Easing Back In

February 15, 2014

Dear Friends,

            But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.  Galatians 4:4-7

     As I am easing back in to the “fullness” of ministry, we continue to go through a lot of transition in our family.  As far as the daily routine of things, we are mostly settled.   But in the long-term, grander scheme of things, there’s a whole lot that has changed—a lot that will continue to change.  Many are asking “How are you adjusting?”  “How’s the family doing?”  “What do the boys think of all this?”  Assuming that people mean our two sons and not our two male dogs (who are also still adjusting, by the way), the general household is doing quite well.  Some days we feel as though all is completely well.  Other days, we feel like we have simply survived.  Once everyone is asleep, Kelly and I do not have much energy leftover for anything.  But we are grateful and we are happy.
     One of the neatest things for me about bringing Vivienne into our home has been this unexpected feeling that she has always been with us.  I know this is not true physically, but I was quite uncertain as to how easily the rest of the family would accept her and assimilate her into the already-existing-mix.  For Kelly and me, quite simply, she is our child.  I think we have done pretty well at treating her just as we do our boys, and with the same love and care.  Yes, she is different.  But for us she is no different than in the same ways our two sons are different from one another.  On occasion, she’ll respond to something in fear, or she’ll say a word we don’t recognize, or she’ll look a certain way which makes me think, “Hmm, I wonder what that’s about”, and I’ll speculate what kind of parents she had, or if there’s a genetic predisposition to something that we may never figure out.  But almost always, she is just a part of who we are, and we are now a part of who she is.  And this last statement is simply a miracle.
     This morning, Vivi received her first set of braces for her legs.  She now has the help she needs to be able to walk correctly.  Eventually, she’ll be able to do this on her own.  But for now, we will continue to have to hold her up or make sure she is near some furniture or a wall so that she can stand and continue to learn how to do this by herself.  And with this comes the perspective that while we have gone through a great deal to adopt her, before we know it she will be up and on her way.  For this season, we are a crucial part of her process (in some ways we always will be), but just like any of our children, there will come a time when they are ready to move on.
     It brings to mind this passage from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, where he uses this word “adoption” to describe the relationship we have with God through Jesus Christ.  Until Jesus was sent in the “fullness of time”, we were essentially unclaimed.  We may have been abandoned; we may have been orphaned; we may have been left to fend for ourselves.  But with Jesus, we are adopted!  The reality now takes on a whole new meaning for me.  We are not left alone, and we really cannot undo that which God has already done.  What great news!  There will be more to come. . .

             

Peace, Love, Hope and Joy,  Tim

Overwhelming Joy

February 1, 2014

Dear Friends,

            “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” Psalm 9:1

     It seems that no matter what the occasion, words fall short when it comes to expressing our thanks for so many things we’ve received over the past year.  Our re-entry into life as usual has been anything but usual.  Kelly and I departed the day before Thanksgiving to go and get our new daughter, Vivienne.  The journey was extremely full.  It was filled with all sorts of things.  I can describe it as a whirlwind, but that does not mean that it went by quickly.  Our time in China was extremely meaningful, but it was also very challenging.  Had this been a tour or a sight-seeing kind of trip, we would have probably taken in even more, but about 6 days in to our trip we received the very object of our affection, and it was hard to see much else the rest of the way.  Our remaining time in China and on the journey home was focused on a two-year old little girl who has taught us so much already.  It’s hard to take in a lot of things around you when your eyes are fixed on the floor, or in a stroller, or in the diaper bag looking for something.  We took lots of pictures and tried to be very intentional about documenting—through blogs, through photographs, and through the many times we were simply waiting.  Since we began this physical journey back in November, very little has felt normal.
Yet, we are so incredibly thankful.  While the food was different in many ways, we were never in need.  While the millions of people around us were hustling and bustling, we enjoyed very capable adoption agency reps that held our hands along the way and toted us where we needed to go.  While we were strangers in a strange land, we were comforted by the prayers being lifted from friends all over the world.  We simply could not have done this without all of you.
     As the time of re-entry continues, we are very aware of the things in our lives which are stable—and for some this is not much.  But we are thankful for the many things that are.  We cannot help but give thanks for the place we can call home, for the food we receive, for the gifts of family and the friendships that have endured for many years.
     I’m aware, as much as ever before, of the layers that exist within our lives—the different roles that we play, the varied needs of our calling, the skills and abilities that we often take for granted.  It has been a real privilege to share our journey with so many as we have taken on a whole new set of layers.  And it is a real task, but such an incredibly important one, to give thanks with our whole hearts.  God has indeed been at work, and there are many, many wonderful deeds to tell.  We’re glad to be home.Top of Form

