Pastoral Ponderings- Warmth in the Cold

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Pastoral Ponderings- Warmth in the Cold

“But it’s a WARM 20 degrees…” I was telling Karol the other day.  It always boggles my mind how the same temperature on the thermometer can feel very differently depending on other factors.  This Sunday does promise to be cold, but while we can’t promise it will be a “warm cold” outside, we CAN promise that for the Pastors’ Open House, you’ll find ample warmth inside, and two houses full of food and Christmas treats, regardless of how cold it may be outside!

What is the magic that comes from visiting in peoples’ homes?  You’ve probably experienced this magic more than once yourself, whether from being the visitor, or the visited.  There’s a depth of connection, an authenticity of experience, when you’re invited in to another’s life-space.  I think some of the most important times we have recorded in the Bible are when people are invited in to another’s space, both in the Old Testament, and in Jesus and the Apostles.

When we invite you and others into our home for our Christmas Open House, it is both to elicit that magic, and to show that it’s not really all that difficult for others to do and create more of that same kind of magic!  And MOST of the time, you’re not inviting a crowd, but only one to a handful, so there’s no complexity of a mass feeding (but do note that all we have to share are the simplest of recipes—and easily replicated on a smaller scale).

In this time of holidays, and even the winter cold that follows, we have great opportunities to invite our neighbors into our life spaces.  I’m eager to hear of the magic you’re able to create with simple invitations—and for those who have eyes to see—you might even find a few God sightings along the way.  Create a bit of that magic in your space—and see and share how God is showing up with blessings from such a simple magic!

Building the Hospitable Kingdom, one visit at a time—Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings—Snow Day!

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Thanksgiving continues for another week, as every kid in NE Ohio has been celebrating and giving thanks for the first snow day of the year!  And it couldn’t have been better weather– cool enough to keep the snow on the ground, but warm enough to have allowed for a jolly good time making snowmen, angels, and having snowball fights.

So what happened?  Somewhere along the line, too many of us lost the love, fascination and fun of a great snow day.  Is that what it means to be an adult?  I HOPE not!  Makes me wonder how many of us have also forgotten how to enjoy the abundance of other simple pleasures and blessings God pours out on us like a snow storm?

Have you noticed that, though God created all the world full of awesome beauty and opportunities for great experiences, God also created the world to offer countless simple pleasures, beauties, and opportunities for small blessing as well?  Is that just coincidence?  I think not!  Not to minimize those great and awesome adventures—I wouldn’t trade my hike in the Grand Canyon, or other globe trotting adventures for the world—but if we wait for those rare blessings, what all will we miss?

In the same way that a winter storm and snow days are made up of the unique beauty of tiny, individual snowflakes, God created our lives both for those big blessings, as well as for the beauty of the countless little snowflake adventures every day.  I pray we never forget how to appreciate and enjoy the little blessings—as they are so abundant that they can come together for glorious snow days of blessings for all of us!

Pastoral Ponderings—Podcast Wisdom

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Pastoral Ponderings—Podcast Wisdom

My youngest, Kaz, had been helping me get a little more up to date and exploring podcasts—which, for the uninitiated, are series of discussions from people on-line that can cover any area of interest, anywhere from just a few minutes long, to “long form,” that can be an hour or more.  My favorite thus far is Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown.

She became well-known as a comedy actress, first as a kid with “Blossom,” and more recently on “The Big Bang Theory,” but despite that, her schooling is as a neuroscientist.  And not only that, but one just as committed to scientific skepticism as she is to her vital Jewish faith.  While her podcast covers a wide range of interests from that neurological perspective, often focused on human wellness and thriving, she also has frequen explorations into the convergence of science and spirituality.  Needless to say, that’s right down my just slightly nerdy alley!   The other I’ve been trying to listen to more is skeptic.pastor Jeremy Steele, who, as you may have recently heard more locally, thinks God is big enough to handle and not be threatened all our doubts and questions

I usually get the joy of listening on long drives, especially late at nite when the rest of the crew is sleeping, so not complaining about my eccentric interests.  On this most recent late night drive, I was listening to both these podcasts with an amazing convergence—though coming from very different perspectives, in effect, describing the Spirit of God in That Which Is Bigger, and all-encompassing, and finding the heart of our spiritual life in how we can connect, and grow in our connection with this Bigger Spirit.

Even from a hard science neurological, skeptical perspective, that brings up and can’t deny the hard science in support of the importance and power of spirituality in our daily and social lives.

