The Ultimate Seattle Experience?

What do you think would be the ultimate Seattle experience -- Drinking Starbucks on top of the Space Needle while looking at Mount Rainier? Eating King Salmon on the waterfront? Or listening to indie rock at the Crocodile Cafe? Whichever it is, I've now experienced it!

Last night, we closed the Crocodile Cafe after listening to two really good independent bands: What Made Milwaukee Famous and Aqueduct. And the best thing about music in Seattle is that the clubs are non-smoking! Jim, Alice, Robin and I rocked out until 1 a.m. this morning--which at our age we think is pretty darn cool! The Crocodile Cafe is owned by a member of REM and has a reputation for featuring future famous acts.

This afternoon, we visited the top of the Space Needle. The day was beautiful. I understand you can only see Mount Rainier from here 50 days out of each year and we've been able to see it for two days straight. The spot in this picture that looks somewhat like a triangular shaped cloud is actually the snow top covered peak of Mount Rainier, a volcano located over 50 miles from Seattle. It was beautiful. And yes I had a skinny latte from the Starbucks on top of the Space Needle.

Then tonight, we had dinner on the waterfront and I had wonderful Salmon (thanks to Joe Estes who told me I had to try Salmon on the West Coast)!


When I spoke to Craig today, he wanted to know if we were doing anything theological. And I assure all of you that we are doing something more than eating and listening to good music. Last night, we worshipped with the community at the Church of the Apostles in Fremont. The average age for this congregation is 27! And they are doing some very innovative things in worship and community building. This picture shows their worship space, which for the Easter season is divided into family rooms. They had great music (in fact their worship leader is the one who recommended the Crocodile Cafe to us), icons, candles, Eucharist, and instead of a sermon they had discussions of scripture in the family groups. Then we had dinner with the community and visited with their pastor/abbess, Karen Ward.


This morning, we worshipped with the Interfaith Community Church. They meet in the oldest continually worshipping church in Seattle. The group is a very big mix of just about every faith tradition imaginable. We also had a meal with them and visited for quite some time with them.

Needless to say, I'm very tired and on my way to bed!

Sleepless in Seattle

Thanks to the time change regardless of what time I go to bed, I find myself waking up around 5:30 thinking I have overslept! Now I understand the name of the movie!

We had a long visit with Marcus Borg in Portland. We discussed his concept of an emerging transformational Christianity. This concept has some things in common with emergent Christianity and it differs in a few others. He said he didn't see where he and Brian McLaren differed in thought, but I would guess they differ on issues of Christology and atonement. I took lots of notes and I'm still processing all he shared. Some of it was really good and some of it I disagreed with, but it was all provocative and I need some time to sort through it all. I'll share some after a bit more thought.

After we met with Borg, we loaded the van and headed to Seattle. The countryside between Portland and Seattle reminded me of a flatter West Virginia. We arrived at Seattle around 7, checked into the hotel and found a great Italian restaurant. One thing about this ICE group, we always eat well!
We did not have anything planned for today, so we went sightseeing. We went on the Duck Tour of Seattle. So we got a good overview of Seattle. So far, I haven't seen a blue sky. But someone tells me that the skies seems so blue because you so rarely see them! It has drizzled rain all day, but that hasn't stopped us. We saw the Space Needle, visited the Experience Music Project and the Science Fiction Museum. Then we took the monorail to the other side of town and walked to Pike Place Market where we saw the original Starbucks.

and we saw the famous "throwed fish" at Pike Place Fish Market.

I promise you they really do throw the fish!

Roll On Columbia Roll On . . .

Well, we have safely arrived in Portland. This is my first time to visit the great northwest and as you can expect--it's raining.

We are staying in the coolest hotel. If you are ever in Portland, you should visit the McMenamins-Kennedy School

The rooms are converted classrooms--complete with chalk boards and the furniture is antique. We have a movie theater, a restaurant, and they have art shows and poetry readings. I've never seen anything like it. And as the name implies it is a converted school.

