June 4, 2008
When do things start to slow?
I figured that after the month of May things might begin to slow down…hah that is laughable. Seems I have less time than ever to get things done. As for my preparations, I have been looking at moving companies and what not and so far the search is going ok. I think I am going to do one of those move it for you companies like the “PODS” brand. It is really easy to do.
This weekend I am heading to Las Vegas for the first “real” time. I have been to the airport twice but never have seen the strip. I am looking forward to a little sight seeing and hopefully some awesome bible studies. I have taken many of your compliments this year about bible study but I must tell you one of the best bible studies comes courtesy of Dr. Reed Lessing and he is teaching a bible study in Vegas on the book of Jonah. I think it will be great.
I am trying to cherish every day that I have here. It is hard at times to go home. I want to be here in the office soaking it all in. I suppose that isn’t the most healthy thing in the world but as the time grows closer I find myself wanting to leave less. Maybe that has to do with the new friends I have made recently ;-)
I taught a guitar lesson the other day and I forgot how much I enjoyed teaching music. What a wonderful thing it is to play an instrument or to sing. I am always thankful to God for my musical talent and especially how much music can soothe or arouse my emotions and thoughts. Often I can hear voices well. It is one of my “party tricks.” I can just about identify any voiceover of any commercial no matter how obscure the actor or commercial. I have a knack of recognizing people’s voices.
Hmmmm…this seems to be a lot of rambling nonsense. Maybe tomorrow I will post something more theological or at least interesting.
S.D.G.
May 25, 2008
The first of many
A couple of days ago I did my last preschool chapel. It was a melancholy affair. Truth be told, I really grew fond of those children during the little time I knew them. I will miss them and I remember one of the more memorable moments because I made a classic new guy mistake.
I was speaking about fathers and our Father in heaven and one of the young boys didn’t have a father. I was speaking about how your father in heaven will take care of you and protect you and lo and behold this boy’s father had left them. Some protector! I felt about three inches tall. And all I could say is that even though your real father is a loser, your Father in Heaven loves you even more because of it. Not much comfort. How do I trust a father I have never seen when the father I have doesn’t hang around long enough to see my eighth birthday?
The Christian faith has a lot of metaphors doesn’t it? A lot of almost secret language that has meaning only to those who know the meaning behind the words. Lamb of God, Good Shepherd, Blood of the Lamb, and more you can think of as well. This boy will probably always have a hard time with the truths of the faith because of what his human father has done. And all I could do was to gather him up in my arms and hug him and try to prove to him that not all male authority figures are going to abandon him.
So, that was a few months ago this was a few days ago. Now, I had to tell these same kids (and that same boy) that I was leaving, never to return. It was really hard. Over the next few days I suppose there will be more though. More difficult good byes, more tears, more sad feelings and I suppose that that in a way is a good thing because it means we at least care right?
The funny thing is that I have been in the last few weeks happier than I can ever remember. It is amazing what spring can do for a man.
S.D.G.
May 19, 2008
A century behind?
Yesterday I spent a very enjoyable hour speaking with my bible study class about female and male roles in creation. It was the topic of our discussion due to the fact that the Apostle Paul speaks of women in ways we do not expect or do not appreciate. Rather than rehash what we talked about in class which I thought was valid and interesting. I thought I might just approach something that I have thought about for a long time. I was born in the wrong Century!
The kind of ministry I want to do and the reality of this world are vastly different. I think of my grandfather who was a Lutheran minister and who was given a parcel of land to farm as part of his salary. I think about that situation, to be a minister and to farm, and I think that I would have been perfect for it. The reality is that ministry is infinitely more difficult now than it used to be. Pastors have to fight media, our spiraling societal values and simple apathy towards the Christian faith. People do not want to know their communities and are increasingly more private. In a word, building a church and following a vision of a church are more difficult than it used to be.
In my heart, selfishly, I think that I would like to be a simple pastor in a small church in North Dakota somewhere. There is value in that. People in these places need quality care as well. But I wonder if I want this because it is easy? I guess I shouldn’t choose my ministry based upon what is harder but still, I wonder if I ought to go where I am most needed. Lucky for me I go where I am called. It is out of my hands.
