Eyes Wide Open

Almighty God, author of life, You crafted Andrew and You called him by name, long before we ever knew he would make his way into the world and right straight into our family through the miracle of adoption. We give you thanks for our family and for this covenant community that promises to nurture Andrew. May he one day speak of your great faithfulness–even as you’ve enabled us to do the same…and may he grow to love and to follow Jesus all the days of his life, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.

Today is the day of the service of worship which will mark my ordination to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament. The following is a brief response I offered to the pastor who will be preaching when asked why I selected Philippians 2:1-13 to be read upon this occasion:

Paul, in writing to the church at Philippi, spends a good amount of time encouraging a deep unity with and among the community of faith. But in order to do this, he indicates that you must order your life in such a way that will go against the grain, in such a way that your accomplishments simply may not find their way to the front page of the Star and Tribune.

This passage demonstrates how everything about following Jesus runs contrary to common sense. The way up is down. The way to be first, is to be last. The way to win, is to lose. The way to live, is to die. Jesus knew that to gain life He had to first lose His life. Thus, the all-powerful God emptied himself and became as a slave, the despised of all who were despised. He became last, and He lost. But in so doing, He actually won! Paul’s exhortation to the church then, and the church today, is to live out our lives as followers of Jesus in much the same way, with these paradoxes at the forefront guiding our world-view.

Anyone can make a mental assent and find merit in the factual evidence supporting the life and work of Christ. But the rubber meets the road, when, as a husband, as a father, as a co-worker, as a minister, I understand this passage to articulate how Christ calls you and I to order our lives; to be unselfish in all our dealings, to embrace radical humility so that the Kingdom of God may be furthered. These, to me, seem the more difficult marks of living as a disciple. Too many times our belief in Christ lasts only until something better comes along…at which time we find ourselves serving more “functional” saviors (greed, power, human approval, self-centeredness…all by way of addictions, corruption, unhealthy relationships, etc).

So this passage is not only remarkable in its depth of Christology, but reminds me to live my life, in every way, from a place of brokenness. If God would have called me instead to run the register at QT, I would still look to this passage to guide me in such a way that my life might further His Kingdom. But God called me to an even more daunting vocation: to serve and equip the body of Christ. This is why I look to these words to guide me, to challenge me, and to propel me, knowing all the while that it is indeed God who is at work within me, giving me the ability both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Wow.

Not sure what to make of this…part of me wants to laugh as the odds of this happening must be slim, but most of me would rather cry.

Online couple cheated with each other

Knock on wood, but our son has slept 12 consecutive hours each night for the past two nights in a row…YES! This is huge. HUGE.

On a different note, my friend Mark has some put together a few good posts on group dynamics. If you are a part of a church staff or any other community for that matter, check it out. The Hidden Secrets to Dialogue and her strange cousins: I can’t figure out how to isolate each individual post, so you’ll have to scroll down to find parts 1-4.

…to my wonderful wife, Heather. You can tell how much she enjoys being a mom over on her blog, “The Melting Pot.” She’s put up a few good pics too.

(thought I posted this yesterday, but hit the wrong button…oops!)

So I ordered a piece fancy Abbott-Hall clergy apparel today…my first robe. I guess there’s no turning back now! Ordination/Installation service is set for September 30…

In other news:
My friends Chuck and Jean Anne are getting ready to head off to Vietnam to adopt a little boy. They are dear friends and I am so pumped for their growing family! Click on the link to learn more of their story and follow them as they leave in three weeks for an incredible journey.

CNN is showing a three-part series called “God’s Warriors” beginning Tuesday, August 21st. From what I can tell it will take a closer look at the global impact of religion, specifically Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Judging by the previews it looks well-done and rather informative. We shall see, eh?

Michael Vick….wow. Not looking good. But it gives us something to talk about during amidst the onslaught of atrocious pre-season football until the real deal arrives on Sept. 9th. Johann Santana, starting lefty for my Minnesota Twins, struck out 17 batters in 8 innings the other night. Stud.

Andrew and Sarah went to the doctor for a regular check up last week. Sarah was so short she doesn’t even register on the percentile chart for height and weight…lol! Andrew is doing better every day. He sure is “easy on the eyes” and loves to smile. Heather put up some pics from our vacation over on her blog, so rather than post them here, I’ll send you there.

We returned Monday evening from a week of vacation, thus accounting for my recent absence from posting (ir)relevant musings…

It was our first-ever family vacation. Did I mention it was a vacation/ROAD TRIP? The flashbacks to my own childhood are numerous. Our first day we drove about 7 hours to the other side of Memphis, TN and spent the night before arriving to Gatlinburg, TN where we rented a 4-bedroom cabin in the Smokies with my parents and my brother’s family (his wife and son). It was great to be with family, we really had a nice time.

Did I mention vacationing with children is nothing like bumming on the beaches of Mexico? I knew this going in, and we had a blast with the kids (despite some sleeping woes), but the days of Mexico are but a faded memory…

After 5 days with my family we roadied up to Louisville, KY for a brief stay with Heather’s brother and his wife and their daughter. Again, we had a great visit and they were wonderful hosts. Lots of laughter. Great Food. All good for the soul and stomach.

Pictures forthcoming!

I’ve been mighty tardy in posting anything lately, but it’s not my fault. No really, I’m not kidding. Seriously.

All the blame goes to “Fancy Nancy” and “Dora the Explorer.” For any of you saddled with the joy of parenting, you know what I’m talking about. “Fancy Nancy” refers to Sarah’s favorite book, and mine too (since the book has spring-boarded her to say “I love you,” or, its translational equivalent, “‘Ah la la.”) All of a sudden, my vocabulary has dipped from words like sovereignty and semi-pelagianism to “Say backpack! Say backpack!”

Wow. I’m speechless.

Our home was selected (and we agreed) to participate in the Nielsen TV Ratings for the week of July 12. In case you’ve ever wondered how this work, they send you this little diary (see below) and you have to record the programs you watch on TV, including the dates, times, and who in your house is watching. We mail this thing in at the end of the week, and then they compile this stuff and publish it nationally, set advertising rates, etc. I think their system is a bit archaic, but I’ll do it anyway. Why? Well, the $30 in cash that fell out of my package when I opened it was a nice enticement…

Wow. 10 months ago we brought home our daughter from Vietnam. At 14 months old she couldn’t even crawl. Now she’s two years old tearing through the house with reckless abandon. What a blast!

We had a great little birthday party at the house and were overwhelmed with the love of family and friends. Veggie Tales and Dora the Explorer now threaten my coolness. I’m officially in fourth place…behind Heather, Bob/Larry, and Dora. Wow.

In other news, little Andrew is growing and doing better with each passing day. He sleeps a bit longer at night and, as you can tell by this pic, has a great little smile!

Oh yeah, he and I watched the Home-Run Derby tonight. I’m pretty sure he thought it was the greatest thing ever.