Towards the end of 2013, I was tired of my iPhone 4S's poor battery life. I'd had it for a year and a half. So I checked out a guide on iFixit.com and ordered a replacement battery from Amazon. That went really well. But then I was dissatisfied with the screen size. Especially with ads at the bottom of seemingly every webpage I visited (and sometimes at both the top and bottom). It had me incessantly scrolling because I could only get one sentence at a time on the tiny screen. I was due for an "upgrade" but I didn't want to get locked into another contract, and the iPhone 5S was too expensive to buy outright. And frankly, it's screen is too small too. So I found a guy selling a Nexus 5, and took the risk of making the transition. I had already seen Eric Schmidt's post about switching from iOS to Android and bookmarked it. So I had instructions to follow and I was convinced this was an "okay" thing to do. I also read up on others who had done something similar. There are helpful guides out there like this one from CNET, or this one. And really, there's not much difference between the two platforms. You can use the devices to do the same things, just like this article points out. So, having been convinced that I wasn't betraying any loyalties to Apple for a lesser experience as typical Apple fans convince us of, I jumped in. Because I wanted a bigger screen! A Few IssuesThere were a few annoyances. First, I wasn't used to how Android handles notifications. That took some adjusting. Especially how they appeared on the lock screen (they didn't without some third-party app). Which brings me to the next quirk that bugged me: the lock screen. I was used to sliding my finger, then typing in my PIN to unlock the iPhone. With Android it wan't that simple, and seemingly unsecured. The stock Android lock screen would not show notifications the way I wanted, and to use another lock screen app meant the PIN lock feature wouldn't work. I finally found a combination that I liked, but it was a short struggle. And, I had to get used to hitting enter after typing in my PIN. Finally, (and this isn't an Android problem, but a hardware problem) the power button on the Nexus 5 is directly across from the Volume rocker buttons. Too often I change the volume when I'm trying to put the device to sleep, or vice versa. It looks like other devices have the same layout, and possibly the new iPhone 6 will struggle with this too. It seems to be a problem with larger-screen devices. Overall ImpressionOverall, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Actually, I really like the Nexus 5. It's a great device, and Android does everything I used to do on the iPhone. At first, I thought the Nexus 5 was just going to get me by until the bigger iPhone came out, but now that I have it, I may just keep it. Except one thing: AirPlay. I have an Apple TV. I guess there are some apps that allow AirPlay from Android, but not the way that iOS does. So I may switch back at some point. Does It Matter?So what difference does this make, really? None. It's a true FWP. Although...we could talk about whether or not free market competition helps or hurts innovation. On one hand, the competition pushes people on to do new things. On the other hand, what if we worked together instead of against? Couldn't there be so much more accomplished? That's the spirit of Open Source. We contribute together. So, there's a slight connection to the church: we need an Open Source spirit so we can work together for the good of everyone.
Dear fellow Missouri United Methodists, Even though we are yet to see any official word from our conference office or staff (I have been continually checking email, **SEE UPDATE BELOW**), the rumors appear to be true that all of our Camping & Retreat Ministries staff have been removed from their jobs (including site directors), and all four of our camping and retreat facilities will close. I know many who are grieving this sudden drastic change. I know it effects people I love and care for, people who have deeply invested in these ministries. So I ask you to keep the site directors and former employees in your prayers. We all grieve together. Knowing the grieving process is different for everyone, some of you will be angry, mad, upset, frustrated. Others are sad and heartbroken. Some feel all of these things and once and are in shock and trying to sort through everything. I can only be honest about myself and my own thoughts. I am not angry about the change, but I might be about how it happened. I am not sad about the change, but I might saddened by how the change is handled. Because of this, I am not going to participate in a campaign to "Save MO Camps." Why am I not angry and sad about the change itself? Because I am reminded of this scripture, Romans 13:1-2: Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. Now, I know the context for this verse is totally different than our current situation, but there is some similarity. Our Bishop, Robert Schnase, and Director of Next Generation Ministries, Garrett Drake, are both deeply committed Christians dedicated to doing their best to follow Christ. They are not Roman officials in the business of oppressing people. That means, we should probably trust them and respect their authority even more. So I am asking you to trust this decision, and embrace the change. Bishop Schnase has repeatedly reminded us that