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Stumbling Along

Part of our discussion last night revolved around the challenge of "daily" setting aside time to read the Scriptures. Several people said the demands of home and family make such a commitment pretty near impossible. I had to admit that I'm prone to the same struggle. I guess I'd rather have "regular" time apart for the purpose of spiritual formation, if a daily commitment is impossible. If living under the demand of having to set aside time daily makes us give up altogether, then I would rather press for a regular commitment. After all, there is the rhythm of resting one day in seven (and yet we also rest daily as we sleep through the night) and so could it be that the rhythm of reading and prayer might begin with a few time slots wedged into our week and then it will grow as we discover its value. It makes sense to me. What do you think?

Reading Scripture

In our study tonight we'll be talking about the practice of reading scripture. Sure, it sounds easy but how are you doing? Really, it's not as easy as it appears but the fruitful reading of scripture requires an approach to reading that is different from the way we pick up the local paper or a novel. In Shaped by the Word, Robert Mulholland summarizes the guidelines of John Wesley in relation to reading scripture. The first of six guidelines goes like this (this is Mulholland's paraphrase):

There should be a daily time set apart for the disciplined reading of scripture. This time should be: (a) set apart at the optimum point of our day, when we are at our best; (b) set apart physically in surroundings that are conducive to the opening of our lives to God; and (c) set apart internally from the pressures and tension of our lives. (143)

Developing the habit of reading scripture might be compared to the way we take on the discipline of exercise. I don't always feel like getting into the water to swim each morning but I soon discover might delight in the water and I'm even more grateful at the end of my workout.

When It Rains...

The rain is falling outside and I'm glad to be home. No water polo practice tonight for Matthew though we made the trip to Aliso Niguel High School just to hear the news. Rain also means we have to stay out of the ocean for the next days (thanks to the toxic urban runoff). Thankfully, yesterday afternoon Matthew and I enjoyed a few good waves at T-Street. It was so good that the dolphins were jumping up out of the water. It's the first time I've seen that happen anywhere other than Sea World. It was surprising and thrilling.

Feels pretty crazy these days as we prepare for Easter. Don't forget about the trip on the following Saturday, April 22 to Miracle Ranch. I have also lined up a good preacher for the Sunday following Easter. Rev. Bob Schwenck recently retired from Community Presbyterian Church in San Juan Capistrano. He was one of the driving forces that helped to get us started here in Ladera Ranch. Bob will be preaching on the 23rd (it also happens to be my birthday). I am also close to the finish line on my final project at Columbia. A change in title has made it a bit more exciting and, hopefully, accessible to others. Lots more going on but I've got duties here at home to attend to right now. More later.

Update: I got to read the story of stone soup to Mackenzie...I love that book.

Not Quiet Here

This morning I was seeking a quiet place to finish my sermon. I thought I'd head to my favorite site for coffee: Diedrichs in San Juan Capistrano. Unfortunately, today is the Swallows Day parade and so they told me to run away as quickly as possible. This will be anything but a quiet place over the next few hours. I guess we don't always get what we want.

Learning to Pray

We had a fun group gathered last night in our home for our Wednesday night study. We looked at scriptures related to prayer and talked about how to incorporate them into our lifestyle. Prayer is one of those ongoing lessons that we never finish with.

For fun, I talked about how learning to pray is like learning to ride a bike. Mackenzie was my inspiration this week because on Monday she learned to ride a two-wheeler. Both prayer and riding a bicycle require balance. In prayer we balance speaking and listening, reflection and action. Training wheels aren't all that helpful when you want to learn to ride a bike or when you want to learn to pray. We learn by actually praying. The key for us this past week was the location for learning. Mackenzie learned to ride a bike on grass instead of the street. Knowing the fall would not hurt as much gave her the courage to push the pedals. And finally, when you do fall off your bike, you have to get right back up. The same is true for prayer. It doesn't really help to complain about how you can't pray. Someone once said, "Prayer as you can, not as you can't."

"In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed." (Mark 1:35) Let us follow the example of Jesus.

