Transitioning

They say that you can never go home again.  I’m not really sure who “they” are, but “they” say a lot of things that don’t necessarily end up being true.  Katie and I were able to announce earlier this week that we are indeed going home again… well, close to home anyway.

As a United Methodist pastor, I’ve committed myself to a life of itinerancy, which means that I could potentially move at any time – if the bishop and district superintendent think that it is time, then I pack up, move and continue the ministry to which God has called me in a new location.  It’s interesting being part of a process like this.  Every spring, there’s a handful of people that I know who end up dusting off their boxes and move on to the next stage of ministry.  This year, I’m one of those people.

On July 1st, we will join in ministry with the good people at Smith Valley UMC in Greenwood, IN.  This is an unexpected blessing because we both grew up just a few miles north of where Smith Valley is located.  Nearly all of our family will be within 20 minutes of our house, and that’s only because there can be a lot of traffic in this area.

After I graduated from high school – literally, the day after my graduation – I moved to Alabama for the summer to work at a mission camp.  Then, I moved to Evansville (3 hours away) for college, Wilmore  (3 hours) for seminary, Noblesville (45 minutes) for my first appointment, and Fountain County (1 hour and some change) for my current appointment.  Now, in Smith Valley – 10-20 minutes, depending on who we want to visit.

It’s hard to develop relationships, get to know people, be their pastor and, then, move, but that’s part of the life as a pastor in the United Methodist Church.  Once the North Indiana and South Indiana conferences merged, we knew that we could be anywhere from Angola (in the far NE corner of the state) to Mount Vernon (in the far SW corner of the state).  We also realized that we may never be moved close to our families.  Again, it’s part of the life to which God has called me.

We are excited about this move.  Not because we are eager to get out of Fountain County – we’ve enjoyed our time in Veedersburg, and we have some good friends in the area.  Veedersburg/Hillsboro was a perfect appointment for where I was at that time in my life, and it has helped me grow so much as a pastor.  We don’t look at it as though we are eager to “get out of Dodge.”  But it is a rare opportunity when the church is located so close to where our family already lives – and to have this happen so early in my ministry “career” is even more rare.

We are excited about the opportunities that Smith Valley UMC presents us, and our attention begins to turn to how we transition both as a ministry couple, and how we prepare Veedersburg and Hillsboro for this transition as well.

Happy Leap Day, Everyone!!!!

For those who watch 30 Rock, you’ll know what I mean when I say, “It’s Leap Day. Real life is for March.”  For those who don’t watch it… well, I guess you’ll just never know…

A Slow Descent Into Madness

For the month of February, my wife and I decided to do a Fast Food Free February.  Any place where we have to go to the counter to order receive our food is off limits.  Below is my imaginary journal for the month.

Day 1: Well, I didn’t get the chance to run out and grab some fast food last night.  Tuesdays are always busy, but I had two meetings right before prayer service, so this week was extra busy.  I considered a brief run to Crawfordsville before heading home, but I was just too tired.

Day 2: Another busy 24 hours. It helps keep my mind off the fast food.  Doctor appointment, a rescheduled counseling session, bell choir.  Breakfast with local pastors and Movie Night tonight mean a couple of sit down meals, but not fast food.

Day 3: First real challenge today.  We didn’t really have anything on our schedule, so we had no real reason to be out, but we did end up going to get some groceries just before lunch time.  Crisis averted, though, we still had an Applebee’s gift card from Christmas.  The one in Crawfordsville redeemed itself today.

Day 4: Birthday party in Indy tonight.  Leaving early to go to the Apple store. Have to get a sandwich before we left, or else I won’t make it to dinner.

Day 5: Super Bowl party cancelled due to illness tonight.  There’s a lot of pizza that should last us most of the week.  This Fast Food Free February is going to be a breeze.

Day 6: Feeling sick today. Didn’t want to eat much of anything.  I think I finally had a bowl of leftover pasta for dinner. Don’t even want to think about food.

Day 7: Feeling better, but still not terribly hungry today. Another busy one. No time to even think about fast food.

Day 8: Seminar in Terre Haue today. DS paying for lunch at local cafeteria. Not fast food. Sweet!

