12 May 2014

Heschel on Monday

“This is one of the goals of the Jewish way of living: to experience commonplace deeds as spiritual adventures, to feel the hidden love and wisdom in all things.”
Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism

05 May 2014

Heschel on Monday

“Wonder or radical amazement is the chief characteristic of the religious man's attitude toward history and nature.”
Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism

30 April 2014

Susy's Pottery Introduction


Susy_Introduces_Pottery from Brian Newman on Vimeo.

Susy shared at a retreat in France recently on the image and theme of the potter and clay. Check out the expressions on the kids' and adults' faces.

28 April 2014

Heschel on Monday

“There is a passion and drive for cruel deeds which only the awe and fear of God can soothe; there is a suffocating selfishness in man which only holiness can ventilate.”
Abraham Joshua Heschel,
God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism

21 April 2014

Heschel on Monday

“The meaning of awe is to realize that life takes place under wide horizons, horizons that range beyond the span of an individual life or even the life of a nation, a generation, or an era. Awe enables us to perceive in the world intimations of the divine, to sense in small things the beginning of infinite significance, to sense the ultimate in the common and the simple; to feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal.” ― Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism

18 April 2014

350 Matzah Balls Later...

We just finished our second Passover seder of the season. The first was in Denver with 90+ people and the second in Amsterdam with 250 people.
       That's about 350 matzah balls - thanks to my wife Susy and two crews of wonderful friends who served to make these feasts happen! Both of the seders were "self-catered," meaning a bunch of people did a lot of work to pull them off. It was great to see them work hard together and be community.
       There are many other highlights of the seders, but what stands out the most to me (for whatever reason) are the children, especially those who read the four questions.
       In Denver we had a young boy and girl, Tate and Elli,
whose families are close friends, do the reading. Steven was helping us that evening and we have a photo of him handing the microphone. That was a picture of one generation handing over the responsibility to the next. I loved that.
       In Amsterdam we had 4 young people read the questions - two in Dutch and two in English. I had forgotten the richness you experience being in a multi-cultural community and experiencing the Passover in several languages.
      The Stroomberg girl (well, at least one of them!) was thrilled at the possibility that she was the youngest person at the seder who can read. That meant she got to read the questions!
      And I love this photo of the Stroombergs with Gerard holding the microphone for his daughter as she reads. Priceless!


15 April 2014

Staying Out of Ruts

In the Springtime on some roads in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, there are major ruts that develop due to melting snow which turns to water and runs down the roadways.
       I have not gotten stuck in one of these ruts, but I have spoken to a few people who have.
       When you get stuck it's very difficult to get UNstuck!
       That sounds a lot like Church life.
       Here's an example. I have pastored in two churches where the conventional wisdom was that we had to teach a four-week series on financial stewardship every January.
       We believed that people would give more all year if we did the series - and it had to be in January, and it had to be for at least 4 weeks.
       I look back on this and realize we were in a rut, which actually may have slowed us down and made us a bit complacent. We had to do the hard work of digging away the rut and driving on level ground again.
 ___________________________
       In a very real sense, "good enough never is." Many times government workers have the attitude of, "that's good enough." Sadly, so do churches.
      Perhaps churches articulate it a bit more subtly than that. When a church is in a rut it's prevailing mantra is, "do no harm." That is, don't make any decisions which will insult, offend, or annoy any segment of the congregation.
       What this often means is that few risks are taken, decisions are made very slowly, and (lo and behold), the church finds itself in a rut.
       No church is immune to ruts. I have led churches that were in ruts, I probably got them into the ruts! Big, strong, successful churches get into ruts because the status quo works pretty well, thank you very much.
       The problem with a rut is that it has little to do with the Kingdom of God, and what Jesus is calling the Church to as part of his mission on earth.
       Being in a rut impedes Kingdom work. It is that simple and that stark. The challenge to leaders is to identify the rut(s) that we are in, pray and ask God how he wants us to get out of the rut, and then to take bold leadership decisions to do so.

14 April 2014

On Being Unknown at My Former Church

        
Crossroads Church in Amsterdam, 13 April 2014













We are visiting Amsterdam for a week and worshipped with the great folks from Crossroads Church last Sunday. I pastored the church for 5 years from 2000 to 2005, and we were part of the leadership for 5 years before that as well.
       We have been back a number of times over the past 9 years. Each time there are more and more new people who "know not the former pastor!"
       I find this reality both refreshing and humbling. I like showing up at Crossroads and being able to sit in the back row with a handful of close friends from over the years. There is a certain freedom to that.
       It is also humbling and challenges my ego at times. The church marches on just fine, without me! It's quite amazing how that happens. It turns out that I am NOT that crucial as I thought. There was a time and place for my leadership, and now I am an observer to this community's life together.
       More than anything, I am very grateful ... for life-long friendships Susy and I developed over 10 years in Holland, for returning to a church community that is thriving and moving forward as they see fit, and for rich memories for our family.
       Susy and I drove into Amsterdam after church and walked around Leidseplein for a couple of hours, sat in a cafe and ate bitterballen and frites with mayonaise! It was nostalgic for me. I was quiet for the most part (which is unlike me). I felt at peace with my history in this place.