Bottom of Form

             

Peace, Love, Hope and Joy,  Tim

At Last

December 1, 2013

Dear Friends,

            “What if he has done so in order to make known the riches of his glory for the objects of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—?” Romans 9:23

            According to my brief research, there are only 6 “What if?” questions in the Bible.  You may ask, ‘What if there is more than that?’  There could be, but probably not many more.  Three out of the six are found in Romans, where Paul is asking about the possibility of the salvation of the gentiles—people who were not Jewish and would not, according to the Jews themselves, be worthy of salvation from God.  One is found in John’s gospel.  One is in Acts.  The only one in the Old Testament is in Genesis. We tend to ask a lot of “What if?” kinds of questions—and they usually involve a great deal of doubt and fear.  My point is this—there are only 6 in the entire Bible—almost exclusively from the New Testament.  Imagining the future with doubt did not seem to be part of the vocabulary or the line of thinking of many of those writing down what would become part of scripture for God’s people.

            As you read this, we are likely just about to receive our new daughter, Vivienne, in Zhengzhou, China.  What a thought!  Part of my reason for including the word, “likely” is that we are a week away from our departure.  Because Kelly and I both work for religious institutions, the process for completing our visa applications to enter China is a bit complex.  If you are part of the media, military or a religious institution, there are limitations on the length of a visa permitting one to stay in the country.  We will probably receive 30 day visas, so we don’t have a lot of extra time in case there’s any sort of delay.

Since we are part of the highly restricted category, we’ve felt a bit like the gentiles—kind of on the outside.  Anybody working for any other industry, company or corporation who does not have these restrictions could have applied weeks ago.  As it turns out for us, we have had to follow some more rigid guidelines.

As we await the visas to arrive, potentially the day before we are set to depart, we are a bit anxious.  “What if?” questions are running through our heads.  We have coveted the prayers of those who know we are cutting things close.  At one point I said to Kelly, “Why don’t we just deal with what we expect to happen instead of the ‘what if’ questions?”  I am not sure I totally believed it myself, but there are so many circumstances beyond our control as a part of this journey, I thought we might as well start practicing our flexible stance on the process—even before we leave.  As it turns out, we have had exactly what we’ve needed every step of the way.  We did make a few mistakes on a few forms, but overall we’ve moved through this past 13 months without any major hiccups.  It has not been without its stressful moments, but we have only had control over so many things at a time.  It turns out we cannot control the Postal Service, or the processing times, or the lines we’ve stood in, or the people we’ve met along the way.  All we’ve been able to do is what has been right in front of us.

            And that’s the real message, isn’t it?  We may lack patience, we may have control issues, and we may just have to give it up to God in prayer in the end.  It’s better, I think, to start with the prayer instead.  We can’t wait to see you again and share this exciting new addition to our family. 

Peace, Love, Hope and Joy,  Tim, Kelly, Micah and Liam. . . and Vivi

Giving Thanks

November 15, 2013

Dear Friends,

            “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  I Thessalonians 5:16-18

            The Greek word for what we call The Lord’s Supper in the tradition of our sacraments is “Eucharistia”.  The word means “thanksgiving”.  In many of the Christian denominations this is referred to as the Eucharist.  When we gather around the table to give thanks, we are thanking God for all of the things that are offered us through Jesus Christ.  But what Paul reminds us through the Thessalonian letters is that we are to be giving thanks all the time—in all circumstances.  This is hard.  It goes above and beyond.  But it reflects the kind of living we’re called upon to live as Christians.  God provides for our every need—in times of plenty and in want (as the marriage ceremony says).  These are circumstantial.  We are called upon to live grateful lives—filled with gratitude.

            In a training I was attending last year, one of the workshops was focused on the spiritual life of prayer and discernment.  One of the prayers offered for us to consider was so simple and yet so powerful all at once.  This was all it said:  “All gift.”  Wow.  If we look at the things God provides—both what we would call the good and the bad—we are to see it as all gift.  What a challenge, and yet what a reality about the way God sees our lives as opposed to the way we see ourselves.

