Life in the Way

The Labyrinth.

I am still processing through my experience in the labyrinth. This morning we journeyed with CD players in hand through the Group Publications labyrinth. This afternoon we went through the labyrinth in unstructured time with no stations and in silence. Both were unique experiences where God moved in me powerfully.

The first time I was a little apprehensive because of the stations and headsets, but the awkwardness that I thought I would have melted away and I didn’t even notice.  I enjoyed the guided meditation.  Before I started I journaled over and over that I have nothing to do other than be with God for the next hour.  It took some convincing, but I finally gave into the reality and had a great walk.

The second time through I was more open to the silent experience and tried my best to walk as slowly as possibly because the labyrinth is rather small and I wanted to take a considerable amount of time.

I found myself in the middle both times with communion, but seeking differnt things.  The first walk, I found myself contemplating my role as a pastor and God’s call upon my life.  It was a powerful experience and I thought about the priest of the OT and the role Jesus played to the disciples, then the role the disciples played as leaders of the early church.  The second walk was really focused on me and my family.  It became personal with me as a child of God.

It was a wonderful experience and Pinelands was great.

The pictures are here at flickr .

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The Crosswalk, update.

In the end, I decided to go with Marine route Alpha for several reason. Primarily, Grandpappy reminds me of my Dad and I like him find it comfortable in hanging out after school with him. Second, I am not much for following the pack, especially when I know there is a better way. Third, I tend to value personal relationships over medicinal relationships. Fourth, I think that my daughter could develop a really nice relationship with her classmate. And there are probably a few more.

It tends to be the everyday decisions that one can come to understand one’s self better and through that begin to define the future. So, the questions of life can be more about self discovery than the answers.

The last reason that I chose the better route is that I am at peace with it.

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The Crosswalk.

My daughter and son both started school the other day, they are at two different schools in our district (which is a walking district). I have 15 minutes to pick one child up from class, walk to the car, drive to the other school, walk to the school and pick the other one up. There is on street parking only and the distance to walk is considerable, especially considering I am dragging my 3 year old with me. That is the scenario. Here is the problem…

I met Grandpappy who picks up his granddaughter after school everyday. He is a Marine that served in Vietnam. My father serve at about the same time and the similarities this gentleman and my father share are quite amazing. But amazement aside, he thinks like my father and when he was sharing his secrets for getting in and out of the school quickly, I gave it a try and like any good Marine he had scoped out the area and determined the quickest way in and out (just like my father would have systematically eliminated each option to come to the same conclusion - their thinking process seems to be alike).

So, the other day, while escaping from the school on Marine route Alpha, I was stopped by the principal of the school, whom I know and have a good working relationship as a pastor in our small town. She said that I was setting a bad example by not crossing with the other parents in the crosswalk up the road. I just smiled and made a harmless, but forthright comment that I would consider her suggestion and then continued on my way.

So, today came and walked out with this gentleman and we talked about the situation with the principal. He too was spoken to about crossing at his spot, but he call the police department to make sure there was not legal infraction. And in fact there was not an infraction. He was armed with this information, just in case anyone was to approach him. But when the time came I departed from the Marine route Alpha to which I was given a curious look (nothing bad or overt, but I felt uncomfortable).

So, here is my dilemma, if I begin walking with mob, I will inevitably feel bad because I will have to rush to get to my son (and probably break traffic laws trying to get to his school on time) and possibly tarnished a strong social connection that was forming. If I continue to use Marine route Alpha, I will feel guilty everyday as I walk by the school officials that are just trying to make the mad rush safe and possibly tarnish the relationship with the faculty that I occasionally work with. Option three (a highly improbable option) would be to try and get a salty Marine to decide to walk with me by helping him to understand the necessity to re-route to Marine route Bravo.

Pastorally, I am faced with these types of decisions all the time. The situations are similar because there are multiple factors involved and when you win, you often lose something (or someone). For example, what should the color of a new sanctuary carpet be or who is asked to serve in what capacity with in the leadership of the church. There are even more drastic measures like: inviting sinners into the fellowship or unpopular people or even new people. "Choose who you lose" is the way a pastor once preached it, but I don’t want to lose anyone (and I imagine that neither does the Good Shepherd). Yet, Jesus lost many of the Pharisees and scribes, God lost the rich man, etc.

