Saturday Song: "Holy Is His Name"

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Every Saturday for the next few weeks I’m going to be playing and posting a song that means a lot to me. This week’s song is “Holy Is His Name,” by John Michael Talbot. The video is below, followed by some brief remarks on why this song matters to me.

 
 

Every Saturday for the next few weeks I’m going to be playing a song that’s important to me. This is “Holy Is His Name,” by John Michael Talbot.

 
 

When the Angel Gabriel tells Mary she is going to be pregnant with Israel’s Messiah, she sings this song. The music is from John Michael Talbot, but the words are from Mary herself, as given to us in Luke’s Gospel.

I sing this song every year during our Lessons and Carols service after Christmas; I think its power comes from the way Mary so perfectly understands what the coming of the Messiah means to God’s people:

He has cast down the mighty in their arrogance

And remembered the meek and the lowly.

It’s not Christmastime, but I think we could all use a bit of Christmas cheer right now.

May this song bless you as much as it blesses me.

 
 

Holy Is His Name, by John Michael Talbot

Verse 1:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

and my spirit exalts in God my Savior.

For he has looked with mercy on my lowliness,

and my name will be forever exalted.

For the mighty God has done great things for me,

and his mercy will reach from age to age.

 

Chorus:

And holy, holy, holy is his name.

 

Verse 2:

He has mercy in every generation.

He has revealed his power and his glory.

He has cast down the mighty in their arrogance,

and has lifted up the meek and the lowly.

He has come to help his servant Israel;

he remembers his promise to our fathers.

Pastors Webinar On Broadcasting From Home

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[Note: this is NOT what my home studio looks like. I wish!]

[Note: this is NOT what my home studio looks like. I wish!]

The following is a handout I prepared to present at a webinar for pastors about how to broadcast worship from home. The webinar was free, so the participants definitely got what they paid for from me!

 
 

Download the handout here. The text is also included below. Good luck!

 
 

Best Practices for Leading Worship from Home in a Time of Quarantine

 

I am broadcasting worship live from home on Sundays.

Our music director is also broadcasting from her home piano earlier on Sundays.

It is exhausting! 

Key Takeaways

·      Clarity, Consistency, and Intimacy Beat Excellence

·      Rehearse Everything

·      Small Improvements Make a Big Difference

 

 

Clarity, Consistency, and Intimacy Beat Excellence

None of us has the ability to produce television-level worship services from home.  That’s okay!  We’re doing our best to serve our people in this time.

 

Pick a video platform that offers audio/visual clarity.  It may not be the perfect platform, but if folks can hear and see, then it’s good enough.  At Munger, we have decided to use Facebook Live.  It’s not perfect, but so far it’s been good enough.

 

Make a plan to broadcast from home, and then keep it consistent.  Create a broadcast studio at home, from which you always go online.

 

I made the decision that the intimacy that’s gained from broadcasting from home—as well as broadcasting live!—gained more with our folks than doing something perfectly produced.  My thought is that our emotional connection with our folks is what they most need from us right now.

 

A quick word on going live: I think the downsides of going live (and there are many) are worth the upside of the sense of immediacy and connection live broadcasts bring.

 

 

Rehearse Everything

This point cannot be overstated!  Do nothing without rehearsing beforehand, particularly several times.

 

None of us is any good at this before we start practicing.  I scheduled multiple live rehearsals before our first Sunday doing the livestream, and there were lots of subsequent improvements that we made as a result.

 

Small Improvements Make a Big Difference

Don’t worry about perfection—just try to make some small improvements each time you go live.

Some ideas:

·      How can you improve lighting?  Should you order some video lights?

·      How can you improve sound?  Should you record with a mic?

·      Do you have a tripod for your phone?

·      Are you wearing simple colors that look good on video?

 

 

 

Here’s What We’re Using:

 

·      Facebook Live, through the Munger Place Church FB page.

·      We embed that code on our church’s site: www.mungerplace.org

·      Folks watch on Facebook or on the church site.

·      13 in. Macbook Pro

·      iPhone XS Max

·      iPhone X

·      Shure Portable Videography Bundle with SE215 Earphones and MV88+ Video Kit including Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone

·      Professional Grade Lavalier Lapel Microphone Omnidirectional Mic with Easy Clip On System

·      Neewer 700W Octagon Softbox Continuous Lighting Kit

·      I set my phone on a tripod on a ladder on my home desk, and record standing up!

 

 

Andrew Forrest

Munger Place Church

forresta@mungerplace.org

 

My blog: www.andrewforrest.org

 

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How to Parent During a Pandemic

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First disclaimer: I don’t know anything. Not only am I not a parenting expert, I’m not even the best parent in my house! But, I am trying to figure this out just like you, so I humbly offer some thoughts below.

Second disclaimer: I am a Christian, and so my advice will obviously come from a faith-based perspective. But, because I believe God created families and that all happy families are alike, I think the advice below should broadly apply to any family in these times. And, if your family isn’t religious, now is a good time to begin to question your previous assumptions.

 
 

Put Your Oxygen Mask On First - Focus On Your Spiritual Life First

As parents, we MUST cultivate our own spiritual life first, before anything else. The most important thing we have to offer our children is a non-anxious presence. In a time of fear, it is important that we give peace to our children, but we can only give it if we have it.

Now is the time for us to rise early in the morning to pray and be still. Now is the time for us to read our Bibles daily. Now—more than ever—is the time for us to resist the urge to reach for our phones first thing in the morning before we’ve done our time in silence, prayer, and scripture.

