Manna in the Wilderness

All things being equal...

2010-02-22T15:11:00.000-05:00

"All things being equal" is a phrase that rubs me the wrong way. Perhaps it is because God's kingdom is not fully here yet; all I know is things are not level, some people are more talented than others. Lindsey Vonn would destroy me on a ski slope, although I might stand a chance in a video game version of skiing.

Yeah, I'm in a dark place today. I find myself today struggling with the idea of humility juxtaposed with striving for excellence. Maybe that's why I'm looking to the Lord, the ultimate example of being the BEST and humble all at the same time.

I look around and see some people who have different gifts and strengths. I think they are better, that there is no way I'd approach that level. This isn't humility. This is fear, despair, dread talking. The belief that God can't use me because I'm not like ____________.

Then before these thoughts gain a foothold, I remember the gifts Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 12: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophesy, discernment of spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. All of these are needed to make up the body of Christ. We need each other to weave together a strong vessel to carry God's message to the world. Arrogance says I am the only one to do this role. Humility says, I'm honored to be a part and will do my best.

I imagine this is what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus, fully aware he is the Son of God, accepts God's will, and with humility says okay, I will go to the cross.

As we walk to the cross the Lenten season, may we be like Christ and be humble in all our doings. Accept corrections and feedback as opportunities for growth. May we run the race with perserverence.

Haiti Updates

2010-02-13T11:42:00.000-05:00

Please join me in praying for the people of Haiti; the relief efforts from various sources and for God to turn this tragedy into a resurrection of full life, one without poverty, fear and corruption.

For updates check out this blog from a worker in Lutheran World Relief LWR Blog on Haiti

A Miracle?

2010-01-12T18:11:00.001-05:00

Friends, something truly remarkable happened today and I just have to share with you. I have the privilege every 6 weeks or so of leading worship at a local nursing home. The residents are hungry for God's word, especially in the form of singing old favorite hymns.

Today, we celebrated the Baptism of Jesus, and to explain the gift of baptism, I shared my paraphrase of Walter Wangerin Jr's story "The Ragman". If you are not familiar, here's a link to the full story: The Ragman

Anyway, as I began my homily, the activities director wheeled in one final resident, who seemed distant and lost in her own world.

Before the dawn one Friday morning I noticed a young man, handsome and strong, walking the alleys of our City. He was pulling an old cart filled with clothes both bright and new, and he was calling in a clear, tenor voice: "Rags!" "Rags! New rags for old! I take your tired rags! Rags!"

I followed him. My curiosity drove me. And I wasn't disappointed. Soon the Ragman saw a woman sitting on her back porch. She was sobbing into a handkerchief, sighing, and shedding a thousand tears. Her knees and elbows made a sad X. Her shoulders shook. Her heart was breaking.

The Ragman stopped his cart. Quietly, he walked to the woman, stepping round tin cans, dead toys, and Pampers. "Give me your rag," he said so gently, "and I'll give you another."

He slipped the handkerchief from her eyes. She looked up, and he laid across her palm a linen cloth so clean and new that it shined. She blinked from the gift to the giver.

Then, as he began to pull his cart again, the Ragman did a strange thing: he put her stained handkerchief to his own face; and then HE began to weep, to sob as grievously as she had done, his shoulders shaking. Yet she was left without a tear.

"This IS a wonder," I breathed to myself, and I followed the sobbing Ragman like a child who cannot turn away from mystery.

"Rags! Rags! New rags for old!"

In a little while, the Ragman came upon a girl whose head was wrapped in a bandage, whose eyes were empty. Blood soaked her bandage. A single line of blood ran down her cheek. Now the tall Ragman looked upon this child with pity, and he drew a lovely yellow bonnet from his cart. "Give me your rag," he said, tracing his own line on her cheek, "and I'll give you mine."

The child could only gaze at him while he loosened the bandage, removed it, and tied it to his own head. The bonnet he set on hers. And I gasped at what I saw: for with the bandage went the wound! Against his brow it ran a darker, more substantial blood - his own!

I looked towards the rear of the room, and the previously distant resident was looking back at me, her hands moving. The activities director was staring at her, with a look of amazement. I continued on with the story.

"Rags! Rags! I take old rags!" cried the sobbing, bleeding, strong, intelligent Ragman. The Ragman seemed more and more to hurry.

"Are you going to work?" he asked a man who leaned against a telephone pole. The man shook his head. The Ragman pressed him: "Do you have a job?"

"Are you crazy?" sneered the other. He pulled away from the pole, revealing the right sleeve of his jacket - flat, the cuff stuffed into the pocket. He had no arm.

"So," said the Ragman. "Give me your jacket, and I'll give you mine."

The one-armed man took off his jacket. So did the Ragman - and I trembled at what I saw: for the Ragman's arm stayed in its sleeve, and when the other put it on he had two good arms, thick as tree limbs; but the Ragman had only one. "Go to work," he said.

I had to run to keep up with the Ragman. Though he was weeping uncontrollably, and bleeding freely at the forehead, pulling his cart with one arm, stumbling, exhausted, old, old, and sick, yet he went with terrible speed. I wept to see the change in this man. I hurt to see his sorrow. And yet I needed to see where he was going in such haste, perhaps to know what drove him so.

The little old Ragman - he came to a landfill. He came to the garbage pits. And then I wanted to help him in what he did, but I hung back, hiding. He climbed a hill. With tormented labor he cleared a little space on that hill. Then he sighed. He lay down and he died.

Oh, how I cried to witness that death! I slumped in a junked car and wailed and mourned as one who has no hope - because I had come to love the Ragman. Every other face had faded in the wonder of this man, and I cherished him; but he died. I sobbed myself to sleep.

I did not know - how could I know? - that I slept through Friday night and Saturday and its night, too. But then, on Sunday morning, I was wakened by a violence.

Light - pure, hard, demanding light - slammed against my sour face, and I blinked, and I looked, and I saw the last and the first wonder of all. There was the Ragman, folding the blanket most carefully, a scar on his forehead, but alive! And, besides that, healthy! There was no sign of sorrow nor of age, and all the rags that he had gathered shined for cleanliness.

I concluded with words like: Friends, this is what God has done for us. Taken our hurts, shame, and pain to the cross and made us new. This is the gift of baptism, the gift of God's love revealed in Christ.

Then I heard clapping and giggling, the resident was there, fully engaged and smiling. Indeed, the Ragman, Jesus Christ, had once again come, taken the pain and hurt away. Leaving a child of God, basking in the warmth of God's love and eagerly singing What a Friend We have in Jesus.

Thank you God, for the gift of your word made flesh.

Wash up

2010-01-06T19:01:00.000-05:00

As a kid, I delighted in playing in the pine woods behind the house. The swath of trees separated my parents' property from a private country club. With my sister and neighbors, we'd create elaborate "houses" by raking the decomposing pine needles and leaves to make mounds. By rake, I mean we'd use our feet and hands to clear 20 - 30 ft areas. Can you guess what mom said before dinner when she saw our darkened hands?

Wash up

That's what God says to us. The invitation to the divine includes a simple invite to get washed. To be made clean in the waters of baptism. God promises to wash away the sins. We need to remember this daily.

Baptism isn't a once and done deal. Seriously, would you only take one shower/bath in your life time? So every day, please remember God's love and forgiveness. Martin Luther quipped: "Every morning when I wash my face, I remember my baptism."

Look what came in the mailbox II

2009-12-30T14:41:00.000-05:00

Normally, I don't like proof texting (using scripture out of context to make a point), however this was cute and thought provoking.Interview of Jesus about the Church

God's Heart Revelaed

2009-12-09T12:51:00.000-05:00

Saw this song/video on the web and had to share

GoD and DoG

Grace is it Cheap or Costly

2009-12-08T15:45:00.000-05:00

Right now, I'm working through 40 Days with Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It's taking more than 40 days, because I haven't been able to do the devotion ever day, and that's okay. His comments are deep and thought provoking. Taking my time means I don't pull a brain muscle.

For the last two days, the topic has been cheap grace. I'm wondering if the church in the days since the Reformation has made grace so cheap and easy, that it is no longer a treasure? When the pastor announces the forgiveness of sins during worship, do you feel something? Or is it a "yeah, whatever, I can get this at anytime." feeling?

Grace has a cost. The Grace we receive cost Jesus his very life. The Grace we receive expects something of us. Cheap grace doesn't expect a transformation, doesn't expect repentance, doesn't expect anything of you. God's Grace not only expects repentance and transformation, it gives you the ability to make the change.

I forgot whether it was during training for prison chaplaincy or for a seminary class, but on a video a man convicted of sexual abuse said, "Don't be too quick to forgive me." I recall thinking, he seemed to ask for a chance to live with his guilt, to truly feel the pain and understand what he had done.

During my ministry, I've met with many people in county jails and state prisons. One individual stole money and forged checks from his parents and friends. When I met with him behind bars, we got to talking about the 7th commandment: You shall not steal. For the next several months, we talked about his crime, what "made him do it", and the like. After a while, he was hungry to hear God's word of forgiveness. He realized the pain inflicted on others because he was feeling the pinch. He took the courageous step of writing a letter to his mom, friends, and others. He apologized without asking for their forgiveness. He knew he could never do enough to balance the wrong he committed. Now, by living with his sin and feeling racked with guilt was he able to really hear God's good news of grace and be transformed. No longer cocky, a humility came upon him that has not left. He found his higher power in Christ Jesus.

Ponder the cost of Grace. Ponder what Jesus paid and how much God loves you. This is what makes grace so grand. God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved. You have been saved for a reason; please don't cheapen God's grace.

What's in a title?

2009-12-01T16:01:00.002-05:00

For a few years, I've been interested in the differences between titles of clergy mostly pastor vs minister. For some the titles are interchangeable for protestant clergy. I've always chaffed from one title more than the other and lately I've pondered if what people call me is a "tell" of what they expect of me in my role.

So I went to Merriam-Websters online dictionary to learn the origins of the words. Here's what I learned:

Pastor: Etymology Middle English pastour, from Anglo-French, from Latin pastor herdsman,
Minister: Etymology: Middle English ministre, from Anglo-French, from Latin minister servant

The job description for clergy in the parish requires both leading and serving. With all the issues before the church, does it matter if the ordained leader is seen primarily as the shepherd rather than servant or vice versa?

Personally, I prefer the title pastor. The herdsman had goals and visions for the flock. We need to go here for water, graze here for food. The goals and visions ensured the needs of the flock were met.

Minister is a servant who tends to the wants and the needs of others. A minister might speak and make a request, but the master could always say, Your request is noted, and ignored.

I am called to do both duties, I think seeing myself primarily as Pastor frees me to take the long view of events, encourage others to share in the ministry of meeting needs, and be an advocate for justice.

A story that just came to me

2009-11-13T12:17:00.000-05:00

Literally, this appeared in my "in box" on my eMail account. During a time, when the news is telling us doom and gloom, we can remember God provided for his people in the past and will do so today.

August Francke was born in 1663 in Leipzig, Germany. He attended Leipzig University and began a college Bible study. In 1687, while preparing for a study on John 20:31, he experienced the "new birth." In 1692, he took a position at the University of Halle and became a minister at a local church. In 1695, he opened up an orphanage and school in Halle.

Soon after, money for the orphanage had been used up and the home's manager brought Francke a collection of bills. Francke had to confess that he had no money to pay for them. He was about to fall on his knees for the purpose of asking God to remember the cause of these needy orphans, when he remembered that he had to write an important message. Returning to pray for funds, a knock came at the door and an amount of $1000 was delivered, more than enough to pay the bills.

Francke was then reminded of the promise in Isaiah 65:24 "Before they call I will answer." Grateful to the Lord, he went to his bedroom to praise and thank the Lord for His overflowing provision.

Be bold in asking for God to provide daily bread for those in need.

Thoughts on Prayer

2009-10-28T16:38:00.001-04:00

I'm working on reading a bunch of things I didn't get to in seminary, the "eschatological reading list" as one professor called it. Right now, I'm reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

Prayer offered in early morning is decisive for the day. The wasted time we are ashamed of, the temptations we succumb to, the weakness and discouragement in our work, the disorder and lack of discipline in our thinking and in our dealings with other people--all these very frequently have their cause in our neglect of morning prayer. The ordering and scheduling of our time will become more secure when it comes from prayer.

