GenX Rev

Moving again

2011-12-27T09:43:00.003-06:00

No, we're not moving from Chicago, but the blog is moving once again. By my count, this is the third move so for those of you have kept moving with me, thanks.

All these posts will still be up here.

The new blog is at: http://christiancoon.tumblr.com/

I hope to add a few new things (maybe a podcast) in 2012.

Blessings to you this Christmas season!

Staying put at the Field

2011-11-09T13:46:00.002-06:00

I was a sophomore when I made my second trip to the Field Museum. My high-school choir made the 4-hour trip to Chicago for a couple of performances and one of our side trips included a visit to that venerable institution with the woolly mammoths and mummies. I can't remember how much time we had, but I know I raced from this exhibit to that exhibit trying to take in as much as I could while also trying to impress a girl who was a junior. When we were done, I was talking to one of our chaperones (a science teacher) and asked what his favorite part of the museum. It turns out he never left the ancient Egyptian area. I couldn't believe it. He only stayed in one exhibit? I felt kind of sorry for him.

As the years have gone by, however, I now appreciate his attentiveness and wisdom. He was perfectly happy to stay with one section of the museum and learn, explore, and wonder. I'm sure he was interested in other parts of the museum, but he saw the benefit of digging deeper.

This Sunday, we'll be reflecting on one of the ways we live out our faith at Urban Village: growing. Exploring the Christian faith can be daunting: The Bible can be hard to comprehend, theological terms can make little sense, traditions can seem odd. One way to start, though, is to simply start somewhere and stay there, be it a Bible verse or a term or a tradition. Start somewhere and, even more importantly, start with a companion (like in a small group or retreat). You won't cover it all in a day (or even a lifetime), but you will start to discover glimpses of glory and joy that make the process well worth the trip.

Simple faith

2011-10-28T16:44:00.000-05:00

I received an interesting text from my cell phone provider last night. Feeling overwhelmed by the number of applications out there? it asked. Go to this web site to help sort it it out. So I did. And felt even more confused. On the left of the page, I could "Browse by Category" (there were 17 categories). In the center, one block offered "Recommendations" and another "Apps in the News" and another "Hot Apps" and another "Price Cuts" and there were at least five other blocks I could have perused. So much for simplicity.

 So many of us feel overwhelmed by life in general and our culture continues to give us an endless amount of opportunities to stay connected, learn more, improve ourselves. It's easy to feel that way about faith, too, especially if we're just starting out or renewing our search after time away. Where do we start?  One of my mantras in recent months consists of three words: I breathe deeply and tell myself, "Slow down. Simiplify." Every morning when I wake up, I focus on this particular day and give thanks for it. God has given me, for example, October 26, 2011. I will never again have the gift of this particular day. And I am thankful. When I feel a wave of anxiety about all the things I have to do during the day, I break it down even more. I have been given this hour between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. I can handle focusing on this hour. This is a gift. And I am thankful. I've been known to then break that down into 15-minute increments sometimes!

For me, this is more than just a simple time management skill. It's prayer. It's a way for me to be reminded of the abundance of life and the strong and constant presence of God. One moment at a time.

Warming up to teaching

2011-10-06T09:07:00.004-05:00

Preaching and teaching are often two of the things cited in a pastor's job description. When congregations are asked what they want from a pastor, "a good preacher" is often the number one answer. I really enjoy preaching. I enjoy the crafting of it, the creativity of it, the presentation of it. Teaching, though, has been something I've been lukewarm about. I'm not sure why that is, but I think it has something to do with my sometimes unhealthy need to feel like I should have the answer to any question that's asked.

"You're the pastor," someone might say to me and then ask, "what does this particular passage mean?" If I draw a blank, can I just shrug my shoulders? And if I do that, will the questioner think less of me? Not the best attitude to have. I'm feeling more comfortable, however, with the things I don't know, which isn't to say that I don't prepare or at least have some grasp of what we're discussing.

I'm currently leading a small group that's billed as an introduction to faith/Christianity. These are often the most rewarding and most challenging groups because participants sometimes ask the biggest and most penetrating questions, but they're also sponges for any piece of information that I can share.

One of the things I'm learning about doing ministry with young adults these days is that I have to assume they know absolutely nothing about the Bible. The other day I was in a meeting and someone said turn to the book of Matthew and the woman next to me whispered, "I have no idea where to look for that." I appreciated her honesty and it reminded me that we're really working with clean slates. Which can be kind of exciting.

We had our second small-group gathering last night and we were pondering the different passages that address the question, how should I treat my enemies? We looked through the Old and New Testaments, talked about the differences and discussed what do we do when the Bible seems to contradict itself. Everyone was engaged and at times it looked like lights were going off in their heads ("Oh, that makes sense!") and I got a brief sense of what it must be like for a teacher who really connects with a student.

I've been leading small groups for years and I think I may finally be getting the hang of it.

Figuring each other out

2011-10-05T08:23:00.001-05:00

We spent three hours in our staff meeting yesterday figuring each other out. One could argue that we do that every day, but we were led in thinking through our Myers-Briggs types.

Myers-Briggs is what's known as a "type indicator," a way of beginning to ascertain your personality and what makes you tick. Once you begin to figure that out, though, you also have to take into consideration that you deal with other personality types and, well, how in the heck to you deal with all that? That was our task yesterday.

I enjoy these types of exercises and I've had some experience with Myers-Briggs in the past. My indicator is INFJ (Introvert, intuitive, feeling, judging). I won't go into what all these mean (you can do that here), but here's what the little box says about INFJs: "Insightful. Inspiring. Exert influence quietly. Work toward mutual trust. Organize people, processes so all benefit. Articulate team values, vision. Sensitive to group dynamics. Seek meaning, connection in ideas, relationships. Conscientious. Committed. Values driven. Creative." These are all positives, of course, and there are certainly negatives. One of those negatives has to do that that J/judging. Judging doesn't really mean that J's are judgmental, but rather that they tend to like organization, timelines, structure. The opposite of a J is a P (perceiving), who tends to be more easygoing, casual, go-with-the-flow.

One of the biggest learnings for me yesterday was that the "pastors" (myself; Trey, our other lead pastor; and Brittany our associate pastor) are all J's and most of the other staff are P's. Our consultant said that we really need to listen to the P's more because that may fuel creativity and risk-taking. That's hard for J's, who tend to want to control.

But as I was praying this morning, I realized just how controlling I tend to be. It's hard to let go of stuff. But isn't that what faith is all about? Lord, have mercy.

Does it stay or should it go?

2011-09-14T16:13:00.000-05:00

Do they have a show on TLC or HGTV that focuses on redecorating your garage? Maybe, but I’m guessing it wouldn’t be as popular as transforming your kitchen or bedroom. Popular or not, that’s where my wife and I were on Monday, in our garage with a lot of hardware from The Container Store contemplating the possibilities of creating more space. One of the first tasks in this process, of course, is taking stock of what we have and deciding what to keep, what to donate, what to trash. Snorkeling gear we bought for our honeymoon? Keep, because you just never know when we’ll go to the Cayman Islands again. Guitar I bought more than 20 years ago? Donate, as much as I’d like to think I’ll play again in the near future. Old intercom? Trash. Why were we keeping that around anyway?

Not all of the decisions are easy. We have sentimental attachments to our stuff and it’s hard to let go. As we got to work, it didn’t take long for me to to start reflecting on other kinds of stuff I store in my head and heart (when you’re a professional religious person, you tend to see metaphors in lots of places).

There are more than a few things I wish I could let go of, donate, or trash. I sometimes hold onto grudges way too long. I wish I could more easily trash petty annoyances that eat at me. Of course, there are other things I’m happy to keep. The days when I’m able to slow down, be attentive to each moment, and take in the wondrousness of God’s creation. The instances when I’m aware of a holy courage that enables me to overcome fear.

It’s helpful to take stock of this stuff in our souls—even on a daily basis—and ask for God’s help to have the wisdom to know what to hold onto and what to let go of. It’s not easy. We can become attached to our shortcomings (or, in more theological language, our sins). But when we say good-bye to these behaviors and attitudes, it leaves more room for things like love, forgiveness, grace, and kindness. And that’s a reorganization worth going through.

A reminder from Glee

2011-08-25T12:18:00.002-05:00

I know I'm late in jumping on the "Glee" bandwagon, but, thanks Netflix, my wife and I have been making our way through Season 1 this summer (I think we're through eight episodes so far).

I've had numerous reactions to the show including (a) wondering how can they get a piece of music and immediately be able to sing on key and have such great choreography and (b) enjoying watching the great mix of characters interact with each other. Glee Club seems to be slowly growing in popularity at the fictional William McKinley High School with each episode, but the original members of the small group included a student who's in a wheelchair, a student who's black (by the looks of it, one of the few at the high school), a student who's gay, and a student who's Jewish. Surviving in high school often depends on one's popularity and these Glee Club members don't seem to have it. At first. I'm eager to catch up with the series to see what happens as a greater diversity of students join Glee.

Our culture (and many a high school) loves people who look great, ooze coolness, exhibit strength, and seemingly have it all together. Sometimes Christians make the mistake of thinking that's what following Jesus is all about, too. But time and again, God seems to favor the unhip and uncool and unpopular. 1 Corinthians 1:27 notes, "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong."

Is God stupid?

2011-07-29T09:00:00.003-05:00

That's the first question that crossed my mind when I read the parable of the wicked tenants yesterday (Mark 12:1-12). I've never spent much time with this parable because it's never made a lot of sense to me, but as I'm making my way through Mark during my devotion time, I couldn't escape it.

Every time I've read this text in the past, my first reaction is, this vineyard owner must be stupid. A quick synopsis: Jesus tells this parable about this man who planted a vineyard and then leased it to tenants. The vineyard owner left the country and then sent workers ("slaves" as the text says) back to the vineyard to collect his share. The tenants, though, kept beating the slaves up and the slaves would return empty handed. The vineyard owner, not to be deterred, would continue this process. He'd send slaves. Tenants would beat them up and sometimes even kill them. The owner eventually sends his own son and they kill him, too. First reaction: Why would you keep sending slaves? Clearly this tactic isn't working!

Of course, this parable isn't about commerce and that finally clicked for me yesterday. I haven't read the commentaries to see if this interpretation is "right," but it seems to me that God keeps sending people our way (prophets, teachers, priests, even, as I believe, his son) and we keep ignoring, rejecting, even killing them. And yet God doesn't stop the process. When you first think about it, that's kind of stupid. Why would you keep sending them? Because, simply, God loves and every once in a while we receive the prophet/teacher/Jesus and begin to clue in.

This parable also has a pretty harsh warning for the tenants: "(The owner) will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others." So there's that and I don't want to simply ignore that part of the text either, but yesterday, I found it comforting that God continually does "stupid" things like bestowing love even when we ignore these entreaties.

Missing cornfields

2011-07-22T09:08:00.005-05:00

At our staff meeting on Tuesday, we were reflecting on our comfort soul food--those books, places, spiritual disciplines that we fall back on when we're in need of a faith boost. Brittany, our associate pastor who's heading up our Andersonville launch and who also grew up in downstate Illinois, said that one thing that she misses is cornfields. I knew exactly what she meant.

It may seem odd that cornfields would be a place for spiritual sustenance, but we all have our holy ground, and wide open spaces with crops growing as far as the eye can see are in short supply in the city. I miss that.

I'm often asked how we've adjusting to life in the city and I usually answer that it's unlike anything I've ever experienced. In just about every other place I've ever lived, I'd always say that the town/suburb I live in is "good" or "fine." I don't think I'd have used adjectives much greater than those. Now I say that about 75 percent of the time, the place where I live is "exciting," "energy-giving," and "unpredictable." The flip side, of course, is that 25 percent of the time, I'd use adjectives like "draining" and "difficult." Which would you choose? Living in a place that's "good" all the time or a place that's usually "fantastic" but the other part of the time is "draining"? (Of course, option c is a place that's fantastic all the time!) Obviously we're opting for the 75-25 option, but there are days I wish I could plop myself down on a country gravel road with corn as far as the eye can see and just listen to nothing.

Let me see again

2011-07-21T08:32:00.003-05:00

I've been slowly making my way through the gospel of Mark these last few weeks and have been pretty faithful to reading a few verses a day and reflecting on them. Like many new or renewed loves, though, my response to these verse has changed.

I started this process right after I came off a retreat and was renewed and reinvigorated (as often happens when I'm on retreat). The first chapter of Mark was a revelation even though I'd read it many times before. I felt I was there at Jesus' baptism, I was intrigued and inspired by his going into the wilderness. Over time, though, the stories and verses have lost their punch. "Oh, that's the story of Jesus stilling a storm," I think to myself. "Another feeding of masses of people?" I ask. I stick with it, though, and I think this is important.

So many people come to Urban Village and are excited about this new or renewed faith, but then the luster wears off and they go to try something else that gets their spiritual juices flowing. They don't know quite what to do with spiritual boredom. And that's when I recognize how important perseverance (which is often mentioned by Paul) is.

I was reading the story of the healing of Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) yesterday, a man who was blind. Jesus asks him what he wants and Bartimaeus says, "My teacher, let me see again." It's that last word that caught me. He once was able to see. And he wants to see again. That's a good prayer: Let me see again, Lord. Stir up excitement and joy that has been there in the past and I trust will be there in the future. In the meantime, give me the perseverance to keep asking.

Welcome back

2011-07-20T17:32:00.001-05:00

There are long to-do lists when starting a new church, but some of the instructions are quite simple. One of the first "rules" is this: Join stuff.

I must confess I've never been a big joiner, but if you want to meet people and let them know about this new church you're helping to start, you've got to be a part of groups. So I started joining all kinds of groups, including a running club. Even though I've been a runner most of my life, I've never joined a running club preferring, instead, to be solitary when putting in my miles. But I showed up one Wednesday morning at 6 a.m. and stuck with it. It wasn't easy. People already knew one another so I felt like an outcast initially, but I kept showing up and people eventually started talking and getting to know me. Last summer, I started in with the group again, but a few weeks into it, I had some changes to my schedule and I couldn't go for a few weeks. Then we went on vacation. And then it just felt awkward to go back. Would they remember me? It was easier just to go back to my solitary running ways.

How similar this is to our faith lives! We get into the groove of prayer, worship, community connection, but something throws us off and other things take priority and we start wondering whether God or a church would even want us back or remember us. Frankly, we'd rather bypass the awkwardness and just put our faith on hold.

Which is why the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)--as familiar as it may be to some--is always a great passage to read and reflect on. A wayward son insults his father, leaves home, falls on hard luck, debates a return, and comes home. And when he does, there are no questions from the father and, as far as I can tell, not much awkwardness. There is only embrace.

If you wonder whether you can ever return to faith or church, read that story. And hear God's resounding answer: Yes. Always.

Counting to 60

2011-07-01T11:47:00.000-05:00

Our son is at the age where everything seems to take fooorrrreeeevvvver. When he asks how long he has to wait for something he'd rather not be waiting for and I tell him, for example, "Oh, 15 minutes," he'll reply, "How many times do I have to count to 60?" Kindergartners know their seconds and minutes.

I always find it interesting that time seemingly stands still for children and yet rushes by for adults. Over and over we hear (and experience) the challenge of trying to fit everything into the 24 hours we've been given. Lately, though, I've been helped by the experience of counting to 60. It's amazing what can happen.

When I close my eyes and count to 60, I can take 10 really deep breaths, which slows me down and reminds me of the nearness of God's breath.

When I count to 60, I can bring forth a wonderful memory of one of our favorite places to go in the summer (Pentwater, Michigan) and hear the waves rush to the shore.

When I count to 60, I can replay in my head a wonderful song I just downloaded ("The 23rd Psalm" by Bobby McFerrin).

When I count to 60, I can make a good start on a list of things for which I'm grateful.

When I count to 60, I can reflect on an issue that is important to me (like ending hunger).

That's five minutes. After only five minutes, I've experienced a pretty great prayer. What can you come up with if you stop, close your eyes, take deep breaths, and count to 60? Even if you only do it once, I believe you may begin to see time not as something you wrestle with, but something you receive as God's gift.

A child in surgery

2011-06-28T08:13:00.004-05:00

Not many groupings of words can bring more anxiety to a parent's heart than those. A child in surgery. But that's where we were yesterday as we waited for our son who was at Children's Memorial Hospital having a cataract removed from his right eye.

On a list of "serious" surgeries, I'd guess that this one might wouldn't qualify. In the days leading up to the surgery, I was confident in the doctor, didn't have much fear, knew it was fairly routine, but I couldn't help but get more nervous and anxious as we sat there waiting for the doctors and nurses to wheel our 6-year-old away. The surgeon talked to us beforehand and explained what would happen. We knew he'd have to have glasses. We knew that by taking out the cataract, she'd put in a new lens in his eye which would mean he'd lose the ability to see up close, thereby needing bifocals. And yet when she started talking about the slim possibility of things like a detached retina, I immediately thought, Oh, God, our son is going to be blind, isn't he? Ethan was taking it all in stride. A social worker showed him pictures of what he could expect. He listened to his own heart with a stethoscope. He watched PBS Kids and a bit of a Harry Potter movie, which just happened to be on one of the channels. As the anesthesiologist came and said it was time to go, we said a quick prayer together and they took him away.

