and the greatest of these

we've just finished with a genesis-level amount of rain here in new jersey the last few days, but this morning as i write this, i see that the sun has rediscovered us.  and none too early.  you see, this is a big weekend.  it's easter weekend, after all, and the first weekend of april.  there will be people traveling and visiting, and trips to playgrounds.  there will be easter egg hunts and sunrise services.  there will be new pink dresses and  ill-fitting suits.  there will be chocolate and a cornocopia of everything pastel.  and so many more reasons to get down on your knees and beg for sunshine.  and the greatest of these is baseball.

that's right: that great american pasttime where grown men attempt to hit a little white ball with a stick - baseball.  the only sure sign of spring, complete with the sounds and smells to prove it.  i've been waiting for it for 5 months, and this sunday - Easter sunday - it returns with yankees vs. red sox.  easter is the perfect backdrop for this perfect opening game: a canvas on which the story of good vs evil can once again play out.  the glory of the yankees, shining forth as they begin to defend their 27th world championship, demonstrating again the power of good over evil. 

whether you love them or hate them, the yankees are the face of baseball.  and this sunday, that face shines again, as baseball wakes up from its entombed offseason, shakes off the burial cloths, and gets started as the garden of little boys' dreams once again.  or at least this little boy, who once again will be huddled in front of the tv, albeit with a supply of chocolate eggs somewhere nearby, watching the game be born again for a new year.  it's spring!  it's time to be alive again!  play ball!

lent collages 2010: keep your eyes open

"lent 2010: keep your eyes open"

6/7

mixed media collage

3/2010

gregory a. milinovich

this past sunday was palm sunday, and while we celebrated jesus' entry into Jerusalem with palm branches, we also drew our gaze towards the garden of gethsemane.  you'll remember that we have been focusing on peter this lent, and so we focused on matthew 26:36-46, in which Jesus takes his disciples to the garden of olive trees, and then pulls peter, james and john aside and takes them with him a little further off.  he asks them to keep watch while he prays.  and as Jesus prays an intense and distressing prayer, peter and the boys fall asleep.  when Jesus comes back to them he essentially tells them to keep their eyes open. 

i think it is good advice for us, too: keep your eyes open.  for many of us who are christians, closing our eyes has become a simple and convenient alternative for really seeing what is going on around us.  we'd rather not know so that we don't have to do anything about it.  but Jesus keeps coming to us, challenging us to keep our eyes open.  who knows what we might see!  we might see God in new ways.  we might see people in new ways.  we might see new ways to love our family, or our neighbors.  we might see an answer to prayer that's been there all along.  we might see God's will unfolding right before our eyes.  we might see the Holy Spirit telling us something in a road sign, or in a discarded paper clip.  but we have to keep our eyes open.  if we are content to slumber on in a state of spiritual sleep, we will just keep missing it. 

and if for no other reason than that this is holy week, and this story is the story that changes everything for us, then please heed this advice: wake up!  keep your eyes open! 

a time for change

yesterday in worship at my church it was announced that as of July i would become the pastor at the Catawissa Avenue United Methodist Church in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.  this is an appointment in a new conference, a change that has been part of our plan for a long time.  since both shannon's family and my family live in pennsylvania, we have been thinking about getting back to pennsylvania,  this year, the opportunity finally presented itself in a new way, and we were fortunate enough to be offered an appointment there.  while we are very excited about the homecoming, as well as the new opportunities for ministry in a new setting where i will be the solo pastor, we are also in a time of grieving for the leaving will be doing here in clinton.  we have come to love it here, and will deeply miss the friends we have made here.  it is a strange juxtaposition of mixed emotions. 

so we would appreciate your prayers as we pack.  as we prepare to move.  as we transition.  as we find healthy and graceful ways to say goodbye.  as we try to help someone else get used to the idea of serving here in clinton.  and as we work towards doing ministry in a new state, a new town, a new church with new people. 

we are grateful to God for the many many blessings along this journey of ours.  and we are thankful to each one of you for your love and support of us. 

(ps.  the picture above on the left is a watercolor of the clinton united methodist church by shelley kays.  the one on the right is a picture of the catawissa avenue united methodist church that i got from their website)

(ps 2: if you were hoping to find my sixth lent collage, check back in tomorrow and i will have it for you to see then)

words for this day, and the months ahead

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.


