hebrews 10.25b

I had a gift this weekend. I was on the Winter Retreat with our High Schoolers up at Southwind, and my task was the teaching for our students plus those of two other churches. My aim was to retell the story of Jonah in three episodes: run, rescue, and response(s), and I had worked hard for the last month on the content that might best show the intersection between Jonah’s story, God’s story, and our own stories. The problem was … I felt I was totally failing. Sometimes I’m not the best at creating connections with groups I speak to, but I was trying hard … and sensing nothing – nothing Saturday morning, nothing Saturday night. I was missing the mark with them. I talked to some of our students and leaders about it, and sure, they all managed to explain it away. But I was down.

It felt a little better after Sunday morning, but I was still dispirited about the whole thing. Then at lunch, Will (the camp manager for Young Life) told me that he thought I had done a really great job with the students that morning. That was a huge encouragement to me, but I confessed I’d felt a failure the whole weekend. He tried to reassure me by saying that as an 11-yr veteran of teaching English to high school kids, he could really tell when the connection was there and the students were responding. I was humble and grateful. It meant so much, coming when (and from whom) it did. It encouraged me; it literally gave me heart. So Will – thanks. It was enough for that day. And may we do it for each other, each day – and all the more as that Day is coming.

a month of loss

Late last night, after we were in bed, we heard laughter outside, followed by the sound of a car accelerating away from our house. We looked out front, figuring at first that we'd been TPed, but we hadn't (and we don't really have the trees to make that worthwhile anyway). As I stood at the front door and looked for evidence of anything, I finally realized that something was actually gone. Dear friends back in North Carolina had given us a simple, solid wooden bench as a housewarming present, and someone stole it last night! It seems pretty crazy since the bench is nearly ten years old, and sad, too. I loved that bench; it was a great place to sit while the kids played on their scooters out front.

As I looked back over the past month, I realized that it's just another loss in the list right now. A week ago Monday, I was frantically shopping for a new washing machine as our faithful servant had given up (actually, it was our second washer to die, but when our first one went two years ago, our awesome neighbor Martie just happened to be getting rid of his old one, so we got it). That loss was actually pretty expensive because washing machines aren't cheap, plus we decided that with as much laundry as I do, it made sense to get a front loader (get this: a top loading machine uses an average of 40-50 gallons of water PER LOAD of laundry; a front loader uses and average of 13-16! No wonder we have been using so much water as a family! Just amazing!). With the laundry piling up rapidly, I was in a hurry to replace it, so didn't have much time for price comparisons... thankfully it was President's Day weekend so everyone was running a bit of a sale. I freak out when I think about the cost of the machine but I am hopeful that we'll really start to see a difference in our water bill (and electricity, too, a little bit, because this thing is supposed to reduce the drying time needed because it spins like an airliner).

The first loss of the month was our patio table out back. We just had a really windy day and the wind took out the umbrella (yes, in retrospect we should have taken it down before the wind) and just shattered the table. Andy got it all cleaned up, but enough fell between the boards that he is swearing to never go under the deck again. So now we don't have a table to eat at outside, which is sad because this is the perfect time of year for it (down here, sorry Rabia). The table and the bench are pretty low priorities for replacements right now as we are entering a transitional employment period. Thankfully neither are critical to our health and well being, but we are sad to lose them all the same.

The table shattered and I just had to take some pictures.




Thankfully we have only lost minor things (well, except for the washer but hooray for Lowe's (sorry Josh, but we did try Home Depot first) next day delivery!). And if you can't laugh about things like this, well then you are pretty far gone. So we are just laughing instead.

leave the catch

Bill preached this morning from Luke 5, where Peter and his buddies bring in a huge, miraculous catch of fish, thanks to this guy Jesus (side comment: Bill mentioned that Jesus' fishing clothes were the same as his preaching clothes...was this an indirect comment on those crazy robes? He and Stu don't wear them to the contemporary service anyway, but I wonder if he made the same comment to the traditional services?). The boats nearly sink because there is such an insane haul. And what happens next? Jesus suggests that they leave the catch behind and join in with him, becoming fishers of men. And they do. They pull the boats up on shore, leave everything, and follow Jesus.

