Wednesday July 23rd in the Year of Our Lord, 2008.

Hey Folks,

Here are just a few random thoughts tossed together...more 'blog-esque' than I usually am, I think...

Romans 14:13 says “Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother [or sister].” (English Standard Version) I tend to spend a lot of time talking about things pertinent to your personal faith journey...but this scripture verse reminds me that you also need to be sensitive of the faith journey of others.

I'm writing this blog update from the staff retreat. We are at Rev. Vicki's lake house, planning out the preaching topics and hymns for the next year. 'Nuff said about that.

Be aware of and pray for those dealing with hurricane Polly in Texas, please.

A lot of speculation about who McCain and Obama will choose for their running mates. It brought a question to mind...who would Jesus choose as his vice presidential running mate? Well, let's first look at how people go about choosing running mates. One way is to choose someone who is strong where you are weak. For instance, If the candidate is popular in the northeast and the midwest, he or she might want a candidate from the south. Or if the candidate doesn't have a lot of, say foreign diplomacy experience, he or she might want a running mate with a strong background in that field. Some think that you want a running mate with some name recognition and/or gravitas. Some think (particularly in this election, on the Democratic side) that a close primary contest means that the loser should be the running mate. But how do we apply any of these criteria to Jesus? No one has better name recognition, he doesn't have any weak spots to round out, and he has all the experience he needs. He is the total package. I suppose there is one other running mate criteria...personal compatibility. If the candidate and the running mate are polar opposites, then it makes for a pretty bumpy presidency. If haven't figured out where this is headed, let me make it explicit: Jesus would be picking you as his running mate. There's no one who is more wants to be with you more than He.

Peace, and have a good one.
Kevin

PS In the Roman Catholic tradition, today's saint is St. Bridget of Sweden (see pic). Go here for more information.

Bishops and such...

Greetings my friends,

There is much going on...here are some highlights:

-The Lambeth Conference of the Episcopal Church has just kicked off. This is a once a decade meeting of all the bishops of the Anglican Communion. Ya see, there are several churches (Episcopal Church, Church of England, United Church of Canada, etc.) that all operate independently but are part of this larger organization – the Anglican Communion. Once every ten years, all the bishops in the larger organization get together, smile a lot, pray, and debate the issues of the day. Some suggestions and decisions come out of it, but ultimately the individual churches are still more or less free to do what they want...it's almost like the UN I guess, but with funny hats and robes.

-Speaking of Bishops, the Northeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church just elected a new Bishop. It was Rev. Peggy Johnson from the Baltimore-Washington Conference. Our own Rev. Vicki was once of the candidates in the running! The Jurisdiction's loss is our gain, and Rev. Vicki will continue to be our pastor here in Bridgewater for a time longer (hurray!).

-Since we're on the topic of bishops...here's some fast facts. During medieval times, the Church found the use of the bishop as a chess piece to be blasphemous. So for a time the piece was changed to be a court jester. The current bishop of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of the UMC (that's this conference!) is Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar (see pic). The denominations that have bishops are: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, United Methodist, Lutheran, Assyrian Church of the East, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (and perhaps others...there are LOTS of denominations out there). Joey Bishop was an entertainer who was part of the “Rat Pack” with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Peter Lawford (see pic).

Oh, and I do have one non-Bishop piece of news...I've gotten engaged! My fiancee, Jill, is a seminarian at Princeton, and we're both happy and excited about entering this new stage of our relationship (see pic). We haven't set a date yet, but we are looking at the summer of 2010.

That's all for now my friends. Be well.

Peace,

Kevin

We Are All Integral Pieces of Life's Puzzle

I’m sure you’re aware of who Stephen Hawking is…and if you aren’t, you should be - stop texting the person next to you and look him up. He is one of the top minds in the world, and has been for decades. His brilliance is off the charts, and his career has been astounding. It is made even more so because he has spent most of his adult life bound to a wheelchair and unable to speak with his voice. But, that hasn’t stopped him from aiding humanity and furthering our understanding of how the universe works…it also hasn’t stopped him from experiencing weightlessness. Those of us who are not otherly-abled typically figure that people with his condition (Motor Neurone Disease and Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis) need our help more than we need their help. But Stephen Hawking breaks that mold for us. He is an example of a universal truth: each one of us plays an important part in the world, regardless of who we are or our life circumstances.

This truth is illuminated brightly in places such as L’Arche communities. These are intentional communities where people who are otherly-abled live side by side with those who are not. These two groups learn from each other – they are not simply caretaker facilities.

It is when we realize our interdependence with others, on multiple levels, that the presence of God becomes that much more tangible. Be well my friends.

Peace,

Kevin

Pittsburgh Mission Trip: Canceled

Well folks, I have an unfortunate announcement to make: the mission trip to Pittsburgh Aug 3-9 has been canceled. Not enough people signed up. I can't wait until the last minute and then cancel, because that would leave the folks organizing things out in Pittsburgh in a lurch. By letting them know now that we can't make it, the impact on them will be much less. I wish we could have pulled this off, because there are needs to be addressed out there, plus it would have been fun and we would have learned a lot.

So, in the wake of this decision, I have a plan B…and the B stands for Blood. Let's donate blood on August 16th. August 17th will likely be my last day at BUMC, so the 16th would be a nice opportunity to see you before I go. We can take one of the church vehicles down to the donor center in Princeton in the morning, all donate blood, and then get lunch somewhere. There will be details surrounding the event in a later blog post and email and Facebook event. This is something that I will need to have a rough estimate of the number of people who will donate, so let me know if you are interested as you receive the info. This is open to college folk and older young adults alike.

That's all I have to report. Now I'm off to Kentucky for a friend's wedding. I'll be back on Sunday. Have a good rest of your week, and know that I pray for you from time to time. I will be checking email probably daily, and of course my cell is always with me (BUMC has the number if you don't).

Grace and Peace,
Kevin