The Master Gardener

Yesterday I finally got around to trimming the bushes that had overgrown and were taking over my back porch. I have a love/hate relationship with yard work. I put it off as long as possible and have a hard time getting motivated to do it, and yet, once I start playing in the dirt and clipping away at the bushes, something deep inside of me feels calm and peaceful. I know with my bones that sitting on the earth is good for the being.

I think I spent a good hour cutting back the two bushes, and it was quite dark by the time I finished. As I clipped, I couldn't help but think about the theolocial significance of pruning. In John 15, Jesus talks with the disciples about God's pruning task. Jesus is the vine and the Father is the vinegrower, the Master Gardener if you will. We are the branches that are to abide in the vine, and the Master Gardener prunes such branches so that they will bear fruit.

I thought about all of this as I trimmed away. My bushes were completely out of control. They were wild and crazy, taking over the deck, pushing away the other flowers. They looked terrible and uncared for. I spent a long time trimming them (I am NOT a master gardener), trying to get them balanced, healthy, ordered, and beautiful. When I finished, they looked great!

The tendency I also have to watch, however, is over-trimming. Anyone who has ever gotten a bad haircut will tell you that at a certain point, you are cutting away too much and doing more damage than good. When you cut away too much of a bush or a plant, it looks bare and ugly.

I do believe that God continues to prune us, to cut away at things that are unhealthy, unnecessary, unruly in our lives. Spiritual disciplines are a way that God does this. As we spend time in prayer, fasting, worship, tithing, and as we spend time with the poor, we begin to notice things in our lives that are at best distractions and at worst, unhealthy addictions. We notice that we spend more time watching television than gathering with the body of Christ to worship. We notice that we spend more time on the internet than interacting with our families. We notice that our thoughts are consumed with gain, with money, with possessions, with stuff, with guarding what we have and getting more of it instead of giving freely and living simply.

And then of course, there is Scripture. As I used the big clippers, I couldn't help but think about the Word of God being a double-edged sword, and how great that sword would be at pruning! As we read the story of who God is, what God has done/is doing/will do, and what we are to do about it, it is like holding up a mirror to our own lives. Yeah, I think that Scipture is probably even better than the very cool electric bush clipper that someone let me borrow last year!

What needs to be trimmed away? What needs to be seriously cut back?

At the end of the night, I felt satisfied with my work. I imagine that God probably enjoys the gardening work; that God enjoys ordering our lives, giving us healthy discipline in which we can find freedom, creativity, and life. I am sure that God loves to see our beauty as we are shaped into the magnificent creation that we are intended to be.

A few of my favorite things (audiobooks)

As promised, here are my favorite books on cd/readers:

1. The Harry Potter series read by Jim Dale.
First of all, if you are going to listen to Harry Potter, the reader has to have a British accent. Secondly, I am amazed that all of the characters are read by this one man, because each one has a very distinctive voice without being cheesy. The man is brilliant, and of course, the books are as well.

2. Ilyana Kadushin (reader)
The quality of her voice is breathtaking. I encountered her for the first time in The Memory Keeper's Daughter, which was pretty good. She also narrates the entire Twilight series, which I found delightful, and I enjoyed her reading much more than the movie.

3. The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography by Sidney Poitier
I love to listen to books read by the author, and this is my favorite in that category. Sidney Poitier, in addition to having a wonderful voice, reads his book as if he were sitting on a porch with you telling you these stories firsthand. He even chuckles here and there. He is truly an amazing man.

4. Dreams From my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama
Another book beautifully read by the author. Yes, I could listen to him read the phone book.

5. Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Read by the author...hmm, I'm seeing a trend. I read this several years ago when it came out and was very moved. I was moved again in listening to the author tell this powerful story of redemption. I also like to hear the author pronounce the places, names, and words that I do not know how to pronounce correctly.

6. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, and Steven L. Hopp
I have been on a food craze recently, reading lots of books on the food industry and such, and I enjoyed this book immensly because it is a more narrative form that still contains good information. It is also unique because it is written by Barbara Kingsolver's family, and all three authors participate in the reading.

