: my life is a highway : i.e. downward mobility :

... OK, so looking back on the last 20 years? I graduated from seminary, barely. I got an OK job at an OK church, making, in 1988 terms, an OK salary. I put in my time, but eventually got restless. Not good timing, really, to get restless, with 18 months gone on a mortgage, a baby daughter, and a security based spouse. Fast forward to 1991. Denver, Colorado. Boom times. Living in one of those California designed master-planned communities, just short of 'gated'. But living on a mission agency's support level. Then a lateral to a mega-church. Kind of a cool opportunity at the time. However, as anyone who has worked at a church of 3000-4000 knows, it is a machine, a corporation, almost a business. Back to Canada, to a church with a high profile, and a job description that looks perfect, on paper. Worst experience of my life, minus the half dozen great friendships formed during that 10 month crucible. OK, re-group, now what? Somewhere along the way a realization that 'status quo' in the church is not going to cut it. Another chance, an opportunity to learn, on the left coast. A different way of thinking about ministry, with a group of Christ followers reaching their community, very contextually. In 1999 there really weren't too many words for that, and probably a good thing. Words, attempts at descriptions, become labels. FF again to 2007. Wondering why 'running a church' of 800-900-1000 feels like so much work? January 2008. Hiatus. A chance to reflect, re-direct, re-focus. What am I supposed to be about 2008-2015? I must admit the pull is toward making a different difference, somehow, someway, somewhere. But what? how? where? Some of my heroes are, actually have been, working on the margins for years ... Greg Paul at Sanctuary Toronto. Glenn Smith of Christian Direction in Montreal. Tom Oshiro at Mustard Seed Victoria ( never seen him not smiling ). Jamie A-R plugging away in Winterpeg. Hmmm ... they're all leading/serving in street level ministries. OK, do I know anyone working day in, day out, on the street? Ron M in Montreal. Jordon C in Saskatoon. Brent D, Rob T, Rick W here in Victoria ... all front liners. Could I do what they do? Dunno. Do I like to think I could? Yup. Where's the disconnect? I remember Greg Paul telling me that he stepped out of bible college, went to the elders of his conservative little church, told them he felt called to be a missionary to the city of Toronto, and they said "okay, we'll support you in that" ... 20 years later, Sanctuary is a good thing. Very good. But it isn't my world. Not yet at least. Maybe it is about calling? So, here's my question ... can a kid from the UMC 'burbs of NW London ON do this? Should he? Could he? Would he? ah, the questions that a sabbatical brings! To be honest, while I am intrigued by the idea, I do not know if I could pull it off. But I have to say ... I am wrestling with this ... as the NRSV puts Micah 6:8 ... in question form ... He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? On the flip side, or the macro level, I also gotta say that Thomas Homer-Dixon and Jared Diamond writing books like 'Ingenuity Gap: can we solve the problems of the future?' ... 'The Upside of Down: catastrophe, creativity and the renewal of civilization' and ... 'Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed' really get my brain in gear. Maybe what I need to figure out ( discern? ) over these next few months is this ... what do these dual trifectas of 'head, heart, hands' ... paired with 'justice, kindness or mercy, humility' look like ... for me, in 2008, in Victoria BC? OK, brain cramp! Not sure I wouldn't burn out at the street level, but no idea how to break down the ideas in Homer-Dixon's books to do something about it. Alas, Michael W. Smith sang once upon a time ... "to find my place in this world" ... sorry, just had to get that dig in there for some of you readers.

dlc