Parents, our commitment to the daily disciplines of the Christian life is what will take us through this crisis.

If you are not practicing the actions above, you need to start.

 
 

Tell Your Kids The (Partial) Truth - Do Not Ever Lie

Our children need to be able to trust us, and the cultivation of trust is one of parenting’s essential responsibilities. Therefore, it is vital that we do not lie to our children.

  • Do not say that they are definitely going back to school;

  • Do not say that no one we know will get sick;

  • Do not say that their birthday parties are definitely going to happen as planned;

  • etc.

An entirely appropriate response to our kids’ questions is, “We don’t really know at this point.”

It is also entirely appropriate to share the partial truth with children. They don’t need to know everything, but they do need to hear the truth from us. Knowing what to tell them and what to withhold requires wisdom, of course, which is why it’s so important that we cultivate our own spiritual lives. See above.

Some examples:

Don’t say: No one we know is going to die.

Do say: Jesus tells us not to be afraid, even of death. If someone we love dies, we will see them again in Christ.

Don’t say: Your birthday party will be fine.

Do say: We will definitely find some way to celebrate your party.

Don’t say: Everything will be okay.

Do say: People have made it through—and thrived in!—much harder things before.

 
 

Give Your Kids a Daily and Weekly Schedule and Rhythm

Routine gives children (and adults!) something in which to trust. Even though all of our kids are now homeschoolers, this new reality doesn’t mean they don’t need clear bedtimes, breakfasttimes, lunchtimes, and playtimes.

Some suggestions:

Bookend your days with prayer. I will be leading a live online prayer service at 7 AM and 7 PM, M-F. (The service will last no longer than 15 minutes.) Please join.

Make every Sunday a celebration. Every Sunday is Easter, and you should worship and celebrate as such in your house. [Need a place to go for online worship? We’d love to have you join us at Munger.]

Celebrate and observe special days. Make sure that birthdays and anniversaries and national holidays and special days of the Christian year (Good Friday, Easter, Pentecost, etc.) are somehow different in your house.

 
 

Pray Together

I realize that many of us feel totally inadequate and uncomfortable in leading our families in prayer. Guess what? Get over it. We don’t have the luxury of those emotions any more.

My suggestion: get the whole family to kneel together at the side of the bed before bedtime. Read a psalm and give God thanks for the day.

 
 

Play With Your Children—ESPECIALLY Dads and Kids

Playing with our kids—particularly if it involves us getting down on the floor with them—is one of the ways we increase their trust in us. When we actively join in their play, it makes them feel safe and secure.

This is true for both moms and dads, but I think it is especially important that fathers spend time playing with their kids.

(I realize that some of us are single mothers, and I know that you are doing the best you can. Don’t give up!)

As a father who’s been sequestered at home this past week, it has been very easy for me to work all day long and, though my kids are close, not really spend any time with them outside of meals. And yet I know that when I take time to deliberately join their games, I see an immediate difference in my children’s demeanors.

If you have not played much with your children before, now is the time to start.

 
 

Let There Be An Embargo on Virus Talk During Dinner

Our kids need a respite from our (understandable) obsession with virus news. Keep the dinner hour free from pandemic palaver.

(This one has been hard for me!)

 
 

Practice Bottom-Up Thinking

Top Down Thinking: We start with the idea of PERFECTION and then look at our circumstances—we’ll be miserable.

Bottom-Up Thinking: We start with the idea of NOTHING and then look at our circumstances—we’ll see how much we have for which to be grateful.

As wealthy Americans, we are experts at Top Down Thinking, but it isn’t helpful. It’s time for us to learn another way, and teach it to our kids.

 
 

These next months will be the most formative in our children’s lives. How we parent our children during this time will determine whether they grow unto adulthood strengthened or weakened because of this pandemic. I know that’s a lot of responsibility! But, it’s true.

Here’s the good news: Parents have raised children literally in every single situation in human history. Our grandparents and great grandparents lived through the Great Depression and the Second World War, and they were strong because of those difficulties, not in spite of them.

It will be difficult to parent during this pandemic, but we can do it!

How to Beat Back Anxiety and Dread

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I’ve read too many disaster novels, and at times in the past week my imagination has got the best of me; I’ve had moments of rising anxiety and even dread.

I don’t know the future any more than you, but I know this:

Fear and dread do not come from God.

Fear is always our fight, and these days it will be more important than ever that we beat it back.

Here’s what to do.

 

Do Literally Nothing

When the anxiety is rising, one of the best things we can do is literally nothing:

Sit still. Turn off your phone and everything else. Be silent.

I find that just sitting still for about 15 minutes is an effective first step of breaking out of the anxiety trap.

 

Tell Someone Else

Fears become weaker when they are shared aloud. Just a simple text or phone call or word to another person can be helpful. “Hey, I’m feeling a fair amount of anxiety right now—will you pray for me?”

 

Name Your Fears, Specifically

Like a noxious mold, fear grows in darkness. Most often, our fears are vague and nameless. When I force myself to say out loud exactly what it is I am afraid of, I find that my fears shrink, rather than grow. When I shine a spotlight on it and pin it down, it takes away some of its power.

Remember being a kid in the dark in your room at night? That nameless dark shape in your room which could be a ravening monster seems a lot less scary when you shine your flashlight on it and see it was only your old rocking chair.

