Category: Personal Musings

Being Theologically Corrected by a 2-Year Old

Hudson loves church. It’s possible because our nursery here has better toys than we do at home. Mostly he loves the gigantic Mater that we have here.

But for a while Hudson was very proud that “This is Daddy’s church”. I’m pretty sure he thinks I own the building. He would also point and say, “Daddy’s church, daddy’s church, daddy’s church”. I tried to explain that I didn’t own the church but he kept at it.

Then one day it all shifted.

We drove into church on a Sunday and I said to him, “Look Hudson, is this Daddy’s church?” And he looks at me like I was so silly and he says in his most important voice. “No Daddy, this not Daddy’s church. This Hudson’s church. This Hudson’s church. Mine”. And with that he ran into the church, into my office, and climbed into my desk chair.

But here’s the thing – he’s right. The church isn’t mine. I belong to it, but so does he. The church is a people we belong to. And Hudson belongs to this family just as much as I do. So when he says, “No Daddy, it’s Hudson’s church” he is right because in his little mind he is trying to tell me this is part of his life too. Hudson is right, this is his church, and it belongs to everyone who decides to follow Jesus with this community. So as a dad, a pastor, but mostly as a Christian I couldn’t be more excited that Hudson has realized this is his church too. Hudson has made the shift from going to church, to believing he is a part of it.

For you though do you feel the same sense of ownership, partnership and belonging in your church? Because I think we should. In whatever church we are a part of we should be proud like Hudson to say, “this is my church.”

Now of course it could be that he just love’s the Mater toy that’s there. As a dad, but even more as a Christian, I have to believe something deeper is going on.  I believe he said “No Daddy, it’s Hudson’s church” because he knows he belongs here. And you know what – he’s right…

by Andrew Mills

What’s Best About Our Church…

A few weeks ago at church I asked us to fill out a survey about our church. I was looking for feedback on our strengths and areas that we could improve. Some of the best answers though came from the question, “What is the best thing about PEMC”. So what I did was break down all the answers into word, and put into a wordle (which is the cool graphic below).

So if you attend our church my guess is that some of these words are the reasons. And if you don’t attend our church now you can know a bit about what the flavor is like here.

Church’s are meant to be a blessing to others. And this church has been a blessing to me. But regardless of whatever church you attend why not be a blessing back to your church? Take a moment and write to your leadership, your pastor, or person who you serve with sharing with them why you love them and the church. Share a blessing to the people and place who have blessed you…

Wordle: What PEMC Is...

by Andrew Mills

Verbal Sparring Partners

Henri Nouwen, a favorite writer of mine, writes this: It seems that I am perpetually involved in long dialogues with absent partners, anticipating their questions and preparing my responses. I am amazed at the emotional energy that goes into these inner ruminations and murmurings.

Does anyone else struggle with this too? Replaying in your mind pretend conversations about how things could have gone? Creating new situations in your thoughts where you get verbal revenge, with a great response?

What I love about Nouwen’s quote is that he gets it right. When I look back on my life I’m amazed at the amount of emotional energy and time I give to these fake situations. I’m amazed at how much thought space these pretend situations, that flow out of real people, take up.

After realizing that, I’ve decided to give up the fight. I no longer want to have pretend verbal sparring with the difficult people in my life. I no longer want to replay how conversations could have happened or should have happened. I no longer want to give up that time and energy.

The question is how?

Because my guess is that if you’re like me you get stuck there. So the question is how do you let go? How do you give up the mental fight? How do you let your verbal sparring partners go?

The answer is easy but hard to live out.

It’s simple: start to bless them and pray for them.

Jesus teaches us that we should pray for our enemies. What he is teaching is not just about our posture towards others but where our time and thoughts should go. So now every time my mind starts to pick up that conversation, preparing answers, playing out situations, I stop and pray. I say,” God bless this person. God be with that organization. God give grace to that committee, group, or family member”. I start to change my thoughts for sparring to blessing.

And that one little change, changes everything…

So why not try it today. Seek to bless rather than rehearse verbal dialogues..

by Andrew Mills

What’s Your Name?

Naming someone is important and hard. Krista and I really debated and talked through naming our son. We wanted a strong name, and a courageous name, and one that we both loved. Not a name we liked, but one we loved. And that’s how we chose the name Hudson. Here’s Hudson learning to say his name and he loves to say it:

So the next time you see him, ask him his name he will grin, smile, and yell Hud-son.

