Tuesday: A Day to Fast

I must confess this is the first morning I have gotten up, looked at the Called to Become calendar, and thought "what were Mike and I thinking?"

I did a juice fast/ cleanse a few months ago and it was a most unpleasant experience. I quickly realized that if I wanted my marriage and ministry to survive, I needed my daily bread. Mike and Abby can both testify to this truth: without food, I am most unpleasant.

So this morning we arrive at one of the tasks that I have been most dreading. Today is the day we fast from food during the daylight hours.

I will warn you, this might be more difficult than you anticipate. For instance, this morning I fed Blake her morning cereal. Typically we share a bowl with this routine, she gets a bite and I get a bite.  This morning that was a one way street, Blake got all the bites. I swear it seemed as if each cereal flake was calling out my name. Honestly, I almost broke the fast only an hour into it over Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It's going to be a long day.

Fasting is about the denial of self. Fasting teaches me that although my body wants food, the truth is that I can go a day without food to concentrate on prayer and self control. Fasting teaches me that I am more than my simple wants and needs, I am bigger than these things.

It is an important lesson for each of us to learn as we begin this process of the next chapter in University's story. Fasting today will teach each of us that we are more than simple wants and needs. Each of us comes into church with many personal wants and needs. There will be times when those needs and wants will be met and there will be times that our personal needs and wants will be sacrificed for a greater story.

Today we are all reminded, we are bigger than our wants and needs.

Today with every stomach growl and hunger urge, remind yourself that you are bigger than your own personal wants and needs, and then follow that reminder with a prayer for our church.

Memorial Day

When we were enjoying our week with you “in view of a call,” I received word that my Uncle Val in New Jersey had passed away. His death, even though expected for some time, brought with it a surprising depth of grief, as so often is the case. I flew to New Jersey to conduct his funeral with a sad heart. On the plane I thought about my dad and his three brothers. All four of them fought in World War II. My Uncle Joe served in Bataan; my Uncle George served in the Navy and was on board the USS Missouri when the Japanese surrendered; Uncle Val served with General Patton, earning three purple hearts and one bronze star; and my dad was in the Air Force where he trained bombardiers in west Texas, which is also how he met my mother.

On this Memorial Day I am remembering them and their willingness to put themselves in harm’s way for what they believed in. I also remember how little they talked about the war. For instance, I never heard about my dad’s time in Europe or training pilots in Texas until I took him to the World War II museum in New Orleans five or six years ago. Inside that place he started talking about the war and its struggles and triumphs in ways that left me mesmerized. Lisa’s father, Pat, is much the same way. Even though he earned a purple heart on Iwo Jima, he has spoken little about the war but has stood tall as a model of patriotism. On this day I thank God for their models of quiet courage and dignity. 

In thinking of them I am drawn to a story in the life of Christ where He encounters a centurion who has come to Him for help. You would have thought Jesus would have had little to do with him, because the man represented the occupation forces, was a Gentile and stood for much of what Jesus was against. The centurions were the backbone of the Roman army, known for their bravery by the fact that in battle, though others might turn and run, the centurions always held their post, even unto death. Jesus, on the other hand, seemed to be the centurion’s polar opposite. I mean, Jesus is so often considered a dreamy-eyed pacifist for the things He said – “Turn the other cheek;” “Love your enemy;” “Forgive seventy times seven” and so on. However, I would say to you that while Jesus never took arms, He never hesitated debating the fundamentalist Pharisees on their own turf, standing up to the Roman Empire, or telling the devil in essence to go to hell. He had a quiet strength that never hesitated in confronting the principalities of evil.

His encounter with the centurion was vintage Jesus. He saw in that man an understanding of faith like few others. What’s more, this man epitomized what Jesus meant when He said, “God so loved the world . . .” I think Jesus admired the centurion’s compassion, and more than that, I think He was taken with the man’s understanding of and commitment to faith.

On this Memorial Day I would like to pay attention to the model of Jesus and His ability to see in this soldier those virtues that are also virtues in the Kingdom of God. Granted, there are all kinds of questions for debate about war, but Jesus always made the philosophical questions subservient to the personal ones. To that end, let us make this Memorial Day personal.

