The elementary school across our (new!) parking lot opened for classes recently. One back-to-school evening, I’m told, coincided with the end of our construction project. An unexpected challenge arose. Some parents ignored the flimsy orange tape meant to block the entry. Understandable, I thought, when a full school event occurs, usually our lot is full. Still, fresh asphalt requires time to cure and our child care center’s owner knew that. Apparently, she walked into the lot and kindly invited parents to move, even to drive over the grass so as not to do further damage!
Well done, Kristy, thank you. New situations demand changed behaviors, parking lots included. Nevertheless, it reminded me that another fall has arrived, the slog of school days here once more. Our condolences to every youth mourning summer’s departure. I’m reminded of those days; the seating charts in new classrooms alongside familiar faces; textbooks distributed with new material to learn, but in familiar fashion through homework, tests and projects. Every year was a transition. Every teacher was a fresh…what’s the word…challenge. Yet the process of third into fourth into tenth grade, into seminary, felt like the same pattern had begun again.
I’m feeling that way now too, albeit with a slight change in sentiment. Last week was my first at work following the two month sabbatical. It’s been like school starting- the routine returned, the projects and sermons coming due, although no church elder has given me a pop quiz. I know the pattern, and enjoy it most days, certainly far more than I did fourth grade language arts! Still, there’s a whisper nudging my spirit and mind, a question hoping for answer: Now that you’ve stepped away from church for a time, how will your pattern change?
And this isn’t just a question for me personally. I hope our church together might seek an answer. Time apart could, indeed it should, reveal important priorities we miss when apart, and those we’ve missed when we were together! For instance, it’s been a priority for the church’s Servant Leader Team, over the past three years, to support new leadership. Churches die when they fail to identify and help develop fresh faces and voices, when they rely only on those who’ve always been around. The finished parking lot revealed to me anew the wisdom of this commitment. Without the pastor, a new set of leaders pushed the ball over the finish and did it well. Many who’ve long been around helped, of course! But it’s the interaction that’s so critical. We need to keep new leadership a high priority for years to come.
Conversely, a priority we’ve frequently missed, which my sabbatical reinforced, has been the active seeking out of new relationships as a church. I felt this when I visited small faith communities and was warmly welcomed, or studiously ignored. The hospitality made a difference in my evaluation of that place. One of our blind spots, if I may be blunt, is that we’re often hesitant to initiate new relationships. Not always, and it’s better than it was, but we still struggle to reach out consistently. A pastor wants to push aside members to welcome visitors, not make the introductions. We can get there. We’re a friendly group! It just needs to be a priority.
Related, I need to ask your forgiveness. Last year I began a process for creating a congregational outreach plan. The goal was to identify target groups of people near our church whom God was calling us to serve and invite into fellowship. Smart PCCCers gave me great ideas, which I collected and…left sitting on my computer. I got focused on other things, important things maybe, but my priorities shifted and efforts stagnated. Time away, and wanderings among centuries-old faith communities thriving by continually renewed outreach to neighbors- or dying because they’ve stopped- reinforced that was a bad idea on my part. So I’m sorry. Let’s pick up the ball.
In fact, we are… October 20, will be invite-a-friend-to-church Sunday. October 13, Pet Blessing. November, Women’s Tea. You’re already showing renewed commitment to these hospitality priorities. Bravo! It’s making my transition back an energizing one, indeed.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Meet our Fall Intern Rev. Dr. Lyle Schlundt
A long time ago, a friend told me a story that I realized was my own. She said that, before I came to earth, I planned out what I was going to experience and learn while here. Just as I was being born, an angel put their finger between my upper lip and my nose, and said, “Forget everything!” That is why we all have this little cleft between our lip and our nose. I have come here to remember who and what I really am. I came here, as a diamond in the rough. My mission is to explore and see within me, the diamond that I really am.
One side of the diamond is that of family origin. I grew up in N.E. Mpls. and am the eldest of six children born into a German Roman Catholic family. I was born in 1958. I am currently living with both parents as I put myself through school.
