Truly Incomprehensible

I suppose that most of you, like me, are tired of seeing all the coverage of the tragedy in Newtown.  I can't comprehend what anyone that is connected to that community and that school is going through.  I don't want this blog to pile on concerning that incident, but I do want to respond to some things I've heard. 

First continued thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by the events on last Friday.  I'm not interested in getting into a debate about gun control and our gun culture.  That's something to be had at a later time.  I will acknowledge that our nation does need to be a lot better about how we handle mental illness, but that topic isn't for this blog.  What I want to talk a little bit about is how I see God working through all of this.

I've read a number of posts on Facebook and heard some commentators talk about how this is what we, and by we I mean the United States, get by taking God out of the schools and taking God out of our culture.  Frankly that idea offends me.  To think that God allowed this to happen, or even caused this to happen to show us as nation we've erred is horrifying to me.  To think that God abandoned these kids and this community because we as a culture have abandoned God in some ways doesn't hold water with me.  We can have a discussion about the consequences of pushing God further and further from our lives, and there are consequences to that, but I do not believe this incident is God trying to get our attention.

I firmly believe God was at Sandy Hook elementary that day.  God is everywhere, and God has promised to never leave us or abandon us.  News flash...the world is broken...breaking news...the world has always been broken.  Since the beginning of time God has chosen to work with us through this mess we call life.  God has allowed us free will, and has chosen to work within that free will to try and make this world as good as it can be.  I do not know, or understand, why God allows free choice.  I do not know why God allows such atrocities to happen since I believe God has the power to stop them.  Sometimes bad things happen because we, and by we I mean us personally and us as a society, make bad choices.  And sometimes bad things happen for no reason.  I think it is a mistake to try and make sense out of the senseless.  Sure there might be reasons for why this happened, and we should investigate what can be done to stop this from happening again.  But, God did not abandon those kids and teachers at that school.  I cannot and will not believe that.  I believe that God has a plan for this world and for each of us.  I believe it is our job, if you will, to try and follow that plan as best we are able.  When horrible events happen I lean on my faith.  That faith reminds me that God is always there, that God is in control (even if I don't understand why or see how), and that God will walk with us through it all. 

Don't tell Tracy...

I love this time of year.  You can feel the anticipation and the Christmas joy in the air.  Each morning the boys get up and go on a desperate search to find Jasmine.  Jasmine is our elf on a shelf.  If you're not familiar with the elf on a shelf it is a personal elf that visits your house during the holiday season and reports to Santa each night if you were naughty or nice.  Personally I think it's a brilliant discipline tool for at least one month out of the year.  Those boys fear that elf, and what she might tell Santa more then their mom and dad.  If I could come up with an elf on the shelf concept that lasted a whole  year I'd be rich and maybe have better behaved kids!
I also love this time of  year because it gets colder out and it is supposed to snow.  I've always said if it has to be cold it might was well snow!  Family traditions also make this time of year great too!  From watching the Christmas stories on TV to waiting until Christmas to open your presents I really enjoy all of the family traditions surrounding this year and passing them onto my boys. 
I also love the idea of Tracy starting a new tradition each year.  Each year in November and early December Tracy tells me, "Let's not get each other anything for Christmas."  I say, "ok sounds good"...knowing full well the boys had better get her something and that Santa had better come through too!  An aside, Tracy's birthday is on the 23rd of December so we still get her birthday presents.  I can expect this statement as I said in late November to early December.  This year she tried a new twist to the tradition by saying we should take what we would have spent on each other and given it to some charity.  I think what a great idea.  We've also cut the presents the boys get from us back some for 2 reasons: 1) they have enough stuff already, and 2) we're going to take a few more small trips throughout the year where we can make memories as a family instead of spending money on stuff they'll use for a week and then forget they have. 
Well Tracy's "new" tradition of not getting each other something lasted until last night.  As we're unwinding after the boys are in bed she says, "I'd like a pair of those slippers that go up to my knees."  I think to myself, I'd call those boots, but that's a different story for a different blog!  I remind her that we weren't getting each other anything, and she replies, "well that's something Santa can bring me."  HA, December 9th and the "new' tradition is dead! 
As I said I love this time of year.  No deep theological thoughts this week...just a reminder to start some family traditions of your own, and to spend some extra time with loved ones this Christmas season!  And, if you're married and male, she wants something for Christmas even though she says she doesn't!

Advent and hope

Sometimes I have to laugh at us ministers.  We can get stuck on something and be ornery about stuff with the best of them.  I'm part of a clergy group on Facebook and one discussion was about how some ministers dislike the Christmas decorations in the church during the season of Advent.  Their contention is Christmas doesn't arrive until midnight on December 24th, and then we have 12 days to celebrate it.  The discussion went on some with a few agreeing and a few disagreeing. 
Technically I suppose Advent is not Christmas.  Advent is the time of the year when we prepare for Christmas so to have the decorations up skips past any preparation.  But, I love Christmas decorations...don't tell the misses because then I may have to do more in the decorating department...and I think we will miss a good chance to celebrate Christmas if we don't decorate or sing Christmas carols until Christmas and the 12 days after.  Plus, we have been so ingrained to celebrate Christmas right after Thanksgiving and take all the decorations down right after Christmas I don't think we can change. 
This discussion online got me thinking about how we treat Advent.  The advent season is truly a great time of the year.  The advent wreath and the traditions around it can truly keep is grounded and reminded of what Christmas is really about.  This week we lit the candle of hope.  Hope is something we all need.  During my sermon on Sunday I talked about the hope we have in the return of Jesus.  I mentioned that the promise of Jesus' return lets us know that things aren't always going to be like they are.  Jesus has promised to come back one day and set up a new heaven and a new earth where everything is perfect.  We waste our time predicting when that will happen.  What these promises give us is hope in a better future, and also not knowing the time helps us to remember to live as though Jesus was coming back at any moment. 
Does that sound like Advent and your life to you?  Do you live following the commandments of Jesus to love others and be selfless and loving and forgiving as though He was coming back tomorrow to see how you did?  I know I certainly don't.  I can get so wrapped up in day to day activities that I lose sight of the big picture and hope is the farthest thing from my mind.  Sometimes we get so busy with the minutia of life that we lose sight of what we're living for.  We forget Jesus calls us to be his hands and feet in this world and that He gave us an example of how we should live our lives.  Especially during this holiday season it is easy to get all caught up and forget to take a step back and truly look at how we live our lives and to be grateful for all we have.  Will you try to find time this year to enjoy the advent season and truly anticipate the celebration of Jesus' birth?  Will you share with family and friends the message of hope and remember that no matter life's circumstances there is a savior who loves you?  Do that and you'll truly experience the joy and happiness of Jesus birth.

The Yucky Stuff

Well, it finally happened...I got the flu that had been going around our house.  Isaac started it, passed it to Tracy, then Alex, and just when I thought I was in the clear wham-mo.  Isaac and I got it the worst of course, so I'm sitting at home today recovering and thinking about the Yucky stuff...not only the flu, but some of the yucky stuff we're asked to do in life.
When I'm talking about the yucky stuff I'm talking about more then cleaning up after your kids when they just don't make it to the bathroom in time!  Thanks Tracy for keeping the streak intact and taking another one for the team.  What I mean about yucky stuff is all the behind the scene work that goes into making life, and more specifically our church work.  You know, the behind the scenes stuff, the stuff that needs to be done but no one likes to do...the stuff you hardly ever get thanked for.  Without someone willing to do the yucky stuff in our church life we would struggle to get as much done as a church family as we do.  Think about the planning that goes into making sure we have lunch for the church sale or any dinner we host.  How about the cleaning of the church, the refilling of the candles, the hanging of the banners, the making of desserts, the volunteering for children's sermon and church, the million other things that people step up and take care of without the thought of a thanks.
We as a church family are very good at stepping up when the need arises.  We just completed another successful church auction and we've met the challenges of VBS and Sunday school and various other offerings our church has.  I know I can't name everyone I'd like to thank, so I'm just going to say thank you to all who do the yucky stuff that holds our church together.
Now, just because we do have a good cast of characters who do the yucky stuff doesn't mean we couldn't do better.  We're entering into the time of the year when positions on certain boards are going to need to be filled.  Please prayerfully consider saying yes when called to serve.  Also, we can always use more help with activities and pretty much anything else that is happening around the church.  I know the yucky stuff isn't fun and glamorous all the time, but it is necessary and it is fulfilling work.  So, I challenge you to step up and do volunteer for one more thing this coming year in the church life.  Serve on a board, volunteer to help with an upcoming dinner, volunteer for a children's sermon or children's church, and let's see if we can't continue to grow our church family.

