'Tis the season for distraction

Got prayer?

Nah, too busy. It's almost December, you know. Time for the marathon of Christmas cards/shopping/parties/cookies/gifts/fruitcakes/extra pounds. Y'all ready for this?

Timely, then, that one of our parishioners submitted an article for our December newsletter about being "too busy" for worship. She wrote about the rest and peace that comes when she does make that holy space.

Sometimes I think the busier I am, the more I MUST stop and rest, worship, pray. If I am full, there is no space for God to come in and nestle in the manger of my heart.

But we all get distracted.

In another newsletter from Christ Lutheran in Soldotna (shout out to Pr Randy) there's an opening letter about distractions in prayer. We all experience this, admit it. My moments of silence can be the loudest part of my day, with the echoing thoughts screaming in my brain.

Pr Randy quotes British theologian Herbert McCabe, so I will too. (Shout out to McCabe, where ever you are). Says McCabe, when we pray for "high-minded" things like wars to cease and the hungry to be fed, we may be easily distracted. Yes, these are good to pray for but they are not our deepest desires. We are distraced by our deepest desires, so pay attention to them. McCabe goes on:

"If you are distracted, trace your distraction back to the real desire it comes from and pray about these. When you are praying for what you really want you will not be distracted. People on sinking shops do not complain about distractions during their prayer."

Amen!

Frequently facebook

It's true. Since my twenty-something sister helped me figure out how to use Facebook this summer, I'm a regular user. I confess. My email address for Facebook, BTW, is centsmith@gci.net. So if you'd like to be my "friend," please invite me. I can't figure out how to invite you. No offense.

Anyway, came across this funny little ditty about Facebook on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b-fJxzpK7s

What does this have to do with ministry? Well, the reason I signed up (and as Pastor Lisa) was by an invite from a parishioner who doesn't attend worship but communicates with me on Facebook. Interesting way to do ministry, eh?

A little more press

Okay, one more bit of media attention. Check out what the Anchorage Daily News has to report about the after school program at Central, run by Campfire USA.

http://www.adn.com/news/education/story/9457561p-9368961c.html

I promise I'm not quoted in this one :)

On interfaith dialogue

Last Thursday I attended a luncheon of Jews, Christians and Muslims. We came for interfaith dialogue, facilitated by Maryam Quadrat, a Muslim scholar whose family is from Afghanistan. She did a number of lectures last week as part of APU's "Engaging Muslims" series.

First, let me say unapologetically that we each have a responsibility to learn from and listen to those of other faiths, cultures and ethnicities. This is foundational if we are to work for peace in our world. Living in a bubble of those just like us is not the way toward peace and understanding. We must go out of our comfort zone and dialogue with someone different.

Sitting in the Willow Conference room at Providence Hospital last Thursday, I felt alive. We introduced ourselves: Muslims, Jews, Methodists, Lutherans, Christian Scientists. Our common purpose was to listen and hopefully hear each other.

Here are some things I learned:

* Islam is tightly wound with politics and culture. Political and religious leaders are "in" with each other, kind of like the Holy Roman Empire/Catholic church of middle ages Europe. This is problematic, but not a FAULT in Islam. Can you say, "crusades?"

* The Koran does NOT say women must cover their heads. It says they must cover their "ornaments." So it's open for interpretation and many disagree, just like with the Bible. Remember these are men in power doing the interpreting. So, women cover their heads. Some think "ornaments" means hair. A more liberal read on the Koran would suggest "ornaments" merely refers to "breasts." And, yes, those should be covered in public!

* In Afghanistan, only men are allowed in mosques. Period.

* The Taliban are burning 10 schools a month in Afghanistan.

* The way to change? Quadrat suggests EDUCATION, which would "put the Taliban out of business." People need education and scholarship rising up from universities. This is where we can find hope.

When asked at the end, what can we do to help bring about peace, we heard only simple answers. But maybe these are the most important.

Recognize that peoples' most basic needs are the same everywhere. And get beyond misconceptions to actually learn about those from different cultures and religions.

To that, I'd add, "Do it now."

Can I Have Your Autograph?

Seriously. Someone asked me this yesterday (I think they were kidding). We've had some media attention around Central lately, thanks to the municipality of Anchorage budget that underfunds an after-school program at Central.

Two years ago, the mayor's office agreed to fund a Campfire USA program for free for kids in our West Fairview neighborhood. In the 2008 proposed muni budget, the program was not fully funded. Neither was a summer kids' program at St. Anthony Catholic Church, a fellow member of our community organizing group AFACT.

