Most popular gift this year for adults seems to be the GPS. My grandson says, "Get a Garmin." Which is probably a sales slogan. Anyway, we seem to think we want to know where we are. We don't want to get lost. We savor the security of the electronic wizard. We boaters know, "Always have the paper charts in case the electronics go down." Side note, the fancy boats have this autopilot that will take you back the way you came. It remembers the 'waypoints." No, I do not have that fancy stuff.
What about spiritual GPS? Where are you on your life journey? Do you know what the next few turns ahead are going to be? I know where I will be tonight - with Mary and Joseph at the stable of Bethlehem, "She kept all these things and pondered them in her heart." I will also be with family. That is always a joy. I have taken my Sabbath in the midweek the past 2 weeks to examine myself to see where I am and to think about the year to come. All I know for sure is that GPS for me will have to include - going into the Word of God daily, making and singing Christ- centered music, reading other books that push me to be a better pastor and person, getting together with some of the guys in my church, meeting with my accountability group and keeping up the Mission work in Uganda and East Africa.
I am always open to great suggestions of books that will be of help.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Alan
Monday, December 24, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
My old friend... the shovel
This is not really a blog with spiritual meaning. At least I don't think it is.
My old friend the shovel. I have been doing battle with the elements some of the day. As winter begins I put the faded red push shovel into my vehicle and it goes where I go. I believe that I have had this shovel longer than my bride. But that is another story. In any case it is an old friend. It is just right. You cannot buy push shovels like it anymore. It takes a lickin and keeps on tickin. Not too heavy and not too light. Comfortable and familiar, it has been with me through 2007 - the winter that wasn't, then WAS. It has cleared ice, snow and slush. It has done walks and driveways and even roofs. It was not with me in the blizzard of 1977, but it was my best friend in March of 1993 - about the last time I cancelled church. Last year the handle started to fall off. Fortunately I caught it in time - shovels are not much of any good without the handle. The current pushers have that metal edge - too much for some circumstances.
But, alas that plastic edge is starting to fail, not that beautiful smooth line it once gave. Maybe a year or two more. Without my old friend maybe I should give thought to not wintering in the snow belt anymore. I always say, "I love the snow and hate the cold." But the truth is that I am not taking the snow as well as I used to. Well, thank you God for the snow. And thank you for the old friend the faded red push shovel. After all, you created everything... and called it good. Right?
My old friend the shovel. I have been doing battle with the elements some of the day. As winter begins I put the faded red push shovel into my vehicle and it goes where I go. I believe that I have had this shovel longer than my bride. But that is another story. In any case it is an old friend. It is just right. You cannot buy push shovels like it anymore. It takes a lickin and keeps on tickin. Not too heavy and not too light. Comfortable and familiar, it has been with me through 2007 - the winter that wasn't, then WAS. It has cleared ice, snow and slush. It has done walks and driveways and even roofs. It was not with me in the blizzard of 1977, but it was my best friend in March of 1993 - about the last time I cancelled church. Last year the handle started to fall off. Fortunately I caught it in time - shovels are not much of any good without the handle. The current pushers have that metal edge - too much for some circumstances.
But, alas that plastic edge is starting to fail, not that beautiful smooth line it once gave. Maybe a year or two more. Without my old friend maybe I should give thought to not wintering in the snow belt anymore. I always say, "I love the snow and hate the cold." But the truth is that I am not taking the snow as well as I used to. Well, thank you God for the snow. And thank you for the old friend the faded red push shovel. After all, you created everything... and called it good. Right?
Monday, December 3, 2007
Lessons from the Drum Circle
Some of you know that I have a pretty good collection of African hand drums. These are not commercially made, but handmade in Uganda. My favorites are the long drum and the one that was a gift from a church in the mountains where I was the first ‘muzungu’ aka white who had preached in that church. This last time I brought back a djembe which is the common drum circle drum you see here.
On Saturday our church drummer Craig and I went to a big time drum circle with a pro teacher. This event was in Syracuse with about 55- 60 in attendance. I brought 4 of my own drums and had fun playing, explaining them and sharing them. They are nice conversation starters. We discovered that there is a weekly drum circle on Fancher road in the summer. The person who leads it gave a tentative promise to visit us at our Spirit Moves Café Service in the spring. Craig and I had a blast and I was given an opportunity to work on my rhythm. 3 and ½ hours worth- you can tell from my hands.
