Sacred Threshold ::

West Wing and Pastoral Leadership

Learning leadership happens in different ways. Since 1999 I have enjoyed with unending pleasure the exploits of the Bartlet administration in their oversight of the free world. The value of teamwork, submission to the common good, and grappling with the right use of power comes through the story line of every episode.

My husband and I have been on a West Wing marathon for the last four months or so. We can now watch back to back shows in seamless succession with our Netflix subscription. 

I love what West Wing has taught me over the years. I know better the price of leadership and the value of a good team. The Senior Staff of President Bartlet are my friends. Sam wrote to Toby about the insertion of a new speech writer Will Bailey into the Senior Staff players, "He is one of us." I feel I have become "one of them" in my ongoing learning of the dynamics of leadership.

Pastoral leadership is hard. It demands one's whole self in a constant formation process of learning to lead others into the reality of Kingdom truth. Jesus leads. I am called to follow. He leads with self sacrifice and tough love. I am to learn the same with his grace and mercy.

Bartlet and his staff continue to inspire me. It has been almost ten years since the first episode was aired. If you hear an "Amen" echoing in the air, its probably me shouting a resounding "may it be so."

Doing the Impossible

"When Jesus sent his disciples out on mission, he told them to be poor, to take nothing with them. And he told them to do things that were impossible for them to do all by themselves. So it is for all missions. Communities and their members are called to be poor and to do impossible things, such as to build community and to bring healing, reconciliation, forgiveness and wholeness to people. Mission is to bring the life of God to others, and this can only be done if communities and people are poor and humble, letting the life of God flow through them."

Source: Jean Vanier in Community and Growth

New Monastic Mega Church

Here is a link to an article found in Leadership Journal by Keith Meyer--my old supervisor--at Church of the Open Door. He discusses some of the practices they have adapted from monastic roots as a leadership team and the rule of life they practice together.

The Bottom of the Bin

Last night Abbey Way walked the labyrinth together as part of our Lenten pilgrimage to Easter.

We borrowed the large canvas cloth from the church I previously served at for a number of years. This particular labyrinth is one that I personally have walked and invited others to walk upon. It holds meaning and memory for me of some very profound experiences with God and others.

At the bottom of the blue bin in which the labyrinth was packed was a sheet of paper entitled "Walking the Labyrinth as Prayer." I read the words. They were familiar words. Ones that I wrote years ago. It was heartwarming to find my words of instruction and invitation at the bottom of bin. Hidden in places unseen was the work of ministry I invested in so many years ago, tiny tastes of fruit, now transformed into potent seeds for new life to be sown.

Oh how I love how the Kingdom works.

Heart of Simple Living

In the troubled economic times, it is good to be reminded about the importance of the words "yes," "no" and "enough."

Read here an article on simple living by Bob Sitze.