Grace and Stuff

Holy Week

2010-04-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

We have returned from Salt Lake City.

It was great to make the trip and to run down to the UMCOR depot and to see the evidence of the work of the connection of the United Methodist Church. It was a little humbling and anti-climatic to drop off our 128 kits in amongst the thousands of others. We were reminded that it is simply many small efforts that create those thousands of kits and supplies loaded in the 22,000 square feet of the facility there.

The drive down was uneventful and we arrived at the warehouse around 4:00 in the afternoon after departing from Boise around 10:00 in the morning. We had a nice walk around downtown Salt Lake City. Our hotel was across the street from the home of the NBA team and the home team was having a game that night. It was nice to see the activity of the city and it had such a calm peaceful feeling to the place even with the activity.

I don't know how God will make use of those health and layette kits. I don't know where the will end up or who will unwrap them or what difference it will make but I trust it will make a difference and that 128 lives will be a little better off because of the effort.

Today is Holy Thursday, a time to be at service because we remember the great love Jesus has for us. Go, serve, do.

Lent Day 30!

2010-03-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

Spent yesterday in multiple meetings at the Conference office in Des Moines and the blog was neglected. I am sorry about that.

Today's Lent review is on the topic of hospitality focusing on our welcoming of children. One of my joys growing up in the church was the sense of being at home in that place. At Mill Plain UMC we are continuing to find ways that we can best be in ministry with children. We continue to expand the possibilities in with our classroom space and teachers. We continue to live into the best practices of providing a safe space for our children and vulnerable adults. While this is all good and right work, it is not enough.

What completes our welcoming of children is how adults and families will relate to each other. How many adults know the names of the children in church other than the ones in their immediate families? How do the adults relate to children during fellowship times? How we receive people of all ages will show a great deal about how we are willing to show grace to all people.

Lent Day 26

2010-03-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

Micah 6:8

What does the Lord require of you? To do Justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God!

Some say today is one of the least productive days in America's offices as we begin the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament. Really do I care that BYU is playing Florida right now? No but I have already checked the scores. I don't know why. The only team I care about is Gonzaga and I don't even know if they play today or tomorrow.

See, it is easy to get distracted from what the Lord requires. We have so many options. Focus. How can we bring justice and kindness. How will we intentionally walk humbly with the Lord today?

Today I will work on the sermon, I will visit the hospital, I will finish the study guide, I will pray for forgiveness and I will take a walk in the beautiful sunshine to consider what else God may bring my way.

Lent Day 25

2010-03-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

"Honor the Lord . . . with the first fruits of all your substance."

Why does the "youth room" always get the left over couches? Why does the church always get the old TV? Why are so many church building projects done with the attitude of "good enough"? Why don't we give our best instead of our left overs?

I like to wear ties to church and to professional church occasions such as Annual Conference. I am in a terrible minority on these occasions. The Boomers are still rebelling against the norm of their parents and they don't like to wear ties. Most of them wear some sort of open collar shirt. A few of us "younger" clergy have come back to wearing ties. I guess we are rebelling against the Boomers.

For me it is a reminder about giving my best. The church deserves my best. When I fail at that it nags at me for a long time. What can you give the best of for God's kingdom today?

Lent day 24

2010-03-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

What gifts do I bring?

As hard as I can be on myself, you know what, I am a pretty good preacher.

I am a good listener and I have a good presence with people in difficult situations.

I have a vision and a passion for the church.

I understand concepts of strategic thinking and leadership issues and I do my best to apply them.

Am I perfect. NO! I am in constant need of grace from others and from God. Sometimes I can give a stinker of a sermon, sometimes I can fail to be present with others, sometimes I have no idea what I am doing, sometimes I can't think of any new or old ideas. But sometimes is NOT all of the time and overall I'm pretty good at my job.

What gifts do you bring to the church? Go on, brag about yourself, you deserve it!

Lent day 23

2010-03-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

Paul in this text seems to be both thanking the Corinthian church for a gift for his ministry as well as continuing to ask for support. For the pastor, I love the reality of this message. The church is dependent upon the work of some through the gifts of others.

In my first years of ministry in England I didn't pay much attention to the church finances. I knew there was a collection each week. I knew that sometimes it seemed like hardly enough to pay the bills. I knew that the circuit somehow was able to pay the pastors and that once a quarter I would get a check. It was at my first appointment back in the Pacific Northwest that I realized just the depth of generosity that I was dependent upon. As we struggled to understand the budget and giving in the church I realized that I was about 75% of the church budget! Through my salary, health care, pension, liability insurance and housing 75 cents of every dollar someone gave to the church went to me. I was overwhelmed. I was also on minimum salary and still trying to figure out how to pay all my bills.

It is humbling to consider the gifts people are willing to give to the ministry of the church so that a pastor might preach a sermon tend to those who are struggling and to lead a congregation.

So today I am humbled. I am mindful of all the difficult choices I have to make about what not to tend to while being busy with so much else. There simply is not enough time to do all that I could. Thank you to all the people who have supported me over the years and thank you today for the people of Mill Plain UMC.

Lent Day 20

2010-03-11T09:16:00.000-08:00

Luke 4: 16-20

What is your hurry? Jesus had a sense of urgency in his ministry. His mission was clear "to bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind."

What is your mission? According to Pew research released recently only 64% of people 29 years old or younger believe in God. For people over 30 that number is 73%. We know fewer young people are attending church. It is time for us to make the church relevant in a new way.

The 20th century say the great movement known as Methodism lose its momentum. By 1970 the movement would be at its peak with numbers declining ever since. It is my believe that one part of our problem is that the church lost its urgency. As we moved through the great movements of social change working for equal rights of women and people of all races and ethnicity the church somehow lost the sense of urgency to bring good news to the poor, release to the captive, and recovery of sight to the blind. Perhaps we grew tired of the battles and social strife. Perhaps the affluence of our society distracted people from their spiritual needs. Perhaps our acceptance of diversity diluted loyalty to any one particular religious message or institution. Perhaps we became stuck believing that church was at its best in 1970 therefore we should keep doing it the way we did back then.

I think there is some truth to all of those possibilities. The question before us know is how will the church be relevant in the 21st century? Must we keep doing church 1970 style? Does church mean that we have to gather at 11:00 on Sunday morning? How will we share the Good News that is as needed in this century as it has been for the last 20?

Lent Day 19

2010-03-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

Mathew 20:20 ff

I had lunch with my mom today. I had a meeting in Centralia to plan some work around a conference event I am in leadership with and so I called mom to see if she had time for lunch. Mom's are great. They see us with a unique point of view. And so I read this passage in Matthew about James and John's mom with great sympathy. She is looking out for her sons in the best way she knows how. Yet, Jesus has even a better way, that those who participate in his kingdom work must be at service for others.

Mom and I talked about the church and what has changed over the years. I reminded her and myself that we have shifted from when she was in her 20's with a presumption that most people go to church to a situation now where most people in their 20's presume that no one goes to church anymore. So the church finds itself in a situation wondering why there are so few young people. Of course there are some places 20 somethings are going to church but in general it isn't at your neighborhood UMC. This is not to say that the UMC no longer has anything to offer 20 somethings. However, those grandparents in the pews need to start asking questions and really listening for how the church can be relevant to the new generation of young families. What if Sunday at 11:00 isn't the only time we can be the church? What if the grandparents started to find new ways to talk about the gospel? How can those of us in the church at 11:00 on Sunday morning be at service for those who are not? It seems to me this is Jesus' question of James, John and us.

Lent Day 18

2010-03-09T09:19:00.000-08:00

Micah 6:8

It was a vacation Bible school that finally taught me to memorize this verse. "What does the Lord require of you? To do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God."

What justice can I do today, for whom shall an act of kindness make any difference, how can I walk humbly with God today? Sometimes the answers are not self evident. Sometimes it isn't apparent in our average day how we will live into acts of justice. Sometimes we aren't sure our everyday actions display any extra ordinary kindness. Sometimes our days pass without the appropriate time of prayer and humility.

Yesterday, I met with people and planned some mission work to bring a little more justice to our world. Yesterday, I was able to meet with a family and share some kindness. Yesterday, I took time to pray. May today be a bit like yesterday.

Lent Day 17

2010-03-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

Psalm 99

This is a royal Psalm. Sometimes I wonder in reading these sort of Psalms if they declare a reality of what the king is like or if they are hoped for attributes that the psalmist puts upon the king. "Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity . . ."

Whatever the case the psalm calls for us to remember those who have brought forth justice.

I watched the last few awards being handed out at the Oscars last night. While I am not sure the Sandra Bullock is the best actress of the five nominees, I was touched by her speech where she recognized that all people deserve to be loved. She said, "there is no race, no religion, no class systems, no colors, no sexual orientation that makes us better than anyone else, we are all deserving of love."

We are all deserving of love, may we this day have an opportunity to extend that love into God's world.

Lent Day 14

2010-03-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite texts in all of Scripture, Philippians 2.

"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus . . ."

The joy of the disciplines I have taken up during this Lent is that it affirms that in order to make changes in our life we need to know what our goals are. I want to run the Portland Marathon this year. It will take a lot of dedication but I know that I can achieve the goal. My life has already changed in my efforts to reach that goal. I have lost 15 pounds since last September. I feel better.

Christ had a goal in mind . . . that was to bring forth the Kingdom of God here on Earth. I believe he knew that the authorities would try to stop him. I believe he knew this ministry would lead to his death. And I believe he knew that his death was not the end of his ministry.

In my ministry I too want to participate in God's Kingdom here on Earth right now. To participate in bringing peace and justice. To participate in making this world more loving and accepting.

So today in the midst of my meetings and sermon prep I will also encourage someone on the phone struggling to pay their bills, I will envision how the church can step forward in addressing issues of justice, I will extend the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ as well as I can.

Lent Day 13

2010-03-03T13:22:00.000-08:00

Fruits of the Spirit, Galatians 5

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.

These are the character traits of discipleship. Sometimes I am able to live into each of these. Yet, I am often challenged to live with the Spirit of these fruits.

When there is an injustice, I am challenged to be loving. When a friend of mine is hurting I think unkind thoughts. When I see changes that can improve the church I become impatient. Sometimes, when I am afraid, I can lose my self control.

So I pray this day, O Lord, let me live into the fruits of the Spirit and to have discernment how I can be at my best.

Lent Day 12

2010-03-02T10:01:00.001-08:00

I am a new creation in Christ Jesus.

Paul is reminding the community that our declaration of faith in Jesus transforms us. The acceptance of God's love in our life reforms how we see ourselves and our neighbors. In our Methodist tradition we understand our growth in the knowledge of God's grace as a means of "going on to perfection."

During this season of lent, the discipline of this blog and a phrase on twitter has held me to a time of devotion. I am growing simply by pausing in the morning, reading some scripture and praying for the day. I am also feeling good about the devotion of my exercise program (You can follow that on the Portland 2010 or bust blog.)

I hope that you are experiencing renewal in your life during this season!

Lent Day 11

2010-03-01T09:11:00.000-08:00

Acts 2

The apostles become teachers of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Many of my teachers have been clergy who have influenced my life. Some were the pastor's of my local church when I was younger. Some were camp deans when I was a volunteer for summer camp. Some were campus pastors during my college years. Some are now my colleagues. Many of these folks were not necessarily intentionally teaching me. We weren't in a classroom with our Bibles open. Most of the time I was simply observing of how they lived, how did they respond to a particular situation, how did they take notice of others?

As I remember this I am humbled and a little unsure of how my life might affect someone else. Each of us are responsible to remember that we are examples of what it means to live a Christian life. May we endeavor to remember we set an example for living a Christian life even in the most mundane situations.

Lent day 10

2010-02-27T09:29:00.000-08:00

Matthew 6:6 instructs us to pray in secret. This is in touch with the idea that holiness is not for our social advancement. Yesterday's Luke passage also reminded us of the necessary element of humilty in our pursuit of holiness. There is much to learn about the humility and privacy of our relationship with God.

I am writing this morning while we await the possibility of a Tsunami coming to Hawaii and other Pacific Islands. Praying not so much in secret.

Sometimes we do need to pray publicly and noticeably. Not for the appearance of holiness but for the unique support that comes from knowing that we are connected together. I do not know personally anyone living in Hawaii. Yet, I can connect in some way as I pray for them. And, in doing so publicly I can connect not only with the people of the Pacific, but also with people I am with in this community.

We need to strike the right balance with our private prayers and our public prayers. Today let us pray publicly for the people of the Pacific as they await the unkown.

Lent Day 8

2010-02-25T09:39:00.000-08:00

Love the Lord your God.

Luke uses the commandment to introduce the parable of the Good Samaritan. Showing the distinction between knowing the right answer and living the right answer. Knowing we are to love the Lord is one thing, acting upon that knowledge is sometimes another.

This has been a fruitful week of sharing ideas, making plans and setting up possibilities for some exciting new ministries at Mill Plain UMC. Yet, I also know that the talking about ideas is not the same as acting them out. At one point in my church life attending meetings felt like I was working, that something was getting done. While meetings are often necessary, I do worry that sometimes we would rather meet than to do. Some of my doing today will be to prepare for worship on Sunday. Some of my doing will be to answer e-mail and to make some phone calls. And I will do work of preparing for the doing action of another day.

What will we DO today to be disciples of Jesus Christ?

Lent Day 7

2010-02-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

Frogs. Really a plague of frogs? OK.

What got my attention initially about this passage is that Moses and his people expressed their desire for freedom as a means to worship.

When I was in my final year at WSU my senior thesis was a study of the original state constitutions and what they stated about freedom of religion. Each of the original 13 colonies had some statement to the effect that people were free to worship. It is a freedom that we assume in our culture.

I suppose if our religion became illegal we would still find ways to worship. We might have secret signs, we might move our meeting place around, but we would find ways to worship together. I wonder if we would value that time more if it was difficult to arrange and a bit dangerous. Do we take our Sunday mornings for granted? Hmmmm.

Here is to efforts this week to not take the opportunity we have for worship for granted.

Lent Day 6

2010-02-23T10:31:00.000-08:00

Jesus takes time to bless the bread before the miracle of the feeding of the multitude.

Do you pray before meals at home? Do you pray when you go out to eat? It is amazing to me the power of creating habits or spiritual disciplines. Even if it is to simply pause to say thank you. Your public prayers do not need to be demonstrative but I believe it is valuable to say a word of thanks.

Sometimes when eating with folks at a restaurant I will offer to pray in a traditional way with head bowed and eyes closed. Sometimes I will simply take a morsel of the food hold it up and say, "Thank You God" and begin to eat.

My father used to joke that he could tell how hungry his dad was by how fast he said grace. May we be less worried about the words or the form of the prayers, and may we concern ourselves with the opportunities we have to stop and say thanks this day and every day.

Lent Day 5

2010-02-22T09:03:00.000-08:00

Psalm 84

I love this Psalm. I get absorbed in the writer's enthusiasm for the place of worship and the feeling of joy just to be able to be present in that place.

This past Saturday I drove out to Ocean Park for a meeting. It was a beautiful day. Driving out I had hopes that I would have the opportunity to walk to the beach and to enjoy some time in that holy place. Instead, as soon as I arrived I entered a tense meeting where I was working as the chair of a conference committee. From where we sat I could see the ocean waves and yet by the time the meeting was finished I had to immediately drive home. Sigh.

I regret the missed opportunities to stop and appreciate God's presence in a particular place. I am a bit saddened when work sometimes takes away opportunities to worship.

So . . . I remember the opportunities that come where I can worship. Yesterday's run on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, taking time today to pray with the ladies of the PLANT group, and even sharing some thoughts on a blog.

May God Bless you as you find the opportunities to worship today!

Lent Day 3

2010-02-19T15:53:00.000-08:00

The text today from Deuteronomy reminds the people to welcome the stranger because they were once strangers in a strange land.

Kendra took me to her exercise class today. It was "bring a friend day." She has just started and so I got to be the friend. Of course I was the only man in the room besides the young man who was the instructor.

It isn't easy to be a stranger. One falls so easily into the "what if they don't like me" feelings. Its not as if in this class I expected to meet people, I was there to support Kendra in this new effort of hers. Its hard to be new.

I try to remember that when new people visit the church as well. Its hard when you don't know what is going to happen, if the people will accept you, are you wearing the right clothes. There are a number of social pressures to being the stranger. I suppose the best way to welcome the stranger in our midst is to remember what it has been like to be the stranger.

Today was supposed to be an easy workout day. OUCH, I hurt in place where I forgot I had muscles.

Lent Day 2

2010-02-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

In Romans 15 Paul is working to the close of this letter. Verse 7 simply states "Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God."

As an extrovert it is generally easy for me to welcome people. At church I am very much at home as the Pastor welcoming people. Of course, sometimes I am distracted with the many things going on during a Sunday morning and I am not always at my best for everyone, but for the most part I enjoy being with the gathered people. I also know how important it can be for the people that when they gather there is someone to welcome them and greet them by name if possible.

Saying that, I am still learning names. Sometimes a name will just fall out of my head, sometimes I mix names up, sometimes I am just a blank. The problem is now I have been around too long to claim that I'm still new. I want to know those names! Older people, children, regular attenders and irregular attenders. In general the hardest names to know are the people who only attend on Sunday mornings. Especially if they don't ever wear their name tags.

So, I will pull out the picture directory again. Try again to remember a few more names before Sunday. And if I am lucky I will be able to welcome a few more folks with their name this Sunday.

Ash Wednesday

2010-02-17T09:03:00.000-08:00

I love the readings for this day. "do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do . . . do not look dismal like the hypocrites . . ."

Sometimes for lent I give something up. Sometimes I tell others about my intentions. Often during Lent in order to set an example I will talk about what I intend to do not as a way to sound a trumpet but more in an effort to set an example AND to have others to hold myself accountable.

This year I am primarily focusing on doing rather than giving something up. I intend to write on twitter and this blog during the 40 days of lent. (note that during lent Sunday's aren't counted in the 40.) I also intend to exercise even more. The plan is to run 5 days a week. Giving myself the day before and after the weekly long run a day off. Up to now I have been doing about 3 days a week sometimes 4. In order to do these things essentially what I have to give up is about an hour of junk TV time in the evening and get to bed earlier so I can get up at 6 rather than 7:30.

So one day in and so far so good. I have done all three of those goals; run, twitter and blog. One day down, 39 to go.

Time for Pancakes

2010-02-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

Hey its "shrove" Tuesday, AKA Mardi Gras, AKA the day before Ash Wednesday.

I had an interesting phone call yesterday. Apparently one of the elderly couples of the church was having an argument and they wanted to know what Ash Wednesday was. I didn't know what I might be settling but he asked, "So what is Ash Wednesday?" I explained simply that it was the first day of Lent. "So why 40 days?" I began to explain it represented a long time with God such as the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness. Then came the interesting bit, "so how did they know when Jesus was going to be crucified?" I can only presume know that they were having an argument about the origin of Lent and if it was in the Bible or not. I explained that it was a tradition of the church it happened years after the Crucifixion. "So it was an afterthought." Well . . . it was a tradition that developed later. "OK, thank you pastor." And that seemed to be the end of the phone call.

For many protestants this is just another day although mainline churches have taken up the traditions of Lent and many are now holding Ash Wednesday services. So it is understandable that a faithful older member might be a bit confused about this. There may have even been Methodist preachers in the past who would refuse to have an Ash Wednesday service based primarily on the idea that it was, "too Catholic."

My first Ash Wednesday service was during my second year at WSU. The mainline churches held a combined service and a few of us from the campus ministry went to find out what this was all about. Of course all I remember about the service was the imposition of the ashes and the great internal debate I had about should I wash this stuff off of my forehead or not? I don't actually remember the decision I made but I remember the debate I had about it in front of the mirror in the dorm.

Today is in some traditions a day for pancakes in order to use up the last of the fat and oil from the household. Of course now most homes don't bother. At one time though this was a season to make sacrifices and the pancakes represented one sort of sacrifice to be made the following 40 days.

So party on, its Mardi Gras! Tomorrow the 40 days begin.

Getting Ready

2010-02-11T10:46:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here in my office on another mild February day in the PNW while the organizers for the Winter Olympics fret about the lack of snow and people on the East Coast continue to shovel their way out of a week of heavy snowfall. I am trying to collect my seemingly random thoughts for the Sunday sermon.

What changes do we as individuals need to make to be better stewards of this gift of life that God has blessed us with?

Do the people of New Orleans really feel better about the damage from Hurricane Katrina because a football team won a championship? Should the NFL expand to Haiti so then maybe the people there could feel better about the earthquake?

How will we continue to make a difference for others during Lent this year?

Lent 2010

2010-02-09T11:29:00.000-08:00

OK,

This blog has been basically down since moving to Mill Plain UMC. Primarily I just didn't know what to do with it in my new ministry.

So let's get this restarted with a Lent 2010 kickoff. 40 days of updates? I have a week to get ready for Lent . . . can we do it? Yes we can! (thanks Bob the builder.)

Episcipal Elections

2008-07-19T01:29:00.001-07:00

Wow, what a day.

Saturday morning at 1:00 A.M. Elaine Stanovsky from the PNW was elected bishop on the 25th ballot.