Another side is that of speaking my truth in this world. I have done that through Toastmasters, speech and debate, performing weddings and funerals, teaching classes and workshops. For 12 years I taught a number of classes in a few different locations for Sister Rosalind’s School of Massage. I have been trained as a Healthy Congregations Facilitator and am in training to be an Advanced Care Directive Facilitator. I am a life-long explorer of learning and love teaching.!
Yet another side is that of walking the spiritual healing path. I am a Shiatsu (Japanese Acupressure) Practitioner and a Reiki Master Teacher. I love exploring different spiritual practices and disciplines, as all spiritual paths lead to God. This might take the form of attending a Sweat Lodge, participating in a Sufi prayer dance, chanting Buddhist chants, telling stories from the Jewish tradition, and many others.
Since 1997, I have been doing Shiatsu and Reiki with private clients as well as The Aliveness Project. The Aliveness Project is an agency that works with people living with HIV. Many of my clients, besides being HIV+, have dealt with addiction and mental health challenges. This has been such an honoring and humbling ministry, and I have learned so much about addiction and mental health challenges. We in society might call them “unsanctioned illnesses”. I am there to proclaim the love that God has for all people, regardless of their station in life!
Another side is that of listening and dancing to music. I played the drums in the High School Marching Band. I love dancing, all the way from Square Dancing, Schottish, Polka, Fifties, Techno, Trance, and of course Disco! I love listening to music from Gregorian Chant, all the way through the Classics, up to Rock and Roll.
I was called to ministry at an early age. I always wanted to be a Catholic Priest. I attended The University of St. Thomas (B.A. in Theology, 1981), then went on to St. Paul Seminary. I finished two years there before I realized that I was called to ministry, but not as a Catholic Priest.
I was blessed to be introduced to Religious Science in my mid-thirties. I became an ordained Religious Science minister in 2008.
Religious Science represents a correlation of philosophy, religion and science. It is a religion in the sense that it explores and teaches Universal Principles defining the spiritual nature of the universe and our relatedness to God. It explores these Universal Principles with all the other spiritual paths around the globe and throughout time.
It is a science in that it asks us to experiment with these Universal Principles and accept only those which we can prove, demonstrate, or experience in our daily lives. It is open to the ongoing discussions of science and the ever-exploring adventure into truth.
It is a philosophy where ideas and ideals are brought together into a system of concepts about God, the Cosmos, humanity, and the human potential.
My future path is to be a Hospice Chaplain and be a non-anxious presence in helping people cross from this life to the next.
I look forward to learning from you as a congregation, and to share what I have learned as well. Read more!
One side of the diamond is that of family origin. I grew up in N.E. Mpls. and am the eldest of six children born into a German Roman Catholic family. I was born in 1958. I am currently living with both parents as I put myself through school.
Another side is that of speaking my truth in this world. I have done that through Toastmasters, speech and debate, performing weddings and funerals, teaching classes and workshops. For 12 years I taught a number of classes in a few different locations for Sister Rosalind’s School of Massage. I have been trained as a Healthy Congregations Facilitator and am in training to be an Advanced Care Directive Facilitator. I am a life-long explorer of learning and love teaching.!
Yet another side is that of walking the spiritual healing path. I am a Shiatsu (Japanese Acupressure) Practitioner and a Reiki Master Teacher. I love exploring different spiritual practices and disciplines, as all spiritual paths lead to God. This might take the form of attending a Sweat Lodge, participating in a Sufi prayer dance, chanting Buddhist chants, telling stories from the Jewish tradition, and many others.
Since 1997, I have been doing Shiatsu and Reiki with private clients as well as The Aliveness Project. The Aliveness Project is an agency that works with people living with HIV. Many of my clients, besides being HIV+, have dealt with addiction and mental health challenges. This has been such an honoring and humbling ministry, and I have learned so much about addiction and mental health challenges. We in society might call them “unsanctioned illnesses”. I am there to proclaim the love that God has for all people, regardless of their station in life!
Another side is that of listening and dancing to music. I played the drums in the High School Marching Band. I love dancing, all the way from Square Dancing, Schottish, Polka, Fifties, Techno, Trance, and of course Disco! I love listening to music from Gregorian Chant, all the way through the Classics, up to Rock and Roll.
