Back in the Saddle Again

After a smooth flight on Monday and a few days to rest, readjust to the time change, and spend time with my brother and his family, and Rachel's family (my parents are still in Florida so we will catch them in another week), we are home and back in the saddle. We were welcomed very warmly by our church family and had a great day reconnecting with them. I am excited to share with them what I learned and experienced during the weeks to come. As I walked Natalie to school this morning, she was greeted by a group of friends eager to exchange hugs and walk with her to class.

We had an incredible time away, but it is also good to be home. As far as future blogs go now that we are home, I am not quite certain. However, I am sure I will have much to process from our experiences, so stay tuned, at least for a little while. Maybe if I ever figure out how to post pictures, I will let them say the thousands of words which I neglected.

Christ in You the Hope of Glory

Have you ever had a divine appointment? Perhaps the experience consists of an ordinary appointment with another person, sometimes planned, sometimes random. However, at the conclusion of the appointment you clearly realize that it wasn't the other person with whom you conversed, but God Himself revealed through another.

In many places the New Testament describes a profound mystery. The language varies from one passage to another, yet the reality, when taken seriously, remains quite astounding. In writing to the Colossian Christians, Paul referred to this mystery as "Christ in you, the hope of Glory." To think of Jesus, the Son of God, taking up residence within average human beings is certainly a truth which remains difficult to wrap one's mind around, especially when full consideration is given. Yet this mysterious reality permits us to experience such divine appointments as mentioned above.

Today, I had one such appointment (I will describe it in a moment, but allow me to give a bit of background). Over the past week, in casual conversation with other pastors in Oxford, I mentioned my research focus of this sabbatical including the writings of Bernard of Clairvaux. More than once I was posed with the question, "Have you spoken with Sister Benedicta?" Upon hearing her name mentioned the third time, I decided I must meet this Sister Benedicta. After tracking down her information, I set up an appointment for this afternoon.

Following a brief walk, I came to the residence of this Sister. An elderly woman answered the door, quietly and meekly. We entered the study; surrounded by books of ancient Christian writings we proceeded to talk. She enquired about my research, then listen carefully. I had a couple of specific questions which I posed to her regarding Bernard. She responded with brilliant insight and knowledge, not in any flashy way, but quite humbly. In fact, her way of enquiry was not, "What else would you like to know from me?" Rather, on a couple of occasions with carefully selected words she asked, "What else can we tell each other about Bernard?" This seasoned scholar with fourteen published books to her credentials was open to hearing what a relatively young whippersnapper as myself might have to say, which certainly paled in comparison to her understanding.

Interestingly, it was not her scholarly insight that was impressive, although it was quite helpful toward my project. Rather, it was the clear sense of the presence of Christ in her which made her a gem of a person to meet. Upon the conclusion of our meeting, I left with the sense of having been in the presence of God, not of Sister Benedicta, not of her vast knowledge, not of a well published author, but the presence of Christ coming through this meek, humble servant.

Christ in us, a profound mystery, yet for willing participants, a beautiful reality.

Overdue Update

Well, once again I am overdue for an update. It is hard to believe the sabbatical time is winding down. We miss you all back home and look forward to seeing you again soon. I am sure we will not stop talking about our experiences for quite some time. We are feeling re-energized, renewed, and full of great experiences. Although I tried to keep the blog updated as time allowed, we experienced so much that there is no possible way to include it all.

Just a few highlights I have missed:

Rachel's mom came for a six day visit. We had a good time showing her around, Natalie especially enjoyed being tour guide. Rachel and I were able to have a date night while the girls had Grandma time. We enjoyed the time together.

Sunday I took in an all day lecture on art and Biblical interpretation hosted by the university's continuing education department. I love the Bible, I love to draw and paint, and I love to learn, so the class sounded like fun. However, I am certainly no expert on art history, consequently, some of it was admittedly a bit over my head, although I did find it mostly quite interesting.

A couple weeks ago, we took in Stonehenge and Avebury (a site similar to Stonehenge). Fascinating piles of rocks they were! We also spent an afternoon in London seeing the tower that holds Big Ben (Big Ben is the name of the bell, not the tower; they name all their bells around here).

We have opportunities here and there to spend time with my Uncle Karl (who Alana affectionately calls "Uncle Car Wash" as Karl is just too difficult for her to say), Aunt Caroline, and my cousin Sophie. They live near the airport, so we will spend the night with them one last time before we fly out on Monday.

Rachel has explored portions of the city while running. Today, I took in the last sites of Oxford which I had previously missed including the University Church, St. Mary's, where John and Charles Wesley stirred up some trouble through their preaching and the Oxford movement began with the preaching of John Keble and influence of John Henry Newman. I also went into the chapel at Lincoln College where John Wesley was "one time fellow", as his published works state it. It was a beautiful chapel, one of my favorites among the many we have seen this trip.

Sunday night, I went to an evening service at the Methodist Church across the street. They have designed the service in order to reach some of the people from the neighborhood who may not otherwise attend. I enjoyed the service, they had a unique blend of a band mixed with times of quiet reflection and solitude. I must write a blog entry one of these days about the various types of worship services and styles I have experienced.

Well, I am sure there is much more to say, but I am tired and see that the above is full of ramblings on. I hope this gives you a little more of what is happening on this end.

Culture

Many factors define who we are, including personality type, genetics, upbringing, experiences, convictions, etc. However, I find a covert influence lurking all around us, often remaining allusive and undetected, but whose effect upon us cannot be measured due to its vastness. This shaper of persons defines our behavior, perspective, language, and values, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. What could possibly impact us so strongly? In a word--culture.