But names are important. Right now Krista and I are back in the process of choosing names for a boy and a girl with our upcoming baby in November. Our girl one is picked, and but we’re still struggling with a boy’s name. The reason is that name’s last for a lifetime and we want it to be the right one.

But it got me thinking about the how God gives Jacob (which means deceiver) a new name in Genesis 32:28. God renames Jacob into Israel and changes his destiny. His change of name marks a course change and character change in his life. One deep encounter with God leads Jacob to no longer be a deceiver, and a cheat but a different person. A different person with a new name.

So my thought was this: What name might God give you? If you were to deeply encounter him today – what name or characteristic would he give to you to shape and change you? What names would you leave behind – like failure, cheat, liar, sinner? What name would he give you – cherished, faithful, courageous, loved? Or maybe something else entirley…

The point is we receive names from those around us. But the names that matter most are the names that God gives us. So maybe today spend a few moments, encounter God, and ask him – what is my name?

And if you have any boy suggestions – send them my way…

by Andrew Mills

Transforming not Transmitting Pain

I have one last quote to share before I move back to my regular blogging schedule and thoughts, now that I’m back from vacations. So here it is for a Monday morning.

“If you do not transform your pain, you will surely transmit it to those around you and even to the next generation. Suffering, of course, can lead you in either of two directions: It can make you very bitter and close you down, or it can make you wise, compassionate, and utterly open.” – Richard Rohr

The reality is we suffer. Life has struggles, ups and downs. But this quote reminds me it’s what I do in the struggles that counts. That’s why I like this quote, because it reminds me that what I’m going through doesn’t define me, my choices in the struggles define me.

So I like this quote because it reminds me that even out of bad things, God can bring something good…

by Andrew Mills

We need each other…

“We shall have to break our habit of having church in such a way that people are deceived into thinking that they can be Christians and remain strangers” – Stanley Hauweras and Will Willimon

I don’t have much to add other than its brilliant and true. We need each other. Christianity isn’t a faith done in isolation but in relationship with God and others. So next time you gather together, go and meet someone. Move past being strangers, and move into being true follower of Jesus.

by Andrew Mills

A quote to start your day…with you…

I am away this week. But I still wanted to keep in touch. So we’ll keep in touch virtually. So I’ve set up a few quotes to be sent out through the week. I hope they help you, challenge you, or drive you deeper with God. And then next week if you’ve commented I’ll get back to you. But for now here is the first quote:

 “You cannot become someone other than who you are until you know who you are. And you cannot know who you are until you accept who you are right now and in this place. For the time is now, not some other time; and the place is here, not somewhere else. And you are who you are, not anyone else” – Laurence Kushner

I love this quote because it reminds me that even though I want to be more Christlike, the starting point is here and now and who I am. It reminds me that to change who I am, I need to start with who I am.

The reason this quote gives me hope is because it reminds me I’m already at the starting point of change. That I don’t need to be someone else, or be in a different place to start changing. I just need to accept where I am, that God meets me there, and move on from there.

So today accept where you are…because Jesus meets you there…and follow him where he leads…

by Andrew Mills

Thoughts on the Church after Coldplay

Last night I went to see a concert with my wife, mom, and my brother in law and sister in law. The concert was pretty amazing. Here’s a clip.

It got me to thinking though. In the midst of all those people I was easily caught up in the whole thing, I wanted to dance, I wanted to shout, wave my hands (which had cool blinking lights on a wrist band you see in the video), and sing along.

And the concert was amazing but it also reminded me that gathering as God’s church matters.

I know it’s odd that a Coldplay concert makes me think of church, but this is the life of a pastor. Everything makes you think of God’s people and sharing grace.

What I thought about was this: gathering together, whether with thousands, or two or three, matters. When we as God’s people, his church, gather together for a common purpose, whether to worship, to serve, or then to go out and bless the world, something special happens. In Hebrews we are told to not give up gathering together (Hebrews 10:25). Because it is together in the presence of one another that transformation can happen, we can get swept into something greater than ourselves, we are reminded that we are in this together.

An old proverb says this, “The individual Christian, is no Christian.” You can’t follow Christ alone; it’s no solo journey. This is what that concert reminded me of. That gathering together for a common purpose matters. So who are you gathering with to worship God? Are you being intentional about joining something bigger than yourself? Who are you partnering with to reach your neighborhood?

We aren’t meant to do it alone. So gather with some friends this week to serve, to celebrate, dance, reach your neighbours, give grace.

