Readiness...

The Church of the Joyful Healer is participating in Readiness 360, a training and coaching program that we are engaging in. The four areas of focus are Spiritual Intensity, Missional Alignment, Cultural Openness, and Dynamic Relationships.

First we will be focusing on Spiritual Intensity. Here is how the report describes it:

All great Christian movements are intense spiritually, marked by a deep love for God and a surrendering to what God is seeking to do through human beings. It is critical that a spiritual fire burns within the hearts and souls of those leading and participating in the life of the church. Without personal passion for Christ, we lack an adequate source of spiritual energy for vital and   multiplying ministry.

Now read that bold print carefully and slowly once again. Language is tricky. When I first think of Spiritual Intensity, my mind goes in a whole bunch of directions. First of all, I am not a very intense person. Actually I am kind of “dude like” -- taking er easy. My father could be a pretty intense guy. That did not translate into a whole lot of fun sometimes. When I think of spiritual intensity, at first I think of tent revivals, tongue speakers, snake handlers, and pretty emotional stuff. You know -- intense.

I think if I had my way, I would rather speak of being spiritually centered or connected than spiritually intense. But this has more to do with my personality type than anything. Because when I read the description of spiritual intensity, I am not very uncomfortable. Who can argue with a deep love for God -- or personal passion for Christ -- or having a source of spiritual energy.

Using Joyful Healer Language aren’t we really talking about growing in our ability to --

Encourage each other on a spiritual journey to know God better, live kindly and healthily, and do something beautiful for God in our lives, our communities, and our world.

Let’s get stronger at what we are already good at.

Shalom,

Steve

Dis-Connect

I’ve been thinking. Connection is what we long for in this time of profound dis-connect.

We are created for connection -- with the Source of all that is -- with each other -- with nature -- with self.

But everyone knows the weight of dis-connection. Some have called it the dark night of the soul -- the      stumbling through life dis-connected from who we think we should be, out of sinc with those we thought closest, behind a screen when redwoods and ocean are within view, not even sure of the

existence of the One in whom we live and move and have our being.

Dis-connection -- Some are born into it and only seem to get glimpses of the Divine intent.

The blessed or the lucky -- have been nursed on the Connection and have drunk deeply of its’ bliss -- but still we visit the dis-connected state -- the alone, unconscious, depressed, longing, grief-stricken ---- dis-connect.

Why can’t we stay where we belong? Why can’t we get where we are intended to be?

Is it not right here? Free gift? Fragmentation and dis-connect may seem to come more naturally.

But the Connection is a free gift for us to receive and trust and give ourselves to over and over and over. I choose connection -- community -- one loaf and one cup -- you -- me -- the One -- Holy

Mystery -- LOVE!

Blessings,

Steve

Chris Lehman for CA Senate

Lay Leader, band member, and co-chair of Joyful Healers’ Finance Team, Chris Lehman has announced his candidacy for the State Senate, 2nd District. I find this to be extremely exciting news as I know of nobody with more integrity, commitment, energy, and intellect. Chris is a lifelong Methodist, well anchored in his faith and its application to social and political issues. Chris’ wife, Danielle is also active at Joyful Healer and has used her passion for children and education to enrich our Joyworks program. Chris’ parents, Dave and Mary are also a part of our Joyful Healer family and serve as membership secretary and co-chair of the Finance team. Last but far from least we have Natalie, Lizzy, and soon a little brother.

The Lehman family will need our encouragement and prayers as they embark upon this rigorous and difficult journey. We at Joyful Healer have a wide variety of opinions on social issues and political views. Thanks be to God! We certainly don’t all agree on everything. But I think we can all agree that the Lehman family needs our prayers and encouragement. And we should always celebrate when anyone in our church family makes a new commitment to serve the common good in a new way.

Go Chris! We love you and pray God’s blessings upon you and your family.

Pastor Steve

Summer 2013

Summer is upon us and that means recreation -- re-creation and for many, time away. I look forward to our United Methodist Annual Conference held in Sacramento. Other Joyful Healers who will be going to conference with me are April Sousa, Hillarie Beyer, and Jason and Bethany Cseh. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we represent Joyful Healer at this meeting of United Methodists from all over northern California and Nevada.

