A Parable of Common Sense

Further proof that David Brooks is one of the most astute observers of our society.

As a pastor, what he describes about the government rings way too true in our houses of worship.

Perspective

It's been quite a bit stressful over here of late. The wife-to-be has been out of work and is having to job hunt in the worst economy of our lives without really being able to know where to focus the hunt. We are trying to sell a Decatur condo in the midst of a housing recession, and of course, like all UMCers under appointment, are waiting on pins and needles to see if we are staying or going while also trying to explain increases in health and pension costs to our churches, who live in a county facing 15-20 percent unemployment.

So, in the midst of all this, I took half a day off Monday and went to Johnson City to get my haircut. This might surprise some of you, but I really haven't been able to replace my Salon Red cut easily in the land of the farm. So, I went to the mall to get the cut and started talking to the young hairdresser. She was telling me about her boyfriend, all of 19, who she had been dating for six months. For four of the six months he has been serving in Afghanistan and recently told his girlfriend that he wanted to make a career of it in the military. Awesome.

It turns out my problems aren't so bad.

It Finally Happened

I've been making my way through some form of ministry with people (monks, students, religious professionals, country church folk)for the better part of two years now. I had been able to put it off for this long, but finally I decided to dive back in - not to the blog, but to theological reading.

For the better part of two years now I have done my best to really avoid the theological reading. I have read some of the Spiritual classics, I've read some for a seminary class I helped with last year and some for the commissioning papers (although to be honest, my brain has been joined with the spirit of Wesley's for some time now). But for the most part I have stuck to history, fiction and useless blogs and facebook (Best reading in this realm: Run by Ann Patchett, Juliet Naked, Nick Hornby's new one, and of course, David McCullough's 1776.)

But the other day I decided it was time to dig in. When you are tillin' souls out here in the country, you don't have a whole lot of time for theological reflection. You are running from the hospital to some old lady's house, from Bible Study preparation to District meetings, and sometimes all you can manage is a quick breath before you try to remember what who you are going to say and what particular need or ailment brought you here.

And as I have been trying to not set the church ablaze for a few months now, I have noticed that I need some helping thinking about just what I am doing and how I am supposed to go about doing it. Out here on the edge of the district, I don't run into a bunch of budding theologians. I talk to friends and mentors on the phone and try to make the best of it, but I also came to realize that I needed to start relying again on the wisdom of the saints who have gone before - you know, to help me focus how I am spending my time so I can try somehow in the midst of all this mess of counting people in the seats and surviving charge conference to proclaim and live into the kingdom.

I'm a little far away from Sister Cassell and Candace, Joshua and Parker, Penniman and the Methodist Trinity, Pugh and Sister Beth and the rest of my crew, so I decided, with the help of the Cokesbury gift card, to begin some conversations again.

I was a little bit like an addict returning to the bar, but I went to work, efficiently and with a 30 percent discount. So, I started with Barbara Brown Taylor and then went to Wally B, I booked a table with Richard Foster and dessert with Dallas Willard. Niebuhr and I will sit down for coffee, H. Richard, not Reinhold, of course, and I'll probably try to dive back into God's Ambassadors, to remember how we've done this thing for so long and remember how much fun reading E. Brooks was back in the day.

So, I'll let you know how it goes. But for now, here's my dance card for the next couple of weeks.

An Altar in the World, Barbara Brown Taylor
The Word that Redescribes the World, Walter Brueggemann
Longing for God, Richard Foster and Gayle Beebe
The Responsibility of the Church for Society, H. Richard Niebuhr
Knowing Christ Today, Dallas Willard

And it's four months

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead.

Invitations

So, all in all things are off to a fairly good start. I have tried to heed Rev. Camphouse's words of wisdom and have tried to come in without a vision but instead to listen and to help the people try to figure out just what in the heck God wants to do here. So I have been visiting like a crazy person, making trips to the hospital, catching up on House season 4 and most of all, learning the tricks of the trade that operating a riding lawnmower involves.

As I have been listening and preaching and pastoral caring what I have discovered in many ways is that its much easier to think about how the church and how the pastor should do things than it actually is to do them. One of the things that I have been thinking most about and trying to figure out how to do well is invitation.

