MyQuest | my thoughts on life's journey

On the Move

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (June 16, 2013) Sermon from First Central on Vimeo.

Great words

In a fantastic piece, L. Gregory Jones gives some children advice on what type of life to lead in order to thrive in the future.  This is wise advice for us all.  I highly recommend you read it.  I didn't excpert or give what his advice is because you should read it yourself.

Harvesting Broccoli

After reading up on radicchio I did some reading on broccoli in order to discover when I should harvest, this being my first time to grow it.  This site was the most helpful.  It said: 

When you see a flower head beginning to form in the center of the plant, check its growth every day. Ideally, you harvest broccoli while the tiny buds are tightly closed. If the buds begin to swell or show yellow (the flower petals), cut the head from the stem right away, no matter how small it is, because the opening buds have a mealy texture. After cutting the main head, leave the plant to grow bite-sized side shoots in the axils of the leaves. 

Well, I hadn't checked it yet today, and yesterday it looked great, so I thought I'd go check, and sure enough, it had little yellow flowers forming!  So I cut it.  Yesterday might have been the prime time to harvest it, and I'll know that for the future.  Already one little side shoot is growing.  

I also remembered to take pictures of the little yellow squashes and first tomatoes that have already begun growing.

I also harvested some more kale, but didn't cut the plant off yet.  And I picked three scallions which were good sized.

Radicchio Research

This afternoon I've done a little research into radicchio to see when I should harvest.  One site informed me I could start harvesting leaves anytime.  The head can be harvest once it starts firming up; you don't have to wait until it gets to a certain size.  Heat could spur the head to begin bolting.  We've been getting hot weather this week, so I should watch for that.  

I didn't realize it was a perennial, so hopefully it will come back next year!

Here are the links I thought most helpful:

http://www.gardeningblog.net/how-to-grow/radicchio/

http://bonnieplants.com/growing/growing-radicchio/

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-grow-radicchio/index.html

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost preview

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (June 23, 2013) Preview from First Central on Vimeo.

On the Move

On the Move

I Kings 19:1-13

by the Rev. Dr. E. Scott Jones

First Central Congregational UCC

16 June 2013

 

 

        

    Elijah just had the greatest mountain-top experience you can imagine. He demonstrated with great certainty and before the entire assembled nation, that he was right. Imagine that. With all the forces of Ahab and Jezebel's empire conspiring against him, when that fire fell on the altar, the people had solid evidence that what Elijah was saying was the truth and that what everyone else in power was saying was false. I can't even begin to dream what that experience would be like. Public, visible, certain confirmation that you are right! How exciting would that be? After that, surely it would be easy to get your way?

    Wrong. Elijah's victory was short-lived. Jezebel, humiliated and angry, set out to destroy him. And Elijah, filled with fear, ran off into the desert to die. Fear became self-loathing, as he considered himself a failure and believed that he was the only one who still worshiped God.

    We've all had experiences like Elijah had out there under the broom tree. Uncertain of the future. Afraid of what might happen to us. Beating ourselves up for not being as good or successful as we think we ought to be. Thinking that we are failure. Thinking that we are alone and that no one understands us, no one is there for us, no one can help us right now.

    Elijah, out there under the broom tree, experienced a pretty extreme example of a faith and identity crisis.

Then an angel appeared and told him to "Get up and eat. Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you." Elijah then traveled to Mt. Horeb to await a message from God; he put himself in a place where he could receive the help he needed.

We can't just sit around in our uncertainty, fear, and anxiety. No, we've got to get up, find nurture, and then set out on a journey, expecting a word from God.

    Elijah arrived at this sacred place and waited for God to speak. And what happened? First, there was a great wind, and then an earthquake, and then fire, but God was not in any of these. Of course, God had used all of these before. God spoke to Job out of the whirlwind, appeared to the people of Israel on Mt. Sinai during an earthquake, and led the people through the wilderness as a pillar of fire.

    But on that day, God did not appear in any of these ways. Right then, Elijah didn't need any more drama. What Elijah needed was peace and silence. He need gentleness and comfort. And that's how God appeared.

      

    Back in the fall of 2004, while I was still Associate Pastor at Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, similar to Elijah, I was uncertain of my future. Was I going to stay at Royal Lane or look for some other job? Was I going to stay in ministry or seek some other career? Was I going to stay in Dallas, move home to Oklahoma, or go someplace else? There were many questions, and no answers were apparent to me.

    Throughout 2004 I had slowly been coming out to more and more people, yet I was still living in the closet in much of my professional life. When I was around those people who knew it was wonderful. Those were times of freshness and life when I could be open about myself. But through much of my professional life I had to act, to fake it, and even sometimes to lie. This weighed heavily upon me.

    It was a time of uncertainty, anxiety, and fear. I didn't know the path ahead and was unsure of what the right thing to do was. Let me be clear; I didn't think there was one and only one path that I had to discern. I believed then and still do, that there were many good outcomes that were possible. I just had to be open to those possibilities.

