Tag Archives: Christianity

Consolation

Posted on November 8, 2012 | 4 Comments

After the results of the election came in I started noticed a trend in my social media steams. It was a trend which, to be honest, I've come to expect – yet I found it jarring all the same. The trend was this. Among my more conservative friends I began to see remarks like, “Depressed, but Jesus is Lord”; and “Not the result I wanted, but Jesus is still Lord.” Among more liberal friends I began to see folks express their elation at their candidate's victory – yet even here I would occasionally the remark, “But Jesus is still Lord.”

One one level I suppose I could be grateful my fellow Christians are remembering Jesus is still Lord. On another level, however, I find these declarations a bit disturbing. Win or lose we keep revealing what it is that truly matters to us, the political issues and campaigns of our day. This is where we, like many others in our culture, spend our time and our energy. In light of this, it's almost like our proclamation of Jesus' lordship is done out of a sense of “oh, oops” guilt. We know we're supposed to say that, but in the wake of what “really” matters it's of a secondary importance.

So let me say to myself, my depressed friends, and my elated friends, “'Jesus is Lord' isn't a consolation prize.” It is, in fact, the statement which defines the Christian calling – we live under, and express through our lives, the rule of Jesus Christ. It is our calling to live that out as a people, no matter what political reality we live under. Now, some people I know believe Barak Obama's policies were more compatible with the Christian calling, others believed Mitt Romney's policies were more compatible. Some people I know believe we're all bought and sold so it doesn't matter who actually gets elected. Yet, for all our differences, on Election Day folks from all over the political continuum gathered at Central Baptist this week, and took Communion as one. We remembered we were part of God's story and declared the Lordship we bow to – the reign of Jesus Christ.

To be called to stand in that way as one people, is among the greatest gifts we have been given by our Lord. Never push Jesus to secondary importance, for anything.

 

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Pastoral Expectations

Posted on August 18, 2012 | 1 Comment

Wizard Island

When people want a mountaintop experience expectations often get in the way of spiritual growth

Today I was out at a party where a member of central was also attending. At one point he joked, “I need to watch what I say, I'm sitting next to my pastor.” This brought forth a cry from the other side of the room, “Pastor's shouldn't judge, they can't judge you, pastors shouldn't judge.” I don't know the person who uttered this cry, and the guy who made the first remark didn't mean anything by the statement, so I just let it drop. Thankfully, I was updating Java on an ancient Windows XP install so I never even looked up from the computer screen. This did get me thinking about the expectations people have for pastors, so I came up with a short list.

Pastor as Prostitute

Ancient religions occasionally incorporated temple prostitutes as part of their worship. Sometimes the act of intercourse was meant to provoke the deity to a showing of fertility – the prostitutes were simply tools through which people could show they were keeping their part of the bargin.

I often get the feeling this is the way most people approach pastors. We live in the temple, and we're there as tools through which people can show their deity they haven't forgotten. So people come when their children are born “to get them done” through baptism or dedication, they show up wondering what it will take for me to preside over a wedding, and get invited to “do something nice” for a funeral. There's no intention of relationship, and often times the parties asking for services want to know how much I charge for access to their deity. There's no intention of forming a relationship, or continuing down life's journey together. People get their services, and get on with life. Wham. Bam. Thank you, sir. To be honest, it makes me feel cheap.

Pastor as “trophy Christian”

This is a view I've only recently come to understand among people. In this expectation, the pastor is expected to be the paragon of Christian virtue. They dress nicely, have a gentle disposition, speak rather blandly, and admit no obvious vices. People who want a “trophy Christian” pastor want one who has never tasted a beer, doesn't watch movies, understands nothing about popular culture, and is seen in a tie and suit-jacket so much it seems odd when they are wearing anything else.

Here's the thing with this expectation, it exists so that other people feel like they don't have to live out the faith. The pastor does that, and it's good that the pastor does that because it shows how blessedly boring the Christian faith can be. The average person with this expectation, however, wants only to show their pastor off – the same way insecure men do with a “trophy wife.”

Pastor as autocrat

Some people really want a “strong pastor” who will literally tell them what to do in every facet of life. These people expect their pastors to tell them what books not to read, movies not to see, beverages not to partake of, and TV shows not to watch. Many folks think that living under an autocrat pastor can only be a life of torture, yet it's shocking how many people actually seek out this type of pastoral expectation. It's easier to be told what to do in order to attain salvation, than it is to bear the terrible responsibility of freedom in Christ. This expectation isn't limited to religious circles either, a lot of people from all sorts of backgrounds seem to crave being ruled. Ironically, it's often the people calling out against perceived tyranny who flock to the autocratic expectation – both within the Church and without.

