Prayer of the People

Every Sunday, in addition to preaching, I lead my congregation in prayer.  The prayers I offer are much different from the ones I pray in private.  Communal prayer is, in many ways, different than personal, private prayer.  (When I was young, I sometimes tried to model my personal prayers after the prayers I heard in church.  It didn't work.)

When I write these prayers, I sometimes incorporate lines or themes from traditional prayers of the church.  Even though we are not a very "liturgical" congregation, I frequently incorporate lines like "Holy Lord, God of power and might, all of creation is full of your glory..." into my prayers.

Often, the prayers will lift up themes that are present in the sermon.  Almost always, they refer to the specific joys and concerns of the congregation, and also lift up people in various parts of the world.

Here is the prayer from last Sunday.  It does incorporate themes from the sermon (which you can read, if you wish, by following the link to the right). 

What do you think about communal prayer?  What does that part of the worship service mean to you?  If you were called to lead your congregation in prayer, what would you pray for?

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O God, we praise you. We know that there is a wideness in your mercy, wider than the sea. Your love is higher than the mountains. It is broader than even the measure of our mind. The depth of your riches and wisdom and knowledge are beyond comprehension.

How awesome you are, O God! How amazing is your love! In your goodness you have created a world of interrelated parts: one web of creation. Every lifeform is a strand on that web. Our connection to the world around us is stronger than we realize. Our very life depends on the plants and animals with which we share this planet. All are a part of the goodness and beauty of your creation.

Likewise, we are united with one another, and with all the people of the earth. You have created us all to share this world, to live in harmony with one another. You call upon us to welcome one another, just as Christ has welcomed us. Jew, Gentile, Samaritan; male, female; slave, free: all are one with you.

We pray for our brothers and sisters. We pray for those we know, in our families, our church, our circle of friends; we pray for our community, consisting as it does of a great diversity of people from almost every culture on earth; we pray for our nation, and especially for those at the margins of society: the young and the old, the poor, and the oppressed; and we pray for our world. We pray for peace among the nations. We pray for our enemies; help us to love them, for they are not as different from us as we like to pretend.

We continue to pray for the people of Japan, and we also pray for the people of Mynamar. We remember the people of Haiti. We lift up to you the people of Libya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq, as well as the many other places where violence and conflict are present.

Show us the way to peace. Show us the path to life in your kingdom. May we recommit ourselves, day after day, to the task of bringing wholeness to a fragmented world.

Amen.

Cheesy Party Crasher (Special Wednesday post)

This past weekend, my family crashed a party hosted by some folks from Tillamook cheese; but we were invited, so it was OK.

The invitation came on Saturday when we went to visit the folks from Tillamook who were giving out free samples in front of a local grocery store as part of their "Loaf Love" tour.  As soon as we walked up, and they saw my son's "Loaf Love" t-shirt, they got all excited.  (The shirt he won when he submitted a photo taken of himself the last time the tour came to town, and won a photo contest.)

My son, you see, loves cheese.  And for some reason, he has a strong preference for Tillamook.  When the folks at the tour saw what a big fan he is, they invited us to a party the following day, which the Loaf Love Tour folks were hosting for some "mom bloggers" in Orange County. 

So we stopped by.  They fed us some yummy grilled cheese sandwiches, and I promised that even though I'm not a "mom blogger," that I'd mention them here at FieldofDandelions.com. 

FTC-Mandated Disclosure: As of December 2009, bloggers are required by the Federal Trade Commission to disclose payments and freebies. Danny Bradfield did receive a free grilled cheese sandwich from Tillamook. 

Nature Walk

El Dorado Nature Center is a hidden jewel in Long Beach.  Looking at the photo, it might be hard to believe that this is in the middle of a large, urban city.  (Being there in person, and hearing the noise of a not-so-distant freeway, makes it a little easier to believe.)  On Saturday, I took my youngest son and a friend of his to hike the Center's "Two-Mile Trail."  They didn't want to go at first.  Once there, however, they didn't want to leave.

 

A Real Conversation

Someone came by the office the other day, a young man who lives down the street from the church.  He asked if the church had any Bible studies taking place.  Unfortunately I had to tell him that we do not, other than a small group of mostly older adults who meet Sunday mornings before worship for what, in a previous generation, was called "Sunday school."

