The Bachelor

I’m a bachelor this week.  Last week Wednesday, Jessica brought the kids to Canada to her parents and then came back to attend the GEMS Conference in Chicago with a group of ladies from our church.  She came back from that last night and today is driving to St. Catharines to spend the rest of the week at her parents house with the kids.  Thus, I’m on my own…

In my season of life – mid-30’s with three young children – one looks forward to peace and quiet.  It’s a welcome reprieve to not have to worry about baths and bedtime and breaking up fights and whose turn it is to have the iPad.   So it’s nice to not have to worry about all of that.  But it will also be nice to have them all back.  It’s strange how one soon misses what one often complains about. 

All that said, I got a good list of things to do that will keep my busy.  This past weekend I finally saw the “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy on DVD – something I’ve been meaning to do for a while but at nearly 3 hours each, it was tough to fit into the schedule.  I’ve also been doing some more bike riding and catching up on some reading.

In addition, this weekend I get to participate in Single Parent Family Camp (SPFC).  SPFC is a joint outreach ministry between Seymour CRC and Oakdale CRC.  We invite single parents (usually moms) and their kids to come to a local camp – Camp Tall Turf – and have a weekend of fun.  The parents travel up with their kids and we provide family games and camp-type activities.  We also, give the parents a nice dinner without their children.  SPFC starts on Friday evening and ends Sunday morning after worship and for some of these parents it’s the only ‘vacation’ they get all year.  It’s a pretty neat ministry and hopefully I’ll have some stories to share on this blog.

My internship continues to keep me busy as I’ve preached now 11 times over the past 6 Sundays.  So its been good for me to get into that rhythm of studying for and writing sermons and leading worship and doing pastoral care.  In fact, as I write this entry I’m listening to myself on CD from last Sunday morning…a painful but helpful and enlightening exercise!

So that’s the latest from here …nothing profound, but God is good and he is blessing us greatly this summer.  May he bless you as well.

Growing & Learning

Several of my classmates doing their congregational internships this summer are being asked to do them at churches that are vacant – that is, churches that do not currently have a regular pastor.  This can be a a great experience for both the student and the church.  The student gets a good sense of pastoring a church on a day-to-day basis is really like – preaching, administration, pastoral care, funerals, meetings, the whole enchilada.  It’s also great for the churches they get a ten-week respite from having to find pulpit supply (especially during those always challenging summer months), the elderly get a visit or two, the sick are prayed over.  It is, indeed, a good set-up.

However, I can’t help but think there might must be something missing in the scenario.  What happens when that student has a question about a certain aspect of ministry?  How can one really learn about being a pastor to people who are strangers to you when you arrive in June and you both know that in ten weeks you’ll be gone again.  It takes longer than that to learn names not to mention develop a relationship in which true pastoral care can take place. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this is a bad way to learn, nor is it a bad way to serve the needs of the church – after all, it is the denomination’s seminary – and it is there to serve the church.  But I just want to go on record as saying that I’m very pleased to be doing my internship at Seymour – a church that is neither vacant nor unfamiliar.

First, during these past several weeks, I have – on several occasions—gone into the office of one of the pastors here and asked (what I think) is a good question.  Perhaps it’s about a sermon I’m working on, perhaps it’s about a particular aspect of ministry, perhaps it’s about whether or not pastors take the 4th of July off =).  Regardless, I’m very thankful that I have the opportunity to knock on a door and ask some questions and get some great advice.  That is a chance that many of my fellow interns won’t get this summer.

Second, I’m very grateful for the opportunity to serve among people that I already know and who already know me.  It’s tough enough to preach the Word as a beginning preacher to people who know me(and for the most part, I think) like me.  I think I would find it even harder to preach to pews (or chairs) full of strangers who know you’re there for just a few more weeks.  Plus, since we are members here our relationships will continue, Lord willing, long after the time of my official internship comes to an end.

It seems to me that those classmates of mine serving this summer in vacant churches have a lot tougher task before them than I do, not because they’ve got more work to do but that their situation makes their work more challenging.  I’m growing in my internship in that I’m finding out what life as a pastor is like and I’m learning in my internship because I can ask questions of people who’ve ‘been there and done that.’

It’s been a great 4 weeks so far…and I’m looking forward to growing and learning even more during the remaining six weeks and beyond.

On another note…it’s hot here.  I hope you’re all staying cool!