God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

                 -ephesians 3:14-21 (the message)

It was also called Mizpah, because he said, "May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other."

                 -genesis 31:49 (niv)

saturday song: fix you

i know i'm generally not very good at picking favorites, but, for some reason, this song, since the first time i ever heard it, became the song of my soul.  it resonated somewhere deep inside me and stirred something that has never been the same.  it is the most played song on my ipod by far.  this version is a live version which gives a nice look at the band playing the song, but if you're more interested in seeing the lyrics, check this one out. 

you may not love this song the way i do.  heck, you may not even like it.  but, for better or for worse, it has become my song.  "lights will guide you home...and ignite your bones...and i will try to fix you." 

overwhelming evidence

dang genetics. 

i've been told, and it's true, that i have a tendency (at least in some parts of my life) towards extremes.  i mean, why else would i currently have 10,655 songs on my ipod?  (by the way, that isn't a typo or an exaggeration.  just truth, people).  in college, one of my obsessions was writing as small as humanly possible.  it wasn't enough for me that i could write so small that none of my friends could really read my notes.  no, that wasn't near enough.  i had to go to extremes.  like the one course i took in which i was committed to putting the whole semester's-worth of notes on one regular-sized sheet of paper. 

i got it from my dad, who, as the story goes, once impressed my mom sometime during adolescence with his ability to write the lord's prayer inside a circle the size of a dime. 

dang genetics.

and now i'm passing it along, it would seem.  above you see one of the worksheets that our son Jack works on.  he was supposed to make 'o's.  twenty-eight of them, to be exact.  but, no, that couldn't possibly be enough for a milinovich boy.  twenty-eight is child's play.  he proceeded to go ahead and make (count 'em) 112 lower case o's, and one upper case o.  one hundred and thirteen pieces of evidence in the case of jackson milinovich vs. the power of genetics.  and the court rules in favor of.....

dang genetics. 

things i wish

i wish i could defy gravity like the squirrel in my front yard. 

i wish people would return items they've borrowed that they now think they own, simply because they've had them for 10 years.  just perusing the news this morning, i came across this story that i thought was funny and reminded me that if any of you have any of my cds that you borrowed in college, and you want to return them now, that would be brilliant.  i will not hold it against you.  (it may or may not surprise you to know that in college i had something called "greg's cd library" through which i lent out cds.  when someone would borrow a cd, they got a "library card" with it that not only included the cd info, but also gave them a chance to rate and review the cd.  i have always been a music nerd). 

i wish i had the memory of my 5year old, as he can remember basically everything that has ever happened to him in his short life so far, even trivial things, like the last time he ate bowtie pasta. 

i wish i had a hot tub time machine.  or just a hot tub would be fine, too. 

i wish i had more time to read this website.  or this one. 

i wish my ipod was a tiny chip implanted in my temple, so i could just listen to music in my head whenever i wanted.  and i wish you didn't think i was weird for saying that.

i wish i could be like this guy:

i wish i could devote my life to my family, and to helping others realize that they are loved with a wild and crazy love beyond their wildest imaginations, in order that they might share that love with others.  oh wait, that's exactly what i get to do!  i am a blessed man. 

i wish i could continue to find ways to share that blessedness with others...with you. 

lent collages 2010: stumbling block

lent 2010: stumbling block

mixed media collage

no. 5 of 7

march, 2010

gregory a. milinovich

as we continue to journey through lent with our focus on simon peter, we spent some time yesterday remembering the story in which Jesus asked his disciples what people were saying about him (matthew 16:13-23).  this occured in the northern part of palestine, where Jesus did a great deal of his itinerant ministry.  we remember this story pretty well: the disciples told Jesus that some said he was john the baptist and others said he was elijah.  then he got a bit more direct with them and asked them who they thought he was.  the Bible doesn't say this, but i imagine them sitting around, heads looking straight down, kicking at the dirt, unsure what to say, and scared to say something wrong. 

except for peter, who never had a problem speaking up, it seems.  in fact, the title of yesterday's sermon was "the man with the mouth."  peter breaks the awkward silence with a bold statement: "you are the messiah, the son of the living God."  and Jesus blesses him right there on the spot for it.  "good job, peter!  you're absolutely right, and i tell you what, you will no longer be known as simon, but as peter."  seems like an interesting time to be changing names, but Jesus is essentially saying that this man will be the rock - the foundation - for the future of this coming kingdom he keeps teaching about. 