I want to remind all of us that summer time is often a time that churches fall behind in their financial obligations. Last year that did not happen because whether you were in town or out of town you kept your commitment to Joyful Healer! With that and a great fund raiser (the fireworks booth), we got through the summer in pretty good shape last year. It is up to each of us. Remember what I said a couple of weeks ago -- you are not customers here. You are co-owners. So let’s help things run strong whether we are in town or away on vacation. And by the way, we are doing the firework booth again this summer and will need your help.

I found this little piece written by a young woman named Kim Harvey.  I share it with you:

Why I Give

It’s as simple as this -- I feel very blessed and believe that God is the source of my blessings. God has been a companion who has held my hand during troubled times and elevated me during times of joy. I am humbled by his gifts and will never be able to repay what I have gotten (and continue to receive) from God and my church family. At church I find a sense of community, spiritual health and growth, support and inner peace. The fabulous news is that God doesn’t ask or expect repayment. God gives his grace freely. I believe my contributions are a way to pay grace forward. I want others to experience what I have and if the church can thrive and grow, it creates a space where others may find their own sense of grace. I believe supporting outreach, community and spiritual health through my church is one of many ways I can Praise God from Whom all Blessings flow .

Summer Blessings to you all! Shalom,

Steve

Risk

I came upon this quote today by the early 20th century modernist writer, Katherine Mansfield.

"Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth."

What a great quote! Many of us know this struggle of forever worrying what others think. I have often noticed how much my feelings of security or insecurity are based on what I think my approval ratings might be at any given moment. This makes acting for yourself and facing the truth, difficult.

In a few days it will be Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. The week begins with shouts of approval as this strange teacher enters the Holy City to cheers and the waving of branches. Popular opinion seems to be high. By the end of the week, the tide has turned, the opinion poll has crashed, and the same crowds are yelling, "Crucify him!"

Jesus stands tall through it all. He doesn't seem to be particularly surprised whether the shouts are "Hosanna!" or "Crucify him!" He is centered in himself, connected to God, and bearing witness to the truth.

Worth pondering. Are you standing tall? Are you risking anything? Are you centered in yourself, connected to God, and bearing witness to the truth?

Why I write what I write....

I was noticing that the last three times I wrote here it was of a controversial nature -- gun control, homosexuality, and the social concerns that caused me to be hopeful about the results of the fall election.

The other day we were discussing this at the Staff Parish Relations Committee meeting. This is the group that evaluates, supports, and challenges me. The conversation was about how some people do not like the pastor writing or speaking about controversial social issues. This led to a rich conversation and encouragement to write about it.

Here's the thing --- the bible addresses all of life. It knows nothing of boundaries between private spirituality and public morality. Central to what we call the Old Testament, is the story of liberation from oppression as Moses led the Hebrew people on a dramatic escape from slavery. The Hebrew prophets continually challenged the status quo with concern for the poor and a call for justice and to not put too much trust in military strength. They advocated for the hungry and the immigrant. Jesus was executed for treason by Rome. Central to his teachings was an alternative, counter-cultural Kingdom. This Kingdom could be described by bread for everybody, healing for all (health care), economic justice, forgiveness of debt, and the peaceful resolving of conflict.

The founder of the Methodist movement, John Wesley, worked tirelessly for an end to slavery, labor laws that protect children, and assistance to those dealing with food insecurity. He was also very concerned about addiction and what the abuse of alcohol was doing to people.

So you see there is this long tradition of applying faith to all of life. In the United Methodist Church we use scripture, tradition, reason, and experience to grapple with the important issues of the day. So you see, when I comment on peace, poverty, sexuality, and violence --- I am trying to speak from my perspective as a deeply committed follower of Jesus and one trying to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength --- and my neighbor as myself. I am speaking as one who is a part of this Methodist movement that talks about social holiness.

As a follower of Jesus and a pastor in the Methodist tradition, I will continue to write about the issues and concerns of the day. I believe I can offer an important perspective. You are always free to disagree. I may be wrong. Tell me what you think. Use the United Methodist guidelines -- scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. And let's try to be prayerful about it.