We waited in the surgical waiting room (I could put up with the cell phones going off left and right, but there was a kid who was playing an unplugged video game for a good half-hour that drove me to the brink of bonkers-ness) and a little more than two hours later, the surgeon came in and told us every thing went fine and we could go see him in a few minutes. I'm not sure if there are more sobering places in this world than post-op rooms in children's hospitals. Ethan was sprawled out, still sleeping, but he woke up just a couple minutes after we arrived and that was the start of a couple hours of heartbreaking cries of "My eye is bothering me so much!" It's a helpless feeling to want to do anything--anything!--to ease your child's suffering, while knowing that time is about the only prescription. Time and a little Tylenol.

We did our best to soothe him, caress his hair, hold his hand, talk about all the people who were thinking of him and it did some good and we thought he was OK but then he'd cry some more, all while saying the same thing over and over. My eye is bothering me...so much! Eventually he was able to be distracted by the TV and apple juice, but little did we know that the biggest palliative would arrive later that afternoon.

His big sister.

It was amazing. I think what Anne and I did certainly helped but watching Caroline dote on him, say just the right things, and distract him from the discomfort was a marvel. He did pretty well after we got home, but every once in a while he'd start crying from the pain and Caroline would be there to do just the right thing. The picture above sums it all up. I realize I'm on the verge of overstating our children's goodness, but I don't mind bragging when our kids display remarkable courage and compassion. I really don't know when I was more proud of both of them.

Ethan goes back in today to have the surgeon take a look at his eye and he may not have to wear as elaborate of a patch from here on out (though he has a birthday party later today and I wouldn't put it past him or blame him to want to show off his badge of honor). There will be a multitude of drops we (mostly Anne) will have to put in his eye over the next several weeks and then in mid-August we do it all again on the left eye, but hopefully when the healing is complete, he'll be able to see amazing colors and clarity of shapes like never before. That will be a pretty remarkable gift.

Just One Night

2011-06-23T14:58:00.004-05:00

Whenever I tell friends and family about the different pastoral experiences I have since coming to Urban Village, they often say, I hope you're writing this down!

I am. Sort of. Some of my experiences, though, aren't for public consumption because of privacy concerns with the people I meet with and listen to, which I, of course, will always honor. Though as a person who likes to observe and share these observations, that can be hard. Last week, though, was just a glimpse of the kinds of people I meet with and the stories I get to hear. We had a party/benefit at T's Restaurant & Bar in Andersonville (where we're launching a third site this fall) and had a nice crowd attend. Here's a quick list of the people I talked with--some with whom I had lengthy conversations and others were just quick hellos:

**There were the three guys who are part of a gay burlesque show (two dance, the other does tech) and perform at various venues across the Midwest to raise money for AIDS awareness and prevention

**There's the 40something woman who got divorced a couple years ago, recently came out as a lesbian, and is wondering how or if she should tell her mother

**There's the couple who just got married in January--she gets up at 3 a.m. every day to work at a Caribou Coffee while also finishing school and he's a financial advisor at Edward Jones

**There's the woman who used to throw the shot put and discus at a Big 10 school and is now a veritable Pied Piper for our gay community (though she's straight)

**There's the transgender man who just finished his master's in social service administration at the University of Chicago and is looking for a job

**There's the straight guy who's going to Cincinnati this weekend for a reunion with his friends

**There's the woman who just happened to be at the bar last night, but is looking for organizations to partner with AmeriCorps for hunger relief

And there were a few others. And that's just one night. I've stopped trying to figure out the "right" way to respond to all of these diverse stories. I've learned simply to listen, be present, and love.

Religion & politics follow-up

2011-06-21T12:26:00.004-05:00

A few days ago, I posted about combining religion and politics and wondering about tax-exempt status. Here's a clarification from Rev. Phil Blackwell, senior pastor at the First United Methodist Church in Chicago (aka the Chicago Temple) and I'm thankful for his expertise:

"The distinction is between commenting on legislation and policies on the one hand, and endorsing political parties and candidates on the other. We (as clergy) can do the first. You simply can quote the Social Principles as a warrant for engaging issues. I make a distinction between public issues of general interest and political activities. The line becomes blurred when, for instance, we at the Temple host a forum at which someone in the political spectrum refuses to participate. I use the Social Principles and the NIC positions as guidelines.

"Since the gambling expansion legislation is bi-partisan, members of both parties supported or rejected it, anything we say is not political.

"The initiative on immigration in the NIC, discussions about public education, state budget issues related to caring for people who are disabled, and war are proper issues to discuss. Endorsing particular politicians or parties is not."

A couple of definitions--the Social Principles is a guideline for United Methodists on where we stand on particular issues and this is voted on by a worldwide body of elected clergy and laity every four years. I emphasize the word "guideline" because United Methodists aren't expected to the toe the line on these issues, but gives us (and the world) a sense of our beliefs. For what it's worth, I agree with nearly all of our Social Principles (the United Methodist stance on homosexuality is one big exception).

Second definition--the NIC stands for the Northern Illinois Conference, essentially the organized body of United Methodists (similar to a diocese or presbytery) in northern Illinois.

Father's Day quilt

2011-06-20T21:12:00.004-05:00

A few months ago, I saw an ad for a company that made quilts out of old t-shirts. My dresser drawers have long been overflowing with t-shirts of races I've run in my life, so this seemed like a great idea. I (not-so) slyly mentioned it to my wife, gave her a pile of t-shirts that had particular memories for me and, to be honest, kind of forgot about it. Until yesterday.

I'm not sure how often it happens when a mother is more pleased than a father when it comes to Father's Day gifts, but this may be the case for us. I love the quilt, but I think Anne loves it even more. One of the cool things about is that every t-shirt on there has a specific memory. They include some of my favorite races (like the Drake Relays On-the-Roads 8K), a race I won (a 5K last summer in Chicago), some races from long ago (one shirt is from 1988), and momentous races (like the Boston Marathon, even though I crashed and burned at Mile 16). Anne can't get over how great of a job they did and I have to agree.

Now, if only it weren't 80 degrees outside...

The blessings of Bollywood

2011-06-17T08:50:00.003-05:00

A reminder of why we live in the city...

I reflected a few posts ago about living in the city and my kids missing out on having a big backyard (or, in our case, any backyard at all). We saw the flip side last night. My wife and I went to a benefit for an Indian non-profit and my daughter performed with a Bollywood group that she's been dancing with the past few months. It's moments like these that remind me that though there are things that my kids will miss out on, there are also opportunities that will open their worldview, like Bollywood dancing and going up to Devon Avenue in Chicago and buying a sari.

As you can see from the photos (this is from an earlier performance at their school), there's a wide variety of girls in the group and Caroline has a great time with them. I like to think that she's being formed in really wonderful ways in doing things like this. I know I am just watching her.

Mixing religion and politics

2011-06-16T08:58:00.004-05:00

I'm almost done with the book "Amazing Grace," which isn't exactly a beach read, but is interesting nonetheless--it takes a sociological snapshot of Americans and religion and I've learned quite a bit from it. One of the surveys that they site states that, not surprisingly, Americans really don't care for clergy espousing political views. I totally get that. It bugs me when certain clergy hand out "voter guides" or make it known that true Christians will follow Candidate X. (Unless, of course, they say things I agree with! :) )

And yet a couple times in the last few months, I've made what I thought were pretty benign political statements and have been called out on it because some people don't think they're so benign. In Urban Village's e-newsletter that I sent out yesterday, I encouraged people to consider writing Gov. Pat Quinn and tell him to veto SB744, which would drastically increase gambling in Illinois. United Methodists have historically been opposed to gambling because, among other things, it can have harmful effects on lives and essentially serves as a tax on the poor. (To see more specific reasons, check out this link.) I've asked people in previous churches to do so and haven't had any push-back on it so I made that request again. Two individuals, though, have responded, wondering if I'm overstepping my role as a pastor in doing so. One asked if I wasn't endangering UVC's tax-exempt status and it's a question I've started to investigate. I tend to think that clergy aren't supposed to endorse candidates as opposed to issues, but, again, I'm trying to find out.

Can/should clergy get involved politically? If so, should they ask their congregation to follow suit? I'd guess that most people (in line with the "American Grace" survey) would say no, they shouldn't. I don't do it a lot, but I draw my inspiration from the Old Testament prophets who would sometimes call out the rulers of Israel if the marginalized of society (e.g. the poor, widows) were being ignored. That's part of my own discernment. Are the marginalized being ignored at the expense of those who have much? How one defines "the marginalized", of course, is tricky. One person might say unborn children are marginalized. Another would say young men in jail. There is no easy answer, which is why I don't use my prophetic voice (which I don't claim is particularly strong) a lot. But I also don't think it should be mute. And I would say that about anyone.

Sunglasses

2011-06-14T08:16:00.005-05:00

Somewhere in this world, there is a drawer and in this drawer, there are probably at least 15 pairs of sunglasses that I have lost over the years. Cheap glasses and slightly-more-than-cheap sunglasses. I know not to invest in an expensive pair anymore because I usually have them a year or so. Normally it doesn't bother me, but I really kind of liked the pair I lost a couple weeks ago so I've had to reflect more on the spiritual practice of indifference.

I've been reading about Ignatius of Loyola, an early 16th-century priest and theologian who is the spiritual father of the Jesuits. Indifference, for Ignatius, doesn't mean you have no feelings for anything, but instead means "the freedom to approach each decision afresh. The ability to be detached from one's initial biases and to step back, the willingness to carefully balance the alternatives. An openness to the working of God in one's life." (from "The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything," a book I've been quoting liberally from lately). That's obviously easier said than done. It's difficult to go into a decision or situation and check our biases at the door. I can say to myself, if I find my sunglasses, wonderful and if I don't, that's still OK. But the small and inconsequential pang of that loss still lingers even when it's something as superficial as sunglasses. There are times when things will go well in my life and times when they won't. But because my meaning in life doesn't stem from sunglasses or anything else but rather because I'm deeply loved by God, it's a bit easier to let things go. But I'll still won't mind if those sunglasses show up.

Haven't we met before?

2011-06-01T16:53:00.001-05:00

My wife and have a long-standing joke that she gets asked this question by strangers at least once a month. We're not exactly sure what it is, but she has a face/persona that invites these inquiries.

I had the opportunity to make one of those inquiries yesterday. I was having coffee with Joel Balasingham at Cafe Too in Uptown and as soon as I walked in I saw a woman who looked unbelievably familiar. I couldn't stop sneaking glances her way, racking my brain and trying to figure it out. I thought maybe I went to journalism school to her, but I wasn't sure. Of course, what I should have done was go up to her, apologize for interrupting, and just asked, haven't we met before? What's the worst that could have happened? She might have laughed and rolled her eyes and I would have been embarrassed for a few seconds, but at least I would have known. But I convinced myself that I didn't know her so I didn't do anything.

Trey will be preaching about Jesus talking to strangers this Sunday and I underestimate just how much courage it takes to go up to people you don't know or don't know well and say hello. It takes a lot of vulnerability and you risk being rejected or embarrassed. I confess I don't take those chances often enough. But when I do, amazing things can happen. Sometimes friendships begin. Other times, I find an issue we have in common and perhaps we can start working on something together. Of course, sometimes nothing happens that I'm aware of, but if I trust that the Holy Spirit is actively working in the world, perhaps something is taking place.

Many of us can feel disconnected in this big city, but this week pray for the courage to take a risk, maybe make a bit of a fool of yourself, say hello to a stranger and you might build a friendship in the process.

Inauguration Day

2011-05-18T15:50:00.005-05:00

I went back to Iowa about three weeks ago for my/our annual trip to the Drake Relays. We stayed with my mom, who lives in suburban Des Moines. She and her husband have a nice house in a nice neighborhood with a nice, fenced-in yard. I was out in the yard one night with our kids playing kickball and they were having a great time. Our dog was happily off in the corner of the yard, panting, observing, and clearly quite content. It was a scene that reminded me of why people choose live in the suburbs. Anne said later that, as she watched the kids playing in the back, she missed having a yard so much that it hurt. I felt the same way. During moments like these, of course, I ask myself, why again did we move into the city? I know, I know, it's the church thing, but still...

Monday was a day that reminded me of why we live in the city, specifically, why we live in Chicago. It was Mayor Emanuel's inauguration at Pritzker Pavilion and I'm a sucker for events like this. There were an estimated 7,500 people there with a lot of notable attendees: Vice President Biden; both U.S. Senators

from Illinois; numerous U.S. Reps; Pat Quinn, the Illinois governor; and others. The Chicago Children's Choir sang, there were elected officials being sworn in, a high-school student read a poem she wrote, and Mayor Emanuel, if course, gave his inaugural address. It was a chilly day in the 40s, but, I swear, when we stood there with the sun shining, the weather could not have been more perfect.

Events like these instill civic pride in me. There are lots of reasons to be cynical about them (and, indeed, one live blog was serving the cynicism deep-dish style). I'm sure there are more than a few aldermen who took their oaths of office who have some serious ethical issues. The praise of Mayor Daley (who, of course, was also there) was getting to be over the top. Emanuel has his issues, too (I didn't vote for him). But as I stood there, I couldn't fight the feeling (nor did I want to) of being hopeful and connected to all the people around me. I committed to praying for new mayor. I recommitted Urban Village's efforts to combating hunger in the city. I vowed to look for ways to do something rather than just give up or believe that nothing I do will make a difference.

Call me Pollyanna if you must, but I'll wear that label with pride.

140 Characters

2011-05-05T21:26:00.001-05:00

Is it possible to summarize the death of Osama bin Laden in 140 characters? Many people have tried in the last couple of days, some more successful than others.

One article I found interesting highlighted research done byOpenBible.info's Stephen Smith in which he cataloged the top tweeted Bible verses 12 hours after the announcement of bin Laden's death. It's quite a list and includes Rick Warren's choice from Proverbs: "When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers" (this was #3). The number one verse, however, was also from Proverbs and gives a different take: "Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice." The first verse is from Proverbs 21, the second from Proverbs 24.

These passages encapsulate my own emotions as I watched Sunday night. Relief and--maybe if I'm honest with myself--joy at first, but those emotions eventually turned to deeper reflections on the biblical nature of justice and how we define and respond to our own "enemies." I mentioned a few weeks ago that I'm in the midst of reading a psalm a day and so far (I'm through 38) almost every psalm makes some sort of mention of having enemies and many express a desire for these enemies to perish. That's a very human desire, one that the psalms express nakedly. Of course, followers of Jesus also trip up over his command for us to love our enemies. Does that command have limits? Do we need to expand or redefine "love"?

I wrestle with all these questions and emotions and wonder what the "proper" way to respond is. And I find myself realizing that 140 characters are probably too many. Instead, I go before God, not saying a word, and listen for wisdom and peace.

The Candy Man and Psalm 27

2011-04-20T15:52:00.003-05:00

I went to Wabash Tap last night to meet with a couple who goes to Urban Village and we were sitting there, quietly (well, not so quietly as the Blackhawks game was on in the background) chatting and they were munching on cheeseburgers when a man approached us. His odor and demeanor made it pretty clear that he had been drinking quite heavily. He was wearing a Blackhawks jersey and he put a miniature Stanley Cup down on our table.

"I need you to rub this for good luck," he slurred.

For those who don't know, the Blackhawks are in the playoffs against the Vancouver Canucks, but they were behind 3 games to none in the best-of-seven series. In other words, things were looking pretty grim.

The man started chatting about the Blackhawks for a while (I'm not a hockey fan, but I knew enough to keep the conversation going) and, after we rubbed the cup for luck, he moved on to the next table. About 15 minutes later, he was back. He had a plastic Walgreens bag filled with large boxes of Whoppers, Sno-Caps, and Jujyfruit candies.

"Here," he said. "Take one."

I wasn't exactly sure what he meant, but apparently he wanted us to have one of these boxes of candy. I wondered why he was being so generous and he explained to me that people knew him around that bar as the Candy Man because he gives away candy. Who am I to say no to the Candy Man so I took a box of Whoppers. I wanted to thank him by his real name so I asked him what other name he goes by. "I'm also known as Mr. Big," he said.

Of course he is.

This morning, I read my latest Favorite Verse in the Bible from Psalm 27:13-14: "I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" I particularly like verse 13. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I've been repeating that to myself all day today and when thinking of my interaction with the Candy Man (aka Mr. Big), I believe I shall see the goodness of the Lord in that exchange.

Psalm 18, part 1--dependence

2011-04-07T09:31:00.002-05:00

I'm going to break up Psalm 18 into two parts. Today I read verses 1-24.

This is a psalm of thanksgiving to God for God's deliverance of David from enemies. Much gratitude at the beginning and then a very graphic description of how that deliverance took place--a description of a God who was angry, smoking coming from his nostrils and devouring fire from his mouth. This God reaches down from on high and draws David from the mighty waters, delivering from his enemy. Verse 17 is the one that caught my attention: "He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me."