the other disciples must have snickered at that.  how could peter be the rock?  he was anything but steady: moody, loudmouthed, boisterous, excitable and so on.  simon was no peter - he was not a rock. 

but Jesus knew what he was doing.  he knew simon's sins and shortcomings.  he knew exactly who he was dealing with in peter, but he chose him anyway. 

after this story, Jesus tells his disciples that, even though they are up in the north right now, traveling around and doing good works, that he must soon head to jerusalem, where he must die.  and, true to form, peter freaks out and says what is on his mind: "no way, Jesus!  that isn't how it works!  of course you need to go to jerusalem, but not to die; you've got to begin establishing your revolt and your overthrow of the romans.  why are you saying you have to die there?  don't be ridiculous!  stop this crazy talk; that's not how it's going to work!" 

and Jesus responds with those famous words, "get behind me, satan.  you are a stumbling block to me."  when we read these words we tend to focus on the "satan" part (whoa, strong words from Jesus), but we often miss the "stumbling block" part.  Jesus has just told peter that he's a rock.  now, just a couple verses later, he is telling him that this is not the kind of rock he needs.  he meant a rock to build on, not one to trip over.  Jesus had to get to jerusalem so that God's plan could unfold and spread beyond jerusalem to the ends of the earth.  simon peter would continue to learn what that meant during his time with Jesus.

what about you and i?  this story begs the question for us: what kind of rock are we?  are we something God can use to help build the kingdom, or are we getting in the way?  we'd like to think, of course, that we are part of the process, part of the coming kingdom, part of God's plan here on earth, but i wonder if sometimes we aren't more like peter than we like to admit.  isn't it true that our prayers sometimes take on the shape of peter's earnest plea: "no Jesus!  not that way!  i want your plan to be done, your will to be done, but not that way." 

stumbling block.  stop sign.  we get right in the way of God's work of radical love.  all because we think we know how it should go.  or, more often, because we're not willing to do what it takes to follow this suffering servant.  we think, "God, i know i will need to give up this habit/relationship/behavior, but not yet.  this isn't the right time.  look at all the bad things that would happen if i stopped it now.  i'll do it in a couple of months when things slow down."  you see, just like peter, we think we know the right way; we think we know what is best and how things should work.  but when we do that, we are less like Kingdom-builders and more like stop signs.  the question for each of us this lent is: which one are you?  are you building or getting in the way? 

saturday song: hallelujah

hi everybody.  just letting you know that i'll be a part of a cancer benefit concert tonight at clinton united methodist church, at 12 halstead street in clinton, nj.  there will be 4 different acts playing, one of which will be ours (acoustic orange).  one of the songs we'll be doing is a cover of leonard cohen's "hallelujah," which has been covered by every artist who ever picked up a guitar, i think.  still, it's an awesome song.  the video above is a version of the song that damien rice did.  enjoy it, and if you are able to come out tonight, come over to the concert sometime between 7 and 10 pm.  hope to see you. 

don't feel like dancin'

some of you have been hoping for another video of my children dancing.  well, be not disappointed.  they may not feel like dancin', but they keep on dancin' anyway.  enjoy the video. 

a wee leprechaun

happy st. patrick's day!

hallelujah! (an invitation)

here is a little video i put together to promote an event in april in which shannon and i will be sharing the stories and pictures of our trip to the holy land.  if you are in the area, come on out to clinton united methodist church on april 11th at 7pm and join us!