Can you see where this is going? See, all along Presbytery has been reminding us that although we pay the bills for our property, they actually have the right to make decisions about it (sorry I can't point you to the specific point in the Book of Order but it's in there). We're not contesting that. We're not fighting for the property. My personal opinion (disclaimer) is that the presbytery has been laboring under the assumption that Covenant is so strongly associated with the property in our minds that many of us who might otherwise vote to leave, would choose not to if it meant leaving the property as well. And what Bill pointed out today is that it's not just the property, it's everything. The desks. The computers. The choir robes. The hymnals. The chairs. The decision that we are currently being asked to make, the decision to leave this property and Covenant PC(USA), is a decision to join a church with nothing, not even pencils or paper to write on. Is it possible that we'll be able to negotiate with the administrative commission to buy some of the equipment? It's possible, but how likely you think it is depends on how cynical you are (personally I am a very cynical person, take it with a grain of salt).

The presbytery has their regular monthly meeting this Thursday, at which point our list of names will be presented--the list of those of us who are requesting dismissal. We'll be dismissed as a body (after last week's signups we numbered 720 members out of 1300; more signed up this week but I do not know how many).

Bill also listed what ministries would be going with the new church, and the list was considerable. Actually, I'm not sure what ministries were not listed. Even Presbyterian Women are going to the EPC (although there will be women remaining at Covenant and I assume they will want to continue Presbyterian Women together as well!), which is a little ironic because that was one of the ministries we were assured that we would lose in leaving the PC(USA). We may be starting a new church here but we're sure hitting the ground running.

For those who have asked about their giving, we were given that information this week as well. Although our leadership is still in the process of setting up the paperwork behind the church, there is an account available where we can go ahead and make donations. The mailing address for the church is:

Gulf Coast Evangelical Presbyterian Church (this is only a temporary name)
PO Box 60155
Fort Myers, FL 33906-0155

We are voting on the church name next week (yippee, another vote). As of Easter, we'll be meeting at the old Gulf Coast Church of Christ, renting space from the new owner, a small Brazilian Assemblies of God congregation which meets on Sunday nights. So, the details are coming together.

It is comforting to know that so many are willing to leave all this behind--the trappings we've associated with Covenant for years. But really, if the things that we own, even as a church, can come between us and Jesus, then we are in serious danger. Maybe we are recognizing that and are excited about the possibility of starting over with just Jesus.

my thoughts today

I've been wanting to update again about what's going on at church and honestly, it seems like there are so many different things I could talk about, I don't even know where to start. So I hope you're sitting down because it might be bumpy....

Someone commented in an email to me the other day that they were praying for us and others like us because we were hurting (by the denomination was their implication). I've been thinking about that and I can only speak for myself here, but I can't say that I do feel hurt by the denomination as an entity. Part of that is because our church has been struggling with the PC(USA) politics for years, though, and I've been mentally prepared for their policy changes. I'm not sure I feel hurt by the presbytery, either, although they are serving as the main actor against our congregation, mainly because I imagine that presbytery is crunched between what we want and what they are being told to do from their superiors. And a dash of "we've been down this road before" so I kind of knew what to expect from presbytery as well. What about the loyalist group within our congregation? I think there is some hurt there, or surprise, or something...nothing on a personal level so much. Although the vote was officially announced in October (or whatever the three month mark was), the session has been preparing the congregation for the vote for much longer--officially, at least, since early last spring at a series of three Town Hall meetings (which I missed by way of being in Pasadena). So when the vote was announced, it certainly wasn't news. What was news to me, and I felt kind of blindsided (but maybe I was just out of the loop), was the loyalist organization, whose existence was officially announced at that meeting. I wonder if they had come before the session before that meeting to share their concerns. I don't know all of the loyalists, but those I do know I respect--they have been active church members, mentors, and leaders. I honestly didn't expect their passion on behalf of the denomination. Now that they have officially separated (they are holding their own service on Sunday mornings, separate from the congregation), I don't know what to make of that. Are they that hurt by us? I really felt like the session and leadership was pretty considerate and polite during the entire process (although they were blunt at times). So I guess I am a little perplexed and saddened on that count.

