Holy Week: Pausing Before the Resurrection Party

What’s not to love about Easter? Blossoms everywhere and hallelujahs hanging in
the air like pastel cherubs. All that resurrection radiance pouring into our Lent-weary lives. Who wouldn’t want to sprint to the empty tomb?

But sometimes a gift is given in the dreary moment. The heavy sigh. A poet whose
work I have come to love, Tom Hennen, puts it this way:

It’s easy to love a deer
But try to care about bugs and scrawny trees
Love the puddle of lukewarm water
From last week’s rain.
Leave the mountains alone for now.
Also the clear lakes surrounded by pines.
People are lined up to admire them.
Get close to the things that slide away in the dark.
Be grateful even for the boredom
That sometimes seems to involve the whole world.
Think of the frost
That will crack our bones eventually.1

Until I was in my mid-twenties, the Baptist churches I belonged to bypassed Holy
Week altogether. On Palm Sunday we’d sing Hosanna! at the beginning of worship
and The Old Rugged Cross at the end, then go home and start planning the menu for
Easter dinner.

But those who are willing to postpone singing Christ the Lord Is Risen Today long
enough to experience the gathering gloom of Holy Week will find God whispering in
the darkness: “I am here for you.” This week I invite you to trace with me the steps of
Jesus in his darkest hours. I promise that your alleluias will be all the sweeter come
Resurrection Sunday.

Lingering awhile,

1 Tom Hennen, Love for Other Things, Darkness Sticks to Everything: Collected and New Poems.

Spiritual Practices for 2018

A friend of mine, Episcopal priest Winston Charles, says one sage piece of advice given to him early on was, “Don’t join a fitness center in January… Wait until February, when yet another gaggle of New Year’s resolutions has turned cold.” New Year’s resolutions that pertain to our spiritual practices can fizzle quickly as well, leaving us feeling defeated, disappointed and guilty. Even so, the beginning of a year offers rich opportunities for fresh starts.

As you begin 2018, along with the timeless spiritual practices of worship, prayer, Bible study, contemplation, journaling, etc., I want to recommend three more:

1. Lower your Mask
   In a church, this often happens best in small groups where deeper connections can be made and authentic community can take place. As we lower the masks we wear and give permission for others to lower their masks; as we pray for each other and risk some vulnerability; as we share our life and faith stories, including our questions and doubts, something extraordinary gets born that can only be described as a work of the Spirit. New small group opportunities are coming this year at First Baptist. Our Faith Formation Team and pastoral staff are working on these and we welcome your input.
   

2. Be a “Breach-Mender”
   The ancient ruins will be rebuilt,
   You will build on age-old foundations,
   You will be called “Breach-Mender,
   Restorer of ruined houses.”
   ~ Isaiah 58:12
   
   Practice restoring the places around you in which God’s presence has become hidden or misrepresented.
   

3. Practice Presence
   You cannot not be in the presence of God. As Richard Rohr puts it, “All spiritual teaching—this is not an oversimplification—is about how to be present to the moment. When you’re present, you will experience the Presence. But the problem is, we’re almost always somewhere else: reliving the past or worrying about the future.” Pay attention to “this moment” unfolding around you. Just try to keep your heart open and tender, your mind receptive, and your body aware of where it is and what it is feeling experiencing.

Peace and grace,

thankful

Thanks•gív•ing  n  1:  the act or occasion of giving thanks, especially to God.

I’m so happy for the chance to name out loud here just a few of the many reasons why I’m so very grateful to be part of the First Baptist DC family:

I’m thankful for the gift of walking these days beneath trees the color of scarlet, cinnamon and butterscotch on my daily commute. I’m thankful for children who sprint up the aisle with the offering plates, and for the sound of Erik and Clark calling us, at the end of worship, to Go in peace to love and serve the Lord! I’m thankful for our splendid choir. I’m thankful for the faithfulness of Harry, Mike and Paul N. who open our sanctuary at noon each weekday for people seeking some soul space. I’m thankful for spontaneous laughter at every Faith Formation Team meeting. I’m thankful for dependable offering counters: John, Mary Jane, Joseph, Stan, Ellen and Mike. I’m thankful for lovingly folded cloth napkins at our Wednesday night suppers. I’m thankful for Tim’s Sunday morning garage ministry. I’m thankful for the way Carolyn, our CDC director, stops by my office for prayer.

