Sabbath

Kindle Funeral

I just did my first ever guest post over on Liturgical Nerds-- thanks to Josh Hale (@expatminister) for setting me up! I will repost it here but be sure to check Liturgical Nerds... How can you not like a blog with a name like that?

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     I've long believed that those who call Chicago the "Windy City" have clearly never been to western Kansas. There is a reason wind farms are popping up all over the place out here! And let me tell you, there is nothing quite so miserable as doing a funeral, striving to embody God's grace, while reading from papers being blown by 30mph wind (on an average day-- it goes much higher!) Add the fact that winter is still with us-- try turning those pages with numb fingers!

     And so a few days ago I tried something new: I presided over a funeral using my Kindle. I have to say, it worked remarkably well!

     If you aren't familiar with it, the Kindle's screen uses e-ink. It is a technology that is reflective, meaning that unlike most screens which shine a light in your face, e-ink looks just like a piece of paper. Of course it also brings the usual digital advantages, like enlarging the text at the push of a button.

     My usual process is to customize the service on the computer then print it out. In this case all I had to do was prep the service in Google Docs then hit the "Share" button to email everything wirelessly to my Kindle. At first there were some formatting problems, but a few easy tweaks and it worked like a charm. The liturgy was beautiful and easy to read.

     On the way to the cemetary (it was an hour and a half drive away) I was listening to a podcast that included a narrative from a pastor remembering a funeral he did in the 1920s. I glanced over at my Kindle and considered how times have changed.

     When the moment came, God was there. It was 30 degrees out and windy at a cemetery in the middle of northwestern Kansas. The tent they had set up helped block the wind, but it sheltered the family much more than it sheltered me (which is how it should be!) But despite the cold wind it was a truly grace-filled moment. As I "tuned in" to God and to the family and friends of the departed, I changed a few things in the brief sermon and even juggled a few phrases in prayers as the Spirit moved me in the moment.

     So, in the end, I don't suppose it was so different than the 1920s. The difference is that unlike my predecessors, standing in almost the exact same spot on the same plot of land nearly a century ago, MY my pages were not blowing in the wind and MY numb fingers didn't have to turn pages. The family didn't know any different (I had the Kindle in its book-like cover so the device itself wouldn't be a distraction) but I was able to dedicate less of myself to the logistics and more of myself to the Spirit.

     What more could we ask of technology?

N.T. Wright on Hell

Just saw this (via Out of Ur) and loved it; well worth the 3:15 it takes to watch it. N.T. Wright is my hero.

Photos & Pratt Sandhills

I've added a photo gallery to the page, you'll find it up top. I plan to fill it in with some old pictures over time, but for now it has a few pictures I took yesterday out at the Pratt Sandhills Wildlife Area near Pratt, Kansas. I'm really starting to get into this exploration and hiking thing. While I didn't actually get to do any hiking this outing (it was near sunset, as you'll see in the pictures), I did get a few good pics. Check it out!

Whines and Laments

Had a provocative discussion on Twitter this evening, generating a fair amount of response... Some are funny, some are quite insightful, perhaps some are both! It's far too late for my brain to think of answers on a Wednesday, but I thought I'd copy and paste the conversation here for some form of posterity (@Qohelet is me).

If you're curious I saw this verse while praying the evening office from Phyllis Tickle's The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime. (associate link)

Happy thinking! Share in the comments!

(it's killing me not to have the tweeters' pictures with their tweets... turns out copying and pasting lists of tweets is harder than you'd think. Oh well, click through and check these folks out-- they're all worth following)

Qohelet
Every church has its whiners... What is our ministry to them? Does Psalm 55:17 apply? (see next tweet)

Qohelet
Psalm 55:17: "Evening and morning and noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he will hear my voice." What is our ministry to whiners?

expatminister
@Qohelet What's the difference between a lamenting psalmist and a contemporary whiner? Or is there one?

Qohelet
@expatminister God will always listen to our laments no matter how whiney and petty. But should pastors always?

amandawen
@Qohelet---"Go whine to God, not to me. I have things to do."

unitedmethod
@Qohelet I used Romans 8:22-27 this past week.... groan with them! Thats what the HS does

burjon
@expatminister @Qohelet Whiners? Did someone say "whiners?" Why, I've never heard of such in the church.

kurtboemler
@qohelet: whiners whine b/c they feel they have no control & want to gain it. But its God calling the shots.

kurtboemler
@qohelet: We're to invte whiners into God's story and their place in it, not the other way round. Just invite and love them. :-)

burjon
@expatminister @Qohelet Whiners in the church? Well, there was that one time when ...

revdavem
@Qohelet re: whiners. Some people in the church are only happy with something to complain about. I'm glad to oblige them.

Update: Gosh darn my brain... I couldn't go to sleep without formulating an opinion and posting it. :) I think we're called both to listen to the complainers, as God does, AND to invite them to give up their need for control as @burjon says. To listen and to not listen-- the most difficult and, I think, greatest call. Perhaps my favorite sayings of Lady Wisdom might help: Proverbs 26:4-5.