We may try to fight against it or deny its sway over us, but when it comes right down to it we find ourselves a product of our cultural environment. I asked a dangerous question to a couple of people native to Great Britain, "what are some of the cultural faux pas committed by Americans?" A resounding answer arose, "Americans are too loud!" At first, I didn't understand what was meant by this accusation. However, as I began observing my surroundings, it didn't take long for me to see exactly what our neighbors across the ocean were seeing in us. In England, quiet remains a sign of respect for others. Admittedly, in public places I began to find my voice echoing above the crowd. As I heard others speaking loudly, I listened a little closer only to hear a quite familiar accent resounding from the unusually noisy people--the accent of Americans. Unfortunately, I soon realized how true it is, we Americans truly are loud.

In my trips to Nicaragua, I asked a similar question to the Nicaraguans only to find their perspective of Americans tended to focus on our materialism. My last trip to Nicaragua was followed by a trip to Naples, Florida only to see materialism reaching its summit. Sometimes these outside perspectives are necessary to help us see what we can't due to our immersion in our surroundings. I can't help but wonder, in what ways are we so shaped by our culture, but completely unaware because it is so strongly a part of us?

Epworth and York

Well, we concluded our travels to the sites of John Wesley (although we still have a couple local stops to make here in Oxford). It is impossible to see all the sites of Wesley since he traveled some 250,000 miles on horseback, but we have certainly hit the high points. We spent a couple of days in a B & B in Epworth, the birthplace and childhood home of John Wesley. They have preserved the old Rectory where John grew up, making it available for tours. Also, the church where John's dad served as rector for thirty-nine years still stands complete with the baptism font where John, Charles, and their siblings were baptized. Outside the church rests the tomb of John's dad, Samuel. The tomb became a pulpit from which John preached on a number of occasions when he was refused permission to preach in the church. Two sets of numerously pitted holes, looking as if something seared into the cement, lie off to one side of the top of the tomb. These holes are said to be the heal marks left from John's shoes while preaching.

We went into York one day as well. York has a long history of a mere two thousand years plus. The city is incredible with an enormous abby dating back to the 14th century, the original wall around the city, 15th century timber-framed buildings still intact, and incredible importance in the history of Christianity. Constantine was in York with his father, then emperor Flavius Constantius, when Constantius died. Constantine was then declared the new Roman emperor while in York in 306 A.D. The Roman empire was known for its massive persecution against Christians until Constantine signed the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. allowing for religious toleration throughout the kingdom. This set the stage for the open formation of many churches, monasteries, etc. and the spread of Christianity throughout the kingdom. All in all, York had a place of great historic significance.

Yesterday, we returned to Oxford. Today, I did some study in the library, Rachel did some grocery shopping, and we all worked on laundry. In other words, today was not too exciting, but necessary. I hope you aren't getting too tired of my ramblings about all the history, but as you can tell I find it all so fascinating.

Of Bobble-Heads and Trading Cards

We spent the day in London yesterday, not a bad way to spend my birthday (I will need to be very creative for Rachel’s next birthday as today will be hard to top). We toured Wesley’s home where he spent the last years of his life, his grave, and a preaching chapel he had built after the closing of “The Foundry” (a building used by Wesley to house the poor, a boarding school, a chapel, and a printing press). The house was tastefully preserved with his original furniture, death bed, books, and prayer closet kneeler still in tact. They even had a replica of Wesley’s chamber horse (the 18th century version of exercise equipment like the ab-roller or bo-flex) for the girls to try out. Rachel had a go at it too. Most meaningful to me would have to be entering Wesley’s prayer closet. I could just picture him rising at 4:00a.m., as was his custom, entering the small room off his bedroom, closing the door, and connecting with God through prayer. When we look at the impact of this tiny man, it is clear to see where the power of his influence derived—-behind those doors.

A thought came to me this evening. We have many pastors in our conference who toil endlessly and selflessly, accomplishing great things behind the scenes that often go unnoticed. Perhaps as a way of memorializing their efforts we could design commemorative Bobble-Heads and trading cards. The Bobble-Heads would nicely display oversized caricatures of the preachers’ heads bobbing up and down, as if they were nodding in agreement to a fine sermon, mounted on tiny bodies of the preachers sporting their Sunday best. The trading cards would vary between posed photographs and in-action preaching shots, complete with statistical information on the back (i.e. number of baptisms performed, years of service, weddings officiated, etc.). I can almost hear the children speaking with excitement, “I’ll trade you one Pastor Steve for a Pastor Dave…It’s his rookie year!!!”

Absurd though it seems, I am afraid some people went a similar direction following and even during John Wesley’s day. Even toward the end of his life, people were producing porcelain figurines of Wesley and other collectible trinkets. Wesley lived with celebrity notoriety. I must say, I found it somewhat disappointing to walk into the chapel and see how it didn’t take long after Wesley’s death for the simply, yet elegantly, constructed preaching house and place of worship to become transformed into a type of Methodist preacher “Hall of Fame” complete with busts and commemorative stone plaques posted throughout the chapel. It was quite a contrast to the New Room in Bristol (the oldest Methodist meeting house formed by Wesley), which preserved the simplicity and essence of what these meeting houses were all about. I can’t help but wonder, “What would John think about all this?”

I think his grave marker says it best, it’s not about the instrument, “Give God Glory!”

History in my Hands

In a previous posting, I mentioned the Bodleian Library or “The Bod” as students affectionately refer to it. The Bodleian itself has a rich history. It is customary for the library not to lend books. All reading must be done onsite. In fact, one anecdotal story tells of a former king who was refused the opportunity to check out a book because of their strict rules. In order for me to receive a library card, I had to fill out an application, be approved, and take an oath that I would not destroy the property or bring open flame into the building. I willingly agreed. One of the professors in the residential hall where we reside was kind enough to write a recommendation for access into the library’s special collections. Today, I made use of this privilege. I had two sets of manuscripts set aside for me. One was a collection of 12th to 13th century Latin texts including manuscripts of some of the writings of Bernard of Clairvaux (this is a focus of my studies here). I don’t actually read Latin, but from my background in Greek, Spanish, and I am pretty good with English, I can get the gist of Latin. However, these texts were written very small and very fancy, in other words, I didn’t have a clue what it said. Needless to say, I didn’t spend much time with this collection, although it was exciting to hold a set of writings that old.

I did, however, spend some significant time looking at the second set of manuscripts. I was searching for some letters by John Wesley. One letter appeared in a collection of 18th century letters owned by a 19th century collector, later donated to the library. As I began searching for Wesley’s letters, I was amazed to realize the richness of the original handwritten letters I was holding. I enjoyed the opportunity to hold letters written by Charles Dickens, George Washington, William Cowper, Thomas Paine, a poem handwritten by Percy Shelley, Isaac Watts, William Wilberforce, John Wesley, and a letter from Charles Wesley written to George Whitefield. To see their personal dealings placed these historical giants into the realm of reality. George Washington, writing from Mount Vernon, was interested in ordering red clover seeds and was earlier distraught about a missing shipment of tobacco. Thomas Paine was presenting a copy of his book “The Decline and Fall of the English System of Finance” to the Council of Ancients. William Wilberforce wrote about getting a banned book of his into Aberdeen. It was a fascinating day indeed.

A Full Week with Many Things Wesley

I am sorry for the lack of updates this past week. As I recount the travels, I think you will understand. There is a lot I could say in terms of reflection for each day, however for the sake of time my reflections unfortunately will have to wait until another time.

Sunday, we attended a Methodist church in Oxford. It was a wonderful communion service. In the evening, we went out to dinner with my uncle and aunt to begin our week together with them serving as our tour guides.

Monday, we drove to Wales to visit my Aunt’s mom, Sheila. Along the way, we stopped at a few old English and Welsh towns. One church we visited dated back to the 13th century. You know a building is old when the “newer” grave markers are dated from the 17th century. That night we had a wonderful meal with Sheila. Her house is the former home of the village miller. The mill itself, dating back to the Medieval period, sits across the street.

Tuesday, we traveled to the ocean. The scene included a rocky cliff covered in sheep, the ocean, rain clouds (a common occurrence in the UK), and a large island named “Worm’s Head.” Upon the return drive toward Sheila’s we stopped to look at an old cottage where John Wesley stayed a number of times as he passed through the town of Oxwich Bay. Complete with thatched roof, the cottage was postcard material.

Wednesday, we visited a museum of Welsh Life. It was the Welsh equivalent to Greenfield Village. That night we stayed in a B & B in Wickwar. The building, now a B & B, once served as a 17th century stable used to house horses of visitors passing through town. On September 5, 1753, John Wesley preached in the streets of Wickwar. It is likely his horse stayed where we slept. However, I think the horse was in a different room, the bed would have been too small.

Thursday, we traveled to Bath. Bath was established as a resort town for the Roman Empire in 43 A.D. The baths were built utilizing the naturally occurring hot springs. The construction, architecture, technology, and even the plumbing used centuries ago were impressive to say the least. It is interesting to think of the likelihood that a person who may have seen Jesus face-to-face may have visited this place. Bath was also a town which John Wesley frequented on his preaching circuit. The man traveled 250,000 miles on horseback throughout his life, there are not too many towns which he missed. Rachel enjoyed walking through a restaurant called “The Pump Room,” any Jane Austen fan would find this a familiar place. That night we returned to my Uncle and Aunt’s home.

Friday, we visited Windsor Castle. Natalie loved seeing a real castle where a real queen lives and soaked in the whole tour. Having recently experienced Disney World, Alana asked if there were any pirates in this ride. I found it interesting to see the grave marker of Henry VIII, the founder of the Church of England (although not under the purest of motives). Probably even more exciting was the opportunity this provided to break out in the popular song by Herman’s Hermits. Friday night we enjoyed visiting with my cousin Sophie. Sophie is a Paralympic equestrian athlete who competes for Great Britain. We asked her to bring her medals from the Athens and Beijing Games. Natalie thought it was really cool to meet Sophie and to hold her medals, especially after seeing footage the night before of Sophie receiving an award from the Queen herself.

Saturday, my uncle and I traveled to Bristol to tour the oldest Methodist church in the world, the New Room as it was called, established by John Wesley. In the upstairs, they preserved John Wesley’s room where he stayed when traveling to Bristol, along with many artifacts relevant to his life. Afterward, the timing worked great allowing us the opportunity to watch my cousin Alex play field hockey for his university in Bristol. I enjoyed watching my first ever field hockey match, however, it was quite cold. I threatened to introduce some American customs like “the wave” and let out a few loud cheers, but I was afraid I would find Alex’s embarrassment threshold.

