DC and Ohio - Culture pt. 2: The Extraordinary

I remember going downtown for dinner with John one day and seeing dozens and dozens of cop cars and probably a hundred officers of various kinds including the Secret Service. That was when my brother-in-law told me that DC is a place where the completely extraordinary is completely ordinary.

This has only been confirmed over time. Yesterday began an international summit at the DC convention center to discuss securing nuclear materials around the world. It's the largest gathering of world leaders led by a US President since the founding of the United Nations! What do we talk about? Traffic. This amazing event, that anyone around the country should feel in aww of and privileged to witness is met, to some degree, with indulgence by those in DC. I don't mean to criticize, it is just that we are so used to major events of national and international significance that we barely even blink. We have to readjust our schedule to get places, sure. We may be busier if we work for the government. But overall, it is a normal part of life in DC.

Whenever we are over-exposed to something, it changes us. We talk about violence on DC desensitizing us. Perhaps we talk about urban isolation or indifference. In coming to DC I discovered how much of Ohio's geography I'd taken for granted. Whatever the specific case, the question becomes: What can we do to keep from numbing out? I don't have any complete answers, what I try is simply to continue to expose myself to radically different things. I go to Africa, I move to DC, I travel, I form friendships with those who are different from me. I hope that in doing those things, I am a better person, I am more open to God's witness in front of me, and I am more aware of places for God to use me.

Post-modern Preaching

Found an Awesome Quote about Preaching in a Post-Modern world...but really it applies to preaching in general.

"English-speaking tourists abroad are inclined to believe that if only they speak English loudly and distinctly and slowly enough, the natives will know what's being said even though they don't understand a single word of the language. Preachers often make the same mistake. They believe that if only the will speak the ancient verities loudly and distinctly and slowly enough, their congregations will understand them. Unfortunately, the only language people really understand is their own language, and unless preachers are prepared to translate the ancient verities into it, they might as well save their breath." - Frederick Buechner

Soo great! If we have in a post-modern congregation, or want to reach out to post-moderns, then we need to understand that their entire system of language and thinking is not only different from the ancient text, it is also different from the modern text. Post-moderns ask different questions, are swayed by different type of language (look at chapter 7 in Theology for Preaching: Authority truth and knowledge of God in a Postmodern Ethos for explanation), and have different points of reference than Moderns do. I should know, I'm a mostly modern in a mostly post-modern church.

DC and Ohio – Culture pt. 1

When I came to DC, one of my reasons to leave Ohio had been about having a slightly different cultural experience. I knew that things were different even in different parts of the USA and I wanted that broader perspective to bring into ministry.

A year after arriving in DC I was asked about what I’d found in this regard. I intuitively knew that things were different. But when I tried to pinpoint what it was, all I could think about were the things that I’d experienced about being a stranger in a strange land. What that was like.

Having moved off campus, and had my eye open for more concrete things, I’ve found several ways to describe the differences.

Story #1: A friend at church, no older than me, got a job working for a NON-profit. One of the first things she learned about as a benefit was free access to a service that would do things for her. The would buy presents for her family member’s birthdays, do research on vacation locations, or whatever else she didn’t have time for. She was encouraged to use it to help plan her wedding. It was strange to her, it was strange to me. Her reaction was not to use it, but I could tell she was tempted. Heck, I would be tempted.

Story #2: I started hearing about what are called bedroom communities. Adults who live in these places may travel THREE HOURS every day to get to work. They basically sleep in their homes and have some weekend time there. Questions are being asked about what it means to be church to these bedroom communities. Places where children see their parents only on Saturdays and Sundays. Where there is no real community or bonding in the area. People do shopping and recreation in the city where they work, not the town where they “live”

In D.C. there is a different understanding of work and home life.

Preacher's Self Presentation

It's interesting how something that is almost tangential or not central to a conversation, a book, or a classroom lecture can take hold of the listener. I can say that many times it is the Holy Spirit.

I don't remember where it was, probably in my preaching book, but I read a reflection that has been nagging at me. I've heard so many times that the pastor should talk about their weaknesses. They should not be afraid to show how they are not perfect. That they will be humanized. I think I've heard that so much that I forget that a congregation also needs to have confidence in the guidance of the pastor. Confidence that while the pastor is human, the pastor is also striving, and somewhat successfully, after the Christian Life.

The passage in the book referred to how as preachers and pastors we should not make ourselves out to be saints, but we also cannot constantly be harping on our weaknesses too. Of course I take this new conviction of balance and am afraid of all the negatives I've been sharing with my congregation. But they are good kind people and I trust that they see the good in me even if I'm not highlighting it. I will strive in the future to find a better balance. I need to make sure I'm also showing my spiritual gifts, strengths, learnings, and passion. I think I've got the other side down pretty well :)

What's my Ethical System?

I've been doing a lot of internal reflecting so far this semester. That plus a lot of early assignments is why I haven't been blogging about classes. I've been struck by so many things in my life. My ethics class has been challenging me to consider the underlying ethical system that I use to evaluate my decisions. I don't believe that the Bible holds some clear rules to apply uniformly across all situations. So if not uniform, then how do I come to my decisions. I was fine with things, but my professor suggested that if there isn't a coherent system, if I just make up my mind in each situation using the things that seem good to me at the time, then my ethic is wishi washi and up to my whim. Instead we've been reading about some ethical systems in the book "Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics" which takes a bumper sticker type slogan and expands the ethical system behind it and then critiques it. I've found myself in almost all of these so far. My question for myself then becomes: if all of these guide me to some extent, what is at the base below which I will not go? I know I draw heavily on love as my method and virtues as my goal. So what ethical system do you think you are?
When in Rome do as the romans Do: cultural relativism
Look out for Number One: Ethical Egoism
I couldn't help myself: behaviorism
The Greatest Happiness for the greates number: Utilitarianism
It's your duty: Kantian Ethics
Be Good: Virtue Ethics
All you need is love:  Situation Ethics
Doing what comes naturally: natural law ethics
God Said it, I believe it, That settles it: Divine Command Theory

Advent Conspiracy!

Life is like a bicycle Ride

Lessons learned from my bike ride:

There are basically three types of terrain when biking. Upward slopes, downward slopes, and straight stretches.
In straight stretches: We may be recovering from an arduous recent upward slope, still reveling in the joy of the momentum of the downward slope, or taking in the surroundings as we peacefully pedal along. These are important, yet complacency is a problem. In complacency we may forget to watch for the upcoming terrain, thus robbing us of precious time to prepare momentum for a coming climb.

In Upward slopes: I've found that if I focus my energy on getting to the top of the hill I do not bike to my potential. The length of the journey there, or the degree of the incline make my energy wane more than the work itself. Plus the difficulty of the biking becomes the focus rather than the journey or the surroundings. I instead set really tiny goals (regularly only a foot to a yard ahead of me). Today I biked from leaf to leaf on one such climb. When I do this I'm able to have more energy longer, bike in the moment, and enjoy the journey.

The Transition: This small step focus, however, would be a problem in other parts of the journey. A good biker will know the precise moment to switch from this small focus back to the big picture. Without returning to the big picture at the right time, we miss opportunities to gain momentum thus making the next hill harder or the ride down the hill less enjoyable. etc.

The downward slope: Sometimes, it's important to just revel in the journey! The wind in your hair the beauty of being carried along!

Enjoy the Journey!