Merry Christmas!

Blogging will resume on December 27th...Enjoy the Christmas break and remember to pause and find Jesus in all of this hustle and bustle.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I am convinced that God has a sense of humor. How else can you go from 50 degrees one day to 0 degrees the next? Seriously, I went from jeans and a t-shirt to wondering if I would freeze solid just by stepping outside. You know God was having a good laugh at that. Why do we live here again?
As I'm sure most of you are aware Christmas is rapidly approaching. If you don't have your Christmas shopping done for me yet I can always accept cash and/or gift cards to restaurants! I don't skip many meals. Isaac asks me almost every day on our way to the bus if it is Christmas yet. He has one of those chocolate calendars that you open a window and pull the chocolate out that helps him count down the days. His excitement is contagious and I find myself anticipating the morning they see what Santa has brought them. Of course we can't put any presents under the tree until that night because Alex has figured out what you do with wrapped boxes and he'd be into them in a flash. Speaking of anticipation do we joyfully anticipate the celebration of the birth of our Savior?
There was an email going around about a song that talks about a little boy who is in a mall and asks his mom why all these people are standing in line. She explains to him they are waiting to see Santa. The little boy then asks where's the line to see Jesus? Good question. I know we hear from time to time to remember the reason for the season, and we may honestly try our best to keep the Christ in Christmas...whoa cliche alert....but it is hard and the noise and hustle and bustle of the season easily drown out any notion of religion. What would happen to Christmas if we waited as eagerly for Jesus as we do Santa?
Now I'm not a scrooge. I enjoy the presents and I have no problem with my kids believing in Santa, but I'm always a little conflicted this time of year. It seems that we want Jesus to be part of our lives, but we don't want to put the effort forth to make this happen. We either treat Jesus like a Gennie in a bottle granting our wishes, or we only listen to the comforting words of Jesus. It seems that when Jesus starts pointing out areas of our lives that are lagging, or we find we are challenged either with time, talent or money to give more we tend to let Jesus fall by the wayside. We tend to pick and choose. I know it doesn't work that way. I also know I've been guilty of this selective listening too. What I know is if you want Jesus alive in your heart then you need all of him. You need the comfort and the pain he sometimes brings. The pain in being shown where you fall short and then the comfort and strength to work out the rough spots. But, Jesus can't fully work in your life if you just pick and choose when you want him to be in your life. If you're wondering why you can't feel his presence as powerfully as you'd like, then examine your relationship with Jesus. Are you a picky consumer, or do you allow him into all aspects of your life?

Another post already!

Can anyone else believe it is almost Christmas?! I was having coffee today at the cafe and someone mentioned it's less than 3 weeks till Christmas. Didn't I just get done stuffing myself with turkey and mashed potatoes! Time moves along so fast one has to consciously slow down to take it all in.

Around our house that past couple of days it has been decorating time. Thankfully this year we've decided not to go all out on the exterior of the house. I convinced Tracy that it is too cold and I can't risk frostbite on my fingers or getting a serious case of pneumonia! How would I work? So we've decided to just put some pretty Christmas trees outside our window and put the indoor tree right in front of our big picture window. I'm sure we'll put some lights around the outside, but Tracy and Isaac have volunteered for that. The real show is in Isaac's room! He as lights hanging from the ceiling!

We finally broke down and bought a nice, pre-lit, fake Christmas tree this year. The real trees are nice, but man are they messy. Plus, with Alex touching everything I'm not sure there would be needles on the bottom 3 feet of the tree! I miss the fresh scent of pine, but the tree does look nice. Yesterday, Tracy and Isaac were busy putting the decorations on the tree. Every two minutes we'd remind Isaac to spread the decorations out, but non-the-less there is about a three foot square section of tree loaded with ornaments! I was laughing as Tracy was trying to get him to spread them out, and then I was a little saddened because in a blink of an eye I bet we are wishing we had this problem to deal with. Soon enough the boys will be "too old" to help decorate the tree or be moved out of the house. I have a strict policy that at 18 you can visit, but you no longer call mom and dad's house your permanent residence!

