: the last farewell : 01 March 08 :

... tomorrow, Saturday 01 March 2008, there's a farewell party ( pour moi ) at Lambrick Park Church and thePlace Community. Strange. Even after not showing up there for work or worship all of February.

Anyhow, compliments of my sick sense of humour ( maybe? ) that olde Roger Whittaker song 'The Last Farewell' has been running through my mind this week. The first verse and chorus actually ain't a bad summary of how I feel if you can translate BC/Victoria and Lambrick into whatever ... when I wake up Sunday morning it will be the first day of a new journey. But I have loved 99% of my time at LPC, and there's just no way to put that into words.

So I'll let Roger do so ...

dlc

'The Last Farewell'

There's a ship lies rigged and ready in the harbour
Tomorrow for old England she sails
Far away from your land of endless sunshine
To my land full of rainy skies and gales
And I shall be aboard that ship tomorrow
Though my heart is full of tears at this farewell

For you are beautiful, and I have loved you dearly
More dearly than the spoken word can tell
For you are beautiful, and I have loved you dearly
More dearly than the spoken word can tell

: zero motivation day :

... it is a sad day in Victoria when I spend 3 hours sort of paying attention to the last few hours of activity on TSN.ca's running coverage of the NHL's trade day. Sheesh!

dlc

ps. although, some of the Avalanche action has been fun ... only 38 minutes left.

: man i hate painting :

... OK, so Kingleys and Binghams are in Vancouver, riding across on a beautiful sunny clear day and I am stuck inside painting the guest room. Something is terribly wrong with that. A 90 minute IMAX experience of U2's Vertigo tour filmed outside in 3D and I am applying beige paint to a 9x11 room? I guess IF the painting had been done earlier in the week I could have invited myself on the 3D trek, and those young bucks probably would have allowed me to join them, gracious as they are. Lesson to self? Procrastinate less.

dlc

: no time for later :

... it is amazing what one notices when less, ah, pre-occupied than usual. Our local newspaper, the Times-Colonist, has a weekly 'give-away' deal in the Arts section, usually 2-3 newly released CDs. It is kind of random, I figure when they have enough they put a blurb in the paper, tucked away on page 8 or something?

Anyways, I was up early this morning and noticed that the TC was giving away The Trews new release 'No Time For Later'... so I fired off an e-mail and got a reply from the TC around dinner time, and I won it. I can't remember the last time I won anything ( or even tried to ), so that was kind of nice. Nothing like a little good old east coast Canadian rock 'n roll.

UPDATE: just picked up my CD, and I'm importing it into iTunes. Thought I should mention what I did not sign up to win. "The Historical Conquests of John Ritter" CD with tickets to tonight's show at Alix Goolden Hall. Tickets to see the Grupo Axe Capoeria's performance at the Mac Playhouse Sunday, as part of the Brazilian Cultural Festival. Yup, for me, the Trews was the best choice.

Later,

dlc

ps. this from Wikipedia on 'the Trews' ... Canadian rock band from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, consisting of vocalist Colin MacDonald, guitarist John-Angus MacDonald, bassist Jack Syperek, and drummer Sean Dalton. The band is currently based in Toronto, Ontario.
The band started their career with the name One I'd Trouser, before changing their name to Trouser, and eventually The Trews. They released an EP as One I'd Trouser, and a second EP under the name The Trews.

In the early summer of 2002 the band entered the CHTZ-FM Rock Search, a high profile contest that is held annually by the Southern Ontario rock radio station. Winning the contest would prove to be their big break as they soon landed a recording contract with Sony BMG Canada.

Their new album, No Time for Later, was released 19 February, 2008. The first single, "Hold Me in Your Arms" was made available on November 25, 2007 after it premiered at the 2007 Grey Cup pre-game show and was immediately released on iTunes.

: turn(ing) the page :

... okay, so Monday's post was only semi-serious, as first thing that morning I'd heard the Keith Richards quote, or Keef Rijaards, as Matt B refers to him.

Wondering, or pondering, now ... what does it look like to turn the page? As an old Bob Seger fan I love that honest and rather raw chronicle of touring ... "Turn the Page" ... more reflective than Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" ... but I digress.

