Joining a New Denomination - Answering Jack Harnish's Questions 2.0

 The Reverend Jack Harnish recently published a "Monday Memo" called Joining a New Denomination....2.0. He asks some very good questions about the opportunity many United Methodists will potentially have to join a new Methodist movement, which will be known as the Global Methodist Church.

I've not posted on this blog for a L-O-N-G time, and yet it is an appropriate forum for me to provide my own answers to these questions. So I went to the trouble to recover the account, to refresh my access to it, and to provide this response.

I met Rev. Harnish at a United Methodist Communicators meeting in Nashville about a dozen years ago. I found him to be personable, intelligent and an excellent communicator. I say this because I do not want anyone reading my responses to think that I have any ill will towards Rev. Harnish or others who agree with his point of view. Rather, I want only to express what I sense God is doing in the midst of the controversies surrounding the United Methodist Church and its potential future directions for ministry. Now ... on to the questions...

 

 1. What does it mean to be the "Global Methodist Church"?

I admit to being less than 100% enthusiastic about the name chosen to be the identifier for the new Traditionalist expression of Methodism. I could easily think of several other monikers that I'd like better. But, most of those names are already claimed - either by existing denominations with Wesleyan roots - or as trademarks owned by the United Methodist Church. The Protocol of Grace and Reconciliation through Separation, did not provide for transference of any intellectual property from the United Methodist Church to any of the potential successor/emerging denominations based on the protocol agreements. So none of these other alternatives are readily available.

So ... The Global Methodist Church is both a pragmatic choice and an aspirational choice. 

Pragmatic: 

Its a name not already in use elsewhere. The domain name was available (vitally important in today's internet-connected world), and many churches may be able to easily change their own websites from "UMC" to "GMC" (And yes, let's acknowledge that the abbreviation of GMC is more likely to make people think of an automobile manufacturer than a new church. Maybe it will end up being referenced as TGMC.) But with enough resources, engagement and Godly blessing, the name can overcome its marketing limitations.

Aspirational: 

Rev. Harnish says, "Claiming the name 'Global' for a denomination which will only be a spin-off of the current UMC seems a bit presumptuous." Perhaps. But any presumptuousness is mitigated by expectation and desire. 

The Global Methodist Church is being spun-off (to use Rev. Harnish's words) or it is being birthed (my preference) from  the United Methodist Church. However, the United Methodist Church itself simply a spin-off/birthing from the Church of England.  Every Christian denomination is a spin-off from a parent denomination. And many of the child-churches have become more prevalent and provided greater ministry than the parent-churches that preceded them. Indeed, often the reason for the spin-off is that the parent-church has lost its spiritual direction, its desire to bring people into a right relationship with Jesus Christ,or become hopelessly corrupted by those in power over the church.

I see evidence that these conditions may be true in at least some parts of the UMC. We cannot argue with the decline in membership, worship attendance and giving in the United States portion of the UMC every year since the Methodist Church merged with the United Brethren Church to form the United Methodist Church in 1969, and decline has been exacerbated by COVID-19 and controversy. We cannot hide from the evidence of growing disobedience and protest against the covenant of connection contained within the United Methodist Book of Discipline - so much so that the UMC is basically no longer governable or accountable to itself. 

The Global Methodist Church will be comprised of people who desire a simplified denominational structure, a robust discipleship formation process, and commitment to the authority of Scripture over the faith and practice of its members. There is an expectation that people all over the world that will respond to this, and that God will surely bless it. When launched, the GMC will likely include congregations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Churches in Central and South America may join in subsequent years. This is certainly possible, and certainly makes the "Global" name relevant, appropriate and celebratory.

I am looking forward to being part of such a church!

 

2. What is the Underlying motivation for this new church?

Rev. Harnish quotes Asbury Seminary president Dr. Timothy Tennent's remarks made at the Wesleyan Covenant Association Global Gathering in May 2021. Dr. Tennent: "You can't found a new denomination on anger, resentment and triumphalism."

Rev. Harnish says the rest of Dr. Tennent's remarks were triumphalistic in nature, and therefore Rev. Harnish wants them to be discounted. Maybe this is simply a matter of perspective. Since Rev. Harnish isn't excited about the GMC, any enthusiasm from GMC supporters may be perceived as triumphalistic. I heard Dr. Tennent's message when it was given, and I thought it was a fair warning about the proper aspirations for the new GMC. There are many traditionalists who are angry, resentful and frustrated by what's happening in the UMC. Those negative emotions can be drivers of change - see the civil rights movement here in America - but such drivers too often do not result in the long term gains desired by those feeling those emotions. 

My underlying motivation for joining this new church is simple. I want to be part of a faith-based movement that fully expects what God did in the first century church to still be done in the 21st century church! I want to be part of a movement that builds on the solid foundation of Scripture as a sufficient rule for life and practice - even the parts that don't always make sense to me (or have never made sense). I cannot divide the Bible into parts that are "always God's will", were "maybe God's will then, but not now" and "were never God's will". 

I want to be part of a church that preaches and practices these seven truths:

1. Each of us is made in God's image.
2. That image is warped by sin.
3. Sin makes us spiritually dead - no life for us at all.
4. Although we were dead, God still loves us so much that Divine entered Human through Jesus
5. By faith, we receive God's love through Jesus and it changes us - we are made spiritually alive.
6. God takes us as we are, but doesn't leave us there.
7. We are to be made perfect in Christian love.

 I believe the Global Methodist Church will preach and practice these truths more effectively than what I've experienced in 30+ years of United Methodist ministry as a lay person and ordained elder.

3. Isn't it still about homosexuality?

Yes, this is about homosexuality, but only because that specific activity is the one being promoted as no longer sinful by our modern culture. Homosexual practice is the proverbial "tip of the iceberg." It saddens me that homosexual practice has become the most visible and targeted sin and other sins are not equally considered. The Apostle Paul included many sexual practices in several of his lists of "what you formerly were" and "works of the flesh" to be avoided. Greed, gluttony, pride, etc. are equally problematic, and I pray that we will recognize and repent of these practices, too.

I agree with Rev. Harnish that there are substantial questions about how we understand biblical mandates. But the examples that he uses (racial integration and women's ordination) can be traced within the Scriptures - the human interpretation changed over time, but the evidence supporting God bringing ALL races together and women as leaders is well documented. One cannot find similar support regarding human sexual practices outside of heterosexual marriage within the Bible.

 

4. What about the Order of Deacon?

The draft Doctrine and Discipline of the Global Methodist Church does re-envision the practice of ordination, and I think this is a good thing. Ordination within the United Methodist Church is confusing and out of step with the broader ecumenical understandings and practices in Christianity. The UMC "licenses" local pastors to sacramental authority within their appointments. At the same time, the UMC denies sacramental authority to those ordained as Deacons, unless the presiding bishop specifically authorizes it for a particular Deacon's ministry context. This inconsistency of sacramental authority reveals to me the confusion and weakness of United Methodist ordination theology.

