Zoe

Washed and Ready

2009-03-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

The last novel I read included a scene that took place in a Civil War hospital. Among the horrific images the author painted of the wounded and the dying, he added a graphic description of a certain doctors surgical practices. His practice included performing amputations on a bed of sand, to better capture and absorb the massive amounts of blood. The nurse character in the story is rightfully mortified by the doctor's carelessness. She is even more taken aback by the doctor's refusal to wash before performing surgery, something we cannot even comprehend these days! We see Medical Drama's where doctors scrub and are gloved, cleaning and remaining clean while they perform a tasks that are messy at best. Psalm 119 asks this question - "How can a young man keep his way pure?" A more direct translation might be "How can a young man keep his way clean?" What this implies is that the scrubbing has already been done. The young man is clean. Yet he is, like any child, inclined to get dirty quickly. When God calls us His children, we recognize that the only way this can happen is if He cleanses us from our sin. In His grace and mercy that cleansing, that scrubbing, that once and for all bath has taken place in our baptism into the blood of Christ. We are made His children, as spotlessly clean as the Lamb who shed His blood for us. While we are clean, we are also children. We're kids who are attracted to the messier parts of life. How can we, God's messy little babies keep clean? The Psalmist answers, by God's Word. The commandments of God, His directions are not meant to DO the scrubbing, they're like the gloves that keep the hands clean in the midst of the mess. God's rules, statutes and testimonies help us through the hard times, to make choices that cause the least amount of mess. This work of the Holy Spirit keeps our hearts pure as we continually turn, listen and follow God's Word as His redeemed children in Christ Jesus.

Holy Moses??

2009-03-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

I love this picture! Old Chuck Heston. As time went by, I'm pretty sure he thought he was Moses!

In the classic film The Ten Commandments we encounter the life of Moses. We get a window into his tests and trials, along with the amazing feats he is able to perform under the guiding hand of God. But I wonder, is the story about Moses or about God? When I read the REAL 10 Commandments in Exodus 20, I can't help but to focus on the first words:

"I am the LORD your God."

The remainder of the text plays like a film of God's righteousness, His holiness. From His name, to His days, from His gifts to His regulations we see a being who is definitely NOT us! Psalm 19 begins with these words:

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork." the heavens do not declare the glory of man - like Moses, or any of us - but the glory of God! David goes on in this psalm to meditate on the perfect law of God, His sure testimony and right precepts, His pure commandment and true rule. The Law of God cannot and does not give us a path to God! Instead it is a picture of the ever living and everlasting - a film clip of the works of the Father and a trailer to the coming of the Son! Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to God - seeing Holiness as His gracious and merciful quality of love!

A Psalm of David...a Psalm of PRAISE

2009-03-03T08:22:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...it's Lent.

There's a tradition in Lent, to put away the praise until we experience the cross and bask in the glory of the empty tomb.

I'm sorry - that's a crock!

If our lives are to be "lives of worship" - that means that each day, every day we stand before the Lord we do so in repentance, forgiveness, thanks and praise.

That means every day is a "sending up" to God - a great a glorious Hallelujah to our God!

Psalm 22 starts with these words - the very words Jesus speaks for us from His cross:

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my god, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest." What a dark moment of realization for David. David has bared the deepest most raw place in his soul. David has been brought low - into the final consequences of sin - separation from a God who wished nothing else than he be a man after His own heart. Salvation seems distant. Cries go unanswered. Day and night living steeped in our own desire God is pushed out. Yet, for David and for us there is hope -

"Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame."

David's faith in a God that will deliver is grounded in the praise lifted up by those who have been saved! How can we "put away the praise" when it is the very recognition of all Christ has done for us on the cross? We are, after all, Easter people! Those who bask in the glow of Jesus victory over sin, death and the devil every moment of every day! Must we recognize our sin? YES! But must we praise our salvation? DOUBLE YES! David reminds us in the Psalm:

"You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you offspring of Israel!" For He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, He has not hidden His face from him, but He has heard when he cried to Him!"

The Father heard the cries of the Son from the cross - as He alone was saddled with the sins of the world - the greatest praise offered by Jesus and the greatest praise we can offer in response to His love are all wrapped up into those final words on our Saviors lips...

"Father, into YOUR hands I commend my spirit."

HALLELUJAH!!!!

A Wonderful Message!

2009-03-01T05:23:00.000-08:00

Friends -

Check out this link to a wonderful message about the hope of Christ in the midst of the temptations of this world. The Questions and answers at the end are an interesting discussion of sharing the Word of Christ with others!

May God bless you in your hearing and living His Word!

http://media.lhm.org/lutheranhour/mp3s/7625.mp3

Called out...called off!

2009-02-25T06:58:00.000-08:00

I admit that I have trouble with this picture.

A father, ready and willing to sacrifice his son - his only son - because God told him to do so.

WHAT?

Why would a God who is all about love and life, a God who gave Abraham the gift of an heir in his old age, turn and tell him to commit such a barbarous act?

Those who don't believe the Bible is God's revealed word to us say that Genesis 22 is simply a moralistic story against the practice of child sacrifice. But the text really has less to do with the "why" and is more concerned with the "what". Building on the blog yesterday, Abraham is having himself a desert experience. Can you imagine the angst and doubt as a man struggles between heeding His God's command and the love he has for his son? I think you can. I know I can. What is in view here is temptation - the temptation to place the most precious gifts of God above God Himself. In our age, in the current church, one sees a sort of worship of our personal salvation and a praise of new found glory placed above worship and praise of God. How? Ignore the cross and you're left with this "theology of glory". That is to say, when it's all about me and my decisions for God, my acceptance of His gifts, my choice to follow Jesus in order to receive the crown of life, we've missed the point. The point is a sacrifice, of an only Son, made for us. The point is a ram caught in the thicket - and a place so aptly named "The Lord will provide". On the mount of the Lord, it WAS provided - once and for all. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is not for us to decide, to accept or to follow - but simply to praise a God who loves us beyond our measure of love and provides the most needful thing - shalom...everlasting peace.

Where are you?

2009-02-24T08:05:00.000-08:00

Riding the motorcycle yesterday I was, once again, taken in by the scenery. A beautiful, partly cloudy day really highlighted the landscape. In the hills, greened with recent rain, the growth was amazing - double since my last ride toward the desert. The change is more sudden than one might think, over a winding peak and down into the wilderness. Nothing but sage and cactus, dirt and rock. No rain means no green - no growth. I've been here more than once. In fact, it seems like the wilderness is so familiar that I can fool myself into thinking it comfortable and hospitable rather than the dry and dangerous place we all know it to be. When I try to find my way, I end up in the desert. When I try to make my own path, it leads down winding peaks into the wilderness. When life becomes more about my truth and my desire I am suddenly in the sand - deep, and hot with no relief in sight. Psalm 25..."Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long." The question arose last week about Lent. What's it all about? Why observe 40 days of reflection prior to the celebration of Easter? Simple - we all wander into the desert, and it is from the desert that God calls, teaches and leads His people into the garden of His ways, His paths, His truth. Lent begins in ashes and ends in glory. Remember His mercy and His steadfast love, they have been from old. It is God who rescued Adam and Eve from the desert of their pride, Abraham from the desert of his paganism, Jacob from the desert of his deceit, Joseph from the desert of his arrogance, Moses from the desert of his mistrust and each of us from the desert of sin, death and the devil. The cross stands at the entrance to the garden - let's walk together with Jesus as the story of His loving sacrifice of rescue is told.

So it begins...

2009-02-20T08:29:00.000-08:00

A friend recognized that this coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday - the beginning of the season of Lent. He asked about the significance and mentioned an interest in why this season has been historically marked in the church. The lesson from the Gospel of Mark 9:1-9 for this Sunday, the Sunday of the Transfiguration, reveals the journey we'll take for the next 50 days - from mountain top to empty tomb, the journey of our God for us. When Peter, James and John's eyes are blessed with the view of the radiant Jesus they have a glimpse of the empty tomb. They see that Jesus stands as one with the Law and the Prophets, with Moses and Elijah as the complete revelation of God. In an all to human moment, the apostles wish to remain - to hold on to the glory, not realizing that glory comes with a price. The voice of God beckons, "This is my Son, listen to Him" as He tells them not to say anything until the Son of Man has risen from the dead. Listen to Jesus. The glory we desire cannot be realized without His cross. The glory of the empty tomb of Jesus cannot be apprehended without the temptation, without reflection, without repentance and without the consequences of our sin -His suffering and death itself- being realized. Next week I'll post more on the specifics of Lenten observances. Suffice it to say that we're beginning the journey once again, the journey to the cross, the journey to the Glory of God in Christ Jesus.

Holding on too tightly?

2009-02-18T05:06:00.000-08:00

There is a part of being a pastor that I pray will never become ordinary or easy. Granted I serve a demographically young congregation, it is still a gathering that is occasioned by death. Standing by to support those who mourn the passing of their loved ones I have witnessed our all too human desire to hold on too tightly to the life we know and see. Never ordinary, never easy, death is loss. Even the strongest in faith still want one more moment, one more smile, one more "I love you." In reading 2 Kings chapter 2 one can note these all too human traits from the young Elisha, as his loved one Elijah is about to be taken into the arms of God on a fiery chariot of heaven. Elisha, however, has an uncommon opportunity occasioned by the death of his friend. As he defies the prophet, following him across the parted waters of the Jordan, Elisha witnesses God taking his servant unto himself. A double portion of Elijah's spirit is poured out on Elisha - helping him to let go of his friend and to receive the blessings not only of his life, but his blessed "death" as well. It reminds me of another role I have the honor to fulfill, one which is never ordinary nor easy. Studying this text brings to my heart each time I lower the head of child of God toward the waters of baptism. For me, Baptism makes death all too real, that God parts the waters to bring us from this realm of sin and of death to new life in Him. Do we try to hold on to life, a little too tightly maybe? Sure we do! That's what sin is all about! But the reality is that no matter how much we think we have lost in a life that God has consecrated Himself, we have actually received much more! We've received double portions of the Holy Spirit in the waters of our baptism into the death of Jesus! Just as Elisha knows that life without his friend will be difficult, tearing his clothes as he laments a soon to be divided Israel, we know that the baptized life is never ordinary nor easy. Our question remains each day, as we have been translated from death to life in the cross of Christ, are we holding on too tightly? Or can we be, like Elisha, good stewards of the death of our friend?

Imitators of Christ

2009-02-13T07:58:00.000-08:00

My earliest years were spent growing up in a large family led by a faithful and dedicated single mom. She often referred to herself as a "mother duck", moving through life with all her ducklings in tow. We learned faithfulness and dedication from her. We learned that love often meant going without so that others could have what they needed to grow. The words "I love you" were DONE to us, not just spoken. Friends - that's the gospel. It's not only the word that "God loves you", it's the action. God loved us even before He created us! He loved us enough to give us His Son and with Him the ultimate act of faithfulness and dedication, the Cross. The loving action of Jesus was for the glory of the Father - and in that act, the Father glorified the Son. Paul says that "whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." This is love that gives no offense to those who believe, are searching for belief and even those who do not believe at all. Love does not seek it's own advantage, but instead it DOES Jesus to another. "Be imitators of me," says Paul, "as I am of Christ." Continue to imitate Christ, to DO Jesus to others - that some may know His love!

...of love

2009-02-12T08:05:00.000-08:00

Great comments on the last post - I encourage you all to click on these comments and give them a read! Remember, this is YOUR conversation, I'm just here to point you to where true fellowship in Christ can be found! With that, let's move on!

Whether were looking at a little girl in Aram, a captive of Israel in the service of a great and mighty yet leprous commander or Jesus Himself reaching out to touch and to heal a leper in Mark 1:41 we see a common thread. It's a thread of pity, or compassion on one afflicted. The girl, moved by compassion for her captor directs Naaman to "the prophet who is in Samaria" the one "who would cure him his leprosy". Jesus, "moved with pity..stretched out His hand and touched" the man afflicted with the same disease. Each was moved to an unnecessary act of compassionate love toward those who were historically marked as unclean. We hear nothing more about the girl. Her act of compassion, of trust and of love is met and fulfilled by the compassion trust and love Elisha the prophet has been given from God. So what's the response of Naaman after reluctantly dipping in the muddy Jordan? He returns to the man of God and proclaims there is not other God than the God of Israel! Amazing! A simple act of compassionate love results in a life changed, physically and spiritually. As for Jesus and his leper, well, we hear much more. The man Jesus charges to tell no one of his healing, but instead to go to the priest and offer for his cleansing, can't help but to speak freely and to spread the news! In fact, it got around so widely that Jesus could not openly enter a town for all those who wished to receive the same gift. Where does Jesus gift of love place Him? In the the desolate places - the places where the lepers often dwelled! What a beautiful picture of how a simple act of love is actually a simple gift of replacement. Our sickness for His health. Our sins for His purity. Our life for His blood. The love of God is the sacrifice of He who was captive unto death in the cross and yet freed to life eternal in the resurrection! Remember this gift of love, for it is the gift you share...like a little girl who points the way to her healing hope!

A little gift

2009-02-10T06:34:00.000-08:00

Good things come in small packages...right?

The smallest of gifts is a gift just the same. Yet it's the smallest of gifts that's often overlooked by our "bigger is better" hearts. Valentines day is this week, directing many of us to think about that perfect gift that will show our love for another.

2 Kings 5:1-14 isn't exactly the first place one might look for the enormous gift of God's love. Naaman, a warrior - commander of a foreign army - a "great man" , in "high favor"...yet a man with a bad rash! Leprosy- or "a skin affliction" as the Hebrews might say! Nasty, oozing skin sores! Naaman really needs a tube of Neosporin! In all of his greatness, all of his achievements, Naaman still needs something more. Naaman needs to be healed of this affliction, and that's no small gift! Well, good things DO come in small packages. Instead of the gifts of salves and medications, all the cures the sages can offer to such great man, Naaman gets a little gift from a little person. It's the smallest gesture, but the one which will have greatest impact on a man who is by all accounts outside the love of God. Naaman is directed to one who has a cure for his affliction, a prophet of God - who knows and speaks of trusting God to heal - even if it means taking a bath in the scummy old River Jordan. Hmmm...water and the word that heals? The Jordan no less, where one would come and be baptized, a small thing that fulfills all righteousness. While the love of God may come in the small package called "trust" or "faith", this gift is no small thing! It is eternally huge, healing in the cosmic sense, restoration and life given as a precious gift. For what purpose? Well, that's for all of you to discuss and discover - for each of us has been healed by the cross of Christ, each of us has been endowed with this gift....NOW WHAT???

When God calls...

2009-02-06T05:15:00.000-08:00

We've been discussing the economy of God, or how it is that God manages His resources...namely us. Watching Jesus pray in the Gospel of Mark, the context surrounding His prayer is striking. This first recorded prayer indicates not only His confidence in the Father to hear but the certainty of His own calling. There's a word that's thrown around quite a bit - call our a calling from God. Paul was fond of the term as a descriptive to God managing what rightfully belongs to Him. God calling us is married to Christ proclaiming the Good News of an perfectly economic God. The call is voice of Jesus, calling us into His Kingdom- calling us into repentance, forgiveness and new life. The call is the cross of Jesus where God's economy comes into full balance - our sins paid by His blood. The call is a one-way, toll free, crystal clear and eternally loud ring that cannot be silenced! The call is a call to you and to me, to drop all the pretense of pious prattle and to actually live the life God Himself calls us to in Christ - a life of joy in a balanced economy for us and a life that abundantly gives as we have been given!

Jesus Economy

2009-02-04T06:27:00.000-08:00

Check out the Gospel of Mark - 1:29-29.

We'd agree that the economy of God is mysterious to say the least! Why He expends resources on a "stiff necked" people is challenging - except when we realize that's exactly who God is. His economy is revealed in His actions. Like here in the text where Jesus heals the weak (Simon's mother) the afflicted and the possessed.

I am still amazed to see Jesus rising early and departing to pray.

What do you all think He's praying about?

Clue: It's got something to do with Jesus' highly economic task!

A question of economics

2009-02-03T08:35:00.000-08:00

Thanks for visiting the blogsite! Last week we had a great conversation on passion - the passion God has for us which moved Him to give us Jesus - the passion of Jesus to lay down His life for our forgiveness - and the passion we have, to take what we have been given and share it with our community. Notice that passion is all about that which is given in response to that which is received!

This week...it's a question of economics.

A timely subject, to say the least!