I’m thankful for Ellen, who has deepened and inspired the faith of dozens through Education for Ministry. I’m thankful that Steve knows our buildings like the back of his hand. I’m thankful for Ramona and Janice’s joy in preserving our church’s story. I’m thankful for Mike’s way with numbers and Doug’s way with a camera. I’m thankful for Becky’s empathy and Steve N.’s encouraging notes; for Ron D.’s humility and Violet’s hospitality; for Gordon’s smiles and Lucy’s smarts. I’m thankful for Ken’s sense of humor and Rob’s wordsmithery; for Bonnie’s compassion and Adrian’s computer savvy; for Kate’s leadership and Didier’s laugh.

I’m thankful for Rochelle who—every Saturday—takes senior adults grocery shopping. I’m thankful for Lon, whose genius is matched only by his generosity. I’m thankful for Marvin and Patty’s warm hello! in the sanctuary each Sunday, and for Dinh who is the beating heart of our Christ House ministry. I’m thankful for Rod’s dry wit and Sadye’s deep wisdom; for Paul N.’s kindness and Chelsea’s culinary gifts; for Bill B’s zeal and Shirley’s joie de vivre. I’m thankful for Melvyn’s tenderness and Ann’s tact; for Zena’s warmth and Kelly’s way with words; for Dennis’s scholarship and Reneé’s sincerity; for the Kirbys’ vision and Amanda’s voice for liberty.

I’m thankful for the Whatleys’ gorgeous banners. For gini’s honesty and Ron A.’s attention to his family. I’m thankful for Wil, Charlotte and Helen, who are planting biblical truth in our children (and making it fun!). I’m thankful that Allen loves committee meetings. ☺  I’m thankful for children who show us what wide-eyed love for Jesus looks like, and for teenagers who know more about the Bible than most adults. I’m thankful for Dave’s encouragement and Cindy’s artistry; for Alexandria’s courage and Paul C.’s candor; for the Yoders’ perseverance and the Suttons’ positivity; for Denny’s HR acumen and Leslie’s eloquence. I’m thankful for Lilia’s spunk and Alyssa’s spontaneity; Ping’s constancy and Kathie’s caring devotion; for Rose’s moxie and D’O’s encyclopedic memory; for Charlie’s calm and Ernest’s creativity.

I’m thankful for Brenda’s therapeutic insights and Elnora’s entrepreneurial spirit; for Ed’s steadfastness and Mel’s servant heart; for Julie G.’s missions-mindedness and Sarah’s institutional memory. I’m thankful for the Cochrans’ gospel passion and David H.’s good humor; for Matthew’s playfulness and Wilma’s peacefulness; for Jacqueline’s amiability and James’s poetic elegance.  

In short, I am sincerely thankful for you, my FBC family. I could fill pages and pages with examples of how you show me regularly what it means to be a Christ follower. And of course, I’m over-the-moon grateful for Tim, my companion for the journey, and for Taylor and Lucy who are God’s happy gift. For all of this and so much more…

Thanks be to God!

What is Spirituality Anyway?

On July 11, I joined ten pastors from up and down the Atlantic seaboard for a 7-day clergy retreat guided by leaders from the Shalem Institute. Thank you, church family, for supporting my participation in the 18-month Shalem program, Going Deeper: Clergy Spiritual Life & Leadership. For seven days my new friends and I “leaned back into our spiritual hearts” as Tilden Edwards puts it (Tilden founded the Shalem Institute in 1973 and has served as a spiritual guide for thousands of men and women). We prayed in silence. We prayed aloud. We walked slowly. We woke early to greet the sun. We payed attention to the sounds of crickets; the sight of deer in the meadow; the steady rhythm of our own heartbeat. All of these felt like gift.

Talk of “deepening our spirituality” often raises this question: 

What is spirituality anyway? Aren’t we offering it through our church programs and worship?  

Well, in a way, yes. And in a way, no. Spirituality is a about relationship. It’s about having an opportunity to experience God’s presence. Many churches offer opportunities to increase knowledge about God and a better understanding of belief systems, along with programs to support these systems. This is not to say that people can’t experience God’s presence through a study of theology and Scripture. But often these experiences remain in our head without ever making it down to our heart.

Spirituality is not focused on information gathering. Mostly, spirituality is about learning to pay attention. It’s about learning to be fully present, moment by moment, to the God who loves us. We can be present with God in any place at any time.

It’s not so simple to live a simple life. Since the mid-1900s the pace of living has increased exponentially, with an ever-increasing emphasis on speed, rapid delivery, multitasking and constant availability. Our spiritual equilibrium, which depends on our deep, continual grounding in God, is under daily, even hourly, attack. As a result, there seems to be a steady reaching on the part of churched and unchurched people for the things that nurture the spirit. 

I would love for you to join me on this pilgrimage. In the months ahead I hope to help us create new opportunities for addressing our individual and collective hunger for God. I can’t wait to see what the Spirit will do.

Peace and grace,

Going Deeper: Clergy Spiritual Life & Leadership

Dear FBC family,

I’m grateful to you for offering all of our staff time away in order to refresh and recharge.
Today I leave for the Retreat Center at Bon Secours in Woodstock, MD, where I’ll join ten
other pastors from around the country for a 7-day retreat, guided by leaders from the Shalem
Institute here in Washington. As you may know, earlier this year FBCDC granted my request
to participate in an 18-month Shalem program called Going Deeper: Clergy Spiritual Life & Leadership.

For about 15 years now, I have felt myself drawn more and more toward contemplative
prayer, silence, periods of solitude and the writings of contemplatives like Richard Rohr,
Thomas Keating, Thomas Merton, Mirabai Starr, Eknath Easwaran and Thich Nhát Hanh. My
desire to participate in this clergy program is connected to a deeper longing which I am still
trying to name. At the heart of things, the longing is for a deeper intimacy with God.
Coincidentally (or perhaps not), our church is on a similar path. At our leadership retreat last
October, “Intimacy with God” was the number one expressed desire for our church. I believe
this Shalem experience will provide a helpful foundation for me as we initiate together new
and expanding channels of connection with God. On a personal level, while I have gained a
fair amount of leadership experience over the past thirty years, I desire to lead more from my
spiritual heart than from a corporate, outcome-driven model.

So thank you, brothers and sisters, for supporting this opportunity. Upon returning from the
Shalem retreat I will take some time for vacation. I look forward to joining you in worship on
July 30th and am happy that you’ll have the chance to receive spiritual and biblical nurture
from Amanda Tyler and Charlie Fuller these next two Sundays. I am holding you in my
prayers while I’m away.

Peace and grace,

Baptists & Religious Liberty in America

Q:  Name the place where the following law was enforced: those not attending religious services twice daily were subject to whippings and imprisonment.

A:  Jamestown—the first permanent English settlement in the Americas, in the colony of Virginia, where the Church of England was the established official state church.

Q: Name the place where this practice was enforced: only church members were eligible to vote in public elections. Those who did not belong to the Church were not citizens, only inhabitants. In this place some dissenters were hanged.

“One piece of our Baptist identity we can be proud of is this: our unwavering insistence upon religious liberty for all people.”

A: Massachusetts Bay Colony, 17th century America.

Q: Where did the following take place? In 1651 three Baptists—John Clarke, John Crandall and Obadiah Holmes—were arrested. The charge: conducting an unlawful worship service. They were placed in prison and were fined, with the provision that if the fines were not paid, they would be publicly whipped. Two were freed when friends paid their bail without their knowledge, but Obadiah Holmes was given 30 lashes with a 3-corded whip, the same sentence given to violent criminals. 

A: Boston, Massachusetts  

America finally won our independence from England. But the Constitution that was approved in September of 1787 included no guarantee of religious freedom. It was the Baptists, inspired by the Scriptures, who lobbied government leaders like James Madison and Thomas Jefferson to add a Bill of Rights. It was largely because of the influence of Virginia Baptist preacher John Leland that James Madison pressed for the First Amendment to the Constitution, forbidding the government to make any law “respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Baptists are known for a lot of things in America, some of them rather embarrassing. But one piece of our Baptist identity we can be proud of is our unwavering insistence upon religious liberty for all people.   

Methodist historian Frank Mead paid Baptists this compliment: “They are God’s patriots—putting allegiance to Him always above allegiance to Caesar. Freedom of conscience and complete divorce of Church and State! How they have suffered for that! They have faced mockery and mud, fines, whippings and iron bars; they have been burned at the stake and pulled on the rack, but they have held to it.”  (Frank S. Mead, See These Banners Go (New York: The Bobs-Merrill Company, 1936), 97.) 