Day 9: Home alone for most of the day today. Feeling the need for some warm fries & a cheeseburger. Just need to get to work & forget about it.

Day 10: Nothing planned today.  Good.  You’d think after 10 days, the desire would be gone, but it’s not.  I could definitely go for some Chick-Fil-A today.  Good thing the closest one is over an hour away.

Day 11: Brother-in-law’s birthday.  Nacho night with the in-laws.  As long as we leave after lunch, I think I’ll be all right.

Day 12: Today was another busy day.  Board meeting, and fundraiser lunch.  Too tired to even want to go out to grab a quick bite.

Day 13: What is up with this month?!? I have another meeting tonight.  Keeping busy keeps me away from the fast food cravings, but now I’m starting to wear down a little.

Day 14: It’s Valentine’s Day.  Nothing says I love you like a Big Mac…

Day 15: I dreamt about waffle fries last night.  It was like the scene with the Sirens in The Odyssey.  They were calling my name, but I forced my crew to stop up their ears and keep rowing while I was tied to the mast.  I woke up in cold sweats.

Day 16: Today is going to be a challenge.  Going to Indy for Our Life Together.  Already have plans for lunch, so that shouldn’t be too bad, but also planning on going to the Pacers game.  The hot dogs will be calling my name from the concession stands.  Can’t do it.  Must remain strong.

Day 17: Day 2 of Our Life Together.  Ends at lunch time.  Just need to go straight home.  Must resist…

Day 18: Another dream last night.  I was on a boat again (what’s up with these boat dreams?).  Only this time, there was just two music notes, alternating back and forth.  Richard Dreyfuss was there, hanging out the back of the boat when, suddenly, he was gone.  I giant Whopper came out of the sea, taking Richard Dreyfuss and half the aft with him.  More cold sweats.

Day 19: Lost some hair this morning.  Not sure what is going on.  It just started coming out while I was in the shower.  Patches of baldness all over the place.  Had to shave my whole head.

Day 20: Tried to do some work today.  As I was typing on the computer, my fingers turned into fries.  They smelled so good.  I had to take a bite.  Left pinky finger is swollen and bruised now.

Day 21: Buster went to Wendy’s today.  That little jerk of a cat just took my keeeyss and drov to the pig-tailed temptresses’ lair, bought a single and ate it right in front of me. musterd & pikles too, just the way I like it.

Day 22: Not sure what happened yesterday.  Seems like the whole day was just blacked out.

Day 23: Today’s my birthday!  I have another day-long seminar in Terre Haute, then Katie and I are going to eat at Chief’s in Greencastle for dinner.  Hello, Bubbaz Blackened Voodoo Strip Steak!

Day 24: Yesterday waz my birtday. I shul hav what I want for my birtday. Need cheezeburger…. CHEEZEBURGER!!!!

Day 25: Got some coupons in the mail today. Arby’s. STAY AWAY FROM THEM, PORK CHOP!!!  THESE R MINE!!! MINE! MINE MINEEEE!!!!! Yesss…. MY PRECIOUS…..

Day 26: Family came over for birthday lunch today after church. None of them would slip out and get me some Long John Silvers. My family hates me.

Day 27: Ministry Team meeting tongith. I think we should do a street bazaar and give everybody cheezeburgerss.  FREE CHEZZBURGERZ FOR EVERYSBODYS!!!!!

Day 28: JALOAN KJHAOKLAN ALKJION KAN AFNA;JK 90UBVA

Day 29: WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE ARE 29 DAYS IN FEBURAYR THIS YEAR!!!!  AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA AHAHHHHHHHHHHH…..

March 1st, 12:02 a.m.:  ”Yes, I’d like a Big Mac, 20 piece Chicken McNuggets with Sweet & Sour Sauce, a two cheeseburger meal, an extra order of large fries, and four large Cokes.  No, I don’t need a drink carrier.  Thank you.”

Why? Seriously… Why?

I came across a parody of the Super Bowl Shuffle that was put together by the good people on the Indianapolis Super Bowl Team.  I’m sure everybody that worked on it is totally wonderful and a great, kind person; however… sometimes there are just no excuses.  Take a peek; see what you think.

Indy Super Bowl Shuffle video.