I was jotting down my new year hopes and prayers the other day. You know what made the top of my list? New and tougher gun control laws in the United States of America. It is not only sad and scary, but it is also shameful. So when I started my new year resolution list, I didn't even have to think about it. It was at the top of the list immediately. Listen to this from an article from Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post:

In 2010, guns took the lives of 31,076 Americans. Most of the deaths were suicides; a few were accidental. About a third of them -- 11,078 -- homocides. That's almost twice the number of Americans who have been killed in a decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In Britain, by comparison, the number of gun homicides in 2010 was 58.

Other interesting studies suggest that guns actually make the owner more vulnerable. Yet we are talking about more armed citizens and teachers. An investigative report by Mother Jones magazine found, "Not one of the 62 mass shootings in the United States over the last 30 years has been stopped by armed citizens. More broadly, attempts by armed civilians to intervene in shooting rampages are rare -- and are successful even more rarely. Two people who tried it in recent years were gravely wounded or killed."

A guy named Bruce Maiman who occasionally attended with his wife, the church I served in Rocklin, wrote the following in a special to the Sacramento Bee:

If we conclude, as happens on a daily basis, "Boy, there's somebody who shouldn't be driving," what makes you think that doesn't apply to gun ownership? And we're far more thorough with car ownership than we are with gun ownership.

Let's pray for and work for or support those who are working for tougher gun laws in our country.

Advent Reflections

I grew up in a great home and the Advent/Christmas season was always very special.For one thing, Grandma always came for the holidays, and the moment she stepped off the airplane, we were showered with blessings for the stomach and soul. Our first stop on the way home from the airport was Sees Candy and this was just to hold us over until she had the chance to start baking. Oh my, Christmas cookies, coffee cake, rolls, chili, and more. Grandma and I played endless card games and she helped me practice my spelling words. Sometimes I would study her face as she sat in front of the stereo and listened to Handel's Messiah in a trance like state.

This was as close to a Norman Rockwell Christmas as one could get. However, I do remember observing a stress, tension, anxiety on the face of my mother and older sister who seemed to bear the responsibility for making Christmas perfect, especially when Grandma was no longer with us but the same expectations continued on.

Years later, as a pastor, I saw how difficult Christmas could be for people for a variety of reasons. I also saw how the ideal American Christmas did not match  reality for most people and did not match the reality of the first Christmas --- the birth of Jesus. Cow poop, genocide, and an unplanned teen pregnancy are not exactly what you find in a Norman Rockwell painting. But it is what you find in the Christmas stories in Matthew and Luke's gospels.

The first Christmas was pretty messy, and life today is pretty messy --- but God shows up in the middle of the mess to bring goodnews of great joy! What are our own unrealistic expectations for the "perfect" Christmas? Maybe we can work on giving up on perfect and instead nurture simple awe and joy.

The election is over....the work is ongoing

Yes! The election cycle is over. I personally am relieved that Californians have passed prop 30. We are still in for hard financial times but I could not even think about the potential devastation to our public school system without its' passage,. As far as the re-election of President Obama, I am personally happy about this. Now, I know that our country is split almost right down the middle. There is a huge divide that is troubling. Pray for a spirit of tolerance and compassion and a understanding that we are all in this together.

I personally find President Obama to be intelligent, thoughtful, and a person of integrity. He values many of the things that I value --- tolerance, education, concern for the poor, care for the environment, access to health care for all, etc. I also know that his job is almost impossible and even with the best values and motives there are huge limits to what he can truely accomplish.

Politics is the art of compromise and working together, something that our nation is not particularly good at these days. No leader or group will usher in a golden age or the Kingdom of God. Faith communities guided by spirit and ancient wisdom must engage in the world and do everything we can to serve the common good and embody the best teachings of our faith. Spiritual communities should always be challenging nations to care for the least and to work for peace, no matter who is in office.

As the Hebrew prophet Micah reminds us --- we are called to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

I'm Angry

I felt angry the other day when I read about a young man who had done a very creative Eagle Scout project around tolerance and then was denied becoming an Eagle Scout because his sexual orientation is homosexual. This stuff makes me crazy mad. I love that we have such a great scouting program at Joyful Healer that includes so many kids in the community, but then I think about this policy of the Boy Scouts and how backward and homophobic it is, and I wonder.

