Confessions

An Interesting Article

2008-08-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this: http://www.covchurch.org/cov/news/item6502?

The only bad thing is that the story does not tell what happened after the celebration weekend was completed. This is one of those pastoral moments that sometimes do not make sense. On Monday I was hoping for a fairly easy day, but it was not to be as I was called to the hospital. On my way home I could not help but think why the joy of the celebration could not last a little longer and why things had to get so serious so fast.

On Tuesday's I am part of a text study group and one of the texts for last week was Elijah's encounter with God on Mount Horeb. Part of Elijah's defense of being on the mountain was that he got rid of a lot of the Baal worshipers and that his zealousness for God played a part in that. Sometimes our zealousness takes over and we forget to rely on God. I was proud of what we celebrated that weekend, but it got in the way of what I am called to do.

As God spoke to Elijah in the silence, God began to speak to me in the silence of the car ride back home on Tuesday and through my preparations. God reminded me of why Bethlehem Covenant has been around for 125 years. Not to have a party, not even to reminisce about the past, but to reach out and to care for those who are a part of our church. God also reminded me of why I was called to ministry and that is to care and to be with those who are in need. While there is a time to celebrate; caring for those in our midst never takes a day off.

And there you have the, "Rest of the Story."

The Football (Un)Star

2008-07-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

Over the last several weeks there has been a drama playing in Green Bay. It has to do with a single person fighting a big corporation. The only difference is one wants things the way they were, the other wants to move on. Of course I am talking about the Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. Back in March Brett said that he was moving on and retiring and he said that several times since, until a few weeks ago when he said that he wants to come back. This headline has completely dominated the news here it does not matter that a tornado occurred the day before, the headline was Brett Favre. It did not matter that the fire chief of a small town that had been on the job since before Brett Favre was even thought of was being mourned by a town that loved him. No body cares about the real news.

This whole story does not make sense to me. This act is not about being a good quarterback, it is not about the Packers, it is not about his accomplishments, it is definitely not about the fans (Which Brett and the news try to make it out to be). No, this act is about Brett Favre wanting his own way. I do not understand the madness that is going on with petitions from as far away as Chicago (I hope the Bears find that man!). I do not understand the weekly protests at Lambeau field. I do not understand this because Brett said he retired. All of a sudden he wants to play again and have his old job back and have everything back to the way it was last year. Why should he be allowed to come back? Why should he get his way? Why should a team go back to paying him his salary? After all he is saving the team money now that he is retired.

If I had 5 minutes with Brett, I would ask him to think about a few things: 1) A good leader always prepares the way for the future. I don't think that there is any doubt as to the impact that Brett had on the team. The Packers have said that they are moving on with a new quarterback. Brett should be proud of the fact that he helped to break in the new quarterback. In college a professor said, "The best test for any leader is to see what happens when there is a change in leadership." 2) What will coming back to the Packers accomplish? What accolade is there still to get? Like all of us, he is not getting any younger, this year could be just a big disaster even worse he could get seriously hurt, hurt to the point where he could be confined to a wheel chair for the rest of his life. I would think that leaving at the top of one's game is more important! 3) What kind of an impression is he leaving on those who are following this drama/farce? Right now I have even less respect for him then I did last year, and I am a Vikings fan! He is telling the kids and even the grown-ups that you can get your own way if you make a big stink. I would think that with all of the organizations that he has supported and the things that he has done for charity that he would have some respect for the people who would be following such a situation. He is leaving a bad impression, which unfortunately people like me have to deal with in our Sunday sermons.

I think that it is high time that Brett get his 3 time MVP head on straight and think about what he is doing not only to himself, but to the fans of the Packers, and the to the team itself. I know of no organization that would bring back somebody after retiring. I hope that it does not begin with the NFL!

Yoked Freedom

2008-07-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

Today is the 4th of July. The day when we celebrate our nation's independence from Britain. 232 years ago the Declaration of Independence was signed that gave way for our freedom to live without worry about political tyranny. I think of my ancestors who came from Poland, Germany, and Russia at times like these. I try to imagine what it must have been like to go into Ellis Island, past the Statue of Liberty with it's motto:

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

What an interesting picture of what life in America must be like to those who live where there are problems and no such thing as freedom. However, whether you agree with this statement or whether you think we have done or not done what these words talk about; there is an interesting correlation to this upcoming Sunday's Gospel lesson from Matthew 11:16-30 and specifically verses 28 through 30. (By the way, these words come before the words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty! In time and in truth.)

"Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;

for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Vaguely familiar?! How great it is to know that Jesus said that if we become yoked to him he will help us carry our burdens and help us gain strength if we would just come to him. What a simple command! Just come! Here you will find freedom from your worries, from worries about money, health, and the likes that so easily entangle us. Because Jesus carried the yoke of the cross which was weighed down with the sin of the whole world and because that burden could not keep him down; he is able to make this claim and this claim is freeing. True freedom indeed!

On this 4th of July let us not think just of the freedoms that we share as citizens of this country, but let us also think of the freedom that Christ gives to us. Perhaps you need freedom today, come to the Savior. Take his yoke upon you and you find rest and a lifting of burdens.

Have a happy and safe and free 4th of July!

One Less New Thing

2008-05-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

It's one of those things that I have been wondering about. When will I get "the" phone call. It's funny how things in ministry go. One day I am thinking about how things are going and the next day life is turned upside down.

On Tuesday morning, after 9 & 1/2 months, I got "the" phone call. It was from the local funeral home telling me that a member of the church who had lived in Wisconsin died that morning. Immediately I knew that my week would not be normal--as if any week in ministry is normal. Nonetheless nothing else mattered at that point. I wanted to get Sunday taken care of as quickly as possible, so that I could devote myself to preparing for my first funeral. Fortunately they had asked a retired Covenant pastor to preach, so I was glad that I would not be alone. As the week went on I kept on preparing for the funeral on top of my other duties.

Friday came and the siblings and I we were able to finally hash out the bulletin. Their mother, his wife was unable to attend due to severe illness. Friday afternoon came and I went to the funeral home for the visitation. I recalled the only face to face visit that I had with him. It was last fall at a family reunion for those who came from the family of the second pastor. He was there and we were talking about the church and life back when he was here. How he and his wife were married in the living room of the parsonage, the same parsonage that I now reside in. That was one story that was told over the weekend. I forgot about this, but someone had taken a picture of me, him, and another friend. That picture was on a display board. I corresponded with him over Christmas and then either Easter Saturday or the following Saturday he called to ask how I was doing; from what I recalled of our phone conversation. Despite death there was a peace knowing that he was now in heaven in the presence of Jesus.

At the visitation there were the military honors and then I spoke from Psalm 130 and how that Psalm speaks to both our life when we come to faith and how it speaks to the end of life and the hope that we have.

It was great to meet the children, I met one son-in-law at the reunion, but I got to meet the others, his two adopted children, and his two grandchildren. One was just 8 months old. The other was 4 & 1/2 years old. A hand full, but in a good way. It was refreshing to hear him talk and ask questions. Nothing was sugar coated for this child, but honest; maybe too brutally honest.

Saturday morning arrived and it started out beautiful, the sun was out and it was warming up. I was at church a little after 8 am. The funeral home arrived and set up. The service began and unlike at my first wedding where I lost my voice, I did not lose it this time. I led a majority of the service. As I looked up at one point I noticed it getting cloudy. Soon the service was over and we were walking in procession to the back where the cemetery is. As we got out of the church I turned to the other pastor and said, "Oh, oh." There were dark clouds to the north and east. As we started the committal the wind picked up a few rain drops, a little thunder, a lightning bolt. As we sang, "How Great Thou Art," it started to rain and then there was thunder and lightning, right as we sang, "I hear the rolling thunder."

One less new thing. I was honored to be a part of this funeral, my first funeral, even though I did not know him very well. Funerals, for Christians, are about hope about knowing that at the end of life on earth is the beginning of life in heaven. While my week ended up being a little bit different then I expected, this was a disruption that I needed to remind me of why God has called me into ministry.

Ours or God's

2008-04-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Today is Earth Day or Creation Care Day or whatever term you would like to use. Do we have a duty to take care of the earth or is it something that we can use to our heart's content? The classic biblical text relating to taking care of the earth is from Genesis 1:28, "God blessed them [humans], and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.'" God has given us this earth, this creation, to use and to make use of. In fact God says as much in the next 2 verses where there is a list of all that God has given to us. What these verses do not talk about is exploiting the earth and using all that there is to our own benefit in the here and now not leaving anything for the next generation. Just like everything else in life we must be careful stewards of this earth.

"Going green" has been a popular phrase over the last couple of years. I am continually amazed at watching "This Old House" on television and seeing what new and innovative ways there are in thinking about environmentally friendly building. The movement has come from just basic recycling programs to dual flush toilets to compact fluorescent light bulbs. Everybody seems to be riding this bandwagon: Governments, politicians, would-be-presidents, and on and on it goes. While a lot has been focused on energy consumption and pollution, what we do with things such as wood makes a big difference too.

In the last two issues of the journal of the American Association of Woodturners, "American Woodturner," there has been a two part series on the finding out where the wood that is used in wood turning, which is generally exotic, comes from and whether or not it is of an endangered species. I must confess that prior to reading the article I did not really think about it. If I saw a piece of wood in a store that I liked, and if I had the money, I bought it. The article points out that there are several types of wood that are on the brink of extinction. Perhaps the line of use and exploitation has been crossed.

Last week I ran across a poorly produced program from the BBC (The only reason I give it poor remarks is that they featured Minneapolis in the program and also my hometown and a few other suburbs that I know about in this ridiculous soap opera type story that was more about the story then it was about facts. The story was about what happens when there is no more oil, very few facts mostly story). The credible sources say that in 2016, at the current rate of consumption, the world will run out of oil. Now I do not know whether or not this is true, but what about the things that we are trying to do. Still the question to be raised is: What is our duty towards the use of oil and other natural fuels? Has the line been crossed between exploitation and responsible use?

While the debate is ongoing between exploitation and responsibility, I think that we do need to be careful with how we use these resources that God has given to us. God commanded humanity to use carefully the resources of earth, to treat the world with respect--after all God did create the world, just as God created us and so as God takes care of us, so must we take care of the earth. There is a warning here as well. We must be careful to not worship creation which is what can happen when we misplace the value of the earth over God. Urgency and correction are necessary just as when a person breaks an arm or a leg, but when the focus is so great that the big picture is lost then it is a whole different story. If someone will not buy anything made of paper because they want to save a tree then that is wrong. Forests need to be weeded out every now and then, growth cut down in a responsible manner--we all know what happens when responsible thinning of the forests does not happen.