The GMC's ordination model (which is still a proposal in draft form), attempts to remove the inconsistency by eliminating the local pastor designation. ALL local pastors (UMC label) will be ordained as deacons in the GMC. Some deacons will remain permanent deacons; others may feel called to the order of elder. I greatly appreciate the "nesting dolls" analogy for call and response that is in the proposed ordination standards.

I expect current UMC Deacons who want to become part of the GMC will find greater ministry opportunities and fulfillment as deacons or elders. God's call on their lives will be validated and empowered to flourish even if there is no "Order of Deacon" as currently constituted in the UMC.

5. Is it time for another church schism?

In short, no. It's already happened. 

I think the fissures of schism surfaced in how, in the early 2000s, the UMC handled the controversies around now retired bishop Joseph Sprague's public denials of the virgin birth, resurrection, atoning death and second coming of Christ and his explicit rejection of Jesus as the only Savior and Lord. At his ordination, Joseph Sprague vowed before God that he accepted the doctrinal standards of the United Methodist Church and would defend against all doctrines contrary to God's Holy Word. As a bishop, he was consecrated to guard the faith, order, liturgy, doctrine, and discipline of the Church against all that is contrary to God's Word. Yet, he chose to reject the doctrines and resisted the disciplines when charges of heresy were brought against him. He had many eager and enthusiastic allies in his corner, and ultimately the charges were dismissed. He retired as a bishop in good standing and received the generous pension benefits of the church he insisted was wrong in its doctrines.

The cracks widened at each of the UMC General Conferences in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016. Protests against the Book of Discipline grew more blatant, disruptive and divisive. Bishops and elders chose to openly defy the Disciple and marry same-sex couples, ordain sexually active homosexuals, and declare their own homosexuality. When brought up on charges, most clergy complaints were either dismissed on technicalities or penalties were so light as to be non-existent. 

The schism became de facto with the election of Karen Oliveto to be a bishop in the Western Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church, even thought she was openly lesbian, marrying her wife in 2014. The Judicial Council ruled in 2017 that while her lesbian status was in violation of the Discipline, it did not have jurisdiction to remove her from office. The Judicial Council returned the matter to the Western Jurisdiction to resolve. Their resolution was to ignore the violation and allow her to continue as bishop. This was the first sign that governance and accountability in the UMC is broken.

A special called General Conference in 2019 was announced by the Council of Bishops to settle the issue of human sexuality "once and for all." A special Commission on a Way Forward brought a recommendation called "The One Church Plan" (supporting view) (opposing view) which would have been a version of "don't ask/don't tell" where those in favor of same-sex marriage and ordination would exercise that, and those who were not in favor would not exercise that. Most bishops and clergy were in favor of this plan. They fully expected that this plan would be accepted by the delegates. After hours of delaying tactics, the Traditional Plan (maintaining the current language in the Discipline and adding accountability measures for enforcement) was approved by a vote of 438 for and 384 against. Because parts of the Traditional Plan were in separate resolutions, not all parts of the Traditional Plan were voted upon due to the major delaying tactics employed by opponents to the Traditional Plan. No one left that General Conference happy with the outcome. Progressives, in particular, upped their efforts to ignore and castigate the traditionalist understandings of human sexuality and the doctrines of the church. Entire annual conferences and jurisdictions have declared their intent to ignore the decisions of 2019 General Conference. Governance and accountability in the UMC is broken, indeed.

I was not a delegate to any of the General Conferences, but I did observe them closely. I have never seen a more disgusting failure of witness to Christian principles of grace and mercy than what was GC2019. Key leaders from across the theological spectrum in the UMC agreed that they didn't want a repetition of the 2019 experience just one year later in 2020. Conversations around that desire eventually coalesced into the negotiations led by Bishop John Yambasu of Sierra Leone and facilitated by Kenneth Feinberg, an expert in mediation and dispute resolution. The result of those negotiations was the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, General Conference 2020 was delayed until 2021. Not quite out of COVID a year later, the General Conference is now delayed again until late August 2022.

I think the history I just recounted (and this was the SHORT version of events) proves that there needs to be a formal recognition of the schism that is already come. 

Rev. Harnish says, "Though it is clear we are headed for schism, I still regret it."

I still regret it, too. I am grieving the course of actions that have led us to this point, but I am reminded that within our faith is the concept of death and resurrection. The death of the current iteration of the UMC can bring resurrection to both a post-separation United Methodist Church and a Global Methodist Church. I think it's possible that releasing one another may be the winds of Holy Spirit renewal that all of us need. 

The United Methodist Church can follow in the footsteps of the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church, USA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and bitterly fight over church assets and resources (where the only winners are the lawyers), or we can follow the footsteps of Paul and Barnabas, who disagreed on ministry priorities and next steps but didn't fight to the death over them. They let go of one another and each continued on to do God's work the way each saw it should be.

Rev. Harkness closes by quoting E. Stanley Jones: "Here we enter a fellowship. Sometimes we will agree to differ. Always we will commit to love and unite to serve."

I love this quote, too. And my prayer is that through the World Methodist Council or other partnership structures, those who agree with Rev. Harkness and those who agree with me will find the space to flourish in our differences without fighting over definitions of love and unity and service.

Grace and hope ... Pastor Kerry

Service=Fruit; Fruit=Success?

This year, I am privileged to participate in co-mentoring a group of individuals considering God's call to ministry within the United Methodist Church.  We had a gathering tonight, and I asked them several "curious questions" to provoke discussion.

The first question was "Explain your agreement or disagreement with the following: Service = Fruit.  What does fruit look like?"

The second question followed: "Explain your agreement or disagreement with the following: Fruit = Success. What does success look like?"

Finally, I asked this question:  "Explain your agreement or disagreement with the following: Sacraments = Service.  Describe your understanding of the Sacraments."

The resulting conversation was indeed stimulating, provocative and wide ranging.  I thoroughly enjoyed the range of perspectives and varying agreement and disagreement of one's responses.  I asked these questions because they are one way of articulating the quandary of the United Methodist Church.  Particularly in the United States, United Methodists are trying to figure out how to measure fruitfulness and how to define success.  More pressure is being placed on all levels of the church to expand membership, worship attendance, and offerings.  We seem to be defaulting to an ideology that can be defined in a simplistic formula:

Service = Fruit; Fruit = Success

A church is deemed successful if it's growing.  It is growing because it provides a service.  From the opposite perspective, churches that aren't growing aren't providing service to their community.

While there are obviously churches that fall into the above patterns, I don't think we can lump ALL churches into one camp or the other.  In fact, all attempts to do so are dangerously close to minimizing the gospel of Jesus Christ and maximizing a worldly perception of what makes success.