Economics, in the proper sense, is all about management. The Greeks called OIKONOMIA the science of household management. It's about the balance of resources so as to minimize waste and maximize influence.

Let's set aside economics in the financial sense and think of spiritual economics.

Start by taking a look at Psalm 147. What does the Psalmist say about the economy of God?

We're all looking forward to your responses!

What Authority?

2009-01-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

"And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he (Jesus) entered the synagouge and was teaching." Mark 1:21

That's where Julia is standing. In the ruins of the synagouge of Capernaum. The stone pillars surrounding date to the 200's A.D. - at least 150+ years after Jesus strolled in. Still rather breathtaking, as we were able to look through excavated floors to see the original structure below - the one he would have known. So, why bring this up? Well - we've been discussing passion this week and the very next verse can serve to fill out our understanding of our passion by seeing first hand the passion of Jesus. Mark 1:22 says, "And they were astonished at his teaching. for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes." Jesus took a tremendous risk with the message he was proclaiming. Mark 1:15 gives us the general content of the message - "the time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." In order to call others to turn around, or repent and to trust, or believe - one must be able to back up the statement by an appeal to some authority. It just so happens that Jesus is not only given, but IS the authority. As the Word of God made flesh, Jesus far exceeds any scribe. Scribes can only talk about the Word. Jesus IS the Word! That's the difference! That's the authority! As the Living Word Jesus does what He alone has the authority to do - to live in passionate sacrifice for God's people. This means saying things they do not want to hear. this means going places He where His message is not welcome. Ultimately this means going to the cross - His passion realized for us! How do we translate Jesus passion into our own? TURN AND TRUST in the authority Jesus has been given to take way our sins and to move us into a life of service in His name!

Passion, part 2

2009-01-28T15:16:00.000-08:00

Great responses! It's obvious that the word passion has multiple meanings for us - but what does it mean in light of faith? Take a look at Psalm 111 and 112. These two psalms are complementary partners. The first sings of the blessings of the Lord while the second paints a picture of the one blessed. If we translate this into terms of passion, Psalm 111 is the source of passion while 112 is the result! In other words, passion is that which comes from God and is lived out in us. This is why each of us may have a unique and powerful passion that is inextricably linked to the passion of others.

In Psalm 111 the thanks and praise that are lifted up to God are a response to His passionate love for us. It's God's passion to be gracious and merciful, providing for His people by "sending redemption" - in Christian terms, that's Jesus. Only in the passionate love of God in Christ Jesus can we expect, as Psalm 112 highlights, light to dawn in the darkness. Are you wondering what your passion is? Begin with faith that God gave you Christ Jesus - freely and from His passion. You'll soon discover that the Light of the World illuminates your passionate path! With a firm and trusting heart your passion, whatever it may be, will speak volumes of the love of God! In fact, your passion driven actions will speak louder than any words. What does that look like? Easy! It looks like that which you cannot live without sharing with another! It's your God given passion that melts the hearts of the wicked by your sacrifice. Just like God's passion lives in the sacrifice of Jesus for us.

Think and pray on passion - comment as you wish - and as always, may the peace of the Lord, His passion, be with you!

What is your PASSION?

2009-01-27T06:14:00.000-08:00

I want to start a conversation this week with this simple question...

What is your passion?

Think about it. Pray on it. For the rest of the blog this week we'll discover true passion by opening our hearts to God's Word.

Let's hear from YOU!

What a day...

2009-01-20T10:08:00.001-08:00

What a day!

As I keep the news coverage streaming I'm open enough to admit that watching the Inauguration gives me a bit of lump in the throat. The pomp and pageantry, history and heraldry touch even the smallest patriotic bones in the body! The idea that our country can peacefully and even cordially transfer the position of Chief Executive from one to another is amazing and still historically unique!

If you take a look at Psalm 62, David wrote about those who didn't want to offer the same sort of respect. In fact, they wanted him thrown down, toppled from his lofty place. With their mouths they bless, the Psalmist writes, but in their hearts they curse. Now, I don't pretend to know how Bush feels about Obama, but there is one thing evident in both men - a profound respect and honor for that which stands above both men. Both men profess faith in God through the cross of Christ Jesus. Hopefully that means that they find rest in God alone - knowing that TRUE hope comes only from the Rock of Salvation - a rock that cannot be thrown down or toppled! I certainly don't envy the position and responsibilities of either of these men. If fact I've been praying for both for some time. My prayer for the outgoing President is that in his reflection of the past eight years and in his continued service for this country that his faith remains always readily upon his lips in firmly in his heart. As for the new President, I pray that he trusts in God at all times of both trouble and joy,that our God is forever strong and loving - rewarding those who serve others with faith in the heart. As for us, the people of God and the people of America, the prayer is that we keep God first, then family and then and only then country - trusting that our rest comes from God alone and our drive to serve from what He has done for us in Christ Jesus!

Simple water...simple word

2009-01-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

I've been asked what makes being a Lutheran any different than one who practices any other religion. In the spirit of one of my favorite professors I always pause to pose the question, "Why do you ask?"

What I'm trying to ascertain is what the querying soul means by "religion" - what's their definition of a word we throw around like an old softball. Religion, as I understand it, is that which helps us make sense of who we are, where we've come from and what our purpose is in life. This oversimplified definition serves as the springboard to my belief that Christianity is not religion - in the proper sense. With this definition swirling in my brain my answer to the initial question is equally vague- Being Lutheran is all about simple water and a simple word. In other words, it's about faith. Faith is different than religion. Faith trusts what God has done in and through Christ Jesus. The gift of the cross that is sealed in the gift of Baptism is the foundation of faith. Faith never looks to what can be done to make sense of who we are or we we've come from or even what is our life's purpose. Faith clings to being made a child of God in Christ through water and the Word. Faith sees that we have come from the darkness of sin into the light of forgiveness, again through water and the Word. Faith gives us the purpose to go and to BAPTIZE in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching others to follow all that Jesus has commanded. This faith has the result of the presence of our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier in our lives every day - even to the end of the age! What 's the difference? Well, it's eternal - the seal of water and the Word says everything about who God is and what He has done for you! Celebrate and live in FAITH every day!

Who is YOUR God?

2009-01-07T08:14:00.001-08:00

Simple post today...

Who is YOUR God? Is He the one who receives all credit for all things in heaven and on earth? Is He the glorious one - the source of all strength and hope? Our God is the God who creates with a Word and sustains with patience we cannot comprehend. He is a God whose voice thunders might while it whispers peace.

This is the God who welcomes you by giving you His most precious gift - His own Son - for your life now and always.

This is the God you have the privilege of coming to in prayer. You have the opportunity to converse with the eternal, acknowledging His glory while believing that He has an ear...even for someone as small as you! What does this say about the importance of God's gift of prayer? You must ask yourself, who is MY God? Is He a God I trust and believe will hear me when I call? Is He a God I believe will give me His grace and His mercy every moment of every day in Christ Jesus? Is He a God who knows all pain, who soothes all hurts and who lifts all heads?

If so, friend, REJOICE! Live what You believe! Live in the confidence that all you bring to God in the confidence of faith will and has been done in the cross of Jesus! To Him alone is all glory, honor and worship of those whom He has claimed through His precious blood!

Magnetic Faith!

2008-12-30T08:37:00.000-08:00

I'm intrigued by magnets - by the power of of a substance the greeks called "magnatas stone".

Magnetism is an invisible force that attracts or repels, dependent upon which side or "pole" of the magnet is employed. There are coils of wire that act as magnets, as long as there is a current running through. Even light can have the properties of magnetism. The "Fish Magnet" is a green phosphorescent bulb that can be submerged underwater at night to attract fish - or at least the stuff fish feed on. Light as a magnet is the strongest connection we have to the magnetic nature of faith. Isaiah 60 says "Arise, shine, your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." This, friends, is the message of Christmas and now the message of Epiphany. Epiphany, another Greek word that means to appear and to give light. God's epiphany for us is Jesus Himself - the Light of the world come to illuminate the darkness of our minds and our hearts with the shining light of God's grace and mercy. We cannot forget that most of our lives are lived in darkness - just look at the news if you need any confirmation. Missiles in Gaza, rampaging Santas and dismal retail numbers all remind us of these dark times. But that's not all. For Isaiah, it was a seeming absence of God, even though the people returned from their exile. A darkness that extends beyond daily circumstances into the very fabric of our being - the darkness that is sin. Arise and shine - a Light pierces this darkness as nails pierced flesh. The Epiphany of our God is as much in wise men and star as it is in cross and nails. The Epiphany of our God illuminates us in faith, so that there is a change in us that attracts others to the Light of Christ Jesus. But, as with any magnet, there is danger in it's use. Which end of God's magnet are you using? Are you using the end that just gives lip service to the gift God has given you? Are you using the end that causes others to question, "He's a Christian?" Are you using the end that REPELS, or the one that attracts? 1 Peter 2:12 says this, "Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation." That means, let your faith be a magnet - by DOING the faith to others, by walking in the Light of God as your new way of life. It's hard to doubt a God that changes a life like yours and mine - it's hard to doubt a God that forgives all our sin and leads us into a life of abundant love in Christ Jesus!

True RULE

2008-12-29T08:20:00.000-08:00

The whole world seemed to celebrate en masse back in November as the U.S. elected it's first African-American President. Running on a platform of "change" and of "hope", Barack Obama's message obviously resonated not only in this country, but in all of those places where times are stagnant and dismal. As we rapidly approach the launch of the Obama administration the test will be whether or not true change comes - whether or not the hopes of those who have placed there trust in this man come to fruition. When he takes the "crown" of leadership there'll be no shortage of pressure, right? Well, how about the pressure placed on Solomon, King David's son, as he was given the crown of Israel? Not only would he taking the seat of a beloved King, but he would be expected to move this Kingdom forward under the watchful eye of the people. More properly, he would be expected to lead under the watchful eye of God. What prepares one for such an enormous task? Well - it begins with realizing that there is leadership that extends beyond the capabilities of any man. Solomon's wisdom is rooted in the fact that he knows that God is God - and he, Solomon, is not! In Psalm 72 this new king hits his knees and prays to God for the gifts that will make him a leader with God's own heart. Solomon prays that God will give him the justice and the righteousness with which God alone has. Justice for the poor and righteousness for all the people! That's REAL change! That's REAL hope! An guess what? Solomon well knows that it can only come from God Himself! Solomon knows that through his royal line will come a King that IS justice and IS righteousness. For YOU, friends, this King has come and will come again, even though the people crowned Him with thorns which His Father turned to gold. His name was, is and will be the only name that endures forever -the Name above all Names - Jesus! In Him is REAL change - His life for yours. In Him is REAL hope - blessing YOU now and into eternity! See the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and put your trust in Him! He has come for justice and righteousness. He has come...for YOU!

A choice..

2008-12-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

"Mary, did you know.." the song goes -

Did you know your baby would walk on water? Did you know the blind would see, the lame walk? did you know you held the Lord of creation, ruler of the nations - the perfect lamb? Mary, did you know? Better yet - Mary did you have a choice? Did you have a choice to endure the shame of being found pregnant, yet unmarried? Did you have the choice of giving birth in the comfort of home rather than a strangers cave? Did you have the choice to flee a king, to return an exile, to lose a son? Mary, did you have a choice? Friend - do you? The reality lies before you each day, do you follow the wisdom of the world or the foolishness of God? The story itself is unreal - all angels declaring, virgins giving birth, stars in the sky and wise men from the east. It's all a stretch to our minds that would like to choose a much different path. In the narrow view the choice is easy -I can take or leave the details as long as I accept and follow Jesus and His teaching...right? Wrong. Dead wrong. The eternal deal breaker is whether or not God is God, with plans greater than our knowledge and our imagination - a God greater than our personal choice. "I am the Lord's servant, " Mary says, " Let it be done to me as you have said." Just as God would build of David a house, so too would God knit in the womb of Mary something she did not choose - a child that would be called Jesus, because He would save His people from there sins. The "choice" is empowered by the Word of God, the promise that He would never leave us nor forsake us, but give us instead the gift of eternal life. Did you choose? No, God chose you - to be His own through the sacrifice of His Son and to give you life by His Spirit dwelling in you.

Another voice

2008-12-11T12:14:00.000-08:00

It's all about me.

Spend any time with pre-school aged kids and you come to know this truth. They think...hey...it's all about me....deal with it! Unfortunately, we don't grow up out this attitude too readily or too quickly. Most conversations we have are one sided - ours being the prominent voice, so ready to tell "all about me".

When Jesus cousin John came into the Judean wilderness to preach and to baptize, he could have easily talked all about himself. He was a striking character - one who had shunned the comforts of this world for the message of God. He had a way of drawing people to himself...wooing they call it, and prompting repentance and the confessing of sin. In the fourth Gospel, John relates another opportunity for the Baptizer to point to himself. The Pharisees ask - "Are you the Christ? Elijah? The Prophet?" to each of these, John answers "No." He is but a voice- calling in the wilderness - prepare the way of the Lord. As they try to trap him in a theological debate about Baptism - John refuses to get off message - He points instead to Christ. This voice, the one that points to Jesus alone is the voice that needs to trump all the other voices in our heads...particularly our own. Our own voice that speaks only in the darkness of our sin - our voice that tries to justify our behavior, that tries to make excuses, that tries to place ourselves above others - our voice is silenced by the voice of the one who points to the one true Light, Christ Jesus our Lord. Is it all about you? Yes, in a sense it is! All about you being delivered from darkness into the light. Yet when we speak, we speak not about our own victories and accomplishments, but instead about the victory of Christ and His cross FOR us! This is your NEW voice! Open your mouth...let it speak, shout, sing of God's love for YOU and for His world!

Who leads the church?

2008-12-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

We talk a lot about leadership in the church. We talk about those who are called to lead, those who are equipped to lead and those who are chosen to lead. We even question leadership in the church - is he capable? does she "get it"? are they actually leading? As Paul concludes his first letter to the Thessalonian church, he talks about how leaders are to be assessed and treated. To get a full picture, we must first look at the makeup of leaders themselves. The responsibility of leaders, according to Paul, is to be examples to the believers in Christ Jesus. Imitators of Paul and his brother church planters would declare only the Gospel of God in Christ, keeping far from error or impurity or attempts to deceive. This is the core of "servant leadership" the only model that Jesus gave His followers. Leaders who have been "approved" by God and "entrusted" with the Gospel are not to please men - but to please God alone - to serve Him. It makes the job really tough. To never seek glory from others is the trap of leaders, particularly those who are often flattered with words designed to sway the leader away from placing Jesus first. Paul points to his own behavior among the Thessalonians, describing his behavior much like a mother to a child, in other words, much like a servant. He goes on to say that as leaders they were ready to share not only the Gospel, but themselves. Hmmm...how many leaders among us can honestly say the same? The struggle we have as leaders and as those who are led is the sense that all is well as long as we get our way - but as soon as it doesn't go our way - well... the church becomes something other than a place of joy, prayer and thanksgiving. Friends- as those who lead and those who are led we must remember only the model of Jesus and His disciples. Our Lord said these words in Matthew 20:25-28:

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as ransom for many."

This is the leader that shall be honored by those led - the one who garners "respect" because God's Word comes first. The reason? Simple - so that the people of God will remain at peace with one another. Leaders who serve by the power of the Word of God - lead by a Word that "admonishes" "encourages" and "helps" with "patience" for all. As the church leaders seek to do good to all, so all those who choose to follow must trust that the leaders will serve God first and men second. This, friends, will be the only way a church can "rejoice always" living lives of prayer and thanks to God - this is the only way Spiritual gifts can be lifted up for the sanctification of soul and body. Servant leaders and Servant followers are one in the same - those touched by the Gospel and called to the one eternal faith - life in Christ Jesus!

Restored to be restored

2008-12-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

For all of us who live in the dry, desert like climates of this country, we await the winter rains to restore life. Even with the small amounts of rain and the slight increase in humidity we've experienced, I've already noticed a greenish tinge to the dry, brown, summer scorched hills. I took a ride into those hills yesterday, noticing the restored patches of green and thinking about the way God restores our lives just the same. Psalm 126 is a Psalm of Ascents - meaning a liturgical song sung by pilgrims approaching Jerusalem for worship. This Psalm sings of the restoration of a people that seemed too good to be true, almost like a dream. That even in the light of great sin, of exile into the deepest, driest wilderness of shame, God restored the fortunes of His people. He brought them back. Back into the land He had promised. This return, this restoration filled mouths with laughter and song - praises for all God has done. Then, just as they do today, the seasons change. Things got dry again. Remembering what God HAD done was OK, but the people needed to look forward to what God would do. That God Himself would cause rivers to flow in the desert of our lives again is the promise God made of His Son, Jesus Christ. That while this life would never be easy - in fact it will be full of tears - God, our God would make us joyous once again. Each time I feel a little dry, at the point of wondering "Where is God in all of this?" I remember that just as rain will fall on the desert, making it green - God's gracious love in Jesus has fallen and will continue to fall upon my life, giving me comfort today and hope for a future of eternal joy with Him!