The Bluest Skies You've Ever Seen Are in Seattle . . .

Okay--I'm showing my age, but I LOVED Bobby Sherman as a child and one of my favorite TV shows was "Here Comes The Brides". So that shows you how OLD I am (as my kids like to remind me.)

(He was awfully cute! And I'm sure I had this picture on my bedroom wall!!)

But tomorrow I'm heading to Seattle for the first time in my life. Well actually our first stop is Portland where we will meet with Marcus Borg. Then on Thursday we head to Seattle where we plan to meet with some really interesting people and groups. On Saturday, we are worshipping at the Church of the Apostles and meeting with their pastor Karen Ward. We will also worship at the Interfaith Community Church and meet with their leadership as well as with the folks at Monkfish Abbey. It should be really interesting!

Well I'm off to attend the IMS Banquest and then pack!

Lousy Christian Witness of the Week

As I stated in my sermon today, I've decided to keep my eyes and ears open to hearing and seeing things from the perspective of those outside the church. I don't know how well I will be at it, but I'm going to give it a try. And as I do, I'll share with you.

Now, I don't know if I'll have one every week (one can only hope that will be difficult!), but to get started I have two pictures.

Craig took this picture out of the window of our car--thus it is a bit blurry. This billboard is located on Highway 431 in either Albertville or Boaz. It has been there for a long time with occasional minor changes.

I took this picture last month on Beale Street. According to one local, he shows up every Friday and Saturday and walks up and down the street carrying his sign. If you can't read it it says:
"Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Rev. 20:15" Jesus and the angels are pointing to the book which on the left reads "Rejected God's only son" and on the right "laziness, stubbourness, self-will, pride, envy, covetousness, dirty thoughts, lust, sin, big sins--little, scarlet sins, yellow sins, black sins, lies, deceit, exaggeration"
and then below it reads "... the judgment was set and the books were opened..."

O Sweet Auburn, Loveliest Village on the Plains

Friday and Saturday, Craig and I had the pleasure of 24 hours in the loveliest village on the plains. The official reason for the trip was to see Steven receive his award as the Outstanding Junior Student in Mathematics and Statistics. It was such a pleasure to get to see him receive the award and to meet some of his professors!

It has been an exciting spring for him. Not only did he receive this award, but he has also been awarded a university undergraduate research fellowship! In addition, he has been named one of the four Freshman Advisors for the Marching Band (that's Rat Leader to those familiar with the Auburn Band). He is very excited about all the plans for the new freshman in the fall. I recommended a revival of rat hats and sandwich boards with names and majors, but I think he ignored me.

While in Auburn, we also had the opportunity to hear the Auburn Symphonic Band in concert. Steven says this is his final concert band performance--we'll see about that (he's said that before). But it was also the final performance for the Director of Bands, Johnny Vinson, who was the assistant band director long ago when I was in the band. I was glad to be there to help celebrate his 36 years at Auburn.

Steven's girlfriend, Ashley, is also in the band and we had the opportunity to visit more with her and to meet her parents. And Steven and Ashley also introduced us to the wonderful food at Niffer's Place. If you are ever there, be sure and try the corn nuggets!!
It was a wonderful trip!

A Time For Silence and Prayer

So many words are being said and yet there is so little to say. I think Jim Wallis is on track when he announced that this is a Time for Silence and Prayer. Yet, my heart continues to be tugged by the thought of the killer's family. Diane Butler Bass wrote an intriguing article on his mothers silence (Silence of a Murderer's Mother). But her article doesn't take into account the Korean culture's sense of shame. Furthermore, she has probably been struggling with the shame of his mental illness for years. As a mother, my heart goes out to this poor woman as well as the mother's of all the victims. I hope that she finds support for her Christian community.

So It Goes . . . In Memory of Kurt Vonnegut 1922-2007

I don't believe I have read a Vonnegut book since I was a teenager. But it is hard to let this day go by without a tribute to the man who helped shape my rather skewed sense of humor about life. So here are a collection of Vonnegut quotes to keep his memory alive.

