Of Owls and Men
Early this morning, while it was still dark, I came across both an owl and a man. I was much more impressed with the one than the other.
At about 5:30 this morning as I was out on a run I saw a big fluffy animal move from one branch to another in the tree above my head. My first thought—it was early and I wasn’t totally with it—was, “I didn’t know raccoons could fly!” Then, of course, I realized what it was—a beautiful owl, about the size of a housecat.
I stood still and looked up at it; it stayed still and looked down at me. It was about 10 feet above my head and I could hear it trilling quietly in the dark.
After a minute or so, an older gent came shuffling down the street. I’ve seen him before at that hour in the morning—usually on Sundays—and he is always the picture of misanthropy. He shuffles along with his head down and gives off the impression that he hates the world and everything in it. Which, it turns out, he does.
I was really excited about the owl, so I called out to him, “An owl! There’s an owl up there!”
To which he replied, without slowing his shuffle:
“Bunch of assholes—I hate ‘em. Fly down and attack you.”
I was surprised and responded, “Attack people?”
He said, “Yes. That’s why they’re called ‘Screech Owls.’” And he kept going.
I guess it’s theoretically possible that one, over the course of a lifetime, could see so many owls in the dark before dawn on a beautiful spring day that one would become bored with the wonder of it, but I doubt it.
It really is true: wherever you go, there you are.
P.S.
I’m pretty sure it was an Eastern Screech Owl, and this was the sound of its quiet trill:
A Message from "President Trump" to Me!
So, there I am, minding my own business, when my friend Andrew Snow sends me this message from “President Trump”! The grey skies in Dallas today had given me a grey mood, but this message brightened everything right up. I’m passing it along to you, because we could all use some Friday Fun today.
The whole thing is just so silly, with the mentions of Luby’s and Hawaiian shirts and even my love of cake. I guess I’m too predictable! I should say that though I’m on board with the “Luby’s” and the “cake” references, I’m not totally sure my shirts fall into the “Hawaiian shirts” category, do they? If so, I may need to re-think my wardrobe. I had thought my shirts fell into the “only-a-really-cool-guy-could-pull-this-off” category, but now I’m not so sure….
I didn’t even know he knew my name! Made my day.
[Cameo by J-L Cauvin at cameo.com. Check out his site at jlcauvin.com. I didn’t even know you could pay someone to do this kind of thing!]
Read the Psalms With Me, One Psalm a Day
Starting Easter Monday, April 13, I will be reading and teaching through the book of Psalms, one psalm each day, ending in September. You should join me!
In this post:
Why we should read the Psalms—now more than ever;
How to read along with me;
How to get a copy of the beautiful book I’ll be using.
The Psalms Make Us Strong
For 3,000 years, the people of God have read, sung, prayed, studied, and learned the Psalms, and these ancient Hebrew poems have made God’s people strong in times of trouble and joyful in times of praise.
The Psalms help us remain rooted so we won’t be swept away in the storm. Psalm 1, e.g., explicitly promises that people who spend time with God’s words become like trees, deeply rooted and always fruitful even in times of drought!
The Plan
There are 150 Psalms; a few are long, and a few are very short, but most are a couple of paragraphs—in other words, perfect for reading one a day. We begin on Easter Monday, April 13, and will conclude on September 9, 150 days later.
Every day, I’ll post a very brief reflection/explanation on the Bible section of this blog; I will also email out that reflection daily at 4:00 AM for everyone on my Bible mailing list. Sign up here if you are not already subscribed. (If you had been receiving my Genesis emails, you are good to go for Psalms.)
I will be preaching and teaching through Psalms as well. The kickoff Bible study will be on Wednesday, April 15 at 8 PM.
The Beautiful Psalms Books We’re Using
We’ll be using the Psalms ESV Scripture Journal books available from Crossway.
You can buy your own from Amazon here.
You can of course read through the Psalms in any Bible or Bible app, but that is the book we’ll be using at Munger. They are beautiful books, with the text on one page and an empty notes page facing. The photo below (from the Crossway website) is of Matthew’s Gospel, but you get the idea.
How to Pick Up Your FREE Copy
We had ordered 4,000 books and were planning on distributing them on Easter Sunday. But, plans change and we set up a strict pick up system at church (sign-up online, drive-up, roll down passenger window, receive books into empty passenger seat, etc.) and in the last four days we gave out 2,038 books!
Let me repeat that: in the last four days we gave out 2,038 books!
The books have been in our storage unit since the end of January, and the only person who will touch them will be wearing gloves and a mask.
If you’d like to pick up a copy for you or a loved one, we have 2 more scheduled pick-up windows:
Wednesday, 4/8 and Monday, 4/13
10:00 AM- 12noon.
Be sure to sign up online at this link.
(And be sure to read and follow all instructions completely.)
***Remember, if you can’t pick up a copy at Munger, you can click here and order one from Amazon.***
Ready to Go?
