Book Review: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years (Don Miller)

Posted on October 31, 2009 by Steve LaMotte

One of the more captivating and surprising books that I have read in the last eight years is Donald Miller’s best seller, Blue Like Jazz.  I really enjoyed Miller’s style of writing and his fresh take on grace and faith.  I have read two other of his books, Searching for God Knows What and Through Painted Deserts, yet neither of them reach the critical acclaim that Blue Like Jazz did.  A Million Miles in a Thousand Years comes close to matching the rhythm and excitment of Jazz.

A quick synopsis of A Million Miles from the back cover:

“After writing a successful memoir, Donald Miller’s life stalled.  During what should have been the height of his success, he found himself unwillingn to get out of bed, avoiding responsibility, even quiestioning the meaning of life.  But when two movie producers proposed turning his memoir into a movie, he found himself launched into a new story filled with risk, possibility, beauty, and meaning.”

Miller’s encounter with the movie producers is the main thrust of the book as he learns what makes a great story.  It would be a little disheartening to find that parts of your life are too boring for a movie and that they would end up of the editing room floor.  So the author sets out to find out what makes a great story- and in turn what makes a great life. 

Among the elements of a great story, Miller is aware of the role of conflict and tragedy in our lives- and the possibilities that arise out of both.  When it comes to conflict, we spend so much time avoiding conflict that we rarely embrace how conflict (when handled properly) can mold and shape our character.  Even in the midst of tragedy there can be a beautiful story.  Miller tells the story of his friend Jim, and his wife Janice who ultimately dies of cancer.  When Janice dies, there is a gathering after the funeral where her husband, Miller, and other friends gather to tell stories and each other’s comfort.  Here Miller realizes that even in the midst of tragedy and great story, a great life can be lived.

I also appreciated that Miller is aware and communicates that our lives really never come to a resolve.  We have grown up on stories where “everyone lived happily ever after,” and if we’re honest we know that doesn’t happen in real life.   But we want it to.  Instead, he says that we experience lots of little “resolutions” to the various scenes in our lives.  Some of us even put our faith in Jesus thinking that this will make our life complete, or bring resolution to our problems.  This doesn’t happen- although Jesus does offer us hope that one day we will be made complete.  One day we will have resolution.  One day, there will be no suffering, sickness, or death.  Until then, we will not have perfectly put together lives.  As Miller writes,

“When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.  And when you stop expecting material possessions to complete you, you’d be surprised at how much pleasure you get in material possessions.  And when you stop expecting God to end all your troubles, you’d be surprised at how much you like spending time with God.”

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is an inspiring book on living a great life.  Don Miller does a great job of capturing his own struggle to live a great life and being transparent on sharing it with the reader. 

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This Is Only A Test

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Steve LaMotte

Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, we were on the eastern most edge of the famed “Tornado Alley.”  Each spring, in school, we went through tornado drills and were reminded of the dangers of severe weather.  In 1985, there was a huge tornado outbreak in our area with 26 of tornadoes throughout Western Pennsylvania.  The tornado that hit Atlantic, PA was an F-4 and was about five-ten miles from our home.  It was certainly an unnerving day.  Because tornadoes were frequent enough, we learned the signs of bad weather.  I began to learn to see thunderheads forming off in the distant and know that later that evening we would have a storm somewhere in the area.

John wrote something simliar to his church in 1 John.  There had been false teachers throughout the area, and because of that a storm was brewing as his church was facing a split because of these “anti-christ.”  Here in 1 John 4:1-3, John encourages his congregation to be aware of the signs of a false teacher.  He writes:   

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,  but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

                                                                                                        1 John 4:1-3 (TNIV)

John is writing to his church who is in the midst of a division that has been caused by some “antichrist” or false prophets who are teaching something other than what John has seen, heard, experienced and then taught this early Christian community.  He encourages them to test every spirit and that every Spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and is from God.  John encourages his congregation that they must keep in mind what they know about Jesus.  Jesus is God-in-Flesh and anything contrary is a false teaching.