For they were too mighty for me. An acknowledgement of...vulnerability? Limitedness? Weakness? Not sure, but I find it very comforting, to be able to name the fact that much in this life may seem too mighty (overwhelming) for us. The God of this psalm is very active and, needless to say, powerful. I'm not sure if my image of God is one with smoky nostrils and "firey" mouth. But when I think about trying to tackle this ministry (or even tackle this life), I breathe much easier knowing that (a) it probably is too mighty for me and (b) I believe in a God who will deliver me, act on my behalf, and will hear me when I call.

Catching up

2011-04-06T09:59:00.002-05:00

I'm still reading these psalms every day, but I'm falling behind in blogging them. Briefly:

Psalm 13: This one has really affected me. When I wonder why I do what I do or why the church should do what it does, I imagine the voice of this psalmist as the voice of many in this city who are lonely, hurt, and at the end of their rope. "How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long?" So many need to know they are not alone.

Psalm 14: The pessimist's psalm. There is no good, he says. Anywhere. It inspires me to step forward and say, yes, there is.

Psalm 15: Need an instruction manual? Here's a few things to consider when wondering, Hmm, I wonder if I'm abiding in God's holy tent (because so many of us wonder that very thing):

Do what is right

Speak the truth from the heart

Do not slander with your tongue

Do not lend money at interest (now there's a great conversation starter)

Plus, there just has to be "Despise the wicked." Lest we forget that there are enemies out there.

Psalm 16: What's this? A psalm full of joy and promise? "You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy. In your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Glorious. I'm eager to get to Psalm 24, but so far, 8 and 16 have been more of your upbeat psalm.

Psalm 17: This is the psalm for those who say, "I've lived a good life, haven't I? I've done all the right things." Of course, who's to say what "good" is, but the psalmist here makes his case. I imagine the older son in the Prodigal Son story liking this psalm.

Psalm 12--A good Christian is hard to find

2011-04-01T11:11:00.002-05:00

A friend recently had this interesting line in an email he sent: "I don't doubt God, just His darling creations." The author of Psalm 12 could relate, I think.

People will eventually let us down. Even those we trust and love the most. Sometime, somewhere that special someone, the one you look up to and admire, will mess up. Though we are crowned with glory and honor (Psalm 8), those crowns don't always shine. They have cracks. Jewels fall out.

That's the frustration of Psalm 12. Verses 1 and 2: "Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly; the faithful have disappeared from humankind. They utter lies to each other; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak." Where are the godly?

On the one hand, it motivates me to (despite my own faults and foibles) to stand up and say, we're here! I'm faithful (most of the time)! I don't utter lies (very often)! I don't have a double heart (on my better days)!

On the other hand, it reminds me that, in the end, our ultimate trust and hope can only be in God. "The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure" (v. 6a). That's not to say that we don't sometimes feel like God has abandoned us. Many psalms wonder that very thing. I have to depend, though, in the everlasting presence and nearness of God.

Reading through the psalms

2011-03-31T14:31:00.003-05:00

If I was really on the ball, I'd be blogging daily about this new excursion into the Bible, but I'm about 11 days late.

I felt like I was in a bit of a devotional slump a couple weeks ago (sorry "When You Pray") and decided on a whim to see if I could read 150 psalms in 150 days. Because, as you may know, there are 150 psalms. As soon as I made that decision, it was like a weight had been lifted. My prayer time seemed (and is) simpler and it has freed me to be more silent and centered. So that's all good, but, and this may sound really odd coming from a pastor, it's amazing what happens you actually read sections of the Bible straight through.

I'm through Psalm 11 and while I've enjoyed this immensely and have reveled in some wonderful passages (Psalm 8 is always a favorite--it tells that we're made a little lower than God/the angels and that we're crowned with glory and honor), so far, the main message is: (a) God likes good and righteous people/things and (b) God really, really doesn't like (choose your negative adjective) evil/wicked/bloodthirsty/deceitful people and things. And the call from the psalmist is for God to either smite these evil/wicked/bloodthirsty/deceitful people or make it so they trap themselves in their own deceit. I knew this was a theme throughout the Scriptures, but I didn't realize it was so rampant right off the bat in the psalms.

The themes will change as I go along and I don't necessarily oppose reading these. It's caused me to think about my own enemies (I tend to think of things like needless anxiety or harmful fear though, if I'm honest, there are days when my enemies have flesh and blood) and it's caused me to pay closer attention to the oppressed (the psalmist speaks on behalf of the oppressed a fair amount) and reflecting on what I'm doing or not doing on their behalf. I'll see if I can blog more regularly along the way on these.

Potluck plenty

2011-03-23T17:13:00.000-05:00

I grew up in a town of about 5,000 in northeast Iowa and the notion of homelessness was foreign to us. There were no overnight shelters and we didn't see any evidence that there was anyone (unlike Jesus) who had no place to lay his or her head. Except Lester.

Lester was an older man who wandered our streets. He didn't appear to have the best hygiene and usually wore the same clothes. Apart from some youth in the community (and I fear I may have been one) who would tease him, our town simply got used to him. Like a streetlamp. Or an abandoned building.

Lester, however, introduced me to ecumenism. That is, when it came to church potlucks, he had no religious preference. Lutheran, Presbyterian, Catholic, my own United Methodist Church. It didn't matter. He made his way in and made himself at home. To their credit, I think most churches welcomed him. They gave him a plate, offered him a seat, and encouraged him to stay.

When we say there is room at the table at Urban Village, we mean that figuratively. From our first worship service a year ago and every Sunday since, we emphasize that all are welcome. We also mean that there is literally room at the table. We're having a potluck this Sunday after our worship service in Wicker Park. We want you to come. We want you to bring friends. We want you to invite the Lesters of our city. Because, friends, there is more than enough to offer to all.

Sacrifice

2011-03-17T10:52:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, I went to an elementary school in Humboldt Park with another person from Urban Village to talk to the school's principal about ways that our church could volunteer. As the principal described the highlights and challenges of leading that school, she mentioned that they sometimes have issues with children making frequent trips to the school nurse and having to leave the classroom When I asked why, I learned that many of the students aren't sick, they're hungry. That was jarring.

People sometimes talk about giving something up for Lent and there are lots of reasons to do so. That process often is a sacrifice, which isn't a word that people usually like to hear or use. One reason we sacrifice, however, is to draw closer to another person or to God. Going without something (like intentionally skipping a meal or going without food for a day) affects our bodies and can remind us that there are others who have to do this every day. That, then, can be a reminder that we must never forget those who go without and we must work to make sure that all have their daily bread. Sometimes sacrifice can bring abundance.

Eh, what's the difference?

2011-03-16T11:06:00.003-05:00

I'm pretty sure I've written about my love of newspapers (which probably stems from my delivering the Des Moines Register every morning at a young age) before and it still saddens me to read articles about the demise of an integral part of my morning ritual.

Yesterday was a case in point. This headline says it all: "More Americans get news from Internet than newspaper or radio." Sigh. Of course, this is not news and I've been steeling myself for the day when I may have to read the news from sort of e-reader over my eggs and cereal.

But this morning, I had to cringe and laugh at the same time at an awful grammatical error in the Chicago Tribune. On the front page of the sports section, there's a headline in the lower right-hand corner that promotes the kick-off of the NCAA basketball tournament. The headline should have read, "And they're off..." Instead, it read, "And there off..." I can accept typos, but this was such a bad error that I imagined some editor at the Tribune seeing this error and thinking, "Eh, so what? Nobody reads this anyway."

One of the many reasons I love my wife is that she shared in my incredulity. Our daughter didn't quite get why we were so up-in-arms (though I think she understood the difference between there and they're), but we suggested that she take it to class and she dutifully did so. Anne noted that her mom would have given me a dime for spotting this error.

I'm all about the little things. This is so unbelievably inconsequential in the face of the tragedy in Japan, conflict in Afghanistan, etc. And yet I can't stop reflecting on it in the hopes that people will also continue to care about the little things, too.

Something at the table.

2011-03-11T10:04:00.005-06:00

I've been gone a few nights lately so I haven't been home for dinner as much. My wife told me a couple nights ago that my absence really affects how everyone eats because, understandably, she's not quite as motivated to cook a more elaborate meal because she'll get hit with all kinds of questions.

"What are we having for dinner?" our 6-year-old will ask.

"Chicken stir fry."

"I don't like that," he'll often say.

"What do you want?"

"I don't know. What do we have?"

And on and on it goes. Kids can be picky eaters and I speak from personal experience because I was a picky eater. My kids actually do pretty well compared to me. But there was and is always something at the table.

It's easy to drown people with statistics when it comes to hunger, but one that stuck out to me recently is that there were 286,310 children who lived in poverty in Cook County last year. 286,310 children who probably didn't necessarily know if there would be something at the table.

There are so many ways that we can make a difference in Jesus' name. Remembering all those children when we pray, "Give us today our daily bread," is a good place to start. Remembering and also acting.

Disorientation

2011-02-17T15:30:00.000-06:00

We had an interesting conversation at my small group Tuesday night about city life. Caelyn Randall started the ball rolling as she talked about the disorienting influences that confront us when we live in the city. We then talked about the things in peoples' lives that might reorient them--being a part of a group, for example, or a person's vocation. But then people started talking about how sometimes things in city life that may seem disorienting (like sirens or traffic noise) really can make us feel at home. Some noted it's when they're in remote and quiet places when they really feel freaked out!

Seemingly disorienting things, then, can make us feel oriented, connected, home. I like that. I think God does, too. The Message translation of Genesis 1:1-2 goes like this: "First this: God created the Heavens and Earth--all you see, all you don't see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness." From the beginning, then, God created life out of disorientation.

On days (even weeks) when I feel out of sorts and/or aimless, this is comforting to know I can orient myself around a God who thrives on creating amazing things out of disorientation.

Consider the raven?

2011-02-11T16:39:00.003-06:00

Emily Dickinson once said that "consider the lilies is the only Commandment I have ever obeyed." I've always liked that quote for a number of reasons, especially because I'm always trying to "notice" and "consider" things myself. What's not to like about considering lilies (check out Luke 12:22-31)?

As I was reading those verses this morning, though, a part of the passage jumped out at me: "Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them." This comes before the lilies part.

Consider the ravens? I have totally missed that in the past. The only time when I even think about ravens is when I hear about Edgar Allan Poe (which isn't often) or think about the NFL variety (Baltimore's team is named the Ravens). So I decided to do what Jesus said.

Have you ever considered a raven? I hadn't. I knew they looked a little like crows, but when I started looking up images, I must confess, I wasn't exactly impressed. It's certainly not a colorful bird and its beak looks a little big for its face. But I still like this commandment that Jesus gives because the world is not all lilies. We are called to consider all of God's creation and recognize that God can be active and moving in all parts of it. Even the nondescript creatures. I'm not sure if this is what Jesus meant when he said this, but I'd like to think he would be intrigued with where I went with it.

Hoping it gets more crowded

2011-02-09T16:57:00.002-06:00

There are a few times when I hope the location I'm at becomes more crowded. Church is one. And...the other would be...still thinking...not quite sure I can come up with another example. I know that businesses need to be busy in order to stay open, but I kind of like it when the movie theater, museum, and/or restaurant is empty. I want them to be busy, but not when I'm there. Which is crazy to say when you live in downtown Chicago.

But I'm sitting here in a local cafe in my neighborhood and it's an answer to prayer. I've been hoping for a place like this. The South Loop has a lot of chain stores. There's a huge Target, Home Depot, Whole Foods, and Jewel. There's a cramped Starbucks and a Potbelly's and a Subway and, of course, a Dunkin Donuts. But no local coffee shop/diner where I can hang out. Until now.

Donna's Cafe just opened a couple weeks ago and the people are simply fantastic. I ordered a tea and a cookie a half hour ago and as I was enjoying this, the woman at the counter said, "Pssst!" I looked up and she motioned for me to come to her. "I just took these out of the oven," she whispered, and she pushed another cookie toward me. A little later, another person came by and offered to refill my tea. This kind of hospitality is rare in these parts.

But I sit here alone. I want Donna's to stay open so, for her sake, I won't mind sitting in a crowded cafe.

Showing up

2011-02-03T13:38:00.003-06:00

I just came across a quote from Philip Yancey that said that 90 percent of prayer is simply showing up. I really like that.

It goes along with my belief in the Woody Allen quote that 80 percent of life is just showing up as it relates to church planting (though I'm clearly not saying that Woody Allen necessarily cares about church planting). So much of planting is just being present in lots and lots of different places. I don't have to say anything profound or have all the answers. I just need to be there.

I hope this also applies to parenting. Most days I play with the kids sometime during the 5pm-6:30 pm time slot. Needless to say, I don't have a ton of energy or creativity during this time and I find myself sometimes suggesting we do something like a board game which sometimes works, but other times...not so much.

I do have moments of Creative Parenting, like yesterday when I suggested we pick a letter, get out our cameras and take pictures of things around the house that begin with that letter. Pardon me while I pat myself on the back. But most of the time it's just me showing up, being present, being there. I tend to think that that's quite a lot.

Take notice

2011-01-19T14:59:00.000-06:00

I recently celebrated a birthday and while I appreciated all the birthday wishes on my Facebook wall, the correspondence that meant the most to me was a 4-page handwritten letter from my grandmother (who also sweetly included a $10 bill).

We named our daughter after my grandmother, who is one of my spiritual heroes. One of the qualities I most admire about her is her ability to notice and cherish things. Here's a paragraph from that letter: "Grandpa enjoys watching the squirrels here. There are 3 gray ones & one black one. (Uncle) John brought him in some corn & they really like that. It's fun to watch them, play & eat."

Those sentences may not seem like much to you, but I Iove those words because they describe the way my grandparents notice things like squirrels and then quietly observe and (I have no doubt) give thanks for them. There are so many things I miss in my life as my eyes stay glued to my iPhone. Meanwhile, the sacredness with which God has imbued this world keeps popping out. May God give all of us the awareness to notice.

"The act of noticing helps you realize that your life is already suffused with the presence of God."

-- James Martin in "The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything

Parsing Punctuation

2011-01-06T08:42:00.001-06:00

My article for our e-newsletter this week:
Some people prefer periods. I don't have a problem with periods. When it comes to a person's faith life, periods are great. They make a statement, like, God loves you. Period. Jesus is God-in-the-flesh. Period. Some people, however, use periods exclusively. Everything they say about God ends in a period and there's no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Other people prefer question marks. I like question marks, too. They provoke conversation and can engender closer relationships. A couple of great questions from the Bible: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Who do people say that I am?

There's room for both in our faith (and I'd also throw in the exclamation point as in "We have seen the Lord!" after the resurrection of Jesus). It's a good thing when we can make definitive statements about our faith. It's also a good thing (and very Scriptural) to ask questions, too. We'll be doing a lot of questioning during this upcoming sermon series, but those questions are also backed up by periods. We believe that God wants a deeper relationship with all of us. Questions are a great way to get there. Period. Or, if the mood strikes you, exclamation point.

Chicago Experience of the Day
We have our staff meetings at the Chicago Cultural Center in the big room that acts as a meeting place for lots of different folks. During one meeting we had yesterday, as dozens of people were huddled over computers and coffee cups, these two young women were rehearsing the Alleluia Chorus complete with hand and arm motions, like a combination of a concert and swing choir.

Praying over Christmas cards

2011-01-04T09:34:00.003-06:00

We kicked off what has become a really nice holiday tradition last night. We got this idea from a former parishioner of mine whose family saved all their Christmas cards and then prayed for a person/family every day after Christmas until they ran out of cards.

It's nice for many reasons, including, of course, that it's always a good thing to pray for people and it gives our kids a sense of what petitionary/intercessory prayer is and isn't. In the midst of receiving these cards, of course, I rarely take the time to really sit down with the cards and this gives me a chance to read through them and give thanks for a wide array of people and organizations...including those we barely know!

The best sense of the word

2011-01-03T15:22:00.003-06:00

For quite some time now, I've talked about Urban Village being a church that's "evangelical in the best sense of the word." In my own head, I've known what that meant (kind of), but I haven't been called on it until yesterday. I'm surprised it's taken that long.

I wasn't really called on it, but was nicely asked about it. On the first Sunday of the month, we offer "Urban Village 101" (formerly Coffee with the Pastors) after worship that's basically a summary of what we want to be about, how we started, what our mission is, etc. as well as answering any questions that people have.

Sample questions/concerns from yesterday: You say you're inclusive, but what does that really mean? Just how tied are you to the United Methodist Church? I can't get over the violent God in the Bible...what's up with that? And, of course, what do you mean when you say you're evangelical in the best sense of the word? No softballs in that group.

Evangelical, of course, has lots of many meanings in our society today and I'm guessing many people equate it with a particular political stance on particular issues (e.g. abortion, homosexuality). Some also use it to denote a particular theological stance. For example, George Barna, who's an evangelical pollster and researcher, defines an evangelical as one who meets these criteria:

1. Makes a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today; and believes that after they die they will go to Heaven because they have confessed their sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior.