Seger, and I've heard him do this song live, and listened to it hundreds of times, catalogues all these experiences from the road, and ends up asking himself, or reminding himself, to 'turn the page' ... on misunderstandings, expectations, disappointments, disillusionment ... "there I go, turn the page".

Oddly enough, even though it isn't even close to 3 full weeks since I wrapped it up at Lambrick, it feels longer. I haven't put any expectations on myself, or this time, for several reasons, but already, as my head clears, I can see both extremes of what I might be doing this time next year. It really is a 'turn the page' kind of experience.

There's all kinds, and I mean ALL KINDS of hurt around me. Am I seeing it differently now that I am no longer a paid employee of a local church? Tonnes of that hurt is personal, people and families are hurting for a myriad of reasons, some of their own making, some completely beyond their control. Just as much of that hurt is systemic, the economies of the 21st century, the increasing gap between 'rich' and 'poor', you name it. Where do our piddly little efforts actually fit? make a difference? anything?

A local example from the last 2 weeks. Efforts, pretty creative ones at that, to make an initial dent in Victoria's homeless situation have run into full frontal resistance from all quarters. A gamut of people ... advocates for the homeless, local and provincial politicians, economists, social workers, business community ... have attempted to float potential solutions, first steps, whatever, in an effort to change the cycle here. And for trying ( imperfectly, of course ) to sort out some of the issues, to give leadership to a problem that is not going away, they get shouted down in a public forum? So tell me, why would anyone put themselves in that kind of role?

Well, better get myself out of this funk sooner rather than later. I'll end on a lighter note, and as a recovering 'eternal optimist' remind myself that I really do believe that if you read to the end of the book there are some answers, maybe not what we thought we wanted, or expected, or even hoped for, but progress, as minimal as it may seem. But then again, sitting in a jail in apartheid South Africa Nelson Mandela probably never imagined that the de Klerk government would end up as part of the solution, eh?

dlc

ps. it depends, I guess, on how you choose to define 'monster' ... could be a really good thing, like having a 'tiger by the tail' or something like that. I once had a confirmed, life long and proud of it pessimist tell me ... "go ahead and be an eternal optimist, but it will kill you. And then you'll be a terminal optimist!" ... so, no, I don't think there is a bad monster at the end of the book. I think, as the Cookie Monster is implying here, that could be a good thing, right?

: the voice of experience :

... word has it that the Rolling Stones are now doing their part in the efforts against drug experimentation. Mick suggested that there's more information available now than when they were young, and Keith added a classic ... "yah, that Amy Winehouse had better get her act together or she is going to end up looking like me".

... those after and before photos are often proof that a picture IS worth a thousand words.

: longevity :

... it has only really been a full week since I have been 'sans keys' to LPC, and therefore really, truly, done. So maybe some of this is premature, or maybe it is part of the process, but I have been thinking about longevity.

How do certain people 'go the distance' in certain situations? Why do others not? Are there certain skill sets, contributions, or just plain one-off serendipitous assignments we get? How do you know when one is up? Or how do you recognize a new one when it is coming down the pike?

Yesterday my faithful 1989 Jetta turned over 275,000 kms. Next to impossible in Ontario, due to salted roads and rusted frames, this car spent most of 1989-2006 over in North Van, where moss is more of a problem than rust. But I have never ever had a vehicle with even close to 200K on it. So? the engineering is there, but the context is what makes or breaks it? Or maybe context and care? This basic little VW was well maintained and that has to be part of it. So, again, what might the 'constellation' of going the distance look like ... in a career? a ministry? a pilot project? a reclamation or turnaround assignment? Maybe it is context, care and calling? who knows?!?

I've never had a paycheque from the same employer for 8.5 years, lived in the same house for 8.5 years, worked with some of the same people ( Randy! ) for 8.5 years before. And now I am not, anymore ( except for the housing 8.5 ). Quite a switch, and I don't think for a minute these meandering thoughts and questions are going to go away any time soon, which is probably a good thing.

dlc

: cause & effect :

... saw this this morning via Kingsley via Tall Skinny Kiwi via Dave Walker's church cartoons. Hmmmm.

Once, in the middle of Lambrick's 'transition' Roy Bell suggested that there was such a thing as 'good' church politics, but none of us could think of examples, or really knew what he meant. However, he has been around the block a few times, Roy, so we kind of trusted him, or gave him the benefit of the doubt, and waited to see when we might observe 'good' politics. Seems to me, though, when church people get off the principle track, into personal preferences, opinions, agendas and stuff, the result is more often this ... sadly.

