Spacious

I'm teaching yoga, after graduating from a year-long teacher training program in June.

I teach Wednesdays in the early morn at the Inner Dance Yoga studio here in Anchor-town. Some of my students know about my "real job," some don't. I always tell them if they ask and they always look slightly surprised. Of course a young female pastor gets that a lot in general...

Anyway, this morning's class was all about opening the hips and releasing tension and tightness there. The yogis believe that we store anxiety in our hips muscles and if we stretch them, we will release this pent-up anxiety. Heck, we're North Americans, I think we store anxiety EVERYWHERE. I digress...

I was reminding my students to create spaciousness through the various poses that open the hips. At one point, without really planning to, I heard myself quoting Lutheran Pastor Dan Erlander, who said "salvation" in Hebrew is can be translated as "spaciousness."

I always find it interesting to make these connections across faith backgrounds. A yoga class where a Lutheran pastor is quoting a Hebrew understanding of salvation.

It felt good. It felt spacious.

Annoyed with/as Hell

I'm not very happy about hell at the moment.

My confirmation kids and I had a great discussion at a lock-in this weekend about Hell. The kids wanted to know if it was a place, like, "for real?"

I gave them a brillian (I thought!) explanation on how sin is a state of separation from God, others and self and how it was possible that hell was not a place but a state of being in separation.

Then, on Sunday night during my prayer time, I read the text that I will preach on this upcoming Sunday, Luke 16:19-31, the story of the Lazarus and the rich man.

Lemme break it down: a poor man named Lazaurs lives outside a rich man's gates. Lazarus dies and angels escort him to heaven pronto. The rich man dies too, and goes to Hades, do not pass go, do not collect $200. The rich man BEGS Lazarus for just a drop of water but the chasm is too far to cross. Then the rich man BEGS someone to go tell his brothers so they may avoid such a fate. Too bad, is the reply. Those left on earth should listen to Moses and the prophets. The End.

Seriously. The rich man in Hades? And I just go through telling the Confirmation kids there might not be a physical place called hell. Great.

Looks like I have some work to do before Sunday. Help?!?

Church rant

While I'm on my church rant here, one more thing. This came across my email today, from Religion News Service, a wire service of religious news.

The author, Tom Ehrich, writes editorials for this site (www.religionnews.com)

"Whether they say so or not, I think most people come to churches on a spiritual quest. They might see their needs in more functional terms, like wanting friendship, loving good music, making business contacts, or doing the right thing by their children. But the heart of their quest, I think, is a hunger for God, born of a restlessness to which only God can respond. Responding to that spiritual quest is a tricky business. If congregations did want to honor the spiritual quest, what would they do? First thing, of course: stop arguing. Listen to the world you presume to care about. Listen to the aching hearts around you. Listen to the questions people are asking. Just be quiet."

Did I mention we have a taize service tonight (Sept 20, Thursday) at 7 pm?

Where are the men?

I keep hearing this concern from the young women in my congregation: where are the men? Oh yes, we know where they are: hunting, fishing, disc golfing, running, eating pizza at Moose's Tooth, drinking beer at Humpy's. But they don't seem to be at church. Why is this?

The ELCA had attempted to address this by doing what we do best: studying it! So far, I haven't seen any satisfactory answers.

Is the church too feminine? Are people in churches asked to connect in ways that seem archaic or irrelevant to men? Is it too much talk about feelings?

I had lunch today with two "older" churchmen, both pastors, once LCMS. We talked about this missing men problem.

One suggested we go where the men are, build relationships by doing, or just hanging out. This can work, I think. Of course our youth director tried this here at Central...took two high school boys trap shooting...and heard some criticism for this. But maybe ministry with men has to look different, so maybe that's okay!

My thought was providing opportunties to serve. Working for Habitat for Humanity, for example, or our Central mission trip to rebuild homes in Texas post-hurricane (this November!), are good ways to serve. I love what Changepoint (a big non-deom in Anchorage) does with their Rightway Auto. Church members volunteer to use their mechanic skills to help low-income families with car problems. Supercool, I think.

My lunch partners today seemed to think these were good ideas.

But one pushed me further.

The problem with our church, he said, is that we've lost our sense of adventure.

Did we have one in the first place, I wondered?

Anyway, his point is that church is kind of boring (he's a pastor). And sometimes, I agree. I mean, life with God is supposed to be a very uncertain adventure, not a programmed list of rules to follow. God is one leading us into the future with open eyes, not one keeping us stuck in the past.

