D.Mins exorcised

That is to say the last of the doctor of ministry students has left Seabury. I saw most of them off after the closing eucharist. What a great three weeks it was. I made some really good connections. Many of them lamented that I would not be with them next summer. It was nice to hear that but God willing I'll be working this time next summer. I told them that If I'm with them next summer, it's because something has gone awry in the job search process. I will get to see a few though in the course of the next few months. One student is in this diocese. I'm sure our paths will cross at convention. Another, who is excited about the program I'm putting together, has offered to fly me to L.A. to interview some military officers in her parish as part of the leadership component of my M.T.S. I ran that by my adviser and she's down with it. Now I have to sit down and go through all my notes, and put together an integrative paper for all this work. These D.Min weeks will serve as the foundation for the rest of the curriculum - which is billed more as evangelism than congregational development, but looking at it through cong. dev. lenses, I can make it work. The big question now is: who will come to Celtic music night at the Knot with me?

another one for the Jesus file

I have a file on my computer where I put kooky images & renditions of Jesus. It's kind of the antithesis of sacred art - perhaps more like the antiKhrist. One of the professors here has a wonderful collection of Bible action figures which is just precious. Most everyone I know has at least the Buddy Jesus statuette.










Yesterday during a break in class, while wandering the internet after reading Jane's latest entry, I came across this gem. I know there's a way to paste the video directly onto this blog but I'm not sure how to do it. So here it is, and any comments can be addressed directly to cnettv. Dunno what the rest of the site is all about, but this opening spot is... well... yeah.

http://www.cnettv.com/9710-1_53-6808.html

I was right

It was a wild, fast week. We spent the first 4 days going over family systems. Many of the other students had no experience with creating a genogram, and found it very revealing. For my part I enjoyed going into greater depth with it.

At one point three students presented the class with case studies. In one, a student (a rector) described a staff member who's behaviour had become disruptive to the efficient flow of church business. The class listened and gave their evaluations and recommendations, all of which were heavy on the pastoral component. The presenting student, in his obvious frustration at both letting this situation develop in the first place, and the sweeping fallout of just about any action he might take, asked the class with a sigh if anybody would simply fire this person. The few who responded said nooooo. I thought YES - but I couldn't back it up with a reasonable line of logic at the time. I've been pondering this case study since then. If this staff member conducted himself or herself in the manner described in an office setting at some other small business, he or she would be fired. People are dismissed from employment for lesser reasons. I get it that extended family systems strongly inform our behaviour. I get it that the way we are to treat others is based on Christian values. But why is it that bad behaviour is tolerated in churches where it would not be elsewhere? Isn't there a standard of behaviour or expectation in parish work? Perhaps there is indeed a better solution to firing, but the point of not rewarding bad behaviour has got to play into it somehow. Anyone care to chime in on this one?

Finally, Friday we moved onto another selection of materials based on Arlin Rothauge's work. The instructor (a different one than the family systems instructor) asked us to get into our small groups to discuss the life cycles in parishes we've experienced. I had a flash of vision that I shared with my group even though it didn't relate to any of my parish experiences: I want to donate a bunch of money for a stained glass window. I want a classic of the Gothic genre, complete with saint in pious action pose, gold appointments, lead between saturated colours. In the box at the bottom which usually says: "This window given in loving memory of..." I want it to say, "In case of growth, break glass." Then hang a hammer next to it.

big dogs

Today I saw the true colours of my classmates, and was left in the dust by the breadth of their experience. I dutifully read what was assigned for the day and I took from it what I thought was important. The rest of the class took that, plus a whole lot more and mixed that with their parish experiences. I have to admit I couldn't keep up with the conversation the whole time, but I stayed with it as best I could. They're from very different places geographically, but they seemed to understand with perfect clarity the specific stories from their various parishes. I'd like to say that if I worked harder or smarter I could keep up, but that won't help. This is all experience-based learning. Gentle readers, there are some strong and motivated leaders in the church today who are fixin' to make things happen. If today is any indicator, the rest of this week is going to be a wild, fast ride.