the job of the Annual Conference Staff, facilities, and resources is to equip congregations to lead people to follow Jesus Christ. He has spent his time re-aligning everything to accomplish that purpose. This is not easy work. Specifically for this change, one question is "How are Camping and Retreat ministries equipping and helping local congregations lead people to follow Jesus Christ?" This can be answered positively by the numerous stories of people who have become deeply committed followers of Jesus Christ because of their experience at one of our camps. But, this isn't the right question. There was another change that went into effect when we re-aligned college-age, youth and children's ministries into one office of Next Generation Ministries. The question now becomes "How can the conference best equip local congregations to reach children, teens, and young adults (people age 0-25) to follow Jesus Christ?" Asking this question gave the opportunity for us to re-think and re-do our approach to Campus Ministry and Youth Ministry and now Camping & Retreat Ministry at the Conference level. The goal is to make local churches better at these ministries. Which is a good thing! I want the two local churches I serve to have thriving children's, youth, college-age, and young adult ministries. That's why this change doesn't bother me. This change makes sense because it's aligning what we do with our goals of equipping local congregations. That's why you won't see me joining a campaign to #SaveMOCamps. I'm excited to see what's next. I hope you are too. Now, this brings me to what does bother me, and what is concerning. The apparent lack of official communication regarding this change. It's almost noon on the Friday after staff were supposedly let go on Wednesday afternoon/evening. This is unacceptable. Also, what is next? Is there a plan for something new? Any kind of way forward? Not that I've heard. I'm sure there are some ideas and some goals and dreams, but apparently there's not a definitive plan, yet. Or, maybe there is and we just haven't heard because there has been no official communication. So, I ask you to trust our leadership. They are not actively trying to lead us astray. They really are trying to do what's best for the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church. I ask you to pray for this situation. I ask you to be patient. I ask you to write out your thoughts privately and do whatever you need to grieve this change. But don't let any unwholesome talk be published, but only that which is for building up the body of Christ. I don't think you should campaign to "save MO camps" because it's too late for that. I doubt they will ever be the same, and that's ok. It is and will be a good thing. Not because what we had was bad, but because we are choosing to adapt to a changing context. The best thing you can do is jump on board with whatever is next. Reaching people age 0-25 is very important for the future of The Church and churches everywhere. It is an investment that will bear fruit for future generations yet to be born. Sincerely, Rev. Ben Mulford UpdateThe following answers some of my concerns. At noon today, the conference posted the news to their website and sent it out via email. You can read the full thing here. Here are some highlights: After two years of information gathering, conversations, visits to all camp sites, a financial and property analysis and prayerful discernment, the Missouri Annual Conference Camping and Retreat Board will be shifting how we facilitate the vital ministry of camping in the Missouri Annual Conference. My only question is, why couldn't this have been sent out sooner? Other than that, this answers my question of "What's Next?" I pray that all of you will jump on board with it whole heartedly. Myself, I'm pretty excited as I have previously contemplated doing a camp at CMU. The opportunity to have a "day camp" in my neighborhood at a level of excellence that my church cannot provide is pretty exciting too. See, I understand why you were worried, but this looks pretty exciting!
A few months back, the Pastors Today blog with Thom Rainer had a post about risks pastors can and should take. It encouraged leaders to "play it safe" theologically because that is a risky thing to do these days. You can find the post by Eric McKiddie here. In it, he claims something that I've heard and felt before, that having conservative theology is the key to having a healthy growing church. Here's what Eric says: We don’t need to guess whether maintaining a conservative theological position is best long term. Church history has played this saga out for us already, and has proven that the riskiest theological path is the one that veers left. One century later, look at the mainline denominations. One decade later, look at the emerging church. They took the risk that budging on the authority of God’s word would keep them relevant in our culture. They lost. The argument is pretty convincing, and has been around for quite some time. It basically says, God blesses a church with numerical growth when they get their theology right. I'll be honest, I've gone along with that because it makes some sense. However, as I've continued to develop my thinking, I'm not sure it is totally correct. (What seems to be the key to church growth is an outward-focus toward the community, rather than an inward-focus.)
