rock”. The article then went on to say we should join a gym and work out more. A part of me agrees with Camus, not so much about the joining a Gym part, but changing our attitudes about difficult things. Sometimes the things we dread can become the things we love. But an even larger part of cringes at the idea.<br /> If we talk ourselves into “loving the rock” it may make the task bearable, maybe even enjoyable, but it erases the hopes and dreams of a life. I want to ask what about the dreams for Sisyphus's life, his kids his family? If we talk ourselves into desiring the absurdity of pushing a rock for eternity what happens to the dreams of our soul.<br /> Maybe this resonates so sharply with me because I find myself in relationships with clergy who are more and more loosing the dreams of their call. They find themselves serving institutions and organizations as a necessary evil of “doing the work of the gospel” Their dreams as young men and women answering a call from God to offer a relevant gospel to their peers... for faith to be something that transforms all of creation, was lost somewhere in the trustees meeting over the color of the carpet at the church building or in questioning whether the doughnuts at coffee time should be powdered or have sprinkles... or (Insert your own misguided priority here). I hear more and more from my colleagues in ordained ministry and from seminary professors who are training a new generation of ministers, that it is increasingly difficult to live out a call from God in the church as we know it today. In fact I find more men and women NOT pursuing ordained ministry because if they do it means giving up a significant part of what they believe God is calling them to be. When we, who are frustrated, describe the type of church we dream of, the priorities and values that would guide it, we hear too often “we don’t have any churches like that” from our judicatories and cabinets. Even worse I hear from colleges who have been told “we don’t have churches like that, maybe you better just learn to serve the churches we have”. From an institutional standpoint I see the point, and in fact wouldn’t expect a different answer from cabinets and judicatories, but for those of us who desperately and passionately answered a call from God it sounds like “Sisyphus maybe you should just learn to love that rock”<br /> I guess my point in all this is if you are one of those who has answered a call to serve God as a minister of the Gospel, or if you are feeling the inklings of that call, don’t give up on the dreams God’ breathes into your heart. Don’t settle for pushing a rock when your soul cries out for community and creation transformed by the Holy Spirit. <br /> Friends live this gospel wherever you are, and never lose sight of what God is calling you to be. Tell Sisyphus what Isaiah told us. “A voice cries out: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” <br /><br />Have a great week friends!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/funny-pictures-sisyphus-cat-watermelon-water.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 495px; height: 481px;" src="http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/funny-pictures-sisyphus-cat-watermelon-water.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-5192246970316819102009-02-02T09:26:00.000-08:002009-02-02T10:09:36.473-08:00A rose by any other name... might smell like a lemonHave you ever had those moments where you hear something differently than anyone else? I have had two examples of it in the last few weeks. I wanna get some thoughts down on LCD screen about one of those experiences. It was on inauguration day. I was watching president Obama's speech over the live internet feed on CNN.com. One of their features on the live stream was a connection to face book where you can see people's status updates as the speech was underway. As the speech unfolded I was amazed at the status messages that were scrolling down the right side of my screen. One in particular made me shake my head. It only flashed for a moment but someone had posted " 'so and so' is calling all her friends to say we can live again!" Now I understand that many people don't like the direction our country seemed headed in recently (I included). I understand that many people don't like the politics of the Republican party (even some of us who are registered Republicans) . I understand that many people don't like George W. Bush on a more personal level, or the way he expresses his faith in God. But to say "I can live again" now that a new administration is in office?? Give me a freakin break... Some of us are just spoiled. Tell that to the millions of people who have been brutally slaughtered when they stood against their government’s policies, or spoke out. “My album only went quadruple platinum after i said bad things about our president in other countries”... Oh God the horror of the persecution... I can hear people in Laos saying “Holy crap how do they live in America when your album only goes quadruple platinum?” (Ok getting off my soap box). What I found even more ironic was that I was utterly unimpressed by our new presidents speech! While others were expressing euphoria at the new found life Obama was offering I was thinking "Wow, this is the same speech I have heard from president Bush at least 4 times, Senate Republicans and Democrats too.” Appeals for God's blessings on our country, personal addresses to our enemies, pledges to defend our "way of life"... Even comedy central picked up on it ...