Jim Donavan was the teacher. He taught us a few relaxation exercises, a few things about our drums and lots about drumming. Here is what he observed. Playing with a group in a drum circle takes:
Cooperation- work together, no solos, no hot shots.
Competition - Not! It is a non – competition thing.
Clarity - this is about focus, letting other distractions go, getting a clear beat and hit on the proper place on the drum head. Be there and enjoy the pulse.
Calm – playing in group and alone can be relaxing. I happen to focus on getting it right instead of just enjoying and working together as we learn together.
What I learned was that I want to learn the pattern by seeing, but sometimes the pattern goes too fast and the eye cannot quite get it. So you have to hear the pattern. Alan learned to listen AND look. Truthfully, that has always been what I enjoy about Uganda and worship there- hearing it and feeling it. The pulse of the drums catches me up and gets my whole body and heart into the worship time. Yeah, I even dance there too, but that is another topic.
What are you doing to get your full being into what you are doing?
On Saturday our church drummer Craig and I went to a big time drum circle with a pro teacher. This event was in Syracuse with about 55- 60 in attendance. I brought 4 of my own drums and had fun playing, explaining them and sharing them. They are nice conversation starters. We discovered that there is a weekly drum circle on Fancher road in the summer. The person who leads it gave a tentative promise to visit us at our Spirit Moves Café Service in the spring. Craig and I had a blast and I was given an opportunity to work on my rhythm. 3 and ½ hours worth- you can tell from my hands.
Jim Donavan was the teacher. He taught us a few relaxation exercises, a few things about our drums and lots about drumming. Here is what he observed. Playing with a group in a drum circle takes:
Cooperation- work together, no solos, no hot shots.
Competition - Not! It is a non – competition thing.
Clarity - this is about focus, letting other distractions go, getting a clear beat and hit on the proper place on the drum head. Be there and enjoy the pulse.
Calm – playing in group and alone can be relaxing. I happen to focus on getting it right instead of just enjoying and working together as we learn together.
What I learned was that I want to learn the pattern by seeing, but sometimes the pattern goes too fast and the eye cannot quite get it. So you have to hear the pattern. Alan learned to listen AND look. Truthfully, that has always been what I enjoy about Uganda and worship there- hearing it and feeling it. The pulse of the drums catches me up and gets my whole body and heart into the worship time. Yeah, I even dance there too, but that is another topic.
What are you doing to get your full being into what you are doing?
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Stubborn or persistent?
When I do funerals I often come upon a characteristic called stubbornness. I usually say that it is one of my favorites because it is a family heritage of mine. Dad, granddad and so on. Some of us are proudly stubborn and some of us are just stubborn and mule headed. There is stubborn that gets you through tough times and difficulties and there is stubbornness that will not listen to wise counsel, will not change and so on.
We have to be stubborn or at least persistent to get through this life. "Tough times don't last, tough people do." Heard that one a few times. But what about that which I have called stubborn which is really more properly called persistence? Most endeavors fail because they are either not begun or they are not finished. Persistence is what gets us through discouragement or even around it.
Some things about persistence from the book The Centurion Principles:
Destiny has a way of rewarding the persistent.
Stubborn is stiff, unbending, unyielding, unreasonably obstinate in will or opinion.
Persistence is refusing to give up or let go, especially on a dream or a goal. You keep coming back, don't give up and may even keep learning what you need to know along the way to get the job done.
So are you stubborn or persistent or a hybrid?
I like being stubborn, but maybe I need to be more persistent.
Shalom to YOU.
We have to be stubborn or at least persistent to get through this life. "Tough times don't last, tough people do." Heard that one a few times. But what about that which I have called stubborn which is really more properly called persistence? Most endeavors fail because they are either not begun or they are not finished. Persistence is what gets us through discouragement or even around it.
Some things about persistence from the book The Centurion Principles:
Destiny has a way of rewarding the persistent.
- Persistence means valuing your purpose more than caring about who values you.
- Persistence means you live according to the destiny you have been called to rather than the expediency of short - term profit. ( you can make more money, but you cannot buy more years)
- Persistence means you have a vision, have been given a vision, or have developed a vision that consumes your waking moments.