So as you watch fireworks light up the sky next Tuesday night, let yourself breathe a prayer of gratitude to God for this brave, steadfast, insightful tribe to which we belong.

Peace and grace,

Leadership Workshop Leads to Action Steps for FBC

On Saturday, June 3, twenty-five leaders at FBC gathered in Fellowship Hall for the second of two workshops, facilitated by Geoff Abbott and Mark Nishan, designed to help us clarify our vision and mission. Participants included 9 deacons, our Deacon Chair, Moderator and pastoral staff, as well as representatives from our support staff, choir and every committee at FBC. The group participated in a variety of exercises aimed at describing our present state, clarifying our desired future state, and identifying action steps as we move forward. Here is a summary of outcomes:

What we want to be known for:

• A vibrant church in which lives are transformed
• A reflection of the kingdom of God
• Hospitality; openness and visibility in our community
• Service
• Joy
• Being missional; participation in our community
• Love

Commonly-Held Values

• Biblical grounding
• Communication/Authenticity/Healthy Conflict Resolution
• Hospitality/Love of Christ/Diversity
• Creativity/Risk-Taking
• Strategic Service/Teamwork/Intentional Apprenticing
• Intimacy with God/Spiritual Growth/Intentional Worship

“Critical Few” Action Steps for the near future

• Each week--FBC folk intentionally engage at least 1 person at church whom they don’t know
• Identify gifts and talents among the congregation
• Create a newcomer hospitality team
• Continue to refine and simplify governance to help us live by our values
• Plan three new opportunities for spiritual growth/biblical grounding for this fall
• Broaden our missional footprint; find ways to participate in or support creative missional endeavors
• Get to know our neighborhood and help them get to know us
• Promote intentional apprenticing by encouraging committees to elect now a chair for this year and a chair-elect for next year
• Embed FBC values/aspirations into the work of all committees, teams, ministry groups and staff

Sincere thanks to Denny Austin who first suggested these workshops in the spring of 2016, and recommended his friends, Mark and Geoff. And thanks to all who participated in one or both gatherings. Our two days together are already yielding fruit. I’m eager to see what else grows at FBC in the months and years ahead.

Grace & Peace,

We're Glad You're Here: Hospitality as Lens

I’m still smiling as I think about Sunday’s Annual Meeting. From Lucy Plovnick’s superb leadership (as always), to Didier Ahimera’s God story, to the fun door prizes and the sight of a bunch of Baptists dancing (as well as some dignified swaying) in Fellowship Hall—this year’s laughter-filled Annual Meeting was full of gratitude for our present and anticipation for our future, under God.

During the gathering I made a proposal for the coming year which the congregation affirmed with a supportive “Amen”.  Here is the crux of my message:

I propose that in the year ahead we view hospitality to newcomers as a chief priority, especially people for whom God and faith and church are a bit of a stretch. And since, for us, the most energetic, participatory moment of our week is Sunday morning, I recommend that we marshal more of our energies and people power and resources toward “lifting” the entire Sunday morning experience at FBC from beginning to end—and that our focus, as we do, be people on the margins of faith.  

What will that mean for us?

-    Making an intentional effort to chip away at whatever barriers (programmatic, aesthetic, liturgical, logistical, etc.) may be hindering newcomers from connecting with God and Christian community here.

-    Evaluating everything we do, especially Sunday mornings, through the eyes of a 21st century spiritual seeker.

-    Asking every committee, team or group—including our deacons, Church Council and staff—to ask, every time we meet: “How are we doing at making our particular piece of FBC’s mission more accessible to newcomers and people on the margins of faith?”  

-    Rather than another program, hospitality will serve as a lens through which we see ourselves; a lens through which we evaluate our programs, ministries, worship, mission and vision.

On Sunday I pointed to John 12:20ff., which tells about a pivotal day when some “outsiders” showed up, asking if they could see Jesus. It was precisely when a door opened to engage those outside the circle that Jesus said the hour had come for the Son of God to be seen in the world for who he is. I’m excited as I think of our opening more and more doors together at First Baptist, and becoming a spiritual home for many more who are seeking God.

Peace and grace,

I’ll be somewhere else for Christmas

“After fruitless rounds of chemotherapy and gamma knife treatments, Dad had a hunch that this would be his final Christmas. So a week before Dec. 25 he announced to my mother that he had decided to take a road trip. “I don’t know exactly where I’m going,” he said, “and I can’t say for sure when I’ll be back — I just know I need to do this thing.””

