Malachi Christopher Young

A Gift at Sunset

Surrounded

I haven't posted anything other than my ramblings in a while so I thought I would share a few of my favorite photos from this summer. As I was looking through these photos today, choosing some to post, it reminded me again of just how much beauty and life surround us all the time. Undoubtedly, there is much ugliness and brokenness in our world but there is also such an overwhelming and lavish wealth of God's creativity constantly surrounding us... such a means of grace.

You can click here to see the album I've been building all summer long.

Pictures of Spiritual Formation

I'm not a photographer but I love taking pictures.

I remember a video we watched in Dr. Hardy's Spiritual Formation class at NTS where a professional photographer spoke about his trade. Like a lot of things in my life, I don't remember hardly any of the details of that video we watched and yet somehow it still had a deep and lasting influence on my life. I think it had an impact because it freed me to starting thinking about spiritual disciplines in ways that I had not up that point. That was several years ago now and there have certainly been a lot of changes in the way that I think about my spiritual life since then but from this vantage point it seems clear to me that that video and that class were instrumental in opening up a new path in my spiritual life even though I may not have realized it at the time. I think it is safe to say that I now regard picture taking as an important spiritual discipline in my life. While I have never taken a single class or workshop on photography and don't have any of the tehcnical skills that a professional has, I have found that photography cultivates in me some of the same characteristics that are important for ministry.

When I go for a walk with my camera, most of the time is spent simply waiting. It is rare that I am looking to take a picture of anything specific. I usually just go somewhere I think I am likely to see something interesting and wait to see what presents itself. Often I go for long periods without finding anything that catches my eye. Nevertheless, I continue to watch and listen and it is when I am most patient that I usually see the most interesting things. So often in ministry, it is tempting to try to fast forward everything; whether in our own spiritual lives or the life of our congregation. But there is much grace in simply being present in the moment and waiting faithfully to see where God is working rather than forcing our own agenda.

Keeping an eye out for possible pictures has also taught me to see beauty in seemingly ordinary surroundings. It is easy to take a quick glance around and think that there is nothing worth photographing. But in reality, viewed in a certain way, almost anything can make an interesting picture. Often its just about framing a picture just right; putting a subject in its proper context or separating it from the distractions that surround it. Often I see certain potential in a subject but I have to work to position myself so as to find the right light, an original angle, or a unique perspective from which to view that subject. So many things about the Church are so ordinary. Most Sundays, nothing that we would describe as "miraculous" takes place. In fact, if you've been around the Church long enough you know that there are parts of church life that can be down right ugly. It is in those times that it helps to be able to see the beauty of God's creation and redemption in each of us even if at that particular moment our sinful nature is showing our less photogenic side. There is much beauty in the midst of our brokenness, in our imperfect fellowship with one another, in ordinary things like bread and juice, if only we will allow God to open our eyes to see it.

There is also something spiritually wholesome about walking around in solitude with a lense constantly pointed away from myself. As a pastor, it is a regular part of my job to have everyone looking at me and listening to me. It doesn't take much imagination to see how that kind of attention could lead to a certain level of neurosis for just about anyone. No matter how loving, gracious, and considerate your congregation might be (all very much characteristics of my congregation) it is difficult to not feel a certain level of pressure in that kind of position. Sometimes the self-examining questions become overwhelming. Am I leading this congregation in the right direction? Am I paying enough attention to this ministry or this group of people? Am I working hard enough? Am I trusting the Spirit? Am I spending enough time with my family? Have I got my priorities straight? I suspect that for anyone who takes their responsibility as a minister to heart, it is easy for these kinds of questions to spin out of control. Most often, these pressures do not come from the congregation. They come from a recognition of the tremendous responsibility we have been given as ministers. I have found that when those inwards doubts mount, there are few things more beneficial than finding solitude behind an instrument which is designed for the specific purpose of focusing on other things. As I look around for things to photograph, I am reminded of the plain truth that I am not the center of the world or my church or even my own existence. There is a whole world that goes on just fine apart from my work within it. No doubt, I am called to a life of responsibility and faithful obedience but the very essence of that obedience is to be an instrument which points away from myself and toward someone much greater than myself. The irony of solitude, practiced as a spiritual discipline, is that this time alone reminds us that we are not alone and therefore gives us perspective on our role within the community of faith.