AND both from their differing perspectives, pointing out that all of us in human skin–despite our many and deep differences—can find a shared commonality and respect in our mutual connectedness with this Bigger Spirit– what can variably be referred to as our “Higher Power,” “the Divine,” or what many us call “God.”  One of them even referred to that passage in Acts 17 where St. Paul is quoting—thus bringing into our Christian scriptural understanding of Truth- ancient Greek pagan understandings that “in Him, we all live, move and have our being,” and “for we all also are His offspring.”

SO WHAT? You might ask… It’s tools like these that can help us both deepen our own faith, while at the same time, giving us tools to better connect with those who might otherwise thing that church folk need to check their brains at the door.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  (and it can also help keep us awake and alert on late night drives!)

Check them out—feed your brains and your spirits—and build bridges of hope with those who might otherwise be stuck in hopelessness! – Pastor Jim

https://www.bialikbreakdown.com/ ;  https://jeremy-steele.com/

 

Pastoral Ponderings—Alone, but not…

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It was too early for Karol to join me, so I was alone for the hearty tasty start to my Veterans Day rounds.  Shout out to Dennys, and the many other places who show appreciation in hearty and tangible ways!  Yet I was not alone.  I was one of the first to enjoy Denny’s hospitality on this cold, icy morning.  But I was seated by the door—and received many nods of greeting and welcome from others coming in—strangers, yet comrades to the core.

While I waited for the tastes and aroma of hospitality and appreciation, I was reconnecting online with several of my friends in uniform from days gone by.  So while I was physically alone, I was not really alone at all!  I often heard in my Ohio Guard and my deployment days “One team, one fight!” recognizing that while we were all coming from different places, settings and backgrounds, together we were a team—and now, spread out all over, we are still “together” as a team, even in our diaspora.

Why is it so rare, even in the church world, to recognize that same camaraderie, that same “one team, one fight” spirit, despite differences in settings, contexts, backgrounds, and focus?  Why can the mere call of “O-H” elicit such a sense of camaraderie–even if far from OH?  Yet such obvious markers of faith can be so divisive—especially when Jesus Himself, in one of His most important prayers, says with the power of Gospel Truth, “I pray that they might be one, even as You and I are One”?

Happy Veterans day—and thanks to those who served and sacrificed so much.  Any praying that one day, veterans of spiritual battles may one day also feel such strong camaraderie.   – Pastor Jim, Chaplain (Lt. Col., retired)  USAR, OHARNG

 

Pastoral Ponderings– Morning Fog

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Pastoral Ponderings– Morning Fog

I’ve always loved catching pictures of the morning fog—other than pictures of my favorite people in memorable situations, morning fog pics are among my favorites.  I’ve sometimes wondered what it is about such pictures that I love so much, and it might be how the fog, by how it obscures the background, highlights whatever the focus really is.

I wonder if a morning fog picture can help us better navigate life?  I’m not thinking here of any high-brow understanding of how “art” helps us see what is real, but what the importance of focus is in what we actually notice.  You know how when you’re in a crowded or high-stimulation place—a store, a mall (do people still go to malls?) an airport, a city street—and you’re having a conversation with Someone Truly Important?  There may be a plethora of things going on around you that COULD command your attention (squirrel!), but you’re focused, and can see and actually hear and attend to what is Important.

That seems natural enough—yet how often do we go through life distracted by that which is less important, including pain of whatever sort—rather than focusing on Truth, Beauty and Goodness.  I’ve been reflecting on my dad’s death, now almost 12 years ago, the family gathering around his hospice been, soaking in the love, the laughter, the precious time.  Despite his impending death, it was a Truly Happy and Blessed time.

How could that be?  Because of our focus—perhaps the morning fog was obscuring all that was distracting and inconsequential, so we could focus on the Truth, Goodness and Beauty of the moment.

Thank God for the morning fog, and what it highlights!  Pastor Jim (Philippians 4:8-9)

Pastoral Ponderings—Trunk or Treat!

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Pastoral Ponderings—Trunk or Treat!

I must confess, I was one of the skeptics this year.  When we had done Trunk or Treat on rainy nights in the past, our turnout has been as dreary as the weather, so when the forecast for Sunday night when Trunk or Treat had been scheduled had been nothing but rain all afternoon and all night, I was voting for a postponement.  But we didn’t, and that’s my God-sighting for the week!

Our Twin Falls church still held Trunk or Treat despite the rain, but moved it inside, and had more than fifty participants at best count, with half of them being folks from the neighborhood who are not a part of the church.  For an outreach event, that’s a wonderful turnout!