I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center.

Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand

There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I don't know what can be done to fix it. This is it: Only nut cases want to be president. "Cold Turkey", In These Times, May 10, 2004

Here's what I think the truth is: We are all addicts of fossil fuels in a state of denial, about to face cold turkey. Cold Turkey

Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops. Slaughterhouse Five

"What is the purpose of life? ------ To be the eyes, and ears, and conscience of the creator of the universe; you fool." Breakfast of Champions

People don't come to church for preachments, of course, but to daydream about God. Palm Sunday sermon St Clement's Episcopal Church, quoted by J. Leonard NY Times, 30 April 1980

We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

We are what we pretend to be, but we better be very careful what we pretend.

All the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies.

And so it goes. Slaughterhouse Five

The Great Hallelujah vs Alleluia Controversy

I overheard a discussion among some of the band members about the difference between the words “Hallelujah” and “Alleluia.” So I wanted to share a bit of history about the words. “Hallelujah” is Hebrew and means simply “Praise Yahweh.” It comes from “Hillēl” which means “to praise” and “Yāh” which means Yahweh. Sometimes you will see it spelled “Halleluyah” Alleluia is the English translation and is derived from the Latin and the Greek. So either word can be used in place of the other. In fact, if you look up the word “Alleluia” it is defined as “Hallelujah” and both are used in music and liturgy (the words and actions that are used by the church to worship God) in praises to God.

Hallelujah is the most common form of the word. But Alleluia appears frequently in music. Since many pieces of church music throughout the ages were written in Latin, Alleluia would be a common choice for many traditional hymns and songs. And of course, contemporary Christian songs are generally written in English—thus Alleluia is used most often.

While the term Hallelujah comes from our Jewish worship roots, both Hallelujah and Alleluia are used most often in Christian worship in relationship to the resurrection of Jesus. And in many Christian churches, they are not said or sung during Lent. In fact, some churches have a ceremonial burying of the Alleluia at the beginning of Lent and then “resurrect” its use for Easter.

Probably more than you wanted to know, but in case you are on Jeopardy some day ;-D

Best quote from our Easter Dinner Table

Laura: People tell me that I look like Phillip but I act like Steven.

Phillip: Well, at least you look good!

How the Tradition Started

Easter 1989 -- Epworth UMC Huntsville Alabama

As you can see our family has grown. Steven has grown. And unfortunately, so have I (and we won't even mention gray hair, wrinkles, etc.)

Another Clontz Tradition

Ever since Steven was two, we've taken a family portrait in front of the resurrection cross. When we moved to Trinty, we thought that would be the end of that tradition, but luckily we were wrong! And this year, we were blessed to have Steven home from Auburn on Easter. And Phillip even requested a tie to wear!


The services at Trinty were great and we had a total of 2199 in worship! If only they would all be here next week!

Have a blessed Easter

He is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed!

Seven Stanzas at Easter

By John Updike

Make no mistake: if He rose at all
it was as His body;
if the cells' dissolution did not reverse, the molecules
reknit, the amino acids rekindle,
the Church will fall.

It was not as the flowers,
each soft Spring recurrent;
it was not as His Spirit in the mouths and fuddled
eyes of the eleven apostles;
it was as His Flesh: ours.

The same hinged thumbs and toes,
the same valved heart
that — pierced — died, withered, paused, and then
regathered out of enduring Might
new strength to enclose.

Let us not mock God with metaphor,
analogy, sidestepping transcendence;
making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the
faded credulity of earlier ages:
let us walk through the door.

The stone is rolled back, not papier-mache,
not a stone in a story,
but the vast rock of materiality that in the slow
grinding of time will eclipse for each of us
the wide light of day.

And if we will have an angel at the tomb,
make it a real angel,
weighty with Max Planck's quanta, vivid with hair,
opaque in the dawn light, robed in real linen
spun on a definite loom.

Let us not seek to make it less monstrous,
for our own convenience, our own sense of beauty,
lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are
embarrassed by the miracle,
and crushed by remonstrance.