A couple days ago, Jess, Hannah, and I went out to Weldon Springs, our nearby state park, together ...of course, bringing the camera along as well. There are four trails there, all of which offer tremendous scenery. I derive a unique kind of joy from taking Hannah out on these trails, pointing out different things to her along the way and watching her take in the world around her; sometimes quietly observing new things, other times squealing with delight at a favorite familiar sight. I wonder if God derives a similar type of joy when I go on walks with him and wait to see what part of his creation he will point out to me. Perhaps, for more than any other reason, photography has become a spiritual discipline for me because it distills this faith journey down to one of its simplest forms; walking hand in hand with my Father as he shows me the beauty of his world and my place in it.

This kid...

...cracks me up.

Another Young Addition

Hannah is going to be a big sister!

Welcoming Spring

Caribbean Vacation

I don't think I realized how badly I needed a vacation until it came close to time to leave. I was so excited to leave for the Caribbean that I could barely sleep on Thursday night. It didn't help that we had to get up at 3:15 a.m. Friday morning in order to get to the airport by 4:45a.m. for our early morning flight that departed at 6:10 a.m. Fortunately, the flight to Florida was more or less uneventful. We had a rather long layover in Chicago during which we met a mother and daughter who were on their way to a wedding in Texas and a Mormon family with whom we had an interesting discussion about faith. Hannah was fussy at times due to the confined spaces and long periods of having to sit still but did pretty well most of the way. We arrived in Florida just enough ahead of the rest of the Metcalfe clan to get something to eat before we went down to pick up our luggage from the baggage claim. Once the whole crew was together we rented two vans in order to get to the hotel where we would be staying for the night before leaving for the cruise Saturday morning. The "crew" included Jess, Hannah, and I, Mark and Joy (Jess' dad and mom), Miranda, Nate, and Olivia Patenode (Jess' older sister, her husband, and their daughter), Emily (Jess' younger sister), Andrew and Joline (Jess' younger brother and his wife), Jen and Emma Duschene (friends of the family), and Dirk and Mardi Ellis (also friends of the family and of our church family here in Clinton as well by an interesting twist of fate). We went out for dinner that night and picked up a few last minute items at Target and then tried to get some rest before the big day. Unfortunately for us, Hannah was so completely exhausted that she was wired and didn't sleep well at all. After only about an hour of sleep, she woke up at 1:30 in the morning screaming so hard that I thought something was physically wrong with her. Eventually, she did drop off to sleep for the rest of the night and we made catching her up on sleep a priority for the first few days of the cruise which we did fairly successfully.

Saturday morning we drove about an hour from Orlando where we had spent the night to Port Canaveral. We grabbed some breakfast near the port and then made our way to the terminal. We dropped off our luggage to be loaded onto the ship later and then most of us made our way through security while Mark, Nate, and Dirk returned the rental vehicles. Apparently, the Avis shuttles where a bit slow but they eventually made it back and we all boarded the ship together. We grabbed lunch at the buffet on the ship before we even found our rooms. I also enjoyed my first slice of pizza from the 24-hour pizzeria on board ship at that first meal, an action I would repeat many times over during the trip. The ship left port sometime that afternoon and we were at sea for the rest of that day and all of Sunday as well since we had to make our way all the way down to Mexico. I was glad we were at sea for the first day because it gave us the opportunity to explore the ship right away. (It also gave us the opportunity to begin to adjust to the constant rocking which wasn't enough to make you sick but was enough to make me a little dizzy and unbalanced the first night). Nate, Andrew, and I played some mini-golf and volleyball. There was half a basketball court as well on which I won a game of knock-out later in the day. There were also two small pools which I didn't realize were filled with salt water until I jumped into one of them. (The pools really gave you a sense of the boat rocking as they sloshed back and forth.) Other forms of entertainment included hot tubs, lots of live music, a theater (which I think our room must have been directly above), a deli, a grill, a small library, shops, a casino, a kids camp, and probably a few others things I'm forgetting. We realized pretty quickly too that it was college spring break week so we were on quite the party ship.Despite the many forms of entertainment, I would say there were probably two things I enjoyed about being on the ship itself more than anything else. One was simply being in the warmth and sunshine of the Caribbean in mid-March. I thrive on sunshine and it felt so good just to soak it up. The second highlight of the ship in my opinion was the dinners (or supper, as many folks here in Clinton would say). The great thing about the dinners was not only the exceptional quality of the food and the service but also that you could order whatever you wanted without fear of not liking it because if you didn't like it you could just order something else. As a result, I tried some food I hadn't had before including oysters, snapper, smoked salmon, duck, and crab cake of which the snapper and the duck are probably the only things I would eat again. The prime rib I had the last night was amazing and the steak and ribs were pretty good too. We also enjoyed getting to know our servers Baryo and Arifin very much. (My father-in-law took some excellent pictures of the ship's interior and the food which you can view here along with the many other pictures he took.)

