The Burner

Lent Is About Experiencing More

Tim Morey — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:05:24 +0000

About this time last year I was really dreading the thought of Lent and the expectation that I should fast from something. I was having a bit of a rough season in pastoral life, and, to be candid, needed comfort. Comfort food, comfort drink, comfort whatever. The thought of forgoing anything comfort-inducing was about as appealing as a root canal.

But as I was praying (read: griping while God patiently listened), the Spirit began to direct me to my deeper need – deeper comfort. Comfort that still comforts when the food is digested and Merlot glass is emptied. I emerged from my time of prayer with this thought:

Lent is about experiencing more.

This is counterintuitive, as part of traditional Christian worship during Lent is to give up things we love dearly – things like meals, meats, wine, or chocolate. But therein lies the beauty and wisdom of Lenten worship. We give up only so we can get more of what our deepest heart truly wants – more of the satisfaction, peace, rest, and trust that comes as we deepen a love relationship with Jesus.

It’s easy to get the wrong idea about Lent (and about fasting in general) that forgoing pleasure is a virtue in and of itself. This is not a Christian thought, but a pagan one. Our faith fully embraces bodily existence and encourages the pleasures of food, drink, sex, etc. (in their right quantities and contexts).

Or we can mistakenly think that the point of going without things that are dear to us is to help us feel guilt for our sins. Not so. Nothing in Scripture suggests that God takes pleasure in our wallowing in sins that Jesus died to forgive and free us from.

Lenten worship is about setting aside lesser loves so that we can enter more deeply into the love of God in Christ. It is about “rightly ordered desires,” as the ancients would say–that is, it is about keeping our appetites in their proper place. God’s desire is that the good and healthy pleasures of this life cause us to appreciate the Giver of the gifts; fasting from these things helps us keep proper perspective, as well as keeping us from becoming enslaved to our appetites.

Lent is about experiencing more:

More prayer – as hunger pangs prompt us to pray,

More gratitude – as we appreciate the sufferings Christ undertook on our behalf,

More fellowship – as we undertake the Lenten experience together with brothers and sisters, and ultimately,

More worship – as we reflect on the God who gave up all for us, and who fills our lives with such good gifts. As C. S. Lewis said, “One’s mind runs back up the sunbeam back to the sun.”

In our congregation we put it this way – the practice of Lent is simple to understand yet challenging to carry out: prayerfully choose something you will forego, and as you become aware of its absence, use that as opportunity to pray and to worship. Worshipers at Life have fasted from foods like desserts or alcohol; from technology they have become unbalanced in like facebook or television; from negative habits like complaining or fault-finding.

I’m keeping mine simple this year and fasting from food one day each week, and using that time to pray for friends that I want to find Christ. And part of my discipline is trying to gently remain focused, not on what is given up…

…but on what is gained.

Tim Morey (D.Min., Fuller Theological Seminary) is a Burner Blog contributor and founding and lead pastor at Life Covenant Church in Torrance, California, and the author of Embodying Our Faith (InterVarsity Press). He blogs at http://embodyingourfaith.com.

A Beautiful Mind — How John Nash Taught Me the Importance of Yard Work

Guest Contributor — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:25:59 +0000

Moderator Fuller professor Dr. Rob Johnston, Dr. David Augsburger, Dr. Frederick J. Frese III, Alicia Nash, Dr. John Nash, and Josh Smith, Fuller D.Min (2012)

How does the church respond to the mentally ill–specifically schizophrenia? What is the role of community? If as many as one quarter of adults in the US struggle with some form of mental illness, and 2.2 million people are diagnosed schizophrenia, how do I as a friend or leader, and the church as a whole welcome people?

Last week, Fuller screened the movie A Beautiful Mind as a part of the Integration Symposium addressing schizophrenia, science, community and the church. Together with other prominent professors and pastors, Nobel Laureate John Nash and his wife, the real-life protagonists, were present for the panel discussion afterwards.

The movie set the tone for the discussion: a brilliant mind hunting for recognition for his brightness, bringing him through the realms of the physical, metaphysical, delusional and back. John Nash is portrayed as a driven man, which scientific search and research drove him away from reality into a world of haunting voices from the merciless ghosts of his subconscious. Through the heartbreaking story of his illness we see a walk into mercy; into finding meaning in the everyday life; into wisdom.

In the movie, when John Nash finds himself at rock bottom, medicated and without his brilliant mind working, his wife tells him: “It’s life John, activities abound. Just add meaning.”

For the great mathematician, how could taking out the trash and caring for the house possibly be able to match up to the great mysteries of science? For John, he has to battle between listening to the ‘truth’ from his voices that tells him how quickly he can be restored into his position, and the slow journey back to reality and through seemingly menial activities and small steps in community.

Therefore, as the real John Nash, now 84, told us about how he used to do useful work around his wife’s house, I was very impacted by his comment. It was better maintained in those days than it has been in more recent years, he added silently, as if he was proud of his work.

