Good Questions

As we were traveling across the lonely countryside, Jude asked, "How does the water stay lakes?"

"What?" we asked.

"How does water stay in lakes?" Jude asked again and then gave further explanation. "When I dig a hole for a puddle and fill it with water, the water gets out. How does it stay in the lake?"

We love his question-asking, his good-thinking, maybe of which came alive because there is not necessarily a lot to do when driving and driving and driving and then driving some more. As we worshiped last Sunday, Jude asked another fabulous question. We were with our friends, the Foster's, staying at Glen Eyrie Retreat Center, and we were following the path through six various prayer stations. The first one was in the garden. We read the scripture and talked. And then Jude asked, "Who made the weeds? Does God make weeds or does Satan?" We sometimes wonder where he comes up with these things, but we loved the great discussion that it sparked.

So... good questions... we invite you to ask some. We've been blogging about our journey and now we invite you to post your own questions that you may have been wondering about in regards to sabbatical. They can be logistical questions about how one survives for hours in a messy van with three kids... or theological questions about the different places of ministry we have visited or... or... YOU COME UP WITH THE QUESTIONS... just enter them in the "comment" area and we will respond with another blog answering what we can.. and maybe we should say "want" - it is still sabbatical, after all. You have just a few days... we will try to answer the middle of next week. Only one week left of sabbatical. We thank all of you for your prayers and support... and now questions...

The Right and the Left

Written by Chamie... with words from Tim, too...

Sabbatical has been diverse.  It has included exploring family spirituality within many different venues.  When speaking of the places we’ve visited, we have sometimes gotten a rise out of people.  For instance, when mentioning that we would be worshiping at Solomon’s Porch (www.solomonsporch.com) in Minneapolis, someone commented, “Oh, really” in that tone that says, “I’m not sure you should that.”  I asked, “Why do you say that?”  The response was, “Well, I hear they are rather liberal.”  On another occasion, I mentioned our visit to Focus on the Family (www.focusonthefamily.com) in Colorado Springs and was met by a gasp of horror.   “But they are off the chart on conservatism!” someone exclaimed. 

Interestingly enough, during our travels, an old high school classmate who is now a Southern Baptist pastor posted a blog about the “death of the emergent church” and lambasted Doug Pagitt, pastor of Solomon’s Porch.  Then we got to Focus on the Family this past Friday and I found it rather ironic, amusing, and intriguing that they were lambasting “the left” who had claimed “the Christian Right is dead.” 

I must say that I’m rather tired of all the “dead” talk.  Jesus said, “I came that they might have life and have it abundantly.”  What might it be to honor those who give life, be it on the left or the right?   Tim and I saw a lot of life at Solomon’s Porch.  We sat with one the largest group of younger adults I’ve seen gathered in one sanctuary in the U.S. (that wasn’t a campus) in quite a long time, people who were passionate about their faith and walking in the way of Jesus and serving the community beyond their church doors.   That is life.  We also saw life at Focus on the Family as the tour guide shared that their trained counselors talk to 300 people a day who are in crisis… suicide, depression, domestic violence….   I imagine that many lives have been transformed because there was someone to talk to and guide them to help.  That, too, is life.

What might it mean to honor ministries that give life?  I will tell you honestly that the thought of even walking into Focus on the Family made my stomach turn.   I jokingly, yet nervously, wondered if they had a radar at the door that would mark me as “female clergy” and/or “registered Democrat” and get me immediately imprisoned in a small room where staff members would perform an intervention, maybe even an exorcism.   Either I fooled the radar or they didn’t have one.  Focus on the Family is not where I personally find life, but it does not mean that I do not honor others who have found life in their ministries.

Our family mission statement is Micah 6:8 which is “to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.”  I think one of the tenets of humility is not to be so arrogant as to claim that “your church” has THE ANSWERS.  Humility, I believe, is bold enough to claim the truth of one’s own life without forcing those truths upon another.  My prayer is the right and the left could be humble enough to respect the life-giving love of God that by grace is available to all human beings.

Notes from Minnesota

Written by Aidan Delkeskamp

Well we’ve been doing FANTASTIC!!! Oh and Lisa, if you read this tell Laney that I miss her and tell Sawyer I miss him and try to work out a sleepover with Sawyer and Laney and me. Anyway, Sunday we had to drive an hour I think, to this camp called Wapo. We went to church there. [It was outside]. Then it was communion time and I served it. Then me Jude and Hannah all went to a dock and Jude and Hannah played in the water. Mom and I sat in a swing and swung. That night we went to another worship service. Monday we went down to the park to play soccer with dad. Then we went to a malt shop with the creator of the movie Up’s parents for lunch. It is a good movie. You should see it. We even got an autographed kids book of UP, just to us. Oh, we had met them, Dave and Rita [just like my aunt and uncle, isn’t that funny] on the train to Dijon, France. But they live here in Minnesota. They went on sabbatical with their kids when they were little, before their son made movies. Then we went with them to a place where we went boating. My mom said it was not good to leave here without boating. I guess there is something like ten thousands lakes.

Messy Spirituality

Written by Chamie

Our van seems to get messier with each passing day. It is also making strange noises and is scheduled for the mechanic tomorrow morning. Our guest room at Stub Hall of Luther Seminary is scattered with clothes, books, snack items, and sheets from the children’s fort-building. Our nicely-printed schedule for this leg of the journey has scratches, scribbles, cross-outs, and adaptations. In the middle of “boat-in worship” this morning at Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp, a service held out on the beach, it began to rain. We agree fully with author Wendy Wright in her book SACRED DWELLINGS that family life is not exactly the serene, orderly life that one imagines in communities of faith like... well, monasteries or the homes of the desert fathers and mothers. Life is just plain messy… with many unexpected twists and turns, some joy-filled and some painful.

Just three weeks ago, my cousin, who was engaged with plans to get married later this year, found out that her dad has stage four lung cancer. Knowing that I would be in the area and could officiate, she wondered if it was possible to pull off a wedding in three weeks – and have her dad walk her down the aisle. That is the messiness of life. But Kate made it happen, and she made it happen beautifully. She even made her own cakes, so gorgeous and professional looking that I believe she could make hundreds of dollars selling them to other brides. She took the “mess,” per say, of the situation and made something good out of it.

And I would say that is one of the reasons that I love Jesus so much… he loves each one of us with a wide and deep love – right smack dab in the middle of our messiness. And he shows us how to take the messy, chaotic pieces and create something good and true and beautiful.

South Dakota

Written by Aidan Delkeskamp

We spent the 4th of July weekend in South Dakota. We went to a place called Crazy Horse. We also went on a family vision quest at a holy mountain of the Lakota. My mom lived with the Lakota for a little bit. After that, we went back to a monastery. I really saw God at work when I went bike riding with my dad at a trail (I biked 7 and a half miles). We also stayed at my great grandma's house. Now we are going to Luther Seminary.