Author: The Pastor

Sunday morning prayer — unshakable

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

I am on the verge of returning to “normal”. I am still on continuing education so in about an hour Connie and I will be heading down to worship at the Okoboji Lakes Bible and Missionary Conference. So much has happened and I have learned so much that I can’t put everything into one post. But I do want to share one quick thing with you this morning.

Last night our speaker was talking about courage…courage that is not of this world…a courage that only comes through an amazing encounter with God. The theme of the conference is titled “Unshakable”…which has been a great theme for me personally (more on that in a later post). Last night our speaker (whose name I can’t spell off the top of my head, but will get the spelling when I get to my office tomorrow) said something last night that still has me thinking. He said, “To have an unshakable faith we first must be shaken”. And that “shaken-ness” comes from a powerful encounter with God. An encounter like what Peter had with Jesus in Luke 5 or Job had with God. Both were “shaken” to the core and became courageous followers of Jesus/God. Our speaker then said, “When we are shaken by something really big (Jesus) then everything else seems small in comparison.” Wow! Have I truly been shaken by Jesus? Have you? It has really got me thinking.

And with that I will leave you thinking since I need to go and get ready for worship. But I will write more about this later. Let’s pray:
Powerful God, shake us to the core with your love through Jesus Christ our Lord. Transform our view of you from a small God to a powerful God. Transform how we look and treat others. