the christian vegan

shocking news...

2008-10-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Well, southern indiana continues to surprise me.

When telling wedding stories for today's sermon, I mentioned that I used to have my nose pierced. And that's the first time I've gotten a gasp response from a sermon...not when talking about God's unconditional love for everyone, not that salvation is the freedom from ourselves in this life to serve our neighbor, not that they shouldn't come back next week if they are looking for some good deeds to get them into heaven....none of those did it. But mention a nose ring and they all go nuts!

One of the oldest members, the fellow who rings the bell every Sunday before worship, and the one who said, well if we have to have a female pastor, then it better be Jennifer, asked me on the way out, "You don't have your tongue pierced, right?"

I wonder if it's safe to tell them I was once a vegetarian!

I'll save the bellybutton ring for a few years....they aren't ready.

too long...

2008-09-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's been too long since the last post.

It's been over a year, and I am now at a different congregation and my post from two years ago still comes up on the main page. The infamous snakes on a cane sermon. Well, with Holy Cross day coming up, I thought it would be good to read that message again to see how it sounded today. It's not that bad, if I may say so myself, yet definitely set to be preached to a seminary community.

Sometimes I long for that community. For the opportunity to walk across campus and have multiple random conversations...to complain about papers to be written and lectures to attend, but that community was a blessing.

Being far and away from that community is definitely impacting both my life and ministry. While facebook (tm) totally helps with the connections to friends and family, it is hard when people are not right around the corner. Not to mention, not even in the same state.

Many of my parishioners find that community within the congregation...while that happens to a certain level with me, it is also a challenge to live 45 minutes away from my church family. And, well, do I really want to spend time off with parishioners....usually, no.

Ah....the life of a small town pastor.

In the meantime...the yard has been manicured a bit, and the garden has provided fresh basil, summer squash, a few peppers, and soon to come some late tomatoes and watermelons. yum.

love from linton,

jake, eh

time after time

2007-08-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

day two in the office and i can't help but think i should be doing something other than reading....
so i take a break and surf the web for spiritual gift inventories and other fun stuff to use with the congregation...and then back to reading: old newsletters, the constitution, taking the random break to quiz myself on names in the picture directory. it's so weird.
6 months is an absolutely awkward time to spend in a congregation. as we sit and plan out the year....i will only be here for some of it. how can i help support different programs without involving myself so much that i will be a gap to fill when I leave? it is a strange feeling to just be here planning for what comes after me.
oh that was terrible - i know it's not all about me. well, maybe it is just a little bit about me. there's a part of me that is investing interest in being involved in the activities in this place. not to mention all this involvement is key in building relationships and an important aspect of ministry.
maybe the struggle for me arises in the desire to be a longer term presence within the context of a congregation. friends and loved ones are beginning ministries where the end cannot be seen. mine, on the other hand, is pretty clear. the congregation had a chuckle when i told them that month 7 on internship is when things started feeling comfortable...month 7 here, is one month too late. how can you speed up that process? i'm not so certain how possible it is. building relationships take time. getting to know one another takes time....and time, it seems is the one thing this match is lacking.
i definitely underestimated my 'nesting' instinct. (no babies here!) but nesting in a congregational setting, being a part of members lives for more than just a year.
don't get me wrong, this experience will be invaluable. as joe said, 'you'll probably be the most experienced first call pastor, ever!' true story. it's just hard waiting.
i suppose i should continue reading...
+paz

soil-icious

2007-08-02T17:17:00.001-07:00

well, the hole in the ground is now a flat smear of dirt.

And up until today I couldn't have told you why it smeared so nicely. but after spending an hour chiseling away at this clay soil, i understand its appearance. armed only with a hand spade i tackled an area of lawn by the shed which is now home to 7 iris (irises? iri? 7 iris plants.)

This has been the year of the earth. no, not the summer of george, but the year of the earth.

i've always wanted to get into gardening. now that i have the space for a garden of my own i long for the days when mom would want me to help in the garden and i would shrug and try to help without stepping on anything. and now i face the task of creating my own. creating, there's an interesting way to think about it. creation, that's what i thought about as my hands worked through the soil, breaking up lumps, almost massaging it to become a workable substance, a substance that would support and cultivate plant life.