Hope

I can't wait for tomorrow...all of the robo calls and letters and political ads will be over, at least for 2 years or maybe 1 year...well at least for awhile.  Man, if half of that money were used for education, food banks, infrastructure, but I digress.  I'm not here to whine about the election and the 24 hr news cycle.  I'm here to talk about a word that I think we all need to focus on a little more...hope.
I watch a television show on cable called "The Walking Dead."  It is a story about a zombie apocalypse and a group of people trying to survive.  The show isn't for the faint of heart, and in its third season it is going strong.  After watching this past episode I think I might be done with the show.  The show never has a good ending.  There is no hope for the living in the show.  I can predict each episode...survivors find safe place, zombies find survivors and another member of the group dies.  The only thing that changes is the scenes are getting more and more gory.  I know what you're saying..."It's a zombie apocalypse show what do you expect?"  I guess what I expect, what I need to keep me engaged, is some hope.  I need to see the survivors have a good day once.  I need to feel that there is going to be light at the end of  the tunnel.  I don't get that from this show and I don't think I can stomach it anymore.
We need hope in our lives too.  With the election coming up very shortly you hear doom and gloom scenarios from each side if they lose.  One thing I can predict about the election is that for a lot of people the "right" person isn't going to win.  So does that mean for those people who's candidate doesn't win there is no hope?  The country is in a free fall to nothing?  I don't believe that... no matter if the person I vote for wins or not.  You see my hope isn't in this world.  I know that there is more to this life then politics, career, pain, suffering, etc.  This life is temporary.  Of course I want my time on earth to be as comfortable and joyful as possible, but I also know everything will pale in comparison to eternity with Jesus. 
I guess what I'm trying to say is we have hope.  When we begin to believe there is no hope then life becomes too much to stomach.  There is hope even when life might be tough right now.  Hope for better days and a hope that stems from the promises of God to never leave your or forsake you.  So when the next president is decided, when life throws you the next curve ball, when you begin to think that life is in a downward spiral remember you have someone willing to cry and suffer with you.  You have a savior that has been through much more than you and truly knows how you feel.  Remember that there are friends, family, and a community that is ready and willing to help walk with you through the dark times if  you'll reach out and let them.  Remember...we have hope that this life is temporary and better days are truly ahead.

A shout out..!

We made the quick trip to MN this weekend so Tracy could cross an item off her bucket list.  She ran a half marathon.  13.1 miles!  It was cold, but it was awesome.  I could not have been more proud of her.  I think of the beginning of her journey when she started the program to get herself in shape to run that far.  I think of the dedication that she put in, and the many times she'd come home and say man I didn't want to run that far today.  I was impressed by her dedication let me tell ya. Well, she put the effort in and it all paid off.  Way to go Tracy!!!
I don't have a lot of inspiration this morning.  Watching Tracy run 13.1 miles was inspiring, but it didn't make me want to run that far.  I once ran 4 miles with her and that was plenty far let me tell ya.  I did take a lesson from this though...maybe a couple...1) Tracy looked better after running 13.1 miles then I do on my best day, 2) don't make her mad because she can out run me, and 3) when we make something a priority in our lives we carve out the time to do it.
I've spent more then a few blogs talking about our need to talk to God, pray, do devotions, and attend worship services.  I talk about those things because I struggle at times with my relationship with God and I need reminding of it's importance.  I also talk about these things because I think they are vital for our lives.  When we place importance on something we find time to do it.  If watching football on Sunday is important to us we'll plan the weekend around it.  If going out with family and friends is important we'll plan our week so we can have that night free.  If volunteering for our community is important we'll find time to work it into our schedule.  If training for a half marathon is important we'll find time to do it.  What I'm trying to get at is we are all busy, but we will find the time for important things in our lives.  I guess the question we need to ask ourselves is: "Is my relationship with God important?"  If it is then we'll find ways to include the Spirit in our lives...if it isn't then we will always be too busy.  

Conversation on the Road...

A week or two ago my wife and I went to a NU vs. MN volleyball game in Lincoln, and we had an interesting conversation on the road.  I suppose there were many interesting parts to our conversation, but I'll spare you the details about our children and various other discussions spouses with children have when they are alone!  The conversation that stuck in my mind was the one we had about heaven, blessings, church attendance, and our relationship with God.  That's right...when we travel we don't travel light!
What got the conversation rolling was my out loud thought..."what do you suppose happens to people who basically ignore God all their lives and then stand before God after this life?"  My wife, in her infinite wisdom says, "I dunno."  Well of course I don't know either, but my puzzeler was thinking about what did people expect from God if they basically ignored him all their lives and then they die.  Did they expect a full pardon?  Did the expect to go to hell?  Did they even consider or worry about any of those consequences?  As Tracy and I talked a lot of ideas flowed forth and I think I was enlightened.  Or was the enlightening about me picking up my socks...well I digress.
I guess I was wondering what the benefits were of a relationship with God beyond our traditional thoughts of saving us from hell.  Honestly, I got out of the business of deciding who was going to heaven and who was not.  Besides, if that is your sole reason for believing in God then I think you're missing a big part of what God has in store for you.  Only God knows a person's heart, and only God gets to decided who's in or out so I'm not concerned with that discussion.  What Tracy and I talked about was what people are missing on earth by neglecting their relationship with God.
As we talked I articulated my belief that a solid relationship with God leads us to more and more blessings on earth.  I'm not talking the prosperity Gospel here...more faith does not equal more money.  Also, more faith and a solid relationship with God doesn't mean no suffering; Job tells us otherwise.  But, I do believe that if we grow our relationship with God then we will experience a better life here on earth.  Our relationships with family and friends will be better, our outlook on life will be better, and when the tough times come we will have a better footing to stand on and help us through them.  I do believe God wants to bless us with a great number of things and we miss a lot of them because we neglect our relationship with the Spirit.  We don't attend church to nurture our faith and connect with like minded people who are on a similar journey.  We don't take the time to pray and spend time in God's word to allow ourselves to connect with the Spirit.  We think we are so busy with just living life that we miss maybe the most important aspect of our lives and that's our relationship with God. 
Obviously I believe in the value of going to church, spending time in the Scriptures, and carving out time for devotions and prayer.  I've seen the blessings that come from that.  Unfortunately I've also struggled at times with those 3 things and I've seen how life isn't as good.  I want so much for people to see and experience what God has to offer them...God is always there waiting and hoping and knocking on our hearts...the question is can we find the time to let the Spirit in?  I hope so.

Spoiler Alert

If you were in church on Sunday and heard my sermon then this blog might be a little repetitious.  Also, if you haven't seen/heard the sermon on Facebook then this blog might be a little bit of a spoiler.  But, the sermon is SO good you should really check it out anyway!
Since Group 3:16, our combined youth group with the Neola Presbyterian church, and the lesson on faith I presented I've done a lot of thinking about how life gets in the way of and/or affects my faith.  The lesson for the youth group talked a little bit about how you define faith and that faith is the belief in something that you cannot irrefutably prove.  That's a pretty basic understanding of faith.  Once you can put facts to something you begin to move out of the realm of faith.  In my sermon on Sunday I talked a little bit about how suffering can really have an impact on our faith.  A lot of times suffering can cause us to lose faith.  We begin to think that our lack of faith caused our suffering, or that God doesn't care about us because if God did care we certainly wouldn't be going through the tough times.  That's where the book of Job does a great job of teaching us about suffering.  Job suffered for no reason, and he takes his complaint and belief that he did nothing to cause this suffering to God.  Job demands God answer him as to why he was suffering so.  Well, Job finally gets an answer, and God basically tells Job that he cannot understand the way the universe works and that suffering is a mystery.  Job doesn't instruct as to how we can live to avoid suffering.  Job doesn't tell us why suffering occurs.  Job shows us that we can remain faithful through suffering because God never leaves us or abandons us. 
Our faith may struggle a little bit when we suffer.  We may have doubts, we will certainly have questions, and we may even be angry with God and demand answers.  All are valid responses, but they can't be our only response.  We may not get the answers we want as to why we're suffering, but we must never lose sight of the fact that God suffers with us.  Even though we might feel that God is picking on us, or at the very least ignoring us, we must remember that God does no such thing and that the Spirit is right there with us even crying and hurting with us.  Once we truly believe that God is there with us through it all we can bear the tough times a little easier.  The pain won't go away magically, but our burden will be eased and our faith will grow stronger because we'll realize that connection with the Spirit was never broken.  I will repeat Philip Yancey's quote about faith because I think he does a great job explaining it..“I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse.”

