GA Day 0 - Pregame Rituals

Get on flight to Detroit. Check. Get luggage and find the GA Welcome Table complete with colored plaquard. Check. Get to hotel, check in, and arrange items. Check. Find convention center, register, get blue commissioner badge. Check. Peruse Exhibit Hall and pick up lots of free pens, chocolate, tape measure, sunglasses, rulers, post it notes, water bottles, frisbees, iphone stands, and keychain lights (as well as literature at said booths). Check. Get the lay of the land: where are the convention rooms, restaurants, hotels, bathrooms. Check. 

The General Assembly starts tomorrow officially at 11:00 am with opening worship. Today was about the pregame rituals. Preparing for this experience called GA. Getting settled in for the marathon of meetings, conversations, worship, and ministry that comes with GA. 

One pregame ritual I have is to find the prayer spaces. I need to know where to go when I am tired, spiritually and physically. When I am confused. When I am disappointed. When I am overjoyed. Where is the safe space, the sacred space to commune with God. After all, we say we are seeking God's will. Where can I hear that will clearest?

I am proud to report there are 5 such prayer spaces at the General Assembly, all with different sacred space. There is a silent contemplative room. An interactive prayer room with art and mandalas and origami. Another place to post prayer concerns on a board. An art exhibit depicting an immigrants perspective on the stations of the cross. And finally, my favorite, the labyrinth. 

There is something about movement and pray that attracts me. Maybe because I can never sit still or because my body is so used to being in motion from the time my feet hit the floor to the time my head hits the pillow. I seek God best when I am walking, intentionally following a path of twists and turns that inevitably leads to the center, my center.

My pregame rituals for these wonderfully busy, crazy, exhausting events is walking the labyrinth...every day. Taking a time out to re-center myself on the One whom alone I follow, the only one whose opinion really matters on these many divisive issues.

My hope is that each commissioner intentionally finds time each day to be with God, commune with God, hang out with God, listen to God. I believe the General Assembly will be better for it. I believe the PC(USA) will be better for it. I believe our individual churches will be better for it. I believe each person will be better for it.  After all, isn't that why we are here? To listen to the One who called us to be here in the first place?

This makes it official. I am a GA junkie and a PC(USA) nerd.

The Presbyterian Family Reunion

General Assembly. Some people love it. Others run away from it like the plague. I happen to be someone who loves General Assemblies having attended five of them (although my last one was ten years ago). The pulse of the denomination runs through each assembly. Every other year thousands of Presbyterians gather to worship, pray, make connections, discuss, argue, and make decisions together. There's an energy like no other. And I feel the Holy Spirit at work in my denomination.

This year I will have a different perspective on General Assembly since it is my first year as a commissioner. As a commissioner I am assigned a committee: Theological Issues and Institutions. I work with all the business that relates to our Presbyterian Seminaries as well as the Book of Confessions and the Directory of Worship. Some of the items are a bit mundane (although still important) such as approving seminaries to serve communion, approving the new president at Princeton Theological Seminary, and approving the trustees of our theological institutions. Other items are much more controversial such as a proposal to revise the Directory for Worship and adding the Belhar Confession to our Book of Confessions, something which hasn't been done since the 1980's. I look forward to discerning God's will on these issues and adding my voice to the discussion.

Of course, there are hot button issues: whether or not to redefine marriage as between two people instead of a man and a woman, allowing Presbyterian clergy to perform same sex marriages in states where it is legal, and whether or not to divest our investments from American companies that are making a profit from the violence in Israel and Palestine. These will be discussed on the floor of our plenary sessions after the appropriate committee brings its recommendation to the body.

The General Assembly is the Presbyterian family reunion. Like all family reunions, there will be parts of the family that don't see eye to eye and get into heated arguments. There will be parts of the family that try to bring peace and compromise. There will be parts of the family that bring humor and laughter. There will be parts of the family that remind us God is in charge, not us. Maybe that's why I love General Assemblies. It reminds me that I am part of a family and while we are not perfect, or always in agreement, or even make the "right" decisions, we are family nevertheless.

I look forward to blogging everyday from the General Assembly starting June 13 to share my perspective on each day's events. I know our Transitional General Presbyter Rev. Betty Meadows will be as well. I'm sure many other people will be sharing their insights. If you want to keep up with all that's going on, you will want to visit www.pc-biz.org.