This rich quote invites us to reorder are day. Sure, we could skip morning prayer in favor of some extra time to sleep, surf the web, watch tv, etc. However doing this takes it's toll on our discipline in all areas of life. The invitation is simply, when you desire things to be different, start with prayer. Take time for prayer as you get out of bed in the morning, take time to read some scripture (perhaps a psalm) and hear God speak to you, take time to listen as God pulls us to do the divine will. Perhaps that last one is most important. To be silent, know God's presence and listen to the voice of the Almighty, whether loud and booming, or still and small.

If you aren't sure how do morning prayer, I recommend subscribing to the Moravian Daily Texts (go to www.moravian.org/daily_texts) This is a free service that will send daily scripture readings to your eMail box.

The other recommendation is purchasing a book from the "40-Day Journey with _________" series available at www.augsburgfortress.org/store/itemseries_noimage.jsp?clsid=188809

Schedule an appoint between yourself and God daily, let me know how the journey goes.

More thoughts on Mark 10:35-45

2009-10-20T08:36:00.001-04:00

This past Sunday, we heard a familiar gospel in Mark 10:35-45. The quick summary:
On the way to Jerusalem the disciples ask Jesus to grant them seats of honor. Jesus responds by announcing that he and his followers will “rule” through self-giving service.

I still appreciate the way the Oakridge Boys portray this, you can view this at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpJoyp6BEYk.

A new way of thinking part III?

2009-10-19T13:37:00.002-04:00

During a breakfast conversation with my mentor today, I was reminded that during the creation account, the day begins in the evening. How would this change your life if you viewed the relaxation you experience in the evening as the beginning of the day?

Imagine your day beginning around the dinner table with family with a slower pace versus the hectic eat and run breakfast. It's fun to ponder this concept.

Now, to find an online calender program that will let me live this way

I wonder

2009-10-09T09:52:00.002-04:00

What would happen if we stopped using fear as a motivator? I'm tired of the 33% of (insert group here) will experience (insert disaster of your choice) on the evening news.

Why is it that we go so quickly towards the negative? I can't answer that today, and perhaps someday in the future I will understand the answer. Until that time, I'm resolving to reframe life in positive ways.

I believe this is what scripture says: " Don't worry! Don't panic! Live the trust you feel towards God in every moment of your life." Joel chapter 2 is filled with God's promise of restoration: "Don't be afraid, my people. Be glad now and rejoice for the Lord has done great things...once more the autumn rains will come as well as the rains of spring. The threshing floors will again be piled high...The Lord says, I will give you back what you have lost..."

So when I hear "33% of (insert group here) will experience (insert disaster of your choice)", I will focus on 67% of people are okay not going to experience disaster in whatever form (illness, natural, crime, addiction, etc), and I'd like to work to increase that number to 100% people having the good stuff rather than 0% bad. Is it the same? Sure mathematically, but I believe in these times, hearing good news is essential.

The need for Good News is why Jesus declared: "So don't worry about these things, saying 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These thoughts dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs."

We belong to God, fear, love, and trust God the most.

Patience

2009-08-25T15:38:00.003-04:00

Leonardo daVinci once declared “Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner, you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will then be powerless to vex your mind.”

This quote helps re-orient me in times of challenge. Remembering to pray first, daVinci offers a way to recognize when to absorb a wrong doing and when to speak against injustice. If someone does me wrong, i.e. cuts me off on the highway, I'm reminded that patience will keep the event from ruling my mind. However, if a group of people are victims of abuse, I am called by God to speak the truth, God's love for all people and to treat them with justice.

Holy God, give us courage to challenge and reform the injustice in the world, the patience to absorb the personal slights as Jesus did before his his crucifixion, and the wisdom to know when to speak and act. Amen.

Language Change

2009-06-21T08:15:00.003-04:00

So often in life, I feel as though I'm writing in basic computer language again. Remember the "if...then" statements

If 3 > 300 Then ? "Good Job"

As Christian's what happens when we change our language from "if-then" to "because-therefore".

If God loves me, then I am forgiven to Because God loves me, therefore I am forgiven.

Framing our faith in positive words reflects the joy Paul reveals to us in his epistles. Saved by grace through faith. God is the main actor in our lives. The almighty acts first in love, and we respond.

Try to spend two weeks removing the word If from conversations. Because and When are two of my favorite substitutes. When I do my daily devotions, I feel at peace.

Secure Churches

2009-06-16T11:28:00.005-04:00

After the death of Dr Tiller in Oklahoma, a swirl of questioning thoughts have been running through my brain.

Why do people who are pro-life take a life?
Why are some churches now encouraging members who are permitted to carry concealed weapons to bring their weapons into the worship space?

There was an article in the Chicago Tribune which argues that Christian Churches are soft targets and therefore easily attacked. You can read the full article here: Church Safety, 08 Jun 2009

I cringe at the use of fear to drive a product. Yes, we live in a dangerous world and we should take steps to ensure the safety of all. There are simple smart moves: background checks on those who work with young people and finances. However, safety is not something I can guarantee; because by being open and welcoming, we risk letting dangerous people into our lives. Training ushers to look people over the way I had to as security for a state park is not welcoming and inviting people to worship God. This is why I smiled as read one response to the article.

Tony from Mishawaka, IN wrote

Do we attend church to worship? Or do we attend church to be safe? The early church had no illusions of "security." Many Christians around the world cannot count on being "safe" in worship spaces. I don't want ushers armed with guns in my church, just because a few "loose screws" view us as "soft targets!"

We are people of faith, who pray first, trust the resurrection promise, and go about living daily life in a way that brings glory to God. This means taking chances as we trust God to provide and protect.

Follow up on Newsletter

2009-05-17T17:30:00.000-04:00

While looking for some illustrations for my homily, I came across this story.

Don't let others determine how you're going to act. A Sydney Harris syndicated column started with this story: "I walked with a friend to the news stand the other night and he bought a paper, thanking the owner politely. The owner, however, did not even acknowledge it. 'A sullen fellow, isn't he?' I commented as we walked away. 'Oh he's that way every night,' shrugged my friend. 'Then why do you continue being so polite to him?' I asked, and my friend replied, 'Why should I let him determine how I'm going to act?'"

Telos Agape Phobos

2009-05-13T10:11:00.002-04:00

In 1st John 4:18b we hear in the Greek "Telos Agape Phobos" perfect love drives away fear. There are a ton of things to be frightened of in the world. Yet knowing God loves me, allows and encourages me to go out into the world and reflect the love. God's love is so perfect, it provides a feeling of peace when the odds are totally against there being peace in that moment.

Imagine during a hurricane, a 5 year old calls out from the bed “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy, I'm scared!”

And gliding into the room with her bathrobe trailing like a cape on a super hero, mom's there
offering words of comfort. Soon the tears subside, even as the storm winds pull gutters from the house with the creaking and slamming noise of metal tearing and smashing making it seem as if the whole wall was going to give way and the rain would drive into the room. Mom is there, holding on to her child, and a feeling of peace washes over the child, even though the hurricane rages on against the house.

This is the power of God's perfect love, telos agape phobos, God's perfect love drives away our terror and fear and frees us to do amazing things.

To love an addict by confronting them and holding them accountable
To love family and friends by standing vigil at a bedside in the valley of the shadow of death
To love others by volunteering even you're not sure you have the time

The energy for this love does not come from within, it does not flow because of what we know
God's love flows abundantly because God is pure love

Good Shepherd Sunday

2009-05-05T12:59:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday is nicknamed “Good Shepherd Sunday”. We hear a favorite psalm and encounter the well know phrase the Lord is my shepherd. We hear the gospel and listen to how Christ is a shepherd who protects the flock at all costs

Yet I wonder, how many of us here in suburbia truly know the challenges and hardships in the life of a shepherd??

Did you know that shepherds found the water for the flock? That they would build make shift corrals at night out of brush and sticks and then go around stomping the ground to ensure there were no snakes on the ground before bringing in the herd?

Most of us picture a serene life; sort of a little bo peep cleanliness cliché. There are days, that I think the image doesn't work, because we don't understand.

Seriously, if you were to describe God to a co-worker or friend who has no clue about the Almighty; would you say...the Lord is my shepherd. Or do we need an upgrade to an image we all know and can relate to?

I choose to speak about crossing guards the recognizable florescent vest or coat standing out in all sorts of weather knowing the names of the children

Psalm 23
the Lord is my crossing Guard
I shall not want
She leads me across busy intersections
He guides me to a place of learning and understanding
and restores my trust after a scary day
She leads me in right pathways all the way home

even though I walk where there are bullies
and scary things
I fear no evil
for you, the crossing guard, are near me and watching me
your stop sign and bright vest comfort me

The whole reason for Good Shepherd Sunday is to highlight our active God who is involved in day to day activities, not sitting on the divine duff on some mountain top.

Our God shows up daily with the tools of the trade to get the job done. In days of old the image of a shepherds crook was seen as an offensive and defensive weapon for dealing with predators but it was also a herd management tool which could whack, yank or pull a sheep that was straying from the fold.

What tools do you put in Christ's hand? How does he use these tools? To steer you, protect you, and bring you safely home?

I picture our Messiah in a bright vest that makes us pay attention, holding a stop sign, and making sure we don't let ourselves get run over by the highway of life.

digging back in my blog

2009-04-24T11:18:00.002-04:00

Last Easter I shared my thoughts on Christ's Ressurection. Here is a short cut

http://pk-mannainthewilderness.blogspot.com/2008/03/what-easter-means-to-me.html

Surprise

2009-04-15T15:37:00.002-04:00

I rarely watch the reality television shows; it seems like people are either making fools of themselves or just getting their 15 minutes of fame. However, this video shows the positive side of such shows. How some people who never get a break, finally get a chance to chase their dreams:

Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent
by dwarthy

It brought to mind for me this Easter season, what the folks from Nazareth might have felt in Christ's day. "Wow, I didn't know he was the Son of God and would be risen from the dead"

May all your days have pleasant surprises until all the walls are broken down and we are truly one in Christ.

The Three Holy Days in three words

2009-04-10T20:48:00.002-04:00

Confusion, Discomfort, Joy

Confusion: did the first disciples really understand at that moment the powerful changes Jesus made to the script for the passover meal? The radical freedom from death by the simple meal of bread and wine. As well as how the richness of Christ serving by cleaning you (baptism) and providing nourishment for your spirit (holy communion).

Discomfort: what's so good about Good Friday? Remembering how much Christ loved us...that he was willing to die for us. We do squirm during the service, it is uncomfortable to ponder his last seven words of love.

Joy: he is not in the tomb, He is Risen

A Local Hero of the Faith

2009-04-02T10:10:00.002-04:00

Last night I shared a tiny bit about the powerful woman, Sojourner Truth. She was born in nearby Ulster County, NY

Here is my favorite story from her life:

Throughout her life,
Truth sought social change through peaceful methods.
Her actions could speak louder than words.
But when she combined her actions with words,
spoken or sung, the effects verged on extraordinary.

It was during the time that Sojourner Truth
lived among members
of the Northampton Association in Massachusetts,
from 1844 to 1846, that her words and actions
allowed her to perform a feat of near miraculous proportions.

When a rowdy mob of "wild young men"
threatened to disrupt a tent revival meeting she was attending,
Sojourner followed the example of others and hid, "quaking in fear."

Hid, that is, until she remembered who she was
-- not Isabella Hardenbergh the former slave,
not Isabella Hardenbergh an illiterate and powerless black woman
-- but Sojourner Truth, called to preach,
called to testify, called to greatness. She said to herself:

Shall I run away and hide from the devil?
Me, a servant of the living God?
Have I not faith enough to go out and quell that mob,
when I know it is written, "One shall chase a thousand,
and two put ten thousand to flight?"
I know there are not a thousand here;
and I know I am a servant of the living God.
I'll go to the rescue,
and the Lord shall go with and protect me.

Oh, I felt as if I had three hearts!
and that they were so large,
my body could hardly contain them!

(did you catch that? Remember what the Grinch did when his heart Grew 3 sizes?)

Sojourner left the tent alone and unaided,
and walking some thirty rods
to the top of a small rise of ground,
commenced to sing in her most fervid manner,
with all the strength of her most powerful voice,
the hymn on the resurrection of Christ.