On Monday, we arrived in Cozumel, Mexico, a small island that has been developed pretty much just for the sake of tourism. After we all ate breakfast together and spent a little time on the deck surveying the coast, we made our way to the bottom of the boat and out onto the pier toward the tourist village. There was a tiny bit of rain and clouds that morning but they dissipated pretty quickly. We didn't have any plans for the day in Cozumel so we walked around the shops for a little while and took some pictures until we decided to head back to the ship for some lunch. After lunch, we left the babies with their grandparents and Jess, Mandy, Nate, Emily, and I decided to just walk along the coast outside of the tourist village. Of course, there were an unbelievable number of taxis waiting to take us wherever we might want to go on the island but all we really wanted to do was get away from the tourist scene a bit and enjoy the sunshine. We probably walked about a mile and a half when I stopped to get a soda. We hung out in that spot for a little while before we made the walk back to the ship.On Tuesday, we anchored off the coast of Belize City, Belize which is a tiny little country on the east coast of Central America bordered by Guatemala and Honduras. Belize was the only place that we stopped where there was not a pier at which the ship could dock. So after breakfast, we had to wait our turn to board a smaller boat that would take us from the ship into shore. Upon arriving on shore we were immediately overwhelmed by a multitude of people offering to take us on a variety of exotic excursions around Belize. However, Nate and I were somewhat determined to find the churches that we had worked on when we had been to Belize before, myself about 10 years ago and Nate about 12 years ago. We weren't sure we would be able to accomplish this task since it had been so long since we had been in Belize but the lady at the information desk assured us that if we asked a taxi driver about the Church of the Nazarene then he would know where to take us. So we found a taxi driver and quickly learned that a taxi ride in Belize is an adventure in itself. Our taxi driver only let up on his aggressive driving when he pulled to the side of the road to buy a beer which he drank while driving us to our destination. In spite of this, he did safely deliver us to the Church of the Nazarene... well, one of them anyway. I knew immediately upon arriving at our destination that this was not the church that I had worked on during my work and witness trip in high school. Nate was pretty certain it was where he had worked though he couldn't be sure since he had worked on the foundation of the building and had not seen the finished product. We learned later that everyone in Belize City knew of this Church of the Nazarene because there was a high school there which many of the residents had attended. Fortunately, the pastor of the church was there when we arrived and we got to meet him and the pastor of Belize City First Church of the Nazarene, which is the church where I had worked on my previous trip. We talked a little bit, prayed together, and exchanged e-mail addresses so that we might keep in touch. Our taxi driver then took us to First Church so that I could see the building I had worked on 10 years ago. We spent some time there and got to know Sandra, the pastor's wife, who eventually walked us back to the tourist village where we had began our journey and was ironically only a 10 or 15 minute walk from First Church.

On Wednesday our port was Costa Maya, Mexico. This was the one place where Jess and I had booked an excursion. So we left Hannah and Olivia with Mark and Joy and Jess, myself, Nate, Mandy, Emily, Andrew, and Joline all took a tour bus to the Mayan ruins at Chacchoben. Lizbeth was our tour guide and Nestor our driver. Lizbeth educated us greatly about Mayan culture, Chacchoben, and the surrounding area along the way. We learned that the Mexican government does not allow anyone to live in Costa Maya except those who work in some tourism related job and it showed. Much of our bus ride was through protected wetlands and un-inhabited areas. We also learned that most of the ruins at Chacchoben have been rebuilt according to how archeologist believed they were originally structured. However, there was one structure where the the original red stucco remained intact. It was fascinating to stand just inches away from something that was 1700 years old. The rebuilt structures were impressive as well, especially the main temple which set on a mound 40 ft high and was itself an additional 60 ft high, all built by an ancient culture dating back to as early as 1100 B.C. (though most of Chacchoben dates to 300 A.D.) with its primitive and limited architectural equipment. It was about an hour long bus ride between the ruins and the tourist village which left us just a little more than an hour to walk around there for a bit before getting back on the ship.