Other thoughts. I told you that Bill announced this "new thing" on Sunday and gave those who wished to transfer their membership the opportunity to sign up? Well, we did. And apparently, so did quite a few others--the last number I head was in the neighborhood of 700. Members. That doesn't count people like my children, who are not members but are coming with me. We all signed up to be a part of a church which currently does not have: property, staff, budget, buildings, location, or a name. It is amazing, exciting, and humbling.

Actually I guess that's enough for me this afternoon.

the anxious bench

Trust me, the title sounds like it's way worse than it really is. Funny name and my initial impression of it is not like what it actually is. This morning, Bill preached from Paul's passage about being a Presbyterian of Presbyterians... wait, sorry, it was a Hebrew of Hebrews... you know the one, where he goes on to say that he counts it all a loss for the sake of Jesus Christ. It's interesting, because Bill's preaching both his farewell sermons and his inaugural sermons in the same breath, and I imagine it's a challenge.

He chose this morning to illustrate his sermon with a word picture of three chairs, challenging us to really focus and decide which seat we would sit in. The first was a recliner: comfort, complacency. The second was a rocking chair: a chair of motion, of appeasement, but no progress. The third was the "anxious bench": an old revival term for a seat of surrender, costly, uncertain, but trusting in God. The announcement was made: a new church is being birthed; its first meeting will be Easter Sunday. Place: TBA. Time: TBA. Who: signups are starting today, out in the courtyard, for any who would choose to step out of the comfort of Covenant, who would decide that Presbytery's offer is no compromise, who would want to join in a new thing, a new church.

We (meaning the Cornetts) are officially on the "anxious bench". Hope to see you there.

so it has come to this

Hello all ... just thought I'd share the latest news from on-going saga at the church. As you know, Presbytery met in special session to hear the reports on our church. This is taken from the announcement on Covenant's website:

1. The Presbytery declared that Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) of Fort Myers, Florida, is a “church in schism” under the Book of Order G-8.0601.
2. Our motion to be dismissed from the PCUSA as a church was denied.
3. An Administrative Commission was appointed to dismiss the pastors and members of the Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) who wish to join the EPC New Wineskins Presbytery (G-11.0103i). The Administrative Commission will work with our church’s leadership to establish a timeframe.

As you can see - it was pretty one-sided. I did not go to the meeting (I stayed behind to lead the prayer time at the church), but those findings make the meeting seem like a formality - where the conclusions were all foregone and nothing different than 10 days ago. I must say I have never been a part of a schism, but I beg to differ with those who think we have created one. From where I sit, it seems that the declaration that we are "in schism" allows the Presbytery to effectively nullify both our vote and the fact that we completely honored the process, and allows them a pretty free rein to do what they see fit, or negotiate with us on their terms.

Despite all that, I am very excited. I feel like there's a real resurgence of passion for Christ among our members, a zeal in prayerfulness, and a thrill in noticing the many new visitors in worship this past week. Thanks for all of your prayers; God is listening, and he is answering! I'll tell you more after Sunday!

my blood has sooooo thinned out

Thought I'd sneak this one in while we're waiting... The kids and I flew up to Ohio last week to spend a few days with my dad before dragging him back here with us. I cannot begin to tell you how cold I was. Yes, it's official, seven years in sunny Florida has turned this girl into a temperature wimp. We spent a fun Friday at the Boonshoft (sp?) Children's Museum (formerly known as the Dayton Museum of Natural History).

Everyone had wet sleeves in about five minutes.

Yes, the tongue always comes out when intense concentration is required.

Michael totally hammed it up for the camera in the jail cell. What mother could resist?

I just wanted to show you that while his mother was shivering, this child was wearing shorts. Every day. He did concede that it was cold enough to wear pants outside when he wanted to go collect sticks. One science experiment we threw in for free was putting a bucket of water on the back porch to see how long it took to freeze. The answer? About an afternoon.

I think you are supposed to look through the other end of the binoculars.

They are looking for birds. And squirrels.

A totally cool exhibit about building things... this little Lincoln Log house is on an earthquake platform. Maybe if I had slowed down the shutter speed you could have seen the wobble. It withstood the quake, though, thanks to Grampa.

Elanor's favorite part was the hand dryer (next to the speedboat exhibit). I just wish I'd pulled the camera out in time to get her aiming her other end up at the dryer.