No one likes Nagging Nellie

In my sermon on Sunday I read a story about a church lady who constantly complained about everything in the church.  The story was at the same time funny and sad.  Funny at some of the things she complained about and sad because like any good story there is a lot of truth behind it.  My sermon was on our need to be people who build up the body of Christ and fellow humans and not be like the lady in the story who complained about everything.  I confessed that I sometimes get the urge to complain about a job someone is doing instead of offering to help.  I also confessed that I can be jealous of someone who takes a position that I used to hold and does the job well, or I find myself nitpicking at everything they do.  We are so quick to complain and nitpick instead of help and build up.  Why is that?  Why when someone is doing a job well do I catch myself having feelings of envy and jealousy?  Why isn't my first reaction one of joy and happiness for a job well done?  Am I the only one that finds it easier to tear down then build up? 
It's not like I run around complaining all the time and tearing people down because I can recognize that feeling of jealousy and the urge to nitpick and remember that's not how Jesus wants us to treat fellow brothers and sisters.  I can recognize that first urge and realize it is wrong, and most of the time I can offer help and/or be glad for a job well done.  My question is why the silly urge in the first place? 
We need to make sure we aren't just waiting for someone to fail.  We need to make sure we are doing our level best to help and build up the body of Christ.  Just because someone does something differently, or heaven forbid better then us, doesn't give us license to tear them down.  The world would be a terribly boring place if we all followed the same ideas wouldn't it?  If you find yourself having the urge to complain, nitpick, or tear someone down for the job they are doing take a hard look at yourself and the situation.  Can you give some gentle advice and help the person out?  Are the feelings coming from a place of jealousy and envy?  Think about how Jesus would have you respond.  Sometimes a little change is just what's need to spark some new energy.  We certainly don't want to be the ones to snuff out that spark.

Confirmation Sunday

What a cool worship on Sunday!  Not that other Sundays are cool too, but this past Sunday had an extra cool factor.  We got to confirm 7 wonderful teenagers.  It was the culmination of a year's worth of blood, sweat and tears...mostly from me!  I'm only kidding.  They really were a great bunch of kids, and I miss seeing them regularly on Sunday mornings.  Here's hoping they don't become strangers!
I do confirmation a little bit different here at Minden UCC.  As I talked about in my sermon I try to stress relationship and how our faith should/does have an impact on our lives.  I don't spend a lot of time drilling the kids on the order of the books of the Bible, dates, names and history facts.  I find that boring, and I know the kids would too.  Plus I always have in the back of my mind that I went through that type of confirmation where we filled in answers in a book, and it didn't help me and I went on to seminary!
I want the kids to have an experience that they can look back upon when they're young adults and starting a new life and say, "boy that Pastor Brian wasn't too weird...church wasn't a horribly boring place...maybe I should check a church out now."  I would much rather have them say that then be able to recite books of the Bible and dates and names.  Now, we do talk a lot about the Bible and faith, but I try and take the stories and relate their meaning to the kids' lives.  We open the Bible and read some verses to see how they can direct us today.  Some meetings we'll spend the whole time talking about an incident at school and how we as Christians should respond.  We most definitely laugh a lot, and I try to get the kids to see that the Bible isn't some dry book, because if you read through the Bible you'll certainly see there are some wild stories in there. 
Most importantly I want the kids to connect their faith with their lives.  The Bible verse I used for confirmation Sunday was from John 15 when Jesus is talking about the vine and the branch and how if the branch is disconnected it withers and dies.  If these kids, and us, don't connect our faith with our daily lives then it isn't relevant to us and it dries up.  I wanted them, and I want you, to know that going to church, connecting with the Spirit through daily devotions and prayer is vital to your vibrant life.  We need that connection so we can keep our faith growing and alive.  If we aren't growing and live then we are stagnant and dying.  I certainly don't want to be called stagnant.  As I try to stress with the confirmands, and I want us to see too, you need to see how your faith influences your life.  Let God into your life, try to live by God's commands, and see the blessings that flow.  We aren't going to miss all of life's bumps just because we are plugged in, but we'll certainly have more strength to get through the bumps if we are connected the life giving vine of Jesus Christ.

Perfect football weekend

I am going to write this weekend down in the history books.  I am not sure it can ever be repeated.  It was the perfect football weekend for the Wohlhuter house.  Let me explain...first the Gophers won, then the Hawkeyes lost, then the Huskers lost, then the Vikings won, and then the Packers lost.  Folks, life doesn't get any better than that!  The perfect football weekend was had. There was dancing in the streets, champagne corks being popped, and fun and frivolity happening all around the parsonage.  Ok, maybe not all that, but I don't think the perfect football weekend has happened before, and it may never happen again so I enjoyed it.
Now I have an exercise for you.  I want you to close your eyes and imagine the perfect weekend.  Can you see it...what is the perfect weekend?  And does that perfect weekend include a worship service at church?  I can hear the tires screeching to a halt...church and perfect weekend?!?!  Is that an oxymoron?  I would be curious to know how many people had worship plans in their perfect weekend?  If I'm honest, I'm not sure I had a church worship service in mind when I was dreaming about the perfect weekend either.  Why don't we include church in our idea of a perfect weekend?  Is it because church is something we do if we have time instead of making time for it?  Is it because church is pretty low on the priority list for weekend projects? 
Ok, I admit I might be stretching it a bit thinking a church worship service should be included in our thoughts of a perfect weekend, but I don't think I'm stretching it too much to ask us to think where Sunday worship is on our weekend priority list.  Sunday worship is one of the primary ways we can grow our relationship with God, so why is it so easy to blow it off?  If we want our relationship with God to improve wouldn't it be prudent to move one of the primary ways we can connect with and learn more about the Spirit in our lives up the priority list?  I would certainly think so.  If you want to get better at cooking, playing the piano, etc. how do you do it?  You go to classes to learn.  You practice using the skill, and more than likely you seek out people who already are good at the thing you want to learn.  Well, if you want more of God in your life then the same principles apply.  You need to work on making the connection and growing your faith.  A very good way to do that is to attend a worship service with people who are seeking the same thing.  Too often it is way to easy to blow off Sunday worship.  Then when we want that deep meaningful connection with God we wonder why we can't connect so easily.  Well, when you don't practice it's hard to pick something up and be good at it right away isn't it.  Work at connecting with God and you will be be amazed at how the relationship can grow.  Sunday worship is a great place to start.

Sniff, sneeze, cough....Repeat!

You should be in our house each morning when the boys and I get up for school.  We sound like a flock of geese!  It is hilarious when we all sneeze at the same time.  I'm notorious for letting them rip...no sense in holding a good sneeze in...and then the boys say, "do it again daddy!"  They only have to wait a couple minutes and I'll be back at it.  Luckily I believe it is simply allergies and usually after an hour or so of sneezing and nose blowing things seem to calm down, but man what excitement for that first hour.
I've been told that we aren't alone is this morning ritual.  I suppose we are lucky that we don't have to deal with horrible nasal congestion and red swollen eyes and all that jazz.  I don't think I've ever prayed harder for a hard freeze!  I'm pretty sure the crops won't mind anyway.  This has been a summer of extremes.  From the weather to matters of health.  I have been reminded to be grateful for the health that we currently enjoy.  One of Tracy's good friend's sister has a 3 year old boy battling cancer, someone else we know has a little girl battling cancer, and of course there have been some people in the community battling the disease and other health emergencies.  We certainly have a lot to be grateful for.
I was praying for some of the sick people the other day and it really hit me how lucky I have been in my life.  I know there is no way I will ever be appreciative or grateful enough for how blessed I've been thus far, but I decided to make sure that every time I pray to make sure to thank God for all my blessings.  I think that is a wonderful challenge for all of us.  Each time we pray, we need to make sure to say thank you for all of the blessings we have.  Not just a generic thank you God, but try to list off everything you are thankful for...from waking up in a warm, or cool, house to being able to call up a friend and talk if need be.  I bet if we really tried to say thank you for all we have and enjoy we'd be very surprised at how long the list is and how our outlook might change.  Try it...for 1 month each day thank God for the blessings you have and see how your relationship with God changes and how your outlook on life changes.  Let me know what happens.  I will give it a try and report back in 1 month.  Now help me remember!