I had coffee the other day with a friend who just retired from an educational faculty. He's done a whack of consulting over the years, and seen a lot of things in leadership circles. He mentioned, in passing, in response to a question I asked him, that he had recently finished a book that addressed some of my frustrations. This is from the book jacket:

"Leadership at the Interface" is about leadership in the intrinsically political context of organizational life. The character of that leadership will be determined by what occurs at the interface - the meeting place of politics and principle. The author invites the reader to engage with authentic, results-focused leadership of the sort that can make a positive difference in our organizations, in our lives at work and in community.

This book ... captures the essence of a career-long commitment to the study and practice of the fundamentally human art and science of leadership. Written for those who offer leadership and for those who are drawn toward it by its challenges and possibilities, it calls for leadership marked by a genuine commitment to the people it touches - to their strengthening and growth, to their participation in the process."

... oh that we would be able to find and keep the proper perspectives on this. May we keep in step with the Spirit.

dlc

: surrounded :

... I realized this morning, after a number of good conversations this week already, that I am, have been, and continue to be surrounded by great people. Some close by, some far away, some virtual, some newer, some long time, some tangential, some close. It really is pretty remarkable, I think. It has been both odd, and oddly rewarding, to get people's perspectives and feedback as they process this transition of mine.

I guess I kind of put my head down, work away ... don't think so much about what people might see in you, or how you relate, or what you've accomplished, at least I don't. So even those conversations are shedding light on the next steps ... raising new ideas, eliminating others, focusing and broadening at the same time. It is nice to have this freedom right now to pursue these chats ... an hour on the phone this morning to Edmonton, an hour in our living room last night with good friends, the odd e-mail, FaceBook message, or even a e-Hallmark card coming my way, many of them supportive, asking/checking in, whatever. Like I said ... I am surrounded by really, really good people. Can't ask for much more.

dlc

ps. I couldn't resist adding to my FaceBook status the minor fact that this afternoon I washed the 1989 Jetta which will hit 275,000 kms this week, cut the grass, and raked up a ton of needles from the big Sequoia tree beside the driveway. All that while Toronto digs out from 3 successive storms in 2 weeks which have produced 3x the monthly average snowfall, which would be 70 cm ... I really don't miss that at all.

: Gandhi's Seven Deadly Social Sins :

... I took yesterday off, partly because I couldn't think of anything helpful to say, and partly because, while my intentions were good, reality was I had little motivation.

... anyhow, one of the good things about cleaning out your office is coming across all the great little quotes and notes I've collected. Here's another one in the food-for-thought category ... not sure where I found this, but like Tim's 'blog comment, and Rod's FaithToday response, it was tacked to my bulletin board.

dlc

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7 deadly social sins ... Mahatma, the 'Great Soul' Gandhi

Politics without Principle

Wealth without Work

Commerce without Morality

Pleasure without Conscience

Education without Character

Science without Humanity

Worship without Sacrifice

***************************************

: first sunday away :

... just got home from Redeemed Christian Church of God, Victoria Chapel. One of the grad students Karen works with in the Economics Department at UVic ... "Fred" ... attends there. About 40-45 people gathered for a 2 hour worship experience, nearly half of them Nigerian. RCCG is a multi-national denomination, and this is the General Overseer, Pastor Adeboye. A multi-ethnic congregation meeting in the heart of Victoria, BC at the Norway House, of all places!

dlc

: the end of an era as we've known it :

... and I feel fine. Actually, I don't ... I'm sad. I am realistic, but rather sad nevertheless. As I just put up on my FaceBook status ... "packed the books, cleaned out the office, handed in the keys". One of the last things I did was leaf through a set of elder's minutes for the decade of the '90's ... some things never change. It is startling how much has changed ( the players ), and yet how little has changed ( the issues ). As Tom Cowan, the pastor at LPC '81-'03, said on more than one occasion ... "we've been 'round this post before". I guess I need to sit down Monday morning over a coffee and write out all the great things that took place on my watch '99-'08?