As we come closer to God, God shows us how to be responsible, not only in our lives, but even with how we care for the earth. I have always been big on recycling--since elementary school at least and that is one step that we can all take. Being careful with how we drive, not a bunch of small trips when one or two things are needed, but instead when there is enough to make a trip worthwhile. Being careful with the amount of electricity and the water we use is also being responsible. God put us here on earth to serve and worship, to come to faith in Jesus Christ; but also gave us the world to use and to be responsible with--not to make it a slave.

A 20 Year Anniversary

2008-04-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

This past Monday, April 7, 2008, marked the 20th anniversary of the first death that I ever experienced. It also was the first death of someone very close to me. On April 7, 1988; my grandma, Marion Stonina entered eternal life. It seems to me that she died during the night and that it was near the end of the week, but I do not remember for sure. I did not know my grandpa on my dad's side of the family, so my only connection with my dad and aunt's mom and dad was through my grandma--obviously.

Over the last few weeks I have been reflecting on those 20 years. How much has changed in our family, our nation, and our world. We have endured in this time violence that we never thought would come upon our shores as a nation: Rise in school shootings, Oklahoma City, 9-11, etc. Our world has come ever closer together with the advent of the Internet, and global communication and cell phones.

But as I look over these last 20 years I think about the changes in our family. Both me and my sister graduated from high school. I got a degree from Northwestern College in Pastoral Studies. I graduated from North Park Theological Seminary, and I am now a pastor in Michigan. My sister has gotten married and has 2 boys with a baby on the way. We have learned to drive. We have had our first jobs, made our first paychecks, and moved away from home. Since grandma's death we have had to gather as a family for several other deaths, including one of her sisters who died last August.

But there are also many good times to think about as well. I remember a grandma who put on a spread at Easter and Christmas and Thanksgiving that rivals anything our family does now. I especially remember the cookies and the rosettes at Christmas. Grandma's house was always fun to go to at Christmas. I know of no one that decorated their Christmas tree so full that you could not even tell that it was a tree. There were also those times that I remember during other times of the year as well. Going to grandma's house was a treat and something special. It was fun and even though she could not play hopscotch or run around the yard with my sister and me (she lost a leg when it was severed by a train when she was little) she was still fun to be around. Every once in a while I still hear her voice.

I know she was committed to Christ, because who else, as the story is told, could convince her Roman Catholic priest to do the wedding of my dad and my Mennonite mom. She was committed to Christ in other ways as well. I remember going into her bedroom, which was just off the kitchen, and seeing the crucifix on the wall, last year's palm branch neatly folded into some shape and the candle holders and the crucifix next her bed. On the wall at the foot of her bed were her pictures of her family--her children when they were young, a wedding picture, a family picture, and pictures of her grandchildren--which were displayed in many other places throughout the house as well. I like to think that there was a time in the evening and the morning, and perhaps at other times as well, that she would spend time in prayer and thus a silent witness to the Christ to whom she served.

I wish she had lived a little bit longer, so that she could have seen her grandchildren grow up a little more and to see her children grow up a little more; but our loss is heaven's gain and I know that for me I am thankful for the memories that I do have and that I did get to know her, for a little while.

Thank you God!

How and When to Help

2008-04-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

I knew that it would happen sooner or later. Although, to be honest I wish it would have happened later. This morning I got my first call for assistance. I listened to the woman's story, she did not need food for her baby, she only needed money to get back home. As I was listening to her story some things were not adding up and I became suspicious of the whole story; she told the story twice and it was a little bit different both times. I really want to give people the benefit of the doubt, I don't want to be putting off who have legitimate needs.

This goes back to that conundrum that we all face in life. Having lived in big cities all of my life; I became suspicious whenever anybody asked me for money. The thoughts start running through the mind: Are they a drug addict or an alcoholic who needs to get a fix? Do they want a hand out so they can go and gamble? Are they really in need, in the first place? Only once, while living in Chicago, did I run into a situation that I feel that I could really be of help. A woman approached me, while in downtown, crying and saying that she needed diapers for her baby. A Walgreen's happened to be nearby, but unfortunately at 5 or 6 on a Saturday evening, the store had already closed and not knowing downtown really well, I could not point her in a direction to help.

While we have all been confronted with this issue at some point in our lives, what guidelines do we use to make sure that we are helping someone? Every time I am approached with this subject I am reminded of the words of Jesus: "The poor you will always have among you." Jesus is saying to do good to them, to help them out. Jesus does not want the help himself because he says that he will not be with the hearers much longer. Are we to rely on our gut feeling when confronted with such issues? What are some others thoughts?

Update to Previous Post

2008-03-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

In my last post on the Baptism of converts, I mentioned that I did not know if any of the others who were baptized last Saturday at the Easter Vigil had been previously baptized. As it turns out, from a well trusted source, they probably were not baptized previously because the Roman Catholic Church does not necessarily re-baptize those coming into the Church. Case in point, the source mentioned that there were 6 who were received into the Church, but only 3 baptisms. I just wanted to clear up any possible confusion.

Easter Truth

2008-03-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

I realize that it has been a long time since I last posted something. The rigors of Lent and Easter really wore me out.

Since my days at NWC I have enjoyed a new tradition at Easter--attending Easter Vigil. Attending this service really highlights for me the importance of celebrating the resurrection of Christ. My first year at NPTS I attended Easter Vigil at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. The highlight of that warm April Holy Saturday evening was shaking the hand of Cardinal Francis George. He did not even know that I was not Roman Catholic! The bus ride left something to be desired though, but that is a story for another time.

Since I am new to the community and the newspapers really did not advertise much about Easter Vigil services, I ended up staying home and watching the Easter Vigil live from the Vatican, it started at 3pm Central. Of course there was everything one would expect at an Easter Vigil, except for the fact that there was a lot more Italian or Latin, I could not tell most of the time which was being spoken, but I knew how the service was progressing.

Of course the highlight of Easter Vigil is the proclamation that Christ is Risen, but also another important part is the reception of newly baptized believers. I am going to discuss the merits or demerits of re-baptizing--especially since we do not know if most of the baptized were baptized before or not. What has really been upsetting to me over these last few days is the attention that one of the baptized has been receiving. In fact, during the service I was not even aware of how much controversy was surrounding this one individual, but the headline says it all: "Pope Baptizes Muslim." As an eyewitness to the sacrament, I did not see a Muslim there. It is a curious title though because why would the pope or any pastor baptize a Muslim. The man at the center of this claims himself that he was not a Muslim and he was not a Muslim standing in the presence of the pope, he was already a Christian when he was baptized, when he was confirmed, when he brought the gifts to the altar, and when he took his first communion.

The other thing that does not make sense to me is why this is a world wide media event. The man, prompted by the Holy Spirit and not forced, made a free and willing declaration that he has become a Christian, that Christ has come into his life and captured him. Why is that news? While I can not speak to that question the fact remains the risen Christ is still moving in this world. The picture that I see is of Jesus the shepherd leaving the 99 sheep (and by the way do we even know the stories about the 6 others who were baptized that night) and going after the 1.

The pope was right when he talked about the fact that the Light of Easter--the risen Christ, and baptism, and in Holy Communion we see Christ and this one gentleman saw Christ as well. Some may think that he was forced into believing, forced into a show on Easter Eve, but I do not think that is the case, for when we allow Christ to take over our lives we seen the world in a new light--the Light of Christ who died for our sins and was raised again to show that God loves us so much that he was willing to die and that is the power that overtook this newspaper editor. I know that there are those who would like to see him killed for converting to Christianity, but what will that prove? As the world witnessed his baptism his commitment is sure and his faith has been made real in his baptism. The only thing that his death would prove is that the Christian faith is true and that Easter is true. Perhaps that is just the message we need to hear at Easter--that Christ's resurrection from the dead is true and that it captivates all who are willing to listen to it!

Christ is Risen!
He is Risen indeed!

The Voice of the Voiceless

2008-02-18T09:38:00.000-08:00

As I continue on in my first year of ministry, everything is new; not just in terms of getting to know the people and the traditions of the two churches that I pastor, but I am also new to the unique pastoral duties to which I am called.

This past weekend I had another one of those firsts. I officiated at my first wedding. It was a small wedding, just the immediate families of the bride and groom. The weekend before I had decided to go with the youth group out snowmobiling and sledding. The hill made the one that my sister and I use to sled on look like an ant hill and it was even harder to get up! We decided to cancel church on Sunday due to below zero temps and windchills that were approaching -40 degrees. That afternoon I began to feel a cold come on, but as the week went by and I began to prepare for the wedding the cold never really got that bad. On Wednesday night Bethlehem hosted the community lenten service and my voice was fine for that. On Thursday, when I got a call from the bride about a medical emergency my voice was getting hoarse. On Friday when I talked with the bride again, my voice was fine. Then 11:00 am Saturday came about.

I woke up thinking my voice was strong. I felt good and really no cold symptoms. With the small gathering we decided not to use the sound equipment. I barely got through the first part of the service which was me reading Scripture and giving a meditation. My voice was going fast and I was tearing up due to the pain in my throat. One of the grandson's got a glass of water for me and I was then able to continue. Going through the vows, the exchange of rings, and the rest of the service after taking a few gulps of water every so often, I would be fine. Nonetheless I was pretty happy when I came to the pronouncement of the marriage. I spoke very little for the rest of the party. However, I did not learn my lesson.

Even though it was snowing pretty good on top of a layer of ice, we decided to have worship on Sunday. I again woke up and felt confident in my voice. I led worship and preached at Lost Lake, but the sermon did not go well, so at Bethlehem I decided to do something different: I asked the people to talk about where they have seen God's promises at work in their lives. This was based on the Old Testament lesson of the day from Genesis 12 and the call of Abraham. This seemed to work well. Now I will just rest my voice and hope that it comes back completely by next weekend. How embarrassing for a pastor to not be able to speak.

Well, at least I set the bar pretty low for this first wedding!

P.S. At 5:15 last night we had 10" of new snow on the ground. We are now just beginning to dig out!

Midwinter Time Again

2008-01-28T06:57:00.000-08:00

Well, today I make my annual pilgrimage to Chicago and the Covenant Midwinter Conference. I am looking forward to it this year because this is the first time that I am going as a pastor with a church. Last year I felt like a pastor, but no church. The years before that I was a seminarian.

This conference is always a good time because we get to see our friends who are in ministry/seminary and see where they have been in the past year.

You Might Be From The City If. . .

2008-01-19T06:05:00.000-08:00

Your two churches call you to cancel on a Sunday with 7 inches of snow. A month later you call and they do not cancel church on Sunday on account of 5 inches of snow.

Talk about trying to figure things out! All groups of people, work groups, elected officials, churches, families all have tolerances--you are alright until a certain point, but it is trying to find those balances that takes work and learning.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T10:08:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Clemens Schmidt--The Church Year and the Art of Clemens Schmidt, 2003, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN.

