One of the interesting things about being in the 2nd year of the program is that you’re familiar with what’s going to happen. You don’t really know for sure of course until it happens, yet there’s a familiarity to everything. You know the support staff, you know the Dean, you know the professors from last year, you know your advisor, and you know your classmates. Perhaps the greatest part of this program isn’t in what I’m learning or the projects I’ll do or the degree at the end or the help my thesis might offer some other preacher at some point in their ministry. Perhaps the greatest part is the people I’ve met.
It’s strange in many ways how we’ve stayed in contact with one another. How we’ve visited one another. How close we all are as a group and how we seemingly have picked up right where we left off last year. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been moments of tension, tough love, and words of profound truth spoken. It doesn’t mean that there haven’t been moments when you just want everyone to go away so you can get some work done. It doesn’t mean that you always like or appreciate the colour of a particular conversation. I guess what it does mean is that we’ve become a little family for these three weeks and like most families what you look forward to is being together again and learning about all the changes in each other’s lives.
I’ve missed these people. I’ve missed their insight, intellect, wisdom, faith, understanding, honesty, voices, jokes, and dedication to preaching. I’ve missed Paul’s quiet power and presence and Jackie’s laugh and sense of call. I’ve missed Doug and his overwhelming generosity and Lora for wearing her heart on her sleeve. I’ve laughed, cried, yelled, argued and lived with these people. They are friends, they are colleagues, yet perhaps most of all they are truly my sisters and brothers in Christ.
As I reflect over what that means I need to tell you that this post was written in Grand Rapids Michigan, site of the General Synode of The United Church of Christ which meets every two years. Two friends were coming and I volunteered to go along, I know you’re shocked that I’d volunteer to go to a church meeting! It has been another great side trip, those moments in life that you never saw coming, yet the ones that have a real affect on you because you took the risk to say yes to what God was offering. I could have stayed in Chicago, yet I chose that other road, the one that puts friendship above personal wants and desires. I could have gone to a movie, yet I chose to deepen my friendship with two incredible people as we drive to Grand Rapids and back to Chicago together. Indeed life is good and rich with blessing – when we embrace the opportunities that God brings our way.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
A Voice to Share
Week 1 is done! My core class focused on “Preaching as Performance” and how there are things that all preachers can learn from theater, not necessarily to make things more dramatic or showy or less authentic, yet to enhance the presentation of the message during worship.
One of the areas we worked on was the warm up prior to worship. I need to say that the choir might need to be warned about a few exercises I might ask them to help me with in the fall. We did all kinds of things to loosen up our facial masks and our voices to make them fuller and more engaging. Some of the exercise we learned are called motor boat, Ing-ga; Me, May, My, Mo; tension relievers; and many others. It was great fun to watch us do all these crazy things that I know relax our bodies so that we can be more present in the moment and make us sound better as we do it. It was also really cool to hear the difference between a tense jaw and the sound after a jaw release.
I think one of the pieces that I’ve often let slip along the way side is my care for and dependency on my voice. I mean we all know that I talk a lot in general, yet just think about how difficult it would be to preach with a voice that hasn’t been cared for over time. Or what it would be like to be a preacher without a voice! In many ways as a mechanic has wrenches and other tools that they use to fix and maintain our automobiles, one of my main tools for preaching is my voice and it needs to be maintained and care for just as a mechanic looks after theirs.
Our voices – such a simple thing – yet ponder how different our lives would be without them!
One of the areas we worked on was the warm up prior to worship. I need to say that the choir might need to be warned about a few exercises I might ask them to help me with in the fall. We did all kinds of things to loosen up our facial masks and our voices to make them fuller and more engaging. Some of the exercise we learned are called motor boat, Ing-ga; Me, May, My, Mo; tension relievers; and many others. It was great fun to watch us do all these crazy things that I know relax our bodies so that we can be more present in the moment and make us sound better as we do it. It was also really cool to hear the difference between a tense jaw and the sound after a jaw release.
