Pastor Kris' Blog

Pastor Kris' Blog

Practice What You Preach

Posted by: Kris Androsky on 9/17/2010 | 6 Comments

 I was the first car of a long line stopped at the railroad crossing. I sat, annoyed that I had not made it across the tracks before the safety arm had descended, blocking my ability to get to the office and the work that awaited me there. Sometimes getting stuck at the tracks allows for me to read a few extra pages of a book or to send a text message to a friend. But then there are the days when the metal-on-metal screaming and screeching is one more nuisance that prevents me from being productive and efficient and on time. 

 
On those days, I sit at the tracks and count the train cars as they pass, as if a certain number of them will justify my annoyance. Somewhere between 113 and 120 (which seems to be a legitimate number for a decent dose of annoyance), a boxcar decorated in spray paint caught my attention as it flew past. Now, I grew up in a town that held a switching station for many tracks, so I’ve seen more than my fair share of boxcar art. This car was exceptional. Bright, BOLD, filigree letters filled the car with a demand. “Practice What You Preach!” 
 
I probably should have used the rest of my time sitting at the railroad tracks pondering the message I had just received. Instead, I sat there being self-righteously annoyed by this message sent by a few hoodlum artists…or perhaps God, in the form of a few hoodlum artists. But, as the week went on, I couldn’t get the image of the boxcar out of my head. Maybe I DID need to reflect the practice of what I was preaching…
 
Recently, conversation after conversation has been filled with lamentation over a lack of balance. It’s no wonder that we feel out-of-whack with all the number crunching we hear about national deficits, unemployment and poverty rates, spending freezes, and countdowns to elections. Add in an unhealthy dose of anger and frustration over political, religious and moral differences and you end up with a pretty heavy serving of “bleak.” 
 
But “bleak” isn’t really how I’d like to characterize my life. I’d like to think that as a person of faith one of my greatest attributes would be a sense of balance and wellbeing in God. So, the boxcar art has me really pondering what I need to do to practice what I preach. 
 
What returns the color to life when the bleak takes away the vibrancy? Where will I find the balance I need to be healthy? What will be life-giving and how do I get a healthy dose of it to balance the bleak? What will be my sustenance? 
 
Here’s the list I’ve started: Reading a good book. Coffee with a trusted friend. Studying scripture. Praying. Taking time to journal. Playing Legos with a kid whose laughter fills the room. Buying flowers for no reason other than their beauty. 
 
These are the perspective givers for me; the glimpses of an abundant life that remind me to cradle this life in my hands and explore the joy it offers. These are the things that stop me long enough to remind me to practice what I preach. What’s on your list?

Haunting Numbers

Posted by: Kris Androsky on 9/8/2010 | 6 Comments

 

Have you ever had a song stuck in your head? All day long one phrase runs through your mind and you find yourself singing while you walk down the hallway or humming as you wash your hands. Lately, I’ve been haunted…not by song lyrics, but by numbers. I usually leave the numbers to Pastor Dan, but for over a month, I’ve had numbers following me around all day long. 
                                                
33:              The number of abandoned and boarded up houses in the four block stretch of road that the Motown Mission team worked on in Detroit.
 
4 Million:      The number of people that live in Boston, Manhattan and San Francisco, combined. Those three cities have the same square mileage as the city of Detroit. But in Detroit, a city that could hold 4 Million people, only 880,000 reside. The rest have had to leave their homes to find a way to make ends meet.
 
0:                The number of grocery store chains remaining in the city of Detroit. EVERY grocery chain has left the city.
 
4:                The number of HOURS it took for one Motown Mission Intern to get from her home in the city to the nearest grocery store using public transportation. This is an urban feasibility study used to determine the ease of attaining the food needed for a healthy, balanced meal. By the time she returned home with groceries; milk would have soured, cheese would have melted, veggies would have steamed and eggs would have either cooked or cracked. In the sub-zero winters, this trip could be deadly.
 
I feel as if I’m living in a house of numbers like the one I saw as a part of the Heidelberg Project (a neighborhood being reclaimed by artists) in Detroit! None of these numbers sit well with me. They haunt my thinking about how I live my life here in Waukesha; a city that often feels suburban yet deals with urban issues. The haunting numbers also make me want to seek out and find God in the midst of the city…whether it be Detroit, Waukesha or elsewhere. 
 
So, while these numbers have been following me around, I’ve been on a search for God. And I’ve found that when I look for and seek God, I tend to find God. I saw God in the writing of the Motown Mission team as they constructed a house made of their prayers. God showed up this week in a man named Bob who is working as hard as he can just to find work to provide for his family. Our Carroll Nursing partners showed up for our staff meeting on Tuesday and I realized that God had walked in the door with them. I even expect that I’ll see God in a variety of places and people at the carnival this Saturday as the community comes together to play. 
 
I’m finding that it’s really not so bad to be haunted by the numbers. They seem to be following me around and keeping me honest about what I’m doing to change the reality they represent. They’re also keeping my eyes open to where God is in this city. And for that, I’m grateful. 
 
Questions to Ponder:
What “haunts” you and makes you reflect on how you live your life?
Where do you see God at work in your city?
If you had to name the biggest challenge facing your city, what would it be?
 


    •   

    A Note From Kris

    The Soul's Playground
    I consider myself a seeker; someone who is always looking to find a different way of living - a way that moves into a deeper creative spirit and welcomes the things that offer a larger picture of the Holy One.  I can't help but ask a lot of questions and look for the fun and creative places in life.

    In looking for something different in the world and in our lives, it seems that some days are meant for climbing trees and sitting in reflection while other days are made for playing in the sandbox with friends.

    Here you will find my questions, my reflections, my greatest hopes - for our community, for the church and for the world.  Often, I'll share one of the "soul collages" made while playing in my art room as an image of where God is speaking in my life.  I hope that this space will be a place where we can share our tree-sitting reflections and our sandbox conversations.  And, I pray that through the community gathered here, our souls will find the playground they need to connect to the creative spirit of God.

    Archive

    Categories

    Tags