Graduating Early – the Mentoring Experience

We’re in to day 3 down here in Oregon at the Murdock Trust Mentoring Experience. Today, we actually get to "start" the course, which is spread over 3 parts throughout the next year. However, since we have our first week of INN activities during the final session in September, we’ve also been here to "complete" the course with the group who is here finishing up their cohort this week. It’s kinda of odd, we’re "graduating early" and then re-enrolling. I think we might be a little ahead of the game as we can think with the end in mind a bit now.

People have been impressed that we have our year scheduled out that far to know we can’t make the last session. All those meetings over the INN calendar for 2008-09 pay off I guess!

The Mentoring Experience

It’s time for me to get back into the blogging world again, and what better way to start off a new stint than to get me out traveling. I like to blog about going places. So, as I sit alone in my room at a conference center in Canby, OR, preparing for a week long conference, I thought it would be only fitting to share a bit about what I’m up to.

This week I’ll be taking part in "The Mentoring Experience", a conference in 3 parts (2 parts now, 1 in June May), put on by the Murdock Trust, a group based in Washington that works with ministry and educational non-profits in the Northwest. One of their specific focuses is mentoring, or the mentoring experience, and the conference I’m at right now, with Jim and Lindsay (other INN staffers), is all about just that: mentoring, being mentored, and the importance of mentoring relationships in development in ministry and career.

I find the topic of mentoring pretty interesting, as I’ve had the chance to think about it a bit in the last couple of weeks of preparing for the conference. The concept is that of an intentional, purposeful relationships with people who will either coach you in a career path, provide spiritual direction and discipline help, or simply be a friend or support partner who will walk through life with you. The mentor relationship seems rather important if we’re going to get anywhere without alienating ourselves or becoming a stress case. By becoming accountable and responsible to someone, we open ourselves to critique, but also to insight that will could help us develop and grow in ways we would have otherwise not been aware we could.

I’m excited to spend some time doing more focused work in this area over the course of this "experience". I’m also excited to simply be at a conference, actually spending focused time on growing in my vocation/career. I often find it hard to believe that people in ministry can actually go off for weekend conferences or week long meetings as much as they seem to. It’s hard enough for me to keep on top of my day-to-day stuff when I’m around the office for 40+ hours a week. I sometimes like to laugh when I get a flyer in the mail about another conference or get a mass email from this ministry or that Emergent group that’s having another conference ("didn’t you just have one about that topic last month?" I say). So, with that cynicism aside, I look forward to actually stopping from the day-to-day and spending this week really learning and looking forward into how I can be mentored and how I can be a mentor in my work.

Finally, in case you didn’t pick it up from my roster mentioned above, yes, we did leave Lisa and the interns behind. And don’t worry, she’s given us plenty of grief about that.

A Vision of Students Today

A great look at students and the education system. These are totally the people I work with. Well done.

the INN – Year 2

Year 2. That sounds like some sort of subheadline for a stupid reality TV show. We’re back, but the camera’s aren’t roling. And it’s all unscripted. Today is day 1 of year 2 at the INN!!

I am very happy to be here. I am very happy to be back. Today I walked back into the INN office to begin another year of full time college ministry. This year will be different, with what I’m sure will be lots of ups and downs, lots of surprises and what not. And I’m excited for it.

Today I officially began my new position as well. I’ll be taking over the music and program elements of the INN, which means I’m going to be coordinating Tuesday night gatherings, hanging out with music leaders, working on finding ways to develop a sense of community in our large group gathers as well as finding ways to making engaging in worship significant and worthwhile for our broad student population. I feel very overwhelmed with the idea of moving into yet another "new job" as I’ve been so fond of doing over the last few years of my life, but with an understanding of the program at the INN and a passion for music and worship, I also feel like it is a very "right" transition for me.

Tomorrow we restart fully with out intern staff, who will be meeting us at the office at 9am so we can head out on our staff retreat at Stonewater Ranch in Plaine, WA. Today has just been Senior Staff around the office (Jim, Lisa, myself, and Lindsay, the newest staff member). We’ve gone through logistics, gotten reacquainted, and are beginning to move into planning mode as we get prepped for the weeks ahead. It’s going to be a busy September, as we’ll plan the first INN of the year, have our student leader retreat, a welcome back activity for new and returning students, and help open the upcoming year at the INN.