A dream

2008-12-04T05:21:00.000-08:00

I had an odd dream last night that sort of went like this-

We were in a large, kind of perfect mall like structure. I wasn't sure of what this place was, other than it was reminiscent of the mall in the town where I grew up. There was a tremendous noise, shouting and splashing coming from the floor above us. Cassie and I went up the escalator to find that the structure was actually a huge church - we were facing a large fountain and pool area where fifty or so people were gathered for baptism. The pastor moved back and forth in chest high water, lurking behind an obviously frightened woman. Speaking unintelligible words he pounced on her, taking her to the bottom of the pool. As they came up together, spitting and coughing - she screaming - "Lord, help me Jesus!" The crowd shouting , "Amen! Hallelujah!" and the pastor taking her to the bottom once again. We moved through the crowd for a better look - as she came up out of the water, soaked and crying, into the arms of her family. Next up was a older man who went down without struggle or complaint. The pastor boldly declaring - "Come to the waters sinners! Repent you sinners, Repent!" A large, strong young man came reluctantly into the pool with his parents by his side. As the pastor took hold of his arm, we could tell this would be a monumental struggle - once again, like a pro wrestler, the pastor waded through the water behind the boy. With great noise and effort the pastor jumped the boy, trying to take him into the water. Defiant, the young man moved through the water, dragging the pastor behind to the other end of the pool. I moved even closer, opposite the action to the other side, near steps that led down into the water. Sitting on these steps I watched the pastor try again to take the boy down - to no avail. They moved around the pool in an odd dance of the baptizer and the one who would not be baptized."Out Satan!" the pastor shouted, "To the depths of Hell!" The struggle intensified. As the boy finally shook off the incredulous pastor and swam towards the steps on which I was sitting. He grabbed hold of my leg and pulled me toward the water. Shocked I tried to pull back, but he had me by the ankle and I couldn't break free - "What do you want with me?" I said. "Now." he replied. "Do it now." I found that I was not in a struggle with the boy but beside him. There was a moment when I looked into his eyes and saw only the look of the helpless. I slowly reached down and took up a handful of water and said - "You're baptized, in the name of the Father." He looked at me quietly. I took up another handful. "You're baptized in the name of the Son." Tears streaming, the boy calmly waited. "You're baptized in the name of the Holy Spirit." I noticed then not only the boy's attention, but the attention of all the others. "Amen" someone said in a whisper. "Amen. Amen. Praise God. " other voices joined. I looked away from the boy to see a line forming from the steps into the water. Someone said John 7 and I awoke. After thinking and praying on this dream, I went a opened my Bible to John 7. My eyes fell to the following verses; 7:16-18 - Jesus said, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from Him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him."

Give thanks...really GIVE THANKS!

2008-11-28T07:02:00.000-08:00

Well, my belly is still way too full from the tremendous meal we shared last night. I'm thankful for my family and friends who gathered together for our Thanksgiving meal. I'm thankful for the laughter, I'm thankful for the joy, I'm thankful for the peace and well being I feel when I celebrate with those I love. As a pastor I have unique relationships with family and friends that by necessity extend way beyond blood bond or social circle. When I give thanks for all of you, family, friends, acquaintances - shadow readers that I cannot see or know face to face, I give thanks, with Paul in 1 Corinthians 1...

"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge- even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you-so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

I give thanks...really GIVE THANKS that it is the Word of God which bonds us together in faith. I give thanks for the circle of love he has given us through the cross of Jesus which makes us more than friends. I give thanks that we are those who have been "enriched in him in all speech and knowledge" for a simple purpose, to set conflict aside and celebrate the gifts the Spirit has given each of us. I give thanks that God has called us into HIS fellowship - where we all work TOGETHER for the sake of the Gospel over and above our own self-interests. Giving thanks, true thanks, cannot dwell only on what has been done for me, but true thanks moves into my words and actions toward YOU! I pray that you help me to be thankful for you each day and that you also take every day to give thanks...really GIVE THANKS for all those God has gathered around you in Christ Jesus!

Waiting and wishing

2008-11-25T06:14:00.000-08:00

"Want to know a secret? Promise not to tell? We're standing by wishing well!" Snow White's impossibly songbird like voice flutters, "Make a wish into the well, that's all you have to do, and if you hear it echoing, your wish will soon come true!" Psalm 80, a song of Asaph, can sound a bit like a wish. Their brother tribes of the north have been taken captive by Assyria. No buffer exists between Judah and their own exile. "Give ear, O shepherd of Israel...stir up your might...come and save us!" Sung, shouted or prayed, the cry sounds like a wish dropped into the darkest depths of a well - sounds a bit like our own wishes that God would come to us and act, even in the light of our own inaction. In the midst of all the trouble in our lives, in the time waiting for His miraculous and magnificent intervention, it seems that we can only come to God with impatient wishes while the opportunities to see and participate in His mighty acts pass us by. There is something beautiful about the way Snow White humbly trusts that her pleas will be heard, albeit that she has directed them the wrong way! There is more to be said for the pleas of Asaph ,who calls upon the Shepherd of Israel, the one who leads His flock through the depths of darkness and into the marvelous shining light of His presence. There is even more to be said for how this Good Shepherd comes to restore and to save His people. He comes humbly, riding on a donkey. He comes obediently, submitting not to His own will but to the will of His Father. He comes as the least of all, to a cross and to a tomb. He comes in glory, resurrected, renewed and restored so that all of the wishes of our eternal struggle with sin are filled with overflowing grace - He comes, friends - to you. Will you wish and pray with me that our hearts and the hearts of this failing world will accept He who comes, in the name of the Lord?

Tend to Lead

2008-11-19T07:33:00.000-08:00

They're turning up an old field in the French Valley. The odor is this side of pungent and that side of repulsive! The girls keep asking, "where are all the animals making that smell?" Not one animal to be seen. Then I remembered, the first day we came and visited the area - four years ago just a couple of weeks ago. I remembered that field FILLED with sheep! It was pasture land. And with hundreds of sheep eating acres of grass you get mounds of ....well, you know! That wasn't so long ago, where have the sheep gone? Chances are, over four years, most of them are no more. Some probably died of old age, while others of weakness, illness, or injury. Some may have simply wandered away, lost to the fold and the shepherd alike. I imagine the shepherd tending the flock in French Valley was diligent and caring. Quite unlike the shepherds in Ezekiel 34, the shepherds that God spoke against, the shepherds that had been feeding themselves rather than the sheep. It's interesting for us to think of ourselves simultaneously as sheep and shepherds. We are sheep in that we need to be led and cared for, shepherds in that we're called to lead and care for others. We are sheep that have been sought out by a Shepherd, a Good Shepherd who came to be among us. Jesus, who called us, gathered us and through His Holy Spirit enlightens us still to be both sheep AND shepherds - to be blessed that we may be a blessing- to be faithful as He was faithful, even unto death on a cross! "I Myself will be shepherd of MY sheep," says the Lord God - "I will rescue my flock...I will set up over them ONE shepherd, My servant David, and He shall feed them." As you are fed by the Word of God become flesh, remember that we eat for energy to DO - to lead others, to be shepherds in His glorious pasture!

Sent 11/18

2008-11-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Gov. Shawarzanegger,

Maybe you can help me. I'm a pastor of a Lutheran congregation in Temecula California. Trinity is a congregation that seeks to fulfill a simple mission of encouraging and supporting relationships that are Christ centered and community focused. Lutherans historically view support of governing officials as a duty, often whether we agree with their choices or not. Much like yourself, we take service toward others very seriously, particularly when it comes to the families that live here in Temecula and Murrieta. Our main ministry here is a vibrant pre-school, where we teach the promise and hope of faith and the honor of serving others in response to all that has been given to us. One of our new ministries is a home that offers short-term, emergency sanctuary for victims of domestic violence. Trinity SAFE house is a partnership with a community organization that seeks to hold our precious families together even in the darkest of times. Given all that we are charged to do here in service to our Lord and others, I ask if you can help me in explaining to the congregation, the community, the children and the families how we are to honor duly elected officials who choose to ignore the will of the people. The actions of recent weeks are deeply sad and disappointing. For the issue of Prop 8 to be twisted and turned, using terms like "hatred" and "bigotry" to describe those who hold the traditional view of marriage is, at best, a misrepresentation of the majority view. For you, as a Governor we elected and still support to consider allowing vocal minorities to sway public policy is a deep challenge to your credibility as a leader. My job, as one who is called to speak the Word of God in all situations, is to humbly ask you to consider the affects of attempting to change human history. Never has any ruling government, no matter their political ilk, sought to overturn natural law for the sake of political correctness. It's as if I requested that you overturn the Law of Gravity simply because I have the desire to fly! The debate about "equal rights" is a straw man - as you and any other reasonable individual know that our government protects the rights of homosexuals through domestic partnership legislation. They have all the same rights and responsibilities given any other citizen, and that Sir is a fact. That being said, to change the definition of a term like marriage -which means at its core the same thing it always has, namely the joining of man and woman in sacrificial relationship - is absolutely ludicrous. You may as well say that water is dry and the sky is green, just because you want them to be! So, back to my question- what does a simple pastor do? Rest assured, I will continue to preach the Word- calling each us into repentance before God for violating His creation and proclaiming the forgiveness that is in Christ Jesus for all who believe in His sacrificial relationship, His precious death on the cross for us. I give you, my Governor, that option today. As I teach that you cannot offer critique without a practical solution, here's mine. Consider taking the word "marriage" out of all legal definitions of domestic partnership. Restore true marriage to the it's rightful place, to the Church and the home, thereby freeing human conscience to either follow the will and the Word of God, as they understand Him or to follow their own will and their own ways. Thanks for taking the time to listen to the people- all the people you have been called to serve.

In Jesus Name...

Be strong and...

2008-11-13T07:48:00.000-08:00

COURAGEOUS! A couple days after Veterans Day, I'm still thinking about courage. I'm remembering my job at Siemens, handling the Government accounts. I spent a lot of time in VA hospitals and Military medical centers like Bethesda and Walter Reed. Invariably I'd be waiting to meet with the clinicians, passing the time talking with the vets. I heard stories of the Battle of the Bulge, of Heartbreak Ridge and of Saigon - stories even of Lebanon and Kuwait. Generations of the courageous baring old wounds and revealing dark nightmares to a suit - there for the sole purpose of demonstrating hearing aids! Talk about feeling inadequate and humbled! These men and women had the courage, not only to endure tremendous hardship in war but to continue to endure tremendous hardship in peace. They lived through moments of incredible uncertainty, only to be thrust back into life in the "real" world, where we certainly know what's around the next corner. At least we think we know! Paul writes to the people of Thessalonica in similar words Jesus used when He talked about our expectations. "Concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." This uncertainty friends is the source of courage. Who would be courageous if they knew the day and the time of the Lord's coming? Either we would be consumed with doing good deeds to ensure our salvation or we would fall into a resigned depression thinking it all hopeless. It's like the scenes in the movie Groundhog Day, when the main character knows he cannot die, so he take tremendous risks that lack courage. Whether we speak of the courage of those in battle or the courage of those at peace the source is the same. It is a selflessness, a light of hope that no matter what happens - life is not lived for the self, but for others. Putting on the "breastplate of faith and love" and the helmet of "hope and salvation", the truly courageous willing step into the fray to lay down their life for another. It's never been clearer than the courageous work of Jesus on His cross. It's never been truly possible until He did it first. Now as He readies us with faith, we must choose courage - the willingness to live and to die Christ Jesus!

Here we go...

2008-11-12T08:18:00.000-08:00

It seems that the American Humanist Association, taking the lead from a group in London, placing the ad to the right on buses in Washington D.C. The sides of the buses are plastered with the same message - "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness sake." It seems that atheism is now called humanism - sounds a little softer, doesn't it? "Why believe" is the question. Why believe in something outside of yourself? The british ad said "There is probably no God." Probably. Zephaniah 1:12 says this...

"At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, 'The Lord will not do good nor will he do ill.'" There's something to be said for blatant atheism - at least it's up front and visible. Our concern at Christians is not some ad on a bus - it's whether or not we are living our lives as practical atheists - living as if God will not do anything, good or bad. Living as if we need to be good, for goodness sake. Zephaniah's words are against those who have not seen that our God is a God of tremendous action. Our God is one who changes lives. Those who have been made ready by God's Word, yet are not willing to proclaim it with a life that has been changed are just like the atheist. In fact, they may be worse - they're hypocrites. Complacency is rampant in the church - but so is goodness. This goodness is not from ourselves, but from a God who is even willing to forgive those who don't always recognize His work in their lives. God is not only good - He's necessary! God is necessary for lives of true selfless goodness toward others - not because He's our big Santa, but because of Jesus. Why believe in a god? Because without Him, we have no hope!

Does God have a DARK SIDE?

2008-11-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

(insert heavy breathing) "Luke...(breathe)..I am your father."(more heavy breathing)

With this dramatic scene, the hero Luke Skywalker learns of the potential for evil coursing through his veins - the inclination inherited from his father toward the Dark Side!

I wonder - particularly when reading texts like Psalm 90 - does God our Father have a dark side as well? Have we, as His children, inherited the negative as well as the positive qualities of God?

God...DARK? To some of you, them is fightin' words! Psalm 90:7 - "we are brought to an end by your anger." Verse 9 - "For all our days pass away under your wrath." Verse 11 - "who considers the power of your anger?" Wow! That's DARK! We don't want to think about these things! But the fact is that God gives life AND takes it away. Our reality is that we live in the wrath of God, as our bodies ages, decay and eventually succumb to death-the just reward for our sins. The power of the anger of God is immediately evident. We don't have to guess - the darkness is deep. It's so deep that we soon realize that it's this darkness, brought to our attention through the knowledge of good and evil our God tried to keep us from, this darkness now courses through our veins as children of wrath. Whew- that's tough to swallow! But, friends, you and I realize that we cannot know light without darkness. As God has a side that is dark and hidden from our knowledge and understanding, He also has a side that is light...pure light.. THE light, as the evangelist John writes, that "shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." This is the light that has been revealed to those who walked in darkness, says Isaiah (9:2). This the light of God's love, the only light that has the power to illuminate our path today and into eternity. There will be a day when we live in this light ALWAYS - that day is, in fact, with us, when we grab a hold of the gift God has given us - Jesus, pure light, pure love - in whom there is no darkness, no tears, not death - simply LIFE!

Ready?

2008-11-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

I'm currently re-reading the book Wild at Heart by John Eldredge - a great book that seeks to restore the word "man" to the phrase "Man of Faith". I had forgotten about an experience I once shared with Eldredge -they used to call it the actors nightmare. Imagine standing on a stage in front of a packed house. The sets are beautiful, the costumes perfect. As the music swells to a crescendo marking the beginning of the first scene, you suddenly realize that you have no idea what play this is. you don't know what character you are playing or any of the lines you are supposed to deliver. The overwhelming anxiety of being woefully unprepared hits your mind and body like a freight train. Your thoughts race, you start to sweat as your chest tightens and it becomes hard to breathe. When you snap awake the panic remains until you change your pajamas and settle down! You can translate your own nightmare of being unprepared. Each is the same - even when it comes to our spirit. The unprepared spirit is a spirit of complacency, the lie we tell ourselves that we've got the golden ticket into heaven, so why worry about our walk here and now. The unprepared spirit manifests itself in so many ways, from ignoring our own sins to pointing out the sins of others. It shows itself in trusting in what we know over what God continues to reveal in His Word. Sooner or later, the unprepared spirit takes control - making us angry, bitter, impatient and quarrelsome. Friends in Christ, the unprepared spirit has been replaced for you, put to death actually, by the Spirit of Christ Jesus. In His cross Jesus won freedom from anger and bitterness. He has given us the gift of waiting on the Lord, not with impatience of little children -but with the patience of Job. Your spirit is prepared by THE Spirit, to be re-committed to a life of faith in God above all things - trust that He has prepared you for an eternity with God. Are you ready? In Christ Jesus...you bet!