2. Believes that God is the all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect creator of the universe who rules the world today.

3. Strongly agrees that their religious faith is very important in their life.

4. Strongly agrees that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches.

5. Strongly disagrees that when He lived on earth, Jesus Christ was human and committed sins, like other people.

6. Strongly agrees that they, personally, have a responsibility to tell other people their religious beliefs.

7. Strongly disagrees that if a person is generally good, or does enough good things for others during their life, they will earn a place in Heaven.

8. Strongly disagrees that the devil, or Satan, is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.

The root of evangelical, though, is the Greek word, evangelion, which means gospel or good news. That's it. Good news. What that good news, of course, is open to interpretation. For me (in short), it means changed hearts and changed lives so we can change the world. For others, it has to do with many other issues. When I say, then, that we're evangelical in the best sense of the word, I should probably say that we're evangelical in the root sense of the word. We're bearers of good news and that's going to be different for different people. It's good news that God loves them. It's good news that forgiveness and grace are readily available to all. It's good news that when we look at the life of Jesus, we see the ushering in of the kingdom of God, which means that the doors are wide open, particularly to those who were on the outskirts of society. Others certainly will have a different take on what that good news is. But I don't think anyone can have the final say on what that good news is. The book of Mark opens his gospel by saying "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God..." There's a lot that follows, of course. That Jesus is the Son of God, that's a good place to start.

Suburban seduction

2010-12-24T11:13:00.005-06:00

One of the things that used to surprise me about Urban Village is the number of people who live in the suburbs who come to worship with us. But when I think about it, someone driving in from Oak Park on a Sunday morning has a much quicker commute than someone taking the train from a North side neighborhood. A family of six has been coming from Elmhurst for the last three months or so and it's been a joy to have them attend. They invited my family to their home last night for dinner and we had a great time.

As we were driving around Elmhurst, it struck me that it had been a long time since I'd been in a suburb. As I looked around at the single-family homes with their Christmas lights and cozy streets, it was easy to be seduced by the desire to move back. We really do enjoy living in the city, but there's also something...I don't know...kind of desirable about going back.

I also know that while we enjoyed living in Highland Park and serving in Deerfield, there are issues with living in suburbia, too. There is no such thing as the perfect place to live. I'll take where we are.

I was reading Colossians 3:1-10 this morning and the phrase "seek the things that are above, where Christ is..." stuck with me. I've been working on being detached lately; that is, seeking God's leading and desires before my own (though I know they sometimes can be the same). I know where the author of Colossians is coming from, but on this day, it also strikes me that before we seek the things that are above, we must first look down below, about manger high.

Closer and closer

2010-12-23T11:21:00.000-06:00

My column for the Urban Village eNews today:

I was trekking up to Evanston yesterday on the Red Line when I noticed a woman board the train with a child attached to her. At least the child looked like he was attached. He was actually in a sling facing his mother and was fast asleep, which I always find a minor miracle considering loud the train can get around North & Clybourn. Despite the surrounding noise, it was a peaceful scene to behold. Mother and son. Winter wear notwithstanding, they were as close as they could be.

I see a lot of images of the baby Jesus in the manger, but not as many of Mary holding Jesus, looking into his eyes, talking baby talk, nursing him. And yet these are the images that captivate me. This closeness between mother and son.

I yearn to be ever closer to Jesus. Christmas reminds me that it's possible. If God can make up the gap between divinity and humanity through the birth of this child, surely that means it is always possible for you and I to draw closer, too. This is God's desire for all of us, I think. Like a mother feeling the weight of her son upon her, God desires to feel our weight and nearness.

May be it be so this season and into the new year. Merry Christmas from all of us at Urban Village.

Chicago experiences

2010-12-22T09:48:00.003-06:00

Chicago Experience of the Day 1

I ate at Lou Mitchell's yesterday for the first time in at least 10 years. LM is an institution in Chicago, located on Jackson, which used to be known as the beginning of Route 66. For some reason, my memory of it wasn't great, but I was pleasantly surprised yesterday. I went for the basics--bacon and eggs--but the service, presentation, and quality were all better than I expected. I even ate the prune that they give everyone. Interestingly, they also had NIV New Testaments at the cash register. I asked about them and the cashier said simply, "Those are from the owner. She goes to Moody." Doesn't hurt to ask.

Chicago Experience of the Day 2

I was walking home down Plymouth and came passed a town home with a sign that said "Candy Cane Lane." Not unusual, but as I went passed, I noticed that there was a tin hanging outside the home's gate with a bunch of candy canes in them. Free candy canes? I took one. My wife wondered if they were really meant for people walking down the sidewalk, but if it seems like an act of hospitality and neighborliness, I'm receiving it.

Growing up and the incarnation

2010-12-21T11:20:00.004-06:00

I love my daughter's age right now. Nine. Eight was really good, too. Old enough to start becoming a person with whom I can have "real" conversations and start exploring some cool things in the city. Young enough before the tween and teen years which I can be fraught with issues, but I also sense those issues can be blown out of proportion.

In my sermon last Sunday, I shared about my wife's and my struggle to conceive Caroline and the many, many months and years of failed attempts and doubts. Because of the sermon, I spent a lot of time thinking about her birth day and the awe I felt at holding her in my arms. The connection to my sermon was that I was preaching about the incarnation and that Jesus' birth isn't some fairy tale, but was (and is) "really real." For a long time, the thought of us giving birth seemed like a fairy tale, too, until the day I actually saw and touched her and her eyelashes, fingernails, and slightly crooked ear lobe.

It's been an interesting balance reflecting on the joy of those memories and realizing that she's slowly but surely getting closer to being 10 and becoming friends that we wouldn't necessarily choose for her and desiring things (like an iTouch) that she's not ready for. She's a very centered girl who doesn't seem to get too high or too low by what goes on around her and I think that's a wonderful quality. But harder decisions are in the offing for us. Letting her be friends with girls whose personalities grate on us a bit. Saying no to an iTouch (though that wasn't a hard decision but it brings back memories of being envious of having friends who had things that I coveted).

Growing up and making these decisions is part of incarnation, I suppose. If we claim that this season is one when we praise God for becoming flesh, we also must realize that becoming flesh means growing pains. Thanks be to God for that.

Cafeteria Christians...in a good way

2010-11-19T09:23:00.005-06:00

I've been noticing something lately.

I think I've read this somewhere so what I've noticed isn't exactly groundbreaking (and, who knows, may have been happening for centuries), but Urban Village seems to be drawing a few folks who claim their main membership in a church elsewhere (and are perfectly happy there), but come to Urban Village for...something. It might be a small group or a social gathering or our Wicker Park Sunday evening service, but they don't have a problem with feeding their souls in different contexts.

And it isn't just our church. I met a woman a few weeks ago who goes to worship at Moody, but goes to all the Willow Creek social stuff. I don't have deep sociological insights as to why this is, but it's something the church probably should pay attention to. The phrase "cafeteria Christians" is sometimes used in a derogatory way meaning that people pick and choose their theology based only on what they like and because of that they miss pieces in Scripture that they need to hear or pay attention to. I get that, though, of course I think we're all cafeteria Christians in some form or fashion. We all have our own canons, whether we admit it or not.

But I realize when it comes to spiritual formation, I've been a bit of a cafeteria Christian myself over the years. Obviously as the pastor of a church, I haven't jumped around a lot trying different things, but in my previous church, I would attend a weekly weekday Episcopalian service. When I need a retreat, I go to a Benedictine monastery. When I need to sense the mystery of God, I go to a Taize service at a Catholic church. I'm biased, of course, but I think it's important to stay rooted in a community of faith and make commitments there, but I also affirm a person's desire and need to explore the many ways we can experience the Spirit in our midst, whether it's high liturgy or rockin' gospel music.

Judge away

2010-11-10T15:20:00.004-06:00

I'm preaching about service and ministry with the poor this Sunday and yet again I am convicted and humbled by the number of passages in the Scriptures that highlight God's preference for those on the outside looking in.

And yet people still want to judge one another based on their stance on issues like homosexuality because of a handful of passages. If you want to judge me or Urban Village Church, judge us on how we're treating the outcast and you'd probably find that we're lacking.

Speaking of homosexuality, though, I appreciated this podcast from Being (formerly Speaking of Faith): http://bit.ly/duDJG6. It's entitled "Restoring Political Civility: An Evangelical View."

Don't Walk

2010-11-08T15:46:00.002-06:00

I've struggled with Sabbath-keeping, but the last couple of weeks, I've been better at it. My day off (Sabbath) that I try to guard is Monday and I'm still trying to get a handle on what behaviors I should give up and what behaviors I should take on. Here are the latest guidelines I've set for myself...

Thou shalt not go on Facebook or Twitter.

Thou shalt resist many temptations to use iPhone. I've done pretty well with this lately. I haven't carried it around with me and haven't checked email. I still check it occasionally throughout the day to check to see if I have any voice mails or texts, but I need to wean myself off that, too.

Thou shalt spend some time with your wife. That was easy today. Her birthday was yesterday and we celebrated at our favorite breakfast spot, the Sweet Maple Cafe in Little Italy. Seriously, the best pancakes I've ever had. We also spent some time at the Art Institute which leads me to...

Thou shalt do something beautiful. I don't know why I let my Art Institute membership lapse. It's a mile away from our home and, of course, has one of the greatest collections of beauty in the world. I re-upped last week and we spent 90 minutes there this morning. That's the great thing about being a member there. We can linger.

Thou shalt obey traffic signals. This may seem like an odd one, but it's one I've kept for a while and I like it. On other days, I'm constantly looking for opportunities to jaywalk (cross on a red light). It's pretty much a no-brainer in Chicago (and in most other towns and cities I assume). We're all very busy people, after all. But on Mondays, when the light says, Don't Walk, I don't walk. Even if there aren't any cars for miles around. It reminds me to literally stop and realize that I can stay for a few seconds longer. Nothing will happen any quicker if I try to race across the street.

Willing to give

2010-11-05T11:47:00.000-05:00

I was in a bit of a hurry on Tuesday morning and didn't give myself enough time to be in prayer so I tried to meditate on the Green Line. It actually was going quite well. My eyes were closed. I was repeating, "Love the Lord your God with all your strength..." to myself. And then someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"Can I see that?" the woman said. I was holding the book I use for my devotions ("When You Pray," edited by Rueben Job) and the woman asked if she could take a look at it. I said sure and she started flipping through it, commenting on how she needs to pray more. As she was looking at it, I had a strong sense that God wanted me to give the book to her. I also was thinking, "But I really like that book!" You can buy them for $10, but I had a sentimental attachment to it. I decided, though, to go with the nudge from God.

"Would you like to have it?" I asked her. She smiled and graciously said yes. We talked some more. She was to go to court that day and said that this was an answer to prayer. She asked my name. I gave her my card, invited her to church, and she got off at the next stop.

We're spending some time at Urban Village talking about giving, particularly how we can give financially. It's not an easy discussion. It's tempting to hold onto our money pretty closely. But God sometimes nudges us to give something away in order for someone else to draw closer to God. Over the next couple of weeks, pray about what you might be willing to give. God might be nudging you in surprising ways.

A place where people know your name

2010-10-21T09:12:00.001-05:00

The article I wrote for our church's e-newsletter yesterday:

Quite a few years ago when I was going through the process of being ordained, I attended a conference with other pastors. As I was walking by myself in the lobby, I spotted a person who was pretty powerful in our denomination. He saw me, smiled, and waved, which made me feel pretty good because when you're still a "newbie" pastor, it's not a bad thing when influential people know you and like you. I smiled, waved back and started toward him. He stuck out his hand to me and said, "Hi Sean, how are you?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine, thanks," I said through gritted teeth. Sean? Who's Sean? Does he even know me? It was a humbling experience.

Trey talked about the power of name in a sermon a few weeks ago. We all like to hear our names said. We like to be known. There were so many people who came to one of our worship services last Sunday. More than 200 people total and many were there for the first time! Praise God! Our hope certainly is that many of you return for worship, but also that you find places where you might begin to be known. Our small groups are a great place to start as are three events coming up: a Taize worship service outing on Nov. 5, our first UVC pot luck on Nov. 7 and a bowling night on Nov. 13.

You may not be quite ready to be known by others in our community, but even if you're not, know this: "...thus says the Lord: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine" (Isaiah 43:1." We are known (by name!) by God. Deeply and lovingly. No matter how many people I know in my life, that is what truly gives me peace and joy.

Questions

2010-10-13T09:30:00.004-05:00

I've just started a Bible study last night looking at the Old Testament and whenever I begin a group like this, it's almost always the case that someone will bring up the issue of dumb questions.

We've all heard time and again that there's no such thing as a dumb question, but when it comes to God/faith/religion, it seems like people are really nervous about asking questions. Will God strike me down? Will my faith seem illegitimate? People who have grown up in the church seem particularly nervous about this. And yet all of the questions that were asked last night (like, does God change? It seems like God's character changes throughout the Bible. How can this be?) were provocative and have been fodder for wonderful discussion throughout our faith's history.

As well, a cursory look through the Bible shows that not only is questioning God acceptable, it's a given! Most of the figures of the Old Testament, many psalmists, all the prophets and even Jesus (Why have you forsaken me? is one of the most memorable questions of the Scriptures) all questioned God. And they weren't stricken down (though you could probably point out a few--like Zechariah in Luke 1--where their questioning leads to a less-than-positive outcome).

Questioning deepens faith and that includes questioning God and questioning religious leaders. Certainly it's a good thing to come out the other end at some point with an "I believe" statement or two, but I find that good questions usually gets you to stronger belief statements.

Slowly out of the funk

2010-09-23T15:40:00.002-05:00

I've been in a bit of a funk the last few days and it mainly stems from "productivity" and "results." We seem to have a big cloud of witnesses who have come to Urban Village at least once. Word seems to be spreading. And yet average worship attendance hasn't increased like we thought. I fret way too much about this and it weighs me down.

So, last night, I did something small. That always seems to help. I was at a neighborhood community meeting (and a contentious one at that--I'd never experienced anything like it) and the room was packed with people who wanted to talk about things like parking spaces and parks. These are the things that can get the community juices flowing. About 45 minutes into the meeting, I noticed an older woman standing and listening. I stood up and offered my chair and she acted as if I'd just awarded her the lottery.

This morning, I was walking through Daley Plaza and a guy was standing on the corner handing out free tastes of Dove chocolate. I stopped by to get one and he told me, "Take a handful." So I did. I had a meeting in the Chicago Temple (First United Methodist) and shared my chocolate largesse with folks who worked in the building, brightening their day. One woman commented, "I really needed this today."

Such small, small things. But it's amazing how service can trump self-pity.

A backpack of faith

2010-09-09T13:13:00.001-05:00

I took my daughter to her first day of school yesterday on the subway (which is a far cry from how I went to my first day in 4th grade in Eldora, Iowa!) It was pretty crowded as we squeezed in at the Roosevelt stop. One of the reasons it was crowded was the number of other students who were headed to school and they (like my daughter) all had their backpacks on filled with books and supplies. It became less congested at the Harrison stop because quite a few Jones College Prep students got off there, including one teen who I feared was going to topple over backward, he had so many books in his bag.

Most nights I practice a spiritual discipline called the examen, which comes from St. Ignatius Loyola. It's basically a review of the day with God--an intentional time to give thanks and ask forgiveness. An image I find helpful as I go through this process is picturing myself wearing a "backpack of faith" and opening this backpack to show Jesus. It's amazing what I accumulate. Anxiety, fear, selfishness, and unhealthy anger, to name just a few things. All of that weighs me down like the Jones student. But then I imagine Jesus helping me take that stuff out and replacing it with courage, love, and forgiveness. And the load seems a lot lighter.

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light," Jesus says in Matthew. May we take on Jesus' yoke (or backpack) and allow him to take our burdens.

Changed lives, hearts, city

2010-07-16T17:01:00.003-05:00

I love it when I come across a passage that I should be familiar with, but it's as if I'm reading it for the first time and it connects in a deep and real way.

We're getting together with the Urban Village community Sunday night to dream, discuss, and continue to get to know one another. I met with one member of our community yesterday who does leadership development for a living and we had a great discussion about how Sunday night should go, including making sure we're getting our purpose across. Are we doing this new church just because we have cool CTA ads? Of course not, but it drove me to search various commissioning stories and Luke 24:44-49 really struck me, particularly verse 47, which says (the resurrected Jesus is talking here, a little bit in the third person), "...and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem." Three things are here that sum up why I'm doing what I'm doing. Repentance=changed lives. Forgiveness=changed hearts. Jerusalem (or in my case Chicago)=changed city. Repentance is a bit of a loaded word for some but its root meaning points to a change of mind and life.

Why are we doing what we're doing? That sums it up. And it keeps me going day by day.

The wheels on the bus

2010-07-15T09:37:00.003-05:00

I love the bus. I hate the bus. This is the dilemma.

