Some Photos

While I do not consider myself a "photographer," I do like taking photos.
Here are some of my best from our trip to Scotland.

Three More Days.

It is hard to believe that twelve weeks have come and gone. On Sunday, September 1, 2013, I will be back in church and will begin a new season in my ministry. This fall will mark the completion of 8 years with First Presbyterian, Lexington and 22 years of ordained ministry over all.

It has been a good summer. Even with all the traveling that I did, the sabbatical was a welcome respite from the weekly preparation of sermons and the pressing demands of ministry. I was able to step back and reflect on my years of ministry past and dream about my years of ministry into the future. I spent some much needed time with my immediate family and had the freedom to be with  Brooke's family during the illness and death of her father. While my time with Stan Ott was cut short, the time I did have with him was extremely profitable. I plan to spend time with him as a mentor every year from now on.

My one dissappointment with the sabbatical was that I was not able to spend the kind of time I wished to on song writing and recording. Part of this was due to unexpected family obligations, and part was due to the amount of time it took to prepare to go on trips and then come home from them.  Fortunately, the sabbatical grant has money set aside for me to project the experience into the future for a few months. I am still going to get some of my songs recorded and make these available for the congregation.

While I continue to reflect on what I am bringing back with me from the sabbatical, here are three big take aways from my sabbatical time:

ONE:
My trip to explore the roots of the Presbyterian Church helped me fully appreciate the courage that it took the reformers like Calvin and Knox to lead the reformation. They were convinced of the importance of their reforms and risked their lives to stand firm in the face of those who wanted to stop them. Life in the world today requires courage. Ministry in the world today requires courage. It takes courage to follow God's will, and I will be praying for God to give that kind of courage to me.

TWO:
I am even more convinced of the importance of taking care of myself spiritually, physically, and emotionally. It is so easy to allow the demands of life and ministry push aside good habits. It is so important to maintain a balance.
Last year I was introduced to the concept of ones "work portfolio." There are seven types of work and we must balance these in a work portfolio to remain healthy and happy.  They types of work are:

Wage Work: This refers to our jobs that we receive pay for.
Fee Work: This refers to work that brings in extra money that is not necessarily connected with our Wage Work. For example, a person make get compensation for free lance writing done on the side.
Home Work: This refers to all the work we do at home that we are not compensated for - cooking, cleaning, fixing, pruning, etc.
Gift Work: This refers to all the work done for free outside of the home for the community or other organizations.
Study Work: This refers to work put toward learning a new skill or interest.
Soul Work: This refers to the time we put into nourishing our soul through relationships and faith.
Wasted Work: This refers to the time that we waste. For example: playing hours of "Angry Birds" or watching too much television.

Our work portfolio is that ratio of all these types of work to each other. Our portfolios (or ratios) often accumulate by chance. When this happens, we can begin to get unbalanced and our happiness and effectiveness can suffer. Without deliberate choices, our portfolios can become too full. Instead of accumulating by chance, they must accumulate by choice. We can manage our time and how much of each we need and don’t need. We can give some more priority and others less priority. We can say "no" to some things, and "yes" to others.

I am going to make a more concerted effort to balance my work portfolio so that I remain effective in life and ministry.

THREE:
My time with Stan Ott gave me some excellent ideas in three areas: Leadership, Planning, & Discipleship. I will not go into detail right now, but I am planning on applying these ideas immediately upon my return. These will help me be more effective, and my prayer is that the church will benefit from them quickly.

I want to thank the congregation for gifting me with this time away. It has been restful and renewing. I am excited to get back into the pulpit and into leadership.I have missed each of you, and I look forward to rejoining you for the journey of faith.
I also want to thank the Lilly Endowment for the clergy renewal grant. What I accomplished this summer would not have been possible without the grant. Their gift has enabled me to prepare for the next phase of my ministry.
I want to thank Rob Evans for the great job he did leading the congregation during my absence. I could not have asked for a better summer interim pastor. It truly is a blessing to have a new friend in ministry, and I am sure he will be back to supply preach on occaision.
I also want to thank our staff for welcoming Rob and working so graciously with him. They made the summer go smoothly, and the sabbatical would not have been successful without them.

Grace and peace to all,
Pastor Lee

Life Can Turn in a Moment

My last posting on July 28, spoke of my excitement about going to spend some time with Stan Ott. I did make it to DC on Sunday the 28th, and met my brother at Dulles Airport. We then made the quick trip to the Udvar-Hazy National Air and Space Museum. We toured the excellent facility and later went to have Thai for dinner. It was great to have some time with my brother.
Monday morning arrived, and Stan picked me up at my  hotel and took me to the Vienna Presbyterian Church to sit in on a pastor staff meeting. Afterwards, we debriefed the meeting and then began working on a number of items I wanted help with. We talked about how to lead volunteers, ways to develop discipleship and leadership in the church, and ministry time management techniques.
Following a full day, we had a delicious meal at the Chart House Restaurant in Alexandria. It was a "lingering" meal on the Potomic.
Unfortuneately, it was this evening that I received a call from my wife informing me that they thought her father may have had a stroke. We decided to talk in the morning and figure out our plan then. The next morning, Stan and I met and went to his office. We began discussing some of the "Dynamic Shifts" that First Presbyterian wanted to emphasize. We had just got into the meat of it, when I received another call from my wife. She thought I needed to get home as soon as possible. The airlines were no help. They offered to cancel my ticket for $200 and then credit the remaining $35 toward a rescheduled flight for $630. Well, I rented a car and began the drive to Lexington.
I arrived around 7 p.m. and things were not looking good. Brooke's sisters arrived soon after I did, and we were all convinced that this was going to be the night her dad entered glory. As it turned out, he did not die until Friday morning.
Throughout this turn of events, it became obvious that my sabbatical plans were not as important as being there for my family. We planned the funeral, took care of a bunch of things around my parents in law's home, and then participated in the funeral on Monday. The rest of the week was filled with helping my mother-in-law take care of some legal and estate issues. I then decided to take my children to the beach to help them begin to deal with their grief.
As of today, August 16th, I have two weeks left of my sabbatical break. My plans are to finish up some of my "forward looking" "wings" reflections and plans. One of the "casualties" of my change of plans was the amount of time I was planning on spending in song writing and recording. These just  ceased to be important. I am going to set aside a little time each week in the fall to attend to this part that got pushed to the side.
I am looking forward to getting back "in the saddle." I have some specific plans to carry the things I have learned into my ministry going forward.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support.
Lee

Vital Churches

Tomorrow, I will be meeting with Stan Ott of theVital Churches Institute. Stan is the director and has been the leading force behind the Acts 16:5 initiative. Our church has been a participant in the initiative, and it has helped us shape our vision statement and direction in ministry.
I have asked Stan to help me with strategic leadership ideas and thinking creatively in developing ministry in our rapidly changing culture. I have spent some time looking back at my roots that those of the Presbyterian Church; now I begin looking toward the future.

Paint wars !

One Room, Seven Bouncers

Halfway Through

This week is the halfway point  of my sabbatical break. The time has flown by with all the activities I have scheduled. It has been a blessing to know that the  church is being well cared for by Pastor Rob and the leadership. I can't express enough gratitude for this time.
After 22 years of ministry and 11 years since my last break, this time has been a needed oasis. Thanks to all who have blessed me with this break. The truth is that I really miss the congregation. Before long I'll be back with a lot more energy and focus.

Mornings at Kamp

During the mornings at Kamp, we listen to a speaker for about 90 minutes. This week the emphasis is on how we are (or are not) discipling our children  (not disciplining). It has been said again and again that we only have 18 years to shape the character of our children. Like an arrow, we only have control while the arrow is in the bow. Once it has flown, all we can do is watch where it goes.
So the big question for us this week is "how are we doing."
It is sobering to realize that I have only 36 months left with Madison and Kinsley. How do I want to invest in them with the short time left?

An Afternoon on Table Rock Lake

Wednesday afternoon found us on Table Rock Lake. Similar to High Rock Lake, it is the place for water sports. For part of the afternoon we went bluff jumping. The rock cliffs are 30 ft above the water, and I am told the water is 100 ft deep. So it is safe. It is amazing how hard water is after falling 30 ft.

