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.

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.

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:

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.

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.

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!

Jesus @ a Checkpoint - Reflections from Bethlehem

Jesus @ a Checkpoint

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.

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

kənˈgro͞oənt,ˈkäNGgro͞oənt/

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.

"Sacrifice" and Faith

In the three monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, sacrifice is a key part of each. In the Jewish tradition it is most evident in two events in the Old Testament - the sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22) and the Passover celebration (Exodus 12). In Islam the idea of sacrifice is captured in the festival called "Adha."

        In Christianity, Jesus is the ultimate and final sacrifice. The book of Hebrews puts it this way, "so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." (Hebrews 9:28).
        The greatest news in the universe is that Jesus is THE sacrifice to God for the sins of the world - for Jews, Gentiles, Muslims. On the cross Jesus made that sacrifice so that people would know forgiveness and a right relationship with God.
        This is the time of year we remember God's sacrifice for us. I want to encourage you with two resources that are developed around the theme of sacrifice.
        The first is "Adha in the Injeel" by Fouad Masri, which explains the concept of sacrifice in Islam and how Christians can build bridges to Muslims through this idea.
        The second is my Passover Haggadah (order). This resource is specifically related to Passover, which the Jewish (and Christian) faith celebrate the week before Easter.
       To order one or both of these resources go the Crescent Project's website HERE.

Ashes...

The first time I celebrated Ash Wednesday was in 2007 at Lookout Mountain Community Church, where I was serving on the pastoral staff. My colleague Aram, who comes from an Armenian Orthodox background, administered the ashes on my forehead when it was my turn as I came forward.
       "From ashes you have come, to ashes you will return," he said as he made the sign of the cross on my forehead.
       My knees buckled a bit, and I felt sick to my stomach at that moment. I tried to smile at Aram slightly but failed to do so.
      Ash Wednesday and Lent was always for "those crazy Catholics," as we called them on Long Island where I grew up. I found it slightly nuts that people would go to mass first thing in the morning and get a cross of ashes on their forehead and walk around with it on all day.
      My friend Adam Goldberg (Mo) and I used to joke that people who want tattoos should just get them rather than "fake it" for a day.
       I have been repenting of that attitude for many years now.
       The 40 days of Lent begins today, marked by Ash Wednesday. This afternoon I will make my way to the little chapel owned by my church. I will receive the ashes and consider the transformation that God wants to do in my life these 40 days. I will ponder finality - of life, of death. And most importantly, I will again consider this mysterious and magnificent Jesus who IS life.

      

On "Going Home"

Today Susy and I head to Long Island, where I spent the first 18 years of my life. Here is what I wrote in our newsletter this month about the trip.

Dear Friends,
I grew up in an ethnic sub-culture of mostly Jews and Italians in the suburbs of Long Island, about 30 miles east of New York City. The furthest thing from my mind was Christianity .. or Jesus ... or anything spiritual.

        Three decades ago I left that life and never went back (except to visit my family). Until now. At the end of this month I am the keynote speaker at the Missions Weekend of Grace Gospel Church of Patchogue, NY. It feels strange even writing that!
       It will be a busy weekend. On Saturday morning I teach a Bridges Seminar for 4 hours on reaching out to Muslims; that evening I will speak at a missions banquet, and the next day will preach on Matthew 22 (entitled "A Crazy Banquet and a BIG Kingdom").
        God has quite a sense of humor in having me "go home" to teach and preach. Long Island is my roots - I know it all too well: secular, humanist, fearful of change, skeptical of faith. It is quite the exciting challenge!

New Book by Michael Hidalgo

The pastor of my church, Michael Hidalgo, just published a new book. Here is the trailer for it. I'm reading the book right now.

The Boy Becomes a Man

Our son Steven came over for dinner the other night. He lives close to the University of Denver where he will be a senior next quarter. He also turns 20 years old next month.

       Somewhere along the way that boy became a man! Quite the mensch he is in many ways. (for all of you non-Yiddish speakers, mensch means something like "good person" or "person of integrity.")
        Susy snapped this picture of Steven after dinner. He was filling out paperwork for umpiring baseball again this Spring and Summer. I wanted the photo of the beard, because hes going to have to shave it for baseball season. I call that The Return of Baby Face Steven!

On Promotion... (and vanity... and hubris)

I struggle with self-promotion a lot. Go to my blog... read my book ... come to my event .... blah, blah, blah.
       There are books that instruct us on "how to get noticed," and "how to generate more traffic on our websites," and "key words to use in the beginning of my blog post."
       The message we can so easily buy into is, Look at how great and wonderful and special I am!! And while you are at it, please click LIKE on Facebook.
       Can you tell this drives me a bit crazy? I am being triggered by having to promote the Passover seder we are doing in April (I will not tell you the date nor how you can buy tickets here), although I did it yesterday on this blog.
        My struggle is compounded by the fact that I actually like to promote worthwhile causes, even my own. But we are all so overwhelmed by the many event requests, e-vites, doodles, etc. that I am reluctant to be part of the noise.
        Nonetheless, I have needed to suck it up and deal with life in the 21st century, and be part of the Promotion Noise. My consolation is that I really believe in the people and causes that I give "shout out" to, either on this blog or on Facebook.
        Here's a few of the causes I am passionate about or intrigued by at the moment:

• Beirut and Beyond -  run by a new friend, Suzann, here in Denver.
• Immanuel Church, Spokane - a new innovative church led by my friend Rob Fairbanks.
• Playfull - led by my wildly creative and fun friend Troy Cady.
• Leadership Connextions - led by Brian Rice. LCI has some of the most impactful materials for leaders on spiritual formation.
• SUNY Cortland - where I did my undergrad work in New York. A working-class public university that is educating young people well.
• Carl Medearis - who thinks so well about relationships between Muslims, Christians, and Jews... and challenges me every step of the way (even when we disagree sometimes).

I could go on and on promoting. I like doing it.
        Oh ya, my friends Aram and Ellen are having a Poetry Party with Art from Ashes in Denver this coming Thursday evening. I don't exactly know how to promote it here, but if you are in Denver and are interested then do what we all do in the 21st century: GOOGLE IT!