June 2012... The start of My Journey toward Ordination in the Presbyterian Church USA

Today, I went into my blog and realized that much has happened since I have taken my job as an Office Manager at Buffalo Presbyterian Church.

So, I thought I would catch up the blog on my journey toward Ordination and I am starting with an article I wrote when I first came to the church.   This was first published in our newsletter from June/July 2012... which can be found here: Buffalo Presbyterian Church Newsletter


A SEASON FOR EVERYTHING… LETTER FROM THE NEW EDITOR

Have you ever just had that urging that your life was going to be changing… in a good way but that God was leading you toward an altogether different course?  This was my spring. Granted, my son just graduated high school and I knew that would bring family changes… but I also felt that my life would be changing…to the point where I knew I needed to give up some of my volunteer commitments.

Specifically, I needed to give up my role with the Montrose Suzuki Strings (where I had been serving as head of finance and administration for the past 4 years) So, with the urging that I would be moving on… I handed over my duties to another volunteer.

Shortly after this, the ad for the Buffalo Presbyterian Office Manager appeared in my local Drummer. With joy I went to the first interview… when I was told how many applicants we had for the position, I knew I couldn’t get my hopes up (I had been down this road many, many times in the past few
years and the positions were just not the right fit).

I have been pursuing a ministerial career with the United Methodist Church but have been hesitant because it will be several years before I will have a placement and I need to have some income during this process. The Minnesota United Methodist Annual Conference was also held at the end of May. This year I went and served as a page. During their ordination service there, they asked for anyone who was feeling a call to ministry to come up for prayer. I answered that call…

I also answered an email while I was there.. One from the personnel committee from Buffalo Presbyterian Church looking for references… again, I didn’t want to get too excited.. I have been down this path before.

The hours at BPC would be perfect for me with my kids in school and I could have income while I was going through the steps for the UMC to become a pastor for them… the position would truly be a ‘God-thing’.

Then I answered another call...one from the personnel committee saying that they wanted to extend an offer to me for the position of office manager.

So, I am entering into a new season.. One where God is calling me into ministry as Office Manager at BPC thereby allowing me to pursue UMC licensing without having to worry about income.

As part of the interview process, I was asked if I were to look back in 3 years later of my time at BPC, what would my hopes for that be… I replied that I hoped that this would be a time of spiritual
growth for me…

I am looking forward to sharing this season with all of you here at BPC… thank-you for giving me this opportunity to serve your congregation.

Blessings In Christ ~ Lisa

From The New Times, a publication of  Buffalo Presbyterian Church, June/July 2012

Faith Through Theater

I have been thinking about Genesius of Rome lately. He was a comedic actor who was killed because he believed in Christ. But it wasn’t as though he started his acting career as a Christian. Actually, he researched and lived in a Christian community in order to perform a role mocking Christianity accurately. Little did he know that during that process the Holy Spirit would work in him to bring him to a faith and belief in Jesus Christ. It was because of his faith that he was killed.

I am much like Genesius in that I did not have a faith in Christ when I joined a local mainline church. I didn’t profess a belief in Christ, but I did believe in God. As I got more involved with the church, I met people with a profound belief in Christ working in their lives. Since I had joined worship team (because I had a passion for theater), I decided that it would be great to partner with Christ to become a better performer for the church. Like Genesius, I didn’t expect that this ‘partnership’ would spur me onto becoming a devoted follower of Christ.

Here is the part of this post that I am supposed to tie it all together... but that story is still being written. All I know is that...my passion for theater still burns brightly... along with a deep faith in Christ. Just like Genesius I was transformed by Christ through theater... and for today that brings me peace.

For more on Genesius...

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=185
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesius_of_Rome

Ministry like that Theater Stuff

It was just past Y2K, when I attended service at my church. It was the 'contemporary' service which had music that wasn't in the hymnal and was lead by a woman who was an ordained Deacon in the church. She did the preaching that morning as well as lead the music during the worship time and I had an overwhelming feeling that I could be doing what she was doing that morning. Shortly after that, she was moving on from that position and they were looking for people to lead the contemporary worship service on a team. My parents encouraged me to join worship team because 'it's like that theater stuff you did in high school.' So my journey into ministry began.