For now I ask for your prayers as thousands of Presbyterians descend upon Detroit for one week to discern God's will for the future of our denomination and the various issues we face. We need a Pentecost moment. We need the Holy Spirit to guide us and bring us together. We need God's presence to be palpable as we gather. Please join me in prayer. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer...

The World's Uncertainty vs. God's Vision

The last few weeks I have noticed more than ever that life is full of uncertainty. Actually life IS uncertainty. We never know what each day will bring, what will happen, who we will meet. Have you ever gone to bed, taken a few moments to reflect on the day and thought, "Well, I never expected THAT to happen"? We don't know what the future holds: health, family, employment, plans. Everything always seems "up in the air" and some days and weeks more than others.

It's a helpless feeling really. Not being able to prepare or know what lies ahead. It's the same with churches. When a pastor leaves the future seems so uncertain. When the deficit budget is adopted the future seems so uncertain. When significant changes are made the future seems so uncertain.

And with uncertainty comes fear. We face our illusion of control. We confront our need to know. We realize that many times we can't see what is down the road for our individual lives or our churches, and so we can't prepare. And then the thought creeps in like a disease, "What if...?" What if the test result is positive? What if I only have a few more months to live? What if I lose my house? What if I can't provide for my family? What if I have to move to a nursing home? What if the church doesn't grow? What if we run out of money? What if the church dies? Our minds wander down the rabbit trail of "What if..." and anxiety, worry and fear start to overwhelm us.

Fear is powerful. It changes how you act and think. To some extent it even changes YOU. We think more about our needs and go into a "fight or flight" mode. We enter into a survival mentality. We cling and hold on and try to maintain what little control we have in life.

I was reminded last night that God doesn't want us to live with a survival mentality. While meeting with the Vision Team, we encouraged each other to live in a way that advances God's vision for your life and your church. That vision is full of hope and joy and love. It's not easy when your gut tells you to live in fear, to "fight or flight", to have a survival mentality; to worry about money, or health, or the "what ifs..."

Jesus says, "Do not worry about tomorrow..." In an uncertain world, it's hard to do. There's a lot of things we could worry about. But no matter what happens, God is still God. No matter what happens, God will never leave us. No matter what happens, God's will will prevail some way, somehow. 

Do not let an uncertain future cause you to be overwhelmed with fear. Don't get caught up in the "What ifs..." of life. Don't live with a survival mentality. Take a deep breath. Be still and know that God is still God. Focus on God's vision for your life and your church. A vision of abundant hope, joy, love, peace. Live into that vision each and every day because it is far more than we can ask or even imagine. 

Ephesians 3:20-21, "Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen."

A Struggle to Make This a "Holy Week"

I have often said that Holy Week is to pastors what April 15th is to CPAs. And this year they fall on the same week! At the most holiest time of the year, I feel the most stressed. 4 services to prepare, a huge Easter Egg Hunt, logistics, newsletter articles, blog writing, Lenten Lunch, two new members and a baptism, and oh, did I mention 4 services to prepare? On top of that, the school system thought this would be a great week for Spring Break! Not that I am complaining (ok, maybe just a little). I love this time of year. Ironically, I love the passion, the agony, the sorrow, the depths that then leads to new life, a new day, a new creation. It's a true privilege to have the opportunity to craft 4 services that speak to all these emotions, and to try to do it in a way that is creative, meaningful, powerful.

But all too often the list of things to do and the need to "produce" those bulletins, liturgy, and sermons takes it toll. I so want to truly engage this week, sit with it, listen and experience the lows and the highs, but the time constraints often strangle out the contemplative side I long to experience in Holy Week. Every year I promise myself it will be different. I will do everything ahead of time so when I get to this week I can breathe a little easier. But every year, it never works out like that. The copier breaks down, staff get sick, I get sick, or like this year, three funerals in the last two weeks consume any extra time I had.

I am then faced with a choice every year. I can throw up my hands and give up trying to experience any sense of holy in one of the craziest, busiest weeks of a pastor's year. Or I can seek the holy in the midst of the preparation, the crazy, busy logistics, the pouring out of my heart and soul as these four services are molded and crafted by the Holy Spirit through me.