For 3,000 years, the people of God have read, sung, prayed, studied, and learned the Psalms, and these ancient Hebrew poems have made God’s people strong in times of trouble and joyful in times of praise.
Now it’s our turn.
Ready to go?
Saturday Song: "When the Ship Comes In"
Every Saturday for the next few weeks, I’ll be posting a favorite song. Video below.
This week’s is about the Day of Judgment:
“When the Ship Comes In,” by Bob Dylan.
(Be sure to watch to the end, when an unexpected visitor lets herself into my fancy recording studio. Apparently, she needed to tell me “sumpin.”)
I’m sure I’d heard this song before, but it was actually Tom Wright—of all people—who recently turned me onto it when he played a version of it on his podcast. (I’ve included the link to his version below as well.)
I particularly love the ending:
And they'll raise their hands sayin'
"We'll meet all your demands"
But we'll shout from the bow "Your days are numbered!"
And like Pharaoh's tribe they'll be drownded in the tide
And like Goliath they'll be conquered!
When the Ship Comes In
—Bob Dylan
Oh the time will come up when the wind will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathin'
Like the stillness in the wind 'fore the hurricane begins
The hour that the ship comes in
Oh the seas will split and the ship will hit
And the sand on the shoreline will be shakin'
And the tide will sound and the waves will pound
And the mornin' will be breakin'!
Oh the fishes will laugh as they swim out of the path
And the seagulls, they'll be smilin'
And the rocks on the sand will proudly stand
The hour that the ship comes in
And the words that are used for to get the ship confused
Will not be understood as they're spoken'
For the chains of the sea will have busted in the night
And be buried on the bottom of the ocean
Oh a song will lift as the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts onto the shoreline
And the sun will respect every face on the deck
The hour that the ship comes in
And the sands will roll out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a touchin'
And the ship's wise men will remind you once again
That the whole wide world is watchin'!
Of the foes will rise with the sleep still in their eyes
And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'
But they'll pinch themselves and squeal
And they'll know that it's for real
The hour that the ship comes in
And they'll raise their hands sayin'
"We'll meet all your demands"
But we'll shout from the bow "Your days are numbered!"
And like Pharaoh's tribe they'll be drownded in the tide
And like Goliath they'll be conquered!
Fear Stops Here
We all know that the Covid-19 virus spreads from person to person. We also all know that each of us therefore has the ability to slow and stop its spread.
What if we could do the same thing with fear? What if we could also stop fear from spreading through our communities?
I believe that the Church in America has a priceless opportunity to step up and say
FEAR STOPS HERE.
How Firebreaks Work
In wildland firefighting, a firebreak is a deforested band of dirt plowed through the forest that keeps a wildfire from spreading further.
The concept is simple: remove the fuel, stop the fire.
The same principle applies with fear.
How Fear Spreads
Fear spreads from person to person, but unlike a viral infection, you don’t even have to be physically proximate with someone else to catch or spread fear—it can happen through our communication networks.
Ever felt fear after reading a headline or receiving an email?
Exactly.
Fear is contagious.
But peace is also contagious.
Becoming a “Fearbreak”
After the Resurrection, Jesus proclaimed “peace” over his disciples.
Followers of Jesus have nothing to fear—has he not told us?
“In this world you will have trouble, but have no fear: I have overcome the world.”
Therefore each of us has the opportunity to stop the wildfire of fear from spreading beyond us.
Each of us has the opportunity to become a “fearbreak.”
Each of us can say, in the name of Jesus:
FEAR STOPS HERE.
The most important gift we can share with an anxious world is the peace that the Lord has given us.
You Can Make a Difference
Like a virus, fear needs a host.
Like a fire, fear needs a source of fuel.
When we declare FEAR STOPS HERE, we bring God’s peace to our circumstances and communities and fear’s spread is stopped.
We Can Flatten the Curve of Fear in Our Communities
The Covid-19 virus is here among us, and there is nothing we can do about that fact: we can’t change our current circumstances.
What we can change, however, is the future.
How we react to fear today will affect what our communities are like in the future.
During the Spanish Flu Pandemic in 1918, different cities had different responses to the influenza virus’s spread. By late September of that year, e.g., the virus was already making its way through the citizens of Philadelphia. Nevertheless, the city’s public health director refused to cancel a big Liberty parade that had been scheduled for September 28 in support of the American war effort for World War I. Over 200,000 people attended the parade.
Three days later, every hospital bed in the city was filled, and 2,600 people died before the week was out.
In St. Louis, the city health director—a man named Dr. Max Starkloff—forced social distancing and quarantine measures as soon as the first cases of influenza appeared in the city. As a result St. Louis was able to “flatten the curve,” and compared with Philadelphia, had thousands of fewer deaths during the fall of 1918.
What if we made the decision to flatten the curve of fear in our communities?
What if the rate of fear in Dallas became noticeably lower than in other cities because of our commitment to spread peace instead of fear?
“FEAR STOPS HERE.”
How do we do this? How can we become people of peace? How can we beat back fear?
The foundation of peace is a decision to trust God with tomorrow and to focus on what each of us can control today.
The FEAR STOPS HERE Daily* Checklist
When fear begins to rise within you, ask yourself the following three questions:
Can I make it through today?
Have I taken the OBVIOUS next step that’s right in front of me today?
Is there an opportunity that’s opened up through my circumstances that will allow me to love God or my neighbor today?
If the answer to any of those questions is YES, then it’s time to kick fear to the curb until tomorrow.
Fear comes from worrying about a tomorrow that is inherently outside of our control.
Courage is the confidence that comes when we choose to focus only on today and trust God with tomorrow.
(Matthew 6:34.)
*Use every morning, and any other time you feel fear or dread.
Join the FEAR STOPS HERE Campaign
Make the decision that fear stops with you.
Be the non-anxious presence in all of your networks.
Create a handmade sign and post it in your window, or draw on your sidewalk, or write in big letters on your fence: FEAR STOPS HERE.
Drop the #fearstopshere hashtag in your social media posts.
Use Fear Stops Here as your new email signature.
Stop FEAR and Spread PEACE.
Let me know how it goes!
Found in East Dallas, Sunday, March 29, 2020.
My quarantine sermon for 3/29/2020 was entitled “Fear Stops Here.”
Sermon begins at the 22:00 min mark.
Our Corporate Commitment to You During the Covid-19 Crisis
Dear [FIRST NAME],
At Future Innovations Associates (formerly Forward Metrics Corporation, an Allyn-Crane Acquisition, and part of the Squimm Group), your safety is our top priority. This is because, if you die, we won’t get any more money from you.
I know you are surprised to hear from us, because you last used our services in 2011. But, we have kept all your personal information on file since that time, and because our IT department wasn’t able to filter out prior customers from current customers, we just went ahead and emailed everyone in our database. Rest assured, however, your data and privacy are important to us, in that order, with “making money from your data” in between the categories of “data” and “privacy”. Plus, when’s the last time you heard that a company in Corporate America was hacked and that the personal info of millions of its customers was leaked onto the dark web?
This email is to update you on how we are responding to the COVID-19 crisis. Just like you, we don’t actually know anything useful, but nevertheless we will repeat below what literally everyone in the world knows anyway:
•Our [associates/teammates/partners/ninjas or some other made-up name for employees] are being told to wash their hands;
•We are monitoring the situation closely, which you probably assumed, but we wanted to specifically tell you that anyway.
Please stay safe.
Also, please follow our social media channels, because if there is one thing that will help you persevere through these long weeks of quarantine, it’s the Instagram account of a large corporation.
Sincerely,
Blaise Unconvincingname
Senior Executive Vice President for Hospitality, Marketing, and Emails
Future Innovations Associates
UPDATE: I kid you not: I wrote the bogus letter above and then right afterwards actually received the following email, which I’m including as an update below. Note particularly the use of the well-worn African proverb in the last paragraph. Again: THIS IS AN ACTUAL EMAIL. Some things just can’t be satirized. —Andrew
UPDATE #2: From the files of You-Can’t-Make-This-Up, I just received the following email from Marriott, posted below. At least I know I am a "Valued Guest”.
Saturday Song: "Holy Is His Name"
Every Saturday for the next few weeks I’m going to be playing and posting a song that means a lot to me. This week’s song is “Holy Is His Name,” by John Michael Talbot. The video is below, followed by some brief remarks on why this song matters to me.
When the Angel Gabriel tells Mary she is going to be pregnant with Israel’s Messiah, she sings this song. The music is from John Michael Talbot, but the words are from Mary herself, as given to us in Luke’s Gospel.
I sing this song every year during our Lessons and Carols service after Christmas; I think its power comes from the way Mary so perfectly understands what the coming of the Messiah means to God’s people:
He has cast down the mighty in their arrogance
And remembered the meek and the lowly.
It’s not Christmastime, but I think we could all use a bit of Christmas cheer right now.
May this song bless you as much as it blesses me.
Holy Is His Name, by John Michael Talbot
Verse 1:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit exalts in God my Savior.
For he has looked with mercy on my lowliness,
and my name will be forever exalted.
For the mighty God has done great things for me,
and his mercy will reach from age to age.
Chorus:
And holy, holy, holy is his name.
Verse 2:
He has mercy in every generation.
He has revealed his power and his glory.
He has cast down the mighty in their arrogance,
and has lifted up the meek and the lowly.
He has come to help his servant Israel;
he remembers his promise to our fathers.
Pastors Webinar On Broadcasting From Home
![[Note: this is NOT what my home studio looks like. I wish!]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d70f59aefca59000162e4e6/1585159664268-I6N90XA93WW4T2H4C2VJ/image-asset.jpeg)
[Note: this is NOT what my home studio looks like. I wish!]
