pastorjayban’s weblog

i don’t have a very big yard…maybe a quarter of an acre…not really sure. i was excited that it was small enough that it could mow it and enjoy it as a fun outdoor lawn activity, but not so large i’d dread mowing it as a chore. i always enjoyed mowing the yard as a teenager, because we had a yard large enough to use a riding lawnmower and it provided great thinking and reflection time. i was so happy the day i got to ride it and mow it by myself. previous to that time, dad would finish mowing and then let me practice driving it around the yard. this slowly progressed into finishing the yard after he did the outer edges and tough corners, to me being able to do the entire yard alone. because i started doing this before i was driving a car, i would even practice parking the mower as if i were parking a car. silly me.

anyway, when i moved into my home here in greater Advance, NC, (and btw, that’s pronounced AD-vance, with the emphasis on the first syllable, with both ‘a’s being pronounced like the ‘a’ in ‘apple,’ and adding a southern drawl), i was happy to have a yard to mow. funnily enough, even though my mailing address is Advance, i don’t actually live in Advance…it is 4 miles or so to the south. the tornadoes that ripped through davie county a week and a half ago (while i was at montreat) went through Advance itself. so, i think i live in the middle of a nameless nowhere in davie county, which borders forsyth county, which is where i work. but, i digress…

for the previous 14 years, i had not lived in a house that required mowing…i either lived in a dorm, fraternity house, apartment, or town home during those 14 years. no mowing. as i moved here, i knew i needed to buy a mower. i decided that in our green twenty-first century world, i would try to purchase something environmentally friendly. i looked into electric mowers, having used one once during the summer i spent in washington state. affordability would be an issue. but then i was excited to discover that i could purchase one of those old-timey “reel” mowers…i didn’t know they still made them…or re-started making them.

actually, several companies make them and they are available at several stores. i found a used one at the chattanooga sears parts & repair store (which i recommend those stores for any major appliance purchase, and other hit-or-miss tools & entertainment purchases…great deals on out-of-season, previous season, used/refurbished, and scratch & dent stuff). but i digress…

i got a “reel” mower for $30, i think, if memory serves me correctly. it would have been about $80 new. sears made two models at that time (in 2006): an 18-inch and 21-inch (i think). i have the 18-inch, and i LOVE it! it cuts so smoothly and cleanly…the wheels of the mower do not leave trails as distinct as traditional push mowers…it is lighter weight…and, my neighbors favorite feature, it is much MUCH quieter. i look forward to using it. but, there is a catch…you have to have real grass.

growing up, i never had grass in my yard. we were just lucky the majority of it was green. my yard pretty much looked like the salad you get at restaurants…you know, with the purple leaves, and the yellow stringy things, and the yellow-green skinny leafy thorny-looking things, and the green broad-leaf things that look like they should have dandelions attached to them. yea…but now, i bought a house that where sod was laid when it was built! (not by me…can’t afford that!) so, i can use my reel mower to cut the real grass. but, that is only in the front. my back yard is half weeds, half grass…and i do not look forward to mowing the back. once the grass gets to a certain height, i can’t mow it with my reel mower…the blade guard simply pushes the tall weeds over and prevents it from running through the blades.

while i was gone to montreat, my grass grew a LOT (last time i fertilize!!!), such that i needed to borrow my neighbors mower…which they just bought an electric mower. i’ve used it once before…it is SO cool. my week was super busy, and several evenings were spent at the hospital visiting with meredith (which she is doing much better, by the way…still at the hospital, but in a regular room), resulting in my inability to borrow the mower. so, this weekend i tried to borrow it. i kept crossing with my neighbors and neither of us were home at the same time. when i returned home from a dance recital on saturday night, and drove into my driveway, my headlights no longer reflected upon the shafts of grain at the top of my foot-tall stalks of grass. someone had mowed my lawn! at first, i thought it was the elves that live in the forest, but then decided it must have been kate or sam.

