Forests and Trees

There are details, and then there are details. As a rule, I am not a strong detail person, however in certain areas of my life, I have them down pat. Jeff was not particularly good on details either. He was, and I am still, more comfortable with the big picture. That old saw, You can’t see the forest for the trees, definitely did not describe either of us most of the time. Turn it around and it would, You can’t see the trees for the forest. The forest is the big picture; the trees are the details.

There are details that I know about fabric and fibers that would bore Jeff to tears. If he walked into a fabric store with me, within a couple of minutes he would be sweating and anxious to get out of there. I learned to go by myself if I wanted to really take my time and enjoy the process. On the other hand, he would see a car coming down the road towards us and he could tell the make and model, and maybe even the year before I could see it clearly. I could say that it was a car, not a truck or a motorcycle, and it was blue. We each learned details about subjects for which we had passion.

Then there are the people who are all over details. Getting them to see the big picture sometimes is hard, but they can take care of the iotas without a problem. Thank goodness that we are not all the same. The world is a much more interesting place because we are different. Working with our gifts and strengths can give purpose to our lives. That doesn’t mean that I can ignore important details, but if I stay with them too long, I feel as though I am drowning. For someone else, trying to stay focused on the big picture may make them feel unrooted.

In the wisdom of God, there are enough varieties to seem almost infinite to me, and they all can be used to sing praise to our Creator.

1 Chronicles 16.33:

Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.

Becky

What can I say? Our girl is all grown up and ready to take the world by storm. Of course, she was already a grown woman by the time she came to us, but we have watched her grow even more over the last five years. Who am I talking about? Well, come this Sunday to hear her preach her last sermon at Christ Crossman—at least for quite some time—and then you will know!

I love that Christ Crossman takes its job as a teaching/learning congregation so seriously. All the interns who work with us are truly blessed by the members of this congregation who treat them with such respect and love, and as pastors. And our congregation is blessed to be able be a part of our interns’ preparation for another ministry. I don’t’ say “for ministry” because they are involved in real, honest-to-goodness ministry while they are with us. They have given us so many gifts.

I confess that my heart is joyful and sad all at the same time. She came to us in the Fall of 2008, newlywed and beginning seminary, to work with the youth. She leaves us in June of 2013 to become pastor of Crestline United Methodist Church in Crestline, OH.

Becky, we love you, honor you, and wish you all the best! Our hearts go with you.

1 Timothy 4:14-15

Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress.

Leadership in Mission & Vision

As you know, I have been reading books on leadership in preparation for my first two courses in the doctorate of ministry program. This week and next, eighteen of us plus our professors, Lovett Weems and Denise Dombkowski Hopkins, are reflecting on this. I want to share some of my notes with you because we are on this journey together. I may be the one doing the reading, writing and going to class but it is not a solo journey. It’s all about what God is calling us to be and do as Christ’s church in our community.

There is no leadership apart from change--the current state of things cannot ever be deemed as synonymous with God's will. It's not that there's so much wrong with us, but that we are never fully in and of God's kingdom.

Our God is God of the past. In our history there are times in the past we can look when we can say that God was present. We know that God is not limited to the past; God is present NOW. God has not left us. We also know that God is not limited to the present; God is also God of the future--God's work is not finished in me or in the world. We could each say: “I have been saved, I am being saved, I will be saved.” Change is called for not as judgment on the past or the present, but as trying to capture that next vision that God has for us.

Vision is a gift of God given to God's people. It is often first articulated or named by a leader or leaders, primarily because leaders tend to be thinking, reading and praying about these things more.

And I am finally getting a sense of the distinction between mission and vision.

Our mission is what we exist to do. Our vision is what, in light of our mission and our context, God is calling us to do in the near future. What is the next step to take to grow closer to what God is calling us to be and do?

Jeremiah 29.11:

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

I've been thinking...

I’ve been thinking…almost every time I start writing, I type this phrase. I generally edit my piece and find a better way to start. The truth is, though, I have been thinking a lot lately. We can blame a little part of it on all the reading I have been doing lately for my classes that start next Tuesday, but not entirely.

I look at Christ Crossman and I see how vital a congregation we are. The life of the church is evident. We have vibrant music to lead us in worship. We have awesome children and youth in our midst. I love Communion all the time, but especially on first Sundays when the children come in to receive! We have a garden out front. We are involved in serving those in need. We are working towards a project with the city for the lot next door.

I see all this and I am in awe. We’ve taken many amazing steps to turn our community of faith around. And yet, I’ve been thinking and wondering about how are we to become truly sustainable. We have taken amazing steps already, and yet we seem to have taken a sigh of relief and paused. What is going to draw us to step out of the boat in faith? Peter stepped out of the boat, paused, and then began to sink. We certainly don’t want to emulate Peter at that point and sink as well. We want to move with faith on the water as well as the land.

The pause is natural in many ways. We worked hard and needed to take a cleansing breath. And now is the time to see what our next step(s) will be. We are going to be having some open and honest conversations about this in the coming months. As we ask honest and open questions, it means we don’t already know the answers to those questions but that we trust in the resurrecting power of God’s Spirit which raised Jesus from the tomb to move towards the answers.

I’ve been thinking, and I’ve been praying. Will you join me?

Matthew 14:28-30

Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Focus on Small Acts

Some guiding principles are for the long haul. Two that have been with me for years are “I choose to love,” and “when I don’t know what the ‘right’ decision is I prefer to err on the side of grace.” Those are both very important for me.

In meeting with my coach this week, I was reminded that some guiding principles are for the short term as she asked me what do I need to remember to get through a particular challenge over the next few weeks. My long-term principles are fine, but in the short term where do I need to keep my focus?

That goes along with some of what I am reading for my first class coming up in less than two weeks. In Rocking the Boat: How to Effect Change Without Making Trouble, Debra Meyerson talks about small acts that may not seem significant in the larger picture, but like a pebble thrown into still water the ripples become magnified. Small acts can end up making a definite difference, especially when they are taken intentionally.

Over the next four weeks, a few of my short-term guiding principles are to concentrate on my reading for the classes, to work on my sermons, and not to allow a challenging situation to diffuse my focus. So if I seem a bit less chatty, just know that I’m trying to stay on task, engaged in small acts in the larger picture of helping the church be not only vital, but also sustainable.

Matthew 6:33-34

But strive first for the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.