Pilgrims' Home

We leave for Thailand on january 4 and we are hoping to tell our stories in e-form on this blog. It may be that our posts are sporadic or even absent depending on wifi connections once we arrive in Thailand. Stay tuned to this page and whether or not we post, please keep us in your prayers.

The question of being called, gifted, and located invited me to a place of revival. The wise-man’s question forced me to remember by what authority I have to lead – Trust. God, who calls and places, is the One of great trust and by whom I and the congregation have life. I am coming to the point that TRUST from the congregation is our grounding. Please hear me clearly, pastors do not operate primarily from the congregation’s trust in the pastor, but their trust in God and God’s faithfulness. This trust in God is strong enough that it is shared, even imparted, onto us, the pastors. This is no small gift or impartation. Congregations trust pastors as gift. In the same way, trust from God is also on the congregation. This is the economy for which the pastor can stay engaged and empowered. The pastor believes that the church is the people of God, worthy to be trusted. (I might be on thin ground for some of my colleagues). I have been long troubled by trust , as it continues the am...

I have been engaged in several conversations recently about pastoral identity and practice, including use of power, definitions of leadership, and the freedom of the vocation, namely through the schedule. Brooks Holifield quotes it best, “ministers will apparently have to live with a higher degree of tension and ambiguity as a normal way of life” (In God’s Ambassadors, 311). I think most of us, pastors, do feel ambiguity. I wonder, however, if ambiguity is what we sense, because we cannot recognize the capaciousness of the pastoral vocation as a gift of trust. I wonder if churches, by and large, operate out of incredible trust of their pastors, which is uncertain, and even, unsettling for the pastoral soul. This is good news. I think trust is the contents of all we (pastors) have, and this scares us (me). In response, we try to force the vocation into a performance-orientation, so we attend every meeting, keep full calendars, assist in making copies, managing budgets, overseeing m...

Does this arrive to the new world (to me it is new) of tumblr?

Curation : A democratic practice that welcomes contributions from everyone, but not for everything. The curated conversation is not rapid response or open, but gathered, focused, and crafted in response to what stands in front of us . There is space to breathe, to wonder, but also freedom to listen trusting that we are going somewhere, together. -- Media, the distribution of messages and information, is a nearly ubiquitous "thing" that invades our every corner. Media is so strong and controlling that mentioning a popular or loaded concept draws confusion (and often debate) before one ever dons exploratory ears. Media, which is a difficult concept in its own right to define, has created an openness that welcomes too many "viruses" and too few conversations.   There is something within the ubiquity that draws us in, that appears usable, and even, important.  Steve Rosenbaum writes, "Mixed in with this cacophony of consumer content, there is contextually ...

This morning we are continuing our series in worship – Down By the Riverside. We explore God’s revelatory power in the Red Sea as he frees the Israelites, finally, from the Pharaoh’s arrogance and enslavement. The following story is one reflection on how we often engage our worlds….. Anxiety – worrying about the things you can’t change Arrogance – controlling the past things only God can change. In Exodus, God reveals amidst Israel’s anxiety and Egypt’s arrogance. Friday morning - Micah gave up his “nooks” otherwise known as a pacifier. It was a big deal. Now Micah would never have his pacifier during his daily goings-on, but at naptime and nighttime , the grand search and recovery for the nook was imperative. Without it there was no sleep – for Micah, daddy or mommy. But on Friday morning, Micah told his mommy that he was willing to throw out his nooks; this was an ongoing conversation for the last 6 months. Micah knew that giving them up meant that he could buy a big boy scoo...

  I think the Holy Spirit has descended into my iPhone with a very clear message. "I am not a person - look up, for the people are standing in front of you..." Earlier this week I encountered an acquaintance on the sidewalk. He was looking down at his phone as we approached, and I kindly said, Hello friend (using his name in place of friend). He looked up and said hello and returned to his cellular-powered screen. I asked him a quick question to which he quickly looked up again and shot back an answer. I was somewhat offended, but more so convicted. How passed off I felt by his interaction with a less human device. I returned home to recount the story to Lindsay, who graciously listened and never once said, “now you know how I feel when you have your phone in your hands.” She easily could have said that very thing. Instead, as always, she listened, and allowed me to walk myself into revelation. I said to her, “I do that to you sometimes, huh?” “Yes,” she said. And then...

Brian Bantum presented at the North Park Symposium on the Theological Interpretation of Scripture. He teaches at Seattle Pacific University. Bantum utilizes Leviticus 16 and the Scapegoat tradition to consider the ecclesia as a dynamic Christ-formed community – inaugurated by Jesus returning from the wilderness with “his new friends.” He has some textual issues at stake in his work that cause complications, and he will need to respond to the nuances of the texts he is using. Also, I may not be committed to the Scapegoat model of the atonement, exactly, yet I welcome the biblical play and contemporary practices the conversation invites. The following reflection continues his playfulness with the Scapegoat tradition. Bantum poetically moved through his paper, citing Karl Barth, race theory, and Anselm. He utlizies these voices as he works through the Scapegoat tradition (Leviticus 16). The tradition is the practice of sending a second lamb out to the wilderness to bear sin of the ...