As predicted things got pretty interesting after one election. At one time Janet and Elaine were essentially tied, then support again shifted to Elaine. Both were good candidates and Janet would have served the denomination well also.

The delegation is proud for Elaine and our work with her but now we are faced with the reality of losing her leadership and we do not know yet who our new Bishop will be.

Peace Y'all,

Bruce

Between Generations

2008-07-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

It really sucks to be a Gen X clergy.

The boomers are in control and the Millennials are on the rise. Squeezed in the middle are us poor suckers with the misfortune to be born after JFK was shot and before the Challenger space shuttle blew up. One Episcopal candidate here at Jurisdictional totally disregarded my generation in talking about the generations of the church. I have been informed that I am too old to meet with the younger people to caucus with them. (I crashed one gathering anyway.) Among my clergy colleagues I am seen as one of the young ones, among the young adults I am one of the old clergy.

I really sucks to be 39.

In other news the voting for Bishops has come to a standstill.

After 5 ballots there has been little movement among the top 5 contenders. As of the 5th ballot this is how things stand.

Grant 42
Elaine 21
Renae 19
Youngsook 14
Janet 13

Two of those are likely to be elected unless some great surprise happens tomorrow. It all depends on the fallout of the caucus groups and as the others withdraw. There are still 40 votes being used on candidates with little chance to make a sudden rise. Distributing those 40 among these five will determine a lot of the future. Presently I am voting for two women. I am convinced Grant will make a good Bishop but presently I wish to support some women to see how this sorts out.

I am hopeful that the PNW will be assigned a women as Bishop but there is a lot to happen between now and Saturday.

Peace Y'all,
Bruce

Change

2008-07-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

One of the tools I have re familiarized myself with in coming to my new appointment has been "The thin book of Appreciative Inquiry." It is a great little resource and I am going to need it as we approach the inevitable changes at Mill Plain.

I have joked with the congregation that while I am not trying to change anything right away, the truth is as the new person I will accidentally change something and not even know what I was doing was a change. One recent non church event has reminded me how hard change can be.

In 1980 my family was taking my aunt to the airport who was flying home to San Diego, while waiting with her at the gate (remember when family could do that?) my dad and I notice that DENNIS JOHNSON was also going to be on my aunt's flight. Finally after much encouragement from my father I took a pen and paper from my mother and approached the star of the world champion Seattle Supersonics. I very shyly approached this tall man sitting alone and I said, "Mr. Johnson can I have your autograph?" He took my paper and signed it. I don't recall if he said a word to me but it was SO AWESOME, I got DJ's autograph, just wait until the guys at school hear about this! Of course instantly DJ became my favorite of all the Sonics. Previously my favorite was Gus Williams, the "short" guy on the team.

I remember where I was the previous year when the Sonics won the Championship. Sitting in the living room watching on a little TV with a snowy picture that was the best our antenna could do with the signal 90 miles away in Seattle. It was a great moment in my childhood.

Now the Sonics are gone. Stolen by a thief from Oklahoma City and the commissioner of the NBA. In my worst moments I want some disaster to befall the pair of them. In my best moments I realize that I haven't watched a Sonics game since 1993. (That is great story for another time, but I will say this FRONT ROW TICKETS BABY!)

Change is hard. While my childhood really hasn't been taken away yet, it hurts to have the Seattle Supersonics suddenly disappear in a whirlwind of dust.

I am trying to remember that as the church changes. AI says, "People have more confidence and comfort to journey to the future (the unknown) when they carry forward parts of the past (the known). AND. If we carry parts of the past forward they should be what is best about the past.

So when we talk about changing worship or some committee or something else about the way things have "always" been done I will try to remember the need each of us has to have roots while we grow.

A new day

2008-07-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

Today I begin my appointment as the pastor of Mill Plain UMC!

I am excited and nervous about this opportunity. I think the church pretty much feels the same way. The matchmaker has made his match, now the bride and groom get to figure out if they can make it work.

Today I am meeting with the staff and begining to learn what life is like at MPUMC.

I will also be continuing to unpack the boxes of books and begin settling into my new office.

Holy Conferencing

2008-06-20T00:02:00.000-07:00

We United Methodists have been tossing around the phrase, "Holy Conferencing" with some regularity lately. What does that mean? One of the definitions for conference at Dictionary.com is: "the act of conferring or consulting together; consultation, esp. on an important or serious matter. "

As a clergy the Annual Conference is my church. It is the place where my membership is held. The gathering of my church is very important to me and while I care about the quality of the events and I care about some of the legislation we discuss, primarily the conference is about the gathering of the church an the conversations that take place as we gather.

I have had numerous conversations these past couple of days. Some have been business oriented related to some of my work within the conference such as with the Camping Board of Stewards. Some have been to meet new people. Some have been to process events that are taking place around us. Some are catching up with old friends and acquaintances.

Each of these conversations are opportunities for God's grace and they are Holy. Our conferencing has a particular culture and history and that too is holy.

Today was a day for recognizing clergy who are moving into retirement. One of the ceremonies that took place was "the passing of the mantel." It is from the story of Elijah and Elisha where at the end of his life Elijah passes the "mantel" of God's presence in his ministry on to the younger Elisha. Last year a retiring clergy placed the mantel on Kendra who was being ordained as an Elder that year. As we watched the ceremony I thought how cool would it be if in 30 or so years Kendra is able to pass the mantel on to a young clergy.

There is meaning in the traditions of the church. We have traditions at Annual Conference that mean a great deal to me. Some are formalized some informal. Our Annual Conference has a particular hymn that we call the Bishop's hymn. A bishop in our conference many years ago (I can't remember the exact date . . . 1920s?) had a favorite hymn, its first line is "Beloved, Beloved, we are the children of God." We sing it every year at conference, so far we have sung it twice and I wouldn't be surprised if we sing it again tomorrow to send off Bishop Paup.

Elaine Stanovsky in her sermon for the ordination service tonight spoke well of the traditions of the church and how for all ministers of the church (clergy and lay) the way that we come together brings us home, home in the familiarity of who we are and how we relate with one another. She related this coming home to Annual Conference as a remembrance of our baptism.

We were also reminded today that holy conferencing includes being accountable in our relationships with one another. We were told wisely (again by Elaine, she was 2 for 2 today!) that we are still maturing in how we deal with clergy misconduct. We listened to an account of clergy misconduct that took place 25 years ago and yet still has a major impact on a woman's life. We are still learning what it means to be holy with the victim and with the perpetrator of the offense. Can we be graceful with everyone involved?

It is important to me that holy conference take into account the mistakes that we all make and our reliance upon grace. The Annual Conference is a bit like a small rural town. We live in a fishbowl with one another. If you don't know someone you know someone who knows the person you don't know. There is a very small degree of separation and we are guilty of spreading much gossip about one another at our worst. But we are also able to show great grace with one another and those are holy moments too.

It has been a good couple of days of conferencing and I am looking forward to some holy sleep and relaxation before beginning my new appointment at Mill Plain UMC.

Annual Conference 2008

2008-06-17T19:58:00.001-07:00

The Bishop announced at 2:00 that the 135 session of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference was in session.

We have Brianna with us this year which is a lot of fun. We are on the campus of the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID. As an alum of WSU just 8 miles down the road it is a lot of fun to be out here. Unfortunately the housing and meal situation is not very accommodating. We are sharing a dinning hall with a high school football camp. Poor Brianna kept losing her place in the desert line to the big "smelly" football players. Ugh.

So far all is quiet at Conference. We had introductions, a short report from the General Conference delegation, and an address from the cabinet. The biggest controversy so far seems to be the crowded dinning hall.

I have a report to give for the Discipleship committee tomorrow about my experience at General Conference. I have been looking up legislation to remind myself of some of the things we did. I am pretty nervous about this actually. I have been asked to talk specifically about my obersvation work with the GC Discipleship committee but there may be more this group wants to know. Oh well.

It has been fun to see old friends and introduce Brianna to so people. She is taking it all in pretty well.

P.S. Sorry Al I haven't finished the book yet. I am about half way through.

Buy those women some Listerine

2008-06-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

This moving thing is getting to be a real heartache. So while putting off dealing with that I wanted to write a quick not about Baseball. Well its not really about baseball but . . .

One of the headlines in the paper caught my eye today . . . "Lesbian kiss at Seattle ballpark stirs up gay-friendly town." http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004458950_aplesbiankiss.html

It seems a couple at the M's game the other day was asked to stop kissing by an usher who had received a complaint. They have stated that they were simply sharing an occasional kiss between munching on garlic fries. Personally I question their judgement. Who wants to kiss someone eating garlic fries? Have you tried those things, they are powerful!

Apparently some mom got all nervous and asked the usher to put a stop to it. The idea seems to have been, "what am I supposed to say to my kids." Is it that hard? Good grief my daughter has known since she was in pre-school, some families have a mom and a dad, some have a mom, some have a dad, some have two dads, some have two moms. It's not that hard to teach a child about diversity. They are pretty accepting of the idea that people are different. Too bad it is hard for the parent to accept diversity.

Frankly, the way the M's have been playing lately I question the judgement of a parent exposing their children to what is happening on the field.

Transition

2008-05-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

Note: This newsletter article was written for Mill Plain and Longview with two different endings.

We are living in a time where change is the norm and not the exception. Last week I was in the a retail store with my phone asking some questions about my cell phone service, when I showed it to the sales person he reacted like I had pulled out an antique, “Oh, I remember those.” I’m thinking, “Good grief, the phone isn’t even two years old yet.” I haven’t yet begun to think of switching to a newer phone but clearly there will be a day my phone will no longer be able to function as I need it to.

With change being a way of life the question for many is how and when do we choose to make a transition in our life with these changes? Making a transition is a choice. We cannot control the changes around us, but we can control our response (or non-response) to them.

When Jesus was preparing his disciples for the time that he would no longer be with them he made attempts to help them make the transition. He taught them intentionally about the presence of the Holy Spirit. He took time to reflect on what they had achieved together. He reminded each of them of their value to the continued ministry and he gave thanks to God for their faith. Soon the disciples are confronted not only with the life of Jesus but with his death and his resurrection as well! The disciple’s choice is how are we going to respond, what will be different in our life because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Pastoral changes are hard. Each situation is unique, no two situations are the same. In each change that is made we have a choice of how to respond and the people around us will be responding in a variety of ways. Some are grieving what is being lost, others are looking forward to what will be gained. Making a healthy pastoral transition takes into account both the grief and the anticipation of the clergy and the congregation. In order to receive one another well we also need to do our best to say goodbye well.

I have arranged for a couple of Sunday’s off between Longview and Mill Plain (my last Sunday at LUMC is June 15) in order for me to make as healthy of a transition as I can. Two weeks is still a short time to consider all the emotions of saying goodbye and preparing to say hello. Yet, I intend to do my best to spend that time resting and considering the possibilities of the future with Mill Plain UMC. I will also be giving thanks in prayer for the people of Longview UMC.

Longview UMC ending
So Thank You Longview United Methodist Church. Thank you, for receiving me with love, for being graceful when I made a mistake, for having the courage to say what you believe, for caring for my family and helping my daughter to grow in her faith, for the ways that you care for and love one another, for your passion for justice, for giving your time and energy so others would be welcome, for sometimes setting aside your desires to make room for guests, for standing up as a beacon of diversity in this community, for supporting others as they become disciples of Jesus Christ.

Mill Plain UMC ending
I am thankful for the opportunity, that all being well, I will soon be the pastor of Mill Plain UMC. I am thankful for Brian’s three years of leadership and service for the Church. I am thankful for Steve Lewis being available to preach so often in this interim period. I am thankful for all the staff, especially Ev, Debbie and Jeff for their ministry. I am thankful for all the work going on behind the scenes to prepare for my arrival. How will you give thanks for what was and prepare for what will be?

Five Years at LUMC

2008-05-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

The following is an article that I hope will be published in "The Daily News" on Sunday

Acceptance of Diversity is a value held by many people. This past December churches that normally have difficulty agreeing about many things rallied around the acceptance of racial and ethnic diversity as we placed a large add in the Daily News with thousands of signatures. We joined with the young and old, rich and poor, powerful and weak as we marched on a cold December Sunday to announce to the community that hatred and racism were unwelcome in our community. We posted signs in the windows of our homes and cars that declared “we embrace diversity.”

Yet, embracing diversity takes more than a sign and a parade. We have a very human desire (need?) to congregate with others like us. We create organizations, clubs and even churches so that people like us can meet together. We might proclaim “everyone is welcome” or “come as you are” but we often hope that those who are different will conform to the majority. Sometimes we resort to creating fear about those who are different. As a youth and young adult growing up in Southwest Washington I was taught through jokes and rumors to be afraid of Gay people. I thank God that I did not submit to that fear.

Through my faith in Jesus Christ I understand that God loves all people. In my United Methodist denomination we have struggled with the issues of slavery, racism and sexism. Over time we have accepted that people of race are equal in God’s eyes, and that women have every right to equality with men in home, work and the church. As a denomination we are still trying to understand diversity as it pertains to acceptance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender people. I am thankful for churches such as Longview United Methodist Church where we are learning to follow Christ without fear. We believe that God is calling us to responsible, loving relationships and we reject the exploitation of sex in our society. We believe the gender of who you love is less important than the quality of your love.

Today, May 18, 2008 is the fifth anniversary of Longview United Methodist Church opening its doors to all people. In those five years the ministry of our church has been blessed with spiritual and numerical growth. We have celebrated the baptisms of those who discovered God’s love and forgiveness. We have welcomed others who had been told not to come back by other churches. We have witnessed the joy of couples making a commitment to a life long monogamous relationship with one another.

Our greater Cowlitz County community is diverse. We have people of many nations, languages, races, cultures and sexual orientations. As we grow to understand the diversity around us, I believe we will grow in our understanding of God’s universal love. I hope that you will consider the opportunity to embrace the full diversity in our community not only in regards to race but also in regards to those neighbors of ours who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender.

If you have the opportunity we would be very happy to welcome you to our Sunday morning worship at 10:00, or for this evening’s special concert by the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus at 6:00.
Grace and Peace, Rev. Bruce Smith

STRE

2008-05-08T14:41:00.001-07:00

I visited Adam Hamilton's blog yesterday.

I really respect Adam and although we do not really know each other I feel like he is someone who I could have a conversation with and not feel condemned. However, it was terribly frustrating to read the comments on his blog. Those anonymous commentators and their quick judgements!

Basically two commentators wanted to know how the church could condone "those sinners" and questioned the UMC's understanding of discipleship.

I resisted the urge to reply only because I knew I was too steamed up to be helpful. So while I helped with making dinner in the kitchen I began to wonder what happened to STRE? The Wesleyan Quadrilateral that has been taught for nearly 40 years in the United Methodist Church?

What has happened to reading Scripture with our Tradition, Reason and Experience? Albert Outler did the church a great service when he wrote about the "Wesleyan Quadrilateral." Yet, many of my conservative friends simply want to read Scripture, seemingly to me, in a vacuum. Scripture has always been read in a particular context. In the western world of 2008 our understanding of homosexuality is based on good scientific and psychological research. I know faithful Christian people who give testimony to their religious Experience as GLBT people. Why is it harmful to read scripture the same way Methodists have been reading it for nearly 300 years?

How long, how long must we sing this song?

Hope for the future

2008-05-04T07:12:00.000-07:00

This is the last post to be labeled "General Conference 2008." I will of course be blogging about the Upcoming Jurisdictional Conference. Can jurisdictional conference be about more than episcopal elections? I believe it is time for the west to engage with all the other jurisdictions and the international regional conferences in a dialogue around what it means to be the United Methodist Church. The west has been under attack and it is time for us to unite with others to stop the attacks.

I have hope that as a new generation of leadership rises and the current generation of leaders matures the bitterness of past battles will fade so that we can work through our differences in a new way. It appears to me that some people from the far conservative wing of the church are acting out of fear. Their fear has led them to some questionable tactics that will not work. I hope they can grow out of their fear and engage in mutual dialogue. Those in the South East working out of fear are abusing statistics in attempts to gain power and control. (There were two attempts to reduce the Western Jurisdiction to 2 or 3 bishops instead of our current 6 brought to you by our good friends of the IRD and "Good New.")

I have hope that the "left" can engage with the middle in new ways. The moment of witness on Thursday was a powerful moment where the church recognized its brokenness and in recognizing that which has broken us I believe we can begin the healing.

I have hope that the UMC will be a growing vibrant church for the next generation.

From Thursday May 2

2008-05-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

Note to reader. This was published on the conference blog but I forgot to post it here at my blog. If you haven't checked out the conference site yet you should. http://www.pnwumc.org/generalconference/index.html

After finishing Wednesday’s blog post at 2:00 A.M. (Thursday technically I suppose) I slept for 3 hours and got up for what I knew would be another important morning.

The western jurisdiction meeting went well and we had the opportunity to meet Angela Brown from the Cal-Nevada A.C. who we had helped elect to the Jurisdictional Council.
As I sit here I can’t recall what the morning legislation was. Oh yeah, it was around the report on the world wide church which for now is simply changing the language of the international “Central” conferences to “Regional.” There was some argument about the possibility of the US becoming a regional conference and that will be part of a larger study in the next quadrennium.

There was a beautiful moment of witness on the brokenness of our church around the issue of homosexuality. The Bishops participated in a variety of ways which was very impressive. Basically about 200 volunteers from around the country came dressed in black and formed a cross in the aisles. At the center communion table it was shrouded in black and we were invited to lay a veil on the alter for the brokenness of the church. It is clear now from the 45-55 vote and the participation from the delegates that this is no longer a small minority vs. the majority, we are a church of many minds broken over one issue and YET also one church together in hope. I really believe that.

We are ONE diverse church. I believe God’s call for us is to learn how to be in relationship while we disagree. That unity is well displayed in our ability to come together in mission. Perhaps that is why the whole basketball thing is so important. It is something we can focus on and agree about together. Saving lives for the here and now is a value of our discipleship in following Jesus Christ.

Today will have more legislation and busy-ness. But it is also a time of reflection on a week filled with many moments of basic human frailty and also many moments of humanity experiencing the the living God. Pray for one more day of Holy Conferencing.

And . . . That's a wrap

2008-05-03T00:12:00.001-07:00

The General Conference Session of 2008 concluded its business at 11:14 local time. Followed by a sermon from Bishop Palmer. Frankly it took a while to start listening as I was ready to simply get back to the hotel.

So what happened today?

The committee on the General Conference Agenda made a motion that was easily carried that the 2012 session have no business scheduled on the Sunday of its meeting! Yippee.

The budget passed easily.

The close votes of the day were with the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. (An agency the United Methodist Church began in 1972) The RCRC is getting hammered by the far right with many half truths and just plain lies. (Where is all this fear and hatred coming from?) The UMC has voted to continue its support and affiliation with the RCRC but by a very narrow margin.

Some surprising good news of the day. One of our delegation noticed that on a consent calendar item the UMC has made the following statement (altering Paragraph 161 A for those following in their program) “The family: We believe the family to be the basic human community through which persons are nurtured and sustained in mutual love, responsibility, respect and fidelity. We affirm the importance of loving parentsfor all children. We also understand the family as encompassing a wider range of options than that of the two-generational unit of parents and children (the nuclear family) We affirm shared responsibility for parenting where there are two parentsand encourage social, economic, and religious efforts to maintain and strengthen relationships within families in order that every member may be assisted toward complete personhood.”

This was a hard day for the “IRD” a far right conservative group with political motivations to change the church. The items they brought to the General Conference were generally defeated by good margins.

I sat on the floor for the closing speed legislation session. It was at first frustrating as people would go the the microphone on an issue that wasn’t going to be a close vote. Eventually everyone stayed seated and in the final hour we passed 30 items.

I think I will do one more final thoughts post before signing off. Presently it is 2:00 A.M. and I still haven’t packed!

Holy Moments

2008-04-30T22:08:00.000-07:00

What a day. I don't know where to begin.

The day began innocently enough. The Western Jurisdiction meeting was light and hopeful with understanding that not all the votes would go the way most western delegates would prefer.

Mary and I shared a fun moment running to Starbucks to get the delegation on the floor their supply of coffee for the day. It seemed like an appropriate Northwest moment.

We learned that the "Global Ministries Committee" was still meeting and as of the morning there were still 120 "calendar items" to go. On average this meant we would have ten minutes for each item.

After an Africa University presentation it was time to get started with Church and Society II at 10:55 A.M.

We began with a proposed new Social Creed. It was presented as a litany and it works well that way. Eventually after much debate instead of replacing the social creed we added the litany to be alongside the creed. It should be a powerful worship document. This passed at 11:46 A.M.

There were several petitions going fairly quickly then we came to #1195 making a statement opposing homophobia and heterosexism. FIRST, let me tell you that the body approved the statement. So the UMC is NOT in favor of homophobia. However, one of the most painful moments of the day occurred in the debate when one of the African delegates was translated to have said "It is too bad the United Methodist Church is advocating things that come from the devil." This was a terribly painful moment for many. There is obviously a huge cultural divide in the United Methodist Church presently and we MUST do something about our relationship with those in the central (international) churches.

