The Big Move

Well, it's here!

Natalie has packed the whole house.
We washed the windows and deck.
Sally's crew loaded up her truck.
Davo and Sarah got the keys.

It's official. We're moving to Maryland.

What do I think? Well, mixed.
There is nothing good about leaving Chicago.

There's plenty good about going to Maryland
and about staring a new congregation.

But there's nothing good about leaving my new home.

In the past, whenever, I'd get stressted, I'd imagine I'm
biking along the streets and alleys of my boyhood home
in Paris, Tennessee. I knew every building and turn.

Those familiar images comforted and calmed me.

Paris is still my hometown, but I was surprised to find
recently as I returned from a few weeks in Maryland
that Chicago is now my home. It's where I 'belong.'

It just feels like home.

I love the city and it's history, it's impulses and politics,
it's diversity and directness. This is my place of rest.

And I'm leaving... if not for good.

So what does themove bring?

Well, I never in my wildest dreams thought the church
would call me to start a new congregation.

I was totally unprepared and delved into what I call
Seminary II... learning everything I could about
launching a new community of new Christians.

We're not hoping that believers will join. But doubters.
We're not looking for religious people. But rebels.
We're not planning to repeat the past. But watch God
paint the future.

And we're not prepared. But we are completely ready
to take this leap of faith!

Too Tired

I'm beat but want to list some miracles from today.

Woke up late for an appointment. Local Episcopal Carmelite
(basically a prioress who lives in a nunnery focusing on prayer)
had a morning mass, but I clearly felt God saying not to go.

That's unusal for me. I don't get a strong sense of God's will.
But I *clearly* felt that I should stay home a pray a little.

By the time I arrived, it was well after time to start, but
Sister Teresa met me in the driveway. They had been delayed.

Then she let me read the scripture... of Abram and Lot
splitting up. Abram told Lot to go wherever he wanted,
and he would take the opposite place.

This touched me as I'm looking at places to start the
new congregation... and we're limited by 'neighboring'
congregations that don't want us to go into certain areas.
I was starting to feel defensive about this, but the
story of Abram reminded me to go along and get along.

Turn the other cheek. Go the extra mile.

And we had some answers to prayers this week.

I prayed for help meeting motorcylists... we have a lot here.
And this week I met a couple who does motorcylce ministry.

I prayed for someone with whom I could discuss the
complicated details of developing the new congregation.
And then I met a church consultant who thinks like me
(though we don't always disagree) about church systems.

I prayed for the beginning of a group of men with whom
I could learn to train them to train others to be disciples.
And then I met a man who agreed to start that with me.

And finally, the Carmelite Prioress told me to come back
for tomorrow's St. John the Baptist festival mass.

John is my favorite person in the Bible, and I would love
to name the new congregation after this great prophet.

I dutifully followed her advice, and not only was it easy
to re-arrange four people's schedules to make the change,
the new schedule actually seemed to work better for everyone.

And God answered a big prayer for guidance as I met today
with three pastors of potential partner churches.

I can't put into words -- especially this tired! -- to express how
God's Spirit seems to be guiding and blessing even my mistakes : )

A Day in the Life

People ask what a normal day is in the field. Thankfully,
there is no normal!

Last week, I travelled and stayed with four different families.

Mostly, I stay with a wonderful family here in Cecil County.
They let me live in the in-law apartment that they built to
care for Grandma... and they've let many others stay here, too.

Giving and receiving hospitality, I'm finding, is the best way
to really get to know each other.

And that's the primary goal of a new mission!

I love plans.
Churches love programs, but
God wants us to love people.

Build relationships and all the other things fall into place.

So, when I'm not 'sleeping around' : ) what does a new pastor do?

Opening the little red calendar book...

Sunday
8:30am - out the door!
attend 9 & 11 am services with nearby Lutherans
- enjoyed worship, met people and made contacts
lunch (exploring new area!)
- on phone with potential staff person
- worked on marketing (name and pens)
visit
- Korean pastor's home
- Episcopal pastor's home
Homeless Shelter with our scaffolding Band Leader
- heard her band and met her friends
- (preacher was Amazing!... made appt for coffee)
- witnessed several people accept Jesus as Lord
- prayed together
- we were ALL richly blessed by each other!
Restaurant with Band and friends
- couple with TOO COOL story bought me dinner : )
- talked for hours!
Home by midnight
Talked with Nat
- we chose a web name and secured the addresses
- we whispered sweet nothings
2:30 am - Crashed!