In fact, the way Mr. McKiddie has phrased things here is really offensive. I know of a number of churches that are growing that probably espouse a non-"conservative theological position." Honestly, the "safest" theological position to have is an "historically orthodox" position. It is left of conservative, but still not ultra-progressive. But that's not my point here. The point is this, where is the ecumenical spirit? Where is the love of Christ? Aren't we one body of believers? Baptized in one spirit? One Lord? To say that some are winners and some are losers because of theological ideas is just ridiculous. What does the Lord require of us? To do justice and love mercy. It will take ALL of us to do and be that for a broken world. We need to quit saying "I'm better than you because my interpretation of the Bible is clearly better than yours." We need to come together working to show God's love in our communities. Basically Eric, I see two things that you need to work on here. You needn't call out Mainliners and the Emerging Church as losers because of their theological stance. In fact, most of the mainliners and emerging church leaders I know are not trying to be "relevant in our culture," instead they are trying to be authentically faithful to their core convictions and values. Things that they think the Bible clearly teaches, just like you, Mr. McKiddie, stick to what you think the Bible clearly teaches. See, there's something in common with your "loser" brothers and sisters in Christ. The other thing to work on is how we talk about the Bible, and what it clearly teaches. We all have different interpretations, and in its history, the Church has always had these discussions. That's a big reason why we had the Protestant Reformation. It's not going to be resolved any time soon. A good rule of thumb that was passed on to me from the Wesleyan tradition is: "in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity." Now, we will probably argue over what is essential and what isn't. But in all of that we must have charity--Love. In fact, this is what scripture teaches us in 1 Corinthians. Paul responds to "divisions" in the church, and says "I will show you a more excellent way...LOVE." It's easy to say, harder to do. We need to quit fighting over the Bible and demonstrate the Love that it teaches. Eric McKiddie, I don't know you, but I love you. Because you're my brother in Christ. And, overall, your article about pastors taking risk is pretty spot on. Risk is an important part of faith. Without risk, there is no faith. We must lead our churches to take risk. And I like to lead by example. I think the greatest risk we can take is to live the radical love of Jesus Christ in real ways in our communities. Fighting over biblical interpretation isn't going to help grow the church. Showing how much we love one another will.
My four-year-old is going through another phase too. At first, I thought it was my fault. We recently became foster parents and have brought in two younger siblings. So my four-year-old thinks he can revert to his old ways and act like a two-year-old. But...I spoke with other parents of four-year-olds and found out their kid went through this phase too: The WHINEY Phase. (It's even the inspiration for sites like: reasonsmysoniscrying.com)
On the one hand, it can be pretty funny and hard for my wife and I to contain our laughter at some of the things he Whines about and gets all upset. (In fact, just this morning he started into whining after he got his pajamas off, but before he got dressed: buck-naked and whining.) Usually, he's whining because something's not going his way. Yesterday afternoon, I had gotten ready to go for a run, and he was going to go out and play in the backyard. He was told to do two things first: go to the bathroom, and get his jacket on. Well, the jacket sleeves wouldn't cooperate and were inside-out. So he started whining. Then I tried to "help" (read "do-it-for-him") and he whined even more because he wanted to do it himself. Well, my patience ran out because I was in a hurry to leave on my run. So I raised my voice (yelled), asking him to stop whining, and he started crying. So I stepped away, counted to 10, came back and actually helped him do it himself instead of doing it for him. Then, I left on my run. My honest thoughts when I started my run were, "I don't know what to do! I wish he would just stop it! How do I get him to stop?" Well, it took 5.75 miles and lots of other meandering thoughts, but the last quarter mile of my 6-miler, as I turned and could see my house in the distance, the thought occurred to me again: "I don't know what to do." And the light-bulb went off! I thought: "That's it! You don't have to do anything! Just ignore him when he's like that. Show him that acting like that doesn't get the attention he wants. You don't know what to do because the answer is do nothing." So I got home, and started getting ready for supper. Turns out my son didn't go outside after all, and wasn't even wearing his jacket (figures). It wasn't long before he was whining again (because he needed new pants and didn't want to go upstairs to his room to get them). And this time, I ignored him and let him know that's not how to get help or get what he wants. So, running...It helps me listen. It helps me have patience. It helps me learn and grow. I just hope I can keep it up. A couple Sundays ago, I preached to my congregations about how God speaks with us because God desires a relationship with us. Well, listening to God may be simple, but it's not easy. It's downright difficult to hear the truth. Especially when it invites you to change. Multiple times recently, I've heard God speaking to me through other people, letting my know that I tend to be self-centered, and...dare I use the words...narcissistic, or egotistical. The most recent of which occurred to me while I was reading this comic strip (pictured here) from The Oatmeal: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running. This