When we explore what Jesus did during his earthly ministry, he wasn't all about service and growth.  Yes, he attracted huge crowds.  Yes, he fed them - 5000 and 4000 at a time, according to Matthew.  So there was service, and there was growth - but did those really express success?

According to John's gospel, the people followed Jesus looking for more bread after he fed the 5000: “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill." (John 6:26)

There was no success with that service because they hadn't really accepted Jesus' message.  They only wanted more free food.

Going back to Matthew 13, we get a parable that better describes Jesus perspective on fruit and success:

1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying:“A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

If we accept this parable as an analogy for our ministry efforts, then some service will never be fruitful, while other service will be exponentially fruitful.  But the fruitfulness has very little to do with the one offering the service - the sower is sowing seed indiscriminately.  The difference in fruitfulness is dependent upon the soil in which the seeds of service land.  Therefore, my understanding of the service=fruit=success formula is based on what GOD does more than what I do. 

So it's important to take measurements.  That's how we know some fruit was 100x, 60x, or 30x what was sown, and that other seed bore no fruit.  But even as we count, we must be careful not to become conceited or confused about the source of fruitfulness or lack thereof.  Our faithful response to God is to sow everywhere and anywhere we can.  But then allow God to take over from there! 

Therefore, in this season of Lent, I pray that I can be a better seeder, and that I may also be better soil!

What do you think?

Should United Methodists Observe Lent? What Difference Does It Make?

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Christian season of Lent.  I've committed myself to re-engage this blog during this season in order to further pursue holiness!  Since that's the point of this blog, it only makes sense to do so.

There are many reasons for allowing this site to languish in the internet dustbin for the past two years, but I sense a need to shake off the dust, throw a little spit and polish onto it and generally get it in gear again!

Journaling has long been a means of spiritual discipline; and quite frankly, I've only had marginal success in using it in that manner. As Lent is a season for greater intentionality in faith formation, I am praying that God will indeed use this effort as a "means of grace" to more fully form the image of Christ within me.  And if it brings others into a deeper or more expressive experience with God, that's a double blessing!

Interestingly, I found this blog entry earlier today:  United Methodist Worship: Wesley on Lent: "At Present Answering No Valuable End"

Taylor Burton-Edwards, director of worship in the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church, opened a view of Methodist history that I didn't know: John Wesley edited OUT all references to Lent in his version of the Book of Common Prayer prepared for the American Methodist societies.  He goes on to describe potential rationalizations for Wesley's actions, as well as possible responses for us as modern United Methodists.

It's an interesting thought for the beginning of Lent 2014.

How does Lent impact you?  Do you participate in the "giving up" or "adding on" aspects of it?  What differences has a Lenten discipline made in your life?  Have we as modern United Methodists lost something fundamental that Wesley assumed would remain core to who we are as the people called Methodist?

Lenten Bible Reading: Week 3, Thursday

During the season of Lent, I am attempting to follow a Bible reading plan and offer reflection on the Scripture text.  Today's reading is from Thursday in the 3rd week of Lent.  I welcome feedback.  What are these Scriptures saying to you?

 

Colossians 3:1-17 New International Version (NIV)

Living as Those Made Alive in Christ

 ¹ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.  ⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹ Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
 ¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
 ¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

__________________________

Paul likes to use a lot of contrasts and comparisons: things above vs. things of earth; death and life; earthly nature vs. divine nature.  Yet at the same time, he eliminates contrasts and comparisons:  Gentile vs. Jew; circumcised vs. uncircumcised; slave or free.

I find this to be quite interesting and somewhat startling!  Those comparisons that Paul eliminates are all the things that humans use to set themselves apart from each other.  Things like skin color, economic status, country of origin, language.  And what Paul emphasizes are the things that God uses to differentiate those who are followers of Jesus, and those who are not.  So in other words, how we define ourselves is MUCH less important than how God defines us!

People today are all about making distinctions on the wrong things and refusing to make distinctions on the things that truly matter.  Many want to squash the differences between religions - claiming that Christianity is one among equals in world religions.  Or that all religions are simply different paths to the same destination.  I don't believe that to be true.  And I think Paul argues against that being true.  He lived in a culture of syncretic religious philosophies.  People living back then made sacrifices to multiple gods, carried charms to ward of evil spirits from multiple religious perspectives.  That's why we've had this saying for a long time:  "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Paul, however, consistently pointed towards the "unknown god" who actually was made known through Jesus Christ.  And because Jesus has made God known, we find commonality in Him.  That commonality is how we live in response to Jesus.  Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience - those are what we should share across every language, skin color, country of origin, or economic class.

But we aren't doing a very good job living that way most of the time.  We tend to like those who are most like us and distrust those who don't seem to be much like us.  Blacks don't like whites; whites discriminate against blacks.  Anyone who looks Hispanic in America is assumed to be in this country illegally.  And statistics show that Sunday mornings are the most segregated times of the week.

So I'm going to start being more intentional about seeking out those who aren't like me.  I want to start using God's standards of differentiation instead of the world's standard.  I'm going to work on intentional forgiveness, forbearance, and patience.  Will you join me?

Lenten Bible Reading: Week 3, Wednesday

During the season of Lent, I am attempting to follow a Bible reading plan and offer reflection on the Scripture text.  Today's reading is from Wednesday in the third week of Lent.  I welcome feedback.  What are these Scriptures saying to you?

Philippians 4:1-9 Common English Bible

Therefore, my brothers and sisters whom I love and miss, who are my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord.
   Loved ones, I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to come to an agreement in the Lord.  Yes, and I’m also asking you, loyal friend, to help these women who have struggled together with me in the ministry of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the scroll of life.
   Be glad in the Lord always! Again I say, be glad!  Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people. The Lord is near.  Don’t be anxious about anything; rather bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks.  Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.
  From now on, brothers and sisters, if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise.  Practice these things: whatever you learned, received, heard, or saw in us. The God of peace will be with you.
 ____________________________________

After the day I had, that's a tough scripture to read!  I got into a disagreement with someone and then I read about Paul urging two women to come to an agreement in the Lord!  But I don't believe in coincidences, so I know God had this in store for me because I really needed it!

Sometimes disagreements are "natural."  There's a genuine difference in perspectives that precludes agreement.  Put a Democrat and a Republican together in the same room, and tell them to talk politics.  There's gonna be disagreement!!

But other times, the disagreements are "unnatural" because they're based on misunderstandings, failures of communication, or simple stubbornness and determination not to "give" to the other.

In either case, I think Paul is telling us here that we need to get over the differences - no matter what they are - and get to what's held in common.  And I'll be honest, that's not very easy!  The disagreement that I had is pretty hard to find commonality.  I'm frustrated, angry, and disappointed.  And I can't even really do or say anything about it directly.  That fact frustrates me even more!

