just a few minutes ago, i was reading a friend's blog about our campus ministries looking more like a picnic, rather than a banquet. both images are biblical - The Parable of the Wedding Banquet, Mt 22:1-14 and the Feeding of the 5000, Mt 14:13-21. however, i as reflect on these two stories, i am left with a few thoughts.
first in the example of the wedding banquet, we are in control. we plan the time, date, menu, who attends, etc - and we decided WHERE it is going to be. i think far too often the church operates out of this mentality - we make all the rules and decisions, and then you either join us or not!
in the instance of the feeding of the 5000, jesus and the disciples are totally dependant on external factors. they never meant to host a 'picnic' - in fact, they were trying to get away from the crowds and the demands, but the people followed THEM. they didn't have the food, and were totally reliant on the little boy who offered to share. certainly they had no control over who was present, and we can only assume that ALL were fed [since the 5000 only included the men]. i wonder what 'church' would look like if we operated out of these ideals rather than the previous?
in a few days, the students at furman will return for another year of study. as i sit in my office, mind FILLED with thoughts of the new year, i am hoping that i can pack my picnic basket and enter those moments in the students lives that scream - 'give us this bread always!' as my leadership team plans their year, i am hopeful that together we can ditch the "we've built it, now let's hope they come," and replace it with the idea of taking one of those 12 baskets [left over from the feeding story] and meet others along the way feeding their spiritual hunger.
i have long believed in a ministry of presence, may god give me the presence to realize where the ministry place are!
here is the blog by Guy Chmieleski from Faith on Campus: http://faithoncampus.com/how-portable-is-your-ministry/. Thanks Guy for your inspiration!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
that's the thing about friends!
so, this morning i thought, "i'll just catch up with some of my friends who blog" - and then it hit me - friends are the most important thing in the world.
i was reading about my friend in Spain, who decided to be wild and crazy and travel to spain and be an au pair for a few months [still not sure how you can be an au pair in spain, isn't au pair french]. a friend that i randomly met at a conference - and then after a weekend of conferencing - friends!
i we reading about my dear friend who is facing some very scary days ahead. ironically, she was at the same conference mentioned above, but her focus now is on her health and family - so, she probably did not even realize that our friend was in spain. we were at another conference when she got sick - and i had the PRIVILEGE of driving her home - great conversations! but how did we get to be such great friends, well, thanks to our SC annual conference, we were appointed as campus ministry colleagues! thanks to our bishop and cabinet.
yesterday, i had an in-depth conversation with another friend randomly placed in my life. when you endeavor to do god's work, sometimes you get placed next to others who you may not normally be hanging out with. again, it was a chance set of events that forced us to work together closely for a week - and from this set of 'not-so-glamorous' tasks shared together, tasks others did not want to do, there formed a friendship.
and finally, but certainly not less importantly, there is my ultimate friend - my wife. how is it that you can live closely with someone for while and not know they exist? well, maybe because god knows you are not ready for the biggest and greatest moment in your life. so, what happens? well, you get on a train destined for NYC, and then you realize that your life is sitting beside you in the aisle. you try not to notice, because you know you have NO shot with her, but something will not let you let go of that one in a million chance! so you make it your mission on the streets of NYC to catch her eye - maybe you are succeeding, maybe not, but all the time you give it your best. but what happens when the trip is over? well, that's when the magic happens - you run into each other on campus, you meet for dinner, you go to concerts with friends - the whole time, acting as if it is 'random chance', but you know the truth. they are calculated moments in time in which you are giving it your all. in which you are hoping she will get to the point where she feels about you, the same way you feel about her. but the most magical moment ever is when you realize after about 3 months, that she TOO was working in a calculated fashion to catch your eye!
what are friends? they are angels put in your life [randomly at times] by god, at moments you least expect them - to give you hope that the life you are leading is the life god has called you to. so to ALL my friends, you are all the BEST! and to that one special girl, who could have saved me a lot of time and energy by just letting me know i DID have a chance, i love you!
i was reading about my friend in Spain, who decided to be wild and crazy and travel to spain and be an au pair for a few months [still not sure how you can be an au pair in spain, isn't au pair french]. a friend that i randomly met at a conference - and then after a weekend of conferencing - friends!
i we reading about my dear friend who is facing some very scary days ahead. ironically, she was at the same conference mentioned above, but her focus now is on her health and family - so, she probably did not even realize that our friend was in spain. we were at another conference when she got sick - and i had the PRIVILEGE of driving her home - great conversations! but how did we get to be such great friends, well, thanks to our SC annual conference, we were appointed as campus ministry colleagues! thanks to our bishop and cabinet.
yesterday, i had an in-depth conversation with another friend randomly placed in my life. when you endeavor to do god's work, sometimes you get placed next to others who you may not normally be hanging out with. again, it was a chance set of events that forced us to work together closely for a week - and from this set of 'not-so-glamorous' tasks shared together, tasks others did not want to do, there formed a friendship.