Pastor as “the Man”

This expectation is a close relative as “Pastor as autocrat.” Often, people with this expectation have been burned out by the security of being dictated to. As such, they form a strong antagonism towards authority in general and seek to undermine it at every turn. These folks rarely work in the open, as their lives under autocratic pastors have taught them how dangerous it was to speak openly. Instead, they work on the sidelines, subtly taking the opposite tack as the pastor on small issues. People with this expectation also tend to publicly display their opposition through acts of faith which are good on the surface, but are meant to be seen by the targeted authority figure as a way of saying, “You're not the only spiritual one here.”

Many folks with this pastoral expectation are wounded, and need to have their ability to trust healed. Others have unintentionally become abusers in their own right, and frequently leave a wake of confusion and anguish in their wake.

Pastor as CEO

Many people see the pastor as the chief executive of the company, answerable to the board for the growth or decline of business. Among low-church Protestants, many of whom are enamored with the mega-church movement or memories of times long-gone, the “Pastor as CEO” model is predominant. If the congregation grows, it's the pastors' success. If the church shrinks, it's the pastor's fault. Chances are, when there is a congregation which has cycled through pastors every couple of years for a couple of decades, the CEO expectation is dominant. The “board” is still looking for the right person to lead the business back into growth.

Know harm done

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, nor is it mean to throw the church under the bus. These are simply the most common pastoral expectations I've encountered during my time as a pastor. Many I've encountered personally, others I've encountered through friends and colleagues who have bared their struggles to me during conversations. None of these expectations, however, is healthy.

The CEO and trophy Christian models relieve the congregation of the wonderful privilege of being the image of Christ in this world, stunting their own spiritual development. All the benefits and consequences of success or failure rest solely on the pastor's shoulders. It's a burden not meant to be carried alone – and the pressure of these expectations often do violence to a pastor's faith.

The kin expectations of autocrat and “the Man” leave a wake of mistrusting, wounded, people behind them. Churches filled with people who have these expectations often look stable, but are frequently engaged in a cold war. Those on the side of the autocrat attempt to smoke out resistance, and those who see the pastor as “the Man” quietly try to topple the regime. Pastors who relish being the autocrat may revel in the exercise of authority. Sadly, many are haunted people looking for sense of security.

Finally, as alluded above, the expectation of the pastor to be a religious prostitute cheapens the entire faith. It leaves pastors feeling used, and creates an expectation of an “on demand” faith among the general populace. Where this expectation is popular, religion is a commodity item to be purchased or tossed away depending on the present need – spirtual depth and religion as commodity do not co-exist well.

I have a much different pastoral expectation.

Pastor as fellow pilgrim

I expect my pastor, and thankfully I have one as many pastors do not, to call me to walk together in the journey after Christ. On this journey I can be encouraged and encourage, learn and teach, be humbled and humble. I expect my pastor sometimes to take a slightly different path than me, if that's what the journey calls for. When we have disagreements we still share the same goal – binding us together. I don't expect the undivided attention of my pastor, because there are other pilgrims to walk with and I know I can't be selfish – but I know when we find ourselves at different points of our journey we'll be able to meet again along the path.

This the pastoral expectation I try to encourage in the people I pastor – walking with folks in all things, being free to disagree and learn from one another, and always saying “Jesus is our goal.” Sometimes the other expectations people have blur this one – but the quiet power of a shared pilgrimage is usually more than enough to help people move along together.

Now, pastors also have some equally unhealthy expectations of the laity – so perhaps I'll meditate on these post those in the coming week.

 

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A thought on iBooks

Posted on August 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

A window

If a picture is worth 1000 words...

I am writing my first book using iBooks author. It's nothing major, just about 50 pages on a presentation concept I call “Idea Painting.” As I continue to research the concept, and do more reading on communication theory, I be adding to the book over time, and issue updates through the iBooks store. Yes, there will also be editions for the Nook and Kindle, but the multi-media aspects of iBooks Author make it idea for my subject.

It's the ability to update editions, and push them out to clients, which intrigues me. This morning I receive a FaceBook message from a friend who happens to be a missionary in Israel. Apparently the newsletter he mailed to us bounced back to him and he wanted me to confirm my mailing address. I provided it, but I also told him to save the cash and just email me a PDF of the newsletter to me (I hate paper, saving cash for him was a win-win). The newsletter is laid out pretty well, and has some good updates. My friend is a decent writer, and so you actually get to meet a little bit of his heart in his stories.

As I waited for my iPad to open up the PDF, I began to wonder if there might be an even better way for him to send out his updates. What if he could still write his stories – but include videos, sideshows, charts, and interactive maps with them? What if he could have his friends and supporters download his newsletter once, and have it updated automatically when he adds new content? If this were possible, his readers wouldn't have to dig through an in-box or rustle through papers to try to find the newsletter which was “on the counter somewhere.” As an added bonus, the newsletter could grow over time, with each successive updated becoming a new chapter. Old reflections and highlights can be easily referenced and searched, and updates on previous stories can be linked back to their antecedent thoughts for better context.

I find this idea compelling. Of course, the drawback currently is that comparatively few people currently own an iPad, which would limit the field such an edition could reach. On the other hand, uploading this edition to the iBooks store would also make it discoverable by anyone, with a good description and some word of mouth it could have a wider audience than we might think. There other major eBook stores would also be remiss if they left something like iBooks Author to go unchallenged, and there are currently technologies for eInk type displays which can do both color and full motion video. In the next several years an edition similar to an iBooks Authored work should be available on all the major platforms, so why not begin to practice with the concept? It's certainly worth a shot.

I see two downsides to this concept.

First, it puts a third party between a missionary and supports which is outside the missionary's organization. The iBook stores are businesses, not missionary or philanthropic endeavors. Still, missionaries have been using government mail services for years so adding a third party intermediary does seem to be a huge obstacle.

Second, and more difficult to overcome, is a lack of subscriber data. I know magazines have negotiated with the major eBook stores to gain subscriber information. I have yet to see if such information is available to eBook authors. If this information is not available, then this might not be a path to take as missionaries really need to form something akin to an actual relationship with those who subscribe to their updates. Still, if updates could be submitted as a free magazine, subscriber information could be obtained. I have no problem with this as long as the authors let subscribers know their information will be shared!

Anyway, just a thought on yet another way for workers in the field to share their amazing stories.

 

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Posted in Geek, Pastoring, Thoughts

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Journey theme

Posted on December 8, 2011 | Leave a comment
I love the metaphor of a “spiritual journey.”  We move from one place – be it physical, spiritual, or a combination of the two – and wind up somewhere else entirely.  This sense of journey is present in a good many pastors (and other Christians) who come into a church and quickly discover that they are going to have to move on from their original expectations, and though dark waters, in order to come to uncharted shores (which appearto be friendly).  Many refuse to make the journey.  Instead they establish themselves as caretakers – never daring to hope for more, but never really challenging anyone else either.  More, sadly, get lost in the caves of bitterness.  Unable to reconcile their original hopes and expectations with reality, they turn inward and become toxic to both the institution and themselves.  Some, however, manage to navigate the course and land in a sunnier space, which I’ve labeled “cynicism.”

Now, cynicism often gets a bad rap as being a destructive and toxic influence in it’s own right.  I disagree.  Cynicism is actually a constructive impulse which enables a person to look at the foibles of a group (in which they invariably include themselves), compare them to how a group thinks of itself, and laughs.  The laughter is important because it says, “Oh just go look in the mirror at that zit, already, hiding from it won’t solve anything!”  Cynicism is, in fact, what often causes me to not only point out the elephant in the room, but also invite it up to the table in order to do a show for the crowd.  Then we can see how silly we are, how big our God is, and perhaps journey to a healthier place – together.

You have to love any impulse, after all, which leads a speaker to attribute a quote, “We’re doomed” to “C-3P0 Human-Cyborg Relations.”  Right?

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Connection

Posted on December 6, 2011 | 1 Comment
People who see me as a “computer guy” often make the assumption I am of the opinion, “Old is bad.” They are inevitably surprised this is not the case.  I love Tradition.  I love the connection it gives me to the long history of God’s people gathering in community and experiencing the presence of the Kingdom through worship.  Tradition is, to me, a mystical connection with both the Savior and those who have followed him before I existed.  Things which happen to be “old” are notbad.  They may be different, but there is a richness in that different-ness which I appreciate. I do have a problem, however, with “tradition.” This is the impulse which beats questioners into submission because it fears change. Contrary to popular opinion, both Tradition and tradition will utter the phrase, “We’ve always done it that way.” The difference between the two comes out only when you ask, “Why?” Tradition will embrace the moment to draw the questioner into the story.  In contrast, tradition will respond with statements like, “Why can’t you just do what you’re told?”

Of course, my Roman Catholic and Orthodox friends chuckle any time I call a 150 year old hymn “old.”