Strike Two!

2007-12-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

I do not know which is worse: Being a little bit surprised by the findings of the Mitchell report or thinking that baseball had changed its ways. I really like to give people the benefit of the doubt. After all I am not supposed to judge anybody, but when I heard that Mitchell report had concluded that all 30 teams in Major League Baseball had at least 1 player who was using steroids at some point within the last 10 years, I became very judgmental.

As a Minnesota Twins fan because I grew up in Minnesota, I enjoyed watching both the 1987 and the 1991 World Series'. I enjoyed hearing Kirby Puckett's name being announced by the unmistakable voice of Bob Casey, the Metrodome announcer, and then seeing him put one in the nose bleed section. I also enjoyed watching Kent Hrbek and Chuck Knoblock and the other Twins players at the time. That of course was before baseball lost its innocence in the strike of the mid-1990's. That was strike 1. I really did not like baseball for a while after that and not too much later the greats of the game that I grew up with started to retire.

I was starting to get back into baseball a little bit. I again began to follow the Twins and their several appearances in post-season games. I began to really follow the Twins when I was in seminary and had friends that were White Sox fans. I enjoyed our conversations.

Yesterday was not a good day for baseball or any other professional sport, as far as I am concerned. Lost again was the innocence of the game. Although, for some time we have wondered about certain players, such as the wanna-be home run king. And it hurts, it really does, for whether they know it or not, there are people-children who look up to these players who listen to their speeches about not cheating and being good. Now who can you believe.

I guess that it is a good thing that I am a pastor. As someone who proclaims the Good News of Jesus Christ, we first have to start at the beginning. We "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23. We are all loved by God-even baseball players who use steroids and lie to Congress. The question is what we do about it. We have to make it right. We have to come clean. We must repent of our sins-turn away from them, and come to faith in Jesus and rest in his grace.

Unfortunately this is not always easy and sometimes it hurts and while we are forgiven of our sins the consequences of them are still in play. For public figures that probably means a downfall. I suppose, after awhile, I will again become interested in baseball, but unfortunately the umpire has called "Strike 2."

Cancelled

2007-12-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning I was a part of something that I was never a part of before. I was part of the decision to cancel church. For those of you who do not know, we got a snowstorm up here in the Upper Peninsula. We got about 10 inches of snow. It began early on Saturday afternoon.

I had gone to Menominee, which is the largest town nearest to me. I knew the storm was coming and so I headed out to buy a shovel. I decided to stop in a few stores in downtown Menominee where a friend of Lost Lake Covenant owns a store. I was in a used bookstore for about 10-15 minutes and when I got outside it was snowing pretty good, the ground already had a good coating on it. It was not snowing before I entered the store. Needless to say, I ended up going out of my way to find a shovel. I then decided to head back to the parsonage.

It snowed and snowed and snowed. Late Saturday night I talked with the chair at Lost Lake and the decision was made to cancel the service and all of the members were called. We also were supposed to have a presentation by a Gideon, so I called him and told him that we were cancelling our services, but Bethlehem was not 100% cancelled yet.

When I woke up the next morning and looked outside, I could see the thick blanket of white all over the ground. Now the chair from Bethlehem calls and as he is talking to me the plow goes right by their house. I looked out the window because they are my neighbors on a corner. I see the plow also, but he heads away, so he decided to call a couple others for advice. He calls me back and we decide to cancel church at Bethlehem as well and begin to notify all of the members.

As I get ready for the day, not too long after I talked with the chair. I see something green and yellow in my driveway. It is not the Green Bay Packers, it is a more powerful and dependable machine, it is a neighbor who has a snow blower on the front of his tractor (I think it would be good exercise for the Packers to clean out their own stadium tomorrow). He does the driveway here at the house and the parking lot at church. Then as I am attending church via the idiot box (TV); the plow comes by; it is about 9:30. During the afternoon I operate a very old snow blower to do clean up where the tractor could not reach. I discover as I go to blow the space in front of the mailbox, so the mail carrier can access the box that something is missing--the mailbox is missing. I find it knocked over and begin to put it upright, but it is really heavy. I suspect the plow hit it, maybe on purpose, because he would have had to go out of his way to hit it because it is in line or a little bit further back with the other mailboxes. Needless to say the mail carrier is not happy with me. I told the head trustee and they are working on getting the box temporarily put back.

Why do I write about this? Not because I am upset about the mailbox being knocked over, but because church was cancelled. I came from a tough town, a suburb of Minneapolis that was known for not cancelling school because of 10 inches of snow or very cold days unless the Governor ordered them closed. My home church was the same way, although they did cancel more then school cancelled. It was a shock to my system to cancel church on account of a little snow. It was a shock to be part of such a decision because only those who had that kind of power made those decisions. It was a shock because it was Sunday morning, the sermon was ready to go (a good sermon at that), the service was planned, the baptism was ready to go, the Gideon was planned; but then snow happened and soon my day was not very crazy in going between churches or even preparing my self to preach, even though I was ready.

This disruption reminds me a little bit about Advent. Advent is a disruption. It is a disruption within the normal patterns of life. We celebrate the season of Advent to prepare us for the message of Christmas. We celebrate Advent to prepare us as well for the second coming of Christ. Unfortunately, the disruptions seem to be man-made in the sense that shopping and party's and money are supposed to make this a good time of year for those who make money, but not those who work for a living. That is the wrong disruption for this time of year. The right disruption is by the One who says, "Repent!" Turn away from the cares of this world and cast your cares in the way of the path that leads to life. This is the real message for this time of year.

New Shoes

2007-11-26T13:02:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I went to town to take advantage of some of the post-Thanksgiving deals. I knew what I was looking for, but I was not going to go out of my way to get anything. I stopped in a well known department store to see if they had shoes on sale that fit me. I hate shopping for shoes. Perhaps, that is one of the things that is built into men to differentiate them from women? Besides I was only passing through so that I could get to Menards (a home improvement store). I usually have a tough time finding shoes. Sometimes the stores are out of my size of a shoe that I really like and sometimes the stores have a lot of shoes of my size that I don't like. The whole change thing can be traumatizing, especially when it comes to new shoes because you are now comfortable with your old pair and they fit just right. However, I wear my shoes into the ground, just so I don't have to go and look for new shoes. My current pair has a Dr. Scholls insert because the soles were coming through the fabric and the bottoms are flat and weak, when it rains more water ends up on my socks then in the puddles.

Imagine my surprise when I found a pair of shoes just like the pair I was wearing! That never happens, that is why I hate buying new shoes. I never see a particular style of shoes twice. The only exception was when I was wearing little kids shoes, a really long time ago. Not only did they have the same shoes, but they had a pair in my size! No asking the sales person to go in back and look and then be disappointed upon their return.

On my 20 some mile journey back home I was thinking about the sermon from the previous Sunday. It was from Luke 21:5-19. In this passage Jesus talks about the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and also signs about the end times. The Temple was the center of the Jewish religion, it is where God lived. Even so, the Temple was destroyed some year latter. The Jews had to come up with a new way to worship God since the Temple was no longer standing and that can be hard to do--to do something new. In the rest of the passage, Jesus talks about the signs of the coming Kingdom. Jesus talks about things that will take place, but not necessarily bring about the end. However, Jesus prepares his disciples to be ready, for persecution and hatred because of Christ. The passage ends with hope in that those who trust Christ will be saved not any part of them will perish, not even a hair on your head, v. 18. It is through the endurance that we will gain our souls, v. 19.

In the 4th century A.D. Constantine made Christianity the "official" religion of the Roman Empire. Up to this point, Christians were regularly persecuted for their faith. The Christians at this time were not sure how to react to this news, to peace. Up to the present Christians the world has been fairly peaceful towards Christians with the exception of persecutions breaking out every once in a while. This leads to a question: I wonder how we as Christians would react if all of a sudden the tables were turned again and persecution became the norm for Christians? We who live in the U.S. are very fortunate that we live in a country where we are allowed to freely worship as we please. I don't think many of us think twice about our right to worship freely, we take it for granted.

Someday, though, we may have to realize that a new norm has come--that persecution is inevitable, but there is comfort in the fact that we may have to endure suffering here, but compared to eternity it is just a drop of water in the ocean and a grain of sand on the seashore. The point is to trust Christ, with faith, and that ultimately the Christian wins their life--eternal life.

The Feast of All Saints

2007-11-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

Today a majority of the church celebrates the Feast of All Saints. This day is not a death fixation, but is instead a day in which we celebrate the lives of those who have gone to their eternal rest. It is a day that is supposed to give hope for all who believe in Jesus Christ, for we too will one day rest from our labors here on earth and be in the presence of God.

Evangeline Nelson

Rose Booth

Marie Ruth Clevenger

Peace to the memory of these Saints.

For All the Saints

by William W. How

For all the saints who from their labors rest, who thee by

faith before the world confessed, thy name, O Jesus be forever blest.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

O blest communion, fellowship divine! We feebly struggle;

they in glory shine. Yet all are on in thee, for all are thine.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

From earth's wide bounds and ocean's farthest coast, through gates of

pearl streams in the countless host, singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Still Here

2007-10-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I have not posted since August. Wow. I wonder what else I have not yet realized.

Well, life continues to be busy, now into my second month here in Michigan. Fall programs are going and I continue to learn a lot about the churches I serve and the community in which we are located.

I was formally installed on Sunday, September 9 by our conference superintendent. I figured out a doable Confirmation schedule that is hampered by the area school district and their lack of decision. It is not all their fault, it is mostly the state's fault and to try and fix it they are raising taxes, including ours here in the UP and then sending all the money down state to, "Where it is needed most." I have been focusing on trying to get established and some sort of a routine down and it is coming slowly as juggle and continue to find out all I need to know. I am also working on venturing out into the area and getting plugged in; not an easy task for an introvert.

Last week I was at our conference pastor's retreat at Lake Geneva, WI. I had a good time and got to reconnect with friends that I have in the conference--who are now colleagues besides--and meet new friends. Dr. Michelle Clifton-Soderstrom was our speaker and she talked about freedom in Christ as friendship. It was a very interesting topic. We also heard a presentation based on a published article about pastoral excellence and entering various phases of ministry. I thought it was interesting as well, but unlike most there, I could not identify with a lot of it yet. I went to a nearby water park with some friends. I only went down the slides once, there were two slides. However, I became a little dizzy with the turns and even the speed, so I could really only do them once. Maybe all those years of not swimming in a pool finally caught up with me. The best part of that time was visiting with one of my friends and his wife about ministry and what they are experiencing and exchange of ideas. I had a great time.

