So, I'm not very good at updating this and for that I have to apologize. I know that there are several people who are curious about my time in Baldwin and I know that my infrequent updates do not help to curb that curiosity. I have found that when you have a blog, it is best to not write until the muse strikes you to do so. So I think that I'm conceding my previous ambition to write twice a week in favor of writing when the thoughts come to me. That way, I hope that the quality of my posts makes up for the lack of quantity.
That said, the last week or ten days have been uneventful. My sermon on the 22nd was well received, much to my surprise. I didn't really feel good about it that morning when I got up, yet people came away from that sermon with things to ponder. I am sure that the Spirit was at work there, for it wasn't me. Not to say that on a good Sunday that the Spirit isn't at work, but it becomes more readily apparent on days when the preacher isn't bringing his or her best stuff. If people are still able to learn and be edified by sermons like that, then praise the Lord. Today after church though, one of the elders talked to me at coffee time and said that he appreciated my demeanor. For a rookie, I don't do too bad of a job up there and I appear comfortable. One thing that he did say that I could improve on was the depth of the sermon, something that he believed would come with time, as life experience accumulates. I hope so, for I want to have sermons that are deep in nature. I don't like shallowness in others, so I certainly shouldn't tolerate it in myself. But dad, I think I have already come a long way since writing about the class trip to Hartwick Pines in fifth grade. I still have a way to go, but that's okay. It'll come with time I'm sure.
Today was also the day in which we heard about the mission trip to Malawi that some people from the church (including Pastor Tim) went on for two weeks. It was good to hear from them and hear the experiences that they had. You could tell in their eyes and body language that they were pumped, they were on a spiritual high. It would be interesting to see how this trip they went on will change their lives. Sadly I won't be able to witness that change. It was cool to hear how different Malawi was from the States. They have to make do with less, and indeed they do. Community is more valued. Something that I wonder if we have but a dim view of what it means to live life together sometimes. I wonder if, in their material poverty, others live richer lives. I wonder if those of us who have everything we need and want are actually the ones who are impoverished.
Three weeks from tomorrow I will be driving home to Michigan. Be quite honest, while I've certainly appreciated my time in Baldwin, I'm ready to head home. I'm ready to go home. It will be good to be back among friends and family. There are two places in life that are deeply embedded in my soul, imprinted in who I am as a person. One would be that stretch of M-66 from Klinker Corner to Anderson's Orchard. It's where I grew up. Where I learned to walk and talk. Where I learned to read. A love that was fostered by two parents who encouraged such things. Its where I had my first victories in life, and where I suffered my first defeats. Its where I first learned about Jesus. It's where I was first told by some that Jesus was an angry god who had to be appeased. It is where I was first told the truth about the beauty of grace. A gift given out of love by a God who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Memories of that place flood back to me whenever I get into the car to go home.
Then there is Holland. That quirky little corner of the world that is stuck in a bygone era, yet also very much in the present time. Where the beach is only a few minutes away. Where there is a church on every corner. Another place where I have laughed and cried. Sometimes both at the same time. It's where I've met some of my dearest friends, who are like brothers to me in so many ways. I didn't have a lot of friends in high school. The friendships that I had then have not really stood the test of time. They've faded into distant memory. High school seems like a lifetime ago. Yet has only been seven years. I actually didn't have that many friends in college either, only about three. Those friendships have stood the test of time. It is in seminary that I have really come out of my shell though. So many dear brothers that I know I'll miss next year after we all graduate. I also have others that I know will not be there this year as well. I'll miss that. But we go our separate ways as God leads us on to new things. I have no doubt though, that many of these friendships that I have made in seminary will stand the test of time.
I have come to this conclusion about myself: I am not a wanderer. I'm someone who loves to settle and set deep roots in some place. I love to find myself so tied to a place that I cannot imagine life without it. I have friends who are content to wander the world. Indeed, some of them may have never known what place they call home. I cannot say that. Yet I know that I'm certainly in an ideal place in life to be able to wander the world should I want to. I do not yet have the constraints of a family of my own. It gives me freedom to do a little wandering and find out who I am. So it boggles my mind that we evangelicals seem to emphasize settling young. Even for those like me that want to. We all need to wander a little. It's part of the process of maturing. I know that someday I'll want to settle, indeed, some days I already do. Like I said though, I'm not tied down. So I should take advantage of that while I still can. Don't know how long that will last after all. Though I think I got a few more years yet.