Funny how God chose the church as the vehicle to bring His Kingdom in. He did that knowing full well the church would be populated, staffed, led and sometimes almost sunk by humans. As Andy said when he left this aft ... "there won't be any boards in heaven" ... and he didn't even say it meanly! There you go, wisdom from the young 'un! Well hiring him would be at the top of my Monday morning quarterback list of highlights.

dlc

: slow start saturday :

... a nice, leisurely start to Saturday. A misty early morning walk to StarBucks with Karen, compliments of a gift card for Christmas. Meeting friends at La Dolce Vite on Yates for a long, overdue chat. The sun came out sometime during our two hours there. Great.

However, the conversation turned from sports, and weather, and grad studies to church. Two sharp young people, committed to Jesus, trained at a perfectly legit bible college ... questioning church. Granted, there's some cynicism, some hurt, some disappointment, some angst. But mostly their concerns, their issues, their reticence is based on seeing a few too many abuses of position, power, pulpits and personalities ... across the board ... by lay leaders, pastors, denominations, families, friends, you name it. Are they unique? Alone in this? I don't think so, unfortunately. Driving home up Cook Street I was trying to place them on Randy's unchurched>under churched>over churched continuum. Not sure if they fit, easily, on that one. Maybe they've 'de-churched' themselves? It has been months now, since one last act by a leadership team pushed them over the edge into pre-bitterness. They're not quite bitter yet, but our coffee today was an attempt to stave it off ... understand, maybe, from my perspective, how stuff like that happens? It wasn't exactly directly personal for them, but they watched it happen.

So my question is ... and has been all of 2007 ... "is what we do as the North American church what Jesus intended?" ... I'm not sure, at all. Wonder what He might envision as a faith community, in Canada, in 2008?



dlc

: a pattern developing :

... maybe it's a pattern, a week into my 'blog experiment? I manage a semi-serious post, but can't resist a smart-alec one ( I'll try to keep it in check ). So, if 'life is a highway' was semi-serious, here's today's other one.

Last week the news came out of Willow Creek that the guy they had been grooming for 6 years to take over the 'big house' at their South Barrington campus had resigned. The same Sunday one of their teaching pastors, brought in to try help them turn outward to their neighbourhoods resigned as well. This is on top of the other other teaching pastor giving notice a few months ago that, for all intents and purposes he is transitioning out as well, and the campus pastor of the fastest growing of 4 regional sites wrapping it up Christmas Eve. That would be 4 'big dawg' leaders exiting stage left.

Now nobody likes that much pain, and nobody who has been through transition on any scale would wish this much transition on anybody else. But I have to ask ... "what IS going on here?" ... is it Willow? or something bigger? is it changes in leadership styles or needs? or philosophy of ministry? Beats me, but at the 33 year mark Willow Inc is in for another ride. Uncle Bill is back in the driver's seat, and I guess, the pulpit, for the foreseeable future. They always land on their feet, Willow does, but gosh ... how much can one organization take? WCCC's elders have released Gene, Randy, Mike and Wayne to their next Kingdom pursuits with their full blessing, but it would be quite something to be a fly on the wall at a Willow elder team meeting these days.

dlc

ps. looks like the pic of Bill could be him announcing this ... "what the ?!?!?" ... but I don't think he would be smiling. No matter what we think of WillowBack, we should pray for 'em.

: 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

: on ( not ) being missional :

... sorry, I couldn't resist. After my 'ps' at the end of this morning's 'missional' post I saw this, and kind of had a bad reaction. This is, I think, indicative of how big the shift currently going on really is.

... when I saw it I felt sad, sick, sorry. I also felt like it could be one of those cartoons where you are supposed to point out how many errors you can find. I counted at least 6.5. Are we really that badly off, to have to resort to affordable, effective, powerful TV commercials? oops, my mistake ... all of those were capitalized: Affordable, Effective, Powerful.

Maybe it is just me? but when I viewed the newer, younger, hipper ALPHA-replacement series H20 I felt the same things ... too slick, trying too hard, missing the 'target' audience, mostly because the marketers don't ( can't ) know them. Only we can.

dlc

: on being missional :

AJ 'blogged a bit yesterday on an article in Christian Week that frustrated him somewhat ( his 'blog is listed over in the right hand column ). My comment in response was that maybe 'missional' as the M-word was simply getting 'over-used' not necessarily abused? I also mentioned my alumni newsletter had arrived in the mail from Tyndale Seminary in Toronto, and I lost track of the number of times "missional" was used in it. So, what gives?

