Beers, Hymns, Community Together

Last night we hosted our first Beers and Hymns at Right Brain Brewery in Traverse City.  This was by no means an original idea as other churches and bodies have done this in various places across the country and even the world.  In Lutheran circles, Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber at House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, Colorado and Pastor Jodi Hogue at Humble Walk in St. Paul have been doing it for a while with others popping up here and there.  However for our community it was the first of its kind.  I was intrigued as I read other stories of this kind of gathering and upon some conversation decided I wanted to try to make it happen.  I approached the owner of Right Brain and pitched it and immediately he was down.  As the planning unfolded it was clear that there was some concern that it not be too over the top “churchy”, (people handing out tracks for conversion, altar calls, and the like) and that it not offend the average pub visitor who did not want to sing.  To that end we made clear that our mission was simple; drink beer, sing hymns, nothing churchy.  Interesting that as that tag-line found its way onto our posters and facebook pages that some in the church struggled with the nothing-churchy line!  However those that were not part of a church community loved it and even said that made them feel it was a safe place to come and be.  So we did it.  We launched it last night and the evening was nothing short of amazing.

What happened was community of all ages forming, re-forming, and being.  There was an infant and many other children present and there was woman that proudly proclaimed to me, “I am in my eighties and I love this!”.  And every age in between.  Men, women, Lutheran, Reformed, non-denominational, non-churched and the like came together so drink beer, sing hymns, and that was it.  Well, that was really not it.  Community came together and some relationships were strengthened while new relationships were formed.  The church was public in a very non-churchy kind of way.  People that were at the pub just to be started singing with us and participating in the life of the evening.   To me the biggest thing that needs to happen more in our world is for people to come together to be…to be community that can support one another through ups and downs and last night that happened because of some beer and some hymns.  Now, quickly, it should be noted that beer is optional as we have folks in our community who are recovering and want to respect that very much.  But some of them came to, and they, like the rest of us, loved the community, the singing and their own drink of choice.  It was more than I could have ever imagined it would be and am so thankful that Right Brain allowed us to do it and more thankful that people came out.  We will do it again for sure and hope to see some of you there!

Holy Moments in Holy Week

 

 

My week has been filled with amazing moments of grace…I wanted to share a little.

It was one of those things- those things that will never ever leave me.  Sunday night, at the end of our Palm Sunday night service to kick off our Holy Week we had a time for people to come forward and be prayed for by myself or our intern pastor.  This is not a new thing for us- we sometimes hold prayer services and healing services believing very much that prayer is integral to our life of faith.  But this night something happened that filled me with life and holiness at a whole new level.  My daughter Payton decided to come forward and to pray with me.  A little guy in her class (1^st grade) is going through a cancer-like illness and Payton was moved to come and pray for him.  As I got on my knees to put my hands on her shoulders, and anoint her with oil I said, “what do you want to pray for?”  She responded, “For C, that he gets better and knows God loves him.”  My heart melted.  My eyes welled with tears as I realized that she gets it…my little seven year old baby girl gets it.  She gets the power of community coming together in prayer and she gets the idea of love and grace and how important that is for us to have for others.  A holy moment, in the midst of a holy week.

Another moment…today.  I was blessed to have a meeting with a colleague over coffee at one of my favorite coffee places.  As we sat and enjoyed our lattes I was privileged enough to hear her story of the things she is going through.  Sometimes I think we forget that pastors too struggle.  I listened, I talked, we laughed and we lamented the reality of this work being what it is.  We celebrated the love that we both have for our calling and I was able to see grace in her, and I hope her in me.  A holy moment, in the midst of a holy week.

And still another moment…today.  Lunch with a member of our community.  As we broke bread together we shared simple conversation and then some not so simple conversation.  She shared with me the hard things she and her loved ones are facing- things that eat her up, that she battles with, that hurt- and I got to listen, to offer some words of something I hope, and the promise that I will pray and will continue to walk with her through this.  A holy moment in the realization that I have the best “job” in the world.  A holy moment , in the midst of a holy week.

