My Two Friends

Let me tell you my two friends, Jeff and David (but he's "Dave" now, though I still call him David most of the time).

I have known these two guys since I was in the third grade, Jeff was in fourth grade, and David was the older and wiser sixth grader. Twenty-six years of my life I have been able to count them as my dearest friends. I'm thirty-four. That's like ... umm ... twenty-six thirty-fourths of my life!

A couple of weeks ago, we went on our annual float trip. These float trips started in our church youth group, "Cornerstone," the youth group of Harper Chapel United Methodist Church. Those first trips consisted of a bunch of wild teenagers and a couple of grown-ups renting a bunch of canoes and floating down a river somewhere in south-central Missouri, camping on a gravel bar, cooking over fires, singing, praying, goofing around, chanting "we are the ultimate battle cruiser," and generally loving life and each other as hard and as fiercely as teenagers are able to.

This most recent trip consisted of six adults and seven children under the age of ten hanging out at Dave's house for the weekend, going to the neighborhood pool, checking out the zoo, playing volleyball in the backyard, and playing cards in the evening around the kitchen table. Okay, not quite the same as those original float trips, I will admit. But wouldn't you know it, the thirteen of us still spent the weekend generally loving life and each other as hard and a fiercely as three young families are able to do.

Relationships that last over time survive a lot of change. For Dave, Jeff, and me, life has meant college degrees, marriage to the three most wonderful women in the world (and the infinite patience of Jo Beth, Kathleen, and Erin to put up with the three of us all these years is something to behold!), jobs, and miraculous, beautiful, energetic children. And as we have gotten older and our lives have changed, our love has just gotten deeper.

We disagree about a lot of stuff, too. For example, Dave gets his kicks killing perfectly innocent woodland creatures (Bambi is currently being mounted on his living room wall). Jeff has a tendency to drop cigarette ash into our scrambled eggs (that was back when he used to smoke, of course). When we talk politics, we go around and around, with definite differences of opinion that other people would allow to get ugly. The thing is, in the midst of all our changes and disagreement is this deep and abiding love for each other that holds us all together in spite of ourselves. When we disagree about something, I let Dave and Jeff know how wrong they are and then get on with the card game. (And pass me another Sam Adams, Jeff, if you will allow me to have a taste of your "good beer.")

It is very good for pastors and their families to have friends like Jeff, Kathleen, David, and JoBeth. To them, we aren't "the pastor and his family." We're just Uncle Andy, Aunt Erin, Cori, and Wes! To be able to relax completely, turn it off, and metaphorically remove the stole for a few days is vital to my spiritual health and psychological functionality. Plus, it is just a heck of a lot of fun!

And I can't wait for our next float trip! (Hey guys - Maybe next year we will be able to "starp" again.)

Love,
Andy B.

Watch Out for that Tree ... !

I apologize for slamming on my brakes and screeching to a halt the other day. If you were driving behind me, you probably had to swerve drastically to avoid my car, stopped right there in the middle of Swift Street. I couldn’t help it; I just couldn’t believe my eyes. They cut down our trees.

I usually try to avoid using “us” and “them” and their related pronouns, but I am making an exception in this case. “Us” is the people of North Kansas City and “Them” is Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development. Someone there must know more about developing real estate than I do, and I will say that from their perspective the clear-cutting done recently in this beautiful town must make sense. But it doesn’t make a bit of sense to me.

This street pictured here used to be a tree lined parkway. The shot on the right is looking south down Swift Street. You can see the trees that are left just south of the development area and a few on the west side of the street. But on the east (the left side of the picture) Hunt Midwest has cleared the ground to make way for their houses. Big, beautiful, old trees that had been living here for decades, nothing more than nuisances in the way of human progress, cut down, ground up, and disposed of.

I am not a “tree hugger,” but I mourn the loss of those big beautiful trees. Having more and more people moving into town is good, but the cost of that population growth is the death of a row of shade, habitat, oxygen, and aesthetic beauty that will take decades upon decades to experience again. Does this creation in which we reside have value only insofar as it is available for human consumption? Is there a place for righteous anger in response to the loss of our big, beautiful, old trees?

Billy and the Dinosaur

In today's paper, Billy Graham says that God "created the dinosaurs. They aren't mentioned in the Bible, however, because they were extinct by the time it was written." The more you think about this seemingly innocent comment, the more profound it becomes. Following are my honest questions arising from Graham's observation:

- Question: Why didn't God reveal to the authors of the Bible any information about dinosaurs? Did God pick and choose what to reveal for recording and what not to?

- Question: In order for the dinosaurs to come into existence, flourish, and die out by the time the Bible was written, it seems the earth must be more than a few thousand years old, as the Bible indicates. Does this mean the Bible is not literally true, then?

- Question: Can the Bible properly be called "inerrant" if it fails to mention any hint about the creatures that ruled the planet earth for millenia? Isn't that ommission a "mistake"?

- Question: The omission of dinosaurs was due to the historical context of the Biblical authors, who simply did not have the knowledge of dinosaurs to include. To what other issues might this principle apply? Women leadership in church? Homosexuality? Slavery? The establishment of Christendom? Prosperity / Poverty?

In his simple remark about dinosaurs, Rev. Graham has placed a big emphasis on historical context in the writing and the interpretation of the Bible. He is saying that the Bible was written by particular people who had a particular knowledge base at a particular time in a particular place. Learning about the Bible, therefore, seems to require learning a lot about those particulars, then interpreting the message for our own contexts.

The more we know about the context in which the Bible was written, the more the Bible comes alive for our own context. I was taught by "School House Rock" that "Knowledge is power!" Slogan for the day: "KNOW MORE."

Learning every day,
Andy B.

Grace Experience at Cursillo

I just worked at my third Cursillo weekend as a spiritual director last Thursday through Sunday. (Cursillo is one of those "3-day weekend" experiences in the category of Walk to Emmaus, Camino, and others.) I have come home, if possible, both exhausted and rejuvenated.

Exhaustion as a result of early mornings and late nights, sitting and listening to a series of talks on church life, leading several worship experiences, and being continually available to offer spiritual care and counselling as needed. Plus all the fun and activity of a weekend together with a great group of Christian brothers and sisters has a tendency to take a lot of energy.

But I am also rejuvenated. Rejuvenated as a result of a weekend worth of prayer with some of my dear spiritual sisters and brothers, multiple opportunities to share in the Eucharist, experiencing the grace of God through the gentle touch of friends new and old, and seeing the energy of God's spirit in the smiles of the incarnate body of Christ gathered together to serve as messengers of Christ's grace.

After this weekend, I am once again convinced that the future of the church is vibrant and vital. There are a lot of people who lament declining membership and attendance, and say that we are near death as a denomination, if not as the "mainline" itself (whatever that is). I have even read opinions of people who warn about the danger of developing "too liberal" of a theology, which is allegedly a turn off to people and drives people out of the church. Nonsense! Nothing could be further from the truth.

Jesus never counted heads; he just said, "Make disciples." Jesus never said "Don't be too liberal" or "Don't be too conservative;" he just said, "Love one another." Last weekend, in the midst of the Cursillo community, no one was counting, no one was conducting theological litmus tests to determine acceptance, no one was lamenting the decline of mainline Christianity. We just lived in the midst of Christ's grace-filled presence for a weekend, and offered that grace to the Cursillo community.

And we found out that grace is exhausting and rejuvenating all at the same time!

"Grace finds beauty in everything." - Bono

Grace,
Andy B.

All Morning in a Hospital Room

I spent all morning in a hospital room. The woman I was visiting was scared and lonely, and wanted me to stay all day. I talked gently with her, trying to assure her, trying to offer comfort. I stayed as long as I could. She is facing a drastic change in lifestyle, adding a walker to help her get around. She is very worried about navigating the stairs at church. When I told her, "Just think about how nice it will be when our elevator arrives," she replied, "I wish it would hurry up and get here." She was feeling anxious and worried, and I spent all morning with her.

I could have been ...
... negotiating with architects and contractors to finish this construction project
... responding to concerns about our congregation's proposed name change
... thinking about ways to promote and publicize the church's new vision and mission statements
... figuring out how we are going to pay for the elevator project's cost
... writing my presentations for the upcoming Cursillo weekend
... planning worship services for the weekend after next
... proofreading this month's newsletter
... dealing with a potentially caustic church staff issue
... editing sermon texts from the transcriptions that have been emailed to me
... visiting any of the dozen or so people on my list to check up on
... doing follow up calls with my list of visitors
... walking through Northtown handing out brochures to new residents
... or any of a bunch of other stuff that probably needs to be done and someone has to do it so why not me.


But I stayed with her all morning in her hospital room. And I do not regret it for a moment.

She was scared and lonely, so I stayed.

Ministry - Gotta love it!

"Making the Blog"

I am currently spending a weekend with some great friends. Once a year for the last 12 summers, we have met together for a weekend of fun - sometimes camping, sometimes canoeing, sometimes at a resort, sometimes in homes. We started out with just three couples, and have added children over the years until now the children outnumber the grown-ups seven to six.

The three men in these three families have known each other for twenty-six years! We went to the same elementary school, we were in the same church youth group, same high school choir and band. They are my best and truest friends, and some of those rare few people with whom I can be completely, honestly MYSELF.

I am experiencing an interesting phenomenon this weekend. My friends are joking around by competing with one another to see who can say something I will deem "blog-worthy." They are trying by various means to "make the blog." So far, the most blatant campaigner, whom I cannot yet mention by name since to do so would unfairly accomplish his purpose of "making the blog," has pulled me aside several times and attempted to speak profound words to me, hoping that I will use them as the theme of a blog entry. We'll have to wait and see ...

Blog-worthily yours,
Andy B.

Locusts & Honey Blogger Profile

John the Methodist is a blogger who keeps track of other Methodist bloggers on his blog, which is called "Locusts & Honey." He does two things: 1) He compiles a weekly roundup of Methodist blogs, with a brief summary of what they are writing about and a link to each blog, and 2) he posts periodic profiles of Methodist bloggers, each of whom answer a set of questions that John provides. It is a cool service he is providing, and one of the reasons I have him on my list of blogs I read.

Well, the fun news for me is that John has profiled me in his most recent post. Jog on over to locustsandhoney-dot-blogspot-dot-com and check it out. Or just click here.

Vanity, vanity, all is vanity,
Andy B.

Creating a Sweet Rainbow

The daycare kids from the First Beginnings ministry of my remarkable congregation recently cooperated to create a Rainbow Cake. (With the help of special guest teachers Alberta Campbell and Erin Bryan, of course.) Here's how it worked: Each kid mixed a bit of batter into a color of their own choosing. Then each bit of batter was swirled together to make one cake. After baking, the cake was frosted and rainbow colored sprinkles were liberally distributed over the top.

I fully intended to take a picture of the finished product for display, but unfortunately the cake proved too wonderfully delicious, and it was completely consumed by the First Beginnings kids before I could get a picture. But the piece that I saw and subsequently devoured was lovely, indeed. It had bright colors swirled together in the cake and sweet, crunchy bits of rainbow scattered within the icing.

Do I even need to mention how much like the church this is? Each of us bringing our own color to the batter, swirling together to make one cake, covered by the icing of God's grace, and, yes indeed, how sweet is that beautiful rainbow cake!

Living in the rainbow,
Andy B.

Good Writing Out There About London

There have been some poignant, thoughtful responses to the London bombing posted on various blogs here and there. Check out what Progressive Christian has. Beth Quick is always very thoughtful. Robert Fisk wrote something a little more spicy, but a thought provoking read nonetheless.
Check these out by clicking on the links I have put in this text. These writings are toward the "liberal" side of things, since that is my own unapolegetic perspective. If there are other essays you want to point out, be sure to include them in comments here.

Explore,
Andy B.

Thinking About Martin

See that wreath? It is hanging on the balcony of an old motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Only it is not a motel any more, it is a museum.

See that line of bricks aiming toward the wreath? It is marking the line that a bullet travelled toward that balcony almost 40 years ago. Only the balcony wasn't empty then. Martin Luther King, Jr. was standing on it.

If you turn around 180 degress, the line of bricks points toward a bathroom window in an old apartment building across the street. It is also a museum now. In that window, someone with hatred in their soul sat and waited for Martin to be standing alone on that balcony. Then they shot him.

Ever since we visited the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis last Monday, I have been thinking about violence. We visited on the Fourth of July, when the United States celebrates independence from Great Britian, and the birth of a new nation. A violent birth. A bloody birth. Displacement of native people. Enslavement of African people. A violent revolution.

An entire history scarred with violence. The terror of slavery. A horrific war between the states. The hatred and violence of racism. Jim Crow. Lynchings. Segregated schools, restaurants, swimming pools, water fountains. Then there's the not one but two world wars. The nuclear arsenal capable of destroying the entire planet several times over. The toxic pollution freely flowing from our factories, violently choking the planet to death. And on and on and on.

Now another attack. This one in London. Blood, death, violence. It makes us think about 2001, that other attack, the one we refer to by date alone - 9/11. Extremists? Terrorists? People with evil in their hearts? Hunt them down! Root them out! Kill them all!

Maybe.

But will it help? In the end, there is either violence or not-violence. (Nonviolence.) In the end, you can either shoot a bullet at someone or take one from someone. Martin took one on a motel balcony in Memphis.

Jesus took one on a cross in Jerusalem.

Would I?

Would you?

We have come over a way that with tears has been watered;
we have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last
where the white gleam of our bright star is cast. (James Weldon Johnson, 1921)

God, where is the star? The people who walk in darkness have walked in darkness long enough. Could you possibly spare us a little light? Maybe just a flicker ...

United Church of Christ Endorses Same-Sex Marriage

Some of you will celebrate, some will get mad - but nonetheless here it is. The United Church of Christ has passed a resolution endorsing same sex marriage. As much as conservative Christians are going to hate it, it is happening.

- Will the UCC split because of this decision or might they find a way to live together?
- Will the United Methodist Church follow in the UCC's lead or head the other direction?
- Will the UCC be on the forefront of a trend among mainline denominations or be out on a limb all by themselves?

I don't know, but here's what I hope:

I hope I will live to see the day when anyone who falls in love with another person will be free to express that love in the sacred covenant of marriage, honored in a ceremony before God and within the warm embrace of a loving congregation.

As a United Methodist pastor, I am not permitted to officiate at wedding ceremonies of same-sex couples. I lament that. Let's be clear, it is not the Bible that forbids me from doing so, it is the Book of Discipline. The Bible itself is very adamant and quite specific: same-sex sexual activity is strictly forbidden when the intention is idolatry (i.e. cultic worship) or pederasty (i.e. child abuse). But the Bible says nothing about two adults who fall in love, want to get married to each other, and who are the same gender. Nonetheless, I will respect the Book of Discipline's restrictions even as I work to reform them.

In the meantime, I will pray for the United Church of Christ. A prayer of gratitude for their courage and a prayer for unity of spirit in the midst of their transformation.

Expecting Reaction,
Andy B.

Sorry, JP

Hey, I was messing around with pictures and I accidentally deleted JP's comment from this last post. It was unintentional, JP. I am sorry. Please comment again!
- Andy B.

Hey, It's Good to Be Back Home Again

Wes, Cori, and Andy hanging out in the Magic Kingdom.

We made it! The Bryan family is back safely from our vacation to Florida, and we had an absolutely fabulous time. We are refreshed, relaxed, and ready to roll!

I have stories to tell, also. Stories ...
- about being "Disneyfied,"
- about the ambivalence of the first seat on "Space Mountain,"
- about the spiritual discipline of standing in line and waiting,
- about the unabated joy of jumping on motel beds,
- about a cold shoulder from a church nursery,
- about standing at the location of the assasination of MLK in Memphis,
- and much, much more!

Yes, it was a good trip, filled with fantastic memories. We saw a part of the world that we hadn't before, and now we get to check off four new states from our "Been There" lists. We are home now with renewed perspective and the deeply ingrained wisdom that it really is a small world after all!

It's nice to be home,
Andy B.

Vacation Time

Well, the family vacation begins Sunday. We are headed south, to visit Mickey Mouse down in Florida. I gotta say, Not my first choice for summer vacation, but with a seven year old girl and a four year old boy, it seems that it may be inevitable. For some reason I couldn't convince them that pitching a tent in the middle of a Canadian forest right next to a crystal blue mountain stream would be as fun as standing in line in the heat for hours on end to ride a roller coaster ride that lasts two minutes and makes you puke.
No, actually I'm kind of looking forward to it. We will have fun, no matter where we are. Because the point of the family vacation is to commune with your family, to have fun just being together. And we can do that anywhere, even at Disney World.
I am completely in love with my family! I am so happy to be going away with them, out on the open road, that I honestly don't care where we go, as long as we are together. Sounds cheesy, yes? I know. But nonetheless, there it is.
Off to see the Wizard,
Andy B.

NOT RIGID: Kind of Like "Jacob's Well"

My sister unknowingly paid my remarkable congregation a wonderful compliment last Sunday. She attended our 10:30 worship service, and in the car on the way to lunch, she said, "The atmosphere at your church is kind of like Jacob's Well." She had attended a couple of worship services there. Little did she know just how much her remark warmed my heart.

"That's exactly what we are trying to create!" I replied. "You have no idea how good that makes me feel!"

Jacob's Well is a church here in Kansas City that is in the forefront of the emergent church movement, which, in my opinion, is the future of the church. When I gaze into my crystal ball, I see a few things happening in upcoming years.
1) Fundamentalism and right-wing evangelicalism will begin to fade into irrelevance.
2) We will finally realize that the mega-church model is actully harmful to the health of the body of Christ rather than helpful.
3) Eventually everybody will understand that the labels "traditional" and "contemporary" are void of meaning when applied to the church.
As these trends happen, what is now known as the emergent movement will become the paradigm for doing church. From the Emergent Village website:

We must imagine and pursue the development of new ways of being followers of Jesus … new ways of doing theology and living biblically, new understandings of mission, new ways of expressing compassion and seeking justice, new kinds of faith communities, new approaches to worship and service, new integrations and conversations and convergences and dreams.

When I asked my sister what exactly she meant when she made her comparison, she said, "It seems so ... open. It is very free and natural. Growing up, I always thought church was so, I don't know, rigid. Your church is definitely not rigid."

Not rigid - That's me! Of all of the words used to describe me (some of which have been kind, some not so much), rigid has never been one of them. It strikes me that rigidity is another way to think about the Pharisaic legalism against which Jesus struggled. Rigidity is one of the primary traits of right-wing Christianity, in particular when it comes to the creation and enforcement of the so-called "moral code" that is to dictate personal behavior. Rigidity is what passes for "strength" or "security" for some people, but in reality is an artificial construct used to oppress people, and patently out of line with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Rigidity is neither morality nor strength, it is just rigidity.

My remarkable congregation may not know much about the emergent movement, but they know that the church they love is a spiritual home, a place to encounter the living divine creator of the cosmos, to be grasped by the grace of Christ Jesus our savior, to be pulled ever closer into communion with the mystic presence of God's miraculous spirit. And it is people just like my sister, people who do not attend church because of the rigidity they perceive there, with whom the church needs to speak today.

Going with the flow, Andy B.

Blog Time - From Here On Out

One thing about an evening Vacation Bible School, it sure takes away from blog time! Having our VBS from 5:30 til 8:30 each evening this week has supplanted the time I ususally spend reading blogs and writing for Enter the Rainbow. And that's a good thing! VBS is awesome!

But now I have some catching up to do. I haven't read my usual list of blogs for several days now, and I am sure that by blogging friends have posted some really wonderful things over that time.

Or maybe I won't even try to catch up. Maybe I'll just start from now and move ahead. I'll read their latest posts and forget about trying to read what they have written. At last count, I have 27 blogs in the old My Favorites folder. I don't read all of them every day, but I try to get through the list at least once every couple of days. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes to start from now and read on, rather than catch up.

Maybe that is a good philosophy to espouse every now and then in life, also. For example, I have a friend who keeps days and days worth of newspapers in her house because she fully intends to do the crossword puzzles contained therein. She cannot bring herself to recycle any papers because each one contains a potentially completed puzzle. She knows that each day brings a new puzzle, but she just adds it to her pile. She needs to say to herself, "These old puzzles aren't going to get done. It is time to focus my energy on the puzzle of the day, bundle up all of those old puzzles, and take them out to the curb."