And in case you are wondering – yes those bracelets are amazing…and no, unfortunately we won’t have them on Sunday 😉

by Andrew Mills

Learning to Rest

Last year our vacation at a cottage

Resting is so hard. At first glance, resting seems easy doesn’t it. You just sit back on your couch, grab some food and a drink, and watch some reality TV. There you’re resting…But is this truly resting?

I think that truly resting, soul-resting, “sabbathing” is much more difficult.

This is the type of rest that isn’t a result of exhaustion, but actually re-energizes you. This type of rest isn’t just about zoning out for an hour, but being aware of all the gift and grace around you. This type of rest isn’t just about not looking at emails, but mentally and emotionally leaving behind all the work baggage as well. This type of rest is spiritual, it is deep, it is important, and it is actually ordered and modeled by God in the Bible. We aren’t supposed to just work, create, and seek progress. We are called to reflect, to pause, and to truly rest. This type of rest isn’t easy but it is not only worthwhile, it is Godly.

Abraham Joshua Heschel writes, “Labor is a craft, but perfect rest is an art”

And later this week I’m going to try to perfect that art. I’m going away for a vacation, a sabbath time. Next week for me won’t be about zoning out for a night, but really “zoning into” connecting with my son, my family, and most of all, with God. I’m going to put away my distractions, my emails, and I won’t be blogging and instead I’m going to intentionally seek to create space in both my thoughts and life to connect with my God and my family.

This type of rest is hard, but this is the type of rest that matters. It’s an art worth perfecting because I don’t want to be a pastor, a father, a husband, or a friend for the short-term. I want to be a close friend, committed pastor, loving husband, and connected father for a lifetime. Life isn’t a sprint, it’s a long haul. So I will pause, reflect, and rest. The truth is I try to work very hard, and put a lot of effort into my calling. But what type of model would I be for my son, my church, my friends, if I didn’t put that same type of effort into resting, connecting, and reflecting?

So before I get away I have a simple question for you: are you resting? The true deep type of rest I’ve been talking about. Are you taking a sabbath weekly? Are you slowing down to appreciate all you have? Does your life show that you value life / family / and friends or work most? These are hard questions, but important ones, because as Christians we are to look and act like Jesus and God. In this case that means resting.

So this week take a day and perfect the art of sabbath, of resting. Work at it. And I’ll be doing the same…

by Andrew Mills

Bringing a Smile with You

Have you ever met someone who just makes you smile every time you see them? Have you ever connected with a person who just makes you feel better after every conversation?

Some people have an amazing gift of making you smile. My wife took this picture of my son and I think it’s amazing.

Here he is literally carting a smile around on his tri-cycle. And when I think about Hudson, this is what he is like for me. He is constantly making me laugh. At any moment he can make me smile, by a phrase, or an action. He’s in the stage now where he asks “that funny?” at so many things.

And if you say, “Yes that was funny” he puts his head back like this picture and just laughs and laughs. It makes me laugh every moment, mostly because he always laugh’s now with a delay. A funny action will happen, he will ask about it, and then laugh.

The point is though that Hudson is so connected to life that he brings me life. He is so connected to happiness, that he brings smiles where ever he goes. And whether you realize this or not, this is a lot like Jesus.

Jesus says that he is the way, the truth, and the life. What that means is that he is life. When we get connected to him, we are literally connecting to life. So as Christians we too should be helping people around us connect with life. After our conversations with others, life, smiles, and grace should linger. We should be the type of people who help people to better connect to life and love because of our connection to God.

This doesn’t mean that sometimes we don’t have deep, honest, and sometimes even difficult conversations. It also doesn’t mean we paint a fake happy face on what we are going through. But, if we, as Christians, aren’t carrying around some deeper joy, some deep smiles, and deep sense of life, then we’re missing out. Because our Savior is the life, the joy, and the grace of the world. The closer we get connected to the life, the more it will spread out from us.

The question is, what lingers in your relationships because of you?

Hudson does have bad days. He has difficult moments. But he is so connected to Jesus, that more often than not he is carting around a smile in his little tri-cycle. More often than not he will ask “that funny?” and we’ll all laugh. More often than not he’s willing to throw back his head and spread joy. This is like Jesus and I think it should be like us too.

So this week if you’re having trouble smiling, Hudson is willing to let you borrow his tri-cycle. Because no one can ride that funny, small thing, without smiling…trust me I’ve tried… 😉

by Andrew Mills