 

Recite Scripture Aloud

God’s words have power! When we say them aloud, it’s like the darkness gets pushed back a little. Start with something simple, like Psalms 23 or 46 or 121.

(By the way, this is why scripture memorization is so important—we need to keep these words close to our hearts.)

 

Name Your Blessings

It’s good to force yourself to recite aloud all the reasons you have to be thankful in that exact moment. Force yourself to always name at least 10 blessings.

 

Say the Names of God Aloud

In times of worry, my wife has found that saying the names of God that we find in scripture has made a difference. In fact, she keeps a list of God’s names in the NOTES section in her phone. Some examples:

Lord, you’re the Creator.

You’re the Alpha and the Omega.

God, you’re my rock and my fortress.

Jesus, you are the bright morning star.

Lord, you’re the Lion of Judah.

Etc.

 

Be Disciplined In Your Disciplines

This is not so much a technique to help when you are in the midst of fear, as it is a way of preparing yourself to live with less fear generally.

Just as an athlete or musician doesn’t decide in the moment of performance and pressure to succeed, neither does a disciple of Jesus. Rather, we prepare to succeed by committing to healthy habits. The athlete and the musician practice; the Christian prays.

Re-commit now to the basic disciplines of the Christian faith: Sunday worship, morning and evening prayer, etc.

One key habit: Don’t reach for your phone first thing in the morning—rather, first reach for the Bible or just sit and be still. The news can wait.

 

Fear is never from God. If you are feeling fear, know that it is a lie from Hell to plague you.

 
“In this world you will have trouble, but have no fear: I have overcome the world.”
— Jesus of Nazareth, John 16:33

I Have Become a Televangelist

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A few weeks ago I decided that a quarantine was inevitably going to come upon us, so I bought a bunch of home video equipment that would allow me to broadcast from my home office.

Tomorrow, I make my debut as a televangelist. [3/15/2020 at 9:30 AM, CDT—here’s the link.] Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be buying a private jet any time soon, so I have a long way to go in my new career.

I’ve done a few live test videos so far, and everything seems to be working perfectly, though the lights make me sweat! The photo above is from this morning and is an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the glamorous life of a startup televangelist.

I’m planning on releasing as many videos and blog posts as I can crank out in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Pray for me!

 
[Here’s a screenshot from a video I did this morning. From the viewer’s perspective, everything looks pretty good.]

[Here’s a screenshot from a video I did this morning. From the viewer’s perspective, everything looks pretty good.]

 

How to Watch

We’ll be using Facebook Live. Here’s the schedule for Sunday, March 15, 2020

09:30 AM - Live Music

10:00 AM - Live Message

  1. Watch at www.mungerplace.org/watch. We’ll post some documents with the scripture passage and song lyrics there as well.

  2. Login to Facebook and watch at the Munger Place Church Facebook page.

 

An Open Letter to Leaders in the Midst of the Coronavirus Crisis

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Friends, it is our time to lead.

By definition, leadership means going first.

Going first comes with tremendous risk.  But, why else has the Lord given us our positions if not to use them?

In a time of crisis, we cannot wait for others to lead our people: it is our responsibility, and we need to take it up.

I know we are facing unprecedented challenges, and that people’s livelihoods are at stake.

  • Do we close?

  • Do we pay employees?

  • How will our organization survive?

  • When or will life go back to normal?  Etc.

Many of those questions have neither easy answers nor any answers right now.

Lots of what’s going to happen is out of our hands, but what is not out of our hands is how we will react.

 

The Lord has given us everything we need today to be strong and courageous, to reassure our people, and to lead them well.

 

I really believe that: God has given us everything we need today to lead well.  Do we have everything we want?  No!  Do we wish circumstances were different?  Yes!

But, nevertheless, we have everything we need.

 

 Sometimes, all we have are five loaves and two fish.  What are they among so many?

 Sometimes what we have seems woefully inadequate.

 But, when we put what little we have into the Lord’s hands, it becomes more than enough:

 “Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up,  “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.” [John 6:8-11.]

 

We have what we need today to lead our people well.

Let’s do it.

All Public Worship Services Temporarily Cancelled at Munger for Sunday, 3/15/2020

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We are *temporarily* canceling all public worship services at Munger Place Church on Sunday, March 15, 2020.

Here’s why:

 

“Doing Nothing” and Staying Home Will Make a Difference In Our Community!

What the research and expert opinion shows is that the single most effective way to slow down the spread of the coronavirus is to practice social distancing, i.e., to stay home. [More info here.]

We are at a tipping point in our city with regard to the spread of the virus, and we have the ability to slow its spread by “doing nothing”!  That is, when we stay home, we make a difference.

 

 This Is About Our Hospital System and About Loving Our Neighbors

We know the virus will spread, and many of us will get sick.  The concern I have (after reading lots of reports) is lessening the strain on our hospital system, so that the people who are sick or injured from whatever cause will have a safe hospital bed in which to be treated and recover.

This is not about you or me avoiding getting sick—this is about us caring for others and thinking proactively about our hospital system by deliberately slowing the virus spread, thereby keeping more people healthier longer.

 
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I Do NOT Want You to Come to Church

For the first time in my entire pastoral ministry, I feel that the most faithful leadership I can show and the most love of my neighbor I can practice is to tell you not to come to church this Sunday.

 

NOW Is the Time to Act

 This is a temporary measure because NOW is the time to slow the virus.  Once it breaks out among us in as severe an outbreak as in Italy, e.g., it will be too late.