King Solomon and a new park?!?!

The Minden Park Crew did it.  The new park equipment is in!  A big congratulations goes out to the committee for all their hard work: having the vision, raising the money, and seeing the project through until completion.  Also, a big thank you to all who helped with the construction.  Pretty neat to see all the effort pay off.  Now, how in the world am I going to tie Solomon into this?  Read on my friends read on.
Last Sunday I gave a sermon and the subject was about King Solomon and his request for wisdom.  I talked a little bit about the warts that Solomon had, and the fact that God could work around those warts.  I also reminded us that King Solomon's faults also lead to his downfall so God may work around warts but that doesn't mean wrong actions don't have consequences.  I pointed out some of King Solomon's faults to remind us that God doesn't call super saints to do God's work.  God calls everyone, even those who aren't perfect.  I also reminded us that through the power of the Spirit God can accomplish amazing things if we are willing to follow. 
I preach a lot on the fact that God is waiting and more than willing to work through us, but we short circuit that power because we are afraid, we are lazy, we don't think we're qualified, etc.  There are numerous examples of God using normal, everyday, even seriously flawed people to further God's work in the world.  Those people God worked through, including King Solomon who was called the wisest king every, were far from perfect, but God did amazing things through them because they had a relationship with God and opened themselves up to the Spirit.
The Minden Park Crew started out with a goal in mind.  They wanted new park equipment for the kids.  The cost seemed insurmountable, and I imagine more than once they heard, and maybe even felt, that there was no way a town like Minden could raise that kind of money.  That same attitude, we can't do this or that because...(fill in the excuse) keeps us from experiencing the full blessings God wants us to have.  King David, King Solomon, Moses, the Disciples are all pillars of Christianity.  They have one thing in common with all of us...they were far from perfect.  Yet, God called them, as God calls us today.  They had the courage to listen and open themselves up to God.  Can we do the same?  Can we put aside our doubts, our fears, and our laziness to see what God wants to accomplish through us?  If we can then amazing things are ahead of us...just like the Park Crew who persevered and accomplished their goal.  But, if we close ourselves off and/or give up then we miss out on an amazing journey and some special blessings. 

Moment of silence please..

Thank you for that moment of silence.  We are mourning the passing of summer.  School starts in a couple days and football games are on TV.  I don't care what the calendar says summer is kaput!  It does amaze me the stark contrast in the past 2 summers in western Iowa.  Last year we were waiting for the levees to fail and Council Bluffs and other towns to be washed away by the mighty Missouri River.  This year we couldn't get rain out of a hurricane it is so dry around here.  Like someone said, "we survived the summer of the flood and we'll survive the summer of the drought."
I know it is cliche, but where does the time really go?  We just completed a very successful Vacation Bible School program here with the help of First Presbyterian in Neola.  We had about 80 kids attend and I think they enjoyed themselves and they might have even learned something along the way.  It always amazes me how much enthusiasm and joy the kids bring.  They are so excited to come to church and play, eat, make crafts, see friends, and learn a little something about God.  I've heard from more than one parent about how excited their child was to come to VBS.  I've also heard from more than one kid how much fun they had too.  Thank you to everyone who helped in any way!!  We could not have put on such a super program without all the volunteers.
Back to the kids' joy, at what point do we lose that enthusiasm to learn about God?  At what point does it become a chore to come to church...just another check mark to click off your list?  If that hasn't happened to you then super, but how many people come to church bouncing off the walls with excited energy?  Ok, maybe I'm being a little silly with my comparisons to young elementary kids energy and our adult energy.  We'd frown upon a "seasoned" church member running up and down the aisles or crying because mom forgot the fruit snacks.  My point is why do we lose that pure unbridled joy?  I suppose we could blame it on our grown up sensibilities, but we should never lose that excitement to learn about the One who created and sustains us should we?  Think about all that we owe to our Maker...I know all of our lives haven't been a walk in the park, but I bet we have a tremendous amount to be thankful for.  Yet, we tend to reluctantly volunteer to help, we view going to church and worshiping the God who gave us life as any other chore, and oh please don't ask me to change anything about my life...am I right?  Instead of being excited to worship and be able to serve our ever loving and forgiving God we turn it into a job almost.  Let's hope the spark of those VBS kids reminds us to bring a lot of joy to our worship and lives lived for God.

Tooth care and self care

One of my favorite post cards came in the mail the other day.  "You're overdue for your dental checkup/cleaning."  Those post cards look so nice and innocuous, but I think I'd rather get audited by the IRS then go to a dental checkup.  The scraping, x-rays, awful tasting polish, and the wonderful news you need something done...there isn't much I would put below these visits.  I'm not degrading dentists at all.  I love to eat, and I'm sure food tastes much better if I'm able to chew it with healthy teeth instead of sucking it through a straw or gumming it to death.  Dentists provide a much needed service, but man I hate getting that service.  Anyone else feel the same way?
I've been lucky.  I haven't had many cavities or any trouble with my teeth throughout my life.  I'm not sure I should divulge this tidbit or not, but I've had such good teeth that I've never flossed much in my life.  At all of my dental checkups, and I promise you this, they've always told me to keep doing what I've been doing.  Well, what I had been doing was brushing my teeth once or twice a day and not flossing.  So, for years, and I mean probably 30 some years of my life, that's what I kept hearing, "You have great teeth, keep doing what you're doing."  So I did, until about a year ago.  I had my first cavities, and they were two flossing cavities.  Flossing cavities are the ones that form between your teeth because you don't floss and get the food out.  So, you figure I'd learned my lesson and after those cavities were filled I started flossing to keep that from happening again.  Nope...I'm going to the dentist today for my checkup and I know I have a couple more flossing cavities.  Some habits are hard to break and some habits are even harder to start!
I was reflecting on my lack of dental hygiene and it occurred to me how this might relate to our spiritual lives.  When things are going good do we tend to forget a little bit about God, and building our relationship, and continuing our daily devotions?  Sometimes when things are swimming along nicely we tend to neglect somethings...as I did with my flossing all those years.  But, when things get tough we immediately turn back to God and want/desire that close relationship and to feel the Spirit's presence in our lives.  The kicker is...if we'd continued to build that relationship before the tough times hit then we'd have that connection built in more quickly.  Just like if I'd learn to keep flossing now I could avoid these wonderful checkups where I know something is amiss with my teeth.
It is not that God won't be with us and comfort us when times get tough if we've kind of fallen away from God for awhile while times were good.  It is just that like any relationship the more time we spend at the relationship the better the connection will be.  The reception doesn't improve from God's end...the reception improves on our end because we've been in the habit of connecting with God already so it is easier for us to feel God's presence.  When we only seek God's presence when we feel we need help then we won't be as practiced in recognizing the Spirit in our lives and it may take some time before we recognize/feel God at work.  So, the moral of the story...floss and make sure you continually build your relationship with God.  That way, when the checkups, and life's difficulties come you'll be more prepared to handle them.

PS-anyone's teeth hurt while reading this?  Mine did while I was writing it!

Quiet weekend...