I think one of the pieces that I’ve often let slip along the way side is my care for and dependency on my voice. I mean we all know that I talk a lot in general, yet just think about how difficult it would be to preach with a voice that hasn’t been cared for over time. Or what it would be like to be a preacher without a voice! In many ways as a mechanic has wrenches and other tools that they use to fix and maintain our automobiles, one of my main tools for preaching is my voice and it needs to be maintained and care for just as a mechanic looks after theirs.
Our voices – such a simple thing – yet ponder how different our lives would be without them!
Sounds in the Night
Being in Chicago is a most interesting experience. It is a very large ethnically diverse city that is certainly divided along the lines of socio-economic and educational status. By this I mean that there are places where only African-American people live; places where only white people live; places where both live; places where only affluent people live; and places where only non-affluent people live. In the midst of this diversity is a propensity for gun violence amongst and between the various groups. In the U.S. 11,000 people die from handgun related crimes every year. In Chicago at least one young person is shot in school every week. Nationally Chicago rates #2 on the list of violent crimes involving firearms.
Where I’m staying is in a part of the city known as Hyde Park. The University of Chicago is located in this part of the city and in order to combat the level of violent crime has its own police force. Now most universities, even in Canada, have “campus security,” yet that’s not what I’m talking about here. In Chicago the university has its own police force complete with side arms, cruisers and the whole deal. The result is that Hyde Park has two level of policing Chicago PD and University PD, making Hyde Park one of the safer places in Chicago.
Even with all that police presence I awoke Tuesday evening to what I can only describe as “popping” sounds. At first I thought they might be firecrackers, yet it was about 2AM when I heard these sounds. Then I realized they sounded a little different and appeared to be almost responding the one to the other. It was then that I realized they were probably gun shots. Now that’s a sound I’m not familiar with hearing in the middle of the night. Sounds like the dog barking, someone going to the bathroom, a car going down the street or a horn blaring, yet not gun shots. What struck me was that for many in Chicago (and too many other places around the world) this sound was very familiar to them and it would probably been an unusual night not to wake up hearing gun shots. In the morning I began to wonder what that does to a person’s outlook on the world when the absence is what’s noted. How does this change your world view, your sense of security, your ability to enjoy life and what you take for granted? Hopefully those are the last I hear while I’m here, yet as I write I’m sure there is someone either getting shot or being shot at somewhere in this city that has become my home for three weeks of the year. Does that mean I have a responsibility or a role in preventing these events? To tell you the truth I really don’t know.
Where I’m staying is in a part of the city known as Hyde Park. The University of Chicago is located in this part of the city and in order to combat the level of violent crime has its own police force. Now most universities, even in Canada, have “campus security,” yet that’s not what I’m talking about here. In Chicago the university has its own police force complete with side arms, cruisers and the whole deal. The result is that Hyde Park has two level of policing Chicago PD and University PD, making Hyde Park one of the safer places in Chicago.
Even with all that police presence I awoke Tuesday evening to what I can only describe as “popping” sounds. At first I thought they might be firecrackers, yet it was about 2AM when I heard these sounds. Then I realized they sounded a little different and appeared to be almost responding the one to the other. It was then that I realized they were probably gun shots. Now that’s a sound I’m not familiar with hearing in the middle of the night. Sounds like the dog barking, someone going to the bathroom, a car going down the street or a horn blaring, yet not gun shots. What struck me was that for many in Chicago (and too many other places around the world) this sound was very familiar to them and it would probably been an unusual night not to wake up hearing gun shots. In the morning I began to wonder what that does to a person’s outlook on the world when the absence is what’s noted. How does this change your world view, your sense of security, your ability to enjoy life and what you take for granted? Hopefully those are the last I hear while I’m here, yet as I write I’m sure there is someone either getting shot or being shot at somewhere in this city that has become my home for three weeks of the year. Does that mean I have a responsibility or a role in preventing these events? To tell you the truth I really don’t know.
