For me, reading is a therapeutic, relaxing, mind-sharpening, and often deeply spiritual discipline. Unless, of course, I am reading criminal suspense novel, and then reading is often a riveting exercise that plays with my anxiety and elevates my blood pressure. But that’s a different story.

My affinity for reading was slow to develop. However, when it emerged, it flourished. During my teenage years, I perceived reading to be a nuisance and necessary evil. At some point during my college years, however, I learned to enjoy reading, not just for assignments or entertainment, but for personal growth.

As a minister, writer, and pastoral counselor, I need to read widely to stay current and relevant. More importantly, in my current stage of life, I need books like I need food, to satisfy cognitive hunger and to probe intellectual curiosity. Books stimulate my thinking, exercise my memory muscles, and challenge my presuppositions.

Typically, I read a variety of genres including fiction, spirituality, theology, history, and biography. I concur with Diane Duane who argued that, “Reading one book is like eating one potato chip.” Therefore, I usually keep from three to five books going at the same time, a discipline that was recommended by Opal Lovett, one of the most influential faculty members from my college years. This practice invites a variety of authors to be conversation partners in my internal dialogue.

Summer is prime reading time for me, especially this year. I am privileged to be serving wonderful congregation in another state as interim pastor, and I have a little more time to read and reflect in the airport, on the plane, and in the hotel. Here are the books on my summer reading list this year:

1. The Rooster Bar by John Grisham.
2. 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote for Chaos by Jordan Peterson
3. In Our Lives First: Meditations for Counselors by Diane Mandt Langberg
4. The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer
5. The Fallen by David Baldacci
6. Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly
7. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
8. The Virtues of Aging by Jimmy Carter
9. The Best Cook in the World: Tales from My Momma’s Table by Rick Bragg
10. Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons by Frederick Buechner
11. On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old by Parker Palmer
12. Learning to Speak God from Scratch: Why Sacred Words Are Vanishing—and How We Can Revive Them by Jonathan Merritt

Reading books across a variety of genres and books written by authors who write from diverse perspectives stretches my thinking, challenges my presupposition, and expands my capacity to relate to people for a variety of life situations.

Harper Lee gave us good advice: “The book to read is not the one that thinks for you but the one that makes you think.”

Happy reading this summer!

When I travel, I enjoy exploring the history and folklore of the towns and villages I am privileged to visit.  While St. Andrews is primarily know for its golf courses and its world class university, St. Andrews is also rich in legend and story.  Here is a compilation of fact and trivia about this historic area in Scotland:

The town of St Andrews was originally the town of Kilrimont. In 736 AD, a monk named St Rule brought relics (bones) of St Andrew (Brother of St Peter, the first Pope) from Greece to a monestary in Kilrimont . By 1000 the town has become headquarters of the Scottish church and is called St Andrews.. It becomes a pilgrimage for most of Britain and becomes a wealthy city. The cathedral was founded in 1160. The cardinal of the UK lived in St Andrews.

Golf is first played there in about the fourteenth century. St Andrews University founded in 1413. James II bans golf in 1457 for a period of time because it interfered with practicing archery.

Martin Luther’s complaints against Rome were posted in 1517. Protestant martyrs were burned in St Andrews in1528, 1533, 1546, 1558. An obelisk above the Old Course is called the Martyrs Monument and it has their names inscribed. In 1560 parliament ends Catholicism as the church of Scotland. Mary Queen of Scots was the first woman known to play golf—1568.

James Wilson was a Scot who moved to South Carolina and was a signer of our Declaration of Independence. He was educated at St Andrews Univ. He and other Scots had shipped clubs and balls from St Andrews to Charleston, SC in 1743.
In the early days of golf a feathery ball took a day’s work to make one. They cost one-half Crown (a gold piece), so only the wealthy could afford to play golf. (Plus, golf professionals, who also caddied and made clubs and balls.)