 

    At the time I began to pray a simple prayer asking God to make clear the options for me to explore. But I also told God that these options would have to be obvious, like hitting me over the head, because I was in such a confused state that I didn't trust my normal processes for making such decisions. Here's what happened.

    In January 2005, Scot Pankey, then the youth minister at the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas began to explore options for taking the CoH youth group to summer camp. Scot had grown up and worked in Southern Baptist churches and new that baptists did great youth camps, but he wondered if there were liberal options. So, Scot searched for a church which was a member of the Alliance of Baptists. The Alliance broke away from the Southern Baptist Convention in the 1980's after the fundamentalist takeover. The Alliance is very liberal and has taken strong pro-gay stances. They are also in partnership with the United Church of Christ and many Alliance churches are dually aligned.

    On the Alliance website, Scot discovered Highland Park Baptist Church in Austin. Scot didn't know anyone at Highland Park, but he called and asked to speak to the youth minister. The youth minister at that time was the Rev. Dan DeLeon. Dan is one of my best friends in ministry and is now a UCC pastor in College Station, Texas.

    Dan told Scot Pankey all about the Southwest Baptist Youth Camping Association, and Scot was excited. The SWBYCA is a group of mostly moderate baptist churches, predominately in Texas, that have done youth camp together for about sixty years. Dan said he'd talk to some others and get back with Scot. After a few phone calls, Scot was invited to our planning meeting in Austin, just a few weeks away, and it was determined that he'd drive down from Dallas to Austin with me.

    Just so you get how improbable the story is to this point, think for a moment. The world's largest gay church was talking to a group of Texas baptists about coming to their youth camp.

    When Scot Pankey and I were driving to that camp planning meeting, I began to tell him about the uncertainty I was facing and what was going on in my life around my coming out. Suddenly, Scot said, "Did you know that our church in Oklahoma City is looking for a pastor? You'd be perfect for that job."

    Scot immediately called Jo Hudson, senior minister of the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, and told her about me. Jo wanted to meet me within the next week. It just so happened that the very next day I was planning to attend a conference at the Cathedral of Hope, a building I had never been to before. Jo and I met the next day and scheduled a more formal conversation.

    When I met with Jo, we sat down in her office, and she said, "Before I hear anything about you, let me tell you what we are looking for. We want someone who is liberal in theology, from an evangelical worship background, who would be willing to live in Oklahoma, and can speak to Oklahomans in their cultural context."

    Well, folks, sometimes we are hit upside the head.

That is the story of how I came to be part of the United Church of Christ.

 

    I do not believe that everything happens for a reason. Nor do I believe that there is one path in life which we must walk in order to remain within the will of God. But I do believe that God works with us, helping us to figure out our way.

    I do believe that we are each on a spiritual journey and that with open hearts and curious minds we learn from one another and help one another as we grow in our faith and understanding.

    We help one another grow in our faith by caring for one another in our time of need. We do that by forming lasting connections with other people. We do that by empowering each other to explore every angle, welcome new ideas, and become our best selves.

 

    We gather with other people who believe and think differently than we do and together, in conversation, we learn. This particular congregation thrives on thoughtful dialogue about what contemporary Christian faith really means for each of us. We invite everyone with an open mind and an open heart to come see what is happening here. We are thoughtful people, together on a spiritual journey.

    

    In that wonderful novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis tells the story of Narnia, a magical land trapped in an evil curse, longing to be set free with divine love. You see, Narnia has suffered under a long winter which has lasted many years. This apparently permanent winter was the result of a curse put upon the land by the White Witch. And in one of my favourite moments in the story, that curse begins to break.

    Frightened and cold, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and the Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, and Lucy, are fleeing across Narnia, attempting to escape the Witch and her wolves, when they begin to notice little things: a few degrees of warmth, the drip of melting water, the tops of grass poking through the snow, eventually the bloom of a crocus. These are signs that the Witch's power is being broken by an even greater power. Those first little signs of new life burst forth into overwhelming, spontaneous glory. In the matter of a few hours the land passes from the wintry depths of January to the fresh beauties of May.

    And when they saw the very first of those little signs of beauty, in a moment otherwise filled with doubt and fear, they proclaim "Aslan is on the move!" Alsan, the Great Lion, is the Christ figure in the story, the embodiment of grace, compassion, and all that is noble and good and true.

    I've always liked that phrase, "Aslan is on the move." When we are uncertain, anxious, or afraid. When we are doubting ourselves, or struggling to make an important decision. When we don't know what is the right thing to do in a given circumstance. Then, let's look for those little signs. The evidence that goodness and truth and beauty and love are "on the move" in our lives.

    This spiritual family at First Central is on the move. We are dynamic and visionary in our effort to follow God's mission. We care for each other, learn from each other, are authentic with each other. This family of thoughtful people together on a spiritual journey is changing lives. And I am convinced on this journey together we have the chance to discover our best selves.

