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!

Is it worse now?

I had an interesting question asked of me last Sunday in church. And no this time isn't wasn't from an inquisitive 5 year old! Someone asked if I thought there were more tornadoes and stuff this year and what I thought of all this "stuff" going on in nature. Of course I had an answer right on the tip of my tongue..."I don't really know I said."

I don't know if there have been more tornadoes this year compared to others, or if they are just hitting populated areas this time around. Of course when they hit populated areas the damage is much worse and we hear about them a lot more. And on the subject of the floods, don't get me started...for thousands of years the rivers flood and nothing happens, then the human race comes along, builds dams and levees and thinks it is control. We build on flood planes and then cry whoa is me when they flood?!?! I'm not trying to downplay the devastation this water will cause cities and especially family's, but the human race's arrogance is mainly to blame there.

I think an implied question, that wasn't overtly asked, was where is God in all of this? A question that comes up often when a disaster strikes. I wish I knew why God allowed suffering to happen at all. Wouldn't it be nicer if we lived in a perfect world where there was no suffering? I suppose we'd call that heaven. One thought is we can't know good if we don't know bad. We don't know joy if we haven't experienced suffering. Another thought says that God just set the world in motion and stays out of its affairs like a watchmaker after he/she finishes the watch. I suppose another thought would be that God is punishing the people somehow.

I'm not sure I like any of those ideas. It is intriguing to think about some of the theories out there, except the punishment one, I don't buy that at all. I think God is right there suffering with the people. I do believe God could stop any of this from happening, but for some reason, known only to God, God chooses not to intervene in that way. I see God in the volunteers that pour in to help strangers, in the stories of people giving until it hurts to help neighbors, and in the renewed sense of community that is felt during the rebuilding efforts. God is there...weeping along with families that have lost loved ones and everything. God is there...when people are reunited. God is there even when God's name is cursed for letting this happen. I can't answer why it happens, but I am confident that God has not deserted us and continues to work through us to let God's love shine through. The question as always...are we listening for the still small voice?

Did Jesus do it?

What a joy to listen to the questions of a 5 year old! Well, maybe not so much if it is the 100th time he's asked how fast a semi can go, but most of the time the questions are an amazing insight into what goes on in a kid's brain. The family was watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition last night and the little boy on there had brittle bone disease. After explaining to Isaac what it meant to have brittle bones he asked why Jesus made the little boy like that. Come up with an answer to that one will ya!

Maybe a little background will help...Isaac has asked a lot about where God and Jesus live, and we've done our best to explain they are everywhere; including inside us. Well, a 5 year old takes the "inside" you part literally so we get questions like: Why did Jesus make me burp? Did Jesus push a button and make my tummy growl? Why doesn't Jesus stop me from being bad? See literally. Although the fact that he simply accepts the idea that Jesus is inside of him is pretty cool. Maybe there is something to that child like faith once talked about.

So back to his latest question, which is a darn good one if you ask me! Tracy and I simply said we don't know why Jesus made that little boy with bones that break so easily. And that's the truth. Could you explain why some people are born with handicaps and some are born without? We then explained that's why we are so thankful that Jesus has blessed us with health and everything we could possibly want. And we tried to explain a little that seeing people who aren't so lucky should make us thankful and push us to try and help those who aren't so lucky. He simply stared in wonder at the little boy and accepted the answers. Not sure what sunk in, but he was happy.

I'll tell you one thing though...it sure made me glad for all the blessings I have. I had just spoken Sunday morning about being in awe of God, and I was certainly awed at that time because I have so much! Let us all thank God for what we have and remember those who aren't as blessed.

2 months!

I have to apologize...it has been almost 2 months since I updated this blog. I could blame the hectic pace of the Lenten season and then Easter week and all that, but in the end it is just a lame excuse. So I guess the only blame should fall on me...I was too lazy or just plain forgot. Plus, today is quite a day to put my thoughts down on a blog.

Osama Bin Laden has finally been killed. I find my feelings being mixed. Don't get me wrong...I detested the man and what he stood for. The atrocities that he was accused of and had a hand in planning are horrible, and he deserved to be brought to justice. I've always been fascinated by this extreme group and how a lot of their attacks are on the people and religion they purport to defend. I want to stress this is an extreme group and in no way represents the Islamic religion. There have been a lot of terrible things done in the name of Christianity, and I certainly wouldn't want my faith defined by those extremists...would you?

It is hard to put into words why I seem to have mixed feelings. I do not feel sorry for Bin Laden or his family I guess. I believe it is a good thing he is gone...maybe I just feel a little put off by the outright joy we find in the death of another human being no matter how disgusting his/her actions might have been. I don't know...maybe I just ate some bad eggs for breakfast.

Maybe I just want us to be more aware that Jesus talked a lot more about love and forgiveness then revenge and justice. Again I'm not defending what-so-ever what Osama did, but I think I'm reacting to how easily we can find joy in violence. Oh well...that's what's rolling around in my head this morning, and things might change by the afternoon. You'll have to check out the post next week to see what's going on.