***warning: the video includes a brief view of me without a shirt on.  watch at your own risk.

lent collages 2010: get up

yeah, it's monday morning already, which means it's time for my latest Lent collage.  as we continue our journey through this holy season with our gaze locked on peter, we spent yesterday talking about that crazy story, the transfiguration.  we talked about the mystery of this story, and the glory of it all.  and then we talked about peter's part in it all: after Jesus turned brilliant white and starting shining like the sun, and after moses anad elijah showed up and started talking with Jesus, peter decided it was time to speak up.  he said, "Jesus, this is awesome.  this is really cool.  if you want, i'll be happy to build some shelters for you and moses and elijah so we can make this last for awhile." 

and almost immediately he hears God's voice from the clouds, saying "this is my Son, with whom i am very pleased.  I want you to listen to him."  and peter, of course, falls down on his face.  and then in matthew 17 we read that Jesus comes over to peter and touches him and says, "get up." 

just that simple.  get up.  get going.  we can't stay here.  yes, it is awesome.  yes, it is a mountaintop experience.  yes, it is good to have those incredible moments in life.  but we can't stay there.  we can't allow ourselves to transform from sojourners to settlers.  we can't allow our faith to become marked by stagnancy.  we can't allow ourselves to grow comfortable with old answers and past experiences.  we must move forward.  we must listen to Jesus, who keeps surprising us, and we must "get up." 

"lent 2010: get up"

mixed media collage on hardcover book board

gregory a. milinovich

3/2010

so here's hoping that you can find the courage to listen to Jesus this Lent, and to get up out of whatever stagnancy you've fallen into.  get up!

saturday song: the transfiguration

tomorrow i'll be preaching on the transfiguration, and while it is certainly a fascinating story, it isn't one that many modern musicians are trying to tell through their music.

except for sufjan stevens, the eccentric and incredibly awesome (in my opinion) indie artist who resides in new york city and makes some of the coolest music ever.  sort of paul simon meets phillip glass meets chris martin meets a bible scholar.  sufjan stevens is not afraid to write songs with obvious Biblical references and connections, even when he's writing about his love for michigan, or about a serial killer.  this particular song, though, is all about the transfiguration, and while the video is homemade and not that great, it's worth hearing the man strum his banjo and sing about this strange story. 



the transfiguration - sufjan stevens

When he took the three disciples
to the mountainside to pray,

his countenance was modified, his clothing was aflame.

Two men appeared: Moses and Elijah came;

they were at his side.

The prophecy, the legislation spoke of whenever he would die.


Then there came a word

of what he should accomplish on the day.

Then Peter spoke, to make of them a tabernacle place.

A cloud appeared in glory as an accolade.

They fell on the ground.

A voice arrived, the voice of God,

the face of God, covered in a cloud.


What he said to them,

the voice of God: the most beloved son.

Consider what he says to you, consider what's to come.

The prophecy was put to death,

was put to death, and so will the Son.

And keep your word, disguise the vision till the time has come.


Lost in the cloud, a voice: Have no fear! We draw near!

Lost in the cloud, a sign: Son of man! Turn your ear!

Lost in the cloud, a voice: Lamb of God! We draw near!

Lost in the cloud, a sign: Son of man! Son of God!

change the channel

today in random land....

-the best scooby-doos in the world are the ones from the late 60's and early 70's.  and the best ones from that era are when scooby and the gang solve crimes with the help of batman and robin.  i mean, how awesome is that?  the caped crusader, the boy wonder and those meddling kids?!?  the batmobile and the mystery machine?!?  it's almost too incredible for words. 

-something i learned from david crowder on twitter: today's palindrome is go hang a salami, i'm a lasagna hog

-here's a hint: if someone tells you that you should leave your church if you see the words "social justice" or "economic justice" on your church's website, stop listening to that someone.  change the channel.  immediately.

-micah 6:8....he has shown you, o mortal, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. 

-now playing: the outsiders by needtobreathe. 

-don't forget daylight savings time this weekend.  time to spring ahead.  don't be late for church.

-i still have one small pile of snow in the yard.  when i see it, i bust out singing, "always something there to remind me..."

-my parents are coming for the weekend, therefore my kids are incredibly wound up and excited.  jack just shouted, "REJOICE IN THE LORD AND BE KIND TO OTHERS!" followed by a series of dinosaur roars. 

-sorry, but back to the justice thing.  just want to make sure i'm being very clear here: if someone tells you that the church shouldn't be doing "social justice" they are either a) incredibly ignorant or b) outright antagonistic towards the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which calls us to care for the "least of these."  please change the channel.

-warm weather = sore muscles.  (because it's been warm, i've been out with the kids, playing basketball, running, and just using my body to do more than walk to the kitchen for a bag of chips). 