sunday morning, i saw kate (who is in GOOTH) and sam (her 5th-grade brother who is excited about being in GOOTH next year) and they admitted to mowing the lawn…sam did most of the work apparantly. over cookies and lemonade on the CPC patio following worship, he said to me, “have you been to the mall?” i thought, “random,” and answered, “yes.” “have you been to the food court?” “yes.” “you know how they give you the sample of food on a toothpick?” “yes.” “when i mowed your lawn, that was just a sample.” i laughed out loud. here this 5th grader had got me with his economic prowess and has now suckered me into paying him to mow my lawn this summer! haha. i’ll have him mow it some…i’ll be traveling a lot with the GOOTH, and will need help in keeping it under control. but i’ll get my share of mowing in, too. it’s a time i enjoy to be outside and work in my yard. it fits nicely into the activities i talked about in my previous post “the one about golfing and oak hollow” where i talk about the spirituality of creation and outdoors.

speaking of outdoors, the cardinal in the window is still there all day long, chirping in at me. yay.

many of you are now aware that one of my GOOTH members is in the hospital awaiting surgery. meredith was taken to the hospital on tuesday evening, and after a battery of tests, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, surrounded by a cyst. her mother, penny, sent an email to friends and family this morning describing the current situation:

The good news is she is fine right now, just some headaches periodically. And the other good news is that all indications are that the tumor is benign, probably a craniopharyngioma (for those of you who need more information).

The bad news is that the tumor is located deep her brain between her pituitary gland and her optic nerve. The tumor itself is very small but a characteristic of these tumors is that cysts grow off of them and that is what has happened to her and that is what is causing her symptoms now.

The goal of surgery is to drain the cyst to relieve the pressure on her brain to get rid of the headaches and to get rid of the tumor so that it doesn’t “grow” any more cysts. The hard part of that is getting the tumor out without damaging surrounding structures (ie. the pituitary gland and the optic nerve).

the family is “hanging in there right now” by the grace of God and the support of friends and family. through prayer, words, and acts of encouragement, their “spirits are good,” according to penny.

after visiting with meredith several times, it seems hard to believe that she has a brain tumor and will be having a craniotomy tomorrow. one wouldn’t know that she has this tumor in her head by her outward appearance. she is fully alert, fully competent, fully dressed, and unhooked from all the monitors. so many of her friends came to visit today. she said it was like an all-day party. she is the life of the floor. when a couple of her friends came in late this afternoon, all they had to say at the nurses’ station was, “we’re looking for m-” before the nurses pointed over their shoulder and said, “that’s her room.” all the nurses know who meredith is. she has so many people praying for her and offering encouragement…in the midst of this major surgery, God has placed her among a thousand angels to look after her and lift her up on their wings.

please pray for meredith and her parents and sister. because of meredith’s current pre-surgical state, it is difficult to grasp that this is a life-changing event. while the prognosis and hope are that meredith will fully recover from the surgery, this is still a big event in her young life that will forever mark a period of struggle. she is currently a member of our confirmation class and will miss joining the church with her fellow confirmands this sunday. but i know that this event will not keep her from completing her confirmation journey and joining the church at a later date. her class has pledged to stand with her on her confirmation date in the future as a sign of their solidarity with her in faith.

i am so glad to have her as a part of GOOTH and of the confirmation class. she is a bright, sharp, quick youth with a thirst for learning and a faith that is ever-growing. i know this surgery will mark a moment of struggle in her life, but i also am confident that she will grow in faith as a result of it. both at GOOTH and in confirmation class, we have talked about how our faith journeys are made up not only of “mountain-top” and other high experiences, but also of the deep valleys and struggles of our lives. it is in our doubts and our fears that our trust and confidences are built up.

please join me and our church family in praying for meredith and her family. as penny also said in her email:

Again, the power of Christian love in a crisis is a miraculous thing. In my 24 years taking care of people in crisis, I have seen it so many times and now have the opportunity to experience it. While I would rather my family not have to go through this and with everything in me wish that my Meredith didn’t have to go through this, I know that God will grow us all and one day perhaps we can look back on this day and see the lesson learned.