When life stacks up on us like five days of unread blogs or a pile of incomplete puzzles, sometimes it is wise to claim a new starting point. We need to say at times, "Alright, that happened and it is gone. Now, from here on out, this is what we'll do."

Looking ahead,
Andy B.

I Love V.B.S.!

Can I just say that, if I could make a career out of teaching children at Vacation Bible School, I would do it! Is anyone hiring for that position? I am having a fabulous time at our community's VBS this year.

We have an ecumenical, inter-generational VBS week, with things to do from preschool on up! I know at least two of our participants are octagenarians. We start out with dinner at 5:30 and classes for everyone starting at 6:30, then we get together for a closing session at 8:00. Little kids are running around, teenagers are sitting and eating with grown-ups, adults are laughing with the children - it is wonderful! It is a glimpse of the heavenly banquet, every night this week.

We are using the newest curriculum by Group. It is a pretty average curriculum, and it has some really weak points that have neede jazzing up. It is pretty heavy on the gender-specific language with regard to God, and has a few other theological issues, too. But the point of VBS is NOT the curriculum. The wonderful thing about events like VBS is not the content at all. I certainly don't remember a thing I ever learned as a kid in VBS, and I am pretty sure you don't either. The wonderful thing about VBS is the intentionality of it.

All of us, preschoolers, elementary kids, youth, adults young and old - we are all there together at the church building because God is amazing! Because God has called us to be there! Because we want to gather together and celebrate the goodness of the Lord! Because we are choosing to be formed in faith by the presence of the living Christ in our midst! Amen and Amen!

So if you know of anyone who is hiring a full-time VBS Bible teacher, give me a call. I'd love to apply for the job!

Flying High,
Andy B.

Methodism, the Movement

Shane Raynor from the Wesley Blog pointed this great article out in his blog. The author, Rev. Donald Haynes, is on the faculty of Hood Theological Seminary. Here is a quote from the article:

We must connect with pre-Christians, disenchanted Christians, dormant Christians and lapsed Christians with the grace theology inherent to our heritage. Notice this language! Let's stop calling these people unchurched. They are not necessarily seeking institutional church relationship. They are seeking meaning for their lives, and God in their life situation.

Right on, brother Haynes! People are sick of the institution formerly known as the church. It doesn't matter if people have the Apostle's Creed memorized or know how to find Philemon in the Bible. And people do not tend to make the viability of the Annual Conference's health insurance plan a top priority when seeking a relationship with the Divine. We just want to know that God loves us. Rev. Haynes says

Envision just how many persons within the focus of your eyes today are going to bed tonight not knowing that God knows, God cares, and God loves - all unconditionally. So many are driven by searching souls and suffering bodies. This is the hour of Methodism's "third awakening." We must rise with an ignited heart, a helping hand, a recovered passion for souls, a renewed energy.

Methodism was planted and has taken root in the rich theological soil of grace. God's abundant grace sneaking up on us before we even know we need it and bringing us home again, sometimes before we're even fully aware that we have strayed. Rev. Haynes describes people coming to a church where this kind of grace is flourishing.

Upon arriving, often bruised from fundamentalist judgment, visitors respond to grace theology like a kitten drinking warm milk. For persons with messed-up lives and guilt, the byproduct of Methodism's grace theology is comprehensive, holistic church growth.

Please go read the entire article at this link.

Shane Raynor and I both love this article. And yet, Shane Raynor is often on the opposite side of the theological table from me when we discuss particular issues via the blogosphere. The point is, no matter where you are, you can reach out to a neighbor in need with the compassion of Christ. This third awakening is calling on Methodists and all Christians to cease and desist from abusing one another with dogma and start loving one another unconditionally.

Remember, the point is not to save the church. The point is to save our souls.

Grace,
Andy B.

Okay, Here's what NOT to do...

Imagine if you will a small group of people sitting together around a table. This group has been convened to discuss important issues, issues that will impact the lives of millions of other people. In fact, the millions of others have specifically chosen this small group to represent them in these vital discussions. One of the things the small group does is collect information about these issues from a variety of sources, then make the best decisions possible based on this input. Can you picture that?

Now imagine that this small group is divided into two sub-groups. One of the sub-groups (let's call them Sub-Group A) has a few more people in it that the other (Sub-Group B). Because of the way the small group is run, the group with the most people can decide when, where, and about what to discuss. That means Sub-Group A has the power at this time. Got the picture?

Now imagine (this will require a bit of a stretch) that the leader of the small group, who is a member of Sub-Group A, hears a bit of input with which he does not agree. In fact, the input is pretty much directly counter to his idea. And so the leader of the small group immediately calls a halt to the discussion and leaves the table, taking all of the other members of Sub-Group A with him, literally turning off the microphones on members of Sub-Group B, and effectively shutting down the discussion altogether. I know that is difficult to believe, but can you at least imagine it?

It would be easier to imagine in a country that was not a democracy. Unfortunately, it happened in the United States House Judiciary Committee. It was the grown-up version of "If you won't play by my rules I'll just take my ball and go home" taunt most frequently heard on the elementary school playground.

Diversity means difference, and difference implies disagreement. As a minister, I hope the Church can learn something about what NOT to do by watching our current version of government operate. When the Church has important decisions to make, it is my prayer that Sub-Group A (whoever that may be at the time) will listen honestly to everyone's input before deciding anything. The Church is a wonderfully diverse body, with an array of different beliefs and ideas existing side-by-side. That is one of the things I love most about the Church. It has always been that way, and if I have anything to say about it, it always will.

Desiring Dialogue,
Andy B.

Ministry, Interrupted

Almost 36 hours passed from the time I started writing my last post about my visit to the Alzheimer's wing and the time I actually finished it and posted it, about ten minutes ago. If I ever needed any more evidence that "ministry happens in the interruptions," I got it yesterday.

I had my day yesterday fully agenda-ized! I knew exactly what I was going to get done and when - say goodbye to Cori and Erin going to church camp, do my correspondance, write a sermon, check on hospitals, attend covenant group, finish the blog entry, prepare for the weekend. That was going to be my day. Not even halfway through the "correspondance" portion of my morning, though, the interruption began, and did not end until afternoon. The only thing on my agenda that I accomplished was attending my covenant group, who holds me accountable for my health in the midst of busy ministry. I steadfastly refuse to miss that.

Someone came by to talk for an hour, someone called for help with a crisis, the plumbers needed a question answered downstairs, I went to visit someone in jail, someone new was admitted to the hospital for surgery so I went to see them. I felt like I was on a roller coaster. "Hey everyone, I have an agenda to accomplish here!"

So where am I today, Friday? I want everyone reading this to know that I AM SITTING AT HOME ALL DAY LONG WITH MY SON WESLEY PLAYING SUPER-HEROES, LEGOS, JEDI KNIGHTS, AND WHATEVER ELSE HE WANTS TO DO. Later we might go for a little hike in the woods somewhere. That is it! This is what I call SABBATH!