This is the great Nobel Laureate, hesitant to speak about his scientific accomplishments, that found time to speak about simple yard work.

I saw not only a brilliant mind, but a mind of wisdom. Wisdom that in dealing with the great trials and accomplishments that his mind has given him, the simple of things in life still carries profound potential for help and healing. On the panel was also Frederick J. Frese, professor in clinical psychiatry, who, like Nash, is also struggling with schizophrenia. He spoke about the importance of work for people with mental illness. For him, working with, and being in community with others that were battling with the same conditions was not only work but also help in his recovery.

At the end of the night I was left with a profound respect for people that live with mental illness close to them, whether struggling personally or struggling with loved ones. This area leaves no room for simple solutions but is a call for the church to act in deep compassion and be the healing and supporting community that it can be at its best.

Mental illness can be immensely isolating. Could the church become that safe place where it was possible for people to struggle more openly?

Ruth Skree works as the Doctoral Projects Coordinator for the Doctor of Ministry Program. She completed her M.A. in Cross-Cultural Studies from Fuller as well as her M.A. in Theology. Before moving to California she worked with the Lutheran Church of Norway and the Vineyard Churches in the Nordic Countries . Her long-term interest has been in the missiological challenge of the Scandinavian and Northern European Church as it tries to find its place in a changing religious climate.

You can also read the story from the Pasadena Sun division of the LA Times.

Mimi Haddad on Gender and Equality in the Church

theburnerblog — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:49:02 +0000

No doubt you’ve enjoyed by now the video of Dr. Haddad’s presentation “Why Women’s Leadership in the Church is a Primary Issue: Wisdom from the Early Evangelicals.”

Now, you can hear more from Dr. Haddad, president of Christians for Biblical Equality on gender and equality in the Church.

Listen

Download audio file (Mimi-Haddad-Gender-and-Equality-in-the-Church-Pastors-Update.mp3)

Download the Audio File

Right-click the link below and select “Save Link As” to download and save the MP3 file to your computer or device.

Pastor’s Update – Gender and Equality in the Church – Mimi Haddad

Biting the Ears Off of Complacency and Isolation

theburnerblog — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:03:27 +0000

Also from the Fuller Youth Institute article by Jim Candy:

Guess what? Two things happened – everyone bit the ear off, and six months later, I don’t sense anything has really changed at MPPC with how we practice intergenerational ministry.

Wait–what? Read the article from Candy over at the FYI site “Why Aren’t We Seeing Change Happen in Our Church?” to discover Jim’s thoughts about becoming intergenerational in the church.

Fuller Youth Institute’s Dr. Kara Powell at Mars Hill (Grand Rapids)

theburnerblog — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:54:38 +0000

From the Fuller Youth Institute:

Last weekend Kara shared “Are You a Line or a Circle”– Sticky Faith insights–as part of Sunday worship services at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Listen or download the mp3 from Mars Hill’s site.

Missional Christians

theburnerblog — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:37:57 +0000

This was first posted by Brian Hickey on Facebook. It is reposted with permission.

Mimi Haddad’s Wisdom From the Early Evangelicals Video Now Online

theburnerblog — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:12:40 +0000

Fuller’s Berry Center for Lifelong Learning (publishers of The Burner Blog) was grateful to host Christians for Biblical Equality president Dr. Mimi Haddad last month for her lecture “Why Women’s Leadership in the Church is a Primary Issue: Wisdom From the Early Evangelicals.”

Thanks to all who attended for making this event such a great success!

Click here to view the embedded video.

You Can Make Statistics Say Anything–But We Should Be Aware of This

theburnerblog — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:47:02 +0000

HT: Shane Claiborne writing for Red Letter Christians

The Cycles of Pastoral Ministry

Kurt Fredrickson — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:29:54 +0000

I made a presentation at a Fuller DMIN alumni event in suburban Chicago last week. I built the presentation around some work done by my Evangelical Covenant Church friend and colleague Dan Pietryzyk published in Faith & Leadership. It was well received and seemed to resonate with most in the room. See if this rings true for you.

Ministry is never static. With Paul in Philippians 3 we “press on.” Ministry is always fluid and challenging. We ask four questions in our ministry journey.

First, we ask, Lord, how might I serve? We sense the call to ministry on our lives. We can’t imagine doing anything else. We are excited about ministry. And sometimes we get paid, and feel guilty for being paid for something we love to do.

Second, after just a few years in ministry we ask, What am I doing? The idealism of ministry fades. Ministry becomes harder. People are hard. The word is hard. We realize that we don’t know as much as we thought we did. Many drop out of ministry at around years 5-8. It is not easy.

Third, a bit later in ministry we ask, Do I want to do this for the rest of my life? Mid-career we get tired. The work is rewarding, but exhausting. The rewards don’t always outweigh the costs personally and to one’s family. So we ask the hard question around years 13-15: Do I want to keep doing this?