Well, all things considered what would you do - Marine route Alpha or the crosswalk or other and why?

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Second Day of School

We have had a metamorphisis here. My wife started working full time last week and all of my kids went to school this week. Yesterday morning, trying to get everyone ready was chaos like never before. The pressure was incredible as we all walked out the door around 8am. And then it was over… I spend most of the day in prayer for my family and others as the school year started. Now, I have to figure out an organizational system that can track each one’s assignments because I think homework at this level really isn’t homework for the kids, but it’s the school systems subtle way of parent training.

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The Claus’ Tweets.

Just a quick note to say that I think it is fun to get tweets from Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. They are pretty active on Twitter at SantaClaus25 and MrsClaus25 . There are a lot of Santa imitators out there, so make sure you get the username correct. You can even get txts to your phone.

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Piranha Sports puts on the greatest event I have ever attended.

Recenty my daughter competed in her first Triathlon. She wanted to do the Musselkids, but the rain was so bad that we opted out of it. So, I scoured internet for an event that she could compete in before summer was over. I happened upon a few events and chose Piranha Sports’ Lums Pond Youth Triathlon . It is a 100 yard swim, 2.4 mile bike, and 1/4 mile run. I was kinda nervous because of the swim. She never really swam that distance and really doesn’t do more than doggy paddle. She has worked on her freestyle, but it is still a work in progress. I was also worried about the bike because she opted to use her brother’s bike - a Trek Jet 16 (it was more a race bike and her Caloi Rio Cruz cruiser with basket). The problem with her brother’s bike is that the sprokets are about the same size, so you can pedal really fast and not go very far. Yet, I knew she could do it because we’ve rode 4-5 miles several times this summer. I wasn’t worried about the run because we have been training at the local high school track and she could easily handle a 1/4 mile as long as she paced herself.

The race was about 2 hours from our house and we needed to leave a 4:30am. At about 11:30pm the night before I was hesitant about going. What if we get there and she gets to nervous. What if the water is too cold. What if… I dismissed all the negativity and just decided that it was something I needed to do for my daughter, even if it did happen.

So, we got up in the morning and left. The kids slept on the way down. The weather was great. The lake was warm (77 degrees F). We got our stuff and setup in the transition area. We walked the course and I talked her through it. She was overwhelmed to say the least. She was glazed over - overload of information and fear.

We did the pre-race meeting and walked down to the lake for the start. She was so courageous as she walked over with the other 7-8 year olds. There were about 12 other girls and about the same number of boys in her age group. The starter said go and off she went. She started freestyling, but soon resorted to the old standard - doggy paddle. I was so proud of her because apparently she was determined to finish. By the 50 yard turn she was comfortably in last place, but still determined to finish. She was encouraged by the kind words of the lifeguards and volunteers. She ran up to the transition area, where she was greeted and helped by a volunteer who was just genuinely happy to encourage and help my little athlete. She started the bike in last place and was trailed by another volunteer who worked with her by listening to her stories and all the time encouraging her. Her little legs were spinning fast, but the bike was slow in a field with others who had 21 speeds to choose from. She finished the bike in last place.

She put her bike in the transition area and ventured out on the run course. No one was left on the course, but the volunteer on the bike continued to ride with her as she ran. Another little girl (in a pink) started to run with her. I was so proud of her. I was impressed with the guy on the bike and the little girl who went to run with her. I stood at the finish with the boys, my wife and a couple of others. I swelled up as I thought about how proud I was of her.

Then something amazing happened, as she made it out to the half-way point, I heard the announcer over the PA system announce that "Our last racer has started on the run course, her name is Gabrielle. Why don’t you make your way over to the finish line and cheer Gabrielle on." At that moment a sea of people moved from the awards area and food to the finish line. As she entered her last 75 yards, everyone started cheering for her, people were calling out her name, cow-bells were clanging. It was awesome to watch her beam with delight. As she came running to the finish she had a huge smile.