<br /><br /><style type='text/css'>.cc_box a:hover .cc_home{background:url('http://www.comedycentral.com/comedycentral/video/assets/syndicated-logo-over.png') !important;}.cc_links a{color:#b9b9b9;text-decoration:none;}.cc_show a{color:#707070;text-decoration:none;}.cc_title a{color:#868686;text-decoration:none;}.cc_links a:hover{color:#67bee2;text-decoration:underline;}</style><div class='cc_box' style='position:relative'><a href='http://www.comedycentral.com' target='_blank' style='display:inline; float:left; width:60px; height:31px;'><div class='cc_home' style='float:left; border:solid 1px #cfcfcf; border-width:1px 0px 0px 1px; width:60px; height:31px; background:url("http://www.comedycentral.com/comedycentral/video/assets/syndicated-logo-out.png");'></div></a><div style='font:bold 10px Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; float:left; width:299px; height:31px; border:solid 1px #cfcfcf; border-width:1px 1px 0px 0px; overflow:hidden; color:#707070;'><div class='cc_show' style='position:relative; background-color:#e5e5e5;padding-left:3px; height:14px; padding-top:2px; overflow:hidden;'><a href='http://www.thedailyshow.com/' target='_blank'>The Daily Show With Jon Stewart</a><span style='position:absolute; top:2px; right:3px;'>M - Th 11p / 10c</span></div><div class='cc_title' style='font-size:11px; color:#868686; background-color:#f5f5f5; padding:3px; padding-top:1px; line-height:14px; height:21px; overflow:hidden;'><a href='http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=216538&title=changefest-09-obamas-inaugural' target='_blank'>Changefest '09 - Obama's Inaugural Speech</a></div></div><embed style='float:left; clear:left;' src='http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:216538' width='360' height='301' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' wmode='window' allowFullscreen='true' allowscriptaccess='always' allownetworking='all' flashvars='autoPlay=false' bgcolor='#000000'></embed><div class='cc_links' style='float:left; clear:left; width:358px; border:solid 1px #cfcfcf; border-top:0px; font:10px Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; color:#b9b9b9; background-color:#f5f5f5;'><div style='width:177px; float:left; padding-left:3px;'><a target='_blank' href='http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml'>Daily Show Full Episodes</a><br /><a target='_blank' href='http://www.thedailyshow.com/'>Funny Political Videos</a></div><div style='width:177px; float:left;'><a target='_blank' href='http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/important_things/index.jhtml'>Important Things With Demetri Martin</a><br /><a target='_blank' href='http://www.comedycentral.com/funny_videos/index.jhtml'>More Funny Videos</a></div><div style='clear:both'></div></div><div style='clear:both'></div></div><br /><br />When I was in college, Gov. Jerry Brown was running for president and he came to my college to make a speech. I was never planning on voting for him. I figured his first official act as president if elected would be to legalize pot. I wasn't really his “demographic”. In fact I was holding a student advisory position at the college at the time, and Gov. Brown was using our office as a staging area before the speech. I was amazed to see the Governor's body guards dressed in tie die t-shirts, dread locks and sunglasses. BUT Jerry's speech was an eye opener for me (no i didn't vote for him). He spent the majority of the speech laying out how the two parties are basically run by the same people, corporations, and same pursuit of power and money. No matter what party you vote for you get the same thing... I think Jerry was right. He went on to say that he was a candidate who was going to be different than the same old politics and policies (and yes he would have been... I don't mean that in a good way :-) But from that moment on I have viewed political rhetoric with a heightened sense of skepticism.<br /><br />I prey that our new president does lead us into a new chapter as a country. I hope that those who heard something i didn't are motivated to be something, and do something different. I do pray for God's blessings for our country (and for all the other countries of the word for that matter!) But most of all i pray as my entire congregation does every sunday that God's "kingdom would come, on earth as it is in heaven"RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-47156824843208165502009-01-26T17:25:00.001-08:002009-01-26T17:26:30.997-08:00Duck, duck, goose<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDL1rCsq4behWtyrMbB4WJ2ni24DZNpd7wNI91daQPFQEOf9aIF7c1m9te0P7hMRd0hf4rx0saTOoa0DmCcNrNClsLUat48vrfTkN1NnMWTl0-NRsww0Zdg_0kR9BQClRA1XLg1A/s1600-h/ducks_19095.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDL1rCsq4behWtyrMbB4WJ2ni24DZNpd7wNI91daQPFQEOf9aIF7c1m9te0P7hMRd0hf4rx0saTOoa0DmCcNrNClsLUat48vrfTkN1NnMWTl0-NRsww0Zdg_0kR9BQClRA1XLg1A/s320/ducks_19095.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295778719525126258" /></a><br />Awhile back I was at a seminar in which Len Sweet was one of the speakers. As part of Len’s presentation (I call it a presentation rather than a lecture, If you have ever sat through the shot gun blast of information that is a Len Sweet lecture you know what I mean) he brought up the subject of a phenomenon known as the “Well Curve”. Many of us remember the good ol’ “Bell Curve” in which the majority was lumped in the middle forming a bell shape. In recent years we have seen a trend, rather than the largest grouping being in the middle we are finding more people attracted to either end of a spectrum creating a “well” in the middle . In churches we used to see the majority of people congregating in the middle-sized churches, with a few being involved in the mega-church style or in a small home group discipleship style of church. There seems to be an exodus in the middle-sized church as people either move towards the mega-church style or flock towards more personal communities leaving the middle-sized churches in difficult straights.<br /><br />I was thinking about this the last time I was out on a motorcycle ride around the lake and a few things came to mind that I’d like to put down on LCD screen about the whole church size conversation.<br /><br />As I start, I need to let you know what my back ground is. I am the product of the mega- church. The church I grew up in was seeker sensitive before we knew that's what you were supposed to call it. I heard Bob Schueller speak from the pulpit, My father was on the board of trustees and helped dig the ceremonial first shovel full of dirt as a multi million dollar building was created. I learned about Jesus and grace and forgiveness in the classrooms and worship services of that church which I dearly loved and still do. When I was a young seminary student and pastor my dreams were to become the type of pastor that worked as a CEO of a mega-ministry such as the one I grew up in. I realize that there is something inspiring about worship together with a huge group of people, and the potential good such churches can do with the resources they command is inspiring as well. I am pro big church.<br /><br />BUT somewhere along the line, God pulled my call in another direction. I found myself talking with more people who wanted something different than a big building on a hill and million dollar projects. They wanted community rather than institution. They wanted to be doing something that made a difference in the world rather than being a part of a ministry of their church that changed the world. They wanted partners on a journey of faith. To be honest I wanted that too. <br /><br />I think both experiences have a unique fingerprint of God on them. The church I grew up in has literally fed thousands of people who were in need, It has raised thousands of dollars to build seminaries in Africa. My friends who are members of more personal communities, have fed those in need and sent money to projects overseas, as well as across the street. They have gone shopping as families to provide meals for others, opened their homes as friends and put a personal face on the ministry they felt called to. Both of them inspire me!<br /><br />What disturbs me is the rift that seems to divide the two. I find that in the area of new church development, at least in mainline denominations, there is an infatuation with the huge institutional mega-church. If a new congregation doesn’t have a hint of (Insert your denominations favorite mega-church) to it , or if it doesn’t have building plan and property acquisition in its initial plans, it is “risky” or “cutting edge” My denomination seems to forget all too easily that it was Methodist class meetings and societies that changed countless lives of individuals in England and early America with groups of 10-15 people. Not only were lives changed but the climate of entire cultures were redirected because of the influence of these small societies. More than a few historians point to the fact that England avoided the same kind of bloody revolution the French experienced specifically because of the Methodist societies and classes giving a voice to the poor. Similar things can be said for the Kenya while other countries were experiencing bloody tribal wars.<br /><br />Again let me say I am pro big church, but I am very much against the notion that the work of God’s kingdom is best done in that setting. For many the personal communities of emerging churches are the God send they have been waiting for. A small community that replicates itself over and over, in many cases can in 20 years have a more profound effect on individuals and communities than a mega-church with 2000 in worship services on Sunday mornings.<br /><br />While on a motorcycle ride around the lake I stopped to pray and enjoy the view and I noticed that as fall was coming, there were in front of me about 15 or 16 small groups of duck all over the lake. A bunch of three here, and five over there, and four a little farther away. There were probably 50 or so of them spread out with their little duck friends close by. As I was watching the ducks a shadow blocked out the sun. A huge flock of geese flew over the lake and then came in for a landing. They were huge and noisy and honking and everyone and everything on and around the lake turned to see what was going on when they landed. They dominated the attention of the whole lake. They landed with a splash and the whole group paddled over to a shallow section of lilly pads and started to eat. It dawned on me that this was a model of the church right in front of me. I quickly counted the geese and there were about 45 in the flock. There were just as many ducks on the lake but they didn’t seem to command the attention the geese did. I’m not sure I would be willing to say it’s better to be a goose rather than a duck, but it seems that in many of our churches today we do say such things by our actions of support or lack of it. I am so thankful there are flocks of geese on my lake, but I am rooting for the ducks too!<br /><br />Your milage may very...RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-87676652101705435602009-01-19T09:37:00.000-08:002009-01-19T09:53:43.109-08:00Mark finds his groove...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP15gJCfAMUJSUYqkJcg0TzikiNb474wdJI67NHH7aEkqpQ-S1pyQBa7n7gXlTfwwfuSfhlKKErrngCmqMCoW5p0zALc3AGlwFG1lCixMqrbaiva3CChmfTqSJwn2Y2NPhTPqxXw/s1600-h/Blur+of+people+on+escalator.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 205px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP15gJCfAMUJSUYqkJcg0TzikiNb474wdJI67NHH7aEkqpQ-S1pyQBa7n7gXlTfwwfuSfhlKKErrngCmqMCoW5p0zALc3AGlwFG1lCixMqrbaiva3CChmfTqSJwn2Y2NPhTPqxXw/s320/Blur+of+people+on+escalator.