Reality?

At lunchtime the other day I started flipping through the channels on my television. I found a remake of the old Battle of the Network stars, but with Reality Show "stars." I'll admit I got sucked into it, but I'm a little confused. Reality TV was created to take a glimpse into normal peoples lives (I think that was the point). Now these people have become celebrities in their own right. I've seen other Reality TV personality competitions before and there seems to be a number recurring competitors. So now we have a group of people making a living by going from Reality Show to Reality Show. What happened to reality? It's become celebrity? I can't quite explain it, but it just feels really kind of bizarre to me... I'm getting a newspaper headline starting to flash through my head, "Legal Peeping Toms Create Celebrities!"... Voyeurism is alive and well.

Really

Yesterday you couldn't watch the news without seeing a number of reports about the 5 year anniversary of 9/11. I think it's good to remember, to mourn again, to grieve as we need. In a number of reports I heard people make comments about it being important to remember what really happened, because sometimes we forget. I think that is probably true.

It also made me think. If we forget what really happened five years ago, how apt are we to forget what Christ really did two thousand years ago? Around the church we sometimes say things rather flipply like, "Christ died for you." It's just a passing comment in a series of minor arguments. Yet isn't that event even more significant? We say the world wasn't the same after those planes crashed into the World Trade Center, and it's true. Yet how much more true is it that the world was never the same after what Christ really did for us on the cross?

Different Christs

Marva Dawn in Reaching Out without Dumbing Down suggests the possibility of different christs today when she writes: At the 1987 Vancouver World's Fair, the Christian pavilion's presentation utilized glitzy double-reversed photography and flashing lasers. When I tried to explain my qualms about the production to an attendant who had asked me how I liked their "show," she protested that it had saved many people. I asked, "Saved by what kind of Christ?" If people are saved by a spectacular Christ, will they find him in the fumbling of their own devotional life or in the humble services of local parishes where pastors and organists make mistakes? Will a glitzy portrayal of Christ nurture in new believers his character of willing suffering and sacrificial obedience? Will it create an awareness of the idolatries of our age and lead to repentance? And does a flashy, hard-rock sound track bring people to a Christ who calls us away from the world's superficiality to deeper reflection and meditation? [p. 50]

Marva Dawn, Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down.

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

"O Sacred Head, Now Wounded" is perhaps one of the best-known and often-sung Holy Week hymns. It was written by Bernard, abbot of Clairvaux, whose life and ministry the church commemorates on Aug. 20.

The hymn is about Jesus' passion, the pain and suffering Christ endured for our salvation. It is a vivid picture of Christ's self-sacrificing love for us. But it is also a personal lament for our sinfulness and as well as solemn thanksgiving for Christ's willingness to die on the cross.

We may see Jesus' passion as weakness and defeat, causing us to turn away from him. But it is hardly that, since it reveals his steadfast love and faithfulness for us. Consequently, Jesus' passion can strengthen and console us throughout our lives - especially when death draws near, because it cradles us in God's love and renews our faith in God's goodness and grace.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you were sent to heal the sick:
Lord Jesus, you comfort the afflicted:
Lord Jesus, you give us yourself to heal us and bring us strength:

Lord Jesus, you came to reconcile us to one another and to the Father:
Lord Jesus, you heal the wounds of sin and division:
Lord Jesus, you show us God's love:

Lord Jesus, you seek the lost:
Lord Jesus, you admonish the sinner:
Lord Jesus, you invite us to reconciliation,

Lord Jesus, you restore us to wholeness:
Lord Jesus, you forgive the sinner,
Lord Jesus, you bring pardon and peace to the sinner

Loving God, you know the secrets of our hearts.
Free us from all anxiety and vengeance,
give us courage to tell the truth,
to seek the path of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Restore all who are broken to wholeness in body and spirit.
Open them to your goodness and justice.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

Why Church?

Why Do I Need Church?

" …And it is for that reason that I told my friend by the campfire in Grand Marais that that the main reason I go to church is not because I need the community or to learn something new about God or how to live a better life. The #1 reason I go to church is to get saved. Not because going to church earns us any kind of extra credit. Not at all! I go to church to get saved because I don’t live in Galilee and I don’t live 2000 years ago. I live here and church is where Jesus continues to speak and to act… it’s here that the gospel and sacraments of Christ are given out and it’s here that the Son of God comes directly to everyone whose there with all his grace and saving power.

I told him that it’s not enough for me to hear the gospel once as a child, or every Christmas and Easter thinking that will sustain me… I told him that I think we’re all hard wired to doubt, to forget, to twist and turn God’s good news into something that often sounds far less than good… I told him that it’s hard for me to believe such incredibly good news—the good news that in Jesus Christ I don’t need to earn my salvation or work hard to achieve peace with God… that these are the very things Jesus died to freely give me—and that the devil and death itself no longer have power over me! And I told him this is such incredibly good news that, honestly, it’s hard for me to go a full week and still believe it. I start to thinking I’m not worthy of it and I fall back into that trap that maybe there’s something I need to do to earn it. I need to have my faith rekindled often so that I can go yet another week assured that I and everyone else that gathers in church with me are God’s very own possessions. That’s why I need the church…."

--J.M. Bjorge (from Sunday’s sermon)

Lesson from Leaving

Well, we're back from vacation. It was good to get away and relax some. However, doesn't always feel like you could use one more week of vacation no matter how long you're gone? I suppose part of it is that as soon as you get back there is a whole long list of chores you need to catch up on.

One chore immediately staring us in the face was the need to mow the lawn. An incredible notion really. Throughout the summer we did all that we could think of to encourage the lawn to grow. We began the summer with fertilizing. We spent time watering during hot stretches. We let it grow longer to protect it from the heat. We really wanted to have a great lawn, but it struggled to grow. It spent most of the summer ugly and brown. Then we leave for about two weeks, with only God to care for it, and we return to a virtual rain forest. I'm thinking if we mow it just right we might even make the folks over at Somerby jealous. Funny how that works.

Maybe we should pay attention. Isn't that the way it goes in our lives sometimes? We work and work on our lives trying to fix it and improve it by our own shear will. Yet, what if we just left well enough alone, leaving it for only God to tend to. Maybe then we'll find our lives flourishing... I think that might have some real potential.

Nasty

In our gospel reading for this Sunday Jesus says, "unless you eat of my flesh and drink of my blood." Seriously, that is just plain gross. Sure, we can listen to that now and think, "Ooh, Jesus is talking about communion. Isn't that wonderful?" However, place yourself back in that time. Imagine sitting around and hearing Jesus say this. What would you be thinking? Why would the one you're starting to think just might be the savior be suggesting cannibalism? And on top of that suggesting that he be the main course for dinner? That's just plain nasty.

A strange thing our faith is... at least if you sit down and thing about some of it. Especially if we want to take it literally. Luckily we know that there are portions of the Bible that are intended to be taken symbolically. However, as Fred Hasecke points out in his devotion, that doesn't make the comprehension of things like communion all so much easier. It is really such a profound thing that is happening in our sacraments. Theologians have wrestled and tried to explain it for years, but nobody has fully been able to wrap their heads around it. Yet, so profound how Christ comes to us in such simple ways like the waters of baptism or the bread and wine of communion.

Get Out of the Way

In seminary, and I've heard other pastors say this, we used to say things like, "I just want to try and not get in the way of the Holy Spirit." I think it is important. We have a way of wanting to be the center of attention. I think that's normal. I'm that way a lot. The problem is when you become such the focus that we lose sight of God.

Yesterday was a good reminder of that. In the devotions in Our Daily Bread the author talked about Caroll Spinney the puppeteer behind the well known characters of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. Caroll has done a masterful job of remaining behind the scenes so that the characters can shine. Much in the same way John the Baptist suggested that he must decrease so that Christ might increase... Where do you need to get out of the way?

Dining with God

When Seymour passed away, God greeted him at the Pearly Gates. "Thou be hungry, Seymour?" said God.

"I could eat," Seymour replied.

So God opened a can of tuna and reached for a chunk of rye bread and they shared it. While eating this humble meal, Seymour glanced down into Hell and saw the inhabitants devouring huge steaks, lobsters, pheasants, pastries, and fine wines. Curious, but deeply trusting, Seymour remained quiet.

The next day God again invited Seymour for another meal. Again, it was tuna and rye bread. Once again looking down, Seymour could see the denizens of Hell enjoying caviar, champagne, lamb, truffles, and chocolates. Still Seymour said nothing.

The following day, mealtime arrived and God opened another can of tuna. Seymour could contain himself no longer. Meekly, he said: "God, I am grateful to be in heaven with you as a reward for the pious, obedient life I led. But here in heaven all I get to eat is tuna and a piece of rye bread and in the Other Place they eat like emperors and kings! Forgive me, O God, but I just don’t understand."

God sighed: "Let’s be honest, Seymour. For just two people does it pay to cook?"

O, Lord Give Me a Penny

A man asked God,"What does a billion dollars mean to you who are all powerful?"
"Hardly a penny." God said.
Then the man asked God , "And what are a thousand centuries to you?" God answered "Hardly a second!!"
Thinking he had God backed into a corner, the man then said, "Then if that's the case, O, Lord give me a penny !!"
"Sure," God replied. “In just a minute.”

Wisdom isn't outsmarting God, wisdom is living in and with God. Wisdom is being in Christ and surrounded by Christ. Wisdom is eating and drinking from the feast which God has prepared for us.

Today's God Pause

Psalm 34:9-14 (Click to view Bible text below.)

What is it that we seek and fear, want and revere in our quest for a long and prosperous life? Is it the Lord of heaven and earth, who has given us the hope of eternal life with God and all the saints through Christ's death and resurrection? Or is it the power and prestige, selfishness and bigotry that can turn us into young lions that do not fear the Lord, but rather roar fiercely and devour their prey in an endless hunger for more?
How strange it is that the world should turn so often to the latter with lies and evil deeds, since it holds no promise for a better life. One would think that we would know better. And so, the cry goes out: Listen to the Lord and pursue peace by following in Christ's footsteps, for those who seek the Lord lack nothing that is good.

Giver of everything good, we come before you with reverent hearts and ask for your guidance in our pursuit of peace, so that all may enjoy the fullness of life that comes from you in Christ. Amen.

Fred Hasecke
Trinity English Evangelical Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Master of Divinity , 1973

Something More

Give this God Pause devotion a read. We have a lot in common with the world. We are simple people. However, we are also called to something more, I think. Like the author points out we are called to not just be human, but humane. I think we are good, but I also think we are called to be great. You see, we are filled the Holy Spirit. We have Jesus in our hearts. We have been, and are, fed with the bread of life. We may not be any better than others, but because of our intimate relationship with God we are called to something more. So go and be great... because of God.

Who?

I remember as a kid people always asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I still ask that question some times of myself. Although, more often I wonder what it would be like to be somebody else or to be more like a particular person. Do you ever wonder about those things? What would it be like to live the life of somebody like Brad Pitt? How would you act differently if you were to act more like Mother Theresa? The devotions from Luther Seminary, called God Pause, offer an interesting challenge in that area. It's normal, I think to model your life after other people, but who are you going to chose? Somebody like your parents, somebody that fought for justice like Martin Luther King Jr., or will you chose a celebrity that lives an outrageous lifestyle? The choice is yours. Who will you chose? Who?

Seeing God

Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said:

“When you have no helpers, see all your helpers in God.
When you have many helpers, see God in all your helpers.
When you have nothing but God, see all in God;
when you have everything, see God in everything.
Under all conditions, stay thy heart only on the Lord.”

Forgiveness

When did you last read the Lord's prayer in your Bible? I was reading the version in Matthew today and was struck by what appears to be an emphasis on forgiveness. Forgiveness is a wonderful thing, but it can be a scary thing as well. To start with if we let things go long enough we get used to being mad at a certain person and to forgive would mean changing that pattern. What might that look like? How would we deal with that person now? The other scary part is that to get to forgiveness there often needs to be a confrontation. So instead of a calm before the storm we need to face a storm before the calm. In forgiveness there needs to be a confrontation of the wrong that has happened, and very few of us like confrontation. Yet I think we all know the beauty of the other side of forgiveness, that side where we are forgiven. It's a beautiful and wonderful gift. If God can forgive us then it seems that we can forgive others, we can share that gift. Wouldn't that make this world a more beautiful place?

Blessed?

Question: Would you say that you, as a citizen of this great nation, are blessed? If your answer is “Yes!” how do you understand being “blessed? You have a fine home. You drive a nice ear. You have a good job. You are financially secure. You have a good retirement plan. Perhaps you have a cabin or cottage up on some lake.

Jesus never defines “being blessed” in those terms. He defines “blessed” only in terms of how we use life to reflect His servant life-style. He did not live to get and enjoy. He lived to love and to serve—full-time. And we are called to do the same.

We do well to remember that there is no such thing as Christian giving. There is only Christian management of God’s property— including the body in which each of us lives, and which is on loan from God. The goal must not be to encourage people to give more. It must be to inspire them to rob less. Money, after all, is merely stored servanthood.

When Jesus (the true Head of the Church, God’s people) was crucified, His executioners took away all of His earthly possessions: a head cloth, an outer robe, an inner robe, a belt and a pair of sandals. Jesus was crucified naked. Even so, His life was the most blessed life the world has ever seen! And we, His brothers and sisters, are to seek to reflect His style of “blessed life.” A life of servanthood!

--Harry Wendt

Make It

"Fake It 'til You Make It"

I think it's an interesting phrase. I think in a number of cases that can be good advice. It can be a way to learn things like manners. Yet, like most things that have good potential when it's taken too far it can get ugly. On Sunday morning after worship we happened to catch the preacher Joel Osteen on TV. What we got out of his sermon was, if you are feeling bad just tell yourself to have a good day. It kind of rubbed Dawn and I the wrong way. Sometimes your days are bad enough that you can't just will yourself to be happy and cheery, in fact it might just be wrong. For example, I had friend who is an ER nurse tell me about a woman who came in with a child that died from SIDs over night. She showed up later that day because another child of hers had been run over by a car. So what I heard from Joel is that this woman could, and should, just decide to have a good day. I don't think so. We had some other issues with what we heard as well, but we won't get into them here.

Sometimes we have bad days with our faith, we have times when we start to wander in a spiritual wilderness. I think we that happens we have a tendency to try and cover it up and make everything look good. We don't want to look like we lack for faith. The devotion from "Our Daily Bread" talked about that some today. In an attempt to cover up our lack of faith we decide to fake it until we make it. An interesting thought. It might just work sometimes. Yet, I wouldn't recommend it because it puts quite a burden on you that you then need to bear. Instead, this would be another place to be genuine, especially with fellow believers. As a Christian you are a part of a community, that means in those tough times we are here to help bear your burdens so you don't have to by yourself. It is through the body of Christ that you will make it... not by faking it.

Together, but Alone

Sunday's sermon tried to get at our call to unity and pointed out some of the ways we've become divided. After worship, it struck me that I missed one of the biggest challenges we face in trying to connect with one another. Technology. I love technology myself, but in some ways it has killed our community. How often do you see a group of people, especially younger people, together and at least one of them is on the phone or someone is listening to their i-pod? We might be in the same room together, but we're tuned into our technology and our heads are somewhere else. Our mind is with the song on our i-pod, in our conversation on the phone, thinking about our text message, or what e-mail we are sending. We no longer are fully present, all of us present, to the people we are with in the moment.

Multi-tasking? I don't buy it. It is a law of physics that you cannot be in two places at the same time. You might be able to switch back and forth very quickly and efficiently, but you cannot be in both places at the same time. So I challenge you to unplug your electronics for a while and really interact with one another. Don't answer your phone when it rings, you don't have to, or even better yet don't even bring your phone. Sit around the living room and really have a conversation with one another, or play a board game together. You just might find it to be a beautiful gift.

Starving

Starving in a Land of Plenty

During the winter of 1610, the population of Jamestown went from about 500 people to about 60. While disease and conflict with the natives took some, most of the settlers simply starved. There were plentiful supplies of fish, oysters, frogs, fowl, and deer; but these settlers from the city were not accustomed to obtaining food from the land. Hence, they starved!

We sometimes act the same way. God comes to us continually in the person of the Holy Spirit to guide us. As a loving Father God awaits the opportunity to meet our needs, but we are not accustomed to receiving from His loving hand. Nor does it occur to us to pray. So we wander blindly from problem to problem, a sort of picture of those early settlers who starved in a land of plenty.

--King Duncan

What Would You Pay?

In the devotion today from "Our Daily Bread" the author tells the story of a man in communist Russia who didn't have a Bible and so every night he borrowed his friends Bible and laboriously copied it by hand from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. He then poses an interesting question, "Imagine not having access to a copy of the Bible. What price would you pay to get one?" How many of us have Bibles that simply take up space on the book shelf and collect dust? How many of us have had times when we were asked to bring a Bible had a difficult time locating ours? Have we lost the significance of the Bible?

In the gospel of John we hear a story about people who were following Jesus that stopped following him because they became offended by what Jesus was teaching. (Funny how we have kind of "Disneyfied" the gospel so that it is rarely offensive to anyone any more.) After a number of these people leave Jesus turns to the disciples and asks if they too are going to leave. To which Peter replies, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." Jesus has the words of eternal life and those words can be found in the Bible. Yet on our shelves it sits, forgotten by many.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm just as guilty. There have been a number of times I've attended interdenominational church meetings and people from other churches showed up carrying Bibles. Why wouldn't they, they take them everywhere they go? I was embarrassed to admit I didn't even consider bringing my Bible, even though it was a church event. Why wouldn't I naturally bring my Bible with me at all times? If it contains the words of eternal life, is it not a priceless treasure?

I pray today that we would all thirst for the living water that is Christ. I pray that we would all hunger for the bread of life that satisfies. I pray that we would treasure Christ as the amazing gift that He is, and not let our Savior become something that is in the far backgound of our life.

Friends

Many of us are familiar with the hymn, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." It's a wonderful song, a wonderful reminder of what a companion we have in Jesus. Yet, sometimes I feel I need more friendship than that, I need friends here in the flesh. Last night we had some friends over for dinner. It was good to have them over. It was a reminder of how we need friends. If there is one thing Dawn and I have struggled with in our move to Byron it would be loneliness. It takes time to make new friends in a new community. It feels like it takes even longer than it does because in the process you leave behind friends from where you moved. Such is life.

So I have been thinking about friends lately. I've been thinking an expression I've heard that says, "You have to be a friend to make a friend." So it was striking to me that the devotion today from "Our Daily Bread" was about friends (go ahead and read it, I think it was pretty good). They compared Daniel and Job's friends. Job's friends antagonized, while Daniels friends supported and strengthened one another in difficult times. So I will leave you with the questions today's author leaves us with, "What kind of friend are you?" Do you antagonize, or do you support and encourage friends in their faith. "Who needs you to be a friend today?"

A While

So it's been a while since I posted. It was somewhere before the trip to Boston. What a great trip that was, but it wore me out. Then I got out of practice and the ball kept dropping further and further. Soon this blog was nearly forgotten. However, I am here to attempt to resurrect my practice. The danger is I'll be going on vacation in a couple of weeks, then what is going to happen? Who knows? However, we'll take the new life now while we can get it.

Today I got to thinking about several things. With this quietness on the blog I was thinking about this near drought we've been experiencing and the rain we've received this morning. Isn't that how our lives go sometimes? We go through these dry periods and the grass in our life starts to turn brown and die. Fortunately, like grass, we are made tough and we will survive. We keep coming back to life. (Thanks be to God for that one) I wonder, though, if in the midst of a drought if we dump too much water on all at once if we'll burn as well?

I was thinking about the Good Samaritan in my devotion time. We often think of ourselves in terms of one of the men who passed by that poor, beaten man. I suppose in some ways we are. However, I also wonder if we're not also that poor, beaten victim. In life we will inevitably need to make decisions in our life and inevitably we're going to make the wrong choice at some point. When we do that does not Jesus then become the Good Samaritan for us, passing by to pick us up and cares for us unto healing? What a wonderful gift that is!

Why Are You Here?

Why Are You Here?

One day a couple by the name of Herman and Mary were riding along in their shiny new car. Mary spoke up and said, "You know, Herman, if it weren't for my money, we probably wouldn't have this wonderful new car." And Herman just sat there and didn't say anything at all.

As they pulled into the driveway, Herman turned off the motor and they quietly admired their new home. Then Mary said, "You know, Herman, if it weren't for my money, we probably wouldn't have this new house." And again, Herman just sat there and didn't say anything.

They got out of the car and walked in just as the delivery man finished setting up their new furniture. You know, Herman, said Mary once more, "If it were not for my money, we probably wouldn't have this new carpet and all this new furniture." And once more, Herman didn't say a word.

It happened again as they sat down in their new den and propped their feet up and watched the big screen TV in their new entertainment center. "You know, Herman," said Mary, "if it were not for my money, we probably wouldn't have this huge entertainment center."

And with that, poor Herman had had enough. He turned to Mary and said, "I don't want to hurt your feelings, Honey, but you know if it weren't for your money, I probably wouldn't be here either!"

What is it that brings you here? Why did you choose to become a part of this church? If you are not a member, what are you looking for in a church?

Maxie Dunnam, Collected Works, www.eSermons.com, 2006

Transformed by Truth

Three thoughts...

"The truth transforms us. Spiritual growth is the process of replacing lies with truth..."
This just sort of struck me in light of what Pastor Dave preached about this past Sunday on Pentecost. Jesus sent us to lead us to the truth, not truthiness that we're so inclined to follow. (truthiness, for those who weren't there, has been made popular by Steven Colbert and basically is talking about saying something over and over enough until we believe it is true. For example President Bush in the last election had about three or four things he had to say and he repeated them over and over again until we believed they were true whether they were or not. No need to check into it because we've heard it enough, so it must be true. Urban legends live on that way as well.)

"Anytime you feel you are not learning anything from a sermon or a Bible teacher, you should check your attitude, especially pride, because God can speak through even the most boring teacher when you are humble and receptive." Okay, there was a shot that hit home. How many nuggets of wisdom have I missed because of my pride as I'm listening? I miss all kinds of things and most of it is because I'm thinking things like, "This guys an idiot" or "I could say that so much better than he's saying it." Yeah, nice attitude pastor! So there you have it, I'm human. Hopefully those sitting in the pews on Sunday morning are better listeners...

"Receiving, reading, researching, remembering, and reflecting on the Word are all useless if we fail to put them into practice....Actually, you can be so busy going to the next class or seminar or Bible conference that you have no time to implement what you've learned."
It seems that we in the church aren't always so helpful in this area as we try and provide options, but they feel like requirements. We are called not to just hear the Word. We're not called to just receive the Word, but we're called to LIVE the Word!

Stress

Stress... it's an interesting thing, but I'll come back to that.

You may have noticed I haven't posted in a while. Part of that was due to my being gone on vacation for a while. It was good to get away, even if it wasn't far, and to not think about "job" stuff for a little while and let the head clear. Part of it, though has been related to feeling the stress of all that will hopefully be accomplished over the coming summer. This stress is an interesting thing, though. It seems to me the unspoken rule is that if you have problems you just need to pull yourself up by the boot straps, just dig in a little more and work harder. Stress is kind of like a weed or a virus in that way. At least that's the way it works for me. You see when I dig in more and work harder it tends to make me more stressed because then I don't have the time or the energy for those other things that help me relieve stress like running, watching movies, or sharing a home cooked meal. So what is one to do? If stuff doesn't get done it sits out there in front of you taunting you keeping the stress fresh. I guess all you can do is to slowly chip away at it... for now.

Grow Up!

Today Warren reminds us that we are called to grow in our faith. Unfortunately a lot of people simply grow older, but not so much in maturity, especially not spiritual maturity. Warren asserts that is most likely due to the fact then never really ever intended to grow. He goes on to say, "Spiritual growth is not automatic. It takes an intentional commitment. You must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow, and persist in growing... Jesus calls us, and we respond: 'Come, be my disciple,' Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.'"

For those who are concerned about this notion of having to do something, or decision theology, Warren goes on to refer to Philippians 2:12-13 saying, "This verse, written to believers, is not about how to be saved, but how to grow. It does not say "work for" your salvation, because you can't add anything to what Jesus already did. During a physical 'workout,' you exercise to develop your body, not to get a body."

The chapter ends reminding us that we need to change our auto pilot, the way we think. By sheer will power we can effect change, for a little while. However, if we don't change our base way of thinking we will be back to way were. We can willpower ourselves to follow a diet or start an exercise program. We might even last for a while, but unless we change the way we think we will eventually drop the diet and return to the couch. I can see that now with my running. I've got some really strong willpower and have used it to complete a number of marathons. I still need to adjust my mindset if running is going to continue as a consistent part of my life. The same is true if I intend to grow as a Christian. I need to repent and change my mindset so that I'm "programmed" to grow.