Oh yea, then I remember that I am a United Methodist and my own denomination continues to be backward and homophobic. What is it that they say? -- "Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones." I have not left my denomination but have chosen to try to change it. I love the United Methodist Church and I love the Joyful Healer expression of it here in Humboldt County. But I don't want anyone to think that I agree with my denomination's intolerance of gays, lesbians, transgendered, and bisexual people.

There is a movement of United Methodists who are working for the full inclusion of all people in the church including the above mentioned sexual minorities. It is called the "Reconciling Network." Many United Methodist Congregations around the country have declared themselves "Reconciling Congregations." This means that they are openly welcoming of all people but especially gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people. Why do they have to be so specific? Well because the UMC has been specific in it's exclusion.

I wonder if the Boy Scouts of America have a similar movement for change? I hope so. I wonder if the United Methodist Church of the Joyful Healer should declare itself a Reconciling Congregation? It involves a process of study, discussion, and a church vote. What do you think?

I often think about what early Christian faith looked like. I mean really early -- like the first couple centuries after the earthly life of Jesus. What did it look like before the Roman Empire got a hold of it and made a state religion of it? I'm not so sure why many Americans want so badly to claim America as a Christian nation. Following Jesus was never meant to become the religion of any empire. Might I say that wearing a flag on one lapel and a cross on the other, has absolutely no resemblance to following a revolutionary Jewish holy man who was put to death by the Roman Empire. I am reading a book called "A People's History of Christianity" by Diana Butler Bass. She speaks of this early Church as focused on Jesus' great command to love God and love one's neighbor,. Here is how it got lived out:

 

Hospitality -- the practice of welcoming those whom Jesus calls the "least of these" into the heart of community

 

Communalism -- treating possessions as common property

 

Peacemaking -- the rejection of all forms of violence and the practice of pacifism

 

Strangers and aliens -- citizens of another reality --- settled migrants wherever they lived

 

The point is not to agree with all this, but that we be challenged by it. We want to be careful not to water down the meaning of Church to the point that we have just a nice social club or service club. The point is that we are participating in something that transcends political parties and geographical boundaries.

 

I will participate in politics to some degree and I will do my civic duty and vote for the candidates that I think best serve the common good. But my focus will be on communities of faith that embody the radical message of Jesus' teachings on caring for the least, sharing our goods, making peace, and caring for the stranger and the immigrant.

 

Empires will always fall short and must be challenged continually by prophets and faith communities. Let's not be casual about what we have here. Sharing life in a faith community is not about making room in a very busy calendar to go to church. There will never be enough time. It is about organizing your life around living out your faith in community. Do you see the difference?

 

Shalom,

 

steve

bring 2

Back in early June, I preached a message called "The Mustard Seed Conspiracy." In that message I said, "What if --- everyone here brought two new people to Joyful Healer this year and they stayed?" I dared you to engage in this kind of radical hospitality. We tend to be pretty bashful about inviting people to our faith community. We don't want to be obnoxious or misunderstood. We don't want to appear like those "other" Christians. Or maybe you are not even sure about this "Christian" thing -- but you know you love the Joyful Healer community and find it to be loving and non-judgmental. Maybe you feel inspired by the music, the message, the great feast and you feel connected to the Source of all that is --- by being apart of this.

I dare you to share this with a friend, family member, work colleague, or neighbor. You know, there are people out there who are not sure what they believe but they are sure they don't believe the traditional Christian stuff. I think we have a place for them here. There are people who are pretty sure that Church is non-sense and full of gay hating bigots. I think they might be excited to find that this is not the case here. I think they would find spiritually open people who share many of their questions and concerns and are allowed a fair amount of agnosticism. I think that they might find a community that is full of love and acceptance. I think they might like to find a place that loves this crazy Rabbi Jesus, his radical love and teachings --- and is not all that interested in "playing church."

So -- I dare you to take the challenge. Who might you invite to a Worship Celebration or some other Joyful Healer event? Bring 2!  