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293064452632429426" /></a><br />Hi friends,<br /><br />Well, it has been a while since I have posted anything up on the blog. I have kinda' be in a funk for the last couple months, and not in the mood to do much writing. <br /><br />For those of you that read this page regularly, you know that my father passed away in October. I have found that when something traumatic like that happens the rest of the world doesn’t stop, or really even slow down for that matter. Not because the world is a cold dark hearted place, but just because people have their own stuff, and the world keeps spinning. My personality is such that when major events happen in my life, especially traumatic ones, I want to stop and go away for a while. I don’t want to talk, or write or "share". When I can spend some time processing, and in a sense find some handles, then I’m ready to jump back into the swing of things. <br /><br />The problem as a pastor, especially at the end of October, is that you don’t really get an opportunity to stop and go away for awhile. The season of advent is bearing down, children’s programs are planned, holiday open houses, and all the rest. If you are like me, when you pull back and don’t engage those things wholeheartedly you feel a sense of guilt about short changing those people you serve, at least I do. That's my stuff, and in no way a comment on the congregation I serve. They have been compassionate, caring and graceful to me as I wade through all the emotions, responsibilities and busyness of the holidays while feeling like I’m running on half a tank of gas.<br /><br /><br />Having said all that, I figured it was time to start getting back into a routine. Part of that routine is getting back to writing every Monday. So this is my first stab at getting back in the groove. I have several things I’ll be putting down on paper (or more correctly LCD screen)in the days ahead. In the mean time have a wonderful week and tell someone you love them today.<br /><br />MarkRevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-81237086087810331922008-10-27T15:20:00.000-07:002008-10-27T15:22:49.983-07:00Meet my dad...I apologize that I haven’t been posting much on the blog lately. I set a gopal of trying to have something up each week, but I have done a poor job of meeting that goal the last few weeks.<br /><br />Last Sunday at abour 3:20 my Father passed away after a massive heart attack. If you keep up with my blog you probably saw the post I made about it last Monday. Saturday was his Memorial service. It was one of those bitter sweet moments where you love seeing family that you haven’t seen for a long time, and get to share memories and time together, but there is the elephant in the room as to why we are all here together - because my dad has died. (i found in his library a stack of papers that was every entry of this blog that he had printed out i assume to make it easier to read)<br /><br />As many of you know who have gone through the death of a parent or other family member there are lots of things that you need to do and take care of. Since i have some writing experience i volunteered (with the help of my brother and sister) to write dad’s obituary and a eulogy that was read at my dad’s memorial service on Saturday. Since there isn’t much else occupying my mind today i figured I would post up dad’s eulogy, and let you get a glimpse of this man that meant so much to me and as I have found out more this week meant so much to so many others. I apologize for its length but dad wasn’t really a guy you could sum up in half a page - in fact as i wrote this I found myself editing it down because there was so much about dad I could share... So here my friends is a BRIEF telling of my dads life...<br /><br />As I sit down to write our shared memories of our dad, I realize my recollections will surface more than others, which isn't fair and I apologize. I know we all have so many wonderful memories overpowering our thoughts today. As we sat around the table on Monday night I realized our memories and impressions are so limited compared to all the things that dad was to so many people; a friend, a coworker, a teacher, a role model - the list goes on and on. I want to be sure that this is clear; although these comments are made in regards to our father, Steve, Nancy and I are keenly aware it was the partnership of our mom Gerry, with our father Bill, that filled our home with the joy and they together made our family a very special and unique entity which we treasure beyond words.<br /><br />Bill was born in Pittsburgh Kansas on January, 22nd 1929 to Guy and Clara McMurray. Guy was a hard working school teacher who ultimately became a superintendent of schools and a very successful athletic coach, part of the reason Bill loved sports and was so successful at both football and basketball. Clara, Guy's wife, helped raise her all male family and was forever known as the grandma “who always made sure the grandchildren ate the crust on their bread whenever they visited.”<br /><br />Bill attended the University of Kansas where he earned a degree in bio physics. On the recommendation of his brother Paul McMurray, Bill moved to Washington State to seek employment at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. At the time nuclear technology was the cutting edge of science and Bill was exploring new frontiers. It was here in Richland that Bill met a petite gorgeous young woman named Geraldine Sue Kelsey. Gerry was living with her brother and sister-in-law who also came out to Richland to find employment. Their first date was to a local football game and the two ultimately were married in a backyard ceremony at the home of her brother Bud Kelsey and his wife Joyce. Bill and Gerry were married for 57 years.