In recent history, the Nazi Party used scripture to back the idea of Arayan supremecy.  The Ku Klux Klan uses Scripture to support their hatred and bigotry towards African-Americans.  We only have to turn the TV on to hear various teachings that claim to be Christian- some are various TV preachers and others are like Oprah who people listen to more than that Word of God. 

It is a struggle that, as a Pastor, that we have lost our knowledge of God’s Word.  It is our anchor that helps to give us assurance in the storms that we face in faith and in life.  We live in a biblically illiterate society- and the Church must wrestle with the best ways to teach this members how to read God’s word for themselves and to be able to “test the spirits” of all the teaching we receive- whether from the pulpit, television, or a book.  It is a little disheartening to me that many of our “Bible Studies” have become book studies by Christian celebrity authors where the Bible is never even opened up.  For the Church to move in power, we must ground all we do on God’s Word.

How is your church teaching/studying God’s Word?  Do you have Bible studies or Book Studies? 

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A Lot of Hot Air

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Steve LaMotte
Photo: Reuters/KUSA TV

I was in my office on Thursday when our church secretary called me in the see this story about a boy who was trapped inside of a run away helium filled ballon.  Yes, I tuned in on my computer just a few minutes before the balloon landed safely in a fied somewhere in Colorado.  Since then, the police involved in the investigation believe this to be a hoax– a publicity stunt with the hope of “better marketing themselves for a reality television show at some point in the future.”  There will be a lot of talk about this in the days to come about how this happened, and who/what is to blame for this situation.  Let me add to the noise some thoughts on this instance.

  1. Shame on parents who use their children to pursue their goals of celebrity and fame (Jon and Kate- are you listening?).  The Heenes put their children in a position where they would have to lie in order to keep up the hoax.  Falcon- the boy supposedly in the balloon, was so nervous/sick during interviews on Friday morning, that he threw up several times off camera.  What does say about parenting when children are used as a means to reach our goals?  What kind of emotional scarring might occuring in this case- and in the case of Jon and Kate’s children?  Is not the job of parents to raise and protect their children so that they can grow into adulthood with the tools they need for life?
  2. Shame on the media for continuing to air shows like Jon and Kate Plus 8 (or whatever it’s called now), Wifeswap, and the other shows that invade families lives.  To me, Jon and Kate Plus 8 and TLC are the biggest violators here.  Why has TLC continued to air the shows while Jon and Kate headed to divorce?  If the executives cared about the people rather than the bottom line, they would have pulled the plug on this series.  What will happen to the children of the show once the cameras stop rolling?  What will happen to Jon and Kate once the show ends, the complimentary trips end, and money dries up?  For the Henne family- is it too hard to believe that a network would give them a series? (Sci-Fi Network??).  Network executives need to remember that the people in their reality shows are, in fact, people- not property.
  3. Shame on you and me for continuing to watch shows like Jon and Kate Plus 8, 18 Kids and Counting, Table for 12, Wife Swap, Nannie911, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, etc.  Let’s be honest here, we watch some of these shows because we are interested in the train wreck that often happens.  We want to see carnage.  We don’t want to see a family that has it all together.  We want to see someone who is a mess and makes us feel better about ourselves. If we continue to watch these shows that the networks put on, the networks will continue to roll out family after family or person after person for us to watch implode. We are not that far from being the Hennes’ ourselves as we want to feel connected with celebrities and the life they live.  That’s why we tune in each week on the TV.  That’s why we read US Weekly, Star Magazine, and Ok! Magazine rather than being engaged in what is happening in our own country and around the world.   

I have no clue what will happen to the Hennes’ this week.  The authorities are talking about filing criminal charges of some sort.  Let’s hope that no network will show up on their doorstep, and that the this incident can be put behind them as they continue life in the real world.

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Some Thoughts On Health Care

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Steve LaMotte

I’ve been wanting to write something about the proposed health care reform that is taking place in Washington D.C.  National Health Care is a huge issue with potentially huge ramifications.  For some, it’s a step towards providing health coverage for everyone.  For others, it’s a step towards socialism.  For some people are divided along politcal lines. 

