summer came and went really quickly. i'd like to say i had a vacation, but it was more like a working vacation as i did a lot of traveling over a couple of months. we took a few days to drive back to seattle in July. i flew back to SD and drove down iowa to go to synod school. came back home for a couple of weeks, then flew back out to seattle. once in seattle, i was able to spend some down time visiting family and friends. toward the end of my time there i flew out again, this time to louisville, ky to attend the mindpoint meeting of the for such a time as this program through the pc(usa). i flew back into seattle and then took a few days to drive back home with the family... many miles both on the ground and in the air logged this summer.
and even though it was vacation, it is difficult, being a pastor, to not think about the next sermon, what directions to take in ministry, congregational care issues, etc. these things are always on a slow simmer in the back of my mind... and since the trip was punctuated with ministry related meetings and trips, it only served to stoke the fires a little bit more, keeping those thoughts brewing.
it was nice to spend time with family and reconnect with friends back in seattle. it was refreshing to worship back at presby and not have to worry about setting the order of worship and preparing the sermon. it was a good trip, but i have to say that it's also nice to be back in town and back to a more normal routine.
fall is in full swing again. there's a chill in the air - a reminder that winter is just around the corner. the news is that the farmer's almanac predicts 200+ inches of snow for the area - we'll have wait and see about that. farmers are starting to harvest again. fall ministry is up and running with a lot of excitement and momentum.
life has been busy since being back... today is probably one of the first days that i've had some down time to get things taken care of around the house and to actually have time to compose this...
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Monday, September 19, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
year one
sorry... i haven't been keeping up with the blog. i've been involved with too many things to keep up to date with this thing. i'll try to update more frequently...
last weekend was the one year anniversary of when we first stepped foot in south dakota. it was the weekend when we met the congregations for the first time, i preached my candidating sermon and the congregation voted to extend a call to me. what a difference one year makes. moved half-way across the country, stepped into the roll of a pastor, endured what the locals call a hard winter, and now enduring heat, humidity, thunderstorms and bug bites...
even though it's been a year, i still feel like the new guy. sure i got some things under my belt, but i'm still really green as a pastor and still learning about the congregation and our community. there is still a lot to learn and a lot i'd like to do in this upcoming year.
it's kinda fun(ny)... i've been making summer travel plans and when input my information to buy airplane tickets there's the option to either put Mr, Dr, or REV! at first I hesitated selecting the Rev title and was going to settle for Mr. (it's still rather awkward for me to address myself as pastor mark, let alone rev. mark) but then i thought, "hey, i spent all those years in seminary, jumped through all the presbyterian hoops and am now serving in a couple of churches in south dakota...i think i shall enjoy the ability to select rev!" so there you go, flying the friendly skies soon will be the rev. mark! ha ha!
last weekend was the one year anniversary of when we first stepped foot in south dakota. it was the weekend when we met the congregations for the first time, i preached my candidating sermon and the congregation voted to extend a call to me. what a difference one year makes. moved half-way across the country, stepped into the roll of a pastor, endured what the locals call a hard winter, and now enduring heat, humidity, thunderstorms and bug bites...
even though it's been a year, i still feel like the new guy. sure i got some things under my belt, but i'm still really green as a pastor and still learning about the congregation and our community. there is still a lot to learn and a lot i'd like to do in this upcoming year.
it's kinda fun(ny)... i've been making summer travel plans and when input my information to buy airplane tickets there's the option to either put Mr, Dr, or REV! at first I hesitated selecting the Rev title and was going to settle for Mr. (it's still rather awkward for me to address myself as pastor mark, let alone rev. mark) but then i thought, "hey, i spent all those years in seminary, jumped through all the presbyterian hoops and am now serving in a couple of churches in south dakota...i think i shall enjoy the ability to select rev!" so there you go, flying the friendly skies soon will be the rev. mark! ha ha!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
glitter and perfume
i have a funeral to officiate at the church this week. it is a funeral for a long-time faithful saint of the church, beloved by all. this morning my daughters wore to church the beautiful dresses they wore for christmas a couple of years ago for palm sunday. they are lovely dresses except for one thing... they shed glitter all over the place. with every move they made, glitter showered everywhere. with every sprinkle i'm thinking, we cannot have the church sparkling like that for the funeral... my asian genes kick in, and after church and after meeting with the family i returned to the church and tried vacuuming up all the glitter around the church. i felt guilty because just not two days ago on friday, the elderly couple that looks after the church vacuumed the church, and i felt guilty for all the glitter the girls left this morning and i felt that this couple should not have to vacuum up after the mess my kids made.
so with every push of the vacuum, i got frustrated with the kids... and with every speck of glitter that would not get picked up by the vacuum i envisioned the girls twirling around in their dresses, shedding glitter everywhere... and i was upset.
