Ok… so a weird thing happened to me today.

Yeah. I know. Par for the course.

So this morning I went to one of the hospitals to pray with a church member who was having surgery (and her family). It was about 6:50AM when I arrived. I prayed with the woman and her family, and was going to wait with them until she was taken into surgery. She was supposed to be taken away shortly after 7.

By about 7:40, I began feeling sick to my stomach. I realized that I hadn’t had any breakfast this morning. I also began to get very warm. I stepped out and got myself some water at the drinking fountain. I took my coat off and stepped back in the room.

Well.

I kept getting more and more nauseated – not helped by the hospital-y smell… you know what I mean. I began to see stars and get a rushing noise in my ears. I got lightheaded.

Now here was my problem. I needed to get out of the room and sit down – better yet, get something to eat. Either way, I had to get out before I fainted in front of someone moments away from major surgery. She didn’t need that shock.

So somehow I excused myself, “needing to get over to the church,” which she accepted, shook hands with the family, and exited stage right to the hallway. (Past the painter who was painting the doorway.) I began to half-jog down the hall toward the elevators. I almost asked a nurse for help, but then I thought that would get too complicated.

So I stumbled toward the elevator and hit the button. Immediately the doors opened (usually you have to wait forever), and I got on. I hit the lobby button and I got tunnel vision. So I bent over and touched my toes. Thankfully, my head cleared.

As I got off the elevator, I charged through the lobby to my car, my head getting clearer as I got outside. I drove the 3+ blocks home, much more settled in my head and stomach.

I sat down on the couch and had some shredded wheat in milk. I decided to lie down for a few minutes to try to feel better. That was about 8:30. At 11:10, my 11:00 lunch appointment called saying that she had just arrived at the place we were to meet (late) and was wondering if I’d come and left. I gave her the short version of the story, and we met about 11:25.

Ok. So now for the disclaimer. I would not have driven home had I felt like I was still faint. I would have stopped in to the Emergency Room if I thought I was unsafe to drive. The clear(er) outside air helped a lot. I also know that I should get more than 6 hours of sleep (if possible – I was at the church really late last night), and eat breakfast before starting the day.

Lesson learned. Not-quite-fainting creates some good life lessons.

Number one, “live action Simpsons Intro”

Number two, “In my room”

Number three, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” (football style)

So… my house needs paint… on the outside.

Is $4000 reasonable? That’s the quote I got today…

I mean, they just have to do the upper half!!!

The kind of thinking that will solve the world’s problems will be of a different order to the kind of thinking that created those problems in the first place.
- Albert Einstein

(inspired by J. Evans)

One of the derivatives of this statement is “the people who caused your problem aren’t the ones to solve it.” Unless, of course, serious redemption and transformation has taken place in them.

In most cases, however, new leadership happens when new people engage in a new system of leadership. Designing a new system, inviting new people in and smoothly transitioning from “the way things were, or have always been” to something that still is identifiable as the same organization without destroying its true identity is a difficult process.

…but one we must attempt.

I often talk to people about what ministry to our community looks like. Here’s a story from TheOoze that nicely packages what I’m talking about…

I guess the best way to tell you about this Jesus guy is to share some instances that occurred during this summer where He did his thing and shook things up. You know, He went against the flow, rebelled against the leadership, inspired an uprising, bucked the establishment and supported the hurting. He did things in His timing, with His people, in His way. Looking back on that summer, He showed up in a lot of places, places that changed my life, and others, forever.

He showed up at a coffee house for a few weeks. He was the guy sitting at the table with the beer drinkers and smokers. He cracked jokes about the guy upfront, speaking from a viewpoint of religious pride and those around him shook his hand and thanked him for being different.

He was seen walking down the drag in front of Arizona State University. The cool thing was that He didn’t judge the scantily dressed women or the drunken guys trying to pick them up. He simply shook their hands and looked into their eyes and spoke words of encouragement to them like an old friend that truly loved them and knew their hurt.

I saw him go up to a fire and brimstone street preacher and thank him for his passion and overlook the abusive language and confusion that arose from the man’s words. He placed His hand on him and prayed for him. He held his hand and thanked him for his passion.

(and for the rest, click here)

Feedback?

From a British Study:

YOUNG people with no faith have such low self-esteem that one in four have contemplated suicide, new research has revealed. In the most extensive survey of its kind, teenagers with no religious belief were found to be much more likely to feel bad about themselves and their relationships with other people.

The University of Wales study also discovered that they are uncommitted to their relationship with the rest of the world, with 41 per cent unconcerned about world development issues. It also showed that they allow their lives to be ruled by irrational beliefs and superstitions. Teenagers who belong to a faith community were much more likely to feel that their life had a sense of purpose. Half of young people with no religion agreed with this statement, compared with 60 per cent of Christians and 66 per cent of Muslims questioned. Holding a religious conviction makes them much more likely to be bullied, they felt. Nearly one in three Christians, and 34 per cent of Muslims, feared being persecuted for their faith.

Over 23,000 students from urban schools in years 9 and 10, between the ages of 13-15, were interviewed for the study, Urban Hope and Spiritual Health – the adolescent voice. The study backs up the findings of a Children’s Society report from last year that highlighted the role of spirituality in influencing the overall well-being of young people. Professor Leslie Francis, co-author of the book, said: “Increasingly it is recognised that the full and proper assessment of the health of young people needs to take into account three dimensions: physical health, mental health and spiritual health. “Spiritual health is about relationships. Good spiritual health is reflected in four areas: good relationship with self, good relationship with others, good relationship with the environment, good relationship with the transcendent.�

A report for the Children’s Society had recommended that the Government should explore a spiritual dimension in its flagship Every Child Matters agenda. A motion was passed last week by the Church of England’s Youth Council urging the Government to reconsider its Green Paper, Youth Matters, which was issued last September for consultation. The Council said the Government needed to give more attention to the importance of the spiritual dimension when considering the holistic development of young people.

(article) via Ben Bell

One black cat is lucky to be alive this week, after it caught its head in a drainage grate on State Street last Thursday morning and was freed only after a monumental effort from volunteers in two towns.

…

When prybars, backhoes, liquid soap and coaxing all failed, rescuers opted for Plan B: Bring the cat, grate and all, to a veterinarian.

(the rest of the story)

Via Brother Maynard.

Ok, this is hilarious…

Not for the easily offended…

But really funny.

http://www.themcpassion.com/

Via CMS.

This past week:

- Sunday Morning Service
- Ordination Council
- Youth Group
- Executive Board Meeting
- Worked on Ordination Service
- Met with Colleagues
- Ash Wednesday Service / Sermon
- Multiple Pastoral Counseling sessions
- Discipleship Group
- Vision Group Retreat Fri-Sat
- Sunday Service

Yeah, that was a lot. It was, perhaps a “perfect storm” week.

My prayer today is for balance: balance for time, balance for energy, balance for priorities, balance of personal time vs. pastoral time, balance for everything.

Peace out.

Tonight I celebrated my first Ash Wednesday service. Several churches from the Trumbull Baptist Association joined us. We celebrated both the imposition of ashes and communion. I preached from Isaiah 58, and I got a warm reception to the (rather pointed) sermon.

The most striking thing to me was actually imposing ashes. I almost cried several times seeing people I cared about and declaring to them

“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

That was extreme.