With an emphasis on the lyrics,
and little mind to the occasional flat note
and lack of harmony,
Sojourner continued to sing
as the mob of young men surrounded her
with sticks and clubs.
But, instead of beating her,
they entreated Truth to continue singing
and tell them her story.
According to the account in her autobiography:

She did speak; they silently heard,
and civilly asked her many questions.
It seemed to her to be given her
at the time
to answer them with truth and wisdom beyond herself.
Her speech had operated
on the roused passions of the mob like oil on agitated waters;
they were, as a whole entirely subdued,
and only clamored when she ceased to speak or sing. 3

Gradually the din of angry voices subsided
and the only voice which could be heard was Sojourner's.
Climbing into the back of a nearby wagon,
Truth proceeded to preach and sing
to her increasingly respectful congregation.
Finally she struck a unique bargain with the young men.
They promised to leave the site after one last spiritual
and to allow the revival meeting to continue in peace.
Then Sojourner rejoined
her fellow worshippers under the tent.

Sojourner Truth had attitude.
And she had faith.
It took great courage for her to step outside
that tent and put herself in the center
of a mob of disrespectful, and potentially dangerous, men.
Truth could have chosen the easy path
and stayed inside the tent with the others.
Instead, she chose to back up her words with her actions.

She refused to "keep her place,"
to be intimidated or ignored.
She was a force to be reckoned with,
a force with an invisible and mighty right arm
to aid her in her campaign against inequality.

Sojourner knew her fight was not hers alone.
It was her faith in God
that sustained her through her endless series
of trials and tribulations.

During our life, we too face trials,
remember God is with you
just as the Almighty was with Sojourner Truth

ah, Bach

2009-03-25T21:05:00.000-04:00

Bach, a great hero of the Christian faith; often over looked because of his centuries old music used for haunted houses and Fantasia. Here's a fun take on his Toccata and Fugue in D Minor that gives you an appreciation for how Bach ran the pedals and keys in order to invoke a physical response from the hearer.

Bach firmly believed that EVERYTHING in music was to glorify God. There was no divide between church music and secular music other than who paid him. He wanted to glorify God. I find this attitude refreshing and different from some of today's artists, who seem to believe it is about being famous and making money.

We too are called to glorify God in our lives. How will you do that today?

What are you willing to give to get

2009-03-15T12:44:00.003-04:00

We all have expectations in life; things we would love to see happen or believe it should just be "this way." Many times, we expect others to meet our expectations. If we rely solely on others to met our expectations, we will almost always feel disappointed. Expect top notch athlete's to never make a foolish choice? Unless, you know one and are involved in their life, it probably won't happen.

The best method of achieving our expectations is to recognize we must give something of ourselves to see our expectations met.

If I expect people to pay attention to my sermons, then I need to do the hard work during the week to prepare and craft something that is engaging not simply entertaining or a lecture. If I expect to go on vacation without going into debt, I need to save money now.

What are your expectations in life? for your job? for your worship of God?

What are you willing to do to make the expectations come true? What are you will to give to get your expectations met?

An Ash Wednesday thought

2009-02-25T13:02:00.001-05:00

A certified public accountant did something that maybe all of us should do. He decided to open a journal with God. He wanted to write down everything that God gave him and everything that he gave to God. He started keeping a debit and credit book with God.

If someone did him a favor, he put it down as God’s gift to him. He credited God with the sun, his food, his health, his friends and relatives and a thousand other benefits he received.

On the other hand, he put down what he did for God. Finally he gave up, saying, “It is impossible for me to balance the books. I find that God is indeed my creditor and what I have done for him is next to nothing.”

Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ, who did balance our books so that we can know and love the almighty God, creator of us all.

Thoughts and Prayers following the plane crash in Clarence Center

2009-02-13T09:47:00.003-05:00

^{John 10:27}My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

BBC News article on the plane crash, Plane Crash in Buffalo Suburb

I woke up this morning to the terrible news; a plane with over 45 people crashed into a home and there are at least 49 deceased. All I could think of was this scripture; how it feels as if these individuals were snatched away from those they love. The pain and shock of grief hit those left behind hard. Yet in the midst of these feelings, Jesus reminds us that the passengers, crew, and those on the ground are in God's hands. Jesus brings eternal life, and the promise nothing can break the embrace of the triune God who holds all of us.

Holy God, we need you now. Please enter into those who are grieving with your life giving presence, to sustain them with the sweet resurrection promise and to help all who mourn find a new normal in life. Amen

a Prayer for President Obama and the USA

2009-02-05T19:57:00.000-05:00

Please read the text of Bishop Gene Robinson's Inaugural Prayer of Invocation (see below) from January 18th and feel free to share this with others. We ask this because this prayer was not broadcast. Of all the inaugural events to neglect to broadcast, it was most unfortunate to omit the prayer of an openly gay Episcopal Bishop, giving the appearance of marginalizing and censoring him.

Millions of people would have heard this prayer, but did not. We are asking you to pass this message on to your email list in the hope that eventually millions will read these beautiful and important words.

Thank you very much.

Bishop Eugene Robinson's Inaugural Prayer:

O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will...

Bless us with tears - for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger - at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort - at the easy, simplistic "answers" we've preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience - and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be "fixed" anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility - open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance - replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity - remembering that every religion's God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln's reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy's ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King's dream of a nation for ALL the people.

Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.

Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.

Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.

Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.

Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters'
childhoods.

And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we're asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand - that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.

Amen.

a thought for Black History Month

2009-02-02T00:39:00.001-05:00

I found this poster striking, and thought it worth sharing

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/01/23/poster-389-years-lat.html

There is much to absorb in this visual history, please take the time to view it.

Sunday's Sermon

2009-01-25T13:40:00.001-05:00

A few people asked for this following worship, and so here is the script for today's sermon and the story of the best football game of the season.

May God richly bless you this week.

In Christ,
Pastor Kim

Sermon Epiphany 3
Year B
Mark 1:14-20 and Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Today is a tale of two responses
to God's call
because to hear Jesus,
is to hear God's voice

the responses we hear from scripture are basic
one is the Monty Python, run away
one is to run head first and embrace it
Jonah is the negative example
he ran away
Simon, Andrew, James and John are the positive
they embraced the call
and left everything behind
to care for others

you and I, fall in the in between space
some days we run
some days we embrace

We are invited by Jesus
to come, follow me
and it is worth thing about
Who do we follow?

This week, our nation has a new president
our state as a new senator
please shout out some characteristics
you desire in your elected leaders

anything different you desire in a boss?

Here's what I desire in the leaders I follow
Honesty/Integrity
Challenge me to be better
Will take the heat for my mistakes
yet still hold me accountable
you may recall I shared how Col Kucynda
got gnawed on by the wing commander
and simply told me to make sure
I called Job Control before running the convoy home
in the future
More wise than I am
Care about me and others

Jesus easily meets all of these categories
he cares about those he encounters
provides challenging words
knows scripture completely
and makes wise decisions on when to act
and when to be still

In short, Jesus makes things better
so part of me understands that the fab four
Simon, Andrew, James, and John
just simply followed him without a thought

but they didn't know this about him
Mark's gospel portrays this scene
as a complete stranger walking by
issuing a polite command
“Come, follow me”
followed by a promise
“I will make you fishers of other people”

Why do they follow?
Jesus is fresh out of the desert
and his 40 days of temptation
which followed his baptism
and he is still oozing with the Holy Spirit
from his baptism

There is something magnetic
and powerful when you encounter
someone overflowing with the Holy Spirit
it's contagious and you'd like a piece of it

In a way, Jesus was a flashing lure
for these first disciples
and they couldn't resist
sharing and having what Jesus had

Like the first disciples
we too have been invited “Come, follow me”
and received the promise
I will make you fishers of people

You and I are sent by God
to be lures for those in need
those in need of healing
in body, mind or spirit

So, what kind of lure
should we demonstrate?
Generosity
love
healing
forgiveness
acceptance and belonging
kindness

Truth be told, we resist the call
when we realize the people
we are called to fish for
are not very pleasant to be around

we have our Jonah moments
sometimes because we doubt the needs of others
sometimes because we are afraid
sometimes because we are uncertain of how to act

No matter the reason
after a timeout in a fish's belly
we are infused by God's spirit
to carry out the mission
of proclaiming God's good news

I saw a few examples of proclaiming God's good news this week
the most heart warming was found in ESPN magazine
with writer, Rick Reilly composing the follow
for the Dec 23, 2008 issue

They played the oddest game
in high school football history
last month down in Grapevine, Texas.

It was Grapevine Faith vs. Gainesville State School
and everything about it was upside down.
For instance, when Gainesville came out
to take the field,
the Faith fans made a 40-yard spirit line for them to run through.

Did you hear that?
The other team's fans?

They even made a banner for players
to crash through at the end.
It said, "Go Tornadoes!"
Which is also weird,
because Faith is the Lions.

It was rivers running uphill
and cats petting dogs.
More than 200 Faith fans sat on the Gainesville side
and kept cheering the Gainesville players on—by name.

"I never in my life thought I'd hear people
cheering for us to hit their kids,"
recalls Gainesville's QB and middle linebacker, Isaiah.
"I wouldn't expect another parent
to tell somebody to hit their kids.
But they wanted us to!"

And even though Faith walloped them 33-14,
the Gainesville kids were so happy
that after the game they gave head coach Mark Williams
a sideline squirt-bottle shower like he'd just won state.
Gotta be the first Gatorade bath in history for an 0-9 coach.

But then you saw the 12 uniformed officers
escorting the 14 Gainesville players off the field
and two and two started to make four.
They lined the players up in groups of five
—handcuffs ready in their back pockets
—and marched them to the team bus.
That's because Gainesville is a maximum-security correctional facility
75 miles north of Dallas.
Every game it plays is on the road.

This all started when Faith's head coach, Kris Hogan,
wanted to do something kind
for the Gainesville team.
Faith had never played Gainesville,
but he already knew the score.
After all, Faith was 7-2 going into the game,
Gainesville 0-8 with 2 TDs all year.

Faith has 70 kids, 11 coaches,
the latest equipment and involved parents.
Gainesville has a lot of kids
with convictions for drugs, assault and robbery
—many of whose families had disowned them
—wearing seven-year-old shoulder pads and ancient helmets.

So Hogan had this idea.
What if half of our fans
—for one night only
—cheered for the other team?

He sent out an email
asking the Faithful to do just that.
"Here's the message I want you to send:"
Hogan wrote.
"You are just as valuable as any other person on planet Earth."

Some people were naturally confused.
One Faith player walked into Hogan's office
and asked, "Coach, why are we doing this?"

And Hogan said, "Imagine if you didn't have a home life.
Imagine if everybody had pretty much given up on you.
Now imagine what it would mean
for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you."

Next thing you know, the Gainesville Tornadoes
were turning around on their bench
to see something they never had before.
Hundreds of fans. And actual cheerleaders!

"I thought maybe they were confused," said Alex,
a Gainesville lineman (only first names are released by the prison).
"They started yelling 'DEE-fense!'
when their team had the ball.
I said, 'What? Why they cheerin' for us?'"

It was a strange experience for boys
who most people cross the street to avoid.
"We can tell people are a little afraid of us
when we come to the games," says Gerald, a lineman
who will wind up doing more than three years.

"You can see it in their eyes.
They're lookin' at us like we're criminals.
But these people, they were yellin' for us!
By our names!"

Maybe it figures that Gainesville played better
than it had all season, scoring the game's last two touchdowns.
Of course, this might be because Hogan
put his third-string nose guard at safety
and his third-string cornerback at defensive end. Still.

After the game, both teams
gathered in the middle of the field to pray
and that's when Isaiah surprised everybody
by asking to lead.

"We had no idea what the kid was going to say,"
remembers Coach Hogan.
But Isaiah said this: "Lord, I don't know how this happened,
so I don't know how to say thank You,
but I never would've known there was so many people
in the world that cared about us."

And it was a good thing everybody's heads were bowed
because they might've seen Hogan wiping away tears.

As the Tornadoes walked back to their bus
under guard, they each were handed a bag for the ride home
—a burger, some fries, a soda, some candy,
a Bible and an encouraging letter from a Faith player.

The Gainesville coach saw Hogan,
grabbed him hard by the shoulders and said,
"You'll never know what your people did
for these kids tonight. You'll never, ever know."