As Tracy and Isaac finished decorating, or more truthfully Tracy finished because Isaac watched a movie with me, I consciously took the afternoon's festivities in. We are very blessed to be able to decorate a nice warm home, and we are doubly blessed to have presents under the tree and our health. Time moves so fast, and we take so much for granted, that it is imperative that we remember how lucky we are. If you are so blessed, give your family a little extra hug this Christmas season. Find a way to reach out and bless someone less fortunate. This Christmas season, as we do every Christmas, our church has "adopted" a family. This year we need your help in getting the kids some presents and the family some much needed necessities. Will you please prayerfully consider helping them out?

I just realized that my last entry was about a month ago...I suppose if I'm going to advertise that I have a blog then I should at least update it. Life at Minden UCC has truly picked up. It seems like we are going from event to event these next couple of months. We had our VBS program and Ice Cream Social in August, in September we are providing the food for the Minden Heritage Days, in October we are hosting the Minden Park Renew Crew's Halloween blow out, and then in November we have our Annual church auction! Busy, busy, busy. I didn't even mention the beginning of Sunday school, the 3:16 youth group, and Stewardship month. The Spirit is alive and well here in SW Iowa!

It truly is great to have all of these activities going here. I know these activities require time and energy, but the alternative isn't too pretty. So far we have been blessed with people who have stepped up to help plan and run these events, and I pray we continue to be so blessed. As these events continue to happen I pray that our folks answer the call of the Spirit and find ways to help out. God wants to work through us, God wants to bless us, God wants the Spirit to flow through us and the church, but none of that is going to happen without the Body of Christ...and do you know who the hands and feet and eyes and ears and mouth of the Body are...? Thats right Rita...we are. Please, look around, pray, listen, and volunteer to help. Nothing is worse then having the energy from these events get wasted because the same people are doing the work over and over. If we all pitch in and help then the work is light and the rewards are awesome. No amount of time or energy is wasted, and no matter your age, education level, hair color, or shoe size you can help, because God can work through you.

You see the Spirit moving...do you have the courage and faith to answer the call and be the Body of Christ moving in the world? I hope so...the world needs more of the Spirit.

Vacation Bible School Week!!

Well, it is finally here...in about 6 hours the church is going to be filled with over 100 kids ready to go "Backstage With the Bible." I think everything is in place and all the leaders are ready. I say I think because my wife Tracy is the one who's in charge of this. She and a few other ladies have planned this week of VBS and I've done my best to stay out of it. Heck, the number of kids has grown each year so why mess up a good thing?
This year is especially exciting because two other churches from Neola have joined us. The energy they've brought, and more kids, has really given us a wonderful opportunity to have a great VBS program. I have also been very impressed with the support we've received from our congregation. The people have been wonderful in helping us by donating supplies and making the snacks. Our congregation has supplied the t-shirts and snacks for all the kids. I do not take for granted how lucky we are to have that great support both with donations and with helpers. Just the other day I was talking to someone who said they knew of a church where VBS was cancelled...not because there weren't enough kids, but because they couldn't get enough help. What a message to send to the kids...! We are blessed with the Spirit here at Minden UCC.
It will be an awesome week seeing all the kids run around and learn and have a good time. It will be a tiring week too, but it will be that good kind of tired where you know you've done something special. Please pray for the kids and the leaders this week.

Family Vacartion

We just got back from spending a few days in Kansas City. We went to the zoo and Union Station, and spent some time swimming at the hotel pool. This vacation was the first one we went on with just the 4 of us, and it was a lot of fun. The 110 degree heat index at the zoo on Monday was a little crazy, and my TomTom taking us to two Walmarts that were closed was a little silly, but overall we had a good time and we'll even do it again next year!
I've been doing some reflecting on the whole experience, and I've been anticipating the upcoming school year when Isaac starts school, and I am thankful for the milestones we get to experience together. I also saw this morning a special on the Today Show about a family trying to balance sports and family life. This balance is one thing that scares me as our kids grow. How do we find time for family, friends, sports, church, and just being kids? I have no delusions that either of my kids are going pro in any sports, but it seems if I want them to be competent and be able to play even in high school they need to devote their entire lives to sports. Practice, season and out of season games...it seems endless. Now I like sports as much as the next person, but even I see the need for balance. I guess I just worry about striking that delicate balance. Church is important, family time is important, sports participation is important, school work is important...I guess what I'm saying is I'm going to miss the simple life of the biggest worries being the sniffles and which book we're reading before bed time.
I suppose we are not the first parents that struggle with this balance. And I imagine that there is some wisdom to be found about striking a balance in our Christian faith. Jesus doesn't say that we need to cut certain things out of our lives all together, he stresses that we constantly take inventory of the priorities in our lives. It is when those priorities get out of whack we get in trouble. It is when the priorities get out of order we begin to feel like life gets to be too much. When we push our faith life to the rear for an extended period of time we get lost in the rat race and we lose touch with our anchor. The one thing that helps me face these increasingly busy times is the knowledge that my family will be anchored by our faith. We will participate in other activities, but the balance will be maintained. I'm not too naive, I know that there will be times when the scale won't be perfectly balanced, but in the grand scheme of things it will weigh out more evenly. I think if we keep that in mind...that our faith life is our highest priority, then we can run the race without getting lost. I guess we'll see!