Monday
Army Post (Aberdeen Proving Ground)
- guest of a man I met at the Lutheran church Sunday
- saw his work, heard wise counsel, met his wife and friends
Base Chapel
- met command chaplain (an ELCA pastor!)
- set appointment in July to talk
Drove around to see different areas and an 'old' new mission start
2 appts re-scheduled
Lunch at home (salad and left-overs from last night's dinner : )
Phone calls to schedule appts/check-in with potential partners
Paperwork for ELCA home office
- they changed my flight so I can surprise Nat and the kids!
(hope they don't read this : )
Meet area Lutheran pastor
Help with a local VBS (Bible School)
Home and bed by 10?

You get the drift.

Just floating around learning, listening and loving every minute of it!
(except the paperwork for churchwide : )

House in Order

What's surprised me most, and it shouldn't have, is that
in the first steps of forming this new congregation,
God has done more IN me than WITH me.

For example, when I went to the Church Plant training
before ordination, I expected some flattery, a little pump up.
I mean it takes special talent to start from scratch, right?

Wrong.

It takes a person who realizes he can do nothing without God
to gather people who are living their own lives.

So, the first speaker (Rick Warren) said he woke at 2am
and completely scrapped the advertised presentation,
'How Great the Church Is.' There were no handouts,
and the volunteers scurried to give out blank paper.
(I learned this is SOP at Saddleback : )

The new topic was 'Temptations that Destroy New Leaders.'

Can God call it or what?!

(Even odder, just a few weeks before I had actually read this
from an archived Rick Warren sermon, the only time I ever
read a sermon text on-line. Was God telling me something?)

After talk of possessions, pride, pleasure and power, I sobbed.
And then I let people be with me during this 'conversion.'

The 'conversion' of a 38-year old pastor may sound odd,
but we all sin. And daily repentance (mind-changing) is what
Martin Luther said is at the heart of following our Lord Jesus.
The 1st of the 95 Theses that changed the world says that
Jesus calls us each day to repent ('to change our minds.')

Plus, how in the world could I lead people to Christ,
if I didn't know what it's like to go through a conversion?!

We can't change the world unless we let God change us.

Another example of God getting my house in order before
letting me organize a new house of God, was money.

All my mentors said money is key to a new church start.
But as I was drafting our new congregation's budget,
God first led me to examine my personal finances.

I listened to hours of CDs on God's Financial Plan:
keep good records, budget, tithe, save and enjoy!

Then Natalie and I got a $2,500 surprise bill and
decided it was time to get our 'house in order.'

We listed all our expenses and made a budget.
We listed all our expected sources of income.
And they added up to the exact same thing.

It may take 10 years, but God provided a way out of debt!
We only have to have the discipline to keep good records
and stick to our budget.

God promises to meet all our needs, not all our greeds.

This was really the second big step for us toward a total
make-over of our approach to money. Last year,
we had been challenged by a friend's example of tithing.

Record-keeping and saving, I think, are next in line.

Again, how could I lead others to tithe and save,
to budget and keep records, to enjoy and be satisfied
with what they have -- if I hadn't gone through this myself?

Yes, it will be hard after 6 years seminary... and no budget.
That student loan money was just too easy to accept!

And yes, it's embarrassing to say I'm not a financial wizard,
but it's better to admit mistakes and fix problems now
than to let pride lead you into hiding them... or from them.

Problems are like mushrooms: they only grow in the dark,
esp. when you throw on a lot of BS manure to cover it up : )

We were both scared by the size of our debts, but we are
overjoyed that God had given us exactly what we need.

Some may say these two experiences disqualify me from ministry.
But being convinced of my own sin and facing a financial mess
actually prepared me better to begin a new ministry.

I experience first-hand what people go through when they
face their own failings and turn their lives to God.

Praise God for letting me be the change I seek!

Play Ball!

So, the dream house was fake, someone posting a prank.
We talked to the agent, and it's definitely not renting.

Disappointing? Yes. It was a cool story. But I had reservations about such a big place and I'm still forever connected with that beautiful sunrise experience.

The question is: it was counterfeit, but is it coincidence?
Perhaps God used this miscreant to keep my attention
on a neighborhood where God is working to meet needs.

And we're so thankful for all the good. We can't overlook
the miracle day series of events (from a power outage to ER).

God turns plays. Every situation, no matter how uncomfortable,
God turns obstacles into opportunities!