For churches eager to connect with young families in the community, there’s not much better than a trunk or treat type event that kids and adults can look forward to and eagerly explore a place even as scary as a church!  But when we can welcome catacorns (that’s a cat unicorn-didn’t even know that was a thing!), alicorns (that’s a flying rainbow unicorn), skeletons, giant pizza slices and “Ice, Ice Baby” all at once, that seems to both alleviate the intimidation factor, and add to the fun factor.  The event, fueled by the warmth of our inviting church folk, was a great way of demonstrating the breadth of the welcoming nature of God’s grace!

If this sounds like a great way to be the Church, but you weren’t able to make it, it’s not too late!  You can join us at our Charlestown Church on Sunday afternoon at the park next door at 2 for their community Trunk or Treat, where the church is an integral part.  Looks like it will be dry, but cooler—so you could try a warm and toasty marshmallow costume and have a great time putting skin on the Body of Christ!  Will we see you there?

Keep being a blessing—I’ll be having a ball this time and making a racket, if you’d like a clue to what should easily top my “fork in the road” failure!

(see more about the event on our facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/TwinFallsUnitedMethodistChurch#  )

Pastoral Ponderings—Did you Hug?

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Pastoral Ponderings—Did you Hug?

I had a visit with my dad a couple nights ago.  It was a nice visit, except that it was one in which his–and my—imperfections and anger were showing.  It made me feel like a kid again, back in some less-than-ideal time with him.  Yet nonetheless, in the midst of it, he asked a profound question—“Did you hug?”  It was profound in that the intent was not just to suggest to “hug and make up,” to bring reconciliation, but to recognize through a hug, an abiding care and shared humanity despite hurts and differences.

Even in his less good times, he often shared deep wisdom, as was the case here.  This conversation a couple nights ago, though, was even more remarkable in that he died more than ten years ago.  While this did come in a dream, it was not a memory as one might think, nor had he ever pointed to this facet of wisdom in his more lively days.  Now some of you who have lost loved ones can certainly relate to having this kind of living conversation with one long gone, but it still makes me wonder about what’s going on here.

Our world is full of arguments and disagreements, as it ever has been.  There’s probably a lost, longer version of that memorable passage in Matthew 18 where Jesus LIKELY originally included in that discussion about wronging one another, “Wherever 2 or 3 are gathered together, there will be hurt and disagreement, and/but (then the part we remember–) wherever 2 or 3 are gathered together IN MY NAME, there am I in the midst of them.”

Whether among friends, in a church, in a family, in a marriage, in our political world, wherever 2 or 3 are together, there will be hurt and disagreement—true whether or not that lost segment of Matthew 18 is ever found.  Might this be true today more than ever?

I’m not so sure about that.  But regardless of the context, my dad’s wise and insightful question still applies—“did you hug?”  Disagreements and hurt are a part of the human condition.  They only become demonic when we dehumanize and vilify the Other.  When we remember we’re all imperfect, broken, and nobody has a corner on the market of God’s perspective, when we realized that compromise is a gift rather than an evil, then we can recognize Jesus’ peace among us.

“Did you hug?”- if even in a figurative sense, when you can’t hug a group!  It might not fix everything—but it could make all the difference in the world!  Thanks, Dad.  See you soon–                     Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings—Rooted

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We recently rented a trencher to dig a trench through our yard to take electric out to where we’re often “camping” by the pond, and where we’re putting a permanent pavilion out in that area.  Since the yard is full of beautiful trees, we knew it would be full of roots, so rather than struggling with a simple shovel and pick, we rented this trencher that SHOULD have made the task easier.

I’ve seen these things being used—looks a lot like a giant chainsaw on a small tractor-like base for digging through the ground.  Seeing how they worked, knowing the limited area of our trenches, and that it only had to be an 18” deep trench, I thought it would be a pretty easy 2 or 3 hours’ job.  But it was an EXAUSTING, all day event, and with some of the roots and rocks the machine couldn’t get past, it’s still not done!

I wasn’t surprised at how MANY roots these trees have spread out even far from the tree trunk, but was surprised how even small roots, the diameter of pencils and nails, were giving that piece of heavy equipment such a hard time!  Though each small root might have been easily cut through, even without heavy equipment, together, they form quite a durable source of rootedness that has helped these trees last through all the storms of life for almost 100 years.  And other trees with great roots in other places make these trees look like babies.  When we were visiting the Holy Land, it was common to see olive trees well over 1000 years old, some even old enough to have had Jesus walk in their shade!

So how rooted are you?  It’s not just about having one great tap root, nor even the spread of the huge roots I was desperately trying to avoid on this project—it’s the abundance of tiny roots that both provide strength, and the source of sustenance for the trees.  The same is also true for us.