is hard to hear as someone who has dedicated one's life to serving others and serving God. In fact, I think I use that to justify how I operate. Many times in ministry I get this sense that "it has to be me," or "I have to do this because no one else will," or "I have to be the one because I can do this better than anyone else," or "it has to be me because God called me and gave me the gifts to do this way better than anyone else," or "If I can get people to like me, then they'll come to church." And ministry becomes centered around ME. This breaks my heart, or shatters my perception of myself that has me convinced that I live for others. Basically, it's a big challenge to my world-view. Like when Neo found out that The Matrix was real (or not real, depending on how you look at it). So now, I have a choice: I can either respond to the invitation to change and center on Christ, or I can keep on deceiving myself and not listen. God speaks, but I'd rather not listen. Especially if I am being asked to change. I liked how things were before I was aware of my faults. But now, now I have to listen and change. I can still try to find a way out of it. And tell myself that I'm just like everybody else. Because really I'm not that different from many of you, we are all pretty self-centered most of the time. We think the main question is "Why am I here? What's the point of my life?" In reality, we worry so much about ME that we can miss the great big God and God's wonderful creation there for us to enjoy! I do want to listen, because I do want to change, because I do want to be centered on Christ and changed by God's love. I want to experience the fullness of life God has for us. God speaks, but will you listen? Even if it's a hard truth? I hope so. A good number of my friends have shared this article about what we can learn from St. Patrick: http://www.umc.org/news-and-media/what-st-patrick-can-teach-united-methodists. In it, a professor of church history, Jim L. Papandrea, states: Patrick demonstrated that "we as Christians have something worth sharing, even at great hardship," Let me state that again: WE HAVE SOMETHING WORTH SHARING EVEN AT GREAT HARDSHIP. Wow! What a reminder. If you read the rest of the story of St. Patrick, you'll find that he was sold as a slave to people in Ireland, then, years later, he chooses to return to Ireland in order to tell them about Jesus Christ and help them become Christians. In his [Patrick's] mind, he was committed to loving them as God in Christ had first loved him.
What hardship are you willing to face in order to share your faith? Most of the time, I'm too nervous to try. I probably worry about the possible reactions too much. Maybe I have a fear of rejection. Or maybe I'm too busy to try. Or maybe I just assume that I'm such a good follower of Christ it comes naturally without being intentional. What is it for you? The bottom line, they're all excuses not to share this great love that God has shown me. I want to have a new heart, one committed to sharing my faith regardless of the cost. People will ask me, "How often do you run?" I usually reply with "Five days a week." In reality, I could respond saying that I run everyday, but I'm good about resting. Rest is important when you're training hard. In fact, I'd rather do my best to not miss a "rest day" than a training day because lack of rest can cause all kind of problems.
The same thing is true for life. Whether it's your spiritual life, your work life, your home life, or just life period, taking time to rest is critical to your health. My experience running backs this up. If I don't rest, I'm could end up with all kinds of problems:
Injury is probably the one I worry about the most, so I rest. I rest two days a week, and my training plan includes weeks where I cut back on the mileage for the week. Sometimes on rest days, I'll do something different like walking or cycling. But there's at least one day a week where I simply rest. Sabbath rest is one of the teachings of the spiritual life of Judaism and Christianity (and possibly others). It's a practical lesson for health in your life. You can't go 110% all of the time and not pay the consequences. Your family suffers because you're not around or you're not engaged when you are around. Your work suffers because eventually you can't focus as much. Your health suffers with fatigue, or you start self-medicating with comfort food or other stuff. Not resting results in a lot of suffering. We need rest that renews us. The key piece to Sabbath rest is Renewal. There are some things we do that are restful, but don't always renew us. I've done things that are fun to do and are enjoyable, but when that's done I have nothing to show for it except that time is gone. Sabbath rest renews my soul and my mind. It's actually an investment in myself so I can relate in healthy ways to my family, friends, co-workers, colleagues, etc. So doing nothing, can actually be doing a lot! Take a good Rest and be Originally, I thought I'd title the post "Why I Run" because a lot of people think I'm crazy for running multiple miles 5 days a week. But running is not crazy. It's good for you! (just do a quick search and you'll find stuff like: http://www.runnersworld.com/health/nine-surprising-ways-running-helps-your-body). It's not for everybody, but it is beneficial. So running itself is not crazy. In fact, I like to quote Eric Liddel's character in the movie Chariots of Fire as to why I run: I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure Now, I'm not really fast, but I've always been slightly taller than others because I have long legs. Ever since I was a little kid I thought that God gave me long legs so I could run without taking as many steps as everybody else! Since I'm not very fast, I just run long distances. I'm currently training for my second marathon which has me up to 40+ miles per week that I run. Now that sounds crazy! So why do I KEEP running?