First, a few thoughts of my own…

  1. Health Care in America is broken- When there are millions without health coverage, it is a broken system.  Health care has become a dividing line between the “haves” and the “have-nots”
  2. Many people’s view of the governments role in the reform is uneasy, at best.  I’m not a fan of big government, but how can we fix a broken system that is this big?  Are there other ways that reform of this magnitude can happen (if you believe that reform needs to take place)?
  3. Captialism has contributed to the problem.  Now, don’t paint me as a socialist.  The bottom line of Capitalism is the bottom line.  When you put that together with the sinful nature of humanity, it’s a recipe for disaster.  Corporations outsource there manufacturing to foreign lands, which exploits women and children, so that profits can increase.  Oil companies, in difficult economic times, have posted huge profits.  Insurance Companies/Health Care is not immune to this.  The price of health care keeps escalating.  Medications keep going up in price.  Our sue-happy culture raises the price of malpractice insurance…and the trickle-down goes to the average joe/jane who comes into the doctors office/hospital.

I’m certainly not advocating any answers, but some biblical thinking on the issue.  To do that may require one to set aside their preconcieved ideas about health care reform, political allegience (remember, Jesus wasn’t a Republican or Democrat), or other views on the issue.

  1. We know that Jesus was just as concerned with the poor as he was the rich.  Jesus restored the health and dignity of those who had been made outcast in society.  How do we as a society create systems that do not discriminate on the basis of race, income, gender, disabilities, etc. How do we restore the dignity of those who have no health care; those who can’t afford basic coverage? End of life care? Etc.?
  2. You can go through the Gospels and see many examples of Jesus healing the blind, the lame, the diseased- if the Church is the Body of Christ, is there an opportunity here for us to be a greater part of the healing process?  Can we work to provide more free clinics? Affordable vaccines/flu shots/etc.?  Can we provide/create ministries on greater scale that are healing in nature?  If we do not, are we missing an opportunity to be light in the darkness?
  3. In John 17, Jesus prays that his disciples would not be removed from the world but would be kept safe from the evil one.  How often do we as Christians refrain from getting political?  We are called to engage the world and the culture around us…and this means even in politics. We must use what we know about God, Jesus, and the Bible to inform our beliefs and our actions and let that lead us as we participate in our democratic system.
  4. Micah 6:8 says, “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  What would God’s justice look like in the health care reform?  How do we, as Christians, work torwards that on this issue?  What would  God’s mercy look like?  How do we, as Christians, work towards this?

This post is not meant as a comprehensive argument one way or another, but a way to begin thinking critically as Christians on the issues at hand. 

How does your faith inform you on the issue of health care reform?  Talk it out in the comment section!

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Desiring God’s Presence

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Steve LaMotte

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.  For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”    -Psalm 84:10-11

Have you ever had an incredible moment in God’s presence?

Maybe it was a worship experience where God used a song to connect with your soul.  Maybe it was a Bible Study where the Word of God jumped off the page and spoke exactly to what was going on in your life.  Maybe it was a chance meeting with another person where you knew that it was a God moment.

I have those moments that were extraordinary, and have had other moments that seem rather mundane…but when it gets down to it, what I desire is those moments when I am in God’s presence.  Dennis Kinlaw writes that whether a person realizes it or not, “…to be near God is the deepest desire of every human heart.”  I think that is true.  We self-medicate because we are longing for something and cannot find anything to satisfy it.  I believe it was C.S. Lewis who wrote that we all have a God-shaped hole in our hearts.  We try to fill that God-shaped hole with the things of the world when only God will satisfy.

If it is our heart’s deepest desire to be near God- and that we each have a God shaped hole in our heart- why do we try so hard to put a world-shaped peg in a God-shaped hole?  Why do we take our time in God’s presence lightly?  

As we begin our week, many of us are looking at a week of stress, of meetings, family obligations, and the newest episodes of The Office…but my prayer to you is that you would long for God’s presence this week.  That you would make the time to enter into the courts of the Lord…and in doing so, God may pour out His Spirit in your lives this week.