 I am in Chicago this weekend for the Symposium on the Theological Interpretation of Scripture . The Symposium used to have the title, “for the church” at the end, but I am not sure this is still true. Anyway….. I had the privilege of spending an early morning hour prior to the conference with Noel and Kyle Becchetti of TruthSeekers – they happen to be in town for a variety of activities. TruthSeekers (TS) is a reconciliation ministry in India seeking to reconcile the oppressive caste system. It is led by Sunil Sardar and a team of Indian Christians. Kyle and Noel work alongside as North American partners. TS is also embarking in a Bile project as TruthSeekers throughout India are asking for a new translation that considers the complexity of India’s religious history, namely Hinduism and the caste system. I encourage you to look into the ministry and consider participation. Beyond the ministry, Kyle and Noel have become phantom mentors for Lindsay and me. They have worked to...

The pastoral practice of visitation is one of the great blessings but also a difficult practice. Visitation is often seen as the latter amidst the overly busy-ness orientation of the vocation. Almost everyday I could visit someone in the nursing home or visit the hospital. It rarely seems that the request for visitation comes at a time when pastors can actually accomplish the visit. There are multitudes of other tasks to accomplish - phone calls, Bible studies, staff conversations, ministry structures management, etc. Days already go to quickly, so mustering up the energy to drive 20-40 minutes to a hospital can seem to exhausting to accomplish. Most contemporary pastors have made the argument that visitation is NOT the job of a pastor, but a gift and calling for Christians of all sorts, especially those gifted with mercy, hospitality, and service. I make this argument all of the time to faithful Christians who question my time regarding visitation (I do it generously with my eyebrows...

As many know my son, Micah, has a practice of noticing children at the park, church, or beach from several hundred feet away. Before he can make out facial details, he has pronounced them his friends and quickly rushes to greet them. I love this about him. On Saturday night, I had the chance to notice someone I had never met. Before greeting him I had decided he was my friend. For the sake of clarity, we will name him Anastasio and Andy, for short. Andy is a few years older, has a rabbi’s beard, and Ray Bradbury’s Illustrated Man tattoos. He has little current connection to Christian faith, but has a history connected to Christian community. Today, he lives in a compound amidst a forest with his wife, staff members, and random squatters and travelers. On Sunday night, I was fortunate to meet Andy and his father for a beer at a local tavern (John Weborg talks about the location of God is the tabernacle and tavern). We sat down and his father invited a conversation between the two ...

 I have been teaching a class for three weeks now, and I am impressed that students are attentive to hearing rightly. At the same time that I celebrate their desire, I am also concerned that they miss the chance to bless one another, for their aural orthodoxy makes them quite hesitant to speak, sometimes. When they venture into speech, it is not only thoughtful but also expansive to the topic at hand. It is my hope that as the semester goes on their hesitancy will decrease, their freedom to make “speech mistakes” will increase, and all the while their aural orthodoxy will remain. In other venues, I have noticed a “talking through” one another. The situations are supposedly wiser, more diligent persons who ought to know how to hear and enter into conversation. There is an ecclesial emphasis on promoting “conversation” or “dialogue” for the process of greater collaboration and faithfulness. The latter word is probably the more appropriate term – dialogue. One literal meaning of d...

I think it is interesting that Duke's study on pastoral health has garnered attention on major news outlets. I think the study shows some disturbing trends in my tribe, but I also think it is a bit lopsided. Maybe some of the assumptions within our vocation skew the way we understand health. For example, we often romanticize the monastic tradition and believe, in part, that care of self should have a monastic quality. We also adopt from the 1960/70s therapeutic ministry movement and believe "I'm okay you're okay" as a pastoral truism. Finally, we face the tension of wanting to be authentic but at times also feeling the need "to be the Christian that everyone else wants to be," and so self-care becomes a ritual to "perfection." I am interested in how lawyers, teachers, medical professionals, stay-at-home parents, and administrative assistants hear the discussions about pastors and self-care. I remember going away for a church trip (pastors...

I appreciate the movement of well-known and intelligent evangelicals giving voice to the global evangelical church. I appreciate that they speak to their our own conservative and western/white audiences and invite them to consider a broader definition and practice of evangelicalism. This said, as a non-minority, American male, I also want to be hesitant with how far I go into global definitions at the expense of dealing with the socially embodied definitions of my own "tribe." First, global evangelicalism can too often become one thing. I am not sure we want to do this - Anglican Africans are included in evangelicalism as are Pentecostal Asians and underground house churches. What about Latin American base communities of the Roman Catholic Church? By using the label  global evangelicalism  I wonder if it is too often a romanticized view that undercuts and further limits the actual voice of the world-wide churches? Second, the word global evangelicalism  is often r...