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Blog Tour: From the Garden to the City

Posted on August 29, 2011 | 5 Comments

Note: If you want to follow along with the Blog Tour for this book, follow this link to the ChurchM.ag site.

Several years ago I attended presented at BibleTech 2011 and sat in on a session led by John Dyer. I was immediately impressed. John highlighted things that I wanted to briefly touch on during my session on Sermon Painting, and did a stellar job. In him I found a person of theological depth, technological skill, and rare wisdom. John clearly embraced the use of technology, but tried to do so with his eyes open. He showed an understanding f how technology changes us when we use it, and managed to offer the freedom to ask “what will this cost us as human-beings?” without over-selling his point. As I said, I was impressed.

When I heard that John was writing a book based on his insights I thought, “I think I’ll have to read that.” when I heard he needed people to participate in a blog tour on the book I thought, “I need to do that.”. So here I am. In some ways I might appear to be an odd participant in this tour. I’m an unabashed geek-pastor who loves exploring the use of technology in ministry pursuits. To that end I’m on the regional staff of the American Baptist Churches of New Jersey to help teach others how to do the same. My congregation, and many folks in our denomination, think of me as a “gadget geek,” always ready to play with a new toy. They aren’t wrong, I love putting tech through it’s paces and seeing what uses I can come up with for it. Why, with my ministry focus and background, would I want to participate in a book discussion that might end up dampening my enthusiasm? A good question, with (I hope) an equally good answer.

The truth is, John and I are on similar projects. He uses his theological, philosophical, and technological understanding to ask questions about the impact of technology first on our common humanity and then how it impacts the practice of our faith. I move in a similar fashion. Beginning with the assumption that humanity has been changed by technology, and that not all of those changes positively impact the expression of our humanity*, I hope to encourage the Church to take up new technologies with wisdom. Technology changes us in both good and bad ways that require reflection and insights a lot deeper than asking, “How many hours should I be allowed to be on the Internet a day?” John asks these questions well, and I am grateful that he does.

So, over the next few weeks, look for my posts on From the Garden to the City. Or, if you’d like, go get the book yourself and join us on the journey. I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.

* The fact that I begin my project with an assumption shows that John is a more studious thinker than I am, but I read Ellul relatively early during my higher education so it’s been ingrained into my core.

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Posted in Books, From the Garden to the City, Geek, Thoughts

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Living Forward

Posted on June 8, 2011 | 2 Comments

This morning I lead chapel at Riverview Estates. It’s a (mostly) Baptist retirement facility down by the Delaware River. There is a special connection between Riverview and Central Baptist, many of our members have lived, worked, or volunteered down there over the years (some have even done all three) so we feel that Riverview really is part of our fellowship. It’s been hard this year because we’ve had some wonderful people at Riverview take the journey home and we all sorely miss them.

This morning, however, I almost called in sick. I’m recovering from a nasty Summer cold and can’t project my voice to speak, much less sing – I also worry about infecting people who’s immune systems are already weak. Despite my misgivings, I went down anyway, and i’m glad I did. There was a lot of encouragement to be had.

First, the woman who plays piano when I’m down brightened up when I came in and said, “Oh, I want to show you something!” She then took out a Book of Common Prayer and said, “Are you familiar with this?” When I nodded she smiled and said, the refrain you use during prayer time is there, do you know that? (After joys or concerns at Central the person leading prayer says, “Lord in your mercy” and the congregation responds, “Hear our prayer”).” When I said, “Yes” again she smiled and said, “Our new rector wanted to use different version of ‘Prayers of the People’ this week and when I saw the refrain I suddenly got it – it really meant something to me.” That really meant something to me.

Second, a nice older woman was wheeled in he her chair, looked at the accompanist and I, and said, “I love you guys.” That’s always a treat.

Third, I announced that I wouldn’t be able to sing this morning due to my cold and folks were kinda bummed. One lovely woman took up the slack and tried to make sure that everyone was singing along – which is not hard to do when half the people are nodding off!

Fourth, during prayer time a retired pastor asked for prayer that he’d continue to be formed by Jesus (I can’t remember his exact words, but that’s the gist of it). I thought that was pretty wonderful – here was a retired pastor, who took some joy knowing that he still had growing to do.

Fifth, we sang happy birthday to a 92 year old woman who may just be one of the most talented and brilliant people I’ve ever met (she taught herself to paint just a few years ago because she wanted to try something new). She’s also a retired pastor and a person I love to see.

