Is This the End? Hiking and Sailing!

Well, it seems Boston has caught up to me at last, or will soon. Farewell, mornings of leaky waders, cold spray, and fish on a line. Goodbye, days of lazy leisure, eating ice cream at the creemie stand, and book-devouring. Adieu, crimson sunsets, nights of milky-way clarity, and smell of left-over green hanging in the air. I'll be going home in a few days to pick up where I left off with school, youth ministry, and living in the city. As restful as Vermont has been, I have been looking forward to going back to the place that has once again become home. The first time, in 2004, I left kicking and screaming. This time, I can't wait to see what God will do back in the city.

The past few days have seen me struggling through false starts on several writing tasks I've had to work on. Lesson planning, while going, is taking longer to get into than I had hoped. There are youth-ministry tasks, like planning sermons for our summer youth retreat and youth-director search committee stuff, which are waiting for my full and undivided attention. That is not to say the time has been wasted-- it's just that I know what I'll need to spend more time on once I get back to Boston.


Besides writing, I got to take a sailing trip with Pastor Bob this week. The sky was a little overcast, but the wind was good. We sailed all day out to a bay in New York, sailing on a beam reach the whole way down. Once there, we took the dinghy out and did some bass fishing-- getting some strikes, but hooking none. After eating some dinner and reading, we went to sleep in the cabin. Not long after I had closed my eyes, I heard splashing in the bay. I tried to ignore it, but as the night wore on, the splashing became incessant-- up to 100 splashes per minute. Sometimes they sounded like swooshes on the water. At other times, it was like somebody was slapping the surface. I knew they were fish, but I started to wonder if Champ, the Loch-Ness Monster of Lake Champlain was behind the ruckus. Unable to sleep, I got up and left the cabin. That's when I saw it: all around me were huge ripples of bass or lake trout rising out of the lake, jumping and feeding on minnows in the night. It was amazing! Perhaps even more amazing was the fact that I threw several lures into the lake and caught not one single fish! Exasperated, I tried to go back to sleep, but sleep refused to come for very long. At 4AM, I got up, untied the dinghy, and rowed out to catch me some fish. Sadly, I caught but one 11 inch small mouth bass, and none of the monsters that were harassing me all night long. Still, we had pancake and fish fillets for breakfast that morning before going home. Shortly after breakfast, we hoisted anchor, raised sails, and set course for our bay in Vermont. It was a beautiful, sunny day, with just enough wind for us to make good time back home. In between taking the helm, I took a nap on the bow. And, no, we did not run into pirates.

Also, this past weekend, I got to hike Mt. Mansfield (Vermont's tallest mountain@ 5,000ft) with my friends Mike and Kristen. I must be getting better at this, because the last time I hiked this mountain it took two full days. This time, we did it in one afternoon with no food and a little bit of water!

Return to VAC!

I had the opportunity to give a sermon this past weekend at Vietnamese Alliance Church in Dorchester. I hadn't really had a chance to be back to teach ever since I helped to bring Kyle, their English pastoral minister, on board. I remember nights of praying and hours of working, wondering if God would ever send the right person our way. The hardest part of being on the search committee was knowing that our time was limited. As almost a year passed and May came around, our core team was growing, but Duy-- one of the main planters of the English Service-- was leaving. That left me as the only other "older" Christian guy on the team and I knew I would be leaving in July. We spent a lot of time praying, meeting candidates, being disappointed, and then finally having our prayers answered. There were moments when we were afraid it wouldn't happen because of logistics; but in the end, God showed us that it was, indeed, his plan for Kyle to lead the congregation through the second chapter of E.S.

In any case, it was amazing being back. Kyle had asked for me to preach on the importance of serving in the Body of Christ. I took John 13 for my text-- "Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet." A couple of points from that sermon: Serving as a "footwasher" is one way we proclaim the gospel because footwashing was a micro-illustration of Jesus' redeeming work (glory-->humilty--> serving--> redemption--> glory); lack of serving often indicates a lack of understanding the magnitude of Christ's servanthood for us; to serve others in the spirit of Christ, we must first allow ourselves to be served by Jesus' washing of our feet and other embarassing parts.