This is another period of walking away from ministry. I am convinced that lifelong learning is so critical at years 5-8 and years 13-15. We need good supportive people around us, a place to vent and to pray. We need to engage our minds with new thinking. We need to develop new skills. We need encouragement to refresh our own walk with the Lord. This is why I am such a strong advocate for Doctor of Ministry programs (especially Fuller’s!), and other programs and conferences Fuller and others develop to keep us fresh.

Those who make it through enter into a wonderful season of ministry. They are wiser. They are able to discern better between what is important and what is not. They know the difference between fads and gimmicks and paradigms that are generative and transforming. These can be the very best years of ministry characterized by personal humility and professional will (Jim Collins).

Fourth, later in ministry–if we hang in–we ask, How do I finish well? With greater degrees of wisdom and maturity, we are able to minister to others and mentor. We pour into the lives of others, watching them succeed and flourish, helping them to avoid some of the mistakes we made along the way. This is a period of significant impact.

What stage are you at? What question are you asking? At each stage, we all need: to gather with community of support, a commitment to lifelong learning, and a determination to cultivate our walk with the Lord.

So we press on!

Seminary Education is Not Enough – Part 2

Dave Kludt — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:44:44 +0000

Going to seminary was, for me, “the next step” following a calling into vocational ministry. Taking this step was my choice, but it was a choice affirmed by both peers and mentors in my vocational discernment process. From my experience, this was the standard path: a person feels called into ministry while serving in a local church or ministry, that call is confirmed by other ministry leaders in that church or ministry, that person disconnects from that local church or ministry to go to seminary never to be seen or heard from again (okay, that last bit isn’t always true).That story of call/confirm/disconnect, and particularly the disconnect – leaving a church to go to seminary – was my story, and the story of many who find themselves in the classrooms of a seminary. This disconnect between seminary students and their sending church is symptomatic of the larger disconnect between seminaries and local churches.

In response to my last post – Seminary Education is Not Enough – JR Rozko (who’s written some great posts on this topic at lifeasmission.com) commented on the dichotomy between seminary and church, wondering if it might be better for churches to take on the primary burden of theological education. I’m not convinced the solution is to dissolve seminaries or blend them together with churches; I think that could lead to watered-down theological education and watered-down church. Seminaries best serve the church when they exist as theologically and demographically diverse resource and training centers for the church. Seminaries have a long way to go to do this well, but churches also need to step up to the plate.

Two areas churches should rethink their approach to seminary are in the process of discernment (for seminary-bound leaders) and the process of translation (for those in seminary).

Discernment

Too often, it seems, seminary is simply the default next step for someone pursuing vocational ministry (in some traditions, “anything but seminary” is the default next step, and that’s a different problem!). But traditional theological education (“going to seminary”) is not always the best next step, and churches need to sit with leaders sensing a call to ministry and have better conversations about the role and purpose of seminary education.

The conversation should change from “if you want to be a pastor, go to seminary” to “What kind of pastor are you called to be, and what kind of theological education will best suit that unique call?” There’s a wide range of options for theological education – from masters and doctoral degrees to unaccredited and non-degree programs. Seminaries have been working towards new options for approaching and delivering theological education, and there are more options available to explore than there have been in the past.

At my church, I work with three other co-pastors. Not all of us have formal theological training, and our church does not need us all to have formal theological training. I suspect I sat in seminary classes with people who didn’t need to be there given their vocational calling (and that others who weren’t there definitely should have been!).

Churches would do well to understand and articulate the variety of education and training options available to leaders and pastors discerning the next step of their calling. Some may benefit greatly from a formal classroom learning environment in an intense season of study and learning, but for most a blend of ministry leadership and theological education might be a better fit.

As the sending community, churches should take more responsibility for the hard work of discerning what the best “next step” is, both for the leader and for the church.

Translation

Seminary education was described to me as “drinking from a firehose” and “baptism by fire.” No matter how practical or on-the-ground the education is, there is still the difficult work of translating classroom learning into congregational living. This work should be encouraged in the classroom, but no classroom can effectively translate all material for all students. This is part of the church’s work.

The best image I can think of to describe the church’s unique (and too-often lacking) role in this translation process is an aerator. A good faucet naturally pours a lot of water, much of which is wasted. A faucet with an aerator channels the water into a more useable and accessible product. It saves energy, frustration, and excess waste. A non-aerated seminary student will preach academic papers, but a seminary student with an aerating congregation will proclaim a theologically-rich and contextually-understandable message of good news.

Translation requires time and it requires immersion into the life and relationships of a church. It requires commitment from the student and the church receiving that student.

Without a thorough process of discernment and a context for translation and cultivation, theological education too often becomes a seed landing on rocky soil – well intentioned, but not very helpful for the church.