Finding My Voice

I’ve been at my internship for two-and-a-half weeks already.  The Senior Pastor has been gone for about 10 days and so far the only thing I’ve needed to call him for was to get the access code for his voicemail. 

I must say that now that I’ve been back behind a desk again for a few weeks, I really missed it.  For the past two years I’ve tried to make school my job, but it really isn’t the same. As strange as this might sound to many, I like coming into the office everyday.  I find much more freedom in that than I do in being  a student. 

Don’t hear me wrong on that – I  am very appreciative for my education and I really do enjoy my studying but my time at school has always been a means to an end for me.  The purpose of my seminary education is SO THAT I can be a pastor.  And serving in the role (kind of) for the past few weeks – it fits me well.

For the last two Sundays, I prepared and delivered two sermons each weeks, participated in a few meetings and made a few pastoral care calls.  We’ve talked it in seminary and I’ve kind of sensed this was the case, but pastoral care is a vital component to effective ministry.  In my opinion, it doesn’t matter how good a preacher is on Sundays on the pulpit, if he or she can’t relate to you during the week and be a model for what they are preaching – it’s all for naught.

As much of a ‘people-person’ that I am, I’ve found preaching easier than pastoral care.  I think  that’s because good pastoral care requires a deeper knowledge of the people you are calling in.  When a pastor is in the pulpit, there is a bit of distance – literally and figuratively.  When you are sitting at a bedside bot the literal and figurative distance is gone. It’s just you and the person that needs you.  It’s a very different kind of preaching, but I’m convinced that it’s preaching nonetheless.  More on that some other time…

One of the things I wanted for myself out of this internship was to get a good handle on how to manage my time.  How long will it (should it) take me to write two sermons each week?  How time will I have/need for pastoral care?  How do I decide which is more important?  What about administration?  For the most part, I feel pretty good about how I’ve balanced all of that.  I haven’t been stressed and I feel like I’ve managed my time well.  Having worked in other jobs that required strong time management skills have been key for me in that regard, I think.

All of this is what I mean by finding my voice.  How will people see and hear me as a pastor and how will see and hear myself?    What will come easier for me and what will I need to work at more?  I am finding my voice on the pulpit and at the bedside and behind the desk – all three are important voices to develop and develop well.

All in all, it’s been a good start.  I like it.  It feels right.  And the congregation has been gracious and helpful with their comments and feedback.  The strangest part of it all is that in seven weeks it’ll be all over. 

Summer Internship Begins

Today marks the completion of my first full week as “Summer Intern” at Seymour CRC in Grand Rapids.  Today also marks the first full day of summer vacation for Zachary and Bethany.  Indeed, there is much to be excited about on all fronts! =)

I am really looking forward to my work here this summer.  The majority of my time will consist of sermon preparation as I will be preaching 14 times over 9 Sundays.  In addition to that, I will attend several committee and council meetings, participate in a church-sponsored Summer Camp for single parents and their kids, research and recommend a new committee structure for the church, make pastoral care calls and visits, and (Lord willing) tag-along on a youth group outing to Cedar Point Amusement Park at the end of June.  It should be a pretty great summer.

It’s been a good week of getting settled.  I got both of my sermons written for Sunday, went along on a couple of pastoral care visits, went to a few meetings and got a good jump on my morning sermon for next Sunday. 

I’m fortunate to work with a great group of staff members at a church we are already well acquainted with.  I like the rhythm of being at a ‘regular job’ again too.  I do miss that about school and look forward to being back in a working mode again.  I hope to establish healthy habits for work and home that will set me up well for later ministry. 

I’ll try and ‘report in’ every so often to let everyone know how it’s going.  I’m excited and am already getting a little nervous for Sunday morning!

Two Down, One To Go

It’s been awhile again and lately it seems like writing a blog entry just hasn’t fit very well into my routine.  Mostly because my routine has been shifting and I haven’t been able to make time to write.  The kids and I  have been busy with school and related activities, which I hope to write about soon.

The big excitement as of late is that I am officially finished with my second of three years in the Master of Divinity program at Calvin Theological Seminary.  I recently had a ‘status update’ on Facebook to that effect and my grandmother commented that when I first announced my plans to go back to school for three years it seemed like such a long time and now, well, not so much.  Another friend asked me if it felt weird or great to be at this point.  Each of them getting at the same point in their own way – What next?

I must admit that it seems neither long nor short since I started school. I don’t feel weird or great.  That’s not suggest to that I’m somehow indifferent about my progress it’s just that it all seems very normal for us.  School has been great and I’m happy to be this far, but I don’t feel weird about it because we’ve worked hard to get to this point.  Additionally, when we first embarked on this journey, three years didn’t sound all that long to us.  School has always been a temporary.

In the Reformed tradition, we speak of the Christian life being one of transition.  We live in a world where Jesus has come and has been resurrected and at the same time we live in a world where sin still exists. For the Christian, this creates a tension between what is often referred to as the ‘already’ and the ‘not-yet’.  That is, sin has been defeated, but it effects remain so we live in the hope of the Second Coming  that has already been foreshadowed in the resurrection of Jesus even as we wait for our own resurrection.  Therefore, this life is important and significant, but nonetheless, temporary. 

This is analogous to how we’ve viewed our time at seminary – important but temporary.  My training is both already in that it’s shaping me for my future and not-yet in that it’s not the final goal, but rather a means to that goal.  We’ve learned to live in and appreciate the tension between our present situation and the unknown future that awaits us. 

Having two years in and one to go is neither long nor short; weird nor great – rather it’s simply another marker of God’s faithfulness on this journey that he’s called us to.  And we happy to be both in the already (of two years done) and the not-yet (of one year to go).  We are thankful for the prayers and support of so many of our friends and family over these past two years and continue to covet that support in the coming year as well. 

What’s next?  I’m not sure, but God is.  And for that, whether the time seems long or short; whether it feels weird or great, we are grateful.

Banner Article

Some of you may have seen a short Banner article that I wrote about my trip to Turkey and Greece this past January.  It’s unfortunate that in the print version of the article, the last 1/3 or so of the article was cut-off.  In my opinion, the way it’s printed in the Banner doesn’t make any sense.

Well, I checked the Banner’s website and they do have the article printed in its entirety there and you can find it at:  http://www.thebanner.org/church-at-work/article/?id=4201

If you’re interested, you can read the rest of it here, which closes out the article nicely, I think and ties it together. 

Thanks for reading…

Family Fun

Over the last several weeks we’ve had the opportunity to do a little travel.  Jessica took a quick overnight trip to Chicago for St. Patrick’s Day to see the river turned green with some of her friends from Soulcare – the seminary sponsored Bible study that ‘s she a part of.  They had a great time!

 

 

She came back from that trip and suggested that we take the kids there sometime.  Our spring break was coming a few weeks later so we made some plans.  We took a few nights last week while the kids and I had Spring Break and Jessica took us back to Chicago…

After a three-hour wait we finally made it inside Shedd Aquarium.  This is a picture of the kids waiting outside…

After our time Shedd we went to our hotel out by the airport and found a place for some Chicago-style pizza.

The next day,  we decided to give the kids the experience of taking the train…so we rode the “L” from the airport into downtown.  Here are the kids on their first train ride:

We spent the day exploring downtown Chicago…

Millenium Park:

 

Navy Pier:

 

Alex got to ride the Thomas Train at the pier:

 

And we took a water taxi ride on the (no longer green) Chicago River:

Alex had that monkey backpack on wherever we went.  It had a tail with the handle on the end that we’d hang on to so we didn’t loose him!

We had supper at Ed Debevic’s and then rode the train back to our hotel.

Our final day, we decided to go to the Museum of Science and Industry.  This is us at the HUGE model train display they have there.  It was a good stop and a great trip:

 

We were home on Wednesday night and then Friday Jessica’s parent’s came down to spend Easter weekend with us.  Saturday was a beautiful day so we decided to go the Meijer Gardens here in Grand Rapids.

Bethany and Alex with their Oma on the butterfly chair:

 

Meijer Gardens also has a large sculpture park.  Here’s Zachary and Alex checking out the elephant:

 

Alex and I also spent some time watching the koi fish in the pond near the waterfall:

 

It was a great Spring Break week, capped off by a gorgeous Easter Sunday.  Each of the kids got a new outside toy for the summer.

Alex got a new “Cars” bouncy ball:

 

Bethany got a ‘pogo ball’:

 

Zachary got a zip-ball game…This brings back memories for me.  My grandparents had one of these in their basement as I used to play with it all the time as a kid.  Here’s Opa and I trying it out:

 

It’s been a fun-filled last few weeks.  In between all of this, I even got a fair bit of schoolwork done and I’m ready to start the final five weeks of the semester tomorrow!