And as the bus pulled away,
all the Gainesville players crammed to one side
and pressed their hands to the window,
staring at these people they'd never met before,
watching their waves and smiles disappearing into the night.

During that football game,
the parents of Faith High School
were fishing for Christ
being the perfect lure, for the situation
sharing love, kindness
acceptance and a sense of belonging

Filled with the Holy Spirit to follow Christ
they answered God's call

This week may God's love so empower you
that you recognize people in need
and go fishing with love, kindness, healing, forgiveness

Amen

I got a Rock

2009-01-21T10:18:00.003-05:00

While traveling with Sean for his application to the American Pistolsmith Guild and the annual S.H.O.T. Show; we were able to visit his parents as they participated in the Alifiah River Rendezvous; aka a pre 1840 Fur Traders re-inactment camp.

It was a throwback to simpler times; tents, food cooked over an open flame and to my surprise, an induction into the sisterhood. The women of the Clan of the Wolf, invited me outside on Monday morning to receive a gift of a hearth stone, and then surrounded me with prayer and hugs. Below is the text of the simple ritual:

A thousand blessings to you on this your kerchting day. Upon this day you will don your spousal crown which will signify to all your position as a wife. Care for your post well, know the strength of a wife is silently powerful. Firm as a rock, steadfast as oak, soft as down, and gentle as fervent prayer. With your feet upon your hearth stone, know from this day on you are the keeper of the hearth. From kindle to smour you will order the heart of your home. As this kertch is placed upon your head, pinnacle wise symbolic of the three that will guide you and keep you all the days of your earthly walk. On this day and all that come walk proudly in thy Kertch, provide will for your family; speak not ill of him thou ill he may be, be not boastful, but do be self assured and know the community of women all the days of your life.

There is power in ritual, to be connected to something bigger than ourselves, hundreds of years old, that leagues of others have been through. I have come to appreciate the history and traditions of people more over the years. They connect us to another way of living and remind us that some day, what we do will be evaluated by those who come after us. I pray we will giving them a solid rock on which to stand.

Happy 2009

2009-01-02T12:31:00.002-05:00

And so 2009 is off to a good start; the Huskers won their bowl game.

There is something about the new year, it is a time filled with great hope and expectation that this year will be different, more perfect, new and improved.

Many of us will make resolutions to improve areas of our lives: eat better, increase physical activity, read more, spend more time with family, etc. We like the fresh start to the new year, a chance for the clean beginning.

As Christians, we celebrate this fact every week, every day. Worship is the best way to begin one week and end the previous. Right at the beginning, we make the transition and leave the old sinful ways behind. Every week we experience the power of confessing, "man, I didn't get that right, I need to do better" followed by "In the name of Christ your sins are forgiven." The gift of God of a fresh start is indeed amazing grace. Add into the mix, the sacrament of holy communion, and we are nourished and refreshed to go back into the world to be a beacon of light when others are afraid.

Come to worship God, because you need something to sustain you during the economic challenges our country faces. Hear the word of God and celebrate the gift of God setting up camp in our neighborhood; Joy to the World the Lord is Come.

An Invitation

2008-12-05T13:35:00.001-05:00

Christmas can be a painful time for some. It may be the first Christmas without a loved family member who has recently died; it may be a time that has always been difficult.

The constant refrain on the radio and television, in shopping malls and churches, about the happiness of the season, about getting together with family and friends, reminds many people of what they have lost or have never had. The anguish of broken relationships, the insecurity of unemployment, the weariness of ill health, the pain of isolation - all these can make us feel very alone in the midst of the celebrating and spending. We need the space and time to acknowledge our sadness and concern; we need to know that we are not alone.

Our spirits sink, as the days grow shorter. We feel the darkness growing deeper around us. We need encouragement to live the days ahead of us.

For these reasons, St Timothy’s for the first time will offer a special “Blue Christmas” service on December 16, 2008 at 7:30 PM.

Come out, and join with us in sharing and hearing prayers, scripture, and music that acknowledge that God’s presence is for those who mourn, for those who struggle - and that God’s Word comes to shine light into our darkness. Everyone, regardless of church background (or lack of it) is welcome.

The short service will be followed by a brief time for light refreshments and fellowship.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T14:16:00.002-05:00

Today is a national day to pause and give thanks for the numerous blessings which surround us. As I write this, my dog and cat are curled up nearby reminding me to say: Thank you God for the domestic animals who are wonderful companions.

My husband is working, thank you God that Sean has a job.

The electricity is on, the water is running, and the heat is working: Thank you God, that I live in a house with comfort controls.

I called my nephews, and heard a chipper 3 yr old screech in delight "Happy Thanksgiving, Aunt Kim" Thank you God for the gift of children and for keeping my nephews healthy and safe.

There is much to be thankful for in the midst of this economic down turn. We might not be able to do everything we desire, but for most we have what we need. May God give everyone their daily bread today.

My New Tag Line

2008-11-11T11:29:00.005-05:00

My favorite series of books are Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. At one point it explains the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy has on the cover in big friendly letters,
Don't Panic.

Over the years I've realized that this is what scripture tells us.
Don't Panic, God is in control.
Don't Panic, God is with you.
Don't Panic, Christ has risen from the dead.

As the news media paints a more dire picture of the economic situation,
Don't Panic. Be smart and relearn the age old custom of separating wants from needs. Using your local public library rather than buying books is another great way to save.

Don't Panic. Others have traveled this path with God. God has seen them through to the promised land, and will see us safely to the other side as well.

Last night, I put a sticker on the front of my bible:
"Don't Panic"

A prayer for the nation

2008-11-03T22:12:00.004-05:00

Holy God, on this eve before the election: grant all who vote the wisdom to elect leaders who are filled with integrity, who will serve to represent the best interests of the public, and will strive to ensure that every person through out the world has daily bread. Amen

Saved by...

2008-10-29T16:52:00.002-04:00

Right now, Toyota is running an ad campaign which has the refrain from a 1980's song "Saved by Zero" by the Fixx. If you'd like to refresh your memory, you can check out Video "Saved by Zero"

The song portrays a young artist being pulled by two worlds. With a hope of being "Saved by Zero"

Our faith gives a much different and deeper hope. When you feel yourself getting tugged in all sorts of directions, be still and know God. It's an important skill to learn in our 24/7 fast paced do more with less society. Sometimes, you need to find a place of solitude, even if it is only for a few minutes. There are countless studies out there on how we are suffering from sleep deprivation. One study says it is more important to get to bed before midnight, so you sleep in natural darkness. (ask our parish nurse for the full details)

Make an appointment with God daily; write it on your calendar and honor it like any other appointment. During that time, pray simple prayers...Help Me! and Thank you! are perfect prayers. Try to be surrounded by silence, or natural sounds. While listening to the silence, the small voice of the Almighty Creator becomes more clear. Hear it remind you that we are not saved by zero. We are saved by Jesus, who died on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day. We are saved by someone, very real, very human and very Divine.

Tuesday's Word: Honorable

2008-10-14T10:58:00.001-04:00

"think about what is honorable"

Once again, we find a word with a plethora of meanings. For a complete run down, I invite you to click on this link: www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/honor

What people or things in your life are worthy of you honoring? A person? A special event?

When we honor someone, we take time out to acknowledge all of the good things the individual has done. There are days when I see nothing but bad stuff and it is easy to fall into a rut and assume that people are bad. When I notice this mind set, I force myself to see the good things first. I find that when I start by honoring someone, seeing them as a gift from God, my relationship improves. Whether a little thing, or a big thing, to start with honoring values who they are as God's children.

In Philippians 4:8 Paul takes the pagan values, and tells Christians there is nothing wrong with these things. In fact, he goes on to say Christ embodied these traits. He thought about and did whatever was true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent, things worthy of praise. This is why Paul implores us to think about and do the same.

Word of the Day--True

2008-10-14T10:39:00.002-04:00

There is an old computer saying: garbage in, garbage out. Meaning whatever we put in, is what we get in return. This applies to our lives.

When we are filled with garbage, i.e. surrounded by fear filled pronouncements, smothered by pictures and words that debase and demean our fellow children of God or God's creation, we become polluted and less able to function.

Paul in his letter to the Philippians, invites us to ponder things that clear out the mind of the pollution and remind us of God's rich mercy, love, and leadership. You'll find this in chapter 4. In verse 8, he hits upon a series of words and concepts to keep in the forefront of our minds. Today, we'll think about "True"

In our post-modern world, we question everything and live as if there is nothing true. We have become cynical; and so it is time to recapture the meaning of "Truth". While the online Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as: the quality or state of being accurate, we need to recall the older definitions: steadfast, loyal, just. These are words that accurately capture the majesty of God: God is loyal, just, and steadfast. Throughout scripture there are stories of God's involvement in situations to get things back on track.

Jesus promised, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." We do not live in a vacuum; our relationship with God touches every area of our lives. So, when the world seems spinning out of control, think about what is true: God is true. When the nightly news announces doom and destruction, think instead about how God is true; and pray for God's continued involvement in worldly affairs.

This week, may God's true, faithful, peace be upon you.

2008-10-12T07:18:00.002-04:00

Martin Luther King Jr once remarked: "There is so much frustration in the world because we have relied on gods rather than God. We have genuflected before the god of science only to find that it has given us the atomic bomb, producing fears and anxieties that science can never mitigate.

We have worshiped the god of pleasure only to discover that thrills play out and sensations are short-lived.

We have bowed before the god of money only to learn that there are such things as love and friendship that money cannot buy....These transitory gods are not able to save or bring happiness to the human heart. Only God is able. It is faith in Him that we must rediscover."

460 years earlier, Martin Luther wrote in the Small Catechism, "We are to fear, love, and trust God above all else" as an explanation on how to keep the First Commandment. (Some people substitute "honor" for "fear" because they don't think we should be afraid of our merciful and loving God. I believe a little fear is healthy because it keeps us humble and reminds us to listen to God's commands.)

Both of these preachers implore us to fully rely on God, trusting the Almighty in times of fear and doubt. This week, each day I'll write some thoughts on the list Paul provides in Philippians 4:1-9 that encourage us to Rejoice in the Lord Always.

Thoughts on Christ

2008-09-28T12:02:00.001-04:00

When my dad broke his back in 1979, he and others on the orthopedic floor decided to have a klutz of the year competition to see who had come to the hospital via their own hand in the most foolish way. The winner, a gentleman who stepped back off the ladder to admire his work on the 2nd floor window trim.

This father could have joined them, if not for the quick thinking of his wife.

The following story tells of the willingness of a family to work together. The father was a chimney builder. He would stay at the high top of the chimney until the finishing touches were done by other workers. Then he would drop a rope that he used to let himself down. One day he made the crucial mistake of not keeping the end of the rope for himself. The young son raced to his mother and told her the problem, but what other than earnest agonizing prayer could she do? She knew that often you need to put feet on your prayers. She raced from the house, and yelled at her husband, high on the chimney of the house being built. Despite his experience he was bewildered and shaking dangerously with despair. "Unravel the worsted from your sock," she yelled to him. Both of them knew that the socks were made from one large thread of strong wool and that it could hold together. "Hold one end, and put some mortar on the other end to lower it," she called.

He did; the heavy worsted thread held. After lowering the thread they tied a heavier rope to it, and he pulled the heavy rope to himself. He secured the end and then was able to let himself down as was normally done, and he was safe in the arms of his wife.

Just as the thread held and lead to safety, so our Lord brings us to safety.

The hands of Christ, Seem very frail
For they were broken by a nail.
But only they reach heaven at last
Whom those frail, broken hands hold fast.

The Power of Prayer

2008-09-15T08:34:00.003-04:00

Back in July, I changed the prayer for Zimbabwe of our weekly prayer group. For nearly two months, we've been praying

We pray that the situation in Zimbabwe stabilizes and people are no longer threatened for being a part of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Once Zimbabwe was the bread basket for Africa, bless President Mugabe with your wisdom so he no longer fears losing power, but is motivated by a desire to do what is best for the people in his country so that Zimbabwe is once again a wonderful place to live.

Today, I read in the New York Times that President Mugabe is willing to divide up the power in Zimbabwe and is giving some power to his rivals. God has intervened in the situation, sent others to help negotiate the settlement, and once again Zimbabwe is filled with hope.

