what to do with a bishop . . . .

so, what does one do with a bishop? if you are playing chess, you move up two and over one, or over two and up one. but when a real live living bishop comes to visit, you . . . eat a lot, and visit a lot, and listen a lot, and keep things moving...a lot! bishop warner brown of the california-nevada annual conference, san francisco area, visited the central valley district over the week-end. what was so unique to me, nearly 30 years as a pastor, is that he arrived by train! an environmentally friendly bishop...who knew?! he stopped in modesto, to experience the mark wharff circuit meeting, then traveled to merced to lunch and learn about the wesley foundation and wesley clubs at the u c merced campus and merced community college, and take a tour of the campus. then on to madera for a visit and dinner. saturday was spent in an all day meeting, with questions and answers....here at the merced church! our united methodist women put on a great continental breakfast for 150; the wesley foundation board put on a superb potato bar at lunch; people got to ask all kinds of questions, and heard the insight and vision of the bishop. a rare opportunity to be 'up close and personal' about ministry locally and globally. then on to sushi with the Bishop and a night of entertainment at our own playhouse merced, with the lively production of 'chicago'! most entertaining indeed! after a nights rest, it was worship with the bishop preaching about life-changing conversations; the woman at the well in conversation with jesus. engaging music by the 'wings of hope'. fellowship time moved into a cultural luncheon and combined service with our hmong congregations from clovis and merced. a quick cup of coffee and then the train....on time and everything! the sun shined, and all went well. is it time for a nap yet??? so, if you are looking for a time for reflection, why not read john 4:23-42. and then ponder how you might respond to this 'life changing conversation'....

between storms

between the storms today, i caught some signs of spring. but not just any signs of spring; these are the places where meditation and silence come together. they are the places where depth can emerge into the the present moments.

these are the places where the spirit can meet the spirit!



not far off from the busy and travel hum of highway 99 is an oasis where prayer and meditation meet the beauty of nature . . . and it is just steps away from my office!


the location?



the united methodist church of merced . . . who knew such beauty and peace was in the midst of trucks and cars, and school bells and children playing?! tucked in the midst of this is the flowing stream of healing water.

but here between the storms in this season of lent, the quiet comes. the spring flowers are budding, and the birds are singing. in the midst of struggles and uncertainty, this prayer garden is the perfect place to breathe deeply in the spirit, to quiet the spirit within.

so often our inner spirit can become toxic with the sounds of chatter, the emotions of stress, and the confusion of uncertainties. the prayer garden invites a respite to breathe in the spirit of quiet, peace, and simplicity.

one does not have to look far for the place of the calming spirit. a place to sit; focused attention; the cleansing breath.

these are the ingredients for prayer. the 'right words'? there are not really any words that god can't hear. an emotional sigh, a fit of anger, the dry words of 'nothingness' ~ the spirit hears and comprehends.

Jesus had all those emotions and more. there isn't a thing we bring in prayer that will not be understood. our fears . . . our discomfort . . . our pains and joys . . . our desperation and confusions . . . the spirit of god cuts through all of 'that' and heads for our heart, even when we may reside in our head!

on the other side of town, often where locals and visitors alike get confused about which 'yosemite' is the one they want, resides our newest high rise; the center of healing; the place where prayers are lifted in various languages and faith traditions ~ believers, seekers, and skeptics alike ~ another fountain is found. at mercy hospital, a dancing fountain, greets visitors. pressure points cause the water to spirit and recede, like our emotions as we wait for news of loved ones from caring staff. we struggle with those emotions. the sound of water can soothe the weary soul, and present a moment for renewal. another oasis. between the storms of crisis and 'the news', this fountain can be a gift of grace.

we never know where we will find ourselves as the storms of life begin, rage, and dissipate. finding a moment to connect our spirits with the spirit can be a place, not only of healing, but of renewed energy and clarity.

where do you find your space for communing for peace?

if no such place comes to mind, maybe you could take a journey in the days to come . . . utilize our prayer garden or explore some sacred space near you -- it might be in your home, or in your neighborhood, or somewhere within your community. if the journey begins with only one step, what might be holding you back?

finding your place of peace sounds like a healthy investment of energy between the storms . . . .

one area of greatest struggle

while finishing up a continuing education class yesterday on spirituality and psychotherapy, i was reminded that forgiveness is one of our nation's biggest issue. we are not very good at forgiveness.

forgiveness is a reminder to be gracious to (self and/or others) and to pass over (let it go, in some way). forgiveness is a reminder that while we stray from god, god invites us back time and time again. when we do something that causes a break between god and ourselves, god's gracious actions invite us back into relationship once again. when we make a mistake, being 'repentant' or sorrowful is a way to start to make amends.