Thursday was another day at sea as we made our way back across the gulf. I had been intentional early in the week about making certain that I didn't get a sunburn so as not to ruin the rest of the week by doing so. Now that we were nearing the end of the week I was much less cautious and wanted to get as much sun as possible. As a result, I was a little pink by the end of the day but only my right shoulder proved to be much of a burn at all.

On Friday, we arrived in Nassau, Bahamas. After walking around the market near the pier briefly, Nate, Mandy, Olivia, Jess, Hannah, and I made our way to the pirate museum. You could tell that it was not a high budget museum but it was interesting nonetheless and we learned some interesting facts about pirates. As we left the museum, much of the rest of the family was already waiting for us outside. I made my way across the street to take pictures of a cathedral that had caught my eye and everyone else eventually followed. We then walked around some more of the city and shops. With just a few hours left at our last port of call, Jess and I began to realize that we really hadn't spent any time on the beach. That may sound odd on a Caribbean cruise but actually none of the ports where we stopped had beaches immediately available. Instead, you had to take a taxi to the nearest beach a few miles away. Nassau was no different but Jess and I decided it was worth the taxi fair to to get a little beach time in before we headed home. So the rest of our group went back to the boat, taking Hannah with them, while Jess and I found a taxi to take us to what was probably the most beautiful beach either of us has ever seen. (Our taxi experience here was similarly aggressive to that in Belize though minus the beer and slightly less expensive. However, this time we didn't really mind because it meant more time on the beach before we had to get back to the boat.) We didn't go swimming but we were able to walk up and down the beach enjoying the warm sun and sand and gorgeous blue water for just over an hour or so before we had to head back.

On Saturday morning, we arrived back in Port Canaveral. We met to leave the ship around 7 a.m. to make sure we had plenty of time to get to the airport. It was a good thing too. We waited for the shuttle from the terminal to the Avis car rental place for about 45 minutes. Then when we arrived at Avis we found that they had given someone else the vans we had reserved. Mark and Nate made their way to the Thrifty Dollar car rental place across the street where it took about an hour to secure two other vans. We then had our hour drive back to Orlando where we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways in the airport. Jess, Hannah, and I grabbed some food before heading to the security checkpoint. When we arrived there we realized that Hannah was not marked on either of our boarding passes so we had to go back to the check in counter in order to have it changed so that we could get through security. We did finally make it to our gate on time only to find that our flight was delayed because of rain in Atlanta. Between the delay at the gate, the delay on the runway, and the holding pattern they put us in over Atlanta, we stepped off that plane about 10 minutes before our connecting flight was supposed to leave. "Fortunately" our connecting flight was delayed as well so we didn't miss it. However, we didn't ultimately get home until after 8 p.m. 13 hours of traveling with a one year old is no small task but it was worth it.

It was a truly an amazing vacation and it has really rekindled my interest in traveling outside the United States. Of course, the cruise itself was amazing, relaxing, and a whole long list of positive adjectives that I could use to describe it. It was one of those rare things that actually lives up to its hype. It was truly the vacation of a lifetime. However, I think more than anything it reminded me of how much I want to see other parts of the world (especially the warmer parts:). It has even given new life to a desire to do work and witness trips. Repeatedly while on this vacation, Jess and I talked about how great it was but how much we wish we could really get to know the people more and get to know their stories and what their lives were like rather than just saying "no thank you" to all of the things they were trying to sell us. So much about this trip reminded us that we have so much to learn, so much to experience; that behind the seemingly infinite number of unfamiliar faces we encountered there are an equally unlimited number of stories waiting to be told if only someone will listen, if only someone would hear what it is like to spend a day in their shoes. I believe that as we hear the stories of others, especially from those whose life experiences are vastly different from our own, it gives us greater persepctive on our own story, even on the Christian story. I hope it will not be long before I get to see other parts of the world once again. Whether for sabbath or for mission, I hope that my own story will continue to be given greater breadth and depth as it becomes intermingled with the stories of others around the world.

