stevedsmallwood's Xanga

Friday, May 15, 2009

Fri, 15 May 2009 14:12:44 GMT

solidrockflock

It’s official…We’ve been asked by the AG District to lead a replant team at the Solid Rock Church location (1040 N. Sherman Ave.) just north of the OTC campus. Since I’m full-time at Evangel, this will be a real team effort hopefully resulting in a unique church community one that will provide a venue for training young leaders to plant faith communities in other areas as well. Several of us have been praying about an opportunity not simply to plant another church, but instead to build a faith community with people here in the Springfield area. We’ll be forming teams over the next couple months and working to have a relaunch at the end of the summer. While we’re not interested in doing church as usual—that is, building a huge church machine to maintain—we are interested in building a relational community that provides an opportunity for people to “sabbath” together each week and to be encouraged to follow Jesus’ example as they engage culture and make a kingdom difference during the week out in the real world. “Jesus without all the hype and institutional baggage”…that’s what I’m praying for and will work to establish. Let us know if you are interested in being a part of this adventure…we’ll keep you informed as we launch a web presence and begin the process of building community teams. Blessings, SS

Trouble on the US Religious Front

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:47:19 GMT

An extensive new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life details the religious affiliation of the American public and explores the shifts taking place in the U.S. religious landscape. Based on interviews with more than 35,000 Americans age 18 and older, the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that religious affiliation in the U.S. is both very diverse and extremely fluid.

More than one-quarter of American adults (28%) have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion– or no religion at all. If change in affiliation from one type of Protestantism to another is included, roughly 44% of adults have either switched religious affiliation, moved from being unaffiliated with any religion to being affiliated with a particular faith, or dropped any connection to a specific religious tradition altogether.

The survey finds that the number of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith today (16.1%) is more than double the number who say they were not affiliated with any particular religion as children. Among Americans ages 18-29, one-in-four say they are not currently affiliated with any particular religion.

See: http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/report-religious-landscape-study-key-findings.pdf

Friday, April 10, 2009

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:06:10 GMT

When Good Friday Doesn’t Feel Good

I finished the story so I know how it ends.

Jesus, crucified on Friday is resurrected on Sunday.

It’s basic Sunday School 101—flannel graph tomb and all.

But what we often skip over is the interlude between the cross and the empty tomb.

There was a period of time between Friday and Sunday when no one was rejoicing.

It was a dark time, a time of deep sadness, mourning and wailing, doubt and grief.

Scripture recalls that a literal darkness settled over the earth:

“Around noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until the middle of the afternoon.”

When death comes unexpectedly, this kind of darkness always accompanies it.

There’s no use reminding people that their loved one has passed on to a better place.

It’s not comforting to know that in 20 or 30 years (or maybe 5 or 10) we’ll be able to see them again.

For the moment all color is drained from life and an enveloping grayness settles in.

Oh, I know that the Apostle said we do not grieve like those who have no hope—but we do grieve!

I’m well versed in the Eschatology that believes the dead in Christ will rise first—but for now they are still dead.

An old camp meeting song even told “There’s going to be a meeting in the air in the sweet, sweet by and by.”

But I also know that when Jesus found out his close friend Lazarus had died, John simply recorded, “Jesus wept.”

Jesus wept…in that moment his divinity was apparently overshadowed by his frail humanity.

Evidently he knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead—but in the crises of the moment he still cried.

Maybe this is why he is the great high priest that can and does “sympathize with our weaknesses”—with our humanity.

…Why his great sermon plainly and mater-of-factly states that people who mourn will be comforted.

Losing my brother last week, who was just one year older than me, is beyond sad.

It makes me ache—for his wife and children—for their future events he will miss.

I hurt because the eldest son among my siblings is no longer there for security and counsel.

I am broken and helpless to fight back the tears at the simple thought that he’s really gone…and I’ll never see him this side of eternity.

So this Good Friday, I’m going to join with the first disciples and not gloss over the fact that it doesn’t feel that “good.”

A good man lost his battle with humanity and all who knew him feel the loss deeply and it’s heart-wrenchingly painful.

With the preacher of old I’m going to admit that this is the season for mourning and not dancing.

Good Friday for me this year is a dark Friday…not one for celebrating the resurrection, but for grieving deeply a very personal loss—the resurrection hope will have to wait its turn.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing other's joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing other's grief]." Romans 12:15

Saturday, April 04, 2009

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 12:39:54 GMT

Walt Whitman

There Was a Child Went Forth

There was a child went forth every day;
And the first object he look'd upon, that object he became;
And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part of
the day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years.