Sixth, during my short meditation a woman (who is about as sweet as can be) kept saying things like “amen” and “hallelujah.” Now, when I often hear such call-outs during worship there’s often an undertone of, “are YOU listening?” that floats into it. This woman, however, was expressing herself out of a sense of joy and longing. It touched me deeply in worship – not that she was saying “amen” to me, but that she actually was saying it to Jesus.

Seventh, on the way out they gave me a fresh-baked cinnamon scone. How awesome is that?

If you ever get a chance to visit, work, or volunteer down at Riverview Estates – I highly recommend it. The residents are wonderful, the staff is caring, and there’s a lot of joy found there.

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An Unexpected use for user notes

Posted on June 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

I don’t like printing things. To me, printing out materials for something that is going to be used one time and then tossed away is a waste of both paper and ink – materials I don’t feel like spending a lot of money on. For all my antagonism towards printing, however, even I have to admit that there are times where a printed sheet often managed to get out of the way better than having a few gizmos with me.

Funerals have been a particular conundrum for me. As far as I’m concerned, my job at a funeral is to offer a small glimmer of hope of Gospel and then get out of the way to help people express their grief. It’s a formula which works for me. For several years I was fine printing out my short order of worship for a funeral, using my iPaq/Palm/iPod Touch/iPad to read the Scripture passages. This worked ok, even though I felt like I was juggling too much. The arrival of the iPad on the scene, however, led me to cease the printing portion of the movement. Instead, I’d put the order on my iPhone (in Airplane mode) and read the Scripture from the iPad. I hated it. If I felt like I was juggling too much with a piece of paper – using two electronic devices felt like I was doing an acrobatic routine.

My biggest problem sprang from the reality that devices which were so good at getting out of the way were suddenly in the way. I’d have to wake one device, and then another, and suffer the odd looks that people would give when i unloaded multiple computers on to the podium. It wasn’t good.

My recent embrace of user notes, however, has now afforded me a solution. Olive Tree’s reader allows me to create a user note without linking it to a verse reference (which, ironically, is something I want to be able to add manually so I can edit user notes in two pane mode). This allows me to put the order of worship in a second pane, and access the Scripture readings in the first. I tried this at a funeral last week and finally found myself free of any sense of juggling. If you have an iPad, and you’ve been leery of using it in a pastoral context such as a funeral or wedding, you might want to give this a try.

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Summer Opportunity

Posted on May 23, 2011 | Leave a comment

I have an opportunity for folks who might be interested in learning how to integrate digital projection with their preaching or teaching. This August, I would love to work with four individuals in developing, writing, and presenting a sermon using a technique I call, “Sermon Painting.” Here’s what I’m thinking:

  • Participants would meet 3 or 4 times to go over the ideas behind sermon painting, read each other’s sermons, and brainstorm ideas on how to best “paint” a sermon.
  • Each participant would preach one Sunday in August at Central Baptist Church, in Palmyra, NJ (the other participants would be encouraged, but not required, to attend worship the weeks their partners will be preaching).
  • After each Sunday worship, the participants will get together to discuss what went well, what could have gone better, etc. People from the wider Central Baptist Community may be invited to these discussions as well.

So, if you’re in the Philly area, are either a seminarian home for the summer or a pastor who can get a week off for a learning experience, I would love to hear from you! You can comment below, send me an email, or message me on twitter @wezlo. I would love to chat with you and see if this opportunity would be good for both you and Central.

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Saddened

Posted on May 20, 2011 | Leave a comment

May 21st is tomorrow, and at 6:00 PM tomorrow Harold Camping’s prediction of the rapture will be shown to be a wild fantasy. Over the web I see people treating this whole situation with an almost wicked sense of mirth – waiting to see a misguided individual get this comeuppance. People are holding “rapture parties,” atheist groups are using the judgement day campaign to show how misguided religion is, and Christians who don’t agree with anything Mr. Camping says are busy saying was a lunatic he is.

As for me, I’m just sad.

  • Sad that this is what people think this is what Christianity is all about.
  • Sad that people, so desperate to have some certainty in an uncertain world, felt compelled to join this campaign and will have nothing to show for it come tomorrow night – no job, no home, nothing to identify the “us” against the “them.”
  • Sad that this whole movement has become the easiest of targets for those who despise religion.
  • Sad that churches aren’t, apparently, inviting people to a vision compelling enough to choke a lie.

I have no glee at Mr. Camping’s inevitable demise. I’m sad for him, his followers, and his enemies. I hope, after tomorrow, both he and they will find a path forward which doesn’t demand the cult-like certainty of knowing more than everybody else. This is one time where my cynical sense of humor looks at reality, and sees nothing to joke about.

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