Last night after Wesley and I watched "Holes" (don't tell Erin, it was probably a little bit too rough for Wesley to see, but for a couple of guys sitting around watching a movie, we don't mind the rough stuff so much), Wes sat back on the couch and said, "Now THAT was a movie!" We smiled at each other.

That night, he slept next to me in the big bed. Somehow this morning he ended up completely sideways, allowing me just a few inches of space. I looked at him sleeping and thought, "My son is almost as tall as a queen-sized mattress is wide. When did that happen?"

I am going to finish up this entry really quick. I hear the Legos clicking away up in Wesley's room, and I don't want to miss any of the action. Thank you, Wes, for interrupting!

Sabbath Peace,
Andy B.

Ministry of Presence in the Alzheimers Wing

It has been a week since my last post. Four of those days I was at the conference and three of those days I spent getting caught up on everything I missed while I was away at said conference. One of the things I did to get caught up was to go and visit Anna. (name changed for privacy)

Anna lives in the Alzheimer's wing of a nursing home.

You press a red button on the wall to get the doors of the wing to open. This is a security featured designed not to keep people out, but rather to keep people in. I pressed the red button and had to sidestep a woman whom I did not know in a wheelchair right in front of the doorway as I entered. She looked at me and smiled. "Did you get it all right?" she asked.

I didn't know what she meant, and I don't really think she did either. I smiled and took her hand, saying, "Yes, ma'am. Everything is all right." She grasped my hand with a strength that I would not have guessed her slender, elderly frame could muster, and she pulled me close. She laughed with what might have been relief.

"Oh, good!" she said, "I was hoping that you would be able to" and so on and so on. Sometimes she made sentences and sometimes she just put words together at random, like drawing them from a hat. I don't remember what all she said, but I remember standing with her hands clasped desperately around mine, holding me close in the middle of the hallway for a good two or three minutes as she told me all kinds of very unusual things. She hugged me a couple of times. Through it all I just smiled and held her hands, until I was able to gently pry myself free. I continued down the hall to find Anna.

On my way, I wove through a score of wheelchairs that contained mostly women who had lost their memories, didn't know for sure where they were, what they were doing here, perhaps even having no real sense of self. Who are we, anyway, if not our memories? What is it that makes us more than biological machines? Where does the self reside? Alzheimer's disease is a monster, whose only objective is to rob its victims of everything they once were. I smiled and waved to everyone I passed in that hallway, and I got a few waves in return.

I made it through the gauntlet and stepped into the dining room at the end of the hall. I spotted Anna sitting at a table in her wheelchair, along with the other people who reside in her wing. I knelt by the side of her chair.

Anna is a very beautiful woman. She has shining white hair and deep, wise laugh lines in her face. Her lovely eyes convey a sparkle of wit and grace, and looking at her you know that if it wasn't for the monster steadily stealing her mind away, she would be dancing or strolling in a garden or attending a fabulous party or something.

"Hi, Anna. I'm Andy, the pastor of your church," I said.

A confused look came into those lovely eyes. "Who?" she said.

"The pastor of your church."

"What church?"

"Yours, Anna." I named the church.

"Oh, yes," she replied. And then she thought for a moment, then asked me something that gave me a little electric jolt in my heart. "How are your two children?" Then, noting my pause, she continued, "You have two children, right?"

She remembered? Or did some synapse fire randomly and came up with "two children"? I smiled and pulled out my wallet to show her the pictures. "Yes, they are doing just wonderfully," I replied. After that, she meandered away from the topic. As she went, her eyes became more and more puzzled, like she had forgotten something.

Our conversation comprised short bits of coherent discussion that popcorned from topic to topic as Anna led the way. Interspersed amidst these moments of coherence were long stretches of mumblings from behind her beautiful, confused eyes, as Anna worked to dredge words from the muddy river bottom of her mind. Once she asked me about my mother. We talked about her husband. We talked about food. Through it all, I knelt beside her wheelchair with my hand in hers and my eyes locked on hers, hoping that our physical and visual connection was compensating for the lack of verbal connection we experienced.

But there was that one moment. "How are your two children?" Out of the formless void, something was created with a few spoken words. And it was good.

After about fifteen minutes with Anna, I said goodbye, greeted the nurses on duty, wove through the wheelchairs back down the hallway, entered the code that unlocked the doors of the wing (the nurses had whispered it to me), and left the building.

What happened in the Alzheimer's wing? Will Anna remember that I came to see her? What did our hand holding and eye contact do, or what was it? What is the significance of that one moment of verbal connection? I don't really know. And I guess I don't really need to know. I suppose I'll just trust that God was there somehow, and leave it at that. It was ministry; I am a minister. Amen.

Grace and Peace,
Andy B.

Pastor-Man Learns to Step Aside

Saturday night's worship service will be a real doozie! I am sorry that I will not be there.
Mike will give the message, Barbara will lead the service, Laura will offer communion, and Ellen will play the piano. All of these people are "ringers" - substitutes for the regular folks who will all be unavailable. I am going to the Missouri Annual Conference session in Columbia, but I would really love to be a fly on the wall to see Saturday's service unfold.

Mike and Barbara are members of my remarkable congregation, but Laura is a pastor friend from Living Water Christian Church and Ellen is a friend of a friend of a friend (literally) who is wonderful enough to step in and play the piano for the service. What a celebration of the body of Christ! It makes me smile to think about these four people meeting each other for the first time for the purpose of leading a worship experience together. Literally, Laura and Ellen will be meeting everyone there for the very first time, including each other, and yet somehow within the mystery of worship, they will all be united as members of the one body. Boy, do I ever wish I could be there to see that. It is going to be magical.

Problem is, if I was there, there would be no need for Mike, Barbara, Laura, or Ellen to be there either cause I would do it all.

Hmmm ... wait a minute ... what's that? ... I am sensing God trying to teach me something here.

You mean .... hold on, let's see if I'm getting this ... you mean I could actually (gasp) STEP ASIDE and let other people do stuff?!?! But that's just crazy talk! I am the pastor! I am Pastor-Man! Faster than a speeding phylactery, more powerful than a complete set of the New Interpreter's Bible, able to leap tall capital campaigns in a single bound. There's no need to fear, Pastor-Man is here!

Well, Pastor-Man is learning, sisters and brothers. I am learning that stepping aside not only allows other people to shine, stepping aside also allows the Body of Christ to flourish. So, this Saturday I will step aside. Mike, Laura, Barbara, and Ellen have things well in hand. In fact, I am sure the service will be a real doozie. (I really wish I could be there to see it; maybe someone will tape it for me!)

