Listening in Spring, TX @ Northwoods Presbyterian Church - December 1, 2016

It is shocking to me that this post is happening during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and the other hurricanes to come. The devastation in Texas is overwhelming. After re-listening to my conversation with my uncle, I was so thankful that Northwoods Presbyterian is there to help, not only their congregation but also the community at large. Please take a moment to check out the different ways you can support this community: Presbyterian Disaster Relief and Northwoods Presbyterian Church. The work of rebuilding the community physically and emotionally will take decades. Every dollar helps! Please consider sending support.

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The big question that most mainline denominations are asking is how do you help an older church transition into a new cultural paradigm. For decades, the church was a central part of a town. People would flock to the church building for community, connection, and service.

Yet, now we live in a time when the church is no longer central to the everyday living of a community. For far too long the church has been able to sit back and let the people come to them. Now the church has to get out of their favorite pew and go to the people.

Biblically, this seems as though it should not be a hard transition. God consistently sends God’s people out into the world. However, this shift in reality has thrown many churches for a loop. These churches have been so isolated within their church walls, they don’t know how to relate to those outside of them.

The big question for most pastors has been… WHAT DO WE DO NOW?!

Rev. Dr. Paul Nazarian, pastor of Northwoods Presbyterian Church in Spring, TX, has been wondering the same question for the last 20 some-odd years. His curiosity for the future of the church as led him to the understanding that if a church really wants to change they will make actual steps towards change.

Nazarian cleverly stated, “We do all of our planning for church members and then we wonder why other people don’t come to church.” A church will intentionally ask the hard questions that will push the members of a church community to really embody the fullness of the Gospel in ways that greatly impact those around them.

Nazarian understands the complexity of this task. You have to take care of the members you have, while simultaneously nudge them to think outside themselves. You much Bless & Add.

Leading his community through a process of discernment, Nazarian has helped his church have a new lens for the purpose of the church. They recognize they are not a neighborhood church but they are called to serve the neighborhood. Meaning they have to start thinking about what the neighborhood actually looks like and not assume it looks like them.

As they looked at the demographics of those living in Spring and realized that most of the people that live there do not look like those that attend Northwoods. The church had some work do. They had some questions to ask:

• How do you set up a congregation well to be ok with difference?

• How do we start to dream differently?

• What can we do now to connect with a huge population that is right here that are radically different from most of the congregation.

• What would a truly integrated bilingual service look like?

First things first: If we want to attract different people then let’s hire different people.

After they started thinking of staffing they hired a spanish speaking pastor from Cuba. What was really lovely about this hire, is not only would he be able to bring a new perspective to the church, but also the church already has a connection missionally with their new pastor’s community in Cuba. Yes, they hired someone very different than them, but they also hired someone in the family.

This new staff hire has been an important addition to the church community, but has not come without criticism. Frustrations with the thickness of his accent or the way he chooses to conduct a portion of the worship service have been prevalent. Yet, Nazarian sees these moments as opportunity to walk alongside patrons as they come to grips with their own struggles with difference.

When asked about the challenges ahead, Nazarian discussed the hard work of actually having an integrated church and how the Northwoods congregation would need to grow into learning how to embrace the spanish speaking people in their community. They don’t simply want a church in a church. They seek to create a space where they all can worship together.

Yet, they don’t want those new people because those new people would have new ideas and new ways of doing things that would threaten the old way of being. Which then leads them to question if their home church will still be their home.

The work of a mainline denominational pastor is a complicated work. We live in a time and culture that look so different than it did in the past, pastors have to start thinking differently about what it means to be apart of a church.

Nazarian understands that, to many young adults, the idea of being apart of a community does not mean that you need to “become a member.” It also means that people today consider themselves a part of the church community even if they only attend Sunday mornings once a month. Which begs the question: Are Sundays the point? Can the church be the church without Sundays being the epicenter?

I agree with Nazarian when he explained that the fear that people have stems from the idea that, “Everyone needs an extended family.” The questions are: what does family look like now vs then? Will I still be able to belong here if things change?”

The goal is:

• Bless and add.

• Honor and shift.

• Affirm who we are and keep going, but you have to be willing to let go of things.

• Let’s keep being innovative instead of remaining stagnant.

How are you setting up your congregations for success with change? How is the Holy Spirit nudging you into something new? How can you simultaneously honor your community for the goodness that they already exude?

Northwood’s vision statement is “We are Christ’s disciples celebrating God’s grace, creating community, making a difference.” It's clear that Nazarian seeks to lean on the Holy Spirit’s guidance as they continue to partner where God is already at work in their community. It sure looks like they have their work cut out for them, but it seems like they are up for the challenge.

Listen to the podcast HERE!

Listening in East Austin, TX @ Vox Veniae Church - November 30, 2016

There are many creative things that happen at Vox Veniae Church in Austin, Texas. Yet, during my time with Pastor Gideon Tsang what stuck out the most was his desire to not lean into the corporate understanding of what a pastor should be.

Gideon sought, for so long, to fill the cultural understanding of a leader that he wore himself out. He worked himself so hard he didn’t even realize how exhausted and in need of rest he was. And there it was… Burnout. It finally hit him and his community sent him on sabbatical.

The Times We Live 

We live in a time when to be the martyr is seen as noble. Yet, being seen as someone who takes care of themself is to be seen as weak. Often people are burnt to the crisp and are not only encourage to give more, but are praised for doing so. As a result, we have crispy pastors, that don’t know how to take care of themselves. We therefore, have communities that are shown a way of leadership that is not super healthy and cycle perpetuates itself.

In American culture today pain is what we desire most to stay away from. We seek to run away from it as fast as we can. We are told to “push through the pain” or “its 90% mental and 10% physical.” Meaning we are to ignore what our bodies are actually telling us at all costs. We have been trained to believe that our bodies are the biggest limitation we have.

We have tons of self-help books that encourage pastors and leaders to use their time better. Books that are primarily just telling people how they are doing life wrong and should try harder to not suck at it. Which sounds a lot like having to “push through.”

Is burnout inevitable?

...or is trying to prevent it just another way of avoiding pain?

When asked should we prevent burnout Gideon said:

How can we prevent burn out - maybe we’re not supposed to prevent it? Cause when you come to the end of yourself… no one would choose it, but once you get there it’s an invitation. And I actually think that’s how grace works… where you have to exhaust your own ego in yourself cause I’m not going to let it go of my own volition… it’s too scary.