Movie Alert!!! Those of you who know me, know that I like Mr. Bean. He is a British character played by Rowan Atkinson. He has a new movie called: Mr. Bean's Holiday. I saw it on Saturday night and it is hilarious. Laugh out loud, roll on the floor, side hurting funny. I give it 2 thumbs way up and as many stars as there are in the universe. I would definitely recommend seeing it. Maybe this time Mr. Bean has the Academy Award. Now I wonder when will the 3 DVD set, of this film, with 65 hours of out takes, bloopers, deleted scenes, and commentary come out.

Well, I guess it is another day. See you on the other side!

Fear Producing Discipleship

2007-08-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

Luke 12:32-40

There is something in all of us that we are afraid of. Some are afraid of heights, some are afraid of water, some are afraid of a difficult health diagnosis, but we are all afraid of something. Before the year 2000 I was afraid of flying. Even when I had the opportunity to tour airplanes I was happy to get off of them because of the lack of space and the fear of flying, even when they were just on the ground. Something in me changed by the year 2000. I think it was because I came to understand the text of Luke 12:32-40.

In this text Jesus urges his followers to put their hearts and their treasure into heavenly deposits because nothing could happen to them there. No one could steal them and nothing would destroy them. Sometimes we have just too much in the way of security of our earthly possessions. We do this to help us feel safe, even though there are ways around these systems. Jesus warns us to be ready and prepared, for no one knows when Jesus is coming back. When we find security in our earthly things we neglect to place into security that which matters most. We forget to put our faith into the hands of the One who keeps us safe from the sting of death--Jesus. We ourselves fail at trying to save ourselves, but Christ does not fail and when our faith and trust is in him and we run with perseverance the race that is life then we are secure in our eternal destiny. Put your faith and trust in him who does not steal or destroy, Christ the Lord. Amen.

And We're Back

2007-08-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been almost a month since I last posted here. In that time quite a bit has happened; not the least of which was that I moved to Stephenson, Michigan to begin ministry in two Covenant churches here. The move went very well and when we arrived at the parsonage on the 31st of July the house was clean, there was food in the new refrigerator, and in bags along the kitchen cabinets. They did a lot of work on the house, especially in the kitchen. They replaced the stove, the refrigerator, the counter tops, the floor, and gave the whole kitchen a new paint job. What a welcome! Then in the evening a bunch of families from one of the churches came and prepared supper and helped unload the truck. One guy, who works for a rigging company borrowed a fork lift and were able to take the upstairs stuff on that to a porch and inside. No navigating tight staircases, priceless! Then came the job of finding a place for everything, which still is not completely done, and organizing everyday stuff, an organizing my books. Next came the task of getting down to work and that began the following week. In the time since I have had a board meeting, met with several families from both churches, preached 3 times, worked on thing for fall, attended a local minister's text study group, wrote my "Statement of Faith" paper to obtain a "License for Pastoral Office" from the denomination, and had another birthday. It certainly has been a busy month!

We are definitely giving thanks and praise to God for some much needed rain that we received last night and this morning, but we do need more rain. The crops looked so promising at the beginning of July, so hopefully this will jumpstart the crops to grow and push to the end.

Good Byes

2007-07-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the last night of me being at home. As most of you know I have been living at home since I moved from Chicago. I did my internship and have been looking for a church. The last time that I wrote in this blog, which was almost 2 months ago now. I said that I would have some big news and I do! On August 6th I will be the pastor of two churches in Michigan. This is the realization of following a call that I have not always been sure of where it would go. I now know that tomorrow it the realization will come true when I leave home for my new home in Michigan.

That leads me to my hiatus from this blog. The last month and a half have been nothing but a blur as I have prepared and packed to go to Michigan. I had to quit my job, which I really will miss because of my enjoyment of woodworking. I have had to say "good bye" to many people that I will not see on a regular basis and to be certain that I may not see again on this side of heaven. Today I said "good bye" to Salem Covenant Church, my home church here in the Twin Cities. A church that is a refuge in this dark and fallen world. A church where I learned the faith and took it to be my own. A church that has supported me in both the good times and the bad. Only after 6 months of ministry the new senior pastor wanted to be able to pray over me and my new endeavor. Our friendship is something that will continue on long into the future, but not just as friends, but as colleagues. Nonetheless good byes are always hard to say, even when there is the possibility of going home, such as at vacations or other times.

However, I have been reminded again and again throughout this process that even though we may say our good byes our roots always are attached to our homes. I will always be welcomed home to my parents home, to my friends homes, and to my church home. Even though I consider the senior pastor at my church a friend and a colleague, he is my pastor, and all who follow him, whether on staff or whatever their position, they will be my pastors and home will still be home. Changes will come to family, friends, and church to be sure, but I will always know that I am welcomed at home.

Well, the next time I write here I will be in Michigan. Unpacking and setting up a pastor's house (whatever that means), and I will be back here to be sure on a more frequent basis as I again begin to talk about those things which really got this blog started in the first place. So, until then, Peace.

The Togetherness of Trinity Sunday

2007-06-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

There are some Sundays that just seem to more rich in terms of worship and experience then others. Today was one of those Sundays. Perhaps it was the music, or the sermon, or Communion, or breaking away from the monotony of the past week, or even forgetting, if even just for a few hours, the events of the week upcoming. In my life the week upcoming is going to be very hectic as I will again be on the road over the next weekend and there are many things to do before then. Perhaps it was getting lost in the big, open space of the sanctuary of Salem Covenant Church while listening to the music. Perhaps it had something to do with how full the service was in terms of "ordo" of worship, that is the order of the worship service. Whatever it was after coming home from church the experience continued and still does at this writing.

Now don't get me wrong there is definitely more to worship and its experiences then I listed above. Worship was just good.

Today, the choir had a unique opportunity as the choir from Bemidji Covenant Church came and sang with us. Two united choirs that exist, for the same reason--to glorify God, singing together. What an experience it was. Their director got to direct us (Salem) and our assistant director got to direct them (Bemidji). I knew that my mom had relatives in this church and I had met them 10 years ago on a trip to North Dakota. I was not sure if they were in the choir, but after the first service we connected and my mom got to see a cousin that she had not seen in a while. So, perhaps in the end it was just being together as one. Many families coming to church, 2 choirs singing together, family reunions, contemplating the 3 in 1 nature of God, and God being with the whole church, choirs, families, and friends on this Trinity Sunday; as God is present on every Sunday and yes even every day with us.

Happenings

2007-05-28T09:33:00.001-07:00

Well, it has been a while since I last posted here. Today is Memorial Day 2007 and I finally have some time to write. May has been a very busy month. I have been traveling on an average of every other weekend. One trip I cannot comment on right now, but the other I can. Last weekend I was in Chicago, for my graduation from North Park Theological Seminary. I can now say that I am officially done with school, even though I have been out of full-time school since spring of 2005. It was great to be back on campus and to see all of my friends. We got to catch up with one another and see where we are all headed over the next few months. The ceremony was good also. One surprise that happened was that my sister came in for the graduation, that was actually unexpected, but I am glad that she was able to be there. Unfortunately my brother-in-law and nephews could not be there.

After the ceremony, during the reception, I was talking with Rev. Doug Johnson of North Park Covenant Church which I attended during my time in Chicago. He mentioned to me that Evangeline Nelson had died. She was the step-mother to Dr. F. Burton Nelson a professor of mine who had died while I was at the Seminary. I had also come to know Vangie, as she liked to be called, during my internship which included Bethany Covenant Home in N.E. Minneapolis where she had lived. I thought of the many conversations that we had about life, Dr. Nelson, and faith. They were special times indeed. On Thursday, before I went to work I went to her service of "Witness to the Resurrection." That is her funeral service. The family spoke of how they would receive cards with verses and notes of encouragement and that she was praying for them. One estimate was stated as being over 1000 cards that she sent out to family and friends over her life. I too was a beneficiary of her prayer life as she commented to me on several occasions of how she was praying for me and my vocation. She will be missed here on this earth and by all who knew her, but her ministry continues.

*Peace to the memory of Evangeline "Vangie" Nelson.*

On this Memorial Day let us not forget all of those who have fought in war, for our freedom. For those who fought the British during the Revolution. Those who fought for ideals during the Civil War. For those who fought the two wars that were to end all wars. For those who fought in Korea, Vietnam, the first Gulf War, and those who are currently fighting in Iraq.

*Peace to the memory of all United States of America service men and women.*

The King and Authority

2007-04-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

"Christ is Risen!"
"He is Risen Indeed!"

Revelation 1:4-8

This morning I had the opportunity to preach at Palmyra Mission Covenant Church in Hector, Minnesota.

We hear about authority from all sides. We get bombarded from the news and talk shows. It seems that everyone is an authority on something. However, it is hard to pin-point what true and authentic authority is because we hear different messages from different authorities. We all know someone who has authority. A professor of mine at Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN is a scholar on the Dead Sea Scrolls, but is also an authority on ancient languages, he knows 41 dead languages!

We sometimes neglect that we ourselves have authority. Anyone who has been a parent or grandparent or had some sort of relationship with children knows that children look up to adults. Some how they know to trust and that they will be taken care of. This whole process begins when a relationship is begun with a child. Children come to trust those who are in authority, and thus whether or not we realize it we have authority. Sometimes; however, authority is abused.

I can not be a guest pastor in a church and say to the congregation that they must listen to me and accept my authority as a pastor. Regardless of the call of Christ on my life, my baptism, my seminary degree, or my license from the Evangelical Covenant Church. It takes time and being in the trenches with the congregation to gain their trust and to come to a point that the congregation accepts one's authority.

One only has to look at the events of the past weeks. A student of legal age, legally purchases two handguns only to do something illegal with the weapons and kills 32 people before taking his own life at Virgina Tech.

The radio shock jock Don Imus, who legally exercised his right to free speech was fired because he abused his authority to gain attention and prestige by saying some things that he should have never said.

Despite the attention that abused authority receives we have reason to hope. As Christ has shown us what authority used properly can do.

God the Father laid out through Christ the qualifications that would re-unite humanity with God. The Christ was "the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth" Revelation 1:5. It is through these qualifications of Christ that we are able to accept his authority--that we are loved and freed from sins by his blood, and made to be priests serving God the Father, v. 6. No earthly ruler or authority possesses these qualities because they are too high for us to attain. Only Christ could attain these because of his relationship with God. Because of our acceptance of Christ's authority we can be citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. A kingdom in which all are equal.

However, unfortunately not all will make it. Some will not want to recognize the authority of Christ until it is too late and at that point it is too late. God deals with them justly we are told in v. 7.

Finally, in v. 8 we hear the words that we are all familiar with, "I am the Alpha and the Omega." He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end and we are also reminded here that Christ has bee with God since the beginning before there was time. We can not neglect the three letters, and the two words: "I am." These words speak more volumes about God then all the books in the world. They declare what is, they last and linger. These words are a statement about someone whether declaring a characteristic, a quality, or a qualification. The only time that these statements fail is when they are failed to be lived up to.