No matter what life throws at you, God can turn two...
sort of a divine Ozzie Smith : )

We're in this thing now, suited up and ready to play.
Swing for the fences. Dive for the ball. Run through! Shake it off!
Come what may, we're here to play.

Guess all I ever really needed to know...
I learned in Little League baseball :)

Church is a Team Sport, and what a team we have!

I'm amazed at all the friends we've made in just two weeks.
And getting a rental near Nat's train, central to the region and kids
across the street (7, 8, 14) for Macy (8) and Levin (7) to play with.

Nat and I are thrilled to have two incomes (first time in 8 years!)
in work that's challenging and fun. We can finally pay off debts!

So being fooled is neither embarrassing or sad. It's just part of life.
A swing and a miss.

I'm ready to step up to the plate... and Play Ball!

Heads Together

Meeting with area pastors and our bishop went really well.
They identified so many pressure points... key areas of focus.

Nine heads definitely are better than one!

Maybe I'll call such groups 'Hydras'...
informal gatherings group of experts
to advise us in this new mission start
and to bounce around ideas together.

With partners like this, we can slay dragons!

A Place for You

When the church asked me to start a congregation
near Rising Sun, Maryland, I drove over early
to see where we may be called to serve.

How could I lead something that didn't exist?
How could I move to a place I didn't know?
How could I gather people I hadn't met?

Arriving before dawn, I parked at a subdivision entrance
just as the sun started to rise over a golden field next door.

Later I learned that Rising Sun got its name from farmers
who met at sunrise to take their crops to Port Deposit.
Before cell phones, they just met at sunrise to travel
together for safety and joy.

This was the most angelic white light I'd ever seen.
It filled the field in a wash of brilliant brightness I'll not forget.

I turned and saw the subdivision was Bryan's Grace.
I thought, 'God's grace indeed! Maybe this is my place.'

(Later, I told this to a local man who seemed to tear up a bit.
He said it was built on his family's farm that he sold when his
father, Bryan, and mother, Grace, died a few years ago : )

Then I looked right and was in front of a house for sale.
But even as a pre-foreclosure, we couldn't afford it.
When my family came to meet with the Bishop,
we visited this special house again.

We talked with several realtors but no home worked out.
So we looked to rent. But even rental prices here are so high!
Everyone says, 'Prices have come down." But I say, "Not enough!"

Then through a series of events, we found a place to rent.
It was the day of a big storm, and I was looking for a place
for the new congregation to meet, in the old 'Miracle Theatre.'

Turns out, it was the wrong space but the right place.
I met several new friends. During the storm the power went out,
and they invited me in from the lightening and hail.
After a couple hours with the two couples, I felt I'd meet
the kind of people with whom and for whom
we could build a new church family here.

Then as I was leaving, they suggested I call their landlord.

The home I first visited at sunrise was a ridiculous long-shot.
Besides, who needs a mushroom house? (Then I heard it was sold.)

But this landlord did have a rental we could (barely) afford.
So I put in an application for the rental, but due to the storm,
the realtor could not show me the house right then.

Maybe God sends wind, lightening and rain to re-arrange our plans!
Instead, as I was leaving, the realtor's adult child called to say
she was going to an ER miles away. I offered to drive.

Again, right place for a completely unexpected reason.
I had a chance to talk to my new landlord and make a friend : )

On the way to the ER, we passed an obscure little church.
Someone told me about it the night before.
It was a very unusual ministry, and I was intrigued.
So on the way back, I stopped and was blessed by the
example of faith of these pastors and a volunteer.

Again, new friends! I think they all will be important to the
work God is planning to do in this place.

The rest of the day went that way, divine random encounters,
one after another, until I arrived back at the home of a
local Lutheran family who let me stay in their in-law apartment.

Nat and the kids move out in July 1, but I didn't feel at all anxious.
There was definitely a sense of peace.

Then, before going to bed, Natalie called to say that the
rising sun home we'd visited was for rent.

The home that was sold and that we felt was beyond our reach,
was posted on craigslist for less than the rental I just applied for.

Was it too good to be true? We email and prayed.
We trust that God is leading us... but to where we don't know.

One thing we do know... the Holy Spirit has a place for us.
It's not always where, and certainly not why, we think.

But one thing I know for certain...
whether in beautiful, peaceful sunrises or life's fiercest storms,
Jesus is busy behind the curtains...

preparing a place for you and me!

Skipping Stones

By 2pm, I realized I'd skipped breakfast and lunch.
I just kept bouncing from one amazing encounter to another.
By the end of the day, if you asked who I met that morning, I'd say,
'Was that today? It seems like ages ago.'

