Spiritual transformation

Ever feel like you were in need of life support; spiritual life support that is? Machines beeping, lights flashing, ventilators pumping, IV bags dripping: These are all things the body needs when it can't live by itself or until it recovers from a surgery or a trauma. The body and its many complex functions and delicate organs may need assistance - not just to keep a person alive, but to help them heal and recover strength.

We got news last week that the mother of a close friend was in the hospital in a coma and on life support. No one knows if she will ever regain consciousness or be restored to her former vitality. Medicine can do some amazing things. God can do even greater things.

I don't have much memory of it. And, I wasn't in need of a breathing machine. Not long ago, I was looking at pictures from my stint in the hospital though, and it struck me just how helpless I was after my unfortunate meeting with a bus. I am told (again, I don't remember this) that I was annoyingly insistant to anyone who entered my little cubicle in ICU. I wanted to get up. I wanted to go back to work. I wanted to get back out on the running trails. I couldn't understand why I was strapped down to a rotating bed, head, neck and legs immobilized by traction. I had no real idea of how utterly helpless I was without the assistance of machines, orthopedic equipment, specialized nurses and doctors and medicines. Without all that, there is no telling if I would be here writing this today. At the time all I could think of, apparently, was how determined I was to get back on my feet and doing everything I had done the moments before I was run over. I didn't realize my neck was fractured and dislocated. I had no clue how the lacerations and road rash on my back posed a huge risk for infection. I wasn't aware how badly fractured my hips, pelvis and ribs were. It didn't dawn on me that even if I had tried to get up, I probably would have collapsed from the neural weakness in my extremities and that I could have done more serious damage to my already compromised spinal cord.

I wanted to be transformed. I wanted to be normal and healthy. No way! Wasn't going to happen. I needed help.

Not long ago, a group of us were up at 6:30 am studying some wise words from the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. This idea of transformation captured my attention and has been on my heart since. Paul said, "And we...are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (II Cor. 3:18)

I run into people who think they can become better Christians simply by their own determination and effort; that it's possible to pull ones self up by their own spiritual boot straps. "If I just do more good deeds; if I just pray harder; if I just go to more church meetings" are some of the phrases I hear from the people who come and sit in my study or with whom I visit at Starbucks, in living rooms or across the fence on warm summer evenings.

The reality is that we can't do it on our own. "Apart from me, Jesus said, you can do nothing." (John 15:5). There are times when the best we can do is just lie there, helpless and yielded. That's all. Then, at the place of our own greatest weakness, transformation starts to take place from the inside out. Spiritual life support; God's Holy Spirit working in and through us to make us whole; to transform us into the likeness of Christ himself. Wow!

Wait, there's another part to this to. I hadn't thought of it til just now. Part of the healing and transformation does come from the outside. Just like physicians, nurses, therapists and technicians work from the outside to heal the inside, God uses other people to encourage, strengthen, challenge and build us up.

My own experience - and I do remember at least parts of this - was that I couldn't have made it through some of those long nights of pain, immobility and discouragement if it had not been for people who came to read to me, tell me jokes, or just pray over me. My friend Cyril, a Jewish Rabbi came and read the Wall Street Journal. Bill read some of his brother's sermons through one long night. Daryl brought by CDs to play and filled me in on the latest box scores. Bob read Bible verses and left me the small pewter cross he had carried in his pocket since the previous Lenten/Easter season. Melissa told me about her final English paper. Others just came and sat. Like God with skin, their presence encouraged me.

There was one momentous day at Rio Vista Rehab Hospital in El Paso that stands out. Three men from Calvary Presbyterian had come all the way to El Paso to spend three days with me. That church had just called me to be their pastor. I think they wanted to make sure there was some hope of my recovering enough to eventually assume that role.

This particular day was the first day that Gina - my 4' 10" Phillipina Physical Therapist had tigihtly cinched a gait belt around my waist and wheeled my wheelchair in between two stainless stell standing rails. With a sly grin she said "let's see if you can stand upright for 15 minutes." This was the first time in over 2 1/2 months that I been on my feet. As I stood there, it was all I could do to support my weight with my emaciated arms and my one weight bearing leg. Sweat began to pour off my brow. Nausea welled up inside. I came to learn that she was more devious than I gave her credit for and that 15 minute challenge soon became 20, then 25, then 30 minutes - all the time Gina patiently standing there grinning.