And still…one more.  On my way back to my car I decided to stop in to one of my favorite coffee shops for  a little more coffee.  (Yes, I know that is too much coffee for one day).  As I was there I noticed one of the people that works there had a tattoo on her arm. Being a lover of tattoos and always trying to find inspiration for my next one I asked her what it said.  She told me, and then told me what the other ones on her arms said too.  A moment of grace for me- a moment of hearing a bit of who she was.  A moment of realizing the power of story- of conversation- of wanting to know more about what makes people tick.  A moment of realizing how important it is to connect with people rather than push people away and focus inward.  For me, that was holy.  A holy moment, in the midst of a holy week.

I thank God tonight for every breath I get and I thank God for these moments that speak holiness to me.  I pray that you, wherever you are can find those moments as well.

 

A Week in this Life

Recently, Clint Schnekloth posted the challenge to clergy colleagues to blog their week.  I decided that this week would be just as good as any to document and think about what goes on in this vocation as well as in the normal routine of life.  I appreciated the challenge and noticed that it forced me to really look at all the things that go on every week.  I was reminded about why I feel so blessed to be a pastor and continue to find great joy in this calling.  Here, is my week in a snapshot: It is long…sorry…but it was good to write.

Sunday, January 13^th

This day was supposed to be spent in Mount Pleasant Michigan where I would preach to one of our Mission Partner Congregations.  Recently they took an offering to support our ministry here in honor of their anniversary.  However, Mother Nature had other plans and an Ice Storm forced us to change.  I preached my sermon Saturday night in my office at home to my iPad and hosted it on YouTube where they were able to project it from on  Sunday.  I received a text from the pastor there and she said, “You are Ginormous”  I guess I can cross that goal off the list!  Since I was home, I did help lead worship at Advent- our intern preached and I presided.  In addition I participated in the Spanish Class we are offering in preparation for our Vision Trip to Guatemala in a few weeks.  After a long day I went home, spent some quality time with the family and tried to stay away from work-related things as best as I could.

 

Monday, January 14^th

Monday came and looking back it was a very, very full day.  It began with my regular visit to the Chiropractor to be straightened out!  After that I went from meeting to meeting.  First was a meeting to plan for an upcoming retreat with a staff member that lead to some dreaming about the future of the work Advent is called to live into.  After that I was blessed to sit with our intern for a short meeting to catch up a bit on her plan for the week and to go through her Sunday experience and her preaching that day.  From the intern meeting to catching up with a gentleman who does not actively worship with us.  His family experienced an unimaginable crisis a couple summers ago and I love to be able to connect with him.  He is an explorer of sorts- into discovering ship-wrecks and I always walk away from our coffee time learning much more about him, his family, and myself.  We talked about the hope of a regular gathering for folks “outside” the church at a local pub to talk theology and faith and life…the beginning I hope of a great plan for a new outreach.  I was forced to end our meeting early as I had to get to my son’s school to coach his fourth grade basketball team- something I consider very much an outreach in itself.  We are 4-0…but it’s not about winning J.  In the midst of that I received a facebook message from someone I grew up with…wondering a bit about faith and life…searching and longing…I responded and a conversation continues to today.  After Basketball I ran my son home and came back to the church for our Building Committee meeting where we decided to go to bit March 1^st for our new home for the church!  Around 9 I made it home, shared a cold beer with my wife and wound down before heading to bed.

 

Tuesday, January 15^th

I started Tuesday by going to the gym to get a little exercise- this was a good decision.  After the gym  I met a gentleman for lunch who I coached football with and then headed to the Hospice House to visit a 33 year old man from our congregation who is facing the end of his days due to an illness called Devic’s Syndrome.  We prayed for him and his family and we decided that Saturday his wife and he would renew their wedding vows.  I left thinking, “this is the most special vocation in the world.”  On my way back to the office to meet a person who I mentor for our Synod’s SAM program I get a text from a member that her husband is back in the hospital. He is battling cancer and is in due to an infection and low blood counts.  She asks for no visitors yet but promises to keep me posted.  After finishing the mentor session I put a call into our bishop to connect on a few things related to the conference (I serve as Dean) and give him an update on a few things.  This was a blessed time.  I finish the weekly email feed for the next morning and write the Bible Study for Wednesday on the Gospel of John and connect via a actual snail mail letter with a person serving time in prison who writes regularly.   At 6 the financial secretary comes in for a meeting to update some information on our new software and then around 8 I head home for the evening.  I kiss my kids goodnight and the wife and I wait eagerly for our favorite show to come on…I kill the time with mindless video games.