I went back this morning and re-read some of Tyndale's articles a bit more carefully. First off, Tyndale's Prez, Brian Stiller, defined missional as meaning "to see the world as God - Creator, Redeemer, and Saviour - sees it". He goes on to say that as Tyndale's faculty have wrestled with the same things Andy struggled with in Stanley Porter's CW article, they have come to see that "to be missional is to be in the stream of the Spirit as He empowers the people of God to give witness to the life of Christ". Later in the newsletter Tyndale's associate professor of Global Christianity, Dr. Wafik Wahba, makes these distinctions:

mission : the calling of the Church to participate in God's mission in and to the world.

missions : the structures and activities carried by the church in order to fulfill the task of mission.

missional : the very essence of the Church. A missional church is a church that lives according to its very nature and calling.

So I think maybe Dean Porter of MacMaster School of Theology, Andy, and Corrine are all right ( Corrine was the first to comment on Andy's post ). I also know that there are WAY better minds than mine who have, and continue to invest, big time in this discussion ... Len at www.nextreformation.com would be one. However, I sometimes wonder if the whole conversation isn't about re-calibrating back to a true and faithful re-understanding of mission/missions/missional? I think something got lost along the way, maybe even in my lifetime, and this thing will come full circle.

Already the 'terms' postmodern and possibly even missional are falling out of favour with people, families, faith communities, churches and ministries who are actually doing it, being missional. Maybe churches and seminaries and para-church agencies need to still be talking it up to bring their constituencies on board, but at the grass roots level, where Andy and Corrine live, in a part of Victoria called Gordon Head, just being faithful is all that is needed. Which brings me around to one last observation. Another term in this conversation is 'incarnational' ... but if you are incarnational, you don't have to talk about being missional, you just are. Maybe that is why AJ got a little frustrated ...

dlc

ps. on the other hand, I continue to find myself fascinated by the work, writing, thought and prayer that people like Jamie Arpin-Ricci, Len Hjalmarson, Al Roxborough and others are doing. The shift taking place is a big one, and we need both, or all, of the spectrum covered. And I am only aware of a teensy slice ... and don't quite know where I fit in?

UPDATE : okay, I am officially of two minds on this. Practically, daily, grassroots level? we need to just get on with it, incarnationally meet, greet, welcome, host, shop, coach and serve in our neighbourhoods and little 'spheres of influence' ... work, school, friends, family. AND ... we have to understand what is going on. Feeling a little guilty I just spent an hour surfing Len's 'blog, Jamie's, and others who really are unpacking all this. It is critical stuff. It makes me think, and act, differently. Maybe I do need both?

: the canadian cultural continuum :

... Rod Wilson, President of Regent College since 2000, was my counselling prof back in the day at OTS/Tyndale Seminary. FaithToday asked Rod, and a number of other Canadian ministry leaders, what they would desire to see for Canadian Christianity. Rod's answer, like Tim's "fruit facsimiles' post, got me thinking ...

"it seems to me that the Canadian Church is making mistakes on both sides of the cultural continuum. On the questionable side of the continuum there is an accommodation to success-oriented approaches to ministry ... where the number of services, size of staff, square footage of buildings, and measurable goals have become the new standard for accomplishment.

On the other side, legitimate cultural issues like the arts, entertainment, media, technology and the environment are not seen as inherently spiritual, so are not brought under the canopy of God's Kingdom values. I would love to see the Canadian Church leave the former side and cleave to the latter one".

Sheesh ... does that sum it up, or what? where did we get off the rails? how can we get back to a Kingdom mindset, for the 21st century? can the success-orientation even be redeemed? these are the things that haunt me when I am not trying to run a church of 800 people, as if I could! And then ... where are our priorities when it comes to justice, poverty, consumption? Something is seriously out-of-whack here.

dlc

: fruit facsimiles :

... here is one of my favourites from Tim Bailey's "and another thing" former blog ... seeing as 3 of Tim's fans in Victoria, MattB, JamesK and I, are hoping he will resurrect it soon.