Here I am 11 years later and I still don't feel that I am doing what I saw that Deacon doing back in that church. I am trying to find a ministry where I can integrate my love of theater with learning about God. I think that is my calling... portraying Christianity in a way that truly touches people.

A friend of mine recently said that 'Good theater makes people think'... Good ministry also should make people think. Somehow couldn't the two work hand in hand?

Living in the Moment

On May 17th just before 5:00 PM... my life stood still. I was in involved in a rollover car accident where my car was hit by a runaway trailer. A complete accident but by all accounts we were extremely lucky to be alive.

So, for the past couple of months I have been in recovery... and slowly I am physically returning to a pre-accident state. But I have noticed a distinct difference in my spiritual journey since the accident.

At the moment of the accident... I prayed... I prayed wondering if this was the end of my days... I prayed to make some sense of it all... and from this prayer I had a sudden peace that none of the 'debates' that occur in the church matter. They are created by humans to keep people in an us vs. them mentality. Our differences in the Christian church really don't matter... in the end God loves all of us and we are asked to love God in return. It's simple really... Love God and Love Each Other...

I have a better sense of clarity of where my passion lies. In seminary they said over and over again that God will call you into your passion. For me, that passion is theater... and know that that is what I am called to be doing. For the first time in a long time I feel that I am EXACTLY where I have been called to be... now if I could only discover how to make a living at it.

I also have a sense that I need to be living in the moment... the past is a memory and the future hasn't been written. But there is life to be lived right now... and you need to be living in your passion.

So these are the lessons from my accident... and I hope that they may help you as well:

• Church differences really don't matter to God... mostly created by people
  
• God want us to Love God and Each Other
• Live for your passion
• Live in the moment

Journey to a New Ministry

^{Matthew 28:18-20 (English Standard Version)}

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.


So, I have been in ministry transition for awhile. I am still seeking where God is calling me to serve... and I wonder where I am going to be going next. In other words, I wonder where God is sending me.

Could it be to a new church where I would serve on pastoral staff?

Could it be to a different sort of ministry that I have yet to discover?

Could it be in the public schools where I am already serving as a substitute teacher?

Could it be in the Community Theatre setting where my love for the stage has recently been re-discovered?

Could it be a combination of some of these areas... or is there something completely different in store for me?

I don't know where I am heading from here, but I do know that God is with me... no matter where I go or what I do... 'until the end of the age.'

Judging Others

Luke 37-38 (English Standard Version)

"Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.

Have you ever felt that when it comes to church and religion that you just don't fit in anywhere? I have felt that for a long time... almost since I first became a Christian... and all because people have judged my religious beliefs without really getting to know me any my true thoughts on the subject.

My first church experience was in a mainline church. I was welcomed and invited to participate, but I felt like an outsider... on the fringe so to speak. I had an experience while I was there where I began to have an 'indwelling of the Holy Spirit' in my life. This spiritual awakening was looked at with suspicion in the mainline church and students at the Mainline Seminary I attended. I was told by other students that I was naive and backwards and didn't understand the teachings of Christ. I went home night after night crying that they were being so hurtful. After speaking with my professor, I moved onto an Evangelical Seminary.

Now at the new Evangelical Seminary, I still encountered judgment, but for different reasons. Here there were students who spoke out against me going into ministry because I was a woman. Since my graduation from that seminary, I have been seeking a position in Evangelical denominations that have not formed much fruit.

The icing on the cake came this week. I had applied for a position at an evangelical church this week. I got an email back inferring that I 'might not agree with all their positions' including immersion baptism. The ironic thing is that I have been baptized by immersion in a church in the same denomination that they are a part of. Again, they were judging me without knowing anything about me. Needless to say, that position was not a fit.

I have been judged by both mainline and evangelical church systems. All I want to do is follow Christ. I know that we are not supposed to be judging each other on our walks. The only one who can truly judge a person's walk is Christ. I am working on forgiving those along my path who have judged me unfairly and I am also working on not judging those in my path. Even in the New Testament, we see how the Jewish followers of Christ struggled to get along with the new gentile converts to the religion. I pray that we come to a point in time where we no longer judge and can accept our differences.