My Apologies

I'd like to give a shout out to my favorite aunt in Martin county! What's up Rita?! My mother informed me that you have missed reading my blog terribly so I thought I had better enrich your life and start writing again! It has been a long time since I posted here. I'd like to say it's because I have been so incredibly busy that I just couldn't find time, but no one is that busy.

Life has been busy...apparently I am a sucker and I decided to coach T-Ball this year. I didn't know what I had gotten myself into, and I was a little nervous about coaching a dozen 4 and 5 year olds. I was pleasantly surprised though. I have enjoyed the experience more than I thought I would, and even though after the first couple of practices I swore I'd never do it again thoughts of a repeat performance have crept into my mind. Even Isaac and I have coexisted on the same team without coming to blows! Ha, actually I have been very proud of Isaac. He has matured a lot playing T-ball. He still gets a little pouty when he can't field all the balls, but he doesn't demonstrate his displeasure by throwing his glove and having a little tantrum any more. Now if I could just keep his mother calm on the sideline!

I share this experience because I have learned some lessons, and I think those lessons speak to all of us. Lesson #1 is don't stand to close to a 4 or 5 year old with a bat. It is amazing how much power they can generate with a swing, and they always like to practice their swing! Lesson #2 is to not be afraid to try new things and step up to help out. I certainly didn't know a thing about coaching T-Ball. I had never done it before, and if you're close enough family you know I do not always have the most patience. But, the town was desperate and I decided to give it a try. You'd have to ask the parents if I'm an adequate T-Ball coach, but the lesson isn't about that. I learned that sometimes you just need to step up and volunteer. God wants to help us and use us, but how many times have we said no to something because w don't think we're qualified, or we think someone else will do it, or we believe we're just too busy. We miss so many opportunities to let God work through us and bless and us a others around us because we don't just step up. There are numerous opportunities for you to help in your community and your church. Remember with God anything is possible. We just need to be willing to take a chance and say we're willing to help. 80% of the work in the church, and most volunteer organizations frankly, is done by 20% of the people. Which side of the percentage are you on and why?

I Wish You Enough

I don't usually do this, but I wanted to share one of those dreaded "forwards" I received in my inbox. I'm sharing this one because I really enjoyed it, and I think it speaks to us now. It speaks to us because we always want more and we always ask how much is enough. It speaks to us because it reminds us what is truly important.

At an airport, I overheard a father & his daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her plane's departure & standing near the door she said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough too, Daddy." They kissed goodbye & she left. He waked over towards the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted & needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?" "Yes, I have," I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love & appreciation for all my dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me. So I knew what this man was experiencing. "Forgive me for asking, buy why is this a forever goodbye?" I asked. "I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, her next trip back will be for my funeral," he said. "When you were saying goodbye I heard you say, 'I with you enough,' may I ask what that means?" He began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more. "When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with enough good things to sustain them." He continued & then, turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory: I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish you enough "hellos" to get you through the final "Goodbye." He then began to sob and walked away.

We need enough to get us by. Too often we think we deserve too much. Too often we dwell on the negative and miss an opportunity. If we focus on having just enough, and looking for life's blessings, then we will stop complaining (as much) about what we don't have and begin to appreciate life more.