We also had a lot of fun tubing

Super Hero Party

Ropes Course

The highlight of today was the ropes course. It was challenging for all of us. We had a great time!

We are not roughing it!

For years we have sent our girls to Kanakuk Kamps in Branson, Mo; This year we have the opportunity to come to their family Kamp. So far one day in, it is awesome. Today, we had an excellent worship service and speaker. We spent the afternoon swimming and playing as a family.
One thing that we did was jump off a 40 ft tower!

Family Kamp

We arrived at Kanakuk's Family Kamp on Saturday afternoon. We were greated by friendly staff and got a glimpse of a week of fun. Sunday morning we had a wonderful time of worship and heard the first of six talks on equipping your family in faith. This will be a wonderful week.

Some photos

Home

After a 9 hour flight on Friday, we made it back to Charlotte. We had a wonderful time in the UK and Geneva, but we were glad to get back. There is something about sleeping in your own bed and reconnecting with a beloved family pet that makes you feel like home.

As I have reflected on our all the places we visited on this "reformation tour," I am struck by the courage that was shown by people like Calvin and Knox. Here were two regular guys who were so convinced by the word of Scripture, that they stood up to the monolith that was the Catholic Church. In some cases, they risked their life to bring the Word of God to the people. How difficult it must have been to stand up to the religious establishment and point out another way.

It has been said that we are in the midst of another major shift in how our faith is expressed. These shifts seem to occur at 500 year intervals. The Great Schism of 1054 and the Great Reformation of the 1500's have laid the groundwork for the Great Emergence of the 21st century. It amazes me that I am living at the time of a major shift. What courage is called for during this time? How can I lead my congregation through the turmoil of the shift? Where are we heading? All of these are important questions to consider.

During the weeks after the trip, I have begun reading a number of books to help me get my head around the shift that is occuring. Phyliss Tickle's book, "The Great Emergence" does an excellent job of putting the shift into context and showing what has led to this time of upheaval in the church. I would highly recommend this book. I am getting ready to read "Unbinding the Gospel" by Martha Grace Reese, and "Aqua Church 2.0" by Leonard Sweet. These books give some practical ideas on how to minister in the "whitewater" society in which we live.

Plane, Trains, & Automobiles...and a few other modes

On our trip I think we used almost every form of transportation there is. Of course there were flights here and there; and we did rent a car and drive through Scotland (on the left side of course). However, there were many more: we used the London Underground (subway); single and double decker busses; a large car ferry; a small car ferry; a person ferry; a train; a tram; and of course our feet!

 

 

Thursday, from Geneva to London

Our flight was to leave in the early afternoon, so this gave me a little time to make it to "Calvin's Auditorium" a place where Calvin lectured and taught. It was here that the College of Geneva began. With the reformation's emphasis on the scriptures, it was important to have literate and educated clergy. It is said that Calvin lectured or preached two times a day during his entire ministry in Geneva. All of these lectures or sermons were transcribed and preserved for generations to come. Simply amazing!
We made our way to the airport and boarded our plane to London. It was a fairly short flight. After clearing customs and picking up our bags, we took the underground to our hotel: the Jury's Inn and Heathrow. We would spend the night and then catch our flight back to the USA in the morning.
I was excited to discover that our room 608 overlooked the approach path to Heathrow's main runway. Every minute and 20 seconds another plane would fly right pass my window. As a pilot and an aviation nut, it couldn't get any better than this. I was excited to get this photo of an Emirates A-380, the largest passanger jet in the world.


Yvoire, France

Our original plan was to spend Wednesday in Chamonix, France, and take a cable car ride up to see Mont Blanc. Unfortunately, the weather was such that it would have been a wasted trip. Instead, we went to Yvoire, France, a walled city dating from the Medieval period. It is full of quaint little shops and small restaurants. The trip to Yvoire included a train ride to Nyon, a 15 minute walk to Lake Geneva, and a 20 minute boat ride over to Yvoire.