wiped

I got nothin'. Wiped out. I went to see Transformers yesterday morning and that was the extent of my energy for the day. It wasn't the movie, but I think the amount of psychic energy that I spent last week that did me in. I didn't even feel like moving yesterday, and this morning was much of the same. Felt kind of yucky actually. Today had three baptisms, and was the parish picnic too. Went back to sleep as soon as I got home. I've been excited about new things before, but I've never been so wiped out by them. You've got to admit it really was an exciting week. Feeling better after a nap. I went to the car to get quarters for laundry and met one of the D.Min. students. She invited me to dinner with some of the other students at some wine bar in town tonight.

Be careful what you wish for...
I distinctly recall a lonely childhood. I didn't have many friends, and never made it into the popular groups. For years I longed to have lots of friends; how wonderful it would be to be greeted everywhere I went, stopping to talk along the way. It would be a nice change from moving about like a ghost, or worse. Ah, wishing... I got what I asked for. It's hard sometimes because I love all these people: my M.Div. class, this D.Min. class, and all the other inhabitants of Seabury. Sometimes I can't get enough social time, and sometimes I can. But you know what... it beats the heck out of the lonely childhood. One more power nap before dinner.

two for two

Today's instructor is also great. In just a few minutes the afternoon session of our one-day course will begin. This instructor might not be so keen on tipping back a pint after class, but that's okay. I could use a little down-time after this week.

We're going over the guidelines for preparing a congregational study. There's a study due in March, but I don't think I'll have to write this. ... class is starting again. More later.

Later...
I was interrupted writing to you because the classmate who is a Canon to the Ordinary leaned over and asked me about my plans after ordination, where I wanted to work. I told this person that Chicago is where I'd like to be, but if I had to expand my job search I didn't have a geographic preference. She said if I started to look at other dioceses she wants me to call her. Not too shabby.

This evening I joined a Yahoo! group that the class set up so that we could all keep in touch. It's kind of surreal this on-line community thing. It asks for a lot of personal information, including pictures of me and my friends. I dunno about that. Privacy is important to me, and though I trust my classmates, I think anyone could view our group. I didn't put any more info than other people put on their profiles, and certainly no pictures of my friends. This blog is the only place I'll do that.

Tomorrow I have to read, and I'd like to see Transformers. I wasn't a fan as a kid, but I remember they were big for many years, and the review was good, and the tech aspect is something I appreciate, and I don't get to movies very often, I just want to see it okay, is that so bad?

last chance

Today was the last day with the current D.Min. instructor. This class was such brain candy- - loved everything about it. Earlier today we both "responded" as EMTs to the ankle injury of one of the students. That was fun. In a little while he and I and a few others will go out to a local coffee shop for a last chance to chat about all sorts of things. Bittersweet. He left his e-mail address and wants to keep in touch with the students. Thankfully the church is small enough that I'm sure to run into him again. Tomorrow we get someone else, and next week someone else still. Hope the next instructors are as smart and fun as this one.

so blessed

It just doesn't get much better than this.

Today was my third day in the D.Min. classes. What a wonderful group of people. The other students are just terrific. Mostly they are parish rectors. One is a Canon to the Ordinary. Two are from Canada, though one is a rector in the States. One is in the A.M.E. Church here in Chicago. One is American Baptist. I invited them out to the Knot last evening for a pint and some live Celtic music. These people are a wealth of experience -- and they treat me as an equal! Me: just out of seminary, no experience, not even ordained yet, and I've got cred. So cool.

The instructor is great (he even showed up at the Knot, too). He's a rector in CT, and a sociologist. I took a few sociology classes in college - forgot how much I liked it. We have a lot in common. He's an EMT (Yes of course we shared war stories). That was cool, but even cooler have been our discussions about congregational development. He says I'm right on target with my ideas. We wind up sitting together at meals, and at other gatherings, and there's always something fabulously interesting to talk about. I'd work for this guy anytime. Sadly, he's only here for another day. Too bad: there's so much more I want to talk about.

