“Ahh here we are, October. One of my favorite and least favorite months. I love that it turns cool and fall arrives, the crispness of the air and the aura of contemplative reflection that it inspires. I hate that it is Pastor Appreciation Month.”
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Did the Romans Swipe Left or Swipe Right?
“And now, in the darkness, having spent the day surrounded by silence, the weight of this transition is sitting heavy on me. I have texted some friends, and in the course of that exchange, I realized how much my pep talks about this pastoral transition sound like eHarmony commercials. I am trying to sell myself on the success and longevity of relationships that start online. And once I made that connection, I could not help but think…
‘Did the people of my congregation swipe left, or swipe right?’”
The Weird Goodbye and the Long Hello
“The truth of the matter is, we cannot predict the emotional and spiritual effect this transition will have on us or on our people. These are untested waters.”
If One More Person Tells Me I Need to Take Care of Myself…
“And yet in this vicious cycle we find ourselves in, well-meaning people keep telling me I need to take care of myself. I know they intend it to be kind and caring, but just telling me to take care of myself at this point is starting to feel like a condescending lecture. Or like they want me to add one more thing to my to do list. Even God’s word is starting to feel condemning. Yeah, I know I need to Sabbath! But who knows what day it is anymore, much less which is the seventh one, and when exactly is all this rest supposed to happen?”
Driving in Dallas (A Metaphor for this Year's Pastoral Transitions)
“There are many skills you pick up as a Dallas driver, but perhaps the most useful was the fine art of hitting the brake and the gas at the same time.”
Buying a Field from Prison
“I am not unique this year. Many of my friends who are in pastoral transitions are confronting realities like this when it comes to where they will live. Some have had Facetime tours of parsonages or homes that they are buying. Several of us have signed leases based on pictures. Some of us have at least seen the outsides of where we are going, and a few have taken masked and gloved tours. But these are all strange leaps of faith we are taking.”
Coping with Change
“As you face any kind of change in your life, be it a very weird pastoral transition like we face this year, or really any significant life altering event, these means of coping will help you make it through. “
Hey! Anybody Listening?!?! (aka Pastoral Transitions 2020)
“I was in a meeting of church developers and I raised the question as to what people were doing for pastors transitioning to a new church this year. At first there were crickets. Then someone spoke up and said roughly that they were moving their usual face-to-face meeting to an online option. I pushed back.”
Covenant Between St. Nicholas and the Apostles of the Church
“And for those of you with children who have wondered why your Christmas season is different from others, perhaps reading this translation of this ancient document will help them understand. Also, I am sorry for all of the big and complicated words, but it is a legal document. Please explain to your children as best you can in a way they will understand. As a translator, I must stick to the actual words. And to all of you who serve as pastors and your families, this is my gift to you. Merry Christmas!”
Remain Until You Leave
It is the only way we survive this life. You see, we are asked, expected, to love people deeply. And then a day comes, like ripping a bandaid off, when we stop loving that group of people and turn around and start loving another group of people, just as deeply. I know the theology behind this. I know the discipline, and it is a discipline I am called to. But that doesn’t make the reality any easier to live. So when we know we are leaving, we have to start giving ourselves the space we need to survive this life. We have to start making the transition from one people to another.