So we did what we knew how to do: we had a public meeting with assembly members, presented research on why these programs are important and asked assembly members to commit to supporting them.

And then the media came. The local NBC and CBS affiliates interviewed me here at Central, one on Monday, one on Friday. One interviewed our parishioner Dahna Graham. Both she and I ended up on TV. I was sure glad we were getting some "press" for something positive. Yes! Now we just have to wait and see what the assembly will do.

I was pretty fired up about getting our muni support for the families in Fairview who use the Campfire program. One mother recently told me that her son has no where else to play (they live in a high-density living area). And a 6-year-old boy in an apartment for hours on end is no good!

Another thing that fired me up: when we focus on the families being served, we win. When we focus on the politics, we lose. There's been some tug of war between mayors' office and assembly 'round this buget. I was extremely disappointed when a parishioner from another congregation (thank you!) wrote an assemblyman to urge his support for the afterschool program. The assemblyman's response: it's the mayor's fault, he left it out of the budget, why don't you ask him. The last sentence was in all capital letters...like he was in third grade or becoming Owen Meany.

Anyway, I don't know whose "fault" it was that the after school program wasn't in the budget but the damage is done. I commend all who showed up to support these programs in our AFACT meeting Monday night, and all those on the assembly who will work for after-school programs in the budget.

For all the saints

Hello to all you saints out there. It's all saints day in our tradition and I've been thinking about this all week. My yoga teacher even mentioned it in class this morning (after first asking me to please explain the intent of the festival -- nice to get some positive PR for Christians in there :)

Pastor Mike explained last year that All Saints on Nov. 1 traditionally honors those "bona fide" saints: matthew, mark, luke, what-have-you. All Saints was started sometime in the third century to honor martyrs.

Nov. 2 is All Souls, which honors anyone who has gone before. I always thought All Souls sounded funny, especially when I noted that an Episcopal church in Berkeley was named "All Souls Parish." Duh!

In worship tonight (Taize, 7 pm) and on Sunday, we'll light a candle for those who have gone before. It's good to think of this. We need ritual to remember the dead and celebrate their impacts in our lives. After all, most people at a funeral aren't crying over the one who died, they're grieving all the other losses they haven't finished grieving yet. Some of them we never finish grieving and that's okay. We just live with "grief moments," as Donna Stevens says, an Anchorage nurse and expert in grief. We should have her speak at Central sometime.

So I'll share that I'm thinking about my Grandma today, who died in March. Janina Hnantow Smith. I haven't been back to Iowa since she died, so sometimes I forget she's gone. I think this is normal. And I know the grief moments will keep coming, especially when I return after Christmas this year.

So maybe you have special saint to think of today. Maybe you can light a candle to remember him or her. I'm going to go light one right now.

Pondering my sinful nature

I opened the devotion book to that night's reading:

"I pray that I consider my sin and the sin of the world so that, sorrowful and broken, it might drive me to Christ." (or something like that!)

Ugh. Ponder my sinful nature. No thanks. My life's good. Why would I want to waste time feeling bad? I just couldn't get excited about this one.

I'm working through a devotional book from my spiritual director (To Walk With Christ). It's based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignagtius. Each week has a prayer focus, scripture readings and an encouragement to journal. Past weeks have asked me to ponder God's love for me and ponder the gifts of God in my life. These were fun; I just wasn't into feeling down about my sin.

A couple days later, I looked at the texts for Reformation Sunday, on which I'll preach. Romans 3:23: "Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Well, of course I know as Lutherans we recognize ourselves as saint-sinner. But I kept hearing in the back of my head the voice of a college friend who once told me, "You know, I don't really think of myself as a sinner."

So what's this about? Hubris? Pride? Dependency on my own gifts instead of God's? Worshipping the false idol of myself? Probably something in there is true. Douglas John Hall warns, for example, that sometimes we don't really love others, we love ourselves for pretending to love others.

I don't think I've quite answered this for myself, so I'm not going to leave you with the "right" answer, just ask the question again: How do I ponder my sinful nature in a real way when my life's good?

Almost Famous

Sometimes pastors get to be talking heads. I pray we say things that matter.