As we begin to move into yet another year, please remember to be praying for our students and for our staff. There are some specific things you can be praying for:
– New students who are coming to Bellingham for the first time, that they find community.
– Returning students, as they go back to school
– Student leaders and staff, that we all be supported as we work with students and peers
– the INN, that we would find a new office space, have a fruitful year, and continue to serve the students of the Bellingham community.

As I tried to last year, I will hopefully keep everyone up to date with what’s going on in my life here at the INN throughout this year. Thanks for all your support and prayer.

Who is Lord?

I’m up for speaking again tonight at the last Summer INN of the quarter. We’ve been going through the book of Acts this summer, reading along through a new book called "The Dust Off Their Feet," a retelling of Acts and commentary. It’s been a good read, with some fresh perspectives on what can be a somewhat dry text without some of the context.

I don’t mind speaking. I actually enjoy the "idea" of it. But I feel useless in the day or two leading up to it. I have tons of ideas working around in my head, but I feel unable to put them down into anything but ramblings and repetitive retellings of the same thoughts. I’m very excited about the book of Acts, now that I look at it in the context of the 1st century world, the world of the Roman empire. But I don’t know how to talk about it.

It feels like writer’s block, but I could probably just sit and write and write all I wanted about it. I think the underlying problem is that I don’t feel confident with my ideas on the subject. I’m trying to talk about book in an overview fashion, recapping some of the ideas we’ve walked through this summer with the expansion of the Message into the world following Christ’s departure. I find the tension between missionary Christianity and the Roman Empire fascinating. To think that an idea, an outgrowth of a centuries old nomadic religion like Judaism had the audacity to go up against the Roman Empire at the height of the great "Pax Romana" (Roman peace) is amazing. And not only did Paul and other disciples risk their lives by spreading this new word around the world as they knew it, they did it in a subversive, witty, smart way that undermined the dominant authorities of the popular culture while speaking the language of the masses. Calling Jesus "King of Kings," a phrase reserved for Caesar, as an act of subverting Caesar’s power for the primary power of Christ. It’s wonderful stuff!

Part of my lack of confidence in talking about this though is that I want to have all the facts straight. I’m a new scholar when it comes to understanding the relationship between Christians and emperor worship in the 1st century, so I don’t feel quite capable of making a great case for these ideas. But I know they have some validity, even on the surface, and also have some incredible significance for us today. It’s not often that a concept or topic jumps out to me so clearly as what I hear when I examine this piece of the Bible. I feel like this whole text has been pointing towards a simple question: Who/what is lord of your life? Is it the gods of the culture? Is it legalism that helps you put everything in a nice box? Or is it Christ? For me, Acts doesn’t need to go any further into defining the how’s of faith. It simply needs to make me ask the question of who/what is first in my life. Only later will I begin to ask those deeper questions of "ok, now how shall I live?" That’s important stuff. Who’s Lord of our life? Is Caesar lord? Is the law lord? Is Rome lord? Is America lord? Is our president or governor lord? Is our boss lord? Is our credit card lord? Is our computer lord? Is our spouse lord? Is our family lord? Are WE lord?

Or, is Jesus Lord?

Maybe I’m finding the voice I needed. It’s exhilarating to be so into this topic, this idea, this matter of faith. I know God is at work when I feel stuck on something like this idea of "who is Lord?"

Who is Lord?

A Good Year

Tonight is the last Tuesday of the school year for Western Washington University and therefore the last Tuesday night INN for the year. This coming weekend will mark one year for me of working for the INN. It seems hard to believe that it has gone so fast, as it always seems to do. I have learned a lot over the past year and been challenged to reflect on why I would choose to get into ministry and do this kind of work, as well as see the true rewards of the hard work we do in the lives of the people in our community.