Elections and earthquakes: Discovering the unshakable

“My husband and I had just begun our second year of marriage in the oh-so-great city of San Francisco. The evening of Oct. 17, 1989, was brilliant, clear and unusually warm. Tim hadn’t arrived home yet from work and I was alone in the house, preparing snacks for game two of the World Series — Giants against the A’s. At four minutes past five o’clock, it hit.”

Calling our people into stillness is a subversive act

“Five minutes later I punched the key code on the door of the Brookland Pastoral Center and raced up the stairs, rattled and out of breath. My spiritual director was waiting for me in her simple, cozy office. Charlotte, who for decades has been trekking with people on their path with God, is a lovely combination of spirit and spunk. Mother Theresa meets Mrs. Doubtfire.”

Relax your grip and you can go for miles

“For most of my vocational life I’ve had to do battle with the overwhelming need to prove myself. This may have something to do with where I land on the Enneagram. As my fellow Threes will testify, “I succeed, therefore I am” is one of our life mantras. The other is “Produce or perish.””

Grounded enough to notice when Jesus shows up

“Ironically, the pace of inner-city life often feels slower to me than that of suburban or even country living. I think it has to do with the walking.”

What cannot be killed or swept aside — love

“If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”

Good Friday With the Methodists

This carving, called "Ecce Homo" by Benjamin Lopez, is found in the Santuario de Chimayó in New Mexico.

I estimate forty of us—
spread like thin gravy
over the dim sanctuary.

My own Baptist flock
honors the noontime
crucifixion, so tonight
my son and I are free
to join these Methodists
who have hired four
Gregorian chanters from
the Catholics up the road.

My son was attentive
at first, but is now
rifling through items
in the pew rack:
offering envelopes
prayer request cards
"What Methodists Believe".

The tiny choir is giving it
their all with Dubois’
Christ, We Do All Adore Thee
but are hobbled
by a soprano whose high G
doesn’t quite clear the bar.

The man across the aisle
is fighting to keep awake,
his head swinging
like a censer.

What a pitiful clot
we are, curdling
beneath the cross.
We chant our confession:
We love darkness rather than light
and I reckon
my own brambly heart
as exhibit-A.

For on this night of nights,
as sorrow and love
flow mingled down,
I'm still fuming
at the seminarian who,
just yesterday,
misspelled “Maundy”
on our church marquee
and whom I (rightly)
castigated just before
the foot-washing.

Yet now,
in the cover
of this half-light,
the memory
of his wounded face
pierces me.

The choir is lumbering
through the Palestrina
Kyrie while the man
across the aisle
softly snores.

~ Julie Pennington-Russell

(published on Baptist Global News website)

Ten Questions for 2016

Peter Drucker, writer, professor and business consultant hailed by BusinessWeek as “the man who invented management,” once said this: "My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions." Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, said, “We run this company on questions, not answers.” 

Last fall, as I met with FBC’s Pastor Search Committee, I sent them some questions I had about First Baptist. There were 63. (Okay, I’m a curious sort—in more ways than one.) Over the past ten weeks, as I’ve begun settling in here with all of you and getting to know you better, I’ve culled that original list of 62 questions down to 10. I shared them with the deacons last Sunday and want to offer them again here the rest of you. I don’t have a blueprint for asking them, but I’m convinced that if we let ourselves keep gravitating back to these—in our committee meetings and Sunday morning classes and at Sunday brunch together, the way forward for First Baptist will continue to unfold: 

1. Can you talk about the movement of the Holy Spirit at First Baptist? How do you see God at work these days?
    
2. What is FBC currently known for in Washington DC and beyond? If God were to do everything you are asking God to do in and through FBC, what would our church be known for in DC five years from now?  
    
3. If Jesus himself were to plant a new church in DuPont Circle, what do you think it would look like? 
    
4. How would you describe FBC’s present culture—the DNA of our church? What’s the desired culture/DNA/future? 
    
5. Is FBC’s prevailing mission and vision widely shared among the congregation? Would you be able to communicate these in an elevator ride at work? If you were someone on the margins of church life, would FBC’s stated mission and vision capture your imagination and make you want to plunge in deeper with God and this community of faith? If so, why? If not, why not?
    