So much is happening.
My concern is that I'm not managing all the information well.

Perhaps I shouldn't.
The goal of contacts is to begin forging friendships.
But it'd be great to remember later who told me what.
I need to keep records; I need help in setting up good admin!

By the end of the day, after skipping happily over the waters
like a spinning thrown stone, I just collapse in the pond and relax.
Right now, I'm just skimming.

Maybe the joy of encounters and small ripples of first impressions
will sustain me, if not with facts, at least with the fascination
that those I met made a happy little splash in my day : )

And likewise, maybe they will remember me like that feeling
you get when you skip a really good stone... that,
'yeah... that was a good one' memory.

With the peace of only a ripple that remains.

Full Tank

I was running late and out of gas. I felt silly, but I told God that if I didn't hit empty before finding gas in the countryside, I'd add this to our miracle list. Natalie and I had kept that list for months, noting many things that happened (big and small!) as we move to Maryland to birth to a new church.

So many people are praying for us, it feels like we're floating on a mosh pit of hands lifting us up and passing us on.

The whole 'please don't let me run out of gas' prayer seemed odd and minor, but I did it anyway. It seemed right. And I've come to believe that all the little pieces matter. Even disasters can turn into something amazing.

Like this day. I met a lady through an odd series of coincidences. And it so what we needed.
There was a tornado warning. That came at just a right time to form new relationships.
The power went out... and it led to getting to know two people who I think may be our first members... wonderful people who are not part of any church... exactly who we came to gather and encourage as they explore the gifts God's given them! This led to finding a house to rent. And the night went on like that... as I did office hours in the local bar meeting people from the next state over... until I collapsed in joy back at the apartment.

It's so great to be so empty but so full.

I just go with the flow.

Sometimes I rest a soft little eddies. Sometimes God sends me out on the rapids.

Without giving details, I'll just say...
I see how the chroniclers of Jesus who spent so much time with the Miracle Master often only said, 'he went around doing miracles.'

After a while, the details of all God does gets overwhelming.

But God really is at work! And doing great things.

Go with the Flow

One day, our son Levin came back from church and said,
"Every day we go to church, I think, 'I don't want to go.'
Then I get there and have fun. So I guess the point is,
'Go with the Flow.'"

From that point on, Go with the Flow, became our theme.

Jesus described God's own Spirit filling us like a fountain,
that bursts out to overflow like a stream to others.

The first act of obedience we're called to as new Christians
is the simple step of being baptized...
letting the waters and words of God flow over our lives.

This may sound unnecessary or silly... but it's all God asks.

There was a general in the Old Testament who caught leprosy.
He heard a prophet in Israel could heal him but was furious
when the prophet simply said, 'Go dip in this river.'

But his servants suggested it was a simple thing.
And he obeyed and was healed.

Being flexible and fluid, being refreshed and refreshing,
are marks of being a Christian.
But too often we're the opposite.
Too often, we don't 'Go with the Flow.'

'Spirit' means wind or breath.
So that old expression 'Holy Ghost' is literally a 'Holy Gust.'
And God's Spirit blows and flows where it will.

When Jesus tells us to be 'born again, born from above'
('above' and 'again' are the same word in the Greek)
he says we're to be born of Water and of the Spirit.

Why?

Because to be born of Water and the Spirit
is to become like the Water and the Spirit.
... to Go with the Flow.

When we were first born, born from below
we came from water in the womb to take our first breath.
(I often wish people a 'Happy Breath Day' : )

Jesus says we must be born again... in the Flow from above.

When I was serving as a hospital chaplain,
a clear image developed of 'a Flow.'

I quickly learned that in a hospital there's a Flow
(I think) compromised of God's work, the patients' needs
and the dedication and care of the staff and loved ones.
I felt free to step into that Flow and be a part of it...
and step out anytime.

That Flow carried me to encounters I never imagined,
gave me ways of communicating I never knew,
and - most importantly for my sanity -
allowed me to step out of the flow
whenever I needed a break.

I realized the Flow did not depend on me.
Like in a river, the current does not rely on us!

One trap for ministers is to think it does.
Another trap is get hung up in one place.
Such a desire for control will drown you.

When I was little, my canoe overturned.
I became trapped, my chin wedged under a fallen tree.
I would have drowned had my uncle not pushed me free.

Sometimes we need that push to rescue us when we're stuck.
So we can be free again... to Go with the Flow.