What struck me, as I looked out on the congregation that I used to help lead and teach, was how many more people were there. It used to be that we were a congregation of about 18 people, most of whom served in some way, and most of whom were teens or college aged kids. Their numbers on that Sunday were 40 people, including adults and youth-- and that wasn't including many people who were on vacation! Praise God! I could see how God was drawing newcomers from churched and unchurched backgrounds. I even met a guy who was not a Christian previously, but was convicted of his need to go to church through VAC's website! It's exciting to see a church grow-- and I know those who are in it would not necessarily say they are doing great, but from a distance, I see changes and evidence of the Holy Spirit working.

Perhaps the most fun part of going back was getting to play drums with the worship team that I helped to develop over the course of 2 years. This time though, it was one of the youth that was leading and I was just following along. Things weren't perfect, but it closely resembled how I had hoped the worship team would look after I left.

A year later, and I still miss being there week to week.

Cold River Trout

Last week, I got to take an all day fishing trip out on the Cold River. Fishing with a guy named Stever, I caught 18 fish-- some small as my middle finger and some so large I had a hard time holding them with both hands. The largest was an 18'' Brown Trout (below), but the most exciting was the 16'' Brook Trout (above) because of its coloration and the fact that Brookies generally don't get much bigger than your hand. There was one more pretty big fish that I caught (not pictured). There was a pocket of still water across some fast current, so I casted out there, knowing I'd only have a brief window of opportunity for a strike because of how fast the current was going. I don't think I'm boasting to say that most fishermen can't make that cast because you have to cast in such a way that your fly doesn't move despite the raging current behind it. Well, I made the cast and within a second, a got this HUGE strike. I set the hook, played the fish, and brought him in. I must say, the fish out there on the Cold River are amazingly strong fighters. The large fished averaged about 40 seconds for me to pull in.


Besides fishing, my Vermont days have been filled up, recently, with sailing, painting the church, praying for direction, star-gazing, and even a little planning and preparation for Septemeber. Do long vacations make you more rested or just lazier? I am not sure, since this is my first one since becoming a teacher.

First Hiking Trip of the Year

Last Wednesday night, during a town-wide power outage, I ended up at a random birthday party at the college. It was during that candle-light party that I met Mike and Joel, who were going on a hike the next day. Being on vacation, and having nothing scheduled to do, I took them up on an offer to go along. I didn't know anything about them, but I was more than happy to have two hiking partners.


The next day, we arranged for my car to be dropped off at the end of the trail-- the same trail that Didier and I hiked last August as an overnighter, except we would do it in one afternoon. That would be an 11 mile hike up and down two mountains that were each approximately 4000 feet high: Mount Ellen and Mount Abraham. While driving, I prayed for an opportunity to share the Gospel with both these guys.

The trail was beautiful, more so than I remembered. At one point, there was this narrow cave that we descended into. In that cave, on the floor, was a sheet of ice that had never melted all the way since the end of winter! There are things you can see, when you have the courage to crawl into a tiny crack of a vent on the side of a rock, which nobody else on earth gets to see. We also got to see a red eft, which is the colorful juvenile stage of the common spotted newt. I picked him up and held him for a while before putting him back down off the trail. Besides those sights, there were the usual compensations of summit views from several peaks.

The highlight of the hike, however, was the conversation we held throughout the 11 miles and 4,000 feet of altitude. We began talking about occupations and I mentioned being a minister might be interesting. “Oh, what kind of minister?” he asked. As best as I could, I labeled my theological and ecclesiastical bent-- Reformed, Calvinist, Evangelical, … “Oh, you’re a TULIP child?!” And that was the opportunity to talk about faith.

For three or four hours, I listened to Joel and Mike talk about their views of morality, of God, of existence. And I even allowed myself to learn from them, about ideas of how people make decisions (you should perfectly balance the three boulders of self, integrity, and the objective good of all), how humanity is moving towards collectivism, and how people are asleep most of their lives (as Emerson pointed out). It was a truly engaging and challenging discussion with some debate, but much honest evaluation from both sides.

And then Joel asked, “so what is your world-view, Horatio?” And there, with slow conviction, and with my Tilley Hat drawn to my heart, I spoke of a God of relationships, who wants people everywhere to find their greatest satisfaction and meaning in Him. I spoke of holiness and sin, of the Cross of Jesus Christ, of fear giving way to love... and the Holy Spirit spoke through me.