-hope everyone has a great weekend.  remember: God has called you to social justice, through personal acts of love, through the church, and, yes, through the government.  in every way you can, act with justice.  and, for God's sake, change the freaking channel.

ripped and hungover

-i saw my first bee of the season yesterday.  he was a stinger-laden reminder that each season brings its glories and its burdens.  buzzing haphazardly, he was stumbling around like one who has been locked in his room for a few months, with some sort of honey hangover. 

-speaking of hangover, i'm still pretty upset about the whole ben roethlisberger situation.  i remember when he came out of college and he seemed to really have his head on straight in terms of his faith and his behavior, but things sure have changed.  i don't know if he did what these women have said he did or not, but i do know that he's going to clubs late at night with an entorouge like he's God's gift to the world.  if you find yourself in the places where trouble happens, you will find yourself in trouble, plain and simple.  ben, i know you are a regular reader of this blog, so if you're reading this, please call me.  let's talk.  i want to tell you that i've done all kinds of really disappointing things in my life.  i want to tell you that God's mercy is greater than our sin. i want to tell you that you need to get your stuff together now because you are jeopardizing not only your team and your reputation, but your very life.  i want to tell you that you can still make all this right, and, turn things around.  i want to tell you that i believe in you.  i just want to help you however i can. 

-i'm hoping the steelers are over their superbowl hangover.  they normally make it all the way through the free-agency period with all the excitement of a yawn, but this year they've been busy, resigning their own free agents (casey hampton, jeff reed, ryan clark) and bringing in some new (or old) players (battle, allen, randle el).  now if we can make sure we'll have a focused quarterback under center, we might be ready to wake up and play this year.  we shall see.

-however, before august comes april.  baseball is in the air.  i can finally see the grass in my yard.  it smells like baseball.  my vista from the couch in my living room is a giant green movie screen, constantly looping the springtime favorites: the natural, field of dreams, the rookie, eight men out, major league, and bull durham, to name a few.  even though the big leagues are pretty much confined to arizona and florida right now, the smell of leather is near.  i can feel it. 

-i watched a really interesting film yesterday called "rip! a remix manifesto" dealing with copyright laws and the future of culture and art, particularly in terms of music.  the 90 minute or so documentary deals with questions of who owns ideas, and how the concept of intellectual property is not only limiting artists, but science and medicine as well.  i know the film only represents one side of the argument, but it was well done and certainly interesting for me as an artist who essentially creates out of the detritus of others' art.  according to the strictest interpretation of copyright laws, i am likely in violation.  but should i be?  isn't all art, in one way or another, an assemblage of collected ideas.  "there is nothing new under the sun,"  says the writer of ecclesiastes. 

-in case anyone is counting, i now have 10,601 songs on my ipod.  shuffle is my best friend.  it is my own personal radio station. 

-i recently sold this collage.  it is, i think, my favorite of all that i have made.  i'm glad it found a good home. 

"study in tissue"

mixed media collage on art papter

gregory a. milinovich

the difference a week makes

a week ago, this was the view out my back window:

yesterday, with the sun shining and the snow all melted, this was basically the same angle, but a whole different view:

ahhh, spring: rise up!  like a new day, keep dawning on us and cover us in green and bugs and birdsongs. 

lent collages 2010: save me

"lent 2010: save me"

mixed media collage on hardcover book board

march, 2010

gregory a. milinovich

this week in our lenten journey with peter we looked at matthew 14:22-33, the story of Jesus, and then peter, walking on water.  i was struck by a few things in this text, not the least of which was the fact that Jesus wasn't walking on a flat glassy surface.  matthew mentions the wind and the waves, so i picture Jesus bobbing up and down like a ghostly buoy.  then i am amazed that peter wants to join Jesus out there on that mess, "Lord, if it's you, command me to come to you on the waves."  and matthew tells us that peter steps out of the boat and begins to walk on water.  amazing.  breathtaking.  exhilirating.  and then peter "sees the wind," whatever that means, and he begins to sink through the surface of the sea.  and his next words were, "leave me alone!  don't touch me - i can do this by myself," right?  wait, that's not what he said?  he didn't say "i got this - i'm good"? 

nope.

he seems to have instinctively shouted out above the whip of the wind, "lord, save me!"  this makes me wonder about my own life - what do i do when i fail and falter and fall?  do i go to God with the "lord, save me" prayer, or do i try to cover it up, hide it, or pretend it didn't happen?  don't i rely on my own independence and abilities - my own determination to "do better next time"? 