You can view the rest of the photos that Jess and I took here.

Hannah's First Birthday Party

Here are some pictures and video of Hannah's first birthday party. Thanks to everyone who joined us for the celebration.

A Year of Change

I’m sure that most of you who are reading this will not be surprised when I say “It’s hard to believe that Hannah is a year old!” The amazement at how quickly our children grow and develop seems to be a nearly universal experience for parents. It is almost unthinkable that the fragile little newborn that we took home from the hospital a year ago is now walking all around our house, babbling new sounds everyday, and constantly discovering new things about the world around her.

Of course, there will be even more changes to come, many of them even more dramatic and drastic than the changes of this first year. Some of those changes will be challenging and some might even be painful for Hannah and for Jess and I as her parents. As Hannah grows and changes, Jess and I have to grow and change in certain ways as well, adapting to her new abilities. In fact, if Hannah stopped changing in her appearance and abilities we would think something was terribly wrong. If Jess and I continued to respond to Hannah when she is 15 in exactly the same was we respond to her now, we probably wouldn’t be very good parents. Hannah, Jess, and I all remain the same people and even the same family but within that continuity there must be changes that take place in order for us to be a healthy family.

If God has created us in this way so that change is so fundamental to our existence as human beings, then shouldn’t we expect the same to be true of our existence as a church? Too often, we speak and act as if any change in the Church is a compromise or a step backwards from the way things used to be or the way we’ve always done it. We are fearful that if we change then somehow we are less faithful or we have lost our way or we no longer know who we are.

We must recognize that change is just as much a part of who we are as the Church as it is a part of who we are as growing and changing individuals. Change has always been and will always be a part of the Church. Certainly, we must remain the same Church. We must remain faithful to the same gospel but the only way we can do that is by changing and adapting to our changing context just as a person or a family remains true to their character while adapting to the their changing situations.

Jess and I often find ourselves laughing, smiling, and filled with a unique kind of joy when we consider all the ways that Hannah is growing and changing. I think that God must laugh and smile and be filled with a similar type of joy when he watches his Church take bold new steps and try new ways of living out his kingdom in this world. It is my prayer that our church will be one that puts a smile on God’s face as we embody our ancient faith in new ways.

Finally...Some Christmas Pictures

I've been wanting to post some Christmas pictures for quite some time but things have been busy and we just got internet and phone hooked up at our house today. The picture above is probably my favorite from Christmas this year even if it is a bit blurry from the lack of lighting. Below are a few more pictures from our Christmas in Ohio as well as some pictures of Hannah's first time playing in the snow.

16 Random Things About Me

This post has been prompted by a similar note of the same title which I recieved on facebook from a friend. Usually, I'm not inclined to do things like this because I am not particularly clever at thinking up random things about myself that I think other people will find interesting and I usually don't want to put in the extra effort and time to try to make them interesting. At the current time, I definitely have plenty of other things I should be working on: we are in the process of closing on a house and getting ready to move, it is nearing Christmas time and I am pastor, well the list could go on and on. Ironically, it is probably due to the current chaos of my life that I am taking time to do something like this since it gives me some small measure of respite on a Saturday afternoon. Besides, I haven't written anything of a more personal nature on my blog for several weeks now. So here it goes...

1. I love being a daddy. I say this first of all just to reinforce what I said above about not being all that clever when it comes to being random. After all, this is something that all fathers are supposed to say. Nevertheless, there is a bit of randomness to this statement about myself mostly because it was unexpected for me. I never had any idea how much I would love being a father. Of course, I always thought there would be good things about having kids but I knew there would be not such great things too and overall, I was more or less ambivalent about the idea of kids. I wasn't against it. I just figured it would happen eventually and I was in no rush to get there. But now, I look forward to coming home every evening to find out what new and entertaining thing my daughter will do tonight. I love being her daddy.

2. I hate cliches. This comes to mind mostly because I realize how much of a cliche #1 is. But I really, really hate cliches. (I also hate that I don't know how to put the little accent line over the e in that word, only adding to my frustration with the word itself.) I especially hate it when people offer a cliche as if it is the most profound wisdom that has ever been uttered or as the final word on the matter. I find life to be messy, complex, chaotic, and disorganized and it annoys me when people either pretend that its not or just don't recognize it as such.