CPC’s youth group (GOOTH) has entered the video contest at ymiLIVE.org, an initiative of the PC(USA) Foundation Group. the top 3 winners of the contest are awarded a $25,000 endowment for use with their youth ministry.

we finished the video last week at GOOTH – practicing it during one sunday night program, and filming the video during a second. i’ve never been part of a faster musical production! thanks to Ian and Brittany for editing the final video and posting it to the site.

the objective of the contest is to create a video that interprets micah 6:8

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

we chose to do our video in the style of high school musical, and change the words to fit our interpretation of the passage. we hope that you enjoy the video!

to watch the video, one must register at ymilive.org. ANYONE can register as a “supporter” and vote for the video and show support for GOOTH. You need to vote before June 1! Here is what you need to do…

Go to http://www.ymilive.org/
Click on the “Register” tab on the right side of the page
Enter your information (first name, last name, email, and choose “I am a supporter”)
Click “Get Started”
Enter the additional information it asks for
(a “handle” is like a screen name)
Click “Register Now”
You should see a screen that tells you to check your email for a confirmation email with link
Check your email for the email from “ymiLIVE Support”
Click on the link in the email
Sign into ymiLIVE, browse, and vote!!!

you can do a search for our video, OR you can click on “videos” at the top (clicking on “vote” will only show you the rules for voting), then go to page 6 of the videos. find ours, click on it, and then click “cast your vote” on the right side of the page.

We have 59 votes so far, but we need many more! EVERY email address can be registered and cast a vote So, vote all you can!

thanks for your help and support!

what a week i had at montreat! the weather was perfect last week…bright sunshine, clear air, gentle breeze, mild temperatures…montreat at its finest.

if you aren’t sure what ARW is, it is the Annual Recreation Workshop which is held the first week of may in montreat. for more about ARW, visit www.recreationworkshop.org. this is my 8th workshop, and i hope i never miss another one. for more about montreat, a conference center of the presbyterian church (usa), please visit www.montreat.org.

the two classes i’m taking this year are Games Galore and Breaking Bread Together. every morning, we play 2 hours of games of all sorts. i’ve learned some new techniques, tips, and variations on games i know, and a whole bunch of new games. i was also introduced to using common objects for game props…from climbing cords to doggie toys. i can’t wait to get back and try them out with my youth group (aka GOOTH!).

in my second class, we baked many types of breads! it was so much fun! yeast breads, corn meal tortillas, muffins, wheat breads, flat breads, biscuits, scones…we made much more than i imagined we would…including the communion bread for the closing worship service. i’m so excited about trying out the recipes again. i went out yesterday and bought a new pizza baking stone…we used one for baking many of the breads last week…it is a great way to cook.

recreation is an important part of ministry. God gave us our bodies and the joy of play as gifts of creation. playing games together, cooking together, eating together, sharing stories together – these all help to build up the body of Christ in the world. Jesus was a hungry dude…he was constantly eating in the gospels! and what was one of the first things Jesus did after the resurrection? he ate! he broke bread. he cooked fish. he served his disciples as host. the cooking class helped reinforce the tools of hospitality that i’ve learned growing up. i hope to be able to pass those along to others through the art and ministry of cooking.

i was reunited with many old friends and made many new friends as well. friends from california, to florida, to canada, to mexico, to haiti, to ireland were gathered together at Montreat last week…we’re all a part of the body of Christ…and we all enjoy the gift of play and hospitality.

take some time to play this week and enjoy the gift of play that God has given you.

PS – the cardinal in the window greeted me today in my first day back in the office after ARW!

i went golfing today with a group from clemmons presbyterian church. we have a regular golf outing scheduled for the first saturday of every month, where any number of members and friends join to play a round of golf and enjoy some fellowship, amidst a bit of friendly competition. of course, the biggest competition is always between pastor bill and roger.

i’ve played golf for about 20 years. well, let me back up. i first played golf about twenty years ago. i’ve been playing on an inconsistent basis ever since. i’ve always enjoyed playing, even though i am terrible. but there is something about the game that keeps my interest. could it be the fellowship with the rest of my foursome? could it be the thrill of driving the golf cart? or, could it be that i enjoy being outside? i would say a little of each of those things.

at union-psce, i took a course on educational theory. our final project was to construct a theory and write a paper to defend it. the opening excerpt, which stated my question and rationale, read:

Can the church offer spiritual guidance that encourages young people to seek God during the “quiet times” of one’s day? Can the church find ways to encourage a disciplined, committed, and inspiring spirituality in the busy lives of young people? I believe the answer is, “Yes.”