Probably???

2008-11-05T12:50:00.000-08:00

News out of London last week - Atheists were banding together to raise funds in order to place signs on the iconic big red buses. "There is probably no God. So stop worrying and enjoy your life." Stop worrying. That's what true Christianity is all about, isn't it? Cast your burdens upon me, Jesus says - Do not be anxious about anything. Yet we worry anyway! Maybe that's what the atheists are so concerned about. Maybe they're just looking out for our welfare. Maybe they just want to see us be as "happy" as all of them. Hmm...maybe...but I doubt it! The prophet Amos says that the Day of the Lord will be darkness, not light. Our millennial friends take this as an occasion to worry, "where will you be?" Jesus, in Matthew 25 warns about those who are not ready for the darkness that is to come. Again, any floppy Bible pounding preacher can go after this one! Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4 talks about the coming of the Lord - many have taken verse 17 to be the defining Scripture that proves a "rapture" of the righteous - so...which are you? Will you be left behind?? Friends - Jesus says STOP WORRYING, enjoy your life! The Day of the Lord, the Day of Darkness, the Day of Judgment, the Last Day -whatever you want to call it -the day is coming, no doubt about it. As those who live in faith of being redeemed by the blood of Jesus, there's no worry - only motivation. Motivation to take the message of light into the darkness. Motivation to share the fuel of our salvation with those who have come up empty. Motivation to joy, for all of those who have died in the faith and will rise with us on the Last Day to everlasting life with God. This is our hope. This our faith. No "probably" here! There IS a God - He is Christ Jesus. In Him all worry turns to joy and a life full of His love for you and for all who call upon His name!

Where are YOU headed?

2008-10-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

In these days of rampant political imagery, we hear about new ways, new roads, new paths, new journeys. I'd say that we'd be rather naive to believe that there is anything truly new under the sun. Ways wear thin, roads have potholes, paths crumble and journeys...well...

It's easy to check out - like that guy I spoke with last week who told me that unless he or his family is directly affected, he really didn't care. It's like that girl who thought that there was nothing left for her here, so cast down was her soul.

The Psalmist writes "Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling." (Ps. 43:3) The Way is Christ - the one true hope for change that transcends our "journey". Through His sacrifice on the cross, the holes in the road of life are filled and our path is made smooth. When it's the light and the truth of God that leads us, everything matters - in our own lives and the way our lives affect others. Everything matters because YOU matter! It's time to ask, where are you headed? I pray that we'll continue to let the light of Christ, the truth of the ages lead us to our one true home - back to the house of our God!

IF ONLY...

2008-10-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

I was pretty sad when I heard that Paul Newman died back on September 26th. Newman was my cinematic hero. As a young actor, I modeled myself after this guy - studying and imitating his method, his speech pattern, his smile, his walk...whatever! Even the way I dressed for a while was vintage Newman - a mix of classy toughness that couldn't be matched by another actor. In fact...it couldn't be matched by me! As much as I wanted to be like Paul Newman, there was one thing missing in my plan...I was simply not Paul Newman! I fell short of everything he was because there was only one Paul Newman. The job was taken!

Take a look at the classic text Romans 3:19-28.

This text talks about the Law of God. Paul says the the Law is spoken to those under it, so that mouths are stopped and everyone is held accountable to God. What does this mean? Well, we start with the fact that the Law constantly shows us that we are not God. That no matter how we try to follow, to model , to imitate the perfection that is God, we can never come close to His perfection. Instead, we are held accountable. The mirror of the Law reflects just how bad an imitation we are are. "For by the works of the Law no human being will be justified in God's sight." "But NOW", Paul the apostle (not the actor!) tells us, "But now" things are different. Now God's perfection, His righteousness is shown to be apart from His Law. Now we do not have to be God impersonators, but rather we get to be God's own image here and now. The righteousness of God, His glorious face comes to us through faith in Christ Jesus. He was the image of God's perfection. He was the satisfaction of God's Law. He took the accountability we owed to God to the cross, and gave us new life in God's own image through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are now justified, not because we try to be like Jesus, but because Jesus became like us - taking on the form of a servant He humbled Himself unto death, even death on a cross! Rejoice - friends - You're never a cheap imitation in Jesus! You're made to be perfect in God's eyes through the blood of His ever perfect Son!

Vote for ???

2008-10-17T08:25:00.000-07:00

This is about as political as this blog will ever get! With the text for today, we've got to talk about it just a little - otherwise you all would think I was chicken!

Isaiah 45:1-7 - The Lord YHWH speaks to an unlikely character, Cyrus. Cyrus is a king, an anointed one. But yet he is a king who is not from among God's chosen people - a highly unlikely candidate for leadership! What is clear in the text is that Cyrus does not follow YHWH,but yet he is elected to do God's will. What does this say about the leaders we choose to elect? Well, for one we know that there is no perfect candidate. No matter shiny the smile or how noble the service record, political leaders all have same common flaw...humanity. And yet God calls men and women to serve. Once again, the key to understanding service is grasping hold of whom we serve. God grasps the right hand, the ruling hand of the leaders He chooses and uses it to the Glory of His name and the benefit of His people. Why? Because He is the Lord, and there is no other. Besides Him, there is NO other. No king. No president. No leader. No politician. Our God guides and equips leaders to lead - whether they know Him or not. When I say the words "Vote Your Faith", that means look at the candidates and the issues with the eyes of God's will, that it is only by God's Law and His Gospel that all are saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

No Greater Joy...

2008-10-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

A simple post today...

The words of 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 betray the joy felt by pastor Paul for a congregation he loved. I agree, his greatest joy is my own and together "we give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." There is no greater joy than witnessing the fruit of the message preached in the way you all live out the mission of Trinity, centered in Christ and focused on our community.

A simple post...a joyful thanks...for who you are and all you do in Jesus name!

Give to Caesar...

2008-10-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

Take a look at the news, it's all about electing a new Caesar - oh, sorry...I mean President. Take a look at quite a few cars in our community - the words "Not Of This World" appear in so many stickers. So which is it? Are we citizens here or there? Do we serve government or God? Easy to answer? I don't think so! Jesus is asked the same question in Matthew 22:15-22. Two unlikely groups have gotten together against a common enemy...Jesus. The Pharisee's sent their disciples to find out if Jesus would defy the Law of God which gave them power over the spiritual life of the people. The Herodians came to discover if Jesus would defy the law of the land, which gave them power over the civil life of the people. Which would Jesus be, a blasphemer or a traitor? An enemy of God or an enemy of the state? an impossible question with no good answer...unless of course you remember who's being asked! For Jesus, an either/or answer that would lead to accusation from one party or the other gives way to a both/and which leaves them in awe. "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are God's." Jesus gives a both/and answer which reveals that all things - all people, all governments, all laws and all tributes fall under the scope of Almighty God. It is HIS government that is "Not Of This World" - meaning that His love, His grace, His work through the instruments of His creation (EVEN GOVERNMENT!) do His good and gracious will! You, as one who lives under this will only has an obligation to serve. This means to serve the world with that which is given from heaven - to serve with FAITH in what God has done for you in Christ Jesus and continues to do through YOU - calling all people to Himself for life and hope in this world and the next.

Sing, Tell, Declare!

2008-10-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me has come to realize that when I open my mouth to sing it is under great fear and duress! I'm not a singer, by any stretch of the imagination. So how do I connect with singing the Lord a "new song", like it says in Psalm 96? "Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord all the earth." That's everyone by the way - the whole earth singing out to God a new song. Yet when I look around, there doesn't seem to be much singing going on. In fact, the sweet sounds of singing have been overtaken by the crass cacophony of complaining! Just give a listen, if you think your ears and your heart can handle it. Hear the complaining about jobs, the economy, and politics. Stop and really listen to the noise all around you and you'll find that static has replaced the notes that have been playing since God decided to do a new thing, to give us anew song. In the cross of Jesus Christ, we hear God's symphony of love, His action for a people who's hearts and ears have been abused by the noise - you're not good enough, you'll never measure up, you can't sing and God wouldn't listen anyway. In the cross of Jesus the static is replaced by a new song, a song that tells of His salvation from day to day. It's a song that declares His glory, His marvelous works among all the people. It's a new song that lifts up our God above the noise and gives us voice in this broken world. Yes, in christ God has given you the voice of the angels, to sing and to bless, to tell and to declare to all the world what God has done for you and all who who love Him and sing His precious name....Jesus!

What if...

2008-10-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

What if you planned for months. The top quality invitations, hand lettered and mailed out well in advance. The flowers ordered, the cake made, the food - sumptuous and elegantly prepared and waiting in the kitchen. Tables set, candles lit, doors thrown open to reveal...nobody. What if you threw a party and nobody came? Matthew 22:1-14. The wedding feast not prepared by some average Joe, but by the King. It was throughly and lovingly prepared and yet nobody came. Everybody seemed to have an excuse. Everything seemed to be more important. Some even took offense to the constant badgering of the Kings' servants - treating them shamefully and even killing them. What happens when you diss the King? What happened when those for whom God prepared a feast rejected the invitation? Wrath and judgement, obviously. What about grace? This same King, the one royally dissed by His people sends the servants out with a whole new batch of invites. This time the invites extend to all who see that the feast is ready and waiting, prepared for them to enjoy free of charge. Not because they know the King or have worked hard to deserve such an invite - simply because the King has prepared it and it's ready and waiting for those who appreciate the gift. When God extended the invite to all people, He was confirming that this feast is all about the one for who the party is thrown in the first place - the son...His Son...Jesus. The guests gathered are clothed in His spotless garment of faith, faith in the fact that God is the one who prepares the feast - the feast that is His Son Himself. think about the feast you have been invited to as you approach the banquet table of God this week. As you wait to receive a meal of bread and wine, have faith that it is body and blood for you. Have faith that you have been called - made worthy of this strengthening meal through faith in these precious words...Given and Shed for YOU!

December 5th

2008-10-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

Can it be too early to be planning a Christmas party? Like last year, Cassie and I are busy planning for December 5th - our Christmas open house where we invite everyone to come and enjoy the feast and fellowship of this most joyous season. We love this event, because it seems like all our cares and concerns melt away as together we celebrate with thanks and praise the season that marks the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Soon we'll be sending out the invites - hoping that all of our friends will respond and join us for the fun! The party's coming, will you be there? God asks the same question through His prophet Isaiah in 25:6-9. God has planned a party and has promised to make it a feast for all people on His holy mountain. This feast will be rich, full of well aged wine and the best food imaginable. At this party, God has planned to give a gift. God has planned to remove the covering over the people, the veil of shame that has covered us all as a result of our sin. It is a party where cares and concerns melt away as God has planned that this party will swallow up death forever. All on the mountain, the holy mountain, Mt. Zion - the place of our salvation. This party began and continues today and will come to it's peak on some future day marked in God's cosmic planner. This party began on a hill in Jerusalem where in the raising up of a cross, death was swallowed up forever! At this precious banquet of body and blood, God wipes away tears from faces and takes away the guilt of our sin - all with a Word, with a promise fulfilled, with Jesus! It has been and will be said that on this day, at this party, we behold our God - the one we've waited for in hope - the one who promises salvation today and forever. Accept the invite once again - every moment of every day - the invitation to God's feast of everlasting life in Christ Jesus!

Do NOT be anxious????

2008-10-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

Dropping Dow. Petty politics. Risky relationships. "Do NOT be anxious about anything", Paul says in Philippians 4:6.

Paul...are you kidding me? We live in a world of high anxiety. Studies say that stress related illnesses account for anywhere from 60 to 90 percent of doctor visits. Ask anyone "How you doing?" and your bound to get the litany of anxiety. "I'm up to my *** in alligators" - that's my favorite! Paul seems to have a prescription for our anxiety. Oddly enough, it doesn't include shutting down, backing out, folding up or running away. In fact, it doesn't even begin with us! "Rejoice in the Lord always;" Paul writes, "again I will say, REJOICE!" In the midst of struggle and anxiety, Paul calls us to rejoice in the Lord...always. He call us to a life of lifting up words of faith to God in prayer - acknowledging that from the hand of God comes all things, including His peace in times of our highest anxiety. Peace is hardly what we imagine it to be. The Hebrew idea of a peace that "surpasses all understanding" is summed up in their word shalom. This peace is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise because it is the peace that only comes FORM God to YOU! This is the peace given in the cross of Jesus Christ. The peace given in the faith that all the anxiety we feel, the fruits of all of our sins, has been taken away from us by the precious sacrifice of Jesus. Paul found that the peace he needed came to him each time he changed the subject of his life from self to God. This means that the Lord is at hand - in your life, now! He's not waiting by the sidelines to see how you'll handle the next big challenge of your life. Not this God! He's right there with you - pacifying you in prayer, soothing you in supplication and filling you with gracious gratitude for the peace He gives beyond all measure in Christ Jesus. Anxiety fades as you can do all things through Him who strengthens you!

Big Kid's Food

2008-10-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

Doesn't look like much. Just a piece of bread and a little bit of wine. Hardly a banquet in our eyes. But in the hands of God, it's big kid's food! It's a fair statement that none can deny - we all started out this life as babies. Baby's first meal is her mother's milk. As she grows and develops she moves from a taste for milk, to hunger for soft cereal, unidentifiable "vegetables",Cheerios, hot dogs and eventually a big, juicy steak! Read Psalm 23 - familiar words for us - but read them with the eyes of a "foodie". You'll notice the images at the beginning, of green grass and still water - the infant food of the faith. God leads us to the green grass of the Gospel and to the still waters of our Baptism. God feeds His youngest children in the most simple faith that He is our Shepherd, the one who restores our soul, leading us in lives that mirror His beautiful promise - to make us righteous from the inside out! As we walk the path of life - the one that is the ever present shadow of death, we know that our God who has provided for us continues to guide and protect His children of faith. The rod and staff, the discipline of God is preparation for a greater meal, which He Himself had promised to prepare. The table set before us is a banquet - a banquet that stands between us and the enemy to our soul. The table is a cross. The food, simple bread and wine, yet it's big kid's food. To think that we could apprehend the eternal meal of Jesus' own body and blood, given and shed for us, without having first the faith in a leading, sheltering and providing God is foolishness. Just as it is foolishness to question what Jesus means when He says "take, eat, this is my body" and "drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." This cup overflows all the days of our lives for we who believe that the promises of God are eternal! Friends, step up to the big kid's table, and feast on forgiveness as Jesus has won forgiveness for you!

SORRY!!!

2008-10-03T05:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry - I've been locked out of Blogspot since late last week, therefore unable to post.

I'll be back in full force on Monday October 6th!

Turn,turn turn

2008-09-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the Bible seems to contradict itself.

That's right...Mr. "innerancy of Scripture" said what you've been thinking for years! But before you start formulating your fiery responses or letters off to my DP, don't miss the key word in my statement...SEEMS!

Moses writes that our jealous God is "visiting the iniquity (sins) of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate" Him. (Exodus 20:5) Yet the prophet Ezekiel in Chapter 18 of his prophecy says something quite different, freeing the sons from the sins of the fathers by simply stating "the soul who sins shall die". So which is it? SEEMS contradictory, right? Until we take another look at that little clause on the end of the Exodus verse, "of those who hate him". I recently met a young man whose father was a confirmed atheist (as if there could be such a confirmation made!) This guy was concerned that the hatred his father had for God would somehow stick with him forever. In fact, up until recently it had - keeping him suspicious and wary of the church and the faith. But then there was a moment, a spark, something inside that told him to turn around and look at the faith from a different point of view. He needed to abandon the eyes of his father and see God with those glasses only the Holy Spirit could provide, God's precious Word. I see God's Word as never contradictory, just specific. It speaks to us in places and stages of life that none but our own soul can understand. God's Word touches our hearts and helps us to see that He alone can love the unlovable, those who continually turn from Him and disappoint Him. I always say, if God could love me He could love anyone. that's the point. He loves you for what He's done, not who you are. He loves you because He gave you Jesus, the one who never sinned, never disappointed. He's the one who died for you and rose for you that you can have a life free from the history of sin that plagues all generations since Adam and Eve. Turn a pray to Him, not that He SAVE you - that's a done deal - but that you come to the true heart of the faith, a life lived freely in His abounding love for you!