Is it not interesting that the events of the last week happened just two weeks after Easter? They demonstrate the power and authority of God. Just as Jesus showed his power over death, so this week we were shown his power through the pictures of people gathering, praying, and in worship; loving one another as we are told to do. The church does have something to say in such events and we are the most looked to when such events happen. We who claim Christ have the authority to proclaim his name and to witness to his power throughout the entire world. When people see our authority and our trust they begin to trust us, and it is through that trust that they come to trust and realize the authority of Christ. Amen.

"Christ is Risen!"
"He is Risen Indeed!"

Alleluia! Amen!

The Blame Game

2007-04-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

Christ is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!

Not 24 hours after the tragedy at Virginia Tech. I began to notice how people, mostly media, began to blame somebody or something for the events of that day. They ask the "What if" questions. They ask, "What if the campus had been locked down?" or "What if the student responsible had been taken out of school?" or "What if gun laws were changed in this country?" These are fair questions because they get at the heart of the issue and as reporters and journalists they have the duty to tell us what is going on and to do so responsibly. What ultimately comes of this is that we make our opinions based on their results and conclusions, sometimes blurring the line between reality and someone's opinion.

I wonder though what would happen if instead of blaming someone or something all people would look on the inside of themselves. It certainly is a lot easier to blame an outside factor and not a personal condition. The condition that I am talking about is that we are all born into sin. We have a sinful nature and that sinful nature causes us to be only concerned about ourselves. We are the only one who matters to me the most, i.e. individualism. It is because of Easter and the fact that Christ arose that sin is done away with. Yes, even those of us in Christ still sin, but we are forgiven and we know that what we have done is wrong.

See, if instead of blaming culture for our woes we placed the responsibility on sin, we would soon discover that most crimes in this country and around the world would go away. They would go away because when we realize that we are capable of sin that will open our eyes to see people as they are, as human beings, made in the image of God. Now I am not enough of a psychologist to say if the person responsible for the Virginia Tech. massacre were aware of his sinful nature that that would have prevented him from doing what he did. I am confident though in the fact that perhaps we as a society would look at people different: Men and women would not be viewed as objects, equality would be the norm instead of an exception, people would think about what they are about to do to another person perhaps even not hurting them. The whole Don Imus issue would not be an issue because it would not have happened. Rap lyrics would speak of the good of society instead of trying to "pass the blame" as has been given as a reason for the vulgarity in the music. Teenagers would not line up people up in an alley and shoot them execution style just to rob them (Star Tribune, 4-19-07). We would see people and love them and care for them and help them through their tough times.

Unfortunately we do not even think about sin because that is considered something religious and how can a society that does not endorse religion talk about a human condition such as sin. However, sin does matter and it does cause problems and the events of these past few weeks are the result of sin. When one confesses that, "Christ is risen!" sin takes on and shows that we are in need of grace and mercy and forgiveness. When that is done we love the people we come into contact with. That is placing the blame where it belongs!

Christ is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!

Alleluia! Amen!

Virginia Tech. & Easter

2007-04-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed!

Perhaps these are the best words for this time and yet the hardest to say. We all were shocked yesterday when we heard of the terrible act at Virginia Tech. But, you know what? Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

"How can you say that?" people will ask. "If Christ is risen then where was he on Monday, in the dorms when the first shots rang out, and later in the classroom building? Where was Christ?"

To all of the victims and the victims families: God was there, but I do not know why God did not stop the shootings. Still the answer remains: "Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!" If Christ had not arisen we would have no hope and we would see these senseless acts as yet another another way in which our culture is going to "hell in a hand basket." But Christ is arisen and He is sitting at the right hand of God. Having once and for all taken away our sin cleansed and made us clean that we may have hope.

In times like these we think about our priorities and evaluate what is really important to us. Where do things like money and prestige fall on that list? Where does family and friends fall? As human beings we are made to be in relationship with one another. To come along side those who are hurting or depressed. We are to come along side those who are having bad luck with respect to job and family. We always want to be around the person who has it all together and we forget that Christ died for those who are having a tough time as well as for those who have it all together.

Because Christ is arisen Easter is made all the more powerful. Christ's death and resurrection is sure and true and perhaps your own priorities have not been where they should be. Perhaps the tragedy at Virginia Tech. has caused some "feathers to be ruffled" a bit. You see the truth that God was there at Virginia Tech. as he was with you when you heard the news. The priority becomes clear in that God needs to be on that list of priorities and above all else. Accept Christ and his power over your sin. He is greater then your sin and He is greater then the events that happened at Virginia Tech.

Perhaps now is the time to take some time out and pray. Pray for your own priorities and that God will set them straight. Pray for those who are still in the hospital, and for the college as a whole that healing and restoration may occur. Pray for the families and friends of the victims that they may be comforted, and don't forget to pray for the family of the alleged shooter. They are probably feeling like outcasts and they need our prayers too.

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Resurrection Proof

2007-04-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Christ is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!

We live in a time when everything has to be proven; whether true or false, and to be found true or false. Almost 2000 years after the resurrection, this event is still at the center of many debates. But why? After all we have the earliest accounts of the resurrection. In the text from John 20 which I quoted from yesterday, Mary, Peter, and John go to the tomb. Both John and Peter run back witnesses to the resurrection. Mary thinks a little more pragmatically though. She asks the "gardener" where Jesus' body had been placed. She had witnessed Lazarus' resurrection by Jesus, but could not believe that the dead could raise themselves. It became clear that the "gardener" was more then a gardener, but the resurrected Christ. He calls to Mary and she recognizes him, another witness to the resurrection.

To be sure there were horrible things done to the graves of the dead. Bodies were stolen and perhaps even the gardener could have moved the body to another tomb. There have been many theories that even the disciples had moved the body of Christ to make it look as if the resurrection had taken place. There are even some who contend that the resurrection took place in a spiritual form, but not bodily. However, in 2000 years time people are still trying to ration their way around this "problem." After all if the resurrection had taken place then that would prove the authenticity of the Christ. People like John Dominic Crossan, and Marcus Borg are trying to ration away the work of Christ by saying in effect that it is what goes on in one's mind and what they believe as opposed to any kind of truth that happened thousands of years ago. As Jessie Ventura, the "venerable" one-time governor of Minnesota once said, "Religion is for the weak minded, and a crutch for those who find strength in numbers." There is no difference between this kind of thinking that is supported by Crossan, Borg, and re-iterated by Ventura and the old heresy of gnosticism, where head knowledge far out weighs any kind of truth. In effect, if it doesn't make since, it didn't happen.

Just a few weeks ago we were bombarded with another part to this heresy when the film director James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici "claim" to have found the bones of Jesus in a box in Jerusalem. They "claim" to have used the latest in DNA technology to have figured out that these bones were in fact the bones of Jesus. I am no DNA forensic expert, but I do know that in order to find a match in DNA one has to have a known sample. So where did the DNA sample for Jesus come from? They do not say because they do not have an answer. I do have an answer to this question, they can not have the DNA of Jesus because in order to do so they would have to have the DNA from God. People have a hard time believing what can not be proven.

To counter all of these objections we have the Bible. There are accounts in their of people meeting the resurrected Jesus and of personal encounters with him. The Bible nor the church would have survived two-millennia or the horrible persecutions if it were not true. The Bible is the most printed book in the history of the world, there are more fragments of the writings in the Bible then any other ancient book. Of-course in the end, what would be the point of life if Jesus or the resurrection had not occurred? There are countless people who have been martyred for the faith and a church that exists beyond borders and throughout time that has not gone away even though it has been outlawed and persecuted against by people and politics. If anything these all point to the truth of the resurrection and the lengths that people go to defend its authenticity. Mary questioned, but then believed. Thomas doubted, but he too believed. Paul persecuted the early church, but he became a convert for the cause of Christ. Two thousand years later Christ called a young man to ministry, and he too followed. No one who has a call to ministry whether it be in the form of pastoral ministry, youth ministry, worship ministry, visitation ministry, or whatever can attest to the fact that that call has been placed on them by the resurrected Christ, not by human influence or rationing out in one's mind that they have to do this thing. It is a proof of the resurrection. The proof is in the pudding, the resurrection is true!

Christ is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!

Amen! Alleluia!

Easter--2007

2007-04-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

"Christ is Risen!"
"He is Risen Indeed!"

The sounds of the week have gone from honor and praise, to shouts of condemnation; ultimately leading to the death of the celebrated King and the Scapegoat. Today there are no crowds around the tomb. Those at Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem have gone on with their lives. The religious establishment and those at Jesus' condemnation are moving on. They have more important things to worry about, such as Rome. However, the text of the day finds us at the garden tomb in the early morning of that third day. We find ourselves with Mary, and John, and Peter, and an all to mysterious, yet comforting gardener. John and Peter cannot believe their eyes, so they run back to the others. Our interaction is between the gardener and Mary. Mary finds herself wondering where Jesus has been put because as Peter and John find out, the grave clothes are there, but no body. It soon becomes clear in this interaction what is actually going on:

"'Woman,' he said, 'why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?' Thinking he was the gardener, she said, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.' Jesus said to her, 'Mary.' She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, 'Rabboni!' (which means Teacher)" John 20:15-16.

Mary recognized Jesus he had indeed risen, risen from the dead and that gives us hope and cause for celebration. I was reminded of this rejoicing attitude this morning as during the last hymn "Christ Is Alive!" was being sung. A little girl about 1 1/2 to 2 years old came into the center aisle and started to dance and jump. As the congregation started to sing she got more and more excited and kept on coming forward, jumping and dancing all the way to the front from the middle of the congregation. When the choir sang a solo her mom came and got her. To myself I thought, "What joy she has!" That is what Easter is about. Being joyful, and recognizing that Jesus has risen from the dead. The dirges of Friday gave way to the celebration of Sunday! I was particularly moved this morning when we, the choir, sang for the first time ever in public, a new hymn. It is by Joseph Adams and was written in 2005.

This Joyous Day

O sons and daughters, let us sing!

The King of heav'n the glorious King,

O'er death today rosetriumphing.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

On the third mourn he rose again,

in glorious majesty to reign;

O let us swell thejoyful strain:

Alleluia, Alleluia!

Lord, by the stripes which wounded Thee,

from death's dread sting thy servants free.

That we may live, and sing to Thee:

Alleluia, Alleluia!

Death thought his pow'r forever brought down,

yet Jesus doth all hell confound;

let voice of joy and laud resound:

Alleluia, Alleluia!

And we with holy church unite,

as evermore is just and right,

In glory to the King of light.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

On this most holy day of days,

to God your hearts and voices raise,

In laud and jubilee and praise.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

The message is clear and true. The creed confesses it!

