After getting acclamated to my surroundings here at Luther Seminary in my Stub Hall retreat cell, spending some good "read" time in the periodical stacks ( a custom I revisited from my seminary days) reading worship,liturgy, and preaching journals. I decided to take in a movie...So after eliminating choices, ( although "Underworld" in 3d Imax would have been cool) I participated in "The Grey." Now reviews are mixed and many, I won't bore you with my untrained take, other than to say...We who are students/drop-outs/or graduates of the men's movement, made popular 20-25 years ago, recognize all too well that this is a story about men's grief and pain. It's a good movie for a fella like me who is on his own for a couple of weeks, who gets to face the wolves of aloneness ( not lonely, alone). Doing a "walk-a-bout" even in relatively safe environmnets makes one face mortality, and prioritize the loves of ones life (For me that would be Sue, Gretchen, Stefan and Marta in the very first tier) Whatever else one may think of the movie, there is a constant theme about such priorities that tugs away at ones heart.
But the clincher, oh the clincher, is the poem:
Once more into the fray.
Into the last good fight I'll ever know.
Live and die on this day.
Live and die on this day.
Granted its not the most profound of all poetry, but like preaching, if it falls to the ears of the hearer "at the right time" (kairos) then look out, soul work is at work!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
funeral crasher
Minnie would have been 104 next week. All week long as I fished listening to the local country music station, there would be periodic reports of the week's funerals (gotta love small towns). The local lutheran church that was the family church of my ice fishing hosts, the Arneson's. Mt Carmel was the site of Minnie's funeral and I got to thinking after I heard it announced about the 5th time..."2 PM on Saturday, I get off the ice at 9, Minnie would want me to be there" I was heading south toward "the cities" later that day so I wouldn't be there to worship on Sunday at Mt Carmel, and I couldn't leave the area without a visit. For years, I've been teaching all who would listen that weddings and funerals are worship services first and foremost ...so why not? When Paul Arnesen heard I was going to the funeral, he asked,
"Did you know her?" "No, but I know here neighbors!", "No but I feel like I do." No, but I've been called to sing and pray during that hour at Mt. Carmel" All of these things turned out to be true.
When I was checking out of the resort on the way to the church, one of the owners of the fishing resort said when I got my bill, "instead of writing one check to us, write half of it to us, and give the other half to the WELCA ladies in the kitchen..." Imagine their surprise when they got a check from someone named Rev. William Diehm from Pittsburgh Pa. After the funeral, I was talking to Minnie's grandson who thanked me for being a part of the throng, "I just thought this was the place I was supposed to be" He said, "Yeah, Minnie would have got a kick out of that" "She was pretty much a corker!" As I was walking toward my car,a woman called after me with a giant bag of sandwhich wedges "Wait, pastor, you may need some nourishment for the road" (don't you know)...(parentheses mine)
Oh those Minnesota church basement ladies, they are the best, well next to the best, next to, ...well ladies you know who you are..bringing life to grieving, as Keillor called it, "the laying on of food"
We are all the better for it. As for Minnie, she would have wanted it that way.
"Did you know her?" "No, but I know here neighbors!", "No but I feel like I do." No, but I've been called to sing and pray during that hour at Mt. Carmel" All of these things turned out to be true.
When I was checking out of the resort on the way to the church, one of the owners of the fishing resort said when I got my bill, "instead of writing one check to us, write half of it to us, and give the other half to the WELCA ladies in the kitchen..." Imagine their surprise when they got a check from someone named Rev. William Diehm from Pittsburgh Pa. After the funeral, I was talking to Minnie's grandson who thanked me for being a part of the throng, "I just thought this was the place I was supposed to be" He said, "Yeah, Minnie would have got a kick out of that" "She was pretty much a corker!" As I was walking toward my car,a woman called after me with a giant bag of sandwhich wedges "Wait, pastor, you may need some nourishment for the road" (don't you know)...(parentheses mine)
Oh those Minnesota church basement ladies, they are the best, well next to the best, next to, ...well ladies you know who you are..bringing life to grieving, as Keillor called it, "the laying on of food"
We are all the better for it. As for Minnie, she would have wanted it that way.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
It's not the same!
so I'm in the middle of Lake of the Woods yesterday when my guide drops into my shanty and I ask him, "Are you a member of the Lutheran church in Warroad?" "Yes Zion is my home church, we used to have this team of pastors they were wonderful...after they left, I haven't been back...IT'S NOT THE SAME ANYMORE." I hope to follow up with him about this, but it got me to thinking...How many people currently do not practice a worshiping faith because something "is not the same anymore?" Different pastor, worship services or time isn't compatible with taste or schedule, or some heartbreak that makes life not the same anymore...