 

This Is Not About Giving Into Fear

It is not giving into fear to be prudent.  Fear and panic is buying all the Doritos at the grocery store and stocking toilet paper for the next 4 years!  Prudence is the opposite of panic—prudence is boarding up your windows when the hurricane is coming.  Prudence is preparing for the future.

 

How You Can Make a Difference

You know that I’ve committed to be candid with you, even if what I have to say makes people angry.

The following is what I strongly believe:

Out of love for our neighbors, we need to cancel our travel plans and our social activities immediately.  I am doing this personally.

We want to slow the spread of this virus, and that is how to do it.  Don’t wait for anyone else—LOVE GOES FIRST.  Do it now.  It is not brave or loving to persist with normal social activities.  Life will resume and life will go on, but NOW is the time to act.

By definition “too early” is “not too late.”

 

Here’s What Our Church Will Be Doing

 We will resume public worship services ASAP.

In the mean time, our Munger staff is working hard to prepare to deliver content to our people on a regular basis.  We will definitely do a livestream of some sort on Sunday morning, March 15, 2020.  Stay posted for the exact details.

In addition, we are making plans now to best care for the poor and vulnerable among us who will be hit hard financially when they miss work, etc.  More details to follow.

 

There IS No Reason to Be Afraid

 Friends, preparing and prudence are not panic.  They are wise.  We have no reason to be afraid because Christ is King.

 

Here’s What I AM Asking Us to Do:

1.      Spread this message.  Tell all the Mungarians you know that church is temporarily cancelled for this Sunday.  Tell everyone you know to stay home.

2.     Spread PEACE through your networks.  We have no reason to be afraid—Jesus has overcome the world!

 

Love and courage,

Andrew

 

P.S.  If I am wrong about this, then we’ll all be able to laugh at my expense in a few weeks.  I’ve never wanted to be more wrong in my life!  If I’m right, however, but refuse to take responsibility to act, that will also be clear in a few weeks, and God will hold me accountable for my leadership failures.

Here's What We're Doing at Munger About the Coronavirus

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At all times, we want our folks to feel as safe as possible when coming to church; in times of crisis and with fear whispering in our ears, it’s more important than ever that the Church comes together on Sundays.

No one knows the future, and no one knows exactly how the Coronavirus will affect our city.

That being said, there are some prudent steps we can take to be prepared, starting this weekend.

Here’s What We’re Doing at Munger About the Coronavirus:

  • All doors will be propped open, so no one will have to pull on a doorhandle.

  • Instead of passing the offering plate, we’ll have big offering baskets near the exits into which folks can drop their offering. (Giving online is always an option!)

  • We will NOT be serving doughnuts at our morning services.*

  • We will not pass the peace or shake hands. Elbow bumps it is!

  • We will clean and disinfect all surfaces after each service.

*Don’t worry, in place of doughnuts we’re going to have individually-wrapped treats of some sort for those of you who can’t sit through church without a treat! And, because our local doughnut shop depends on our church’s business, though we will not be actually asking them to make our usual order, we will keep paying for it for the time being.

 

Here’s What You Can Do To Help

  • If you’re sick, stay home!

  • If your children are sick, please keep them at home.

  • Bring your own hand sanitizer. (We have supplies for a couple of months, but our suppliers are unable to restock at this point, so if you bring your own sanitizer, it will help our supplies last.)

  • If you’re not sick, come to church!

 

No one knows the future, and we are all in the hands of God. But that’s always true, isn’t it?

We have an opportunity here to show our neighbors the difference faith in Jesus makes.

Let’s do it.

Don’t be afraid; just believe. (Mark 5:36)

How to Have a Great Lent

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Lent is about preparation.

Will you be ready?

 

Beginning Ash Wednesday and ending Holy Saturday, Lent is the 40 day period leading up to Easter.


Here are 3 ways to get yourself ready for the raucous good news of Easter Sunday!

 


Fast

Before modern times, virtually all Christians spent time in fasting.  Why not try it this Lent?

Give up a certain type of food for a certain period, e.g., skipping lunch on Wednesdays and Fridays.

 

Pray

Make regular prayer a Lenten habit.

Here’s how: Sit in the same place each time. Put your phone in another room. Focus your thoughts on the Lord. (I find a prayer rope helps me.)

And any Mungarians reading this should definitely take a shift in our Easter Prayer Vigil.

 

Worship

Attend Sunday worship every week—NO MATTER WHAT. Unless you are sick, don’t miss Sunday worship—and being out of town is not a reason to miss—other towns have churches, too.

If you are a Mungarian, attend Wednesday morning communion (7:30-8:00 AM). I lead it every week in the sanctuary.

Plan now and schedule your life around Holy Week services.

 

Easter is always good news, but when we prepare—when we remember that the Cross comes before the Crown—Easter becomes ELECTRIC.

Will you be ready?

Only at Munger, #27

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We have this thing we say at Munger in our staff meetings when something crazy happens:

“Only at Munger!”

For example, the time we had to ask some of our greeters not to smoke on the front steps:

“Only at Munger!”

Well, today I might have had my most “only-at-Munger” moment yet, as I had to say to someone:

“Please put your lizard down, and then I’ll serve you communion.”

Only at Munger.

(Wouldn’t have it any other way.)

Oscar Grace

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A moment of grace can change everything.

I remember watching the Academy Awards in 2004. Bill Murray—one of my favorite actors—had been nominated for the Best Actor Oscar that year for his movie Lost in Translation.