This leads me back to our bible study. It was a VERY conservative, old-fashioned look at men and women’s roles. I think that I defined the problem ok, but I still recognize that we of the LCMS more than others are theologically out of step with the world. We are very behind the progressive curve due to the fact that we don’t allow women’s ministers and other such progressive practices. I wonder why we are like this and then I remember. We are always going to seem out of step. The further the world migrates toward complete human liberty in sexuality, philosophy and societal concerns the further we will be left behind. We are one of the only places that continues to hold to scripture and all its guides and prohibitions for our lives.
The reality is the fact that God gives us an idea as to what we are to look like to keep us from falling apart. Any sin in my life, left unchecked, could destroy me easily. And Scripture gives us an idea as to what God’s plan was for us all along. Most important is that in Scripture, I learn about Jesus Christ. I came to know him in Baptism but in Scripture I hear all the stories about him. I learn about how he loved people. I learn how he couldn’t turn away from healing people even when he was exhausted. I learn that he has the same will and direction for our lives, as does his father. In the scriptures, I learn about Christ. He is precious to me and I would never let him go. What can I do but believe in Scripture because I want to believe in the Christ who loves me? If I believe in scripture I have to believe in it all. I don’t get to pick and choose because sooner or later Christ will say something I “choose” not to hear. I can’t disregard Scripture. I can’t disregard Christ. I can’t disregard the demands Scripture puts on my life. So, I guess I will have to look like I am a Century Behind.
May 5, 2008
An interesting thought
One of my favorite books that I encountered at Seminary was “Creation and Fall” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He has written and amazing book about some of his reasoning about Creation, the Garden of Eden and other things about Adam and Eve. He probably figured that understanding the beginning was important in order to understand the end. What will Paradise look like? It will look like the Garden of Eden before the fall. That may sound boring to some…but not to me.
Anyway, the idea that I wanted to mention because I perusing the pages today was his idea of day. Actually, he talks about the idea of Day and Night and discusses the idea of time. A lot of Christians make a big deal in stating that the earth is only 6000 yrs old or so. While I am not really all that concerned about contradicting them, there are holes in the biblical record. How long did Adam and Eve live in the Garden before the Apple? There are holes before the time of Noah and after the time of Noah. Not as though there are missing people. The person with whom God is keeping his covenant is clear but there are places where it isn’t rock solid how long certain period of time are. I think the important thing is not the calculable number of years but how God comprehends time. Which, by the way is how Bonhoeffer discussed the argument.
Bonhoeffer stated that God has put a natural rhythm in the world of Day and Night. He wants us to refuel our bodies and rest. What more evidence do you need that we need to rest than God resting from his labors on the Sabbath day? So, we have day and night. Day is for working and night is for resting. We have the days of the week and then the Sabbath to remember to rest and worship only the Lord. We have seasons like fall and winter. Winter is made for resting and hibernating much like animals do. Spring is made for new life. To remind us annually the springing forward of new life that comes from our Lord. Imagine one year, if everything didn’t spring forth. It would be a catastrophe and yet every year despite our lack of trust and following him, God provides it. Fall is for harvest and hard work before another few months of rest. There is a rhythm and that rhythm is meant for our good.
Wouldn’t you like to rest when it is dark outside and work when it is light? Wouldn’t you like things to slow when winter arrives and leap with new life when spring arrives? Wouldn’t you like your Sabbath to truly be a day of rest…not a half-day of rest? Bonhoeffer makes the startling assertion (and remember, Bonhoeffer was writing during the Second World War) that every time we put up lights to play ball games at night, lights for plays and shows, lights that stave off the darkness we fight God’s natural order that he has placed in the world. He challenges us that just because we are smart enough to do something doesn’t necessarily mean we should.
In his time it was quite a step. Imagine going back to not doing anything at night in Bonhoeffer’s time and then imagine trying it now. I don’t claim to know the answer to this problem. It is difficult. I like to go to a night D-backs game as much as the next guy. I wonder however, what our lives might be like without all the distractions that take away our rest in the evenings.
