Long Obedience in the Same Direction

I named my blog A Long Obedience in the Same Direction because I pastor the church I planted 26 years ago.

Praise God for the Free Methodist Church, which considers its pastors tenured, and doesn't arbitrarily move them around. If the church and pastor are happy, they are allowed to continue serving God together.

Research has shown that longer pastorates produce better results. And certainly you gain some history with people, which can turn into opportunities.

One of those happened for me today. It's not too often you can remember how long you've known someone or ministered to them, unless a significant event triggers that beginning.

We have a wonderful prayer warrior who has been part of our church from the beginning. Twenty-four years ago I visited her son in jail, I know this because I was pregnant with my second daughter, and she just turned 24.

I reminded him of that today when I visited the mom to take her communion (she doesn't get out much now) and he joined our conversation.

When it came time to serve communion, I explained to the son that my mentor (Rev. Walter Orr) who had given me the communion set I was using had taught me that anyone could come to the Lord's Table if they came with a repentant heart. He said he wanted to. I told him I would help him pray. I offered a simple line like "Lord forgive my sins."

He hesitated, and I wondered if he'd feel comfortable praying aloud, and then the next thing I knew, he asked for forgiveness, and kept going. He apologized for his choices, times he had let God down, told God how he always knew God was with him, and also asked Jesus to be in his heart. All without any further prompting from me.

Twenty-four years is a long time to pray for someone to come to Christ. But it's nothing in light of eternity. I would say I had the privilege of leading someone to Christ today. But I didn't even lead, the Holy Spirit did that.

Not a blessing I would have had, if not for the privilege of pastoring in the same place for over two and a half decades. Thank you Jesus, and thank you to a denomination that allows such. And thank you to Rev. Orr, for teaching me that the Lord's Table can be a place for conversion. I'm sure Rev. Orr is partying with the angels right now.

A Drawer for Insurance

In Sharon Creech's children's book The Unfinished Angel Mr. Pomodoro was once a poor child whose mother brought home a box of chocolate covered cookies for her children. He knew that when shared he would only get one cookie, so he snuck the box to the basement and ate them all, enjoying their chocolately goodness.

As an adult, Mr. Pomodoro has a drawer full of chocolates of every kind, so that whenever he wants, he can open the drawer and select a chocolate. And now he doesn't really need to, but it's like insurance to him.

The angel of the story draws a parallel to a drawer in our head, where all of us stuff something we need to hold onto for insurance, something we felt deprived of, friendly words or looks or praise.

Saving up kindness and appreciation can surely bring comfort on those days when we feel neglected or misused. Jesus said a cup of cold water given in His name will not lose it's reward. I have mostly thought of that verse as meaning we are stockpiling rewards in heaven. But perhaps just as importantly, we are depositing into other people's drawers, helping them get through the difficult moments of their lives.

My aunt had a safety deposit box at her bank, something most people don't use anymore. A place to keep the most valuable objects one wouldn't want to leave around the house. These drawers within others can hold even more important treasure, lasting into eternity, formed of kindness and helpful actions, loving words, encouraging looks, applause for accomplishments.

Make a deposit in someone you love today. Or even better, in someone you don't particularly enjoy.

Waiting for Heaven

I can't wait to see Jesus. But I will wait.

I can't wait until the times are complete and I can be with my parents again. I can't wait until I get to see my children all the time instead of sending them off to various parts of the earth.

But I will wait.

I'll wait until Jesus says so, and I look forward to my family growing even larger with maybe even grandchildren in the future. And I look forward to the amazing contributions of my children to their professional realms, as they spread their influence and find their voices.

But at moments it's hard to wait, when I listen to Endless Hallelujah by Matt Redman is one of those moments. "No more tears, No more shame, No more sin and sorrow ever known again; No more fears, No more pain, We will see You face to face, See You face to face..."

I can't wait. But I will wait, I'll wait and serve and try to do God's will daily.

I look forward to having my family all together, parents and children and future offspring. But really the blessing of heaven is Jesus, face to face. Unimaginable.

Bill Trimble reminded me of that yesterday. Bill preached part of the funeral of Carol Erickson, mother of Bill's late wife Jan. Bill said after he lost Jan he had a dream, and in that dream he was in heaven with Jan. He was so happy to see her. After greeting him, Jan got down to the important stuff as she was wont to do, and said, "Enough small talk, let's go see Jesus." Bill reminded all of us that although Carol would be glad to see Jan and her mother and other family, the real attraction of heaven is Jesus.

So I'll wait, and I hope to wait a long time, to see my children's children, to see the fruit of my labors at church, to see my children's contributions to the world, but at times I yearn for that moment, face to face.

And in the end, the waiting is a flash, washed into the eternity of the now in Jesus' presence. Yes, Matt Redman, an Endless Hallelujah.

Risk for the Earth

Some years ago I first joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) with Martin Hill Farms, buying produce from Farmer Mike. That means that at the beginning of the year I pay up front to get weekly produce during the season. Farmer Mike gets the capital needed to buy seeds and supplies and I get beautiful natural heirloom fruits and vegetables.