The early lilacs became part of this child,
And grass, and white and red morning-glories, and white and red clover, and the song of the phoebe-bird,
And the Third-month lambs, and the sow's pink-faint litter, and the mare's foal, and the cow's calf,
And the noisy brood of the barn-yard, or by the mire of the pond-side,
And the fish suspending themselves so curiously below there--and the beautiful curious liquid,
And the water-plants with their graceful flat heads--all became part of him.

The field-sprouts of Fourth-month and Fifth-month became part of him;
Winter-grain sprouts, and those of the light-yellow corn, and the esculent roots of the garden,
And the apple-trees cover'd with blossoms, and the fruit afterward,
and wood-berries, and the commonest weeds by the road;
And the old drunkard staggering home from the out-house of the tavern, whence he had lately risen,
And the school-mistress that pass'd on her way to the school,
And the friendly boys that pass'd--and the quarrelsome boys,
And the tidy and fresh-cheek'd girls--and the barefoot negro boy and girl,
And all the changes of city and country, wherever he went.

His own parents,
He that had father'd him, and she that had conceiv'd him in her womb, and birth'd him,
They gave this child more of themselves than that;
They gave him afterward every day--they became part of him.

The mother at home, quietly placing the dishes on the supper-table;
The mother with mild words--clean her cap and gown, a wholesome odor
falling off her person and clothes as she walks by;
The father, strong, self-sufficient, manly, mean, anger'd, unjust;
The blow, the quick loud word, the tight bargain, the crafty lure,
The family usages, the language, the company, the furniture--the yearning and swelling heart,
Affection that will not be gainsay'd--the sense of what is real--the thought if, after all, it should prove unreal,
The doubts of day-time and the doubts of night-time--the curious whether and how,
Whether that which appears so is so, or is it all flashes and specks?

Men and women crowding fast in the streets--if they are not flashes and specks, what are they?
The streets themselves, and the façades of houses, and goods in the windows,
Vehicles, teams, the heavy-plank'd wharves--the huge crossing at the ferries,
The village on the highland, seen from afar at sunset--the river between,
Shadows, aureola and mist, the light falling on roofs and gables of white or brown, three miles off,
The schooner near by, sleepily dropping down the tide--the little boat slack-tow'd astern,
The hurrying tumbling waves, quick-broken crests, slapping,
The strata of color'd clouds, the long bar of maroon-tint, away
solitary by itself--the spread of purity it lies motionless in,
The horizon's edge, the flying sea-crow, the fragrance of salt marsh and shore mud;
These became part of that child who went forth every day, and who now goes, and will always go forth every day.

Thoreau's Flute by Lousia May Alcott

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:37:18 GMT

(Written after Thoreau's death--A tribute to my brother, Mark)

"My life has been the poem I would have writ,
But I could not both live and utter it." - Thoreau

We sighing said, "Our Pan is dead;
His pipe hangs mute beside the river
Around it wistful sunbeams quiver,
But Music's airy voice is fled.
Spring mourns as for untimely frost;
The bluebird chants a requiem;
The willow-blossom waits for him;
The Genius of the wood is lost."

Then from the flute, untouched by hands,
There came a low, harmonious breath:
"For such as he there is no death;
His life the eternal life commands;
Above man's aims his nature rose.
The wisdom of a just content
Made one small spot a continent
And tuned to poetry life's prose.

"Haunting the hills, the stream, the wild,
Swallow and aster, lake and pine,
To him grew human or divine,
Fit mates for this large-hearted child.
Such homage Nature ne'er forgets,
And yearly on the coverlid
'Neath which her darling lieth hid
Will write his name in violets.

"To him no vain regrets belong
Whose soul, that finer instrument,
Gave to the world no poor lament,
But wood-notes ever sweet and strong.
O lonely friend! he still will be
A potent presence, though unseen,
Steadfast, sagacious, and serene;
Seek not for him -- he is with thee."

Friday, April 03, 2009

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 04:06:26 GMT

Mark Brian Smallwood (April 23, 1956-March 31, 2009—52 years, 332 days)

I received the call several mornings ago that no one wants to receive—my older brother Mark died in his sleep on Tuesday morning of apparent heart failure. He had been battling a heart rhythm problem and his heart evidently just stopped beating before dawn Tuesday morning.

Even though he died of heart failure—Mark was a person with a huge heart and even bigger passion for life. He married his childhood sweetheart—Gloria after college and they had four beautiful children—now almost all grown. Then later in their lives God blessed them with a fifth child, Audrey Clair (now four years old)—and like all late comer kids—she was the apple of his eye! He didn’t wait for the older kids to produce a grandbaby—he produced his own. She wrapped Mark around her little fingers and she made his heart beat passionately in the early years of his mid-life.