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Be Still

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Steve LaMotte

For the last two days, I have been constantly going back to Psalm 46.  It’s one of my favorites.  The Psalmist begins,

“God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”

As a Christian, those words are comforting and are a constant reminder that I find solace, peace, and protection in the presence of God.  Though the world is in turmoil, we do not have to fear because God is our strength and refuge.  This is good news for us!

What really challenges me about this passage is found a little further down in the Psalm.  In verse 10 it says this-

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

I certainly have a tendency to get worked up over things.  I worry about things that I cannot control.  Maybe you’re the same way.  We can watch the news and we buy into the fear that the media broadcasts.  We let our lives get so busy that we don’t know which way we are going.  Our relationships, jobs, families may seem like they are falling apart- yet the Psalmist says- in the midst of the storm, be still and know that I am God.

With the economy failing; unemployment is on the rise; bills are piling up; the car needs new brakes; childcare payments are due…

Be Still and know that I am God.

As we look around at our family and friends who struggle with addiction, brokenness, abuse, divorce, pornography, adultry…

Be still and know that I am God.

There is a battle going on with cancer, swine flu, HIV/AIDS, and other health concerns…

Be still and know that I am God.

For the times when we cannot tell which way we are going…to our children’s practices, church groups, civic meetings, job responsibilities, visiting relatives, overtime, and preparing for the holidays (they’re closer than you think!), or when you feel like that world is crashing in around you…

Be still and know that I am God.

My prayer for myself and for you is that today, tomorrow, and the next day that we will take time to quiet ourselves and know that God is God- that God is in control.  Because of that, we can find refuge in God’s presence.  “Be still and know that I am God.”  

Posted in Bible Thought, Faith | 1 Comment

Congratulations on 5,000!

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Steve LaMotte

Just a quick note- Katy Durec informed me that she hit the magical number of 5,000 on her visit to the blog! Katy is married to a high school and college friend of mine, Mike Durec. You can check out Katy’s blog here. It includes a lot of stories and pictures of their daughter Kendra- who is a little young than our Abbie. Congratulations Katy on 5,000! I’ll have to figure out some give-away for the 10,000 visitor!

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Overfed and Underactive

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Steve LaMotte

About seven years ago, I went to a youth ministry conference with a friend. While I was there, I purchased a book call An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus. When I read the book, it really changed the lens in which I view some of the questions I have about the church, leadership, and my role as a pastor. For the past six months, our staff at Avenue has been reading various books in order to help us rethink church- since that is our new United Methodist slogan (hopefully it will be more than that). Each staff person has recommended a book. As you may have guessed, An Unstoppable Force was my contribution.

For our staff meeting this week, we read the first 30 pages or so and set aside some time to discuss some of Erwin’s thoughts. There was one thought that really has stuck with me this week. McManus said that in some of our churches, the problem is not undernourished Christians- its that we have overfed Christians who do not exercise (practice) their faith. This really made me pause for reflection. He cites that about 60% of the US population is considered obese. While undernourishment is certainly a health problem, so is overnourishment. They both lead to sickness and even death. Our problem with obesity in America is often an issue of a lack of physical activity (and poor diet habits- we consume too much of some things like sugar and carbs and do not have a healthy balanced diet.)

In our churches and our world, there are certainly people who are starving for the Gospel. They are starving for an encounter with God. Yet our churches are also full of people who consume everything they can spiritually and fail to put their faith into action. They fail to exercise their faith. Whatever they consume in church, bible study, small group, etc. becomes spiritual fat rather then lean spiritual muscle that is useful for building up God’s Kingdom.

How are you exercising spiritually? Do you just show up to church on Sunday morning to consume and let it go to your “spiritual hips?” Or have you develped a plan that keeps your spiritually fit? Are you putting your faith into practice or just sitting on the sidelines?

God, help us to exercise our faith this week. To do more than just consume. Let us be an active part of Your body. Let us be Your hands and Feet to a world that is in need of You. Amen.

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5,000!

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Steve LaMotte

Someone who views this blog next will be visitor number 5000 in the last year. That’s pretty exciting! Thanks to everyone who reads what I write. Thanks to those of you who enter into dialogue with the post. It makes it worth writing when is births dialogue. There will be new post coming- hopefully one later this week. Thanks again for all your support!