Can the pain of burnout, that so many of us seek to avoid, actually be a tool that God can use to reveal God’s love and grace for us? Burnout helped Gideon see what grace really feels like.

This made me think of Romans 8:28 (NIV) “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” It seems fitting this passage is sandwiched with a passage about suffering, the Holy Spirit, and God’s unlimited power.

Is Burnout What God Desires For Us?

No. I don’t believe that God wants us to suffer from exhaustion and fatigue. But I do believe that God will use whatever presents itself as an, as Gideon put it, and invitation to draw ourselves closer to God. Which is what I think Gideon is getting at.

After his sabbatical Gideon said that his physical appearance actually changed. He was brighter, not as gaunt or sullen looking. He physically experienced transformation from rest and grace. Now, his life choices are different.

We Have A Choice

If you follow Gideon on Instagram you can tell he takes his self-care seriously. Gideon was given an invitation by God to accept the gift of grace handed to him. Did he do it well? Who knows? That isn’t for us to judge. But it is does give us all something to think about:

How do we view and respond to the circumstances that enter our lives? Do we see them, good/bad/ugly/joyful, as invitations to turn towards God? Do we see them, good/bad/ugly/joyful, as challenges that only we can overcome?

Burnout is not the only way that God invites us. God is constantly inviting us, wooing us, pursuing us into relationship. What do we do with those invitations? We have a choice.

Choose wisely.

To hear the rest of Gideon and my conversation about pastoral work, what it means to start and sustain a community, and God’s work being beyond our imagination check out the full podcast here.

Listening in South Austin, TX with Sunrise Community Church - November 29, 2016

Challenge the Role of the Pastor & the Church

Pastor Mark Hilbelink is redefining the role of pastor and the role of the Church in South Austin, Texas. A pastor is no longer solely creating sermons and facilitating meetings but they are actually doing the dirty work of case management and breaking economic social barriers. Being involved in people’s lives in ways that are uncomfortable for them but necessary and vital for those that have specific needs.

Moving past the ideas of segregation of class but moving towards the fullness of the Eucharist’s equalizing power spoke of in Corinthians. Sunrise Community Church is striving to truly take care of the poor, the weak, the homeless, and the oppressed. Through listening to what the streets were telling them, Sunrise found that in South Austin there were no services for the homeless community. All the support was in North Austin. So they set up a hub for those in the homeless community where they were able to communicate with the other organizations providing services and support on the other end of the city.

Sunrise quickly realized that what they were doing was important but they were missing something even more important. The homeless in their area are most often without families and Sunrise decided they needed to be that family. Now, I have heard of ethnically diverse and generationally diverse but the community at Sunrise are seeking what it means to economically diverse. Meaning they have to ask an entirely different set of questions:

• How do you take communion with someone who is a prostitute without trying to “fix” them or put shame them? Especially when their only option is to choose a “more safe” version of prostitution or they will be homeless.

• How do you sit next to someone in church who is a sex offender that has been clean for 30 years but it makes you uncomfortable?

• What are appropriate boundaries with people that are different than me?

• How do I worship God next to someone who hasn’t showered in a long time?

As I listened to the staff tell their story, I learned that we can no longer afford to stay a “tidy” church. We have to get messy. We have to face the fact that people are different and are still God's creation. Because, the truth is,  lives are at stake. Whether the difference is racially, economically, age, gender, or sexuality that is dividing... we must be FOR people but we also must be WITH them. If we are all about the Body of Christ then we have to remember that God is bigger than our understanding of socially appropriate and see Christ in all of God’s Creation.

Hope is found in the messiness.

Hope is found in the place when a sex offender can receive help getting a bus pass from a victim who is choosing to use her pain to bring healing.

Hope can be found when a community of homeless people are claiming a space as good and for peace. When they claim that place and will not permit others to disrupt that space. Women and men have come to guard Sunrise with their with their bodies and their lives, because of the freedom to be themselves and love that permeates from those that work there.

Hope is found when people can actually see the person of Christ in the person standing next to them whether that person is a billionaire or someone who has $.50 in their pocket.

Hope is found when a church realizes that being the Body of Christ is more than showing up on Sundays and more than throwing money at a “problem.” Being the Body of Christ is rolling up your sleeves and putting action to the words that you say every Sunday at church of “bringing heaven to earth.”

Separation Speaks

What is it that drives us to keep people separated from the homeless? What keeps us from seeing the person in the homeless person? Is it fear, anxiety, or the idea of security?

No matter the reason I have some work to do. I have my own complacency and desire to ignore those that are different than me economically. The conviction brings me to tears because I wonder how many times I have perpetuated the cycle of violence, harm, and exclusion against those that truly need love. I have done this, I’m sure, more than I want to admit. Creating excuses and assumption to rationalize my staying away. Yet, if I chose to actually see the humanity in the person on the street with the sign, I would have to live a different life that was out of compassion rather than judgment.

I'm thankful for the heart of Sunrise Community Church. I’m thankful for their bravery and their desire to see restoration. I’m thankful for their eyes to see beauty in those that teach them about compassion daily.

Let’s choose people over comfortability. Let’s choose relationship over a capital campaign.  Let’s take a cue from Sunrise Community Church and create a family for those who have lost family, who have been isolated, and secluded from the world. Let’s choose to be the Body of Christ in sickness and in health.  

Questions to Consider:

• How is that we as the middle-class white church are more interested in being comfortable in church rather than sharing God’s love with those who need it most?

• How do we stop cultivating more boundaries but actually become a catalyst for less assumptions around social boundaries?

• How do we create and actually embrace people in different economic standing as the good creations of God that they are?

For more information about the work of Mark Hilbelink and Sunrise Community Church. Find inspiration in the way they chose to listen to what the streets of their city were telling them.

Listening in Dallas, TX at Union Coffee - November 26, 2016

When you hear the word experiment, the institution of church is not the automatic connection you make. The first image that enters my mind are beakers and lab coats. When it comes to church most envision a specific pattern of prayers, songs, and sermons. Churches seem to get stuck in different order of worship ruts that limit the imagination and creative energy of a congregation.

Now that these ruts have been in place for so long people are afraid to venture outside of them. There is a fear of the unknown, as if the building would collapse if the offering wasn’t done in an orderly fashion.

The question I keep coming up against is how do we re-infuse creative imagination into a worshiping community?

Union Coffee in Dallas, Texas has definitely found a way that works for them: you build it in from the beginning. Mike Baughman and Chelsea Zortman were able to tell me the story of how their coffee house/community center came to be.

As they told me the story, I was excited to hear that at the core of the work they seek to serve the community around them as much as they serve those that attend church.

“We wanted a church to be so embedded in its neighborhood that if the doors were closed it would actually matter to people other than the ones that show up for worship.” - Baughman

Yet, Union did not start with a service. It started with a coffee shop and a visioning team. The visioning team chose to wait to start any worship service because they wanted the community to really guide what program they put into action. It wasn’t until nine months after the coffee shop opened that a worship service was started.

The commitment to let the community guide what Union does has allowed for some interesting experiments to happen without fear of shame because it didn’t work out. Baughman likes to refer to this as the divine spark. Each person that is apart of Union has the divine spark of something within them and Union seeks to help nurture that spark.

The leadership is there to guide and equip the community with what they need to get their project off the ground, but not to hold everything for the community. As well, they are not enmeshed or held back by the anxiety to keep everything going often found in tradition congregations.

Through all the different experiments that Union has done they have always held to the important fact that they are in a specific place and time for the glory of sharing God’s love with those around them. They seek to be a place where all are considered leaders and all are to put forth ideas that can change their city and world.

To find out more about the intentional work that Union does check out their facebook page and their website. And keep your eyes open for the full interview coming to The Seattle School’s Blog soon.

Listening in Burbank with Marvin Wadlow Jr. - November 10, 2016

How is it that a 58-year-old Black man and 38-year-old White man come to have the same understanding about racial issues in the United States? Two words… Holy. Spirit. 

Marvin Wadlow Jr. and Matthew John Schmitt have both witnessed the injustice and trauma that is happened racially throughout the United States yet, through very different lenses. They both see a need for people to find language for healing to come. Together they created The TableSetters.

I had the opportunity to sit down and speak with Wadlow to hear about the work he and Matthew are up to. We could have sat for hours talking about the Holy Spirit’s leading for these two men to work together. But with all the different plates that Wadlow has spinning - screen writing, father, TableSetters, and more - he had to get back to work. 

The TableSetters are providing tools to have a conversation where there has been only silence. The unfortunate truth is that America has not been trained well in how to talk about issues of race and difference. Which is overwhelmingly clear from the current state our nation is in. Wadlow and Schmitt saw a lack of language around these topics and now create opportunities for people to discover language where there use to only be judgment.

As a White woman, I found their diagnosis of the problem to be true, often finding myself in moments of paralysis due to the fear of saying the wrong thing. Only within the last 4 years have I found a place where practicing this conversion is allowed. With gentle guidance from those I trust, I have slowly been able to wade into the complicated conversation of racial reconciliations.

As Wadlow and I talked he outlined the entire history of racism and how the conversation has been silenced over and over again. He was explained to me why I have had such a hard time engaging this conversation - not only is the language non-existent, the education has been whitewashed and truncated. There are generations of people in America that have only been shown a sliver of what the minorities of this country have been through.

Wadlow shared his story with me just after the 2016 Presidential Election happened, yet he was not surprised at the result. We talked about the outrage that White people are feeling and the shock of the results, but he wasn’t phased. Wadlow expressed how this was how life for him has always been this way and the White man always wins out. Its just that this time White people are more aware of the injustice.

In the end, this election reveals the desperate need for The TableSetters. We need this work desperately! When we function out of fear we leave room for hatred, pain, shame, tragedy, chaos, and drama. Yet, when we learn each other's stories compassion, kindness, thankfulness, love, hope, and peace are the results.

This reminds me of Shelly Rambo's work dealing with trauma, needing to find a language, and the necessity of having a witness. Rambo talks about the impacts of trauma: 1) trauma is not bound by time - it can take a person to a traumatic past at any moment, 2) trauma lives in the body and has the power to take over the body when triggered, and 3) trauma takes language away from the traumatized - without words to name the trauma the person can get trapped by the events that haunt them. Healing comes when there is a witness to the trauma that helps bring clarity to these three components.

(This is a very abbreviated snapshot of Rambo’s book, Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining. Please take the time to read the entirety of her book. It is quite beautiful.)

The Table Setters are seeking to be the witness to the trauma that has plagued our nation for as long as it has existed in this form. They seek to bring language to that which has brought more harm than anyone desires to admit. This two man team seeks to be a catalyst for healing and bring about more of God’s love in the process.

Wadlow doesn't want his story to stay the same and he wants to work towards making the story for the future. A story that is new, exciting, and full of hope. A story where his sons are not in danger because someone just didn’t know how to talk to someone who is different from them. A story where we can all move throughout this world in freedom.

The most encouraging piece of Wadlow's story is that he believes the place to start is the Church. 

10 Things I Learned Listening in Texas (Plus Photos)

My time in Texas was amazing. I had so much fun getting to see my friends, family, and collecting stories. It was also amazing to spend time with people that are bringing hope and more of the Kingdom of God to the state of Texas. Here are 10 things that I learned about the beautiful state of Texas. Plus some photos from my trip. 

More stories to come... Stay tuned! 

1. College football is king: Everyone has a kingdom they align with
2. Flags are not just to fly they are a statement … as well as decor
3. Anything can be made in the shape of Texas including Landscaping
4. “Everything's bigger in Texas” is not just a saying it’s a way of life
5. “Don't Mess with Texas” is used on traffic sign
6. Topo Chico is the best Mineral Water in all the land
7. Water towers are advertising
8. Churches have neon signs
9. Breakfast Tacos makes my heart sing
10. There is so much that I didn't see that I wish I could have

Listening in San Francisco - October 14, 2016

Streets painted with vibrant color. Images representing the story of those have been edged out. Painted on the walls of a neighborhood that it is impossible to forget. The story of oppression and pain.

The Mission district is consistently becoming more and more gentrified. The families that have inhabited this part of San Francisco, California for decades are being put on the streets. Tent cities line the sidewalks, creativity used for survival. According to this ABC7 article, San Francisco has the second largest homeless population in the country with 795 homeless per 100,000 people in the city.

Along with the homeless population growth police accountability, in his neighborhood, is at an all time low. Young people of color have been shot and killed due to the fear of difference that has been programmed into the DNA of this country.

This is the setting where Mark Scandrette and his family have lived for almost 20 years now. Scandrette has intentionally chosen to live into the particularity of the Mission District by listening to the pain that continues to rise up in the neighborhood.

When listening to the particularity of a community you are looking for the places in which God is already at work. For the Scandrette, partnering with God looks like supporting those that are lamenting the loss of young lives in the Mission District.

Scandrette regrets the length of time it has taken him to identify his own privilege when it comes to the inequality that is so prevalent in our culture. His own privilege has held him from seeing the entire picture of the systemic injustices.

Now he stands with those that have been fighting the long fight. Learning from the experience of those who have been objectified and voiceless, Scandrette is learning to listen first and speak second. Scandrette is claiming his church with the humble few that stand in front of the police station advocating for the DA to take action on having police reform for San Francisco.

Out of tragedy the community has come together through prayer. Weekly they stand together and hold a vigil in front of the police station. This small group has become a source healing, friendship, connection, and advocacy. Their hope is for police procedures and training to change. As a result of acting in that hope, they have found family… they have found church.

The death of a young man in their community has galvanized the community together. They sit in the pain and give space for it to speak. The systems are overwhelmingly broken and for many people of privilege, the broken discomfort of the systems are easily escaped.

As Scandrette said it, “Let your compassion take you to the far edge to where you are overwhelmed.” A counter-cultural statement, yet one that allows for pain to inform how and where justice and hope are needed. So often we pursue the relief of pain before it has been given a chance to speak. We are then stunted and not fully healed.

It is imperative to press into the discomfort and hear what it reveals about the state of our country. When we lean into what the pain is saying it can shed light on the true narrative at work and can bring freedom.

Scandrette’s hope is that the church can have a bigger imagination for what life can be. Notice that church can be in a building with the steeple, as well as, outside advocating for a peace and justice.

Listening is something that has no agenda. Often times when we enter into a new place we have assumptions about what we think we should hear from a community. Our own idea of how God should be working in a community.

That preconceived agenda actually hinders our ability to hear what the community is telling us and hear where God is already at work. Usually, when we listen to a community well we are nudged by the Holy Spirit to see something that makes us uneasy or pushes us out of our comfort zone.

There is so much pain in our country today. How are we listening to that pain? What is that pain saying? What healing needs to happen? How is God asking us to partner in that pain to bring healing?

Our assumptions ofttimes are not what the community needs and will distract from the work that truly needs to be done. Scandrette’s story is an excellent example of what it means to listen well and lean into that which reveals a new lens to see the world.

Listening in Sacramento - October 7, 2016

3 Things I Learned from Listening in Place with Jeff Richards

Jeff Richards is a PCUSA Pastor that has a house church called The WordHouse. It is fantastic to see how his church is choosing to engage the community around them. They choose to stay small and impact big by; listening to the community around them, seeing where God is at work, and partnering with God in those places.

The WordHouse’s mission is:

We are a community seeking to be formed by the love and grace of Jesus Christ. This shaping includes desiring to embody and experience ‘good news’ with our neighbors. We gather in all sorts of places, particularly where you can normally find people – homes, pubs, and coffee shops.

Richards and I met up at the First Baptist Church of Sacramento (FBCS), in the heart of Midtown… Wait… What the heck? What is a PCUSA pastor doing at a Baptist Church?! Seems odd? “Well, it shouldn’t be!” is Richards’ sentiment. WordHouse is constantly looking for different partnerships that are focused on the movement of the Spirit and not limited by denominational lines.

Richards and some of the leaders of WordHouse were looking at the space to prayerfully consider how the small house church could partner with this big Baptist church. Then a sweet happy accident occurred. Lamar J. Pringle, he walked into the courtyard... like he was walking onto a yacht… ok, so maybe not... But nonetheless, we were able to spend the better time of 30 mins talking about the state of the Church in America and what needs to change and how we need to start embracing the beauty of God’s dynamic and diverse creation.

From there we were able to have lunch with Richards’ spiritual mentor Pat Watters. Pat is a self-described cheerleader for the pastors on the fringe. His hope is to help support, encourage, inspire, and spur on those that are pushing the traditional boundaries of Church. We chatted over tacos and burritos about how we need more people embracing the mystery of God rather than feeding the thin theology narrow-minded fear.

After about 3 hours of amazing conversation with Pringle and Watters, we realized we hadn’t recorded Richards’ story yet. We made our way to Capsity, a collective workspace where Richards rents an office space for his church. The choice to inhabit this space was one that comes straight out of The WordHouse mission: to embody and experience 'good news' with our neighbors. Richards and his community take this statement seriously. So seriously, that they intentionally seek out an environment that will allow for relationships with their neighbors directly.

It was a full day. So much of what I saw brought me joy and laughter. So much of what I heard was deeply rooted in seeing God’s Kingdom here on earth. Here are the highlights of this amazing visit. I give you the top three lessons I learned from my time listening in Sacramento.

1. Change is finding like-minded people that do not look like you.

Jessica Crouter, Lamar Prince and Jeff Richards

“We aren’t even supposed to be family.” “We aren’t even supposed to like each other!” Pringle and Richards start to explain the dynamic of their new relationship. What brings them together is beyond their skin color, backgrounds, and denominational ties. Their desire to see the Kingdom of God here on earth is what brings them together.

FBCS is a church that understands that for old relationships continue they must foster a place for new relationships to blossom. Richards and Pringle have started to cultivate a friendship. Pringle is one of the pastors at FBCS and is the first Black pastor at the 166-year-old church... ever.

Pringle knows that his difference creates space for the people of his community to engage a part of their faith that has been ignored. He recognizes that, as Dr. Brian Bantum would say, "His body does work!" Pringle knows that his presence, as a Black man in an all-white congregation, cultivates an important opportunity for his community to widen their worldview and see how God’s creation is bigger than they realized. I got to witness these two men from different places, different backgrounds, different ethnicities humbly see the beauty in one another.

Pringle and Richards’ friendship is a beautiful example of how people of difference need to come together. The work they will do together has just begun. The fruit of their work is yet to be seen. And their friendship is a great reminder that to make change in a community means partnering with people that are like-minded not look-a-likes. To really make a difference you cannot ignore the people next to you. You must see God’s beauty in those around you and intentionally seek out ways to work together.

It’s almost as though when two worldviews collide it is an opportunity for big change in the community or destruction. We all have a choice when we meet someone who is seemingly not like us. To bring life or death. To see Christ in them or to not. I pray we can start to see Christ more and difference less. Pringle and Richards help us see that their like-MINDedness is what brings them together. Christ is what brings them together.

2. No matter how old you are, what degrees you have, nor how much experience; you always need a mentor.

Pat Watters and Jeff Richards

Everyone needs someone to encourage, call them out, inspire, and brainstorm with. In Richards’ case that is Pat Watters. Watters and Richards have been meeting together for some time now and found a rhythm that gives room for innovation and wisdom to collide.

Watters has been in the small parish church movement for decades. His desire is to inspire those on the fringe that are pushing the bounds of traditional church. Richards sought Watters out knowing, despite his Masters of Divinity, he needs to have someone in his life mentoring him as he moves forward doing Kingdom work. As we met over burritos, Watters energy to support Richards was abundantly clear. It was an honor to see their relationship, rooted in humility, faith, hope, and love.

I was reminded about the importance of finding a mentor in my own life. As well as, remembering those that have taken time out of their lives to mentor me in faith and ministry. I need people in my life with more experience to help guide me no matter how many degrees I get.

3. Letting go of your building might help you focus.

Capsity: Collective Workspace in Sacramento

A noisy room with cubicle-office-like spaces, where the seemingly unconnected unite. Where Skype phone calls intersect with interviews and daily business. Where a dog walking business meets a local house church which meets other social entrepreneurs who need each other to have a space to fulfill their purpose. A place where people come together and reveal that difference is not a boundary to keep them separate but that their unique differences actually reveals connection and interdependency.

There are so many things that get in the way of partnering with God in church communities. Especially when you have a huge building to take care of: the upkeep, the grass, the carpet, the sound system… the list goes on. These distractions are not horrible things that need to be thrown to the wind. Yet, when they become the focus, people lose sight of the purpose of the church. When the pews become more important than the people, there is a problem.

Distractions are inevitable. Yet, not many are intentional about the type of distractions to have. The WordHouse has intentionally chosen to keep in line with their mission by not entertaining the distractions of having a building. They have chosen to allow for distraction of an open space setting, which allows for people to be the distraction.

Richards and I took time in his workspace to collect his story. It was noisy but it served as an important reminder: Buildings do not a church make. A church building is a gathering place for the people of God and that can be anywhere.

When All's Said and Done:

There they are! The three main ways I saw hope in Sacramento. It was an honor to see how God is working through the WordHouse community; making a big impact through a small group of faithful Jesus followers. Thank you, Jeff for showing me your world and where hope is being spread throughout your neck of the woods.

Please make sure to check out more about Richards’ community at The WordHouse. Video coming soon.

Trust, Bandanas, and Listening

The Power of a Simple Piece of Fabric

Everything is dark. I smile to cover up that I don’t like that it’s dark and I have no control over what’s about to happen. It’s just a piece of cloth, but it owns me. I feel the powerful small piece of fabric start to warm over my eyes and nose. I start to remember the countless times I played this game as a kid. The times that a friend was given all authority to guide me through a room or across a playground. My ankles were now in their, hopefully, capable hands.

I remember the numerous moments I took, as a Youth Director, making teenagers do the very same thing, and strategically placing couches, pillows, webs made of rope, and anything else I could think of around the room to really make the students have to work hard for the freedom from the bandana. (Or maybe I just made it difficult to make them have to go through the same torture I did… I may have some stuff to work out here.)

Something happens after that bandana goes on. An entire worldview changes. A doorstop placed carelessly in the wrong place at the wrong time now becomes the biggest hurdle ever! Couches, end tables, and lamps threaten to take me down at any moment. My well-being in a stranger’s hand that leads me through a now treacherous landmine that is a living room.

Yet, we play. We play this terrifying game. Youth group leaders usually use this game as a way to talk about trust and faith. Having been a former Youth Director I would even go so far as to call it a community building activity instead of a game. Why?

Because it's true. This game reveals something about humanity. It uncovers whether a person is trustworthy or callused. It helps us discover where our trust really lives. Where we place our faith. And here I am, once again, subjecting myself to the metaphorical bandana. Yet, this time, it isn’t a tangible hand guiding my way, it is the soft guidance of the Holy Spirit.

I believe this bandana describes a life of following Christ. Christians choose to let go of control and no longer be responsible for our fate. Which has at least two outcomes: a sense of freedom for no longer being answerable for the entirety of life and/or a sense of fear for no longer being answerable for the entirety of life. Either way, it is a risk. A bandana-wearing risk.

After seminary people usually aspire to one of two options: get ordained and get a job as a pastor or continue on into the academic world. This unorthodox choice I have made has many people confused with why I would choose it. I wanted to shed some light on how the idea of The Listening in Place Project came about. This is a shedding of light onto my choice to put on the bandana. 

Putting on the Bandana: Two Influences

Influence #1: The idea of collecting stories really started unfolding when I completed my Integrative Project. For this project I completed 5 different interviews with 5 different pastors, talking about the complicated nature of the pastoral office.

After the first few interviews, I realized I was actually conducting less interview and more story collection. I loved hearing about the ins and outs of these pastors’ lives. By the time I finished the last of the story collecting, I had wished I could have spent more time with them all or actually gone to visit them to see them in action.

Influence #2: I have had the pleasure of helping produce the Inhabit Conference for the last three years. This last year was the most incredible conference yet. The heart of Inhabit is to bring practitioners, pastors, social entrepreneurs, and community organizers of neighborhood ministries throughout the world together to share the stories from their particularity.  The repercussions being that of bringing hope to each other, encouraging each other in faith, supporting those who are weary from the work, and cultivate creative ways to continue in Kingdom work.

As I spent two days listening to the amazing stories brought forward from all over the world, all I could think was that I wanted to actually go see these people in their neighborhoods. I wished I could go visit these people in their locatedness. I longed to be in the presence of these people with their people. I longed to experience the complexity that comes with fully being present in their space. But it was a lofty idea that just seemed too far fetched.