Meh…it is an interesting thought anyway.
S.D.G.
Ryan Drevlow
If you would like an update of my father click here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rogerdrevlow
April 29, 2008
My first recollections
Tonight was the confirmation banquet.
I remember when I was a young man in eighth grade and I was
attending my confirmation banquet.
The church had high hopes for all of our class.
They thought we could have a real positive effect on the
church and the generations that were to come.
I remember that they asked all of us to speak about our
upcoming confirmations and what it meant to us.
I don’t remember all that I said.
In fact, I can’t remember anything I said.
But I remember saying to myself at one point, as I stood
there in my suit and tie and hung on to that podium, “I think I
might like this.”
To be truthful, my trip that led me to the pastoral ministry
is a long and winding one.
It always was difficult for me to decide.
“What does God want me to do with my life?” was a question
that raged within me for a long time.
I couldn’t decide between following my love of music or my
love of the Lord. Most
of you have never seen me teach music.
I loved it. I
loved showing kids how to sing.
I loved showing kids the wonders and beauties of wonderful
classical music. For me,
it was natural to see God and his inspiration in all that I sang and
did. I remember when I
was in an honor choir when we sang, “At the Round Earth’s Imagined
Corners,” and thought God himself was going to tear off the roof and
the end was a-comin.
Regardless, it made the whole decision for me difficult.
I think we can all agree that a good music program at a
church can really make a difference.
It is a wonderful thing.
And for a time at seminary, I thought about leaving.
I thought that I wasn’t good enough.
I thought I wasn’t smart enough.
I thought I didn’t have the patience nor did I have the drive
to want to be God’s servant for the rest of my life.
Have you ever met someone who
just exudes the Holy Spirit?
Someone you know loves their Lord with all their heart and
soul and mind? It is an
amazing thing. I never
really considered myself to be one of those people.
With all these questions piling up, it is surprising that I
didn’t leave the Sem.
Eventually though I found myself two years later (because
people encouraged me to stay) feeling somewhat natural in a clerical
collar. I found myself
feeling somewhat natural in theological classes and somewhat natural
teaching Bible studies and preaching.
Eventually, I guess, God changed my mind and heart.
I think back on my road to Sem and if I will ever know for
sure that I am cut out for this and I can’t help but remember how
formational that Confirmation Banquet was to me.
I hope it was formational to these young students of ours.
I hope we can all see them as my church saw me, as the future
of the church, but more importantly as members and equals … now.
S.D.G.
Ryan Andrew Drevlow
April 23, 2008
A Day in Anticipation
As we move closer to our Friendship Sunday this weekend, I find myself becoming more excited and anxious at the same time. I hope that people see the benefit and excitement that I do. I think this Sunday will be an interesting one. Lots of games and activities. Should be a fun time had by all.
As for me, my family is kind of upset and stressed out because dad’s surgery has been postponed until Friday. I know that isn’t what he wanted. It must be hard just waiting for this thing to happen. I can’t imagine it is much fun at all with this surgery looming over your head.
Last night, I visited with a member from our congregation and really enjoyed it. Tom Robb and I visited her and it was a real barrel of laughs. I am continually amazed at how welcoming the people of Apostles are to me and to the Elders of our congregation. I think the one thing that Apostles has always had and probably always will is this warm feeling of family. I remember myself thinking right away that I felt at home when I came here.
I suppose you are wondering why I am writing. Well, with the help of Robert Preciado we are making some changes to the Website. I really wanted to be blogging all year long and this is the first time I have had the opportunity. Anyway, I will continue to write until I leave in late July. Come back from time to time and check in on me and my latest blog entries. I will talk about scripture at times. Sometimes it will just be an update. Sometimes I might share with you personal stuff about my life. I hope it will be entertaining.
On an interesting note if you click on the link below you can view on the list who our new Vicar will be next year. http://www.csl.edu/Resources_CallDay2008_VicaragesDistrict.aspx I guess it all has sort of sunk in…my time is short!
S.D.G.
Ryan Drevlow