Now, in all fairness, it could be much worse.  You know, like this video that was put out by the Arizona Diamondbacks to promote the 2011 All Star Game.

Arizona Diamondbacks All Star Game promo.

Again, seriously, people… why?!?

Phantom Alarm

So, for the past three mornings, my alarm has gone off. I know it doesn’t sound like that big of a deal, but let me give you the details.

On Saturday night, I brought in a battery-powered clock just in case my phone didn’t switch for the end of Daylight Savings Time. I set the alarm for 7:30 like I do for every Sunday morning. At the appointed time, the alarm went off. Again, not a big deal; that’s what it is supposed to do. Then I turned off the alarm by sliding it from the ON position to the OFF position.

Then, at 7:30 Monday morning, it went off again. I thought that was a little weird, but didn’t think much of it and turned it off again. And did the same on Tuesday… and this morning.

I’m not sure who is playing this prank on me, but I sure would like it to stop.

Fall Television Tivo

Thankfully, the summer hiatus came to an end over the past month and a half, and it’s time to get back into the fall television schedule.  So, I thought I’d share with you some of the things on the ol’ TiVo this fall.

Monday: Terra Nova; Fox’s new series about humanity going back in the past isn’t too bad so far.  Clearly there are some things that are going to be unfolding as the series goes on.  The special effects aren’t Jurassic Park good, but they are a whole lot better than anything you’ll see on SyFy.  I’m willing to give this show it’s first season before deciding whether or not to keep watching it.

Tuesday: Parenthood; I think Parenthood is in it’s third season now, and it’s one of the best family dramas out there, in my opinion.  It’s about an extended family, their relationships, struggles and triumphs.  Great show.

Raising Hope; I’ve never really been a fan of sitcoms on Fox, but Raising Hope is really good.  It’s about a family in which the son had an accidental one-night stand with a lady who turned out to be a serial killer.  She ends up getting pregnant and giving birth prior to her execution, and the son gets the responsibility of raising Hope, his daughter.  The family is totally nutty, which makes this one of the more enjoyable shows on television.

The New Girl; We actually just started watching this one.  It’s about a girl who is getting out of a long-term relationship and starts living with three guys that were looking for a roommate.  We’ve only watched a couple of episodes, but they both had us laughing throughout.  Soooo… that’s a good thing.

Wednesday: Psych; Hilarious.  This is one of the few shows that make me laugh from the beginning to the end.  It’s about a guy with incredible observation that pretends he is a psychic to help solve crimes.  We didn’t get into it until the end of last season, but we’ve caught up with every episode on Netflix.

Criminal Minds; This show just keeps getting better.  We started watching it a couple years ago on AMC reruns, and got hooked.  It’s smart, quality and just a little freaky at times when you consider that there may actually be people out there like that.  It is always well done.  There is hardly an episode that I didn’t enjoy.

Thursday: Community; I absolutely love this show.  It’s now in it’s third season, and there hasn’t been an episode that didn’t have me laughing from front to back.  It’s about a study group at a community college, and all the antics that go along with this quirky gathering of folks.  Each of the last two seasons has included an episode centering on a paintball game that gets out of control.  Hilarious stuff.

Parks & Recreation; This is a show that keeps getting better and better.  We watched the first season, and didn’t fall in love with it, but it was in a good time slot to get us to keep watching.  I’m so glad that we did because each season it just gets better and better.  Ron Swanson may be my favorite character in all of television right now.

The Office; With Steve Carrell departing at the end of last season, there was some question as to how The Office would continue.  To be honest, I think it has done very well.  Instead of focusing on Michael Scott and his ridiculous, over-the-top antics on a weekly basis, it has turned back into more of an ensemble cast, which is what made it work so well in the first couple of seasons.  I don’t know how much longer it will be on the air, but The Office is turning back into a must-see for me.

Friday: Chuck; Chuck is back… finally!  This has been one of the shows that I have really enjoyed over the past few years.  There was some doubt as to whether or not it would actually come back, but it did, and there is no doubt that this is the last season of the show.  Hopefully, they’ll be able to pull it together and close it out with style.