You can read the full article: Zimbabwe Rivals Sign Power-Sharing Agreement

I pray that this agreement will be honored by all people and is just the first of many steps the country takes on it's path back to being in harmony with all people and God's creation.

Balance

2008-09-11T14:29:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been awhile since I've written anything. One thing that has permeated my thoughts in the away time has been the importance of balance in our lives. We need a mix of fun, serious, relaxing, hard work, etc. in order to live.

Today though, my thoughts turn towards what is the proper balance between remembering the horror of Sept 11th, 2001 and the need to move from the shock, grief and pain to a new normal. My heart still grieves for those who lost their lives and for those still suffering from the nightmares of leaping over body parts as they fled the towers. We need to remember the significant event; but do we need to focus on the destruction? Do we need to focus on the day we figured out that as a nation we were sort of the emperor in the emperor's new clothes?

We do need a little focus on those parts of the day, but also to remember how quickly the nation responded to help. A few days after the event, I was in a state correctional facility to lead worship for medium security inmates. Those men were hurting, because they couldn't do anything tangible to help the victims.

Today, perhaps the balance is to remember the whole story. To grieve a little, rejoice a little, and ask God to intervene to bring us true peace and justice throughout the planet so that no one need remember a day like this again.

In Christ
Pastor Kim

You're Already Dead

2008-06-22T12:38:00.001-04:00

Jesus' comments in Matthew 10 are shocking and stunning. Add to them Romans 6 and you have a recipe for the Freedom of a Christian.

Jesus recognizes that things will not be easy. Followers of Christ will be picked on for standing against the crowd: whether being kind to the outcast or making the comfortable feel like they've been scrubbed with a brillo pad by holding up mirror to point out their short comings. Paul was living this message and in the future facing death.

In this clip from 12 O'Clock high, the new general states the truth about war; there is fighting and some may die.

If you worry about dying you are paralyzed by the worry; if you accept that death is normal you are free to make the best choices in any given circumstance. Paul reminds us in Romans 6, that we have died in our baptism and been raised to new life in Christ. The encouragement is to let the earthly worries and fears take a back seat to the joy and freedom of living to further the kingdom of God.

CONVO Rocked

2008-06-11T16:18:00.001-04:00

What a privilege to be a part of the 2008 Lutheran Youth Organization CONVO and exploring God's call not as some job/vocation, but as daily living. It was a roller coaster ride that lasted for 5 days, and I loved it. Remembering that God calls me to be nice to the unusual person in line at the grocery store as well as to prepare Sunday sermons re-grounded me in the TRUTH. That Christ has risen, so we are free to take care of those in need. Why else would a high school senior wonder if she was "weird" for wanting to go to Africa to help?

If you know of someone who will be in 9-12 grades in June 2009, send 'em to CONVO!

Don't Worry...Seek the Kingdom

2008-05-25T16:00:00.000-04:00

In Matthew 6:24-34, Jesus reminds us "Don't worry, it doesn't add to living." Our savior goes on to remind us that God will take care of us, because God cares for the birds and flowers. It's tough not to worry, but through the Holy Spirit's infusion of faith we seek out God's kingdom and share the good news.

In the mid to late 1990s, "Touched by an Angel" did an episode with Wynonna Judd titled "Psalm 151". The story line is about a single mom whose son is dying of CF and her struggle to finish a hymn of praise she began on the day he was born. The completed song has a refrain I find inspiring and remind me of my call: "For as long as I shall live I will testify THE LOVE, and be a witness in the silence when words are not enough. With every step I take, I will give thanks to God above, for as long as I shall live, I will testify to love."

Below are some clips of the show I found on Youtube with some key elements of the show. It's a powerful witness that God provides in times of need.

Finishing the Song

The song is performed

Famous Lutherans

2008-05-21T13:35:00.003-04:00

Some may recall Adam Sandler's song about famous Jews in the world. Not to be out done, the Lutheran musical group, Lost and Found, has done a version check it out at this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=102kvQ1dWoY

And now for something completely different and totally silly Martin Luther does the Chicken Dance

Spirit Scale

2008-05-12T07:49:00.005-04:00

Yesterday we celebrated Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:1-21, we hear how the Holy Spirit came like the sound of a rushing violent wind. I consider the Holy Spirit to be the Rodney Dangerfield portion of the triune God; it gets no respect. To help us recognize the powerful, peaceful Pneuma (Greek for spirit) in our life here is the spirit scale. It is a cousin to the Beaufort Wind Scale

Calm: we experience this when the Spirit leads us , equips us, and gives us peace. This is the gentle breath of Christ as he comes to his disciples and says “Peace be with you” Then he breathed on them and said “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

When the spirit scale reads “Calm” we are given a sense of peace, we know we belong to God. Amazingly, it is possible to experience spirit scale calm even though it seems that our lives are being pounded by hurricane force winds.

Strong Wind: The creative qualities of the Spirit lead to surprising improvements and dramatic new directions in our lives. This is when we say "Yes" and wonder how on earth we can accomplish what we just agreed to be a part of. The Bible is filled with images of this strong wind empowering individuals for specific tasks: the 70 elders helping Moses, Saul and David experienced the pushing power of the Spirit, Esther standing up to the King. Whenever we head into a situation where new directions, fresh opportunities and unlimited possibilities face us, we look to the Holy Spirit to empower us according to God’s will

Gale Force: Here we discover the power of God to break unhealthy patterns and to shake up the status quo. This is the student rejecting the "everybody's doing it argument" or when you decide to bring blankets and sandwiches to the homeless at midnight. It's when the addict decides it is time for recovery, or a neighborhood decides it's time to unify at look out for one another.

Hurricane: This is what hit Jerusalem on Pentecost around 2000 years ago and it turned the lives of the disciples upside down. They were reoriented from looking inward at themselves to looking outward toward a world in desperate need of the good news. They were transformed from timid fearful apostles to fearless evangelists…spreading the word to unfamiliar and unknown lands and peoples.

When a hurricane force Spirit-wind blows across the landscape of our lives nothing is ever the same the power of the Almighty God breaking down barriers of culture and language is a powerful sight. These Spirit Hurricanes reveal the power of the Almighty God filling and transforming the timid into powerful witnesses.

Whether it is a calm breeze, strong wind, gale or hurricane, the Holy Spirit constantly blows through our lives. One day it is providing order in the midst of chaos just as it did at creation. Another day it’s providing the courage to change the world making it better for all people still other days it’s blowing through our lives providing a sense of peace when we need it most.

May you feel the winds of the Spirit today and always.

Reader's Digest Condensed Sermon

2008-04-28T09:53:00.004-04:00

Many people found comfort in my sermon yesterday. Here's more or less what I preached, the Holy Spirit has a way of revising my "script" on the fly while I'm in the pulpit. The Gospel text is John 14, which comes just before Judas betrays Jesus, but after the Last Supper. Also included is Psalm 68 vs 8-20; a song of praise to God which remembers how God delivered and saved the people.

Come and listen, all you who fear God
And I will tell you what the Almighty
Has done for me Psalm 66:16

In my family history
THursday, May 1 is a day to praise God and do a dance of joy
28 yrs ago on May 1
my dad came home from Magee rehabilitation hospital
after being institutionalized in 3 different hospitals
for a total of 23 weeks…
or 5 1/2 months November 79 to May 1980

For the first 12 weeks, he was hospitalized in NYC
And my mom stayed at her parent’s house
To take the bus ride to the hospital everyday
And be at dad’s bedside as doctors and nurses cared for him

My sister and I needed to attend
Elementary school, 70 miles south during the week
We were not orphaned during this time
Mom’s parents took care of us
Grandma and Pop-pop

The psalmist this morning in verses 9 and 10
speaks of God testing the religious community
I admit my dad’s paralysis has been trying
As a family, we have been through fire and water
The fire of infection racking his body
And the watery tears shed as we came to terms
With his physical limitations

Each family here this morning
knows something of facing trying times
the problems we face are widespread in our country
every week somewhere a family
Hears the diagnosis…cancer
Faces a life changing medical condition
Wonders how to pay the bills
Grieves the death of a friend
Aches with loneliness after losing a spouse
or faces problematic relationships with
Children or parents

For some these trying times
Can be viewed as
As a trap or snare that holds them captive
Like a horse that has been captured
And then trained
To wear a bit, bridle and saddle
The trying time is a heavy burden
Slowly wearing them down
Breaking your will
Forcing you to do something
To change direction and do things you’d rather avoid

Others see the trying times as a prison
Locking you in a tiny space
Isolating you from others
Limiting your ability to move
Making God seem super far way
As if god was unknown

And so we grope around
in the dark, dank prison looking for God
hoping that God is nearby
because we recall the scriptures
“In him we live and move and have our being”

Our God is not unknown
Our God is revealed daily through actions
Like love and forgiveness in a community
Which is reflecting the love God the father
has shown in God the Son

This morning we can acknowledge
we’ve made it through these trials
Because God has brought us
Out of the prison, snare or trap
To the wide open space

God has lead us out to
A place where we can look back
And acknowledge, yuck…that was a rough time
As well as look to the future and have hope
We have hope because of Christ’s promises
“Because I live, you will live also”

The first disciples didn’t understand Jesus
And his words preparing them for his death
“I will not leave you orphaned;
I am coming to you”

Jesus knows the challenges
we face in our lives
Jesus felt the tugs of temptation
And the pains of being human

Therefore Christ wanted to comfort his disciples
Remind them that he will return
And to reassure them that he would give them
What they needed to have in order
To continue the ministry he started
A ministry of love and faithfulness

Part of the way Christ provides for us is by
Inviting us to remember we worship a triune God
And how strong the ties
between God the Father and God the Son
especially how these bonds are discussed in John’s Gospel

The trials and challenges
We face in our lives
Require assistance to get through
Things like
Changing careers
Illness and injury
Death
Arguments with family or friends
Addictions and divorce

Maybe you recall hearing about
Derek Redmond a young British runner,
one who had sky rocketed to fame
by shattering his country’s 400-meter record at age 19.
But then an Achilles tendon injury
forced him to withdraw from the 1988 Olympic Games

When the Summer Olympics arrived in Barcelona in 1992,
Derek Redmond was absolutely aching for a medal.
On the day of the 400-meter race,
65,000 fans streamed into the stadium,
anxious to witness one of sports’ most thrilling events.
High in the stands is Derek’s father, Jim,
a faithful witness to every one of his son’s world competitions.

The race begins and Derek breaks
through the pack to seize the lead.
Heading down the backstretch,
only 175 meters from the finish line,
Derek is a shoo-in to win this semifinal heat
and qualify for the Olympic finals.

But then Derek hears a pop.
It’s his right hamstring.
He pulls up lame, looking as if he has been shot.
His leg quivering,

Derek begins to hop on the other leg,
and then he slows down and falls to the track.
Medical personnel run toward him
as he sprawls on the ground, holding his right hamstring.

At the very same moment,
there is a stir at the top of the stands.
Jim Redmond, seeing his son in trouble,
begins to race down from the top row.

He has no right or credential or permission
to be on the track,
but all he can think about is getting to his son,

to help him up.
He is absolutely single-minded about this,
and isn’t going to be stopped by anyone.

On the track, Derek realizes that his dream
of an Olympic medal is gone.
He is alone.
The other runners streak across the finish line,
He is orphaned, as it were,

a lonely figure on the track, friendless, parentless and alone.

Tears pour down Derek’s face,
and all he can think is, “I don’t want to take a DNF.”
A Did-Not-Finish was not even part of his vocabulary.

When the medical crew arrives with a stretcher,
Derek tells them, “No, there’s no way I’m getting on that stretcher.
I’m going to finish my race.”
And so he lifts himself to his feet,
ever so slowly and carefully,
and he starts hobbling down the track.

Suddenly, the crowd realizes that Derek
isn’t dropping out of the race.
He isn’t limping off the track in defeat,
but is actually continuing on one leg,
in a fiercely determined effort to make it to the finish line.
One painful step at a time,

each one a little slower and more agonizing than the one before,
Derek limps onward, and the crowd begins to cheer for him.
The fans rise to their feet and their cries grow louder and louder,
building into a thundering roar.

At that moment, Jim Redmond
reaches the bottom of the stands, vaults over the railing,

dodges a security guard, and runs out to his son
— with two security people running after him.

“That’s my son out there,”
— he yells back at his pursuers, “and I’m going to help him.”