<br /><br />Bill's career spans 40 years at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, and was mostly concerned with the area of health physics and emergency preparedness. Bill worked for years in the era where he wasn't at liberty to tell people what he did for a living. In the span of his career Bill was a member of the Health Physics Society and had several articles published in their journal and was a respected expert in the field. On a number of occasions his expertise was called on in the times of crisis. In the aftermath of the Three Mile Island mishap, Bill was requested to review safety procedures. Because he was considered one of the few people who had expertise in Graphite Core Reactors, he was on a short list of people who would have been sent to Russia in 1986, had their government asked for help following the Chernobyl accident. Our family was thankful he was never sent to Russia to deal with that situation.<br /><br />Bill and Gerry adopted their first child Steve in 1958, and adopted their daughter Nancy in 1961. It takes special people to provide a loving home to a child and bring them into their heart. Both Steve and Nancy have commented on their eternal gratefulness that God provided them the gift of a mother and father like our parents. In the summer of 1968 I was born. In my less sanctified moments I would say I was the real McMurray to which Steve and Nancy would reply “mom and dad picked us... they had to keep you”.<br /><br />Even with sibling fights and arguments the three of us are forever in debt to our mother and father for providing such a wonderful home and family for us to grow in. Our parents encouraged us to be anything we wanted to be-we never felt like there was anything we couldn't do. Our home was a place where we built 747's out of refrigerator boxes and forts with the couch cushions. Our home was a place where Steve could follow behind Dad with his toy lawn mower as Dad mowed the lawn. It was a home where Dad taught me how to shoot a hook shot, and throw a football in the backyard. Our home was a place where Dad always made sure there was plenty of lighter fluid for Nancy's flaming batons for her competitions with the Atomic Twirlers. Our home was a place where we packed ice coolers and blankets to head out to Tri-City Raceways every Friday night, or to the hydroplane races every July. Nancy remembers her friends loved the opportunity to spend the night because our home was a special place and they were always greeted with a warm heart and a warm cookie! Dad did most of the addition work to our house on his own, and no code inspector should ever go near there. Yet the home our Mom and Dad built was so much more than wood and shingles.<br /><br />Over the years our family has grown. It's not uncommon to have 20 plus people gathered for a Thanksgiving celebration. People have come into our family through the front door, the side door, down the chimney or through a window, but no matter how they entered, they found themselves part of our family. Dad always loved us and welcomed us. Nancy recalls - “Dad never judged me--even when I made mistakes or was having problems--he always loved me”. Dad was so proud of his kids and grandkids, if you didn't hear about how great his daughter's apple orchard was, or how skillful Steve was at the bus rodeo, or what a great pastor I was, you certainly weren't listening to Dad very long. I wish my kids and the rest of Dad's grandkids could have known him when he was more active. But I know for each of his grandkids, there were few places better or safer than sitting on grandpa's lap.<br /><br />Dad loved to travel and we as a family visited most of the United States together. We survived traveling through the desert of Arizona going 112 mph in a 1973 Ford Galaxy 500 to visit his parents. We survived a trip to Miami Beach in a 1975 VW pop-up camper van, even though the transmission disintegrated along the road side in the warm embrace of the wheat fields of Dodge City Kansas. Not to mention it was the first--and last time that I got to pee on a grain silo while waiting for a tow truck. Along the way Dad always gave us a sense of history and family on those trips. <br /><br />Dad's faith has always been inspiring to us. Dad literally taught hundreds of bible studies in this congregation that he dearly loved. I would assume most of the people here honoring our dad sat in at least one class he taught here. For years Dad and Mom served as Lay Witness Mission Coordinators. They traveled the region leading lay run gatherings--helping people rediscover a deep and passionate faith--or helped people discover faith for the first time. One of my earliest memories is playing with hot wheels on the floor while Dad lead a meeting in a home during one of those Lay Witness Missions. It was not unusual in our house to have Dad pray or be reading scripture. Faith was something Dad and Mom showed us everyday--it was a very special gift they shared with Steve, Nancy and me. For me it was foundational in my own journey that lead me into ordained ministry. Dad's grandson Brian recognized it was 3:16 pm last Sunday afternoon when Dad passed away…is there a better time to be reminded of God's love for us as so beautifully stated in John 3:16? <br /><br />In recent years Dad's health had sharply declined. For 28 years he battled diabetes, he was a prostate cancer survivor, then liver and heart problems ultimately wore Dad's body out. Yet his spirit remained steadfast and true, even if it meant using a wheel chair to visit his grandson Brian in the hospital for pneumonia, or walking slowly but surly to McDonalds with “the kids” to get a happy meal. Before moving to their house in Pasco, Dad had 20 years-worth of happy meal toys in every nook and cranny of their Richland house. Dad loved kids and as Steve said - “there was no place better than sitting on dad's shoulders and feeling like you were a mile in the sky”.