In the Name of Love

Early evening, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

...In the name of love
What more in the name of love
-U2

I remember when this song came out in the 1980's. I remember singing it and thinking how good it was to be living in this time where we had come so far. In my life, I had been raised truly believing that all people were truly equal. No matter your religion, gender or social status we were all equal. I could be whatever I wanted to be! What a wonderful world!

Galatians 3:28 (New International Version, ©2011)

²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

43 years ago today, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated for his participation in the Civil Rights movement. He was a pastor who used non-violent confrontation to change the social status of race relations in the southern United States.

Today, I wonder how far we actually have come... and is there more to come?

As we pause for a moment to remember MLK and his life, I urge you to look at our lives today. Are we living a life that truly allows our brothers and sisters the freedom in Christ that is talked about? Or are our actions and words still oppressive to certain groups?

In the name of Love...

what more can we do?

Rob Bell... Where is Satan?

Because there had been such a debate upon Rob Bell's new book 'Love Wins', I really didn't want to comment or add my two cents to the conversation until I had read the book. (Which, I might add, did not take me more than a couple of hours to read the entire thing). So, please, before you offer your critique of it, I urge you to take the time to read the book.

Now, I actually agree with MOST of what Rob Bell says in the book. I can buy talking about the evil in the world as 'hell' (at least one definition of it)... I firmly believe that we participate in God's Kingdom (Heaven) NOW when we become Christians... I also agree that God can work through other religions to bring you to Christ (it happened to me!)

So, you might ask me if there is heaven and hell after death... I would answer 'yes' in both cases intensified experiences from what we can experience in this lifetime. There are too many accounts of people who have come 'back from the dead' to deny this (and accounts of BOTH places).

But back to Rob Bell... what I find strange in a book that has the subject matter of 'Heaven' and 'Hell' that Bell doesn't talk about Satan. Maybe I missed something, but I don't remember anywhere in the book Bell talking about Satan. Sure Bell brings up demons, but I don't really remember him responding one way or another to Satan. Did I miss something? Maybe I did... after all, I did read the book very quickly. So, 'Love Wins'... but doesn't Love (God) triumph over Evil (Satan)... strange that part is missing... maybe in his next book.

Serving while in the Waiting Room

Romans 15:17 (New International Version, ©2010)

17 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.

Last week I literally got a 'call' to lead the Sunday service at church. I would was asked to do all the announcements and the basic 'elements' of the service.

As I was asked... I suddenly was overwhelmed with a peace that I haven't had for a long time... I have been in the 'waiting room'... wondering when God would call me for a specific purpose to serve Him.

And so,last Sunday I was able to serve...interestingly enough, we were talking about Spiritual Gifts... and I felt so, so, blessed to be able to use the Spiritual Gift I have been given in order to serve Him.

After the service, many people came up and thanked me for sharing the gift with them this morning... and I am praying that I will receive another 'call' to serve Him in the near future.

And it is interesting to note... this was in a traditional church setting... not an alternative church that I thought I was being led to... maybe God has something else in store for me...

Call to Start a Church

Awhile back, I meet with a church planting representative (person in charge of starting new churches) from the denomination that I have been involved with. He asked me a question that I have been mulling around for months... it was more of a statement actually than a question and it went something like this...

Pastors who are successful with starting a new church feel that God has called them to this ministry and there is no other ministry that they could be involved in... they feel that if they did not start a church that they would be disobeying God.

Ever since that meeting I have been thinking about the call that God has put in my heart. I feel that I am called to be a pastor of a different model of church... I have often mentioned a coffeehouse that would function as a church. The church would be a place where people who were Christian as well as those who were seeking could meet and talk about God with mutual respect for others opinions. We would be a church who cared about the community around us that took care of our neighbors both physically and spiritually.

That is my call.

What is the Fruit of Your Spirit?

Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version, ©2010)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Lately, I have noticed an increase in 'hot button' issues in my life... you know, the pet peeves... the items that raise your blood pressure with a simple syllable. After a day of fighting back these annoyances, I went to a membership orientation meeting at church this afternoon... and in the midst of it as we were talking about the church and it's beliefs, I felt a peace that I haven't had in awhile. The Spirit was present in that room today.

Later, we were discussing an issue that is dear to my heart (the same issue that was taunting me before the meeting) and we talked about the two opposite viewpoints. The woman sitting next to me (who also holds the opposite view as me) put her arm around me and I leaned into her with love as I said we were on the opposite side of this topic.