The Scottish Flag is a sideways cross signifying the way that St Andrew was crucified in Greece—with arms and legs spread. The flag is called the Saltire.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club was formed in 1754 by 22 gentlemen as the Society of St Andrews Golfers. In 1834 King William IV gave the club its R&A title and the club began to make the Rules of the game for the world. When the USGA was formed in 1894, they first followed the R&A and then soon began interpreting the Rules themselves. All of the world except the USA and Mexico follows the R&A’s rules decisions.

In the 1840’s, the town was nearly bankrupt. The land for the golf courses was used to raise rabbits for a number of years.

The first 12 British Opens (called The Open) were held at Prestwick starting in 1860.
Old Tom Morris was Prestwick’s keeper of the greens until he replaced Alan Robertson at St Andrews. The first Open at St Andrews was in 1873 and was the first year of the “claret jug” trophy.

The townspeople bleached their linen on the course in the early days. Early Rules mentioned linen that interfered with play.

The golf course originally was played as eleven holes out, and the same eleven holes were played back in—22 holes played for a round. In 1764, the course became 9 holes out and the same 9 holes in. In 1832, the course became 18 separate holes.
Holes 1, 9, 17 and 18 have greens that aren’t shared by any other hole. Old Tom changed the first hole by widening it and he moved the 18th green to opposite his golf shop, making it 60 yards longer. The new green was built over an old graveyard. All of the holes for the shared greens add up to 18 (2 and 16, 3 and 15, 4 and 14, etc.)
Par out is 444 454 434 (36)
Par in is 434 454 444 (36).

Eventually, because the R&A made the Rules of Golf, all golf courses adopted 18 holes as a round of golf.

Bobby Jones had to win the British Amateur championship on the Old Course as one of the legs of his famous Grand Slam of 1930. In his first match with the unfortunate Sid Roper, Bobby buried him early, starting 3, 4, 3, 2, 4 reaching 5 under par after 5 holes.

Old Tom Morris was born in St Andrews 16 June 1821. He died in St Andrews on 24 May 1908, just three weeks shy of his 87th birthday. He had won the British Open four times (1860’s). He designed many great golf courses in Scotland. He followed Allan Robertson as keeper of the greens and head professional at St Andrews. He had worked for Allan in the early days making clubs and balls. Tom built a thriving club and ball business in St Andrews when he returned from Prestwick in 1865. His shop still stands in the same place today.

A remarkable story is how Old Tom Morris died. He had been sitting at the window of his golf club (The New Club) having a pint of beer or two on a Sunday (No golf on the Old Course on Sundays, even to this day). He had to go to the bathroom which was a down staircase in the back of the club house. He got disoriented and fell into the coal bin—an eight foot fall. He died shortly afterwards.

His son, Young Tom had the record of 77 on the Old Course from 1869 to 1887 when his brother Jamie equaled it. Hugh Kirkaldy shot 74 in 1888. There have been 62’s in modern times.

An amazing fact is that golf on the Old Course was free for all comers until 1913. Locals played for free until 1946. Today, locals pay a fee of about $200 for the entire year. Guests pay about $218. per round. Guests account for 40% of play.

Bunkers originated in St Andrews. According to the stories, bunkers on the Old Course at St Andrews occurred naturally and Tom Morris decided to leave them there when designing some of the holes. If you are wondering how they came about, the answer is sheep!

In the early days, the course also doubled up as a place for grazing sheep. Unfortunately the sheep didn’t like the strong winds that the Old Course is famous for. In order to protect themselves, they joined forces and burrowed into the ground, creating holes to hide in until the wind died down. These holes ended up being many of the pot bunkers you see on television when watching golf at the Old Course. Sure they’re a pain to play out of but they certainly make the game a whole lot more interesting!

The world’s first female golfer played at St Andrews. Mary Queen of Scots was a member of the local golf club and many regard her as being the world’s first female golfer. She started playing golf at St Andrews soon after her husband Darnley was murdered.

