A Hard Lesson in Survival

If you've ever whispered a prayer in an airplane during a storm you'll feel the fear that gripped the group of oil riggers who were flying in a snowstorm during some of the early moments of the movie, The Grey.

Some critics called it formulaic but issues men rarely talk about with each other came out in the conversations of the group of men who were simply trying to hold on to survive as they tried desperately to get back to civilization and the rest of their lives with their families after a terrible plane crash.

I couldn't help but remember the real life story of the lead actor, Liam Neeson.  His wife, Natasha Richardson, died tragically on March 18, 2009 after sustaining a head trauma on a ski slope at Mount Tremblant Resort in Quebec.  The distant, troubled look in his eyes (in the pic above) reminded me of the search for meaning we all live with as we face the ups and downs of living.

This was not the triumphant story of the folks who survived the plane crash in a movie of my childhood called, Alive.  The brutal Alaskan wilderness would not let go of these men as though their fate had been decided from the moment they stepped onto the plane itself.

Some critics called it too long and too slow. But I find in my life and ministry that there are too many platitudes we use when we're talking about the meaning of life.  I love God deeply and believe that my destiny is caught up in what God would have me do, achieve and experience.  I accept that some suffering in this life is God ordained and must come my way to make me stronger, wiser and more courageous myself.

But watching the men in this movie struggle with memories, hopes, heartaches and finding courage got my spirit wrestling.  Can you keep going when folks around you doubt you?  Can you forge ahead when the finish line is so far away that you lose sight of it or your vision of it?  When someone is depending on you to get something right are you ready to complete that task or all of those tasks well?

The fight and the journey is worth pursuing!  Whatever you're going through...search your heart and know that your trust in the Divine and in yourself is worth it regardless of the outcome.  I'd love to get the feedback from others, particularly men who have taken the time to see the movie.  Share your thoughts!

Reactivating Vision Power

What if Steve Jobs was right when he admitted a key thing about his vision for Apple Computers?  He admitted, "We started out to get a computer in the hands of everyday people, and we succeeded beyond our wildest dreams." Could one of America's great visionary corporate leaders have had a vision that didn't match with the outcome?

He said it happened.  I have been blessed to attend the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection's Leadership Insititute on four occasions now.  And their visionary pastor, Rev. Adam Hamilton said he, "never imagined he'd be the pastor of a congregation of thousands of members."  And yet, there he is in Kansas City, Kansas with one of the most vibrant churches in the post modern age.

Nehemiah is always cited as a biblical example of an extraordinary, visionary leader.  And, as a pastor, I have felt the pressure to produce just like Nehemiah did.  But a great truth was revealed to me recently by  Michael Fletcher, author of Overcoming Barriers to Church Growth.  He noted, "Visioning may be the hardest but most important job of the senior pastor-finding God's vision for the local church he (she) leads."  And if we start visioning, somehow, with a particular hope, dream or end in mind its probably because that would represent good planning, right?

I remember hearing about the comedian, Dave Chappele.  Success hit for the brother!  He went from stand up in clubs, on the road, to a hilarious Comedy Central Show where he was the principal star, writer and producer.  It seemed he had everything he wanted.  The cash was flowing and he was firmly planted in one place where his televsion project was doing well.  And one day he flipped out.  He just left.  He moved to Africa (or so the rumor said) and took a break from his responsibilities on Comedy Central.

Was his vision power somehow too puny to see the success that he experienced?

How do we activate or reactivate the power of BIG visioning that turns impossible situations into miracles from on high?  I know it can't happen without prayer.  Strong leaders must emerge in churches who can stomach the threat of failure remembering Tavis Smiley's encouragement to "fail-up."  There are other hints, other clues and other answers to this question that I really would like your feedback on.  Would you help in this process?  I'd love to hear your suggestions.        



Can We "Virtualize" Community?

There is a whimsical joy I get from just trying to imagine what these three penguins were grooving to at the time somebody snapped this picture.  These three are enjoying some community time...time together, face to face.

The church is at its best when we are in community.  I was reminded of that as I spoke to a member of my congregation.  He's twenty-three years younger than me and is very close to being a "digital native."  The kinds of electronic devices he grew up with were much different than the ones I grew up using.  When soul singer Celo Green croons the line, "She's an X-box, but I'm more Atari," I realize just how old I'm getting.  I was actually living before the Atari video game was available.