How do I begin to describe this last year? It’s been exciting – I’ve worked on a staff with people I truly care about, I’ve led a mission trip to Vancouver, I’ve been able to use my gifts with music, working closely with students. It’s been frustrating – I’m still finding my balance within a crazy schedule that demands that my personal life take a back seat sometimes, I’m challenged by my feelings of being too young and incapable of keeping up. And it’s been a growing experience. It’s easy to call something a "growing experience" when you’re in the midst of it all and are fairly overwhelmed by all that God is working on in you. In retrospect, it is always easier to pinpoint how you actually did or did not grow or change. But over this year I’ve been very aware of the ways I’ve been stretched to do new things and step outside of my comfort zone and learn. I’ve had tough conversations this year that have challenged me to really think about who I am and what we are all called to as children of God. I’ve learned how to work hard when things need to get done and also how to relax when I can. So, I think I have done some growing.

It feels kinda rusty, writing these thoughts right now, as it’s been awhile since I’ve done a "reflection" on my times around the INN. These last few months have been pretty hectic, with coming home from Vancouver right into the planning process for next year, with very little (no) break. I wish I could have said more about how I’ve been processing the transitions through the stages of the year, in order to capture some of the more difficult things that this last quarter has been bringing us through. We are now at a point of saying goodbye – goodbye to students who will leave for the summer, goodbye to interns who are finishing their one year commitment, goodbye to staff, as Lance moves on from the INN. It is a bittersweet place to be, as I look forward with excitement to the years ahead, while knowing that 6 of the 9 staff members I’ve worked with this year will not return. I suppose this is a transition I will reluctantly get used to over time. The nature of this work is that people stay for a season. Students are around for about 4.5 years and then, if we’re lucky, a few of them stick around for a 1 year internship. Staff members are around for a few years, hopefully longer, making an impact during the time they are there. I’m sure I’ll grow accustomed to the cyclical nature of it, with new people coming through the doors in the fall.

I believe God is doing something very unique at the INN. There is something special about our particular setting and relationship with our church. There is also something very special about how we work and operate that seems to set us apart from others who are doing college ministry. It’s hard to put a finger on what it is exactly that God is doing in our midst, but by the nature of the way we do things, with flexibility, with willingness to try new things and see new directions and ways students will best interact and approach their faith, we find ourselves on very special, very precarious, very exciting ground. I think that with the best intentions, we are continuing to seek what God would have our staff do within the midst of the student community at WWU, always knowing that no matter how hard we try, there always has to be room for his interaction with students. From time to time, the realities of working with people and organizational structures will weigh down the work we set out to do, it’s clear that in all the frustration and challenge, God is there, getting things done.

Where do I go from here? What do I do with this "good year" that is drawing to a close? I have been trying hard to see this last month with less finality and resolution than it might seem to have, as things wrap up with our existing staff, and more as a final resting place within a movement of a much larger work being done. I’m hoping to be in this for awhile, for "the long haul", hopefully learning to understand the movements of ministry a little better in a couple years and learning to grow and work for change within this place. God only knows how long I’ll keep up doing this. It’s a crazy existence, a ridiculous schedule, but at the same time, it often feels so close to my heart, so relational and loving and communal, what we do, that it seems natural.

The practical answer to where I’m going is – nowhere. I’m planning to start up with another round of summer at the INN in about two weeks. I’ll be working part time, working on Tuesday night stuff, spending time with the summer staff, and prepping for next year. As for next year, it will be another exciting year of firsts, as I taken on a new role as the INN’s music and program coordinator (that’s the closest thing to a job title that we have) as Lance moves on to bigger and better things. Some else will be taking over my position with small groups and retreats, so as I said before, we begin another round of change with a new staff. I am very excited to see how our staff comes together next year, after such a great year with this group. I’m hopeful for the connections we’ll make together next year. It has been a good year, a fantastic year, a challenging year, a beautiful year. And now we begin to go forward.

Neighborhood Mission Learning Day

I just returned from Seattle, after spending the day at Seattle First Church of the Nazarene at the Seattle Neighborhood Mission Learning Day conference. Sponsored by Praxis Mission Center, this was a gathering of church leaders and practitioners sharing about how we live out our ministries in missional ways in our communities. The gathering of emerging church leaders included a key note by Brian McLaren, hosting by Mars Hill Grad School’s Dwight Friesen, and other special guests including a panel of Seattle pastors.