we often struggle to accept god's forgiveness. "we're unworthy" is the phrase that comes to mind. and that phrase gets in our way of moving forward. working on receiving forgiveness is an important element in our ability to realize that we are human, that we make mistakes, and that we can make amends and move on.

yet, even while we may accept forgiveness from god, something gets in our way of sharing forgiveness with others. and that 'something that gets in our way' also prevents us from moving on. like a splinter we can't seem to extract, we retain our hurt from the experience, and we end up getting stuck because we can't move on.

no one said forgiveness was easy. being reconciled takes our intention to work through an issue, and 'put it to rest' so to speak. we may never forget what happened, but allowing that event to consume us is counter-productive to living out the rest of our life. when an event happens, we gain some awareness that will help us in the future. but chances are, we will be hurt again, and we will hurt someone else; we are, after all, human!

so here is an intervention, thanks to everrett worthington, that may help ease our relations, and move us toward forgiveness -- both of the self and the other. remember, the are of forgiveness takes time and energy and of course, practice!

the concept that worthington suggests is using REACH when dealing with forgiveness. and don't acronyms come in handy!

Recall the experience. we do not have to re-live the experience, but begin to think about what happened; how did the situation begin? try not to judge anything; be aware of the events of the altercation.

find Empathy for the perpetrator. when we think about forgiveness, the situation generally involves at least two people (or, it can be me hitting my toe on a piece of furniture yesterday -- the effects of that action can still be felt today; but i digress....). empathy does not mean that you and the perpetrator become the best of friends, but that you begin to think about that might have caused the situation to develop from someone else's perspective. in church, when we talk about sin, we realize that the phrase "i'd never do that" is a judgment that is not entirely true. we have the capacity to do something wrong; by accident, without knowing, or through deliberate calculation. learning to be empathetic of others also helps us to be empathetic to oneself!

Altruism. as paul reminds in in first corithians 13, sometimes we do childish things. but when we become an adult, we let go of childish/foolish ways that get in our way of living full and faithful lives. altruism is literally 'the better thing to be done' or better still , 'rising to the occasion'. sometimes, we just have to be adult about something in order to let go and move on. another phrase is 'taking the higher road' also comes to mind. but the key with altruism is not to think of oneself as better than someone else, or, to use a church term, 'holier than thou'. making the better, more adult choice, is to empower oneself to be free and move along in life; not to get stuck -- and free oneself from taking out our anger/frustration on others.

Commit to forgiving. we can't just say, 'yea, i forgive you'. the key to forgiveness is to let your heart and your brain work together to be freed. even god, i suspect, makes a commitment to say 'yes' to us, even thought god knows we're human. the 'yes' allows us to not hold on. the residual 'stuff' that we hold onto through an act that has hurt us, prevents us from finding our new way. if we actually commit to forgiving, we also commit to not hanging on to that situation and the hurt. we, as humans, have a way of bringing up the past into the present ... 'i remember when in the first grade you... or ... i'll never forget ... or ... you always ...' committing to forgiving allows you not to carry a suitcase of hurt. this may also be the time when you realize that being a friend/associate with the person is not possible. the commitment to forgive allows one to acknowledge that the relationship is broken. in grief, we mourn our loss, but we also can continue to live in a new way.

[side bar; god really is god, and has the capacity to forgive. god's grace makes this possible. prayer allows us to work through our issues, and give over to god that which is impossible for us to do. no one said life was not complex! but, with each breath, we can continue to grow in god's grace!]

this leads us to the last element of REACH, and that is Hold; hold onto forgiveness during the times of doubt/difficulty/uneasy times. as a human being, we may think that we're all done with needing to deal with forgiving a person or a situation. but then something happens and we face the issue again -- more likely in a different form. when we feel weak, our issues come back to face us. in those time, remember the efforts you've done to move forward; hold onto the forgiveness of yourself, the situation and the other person. remember what you've done to get to this point in your life. breathe (shallow breathing prevents us from thinking clearly and moving forward).

during this season, practice your REACH. this is not simply an exercise. this is a spiritual discipline that will reward your spirit with a sense of new life. i hope it will be a benefit to you!

lent...not the kind you find in your dryer!

another season is upon us....lent; the season for reflection and either 'giving up or taking on'.

for centuries, people have been giving up things for lent, as a way of being reflective of what jesus has done for their lives. a newer tradition is to take on something for the same reason.

i think i am going to go back to the tradition of giving up; rather it will be "letting go". there are so many things i have no control over, and yet i tend to hold onto things long after they are over, emotionally speaking. instead of asking, 'why can't i let this go', and getting mad at myself, i'm going to actually work on letting it go in a new way. here's how.