- Persistence means you are capable of enduring suffering and doubt and derision and even hate. People who are persistent threaten those whose character is too weak to develop this Centurion quality.
Stubborn is stiff, unbending, unyielding, unreasonably obstinate in will or opinion.
Persistence is refusing to give up or let go, especially on a dream or a goal. You keep coming back, don't give up and may even keep learning what you need to know along the way to get the job done.
So are you stubborn or persistent or a hybrid?
I like being stubborn, but maybe I need to be more persistent.
Shalom to YOU.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Holy Spirit Needed
This is a little long, but it is a quote and I really appreciate the thoughts. We modern day Methodists have seemed a bit shy of the Holy Spirit. We should not be, Wesley certainly was not. I am trying to be more Spirit dependent and more Spirit aware.
A great teacher, Dr. Steven Seamands, has written regarding the Holy Spirit, who is vital to our life and leadership as pastors, “The Holy Spirit is vital. We see this in the Old and New Testaments. When the Spirit comes there is life giving power and it is energizing. The wind is one of the ways we see the Spirit. The diving energy, the life – force, the vitality. This is the Greek understanding of dunamis, the breath of God.”
And then it happened, “Wind, breath, spirit entered them and they came to life and stood up on their feet- a vast army.” Ezekiel 37:10 So it is when the Spirit comes. The dead comes to life, the exhausted have new energy, the weary press on and gain momentum. There is revival, animation and action.
The church is absolutely dependent on the life- giving work of the Spirit. Without the Spirit, it quickly degenerates into a mere human religious institution.
“The presence of the Spirit is vital and central to the work of the Church,” wrote Samuel Chadwick in his classic book, The Way of Pentecost. “Nothing else avails. Apart from Him wisdom becomes folly, and strength weakness… Scholarship is blind to spiritual truth till He reveals. Worship is idolatry till He inspires. Preaching is powerless if it be not a demonstration of His power.”
“Prayer is vain unless He energizes,” Chadwick continues. “Human resources of learning and organization, wealth and enthusiasm, reform and philanthropy, are worse than useless if there be no Holy Ghost in them. The Church always fails at the point of self-confidence. When the Church is run on the same lines as a circus, there may be crowds, but there is no Shekinah. Education can civilise, but it is being born of the Spirit that saves.”
“The energy of the flesh can run bazaars, organize amusements, and raise millions; but it is the presence of the Holy Spirit that makes a Temple of the Living God,” Chadwick concludes. “The root – trouble of the present distress is that the Church has more faith in the world and the flesh than in the Holy Ghost, and things will get no better till we get back to His realized presence and power.”
Dr. Semands of Asbury Theological Seminary also writes, “Oh, how we need the wind, the life- giving power of the Holy Spirit. And, of course, that holds true not only in our life together as believers, in our churches, but also in our personal, individual lives as well. How far will our religious self- determination take us? Not far at all.”
Happy Thanksgiving. So Orange.
A great teacher, Dr. Steven Seamands, has written regarding the Holy Spirit, who is vital to our life and leadership as pastors, “The Holy Spirit is vital. We see this in the Old and New Testaments. When the Spirit comes there is life giving power and it is energizing. The wind is one of the ways we see the Spirit. The diving energy, the life – force, the vitality. This is the Greek understanding of dunamis, the breath of God.”
And then it happened, “Wind, breath, spirit entered them and they came to life and stood up on their feet- a vast army.” Ezekiel 37:10 So it is when the Spirit comes. The dead comes to life, the exhausted have new energy, the weary press on and gain momentum. There is revival, animation and action.
The church is absolutely dependent on the life- giving work of the Spirit. Without the Spirit, it quickly degenerates into a mere human religious institution.
“The presence of the Spirit is vital and central to the work of the Church,” wrote Samuel Chadwick in his classic book, The Way of Pentecost. “Nothing else avails. Apart from Him wisdom becomes folly, and strength weakness… Scholarship is blind to spiritual truth till He reveals. Worship is idolatry till He inspires. Preaching is powerless if it be not a demonstration of His power.”
“Prayer is vain unless He energizes,” Chadwick continues. “Human resources of learning and organization, wealth and enthusiasm, reform and philanthropy, are worse than useless if there be no Holy Ghost in them. The Church always fails at the point of self-confidence. When the Church is run on the same lines as a circus, there may be crowds, but there is no Shekinah. Education can civilise, but it is being born of the Spirit that saves.”