7. The Camel Club by David Baldacci
The author does not read this, but I loved this book. Since I have started to listen to books on cd, I have listened to many of Baldacci's books. This one is my favorite. Baldacci writes conspiracy fiction that is based in Washington D.C., Richmond, and the Charlottesville area. That is my geographical home, so I enjoy reading books that are situated in areas that I know.

I would love to hear about any particular audiobooks or readers that you suggest!

Audio Books

I absolutely love audio books aka "Books on CD." I started listening to books on cd three years ago when I came to Stuarts Draft. I would say that on average, I spend at least an hour a day in my car driving to and from work, the gym, and anywhere else necessary. By the end of my first few months here, I was tired of all of my music, not crazy about the radio stations, and not ready to spend a fortune on new music. Enter: audio books. I discovered that my local library has shelves of books on cd, and it is FREE to check them out! Not only that, but I can use the library website to search for books that I want to read from other libraries in the area and have them sent to my library! It is brilliant!

The wonder of audio books is multi-faceted. I actually love to read but never have enough time to read the books that I currently own, much less new books that are current and trendy. Now, I can "read" books while I'm driving, cooking, or cleaning the house. I have "read" most of the books on the bestseller lists and re-read some of the stories that I loved the first time around.

On a geekier, more ideological level, I believe that it is important to continue developing my aural skills. We are fast becoming, or have already become, a culture that is unable to listen to and tell stories and depends solely on visual media. While I am a very visual person and love visual media, I believe that it is crucial to be able to get wrapped up in a story that someone is reading or telling. This doesn't just happen; it has to be developed.

A word of caution: not all audio books are created equal. Obviously, the reader is a determining factor in whether I will enjoy the book or not. The reader can make or break the whole experience. I will not be able to listen to a great book read by a boring reader, but there are several books that I have listened to when I thought, I could listen to this person read the phone book!

So, watch for my next post: my favorite audio books and readers! And I welcome any recommendations!

A study, not an office

I had many wonderful professors in seminary, and there are many times when I hear their words or phrases echo in my head. One of these phrases that I have been returning to recently was part of a lecture from my Introduction to Preaching class with the outstanding Dr. William McClain. Dr. McClain, being the dynamic preacher that he is, tended to preach rather than lecture. One week he preached about how crucial it is for a pastor to study. He said, "A pastor does NOT have an office, a pastor has a study, and what do you do there? You study!"

I'm sure this looks flat on the computer screen, and I wish that you, the reader, could hear Dr. McClain say this aloud. I'm sure if any of my classmates are reading this, you will remember Dr. McClain's voice proclaiming this maxim.

I confess that at my church, I do not have a study, I have an office. It is a great place for ministry but it is not such a great place to study. The phone is always ringing, there are always people who need something, and before I know it, I have spent two hours troubleshooting without doing anything about the list of things that have to get done.

And yet, I am a pastor who needs to study. Could you imagine going to a doctor who doesn't keep up with new research and technology? Could you imagine a business person who doesn't read market research, journals, and other current materials? Could you imagine a teacher who isn't constantly examining new curriculum, learning new techniques, and reviewing all of the classics?

Pastors do all of these things, or should do all of these things. We are constantly reading, studying, and searching. We are studying scripture and tradition and always discovering new things. We are paying attention to culture and context. We are examining our communities and noting the surrounding trends and shifts. We are learning new technologies, new skills, and new realities that surround us.

And so, I find it necessary to designate a day of the week as my "study day." I like to study in the community, at a coffee shop, at a bookstore, or at the park. I like to be surrounded by people and yet somewhat removed from their conversations. I like to be incognito and yet familiar, when I return to the same place week after week and people learn my name.

Are you studying, learning, growing? How? Where? When? With who?

What a blessing God has given us in the gift of studying!

Wisdom, part two

I can't resist sharing this story after my last post.

Last Sunday during the children's sermon I talked with the children about being a disciple and following Jesus. The previous week, we had discussed Jesus calling Philip, who ran to get his friend Nathanael so that Nathanael could also follow Jesus. This week, Jesus calls Simon and Andrew to follow him, and they drop their fishing nets (they were fishermen) and follow Jesus. Then Jesus sees two more fishermen, James and John, and calls them to follow. These two leave their dad behind with the boat and follow Jesus.