So deep within me are the stirrings for home and hearth, where my family is. Beyond that is the irresistible call of another year of school with friends. My last before I walk across the stage in May as a Master of Divinity (or Mastered by Divinity) and enter a new stage in life. Yet that is in the future and while it is a future I look forward to with great anticipation, I am here in Baldwin for three more weeks among a good little church. The challenge for me, for which I covet your prayers, is to remain faithful to the task at hand. That my mind stay in the present, not wandering to the future. For I have a duty to do, a good one at that. It'll be a busy three weeks. Should I stay in the present, it will be a rich and enjoyable three weeks. For now I am here. I have three weeks left. I want to be able say when I get in that car and head east across northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula and then south toward home, that I remained faithful to the task at hand and rendered good service here.
Well, that's about it for tonight. Tomorrow begins another week. It is a week to look forward to, for it is a gift. I hope that this post finds you well. May God bless you richly in this week ahead.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
An update, because I haven't been good about those.
This summer has been going well while in Baldwin. I've learned that I can preach without the use of notes. Not bad for someone who thought that they would be a manuscript preacher for a long time to come. This past Sunday, I barely used what notes that I had while preaching. Another thing that I was glad to see this was that people seemed to comprehend what the point of my sermon was. It always feels good to have someone come up to you and say that you had a good sermon. All that means nothing if they don't recall a single thing about your sermon. That just serves as a drug to inflate the preacher's pride more than anything else. When people come up to you and can remember and understand what you were preaching on, that is something which is more admirable. When they start to apply it to their lives, that is even better. It makes me feel good to see that.
There is a danger to that too however. I want my preaching to result in fruit. I don't want to preach for the sake of my own pride. When I hear these compliments, the danger is that I preach so that I receive compliments. In the end, that renders my preaching worthless. For part of preaching means that you call the congregation and yourself to a better way than the way of the world. If I'm just preaching for compliments, I will never put myself and others out of our comfort zone and we'll never move forward as believers. Preaching is not for the faint of heart. It often requires that we say things that need to be said. It has the potential to invite criticism. It can sometimes be offensive. It may even cost you your job. Yet it is necessary to be honest and humble, never sugarcoating things. That way, we can grow deeper in our faith. Show me a church where the preaching is wishy-washy and I can show you a church that is shallow. It has foundations built on sand. When the rains and the floods come, it will be washed away as if it never existed. The people there will never know what it truly means to follow Christ.
The purpose of preaching is so that people can be torn down and convicted of their sin and see themselves for the broken and hallow shells that they are. God does not leave us broken after convicting us of our sinfulness however. The other purpose of preaching is so that the people of God can be built up. So that we can grow deeper in our faith and learn what it means to be fully human. So that we may know what love and joy mean. So that those shadows that we were before we knew Christ may be given substance and a body. Something that we cannot know outside of Christ. Like a branch pruned by the gardener, like silver in which the dross has been burned off in the furnace. That is the impact that our worship and listening to the Word of God being read and expounded upon is supposed to have. Never should we approach worship lightly. For God just might very well smack us across the face with a 2x4, even the preacher, especially the preacher. Actually, he might just use a 2x6 for the preacher. No wonder Anne Lamott said that we should wear crash helmets to worship.
Alright Andy, let's take it down a notch or two. Get off the soapbox. As you have probably gathered by this point, I'm a bit opinionated. The point is, what we hear on Sunday should challenge us. It should make us feel uncomfortable. Through the preacher's words, the Spirit should tell us a better way to live. It should bring us closer to the Triune God, in whom we have life and breath and being.
As for Baldwin, it's been good. I have learned a lot and met some great people. I imagine that when I return home a month from today, I'll miss it. Yet I know that as the day of departure gets closer, I'll be more eager to return to my home. I'll be glad to be back among friends and family. The greatest challenge about Baldwin is that I do not know anyone very well. I've also always lived with people. Here in Baldwin, I come home to the sound of silence. So it can get lonely sometimes. If a dog greets me, it's because the three dachshunds next door think I've encroached on their territory. It's not because my mom's two little miniature schnauzers are ecstatic to see me and think I'm the greatest thing since pets, squirrels, and food were invented. I love being with and living with people, in spite of the headaches that can (and often do) come with it. It's more than worth it. That's what living on my own has taught me this summer. Now the challenge is to remain faithful to where God has placed me as this month I have left turns into three weeks, then two, and so on.
Also, this time next year, chances are, I'll be on my own again for a time. I highly doubt that in a year my status as a bachelor will change. It will someday, just probably not in the next year or two. So, once I'm on my own, with my own place, I'm getting a dog. Dogs make great roommates. Provided they're housebroken and you don't leave them alone with newspapers or books where they can get into them. That never ends well.