Created to Become Like Christ

Today, Warren talks about being created to become like Christ. He reminds us that we were created in God's image. What does it mean to you that you were created in God's image?

He brings us back to the old expression, "Like Father like Son." It speaks to how Christ is so very like God. As God's children it speaks to us as well, I think. Still, Warren reminds that we were not created to be gods or to become gods. Put those two thoughts together and I got to thinking about how we try and become like gods, feeling entitled to create our own destiny. Our desire to become gods, I think, is most often manifested today in our worship of our children. It is good to love our children, to give them what they need, but I think we go beyond that. The way we traipse around to their games and tournaments, rearranging our life for the sake of kids (even if it means giving up worship time or serving God through the church). It is scary. None of us, really, are immune to it. We were guilty just this past weekend. We allowed Mother's Day to be usurped by Senior Recognition.

For those who want to be critical of "The Purpose Driven Life" they often attack at it being some sort of Christian self-help book. Yet, I don't think it can be characterized with the kind of superficiality that is implied by such critiques. In a number of places Warren has warned against that sort of behavior. Today's chapter especially reminds us that life is hard. And he leaves us with this thought, "Sadly, a quick review of many popular Christian books reveals that many believers have abandoned living for God's great purposes and settled for personal fulfillment and emotional stability. That is narcissism, not discipleship. Jesus did not die on the cross just so we could live comfortable, well-adjusted lives."

Fish

Has anybody else been dreaming of fish lately?

http://www.clcbyron.org/events.html

Protecting Your Church

Today Rick Warren talks about unity in the church, but I think the best word he used was "harmony." I think that is more fitting of what he is going after. In music the best music has different notes all playing together at the same time. They are different, but moving together, in some ways moving towards the same goal. That is the image I have of the church.

The problem seems to be that we so naturally focus on the negatives, focus on our differences, instead of focusing on what we have in common and what is going well. It is easy for us to look and see that we are little behind financially here at church, but why not celebrate that our attendance and giving is up (quite significantly) from last year and years past. We worry more about how other congregations worship and run their congregation and less time celebrating the number of people worshiping Jesus on a given Sunday. Perhaps it is unrealistic expectations of the church. Perhaps we forget there is no perfect church.

In talking about being realistic Warren says:

"People become disillusioned with the church for many understandable reasons. The list could be quite long: conflict, hurt, hypocrisy, neglect, pettiness, legalism, and other sins. Rather than being shocked and surprised, we must remember that the church is made up of real sinners, including ourselves. Because we're sinners, we hurt each other, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally....Reconciliation, not running away, is the road to stronger character and deeper fellowship...
...Groucho Marx was famous for saying he wouldn't want to belong to any club that would let him in. If a church must be perfect to satisfy you, that same perfection will exclude you from membership, because you're not perfect!"

There is no perfect church, but we can most certainly strive to work together, to live in harmony.

Restoring Broken Fellowship

Maybe this chapter could have been alternately titled, "Peace Making 101". We all like peace, the idea at least. However, very few actively seek it or work for it. God calls us to seek peace, to restore broken relationships. You need to be tough. When I think of peace makers the first name I usually think of is Martin Luther King, Jr. He was one tough son of a gun. He didn't back down. He fought for what was right. He didn't avoid conflict, he entered into it. We are called to do the same. It takes listening, empathizing, confession, cooperation, and being proactive. It means reconciling, seeking healing, and not simply trying to find a resolution, something to simply calm the waters. We all have broken relationships. We all can see brokenness around us in our lives. Where are you called to bring peace?

Cultivating Community

Being part of community, genuine community, is tough stuff. It is not easy. It takes honesty, saying the hard thing. Often community remains shallow because we're not willing to challenge people when they start wandering astray. We do all we can to avoid conflict, to not rock the boat. Yet sometimes, out of love, we need to rock the boat a little...for the betterment of the person, not just to attack.

Another challenge is the humility that community requires. I like how Warren says it, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Humility is thinking more of others." This is really hard stuff in our "me first" society. For community to work we need to think about others, how our actions and words effect them.

The last challenge I want to think about today is that building community, building genuine and deep relationships, takes time and frequency of getting together. As Warren puts it, "You have to spend time with people -- a lot of time -- to build deep relationships. This is why fellowship is so shallow in many churches; we don't spend enough time together, and the time we do spend is usually listening to one person speak. Community is built not on convenience ('we'll get together when I feel like it') but on the conviction that I need it for spiritual health...it will mean meeting together even when you don't feel like it, because you believe it is important." It is great that you are coming on Sunday morning, that worship time is important. However, if that is all you are coming for you are selling yourself short, robbing yourself of an opportunity, because you are not spending enough time to build the kind of relationships that you need for community.

Experiencing Life Together

"Life is meant to be shared." Amen to that. Today, Warren talks about our need for fellowship. We often pay lip service to fellowship. We have a fellowship hall. He have "fellowship" after worship, which basically means socializing over a cooking and maybe some coffee.

Today, however, Warren reminds us of our need for real fellowship. Real fellowship is a group of people where you experience mutual support, mercy, and are able to be genuine and real. So often around church we put on a mask, a good face, smile and tell people we're okay. Within authentic fellowship we can admit to our weaknesses, our struggles, our hurts, and our ugly warts. We so often want to hide those things in the darkness so others can't see them. However, we are called to live in the light where all of our faults are visible.

So I ask you, where do you find real, true fellowship?

A Place to Belong

So far I think this has been the best chapter. I wish every Christian I've encountered who has uttered something like, "I don't need to go to church, I can pray on my own" would read this chapter. Being a part of community, a part of the fellowship, is critical to our spiritual health. Of course the cynical side of me says, "We as a nation don't really take care of our health in any other way, why should I expect that people would want to take care of their spiritual health?"... Since I'm afraid I won't really do this subject justice I would like to simply pass along some of the quotes/lines that struck me and let Rick Warren do the sharing for today...

• You are called to belong, not believe.
• While your relationship to Christ is personal, God never intends it to be private.
• To Paul, being a "member" of the church meant being a vital organ of a living body, an indispensable, interconnected part of the Body of Christ. We need to recover and practice the biblical meaning of membership.
• If an organ is somehow severed from its body, it will shrivel and die. It cannot exist on its own, and neither can you. Disconnected and cut off from the lifeblood of a local body, your spiritual life will wither and eventually cease to exist.
• Sadly, many Christians use the church but don't love it.
• God expects us to give our lives for each other. (1 John 3:16)
• You will never grow to maturity just by attending worship services and being a passive spectator. Only participation in the full life of a local church builds spiritual muscle.
• It may seem easier to be holy when no one else is around to frustrate your preferences, but that is a false, untested holiness. Isolation breeds deceitfulness; it is easy to fool ourselves into thinking we are mature if there is no one to challenge us. Real maturity shows up in relationships.
• The difference between being a church attender and a church member is commitment. Attenders are spectators from the sidelines; members get involved in the ministry. Attenders are consumer; members are contributors. Attenders want the benefits of a church without sharing the responsibility. They are like couples who want to live together without committing to a marriage.
  

What Matters Most

"Life is all about love."... I suppose I should have been reading this about Feb. 14, but today is a good day to think about love. It is so important, because God first loved us we love one another. After living as a single person for a number of years, this new marriage has taught me a bit about love...or maybe it just reminded me of things like how Warren says, "Love cannot be learned in isolation. You have to be around people -- irritating, imperfect, frustrating people." Holy cow, have I learned that in abundance. How often does my lovely new bride drive me nuts? Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty certain that I am far worse to try and live with, but she can be absolutely crazy sometimes. Yet here is the weird thing, those nutty things she does and those strange quirks of hers actually make me love her more. I wonder, if I spent more time with other people who challenge me might I start loving them more?

I also think that Warren gives us a good reminder today about time spent. Life, loving others, is best spent by spending time with them. Yet how often are people and relationships just something else to squeeze in the schedule. We spend so much time doing things, working, running around, etc. We strive to accomplish and acquire "stuff." Yet how many people do you see on their death bead wanting to snuggle up with their awards or wishing they had worked more? Isn't always the case that they want to snuggle up with family and dear friends? If they have a regret, isn't it usually that they spent too much time at work and not enough time with family and friends? Maybe we can learn this valuable lesson from these dear ones that have gone before us.