It has been a quiet few days around our house.  Friday the boys went to my parents place for a few days so Tracy and I had just ourselves to keep us company.  3 days without kids!  What were we going to do?!?  I was certainly looking forward to some time off from chasing the rugrats around.  We spent some time shopping and Tracy had the quote of the weekend.  We were in Target and she was just aimlessly wondering up and down the aisles and I asked her what she was doing.  Her reply, "I'm just looking.  I never get a chance to just look around."  I laughed.  She was right.  When you're toting around two boys you don't really have the luxury to just look around. 
As I said earlier I was looking forward to the peace and quiet, but honestly that lasted to about Saturday morning.  I already missed the little buggers jumping into bed and waking me up.  I even missed watching Mickey Mouse Club House and fixing the little guys break fast.  Funny how you think you are so looking forward to the time off , and then when it finally arrives you find yourself missing the noise and energy.  It wasn't nearly as fun waking up this morning without Alex climbing on the bed and making sure I was going to open his fruit snack and turn the TV on.  That's right...they get fruit snacks in the morning...its dad's little treat.
Contemplating this I was reminded of the saying that you really don't know what you've got until it's gone.  The sermon yesterday was on the 10th commandment which tells us not to covet stuff we don't have.  I talked about learning to be content with what you have and to count the blessings you already have without being consumed and preoccupied with stuff you want and think you need to be happy.  I know I take for granted my life and all the blessings I have.  How can I be thankful enough for a wonderful and healthy family, a church that I love to serve, a community we love to live in and rallies around one of its own, and the freedom to do what we want?  Is it possible to be thankful enough for all of that and not take it for granted?  I don't think so, but I'm going to try.  I do my best to thank God every day for all that I have, and I try to not take for granted the opportunities I and my family have.  While the hooligans were gone I was reminded how much I love them and how I can't take for granted the time we get to spend together.
I think the challenge for me is to be reminded in the daily grind how blessed I am.  I think that is a challenge for all of us.  I know some are struggling, but I bet if we thought about it we all could find something to be thankful for.  Let's take some time to thank God right now for all the blessings in our life.  Even if this might be a tough time in your life...think of the blessings you do have.  They are there, and you don't want to miss them!

Sweet Vacations

Aren't vacations wonderful?!  Although I don't think they ever last long enough.  And, wouldn't it be nice if we could ease back into the work week?  Maybe work 1/4 day the first day, 1/2 day the next, then 3/4 of a day and finally a full day on the week we return to work.  I think I'm going to talk to the boss and see if I can make that a policy here at church!  Seriously though...adjusting back into the real world after taking some time off can be jarring.  I believe vacations, time away from the rat race, are a vital part of our lives.  And maybe because starting that rat race up again when we return from vacation is so hard it is a sign that we need to get away.

Taking time off has almost become a four letter word.  We feel we have to put in the extra hour or 4 and maybe come in on Saturdays and Sundays because if we don't get the work done then they'll find someone who will.  I understand that there are times when you need to work extra hours, but we need to be aware when those extra hours start to hurt our productivity at work and our productivity at home.  I know I don't work as hard or efficiently when I feel like all I've been doing is working.  We need to find time to get away and relax and recharge. 

Relaxing and recharging is different for everyone.  And everyone has different schedules and demands in their lives and at work.  But the Lord created the Sabbath for a reason, and I believe that reason is because we need to get away from the daily grind to remind us there's more to life then the 8 to 5.  There is more to life then the pursuit of the that next promotion and raise.  Providing for the family is more than bringing home a paycheck.  Providing also means being there as a spouse and parent.  If I've said it once I've said it a million times...we need to find time to reconnect and recharge.  Reconnect and recharge with God, with our families, with our friends, and with our selves.  If we don't do that then we risk becoming over worked and stressed out.  I don't know about you but I am no fun to be around when I'm over worked and stressed out...ask my wife!  Find some time to take a walk with the family, take some of that vacation time you've been saving up and take a trip.  You'd be amazed at what just a little time away can do to one's well being.

Growing your faith

I don't usually do this on my blog, but I felt this passage from the book was too powerful to ignore.  This also comes out in our newsletter, but I think we could all read it more than once!  The italic portion is from John Ortberg's book  If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat.  Enjoy!

Again a thought from our continuing look at the book: If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat.  Want the secret to more faith?  Read on.

            I believe an important reason why God so often asks us to take a first step has to do with the nature of faith and how it grows.  Most people I know wish, at least at certain points in their lives, that they had more faith.  I know of people who torment themselves over having too little of it.  They are certain that their lack of faith is the reason for an unanswered prayer, for spiritual weakness, or for a sense of distance from God.

           

            Martin Luther knew all about doubt: “In Torgau a wretched little woman once came to me and said, ‘Ah, dear Doctor, I have the idea that I’m lost and can’t be saved because I can’t believe.’  Then I replied, ‘Do you believe, dear lady, that what you pray in the Creed is true?’  She answered with clasped hands, ‘Oh yes, I believe it; it’s most certainly true!’  To which I replied, ‘Then go in God’s name, dear lady.  You believe more and better than I.’”

            “It’s the devil who puts such ideas into people’s heads and says, ‘Ah, you must believe better.  You must believe more.  Your faith is not very strong and is insufficient.’  In this way he drives them to despair.”

           

            When people wrestle with doubt, they may tell themselves that they will try harder to have more faith. But faith is not the sort of thing that can be acquired by trying harder.  Imagine if someone were to say to you, “I find myself doubting Old Faithful.  I’m just not sure it can be trusted.”  What would your advice be?  Not “Try harder to believe!”  The best advice for such a person would be, “Just hang around Old Faithful.  Get to know Old Faithful better.”  And because Old Faithful is faithful, the better you know it, the more you will trust it.

            It is the same with God.  Never try to have more faith-just get to know God better.  And because God is faithful, the better you know him the more you will trust him.  The way to get to know his trustworthiness is to risk obeying him.  Ole Hallesby writes about the father who comes to Jesus to ask him to help him “if you can.”

            “‘If?’ Jesus says.  ‘All things are possible to him who believes.’

            ‘I do believe,’ the man says, ‘help my unbelief.’  Like most of us, he was a mixture of trust and doubt.  How much faith did he have?

            ‘Enough to come to Jesus,’ Hallesby writes.  ‘And that was enough.’”

        How much faith do I need?  Not a feeling of certainty.  Just enough faith to take a step.

           

            I can’t add anything else to this.  I felt it was very powerful and certainly spoke to the way I feel a lot of the time.  Read it again…cut it out…pull it out when you’re feeling like your faith is lacking and you feel spiritually inadequate.  God is faithful!  Amen.

Uff Da!!

I knew that rain dance that Tracy was doing yesterday afternoon would work!  I had to convince the boys she wasn't having a seizure..."No Isaac and Alex ,that's just how mommy dances waiving her hands like that and moving around."  I haven't heard the rainfall amounts, but it was a substantial rain and the moisture was sorely needed!  I know we've been talking about the need for rain too much when in the middle of the shower Isaac tells grandma and grandpa on the phone, "It is raining, so the farmers should be happy now."  Well, the farmers will be happy for awhile at least! 
How refreshing it was to have a nice rain shower.  Everything always seems cleaner after a rain.  The anxiety of a failed crop is abated for awhile, and all can seem well with the world again.  It would be an easy transition here to talk about the forgiveness of God cleansing us like a much needed rain.  In order to keep you guessing I'm going to take a different track.  My sermon this past Sunday was on the 6th commandment, "Thou shalt not murder."  And while that is most definitely a commandment against murder Jesus expands it to the killing of each other with words.  What we say has immense power.  Sometimes we can't take back when we say something mean spirited, and no amount of washing and refreshing rain can completely wipe away the negative affects of hurtful speech.
Throughout the day Sunday after the sermon I found myself reflecting on times when my sarcasm and my words came across as mean spirited.  I found myself thinking about the times my words cut someone down, hurt someone, or even when someone else's words hurt me.  Many times each incident wasn't intentional and usually a result of miscommunication, but the damage was done.  I was reminded all day that words have tremendous power and we need to be reminded of that from time to time.  I also found myself wishing all the past mistakes could just be washed away like Tracy's car was cleaned off in that rain shower.
Take a minute and think before you speak.  You see, all we really needed to know about life we really did learn in kindergarten!  Also, in today's world take a minute and think before you type and hit "send."  Would you want that said about you?  What message is that going to send?  Is there a way you can reach out to that person instead of cutting them down with words?  Be mindful of the power that our words have to build up and to tear down.  We might be hurting someone and not even be aware of it.