Joel had a hard time with the idea that people should obey some kind of authoritarian God... or that God was even relational at all. At that point, the verse from 1 John 4 came to me. "Perfect love drives out all fear." I used a common illustration: what if your wife asks you to wash the car? Do you do it because you’re afraid you won’t get dinner? Or do you do it because you love her? Nod. That conversation lasted for almost the entire duration of our hike.

"Wow, it’s been a long time since someone has given something to think about in terms of Christianity," he later confessed during dinner. "I wish I had your heart. I cultivate my soul with my head, but what you're talking about is in the heart... I'm not ready to change my mind about God yet, but I am willing to be convinced." Praise God for the opportunity and for the Spirit taking over that conversation... I'll continue to pray.

Roles of Clergy and Laity

This is probably too theoretical for most people's interest, but I have been thinking and journaling about the role of the lay leaders in the church for the past few days. Part of it comes out of wondering if I might ever be called to full-time ministry; but even if that is not the case, serving as a lay person eventually will require a correct understanding of the distinctions between ordained and lay functions. In attempt to sketch out a correct and useful understanding, I will reference 1) the recent history of the Catholic church-- where distinctions between lay and clergy have been spelled out and taught, 2) the relatively recent trend, especially in Protestant churches, to employ non-ordained ministers, and 3) also Biblical teachings on the subject of roles in the church.

In the Vatican II Council of 1962, the Catholic Church spelled out two of the ways that lay ministers can serve: the Apostolate of Evangelization and Sanctification, and Charitable Works and Social aid. In effect, these are the areas of teaching, evangelizing, witnessing, volunteering, community activism, and mercy ministries. This opened a way for non-clerical faithful could participate in the mission of the church in a way that was not possible in a pre-Vatican II church. However, a clause that made provision for lay-ministers to administer Eucharist (communion) and lead Mass in certain circumstances (persecution of the church, incapacitation of the only available priest, etc.) also opened a way for these two complementary roles to be blurred. As a result, many parishes began to allow lay people to take on roles that were part of the ordained vocation. Pope John Paul II, in May 2002, responded to this error by issuing a clarification. In it, he affirmed the unique and seperate role of ordained ministers: "sacramental," "liturgical," and "pastoral governing." The laity can assist in many ways, but its main duty is "in the world of economic, social, political and cultural realities," as a "Gospel Witness." In effect, the clergy should lead spiritually in worship and in matters of decision-making, morality, theology, vision, and liturgical rituals. Lay people can help, but should find their place in ministering to the world as witnesses.

Protestant Churches, in the mean time, often do not have a clear demarcation between lay and ordained leaders. Many churches employ ministers that are not ordained, but who are supported by the congregation nonetheless. Non-ordained ministers perform many of the same duties of ordained ministers and lead ministries-- often youth ministries or other specific "departments" of the larger church ministry. They are, however, not free to perform matrimony, to baptize, lead a worship service, or other liturgical rites. Nevertheless, they are expected to exercise spiritual authority within their departmentalized spheres. These ministers are supported by the congregation because their entire work is for the welfare of the flock, despite the fact that they are not ordained-- though in many cases these ministers are on the path towards ordination.

It is interesting that neither Catholics nor Protestants relegate preaching and teaching to the exclusive domains of the ordained minister. Lay leaders are excluded only from areas of spiritual governance and sacred rites.

1 Corinthians 12 is a scriptural basis for the claim that both laity and clergy have distinct, complementary, and essential callings. Paul speaks of the "body" of Christ. "For the body does not consist of one member but of many... there are many parts, but one body." In other words, there are different equally necessary roles for members of the church to fulfill. Paul goes on, in vs. 27-30 to list different roles: apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, healers, helpers, administrators, and tongues.

1 Timothy, on the other hand, spells out specific titles of servant-leadership positions. Paul himself is an apostle and oversees several churches that he planted. Timothy is a pastor, who is given authority to tell teachers what not to teach (and presumably what to teach, as well). Meanwhile, two roles appear for non-pastoral duties: overseers (in Titus, called Elders) and deacons. Overseers must be "able to teach" while deacons need not. In Titus, the overseer's teaching authority is relegated to what was taught to him-- presumably by Paul and Titus, the pastor. It is not clear whether Elders qualify for being "shared" with through financial support, as commanded by Paul in Galatians 6:6 for the sake of teachers. One could argue that since they are commanded only to teach what their pastors have taught them, they do no qualify.

