travel

I just booked plane tickets for Anita, Robbie, and I to head back to Windsor, CA where I used to serve as a Director of Christian Education. While the primary purpose behind the trip is to attend my brother-in-laws wedding, it's also fairly standard for me to preach at the church where I used to serve when I'm in town and, since the eLife is now out, I'm also going to do a book signing.

In the past, preaching there has always been odd because I've changed a lot since I left town 6 years ago. As a result, I always feel like my sermon there has been one huge, "I'm really sorry for most of the crap I taught back then." I typically don't put it that way, but it's certainly what is going through my mind the whole time.

You see, at the time, I was really buying into a pop-evangelical theology that could be summarized with the "My Heart, Christ's Home" mentality. I taught that Jesus has saved you and now you better get your crap together and make him the Lord of your life. This was combined with seeing the Bible as an instruction book for living out the Christian life.

The problem with this is that, beyond making grace something like a fast cash store where it's free now but you're going to get slammed with exorbitant payments later, is that it puts the impetus for spiritual growth on the person (as opposed to the work of the Spirit) and, as a result, anybody who isn't growing must not be trying hard enough. This leads to all kinds of judgment within the church. In addition, as we've seen with so many spiritual leaders who have fallen, this really encourages those who are Christian to hide their sin and put on a whole stigma of self-righteousness (something I haven't been immune to in my lifetime).

Of course, this time, things are even more odd because of the eLife and the introduction to the book where I talk about my engagement to Anita, some of the choices we made in an attempt to live out my theology at the time, and how it gave us a rough foundation for our marriage ... something we're still reworking almost 7 years later. I mean, I've always felt like I've been apologizing before, but now, there it is, in print, for whomever to read.

Of course, I'm sure I'll say the same thing about something I wrote in the eLife in another 6 years.

Well, here it is, just before 6am on November 11 and, after 12 times getting on an airplane in the past two months, I think I get to keep my feet on the ground for a while. While it's been great for ministry (all but one trip was church related), it's been exhausting, prevented me from doing some of the things I've wanted to do around Denver, and, most regrettably, been tough on the family.

On the positive side, more people have heard about being equipped for vocational evangelism through the Ablaze! Connection, The Fishbowl has a solid new partner in LHM and will launch on Easter Sunday (preceded by LHM lent devotionals), and the general vision of ministry "Genesis style" has been cast to a far broader audience.

During this time things have also picked up on the ministry front at home. Later this month I'm going to take a group from Christ Lutheran (Franklin and Yale) through a strategic planning process to help form a new worshiping community there on Saturday nights (I'll also be pastoring this community). Then, come January, I'll be preaching at Christ every Sunday until their senior pastor recovers from a heart attack.

Anyway, I'm not sure what the point on this is, other than a praise that I'm home for a while and prayers that it doesn't kill me. For now, I need to go catch my bus so I can be in the pulpit on time.

Ugh, tomorrow morning I'm heading back to the airport. This will be the seventh time I've gotten on an airplane in the last four weeks. At least this trip has my family on the other side ... they've been in California for a week now.

While I'm out there I'm hoping to see my twins, I'll spend some time with my in-laws and a bunch of old friends from my DCE days, and I'll preach at Vineyard of Faith where I served as DCE for 4.5 years.

Hopefully on the other side I'll be able to get the Genesis podcast restarted and get myself back on my blog. Till next week, continue to not expect much on the posting front.