Listening in the noise

"This has become my first posture of theological inquiry: listening. For we all of us approach God and His Word with our baggage, that’s to be expected. But when our baggage rings louder than His Song, our faith diminishes into self-centeredness—weighted with unfiltered bias." Tim Willard

This week I attending the first reading of the "Non Discrimination" ordinance of the City of Boise, Idaho. I came as a father, a son, a husband, a pastor, a resident of the city of Boise. I came because I hunger for a world different than the one I live in. I came because to be silent for me slaps my understanding of God's love. I came because I hunger to live in a place of acceptance and  love.

For years I approached this issue with my baggage ringing loud. "God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve" I boldly told my youth group years ago. The text shouts Sin.... it's sin. Yet it shouts sin at many things I gladly no longer call sin.

God brought into my life friends, made in the image of God. God brought into my life friends that are differently oriented in their sexuality. My baggage no longer rang as loud.

Listening. It is a hard thing to do. As I sit down this morning to reflect, I hear my TV with news in the back ground. I hear a pod cast playing on my computer. Listening.

I came to the meeting and listened. I Listened....I heard God's Song. I am thankful for the bold witness of the members of the Boise City Council that are working toward this legislation. I am thankful for those that spoke of their hunger for a different world, a different Bosie where all live with non-discrimination.

I am learning to listen to those who hear this issue differently. We may agaree to disagree but let's listen to each other and for God's Song.

May we all listen.

This crazy thing: living a called life.

It all began with a phone call last summer. I was at a friends pool when my phone rang, as my kids swam enjoying the innocence of youth. On the other end of the call was a familiar voice saying, "My Pastor is retiring next year and i wanted you to know." Now that was a bit awkward to hear from a former member in a afar a way land but OK, sorry to hear that I said. "No, No, I am calling to tell you that I gave them your card and you are going to be the next pastor of my church." I laughed. "It does not work that way", I said.

I have been honored to be the pastor of Stillwater United Methodist Church for 18 years. I have been through the joy and pain of relocation, reorganization, rebirth, served as pastor and DS for 7 years, built 3 times in 5 years, launched 2 additional campuses the last one at the beginning of a recession. I have watched the church grow in number and depth. We have lived life together. I have had to opportunity to move multiple times, Often to larger churches but I never felt called to it.

Stillwater UMC and Dayton have become home. But even as I began to share why I was not interested in a move, why it made no sense in my life, or in my families lives right now(one kid graduating this year, one next year, wife finishing Grad school, etc etc...) there it was....call.

I remember years ago sitting in a meeting with Bishop Judy Craig when she said to us green clergy..."you have been called to be called.." and I leaned over to my DS and said, "She's nuts."

Call. Here I am Lord, send me. And so the dance began.

When I came to Ohio from the Baltimore Washington Conference, I thought I was coming to United Seminary to gain tools to take back to my home conference. Then came call. A DS called about a little church called Riverdale that wanted to start over again(Stillwater). "I'm not a member of this conference I said..." But as we heard the Riverdale story, Call came.

Even then Call asked me to surrender. I have loved my 24 years in Ohio but I'm a West Virginian. I love the east. I love the mountains. Call asked me to use my gifts in this unique place. Call gave me opportunities here that I can only say were God breathed. As we danced with call back then Cathy and I said to each other, "If we say yes this time to call, perhaps next time we could go anywhere." We were thinking like Africa. I was also sure one day God would open the door for me to go back east.

So Now Call takes me from Ohio to Idaho. My son Clayton (14) said attempting to understand why his Dad is disrupting his life, "Dad have you always dreamed of living in Idaho?" I said, "No Clayton, It's a God thing, I am, We are being Called."

Call ask me to step out in faith. Call ask me to surrender. Call asks me to become who God created me to be. Call is about my life, my family, my faith. Call makes me...me.

I think of the Call of Abram "Leave your country, your people and your fathers house and go to the land I will show you..." Call is taking the first step of an unknown journey. Call is trusting God as we leave the known.

So in less than 75 days the Anders family will begin the drive from Dayton, Ohio to Boise, Idaho.

I believe that we all live a called life. So the dance continues with this crazy thing of living a called life.

Thank you God for the way you call us.