I've asked myself that a lot lately. I've hit the marathon training blues. A lot of mornings I don't want to get out of bed so early (which isn't even that early) just so I can start my day with a run before it gets too hot. But I go out running anyway. And as I run I'll cuss at myself a few times until I get warmed up or when I want to quit. But I keep going, and going. Why? Because I'm growing, and getting stronger. It's not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I keep running because I'm training myself, disciplining myself. I keep running even when I don't want to because I have to. I have to because I have a goal in mind, but also because I'm becoming a disciplined person, a tough person. We live in a culture that often says, "do what you want! do what feels good!" and "if it's not what you want or it doesn't make you feel good, then don't do it." We let the fulfillment of our preferences and pleasures dictate our psyche and our general demeanor and approach to life. I don't think that's healthy. I keep running because it's preparing me for times in my job, in my family life, and in life in general when I have to do what's right even though I don't want to or I don't feel like it. Because I have a greater goal in mind. It's actually not my goal, it's God's goal: new creation, peace, love, joy, God's presence for everyone. Running is a spiritual discipline. It is communion with God. It is developing me into someone who won't stop or give up, someone who will know to do what's right even if I don't want to or it doesn't feel good. I keep running because I want, I have to, I must. It may look crazy to train so many miles per week, but I want to be ready when the time comes. I want to persevere and have courage. Running trains me for that. So I keep running. So a few weeks back, I wondered if there were any other pastors who fret over whether or not they're "selling out." After spending a week at church camp, and trying to get ready for ministry this fall, I'm ready to answer. First, let me say a little more about what I mean by "selling out." Obviously, I don't mean getting paid a huge amount of money because pastors don't really get paid much (more than some, but not a lot). What I mean is: do I stray from my ideals in order to please pew-sitters or denominational authority? My ideal is this: ultimately, my life is to please God. If others happen to be pleased as well, then that's great, but my number one priority is pleasing God. Honestly and unfortunately, the answer is "yes." I have from time to time tried to keep people happy simply so they would keep filling a pew on a regular basis and give their money. Yes, I have done things simply because the denominational higher-ups expect something a certain way. Just confessing that is freeing. Here's what really concerns me though: I feel like I have to give my attention to a lot of things that aren't really making an impact. So often, I feel like there are competing expectations. The congregation expects me to take care of the people who are already Christian-Church-Attenders, and the "membership," but I feel God calling me to reach people in the community who do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Now if I can mobilize the "membership" to join me in reaching the community, that would be awesome. That seems so difficult. Even impossible. In fact, I think Mark Love captures a bit of what I'm saying here: http://marklovefurniture.com/blog/2013/07/06/eleven-things-you-might-not-understand-about-your-minister/ Our [pastors] greatest fear is irrelevance...that what we say and do is making zero difference in your life. So part of me is always wondering if I get too tied up in inward-focused churchy stuff instead of the God stuff. I ask myself: "Am I settling for less than what God intended?" Have I become okay with just allowing the status quo to continue because it keeps the "church people" happy? The truth is, if keeping people happy is the goal, then I'll never reach it. I have to stay focused on pleasing God, even if it means questioning the status quo, changing things, rocking the boat...or leaving the boat...and even if it means some people are unhappy. There's another voice that is speaking to me from Scripture right now. It's Matthew 25:21: You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much I think that's a reminder to me that little things can make a big difference. It's also a reminder to be patient and realize that the best results usually aren't immediate. That's encouraging because some of thing things that I think aren't making a difference...offered to God, who knows what He can do...maybe they're doing more than I realize. "With God, all things are possible."
This week's question is "Am I Selling Out?" By that I mean, do I stray slightly from God's call on my life to keep church people happy, or denominational leadership happy, or donors happy...etc.? Do you ever wonder about that? Or feel that tension? Please respond in the comments below. You can expand the question. You can tell of your story of when you've thought about this. It's open to you. I'll give my thoughts at the end of the week. Also, you can submit a question for future weeks here.
|
About MeI am a Software Developer, a career shift made in 2018. So far, I have experience with C# .Net and Angular. I continue to let curiosity lead me into learning new technologies. I plan to share what I learn along the way about technology and personal/career life. Previously, my vocation was United Methodist pastor. So in addition to coding, I'll share about theology, the Church and The Bible. I also enjoy running, music, and I'm a deeply committed father and husband. Maybe my experiences will help you. I know it helps me to share. Archives
January 2019
Categories
All
|