Formed for God's Family

I'm back, and I'm ready to get at it... I hope. I am returning to "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren in hopes of finally finishing it as a devotional. It is a book that has often been critiqued by Lutheran's in fear of its theology, but I can see that it has touched thousands and millions of lives and I want to see why. I think we all want a purpose in life. I think God gives us a purpose. It is a beautiful blend and I am shocked that both nobody has written like this before and that we as a church have neglected this so that a book was needed to be written. So far, I've like what Warren has had to share and in most chapters I've found a wonderful nugget or two to cling to for the day. Like some of the critical Lutheran's out there I have disagreed with some of his theology. Although I'm not surprised because I find that I disagree with a lot of people's theologies. I think theology can be a rather personal thing and we are not all going to line up exactly on all issues theologically. So like many in this generation I am grateful for our common love of Jesus and that is enough.

As for today I read Chapter 15 "Formed for God's Family". The two things I most enjoyed today, that struck me the most, were about family and about baptism. I like that picture of us being a part of God's family. That we are all brothers and sisters as we are all children of God. I was struck as well by the challenge that God's family is more important than our earthly family. Don't hear that wrong because I think Warren was clear that our earthly family is a wonderful gift from God, but they are temporary. God's family is for eternity.

I also was struck by Warren's comparrison of baptism to marriage. "Like a wedding ring, (baptism) is a visible reminder of an inward commitment made in your heart." I struggle a little with Warren's understanding of baptism as something you have to decide to do, but that connection to marriage I like. I like that connection of them both being an outward physical sign of an inward love that is happening. I like that...

Confession

So Lent and Holy Week seem to have gotten the best of me spiritually, in some ways. In some ways it was so wonderfully filling. I enjoyed our worship time, the dramas, and all of the other festivities. However, it also left me drained. You may have noticed my postings dropped off. I just didn't have anything to say. Trying to read a devotional of some sort was more energy than I could muster, and I'm still struggling to find that energy. Thankfully I've been able to cling to prayer, and that has sustained me. God continues to work and to fill me in surprising ways. I am grateful for the "refills", but I'm not a fan of these such spiritual dry spells which seem to be a part of life. As I get back to "The Purpose Driven Life" I will return to sharing more of my thoughts. Until then we'll continue praying, and perhaps you could share some of your thoughts by clicking on the comment link at the bottom of the post.

Christ is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!!

Distance

"In fact, sin does disconnect us from intimate fellowship with God." I guess I would push it even further and define sin as disconnecting us from God, that is what it is anything that disconnects us. That may be what Warren was trying to say as well, but I wanted to clarify. Of course, you may recall that Luther then took it a step further and defined sin as not just disconnecting from God, but turning in on oneself.

That being said what struck me the most today was:

"The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God. They look for a feeling, and if it happens, they conclude that they have worshiped...Seeking a feeling, even the feeling of closeness to Christ, is not worship."

Warren goes on then to talk about as baby Christians God touch us with lots of feelings, etc. to reassure us, but eventually we are weaned away. For me this is where our relationship with God being compared to marriage became a helpful analogy for me. I know I have only been married a couple of months, but in that time one of the things that has struck me is the arguments that happen. Usually they are over silly little things, but it seems that often the anxiety gets heightened because those warm, gooshy feelings aren't there and panic sets in that maybe in this moment the other doesn't love us. Just because I sound angry and I act distant doesn't mean I don't love my wife. As our relationship grows I will learn to realize in a very real way that when I experience that from her she hasn't stopped loving me as well. I think the same is true with God. Just because we don't constantly have that warm gooshy feeling doesn't mean that God doesn't love us, for God does indeed continue to love us.

Once again I will leave you with my favorite quote from today's chapter...speaking about Jesus on the cross: "Jesus could have saved himself -- but then he could not have saved you."

All Of You

In case you haven't been "tuning in" every day, I thought I would point out that I have changed from reading through a book of the Bible and now during Lent I am reading Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life" for my devotional time. Listed here are some of my reflections on the chapters as I go....

Today's chapter starts with "God wants all of you." God doesn't want just part of you. God wants to engage with heart, mind, soul, body, spirit, with every part of you. God wants all of you, all of the time. So what does that mean? What does that look like in your life? Where do you hold back?

Warren also writes, "Your biggest distraction in worship is yourself -- your interests and your worries over what others think about you." I would add to that your critique of what worship should be, what you expect from worship is part of your personal distraction from worship. What distracts you from worship? What gets in your way? How do you over come those hurdles? What helps you to focus on God?

Finally, I will leave you with this quote from the end of the chapter: "The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart."

Buddy Jesus

So today's chapter made me think about the movie, "Dogma" and the introduction of Buddy Jesus. It makes me a little nervous, sometimes to hear this talk of God wanting to be your friend. Oh, I suppose there is some truth to it, but I think that is only one side of things. It is true that is about a relationship, so I can go with that. However, I think it something deeper than a friendship... Maybe I'm wrong here.

I was struck by the thoughts on prayer. I think it is a great struggle to pray continuously. It makes me think of the line from the Steven Curtis Chapman song that says, "Just because I say, 'Amen' doesn't mean this conversation has to end."... of something like that. The suggestion from Brother Lawrence to pray lots of shorts prayers instead of one long rambling one was beautiful. So go ahead and pray. In fact, go ahead and make your whole life a prayer. It's good communication to build a deep and loving relationship with your creator, redeemer, and savior.

Surrender

I don't know if I have much in way of thoughts today, so I was thinking maybe I'd throw out some of the quotes that struck me...

"The heart of worship is surrender."
"Surrender is an unpopular word...it implies losing, and no one wants to be a loser."
"In today's competitive culture...If winning is everything, surrendering is unthinkable."
"It (surrendering) is the natural response to God's amazing love and mercy."
"That surrender led to a stunning victory at Jericho. This is the paradox: Vicotry comes through surrender. Surrender doesn't weaken you; it strengthens you."

Worship

We are here to bring God pleasure. What a notion. We worship by bringing God pleasure. Amazing. It's fun to watch parents when their babies are born. There is so much love for that child, and that child brings the parents so much pleasure. As a small infant there is nothing that child can really do to bring pleasure to their parents, but they bring endless pleasure just because of who and whose they are. We are children of God. I think it works the same way.

Today there also much talk about worship and I liked it. I think it was a good reminder that worship is not about the music. We use worship and music almost synonymously when we talk about it, but there was worship before there was music. Worship also isn't about you. You often hear people saying things like, "I got a lot out of worship today" or "I sure didn't get much out of today's worship." You know what? It's not about you. Worship is about God. It's nice if you are touched by the presence of God in worship, but that is not the goal. Worship is bringing glory to God, praising God, bringing God pleasure. Worship is not about you...an excellent reminder to start the week.

Glory to God

"The ultimate goal of the universe is to show the glory of God. It is the reason everything exists, including you...What is the glory of God? It is who God is."

It is our purpose, it is why God created us, to bring God glory. How do we do that? By living out what God calls us to, by using the gifts and talents that God has given us. Jesus talked about having brought God glory, because he did what God set him on earth to do. Because of all that God has done for us we try and bring God glory by doing our best to fulfill the mission God has set before us. Each one of our missions will look slightly different in how we are to go about it, but it seems to me all of them will be similar in that we will be serving God through serving our neighbor.

Let me leave you with two questions that Warren proposes today and I ask you, "Will you live for your own goals, comfort, and pleasure, or will you live the rest of your life for God's glory, knowing that he has promised eternal rewards?... Who are you going to live for -- yourself or God?"

Life is Temporary

Life is temporary, at least here on earth. I was touched today by Warren's analogies for our time here on earth.

The first was that as green card holders. In our country people who come here from other countries to work, but maintain their citizenship in their country of origin need to have a green card. As Christians we are residents of God's kingdom and we maintain that citizenship even though we live and work here on earth.

The second analogy was that as ambassador's of God. Still we remain citizen's of heaven, but we are here on earth on assignment. Our loyalty, though, remains to the kingdom of God. If a U.S. ambassador is sent to somewhere like China they take on some of the cultural practices so as not to offend others, but they remain loyal to the values and customs of the U.S. If that ambassador begins valuing the customs and cultures more of that foreign country and begins to favor that country over their country of origin (U.S.) then they are no longer valuable as an ambassador. So too remains our challenge as Christians. We follow certain customs and practices of the world around us, but we remain loyal to our citizenship in heaven.