Sunday, we returned home to Oxford, keeping a low-key day.

Monday, we toured the Oxford Castle. The castle dates back over a thousand years. In more recent years (meaning the past few hundred) it was used as a prison until the mid-1990’s. While in Oxford, John and Charles Wesley used to visit the inmates. When hearing of the extremely harsh treatment the prisoners received, I realized how incredibly revolutionary the Wesley brothers were in ministering to those neglected by society.

Well, you can see it was an incredibly full, educational, exciting, and enjoyable week while also being able to connect with my extended family this side of the Atlantic. Each day would probably deserve its own blog entry, but limited internet access last week prevented it. In a word of summary, WOW! The history here is remarkable. Just wait until you hear what I did today!

Christ Church College

I learned how to do uppercase letters on the kindle finally. I do have two new postings on my computer, but I am still awaiting internet connection, hopefully tomorrow they will post here.

Today, as a family we toured Christ Church College. Christ Church possesses a number of claims to fame. The main entry is located under a magnificent tower designed by Christopher Wren in 1682. The cathedral has portions which date back to the 13th century. John and Charles Wesley were ordained there, as they completed their studies through Christ Church. The 16th century dining hall served as the cafeteria of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies. Natalie enjoyed seeing where the real Alice in Wonderland grew up, while Alana liked the echo her voice made amidst the stone construction.

I wrote about my afternoon in a draft on my computer. Tune in tomorrow.

a great week

it has been a while since my last post i do confess. as you can see from all the lower case letters, i am typing from a kindle. i went to update the blog only to discover that the internet is down.

we had a great week of travel and exploration. i have much to say, but it will have to wait until the internet is up and running tomorrow as this method is quite slow. please stay tuned.

Wesley's World

My experiences have given me a bit of insight into John Wesley's world view. Wesley was ordained in the Church of England (called Anglicans outside of England and the Episcopalians as they came to the colonies). Wesley was true to the Church of England throughout his life and never wanted for the Methodists to separate, but the rift made separation eventually inevitable. We are staying in a very traditional, liturgical, high church Church of England residence hall in Oxford. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the community gathers together for morning and evening prayer daily. The prayers are predetermined and often chanted. The liturgy has changed little since Wesley's day. This is the rigor within which he was trained. I find it interesting that Wesley and his cohorts were negatively referred to as "Methodist" because they were so methodical. However, the entire church liturgy was quite methodical, meaning Wesley was really methodical!

I have also observed a few sermons so far. Each sermon has been very well done with a very similar style. Preaching here is very well prepared with the message clearly manuscripted, complete with thesis statement followed by approximately twenty minutes of defense and discourse on the topic. This type of preaching was also common for Wesley's day.

I did some reading this week from a biography on Wesley and some from Wesley's personal journals. A few points struck me in light of the above cultural observations. Let me share the points, then expound on them later. (1) There was a time (for those familiar with Wesley's life, after spending time with the Moravian Peter Bohler) when Wesley gave up pre-prescribed prayers because he found the freedom of heartfelt expression to God through his own praying. (2) Wesley remained quite reluctant about open air preaching, but eventually gave in to George Whitefield's encouragement. (3) His brother Charles experimented with extemporaneous preaching, John was again reluctant, but found it effective.

Reflections: Wesley was raised and trained to be a liturgical, orderly, sophisticated churchman. However, at so many points he (although with hesitation) willingly set his interests aside for the greater good. Wesley was willing to preach in the open air, outside of the comforts of the beautifully constructed cathedrals and churches in order to bring the message of God's love, forgiveness, grace, and holiness to those neglected by the church. He willing set aside his training of presenting a thesis type homily (although not completely) in order to present a clear, understandable message to the unlearned. He set aside the structures of what he knew of prayer in order to connect with God more intimately.

What is more important, the comfort of what we know and like, or setting that all aside to connect more intimately with God and to connect others with God? I hope we would agree on the latter!

General Update

I realized it has been nearly a week since my last posting. The days have been quite full, not excessively busy, but full for sure. This is a brief update on the plan for the week. We are currently staying in Wales in a B & B. The drive in was beautiful! The terrain reminds me a lot of Kentucky near where Rachel and I lived the first three years of our marriage. Complete with rolling hills turning gradually into mountains. We visited a couple medieval churches along the way. You know a church is old when the newer grave markers are dated from the 1600's. One town had a market with buildings nearly 1000 years old (yes, that is the proper number of zeros).

This week we will spend the next couple days touring Wales, then work our way back visiting some of the sites of Methodism, including a cottage where John Wesley stayed and the oldest Methodist meeting house in the world, established by Wesley and built in 1739. We also plan to visit Bath, an old Roman resort dating back to 43 A.D. (no, I did not miss any zeroes). Next weekend, we will stay with my Uncle and Aunt, making the trip into London to catch the site of Wesley's house where he died (death bed still preserved) and chapel where he preached regularly. There is also a museum attached to these two buildings.

It will be a full week to be sure. Hopefully, I will be able to update the blog as we go, but I am not certain of our email access after tomorrow.

Memorial Service in Wales

Saturday, I had the privilege of attending a memorial service for my Aunt’s Father in Wales. After a three hour journey, my first solo flight on the left side of the road, I arrived at a quaint and quite old Methodist Chapel in the mountains. The service was beautiful! My aunt told me I would never hear the hymn “Bread of Heaven” sung anywhere like I would in an old Welsh chapel. I think she was right. The people sang at the top of their lungs as the harmonies reverberated through the old chapel. My Aunt's father was a professor of classics and classical Greek. A former student offered a beautiful tribute capturing his deep love for his subject and his students. Afterward, I enjoyed meeting some of my Aunt's extended family and catching up with my cousins.

