Work-in-Progress

for a few days, and I can’t wait!  Wish me luck as I go off to play with my imaginary friends, will you?  Catch you later.

Have you ever watched The Bachlorette?  What a strange phenomenon.  An attractive single person is stationed in various lovely locations, and invited to choose from 25 candidates for her affection.  She does this by sending people home when she’s done with them, by means of a very strange “rose ceremony.”  The stated goal of the process is to end in a marriage proposal (which the man then is expected to pop up with). 

My daughter and I watched the last hour of the show last night.  We agreed that it’s distasteful to watch people make out on camera, especially in a serial way.  But: is it MORE distasteful if that person is a woman or a man?  Does gender matter?  Here’s another question: Does the bachelorette really think she will find love this way, or is this just a lark?  If she’s “serious” about finding love, is that pathetic?  Is there any way that a relationship begun in this way could endure?  Don’t people realize that cameras change everything (right, Jon and Kate?)  Is the show a reflection of the advancement of the status of women?  Has the definition of promiscuity changed?  And if women and men are equal in the love game, why is the man expected to come up with proposal and the ring?

I love having grown-up daughters around.  Even trash TV becomes worth watching.

1. Driving up, the church property looked great after yesterday’s Super Saturday, which accomplished major hedge trimming, gardening, and floor cleaning.  The property looks like somebody loves it!
2. Two families who are on vacation each left an older teen at home.  Those kids came to church today.  On their own.
3. A child saw me carry the Roomba into the sanctuary, and “couldn’t wait” for Time with Children.  The Roomba was a great prop to talk about the spiritual life.  (”Purpose Driven Roomba”)
4. While we sang “God You Spin the Whirling Planets” the Roomba whirled through the pews, amongst people’s feet.
5. Two young teenagers helped lead worship today: one read scripture, the other did the Prayers of the People (meaning that she wrote the prayer herself).  Even better: this was not some special scheduling effort.  The kids are just in the rotation, and that’s how it fell today.
6. At fellowship hour we had hotdogs that were leftover from yesterday’s Super Saturday.  Delicious.
7. While I ate my hotdog I watched three very young children play with a ping pong table.  They were so so happy to be at church together, even after spending the day together yesterday.
8. At the “Dream Team” meeting after church, the team members were excited about moving to two services.  I was tempted to rein them in.  But stopped myself.

I haven’t done a Friday Five in a long time, so here goes:

From Mary Beth at the RevGalBlogPals . . . The sad news of Michael Jackson’s untimely death has me thinking about music and its effects on us - individually, as cultures, as generations. Let’s think about the soundtracks of our lives…

1) What sort of music did you listen to as a child - this would likely have been determined or influenced by your parents? Or perhaps your family wasn’t musical…was the news the background? the radio? Singing around the piano?

There was very little music in my house when I was growing up.  My parents didn’t listen to anything, and what we heard was what we kids brought in, and much of that was frowned upon.  Of course, we did all play the piano, and I learned the flute besides.  I remember laying on the floor, full-length in front of the “stereo” to listen to my favorite albums.

2) Going ahead to teenage years, is there a song that says “high school” (or whatever it might’ve been called where you lived”) to you?

Cat Stevens.  I was in love with Cat Stevens.

3) What is your favorite music for a lift on a down day? (hint: go to www.pandora.com and type in a performer/composer…see what you come up with!)

I’ll be interested to see what other people say here.  I almost hate to admit it, but I like to put on something from Les Miserables, or Rent, or Godspell.  Yep, I go straight to musical theater for uplift.

4) Who is your favorite performer of all time?

If I had to pick one, it would be Paul Simon.  The guy is a genius, both musically and lyric-wise, and he’s had staying power.

5) What is your favorite style of music for worship?

I like a mix: ancient hymns, plain song, old gospel hymns, Taize, spirituals, more current hymns.  A little Praise and Worship is ok, as long as it doesn’t go on too long or get all “Jesus is my boyfriend.”  I sometimes do Shape Note singing (Sacred Harp) which is unaccompanied.  I appreciate Jazz in worship, and also Rock n’ Roll.  I tell my congregation: singing in church is like being in the car with one radio for the whole family, instead of iPods.  We have to learn to tolerate what other people like instead of expecting to love everything that plays.

I am going to revise my novel this summer.  I am looking for people who are interested in reading the manuscript and giving me feedback.  I would send the manuscript electronically. 

The novel is about a clergywoman, Ava, who is serving a church in a rural area, her first call.  Her husband is a teacher in the local high school.  Both of them are unhappy in their jobs, but what can they do?  Even the marriage begins to feel like a trap.  Then Ava meets an attractive man. . . .

Any takers?  Leave a comment, email me, or send a message on Facebook and we’ll work out the logistics.