Jim reaches his son at the final curve,
about 120 meters from the finish line,
and wraps his arm around his waist.
“I’m here, son,” Jim says gently, hugging his boy.
“We’ll finish together.”

Together, arm in arm, father and son struggle
toward the finish line with 65,000 people cheering, clapping and crying.

Just a few steps from the end, with the crowd in an absolute frenzy,
Jim releases the grip he has on his son
so that Derek can cross the finish line by himself.

Derek faced a tough challenge that day in 1992
But he didn’t go through it alone
The fans in the stands and his father
Reached out to him, and helped him finish the race

Paul calls the life of discipleship a race
And so when you’ve metaphorically felt your hamstring tear
Recall the psalms
And how many of them describe God’s saving actions

Today we hear that God is the one “keeping our feet from slipping”
It is a phrase that I love

Because there are days
When it feels as if the rug
Has been yanked out from under our feet
And I love the idea of God
Placing our feet back underneath us
So we don’t land on our bumpters

But there are days when we do land
On our bumpters

Some days, the trial has gotten the better of us
We’ve made a poor decision
We uttered words we wish to take back
We feel despair and hope has left the building

And on these days…God the Son comes to us
Filled with guilt…we cry out Lord have mercy
Filled with grief…we cry out Lord save me

Before the words leave our lips
Christ is moving to us to bind up our wounds

This is what Jesus meant by promising
To send an advocate, a helper, and a comforter to be with us
Christ knew we needed help

for the challenges and trials we face
Christ knows we need someone
With us until the end of the race

Just as Derek needed his dad
To get close to the finish line

Blessed be God
Who has not rejected our prayers
Nor withheld divine steadfast love from us

Blessed be God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Who has seen us safely through
The trials of life and promises to bring us
To life everlasting.

Amen.

Women need sisters

2008-04-26T21:15:00.002-04:00

This came to me via eMail today, and I thought it was important to share with a wider community.

Sisters
A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her Mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.

'Don't forget your Sisters,' she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. 'They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need Sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.'

'Remember that 'Sisters' means ALL the women...Your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. 'You'll need other women. Women always do.'

What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought. Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!'

But she listened to her Mother. She kept contact with her Sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, sisters are the mainstays of her life.

After more than 50 years of living in this world, here is what I've learned:

THIS SAYS IT ALL:

Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't do what they're supposed to do.
Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.
BUT..........

Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach. When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's' end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you....Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers,
Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other.

Every day, we need each other still. Pass this on to all the women who help make your life meaningful.

Happy days!

Tribute to Kevin Schultz

2008-04-25T07:04:00.002-04:00

Shock, pure utter shock. On April 11, 2008, my friend and seminary classmate Kevin Schultz died of complications of pneumonia. Kevin was a creative genius, more secure in what God was calling him to do than the rest of us. He was called to be a lay leader, specializing in liturgy and stewardship. He had no calling to be an ordained pastor, and even though he had the skills to be an excellent parish pastor, he would look ya in the eye and say "Nope, I'm called to do this." Whenever I need a laugh, I recall the way he revised Daniel 3, the three men in the fiery furnace. His coaching allowed normally serious seminary students to let loose and talk in silly voices to play the different parts...including some as musical instruments.

So now I cling to the resurrection promise and pray for God to comfort Kevin's family by swirling in the empty void where he once stood; making them feel whole. Blessed are you O' God of Israel, you have come to your people to set them free. Indeed you have set us free from death, strengthen our faith and trust in the promise of Christ "I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me even though they die will live" Strengthen us in our trust so that this promise is sweet sugar to remove the bitter taste of grief. Amen

Stains on the Carpet

2008-04-14T12:41:00.002-04:00

Back in December 1994, a buddy from the USAF proudly purchased a case of pears from a high school student trying to raise money for a class trip. He carefully brought the box home, and placed it in the corner of his room. Later in the evening, he tossed some clothes on top of the box, and then added the incoming Christmas presents. In two short days, he forgot all about the box of 48 pears.

Fast forward, it is now May 1995 and the pears have been sitting under a pile of clothes for 5 months. My buddy had been transfered to a new job at Cape Canaveral Air Station. While he started packing up his apartment, he noticed an unusual odor from the corner of his room. He moved the clothes and found...the box of pears. Much too his dismay, he learned that pears when rotting get rather juicy. The juice of the pears changed the light blue carpet into a swirling pattern of reddish brown, orange, and purple.

Nothing could remove the stain. Not Resolve, the Bissel spot lifter, even the professional carpet cleaner guy threw his hands in the air and said "It's a permanent stain, there is nothing a can do." So my buddy attempted to dye the carpet, no luck. The fibers wouldn't hold the new color.

Our daily sins are rotting pear juice. They stain our lives, and make us less than perfect. Yet unlike the carpet, there is something to remove our stain. The blood of Christ. In it we are washed clean and appear before God unblemished.

My Life in Boxes

2008-04-09T10:07:00.002-04:00

Two weeks ago, I closed on a house. After a few minor fixes, the process of moving began. It's amazing, humbling, and discouraging to see how much stuff I've been lugging around with me over the years.

I'm reminded on Matthew 19, when a young man asks Jesus, "What good deed must I do to get eternal life?" ¹⁶Then someone came to him and said, "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" ¹⁷And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." ¹⁸He said to him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; ¹⁹Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." ²⁰The young man said to him, "I have kept all these; what do I still lack?" ²¹Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." ²²When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions. ²³Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.

By the world's standards, I am rich: a solid floor, walls, roof, indoor plumbing, running water, appliances for cooking, a car, a house for my car (aka a garage) This passage from Matthew drives me to my knees in shame at what I have when others have so little. So I confess, and ask Jesus for help in making wise decisions that make the world a better place. Simple acts like donating clothes I haven't worn in years that are in good shape, fixing things rather than buying new are small steps of a bigger transformation.

This Easter Season and season after Pentecost, I'm learning more about simple living and striving to adopt their methods. Their slogan: Live Simply so others may simply live.

St John's Hudson, NY

2008-03-31T12:03:00.003-04:00

Yesterday afternoon, I attended the closing of a congregation. After 140 years of service and witness in the community, the congregation was no longer able to sustain the building and ministry. As we sang the closing hymn, "Lift High the Cross", the acolyte and sexton with military precision began extinguishing the altar candles.

When he extinguished the last candle, he stood and bowed before the altar. When he turned to walk down the aisle, tears streamed down his face. At that moment, I too began weeping, along with several others who sat nearby.

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied.

Jesus wept. Then the Jews said "See how he loved him!" But some of them said "Could not he who opened the blind man ave kept this man from dying?"

John 11:33-35

Holy God, for 140 years St John's in Hudson, NY proclaimed your mercy and love to their community and world. During this time of grieving and questioning, surround all the members with your loving peace that they will trust that you are with them always. From this sorrow of the congregation closing, bring forth a new and vibrant ministry to care for the people of Hudson, NY just as you created the St Paul's Center in Rensselaer. In Jesus name, Amen.

What Easter Means to Me

2008-03-29T20:51:00.002-04:00

A few years back, tragedy struck the communities I served as pastor. A vibrant, dynamic 14 yr old boy was killed in an ATV vs. pick-up truck accident. I struggled how to make the connection for the youth on how our faith had a message of hope in the dark times. I sort of mumbled to one teen, Jesus kicked Death's butt. He grinned and the idea of capturing that visually has stuck with me. At first, I tried talking a skilled banner maker into creating one for me. Lorna always politely declined the idea and went with far superior Easter banners.

Even still, I never gave up on the idea. During Holy Week, I reconnected with my friend, Dr Draw, and Bill took the idea and ran with it for me. Enjoy this short cartoon

Stealing from neighbors

2008-03-25T18:50:00.002-04:00

I could not believe that people truly thought the listing on Craigslist (free internet want ads) was true. Are we so desperate for stuff that we would go and do such a thing here in NY?
Martin Luther has some words for us in the explanation to the 7th commandment, "Thou shall not steal"

We are to fear and love God, so that we will neither take our neighbors' money or property, nor acquire it by fraud or by selling them poorly made products, but will help them improve and protect their property and career.

What would you do if you saw a crowd of people coming up to your neighbor's house and carrying off household goods?

Me, I'd call the police and go confront the people. May the Lord show us a better way to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Remembering

2008-03-21T10:24:00.004-04:00

From 1996 to 1999 I was a member of Peace Lutheran Church in Lompoc, CA. A small church with devoted and faithful members, I started checking out one family's web page for Bill's cartoons blended with his wife, Lynn's, poetry or words.

I haven't thought of Dr. Draw in a while, but on a whim this morning, went to God tube to see if Bill had ever shared on the site. Sure enough, I found this

During this Holy Week, may you feel contacted to the whole body of Christ. For in Christ, we are one.

The answer

2008-03-20T10:07:00.002-04:00

If you haven't seen the quick cartoon from yesterday, please take a look at that first. Easter on the Net -- offers this origin of the Easter Bunny and Eggs

While the Easter Bunny is a wonderful symbol of the free gifts of God in Christ, we also need to remember the reason for the joyful celebration: Christ is Risen from the dead! He lives!

A good question

2008-03-19T19:02:00.001-04:00

Come back to find out the answer

Holy Week terms explained

2008-03-18T09:27:00.004-04:00

What does Maundy Thursday mean?
Maundy means " command" in Latin and on Maundy Thursday we remember the new commands Christ gave us: the command to love one another, the command to remember him in the simple meal of bread and wine known as Holy Communion, and the command to serve others as he serves us.

Why is it called Good Friday?
It is a good day for us; the day Christ took our punishment. This week is not only Christ's Passion story, it is our story of being saved.

A week that starts with H and has four letters

2008-03-17T09:08:00.002-04:00

Yup, it's Holy Week! (Seriously, what else would it be?)

This week is a time of remembering the final days of Jesus. We journey from cheering and praising Jesus on Palm Sunday, to the confusion and fear on Maundy Thursday and then cry "Crucify Him" on Good Friday. Then the waiting begins, the sense of lose, the realization that his death was for me, for my family, for my friends, for the whole world. There is a feeling of despair on Good Friday (named for our good, not Christ's).

Then the roller coaster turns up, the elaborate joy on Easter morning is indescribable. You have to experience it. Hollywood is made the resurrection a thing of zombies; but we Christians know better. The resurrection of the body is eternal life with God and Christ where we sit around the great banquet table, and realize the promise of Revelation 21 has become true:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ²And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; ⁴he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away."⁵And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.

This is not a scary vision; it is a hope filled promise. One that gives each believer energy and hope in the darkest of times.

God is good, all the time.

No Problem vs My Pleasure

2008-03-12T08:23:00.003-04:00

I've noticed a trend. Whenever, someone does something nice for me and I say thank you, the response is "No problem."

I'm wondering what happened to the older phrases, "You're welcome" or "my pleasure." I've realized that when I say "No Problem" to someone, it is actually implying...ya know, I was doing something else but since this wasn't a big deal, I did it for ya.

I've decided that I'm repenting of my "no problem" answer, and going to phrases the convey something more positive. If I help someone, it is my pleasure to do it, because I have been given the gifts and skills to do that task.

I can't picture Jesus saying "no problem" as he hung on the cross. But I can hear him say "You're welcome" whenever I'm on my knees saying Thank you God for forgiving my sins.

Book of the Month II

2008-02-26T07:49:00.006-05:00

I mentioned previously that I'm ready Nehemiah this month. A verse of chapter 6 keeps entering my life as a refrain. "They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, 'Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.' But I prayed, 'Now strengthen my hands.'" (Nehemiah 6:9)

Nehemiah was facing opposition in trying to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after the people of Israel returned from captivity in Babylon. Different leaders of nearby tribes floated rumors and the like to thwart his leadership

So much around the world is scary and seems to say you won't make it. There is a vibe that your work in the world will not succeed and the constant onslaught wears you down.

Remember, you are called by Christ to be light to the world. You have a mission and a purpose. Be Christ to your neighbor, share the love of God in your actions and words.

Nehemiah was called by God for a mission. His success reminds me that when God is involved, and God's plans cannot be thwarted because as Dr Martin Luther King eloquently stated, "the arc of the universe bends towards justice".

When feeling ground down, pray "Strengthen me God for the mission you've given me."

Go, let your light shine so that others may see your faith in action and give God praise.