Legendary golfer, Tiger Woods will only stay in room 269 at The Old Course Hotel when he stays in St Andrews. The reason being that 269 was the number of strokes it took him to win his first Open Championship in St Andrews back in 2000.

A lot of golf is played in St Andrews. More then 230,000 rounds of golf are played on the seven courses in St Andrews each year. 45,000 of these are played on the Old Course alone. The Old Course has also played host to the Open Championship more than any other venue, at twenty eight times.

During this trip across the big pond, I guess you could say I have three primary goals: education, inspiration, and recreation.

Education: I want to learn more about the Celtic tradition while in Scotland, especially the influence of the Celtic tradition on Baptist theology.  I began this pursuit during my 2012 sabbatical and hope to glean a little more insight while here.  I also hope to explore a few of the reformation sites while in Switzerland during the final days of our trip. This will be new territory for me.

Inspiration: I find the pastoral settings of Scotland and the Alpine landscapes of Switzerland to be extraordinarily inspirational.  These two settings spark good thoughts and rhythms in my heart, mind, and soul.

Recreation: As a bonus, I was fortunate to watch a few of my favorites golfers play in The Open Championship on Friday at Carnoustie.  After visiting a few rural villages and churches for the next couple of days, I will return to St. Andrews to watch the practice round and the first two rounds of the Senior Open.  And I expect to play a round of golf, maybe two, while in the area.

Relaxing doesn’t come easy for me, especially on Sunday mornings. While I have enjoyed my tenure as a pastor, across the years, Sundays have been anything but relaxing. On Sundays, I have typically been focused on the sermon that keeps playing in my head like a ticker tape. I have remained on high alert for guests, and for the occasional critic who brings a petty complaint to my attention right before the service begins. (“Pastor, there is no toilet tissue in the ladies’ restroom.” “Pastor, there is a misspelled a word in one of the announcements on the back of the bulletin.”  “Pastor, can you adjust the thermostat? It’s too cold in here.”  And yes…. these are real life examples.

Today,  I knew deep down that I needed a break from the busyness of travel.  After a week of travel delays, detours, and the nuisance of lost luggage, I needed a “sabbath” day even more than usual.  So I decided to kick back, rest, relax, and refresh my soul in preparation for the next few days of travel.

Sabbath for me doesn’t involve sitting quietly in the dark and enduring a prolonged period of meditation.  It is a “change of pace, change of place,” a relinquishing of  responsibility and the anxiety that often accompanies that responsibility.  Here is a sneak peak at my sabbath morning :

• Sleep: I slept in until 7, which is really late for me. I function fairly well on 6-7 hours of sleep. But last night I enjoyed a recuperative 8 hours of sleep.
• Check in with Amanda:  Amanda is currently on choir tour in Switzerland while I am visiting Scotland. I will rejoin her in Prague for the final couple of days of choir tour. Until then we check in by Wi-Fi phone early morning and late evening.  I enjoyed hearing about her adventures in Alp and telling her about my “castle” accommodations.
• Devotional time: I began the day with a Celtic devotional reading. The Celtic tradition is highly incarnational. And today’s reading focused on God as “Artist,” which is so appropriate as I bask in the beauty of one of this scenic quadrant of God’s world.
• Breakfast: The Scottish breakfast buffet was terrific, especially the toasted multi-grain bread with strawberry preserves, the ever so lightly scrambled eggs, Canadian bacon, fresh fruit, and Muesli.  I skipped the baked beans and Haggis, although I have had both before.  The coffee was the best yet, a fresh brewed Americano rather than instant or cappuccino.
• Newspaper: I read a hard print Sunday paper for first time in years.  And just like in the US, I found a little bit of news between the advertisements.
• Reading: I am really enjoying reading Parker Palmer’s new book, Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old.  I am also beginning John Grisham’s new novel, Rooster Bar.  What a contrast!
• Worship: Since there is no church within walking distance of my hotel, I joined one of our US churches for an early worship service via streaming. The music was uplifting and I am reflecting on the excellent sermon on salvation, aptly illustrated by the rescue of the boys on the Thai soccer team.   Streaming is “the next best thing to being there.”
• Walk:  I took a slow morning walk along the nature trail with views of the Edinburgh airport, the large windmills, the Forth Bridge, and a pasture full of sheep.  The walk brought fresh air and fresh perspective.
• TV: I am currently watching the final day of The Open Championship on Sky Sports. As always, I tend to pull for the players from the US. But I enjoy watching all of the players and hearing a little about their life story and philanthropic interests.

Eugene Peterson proposes that, “If you keep the Sabbath, you start to see creation not as somewhere to get away from your ordinary life, but a place to frame an attentiveness to your life.”  Today is my sabbath. The pace will pick up again tomorrow, but today is a day for rest, refreshing, and re-creation.   And a day for re-framing attentiveness.

(Barry Howard is a retired minister who resides in Pensacola, Florida, He currently serves as a leadership coach with The Center for Healthy Churches.)

Holy Week is a season for soul-searching and for contemplating the depth of God’s love. During this week, Christ followers and spiritual inquirers from all around the globe will be reflecting on the events that led to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.

The word “holy” is a healthy and meaningful word, though one of the most misunderstood terms in the English language. It does not nearly suggest “spiritual superiority” or “moral perfection.”  The word “holy” refers to people or things set apart for a specific and usually religious purpose.  In the New Testament the Greek word for holy is “hagios” which means “different,” and it is most often used to underscore practices and lifestyles that correlate to a standard different than the cultural norm.

Why is observing Holy Week important to our preparation for Easter?  Here’s a bit of history: The traditional observance of Holy Week seems to have originated in the Christian East, emerging out of the practice of pilgrimages to Jerusalem.  Each day of Holy Week is important but at least five days call for specific reflection.  Palm Sunday is a day to revisit the royal welcome extended to Jesus by the curious crowd as he entered Jerusalem. On Maundy Thursday believers recall the occasion when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples as he gave them a new mandate to love and serve.  Good Friday is a day to review the passion and suffering of Christ on the cross. Holy Saturday (or Easter Even) commemorates the day that Jesus lay in the tomb. And Resurrection Sunday, or Easter, is a festive day to celebrate and proclaim that “Christ is risen; He is risen indeed.”

Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, retired senior minister at Northminster Church in Monroe, Louisiana describes the progressive steps in a meaningful pre-Easter journey: “Holy Week services bring into focus dimensions of discipleship that are missed completely by a simple leap from Palm Sunday to Easter. Worship services which take seriously the truths of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday please God because they challenge a greater commitment and a more comprehensive ministry of compassion among the people of God.”

This year as we navigate through each episode of Holy Week, here are a few suggestions for honest and healthy soul-searching:

• Read the gospel account in John 12-20.
• Listen to the conflicting voices in the crowd.
• Meditate on the cruel injustice of the cross.
• Imagine the passion of Christ’s suffering.
• Think on the hopelessness felt by his disciples.
• Celebrate the hope of the resurrection.
• Renew your commitment to faithfully follow Jesus.

The soul-searching prayer recorded in Psalm 139:23-24 is extremely relevant and probing during Holy Week:

Search me, God, and know my heart;
  test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

An intentional and focused journey through Holy Week may deepen our faith and inspire us to follow Jesus with unrelenting resolve.

(Barry Howard serves as leadership coach/consultant with the Center for Healthy Churches. He resides in Pensacola, Florida. You can follow him on Twitter @BarrysNotes.)

Christmas is always on December 25.  Why is Easter not on the same date every year?

This year, for the first time since 1956, Easter comes on April 1, creating a curious juxtaposition of sorts.  Next year Easter will be celebrated on April 21, just as the redbuds, dogwoods, and azaleas are beginning to bloom. In other years, Easter has come in late March when the weather is still wintry.   Why does the date vary?  Since the date of Easter is not an actual anniversary of the resurrection, when is the most appropriate time to celebrate?