I hope this post finds you well. Here in Baldwin, things are good. I'm preaching this Sunday on Romans 3:21-31. I'll let ya know next week how it goes. God bless.
There is a danger to that too however. I want my preaching to result in fruit. I don't want to preach for the sake of my own pride. When I hear these compliments, the danger is that I preach so that I receive compliments. In the end, that renders my preaching worthless. For part of preaching means that you call the congregation and yourself to a better way than the way of the world. If I'm just preaching for compliments, I will never put myself and others out of our comfort zone and we'll never move forward as believers. Preaching is not for the faint of heart. It often requires that we say things that need to be said. It has the potential to invite criticism. It can sometimes be offensive. It may even cost you your job. Yet it is necessary to be honest and humble, never sugarcoating things. That way, we can grow deeper in our faith. Show me a church where the preaching is wishy-washy and I can show you a church that is shallow. It has foundations built on sand. When the rains and the floods come, it will be washed away as if it never existed. The people there will never know what it truly means to follow Christ.
The purpose of preaching is so that people can be torn down and convicted of their sin and see themselves for the broken and hallow shells that they are. God does not leave us broken after convicting us of our sinfulness however. The other purpose of preaching is so that the people of God can be built up. So that we can grow deeper in our faith and learn what it means to be fully human. So that we may know what love and joy mean. So that those shadows that we were before we knew Christ may be given substance and a body. Something that we cannot know outside of Christ. Like a branch pruned by the gardener, like silver in which the dross has been burned off in the furnace. That is the impact that our worship and listening to the Word of God being read and expounded upon is supposed to have. Never should we approach worship lightly. For God just might very well smack us across the face with a 2x4, even the preacher, especially the preacher. Actually, he might just use a 2x6 for the preacher. No wonder Anne Lamott said that we should wear crash helmets to worship.
Alright Andy, let's take it down a notch or two. Get off the soapbox. As you have probably gathered by this point, I'm a bit opinionated. The point is, what we hear on Sunday should challenge us. It should make us feel uncomfortable. Through the preacher's words, the Spirit should tell us a better way to live. It should bring us closer to the Triune God, in whom we have life and breath and being.
As for Baldwin, it's been good. I have learned a lot and met some great people. I imagine that when I return home a month from today, I'll miss it. Yet I know that as the day of departure gets closer, I'll be more eager to return to my home. I'll be glad to be back among friends and family. The greatest challenge about Baldwin is that I do not know anyone very well. I've also always lived with people. Here in Baldwin, I come home to the sound of silence. So it can get lonely sometimes. If a dog greets me, it's because the three dachshunds next door think I've encroached on their territory. It's not because my mom's two little miniature schnauzers are ecstatic to see me and think I'm the greatest thing since pets, squirrels, and food were invented. I love being with and living with people, in spite of the headaches that can (and often do) come with it. It's more than worth it. That's what living on my own has taught me this summer. Now the challenge is to remain faithful to where God has placed me as this month I have left turns into three weeks, then two, and so on.
Also, this time next year, chances are, I'll be on my own again for a time. I highly doubt that in a year my status as a bachelor will change. It will someday, just probably not in the next year or two. So, once I'm on my own, with my own place, I'm getting a dog. Dogs make great roommates. Provided they're housebroken and you don't leave them alone with newspapers or books where they can get into them. That never ends well.
I hope this post finds you well. Here in Baldwin, things are good. I'm preaching this Sunday on Romans 3:21-31. I'll let ya know next week how it goes. God bless.
Monday, July 9, 2012
I've been here five weeks now.
So I find that I've not been very good at writing in this thing for the last few weeks. I will try to write more often than I have for those of you who are following this blog. If you have been reading this though, feel free to make your presence known. Depending on the subject of the post, we may even start a discussion on the topic. There have been a lot of things that I'm thinking about. Hopefully a few of those things will make it into this blog.
First I should tell of this past week. A week ago, I did something new (for me) in ministry. I sat in on a meeting between a grieving family and a funeral director. I took notes on the meeting and this helped with creating a funeral service for a member of the congregation who had passed away. So I assisted in making the arrangements and the funeral was held this past Saturday. I did not actually help officiate at the funeral itself, but I did some work behind the scenes. Including visiting with the family in the hospital not long before this woman died. Reflecting on this experience, I think that I learned a bit about what families need from pastors when death is imminent. Mostly, when a family is holding vigil, they need someone there to talk to them. Many times it helps.