while working on a continuing education event for my other field, i ran across john preston, who was leading a therapeutic workshop on 'when east meets west'. there is, in eastern spiritual belief, an actual eastern god that is frightening looking, that literally takes hold of us (therapeutically called holding) during our rough times.

the intervention that was used with this belief system was none other than prayer! imagine! prayer!! specifically, meditation.

the intervention works through our breathing. in essence, we are seeking to find compassion for ourselves, and our common humanity with others.

the actual intervention invites one to get comfortable, clothes the eyes, and focus on breathing.

this intervention will actually call you to focus on the distress. get comfortable and try it out!

as you breathe in slowly, focus on the distressing issue (remember focus on only one distressing issue!). as you breathe out, imagine others dealing with a similar (or the same) issue, and breathe with them. in essence, send your support to them, since you have a common distress. it doesn't matter if you actually know someone dealing with the same issue; just imagine that there are people "out there, somewhere" (and really, there are people dealing with the same issue as you!) who could use supportive, caring, loving breathes of energy.

as you continue this for about 10 minutes, imagine, then, breathing in with those who are wanting to support you in your great distress. an example might be not being able to protect your child, or getting mad at your partner because you couldn't clearly communicate your need in the moment of an argument.

just as a sense of awareness, few of us get distressed over something well going on in our lives.

from a christian perspective, we can envision, not only others who are struggling with the same issue wanting to support us, but also god or jesus also wanting to help us get through this issue. as a way of prayer, we breathe in the resources of care and support and grace, and breathe out the distress and empathy and gratitude for god's grace.

you can do this more than once a day! note how the distress moves from being the focus of your life, to just a part of your life, to an occasional awareness. let yourself be enfolded by the prayers of others, knowing that you are also being supportive of others along the way.

during lent, we find empathy to live a faith-filled life. give up those distracting things this lent that prohibit you from being at peace. and in that way, you will find wholeness. best wishes for a faith-filled journey this season....

pulpit exchange (with a nod to bob kuyper)

united methodists can be funny ducks, to use a very old phrase! as we try to get outside ourselves, welcoming everyone, while also moving away from traditional 'church terms',
we seek to more inviting; "seeker friendly" is the term. but, sometimes we just fail miserably!

case in point, this coming sunday, our area pastors will be speaking (church term is preaching) in neighboring towns. there are seven communities involved, and it will be a fun adventure, i suspect. we are trying to help the area churches feel more connected. i believe that will happen.

well, the 'church term' for this sunday is traditionally called a 'pulpit exchange'. the pulpit is another church term that refers to the station where the pastor preaches. most pulpits are elevated (i suspect to make sure the congregation would know, in days gone by that "he" -- it wasn't until the 1940's that women were able to preach in methodist churches -- was the preacher!, in change, knowing what everyone was doing!)

anyway, we couldn't figure out a more modern phrase to replace 'pulpit exchange', so bob kuyper, pastor at the livingston united methodist church, came up with what i think of as a very funny reflection on that term.

he wrote:

united methodist of the merced circuit will have a pulpit exchange sunday on march 6th.

on the previous sunday,

the pulpits of the various churches will be moved by truck to another church.

a special viewing of the pulpits will be held in each church on sunday evening.

on march 6th, each pastor will be preaching in a different pulpit.

it is felt that viewing the different pulpits will express our unity in diversity.

the pulpits will be returned to their home churches by the following sunday.

united methodists are urged to be in their churches that sunday to view the various pulpits.

ok, so maybe no one else will think that is funny, but i thought it was a hoot! on any given sunday pastors may climb into their pulpits or stand elsewhere among the people in the church. messages are given, to the best of our ability, that reflect not only a bible text, but prayerful consideration of the community that will hear that message. pastors reflect on a text, read what others have shared about that particular test, and then sense what the community in which they serve needs to know about what god is saying through that text. hopefully, we are inspired to make a difference....and to help nudge others to make a difference.

so, just to give you a clue, we won't be moving pulpits around this sunday, but seven united methodist pastors will be climbing aboard their horses (pastors use to ride horses from one church to another in their circuits -- geographical area) and heading out of their communities into a new community to share a word of grace. i'll be getting into my vw cabrio -- still with the top up, as it is very cold in the morning! -- to be in worship with the people of le grand. le grand is an agricultural community not far from merced. and i won't be using the pulpit.

can you imagine if we called this event a 'church exchange'? using bob's reference, we'd be moving whole churches! well, it might give our communities something to talk about! 'oh, those united methodists! no telling what they'll do next!' stay tuned! god's not finished with us yet! find out what its all about....you'll not want to miss the exchanging of the pulpits.