This young man then asked if he could help start a Bible study group.  I did not answer him yes or no; instead I invited him to sit down and tell me more.  He accepted my invitation.

I learned that he belonged to another church on the other side of town, and I got the impression that its theology and interpretation of scripture is very different than mine and most of the members of my congregation.  He wanted to be part of a study group closer to where he lived, and when I suggested he host one at his home that was affiliated with his own congregation, he said something about wanting it to take place in a church building so that it would be spiritually blessed.  I wasn't quite sure what he meant.

I was, I admit, a little skeptical.  There were thoughts in the back of my mind that perhaps he was sent here by his church to convince us of the errors of our ways, to point out how the devil has corrupted theologically progressive folks like ourselves by leading us astray from the one true faith.  However, this young man seemed remarkably sincere in everything he said, and when I talked to him about how we interpret scripture, he listened with genuine interest.

I suggested that, before we do anything, we should take some time to get to know one another.  After all, more often than not Jesus' first response to people was to establish a relationship with them through table fellowship and other activities (much to the chagrin of the religious authority figures).  So we took turns talking and listening, and before I knew it, a good length of time passed.

It reminded me of another conversation I had many years ago.  This other conversation took place with a friend of mine as we sat on a rockly cliff overlooking a lake in the Sierra Nevada backcountry.  It began when my friend asked me with genuine interest about how I, a Christian, justified voting a certain way in an upcoming election, while he and most of the Christians he knew felt that their faith called them to vote differently.

Our conversation by the lake lasted through the late afternoon, and ended only because it was time for dinner.  It was a rare opportunity to have a real, two-way conversation, one between people who were seeking understanding rather than stubbornly trying to convince one another of the rightness of their own beliefs.

That's what the conversation with this young man felt like to me.  So I invited him to return the following week.

I often think that the world would be better if everyone thought like I do, and that the church would be better if all its members thought the way I think.  It's a smug, arrogant way of thinking, and most of the time it is done sub-consciously.

Conversations like these, however, lead me to realize that perhaps there is an even better way:  perhaps, instead of a church where everyone thinks like me, it is better to have a church where we can engage in conversations of theology and biblical interpretation in ways that are genuine and sincere; conversations in which we ask questions and then actually listen to the responses; conversations in which we have enough humility to recognize that none of us has a monopoly on the truth.

I'm looking forward to next week's visit.

Welcome to Spring!

Quality of Life

Over the years, when faced with a decision about how I want to live or how I want to raise my family, I have learned to ask myself a question.  The question I ask myself gives me clarity and helps me choose which option is the best. 

The question is:  "Will this choice add to my/our quality of life?"

This was a question I asked when my family first moved to the Long Beach area three years ago.  When we began looking for a place to live, it was important to me that it be within walking distance of where I worked.

In southern California, the conventional wisdom is that you work where the work is, and you live where you can get the best deal on a home.  (The "best deal" is defined as the most property, square-footage, and amenities that your money can buy.)  If you have to commute an hour a day between work and home, so be it.  That's the price one pays.

Well, it's not a price I was willing to pay.  It didn't seem worth it to me to have the nicest home and the best job possible if that meant spending an hour a day (245 hours per year) in traffic.  A commute like that costs $1,500 in gas per year at four dollars per gallon, which is the current cost for gas here and, coincidentally, the cost when I moved here three years ago.  That cost does not include the cost of insurance and maintenance, both of which would be substantially higher given the extra driving miles, not to mention the aggravation of dealing with traffic every day.  It also does not include the cost that we all pay by having more auto exhaust and pollution in our skies and in our lungs

For me, quality of life is also improved when I work and live in the same community.  It makes it easier to get to know one's neighbors.  Also, with two kids in school, it's so nice to be just a few blocks away from them during the day.  I can't imagine how much more complicated it would be to, say, pick up a sick kid from school or arrange for a parent/teacher conference if I wasn't so close.

