new life is possible

The Holy Spirit is up to something.

New things are happening among Alaska clergy. We had a great retreat with Dr. Elaine Heath last week. Some highlights:

• Bishop Hagiya: The church is going to change. We can either turn inward in anxiety and fear or move forward with courage and boldness.
• How can the church change from the grassroots instead of from the top down?
• Crisis vs. opportunity
• The church is in a dark night of the soul and it’s a good thing.
• How can we embrace it instead of resisting it and freaking out?
• Philippians 2:1-11, emptying ourselves for others
• Our stance: Show up, pay attention, cooperate with God & release the outcome
• Are we capable of loving people without demanding they enter the temple?
• How do we make the paradigm shift from being an attractional church to being a mission church?
• Church is a place vs. church as people
• God never intended the temple to be built – we are to make tabernacles that move around
• Let’s stop seeing people as “giving units” or “butts in pews” – we’d rather have butts in the world
• Trustful detachment is an orientation toward the other person
• Over time, if you think of people in this way, you’ll always see the God in people. It changes how you treat them. “I can love you and let go of you. I’m not God.”
• Releasing the outcome doesn’t mean you don’t care.
• The Holy Spirit is very efficient when we’re paying attention.

Friday night we had an ecumenical gathering of Presbyterians, Lutherans, United Methodists and Episcopalians. I had several exciting conversations with other associate pastors about campus ministry at UAA. Check out the video:

Saturday evening I got to serve communion to our youth group as they finished their 30 Hour Famine. They got some big pieces of Jesus 🙂 I’m so proud of our teens and youth leaders. They made 300 sandwiches and handed them out at Brother Francis, served at Bean’s Cafe and FISH and raised $1500 for children in need of food.

Lots of exciting conversations. New insights. Encouragement. People brand new to faith seeking to learn and be challenged. Teens dragging their parents to church. Prayer. New ministries starting.

New life is possible!