 

Wednesday, January 16^th

Wednesday finds me in Staff Meeting to start the day where we plan for our Lenten Wednesday night gatherings.  This is followed by Bible Study and catching up with small tasks that need my attention.  I drive to town for a late lunch with a friend who does not attend church…invite him to come as I always do…I think I am wearing him down J.  I get an update via text of the gentlemen fighting cancer who is the hospital and his wife let’s me know that he would love to see me.  I head to Munson Hospital for what turns into a very life-giving visit for me.  D is a retired Pastor who simply is an amazing man that I consider a huge blessing personally.  Our visit is too short, but I am forced to leave to get the kids from school.  After my wife gets home from work I go and play basketball with a group of guys in town.  A good night for sure.

 

Thursday, January 17^th

Thursday is my day to connect with retired pastors apparently.  I have coffee with one like I do most weeks and we talk about ministry, life, books and all things good at a local coffee shop.  After that I travel to the East Side of Traverse city to go on the Vic McCarty radio show as I do each month for an hour.  This hour proves to be exciting as always!  Following the radio spot I head out to Honor Michigan to catch up with another retired pastor and to listen to him and the struggles he is currently facing in his life.  He worships with us on occasion and just like the other two retired pastors I am blessed to have around- he blesses me again and again.  I spend the afternoon in the office, catching up, thinking on my sermon, emailing and facebooking back people and then decided to email our sheriff who made a statement about the Gun Control Debate that troubled me.  We are now set to have coffee soon to discuss this further.  My son had a basketball game that night and after that I went home and enjoyed the time with my family- and getting ready for my daughter’s 7^th birthday on Friday!

Friday, January 18^th

Friday is my Sabbath- normally.  This day lent itself to a little Sabbath and a little work.  It began with a little birthday celebration and gift opening for my daughter!  After the kids headed to school and my wife to work, I met a member at a local retreat facility to get the lay of the land for our retreat for council next weekend.  I then went to my kids’ school to deliver flowers to my daughter in honor of her birthday.  I also ate lunch with her, was able to read with her and a buddy and have lunch with my son among other things! This was awesome!  After school the kids and I picked up some friends and headed to Right Brain Brewery where my wife was working.  This is one of my favorite pubs and is owned by dear friends.  Now, normally we would not take a seven year old to a pub for her birthday…but mom was working and kids are more than welcome at this place.  We ordered pizza, kids played games, drank rootbeer and mom got done early so we had fun!  Then we went home and watched the video surround the birth of P!

 Saturday, January 19^th

Saturday was  an early morning with Men’s group at 7 AM- fourteen men came this month as we ate breakfast, prayed together and studied a little of the book of Acts.  I darted out early to pick up my son and take him to his basketball game- we won!  Today was the day for the renewal of vows for the man in hospice and his wife.  This was probably one of the most difficult and amazing things I have ever been blessed to do.  We gathered (myself, a few folks from Advent, the man and his wife, their three young kids, and another friend, plus Jetty Rae came with her husband and sang a special private concert).  We did the renewal, we cried…a lot…we prayed, we came together…we all grew – something happened.  Cake followed and then I met my family at home and we headed to Crystal Mountain for some swimming to celebrate that 7 year old in our house.  Home, more cake, dinner and then to the office to write the sermon for today!  Blessed while writing sermon for a random visit from a neighbor.  The interruption proved again that it was not an interruption at all but a time to connect and to be.

Sunday, January 20^th

That brings me to today.  Church, an amazing day of worship- new families visiting at both services and the chance to baptize the baby of one of the first young ladies we confirmed at Advent.  In almost 8 years I have been blessed to do 90+ baptisms…this one was special in so many ways.  Wow!  What a day.

 This is what I do, I love it…every bit of it.  There is so much missing in this quick snapshot…but this is it…I love it…all of it, and I continue to thank God that I get to do this for a living. 

better together

I have been thinking a lot lately about the need for conversation and dialogue with people from different faiths and religious traditions.  I count myself quite luck to know many folks from different faiths and feel that I learn from my Jewish, Muslim, Traditional Native American, and other friends quite a bit when I spend time in dialogue with them.  I don’t see our conversations having a purpose of conversation at all, rather of partnership and dialogue about what we can learn from each other and how we can support one another.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a strong follower of Christ and have come to know the grace of God through the person of Jesus.  But I pray my faith never gets in the way of rational, thoughtful discourse and partnership.  To me it is more than tolerance…or acceptance…it must go deeper than that.  Tolerance is simply allowing someone to exist and that is a good start but we must accept AND support AND work together- for to me that is the example of Christ.  Maybe I am crazy.