Exercise Your Faith

2008-09-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

Alright...I admit it. I didn't work out this morning! My feeble excuse is that I believe yesterday was enough of a workout. Digging and forming, mixing and pouring a concrete slab in the backyard was more of a physical challenge than I had bargained for. Add to that moving wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of rock and gravel and I found myself absolutely exhausted. Bleary eyed and looking at the clock at 5:00 a.m the decision was made- no gym today. Here's another confession. There have been times I felt that way about my faith. Sometimes I work so hard getting worship or classes together that I find myself spiritually exhausted - without even the strength to pray. I know some of you feel that way sometimes too. You put tremendous amounts of effort into all that goes with "church". All the meetings, planning and execution of ministry can leave your energy spent. I heard it put this way, that in the struggle of ministry we find ourselves Church people who are trying to love God rather than those who love God living our lives in the community of the Church. It's times like these that we need the renewal of God more than ever. When we least want to pray, these are the times when we must. Reading Psalm 25 is like hitting the reset button on your faith. Lifting up our souls to God is a gift we have been given in Christ Jesus. Trusting in this God to make His ways known to us, leading us in truth, teaching us salvation - remembering that even in the driest of times it is God who gives His mercy and steadfast love - the love that is the foundation of our work, the love that is only in Jesus. Watch and pray friends, it is God alone that wil give you peace and re-energize your life in service to one another!

Generic God?

2008-09-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm...looks good, huh? Make no mistake, I love beer. Just about any kind of beer is fine by me. Though the can says to the left says "beer", even I might think twice about grabbing a cool one of these bad boys! Notice you don't see this stuff on the shelves anymore. The generic craze has been replaced by the store brand. Now at least you sort of know what you're going to get! I wonder, will there come a day when the real God will replace the generic one our culture so readily embraces? This generic god is a god who is everywhere. This is a god that fits our mold, our box, our black and white can that is simply marked "love". Fact is, if our focus is on some generic god who is everywhere, he's is nowhere. We're bound to ask "Where's my everywhere god when..." fill in the blank with any tragic event in our lives and relationships. If we want a god that generically loves all, then it stands to reason that he loves none. If our god says "I love you...I love everyone." it's so generic that we're left asking, "what about ME? Do you really love ME?" We have an EVERYWHERE God and a LOVING God, but He is far from a generic god! Isaiah 55:6-9 - Seek THE Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near." This is no generic god - this is a God who is may be found - who's nearness is an expression of His love. Where we really grab hold of God is in the physical nearness, His Son given to us in the flesh. The real Jesus who really lived and really died so that we could really have life is the real God - no generic here! He's specific! The way! The truth! The life! FOR YOU. And for me, and for all those who call upon and confess the name of the one true God -Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Amen!

The Conversation

2008-09-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

In a few short years I have already lost track of how many times I have had the conversation. It's usually in the context of a hospital room or an nursing home. It always starts with the same words. "Pastor, I'm just not sure why I'm still here." As we rocket through life, seeming to never have enough time to do all we need do or to get done all we need to get done, it's ironic that toward the end many are forced to wait. The times ticks by - "wait on the Lord" the psalmist says, "more than watchman for the morning." Some of us may look forward to the slow down, the last days that precede our blessed rest. But for many, waiting on the Lord is a test of patience and of will - always questioning, "why God" - and always praying "come Lord Jesus." Paul debated in his soul this very issue. In the letter to the Philippians he writes about the struggle. ""My desire," Paul says in Phil 1:23, "Is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account." Paul understands that while we may desire to be with Christ, the lives we now live in His name are an act of confession. By living a life of hope, we confess that we are hopeful. By living a life of forgiveness, we confess that we have been forgiven. By living a life of confident joy, we confess that through the gift of the cross of Jesus Christ we can confidently hope all things, endure all things and have joy in the gift of seeing others share in that hope as well! Convinced of his forgiveness, Paul says "I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith." We confess, friends, with our mouths and our lives with Paul and all the saints - knowing in our hearts that the confession advances the Gospel of Jesus to all we touch! When you ask "why God" - remember your confession of faith. It touches more than you can ever imagine or hope for as the Holy Spirit brings it to the hearts of those who struggle and continue to need your witness the most.

The Body

2008-09-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

1000 years before Luther. 1500 years before us. The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem has stood through the assaults of Holy Wars. Today it stands behind a 40 ft wall topped with razor wire and marked by guard towers. Look at the picture. Kind of looks like a ship turned upside down. A vessel. The words of Psalm 27:4 echo in this ancient vessel of God's people. "One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple." what a beautiful image of the powerful presence of God in a simple old building. But we know friends, the church is so much more than sticks and bricks. Look at the picture again. Kinda looks like bones, like a ribcage viewed from the inside out. Recalling that we have been assumed into the very body of Jesus - the beaten body, the broken body, the body crucified and the body resurrected. In Christ God has placed us inside of Himself as a shelter, a temple of His love. Again, Psalm 27:5, "For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock." Friends - you're the body - the church. Live in your call to be in Him and for one another!

Guilt 101

2008-09-10T05:49:00.000-07:00

We have a laundry stealing dog. Given the chance Wrigley will snatch a sock, take a towel or wrangle some underwear. His habit seems to rear it's head after we've been gone all day - sort of a canine plea for attention. What I find absolutely hilarious is the look on his face when he has stolen an article. He'll try to get the whole thing in his mouth, and then act as if there is nothing wrong. His doggy cheeks puffed out, ears laying back and eyes averted immediately betray his crime...HE'S GUILTY! And he knows it! There's no doubt that for us humans guilt is a strong emotion. The fear of getting caught and called out prompts us to build up systems of hiding away our indiscretions. Guilty fear causes us to make some interesting choices. If you take a look at Genesis 50:15-21 you'll see a bit of guilt in action. Joseph's brothers are afraid. When Jacob dies they fear that the sins of their past will be revisited upon them now. That selling their brother into slavery in Egypt was not such a hot idea after all - and even after years of carrying around this sin, the guilt remains, and this guilt feeds their fear. As they bow before Joseph, seeking his forgiveness, they must have remembered the dream they mocked so long ago. "Behold, we are your servants!" the men cry. When we have wronged another, the guilt is often crippling. In fact, unless we are suffering some sociopathic brain malfunction, the guilt we feel can actually be viewed as a good thing! It is the law of God working within us to show where we have failed. It is our God given conscience that holds up a mirror to our sin and prompts us to relive the guilt, to seek forgiveness, to be reconciled to our neighbor. When Joseph claims that he is not in the place of God he is making a bold statement to his brothers. Even in the light of tremendous sin, God has used a perfectly awful situation for good. He forgives his brothers not because he has forgotten what they have done, but rather that he and they have been blessed even in spite of their actions. In the same way, God Himself relieves our guilt. Even in the light of our failures, our sins, He gave us Jesus. He was treated shamefully, He suffered and He died - and that awful moment God gave us our greatest good. As we look upon the cross we know that God has taken our guilt into the grave and given us hope in a new life in Jesus. It's a life like the promise of Joseph, "to provide for you and your little ones" - a promise of the comfort and kindness that has turned your shame to joy, your guilt to gladness! Friends, are you in the place of God? Learn from Joseph and learn from Jesus, the forgiveness of your sins and the release of your guilt leads you to forgive and release others as well! Go and do likewise, o servants of God!

An Irritating Question...

2008-09-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a question that's bound to bug you as much as it bugs me. It comes from the great professor and theologian Gerhard Forde. I can tell you from experience that most of Forde's writing is cryptic at it's best and confusing at it's worst! But this question is quite simple in it's form - and it's the very simplicity in which it's posed that makes it so irritating! Here it is...ready?

"Now that you don't have to do anything for salvation, what are you going to do?"

Think about that for a minute. You have heard and you know in you heart that you cannot by your own reason or strength believe in God or come to Him. You don't have to do anything for salvation - this is the main thesis of the book of Romans. Paul goes to great lengths to describe how it is our faith in the promise of God to deliver us that is in fact credited as righteousness. It is the faith of Noah, the faith of Abraham and the faith of you and I to rely on God and God alone to do His will for us. This will, perfectly sealed on the cross and affirmed in the resurrection of Jesus that gives us hope and strength. After a few chapters of proclaiming what God has done, Paul turns to the second half of the question - what are we going to do. Funny thing is, Paul begins with what we are NOT to do. Check out Romans 14:1-12.

It seems that Christians are bound to struggle with what is lawful and unlawful in the eyes of God for those who stand in the light of Jesus gift. It's easy to criticize expressions of the faith that we don't share - to mock those who raise their hands in praise or fold them in their lap to pray. It's easy to think that those who dress in shorts and flip flops are any more or less connected to God than those who choose suits and dresses. God forbid one should worship on any day other than Sunday - or, on the other hand, use a Hymnal and follow a liturgy. All these things are irrelevant in the eyes of God. Paul says "who are you to pass judgement on the servant of another?" Who are we to pass judgement on the servants of God? We are we'll reminded as those who are saved by the blood of Jesus that He in fact died for the WHOLE world, flip flops and all! When we worship, we worship the Lord! When we pray, we talk to God! When we study, we hear His Word. And when we love, we love because He first loved us, died for us and gave to us a gift of everlasting life that exceeds the bounds of our cultural bias. Friends, what do you do? You love. Unconditionally and fully - maybe not fully understanding the expressions of others, but looking upon them with the eyes of faith and forgiveness that have been given to us as His precious gift!

Of Grace and Gratitude

2008-09-08T07:47:00.000-07:00

I'm not the most coordinated individual you'll ever meet. In fact, my wife may tell you that if there's an accident waiting to happen...I'm it! For me if I'm riding a skateboard or simply walking the dog it's an adventure in awkwardness, a distinct lack of grace! Thanks be to God TRUE grace doesn't depend on a sense of balance. In fact, our lives seem to be hopelessly out of balance, terribly awkward and absent of any grace at all! Take a look at our prayer life - we ask and ask and ask of God, completely out of balance and awkward given the tremendous gift God has already given to us...namely His Grace! What does this mean? Well...take a minute and read Psalm 103. See how the Psalmist blesses God from the depths of his being. This means that he is holding God's work, past,present and future far above any immediate benefit he may receive through his prayer. The Psalm is graceful in it's recognition of God's Grace - His steadfast love which endures forever! This overwhelming sense of God's Grace comes forth in gratitude - the simple thanks for all that God has done, is doing and will do in the future. God the Father made a promise to forgive and to heal, In the cross of Jesus He has redeemed us and in His resurrection crowned us with His love and mercy. Through the power of His Holy Spirit we are satisfied with this GRACE and renewed every time we remember His presence in our lives. There's a method of prayer I've used and taught called ACTS. The pattern works like this: AFFIRM who God is - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. CONFESS who you are, a broken human being. THANK God for His Grace and forgiveness in Christ Jesus and all God has provided for you. Then, if necessary, offer your SUPPLICATIONS - asking God's favor in a Spirit fed by a soul touched by His Grace. Grace and Gratitude, Gratitude and Grace - friends, they're inseparable in the life of faith!

Cha-Ching!

2008-09-03T10:05:00.001-07:00

"Money makes the world go round", so the song goes. If this is true, then it is credit that makes the world go backwards! "I owe, I owe, it's off to work I go!" I kind of picture the life of debt as being in a deep hole. All your given to get out of the hole is a shovel. Many try to dig down deeper, hoping to come out on the other end. Others use the tool to dig steps in the wall, in order to climb out of debt and begin earning once again. Paul says, keep out of the hole in the first place! "Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." (Romans 13:8) That's great, but just try and find someone in our day and age that is not somehow indebted to another. It seems that the nature of our relationships is kind of a credit/debit affair. That is to say, sometimes I'm in good graces, earning reward and favor or credit for my good behavior. Other times, time too often to mention, I mess things up and end up trying to work myself out of the hole. Many of us see our relationship with God as a balance between credit/debit. Yet with his goodness and our failures we're much worse off then we can ever imagine, digging deeper and losing hope. It's interesting to me to see how Paul equates a lack of debt to the fulfilling of the law. Law is what we owe God. We owe Him our undivided devotion and the support of our neighbor. Well, the only one I can think of that did all this was Jesus Himself. He paid the price. He owes nothing because He loved God with all His heart, soul and strength and loved His neighbor (us) MORE than Himself! We are recipients of His debt free life through the cross, by His resurrection there is no more debt for us! We have the glory of eternal credit with God. It is living in this debt free reality that we, through the power of the Holy Spirit, love our neighbor. Not because we have to, but because we have been so loved by Him!

The Forgiven

2008-09-02T07:05:00.000-07:00

Back in March of 1964, a woman named Kitty Genovese was brutally attacked near her Queens New York home. While she screamed, trying to fend off her attacker, some 38 people heard and subsequently ignored her cries for help. The 38 remained silent. Called the "bystander effect", there is apparently a psychological component to our being that prevents us from assisting when we rationalize that there are others there who will step in to help. Take a look at Ezekiel 33:1-9. These were the words spoken at my ordination which, quite frankly, scared me to death! They are words that speak of the responsibility of those who carry the Word of God in their hearts. It's the responsibility to speak when others may remain silent. It's the responsibility to be more than mere bystanders and we live our lives in the faith. When I read Scriptures like Psalm 32 (you might want to take a look at this one as well!) I find a man of faith like David who struggled with himself as he kept silent. "My bones wasted away through my groaning all day long", David writes. Why? Well, David knows that even in the face of outrageous difficulties that he has been blessed by God. His transgressions, his sins, his iniquities against God have been forgiven. In this forgiveness, David must speak. In the forgiveness that is Christ Jesus, the Son of Man who sacrificed Himself for your life, you have not only the honor but the opportunity to speak with God Himself. You can, by the power of the Holy Spirit, turn from your troubles and praise God for His deliverance! This lives in a holy responsibility - not one that earns points with God, but an opportunity to speak of the hope that lies within your heart. Believe me when I say that the world needs to hear a message of forgiveness and love, of hope and bright future that breaks through the darkness of cynical hate and despair. Share O watchman! Stand tall and speak of the forgiveness of a God who has touched you, taught you and called you to be His own!

Another Question...

2008-08-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

It seems like the most conversation we got was when there was a question posted!

So...let's try that again!

What happens when GOD the CHURCH and the WORLD all intersect?

Discuss!

Could it be....SATAN?

2008-08-29T08:48:00.001-07:00

Remember that great SNL character Enid Strict, "The Church Lady"? Dana Carvey had me busting a gut when he'd call out a celebrity for following their "naughty parts" or when he'd do the "Superior Dance" after making a point. The best by far would be the way the Enid would call out any disagreeable situation as being the work of the evil one. "Hmmmm", she'd ponder, "could it be...SATAN?! Take a look at Matthew 16:21-28. Peter has just confessed for the guys that Jesus is the Christ, Son of the Living God. Quite a statement, for which Peter gets a holy pat on the back and the promise that upon these confessing words Jesus Himself will build His church. A beat later, as Jesus says that He will suffer many things, die and rise again Peter says "No way! You can't let that happen! We won't let that happen!" (my words, not Peter's!) Jesus replies "Get behind me Satan!" Whoa! Peter? Satan? Is Jesus being a little harsh? After all, Peter is just looking out for his friend. His heart seems to be in the right place - there's no horns and pitchfork, just genuine love for a brother, right? Well, Scripture has taught us to trust Jesus' judgement - so we need to look at why He calls out Peter for who is influencing his sentiment. There's that old saying that goes "when you love someone, set them free." we have a lot of trouble doing that. We add "if they don't come back, hunt them down!" Our sentimental love, our reliance on holding on to what we believe will give us the greatest joy and fulfillment is fertile ground for the father of lies. Could it be...Satan? Yup! He has a way of making love selfish, while Jesus teaches that love is sacrifice. Satan has a way of convincing us that we must hold on to what we think is good rather than except what God thinks is good. It started at the tree and continues today. Jesus rebukes, and yet there is comfort. The comfort comes from a God that will take that which we see as a travesty, namely a cross - and turn it into glory through the resurrection. Jesus has overcome Satan with a cross for you and me. It is this cross that we bear, knowing that it doesn't make sense and all of our "friends" will shake their heads in disbelief. The power of the cross is a death to self and desire and a life unto God and one another. Read it again. See the glory in the cross of Christ and the honor of a life of carrying that cross to others!