I called this younger member on the phone.  Most of the time, though, we keep up with each other on Face Book.  I told this younger member I want to reach out to him and start trying to build community with he and his peers.  I let him know that I would leave the church grounds to make a meeting time happen.

I am interested in knowing more about what the term "community" even means to another generation of adults.  I saw a definition by Dr. Ruth Tucker that interested me even though she's at least twenty years older than I am now.  She wrote that when she thinks of "community"......

It relates to my childhood memories and to my adult life, especially in relation to the church and workplace.  Whatever the word means, I know I have rarely experienced it in adult life with the exception of my marriage to John, which is a wonderful combination of community and intimacy.

I still remember discovering the world of blogging and bloggers and the virtual community we all share.  I dropped out of this community for awhile but now I want to get back in.  I have begun to study answers about how to write and maintain a great blog but I find myself coming back to this writing task with more questions than answers. (I understand that blogs that give 'tips' are especially popular)  I'm trying to find that elusive balance between the virtual world and the kind of "community" I can share with other people face to face.  Seeing the joy of those penguins was just the start of coming back to blogging for me.  I'm hoping that we'll share our tips, our reflections, our hopes and dreams as we reach out to each other in this awesome task known as blogging.  In the meantime, I'd love to know whether you feel anywhere near as satisfied in the virtual world of Face Book, Twitter, etc versus places like the church, or in a relationship where your community requires you to show up and spend some "face time" with other folks.



 

Living With a "Bucket List" Mindset

     

"You only live once, so why not go out in style?"

I have lived with that line in the trailer of one of my favorite movies for a long while.  And after a visit with two of my favorite cousins, who have made it a point to travel the world shamelessly, I was reminded again that life is short.  We've got to live it to the fullest while we have the chance.  Living with a "Bucket List" Mindset means doing five important things while you can.

See these 5 important tips below!

1. 
   
   Travel the world and never look back!  International travel is hard to beat in terms of what it teaches us.  The beauty of a place like Rio in Brazil or the sugar cane fields of Barbados can only be fully experienced up close.  Don't wait, travel the world!
2. 
   
   Find a friend who you can speak truth to and who can speak truth back to you!  The world is filled with hucksters, liars and fools!  Avoid them and find a friend who can be counted on to "zing" you every now and then!
3. 
   
   Laugh.....even when you feel like crying.  Oh, don't skip the crying part but a great sense of humor is a great helper in times like these!  Laughter AND crying is good for the soul.
4. 
   
   Connect with your spiritual self and don't ignore it!  In the movie, Morgan Freeman is heard even quoting his pastor at one point, IMAGINE THAT?
5. 
   
   Reconcile those old hurts!  Jack Nicholson's character must gather himself to reunite with a daughter whom he'd been previously estranged from. 

Maybe the movie was emotional for me because I visit hospital rooms regularly as a church pastor.  I see families at their best and at their worst.  Maybe the movie was emotional for me because I recently found out that a good friend who was about six years younger than me died suddenly....or at least suddenly from the perspective of a person who only saw her occasionally after college.  I've lost so many family members to the scourge of cancer also.

Maybe the movie was emotional for me because I could buy the DVD itself for a rock bottom price as my favorite Albertson's Grocery store in my neighborhood was moving out because of the recession. 

Find out what chords are touched in you when you watch the movie, The Bucket List.  But, take the five tips to heart and you will find gifts of God in unexpected places, people and things! 

A Thought to Sustain Your Spirit in Tough Times

Sometimes the achievement is to make it through to the blessing on the other side of your challenge!  Listen to the wisdom of George Washington Carver, the great inventor and innovator who took the peanut and made it shine.  He wrote:

In these strenuous times, we are likely to become morbid and look constantly upon the
dark side of life, and spend entirely too much time considering and brooding over what
we can't do, rather than what we can do, and instead of growing morose and
despondent over opportunities that are shut from us, let us rejoice at the many
unexplored fields in which there is unlimited fame and fortune to the successful explorer.

        

         Explore the "can-do" things in your life and move, thrive and live abundantly!  

                 

 

          

             

Be Careful of Your Next Adjustment

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired me with his stand for peace, his witness for justice and his commitment to non-violence.  I must admit that one of my favorite quotes of his was this one,

Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.