I'm really starting to get the hang of mass transit and I'm learning more and more that, for the most part, I prefer the L to the bus. If there aren't many people on the bus and it doesn't creep and crawl along State Street (for example), I prefer the bus, but that doesn't seem to be happening lately. Plus there was incident yesterday that troubled me deeply.

We were moving so slowly south on State when a guy across the aisle started yelling at the bus driver. I really wasn't paying attention to what he was saying but a woman (she was probably in her late 60s/early 70s) said something back to him. He then let her have it verbally, starting swearing at her, made abusive comments about her age. And we all just sat there.

I don't really know what to do in those situations. This was a really big guy who was really belligerent and was also taking big swigs of beer while all this was going on. Do you stand up for the woman and incur his wrath? Tell the bus driver? He had to be hearing this. Or just do nothing and hope the woman isn't scarred by this incident. She didn't seem to be, but it really ticked me off and I wanted to get in this guy's face, which probably wouldn't have solved anything. Sigh. What would Jesus do, indeed.

Of course, I could also ride the L where just last Monday we got in and noticed that someone had vomited all over one of the seats.

Really wants to make you live in the city, no?

Thankful for Rochelle

2010-07-13T19:13:00.003-05:00

My apologies to everyone who lives in Rochelle, IL, but I really didn't want to visit you last Friday. At first. I had to attend a United Methodist administrative-type meeting and was dreading the drive out there, but, thankfully, the traffic was clear and as soon as I made it out of the Chicagoland area, I was so glad for the trip. I'm not usually a country music fan, but I had a CD that someone gave me and it fit perfectly. Cornfields, small towns, lower gas prices.

Sometimes city living can be exhausting. I've been feeling that for the past few days. The litter gets to me as do the sirens and all-around congestion. I think I'm wise enough to know that I wouldn't be completely happy in a small town, but it was so nice just to connect to that simpler life; maybe it was connecting to a part of my story, too, seeing as I spent the first 24 years of my life in small(ish) towns.

It reminded me once again of the need for true Sabbath, a time to get out of my routine, go somewhere that isn't congested and just sit, stare, and be.

Finding God in Finding Nemo

2010-07-01T15:50:00.000-05:00

Today is an anniversary of sorts. One year ago, Trey and I officially opened for business as Urban Village Church (though at the time we were nameless!). That's spurred a lot of reflection for me the last few days.

One of my favorite stories happened in April of '08. Trey and I had gone to a church-planting conference in Orlando and during one particular night, I remember being filled with excitement but also a great deal of anxiety as I wondered whether we could pull this off. As I sat there flipping through the television, I came across the movie "Finding Nemo." This kind of movie was exactly what I was in the mood for. And, believe it or not, I also believe that God spoke to me through that movie.

There's a scene where Nemo's dad (Marlin) and his companion (Dory--both of these characters are fish, I should add) are trapped inside a whale, clinging to the whale's tongue so they don't fall into the whale's stomach. As they're holding on for dear life, Dori swears that she can "speak whale" and says that the whale is telling them to let go of the tongue. That makes no sense to Marlin. Of course the whale wants us to let go, he says, the whale wants to eat us! Dory insists. Marlin says, how do you know something bad won't happen? Dori exclaims, I don't! But they let go, which allows the whale to blow them through its blowhole and they get out alive.

As soon as I watched that scene, I had a strange feeling that we could pull this new church off and the first thing I had to do was let go. Let go of trying to control. Let go of fear. Let go of anxiety. Trust that God had brought us this far and God would be with us as we moved. And God has.

Letting go is one of the hardest things to do in our faith, but when we do--when we trust that God is active in our lives and cares for us deeply--it's also the most freeing.

Following up on the nudges

2010-06-23T16:37:00.003-05:00

It's one thing to recognize when you might have been nudged by God. It's another to actually follow through on the nudge. I think I have decent nudge recognition. But, unfortunately, that's as far as it goes.

Two examples from yesterday. I was walking down Michigan Avenue after having a fascinating conversation with a Pauline nun who's an avid blogger (they run the Pauline bookstore on Michigan and Lake) and a woman walks by me and she's clearly been crying. I noticed the tears. I noticed that she was wearing an Argo Tea t-shirt. Would it have hurt to ask, "Are you OK?" The worst that could have happened is that she ignores me or tells me to mind my own business. That was a nudge that I didn't do anything with.

Later in the day, I was walking home and noticed that our next-door neighbor was walking about a block ahead of me. We get along with our neighbors very well and a few weeks ago they mentioned they may come to church someday. Would it have hurt to call out to the neighbor and walk with her? No. But I just kept walking, minding my own business. Another nudge I ignored.

Seeing God in our daily lives is a beautiful thing. It also can be a time to respond, too.

Changed lives, changed city

2010-06-17T15:21:00.000-05:00

My friends and family are probably tired of me talking about this, but I'm writing to you from Redlands, CA, where I'm speaking to different groups of United Methodist clergy and laity about the Urban Village experience.

I had my first presentation yesterday. It got off to a slow start with lots of people staring at me (so I perceived) with blank faces, but as I got going, I felt like I was connecting more. By the end, I was peppered with lots of great questions and a few challenges, too ("You claim to be different. What makes Urban Village so different?"). The question that made me pause, though, was a simple one: What kind of transformation are you promising the people who come to your church?

I was a little taken aback because I had never been asked that question in that way before. I stood there for a few seconds in silence, trying to figure out the best way to answer it. I finally came up with a simple answer: Changed lives and a changed city. I was surrounded by other pastors so I felt compelled to use some theological jargon because I wasn't sure my simple answer was adequate enough. As I thought about it this morning, though, I believe it is.

What could be more powerful, more radical than a changed life? We firmly believe that the gospel of Jesus changes everything. And when peoples' lives are changed, they want to transform their neighborhoods and their city so that others can know this love and grace, too. That change may come slowly with some, quickly with others. But, if we're open to it, I believe that this change happens. That's God's promise to us.

Yet another thing they don't teach in seminary

2010-06-09T12:01:00.004-05:00

Pastoral Care to the Inebriated 101

Now that's a seminary class that people would sign up for. But, alas, it's one of those experiences that you usually have to go through. Like last night. We had a gathering at a pub in the Lakeview neighborhood and had a great time and a great turnout. One of the folks from the church had won a Happy Hour and she "donated" it to the church so from 6:30 to 8:30, people could drink Budweiser products for free. United Methodists have historically frowned on alcohol consumption, but we thought this would be a fairly tame way to bring people together in a place that wouldn't be intimidating and that would be easy for people to invite friends to. For the most part, it was. There was one exception.

There's a man who's come to a few of our worship services after finding one of our postcards on the street. I'd seen him only once, but he says he's come more than that. I arrived around 6:45 and the man pretty quickly approached Trey (the other Urban Village pastor) and I to tell us that he likes our sermons and he liked the fact that we wrote him a note thanking him for visiting. It was clear that he'd already had too much to drink so I tried to engage him a little bit, but also kept an eye on him the rest of the night. He talked to a few of our folks and made some of them feel uncomfortable (and bless those who attempted to have a conversation with him). By 8:15, though, he was thoroughly drunk and was getting slightly belligerent. He was yelling at people to get out of the way and I thought he wanted to leave so I asked him, "Do you want to leave?" I think he thought I was saying, "Let's take this outside and fight" and so he asked me if I wanted to leave. I tried to remain calm in the midst of the situation but he grabbed my shirt at one point and I was wondering how this was going to end up. I wasn't too nervous because I probably could have simply gave him a little nudge and he would have fallen down (not that I would have done that). Anyway, the bartender called the police and the man soon left.

What to do in that situation? I haven't had a lot of experience in dealing with the homeless, but I've volunteered at enough soup kitchens and shelters to know that there's usually a no tolerance policy when it comes to being drunk. I think we handled it the best way we could--tried to be hospitable while also paying close attention to make sure he wasn't abusive. I met with a woman this morning who's had fairly extensive experience in being with the homeless and I asked for her wisdom and one of the first things she said was, you have to have a lot of love and a lot of forgiveness. Not that you tolerate abuse, but recognize that mental illness can sometimes play a role in a person's behavior or misbehavior.

I hope he comes back to church. I hope he comes sober. I hope we have the wisdom to know how to love him while respecting the whole community's boundaries. I need to take that class.

Fasting and the arts

2010-05-26T10:30:00.002-05:00

We had an interesting discussion during our staff meeting yesterday about engaging in core spiritual practices together. One of our future interns noted that she was familiar with a church plant in New York that was pretty dedicated to doing certain things together like reading Scripture and fasting. Trey, Matt (one of our worship leaders) and I talked about different options and the notion of fasting kept coming up. Though we've all fasted at one point or another in the past, it's not been something that we've done regularly.

One idea I had was to combine fasting with something else I've been wanting to do more of--engage the arts. I keep telling people that one of the advantages of living in the city is the unbelievable access we have to a wide variety of the arts and yet most of my experience with the arts has been doing crafts with my kids or watching Netflix. None of this is bad, but I think I can stretch myself a bit. Maybe I can skip lunch one day a week and experience God through a trip to an art gallery or a free concert or a street performer. It's not a huge sacrifice, but it's a start. Kind of gives new meaning to starving artist.

Day off

2010-05-17T20:13:00.003-05:00

I've tried really hard to not use my iPhone on my day off/Sabbath and I did pretty well today--almost made it but then I had to give my son a bath and I was standing there, watching him play in the tub, feeling a bit bored...and I caved to check my email. Sigh. I know the proper father thing to do would have been to wonder at his play and talk with him etc. etc. No Father of the Year Award today.

I do get some Man of the House props today, however, for installing a kitchen faucet. Me installing something is a rarity so excuse me while I pat myself on the back. It only drips a little bit and I'm 99 percent sure that's the manufacturer's fault and not mine. I called to ask about this and the woman said they'd have to ship a part for me and said it would take 28 days and then asked, "Will that be a problem?" I laughed. I'll put up with the slight drip because there's no way I'm taking that faucet back out to return it.

Litmus tests

2010-05-16T16:20:00.002-05:00

Have there always been litmus tests in churches? I'd be curious what different ones have been in days gone by.

One of the main ones we get (and I suppose many other churches get) is about homosexuality. It happened again today after church. A nice young couple came up to me after the worship, said they were new, said they were looking for a church, and the woman said she just had one question (wait for it): What is our stance on homosexuality?

This question used to frustrate me because, on the one hand, I find it's so difficult to give a satisfactory, pithy answer. I've been asked about it so much with our new church, though, I'm answering it in about 30 seconds and it boils down to our belief that homosexuality is not a sin. I don't always know if this is the answer the questioner wants and the woman this morning gave no clue as to whether she agreed or disagreed with me. Interestingly, she had another question: Do we believe in the Holy Spirit and do we believe that the Holy Spirit can still do miracles? I don't know what she meant by "miracles," but I didn't ask. I simply gave an emphatic yes and also encouraged her to meet with me further so we can talk a little more in depth about these issues.

Will she and her boyfriend/husband be back? One thing I've learned with this new church is to never assume anything. I've had people come up to me and say their lives have been changed thanks to Urban Village and then never return and I've had the opposite happen, too. People who seem like they wouldn't like it and they're here every Sunday.

I do know this. It's never boring. Thanks be to God.

One of those days

2010-05-14T16:50:00.002-05:00

I haven't had "one of those days" in quite some time, but today...

It started out with disappointment as I opened the Chicago Tribune. The Trib is supposed to be doing an article on Urban Village Church and we thought today was the day that it would run, but nada. Who knows if/when it will be printed? Then I went to my daughter's school where I was teaching her class about prayer; specifically, breath prayer. She goes to a Catholic school but nearly half the students are non-Catholic so when they break off into religion classes, they're grouped into Catholic (called the Moonbeams) and non-Catholic (the Shooting Stars). I offered to come in and do a little teaching with the Shooting Stars so I've been with them three times this week. It went really well (thanks to the "Way of the Child" curriculum), but when I walked out of the building, I quickly saw that my car had been towed.

I've been so proud that I haven't gotten a ticket since moving to Chicago but this was unbelievable. I paid for parking, but had failed to see that there was street cleaning on this particular side of the street on Friday mornings and, of course, it was a tow zone. As I noted on my Facebook page today, I had been teaching about breath prayers to the class, but said something under my breath when the car was missing. And it wasn't a prayer. I finally figured out that the car was at 400 Lower East Wacker Drive, which is in the bowels of the city. $7 cab ride there. $160 to get it out of the tow lot. $50 ticket on top of all that. Lower Wacker Drive (above) is just one depressing place. I'll never figure out how to get around down there and I hope to never be back. They were appropriately surly to me which I actually didn't mind. I didn't want them to be cheery or tell me have a nice day.

Things have gotten better as the day's gone on, though. A hamburger for lunch helped as did reading "Deliberate Simplicity" by Dave Browning. And my sermon is starting to come together which didn't seem possible a couple days ago.

Now to get ready for our daughter's birthday party tomorrow. Our house is being transformed into Hogwarts.

Is presentation everything?

2010-05-05T13:23:00.000-05:00

My wife and I were in Seattle last weekend for a family wedding. When people asked us about the ceremony, we both gave similar answers. That wasn't the case if we were asked about the bride's dress. My answer: "Um, it was kind of an ivory-white color." My wife's answer: I must confess I don't even remember because it went on for a few sentences and included the word "pleats" and may have included the phrase "off-the-shoulder." So, I wondered, where was my attention? Perhaps not surprisingly, it was on the officiant. I was silently critiquing his style, the vows, what he was wearing, etc. Not one of my better moments.

How you present yourself at a wedding can cause some consternation, but it's not just weddings that may bring on this anxiety. Whether it's work or a social event or even going for a workout, we pay attention to the clothes we wear and how we present ourselves. If we're honest with ourselves, we may even admit that we also are watching others and judging their "presentations."

One of our church's CTA ads says that Urban Village Church loves tattoos and suits. But no matter what you wear or what you have inked on your body, a deeper issue, I think, is whether we're following Colossians 3:12. The author of this text encourages us to clothe ourselves not with the latest fashion or tattoo, but with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and, above all else, love.

I'll explore our spiritual wardrobes this Sunday and reflect on the kinds of impressions we're making in our daily lives.

What can I do?

2010-04-26T10:35:00.003-05:00

Oh, Genxrev, how I have neglected you...but, Twitter only asks a 140 characters from me!

Isn't it interesting that four words uttered in different contexts can generate such different emotions in me?

Things are going well at Urban Village. For those who are curious, here are the "stats":

March 28 (first Sunday morning worship): 145 people
April 4 (Easter): 155
April 11: 120
April 18: 125
April 25: 130

We expected a bit of a drop off after Easter, but it's not as dramatic as it could have been and, as you can see, we're trending up! One of the great things is the number of people who want to do more than just come on Sunday morning. They want to get involved. What can I do? they ask and we celebrate the question.

Sunday afternoons, though, I'm usually pretty wiped out and just want to lay around, maybe nap, maybe work on a crossword puzzle, but around 2 p.m. or so my 5-year-old will come up to me and sweetly say, "What can I do?" Translation: I'm bored. Entertain me.

Groan.

It's part of parenthood, I realize, but there are times when I'm more energized to do stuff with him than others.

Sermon podcast

2010-04-13T09:11:00.003-05:00

It's been quite a while since I put up a podcast, but here's a link so you can listen to my sermon from last Sunday:

https://www.yousendit.com/download/bFFQaUNLUENxRTFjR0E9PQ

Also, a great quote for the day:

"We cannot do without a paradigm to help us live. As a believer, I keep bumping into Jesus. I wander away, and there he is, perhaps in the eyes of someone on the street. There is no escape for me. Nor do I want there to be." Alan W. Jones

Everyone counts

2010-04-09T13:45:00.001-05:00

You may have read the story in recent weeks about the teen-age girl in Mississippi who wanted to challenge school policy and bring her girlfriend to her high-school prom. Rather than allow this, however, the county school board canceled the prom altogether. This set off a flurry of debate, outrage, and a lawsuit. It also got me thinking about this sermon series that we're beginning this Sunday.

The series is called "Everyone Counts." The U.S. Census wants us all to be counted, but different segments of our society find it hard to believe that everyone should count. We're saying that not only does everyone count (and is loved) in God's eyes, but God also calls you and I to think about our own biases and reflect on whether we truly believe the same thing.

Do you think Democrats and Republicans should count? People who wear suits and tattoos? Doubters and believers? Gay people and straight people? Cub fans and Sox fans? Take it a step further. Are we able begin the process of loving all of them, as well?

Can you love the teen who wants to take her girlfriend to the prom and those who don't want to allow that? That's a tall order for a lot of us. But if we're interested in following the way of Jesus, eventually we come across his words that challenge us to love those who harm us and infuriate us. That's not easy and it may take a long time, but, hopefully, in our better moments, we remember that Jesus loves us when we can be less than lovable.

Join us beginning this Sunday as we explore the difficulty and joy of loving others who check different boxes.

New Urban Village video

2010-04-03T14:14:00.002-05:00

It's good to have talented and gifted and generous in-laws. My sister-in-law Stefanie Curry designed our ads for the trains and buses and my brother-in-law Paul Traynor and his colleague put this video together for us for practically nothing. Pretty cool!