Telephone Poles and Other Poems © 1961 by John Updike.

Clontz Good Friday Tradition

Good Friday and the Way of the Cross

Last night, we gathered in the New Room for a beautiful service following the Way of the Cross. It was an updated, scripture-based version of the traditional stations of the Cross. The band, the readers, the clergy and everyone connected with the service did an excellent job! Marty selected awesome graphics and Allison completed the service with a beautiful liturgical dance around the cross.

For some stations we used music, for others poems and other readings, and for some meditations by the clergy.

Here is my meditation for Station 5 -- Jesus is Condemned by the People

Five days . . . that was all it took . . . five days for everything to change.

On Sunday, the crowds had been on Jesus’ side. As he rode into Jerusalem, they waved the palm branches, they shouted Hallelujah, and they declared him king . . . messiah. But that was five days ago and now the crowds were shouting something else. Not “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” but “Crucify him.”

On Sunday, they thought he was the messiah they had been waiting for and by Friday they decided that he wasn’t what they wanted or needed. So when Pilate offered to let him go, they asked for something else—“Barabbas”

The Bible doesn’t really tell us a lot about Barabbas other than his name. Some say he was a robber. More than likely he wasn’t a common thief but rather a revolutionary—a freedom fighter—fighting against the Roman Empire. Whatever his crime, what we do know for sure is that his name was Barabbas—Jesus Barabbas no less. Jesus which means the one who saves. Barabbas which means son of the Father.

That is what they were choosing on that awful day—what kind of messiah did they want? A messiah who tells the truth. A messiah who reaches out to the poor, the lonely, the outcast. A messiah who commands them to love their enemies and to give to Caesar what is Caesars. A messiah whose kingdom is not of this world and who goes silently to his execution. A messiah who threatened their opinions and their way of life.

Or would they rather have another messiah? A violent messiah who attempts to violent overthrow the current world power. A worldly messiah with a kingdom like other kingdoms in this world. A messiah who hates the people they hate. A messiah who is more threatening to others than to themselves.

And they made their choice.

It’s so easy to think that we would have made a different choice. So easy to imagine that we would be stronger and more courageous than the crowds that day in Jerusalem. But would we?

How often have we been able to stand against the power of public opinion for Jesus’ sake? How often have we risked our lives, our jobs, even our comfort level to stand up for Jesus?

How often are we willing to accept a lesser substitute for the living Lord?

The truth is that we often choose a lesser substitute for the living Lord for the same reasons the crowds did on that fateful day. Because when we look into the face of Jesus of Nazareth, the son of the Living God, we see a mirror that reveals us for who we truly are. And sometimes that truth is so painful that we can’t handle it.

We prefer something less threatening. We prefer not to know.

\We are no different from the fickle crowds that day. The sad truth is that we too played a part in the sad pathetic drama. Every time we have refused to honestly look at ourselves and repent of our sins—Every time we have filled our lives with lesser things than the living God—every time we have been less than God has created us to be, we too have shouted “Crucify him! Give us Barabbas!”

What Post-Christians wish the church was like

• I wish church was not just a sermon but a discussion. They would love to be able to participate and ask questions.
• I wish the Church sometimes met outside the church building. Can’t you worship in a coffee house, a home, a dance studio?
• I wish church was less programmed and allowed time to think and pray. They long for more time to quiet themselves and pray meditatively.
• I wish the church was a loving place. Post-Christians believe that folks in the church love one another and perhaps others that are like them but they do not love those who have different beliefs or lifestyles.
• I wish the Church taught more about Jesus. Post-Christians like Jesus or at least they like what they think they know about Jesus and they would like to learn more. And they would like it if the Church acted more like Jesus taught!
• I wish someone would ask me to be a part of a church. They want an invitation from someone they trust who they believe accepts them and loves them as they are.
  
  Outreach magazine
  

Are we at Trinity the kind of church they are looking for? If so, how do we reach out? If not, how should we change?