I did a news interview with CBS Channel 11 today. The topic: the US House was unable to override President Bush's veto of the SCHIP bill that would reauthorize spending for health insurance for uninsured kids. I wore my AFACT hat (Anchorage Faith and Action, Congregations Together -- which is a community organizing ecumenical group --and I'm on the board). The clip will air tonight (Oct. 18) at 5 and 6 pm news.

The bill impacts Alaskans. Families at 100% of poverty level get Medicaid. Families who can afford it or have adequate employer coverage use private insurance. In AK, those who are at %175 of poverty level or below, get insurance through DenaliKidCare, which is 70 % funded by the federal government. So, now that SCHIP has failed, we wonder if/when/how Alaska will fund DenaliKidCare.

The reporter wanted to know AFACT's reaction and what we'll do next. I said we were disappointed, though pleased that Rep. Don Young did vote to override the veto. I also said we'll keep talking to our state reps (which AFACT members are doing right now) and find out their vision of children's health care. We'll also keep talking with families.

It must be frightening to be a parent with no insurance for your children, or choose between rent, food or insurance.

I don't remember the strain, but I grew up without health insurance. My parents were farmers and couldn't afford private coverage. We did lots of home remedies and only went to the doctor when absolutely necessary. When my younger sister was born, my parents slowly paid the hospital bill in installments. Thank God no one was ever seriously hurt. When I was in college, my parents were able to find a state-sponsored health insurance for my sister, so she did grow up with this aid.

Anyway, I certainly don't have all the answers, but not helping working parents provide health care for their kids is not acceptable.

Faith, starring Glenn P.

Can I just say that I love working with our new senior pastor Glenn Petersen? This sounds like I'm sucking up but he preached a good sermon on faith yesterday. Here, a few gems worth repeating.

* Faith is not a choice but it prompts choice.

* Faith is personal but not private.

* We don't own our faith. Our faith owns us. (It belongs to a community).

* Faith lives in us. It's not something we have.

* We "keep the faith" by living it, by giving our love, compassion, kindness away.

Good stuff, eh? Thanks Glenn!

What do they expect us to be?

I'm preaching a sermon series at our 9:45 contemporary service on doubt. More specifically, on "Why Christian?" by Douglas John Hall. It's an apologetic for Christianity and an honest look at why we believe the things we believe as Christians.

Last Sunday (9.30) was on "What difference does Christianity make?" When I spoke of faith as trust (not certainty), a few people had comments.

One young man (married, 2 elementary-aged kids) said people outside of churches expect (want, demand?) Christians to be unwavering in faith. He reminded us of the upset of the recently discovered letters of Mother Teresa's doubts. He said we may feel free to express doubts in church but "out there" there's a different expectation.

I was troubled by his comment. Perhaps it rang too true.

I do have doubts, at times, and feel it's most healthy to live those questions in community, as well as in my personal prayer time. In my work with young adults, I feel my honesty about doubts are actually a strength.

I wonder this: why do those outside or marginally outside chruches want us to be so steadfast? What purpose or role does this serve? Is it just a symptom of a black-and-white culture that wants easy answers?

I don't know. This seems opposite from Hall. He says doubt make us seem MORE relevant to the world. He suggested that if Christians were more honest about their doubts, our answers would be more compelling.

I wonder, finally, if focusing on what others want/need isn't the right place to start? Maybe we still start from out centered self -- centered on Jesus Christ as the particular expression of the abstract God -- so centered that we are free to doubt as part of a loving relationship with God.

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 :)

Very bad haiku

Our interim senior pastor (Eric Ottum) is leaving Central after 9.5 months here. We're getting a new senior pastor (Glenn Peterson) next week. How exciting!

We had a staff lunch/potluck today to wish Eric the best. One of our traditions as a staff is to write each other bad poetry as a sign of affection at birthdays, welcomes and farewells.

"Bad" poetry is defined as that written in a few minutes before the event is to take place. It should also be, obviously, bad.

Here's the haiku I wrote for today:

Mortimer in hand
Teaching God's love to the kids
Can you hold my mouth?

He's Pastor Awesome
Nine month passes quickly by
We are glad you came.

Thanks, Pr Eric!!!

Daily mantra

This morning, my yoga teacher asked us to select one sentence that would serve as our mantra today.

In my head, I said: "Be in the present moment."

Not sure where that came from, but it seems to easy to slip into worry about the past or anxiety about the future.

Just being in the present moment means enjoying what God has given us RIGHT NOW and trusting that there will be enough.

I need to remind myself of this at least 20 times a day.....

BE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT