The Twins are in the playoffs, and I got to see the clinching game!

 

This past Friday I had the opportunity to watch with my wife, Amy, the Twins clinch the Division Championship. I’ve never had the opportunity to see the Twins win a clinching game. Since I moved to Blaine in 2009, the Twins have won four Division titles, but I’ve never been present to see it happen. 

I’ve probably gone to almost a hundred games since they started playing at Target Field in 2009. Target Field is a place where Amy and I decompress from life and enjoy the beauty of that space. 

I’m a long-time Twins fan—just as I root for the other professional teams from Minnesota. The Twins haven’t caused me the pain that the Vikings have. (read past blogs about the Vikings) The Twins' two World Championships in 1987 and 1991 have helped with that. I can still remember where I was for the seventh game of each of those series.   

Before the start of this season my personal goal for the Twins was to win one playoff game. Enough of this eighteen-game playoff streak of losses.   

The last few years of watching the Twins have been frustrating. Last year’s September collapse didn’t sit well and their mediocre play during the first part of this season didn’t help either. The over-reliance on analytics, the early hook given to their starting pitchers, and the strange starting line-ups have made me question Rocco Baldelli. I can’t say I was really an over-the-top fan for the first part of the season.  I’ve gone to less than five games this year at Target Field. 

But something changed in my attitude. I’m not sure what it was. Maybe it was being awed by Royce Lewis, or impressed with Alex Kirillof, Edouard Julien, Matt Wallner and Jhoan Duran. The Twins seemed younger and more interesting than in the past. They developed a mojo after the All-Star break.

Being used to collapses by Minnesota sports teams, I’ve been waiting for the Twins' collapse. But they haven’t. The Guardians got within five games on September 3 and seemed ready to pounce when the Twins went to Cleveland for a three-game series. But Minnesota won the first game 20-6 and won the second game too. The Twins won my respect. 

And I get it, the Twins play in the worst Division in baseball and would not be assured of a playoff berth if they were in the other two American League divisions. But this isn’t the fault of the Twins. 

This week I was hoping the Guardians would win enough games, so the game on Friday would be the clincher. And when I opened the newspaper on Friday morning, to learn this had happened, I told Amy we had to go to Target Field. 

So there we were buying tickets from the box office at 6:45pm on Friday night. And the cost of the two tickets wasn't that bad--$25 a ticket. 

The atmosphere of the game on Friday was much different than other games I’ve attended. This crowd was much more into the game. This wasn’t a game to walk around Target Field and enjoy the atmosphere. This was a game to sit in our seats and focus on each pitch. 

The Angels didn’t provide too much resistance as without Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani they have a team with no names that I recognize. When the Twins took an early lead, it seemed like the game might be a laugher. But the Angels tied up the game in the fifth. For one inning I was nervous. Could this be the first loss of a ten-game losing streak and one of the greatest collapses in baseball history? Alex Kirillof made me feel better with a homerun and more insurance runs made the score 8-3 after seven innings. Even after the Angels scored two in the eighth a win seemed a certainty. With Jhoan Duran pitching the ninth, we had no reason to be worried. Right? 

Well … Duran was wild and all of a sudden, the tying run was on second. With two outs I started taking a video of each pitch hoping that I would capture the final out on my phone. But Zach Neto walked on seven pitches and Brandon Drury worked the count to two and two. That’s eleven pitches and eleven videos. Finally, Drury hit a ground ball to Edouard Julien who threw him out, and the fireworks started. The twelfth video was the magic one. 

Check out the video on my Facebook page. 

Most importantly the Twins are Division champions!

 Amy and I stayed for about a half hour to watch the celebration on the field. We listened to the on-field interviews. We made it back to our car and waited for about a half hour to leave the parking ramp. But we had the radio on and listened to many more interviews. 

Despite my criticism of Baldelli, I think it’s very cool that he and his wife became parents of twins earlier this month.   

It’s hard not to think ahead and wonder if Pablo Lopez and Sonny Gray can carry us to the promise land like Bert Blyleven and Frank Viola did in 1987. Joe Ryan or Kenta Maeda could start too. It’s possible the Twins could capture the imagination of the Twin Cities and go on a playoff run. You’re telling me there are more chances! 

I’m trying to figure out how to get to the first home playoff game. I do believe in miracles. It might not be a miracle that the Twins won the Division, but it’s worth taking a breath and singing their “We’re going to win Twins” song. Who knows what could happen in the next five weeks?

Never Forget

 

Today is the 22^nd time that we remember the tragedy of 911. And we're called to never forget. That day was a 911 call to our spirits that each of us is still answering. Almost three thousand people were killed that day when hijackers took over four airplanes. Two airplanes were crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City, one was crashed into the Pentagon, and another was crashed into a field in Pennsylvania when the crew took over that plane from hijackers who were planning on crashing it into the White House. 

I will never forget the many different emotions of the day. I’ll remember receiving a call from my wife, Amy, who cried out on the phone that we were being attacked; I’ll remember going over to my pastor friend, Chuck Coggins and telling him that we needed to organize a community-wide worship service; I remember going over to my pastor friend, Father Don Connelly and gingerly telling him that we were going to hold the community-wide worship service in the sanctuary of the Catholic church that he served; I remember watching with those two the collapse of the second tower. As soon as it happened, I remember Chuck Coggins saying, “a lot of people just died.” I remember the beautiful worship service that was held that night in the Catholic church in Plainview. All the pastors from town were asked to speak. We did so from our hearts. 

I will never forget the ultimate sacrifice that 343 firefighters, 72 law enforcement officers and 55 military personnel made that day. 

And I won’t forget the unity that existed in the United States shortly after this horrible event. 

I had the opportunity to live in New York City for three years while I attended seminary. When people came to visit me, I often took them to the World Trade Center. I was at the top of one of the Twin Towers many times. 

My wife, Amy, and I visited New York City after 911 and went to the hallowed grounds where the tragedies happened. I could hardly talk while I was there. 

Last night I watched a show on the National Geographic station about the story of many planes landing almost back-to-back in the tiny town of Gander in Newfoundland. The intelligence of the air traffic controllers and the pilots who worked together to land all those planes safely was amazing. 

The stories of heroism on September 11 are ones that we must keep passing on. I see my daughter, Hannah, and her partner, Carter, and am amazed that they were less than a year old when this tragic day took place. It’s important for me to share the stories of that day with them. 

But I also realize that it’s hard to appreciate the gravity of the day for someone who didn’t experience it. When I was growing up I was often told about Pearl Harbor Day—the day, of course, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Many people were killed on that day—2,403 military personnel and 68 civilians. And I always had respect for that day and respect for what happened. But not being alive on December 7, 1941 made my tribute different. I relate in a different way to September 11 because I was alive and remember the events of the day as they happened. 

An unfortunate reality of the human condition is that violence begets violence. Our country responded by pulling together a coalition that invaded Afghanistan. Ultimately 2,402 military personnel were killed in that war. The United States pulled out of Afghanistan within the past year and shortly afterwards the Taliban regained power. The United States authorized the military raid that killed Osama Bin Lade almost ten years after the 911 attack. The United States invaded Iraq and captured Saddam Hussein in December 13, 2003. He was executed three years later. 

I am a pacificist, so I believe that war is rarely an answer to the problems of our day. 

However on this day it’s important to unite with all of our neighbors to remember what happened and to share the stories of that day with others.     

“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.” —Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl.

 All statistical information in this blog was taken from Wikipedia sites.

Thoughts on my pastoral vocation

During the past week Alexander Lang wrote a blog that shared why he left the church he was serving, First Presbyterian Church in Arlington Heights Illinois. The link is here: Departure: Why I Left the Church (restorativefaith.org) Not only did he leave that congregation, he left the profession of being a pastor. He put a link to the blog on Facebook, and it has spread like wildfire. Over a hundred people have made comments on it, and the article has been shared almost two thousand times. Alexander Lang wrote that he was shocked that his blog spread so rapidly as usually seventy people reads his posts. I know the feeling! That's about how many read my blog each week.

Many people have written their own blogs about their thoughts regarding their pastoral calling. Here’s mine.

It's important for me to share that I have the greatest sympathy for Alexander Lang and whoever else has resigned as a pastor in a difficult situation. I have no judgment for pastors who have left the profession. This is a hard job.

I write as a person who has served as a Presbyterian pastor for thirty years. Plus my wife, Amy, has been the Administrator of two Catholic churches. Our life is “all church, all the time.”

A key part of my vocational identity is my calling. I wasn’t planning on being a pastor—though it was always a part of my thought process. When I graduated from college I was interested in being a teacher, lawyer, or pastor. Through my work for the farm workers in California I came to believe that the world couldn’t be changed unless the church was advocating for change. I was fired up for social justice! Later I became fired up for helping people develop their own personal faith. 

Because of these experiences I developed a clear desire to create a church that is passionate about social justice and personal faith.

I did have a moment when I considered going into community organizing for my career. But when I was wrestling about whether to go to take a community organizing job or go to seminary, I felt a clear direction from God that God wanted me to go to seminary.

I still remember the moment. It's an important part of my story and vocation. As I was driving to my home in Worthington, Minnesota the question came to me, “where do I want to be in five years?” The answer was “the church.” This answer came from nowhere. Once it came I felt a peace that I had hardly ever experienced. I took it as a calling from God.

And sure enough five years later I was installed as pastor of Community Presbyterian Church in Plainview, Minnesota.

I served that church for 16 years and have served Chain of Lakes for 14 years. I have no plans on going anywhere else or changing professions.

I don’t think that being a pastor is necessarily harder than other professions, but it has its unique challenges. In his blog Alexander Lang wrote about seven skill set of a pastor. He said they are: Professional Speaker, CEO, Counselor, Fundraiser, Human Resources Director, Master of Ceremonies, Pillar of Virtue. I can’t disagree with any of these. Other skill sets needed are vision caster, conflict management expert, teacher, and organizational development manager. And there are probably others.

Lang wrote about the Great Resignation. Barna did a poll of pastors that said 42 percent of pastors has considered resigning.

I’m not part of that 42 percent. I have a deep passion for the work we are doing at Chain of Lakes. I love our Purpose, I love our Core Values—I think of our Purpose and Core Values as our culture. I love the people have come to the church and have bought into this culture. I’m still sold out to it. I can’t imagine leaving.

Like all pastors I have experienced conflict in both congregations. The worst was in Plainview. Our daughter was conceived when I was engaged to be married. When this news was shared two families in that church went around the church trying to stir up a reaction against me. I found out about this when I came home at 2am after driving from Denver on an exhausting mission trip. I opened the door and a letter from them fell at my feet. 

That was painful. I endured many meetings about how the congregation would respond. Those two families left the church. I stayed at the congregation for nine years after this happened.. I never would have wished or prayed for that to happen. But the congregation turned out stronger because of the honest conversations we had. 

When I came to Chain of Lakes I was adamant that one of our Core Values was “Healthy Disagreement.” I expect that disagreement will happen. I don’t like disagreement, and I don’t look for it. But it inevitably happens. 

I’ve found that frequently talking about this Core Value helps. People at Chain of Lakes have permission—though they don’t need it—to disagree. Our Core Value takes the steam way from the inevitable disagreements that come up.  

One phrase that I use often with our staff and leaders is “everyone is responsible for their own emotions.” I have a hard enough time managing my own emotions. My task is not to manage others’ emotions. If someone is mad, that is their issue. I’ll talk to them, but I’m not going to take on their anger. I frequently have someone who is mad or upset with me. Sometimes the person might even be justified. But I don’t take on their anger.

Is this easy? No. But I could not serve as a pastor if I took on every person’s emotional reaction.

I know that I could not have lasted as a pastor without my prayer life. I never thought that I would be such an advocate for prayer. But I am.

I pray for at least a half hour every work day. I pray over everything in my life—my calling, my family, situations at the church, the world. And I’m almost always find myself in a better place than when I started. My worst time of the day is when I wake up and I feel the anxieties of the day. The best time of my day is 45 minutes later after I’ve showered and prayed. I’m ready.

I certainly don’t believe that the answer to any pastor’s challenges at work is to just pray. But I do know that my own prayer life has sustained me for thirty years.

One other great help in my own ministry is the Serenity Prayer. I shared a sermon series this past spring on the Serenity Prayer that can be found at colpres.org. I do my best to focus on what I can control. When I obsess about what I can’t control, then I’m set up for trouble.

In the Purpose Statement at Chain of Lakes we say that we want to follow God’s calling to be an authentic, Christian community. I see my task as a pastor to be myself. No secrets, no unrealistic expectations, no putting on airs. If I can be the best version of Paul Moore that God wants, then I’ll be fine.

This past weekend I had the privilege of officiating the wedding of Kyle and Hannah Kuznia. I got to know them through a friend. They had already done their pre-marital counseling, so my job was to help them design and lead a wedding service. I met with them earlier this year and enjoyed getting to know their story. We planned the service that night. This past Friday I drove over to Stillwater to lead a rehearsal. I had so much fun getting to know their families and talking to people. Yesterday afternoon I drove to New Prague to officiate the service. Again—a very meaningful experience. It took me away from my family for two nights, and I had asked my wife, Amy, beforehand if she was okay with me leading this service. Having the opportunity to help these two people at a significant time in their life was meaningful to me.

I have great sympathy for Alexander Lang and the pain he has experienced. But I also know that being a pastor is one of the best jobs in the world. I truly believe that. And I’m as excited to go to work tomorrow as I was when I started.