“The energy of the flesh can run bazaars, organize amusements, and raise millions; but it is the presence of the Holy Spirit that makes a Temple of the Living God,” Chadwick concludes. “The root – trouble of the present distress is that the Church has more faith in the world and the flesh than in the Holy Ghost, and things will get no better till we get back to His realized presence and power.”
Dr. Semands of Asbury Theological Seminary also writes, “Oh, how we need the wind, the life- giving power of the Holy Spirit. And, of course, that holds true not only in our life together as believers, in our churches, but also in our personal, individual lives as well. How far will our religious self- determination take us? Not far at all.”
Happy Thanksgiving. So Orange.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
New Church Gomba
I am always amazed at my friends in Uganda. It blows my mind when they set out to do things because they are the right thing. They do them in faith, believing that God will provide and show them the way. Even I have such "in the box" thinking on some of these things, but I try to keep myself stretched out, seeing new and amazing things. Here is a quote from my partner in Uganda with Nexus Seminary. BTW Gomba is 2 hours drive out from the capital of Kampala into the "bush". The roads get smaller, narrower until they are paths....
"we have set out an amazing program for december, a work of faith for that matter. we are doing evangelism course on 11 & 12 th dec and then go on straight into an evangelistic outreach for the rest of the week; there after we shall plant a new church that same week. this will be 2-3miles in the interior from Israel's church. the place is called Sekulo, i visited it monday after class and was struck by the level of drunkenness there. there has never been an outreach in
the place and there are one or two christians there."
Regarding my non "out of the box" thinking I love this quote from Retired Colonel Jeff O'Leary in a book "The Centurion Principles" "Great leaders don't think outside the box-- they bury it. And then they make darn sure none of their followers are tempted to dig it up again." I love it!
Lastly a quote from Thomas Alva Edison - M A Rosanoff "Mr. Edison, please tell me what laboratory rules you want me to observe." Edison "What? There ain't no rules around here! We're tryin to accomplish somep'in!"
More from Centurion Principles in another blog.
"we have set out an amazing program for december, a work of faith for that matter. we are doing evangelism course on 11 & 12 th dec and then go on straight into an evangelistic outreach for the rest of the week; there after we shall plant a new church that same week. this will be 2-3miles in the interior from Israel's church. the place is called Sekulo, i visited it monday after class and was struck by the level of drunkenness there. there has never been an outreach in
the place and there are one or two christians there."
Regarding my non "out of the box" thinking I love this quote from Retired Colonel Jeff O'Leary in a book "The Centurion Principles" "Great leaders don't think outside the box-- they bury it. And then they make darn sure none of their followers are tempted to dig it up again." I love it!
Lastly a quote from Thomas Alva Edison - M A Rosanoff "Mr. Edison, please tell me what laboratory rules you want me to observe." Edison "What? There ain't no rules around here! We're tryin to accomplish somep'in!"
More from Centurion Principles in another blog.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Conferencing Challenge
1 Peter 2:12 "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
Last night I shared the following with 3 churches gathered in their Annual Business Meeting (called Church Conference) Maybe I said it to scare and challenge myself...
We are United Methodists. Heritage of Jesus, Apostles, Church Fathers, Crusaders, Reformers, Wesleys, Circuit Riding Preachers and the lay ministers who did everything in the church in the meantime. We need each other. We need the Holy Spirit to fall upon us.
These are not easy days for the church. Transitions, transformations, traditions, transplants and transpositions of the ancient harmonies into the tunes of the day.
We have a powerful and loving God.
We have Jesus, the one and only begotten of the Everlasting God.
We have talent and we’d better have faith.
Everything we do in our daily lives is a witness.
People are watching the lives of Christians as never before.
Is our God real?
Does the Church really care or is it just another sales pitch?
Do your words and deeds match up?
Is your life about you or is it about something, someone higher and holy?
Will we serve in our community as a deep expression of our faith?
If we are ‘saved’ does it show? Think on these things. Amen.
1 Peter 1:13 Prepare your minds for action!
Last night I shared the following with 3 churches gathered in their Annual Business Meeting (called Church Conference) Maybe I said it to scare and challenge myself...