In the past week I heard two ministers — in different contexts — make contradictory statements about health care:

Minister #1:  “We live in an entitlement society.  People feel entitled to health care.”

Minister #2:  “Health care is a basic human right.  The church should fight for all people to have access to affordable health care.”

I think Jesus would agree with #2.  What do you think?

Today the Gamaliel Foundation is marching on Washington to lobby for health care reform.  I pray that their efforts are successful!

In the past two days I estimated our pew capacity in two different ways, which has been enlightening.

1.  On Saturday I was writing my column for the church newsletter (about the “should we go to 2 services” question) and decided to estimate our pew capacity.  There are 14 pews, each of which holds 5 people.  14×5=72, right?  But the 2 front pews have poles in the middle of them (seriously) and are only used by the organist.  So I took them off.  12×5=60.  The wild card is the balconies.  They were built for slaves, but heck, they are perfectly good, right?  (the poles below are the balcony supports).  There are 2 balconies, facing each other, and each of them contains 10 padded chairs.  The balcony is warmer than the sanctuary and the organ pipes are really loud up there, plus you can’t see the front of the church unless you lean forward and crane your neck.  Still, we always say “we can use the balcony.”  So I added the 20 chairs.  60+20=80.  Since the experts say that 80% full is full, I calculated 80 x 80%=64.

2.  On Sunday the sanctuary seemed very full.  A visiting family came in just a bit late and had to squish into a pew and hold kids on laps.  There were about 5 people in each balcony, mainly some older kids and the guys who run the audio/visual equipment (housed up there).  We have an usher who counts attendance, but those counts always seem low to me and I wondered why.  So I decided to count every body in the church, including my own.  Exactly 60.  And we felt overly full.  I also realized that we were missing 3 of our faithful families (each with 5 people) FWIW.

This is the difference between theory and practice, right?

Here’s the question: Pew-wise, what do you need to feel welcome in a sanctuary?

An original plot – unfolding through perfect dialogue – executed by great actors — beautifully filmed — with a satisfying resolution.  What more could you want from a movie?  Yet, it has gone largely unnoticed.*

A lonely young man (Ryan Gosling) orders a lifesize “real doll” which is sold to be a sex toy, but which he treats with the reverence we all ought to bestow on the persons we love (and so often don’t).  I won’t say more about the plot because the dialogue does such a perfect job of unfolding the back story — a treat that shouldn’t be spoiled. 

As the movie progresses, other characters participate in the ”delusion” of this doll, for the purpose of helping the lonely man.  The brother (Paul Schneider) and his wife (Emily Mortimer) form the family unit.  The local Lutheran church is an important part of the town’s chemistry, as well.  My Minnesota heart loved to see the perpetually falling snow, the casseroles, the church choir, the sensible warm clothing.

The movie illustrates, poignantly, some powerful dynamics: that we humans project our needs onto other people, that arguments with others are often arguments with ourselves, and that ultimately, the love we give is the love that comes back to us.

Put this on your Netflix list!

*A few of my favorite films that get too little notice: Snow Walker, Breaking the Waves, Transsiberian.  If you have others, I’d love to hear them!

1. Jesus is going to still the storm again this Sunday, something he does with regularity, including this 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B).  
2. We are all invited to church to bear witness to this amazing event.
3. Perhaps you have a bit of a storm in your own life right now, which could use stilling?

And I’m not talking Gas vs. Solar vs. Nuclear vs. Wind.  I’m talking personal energy, and wondering where mine should be directed. 

I’m at the point in my career where I “should” be getting another degree.  I’m over 50, with almost 19 years of ministry experience.  Ministry is a calling, but it’s also a career, and a Doctor of Ministry degree is a logical next step to that trajectory.  But the idea of getting another degree doesn’t make my heart sing, can I put it that way?  It’s not that I’m lazy, or that I mind reading and writing.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy ministry.  It’s that I can’t say I want to do “more” ministry, whatever that might mean: number of people, number of hours, number of meetings, number of conferences.  I feel my limits.  I do not love the institution of the church.  Rather, I love the Body of Christ, and am perfectly happy ministering to the little portion of that body that I’m privileged to lead.  Being engaged in ministry tasks roughly 30 hours a week seems to be just about right for me.

Question to self: What do I really want to do with the rest of my time and energy, given the fact that I have, oh, 20 years of career left?  

Answer in head, repeatedly, despite every reasonable other better answer: Write.

As my daughters launch (are launching? because really, that verb should denote continuous action rather than a one-time event) I find that my energy is launching too.  To where?  That’s the question.  There’s no convenient degree-track for what I want to do.  No step-by-step action plan.  No assurance of success or publication.  Just some swelling energy and a profound sense that everything is shifting.

Hello, Holy Spirit.