The purpose of Christian Education is to enrich the lives of people with the love of God. A more specific purpose of Christian Education is to offer young people a practical way of introducing or re-introducing God to one’s life as one walks along one’s faith journey, as well as making spiritual practices and prayer accessible. The challenge that churches face is encouraging young people to look into one’s busy life and finding quiet time. Practical spiritual practices can be introduced into this time, so that one will in turn weave God and God’s love into the larger fabric of one’s spiritual journey. The thought behind the simplistic and perhaps un-prioritized way of praying that I will introduce in my practices is not meant to simplify one’s prayer life or reduce one’s commitment to God. Rather, the underlying purpose is to lay a foundation for spiritual growth. The truly theoretical part of this idea is that as young people begin to bring God along on one’s journey in those “quiet times” that currently exist in one’s busy life, a greater thirst will develop that will allow these simple prayers to develop into a more disciplined, committed, and inspiring spirituality.

I bolded the sentence that i would say is my thesis. Although the paper was written with youth and young adults in mind, the practical portion of the essay presented options that other folks could try. so why do i bring this up when i’m talking about golf? well, golf was one of the main inspirations for the theory and the paper. the short version is, i realized one day that i found myself talking to God when i was showering, brushing my teeth, driving, walking across campus, and a host of other things. i am part of a multi-tasking generation. it didn’t surprise me that i found myself talking to God – better known as praying – while i was doing other tasks. when i thought about the activities and things i’ve done in my life, i realized there were other times that i found myself praying without necessarily knowing it. one was when i used to mow the lawn; another, when i played golf. it was these two things that allowed me to expand my theory to include adult men – a group of people not necessarily known for their spiritual practices. this is what i said about golf:

Outdoor sports and activities offer a deeper level of relationship with God. Talking with God in the midst of the wonders of creation can heighten one’s appreciation, reverence, and praise for God. Golf, for example, presents many options for prayer. When driving or walking out onto the course, one can breathe a deep breath and take in the surroundings – the trees, wildlife, water, grass, sky, sun – and offer a prayer of thanks to God for these things. Thanking God for the gift of play, the gift of God’s creation, and the gift of fellowship – both with fellow Christians and with creation – is a good practice of the discipline of thanksgiving. Golf is a wonderful example of God and humanity working together. God provided the materials, and people moved them around so that a game could be played and enjoyed, without ruining the integrity of God’s creation. At each hole, one should really take a moment to look at the nature between each tee box and green. If this is not one’s first time to a particular course, look for things that may not have been noticed before. One could talk to God like a caddy and get advice on what club to hit, what angle to approach, or whether to “go for it” or “lay up.” Let golf, as well as other outdoor activities, be a way to explore God’s creation and experience humanity’s presence in it.

thinking about golf in this manner opens new possibilities to one’s game. today, i played on a course that i have never played. 10 men and 2 women from cpc met at oak hollow golf course, in high point, nc. http://www.oakhollowgc.com/index.cfm it is a unique course, in that it is situated on a peninsula stretching out into ocala lake. it offered challenges and scenery i haven’t enjoyed on a golf course. the setting of some of the holes along the banks of the lake made for beautiful scenery, as well and challenging play. let’s just say that i got to experience a number of the aspects of creation found in the golf course – trees, sand, water, tall grass, wind. but i do have to say, we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day…the sun was bright, the wind was blowing (nice to feel, but not so good for the game), the leaves have filled the branches of the trees, birds and other water fowl dotted the fairways, flowers were in bloom…a beautiful day and a beautiful course. a great way to experience God’s creation with friends.

i voted today. i live in north carolina, and the primary is next monday. but, i will be at montreat on monday, and unable to vote in my district. so, i went into downtown mocksville this afternoon to vote early.

i live in davie county, which is immediately to the west of forsyth county, which is where winston-salem and clemmons are located. i work in clemmons. davie is a rural county, but growing in places and is quickly becoming a bedroom community for winston-salem. i never go into mocksville, since i work in the other direction. but, today is a beautiful day and it gave me a chance to drive through the country…and what a pleasant drive it was. along the way to mocksville, i pass a vineyard, farms, nurseries, many old houses, and bunches of huge trees that have been around forever. although i rarely make the drive, i enjoy it when i do.