 





We had a delicious lunch of crepes and ice cream. This was a first for the girls. Following lunch we toured a large botanical garden that used to be part of the castle grounds. We even saw (and smelled) a plant that smelled like coca cola!  We also did some major shopping, and my college French came in handy. There were few here who spoke any English.

A Lovely Dinner

Tuesday evening, we had a wonderful meal with MaryAnn & Derek Wallace. MaryAnn is the daughter of church member Charles and Mary Lee Lee. MaryAnn was incredibly helpful in our planning the Geneva portion of our trip. As you can see from the picture, it was a beautiful evening on the shore of Lake Geneva! Thanks MaryAnn and Derek!

 

Reformation Wall

Tuesday afternoon, we visited the reformation wall that commemorates many of those involved in the years of the reformation. The wall stretches more than 300 feet and features the figures of 10 of the important reformers through the years.

 

 From Wikipedia:

The International Monument to the Reformation (French: Monument international de la Réformation, German: Internationales Reformationsdenkmal), usually known as the Reformation Wall,is a monument in Geneva, Switzerland. It honours many of the main individuals, events, and documents of the Protestant Reformation by depicting them in statues and bas-reliefs.
The Wall is in the grounds of the University of Geneva, which was founded by John Calvin, and was built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Calvin's birth and the 350th anniversary of the university's establishment. It is built into the old city walls of Geneva, and the monument's location there is designed to represent the fortifications', and therefore the city of Geneva's, integral importance to the Reformation.

Tuesday - The Reformation

We stayed at the Hotel Bel Esperance in the old town area of Geveva. It had been a Salvation Army post that was turned into a hotel. Proceeds from the hotel are used to fund the work of the Salvation Army. While not a fancy hotel, it is a wonderful and reasonable place to stay. It is right in the middle of all the things I wanted to see. Breakfast was delicious!
We walked to the Museum of the Reformation not more than three blocks from the hotel. It holds many historic items that span the 100 or so years of the reformation. I particularly enjoyed seeing two pieces: a 1559 edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion and a handwritten letter by Calvin to the widow of a friend. The one challenge of visiting the museum is that most of the interpretive elements are in French. Still, it was an excellent collection of artifacts.
Following the Reformation Museum, we visited the St. Pierre Cathedral where Calvin preached to the community. It is a massive structure with two spires that you can climb up in to get a great view of Geneva.

Monday Lost Luggage

It was on our trip from Dusseldorf to Geneva that four of our five bags did not arrive. See my previous post to read about the loss. They eventually showed up the following afternoon.

If it's Monday, it must be Geneva

 

Monday was a travel day which meant a lot of airports and airplanes....but that is OK! I love airports and airplanes! Above is a video of our approach and landing into Geneva. I know, I didn't turn off all electronic devices! (Please don't rat me out!)

Worship in Glasgow

I was very much looking forward to Sunday worship in Glasgow. We decided that we would go to the Glasgow Cathedral and worship with the Scottish Presbyterian Church that is active there.
The different parts of the service were very familiar, and it was wonderful to be with the Glasgow locals and visitors from around the world.  The pastor preached an excellent sermon on facing and living through the struggles that will come our way during life. Following the service, we were greeted warmly by church members.
I never know when I visit other churches whether to reveal to the pastor, that I too am a pastor. But in this case, I let the pastor know that I was an American Presbyterian Pastor on sabbatical. I wanted him to know that a colleague found his sermon meaningful.
Following our time with the congregation, we found a place right around the corner for lunch. While there, I had a conversation with a fellow who was waiting around for "the tour." I asked him, "what tour," and he replied that a sculpter was getting ready to give a tour of the architecture of the Glasgow Necropolis (graveyard). Brooke, and I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to learn something about sepulchral art. So we tagged along.

 

 

The tour turned out to be a fundraiser by a local Hospice Hospital, and we discovered afterwards that the fellow giving the tour was Sandy Stoddart. He is the Sculptor in Ordinary to The Queen in Scotland.This was one of those providential, serendipitous moments that come along rarely.

After the tour, we wandered around Glasgow taking in the sites and then headed back to our B&B before the subway stopped running.