*************************************

Fruit Facsimiles : July 19, 2005 ... I am still on the "success" thing. I think it is so subtle that we miss it's impact. As a reminder to myself, I have made a list of the "fruits of success". Please notice how close (but yet so far) they are from the real thing ...

The fruit of success is: approval, happiness, comfort, tolerance, sympathy, politeness, reliability, congeniality, and discipline.

But,

the fruit of the Spirit is : love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control.

The latter list comes from the Spirit alone, and has POWER. The former comes from working hard and developing my own "success' with my own strength.

God help me keep in step with the Spirit.

*************************************

I was thinking about this, I guess, in terms of passages, as I was cleaning out/packing up my office this morning after 8.5 years. I took Tim's post off my bulletin board, where it has been for almost 2.5 years. I like to think it has helped me discern a number of things a number of times like ...

approval or love? happiness or joy? comfort or peace? tolerance or patience? sympathy or kindness? politeness or goodness? reliability or faithfulness? congeniality or gentleness? discipline or self-control?

Thanks TB ... we look forward someday to "rants, confessions and self-deprecations from a recovering hypocrite" v. 2.0 ...

dlc

: thinking about passages :

... it is noon, Saturday, and I am off to perform my last official act as a pastor at Lambrick Church, a wedding. I woke up this morning thinking about passages ... maybe that will be my next post? I may not get around to it until after the Giants surprise the Pats tomorrow, so until then, here is a bit out of the Merriam-Webster dictionary ...

Main Entry: pas·sage

Pronunciation: \ˈpa-sij\

Function: noun

Date: 13th century

1 : a way of exit or entrance : a road, path, channel, or course by which something passes
2 a : the action or process of passing from one place, condition, or stage to another
2 b: a continuous movement or flow passage of time>

but I kind of like 8 ...

8: the incubation of a pathogen (as a virus) in culture, a living organism, or a developing egg ...

who knew?

until then,

dlc

: long overdue, but then again, maybe not :

I am supposed to be packing up my office, and I actually spent $17.31 on 'banker's boxes' on my way in today, the first day in 8 years, 4 months, 3 weeks, days? hours? minutes? that I'm not in the employ of Lambrick Park Church. Very strange indeed.

So I am procrastinating ... by creating a 'blog. Here's why.

As I have thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from a half dozen 'blog(ger)s the past few years ... specifically jordoncooper.com, dashhouse.com, emergentvoyageurs, Guy Kawasaki, AJ Renton, nathancolquhoun, Tim 'and another thing' Bailey, jameskingsley, Waving or Drowning, oft-times Matt Bing-man and others ... I thought maybe it was ( my ) time?

I don't expect too much, so I hope you don't either, but as this is a time of transition for me it only makes sense to try and track some of the reading I do, some of the conversations I have, some of the people I meet, and some of the opportunities that surface over the next few months.

I may fail miserably at this, and L2L may join the millions of dead 'blogs out there. Or, it may be a good thing, having read and learned from thousands of posts read and in some manner digested. Bottomline? my experience has been that IF you are willing to listen, to learn, to listen in order to learn, amazing things come from that posture of trying to be a teachable person. So, that's the thinking and the goal behind L2L:L2L ... I want to be listening to learn, but always still learning to listen.

So, thanks Jordon C, Darryl D, Jamie A-R, James K, Mike T, Nathan C, Guy K, Tim B and more recently Matt B and AJR, plus others who've inspired me. I doubt I will be as prolific as you have been, but something tells me this will be a good discipline over these next few months.

dlc

ps. just got back in from a surprise lunch with the next generation leadership of this great church we are part of ... thanks! it helped me procrastinate another hour or so.

pps. I gotta say that when someone like JimmyK writes a tribute to you, and you're not even dead yet, one needs to enjoy it. James posted a classic kingsley-esque one yesterday that really made my day at ... http://kingsleytribute.notlong.com ... I'm still playing around with linking to these things properly, and JK tells me he will help set that up anytime.

When a certain 'slice' of people from a certain 'segment' of humanity simply do not understand you, your values, or your leadership style, it is rewarding to see someone who does get it articulate it. I'm not sure JK is 100% accurate, but it was really nice to see on my last day of work. The wonder years of 2004-2006 sure were a great ride out here. May we always remember them, and hope for some more like them.