Then I had the pleasure of chatting with a couple who had shared their story with the conference. As they told me more about the details of their what their world looked like, they just invited me to visit. At that moment it hit me: WHY NOT?!

Why not see if I could pull this off? All I have to do is find some people that want to give me money to travel around and have a great adventure. “Yeah right!” was the phrase ringing in my ears. However, right after the ringing was over a flutter hit my heart, a thought came to my mind, and desire was born. “Go tell my story.”

Choosing to Risk

I could not get this desire out of my head. I spoke with trusted advisors, friends, and confidants. Mostly, asking them if I was crazy. If this was just a pipe dream. Yet, I continually got support and encouragement. The details started to take shape. I did the math. I knew three things: I didn’t want to do this without going under the banner of a larger organization, I want that organization to be The Seattle School, and if I don’t get their endorsement then I am not supposed to do this work.

I was able to present my idea to Nicole Greenwald, Director of Enrollment Management & Marketing at The Seattle School. I proposed a possible partnership. As I would travel I would let everyone know it was The Seattle School helping me make this happen. I told her all about how I would blog and make videos about what, where, and who I experienced.

I was done, I pitched my idea and all I had to do was wait for Nicole’s response. Nicole had listened well, nodded her head, and took notes. Then, without skipping a beat, said, “Yes, I love this. Would you want to do a podcast too?”

WHAT? A podcast? Not really the response I was expecting. As you can imagine I quickly said yes. We went right to work hammering out details of how the partnership would look and what it all entailed. I was so amazed at Nicole’s quick acceptance and support to the project. For me, it was the confirmation that I needed, from my community and trusted confidant, that this was about to be doing what God was calling me into this year.

Stories That Need to Be Told

My idea was to visit at least 8 different locations where I could connect with  multiple people to help share their story of hope. I would blog, interview, and video about my experience to hopefully hear what God has to say.

There are two reasons for this project:

• There are those within the Church that are afraid of the change that is happening in our culture and they need to hear stories of hope for the People of God.
• There is something specific that God has for me to hear over this next year. I have no idea what it is, but I know that it will unfold as this journey unfolds.

(See "So What are you doing after graduating" post for more details on the Listening in Place Project.)

Blindfolded and Ready to Go

So here it is - my bandana covered, trusting, hopeful, risky faith-walk with God. The Listening in Place Project has been placed on my heart and I can’t seem to ignore it. I have a gut feeling that I would regret it if I didn’t choose to put this bandana over eyes.

I am scared and nervous, of course. I am constantly wondering if people will think this is frivolous or if I will have enough money to actually finish. I assume this is where the “trusting that God has placed this project on my heart for a reason” comes into play. Thankfully, God continually reveals to me moments and people of encouragement just when I need it most.

I do not know how far or how long this project will last. But I am willing to take the risk to find out. Thank you so much for the support I have already received.  Thank you in advance for helping me continue in this work. I will continue on this journey as long as the financial support keeps coming in. I hope this project goes for the entire year and I know that God’s timeline is not my own. I pray that God will give me the ears to hear when this project is over. As well as, the courage to end well.

Until then, may God bless this work and may it bring hope to those who are weary.

Listening in Santa Cruz - Sept. 13, 2016 (Part2)

In my second year of seminary, I wrote a paper titled, “The Eucharist’s Super Power.” The main thesis of the paper was that our culture has taken the equalizing power out of the Eucharist. When a central point of the Eucharist is to level the playing field and bring all of God’s people together through Christ. Pastor Ryan Althaus may not have bread and wine at every event, but he is bulldozing the cultural boundaries humanity creates through the power and theology of play. As he said in our interview, “Life is far too important to be taken seriously… We need to embrace the mess-ups and the messiness.” What better way to do so than through play!

"Ducks and chickens waddling to their specific rhythms, while wild bunnies use their ninja skills to grab a quick snack."

Ryan began with The Homeless Garden Project (HGP) as their Development Director, but realized the job was taking him away from interacting with the trainees of the project. After a year working for HGP he quit to volunteer and connect with the homeless individuals getting job training skills. Ryan’s desire to cultivate real, lasting, hopeful relationships with the homeless community lead to his choice to live simply and participate more. By volunteering he can now focus on Yoga Tuesdays and other recreational activities.

Having the chance to participate in the yoga class, I was able to see how activity together cultivates opportunity to connect. Our conversation fluctuated from themes of life and death to everyday choices. The focus was not on how far you can stretch but accepting your limits and listening to what your body is saying. Through an hour of play we were able to encourage each other, laugh, stretch, and organically talk about God’s love. Nothing was forced or contrite. It was natural and easy. We all were able to leave feeling refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the day.

"His wild hair, pierced eyebrow, and well-loved visor does not scream pastor.  The warmth and care in his voice towards his friends in the garden community whispered it."

During our interview Ryan quoted Plato saying, “In an hour of play we learn more than in a lifetime of conversation.” Than let’s play! Religious traditions have a good purpose, but when they get in the way of loving the Other, we loose something fundamental to Christ’s call. Ryan seeks to foster dignifying, equal relationship through play; whether through yoga, running, or kayaking.

What I love is that Ryan’s focus is not some mind-blowing-new-crazy idea. It is simple. Back-to-basics. The focus of this ministry is showing those that feel outcast know they are loved. Through play there is no outsider, it is a level playing field. All are experiencing God’s love. Love your neighbor as you love yourself is about more than just being nice to someone; it is about loving others with dignity. Dignity is at the center of Ryan’s heart and action.

"Would I belong or would they assume I'm an imposter? Yet, all this was gone. Simple. Grounding. Peaceful. Yoga."

Ryan is not gripped on how many people will show up to play. The point is building Christ anointed relationships that produce the fruits of the Spirit. Relationships take time and commitment. Some say that time is money but I say time is community.

The hardest part of this ministry is to help those who do not see the validity of this work, start to understand its importance. But how do you quantify an experience? How do you place the old set of standards on something that is so old that it is new? How do you put new wine in old wineskins? This is the task that Ryan takes on as he applies for grants to continue the work that has been placed on his heart.

“How many people feel the same way about church? ‘Will I belong? Am I enough the way I am to be accepted here? What do all those words actually mean? Will I belong?’”