13 April 2014

Passover Begins Tomorrow

The first day of Passover is tomorrow evening at sunset. Thousands of Jewish families will gather around the table to remember ... the Exodus from Egypt, a gracious and loving God who rescues us from sin and evil.
       For a much smaller number of Jews, we also remember how a Messiah named Jesus fulfilled and completed this Exodus story.
       Last week we hosted a seder in Denver with 90+ people. This week we are in Amsterdam and will celebrate with Crossroads Church (200+ people).
       Yesterday I received a heart-warming Facebook message about celebrating Passover: 
"I'm not sure if you will remember me or recognize my face, but I was previously a member of Lookout Mountain Church. I just wanted to let you know that both my Dad and I always looked forward to and appreciated your sermons based on your unique perspective from your Jewish background. I attended two of the Seder meals you held at Lookout and we really enjoyed it. As a result, we have adopted the tradition of celebrating the Passover with a Seder dinner among friends and family. In fact, we just celebrated our 3rd Seder two nights ago. It's been a wonderful tradition, and I want to thank you for introducing us to the celebration a few years ago. Anyway, I hope things are going well for you and your family!"

Here are a few photos from last week's seder in Denver:


02 April 2014

Grieving Well

Several friends and acquaintances are grieving the loss of loved ones these days. For two of these people it is the anniversary of the death of a spouse or friend, for another it is the very recent loss.
It is naive and often foolish to have many words, or statements about their loss. I know nothing more comforting than the Mourner's Kaddish which I heard chanted every week growing up in the synagogue.
I hope that this beautiful and haunting melody will help you experience God's shalom in some small or great way.

Schindler's List Final Scene from Brian Newman on Vimeo.


29 March 2014

The Sacred Space of a Firepit

A few years ago my friend Jim and I had an idea to build a firepit in my backyard. I've been reflecting on it as sacred space in my life.
This is in honor of the boyz - Danno, Cid, Ray, Deano, Aaron, Rick, Jim, Brad, Roger, Steven, and others who have graced the pit.

Boyz @ the Pit from Brian Newman on Vimeo.

25 March 2014

Hospital Gowns Level the Playing Field

I went for an annual physical exam at Kaiser yesterday. After the nurse checked me in she told me to strip to my birthday suit and put on the ever-fashionable HOSPITAL GOWN!
       While the guy to the left in the photo is NOT me, I wanted to remind us of a few important realities from the Hospital Gown experience.
       1. The phrase "nice ass" is a fallacy, as my friend Karl reminded me yesterday;
       2. More important, hospital gowns remind us that "from dust you came, to dust you will return." That is to say, hospital gowns sort of "level the playing field." It does not matter if you are rich or poor, black or white, male or female. EVERYONE feels vulnerable and wildly HUMAN and FRAGILE in a hospital gown (except for exhibitionists and a hospital gown is a dream come true).
       3. For many people, the last thing they wear in life is a hospital gown. Personally I think this is proof that God has a great sense of humor.
       4. Everyone I know laughs when you mention someone "hanging a moon" or "mooning someone." Hospital gowns validate this.
       The first time I wore a hospital gown was in Budapest, Hungary on March 15, 1994. It was 2 days after our son Steven was born and I was rushed to the hospital just as he and Susy came home from hospital.
       I had appendicitis and had surgery within 30 minutes of being at the hospital. Mind you that it was only a few years after major social changes in Hungary had begun, and hospital care was anything but modern or westernized! People had to bring in food, toiletries, clothes, etc. for my week-long stay. And Susy could not help out much because she was at home with a baby.
       The mark of a friend is someone who will almost carry you to the bathroom down a long hallway in your hospital gown so you can finally have a bowel movement. The mark of a real friend is someone who gives you a sponge bath with your gown on because there is no other way to do so. And I had such a friend - Bobby Booze needs to get a medal of honor 20 years after the fact!! You are a saint, Bobby!
       The next time you are asked to put on that hospital gown just smile and remember, IT COULD BE WORSE - YOU COULD BE IN BUDAPEST IN 1994!


09 March 2014

Posting a Series on Medium.com

I am writing a series of reflections from Bethlehem this week at Medium.com. Here is the first reflection - a Preface before landing.

08 March 2014

On the Congruent Life

 A while back I read a good book, The Congruent Life: Following the Inward Path to Fulfilling Work and Inspired Leadership by Michael Thompson.
       We don't use the word "congruent" too often in the English language. That's unfortunate.
       Congruent simply means:
con·gru·ent
kÉ™nˈgro͞oÉ™nt,ˈkäNGgro͞oÉ™nt/
adjective: congruent
  1. in agreement or harmony.
    "institutional and departmental objectives are largely congruent"
Based on this definition I struggle to live a congruent life. I think many of us struggle with it, regardless of our faith tradition or lack thereof.
       Recently I was listening to/watching a person I know speak to an audience about 6 keys for the Church in this generation. At one point he made this wonderful statement: "Time spent listening to a person is never wasted time!"
       What an incredible insight! How true! And ... in my interactions with this person he has dominated the conversation each and every time. With me, with others. A tad incongruent I would say.
       I do not mean to pick on this person, because "he who lives in a glass house should not throw stones." I do not listen as well as I would like. I talk and then think often! I want my opinions to be heard and heeded with disregard for others.
       The congruent life is elusive, at least for me. I desire to live in agreement and harmony, and find that this is perhaps my life's greatest work.