I was called to ministry at an early age. I always wanted to be a Catholic Priest. I attended The University of St. Thomas (B.A. in Theology, 1981), then went on to St. Paul Seminary. I finished two years there before I realized that I was called to ministry, but not as a Catholic Priest.
I was blessed to be introduced to Religious Science in my mid-thirties. I became an ordained Religious Science minister in 2008.
Religious Science represents a correlation of philosophy, religion and science. It is a religion in the sense that it explores and teaches Universal Principles defining the spiritual nature of the universe and our relatedness to God. It explores these Universal Principles with all the other spiritual paths around the globe and throughout time.
It is a science in that it asks us to experiment with these Universal Principles and accept only those which we can prove, demonstrate, or experience in our daily lives. It is open to the ongoing discussions of science and the ever-exploring adventure into truth.
It is a philosophy where ideas and ideals are brought together into a system of concepts about God, the Cosmos, humanity, and the human potential.
My future path is to be a Hospice Chaplain and be a non-anxious presence in helping people cross from this life to the next.
I look forward to learning from you as a congregation, and to share what I have learned as well. Read more!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
A thousand words…
Whatever the heading says, I’ll write but 700 words today! Still, pause now to look at the picture accompanying this letter and you’ll catch the reference.
Beautiful, amen? I picked this up in Bosnia, or rather, had it commissioned. Before I left for sabbatical, you see, a Plymouth Creeker gave me a check and said, “Shane, while you’re traveling, will you use this money to buy something fine for our church?” I thought that a lovely request. Rather intimidating, though. I mean, I’m no interior decorator. “Hope I don’t mess this up,” I thought.
Besides, so many options would’ve been available in Sarajevo, a town famous for artists and multiple faith traditions. Should I buy a grand Bonsian rug for our walls? A gilded Orthodox icon or Catholic crucifix? Islamic calligraphy- brilliantly wrought Quranic words- adorns many mosques throughout the country. Any of these could’ve worked well. Making the decision more complicated.
But several days into my journey, I learned that my guide’s daughter had recently graduated from Bosnia’s top arts university. Though her primary medium is sculpture, she’d also received the highest marks in her class for painting. Plus, unemployment is ghastly in Bosnia-Herzegovina, particularly among young adult artists. “Would she paint an original for our church,” I asked. Over three weeks, she did.
That’s what you see. I’m impressed with the painting and hope you will be too. Since it may be unfamiliar to many, however, I figured a description was in order. For starters, I asked that she paint this particular scene, a famous sight in that city. The octagonal, domed structure in the foreground is called the “Sebilj,” which translates to “fountain.” But it’s no ordinary watering hole. Situated in the middle of Sarajevo’s Old City, this wooden edifice dates to the 18th Century. The neighborhood surrounding is centuries older, reflecting Islam and the Ottoman Empire’s influence. Something I loved about Sarajevo is the proliferation of public spigots and fountains. This one, in my humble opinion, is the most magnificent and worthy.
The reason is that vast mountain ranges and several pristine springs surround the Sarajevo Valley. From the 1400s on, the city’s Islamic patrons diverted those clean mountain streams toward the city, principally to neighborhood mosques. Something faithful Muslims must do before five-times-daily prayer, after all, is wash up. But in many cases, the builders put these water sources on the mosque’s walls’ exterior, allowing any and all to find refreshment. Many a day, I walked through Sarajevo’s streets, afternoon temperatures reaching 100 degrees. My hot limbs swelled and mouth parched needy, so I’d beeline to a mosque or, especially the Sebilj, where hospitality bathed my soul in the form of cool hydration.
So when I see this Sebilj, I think of God’s call that we love our neighbors, offer to meet their needs, whoever they may be. I didn’t have to take a theology test to drink its waters. I simply needed to wait in line.
And in the background of the painting, a minaret lifts above the fountain, surrounding square and many pigeons which gather nearby day after night after day. That mosque has served the residents of Sarajevo’s Old City since the 1500s. I wanted that icon in our painting to reflect something I think Plymouth Creek shares with this charming city. We’ve grown accustomed, I think, to honoring the diverse ways God has revealed Godself to humanity. Not every church recognizes the profundity of Islam and Catholicism, Judaism, Orthodoxy and more besides. But we do, praise God. And in Sarajevo, diverse faith communities have found refuge and common purpose for hundreds of years. Should we hang the painting in our sanctuary or narthex, then, visitors will see this statement about our joy in the vastness of God’s Love. Perhaps we’ll take regular moments to reflect on that too, Sunday after Sunday, and so be moved to create God’s Kingdom anew in our daily lives.