The day kicked off with some good words from Brian McLaren about his recent travels through Latin America. He focused on how the communities of faith that he encountered during his trip worked out how to be the kingdom of God in their settings, whether it be through direct service to their towns or through speaking out against injustices caused by the government. It was an emotional time of sharing, as many of the places Brian talked about have impacted the way he viewed our own place within the broader community. As ministers, lay leaders, and other people who serve within the church, we must find ways to impact the culture and world around us as vital members of the community.

Brian went into a discussion about how the Church may be in very desperate need of saving in many places around the world and in our own nation. Maybe we are in a setting where a gospel of prosperity and affluence is being preached, not a gospel of poverty and self-sacrifice. Or maybe our church communities have isolated themselves from the culture abroad, by becoming commuter centers where everyone drives in from miles away and then drives home, not connecting with the community around the church building or with their neighbors in their cul de sac. If the church doesn’t understand the people it is meant to serve and it forgets about it’s vital role within the city community, within the neighborhood, maybe we are the ones worth redeeming? Is the Word really becoming flesh and moving into the neighborhood (John 1:14, the Message)? The idea of Christ’s relationship to our neighborhood’s was the center of the discussion today. Our ministries are not isolated and cannot live as though they were.

The rest of the day was spent listening to some really great Seattle pastors talk about how their communities are taking action to live in the neighborhoods, to impact and become a part of the cultures around them, rather than separate themselves from the culture. I was most intrigued by Karen Ward from Church of the Apostles and their relationship with the arts community of Fremont. Developing out of both Lutheran and Episcopal backgrounds, Church of the Apostles (COTA) has become a key piece of the Fremont community, taking part in parades, celebrating art, and all the while doing church in a mix of very traditional and creative ways.

It was great to hear stories, listen to people’s questions, and watch people get excited about making an impact in their local settings, living out the gospel with renewed sense of purpose for their ministry communities. I have many questions that I will wrestle with, especially as I try to apply what I’ve heard to a college ministry setting. In many ways, our jobs are different than the rest of the ministry world, in that our students move through our community at a rather quick pace, compared with the Nazarene church who has been off of 45th in Seattle for 56 years, probably serving a relatively consistent community. Our relationships must be built faster because they may be shorter lived as students move on. And our community changes from year to year, based on where people are in their academic lives. However, I think we could learn a lot from the discussion I heard today and at least we should always be asking the question of how our community impacts the Bellingham, WWU, Whatcom County people in ways that brings about participation in the kingdom of God.

So, a question to end: What ways is your church or faith community making an impact in your immediate proximity (city block, town)?

An Emergent Manifesto of Hope

Today I began "An Emergent Manifesto of Hope", the first book released by the "emersion" partnership between Emergent Village and their new publishing partner, Baker Books. I heard about this book as it was being put together last summer and I have been excited to get my hands on it and catch up with many of the contributors to this conversation.

My hope is that as I read, I can have a chance to reflect on many (probably not all, but who knows) of the chapters, giving some of my own thoughts to these new ideas and views on faith, ministry, and the conversations this group of people are having. I should say, we’re having. I feel like I’ve become a part of this conversation with my small contributions to the Presbymergent group, an outgrowth of some of the ideas in this book. Presbymergent is a community of Presbyterian members and pastors who are engaging the emerging church conversation within their PC(USA) churches and trying to embrace the tension of living as what some have described as "loyal radicals" within this mainline denomination.

So, I’ll start with my thoughts on Tony Jones’ introduction, a good primer to what I’m hoping will be a very interesting book and challenging conversation. Jones traces the history of his involvement with Emergent, the "friendship" of people from varying church backgrounds and denominations who have steered the conversation since the late-90s. Tony talks about this idea of friendship being central to this group, a binding piece that holds together many different perspectives and ideas with faithful relationships. He describes the first meeting of young pastors in Arlington, TX back in 1998:

The room positively crackled. I think that’s because we had the feeling, even back then, that we were on to something. Even as we struggled to determine what that ’something’ was, we talked about an element of the connection that was seemingly even more important, and surely more elusive, and that was and is friendship.

