Methodist Blogger Profile: John Battern

John Battern of Out the Door

My wife Julie & I have been married 27 years. Julie is a special education teacher. We have two sons, Jason who attends culinary school in the Twin Cities and Josh who is a freshman at the University of Northern Iowa. We also have a daughter Jennifer who died of SIDS 15 years ago when she was 2 ½ months old.

I am presently in my 8th year at the Sumner UMC in Sumner, IA. I began serving UM churches as a student pastor in 1985 while attending North American Baptist Seminary in Sioux Falls. In addition to my pastoral duties, I have a small side business, christianlectionarygraphics.com. In collaboration with a professional photographer from my congregation, I produce and market metaphorical worship graphics.

Why do you blog?
Blogging gives me the opportunity to express thoughts, feelings, and opinions on issues and concerns which I don’t usually address in sermons. I like to think that blogging increases the influence I have for Christ. In the past a pastor’s words were most often limited to those within his or her congregation. Through blogging there is no limit to number of people who can hear my perspective on issues as I seek to address them from a Biblical point of view.

What has been your best blogging experience?
Finding out that my 22 year old son regularly reads my blog. Second to that is, with the help of Gavin Richardson, figuring out how to podcast my sermons.

What would be your main advice to a novice blogger?
Don’t get discourage and give up when you have trouble coming up with something to write. There are some weeks when nothing moves me greatly and I’ve wondered why I’m blogging. Then comes a week when there are so many things I want to talk about I don’t have time to say it all.

If you only had time to read three blogs a day, what would they be?
This is a hard one. I try to read blogs from various perspectives, though if I only could read three, they would be Shane Raynor’s “Wesleyblog”, Dan Gates “Rekindling Methodism” and Steve Beard’s “Thunderstuck.”

Who are your spiritual heroes?
John Wesley; Father John’s understanding of grace forms the basis for my understanding of how God works.
John Milnes, a 80+ year old member of my congregation and gentlest man I ever known. I’ve never heard him speak ill of anyone.

What are you reading at the moment?
The book of Jeremiah, Adventures in Missing the Point by Brian McLaren & Tony Compolo, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

What is your favorite hymn and why?
“Great is Thy Faithfulness” It’s a song filled with hope and promise. Even when I’m unfaithful, even when life turns against me, I believe with all my heart that God will not leave me and will ever be faithful.

Can you name a major moral, political, or intellectual issue on which you've ever changed your mind?
The death penalty; I used to be very anti-death penalty, but now believe that God has given governments “the power of the sword” to protect citizens from violent criminals.

What philosophical thesis do you think is most important to combat?
Moral relativism: I believe there are moral absolutes as set forth in God’s word. When all moral issues are viewed in shades of grey, the sin nature of human beings becomes very apparent, though moral relativism refuses to acknowledge the existence of sin. If sin doesn’t exist, then Jesus died for nothing for there is no need of grace.

If you could effect one major change in the governing of your country, what would it be?
Make politicians carry around a devise that would light up red when ever they started to double talk. It drives me crazy the way politicians answer questions without really answering them.

If you could effect one major policy change in the United Methodist Church, what would it be?
I’m a proponent of amiable separate, so I guess that’s about as a major change as possible, though it’s not a policy issue. On a more policy type issue, I’d like it if bishops were not consecrated for life. Lifelong bishop-hood greatly reduces the level of accountability bishops have to the church.

What would be your most important piece of advice about life?
I’ll never forget my dad saying, “You can judge a man by the shine on his shoes.” Though the advice that has had the greatest impact on me was when a friend told me I shouldn’t pooh, pooh it when someone compliments me, by doing so it minimizes that person’s point of view. Now I try to receive compliments graciously.

What, if anything, do you worry about?
Not much, my life is in God’s hands and that’s enough for me.

If you were to relive your life to this point, is there anything that you'd do differently?
I would have spent a lot more time with my daughter in the short time we had her.

Where would you most like to live (other than where you do now)?
Okoboji, IA, Iowa’s playground and my hometown

What do you like doing in your spare time?
Woodworking, boating, watching movies

What is your most treasured possession?
This is a dangerous question. I don’t really want to think that I treasure any earthly possession, but the one thing I’d want least to give up in my boat.

What talent would you most like to have?
I wish I could sing. I love to sing but I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.

If you could have any three guests, past or present, to dinner, who would they be?
Jesus Christ, John Candy, & J.R.R. Tolkien. The first two because they’d be a lot of fun and there’d be a great deal of laughter around the table, plus other obvious reasons to have Jesus there. (I don’t know about John Candy, but some day I plan on being a guest at Jesus’ table.) Tolkien because I’d want to tap into his creativeness and listen to him tell stories.