Get Out of the Boat

Jesus is still looking for people who will get out of the boat. Why risk it? I believe there are many reasons: 1)It is the only way to real growth. 2) It is the way true faith develops. 3) It is the alternative to boredom and stagnation that causes people to wither up and die. 4) It is part of discovering and obeying your calling.
I believe there are many good reasons to get out of the boat. But there is one that trumps them all: The water is where Jesus is. The water may be dark, wet, and dangerous. But Jesus is not in the boat. The main reason Peter got out of the boat is that he wanted to be where Jesus was. Matthew keeps referring to this reality. Peter's request is, "Lord, if it's you, command me to come to you." Then Peter got out of the boat "and came towards Jesus."
Because Peter did this, both he and his friends came to a deeper understanding of their Master than ever before. They came to see more than ever that they could place their destinies in his hands with confidence. "It's like this, dudes..."
They understood that the One in their boat was the One along who treads the waves of the seas-and they worshiped him.
How about you? When was the last time you got out of the boat?
I believe that God's general method for growing a deep, adventuresome faith in us is by asking us to get out of the boat. More than hearing a great talk, or reading a great book, God uses real-world challenges to develop our ability to trust in him.
We tend to seek a world of comfort. We try to construct manageable lives with some security and predictability to maintain the illusion that we are in control.
Then God "pass us by" and shakes everything up. The call to get out of the boat involves crisis, opportunity, often failure, generally fear, sometimes suffering, always the calling to a task too big for us. But there is no other way to grow faith and to partner with God.

-If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat- John Ortberg

Christian Twitch

"I remember in an airport in Kansas City years ago, waiting for a plane, I fell into conversation with a fellow from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. He was in this county completing a monograph, a study on the influence of the conversation between doctors and nurses with the patient in surgery who is under anesthesia. His view was, in fact, that he had established it beyond all doubt. He found that if the doctors and nurses were negative and gripey and grumpy, then the patient in postoperative conditions was depressed and pessimistic. If the doctors and nurses were upbeat, happy, merry, and cheerful, then the patient in postoperative care was euphoric and optimistic and proceeded to recover quickly. The time came when I had to catch my plane. I thanked him for the conversation, and he said, 'Why, are you a doctor?' I said, 'Oh, no, I'm a preacher. But if it'll work in surgery, it'll work in the sanctuary.' So when I go somewhere to speak, and people are asleep, it doesn't' bother me, because I know that several days later they may get a little Christian twitch. They won't know what caused it, but I'll know.'
-Fred Craddock- Craddock Stories

I loved that story from Fred. Not that anyone would ever fall asleep during one of my sermons! I liked the story too because it reminds me that you never know when the Spirit can come into your life. That is why it is so important to be ever vigilant in your faith life. Find time to connect with God, because when you do you'll open yourself up to more and more experiences with the Spirit. The more time we spend in communion with God then the more ability we'll have to see the Spirit working in our lives and in the world. We'll get that twinge and know that it's the Spirit and not last nights burrito! If you want to be good at anything you have to practice at it. If you want your faith to be a bigger part of your life then you need to practice it. God is truly all around us. We just need to open our eyes and recognize.

Discover Your Lost Brother

Holy cow! As I am going through this Lenten devotional by Henri Nouwen I am amazed at how pertinent some of his devotions are to what's going on today. Read this one.

"Rediscover your enemy as your brother or sister. Rediscover that the lost brother or sister your dislike and reject is really your brother or sister within our precious human family. God invites us to discover ways to be less self-righteous, to sit at the same table together, and see each other with welcoming and accepting eyes. Stay close to the weak. I say this because this is the way of God. How did God finally reveal true love for us? By sending his beloved Son to be with us where we are poor. 'I have come for the lost sheep.' God chose the descending way to reveal to us how deeply we are loved, and how we have much love to offer each other. It is such a wonderful sign for us that Jesus chose the 'downwardly mobile' way to be one with us at the same table. This is God's way, lived in the flesh by Jesus, and given for our consolation and example. 'I'm sent into the world by the Father to bring Good News to the poor.' How very beautiful, very mysterious, and very true!"
-Henri Nouwen

Reread that first paragraph again. Rediscover your enemy as your brother or sister. As the political climate continues to deteriorate (I'm not making a comment on specific legislation) and the two sides hurl insults one wonders where the humility and idea of serving others has gone. And before we are too quick to point fingers at our elected representatives we must remember to take a look at ourselves. Where in our lives are our enemies? Have we cut them off and cast them aside? Have we left no opening for forgiveness or reconciliation? Have we given up the possibility that maybe they are more like us than we'd like to admit? Should we take a hard look at ourselves and see how we're living our lives before we condemn others? I think we should. If we want to move forward with anything we need to be willing to forgive, to have honest dialogue, and most importantly give up our self-righteous attitude that we're always right and whoever disagrees is always wrong. That attitude sure doesn't sound like loving others as Jesus has loved us. We need to remember that we are called to be servants. We need to remember that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Our needs do not always come first. I think Michael Jackson said it best when he said something to the effect that if we want change then we need to start by looking in the mirror.