<br /><br />I wrote on my web blog Monday Morning “The most brilliant faithful man I have ever known went home today - rest in peace dad”<br /><br />Steve, Nancy and I are better people because of our father Bill McMurray<br /><br />Our beautiful mother and our families will miss you and we know an important part of us is missing--but we know Jesus was there to meet you with open arms. We hold-on to the thought of you with a body that works like it's suppose to, in a place where there are no tears, and you don't have to sneak your snickers candy bars!RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-32722993005087501882008-10-20T08:37:00.000-07:002008-10-20T18:53:23.990-07:00A great man went home yesterday!One of the most brilliant, faithful men I have ever known, passed away yesterday. My Father, Bill J. McMurray died after a massive heart attack at the ICU at Kadlac Medical Center in Richland, WA at 3:20 pm. Rest in peace dad.<br /><br />Thank you Dr. Zanders, what a blessing to have a Dr. with such a strong Christian faith, as my family and I waded through all that together. I wouldn't expect anything less from the son of two Salvation Army pastors! And thank you to the rest of the ICU staff at Kadlac you were wonderful!<br /><br />To my friends, drink a toast to Bill McMurray if you get a chance.RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-738905378561991532008-09-01T10:37:00.001-07:002008-09-04T14:33:04.966-07:00The Gospel according to Walt??<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEize3YjPTHQH7Airx7ZtwRfmtnOgtQo7yWvXuTaxdNtiXy69AfGrbrikUhfDDHvaSh2lus5VZPxFSae2FQoI5z0ewvEilROJmD6PJ3ltQVl7woM8G5yZOGjTLdoVfO2UL53b_aVmw/s1600-h/DisneyLand.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEize3YjPTHQH7Airx7ZtwRfmtnOgtQo7yWvXuTaxdNtiXy69AfGrbrikUhfDDHvaSh2lus5VZPxFSae2FQoI5z0ewvEilROJmD6PJ3ltQVl7woM8G5yZOGjTLdoVfO2UL53b_aVmw/s320/DisneyLand.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242282265370456530" /></a><br />Well, a couple of you have asked me to get around to giving you some reflections on the whole “Disney” experience I had while on Vacation a few weeks ago. One of the drawbacks of being a pastor is that the job and calling of a pastor tends to swallow up every aspect and experience. I find myself examining many things, not on their own merits, but in light of church/ church culture and faith. Disneyland was no different for me. I want to make it clear that I don’t think that Christ's Church and Disneyland are the same thing (at least most of the time). Disney is a very artificial carefully constructed creation that is extremely protected from the outside world. Hmm maybe there are more similarities then i first thought... maybe not with Christ’s bride the church, but the church we seem to have created in the western world...<br /><br />I also want to preface this by saying that Disneyland is one of my favorite places, I know some of you reading are fighting a gag reflex as I say that, but it is. In fact there are some things about Disneyland I wish I could bring into the local church. <br /><br />The first, is the fact that it is hard for people to be angry when you are at Disneyland. I know it can be done, I saw plenty of brothers and sisters screaming at each other, and plenty of Parents trying the “ok we are gonna just leave you “ and walk five steps away only to come back and grab johnny by the arm away screaming. (does the “we are leaving” thing ever work???). But as my wife and kids and I were walking past the bus drop off parking lot and the ticket gates, there was music playing, the sun was shining, you could see the top of space mountain and the Matterhorn, Grizzly peak and the Tower of Terror over in California adventure, I couldn’t NOT smile. neither could my wife and kids. In fact it was so obvious that it became a joke as we walked towards the entrance. <br /><br />There is a huge difference between Joy and happiness. One is based on a situation the other surpasses situations and can even be experienced when you are sad or solemn. Disney’s happiness is definitely a situational fleeting experience ( just watch the taxi drivers on Harbor blvd. driving by the park when it closes.) But wow! there are few places where where there is that kind of feeling on such a large scale. I’m not sure I want the situational happiness in my local church, but boy it would sure be great so see people walking to the doors of the church with smiles on their face and expecting something. I was talking with a group of pastor’s a while ago about sermons that we gave that just pushed the edge a little too far for the congregation that was hearing it. Someone told the story of a Pastor (who at one time pastored the church I serve.. and now is a bishop BTW) who crossed the line with her congregation with a sermon titled “if Jesus is Lord why is everyone so pissed off?” I think I have wanted to preach that sermon. Those two places; the Disney ticket gate and the church front door, can seem like such a contrast sometimes.