That is not the only thing that happened this past week either. I was invited to dinner in a couple homes this past week as well. I spent the fourth of July with an older gentleman and a couple others and we had dinner together. There was grilled chicken, cheesy potatoes, potato salad, regular salad, watermelon, and a wonderful dessert that had strawberries. After dinner, we talked and had good conversation. Much the same happened the next night at a retired couple's home, only with brats, fruit, pudding, and raw veggies. At both places, I ate a lot of good food, talked with good people, and went home with a full stomach. So I'm starting to get people inviting me to dinner. Pastor Tim and I had put a sign up sheet out at the beginning of the summer, but mostly people have just been calling and asking when I'm available. That works too. I've enjoyed the welcome of the people here.
This summer hasn't been all fun and games though. Death seems to be a theme that has come up a lot this summer. First, my family lost my Uncle Kenny, which resulted in me flying home for a week. Soon after I got back on a Friday afternoon, we found out that a lady in Baldwin was in the hospital and it wasn't looking good. So Pastor Tim and I visited the hospital that Saturday and then the next day I visited after church. Not a half hour after I left, she passed away. Which resulted in me sitting in on this meeting last Monday morning. I took down notes and helped with making the arrangements for the service. This was actually quite helpful for me. Death is not an easy thing and something that we often think about that often, especially at twenty-five. So one of the things about being a pastor that gave me some pause was in dealing with funerals. I've had to become acquainted with that the last few weeks. I think that this experience has helped me and it will make it easier when I actually have to go through the process of walking with a family as they are grieving the loss of a loved one. That may happen sooner than I think, for Pastor Tim is leaving for Africa in a couple days and won't be back until the 26th. He'll then be gone again for a week in August. So in that time, should someone in the congregation pass, I may be walking with that family. I hope that the last few weeks have prepared me for that should it happen. I think that they have though. I find that I have less anxiety on the subject of death and grief than I did a month ago. I can't complain either, after all, I did ask the Lord what he had in store for me this summer. The Lord may have another surprise or time up his sleeve as well. I've still got six weeks left here in Baldwin. So it will be interesting to see what is just around the corner.
First I should tell of this past week. A week ago, I did something new (for me) in ministry. I sat in on a meeting between a grieving family and a funeral director. I took notes on the meeting and this helped with creating a funeral service for a member of the congregation who had passed away. So I assisted in making the arrangements and the funeral was held this past Saturday. I did not actually help officiate at the funeral itself, but I did some work behind the scenes. Including visiting with the family in the hospital not long before this woman died. Reflecting on this experience, I think that I learned a bit about what families need from pastors when death is imminent. Mostly, when a family is holding vigil, they need someone there to talk to them. Many times it helps.
That is not the only thing that happened this past week either. I was invited to dinner in a couple homes this past week as well. I spent the fourth of July with an older gentleman and a couple others and we had dinner together. There was grilled chicken, cheesy potatoes, potato salad, regular salad, watermelon, and a wonderful dessert that had strawberries. After dinner, we talked and had good conversation. Much the same happened the next night at a retired couple's home, only with brats, fruit, pudding, and raw veggies. At both places, I ate a lot of good food, talked with good people, and went home with a full stomach. So I'm starting to get people inviting me to dinner. Pastor Tim and I had put a sign up sheet out at the beginning of the summer, but mostly people have just been calling and asking when I'm available. That works too. I've enjoyed the welcome of the people here.
This summer hasn't been all fun and games though. Death seems to be a theme that has come up a lot this summer. First, my family lost my Uncle Kenny, which resulted in me flying home for a week. Soon after I got back on a Friday afternoon, we found out that a lady in Baldwin was in the hospital and it wasn't looking good. So Pastor Tim and I visited the hospital that Saturday and then the next day I visited after church. Not a half hour after I left, she passed away. Which resulted in me sitting in on this meeting last Monday morning. I took down notes and helped with making the arrangements for the service. This was actually quite helpful for me. Death is not an easy thing and something that we often think about that often, especially at twenty-five. So one of the things about being a pastor that gave me some pause was in dealing with funerals. I've had to become acquainted with that the last few weeks. I think that this experience has helped me and it will make it easier when I actually have to go through the process of walking with a family as they are grieving the loss of a loved one. That may happen sooner than I think, for Pastor Tim is leaving for Africa in a couple days and won't be back until the 26th. He'll then be gone again for a week in August. So in that time, should someone in the congregation pass, I may be walking with that family. I hope that the last few weeks have prepared me for that should it happen. I think that they have though. I find that I have less anxiety on the subject of death and grief than I did a month ago. I can't complain either, after all, I did ask the Lord what he had in store for me this summer. The Lord may have another surprise or time up his sleeve as well. I've still got six weeks left here in Baldwin. So it will be interesting to see what is just around the corner.
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