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Tag Archives: Pittsburgh

Time to Head Home

22 Wednesday Feb 2017

Posted by laceduplutheran in Church, Travel

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Monongahela incline, Pittsburgh

Our trip to Pittsburgh was over.  It was time to head home.  In order to get back to the van, we had to travel back up the incline one last time.

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We were tired and ready to head back.  The trip up was a short rest.

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We climbed and climbed.  Passing the other car as they journeyed down to the city.

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The trip was fun.  But it was time to come to an end.

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Farewell Pittsburgh!

Lesson for church:  There is a time and a season for everything – even at church.  It’s a good idea to examine what goes on at church.  Is it time for something to end?  Celebrate it and close the page on it.  God has other things up God’s sleeve, just waiting to happen.

 

Pittsburgh views

21 Tuesday Feb 2017

Posted by laceduplutheran in Theology, Travel

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Monongahela incline, Pittsburgh, Station Square

When you get down the Monongahela incline, you can go across the street to Station Square.

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Station Square is a nice place to wander through, see some unique shops and experience touristy Pittsburgh at its finest.

And when you step a little bit past Station Square, you see this:

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Pretty cool.

Lesson for church: Don’t just follow the crowd.  Go off the beaten track from time to time.  You might be surprised by what God has in store for you.

Incredible views on a sharp slope

20 Monday Feb 2017

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Monongahela incline, Pittsburgh

When in Pittsburgh, you travel on the inclines.  Our incline of choice for this trip was:

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The incline is pleasant and offers some incredible views of the city.

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Even on a rainy day.

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And an added benefit is the view back towards the top of the incline.

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Lesson for church: Pay attention to what you see around you.  There are people hurting and people experiencing great joy.  Pay attention to the people who enter the doors of the church and when you go outside the doors, pay attention to the people around you.  You might find some incredible things and people.

Mountain top experience

17 Friday Feb 2017

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change, hill, Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is a city that has a hill.  A really tall hill.  And when you are up on top of that really tall hill, you get amazing views of the city.

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It doesn’t matter the weather.  You just have to stop and look.

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It’s amazing what you can see.

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Lesson for church: People are like cities – there’s so much variety that is right there in front of us.  But how often do we just keep going without looking?  What are we missing?  What are they missing by not being inside?  Or is there fear of how things might change?  Only things that are alive change and adjust.  Dead things decompose – which is a form of change, but different.

Incredible Views

16 Thursday Feb 2017

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new, old, Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is one of those cities that is unique.  Maybe it’s the three rivers running through it.  Maybe it’s the mixture of old (for America) and new.  You can see this contrast in the downtown area.

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(I just had to throw this picture in – how often do you see the L.L. Bean-mobile?)

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Lesson for church: You’ve got old and you’ve got new and you’ve got unique all rolled into one.  But how often do we fight and takes sides arguing that old and new and unique can’t all exist in the same place?  Why not?  If it can work for a city, why not a church?

Beautiful views

15 Wednesday Feb 2017

Posted by laceduplutheran in Church, Theology, Travel

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bridges, enjoyable, Pittsburgh, rivers

Even though it was cloudy, we still enjoyed some beautiful views of Pittsburgh when we were there in July.

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It’s not difficult to see why.

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Land, water, sky, bridges, nature, people enjoying themselves.  What more could you ask for?

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Lesson for church: being enjoyable is about more than just putting on a good show.  If that’s all it is, then you’re missing something really.  Look at the picture above – people are interacting with nature, enjoying beauty, living lives, and remain because they want to be there.  I wonder what we can learn from this?  I’m not arguing that church is about a vacation.  Rather, think of it this way.  What if church were such a normal part of life, that it fit right in?  Just something to think about.

What are you inclined to?

14 Tuesday Feb 2017

Posted by laceduplutheran in Church, Theology, Travel

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Duquesne incline, Pittsburgh

Ok, so the post name is a little odd, I admit.  But seriously, how could it not be when we are considering inclines in Pittsburgh.  Here’s a view of the Duquesne incline from across the river at the Point.

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It doesn’t get much more Pittsburgh than that.

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Lesson for church: The city of Pittsburgh found a way to make travel easier for people who lived up on top of the hill.  What could the church do to make itself a bit more approachable and easily accessible for people who don’t have a church background?  I wonder.

What’s the Point?