3. I love hiking but my wife is better at it than I am and we don't get to go nearly enough. I love being outside, especially in relatively remote and peaceful places. I think it is safe to say that I even regard such experiences as a spiritual discipline of sorts. The great thing about hiking is that it is the one athletic thing that my wife absolutely kicks my butt at. I don't know why. I just can't keep up with her. Although, there was this one time when we were hiking and Jess' shoes were hurting her feet so badly that I had to carry her half way down the mountain. I consider that one of the greatest physical feats of my life. Unfortunately, we don't get nearly enough chances to go on real mountainous hikes.

4. I might be the least musical person you'll ever meet. I can't sing. The only instrument I play is my iPod and I probably have fewer songs on it than most people you know. I tried piano when I was a kid but ulitmately decided that music speaks a language that I can barely understand.

5. I am discovering the shaping power of communities. The importance of community and its ability to shape people to be more like Christ is something that I have affirmed theologically for several years now. It was a major theme of my education at Eastern Nazarene College and Nazarene Theological Seminary. But now I feel its importance. I am experiencing the importance of community because I can feel how my current community is shaping me to be a different person than I have been up to this point in my life. Of course, the other communities I've been a part of have shaped me profoundly. Its not that Clinton First Church of the Nazarne is shaping me any more than my family, my home church, ENC, or NTS did although it is shaping me in very determinative ways. Its simply that now having been a part of these different communities I can see how each one has redirected my life and reshaped me as a person immensely. Of course, some of the influence of these communities has to do with other aspects of my life only tangentially related to those communities themselves. For example, being married influenced my time at ENC and NTS, having a daughter has influenced me since being here in Clinton, and my role in each of those communities has been an important factor as well(student vs. pastor). But apart from these life changing factors, I can see how the communities themselves have had and are having a profound impact on who I am.

6. I really enjoy taking pictures, mostly of nature. Although, I can't really say I'm a photographer, not even an amateur one. In that sense, the digital camera, along with its editing software is a good friend of mine. My wife says I have an obsession with taking pictures of the sky.

7. I like pizza, cheeseburgers, and Chipotle burritos way too much. As a result, I am about 40 pounds heavier than I was when I got married. I used to balance my bad eating habits with ridiculous amounts of exercise but as there are more and more demands on my time I find it difficult to exercise as much as I used to. I guess that means my eating habits will have to change eventually.

8. Only half way there and I'm already having trouble thinking of things. My wife is the one who should really be doing this. She just said "I think I would need more than 16."

9. I would really like to see Israel, Greece, and Rome someday. For now, my travel records include only places between Toronto and Belize, the East Coast and Kansas. However, those records will soon include a trip to the Western Carribean which I am excited about.

10. I am unwittingly like a ninja. Completely by accident, I am constantly entering rooms so quietly that I scare people out of their skin when they suddenly realize I am there. My wife and my church secretary are my most frequent victims. If I ever leave the ministry maybe....

11. Actually, if for some strange reason I ever did leave the ministry I have no idea what other career I would find. I've spent the last 8 years of my life studying theology. I don't have any other skills! Good thing I like what I do and I believe its what God has called me to.

12. I can throw a frisbee further than you would think a frisbee could be thrown.

13. I enjoy reading and learning for learning's sake. I don't feel like everything I learn has to be immediately relevant or pragmatic, especially when it comes to theology. I think the most profoundly true thoughts that I've read or heard are the ones that may initially apear to be esoteric abstractions but actually turn out to have vast implications for the Church and the Christian life. Of course, some of those esoteric abstractions are just worthless distractions and vain words that have to be sifted through to find the real gems. Often, I enjoy the process of sifting as much as the gems themselves because there is learning in both.

14. I once averaged 19 points a game in a pretty competitive January term basketball league in college. The next year I was horrible but I was on a really good team and we won the championship. Both experiences were fun.

15. I hate Wal-mart! For a lot of different reasons too. Unfortunately, I find it to be a necessary part of my existence.

16. Every year, it seems like I feel more and more acutely aware of how badly our world needs for God's kingdom to come.