That very question caused considerable debate and controversy in the early church.  A quarrel broke out in the middle of the second century between church leaders in Rome and those in Asia Minor regarding the appropriate date for celebrating Easter.  The practice in the East was to observe Easter according to the moon regardless of the day of the week the observance fell on. The practice in Rome was to wait until the following Sunday.

Bishop Polycarp, who was a disciple of the apostle John, represented the East, and Bishop Anicetus represented the West.  Since they could not agree on the date, each continued to observe Easter according to his own conviction. The controversy became so intense that it threatened the harmony of the Christian world.

Councils were called in Rome and Palestine to debate the merits of both arguments.  Most of the participants generally favored celebrating Easter on Sunday. When the Bishop from Ephesus and many of the churches in Asia Minor refused to change their practice, they were declared “excommunicated” from the church by Bishop Victor of Rome.

Later, the Council of Nicea, convened by Augustine in A.D.325, affirmed the calculation used to determine the official date of Easter and that calculation is still used today. Easter is celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon falling on or after March 21.  Therefore, Easter cannot come before March 22 or after April 25.

Even though the name, “Easter,” is packed with spiritual connotation, the term is derived from a pagan spring festival. Some believe it was named after the Teutonic god or goddess of spring. However, the name was seized by Christian believers and converted to a day of worship and feasting to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.

To underscore the earth-shaking significance of this day, Dr. Jim Pleitz, the late pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church of Pensacola, often concluded his Easter sermons by proclaiming, “Easter is a blessed reminder that ALL is well….we are victorious even in death!”         

Regardless of when it appears on the calendar, in March or in April, Easter is a high and holy day, a designated occasion to affirm and proclaim the foundation of the Christian gospel: Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!

(Barry Howard serves as leadership coach/consultant with the Center for Healthy Churches. He resides in Pensacola, Florida. You can follow him on Twitter @BarrysNotes.)

As a young child, I began noticing that folks who attend church regularly tend to use a “normal” vocabulary throughout the week, but when we step foot on our church campus or attend a church function, we often resort to a specialized repertoire of words that are not easily understood by those outside the community of faith. Because it seems abnormal to me for a person to utilize one vocabulary at work and leisure, and revert to another when in the presence of your church friends or minister, I have quietly loathed all flavors of hyper-spiritual dialects. I confess that, on occasion, I have cynically identified and labeled a few of those more frequently heard church dialects as “King James jargon,” “lingo of Zion,” “ecclesial English,” and “pious pontification.”

Recently I came across an old clipping that identifies one of these more frequently employed dialects as “Christianese.” Christianese refers to a language used in the Christian subculture and usually understood only by other members of that subculture. As Christian communicators it’s important to avoid words in our writing that could be misunderstood or fail to communicate — terms that have meaning only in the Christian subculture.

As a public service, here are some common phrases used in the church, along with their English-language equivalents:

Christianese: “If it be God’s will.”
Translation: “I really don’t think God is going to answer this one.

Christianese: “Let’s have a word of prayer.”
Translation: “I am going to pray for a long, long, long time.”

Christianese: “That’s not my spiritual gift.”
Translation: “Find someone else.”

Christianese: “Fellowship”
Translation: “Organized gluttony.”

Christianese: “The Lord works in mysterious ways.”
Translation: “I’m totally clueless.”

Christianese: “Lord willing . . .”
Translation: “You may think I’ll be there, but I won’t.”

Christianese: “I don’t feel led.”
Translation: “Can’t make me.”

Christianese: “God led me to do something else.”
Translation: I slept in instead of going to church.

Christianese: “God really helped me with this test.”
Translation: “I didn’t study but I guessed good, so I’m giving God credit in the hope that He helps me again.”

Christianese: “She has such a sweet spirit!”
Translation: “What an airhead!”

Christianese: “I have a ‘check’ in my spirit about him.”
Translation: “I can’t stand that jerk!”