Sincerely,
Pastor-Man

For the Sake of Love

This blog is dedicated to the diversity of God's church. I'll start there, by reminding myself that diversity is generally a good thing. But I think there is a limit. Diversity doesn't mean all behavior is acceptable. Tolerance does not mean "anything goes."

Take meanness, for example.

In recent weeks, I have heard from three or four in my remarkable congregation reports of people just simply being mean to others. Things like excluding them from activities, gossiping maliciously about them, and just generally treating them with coldness and disrespect. That is something I cannot tolerate.

In fact, I just sent out an email to the staff to encourage them to "set the tone" for the congregation. When you go to church, you want to experience warmth, openness, and love, right? And the staff can really go a long way in creating that atmosphere. I even asked the staff to "fake it" if they weren't feeling particularly loving on a given day! In other words, act "as if." It is that important. People come to church for love, both to receive it and to give it.

After all, Jesus did not suggest to his disciples that they love one another, he commanded it! My wife likes to remind me, "Jesus did not say to show love for your neighbor 'if you feel like it today.'" Jesus said, "Love your neighbor." (By the way, He also said, "Love your enemy.")

Now, I know that we as mere humans-under-construction are not perfect (yet), and we have days in which a little grey cloud seems to hang over us wherever we go. I know that God has given us a range of emotions, good bad and otherwise, by which to experience the world. In fact, I have preached sermons about that very topic. But when it comes down to it, you can decide how you will treat others: to be cold and mean, or to be warm and loving, that is the question. What makes people choose option A over option B?

I don't want to sound like my remarkable congregation is filled with a bunch of meanies. Not at all! In fact, every single visitor who has spoken with me in the past year has practically gushed about the friendliness they have felt here. That makes me smile! But two or three meanies in an otherwise warm and loving congregation can make a really big impression. I guess probably the pictures of meanness people have shared recently stand out so sharply because they are painted on such a friendly backdrop.

Sunday my family went to the baseball game, and the Cardinals' pitcher was replaced pretty early, because he was doing so terribly. Since we were rooting for the Royals and were in Kansas City, this was a fun thing for us. The stadium speakers began blasting out "Hit the Road, Jack" as the pitcher walked off of the field. When my daughter Cori heard the song and realized why they were playing it, she got her I-am-just-about-to-be-sad expression on her face. Gazing up at me with furrowed brow, puckered lips, and teary eyes, she said, "Daddy, that's not very nice. That song will make the pitcher sad."

Leave it to sweet-hearted Cori to extend the Christian imperative to love your neighbor even to the pitcher of the opposing team! If she can do it at the baseball stadium, surely we can do it at church, where people come for the sake of love.

Be Nice,
Andy B.

Third Party Dream

Here's something I hope, but will never ever happen. I hope those 14 Senators who were level headed enough to compromise on the filibuster thing get together and form their own new political party. Wouldn't that be a kick in the pants?

A third party comprised of people who value discernment, dialogue, and compromise would really help pry loose the bipartisan ideological fists from the throats of the American people. There are more than two points of view in our country, there should be more than two political parties. Let's embrace the diversity rather than deny it, I say!

Level headed John Danforth could be the party chair. Their animal symbol could be a prairie dog, since they are good at living in community. Party headquarters would be right here in Kansas City, since it is close to the middle of the country. The party color would naturally be purple, the blending of red and blue.

For the record, the 14 core members of the new party would be former Republicans John Warner (VA), John McCain (AZ), Olympia Snow (ME), Mike DeWine (OH), Susan Collins (ME), Lindsey Graham (SC), and Lincoln Chafee (RI). The former Democrats in the new party will be Joseph Lieberman (CT), Ben Nelson (NE), Mark Pryor (AR), Robert Byrd (WV), Mary Landrieu (LA), Ken Salazar (CO), and Daniel Inouye (HI). These are the 14 who decided to work things out like reasonable people instead of bashing each other over the head until someone submits - that's a fantastic story for the birth of a political party!

Now we just need a name ... could be the "Centrist Party." Or how about the "Compromise Party." Or something funky or trendy like "The Purple Haze Party" or "[adult swim]" or something. Maybe we could name it after some combination of the leaders' names - the "Liebercain Party" or maybe the "Chafazar Party." Hmm. Well, we don't need to come up with a name right away; we've got time.

We've got all the time in the world, since it will NEVER HAPPEN.

Hey, a blogger dedicated to diversity can dare to dream a little bit, can't he? But you gotta admit, it would be a real kick in the pants!

Baseball Causes Tooth Loss

Willa and Cori, the snaggletooth sisters, cheering for their respective teams at the game Sunday afternoon.

Royals Crush Cards, Bryans and Phillips Remain Friends

We all were showing our true colors at the K this afternoon. This picture is photographic evidence of unity amidst diversity, the Bryan family in blue, the Phillips family in red, everyone happy together in spite of divergent loyalties. But take note that Roger's smile is rather forced, as his Cardinals had just gotten trounced by the Royals and the minor league pitcher they put on the mound. And even better, the Royals got 12 hits, which means Krispy Kreme doughnuts for everyone! Wahoo!
It was a really great afternoon. It felt good to kick back and get a little recreation time!
Yea Royals!
Andy B.

I Need a Break

My friend Ashley says that if I don't get a day's worth of Sabbath every week, I will be pretty much worthless. "You've got to take care of yourself," she says, "so that you will be able to provide care for others." In fact, she has said this to me so frequently that I sometimes hear her voice in my mind, like the incessant drone of a moralistic lawnmower buzzing in the weedy recesses of my subconscious.

If Ashley is right (and I know that she is), I've got some catching up to do. I haven't had a true sabbath day of rest for at least three weeks now, and I am starting to feel it. Take today, for example. Today pretty much kicked my butt. Three people to visit with medical situations, two hours with a family in crisis, problems with our building project, two different calls from two people who just needed someone to talk with, bills to sign off, sermon to write - just one thing after another after another. By 6:30 I was so drained, I had nothing left for my family. I had to just lie down on the couch and sleep.

I don't want to have nothing left in my tank for my wife and kids when I get home from work. I want to be a good husband, a good dad. I managed to get a few cuddly minutes with my daugther when I tucked her in a couple of hours ago, and I treasure moments like that. But I need a serious "chunk of sabbath," as my friend Laura calls it. Time to recharge. Time to renew. Time to just live without having to act.

I'm not just whining, either. This sabbath rest is serious stuff. God actually COMMANDS us to do it. "There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD." (Leviticus 23:3) There it is ... in black and white ... "you are not to do any work." The LORD says it! And it is not a suggestion!

My work as an ordained minister requires there to be days like today. It is called ministry, and I am called to be a minister. I do not begrudge any of the people I was with today of their need for my presence. Please do not misunderstand. The fault is my own. I am the one not taking enough sabbath time for myself, says the moralistic lawnmower droning in my mind. The time is there, if I will just leave it alone. Instead, I find myself filling it up.

I want some time to live without acting. Yes, to live ...

Yearning for Sabbath,
Andy B.