That, at least, was my hope for this painting. Inshallah (God willing), as my Muslims friends might say, it will be so. Whatever the case, glad to back Plymouth Creek! Let’s get to work. God’s Kingdom tarries but for us.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Beautiful, amen? I picked this up in Bosnia, or rather, had it commissioned. Before I left for sabbatical, you see, a Plymouth Creeker gave me a check and said, “Shane, while you’re traveling, will you use this money to buy something fine for our church?” I thought that a lovely request. Rather intimidating, though. I mean, I’m no interior decorator. “Hope I don’t mess this up,” I thought.
Besides, so many options would’ve been available in Sarajevo, a town famous for artists and multiple faith traditions. Should I buy a grand Bonsian rug for our walls? A gilded Orthodox icon or Catholic crucifix? Islamic calligraphy- brilliantly wrought Quranic words- adorns many mosques throughout the country. Any of these could’ve worked well. Making the decision more complicated.
But several days into my journey, I learned that my guide’s daughter had recently graduated from Bosnia’s top arts university. Though her primary medium is sculpture, she’d also received the highest marks in her class for painting. Plus, unemployment is ghastly in Bosnia-Herzegovina, particularly among young adult artists. “Would she paint an original for our church,” I asked. Over three weeks, she did.
That’s what you see. I’m impressed with the painting and hope you will be too. Since it may be unfamiliar to many, however, I figured a description was in order. For starters, I asked that she paint this particular scene, a famous sight in that city. The octagonal, domed structure in the foreground is called the “Sebilj,” which translates to “fountain.” But it’s no ordinary watering hole. Situated in the middle of Sarajevo’s Old City, this wooden edifice dates to the 18th Century. The neighborhood surrounding is centuries older, reflecting Islam and the Ottoman Empire’s influence. Something I loved about Sarajevo is the proliferation of public spigots and fountains. This one, in my humble opinion, is the most magnificent and worthy.
The reason is that vast mountain ranges and several pristine springs surround the Sarajevo Valley. From the 1400s on, the city’s Islamic patrons diverted those clean mountain streams toward the city, principally to neighborhood mosques. Something faithful Muslims must do before five-times-daily prayer, after all, is wash up. But in many cases, the builders put these water sources on the mosque’s walls’ exterior, allowing any and all to find refreshment. Many a day, I walked through Sarajevo’s streets, afternoon temperatures reaching 100 degrees. My hot limbs swelled and mouth parched needy, so I’d beeline to a mosque or, especially the Sebilj, where hospitality bathed my soul in the form of cool hydration.
So when I see this Sebilj, I think of God’s call that we love our neighbors, offer to meet their needs, whoever they may be. I didn’t have to take a theology test to drink its waters. I simply needed to wait in line.
And in the background of the painting, a minaret lifts above the fountain, surrounding square and many pigeons which gather nearby day after night after day. That mosque has served the residents of Sarajevo’s Old City since the 1500s. I wanted that icon in our painting to reflect something I think Plymouth Creek shares with this charming city. We’ve grown accustomed, I think, to honoring the diverse ways God has revealed Godself to humanity. Not every church recognizes the profundity of Islam and Catholicism, Judaism, Orthodoxy and more besides. But we do, praise God. And in Sarajevo, diverse faith communities have found refuge and common purpose for hundreds of years. Should we hang the painting in our sanctuary or narthex, then, visitors will see this statement about our joy in the vastness of God’s Love. Perhaps we’ll take regular moments to reflect on that too, Sunday after Sunday, and so be moved to create God’s Kingdom anew in our daily lives.
That, at least, was my hope for this painting. Inshallah (God willing), as my Muslims friends might say, it will be so. Whatever the case, glad to back Plymouth Creek! Let’s get to work. God’s Kingdom tarries but for us.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Message From Minister and President Sharon Watkins - General Assembly 2013
Movement. Wholeness. Welcome. Table.
