Coffee shop wisdom.

Today during my coffee shop office hours, I continued to read Douglass John Hall's 'The Cross in Our Context'. Some wise words...

"we are apt to find more appeal in a religion that provides sanctuary from the world, or at least a reliable insulation against the world's insidious taunts, temptations, and revenges. As the cross of Jesus makes entirely plain to all who follow in his steps, those who seek great proximity to the world must be prepared to experience rebuff: the world is governed by a strange wrath that is most vengeful against those who choose to love it." -p. 53

"A church that aims to engage the world cannot afford to cling to some previous formulation I the Christian message, the hearing of which would make it necessary (for instance) for 21st century persons, conditioned by a scientific outlook, to become early-19th-century pre-Darwinians." -p.58

"The impulse o control, which is never stronger in us than when it comes to our religious beliefs, must give way to a readiness to listen, to ponder the truththat may be represented in the other better than in oneself - to believe, in short, that this is not a situation in which one is oneself the authority but one in which one knows oneself to be (in biblical language) under Authority." -p.59

Whew, wise man!

- Posted from the Pavement.

Proximity

I learned the reality of Jersey City's proximity to New York City yesterday. And I learned the perks of our "parish house" yesterday: the new tv series Mercy is currently being shot in Jersey City.

Yesterday, a production assistant for the show finalized plans to use the ballroom of the Barrow Mansion as a gathering place for the extras for the show while they film at a local cafe down the street. The Barrow Mansion is owned by St. Matt's, sits right next to St. Matt's, and is the place where my office is located. It is a ministry of St. Matt's too - usage of the various rooms and halls and massive kitchen are leased to community groups and organizations. There's even an old-fashioned bowling alley downstairs!

Monday is my day-off, but I might just switch it up, but probably not. But, I do wonder what it might be like to wander around as Pastor in the midst of this tv show filming. As a midwesterner, who did see some movies being shot in Chicago, I am still a bit amazed what it means to live and work and minister in close proximity to New York. How normal it becomes for people to have tv shows and movies shot on their streets.

Maybe this sense of normalcy in relation to the rehearsed, abnormal sense of life on tv shows and movies is a good thing. It helps those of us who are confronted with it remember that tv is not real, movies are not real. They are rehearsed, they are scripted, they are practiced. But life, real life, is none of those. We live it as it comes. And we get to live our faith, too, as life comes. There is no right answer, there is no scripted means of living faith. We believe as we live.

Compassion

I have left the city for an extended weekend in the midwest. My cousin is getting married on Saturday in Minnesota, so I had planned and hoped for a fun and relaxing weekend in my cultural "home". But, life is never as expected. My (step) grandfather passed away on Monday after living with alzheimer's for several years. As he said the morning of his death, "I'm going home today." He was indeed ready to go home.

But, as a result of this life change, I had to rebook my airline tickets. I bought a new ticket for my flight to Minnesota, because it was cheaper than rebooking / changing my original tickets. But, I assumed that even if I didn't take my originating flight to Minnesota, I would still be able to use my already paid for return flight to Jersey. WRONG!!

I learned tonight that if you don't show up for your originating flight, you are cancelled from your return flight. Logically, this makes sense - why would I need a return flight, if I didn't use the originating flight. But, when a customer calls and says, "I had to change my ticket because of a death in the family, but I would still like to use the return ticket I have already paid for," that some compassion could be shown. That one might be able to use what one has paid for. Wrong!!

I have to say this has not been an enjoyable experience. It has made the grieving process harder, and made my emotions a bit more unstable. I am frustrated. But, it has also shown me that no matter how together we may think we are. How unaffected we think we are in the midst of grief - that it is all an act. That just the smallest thing can bring that stack of cards falling down.

Did anyone see Grey's Anatomy tonight - the season premiere? It was about the stages of grief, and how we all move through them different, but we all move through them. What timing. What truth, in the midst of my truth. Grief is hard. But capitalism is hard and brutal too. I have an inkling that Jesus talked a bit about that...

Welcome to the Pavement

Welcome to my new blog! I'm a newly ordained pastor. A pastor in the city, Jersey City in fact.

This means I spend a fair amount of time walking on the pavement of this great city. Often, while walking to or from St. Matthew's, to someone's home or place of work, or even to the train stop - really wherever my pastor feet take me, I encounter notes of life on the sidewalk, on electric poles, and in people's lives. Sometimes these notes are literal, sometimes they are figurative.

Most of my ministry as a city pastor happens on pavement, just as most of our lives as city people takes place on pavement or in paved surroundings. Pavement is our path, it is the way of our journey in the city. It leads in many directions and carries the lives of so many people. And, the pavement is the way of Christ, becuase it is the way of life in the city.

So, welcome to my blog about live and ministry in the city. Welcome to my notes from the pavement.