Over the past weeks I have fallen in love (again) with the sweetness of a garden fresh cuke, the juiciness of a ripe tomato and the crunchy sweetness of fresh corn. I've decided that all my lunches from here on out will be salads. cucumber salad, tebuleh salad, bean salad...all things fresh and wonderful.

I yearn to work and cultivate a space that will bring some veggies in the house from the backyard. What is this strange connection to nature? to earth? to the humus/earth/soil from where our existance began? It's a break from over produced easy microwavable/drive-thru meals and a pause to see life around us. to live in the freshness that surrounds us... to breathe, to eat and to be in God's amazing creation.

+paz

model home part deux

2007-07-30T18:09:00.000-07:00

after letting folks know at church on sunday that there was water bubbling in our backyard, this is what we woke up to on monday morning:

perks:

a) the water was only shut off for 10 minutes and now we know how to shut it off when we replace the faucet for the washer.

b) we had not expanded the garden to that section of the yard

c) photo ops on a monday morning

d) live entertainment as i drank my coffee

e) something to post about

the hungry pastor's spouse

2007-07-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

Well, let's talk about the perks of being the spouse of a small town parish.

Sunday- we got a sack of tomatoes and 2 cukes

Monday - we ate fresh blts, with fresh cuke on the side

Tuesday - same lunch as yesterday!

Wednesday - a bucket o' cucumbers = a sweet bowl of cucumber salad! not to mention 2 zucchinis from a council meeting

Thursday - a sack of corn on the cob

I'm hungry just thinking about tomorrow...

with all this fresh food, I've had a full stomach to work on my guitar hero skills...which are improving, but i thought, hey...when are they coming out with guitar praise hero? you know, the version where you can jam with all your praise favorites like Sing to the Lord, Shine Jesus Shine and Holy, Holy, Holy. This has got potential for youth events and praise services, don't ya think?

I take it i'm not the only one who's got Shine Jesus Shine stuck in her head. (sorry)

life in the model home

2007-07-24T09:07:00.001-07:00

well, this is no bluth manufactured home, but sometimes it seems close.

this is what we faced this week:

The light switch in the dining room, just keeps spinning around. sometimes the light gets brighter, sometimes dimmer, but never in an orderly fashion. It's hit or miss. Luckily, it still works.

Our washer and dryer were delivered, but cannot be completely hooked up. The faucet for the cold water, the water we can't wash without, is rusting away. We need to replace the faucet before we can hook up the washer. And does anyone in the church know how to turn off the water in this house???? Not a one. (I guess we'll wait for the plumber.) In the meantime, we'll just dry everything.

On the happier note, the windows in the house are sturdy. How do we know? Well, we've had at least 5 birds fly into our sliding door. Only one left a chunk of feathers. (ouch) The plan is to either, get a cat, or just put a large cat decal up on the glass, so the birds stay away. I'll let you know how all that pans out.

oh yeah, and the batteries in all of our remotes seem to be dying quickly. either all the batteries just died at the same time, or there is a strange power drain in the basement. not sure what the source of the drain could be...and if it is the washer, i'll just be frustrated that all that power is going to the unusable appliance. i'd much rather it go to the broken sewing machine...

You'll like Linton (tm)

2007-07-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

Why might one like Linton?
Here are some reasons...

1) It's tough to get lost:
On a drive down the main street, you can go to your bank, your gym, the grocery store, the movie theatre, wal-mart, the laundromat, church, the chinese take out place, the tasty mexican place, and the bureau of motor vehicles.

2) Everything you need is at walmart
Well, almost everything. You can get a six pack of beer and a gun. But, you can't get hard liquor or a washer and dryer, go figure!

3) The Bureau of Motor Vehicles
You need a bank statement to get an Indiana license, but you need an Indiana license to get a bank account.

4) Need a vehicle? Go for a drive.
On the side of the road, you can buy a car, mini-van, van, tractor, even a tractor trailer.

5) The wildlife.
The bird feeder attracts many varieties of birds and bunnies snack on the seeds that fall to the ground. Although, beware of the danger. Birds have flown more than once into the kitchen windows and sliding doors in the dining room.

6) We can still play poker.
The only difference is that what used to be a 5 minute walk through campus is now an hour drive to bloomington....and it costs money!

7) The Fame!
All you need to be known in town is your name on the church sign and people know you.

