Mike’s Blog

Surprises abound. And they are good. I don’t know if you have been following the European Soccer Championship but I have. And if you had asked me, “Mike, who’s going to win?” I would have said, “Holland or Portugal. They will meet in the final and one of ‘em will take it.” Nope. They have been ELIMINATED! Shocking. Suprising. And yesterday, all the people that thought Italy would win–THEY were surprised when Italy was eliminated. Spain, Russia, Turkey (Surpise!) and Germany will play. Another great surprise happened for me when the Lonbergers signed up to share special music in church. I had no idea what they would do. Well, if you were there, you know: Frank played mandolin, Dan played Bass, and Treda played guitar and sang. A bluegrass trio in a Presbyterian Church. It was a wonderful surprise! As I sat and listened to Frank solo on the mandolin, I felt one of my ministry dreams coming true. The soccer, the music, all of it to say: God still suprises us each day. This, after all, is the day that the Lord has made. Let’s look for the suprises.

Thursdays for college students are “the new friday.” For me, as a pastor, thursdays are also my fridays. I try and get ahead, anticipate needs, do some of next week’s work today.
There are at least two challenges in my work of ministry that may be similar to your work. One, you will accomplish many things you didn’t THINK you’d get done. You will not finish those things you thought you’d finish. If someone comes into the office that I didn’t expect, I am glad, but I have to set aside my expectations. I will not do what I THOUGHT I would do. I will only do what I will do. I know that sounds stupid, or tautological (who’s stupid NOW!) but it is true. Eugene Peterson, famously Presbyterian bible translator said something that I think applies. He was talking about the daily -ness of his work, all the lists he made, and how a dream changed his perspective. He writes, “I. . .started keeping a journal. At first, and for a long time, my journal contained only lists: people to see, letters to write, visits to make, errands to run. I put them int the journal rather than on scraps of paper, to give them some dignity, some semipermanence. And I prayed my lists: this is best-seller material.” (Under the Unpredictable Plant, 152-3) Peterson’s point is that the stuff of life is important. And often what we think is accidental, hap-hazard or incidental is not. An easy mistake to make, given that we are used to dictating the terms of our work or life. wrong.
The second thing that may be helpful in your work life, and something that I’ve found in Church work is that it’s feast or famine. I am either the busiest guy in the universe or it’s like after-hours at coney island. It is either Lent or July. Christmas Eve or Memorial Day. There do not seem to be many days or weeks that are moderate in their mood. Feast or famine. I have not found a solution. I don’t think there is one except to accept it. And maybe also to say, “O Lord, come to my assistance. O God, hasten to help me.” Or, “there is a time and a purpose for all things under heaven.” Saying those things give me comfort in the feast, and nourishment in the famine of my work. Maybe they will do the same for you. Blessings on this day of Work with or without Rain. mm

Tonight is the last night of the Montreat Youth Conference. It has been a good week of prayer, reflection, playing ridiculous games and generally good times.

I am reminded tonight of how we change over time as people of faith. When I waited tables in high school, a man I served said, “Son, you’ll change every seven years.” And he has been right so far.

Tonight, I am a father, looking after his son. I have looked after Noah while worship was going on but as I sat doing my daily readings and catching up on some emails, I heard all 818 youth singing around Lake Susan. I went to the window and could see all the candles surrounding the lake. And I could hear them sing familiar songs, with a slight, echo.
Seven years ago, I was a seminary student, standing down there for the first time. I had never been to montreat and I was new to ministry, really.
It will be interesting to see what God has in store for me, for all of us, in another seven years.

Today is a day to avoid the theater or the colliseum. My Grandmother used to say, in her best New York accent (i think), “I said, Julie, Julie, ‘Don’t Go!!’”