and finally, but certainly not less importantly, there is my ultimate friend - my wife. how is it that you can live closely with someone for while and not know they exist? well, maybe because god knows you are not ready for the biggest and greatest moment in your life. so, what happens? well, you get on a train destined for NYC, and then you realize that your life is sitting beside you in the aisle. you try not to notice, because you know you have NO shot with her, but something will not let you let go of that one in a million chance! so you make it your mission on the streets of NYC to catch her eye - maybe you are succeeding, maybe not, but all the time you give it your best. but what happens when the trip is over? well, that's when the magic happens - you run into each other on campus, you meet for dinner, you go to concerts with friends - the whole time, acting as if it is 'random chance', but you know the truth. they are calculated moments in time in which you are giving it your all. in which you are hoping she will get to the point where she feels about you, the same way you feel about her. but the most magical moment ever is when you realize after about 3 months, that she TOO was working in a calculated fashion to catch your eye!
what are friends? they are angels put in your life [randomly at times] by god, at moments you least expect them - to give you hope that the life you are leading is the life god has called you to. so to ALL my friends, you are all the BEST! and to that one special girl, who could have saved me a lot of time and energy by just letting me know i DID have a chance, i love you!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
do as i say and as i do
how many times have you heard it stated--if i heard it once growing up, i heard it many times--"do as i say, not as i do!" and as one who always said i would NEVER say these things when i grow up [you know we all think that we will never say the things of our parents], i have been proven wrong as i frequently find myself saying this very thing to my youth in church.
but i think we all agree that while we can say this all we want the truth of the matter is that people WILL and DO watch us and then act just as we act--regardless of what we say.
last week i was eating lunch at a restaurant. as i sat eating my lunch i notice a mother and her young daughter. as they sat and talked, the mother's phone rang--when she answered it, i looked at her daughter who was mesmerized by her and sat with her hand to HER ear, as if she too had a phone in her hand. as long as her mother was on the phone, she too was "on the phone."
and while this was amazing, i think the most amazing example of this kind of thing happened a few weeks ago at church. seeing that i am not leading services on sunday mornings, i took the opportunity to visit a friend's church--it was communion sunday. as we approached the altar, and kneeled--i could not help but notice the little guy next to me. he was about 4 years old. as we knelt with our hands awaiting the wonderful gift of the eucharist--this little guy looked to his right and then to his left [luckily he did not see me looking at him] and seeing all of us adults with our hands crossed and ready, he too put his hands on the altar railing, crossed anxiously waiting for his bread and cup.
the message for the day dealt with how jesus calls us to follow him and to do the things he did. our purpose is not to simply read, study, and discuss--it certainly isn't to sit around and and talk [or argue] about which faith group or denomination has it right, and who is wrong--as if there is a chosen group who make it while the others will be left out. rather, god asks of us to go out and feed the hungry, cloth the naked, take care of the sick. remember the fact that it was the little boy [ironic?] in the gospel story who shared his loaves and fish in the feeding of the 5000.
jesus never said, "do as i say not as i do"--rather, he says to us "follow me"--in other words, "do as i say AND as i do!"
may we all approach the altars in our lives with the excitement, enthusiasm, and innocence of a child--may we always look to our mentors in the faith and especially jesus' example as we as children of faith, seek to follow more faithfully and act more honestly. may we do as jesus says AND as he did.
but i think we all agree that while we can say this all we want the truth of the matter is that people WILL and DO watch us and then act just as we act--regardless of what we say.
last week i was eating lunch at a restaurant. as i sat eating my lunch i notice a mother and her young daughter. as they sat and talked, the mother's phone rang--when she answered it, i looked at her daughter who was mesmerized by her and sat with her hand to HER ear, as if she too had a phone in her hand. as long as her mother was on the phone, she too was "on the phone."
and while this was amazing, i think the most amazing example of this kind of thing happened a few weeks ago at church. seeing that i am not leading services on sunday mornings, i took the opportunity to visit a friend's church--it was communion sunday. as we approached the altar, and kneeled--i could not help but notice the little guy next to me. he was about 4 years old. as we knelt with our hands awaiting the wonderful gift of the eucharist--this little guy looked to his right and then to his left [luckily he did not see me looking at him] and seeing all of us adults with our hands crossed and ready, he too put his hands on the altar railing, crossed anxiously waiting for his bread and cup.
the message for the day dealt with how jesus calls us to follow him and to do the things he did. our purpose is not to simply read, study, and discuss--it certainly isn't to sit around and and talk [or argue] about which faith group or denomination has it right, and who is wrong--as if there is a chosen group who make it while the others will be left out. rather, god asks of us to go out and feed the hungry, cloth the naked, take care of the sick. remember the fact that it was the little boy [ironic?] in the gospel story who shared his loaves and fish in the feeding of the 5000.
jesus never said, "do as i say not as i do"--rather, he says to us "follow me"--in other words, "do as i say AND as i do!"
may we all approach the altars in our lives with the excitement, enthusiasm, and innocence of a child--may we always look to our mentors in the faith and especially jesus' example as we as children of faith, seek to follow more faithfully and act more honestly. may we do as jesus says AND as he did.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
a new challenge
in a few months i will begin a new adventure. i will begin my time at furman university as the campus minister of wesley fellowship. i have [for the past 9 years] served as youth pastor and watch as my young people go off to college. i have also served as one of the ministers who wonders where these young people are when they graduate.
well, anyway, my prayer is that god will use me to reach these young people in a special way and help bridge the gap left by the new adventures of college life. together we will play and learn and grow--we will learn from each other and grow from our time spent together.
well, anyway, my prayer is that god will use me to reach these young people in a special way and help bridge the gap left by the new adventures of college life. together we will play and learn and grow--we will learn from each other and grow from our time spent together.
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