"Christ is Risen!"
"He is Risen Indeed!"

Amen! Alleluia!

Good Friday-Holy Week 2007

2007-04-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

The crowd that cried, "Hosanna!" on Sunday is today crying "Crucify him!" Why the change? What made the crowd turn from honoring Jesus to wanting him dead? Perhaps the crowd discovered in the intervening days that Jesus was no king that could get them out of the problems with Rome. Perhaps it was the chief priests and other religious politicians that incited the crowd to crucify him. Or perhaps it was something much more simpler then that, something more personal--my sin, and your sin. Our sin is what sent Jesus to the cross. It was the sentence that he had to bear on our behalf; because left to our own devices we would not make it. Our failure is too great, but the promise is true: "God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoso believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:16-17).

"Crucifixus etiam pronobis: sub Pontio Pilato passus et se pultus est." ~Antonio Lotti
"He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate and was buried.

"Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: Miserere nobis. Suscipe deprecationem nostram; qui sedes ad dexteram Patris. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: Miserere nobis; Dona nobis pacem." ~Sir. Edward Elgar
"Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world: have mercy on us. Receive our supplication; who sits at the right hand of the Father. Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; Grant us peace."

The Light is gone. The great silence.

Maundy Thursday-Holy Week 2007

2007-04-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

While the crowds have dispersed from Sunday's triumphal entry into Jerusalem to prepare for the great feast of the Passover. Jesus and the 12 disciples are preparing for the Passover themselves. Only Jesus seems to know what is going to happen next as they begin the feast. Jesus washes the feet of the disciples and then they begin the Last Supper.

Jesus raises a loaf of bread, blesses it, and gives thanks. He then says, "Take and eat, for this is my body." Jesus then raises the cup, blesses it, and gives thanks. He then says while offering the cup, "Take and drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood."

One can almost imagine what the disciples were thinking at that point. Were these the actual body and blood of this Jesus whom they had been following, or is it something else? Is there another meaning?

Jesus, by sharing the bread and the cup, is preparing a new way, a new way in which the Paschal lamb will serve throughout eternity and for all who come to him. All, who through faith, trust in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may draw near to him and participate in the sharing of the bread and the cup. By doing so, we "proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."

Tonight the streets of Jerusalem are quite, but soon comes the morning.

Voices--A Tribute to Herb Carneal

2007-04-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

As we follow this Holy Week, I have been struck by the word, "voices." "Voices" are a very prominent part of the Gospel message. John the Baptist's cry in the wilderness. The Voice from Heaven. The crowd shouting, "Hosanna!" These voices do not end here, the will continue through out this week into the morning.

I have been thinking about "voices" on another level as well. We get used to those familiar voices in our lives. We get used to hearing our parents and other relatives voices and we turn our attention to what they have to say. A voice gives familiarity to friends and long lost colleagues. Voices also display mood and emotion. Those of us who attend church know the voice of the preacher and certain phrases and inflections can send goose bumps up our spines. Such as hearing one proclaim, "This is the Good News." or "This is the Gospel of the Lord."
When we live in certain cities or towns we get used to hearing the voices of those who do the most talking. Whether it be politicians, radio announcers, or television personalities we know when we are home or feel comfortable when we hear those voices.

Having lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota all of my life, I too have familiar voices that comfort me in the local media. Dave Moore who used to be a local television anchor is one of those, for me. John Gallos announcing the beginning of the Little Rascals and Three Stooges hour after church on Sunday or the Saturday matinee movie. On the radio side hearing Garrison Keillor and his flat voice with the occasional intones and hearing him breathe is another. Steve Cannon and his show "The Cannon Mess" with his his pals: Backlash LaRue, Ma Linger, and Morgan Mundane is another of these. When we would go to the Metrodome and watch the Minnesota Twins play baseball everyone knew the stadium announcer and his famous calls: "Noooooo Smoking! No smoking is allowed in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome." or "Now botting for the Twins, number 34, center fielder, Kirbeeeeeeeee Puckett!" Unfortunately, the announcer Bob Casey died just before the start of the 2005 Twins season. Last year, Kirby Puckett died just before the start of the season. This year another great Minnesota Twins personality died.

It was announced yesterday that Herb Carneal the radio voice of the Minnesota Twins has died. Like Casey who was the only Twins P.A. announcer, so too Carneal was the only Twins play-by-play announcer. Although that role had been diminishing in recent years. Carneal was famous for such phrases as: "The winner of this Snapper mow-down inning is. . .", which was based on whether or not the Twins pitcher struck out 3 players in an inning, "3 up, 3 down" as he would say. He was also known for his play calls such as: "The wind-up and the pitch, a deep long ball, headed for center, way back, way back, it's gone! A home run for Kent Hrbek. Touch 'em all Hrbey!" Another great voice is silent in baseball.

This has me thinking about the voices that I listen to. I can wrangle off quotes from many local personalities in both television and radio, and trust their interpretation of events. As I listen to all of the familiar voices in my life, the question remains: Do I, do we, listen to the voice Jesus? This voice telling us about love and grace and peace. This voice that comforts us when we are weak and in need, and joyful, and tempted, comes from One who makes his voice known through the reading of the Bible and the work of the Holy Spirit by the work of God. Let us all take some time out today and everyday to listen to what God is saying to us.

Palm Sunday-Holy Week 2007

2007-04-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ~Mark 11:9

Today we begin that crazy, up and down week known as Holy Week. A week of Jesus riding into Jerusalem as a king and leaving Jerusalem carrying his own cross. A week where death and life have new meaning because of the one riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. One could say that a donkey is hardly a mode of transportation for a king especially since they can be stubborn and they are small. One might expect a horse or even the "Cadillac of the desert" known as a camel. This final ride into Jerusalem was hardly a royal event, despite the peoples homage of laying down palms and blankets. What these people laid down does not compare to what the rider of that donkey will lay down.

Tune in to hear the rest of the story!

The Sacred and the Secular: The Workplace

2007-03-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I was at school last week to learn to drive a school bus and that I had also been hired at Rockler, a woodworking store. It has been a while since I have worked in a secular workplace. Between college and seminary I have spent most of my work time in Christian institutions, whether it be the college or seminary and also churches. I was re-introduced to working in a secular environment in a big way, even going to school to learn to drive a school bus. I was re-introduced to swearing as a common language, and not something that is said in the heat of the moment. I was re-introduced to smoke breaks and the congregating that happens when a group of smokers gets together. I was re-introduced to what I consider the biggest challenge to me, and that is the lack of getting to know one another. While I asked others in the class about their past lives and what brought them to this point no one asked me why I was there. I am not one to just come out and say, "I am a pastor!" I need to be asked in order for me to share that information. At Rockler the atmosphere was different because most of the people who work there are on their second career or this is their second job.

Needless to say I was glad when Sunday came around and I could go to church. It was a break from that which I am not use to. I know the people at church and I am accepted there. People know my ambitions and desires. This is not necessarily true for me in the secular workplace. This got me to thinking, Is not the church supposed to be different then the secular workplace? Is church just treated as a "smoke break" something that happens one day a week and then it is back to work? Or is it something different; something where we all can gather to worship God to hear the Bible spoken, participate together at the font of baptism and at the Lord's Table? I feel more comfortable in church because that is my calling, to be a pastor; to bring together those who come to church and to bring them into full participation of the church. Heaven forbid that I ever treat church as a "smoke break" and instead treat it as the fellowship of all who come.

Time Flies

2007-03-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that March is already almost half over. It is only 2 weeks until Holy Week, 3 weeks until Easter! I have been pretty busy and that has caused my lack of writing.

I began March with a trip to Chicago to do my last class. Now I just have to graduate. Graduation is 2 months from the 18th. I had to leave a day early because of a bad snow storm here in the Cities, but I did get back on time.

That Tuesday I had a job interview at a school bus company to be a driver, so most of last week was reading the manual to get a Commercial Driver's License and taking the permit written tests. I passed 3 of 4 on the first try. Then this past Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I attended 20 hours of school bus driver training with the company. Then yesterday, Thursday I passed my last test and then had my drug test, so yes I now have a permit to drive a school bus. Today, I had my Department of Transportation physical. If all is well, I am just waiting for the drug test results and if I can not pass that then no one can, I can be doing my behind the wheel next week.

I also had another interview last Saturday with Rockler Woodworking and Hardware, a woodworking specialty store. I just got off the phone with the Minnetonka store and they have hired me, so I begin tomorrow morning at 8:30.

Last Sunday I had my debut with the Choir and that seemed to go well. I enjoy it and I really enjoy being back up front, maybe now they can move me to the pulpit! We are working hard on music for Holy Week. All I can say is that I wish that I had taken Latin in college or seminary! Oh, well, there is nothing like learning a "dead language" unless you are Catholic and then that is what they speak in heaven! Am I right?

There is nothing new as far as the call process goes. I am still waiting and calling those who I can.

So, as you can see, I have had a pretty busy month and there seems to be no let-up in sight, at least, for now.

I hope that all is well with all who read this blog. Forgive me, for my lack of writing. Don't be a stranger, just drop a note to say, "Hi!"

Snow Days

2007-02-25T18:58:00.000-08:00

Well, today is Sunday and normally on Sunday we go to church, but not today because we got about 10 inches of snow overnight. I got up early this morning and saw the bad news on the KTIS radio website. I guess that it is alright that we had a snow day today since none of our pastors live near the church. We should bring back the parsonage system to prevent such things. Perhaps there is another reason that church was canceled today:

As some of you may or may not know I joined the Sanctuary Choir a couple of weeks ago. This morning was to have been my first Sunday up front with the choir. I figure that if they had not canceled church that I would have been the only member of the choir to show up!!!!!

If you missed church today maybe you can find some truth in this song. Go to this site: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/singingman7777/MSR2.htm and enjoy!

Money, Money, Money

2007-02-20T09:36:00.000-08:00

I guess you can tell what I am going to talk about! Money has been on my mind over the last couple of weeks. I was in Denver when I received a phone call from home concerning getting a job. I called the guy back and we agreed to talk on Saturday, which ended up being Monday. I did not quite understand what he wanted or who he was with, but nonetheless I set-up an "interview" with him, for that afternoon. When I arrived at the location and walked in to loud music and checked in, I began to have doubts as to what this was about. I then was led by the guy whom I had been conversing with and there I saw it, in one corner of a small office a table of product and a large screen television. It soon became apparent that I had been roped into a sales pitch to own my own company. I asked the guy where my name came from and he did not give me an answer, since at this point we had had some conversation I felt compelled to stay, for a little while. I sat through the presentation and soon it became apparent that the whole purpose of this sales pitch was to get money and the things that I "deserve." All of this was done by taking money from the baby-boomers who are expected to spend 10 billion dollars on health supplements. I felt queasy the entire time and embarrassed that my generation would stoop, so low to take money like this from their parents. After the presentation, the guy asked me what I thought, and I said that it was not right, for me, and I left. Another story.