The following is a list of what I currently see as Ordained functions and Lay functions. You can see that there are shared functions and also unique functions (italics):

What an Ordained Pastor Does
-Shepherd each Sheep—the Shepherd’s Burden*
-Set Vision and Direction*
-Command Congregation*
-Oversee Ministries*
-Minister Communion*
-Holy Matrimony*
-Visitation*
-Funerals*
-Baptize*
-Lead Worship*

-Preach and Teach
-Lead by Example
-Counsel Members
-Study the Word
-Support Lay Ministers
-Disciple
-Administration of Church Ministries
-Serve as Elder
-Pray for Congregation Members

What a Lay Leader Does

-Use Gifts to Edify the Body*
-Salt and Light of the Earth—point others to Christ *
-Submit to Clergy*
-Oversee Non-Teaching Ministries*
-Serve on Ministries under Pastoral or Lay Leadership*
-Support Ordained Pastors through Prayer and Finance*
-Financially Support Church Ministries*
-Serve as Deacon*

-Preach and Teach
-Lead by Example
-Counsel Brothers and Sisters
-Study the Word
-Support Co-laborers
-Disciple Younger Christians
-Administration of Church Ministries
-Serve as Elder
-Pray for those Under Your Care and for Brothers and Sisters
-Lead Worship in Auxiliary Role

These lists are not definitive and I welcome correction or disagreement. (Just Comment)

Perhaps the easiest way to draw a distinction is that the Clergy's role is to shepherd the flock in the church and tend to the spiritual growth of the church body. The Laity's role is to support and submit to pastors, help teach and to fully live out being Salt and Light witnesses in ways that pastoral ministers cannot. In the end, I suppose, both are servants to all, as Christ showed us, and are called to submit, one to the other. The Clergy submits to the congregation in sacrificing for its welfare. The Laity submits to the pastor in entrusting him with authority. They are complementary roles-- not necessarily hierarchical-- parts of the same body.

Pre-dawn Browns and How I Spend the Days

Sunday Morning: The cell phone rang at 5:15AM. It was my alarm that I had set the night before, reminding me to meet a fishing protege at Otter Creek. Despite a strong temptation to ditch-- late night conversation the night before-- I drove out to find... nobody at the stream side.


Nevertheless, I was out there, so I donned my gear, and trudged sleepily into the water. I was soon awakened by the spray of the waterfalls, although my Tilley Hat shielded me from most of it. Silently, I tied on a size 14 Elkwing Caddis, tested out a few false-casts, and let the fly fly. There are days when you know you'll catch fish-- and this was one of them. In the eerie stillness, there was a sudden murmur near my Elkwing. I lifted the rod, hard, and set the hook. And because fish don't scream in panic, and because dignified fishermen don't whoop in thrill, the whole ensuing struggle transpired in a heart-thumping silence that can't be found anywhere else. I caught 9 that morning before church started.



On how I spend my time:
I've received a few inquiries regarding how I spend time while on a break. It is a little strange having such a long stretch of time free from responsibilities, but I have a schedule I try to adhere to whenever I don't have another commitment.

8:00- Wake up (earlier on fishing trip days), pray, read and meditate on 1 Corinthians; shower, breakfast, study a book (Randy Alcorn or Richard Foster), make a list of things to do for the day

9:30- Walk to library and check e-mail, read news

10:15-Begin whatever planned for the day
-1 really fun thing (travel to VT towns, fishing trip, hike, visit someone)
-1 practical thing (sermon prep, blog, help someone, curriculum plan, laundry)
-1 sentimental thing (get a cremee, take a walk, go to a pub, sit in town)
-journal (setting priorities, goals, reflecting, writing down lessons)

12:30-Lunch at home or out

1:30- Continue plans for the day

5:30- Fish locally or listen to Red Sox

8:30- Dinner, possibly meet with a friend

9:30- Go to library, e-mail, check news

10:30-Return "Home" and settle in for the night.

"Home" is very plain-- a blank, corner room with 2 windows, a closet, and a simple desk. My bed is a mat on the floor, which is rolled up every morning. Its bareness is refreshing and frames my days with focus and simplicity.