The Methodist Marianist

The phone rang and it was a staff member of the alumni magazine it get from Saint Mary's University. He said that they had gotten word from a current professor that I graduated from St. Mary's and this professor thought I might be open to share some of my story. 

Just a word of advice to all reporters, if you ask a preacher to share their story and worry they might not - don't worry. Preachers are always ready to talk. 

After about 90 minutes or so and a photo shoot later that month, the story was sent to press. 

Today, the publication arrived. 

I am very proud to be a graduate from St. Mary's University. It is there that I learned the power of diversity. I learned the strength of multiple viewpoints. I learned how to live on $100 a month. Living in San Antonio gave me glimpse into what it is like to be outside of the majority culture. While I did not retain much Latin, I did learn new language that has changed my life (which you can read about on page 28 in the publication below). I am forever indebted to St. Mary's University and the gifts it gave to me.

I encourage anyone who might be interested in taking risks, but never being in danger, to consider St. Mary's University. I am honored to be a Rattler and hope that I can live into being the "Methodist Marianist".

Read more about the Society of Mary (AKA the Marianists) here.

The back up to the back up

At the 2014 Central Texas Annual Conference, there were 22 people elected to serve as the "delegation" to difference conferences in the United Methodist Church. In the image below, the first eight people you see are those who are going to go to the General and Jurisdictional conferences. The next eight people you see are those who will join the previously mentioned eight people only for Jurisdictional conference. The last three people you see are those who were elected as alternates in the event they are need to fill a spot.  

It may be worth noting that the order of these elections matter and create a bit of a hierarchy. So if you are the first alternate, then you would of course be called to serve. If you are the second alternate, then two people would have to be unable to complete their duties in order for the second delegate to have full voting rights. And if there is ever a need for the third delegate to be called on to fill a role, then you would have to wonder, "oh man, this group is in trouble." There is a reason that so few football teams sign a backup to the backup-quarterback. When you have to use the third string quarterback that usually is not the best sign. 

If you can read quickly enough, you can see that I am the "third quarterback". 

This is a very humbling and exciting position and I could not be more aware of the task that lays before the Church. I am keenly grateful to the conference that they would entrust me to represent the conference on any level, even as the "third quarterback". (I would be lying if I said I was not excited by this opportunity and say that I don't pray about messing this up.)

The thing about being the last alternate is that my chances of being a full delegate are slim and this opens the door for me to be as much of a sponge as I can. I sort of feel like a kid who is putting on their parent's shoes and trying to walk in the house without falling over. You know the shoes are not yours and you cannot fill them, but you only hope that one day you will grow into them.

I am sure there will be future posts that speak about this role and some observations, so if this sort of stuff does not interest you, feel free to just overlook them and more on trying to be the change in the world.

In the meantime, here are a few observations from the back up to the back up:

• The back up to the back up is the best position to learn if you are new. It constantly feels like you are in dress rehearsal. And even as everyone knows this, the others still value your thoughts. In what ways am I listening to the voices of those in my life that are the backups to the backups? 
• As the back up to the back up it is a position of access. Can you imagine being in a two year process with people that you respect and can listen and learn from them? Can you imagine being given access to other resources and conversations that you would otherwise not be given? This is where I find myself as the back up to the back up. I begin to wonder how can I use this access gracefully and humbly? 

Finally, as I sat with the delegation in just a quick meeting, I could only think about how I desire to be like Father Agathon of who it was said lived for three years with a stone in his mouth, until he had learned to keep silence. I doubt that I can learn in two years what it took Father Agathon three, but I am going to try. 

Now if only I could find a stone.

This page is from a book on Christian monastics, Desert Wisdom, Sayings from the Desert Fathers

Worship as fishing school?

She said to me, "give them fish and they will eat for the day, teach them to fish and they will eat for a lifetime. This is why I am against government handouts." I politely began to listen more about what sort of ministry she felt would be good for our church to engage with the poor without just giving "handouts".

It is a difficult problem to be sure. Teaching people to fish takes longer and in many ways also strips the people who are giving fish away a sense of power and/or purpose. It also is easier in many ways to give fish away than to get bait, rods and find a good spot for fish. Oh, and the person who needs to learn to fish, needs to want to learn to fish. If there is no desire to want to learn to fish, then it is difficult to teach fishing much less cooking.

There is something to be said about teaching people to fish. And many people seem to agree that learning to fish is better than depending on others for fish. 

Except when it comes to Christianity, worship and preaching.

How many of us come to worship to "get fed"? This is fine and well and good. We all need to be fed at some point in our lives. I understand I may be talking my way out of a job as one who gives fish away, but at some point don't we need to teach those in the pew how to fish? Isn't it "better" for the people to learn to fish then rely on Sunday "handouts"?