There were three children at the early service as we talked about these things, and one of them called my discussion to a close with a typically profound, child-like statement: "Well, it's easy. We are just supposed to follow Jesus." I didn't have much to say after that.

Could it really be that simple? When Jesus calls, we answer? We follow? We leave behind the things that we are in the middle of and turn our attention toward Jesus?

I think it could be that simple. BUT, I think that most of us are too tied to our things and our lives done our way to let it be that simple. And most of us care too much about what the neighbors would say and what the world would think to respond so simply.

When was the last time that Jesus called you and you dropped everything to follow him?

When was the last time that Jesus called you and you had a really good excuse to stay where you are?

Wise as children

I had a moment this week when I realized that children are possibly and probably the wisest among us.

I was getting an oil change, waiting in the tiny room with the television and several other people. My attention was drawn away from my book to a CNN story on white phosphorus in Gaza. I have been following the recent news about Gaza in horror for the last few days, so the story immediately drew my attention. They were talking about the possibility that Israel is firing white phosphorus into Gaza and the ethical and legal ramifications of this. There was video footage of doctors talking about the severe burns and injuries that they are seeing in this heavily civilian area, and they showed a photo of one man in particular whose face was burned.

There was a child with his father in the waiting room. I would guess that the child is six. He saw the video of the man and he asked his father, "Daddy, what happened to that man's face?" The father looked uncomfortable and said, "He got burned." The child persisted and asked his father, "Why?" The father looked even more uncomfortable, mumbled something, and promptly took the child out of the room.

I was touched by this exchange and the genuine concern of the child. For children, life is not complicated. I don't like him because he smells funny. I don't like her because she won't share her toys with me. Children are brutally honest about what they think but they speak out of love and concern. Why do you have those dark marks under your eyes? Children don't understand when adults act in contrast to the way they proclaim children should act. If I'm not allowed to hit, why are they allowed to shoot?

I wonder if the simplicity of love is one of the reasons why Jesus said that we must be like children to enter the kingdom. I know that children had no status in his cultural context, that they were truly "the least of these" with no rights and no voice. But children also understand that love is basic, concrete, and actually very simple. You either love someone or you don't. Children truly sense the horror of the terrible acts of violence that humans inflict on one another. We should all be horrified. We should be confused. We should be asking questions. We should be as wise as children.

Happy Advent!

It is that time of year. It's the time of year when everyone is supposed to be happy and jolly, when you are supposed to wear lots of red sweaters and jingle bells, and when you are supposed to set your radio to the all-day "Christmas" music channel. In reality, "Christmas" music has been playing in stores and restaurants for weeks now. After a lunch in a local restaurant where I had to listen to "Here Comes Santa Claus" two weeks before Thanksgiving, I decided that perhaps I should not go out to eat until after Thanksgiving.

The irony of this season is so thick, I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

This last Sunday, we began the holy season of ADVENT. Yes, that's right. It is not Christmas, it is Advent. Advent is a word that from the Latin adventus, which means "coming." The season of Advent spans the four weeks leading up to Christ's birth on Christmas day. During these weeks, we proclaim the comings of Christ, how he came to this world born to a poor family, how he comes continually in our midst through the Holy Spirit, and how he will come again one day. We spend these four weeks preparing, not for a big man in a red suit, but for Jesus, who is Emmanuel, God with us. Believe me, that is MUCH better news!!!

So, Happy Advent! If you want to spread some good news, go around and greet people with these words. Happy Advent! Jesus is coming! God is with us! People might look at you funny. People might tell you that you are taking Christ out of Christmas. If that happens, take a deep breath, say a prayer, smile, and share the good news of the advent of Jesus. I would love to hear your stories about what happens as you share!

Don't worry...Christmas will come in a few weeks! There will be a time to sing carols and celebrate Christmas. But for now, pray, reflect, meditate, and enjoy the anticipation of God's mighty acts in our midst!