Lovely Love

2008-08-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

LOVE - four little letters that can get us into a heap load of trouble! In Romans 12:9-11 Paul uses a couple different words to express what is really love. "Let love be genuine", Paul writes. This love, in Greek a-ga-pe, cannot be false because it is the love that cannot be separated from faith. When Paul says to let it be genuine he is reminding us that we cannot saddle agape love with our own sentimental feelings. Being "slothful in zeal" is just that, cheap sentiment. We've all seen the weepy preacher or the overly emotional worship leader. We're supposed to believe that it is their tears that validate their devotion. Paul goes on to talk about what real love looks like - it's so important that he uses two similar words to get the idea across to us - "love one another with brotherly affection." Philostorgos and philadeliphia - love one another like family, with brotherly love! This is real and genuine, to outdo one another in showing one another that we love one another! Wow! Loving out of faith in the one who loved you and gave Himself up for you is a love that can never be faked! Read the rest of Paul's words in Romans 12:12-21 to see what a life centered in the agape of Christ and the philadephia toward community really looks like! Look at your faith, look at your love and then, friends, live them both!

I'm BACK!

2008-08-28T08:09:00.001-07:00

Wasn't that debate fun? Words are tricky, particularly when they're written. Big church or church big - what does THAT mean? Well, even when words are spoken there is a divide between what we hear and what we know. The great Jim Croce sang "every time I tried to tell you the words just came out wrong, now I'll have to say I love you in a song." We all struggle with words and meanings, so I believe that's why God sings to us in His own amazing way. The prophet Jeremiah struggled - wow, did he ever! Just try and read Jeremiah without falling into his angst ridden complaints! Check out Jeremiah 15:10-21. The prophet has trouble with the very words he has faithfully preached to the people. He has trouble because it seems like every time he tried to speak of God's love for His people, the words must have come out wrong - because the people hate Jeremiah for the very words that leave his mouth. This is not only the pastors' lament, but that of any who has "eaten" the Word; read, marked and inwardly digested as Luther put it - the whole truth of God and receives nothing but grief when you try to share the meal! So what's the solution to Jeremiah and to us? Simple...return to the fact that God's precious Word is for you first! The promise of God is found in His Word, rightly divided - Law for our wandering ear and Gospel for our broken heart. God has sung out His love song to only one tune. It's a spectacular symphony, a movement that takes us from a manger to a cross to an empty tomb - where the Living Word Jesus Christ sings in a voice that can never be silenced. The questions born of misunderstood words, big church or church big, saved or not saved, hope or no hope are all touched by God's song in Christ Jesus - friends...turn UP the volume! Blast God's Word into your life and enjoy the tune of His love!

I'm AWAY!

2008-08-26T17:15:00.000-07:00

Hey all-

I'm out on a conference until tomorrow evening, so I'll be unable to post up a more complete devotion. Think on this and comment...

Is it better to be a BIG Church or to do church BIG?

Let the debate begin!

Who do YOU hang with?

2008-08-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

The Japanese say, "When the character of a person is not clear to you, look at their friends." Take a moment to think about who you hang out with -who you consider to be your friends. In the Psalms David talks about this a few times. In Psalm 26 he says "I do not sit with men of falsehood, not do I consort with hypocrites. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked." So...who do you hang with? I wonder if we can always tell! After all, I 'm fairly confident we cannot look into the hearts of others. Unless they are truly reprobate - openly and unabashedly wicked, it be impossible to know which humans to avoid and which to keep company with! I'm not sure that was David's intention here. When He asks God to vindicate him, to judge his sincerity, King David is looking to the King of the Universe to prove his heart and mind. The place where David finds hope is in the steadfast love and faithfulness of God, over and above the falsehood and evil of men. In the presence of God, David trusts that He has been washed clean and can boldly proclaim all that God has and continues to do for him. Who does David hang with? God! Who do you hang with? Well...through the miracle of a virgin birth, the life, death and resurrection of of Jesus, you hang with God always! He is the eternal presence in your heart, the Spirit that plants your feet on level ground and shouts through your life in glorious acclaim! Bless the Lord! He is the company you keep, through Jesus' love!

Was Jesus a Texan?

2008-08-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

"How ya'll doin?" When I used to travel into the southern U.S. - particularly into Texas, I'd here this greeting whether I was in a group of people or all alone. When I was alone, it struck me as strange to refer to a single as "ya'all". I'd become uncomfortable, thinking maybe that waitress was seeing folks that I was unaware of! In Matthew 16:13-20 Jesus and His crew may as well be in Texas, or California or most anywhere outside of the area that they were used to visiting. Caesarea Philippi was as far north as Scripture says Jesus traveled - outside of Galiliee in location and a world away in belief. It was a place of pagan worship to the mythical god Pan and a marble temple to the political god Caesar Augustus. If these are considered "gods", it is fitting that Jesus asks "Who do people say that I am?" The four answers given are one - people think Jesus is the one who points to the way to God. In this case, a temple to Jesus would fit right in the neighborhood of old C.P. If Jesus only points us to God, that means that we must be moved to honor, dedicate and sacrifice to Jesus so that our individual path remains clear to the Almighty. This means that our desire to reach God must go through our religion - personal acts to keep connected to that which is unreachable. Jesus asks another question. He says, "Who do YA'LL say that I am?" Speaking to His disciples, the grammar takes on the flavor of sweet Texas BBQ! It's comforting, familiar, relational - it is, more properly, "all ya'll" according to my Texan friends! In this word Jesus asks a individual/collective question - it queries the heart of each man and the soul of the group. Peter answers for "all ya'll" when he says, "You're the Christ, the Son of the LIVING God!" These words are a rock, a foundational confession of who Jesus really is! He is not some temple of our own making, man's feeble attempt to reach and please God. He is the Christ, the anointed, the Son of God who is living and active with us and for us! Jesus is the God who makes all ya'll into a people for Himself - In faith we are a we made up of me's -all ya'll! Check it out again! Hear Jesus words to all ya'll and see the calling He has given us - to share this great news in all the C.P.'s of the world!

All for one and one for all!

2008-08-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

Faith and paradox go hand in hand. How can we be saint and sinner at the same time or free slaves? How can we be so individual that every hair on our head is numbered, and yet be so corporate as the body of Christ? When you start with the unsearchable riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, as Paul does in Romans 11:33, then paradox is not a problem. Why I am a Lutheran...reason number 156, Lutherans do not seek to explain the paradoxes of faith, but proclaim them as the mysteries of God! Take a few minutes to read and to pray on Romans 11:33-12:8. Allow God's Word through Paul to transform your thinking away from the influences of a world that says you have the power to do all things yourself. Think of the TV show "Junkyard Wars" as a good example of what Paul is talking about. On the show, teams need to search, scavenge and scrounge for parts to build a complex machine, like a drivable car or a sailable boat. While each part and piece is critical to the success of the machine, the talents of each person on the team is even more important. Each has a gift to offer, a talent to share. Conflict erupts when the focus shifts from WE to ME. When one member takes or is given ultimate control, things fall apart! Isn't this our problem in our relationships as well? The paradox of the faith is that it is at the same time individual and corporate. We must, as individuals, be touched by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet if it remains all about me, I become isolated and cold - serving to benefit my own wants needs and desires. At the same time as we are touched as individuals, we are brought into the corporate body of believers. Each of us has God given gifts and talents designed to serve together in this junkyard of a world. This is the warmth of community, of service not for me or for God (see verse 11:35!!) - but simply for others who need to know and see that they are not alone. A LIFE IN FAITH IS A LIFE AS WE!

An Age Old Story

2008-08-19T06:19:00.000-07:00

I was always so excited to visit with my Grandpa. He would tell these amazing stories about the people he knew and the life he lived. So often the stories were about the most mundane things. I remember him sitting on my dad's porch, smoking his Parliament cigarettes, and weaving the most remarkable yarn about the uses of the industrial cleaner TSP! We were transfixed as Grandpa explained how remarkable and life changing this chemical was to his work at the hardware store. As he recalled the ease of use and shiny results, I was telling myself "never forget...TSP removes paint from linoleum." God speaks through the storytelling prophet Isaiah in 51:1-6. God says, "Listen to me", sit at my feet while I tell you a story. Listening to God's Word as we "pursue righteousness" or, in our context grow in our faith in God's promises, is hearing a story He has been weaving from the very beginning of time. God recalls Abraham and Sarah as our rock and quarry, our spiritual father and mother who heard and knew the story. They showed us what it meant to have faith in a promise told and re-told. This faith was that through one man, their son, would come many nations. For Abe and Sarah, it was the comfort, joy and gladness they found in God's story filled Word. The "torah" of God is His teaching story. It reveals that He is ruling in a Kingdom that is truly not yet of this world! Jesus is the living Torah, the promised salvation that has gone out from the heart of God. His arms were spread out on the cross in judgment and hope for all people. Jesus is the ultimate story of one man come to make the few many! For in Jesus, all that which we rely on or depend, the world and all of it's decaying elements will be swept away. We'll be left with a fully fulfilled story, completed forever in the love of God for us. His righteousness, His promise to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob - to YOU and to every person you now touch with the story, has and will be fulfilled forever! Never forget the story - Go back and read Genesis 15, and see that the promise is for you! Share the story with your children, your children's children - with all who seek a to hear a story of hope and forgiveness in Christ Jesus!

Hard to be Humble

2008-08-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

How does the song go? "Oh Lord it's hard to be humble, when your perfect in every way!"

What a challenge, humility. Humility is not a inherent quality, but actually one that comes in the testing fires of conflict - sometimes from external struggles, but certainly always from internal challenges. Many who have fought on a battlefield would witness to the reality of humility born in warfare. The great general and President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, "Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim won in the blood of his followers and the sacrifices of his friends." Psalm 138 is a beautiful portrait of just such humility. Among the final Psalms of David, 138 is a song of thanksgiving. David had a lot to be thankful for - victory in battle and a kingdom of relative peace. King David could be boastful and arrogant in his victories and rule, but instead he is humble. In Canaanite society David's prowess could even have been interpreted as divine - in that some would consider David a god. But the psalmist is clear. He recognizes himself not as exalted king or powerful god, instead he is the lowly witness to those who rely on these worldly acclaims. Just like another who would come, lowly and humble, submitting to the most un-kingly and certainly un-godly death on a cross - only to be exalted above all. Jesus sacrifice is our boast, not because we earned it or even fully understand it, but because the cross shows a merciful God, steadfast and good, who gives Himself to save us. True humility is faith that these words are true - God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you, and in His blood, you are forgiven! A humble life cannot use salvation as an occasion for isolation, that I got it so I'm okay. Instead humility breeds community, a collective witness of the sacrifice of Christ for us and us for one another. What better expression of our confidence in God's deliverance that we love one another as He so loved us!

Decisions, decisions....

2008-08-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

Watching the Olympics is often glorious and heartbreaking at the same time. You can't deny sharing the joy of Michael Phelps swimming to gold after gold, or Nastia Liukin flipping to an all around victory. On the other hand we share the dismay in Cowell and Tarantino's 4th place in synchronized diving, or the U.S. gymnastics 2nd place team finish. All that hard work, just to come up short. I wonder what thoughts and questions circle around your head when you've worked so hard, only to be disappointed by your own performance. Do they ask, "Did I train enough?""Did I try enough?" "Did I have the strength of body and mind to pull this thing to victory?". Quite honestly, I can say that I wonder the same thing when I hear that folks depend on their own decision when it comes to faith. I know that for me, the life I live fluctuates between the feelings that I am standing on the Gold Medal platform in victory and watching from the sidelines in defeat. Life for me is full of questions that really never have answers, particularly when their directed at my own effort and striving. I'm always left wanting and wishing I had done more. That's the beauty in the gospel of Jesus' cross. In the cross there is no decision, save the one of a loving God for us. When we attach our human effort to accepting His sacrifice, that makes it's effectiveness contingent on our choice. It's not. The sacrifice of God in Jesus for us is to free us from a will that has been bound to sin, to decisions and questions that are inherently flawed, since they rise from our own desires. Friends, rely not in your own decisions and choices. Have faith not that you have done all the right things, but that God alone has done the one right thing - given you Jesus in order that He may call you His own once again. God knows your name, not because you know His - but because of Jesus alone!

Exceptional Love, Without Exception!

2008-08-14T05:35:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd own two dogs. Don't get me wrong, I love animals. Wrigley has been just about the best pet one could ever ask for. He's kind, loving, attentive and was so easy to train. Adding another to the mix has been an interesting exercise in patience. Abbie is sweet, but she has some "issues". You know, the typical puppy issues like mistakes on the carpet and the habit of finding every muddy spot in the back yard to roll in. It'd be fairly easy for me to love one more, to favor the older for the younger, Wrigley over Abbie. When Jesus is approached by a Cannanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28, it's no surprise that he doesn't really pay much attention to her. Even though she cries out to Him for help, Jesus mission is clear - "I've come for the lost sheep of Israel". Maybe Jesus love has exceptions, for it seems like Jesus has just enough love for one. That is, until we read on a little more. It seems that Jesus' love is exceptional. That is to say that Jesus love extends to all who are lost, all who are weary, all who are heavy laden - Jesus has come to give the poor in spirit rest. We've got a spirit more like the disciples - we sometimes think that God loves us because we're exceptional people. Since we've been brought into the fold, there's not much left for those who are outside - even as they cry out for help. Annoyed the disciples of Jesus say of the woman, "send her away for she's crying after us." They're asking Jesus to make an exception, to turn her away. It's as if Abbie came to me whining and hurt and I turned back to pet Wrigley for being such a good boy. True to form, Jesus once again uses His exceptional love to break our spirits that like to make exceptions! Jesus hears of the woman's great faith, calling Him Lord and Master, and the fact that she is relying solely on the mercy only God can give. The woman's faith is great, yet it does not "save" her. In the same exceptional compassion He would show on the cross, Jesus extends His exceptional love without exception! His compassion is Her salvation, and ours and the worlds for that matter! The lesson reminds us, the baptized children of God, that God's love extends to all in Christ Jesus. He alone knows His people, those who rely on faith in His Word of inclusive forgiveness ever present in the fulfilled promise of God, Jesus' cross and resurrection! That's exceptional love, without exception...for you and for all!

A Monument and a Name

2008-08-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

I rode the bike out to the coast yesterday - tooling down through Carlsbad,Encinitas, Del Mar. I finally stopped at La Jolla and parked myself on the grass overlooking the ocean. The waves were held back and the pools were exposed along the shore. An older couple walked their dogs, who sniffed and pawed at the stars, crabs and small fish. A family jumped rock to rock finding treasures of the sea in each small puddle of life. The purpose of the day for me wasn't to play in the tide pools but to retreat, much like the waves pushing back from the shore. God was holding back my own thoughts, feelings and perceptions to take a look in the small pools that I so often wash right over. As we live in the age of the church, we're kind of in the same space. It's the space between the cross and Jesus return. In that space, we need to recognize that there are many pools. "Keep justice and do righteousness," the prophet Isaiah writes (56:1 ff) for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed." Righteousness and deliverance are synonymous - both utilizing the same Hebrew word, tzedekah and both belonging to God. In the space between God's tzedekah and our lives, we're challenged by what's left in the pools. Do they contain love for God and love for others, or simply the remnants of our religious waves? When I look at the rest of Isaiah 56, the theme of God's blessed choice continues. The foreigner and natural born are also synonyms, for all those who "join themselves to the Lord." When God pulls back the waves of His love, exposed are the pools of all of those who recognize He has gathered a people for Himself. Even the outcasts are a part of a monument that stands strong despite our inclination to knock it down. In Christ we all have been given a name, Holy to the Lord, and as the flood of His love returns we'll find us in the same embracing arms of God. In that Day, it will be in God's house where we all live, the house of prayer for all nations!

