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Blue-eyed Snake

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What in the world is a blue-eyed snake? A sign that things are surely changing, that what is old is sloughing off, not yet replaced by something new. It’s hard to know just where you’re going when you can’t see just where you are. Snakes shed their skin. It’s how things are. It must be hard to be a snake: about the time you get things going your eyes grow dim and things start changing. You have no choice: you face the new blind as a bat. The first thing off is eyelid skin — before it’s off it turns opaque, and your eyes are useless and blue. It’s nothing new, unless you don’t know you’re a snake, can’t understand why things are changing, can’t see which way the way the world is going. I can’t help wondering if what’s going on with us is not far off from snakes whose skin is always changing. How vulnerable it seems we are to fear of change. Like a snake reflexively we hiss at new threats perceived though unseen, new phantoms in the fog, going past in … [Read more...]

Tagged With: poetry • poetry & story

Scrolls

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1. How can you say, “We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us,” when, in fact, the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie? (Jeremiah 8:8) Yellowed and torn, covered in scribblings, I place the parchment into my mouth. Some words are full of bones that choke and stick in my throat. Others are ripe with pulp and tender flesh, but beneath are seeds, bitter and hard. These I spit on the ground, they will bear no fruit. The sweetest of words dissolve, turn metallic — the taste of sword and scythe cuts my tongue. I can speak only violence and death. This sour scrawling stings and foams at my lips that long for some deliverance. 2. Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart. (Jeremiah 15:16) The little scroll, tightly bound must be consumed all of a piece. I place it wholly on my tongue. It is a thousand bees fanning their wings — honeycomb that sticks to my teeth, drips down … [Read more...]

Tagged With: poetry • poetry & story

Managing secrets maturely: Family systems theory for church leaders

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Every pastor faces the constant challenge of how to handle personal and congregational “secrets.” Because of the unique relational nature of our work, pastors probably wrestle with how to navigate secrets more than any other profession. Who among us has not wrestled with how to negotiate the blurred lines between those who are our members, parishioners, acquaintances, friends or even perceived adversaries in our faith communities? Most pastors have pondered: Should I even be friends with my church members? How do I handle that I enjoy the company of some of my flock more than others? How do I avoid the conflict of interest or the appearance of fostering favorites? How does being closer to some of my members affect my pastoral work and how others perceive me? What is it like for those who are not in my closest inner-circle? Further, how do pastors transition from meeting with a church member for a pastoral counseling appointment in the afternoon to sitting next to that same person in … [Read more...]

Tagged With: family systems theory

Retired pastors enrich congregations: One church’s story

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Leisurely days of retirement are the goal of many Americans who have found an idyllic existence on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico in Sarasota, Florida. The city boasts pristine beaches, a flourishing arts scene, great golf courses and all the amenities that make for a pleasurable lifestyle. Right in the middle of a thriving downtown area is First Presbyterian Church, serving the community for more than 100 years, with its inviting sanctuary adorned by stained glass windows and a striking bell tower. Among its worshippers in recent years have been numerous retired pastors. What value do retired pastors add to the fabric of church life? This congregation has found them to be a valuable resource in worship, mission and congregational vitality. Enhancing the life of the church The retired pastors that now call First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota their faith home have previously held a wide variety of roles — and also traditions (Brethren, Mennonite, United Methodist and, of … [Read more...]

Tagged With: retirement

Presbyterians caring for seniors: A faithful history

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Care of the aging, particularly widows, is one of the earliest tasks of the church and was identified as a marker of “pure and undefiled religion” in the book of James (1:27). Responding to this expectation, the church has faithfully served marginalized seniors for centuries and remains the inspiration for senior ministry today. The Presbyterian Church has been a leader in ministry to seniors, and the impact of the combined work of Presbyterian-related organizations in the United States is both historic and significant. The sheer size of the Presbyterian footprint in senior care is impressive. Five of the 20 largest nonprofit senior care providers in the United States are Presbyterian-related, and 16 of the top 100 share Presbyterian roots. The geographical reach is also wide, with multifaceted organizations in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Florida, Ohio, California, New Jersey, North and South Carolina and many other states. Presbyterian Senior Living, headquartered in Dillsburg, … [Read more...]

Tagged With: retirement

Robust church rising

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We are all tired of it. We are tired of the handwringing, blaming, wailing and general angst over the demise of church-as-we-have-known-it. We’ve been to the conferences and continuing education events wherein the 500-year cycle of large-scale church change has been analyzed up one side and down the other. We’ve read the books and engaged substantive dialogue with colleagues and congregations. We’ve observed congregations react and respond to the shifts in our culture impacting their expression of church. We’ve done the work of trying to make sense of this transition into the postmodern era. We’ve been there and done that. And it’s all growing wearisome at this point. Thankfully, something else is rising as we move toward the latter side of the big shift in church. Christian disciples are yearning for more robust, engaged, life-giving community of faith experiences than what we have known. Now, it’s as though Christian disciples and churches are the butterfly emerging from the … [Read more...]

Tagged With: healthy congregations

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