6. How are these four major areas at FBC—finances, facilities, staffing and structures (team & committee structure; governance structures, disciple-making structures; decision-making structures, etc.)—supporting and/or hindering our church’s prevailing mission and vision?  
    
7. How are we going to address together the reality that young adults today, as well as the “Nones” and “Dones” are less inclined to desire involvement in the often complex inner-workings of a congregation than those of past centuries? (Because of this, increased attendance doesn’t necessarily mean increased participation in committee work, business meetings, etc. Hardly anyone joins a church with the prevailing hope of one day being able to serve on the Church Council. Most people are desperate for God and for community, not for institutionalism. Most thriving churches are drastically simplifying their structures so as to remain nimble and able to focus on gospel priorities.)
    
8. How are we going to create more opportunities for people (especially newcomers) to experience authentic community at FBC?
    
9. How are we going to practice intentional leadership development at FBC, especially with our young adults?
    
10. How are we going to practice the ministry of faith formation among people who are brand new to faith, or who’ve been away for a long time? 

You have good questions of your own. Share them. Ask them. I’m ever so glad to be living the questions here with you…

A Hand at Our Back

Some years ago I took a week-long preaching class in Berkeley, Calif., taught by Tom Long (who retired recently from Emory’s Candler School of Theology). Excellent class. Tom is a gifted preacher and teacher. It was a great experience for me.

One of the requirements for the week was that each of us preach a sermon to the others in the class. Of course everyone is always a little nervous about this kind of thing, but one woman—a young seminary student named Lyddie—was particularly terrified. We encouraged her all through the week, assuring her of our support and prayers. But on the final day when it came her turn to preach, Lyddie was all but paralyzed with fear. At the moment when Tom Long called her name, she emitted a small gasp that I could hear from across the room. She slowly stood with a look of dread on her face, steadied herself on her feet, then walked to the front of the room and took her place behind the small pulpit.

“ As she talked of how this teacher’s witness had led to her conversion, Lyddie began to weep. Then she began to sob. She stood there, rooted to the floor, unable to continue.”

About midway through the sermon Lyddie began to tell a story about a Sunday School teacher from her childhood, and of the difference the elderly saint had made in her young life. As she talked of how this teacher's witness had led to her conversion, Lyddie began to weep. Then she began to sob. She stood there, rooted to the floor, unable to continue. The rest of us were desperately trying to figure out how to encourage Lyddie but didn't know quite what to do. Until one of our classmates—an older, African American woman named Rose—stood up, crossed the floor and quietly pulled up a chair directly behind the pulpit. Without saying a word, Rose placed her hand solidly against Lyddie's back, lowered her head, closed her eyes and began to pray silently for the weeping young woman.

The effect was immediately visible. Lyddie took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, then leaned into the rest of that sermon with a confidence and strength that surprised the whole class. Rose eventually removed her hand from Lyddie's back and remained quietly seated there with her head bowed until the sermon was finished. Then she stood up and without a word, returned to her seat.

Often since that day I have thought about Lyddie and Rose, and of the very real power of Christ that flows like an electric current through the Church. I have had, in moments of anguish or doubt or grief, the experience of feeling the strengthening presence of a sister or brother coming to stand beside me. The smallest encouraging word or gesture has, at times, felt like a hand against my back, re-charging my anxious heart with the very courage and power of Christ. I want to be more a conveyer of grace like that. May God help us to be that for each other.

Grace and peace,

The First 100 Days

This week I’m pausing to reflect on my first thirty-five days at First Baptist, and to think ahead toward the next sixty-five. Bill Wilson from the Center for Healthy Churches says, “The first 100 days of a new pastorate are a precious resource that should be thoughtfully and carefully spent by the pastor and the congregation.” The CHC publishes a list of key priorities for pastors and congregations in their first hundred days together. I’ve been keeping an eye on that list as I’ve moved through these first weeks, and want to share with you some of my key priorities and hopes for this important season:

People (Internal)

• Keep learning people’s names. (Nametags on Sundays would be such a big help!)
• Identify the 25 key leaders in the congregation with whom I need to have an individual conversation in my first 100 days.
• Conduct individual meetings with each staff member. First 20 days.
• Meet with established groups (Church Council, Committees, Deacons, etc.).
• Visit each Church School class on Sunday mornings. First 90 days.
• Meet with key worship leaders (Sunday morning & Mosaic). First 40 days.
• Establish a healthy pattern of offering pastoral care in conjunction with staff and lay teams. First 100 days.
• Meet at least twice with Search Committee representatives to check in and see if expectations are being met.  