I learned a lot about the rich culture which I hope to expand upon in a later post.

The Bodleian Library

I will allow two historic figures in Christianity to describe my day from their own writings, while giving my updated version:

From John Wesley’s Journal: “Being in the Bodleian Library, I light on Mr. Calvin’s account of the case of Michael Servetus…”

From Steve’s blog: “Being in the Bodleian Library, I light on Bernard of Clairvaux’s account of Conversion…”

From Adam Clarke (Published in 1858): “After my labor yesterday at the Bodleian, I went to visit several colleges, and, among the rest, Lincoln, of which Mr. J. Wesley was fellow. One of the poorest-looking of the colleges; but it has been the parent, under God, of the greatest work of a spiritual and reforming nature that has appeared upon earth since the second century. How many millions have been saved since John and Charles Wesley first gave themselves to God in this place!

From Steve's blog: "After my labor today at the Bodleian, I went to visit one college, Lincoln, of which Mr. J. Wesley was fellow..."

Update on the Family

Many of my blog entries have revolved around my personal reflections regarding our experiences. Here, I will offer an update on the entire family.

Rachel is doing great! The month in Florida was perfect to aid in her recovery. Having a break from the busy schedule allowed her the rest she needed initially. Later, the warm weather provided her the opportunity to get out walking and running again (Cheryl, be ready). She is also doing quite well here in England. She is able to spend leisure time catching up on some reading. Her love for old British literature has made her bilingual, speaking English in addition to her fluent American. In fact, Rachel is trilingual as she actually spoke Polish before English (oops, I mean “before American”). Responding to her initial impressions of Oxford, Rachel said in English, and I quote, “Brilliant! The spires left me utterly gob smacked straight away.”

Natalie is having a great time also. The weekend before flying to England, we heard Natalie excitedly run out of her bedroom, fly down the stairs, stand in front of us, and give a large grin exposing a small gap in her smile and a hint of blood on her chin as she proudly displayed her first lost tooth. She was thrilled! After arriving in Oxford, we rode a tour bus of the city complete with headsets narrating the history and sites. Upon Natalie’s request, we stayed on for two and a half tours through the city in order for her to take in all the information and listen to the woman’s intriguing British accent. Fortunately, the passes were good for twenty-four hours. She loves learning and enjoys hearing about history and this city has a lot of history! Oxford was home to the real Alice whom Lewis Carroll wrote about in what we know as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Natalie was fascinated as we walked in the store where the real Alice once frequented for penny candy, now converted into an Alice souvenir shop. We have been reading the book before bedtime together. After church yesterday, Natalie had a chance to play with the daughter of one of the professors. The young fourth grader was pleased to set down her school homework, a thick novel written in Latin (school is quite rigorous in Oxford, even for a fourth grader), to go play in the courtyard. Natalie too had a great time and talked about Dorothy, her new British friend, all afternoon.

Alana had difficulty adjusting to the time change at first, consequently, so did the rest of us. She is now adjusted and having a great time. She too is intrigued by the interesting sounding people. Natalie and Alana both purchased an Alice doll from the Alice shop. Alana calls hers “Elvis” instead of Alice. Alana is nearly as amazed at the architecture as the rest of us as she keeps saying “look at that building” as we walk through the city. We walked through a market last week. Alana’s eyes were drawn to the dead pheasants and rabbits displayed in the window. She responded, “People eat the bunnies? EEOOOOH!” as she plugged her nose.

You have heard many of my reflections, but let me give a few things I am particularly enjoying. The history and architecture are incredible! Across the street from where we are staying, Roger Bannister ran the first sub-four minute mile. We saw the pub where C. S. Lewis and Tolkien frequented to discuss with each other their recent books. Many buildings date back to the 16th century or earlier. Tomorrow I intend to spend a large portion of time in the Bodleian Library. One of the professors here was kind enough to write a recommendation allowing me access into the special collections which contain a number of old manuscripts, including (if I am not mistaken) some handwritten manuscripts from John Wesley and countless others. Well, you will see more jottings as time goes on.

News about Barb

We received word last night about Barb from church passing away. Rachel and I are deeply saddened to hear this news. We had the privilege of getting to know Barb better over the past few months as she and Rachel were in the hospital at the same time, even rooming together Rachel’s last night. Barb was so much fun; she had a playful side to her. I saw this side of Barb often, but most recently when I walked into Rachel’s hospital room, not knowing that Barb was in the next bed, Barb wanted it this way until just the right time when she could surprise me. Surprise me she did! We all had a good laugh. We will certainly miss her! Our prayers are with John and Carol, the church family, and all those close to Barb.

Routine, Ritual, and Rut

I am staying and studying at an Anglican residential school at the University of Oxford. The school is relatively small, taking up one city block and housing a handful of students, staff, and faculty. As a community, they observe the Anglican hours of prayer in the purest form of the tradition. Twice a day, upon the ringing of the church bells, the community gathers in the chapel for prayer, once per day for mass, and daily for a social time at four o’clock for tea. Yesterday, I enjoyed high tea. However, I soon realized that British tea is not conducive to adjusting to a new time zone. The highly caffeinated, but oh so tasty, mix of tea leaves kept me awake until 2:00 in the morning. This evening I opted out on the tea, but participated in evening prayer. For half an hour, the people gather for a series of predetermined readings, songs, creeds, and prayers. The entire service is recited in chant with the people facing each other in two sets of rows along each side of the chapel. It was actually quite beautiful.