I was a bit disheartened by the news from a local congregation’s response to a Choral performance that was to be held in their space featuring the Traverse City West Chorale and the local college’s chorale.  You can read here the information about what went down.  Now, hear me out- this pastor and this church have every right to do what they deem is correct- yet, it makes little sense to me that they took this path.  To not allow this beautiful piece of music seems a bit contradictory to the teaching of peace that Christ brings.  Yes it was a Muslim cry to prayer…but it was all about a greater work of peace and tolerance.  Sure…there are times Jesus calls people out and even is frustrated to the point of crying out against certain practices…but this does not line up (again in my opinion) with his teaching.  Proof for me lies in the response of the 16-year-old girl, who happens to be Muslim and belongs to the West Chorale group.  The report suggests that she ran from the room crying when she heard the call to prayer would be cut from the program.  The articles also quotes her saying, “I felt like I wasn’t being treated equal…I felt I was unwelcome and that I didn’t belong any place near there.”    The church, in my opinion, failed.  Causing another to feel pain is not okay.  Period.

My friend Seth Bernard has a song called “Collage” where he writes, “Separated into smaller and smaller camps, people more and more like us, we take shots at the other camps like we know…like they don’t know what we do, like they don’t have a camp they cling to for dear life, a fear of life, like we do….a collage of all the flags, all the scriptures put together, a race spinning through space.”  I think these words are all to true when it comes to the Christian Faith…we put walls up around our faith out of fear, the unknown, and who knows what else and in doing that we create a smaller and smaller camp.  The example of the cancelling of part of the music performance is just one example of how the church has done this again and again.

So what do we do?  I wish I knew the complete answer to that question.  What I do know is that we need to work hard to listen, to talk, to be open, to learn and to work together with our sisters and brothers from other faiths to make the world a better place.  For by far we are better together than we are alone.

Harvest Living

“You are alive in everything you do.”  

These are the words of May Erlewine who I happen to consider one of the most amazing musicians around. I am also blessed to call her a friend and someone who continues to inspire me through her music and through her very being. This past weekend she, along with her husband Seth Bernard (another one of the most amazing musicians around) opened up the farm they live on along with Seth’s dad Bob and his partner Susie. It was the annual Harvest Gathering. A music festival in some ways but so much more than that. My family and I attended our first gathering a few years ago after becoming fans of the music of Seth and May as well as many of the other musicians that were going to be there. We went, not sure what to expect, and walked away completely changed…in some ways we became alive…and that life filled us for an entire year until we returned back the next.Every year since there has been even more life-giving. When I say it is a music festival- that is true…but it is so much more.

What sets this gathering apart perhaps more than anything is the genuine care that people have for one another. I believe this stems from the gracious hosts- Bob & Susie as well as Seth & May simply put it out there that all people are going to be welcome and loved. They go above and beyond ensuring that families feel welcome, that kids are safe, and that community is created and nurtured. In other words, that people can become alive by being there.

I believe that anyone who steps foot on the grounds of Harvest Gathering will be changed. Following are just some of the things that happened this year in the realm of life-changing things— Music: over seventy amazing acts including but not limited to Rachael Davis, Joshua Davis, Seth and May, Red Sea Pedestrians, Gifts or Creatures, Red Tail Ring, the Ragbirds, the Muteflutes, and Ralston Bowles. Boldness: the boldness to offer an open recovery group for those struggling with addiction (at a music festival…this is amazing) as well as the boldness to welcome and encourage interfaith understanding and cooperation through an interfaith water blessing and multiple blessing and healing circles (again, at a music festival). Love: sure…that is normal at these festivals to some level- the love of kindred spirits together for the joy of music. But the love at Harvest is taken to the extreme. Being involved in some of the planning as well as some of the execution for the weekend it is so clear that love is core to everything that happens. From the effort of crisis counseling for a conflicted couple to the implementation of a crisis team to make sure that if anyone did get out of hand and become unsafe they would be treated with dignity and respect throughout the entire process of de-escalation. From the amount of hugs that I received to the simple inquiry from a new friend to “tell me your story.” Power: the power of community- pure, authentic, simple, community; the power of smiles; the power of goodness being lifted up; the power of people gathered around with the belief that if community here could begin to represent community in the world the world would change. Hope: Hope in the power of love through community that is bold in its belief of changing the world.