Recently I read the book In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan where the author distills his book into seven words: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. He further explains that when he says food, that is not a given in our currently processed world. Reading Pollan's book made me all the more convinced that my CSA is an important part of how our family eats.

Not long after reading Pollan's book Farmer Mike shared some of the dilemmas he has faced recently. Farming is not a profitable business. Even with our capital up front, Mike hardly can make it work. A dry summer, a wet summer, a hot summer, rain on market day, heat on market day, market day falling on Fourth of July, so many things work against the best results. Mike told us in this email that we were taking a risk. I never thought of it like that before, I never realized that I was risking my money when I paid my share up front.

Everyday people line up to buy lottery tickets, believing they're going to get a payoff. They take that risk. And rarely gain a return. Risking money on good food is not only good for the health of my family, it's good for the earth, which desperately needs the kind of healthy wholesome agriculture Farmer Mike and his colleagues practice.

Opt into a CSA. Shop at farmer's markets. Buy real food. Do your part, despite the risk. We're all in this together.

The Mind of Christ

This summer we are studying 1 Corinthians at church. I chose sermons from the book for each week, and at Bible study on Wednesday we read all the chapters that lead up to that text. A couple of weeks ago we were studying chapter 2. Right before the end it has a quote, which leaves the last phrase set apart on the page.

But we have the mind of Christ.

Just sitting out there by itself.

But we have the mind of Christ.

It smacked me between the eyes, really? We do? Do I? Not so much. That would mean my thoughts are selfless, loving, kind, gracious, forgiving, all the time.

All week that was on my mind. Another week went by, and I was driving to an appointment and a particular driver gave me a lot of trouble. First the driver cut me off in traffic. Then she was in front of me on the exit, then put on her brakes, slowed down on the highway to change to the other lane. It was both scary and maddening. I was late to the appointment too, and the reason I was late was I had lost something important at home, so it was just a frustrating day all around. When that car stopped on the highway, I just started yelling. Then I said to myself, “I’m supposed to have the mind of Christ. How do I do that?”

Then something new hit me. That sentence has a plural subject. It says WE have the mind of Christ. I’m not capable of having the mind of Christ by myself. But together, we can have the mind of Christ. That night one of my pastor friends wrote on Facebook about carrying each other’s burdens. That was the night of that bad day. I asked him to carry me for a bit. He said he’d pray for me. 

Together we can have the mind of Christ, because when one is down another can be up, and when one is struggling to do the right thing, another can remind them it’s worth it, and when one is sad and lonely, another can encourage them. It takes all of us working together to be who we need to be in Jesus.

So let's have the mind of Christ, together.

Men and Church

Recently various complaints and campaigns have attacked the attitude of the church toward men. The gist of these complaints alleges that churches emasculate men. They point to the shortage of men in churches. They also note what has been called "Jesus is My Boyfriend" songs. They encourage our churches to be more men-friendly.

As a woman pastor, I find this all rather ironic. Yes, more women attend church than men. But who "runs" most churches? Men. Every mega-church is pastored by a man, perhaps with his wife, but no current listed top growing or largest church is pastored by a woman.

And as for those "Jesus is My Boyfriend" songs, who's writing those? Men. We'd have to sit down and decide which songs fall into that category to verify that it's only men, but most top worship songs are written by men, and the ones I can think of that I would say communicate this sentiment the strongest are written by men.

One video that is bemoaning the emasculation of men in the church has a newly emasculated man (yes, literally) showing up at the bar to drink beer with his male friends. Does being a real man mean you have to drink beer in bars? What about "real" Christian men that don't drink? Does that mean they're not "real" men?

I'm all for making men, and women, feel more welcome in the church. But I'm not sure we've really properly diagnosed the problem. The women pastors I know find men to be prevalent and strong in their churches. I personally think less authoritarian leadership attracts men, they don't have to fight for control and attention.

I also am not a big fan of "Jesus is My Boyfriend" songs, because I think the church ought to be singing songs with plural pronouns, not singular.

Personally I think the solution to this "problem" does not lie in looking for culturally constructed solutions, like drinking beer in bars. A healthy church is grounded in the model of the New Testament, where whole families came to Christ. The NT church was not individualistic like most American churches, so these concerns did not even exist. If we focus on the model we find there, everyone will find a place.

Cats, Dogs, and Mothers

Mother's Day returns this Sunday. Not having my own mother or grandmothers around anymore changes this day drastically. I can't express my appreciation to them in person or via phone anymore. Most of us don't appreciate our mothers enough until we really grow up.

In fact, children are like cats or dogs. Those who are like cats don't pay much attention to their mother's existence. If she were missing they'd notice their food supply dried up. But when she walks into the room, they continue with what they were doing, or leave even.

Others are like dogs. When their mom enters the room, they immediately respond in some way. If she leaves for awhile, they are glad when she returns. In fact, they make her feel like the center of their universe.

If your mom still resides on this earth, try giving her some puppy love for Mother's Day.