Today's Prayer

I offered this prayer this morning to conclude my time at Sugar Land Baptist and affirm my new calling at University.

Father God, thank you.

Thank you for Sugar Land Baptist Church. Thank you for University Baptist Church. Continue to call both congregations to become Your church, the church Jesus called us to become.

Thank you for the people in this congregation, thank you for the souls I will carry with me in the pulpit and in times of pastoral care. I will carry them as I pastor because they have become part of me and deeply shaped my soul, my faith, and my journey.

Thank you for the call of pastor. God I vow I will never take this call lightly but will strive to honor this title, this gift, this calling.

I pray for the offering being taken.

May it be used to further your kingdom.

May it be uses for your truth, the ultimate truth and standard for us, our lives, our ethics, and our faith journeys.

Continue to be present here in this congregation and these friendships for many, many years.

Amen.

Community Worship

Matthew 18:20 is about as close as one can get to helping define God's presence in worship, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them."

Worship services are one of the few constants in the actual "doing" of church. Most of our other methods of church will come and go; worship is our standard. It's not just the Christian church, this is true for all major religions- people desire to come together and worship.

Our activity today is to call and invite someone back to worship that you have not seen in worship in some time. This is not because we want big numbers in worship services. Time and time again we have said we are not numbers type ministers. This activity is because we believe a few things: worship matters, all people desire to be part of authentic worship, and the Christian worship service remains central to our faith.

In worship, we find time to be silent and reflect on our lives and God. In worship, we find a community of people desiring God. In worship, we find God's presence. In worship, we find a calling to a life that matters.

We want you to invite others to worship because we believe these things are worth sharing.

Praying the Lord's Prayer

It was a community Easter Sunrise Service sponsored by three different churches. One of the most respected ministers in the community, a Disciples of Christ pastor, gave the invocation which led into the shared saying of the Lord’s Prayer. Only it wasn’t shared. The minister put it on autopilot and in the process forgot a couple of lines. When the congregation finally got through it, my ministerial colleague sheepishly opened his eyes and confessed: "It’s a pastor’s worse nightmare – to forget the Lord’s Prayer. And even worse, to forget it in front of a Baptist minister!" We all howled with laughter.

But then again, how many times have we prayed the Lord’s Prayer in such rote ways that we don’t think about what we are saying or get lost in our own wanderings? This prayer which seems so simple isn’t simple at all. Just think about it . . .

"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name . . ." We tend to run right past this line without even pausing to consider the incredible majesty of God’s creation.

"Let Your kingdom come; let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven . . ." How much different would our days be if we began with the recognition that God’s kingdom is to be articulated through us?

"Give us this day our daily bread . . ." In a land of abundance how often do we think of the many miracles which take place to put food on our tables?

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us . . ." The first part of this petition is easy to pray but the last part?

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil . . ." What if we took seriously the evil around us and our need for God’s guidance?

"For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever . . ." Before moving on to our own agendas, it is nice to linger here and remember where we’ve come from and where we’re going . . .

Call Someone You've Had a Falling Out With and Make Amends

Don’t you love Simon Peter? He is the disciple who seems to have never had an unspoken thought. I think that while that may have embarrassed the other disciples on occasion, they were most often grateful for his propensity for asking questions, especially questions they might have had themselves, but were reluctant to articulate out-loud.

Such was the occasion when Simon Peter came to Jesus with the question, "How many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" If we hadn’t heard the story before, we would certainly be impressed with Simon Peter’s willingness to forgive. I mean, seven times is a lot of forgiveness. Why, growing up I lived under the old adage, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." That is, forgiveness had pretty narrow parameters. Consequently, Simon Peter’s inclination to forgive as much as seven times is pretty impressive. I don’t know about you, but forgiving someone who has injured me more than once takes a great deal of spiritual discipline. But seven times? Just as I am trying to get my mind and spirit around that, Jesus interrupts with, "I tell you, not seven times but seventy times seven!"

What kind of Savior is this who keeps pushing me to do things which are so difficult for me? What kind of Kingdom is He trying to establish? It would seem that Jesus keeps advocating the idea that the Kingdom of God seeks to bring out the best in each one of us. Why is that so hard for us to understand? Why is it that we invest so much time, energy and emotions grinding on and on over a difference of opinion? I mean, how many creative moments do we waste stewing over things said or unsaid, rehashing old arguments, even having imaginary conversations, and rehearsing mean, pithy comments to use at the first opportunity? Why can't we get it in our heads that Jesus wants the best for us, and we’re not at our best when we are harboring resentments and enmity?