So what does Paul say to do with these feelings and experiences?  Give them over to God.  "Be glad in the Lord always. Again, I say, be glad."  The New International Version says "Rejoice in the Lord, always.  Again, I say, rejoice."  Being glad, rejoicing??  When I'm so steamed that I could cook broccoli?  Yes.

I can't do that!!  I can't just "be happy" like switching on the light.  So ... I have to rely on the God of peace to take my anger and use it productively.  For example, in preparing this devotional.  I have to recognize my emotion, but also not let the emotion overwhelm me.  God can use me in this situation.  And God can still use the other person, too.

By giving it to God, I can let go of the emotion and return to the center of living in Christ.  And the situation then becomes one that I can reason with.  Paul even gives me hints on what questions to ask:  is it true? holy? just? admirable?  Then think on these things.  If it isn't true, holy, just or admirable, then let it go and find what is.

Bring it to God - all the hurt, anger, and frustration.  God can handle it.  In that way, I can still be gentle in how I respond.  And so, I'm going to respond to this disagreement with gentleness and rejoicing.  I'm going to take a step in faith that God will work this situation out in some form or fashion that I can rejoice, even when right now I don't feel like I can.  That's the amazing thing about God: where we fail, God prevails.

Lenton Bible Reading: Week 3, Tuesday

During the season of Lent, I am attempting to follow a Bible reading plan and offer reflection on the Scripture text.  Unfortunately, I'm not doing so well at making this a daily practice!  Today's reading is from Tuesday in the 3rd week of Lent.  I welcome feedback.  What are these Scriptures saying to you?

 

Ephesians 5:6-20 New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. ⁷ Therefore do not be partners with them.  ⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord. ¹¹ Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³ But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. ¹⁴ This is why it is said:
   “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

 ¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

____________________________

Notice how many words are being thrown around these days?  Look at how many millions of postings are on Facebook every minute.  How many tweets are broadcast per second.  How many Google searches are done in a millisecond.  And this is only a fraction of online stuff - without even mentioning the stuff that still goes on offline!  (Yes, there is still a real world out there!!)

 

How many of those countless millions or billions of words from all sources that potentially bombard us every moment we're awake are empty?  Deceptive?  I don't think the Apostle Paul had any clue just how relevant his 1st century words would be for us 21st century readers.  But they are!  We live in a world that attempts to obfuscate the truth.  To twist the meaning of words so that what was once thought to be good is now bad, and vice versa.  

 

How many concepts from Scripture are now being challenged as incompatible with modern life?  Live for others?  No way!  Live for yourself!  Get all the pleasure you can - and it doesn't matter what consequences may come upon others for your choices.  Or, in another twist of the truth: Stop taking pleasures in life, don't do anything fun.  You should be miserable because so many other people are miserable.

 

But Paul is saying to be careful how you live - wisely rather than foolishly.  Both extremes above are foolish.  Neither make the most of every opportunity.  What is the opportunity?  To demonstrate to others that what we do as Christians is different because Jesus is making a difference in us!

 

Which begs the question: Can people see a difference in your life because of Jesus?  Does your life reflect the Light of Christ?  Or are you still sleeping - spiritually dead - even though you've claimed the name "Christian" for yourself?

 

Don't be surprised when who you are is exposed.  Eventually, everything we do will come into the light.  Therefore, do the things that won't be shameful when the exposure comes.  One of my favorite quotes (unfortunately, I don't know who originally said it) is this:

 

"Live each day so that you will neither be afraid of tomorrow nor ashamed of yesterday."

We can do that when we do that in the strength of Jesus, relying on Him, and giving thanks to God in all circumstances.  So today, let's do it!

Lenton Bible Reading: Week 1, Wednesday

During the season of Lent, I am attempting to follow a Bible reading plan and offer reflection on the Scripture text.  Today's reading is from Tuesday in the first full week of Lent.  (And while this is the first posting of the series, the actual start of Lent was last Wednesday.  I am going to try to work my way back to the start of the reading plan as well as move forward towards Resurrection Sunday.)  I welcome feedback.  What are these Scriptures saying to you?

 

Luke 15:11-32

Common English Bible (CEB)

 ¹¹ Jesus said, “A certain man had two sons. ¹² The younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the inheritance.’ Then the father divided his estate between them. ¹³ Soon afterward, the younger son gathered everything together and took a trip to a land far away. There, he wasted his wealth through extravagant living.
 ¹⁴ “When he had used up his resources, a severe food shortage arose in that country and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ He hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to eat his fill from what the pigs ate, but no one gave him anything. ¹⁷ When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have more than enough food, but I’m starving to death! ¹⁸ I will get up and go to my father, and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I no longer deserve to be called your son. Take me on as one of your hired hands.” ’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

   “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion. His father ran to him, hugged him, and kissed him. ²¹ Then his son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ ²² But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly, bring out the best robe and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! ²³ Fetch the fattened calf and slaughter it. We must celebrate with feasting ²⁴ because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life! He was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
 ²⁵ “Now his older son was in the field. Coming in from the field, he approached the house and heard music and dancing. ²⁶ He called one of the servants and asked what was going on. ²⁷ The servant replied, ‘Your brother has arrived, and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he received his son back safe and sound.’ ²⁸ Then the older son was furious and didn’t want to enter in, but his father came out and begged him. ²⁹ He answered his father, ‘Look, I’ve served you all these years, and I never disobeyed your instruction. Yet you’ve never given me as much as a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours returned, after gobbling up your estate on prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’ ³¹ Then his father said, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive. He was lost and is found.’”

____________________________

OK, yesterday's story was not one of my favorites.  But today's story is definitely in my top 5 all-time best stories of Jesus!

I can remember listening to a preacher speak on this text when I was an older elementary-age student, probably like 10 or 11 years old.  I really identified with the younger son's desire to get away.  I grew up with great parents, but part of what made them great was how much they cared to set appropriate boundaries for me.  At that time, there was something about those boundaries that chafed me. (What, exactly, it was I can no longer remember).  In the first part of the story, as the son says, "Dad, I'm outta here!", I wanted to be able to say the same thing!  The preacher really talked up that part of the story - how the son had big ideas, thought life was something he could handle on his own, and the fun of independent living.  No more rules, restrictions, or responsibilities.  As a 10 year old, I firmly agreed.

But then the preacher moved on, and suddenly the son's experience didn't sound so good.  Pig slop?!  He's eating (or at least WANTS to eat) pig slop?  My own stomach began to churn unpleasantly.  Now the preacher described the fallout from bad choices.  Responsibility is not something to avoid but something to cherish.  Living in a family means allowing the needs of the family to restrict one's desires.  The benefits far outweigh the costs.  Started making me rethink how I viewed taking out the trash and washing dishes, doing homework, etc.

The preacher went on to talk about how the son had blown it so bad, he didn't think he could recover.  But even so, he saw that life at home - no matter how it looked - had to be better than what he had happening away from home.  And so he came back to Dad, but expected the lowliest possible position. I began to be glad that I hadn't actually tried to run away.  My life was going to be better than the younger son's life, because my dad wouldn't have to make me a servant.

When the dad saw the younger son and welcomed him, honored him, and threw a party for him, I was surprised.  Kind of like the older brother.  I could relate to his outrage.  That's not fair!  Look at what this kid did!  And now you're celebrating him rather than berating him? (actually not sure I knew "berating" as a 10-year-old, but work with me...)

I transferred my sympathies from the younger brother to the older brother.  And, I reasoned, I AM the older brother in my family, and I think I'd be just as upset if my little brother did this kind of stuff and Dad welcomed him back like that...

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Flash forward to today, and in many cases my own personal/family story parallels Jesus' story about these two brothers and their father more closely than I might like.  I ended up in pastoral ministry, my brother at one point was halfway around the world in the Navy.  I've stayed pretty close to the upbringing in Christ I received from my parents, while my brother has traveled a more circuitous faith journey and made some decisions with major life-altering consequences.  Not sure whether or not he was ever reduced to "pig slop", but I can imagine at times he came pretty close.  But Dad still loves us both.

Holy God, thank you for loving me and my brother so much that you welcome both of us into your loving arms. Thank you for giving me an earthly father who has tried to reflect his Heavenly Father in how he has treated me.  May the legacy of being a father to my own children be blessed by you and transferred to yet another generation as my kids grow up and become independent adults themselves.  I pray this in Jesus' name.  Amen.


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Lenten Bible Reading: Week 1, Tuesday

During the season of Lent, I am attempting to follow a Bible reading plan and offer reflection on the Scripture text.  Today's reading is from Tuesday in the first full week of Lent.  (And while this is the first posting of the series, the actual start of Lent was last Wednesday.  I am going to try to work my way back to the start of the reading plan as well as move forward towards Resurrection Sunday.)  I welcome feedback.  What are these Scriptures saying to you?

Matthew 18:21-35

Common English Bible (CEB)

Parable of the unforgiving servant

 ²¹ Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Should I forgive as many as seven times?”  ²² Jesus said, “Not just seven times, but rather as many as seventy-seven times.  

²³ Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he began to settle accounts, they brought to him a servant who owed him ten thousand bags of gold.   ²⁵ Because the servant didn’t have enough to pay it back, the master ordered that he should be sold, along with his wife and children and everything he had, and that the proceeds should be used as payment. ²⁶ But the servant fell down, kneeled before him, and said, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ ²⁷ The master had compassion on that servant, released him, and forgave the loan.
 

 ²⁸ “When that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred coins. He grabbed him around the throat and said, ‘Pay me back what you owe me.’
 ²⁹ “Then his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ ³⁰ But he refused. Instead, he threw him into prison until he paid back his debt.
 ³¹ “When his fellow servants saw what happened, they were deeply offended. They came and told their master all that happened. ³² His master called the first servant and said, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you appealed to me. ³³ Shouldn’t you also have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ His master was furious and handed him over to the guard responsible for punishing prisoners, until he had paid the whole debt.
 ³⁵ “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you if you don’t forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

____________________________

I have to confess something: this is NOT one of my favorite stories told by Jesus.  First off, the servant is an idiot!  He has squandered his master's resources - not just a little bit, but a lot!  The Common English Bible translates the amount owed as ten thousand bags of gold.  That's a pretty nebulous figure.  How big are the bags?  How much weight is in each bag?  Some commentaries that I've read on this passage talk about the amount owed being the equivalent of the entire gross domestic product of a country like Ecuador or Guatemala.  Granted, those are rather small nations, but this is ONE DUDE wasting the economic output of a whole country!  So ... this servant is an idiot for squandering those resources!

 

But this servant is an idiot for an entirely different reason: he begs for mercy from the master, gets that mercy, then goes out and grabs a fellow servant who owes him something along the lines of $4000.  I don't know about you, but for me, $4 grand is a significant sum.  So its understandable that he wants it back.  But the way that he goes about getting it - what cold, calculating, heartless, and calloused behavior by a person who's just been forgiven an unimaginable debt!  So ... this servant is an idiot for demanding repayment!

 

And this servant is an idiot for another reason: he made his demands on his fellow servant out in front of everybody else!  Perhaps he thought the public humiliation would increase the chances of the other guy coughing up the dough.  But the second guy doesn't have the ability to repay.  He begs for mercy - out in front of everyone - and reveals how desperate he is for another chance.  All this done in the midst of the public square.  If the first servant thought he was getting public opinion on his side, then his plan backfired - in a big way!  To think that bullying would garner respect, and perhaps power based on fear, makes this guy a triple idiot! 

 

He's a total loser!  Out of control!  He deserves all the punishment the master hands down on him at the end.  Good riddance!  Whew ... now I can relax...

 

 ...................

                     ..............................

                                                      ..................     ...........  .........  ........   ...

 

Wait a minute...   Who is this first servant?  What does he represent in Jesus' story?  Hmmm ... he might just represent me!  Ouch!!  Yes, I've been a triple idiot.  I've taken the great gift of mercy given to me by my Heavenly Father and turned around and blasted someone else who asked for mercy from me. 

Holy God, Jesus nailed me in this story.  Maybe, if I'm totally honest... that's why this story makes me so uncomfortable.  I owe a debt I cannot pay; Jesus paid a debt he did not owe.  And somehow in the busyness of life - even as a pastor (!) - I can forget that.  Thank you for the reminder today that there's an expectation of response from me in accepting your grace.  Continue challenging me, and pushing me into greater expressions of mercy, so that I continue to be humble, willing to be changed, and ultimately transformed into the likeness of Jesus himself.  I pray this in his name.  Amen.


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A BIble Reading and Reflection Plan for Lent

During this season of Lent, I'm embarking on a journey to read and reflect daily on Scripture and post those reflections to this blog. The reading plan comes courtesy of www.firmfoundation.org.  My prayer is that this exercise will not just be something that I do to be busy, or to show off, or any other self-centered expression, but rather that throughout this time, God will do something in me, with me and through me that transforms my head, heart and hands towards holiness.  I welcome you to join me and share your own thoughts and responses to these texts.