The following is a handout I prepared to present at a webinar for pastors about how to broadcast worship from home. The webinar was free, so the participants definitely got what they paid for from me!
Download the handout here. The text is also included below. Good luck!
Best Practices for Leading Worship from Home in a Time of Quarantine
I am broadcasting worship live from home on Sundays.
Our music director is also broadcasting from her home piano earlier on Sundays.
It is exhausting!
Key Takeaways
· Clarity, Consistency, and Intimacy Beat Excellence
· Rehearse Everything
· Small Improvements Make a Big Difference
Clarity, Consistency, and Intimacy Beat Excellence
None of us has the ability to produce television-level worship services from home. That’s okay! We’re doing our best to serve our people in this time.
Pick a video platform that offers audio/visual clarity. It may not be the perfect platform, but if folks can hear and see, then it’s good enough. At Munger, we have decided to use Facebook Live. It’s not perfect, but so far it’s been good enough.
Make a plan to broadcast from home, and then keep it consistent. Create a broadcast studio at home, from which you always go online.
I made the decision that the intimacy that’s gained from broadcasting from home—as well as broadcasting live!—gained more with our folks than doing something perfectly produced. My thought is that our emotional connection with our folks is what they most need from us right now.
A quick word on going live: I think the downsides of going live (and there are many) are worth the upside of the sense of immediacy and connection live broadcasts bring.
Rehearse Everything
This point cannot be overstated! Do nothing without rehearsing beforehand, particularly several times.
None of us is any good at this before we start practicing. I scheduled multiple live rehearsals before our first Sunday doing the livestream, and there were lots of subsequent improvements that we made as a result.
Small Improvements Make a Big Difference
Don’t worry about perfection—just try to make some small improvements each time you go live.
Some ideas:
· How can you improve lighting? Should you order some video lights?
· How can you improve sound? Should you record with a mic?
· Do you have a tripod for your phone?
· Are you wearing simple colors that look good on video?
Here’s What We’re Using:
· Facebook Live, through the Munger Place Church FB page.
· We embed that code on our church’s site: www.mungerplace.org
· Folks watch on Facebook or on the church site.
· 13 in. Macbook Pro
· iPhone XS Max
· iPhone X
· Professional Grade Lavalier Lapel Microphone Omnidirectional Mic with Easy Clip On System
· Neewer 700W Octagon Softbox Continuous Lighting Kit
· I set my phone on a tripod on a ladder on my home desk, and record standing up!
Andrew Forrest
Munger Place Church
My blog: www.andrewforrest.org
How to Parent During a Pandemic
First disclaimer: I don’t know anything. Not only am I not a parenting expert, I’m not even the best parent in my house! But, I am trying to figure this out just like you, so I humbly offer some thoughts below.
Second disclaimer: I am a Christian, and so my advice will obviously come from a faith-based perspective. But, because I believe God created families and that all happy families are alike, I think the advice below should broadly apply to any family in these times. And, if your family isn’t religious, now is a good time to begin to question your previous assumptions.
Put Your Oxygen Mask On First - Focus On Your Spiritual Life First
As parents, we MUST cultivate our own spiritual life first, before anything else. The most important thing we have to offer our children is a non-anxious presence. In a time of fear, it is important that we give peace to our children, but we can only give it if we have it.
Now is the time for us to rise early in the morning to pray and be still. Now is the time for us to read our Bibles daily. Now—more than ever—is the time for us to resist the urge to reach for our phones first thing in the morning before we’ve done our time in silence, prayer, and scripture.
Parents, our commitment to the daily disciplines of the Christian life is what will take us through this crisis.
If you are not practicing the actions above, you need to start.
Tell Your Kids The (Partial) Truth - Do Not Ever Lie
Our children need to be able to trust us, and the cultivation of trust is one of parenting’s essential responsibilities. Therefore, it is vital that we do not lie to our children.
Do not say that they are definitely going back to school;
Do not say that no one we know will get sick;
Do not say that their birthday parties are definitely going to happen as planned;
etc.
An entirely appropriate response to our kids’ questions is, “We don’t really know at this point.”
It is also entirely appropriate to share the partial truth with children. They don’t need to know everything, but they do need to hear the truth from us. Knowing what to tell them and what to withhold requires wisdom, of course, which is why it’s so important that we cultivate our own spiritual lives. See above.
Some examples:
Don’t say: No one we know is going to die.
Do say: Jesus tells us not to be afraid, even of death. If someone we love dies, we will see them again in Christ.
Don’t say: Your birthday party will be fine.
Do say: We will definitely find some way to celebrate your party.
Don’t say: Everything will be okay.
Do say: People have made it through—and thrived in!—much harder things before.
Give Your Kids a Daily and Weekly Schedule and Rhythm
Routine gives children (and adults!) something in which to trust. Even though all of our kids are now homeschoolers, this new reality doesn’t mean they don’t need clear bedtimes, breakfasttimes, lunchtimes, and playtimes.
Some suggestions:
Bookend your days with prayer. I will be leading a live online prayer service at 7 AM and 7 PM, M-F. (The service will last no longer than 15 minutes.) Please join.
Make every Sunday a celebration. Every Sunday is Easter, and you should worship and celebrate as such in your house. [Need a place to go for online worship? We’d love to have you join us at Munger.]
Celebrate and observe special days. Make sure that birthdays and anniversaries and national holidays and special days of the Christian year (Good Friday, Easter, Pentecost, etc.) are somehow different in your house.
Pray Together
I realize that many of us feel totally inadequate and uncomfortable in leading our families in prayer. Guess what? Get over it. We don’t have the luxury of those emotions any more.
My suggestion: get the whole family to kneel together at the side of the bed before bedtime. Read a psalm and give God thanks for the day.
Play With Your Children—ESPECIALLY Dads and Kids
Playing with our kids—particularly if it involves us getting down on the floor with them—is one of the ways we increase their trust in us. When we actively join in their play, it makes them feel safe and secure.
This is true for both moms and dads, but I think it is especially important that fathers spend time playing with their kids.
(I realize that some of us are single mothers, and I know that you are doing the best you can. Don’t give up!)
As a father who’s been sequestered at home this past week, it has been very easy for me to work all day long and, though my kids are close, not really spend any time with them outside of meals. And yet I know that when I take time to deliberately join their games, I see an immediate difference in my children’s demeanors.
If you have not played much with your children before, now is the time to start.
Let There Be An Embargo on Virus Talk During Dinner
Our kids need a respite from our (understandable) obsession with virus news. Keep the dinner hour free from pandemic palaver.
(This one has been hard for me!)
Practice Bottom-Up Thinking
Top Down Thinking: We start with the idea of PERFECTION and then look at our circumstances—we’ll be miserable.
Bottom-Up Thinking: We start with the idea of NOTHING and then look at our circumstances—we’ll see how much we have for which to be grateful.
As wealthy Americans, we are experts at Top Down Thinking, but it isn’t helpful. It’s time for us to learn another way, and teach it to our kids.
These next months will be the most formative in our children’s lives. How we parent our children during this time will determine whether they grow unto adulthood strengthened or weakened because of this pandemic. I know that’s a lot of responsibility! But, it’s true.
Here’s the good news: Parents have raised children literally in every single situation in human history. Our grandparents and great grandparents lived through the Great Depression and the Second World War, and they were strong because of those difficulties, not in spite of them.
It will be difficult to parent during this pandemic, but we can do it!
How to Beat Back Anxiety and Dread
I’ve read too many disaster novels, and at times in the past week my imagination has got the best of me; I’ve had moments of rising anxiety and even dread.
I don’t know the future any more than you, but I know this:
Fear and dread do not come from God.
Fear is always our fight, and these days it will be more important than ever that we beat it back.
Here’s what to do.
Do Literally Nothing
When the anxiety is rising, one of the best things we can do is literally nothing:
Sit still. Turn off your phone and everything else. Be silent.
I find that just sitting still for about 15 minutes is an effective first step of breaking out of the anxiety trap.
Tell Someone Else
Fears become weaker when they are shared aloud. Just a simple text or phone call or word to another person can be helpful. “Hey, I’m feeling a fair amount of anxiety right now—will you pray for me?”
Name Your Fears, Specifically
Like a noxious mold, fear grows in darkness. Most often, our fears are vague and nameless. When I force myself to say out loud exactly what it is I am afraid of, I find that my fears shrink, rather than grow. When I shine a spotlight on it and pin it down, it takes away some of its power.
Remember being a kid in the dark in your room at night? That nameless dark shape in your room which could be a ravening monster seems a lot less scary when you shine your flashlight on it and see it was only your old rocking chair.
Recite Scripture Aloud
God’s words have power! When we say them aloud, it’s like the darkness gets pushed back a little. Start with something simple, like Psalms 23 or 46 or 121.
(By the way, this is why scripture memorization is so important—we need to keep these words close to our hearts.)
Name Your Blessings
It’s good to force yourself to recite aloud all the reasons you have to be thankful in that exact moment. Force yourself to always name at least 10 blessings.
Say the Names of God Aloud
In times of worry, my wife has found that saying the names of God that we find in scripture has made a difference. In fact, she keeps a list of God’s names in the NOTES section in her phone. Some examples:
Lord, you’re the Creator.
You’re the Alpha and the Omega.
God, you’re my rock and my fortress.
Jesus, you are the bright morning star.
Lord, you’re the Lion of Judah.
Etc.
Be Disciplined In Your Disciplines
This is not so much a technique to help when you are in the midst of fear, as it is a way of preparing yourself to live with less fear generally.