The desire for this ministry is to continue to find creative, dignity-filled actives to do together. Ryan’s hope is to continue the work that is already present and consistently show love to those that would normally feel outcast. Through the power of play Ryan facilitates equalizing, Eucharistic-like-moments that show people Christ’s love. Therefore, spreading the power of the Gospel and bringing more of heaven into this world.

Make sure to check out Sweaty Sheep and don't forget to 'like' them on Facebook. The podcast with Ryan, sharing more of his story, coming in October through The Seattle School's podcast channel. 

Listening in Santa Cruz - Sept. 13, 2016 (Part 1)

A light Pacific Ocean breeze sweeps through the garden. Ducks and chickens waddling to their specific rhythms, while wild bunnies use their ninja skills to grab a quick snack. Rows and rows of flowers in full bloom and very strange plants that look more like plants from the Jurassic period. A welcoming sign that simply reads “Farm Stand”. A small snapshot of the hospitable land called The Homeless Garden Project, where Ryan Althaus has been a part of the community for the last year and half.

Before Ryan Althaus arrived, I had time to walk through the large garden and hear people sharing with each other the ins and outs of life. There was a group of people cleaning the harvest of the day and a group creating bouquets for a local hospice organization. What was at work here?... Suddenly a voice rings out, Ryan’s arrival with his reminder/greeting, “Yoga Tuesday Everybody! Have you seen my new friend Cassie?” His announcement catches the attention of the entire community. His wild hair, pierced eyebrow, and well-loved visor does not scream pastor.  The warmth and care in his voice towards his friends in the garden community whispered it. Later, that afternoon, we spent time walking through the garden, chatting about theology and church, and reminding those working that in an hour or so yoga would begin.

The 1 hour yoga class, which happens every Tuesday in the garden at 2pm, was the most lovely yoga class I had ever been to. Six of us in a circle. Moments of silence. Moments of conversation. No pretense. No worry about if my outfit was “in” or not. I wondered about the many times I had skipped yoga class because of my fear of not being flexible enough, not having the coolest yoga pants, and not knowing what the jargon actually meant. Would I belong or would they assume I'm an imposter? Yet, all this was gone. Simple. Grounding. Peaceful. Yoga.

As we walked to a park bench, where I could listen to his story about his work, Ryan asked, “How many people feel the same way about church? ‘Will I belong? Am I enough the way I am to be accepted here? What do all those words actually mean? Will I belong?’”

Joy, rest, acceptance, and peace flooded over me as I left Santa Cruz, the evening of September 13th, 2016.

The story continues on Thursday's post (September 22nd). Make sure to check out Sweaty Sheep and don't forget to 'like' them on Facebook. Podcast with Ryan sharing more of his story coming in October through The Seattle School's podcast channel. 

So what are you doing after graduating? (Part 3)

Listening

Here it is where the fun begins: Everyone listens to God differently. The three common ways we hear from God are through the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit and the Church. Being that I much more of an active listener than a contemplative listener I have decided to go on an adventure to hear and gather stories from the Chruch.

Throughout the last year, God has been slowly giving me a vision of how I could choose to listen for God’s voice over this next year. I have embraced this vision with excitement and nerves. I truly believe that God has something to reveal to me through the adventure that is outlined below, yet I have never embarked on such a journey. The newness feels risky and unknown. However, I am excited to see what this risky, unknown adventure has for me.

I am going to be collecting stories from church planters, practitioners, pastors, social entrepreneurs, and theologians throughout the United States that are rethinking the way we “do” church. My desire is that these stories will provide hope to the Church that has lost a sense of what it means to belong to each other. 

There seems to be a lot of fear in the Church today from those that are use to the Church looking a specific way, with a certain way of being. The fear is then heightened by the fact the church buildings are no longer the center of the town or community and there are less and less attending on Sunday mornings.

I believe that God is not done with the Church. There are amazing experiments, creative endeavors, and risky ideas that, I believe, are commissioned by the Holy Spirit and anointed by Christ for the Glory of God.  These stories of hope seem to be hidden. My hope and goal is to help tell the stories of God’s creative movement in the United States. I hope to help the church understand that the Church is bigger than a building or a tradition. God is not done with us.

The truth is that God is not worried about the church building being filled every Sunday or not. God is more concerned with Creation becoming reconciled with its Creator. Following the way of Christ may not look the way it did 30 years ago, but God is still actively pursuing us.

This project is called The Listening in Place Project. I will be blogging and making videos about the people, projects, churches, and stories I encounter. I am also partnering with The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology to produce 10 podcasts for their podcast channel. The Listening in Place Podcast will be posted monthly starting in October 2016. (More information on how to subscribe is to come.)

I look forward to gathering these stories of hope our Church. I am excited and nervous to intentionally listening for God’s leading in my life as I embark on this crazy journey.

God's Provision

This is the part that is risky. Trusting that this idea is not just something I came up with one night, but that it is truly what God wants me to do over this next year. That means opening myself up to all of this falling apart.

I am thankful to already have the support of The Seattle School to help make this vision a reality. I now must be even more vulnerable and ask for my community to come along side me to support me financially this year. This feels strange to me. Yet, I strongly believe that God has set me on this adventure and that my community will come around to support me. Thank you in advance for your support; whether it is through prayer or through donations.

To execute this project well I will need around $10,000. Please prayerfully consider how you can help be apart of The Listening in Place Project. Below is a breakdown of the three different levels of sponsors that are available.

Connecting Sponsor $1000+

• Suggest 3 people to interview and you are guaranteed 1 will be interviewed.[5]
• The opportunity to have Cassie come and speak to your organization, church, or institution about her journey.
• Logo on Cassie’s Website with link if requested.

Cohort Sponsor $201 - $999

•  Logo on Cassie’s Website.

Community Sponsor $1 - $200

• Name on Cassie’s Website.

Become a Sponsor of The Listening in Place Project!

This is what I am going to be doing this next year. 

It is risky.

It is not a usual progression after seminary. And it is what God has put on my heart to do. I will faithfully step out and try, knowing that God’s vision for my life is bigger than I could every understand. I trust that God will provide through my community to share the stories of others working to bring about more of God’s Kingdom about in new and creative ways.

I hope you choose to participate with me on this journey. I will be posting blogs and video as often as I can and I will be posting the links to the podcast when they are released on The Seattle School’s channel.

Please pray for:

• The financial side of things to go smoothly
• Schedules of those I wish to interview to align
• Safety as I travel throughout the U.S. over this next year

Blessings Friends!