Last month during a Men’s Bible Study conversation, we were reading Ephesians 6 – namely, the text discussing, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” We asked, “who exactly are these rulers of the darkness of this world” and the response ranged from government officials to any persons in authority, including church authorities. A few comments were made on the American tendency to call all authority figures principalities and powers out of our need to be autonomous individuals, living under no one’s control. In response, and much to my surprise, I invited the men to turn to Romans 13 to test our ideas about government and ecclesial authorities as “rulers of the darkness of this world.” (I rarely go to this text because it too easily ordains all government authorities, blindly). We read the text and questioned how this text reads the Ephesians...

Dear Church, I am looking forward to coming back into your presence this week. It has been a long one. The first day brought the passing of Adrian V.G., and I was sick to be away from you. The next days brought questions regarding our distance away, but these worries were resolved by the grace of Christ present in you. In presence and absence, life and death, God is beside us to walk with us in peace. It has been an enjoyable time here, and we have labored here in the classroom and in meetings, but we have also enjoyed connecting with old friends here in the Twin Cities. We have been confirmed in our ministry with you at HCC, and it is clear to us as we give testimony that God is at work in SW Michigan through each of us, together. This week has not offered much time for reflection, but amidst the chaos insights have arisen to invite a return home. I would like to offer one of them here: Trusting one another: When we came one year ago, Lindsay and I knew that we were comi...

May 23 is Pentecost, and here in SW Michigan several churches are joining together for the Global Day of Prayer ( globaldayofprayer.com ). We are anticipating this day very much. Mike Cluster, a police officer in New Buffalo, is the organizer for our area. Our prayer team was blessed by Mike's desire to see this happen, especially being a police officer who witnesses crime, injustice, and community need everyday. Mike's desire to see revival in SW Michigan is impressive and God-appointed in our estimation. In preparation for this day, Mike asked local churches to begin praying for the Global Day of Prayer ten days prior. A prayer minister in our congregation offered the brilliant idea to make Harbert a local IHOP Prayer space (International House of Prayer) for the 10 days and utilize IHOP - Kansas City's streaming prayer room as our guide. This morning we did this. We began at 7 am praying for our city, our churches, and our children. We seek the Lord's face in pra...

The last few weeks have seemed to pass by without intention or thought to mulitple common factors: eating, sleeping, conversations with Lindsay, my kids, and even the Lord (I am forever a Lutheran-sided Pietist). My lack of attention to daily turned toward a life-less crab, whereby persistence was more than difficult, presence with others was always absence, and ability to "get-up-and-go" on a daily basis was met with lethargy. This is neither who I am or desire to be, but for several weeks was caught towards living lifelessly. Recognizing my imago CRABBY, I knew the answer to living lively; I returned to my desired practices of The Divine Hours, running (2.2 miles every other day), and turning off the laptop at least 30 minutes before bedtime (I am less able to accomplish the latter on a daily basis). These minor shifts have resulted in greater intention to life: eating, sleeping, and conversations with the church (specifically Harbert Community Church) and Lord. I don...

Last week, Lindsay was away teaching Bible Study, and  since I was at home with the sun shining at 64 degrees, Micah, Maddie and I went to the beach for an evening stroll. It was truly a wonderful time. Once we finally wrestled down the beach stairs, removed our shoes (and Micah removed his pants), we began our leisurely stroll. It was more leisurely for some than others. Micah was not much for walking in a straight line. He would tack across the beach finding the largest rocks to throw in the water. Maddie had to ride on my shoulders in order to stay out of the water. We walked along the shore for a good hour, which only equaled the length of a football field or so (sailing was never an efficient travel method). On the way back to the beach entrance we saw two people (quite a distance ahead), playing on the beach. I asked Micah, "who are they?", and his quick response was simply, "are those our friends? Our new Friends?" I wasn't sure, but he was. So the ...

David Brooks of the NYT posted an opinion piece that challeneges the current viewpoint that the internet has created an ideological problem as users can subscribe only to content that fits their views. The ideology rhetoric often comes from the loss of the few big networks and media giants (which I think was a roadblock to Democratic space, itself). The new internet research shows that the network principles inherent to the tech spaces actually push users into "foreign" territory and require interaction with diverse and multiple ideologies. Brooks' summarizes the argument well, and I look forward to encountering the earlier studies (the author, Sunstein works in the Obama Administration but was formerly at the University of Chicago) and the current research (authored by Matthew Gentzkow and Jesse M. Shapiro, two Business professors at the University of Chicago). I mostly look forward to comparing these studies with the theory and practices of Benkler's book (menti...