The Ides of March not only makes me think of Julius Ceasar (the Play more than the Man) but also that great song “Vehicle” by the Ides of March” (which, if I was more tech savvy, I would have found out how to link to that song from here). The lyrics are definitely urbane: “I’m your vehicle baby/I’ll take you anywhere you want to go/I’m your vehicle WoMON/by know you surely know/that I love you/need you/got to got have you/great God in heaven you know I love you.” Ridiculous. But what makes the song is the horns. BLAUHH. And as Dave Chappelle reminds us in Block Party, if you have a line of Horns that “Hit You” most everything is improved. “Blessed are the poorin spirit: they will inherit the kingdom. BLAUHHW!” The scriptures did not say if Jesus had a backing band, but if perhaps if there’s a revival of JC Superstar, this could be considered. A very happy Thursday to you all. BLAUUWW.

I don’t know if you’ve ever wondered if the word ’snow’ occurs in the bible. I have. I did, just now. I checked an online resource, Oremus Bible Browswer and searched under ’snow.’ Tons of references show up, many mentioned leprosy or killing lions, none of which seem that postivie. One, however, grabbed my attention.
“[God] sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast? He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.” (Psalm 147.15-18, TNIV)

I am captivated by these lyrics. God spreads snow like wool, and frost like ashes. I this one line there seems to be both good and bad present, existential extremes. I would say that the gathering of wool is a good thing. Even for sheep it’s not too unpleasant. But then ashes falling down everywhere, might not be so good–think of cities burning in a war (most likely this is a refernce to the battles eventuating in the Exile).
Yet all these extremes, if there are extremes here, are held under God’s power. God’s word melts the extremes, activates the breezes, causes the waters to flow.

Whether you see snow as a postive thing or as another task or threat to your day, or whether it’s both, it’s good to know that God is in control, sending out The Word, stirring up the Breeze.

Thanks, God.

I drove down to Columbia on Thursday morning for a meeting of the Committee that talks about Covenant Point Camp. It doesn’t seem write to call this a ‘camp meeting’ without speaking in tongues or something, but it was a camp committee meeting I guess. I am glad to be a part of this committee because Christian Camping is so very important. Many of us had experiences of God’s grace and love at a camp.

I remember, and perhaps I will share this in a sermon one day, crying into a sock. It was the final night of camp, during worship. The music was going along, and, perhaps after communion, I was praying. I realized, as I would learn later in the words of Paul Tillich, that I was accepted by God. “Accept that you are accepted,” said Tillich in a sermon. Well, at camp that night, I realized that God did love me and accept me. And I began to cry. A lot. I was a little embarrased, so I looked around for a tissue. Nothing. I looked down at my shoes and thought, “Oh well. God accepts me. These people will just have to deal.” I removed my shoe and wiped my nose with my sock.

In the wake of God’s grace, being proper doesn’t count for too much.

Thanks to Greg Marshall’s help and our terrific church’s website, I can post to a blog. ‘Blog’ is a word that has crept into our everyday language, if not into our dictionaries, and I admit I can’t precisely define it. But, as you may already know, blogs are like online-diaries that people want you to read. So, thanks for reading this. I hope it helps you feel connected to our church and to what I’m up to.

Technology is an interesting thing. I am typing on a computer, but across the room looking at my enviously, is an old green Olympia manual typewriter. It is portable, weighing only 15 pounds. I bought it at a garage sale for $5. The computer cost considerably more than $5 but also weighs less and helps me do more. I have already arranged pictures in a slideshow for the White Gift Service (Sunday December 10th at 5:30).

Our society seems to function in what Jacques Ellul called the technical or technological imperative. You see this in the mall. If there’s something new, we have to have it. And that’s because it was something that someone figured out how to make or produce–and they had to produce it! If you’re a movie buff, see Jurassic Park on this theme. If your a book buff, well, I guess you could read Jurassic Park or Shelley’s Frankenstein. The technological imperative is active in our world.

And it smashes up against us in the Advent season. I want it. I want it. I remember, one of my first moments of church leadership was when I sang in the church choir at age 8. My line was “I want a watch” in a song that’s refrain is still fresh in my mind. “I want/presents by the score/I want/lots of things for me/I want/more and more and more/I want everything/I see.”

This advent, let us remember that Christ’s imperative to us is different from those in the marketplace, labs, or factories. Christ’s imperative is the only one that counts: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34)

This command is Christ’s love imperative, let’s call it. Everything else is in a lesser tense.