Just as an athlete or musician doesn’t decide in the moment of performance and pressure to succeed, neither does a disciple of Jesus. Rather, we prepare to succeed by committing to healthy habits. The athlete and the musician practice; the Christian prays.
Re-commit now to the basic disciplines of the Christian faith: Sunday worship, morning and evening prayer, etc.
One key habit: Don’t reach for your phone first thing in the morning—rather, first reach for the Bible or just sit and be still. The news can wait.
Fear is never from God. If you are feeling fear, know that it is a lie from Hell to plague you.
“In this world you will have trouble, but have no fear: I have overcome the world.”
I Have Become a Televangelist
A few weeks ago I decided that a quarantine was inevitably going to come upon us, so I bought a bunch of home video equipment that would allow me to broadcast from my home office.
Tomorrow, I make my debut as a televangelist. [3/15/2020 at 9:30 AM, CDT—here’s the link.] Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be buying a private jet any time soon, so I have a long way to go in my new career.
I’ve done a few live test videos so far, and everything seems to be working perfectly, though the lights make me sweat! The photo above is from this morning and is an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the glamorous life of a startup televangelist.
I’m planning on releasing as many videos and blog posts as I can crank out in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
Pray for me!
[Here’s a screenshot from a video I did this morning. From the viewer’s perspective, everything looks pretty good.]
How to Watch
We’ll be using Facebook Live. Here’s the schedule for Sunday, March 15, 2020
09:30 AM - Live Music
10:00 AM - Live Message
Watch at www.mungerplace.org/watch. We’ll post some documents with the scripture passage and song lyrics there as well.
Login to Facebook and watch at the Munger Place Church Facebook page.
The Equipment I’ll be Using
An Open Letter to Leaders in the Midst of the Coronavirus Crisis
Friends, it is our time to lead.
By definition, leadership means going first.
Going first comes with tremendous risk. But, why else has the Lord given us our positions if not to use them?
In a time of crisis, we cannot wait for others to lead our people: it is our responsibility, and we need to take it up.
I know we are facing unprecedented challenges, and that people’s livelihoods are at stake.
Do we close?
Do we pay employees?
How will our organization survive?
When or will life go back to normal? Etc.
Many of those questions have neither easy answers nor any answers right now.
Lots of what’s going to happen is out of our hands, but what is not out of our hands is how we will react.
The Lord has given us everything we need today to be strong and courageous, to reassure our people, and to lead them well.
I really believe that: God has given us everything we need today to lead well. Do we have everything we want? No! Do we wish circumstances were different? Yes!
But, nevertheless, we have everything we need.
Sometimes, all we have are five loaves and two fish. What are they among so many?
Sometimes what we have seems woefully inadequate.
But, when we put what little we have into the Lord’s hands, it becomes more than enough:
“Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.” [John 6:8-11.]
We have what we need today to lead our people well.
Let’s do it.
All Public Worship Services Temporarily Cancelled at Munger for Sunday, 3/15/2020
We are *temporarily* canceling all public worship services at Munger Place Church on Sunday, March 15, 2020.
Here’s why:
“Doing Nothing” and Staying Home Will Make a Difference In Our Community!
What the research and expert opinion shows is that the single most effective way to slow down the spread of the coronavirus is to practice social distancing, i.e., to stay home. [More info here.]
We are at a tipping point in our city with regard to the spread of the virus, and we have the ability to slow its spread by “doing nothing”! That is, when we stay home, we make a difference.
This Is About Our Hospital System and About Loving Our Neighbors
We know the virus will spread, and many of us will get sick. The concern I have (after reading lots of reports) is lessening the strain on our hospital system, so that the people who are sick or injured from whatever cause will have a safe hospital bed in which to be treated and recover.
This is not about you or me avoiding getting sick—this is about us caring for others and thinking proactively about our hospital system by deliberately slowing the virus spread, thereby keeping more people healthier longer.
I Do NOT Want You to Come to Church
For the first time in my entire pastoral ministry, I feel that the most faithful leadership I can show and the most love of my neighbor I can practice is to tell you not to come to church this Sunday.
NOW Is the Time to Act
This is a temporary measure because NOW is the time to slow the virus. Once it breaks out among us in as severe an outbreak as in Italy, e.g., it will be too late.
This Is Not About Giving Into Fear
It is not giving into fear to be prudent. Fear and panic is buying all the Doritos at the grocery store and stocking toilet paper for the next 4 years! Prudence is the opposite of panic—prudence is boarding up your windows when the hurricane is coming. Prudence is preparing for the future.
How You Can Make a Difference
You know that I’ve committed to be candid with you, even if what I have to say makes people angry.
The following is what I strongly believe:
Out of love for our neighbors, we need to cancel our travel plans and our social activities immediately. I am doing this personally.