Christianese: “I’ll be praying for you.”
Translation: “There’s an outside chance I’ll remember this conversation later today.”

Christianese: “Prayer concerns”
Translation: “Gossip”

Christianese: “In conclusion . . . “
Translation: “I’ll be done in another hour or so.”

Christianese: “Let us pray”
Translation: “I’m going to pretend to talk to God now, but I’m really preaching at you.”

Christianese: “You just have to put it in God’s hands.”
Translation: “Don’t expect me to help you.”

Christianese: “God wants to prosper you!”
Translation: “Give me all your money.” (Author Unknown)

My point is that words really do matter. The New Testament was originally written in koine greek, the everyday language of ordinary people, which says to me that the greatest news in the world can be communicated without a specialized religious vocabulary.

The wisdom writer reminds us that, “A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word!” (Proverbs 15:23 NIV). This year, as a part of my quest to be a more engaged listener, a more effective speaker, and a more faithful follower of Jesus, is to learn to be a better steward of my words. And, of course, to avoid reverting to Christianese. “Carest thou to joineth me?”

There are some moments and memories that we never forget.  One such memory is when I first met Dr. Bill Self in 1981 at a banquet on the campus of Samford University.  I was energized by Bill’s after dinner speech.  He quickly became one of my favorite preachers, not just because he was a captivating and motivating speaker, but because he had a contagious love for the local church.  As the years unfolded, Bill became not only my colleague, but a friend and a strategic encourager.

We were blessed to have Bill and Carolyn spend a weekend with us in Pensacola in May 2014. For many years, Bill had been a close friend with our iconic pastor emeritus, Jim Pleitz. And Bill had served as the guest “evangelist” for a series of memorable revival services at First Baptist Pensacola during the 1970’s. So Bill’s visit to Pensacola to be our guest for Heritage Day was filled with visits, stories, and reunions.

On Saturday evening, Amanda and I took Bill and Carolyn to Peg Leg Pete’s, our favorite seafood restaurant on the beach. We laughed and reminisced, but mostly we talked about the future of the local church.  We discussed the many ways that the church is in a season of challenging transition, and whereas some pundits are prepared to offer a eulogy over the local church, Bill believed that if we seize the opportunity to dialogue poetically and prophetically with our culture, rather than launching hostile verbal missiles at our culture, this could be the church’s finest hour.

From among his many excellent sermons, such as “King for a Day,” “Swimming to the Deep End of the Pool,” and “What Do You Want with Me, Jesus?,” I am glad that Bill chose to preach the sermon, “The Church Is Worth the Effort” for our congregation, a message that continues to be timely and relevant.

Little did we know that our visit with Bill in Pensacola would be our last visit with him this side of heaven.  Bill died on January 9, 2016 from complications with ALS.

So in memory of Bill, each year around this time I give thanks for Bill’s impact on my life and ministry, and I review my notes from his last sermon in Pensacola, a sermon that every pastor and church member needs to internalize as we remind ourselves that the most influential days of the local church can be ahead of us and not behind us:

“I still love the church. I love the church universal, as well as the church local (red brick, white-columned with deacons smoking in the parking lot). With all of its dysfunction and flesh marks, with all of its confusion and humanity, it is still the best thing God has going for Him in this world. We do have a treasure in earthen vessels.

The church is a solid oak tree, not a fragile tea cup. It has withstood Roman Imperialism, Jewish legalism, pagan optimism, medieval institutionalism, the excesses of the reformers, wars and rumors of wars, a youth quake, modern skepticism, southern provincialism, resurgent fundamentalism, and heresies in each generation that seem never to die. It can withstand anything our generation can throw at it.

It has been victimized by unprepared and selfish clergy, tone-deaf musicians, manipulative members, argumentative deacons, demanding denominations, unloving reformers, and greedy politicians. Still it continues to provide love, affirmation and community to the fallen in the face of alienation.

The church is worth the effort!”

Preach on, Brother Bill. Preach on!