It was weird not having to put together a Maundy Thursday or Good Friday service, but it was also kind of nice. Getting ready for tomorrow, though. Really curious to see who will show up.

Oh, our poor kids. It's been gray and rainy here today and that combined with constant utterances of "What can I do?" have made my wife and I not very patient. I'm thankful for neighbors with kids who are in the same boat!

Thoughts from our launch Sunday

2010-04-02T16:04:00.003-05:00

Sorry it's taken me so long to post about our launch Sunday! Here's an email I sent to our prayer team yesterday that summarizes things. The first part of the email was written by my colleague Trey:

"Well, friends, Urban Village Church is out of the starting gates! Our first weekly service went really wonderfully. We could not have asked for a better beginning! There was a great, warm spirit in the place; amazing music; lots of laughter throughout the service; and, best of all, about 150 diverse people, many who were totally new to us. Thanks to God and to everybody who showed up and helped out!

"A colleague of mine who lives in another state but has friends in Chicago emailed me on Sunday afternoon. He had sent a 'spy' to the service to check us out and he wanted to share his friend's experience of Urban Village:

'It was awesome -- hilarious, witty, welcoming, open and inspiring. Out of an overwhelming sense of gratitude, I cried. Twice. Loved it.'"

As I noted last week, we really had no idea what to expect, but everything went about as smoothly as we could have hoped. Afterward, we were pretty tired and, to be honest, I was a bit deflated for 24 hours or so afterward (kind of like that post-Christmas feeling that kids get), but the great news is that we get to do it again this Sunday as we proclaim the good news of the resurrection. People really want to hear this news! Here's another email we received this week:

"I sincerely enjoyed your authentic services on Sunday. I appreciated your candor, insight and the welcoming message. It was refreshing to find a place that declares to its congregation that it's OK to doubt. That it's critical to your development as a Christian to question things, to push, to question, to be uncomfortable with God. That God is so large that we haven't even begun to scratch the surface of his messages for our lives. I have been to too many churches here where the congregation is disinterested and just going through the motions. I have been looking for a church home that is interested in getting into the meat of the scriptures, finding life applications to His Word, and finding ways to serve the neighborhood."

I think and hope we're striking a chord out there--will be really interesting to see what kind of response we get this week.

Delivery Day

2010-03-24T17:15:00.003-05:00

"Do you want to deliver her?"

My wife had been in labor with our first child for 8 1/2 hours or so. There were three of us in the hospital room. Me. The nurse-midwife. My wife. (And I suppose my soon-to-be child, too). Our nurse-midwife had been laid back throughout this whole process which I guess is what you want from your medical practitioner. I kept thinking she should be doing something...oh, I don't know...medical when my wife had contractions, but she kept hanging back, letting nature do its thing. It was getting to be clear, however, that our daughter was about to be born. So, the nurse-midwife turned to me and says, "Do you want to deliver her?"

Let me make clear that I was not an OB/GYN doctor or nurse before I went into the ministry. My only experience was going through the pre-birth classes with my wife. But the offer to help with the delivery was there and so, I figured, what the heck?

"Should I do anything, like wear gloves?" I said.

"No, just wash your hands," the nurse-midwife said.

And so I did. She told me where to put my hands and when the time came, I guided my daughter into the world (realizing, of course, that my wife did all the heavy lifting).
Any person will tell you that being present at a birth is something you'll never forget and when you have the opportunity to actually be part of the delivery, it's life-altering.

Forgive me if I'm overdoing the analogy, but all of us will be present at a birth this Sunday and all of us will be part of the delivery. This idea of a new church was conceived more than two years ago and Trey and I are still pinching ourselves that Sunday morning worship is starting in just a few days. So many hours of work, prayers said, and coffees slurped all come together when we start joining our voices in song at 10:15 a.m.

You have been a part of this process and we hope you'll be there when this new creation begins on Sunday. John 1 tells us that all things came into being through God. I believe that this community (with all the marvelous and messy people who make it up) came into being through God. Join us on Sunday to celebrate this birth day.

At the Spertus and random stuff

2010-03-19T08:56:00.003-05:00

We had our big launch party last night in our new digs and had a great time. It was yet another reminder that the work of getting the word (and Word) out is never done. I sometimes get a little carried away when I hear or see evidence that there's going to be a huge turnout. A handful of people tell me they'll be there and I immediately project that into large numbers. We had a nice crowd--at least 50, maybe 75--and we're hearing lots of people say they'll be there when we launch on March 28, but none of us can sit back and expect people to find us if we aren't there hitting the pavement.

If you haven't become a fan of Urban Village Church on Facebook, please do so--you can see our new ads which are up at various L stops throughout the city. Actually you can go on our web site, too, and see them, too.

The 8th annual Coon NCAA Bracket Tournament is in full force and we have a record number of 17 people playing. We're battling for a traveling bobblehead trophy (now known affectionately as Bob) that I think may be showing its age. My 5-year-old son is in second place after the first day!

Big questions discussed over waffles

2010-03-15T09:54:00.003-05:00

My wife had to go to the grocery store near dinner time last night so I offered to make waffles for the kids. Waffles are great for a Sunday night meal (at least that's what I tell myself) and my daughter and son heartily agree. As we sat there spreading the butter and pouring the syrup, my 5-year-old son made the comment apropos of nothing that he missed our old house.

We moved from the suburbs to downtown Chicago last summer and people often ask how the kids have made the transition. They seem to be happy most of the time and are making new friends so I always assume that everything is going great, forgetting that they still have memories and that there still may be a sense of loss. I was further taken aback when my daughter (who'll be nine in May) immediately agreed with him. It's been a while since they've said anything about missing our previous home so I followed up with the typical questions. Why do you miss it? What specifically do you miss? It was hard for them to articulate at first, but my daughter eventually gave me three specific answers.

She misses having a back yard.

She misses having her own swing set.

There's more litter where we live now.

I couldn't really disagree with her points and I spent the rest of the evening pondering all this and feeling a little guilty about the move. We moved because I'm helping start a new church in the city and, personally and professionally, I really haven't regretted it at all. But, of course, when you're married with two kids and an aging dog, it's not all about me.

She's right about the litter. I've noticed it, too, as the snow begins to melt. This may be the ugliest time of the year because the remaining snow drifts are now charcoal gray and the warmer weather reveals small bits of garbage and dog waste. It's not overwhelming, but it is noticeable. I also understand her missing the swing set that we had. There is a sense of convenience and ownership about having your own swing set rather than having to the park. We spent more time talking about not having a back yard because the last few days she's been having a great time playing soccer with some other kids her age in the courtyard/parking lot in the back of our town house. She agreed with my observation, but noted that when you play on asphalt, it hurts when you fall down as opposed to playing on grass.

I can't deny that some sacrifices have been made in living where we do and I must confess that I sometimes jump to quickly to the advantages, like the diversity and living so close to so many world-class museums. I don't spend as much time thinking about what we left behind. But, like most parents, I pray that my kids might learn some lessons in all this.

Rather than moving to escape the litter, another option would be to pick up a bag and pick some of the litter up. My wife did that a few months ago. A car window was broken outside our home and the glass stayed on the ground for days. I kept expecting the Broken Car Window Clean-up Fairy to come by and take care of it but s/he didn't show up. So my wife put on some gardening gloves and did it herself.

Rather than moving so that we can have our own swing set, I hope my kids learn about sharing public resources while they play at the park and rub elbows with children who come from a wide variety of backgrounds.

And rather than moving so we can have a backyard with grass, maybe they'll learn that falling down sometimes hurts and so you have to make the decision whether to get back up again and keep kicking the ball.

As I pray that my kids learn these lessons, however, I also wonder about the last time that I picked up a bag or shared my resources or got back up off the ground without grumbling or blaming someone or Someone else. We're learning lessons together.

After we finished our waffles, the kids went out on the little deck outside our kitchen to play with some Silly String that one of them got at a birthday party. In a matter of minutes, they went from talking about what they missed to rejoicing at what was before them. The string squirted out onto the parking lot and landed on the asphalt, the same asphalt that will cushion their fall when they get the soccer ball out tomorrow.

Who do you love?

2010-03-09T14:31:00.003-06:00

Hopefully by this time next week, at least a few people will be hearing or reading about Urban Village Church for the first time. We're investing in an ad campaign on the CTA so five L stops (Roosevelt, Addison, Merchandise Mart, Damen, and Southport), Red Line cars, and buses throughout the city will have Urban Village posters and cards posted.

There are five different ads. The main text will be the same on all five: "Bored or burned by religion in the past? We're doing church differently. Urban Village Church begins worship on March 28/10:15 a.m./Spertus Institute/610 S. Michigan." The headlines for each ad will be different, however:

We love gay people/We love straight people
We love Democrats/We love Republicans
We love tattoos/We love suits
We love doubters/We love believers
We love Sox fans/We love Cub fans

We're pleased with the way the ads turned out and hope that, even if people don't come to our church, they'll at least think for a moment about what it means to love the way Jesus loved. "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..."

That's Jesus talking. Matthew 5:43-44. That passage rarely fails to make me pause and think about who I claim to love. Because of this ad campaign I've created my own list, including those people I find hard to love. People who irritate me, who are insensitive, rude, and annoying. If I really want to follow in the way of Jesus, it means I love rude people and I love insensitive people. It means I pray for them. It also means that I'm humble enough to know that I have my days of being irritating, insensitive, rude, and annoying. And I'm thankful that others still love me anyway.

Praying for change

2010-02-25T13:04:00.001-06:00

I've been going to St. Procopius Benedictine Abbey for spiritual retreats off and on now since the mid-1990s. At first, I was pretty regimented about the whole process. I'd follow a strict guideline of when to pray, when to read, and when to attend prayer and worship with the monks. I don't regret that way of going about it because I think it helped me get accustomed to actually going on a spiritual retreat. With experience, though, I've cut myself much more slack. If I feel like reading, I read. If I feel like praying, I pray. If I feel like napping, I nap. If I feel like going for a walk, I head outside. I still attend all the communal opportunities for prayer and worship (there are four a day), but I now go into each retreat not really sure what will come out of it. Usually a verse or theme emerges.

One of the things I like about St. Procopius is that nothing much changes. The same monks are here, the same schedule is pretty much kept, and I stay in the same room. It's been more than a year since I last came out here, though, and change is happening. Seven monks died in 2009, including two I knew somewhat well. Father Thomas, the guest master (think of him as the concierge of St. Procopius), who always seemed ageless to me, is also slowing down a bit.

It struck me this morning that "change" would emerge as the theme of this retreat. Not just my observation of change taking place here at the abbey, but the change that needs to always take place within me. This isn't a novel revelation, but I realize that I've been spending way too much time lately wanting other people to change to adjust to my wants and needs and way too little time praying for a changed heart within me.

That can be a daunting prayer: I'm ready for my heart-my life-to change, O God. Eugene Peterson notes, "Be slow to pray. Praying puts us at risk of getting involved with God's conditions...Praying most often does get us what we want but what God wants, something quite at variance with what we conceive to be in our best interests. And when we realize what is going on, it is often too late to go back."

It's a risky prayer, to be sure. But I kind of like where this prayer is leading me during this Lenten season.

Melting snow reveals blechy stuff

2010-02-19T16:42:00.003-06:00

It was a warmer day yesterday and the sun was out which makes life much happier for lots of people, but I found myself feeling a little bleah yesterday afternoon. I think one reason is that with warmer temperatures comes melting snow and that means trash and dog excrement are revealed. I was walking around a nearby neighborhood yesterday and it wasn't a pretty sight. That's the thing about living in the city. I find myself either really, really liking it (which is about 80 percent of the time) or really, really not (that would be about 20 percent of the time). Not sure why the bleah feeling came about because it's been a very good week for the church. About ready to announce the hiring of our new worship leader and worship venue.

I'm hoping I can keep up with this Lenten practice of reading through the Marks of a Christian from Romans 12. Today's mark: Hate what is evil. If that doesn't spur all kinds of reflection, I don't know what will. Hate? Evil?

Marked

2010-02-18T09:27:00.003-06:00

We went to my daughter's school on Tuesday night for a Fat Tuesday celebration and, of course, when you gather lots and lots of kids in a gymnasium with pizza, sweets, and a D.J., it's a jolt to your senses (at least to my 42-year-old senses). One of the highlights for our kids--as it often is at an event like this--was getting their faces painted. I was grumbling a bit because the line was long and the artists seemed to be taking their sweet time about it, but I must say that these were some pretty cool designs. Caroline had a kind-of Mardi Gras design and Ethan had a dragon on his face. There was no way they wanted to wash these marks off when we got home so they slept on towels over their pillows that night. Ethan was a particularly careful sleeper, I think, and may have slept on his back the whole night.

Yesterday hundreds of people were walking around downtown with a different design on their faces, or, specifically, their foreheads. Ash Wednesday. Many people heard the sobering yet important words, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." I was marked with my ash cross over the noon hour and received a few double takes, including a woman on the L who asked about it.

The kids on Tuesday night and the many yesterday were all marked for different reasons and the passage I was reading this morning really jumped out at me as a great text to relate to these marks. Romans 12:9-21 is often entitled "Marks of the True Christian" and it's a powerful list of entreaties written by a man named Paul. Depending on how you break them up, there are 25 or so ways to measure whether we have these marks. Let love be genuine. Do not lag in zeal. Be patient in suffering. Persevere in prayer. I think I may use this as a key text during these next 40-plus days of Lent as I wonder about the marks in/on my heart and whether people can see them as easily as a dragon or an ash cross.

A reminder of God's love

2010-02-11T12:50:00.000-06:00

We all have our routines before we go to bed and I'm glad to say that reading Harry Potter aloud to my daughter has become one for us (I don't know whether she appreciates my doing a variety of voices for all the characters, but I have a lot of fun with it).

In addition to J.K. Rowling and prayers and brushing teeth, I always tell her I love her before I head out of her room. Every once in a while, though, I want to make sure she really hears me so I kneel down at her level and I her ask her if she really knows how proud her mom and I are of her and how deeply we love her. A smile usually comes across her face and she nods her head. I think she appreciates that extra effort.

The news that God loves us may not be novel. For some, this may be a radical thing, but others spent many a Sunday School class singing "Jesus loves me, this I know" over and over and over. Every once in a while, though, I think God stops and tries to convey this in a different way so that we really know the depth of that love. I read something by the spiritual writer Henri Nouwen this week that was a good reminder for me. Nouwen writes how he imagines what God might be saying to him:

"I have called you by name, from the very beginning. You are mine and I am yours. You are my Beloved, on you my favor rests. I have molded you in the depths of the earth and knitted you together in your mother's womb. I have carved you in the palms of my hands and hidden you in the shadow of my embrace. I look at you with infinite tenderness and care for you with a care more intimate than that of a mother and her child. I have counted every hair on your head and guided you at every step. Wherever you go, I go with you, and wherever you rest, I keep watch. I will give you food that will satisfy all your hunger and drink that will quench all your thirst. I will not hide my face from you. You know me as your own as I know you as my own. You belong to me. I am your father, your mother, your brother, your sister, your lover and your spouse...yes, even your child...wherever you are I will be. Nothing will ever separate us. We are one."

I believe God says this to all of us. All. Of. Us. May we never forget it.

At the extremes

2010-02-03T16:39:00.004-06:00

Ash Wednesday isn't for a couple more weeks so I'm jumping the gun a bit on this post, but this thought came to me a couple days ago and I wanted to record it.

I've been thinking a little bit about (take your pick) Satan/the devil/evil force/the enemy lately. I don't know if I've ever clearly come to some decision about what exactly I believe about God's opposite, but I do believe there is opposite force/power in our world. However you name it, I've been struck lately that this force will often take me to the extremes. For example, I've been feeling a little anxious lately about our new church's finances and whether enough money will be forthcoming in gifts and pledges. Nothing in particular has happened that should plant this doubt in my mind--just stuff I ruminate on when I wake up at 3 a.m. But the anxiety gets planted and then takes me to places I shouldn't really go, e.g. it's a bad economy so we'll never have enough money and I should never have left my previous church and oh, woe, is me...

You see? Taken to an extreme that isn't good for anybody.

On the other hand, it's also not good to be at the other end of that extreme, namely, oh, don't worry about it at all. The money will come so there's no need to plan or ask for money or start teaching about stewardship. That also won't get us anywhere.

This same kind of thinking has applied when I think about my own gifts and graces. I've been at one extreme where I think that I have no talents at all and I should just probably quit the ministry and I've been at the other end where I think that, quite possibly, I may be the best preacher in the country. Not good to be at either end.

What does this have to do with Ash Wednesday? A common text that people reflect on early in Lent is the story of Jesus' temptation by Satan (Luke 4:1-13). Satan tempts Jesus to do some pretty extreme stuff. Turn a stone into bread. Jump off the pinnacle of the Temple. Jesus doesn't fall for this trap, though, and begins his ministry.

Balance has always been important to me and I think that's true when thinking about a force that pushes me to extremes. I'd rather be centered in the unfailing love of God.