People (External)

• Identify key community leaders with whom I need to meet. Days 50-100. Need congregational help with this. 
• Seek out connections with area clergy. Days 40-100.
• Connect with local and state denominational leaders.  Days 30-100. 

Personal

• Continue with Tim the ongoing process of nurturing and strengthening our marriage.
• Help Taylor adjust to his new home in DC. 
• Support and care for Lucy (she’s not able to come home from college as often as when we lived in Atlanta).
• Establish a predictable weekly schedule, including healthy work and personal time boundaries. (I’m observing Thursdays as my weekly day off.)
• Exercise regularly.
• Connect with and schedule first meeting with a spiritual director. First 30 days.
• Plan for the eventual move from our temporary apartment into a home in the District. 

I welcome your input on these! In all that we do and all that we are, may our first 100 days—and all the years ahead—honor God and embody the way of Jesus. 

Grace and peace…

Language Lessons

This winter I’m learning a new language. Nope, it’s not Italian, French or Farsi. I’m not listening to some Berlitz instructor parse verbs in German. This one’s more difficult: I’m learning to speak Windows. Now that I’m officially your pastor, I can make this confession: I’m a Mac user. Ever since that memorable day 25 years ago when I first pressed a computer “on” button, it’s been Apple all the way. 

So when D’O Dillard let me know, in the gentlest way possible, that First Baptist DC office operates in a PC world, I’ll admit I was a bit up-ended. “Tim!” I wailed, “I don’t know how to be a pastor on a Dell!” Luckily we figured out a compromise solution: I can keep my Mac and work in Windows—thanks be to God.

Truth is, I’m learning a lot more than Windows these days. After almost nine years of speaking Georgia, Atlanta (or Atlanna) and First Baptist Decatur, I’m learning how to speak “DMV” and The First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, DC.

“Every church is in the befriending business.”

And as anyone knows who’s ever studied a new language, before you speak it you must first listen. I’ve got some listening to do as we walk together. It will take some time to become more proficient. But as I listen for your particular rhythm and meter, and the inflections and intonations of FBC’s unique dialect, God will open my ears. 

In that vein, here is a missional question: What language is our church’s neighborhood speaking, and is First Baptist engaged in language lessons of its own? Parlez-vous Dupont Circle? ¿Habla usted Millennial? Sprechen Sie Embassy Row? Every church is in the befriending business. Learning someone else’s language opens the door to deeper connections and cross-cultural friendships. This is going to be fun.

Listening for the One whose first language is Love…

Beginner’s Mind

Tomorrow morning I’m going to slip a clerical robe over my shoulders and drape a green liturgical stole around my neck. I will line up behind the choir, along with the other pastors and liturgists, process up an impossibly long center aisle in a neo-Gothic sanctuary and take my assigned seat in the divided chancel. Later in worship I’ll climb a circular set of stairs into a pulpit as high as Rapunzel’s tower.

This is new for me.

And I love that.

I’m crazy about this new adventure because, for one thing, it’s grounding me in the reality that the gospel is true and transformative in every culture—including worship cultures. The heart of God beats in country churches and cathedrals, in darkened theaters and beachside pavilions. The Spirit of Christ is at home among hand-clappers and genuflectors; the Good News sings through guitar amps and organ pipes.

I also love this moment because it offers me a chance to experience again the childlike delight and curiosity of a beginner’s mind. Nothing blocks the spiritual path like the assumption that we already know, or that we have nothing more to learn. Yesterday one of the other pastors at our church kindly led me through the considerable choreography of a worship service at First Baptist Church of Washington DC. My awkwardness reminded me of the ballroom dance lessons Tim and I took years ago: “Step here…turn here…cross the floor and pause.” I imagine there’ll be some missteps tomorrow, but what fun it is to learn!

Mostly, by taking a chance on the unfamiliar, I’m invited again to rely on that which is most true—to rest in the essence of faith. I love the way Richard Rohr puts it: “God’s life of love is being lived within you, and you must simply learn how to say yes to that life. If you exist on a level where you can see how ‘everything belongs,’ you can trust the flow and trust the life.”

Good and gracious God, let me find you in all people and things…and be found by you in every moment. That is enough.