Love in Return for Love

"God wants us to love God. That is the vulnerability of our God. The theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, 'Guilt is the idol hardest to break down.' Guilt may be our idol, especially if we cling to it in our hearts. We mull over past events, somehow hoping that by rethinking them they might become good events. We relive all the feelings around our poor choices, wishing we'd said or done otherwise. But trying to rethink the 'bad' past into a 'good' past not only doesn't work, it makes the guilt greater. It is a very difficult challenge, to let go of the past, because your particular past is yours alone and is true for you. Thus it becomes like an idol that you must carry with you at all times. But the guilt must go, otherwise you are indirectly competing with God. God is saying, 'I have always loved you and I love you now. I want you to receive my love.' And you and I are saying, 'You can't love me, God, because I'm so bad. By thinking about my past I will prove to you that I am beyond forgiveness.'"
-Henri Nouwen

It is never God who prevents us from being loved or feeling the presence of the Spirit. We are the ones who get in the way of that love and that connection. We either convince ourselves that God isn't paying attention to us or that we aren't worthy of God's love. Both scenarios keep us from the relationship that God desires from us. If we could only learn to live in the present. To let the past go and know that God loves us, has loved us, and always will love us. Then we wouldn't be trying to fill that void in our lives with all this stuff. If we could let ourselves be loved then that void would be filled and our relationship with God and the Spirit would grow. We need to get out of our own way. God loves you...all of you...just as you are...deal with it!

Returning to Trust

"In my own life I well know how hard it is for me to trust that I am loved, and to trust that the intimacy I most carve is there for me, I most often live as if I have to earn love, do something noteworthy, and then perhaps I might get something in return. This attitude touches the whole question of what is called in the spiritual life, the 'first love.' Do I really believe that I am loved first, independent of what I do or what I accomplish? This is an important question because as long as I think that what I most need I have to earn, deserve and collect by hard work, I will never get what I most need and desire, which is a love that cannot be earned, but that is freely given. Thus, my return is my willingness to renounce such thoughts and to choose to live more and more form my true identity as a cherished child of God." -Henri Nouwen

If we could only stop trying so hard to earn God's love, we could start living as someone who is already loved deeply by God. We spend so much time trying to earn favor that we get frustrated because we know we aren't good enough and that leads to a sense of despair. If we could only accept that God loves us just as we are, and begin to live our lives as someone who knows they are loved and accepted, we could take that energy wasted trying to get God to love us and put it towards living a grateful life because we're loved. God loves you! Stop trying to earn that love. Instead, accept God's love and do your best to live a life that your loving God would be proud of.

Promise

Whoa...I just read my post from last week and I've already failed at my challenge to pray twice a day. Good thing there is grace and forgiveness! I'm going to try again though so don't think you're off the hook. I've preached one or three sermons now in the season of Lent and I've decided to focus on our need to connect with God. We need to be intentional in seeking that connection and even more diligent in keeping outside distractions from breaking that connection. Without our daily intentional connection with the Spirit we can easily miss God's still small voice in our lives and the opportunity to bask in God's presence. I think I preach on our need to be in communion with God because it is something I know I need and don't always do a great job of getting. As I said before good thing there is grace and forgiveness!

Today I was thinking about a topic and I was reminded of the Old Testament verse from Genesis I'm going to preach on Sunday. (Don't worry Carroll it won't be an exact copy of my blog.) :-) The verses come from the 15th chapter and they are God's covenant with Abram. God promises Abram land and descendants. Some of the language and ritual around the sacrifice and covenant ceremony doesn't make much sense to us today, but safe to say the cutting of the animals in half was an ancient way to do a covenant. Today we'd have lawyers present and there would be a lot of signatures. The interesting part of this covenant between God and Abram is not the way in which it was sealed, but in who is making the promises. Read verses 1-12 and see who is doing the promising. God is saying that Abram and his descendants will inherit this land. God is the one doing all the talking. God's promises of descendants and land is not contingent on Abram at all. This covenant/promise is unconditional. Abram has done nothing to deserve this great blessing and he can do nothing to have this promise broken because God is doing all the promising.