The keys to our Disciples identity statement were all in evidence at the 2013 General Assembly in Orlando. At worship, we literally gathered around a table. In business we wrestled with what it means to be whole though of different opinions. In education, we were equipped for the mission of healing and wholeness God invites us to share.
Much has been said of our declining numbers – however, at GA 2013, Disciples celebrated the blessing and the mission God calls us to right now. The Sunday night Celebration of Mission (formerly known as State of the Church) was an invitation to ministry in the 21st century context. The 21st century is a time of increasing diversity, of technological revolution, and where our neighbors do not know the love of God. But this is where we are called to share God’s love. God has often made much of small numbers. The story of Gideon in Judges 6-7 comes to mind. At General Assembly we celebrated the mission of congregations and regional and general ministries – all working to manifest the wholeness of the reign of God at hand. We shined lights in the darkness and we noted: If we look to God’s future rather than our past, we face a bright horizon.
Our internal wholeness was tested at GA. Current events and a neighboring convention as well as currents within our own Church shaped the assembly in ways we could not have imagined. The movement of the Spirit seemed strong as the assembly considered two emergency resolutions and an Item for Reflection and Research – all dealing with controversial and painful issues around race and racial justice in the United States. True to our Disciples character, we do not hold a singular perspective about the events that led to the death of Trayvon Martin and the George Zimmerman verdict nor about the Supreme Court decisions regarding the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – events that affected a collective gasp of despair among Black and Brown brothers and sisters just at the time we met. It seemed fortuitous, however, that the NAACP convention was right next to ours. It meant that we Disciples, as a movement for wholeness, had an opportunity to extend the ministry of presence with hurting brothers and sisters. It meant that members of the NAACP Religious Affairs committee could reciprocate and offer heartfelt greetings to us.
Welcoming all to an open table was a theme throughout, but especially as we approached resolution GA-1327
- Becoming a People of Grace and Welcome to All. It reaffirmed our core value that even in our differences of opinion and approach; we come together at the Lord’s Table. The discussions showed we are not all of one mind on nearly any issue, nevertheless, whether we identify as a conservative, moderate or liberal, God does not label us as anything but God’s beloved child. As hard as it may be, we Disciples strive to live into that welcoming posture shown so vividly in the life of Jesus.
We launched an identity initiative to help Disciples witness to our calling in Christ, based on the four key words of the identity statement.
Movement: both of the Spirit and of our own Church communities;
Wholeness: our struggle to be united but not uniform, diverse but not divided;
Welcome: to all, though not necessarily affirming all points of view;
Table: that place where the story of Jesus is enacted, where we meet the living Christ, become again the Body of Christ and are sent forth with the love of Christ to love our neighbor.
We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one Body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us. At Orlando, we reaffirmed that the Table is broad and diverse, but there is room for all.
Read more!
The keys to our Disciples identity statement were all in evidence at the 2013 General Assembly in Orlando. At worship, we literally gathered around a table. In business we wrestled with what it means to be whole though of different opinions. In education, we were equipped for the mission of healing and wholeness God invites us to share.
Much has been said of our declining numbers – however, at GA 2013, Disciples celebrated the blessing and the mission God calls us to right now. The Sunday night Celebration of Mission (formerly known as State of the Church) was an invitation to ministry in the 21st century context. The 21st century is a time of increasing diversity, of technological revolution, and where our neighbors do not know the love of God. But this is where we are called to share God’s love. God has often made much of small numbers. The story of Gideon in Judges 6-7 comes to mind. At General Assembly we celebrated the mission of congregations and regional and general ministries – all working to manifest the wholeness of the reign of God at hand. We shined lights in the darkness and we noted: If we look to God’s future rather than our past, we face a bright horizon.
Our internal wholeness was tested at GA. Current events and a neighboring convention as well as currents within our own Church shaped the assembly in ways we could not have imagined. The movement of the Spirit seemed strong as the assembly considered two emergency resolutions and an Item for Reflection and Research – all dealing with controversial and painful issues around race and racial justice in the United States. True to our Disciples character, we do not hold a singular perspective about the events that led to the death of Trayvon Martin and the George Zimmerman verdict nor about the Supreme Court decisions regarding the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – events that affected a collective gasp of despair among Black and Brown brothers and sisters just at the time we met. It seemed fortuitous, however, that the NAACP convention was right next to ours. It meant that we Disciples, as a movement for wholeness, had an opportunity to extend the ministry of presence with hurting brothers and sisters. It meant that members of the NAACP Religious Affairs committee could reciprocate and offer heartfelt greetings to us.