It's not easy, being attentive to the Holy with a list-of-things-to-do a mile long. But then again, it's never easy, is it? If I waited until I had an extra hour of free time to truly commune with God, it would never happen! If it was only on retreat that I felt God's presence, I would only experience it once a year! The struggle is to see God in the every day, in every person, in every situation. To sit back at the dinner table every day and ask yourself, "Where did I see God today?" To see the Holy weaving itself throughout the minutia of ordinary life.

Whatever you are going through this week, God the Holy One is right there. Look, seek, be attentive to the Holy in your midst: in the doctor's office, at the grocery store, in the Spring cleaning, at work, in the kitchen, in the yard, running errands, changing diapers, being a taxi service for your family. Set a timer on your cell phone or watch and when it goes off ask yourself, "Where is God right here and now in this situation?"

After all, every week is holy. Every place is holy. Every situation is holy. Because God is there. Nothing else is needed.

Baptized at the Jordan River

Well, I wasn't really baptized at the Jordan River since my baptism occurred when I was 2 years old in California. But I reaffirmed my baptism at the Jordan River when I was in Israel a few short weeks ago. I had never been "dunked" before and in the cooler waters of the Jordan it was quite a "refreshing" experience.

Baptism is a beautiful sacrament in the church. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, one's sins are wiped clean and a person is welcomed into the church universal. In my tradition the sacrament is usually for infants, although I have done a few adult baptisms in my lifetime. In fact, Nelio and I will have Alex baptized this summer now that he has turned 5 years old. We wanted him to be a part of his baptism and to remember it, as we did with Christian 2 years ago.

Having experienced "baptism" by immersion, I can see why that method is so appealing to adult believers. It really does allow one to die in Christ, die to self, die by being submersed in water, and then "resurrected" up out of the water, a new creation.

I feel very fortunate to be able to experience this for the first time in the Jordan River. Thanks to our guide Meir More who took this video, unbeknownst to me. A few pastors travelling with their church members from the US were gracious enough to assist.

This was truly one of the highlights of my Israel trip and I moment I will not forget. Please click on the link to see the video. Chris' "baptism" in the Jordan River

Pilgrimage to Israel Final Entry

Having been home from my pilgrimage to Israel for a few days now, people have asked, "So how was it?" "How have you been changed?" "What was it like?" "I want to hear all about it."

How do you put into words an indescribable experience? 

As I write my final entry about Israel, I want to reflect on what I've learned and how I have been impacted.  Here are the top nine lessons I learned on my pilgrimage to Israel.

1. Planning pays off. Literally and figuratively. Because of the hours and hours of research and reading reviews, we were able to find great prices for hotels, transportation, guide, and restaurants. We also found out about places like Petra and Mt. Bental we never would have known if we hadn't taken the time to read, study, and research. I find it is the same in life. You may know what you want in life - a better job, a university degree, lose weight - but unless you make a plan and take steps to fulfill those dreams, they will never become reality. Goals, dreams, hopes for one's life are great, but at some point there needs to be a plan on how to make them come true. It takes a lot of work, time, energy, but in the end the fulfillment of that dream makes it all worthwhile. It took me 15 years to finally make this pilgrimage a reality, but in the end it was all worth it.  That being said...

2. Nothing ever goes as planned. No matter how meticulously I planned this trip, something always comes up. A suggestion from the guide to go to Hebron changed our plans for the afternoon. Weather prohibits certain trails on the hike. Our bodies scream "NO MORE!" the second day of the Jesus trail. The internet has the wrong information, people don't answer emails, and reviews on the internet are not always accurate. On pilgrimage and in life one must be flexible. To have a plan for the day and know that plan will not completely work out. I like to think of it as holding life loosely: to have a plan but to know that plan is only a rough draft with the final version to be written by God, circumstances, others, and even myself. When the plan doesn't work out, don't get angry or bitter. Just think of it as a new version, an edited copy, another opportunity to have a different experience. In our experience, what happened each day was much better than what we had planned anyway.

3. Who you travel with makes all the difference. Rose and I have been friends for over 10 years. We have spent hours upon hours together walking and prayer and talking about deep and not-so-deep things. We believed we would be good travel partners and fortunately, we were right. We like to do the same things, we are both morning people, we are both very spiritual people. I like to plan and take charge and she likes to follow along, but speak up when something is important to her. We made the perfect travel team. Who you travel with in life makes all the difference. Some travel partners such as children or parents we do not choose. Other travel partners like spouses and friends, we do. Choose wisely. The pilgrimage of life can hinge on who travels with us. Do they love you, support you, encourage you, believe in you, are a positive influence for you, listen to you? Choose your life traveling companions wisely.

4. A good guide makes the experience much better. Meir More was a true God send for us. He helped us appreciate what we were seeing. He kept us from getting lost. He knew the most efficient way to see the most sites and how to avoid lines. And he was a likable and open minded travel companion. In life also, there are always people that know more than us in a particular area. Humbling ourselves enough to learn from others makes our life experience richer. It may keep us from making mistakes as we learn from theirs. It may help guide us on the pilgrimage of life. Look for wise guides along the way and when you find one, stop and listen and learn what they have to teach you. You journey will be better for it.

5. Community matters. It was not just Rose and I who made this journey. I felt dozens more travel with us as messages and "likes" were left on my facebook page, emails sent, and  phone calls made. An entire community experienced this pilgrimage virtually and vicariously. We are never isolated individuals. We are always connected to community. Community can cheer us on, encourage us, teach us and learn from us. Stay connected to your community. Share with them your heart and your journeys. Receive their support and love. It will make your journey that much better. 

6. Prayer makes a difference. Every day at breakfast Rose and I prayed for God to go before us, guide us, and be with us. And every night at dinner we reflected on how God went before us and was with us. We felt the prayers of those in our community who were also praying for us: for safety, for a transforming experience, for our well being. Prayer makes a huge difference. We were surrounded by prayer from beginning to end. Why don't we do that for our day to day lives? Surrounding ourselves in prayer, waking up each morning asking for God's presence and guidance will only make our life pilgrimage that much more meaningful. Pray not just on a pilgrimage but everyday and see what a difference it can make.

7. God will show up! It was amazing how God was at work on this pilgrimage. Even to the point when it became humorous. On the second to last day, when we got in the car, it rained the entire time until we got to our next destination. Then it cleared up, gave us plenty of time to see what we wanted and about two minutes before we were ready to leave, the rain would slowly start and we looked at each other and said, "God says it's time to go!" This happened no less than 4 times in one day. It became a joke that God was "just showing off now." But seriously we felt God's presence the entire time in real and palpable ways. God isn't just with us when we are thousands of miles away from home. God always shows up every day to surround us in God's presence. Which brings me to the next lesson I learned...                                            

8. Getting out of my comfort zone makes me pay attention to God. It's not that God was at work more in Israel than in my life here in Charlotte, it's that I was paying more attention. Out of my comfort zone I couldn't rely on my coping skills or the same old routine. Instead I had to rely more on God. Oh to learn this in my day to day life! God is with us and goes before us everyday if we would only pay attention. My hope and prayer is to pay more attention to a God who is already at work in my life, both in Israel and in Charlotte.

9. Pilgrimage changes you, although you may not know to what extent for some time to come. I know I will read scripture differently after this pilgrimage. That places and people mentioned will now come to life as never before. I have a better appreciation for how various religions interact with each other and the complexity of the situation in Israel. I have a larger perspective on God, faith, religion, scripture, and life in general. Yet, I think I won't know the true impact of this pilgrimage for some time to come. Life journeys change us, some for the better and some worse. They help shape who we are today, though at the time we may not know its full effect on our lives. Each experience molds us into the person we are today. Be grateful for your life journeys and travel each one with an openness as it shapes you into the one you will become.

Pilgrimage to Israel Day 13

When a Christian group was digging to establish a pilgrim hostel and spiritual center, they found some ruins. Not uncommon in Israel. As they started the excavations, they realized they had found the town of Magdala. Made famous by Mary whom Jesus cured, Magdala was a wealthy fishing town on the Sea of Galilee. No doubt Jesus was here several times as he conversed with people in the synagogue and travelled the area. 

In the synagogue they found a very special stone where a menorah was carved on one side, the first one of its time period found outside of Jerusalem.

Magdala is currently under excavation and will one day be completed as a popular tourist attraction. It was great to see yet another place Jesus had been to.

