Pastor Brian is in Sacramento today. He's in a class on "History and theology of the Covenant" that started yesterday and continues through next Thursday. This is the longest and most intensive class for orientation and ordination. I went through it in 2000. It's kind of like Covenant boot camp: you feel bonded to the other students who endure the class with you.
So pray for Pastor Brian as he concentrates on the huge amount of material that the class covers. And pray for his family. It's tough to be away for so long (even though he'll be back for the weekend) and I know they miss him.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
eye hand coordination
The town hall meeting on Monday was the best-attended yet (I think). The topic at hand probably stimulated a lot of interest: the budget. Dialog was robust (to say the least), and got me thinking about the relationship between the leadership team and the rest of the church community.
I think Paul nailed it in 1 Cor. 12 when he described the relationship between the head and the rest of the body (it helps to be divinely inspired). There've been a lot of thoughts going on inside the head (the leadership team) but they haven't been communicated well to the rest of the body. So the rest of the body has been unable to act in a coordinated way with the head's intentions. When the leadership team communicates clearly, the rest of the body has responded admirably (as in the case of the overwhelming response to the appeal to complete the internship fund).
The head also needs communication from the rest of the body. Although the head sets the direction, there are lots of adjustments that have to made along the way. The head may say, "Walk down this path so we can get home." Then the left foot has to let the head know, "I'm on the ground now, it's time for the other foot to move forward." Or the foot may say, "I'm in the mud! Flail the arms to get us balanced!" You get the picture.
One caveat: it helps for the communication to be gracious and appropriate. I appreciated the apologies that were voiced on Monday. It's not helpful when the communication to the head or the hand arrives in the form of stabbing pain. The natural response is to attend to the pain rather than a coordinated effort to move forward. I trust we will learn to communicate more graciously in these public meetings so that apologies aren't needed as much in the future.
The town hall meetings and community meetings are opportunities for communication between the leadership team and the rest of the body, but not the only ones. Let's utilize well all of the venues we have and also create new ones, keeping up what Bossidy & Charan ("Execution: the discipline of getting things done") call "robust dialog".
I think Paul nailed it in 1 Cor. 12 when he described the relationship between the head and the rest of the body (it helps to be divinely inspired). There've been a lot of thoughts going on inside the head (the leadership team) but they haven't been communicated well to the rest of the body. So the rest of the body has been unable to act in a coordinated way with the head's intentions. When the leadership team communicates clearly, the rest of the body has responded admirably (as in the case of the overwhelming response to the appeal to complete the internship fund).
The head also needs communication from the rest of the body. Although the head sets the direction, there are lots of adjustments that have to made along the way. The head may say, "Walk down this path so we can get home." Then the left foot has to let the head know, "I'm on the ground now, it's time for the other foot to move forward." Or the foot may say, "I'm in the mud! Flail the arms to get us balanced!" You get the picture.
One caveat: it helps for the communication to be gracious and appropriate. I appreciated the apologies that were voiced on Monday. It's not helpful when the communication to the head or the hand arrives in the form of stabbing pain. The natural response is to attend to the pain rather than a coordinated effort to move forward. I trust we will learn to communicate more graciously in these public meetings so that apologies aren't needed as much in the future.
The town hall meetings and community meetings are opportunities for communication between the leadership team and the rest of the body, but not the only ones. Let's utilize well all of the venues we have and also create new ones, keeping up what Bossidy & Charan ("Execution: the discipline of getting things done") call "robust dialog".
Sunday, September 23, 2007
who woulda thunk?
It was a slow news week, so I decided to create some news. Actually, it's something I've always wanted to do, but since my daughters both decided to go ahead and do it, I thought, why not? So I did it, too: I got my ear pierced and I now have a nice little gold cross adorning my left ear.
It's really interesting to note people's reactions. Some are amused, some are repulsed, some are mystified. Winnie calls it my "midlife crisis". A grandmother who visits our church regularly stopped me in the hall and told me, "It's beautiful!" Someone else told me it fit my persona, but was a bit unusual for someone in my stage of life (was that code for "but at YOUR age?!")
I guess it all highlights something that we all know, but often try to deny: what we do with our bodies has meaning. We are embodied spirits, i.e., our bodies and spirits are integrally connected. "I can worship with my mind and heart, I don't really need to actually bow down or raise my hands." "Sure, I'm not at Sunday worship with everyone, but I'm there in spirit." But we need our bodies to cultivate spiritual habits. That's what's so hard about spiritual disciplines: they require physical discipline, not just good intentions. Our character is shaped by what we do, not by what we think. "Faith without works is dead."
So I wonder what sort of spiritual meaning would have been expressed by getting my nose pierced...?
It's really interesting to note people's reactions. Some are amused, some are repulsed, some are mystified. Winnie calls it my "midlife crisis". A grandmother who visits our church regularly stopped me in the hall and told me, "It's beautiful!" Someone else told me it fit my persona, but was a bit unusual for someone in my stage of life (was that code for "but at YOUR age?!")
I guess it all highlights something that we all know, but often try to deny: what we do with our bodies has meaning. We are embodied spirits, i.e., our bodies and spirits are integrally connected. "I can worship with my mind and heart, I don't really need to actually bow down or raise my hands." "Sure, I'm not at Sunday worship with everyone, but I'm there in spirit." But we need our bodies to cultivate spiritual habits. That's what's so hard about spiritual disciplines: they require physical discipline, not just good intentions. Our character is shaped by what we do, not by what we think. "Faith without works is dead."