We want to slow the spread of this virus, and that is how to do it. Don’t wait for anyone else—LOVE GOES FIRST. Do it now. It is not brave or loving to persist with normal social activities. Life will resume and life will go on, but NOW is the time to act.
By definition “too early” is “not too late.”
Here’s What Our Church Will Be Doing
We will resume public worship services ASAP.
In the mean time, our Munger staff is working hard to prepare to deliver content to our people on a regular basis. We will definitely do a livestream of some sort on Sunday morning, March 15, 2020. Stay posted for the exact details.
In addition, we are making plans now to best care for the poor and vulnerable among us who will be hit hard financially when they miss work, etc. More details to follow.
There IS No Reason to Be Afraid
Friends, preparing and prudence are not panic. They are wise. We have no reason to be afraid because Christ is King.
Here’s What I AM Asking Us to Do:
1. Spread this message. Tell all the Mungarians you know that church is temporarily cancelled for this Sunday. Tell everyone you know to stay home.
2. Spread PEACE through your networks. We have no reason to be afraid—Jesus has overcome the world!
Love and courage,
Andrew
P.S. If I am wrong about this, then we’ll all be able to laugh at my expense in a few weeks. I’ve never wanted to be more wrong in my life! If I’m right, however, but refuse to take responsibility to act, that will also be clear in a few weeks, and God will hold me accountable for my leadership failures.
Here's What We're Doing at Munger About the Coronavirus
At all times, we want our folks to feel as safe as possible when coming to church; in times of crisis and with fear whispering in our ears, it’s more important than ever that the Church comes together on Sundays.
No one knows the future, and no one knows exactly how the Coronavirus will affect our city.
That being said, there are some prudent steps we can take to be prepared, starting this weekend.
Here’s What We’re Doing at Munger About the Coronavirus:
All doors will be propped open, so no one will have to pull on a doorhandle.
Instead of passing the offering plate, we’ll have big offering baskets near the exits into which folks can drop their offering. (Giving online is always an option!)
We will NOT be serving doughnuts at our morning services.*
We will not pass the peace or shake hands. Elbow bumps it is!
We will clean and disinfect all surfaces after each service.
*Don’t worry, in place of doughnuts we’re going to have individually-wrapped treats of some sort for those of you who can’t sit through church without a treat! And, because our local doughnut shop depends on our church’s business, though we will not be actually asking them to make our usual order, we will keep paying for it for the time being.
Here’s What You Can Do To Help
If you’re sick, stay home!
If your children are sick, please keep them at home.
Bring your own hand sanitizer. (We have supplies for a couple of months, but our suppliers are unable to restock at this point, so if you bring your own sanitizer, it will help our supplies last.)
If you’re not sick, come to church!
No one knows the future, and we are all in the hands of God. But that’s always true, isn’t it?
We have an opportunity here to show our neighbors the difference faith in Jesus makes.
Let’s do it.
Don’t be afraid; just believe. (Mark 5:36)
How to Have a Great Lent
Lent is about preparation.
Will you be ready?
Beginning Ash Wednesday and ending Holy Saturday, Lent is the 40 day period leading up to Easter.
Here are 3 ways to get yourself ready for the raucous good news of Easter Sunday!
Fast
Before modern times, virtually all Christians spent time in fasting. Why not try it this Lent?
Give up a certain type of food for a certain period, e.g., skipping lunch on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Pray
Make regular prayer a Lenten habit.
Here’s how: Sit in the same place each time. Put your phone in another room. Focus your thoughts on the Lord. (I find a prayer rope helps me.)
And any Mungarians reading this should definitely take a shift in our Easter Prayer Vigil.
Worship
Attend Sunday worship every week—NO MATTER WHAT. Unless you are sick, don’t miss Sunday worship—and being out of town is not a reason to miss—other towns have churches, too.
If you are a Mungarian, attend Wednesday morning communion (7:30-8:00 AM). I lead it every week in the sanctuary.
Plan now and schedule your life around Holy Week services.
Easter is always good news, but when we prepare—when we remember that the Cross comes before the Crown—Easter becomes ELECTRIC.
Will you be ready?
Only at Munger, #27
We have this thing we say at Munger in our staff meetings when something crazy happens:
“Only at Munger!”
For example, the time we had to ask some of our greeters not to smoke on the front steps:
“Only at Munger!”
Well, today I might have had my most “only-at-Munger” moment yet, as I had to say to someone:
“Please put your lizard down, and then I’ll serve you communion.”
Only at Munger.
(Wouldn’t have it any other way.)
Oscar Grace
A moment of grace can change everything.
I remember watching the Academy Awards in 2004. Bill Murray—one of my favorite actors—had been nominated for the Best Actor Oscar that year for his movie Lost in Translation.