We are a one-car family.  There are days when having a second car would be helpful, especially now that my wife is enrolled in a master's degree program at a school that is not walking distance, taking evening classes.  However, the cost of the car, not to mention the extra insurance, registratin, maintenance, and four dollar gas, isn't worth it to me.  It is also not worth it to me that our country sends servicemen and servicewomen into harm's way just so I can have a steady supply of cheap gasoline.  The obscene amount of resources our nation spends on the military comes at the expense of other programs and services.  Our military is increasingly being used to protect our economy but not necessarily our security.  This also does not add to my quality of life.

With only one car, we find ourselves walking and riding our bikes more.  Although my kids complain when I pick them up from school without a car, our walks home provide the best conversation of our day.  Often they are our only real conversations of the day.  How much quality of life would I be sacrificing if I drove them home, only to see them disappear into their video games (after finishing their homework, of course)?

Speaking of video games:  I guess no one is perfect.  A little over a year ago, against my better judgment, we got a Wii.  With proper limits, video games are fine, but have you ever tried setting limits for a thirteen year-old?  An endless refrain of "That's not fair!" reverberates off the walls and out into the streets.  And yet, when this same thirteen year-old plays outside, sits on the floor with his Legos, or reads a good book, he is just as happy - and often happier - then he is playing video games that are almost always designed in such a way that winning is nearly impossible.  This only adds to a teenager's sense of frustration and low self-esteem.

What big decisions are you facing right now?  A major purchase, a decision about where to live/work, or a choice about how to use your time?  Are you able to toss conventional wisdom aside, and see which choice will bring lasting happiness?  Can you determine which choice will add to - rather than subtract from - your quality of life?

Fiesta Flowers

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For the 2nd year in a row, my youngest son's cub scout pack had their spring campout on Fiesta Island in Mission Bay.  The island is covered with flowers in the spring, more flowers growing wildly than anywhere else I've ever seen. 

The older I get, the more I appreciate such beauty in nature.  The kids were content to build sandcastles and forts in the sand, knocking down any flowers that stood in their way, which makes the annual proliferation of such displays at a camp that is used exclusively by youth groups all the more amazing.

Lenten Mindfulness

With Ash Wednesday yesterday and the beginning of Lent, it seemed to me I should write about mindfulness.  Mindfulness has been on my mind lately, and the topic has found its way into this week's church newsletter article as well as next Sunday's sermon.  Before writing, however, I looked back to see when I had last written about mindfulness on this blog, and it turns out that it was during Advent.

Advent and Lent: the two seasons of the church calendar that focus on preparing/waiting/(re)turning.  The two "purple" seasons.  Clearly this is no coincidence.

As my parishioners will hear me say on Sunday, I think that the reason Jesus went out into the wilderness for 40 days is that he needed to practice mindfulness, and what better place to do that than in the wilderness, alone? 

A lot of people give something up for Lent.  Here in Long Beach, one resident is recruiting others in the city to join him in giving up different types of food and to engage in healthier practices.  It's kind of like New Year's Resolutions, but in March.

Making resolutions, engaging in practices of self-improvement, are good.  However, I don't think that's the point of Jesus' time in the wilderness, and I don't think it's the point of why people have traditionally fasted during Lent. 

Some people believe they should fast (give something up) during Lent as a reminder of what Jesus gave up; namely, his life.  Our "suffering" by abstaining from certain foods or practices is to remind us of the suffering of Jesus.

Again, I commend such practices.  However, I also don't think that is the primary reason we fast during Lent.

The primary reason to fast during Lent, I think, is to allow us to be mindful.  I discovered, back when I was a vegetarian, how much more mindful I was of what I was eating as a result.  Being a vegetarian made me think about what I was eating, and made me more thankful for the food I had.  This is in contrast to shoveling down food without even thinking about it, without even tasting it, as is common in this busy world.

Jesus went into the wilderness.  He got away from the distractions of the world, even the distraction of food.  This, I'm sure, made him very mindful.

Have you decided to give something up for Lent?  I pray that it may make you more mindful, more aware, of your place in the world and of your connection to God.

If you want to hear more, come to worship this Sunday, or read my sermon online - it will be posted Sunday afternoon.  You can find it by following the link at the top of the right-hand column.

Blue

Spent the day with some friends over the weekend at the beach.  We stayed until after sunset, and although I took a number of pictures that zoomed in to get the oranges and reds, my favorite picture is this one, which shows the incredibly deep blue of the sky above.