i want to be like peter.  i want to walk on water, sure, but what's more, when i fall i want to rely on God's remedy.  i want to put my feet down on new, unimaginable adventures, and i want to have my hands stretched towards the One who will rescue me when i fall. 

saturday song: bach's suite no. 1 in g major, prelude for solo cello

sometimes, as you know, i love words. 

and then there are times when i just need the sound of an instrument trembling with the excitement of all heaven bursting through in notes and tones.  today is one of those times.  turn this up and close your eyes.  and listen.

birdsong

this morning as i was stumbling from the kitchen to the living room couch, clutching my coffee mug like it was my last hope, i heard something that roused me from my sleepy morning ritual: a birdsong.  it was full-bodied and warm, like this bird alone had decided to take a stand against winter's domain.  it rang in my ears, yes, but my heart also, calling me back to life.  and she kept singing her life-melody, her loving and fighting song, as the soundtrack to my morning meditations.  it was truly a life-giving moment for me: the courage of such a little creature standing up to the surrounding cold and singing itself into life.  i was inspired.  i want to sing my own songs of life and hope and courage, no matter how cold it seems. 

i often sit in this very spot early in the morning, when the din of morning public broadcasting children's shows hasn't started yet.  it's my place, my sanity, my breathing space.  and very soon it will be accompanied by the sounds of several birds - a chorus of creatures lifting their tiny voices in praise of seed and summer.  but will i hear them?  i mean, will the miracle of birdsong soon become too commonplace for me to notice anymore?  i'm afraid it's likely, and a matter of sooner rather than later.  the miraculous melodies of joy and courage will soon become background noise and -dare i even say it - clatter and distraction.  and it's not just birdsong!  how many other miracles of life do i miss simply because they have become mundane? 

and so, as i sip my warm coffee this morning, i resolve not to be too busy or distracted to miss the miracles of spring this year.  we've all been complaining about the snow and the cold, and so it is only right that we enjoy the unfolding of bud and branch.  so listen with me!  listen for the symphony of birds.  listen to the grass pushing through the wet earth.  listen to the colors being born again.  listen to the creaking of the days as they expand into the evening.  listen to the trees as they learn to wear their new clothes and clap with joy.  listen to spring this year so you don't miss the miracle all around you. 

throwback thursday: airplane clown

after my freshman year in college, i spent the summer working in marion, illinois as an intern to the youth pastor at a large united methodist church.  even though i was far away from home, i had a great summer just loving on youth and growing in my own faith and understanding of ministry.  during that summer we went on a mission trip to mexico.  and on the way home from that mission trip (and probably at many other times during it), i employed one of my favorite ways to relate to young people: being an absolute crazy person.  for some reason, i have just always found that if i can lose my conventions and inhibations enough to do something fun and memorable, it tears down all sorts of barriers and walls and allows me to seem like a regular (if a bit odd) person and not an intimidating "leader."  so, during the flight home from somewhere in texas to the st. louis airport, i went ahead and just let loose and had a great time and, in the meantime, made some great memories.  i had actually forgotten about this until my recent birthday caused some folks from that chapter of my life (1995) to call it to my memory.  my friend and mentor, hal, who was the youth pastor there at the time, even reminded me that i was sitting next to a lingerie model on the plane whom i proceeded to talk to.  i looked through the skymall catalog with her, asking her advice on a gift for my girlfriend.  meanwhile, i was wearing, well, you need to see for yourself.  i dug this morning and found this picture that pretty much tells the story:

for those of you who are currently in my congregation, i'm sorry that you had to see this.  you are just going to have to reconcile this with the guy you see in the pulpit.  i am one and the same! 

after deciding on the automatic dog feeder from skymall with the lingerie model, i passed around a barfbag and got people to sign it, including the flight crew!  unusual ministry practices?  perhaps.  but it certainly made a memory that endures 15 years later.  this picture is a reminder to me that even with all my idiosyncrasies and strange behaviours, God can use all of us - even me - to love people and make a difference for the Kingdom. 