From childhood on Mark was passionate about other things as well—fishing every back canyon and stream of northern California (as a teen with Grandpa Smallwood—LD), keeping elaborate statistics on the San Francisco Giants (and following Willie Mays career), he was passionate for the SF 49ers years, Starbucks Coffee, and for a while he was obsessed with collecting great tequilas. But one of his most enduring passions was his restaurant work—specifically delivering excellent food and service at his and Gloria’s restaurant, La Morenita. He loved his work—because he loved his customers and workers—many of whom are like extended family to him and Gloria.

I never knew Mark to do anything in a dispassionate (calm, unemotional, ambivalent) manner! Whatever he did, he did it with his whole heart. In fact, he would become obsessed with things—new products (Quarm alarms), investments, sports teams (Robbie “Mays” Smallwood!), fad diets (Adkins), fishing and fish frys, his children, church, travel, friends—you name it—he did it wholeheartedly and his enthusiasm and passion made us all join him in the endeavors! He was not what you would consider a “balanced” personality!

In the early days this was true of his temper as well—explosive, irrational, quick fused! Once our boys were with him in his vehicle when someone cut him off—it was like Mt. St. Helen’s erupted—hot molten lava everywhere! We all knew to steer clear when the cork popped out—and then as quick as it came, the passion subsided! And he always apologized and made amends to anyone in his offensive wake. Mark didn’t really have a medium speed—when it came to emotion—his switch was either on or off.

Concerning Mark’s spiritual passion it was just a few weeks ago that Gloria walked into the room and found him crying and he explained that he had just been in the presence of God for three hours and God had spoken to his heart about all the issues and concerns of his life. In part this is how he recalled this time with Jesus:

“I will just begin by saying God said, ‘Grace is always the way!’ He said that not only is He my womb-mate, but that He walks thru life right next to me…perceiving and understanding perfectly how I am touched positive or negative by life’s experiences. He said that He feels joys, frustrations, other emotions as if He were Mark. Wow! For instance, for me He said that He never fit into the traditional formal ministry mode that the Jewish church of His day presented and that He was in constant disagreement and conflict with those traditions. He said that He leaves some people in the formal ministry of the body of Christ while others are working (as Gloria and I) outside those perimeters of the church to touch lives through business that would never be touched in a church. He said I needed to lay that frustration down and just know that He desire me to work where I am presently planted in La Morenita and to now worry that I would ever be asked to be a pastor again.”

Mark had a unique and deeply intense relationship with God—one often nurtured in his early-morning reading of scripture and spiritual journaling.

As Pam and I fly from Springfield, MO to Turlock, CA to be with our family during this tragic loss, here are the things I’ll miss most about my older brother:

· His contagious passion for life

· His generosity and kindness—and his desire to see others be in a position to thrive financially and to purchase homes

· His love of his family

· His Samson-like strength

· His ability to hit a softball, and run a football—I twice saw him run so hard that his shoes exploded and fell off his feet while rounding the baseball diamond.

· His humor—though he made us all the fools as he joked and laughed and teased and lied to us non-stop to our faces and behind our backs.

· His love of Jesus—and contempt for religious frauds

· His love for his friends (many were his customers)

· His embrace and enfolding of outsiders into his family

· His predictability—you always knew where you stood with Mark and exactly how he felt

· His love of life—he was passionate about everything he did or he didn’t bother!

· His big heart—if you were in his circle of friends—he loved you in a large fashion

Could it be that in his short 53 years that he overused his heart exerting all his passion? Could it be that all those years cheering for Mays and Montana and playing practical jokes on all of us—his fiery temper—all the great friends and his intense love for Gloria and pride for his kids—all the record breaking months at the restaurant—all of this heart beating passion…could it be that he used up all his heart-beats just shy of 53 years? I don’t know…and I don’t know what we’ll do without his full-throttle love for life—Mark, who’ll get us excited about small things, who’s going to make fun of us behind our backs?

Mark, I do know I’ll miss your passion—your enthusiasm—your love for life the most! You gave it all you had—I just wish you could have had more years—we’re going to grieve deeply and cry for months as we come to terms with the fact that you’re really gone. If heaven is about passionately loving God and other people—watch out Jesus—my brother’s headed home to meet his reward and to stir up some excitement about life—now and throughout eternity!

Paul wrote to Timothy: “God has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity—but of love, of power, and a sound mind.” Mark—we love you!

www.stevedsmallwood.blogspot.com

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:15:09 GMT

Revitalize (rē-vīt'l-īz') tr.v. “To impart new vigor to: plans to revitalize inner-city neighborhoods”

I recently returned from eight days in Scotland on a service trip with a group of Evangel students. We had a blast running from one end of the country to the next taking in as much Scottish culture as we could possibly see in one week. From Edinburgh to Glasgow, to the Borders Region, to the Sterling Castle at the foot of the Highlands, to St. Andrews on the North Sea! We climbed up to the William Wallace monument and went to the site of the Battle of Bannockburn to the Robert the Bruce monument—all made famous for Americans by the movie Braveheart.