In all of my life I must say that this race (the Lums Pond Youth Triathlon ) was simply the greatest expression of sportsmanship that I have experienced and such and expression of love and encouragement! Thank you to the volunteers and race organizers. After the race my daughter said, "Dad, even though that was my first race, it was the greatest race ever!" I couldn’t agree more!

Her splits were:

Time: 0:36:31
Swim: 0:06:53
T1: 0:03:36
Bike: 0:20:42
T2: 0:01:37
Run: 0:03:44

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“In the name of Jesus, Amen”

The other day we were in the car running errands.  We stopped in one of the numerous parking lots that day and for a reason I can’t remember, the kids broke out into prayer.  My youngest son started praying the prayer he is most comfortable with, "Thank you for the food, thank you for the food, amen."  My daughter started praying about friends and family.  When she got to the end of her prayer she said, "in the name of Jesus, amen!"  That was the first time I heard her say that.  She proclaimed right after she finished, "Dad, did you like that prayer?  I ended it differently.  I ended it the way you end your prayers at church."

Sometimes I wonder whether or not my children are tuned in at church because there is so much going on and they are so young, but I guess they are.

Aside: What I noticed about myself was that I usually don’t say, "in the name of Jesus…" at home with my family.  I usually just end with an "amen."

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Growing Christians Who Are Growing Churches.

I am really trying to understand church dynamics at a deeper level. I have been praying, searching scripture, examining my self and letting others have at it too. And I keep coming up with two questions that are nagging at me…

Who am I in an intentional discipling relationship with? In other words, who am I actively teaching, coaching, and mentoring in Christianity?

Who am I being discipled by? In other words, who am I intentionally engaged with as a coach, mentor, or teacher in order to help me grow as a Christian?

I think that is the key - each person within the church actively engaged in being a disciple of Jesus Christ (e.g., a Christian) which requires (1) intentional relationships, (2) an openness grow, and (3) help others grow. Do you agree?

Who are you discipling? Who is discipling you?

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Transforming the world.

The mission statement of the UMC is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  I am always challenged by the idea because it implicitly requires the "Methodist" and local church to disciple individuals who don’t have a relationship with Christ.

An example of the way I gauge meeting this mission statement for myself is through my development of new relationships.  I am not trying to make anyone anything, but instead I am just trying to have deep genuine relationships with people around me and let God do whatever God is going to do.  Bill Hybels expresses this concept in his book, "Just Walk Across The Room."  For me, (1) how often I listen to the Spirit’s promptings in me to reach out to specific people who I don’t know, and (2) how I develop those Spirit-led promptings into genuine relationships with those individuals (whether they are interested in Jesus or not).

Are you reaching out to people?  How?

Bishop Whitaker published an interesting article about what would your response be if some said "why should I be a Christian?" Whether my story is compelling or not, it is the story that God gave me and it is genuine.  Give me a call, send me an email - I would be happy to share it with you personally.  Maybe I’ll post it tomorrow for you.  What is your story, why are you a Christian or not?

I am a Christian because…

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Praying for Friends.

Well, this morning I woke up to the grim realization that I only had about a pound of green coffee left in the house. The tragedy of it, no green beans means store bought roasted coffee and I just can’t. So, I got my handy laptop and was about to embark on a coffee buying extravaganza, when I checked my email. I got a note from my friend Freddie through Facebook. He wrote,

"what kind of crap are you sending me!!!!"

So, curious I went to Facebook to find that someone or something wrote this message on the wall of every person in my friend list from 10:08-10:15pm last night:

Joe Tiedemann wrote at 10:12pm
hey sum1 has a big crus_h on ya
its so freakin accurate!
http://Jodyhaged.blogspot.com
it works great

So, first - to all my friends, "I am sorry. I don’t know how that happened. I am notifying the Facebook police." I decided to productively use the time spent going to everyone’s page to delete the message as prayer time for each person. So, sorry about the spam, but it was really nice to think about you and pray for you today!

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