In a class this semester, we were asked to write a short blurb about our theological convictions.  The catch was that it had to be an “Elevator Talk.”  Think of it this way.  Imagine you get into an elevator and punch the button for your floor.  It’s a pretty big building and it’ll take a couple of minutes to get there.  There’s someone else in the elevator – a stranger perhaps – and they ask you about your faith.  What do you say before the elevator stops?

Here’s what I wrote:

I believe in the God of the “Omnis”: omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, all that stuff. I believe that God created the world out of love, and that God’s love continues to inspire creation and creativity in the world today. I believe that God calls out to all of creation and that as members of creation we may or may not choose to respond.

While ancient texts speak of this God as one who told people that they would get wealth and power if they were faithful, I think God later changed the deal. Why? In my mind, it’s because people changed and God was paying attention. So God sent Jesus, someone I think of as both completely divine and completely human. Jesus taught in ways that most people weren’t used to, using engaging stories and speaking in a way that people could really understand. He told stories and gave examples. He used plain language and he met people where they were. And his message was clear: love each other.

While a lot of people appreciated this, the people in power got uptight. They saw this kind of teaching as a threat. So they arrested him, they tortured him, and they executed him. And yes, I think he rose from the dead in a supernatural way. I suppose it was that whole completely divine thing…

Since that time, humanity has spent a great deal of time trying to come to terms with Jesus’ teachings and the way he related to people. In an effort to tell the stories and share the experiences, I think it turned in some ways to that old game of “telephone” I played in Jr. High. It’s that game where one person whispers a secret into another person’s ear, and that person passes it on to the next, and it goes on that way along a bunch of people. Then at the end, you usually learn that the last person got a different message than the one that was intended. It’s because language can be vague and we have a tendency to try to optimize. So am I saying that the message has gotten corrupted? In some ways, yes. I think it has. Do I think we’ve lost it completely? Nope. Not even close.

So the journey I’m on is about finding that message for myself. It’s about discovery and the ongoing sense of wonder. It’s about sharing my ideas and what I’ve found and about listening when other share their own experiences, and about growing through that process.

I remember that song that came out in 1995:  ”Moving to the country, gonna eat a lotta peaches…”  The video’s here.  My favorite part is the ninjas at the end!!

Now you may be wondering what this is all about, and perhaps I’m offering humor as a sort of distraction from something that’s difficult to say.  So why don’t I just say it?

I’ve been offered an Appointment (church-talk for a job as a Pastor in a church).  We’re moving to Grand Island, Nebraska.  It’ll happen this summer.  We’ll be there for several years.

Here’s a letter we wrote to the folks in La Habra, the church where I currently serve:

Dear Friends –

From the time the Rhodes family arrived at La Habra UMC, we have been welcomed into a “remarkable Church family.”  Together we have experienced change and growth, joy and celebration, and have enjoyed the deep fellowship of community.

When I heard that I had not passed my interview for Candidacy and would not be commissioned, the support we experienced was fantastic and more than a little overwhelming.  Part of that love and care was concern for where we might find a church to serve starting in July, and many of you have checked in regularly and offered your prayers.

Our collective prayers have been answered, and I have been appointed to a church as of July 1^st of this year!  And as it turns out, our prayers are sometimes answered in ways that aren’t exactly as we might have expected.  Just as we are overjoyed at the opportunity to serve full time in ministry, we also feel some trepidation because the ministry opportunity is in Grand Island, Nebraska.  The distance is as great as the opportunity!

We invite your continued prayers as we move into this difficult and exciting transition.  Know that we too will continue in prayer for our Church friends and family and the essential ministry that you all offer to the community of La Habra.  God continues to mold and stretch us, and though we may be separated by distance, we are eternally connected through God’s love and grace.

Between now and the end of June, we expect to continue in ministry to the members of La Habra UMC.  With that said, there will be some time where we may be absent as we begin the work of transitioning our family and household to Nebraska.  We are grateful for these next two months in which we will continue to be present with one another.

May we all continue to receive and enjoy God’s blessings.

Pastor Bob, Beth, Cameron, and Zach

And so now I make this announcement even more public, sharing with you – one of a thousand of my closest friends.  We invite your kind thoughts, your prayers if that’s your thing, and hope that we’ll be able to return in the next few years.