At the Oscars, the camera lingers on the faces of each of the losing nominees after the winner has been announced. (We like to see the pain and disappointment of others, I suppose.) I remember Bill Murray looking particularly crushed when Sean Penn was announced as the winner. He had to have known that he’d never get back there again, particularly as he has made a career as a comic actor and not as someone who takes on the sorts of dramatic roles that are like catnip to the Academy.

I was reminded of that moment when I saw the award given for Best Director at last night’s 2020 Academy Awards. The Korean director Bong Joon-Ho was announced as the winner, and then the camera lingered on the faces of the four losing directors: Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarentino, Sam Mendes, and Todd Phillips. (I thought Mr. Phillips looked particularly disappointed.) Seeing the real-time disappointment of men who have been working their entire lives to win something made me uncomfortable; I felt sorry for them.

And then Bong Joon-Ho made his speech, and the entire feel of the moment changed. The whole thing is worth watching.

Watch Bong Joon Ho's Oscar 2020 acceptance speech for Directing for PARASITE. Watch more highlights from Oscars 2020 on Oscar.com and in the ABC app!

Mr. Bong first deftly recognizes Martin Scorsese in such a pure and heartfelt way that the entire audience gives Martin Scorsese a standing ovation. Then, he credits Quentin Tarentino with generously promoting his films in American when no one had heard of him, and then he tells Todd Phillips and Sam Mendes that he wishes he could cut the Oscar statuette in pieces and share it with them. Todd Phillips grins. It’s as if grace has been poured out on the entire theater, with everyone just grateful to be there and experience it.

It’s such a beautiful moment.

Grace changes everything.

This Is Forty

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Today is my fortieth birthday.

 

The picture above was taken thirty years ago, when I was ten.

Ten years ago, I was thirty.

Ten years from now, I’ll be fifty.

FIFTY.

Folks have always been telling me something that I’ve now found myself to be true: life moves fast.

 
 

Today, I'm reflecting: What am I learning? What is my life about? What do I believe?

Three things.

There are three truths that I’m holding onto these days. Three insights I’ve learned not from books or from others but from my own experiences (experiences that are of course shaped by books and by others).

I believe my life is about these three things. This is what I believe, and because I have the privilege of leading and teaching others, this is what my ministry is about.

These three things are my mission, my focus, and my direction. I really believe that.

 
 

First, I believe in silence, stillness, and solitude.

In stillness is my strength. I know that anything important I will achieve will come from quieting my soul and just sitting before God. I have learned that John 15 is both a promise and warning: “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you abide in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Creativity comes from silence, and hope from from stillness.

The biggest challenge of my life, though, is learning how to be still. Nothing else comes close.

 
 

Second, I believe in responsibility.

I’ve become more and more convinced that passivity is the primal temptation lurking in the heart of man. I face that temptation toward passivity every day, and my forties will be defined by my decisions to either take or shirk responsibility for my life and my family and for the people around me.

 
 

Third, I believe in the simplicity on the far side of complexity.

The simplicity this side of complexity is naive and foolish. This kind of simplicity wants neat answers with no remainders, shuts its eyes to inconvenient truths, and trades in polite lies.

The simplicity that is on this side of complexity is not worth a bucket of warm spit.

This is because life doesn’t easily provide neat answers, is full of inconvenient truths, and resists pat answers and platitudes.

It’s good, therefore, to move beyond the simplicity that lies on this side of complexity and to make your way into complexity itself.

But it’s not good to stay there. When you reach complexity, you need to keep going until you come out the other side.

You see, there is a simplicity on the far side of complexity that acknowledges that while life is certainly grey—not black and white—and certainly mysterious, there is still solid ground to stand on once you reach the other side.

You’ll know when you’ve reached the simplicity on the far side of complexity when you’ve examined all the hard questions and inconvenient details and come up with an answer that includes those things and yet provides clarity and a way forward.

Hot water from the tap is a simplicity that lies on the far side of complexity. Think of all the difficulties that have to be acknowledged and overcome to produce that everyday miracle of civilization.

The Constitution of the United States is a simplicity that lies on the far side of complexity. Think of all the insights into human nature that had to be acknowledged and overcome to produce that remarkable document.

“Here I stand: I can do no other.” Martin Luther’s famous declaration is a simplicity that lies on the far side of complexity. Think of all the wrestlings with God through an untold number of sleepless nights it cost Luther before he had the kind of clarity for which he was willing to die.

The simplicity on the far side of complexity can be big or small; it can be life-and-death or just a bit of everyday insight; it can be the result of centuries of slow technological advances (like the iPhone) or it can come flashing forth from revelation (like the Great Commandment).

But in whatever form it comes, it’s always beautiful and compelling.

And the simplicity on the far side of complexity is worth whatever it costs to learn.

 

This is forty, and this is what my life is about: learning and leading to the simplicity on the far side of complexity, where we experience the beautiful grace of God.

Initial Thoughts on the Proposed Methodist Split

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My phone was blowing up today with folks asking me if I had seen the news of a proposed split for the United Methodist Church, and what my thoughts were. Here is my initial reaction, along with some clarifying information as to what today’s news actually means.

 

Facts Are Our Friends

The facts are that the United Methodist Church is an extremely divided denomination, and not only as to the definition of marriage: there are wide divisions in the denomination over nearly every other theological category one could think of.

It is good to recognize this fact. We may wish it were different, but it isn’t, and we’ll never make progress unless we acknowledge the stubborn uncomfortable facts of the present. The fact that we are divided is sad, but sadder still would be our refusal to acknowledge that these divisions are deep and irreconcilable.