<br /><br />The other thing I love about Disney is that it is such a diverse place, even though the magic kingdom is based in a pretty white bread story there were white, black, brown, yellow and red skinned people climbing on Dumbo’s back to spin around in circles with huge smiles on their face. There was a time in my daughter’s life when she was younger, when she equated any language that wasn’t english with spanish. So if you were speaking French, Dutch, Japanese or whatever the response you got from Adeline was “hola!” I can’t count the number of languages i heard in 4 days at Disneyland. <br /><br /> Part of that diversity also carried a sense of community. I know it sounds weird but I would be standing next to someone that I had hardly anything in common with, different language different culture but we had a sense of relationship because we were both experiencing the same event at the same time together. Often in the church we expect people to experience the “event” of worship, or faith in general, in the way that we do. Or worse yet the way we did some years ago. and if you don’t then the differences between us become large, we fall into cults of personalities, and in the worse case scenario we find ourselves saying “we” and “them”.<br /><br />Those are just some off the cuff thoughts I’ve had, your milage may very.RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-78595718351781979072008-08-28T09:10:00.001-07:002008-08-28T09:11:59.596-07:00Blessing of the back packs<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudsBY409NZqKj6cOMXICVvTlIt4pAdUnKbSSkQbz5YxPZpsKh-ERNjT5NPXJqpn4ARDTfRw3MvsO6W5Ke4WUMzto2mX6v3TWs5wLTN8DVjk101AasBIQO8y5RfsxUQlkzYyBsUw/s1600-h/Backpack-Altar.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudsBY409NZqKj6cOMXICVvTlIt4pAdUnKbSSkQbz5YxPZpsKh-ERNjT5NPXJqpn4ARDTfRw3MvsO6W5Ke4WUMzto2mX6v3TWs5wLTN8DVjk101AasBIQO8y5RfsxUQlkzYyBsUw/s320/Backpack-Altar.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239601840199245122" /></a><br />Last week we had an event that I was pretty exciting (well, I thought it was exciting, I’m not convinced anyone else was, but I’m used to being by myself on stuff like this) We had a “blessing of the back packs” during our Sunday morning worship service. About halfway through the service, we had all our elementary school kids come forward and put their back packs up on the alter. We as a congregation gathered around them and laid hands on and pray for them (again not sure every one was too excited about the getting up and touching someone, Methodists are a bit too stoic for that stuff. We would rather watch someone lay hands on someone and pray from our seat, or have someone “stand- in” for us ;-). Next we had our Middle, High School and College students come forward and we did the same for them as well. Finally, all the teachers and school faculty and staff we have who attend come forward and we prayed for them. Now that the altar was covered with back packs, we asked for God’s blessings for the kids who are represented by all these backpacks, that He would guide their steps, bless them with the spirit of wisdom and keep them safe.<br /><br />I thought it was great! Did I mention I was pretty excited about it?<br /><br />I mentioned a while ago on this blog that a few friends and I have been talking about the state of our world and our neighborhoods. It seems like Jesus and the rest of scripture speaks to us about those problems that we face today, but for some reason we don’t hear them speak. We often hear someone speak about Jesus, or about scripture, but being 1, 2, or even 3 steps removed sometimes takes a bit of the “punch” out of the revolutionary words of Jesus in scripture. So as my friends and I have been talking we asked what are the biggest problems our neighborhoods face? (I mean really literally asked each other ... out loud... between fork fulls of chimichanga at lunch). Two things seemed to surface the more we talked about it. 1) safety and security especially for kids. 2) crushing debt and a system that allows someone to get into a cycle of debt that they can’t get out of.<br /><br />I’m encouraging our congregation to intentionally address those problems in our community. The blessing of the backpacks is a start for us. Seeing kids in front of us - putting a hand on their shoulder and asking God to bless them and keep them safe, asking God to give wisdom to those teachers who are given our trust to take care and teach our kids is a small step towards making our neighborhood a safe place with God’s help.<br /><br />I hope you have a great week friends, and if you have kids heading back to school, or you are heading back yourself as a student or staff person I pray for God’s blessings and safety upon you as you go!<br /><br />MarkRevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-486189808721341322008-08-11T10:10:00.000-07:002008-08-11T10:17:27.198-07:0040 Years and one week old...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.lol-pages.com/myspace/graphics/26414.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.lol-pages.com/myspace/graphics/26414.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Well, it has been a busy couple of weeks. Last Sunday was my 40th birthday and the congregation I serve threw a wonderful party for me. One of my parishioners, who is actually attending seminary to follow a call to ministry, cooked me some of his special BBQ ribs Wow! Great stuff. The whole congregation managed to keep it a secret from me, so I was totally surprised when we turned the corner and saw a sea of people on the front lawn of the house! Who knew my wife was such a good liar.. well maybe more of a selective truth teller. I think I got enough coffee shop gift cards to last me the rest of the year. In fact , as I write this I am having a Latte’ at <a href="http://www.brewedawakenings.us">Brewed Awakenings</a> on one of my gift cards.<br /><br />Then, on Tuesday the family and I got up at 4:30am to get to the airport by 5:30am to make a plane at 6:30am bound for Disneyland and Southern California. Friday was my son’s 11th birthday so it was kinda a birthday trip for the both of us, complete with a birthday lunch at the <a href="http://www.rainforestcafe.com/">Rainforest Cafe.