Keith, John and Charlie all stood or sat nearby watching this spectacle as well. I have to say it couldn't have been very exciting for them - kind of like watching grass grow. But they were there cheering me on. I think I would have quit much earlier had these three men not been there for me to try and impress. When it was over, I collapsed back into the chair and was bone tired physically. At the same time I was exhilarated emotionally and spiritually. Against the dire predictions of neurologists and orthopaedic specialists, I had stood upright under my own strength (with Gina holding on tightly to my gait belt). I knew I would eventually regain my ability to walk. The support and encouragement of others made that even more realistic.

Transformation comes from the authenticity and care of others. It comes from the respiratory help of God's Spirit living in our hearts. Becoming more the kind of person that God wants us to be does not and cannot happen simply by just trying harder. It is only when we are sickest or weakest and least capable of helping ourselves that we come to realize God's transformational life support.


I don't know about you, but I think I need that today - and just about every day.

WIRED

It was a cool, crisp Friday night in October 1969. I was a young college junior who had just transferred to Wheaton College in the western suburbs of Chicago. What was I doing walking around by myself on these "mean streets" just a few blocks from the Cabrini Greens Housing Projects and not much further away from Old Town. Cabrini Green was a 4 square block area where over 20,000 people lived in cramped, run-down, overcrowded apartments. Gang violence, drugs, and crime were nightly occurances. Old Town was Chicago's version of San Francisco's Haight Ashbury district. It was where run aways gathered, hippies stood on every street corner, tourists gawked and users bought and sold everything from marijuana and LSD to heroin and cocaine.

Just less than a mile to the east was the "Gold Coast" district - an area of expensive, high rise apartments, condominiums and exclusive restaurants, shops and businesses clustered along Lake Shore Blvd.

Here I was - a total neophyte to the big city, wandering around talking to strangers, inviting folks to come over to our coffee house ministry at the corner of Division and LaSalle. We called this practice "fishing." Unlike some other Christian groups who cornered people on the streets with tracts and hard-sell witnessing or else megaphone amplified preaching, our approach was to invite folks in for a warm shelter, a cup of coffee or tea, a place to shower, get fresh clothes, engage in conversation and listen to music. It was there that many, diverse folks were introduced to Jesus and found their lives changed.

That was a long time ago. We had Beatles posters on the walls, black lights everywhere. Wild, vibrant paint on the walls, bean bag chairs and pillows on the floor. For tables we used large industrial wire or cable spools left over from the public utilities company. The atmosphere was about as far different from church or traditional Christian hangouts as it could be.

Out in front, bikers parked their Harleys and on the corner of Division, the greasy but impelling aroma of Sammy's Red Hots was a magnet that drew people right to our door (I don't think it is still there but Sammy's sold the greasiest and best polish sausages in Chicago - smothered in grilled onions and dripping with grease from the hot french fries piled on top. MMM, I can still taste those - literally, I think I can still taste them 40 years later.

Anyway, those memories came flooding back to me as I was walking the "mean streets" of Enumclaw this morning. Funny you should ask "why?" Because I was headed to Lindon Books to meet some folks for coffee and to talk about the vision Calvary has for a coffee house ministry right here in our little town. Yeah, that's right, in this coffee-glutted area where Espresso stands are on nearly every corner and the 'green mermaid' seems to hold a monopoly over every other roaster and vendor of caffeinated beverages, we are joining forces with our local independant bookseller to create a venue for great coffee, good reading, authentic conversation, live music and much much more. It is the 2009 version of what I was doing back in 1969. Wow! Deja Vu all over again, huh?

So, this Friday night (May 15) is the unofficial grand opening and debut of WIRED and it features a group called the PHEROMOANS (I am as curious as you are) who describe themselves as a local, indy, acoustic folk band. In the mean time we are lining up groups for Friday nights during the summer. We also may do some open mike poetry and music. We very likely will have a trivia night or two. And everyday, there is free WiFi and fresh espresso from Longbottom Coffee out of Hillsboro Oregon.

It doesn't sound very churchy does it. It may not be as radical as my 1969 coffee house. But in the same vein, it will be a place where people can come, relax, have a good cup of coffee, and talk about important stuff; spiritual stuff; whatever. No preaching, no altar calls, no offering plates. Just the kind of place I think Jesus would probably hang out in if he were present on earth today. I think it is often in the market places where people gather - outside the sometimes closed confines of institutional churches - that people engage their minds and their hearts and meet Jesus. We are praying that people meet Jesus because they meet some people who are his followers who live out their faith authentically and are at ease talking about it naturally with others.

While we see the music and wifi appealing to some who are part of a younger generation, it is by no means closed to others who want to come in and browse the shelves, surf the net, share a cup of coffee and conversation with a friend or with a stranger, or simply have a few moments of quiet to themselves - away from the hustle, routine, and pressures of everyday life.

So come on out and get WIRED. Tell your friends and family about it. I had a great cappucino there this morning with my friends. I may go back for another cup this afternoon, just to try the wifi and outline my sermon. Maybe I'll see you there.

Just another day

What do you have planned today? My guess is that, if you are like me and like most people, you didn't stop to think beyond the busy-ness of your schedule; the appointments you have to keep; the responsibilities you have to fulfill; the birthdays or anniversaries you can't forget; the bills that have to be paid. Daily life for most of us becomes a routine. We get into those routines and then seldom pause to think about what life would be like if that routine were interrupted.... especially by some life-changing event, phone call, chance meeting or profound spiritual revelation. If you are like me, you just assume that the plans you have made and the relationships that you have come to take for granted will be constants - maybe even things you take for granted.

"Now listen, you who say ' Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why you don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will we will live and do this or that.'" (James 4:13 -1 5)

Who are the important people in your life? Have you told them you love them and that they are special to you? Who, in your life, are you at odds with? Have you sought reconciliation with that person? What important tasks are sitting on your desk...not just the mundane, daily chores of everyday life... but the things that you really value and want to accomplish? Will they still be sitting there tomorrow, waiting for your attention?

Did you pause this morning to pray? Did you say thank you Lord for another day of life? Did it occur to you that perhaps you should submit your plans to God, realizing that in gracious providence, the Lord may have something different for you than what is on your agenda?

May 8th, for the last 12 years, has been the occasion for me to remember that I can't take a single thing for granted any more. It sounds corny, but the slogan seen on some bumpers which reads "Today is the first day of the rest of your life" is true. Each day provides an important reminder to reconsider priorities; evaluate activities; renew relationships and live life to its fullest because, in fact, our lives are a mist and we don't know what tomorrow will hold. In some ways, it could be just as accurate to say that "Today could be the last day of the rest of my life."

12 years ago today, I was living in the delusional bubble that I was in control of my life and that my daily routines, my plans, my goals, and my relationships were all on track and that I could assume I would have the next day, and the next day after that, and the day after that to do what I wanted to and what I had planned on.

So, I was going about my daily routines with that mindset. Getting ready to make a move from Las Cruces, NM to pastor a church in a new place called Enumclaw, Washington, I went through the paces of doing my usual stuff plus preparing for what I assumed would be a fairly non-eventful transition to a new pastorate. One of the tasks on my agenda that day was to show our church's bus to prospective buyers from a church in El Paso.

The appointed time - which I had entered into my infallible day planner - had come and past. Our buyers weren't there. So I was just leaving the parking lot to go home when they pulled in. I hesitated but then went back to meet them as had my friend Bob who was an elder and the mechanic who took care of the bus.

To make a long story short, 30 minutes later, I was being loaded into an ambulance to be rushed to Memorial Medical Center. Bruised, battered, partially paralyzed, and fighting for life, I came to realize that my closely planned schedules and plans for life were tossed into complete disarray. Fourteen weeks of hopsitalization later, several surgeries to mend broken bones back together, and hours of therapy, and I was a changed person...no longer in control of my life.

I can't tell the whole story here. Perhaps if my book is ever published, you can read more about the events of that day and the ensuing lessons our family learned as a result. For now, just let me be a voice of reminder to you not to take today for granted.

The chance to play some jazz with my group for a Ladies' Tea this weekend seems like a great gift. Being able to go work out at the gym - even though I don't like spending 45 minutes on an elliptical trainer and stationary bike - is a special privilege I didn't think I would ever have. Just being able to walk downtown to hand out some posters and flyers for our church's new coffeehouse venture seems like a blessing today and and activity that twelve years ago, I would have taken for granted. The coffee I bought from Starbucks tastes just a little richer to me today. So, I think I will stop writing and finish it while it is still warm. Thanks Lord for the gift of life today.

Soul
Café
A place to connect,
reflect and discuss

Do you like espresso? How about a casual, relaxed atmosphere where you can read a book, listen to live music or meet friends? Do you like the challenge of engaging conversation about relevant issues and sharing stories of faith? Have I gotten your attention? Are you sitting on the edge of your seat? Then read carefully. Big things – new things are “brewing “at Calvary (sorry, that was too easy a pun).

SOUL CAFÉ – doesn’t that sound cool? Last night (Tuesday, April 14th) your Session approved a plan to try a new outreach ministry this summer. And, we need some folks who feel called by God to get involved in order to make it work. More about that in a minute!

I don’t know if you realize it or not but Western Washington has one of the highest (some say the highest) per capita rates of non-churched people in the country. Though many if not most of these people – particularly younger people – would say they believe in God, pray and even think Jesus was a person worth following most studies suggest that 75 – 77% don’t attend church.

Is there a way of reaching people like that? Is it possible to engage those people without telling them they have to come to our services at our church? We think there is and that is what SOUL CAFÉ is all about. It’s not intended to just be another place for church people to hang out (although no one is turned away at the door) but a place that would attract people who are non-churched.

Beginning in June, our church is entering into a unique partnership with Lindon’s Bookstore. They are going to keep their doors open on Friday evenings for just such an opportunity. Each week there will be live music, a thought provoking movie, or some kind of discussion venue back in the lounge/stage area. There will be comfortable seating, warm lighting, and a very relaxed atmosphere. It is simply a gathering place that would be inviting for folks to come, drink coffee and, perhaps, play a game of chess or backgammon, pick a book off the shelf to read, or share a conversation about something deeper; maybe something spiritual.

Up in front of the store, there would be a coffee house atmosphere with café tables, comfortable chairs, and – this is really key – free Wi-Fi and, of course a coffee bar. Out in front would be a sign telling folks that SOUL CAFÉ is a joint venture of Calvary Presbyterian and Lindon’s Books. It would also be advertised on the church web site, and with posters around town too.

During the Lindon’s regular business hours, that same atmosphere would be present – minus live music or any programming. But on the tables, there would be a small card saying free Wi-Fi compliments of your friends at Calvary and maybe some thought or verse for the day.

When Paul visited Athens he headed up to a place called the Aereopagus (Acts 17). It was the hill where all the philosophers, all the curious, most of the non-Christians hung out to share thoughts and ideas. He didn’t wait for them to come to the synagogue or to one of the house churches – he engaged them on their turf and talked to them freely in language they understood. He said, “I see that you are very religious and that you have markers all over that read, ‘To an unknown God.’ I want to tell you about that God.” That is the idea behind SOUL CAFÉ – reaching people where they are at.

I am praying that there would be 8 – 10 people who would see this Friday night outreach as God’s calling to ministry in their life. We would train folks in ways of naturally sharing faith, running the espresso machine, and planning for ongoing Friday “programs.” These people would work closely with Lindon’s owners in a unique partnership that will help a downtown business as well as allow Christ’s body and opportunity to be salt – not in a saltshaker but poured out. For those who commit, it will not mean an every week commitment on your part. You would be part of a greater team. It would also not be a substitute for your attending worship and being part of the regular fellowship of our church. We hope to begin a trial period for this ministry June 5. How about it? Are you in? Let me know as soon as you have had a chance to pray about it and feel God’s call.

I've been playing the trumpet a lot more lately. I recently re-joined Gateway Concert Band - a local community band here in the Enumclaw area. I think I chose the wrong time to join because I have only had two rehearsals with the band prior to this weekend's upcoming concerts. When I walked into rehearsal a few weeks ago I presumed that I would be happily cruising along playing a second or third part. Jack, the director handed me a folder of music and when I sat down I realized he had handed my a First Cornet part. Lot's of high notes, lots of fast moving black notes (all too tiny for my deteriorating eyesight) and lots of demanding music. By the end of my first rehearsal, I felt like I needed to put my lips in a sling and that I would never be able to use them again.

That was the day after my jazz group BY COMMITTEE had performed for nearly ninety minutes in our first ever "concert." (We had played for some dinner parties, a birthday celebration etc. This was a real live concert, with people putting money in donation trays to support our church's youth mission trip.) So, I thought I was pretty set to go. WRONG! When you are playing jazz, particularly in a group like mine, you may only play half of each song or less because the rest is solos. So 2 hours of rehearsal, playing nearly 75 - 80% of that time really had me worn out and discouraged.

Yesterday I recorded and watched a PBS televsion special featuring trumpeter Chris Botti. He is an amazing talent and a new phenom on the music scene. Blond, boyish looking, fairly small in stature, he can play the trumpet like few others. This show was recorded with the Boston Pops Orchestra and featured a number of special guests including YoYo Ma, Steven Taylor from the rock band Queen, several beautiful, sultry chanteuses singing classic jazz ballads and the person who really gave Botti his start in the music and recording business.

In between songs, he quipped that people often ask him what the secret to his success has been. He said he always answered with four simple things: "Practice, practice, practice and being good friends with (recording giant) 'Sting.'"

I don't worry about aspiring to any measure of the fame or greatness of Chris Botti. But there was something profound that struck me in what he said. First of all, you never get anywhere worthwhile in life without practice and hard work. Aren't you glad the Doctor performing surgery on your loved one went to school for long and then spent years honing his or her skill?

Due to my recent encounter with tough music and sore lips, I have been reminded of the necessity of practice. No matter how good I think I am, the final test is the music and whether I can play it. Without practice, it is unlikely.

The second thing about his "half-serious" remark that struck me is that where we go in life has a great deal to do with the company we keep. It's not that we get there simply by hanging on the coattails of others. But it is hard to become the person you want to or know you should be without keeping company with those who will encourage, strengthen, and hold you accountable. That's how we grow.

That's how Jesus prepared his disciples for the rigors of ministering the Gospel after he had ascened. The company of friends is a powerful force to help challenge and encourage us to go as far as we can using the gifts and callings God has given us.

This truism is revealed in a few different ways in my life right now. Judy and joined a new gym in January. One of the things that encourages and keeps me going is the knowledge that I might be (probably will be) asked whether I worked out today. If not, why not? The challenge of keeping up with Judy who is much more disciplined and regular at working out than I am keeps me going.

Same thing with reading the Bible. Knowing that I will be meeting with a group at the MINT tonight and leading a discussion over the portion of the Bible assigned for these seven days of the Through the Bible in 90 Days keeps me honest, accountable and on my toes. I am glad for that.

Tomorrow morning I meet with some fellow Presby pastors in the area. We meet once a month for prayer, sharing, encouragement and a little friendly, rear-end kicking if deserved. It helps us all be better husbands, fathers, pastors, and men.

So how do we get to be all that God wants us to be? Practice, Practice, Practice and be good friends with someone who will keep you going. Now I have to sign off and go practice Symphonic Suite and Celtic Dances so I don't embarass myself at the concert Sunday.

Keeping up with the times - electronically speaking (LOL)

I'm exhausted. My fingers are cramping up! My eyes are blurred and bloodshot. I need some coffee. Why this litany of complaint? Why all the discomfort you ask? Because I am trying to stay up with modern technology. Today alone, I have been asked to join three FaceBook groups; read two blogs; check out several YouTube videos and respond to innumerable, "urgent" SMS messages as my new Blackberry Phone merrily buzzed away in my pocket, signaling the arrival of yet another important communication. I have been invited into 2 instant message conversations on my computer while trying to write a sermon outline. Each time one of my online contacts signs in, I am notified by a little gong sound and notice of an IM conversation flashes across the bottom of my screen. Someone wants to talk. OMGWe laugh about it in our office because, though we are only separated by 20 feet distance, we tend to communicate with each other via emails or instant messages instead of getting up and walking to one another's office to talk face to face. Now there is a new voice is being heard. Perhaps you have seen it or heard of it. Maybe even some of you are doing it. "Twitter" is the latest way of staying in touch in real time. Just today I have heard at least three references to "tweeting" and Twitter.com. A person who is on Twitter can tell the world what they are doing at any given moment - as if we were all dying to hear the intimate, sometimes strange details of a person's thoughts and actions as they are happening. Dos anyone remember landline phones? How about stopping by someone's house just to visit or taking time over a cup of coffee just to get caught up with someone you haven't seen for awhile. No, we live in an age of instant, electronic communication. I for one don't know, understand, or really appreciate the value of some of the abbreviated codes. I refuse to end each sentence with the cryptic LOL (oops, I guess I just did). You'd think that for an introvert like me, the anonymity and safety of electronic, instant communication would be a welcome way of interacting with others. But something there is, inside each one of us, that longs for the reality of eye contact, human voice, and, at times, even touch. That is what the incarnation of God was all about.