Much of my thinking on this issue starting in a conversation with my Baptist-leaning dad over dinner. My churches have a history that involves a weekly altar call (Those of you who remember my time at the Candler Office of Worship will find this full of karma). Not surprisingly, we are currently not doing an altar call. I was explaining this to my father and he getting quite concerned; and he challenged me to think about how to invite people to consider salvation.

Now I explained to my dad that as a United Methodist Mr. Wesley would never talk about one moment of being saved but that our whole lives we were in the process of being saved, but that didn't seem to answer it. And as I have walked away from our dinner conversation, I have been thinking a lot about what it means to invite people to live the Christian life, in worship, in Bible study, in pastoral care and in our life together as a church.

I don't think that the traditional altar call or even the invitation to Christian discipleship that most of us have somewhere in our bulletins really get the whole thing, but I am having trouble visualizing what not just welcoming folks to hang out with us or even serve on one of our committees but inviting them to participate in the Christian life looks like.

This thought has been kicking around my head for a couple of weeks and I still don't have a clear direction about it. I think part of it is probably creating space for responses to the word that include silence and contemplation. I imagine part of it is creating some space for a public response, because our faith is public. And I imagine part of it is inviting folks into small groups that wrestle with the practices. And I imagine another chunk of it involves inviting folks to participate in justice in our community. I'm not sure how it fits together and my guess is that I won't have it all figured out for a while.

It turns out this stuff ain't easy. Maybe its time to go back to school.

Changes

So, it's been a little while since I posted. Getting commissioned, receiving an appointment, leaving Atlanta and moving to Greeneville will do that to you. There is other news that many of you know about, but employment issues prevent me from blogging about it just yet. It is very good news, and life, despite being apart from Erin and adjusting to a new place, is relatively good.

A few things that have been noteworthy in the last couple months and the first few days of my new appointment.

1. A helpful neighbor giving me a heads up about the importance of the KJV.

2. It is really helpful being connected to fellow pastors, particularly when you have to figure out something as crazy as going from Atlanta to the farm.

3. We heard Adam Hamilton at annual conference this year. I think we probably should have read more of Hamilton in seminary. Although I didn't agree with him on everything, he had very good things to say, was theologically sound, and has figured out how to involve people in a UM community of faith that seems to live out a Wesleyan way of life in some good ways. Plus, once you enter the church he is one of those people you have to be able to be conversant in.

4. We made what I think was a good decision to approve direct billing for pastor's health insurance at annual conference. It's going to be a challenge for some smaller churches, but if people aren't going to pay apportionments in full, then we have to be responsible. This feels like a tough, challenging, but ultimately responsible facing of reality.

5. Who knew that three different churches in one charge meant three different hymnals? Apparently, I should have.

6. In our conference the commissioning service is connected to the retirement service. Quite humbling watching pastors who have served 51 years pass the mantle to us. Exciting, invigorating, challenging. A good reminder of what we are committing ourselves to. With God's help.

6. Being young, single and the new pastor, I have more garden-fresh vegetables than I know what to do with.

You would think that living in a new place, about twenty five minutes from anything (and by anything I mean Wal-Mart, Ingles, the Applebee's and Zaxby's), apart from the boss would lead to more consistent blogging. It probably will, but I make no promises.

It's a 40-Incher

It's been much discussed, much-researched, much-obsessed over, but yesterday I made an investment that will no doubt change my life.


Yes, I bought a television. But not just any television - a 40-inch, 1080 p, 120 hz top of the line, state of the art Samsung television.

I wasn't planning on such a purchase a couple of months ago, but after learning that my new placement will take me to the edge of civilization, a friend said, "Ogle, I think a big screen television now becomes a completely justifiable purchase." Figuring that the television and I would be rediscovering our relationship, I readily agreed.

I have been researching what I "needed", how much I was willing to spend, and yesterday those two factors came together thanks to an end of the model year, a Best Buy associate eager to make a sale and a girlfriend who knows how to haggle for a half-price television.

I know my life will never be the same. I don't know how I did ministry before this purchase, but I am quite sure that my new parishioners will greatly benefit from this investment. And I have a feeling I might be attracting some visitors to watch football on Saturdays.

Yes, life is good.