 

Life Requires Trade-offs

Because the UMC is so divided, no interest group or caucus or theological camp will ever be able to get 100% of what it wants. It is good to acknowledge this, even if it’s painful. So, a mediated plan for amicable separation is, at this point, a good thing.

 

Leaders Make Hard Decisions

I’m impressed that the proposed plan has signatories from many of the relevant camps and caucuses. There is no other way forward. No doubt there were parts of the proposed plan that were hard for any individual signatory to stomach. Good for the folks who hammered out this plan for knowing that ANY successful solution will have distasteful parts to their respective constituencies. I have a lot of respect for those sorts of leaders, leaders who make hard decisions.

 

It Is Better to Part Than to Remain in a Wrestling Match to the Death

When Abraham and his nephew Lot can no longer live together (see Genesis 13), they decide on an amicable separation. Lot chooses his direction, and Abraham goes in the other.

Although it would have been better if we could live together in unity and love, since we can’t, then it’s good for us to part peaceably.

 

IMPORTANT: The Proposed Plan is Just That: a *Proposal*

The plan of separation will need to be passed at the 2020 General Conference for it to actually mean anything. The General Conference could pass it or reject it or modify it. Until then, the plan is an idea only. Let me say again: literally anything or nothing could come out of General Conference 2020. That said, it is significant that the 16 signatories represent such a wide array of caucuses and camps, and presumably these signatories will be working hard between now and the May General Conference to get buy in from the elected delegates with regard to the plan of separation.

 

Local Churches And Pastors Have No way of Affecting the General Conference Outcome At This Point, Apart from Prayer

The only people who will have a say at General Conference 2020 are the 862 elected delegates, who were elected last year from around the world. (General Conference 2020 will be held in Minneapolis in May.) The United Methodist Church is organized into regional bodies called Annual Conferences; I am a member of the North Texas Annual Conference. [Bishop Michael McKee—our bishop, put out a helpful and informative statement on the proposed plan.] The North Texas Conference was allotted 8 delegates to General Conference 2020–4 clergy delegates, and 4 lay delegates. At the North Texas Annual Conference meeting last June, I was able to vote for 4 clergy delegates, and the lay members of the Annual Conference were able to vote for 4 lay delegates. After the voting, neither I nor any other pastor who is not an elected delegate has any say whatsoever on the outcome of the 2020 General Conference.

 

What Does This Mean For Munger?

Munger is officially a part of Highland Park United Methodist Church. There is no way to know at this point what these proposed plans mean for Munger—it all depends on what happens at General Conference, and what the North Texas Conference and then Highland Park UMC do in response. What I do know is this: for over 10 years now, the leadership of Highland Park has always worked hard to do whatever it takes to set up and then help Munger to flourish as a congregation in East Dallas, and I am confident that that won’t change going forward.

Fear of the future has no place in the people of God. Instead, we should all be grateful that our denominational leaders have put in the required hard work toward a necessary way forward, and grateful that God has permitted us to be in ministry at this place and time—there is lots of ministry in the name of Jesus to do.

The future is inherently unknowable, which is why Jesus tells us to only focus on today. As I write this, e.g., it seems that the United States will be at war with Iran; I have no idea what that means for the future, nor did I have any idea 48 hours ago what the geopolitical news would be today. My point is that there is no point in worrying over the future, which is out of our hands. What I do know is that God tells us to be faithful, to love our neighbors and our enemies, to trust him with the future, and to carry on.

Let’s do it. See you Sunday.

Here's to the Roaring Twenties

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It’s going to be a great decade—the Roaring Twenties!

I’m not naive, and I know there will be hard times ahead. But I also know that life is what you make of it, and I believe these next ten years will be the best ten years of my life.

Why Not?!

Every year I pick a One Word theme for the year, but since it’s a new decade, I’ve decided to be extravagant and also pick a 2 word theme for these next 10 years.

My two-word theme for the Roaring Twenties is, “Why Not?”

Last year, just after Dabo Swinney led the Clemson Tigers to their 2nd National Championship in 3 years, he gave a postgame interview—all of which is worth watching—30 seconds of which have stayed with me since I first saw it. Over the past year I’ve gone back to that clip often.

Some background: Dabo, who grew up poor in Alabama, was a walk-on for the Alabama football team while he and his mom shared an apartment, because she had nowhere else to live. Dabo’s Clemson beat Alabama for both of its recent national titles. Here’s the clip:

 

Dabo Swinney gives a memorable answer in his National Championship postgame interview, January 7, 2019.

 

I love that!

It’s going to be a great decade.

It’s going to be the Roaring Twenties.

It’s going to be the best 10 years of my life.

Why Not?!

 

P.S. What’s your One Word (or two or three) for the Roaring Twenties?

Leave me a comment below.

These Past 10 Years

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Ten years ago today, December 31, 2009, I was in a snowstorm in Boston, Massachusetts. In the picture above, taken on that afternoon—New Year’s Eve 2009—you can see me and my wife, along with my parents and my youngest brother, posing outside of The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, which was offering free admission for the holiday.

I stumbled across that picture today as I was reflecting on this past decade, and I’ve been struck this evening with the memories of all that has happened since.

These past ten years have been something, let me tell you.