This is what church should be about... where you can still LOVE each other even if you don't agree. This is the Spirit bringing unity to the Church.

The Greatest of These Is Love

1 Corinthians 13 (New International Version, ©2010)

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

When I was a child, I was extremely compassionate to those who were hurting. My heart went out to any cause and social justice issue... and in college I took on the nickname of Peaceful (as in Give Peace a Chance... John Lennon was my favorite Beatle).

And suddenly I changed

I no longer felt my heart ache for those who were mourning... I became more pessimistic with life in general... and more specifically with religion. You see, I had become a Christian. Yes, this was the way to peace... deep meaningful inner peace and all I continue to experience the pessimism.

But I know better, as a Christian we are supposed to be known for our love... our compassion. I believe that since I once was able to love deeply the world around me and now I am struggling with it there must be some sort of spiritual stronghold preventing the deeper love to manifest itself in my life.

There is a song by Brandon Heath entitled "Give Me Your Eyes" that talks about having the compassion that Jesus has for the rest of humanity.
Brandon Heath - Give Me Your Eyes lyrics | LyricsMode.com

I am praying that the compassion that once flowed so freely would return to me anew and that the pessimism would leave.

Is God Calling You?

Recently both my husband, Eric and I have had a pull toward ministry. We are looking at going to school again... or applying for positions... or....

We are wanting to serve God, but life is getting in the way. I am pretty sure that other pastors have the same issues... would love to pursue full-time ministry, but we need to pay the mortgage, get the kids through school... just live.

So... we wait... for the call to let us know the direction that God will have us going into ministry.

Days of Small Things

"Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. "(These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range throughout the earth.)"

- Zechariah 4:10 New International Version

I was watching a talk show this morning on television and the actress that was interviewed said that she always thinks about this verse when she begins a project. She says she rejoices each step of the way because she knows that it is building on something that will eventually become bigger.

This passage is about building of the temple… and people were scoffing at the beginnings. But God reminded them that one day even those who laughed would rejoice when they saw the temple completed.

Jacob’s Well has also had small beginnings. We are still in process and taking one step at a time. Our biggest challenge is that Jacob’s Well is a vision for ministry that is not following the current models. We need to take baby steps… and have many days of small things. One day, if God is willing, I anticipate that Jacob’s Well will become something bigger. Until then, I am learning to rejoice in these small days.

Heart of Worship

1 Corinthians 14:15 (New International Version)

¹⁵So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.

I have been thinking and praying a lot about worship lately. This passage from scripture gets to the heart of New Testament worship. We need to be worshiping Jesus with our spirit as well as our mind. Living in Minnesota, I have seen many, many, many worship services where people are only worshiping with their minds. Worshiping with your mind is the more 'technical' part of worship. Are you singing the correct notes? playing in tune? saying the right words? are the words Biblically based?

But there is another side to worship that is often missing in worship services. That is the worship in the spirit. Kevin J. Navarro states in his book 'The Complete Worship Leader'...

"Unregenerate people are incapable of worshiping the living God for they are too busy worshiping themselves or something else." pg. 51

"If we are to lead worship, we must be born again. And, if our congregations are to worship, they must be born again. This is so basic, yet greatly neglected in churches across America. If we are wondering why worship is cold in some of our churches, it is a possibility that our people are not born again." p. 52

In other words, are we worshiping in the Spirit?

I have been to powerful worship services where I have felt the Spirit and the experience has been very worshipful. Two stick out in my mind, because they we unique and in the extremes. The first was at a Michael W. Smith concert at the Excel Energy Center in Saint Paul Minnesota. The song was "Let It Rain." This was a simple song with simple lyrics... 'Let It Rain, Let It Rain... Open the Floodgates of heaven.' The Spirit was so powerful in there that evening that we were vibrating and tears were pouring down our cheeks. The second was at a small country church in Big Lake. It was their Christmas service and some of the members prepared special music to sing. The singer was not trained in singing, but had practiced the song to the best of their ability and as they presented the song, they were singing their heart out to the Lord and I could feel the Spirit move in that place and the tears also came. In both experiences, it was clear that this was worship that was happining in the Spirit.