We then adjourn for lunch.

Coming back from lunch there was a silent demonstration as we entered the convention center with people forming lines to be a witness as we entered. I signed "Thank You" to many of them as I entered.

After lunch I began to take my seat at the visitors section when David comes to me with the pass for reserves and he hands it to me. I said, "Really?" I was so honored for David to give me his seat for this important afternoon. (It is also worth noting that Elaine gave her seat to Sharon as well.)

We started with what I was the proposal that I published here last night. It WOULD have replaced the phrase "incompatible with Christian teaching" in paragraph 161 (but that phrase IS also found also in paragraph 340.)

Page # 2266, Item #1186, Petition# 80449, Page #324 in the ADCA. (Yes it takes us all those numbers to work out what is before us.!) This begins at 2:45

Some notable events from the debate. People from Texas speak FOR inclusion! 3:25 and amendment failed that made me begin to think that we might actually replace paragraph 161. Then another attempt to amend fails 60 - 40. Finally at 3:45 we are voting on all that is before us. I need to explain that there was also a "Minority Report." In the interest of avoiding a long discussion about General Conference Parliamentary procedure let us just say that this was an alternate to the statement I reported to you dear readers yesterday and it retains the damaging language. The Minority Report is what eventually passed by a margin of 55% to 45%.

This is a historically narrow result. Those who are working for inclusion gained SO MUCH! In order to achieve this result many votes for inclusion had to come from the southern conferences. Obviously it was a very emotional time. Then we had a life memory holy moment.

Immediately following the vote the chair was trying to get us to a 20 minute recess. However, in order to do that he had to have a report for the judicial council, which was at least 4 pages of text that the secretary of the conference had to read out loud. As I was listening to this Mary sends me a text, "look behind you." Behind us the RMN folks in the visitor sections were all standing in witness. Then others on the floor began to stand. Slowly word got to the front and according to one person on the podium 45% of the floor was standing and 80% of the gallery. As more began to stand from the back came music in the form of "Jesus loves me . . ." A thousand people begin singing in witness, all while the poor secretary is still droning out the judicial council report. I will never forget that moment. It was a powerful witness.

So while the vote did not go the way many of us might have hoped, change is coming.

Pray for Holy Conferencing

2008-04-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

Well, Wednesday could be a big day.

It is likely that the Church and Society II committee will present their report on Human Sexuality. There are two reports, one from the committee and a minority report. This will be tense. The sub-committee and the full committee felt good about their work and as I said before it feels like a step forward. I have no idea if it will pass on the floor but I wanted to share it with y'all.

The petition would amend Paragraph 161 G in the 2004 Book of Discipline to read as follows.

161 G Human Sexuality. We recognize that sexuality is God's good gift to all person. We believe person may be fully human only when that gift is acknowledged and affirmed by themselves, the church, and society. we call all persons to the disciplined, responsible fulfillment of themselves, others and society in the stewardship of this gift. We also recognize our limited understanding of this complex gift and encourage the medical, theological, and social science disciplines to combine in a determined effort to understand human sexuality more completely. United Methodists, along with other Christians, have struggled to find principles for applying traditional teachings to contemporary understandings of human sexuality. We recognize that sexuality is part of the larger human mystery, to be received and acknowledged in grateful responsibility. We reject all sexual expressions that damage or destroy the humanity God has given us. we deplore all forms of the commercialization and exploitation of sexual relations, with their consequent cheapening and degradation of human personality. We call for strict global enforcement of laws prohibiting the sexual exploitation or use of children by adults and encourage efforts to hold perpetrators legally and financially responsible. We call for adequate protection, guidance, and counseling for children thus abused. we believe that the Church family should support all families in providing age-appropriate education regarding sexuality to children, youth, and adults. We challenge all members of our community of faith to commitment, integrity and fidelity in their sexual relationships. We know that all are God's children and of sacred worth. Yet we have been, and remain, divided regarding homosexual expressions of human sexuality. Faithful, thoughtful people who have grappled with this issue deeply disagree with one another; yet all seek a faithful witness. We continue to reason and pray together with faith and hope that the Holy Spirit will soon bring reconciliation to our community of faith. The fire in our disagreements points to a deeper human mystery than we knew. We believe that the Spirit has brought our collective conscience to acknowledge this mystery more honestly, and to make our claims with greater humanity before God and our neighbors. we therefore ask the Church, United Methodist and others, and the world, to refrain from judgement regarding homosexual persons and practices until the Spirit leads us to new insight. In the meantime, let us seek to welcome, know, forgive, and love one another as Christ has accepted us, that God may be glorified through everything in our lives.

This does not replace the statement "Homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching" in paragraph 304 that has to do with ordination. I believe the committee has kept that phrase. Of course this is a bit ironic where in this statement we acknowledge our lack of understand and in another we condemn.

Tonight and this morning I simply ask that you pray for the Conference and all that will be before us. We do now know what will happen but we believe in a "Future with Hope."

Peace Y'all

Sleep, who needs sleep?

2008-04-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

The General Conference experience is a wild ride.

Most delegates again had a night of 4-5 hours of sleep. We ended the plenary session around 11:20. Then two committees went until about 12:45 still trying to finish their work. Global Ministries is taking the longest amount of time. The western jurisdiction then has a 7:00 meeting that most make an attempt to attend.

I am unsure how "holy" the conferencing will be as this sleep deprivation continues.

I have been debating in my mind whether I should go back and correct errors in my previous posting. I am leaning against it as the errors are also part of the General Conference experience. The learning curve is very high. I have been full of questions for whoever is sitting near me:Who is that, why did that just happen, when will this be coming up etc. etc. I was reassured nicely by Craig when he said, "That's OK no one can keep up with all of this stuff." If Craig can't no one can.

As I am typing this, Bishop Swenson is presiding with Bishop Talbert and Bishop Tuell supporting her. A great representation of leadership that has served the PNW in a variety of ways. Sitting next to me is Sharon who came into the PNW in the same year that I attended my first Annual Conference as a page while Bishop Talbert was our resident Bishop. I love all these United Methodist connections!

Just after lunch I bumped into a friend from my seminary days. It was great to see her. She is now a D.S. in Oklahoma! Franke is so good.

WOW, David wants me on the floor! Gotta Go.

So . . . When I got to the floor there was a debate about the United Methodist Mission. It was in danger of being added onto to the point of meaninglessness. In the end we said that "The Mission of the United Methodist Church is to make disciples for the transformation of the world."

My first opportunity to use the voting machine . . . I vote to add Bermuda to the NE Jurisdiction!

We passed a resolution to add a minimum of 100 delegates to the Jurisdictional conference. This will increase the number for the Western Jurisdiction by nearly 20. I believe this takes effect in 2012.

We had a fantastic time with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf from Liberia. She called us to address the world needs around the issues of poverty. It was an especially powerful witness as she is a United Methodist lay person and was educated in a United Methodist high school in Africa.

I had a fun dinner with a group of guys with RMN ties. One was from a large downtown church in Atlanta that he described as a "gay" church, but hasn't joined the RMN. It was great to talk with a SE Jurisdiction person about the issues of inclusion.

After dinner the vote on the Episcopacy Study was brought to the floor agian. After much confusion (and much is still fuzzy to me) we voted to reduce the number of Bishops in each Jurisdiction (except the SE) by one. I believe this takes effect September 1, 2012. So that should add some fun to Jurisdictional conference.

I might actually get to bed by 10:oo tonight! Yippee!!!

Some events from yesterday

2008-04-29T04:20:00.000-07:00

Hey Y'all,

Just wanted to insert a few of the other significant items that passed the floor.

We are now in full communion with the ELCA. Which, until a few years ago I would have assumed we already were. So now Lutherans and United Methodist fully recognize each others orders and sacramental authority.

We are going to be "revising" the hymnal. This will end up being a new hymnal to be presented to the General Conference in 2012 and published around 2013.

Bishops can now retire at age 68 instead of 66.

We are having some trouble with the PNW blog, well at least I am having trouble logging in so that I can post over there.

Some things I am fuzzy on (well almost everything now that I have had yet another day of 4 hours sleep.)

I believe we have delayed the change to regional conferences and established a task force to come with a more comprehensive proposal in 2012.

I believe we have established that we are sticking with the same number of bishops, so we will be voting for 2 at Jurisdictional this year.

Peace Y'all

Timeline

2008-04-28T23:21:00.000-07:00

It is Day 6 isn’t it?
Anyway a time-line of the day so far:
5;45 Here we go again
6;40 Where’s Nico? Oh wait he’s sitting right behind me. What? All the young adults are ready to go?
7:00 Western Jurisdiction meeting
7:02 6 committees have finished their work. Finance and Administration spent 3.5 hours on a discussion about pensions. Committee on Higher Education voted for minimum time of probationary relationship toward full clergy membership to be 2 years instead of the current 3. There is more work coming on the orders. Superintendency rejected a reduction of bishops (If it passes the floor this is very important for large geographical areas like the PNW.) Also it is being recommended to raise the episcopal retirement age to 68 instead of the current 66.
7:23 We talked about the Judicial Council slate
8:00 Worship “Building Hope.”
9:05 call to order
9:11 Committee on Agenda and Calendar reports that there are 6 committees still meeting. Three will meet during lunch, two at dinner and Church and Society II will meet in the afternoon until they have finished.
9:30 Katrina Report. We are reminded that help is still needed. In a moving testimony one pastor recalled that when he came to the remains of his church building the hymnbook he say was open to page 707 “The Hymn of Promise.” He said, “I knew there would continue to be a church here.”
9:45 Election process begins. The floor spends a half hour working out issues with the electronic voting devices. Once again to test the system they vote for their favorite apostle. John is elected on the first ballot.
10:15 Voting begins
10:22 Both Lay members of the Judicial Council are elected
10:40 Three clergy members are elected completing a sweep for the alternate slate to the “Good News”, “IRD”, “Confessing Movement” slate.
10:40 I begin writing a blog about the elections
11:10 More plenary session fun, motions, amendments, defeating amendments.
12:05 It takes 35 minutes on ONE MOTION!
12:10 Report of the 60th Anniversary of “The Advance.” This is money donated for particular designated funds around the world.
12:30 Lunch Break Begins, Where is David?
1:00 David tells me about $25 robes at Cokesbury. I buy one for a mission effort.
1:30 Still in the Cokesbury store, I decide today is the dayto buy gifts
1:50 I visit the Philippine delegation. Meet an associate director of Church and Society and have a good conversation.
2:30Plenary is begining again.
4:00 Time to write a blog.
5:00 Time to get ready to go to the Bishop's dinner.
5:30 Hey Jenny, do you know where the Bishop's dinner is?

Peace Y’all,
Bruce

Judicial Council Elections

2008-04-28T08:54:00.001-07:00

In a stunningly quick election the Judicial Council has been elected.
I am happy to report that you cannot buy an election at General Conference! None of the “Good News” endorsed candidates were elected.
I failed to mention yesterday that the “moderates” and “liberals” did eventually get a slate and they have all been elected.
Angela Brown for (Cal Pac? Cal Nevada?) was the first lay elected! Rubeun Reyes from the Philippines was second.
3 Clergy have also been elected. Kathi Austin Mahle, Belton Joyner, William Lawrence were elected.
It only took 3 elctions to get the clergy elected. After the many ballots for General Conference delegates at Annual Conference I was very surprised at how quickly this went.
I am very excited about this news. The “Good News” group can buy all the phones they want, they can’t buy and election!
More later . . .
Peace Y’all,
Bruce

Quick Sunday Check In

2008-04-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been wondering the halls this afternoon trying to learn what I can.
The most important piece of news that I have is that Church and Society II passed a statement that according to a couple of discussions I have had, basically says, “we agree to disagree.” I haven’t seen the statement yet so I don’t know the exact wording or what it replaces. This is a step forward, not a big one, but a step. Now lets see what the floor does with it.
The leather chairs in the hall must be pretty comfortable, one of our delegates has been asleep in one for the past hour!
I had an opportunity to say hello to Bishop Huie. She was my District Superintendent while I was on my internship in San Angelo. She recognized me but didn’t know from when or where, but I thought that was cool. It was nice to talk with her again. She is really happy with what is happening in Houston.
Looks like both Church and Society committees will be going late. I am going to try to get a full nights sleep so I am well rested for the next week.
Peace Y’all,
Bruce

Random thoughts Day 4

2008-04-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it doesn’t pay to be nice, There is no such thing as a free lunch, laughter is a universal language, Robert Rules, Name Rank and Serial number, Roam if you want to, Fashion accessories of GC2008, Personal Day.

OK, here is my promised rant regarding the Judicial Council (here after called JC) process. About two weeks before General Conference I began receiving mailing for JC candidates. I had a hunch there were from “conservatives” but the mailings were pretty vague and said things about the candidates. Then a few days before GC I received a very nice looking two page full color brochure advocating for a slate of JC candidates and the brochure made it clear that this was endorsed the “Good News” group.

The process for Judicial Council is essentially this. The bishops bring a list of nominations to the floor. Then the floor is invited to add names to the list. Then 48 hours later voting begins (Monday for this year.) You can see the advantage of having and advanced slate to advocate for. Name familiarity is important in elections and getting the names out early seems like a good idea.
Well, upon arrival to GC2008 the western jurisdiction and other moderate to liberal groups had as of yet to identify their “slate.” This is totally my humble opinion but sometimes us liberals are too dang inclusive for our own good. We want everyone to have an opportunity. So we are reluctant to name our favorites in the fear we might hurt someone’s feelings. Meanwhile the organized fundamentalist group is kicking our butt!

OK That was the first rant. rant number two. When I was in college one of my history professor’s loved to use the phrase, “there is no such thing as a free lunch.” (He was a United Methodist layman too by the way.) Anyway, I mentioned before the controversy of the cell phones that were handed out to 150 central conference delegates. I understand they have been put in an awkward position. On one hand they have simply accepted a free gift like others of us have accepted free lunches, dinners, pedometers, water bottles, Hymnals etc. However, if the Good News group wanted to simply offer the gifts with no strings attached they certainly wouldn’t have suggested who the delegates should support for Judicial Council and they could have considered giving the gifts anonymously! (Hmmm, seems like the gospel says something about giving alms in secret . . .) I hope this one backfires on the Good News group! This obvious attempt to buy votes is just not on.

During the lunch break I sat in with David Valera on a gathering of the Filipino delegations. (Did David tell me there are 21 Annual Conferences in the Philippines? I think he did!) It was a great gathering to be a part of as they were full of laughter although I couldn’t understand most of the conversation, it seemed like a family gathering. I could also see that David has a good relationship with them. I hope that I get an opportunity in the next couple of years to go and experience the Philippines for myself.

OMG, I have been very surprised at the lack of expertise the committee chairs have shown regarding basic parliamentary procedure. One committee I was observing was in total shambles as they spent an HOUR discussing how to process the work of the sub-committee. I was going crazy in the visitor area. Eventually a parliamentarian was called, then the problem was magnified in that the chair and vice chair didn’t know how to explain the mess the committe was in. It was excruciating! I expect these sort of moments at Annual Conference but GENERAL Conference! We have over 100 Bishops hanging around. Can’t we find 13 retired bishops to sit in on the committee meetings to act as parliamentarians? When the GC plenary is in session the presiding Bishop always has two others sitting behind her or him and often they discuss what the best ruling is for the chair.

I also wanted to mention one of the interesting social aspects of General Conference. There is a clear hierarchy. Delegates have a red background on their name-tags, reserve delegates have brown, some group has green (marshals and pages?) visitors have white, I think bishops are purple but they don’t seem to wear their name-tags much (they have those cool episcopal lapel pins after all.) And there is always this fun experience when meeting someone and they stare at your name badge to learn your ranking and/or where you are from. Oh, a reserve from the PNW, you can almost see the ranking going on in the delegate’s mind.

The advantage of being a second class General Conference citizen is that you are free to observe any committee at any time. So today instead of staying with one I went to three. The disadvantage is that I didn’t get to learn many specifics (although, I can report that the sexuality committee is really dedicated to their agreement to disagree, which led to a crushing defeat of some of the most scary exclusive language petitions. ) It was good to observe more of the General Conference in action.

There are fashion statements to be made at General Conference. Actually, I have been surprised at how few suits there are. And today the Kansas delegates were all wearing Kansas Jayhawk NCAA Men’s Basketball Champion 2008 T-Shirts. Apparently Bishop Jones is a big fan and he also was wearing a T-Shirt. They have challenged the delegates of North Carolina, Cal Pac and Tennessee to beat their donations to the Nothing but Nets campaign! HOWEVER, the real fashion accessory for General Conference is what I call “The Wheelie Bag” they come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors but they all have one thing in common. They are a pain to wheel through the crowded halls of General Conference. I went and bought a large computer bag with wheels and a handle to carry the many books and my computer around the conference. Apparently every other delegate had the same idea. Perhaps Marie should get video of all of us wheeling our bags around the corridors.

Well, Tonight I am not setting the alarm and I am sleeping in!!! I then intend to go to church at my friend Wes’ church. Wes and I were buddies at seminary and we went to England at the same time. So I am really looking forward to seeing him.

Peace Y’all

I am a voting delegate!

2008-04-26T13:47:00.000-07:00

Mary and I were both invited to sit on the floor today! I really wanted to play it all cool, no big deal, but I couldn’t. Mary and I were giddy as we walked onto the floor of the General Conference. It takes two delegates to step aside for each of us so we owe our thanks to Jin Ming, Craig, Gail and Peter for giving us a few hours on the floor. Here is a time-line of the day so far.

5:45 Oh God, its already time to get up again.

6:30 Free breakfast in the hotel. Clint discovers Texas shaped waffles.

6:45 Hurry up kids its time to get in the car, where is Nico?

7:00 Western Jurisdictional meeting. Bishop Paup talks about some issues regarding GBGM and the “Nothing but Nets” campaign. There is some discussion about the “Nothing but Nets” and some inter-agency issues. UMComm had a major role in the campaign and some feel that it belongs in GBGM. (I don’t care who does it, I’m just thankful for the success of the campaign so far.)

7:10 We hear reports from the delegates and observers from the committees. This is a confusing time as all the committees are in or have just finished sub-committee work, and while a sub-committee may have taken a particular action it is impossible to predict what the full committee or the floor will do with that action.

Having said that: Some of the big things going on are:

1) Financing Bishops. There was a proposal to have Jurisdictions pay for Bishops. Presently this is paid from General Conference apportionments. The west would be very much hurt by this as at present giving we only pay for what one delegate said was 3.2 bishops. That would be a reduction of 2.8 of our present episcopal leadership.
2) There was a wholesale rejection of petitions placing the pastor as the sole authority for church membership. This is in response to petitions regarding a judicial council decision upholding a pastor’s decision to refuse a man membership on the basis that he was a gay man. I believe that this means that the sub committee is upholding that the church council in consultation with the pastor makes decisions about membership. Thus rejecting the Judicial Council’s ruling.
3) The sexuality sub committee has a compromise proposal that is a very small baby step toward inclusion, Mary has been observing them perhaps she will blog about it soon. As I understand it, the sub committee has created a statement that we agree to disagree, which oddly enough is a small step forward. In 2004 a similar petition was made and rejected by committee, I believe. So we still have a ways to go with that one.

7:45 Discussion about judicial council nominees. (Perhaps I will write another post to rant about this later.)

7:55 I learn that the “Good News” caucus gave cell phones to central conference delegates, primarily those from Africa. What? OMG! Rumor has it that those phones were used yesterday to inform those delegates who to support for the Judicial Council. (Yet another possible rant for later.)

8:15 worship begins with a youth drama group called “The Strangely Warmed Players.” (A reference to John Wesley’s statement that his heart was strangely warmed and he knew that he was a loved child of God.) They brought a comical and yet clear message for the church to be in mission.

The sermon from Bishop Hutchinson felt like an old tyme revival. It was great and nearly brought me to tears. It was a very moving testimony challenging us to not only have the form of religion but also the power. (A good Wesleyan reference.) We were encouraged to “Let Jesus and the Holy Spirit loose” in ourselves and our churches.

9:15 Report from the committee of Agenda. I Vote against the agenda for tomorrow! I am kind of grumpy about the agenda of a full working day on Sunday for the General Conference.

9:25 We are presented with the consent calendar items thus far to come from committee. Two of them are a bit troubling. One would change the language in paragraph 164 in the Book of Discipline deleting the sentence “Though coercion, violence, and war are presently the ultimate sanctions in international relations, we reject them as incompatible with the gospel and spirit of Christ.” In its place is a longer statement that doesn’t do much for me. The elimination of the word “incompatible” may be significant. As that word is part of the infamous “incompatible with Christian Teaching” phrase in regards to homosexuality.

On a positive note there is a consent calendar item that will require all General church agencies to “work with Annual Conferences and United Methodist Camps and Retreat Centers to develop recommendations and resources that would guide the United Methodist Church in reducing our carbon dioxide impact.” Further “The report to the 2012 General Conference should; create a plan for evaluating the current status of contributions to global warming throughout the United Methodist connection by churches, institutions and staff; create specific recommendations for reduction of contributions to global warming such as: solar panels or other renewable energies, meetings by conference call rather than driving, insulating buildings etc. Develop an ecumenical effort to support changes which reduce global warming.