After returning from Denver I looked through the newspapers quick to see what I had missed. The story of a prominent mega-church leader here in Minnesota is in trouble with a group that wants the IRS to investigate them, for something that they either did or did not do. I was not clear on the subject. On Sunday this same paper ran a front page story about this leader and they tried to paint a picture as to who this guy was and what he was talking about. It has become apparent to me mostly because of my own dealings with this "church" that everything had to do with money. This leader even said that his wealth gives him the ability to do evangelism and that it can not be done any other way. He gives the story of when he was stopped by a cop while driving his Porsche a little too fast. He said that he was able to reach out to this cop because of his car. It is interesting that those who spread this health and wealth gospel, which is what this is, say that God will make you rich and give you blessings beyond measure, but that it seems like they are the only ones who actually have the money and the toys. The congregation is then chastised, for not having enough faith.

Today, Tuesday, I have a job interview. This is the first interview that I have had after sending out countless resumes and job applications. Since I do not have a church right now and no church interviews on the horizon I need some income. The pyramid scheme described in the first part of this post just does not cover it, for me. I need something stable where I can get a descent pay check, for doing something that makes sense and that I believe in. I would never stoop, so low to sell a product that I do not believe in and by the way there was very little talk about the product just about the money. I do not want to be the pastor of a church that cannot faithfully account, for all of its finances, and to be good stewards of it, nor do I want to be a pastor that is making so, much money that it becomes a hindrance to ministry whether then an asset. Right now it is hard to be a faithful steward of my money because of bills for, insurance, and school, and such, but even in that there is stewardship. I trust that we all become faithful stewards with our time, talents, and treasure. To use these gifts as given to us, by God, to be better and faithful disciples. Our primary relationship is first to God, then to family and friends, and then to our jobs and compensation. If we keep this formula in view, then money will not become as much of an overwhelming force as it seems to be in our culture.

Updates and Such

2007-02-12T14:10:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are again at the beginning of a new week. I just thought that I would take a few minutes to update what has been going on over the last couple of weeks.

Last week I was in Denver, for the Evangelical Covenant Church's Midwinter Conference. This is a gathering, for all of the pastors, seminary students, and others who are interested in ministry in the Covenant Church. I really enjoy this week because I get to catch-up with friends and even make some new friends. It is about being able to chat and see what everyone else is doing. It is about worshiping together, and for me this year, I got goose-bumps when all of us were singing on Tuesday night, after Fleming Rutledge preached, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." I think it was the loudest we got while singing all week! The conference is also about honing skills or picking up new ones as I attended workshops on liturgy, prayer, and small town ministry. I had a great time, but soon it was back to reality and trying to find a job that will tide me over until I get called to a church.

About where I am in the call process is that I was able to talk to a few superintendents at the conference. Most of them did not have any positions that I am looking for, but a couple of them told me that my profile was sent to some churches here in the Midwest. I think in all there are 8 to 10 profiles out at various churches. We will just keep praying that the right situation will show up.

That is about it from here and I will be talking more about what occurred at Midwinter as I process what I heard and learned.

I want to give a "shout out" to all who I saw at the conference and also to those who I may have missed.

Those That Came Before

2007-01-27T11:28:00.000-08:00

Today I want to honor a select group of pastors who were recently recognized by Salem Covenant Church and also subject of an article on the Evangelical Covenant Church website (see link at the end of this post).

These men along with their wives are a select group of pastors who have reached the milestone of being ordained for 50+ years in the ECC. These pastors have had a large impact on me and my call to ministry. They have walked the road of ministry and gone through its trials and joys. I have known most of them from my years growing up at Salem and in-fact a few of them have been my pastor. One in the group just "retired" in December. I recently asked him how retirement was going and he said that he is more busy now then before. I guess it just goes to show as a retired pastor that I met at Colonial Acres said, "A pastor does not retire, he just goes out to pastor!"

There is something else that these men represent and that is the fact that no matter how long they have been "retired" there is still ministry to do in the church. I know that several of them have served as interim pastors in various churches, provided pulpit supply, and continue to minister in chaplaincy positions. This also shows that there is a place for all to do ministry in the church. So often we think that because someone is retired or been at it for a long time that they should not be doing ministry in the church. Maybe they seem out of touch or their ideas to archaic. The fact of the matter is the church does need these people. The church needs the Sunday School teacher who is 80 and been teaching since 1950. The church needs the retired bank executive who is the church treasurer who still insists on keeping the books with ledgers and calculators instead of spread sheets and computers. All members of the body of Christ have something to contribute. I do not think that one can be a Christian and not be in some sort of ministry no matter how insignificant it might seem. We need to remember our elders and value their input and ministry because one day we too will find ourselves in their shoes.

To the honorees, I say, "Congratulations on reaching 50+ years of ordained ministry and keep up the good work."

Link to story: http://www.covchurch.org/cov/news/item5374

Humility & Culture

2007-01-26T10:26:00.000-08:00

Apparently there is a new phenomenon in our culture. It is one of humiliation and gaining fame. I became aware of this last week when the Northwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church brought in the president of Calvin Seminary Dr. Cornelius Plantinga to talk at one of its leadership forums. He said that the new season of "American Idol" was bent on humiliating the people who were trying out to be the next top singer. The judges, who are all somewhat professional in their field of music would talk about and laugh about how bad these contestants or were. He said that this is what culture is looking for. A few nights later the CBS Evening News talked about the same issue and added that the demographic range of 18-25 wants to see this stuff if for nothing else then to have their 15 minutes of fame. How outrageous!

Dr. Plantinga's talk was on the virtue of humility not humiliation. Humility does not humiliate. Humility treats all people as made in the image of God. They admit their wrongs, the live their life right and acknowledge their mistakes. Having the virtue of humility is allowing oneself to be open to critique and then to deal with it in a manner that is not snobby. Humility is being able to listen to someone who has all of the patience in the world when someone comes up to them and jumps down their throat without becoming defensive. True humility was found in Christ when he stayed on the cross when those around him told him to save himself. True humility does not watch "American Idol" and find acceptable the behavior of judges who are looking to build themselves up while tearing down others.

Another case in point. Some my notice that there is a post missing. I was reminded of an agreement that I signed that I broke by talking about a certain subject. I have acknowledged this and removed the post. I apologize to all who have seen that post and also to the people that I directly offended. Believe it or not this is a humbling experience and I trust that I have made good on all fronts. Remember to be humble!

Not Much to Write On

2007-01-16T10:13:00.000-08:00

I just realized that it has been about a week since my last post. I am one of those people who believes that if there is nothing to talk about that you do not say anything. Words are powerful and need to be used with care in all contexts. All of this to say that if I do not write, for a while it is because I have nothing to say. I am not forgetting or neglecting this venture.

Last week I became very busy after returning from Chicago because we were to go and visit my sister and her family in Oklahoma, but because of the storms we were forced to cancel that trip, for now. They are all safe down there. All week we were wondering about their health and making sure that the kids did not have something that is easily communicable, but in the end it was the weather that got us. Anyways that is what is going on here.

Update From Chicago

2007-01-10T10:04:00.000-08:00

I returned from Chicago last night. I had great interviews with all of the superintendents of the church. I also got to catch up with some friends. Now comes the period of waiting, which, for those who have been in this process know how that can be. I have put this entire process into God's hands and trust that he will lead me to where I am supposed to be. I want to thank all of you who prayed, for me over the last few days. I certainly felt them.

Important Info.

2007-01-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

This weekend I am headed to Chicago, for interviews with the Covenant Church superintendents. This is a time, for those of us who are graduating from North Park to get to know the superintendents, and vice-versa, and, for them to see if we would fit in any openings that they might have in their conference. I am looking forward to the interviews and I hope that they are productive. I leave on Sunday and will be back on Tuesday. I have all of my interviews on Monday. Busy day!

Rituals That Tell A Story

2007-01-04T11:07:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I really enjoy rituals. I enjoy rituals in both the secular and sacred realms. Perhaps it is part of my training as a pastor that I have to be mindful of rituals at all points in life; from baptism to death, Confirmation and weddings. My professor who taught worship and liturgy at North Park Theological Seminary said that rituals tell a story and whose story we are trying to tell is the subject of our rituals. Case in point.

Over the last week we have been bombarded with images of ritual on television and in print. A solemn ritual that told the story of one of the presidents of the United States. There is nothing more powerful in our secular society then to hear 4 Ruffles and Flourishes and Hail to the Chief being played by a military band, and when done the 21 gun salute. Seeing the honor guard keep vigil over the body of a former Commander and Chief. The cadence with which the bearers marched the casket up steps through the Capitol, down the steps, up the steps at the church, in procession at the church, down the steps of the church, to the airplane, from the airplane, to the presidential library, from the presidential library, and finally to the grave. However, if one paid attention they would have seen mixed in with the secular was the sacred. The prayers offered by the chaplains of the House and Senate, the sermon and the service at the National Cathedral. In this service a story was told of the man who was our 38th President--Gerald R. Ford. While, I was not yet born when he took office the events that unfolded and the stories told gave me a glimpse and told the story of President Ford and how he respected public office and yet took care of his family and did not take, for granted his relationship with God. The rituals that took place over these last few days told this story well and I am glad to have heard it.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T10:33:00.000-08:00

May I be the first to wish all readers of this blog a "Happy New Year!" I pray that all readers will have a good new year and that whatever comes up that you would remain strong.

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One thing on my mind this morning is the treatment of coaches/managers of sports after the season is done. It was announced last night that Glen Mason was fired from the Minnesota Gophers football team after they lost in the biggest game come back in bowl history. Why is it that the coaches/managers are always blamed for the mistakes made by players? If one were to look at the Minnesota Vikings this year, they were not that good, but Brad Childress inherited a bad team and he is taking the heat. I do not understand this kind of behavior. If players are not playing well or making mistakes it is their fault and they should be penalized, for it. However, like other celebrities it is not their fault it is always the fault of the leadership. In the real world if an employee makes a mistake after a job has been given to him/her then the employee is blamed or fired not the person who gave the order. It should be a clear-cut case if a player makes a mistake in either college or professional sports then the player(s) should take the heat not the coaches. Now of course the question arises about how much pressure should be placed on college players and that is a discussion, for another time.

It Must Be Done

2006-12-31T17:48:00.000-08:00

Today's sermon that I preached deals with Luke 2:41-52.

We all have things that we are supposed to do even if we do not feel like it or are understood as to why we do them. Such as saying good-bye. Some see saying good-bye as a permanent thing and yet others see it as a temporal thing especially, for those of us who name Christ.