Baby squash

Watered the garden this morning.  First time in weeks, because we've been having so much rain.  I forgot to take my phone along to get pictures.

There are two little yellow squash growing and one zucchini.

The broccoli is huge; I'll be able to harvest it this week.

My guess is I'll complete the kale (it doesn't like warm weather, and this week we are finally getting sustained 80's and 90's) and harvest the broccoli and radicchio.  This will free some space for other things.  P. J. (our neighbor) was going to put some okra seeds in the corner where I've removed the spinach plant.  I've got a few other seeds to sow as well.

How the garden grows

With all the rain, the garden is quickly growing.  The little broccoli isn't so tiny anymore.

And the squash is looking pretty good.

I removed all the rest of the spinach today; it had become a rather large plant, and I'd been meaning to remove it.  I had planned to finally move the cucumbers, but they've gotten too big, so I'll just train the vines.  It was also fun to see a couple of little tomatoes now growing.

But something has eaten off of the eggplant leaves.

 

Colossians Remixed

Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire by Brian J. Walsh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I would have liked this book a lot if I had read it in 2004 when it was new. It would have resonated with things I was thinking and feeling at the time and depending on when I read it, may have influenced my thinking. As it stands, it simply affirms things I've already come to accept over the last decade.

This interpretation of Colossians asserts that Paul is doing anti-imperial theology, subverting the images and claims of Caesar. In the early and mid-Aughts this was refreshingly new for many of us and helped us to grapple with the issues in contemporary American life post-9/11 and the beginning of the Iraq War. In many ways the idea was not new (Wink, Brueggemann, and others had long made these claims) but I think many of us were open to it in new ways due to America's imperial ambitions.

This is not your standard commentary, but rather an interesting exercise in hermeneutics. The authors are primarily concerned with addressing the concerns of postmodern students who reject the Bible for making claims they consider to be absolute. There are some interesting epistemological discussions.

Their overall writing style is filled with imagined dialogues and targums upon the text -- either imagining the thoughts of historical characters like Onesimus and Nympha, or contemporizing Paul's language to deal with the imperial claims of our global economy.

So, this will help with my upcoming sermon series on Colossians (the first time I've preached a series on the book) but I feel that liberal mainline congregations are a little tired of the anti-imperial, social justice messages of the New Testament so I'll be looking for other approaches as well.

View all my reviews

Bill Leonard on Will Campbell

Bill Leonard writes an enjoyable obituary of his friend Will Campbell, including this line, "Will Campbell was obsessed with grace, especially as it falls on inappropriate people at inopportune times."  

Kennedy's vision

Jeffrey Sachs writes about John F. Kennedy and how Kennedy's vision and pratical steps altered the trajectory of the Cold War away from a series of ever-escalating crises to a path of negotiation and increased partnership.  I'm glad to have read this and recovered this aspect of our recent history.

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost Preview

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (June 16, 2013) Preview from First Central on Vimeo.

Benediction for Omaha Municipal Inauguration

Benediction for Omaha Municipal Inauguration

Monday, June 10, 2013

 

Let us pray.

 

Source of Life and Adventure,

Compassionate and Merciful,

In your divine majesty you have made us each and every one an image of you,

Our splendid diversity reflecting your infinite glories.

 

We give you thanks today,

For those who commit themselves to public service

And for the liberty to elect our leaders.

 

Your prophet Isaiah has proclaimed:

 

[that] those who wait upon You shall renew their strength,

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.

 

We seek these blessings today

For our leaders and for our city.

 

And as you bless us, may you also

Give us the vision to dream new dreams and to see new possibilities.

To look forward with hope to that day when we fulfill your desire

And become a beloved community

Where the powerless are lifted up,

The outcasts are gathered,

The brokenhearted are healed,

Where the captives are released,

The blind recover their sight,

And the oppressed go free.

 

To achieve that dream,

We ask you to give these elected representatives of your people

Courage and wisdom

That they might be instruments of your peace

Sowing love where there is hatred,

Pardon, where there is injury,

Union, in place of discord,

Faith, instead doubt,

Hope, not despair,

Light to cast away the darkness

And where there is sadness, joy.

 

Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with new life today.

 

We, your humble people, beseech thee.

And in all your many names, we pray.

Amen.

Are we collectively immature?

My friend Donald Wester, Junior sent me this link to an essay by Bill Plotkin arguing that the various problems we currently face as a culture result from our lack of maturity.  We have not developed in the proper way and therefore lack the ability to address the issues that face us.  An interesting thesis.  He writes, "Too many of us lack intimacy with the natural world and with our souls, and consequently we are doing untold damage to both."

GOP and Calhounism

An article in the Daily Beast recounts how the contemporary GOP has embraced the political philosophy of John C. Calhoun, a political philosophy that the GOP was originally organized to oppose.