So I wonder what sort of spiritual meaning would have been expressed by getting my nose pierced...?
Friday, September 21, 2007
sex or money?
As I've been preparing the first of my series of sermons on sex ("Exposed"), the thought occurred to me: do American Christians need more sermons about sex or about money? I preached 3 sermons on money (the sermon series "Priceless") and the series on sex will be 8 sermons. Which topic should get more coverage?
When I tell people I'm going to preach on sex, I usually get a "good for you!" response. It seems that people think there's a need for sermons that tackle the topic head on. I agree. But why don't I get the same response when I say that I'm going to preach a series on money?
My hunch is that we THINK we know how to handle money. Especially if we're Asian American, we probably think we're extra good at handling money (at least according to the mainstream American stereotypes, but don't get me started on the myth of the "model minority").
But if God were to monitor our spending habits and our attitudes toward money (especially the latter), I think we'd fall pretty far short. The difference between our self-perceptions about money and sex is that we think we've got money figured out but we're conflicted about sex. Our parents told us one thing about sex (if not in words, at least by their arched brows) and American society (via television and movies) is telling us something different. About money, they both seem to agree that having a lot of money is good and makes you significant and how you get it isn't all that important.
So the next time I preach on money and sex, I may need to do 3 sermons on sex and 8 on money.
When I tell people I'm going to preach on sex, I usually get a "good for you!" response. It seems that people think there's a need for sermons that tackle the topic head on. I agree. But why don't I get the same response when I say that I'm going to preach a series on money?
My hunch is that we THINK we know how to handle money. Especially if we're Asian American, we probably think we're extra good at handling money (at least according to the mainstream American stereotypes, but don't get me started on the myth of the "model minority").
But if God were to monitor our spending habits and our attitudes toward money (especially the latter), I think we'd fall pretty far short. The difference between our self-perceptions about money and sex is that we think we've got money figured out but we're conflicted about sex. Our parents told us one thing about sex (if not in words, at least by their arched brows) and American society (via television and movies) is telling us something different. About money, they both seem to agree that having a lot of money is good and makes you significant and how you get it isn't all that important.
So the next time I preach on money and sex, I may need to do 3 sermons on sex and 8 on money.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
be a pencil
How do you think God can use your job skills? In the latest issue of the Covenant Companion (our award-winning denominational magazine) is an article called, "Be a pencil in the hand of God."
The author relates a prayer that she prayed as she wondered how to use her passions and skills for God: "Okay God. This is your entire fault. You gave me a passion for science and a heart for your people in the poorest parts of the world. I don't understand how these two things go together, but if you show me, I'll do it."
After receiving a doctorate in bioanalytical chemistry, she worked for 8 years in biotech. Finally, she quit her job and used her savings to start a non-profit called Science with a Mission, Inc. SMI is working to produce simple, affordable tests for diseases common in poor parts of the world. The article is a wonderful story of how God provides.
But the kicker is that at the end of the article Alynne MacLean shares that she has multiple sclerosis (guess she sorta overlooked this in the earlier part of the article). I was amazed that someone with a disease that is aggravated by tropical climates would devote her life to helping people in those climates.
What have I sacrificed to spread the Gospel? Are my passions so in line with God's love for the world that I would give up my own health to be used by God to serve others?
The author relates a prayer that she prayed as she wondered how to use her passions and skills for God: "Okay God. This is your entire fault. You gave me a passion for science and a heart for your people in the poorest parts of the world. I don't understand how these two things go together, but if you show me, I'll do it."
After receiving a doctorate in bioanalytical chemistry, she worked for 8 years in biotech. Finally, she quit her job and used her savings to start a non-profit called Science with a Mission, Inc. SMI is working to produce simple, affordable tests for diseases common in poor parts of the world. The article is a wonderful story of how God provides.
But the kicker is that at the end of the article Alynne MacLean shares that she has multiple sclerosis (guess she sorta overlooked this in the earlier part of the article). I was amazed that someone with a disease that is aggravated by tropical climates would devote her life to helping people in those climates.
What have I sacrificed to spread the Gospel? Are my passions so in line with God's love for the world that I would give up my own health to be used by God to serve others?
Alpha
After a couple of years' hiatus, Alpha is rolling again, thanks to the efforts of Pastor Brian and the Alpha team. It would be typical to think about how much of an impact Grace Community can have on seekers and new Christians by reaching out through Alpha. But on our Anniversary Sunday I was thinking about the tremendous impact that Alpha has had on Grace Community, how so many Alpha alumni have done so much at Grace (your pictures were up front in the slide show!). Alpha deserves all the support we can give it. Many, many thanks to those of you who are helping out with everything from facilitating discussion to serving dinner. What you're doing now will have an impact on both the Alpha guests and on us as a church community.
God sighting - CYES
In our staff meeting on Tuesday I found out from Wendy that one of the teachers at Champion Youth Education Services, the after-school program that uses 701 E. Meadow on weekday afternoons, is a Christian and is looking for ways to utilize his position to spread the Gospel. I guess I'd always assumed that any influence for God on CYES would have to come from us. Who would've thought that it would start as an "inside job"? Guess God got there first. Let's pray for CYES and that our relationship with them to be a source of grace.
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