Grimm; Okay, I can’t really say anything about this show yet.  I’ve recorded the first episode, but haven’t watched it yet.  It looked like an interesting premise, so I’ll give it about three episodes before deciding whether or not to keep watching it.

The Soup; E!’s long running clip show hosted by Joel McHale.  It’s hit or miss, but we like to watch it to keep up on what’s going on in the world of television.

So, that’s it.  About 9 hours of television that we try to get in every week.  Katie has a couple other shows that she likes to watch, and we just saw that Top Chef is back on now too, but that has been our weekly television schedule so far this fall.  Are we missing out on anything? What about you?  What are you watching?  What are your “can’t miss” shows?

And We’re Back…

It’s been a bit of a blogging break for the last couple of weeks.  I haven’t been as consistent as I would like.  Sometimes, that’s just how life is.  However, now that the baseball playoffs are over – with the epic conclusion of the St. Louis Cardinals being World Series champions! – I may actually find some more time to rest and be able to focus on getting things done again.  Of course, it also helps that it is near the end of my busy time, as we are coming up on Charge Conference as well.  It seems like every six months or so, everything just comes together to create a perfect storm of chaos.  I think we’re through the major portion of that storm, and I can recommit myself to blogging more regularly.  Looking forward to seeing what kind of things come up in the next few weeks!

The Busy Time

Well, it’s that time again.  It’s the busy time.

It seems like every few months, a three or four week time period comes along that is ridiculously busy, and suddenly time is at a premium.  I don’t know how those cycles come about, but it seems as though they do, without fail.

Right now, I’m in the middle of charge conference season, which, in the United Methodist Church is the time that many pastors dread.  There are forms to be filled out, decisions to be made for the upcoming year, meetings that have to be done, and all kinds of things just happen to come up right around the same time.  That’s just how it is.

And, don’t get me wrong, it’s not all bad either.  In fact, last Saturday, I got to celebrate my best friend’s wedding.  I couldn’t have had a more exciting day in the midst of the craziness.  I’m so happy for him and his new wife.  Busyness is not always a bad thing, but I’ll sure be glad when things calm down a  little bit.

Yodalfedore

A friend of mine shared this picture on Facebook the other day, and I thought it was pretty funny, so I’m going to share it with you. (HT to Neil Hastings).  Be prepared to have your mind blown.

Handling Change

Last Friday, I posted some thoughts about why we don’t really like change all that much.  Certainly my suggestions were not all-encompassing, but they gave a few reasons why we react so unwillingly, and violently to changes.  Today, I want to look at some ways that we can handle change better, and we do so by realizing four things:

1. You Can’t Control Everything.  Let’s face it, some of us don’t like change because some changes are out of our hands.  For example, the Facebook changes that get made every six months or so.  We do not have any say in the changes.  We don’t have the option to select what changes we want, and we don’t have the option to change things back the way they were.  And we hate it.  But the simple fact is: we can’t control everything.  We are limited.

2. Change is Inevitable.  I don’t know of anybody who doesn’t have some kind of change in their lives.  Think about it: we do not look the same, act the same, smell the same or dress the same as we did when we were born… okay, maybe the nudists still dress the same, but let’s stop focusing on the exceptions.  Change happens in our lives.  Take a look outside.  The leaves are not all green any more.  Pretty soon, they will fall off the trees altogether.  Change is going to happen.  It is inevitable.  Get used to it.

3. Comfort is Dangerous.  One of the things that I have heard more than I would like is: all we can do now is make him/her comfortable.  I hate that phrase.  Why?  Because that means somebody I know is on the verge of death.  Comfort is a dangerous thing in our lives.  Sure, we like to be comfortable when we go to sleep, or when we are sitting down to watch television.  But, what is the common thread?  We are doing nothing.  Comfort placates us into doing absolutely nothing, and doing absolutely nothing is dangerous.

4. Growth Comes From Change.  This is true physically and institutionally.  As children, we go through growing pains when our muscles are stretching out and we get taller.  Institutionally, we have a similar pains prior to growth.  I know that change is scary, but it is necessary in order to reach beyond who we are towards who we are supposed to be.  Nobody ever met their ideal self by staying the same.  We change; we grow; we become better than we are.  Growth comes from change.