It is important to note that unconditional promise here in Genesis because as the history of Israel unfolds the promise starts to have some conditions put on it. We could certainly enter into a lively discussion about what the addition of conditions means, but that would be for another post. Let's focus on the first promise of land and heirs made to Abram and how it was unconditional. That promise is still valid for us today. No, God isn't promising us the promised land, riches, and/or children. God is promising to be with us, to love us, to never leave us or forsake us and to always work for God's purpose in our lives. This promise to us is also unconditional. It isn't affected by how we act or don't act. God has promised us forgiveness and grace as long as we honestly repent and are sorry for our sins. I think that promise can't be overstated as we journey through Lent. As we are asked to work on bettering our connection with God and to take an honest look at our spiritual lives we need to keep in mind that even if we aren't satisfied with what we see God loves us just the way we are. God loves our imperfections and all.

As a parting word we can't take that unconditional love for granted and abuse it. Yes, we can't do anything to make God love us less, but that doesn't mean we have an excuse to live however we see fit and then go back and ask for forgiveness. Asking for and receiving forgiveness is only done when we are truly sorry for what we've done and we have an honest desire to not do it again and to try to live better. We should be living a life filled with gratitude for what God has done for us, and there is no better way to thank God for the unconditional love then to live a life that demonstrates that same unconditional love to all creation as best we can. Let the freedom and joy of knowing that God loves you, warts and all, allow you to honestly confess your sins and seek a better connection allowing you to live a more spirit filled life.

You've Got to Pray

"The proper way for man to pray," said Deacon Lemuel Keyes, "and the only proper attitude, is down upon his knees."
"No, I should say the way to pray," said Reverend Dr. Wise, "is standing straight with outstretched arms, and rapt and upturned eyes."
"Oh, no, no, no!" said Elder Slow, "Such posture is too proud; a man should pray with eyes fast closed, and head contritely bowed."
"It seems to me his hands should be austerely clasped in front. With both thumbs pointing toward the ground,"
Said Reverend Dr. Blunt. "Las' year I fell in Hodgkin's well head first," said Cyrus Brown."With both my heels a-stickin' up, my head a-pointin' down;"an' I made a prayer right then an' there...

"Cyrus Brown's Prayer" by Sam Walter Foss

"You've got to pray just to make it today" MC Hammer

Two good quotes. One about the "right" way to pray and the other about the importance of prayer in our lives. I've been thinking about a challenge for Lent. I'm not big on sacrifices so I like to come up with some sort of challenge to try for Lent. This year the challenge is going to be saying a prayer twice a day for the entire season of Lent. It doesn't matter when the prayer is, but it may be easier to pray just before you get up in the morning and then again right before you go to bed at night. It doesn't matter when you pray, just so that you do so.

I can hear some people resisting because they don't know the "right" way to pray. Well there is no right way to pray. It is just about your conversation with God. There is no right formula and no magic words that you can use. When I'm asked about praying all I say is to make sure that you thank God for your blessings (make sure your thanks outweigh your requests) and that you take time to listen for God's response. If all we do is talk then it is hard to hear the response. Don't let the thought of talking to God or Jesus intimidate you either. I had a chaplain supervisor tell me once to just pretend Jesus is sitting in a chair next to you and have a conversation with him just as you would a good friend there. Don't worry about doing it right...Just do it (as someone else says).

My challenge to myself will be to committ to pray twice a day during Lent, and hope that carries on past this season also. Will you accept the challenge and see how the power of prayer can change your life?

Amazing!!

I am amazed and proud of the way our church and community stepped up to the plate for the Wolfe Family. We held our Spaghetti Dinner/Benefit yesterday and let's just say the money raised was way beyond my expectations. Even with the snowy weather we raised approximately $4000!! We do not have the complete totals yet so don't quote me exactly, but we should be very close to that number. AWESOME is what comes to mind.