9:37 Rural Life celebration.

I take this time to read that “Hero” report which is from the GCSRW and GCORR. These two groups monitor participation in all General Conference proceedings in regards to diversity of gender and race. The report proclaims that this is the most diverse General Conference in history. 56% of Legislative committee officers are Female! 36% of all Legislative committee officers are African American, 8% are Central Conference (international) delegates.

10:40 We take a break. Clint and I arrange for another BBQ exploration in Ft. Worth.

11:00 The presiding Bishop tries to bring us back to order. Mary and I are the only PNW delegates at our chairs on time.

11:02 A video begins reminding us of the difficulties for retired clergy in the Central Conferences. (We must do more to support our international clergy!)

11:17 Motion for 2012 to have an Ethics Committee. My brain gets lost in the wording. I vote because Amory did, later I find out we voted to refer. This comes from the Cell Phone issue.

11:21 A report from from the Episcopacy Study.

11:40 A report from the Study committee on the relationship between the UMC and the Autonomous Methodist Churches in Latin America and the Caribbean. Bishop Galvan is part of the presentation.

12:15 We recess and Mary and I hand in our passes for the floor. :(

An "Early" Night

2008-04-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

Our "First Elected" Clergy relaxes with one of the free massage chairs. She was so relaxed she agreed to give me time on the floor tomorrow!

I don't anticipate that there will be anything to vote about tomorrow it is very considerate of Jin Ming and Craig to give me an opportunity to be on the floor and I am looking forward to participating in worship from the floor. Our delegation is seated very close to the front and it must be a good view!

The only issue for the floor today was nominations for Judicial Council and University Senate. Those names will be available for the delegates for 48 hours with voting for those influential groups on Monday. That will be something I will try to blog about with more information in the next couple of days.

I imagine the Western Jurisdiction meeting in the morning will have a lot to add for the candidates the west will support. The "DCA" (Daily Christian Advocate, the daily publication of the General Conference with reports and eventually legislation from the committees) will have profiles of each of the Judicial nominees.

Any questions? Send an e-mail or write a comment.

Peace Y'all

Hymnals

2008-04-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

Quick notes on the day.

Trying to sleep during worship. Fun and games with Robert's rules. Mmmmm mudbugs. Hymnal?

I'm tired. Two nights with 4 hours of sleep. I tried to catch up with some sleep during the sermon in morning worship. I know I shouldn't admit it but there it is the horrible truth. It didn't work, but I tried.

We arrived to the committee to discover they had put the "bar" back up so that the whole committee could work on petitions that would effect the budget. There was the usual parliamentary confusion that happens when church committees get together whether it is the PNW Annual Conference. All too boring to go into here but I found amusement with the process. I know I have an illness, I enjoy the machinations of parliamentary procedure.

I had lunch at a fun "Cajun Cafe" called "Razzoos." Apparently you are a "Razzoo" if:

You have more bowlin, hotrod or karate trophies than books.
You have more than 10 garage sales a year.
You miss all weddings, kids recitals and funerals because "Its Dove season."
You think a styrofoam cooler is personal luggage.
You know more than 5 NASCAR driver or car sponsor names.

I had the "Cajun Etoufee" (et-two-fay) with "mudbugs" (crawfish.) Mmmm cajun cooking, its been a while since I have had crawfish and mmmm it was good.

I had my first experience of "observer discrimination." The sub committee was given a gift from the publishing house, General Conference commemorative Hymnals. I was kind of bummed about that. Then of course the sub committee began a discussion about the "Hymnal Revision Committee."

I came to the discussion on the fence about the need for a new hymnal. I haven't encouraged my church to purchase the "Faith We Sing" book because we were able to use the money saved from buying those to put up video projection instead. However, the discussion in subcommittee has turned me in favor of a new hymnal. Some key points that were raised:

96% of United Methodist Churches use the current hymnbook in worship. (While many churches are using video projection to some degree the hymnbook is still a vital resource for ministry.)
The hymnal is a uniting resource for the United Methodist Church
A new hymnal would represent a diversity of music but surely not be the only music resource for local churches.
The hymnal is more than a music book, it is a worship resource as well.

Those are some of the arguments that won me over. I know, it didn't take much. I wish I could collect my thoughts better but I'm tired. The sub committee seems fairly diverse and many of my questions were asked by others and I have been satisfied by the responses I have received. The publishing house seems plenty aware of the needs for multi media and the likely hood that they will not sell as many of this hymnbook as they have with the last one.

Time for dinner, I wonder if Clint is up for some Texas BBQ?

Thank God for Blue Bell

2008-04-24T22:46:00.000-07:00

Spent some time after committee meeting today with the young adults. All our committees got out early (10:00 P.M.) so after returning to the hotel we made an ice cream run and I knew exactly what I had to have, “Blue Bell, brown rim, natural vanilla bean.” We took an adventure to find a Wal Mart that was open (I know, I know but it was the only grocery store we could get to at 10:40 at night, and I had a real craving for that ice cream! I’m sure God will understand, Its Blue Bell!) Mmmm, Blue Bell. Seriously, it is the best thing about Texas. If you haven’t had Blue Bell you just don’t know. Blue Bell makes everything better.

Oh ya, General Conference stuff.

I am observing the “Ordinal and Hymnal sub committee.” It should be a fairly painless group. The sub committee is about 20 people with about 5 or 6 observers. I did share a funny moment when I sat at a group that I thought was the Hymnal subcommitee (turns out it was another sub commitee) and a women sits down next to me and says “Hello Bruce Smith” and I look at her for a minitue and say “well hello Jenny!” So I have found one of our PNW related people. Jenny as many of you know, helped run the Indianola campaign a few years ago in our annual conference and is currently living in New York state.

I also met a man my age from the NW Texas Annual Conference. We sat next to each other and talked about sports and our families. I was impressed that he knew who Drew Bledsoe was. He is a big college football fan. We shared photos of our children and it was fun to connect with someone from Texas. He shared that he is an Asbury grad and I know that probably means we have some serious theological differences but frankly the primary thing for me right now was to connect with another person. We can disagree about theology later. It is good to be making some connections with people.

OK so now it is 12:53 and I am falling asleep at the computer. Western Delegation meets at 7:00 A.M. again and then its off to the usual plenary worship, committees etc, etc.
Peace Y’all

Random Thoughts

2008-04-24T17:21:00.001-07:00

Just finished dinner. I attended a SMU Perkins School of Theology social. Free food, awkward social interactions. I ended up sitting next to a guy from Nebraska that seemed to be on his own as well. I was hoping to bump into someone I knew, but there wasn't anyone. It was always odd to be a person from the west at Perkins. The vast majority of Perkins people are from the South Central Jurisdiction and most of them are from Texas. They have all sorts of established networks and don't really seem to know how to talk with someone that is out of their networking zone. No one really cares who I am, I will never be their D.S. Well, it was free food.

Other random notes about General Conference . . .

Our first committee meeting was excruciatingly long and tedious. It took over an hour to elect a chair, vice chair and secretary!!! The process was interesting in an observer sociological point of view. After electing two men as chair and vice chair three women were nominated for secretary. Ah, gender roles gotta love them! Can't wait until we start debating the hymnal and fun things like that.

The weather has cooled off. Its only 75 and muggy. Although ,many of the PNW folks are complaining. I realize that I must have really been a pain when I was a student and moaning about the weather. Its a wonder Kendra married me.

I have made plans to catch up with my buddy Wes who has just taken an associate position after spending the past several years in Cameroon as a missionary. I am planning to drive out to his church on Sunday and spend some time with him. I will have to skip a few things to do it but hey if a reserve delegate has to have some privlidges.

Peace Y'all

Middway through Day 2

2008-04-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

Two cool cats hanging out in the hallway. Patrick and Marie are wearing "Spotted Owl" hats. These have become the symbol for younger clergy and some of the issues being brought forward to assist the church in recruiting and retaining clergy under 35 or 40 or 45. I'm not really sure what the line for younger is presently.

I had been getting frustrated last night and today with Bishops talking about how our differences need to be set aside so that we could do ministry. The unspoken implication seemed to be that diversity was not a value of the General Conference. I don't think this is what they meant. Yet so far the presentations of the Bishop's has seemed to be of a tone that we need magically set aside our differences and get along. I grew frustrated at their lack of naming the differences. I have some great friends in ministry with whom I disagree about many things. Those differences are valued and while sometimes they are difficult to work through in our friendships we do not hide our diversity of opinion or our beliefs. The bishops have seemed to want to hide everything under a rug.

Then we had the "Young People's Address." Apparently this was the first time that there has been such a thing and they did a remarkable job. They spoke of the difference between speaking over each other and talking with each other. The pointed to poverty as the greatest world wide challenge in front of us. They called for the church to be a place where young people belong. I was especially moved by a young man from Nebraska who said that "It is time to transcend the division." He spoke of his life experience as a high school liberal in a conservative area. Then of his experience as a person of faith in a liberal college. He called for us to follow the Wesley tradition of following religion and reason together. I remember him saying both liberal and conservative (or did he say "red and "blue"?) are right! Then Matt from the PNWAC closed the presentation. He spoke of a world that is desperate for Jesus. He encouraged us to interact with one another. He pointed out that it is not only the young who are the church of today and tomorrow, the delegates are also the church of tomorrow!

Three times I heard the young people name some of our divisions and say the word "gay." The word the Bishops have been so afraid to say. The young people named our divisions so NOW we can be the church. We can interact with each other in authenticity, whether we agree or not. It was a dramatic moment to have the youth and young adults lead in such a powerful way when the Bishops could not or would not.

Committee meetings this afternoon and evening. Yippee!

Day 1 finished

2008-04-23T21:43:00.000-07:00

Picture is from Communion service.

It is presently 11:43 P.M. local time.

Worship began at 6:00 with a wonderful presentation of music and dance. I chuckled some when even at General Conference the sound system was imperfect with the occasional feedback and on one song the song leader and the person running the video screen got out of sync. Just like our local churches! I was also a bit amused that while we will be voting on creating a new hymnal we don't use them at General Conference. There was a printed order of the service but everything was displayed on the four large screens around the auditorium. Why do we need that new hymnal?

Bishop Huie gave the sermon using the conference theme "A future with hope." I forgot to take notes during the sermon. I remember one example of hope becoming a marshmallow word, such as "I hope I can help" being a way to say "I would rather not." Instead we were encouraged to live into the hope of the risen Christ. A hope that is for something not yet seen but that can be realized.

The first business of the conference was primarily housekeeping. The bar for voting was set as the main floor of the auditorium. They tested the voting system. 90% of the delegate voted that they were present. Leaving 10% who apparently thought it would be funny to vote that they were not present. In bigger news John was voted as the most respected Apostle followed closely by John. Judas got 120 votes. Again, delegate humor.

So with the voting system in full operation it was time to vote for the rules of the conference. TWO HOURS. It took two hours to vote for the rules. There were amendments, questions and referrals. At least one time it took a youth delegate to notice that a whole section of the rules had been skipped. Thank God for YOUTH!

We also heard from the Commission of the General Conference. Apparently they put on this whole shindig. They have a petition to reduce the maximum number of delegates from 1,000 to 600. I am not a fan of this idea. Primarily I object to reducing the number of delegates as we are trying to become a world wide church. Small conferences like the PNW could be reduced to two or four voting delegates and it wasn't all that long ago that we had ten.

We were told that the attendance for worship this evening was about 6,500. I love that they announced that. It could create a game like guessing the attendance at Safeco Field. It seemed like about 4,000 of those 6,500 left immediately after worship.

Finally we witnessed a video and heard from a couple of speakers on the topic of diversity and sensitivity training. Delegates were encouraged to:

Tell the truth about who we are

Let us listen to each other

Let us remember that we have not yet achieved the diversity we seek

Let us demonstrate our respect

The video was well done and I especially the clips from "The Office."

So that's one day done. It is now 12:20 A.M. and wake up is 6:00 A.M. So I can get to the 7:o0 Western Jurisdiction delegation meeting. Yippee! I will have to write my post complaining about how we expect to care for ourselves with this sort of schedule another time.

Peace Y'all!

Day 1

2008-04-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

The General Conference Schedule begins late today.

6:00 Opening Worship

8:00 "Organization of the General Conference"
This first plenary session seems to be about testing the voting system, approving the rules, adoption of the calendar and exciting things such as that.

Presently we are waiting at the hotel for a shuttle to the convention center. I am hanging out with the young adults realizing that I am old. Sigh.

Hopefully we will get through registration soon.

87 Degreees and Muggy

2008-04-22T13:26:00.001-07:00

I have arrived in Ft. Worth. Had a pleasant conversation with my Taxi Driver. He was from Ghana. We talked about football (soccer for many of you) and the poor understanding most Americans have of geography.

As the title suggests it is 87 and muggy. Considering the 40 something temperature and rain I just left in Portland that is quite a change. I walked up to my room and realized why I spent most of my time in seminary (Perkins School of Theology, SMU, Dallas) in Birkenstock's, shorts and T-Shirts. I didn't even pack my Birkys for General Conference! The great quandary of life in Texas is; do you dress for the outside temperature or the inside one? Why dress for a few minutes of outside hot and muggy when the air conditioner often seems to be set for 62 degrees?

The hotel room is nice, it even has a little kitchenette, not that I imagine that I will have the time to make use of it. Seems like the daily schedule from Thursday on is 7:00 A.M. until 11:00 P.M.

Feel free to put your questions in the comments and I will try to get to them. I'm going to go explore my surroundings.

A Future With Hope

2008-03-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

The theme for General Conference is "A future with hope." It will be interesting to see how the delegates of the 2008 session live into that idea!

As we prepare for the conference the delegation has received reports and looked through "The Daily Christian Advocate" to familiarize ourselves with what issues we can anticipate to be involved with. ("The Daily Christian Advocate" is the title of the published materials for the General Conference. We currently have three volumes of reports and legislation and there will be daily publications throughout the conference.) It is a bit overwhelming to try to look through all of the material. It is also impossible to know which of the petitions will survive through committee and come to the General Conference floor.

Glancing through the material you can find petitions on a wide variety of subjects and often petitions on the same issue from opposing sides. One petition that caught my eye yesterday wants to amend the United Methodist Church's stand on the death penalty. Jonathan Carlsen of Arcadia, FL has submitted a petition asking that we delete the line "We believe the death penalty denies the power of Christ to redeem, restore and transform all human beings." The petition he submitted includes other language to make it sound as if the U.M.C. condones the death penalty as a means of criminal justice. I don't think that particular item will pass but who knows?

In our last delegation meeting Kristina Gonzalez gave a report about the work of "the task group on the Global Nature of the Church." Kristina is a staff member of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference and she was a member of this task group. Their report is a response to the ever changing nature of the United Methodist Church. For most of our history we have been a church of the United States. However, approximately 3 million of our 11 million members live outside of the U.S. We are no longer only an "American Church." We are the church in Africa, Asia and Europe as well. The major legislation coming from this group will be to eliminate the word "central" conferences for those conferences outside the U.S. and to create regional conferences of which the U.S. will be one. In the proposed legislation the U.S. would retain their jurisdictional conferences and their work of electing bishops.

At first look this seems to me to be the right thing to do. It gives some equality to our relationship with the international conferences and it may open the door for some autonomy for the U.S. church to deal with its social and cultural issues. It is forces those of us in the United States to recognize that there is more to the United Methodist Church than what exists within our boundaries.

The other hot topic of delegation meetings (now that our housing situation is settled) seems to be around Rule 12 of the Rules of Order. It reads "Cell phone use is not permitted in the plenary hall or the legislative committee rooms by delegates or observers. In addition, the use of laptop computers, personal digital assistants, pagers and other electronic devices should be in furtherance of General Conference business and done in such a manner that does not disturb other participants. . . ." There is also talk of an attempt to prevent wireless Internet access on the conference floor. There will be access in other parts of the building so how they are going to shield one particular area is a mystery to me. It has also been pointed out many of the delegates can access the Internet through their cell phone providers. I don't know what the point of this exercise in futility is by the planners but I hope the old codgers catch on that the post modern era is one of making full use of information technology.

Peace, Y'all. (see I'm getting ready for Ft. Worth)

Ch - Ch - Ch - Changes

2008-03-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Longview UMC made the announcement : "It is the intention of Bishop Ed Paup to appoint the Rev. Bruce D. Smith to Mill Plain United Methodist Church effective July 1, 2008."

It was an emotional time for everyone in worship. While I was able to prepare some for the announcement for the most part these things come as a surprise as we work to keep confidentiality and fairness for everyone involved. I hope that the people of LUMC will be able to begin looking forward to the possibilities of the new energy a pastoral change can bring.

From the other side: Brianna is giddy that Daddy will be closer to home. Camas UMC is happy to have some added security that Kendra could be their pastor for the next few years. I anticipate that Mill Plain is excited to have a pastor named and to be looking forward.

I will greatly miss the people of LUMC and I look forward to hearing about their continued ministry in the coming years. In the meantime there are the celebrations of Easter and LUMC's 5th anniversary of becoming a reconciling congregation!

May God Bless everyone in the midst of these changes!

Easter is coming, Easter is coming!

2008-02-21T14:02:00.000-08:00

It seems like important days should be fixed on the calendar. We always know when Christmas is going to be. There seems to be little doubt when we will celebrate the Fourth of July. And we always know when the most important day of the Christian year is going to be . . . or do we?

Why is Easter day so early this year? March 23 is the second earliest date Easter can begin. Easter as the central holiday of the Christian faith has always been an important time but what day is it? Easter Sunday is set by this easy to remember formula; it is on the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 21st. Why March 21st? Because it was the date the church understood to be the vernal equinox. This was a great compromise in the early church between those who wanted Easter to begin on the Julian calendar and those who wanted to stick with the lunar calendar.

Really though, I think it is good that it is hard for us to know on any given year just when Easter is coming. Easter should be a surprise! It is God’s greatest surprise after all. The idea that God loves us so much that life continues even after death.

So enjoy the early Easter this year, it won’t come around this early again until 2160 and if you don’t like an early Easter in 2011 Easter will begin on the second latest date possible April 24.

Freedom for my people

2008-01-02T10:03:00.000-08:00

Where have you experienced abundance living in God’s covenant? That was the question for this weeks study guide today.

The Reading is Isaiah 55:1-5 and the prophet enthusiastically describes what it will be like for the people when they are restored in God’s covenant.

These past two weeks I have been blessed to spend time with family and friends and to just really enjoy the abundance of love and relationships. We played games, ate food and everyone was having a good time. God’s covenant is about relationships with people and God and I am thankful for all the people in my life.

This Saturday we will have the opportunity to do the same on the 12th Night of Christmas celebration. Meet at the church at 6:00 and bring a snack food and/or a game to play.

Sunday we will begin a new sermon series called “Freedom for my people.” I will be preaching this Sunday then we will be welcoming Cynthia Washington to talk about liberation from an African American perspective on January 13th.

Last night as we got home late from spending time with family and friends, Brianna went to her room and I settled into the couch to watch some TV. During a break I went to her room to check on her and she wasn’t there. I looked in my bedroom, she wasn’t there. I called to Kendra, “I can’t find Brianna.” (I was reminded of when Brianna was not yet a toddler and Kendra ran upstairs, “I can’t find Brianna!” She had crawled under the computer desk and fallen asleep.) I called downstairs, Brianna, Brianna! Finally I heard here voice from the basement where she had curled up to watch TV since it wasn’t her bedtime yet.

Jesus tells stories in the gospels of God searching for the lost. Jesus understood that God had a passion for those who were outsiders. As LUMC joined the hundreds in the Diversity March, when LUMC decided to join the Reconciling Ministry Network and to open our doors to everyone we too aligned ourselves with God’s passion for the least the last and the lost.

Freedom for my people is a sermon series that reminds us of God’s passion for the lost and of the obligation of the church to be about God’s work of extending grace to all.

Grace and Peace,
Bruce

On the Third day of Christmas . . .

2007-12-27T13:57:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Y'all!

I know I am a bit of a church geek but I get annoyed that the radio station that has been playing Christmas songs since before Advent quits playing them the day after Christmas and goes back to its regular music. THERE ARE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS PEOPLE! And the local "Christian" radio station should know that! Ugh. At least the British have the decency to also have December 26th as a national holiday (Boxing Day.) They get one more whole day of Christmas in (and if you saw all they do to celebrate you would understand why it takes two days.)

I don't know about you but I want to enjoy Christmas for more than one day.

Sunday December 23

2007-12-24T15:44:00.000-08:00

Study Guide
12 days of Christmas

Christmas Day is the first day of Christmas (you know, with the partridge in the pear tree.) The Study guide for the next two weeks will guide us through these days.

Monday, Christmas Eve: Read Psalm 96 as a song of joy.
As you prepare for the celebration of the arrival of Christ what are you able to give thanks to God for this day?

Tuesday, Christmas Day: Read Luke 2:1-20
Remember that the shepherds were not well respected by society. God’s messenger does not go to the homes of the rich and powerful, but to the meek and the outcast. God’s word often comes from unexpected sources if we listen. Listen carefully this day for God’s word to you.