In order to make God's plan most clear, the Lord- the Eternal Word or logos - took on human flesh and lived among us. He invaded our planet; ‘moved into our neighborhood.’ "We beheld his glory, full of grace and truth," John says. The author of Hebrews agreed when he wrote - "Long ago and in many times and many ways God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, He has spoken to us through his Son.He is the exact radiance of God’s being" (Hebrews 1:1-3) God made us as communal creatures. We long for contact. We hunger for personal relationship. Last week, I was at a conference and I saw a friend I hadn't seen in some time. I knew, via some of the unofficial channels of communication in our denomination, that he had been going through a rough time over the last few years. He'd had some health problems. More recently he had resigned his pastorate of 25 years. I had assumed he probably was hurting and I kept thinking to myself, I need to contact him. Every time I sat down to write an email, I thought to myself that it would be too impersonal. But then I just kept putting off calling him to make arrangements to meet. My fault totally - not his at all. We had a great talk. I appreciated his candor about his pain and struggle. I also appreciated that he was willing to share some valuable lessons with me.
We parted saying we would get together in person when there was more time to really catch up. I hope I don't drop the ball. Lord, help me follow through. Let me be a person to my friend; an incarnation of your love and grace. I think I'll text him right now and see when he can meet. Oh, oh, I feel my phone vibrating. Better check it out. L8R!

Reconnecting and Remembering

Judy and I are in the Phoenix area this week. Of course the highlight for us is the time we get to spend with our daughter Kresta and her family - particularly Sam (age 8) and Joesph (age 3). I have been out in the driveway shooting baskets more than I have since seminary days. Sam is a dead-shot from the free throw line and from the corner. Joseph likes to have me lift him up so he can "dunk." We've read books. We've played RockBand II (what a riot that is). We even had a small fire in the backyard fire pit and roasted (or torched) marshmallows. I continue t0 be gratefully amazed at the energy and resilience of kids.

I am also amazed at the innocent curiosity and wonder of discovery that these boys have. Yesterday, we went to a nearby Wild Animal Park and Aquarium. We bought the kids a yearly pass so they have been numerous times. I might have guessed the boys would be tired of seeing the same animals they have visited often over the past year. But each exhibit was a lingering experience of watching them stare with wonder at the incredible diversity and color and strangeness and complexity of the created order. I thought we might never leave the tank filled with Moray and Zebra eels. Of equal attraction to the eels was the rock wall at the base of the tank. It proved to be a wonderful climbing, balancing and jumping place. We got to feed stingrays, deer, ducks, goats and even a ravenous giraffe with an incredibly long, sticky tongue. What fun.

Coming to Arizona this time each year also affords us the chance to get caught up with friends from California. We met them in Las Cruces years ago but have maintained a close friendship ever since. Their daughter and grandkids live fairly close by and so we try to connect with them as they are often here visiting over the President's Day weekend as well. We had dinner with them at the ClaimJumper Restauarant and lingered over good conversation while gluttonously trying to finish off a huge, decadent dessert called the "I D'Eclaire" - a concotion made up of pastry, vanilla custard, ice cream, whipped cream and hot fudge. Until next year, emails and Facebook posts will have to suffice. It was good to see them face to face.

This morning, I had coffee with an old friend (friend of many years, not elderly) who served First Presbyterian Church in Las Cruces the same years I served Northminster. We were in a support group and together prayed over many family, church, denominational and personal issues. John was a true colleague and friend, a fact of which I was vividly reminded again this morning. John was also pastor to Judy, the girls and me at a critical time in our lives.

Halfway into our conversation, he asked how I was doing physically. "Had I recovered from the injuries sustained nearly 12 years ago in my freak encounter with a bus?" He then handed me a sheaf of papers he said he had been keeping for me for just such an occasion. They were email correspondences between friends and colleagues in Las Cruces and in the Presbytery of Sierra Blanca that took place between May 8, 1997 and July 10th the same year.

Unaware of at the time - and probably unintentionally underappreciated - these e-mails retold my story of injury, pain and recovery from a much different point of view. They reminded me of the sincere, deeply felt, prayer and concern that covered me from the first days after the accident all the way through my rehabilitation. Not only was my congregation at Northminster concerned, helpful and praying, our new congregation in Enumclaw was equally faithful in prayer and support. Most of all I felt such a deep appreciation for the bonds of love and collegial ministry that existed in that Presbytery, It was very moving for me to re-read some of these notes. It was also humbling to realize how faithful others were to me and my family during those difficult days. And it was also a reminder that in the 12 years that have passed since having been run over by a bus, God has been so gracious in healing me and taking care of our family.

Reconnecting with John gave me a chance to get caught up on his life and ministry, share in a good strong cup of Starbuck's coffee (with a couple of added shots) and remembering that God's love is unquenchable through the years. This morning I read from Song of Solomon these words:

"Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm;

for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave.

It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.

Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away."

This trip has been a reminder once again of the power of love: the love of family; the love of friends; and most importantly the love of God - unquenchable, enduring, blazing hot. May that be your experience today, tomorrow and always.