clothes don't make the man, but friends do

even though i am now this old:

i got this for my birthday from my mom and dad:

so thankfully i'm not 86 years old, but i am delighted to finally have a legitimate steelers jersey.  for as big a fan as i am, i have only had the crappy wal-mart $16 knock-off version until now.  i feel like i've finally arrived, and of course it couldn't be anyone's but hines ward's.  as you may well know, he is my favorite all-time football player.  i also got this hilarious t-shirt:

and shannon got me a voucher good for yankees tickets, so it was a good birthday in terms of wonderful gifts that i will enjoy (including the coasters that my sons made me for my coffee at work).  but even more than the gifts i was amazed through the power of facebook at the sheer quantity of people who wished me a happy day; people from every chapter of my life so far.  what a blessed man i am!  and it's not just quantity, but quality, too!  i lead such a rich life, having journeyed with so many wonderful people, and, through the power of technology, continuing to stay in touch with so many of you.  i feel so full of joy here at the beginning of my 35th year.  can you picture me?  i'm the one in the hines ward jersey waving at you with a satisfied smile on his face.  thank you. 

34

i turn 34 today.  birthdays just don't feel as significant to me as they once did.  i remember the days when you turned 15 and that felt important.  and then the next year 16 felt monumental.  not long after that was 18, then 20, then 21, and then things started to slow down a bit.  after i went over the hill at 30, i began to lose track. 

one of the young people in our youth group asked me last week how old i would be today and i honestly had to stop and think about it.  this is nothing new for me, as i have regularly forgotten my age in the last few years, but the youth at the gathering were really taken aback by this.  "how can you not know how old you are?" they teased.  and it's a legitimate question, but i guess it just doesn't matter as much any more.  what's the difference between 33 and 34, or even 37, other than their relative distance to 30 and 40 respectively?  not much, it seems to me.  just mile markers along the way on a journey to no particular destination.  and that is really the point, isn't it?  it's not about the destination. 

when i am driving, i am a furious mile counter.  when i finally arrive somewhere after a long drive i usually am exhausted not so much from paying attention to the road but from counting miles and constantly figuring and refiguring the time it will take to get wherever i am going.  my mind is constantly at work.  i'm figuring things like "average speed," and how fast i have to go for how many minutes in order to raise that figure, and so forth.  even though i am not a mathematician in any sense of the word, i find i have this insatiable desire to countdown towards my destination when i want to get somewhere. 

but that isn't true of life, at least not for me.  see, here i am: the obsessive compulsive mile counter doesn't even know how old he is!  am i an enigma?  yes, but that's beside the point.  the truth is that i have wholly and completely learned to rest in the truth that life is not about the destination.  i'm not counting miles becuase i'm not too concerned about where i'm going.  in all truth, i have no idea where i'm going!  (i often remember the little axiom that if you want to make God laugh, tell God your 10-year plan).  what i DO know is where i am, and, what's more, the incredibly rich community that journeys with me.  i may have to do some subtracting to figure out how old i am, but i need to do some heavy multiplication to count my blessings.  and ultimately, that is where the great gift of life lies for me: not in the things i pass along the way, but in the ones who go that way alongside me.  that is my joy.  you are my celebration.  thank you. 

lent collages 2010: into the deep

"lent 2010: into the deep"

mixed media collage on hardcover book board

feb 2010

gregory a. milinovich

you may remember from my post last week that i haven't really given anything up this lent, except perhaps some time which i am using to work on a collage each week which corresponds to the text we are dealing with in our worship at church.  i mentioned that we are focusing on the story of simon peter all through lent, and this week our text was luke 5:1-11:

1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."
5Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."
6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

as i read the text i was struck with the words "into the deep."  it seems God is always calling us into the deeper places, doesn't it?  we might be content in the shallow waters, or in the places we are used to, but God keeps calling us deeper and deeper.  and what is even more remarkable is that in this particular story james and john and simon peter follow this crazy rabbi Jesus.  they leave everything.  they are convinced that there is something more - something deeper -going on with this man and are willing to leave everything else behind.  i am compelled by their rash decision.  i picture the nets lying on the beach.  the boat.  john's favorite outer shirt that his grandmother made him.  all of this, just left on the boat, on the shore, behind them.  they are stepping out into deeper places.  i hope, when Jesus invites me with a similar opportunity, that i am as willing to leave my stuff behind and go wherever he would take me.