Wednesday, the 2nd Day of Christmas: Read 2nd Corinthians 5:16-21
Paul proclaims that anyone who knows Christ is a new creation and that we have been given a ministry of reconciliation. On this second day of Christmas in what way can you continue to grow as God’s new creation?

Thursday, the 3rd Day of Christmas: Read John 3:1-10
This is an amusing account of Jesus talking with Nicodemus as they seemingly are talking from two different worlds. Nicodemus just doesn’t get it, he is thinking of literal things, Jesus is talking about spiritual things. Do you get it? How is Jesus helping you to be born again?

Friday, the 4th day of Christmas: Read Ephesians 1:3-14
Paul begins his letter to the church in Ephesus proclaiming they are children of God, and God has given them a great gift, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. This gift is your inheritance, no one can take if from you, you can’t exchange it. You can return this gift in praising God and offering your worship. You can re-gift it and share God’s grace with other people in your life.

Saturday, the 5th day of Christmas: Read Colossians 1:15-23
Paul proclaims again that Jesus has reconciled us into a relationship with God and with that act of reconciliation, Christ is the head of the church. Are you ready for a fuller relationship with Christ this year?

Sunday, the 6th day of Christmas: Worship at LUMC 10:00 A.M.
Wesleyan Covenant Service. This traditional Methodist service offers an opportunity for prayer and a reaffirmation of our faith in Christ. It is a prayer of surrender to God’s will, fully placing our trust and our life with God. The founder of Methodism John Wesley used this prayer as a prayer for beginning a new year.

The Covenant Prayer:
I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now, glorious and blessed God, Creator, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

December Delegation Meeting

2007-12-16T13:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our third General / Jurisdictional Conference delegation meeting. I was asked to lead devotions to open the meeting. During the week I gave a lot of thought of what I wanted to share in light of the Diversity Parade in Longview and what it means to be preparing to attend General Conference. The Scriptures at this time of year have several messages from Angels who tell people "don't be afraid." So I read from "The Message" Luke 1:26-38 where Mary is told by Gabriel that she is going to have a child.

Delegates carry some fear about attending these conferences. There are fears about things not going the way we might hope, fears about being prepared for all the work ahead, fears about the potential of broken relationships.

I have some fears about all those things and I pray that God might guide us (me) into this unknown territory.

We were blessed to receive Bishop Jack Tuell who spoke to us about the Judicial Council. He reminded us that the council of Bishops nominate 3 times as many candidates as there are openings every quadrennium. We were also told that the Western Jurisdiction has not had a member on the judicial council in nearly 20 years. There is no provision in the Discipline for regional representation on the Judicial Council.

Speaking of regions . . . one of the intriguing works coming to General Conference is a report regarding the Central (non-United States) Conferences. The United Methodist Church is increasingly becoming a world church and the old system is not working.

The United Methodist Church currently has 7 "Central Conferences" Each of these have many Annual Conferences. These Central Conferences in many ways serve like the Jurisdictions within the U.S. Central Conferences elect and assign Bishops, for example. The big issue is paragraph 543.13 that says: "A central conference shall have authority to edit and publish a central conference Discipline, which shall contain in addition to the Constitution of the Church such sections from the general Discipline of the United Methodist Church as may be pertinent to the entire Church and also such revised, adapted, or new sections as shall have been enacted by the central conference concerned under the powers give by the General Conference."

In other words other than the constitution, Central Conferences are free to make changes to the Discipline in order to meet the ministry needs of the region where they do ministry.

Imagine for a moment the possibilities should the US become its own central conference OR the Western Jurisdiction were to become its own central conference. . .

That isn't going to happen in 2008 but there will be discussions about the relationship of the international church with the US church especially as we become more and more numerically equal.

The other big discussion centered on Jurisdictional Conference and the process of supporting a candidate for Bishop. One issue facing us is while we know of one retirement in the Jurisdiction we are unsure if the General Conference will reduce the number of Bishops for each Jurisdiction. IF the General Conference does that, then we will not be electing a Bishop in 2008 for the Western Jurisdiction. However, those are ifs and buts.

It is the intention of Elaine Stanovsky to participate in the process of Episcopal election if there is an opening at this coming Jurisdictional Conference. The Delegation will be asking her questions and entering a process of examination with her and any others that may be discerning a call regarding the episcopacy. By our Annual Conference rules the delegation "may recommend an episcopal candidate for nomination." Nomination's are also allowed to come from the Annual Conference floor. So in addition to preparing for General Conference we will be entering a time of discernment whether we wish to make a nomination.

There were also practical matters to deal with in our meeting. We talked about hotels and committee assignments. The hotel bookings for the General Conference will happen in January, as the second alternate I am likely to have to wait longer to find out about my arrangements.

4th Week of Advent Study Guide

2007-12-16T13:21:00.000-08:00

Study Guide
Preparing for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Through this season of Advent we are seeking understanding of God’s activity in the world. As the world around us creates a commercial holiday loosely based on Christian ideals, what is our understanding of God’s promise for a Messiah?

Monday: Read Isaiah 7:10-16
Ahaz is the King of Israel and he is facing an international crisis. Assyria is a large empire threatening smaller states. The King of Damascus and the King of Samaria are working to overthrow Ahaz to gain strength in their alliance against Assyria. Now that is all cleared up . . . the prophet gives the King a warning but also for the people a sign of hope, Immanuel, God with us. For Christians, Jesus is that child, the one who means that God is with us. What help is it for you today that God is with you?

Tuesday: Read Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
“Restore us” sings the psalmist. Do you find it comforting that ancient people sometimes felt that they had made such a mess of things that only God could sort it out. “Restore us” we might sing when we consider the situation of the world today too. As you prepare for the coming of Jesus, what do you hope will be restored?

Wednesday: Read Romans 1:1-7
In the opening to this letter Paul makes several statements of faith; God promised a messiah (v.2), Jesus is a descendent of David (v.3), Jesus is the Son of God (v.4), through Jesus we receive Grace (v.5). If you were to write a Christmas letter telling your friends and family about your faith, what statements would you make about who Jesus is? Why would that be important to them?

Thursday: Read Matthew 1:18-25
The angel says to Joseph, “do not be afraid.” Joseph had a lot to fear from friends and family. The social and religious pressure would be tremendous should they discover Mary was pregnant and Joseph wasn’t the father. Family stress at Christmas time is not a new thing. What pressures are you facing from society, friends or family as you try to get ready to welcome Jesus?

Friday: Pray with Joy. What does it mean for Christian people today to be a people of Joy? How have this weeks readings influenced your understanding of God’s activity in the world?

What is your understanding of God’s activity in your life?

What is your understanding of God’s ministry at LUMC?

Sunday December 23rd. 4th Sunday of Advent
Monday December 24th 7:00 P.M. Christmas Eve Service

Diversity Parade

2007-12-13T11:36:00.000-08:00

It became clear among many city and church leaders that the best response to the Aryan Nations meeting was to celebrate diversity with a separate demonstration at a separate time from their meeting. The result was a fantastic community event on a cold and somewhat wet Sunday afternoon.

The Daily News gave us good coverage in Monday's paper you can read the article here.

http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/12/10/top_story/doc475ce9901207b982193333.txt

Here are a couple more LUMC photos from Bob Martinson.

Weekly Update

2007-12-13T11:28:00.000-08:00

This is one of many pictures provided by Bob Martinson from Sunday's celebration of Diveristy.

Plans are underway to have guest preachers to lead us in a series of sermons on the theme of Liberation. I am excited by the possibilities of this series in work with our other ministries to make a real impact on the community. This follows the fantastic community response to the very small Aryan Nations group. LUMC people represented almost 10% of the 500 plus people that attended the parade on Sunday afternoon. We were a vital presence in and with the community to celebrate our common value of living in a diverse community.

I have been working to keep up to date with the recovery from the flooding in Lewis County. It turns out that Lewis County has received an abundance of flood buckets so what is needed now is financial assistance and volunteers to be ready in the coming weeks to help out with Volunteers In Mission teams. I have signed LUMC up as a possible group for participating as a VIM group. Assessments are being made and the necessary work is being done to get United Methodist volunteers helping for continued relief. Up to date information can be found at http://www.pnwumc.org/disasterresponse/index.html

The Leadership Team had a good meeting on Monday and set the foundation for improving our system of following the mission statement for the United Methodist Church to “Make Disciples of Jesus Christ.” We already have some great disciple making ministry happening what we hope to do better in this next year is to be intentional about that ministry. In many cases that will simply mean doing the things we do now, only naming the intention of those ministries and being better about sharing the story of how those ministries are changing lives.

The choir Cantata is always a highlight of the Christmas year and this Sunday should be no exception. Pray that all the choir voices are in good shape as people recover from colds and sore throats. This is a great Sunday to invite your friends to get in the Spirit of what this season is about.

Saturday will the second meeting of the General Conference Delegation. Please pray for our gathering as we plan for the General Conference coming this April. This weeks meeting will focus on educating delegation members about the Judicial Council and its role in the General Conference.

Grace and Peace,
Bruce

Sermon Notes December 9, 2007

2007-12-10T16:03:00.000-08:00

A gift of Hope

Sinner. You are a sinner and your momma is a sinner. Y’all are a bunch of sinners. That is the sort of inviting message that John the Baptist is preaching. Good News as we prepare for Christmas! Why is Paul in such a bad mood?

There are times when we are surrounded by so much bad news that we begin to believe that the only news is bad news. Now that the flood waters are receding and the cleanup is beginning the news media will only cover the political chaos likely to follow up this disaster. There will be inquiries into political offices of who didn’t do what when. Yet, there will be little notice of the people helping people, the people who travel from Longview, and many other places to help out with a mop or a shovel, or a meal.

We have the opportunity to be a gift of hope as we help and build relationships. What brings more hope to your life than relationships? We can offer ourselves and our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Hope in a King? That is what the psalmist hopes for, that this leader, this time will get it right. How many times have you put your hope in new leadership only after time to be disappointed? Too often we learn that our leaders are imperfect. They are humans who make mistakes just like the rest of us.

John the Baptist notices the community and religious leaders hanging in the crowd and he yells at them. He declares repentance is the only way. We know that when people seek to repair a relationship the first step is repentance.

Repentance means to literally turn around, to turn away from destructive behavior and to turn toward the living God. Through repentance, a simple act of reconciliation our lives are changed through a new relationship.

Obviously the greatest gift you can give this Christmas is yourself and your faith in the Christ Child. There are people who need you to be graceful and loving. There are people who need you simply to sit and spend some time with them. Take the time this Advent to tend to your relationships.

How is your relationship with Jesus? What do you need to do to deepen that relationship?

How is it with your primary family relationships? What do you need to do to care for those?Study Guide
Preparing for the Third Sunday of Advent

Study Guide

Through this season of Advent we are seeking understanding of God’s activity in the world. As the world around us creates a commercial holiday loosely based on Christian ideals, what is our understanding of God’s promise for a Messiah?

Monday: Read Isaiah 35:1-10

Isaiah delivers a message of hope to people who are out of their house and home and looking for God. Has there been a time when you knew as verse four states that God would come to save you? How might this be a message of hope for those who are comfortable and safe already? What might God be calling the comfortable to do?

Tuesday: Read Luke 1:46b-55

This is Mary’s song of Joy, it is a vision of a world transformed by the child she carries. Is this only the optimistic hope of a first time mother? What would be different in our world if this song became true today?

Wednesday: Read James 5:7-10

A call for patience on the third Sunday of Advent. As Christmas comes closer are you anxious with anticipation or has the holiday created so much stress you just want it to be over with. What would be different in your life if you were anxiously anticipating the arrival of Christ? What needs to happen for you to look forward to having a deeper relationship with Jesus?

Thursday: Read Matthew 11:2-11

This passage shows a close relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus. Jesus doesn’t proclaim himself to be the Messiah, he simply shows what is happening in his work. What evidence do you hope to leave from your life? If someone asked about your faith, would you talk about theology or give an example of something Jesus has done for you?

Friday: Pray for love. What does it mean for Christian people today to be a people of love? How have this weeks readings influenced your understanding of God’s activity in the world?

What is your understanding of God’s activity in your life?

What is your understanding of God’s ministry at LUMC?

Sunday December 16th: Choir Christmas Cantata. A worship of music and praise.

Sermon Notes Decemeber 2, 2007

2007-12-03T13:49:00.000-08:00

Study Guide
Preparing for the Second Sunday of Advent

Through this season of Advent we are seeking understanding of God’s activity in the world. As the world around us creates a commercial holiday loosely based on Christian ideals, what is our understanding of God’s promise for a Messiah?

Monday: Read Isaiah 11:1-10 A shoot from the stump of Jesse? Jesse was King David’s father. The prophet is proclaiming that while the line of the king has been reduced to nothing (a stump) there is still a king who shall come from those family roots. When this one comes there will be no fear, no danger for there will be total security with this King.

What are the green shoots of hope in your life?

Tuesday: Read Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 This is a Psalm of prayer for the King. Clearly the King is praised when the poor are taken care of. What would the Psalmist say about us and our leaders?

How can we be a people of hope for the poor of the world?

Wednesday: Read Romans 15:4-13 Paul proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah for all people. Gentiles (non Jewish people) are welcomed into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Paul proclaims this as a message of hope for all.

Paul clearly understands that the primary relationship in his life is with Jesus, nothing else matters. What is the state of your relationship with Jesus today? What can you do to make it stronger?

Thursday: Read Matthew 3:1-12 John the Baptist proclaims “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Again the Gospel calls us to prepare for the Coming of Christ not with decorations and presents but with humility and repentance.

When will your prayer of repentance become new action in your life?

Friday: Pray for hope. What does it mean for Christian people today to be a people of hope? How have this weeks readings influenced your understanding of God’s activity in the world?

What is your understanding of God’s activity in your life?

What is your understanding of God’s ministry at LUMC?

Sunday December 9th: Worship 10:00 A.M. at LUMC, the Second Sunday of Advent. Diversity Parade immediately following worship at the Civic Circle.
It’s the end of the world as we know it
Sermon Notes from the First Sunday of Advent

As each generation emerges there is an identity to what it means to be alive at this time in history. For my generation that identity was largely shaped by the idea that the world could end in a moment with the power of nuclear weapons. Our popular music declared the end of the world, called for change and prayed that the Russians loved their children too.

Our youth today live with the reality of terrorism and new threats of life ending as we know it such as global warming or a massive epidemic.

In families generational changes are sometimes worked out in dramatic ways and for both parents and child it often seems like the end of the world as we know it.

When the church prepares for Christmas it remembers the scripture that talks about the arrival of Christ. For the First Testament this brings images of Israel being God's Kingdom as proclaimed in Isaiah. For the New Testament this brings images of Jesus returning and the world coming to an end.

At first these images don’t seem to work for getting ready for Christmas. Our end of the world images are not happy ones. Our end of the world images are frightening. We don’t want to think about the end of the world before Christmas. It doesn’t seem very peaceful or hopeful, loving or joyful.

The harsh reality is: if we are going to live in God’s peace something of this world has to end. Usually, people aren't very good with endings. We prefer stability and dealing with what we know. Change is hard. Especially at Christmas, and I don't know about you but I find that amusingly ironic.

In order for us to be at Peace we need to change. It is here in the sermon that I could talk about large world events that we have very little control over OR I could talk about the changes that each of us (including this preacher) must participate in so that the world might be at peace.

Be at Peace with yourself: Do not forget the relationship of body and spirit

Seriously consider the POV of others

Pray

If we are going to be at peace something has to end, something needs to change within ourselves and we need to let go of some control. Go with the flow man, it’ll be alright.

Sermon Notes November 25, 2007

2007-11-26T10:05:00.001-08:00

Study Guide
Preparing for the First Sunday of Advent

Through this season of Advent we are seeking understanding of God’s activity in the world. As the world around us creates a commercial holiday loosely based on Christian ideals, what is our understanding of God’s promise for a Messiah?

Monday: Read Isaiah 2:1-5. Out of the house of the Lord shall come wisdom and instruction, and all nations will convert their weapons of war into implements for sustaining life.

In a time of war where do you find peace?

Tuesday: Read Psalm 122 (UMH 845). A psalm rejoicing in Jerusalem, a foretaste of the Jerusalem Isaiah prophesies

The Psalmist longs for a place of peace. Where do you find peace? How do you invite others into being at peace?

Wednesday: Read Romans 13:11-14. Salvation draws ever nearer, so live in the fullness of Christ, freed from the power of sinful desires.

Paul calls for the people to “lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” When have you made a choice to lay aside a work of darkness in order that you might live in the light of Jesus Christ?

Thursday: Read Matthew 24:36-44. The coming of the Son of Man will be a surprise, so stay on the lookout!

There are some well meaning Christians who are sure that Jesus is coming soon. The problem is of course that well meaning Christians have believed this for 2,000 years. While we cannot know the time that Jesus will return the Gospel calls us to live as if it could happen any moment. What would you do today if this was your last day?

Friday: Pray for hope. What does it mean for Christian people today to be a people of hope? How have this weeks readings influenced your understanding of God’s activity in the world?

What is your understanding of God’s activity in your life?

What is your understanding of God’s ministry at LUMC?

Saturday: Hanging of the Greens beginning at 10:00 A.M. at the church.

Sunday December 2nd: Worship 10:00 A.M. at LUMC, the First Sunday of Advent.

Awareness of Worship
Exodus 40

Moses takes great care to set up a place of worship for the people of Israel. Details of the tabernacle are discussed in great detail in the final five chapters of the book. The description of Moses’ work is even duplicated in this final chapter.

The care and the detail of this event implies the importance to have this sacred space. As we are aware of our situation we too have need for sacred space. Like the people of Israel sometimes our lives seem insecure. Like the people of Israel we face threats from those who do us harm. Like the people of Israel we sometimes wonder if God is with us or not.

One of my ministries is to be a member of the Camping Board of Stewards for the PNWAC. This ministry is one of administration for the four sacred spaces that are home to our camping and retreat ministries. I have used this text in Exodus 40 as a description for the administration of our outdoor ministry. These places at Twinlow, Lazy F, Indianola and Ocean Park are sacred spaces where people come to find God. Being in ministry with these places for me is to be careful as Moses is to create the right setting for others to know that God is here.

Saturday will be our opportunity at LUMC to “hang the greens.” One of my favorite childhood church memories is the decorating of the Christmas tree at Rochester UMC. It was a fun time and I enjoyed the anticipation of what others would think of our careful decorating.

Moses is taking great care to create space for people who are constantly on the move, and under the threat of harm so that they may spend time with God in peace. There, they will find a sacred secret space where the ark of the covenant is kept. There they will find a place to make their offerings. There they will find a basin for washing.

There are people in your life who need a sacred space. There are people like you who yearn for a place to worship and to know that God is near. LUMC is a sanctuary for the Gay and Lesbian community. LUMC is a sanctuary for progressive thinkers who are looking for a Christian witness that confronts the problems of war and global warming. LUMC is a sanctuary for the poor who are looking for help and support.

What are the means by which you can share your awareness of God’s grace? How will you create a sacred space to invite others to know that they are a loved child of God?

Eradicate the Hate

2007-11-17T09:10:00.000-08:00

This past Friday I was alerted to a newspaper article in the Daily News about a white supremacists group that has applied to the City of Longview to meet in one of the city buildings. http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/11/09/area_news/doc473415cbe0fa6508019909.txt

Sunday, word was spreading of a gathering at the Presbyterian Church to discuss a community response.

Wednesday, this ran in the paper: http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/11/14/top_story/doc473aa2c08fb91399767901.txt

There were about 40 people gathered this morning to listen to ideas of responses to this group that wants to meet. Cynthia Washington, a community leader who is often called upon when issues of racism come forward in Longview, spoke eloquently of her pain in knowing that this group could meet in a building that borders the public park that bears her grandmother’s name, Victoria Freeman. Cynthia reminded us of her grandmother’s work for civil rights from the very early years of Longview’s history as a city.

We also heard from the Longview Police Chief who spoke well for the city and acknowledged his own personal discomfort with the situation. He recognized that as a first amendment issue it would be difficult for the city to refuse this group access to a public facility. For churches there is also concern of setting a precedent of rejecting one group that calls itself a church, which could then lead to the city not being able to allow any church to use city facilities.

Many people spoke well of their sadness that this group was planning to meet in our area. Father Green of the Episcopal Church spoke well reminding us that this group in applying for use of a building has opened our eyes to a situation that already existed in our community.

I spoke of my experience at LUMC and the joy it is for me to be the pastor of a church that is open for Gay and Lesbian people. I spoke of my belief that the largest gathering of homosexual people in our community happens each Sunday Morning at 10:00 at Longview United Methodist Church. We have been the victims of hate when our cars have had tracts left on our windshields telling us that we were going to hell. We have had young people drive by in their cars yelling “fag!” out the window. I stated that the people of Longview United Methodist Church will be present in a witness of opposition to the planned gathering of this group of hate.

It appears that there will be a gathering of a silent witness to protest the gathering of this church of hate. They plan to meet on Sunday December 9th at 6:00 P.M. I anticipate that the vast majority of our worshiping community will want to gather as a statement of protest.