We live in need of constant adjustments.  Our eyes adjust from darkness to light.  Our feet adjust to different surfaces as our bodies encounter them.  We adjust what we wear according to the weather.

For me as a Christian this is the time of year when we really focus in on salvation.  The celebration of Christmas is all about God's creative act in sending Jesus to earth to live, to minister and to die. 

But an urgent call I got recently reminded me that the work of salvation is undone until everyone is free to live fully.  A counselor called from one of our locally run groups for the developmentally disabled.  She called to see if there was anything some of the developmentally disabled adults could volunteer to work on in my church.

Before I could answer her she said she had called more than twenty churches asking whether or not there was something in those churches the volunteers she works with could do.  She encountered one, "no" after another. 

It seems that even in this special time of the year there are still some hearts that are frozen cold.  Have we done what we could to reach out the those who are physically or mentally less abled?

Have we sought salvation not just for ourselves but also for those who are still discrimated against, even today?  Dr. King's word rings out in my mind again.  We are called to be 'creatively maladjusted.'

Let's not adjust to injustice, to malice and meanness, to hurt and heartache.  Let's make this a season where we creatively reach out to the ones in our midst who deserve our attention, our care and our involvement.

Want Spiritual Uplift? Try This!

So there I was sitting in front of the television one evening recently surfing through the channels trying to find something to watch. I stumbled onto CNN and a special show on their effort to name their 2009 Hero or maybe "She-ro" of the year. A racially and culturally diverse set of ten finalists each has a story that is sure to inspire you!

From wheelchairs provided to kids in Iraq to homeless veterans being helped in Florida I was inspired. There was the story of wine sold in America so that water can be provided to folks in developing countries and a door to door appeal to encourage women to take care of their breast health.

In Zimbabwe there is a program to aid sexual abuse survivors and hot food, coffee and goodwill provided to homeless folks in Queens, New York. There is a Filipino teen who is getting other Filipino teens to consider alternatives to gang life and an orphanage in the home of a couple in Indonesia.

There is a drummer in New Orleans who is helping kids after school choose music rather than trouble and help for amputees all over the United States from a young amputee who lives in a city I used to live in, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Please learn the names of the ten people responsible for these inspiring acts of courage and, if you can, vote for just one. You will surely be uplifted for your effort! Just click on this link and learn more: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/

Moving in Mellow Thanks for Mighty Mothers

Once a year has never been enough to show our appreciation to the mighty, loving and committed mothers that move us to action in our lives. As I thought about that first miracle repored by St. John in the 2nd chapter of John, verses 1-5 (NRSV Bible), I couldn't help but think about the ways my own mother and so many other mothers have moved us to action going all the way back to Jesus' mother Mary. Hard times were due to define the marvelous wedding feast in a little village called, Cana, in Galilee. But Mary, mother of Jesus, would not have it! She stood her ground and did three things that marvelous, mighty mothers have continued doing well over the ages. The first thing she did was she anointed and appointed her son Jesus to get started with His earthly mission. Yes, Jesus was sent to do God's work here on earth but I'm sure Jesus would have preferred to get started AFTER he gathered his whole 12 disciples. Mary saw the wine was running out at the wedding and knew what her son Jesus could do. Mary blessed Jesus to get to work. Have you ever felt the gentle nudge of your mother pushing you to get to work? I have. The second thing mother Mary did was she let Jesus know that sometimes miracle making is not just about supernatural things, only. Sometimes letting the supernatural things serve practical purposes is really what matters most. Didn't your Mama ever insist that you think practically? Mine did. Thirdly and finally, mother Mary did something that Mamas over the ages have been known for! She made sure it was her child, her adult child here with Jesus, was going to come, reach out and help. Mother Mary knew that we can't have a faith or a gift that we don't use. You don't have to be the greatest theologian on earth to recognize that there is wisdom in using ALL THE GIFTS GOD GAVE YOU! And that earthly axiom is true about using your faith and your gifts. If you don't use them, you'll lose them. I hope everyone who reads this blog found a special mother or two to celebrate for Mother's Day, 2009. But more importantly I hope we will take all the good feelings we feel for mothers into the rest of our moments, days, weeks and years ahead. Keep moving in your mellow thanks for mighty mothers TODAY!