My friends, if you ever get the chance to experience Harvest- go. Allow yourself to come alive in this place and maybe find the ability to come alive in everything you do! Peace and love- JG

Check this out if you care- a little piece of the peace that you can find in this music

so what is the church to do anyway?

So a church.  What is it anyway?  We have been talking a lot at Advent about the fact that the church is NOT the building.  This has become especially important as we are hoping to build a new building for our church.  Notice, I said a building for our church….not build a church.  To me that cannot be stressed enough.  The church is the people, gathered together to be the body of Christ in the world.  Now, that may be too simple and I am okay with that.  But I am still wondering- what is the church to be?  

Lately I have found myself wondering that more and more.  As I have watched things unfold in other churches as well as at the one I serve I wonder if any of us get it.  Do we know what the church is to be?  Apparently I don’t- as I am the one asking the question!  What are we, as the church supposed to be…supposed to do?  I have raised this question before and have been absolutely fascinated by the answers I have received- some from members of my church, others from members of other churches, and some from atheists who seem to grasp it sometimes better than we who declare Christ as our Lord.  

But what is the church?  The snarky part of me fears that if someone was to google church lately they would get a bunch of negative images.  Things like “God Hates Fags” thanks to Fred Phelps and his posse, or How the Church hurt me by many a persons.  You see, the church, as a whole, has done a really good job of hurting itself.  Yet, I believe at the core of my being that we as the church really do have a good thing to offer.  But we have to look deep inside of who we are- and to do that we have to look deep inside the person of Christ.  What did Christ do…he loved…period.  He loved through service, through teaching, through his very being.  No questions asked, no one left out.  To me, that is where we must turn.  That is what the church is to be.  The love of Christ shared with all…no questions asked.  

I am so thankful that folks in my church continue to remind me of this.  Now, I know we are not perfect, know we have a long way to go.  But the one thing this body does again and again is love- all people, the minute they enter our doors.  Not in some over-the-top-make-you-feel-weird-kind-of way- but in a way that is real, authentic, and I’d say Christ like.  Thanks to all of you at Advent…thanks.  At least well we try to figure out more of what the church is to be we can love as Christ loved and be ahead of the game there.  

 

So blessed to do what I do.  -JG

blessed…blessing…blessed to be a blessing

What does it mean to be a blessing? I have been wondering that for the last month or so as the word blessing has come my way on numerous occasions. First, I heard it in this amazing song by one of my favorite artists Brandi Carlile. The song is called, That Wasn’t Me and probably deserves a very thorough blog about the way it touched me and what I considered to be so powerful about it. But not today. Today I want to just focus on the part about blessing. Carlile sings towards the end of her song, “Do I make myself a blessing to everyone I meet. When you fall I will get you on your feet.” So I wonder, is that part of being a blessing- being able to step aside and serve another. Being able to pick others up when they have fallen. Certainly, Christ’s words in Matthew 25 about the sheep and the goats resonates with this kind of thinking…to serve Christ is to serve our neighbor. So could we assume that to be a blessing starts and ends with serving as Christ has served us? If so I wonder, how am I doing at that? How about you?

A second encounter I had with the idea of blessing recently involved a funeral service I was asked to officiate at. The man who passed away was too young to die in my opinion and the service was a hard one to get through. In the midst of a story about his trip home, his son made the comment that he learned “not to let everyone else’s crap take away from me seeing the blessings around me.” He lamented on how often we let the attitude of others, the way we are treated, the things that we can’t control become our focus. And when that happens we often miss out on the very blessings that are in front of us. I like that. In fact I have tried to adopt that lately- to be on the lookout for the little blessings and the big blessings that God seems to put before me daily.

So back to that first question. We talk a lot in churchy language about “being blessed to be a blessing”- but what does that mean? I don’t know if I know for sure and I want to wonder with you. Help me, if you still read this, to answer that question. How do you define the idea of blessing? And furthermore what does it mean for you to be a blessing? Let’s talk…let’s have fun…  below is the video to the song that spurred this whole thing…enjoy!
Blessings to you!