It is frustrating that by protesting this event we bring publicity to this hate group. Yet, what option do we have. If we are absent and say nothing it will seem as if we approve or don’t care that a hate group is meeting in our area. So we must gather.

I hope that there will be other ways of protesting this groups planned gathering over the next several weeks.

Please join me in prayer as our community faces the reality of hate in our community.

Grace and Peace,

Bruce

Sermon Notes November 11, 2007

2007-11-14T16:30:00.000-08:00

Awareness of Freedom

In my humble opinion one of the maturing places in American society has been shown in our determination to support the volunteer troops of an overwhelmingly unpopular war. This seems to me to be a recognition of a separation of speaking against bad policy verses those who volunteer with the ideal of helping others.

We know that the vast majority of people who volunteer for the armed services do so with the intent of making the world a better, safer place. Yes they go with the reality of the possibility of conflict and war. When our policy makers are doing their job well the volunteers of the armed services are able to defend and protect others.

Moses’ song is a song of freedom and it tells the story of the Hebrew people and their relationship with God. God is the one who has freed the people from their oppressors. One could be overwhelmed by the war imagery the song praises God for destroying Pharaoh’s army after all.

Oppressed people are not going to be overwhelmed by the war imagery, they are going to be anxious for freedom. The story of the Hebrew people is a living story today for all people who live under oppression.

There are people in the world today who need help defending themselves, consider the people of Darfur.

Sudan was a colony of the United Kingdom in the 18th century. It was administered as two separate colonial areas until the UK released control.
From 1983 to 2005 Sudan was in a civil war between the (predominately Christian) South and the (Predominately Muslim )North. The peace agreement calls for a referendum in 2011 to either create two separate states or to finally unite as one.
2003 rebels in Darfur begin acting out against a government supported militia. This conflict came out of a fight for resources between local African farmers and Arab nomadic groups.
This conflict has been described as a conflict between African and Arab peoples.
Depending upon sources between 200,000 and 500,000 people have been killed. Over 2 million have been displaced and are living in refugee camps. Hundreds of thousands more are dependent upon resources from aid groups and the UN.
In June of this year President Bush condemned the Sudanese government and has named the conflict as “genocide.”

When we consider the relevance of the Exodus story we must be confronted with the real situation of our world.

God desires for people to be free to worship, to love, and to be the people of God.

Monday Exodus 7 The first encounters with Pharaoh
Moses and Aaron begin their confrontation with Pharaoh. God warns that Pharaohs heart will be hardened. It is easy to consider Pharaoh’s hardened heart, yet where have our hearts been hardened to helping the oppressed?

Tuesday Exodus 8:1-32 Frogs, Gnats and Flies
The first plagues are amusing encounters of annoyance to the Pharaoh. Sometimes we confuse those matters that are annoyances with major problems. In light of what is to come these first plagues are not much of a problem. When do your problems become magnified to be bigger than they really are?

Wednesday Exodus 9:1-12 Livestock and Boils
The plagues become more serious for Pharaoh. This is a blow to Pharaoh’s vanity and wealth. The boils are not causing death but they are ugly. The cattle are valuable for Pharaoh’s way of life but life can continue without them. Have there been times when you have confused vanity and convenience for that which is necessary for life?

Thursday Exodus 9:13 – 10: 10 Hail and Locusts
Not only is the present survival of Pharaoh’s land at stake, now with the hail and locusts the future sustainability of the people is at stake. The crops are not a convenience. Pharaoh must change or he will lose everything. Why doesn’t Pharaoh change his ways now? Why does it take us so long to be willing to change?

Friday Exodus 10:21 – 11:10` Darkness and Death
A sad and scary moment yet also the most holy time of the Hebrew year, the celebration of the Passover. Have you had an experience where you were afraid of what was happening around you and you felt very close to God?

Saturday Exodus 14:1-31 Crossing the Sea
The community is bonded together through overcoming fear and the experience of this great miracle. What creates community for you? How does a community help form your identity?

LINKS

http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/alert/darfur/contents/01-overview/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/africa/2004/sudan/default.stm

http://www.savedarfur.org/newsroom/policypapers/september_briefing_paper_the_genocide_in_darfur/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070529.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_conflict

Remembrance Day

2007-11-07T17:06:00.000-08:00

When Kendra and I were serving the British Methodist Church one of the national holidays that was very important was called “Remembrance Day.” It is celebrated on the 11th of November, although like our “Veterans Day” there is a three day weekend created for its observance as well. On the Sunday before or on “Remembrance Day” there would be a two minute moment of silence to remember those who had died in the past wars of the United Kingdom. It is the most patriotic day in my experience of the UK. Many people where poppies (or paper facsimiles), the BBC broadcast special television programs and regular series will often have a special “Remembrance Day” episode. (Kendra and I enjoyed watching the Dr. Who episode the other day.)

This Sunday in worship we will have a time of prayer to recognize all who have served our country in volunteer service. These individuals who have served as Missionaries, members of the Peace Corps, and our Armed Services have given of themselves with the hope of creating opportunities for others to be free. Freedom is a great American value and yet I wonder if we really understand what it means to be free. We will be using the Exodus story to help us take a look at the value of freedom and what it might mean for us today. We will also consider our ministry with those who are not free and need help in order to break the binds that hold them.

Attached to this e-mail is a summary of last weeks sermon and a study guide for this week that was handed out on Sunday. I hope that you will find it helpful in your daily devotions as you prepare for your ministry and as you pray for the ministry of Longview United Methodist Church.

As we continue to study the book of Exodus it is my hope that we will become more aware of the ministry opportunities each of us have to continue the work of Jesus to bring forth the Kingdom of God. Each sermon this month is associated with the idea of bringing our attention to the possibilities for ministry of each of us as individuals and as the people of Longview United Methodist Church.

Grace and Peace,

Bruce

Awareness of Oppression

2007-11-04T13:58:00.000-08:00

What do we know about oppression? Really I don’t know much. I am a walking, breathing example of white privilege. I was born to middle class parents who came from middle class parents that lived through the depression. I have never lived in doubt about my immediate housing or where my next meal would come from. I don’t know much about poverty. The closest I have come was to be a “poor college student.”

Yet, I know poverty exists. I know that there are people in Cowlitz County who are living in generational poverty. Denial of economic change and its effects on the community have led to a high dropout rate in our schools, and an above average drug problem in our communities. Our jails are full of people who have a poor education and committed crimes because of drug or alcohol abuse. How will these people get a new start? Who will help them?

There is a class structure in America. While we might pride ourselves on the idea that anyone can make it, anyone can have “the American Dream” reality is that we have placed barriers to keep particular class boundaries. Those boundaries are distinguished by dress, language, and recreation. We make judgments about class and status by where we shop, go to school and the neighborhood we live in. We live with an idea that America is a place of equality yet we do not provide equal health care, education or employment opportunities.

There is poverty in America and the first thing Middle Class America must do is to recognize the situation for what it is. The poor are with us. They are the faces we ignore on the sidewalk, they are the people we pretend not to see at the freeway intersection. They are also the people we sit with in church, stand in line next to at the grocery store, and they may even live next door or just down the street.

They need help. They need a society that provides basic needs. Yes, they need you to donate food for the shelter. Yes, they need help with getting health care. Yes, they need help paying the bills. You know what they also need? A relationship.

What did Jesus do with the poor? Did Jesus magic some riches so the poor would suddenly have tons of gold? Did Jesus cure everyone who was sick? Did Jesus send the oppressive Roman Legions back to Rome? No. Jesus simply gave the poor a relationship with God. Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God, a kingdom where everyone had a relationship with God, not only the wealthy.

The poor of our community have basic needs that must be met. Not the least of which is the need to have a relationship with another human being. Someone who doesn’t need anything from them, who isn’t going to judge them, someone who can offer the unconditional love of Christ.

Monday Exodus 1:1-14
In the beginning of the Exodus story everything changes. The relationships are different and there is fear. The memory of the special relationship between the Pharaoh and the Hebrew people through Joseph has been forgotten.

Do you remember a time when you felt like others had forgotten you?

Who is someone you know who may feel forgotten?

Tuesday Exodus 1:15-22
Pharaoh attempts to control the perceived threat. This horrible scene is put before us and is a reminder of the potential for the cruelty of leaders who are threatened. What would normally be abhorrent becomes acceptable because of the fear.

How does fear affect your feelings about the poor?

Do larger fences make you safer?

Wednesday Exodus 2:1-10
A favorite story of Sunday School where the baby Moses is saved by the mercy of a princess and the quick thinking of his sister. Sometimes God works through unexpected circumstances and people in order to bring change.

When did God do something unexpected to bring you help?

Thursday Exodus 2:11-25
Moses flees after acting out of the many emotions of being a person of privilege despite his native people’s enslavement. He arrives in a place where he becomes a humble shepherd and begins a new life with a new family.

http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/10/30/top_story/news01.txt

Generational poverty is an issue in Cowlitz County. Denial of economic change and its effects on the community have led to a high dropout rate in our schools, and an above average drug problem in our communities. Our jails are full of people who have a poor education and committed crimes because of drug or alcohol abuse. How will these people get a new start? Who will help them?

Friday Exodus 3:1-15
God says, “I have heard the cry of my people” and Moses is called to act. Moses is sure that God must be mistaken and has a list of several excellent excuses of why God has made a mistake.

God Called Moses back to a relationship with his people.

What relationships can you foster to help those living in oppression?

Happy Birthday to Me

2007-10-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me!

39 today. Oddly enough 39 isn't as hard as 29 was. I got a bit depressed at my 29th birthday. Not so much for turning 39. No promises about next year though!

I wonder if when I'm forty my clergy colleagues will still call me "one of the young ones." Each of my paychecks for the past 18 years have been from Methodist churches. I have been in professional ministry for nearly 20 years and some people still have the nerve to say that I am one of the "young ones!" There are many 50+ year old clergy who have less than half the ministry experience that I have. Ugh.

Well that is a rant for another day.

Have a good Bruce's Birthday and say a prayer for me.

A call to ministry

2007-10-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

This month we will be taking a quick tour through the book of Exodus. If Genesis lays the foundation for the Bible then Exodus provides the framework for the rest of the structure. Exodus is the story of oppressed minority people who discover what it means to live as God’s people. The story begins with a call from God to an unlikely leader, someone who is running away after committing a homicide. A leader who is supposed to speak for the people yet he has a speech impediment. A leader who doesn’t want the job, yet he is convinced of God’s call and reluctantly moves forward.

This is the time of year when we seek people who are willing to help lead the church in ministry. The Lay Leadership team meets to nominate people to serve on the committees of the church. Those committees are Lay Leadership, Trustees, and Staff Parish Relations (SPR). We also have teams that are vital to the function of ministry. Currently we have three teams for the ministry of LUMC those are Worship, Missions and Social Justice / Outreach. We call the first three “committees” because that is what they are called in the United Methodist Book of Discipline. We call the other three “teams” because they are created for a particular task and they are less structured as they are not bound by the Book of Discipline.

As the church there are many opportunities for ministry not only on a committee or as part of a team. God may be calling you to a ministry of service within the church or in the community. Some are called to tend to the church garden, spend time with the youth or to sing in the choir. Some are called to work in our public schools, to work in health care or to work with lumber. What if we spent our day recognizing the call that God has for us each day?

I ask that you take time this month to listen to the movement of the Holy Spirit in your life. Where do you find yourself being led into service for God’s kingdom? Do you have a passion working with children and youth? Are you being called to help others recover from an addiction? Do you know how to fix things? I encourage you to take time to thank God for the gifts you have in all your daily activities and to seek to use your gifts for God’s service.

October 14, 2007 Sermon Notes

2007-10-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

God's Gifts, Our Offerings

Genesis 41:14-36

Michelangelo’s painting reminds us that the people of the Genesis stories are African people. It is important for us to remember that. They are not white Europeans. So often if I am not thinking about it, I have this 1950’s Hollywood movie image of these stories.

Sometimes I have a limited vision and I don’t want to limit my vision of what God is doing or saying. Sometimes I make judgments about people’s abilities, a person’s education or income, even a person’s political or theological leanings based on surface things such as they way the dress, the car they drive or even the color of their skin or their ethnicity. I confess this so that I will be able to continue to heal from it and that I might move to see the fullness of God's gifts.

We have blinders that sometimes prevent us from seeing the full picture. This story is a story about the blinders that people put on. Early in the Joseph story we are introduced to the fact that Joseph is the father’s favored son, this is bound to make his brothers jealous. Then Joseph has a dream about the other brothers bowing down to him. Joseph is either arrogant or ignorant about his dreams. He foolishly tells his brothers about them and they react as we would expect them to, they get angry. We are told some of his brothers even want to kill him. Eventually Joe is thrown into a pit, sold as a slave and sent to Egypt. Here in Egypt, Joe’s gift will be put to use.

Each of us has gifts for the ministry. What are you going to do with yours? This is God’s gift, how are you going to offer it? Do you pay attention to the gifts that God has given you. You are gifted. We do so much to downplay our gifts.

One of my connectional responsibilities is to serve on the District Committee on Building and Location. This committee has many responsibilities regarding church property. One day we sat with a church looking to make changes to their property that they could not afford and I grew increasingly frustrated at their inability to see the great gift they had instead of focusing on what they did not have.

Some of us act like the people of that church, only seeing what we cannot do instead of noticing what God is doing in our lives. A few of us clergy were talking about worship one day and we came to an important conclusion. It wasn’t so important to us if a musician or a singer was particularly talented, it was important that the one leading worship music was praising God. It makes a difference if one is performing or if one is legitimately worshiping as they lead the music.

What if Joseph had buried his gift of dreams in that pit that he was thrown into? What if he refused to listen to dreams, to interpret Pharoh's dream or to pay attention to his own. Our Bible would end in chapter 37 of Genesis. Oh, I am sure God would speak to us in other ways, but we wouldn't have the book we have now. Everything would have turned out differently had Joseph buried his gift.

It is vital for the ministry of LUMC that you know what your spiritual gifts are and have a way to discern the use of those gifts.

In my experience discernment rarely happens alone. There are some things that I enjoy doing but I don’t really understand or know that they are meaningful until someone shares with me that they are. You have the opportunity to encourage the gifts of another. Share what you appreciate about another’s gift. Let people around know how you appreciate them. Take notice of what your neighbors are doing by the Grace of God.

We need you to share your gifts in your personal relationships, in small groups, Bible studies, and in worship. The future of the ministry of LUMC and the future of our community depend on the gifts that you share.

Family Picture

2007-10-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

I have posted this so that I can get a picture onto my profile. This was taken during our family vacation this past summer. We had a great time in Yellowstone. God's creative power is on display in such fantastic fashion in this beautiful place!

October 7, 2007 Sermon Notes

2007-10-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

Jacob struggles with the angel, by Rembrandt

Read Genesis 32:22 - 33:11

Truth be told, sometimes I can be a heel. I know, it’s shocking for you to hear because most of the time I’m a pretty nice guy. I like to think of myself as a people person who gets along with all sorts of folks. But you know sometimes I get grumpy and sometimes I am a bit of a heel. This past week was an annual gather of our conference clergy. Primarily at this last gathering we worshiped together and spent time in fellowship (usually around a meal.) Unfortunately, I found myself at times, in a negative frame of mind. I made judgments about the most petty silly things. I am so ashamed of this as I think back upon it. Why am I so often critical of others like me who are simply doing what they can for the greater good?

Luckily for me, I am not the only one. There are others in this world who can be a heel. Some of you can even be a heel sometimes and today’s story is about one of the greatest heels of them all. Jacob is a scoundrel and his name in Hebrew is literally, “ the heel.” Yet, Jacob is also the one who is the one who inherits the covenant handed down from Abraham. Jacob’s children will be the ancestors of the tribes of Israel. How did this happen?

What does it say about the people of Israel that they recount these scandalous stories of Jacob? The heel who stole his brother’s inheritance and blessing, the scoundrel who lost a battle of wits with his father in law for the woman of his dreams, the coward who sent his women and children to face potential death without him.

Finally, this coward, this rouge, this scoundrel seeks forgiveness and reconciliation. Here we have this account of Jacob wrestling with God and seeking a blessing. Not one that he steals, one that is freely given. In Rembrandt's painting of this scene it almost appears as if Jacob is dancing with the angle instead of wrestling. God's messenger is clearly dominate yet graceful. Jacob seems weary and full of grief as if all his past struggles have come down upon him at this moment. It is a scene of mercy and grace not one of a violent struggle.

Then another extraordinary thing happens, Esau, the rightful heir to his father’s fortune and blessing grants another blessing to Jacob, one that is not deserved or earned, yet freely given. Esau forgives Jacob.

Israel, is a nation formed by an act of free grace.

Longview United Methodist Church is a church that has been blessed by many examples of free grace. Freely you have invited one another into your homes, your lives, and your spiritual journeys. You have received grace in worship, you have received grace in prayer, you have received grace in study, and you have received grace in fellowship. These are acts of blessing, free of judgment, free from prejudice, free to love.

You know sometimes we can be heels. Sometimes we are too judgmental. Sometimes we fail to forgive. Sometimes we too easily share our dissatisfaction with the way things are. What if we turned from the heel and toward grace? What if we gave thanks to God for those people with whom we have a difficult relationship? What if we gave thanks to God for the stuff we have instead of prayers for stuff we do not have?

May I suggest a meal. It isn’t very much, a little bread, a little cup of juice but it is a free meal. It is the only free lunch. Given simply so that you might know that you are loved.

May you be a blessing for others as God has freely blessed you.

PNW General Conference Delegation Meeting

2007-10-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

And so it begins.

Friday evening was the first meeting of the delegation from the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference to the General and Jurisdictional Conferences.

We received words of encouragement and support from Bishop Paup and a report regarding a study of the Episcopacy from Rachel Lieder Simeon the Alaska Missionary Conference Superintendent.

Following dinner we received news that the connectional table of the Annual Conference has elected to fund the travel for all of the General Conference reserves! So as the second reserve my basic expenses will be paid for! This enables us to have an observer at all but one of the General Conference committees. I will be the observer of the Committee on Discipleship. The reports should be available sometime in January so I can begin studying all the legislative proposals. (I understand that there will be a great deal of reading to do.)

Essentially this meeting was an opportunity for the veterans of General Conference and for us rookies to become acquainted with one another and our task at hand. We set a schedule for our future meetings and discussed some possible agenda items for our future meetings.

We received our first reality check of the United Methodist Church in the Western U.S.. The Western Jurisdiction is by far the smallest in the denomination. The seven Annual Conferences of the Western Jurisdiction will be sending 40 delegates to General Conference. The other delegations are as follows:

North Central 138

Northeastern 126

South Central 148

Southeastern 252

Central Conferences 268

The two Annual Conferences in Georgia will be sending 40 delegates equalling the whole of the Western Jurisdiction delegation.

There was some discussion about the difficulties of balancing Spiritual Health in the midst of a very political process. Stories of past hurts from those who had attended before were shared. There was also a sharing of some hoped for guidelines of behavior for those participating in the conference. These guidelines are essentially those used this past summer by an international gathering of youth and young adult United Methodists in South Africa. You can find an article about them here: http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.3082929/apps/nl/content3.asp?content_id={2B1F5695-20AD-47C1-BAC7-18E6878B6063}&notoc=1

I hope that the various delegations and interest groups can follow these basic ideas. If followed equally I believe that there can be a great opportunity for some relationship building during the General Conference session.

I am concerned primarily about the relationships within the church. Unfortunately, I do not go expecting dramatic change for the full inclusion of homosexual people in the life of the church. However, I deeply pray that there will be an opportunity for relationship building so that some who disagree with me regarding the full inclusion of homosexual people will hear the story of the people of Longview United Methodist Church and how being an open and inclusive church has saved the church and saved lives of people who have come into contact with the ministry of LUMC. If our evangelical goal is to save people for Jesus Christ I welcome the opportunity to share the evangelical work of a small town church that is active in the work of making Disciples for Jesus Christ.

Sunday September 30th Sermon Notes

2007-10-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

Promises, Promises

Do you make promises very easily? Sometimes in our efforts to make others happy we make promises that we can’t follow through with. We often complain about promises our leaders make that they can’t follow through with. Politicians get hammered from both sides, they get hammered when they fail to make a promise to fix things, then they get hammered for not fixing things when they “promised” that they would.

Parents know the dilemma of making promises. Our children ever so hopeful that we might concede to their demands will sometimes take a “maybe” as a signed contract, a done deal, “You Promised!”

Sometimes I have made promises that could not be kept. I am guilty of saying that I would call, and then forget to call. I am sure some of you are aware of other promises I have failed to keep. I humbly ask for your grace. If I have failed to fulfill a promise I pray you may find a way to gracefully remind me of that promise so that I might not continue to stumble and sin.

In Genesis we are introduced to the significance of covenant relationships. God makes covenants with Noah and Abraham. Each of these covenants change our understanding of God, ourselves and our relationship with God.
· In each case the one who receives the promise has taken an action to obey God. Noah built a boat, Abraham went on a long journey.
· Each of these promises are a blessing for people. God promises not to flood the earth again, and that Abraham’s descendents will be as numerous as the stars.
· Each of these promises have a sign, a rainbow for Noah and circumcision for Abraham.