We met up again with our guide Meir for this last day of site seeing. First stop was Megiddo. The place where many battles were fought and the prophesied location in Revelation where the last battle of the end times will occur. Why was there so much conflict here? It is a high place that controlled a major trade route from Egypt to Mesopotamia. Whoever controlled the area and the mountain, controlled the trade and the economy. Joshua defeated the Canaanite troops here and King Solomon built a great city here. This is what it looked like back then.

There is even a stone dating back 5,000 years which has served as an altar of sacrifice for centuries upon centuries.

Though the remnants of centuries of conquests exist on this site, the future prediction is just as violent. Also known as Armageddon, this may just well be where the final battle on earth will happen. Given its history, it would not be surprising.

Mt. Carmel was the next stop where Elijah had a contest with King Ahab and the prophets of Baal. Elijah challenged the prophets to determine who was the real God. Each built an altar and prayed for their God to light it. Nothing happened on the Baal altar but when Elijah prayed God set the altar on fire at once (1 Kings 18:17-40). All the people worshipped the one true God. 

After winning, all 450 Baal priests went down to the river and were personally slaughtered by Elijah himself. Some prophet!

This is also the same mountain where King Ahab looked down on Naboth's field hoping to purchase it in 1 Kings 21:1-24.  When Naboth wouldn't sell his vineyard, Jezebel took matters into her own hands and had him unjustly arrested and killed. Elijah was not happy with this and told the couple that dogs would end up licking their blood. The prophesy came true, all because one king looked out over these fields and wanted someone else's land.

The Romans may not have created the arch, but they sure perfected it and used it to their advantage. One of their most important contributions to civilizations was the creation of the aqueduct. Water is essential for any village but good drinking water is not always plentiful. When King Herod, who grew up under Roman influence, wanted to build up Israel, he used this technology to transport water to areas where new cities sprang up. The original 2,000 year old arch still stands even after several civilizations have built upon it and next to it.

Our fourth stop was Caesarea, built as a Roman city by King Herod and where he spent a majority of his time. He honored the Roman Empire by naming it after his friend, Caesar Augustus. Herod didn't do anything small scale. He built a manmade port to rival any port of its day. After all, if you controlled the port, you could tax the boats and the trade and become a very rich country. While only a fraction of it remains, the model shows how massive it was.

This was also King Herod's personal place of relaxation.  He built himself a palace with his own pool...

Had his own Olympics and horse races...

And his own theater where concerts still take place 2,000 years later.

Caesarea was built as a Roman city in a Jewish kingdom. It was built to demonstrate the dominance of the Roman Empire over other religions and cultures. Interestingly enough, 2,000 years later that empire has crumbled and the Jews and Christians are the ones who visit these ruins, having survived the past 2,000 years despite the rise and fall of empires. 

We ended the day in Joppa, now known as Jaffa or Yafo, in the southern part of Tel Aviv. Joppa was an important Mediterranean seaport of its day and plays a significant role in two scriptures. First it is the place Jonah runs to to catch a boat in the opposite direction of Nineveh (Jonah 1:3). The old port of Joppa still exists in some form and even though it was a rainy night, the port is still visible.

Of course, Jonah meets a fishy fate as he is thrown overboard and eaten by a big fish only to be spit up on shore three days later. Jonah is then ready to obey God and heads for Nineveh.

The other story involves the disciple Peter. Peter is at Simon the Tanner's house when he goes up on the roof at lunch time and has a vision from God about eating unclean animals. Then some men from Caesarea (where we had just been) knock on the door and tell him that Cornelius is sending for him. Cornelius is not Jewish and the first official Gentile baptism (Acts 9:42-10:8). 

After 13 days, 1,712 pictures, and lots of memories, we leave Israel with full hearts. It has been a surreal time as we traversed the entire country, from the southernmost point of Eilat, to the eastern border on the Jordan river, to the northern area of Tel Dan, and the Mediterranean western shore of Jaffa. We are so grateful for these wonderful experiences and will treasure them always. Israel is an amazing country full of so much historical, political, and religious significance. This pilgrimage has brought the Bible to life, both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Gospels. We will never read scripture the same again. But even more important, it is a spiritual place, a "thin place" where God was present with us each and every day. Wherever we go in life, may every place be a thin place where we feel the powerful presence of God. Shalom!