Behavior Conversion

2008-02-25T20:42:00.003-05:00

"First you make your habits, then your habits make you." Coach Suzanne Murphy, my senior year lacrosse coach in college.

The gospel text in John 4:4-42 totally changed me in 1999. Sean Burke, a TA I admired and respected at seminary, had just come out to me. I was stunned, shocked and not really sure what I said as we ended a chat after worship. What I do know, is that my homework for Biblical criticism that night was to read John 4.

God opened my eyes that day. Christ encountered a woman of a different faith background who was by Jewish law committing a sexual sin. Christ didn't respond to her with judgment or demand she change her ways. By simply meeting her, and her getting to know Christ, she went away and converted her whole village. We do not know what happens to her later, but she responded to Christ with tremendous faith.

So, the habit I needed to learn was clear. Lose the judgment, I had picked up in the military. It wasn't easy. I worked at it daily. Over time, it became a habit. Be the light of Christ in these challenging times. Welcome and accept people where they are at, and invite them to come and see the goodness of the Lord. It is Christ who melts hearts with love and mercy, not judgment and threats.

Once a week, late at night, I'll see Sean is online. We'll IM back and forth and share the joyous of ministry. He is now a New Testament professor at a college helping students see Christ in the world around them.

God is good, all the time.

Criticisms we face

2008-02-23T17:53:00.005-05:00

One of the disheartening parts of being a pastor is hearing others "bash" Christians for being hypocrites. That we do not practice what we proclaim in the sanctuary. It's true, collectively as the body of Christ we have fallen short of the high standards Jesus set for us. Ghandi once remarked "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

Bill Maher takes aim at Christians as well in this clip found on youtube.com, the language is not totally clean, HBO cable is not regulated by FCC.

It would be easy to respond with anger, or to laugh this off. I disagree with practicing my faith privately, Christ so shapes my life that is fully integrated into my thought processes.

All that said, I take some of Bill's comments as a prophetic word. It reminded me of one day in the USAF, when Capt Jewell and I debated faith issues. He asked point blank, "If you believe in forgiveness so much, why are Christians so afraid to admit when you make a mistake? Would you be better off to just say, Sorry, we got it wrong, and we'll do better next time"

Since then, I have strived to admit mistakes and failures. Daily, I examine my life and see where I too fall short and fail. Then following Christ's teachings, I repent. If what I did hurt someone, I seek them out and apologize, maybe even doing something as restitution. Next step is turning around to realign myself with God's Word. Psalm 51 humbles me

"1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge."

I think over the last 20 years, the word Christian has changed its social meaning. Many view Christian as a brand name...Christian books stores, Christian bands/music, etc. Christian is not a brand name that we wear like Izod, Champion, or LL Bean. It is a way of living in the world, trying to bring God's light of love and mercy to the dark scary places of the world. I think that's why the Mac/PC mock ad struck such a chord with me.

Christian vs Christ follower

2008-02-21T00:40:00.003-05:00

Originally, Christians were called people of the way. (Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life). To get back to that focus, maybe a name change is in order. I remember in my high school Creative Writing class, Rob wore a t-shirt that said "I'm Christian, not religious" It was a great conversation about the difference between living as a disciple and doing faith stuff by rote. How do you define Christian? Is it a way of life? Or is it an accessory you put on occasionally? How would your life be different if you woke up every morning and said, "I am a Christ follower!" Try this out for a few weeks, let me know if it makes a difference.

PK

Scooby Snacks

2008-02-19T18:09:00.005-05:00

Scooby Doo has been a favorite cartoon of mine for decades. There is something about blending a dog, mystery, and a riff from the Air Force Song (off we go into the wild blue yonder) that speaks to me.

Seriously, I identify with Scooby Doo. Almost daily, I encounter situations where I want to be brave and courageous, but instead I feel anxious, afraid, too scared to try. Then I remember, the Scooby Snacks of faith, the sacraments that connect me to the divine. Yup, the water, and the bread and the wine, all remind me God made a promise to me. Remembering God is with me fills me with courage to "do" what needs to be done.

Philip Melanchthon was afraid to enter a debate one day, and begged Luther to take his place. Melanchthon whined about not knowing the faith well enough to promote the reformers views appropriately. Luther retorted, "Sin boldly and believe more boldly still."

In other words, sometimes we step out in faith to do the right thing and later discover it wasn't perfect. Then we trust in God's mercy and forgiveness found in the Christ to continue living. If I err, I confess (apologize) and return to the Lord.

Remember, God came down, so we can reach out to others. Share the good news of Christ and rejoice.

Dicipleship NASCAR style

2008-02-18T09:15:00.002-05:00

Explaining discipleship in the 21st Century is easy. Back in 2004, I realized that to be a pastor in the community I lived in meant learning about NASCAR and cheering for a racer. I always go for the underdog, and selected a driver who was in his second year and finished 5th in the previous year's rookie of the year because I was a 2nd year pastor, and my lacrosse jersey # in college was 5.

A quick search of the internet lead me to his home page; and there I encountered his followers. People who had known him from high school, a home town boy made good. I was hooked and wanted to know more. So I started reading everything I could locate on the 'net, posting obscure articles about this man so others could know what was being said.

Others in their following of Scott Riggs, write original pieces to encourage fans and the driver alike, check out http://scottriggsfans.yuku.com/topic/910/t/Twas-The-Night-Before-Daytona.html.

My following the events of NASCAR is like my following of Christ. It is a daily thing, daily devotion of time to read scripture and see what God is doing in the world. The old stories of rescue are still happening in the world around us.

As a group of people, as a community of believers in Christ, we are called to encourage one another. Think of it as drafting. Working together makes things easier because there is less resistance and we can go further then we dreamed was possible.

Prayers after Shooting in Northern Illinois University

2008-02-15T23:36:00.002-05:00

Not again, God, not again.

When will we learn, learn a new way to resolve disputes and conflict. What is this fascination on taking things out on others to restore honor...to be remembered for acts that hurt and horrify. I don't understand. I don't know how to stop this insanity...and so I turn to you in shame and humility and beg you to act for you are my rock and fortress in these times.

Be with all the victims of the shooting, the families and the community. Heal the wounds, the physical injuries, the mental trauma and the spiritual doubt that has come upon the people. Swirl in the open spaces of those who mourn so that they feel whole.

Use us to build a living temple, one which brings you on honor and glory through our living in peace and harmony with all of creation. Amen

Rediscovering an old book

2008-02-13T09:44:00.003-05:00

I am tossing down a gauntlet, challenging people to read a book of the Bible a month. While reading Philemon (all 24 verses of it) won't take long. Genesis might take a few hours.

Why do it? To get reconnected to the power source of our life, God almighty, our Creator and Redeemer, who makes us holy.

I'm reading Nehemiah right now. Chapter 1 always blows me away, it starts with prayer and confession. It starts with the author humbling himself before God, and begging God to act. This is what I need in Lent; to drop to my knees admit my failures and short comings before God and beg God to act.

admit my failure to follow through on ideas
my failure to keep Christ the center of everything in my life because I've allowed the distractions to pull life out of shape
my failure to serve the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength

in my confession comes an answer in the silence that follows...dear child of God, long ago, my son went to the cross for you. He paid the fine for your sins, and I still raised him from the dead. Do you think I would treat you differently? He made you holy and righteous, with a clean heart. Move on, do justice, love mercy, and continue to walk humbly with me, your God.

A Time to Build

2008-01-26T08:38:00.000-05:00

I spent Friday with Lutheran Disaster Response Groups from NJ, PA, and MS. We toured from Mobile, AL to New Orleans learning about the different styles of response to Katrina. Each volunteer camp has the same mission, but approach it slightly differently. Seeing the devastation that lingers almost 29 months after Katrina is shocking.

In the third picture, Lee Zandstra, LDR of NJ, is 5'10". The water in the area came to the top of the wall behind her. Unreal, the power of a wall of water to clear everything.

Our tour guide for New Orleans grew up in East New Orleans and is now a pastor in Slidell, LA. Driving through the ninth ward and witnessing the marks on the door, that signify the day entered, number of deaths, and whether or not to demolish the house, I realized there are no words for the emotions of saddness and regret that things were not different for this area.

What brings comfort, is the promise from God to Noah in Genesis: "Never again will I destroy all the earth with a flood." And so with the words of Ecclesiastes 3:3 ringing in my head, we are now in "a time to build"

May the light of Christ illuminate your path so that others are drawn to the hope of the World.

Screw and Nail Removal

2008-01-24T20:46:00.000-05:00

"Bind us Together, Lord" is a hymn I sang often while a member at Peace Lutheran Church in Lompoc, CA. The refrain goes

"Bind us together Lord, bind us together with cords that cannot be broken. Bind us together Lord, bind us together Lord, bind us together in love."

I was a little more awake today at 0600. While strolling around the dorm area before breakfast, I noticed the sign from my parent's church on the wall. It's amazing how many different congregations have little works of art to say, "We were here to help." The connections between congregations in the ELCA and beyond who have worked here are incredible. The map shows people have come to help from Germany, Austria, England, South America, as well as all 50 states.

Today, I did more caulking and cleaning. Then, after lunch we were sent to a home that needed to be gutted. The original repairers from '06 mixed copper and aluminum electrical wire. This is a serious fire hazard, and while the electrical crew was attempting to just redo the wiring, it was determined that the insulation was not replaced from the flood.

Sheet rock, insulation, duct work, everything removed from the house. Twenty people working hard, so that next week the house can have new drywall installed. I don't recommend climbing into a dumpster to pack down fiberglass insulation so more can fit in...it makes ya itchy :)

It's hard right after a disaster, to imagine anything good coming from the situation. Yet, Paul in Romans 8:29 provides a glimmer of hope: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

In just a few days, I have seen the good God has done, uniting a diverse group of people for a common mission of taking care of our neighbors.

God be with you

Cleaning and Caulking

2008-01-23T20:00:00.000-05:00

"Lead me to the rock that is higher than I; for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy." Psalm 61:2b-3

The day began at 0600, lights on and folks rolling out of their beds. Me, I was grateful that I didn't have anyone singing "I'm alive, awake, alert, enthusiastic" to get me to move.

I went to two homes with a mixed crew from PA, IA, MI, NJ, and I'm representing NY. Our task was to do the final cleaning and tweaking so folks can move in. Sweeping, mopping, window cleaning, caulking, etc. Whatever needed to happen to make the home look brand new, ready for someone to move in.

What a surprise, when the homeowner came by to say "Thank you, God, for sending these people. After two years, I'm finally going to come home." She's been living in a FEMA trailer on her front lawn with most of her furniture in a P.O.D. While she was there, we asked "Where do you want your towel rack?"

At the second home, WC, the owner also came into see the progress. The building inspector was on site, and WC will be able to return to his house next week once the stove is connected.

WC was one of the people who choose to ride at the storm. The winds blew at 150+mph for hours and the storm surge came at high tide. This 30 ft surge, pushed the water from the Gulf back up the canals and into neighborhoods. WC had water in his house up to about 24 inches. He and his wife were forced to live elsewhere for the last two years. Sadly, his wife of 50 years died in August, never seeing her home restored.

Today, I saw the promise of Psalm 60 come true. The transformation from despair, to hope and trust.

"O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you have been angry; now restore us! You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair the cracks in it; for it is tottering"

The Lamb of God is here, repairing what has been torn open. Thank you, Jesus, Amen.

Feel free to reply to this blog, that me know you're out there :)

Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord

2008-01-22T21:53:00.000-05:00

I was surprised, I was expecting a "camp" not a remodeled sewing factory. Yet, it already feels like home. The exterior has been painted in murals by local artists, the interior adorned with signed t-shirts by the groups hanging from the rafters and the walls decorated with paintings, scripture and signatures.

My heart has been opened to the need: 60+ families still need help with food every week. Only 20% of the homes have been restored/rebuilt in south Mississippi. The statistics are mind numbing. Jesus invited the disciples to come and see. That invitation fits coming to Mississippi; there are three church camps that house and feed volunteers. Come and work in a wide variety of jobs, come and encounter the Lamb of God.

Tomorrow at 0800 I'll get dirty. I've been added to a church group from South Carolina to go to a housing development in Biloxi, MS to help paint, run electrical wire, and hang sheet rock.