I am so happy in this class.

One of the other students, a rector in NY, said he'd love to bring me in a curate. Doubtful that it'll happen, but it was sure nice to hear. Sometimes I forget there is a world beyond Seabury.

After class I had an awesome workout on the Bowflex. My abs goal is this:






All the way from below level, up to a shoulder stand, legs straight out - at least one.

Then, I topped off the evening with a viewing of the first episode of The Lone Ranger: "Enter the Lone Ranger."

A fiery horse with the speed of light.
A cloud of dust and a hearty hi-o Silver!
The Lone Ranger.










A day just doesn't get much better than this.

poor Roz

Two days ago I noticed a sticky spot behind Roz's left ear. It looked like she rolled in something. I washed it off. The next morning I saw it again. I washed it off again, and checked around her bed thinking that she may have brought home whatever she rolled in and was lying in it. Nothing. Later that afternoon the sticky substance was back, this time hardening to a rigid crust. I bathed her, paying special attention to the area just behind her ear. The sticky goo came back almost immediately.

The vet was closed yesterday so I made an appointment today. What I saw as a quarter inch by 1 inch long area of sticky/hardening goo, turned out to be a 4x4 inch area of what the vet called a "hot spot." If Roz were a person I'd say it presents much like cellulitis, which by definition looks to be pretty much the same thing.

Dunno how she got it, though she roughhouses with the dog from upstairs a lot. Their play may have opened up a small wound, and rolling in whatever it is that's so fascinating for dogs to roll in, may have exacerbated the problem, inviting infection.

Roz wouldn't let the vet shave the entire affected area, so it's actually bigger than what I can see, but hard to tell under her hair. She stopped shaving when Roz growled (!). Must be painful too. It should take a week or two to clear up. We got a topical spray, some pills, and we can go out and get OTC Benedryl if need be. Steroid shots are a last resort. Right now she's curled up at my feet under the desk. I gave her a pigs ear as a reward for being so brave at the vet. Poor Roz. Good dog.

----------------------

In other dog news, there's been a re-emergence of a disease in the local Ev'tn area that dogs need to be immunized against. Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease carried by rodents, racoons, squirrel, and opposum. The disease is transmitted via urine to water sources, and moist soil and can be transmitted to humans. Even dogs that don't spend a lot of time outdoors, such as lap and toy dogs, are vulnerable to infection, and capable of transmitting to humans. Leptospirosis causes high fever, vomiting, loss of appetite, liver and kidney damage, and can be fatal. So please, if you live in the Chicago area, get your best pooch buddy vaccinated. Thanks.

Check with your vet or mine, for more information.

read faster

I'm trying to finish Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix before the movie comes out. The previews on TV are coming more frequently. Something about a rebellion? I think his owl knows more than she's saying. Never seen the owl and Voldemort at the same time in the same place. That's my working theory for now. Got to read faster.

Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, & Janice Joplin

... several parts of the BCP (Catechism, Eucharistic Prayer,Psalms, Collect), the Constitution, Paul, the Declaration of Independence, and hymn 719. What do they all have in common? They were all rolled into one homily today. Dunno how many people caught all those references, but it's all right there in the book. I just skipped around to make my point. I was a little nervous about it, but it seemed to go over really well. I don't usually publish my sermons on the blog anymore, but I think this one was pretty good. Please don't steal my work. Let the Spirit move in you as it will.

"Freedom and Liberty"

This week we celebrate our country’s independence. We prayed in our Collect for God to “grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties.” The history of America is an important aspect of our national identity and bound up with words like “liberty” and “freedom.” All those things that the founding fathers did in establishing our nation are as real now as they were over two hundred thirty years ago. I was recently in Philadelphia where Independence Hall is preserved in the state it was in when the Constitution was signed, and an entirely new form of government was brought to life. The concepts of freedom and liberty lay at the heart of the Constitution, which is the heart of who we are as Americans. The heart of who we are as Christians has a slightly different emphasis.