when the primaries began for this election, i didn’t think that the north carolina primary would play a significant role in the outcome of the party conventions. i figured that, as is often the case, the clear winner rises to the top well before all of the state primaries are conducted. that happened with the republican party, of which i was a registered member. when i first registered to vote at age 18, i registered republican because that was with whom my parents were registered. unfortunately for me, my 18th birthday fell between the deadline for voter registration and the november election in 1990. although it was not a presidential election, it was a gubernatorial election year in tennessee. i did not get to vote. sad. as this primary approached, i began to realize that the primary would have an impact on the election – but only in the democratic party. at the same time, i realized i’d be out of town on election day. so, i switched my party affiliation to the democratic party and looked into early voting.

i am not a very political person. in fact, as knowledgeable and experienced as i am with many things, and although i was a history teacher before becoming a pastor, i know squat about politics. i tend to avoid deep political discussions, because i can’t really participate knowledgeably beyond the surface. i tell myself that i should do research more often on the candidates and pay attention to the current events in the media…but only to the media to a certain extent. one reason i am not too political is because of the media. i hate how the media spins politics, among other things. who cares if obama’s pastor made offensive remarks? obama did not make them. obama did not condone them. so why associate obama’s character with the character of another individual? if i were to disassociate myself with everyone with whom i disagreed politically, theologically, socially, or in any other topic-ally manner, i’d not have any friends. none of us would. if the media can’t drag up stuff about obama to hold against him, don’t hold the actions of other people against him. seems silly and pointless to me.

besides the media, i’ve always disliked mudslinging politics. it’s just like commercials for competing products. i want to see why certain products are good products on their own and maybe how they contrast with others in performance. i want to be influenced by positive reasons. but i do not need to see, nor do i want to see, how the other product is inferior, bad, not up to standard, or lacking. i do not want to be influenced by negative reasons – at least from one’s point of view. if one’s product isn’t good enough to stand on its own, one should work harder at making one’s product better and showing it in a positive light. one shouldn’t make one’s product seem better by discrediting the other, relying on negative information to bolster interest. in the end, one hasn’t really said anything positive about one’s own product…one has only trashed the other. i don’t want to see candidates telling me that they are better for the position, simply because they have bad things to say about the other candidate. tell me that the candidate is better for the position because of their merit, success, ideals, innovation, foresight…whatever…anything but negative advertising for the other side. any guesses on who i voted for?

i hope you voted, or if your state hasn’t yet voted, you will use your right to vote. that is, if you are 18.

the cardinal in the window is still hanging around

i’ve got this cardinal that has been pecking at my office window for more than a week, now. he showed up last monday…crash flying right into my window. then he tried flying in a couple more times, but not from quite as far away. felicia (our dce) was even standing there when he flew into the window once. i didn’t react, so she looked at the window, startled, before looking back at me. i casually said, “oh, it’s this cardinal that’s been flying into my window all afternoon.” after giving up on flying in, he settled for sitting on the sill, pecking the window, and chirping. he hops & flies between my window, bill’s window (our head of staff), the bush outside our window, and a tree. i’m not sure why. early on, i thought maybe he was like lassie, trying to signal me to come and save timmy or something…but there are no dangers right outside my window.

several folks have been in to visit the cardinal. ok, so they come to see me, but the cardinal has been there multiple times to greet the same people. kinda weird. you can even sit in my couch by the window, and the cardinal does not fly away. he doesn’t get startled…he just sits there are looks at you. i’ve even gotten to the point that i don’t notice the chirping any longer while i’m working at my desk. it is just part of the background noise.

but, while i don’t notice every chirp any longer, i haven’t forgotten about the cardinal. i actually find myself looking over at the window every once and a while to see if he is there. i find it kinda cool that he is there. how often does a creature from creation set up home and talk to you every day?!?! i don’t know yet what he may be saying to me, but maybe someday i’ll figure it out. could it be God reminding me that spring is here and that while i spend most of my day in an office, God has created a whole playground outside for me to explore? maybe so.

i’m going to montreat next week. i hope the cardinal in the window is still hanging around when i return.