A Few Good Questions

Our leadership team gathered for a meeting last night and we had a stimulating, enriching and challenging discussion in relation to what we need to do in order to be the church in this community. As you can imagine, starting a church from scratch is not without its challenges.

How do gather a "critical mass" of people so that those who are serving don't get burned out? How should we reach out to others to invite them to find a place to belong at Village? What does it mean when good families decide to go elsewhere? What can we do to connect those who will worship with us on Easter Sunday? How can we make our gathering on Sunday morning more joyful, inspiring and inviting? What will this require of us and are we willing to make the commitment? How is the Holy Spirit leading us as a congregation? What evidence do we see of the presence of God among us?

These are my questions as I sit here on Wednesday morning reviewing the discussion last night. We touched on a few of these questions as time quickly sped away. Facing some of these questions is not easy for me, nor is it easy for our leadership team but I think we're making progress. The bottom line for me is that I remain committed the work that will result in the birth of a new congregation here in Ladera Ranch. Have we birthed a church yet? I don't really know for sure. Perhaps we are in the midst of the labor pains. I believe the best way forward is to wrestle with these and other questions and then we must act on the basis of faith. Is it sometimes hard, I mean really, really hard? Yes, but God is faithful. I guess for me, that's enough and so I'm committed to moving forward even as I want to learn from the past.

No Waves

It's been several weeks of poor waves and periodic rain. Bummer!

About Last Night

We hosted the first in a series of six studies last night in our home. Eight of us were present to consider what it means to grow in our relationship with Christ. There was lively interaction and good reflection. I believe we're off to a strong start and there's always room in our home for one more.

Here's the outline of what's on the agenda for the coming weeks.

Week 1: Spirituality 101
Week 2: An Overview of Spiritual Practices
Week 3: The Practice of Prayer
Week 4: Learning to Hear the Word
Week 5: The Corporate Aspects of Spiritual Disciplines
Week 6: Common Meal

I've said it multiple times, in multiple locations but let me say it again, the theme at Village Presbyterian Church for 2006 is deep and wide. In order to prepare for the future God has for us we must be willing to go deeper in our relationship with Christ. And so also, we must learn to invite other to join us on the journey of faith as we seek to expand the Village.

In other news, Andy got glasses this week and he is enjoying a new way of seeing.

Way to Live

This afternoon I've been preparing for the Wednesday night series that starts next week. I've been paging through a shelf of books I'd classify under the category of Spiritual Formation. One of the better books I've come across in recent years is titled Way to Live. It's actually a book written by and for youth and yet it handles practices in a way that is inviting. There's not a heavy emphasis on the "don'ts" of Christian living (for example, don't drink, don't cheat, don't do drugs, don't have sex) but instead they highlight the positive choices that are open to young people (and also to adults who are listening in). I appreciate that approach. They also get it right in relation to the invitation to the good life. The introduction includes these words, "This book invites you into a community of people who don't just go with the flow. This community's image of 'the good life' is not about having lots of stuff or being more successful than other people. Instead, it's about getting involved in the loving, challenging life of God." (6) It's good stuff from from a good book.

Come on Wednesday night and learn more about what it means to belong to a community that is committed to doing something other than going with the flow. We genuinely want to discover the way to live.

Give Up or Take Up

Today is Ash Wednesday, which is the first day in the season of Lent. Lent is a season of preparation for the celebration of Easter. Typically, Christians give up something as a reminder of the sacrifice of Christ. Chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, ice cream and other sweets usually make the list. I have to admit in the past I've made meaningful sacrifices during the season of Lent even as I've not always made it through the whole season (usually by offering some lame excuse to myself). One year I fasted every Wednesday. Now that was a challenge. It's also appropriate in this season to engage in specific practices as a way of becoming more "in tune" spiritually speaking. I like that side of things because I don't think we grow in relation to Christ by subtraction alone. What Lenten disciplines will you engage in for the sake of your relationship with Christ? That's a question I'm considering and I have yet to finalize my answer.

Shall I give up Starbucks coffee? Not coffee altogether but maybe the habit of letting Starbucks brew it for me...no Grande Drip during Lent? Giving up chocolate will be tough...maybe white chocolate only. Oh well, as you can see I'm still working the sacrifice thing through.