but then i began to think about the woman in the bible who lavishly poured the alabaster jar of perfume upon Jesus and how the disciples got mad at her because she wasted the expensive perfume that they could have sold to feed the poor. but she was praised by Jesus for doing a beautiful deed to prepare him for his death. then i thought about the visiting with the woman who passed and how much interest she had in my kids (she used to be a teacher) and i thought she might have liked the glitter on the ground... it made the drab carpet a little more sparkly. what a beautiful thing they (inadvertently) did, decorating the church for her funeral.
still, i didn't want the church looking like a claires boutique, so i continued to vacuum, a little less annoyed than when a started... and i also wasn't as uptight about it either... i left some there for rosalie :) and i'll smile a little when i see a sparkle here and there during the funeral on wednesday.
so with every push of the vacuum, i got frustrated with the kids... and with every speck of glitter that would not get picked up by the vacuum i envisioned the girls twirling around in their dresses, shedding glitter everywhere... and i was upset.
but then i began to think about the woman in the bible who lavishly poured the alabaster jar of perfume upon Jesus and how the disciples got mad at her because she wasted the expensive perfume that they could have sold to feed the poor. but she was praised by Jesus for doing a beautiful deed to prepare him for his death. then i thought about the visiting with the woman who passed and how much interest she had in my kids (she used to be a teacher) and i thought she might have liked the glitter on the ground... it made the drab carpet a little more sparkly. what a beautiful thing they (inadvertently) did, decorating the church for her funeral.
still, i didn't want the church looking like a claires boutique, so i continued to vacuum, a little less annoyed than when a started... and i also wasn't as uptight about it either... i left some there for rosalie :) and i'll smile a little when i see a sparkle here and there during the funeral on wednesday.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
five months and counting
i recently realized that this has been the longest stretch i have gone without stepping a foot in seattle - five and a half months. the last stretch was probably about 3 months when i was at fuller in pasadena - a combination of spring quarter and a couple of summer intensives before going home to seattle for vacation.
it's hard to believe that it's been that long. time has definitely gone by quickly (isn't there something about time flying when you're having fun?). in that time there's been many firsts both in life and as a pastor. we've met many great people. we've grown together as a family. i'm growing into my role as a pastor. it's been a season of adjustment and growth.
however, as the snow gently melts (yes it is slightly melting... leaving ice behind) and we look forward to spring and new life, i feel that it's high time to start doing something different, new. it feels like i've been hiding behind the mantle of the 'new guy' or the 'new pastor' and it's high time to get past that and move forward in life and ministry. i'm not sure what shape that will take, but i've been excited from the start at the potential that the two congregations i serve have for ministry to the community.
it's hard to believe that it's been that long. time has definitely gone by quickly (isn't there something about time flying when you're having fun?). in that time there's been many firsts both in life and as a pastor. we've met many great people. we've grown together as a family. i'm growing into my role as a pastor. it's been a season of adjustment and growth.
however, as the snow gently melts (yes it is slightly melting... leaving ice behind) and we look forward to spring and new life, i feel that it's high time to start doing something different, new. it feels like i've been hiding behind the mantle of the 'new guy' or the 'new pastor' and it's high time to get past that and move forward in life and ministry. i'm not sure what shape that will take, but i've been excited from the start at the potential that the two congregations i serve have for ministry to the community.
Friday, December 24, 2010
christmas eve
It's Christmas eve and I'm missing Christmas in Seattle. In about an hour there will be candlelight service at presby and I miss old friends. I miss the post-candlelight dinner with family and the peace of driving in the quiet streets to family houses.
However in missing Christmas in seattle I have to remember not to overlook the new friendships and traditions started here. We had a wonderful time with our candlelight celebrations and plenty of new friends to celebrate with. And Christmas is beautiful with fresh snow, crisp air and bright lights. I do miss family. It's our first Christmas away from everyone. But I am happy to be a part of the lives of the people here and to celebrate with them as well. With the wonders of technology,
the distance doesn't seem as far. Needless to say I think we'll be spending a lot of time on Skype tomorrow. Better fire up that webcam. Merry Christmas!
However in missing Christmas in seattle I have to remember not to overlook the new friendships and traditions started here. We had a wonderful time with our candlelight celebrations and plenty of new friends to celebrate with. And Christmas is beautiful with fresh snow, crisp air and bright lights. I do miss family. It's our first Christmas away from everyone. But I am happy to be a part of the lives of the people here and to celebrate with them as well. With the wonders of technology,
the distance doesn't seem as far. Needless to say I think we'll be spending a lot of time on Skype tomorrow. Better fire up that webcam. Merry Christmas!
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