Election Time

2008-08-12T07:32:00.001-07:00

I'm all about elections! Voting is an awesome right. To have your own voice heard among the babble of culture and beliefs is a fundamental right we protect at all costs. In this election season, I'm reminded how much I love the process and yet am saddened by the players. See, in as much as I find elections thrilling, to me politics stink! Elections stand for freedom and choice, politics for ideology and coercion. Election says "vote your conscience", politics says "vote your desire". While elections can be used to serve all, politics seems to only serve few - namely those who "won". I worry how much politics has invaded the church of God. Reading Romans 11 is tough under any circumstances save adding a political spin! Paul's language seems to backtrack, undoing an argument he was making in the previous two chapters. It almost looks like Paul has succumbed to politics - or at least trying to be politically correct. Read with the eyes of politics, Romans 11 talks about an inclusion of the "Jews" outside of the way described by Jesus. Politically speaking, the "Jews" will receive salvation simply because they are "Jews" and God's promise to them cannot and will not be revoked. I placed "Jews" in quotes for a reason. Simply because I think while we think politically, Paul is speaking election. He's talking about JEWS. This distinction stands as we look at what Paul calls the "fullness of Israel". These are God's JEWS, the people whom God has elected for Himself. These JEWS include all who have been inextricably linked to the promise of God - that He alone KNOWS HIS PEOPLE. Some may be natural branches, some may be grafted in - but, regardless it is God alone who KNOWS them! He has CHOSEN, ELECTED His JEWS to be those who inherit the Kingdom He promised to father Abraham and delivered in Jesus Christ. Friends, rather than focusing on politics as usual when it comes to faith - what you can get out of this whole deal or who's in an who's out - concentrate on a God who knows you, has chosen you and gives you a life of freedom in your election through Christ Jesus! This is the Gospel - the Gospel of God's Choice that we take to the world!

To be NAMED

2008-08-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

After providing information on our trip and even giving us sample itineraries, we discovered that to use the services of a private guide would be cost prohibitive. She remained considerate and helpful even though she would not be getting our business. As we wrapped up our final conversation she said these words. "One more question that's been on my mind since your first e-mail...what's with your name?" This has been a question I've dealt more with since I decided to become a pastor. What's a former Roman Catholic with an Italian first name and a Jewish last name doing in a largely German church body like the Lutherans? All I can say is, it's only by God's grace! Thankfully God's grace extends beyond a mutt of a name. It extends beyond the labels of culture or even church. God's grace can extend so far because God Himself is infinite; and God's grace is part of who God is...He who is gracious. When I read Psalm 67 (take a quick look, it's short!) I read of the quality of God's grace that causes His actions. The beginning words are familiar, given to Aaron to speak before the people, to remind them of God's grace! Grace is a quality only God can have, a moving force which results in His mercy toward us. That's the blessing of God here and throughout Scripture. It is the one blessing of God's own face turned toward His people, shining on us, even illuminating all of our faults and failures. This merciful action of God extends to forgive those sins. The earth has yielded the increase of blessing. By God's grace and in His mercy God gave the world Jesus. God in flesh walked on this earth and, after bearing His cross, was buried beneath it. As a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, so will it grow and increase - that's GRACIOUS MERCY! Jesus has yielded for us an increase of blessing, life today and life eternal, given by the one who knows our name! Cool thing is, He doesn't care where that name came from or how mixed up it looks. God only cares that your name includes the name above all names...Jesus!

Walk with Me...

2008-08-06T16:40:00.001-07:00

It looks so calm. And it was. That is, until the sun started to set. Then the wind started. It came up from the east as a steady gale. White caps formed as only the largest boats remained on the Sea of Galilee. I could only imagine being in a heavy 20 ft boat, struggling with the oars against the relentless wind. The disciples, alone, struggling and fighting against the stormy sea are a sharp contrast to Jesus who was up in a solitary place, peacefully communing with the Father. The fear of the disciples is the same fear of all of us, the fear of facing struggles alone coupled with the fear of the unknown. When Jesus suddenly appears, walking upon the very depths where the Jews believed demons to dwell, their fear only increases. Why? They're seeing Jesus! They shouldn't be afraid. Or maybe, just like us, the fear comes from the fact that Jesus is seeing them! He is seeing them struggle and fight against the elemental powers which are out of their control. It's embarrassing, and fearful. For the disciples. fear seems to fade in the words, "It is I! Do not be afraid." In the midst of our struggle, Jesus presence is always comfort and never fear. For we know that He has already walked the path of death and came out victorious. In the presence of Christ fear fades so much, that we may like Peter be willing to step out of the boat - into the unknown knowing that this is precisely where Jesus leads. Our feet will certainly get wet, but we'll never sink as long as our eyes remain fixed on Him, the author and perfecter of our faith, the one who walks beside us to forever calm the storm. Matthew 14:22-33

Any Questions?

2008-08-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

We all have questions. I'd like to count how many I'm asked in a day. With kids and a growing congregation, this could add up quickly. Maybe if I started counting with my own questions I'd have better luck. When I read the book of Job, it seems that our main character has a lot of questions and is looking to pose them all to God. These are often deep questions, existential question. But all too often they are, at their core, selfish questions. Like us Job wants to know "why". He wants to "argue his case" (13:3), to "complain" 23:2 to God. It all seems so unfair - warfare, sickness, death, struggles in relationships and struggles with ourselves. We want to know why - to argue, to complain. By God's mercy, He lends an ear to these complaints. But like the Father He is, full of loving discipline, sometimes God needs to ask questions of us. There are times, like in Job 38:4-18, where God reminds us of who we are in relationship to Him. How can we, with our wavering hearts and wandering minds propose to comprehend and direct God's purposes? Where were we when He laid the the foundation of the earth? Are we the ones who command the morning to come and the night to fall? When we question God, asking the "why", I believe we must realize that God is shaping our lives and ultimately knows what He is doing. When God in His wisdom laid out the path of our lives, He knew things that we could never imagine. He knew we would fall, and yet He created us still. He knew the results of that fall would have us continuing to seek our own way - to try with all our will and might to answer the question of why our lives are such a mess. Problem is, our answers always seem to end up blaming God, rather than seeing that He is the solution, not the problem. See, God also knew that His Son would suffer all for our sin. God's plan was, is and always will be to deliver His people and extend His love forever. When asking the "why" questions, let's run them through the "what" first - that's Jesus, and His cross for you!

Worthy

2008-08-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

Maybe I cannot find too much on what it means to "praise God" because we cannot grasp the full reality of the word. In Psalm 18:3 David declared, 'I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised." The introductory words say that David wrote of his salvation "on the day when the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies." David is praising God for what he has done. He calls upon God, not to fulfill his own need,to make him feel the loving presence of God, but simply to proclaim His amazing work. God has been David's rock and fortress. God has delivered David, given him refuge and salvation. I wonder if we truly grasp the amazing gravity of what God has done for us in Jesus. We talk about being "saved". We talk about the power of the cross, the blood, the sacrifice - but do we get the deliverance part? The worthiness of God, or why we praise Him is a direct result of His amazing action on our behalf. Salvation, deliverance is our current reality and enduring action. For us, as for David, God stepped in. He took the cords from around our neck, the cords of death and hell, and wrapped them around His own. When we praise God it's not because we feel His presence so much that we must lift our hands close our eyes and hope that He sees our devotion. No, praise is so much more. Praise is the trusting heart that is comforted by the continually forgiving action of the cross. In the promise and the fulfillment of God through the cross of Christ, He is WORTHY of all praise!

A New Friend

2008-08-02T18:06:00.001-07:00

We've got a new friend! Or, should I say, "Wrigley has a girl-friend!" We rescued Abbie from the local shelter this morning. She needed to be spayed, so we were able to pick her up just a couple hours ago. She's a 6 month old sweetheart, a Labx just like her boyfriend. We look forward to many years with these two gems in our lives!

Hungry

2008-08-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

According to the USDA, food prices rose 4% in the last year. With eggs and bread at $3+ and milk at $4+, rice in short supply and corn being turned into fuel, we're facing a serious issue when it comes to feeding ourselves. This week we'll be participating in the Heaven on Earth food drive to re-supply our local food pantries which are feeling the effects of shortages and a struggling economy. It's still hard for me to understand, given that the average U.S. farmer produces enough to feed 130 people! Multiply by 2 million farms and we're talking about enough food to feed some 260 million people! So why are we hungry? I 'm one to believe that the hunger we have goes way beyond the rumblings of our stomach. When I read between the line of Jesus miraculous feeding of 5,000+, I can't but catch the irony. It's ironic that this many people are gathered in a remote place, following a poor, small town boy. He's no farmer, yet they're looking to Him for food. When His followers are challenges with feeding this mass of humanity, the question immediately turns to "how?". While they know how to catch a few fish, finding enough to feed this many would take an enormous amount of time and effort - more then they can muster. This situation becomes Jesus' specialty! He looks upon the crowd with compassion, He provides for their bodies in the same way He will provide for their souls. Just as Jesus lifts up the loaves in thanksgiving, breaks them and gives them to the disciples - so will He do on His last day. Yes, at the Last Supper of course. But also at Calvary, when the Bread of Life, Jesus own body will be lifted up before it is given unto death for us all. The hunger of our souls can only be satisfied by the one who Has seated us at the eternal feast. Come and eat without price! Be filled, be satisfied by Jesus!

What's there to say?

2008-07-31T07:17:00.000-07:00

Romans 9 is tough. I found that not many want to comment, write about, expound on or preach a word from Paul that challenges our politically correct senses. Particularly after recently returning from the land of Israel not to mention having a Jewish connection by blood I too struggle with Paul's words, "not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel." (Romans 9:6) Why the struggle for Paul, why the sorrow and unceasing anguish in his heart? All I can connect it to was a moment at a restaurant called Decks in the Galilee city of Tiberius. A beautiful choice for dinner, right on the shore of the sea. As we relaxed, enjoying the view of the setting sun turning the eastern hills to gold, a Jewish man was frantically moving table to table. Halakha, or Jewish Law for the Orthodox, requires prayer three times daily. The man was asking each male diner if he would come and join in communal prayer, which requires a quorum of ten over the age of 13. Some consented, but others did not. As it reached the critical time of 2.5 hours before sunset, the man's hurry turned to desperation as he approached not only diners but staff to gain the quorum. An overwhelming sadness overcame me as I thought of the countless people who believe that God has such stringent requirements. Whether it's about formality and rules or "churchy" language and the position of our hands I think we miss the point of prayer. Seeing Jesus pray in Scripture, the model He gives is strikingly different. He approaches the Father in reverence and awe, true, but also in confidence and certainty that His prayers are heard. Why? Well, I believe that the truth of prayer and ultimately it's effectiveness lies in the recognition of who God is and who He alone has made us to be. Father and son. Daddy and daughter. God and HIS people, not by their blood, their rites, their rituals - but by His enduring love for all He has created. I found it interesting in researching the prayer life of the Jewish Orthodox that the main thrust an purpose of prayer is to "transform oneself". I believe that the power of prayer is to be transformed by a God who has included you and broken, broken and damaged goods, into His family through Christ Jesus. We can truly call out to Him as His precious children. Paul says that the merciful love of God for us "depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy."! What a concept - God doing what He said He would do! That is to include you and I and all who trust that He is God and He alone has done a miraculous thing in His kingdom through Christ. What is there to say but AMEN!

Free...REALLY??!!!

2008-07-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

"The Ritz Side Car". Two ounces of 1830 ultra rare Ritz Reserve Cognac, Cointreau and a dash of fresh squeezed lemon. $520!

"The Burger". A third of a pound of imported Wagyu beef. White truffles. Iranian saffron bun cradling Pata Negra ham and Cristal onion straws. $200!

"The Golden Opulence Sundae". Five scoops of Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream covered in 23k edible gold leaf drizzled with Amedel Porcelena chocolate and, get this "passion caviar"! $1000!

I'm not sure which would make my stomach hurt more - the food or the cost! It's hard to believe that there's a segment of the population who indulge in such gastronomic pornography! Then again, it's amazing what we'll pay to satisfy even the most empty of our own desires. When I read Isaiah 55:1-5, I see a couple of things at work - mainly a difference between the servants of God or us and the Servant of God, Jesus. See, there's a shift in this short little piece, from plural (us) to singular (Him). While we struggle and work, labor and pay for all that does not satisfy our ailing bodies, God Himself gives us free food for our souls. Now, that's amazing! To be filled up for free is better than the best cheap Vegas buffet! It's better than anything we can hope to get, because in God's eternal grace and mercy he has given us, His servants, THE SERVANT! To eat the good stuff, the food for our soul is to fill up on the Everlasting Word - Jesus Christ. He called Himself the Bread of Life - the true Bread, from Heaven - for you!

Hesed Love

2008-07-29T06:34:00.000-07:00

"I, Dominic, take you, Catherine, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish till death us do part according to God's holy will; I pledge to you my faithfulness"

It was almost 15 years age that I said these words to Cassie. Everyday is a challenge to not only remember the words but to live what they say. It's no mistake that God in His wisdom has chosen marriage to be the quintessential model of His love for us. The meaning of the word love, true love, is wrapped up in what it means for two to be be made one. True love or "hesed" in Hebrew is all about sacrifice. When I read Psalm 136, with it's refrain "His steadfast love (hesed) endures forever", I am directed once again to the mirror. Do I love as God has loved? Can I?

We naturally put a lot of pressure on our relationships. We expect one another to live up to the vows we exchange with trembling lips and starry eyes on our wedding day. We find out all too soon that having and holding for better,worse,rich, poor, sick or well is no small feat. Loving and cherishing one another is hard work...particularly if we do not see how we are loved and cherished by God. When Jesus calls us His bride, He is wrapping up all that it means to love sacrificially and centering on His cross. The steadfast love of God is that He would give His only Son... for us! The Creator of the Universe, Creator of each moment of each day, gives us Himself out of pure love that endures forever! This hesed is a gift. It is grace. It is love beyond measure or understanding and it is for us! See that God's hesed has been, is and will be upon you always. Give thanks to God, who in His hesed has given you this precious gift! Live God's hesed as you share with those you love in a sacrificial life for one another!

What is man...or woman for that matter!

2008-07-26T09:49:00.001-07:00

Simple picture, right? Just some trees, blue sky and a mountain. God's creation. Beautiful. Views like this bring to mind words like..."When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You care for him?" Psalm 8:3-4

It seems to me that the amazing majesty of creation has been reduced in our time to tiny molecules and even smaller elements. Little stuff that comes together by the power of chemistry to make bigger stuff, trees - sky- mountains. As a result, we often forget both why these things exist and who put them in place. I chose this picture today for two reasons, for both the majesty and the simplicity, for who created them and why. This picture was taken looking west from the shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. The cliff marks a natural route. At it's base is a valley that leads toward a town called Nazareth. Small and insignificant, until we realize that the Creator of all we see not only made the scene, but looked upon it as well. Jesus would have know this cliff. He would have known that following it's line, the natural route would mark His way to His boyhood home. Just like He would know other routes as well, along the Jordan River, through the fields of Samaria, up the hills of Jerusalem - particularly that hill that would hold both a cross and a tomb. Jesus knew the path laid out at the beginning of time for us. What are we that God would do any of this for us? Simple. We are His creation, His beloved, His people....FOREVER in Christ Jesus!

Faith Then, Now and Always

2008-07-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

Every week tends to have a theme. As I'm able to interact with different people in our community, I can usually see the underlying current of concern that becomes the "why" of Sunday's message. It's the only way I know to keep things relevant. So this week the thematic word is "treasured". We have a God who treasures us so much that He surrounds us as His people. He treasures us so much that He even calls us Holy, even though our lives are far from looking that way! In the midst of real life struggles - shortages of time and money and even concern for one another, God does not leave us alone. Instead, it's like man who finds a treasure or the merchant a pearl. God values us so much that He is willing to give up everything for us - even to the point of giving up Jesus to death on a cross. Why? Well, that's the tough part for us. The why of faith is to glorify God by living Kingdom lives. This is to live as God intended us to live, selflessly laying down our lives and sacrificing for one another. This happens in the smallest of ways - a kind word, a ride to the grocery store, a willing ear to listen and a open heart to share. Friends, the Kingdom of Heaven in which we live NOW contains the treasure of a good and gracious God who has been, is and will be with us forever. It is the treasure we share with one another as a family created to love.

The victory is God's alone. We have the honor of sharing in the fruit!

What Value Faith?

2008-07-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

I was trying to think of my most valued possession. The usual suspects came to mind... wife, kids, home, life itself. I thought of what Jesus says in Matthew 6:21 - "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". And in 10:37 - "whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." I'm just not sure about what I truly value and why. When I read both the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value in Matthew 13, I believe that Jesus is giving His followers insight into the lengths one will go for what is truly valued. To be willing to give up EVERYTHING we hold as valuable in our eyes to gain what is valuable to our hearts. Jesus followers value the gift of the Kingdom given by Jesus' cross so much, that it becomes the precious possession that gives true value to the all rest. So now, it is in only Christ that I am able to truly value wife, kids, home and life itself. The valuable relationship of God coming to me and sacrificing Himself for me is to be extended through me as I seek His will in my life. God valuing me in Christ Jesus shows me just how much I am to value all the gifts God gives to me! As it is so in His Word, let it be so in my heart.