As I have wrestled with this first year of ministry, I have been struck by the need for community and friendship with people who are willing to discuss and work through the concepts and experiences I’m having with me. I see the desire to have these friendships of faith, where we can discuss the way we see God working in our lives, talk about the challenges we face as we see him interacting with the people we are serving, and work towards a better understanding of how we do our ministry and live our lives in light of what we learn. I’ve found this in my small group of post-college, post-INN guys that I meet with every week. I have found something like this with my former roommates, when we have a book discussion. I’ve experienced a deeper "friendship" in faith with Stacy, as she and I work out our questions about faith and life and marriage together. And I’ve also experienced this "friendship" within our unique staff at the INN, where we are always talking about the questions God is confronting us with and the challenges we face in our work.

It’s exciting to know that there is a wider circle of friends who are willing to step out and try new things, work through new challenges, and engage fresh perspectives on where God is leading his people. If it’s not clear, I’m excited about this book and about what Emergent is doing to help people learn and work out their faith in their own settings. I’ll look forward to sharing more thoughts as I read through.

FPC2 – Congregational Summit, Part 1

Yesterday I had the privilege to take part in the first of two congregational summits at First Presbyterian Church of Bellingham. Part of a current vision and evaluation process, this summit brought together about 75 members of the church community to discuss the future vision for the church and begin to brainstorm ideas for moving forward over the next 5 years.

The day began with a discussion of many of the congregation’s responses to the question posed by Pastor Doug Bunnell: "What is FPC doing well? What would Jesus commend?" This portion was very encouraging, as people talked about the history of the church, the way it’s grown, the strong programs and ministries that are reaching out to the city and the people of the area, as well as some direct encouragement for the ministry of the INN and it’s relationship to the the university community.

Next, we broke into smaller groups and began to discuss points of improvement for the church, centered around the question: "What could FPC be doing better? What are areas of difficulty?" Rather than this turning into a gripe-fest, we engaged in a very constructive discussion of some of the pieces of the church’s mission that needed reevaluating and growth. It was very exciting to dive into some of the areas that we could improve and think of the possibilities of working in new ways to change or revitalize the way we respond to God’s call for our church. This time ended with a prayer of repentance for the ways we have not responded to God or missed out on ways to minister to His congregation and city. I was very impressed and encouraged by the wisdom of the people and the way everyone was willing to listen, respect opinions, and be driven to re-envisioning the direction of the church.

We will reconvene for the second half of this congregational summit on February 10th, where we will develop some of the areas of focus that we established yesterday and begin to plot a vision for the next 5 years and beyond for the church. It was a joy to take part in this discussion and I was left with a stronger faith in this community of people and in God’s action within us.

Weekly Reflection – 1/12/07

It’s quiet around the office this afternoon, the quiet before and after the storm. It’s been another week of cold and snowy weather and tonight we are having our Winter Dance. Cold weather and prom dresses — what a great combo.

We’re all back here at the INN and in full swing. The whole staff had a great break (about 2.5 weeks) and there’s a feeling of excitement for what lies ahead this quarter. Winter quarter is full of all kinds of activities and preparations for our Spring break mission trips. We have an Open Mic night coming up, along with our annual midnight broom hockey event, and both events help support our students as they raise funds for their trips.

Over break, I ran into an old INN friend while out shopping. We talked about what was going on around the INN and he mentioned wanting to keep in the loop with our activities and to receive information about how to support the INN. So, I had this thought: I know a lot of people who read this blog are either friends who I met at Western and who were involved at the INN at some time as students, or are my family members who are supportive of me and what I’m doing. I wanted to extend an offer to anyone who is interested. We send out a monthly mailing about what’s happening around here, which includes program updates, stories from students and staff, and general information about things we need prayer and support for as a ministry.

If you are interested in receiving this mailing, please email me your mailing address. I will make sure you are put on our list. This isn’t an obligation to give financially, but it is a way to do so if you’re interested. It’s also just a great way to find out more about what God is doing in this ministry and how you can prayerfully support us.

That’s all for this week’s reflection. Thank you for keeping up with me and reading along as I experience this first year in what will hopefully be a long career in ministry and service. Blessings.