July 3 -- "The Unlikely Disciple"
This is a great book! A few years ago, 19 year old Kevin Roose, a student at Brown University, decided to study elsewhere for a semester. Fellow students were opting for out of country cross-cultural experiences. Kevin opted for something closer to home, but it might as well have been a different world. He went to study at America's Holiest University, Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. That's right, Jerry Falwell's university, the founder of the Moral Majority.

His book, "The Unlikely Disciple," tells the story. I have to admit that I expected an attack on conservative evangelicals. Instead, I read an extremely sensitive and thought provoking story from a young man with an open mind and heart. I laughed and cried and learned from a very wise young man how intolerant I can be of people who see things differently than I . Kevin Roose wades right into the middle of the culture wars and teaches the reader sensitivity, grace, and to look beyond easy answers and categories.

Church of the Joyful Healer has ordered several copies to sell and folk will have three opportunities to discuss this book in August. Saturday the 11th in the morning, we will discuss it at Church Family Camp, Sunday August 19th at 12:30pm and August 26 at 12:30. Each time we will take a part of the book, read some paragraphs together and discuss the issues it raises. We will work at ways to bring peace in the midst of the culture wars rather than just keep the war going.

Get this book! I think you will enjoy the read.

June 12 -- "Prayers For Bobby" -- Wow -- one of my Joyful Healer friends gave me this DVD. She said I ought to watch it and keep it to share with others who may be struggling. I did not know what it was about -- my goodness what an emotional ride it was.

This movie is based on a true story about a conservative Christian family in the late 70's and early 80's from Walnut Creek, CA. This is the same area I grew up in a few years earlier. One of the boys in the family, Bobby, reveals to his parents that he is gay. They freak out -- especially mom. He is taken to a Christian support group, a psychiatrist who tries to "heal" him, and his mom tapes intimidating scripture verses all over his bedroom. They even arrange dates for him with the opposite sex.

Bobby is looking for support, love, and acceptance -- but he gets fear and pressure and condemnation. He gets more and more deeply depressed by the prejudice and bigotry of his own family. He violently ends his life and the rest of the movie is about the family's struggle (particularly the mother) to understand homosexuality and the intolerance that led Bobby to such despair.

This is a powerful movie that shows how scripture can be used destructively to reinforce bigotry and prejudice. But it is also about the power to change through experience and forgiveness. You will need lots of tissues to get through it.

We have come a long way toward understanding and acceptance since the late 70's but we still have a long way to go. If you know someone who is struggling to accept a gay son or lesbian daughter, I would be happy to loan you this DVD. Or perhaps you would like to rethink your own feelings and assumptions about this issue. Let me know.

The Summer Day

I love this poem by Mary Oliver. It speaks to me about life, prayer, time, and the preciousness of life. It is called "The Summer Day."

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean --
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand.

Who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down,
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms, thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,

How to be idle and blessed,
how to stroll thouhg the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?

Enjoy your summer days and your one wild and precious life. Pay attention..

Blackberries

I have been reading the absolutely zany 1980 novel by Tom Robbins called "Still Life With Woodpecker." It was a New York Times best seller -- about the difference between criminals and outlaws, the conflict between social activism and romantic individualism, powerful Arabs, exiled royalty, and pregnant cheerleaders. Mostly, however, it is about the mystery of love.

How did I miss this book in the early 80's? I must have been too busy reading serious stuff like theology. Oh well, I wouldn't have appreciated it nearly as much in those days. This morning I read this passage from the book:

Blackberries.
  Nothing, not mushrooms, not ferns, not moss, not melancholy, nothing grew more vigorously, more intractably in the Puget Sound rains than blackberries. Farmers had to bulldoze them out of their fields. Homeowners dug and chopped, and still they came. Park attendants with flame throwers held them off at the gates. Even downtown, a lot left untended for a season would be overgrown. In the wet moths, blackberries spread so wildly, so rapidly that dogs and small children were sometimes engulfed and never heard from again. In the peak of the season, even adults dared not go berry picking without a military escort. Blackberry vines pushed up through solid concrete, forced their way into polite society, entwined the legs of virgins, and tried to loop themselves over passing clouds.

To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God? Perhaps it is like blackberries -- obnoxious and invasive and unstoppable.