8) Country life
One phone company won't hook up a line to your street address because they believe you should have a rural route address. geesh, i bet they think we called them on a tin can with a string....

love from linton,
jake, eh

snakes on a cane

2006-09-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

Holy Cross Day
September 14, 2006

Numbers 21:4b-9
John 3:13-17

From Hawaii, they set out for Los Angeles, via the red eye flight. But the travelers became impatient along the way. They complained to flight attendants, “but why must we ride in coach, when we had reservations for first class? For there is no leg room, and I have to sit between a screaming child and a yappy dog!” Unbeknownst to them, upon reaching 30,000 feet poisonous snakes were sent among the people. The snakes were induced to attack, they bit the passengers and many of them died. The people cried out to the flight attendants and the FBI agent, “Get us away from these poisonous snakes!” “Save us from these poisonous bites!”

So the FBI agent phoned the central office, and was put in touch with a snake expert, I like to think of him as a serpentologist. The plan was to identify the snakes, so upon landing, the correct anti-venom could be administered to heal the injured passengers.

Seems pretty simple, but the plot thickens. There are dozens of different kinds of snakes on board and each snake must be identified specifically.
The serpentologist says, “There are many hundreds of species of snakes with hundreds of cocktails of venom, some will kill you in two minutes, others in two hours and others you can cure with a good night’s rest, but here’s the thing, if you administer the wrong anti-venom, that will kill you.

The lives of the passengers are in the hope that they will land AND receive the right anti-venom.

The search for the right anti-venom…sounds like a sub-plot for some ridiculous horror movie that will probably turn into a cult classic.

The search for the right anti-venom, sounds crazy, but it’s something that’s more familiar to us than we would like to realize.

You see we join these passengers on the search. Not just to heal the poison in their lives, but to find the right anti-venom we need for ourselves as well.

That perfect cure which we think we can search out and find.

We find ourselves in a life-long search, just like Bono, who still hasn’t found what he’s looking for…

In the midst of this life-long search, we seek out our own cures for whatever ails us.

As we face the pressures, of classes, papers, exams, preaching in chapel, endorsement, CPE, approval, the call process…woah…it makes me nervous just thinking about all of those things, not to mention balancing them all out with family, friends, and the ever important “self-care”.

We look for the simplest way to deal with it all…some look to the accolades of grades and scholarships, some immerse themselves in other activities, and some turn to alcohol or drugs to alleviate the stress. While we search and try out different anti-venoms…we are only making things worse. Each anti-venom that we try, just weakens us in the long run.

In our struggle to do our best, we fall victim to the wrong cure of being the best, as we put ourselves before others.

As Pastor Anderson mentioned on Monday, in response to the attacks on 9-11, to the wars we see around the world, we look for a cure. A cure for the violence that continues, for the injustices that people face due to race, sexual orientation, or economic status. A cure for wars and attacks that continue to happen around the world.

We seek the anti-venom of the government as a place to look for help, for an explanation, or to place blame. We look to our leaders to heal the poison, which evades the globe.

Well maybe the semester doesn’t drain you too much…and the affairs of the state are not where your interests lie. But we all have to make a living on this planet, and what helps us? When all else fails, we look to something to provide happiness, confidence, comfort…we need an anti-venom with power.

Money. We each have our tendencies to turn to money, who doesn’t?
It seems to be the cure all.
It can buy us food for our aching bellies, it provides clothing to keep us warm, a new iPod or notebook, it pays the rent or the mortgage…gives us the luxury to travel, to buy gifts and to give to others in need. It must be an okay cure if it can help others as well as ourselves, right?

In the search for a way to heal ourselves, we are only causing more pain, more venom to seep through our veins.
As the venom takes hold, it slows us down, it forces us to the awareness that we ALONE cannot find the ultimate cure.

The Israelites, too, are in search of the correct anti-venom. In response to the fiery serpents, they need healing power. They alone cannot cure themselves.

They call upon Moses to pray to the Lord to take away the poisonous serpents. We know that Moses prays to the Lord for help, for a cure, to take away the serpents.

But we do not know if the serpents were taken away.
It seems to me that they were not removed, because the people continued to be bitten. Yet, we do know that the Lord provides a cure.
He sends down a serpent, with some instruction. The serpent is to be placed upon a pole, so when people are bitten they can look up at that snake on a pole and be healed.
It is a tricky situation for the Israelites to be in, though, don’t you think?