</a> Saturday morning before our flight home, we spent the day at Hermosa Beach with my wife’s cousin Lisa. It was a blast playing in the waves with my kids, but we got Sunburned... I mean SUNBURNED.. as in Chernobyl - radioactive sunburned! My feet are barely able to fit in my shoes they are so swollen, and shifting the foot lever on my motorcycle is not nearly as fun as it usually is.<br /><br />I was thinking on the plane ride home, about the whole Disneyland experience. As a wanna-be-sociologist the whole Disney package is pretty fascinating. I will try to write some of those reflections down here next week. I’m still a bit exhausted from spending 14 hours a day on my feel and asking “how long of a wait is this line?”<br /><br />It’s good to be home - Tonight starts our annual VBS program. Wish us luck!<br /><br />MarkRevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22664080.post-72684337532359286342008-07-21T12:43:00.001-07:002008-07-21T12:49:52.524-07:00Catagories...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pcJLUzuF013ncW7x8Ei8ierUMnMdrh-5_JMJKllOhpW0jPxuwdpZMqSv5WKX3sWc16RPyZcvVmVW68vpUtJavrbNUIor_kA6MioPWiyhAPjOI6G7Kd2hEazatwqf9blCQfVPJQ/s1600-h/incense.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pcJLUzuF013ncW7x8Ei8ierUMnMdrh-5_JMJKllOhpW0jPxuwdpZMqSv5WKX3sWc16RPyZcvVmVW68vpUtJavrbNUIor_kA6MioPWiyhAPjOI6G7Kd2hEazatwqf9blCQfVPJQ/s320/incense.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225555455388018882" /></a><br />I have had a couple conversations these last few weeks with folks who have visited the congregation I serve on a Sunday morning for worship, that have reinforced for me the notion that most people equate church to a one hour block on Sunday mornings. That leads to a next assumption that worship style defines you as a church, both of which I think are wrong.<br /><br />The particular congregation I serve has two services of worship on Sunday morning. The first service is more relaxed and casual. The music is typically more modern in style (I’m trying to avoid the word “contemporary” as hard as I can.) Kids make noise, I preach from a bar stool down in the seats rather than up on the platform. We sing together, we pray together, we hear scripture, we laugh together on occasion cry together as well. Our second service is more of a traditional Methodist service. I typically wear a robe and stole (for you non liturgical folks - a stole is a fancy long scarf usually in the color of whatever season of the church calendar we are in). We follow a pretty set liturgy, most of our music we sing originates out of the hymnal.<br /><br />So... we had a very nice visitor who came to our more traditional service. On that particular Sunday it was about 90 degrees outside, so that means that inside the oven that is Orchards United Methodist Church it was approximately 375 degrees. I opted not to wear the robe. After worship my wife was talking with a woman who was very interested in us. “I saw you were wearing a modern watch (Thank you Target $7 clearance table) , and you announced that you were leading a book study on one of Brian McClaren’s books, but most of the people here were older... so I was thinking what is going on here” As we talked more she was very into categories. She defined herself in very clear categories and wanted to know what my categories were. (BTW My Myers Briggs letters are ESPN, or is it Briggs and Stratton I can never remember) I also discovered that she was very interested in the categories as they related to the “Emerging church” movement... ooops i mean “conversation” to which she made the comment that she and her husband had joined “the conversation”... I kinda wondered if they sent out a mailer to people to notify them of this fact.<br /><br />I personally have found quite a bit of life and spiritual renewal for my self in the midst of the emerging church’s “conversation”. I personally have been attracted to and "pastored" in such a way that fostered compassionate, missional communities, and focused on Jesus as the center of our faith. The verse that has been tattooed on my heart (figuratively) is “Love the Lord your God... love your neighbor as yourself” Ok so there are my categories... as best as I can shoe horn myself into them.<br /><br />So as we talked more about those things she said “ ya know you could really easily turn this congregation into an Emerging church...” and she listed off some things that we could change to our style of worship. I then realized that she was equating our time in worship with what we are as a church. In her process, if we follow this form, or change our categories to worship in an “Emerging” style we will be Emerging... maybe even emerged... Crap! Then what will we do? I’ll have to find a whole new category. <br /><br />The way my congregation worships together, the style we are comfortable in during that first hour has a lot of similarities to the way church’s who label themselves as "Emerging" tend to worship together. But beyond that, beyond the doors of our sanctuary, out side the one hour block on Sunday, we are still learning what it means to love our neighbor, what it means to be part of a compassionate, generous community, what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Regardless of the way we worship, the style of music we sing, the color of the table cloth and the scarf the pastor wears, if we never have lives that reflect a faith grounded in the love of God, made real in our communities and families then our categories are are just white washed sepulchres. (oooo i impressed myself there by tying this all together with a scripture reference!)<br /><br />Have a great week friend... Love God and love everybody else!RevrdMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07351246724376936431noreply@blogger.com2