Reflections of a Running Reverend

This is the fourth day since General Conference 2016 adjourned. Many reflections have been offered since. I would like to add my voice to the mix.  After the sudden turn of events at the beginning of the second week of General Conference, this scripture came to me: He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13, NRSV) Elijah was on the run. He had just defeated 450 prophets of Baal i...

The 2016 General Conference of the United Methodist Church convenes in exactly a week from today. While it may be purely coincidence and totally unplanned, I think it is significant to note that the Sunday in the middle of the two weeks of General Conference is the Day of Pentecost. So, just as the disciples gathered together behind locked doors prayerfully awaiting the coming of the promised Holy Spirit, so I approach General Conference with this prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, Come! Move in our General Conference. Move in our United Methodist Church. We acknowledge that we are not of one mind on many issues. Empower us to "speak in tongues" of love and grace, enabling us to transcend our many differences that we may come together around what truly matters, making disciples of Jesus Christ who will transform the world. May we be sensitive to where your wind is blowing and follow where you lead. May our hearts be ablaze with the passion that burns i...

I've lived in Alaska for almost 8 years now but the changing of the seasons still fascinate me. Until we moved up in 2008, I had lived all my life in the Philippines where the only seasons are wet (rainy) and dry (summer). We had none of the changing of the colors and the subsequent shedding of leaves in autumn. We didn't have snow and winter although the temperatures did get a relatively cooler. One could say that we lived in an eternal hybrid season of spring and summer.  One of the things that I continue to marvel about, because I've never seen it before coming to Alaska, is the budding of the trees. After "dying" in the fall and remaining "dead" all winter, the trees are beginning to show signs of new life, of resurrection, if you may. So fascinated am I with this cycle of death and new life that I have probably written an article or preached a sermon about it every year for the past 8 years! It is such a great metaphor for our lives as Christian d...

Sunday, April 10th was an exceptionally busy and stressful day for me. It was emotionally charged, mentally draining and spiritually challenging. I will not go into details... In the midst of the busyness, my iPhone chimed. Wanting a break from the craziness, I took a look. It was Facebook reminding me of a memory from a year ago. For non-Facebook users, they have a new feature where they remind you of "memories" - posts that you made on the exact, same date in the past. Facebook was telling me that on that very day a year ago, I had posted this picture with the following caption: "Lord, on this day-off, deliver me from the guilt that comes from doing nothing. Thank you for a day that I can 'simply be' and be away from the pressure to 'always do'. Amen." It was a great reminder to pause, to breathe, to be still and know that God is God! This Facebook memory got me through the day, allowing me to respond to its most trying moments wi...

When the disciples brought the dilemma of having a hungry crowd of more than 5,000 people to Jesus, he said: "You give them something to eat." They had hoped that Jesus would agree with their proposal to "send them away and let them look for food". Yet instead, Jesus said, "Feed them." And they did. This was not the case for hungry farmers in the town of Kidapawan in Southern Philippines this past weekend. Last Saturday, April 1, 2016, more than 6,000 farmers and their families took to the streets to ask government for food support. The El Nino phenomenon has brought about a severe drought to the country, so bad that even farmers are asking for food assistance. Sources say they tried to request food through the "proper" channels prescribed by government. Their pleas were unheard, dismissed for technicalities. So they took to the streets. Instead of giving them food, they were violently dispersed and "sent away". Instead...

We are now in the third week of the season of Lent which is a period of 40 days (excluding Sundays) before Easter where we as Christians intentionally reflect on the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus and what it means for us in our walks of discipleship. More than mere commemoration of Jesus' sacrifice, though, I believe the season of Lent reminds us of a necessary process that we as followers of Jesus need to undergo on a regular basis. We need Lent because it reminds us of a necessary dying that needs to happen in our lives on a regular basis. We need to constantly die to ourselves that Christ may live in us. As Paul wrote to the Galatians, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." (Galatians 2:20a, CEB). The practice of fasting, not just from food but from other creature comforts, is synonymous with the season of Lent. However, this practice of giving things up only works when we do it as a way of clearing ou...

Photo by Steve Charles shared on the Willow Running Company Facebook page I'd like to continue on the theme of praying for General Conference, which I wrote on last week: #pray4gc2016 . Prayer Runs As I've posted on many occasions on this blog already, running for me has evolved into a spiritual discipline . It is a practice that allows me to be centered in my relationship with God. It is an activity where I am able to prayerfully process thoughts, ideas and deep concerns. In the past three years, I have ran some marathons as "prayer runs", dedicating the miles to different prayer concerns. I've ran in  prayer for our Alaska churches . I've dedicated miles in prayer for those in unfortunate life situations .  This month, I am excited for another opportunity to run in prayer run. #miles4gc2016 As I posted last week , February 13th is the day assigned to us in the Alaska United Methodist Conference to join the denomination's prayer vigil: 13...

In May 10-20, 2016, United Methodists from all around the world will gather in Portland, Oregon for General Conference, the highest policy-making body of the United Methodist Church. Once every four years, delegates elected by their respective annual conferences gather together for two weeks of worship, legislation and holy conferencing to determine the denomination's future direction, consider revisions to church law, and approve plans and budgets for church-wide programs ( Read more about it here ). This year's highlighted topics include: the church's stance on homosexuality; proposed changes in church structure; major changes for clergy and bishops; and proposals on social justice issues ( Read a summary here ). It is very important work that needs our support and our prayers.  I invite you to pray for General Conference 2016.  Here are some of the ways you can do that: Pray for our Alaska Delegation This month, we have highlighted each member...

"And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road." (Matthew 2:12, NRSV) On the eve of celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6), I reflect on this verse that closes the story about the journey of the wisemen from the East.  I've always been struck by how this verse is so appropriate for the beginning of a New Year. A common practice during these early days of a New Year is the making of New Year's resolutions. These are promises we make primarily to ourselves but also to others, to make amends, clean up our act, take off on the right foot, change for the better, and start anew. I love the musical definition of resolution: it is the "progression of a chord from dissonance to consonance." To resolve a chord is to move from clashing notes to harmony.  Now, dissonance is defined as "the lack of agreement or consistency" between the beliefs one holds or between one's a...