Welcoming all to an open table was a theme throughout, but especially as we approached resolution GA-1327
- Becoming a People of Grace and Welcome to All. It reaffirmed our core value that even in our differences of opinion and approach; we come together at the Lord’s Table. The discussions showed we are not all of one mind on nearly any issue, nevertheless, whether we identify as a conservative, moderate or liberal, God does not label us as anything but God’s beloved child. As hard as it may be, we Disciples strive to live into that welcoming posture shown so vividly in the life of Jesus.
We launched an identity initiative to help Disciples witness to our calling in Christ, based on the four key words of the identity statement.
Movement: both of the Spirit and of our own Church communities;
Wholeness: our struggle to be united but not uniform, diverse but not divided;
Welcome: to all, though not necessarily affirming all points of view;
Table: that place where the story of Jesus is enacted, where we meet the living Christ, become again the Body of Christ and are sent forth with the love of Christ to love our neighbor.
We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one Body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us. At Orlando, we reaffirmed that the Table is broad and diverse, but there is room for all.
Read more!
Friday, August 30, 2013
The Tragedy of Labels
The link to this article was found on the "Setting a Grace-filled Table" page on the Disciples of Christ Website.
The Tragedy of Labels
Michael Jinkins
President, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Read more!
The Tragedy of Labels
Michael Jinkins
President, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Read more!
Thursday, August 22, 2013
2013 School for Congregational Learning
2013 School for Congregational Learning
Celebrate the Adventure
Saturday, September 7, 2013
9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Spirit of Joy Christian Church
7570 210th St. W
Lakeville, MN 55044
The Minnesota School for Congregational Learning Event will be made up of morning and afternoon worship and workshop experiences to be held all together. All gathered will remain together for a workshop experience so that we may reap the most benefit from relationship connection and renewal. Disciples of Christ churches in the area have experienced much transition in the past five years and it’s time to reconnect!
Worship both morning and afternoon will feature keynote preacher Rev. Dr. Bryan Feille, recently retired from Brite Divinity School, he continues to minister and teach in deeply authentic and connectional ways. With his help we’ll celebrate the adventure of being church!
During a morning workshop session, each congregation will be invited to present a 10 minute story, with a Google Slides or PowerPoint presentation telling how they came to be.
•What vision first inspired founding peoples to become a church?
•Were you a Bible study group that grew, an intentional mission church plant, a splinter from another congregation, a righteous remnant, a child raised up and sent, or ...?
•What do we need to know about where you came from in order to know who you are today?
These will be the questions the morning workshop will explore.
At lunch in the larger lower level community room, people will be asked to sit at tables with folks from others congregations to the extent possible and invite individual sharing and storytelling around the meal.
Following lunch, we’ll return to the sanctuary for an afternoon workshop session, this time focused on:
where each congregation is going;
what lies ahead;
what mission beckons;
and what needs have been identified that we’re trying to meet in our communities?
This won’t be a time for bragging but for sharing what excites each church moving forward. It won’t be a time to talk about obstacles, dead-ends, or false starts. The idea is that we may inspire each other with mission we can celebrate, mission that we can share together as we Celebrate the Adventure and explore our future stories together.
Read more!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
To no longer believe...
During Pastor Shane's sabbatical, we will be featuring news, events, and articles from the regional and general church.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following article was taken from the Well-Fed Spirit co-op blog
On March 7, 2010 I stopped believing in God. Actually, that’s not exactly true. I’d been working on abandoning my faith in God for weeks and months and years before that. It’s just that on that particular morning it became abundantly, undeniably, irrevocably clear. The moment my wife’s life ended* there was simply no room left in my world for God. More to the point, the whole idea of God stopped making sense to me.