Bicycle-friendly Communities

The City of Los Angeles has just approved a new master bike plan, to make the city known for it's traffic congestion more bike-friendly.  Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says that the plan features thousands of miles of new bike lanes and a new emphasis on bike safety.

Meanwhile, here in Long Beach, the self-proclaimed "most bicycle-friendly city in the nation," I got a call from my councilmember last month asking me if my church would like a bike rack installed in front on the sidewalk.  I had planned on looking into this, and was surprised that someone called me before I could call them!  I even got to choose the design of the bike rack.  There were three pages of designs to choose from; I choose one that looks like a fish.

I bike to church every day (except Sunday, when I walk there and ride home in the car with the family after worship).  In the evenings, folks coming to church for scouts or karate lessons (kids, mostly) often ride their bikes, and line them up in the hallway.  It makes sense to have a bike rack installed in front of the church, especially if the city is paying for it.  Since most people enter the church from the back (where the parking lot is), it would make sense for us to get a bike rack there as well, although the church would probably need to pay for that one.

Yesterday I rode my bike to visit a member who had been in the hospital, and is now in a nursing home/rehabilitation center that, according to their website, is the "closest skilled nursing facility to the ocean in Long Beach."  Being close to the ocean means that it isn't exactly close to church; round trip ended up being about fifteen miles, although I didn't exactly take the short way home.

The weather forecast included a 10-20% chance of rain.  I left home at 7:00 and headed to Portfolio's Coffee Shop, which I had never been to before.  I often spend Wednesday mornings at a coffee shop near the church, drinking green tea and reading and/or sermon-writing, but decided to try a new place since it was near the nursing facility. 

There are no bike routes that would take me directly to where I wanted to go.  I guess Long Beach still has a ways to go to be bike-friendly.  However, Walnut Avenue is wide and has less traffic than other streets, so I used that for most of the 4.5 miles to the coffee shop.  The sky was mostly clear and the air was not as cold as it had been the previous few mornings, so it was a nice ride.  And drivers were, for the most part, curteous.

When I left Portfolio's, the sky was overcast, but the clouds did not appear too dark.  It was only a few blocks to the nursing facility, although on my way I did pass a gas station and noticed that the price of gas was now almost four dollars per gallon. 

I had a nice visit with a member who was recovering from a broken hip.  After visiting with her, I grabbed a bite to eat at a nearby Taco Bell, then bought some loose-leaf green tea for home from a store a block away. 

Going home, I had two options.  I could go back the way I came, which was more direct but included many stop signs and a climb up and over Signal Hill; or, I could go to the beach, and take the bike route that went along the beach and up the L.A. River, a route almost twice as long, but which had almost no stop signs and, well, was along the beach. 

I chose the beach route.  I rode past the grandstands that are being erected for next month's Grand Prix race, and pedaled my way past the Aquarium of the Pacific.  As I did, I felt two drops of rain, but that was it.  Then I followed the bike path up the L.A. River and back home.

How long was I on my bike?  Maybe 90 minutes total.  If I had driven, I probably would have been in the car 40 minutes total, a good 15 of those minutes just looking for a place to park, given that I made four stops.  But bike riding is healthy.  It's cheap.  It's good for the environment.  It takes you places cars can't go (like along the beach).  And it's fun.

I hope Long Beach and Los Angeles continue to become more bicycle-friendly.  There is still work to be done.  Some motorists have no patience for cyclists, and many cyclists either don't know or ignore laws and safe cycling practices.  Actually, despite what some cycling advocates say, I find that most motorists are actually quite curteous in regards to cyclists (although there is still that minority who are more hostile).  Given how often some cyclists ride on the wrong side of the street or dart back and forth between sidewalks and roadways, I certainly can't complain about the treatment I get from motorists. 

With more bicycles there will be less traffic congestion, less pollution, less reliance on fossil fuels, and healthier communities.  What's not to like?

Work Crew

I am both the parent of a boy scout and the pastor of the church that is this particular troop's sponsoring organization.  The troop is becoming quite well known in the community for its service projects, which have brought quite a bit of landscaping to the streets of our neighborhood.  Last weekend, another one of the scouts organized a project to fulfill one of the requirements for Eagle Scout.