Saying yes again and again

2010-01-27T11:03:00.000-06:00

The first time I went into their home, I immediately noticed the pictures on the wall next to the staircase. I had been invited over to have some coffee with some new acquaintances and there on the wall leading upstairs were a series of pictures. They were all of the couple, but you could tell that in each picture they were each changing ever so slightly. I asked them about it and they told me that every year on their anniversary, they renew their wedding vows and they take a picture to commemorate it. I kind of liked that sense not just of commitment, but also of recommitment.

It's a big decision to commit to someone or something, but it's an even bigger decision to make that conscious commitment day after day after day, whether you give yourself to another person or a job or a personal goal. Or God.

There are lots of stories in the Bible where God asks for a commitment from a person or a group of people and there are just as many stories in the Bible of these same people who either flee from this commitment or who simply say, no thanks. It's not always an easy thing to say yes to God because usually that means our lives change. I believe they change for the better, but, still, they do change.

I also believe that God asks all of us for some kind of commitment. Sometimes we name that a "call," either to a vocation (everything from a teacher to a small-business owner) or an action (maybe raising money for Haiti or working to reform our country's immigration policies). But I do believe that the request is made and it's always a request that's based in God's deep and abiding love for each of us.

It can be a scary thing to say yes to God's call. But once we do, it helps to say yes each day, even on the days when our heart's not in it. God's heart can make up for the rest.

On the bus

2010-01-21T09:50:00.003-06:00

I had an interesting discussion yesterday with a young adult who's a social worker/community organizer. Two nuggets from that conversation: First, she attends a small church in Logan Square (or it may be just north of there) and they engage in communal fasting during Lent. A couple years ago, for example, they made a covenant to give up plastic. Three years ago, they made a covenant to not buy non-essential items. I was really impressed with this. We focus a lot on individual fasting during Lent, but I haven't heard or read much about communal spiritual practices. Second, she observed that friends of hers who used to attend non-denominational churches have been interested in converting to Catholicism. One of her friends noted that she likes the idea of going to church or engaging in something and knowing that there are countless others around the globe hearing and doing the same thing. I believe there's still a desire for community in this age of hyper-individualism.

Also, I spent a lot of time on buses yesterday. The Chicago Transit Authority is making some route cuts in a few weeks and I wonder just what impact this is going to have on some of the neighborhoods I was riding through. One thing I still can't understand is why all senior citizens (regardless of income) get free rides on buses and trains. I know why it happened--our infamous former governor thought it would secure support from this voting bloc, but is it that big of a sacred cow now that it can't be reviewed?

Had a really good day yesterday--a strong sense of the Spirit of Christ within me.

The virtue of curiosity

2010-01-19T10:46:00.003-06:00

One of the best things about this new gig as a church planter is the conversations I have with a wide variety of people. The end of last week was a dramatic example of this, but it's a case in point.

I met with a man last Friday who's the executive director of a homeless organization in the Pilsen neighborhood, a predominantly Mexican area just south and west of the Loop. He served 12 years in prison for accessory to murder and the stories he told me were fascinating. He talked openly about his time in prison, what he learned and how it actually helped him. He also talked frankly about homelessness and Pilsen. In fact, as we were talking about gangs, he went over to his white board and started drawing a map of the neighborhood, highlighting which blocks "belonged" to which gangs. I'm used to a white board being used for, you know, church retreats and stuff like that. Never this and a few scales fell from my eyes about the reality of the city.

The very next day I had a conversation with a woman who's a managing editor of Playboy. We were both volunteering at the same site for the Chicago Cares Day of Service and, since we both live in the same neighborhood, she gave me a ride home from the site. I was really interested in her insights on media in today's society and also I was interested in learning what she knows about straight men. Our church seems to be reaching women and gay men pretty well, but we haven't connected with many straight men. I don't think we're that unusual because many churches also wonder how they can reach men. It was an engaging conversation and it reminded me of one of my tenets of ministry: More often than not, it is more helpful to ask questions than to make statements. Certainly we are called to proclaim certain things, but conversation flows a lot more freely when I begin with curiosity. Who is this person? What makes her tick? Why does he do he does? When conversations begin this way, not only do I learn a lot, but the other person is also usually curious about me and this new church. Only God knows where the conversation will end up, but I feel like I leave a lot more room for the Spirit to operate than if I only make declarations.

Curiosity is an underrated virtue.

Lessons of a snow tunnel

2010-01-15T08:46:00.001-06:00

My kids and I built a great snow tunnel on Saturday. I wasn't sure that would be possible in the city, but the snow plows left a big pile of snow in our back parking lot that was perfect for digging and shaping. I must confess when they first asked me to come out with them I was a little hesitant because, well, it was really cold outside and really warm inside. I eventually went out and watched them attempt to build this fort until I was moved to join in the construction.

We slowly built a tunnel. I'd dig and shovel a while and then my 5-year-old would see if he could fit. If he couldn't, more digging and shoveling. Finally we got to the point where there was enough room for him to come through and it was hilarious to see. He came through head first and out popped his face with a look of pure joy on it.

This tunnel-building process came into my mind yesterday. I was thinking about all the work we've done for this new church and all the work that has yet be tackled and I got into that mode of worrying that I wasn't doing enough, I wasn't productive enough. That's not a good place to be. But, thanks be to God, the snow tunnel came to mind and became a great metaphor for me. No matter what I do during my day--whether it's official "church" stuff or whether it's riding a bus or spending time with my kids--I think I'm called to create a space (like, for example, a snow tunnel) for the joy of God to come through. The good news is that God doesn't need much space--a kind word, a listening ear, even eye contact can provide an opening for God to do some amazing things.

Podcast up

2010-01-12T11:28:00.003-06:00

For those interested in listening to me, a podcast is up at my previous site. If you're interested, you can also subscribe to my podcasts (which, at this point, are sent out sporadically) by going to iTunes Store and typing in "genxrev" in the search engine. My page should come up and you can subscribe to it there.

It's the sermon I preached last Sunday night for our third service as Urban Village Church. It was a cold night and we didn't get quite the turn-out we had hoped for, but it was great to gather. We had the same number of people as we did for our first service, around 75 or so. I'll reflect more on this tomorrow.

My sermon this Sunday

2010-01-07T09:52:00.004-06:00

I'm preaching this Sunday so I'm using the blog today to help organize my thoughts. It's a lot longer than my usual posts, so my apologies for that.

Santa was good to my kids this year. We got a Wii. I've never been a huge video game player so I wasn't terribly familiar with the Wii other than the few times I played at my mom's home in Iowa. I knew about the basic stuff--bowling, baseball, boxing--that comes with it and I knew there were a lot of other games out there, but it's a whole new world for me. The thing that surprised me, though, was the "game" that attracted my kids' attention the most. I don't even know if you can call it a game. There's a component of Wii called Mii where you can create new people to inhabit your own virtual community in addition to creating players for the various games you play. Ethan (our 5-year-old), especially, is fascinated by this. You can create people in literally all shapes, sizes, and colors and there are countless variations you can come up with including different eye, nose, and mouth shapes. As we head into a new year, I'm wondering how many people there are who would like to start their lives over and do it simply and easily--using a remote control.

I don't know about you, but I often feel like I'm told that I need to take control of my life if I want to create a whole new me. No one else is going to lose weight, quit smoking, read more, and find love for you. It's all up to you. There's some truth in that. But I think that can also put a lot of unnecessary pressure on us. I don't believe it starts with you or me. I don't believe that we are totally in control, as much as we may try. I believe it starts with God. Let me say that again. If we want renewal, it starts with God.

One of the great stories of renewal comes in the gospel of Luke--the story of Zacchaeus. While it's great that many of us know this story because of the songs we sang about Z when we were children (Zacchaeus was a wee little man...), I also wonder if we have relegated this story to the Sunday School and it's lost its power. We don't know a whole lot about Z. We know he was a chief tax collector which, in Jesus' day, meant that he was probably engaged in what we would call white-collar crime. The Romans needed to collect taxes and they hired "consultants" to collect these taxes. People like Z would pay a lump sum to the Roman authorities up front and then hire other people to go collect the taxes from the common people. As you can imagine, chief tax collectors charged extra in order to line their own pockets. So, Z was a chief tax collector and he was rich. And, as we know from the song, he was short. In this story in Luke 19:1-10, Z is interested in Jesus' entry into Jericho. The text doesn't tell us why. This is what I'm curious about. Why does Zacchaeus want see Jesus? Is he simply curious because he's heard about him? Does he feel like maybe he needs to make a change in his life? Z leaves himself open to ridicule by running and climbing a tree so I have to believe that there's something more than curiosity at play here. No matter what the motive, though, Jesus affirms Z (which, as often happens, leaves Jesus open to scorn because he once again breaks cultural norms and barriers) by inviting himself to Z's house. Later in the story, Z changes. Big time. He gives half of his possessions to the poor and, in a sense, turns over a new leaf. Could Z have done this without Jesus? Could he have said, I'm going to take control of my life and become a new Zacchaeus all by myself? I doubt it.

You may have heard of a new book that just came out that's called "Living Oprah" where a Chicago woman (Robyn Okrant) vowed to live her life in 2008 by following the advice offered by Oprah Winfrey. The book is taken from a blog and I took some time this week to read how her life changed because of this decision. I mainly just read what Oprah advised in January 2008 plus a few other things, too. Some of Oprah's advice:

No more paper or plastic bags at the grocery store. We will bring our cloth bags with us on every trip.

Changing light bulbs to energy efficient bulbs.

Women need to get their clothing altered to fit them. Especially their jeans.

Have beautiful surroundings.

Live your own truth.

Switch from overhead lighting to lamps; put stuff up on my walls that might become art when I hang it, but isn't necessarily thought of as art; add sea life to a room add a fabulous chair to each room; frame important notes; add books about subjects you love to your space; make your rooms personal.

On Monday, Oprah says diet, so we diet. On Tuesday, Oprah says eat a waffle cone full of ice cream, so we eat a waffle cone full of ice cream.

See "Juno" asap.

Read the Dr. Christiane Northrup book, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom.

Go to the movie "27 Dresses" and then go have margaritas.

Run out and get "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle then go to Oprah.com to register for for the 10-week, world-wide class that Eckhart and I will be teaching on A New Earth.

Each day we're meant to kiss our partner for 10 seconds. Pecking doesn't count. Actual 10 second quality kissing.

Look at our genitals.

Quite an array of advice. The book/blog seems to have gotten a lot of publicity and one thing I hope comes out of this is a discussion about who guides our lives and whose advice do we follow. Is it our culture? Is it Oprah? Is it ourselves? Or is it God?

It's difficult to get a handle on just how much influence other cultural messages have on us. We may think we're taking control of our own lives, but there are many voices that vie to be our voice. And they're often too successful. True renewal comes when we do our best to listen to one Voice, the voice that invites himself over to our home and our heart. God's voice. My mantra so far in 2010 has been to ask, "What is your desire, O God, in this situation?" I won't always follow it as I should, but I'm trying to make sure it's the main advice I'm following.

I resolve...

2010-01-04T16:35:00.002-06:00

I'm all about resolutions. And not just resolutions for a new year. Each day, week, month, I try to take advantage of newness to improve some aspect of my life. As I type this, I realize it may read like I'm sort of insufferable self-improvement fanatic, but that's not the case. At least I don't think it is. I think it's more of my recognition that I am and always will be a work in progress and want to do all I can to be open to, well, progressing.

I try to keep my resolutions short and practical. Not sure if I make them realistic or not, but I give it a shot.

In 2010, I want to:

**Be intentional about having devotional time every day (I've slacked on this in recent months)

**Eat more fruit

**Send birthday cards. Real, paper birthday cards.

That's it. There are other things I also try to make progress on, but, for now, these will do. I thought about resolving to have a smaller carbon footprint. Certainly I'll try to do that, but I need to think of something that makes it more practical.

It's who you know

2009-12-22T15:46:00.003-06:00

We went to a "boot camp" last May to learn about all things related to church planting and part of that education was, not surprisingly, about money. That's usually one of the first questions people ask if they're curious about what we're doing. Sometimes they're a little hesitant about asking because they don't want to offend, but it's a good question. How exactly is this whole thing funded?

About half of it over the next three years is being funded from our denomination (or, for you United Methodists out there, our annual conference), but the other half is coming from donations from friends, family, and acquaintances and (we hope) people who commit to being a part of this new church. We sent out a letter to our family and friends a few weeks ago asking not so subtly for them to support us financially. And this was a learning for me: The person leading the boot camp said, essentially, that those family and friends won't necessarily be giving out of altruistic purposes or they feel led by God to give. All that may be true, but the main reason they're giving is because they trust and believe in me.

It's easy to feel a little awkward about that, but when I think about my own giving, it's true. I wouldn't give to the Washington County Hospice if it sent me a letter, but I supported it because my Aunt Cathy was doing a walk to support it. Same with numerous other charities that we support. We give because of the relationships.

Our intern at Urban Village Church, Anne Williamson, preached at another church last Sunday night and she said a really helpful thing. She was using Luke 1:26-38 and noted that Mary said yes to the angel not because she knew what exactly would happen in her future or because all of her questions would be answered. Mary said yes because she knew who was making the request. It was God. Mary trusted God, loved God, and may have thought that this request was absurd, but she said yes because of trust and love.

I have prayed this week that my trust and faith God can continue to deepen so that I can continue to say yes to whatever it is that God is asking.

Grabbing the baby Jesus

2009-12-17T09:05:00.001-06:00

I went to my son's preschool Christmas program this morning at Old St. Mary Church on south Michigan avenue. He was very excited to have us see him in his elf costume, but the real excitement came from a little boy who was probably about 3 years old. My wife and I were chatting with another parent waiting for the program to start when this boy came sprinting down the aisle of the sanctuary. He had his eyes and feet focused on the little barn that was constructed in the front of the church. More specifically, he was dying to get to the baby Jesus. He grabbed the doll and started looking at him and about ten seconds later the boy's mom grabbed him and whisked him away.

We're told to wait during the Advent season. Children are told to wait as they count down the days until Christmas. Adults are told to wait and use this period of waiting as a time for spiritual growth and reflection. But we don't often hear how we are supposed to wait. I don't think it's a passive waiting, but an eager one, like a boy who simply cannot control himself because of his desire to see the baby Jesus.

Faith in God through the living Christ enables us to engage in active waiting and anticipation. Something sacred and abundant is always in our midst because God is faithful and has surprises and adventures in store for us every day. Let us then throw off the covers in the morning and, like this little boy, run into the day actively waiting and watching to see where Jesus might be.

Second Urban Village worship

2009-12-14T11:19:00.003-06:00

We had our second worship as Urban Village Church last night and it was another great experience. We had about 110 people attend and in the midst of singing the songs and listening to Trey preach and investigating strange noises, I also took time to look around and just marvel at everything.

I thought back to the day in June 2007 when I first read the article in Chicago Magazine about the South Loop neighborhood, when the idea was first planted. I thought about the time that Trey and I went to our district superintendent a few months later with this idea of doing something together. Neither of us really could be sure whether we'd get the green light. I thought back to this summer when we'd be thrilled if one or two people expressed even a scintilla of interest in this new church. And then last night. Dozens of people had come together. It really is remarkable and speaks to taking that next step whenever God plants an idea in your head. I believe God does that all the time (planting the ideas), but too often we don't do anything with it. I've been guilty of this many times. Life happens, after all. We have the day-to-day stuff that we must attend to and we don't really have time to take action on God Ideas. But, truly, amazing things can happen if we even give these ideas the tiniest bit of attention and take the smallest steps. Things may not always take off quickly and may not flourish like you initially envisioned, but still. It's a pretty awesome thing to see something come out of nothing. I think there's a story in Genesis about that.

Candy cane give-away

2009-12-11T09:53:00.003-06:00

We're all out.

Eight of us teamed up over the last few days to hand out candy canes tied to cards that publicize our next worship service (this Sunday night at 7 p.m. at 637 S. Dearborn). We probably handed out 1,500 of them all over the city on street corners and near L stops. Some observations:

**I was surprised that more people didn't take them. Maybe it was because I got better at it, but on Sunday when I went out only about a third of the people took them. On Tuesday, that went up a bit and then yesterday, it went to about half.

**There were very generally four types of people. First were the people who had their heads down and weren't going to look at me even if I was giving away $100 bills. Second were the people who were polite enough, made eye contact, but said no thank you. Third were the people who took the candy canes without breaking stride, like I was handing out water and they were running a marathon. Fourth were the people who were vocally appreciative, took the candy, and gave me a smile. Those folks were in the minority, but it still made me feel good.

**A few interesting stories, too. One woman asked me if this church was that "expatriate Methodist church." One man took a look at the card, read the phrase that said, "Love all," and said, "A church that loves all? I'll believe it when I see it." One other man looked at me and grudgingly took the candy cane as if to say, "Oh, alright, if it will make you feel better." A few folks were shocked that they were free.

**I have no idea how effective this will be--I guess we'll find out (hopefully) on Sunday, but the more I did it, the more I kind of enjoyed it. Even in the frigid weather we had yesterday.