There remains something to be said for routine and ritual. The routines of these hours of prayer ensure that the staff, faculty, and students gather together many times daily for worship, shared prayer, and fellowship. I sense a deep connectedness among the people here and consequently, an open hospitality to my family and me. However, I do wonder how much of the prayer time exists as a heartfelt connection with Almighty God and how much remains as merely going through the motions, caught in the rut of routine. I obviously could not answer this as I cannot see into the hearts of the seemingly sincere participants, but I do wonder.

Routine and ritual remain important dynamics to a vibrant, healthy spirituality. If we fail to schedule in times of spiritual renewal, our schedule produces spiritual failure. However, if we participate in spiritual activities because that is what we always do, our routine becomes dry, devoid of divine encounters. Lack of spiritual routine and ritual, as well as the overdone rut of routine and ritual both leave us empty.

Spiritual vitality comes when we are intentional about our part in connecting with God, yet free to allow God to meet us where we least expect.

Reading

I asked for some comments on books you have been reading or a book that has influenced your life. I am still waiting for replies, but allow me to begin the discussion.

During our month in Florida I focused my reading on three main books: (1) the book of Acts from the Bible which chronicles the events of the early church following Jesus’ ascent into heaven, (2) a book by Calvin Miller entitled Loving God Up Close about the intimate relationship we can experience with God through the Holy Spirit, and (3) a good portion of some of the works pertaining to spiritual growth from Bernard of Clairvaux, a twelfth century Christian monk of the Cistercian flavor (I don’t really know what a Cistercian tastes like, but the word flavor seems much more positive in identifying the differences within Christianity, seeing the diversity as something to be celebrated, like the fine selection at Baskin Robins).

These three books could be summarized in one phrase, “it’s all about God.” The title of the book of Acts was early on referred to as The Acts of the Apostles and more recently shortened to simply Acts. However, I think a more accurate title would be The Acts of the Holy Spirit since the acts recorded in the book far exceed any human effort. Rather, what happened early on in the formation of the church was nothing short of miraculous, a display of divine power through the people of God. Calvin Miller’s book Loving God Up Close serves as a great reminder regarding the various ways through which God the Holy Spirit works intimately in our lives, if, of course, we allow this work. Bernard, or Bernie if I may, emphasizes the stages through which we progress as our love for God grows. The climax finds love as completely for God’s sake, not the sake of self.

I will cover Bernie more in the future, but for now, I want these summaries to speak as a collective. From the pen of his own hand, Luke—a doctor and thorough historian—attributes the miraculous impact of the first century church to the working of the Holy Spirit. Bernie, a twelfth century abbot, declares that love in its most mature form remains completely for the sake of God alone. Our contemporary, professor, writer, and artist Calvin Miller finds God the Holy Spirit at the center of all that makes life good and meaningful. In other words, it doesn’t matter the time, the place, the occupation or background . . . It’s all about God!

arrived in england

we arrived in england this morning. stopping to see my uncle and aunt along the way for tea, we drove nervously on the left side of the road to oxford. the city is full of historic structues. the appartment far exceeded our expectations, with the girls getting their own rooms, the sound of the chapel bells tolling for the hours of prayer, and right around the corner from the grocery store and other shopping. i am typing on the kindle until we get the internet up and running on my computer. sorry for the lowercase letters and typing errors. i will update more when my computer works.

p.s. i am waiting for someone to get the ball rolling on the assignment mentioned in the posting below.

Good Books

It is hard to believe our month in Florida is coming to a close. Tomorrow, we fly back to Michigan, leave behind the shorts, repack for an England winter, and fly out to the UK on Monday. It will be hard to say good-bye to the warmth and sunshine, but I do look forward to our British experiences.

Seeing that a few days will pass before I get a chance to write a new blog posting, I have something to fill the time. Please click below on "comments". Then, let everyone know about a good book you are reading currently, or one that deeply influenced your life. When I get back on line, I will share some thoughts about my reading during this past month.

Please note: your comment will not post immediately as it passes through my email first. Look for the comments to appear by Tuesday or Wednesday.

The Price to Pay

Now, by this title you may be expecting a commentary on the outrageous prices charged at Disney World. However, what follows actually looks at our church experience this morning.

We set out choosing to attend a Free Methodist church with a bilingual Spanish/English service. However, after numerous attempts at calling and searching the internet we failed to find the information we needed to attend. So we determined we must be predestined to be Presbyterians for the day (sorry, I just had to include a little subtle theology humor noting the differences in perspective on free will). The sanctuary reminded Rachel and me of the chapel at Asbury Seminary where we did our master's work. The people were friendly, the place was full, the pipe organ was beautiful, and the walk from the car through the city was warm and sunny.

The pastor delivered a powerful message about the price of following Jesus. He posed the question, "what is worth dying for?" Reading from the book of Acts about the death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, the pastor concluded that Jesus is the only thing (or person, as the case may be) worthy to live and die for.

As church dismissed along with two other very large churches on the same block, we saw a young woman in ragged clothes sitting in the grass next to a dirty old duffel bag. As we walked passed, I made eye contact with her, nodded, said hello and noticed a hand written sign in her hand which read, "hungry and pregnant." Sadly, all the church people flowed by like a steady stream, unaffected by this person in need.