Funny Article

I received this article from a church member and want to share it with ya'll. The article is from The Island Moon newspaper of Corpus Christi, TX.

Texas Beef Joint Sues Church Over Lightning Strike

Drummond's Bar in Mt. Vernon, Texas, began construction on expansion of their building to increase their business. In response, the local Baptist church started a campaign to block the bar from expanding with petitions and prayers. Work progressed right up until the week before the grand reopening when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground! After the bar burning to the ground by a lightning strike, the church folks were rather smug in the outlook, bragging about the power of prayer, until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church "was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, either through direct or indirect actions or means." In its reply to the court, the church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise. The judge read through the plaintiff's complaint and the defendant's reply, and at the opening hearing he commented, "I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but it appears from the paperwork that we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that does not."

A quick glance at snopes.com tells me this story isn't true, but the moral of the story is. Do we continue to stand up for our faith even when it becomes inconvenient or maybe even a little risky? In this fictional story the church members were all to glad to gloat about the power of prayer, but when they were faced with some risks/consequences they were very quick to deny that belief. How often do we believe, or act out our beliefs, only when it is convenient and safe to do so? Will we continue to hold those same beliefs and convictions even when it is easy to do so? Seems that is a true test of where our real strength and heart lies.

Chicken Coma

Yesterday we had the world famous, or at least SW Iowa famous Staley Chicken dinner. There was an awesome turnout, and we had a large number of people helping put the dinner on. It is a lot of work to put the dinner on, but it is neat to see so many people working together to pull it off.

It warms a pastor's heart to see so many people working together, and to see so many faces come and enjoy some good greasy chicken. Now I'm not naive enough to believe that there isn't some tension in setting up and running the dinner...I suppose some friction is inevitable whenever a group of people work together. On the other hand, putting that tension aside and continuing to work together is the way things get done. As the Body of Christ there is going to be times of tension, and/or strain, the goal isn't to eliminate all tension, the trick is how we deal with it. Disagreements and stress/tension is not a sign of an unhealthy church (a lot of tension and stress could be). We are a group of people on a journey together...we are a family, and even "perfect" families have some disagreements and stress. The healthy families can deal openly with the tension and work towards a solution. Unhealthy families push that stress and tension to the back burner and don't deal with it. The trouble with not dealing with that tension is at some point it snaps. The back burner can only hold so much until it boils over and it all comes spilling out.

No read carefully, I'm not saying there is a lot of tension/stress/disagreements happening here at Minden UCC...what I am talking about is how we as a church, and we as families should deal with disagreements. Open communication is the best way to deal any disagreement. If one party doesn't know the other is unhappy then how can a resolution be worked out? If one party continues to put feelings aside in hopes it'll get better or they don't want to rock the boat, then when all that tension snaps and it comes spilling out the problem is usually a lot harder to deal with because there is so much hurt/stress built up. As the answer usually is...talking it out sooner rather than later is much more healthy than just keeping quiet and hoping it'll all get better. So I make a promise to you, if you'll make a promise to me...if there is a disagreement with what's happening here at church, or if there is some stress in your family, promise to talk about it. Talk to the person who you feel is responsible for the tension. DO NOT be confrontational, but just be honest and sincere. Use "I" statements and let it out. The solution might not be 100% to your liking, but I guarantee you'll be happier with the outcome if you know your voice has been heard and you've at least been a part in the decision instead of just burying your head in the sand. A wise pastor once said, "if you agree with me all of the time then you're not thinking." Truer words haven't been spoken.

The Vote is in!

A cool thing happened yesterday in church...I suppose a few cool things happened, but the vote to go ahead and pursue the sharing opportunity with Peace UCC in Walnut was a unanimous yes. I expected the vote to go well, but unanimous, that is most definitely a Spirit thing. Yesterday was a confirmation of sorts that we are following the Spirit and that God is leading Minden UCC.

It was also fun to have the Sunday school kids sing...they did an amazing job by the way! And the soup dinner to help raise some funds for the Deacon's Fund also went over well. Thank you all to the people who helped make that dinner a success.

If any of you are NASCAR fans the Daytona 500 was yesterday...if you aren't racing fans then I'm not going to bore you with details...and Trevor Bayne won the race. He's a 20 year old kid starting his second race and he pulled it off. Maybe the neatest thing was his responses when interviewed after the race. He seemed genuinely humbled, and he mentioned several times how good God was for giving him and his race team this opportunity. He didn't thank God for giving him the victory, which I hate because it assumes God favored him over everyone else, and he seemed very grounded. One question stuck out in particular. Trevor was asked what he was going to do with his share of the winnings, and he said he had some friends who were missionaries he'd like to support and he mentioned a particular mission. Pretty neat. He had no chance to prepare for the interviews because he never thought he'd have a chance to win, so the answers and the reactions were raw and real. Pretty neat if you ask me and I can be pretty jaded when it comes to athletes and how they talk about their faith. Something about him just captured my attention.

Nothing too exciting running through my head today, so I thought I'd just post some random thoughts. See you next week.