These early covenants create a foundation for the people of God. They begin to create some order in the world for God’s people. That’s what fulfilled promises do, they create order out of chaos. We depend upon promises each day, we don’t always express them verbally but we live by all sorts of promises. When I drive on the street I promise to follow the basic rules of the road. When I go to a restaurant and I order some food I am making a promise to pay for that food. In marriage I promise to love, honor and keep in sickness and in health. When the vows of our covenant relationships are broken, chaos happens.

We know that our life partner covenants are complex. I am still learning how to keep the vows I made to Kendra 11 ½ years ago. I haven’t been very good at taking care of her in sickness. I am getting better. I have learned to make the right comfort foods, to create a comfortable space and sometimes I have even learned when just to stay away.

Keeping those promises of our most intimate relationships is complex and we all need help. Each of us struggle between meeting our own needs and the needs of those we love. Each of us have moments when we succeed brilliantly and when we fail miserably.

As complex as those relationships are, our relationship with God is no different. Living in our covenant with God is a complex matter.
We are asked to obey some basic rules.
We have received blessing from our relationship with God.
We have signs of that blessing.

The Good News is that Jesus Christ gave us a new covenant. We are directed according to the Gospel of John to simply, “love one another.” Through the grace we are promised eternal life with God. Our sign of this covenant is the communion meal, the sharing of the bread and the cup to remember the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May we continue to live in the grace of the one who is able to keep the best promise of all.

Awareness of God's Gifts

2007-09-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

When I was a student pastor in San Angelo, Texas I had one shining moment in each week’s worship service. I called for the ushers to come forward for the offering. There were three pastor’s on staff, and two other full time program staff people. There was a lot of worship leadership to share. So my one consistent moment in worship was to ask the ushers to come forward as I would say “Let us now share in God’s gifts and our offerings.” This was a subtle thing but I had to remember to say “God’s gifts” not “Our gifts.” It is a simple way to remember all of our stuff belongs to God.

That simple statement significantly raised my awareness of God’s gifts. What if in your prayers this month you were constantly able to thank God for the gifts you have received. When your paycheck comes this month can you give thanks to God? When you buy groceries at the store, can you say a prayer of thanks for all the people, time and effort that have come together so you can have some food? When you are helping another person by giving some of your time to be with them, can you say a prayer of thanks?

I wonder if we stop to consider all the gifts that we have if we wouldn’t join the constant heavenly chorus in giving praise to God. Have you considered writing a thank you note to God for some everyday object that you are thankful for? What would your thank you note to God look like if you gave thanks for your phone or your refrigerator or your car? How would your attitude about those objects change after you said a prayer of thanks?

I invite you to notice the blessings in your life and to freely give thanks to God.

Peace,

Bruce

Recipes

2007-08-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

The United Methodist Women are putting together a recipe book. I love to cook. So it seems like I should be able to contribute to the book.

Problem is I never use recipes. Oh sometimes I will look at a book to remember the proper temperature for something or I will take ideas for a particular dish from a book. But I don’t use recipes. Now if I was a baker, I would have to use recipes. Baking is an exact science, Kendra does the baking. I prefer to be an artist, to create in the moment, to allow the ingredients at hand to determine what the meal will be. Sure there is planning involved (sometimes) and lessons learned from failed experiments (ask Kendra about those) but I don’t want to follow recipes, I want each meal to be a new experience. (This drives Kendra crazy.)

Don’t get me wrong, there are basic skills to be learned. There are tools to be used and some foundations of the chemistry of cooking that are necessary for a good meal. There is method to the madness. In my constant search for the perfect Thanksgiving Turkey I have learned the great joy of brining from Alton Brown of the Food Network.

This year I want to encourage LUMC to create “Experiments of Faith.” There are scientist among us who will experiment with great precision. There are others among us who will experiment with an artistic flair. It is my hope that these experiments are the shared experiences we have of God’s grace. Some of the experiments will be new ministry programs. Some of the experiments will become a committee. Some of the experiments will be new relationships. Some of the experiments will involve worship. Some of them will become personal devotions.

This will require an atmosphere of grace as we encourage one another to try new things for the ministry of Jesus Christ. Want to begin a new Bible Study? Sweet! Want to begin a program for children? Go for it! Want to reach out to older adults? Amen! Want to sing a new song in worship? Praise God! Some of our experiments will not turn out as we had hoped. May we have the grace to laugh and learn from our “failures.” Some of our experiments will take off in directions we didn’t think of. In all that we do, may we have the humility to give thanks for all that God is doing in the ministry of Longview United Methodist Church.

Peace,

Bruce

The Audacious Campaign

2007-06-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

At this past Annual Conference there were many opportunities to experience the living God. We began with worship remember some of the saints of the church who have died in this past year. We welcomed new clergy to the conference and we recognized the ministry of others by declaring them to be Elders and full members of the Annual Conference (WAY TO GO KENDRA!) We voted for a delegation to attend General and Jurisdictional conference. We played basketball to raise funds for “nothing but nets.” We visited the injured in the Emergency Room. We met to in committees to talk about the values of our Annual Conference and what we would like to say to the whole denomination. We sent legislation to the General Conference asking that body to truly include all persons in ministry including, eliminating the phrase “homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching”, removing the performing of Holy Unions as a chargeable offence against clergy, and declaring that we believe homosexuality should not be a barrier to ordination. We worshiped and shared in communion each day. We approved a budget allowing for 6 district superintendents, increase the current number by one.

But let me tell you about “The Audacious Campaign.”

A few months ago I received an e-mail from a colleague in Seattle who wanted to have a discussion about sending a clergy person under 40 to General Conference. A few others joined the discussion a blog was even created. We shared a common value of wanting to send someone under 40 who was serving a local church. After talking with a few others who were likely candidates, I decided to let it be known that I would be willing to be a candidate, thus starting “The Audacious Campaign.” At the time I was reading Barak Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope” and I thought it was a rather audacious thing to say “I would like to go.” E-mails were sent seeking support and eventually I was nominated to be a candidate for election.

After the first clergy ballot at Annual Conference I received 44 votes placing me tied in 5th place. Some of the Gen X clergy gathered to talk about a voting strategy and they laid hands upon me to pray as we sought guidance in the process. On the 8th ballot I became the 5th person elected which makes me the second alternate to General Conference and a voting member of the Jurisdictional Conference.

As the second alternate I plan to pay for my way to attend the General Conference that begins April 23, 2008. I believe it will be a good learning experience for me and perhaps I can help our voting members by being an observer. I am very much looking forward to being a voting member of the Jurisdictional Conference that will take place in July 2008, where I will likely have the opportunity to vote for a new Bishop!

Please pray for me as I prepare for these two important gatherings of the United Methodist Church.

Sermon Notes June 17, 2007

2007-06-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

I Kings 19:1-15a
Luke 8:26-39

Where or when do you notice God in your life? Is it as you are watching “Dancing with the stars”, “Survivor” or the Mariners baseball game on TV? Is it as you are in a rush to get to the next thing and all the lights seem to be red? Is it as you discover that all your laundry has turned pink because of a red sock in the Dryer?

Probably not. Elijah is in trouble. He knows this much. What he doesn’t know is what to do about it. Elijah has just had a great victory and he is in trouble, for while the battle is won he is now all alone. Elijah considers the powers of Wind, Earth and Fire and he does not find God there. You know that in many parts of the ancient world Wind, Earth and Fire are considered the basic elements of the earth. They are powerful and sometimes they are even worshiped. Yet Elijah does not find God there.

Elijah finds God in the Silence.

Where do you find God and why do you spend so much time with that which takes you away from God?

In the Gospel we encounter a crazy man. This dude is out of his mind. He runs around the countryside without clothes and is uncontainable. He has little regard for his well being. Yet it is this crazy man that is immediately able to identify who Jesus is. We then have this fantastic account of how Jesus heals this man of his demons and sends the demons to the pigs who then jump off a cliff. It’s a pretty cool story but we must pause here for a minute.

What is JESUS doing in a country where there are people raising PIGS? We all know that pigs are unclean for Jewish people. They don’t eat port, and they don’t raise pigs for pets. What is Jesus doing here? This is scandalous. Jesus shouldn’t be there.

Then what does he do? When the man he has healed ask to become a disciple and to follow him Jesus says something extraordinary. He says, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.”

When you encounter the living God do you tell anyone about it or do you remain silent afraid others will think you are a bit strange?

Sermon Notes June 3, 2007

2007-06-04T18:01:00.000-07:00

Peace with Justice Sunday

Proverbs: All this stuff is God’s
Romans: 5:3-4 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
Today is Peace with Justice Sunday. We can generally accept that it is true that without Justice there is no Peace. I want to add that without Economic Justice there can be no Peace.

Extreme Poverty according to the World Bank is an income of $1 a day (1 billion people), Moderate Poverty is defined as $2 a day with 2.7 billion people living at that level. Nearly HALF of the world population lives on an income of $2 a day or less.

In many developed countries the official definition of poverty used for statistical purposes is based on relative income. As such many critics argue that poverty statistics measure inequality rather than material deprivation or hardship. For instance, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 46% of those in "poverty" in the U.S. own their own home (with the average poor person's home having three bedrooms, with one and a half baths, and a garage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty

In the United States poverty was set at $19,350 for a family of four for 2007.

Minimum wage in WA State is $7.93 (highest in the U.S.) Recently President Bush signed a law raising minimum wage gradually to $7.25 in 2009, currently the Federal minimum wage is $5.15.

Imagine the possible situation for person living on minimum wage. Minimum wage Job “full time” 32 hours / week, minus taxes brings that to approximately $995 per month. Obviously in our society that is not enough income for basic needs.

Rent $500
Utilities $200
Food $200
Gas $120
Car Insurance $100
Credit Card $75 ($4,000 debt, minimum payments, 116 months to pay off)
Total $ 1,195 (a negative balance of $200 for our poor worker)

The averabe Americans’ average credit card debt is $8400 per household.
Americans pay, on average, an 18.9% interest rate on credit cards.
More than 40% of American families spend more than they earn. (Federal Reserve).
http://creditcounselingbiz.com/credit_counseling_statistics.htm
The average worker earned $41,861, while the average CEO made $10.9 million, or 262 times that of the average worker. (2005)
From 1992 to 2005, the average CEO saw his or her pay rise by 186.2%, while the median worker saw wages rise by 7.2%.
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/311/executive-pay.html

Economic Justice is necessary for world peace.

When we achieve better economic equity in our country there will be more help available for those living in the poorest nations of the world. We must close the gap between the richest and the poorest of our nation, peace is dependent upon a stable middle class.

Economic equity is closely tied to our ability to recognize that all of this stuff belongs to God. Our hope must not come from how much stuff we are able to have, but in our relationships with each other and with our God.

Sermon Notes May 20, 2007

2007-05-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

Does the Bible condemn homosexuality?

Clearly the Bible is concerned with sexual morality. As the most intimate act of humanity, our sexual values speak about our value of humanity and our relationship with God. So what does the Bible say about homosexuality?

There are five primary references of homosexuality in the Bible. The account in Genesis of the destruction of Sodom is the origin of the term “sodomy.” It is clear God’s condemnation is about the violence the crowd wished to inflict on God’s messenger’s who were guest in Lot’s house and not on homosexuality. Some people point to Leviticus and its commands that a man should not lie with a man and yet Leviticus also condemns wearing clothing with mixed fabrics. Christians understand that Christ gave us a new covenant and that we are no longer bound by the Levitical Law code.

The most difficult passages come from the New Testament in Romans, I Corinthians and I Timothy. In I Corinthians 6:9 and in the letter to Timothy Paul uses a word, “arsenokoites”, that is not found in other Greek writings of the same period. The word is often translated as sodomites, it can also mean literally “male bed.” Some scholars have compared the Biblical reference of this word to other Greek writings and found that the term could refer to male prostitution or some economic exploitation of sex. Most scholars will agree we simply don’t know for sure what it means and that its translation as “sodomy” or “sexual perverts” is a modern presumption.

The other New Testament word sometimes understood to refer to homosexuality is “malakos.” This word is translated in I Cor. 6:9 as “male prostitutes” but in the Gospel of Luke it is translated as “soft.” Luther’s reformation Bible translated these terms as “effeminate” (malakos) and “violators of boys” (arsenokoitai).

In Romans 1:26-27 Paul condemns people for “unnatural” intercourse. Paul presumes that all people are created in the same way. Paul and others assume that it is unnatural for two people of the same gender to fall in love. Many people no longer believe that this is so. In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of disorders. Researchers today are studying brain activity and genetics to further understand our natural sexual desires.
We believe that it is natural for some people to fall in love with others of the same gender. Therefore, the question of sexual morality moves from a focus of gender to one of honoring our relationship with each other.

So today we celebrate the decision of Longview United Methodist Church to join the Reconciling Ministry Network. A network of United Methodist Churches working for the full inclusion of all people in the life of the church.

The choice of the word reconciliation is important. As a reconciling congregation we are working to reconcile the church with the GLBT community who has too long been set aside by the church.

Reconciliation is a Holy exercise and it is one we often neglect. As a church of reconciliation we are called to reach out to those who have been set aside by others. We are called to consider those relationships in our life that have become broken and to seek healing.

As we live into the fifth year of being a reconciling congregation I believe God is calling us to consider all who need to reconcile their relationship with God. We will not be able to be all things to all people. We will work to truly be a diverse community. Primarily we will continue to seek out those who have been broken and are in need of healing.

May 6, 2007 Sermon Notes

2007-05-07T11:12:00.001-07:00

A New Heaven and a New Earth

Revelation is full of fantastic images. Four horsemen, Angels blowing trumpets, monsters being defeated, and finally the image of the perfect city coming down from heaven and replacing the imperfect fouled up world.

For some of us a new heaven and a new earth seems more like a fantasy than a reality. A fantasy is a sort of idea that is so far fetched that it cannot intersect with the real world, whether that fantasy has hobbits and wizards or unicorns and fairies. The imagery of a new Jerusalem coming out of clouds is a rather fantastic idea and it has little meaning for us.

For some, a new heaven and a new earth seems like a dream, some sort of possibility yet it is in the midst of a fog. We can almost imagine the possibility of God taking such drastic action that this world in which we live might be made new and perfect. Pollution would be gone, war would be gone, poverty would be gone. But it all becomes hazy, how does this happen, is it heaven, is it now, what on earth is this dream?

Yet for other’s this vision of a new heaven and a new earth is a real possibility. It is a vision of how God makes things new. God makes all things new through the commandment of Jesus Christ, Love one Another. Jesus’ command is a vision of a new heaven and a new earth. Love one another.

We will struggle with this command. We will struggle with the reality of truly loving the people we are with each day. That is sometimes a difficult task. But we have had success with this before and we are able to succeed again.

We will struggle with the reality of truly loving people we do not know and will never meet. For in order for us to create a New Heaven and New Earth, we must live so that the other 6 billion people on this planet know that they are loved. For Americans this is a huge responsibility. We must challenge the images of our culture that say we do not have enough. We must consider the possibility that we have the potential to bring about a new creation, we have the potential to enact the vision as we live into the reality of loving one another.

Devotions for the Fifth week of Easter
After Each Day’s reading consider how God is calling you to love this week? Take some notes, pray, act lovingly.

Monday Read Romans 12:9-21

Tuesday Read Colossians 3:12-17

Wednesday Read Galatians 5:1-15

Thursday 1 John 2:7-17

Friday 1 John 3:1-8

Saturday 1 John 4:7-21

Reminders:
Registration for Church retreat is May 20th.

Mission Trip for Ocean Park Camp is June 9th.

May Newsletter

2007-04-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

May Flowers

This Spring Kendra and I have been working in the garden of the Camas Parsonage. We are very blessed to have a wonderful house with lots of yard to enjoy. (Although there is a LOT of grass to mow.) We have weeded the front flowerbeds, put beauty bark around the bushes and even begun wondering about working on some of the lumps and bumps in the lawn. With the help of one of the Camas trustees we have tilled a nice plot to plant a vegetable garden. The corn, pumpkin, carrots, lettuce and radishes are planted and there is more to do still. We have another area where we have planted strawberries and raspberries. The berries might not bear fruit this year, but it is fun to imagine the harvest next summer!

Working in this garden has been a spiritual exercise for me. There is something holy about caring for living things. Whether it is to enhance the look of a Rhododendron bush or to pull weeds so another plant can flourish, God seems to be present in this care giving.

What are your simple pleasures where you find God to be present? Do you like to take walks and talk with God? Do you have some music that lifts your soul? Does the sound of children playing bring a prayer of thanks?

Each of us has some weeding to do in our life, to rid ourselves of those things that deplete our life. Sometimes to see the beauty in another all we need to do is to highlight the gifts they have. Some of us appear pretty lumpy and rough around the edges, all we need is someone to care. Some of us are ready soil to provide nourishment for new life. Some of us are new to the faith, with questions and struggles and will take time to bear fruit.

Where ever you are in the Garden may you be able to appreciate the simple beauty of life.

Sermon Notes April 22, 2007

2007-04-22T14:44:00.001-07:00

Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord

As I came into work on Monday I began hearing news of a shooting at a college in Virginia. Soon it became apparent that this shooting was yet another terrible tragedy of gun violence. 33 students died. One of whom was the killer of the other 32, a young man whose serious mental health problems led to this tragedy.

Humans live with conflict, each and every day. Each day where our self will doesn’t match the will of another we face conflict, from whose turn is it to wash the dishes, what color to paint the church or how we are going to understand scripture. Our self will leads us into conflict all the time.

Saul was on his way to pursue more people of this group who were claiming Jesus as the Messiah, when he was blinded with a vision from God. Thank God for that vision. For in that Vision Paul’s eyes were opened to the horror of the violence he was perpetrating. Saul’s vision led him to the house of Ananias. Some sympathy here please for Ananias. He is being asked to do a very hard thing. He is asked to take in this murderer, to forgive him, to restore his sight, and to introduce him to the disciples of Jesus.

Each of these two are being asked to give up their desires, their will and to seek God’s vision for what can be. In being blind Paul is dependent upon the mercy of others. In being merciful Ananias is setting aside his fears, and his grief so that God can act.

It is easy for us to condemn the violence of others today. It is easy to look at how others might be responsible for violence today. We are good at finding fault with others. That is not the prayer we say today, it is not the song we sing today. Today we ask that God open the eyes of our hearts.

Too often we have decided that it was our will be done, our kingdom come. Are you willing today to give up some of your will, so that God’s desires can come forward? Never mind what your judgments are, but to consider how your neighbor looks in the eyes of Jesus? May God’s grace open the eyes of our hearts.

Devotions for the Third week of Easter

This week I will share my devotions with ______________.

Monday Jeremiah 23:1-8

Pray for those who are lost

Tuesday Ezekiel 11:14-21

Pray for those with hardened hearts.

Wednesday Jeremiah 31:10-18

Thank God, there is hope for the future.

Thursday John 10:1-18

Pray for understanding, to follow the good shepherd.

Friday 1st Peter 5:1-11

Pray casting all your anxieties to God.

Saturday Acts 20:17-38

Pray for Pastor Bruce and other leaders of the church.

2nd Sunday of Easter 2007

2007-04-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

On the Way

Our mission statement proclaims that “we support each individual in their spiritual journey as they become a Disciple of Jesus Christ.”

Part of this statement is to acknowledge that we each have our own spiritual path. My spiritual life is not the same as yours. We also believe that the goal of the Christian spiritual journey is to grow deeper in our discipleship. That is, to grow in our life as a follower of the servant Messiah.

The path to Christ is not a singular moment in life, it is our whole life. If you were to create a timeline of your life, where would you say that you knew God was with you? Consider the formative events in your life, childhood events in your family, your discoveries in young adulthood, your adult life events. It is usually true in the tragic and in the joyful that those were the moments when we knew God was with us.

Our spiritual lives need attention. As we participate in prayer, worship, reading the bible we become more aware of the spiritual connections. The deepening of those connections leads to spiritual and emotional health. We can learn to not be afraid, we can learn to love the simple beauty of life, we can learn the joy of knowing that we are God’s children.

I have become particularly frustrated with American spirituality. The classic example for my life is September 16th 2001. That was the first Sunday after 9-11. Churches were full on that day, a little less full on September 23, and pretty much back to normal by September 30th. Seemingly saying, “we’ll turn to God when we need something.”

When we are “On the Way” we recognize that our spiritual life is not something we only want to pull out for emergencies, we realize that our relationship with Jesus Christ helps us to live fuller lives right now. It is my relationship with Jesus that encourages me to forgive my neighbors when we can’t agree. It is my relationship with Jesus that reminds me to serve others. It is my relationship with Jesus that helps me to become as healthy and happy a person as I can be.

Devotions for the 2nd week of Easter.

This week I will spend time with ______________________
to read scripture and pray with this week.

Monday Read Ezekiel 36:22-30

God promises to act on Israel’s behalf. Pray for God’s activity in the world today.

Tuesday Read Genesis 17:1-8

God makes a generous promise to Abraham. Pray for understanding God’s generosity in your life.

Wednesday Read Genesis 39:19-23

Joseph seems to be in a horrible situation, yet God makes use of it. Pray for God’s ability to show you how to make the most of your life right now.

Thursday Read Philippians 4:1-9

Rejoice is a holy word for Paul. Pray with Joy this day.

Friday Read Colossians 2:6-15

Paul encourages people to keep rooted in faith. Pray for those who struggle staying rooted in faith.

Saturday Read Acts 4:23-37

Facing a world of opposition the first believers act with radical faith. Pray for a faith of radical action.

Sunday LUMC worship 10:00 A.M.

Easter 2007

2007-04-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

Don’t be afraid

Imagine the anxiety in the disciples in this past week. They began having to deal with a crowd seemingly celebrating the arrival of their teacher, yet there were others who were not so happy watching these events take place. They witnessed Jesus seemingly going crazy in the Temple, overturning the tables, and ranting about abuses of the people. Then there was his arrest and unusually quick execution.

The Disciples have every reason to be afraid for their life and anxious about the future. It is no wonder that they are hiding waiting for their opportunity to get on with their lives. It would be perfectly reasonable for them to dismiss the word of the women as they came making a claim that the tomb was empty.

Then something amazing happens, they experience the risen Christ. The women run reporting that the tomb is empty, Peter sees the tomb and is amazed, soon the two walking to Emmaus will encounter the Christ in breaking bread for an evening meal, Jesus will meet with the disciples and show them his wounds, their encounters with Jesus will lift their fear and anxiety.

Soon these who were hiding will be preaching in the streets and the synagogues that Jesus is the Messiah. They will face the opposition from the religious authorities, they will face ridicule from the majority of people, some will even face death and they are not afraid. Their encounter with the risen Christ has taken away fear.

You cannot serve the Kingdom of God out of fear. You might be able to support a church, follow some rules, or “live a good life” while you are afraid of judgment. But, you cannot serve the Kingdom of God. You cannot serve your neighbor if you are worried about yourself. You cannot visit the sick if you are afraid of becoming ill. You cannot feed the hungry if you are afraid of having your possessions taken. You cannot listen to the grieving if you are anxious about what you are supposed to say.

So today, live with purpose. Admire the biological miracles that surround us. See the beauty in each person. Consider the wonder of the cosmos. Live in the fullness of the kingdom of God. And quit worrying about yourself so much.

I will meet with _____________________________ to read Scripture and pray with this week.

Monday April 9, Easter day 2
Read Romans 6:1-11
Pray that you may celebrate life and sin no more.

Tuesday April 10, Easter day 3
Read Ephesians 2:1-10
Pray for people you love.

Wednesday April 11, Easter day 4
Read Galatians 2:11-21
Pray for those who are foreign to you.

Thursday April 12, Easter day 5
Read John 17:1-5
Hear Jesus’ prayer as a prayer for you, give thanks.

Friday April 13, Easter day 6
Read Romans 6:15-23
Pray for those you might be able to serve.

Saturday April 14, Easter day 7
Read Romans 8:18-30
Pray with hope.

Sunday April 15, Easter day 8
Worship at LUMC 10:00 A.M. “CAMP SUNDAY” come casual.
Theme: “On the Way”
Luke 24:13-36

Sermon Notes March 18, 2007

2007-03-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

A New Creation

People like new things. This may be most evident in advertising. How many times do you see the word “new” on packaging of familiar products? You might expect, “new & improved” or “new ingredients” even “new flavor” how about “new technology” but we also get “new size” and “new package design.”

In a society so obsessed with the new, how is that reflected in our relationships with other people? Do we find some people to be as disposable as a worn out television? If someone’s life is a bit of a mess do we toss them away like a disposable towelette? What regard to we have for those who are older? Do we really believe “older is wiser?”

What lessons can we take from this great parable of the man with two sons? We rejoice with the son when we are told of the father’s overly gracious welcome home. Yet, we also find sympathy with the older son who is mad as hell that his stupid little brother has been welcomed home after causing so much strife for the family. The older brother doesn’t want to party, the older brother just wants things back they way they were.

Most of you have had an experience of grace that changed your life. At some point you were asked if you wanted to be a Christian. It might have been asked of you at a Baptism, or you might have responded to an call to accept Christ.

How would you like the older son to respond? What if the older son celebrated with everyone else? What if the elder son filled the younger one in on all the news since the time he left? What if the elder son began showing the younger some of what he knows about being happy and successful on the family farm?

We must continue to change because we all know people who are the younger brother. We know people who are lost in the muck and see no way out. We know people who need a measure of God’s grace. Can we respond like the father instead of the older brother. Can we continue to nurture others in faith? Can we be the brother or sister of faith that we wish the older brother had been?

Sermon Notes March 11, 2007

2007-03-12T16:53:00.001-07:00

Monday Isaiah 55:1-9
Isaiah suggests that our relationship with God is the richest treasure we can have and that God is eager to be in relationship with us. What might you need to change in order to accept God’s abundant pardon?

Pray for those who have trouble loving themselves.

Tuesday Psalm 63:1-8
The Psalmist describes dependence upon God. Do you have a moment in your spiritual journey where praise for God was especially meaningful?

Pray for people planning meaningful worship services.

Wednesday I Corinthians 10:1-13
Paul suggests that there are events brought into our life that we might be tested. One response to these moments is to be stronger in faith. What times in your life strengthened your faith in God?

Pray for those enduring difficult times.

Thursday Luke 13:1-9
Jesus refers to a couple of tragedies that befell the people and then calls upon everyone to repent or to perish. How might you be able to live abundantly in repentance?

Pray for the survivors of tragedy.

Friday
Penance is practice of doing an action in order to better understand God’s forgiveness. Prayerfully consider and act of penance as a means of Grace. What can you do for another as an act of free love this weekend?

Pray for those who need someone to say, “I love you.”

Repent or Die.

When tragedy strikes people are often led to ask, “If God exists how can this have happened?” It is a nice way of ignoring human responsibility in human events. Does God start wars? Does God make buildings unable to stand fierce storms?

In the Gospel of Luke we have this account of people coming to Jesus concerned about an apparent act of Pilate against some Galileans. Jesus responds by reminding them of another tragedy that would have been well known to the people. He then says, unless you repent, you will perish as they did. The obvious implication is that without repentance there is nothing but death.

Some of you may understand repentance to be some act of deep sorrow and regret. I believe that repentance must be more than wallowing in regret. It seems to me that wallowing in regret is close to the death that Jesus wishes for us to avoid.

Perhaps, repentance should also be understood as a moment of great joy! What if to be repentant was to fully live? To live as if each moment held meaning and opportunity.

Isaiah’s word may have seemed scandalous to the original hearers. Here are people in dire straights following the defeat of Israel at the hand of the Babylonians and Isaiah is telling the people to buy wine and milk. He’s telling them to delight in rich food, how dare he! Of course Isaiah isn’t talking only of these things, he is talking of a rich relationship with God.

Isaiah seems to be suggesting to the people that while we may not always have all that we want, we have what we need and that is enough. So take delight in what we have. Delight in your relationship with God, Delight in the simple pleasures of life, Delight in all the gifts that God has given you.

Sermon March 4, 2007

2007-03-05T12:09:00.000-08:00

Citizens of Heaven

Citizens of Heaven, today I call upon you to claim who you belong to. Today I call upon you to cast aside the labels that others put upon you to cast aside those who falsely lay a claim to you, to renounce any claim of your identity except that, you are a Child of God. You belong to God, you live in God’s kingdom, your loyalty remains with God as we live together in God’s grace.

For too long people have claimed citizenship to that which is inferior to God’s kingdom. Our very Bible records the difficulties people have had in claiming that they belong to God. The ancestor of our faith Abraham (and the faith of Jewish and Muslim people) understood he belonged to God. The covenant that God established with him continues to be a blessing for those who will live understanding the promise that God makes, “I am yours and you are mine.”

Yet frail people began to want more than a promise of relationship, they wanted land, they wanted security. God continues to remind us that our security comes in relationship not political power, yet we do not listen. God warned the people when the clamored for a King. (I Sam. 8) God warns them, kings like power, kings raise armies, kings are not all that they are built up to be. Yet the people get what they want. They get kings, and wars, death, and destruction.

Citizens of Heaven unless we too put our security in relationships instead of political power we will live with war, death and destruction. Citizens of heaven, you are all created equal in God’s eyes. The rich among you are no greater than the poor. In God’s eyes we are not American or Iraqi, Russian or Chinese, Shiite or Sunni, Baptist or Methodist, Democrat or Republican, Conservative or Progressive, Cougar or Husky, Gay or Straight. These divisions we create only lead to destruction.

Paul knew this when he was writing to the small church of Philipi two thousand years ago. Those who do not live knowing God’s grace through Christ perish, “Their end is destruction; their god is the belly and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things.”

We have all been guilty of setting our mind on earthly things, we create great joy in it. As a youth one of my favorite moments in sports was the 1980 winter Olympics, I can still hear the chants, USA, USA, USA, and the great line from Al Michaels, “Do you believe in Miracles?” I have aligned myself with false citizenship to many idols. When I was a child I was a fan of the University of Washington, and my sin is ever before me. (When I attended Washington State University I turned from that evil.) As an American Youth I cheered, yes I cheered when General Norman Schwarzkoph showed video of missiles striking their targets with fantastic accuracy in the first Gulf War.

Citizens of Heaven we must be careful with our allegiances.
When I was a youth students who wanted to run for the Associated Student Body council would create political campaigns. Posters would be painted, gossip would be spread and of course speeches would be made. Inevitably the winning speech would be the one that was most convincing around the ambiguous idea of, “School Pride.” “We need more School Pride” the candidates would declare. We would cheer and then we would vote. Then we would ask ourselves, “what the heck is school pride anyway?” Our sports teams were not spectacular, it was always fun when teams and individuals did well, is that school pride? When I remember those school days, I don’t remember the teams as much as I remember my relationship with those who I went to school with.

Citizens of Heaven as humans we have a need to belong to groups. Some of our groups are small, some of our groups are large, but we have a need for identity within groups. This in itself is normal and healthy. Groups are places where we learn to live in relationship. I submit to you today that the purpose of our very existence is to be in relationship, relationship with one another, relationship with the created world, relationship with God. These relationships form our existence and without them we perish.

I implore you to seek relationships that build up the kingdom of God and to cast aside the labels that lead to destruction. You do not need to call yourself, American, or Washingtonian, you do not need to be Republican or Democrat your identity is not dependent upon false labels. Your identity is simply that you are a child of God. God love you. Your ability to live in that love, to share that love with others, that will form your identity that others will remember. They will not so much care about what teams you played sports with, or what city or state or nation you were from, they will remember the way in which you were able to express God’s love.

As a citizen of heaven I know you are working to share God’s grace. It is our patriotic duty to love the Lord our God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. You are a sign of God’s grace when you assist a neighbor in need, when you volunteer your time for others, when you give your money to the poor, when you stand up for justice, when you pound on the doors of legislators, when you pray for healing, when you hold hands with someone you love, you are a sign of God’s grace.

Equality Day Pics

2007-02-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

You Deserve Grace

2007-02-27T14:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday several members from Longview United Methodist Church attended "Equality Day" at the state capital. We were joined by people from Jewsih, Muslim and Christian backgrounds. There were several United Methodist clergy and lay people from churches all over the state. The effort has been organized for the past few years by the "Religious Coalition for Equality." The marriage equality bill is in process in the legislature right now.

House Bill 1350 and Senate Bill 5335 would offer the same legal protections, rights and benefits to same-sex couples that are currently granted to married couples. The five legislators agreed that it this is the ultimate legislative goal of their efforts to secure similar legal rights for gay and lesbian families. HB 1350 was introduced with 25 co-signatories in the House, where 50 votes are needed for passage. SB 5335 was introduced with 11 co-signatories in the Senate, where 25 votes are needed for passage. http://access.wa.gov/leg/2007/Jan/n2007017_7619.aspx

We were also joined by some people who were apparently trying to save our souls. One Memorable sign read, "You deserve Hell." Nice. You know after reading that sign I am suddenly moved to become a fundamentalist, well, maybe not.

Seriously, the theology of that sign is disturbing. Why is homosexuality so threatening to some people? Where in the Gospel did Jesus proclaim anyone deserved hell. Wasn't it Jesus who at the cross forgave those who put him there? The Gospel doesn't end at John 3:16 it goes on. John 3:17 says, "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." (NRSV)

I feel sorry for those who where there to protest equality. I am sorry that they are unable to understand and live in God's grace. I wish someone would just give them a hug and let them know that they deserve grace, just like the rest of us.

Sermon Notes February 25, 2007

2007-02-25T17:48:00.000-08:00

Your Mission . . .

In the United Methodist Church we have a tradition that all members are ministers of the church. Wesley taught that all Christian people are called by God to ministry. Ministry is not only the role of ordained clergy but it is the work that each of us do as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Some ministries are set apart by the church for service, word, sacrament and order such as ordination as Elder, some ministries are set apart for service to a community such as ordination as a Deacon. These professional ministries are not the only place ministry is performed in the life of the church.

It can be one of the most intimidating steps toward ordained ministry, talking about your “call.” Instantly images of Moses, comes to mind with a burning bush. Rarely is a candidate for the ordained ministry blessed with such clear call. If only God sent us a tape with clear instructions and a self destruct mechanism, now that would be cool.

So how does one discern a call?

Listening: Each of us must be attentive to the movement of the Holy Spirit. What is God placing on our hearts? What do we have an urge to attend to? Are you spending time in prayer to listen for the movement of the Holy Spirit?

Experience: What do you have a passion to do? What life experiences give you a unique skill you can share with the community?

Confirmation: Have others recognized God’s movement in your life?

Each of us are called to be Volunteers In Mission. It is up to each of us to discern God’s call for where, when and how.
Devotions for the First week of Lent

Monday Read Deuteronomy 26:1-11
God commands that the first fruits are to be given to the temple (the place where God dwells.)

What first fruits can you bring to God today?

Pray for your stewardship and sharing of gifts.

Tuesday Read Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
The people of Israel by now know that the Temple will not always be there. They begin to search for other places that God dwells with them.

In what way does God dwell with you?

Pray for those who have no home.

Wednesday Read Romans 10:8b-13
Paul proclaims that we need to believe with our hearts.

Your Mission . . . (UMVIM awareness Sunday)

When does the belief of your heart make a difference in your life?

Pray for those living with questions.

Thursday Read Luke 4:1-13
This passage is often called “the temptation of Christ.”

How does knowing that Jesus faced temptation inform your faith?

Pray for your struggle with the temptations in your life.

Friday and Saturday
What action is God calling you to take? What is your mission?

March Newsletter

2007-02-25T17:45:00.000-08:00

I have been greatly encouraged this month with the participation in our latest small group study Saving Jesus. We have already had a lot of fun with the irony of the title and the open discussions about who is Jesus and what is the role of the church today? One of the problems many people seem to have with Jesus is how the church has failed to represent his values in the world today. In fact, some argue that the church has often aligned itself more with empires and the powerful than Christ.

This year for Lent I encourage you to consider how can you represent Jesus to the world? When you consider the ministry of Jesus and what a relationship with Christ means to you, what actions are you led to take?

Often Lent is seen as a time to give something up, and that is a spiritual practice well worth considering. Lent is a great time to consider those harmful habits that keep us at a distance from knowing God more fully and to give them up. Perhaps this Lent you can take care of your body by giving up cigarettes or by giving up unnecessary calories.

I would like to add to that, the idea of taking something up for Christ. What new thing can you begin doing as a response to the Gospel?

“Praxis” is word we have learned in our Saving Jesus class. Essentially praxis is the practice of our faith, or that which we do because of what we believe. Some of the presenters have suggested that our praxis is of greater concern to Jesus than our words. May each of us will continue to grow as we practice our faith together at Longview United Methodist Church.

Sermon Notes February 18, 2007

2007-02-22T12:33:00.000-08:00

Methodists are a bunch of hippies and holy rollers. Methodists are President George Bush Jr. and Senator Hillary Clinton. Methodists are a diverse bunch of folks.

Wesley was a unique individual who was described as a reasonable enthusiast. He used his reason and his spiritual enthusiasm to guide his life. He was deeply interested in the best scholarship of his time. Not only was he a great Bible scholar, he was also deeply interested in the sciences. He not only wrote sermons but he also published pamphlets on home remedies. Wesley was also passionate about his faith, encouraging his brother in sharing new hymns for Methodist worship. He was also known to rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

This holding together of Spirit and Reason caused many fractures of the Methodist movement after his death. Many of these splits occurred within the church when enthusiasts would feel stifled by the moderate majority.

The splits have not always been about reason or enthusiasm. The first split in American Methodism was about racism. In 1787 the African Methodist Church was formed after an African American man was removed from a Methodist Church by the trustees. The EUB was a 20th century merger of two Wesleyan German churches.

What is common in our history is a series of splits and re-unifications. We may face more. There are some limited number of churches both conservative and liberal who have left the United Methodist denomination because of differences regarding homosexuality and the church.

Methodists may always struggle to hold the tension of reason and enthusiasm but that is exactly what we must do. There is room in individual spiritual journeys and in the life of the church for carefully reasoned theology and for enthusiastic trust in the Holy Spirit. Ultimately what must hold us together is a deep understanding of God’s Grace for all.

Like families we will have our conflicts, the question is how will we live in God’s grace while we disagree with one another?

Sermon Notes February 11, 2007

2007-02-12T09:52:00.000-08:00

People of Grace

Wesley was a fantastic failure.

His sermons at Oxford were unpopular.

He was run out of Georgia.

Local priest hated him, villages ran him out of town.

His marriage fell apart.

He failed to get a Bishop to ordain preachers for America.

His movement split into multiple fractions upon his death.

Wesley’s life was dependent upon grace.

Wesley held a passion for the knowledge that we are “saved by grace through faith.” His only desire in life was that others would know that same truth. It was something so valuable it was worth many failed efforts in the midst of many other successful ones.

While he gathered thousands for a sermon, the vast majority would later ignore or ridicule him, but those few, those precious few who would later gather for class meetings to continue to learn about God’s love,they were a great treasure. Wesley was able to see the lives changed when a man quit drinking, when a young woman gained courage, when small communities began caring for one another.

He was not overly focused on that which did not work. He was focused on that feeling, that knowledge of God’s love which transformed his life. Wesley came home from Georgia a completely defeated man. The woman of his affections accepted the offer of engagement from another man. He was to be arrested by the local governor for having failed to serve communion to said woman. His dream of holiness for the Native Americans and for the colonists was a complete failure. So it is no wonder what a life changing event it was for him to know that God loved him. He described that day as May 24, 1738 when at a prayer meeting he felt his heart strangely warmed. From that point on in his life his sole ambition was to help others to know as he did that he was a loved child of God.

Sermon Notes February 4, 2007

2007-02-05T13:59:00.001-08:00

The Roots of Methodism

The English Reformation

Henry VIII 1491-1547
Catherine of Aragon (Mary’s mother) Spanish royal, aunt of Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire. After failure to have a male heir, Henry seeks divorce to be approved by the Pope. British parliament allows for the divorce in 1533, formally breaking British relations with the Pope.
Anne Boleyn (Elizabeth’s mother) married Henry VIII in 1533. After failure to produce a male heir Henry charges her with treason (on trumped up infidelity charges) and she is beheaded in 1536.
Jane Seymour (Edward’s mother) married Henry soon after Anne’s death. Dies from complications giving birth to Edward.

Articles of Religion, Book of Prayer and Homilies are issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry dissolves monasteries and issues orders to eliminate images of the Roman church.

Edward VI (reign 1547 – 1553) 9 years old when his father died and he became King. His reign was mired by a weak regency.

Mary I (reign 1553 -1558) Comes home determined to restore the Catholic Faith. Some 300 church leaders are executed during her reign.

Elizabeth I (reign 1558 – 1603) Very much the politician, Elizabeth seeks out “via media” or middle way between Rome and Geneva. The theologian Richard Hooker expresses this middle way with Scripture (not “sola scriptura”), tradition (not Roman) and reason

.

Arminians
Followers of Jacob Arminius (1560-1609) who opposed Calvinist ideas of predestination and ‘the elect’ by claiming Christ died for all. Arminians came to be known as people who stressed free will and holy living as a sign of accepting God’s grace. Calvinists opponents came to calling them “New Methodists.”

With the act of toleration in 1689 religious groups who would not conform to the 39 articles of religion of the Church were officially tolerated. Nonconformists could only meet in licensed places (not homes), and dissenting preachers were to be licensed. Roman Catholics and Unitarians were not allowed.

Moravians
Czech protestants, followers of Jan Huss. Impressed Wesley with dedication to prayer while sailing to the colony of Georgia.

The Anglican Church today
A communion of churches recognizing the rites of one another. The Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury hold a place of honor in the Anglican communion, but the Archbishop has no ecclesial authority over, say the Episcopal Church of the USA. There are approximately 70 million Anglicans today. The largest populations by country are: 26 million in England, 17 million in Nigeria, 8 million in Uganda, 5 million in Sudan, 2.5 million in Kenya, 2.4 million in the USA.