Junk Weekend

This past weekend we had a "Clean Up Day" for Minden.  There were some dumpsters where residents could bring appliances, metal, and household junk they had been accumulating.  From the looks of the piles I'd say there was a lot of stuff that had been accumulating around town.  From the looks of the overflowing dumpsters this was something that Minden had been needing to do for the residents, and hopefully it will become a yearly occurrence.  I spoke to a number of people who cleaned up their yard and brought stuff down.  Stuff that had been sitting in their house or yard for years because there was no real practical place for it to go. 

As I finally cleaned up from the construction of the sandbox, the spring storms, and various other little projects around the house I was reflecting on how good it felt to have the backyard all organized and cleaned up again.  I got quite a sense of accomplishment and pride looking at the sandbox and then at the yard that was finally clear of dirt and branches and stray pieces of wood.  Then I glanced in the front yard and saw more pieces of wood where the boys were "building" a door on the play house.  Oh well, I'm resigned to the fact that it is okay for some toys to be left out and some stray pieces of wood to be around as long as the boys are living at home.

Back to my reflecting...it feels good to clean something up doesn't it?  Whether it is a yard, a house, a room, a closet or a car.  Once the job is done it feels good.  Now imagine if we could take a day where we throw all of our mental, emotional and spiritual garbage away.  Wouldn't it be nice if clearing out our own lives was as easy as picking up some stray sticks and organizing a closet?  We are very good at holding on to "garbage" in our lives aren't we?  Past mistakes, grudges, feelings of inadequacy, past hurts...the list is endless.  The trouble is all that stuff builds up in our lives and we become like an unkempt yard or dirty closet...we need some cleaning out.  We need to let go of grudges, forgive the people in our lives that need forgiven, forgive ourselves for past mistakes, and realize again that we are all beloved children of God.  The cool part is we don't need to wait for a special time of the year, or for a dumpster to arrive, in order to begin cleaning up our "garbage."  We can start right now.  Ask God for guidance/wisdom in showing us what we need to get rid of, asking the Spirit for strength in doing so, and then to allow ourselves to be begin the process of clearing out our mental, emotional, and spiritual closets.  I guarantee you it will feel better than a freshly cleaned house!

Tough Week

I was going to spend this blog whining about how busy I'm going to be this week.  I have 3 different sermons to write: baccalaureate, wedding and Sunday sermon.  The events happen in that order, so if you come to church on Sunday I'll either have a fantastic sermon because it will be my third try for a good one, or it'll be terrible because I've already used up my good one for the week.  So, instead of working one day this week I'm going to have to work 3!

I said I was going to complain, but I thought better of it...I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who like to complain about how tough their job is.  Two thoughts run through my head: at least your employed, and if you don't like it find a different job.  I know, I know those aren't very pastoral responses, and I know sometimes jobs really are horrible and changing them isn't a real viable option at the moment, but does whining about them help? 

Ok, that rant is off my chest.  As I was typing a thought occurred to me...is it easier to whine about our lot in life then do something about it?  Do we get some sort of enjoyment out of comparing our perceived troubles to others and coming out ahead?  How do you think God feels when we constantly complain to Him about our situation in life and just expect it to be fixed?  Whining doesn't get us anywhere with people or with God.  God will listen patiently, infinitely more patiently then family and friends, but God isn't going to just wave his hand and fix our trouble.  God never promised us an easy path through life.  God never promised us easy fixes to our problems.  What God did promise was to be with us always.  God is with us through the ups and the downs.  And, God works the best through us, and in order for that to happen we need to stop the pity party and look for ways God might be leading us.  So, no complaining about my horribly busy/exhausting week, just asking God for help and strength to get through.

Stop Monkeying Around

Went to see the movie "Chimpanzee" yesterday with the family.  After the sticker shock of matinee prices and getting some pop and popcorn we settled in for the movie.  Thank goodness for a gift card.  Now I know why the Phoenix in Neola is such a community treasure!  But, I'm not here to rail on about the prices of movies.

Did you know that chimpanzee's eat other monkeys?  Did you know they fashion tools to crack nuts, eat ants, and get bugs out of logs and trees?  Did you know they pass this knowledge on to successive generations?  The chimps eating other monkeys surprised me for sure.  If you haven't heard about the premise if the movie a family of chimps is followed for a number of months and a surprising thing happens.  After a young chimp's mother is killed he is adopted by the alpha male of the family group.  Maybe this doesn't sound to surprising to you, but I guess it is HIGHLY unlikely to happen.  Most of the time the orphaned chimp would have died because the other females in the group have kids of their own to take care of.  In this case the alpha male stepped outside of his comfort zone, and defined role, to fulfill a need for the family group.  Because of his sacrifice, the the orphaned chimp began to thrive, as did the group.  It really is a good movie to see.

What got me thinking was the alpha male's willingness to step outside of his normal "role" to fulfill a need in the family group.  He risked a lot.  His attention given to the young chimp took away from his normal duties as the group's leader, and I imagine he risked some ridicule from the family for him taking on a female's role.  I don't know if chimps pick on each other, but I imagine there had to be some head scratching.  How often are we willing to step outside our little comfort zone to fulfill a need?  How often are we willing to risk some sideways glances in order to fulfill a role that maybe isn't the "norm" for us? 

There are many opportunities to help friends, neighbors, your church, family, and even people we dont' like so much that I think we miss because we are too afraid to step up and step outside the little comfort zone we've created.  We might be worried that we're unqualified, we might be worried we won't like it, but if you're like me the usual culprit is laziness.  I know I get comfortable with the normal routine and when an opportunity arises that might challenge me or cause me to step outside of the routine I've created my default response is "no."  If we only respond to opportunities we are "comfortable" with then we're going to miss a lot of chances to have God use us and do amazing things with us. 

Forget the qualified part...God is supremely qualified and able to shape/mold you to do the job.  We just need to get off our butts and say yes!  I try hard to keep my eyes open to opportunities for God to use me, and when I see one then I have to try even harder to overcome the default setting of "no."  I don't always succeed, but I'm getting better.  There are going to be numerous opportunities for you to get involved in our church life, in our community life, and I imagine in family and friend's lives, but you might be required to get off your butt and step outside your comfort zone a little.  The question is do you trust God enough to say yes?  Are you willing to let God use you and be an image of the Creator?  Our church is growing in exciting ways, but that growth can only be sustained with help from the church family.  Be ready for some challenges coming up, and please be willing to allow the Spirit to move in your heart and help out.

Fantastic Sunday!

Holy cow!  What a full Sunday worship we had.  Sunday school teacher recognition, 3rd graders got their Bibles, Sunday school kids sang, and we baptized baby Phyra.  I thoroughly enjoyed the worship, especially the sermon!  In all my preparations for worship though I forgot to tape the sermon...oh well I guess no one is perfect.  I love the energy and buzz the kids bring to the worship experience.  Following worship the family and I got to go to the Wolfe's for lunch.  The lunch was amazing by the way! 

It was during our lunch at the Wolfe's my kids provided me with another idea for a blog post.  James has this incredible set up at his house for playing racing games.  Graciously he allowed the boys to play on it.  Well, how do you think a 5 year old and a 2 year old shared?  You're wrong!  They are pastor's kids and they were perfect angels...ha...let's just say they didn't share.  How come kids innately know that when we are at someone else's house they can push the boundaries a little bit?  Is it because I am a little uneasy about spanking in front of other people?  Well, after Sunday I ain't uneasy any more!  Sharing isn't a strong suit for them right now anyway.  We have a 56 square foot sandbox and they still get in each other's way!  But, as I was reflecting Sunday afternoon on their sharing, and my sermon, a thought struck me...How do we share our time?

I talked about the first commandment on Sunday, "You shall have no other god's before me."  And we talked about how God wants to be THE priority in our lives, and we need God to be THE priority in our lives to be the person God wants us to be.  God needs to be the most important thing in our lives, and how we share/allocate our time reflects where God is in our lives.  God being first doesn't mean we spend the most hours in our lives worshiping, reading the Bible, and praying compared to other aspects of our lives.  That isn't practical unless we are monks.  What we do need to be careful of is our motivations.  Why do we do what we do?  For the glory of God or to get more money and things?  Do we put kids' games, recreation, work and stuff ahead of worship attendance, daily time with the Spirit, and any other chance we could connect with God?  Do we involve the Spirit in the decisions we make?  When we prioritize our lives is church and God the last to get any consideration?  That is what the first commandment means when it says we shall have no other god's before us.  So, have you connected with God today?