Prelude Week
Lord God, by Your Word, Fill Me with Your Life-Giving Spirit
Ash Wednesday: Luke 4:1-13
Thursday: Romans 8:1-17
Friday: Galatians 5:16-26
Saturday: Ephesians 4:17-24


Week 1
Lord God, by Your Word, Fill Me with a Spirit of Repentance and Forgiveness
Sunday: Psalm 51
Monday: Matthew 6:5-15
Tuesday: Matthew 18:21-35
Wednesday: Luke 15:11-32
Thursday: Ephesians 4:25—5:2
Friday: 1 John 1:5-10
Saturday: Psalm 130

Week 2
Lord God, by Your Word, Fill Me with a Spirit of Hope and Trust
Sunday: Genesis 12:1-9
Monday: Genesis 22:1-19
Tuesday: Isaiah 51:1-16
Wednesday: Luke 12:22-34
Thursday: Romans 4:13-25
Friday: Hebrews 6:13-20
Saturday: Psalm 62

Week 3
Lord God, by Your Word, Fill Me with a Spirit of Gratitude and Thanksgiving
Sunday: Luke 17:11-19
Monday: 2 Corinthians 9:1-15
Tuesday: Ephesians 5:6-20
Wednesday: Philippians 4:1-9
Thursday: Colossians 3:1-17
Friday: 1 Chronicles 16:7-36
Saturday: Psalm 103

Week 4
Lord God, by Your Word, Fill Me with a Spirit of Love and Servanthood
Sunday: Matthew 23:1-12
Monday: Mark 10:35-45
Tuesday: John 15:1-17
Wednesday: Romans 12:9-21
Thursday: Romans 13:8-14
Friday: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Saturday: 1 John 4:7-21

Week 5
Lord God, by Your Word, Fill Me with a Spirit of Discipleship and Commitment
Sunday: Luke 5:1-11
Monday: Luke 9:22-27
Tuesday: Matthew 10:16-33
Wednesday: Matthew 10:34-42
Thursday: John 15:18-27
Friday: 2 Timothy 2:1-13
Saturday: 2 Timothy 3:10-17

Week 6
Lord God, by Your Word, Fill Me with a Spirit of Obedience and Humility
Sunday: John 13:1-20
Monday: Philippians 2:1-11
Tuesday: Psalm 22
Wednesday: Isaiah 52:13—53:12
Thursday: Luke 22:39-71
Friday: Luke 23:1-56
Saturday: Hebrews 4:14—5:10

Lenten Bible Reading: Week 1, Monday

During the season of Lent, I am attempting to follow a Bible reading plan and offer reflection on the Scripture text.  Today's reading is from Monday in the first full week of Lent.  (And while this is the first posting of the series, the actual start of Lent was last Wednesday.  I am going to try to work my way back to the start of the reading plan as well as move forward towards Resurrection Sunday.)  I welcome feedback.  What are these Scriptures saying to you?

 

Matthew 6:5-15

Common English Bible (CEB)

Showy prayer

 ⁵ “When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners so that people will see them. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. ⁶ But when you pray, go to your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you.

Proper prayer

 ⁷ “When you pray, don’t pour out a flood of empty words, as the Gentiles do. They think that by saying many words they’ll be heard. ⁸ Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask. ⁹ Pray like this:

     Our Father who is in heaven,
uphold the holiness of your name.
¹⁰ Bring in your kingdom
so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven.
¹¹ Give us the bread we need for today.
¹² Forgive us for the ways we have wronged you,
just as we also forgive those who have wronged us.
¹³ And don’t lead us into temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
 ¹⁴ “If you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you don’t forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your sins.

____________________________

Prayer is a major part of the Lenten experience, and this is a nice reminder of how to (and how not to) pray.  I think we can make two equal but opposite blunders when it comes to prayer.  We either err on the side of making it "too big" or of making it "too little."  In this teaching, Jesus is showing us how to avoid both mistakes.

The "too big" approach is what the hypocrites do.  They get into the big words, the flowing gestures, the proper vocal inflections, etc.  I've seen some folk pray like this.  They get into lots of "thee's" and "thou's" and "wherewith" and polysyllabic words.  Sometimes these prayers are downright impressive as I listen to them, but yet they remain semantically null.  Or to put it into plain English: they don't say a lot!


The other "too big" approach that Jesus warns against is the repetition prayer.  This is when a person says something again and again and again and again and ...       An often unconscious expression of this type of prayer is when we say "Lord, we just ..."  As in "Lord, we just ask you to be with us right now.  We just want to know you're present in a mighty and powerful way.  Lord, we just need you, and we just want you to know that we need you..."


A four-year-old once asked who Lord Wejuss was because he heard people saying that name so much in their prayers!


But there's also a "too little" approach to prayer.  This happens when we don't take prayers seriously.  We make prayer a "by the way" or perfunctory sentence or two before digging into the mashed potatoes.  


Jesus' model prayer offers the balanced prayer - the one that's "just right!".  It both acknowledges the greatness of God and the intimacy of God.  It is grounded in simplicity, and yet contains some incredibly profound concepts.  It moves us from the grandeur of heaven to the mundane-ness of ordinary daily life.

It's no wonder we so often take this "Lord's Prayer" and make it the centerpiece of the prayer experience in worship.  But unfortunately, this very familiarity of the prayer can make it become more rote ritual than real prayer.  Our challenge, then, is to keep praying this prayer and mean what it says each time we pray it.  Reflect on it.  Remember it.  Apply it.


I think its the application of the prayer that Jesus had in mind when he transitioned from prayer to forgiveness.  Yes, pray that God forgive you for your wrongdoing, but be sure that you're applying that forgiveness principle yourself!  We so easily get caught up in rationalizing away the need to forgive someone.  "They didn't ask for it"  "They don't deserve it"  "They hurt me too much"  "I forgave them before and they didn't change"


But Jesus doesn't leave us wiggle room on this.  If you want your Heavenly Father to forgive you, then you (and I) MUST forgive others!  This is a reverse-conditional phrase.  What that means is that God's forgiveness isn't conditioned by our forgiveness, but rather that our forgiveness derives from God's forgiveness.  God's forgiving is the primary action, and our forgiving is the secondary response.  And if we want to experience God's forgiveness, then we must respond to that forgiveness by forgiving others.

Holy God, as I pray, may my prayers honor your name - who you are and what you stand for.  And may your holiness descend upon me so that I can become a better witness for you.  Show me the ones whom I need to forgive, and show me the ones from whom I need to ask for forgiveness.  And may this be done daily, so that I continue to be humble, willing to be changed, and ultimately transformed into the likeness of Jesus himself.  I pray this in his name.  Amen.


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The Most Free and Alive Time in Your Life

Last week, I attended the United Methodist Association of Communicators Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I had a fantastic time meeting new people from all over the world, spending time learning more about how we can better communicate God's timeless message of love, compassion, justice and salvation through 21st-century technologies, and seeing examples of some of the best materials produced by some incredibly talented people.

But with all of that, the most personally profound experience at UMAC was decidedly old-fashioned.  Novelist Lynne Hinton led a workshop, "Write to Soul," that had me using pen and paper to capture emotions and insights as a spiritual exercise.  I want to share one activity completed in this workshop - both the process of the activity and its result.

The activity was to answer reflections questions on "the most free and alive time in your life."