I officially started work as the pastor for Munger Place Church on January 1, 2010, so I’ve been the Munger pastor for exactly 10 years, or 3,652 days. Munger didn’t exist as a church when I punched in that first day of 2010 (we launched worship in October of that year), and as excited as I was for the opportunity to help bring life back into our old building and into our neighborhood and launch a new church, I can honestly say that what has happened at and through Munger over the past decade far exceeds anything I could have imagined 10 years ago.

One of my strongest desires was to be the pastor of a church that people wanted to attend; one of my greatest blessings these days is to know that in those of us who call ourselves Mungarians, that desire has been realized: we love coming together as a church on Sundays (and other special days).

The video taken below is from this past Christmas Eve 2019. We opened our doors for our services 30 minutes before the services were to begin; when we did so, there were crowds of people already lining up to enter church. Here’s the video of the doors opening at 4:30 PM for our 5:00 PM service. How great is that?!

Folks waiting to enter the church when the doors open 30 minutes beforehand. Munger Place Church. Christmas Eve 2019.

You can’t see it in the Boston NYE picture at the top of this post, but my wife was 4 months pregnant with our son on New Year’s Eve 2010, so I’ve officially been a father for the past 10 years, as well as being a pastor, though both son and church were embryonic when 2010 began!

I’m at home with my little family this New Year’s Eve, and though I always knew I wanted to be a father—I wanted a whole gang of kids— I can honestly say that being together with my family is the source of my greatest joy and that marriage and fatherhood and family have far exceeded what I could have imagined 10 years ago.

One blessing I didn’t imagine was the blessing that comes from being the father to a daughter. I came from a family of boys and I first became a father to a boy, so princess dresses and pink stuffed animals were not things I had personal experience with before my daughter was born. Having a little girl—and a very girly little girl, at that—in the house is a source of constant delight and amusement for me. I love being the father to a daughter!

I don’t think I would have believed, if you had told me 10 years ago, how blessed my life has been and how many beautiful people and experiences would be a part of my life, 12/31/2009 to 12/31/2019. These past 10 years have really been something.

Of course, these past 10 years have not been without pain and difficulty, too.

Being involved in any kind of start-up venture is stressful, and being part of a new church start is no exception. I’ve aged a lot in the past 10 years, and no doubt some of my grey hairs (I have some on my temples these days!) are due to my work at Munger.

And being a pastor is not an easy job. My job is worlds easier than many of my pastoral colleagues in my city and around the world—I have nothing to complain of—but even at a cushy gig like Munger there are the difficulties that come from leading and loving people. This past year, e.g., has been by far the hardest I’ve had in ministry. As a pastor, I’ve pressed my forehead into the living room carpet in anxious and desperate prayer, had relationships severed, faced serious opposition, and tasted despair for the first time in my life.

I have learned lots about love and grace this past year and this past decade, and even now I can say I’m grateful, though the learning has come with a cost. (As does anything worth having.)

But, as is always the case in life, the most difficult and painful times have come in my personal life. About a year after the birth of our son, my wife was struck with constant and inexplicable vertigo. For several months in early 2011 my mother-in-law and sister-in-law came to live with us to help care for Elaine. Over the course of several years of medical explorations, we finally ended up at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. After that, my wife had a serious of inexplicable miscarriages. When she finally did become pregnant with the baby who would turn out to be our little princess, she had a series of catastrophic events happen afterwards.

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I will never forget being up all night in the waiting room, kept company by some men from our small group, and wondering how I was going to wake up our son and tell him his mother died. Through the grace of God, that didn’t have to happen, but I don’t think I’ll ever think of the birth of my daughter without a sick feeling in my gut.

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We won’t ever have any more natural children: that door is now shut forever. If I could wave a magic wand and change anything from the last decade, that’s what I would change. But I can’t, and so we won’t.

Which is not to say that I’m unwilling to accept that things might be exactly as God needs them to be. And also not to say that I am not joyfully grateful for the life and family God has given me.

As I’ve written before, I think the difficulties we’ve had together has made me more grateful of my wife and family than I would otherwise have been.

The 2 Words of Advice I Would Give The Me of 10 Years Ago

I don’t want to know the future—I think I would be too terrified of the difficult times and too likely to mess up the good times. The future needs to be sealed away until its proper time.

So, I would not want to go back to New Year’s Eve 2009 and tell myself in that Boston snowstorm all that was going to happen. But, there are 2 words of advice that I would like to have given to my 2009 self, and 2 words about which I’m reminding myself tonight.

Pray. It is only prayer than can prepare us to face the hard times. I wish I had prayed more and prayed more deliberately and habitually this past decade. God gives peace and poise through prayer; prayer is preparation.

Because life is hard, I would like to have told myself to pray.

Praise. I wish I had rejoiced and praised more this past decade. Every breath is a gift from God, and every day I get to see is a blessing. Praise is the only appropriate response to all that we’ve been given.

Because life is sweet, I would like to have told myself to praise.

I couldn’t have imagined in that Boston snowstorm all that God would give me these past 10 years, and I can never be grateful enough for all my blessings.

I don’t know what the next 10 years will hold, but I strongly suspect that on New Year’s Eve 2029 (if God allows me to see it), that I’ll be saying the same thing:

Thank you!

One Chart That Proves the INSANITY Of Constant Digital Connection

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What is the first thing you do in the morning?

What about at stoplights? In the checkout line? Waiting for your flight?

Most of us are digitally connected every waking moment, which raises the question:

What is the content of the news we’re consuming?