Jesus had to deal with the fact that he had stayed back in Jerusalem when his parents had gone a day's journey before Mary and Joseph realized that he was missing. When they found him they asked Jesus why he had caused them such great pain and agony in his decision to stay back. Jesus answered by saying that he was to be at the Temple and that he must do his Father's work. Indeed, he was listening and talking and learning from the leaders. However, his parents could not understand why Jesus had to do these things even when he mentions that his heavenly Father told him to do so.

What we have to deal with is do we do what we are supposed to do? When we are called to do something do we listen even when we are misunderstood or do we forget the idea or suggestion because it does not seem practical? Unfortunately, Jesus' ministry was constantly misunderstood and sometimes we are too, but that does not excuse us from doing those things that we are to do.

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Today was my last day in Chetek, Wisconsin at Prairie Lake Evangelical Covenant Church. I am going to miss the people and their hospitality. This is the third time that I have had to say good bye to a congregation do to internship. The first was when I was in college and the other two happened this year. The first occurred a month ago when I left the Covenant Retirement Communities. To accomplish my seminary internship I had two sites where I was part-time. Nonetheless it has been a hard day, but I look to the future and I am excited to see where God will put me.

The Future of Legacy

2006-12-28T08:41:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but there has been a lot of talk about legacy over the last couple of days. Every time an important person in this country dies their legacy is bound to come up. This has given me the opportunity to think about my legacy and how people will remember me. Gerald Ford's legacy has been mentioned as one who healed our country in the midst of political scandal and outrage. Very little has been mentioned about the fact that he pardoned Richard Nixon; although it has come up people seem to think differently now about that decision then when he made it. The same happened to Ronald Regan and I wonder how history will interpret and look back on Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Will these men be remembered, for their failures or for being the right person at the right time?

Even before I heard of Gerald Ford's death on Tuesday, I have been thinking about my legacy. This Sunday, December 31 ends my time at Prairie Lake Covenant Church in Chetek, Wisconsin. I have been thinking about how I will be remembered in this congregation after I leave. Will I be remembered, for dumb mistakes that interns make or my city slickerness? Or will I be remembered, for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ? When all is said in done, not only this week, but at the end of my life I hope that my legacy will be one of obedience to God and that I modeled that to everyone who I met along the way. I hope to hear the words one day, "Well done good and faithful servant." Perhaps this is the thing we should be reflecting on this week--our legacy and be able to change whatever needs changing, so that others will see a positive legacy and focus on that instead of the negativeness in our lives.

Believe It or Not pt. 2 or Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

To all who read or come upon this blog over the vastness of cyber-space, I express to you a joyous and heartflet "Merry Christmas!"

In my last posting I refered to the humbleness of Christ--God coming down to become human and to live among us, for a time, yet still God. This kind of meeting is something that we expect at Christmas as we gather with family and friends, but it is also true that perhaps this is the time to think about us coming to God in humble submission of our entire selves. This is not just, for the non-Christians among us, but, for Christians as well because sometimes we forget that we too have to be dedicated and in full submission to Christ. May the changes that need to be made in our lives this season happen.

Yesterday at church I saw two good friends who now live a ways away from here. It was definitely a joy to see them and to talk to them. That definitely made my day!

Merry Christmas!

Believe It or Not

2006-12-22T18:18:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, the church that I am with, for another week, had their Candlelight Service and I was asked to preach at it. This is what I talked about. From Luke 2:1-20.

Believe it or not the space shuttle weighs 4 million pounds on the launch pad. When it lands it weighs 230,000 pounds. Most of that weight is lost in the first 10 minutes of flight.

Believe it or not 17 tons of gold are used each year in the U.S. to make wedding rings.

Believe it or not Jesus Christ is the Son of God, born of a virgin, in Bethlehem.

Believe it or not the most overdue library book in the world was borrowed from Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge, England and returned 288 years later.

We have no problem being able to verify facts. We can use scientific or mathematical or logical methods to arrive at facts.

The birth of Jesus is something that is factual, but sometimes we do not want to believe it. The narrative from Luke begins with a fact and ends with a fact--A decree went out (v.1); The shepherds left rejoicing (v.20). In between these we are faced with other facts. Facts of census, room, shepherds, and angels; all working in their humbleness which only adds to the story. At the end of the day we all have to decide whether or not we are going to believe this story or not, but then again this is just the beginning!

What Matters the Most?

2006-12-14T13:17:00.000-08:00

I can not believe it. A senator from South Dakota is lying in a Washington D.C. hospital bed in critical condition after suffering a stroke and emergency brain surgery. What does the media care about? Which party is going to be in control of the Senate next month. As an after thought they mention get well wishes to the senator, but on the whole the whole story is about the balance of power. Since when did we become such uncaring and ungrateful towards our fellow citizens that when one of them falls sick that we care more about who will be in power in Washington D.C. . I truly feel bad, for the media and their endless pursuit of polarizing our country. They absolutely have nothing else to do. I mean this, I hope that the senator gets well soon and is able to continue to serve the people of South Dakota.

"Evangelical" Christianity

2006-12-13T09:27:00.000-08:00

One of the things that really gets me going is talking about Evangelicalism. I consider myself a card carrying Evangelical. Schooled at Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN; the things that I had been hearing all my life were finally organized in college. I studied with professors who have their names in many circles in the Evangelical Theological Society and they taught me the importance of what makes a good Evangelical and what makes an even better Evangelical pastor. What I have been hearing in our culture though is something completely opposite. Evangelicals are to be despised, they are hypocritical, conservative, and patriotic, etc.. No well meaning American would fall, for those kinds of things, and if you do you are not paying attention to your culture, but only to your imagination and whims. You rarely hear of good Evangelicals. If you do, they are usually lumped into being called an Evangelical because they are 1) Christian and 2) not Roman Catholic. That is what our society holds as an Evangelical. However, this leads me to wonder about something that was on t.v. last night.

Every year Barbara Walters has her 10 most fascinating people of the year program. Last night happened to be the night, for 2006. I caught her interview on David Letterman the night before, so I was prepared. She mentioned during that interview how she liked interviewing celeb reties and wishes to be one herself. She then mentioned that one of her 10 was Joel Osteen the 40 something multi-millionaire "pastor" of a "church" in Houston. She liked Osteen because of the fact that he believes that God wants us to be happy and rich. She asked Osteen about this and he did not deny, but went further and said that God's happiness comes in all sorts of things, such as wealth, health, and people. While I have problems with Osteen's theology and wonder if he is contributing to the complacency of Christianity in America, does he have the right to be known as an Evangelical? If I go by my college professors the answer is no because he is teaching something that is contrary to the Gospel. If I go by society the answer is yes because he teaches about God and happiness.

One thing that was mentioned at the beginning of Walters' interview with Osteen was that he does not preach sin or damnation or repentance. Unfortunately, if Walters and America knew the history behind Evangelicalism they would find that these characteristics are what makes an Evangelical an Evangelical. Hello, the root word is evangelism! Evangelism involves repentance and confession of sins. It is not as American media puts it a club where if you want to be cool you should join, but do not hold to their views. I am therefore proud to be an Evangelical not because it is the "in" thing, but because it teaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ which requires repentance, and that is how I plan to minister.

First the Forerunner

2006-12-11T10:37:00.000-08:00

One of my goals with this blog is to be able to share what I have been preaching and/or teaching. I will begin with the sermon that I preached yesterday.

Sunday, December 10, 2006 2nd Sunday in Advent
Luke 3:1-6

Those of us in the Christian faith have someone in our lives that have brought us to faith. Whether a parent or friend or some other person or even a circumstance; something has brought us to a point in life where we have to make a decision. Paul recognized this in Timothy's life and even in his own work in ministry the impact that Lois and Eunice had on both Timothy and Paul. John the Baptist is the same way.

John the Baptist was the Forerunner, for the coming Messiah. He began the ministry of Jesus and prepared the people by preaching repentance and baptism. Luke shows this explicitly in using the prophet Isaiah and his words from chapter 40. John the Baptist makes the path straight and also smooths out the roughness in our lives and gives us a lifeline to get out of the deep valleys. Nonetheless before we come to faith we are confronted with the questions of faith. Even John the Baptist was subject to the word of God and follow Christ. Just because he was a prophet does not mean that he is not subject to the same circumstances.

The question before us is who are we being the "forerunner" to? Who are we disciplining or listening to? It is an important task that we are all called to do because ultimately only God can change the person's life. If today you recognize that someone or something has been a "forerunner" in your life and are ready to make that decision perhaps the time is right to do so and you should become acquainted with a local church to help you along this path. John the Baptist recognized the importance of this ministry and I hope that we do to.

What's In A Name

2006-12-05T08:14:00.000-08:00

Today I thought that I would talk a little bit about names. I am sure, for those of you who have looked at this blog are wondering why I chose the name Confessions? After all a confession is an admission of guilt or that is what Catholics do when they confess their sins to a priest to receive forgiveness. While this is part of the word confession it is not the whole idea.

Confession also has a connotation of holding to what one believes in, like a creed, such as the Westminster Confession of Faith or the Apostles' Creed. In the liturgy of the Covenant Church, for communion the pastor says: "Let us confess our faith using the words of the Apostles' Creed."

A major work by the 5th century pastor and bishop of Hippo in Africa by the name of Augustine wrote his memoirs with this title: Confessions.

This is the spirit in which I named this blog. I want it to be about what I have experienced in life and also what makes me tick and what gets under my collar. I chose this name because of its comprehensive meaning. I hope that you find this blog a confession about words of life and about being a Christian in an increasingly hostile world.

A New Beginning

2006-12-04T08:37:00.000-08:00

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

With these words I begin my entrance into the internet world of blogging. This is something that I have contemplated on doing, for some time, but just never did. I decided that this would be the perfect time of year to begin this blog because the church has just celebrated the 1st Sunday in Advent--the time of waiting, for the Messiah, it also happens to be the 1st Sunday of the church year, and because I am a pastor these things matter, for it is only right that something such as this project begin at the beginning and not the end.

I want to welcome you fellow internet blog followers to my blog. Right now it is pretty simple, but as time goes on I think that I will be adding different things and elements, but time will tell. I also have to get the hang of this blogging thing.

As a pastor, I begin all of my sermons with the words that I opened with which come from the apostle Paul when he would write a letter to any one of the churches, here are some references: Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:3; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; and Philemon verse 3. The point is that whatever Paul had to talk about in his letter he began with the words, "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." It is with those words that I start my blog because no matter what is talked about here I want to begin with words of comfort and hope. Not all postings will be about the Bible or even Christianity; some may be about the news or life in general, but it does not belittle the fact that I want to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ with all who read this blog and to give comfort and hope where it is needed. With these words I welcome each and everyone of you to my blog "Confessions".