Interesting idea. Now how does this help us with our young men concern?

I'm still working on this one....

Not preaching, Part 2

Yup, still not preaching this Sunday. But one (ten) more comment(s) anyway.

"Whoever is faithful in very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much." (Luke 16:10).

I read somewhere once that a woman can tell a lot about a man from three things:
1.) How he treats the waiter.
2.) How he treats animals.
3.) How he treats his mother.

These are important; these are how he will treat you!

Little things make up our lives, little choices, little opportunities. Sometimes I think that my smallest choices have no consequence, yet they do set up patterns that weave the web of my actions and character.

So while the parables aren't meant to me solely moral lessons, I was thinking I might learn something here.

Another thought: sometimes since I'm still crawling out of ginormous student debt, I think I don't need to give much money to church and charity. Let me just admit here that I'm not a 10% giver (tither). I'd like to be, but I'm just not. I give a small amount each month to Central and that's about it.

This verse in Luke reminds me that while I don't have much, I can still give (because it's good for me and others need my gifts, not because Jesus will love me more :) So I'm thinking I'd like to up my church/charity giving.

Otherwise, it's like I don't really trust God or really believe that God will provide.

I saw a bumper sticker once:
"If you love Jesus, tithe. Anybody can honk."

Whoever is faithful in very little...

Not preaching, Part 1

Sure glad I'm not preaching on the texts for this Sunday....ah, the joys of having another pastor here!

Just returned from the Anchorage-bowl pastors text study (which I often refer to as "me and the white-haired guys") where we discussed the texts for this week.

Luke 16:1-13, a weird parable about a dishonest manager, who, when accused and basically fired by his master, does something quite odd. This dishonest manager summons his master's debtors and cuts back on the amount that each owes. So, like, one owes that master 100 jugs of olive oil and the dishonest manager says, "Okay, make it fifty." Kind of a weird-o story, I'd say.

So I'm not preaching, but if I was, I might say what I said last week during my sermon: Parables are not moral lessons about you and me. Parables are about God and the strange ways God works in the world.

So who is God here? Is God a master firing his dishonest manager?

Or is God the "dishonest" manager? Is God the one who doesn't play by our rules but who is always reducing debts for all of us, who need forgiveness and mercy? This is more consistent with the witness of Jesus Christ.

Since I don't know all the answers, I'm glad Glenn is preaching...

Commercial break

Thursday worship starts up again at Central THIS WEEK! So those of you in Anchor-town and environs...please feel invited/welcomed/loved and come on over to Central this Thursday at 7 pm.

We alternate Holden Evening Prayer and Taize, every other week. This week's Holden, led by our very own Holly Emmel on vocals and Debbie Pankow on piano.

Worship is about 30 minutes, with some readings (no sermon this year...a new highlight :) and communion with bread that actually tastes like it.

Share the good news about this service with someone else!

The Latest

Well, since you all were just DYING to know what's new at Central and with me :) here are some updates.

Aug. 25: Fishing with Pastors Eric and Bill Ottum on the Russian for silvers. With a fly rod! I mostly caught dead reds or nothing at all.

Aug 26: Pr Eric's last Sunday. He preached and puppet Mortimer the Moose said goodbye. I brought out sister Millie the Moose, complete with new makeover. We had dueling moose. Said goodbye to Eric.

Aug. 26-31: Vacation in Montana. Yes, pastors take vacation. This is a good thing. I spent time with seminary friend Debbie, who serves a congregation in Kalispell. We shared our good times and not-so-good times doing this pastor thing. I felt renewed to come back and jump into fall programming.

Sept. 1: Spent all day writing my sermon for Sunday. Garrison Keillor is my sermon-writing pal. Was nervous that I'd somehow preach the world's lamest sermon on Pr Glenn Petersen's first Sunday.

Sept 2: Pr Glenn's first Sunday. He sings well! And I've rarely seen so much egg casserole and coffeecake in the same place. Hooray for Central's bakers and chefs :)

Sept 3: State Fair with Lutheran ladies my age. Cotton candy and endless displays.

Sept 4: Spent all day answering 1001 questions from Pastor Glenn about Central. He asks GREAT questions! A good sign, I think.

Sept. 5: One more vacation day...a Wartburg college friend (Jess the doctor from Indianapolis) is visiting this week. Went on a cruise in Whittier -- I heart the calving glaciers :)

Sept. 6: Back to work!

Wow, are you still reading this ?!??!?! :)

Lots of exciting things happening at Central for the fall....that's the next entry :)