It's about gaining perspective. We are God's property. When that sinks in it seems that our struggles for popularity, trends, and other earthly recognition begins to fade away. We realize that the trappings of this life are temporary and rather insignificant, at least when compared to our eternal inheritance in God's kingdom, which has already begun...if only we can see it.

Point of View

I think I would agree with today's premise that how you see life shapes your life. I'm not sure exactly how, but I suspect that because I often view, and would describe, life as a rollercoaster it does effect how I chose to live life. I suppose there is something about sitting back with nervous, eager anticipation, enjoying the rush, and looking back and seeing it had gone way too fast. I haven't thought about it much, but I think there is merit. I wonder, what is your analogy for life? What is your image? How do complete, "Life is a..."?

What I'm not all so sure about is the contention that life is a test. I do believe that God tests us along the way of life, but is that one of God's sole purposes? Warren set up the premise that how you view your life shapes how you live it. He even hinted at seeing life as a game is negative because you're always trying to win. I think seeing life as a test, it becomes something you have to get "right." I think that's dangerous. Isn't the point of Jesus' death that we can't get it right and that's why Jesus had to die for our sin? I supposed viewed from the cross I can become okay with the testing. Yes, God tests us, but we pass only because Jesus passed the test for us already.

Being the season of Lent, I think reading this chapter it is a appropriate to pray for forgiveness for not passing the test, for our failures. It is also appropriate to pray a prayer of thankfulness that Jesus passed the test for us so that we can continue taking the test. If we are a success in life, if we pass the tests of life, it is because of Jesus, because of God's hand at work.

Forever

I think it's interesting that today's topic was eternal life. It came up this morning at our Monday Morning Theologians Bible study at the bakery in town. We were talking about God's covenant with Abraham (at the point of his name change) and our discussion led to talking about how life becomes somehow easier, or more bearable, when we have some perspective, a hope for the future. In essence God was giving Abraham hope for a future with the promise to make his descendents as numerous as the stars in the sky. One person this morning shared about how their perspective changed after their father died. They got, I believe, a glimpse of eternal life. We are living in what the theologians call the now and not yet. We live both in this world, but we also reside in the life eternal, it doesn't start after death. With that kind of perspective things like fashion trends and popular opinions look completely different. When you live close to God everything else begins to appear small in comparison.

Drive

I like the question posed today. "What drives your life?" Is it fear? Trying to please parents? Guilt? Your check book? Work? Your calendar? Sports? For probably just about all of us the answer is something other than God, which is ultimately going to lead us to a dead end. Unless it is God who is driving your life then you are like a hamster on it's wheel, just running and getting nowhere. Some of us fool ourselves and think it is God because we are doing so much around the church, but what is driving you to do those things? Who are you trying to please? Is God really calling you to all of those projects or are you ultimately seeking approval from somewhere, or someone, else? If you really look close, the answer might scare you.

You are not an accident

I like that sentiment. God formed you. God had a purpose for you. However, I have to admit all of this schooling set off a bit of an alarm in me talking about how detailed God's plan was for my life, that God wanted all of this to happen the way it did. Oh, for me that's cool. I've had a good a life with good parents. I can't help but ask, though, about that person born into an abusive family or other horrific life experiences, did God really plan for that suffering? I think that's a dangerous thought. I do like, though, when Warren points out that, "While there are illegitimate parents, there are no illegitimate children."

Still, even better, I like where Warren says, "You were created as a special object of God's love! God made you so he could love you." What a profound notion. We were created simply so that God could love us. Most certainly it had to have been God's hand at work. How else do two cells merge together and then start dividing until we get what we see in the mirror each morning? Either God's had has to be at work in there or we are luckier than any powerball winner ever has been. It becomes even more amazing when you start expanding your view and you see how intricately plants, water, air, and animals all coexist and how in so many ways they work in a way to support our life. God created it all for you because God loves you, because God IS love.... let me blow your mind a little bit more. This is just the beginning of the love story. The love continues to grow.

It's Not About You

"It's not about you."

That's how it starts. It's not about you, in fact, it's about God. I like starting here. This is where we turned yesterday at the funeral. This is where we turn tonight on Ash Wednesday. It's not about you. See in the beginning God created, so it's really about what God is up to and what is about. Or as Warren so nicely put it, "God is not the starting point of your life; he is the source of it." So it is about who God is and what God did, what did for us on the cross. Now that seems an apt place for us to start this Lent.

Update...

Okay, so I haven't posted in a little while. Things have gone a little goofy recently with schedule and what not. Part of that was my recent illness, and thankfully it's on the road to recovery. I just wanted to let you know that I am still here and plan to continue posting. I also wanted to let you know that there will be a slight change of plans starting tomorrow. As you know tomorrow starts Lent with Ash Wednesday. I wanted to try something different, for me at least, this year and so I've decided that I'm going to read through "A Purpose Driven Life." Consequently my posts each day will be related to what I've read in there. So if you want to read along with me, please feel free.

Romans 12:17-21

We really are picking up where we left off yesterday, aren't we? What a wonderful way to live life, that's laid out here. In fact, earlier this week I was talking to somebody and they told me that their philosophy is to "kill them with kindness." Isn't that what Paul is encouraging? How much does that diffuse the situation when they come in and attack you're nice back? They have no response. It's not normal. It's beautiful.... of course, I think they key is back at the beginning of this chapter and allowing God to transform us. It really is God working through us when we attack evil with good. I know I couldn't do it alone.

Romans 12:9-16

Recently Dawn and I have started watching, "The Bachelor." I'm pretty sure neither of us could tell you why, but we have. Part of the appeal, it seems, is trying to figure out the genuineness of the intentions of the women on the show, the bachelor as well I suppose. There are a lot of accusations about being fake flying across the television screen and in our living room. Yet, is that really fair as audience members? How often have you had the following conversation:

"Hi, how you doing?"
"Good, thanks."

How often have you genuinely cared about how the other is doing when you ask that question? How often have you been genuine in your response? How often do you ask just to be polite? How often do you respond to make the other person happy so they will simply continue on their way?

Today, Paul encourages our love to be genuine, to really care when we ask things like, "How are you doing?" We are encouraged to serve, love, and care for others out of the goodness of our heart. It is the kind of love we receive from God first. God's love for us is ALWAYS genuine. When we pray God REALLY wants to know how we are doing and what we need. God loves us so deeply. So let us join our hearts together and genuinely love one another.

Romans 12:3-8

I know, it's Valentine's Day, but I just couldn't bring myself to step aside and seek out something on love. It just seems like such a random arbitrary holiday, but what do I know?

I was largely struck today by verse 3 and this talk of boasting. It's so easy for me to become smug and think that what I'm doing is so much more important to others. It often leads to frustration for me because my greatness seems to simply go unrecognized. The thing is, I'm fooling myself because in reality I'm not more important and what others are doing are equally important. Don't we all have those moments? "I work at Mayo, I'm involved in saving lives, my job is more stressful than others they should be looking out for me." "I help teach Bible classes at church. I give offering on a regular basis, I deserve a say in what goes on around here." The thing is the bus driver, the trash collector, the construction worker, etc. have jobs just as important as yours. What they do may actually be critical in saving lives as well, maybe more indirectly or maybe in different ways. Just because I'm a pastor here at this church doesn't make me any more important than the member who comes once a month and rarely drops money in the offering plate. We are all a part of this body of Christ, we all have say around here. None of us can really boast of our position in life. Seriously, we really only have our positions in life because of what God is doing through us, so really God is the only one with a right to boast...and something tells me God is not going to be going around pumping his chest and holding a press conference for the whole world to hear any time soon.

Romans 12:1-2

I only made it through two verses today, as you can see, because I was just so struck by them. My brain just got stuck on offering ourselves as a living sacrifice and then that encouragement that we not be conformed to this world. They are both kind of scary thoughts to me. I don't know if I can do it. I easily fall into the traps of this world, or liking the things other people like, watching the shows that others watch, I am tempted by greed, wealth, and all of those "things" that commercials are trying to make me long for. I like trying to keep up with various cultural, and more specifically pop cultural, news and trends. I am pretty fully enmeshed in this world. Yet we are called to not be conformed to this world, to be in the world and not of it.