It’s not just the handful of our most primary strengths, but the abundance of those Little Things that provides the strength and sustenance to make it through.  Are you spreading your roots through all of life’s nooks and crannies, finding strength and sustenance from the abundance of bite-sized blessing God pours out on us each day?  Staying deeply rooted in Jesus is certainly important—but it is in counting our small blessings and reflecting on our daily God Sightings that really bring our strength!

Stay rooted—Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings—Trapped!

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Pastoral Ponderings—Trapped! 

Before the summer is too far gone, I’ve to share these ponderings with the attached picture of the racoons in the dumpster.  Many of you may have seen this coon-sized conundrum before–some more than once, as it’s not too uncommon—racoons who follow their noses and somehow get stuck in the dumpster.  “Silly racoon!” we might think, “How could you get yourself in such a fix?”

The silly beasties just follow their noses without much thought about where it might get them until it’s too late.  But how often do we do the same kind of thing—likely not into a dumpster—but just following our noses or whatever “feels right,” without thinking too much about it, until we find ourselves just as stuck in a bad place.  Maybe we’re not that much smarter than a racoon after all!

Most of us have heard more than enough about where temptation can lead us.  Whether it is into some kind of trouble, or, when we give into the temptation to start our own “poor lil’ ol’ me” party– “Nobody knows, the trouble I seen, nobody knows my sorrows…” rather than listening to God’s wisdom through the scriptures.  If we keep busy loving our neighbors, do we have time to get ourselves into trouble, or for our own pity party?  If we follow scriptural guidance to focus on the good stuff, where’s the pity party to come from?  Or if with St. Paul we practice “I’ve learned to be content in all circumstances” (written while he was in prison, by the way), and to “give thanks in all circumstances,” isn’t that like “pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile…”?

That racoon did NOT look very happy, stuck it the dumpster.  I don’t know about you, but I generally don’t like getting stuck at all.  So even if we’re not smart enough to follow the wisdom of the Bible, maybe we can learn a lesson or two from silly racoons, stuck in a dumpster!

Follow Jesus rather than your nose!  Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings- Weird Spirituality

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Pastoral Ponderings- Weird Spirituality

How might an accordion, a dancing Darth Vader and Storm Troopers, and some perhaps slightly offensive song lyrics give us a glimpse into the Kingdom of God?  Sounds weird, doesn’t it?  Or it at least sounds like Weird Al Yankovic.  I have no idea about Weird Al’s personal spiritual life, and that really doesn’t matter. But when the God who made the universe is often known to work in mysterious ways—wouldn’t it be simple enough for God to work through a weird concert?

Karol  and I were blessed to be a part of one of his concert experiences recently, at an outdoor venue (Blossom) where you had to get there early, so we took a picnic to start our time.  The first weirdness was when I dropped something on the way to the picnic table, and before I could reach down to get it, a perfect stranger dashed over from a table fifty feet away to help out.  That’s strange.

Then I first started to sense something deeper when walking with the crowds from the picnic area—I’ve never seen so many “Hawaiian shirts” in one place before, or such a collection of very interesting people—all basking in and embracing the mutual weirdness of the event.  Then, when Al came onstage (not that I’m on a first-name basis with him, but he did say/sing, “You can call me Al”), while singing his opening song, “Because I’m tacky…” and wearing the clothes to prove it, he was winding his way through the crown, “pressing the flesh” as politicians say, to connect with the people.

Several times through the concert he went out of his way like this to connect with the people.  And throughout the concert, through the songs and the micro-culture of the event, both he in his performance and we in the crowd, thoroughly enfleshed a celebration and acceptance of all, from the most ordinary to the most eccentric of revelers (it was a Weird Al concert, after all).

It was almost like someone went out to all the highways and hedges to bring in all the people who are too often excluded and pushed off to the margins, almost like one brief shining moment of living in the Kingdom of God as Jesus described it.

Years ago when we were in seminary, our seminary president, Len Sweet, who described himself as a “futurist,” preparing us to serve the Church in decades to come, told us something like “though the Church is struggling to reach our communities, I’m completely convinced that God will still be pouring out His grace and proclaiming the Good News to our communities—even if it might not be through our churches.”

I hadn’t realized it before, but I think God is a fan of Weird Al as well, since I certainly experienced enough clues of His presence at the concert too!  It was really weird, but a profoundly grace-filled experience that felt a lot like a glimpse of the broadly embracing arms of the Kingdom of God.                     –Pastor (“Weird”) Jim