Strangely enough, the people I most often have had to apologize to or make peace with are the people whom I have grown to love even more through our efforts at reconciliation. Jesus appears to know an important truth -- the bonding that comes from healing a broken relationship ironically makes that relationship stronger.

Just writing these words brings to mind someone I need to call. What about you?

Re-Creation

Balance has become a key word in the past few years with everyone striving for some type of balance between work, life, prayer, and everything else in between. Pastor Martin Copenhaver says that balance is truly overrated and not a spiritual virtue. He suggests that life is not about balance, but instead rhythm.

We believe he is on to something.

God did not give us balanced lives, God gave us a holy rhythm.

It started in the Garden with 6 days of work and 1 day of play. This one day was called Sabbath. It is a gift of grace to remind us we are free. Six days we labor, one day we enjoy God, time, leisure, and rest.

It's a rhythm that most of us have lost and need to regain.

One of our favorite Rabbi's calls this a "palace in time."

We can both testify that learning the art of holy rest and recreation, is something that has saved our lives. It helps us to know that the world goes on without us, that we are not called to be in control of everything, and that God does want us to stop and enjoy all the goodness around us.

So take time today to remember that you were made to enjoy life. Find one way you can enjoy today and do it. Don't feel bad if it's taking a nap, a long walk, a visit to a favorite spot, or a long lunch. You were made for work and delight. Today enjoy the delight.

Friday May 20: Meal with Friends

We believe there are few things better than a dinner surrounded by good company, good conversation, and good food. There is just something about a shared table that brings out the very best in everyone.

This is one of our favorite activities to do together. It is often you will find the Martin and Massar families sharing a meal together. Lisa has incredible taste in snacks, things like fig crackers and a goat cheese spread or wonderfully marinated olives. She can also create one of the most inviting tables you have ever seen. Mike, Abby, and Meredith all can cook- as in really cook. We are talking tuna steaks, mushroom lasagna, braised Brussels sprouts, and spinach enchiladas. Griff can eat really well and he can usually do the dishes without too much help.

We believe that a shared table with friends is a wonderful gift of God's grace.

We believe it's Scriptural.

Think about all the times that Jesus stopped to share a meal with his friends. There were times that stopped on the beach to cook fish. There were times that stopped in someone's home to share a meal. And then there was the last meal they shared together, the meal we all will celebrate in remembrance on our first Sunday together, July 10.

When one shared a table with Jesus, they were never the same.

This is one of the activities that you will repeat time and time again in these 55 days because we believe it is so important. In fact one of our dominant images of the church, the congregation, and the community is the shared table.

We can testify that a lot of our dreaming, collaborating, and working on the co-pastorate model and the vision for University Baptist Church has happened around a shared table.

We hope you will take time tonight for a shared meal with friends. Make this a habit. It will greatly enrich your life.

Thur May 19: Book Day

We will simply confess: we love bookstores.

We can both list for you our favorite bookstores in cities across America. We love used bookstores that sell hidden treasures in the publishing world, independent bookstores that sell authors we have never heard of, bookstores that are part of coffee shops, and really any place that smells like books.

This blog entry is being typed in a bookstore (next to the diet section because it's one of the few that does not call out and become a distraction).

We know all sorts of intriguing facts about books. For instance, for every book you select you are not selecting at least 1000 other books according to how many books a good reader reads in a lifetime. We can list the 100 books that have mattered most to us. And at any given time both of us are probably in the middle of at least 5 different books.

We love words. For Mike, words are pivotal to the screen plays and plays he is writing. Griff is working on a doctoral project that involves preaching and literature. Words are a large part of our lives.

Thus, books matter to us because words matter.

Words are what we do. They are our tool.

Some people get to work with their hands, they work with blue prints or with tools or machinery. Pastors work with words and story. These are our tools of the trade.

One of the saddest losses in our times is the loss of reading. People do not read like they used to and this is a shame.  Thus our challenge today, think of a book you have always wanted to read and start reading it.