"I'm gonna miss this"

If my thinking is right I believe there is a country song with "I'm gonna miss this" in the title, or something similar to that in the song.  I don't listen to music much, so unless the song is played in a bump in or out on sports talk radio I don't hear it.  But I had one of those moments yesterday driving to town.  It was one of those times when I thought to myself..."I am going to miss this."  If you're tired of me telling stories about my children then you had better stop reading now...or at least skip a few paragraphs to where I try and tie this back into our faith life somehow.  I can't help it.  My boys provide a huge source of inspiration for me and some of my blogging and even sermons.

Here is the story.  The boys and I were riding to town in Arlyn's pickup truck (Thank you Arlyn) because we were dropping off some wood and picking up some more wood to complete their sandbox.  All three of us are sitting in the front seat and Isaac wants to listen to some music.  The music starts playing and I start bobbing my head and singing along, mostly because it annoys the boys, and we make a game out of me signing and them trying to get me to stop.  A particularly good song comes on and I turn my hat sideways and start bobbing my head and kind of dancing to the beat.  This time instead of trying to get me to stop, Isaac and Alex turn their hats backwards and start bobbing their heads and swaying to the music.  It was quite possibly the funniest thing ever.  The three of us with our hats backwards, sunglasses on, bobbing our heads and swaying to the music.  It was when I looked over at those two goofballs and saw what they were doing and I thought, "man I'm going to miss this."  After a few minutes reality set in.  Alex's foot touched Isaac and you'd have thought he dropped hot acid on him...ah brothers. 

What hit me was all too often moments like those pass and we don't take time to enjoy them.  We are so busy running the human race, quote taken from a movie, that we before we come up for air those times are gone.  How about the good times in our relationship with God?  When things are flowing along smoothly and life is good do we take time to thank God and slow down and cherish those moments?  Or, are you like me and when times are good do you tend to forget about God a little bit and truly take things for granted?  We had the opportunity to give something to a family who is struggling a little bit.  It was a very small gift, but it was something we could do to help out.  Tracy and I made sure that we stressed to Isaac what we were doing and to be very grateful for how good we have it.  I don't want him to take for granted how blessed he is, and I need to be better too in making sure I don't take for granted how blessed I am.  So let's not miss those opportunities to take a step back and soak in the moment.  Don't miss the opportunity to say thank you to God for the good times and the blessings.  I don't want to look back and regret missing some golden opportunities with family and with God.

"Dad at church"

The family and I spent the weekend at my folk's place in southern MN.  It was a good chance to get away, see family, and let the kids play with the cousins for awhile.  We even got do to some grilling in a park and let the kids burn off some energy playing on the playground equipment.  One of the best things in life is eating a pork burger while you watch your kids run themselves out of energy with the knowledge they'll sleep good that night!  Although topping the meal off with an ice cream cone before we went home may have defeated that purpose.

Fun and games aside I was done proud by one of my boys at church Sunday.  Since I wasn't preaching I had the rare opportunity to actually sit and participate in a worship service.  The whole family went to my home church on Sunday morning and it was a very cool experience.  I didn't realize how much food it takes to keep two boys quiet for a whole hour!  I think I need to give Tracy some more kudos for watching the children during church...So the time came for the children's sermon and my two boys walked up hand in hand and sat still for the lesson (shocking I know).  The pastor asked each child what was important in his/her life.  Which, was a pretty deep question if you ask me.  The microphone came to Isaac and he was playing the shy kid, so Alex stepped up, and what he said melted my heart.  Alex says, and I quote, "Dad at church."  Couldn't believe he came up with that all by himself. 

I have no idea how he came up with that, but daddy's pride swelled a little that morning.  His response got me to thinking about what we do find as important in life.  Maybe a better question is what would our children, friends, and/or family think is important in our life?  We can talk a good game sometimes, but our actions and where we spend our energy paints the best picture of what we find as important.  What would someone say is important to us based on their observations?  I thought about that for awhile and I didn't always like what I came up with.  It does us good to step back and take a look at where our energy is focused.  Is there balance in our lives between, home, work, God, and play?  Would someone say to us our focus is too much on work?  Would someone say to us our focus is too much on play?  How do you want people to view you, or more importantly how do you think your actions reveal to others where your energy goes?  Remember...actions speak louder than words.

I needed that...!

Well, we survived Holy Week! Services were a success, the Sunday school kids and confirmation kids did a fantastic job during the youth service, and the sunrise service was at least average or slightly above! I get a kick out of pastors who like to talk about how busy Easter week is, and don't get me wrong it is a busier than normal week with an extra service or two, and if you throw in a funeral or something unexpected it can get hectic, but we survive and we don't have to work again until Sunday morning so we'll have time to recharge!

Tracy and I were planning out our summer the other night and we already have every weekend filled with something. It truly is unbelievable how quickly the summer fills up and then flies by. As I get older, and wiser, I try to sit back and enjoy all that we have going on now. I imagine there will come a time when I will wish I was chasing a 2 and 5 year old around the yard because they found another place to dig a hole or dump the sand from the sand box. I also imagine there will come a time when I wish my biggest worry for them right now is if Isaac is in the red cup at school or if they are getting some kind of sickness. I also imagine I'll find other things along the way I wish I'd tried to enjoy more.

So, as the summer starts and time continues to fly by I'm going to try and continue to remind myself to stop for second and enjoy it. Ferris Bueller said it, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." If we keep wishing/hoping/expecting the next thing then we'll miss what's right in front of us. So, my challenge is to enjoy the now...soak up what I can because all too soon we'll be on to something else and the time will have passed. I think we can all use the reminder to try and enjoy life as it comes.

Holy Week

It does not feel anything like Easter. I was commenting before the stupendous and uplifting sermon on Sunday that Easter has seemed to sneak up on me this year and if I'm not careful I'm going to miss it. 90 degrees in the first two days of April! Enjoy...Enjoy.

Easter is an incredibly significant holiday, if you will, for Christians. Yet, it seems to pass on by without too much fanfare. Christmas is impossible to miss. With all the gifts, family, holiday movies, nativity scenes and stuff the danger isn't in missing Christmas. The danger around that time of year is losing Christmas in the rest of the hustle and bustle. Easter seems to be a little bit of a different animal. It can sneak up on us and pass us by without even realizing it. There maybe some excitement over an Easter outfit and finding some Easter eggs and an Easter basket, but do we really stop to think about what Easter means for us as children of God? As an aside...one of my children is wearing a pair of capri shorts this Easter...Against dad's better judgement!

I think it would behoove us to find some time this week and truly think about Easter and its significance in our lives. We tend to want to glide right past the trial and crucifixion of Jesus and get to the good part...the resurrection. While I agree the resurrection is the good part, it does lose some of its power if we forget about the terrible path traveled to get there. In Logan, IA, there is a Museum of Religious Arts that I take my confirmation classes to. One section of the museum has some pictures from the movie, "The Crucifixion of Christ" and a porcelain statue of Jesus hanging on the cross with all kinds of cuts and blood. It is hard to look at, but it serves as a reminder just how far Jesus was willing to go to show us he loved us. The thought of Jesus being beaten and tortured for me is also humbling and motivating to make sure I'm living the best life I can so Jesus' actions aren't wasted on me.

I challenge you this week. Find some time to think about the last week of Jesus' life, and especially the last 24 hours. Being aware of the pain and suffering on the way to the cross makes the joy and life of Easter all the much sweeter.

Unreal!!

Well, I never thought it would happen...at least not while I lived in SW Iowa. My lawn has been mowed before April! Unreal!!! I know this may not be politically or even environmentally correct, but if this past winter and subsequent sprint are the results of global warming I'm all for it! I cannot believe how green everything is already, and how hard the spring fever bug has hit me.

