One Minute Review: Never Let Me Go

Science Fiction meets Remains of the Day. Does it work? Find out from the One Minute Review.

One Minute Review: Never Let Me Go from Thomas McKenzie on Vimeo.

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One Minute Review: Hereafter

Clint Eastwood takes on the afterlife through the eyes of three separate characters. Do they hang together, does it work, or should Clint go back to using his .44 Magnum?

One Minute Review: Hereafter from Thomas McKenzie on Vimeo.

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All Saints' 2010

Redeemer's Benedictine Retreat, part one

“Benedict did not write his rule to an elite group. What he wrote was rather a small rule for beginners who are on the way toward Christian perfection. He wanted to teach his monks how to lead at least a half-way respectable life in which they would perform the usual, everyday things well.”
--Abbot Primate Viktor Dammertz OSB

I spend a week every year at a Benedictine monastery. I find this time to be deeply nurturing to my soul. I am blessed through the sacred order of each day: singing the psalms, eating in silence, working with my hands, practicing prayer at all hours of the day.

Each time I am there I wish every member of my congregation would spend time on a Benedictine retreat. Most of these thoughts end up with me recommending this to my congregation, knowing that only a very few of them will take the time and energy to go to a monastic house (like Getsemani in Kentucky or “my” monastery, Christ in the Desert).

“The Rule of St. Benedict” was written in the 6th century as a guide for living in a monastic house. However, the Rule is also rich with insight into the Christian life outside of the monastery. Benedict teaches us about the sacredness of time, of work, and of hospitality. He guides us in humility, obedience, and in transformation of the heart through the grace of Christ. As a pastor and teacher, I want people in my congregation to learn some of these lessons. I want us to be instructed in a grace-filled discipline.

With these two things in mind--spending time on retreat and learning the way of Benedict--I was led to the idea of teaching a class which culminated in a retreat. On this retreat, we would not go to a monastery. Rather, we would endeavor to live for 48 hours according to the Rule of St. Benedict. We would be brothers and sisters together. We would share silence, several prayer services a day, manual labor, meals, etc.

I had this idea a couple of years ago, but I did not see it as a true possibility until a few months ago when I had a conversation with Jenna Martin (our church’s Music Worship Pastor). She had a similar vision and was willing to pitch in. Little did I know that she would end up doing a huge amount of work. Not only did she have to prepare for 15 prayer services which revolved around the singing and chanting of multiple Psalms, she also brought together all the details of the weekend. She took initiative in every area and most of the organization of the event came down to her efforts.

Bob and Jeanette Veile were the first non-church staff members to come on board as leaders. They led hospitality, coordinated indoor work, and lent their wisdom on many issues. Then there was Debbie Taylor, who designed the chapel but also transformed the sleeping rooms into monastic cells. All her work was behind the scenes (she wasn’t even able to make it to the retreat) but here contributions were invaluable. Susan and John Eames were crucial leaders. John led our outdoor work and Susan both led group Lectio Divina and did tons of work as kitchen and dining assistant (more on all many of those things in my next post).

The one thing I think no one expected was the high quality of the food we ate. Benjamin Surmi both gathered the ingredients and led the cooking of the meals. Those meals were incredible. Benjamin started with local food, fresh vegetables, free range chickens and their eggs, and fair-trade fruit. He then took these ingredients and formed them into substantial, healthy and truly tasty food for us. Further, he gently taught cooking to those who volunteered in the kitchen. We were all blown away by his character and competence. In many ways, he set the tone for the entire weekend.

All told, there were 19 of us who committed 48 hours to live together according to the Rule of St. Benedict. Each of us truly entered into this process. Everyone worked, cleaned, sang, prayed, kept silence, and contributed themselves to the greater good. One of the most astounding things about those who came was our diversity. There were a few more women than men, but not many. More than that, our age range was wide. Our youngest member was 23, our oldest was 78. Within that 55 year range was an even balance of all the other age groups. It was a remarkable gathering of people from all walks of life.

That seems to be enough for now. In my next post, I will write about some of what we did and how we did it.



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One Minute Review: Let Me In

Can a movie about a vampire be any good? And didn't they already do this one in Sweden? Let the OMR let you in ... on the facts.

One Minute Review: Let Me In from Thomas McKenzie on Vimeo.

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One Minute Review: RED

RED stands for Retired, Extremely Dangerous.  With a stellar cast of older actors (who I hope never retire), all the studio had to add was the “Extreme Danger.”  Did they succeed?  Watch the One Minute Review to find out. 

One Minute Review: RED from Thomas McKenzie on Vimeo.

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Simeon Fellowship

I had an amazing and tiring 24 hours. 

A few months ago, I was contacted by David Roseberry.  He's the rector of Christ Church in Plano, Texas.  That's the largest Anglican church in North America.  He asked if our church could host a meeting.  The purpose of the meeting was to bring together the head pastors of large Anglican churches all over the U.S. and Canada for the purpose of forming a church-planting fellowship.   This is part of something called Anglican 1000, a movement to plant a huge new crop of churches in the Anglican way. 

I, of course, was thrilled to host the meeting.  Church planting is very important to me, and I was honored to do whatever I could to help. 

The meeting lasted for 24 hours (with a break for sleeping, of course).  I tried to show the guys a Nashville good time: lunch from Baja Burrito, an in-the-round at the Blue Bird, that sort of thing.  It was great to be with some folks I have known for years, as well as meet a bunch of others I had heard of but never met. 

David had invited Ed Stetzer, a church planting expert I have tons of respect for.  He had great things to say.  He was challenging, but also encouraging.  We had lively discussions, and I felt a real sense of comraderie with many of the other pastors. 

At the end of our meeting, we inaugurated a new Simeon Fellowship.  This will be a network of Anglican pastors who commit themselves to church planting in their local areas, supporting church plants across the continent, and fellowship with each other.  Others will be joining, I'm sure, and I'm looking forward to inviting friends of mine to join us. 

I love the Anglican way, and I am looking forward to what God is going to do. 

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One Minute Review: The Social Network

The One Minute Review was a tiny audio podcast I did for my friends, until my buddy Andrew (seeing some of my video posts on facebook) suggested I make it into a video thing. So, the OMR is what it is partially because of facebook. While I was watching "the Social Network," my blackberry was getting pinged with posts from facebook. So, facebook is a part of my life. Great, but is the movie any good? Ah, that is the real question. If you watch the review, you'll find out. Oh, and make sure to "like" the One Minute Review . . . on facebook! 

 

One Minute Review: The Social Network from Thomas McKenzie on Vimeo.

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