To offer ourselves as a living sacrifice? I have to admit I don't know if I like the sounds of that. I am an American. I am used to my freedom and doing what I want to do. I like to do it my way, to do my own thing. If I were to give myself as a sacrifice that would seem to suggest giving my whole life, giving my freedom, over to God. Oh, I know that God knows better and will take better care of me than I will, but I kind of like doing it my way. I kind of like doing my own thing, and if we're completely honest I suppose at a very base, sub-conscious level I might not really trust God enough.

This scares me a little. What Paul is calling us to, this call to live a life of faith, is a really radical, extreme sort of call. It's not really some mushy feel good religion like we often make it out to be. It's a life of sacrifice and living against our instincts. I pray today for the courage and strength to simply begin to attempt this radical way of life.

Romans 11:27-36

I was struck today by Paul's question, "Who has known the mind of the Lord?"

Seriously, anyone? Could we even handle it? All I know is that sometimes people think because I'm a pastor I do know, or should know, what God is thinking or what God wants. Sometimes I feel that because I'm a pastor now I should know these things. Here is the truth of the matter: even though I'm now a pastor it turns out I'm still human (and I'm sure anyone that knows me personally at all will be glad to verify that). I'm like most people wishing God would send me an e-mail, text message, or something telling me exactly what God's will is so that I can try and follow it. Instead, I flounder around trying to make my way.

However, this not knowing is also good news in light of what Paul is writing here. Paul's talking about God's mercy for all people. That means God forgives those that we sometimes find hard to forgive. It means that God is far more open and forgiving than we are (or maybe I should say, I am) judgmental. That certainly is good news because despite the fact that I'm a pastor there are still those who would try and make the argument that I shouldn't be "in" with God. Thankfully, God doesn't think that way.

Romans 11:13-26

Paul is speaking to the unbelievers here and how they can be grafted into the tree of life, the remnant of believers. At first it got me to thinking of the new members we brought into our fold here at Christ Lutheran. There is great joy in seeing them joining our community of faith. At the same time there is a warning to respect the tradition, the pillars of the congregation, that have nourished us for years. Before we, who were already members, get too high on our selves seeing ourselves as part of the tree already it is a warning to us. We too were grafted in to this tree of life that began hundreds and thousands of years ago. We can be cut off like the unbelievers of Israel that Paul talks about. However, when wrapped in faith, in belief, we will be a part of the tree fed and nourished by God. Scary, maybe, but encouraging and hopeful for sure.

Romans 11:1-12

Paul refers to a remnant, a small strong-hold of believers. I've hear reference to this quite a bit from more conservative, evangelical speakers. I wonder, though, how much it pertains to us now. Living in a free society, supposedly founded on Christian values, are we really the minority? Are we clinging together just so we can stay alive? I suppose there are small, rural congregations that feel that way. Although, I have to wonder if some of them just need to let go and go ahead and join the neighboring church, or the "city" church. I also like this sense of community that being a remnant brings. I just don't know if we're in such desperate straits. Maybe I'm just fooling myself.

Romans 10:12-21

This good news of Jesus Christ is for everyone. How wonderful is that? How do they hear it? Through you and me. We are called today to be proclaimers of the good news of Jesus Christ. I love how Paul points out the feet are golden for those us who proclaim. I think that's very cool. I think this is fitting of our reading from 1 Corinthians this coming Sunday where Paul seems to be encouraging us to do whatever it takes to share that good news. What an honor and a privilege it is to be called to bare this message.

Here's the problem though. I think it's terribly scary. Oh, it's fine in the pulpit. It's not all so scary to talk about Jesus during worship. It's not all so scary to share Jesus in a Sunday school classroom or during a church event. It's expected that we might do such a thing there. The problem is it gets scary to proclaim at the grocery store, at school, with friends at a party. That, I believe, is the real challenge. I pray today that we might be given the boldness and the courage to share this wonderful news wherever we may go, just as Paul would seem to be encouraging us.

Romans 10:1-11

Walk the Talk, seems to be the call from Paul today. I think one of the biggest criticisms of the church I hear, one of the biggest barriers for people to join, is the perception that Christians are hypocrites. I think the problem with this assertion is that largely they are right. It's easy to be a good, loving, faithful Christian on Sunday morning. It is easy to talk about loving and serving your neighbor. Not so easy to do once you return home. It is a sad state of affairs. Still we keep trying to walk the talk. Perhaps, even, someday we will get it.

John 2:1-11

I'm not sure why, but I seem to have wedding on the brain, so this was an appropriate passage for me today... I can't believe the wedding is only 4 days away....

A few things that strike me in the passage:

1. Even Jesus is not immune to having his mother tell him what to do come wedding time.

2. It would appear that Jesus would like for us to have fun.

3. I gather that it is in the little things that God more often works the miracles than in the spectacular.

So my prayer today would be that we have fun and that God would open our hearts to see the many little miracles that God is working around us.

Matthew 2

I'm amazed by how God speaks to Joseph in these dreams through angels. First of all, if an angel started talking to me in my sleep, I think I might just freak out. Second, why doesn't God speak to me so directly? Heck, I'll settle for an e-mail...something would be nice.

Scandal

I read the birth story from Matthew today. What really kind of struck me today was the scandal of it all. It's kind of surprising that Hollywood hasn't picked up more on the scandal in the Bible, for there's plenty of it. My goodness, the birth of our Savior is born out of scandal. Here are Mary and Joseph engaged to get married and suddenly Mary shows up pregnant. Now if I'm understanding church politics correctly, I'm pretty sure that if Dawn showed up for worship on Sunday pregnant I would be absolutely done for as a pastor and I would be the talk of the town, if not a wider region. Yet this is how God comes to us. Of course, it's scandalous simply for God to break into our world. God is God and was just fine in God's heavenly realm, there really was no reason for God to break into this world other than for God's great love for us. It is a scandalous, never ending, sort of love. It is a love for you and a love for me. It's beautiful.

Luke 1:39-80

Funny, isn't it, how when folks have an encounter with God it has a way of stirring things up and humbling a person. Perhaps you have experienced it in your life, in your own way. When has God touched your life? How was it changed?

Luke 1:1-38

Today, I decided to veer away from Romans for a while and head over to Luke as Christmas quickly rushes in. Today brought the prelude, or the beginning of the birth story. Here we had the angel Gabriel announcing to Elizabeth and Mary that they will have children. Once again we have God working through the unlikeliest of people: Elizabeth who is old and barren (kind of reminds you of Sarah a bit) and Mary who is a virgin. Yet we see that God is capable of anything. When we read these stories it is easy to see a tranquil seen off acceptance. As I read through this year I see fear, but acceptance and faith.

We read that Mary pondered these things. When we read this the temptation is to picture something like a monk or a nun pondering the greatness of God. Perhaps that is what she was doing. However, my hunch is the ponderings were more along the lines of, "YIKES!!! What the %@$&?!!!" First of all an angel has just spoken to her. I don't think angels are like the serene figurines we find in book stores, because every time they show up in the bible they have to start with, "Fear not!" These people were scared to the point of needing to clean their undergarments. Second, Mary was just told that as a virgin she was going to have a baby and on top of that this baby is the son of God. That sounds to me like a huge, impossible responsibility. Yet, through her fear she discovers that there is enough faith to accept this calling set before her by Gabriel, by God.

Romans 9:25-33

Not much to say today... I was struck by how God comes to us, despite us. I suppose it's kind of like God sending his son to us. How God became flesh in that little baby child, born in a manger. We sure didn't deserve that gift, that saving grace, but we got it anyway.

Romans 9:14-24

I'm struck by the image of the potter and the clay. I suppose it's in part because I chose that image from Jeremiah for my ordination. Yet, with Paul's analogy we are the clay and God is the potter. So who are we to try and tell the potter how to mold us? Still, how often do we do that? I think sometimes it grows out of fear. We can see the right thing to do, but it's easier, or so it seems, for us to try and coax a different plan out than it is to do the right thing. I do it all the time. It's kind of like when I was a kid and I would see another kid getting teased viciously when we were out on the playground. I knew even then the right thing to do was to try and help the poor kid. Instead, it just seemed easier, safer, to join in the teasing. Often God seems to be trying to help me become more patient, compassionate, or loving, but it seems that instead of allowing God to mold me I fight back and try and tell God how I should be molded. I try and justify my impatience, lack of compassion and love. I pray today that God would mold me and give me the courage to follow that plan God has for me.