Cassie

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[5]The Seattle School stewards the podcast content. They edit and produce the final content.

So what are you doing after graduating? (Part 2)

So you might be thinking, “That’s great Cassie, but what are you actually doing after graduation?”

I am on Sabbatical!

I am exhausted and I need some time to process all that has happened over the last four years. I need time to let everything I have learned to marinate a bit more. I need time to rest and recover before diving back into fulltime ministry. And I truly believe that God has something specific for me to listen for this year.

Walter Brueggemann talks about Sabbath as Christianity’s forgotten inheritance, in his book Sabbath as Resistance.[1] Meaning, that Christianity has let go of the commandment that actually orients our lives in right order with God. Within the Christian church, specifically the North American and white church that I am familiar with, the primary emphasis is focused on the Lord’s Day. The celebration of Christ’s resurrection is vitally important, yet should not replace Sabbath. Each holds very different foci and should be held with equal standing.

The Jewish theologian, Abraham Joshua Heschel describes the fullness of Sabbath as a reorientation of life, in his book The Sabbath.[2] This reorientation encourages God’s people to shift the way they think about how they live every-day-life. Sabbath is what reminds God’s people who they are and who they belong to. It also realigns God’s people to rely on God and not themselves. You prepare for Sabbath by redesigning your rhythms to prioritize God over all other things. When Sabbath is intentionally prepared for well and actually practiced as rest, remembering and delight are the results.[3]

The question that stirs up for me is – what does Christian Sabbath actually look like? I think the answer is complicated and is possibly a different blog post. Nonetheless, I am going to take a shot at making this year my Sabbath.

Sabbath is about four key themes: rest, delight, listening, and God's provision. Each theme plays itself out differently and here is how I am intend to encounter them all:

Rest

I've got rest pretty much down... Sleeping in, reading silly books, and painting are all activities that bring me rest and rejuvenation. I haven’t actually painted yet… but I will. It has been interesting to actually let my body truly, fully relax. At first it was work just allow for my mind and body to release the need to be working towards something. It probably took 4 weeks to really let go of the need to produce. I never realized how dependent my life, mind, and body had become on producing something all the time. I still have to fight against the urge to be a functioning member of society, but there is also something very freeing about not having to prove my worth to the world.

Delight

Delight and joy can be so many different adventures, things or activities. So far, this summer it has meant: speaking at Westminster Woods for their junior high camp, visiting a of friend and her family in San Diego, long phone conversations with loved ones, enjoying concerts, getting happy hour with friends, visiting the San Francisco MoMa with good friends, spending time walking through the Redwood trees, watching ridiculous television, and reconnecting with my family.

Delight can be hard for me sometimes. Often I don’t believe that I actually deserve delight – to have joy. Yet, Phil Nellis, in a class he taught on Sabbath at The Seattle School, explained that delight is more that just a good feeling, it is about our capacity to worship God.[4] Therefore, to truly have an encounter with God is to delight with God. As I consider delight in my life I ask myself, “What would make me and God smile?”

Become a Sponsor of The Listening in Place Project!

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[1] Walter Brueggemann, Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2014), x.

[2] Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath (Farrar, Straus and Giroux: New York, 2005), 14.  

[3] Heschel, The Sabbath, 13-24.

[4] Phil Nellis, “The Sabbath, Judaism , and The Old Testament” (Lecture, Spirituality and Sabbath, The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, Seattle WA September 29, 2016).

So what are you doing after graduating? (Part 1)

This has been the question that I have gotten over and over again these past few weeks.

As I finished up my Masters of Divinity from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, I am aware at how fancy this all makes me. I mean FANCY! I now have a fancy hood, fancy letters by my name, and a very fancy piece of paper that is more expensive than all of my worldly possessions combined. Usually, what comes with such fancy things is the impression that I now know things – the idea that I have THE answers and to some extent have it all figured out.

Now, I don’t want my amazing professors from my school to get upset but I have to confess some things: 

• Dr. Chelle Stearns, I do not remember all the different forms of atonement and their implications on my theological platform.
• Dr. Dwight Friesen, I can’t remember each of the existing cultural paradigm shifts that are actively present at this very moment.
• Dr. Steve Call, the only thing I remember about attachment theory comes from that super cute video about the baby and the mom.
• Dr. Ron Ruthruff, that list of biblical themes you gave in biblical theology … there was 5-ish right?
• Dr. Dan Allender, I don’t want to admit what I forget about your teaching because I am sure it will reveal way too much about myself that I do not intend to divulge.

That being said, I've already got my diploma so there's no going back!!

I chose to attend The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology (The Seattle School The Seattle School) because I wanted to go to a place that was more than a school. I wanted to attend an institution that realized that becoming a pastor is much more than learning the Greek alphabet and parsing some verbs. I wanted to attend a school that would value me as an individual and wanted to see me develop into the rooted, whole, intelligent, self aware, unique, silly, load, confident, caring pastor that I knew I could be.

Did I know exactly what I was getting into when I start The Seattle School 4 years ago? I had no clue. I had no clue that the work I would do could transform me so dramatically. I have explained to my friends that The Seattle School is like a therapy incubator. This metaphor still holds. I am not the same person I was when I moved to Seattle in 2012. I defiantly don’t have every answer that you might think I should have but I gained something more important than answers. I learned how to cultivate new questions to be curious about. I may not be able to quote Augustine or Luther off the top of my head but I learned how to say, “I don’t know… Maybe we could find out together.”

I learned that to be a good pastor is to claim the goodness of the humanity that I bring into the room with me. I learned that the cultural pressures of the pastoral office are not sufficient for listening to the Holy Spirit and facilitating opportunities for people to find restoration and freedom. I learned that the only way to help people transform into the beautiful creation they were intended to be is to do my own work to claim the beauty of my created self. When I do that, when I claim my beauty and goodness – which means admitting my wounds and pain, I create a space where others feel the freedom to do the same.

I may have been exaggerating about what I have forgotten from my classes over the last 4 years at The Seattle School… possibly. But what I hope sticks over the years is the freeing power of claiming my goodness so that others can claim their goodness. If I can hold on to a quarter of that notion, I think I’ll be ok. I think that right there might just be the fanciest part of this whole thing called seminary.

Become a Sponsor of The Listening in Place Project!