Farewell Brother Bennie
Some of you will remember that in October 2008 one of my class mates had a stroke that left him in hospital since then. His name was Bennie Hill. In January Bennie died after a long journey. On Tuesday evening at 7PM our class held a memorial service for our brother Bennie. It was a very touching service. We sang three of his favorite hymns and used the same scripture readings from his original memorial service. His daughters and son were present along with some of Bennie’s grandchildren. We provided some time for people to talk about who Bennie was for them and both daughters and son spoke about what it was like to have Bennie as their father. One of my class mates gave an incredible sermon. We used a hymn from More Voices “Cradle Me in Your Arms” as a response to the gospel reading that was one of Bennie’s favorite gospel lessons. The next day we also received golden stretchy bracelets with the words Rev. Bennie Hill ACTS Class of 2011. As a class we’ve chosen to wear these bracelets for the three weeks of our residency as a way of keeping Bennie with us. It was a difficult service for me and my class mates. A little less than a year ago we stood in a circle on the last day of residency and prayed that we would all return one year later. It was an emotional time of prayer filled with tears and smiles. Likewise this service was filled with tears and smiles as we grappled with Bennie’s absence.
It’s very different to be on the other side of a memorial service and to a certain degree I think I’d forgotten what it was like. Bennie’s was a good reminder and refresher of how important it is to celebrate the lives of those we know and love in a way that is honourable and respectful, authentic and rooted in the hope of the gospel. While a difficult service it was wonderful and acknowledged Bennie’s return to his Creator in a manner that was true to him and who he was. Farewell Brother Bennie.
It’s very different to be on the other side of a memorial service and to a certain degree I think I’d forgotten what it was like. Bennie’s was a good reminder and refresher of how important it is to celebrate the lives of those we know and love in a way that is honourable and respectful, authentic and rooted in the hope of the gospel. While a difficult service it was wonderful and acknowledged Bennie’s return to his Creator in a manner that was true to him and who he was. Farewell Brother Bennie.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Chicago 2.0
Well, it's day two of the second residency and all ready things are taking twists and turns that I never expected. This year Gerhard (from Germany) and I drove down together - a 10Hr. trip! Everything went very well, even the border crossing where they were so interested with Gerhard that they almost forgot to ask for my passport.
We learned that two people have withdrawn from the program. With Bennie's death in January of this year that means we're down to 23, however the good new is that we picked up a returning student who'd taken some time off.
This year it's all about how we preach where as last year it was more about what we preach. So far we've been talking about the similarities between theater and preaching. It was really funny to watch some of my class mates learn how to relax and release the tension in their limbs. Then there was the exercise of making motorboat noises with a lips. It's an amazing thing how relaxing your chin and opening up your throat can increase the invitation, clarity and authenticity of what you're saying, let alone enegising the facial mask. A whole new vocabulary is becoming second nature and I can't wait to work with the Parish Project Group (PPG) again this year about how preaching is also a performance.
It's amazing how familiar my colleagues have become. Getting here was like running into really great friends that you haven't seen in a long time. It was great to get teh hugs and questions about how things were back home and how things were with the great folks of Christ United, Lyn. This truely is an amazing program that brings together folks who might not otherwise be in conversation with one another, let alone living togehter!
We have a memorial service for Bennie tonight and his daughter will be there. I'm sure it will be very emotional and meaningful for all of us.
We learned that two people have withdrawn from the program. With Bennie's death in January of this year that means we're down to 23, however the good new is that we picked up a returning student who'd taken some time off.
This year it's all about how we preach where as last year it was more about what we preach. So far we've been talking about the similarities between theater and preaching. It was really funny to watch some of my class mates learn how to relax and release the tension in their limbs. Then there was the exercise of making motorboat noises with a lips. It's an amazing thing how relaxing your chin and opening up your throat can increase the invitation, clarity and authenticity of what you're saying, let alone enegising the facial mask. A whole new vocabulary is becoming second nature and I can't wait to work with the Parish Project Group (PPG) again this year about how preaching is also a performance.
It's amazing how familiar my colleagues have become. Getting here was like running into really great friends that you haven't seen in a long time. It was great to get teh hugs and questions about how things were back home and how things were with the great folks of Christ United, Lyn. This truely is an amazing program that brings together folks who might not otherwise be in conversation with one another, let alone living togehter!
We have a memorial service for Bennie tonight and his daughter will be there. I'm sure it will be very emotional and meaningful for all of us.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Jesus! vs Darwin!
This picture sums up for me one of the great dilemmas of our time, how can faith and science get along?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)