At the Oscars, the camera lingers on the faces of each of the losing nominees after the winner has been announced. (We like to see the pain and disappointment of others, I suppose.) I remember Bill Murray looking particularly crushed when Sean Penn was announced as the winner. He had to have known that he’d never get back there again, particularly as he has made a career as a comic actor and not as someone who takes on the sorts of dramatic roles that are like catnip to the Academy.
I was reminded of that moment when I saw the award given for Best Director at last night’s 2020 Academy Awards. The Korean director Bong Joon-Ho was announced as the winner, and then the camera lingered on the faces of the four losing directors: Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarentino, Sam Mendes, and Todd Phillips. (I thought Mr. Phillips looked particularly disappointed.) Seeing the real-time disappointment of men who have been working their entire lives to win something made me uncomfortable; I felt sorry for them.
And then Bong Joon-Ho made his speech, and the entire feel of the moment changed. The whole thing is worth watching.
Mr. Bong first deftly recognizes Martin Scorsese in such a pure and heartfelt way that the entire audience gives Martin Scorsese a standing ovation. Then, he credits Quentin Tarentino with generously promoting his films in American when no one had heard of him, and then he tells Todd Phillips and Sam Mendes that he wishes he could cut the Oscar statuette in pieces and share it with them. Todd Phillips grins. It’s as if grace has been poured out on the entire theater, with everyone just grateful to be there and experience it.
It’s such a beautiful moment.
Grace changes everything.
This Is Forty
Today is my fortieth birthday.
The picture above was taken thirty years ago, when I was ten.
Ten years ago, I was thirty.
Ten years from now, I’ll be fifty.
FIFTY.
Folks have always been telling me something that I’ve now found myself to be true: life moves fast.
Today, I'm reflecting: What am I learning? What is my life about? What do I believe?
Three things.
There are three truths that I’m holding onto these days. Three insights I’ve learned not from books or from others but from my own experiences (experiences that are of course shaped by books and by others).
I believe my life is about these three things. This is what I believe, and because I have the privilege of leading and teaching others, this is what my ministry is about.
These three things are my mission, my focus, and my direction. I really believe that.
First, I believe in silence, stillness, and solitude.
In stillness is my strength. I know that anything important I will achieve will come from quieting my soul and just sitting before God. I have learned that John 15 is both a promise and warning: “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you abide in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Creativity comes from silence, and hope from from stillness.
The biggest challenge of my life, though, is learning how to be still. Nothing else comes close.
Second, I believe in responsibility.
I’ve become more and more convinced that passivity is the primal temptation lurking in the heart of man. I face that temptation toward passivity every day, and my forties will be defined by my decisions to either take or shirk responsibility for my life and my family and for the people around me.
Third, I believe in the simplicity on the far side of complexity.
The simplicity this side of complexity is naive and foolish. This kind of simplicity wants neat answers with no remainders, shuts its eyes to inconvenient truths, and trades in polite lies.
The simplicity that is on this side of complexity is not worth a bucket of warm spit.
This is because life doesn’t easily provide neat answers, is full of inconvenient truths, and resists pat answers and platitudes.
It’s good, therefore, to move beyond the simplicity that lies on this side of complexity and to make your way into complexity itself.
But it’s not good to stay there. When you reach complexity, you need to keep going until you come out the other side.
You see, there is a simplicity on the far side of complexity that acknowledges that while life is certainly grey—not black and white—and certainly mysterious, there is still solid ground to stand on once you reach the other side.
You’ll know when you’ve reached the simplicity on the far side of complexity when you’ve examined all the hard questions and inconvenient details and come up with an answer that includes those things and yet provides clarity and a way forward.
Hot water from the tap is a simplicity that lies on the far side of complexity. Think of all the difficulties that have to be acknowledged and overcome to produce that everyday miracle of civilization.
The Constitution of the United States is a simplicity that lies on the far side of complexity. Think of all the insights into human nature that had to be acknowledged and overcome to produce that remarkable document.
“Here I stand: I can do no other.” Martin Luther’s famous declaration is a simplicity that lies on the far side of complexity. Think of all the wrestlings with God through an untold number of sleepless nights it cost Luther before he had the kind of clarity for which he was willing to die.
The simplicity on the far side of complexity can be big or small; it can be life-and-death or just a bit of everyday insight; it can be the result of centuries of slow technological advances (like the iPhone) or it can come flashing forth from revelation (like the Great Commandment).
But in whatever form it comes, it’s always beautiful and compelling.
And the simplicity on the far side of complexity is worth whatever it costs to learn.
This is forty, and this is what my life is about: learning and leading to the simplicity on the far side of complexity, where we experience the beautiful grace of God.
Wanna Go to Israel With Me in 2021?
I’m going back to Israel in 2021. Who’s in?
The dates are January 26-February 5, 2021.
You don’t have to be at member at Munger Place Church to go, so feel to invite family and friends.
Info Meeting: Sunday, January 26
We’ll have an info meeting at Munger immediately following the 11 AM service on 1/26/20, noon to 1 PM.