13 Monday Feb 2017

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architecture, Pittsburgh, The Point, theology

As we continued through Pittsburgh, we went to the Point – arguably one of the best spots in Pittsburgh.

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It’s the spot where the three rivers converge and the city comes together.

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There’s a beautiful fountain.

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And lots to see.  We weren’t alone in that venture.  We were there on 4th of July.  People were in their boats and along the shore waiting for fireworks.

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Lesson for church: Use what you got.  One of my professors at seminary once said “Architecture trumps theology every time.”  That means use the architecture well to convey the theology.  Otherwise, if there is a conflict, the stuff wins out because it’s right there.  Pittsburgh has done a great job of using the architecture to its advantage to tell a story.  If only our churches could learn this lesson.

 

 

It’s legit, Fort Pitt

10 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by laceduplutheran in Church, Theology, Travel

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building, Church, community, Fort Pitt, history, Pittsburgh

We left the Cathedral of Learning and went to the Point in downtown Pittsburgh, or as the locals say – “dahntahn.”  Traversing through Pittsburgh is interesting.  It is it’s own culture and has it’s own language.  Here’s a handy glossary of Pittsburghese if you ever need it and you have to talk with the locals.

At any rate, we went down to Fort Pitt – an old Revolutionary War-era fort.  Or what’s left of it anyway.

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The fort went through many alterations over the years – changing in size and even location around the point.  The point is where the three rivers meet in the city.  We went inside the fort and were reminded of the history – Fort Pitt was on the frontiers of British territory before the Revolutionary War – an outpost.

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And we were reminded that there is a different history – natural history.  There has been a history of flooding in the region.  The picture below shows some of the high water marks from previous flooding.  The 1907 marking is up on the second floor – a good 8-10 feet up from the first floor.

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Lesson for church: This might sound heretical to some but here goes.  The fort was historical, yet it was changed over time to better meet the needs that it was built to serve.  The military didn’t stop changes because someone special built it years ago.  No, they changed it when it needed to be changed and it no longer served the function that it needed to.  Imagine if we did this with church?  Oh, I can hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth.  But really, why shouldn’t we update a building and change it to meet the needs of the current users.  Why do we lock the present generation into the needs of the past in terms of materials?  I’m not talking about doctrine here.  I’m talking about a building that houses a worshiping community. If we are attached to a building staying the same because it has always been that way, then I wonder how we are going to actually serve the community we are in, or the people in the community (who have probably changed over time).  Expecting the church building to remain the same is a recipe for the building to become a museum.  Museums have their place and purpose.  But the church isn’t supposed to be a museum.  It’s a movement that carries out God’s mission.  And how we do that will change over time.

 

House of Culture and Learning

09 Thursday Feb 2017

Posted by laceduplutheran in Theology, Travel

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Cathedral of Learning, culture, head, heart, learning, Pittsburgh

As we left the Cathedral of Learning, we took one last view of this incredible building that houses culture and learning.

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There’s a ton in the building.  I couldn’t help by wonder – does it get a lot of visitors?  I hope so.

Do people actually appreciate the different cultures?  The different languages of those cultures?  The long histories of these nations and peoples?  I have no idea.

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Of course we can’t make people care.  Spending our time forcing people to care is a waste of time.  The only ones we have real influence over is ourselves.  And even then, sometimes I wonder.  Forcing people to appreciate culture only makes many people have a negative reaction.  But invitation usually has a better effect.

Lesson for church: I heard a preacher on the radio this past Sunday talk about change starting in people through their heads.  I think that’s bogus.  Want people to change – reach them at their heart level.  Look at the current environment in politics – all of the talking is directed at the head.  And the reaction – we have two sides that are farther apart now than they have been in awhile.  Let’s not be like politics.  We’re in the heart business church.  Touch the heart and it will impact the head.

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laceduplutheran

laceduplutheran

I believe that God, church, and theology are approachable, enjoyable, and relevant for everyone. I write about this a lot because people need to hear it. So many people feel lost, hopeless, alone, and are searching for identity and meaning. I'm an ELCA Pastor (Lutheran) who has a background in politics, business, and the non-profit worlds. I take churchy theological ideas and words and communicate them in everyday language that people can understand, in ways that relate, and show that God, church, and theology matter a great deal. Oh, and it doesn't have to be boring either - mostly because it's the best news ever!

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