For to be healed, they must look at the animal, at the fiery serpent that injured them in the first place. They must look to the cause of the pain to receive healing.

But they don’t have to search out a cure…
All they must do is look to the snake and be healed.

We, too, must face the cause of our ills.
Upon the sight of Jesus on the cross, we see our sinful selves.
We see a reflection of our attempts to tackle our trials and tribulations alone.
We see the wrong turns and false cures, which we have clung to before.

Yet in that same Jesus, we also see Christ.

Who God sent down for us…
God knows that we cannot bear the weight of the world alone and sends down Jesus to live with us to die for us, and in his glorious resurrection provide the cure we are all hungry and searching for.

It is in the sight of Jesus on the cross that we are reminded that we need not search any longer for the correct anti-venom.

God has already given it to us. Through grace and love…

The anti-venom has already been found and administered…
God has sent Jesus down to us.

We need not search any more; all we should do is look.

We look upon the cross, and see our own humanity, our own sinfulness…but at the same time we gaze upon the gracious love of God.

As we look at Christ we see the forgiveness of our sins..
We see the conquering of death…

And we see the healing power, which God has freely given to us.

So stop searching…and start looking.

Amen.

the countdown begins...

2006-07-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

8 days until marital bliss!

life is good.

just a few more days o' work before traveling up north to finalize wedding plans and go to one heck of a party.

i can't wait!

in the meantime...internship is just about over...and i'm ready for that.
with all the ups and downs...i'm ready to say my goodbyes.

the week and a half post wedding is going to fly by. yippee!

time for a shower and a date with my awesome fiancee.

did our hearts not burn within us?

2006-06-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

the flames of pentecost burned brightly at church last sunday. while the winds of the holy spirit swept through the congregation, some of the congregation seemed to be moved. yet, that's the mystery of the holy spirit...we know not how we will react when the holy spirit moves us. the good news is that the holy spirit always moves...but sometime we just have to wait and see....

habitat, habitat, have to have a habitat...

2006-04-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

yesterday was THE best day of work EVER!

with the thrivent builds mobile trailer coming to the reading phillies game, my home was the perfect spot for the pre-game picnic. nothing like kicking back in the sun with a corona and a tasty tuna sandwhich at 1 and enjoying the rest of the afternoon.

grilling, yuengling, good conversation and lots of laughter were had by all throughout the afternoon. not to mention the buffet at the pool pavilion at the game. i do say the blue tent in the backyard provides quite the picnic pad. too bad it was only discovered with 3 months to go, but speaking of which....woot woot, 3 months to go!

alas, with a relaxing day yesterday and a delayed earth day clean up this morning, i shoud get started on that sermon for tomorrow.

gonna make you blush

2006-04-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

quote of the week:

"Old sex is great! There are no inhibitions. Oh, I tell my doctor and he says it's okay!"

Yeah, as I was sitting at a community breakfast with my supervisor and a woman who lives in the senior housing facility where we ate as she came out with this gem.

Then she laughed at me becuase I was blushing.

Yeah, she's in her 80's and has a great boyfriend.

I guess we all have something to look forward to. life is good.

who's yer neighbor?

2006-03-17T19:24:00.000-08:00

well, another successful friday night lenten gathering...

here are the highlights from 'bible libs'

and the person asked Jesus, who is my neighbor?
and he told him this parable...

one day VJ was walking down funston street in reading, when she was attacked by the mafia. they took her money, kicked her and faught her and left her for half dead.

then her good friend martha came walking down the street and when she saw VJ, she walked passed her on the other side of the street.

a little while later, her good friend linda came walking by. she, too, saw VJ and passed her on the other side of the street.

then along came president bush. when he saw VJ he was filled with compassion. he cleaned her wounds and took her to the church where she could rest and be healed.

now, which one is the neighbor?

i'll leave you all to ponder that one...i'm going to bed.

tgis

2006-03-04T06:28:00.000-08:00

well the energy and excitement put into the first TGIF (together gathering in faith) went into a sweet belly flop. i flopped when only two people showed up. i guess people thought it didn't start until next week. that's probably pretty true---the bonus is that next week's evening is all planned. the bummer is that i still think this congregation is just a sunday morning congregation. people chat after worship and flock to first sunday socials, and most committees meet on sundays after worship. so i struggle with seeing folks only on sunday, and my primary teaching opportunity is during the sermon. eeep.

i guess it's all about a clever announcement on sunday to get people hyped up for friday nights.
we'll see how that goes.

now it's time to write the sermon and drink coffee.

mardi gras comes to an end...