            In reflecting on these words from Paul about giving thanks in all circumstances, the person of Job comes to mind.  Job loses everything.  His wife, who is still by his side, says to him, “Do you still persist in your integrity?  Curse God, and die.”  Yet Job remains steadfast in his belief, “Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?”  Job never blames God for all the bad that has come his way.  What faith he had.

            In the midst of this time of year, the calendar dictates that the farmers reap the harvest of their labors.  We give thanks for the bounty that is provided from the field, which then provides for all sorts of things that we both need and desire.  And in seeing all that has come from God’s hand, we are inspired to respond with gratitude.  But the larger perspective that God calls us to have is to see everything as a gift—even and especially in the times it may be most difficult to do so.  How can we give thanks when we have lost a loved one?  How can we give thanks when we are laid off?  How can we give thanks when tragedy strikes?  How can we give thanks when we are without hope?  It is not easy.  Our faith provides a foundation for this and for many other times when we may not feel like giving thanks.  If we are too tied to the things of this world, we cannot have that heavenly perspective.  If we are too easily influenced by the changes of day-to-day living, then it will be impossible to give thanks when things get tough.  Prayers that do not cease—a living prayer—allows us to think Godly thoughts.  Otherwise, we are only focused on this earthly life.  This perspective is full of limitations.

            God provides.  All gift.  May we continue to think about living our thanksgiving each and every day.  Blessings abound! 

Peace, Love, Hope and Joy,  Tim

Hope Does Not Disappoint

November 1, 2013

Dear Friends,

            “Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”  Romans 5:5

This part of Romans chapter 5 is one of the more well-known from that letter of Paul.  It’s almost cliché.  But when we think about the journey of this congregation, it has been defined by a hopeful people—a hope-filled people.  This congregation continues to live into hope, and it doesn’t matter whether we are moving through times of celebration, or times of challenge.  The steady pulse of the body here is pounding with hope.

            It’s as though each of you here has taken this passage from Romans, and actually believed it.  Hope does not disappoint.  We have seen times of change and times of transition.  Since I’ve been part of the ministry here, we have been in some kind of transition.  I don’t know what it means to be stagnant at First Presbyterian.  I am not sure there has been a time that can be described with this word.   It’s not to say that there have not been seasons of challenging situations; times where we have not known what the future holds.  But the transition has not defined the people here.  The steadfast love of God has defined you.

            Starting on the first of this month, we welcome the Rev. Lucia Oerter, who has been preparing for the interim period with us.  As a reminder, the Session is charged with the responsibility to contract with Interim ministers in a congregation.  At the very least, we expect Lucia to be with us for 1 year.  This time period may be extended as the process warrants it.  Though I addressed this in a previous writing, the interim time is very important in the Presbyterian Church.  As the congregation has said farewell to its previous moderator of Session and its pastor, the interim time is intended to bring about clarity and focus in the vision of a congregation’s future.  There is a process that seeks to accomplish this clarity.  Lucia will lead us through many of these things during her time here.  While I have had some training in this process, it is best to follow her lead as she comes in for a specific purpose and her calling is to do this very thing.  Also as a reminder, I’m still the Associate Pastor here, and my call remains as it has been.  In the time between Rebekah Maul’s leadership and Lucia Oerter’s leadership, the Session has asked me to be the moderator of Session and acting Head of Staff.  As soon as Lucia is here, she will assume these roles.  The timing is nothing short of the moving of the Holy Spirit.  Lucia and I will have between 3-5 weeks together before Kelly and I are likely heading to China and at which time I will take a short family leave of absence upon our return.

            There are many things that come out of our collective life of hope.  We have had nothing short of excellent leadership during this pre-interim time.  The Session has been stellar.  The Interim Search Team did their work in remarkable time.  They did not miss a beat.  Yet, their work has been deeply rooted-in and guided by the Lord.  We owe them a great deal of thanks.  The steps to come will involve the larger congregation in many ways—reflecting on our history, visioning a future as well as future leadership, clarifying our identity, and all of these to bring about the priority we claim as Christ’s servants in the world.  I continue to pray for each part of this amazing congregation, and I’m so grateful for the ongoing support you offer our entire family (including Vivienne) as we serve among you here.   

Peace, Love, Hope and Joy,  Tim