So how do we get there? How do we worship in both mind and spirit? I have had the opportunity to participate in a few worship teams over the years. There is a point where you technically learn the music and it suddenly turns and the Spirit takes over and I was worshiping in both mind and Spirit. When this has occured to me it has been 1) when I had rehearsed the song so many times that it was memorized and I had worked out all of the technical issues 2) I prayed and surrendered my worship to God. There are many times I have been in worship where I no longer was singing. Something else takes over and it was complete focus on God. In that moment my entire focus is on God and I forget about everything else around me. This is when true worship happens for me.... I am worshiping in mind and spirit.

I know there have been times that I cannot get to that true worship. I have been so focused on the music and lyrics that I forget who I am there to worship in the first place. I am worshiping the technical aspects of the music and not worshiping God. Or the opposite is true, I am alowing my Spirit to turn to God but am not able to work out the technical elements. Either way has not worked out well for me. We need to be doing both in order to worship God.

I encourage you... the next time you are at church to focus on God when you sing, sing songs you know and turn your Spirit to Jesus. Try giving your heart and mind to Him as you worship.

Peace,

Lisa

PS Check out Steven Curtis Chapman's video onYouTube for 'Lord of the Dance'

Emergent Church and the Question of Ordination

When we established Jacob's Well, we used the values statement from Emergent Village as our values statement: http://www.emergentvillage.com/about-information/values-and-practices .

Emergent has people from many denominations who follow their teachings. Because of this, Emergent has not established any formal type of Ordination for people in positions of leadership within the movement. There is a belief that all Christians are qualified to perform the sacraments and therefore there is no need for formal Ordination recognition because all are 'ordained' in the body of Christ.

While I agree with the idea that everyone in the body of Christ is qualified for ministry, there still needs to be some sort of recognition for the leadership. This isn't to say that non-leaders can't minister but there needs to be a go-to person for organizational types of issues.

I have been in non-profit groups where we had complete team leadership with no one in charge. The problem that I ran into was that there was conflict because there was no clear-cut person in charge. I am now involved with another non-profit group that runs as a team. However there are specific people designated in leadership positions and the group runs more smoothly and we designate leadership for specific tasks as well.

I am wondering if there are other people out there who are not denominationally active, who are starting other Emergent Churches who would like to come together in some sort of formal recognition of being a leader in the Emergent church? Perhaps a licensing of sorts recognizing that you are a leader? Email me at jacobswellprayer@aol.com if you would like to join me in establishing a leadership recognition group.

Peace,
Lisa

Quest for Peace

I have noticed lately that I have been ‘off.’ I have been discontent and edgy and I just haven’t been able to find a good reason as to why. Except that I am off and I am looking for peace. It’s a cognitive dissonance. In other words, life took a turn that I wasn’t expecting and my preparations were for nothing and it left me feeling disconnected.

I know that I somehow need to get back on track. But what is the track that I need to be on? I have been chasing rabbit trails leading to dead ends. But I know that there is a peace out there that I could be a part of.

This peace that I am longing for is that connection… the connection we experience when we are participating in God’s will in the world. This is when we are in harmony with what God has planned for us.

Have I been following the wrong path? Have I not been in line with God? I don’t know. I didn’t think I was, and yet I have lost the connection. I just pray that the door will open for me to connect with God, Christ and the Holy Spirit.

No good answers today… just plenty of questions.

In Christ’s Name,

Lisa

Sunday Night Prayer

We are starting to meet on Sunday Nights from 7:00 - 8:00 PM to pray for the direction of this group. Dessert will be shared as a part of our time together.

Saint Patrick's Day 2009

Each year our family welcome's Saint Patrick's Day... it has become one of our family's favorite holidays. We always have a special meal of Corned Beef and Cabbage and other green items. We take the time to look back at our heritage... the countries that our ancestors originated in and the Christian traditions of the holiday.

So, join us is celebrating this holiday. Have a hearty meal and wear the green!

Peace,
Lisa

Facebook and the Abbey

If you are on Facebook, stop on by and visit us! I am attempting to have conversations going on our page in Facebook. Check Us Out!

Also... I haven't given up on the Abbey. Anyone care to join me?

Peace,
Lisa