It is INSANE to begin your day by looking at your phone or turning on cable news, and INSANE to fill your mind and heart with news throughout your day. The chart above was put together by the folks at Axios and it shows how our media’s constant push of the latest and loudest, and our constant consumption and craving for news, means everything is urgent and nothing is important. Each month there is something THAT EVERYONE MUST HEAR ABOUT AND TALK ABOUT AND WORRY ABOUT…until the next month or next week or next day or next hour, when something else IS THE THING THAT EVERYONE MUST HEAR ABOUT AND TALK ABOUT AND WORRY ABOUT..

From the Axios story:

The news event that saw the largest single spike in Google interest compared to any other event on the list was Hurricane Dorian, which ravaged the Bahamas in early September. 

The runners up: 

1. Game of Thrones final season

2. Government shutdown

3. Jeffrey Epstein and impeachment (tie)

More:

Greta Thunberg, who was unknown at the beginning of the year, received surges of interest in late September and mid-December, giving her more search interest in the last three months than the China trade war, the 2020 presidential election or Brexit.

Allow me to state the obvious: not everything that we’re told to worry about is actually worth worrying about. Not everything we’re told is important actually is.

As you can see illustrated in the chart, the media moves like a pack of wild dogs to the latest news event, and then over to the next event before the previous kill is even cold.

  • All consumption, no reflection.

  • Everything urgent, nothing important.

  • And constant anxiety, because non-anxious people don’t crave novelty

What is this doing to our souls? No wonder our young people are the most medicated and anxious generation in history.

But, there is another way.

I’m aware that the 24 hour news cycle must be filled with something and I’m aware that bad news sells. So, I don’t see any change coming any time soon to our media ecosystem.

But, I don’t need the media to change. I just need to change myself.

The First 15

The single most important thing I can do in 2020 to lead a life of peace and purpose is to spend the first 15 minutes of each day in silence, prayer, and scripture. 

(I call it the First 15.)

I’m recommitting to make the First 15 a keystone habit of my life in 2020.

I’ll spend my First 15 with God, and then let the day come, come what may.

Instead of reacting to fear and anxiety and breathless urgency I’ll be receiving peace and gratitude and the breath of God.

And I’ll be ready for anything.

In 2020 at Munger we’ll begin the year reading slowly through the Book of Genesis. Wanna join me?

Pick up your Genesis reading booklet at Munger on Sunday, or else email me and I’ll mail you one. The readings are 5 minutes a day and only on weekdays.

Having a reading plan helps give structure to your First 15.

To help you get the most out of your reading, I’ll be writing a brief daily post that gets emailed to your inbox at 4 AM every weekday. Sign up here. (If you are already on my Gospels mailing list for 2019, no need to re-subscribe.)

The single most important we can do in 2020 to lead a life of peace and purpose is to spend the first 15 minutes of each day in silence, prayer, and scripture.

Let’s begin our days not be reacting but by receiving.

Who’s in?

(Comment below to make your commitment have more teeth.)

Merry Christmas and Christmas War

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Preaching on Christmas Eve is difficult. For me, it’s the most difficult occasion I preach all year. The reason is that I feel as if I’ve already said everything interesting about the Incarnation and used every good illustration and analogy I can come up with in prior years. I’ve honestly been worried about this year’s Christmas sermon for months. (I really liked my Christmas Eve sermon from last year and I knew I couldn’t top it this year.)

At Munger we put on a Christmas Travelers Service the week before Christmas for folks who can’t be at our church on Christmas Eve, and I preach my Christmas sermon at that service as a kind of dress rehearsal. This year’s Travelers service was on Thursday, 12/19; I ended up being disappointed with my sermon, so I threw the whole thing out and started over!

My new Christmas sermon never came together the way I wanted it and I changed it a lot over the course of the day, from service to service, but I can honestly say it wasn’t like any Christmas sermon I’ve ever heard or anything I’d preached before, so that’s something.

Merry Christmas to you all. Love and courage in 2020.

[My Christmas Eve 2019 sermon is called “Christmas War,” and I’ve included the video below, recorded at 7 PM on 12/24/19.]

Christmas War

Christmas means war. Brothers and sisters, here’s how to fight.

Sermon Links

Scripture: Luke 2:13

References:

3 Questions for Your Thanksgiving Table

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[Munger Staff Thanksgiving Luby’s Lunch 2019. I am so blessed to work with these folks.]

[Munger Staff Thanksgiving Luby’s Lunch 2019. I am so blessed to work with these folks.]

It’s become a Munger staff tradition:

Every year before Thanksgiving we have lunch at Luby’s (thank you, Jesus, for Luby’s!). We sit at a big long table and go around and answer three questions. Everyone answers the first, then we all go around and answer the second, and then everyone answers the third.

I’m telling you: these questions would change the tenor of the conversation around your Thanksgiving table.

Three Thanksgiving Questions

  1. Where have you seen God at work this past year? What’s one thing you’re grateful for?

  2. What is an unexpected blessing you’ve received in the past year; in other words, what is something that happened to you that wasn’t what you wanted but has resulted in a surprising and unexpected blessing you couldn’t foresee at the time?

  3. What do you want to be thankful for next year, sitting at this table; in other words, what are you praying for?

My favorite of the three questions is #2—it is really moving to hear people talk about a difficulty they endured that has produced something good in their lives. Just thinking about that question helps reframe your past year and give it a redemptive perspective.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” [Romans 8:28]

What about you? Leave a comment below and let me know how you’d answer question #2.