Nothing Comes Between Us

2008-07-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

By the time I was 21, I felt like I had finally arrived at a point I had been working toward. It was a point of independence from others, a point of doing what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. It was a point in which I should have felt truly free. Instead of free I came to realize the horror of loneliness and disconnection. With no ties to family, community and God I was left with myself, which became truly unbearable. I came across some words I wrote back then sitting in a bar on the corner of Belmont and Racine in Chicago...rain pouring down. The words were so hollow and hopeless. But there was this line, "you who bring the rain, why have you also left me? After all, didn't you say you'd be with me wherever I go?" Even there, in a place so self-absorbed and "free", I think I was looking for an answer from outside myself, and answer from God. Romans 8:38 - Paul says "I'm sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." The answer is simple. As much as we think we can be free, without ties and community, God remains tied to us through the cross of Christ. What God has joined together, man (even the self) cannot separate!

HOLY?????

2008-07-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of trouble with being called "holy". Whether you say sacred or set apart, being called holy is filled with a kind of fearful responsibility. Scripture says that God has chosen us to be His treasured possession, sacred, set apart, holy to Him. Why? I know that I personally don't feel like I deserve to be called God's treasured possession and I certainly don't feel like I deserve to be called holy! Deuteronomy 7:8 gives us a glimpse of why God calls His people holy. God kept the promise He made to our father in faith, Abraham. God in his "ahava" or love for us delivers His people from the slavery of being less than holy, just as He delivered the Hebrew people from the bonds of slavery in Egypt. The purpose of God's deliverance is simple, that we live in the hopeful joy that the faithful and steadfast love of God is FOR us in Jesus. The power of the cross is the power of love beyond measure, a love that delivers, a love that makes us a treasured possession of God, a love that makes us holy to Him. The fearful responsibility fades when in faith we realize that becoming holy is not our job! However being holy, being treasured, being loved is our new reality in Christ! God calling you and I holy simply means that God is calling us His own. Isn't it time that we live that way?

Surrounded!

2008-07-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

It was awesome to be back in worship yesterday - to see all those smiling faces and feel their warm welcome once again! Quite a few asked if we felt "safe" in traveling to Israel. When you look at the news, it seems like such a dangerous place to go. I just heard that my friend Diana was discouraged by her University from taking a study trip to Israel because of the risk. It's sad that we can't trust the words of Psalm 125:2, "as the mountains surround Jerusalem so the Lord surrounds His people." I think I felt as comfortable in Israel as I do in the arms of the church, which for me is a often a mixed emotion. I often feel uneasy no matter where I might be in this world, particularly when I see complacency in myself and others. When I'm just kind of going through the motions and not really in touch with living as God's child, each moment is unpredictable and seems dangerous and risky. Yet, on the other hand, there is comfort in the face of this treacherous world in the knowledge that in Christ Jesus God Himself is surrounding me every moment of everyday, even into eternity through His cross. God Himself says that wickedness will never rest in the place where His own Spirit dwells. That doesn't mean that wickedness and evil are absent, that danger and risk "disappear" in Jesus. Instead, for me, it gives me comfort to know that even in the face of a risky and dangerous world God will keep us strong in Him. His Spirit helps us to fight the temptation to curl up and hide from the world. Instead we can face it boldly, trusting in Him to abide forever.

Great to be back!

2008-07-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

While our trip to Israel was WONDERFUL, it truly is great to be home. I don't think I've ever seen a happier dog! The greatest of joys, however, is in the enduring happiness of the congregation! What a joy to hear of the blessing Pastor Luis' message was last Sunday. Prayerfully you'll be hearing more from him in the coming months. One thing that really struck me, that may be evident in the blogs, was the overall "smallness" of the early church. To think that communities formed in a climate that was less than favorable is truly amazing. They not only formed, but thrived, centered around the very simple message of Jesus Christ - that God is "for us", forgiving and renewing our lives daily and eternally at the same time! What a tremendous thought that the King and Creator of the universe would come to a tiny, backward place full of insignificant and stubborn people to make them His own people. When I think of my own life, as one who feels at times tiny, backwards, insignificant and stubborn, it helps me to think that this is exactly where God works. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven". A small thing, faith, placed in just one heart that can move mountains! Amazing!

A Perfect Sunset

2008-07-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

What a perfect ending to the trip of a lifetime! We left Ginosar early this morning, driving through the beautiful northern countryside to arrive back in Tel Aviv. Our journey took us through Nain, where Jesus raised a widow's son and past Mt. Tabor where He was transfigured before the eyes of Peter, James and John. We feel that this trip has transfigured us as well. Being able to recall the places we have been and the people we have met will remain with us always. We thank you for your prayers and support while we've been away. Most of all, we'd like to thank Bob and Dottie Pipher. This is a couple we never had the chance to meet yet will be indebted to always for gifting this trip to the pastor and family. When we meet again on the other side of eternity, we know that we will be able to reminisce about a land and a people they so dearly loved - and a Lord and Savior that we couldn't live without! The real purpose of this trip, according to the wishes of its benefactor, was to "greatly enrich the messages" to the congregation. I can tell you that the images of the past week will forever color my proclamation of the Gospel, just as each day lived together with you all continues to shape and mold me as a pastor and my family as your friends. Thank you again and we'll see you later this week!

One HOT day!

2008-07-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

Today we trekked north to Capernaum and found Peter's House. He wasn't home. Capernaum was a tiny village with houses so close together it was hard to see how they got from place to place. The black basalt houses, palms and banana trees reminded us of our visit to Hawaii! In the center of the ancient town was the Synagogue. Somewhere near here Jesus preached, taught and lived his life with his friends overlooking the Sea of Galilee. The Sea is absolutely beautiful and the pictures don't do it justice. We can see why Jesus would be happy to call this home. The distance from Tiberias to Capernaum to Bethsaida is only a few kilometers at the northern end of the lake. So much of our history in so little space! Driving to Nazareth we were amazed by the terrain thinking that Jesus and his disciples walked over these rocky hills and through these blazing hot valleys. Nazareth itself was not much to see. In fact, the highlight was finding a place to eat...KFC! When we got back to the Kibbutz the girls could not wait to swim in the Sea...it was so refreshing! We got cleaned up and had dinner at Decks on the water in Tiberias. Dinner and dessert were so delicious, but the spectacular view was even better. Tomorrow we head back to Tel Aviv to prepare for our flight home on Wednesday. This trip has been such a blessing to us, but we look forward to seeing home and all of you again!

Desert to Sea

2008-07-13T07:47:00.001-07:00

We're off again, this time from dust and bustle of Jerusalem to the verdant and peaceful Sea of Galilee. After attending morning church services at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer we drove out to Kibbutz Ginosar, a collective community just north of Tiberias. Renting a car was almost as interesting as driving the 125 km along the Jordan River valley with a highly inferior map! (note: always upgrade to GPS!) We arrived safely to find the kindest and most welcoming people thus far, which is really a complement since everyone has been so pleasant. Our charming little cabin room reminds us of a place we used to visit in Whitehall, on the shores of Lake Michigan. The Kibbutz is a agricultural community and the home of the so called "Jesus boat" that you see pictured here. This amazing 2000 year old fishing vessel was discovered poking out of the mud by two local fishermen. The story of its archeological uncovering and 10 year preservation is truly amazing. To think that it could have belonged to some famous fishermen who plied these waters, or even held Jesus Himself as he taught the crowds is awe inspiring. The lake itself is beautiful. Watching how the sudden breezes quickly whip up white caps, one can imagine the scene of Jesus lying asleep in a boat like this while His disciples feared for their lives. Part of the museum housing the boat is dedicated to another storm, the terrifying local battles of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. I'm reminded that from all the storms in life we learn the same lesson, trusting that God's will is done for us in Christ always calms the sea...always. Tomorrow we're going to see places where Jesus lived and teached and preached this message of peace for us all.

The Other Side

2008-07-12T09:04:00.001-07:00

Today we left Jerusalem to visit the birth place of our Lord and Savior. The top shows the wall of separation of the Palestinian and Israeli people, the bottom the place where Jesus was born. It seems that when we talk of "peace" so often it means peace for one at the expense of another. Israel seems to be a land of contradictions. We had the somewhat tense experience of traveling a short 15 minute bus ride to the gates at Bethlehem. Through heavy security, we were out on the street in the West Bank, disputed territory to say the least. By the time we arrived at Manger Square, we were right back to street vendors and overly helpful guides. Cassie forgot full coverage on her legs, so a quick scarf purchase was our ticket into the Church of the Nativity. This is the oldest Christian Church, dated about 200 A.D. Our archeological guide book (thanks Ron!) told us of hidden fourth century mosaics under the floor, which the attendant was glad to open for us to see! After touring the church, we walked out toward Christmas Lutheran Church, through throngs of people shopping on market day. Sights and smells that are impossible to really explain! After Bethlehem we returned to Jerusalem and toured the Citadel, also known as the Tower of David. There are various reasons to think that Jesus' journey to the cross actually began here. The museum took us through thousands of years of faith and conquest, demolition and restoration of this most holy of cities. The more things change, the more they remain the same. As the prophet wrote, "Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls" Zechariah 2:4 - even so, come Lord Jesus!

Mmmm salty.

2008-07-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, that really is us floating like corks and covered in mud. Today we took a 45 minute bus ride out of Jerusalem, through the West Bank and along the edge of the Dead Sea. We dropped 400 meters below sea level to the lowest place on earth which is the home of the Ein Gedi Spa. Ein Gedi is actually where King David fled and hid from Saul. I'm positive we had much more fun then King David! Spa Rules: 1. slather on mud from the "bin-o-mud" and let it dry; 2. stand under a smelly sulfur shower and rinse of the caked mud; 3. rinse in the clean water shower and wait for the bus; 4. take about a 2 minute ride to the salt beach and wade into the 110 degree Dead Sea which feels like it wants to spit you out! We had a blast just sitting in the water as if you were in a lawn chair and floating. The water felt oily and you DID NOT want to get it in your mouth or eyes. The Dead Sea salt content is 30% whereas the Mediterranean Sea is 3%. Lastly, you take the bus ride back to the pool (regular chlorine) and relax, have lunch ice cream and breathe the amazing oxygen rich air. Ahhhh...ready for Bethlehem tomorrow.

The Room to the Tomb

2008-07-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

What a day! We were pilgrims, walking in Jesus' steps from the Upper Room, where He instituted the Holy Supper to His incense filled tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. (both pictured) We hiked through the Kidron Valley, with it's acres of tombs facing the temple mount and awaiting the final judgment. This path led to the ancient garden of Gesthemene, at the base of the Mount of Olives. We could imagine Jesus' sorrow over Jerusalem, as every person on the street tried to either sell us something or push past us to be the first at each holy site. Still, the moments of awe in centuries of faithful veneration of these places is amazing. More later on this amazing day.

We spent the evening in "new" Jerusalem, with it's street malls and trendy restaurants. Angeline says "it's sort of like America came, threw up and left." She has such a keen insight!

We found a great little local restaurant with awesome Sephardic food...and a nice pint of Guinness too!

Tomorrow will be the Dead Sea and Ein Gedi...a little r&r at a spa!

BTW - Bag arrived today! Thanks be to God and BMI!

Took a walk...

2008-07-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

around the entire south end of the old city. It' amazing just how small it is! We strolled around the Armenian then the Jewish Quarters, finding ourselves at the Western Wall. There was a wedding taking place in the Archeological Park -music and dancing...such atmosphere! we arrived back at the Guest House as the the evening call to prayer echoed through the city. The view from the Guest House rooftop garden is spectacular! A little sleep and we'll walk in Jesus steps - from the upper room to the cross...

Lutheran House, Jerusalem

2008-07-09T06:23:00.000-07:00

After passing through the Jaffa Gate, we found ourselves in the souk market surrounded by brightly colored clothing and jewelry! With the help of a shop owner and jokester who wanted to charge us 10 shekels each to help us, he led us to St. Mark Street (stone steps surrounded by walls, wide enough for the 4 of us to stand shoulder-to-shoulder) that eventually led us to our hotel, Lutheran Guest House. It is charming!! We'll be staying here for 4 days and touring all there is to see in Jerusalem. We had a quick lunch of Falafel's and Hummus at a small rooftop cafe' and are ready for a nap while the city cools down and we head out to explore.

The Road to Jerusalem

2008-07-09T06:08:00.000-07:00

One bus ride one way, then back the other (live & learn), we finally found our way to the main bus depot in Tel Aviv- inside a "mall". After being searched and asked if we had any cans (or guns it was hard to tell) we finally found stop 605 and the bus to Jerusalem!

We now know why the Bible says that people go "up to Jerusalem", as the ride was a steady climb toward the Golden City. We successfully shook off our first scamming taxi driver and got a good ride to the Jaffa Gate of the Old City. Whew! No more cars or buses for awhile!

Shalom!

2008-07-09T05:56:00.001-07:00

We made it to Tel Aviv after a harrowing cab ride from the airport - we each made it in one piece! One of our bags decided it like London and stayed, we hope it will join us in the next couple of hours! Dominic smells...

Our hotel overlooked the Mediterranean and Mc Donalds (which was closed this morning). Our next adventure was to find our way to Jerusalem which proved difficult when you don't speak Hebrew!!

London Calling...

2008-07-08T02:41:00.000-07:00

Hurry up and wait. Or in the case of Cass and the girls, hurry up and sleep!
I'll have to post a pic later of them sacked out at Heathrow. It's pretty comical.
As for me...I'm WIDE awake. Have been the whole time thus far. We have a bit of a delay, hopefully just an hour longer than expected. We'll arrive in Tel Aviv just in time to crash out until Wednesday's trek to Jerusalem!
BTW, if you have the opprtunity rent the movie "Young at Heart". It's a brilliant documentary about an all senior choir that performs pieces from The Clash, Sonic Youth, Coldplay and James Brown among others. Hilarious and really touching at the same time. The final scene had Angeline and I in tears!

We're Off!

2008-07-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

Somebody is a little upset!

We're heading out to Israel this morning...but first is the long drive to LAX! We wish the flight were out of San Diego...but oh well..we're on vacation!

We'll be posting up along the way - so keep checking!

Thanks for all the prayers and support!

How Much?

2008-06-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

I like those creative credit card commercials that list any number of items and their associated value. At the end of the list is always the word...priceless.

Mountain Biking in California.....$90

Sailing in Florida.........................$120

Dude Ranch in Montana.............$250

Adding Adventure in life..............PRICELESS!

So...What about God’s Law?

Loving God with all of your heart, with all of your soul and with all of your strength?

Loving your neighbor as yourself?

I think we can agree that these are PRICELESS treasures! But that just may be our problem with God’s Law. When we look at His Law as that which is so valuable that it stands out of the reach of our spiritual bank accounts, it becomes for us a hopeless set of ideals. Under the crushing cost of the Law of God, we see that we are poor and weak. The cost is too great for us. Following God’s priceless Law perfectly means giving ourselves to Him and to others, and I’m afraid that our sin won’t let us do that.

A rich young man, one with the financial means to gain anything the world can offer, approaches Jesus with a question. “What good deed must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus says, “If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” We know that the Law of God always has a cost, each the man seems willing to have paid. No murder, adultery, stealing, or bearing false witness? Honoring mom and dad and loving on my neighbor? “All these I have kept”, says the man. To which Jesus throws down the PRICELESS Law, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me.”

The man must give up both stuff and self, each of which have a price to high for him to pay. He’s too weak. He’s just like you and me!

Jesus point is NOT about giving up all you have, it’s about the fact that the cost is too high for us to pay our way into eternal life. Jesus will have to give up all He had, for you! As Paul says, “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

That’s PRICELESS!

The gift of God in Christ Jesus is the bill of the Law fully paid in the blood of His Son. Loving God with all of His heart, soul and strength led Jesus to the cross for you. Loving you MORE than He loved Himself is the Son of God opening the heavenly bank account and giving freely what you could never afford.

Loving God with full heart, soul and strength...............PAID in Christ Jesus!

Loving Neighbor as the self.........................................PAID in Christ Jesus!

Living life in Christ, loving God and our neighbor.......PRICELESS!

Jesus says these words to His disciples as He sends them out to share His Word:

“You received without paying; give without pay.”

Go and share the hope that God has given you in Christ Jesus, our PRICELESS TREASURE!