What intrigued me the most were the many churches, cathedrals, and Scottish kirks we visited. One had a plaque with all of the pastors’ names back to the 1200’s! I love the stained glass, the intricate stonework, and the overall sense of history. Many of these churches have been houses of worship for centuries and centuries. Sadly, like many cathedrals throughout Europe, many are now more museums than functional churches—active with tourists throughout the week, nearly empty of worshipers on the weekend.

As I travel around the States the same dynamic is beginning to happen—once glorious houses of worship, now located in urban settings, now falling into decay. Like the old Sunday school nursery rhyme—Here’s the church, here’s the steeple, open the doors—see no people. Now I’m not one to bemoan the death of outmoded wineskins—but it is a wakeup call to hear people proclaim the death-rattle of modern-day institutions (see The Coming Evangelical Collapse http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0310/p09s01-coop.html).

I am at the same time encouraged as I see younger congregations going back into the urban areas of our cities and finding historical houses of worship that are on the decline and cutting deals with the caretakers to bring revitalization and new life to dying churches. A couple examples: Vintage Faith Church, Santa Cruz, CA (http://www.vintagechurch.org/) and Jacob’s Well, Kansas City, MO (http://jacobswellchurch.org/). Both are moving examples of faith communities refusing to accept the thought that Jesus has left our cities—both have thriving congregations of young and old believers reclaiming ancient facilities— and merging ancient and postmodern practices.

Over the last couple years I’ve been mulling over a growing burden that God has placed on my heart for such a revitalization effort here in Springfield. Working and praying together with a group of likeminded people we’re dreaming and planning for such an endeavor. Wanting to be responsive to the Holy Spirit and to walk through an open door (and not knock down a closed one)—it looks like we may have an opportunity in the near future. Please pray with us and I’ll keep you posted as we see what doors may open to bring revitalization to a house of worship lying dormant waiting for a new vision for the future.

"To Sardis write: “I see right through your work. You have a reputation for vigor and zest, but you're dead, stone-dead. Up on your feet! Take a deep breath! Maybe there's life in you yet.” (Rev. 3:1-3)

Friday, March 27, 2009

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:12:36 GMT

Headed to http://stevedsmallwood.blogspot.com/ with a new blog...Blessings, SS

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:32:31 GMT

experiencing springfield Christianity

This Sunday morning I attended the 10:30 service at Westminister Presbyterian Church in the MSU area of the city. Since it’s the forth Sunday of Advent, they had their nativity scene—I appreciated the fact that both children and adults were in costume participating in the reenactment of the holy birth of Jesus. The highlight were the cows—utters and all (costume from Chic-fil-a?), the huge donkey costumed man, and the two person-one hump camel! The church’s architecture is beautiful with stained glass work from the 70’s and a huge brushed-aluminum cross suspended from ceiling to floor in mid air! There was a beautiful xylophone rendition of “Stille Nacht” (Silent Night) in German. Though the congregation was mostly elderly, there were a fair amount of middle aged people and a great group of children. The pastor is a female—all in all it was a wonderful Advent worship experience!

Next, I drove to the west side of town and attended a Black Gospel church—and it was the real deal. I think it’s named Covenant Community Church and it’s just west of Fort and north of Grand. In typical black gospel style the pianist accompanies everyone who speaks, testifies, gives announcements, preaches, etc. It was lively and warm hearted—the inside of the building looks like a living room (stage). A young man from Eddie Murphy’s The Nutty Professor (1) was playing the drums—actually punctuating the piano and those who had a word of testimony for the saints.

My two worship experiences could not have had more contrast—the one unifying element—Jesus! After all, it’s his birthday!! And whether your skin is light or dark—he’s the light of and joy to the world!!!

Friday, November 28, 2008

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:59:22 GMT

going greener

Well, after living on the planet for over a century (Pam & I combined)—we’ve started recycling. Yep, we sort through all our trash and have cans in the garage for plastics, glass, and metal—we have a wood stove so we use paper to light the fires. We’ve found that we can reduce our non-recyclables down to a very small amount (it looks like we can cancel our garbage service—or at least no longer pay for the large trash can service). We’re planning on creating a compost bin so that food scraps can be recycled too. This year I used the mower to mulch all the leaves into the lawn and I have a mulching attachment on one of my blowers so I sucked up all the leaves from the flower beds in the back yard, mulched them and put the mulch on the garden area. We’re reading the book, “Hot, Flat and Crowded” (a must read—especially concerning oil and what the author calls “petrol-dictators”) and think it’s time we make a greater effort to reduce materials headed for the landfill and to care for the planet. It sure makes you more conscious about the packaging that things come in—e.g., Sonic serves all their drinks in Styrofoam cups (that and plastic bags are the only things that our local city will not recycle).