But perhaps I should explain myself before the credentialing committee of my Church decides to revoke my ministerial standing. The “God” I no longer believe in is the one I grew up with (as did many other folks I know) - the one who can be quantified and defined, understood and comprehended, named and controlled, captured and kept in a box. All too often, at least in my case, to claim that I “believe in God” implies that I have some sort of comprehensive grasp of what I mean by the name “God.” And clearly I do not. How could I possibly make such a claim? What I have come to recognize is that God (by whatever name you might choose to express the concept) is ever so much more vast and incomprehensible than I will ever be able to even begin to imagine.
Letting go of my tight-fisted grip on my tiny little “God” has been such a sweet relief. My horizons have expanded and my soul has room to breathe. I don’t have to “know” anything. I can now begin to experience what has always been true - that I am swimming in a vast ocean of Sacred presence - always have been - always will be - no matter what! This life I’m living, this world around me, the people with whom I share the planet, even my wife's incomprehensible death, all of it is Holy, all of it is a part of the Sacred Source. It is Mystery with a capital “M.” None of us will ever be able to do more than scratch the surface in one tiny corner of understanding. But all of us, individually and collectively, can experience the fullness of it. We just have to let go of the notion that we are somehow in control, that we can somehow “make sense” of it.
I will continue to try to put the experience into words. That’s what I do. I suspect that is a part of what it means to be human. We are “meaning-making” creatures. But I will try very hard to always be clear that whatever I say must be understood as a whisper of a hint of a fleeting and ephemeral glimpse of the great Mystery in which we all swim. And I will try very hard to always listen honestly, respectfully and expectantly to the stories of my fellow travelers on this journey, no matter how strange and foreign they might seem to me. We are all swimming in the same ocean and their perspective may help shine light on my experience. Will you join me on this wondrous adventure of letting go into the heart of Mystery?
-The Rev. Roger Lynn; Spokane, Washington
Transitional Pastor at Country Homes Christian Church Read more!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following article was taken from the Well-Fed Spirit co-op blog
On March 7, 2010 I stopped believing in God. Actually, that’s not exactly true. I’d been working on abandoning my faith in God for weeks and months and years before that. It’s just that on that particular morning it became abundantly, undeniably, irrevocably clear. The moment my wife’s life ended* there was simply no room left in my world for God. More to the point, the whole idea of God stopped making sense to me.
But perhaps I should explain myself before the credentialing committee of my Church decides to revoke my ministerial standing. The “God” I no longer believe in is the one I grew up with (as did many other folks I know) - the one who can be quantified and defined, understood and comprehended, named and controlled, captured and kept in a box. All too often, at least in my case, to claim that I “believe in God” implies that I have some sort of comprehensive grasp of what I mean by the name “God.” And clearly I do not. How could I possibly make such a claim? What I have come to recognize is that God (by whatever name you might choose to express the concept) is ever so much more vast and incomprehensible than I will ever be able to even begin to imagine.
Letting go of my tight-fisted grip on my tiny little “God” has been such a sweet relief. My horizons have expanded and my soul has room to breathe. I don’t have to “know” anything. I can now begin to experience what has always been true - that I am swimming in a vast ocean of Sacred presence - always have been - always will be - no matter what! This life I’m living, this world around me, the people with whom I share the planet, even my wife's incomprehensible death, all of it is Holy, all of it is a part of the Sacred Source. It is Mystery with a capital “M.” None of us will ever be able to do more than scratch the surface in one tiny corner of understanding. But all of us, individually and collectively, can experience the fullness of it. We just have to let go of the notion that we are somehow in control, that we can somehow “make sense” of it.
I will continue to try to put the experience into words. That’s what I do. I suspect that is a part of what it means to be human. We are “meaning-making” creatures. But I will try very hard to always be clear that whatever I say must be understood as a whisper of a hint of a fleeting and ephemeral glimpse of the great Mystery in which we all swim. And I will try very hard to always listen honestly, respectfully and expectantly to the stories of my fellow travelers on this journey, no matter how strange and foreign they might seem to me. We are all swimming in the same ocean and their perspective may help shine light on my experience. Will you join me on this wondrous adventure of letting go into the heart of Mystery?
-The Rev. Roger Lynn; Spokane, Washington
Transitional Pastor at Country Homes Christian Church Read more!
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