We are United Methodists. Heritage of Jesus, Apostles, Church Fathers, Crusaders, Reformers, Wesleys, Circuit Riding Preachers and the lay ministers who did everything in the church in the meantime. We need each other. We need the Holy Spirit to fall upon us.
These are not easy days for the church. Transitions, transformations, traditions, transplants and transpositions of the ancient harmonies into the tunes of the day.
We have a powerful and loving God.
We have Jesus, the one and only begotten of the Everlasting God.
We have talent and we’d better have faith.
Everything we do in our daily lives is a witness.
People are watching the lives of Christians as never before.
Is our God real?
Does the Church really care or is it just another sales pitch?
Do your words and deeds match up?
Is your life about you or is it about something, someone higher and holy?
Will we serve in our community as a deep expression of our faith?
If we are ‘saved’ does it show? Think on these things. Amen.
1 Peter 1:13 Prepare your minds for action!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Loving What You Do
I always appreciate people who seem to love what they do. Two recently come to mind. Brett Favre who, by the way, had a great day yesterday while being knocked woozy. A couple seasons ago Brett went on a serious re-conditioning program so that he could play better. He realized he was getting older and needed to be in high level conditioning to play the sport he loved longer. And he certainly is doing that as he breaks records. The other person is a soldier, husband of a friend. He is nearing retirement. His job is training. But he is now called up to return to Iraq. Our conversation with his wife anticipated that he might be feeling poorly. No. He is ready to roll. Loves being a soldier and to quote her, "It is what he does!" I love that.
I love being a pastor. I love the call of God within that call to be a missionary to Uganda. It is what I do. I hope that it shows. There are some potholes along the way that interfere with my journey and make it more difficult if not challenging. But I love what I do, pastoring and working with people. I am also insanely crazy about working in the mission field. That really makes me get up in the morning. The aforementioned D Min degree is a part of being a better pastor and missionary. Shalom.
I love being a pastor. I love the call of God within that call to be a missionary to Uganda. It is what I do. I hope that it shows. There are some potholes along the way that interfere with my journey and make it more difficult if not challenging. But I love what I do, pastoring and working with people. I am also insanely crazy about working in the mission field. That really makes me get up in the morning. The aforementioned D Min degree is a part of being a better pastor and missionary. Shalom.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Books, Books, Books
I really did not understand the book addiction. I used to read as little as possible. But now I am catching up. My dad would buy books and never get to them, though they sounded good at the time. I found them with markers part way through. I found some of them untouched. I learned a good rule back a while ago. When you buy a book it goes on your desk until you read it. The pile gets too big, then you don't buy more. I like books on tape, but buying them gets real expensive. I now have the books rolling in automatically on Leadership and Amazon and I are good friends. Used books are a cost saver often and I am very grateful for the used classics that are out there for the gleaning which are no longer sold new. John Wesley said to be a person of one book - The Bible. Though he would have placed the church rules Book of Discipline high on the list. He also published many books, hymns, pamphlets. No books from me. Though I do have a great idea for a compelling mystery set in the Thousand Islands. We all must juggle our reading time - fun things, work related and general news and magazines. So many books, so little time....
Friday, November 9, 2007
Degrees and growth
First Blog. Welcome friends, relatives and neighbors. I have recently decided through much prayer to step out and start a Doctor of Ministry degree. This will involve 3+ years of reading, writing, classes and even the ominous Dissertation Defense. Why go through this? Well, simply put, I am not getting any younger and I need to keep growing. So the study plan is the way to go. I cannot claim to make a family first since step daughter Anna is now a math PHD and son Ben is now a Dr. of PT - physical therapy. I also know that my brother has a head start on his PHD in History. So here we go. Keep on learning. Keep on growing.
I read recently that the amount of knowledge and information is growing very fast. Business methods are changing rapidly. This book said that the average person must be retrained 4 times in their lifetime. Maybe it is even more times than that. I am not sure which number retraining this is for me, but I had better get going on it. Shalom.
I read recently that the amount of knowledge and information is growing very fast. Business methods are changing rapidly. This book said that the average person must be retrained 4 times in their lifetime. Maybe it is even more times than that. I am not sure which number retraining this is for me, but I had better get going on it. Shalom.
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