This is part of what the emergent church is attempting to address, that is, things( the church) AREN'T the same anymore yet we have a mission, to Make Christ Known, in the midst of change, heartbreak, celebration, boredom, lack of faith, moral compass freeze, overwork, overplay, underpay...well you add to the list of why IT'S NOT THE SAME ANYMORE. Then, after you ponder it, I invite you to sin boldly, that is take a leap of faith into the world of change, and trust in God bolder still.
This is part of what the emergent church is attempting to address, that is, things( the church) AREN'T the same anymore yet we have a mission, to Make Christ Known, in the midst of change, heartbreak, celebration, boredom, lack of faith, moral compass freeze, overwork, overplay, underpay...well you add to the list of why IT'S NOT THE SAME ANYMORE. Then, after you ponder it, I invite you to sin boldly, that is take a leap of faith into the world of change, and trust in God bolder still.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Hospitality
So after two days of driving 1200 miles including 6 hours to get through Chicago on Friday night,(8 inches of snow at rush hour) I checked into a Day's Inn in beautiful Warroad MN... Getting ready to go out on the ice of Lake of the Woods for the better part of next week...when to my surprise after some wings and a Leinie's in the Hotel grill, I started back to my room to get my tackle together, when a patron of the grill sees my Penquin's stocking cap and says, "the Penquins"...."why are you wearing that hat?"...
Before you know it, my new friends from Crookston Mn. who are in the same motel because their sons are playing hockey against the local Warroad team say to me " sit down, let us by you a beer. You look like you're not really ready to leave this establishment." Before the evening is complete, I attend the hockey game with my new friends, who turn out to be (what else) Lutheran, and they introduce me to all the other parents of the players as their new friend, Pastor Bill....I stick around, greet the players offering them all the encouragement that Coach Diehm has to offer, and I ponder.............invitation, hospitality, ...the hallmarks of being Christian, being human...I said to Dave and Dave and Mike... "You have made my day times ten!!!" Honestly, I try every day to be hospitable to others and I sometimes feel like I miss the mark, but to have it come back to me in the middle of "nowhere" ( apologies Warroad) I believe more than ever, that the greatest thing we can do for another person is to help them to know they matter and that they can be included in the important places of our lives ( like a worshiping community or a child's hockey game)
If nothing else, on this sabbatical, this day will be a confirmation of my most cherished belief. Asking a stranger into your world is truly life-giving... This stranger is somebody, because of the care of others. Thanks be to God!
Before you know it, my new friends from Crookston Mn. who are in the same motel because their sons are playing hockey against the local Warroad team say to me " sit down, let us by you a beer. You look like you're not really ready to leave this establishment." Before the evening is complete, I attend the hockey game with my new friends, who turn out to be (what else) Lutheran, and they introduce me to all the other parents of the players as their new friend, Pastor Bill....I stick around, greet the players offering them all the encouragement that Coach Diehm has to offer, and I ponder.............invitation, hospitality, ...the hallmarks of being Christian, being human...I said to Dave and Dave and Mike... "You have made my day times ten!!!" Honestly, I try every day to be hospitable to others and I sometimes feel like I miss the mark, but to have it come back to me in the middle of "nowhere" ( apologies Warroad) I believe more than ever, that the greatest thing we can do for another person is to help them to know they matter and that they can be included in the important places of our lives ( like a worshiping community or a child's hockey game)
If nothing else, on this sabbatical, this day will be a confirmation of my most cherished belief. Asking a stranger into your world is truly life-giving... This stranger is somebody, because of the care of others. Thanks be to God!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Blessing
It was a cold and wintry night...like you wouldn't imagine, and the Gospel broke into a place a part...But first the back story. ( a Reader's Digest version)
Last January as Commander Hull and I fished the great north country of Lake Nipissing (honest, that's the lake's name) our outfitter host Dave discovered my occupation and he queried: "Could you marry me and my fiancee on the ice next January?" " Well I have to get credentials through the province of Ontario, and we would have to spend a little time talking about something as simple as the rest of your lives, but I smell a pretty cool barter coming on!" I said.
Found out a few months ago that Dave's betrothed has a family member justice of the peace, so I got moved to
"It was a good idea for a while." No problem.
Last week,now a year later while fishing with Doug at the same place with Dave and his fiancee Michelle in an ice bungalow "two doors down " in our wonderful winter wonderland of perch and walleye "ice privy's" and trucked in buckets of potable water, I had an idea.
"Hey Dave, what if Doug and I paid yinz guys a visit and we had a blessing ceremony. It's not a wedding, but we could experience something close to what you always wanted...you, Michelle, surrounded by the pristine beauty of ice and the warmth of friends who care! And, we will hear the Word and pray!
And so,
armed with I Corinthians 13 read by Commander Hull and his trusty wing man William praying and blessing a couple, in the frigid arctic blast of last Friday evening near North Bay Ontario, in the warmth of Dave and Michelle's ice bungalow, the Gospel came a calling ...its raw power out matching the cold in its sincere form to do what God always wants to do, surround people with moments and life times of grace!