1. What was a time in your life when you felt the most free, the most yourself, the most alive?
2. Recall some details of that time: when, where, who were you with?
3. What was that time like for you?  What did it feel like?
4. What was the grace of that experience?  What does it seem God was wanting to say to you?  How can it inform your present choices?

Once we'd written some words, phrases, and/or sentences in response to each prompt, we were invited to review our responses and select six phrases as particularly meaningful or poignant.  Then we numbered them from 1 to 6.

Using those six phrases, we then built a three stanza, free form poem using the following formula:
     Stanza 1
         Line 1 - use Phrase #1
         Line 2 - use Phrase #2
         Line 3 - use Phrase #3
         Line 4 - use Phrase #4

    Stanza 2
        Line 1 - repeat Phrase #2
        Line 2 - use Phrase #5
        Line 3 - repeat Phrase #4
        Line 4 - use Phrase #6

    Stanza 3
        Line 1 - repeat Phrase #5
        Line 2 - repeat Phrase #3
        Line 3 - repeat Phrase #6
        Line 4 - repeat Phrase #1

Here is my result:  The Most Free and Alive Time in My Life

Friday, 6 a.m., in front of my dresser
I stepped on the scale, and I reached a new low
80+ pounds had been lifted from my body
I was a kid again, but with the maturity of soul to appreciate it

I stepped on the scale, and I reached a new low
Still, I have trouble recognizing myself in the mirror
I was a kid again, but with the maturity of soul to appreciate it
"You are not fat!  You were created to be healthy; your body is God's Temple"

Still, I have trouble recognizing myself in the mirror
80+ pounds had been lifted from my body
"You are not fat!  You were created to be healthy; your body is God's Temple"
Friday, 6 a.m., in front of my dresser


I encourage you to try this exercise for yourself.  You may be as surprised as I was at how profoundly the result will impact you, and what depth of soul will be experienced in the process.

When Was the Last Time...

When was the last time the following songs were top-10 radio hits?

• "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears
• "I Wanna Know What Love Is" by Foreigner
• "One More Night" by Phil Collins
• "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney Houston

When was the last time the Kansas City Royals won the World Series?






When were the following toys introduced?

• Teddy Ruxpin
• Care Bears
• Pound Puppies

When was the last time this ring was worn on a regular basis?









The answer for every question is the same: 1985.  That's 26 years ago!  That's more than half of my lifetime (so far) ago!  Friends, no matter how one views it, that's a L - O - N - G time...

I bought that ring in Santa Fe, New Mexico after my first year in college.  But within six months after purchasing it, I had gained enough weight to make it uncomfortable when on my finger.  It became increasingly difficult to take off, and I reached the point that I wasn't sure if I could even get it off after putting it on, so I quit wearing it.

It disappeared into a keepsake box and remained packed away until a few years ago when we moved to our current location.  I was quite excited to find it again, but knew there was no way it could go on my finger.  But that didn't stop me from trying.

It didn't even make it past the first knuckle join on my ring finger.  It really didn't even fit on my pinky finger.  So I put it into a drawer and forgot about it again.

As I began to lose weight this year, that ring occasionally came out of the drawer "for a test fit."  Each time, it came a little further down the finger, but not enough.  Finally I told myself that I would not try again until I broke through the 190 pound mark.  Over this past weekend, I finally did so, and VIOLA!  it fits!!

In some ways, the success of fitting this ring on my finger is even more significant emotionally than walking my daughter down the aisle last month weighing 198 pounds.  I didn't expect that to be true.  But putting on this ring effectively "erases" my adulthood obesity.  It's like God has reset my biological clock back to that 18 year old kid, but now with the wisdom and commitment of adulthood to proper nutrition and exercise.  It's also a validation of Jesus' words,

"Have faith in God! I assure you that whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea’—and doesn’t waver but believes that what is said will really happen—it will happen. Therefore I say to you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you will receive it, and it will be so for you." (Mark 11:22-24)

I have believed that God will be honored through my body, that God will give me the enthusiasm for exercise and proper nutrition, and that I will lose weight and gain strength through this process.  And as a side benefit, I now can wear something that I thought would forever be beyond my grasp!  Just goes to show, "With God, all things are possible!"

Getting to Mare Ligure, part 3

Last time on "Pursue Holiness," our daring adventurers had successfully achieved their beach objective, but the plot line was left unresolved ... how are they getting back?  No train tickets.  No open train station.  No knowledge of the language.  And worst of all ... blistered feet!



The adventure continues ...

We walked into the center of Vada and discovered a very pretty piazza anchored by the city hall.  The contrast of Vada's quaintness with Florence's business continued to amaze me.  All in all, I really was enjoying myself even though there were more questions than answers for our travel needs.

As we walked through the piazza, I discovered that the street name was the same name that I had written down the address for the tourist information office.  Hey!  Maybe we can still get in?  What time is is?  16:45. (That's 4:45 for Americani)  Yikes!  They might be closed or closing soon.  Quick, find the address!

The doorway in front of us was numbered "4" and the address we needed was "307."  But Italian addresses don't follow American formats.  In the US, one would expect a three-block journey from the first address to the second, and also crossing the street to get from "evens" to "odds."  Italian addresses have no standard format.  One can only generalize - they usually are sequential.  They usually go up as you leave the origination point.  That's about all that one can rely upon with Italian addresses.

So of course we went the wrong way to find "307" along the piazza.  We wound through the entire piazza only to end up six doors away from our starting point - if we'd traveled left rather than right!  But still, I found it!  However, there didn't seem to be much activity at that address.  The windows looked rather dark.  And if there were an "office hours" sign, I didn't recognize it.  (Wouldn't it make sense to put a tourist office sign in English?)

I pulled at the door, and WHOO-HOO, it opened!  We went inside and came upon an animated conversation between a woman sitting behind a counter and two men.  One of the men was on our side of the counter, the other man was to the left side of the counter.  I couldn't tell if he was a visitor or a worker.  They were speaking Italian, and I was unsure whether it was a heated argument going on, or simply an exuberant conversation.  I was wise enough not to attempt an interruption.  After all, I didn't want either the heat or the exuberance turned against me!

We waited for their conversation to end - which seemed like an eternity, but probably was only four minutes.  The first man left; the second stayed.  A new conversation started between Man #2 and the woman.  I still was unsure whether he worked there or not.  They both ignored my wife and me.  I stayed quiet.  Finally, he left, but her phone rang.  She talked on the phone, and it seemed to be an extension of the conversation with the first man.  At least I recognized some of the same sounds coming out of her mouth. (Note to self: get a better grasp of the language when traveling off the "tourist" path).

After what seemed like the second eternity, but was probably only six minutes, the woman looked up at me and asked, "Si?"

I responded, "Parle Englese?"

"Yes."