Getting Ready

2008-01-20T19:18:00.000-05:00

I'm excited, bubbling with anticipation. Finally, I'm heading off to Mississippi to help with the continuing rebuilding efforts following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I've been wanting to do this for two years, and other things were a higher priority. In December I decided, now is the time for action. So with hammer, steel toed boots and some work clothes in the bag, and several more items to squeeze in...time is growing short because I leave in 36 hours.

Sacraments II

2008-01-13T19:56:00.000-05:00

Sunday, Jan 13, marks the annual celebration of Christ's baptism.

In honor of this event, I invite you to remember your baptism. Go outside, find a mud puddle...roll around in it, splash in it, have a blast like an energetic two year old. Yeah, go get really dirty.

Then, come back inside, take a warm shower and as the water knocks the mud off; remember how in baptism, your sins are washed away. Everything you've regretted doing, everything that still makes you feel guilty has been washed away. Because Christ was baptized, we are made holy, pure and perfect before God.

Power of the Sacraments

2008-01-09T11:21:00.000-05:00

There are days when I think we take the power of Holy Communion too lightly. We key in on the "forgiveness of sins" and make it an individual happy meal, forgetting the word "union" found in communion. In the simple meal of bread and wine, we are united...to Christ...to all other Christians, past, present, and future.

It is this unity that provides comfort after the death of a loved one or friend. To know that because the circle around the altar has no beginning, or end the people we miss are there...family members yet to be born are present...Christians from around the corner and around the world are next to us. In short, we are one gathered around Christ. It is mind blowing. To borrow phrases from Science Fiction, the space-time continuim is stretched and bent so that God's kingdom is fully present in those moments.

For this I thank God.

PK

Mythbusting

2008-01-06T21:19:00.000-05:00

Part of my brain is historical detective...pulling back the layers of myth, legends, and assumptions to discover the truth. There are times when that gets dicey from the pulpit. Telling folks that the three kings, aren't spelled out in scripture makes their paradigms shift without a clutch.

In Matthew 2:1-12, they are called "Magi" and there is no particular number given in this passage. It could have been three, it could have been 30. Matthew didn't bother to let us know...therefore, it probably doesn't matter that much.

What does matter is that the Magi were the "Miss Cleo's" of their day, horoscope, astrologer, pseudo-scientists, who knew how to read the stars. In Matthew's gospel they were neither kings nor wisemen. Our word magic comes from "magi".

God used Magi, who were heretics to the community, to be among the first to worship Jesus as King of the Jews. God met them where they were with a sign they could understand.

And here's the good news for us: because God brought these outcasts to Jesus, there is nothing that we can do that will keep Jesus from us. Sure there are days were God may feel far off. Numerous psalms reflect this feeling, but all the while, Emanuel, God with us, is calling take my hand, I'm right next to you.

Forgiveness

2007-12-13T11:06:00.000-05:00

The past few days I've been pondering the power of forgiveness. The following thoughts are not meant to cover all situations, but seek to offer another way to deal with the hurts of life.

Within forgive, is the word give. When someone cuts in front of me, buries my car in snow to clear theirs, or the like, I can GIVE away my feelings of anger and shame. These powerful emotions would hold me captive otherwise, and my desire revenge would cause things to escalate to tragic levels. The movie Changing Lanes portrays this powerfully.

Forgiveness is giving away the hurt; it doesn't mean it did not happen. It is letting go, asking the other to "please don't continue this behavior" so the hurting stops. It is difficult to confront someone, and say "I'd prefer..." but that is the adult thing to do. Some days forgiveness is letting go and walking away to prevent repeated pain.

There are times where we need to forgive ourselves for making bad choices, sometimes we need to confess to someone "I'm sorry I hurt you". The power of forgiveness lies in giving away the negative and opening ourselves to the positive.

This Advent, as you ponder and prepare for Christ...feel the power of forGIVEness.

John the Baptist and Repenting

2007-12-11T14:11:00.000-05:00

John the Baptist, cousin of Jesus, is probably my favorite non-divine character in scripture. He's blunt, to the point, and knows his place in the world is to prepare the way for the Savior. In Matthew 3:1-12, he gets grumpy and calls the religious leaders snakes.

When the highly religious folks show up to see John baptize the masses the Pharisees and Sadducees come out and John is surprised to see them. "Who warned you about what’s coming? Are you here to participate…or just to watch from the sidelines?"

John calls them a pack of snakes, because they are so sure of their righteousness through their bloodlines and kinship laws that they do not take care of the widows and orphans.

John is furious at them. Although they are in a position to help others, they chose to strike like snakes and wound they very ones they should help

John paints a harsh picture of the judgment which awaits the people. The only way to avoid judgment is to REPENT! Turn around and head in a new direction.

So why repent? In his defense of the Augsburg Confession Philip Melanchthon, Luther’s 2nd in command, discusses repentance and what it means in the lives of believers. He calls it putting to death our sinful ways and bringing to life good fruits. (Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IX)

When we feel terror because of our sins, we turn from them and change our ways. Our faith in God’s mercy consoles our terrified spirits and good works simply flow from us.

Think of a time, when you know you made a mistake. The fear of punishment paralyzed you, you couldn't work, eat, play. Now, imagine if instead of punishment, you were told: "Did you learn something? Are you sorry? Good, try not to do it again. Now turn around and get on with your life"

As believers, every day we are called to stop of our sinful ways and to seek comfort in our baptism and God’s mercy. Once forgiven, we stop dwelling on the past. Once forgiven, we stop worrying about future punishment and become a co-worker in the kingdom of God caring for those in need.

Because God forgives, we let go of our fears, and receive the gift of moving forward in Christ's light. As we move forward we bring the light to others.

This week, may you experience the joy of being set free by God's forgiveness.

Prayers After West Roads Mall Shooting

2007-12-07T20:45:00.000-05:00

During my 3 1/2 years in Nebraska, I only went to the West Roads Mall a handful of times. It wasn't along any of my normal routes going to and from the various hospitals in Omaha, so I opted to go elsewhere most of the time.

Holy God, once again, gun shots scatter a crowd looking to purchase a gift to signify the love they have for another. I beg of you to bring peace to our world: give us eyes to see those who are hurting; give us ears to hear the cries for help; and your compassionate wisdom so that we might provide a word, a touch, a smile, that helps the downtrodden open up and use words to express their pain and frustration. Guide us to find ways to reach out, so that no one need travel the path that Robert Hawkins took again.

Comfort the victims and their families with your holy presence so that they feel Emmanuel, God with us, embracing them during these dark days. We await the glad sound that signifies our savior comes again. Amen

Advent: A Wake Up Call Romans 13:11-14

2007-12-03T14:23:00.001-05:00

Is there anything harder to do in November and December than to wake up on dark, mornings and get ready for school, work or worship, convincing yourself that even though it is pitch-black outside, somehow it is actually "morning" and time to wake up to a new "day"? These are the days that I just want to roll over tug on the blankets, snuggle in and go back to sleep.

Scripture for the Advent Season invites us to become spiritually awake.
Awake in the knowledge of Christ and the way God desires us to live

Wake up and see that "salvation is nearer to us now ..." (v. 11);
Wake up and see that the "night is far gone, the day is near" (v. 12);
Wake up and "lay aside the works of darkness ..." (v. 12);
Wake up and "put on the armor of light" (v. 12);
Wake up and "live honorably" (v. 13);

In short we are told "Wake up and Get a Clue."

To help with the process, I turn to the words of Alfred Delp, a prisoner of the Nazis, to explain this concept. Although not as well-known as Lutheran Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Delp is just as spiritually deep.

Delp was a Jesuit priest charged with treason. The charge stemmed from some group discussions Father Delp had during the war, in which the participants imagined that Nazism collapsed, and they were creating a new social order from scratch. For his "defeatism," Father Delp was sentenced to imprisonment and death.

The only kindness shown to him was a jailer who left his shackles loose enough to slip one hand free so that he could write these words, with handcuffs dangling and clanging as he wrote:

"Advent is a time for rousing. Human beings are shaken to the very depths, so that they may wake up to the truth of themselves. The primary condition for a fruitful and rewarding Advent
is renunciation, surrender ... a shattering awakening; that is the necessary preliminary. Life begins only when the whole framework is shaken."

-As quoted by Bill Wylie Kellerman, Seasons of Faith and Conscience (New York: Orbis, 1991), 137-138.

Life begins when we are shaken to the core. What would shake you and rattle your life to the point that you’d admit you were powerless?

What would need to confront you so that you have a fruitful and rewarding Advent of renunciation and surrender and realize you had no option other than to fully rely on Christ?

Advent is a time of waking up and recognizing our true selves. It would be easier to just examine others, but the call is to get our individual lives in line with God’s will and purpose so we to are ready for Emmanuel, God with us.

Christ the King

2007-11-26T11:19:00.002-05:00

How can we describe Jesus in the 21st Century, when we disdain non-elected leaders?

What if rather than calling Christ king, we compared him to different varieties of Coca-cola
No, I’m not being a heretic…just discovering a new way of sharing the faith

Diet Jesus. For those who want all the taste and none of the calories.
Diet Jesus is for people who love the concept of Jesus, but not all the impact he might make in their lives. We want Jesus to save our souls, but to leave our lifestyles alone. We love this Jesus. He gets people out of judgment,but not the judgment out of people.

This take on Jesus is as misdirected as overeating accompanied with a Diet Coke.
I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one who has watched people enjoy a feast with delicious desserts washing it down with a Diet Coke and wondered would the extra 100 calories
of real Coke make a difference?

Faith is the same way. We can’t check off the “saved” box and not examine our lives and repent. Diet Jesus doesn’t work because in Christ we are a new creation!

The triune God makes us new and the Holy Spirit is our Jiminey Cricket conscience leading us into a more holy life.

Other Christians treat Jesus as a special additive; think of Cherry Coke or Vanilla Coke. It’s Coke, plus a nice little additive to create interest.

Sometimes people see their lives as friends, family, career, recreation, retirement accounts, etc., and then throw in some Jesus additive once a week. He’s a nice flavor enhancement
to an otherwise intact formula.

He’s the Jesus icing on the life cake. Bishop David DeFreese calls it Country Club Christianity
— make the visit once a week to show everyone you are still a member. But don’t get involved or do ministry

While many unwittingly think of Christian spirituality in this way, Jesus makes no claim to be the cherry additive. He’s the real thing.

For Paul, Jesus is not an add-on. The text is clear: Because we are followers of Jesus,
all of our life — all seven days a week —all 4 million plus heart beats should be impacted by our faith.

Look again at the imagery and metaphors in Colossians 1:11-20 and see how they describe the whole and complete scope of Jesus’ reign.

Verse 11: Christ prepares his people to “endure everything” by offering “all the strength that comes from his glorious power” (v. 11).

In other words, there’s nothing we experience that God wants us to take on alone. The Almighty desires to be involved in every aspect. Every negative thought. Every insecurity.
Every temptation. God is there in the best and worst; in life and in death

Christ has “first place in everything” (v. 18). This is a tough thing; with our jam packed schedules it seems that Christ winds up elsewhere on our priorities. And today is the cold water in the face reminder there is only one place he will be.
First place.

Jesus is no pleasant vanilla accent. He’s Classic Christ: God’s anointed savior, the Good Shepherd, the Prince of Peace, the entire principle behind our whole lives.

Classic Christ needs a classic image and a just monarch is a fitting image: Christ the King

Jesus…the real thing
The real King
The same Jesus who shapes our souls keeps on working and will shape the way we do church.
The concept never changes —

Jesus Christ transforming lives so people can help change the world.

He is everything. He is Completeness. Reconciling all things in every aspect of your life
and every believer’s life.

What kind of Jesus are we drinking in? Quite simply, the living water who meets every need and brings us to everlasting life

Today and in the season of Advent, ponder "Who is Jesus?" as we walk together towards Bethlehem, to see Emmanuel, God with us.

Amen.

Why Blog?

2007-11-26T10:10:00.000-05:00

In our fast paced society, it is easy to feel cut off and disconnected for God and others. My hope is that this simple Blog will feed your soul each week with God's Word and you will experience the love of Christ, Emmanuel, God with us.

The name comes from Exodus 16: the people of Israel have left Egypt and been wandering in the wilderness for 1 and 1/2 months and complained to Moses about their need for food. God responds "I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day...the house of Israel called it manna; it was like coriander seed, whit, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey."

God be with you
PK