We are always reading a book together and meet weekly to discuss this. Currently we are working our way through Moby Dick with Les Miserables next on the list.

We believe in this activity today. By reading a good story, you will start to question the story of your life and it will hopefully cause you to live a better story. In this, a good book is a lot like a good sermon.

We can't wait to hear what you are spending the summer reading. You will get lost in a world of words and there is no better place to be lost.

Wed May 18: Do Something

I've been a bit busy recently.

This is an understatement.

There is just something about trying to sell a house, complete the work the buyers want on a house, pack up a house for movers, begin winding down a current job, begin starting a new job (and model), buying a house, moving all your mail, finishing 13 papers that are due for my next Doctor of Ministry seminar, and chasing a very active two year old.... somehow all this does not amount to a lot of free time for me.

Yesterday, we moved out of our house and suddenly life slowed down quite a bit. This morning I got up and laughed looking at the assignment for today. The last thing I want to do today is be a bit productive. I want to rest, I want to take an afternoon nap, I want to read a book, I want to watch a movie, I want to go for a jog.

Yet today is the day to do something you have been putting off or trying to avoid. There were two things I knew that must be done. First, I need to write two weddings for friends getting married the next two weekends. Second, I need to begin writing 4 talks I will deliver in June at a camp in Colorado on the art of Sabbath.

It's not that I need to do the research or even the leg work on either of these projects. I just need to do the hard part of putting pen to paper, well finger to keyboard. I have all this chicken scratch on yellow legal pads (my preferred medium). I need to begin getting this in wedding and lecture forms.

So this morning, I went to a coffee store and avoided the stacks of magazines and newspapers that I really wanted to become lost in and instead wrote two wedding ceremonies and began outlines for 4 lectures. I have been much more productive than I intended. It's a lot like a long morning run, once I get through the warm up jog, I can often run much further than I anticipated.

I feel good.

And because I have been so productive, I don't feel bad about my evening plans to jog, read, share a meal with family and friends, and watch Modern Family.

Tuesday May 17: Sunday School

There has been a real shift in America in recent years. In the 1950's church was most people's community. Today there are all sorts of different communities for people. There are country clubs, on line groups, support groups of every fashion, club sports, and the list goes on and on. The result is intersting: with all these different communities people are in search of authentic community.

People want a community that cares about more than just the fact our kids play the same sport, that we read the same type books, or that we enjoy the same hobby. People want communities that provide real support and meaning in lives that are often lacking these things.

The church is that type of community. We are a community that seeks a greater kingdom and purpose.

We are the community the world is searching for.

Throughout the weekend we heard from many of you that you know friends that were once active in your Sunday School group, but whom you have not seen in some time. We understand that during a interim time period there is going to be a lot of in and out business. It's time now to get this people back.
Call them and tell them something new is going on at University Baptist Church. Tell them about your experience this weekend and the thoughts you have about the future of University Baptist Church.

Just today we received an email from a member that included a list of many people she plans to invite back to church. We want to meet this people and invite them to be part of this new beginning as well.

People want to be part of something that matters. This church matters. Share that with those who you have not seen in a while. Invite them to be part of this new chapter.

Our church needs them in our story and they need our story in their lives.

Monday, May 16: Prayer

The foundation for the co-pastorate model is prayer. One of our favorite elements of this type of pastoring is that ultimately all things must be placed in the hands of God. Neither of us can make decisions alone, but must make church decisions within a community and in God's guidance. All that we do must be bathed in prayer.

A large portion of the Called to Become guide is prayer. We believe prayer is hallmark to the Christian journey.

We were asked several times over the weekend, how should we pray for you guys? Let us give our answer like this. First, pray for all of us- not just Mike and Griff. This entire community needs prayer because we are all in this together. Second, in your prayers ask the following: God what do you want from our church community?

Our desire is for this to be a community following and seeking after the call of God. We want to be a community that is about the Kingdom work of Jesus Christ.

Start you prayers there and see what God lays on your heart for our church.

One of the prayers we use most often comes from Thomas Merton and as such is called the Merton prayer. We hope you will use this a personal and communal prayer in the next few weeks:

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.


"Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you."
- St. Augustine