"Oh, good!"  I breathed a huge sigh of relief.  I had really hoped to be able to explain our predicament in English!  I proceeded to tell her our experience with the train station clerk in Florence and how he only gave us tickets for our travel to Vada, not our tickets returning from Vada.

The first question out of the woman's mouth: "Why?"

How should I know?  That's just what he did.

"He should have known that the Vada station is closed."  she said.

"So how do I get tickets?" I asked.  "Do you issue them here?"

"No.  You'll have to go to Cecina and get them from the ItaliaRail agent there."

"OK.  How do I get to Cecina?"

"You can take the bus," she said.

"Good.  Where is the bus station?"

"The bus stop is just down the street."

"So how do we ride the bus?" I asked.

The lady gave me a look that I interpreted to mean, "What?  Are you stupid?  You get on and sit down!  How else would you ride a bus?"

I rephrased my question.  "How much does it cost, and where do I buy tickets?"

Comprehension dawned.  Her face cleared.  "It costs 2 Euro per person, and you can buy the tickets here."

We gave her the money and then asked when the bus would arrive.  She replied, "It will be here in about 15 minutes.  And that's good because you need to get to Cecina for your tickets before the train back to Florence leaves."

Oh, then we needed to hurry.  So much for the idea of getting dinner.  We thanked her and walked to the bus stop.  Once there, I looked at my watch and saw that I still had 10 minutes before the bus arrived.  I asked my wife if she wanted some water, at least, while we waited.  That seemed a good idea, so I retraced my steps to a small market about half a block away.

I got the water, came out of the store, and saw the bus coming down the street towards us.  Yikes again!  I can't afford to miss that bus!  I hot-footed my way back to the stop, wincing with each blister-tortured step.

God truly does work in mysterious ways.  While I was getting the water, another man came to the bus stop.  As the bus approached, he waved to get the driver's attention.  The bus slowed down, pulled over, and stopped just as I made it back.  I am not certain, but I think without that fellow traveler to wave the bus down, we would have been left behind.  I am certain that neither my wife nor I would have thought to wave at the bus to ensure that it did stop.  So I breathed a silent prayer of gratitude as we boarded.

If you read my first blog post about this seaside adventure, you may recall that Cecina was one of my options for finding a beach.  I had ruled it out, however, because I wanted a more authentic Italian experience.  Now, I don't think one could get a more authentic Italian experience than boarding the intercity bus.  Not a single tourist-looking person aboard!

The distance between Vada and Cecina is approximately 6 miles.  As we made our way southward, the bus made several stops - both to allow passengers to board and to let passengers off.  After the second occurrence, my wife and I reached the conclusion that the bus stopped because passengers pushed the "next stop" button at their seats.  That was a scary thought.  How will we know to ask for our stop?

I went forward to the driver and told him we needed the stop for the train station in Cecina.  I was so flustered at this point, that I forgot to even ask whether or not he knew English before using English to say what I wanted.  God is still good.  The drive did speak English, and he said he would let us know when to get off the bus.  Grateful again, I returned to my seat and told my wife the good news.

It turned out that we didn't need the driver's help.  By the time we came into Cecina, I recognized the road signs indicating the train station (pictures really help!) and saw the station as we came around the corner and approached it.  Unlike Vada's train station, Cecina's station was in the heart of town, quite easily accessible.


We walked into the station, and the agent window was still open.  We waited our turn and then approached the man at the window.  "Parle Englese?"

"Yes, I speak English," he said.

I then told my story about the Florence station.  I finished, and the agent asked, "Why?"

"Touristi Americano!  Stupido!!" I said.  Really, I wondered privately, how should I know why he didn't give me my return tickets?

The agent looked at my reservation sheet, and he examined our out-bound tickets.  "Who wrote this?" he asked, pointing to where the train conductor had "stamped" our tickets after we had failed to do so with the ticket validation machine in Pisa.

"The conductor from Pisa did that." I said.

"Why did you not stamp your tickets?" he asked.

"I did not know that I was supposed to do so." I said.

He gave me a look that I interpreted to be something like "why don't you learn how our system works before you try to use it!  Now you're giving me your problems and I don't want to fix them!"

He turned to another man in the office and spoke in Italian, gesturing to our paperwork and towards us.  The other man responded, and I couldn't tell if this was animated or agitated conversation.  Eventually, the agent turned back towards me and said that he would give me our return tickets, but that we had a problem.

"What is our problem?" I asked.  How much worse was it gonna get?

"Your tickets are from Vada to Florence, but you are no longer in Vada.  You cannot use your Vada tickets in Cecina," he replied.

"So what are you telling me?"

"You must buy tickets from Cecina to Vada."

"But I'm only in Cecina because the Vada station is not open.  And I had to come here to get my tickets."

"You should have got your tickets in Florence." he said.

LORD, give me PATIENCE!!!!! (a silent prayer before responding)  "I realize I should have gotten my tickets in Florence, but the agent did not give them to me."

I anticipated the next question.  "Why?"

I decided that I couldn't win an argument for free passage back to my original turn-around.  "OK. How much is the train ticket from Cecina to Vada?"

"One point six Euro."

Amazing, the bus cost more than the train!  We bought our tickets from Cecina to Vada, got our tickets from Vada to Florence, and confirmed the departure schedule for the train we needed.  We had just over an hour before the train arrived.  Good!  Let's get some dinner!

Cecina is a little larger than Vada.  Maybe three times larger.  But as we walked through the town, we discovered a disturbing fact about Cecina.  It has LOTS of children's clothing stores, but not many restaurants.  And worse for us, the restaurants we did find were closed.  We walked past a pizza place that seemed more "fast food" than "authentic Italian" food.  And after exhausting all other options, finally went back and split a slice of pizza.  It actually was pretty tasty.  Even better for us, the gelateria was open, and so we enjoyed dessert.  Italian gelato, a.k.a. ice cream, is an incredible experience!  Highly recommended!!

We finished our meal and walked back to the train station with plenty of time to spare.  We were just about to board the train when my father-in-law called me and let me know that they had dinner left-overs waiting for us at the apartment should we be hungry when we arrived.  Given the limited dinner we had just eaten, I anticipated his soup and crusty Italian bread would be a real treat - no matter how late it was when we finally got there.


The train ride home was almost three hours, and we enjoyed a tremendous Italian sunset, just at the time when the train tracks gave us sea views to the west!  We took several photos through the car windows, hoping that a few would turn out well. (I think they did!)

We pulled into the Florence train station about 22:30 (10:30 p.m.) and walked back to our apartment - another 20 minutes walking.  So ... 27,849 steps.  13.18 miles.  1665 calories burned.  And that's just the foot traffic!  Add five hours of train, and thirty minutes of bus.

Mix in the gorgeous countryside, quiet tree-lined roads, walking along the Mare Ligure with pizza, gelato, soup, cathedrals, baptistries, and the company of my wife through it all.  Life doesn't get much better than this!!