As tears streamed down Dave's face, and Doug and I doing what we were called to do, we heard these words uttered by our host...."This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me!" And I realized what we in the ministry realize when grace breaks through, God is always ready to bless, we are the stewards of the "kairos" (the right time) Thanks be to God!
Last January as Commander Hull and I fished the great north country of Lake Nipissing (honest, that's the lake's name) our outfitter host Dave discovered my occupation and he queried: "Could you marry me and my fiancee on the ice next January?" " Well I have to get credentials through the province of Ontario, and we would have to spend a little time talking about something as simple as the rest of your lives, but I smell a pretty cool barter coming on!" I said.
Found out a few months ago that Dave's betrothed has a family member justice of the peace, so I got moved to
"It was a good idea for a while." No problem.
Last week,now a year later while fishing with Doug at the same place with Dave and his fiancee Michelle in an ice bungalow "two doors down " in our wonderful winter wonderland of perch and walleye "ice privy's" and trucked in buckets of potable water, I had an idea.
"Hey Dave, what if Doug and I paid yinz guys a visit and we had a blessing ceremony. It's not a wedding, but we could experience something close to what you always wanted...you, Michelle, surrounded by the pristine beauty of ice and the warmth of friends who care! And, we will hear the Word and pray!
And so,
armed with I Corinthians 13 read by Commander Hull and his trusty wing man William praying and blessing a couple, in the frigid arctic blast of last Friday evening near North Bay Ontario, in the warmth of Dave and Michelle's ice bungalow, the Gospel came a calling ...its raw power out matching the cold in its sincere form to do what God always wants to do, surround people with moments and life times of grace!
As tears streamed down Dave's face, and Doug and I doing what we were called to do, we heard these words uttered by our host...."This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me!" And I realized what we in the ministry realize when grace breaks through, God is always ready to bless, we are the stewards of the "kairos" (the right time) Thanks be to God!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Locker Room Rage
Getting my last workouts in at the gym before Friday departure for Ontario.. I have thoroughly enjoyed the LA Fitness facility, as I have been a regular since its opening day in Aug. Then, it seemed like there would never be an issue for "overcrowdedness"...Well ,during the holidays the perfect storm happened. Ballys was apparently absorbed by LA, college kids were home, and people were getting a head start on their new year fitness resolution. Picture this, Big sweaty guys utilizing every locker ( there are scores of them), buff youngsters, "enhanced" weight lifters, and we older pretenders,(we know who we are), all coming together in a harmonious blend of "excuse me's."
Well it was too much for one fellow...I have heard of road rage, but this took that expression to new heights. I actually learned a few new profanities, and I've heard them all and have used most of them...
I had to laugh. Locker room ettiquette hasn't needed this much patience since we were in 7th grade gym class, when we had a buddy system for locker use!
"This ***** place is too***** crowded, and its ****** brand new!" came the cry of the enraged patron as clothes flew, lockers slammed, sending several us for cover...
Word number one for a time apart....RELAX...
Well it was too much for one fellow...I have heard of road rage, but this took that expression to new heights. I actually learned a few new profanities, and I've heard them all and have used most of them...
I had to laugh. Locker room ettiquette hasn't needed this much patience since we were in 7th grade gym class, when we had a buddy system for locker use!
"This ***** place is too***** crowded, and its ****** brand new!" came the cry of the enraged patron as clothes flew, lockers slammed, sending several us for cover...
Word number one for a time apart....RELAX...
Monday, January 2, 2012
Day 1 2012 Sabbatical...1/2/12
Think of it this way...Sunday is the first day of the week, a day of rest and renewal for the "rest" of the week.
After thirty years of ministry, and anticipating another 10 years of active parish ministry, it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and myself, to claim this time as a Sabbath for the remainder of parish ministry. On the 7th day God rested, on the 1st day I shall rest.
Now here is the formula. The first two months of 2012 are like Sunday, for the rest of the year. I will return in March, you can compare it to Monday, if the calendar year corresponded to one week. I know its not a one to one comparison, but you get the idea...plus I would rather ice fish than eat, and Sue and I are going to Florida for a spell in Feb...
On this blog, I will let you know highlights of the experience....everything from how the fish are biting to the latest insights from my reading. My area of emphasis is in so-called "emergent church theology."
Day one has included a morning bird hunt with the inimitable Willow the Weimaraner and the Rev. Daniel Smail. Snow, wind, chukkars and pheasants in God's country outside of Rochester PA, made for the perfect start to "Renew, Relax, and Recreate," the theme of my time away from the parish. Watching a dog work a field and point a bird, is very, very, magical, especially when that house dog is the best pet a fellow could ever have...There is a reason dogs are "human's best friend"
Oh by the way, I blog like I speak, so if you are looking for good grammar, apologies....and if you like Pittsburghese...well yinz are in fer a treat.
Go Stillers beat dem Tebow's...I will be in Canada!
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