The out pouring of support shows us what a community can do when we come together to support one another. Beyond the monetary support I received numerous offers to help the Wolfe family in any way possible. What a tremendous example of the Body of Christ coming together to support one of its members. To me there is not better example of Christian love and support. People gave of their time, talent and money to help someone in need. This Spirit of giving and helping others is exactly what Jesus calls us to do. Let's pray that this generous Spirit does not end with this benefit. There are numerous ways we can continue to spread the same love and Spirit with our entire community. THANK YOU EVERYONE!!

Going Grey

Well it is official I suppose. I have officially become old in my children's eyes. Isaac asked me this morning how old I was. I told him and he said geez dad that's old! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Then, he says something about the graying of my hair! Sometimes I think that little fart is too smart for his own good.

I don't know why that stung a little bit. I know full well that 32 isn't old and I also know that gray hair is better than no hair; at least for now! Also, age has never been a big deal for me. I had a couple friends that hit 30 and it was a big deal for them, but I guess I've never worried about it. I don't mind getting old, really I don't. Maybe I don't want to be old or old fashioned in my kids eyes. I suppose I want to be the cool dad, but I can't let that happen because I'm going to relish embarrassing my kids. I think that's why we don't have a girl...God is protecting her from me and all the issues she'd have to work through from the emotional scars she would acquire growing up with me as a dad!

Getting older means getting more mature right? Well, in some areas of our lives it should. As we experience more and more of life we get a better understanding of how the world works. We realize that we have more and more responsibilities and can't keep acting like we did 5, 10, 15 years ago. As we get older we should mature in our faith life too. Just as life experiences make us more mature those same experiences cause our faith to grow too. As we struggle through tough times and come out the other end we begin to understand that God will see us through. As we continue to study God's word and see how it can help us through life we begin to understand the importance it has in our lives. As we are generous with what has been given to us (talent, time, money, etc.) we see how God blesses our lives, and others, through our generosity. As we see how our attitude and how we treat others affects how we interact with the world and receive God's blessings.

What's that? You don't see this happening? Did you know that most adults have an elementary Sunday school understanding of the Bible? Has your faith grown? It doesn't happen automatically. Yes life experience can help us grow in our faith, but we need to be studying the Word and being in community with other believes to truly help our faith grow. If there is one thing we should know by being in a farming community it is that you need to water something to make it grow. Well "water" for your faith is Bible study, prayer, devotion, and worship. Without those how can you expect to learn more and grown? And if your faith doesn't grow then how can you expect it to continue to be a sense of strength for you? Does an 8th grade level of spiritual maturity help a 32+ year old make sense of life? I don't think so. Consider this a challenge to grow your faith. If you feel like your faith life has grown stagnant then it is a good possibility you've stopped watering it. There are many opportunities to feed and grow your faith. Will you take advantage of them?

I tried not too...

I didn't want to do it. I promise I tried my best not too, but I can't hold it back anymore...WHEN IS IT GOING TO BE SPRING! Geez! As I sit in my office this morning, during a blizzard warning mind you, I wonder how we're getting the kids home from school? We are the only school in Pott county I think in session. Someone in charge of that has some explaining to do.

Okay that's out of my system. I honestly don't have much on the mind today..save the jokes. I have a great idea for the Musings in our monthly newsletter The Cornerstone and I don't want to just repeat it here.

I suppose I could vent a little about the Vikings loss last night. Not only was it a loss, but it was a heart wrenching loss too. To be so close and then have it ripped away hurts a little. I do enjoy sports, but I don't get so involved that it ruins my day or even night. I slept good and Alex has begun to sleep through the night more and more so that makes me happy. Sports for me is a nice distraction, but I can't get too involved because other aspects of life are much more important and deserve my energy. And I have to relay that too my kids too. Quick story..

Last night we told Isaac that the Saints were ahead and he started getting all sad and began to cry. He was genuinely upset that the Vikes were losing. After I controlled my laughter because it was cute, we had a heart to heart talk. I did my best to explain to a 3 year old that we like the Vikings but it's just a game. Watching and cheering for them is fun, but it doesn't have a bearing on our lives. Not sure he understood, but when the Vikes eventually lost he wasn't so despondent. Not sure if we made any headway with him but it was a wonderful reminder to me that sports are just a nice distraction. I wanted to be angry and throw things, but I saw my 3 year old there and was immediately reminded that true happiness comes from family, faith and friends. I'll continue cheering for the MN sports teams. I'll continue being disappointed in their losses. I'll also continue to remember that there are better things in life. So, until next year GO VIKES AND GO TWINS!!