I have been a pastor long enough to have a degree of cynicism in situations like these. I have seen countless people who bounce from church to church playing the system looking for handouts. Certainly, some have even successfully played me. However, the moment I made eye contact with this woman I was forced to make a decision, do I chalk her up as another "system player" or see her as a creation of God with a real need? Natalie's question certainly didn't help, "What did her sign say, Daddy?" Responding with, "it said she is hungry and pregnant, now let's go get some lunch," remained far from appropriate. I had to choose, would I go with the flow or do my part to help?

If Jesus is worth dying for (which I know He is), isn't He worth going to the car, the store, or home to get some food for someone in need? If we would die for Him, surely we would be inconvenienced for Him. Didn't we all just hear the same powerful sermon? Certainly, we really can't forget what we just heard within five or ten minutes. Yet we walk by as if the person didn't exist.

In moments like these, Jesus' words "whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me," cut deep into the soul. Rachel and I did what we could to go against the flow.

Believing in Dreams

We spent the week in the Orlando area. Of course no trip to Florida would be complete without a visit to see the world renowned mouse. Being my first Disney World experience, I suppose that defines this as my first complete trip to Florida.

Last night we viewed the firework display over Cinderella's castle, complete with the highest caliber of pyrotechnics, Tinker Bell soaring through the air high over head, and innumerable simulated shooting stars lighting up the sky, all set to a backdrop of music, movie quotes, and the voice of Walt Disney himself encouraging the listeners to believe in their dreams and promising that all of their dreams will come true. The display made Walt Disney's philosophy quite convincing, if not inspirational and motivational. Disney himself dreamed big and saw those dreams come to fruition on the grandest of scales.

I believe Disney had something important to say about dreaming big, but I do find a bit of his philosophy lacking at some points. I wonder how many times settling for mediocrity prevents us from truly dreaming big. I also wonder how many big dreams, good dreams, world changing dreams exist throughout the world, but they remain unfulfilled due to a sense of self-doubt, insecurity, or a settling for business as usual.

What would this world look like if we all began to dream Walt Disney-sized dreams? Better yet, what would this world look like if we all began to dream God-sized dreams? I am convinced that God's dreams for our lives remain at the farthest reach away from mediocrity or complacency. If only we would buy into God's dreams, the world would be a different place.

Now, I do have to pick apart Disney's philosophy a bit. "If you believe hard enough" is his causal statement for the effect of seeing all one's dreams come true. How does one believe hard enough? Perhaps if I scrunch my face, wrinkle my forehead, clench my fists, and tighten every muscle in my body, I could muster up enough belief. Or, perhaps if I passively stare off into space with a contented smile and think about my dreams repeatedly, the belief will come and the dream will be realized. I don't think the Disney dream was accomplished through these means. His dreams were accompanied by action.

The book of James reminds us of two truths regarding belief, plans, and dreams. First, "faith without works is dead." Belief without action results in nothing. If we fail to act on our belief in God and in what He has called us to accomplish, our lives slip away into complacency. Secondly, we ought to hold on loosely to our plans and dreams saying, "if it is the Lord's will" we will accomplish this or that. The biggest dreams void of God will fail miserably, or if realized will remain void of meaning and purpose.

So, pray to seek God's dreams for your life, dream those God-sized dreams, and take action in order to see them through.

New Posts to Come

My access to the internet has been limited this past week, consequently I am a bit behind on my updates. I plan to write two new posts regarding a couple thoughts from the week later tomorrow night when my brain is hopefully a little more alert. Please stay tuned.

Camp Meeting

We spent the weekend with Jim and Marilyn (friends from church who winter in Florida, for those who don't know them). We had a wonderful time! As many of you know, Jim and Marilyn are great people, always a joy to be around.

I enjoyed observing the display of nature visible from their back deck, including a nesting pair of Sandhill Cranes, a hawk sunning itself in a tree only yards away, and the only floating island I have ever seen. The latter remains difficult to describe, but yes, the island of flora actually floats as it blows from one side of the pond to the other.

We were privileged to attend the last few services of the week-long camp meeting at the park where Jim and Marilyn live. The services were in a traditional holiness camp meeting style as verses of "Victory in Jesus" dinned throughout the sanctuary. I particularly enjoyed the Sunday morning service as the preacher painted such a beautiful picture with words, describing the magnificence of heaven as he read from John 14:1-6.

In light of this passage: When I think of Gene, Merle, and Jeanne (the three mentioned in my previous posts below), they witnessed extreme poverty, oppression, corruption, spiritual bondage, and natural disaster in Haiti--the worst of what this world contains. Now, they enjoy the best of what God offers for all of eternity!

Haiti Update

The three people I mentioned in the previous post, Gene, Merle, and Jeanne, sadly were not recovered from the collapsed building in Haiti and have consequently been presumed not alive. One of our bishops conducted a memorial service at the site of the building over the weekend. There will be a memorial service for Gene and Merle in Lakeland, Florida tomorrow where they and their wives have wintered. Jeanne's husband Jack survived the quake and is recovering at a U.S. hospital. Please keep their families in your prayers.

Please Pray

Last year a team came to our church to help with the roof project and storage room in the fellowship hall. Two of the men who came, Gene and Merle, went to Haiti to do some construction work. They stepped off the plane shortly before the massive earthquake. Last I heard, they are still unaccounted for. It is suspected that they were in a multi-level mission building that collapsed in Port au Prince, along with one of our FM missionaries--Jeanne. Please pray for their rescue and for their wives Dolly and Dorothy who are in Florida awaiting word. Rachel and I know Gene, Dolly, Merle, and Dorothy from the church we served in ten years ago.