The Blue Jeans Story

Okay, here's what happened...

I played in a charity golf tournament on Saturday at a place called the Liberty Hills Snob Club ... oh, sorry, I mean Liberty Hills Golf Club. It was a fund raiser for the Northland Assistance Center, an agency in North Kansas City co-sponsored by our congregation. I was taking a few swings on the driving range, loosening up to participate in this charity golf tournament. It was a beautiful day, I was going to play golf with some good friends, and the money was going to a good cause - I felt pretty wonderful!

Well, I'm standing there swinging my driver when this course employee scoots up in a golf cart and walks up to me. "Sir," he says, "I'm sorry, but you can't be on the driving range in blue jeans."

(Long pause.)

For several seconds, I really did think he was joking. "Oh, really!" I said.

With the gravity of Dr. Bones saying, "He's dead, Jim" on an old Star Trek episode, the course employee said, "Yes, sir."

"This is a charity event, you know?" I queried.

"Yes, sir. But you can't wear blue jeans on the course."

"I'm not a member of the club or anything," I said. I was still very stuck-in-the-headlights about this whole thing, but at least I had figured out that this guy was serious.

"Sir, I know that you are not a member, but it is a course rule. We can't break the course rules, even for a charity event," he replied.

My temperature rose a few degrees when I heard him say that. It is the same thing country clubs say to blacks, Jews, and any other group they want to exclude, "It's a rule; we can't break the club rules, can we?"

Realizing that this young man was just doing his job, I said, "I would like to speak to your supervisor, please."

Graciously, he offered to drive me up to the clubhouse in his golf cart to speak with his boss. Now remember, all of this fuss is over blue jeans. Denim pants. No holes, no frayed ends. Just a pair of decent looking blue jeans.

In the clubhouse, I spoke to the course manager, saying, "I promise you, sir, that I will never join your club. I promise I will never darken your doors ever again. But this is a charity event, and I am the pastor of one of the churches who sponsors the charity, and I am going to play golf today in this charity event, jeans or no."

"No, sir, you are not," was the manager's reply.

Again, I was struck with the absolutely blind obedience to an absolutely ridiculous rule. "If you require it, I will play this course in my underwear," I said. (In retrospect, this was not a helpful comment! But my temperature had risen several more degrees in that past few minutes, and I was struggling to keep a lid on it!)

The manager sighed, knowing he did not want a pastor of a church playing golf in his underwear on his course, which I most definitely would have done and which most definitely would have resulted in some interesting publicity for both the country club and my church! He said, "Sir, you are not going to play in jeans, but maybe one of the golfers has a pair of rain pants you can put on."

He was trying to compromise, and I figured I could meet him there. "Okay. That is better than being told, 'You may not play.' I'll try to find someone with some rain pants." (Now, I really don't know what rain pants are, why golfers need them, or what people with only a very few pairs of pants think about golfers who have a special pair just for playing golf in the rain. I was thinking of making a joke that ends with the punchline, "In case he gets a hole in one," but I stopped myself before it was too late.)

Walking through the pro shop to seek out a rain-pants owning golfer, a gentleman stopped me and asked, "What charity are you playing for today?"

"The Northland Assistance Center in North Kansas City," I told him. "It is an agency that provides food, rent assistance, utility bill assistance, and other services."

"I'll tell you what," the gentleman said, "You pick yourself out a pair of those shorts hanging there on the rack and tell them to put it on my tab."

(Long pause again.)

"Seriously!?" I asked.

"Yes, go ahead."

I proceeded to thank the stranger profusely for his graciousness and generosity. I went to the rack and selected a pair of shorts in my size, walked up to the counter, and told the course manager to "put it on that gentleman's tab, please."

And so it was that I came to own a FIFTY DOLLAR PAIR OF SHORTS! They are by far and away the nicest shorts I own - now or ever. Furthermore, another church guy wore jeans to the tournament, and this same stranger bought HIM a pair of shorts, too!

And so, to Dr. Richard Curnow of Liberty, Missouri I say a heart felt "Thank you." Your willingness to spend a hundred dollars on a couple of denim-wearing schmucks smoothed over what was becoming a rather ridiculous situation. If anyone needs a knee replaced, I hope you go visit Dr. Curnow!

And to the Liberty Hills Golf Club, I say a well-meaning "Lighten up!" Your rigidity and mindless adherence to a ridiculous rule is laughable, to say the least. Some of the clients served by the charity whose fund raiser you hosted would love to have a pair of blue jeans like the pair you did not allow me to wear on your manicured cow pasture.

And to the Northland Assistance Center, I say a very sincere "Let's have our fund raiser at different golf course next year." We don't need to be supporting a place whose principles are so out of whack with what is truly important in the world. We can accomplish our desired end somewhere else, and I can wear whatever the heck I want to wear.

Yours in denim,
Andy B.

New Holes in Corneille's Head!

If she loses any more teeth, we'll have to start feeding her jello for every meal!

My daughter Cori has lost another tooth. She reports that another is loose. That one will make four teeth in just the past couple of weeks! Plus the two that she lost when she was five. You'd think the kid was growing or something!
- Andy B.

Discovery at the Zoo

First Beginnings Preschool at the Zoo!

Dear Friends,
If you want to learn something new about the wonder and joy that comes from the amazing diversity of God's creation, take a trip to the zoo with a class of 15 preschoolers! That's what I did yesterday, as a chaperone for First Beginnings, our church's preschool. (My son Wes attends First Beginnings. He's the one on the far right in the picture.)

Yesterday, it was hot and sunny. Not a fantastic "zoo day," in that the animals were doing a lot of sitting still in the shade in order to stay cool. But for the kids, every new habitat we saw was a discovery.
- We discovered a little critter called a hyrax, with whom the kids were enamored. "Hi, Rax! Hi, Rax!" they called.
- We discovered that warthogs are actually beautiful creatures, if you look at them just right.
- We discovered that walking through a shady forest and catching sight of a jaguar peering at you from under a bush is a pretty scary thing!
- We discovered that hippos are "the most hugest" animals we ever saw.
- We discovered that a hungry sea lion can bark loud enough to make you cover your ears. Same with a nervous peacock!

And as I watched the kids discover things about God's amazing creation, I found that I was discovering, too. I was no longer chaperoning a bunch of kids, I was entering into their experience. I was peering into the animal habitats with eager eyes, primed and ready to discover something.

- We also discovered that, no matter how hot and tired and thirsty you get at the end of a morning, sitting in the shade and eating a sack lunch can really perk you up! (That discovery was made especially by the kids. For the teachers and chaperones, twenty minutes sitting and resting was not nearly long enough to be as effective.)

When you allow children to be teachers, you will be amazed at what you will discover!
Grace and Peace,
Andy B.

Repent, Democrat!

"Anyone who wants to give your life to Jesus, please come forward as the congregation sings. If you want to be in prayer about how God is calling you to serve, come to the prayer rail and let's pray.