Wisdom of kids

Over Christmas break my son Isaac and Tracy's sister Darcy were watching the movie Apollo 13. When the capsule has some difficulty and there are scenes of family members crying Darcy looks over and Isaac is crying too. She asks, "what's the matter Isaac?" And he replies, "When are they going to see their family again?" He was concerned that the astronauts wouldn't be with their families again and he was sad. There have been a number of times when we're watching a movie or some television show and Isaac will get quiet and I will ask what's wrong and he'll be worried about the family. Already he knows the comfort and support that can be found inside of a family and he has a very empathetic side too. As for when he was watching Apollo 13 Darcy explained that everyone will be okay and he was comforted by that but he wouldn't stop watching until the families were reunited. Sometimes I wonder if kids are wiser than we are.

Of course us adults know that families aren't perfect, that all families don't get reunited, and that not all people find comfort in earthly families. But, we can take comfort in knowing that we are all part of a bigger family. We are all God's creation/children whether we want to acknowledge it or not. Unlike earthly families God loves us unconditionally. No matter what we do God's love for us never changes and God always desires that we turn to God for comfort, help and wisdom. We cannot drive ourselves too far from God. Nothing we do can separate us from God's desire for us to be part of the divine family. Do you get the picture? The relationship we have with God cannot be irreparably damaged. God always wants us as part of the family.

We can take great comfort in knowing that God is always there for us. No matter how far we feel from God, the Spirit is right next to us waiting for us to open ourselves to the power. Just as my 3 year old takes comfort in knowing that he has a family that loves and supports him, although we're far from perfect, and he knows that families help others, I believe that being part of God's family can help us through anything. We just need to believe and accept that God loves us just as we are. We need to be able to accept ourselves in order to allow God to use us. Maybe what we need is the childlike faith and belief that families are great support and vehicles of love. Maybe we need the innocence and optimism of a child to see past all the heartache and cynicism of this world and believe that God loves us and that power exists and wants to be in relation with us. Maybe we just think too much...

A Fresh Start

There is nothing quite like the start to a New Year. I don't really get into celebrating the coming of the New Year too much. Just a night out with some friends is really enough. I can do without the headache from too much champagne the night before! It's an accomplishment for me to make it too midnight. What I like about the turning of the calendar to the New Year is the sense that we get a chance to start anew. The sense that there is the whole year ahead of you and you can do things better this year. No matter what has happened the past year you get a chance to make some promises, or resolutions, that you'll do better this time around. What an awesome opportunity.

Of course about 2 to 4 weeks later reality sets in and the "new" year begins to look a lot like the past year only with you getting older. How many promises, or resolutions (I really dislike that word), have we kept? If you are like me....none. Oh, if I'm lucky I'll make it a month or two eating better and exercising regularly, but pretty soon old habits creep back in. Maybe we should be singing "old habits be forgot" instead of "old acquaintances be forgot." That to me would be a better New Year song. Just making a promise, or resolution, doesn't do any good of course. You need to make some concrete changes if you really want this year to be different. I am not about to offer any advice on how to do that since I'm no shining example myself, but what I do want to touch on is how God offers us a fresh start AND the power to change every day.

Just as the beginning of a new year can spark a sense of hope and renewal in us God offers that same hope and forgiveness for past misgivings no matter what time of year it is. God is always ready to listen to a repentant heart. God is always ready to forgive us. Maybe most importantly of all God is always ready to help us become a better person. God is always ready and willing...the trick is are we. It takes some guts to pour out our failings to God, and it takes even more faith to earnestly want God to work on us and change us. When we truly allow God to work in our lives then we are giving God control of what happens. We don't like giving up control. But, if we really want our lives to change then we need to let God work on us. We don't have the strength to do it, or at least I don't. We need the help of the Spirit, and we need to be willing to let the Spirit grind down the rough edges. If we truly let God work on us, then the changes will be concrete and everlasting. The hard part of course is letting go and letting God. Take the spirit and hope of this new year and open yourself up to the calling of the Spirit. You'll be amazed at what promises, or resolutions, you can keep!