A Life Marked by Greatness

Over the weekend we visited the Florida estate of Thomas Edison. Much to Alana's disappointment, all the talk about Thomas and we never did see the big blue tank engine. Instead, we viewed Thomas Edison's home, lab, and gardens containing plants from around the world.

Edison's 1,093 lifetime patents changed the world. The light bulb, motion pictures, audio recording, concrete mixes, among many other invention are all things that today exist as commonplace (not bad for someone who started out selling concessions on the train from Port Huron to Mt. Clemens). Such accomplishment leads one to wonder, what lies behind a life marked by such greatness? Perhaps it was his drive and work ethic, maybe it was just the product of an incredibly gifted individual, or the fulfillment of a God-given destiny.

Three components to Edison's life struck me as crucial to his success. First, like many of the greats in history, Thomas endured a great deal of suffering. As a child, he spent much of the first eight years of life ill with scarlet fever which left him partially deaf. When he was finally able to start school, he was constantly in trouble due to his inquisitive interruptions. In adulthood, his wife of only thirteen years died at a young age. Such suffering has a way of leaving one bitter or better. For Edison, it made him better.

Secondly, Edison had someone behind the scenes who encouraged him and believed in him. Thomas' mother saw his inquisitive nature as a strength to be developed, as opposed to weakness to be punished. Following Thomas' few short months in school and a confrontation with the schoolmaster, Mrs. Edison took on the responsibility of his education. Later in life, Thomas said that it was his mother who gave him a reason to succeed.

Thirdly, Edison had a way of successfully fighting against the tyranny of the urgent and focusing his time on his life's passion. After feeling bogged down with the business of running his factory in Newark, New Jersey, Edison moved the factory to Menlo Park, hiring a manager and accountants to take care of the business. This freed Thomas to focus his energies on what he loved, experimenting and inventing. As a result, he and his team received 32 patents over the following two years.

Reflecting on the accomplishments of such an individual, I'll leave you with three questions to ponder: How have life's experiences shaped you (have they left you bitter or better)? Who are the people in your life that encourage you toward reaching your God-given potential? What is your life's passion and what interferes with you devoting time toward that end?

A Good Day

Initially, we intended to visit an outdoor church in Naples today. However, record cold temperatures drove us inside. We found ourselves attending church in a nearby High School. I suppose you could say the church was quite "trendy" (the antithesis of what we will experience in the high church cathedrals of England). The music contained a strong hard rock edge, the service was occasionally interrupted with previously recorded video "commercials" for a Bible study or upcoming event. The pastor dressed in blue jeans and an untucked button up shirt. I have to admit I found the smoke machine and effects lighting a little over the top, but the message was sound and people responded. There existed a deep sense of worship and the presence of God was clearly felt. As a family, we left encouraged, challenged to move deeper in our time with God, and grateful for the experience.

The afternoon followed with me engaging in my favorite Sunday afternoon spiritual discipline--nap taking. Feeling refreshed, I then began reading a book by Calvin Miller, one of my top ten favorite Christian authors (at least of those who are still living), entitled Loving God Up Close. Calvin Miller possesses a way of writing that penetrates into the soul, leaving behind a contagious desire to know God more intimately. All in all, today began to rekindle in me that ever present, often unquenchable, hunger for the Holy--where life remains completely, unreservedly about God, nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else.

"The heavens declare..."

Psalm 19 states, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." God truly has revealed His splendor through His creation. Today, we took a drive through a mangrove swamp and saw a rich diversity of wildlife, each bird with its unique design to serve its survival. The drive home included a quick turn off the road to watch a number of dolphins putting on a display, a couple of them soaring above the water. The skies then proclaimed the work of God's hands as they lit up a fiery red over the ocean. To think that the God who created all this beauty also created each of us, designing us uniquely with a purpose in mind to proclaim His glory. Wow! What a privilege!

From the Mouths of Babes

We attended church this morning and yes, I admit, we sat in the back. I enjoyed the pastor's relaxed, humorous style as he encouraged the congregation to dream big for God in 2010. However, from the wisdom of a six year old, Natalie challenged me to see the sermon in a different light. At the dinner table we asked Natalie what she thought of church this morning. With profound insight, Natalie stated something along these lines, "Well, the pastor seemed to make a lot of jokes and laugh a lot. I felt like he wasn't taking the Bible seriously enough and was just trying to be funny." Natalie continued to expand on her thoughts with heart-felt conviction.

Natalie's statement seemed to coincide with something I have been reflecting on from the writings of Bernard of Clairvaux (a Christian author from the 11th-12th centuries). Bernard used a Latin term for "love" toward God that may not have been the expected word to use. Instead of using amor, he used the word from which we get the English word "diligence". The word shows a high regard, respect, reverence, or devotion to another, a "diligent" devotion, as opposed to a mushy, gushy feeling or mere companionship. Not only this, but the word is also a verb where amor is a noun. In other words, love is an action, not just a thing one possesses.

As we reflect on our love for God, do we take Him seriously enough? Do we posses a diligent devotion, filled with awe and reverence toward our God, our Master, our King? Are we diligent in action, fleeing the hurtful, sinful patterns of life and actively drawing closer to God? Or, are we merely content with an occasional good laugh?