Oh, yes - and those of you who did not vote for George Bush in the last election, come to the altar and repent of your sin. Come down now! ... I know who you are! If you don't come down front, then just go ahead and leave"

In one church in Waynesville, North Carolina, voting for anyone but George Bush will get you called to the altar by your preacher for repentance, and if you choose not to come up to the front, you will be excused from the church altogether.

This is apparently not a joke. This apparently actually happened. A WLOS news clip reported it. It probably will never make big headlines nationally, but the blog world is all over it. One of the reports I saw lists an Associated Press byline, and I have read that Keith Olberman is going to have it on his show tonight.

An isolated incident? Just one nutty preacher? Something to laugh at?

A symptom of something bigger? The first of many nutty preachers? Something to be scared of?

Here's what I think: when it happens in one congregation, it hurts the entire church. Not because it might happen again, but because it happened once. We are one body with many members. What happens with one member affects the entire body.

You know what I think we should do? (tee-hee!) This Sunday, when the preacher extends the invitation to Christian discipleship, I think all of us who voted for John Kerry or Ralph Nader last fall should come on down and repent! We should come to the altar and say, "We are sorry, God. We are sorry for wasting everyone's time by voting last fall. We are sorry for the time we wasted considering the issues, studying candidates' positions, and trying to figure out the best decisions to make. We are sorry for actually thinking that we live in a free Democratic society. It would have been so much easier just to listen to the religious right and do whatever they told us to do. Please do not smite us, O Lord. We promise never to think on our own ever again!"

And since I'm the preacher in my local manifestation of the body, I'll be up front already. Less distance for me to walk!

Faithfully yours,
Andy B.

Missouri State Budget - Pending Disaster!

Hey.

In Missouri, the poor may not be able to get health care, but at least we will have cool sports stadiums!

According to figures in the Kansas City Star, TWELVE MILLION dollars from the state of Missouri is going to upgrade professional sports facilities in our state.
And in the meantime, NINETY THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED FOUR people will lose their health insurance thanks to cuts in the state budget.

Now I’m not so naïve as to claim that that $12,000,000 would be sufficient to cover the health insurance cost of those 90,604 people. But Governor Matt Blunt has some ‘splaining to do, Lucy. He told us he had to make some hard decisions about the budget, and decided to reduce social programs for the poor in order to move closer to fiscal responsibility. I was not okay with that, nor were some other folks, but it happened, and here we are.

Now, however, if Missouri gives $12,000,000 to upgrade the state’s sporting facilities, the question our resident compassionate conservative has to answer is, “Where did you get that money, Matt?” I thought we were cutting our budget because we were broke! The way I see it, two things are possible:

1) Missouri is not as broke as Matt Blunt told us. If that is the case, he lied.

2) Missouri would rather upgrade sporting facilities than care for people in need. If that is the case, the values upon which our state government operates are seriously skewed.

My state representative, Trent Skaggs, believes that the budget is a moral document that should reflect the values of the people of the state. He is very concerned with the path the current administration and legislature are taking. What does your state rep think? More important, does your state rep know what you think? Call them! Email them! Let them know! 90,604 people will thank you for it.

To take no action is, in fact, to act.

Grace and Peace,
Andy B.

Beth Stroud

Beth Stroud

Dear Friends,
You have probably heard by now that United Methodist pastor Beth Stroud had her orders removed for being a lesbian, then recently reinstated. If you have read Enter the Rainbow before, you probably can guess my position on this whole issue. But just in case, here it is in a nutshell:

1) I do not consider homosexuality to be a sin and,
2) Even if it was a sin as many believe, one's sexual orientation has very little to do with one's call to ordained ministry. I, for example, am not "that heterosexual preacher," I'm just a preacher. A sinful yet forgiven preacher just like Beth Stroud, and
3) There are a lot more important things for the Church of Jesus Christ to say and do than obsess about sex all the time, and finally
4) Homosexuality is not a sin. (Or did I mention that already?)

With that in mind, I want to invite you to check out a couple of the Methodist blogs that I have listed over on the right hand margin. Start out by going to Shane Raynor's blog - http://www.wesleyblog.com/ There you will read Shane's conservative United Methodist opinion and a string of comments that represent a spectrum of perspectives on this issue. Most are anti-gay, but every now and then a voice of dissent can be heard, even a few from some guy called Andy B. who, last I heard, dwells in a rainbow somewhere.

But most importantly, read the interview that Shane did with Beth Stroud. I disagree with him staunchly on this issue, but I respect him highly for his reasonable questions and respectful tone. He is clearly a person of integrity and decency. I admire and respect his willingness to keep the conversation going here in virtual space.

And most of the comments on the Wesley Blog are reasonable and respectful, too. Oh, a couple of people express their bitterness and hatred, but they are a minority. (I think those kind of folks need to quit taking themselves so flipping seriously!) Surf around some of the other blogs on that list to read some of the myriad of opinions out there.

Not only what we have to say matters, but the way in which we say it matters, too. If you choose to comment on my blog (or another one) about this issue or any other, I know that you will do so in a respectful and reasonable way. Try not to attack, just state your own belief. State it with passion and depth, but do so in love and grace.

Finally, I just wanted to mention that, in spite of having her clergy orders reinstated, Beth has chosen to refrain from resuming her clergy duties until the case is fully resolved. For what it is worth, she is a servant of the church with an extra portion of level-headedness and authenticity. She knows that she has a divine call to be a minister, and she is patient enough to wait until the church figures out something she already knows! Please pray for the church, for the United Methodist denomination, and for Beth as this conversation continues.

Grace and Peace,
Andy B.

D@#% Democrats!

Hey, what's up? I read the paper yesterday morning, and I gotta ask ... Aren't you sick of those blasted obstructionist Democrats? Who do they think they are, refusing to affirm President Bush's nominees? Threatening to filibuster? What kind of a country do they think this is, free or something?
I mean, how dare they approve J. Michael Seabright to be a federal judge for the district of Hawaii by a margin of 98 - 0. 98? ... 98!?!? Where were those other two Senators? Probably out trying to obstruct somthing.
And what is up with appoving 95% of the people Bush has nominated? Only 95%?!? Come on, people. 95% is not even close to where we need to be. Let's aim high! Blast the fallacious filibuster! Ram onward to 100%!!!

Sigh ...

Seriously, though. My four-year-old son likes to race. "Let's race!" he will say. When it looks as though he is going to lose, though, he calls out, "It's not a race, okay?" even though it was his idea to race in the first place. He changes the rules of the game when it looks like he might lose. And let me repeat - he is four years old. Bush nominees lose 5% of the time; he is batting .950 for the season. And when one of those 5 times out of 100 that they lose happens, his team calls out, "Let's change the rules!" so that they will win, anyway.

D@#% Democrats.

If I don't laugh, I might cry,
Andy B.