2006-02-28T17:51:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well...this weekend has been one of the best so far.

There was tasty sushi, many fried potatoes and onions, a bit of wine, some scrabble, more wine, cheese nips, bagels, a wedding gown purchase, a sermon, a few naps, lots of snoring, bridemaid dresses chosen, 3 course meals, reception food chosen, and lots of quality time with helen and laura - not to mention a bit of ps2.

helen is the BEST crazy taxi player ever.

now, back to the real world, nursing a cold while writing an ash wednesday sermon...good times.

with the spring cleaning that happened in preparation for this past weekend...i've cleared some of the mental clutter as well. i'm looking forward to this lenten journey with congregation and personal focus.

in just one night...

2006-02-22T17:50:00.000-08:00

i used to think that pastoral formation took a while. yet it seemed as if something happened overnight.

i woke up today and i was the pastor.

with a slew of one-on-one conversations, random visits, a prayer shawl blessing, more conversations, several hugs and multiple cups of coffee...there was something different.

i know that the coffee probably didn't factor into the transformation, but something did.

the growth in the depths of relationships is important, but in a way it saddens me.

nearly 7 months here, and things start opening up.
yet only 5 to go...and i'm already on the countdown.

that's because some days aren't as good as today was.

when people are looking to get money, and not spreading the gospel; it's an uphill battle.

we'll see how things continue during my remaining time here.

looking forward to a weekend with helen and laura. lots of tasty food and gown shopping.
bring it.

in the words of mark olson...

2006-02-15T19:01:00.000-08:00

"people are friggin stupid."

by golly, he's so right. i can't handle the amount of time i spend listening to stupid people argue about stupid things and complain that things aren't fixing themselves. when really, if these stupid people stopped complaining and started moving, we'd really be going somewhere.

today i had a wonderful conversation with an 89 yr-old parishoner. it's amazing, how across the generations we could connect on how important faith, attitude, and personal strength is to living a healthly life. for the two of us to sit and comprehend solving the problems in our church, the community and the city of Reading helped both of us end the evening with a new outlook...it's amazing how powerful conversation can be.

i'll definitely keep this conversation in mind as i go to the monthly vestry meeting tomorrow.

on the positive side...5 months to the day until the wedding.

it must be love

2006-02-14T19:05:00.000-08:00

in years past, this day was celebrated with a black ribbon.

now, however, love is in the air...

a successful first pre-marital counseling, some chocolate, some roses, a new cd, a beautiful necklace and season one of the x-files = one sweet day.

out with the black and in with the red.

annyong

2006-02-10T19:55:00.000-08:00

i have just witnessed the best two hours of television EVER!
yes, the last two hours of my life have been spent with the bluths.

COME ON!
i am disheartened that fox is no longer carrying the funniest show on television, but i have hopes that showtime is stepping up to the plate.

maeby this isn't the end...

super what?

2006-02-05T17:17:00.000-08:00

well, this is the second super bowl for the day.

the one this morning consisted of youth carrying around soup pots raising money for the hungry in the community. at one worhsip service, we raised over $300 dollars for the local food bank.

now think about it....the number of hungry people in the united states continually rises.
$300 dollars is just a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of money that goes into this game tonight.

what if we put the two together? imagine the numbers of dollars we would raise if just one dollar, per hot dog bought went to the detroit food banks? or even, one dollar per person at the game? just one dollar? that's not alot considering the amount of money folks will pay for a beer at the game.

say a prayer and think about the good food you've eaten and snacked on today...
then donate to your local food bank.

to set things straight...

2006-02-03T17:24:00.000-08:00

the title:

yes, i am a christian.

no, i am not a vegan.

went veggie for a while, but by golly did i miss a fine piece o' beef straight off the grill.
the trouble with going veg and going back is that folks still ask (over 5 years and many hamburgers, steaks and lamb chops later....) hey, jk are you still a vegetarian?

alas, not a huge burden to bear, so i get by.

in the meantime, there is a wedding to plan and an internship to complete.

hmmm...maybe i'll have some garlic beef and dumplings