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Young Clergy and the United Methodist Church

Posted on September 11, 2009 by Steve LaMotte

I’ve been meaning to write this post for about a week, but seminary just started back up and I’ve been watching Abbie all week since our daycare is closed. So here we go…

I followed a link from the United Methodist Young Clergy page to a study done by the Lewis Center at Wesley Theological Seminary regarding the number of young clergy (under 35) in the United Methodist Church. (You can find the report here) The statistics are rather disheartening as someone who is in the ordination process in the UMC. This particular study tracked Elders (and those commissioned yet in their probationary/provisional period) under 35 and gave a break down of each conference. Let me give you some of the statistics from the report- with some thoughts afterwards.

According to the report…

  • 5.21% of Elders are under the age of 35. This is a decrease of almost 10% since 1985 (15.06%).
  • As of 2008, there were 910 Elders under 35. In 1985, that number was 3219.
  • In 2007, there were 40,100,000 young adults age 25-24, with only 876 Elders in that same age range…a ration of 1 Elder for every 45,000 Young Adult.
  • In 2006, there were 26,083 Pastoral charges and 881 Elders under 35. A ratio of 1 Elder under 35 for every 30 churches.
  • In my conference (Peninsula-Delaware), as of 2008 there were 2 Elders under the age of 35, comprising of 1.08% of our ordained/commissioned clergy. (I believe that number went up to 4 for 2009)

The report list some other denominations statistics for ordained clergy under 35 and the Methodist Church is not alone in this. Only two denominations report that more than 10% of their ordained clergy is under 35 (Church of the Nazerene, Reformed Judaism).

Linked to this issue, I believe, is our feeble attempt at reaching out to college age/young adults in meaningful ways and inviting them to be apart of the Kingdom of God. I’ve heard it said that a pastor can generally connect with people 10-15 years older and younger than themselves. That could be true as the average age of our ordained Elders is 52- many may have difficulty connecting culturally, relationally with those younger than 35.

So what can we do?

  1. More Young Clergy: To this I will say yes, and no. On the yes side- The United Methodist Church (and the Christian Church as a whole) needs more young clergy to help effectively share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world around them. People need to hear this Gospel from their peers- and most importantly, see it lived out from someone their age that they can relate too. Having more young clergy in pulpits and in leadership can be inviting to a young adult who is exploring his/her faith.

    Certainly seminary takes time to go through- but the entire length of the ordination process is too long. I started at 26 and will be lucky to be ordained by the time I am 35. Many young pastors are burnt out on the process and by their poor placements in charges that are not willing to allow creativity and passion to be evident.

  2. On the “no” side of this answer- it takes much more than having younger clergy to reach a world who are thirsting for the living waters of Christ. I have heard (in my annual conference and on blogs/websites) that more young clergy is the way to solve our lack of young adults persuing their faith in the church. It’s brought up like a cure-all. This is false thinking. As a denominational level, I feel that we are very much stuck in the 1980’s or 1990’s in our thinking (maybe in earlier than that). We have failed to keep up with the cultural changes that have taken place.

    Since our newest slogan is ReThink Church- we must be willing to really rethink how we go about our ministries. I fear that this is just a catching tagline that the UM marketing department has developed rather than the heart of our leaders in our General and Annual Conferences. In my own conference, I have seen very little dialouge on what it means to rethink church as clergy.

    If we were able to Rethink Church; If we were able to live Church as a verb- people (including Young Adults) would be attracted. It happened in Acts when the Holy Spirit came upon those gathered in the Upper Room. They lived life differently and people noticed and wanted to join in because of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. If that was the case today- we would see more people of all ages seeking to live out their faith, and in turn, have more people (of all ages) desiring to serve God through (but not limited to) ordained ministry.

I pray for myself and my brothers and sisters who are pursuing ordination that we would not lose our passion. That we would have the strength and courage to rock the boat, to go against the flow, and to seek to allow God to work through us in ways that we could never imagine.

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