Romans 9:6-13

I don't really have anything profound to say today. However, I will share that I love how Paul shows here how God has a way of turning everything upside down. What we see in our worldly ways as the way to go about it, God turns those things on its head and goes about it in God's own way. Despite our best efforts to create rules and order God has a way of calling people despite what we might think would be best. It's kind of fun.

Romans 9:1-5

Truth, it seems to be a commodity in short supplies sometimes these days. Could they make the fine print any smaller? Or when making a major purchase you can't help but wonder if they were up front with everything and you're really getting the bargain it appears to be.

Of course, on the other hand we sometimes feel like Col. Jessup played by Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men" when he makes that famous impassioned speech that begins with, "You can't HANDLE the Truth!!" And he's right, sometimes the truth is too much, we don't want to hear it. Who wants to hear that a loved one has been diagnosed with terminal cancer or been killed in a car accident. Honestly, who can handle it? What if the truth is God wants you to love your gay cousin, despite you believing it is wrong and sinful? What if the truth is God wants you to love and support George W. Bush, even though you think our being in Iraq is despicable? What if?...

The truth is hard. The truth is often hard to come by. The truth is often hard to handle. The truth is God loves us desperately.

Romans 8:31-39

What great promise and hope!! This is one of my favorite passages. One of my favorite sermons. I can just imagine Paul getting all fired up like some fancy preacher we see on TV as we flip through the channels. It's incredible. I do so much in my life, often unintentionally, that ends up being attempts to place barriers between myself and God. I'm often my own worst enemy when it comes to trying to tell other people about God. I am often my own worst enemy when it comes to my own faith life. Yet Paul proclaims to us today that it doesn't matter. No matter what we do to try and get in the way, whether it be build walls or dig ditches, nothing is ever going to stop God from clinging to us with His love, with His grace. Now that is by far the best gift I can receive this Christmas!!

... Perhaps some of you parents know what Paul is talking about. No matter what your kids do to drive you nuts, to hurt you, and so on and so forth, you still can't help but love them. Hard to imagine anyone could love that much, but we do and God does so much more.

Shopper's Psalm

This is from a friend I met while in Nome.

"A Shopper's Psalm"

I'm weary, Lord.
Bone tired.
In spite of the fact that my shopping's half done I need to crash.
The crush
of the crowd has gotten to me.
So, too, the deafening sounds
of a pre-Christmas city
throbbing with incarnate greed.
I need to be reminded
that this season's more
than plastic Santas,
perpetual sales,
and Muzak.
I need back
on the track
of reflection.
I've derailed, Lord.
My emotional fuel is leaking.
I'm about to explode.
And then I see it.
A miniature creche
in a gift shop window.
A guardian father;
a grateful young mom;
a baby asleep on the hay.
A trio maintaining their harmony
despite the dis-chord all around them.
And with my nose pressed against the frosted pane my inner pain subsides.
At once I am rested,
renewed, and revived.
And I linger
and ponder
God's peace.

By Greg Asimakoupoulous

God's Grace at Work

Here is a fun story I came across...

"Anne Lamott, author of the wonderful book Traveling Mercies tells of how in her church babies get passed around the moment they're brought into the sanctuary - everyone takes care of everyone else's babies. Every baby instantly has more parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles than he ever knew.

Imagine what that teaches children about Christian community! What they learn about love even as infants! For the adults everyone gets a chance to remember the miracle of birth, God's hand in our human being.

If there is a heresy today it is that we're so preoccupied with other things that we fail to pay attention to the fact of God's spectacular grace at work in and through our humanity, God's miraculous unmerited love in evidence around us. God's Son born to bring us Second Birth while we labor under the assumption that we have to do it all ourselves."

Peter Buehler, With God Nothing Is Impossible

Romans 8:28-30

All things work for good. I must admit sometimes I wonder. There are days when I just can't imagine what good could ever come out of the current situation. Paul promises us that Good will come, that God is good all the time. I guess if it is of our own doing good is not going to come of a bad situation, but as long as God is in control...

I also like this notion that ALL are called and ALL are equipped for ministry. It's easy to come up with excuses as to why I can't be involved. When I was a kid at the top of the list was, "We have a pastor to do that." The truth is ALL of us are called to be ministers. The truth is God will, and does, equip you for the ministry to which you are called.

Thanks be to God!!

Romans 8:28-30

All things work for good. I must admit sometimes I wonder. There are days when I just can't imagine what good could ever come out of the current situation. Paul promises us that Good will come, that God is good all the time. I guess if it is of our own doing good is not going to come of a bad situation, but as long as God is in control...

I also like this notion that ALL are called and ALL are equipped for ministry. It's easy to come up with excuses as to why I can't be involved. When I was a kid at the top of the list was, "We have a pastor to do that." The truth is ALL of us are called to be ministers. The truth is God will, and does, equip you for the ministry to which you are called.

Thanks be to God!!

Romans 8:26-27

I know, I'm a preacher. Word's really ought to be a gift. Yet, here's the problem. Word's often fail me. This is particularly true when it comes time to pray. Sure, I encourage others to just pray what's on your heart, tell God what you're thinking about, etc. Sometimes it's just not that easy. It seems particularly hard when there are lots of things weighing on you. Where do you begin? What do you say? This is the beauty of these two verses for me.

"The Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words." What a wonderful turn of phrase that is. I get a vision of the Spirit that looks almost like a deep sea diver, plunging to the very depths of my heart to discover what is truly there only to plunge even further into the depths of God's heart to plant those worries, concerns, and cares. While there I see the spirit mining bits and pieces of God's immense love to bring back and deposit in my heart. This brings great hope and reassurance for me. The Holy Spirit is able to communicate with God those things that are just beyond words, the Spirit speaks when I am simply unable... What a blessing!!!

Romans 8:10-25

Some things I think I think about this passage:

How can you read Paul and still think it's all about you?

Because we wait with Hope during this Advent season, we can do so with patience. Paul even says so.

I've recently had a couple of friends have babies. One had terrible long labor pains. Somehow, because of that, this section sounded a little different to me today.

Verse 18 reminds me of our reading from 1 Thessalonians this coming Sunday and our call to be thankful IN all things.... note that is IN all things and not FOR all things.

Romans 8:1-9

What do you think about this section? I get a sense of "Monkey See, Monkey Do". Where is your focus? Where are you looking? To the spirit or to the flesh? Far too often I think I look towards my own fleshly abilities to solve challenges instead of to the Spirit. I think this is a fun challenge.

Romans 8:1-9

What do you think about this section? I get a sense of "Monkey See, Monkey Do". Where is your focus? Where are you looking? To the spirit or to the flesh? Far too often I think I look towards my own fleshly abilities to solve challenges instead of to the Spirit. I think this is a fun challenge.

Romans 7:14-25

I think this section is a real tongue twister. It seems whenever I try and reference this section when I'm talking to someone I end up saying, "What I don't want to do I do do" and that just makes the 8th grade boy in me giggle.

That aside, I think Paul is getting at something kind of juicy here. I've had a notion for a while that sin is kind of like an addiction. Just like an alcoholic knows that more drinking is going to be bad for him, will destroy the liver, etc., we also know that continuing to act in sin is bad for us. Yet both of us end up doing what we shouldn't. It seems we just can't help ourselves. Part of the problem is in many ways it feels good in the moment. To cuss out the car that cut you off on the road feels good at the time as it relieves stress. To have sex outside of marriage feels good in the moment. To pass on some juicy gossip about a neighbor feels good at the time. To dig into your job to the point of neglect towards family and/or worship feels good as you see how much your accomplishing. Of course sin feels good, or else I don't think we would be tempted by it. The problem is the price you pay later. Is it really worth the price? No! Do go ahead and do it anyway? Quite often.

There is good news from Paul, though. He reminds us that this "addiction" is really only of the flesh, the earthly portion of us. One day that will die away. Yet, when it comes to eternal, spiritual, matters God is fully in control of that portion of your life. Gracias a Dios! Thanks be to God!!

Romans 7:7-13

I'm struck by how Paul writes about the law being a good thing. It sounds to me kind of like a spiritual vaccination. I'm not sure how doctors figured out that if you put a little bit of something like polio into the body you could become immune to polio. Somehow, by pointing out this wretched disease your body is able to recognize it and therefore fight it properly. Paul seems to be suggesting something similar here, I think. By introducing the law into your life you are made aware of the sin that is present and you are better able to confront it. So in a way, I guess, the law allows us, or helps us, to live in God's grace. Now that sounds like a good thing.

What do you make of what Paul is saying here in Romans 7?