Our Constitution gives us the freedom to practice our many religions in this country. The first amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” For all the history buffs here: that Amendment was written in 1791, two years after our first American Prayer Book was introduced in 1789. We have a small section in the Prayer Book titled Historical Documents, but in fact our Prayer Book is in itself an historical document whose first appearance predates the Constitution of the United States. Considering that it also includes the entire Book of Psalms, it could be argued that it predates most written language as well. The Psalms being written over the course of five centuries beginning about five hundred years before Jesus was born, which is about two thousand years ago. A thousand-and-a-half years later the New World, a land of promise, was discovered and populated as the New Canaan, and “in the Course of human events,” as the Declaration of Independence states, eleven generations later here we sit in the State of Illinois worshipping by the lake on a Sunday morning. It is freedom that, in part, allows for this assembly to take place, but it is in liberty, that we actually sit here. Liberty that predates freedom far more vastly than the world history that I just outlined.

We hear the word “freedom” often, but what of “liberty?” What’s the difference between “freedom” and “liberty?” Can you define liberty without using the word freedom? I think the difference between these two words is the same as the difference between navy blue and midnight blue. It’s a matter of quality. Freedom emphasizes the opportunity given for the exercise of one's rights. As Abraham Lincoln said, “In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free.” Liberty, though often interchangeable with freedom, stands over and against the renegade exercise of freedom. As we will sing later, “confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law.” I believe that it is for Liberty that we must strive, both for ourselves and for others. God focuses the definition of liberty for Christians from a broad freedom-like notion to actions grounded in the perfect love of God.

But what is God’s liberty? The nature of God is to love, to create, to renew, and to restore. God is unimpeded in this. Latitude is freedom in the sense of being able to do many things without being stopped. Liberty is pure and simple freedom, uncomplicated and unquestionable. God is and God does. We are part of God’s pure and simple liberty, God’s freedom of creation. As such we reflect the image of God in our being. We are drawn together in the Body of Christ. It is from this liberty that we move about our daily lives, touching the lives of others. The question is: do we touch others in the liberty of God in our daily lives? Freedom and liberty refer to an absence of undue restrictions and an opportunity to exercise one's rights and powers without externally imposed restraints. Freedoms end when they encounter a contrary freedom of another person. Liberty lacks that distinction: my liberty never contradicts or limits your liberty. God’s liberty does not inhibit, but promotes.

So what is God’s liberty for us? To become all the things we as Christians claim to be. We are made in the image of God. We are free to make choices: to love, to create, to reason, and to live in harmony with creation and with God. Sometimes easier said than done. From the beginning, human beings have misused their freedom and made wrong choices. We have sinned, and sin has power over us because in it we lose our liberty when our relationship with God is distorted. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians, “Take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” (1 Cor 8:9) But our help is in God who reveals God’s self and God’s will, through nature and history, through many seers and saints, and most especially in Jesus Christ, our teacher, our liberator, and our saviour. By this we show Christ’s light and love in the world as children of God’s liberty. In the Epistle of James we note the actions we are called to do. “Those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, being not hearers who forget but doers who act - they will be blessed in their doing. (James 1:25) We are blessed in the acts of loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us, as Jesus says in today’s gospel, so that we may be children of our Father in heaven. God’s liberty for us is manifest in the acting out of Christian love for one another.

We have seen the inspiration for the Constitution in the past, in scripture and history. We work to live into these ideals today, and in our Collect this morning we pray that freedom and liberty, won by our forefathers, be passed on to nations yet unborn. Liberty passed on. There is a difference between freedom and liberty. Where freedom is closer to compromise, liberty is closer to grace. Freedom may be “just another word for nothing left to lose,” but Liberty is that for which we must always strive, because liberty is that condition in which we can become the people God intends for us to be.