Christmas connections

2009-12-08T14:39:00.003-06:00

I seem to be in a bit of a networking slump. I've mentioned in previous posts that networking and making contacts is the lifeblood of starting a new church. I had great success in October. November was also pretty good until about the middle of the month and then things started to slow down, meaning not as many people were returning phone calls or e-mails. I've learned pretty quickly that there are times of bounty and times of scarcity when it comes to this kind of thing, but obviously times of scarcity are harder to deal with.

I've been more intentional, then, about going to events that community organizations put together. Last night, for example, the Greater South Loop Association had its holiday party and tomorrow night, the South Loop Neighbors organization will have its holiday and I went to and will go to both of these. I think the thing that makes this a bit more challenging is that Christmas is often a time to reconnect with those closest to you. It's the time we send out the letters and go to parties with friends, but here I am still trying to build relationships, meet new people. That's an ongoing process that, for the most part, I really enjoy, but it can get discouraging.

I participated in a hard-core networking task last Sunday as I stood outside the Target on Roosevelt Road handing out candy canes tied to cards that publicize our next worship service (this Sunday night, 7 p.m., 637 S. Dearborn). That was a pretty cold experience, in more ways than one. First, it was literally pretty chilly and, second, I was a bit surprised that only about a third of the people actually accepted these candy canes. Many were very polite about it ("No, thank you"), but, still, I left with quite a few candy canes in my bag. I'll be going out to L stops today, tomorrow, and Thursday to do the same thing. Sometimes I wonder whether I'm doing any good by doing this. I think I am (I should say we are because others from our church are doing this, too). I sometimes run my mouth off about leaving the church building and hitting the streets but I need to recognize that it's not always easy. In the midst of all of this, though, God is with me and us. The birth of Jesus tells me so.

Mary's witness

2009-12-03T14:59:00.001-06:00

From my contribution to our eNews:

Tuesday was World AIDS Day and, rightfully so, emphasis has been given in recent years on the AIDS epidemic in Africa. While that certainly deserves our attention, I also remember Darryl on Dec. 1.

I first moved to the Chicago area in 1992 and soon started volunteering with an organization that was then called Open Hands Chicago. My task was pretty simple--deliver meals in the Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods to people with AIDS who were unable to make meals for themselves. Darryl was one of those people. We were never close, but our relationship reminded me that there were real people at these addresses who struggled as they lived with this disease.

It's appropriate that World AIDS Day comes during the Advent season. While I enjoy the pre-Christmas preparation as much as anyone (I'm listening to "Silent Night" on Pandora as I type this), it's important to remember the radical words that Mary sang when she discovered that she was pregnant: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowlinesss of his servant...He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty" (an excerpt from Luke 1:46-55).

Mary reminds me that God came first to the the forgotten, the sick, the lonely. We must never forget that because the only way that God will lift up the lowly and fill the hungry with good things is through you and me doing things like delivering meals, advocating for the voiceless, and loving the lonely.

Skipping church

2009-11-24T17:16:00.002-06:00

"I, on the other hand, had a wonderful day. And I owe it all to skipping church."
--Homer Simpson

I skipped church last Sunday. Blatant. Premeditated. I'm not sure if it's admirable or sad that I can't remember the last church I did that. Of course, when you're pastor, it kind of goes with the territory that you'll be in worship, but even when I took a Sunday off as a pastor, there was usually a reason (vacation, sabbatical, conference) and, even then, I tried to go to worship somewhere.

It was supposed to be a beautiful day last Sunday so on Saturday, I told my wife, let's go to Starved Rock State Park tomorrow and let's leave in the morning. I've always wondered what it was like, though, for a family to just do something else other than go to church and as we sat there eating our picnic lunch, my wife intimated that she could kind of get used to not going to church. (I think she was kidding...I think).

But she had a point because it was a beautiful day. Our son wasn't sold on the idea and whined a bit (OK, whined a lot) but once we got there and started hiking around, our moods improved dramatically. As much as we enjoy living in the city, I'm finding it more and more important for us to make sure our kids stay in touch with nature so they get a more holistic view of God's creation.

I must confess that, as a pastor, I would occasionally silently judge people if I knew they were doing something else other than being in worship. I do think it's important for folks to be in worship on a regular basis, but, after last Sunday, if a person needs to play hooky on the occasional Sunday, I think I may have a better understanding of why.

When things don't change

2009-11-20T16:38:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite stores is a place I only visit about once a year and I'm only in there for 10 minutes or so. But I still look forward to it.

It's called The Shaver Shop and it's located in Evanston near the Davis St. Metra stop. Its sells electric razors and accessories and it's like walking through a time warp whenever I go in. Absolutely nothing changes about it. The signs and notices on the wall are the same (one sign says they accept BankAmericard, which became Visa in the mid-1970s), the magazines seem to be the same, the man (I assume is the owner) who helps me is the same. The products change, but that's about it.

I've wondered why I enjoy going in there and I suppose it has something to do with the fact that we are constantly bombarded with the message that everything in our world is changing and changing quickly so you better keep up. In many ways, I welcome change (especially when it comes to the church), but it's also kind of nice to have a few things that remain the same.

I'm thankful that God's promise that God will always love us and will always be present in our lives is one of those things. That will never change and I base my hope on that abiding and steadfast promise.

At home in a new place

2009-11-17T14:31:00.004-06:00

I've had a few people ask about how our first worship service as Urban Village Church went last Sunday night and I've been a bit surprised that my first reaction has been silence. I still haven't been able to put into words what my feelings and emotions were like that night. It's still a struggle to articulate it, but I'll give it a shot.

On the one hand, everything went great. We had around 80 people show up which, if you think about it, is pretty remarkable because just a few months ago, we had 2, Trey and I (well, a few more if you count our families). The venue was perfect and the transition between the Korean congregation that worships there in the afternoon and our worship went as smoothly as we could have hoped for (a last-minute email made me nervous about this, but it all worked out). The musicians were great (one found through a contact of Trey's, the other found on Craigslist). I preached and I think that went pretty well. At least people told me it went well.

And yet I still feel a bit detached from it all, probably because it hasn't sunk in that this thing (a.k.a. Urban Village) we've been working on for five months, this thing we've been thinking about for more than two years has actually started. I think we were all so anxious about everything running smoothly while also keeping an eye out for people who said they would come and didn't and being surprised by others who we never would have dreamed show up and did, it was hard to really and truly appreciate the evening.

I think, though, that the best way to describe it for me is that it felt like home. I've experienced a fair number of different worship services the last few months and have felt a little like Goldilocks (too much of something in one, too little of something in another). But Sunday night, it just felt right, even though it's still a work in progress and we have lots of areas in which we can improve. I was surrounded by a lot of people I didn't know and I felt a connection that I hadn't felt in a while. That is a very good thing since I preached about the need for followers of Jesus and questioners of Jesus to be in community together.

I have a feeling we'll look back on this night and chuckle at how we did things. But I also have a feeling that the sense of overwhelming gratitude for what God did in that place during that hour (and all the hours leading up to it) will only grow stronger as the years go along.

Sit. Stay.

2009-11-11T14:05:00.004-06:00

For years, I've had my prayer/devotional time early in the morning, right after I wake up. I'm usually the first one up (not counting our son's occasional ventures into our room around 3 a.m.) so it's quiet and allows me to start the day with the right focus. Granted, I'd fall asleep while praying from time to time (hey, the disciples did it), but, still it worked out well. That's changed once school started this fall.

School buses aren't too common in the city so I've been driving my daughter to school nearly every day. It's not that bad of a drive. At most, it takes 15 minutes and we leave around 7:40. If I want to run in the morning, though, that pretty much means my prayer time has shifted to 8:30 or 9. Normally, that wouldn't be a huge deal, but my body has been used to getting going with the day at 8:30 or 9 so I'm fighting my mind now. It says, "Hey, this is your most productive time of the day and you're spending it...praying?!? You should be writing, planning, answering e-mail."

At 8:30, I feel a little like our dog when she's particularly energetic. The only way to get her (the dog) to settle down is to use an authoritarian voice and command, "Sit. Stay." And, most of the time, she does. In fact, she seems a little relieved that some boundaries have been placed on her.

Those words came to mind yesterday morning as I was eager to get going. Sit, the Spirit said. Stay. And I did. And I was glad. I've had to get used to this new rhythm, but it's slowly coming.

Wanted: Wide, open spaces

2009-11-08T19:20:00.004-06:00

We're understandably been asked quite a bit how we like living in the city compared to the suburbs and we've really loved it. I'm speaking for all of us, which may be a bit presumptuous (the kids occasionally say they want to move back), but I've really thrived on the energy that living downtown offers.

Until today. Or, more accurately, until last Friday.

My wife's birthday was yesterday so I spent a little time shopping for her gift on Friday. She had a couple specific requests which I thought would make things easy, but for some reason I got caught in the vortex of North Michigan Avenue and didn't feel like I could escape. I'm not a big fan of shopping the Magnificent Mile--too many people, too many stores, not enough selection (at least for what I wanted). I finally got out of there with my purchases, but ever since then I've had this feeling of claustrophobia and the city feels like it's closing in on me a bit. Part of the reason may be that our son's been sick so we've been cooped inside with him during this beautiful weekend. I so wanted to escape to a forest preserve this afternoon, but Anne had some friends coming down so it didn't work out. Maybe a run by the lake tomorrow will help.

Back in the saddle...

2009-11-08T19:09:00.003-06:00

...in more ways than one.

After spending the last two to three years blogging on my .mac account, I've finally given up and come back to blogspot, mainly because of convenience. I won't bore you with the details, but it got to the point where it took 20 minutes or so to download one simple post. That got to be a hassle and I think was a big reason I stopped posting very regularly. So, I'm creating a minor inconvenience by telling people to come back to this site, but it's a lot easier for me so I appreciate your patience and understanding. I'll still podcast from time to time and I'll need to send people back to the other site for that, but, for now, this will be the place.

I was also back in the saddle in that I preached for the first time in close to five months today. I'd forgotten how much I missed it. I've been speaking at other churches in September and October, but that was essentially giving a stump speech about the new church. This felt like an actual sermon (going off a theme, picking a text, etc.) and I think it went OK (it was at Prince of Peace United Methodist Church in Elk Grove Village). One thing that threw me this week was coming up with a new schedule for sermon preparation. In my previous church, I was used to spending an hour or two every morning during the week doing the prep work. This week, it was kind of scattered. I need to be a more regimented this week as I prepare the sermon for our first worship as Urban Village Church. I'm pretty stoked for that. It's all coming together...

Mission to Mississippi Days Two and Three

2007-03-07T22:25:00.000-06:00

I won't be writing much tonight and, unfortunately, my part of the trip is going to be cut short because I learned tonight that my grandfather passed away today. I'm flying home tomorrow night to go to the funeral.

The weather has been superb and, though we're all sore, tired, and itching because of the bugs that keep after us, I think all will agree it has been well worth the trip. I spent some of the day on the roof, putting shingles up and also part of the day putting a new lattice around the foundation of Miss Ethel's home.

I've realized that it will take decades for this area to fully recover. So much to do. We drove down to the gulf (if you look at Hwy 90 along the Miss. southern border, you'll see where we drove) and parts are like a ghost town. You can see slats where houses where, swimming pools, torn down trees, but nothing else. Some homes have rebuilt, but those are nicer homes with folks who could probably afford to do so.

I've also been struck by how nice everyone is. You hear about southern hospitality, but I've been experiencing it first-hand. Today I had to call the electric company to ask them to shut off Miss Ethel's power so we could work on the roof (the line was in our way) and even the customer service rep was nice.

It's hard for me to collect my thoughts right now. So much to take in and now thinking about my grandfather and preparing the eulogy for his funeral Saturday. God is good, though, and I have been blessed.

Mission to Mississippi--Day One

2007-03-05T21:04:00.000-06:00

Today was our first full day on our Mississippi Mission Trip and we couldn've have asked for a better day weather-wise (probably near 70 degrees). Breakfast was at 6:30, so we were up pretty early.

An aside: They say that cats have a sense that tells them which humans don't like cats. Of course, they then proceed to go jump in that person's lap. I think I have the same kind of attraction to snorers. My apologies to those of you who snore, but, it's almost impossible for me to sleep when a snorer is near. Of course, there's a man right across from me in our bunk beds with a snore that's a bout a 6 on a scale of 1-10. Yes, I have earplugs and they help, but they're not soundproof. OK, I'm done complaining about snorers.

Anyway, we got up and ate breakfast. We're staying on the grounds of St. Paul United Methodist Church in Ocean Springs, MS. The church didn't get hit too severely by Katrina (at least I don't think it did), but it's obviously close to a lot of things that were destroyed. On the grounds of the church is a former Navy SEALS barracks which was purchased from the government by a local benefactor and that's where we're sleeping. Accommodations are pretty good and we eat our meals in the church.

I'm in a work group of about 9 or so and that includes fellow CUMC members Jay Geerdes and Joe Hmieleski (Sue Howard and Gerrie Geerdes are on the kitchen crew for the first couple of days). The work group also includes folks from LaSalle, Naperville, and Rockford. We're working on the house of a woman named Esther, who's 81, in the town of Moss Hill. I'm still not sure how or if the house was affected by Katrina, but she needs a new roof and her carport is/was pretty rickety. I say "was" because we demolished it while also getting a pretty good start on the roof.

I've talked about this issue before, but maybe I can finally resign myself to the fact that my brain just doesn't grasp carpentry. That's a hard thing to admit because it's such a guy kind of thing, but, when it comes to this kind of work, I'm definitely a follower. Most of my work was doing some demolishing (my crowbar got a workout today) and lifting up old shingles. I let others do the planning. I'll simply follow. That's actually a good thing for me to experience.

Esther's daughter's church is providing lunch for our group tomorrow, which should be a treat.

We came back around 5 today, waited in line for showers, and then ate meat loaf and cheesy potato casserole for dinner. Joe and I made a quick run to Wal-Mart (I needed Chap Stik and shampoo) and I called home, recieivng a boost when I heard my wife's voice.

We went down to the Gulf yesterday to get some perspective on the damage and I'll write about that tomorrow. I won't complain about snorers any more. I promise.

One more quick thing--I have to say that, so far, this has been a more enjoyabale experience than when I went on the Appalachia Service Project in 2001. Various reason for this (one major one is that the ASP trip was about a month after our daughter was born), but one is that it's such a joy to serve with Joe, Sue, Gerrie and Jay. Keep us in your prayers!

Goodbye, blogspot...

2006-09-15T17:29:00.000-05:00

It's been a great 12 months or so on blogspot, but my blog is moving on to (hopefully) more adventurous climes.

It's a very, very, very rough start, but I took a plunge into the domain name waters, bought genxrev and now have a new home at:

www.genxrev.com

In addition to all this newness, the blog has my first attempt at a podcast where I've recorded this Sunday's sermon. You can also go to iTunes, click on the "Podcasts" button on the upper left, type in "genxrev" in the search engine and you can listen to me there.

Frankly, I'm sick of myself and wouldn't be surprised if you are too, but, here it is. I'm going to keep this blog up, however, if you want to read earlier posts.

Thanks for reading!

Krispy Kreme grace

2006-09-13T21:09:00.000-05:00

This must be a dad kind of thing, but I enjoy taking the kids out for doughnuts, though I try to limit it to once a week. (My 21-month-old now says "dough-dough.") For some reason, my daughter likes Dunkin Donuts the best even when there are much better doughnuts at a local bakery in Deerfield. So we take turns. One time, my bakery, the other time, hers. Other times, we really splurge and drive about 20 minutes to a Krispy Kreme. Krispy Kremes are everywhere now, but I first had one before they migrated north in Birmingham, Alabama. That was an epiphany. The highlight for the kids, though, are seeing them made. One of the things I like about KK is the sense of abundance. Whenever we go in, we all get a free glazed right off the conveyer belt, hot and soft. The people there are always happy to see us and appear to be so eager to please.

Contrast that attitude with a trip to Radio Shack later that day (last Monday). I shouldn't pick on Radio Shack because so many other businesses do this, but I simply wanted to buy a cable that would connect my computer to a TV. As I waited to pay, watching Ethan try every radio-controlled car in sight and Caroline ogle a Barbie computer, the salesperson slid a mobile phone in front of me. "Have you seen the new Motorola phone?" (There was a name for it that I can't recall--probably something Razr because doesn't Motorola make Razr phones?) I smiled weakly and said, "It's nice." He then engaged me in discussion about my cell phone carrier and whether we were happy with it and this brought out my frustration with suggestive selling. Suggestive sellers are never satisfied. It wasn't enough that I was buying this cable. I had to buy more to satisfy the salesperson.

It was such a contrast between these two experiences and it has something to do with being the church, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe there's a Prodigal Son thing going on here. When we return to Krispy Kreme, we're welcomed and given the fatted calf/doughnut. That's a great feeling. When we go to other businesses where there's suggestive selling, there's a sense that one has to earn grace or love or satisfaction. One can never purchase or do enough.