As spring continues on and we get into summer I did have a sobering moment last night with Tracy. We had sat down and began to plan our summer, and apparently our summer is filled up already! It isn't even April and we're scrambling to fit everything we want to do in the summer into the summer. Everyone keeps telling me that as the boys get older we will get even busier, but I'm not sure that's possible.

I know as a pastor I should make some deep theological point here about our busy lives and making time for the Spirit and God, but I've spoken about that enough. I think for today I'm just going to leave you with a thought...What is one thing you really want to do this summer? Think of one thing...whatever it is I want you to go to your calendar and find time to do it. Write it down, block off the time, and make sure you get to it. If you don't, summer is going to be gone, you'll be raking leaves, and preparing the shovel. Don't wake up one cold fall day and wish you would have made time to do it...git-r-done!

Prayers...Routine or Real?

Tracy and I have started to have Isaac say some prayers before he goes to bed each night. We felt it important to get him at least pointed in the right direction and to start some habits early. Who knows how it will turn out, but at least we can say we tried! It is interesting in the least to hear what he comes up with, and it amazes me sometimes who and/or what he thinks about praying for. Hearing those prayers brings home the story when Jesus talks about having the faith of a child to enter into heaven. Right now Isaac has no doubts he's talking to Jesus and Jesus is listening...that certainty of faith is certainly amazing and it is too bad our adult minds can mess it up as we get older.
What I've been noticing lately is that he has tended now to say the same thing each night in an attempt to get the prayer over with quickly. You'd think a "normal" 5 year old would drag the prayer on for ever to keep himself from having to go to bed! Last night he buzzed right through it without seemingly giving a thought to what he was saying. He was just repeating what he'd been saying the nights before. What he was praying for was fine, but it had become robotic and it got me to thinking if we become almost robotic in our prayer life. I reminded him that he was talking to Jesus and that he need to think about what he wanted to pray about and not just rush through it. Good advice for us too I think.
Examine for a second who you pray. Is it the same requests over and over, do you mean what you are saying or are you rushing through it so you can check another thing off your list for the day. Of course some things are worth praying about again and again, but I don't think the prayer should become so automatic it rolls off your tongue without a thought behind it. Now, I certainly can't say God listens better if we put a lot of umph behind the prayer, but I do know it will speak to us more if we think about what we mean each time and honestly pray the words. Familiarity can bread contempt...let's not let it happen in or prayer lives!

Chicken Coma

We survived another year of the SW Iowa "famous" Staley's chicken dinner here at church. What a glorious turnout. If my memory serves, and that is a BIG if, I believe we had the best crowd since I've been here. We served more than 350 people! I know what a big undertaking this is, and it takes a lot of people and hard work to pull this dinner off. My heart is always warmed seeing people working and having a little bit of fun doing it.
I was asked if this was a fundraiser for the church. The dinner does raise some money, but I see value in hosting the dinner that goes beyond the money. Where else do you see kids serving others water and coffee...where else do you see generations working side by side and enjoying doing so...where else do you see so many faces, both new and old, working together towards a common goal? I know some of the jobs aren't all that fun, and it can be tiring working for those few hours, but knowing we are helping serve a bigger purpose makes it all worth it in my mind.
So, thank you to EVERYONE who had a hand in making this dinner a huge success! Thank you also to all who came an enjoyed the food and fellowship. I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

The Olden Days

I posted on my Facebook page a conversation that Isaac and I had in the van on the way to school. During the conversation he made reference to the olden days. I thought he was talking about hundreds of years ago, but unfortunately he was referring to the days when I was in school. Man, talk about making someone feel old!
As I was thinking about this conversation and reminiscing about my childhood and all the toys we didn't have back then...cell phones, tablet computers, computers (for my early childhood), video games, Facebook, Twitter...I wondered how I ever had any fun. How in the world did we know what was going on in the world? Then I watched the Daytona 500 last night an a driver had a special compartment made in his car so he could carry his iphone with him. Really...just in case he needs to take a call at 200 mph! Luckily for him there was a 2 hour jet fuel fire delay so he was tweeting and sending pictures all over. What broke the camel's back was the article headline I saw that read, "Our devices now own us." How true that is.
Are we better connected now then we were in the olden days? Have these devices of convenience lent us more free time, or have the invaded our lives in such a way they are consuming more time then saving? Does our need to check Facebook, Twitter, email, Pinterest take away from time we could be spending with family? I think so. Leave your cell phone at home once when you go to work or out shopping as Tracy and I both did last week. Talk about a strange feeling. We almost turned around to get them, but instead enjoyed a fairly quiet day with the boys. Quiet because we didn't have to answer to our cell phones. What would happen if you couldn't check any social media sights from 5pm to the time the kids go to bed? Do you find yourself in a better relationship with your smart device then family and friends?
I think I have been guilty of that, and I've decided to wean myself from the cell phone a social media a little bit. I'm not stopping them altogether, but I'm going to be more aware of the time I have with family and not let me need to constantly check in on the latest news take my attention away from my kids and wife. Pretty soon I'll be wishing Isaac would ask me questions about the olden days, and I don't want to wish I'd spent more time with them instead of on social media sites. Will you reevaluate where your time and energy is spent with me?

Give it up

The season of Lent has arrived and it is time for that annual ritual of giving something up for 40 days. I've never been very good at doing this. My standard response is, "I've given up giving something up for Lent." I guess I've always thought of it as a waste of time and silly really, but I'm not so sure I can dismiss this ritual so easily any more.

Lent is about taking stock of your relationship with God (among other things). To me it is about focusing on what the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus means to me. How does the fact that the God that created everything sent his son to live and die change how I live my life? I know I need to reflect on my relationship with the Spirit more and I need to work on strengthening it, and Lent provides a kick in the pants to do so.

So this year I'm going to give something up for Lent. If you're going to give something up then it truly needs to be a sacrifice. It needs to be something that you are going to miss and you'll have a hard time going without. I know someone who always states he gives up Brussel Sprouts...I'm fairly certain I sense the sarcasm, but the point is it has to be difficult. I saw on Facebook that some people were giving up the internet from 7pm to 7am. I've also seen some people giving up Facebook and texting for a certain time during the day. I also know someone who is giving up Diet Coke, and that truly will be a sacrifice...in fact Coca Cola stock might fall from loss of sales! The point is whatever you give up has to be hard so it reminds us of the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. Every time we choose not to have/do the thing we give up we are to be reminded of what this season is leading up to...Jesus' death and resurrection. So give up something and let it be a reminder of Jesus' sacrifice and how that should/does impact your life. I'm giving up the internet/computer/cell phone from 7pm to 7am. Should give me plenty of time to reflect...will you join me?

I'm Back

Whoa...almost a year since my last post! I can't guarantee that I will post every week, but I suppose I could guarantee that I won't wait almost a year to post again. I'm sitting in my office, and it's Valentine's day, and I'm pondering the relationships between men and women. No I didn't forget my sweetheart this Valentine's Day, but I'm intrigued by the different responses to this day.

I see on Facebook some elaborate displays of affection...from dates planned to sweet, if not contrived, status updates stating their undying love for their certain loved one. I have a very weird reaction to those kinds of posts, but maybe that should be a topic for another blog. I have also talked to some people about today and I've gotten two responses: 1) the day is really over blown and over-hyped (well duh!), 2) my significant other and I have stated we don't need to get each other anything for today, we don't need to waste the money. Since when is doing something nice and showing your love through flowers or a small gift of whatever a waste of money! And for you men out there...I'm sure I'm stating the obvious, but if your wife says don't get her anything get her something anyway! It doesn't have to be big, a card, heck you can save the money and make the card yourself, but you'd better get something! I don't care how long you've been married...take a little time and do something.

Hallmark may have taken over Valentine's Day, but I think it is a good time to remember just how lucky you are to be with someone. If you're single and reading this post then I apologize, but it is impossible to talk about Valentine's Day and make you feel included too. If you don't have a Valentine take the time to call a family member or a friend and let them know how much they mean to you. Also, it might do us some good to remember that we are all loved by someone much greater than creation itself. The God of the universe loves us enough to send his Son to die for us, and God loves us enough to want to be intimately involved in our lives. If that isn't a fantastic Valentine's Day reminder then I don't know what is!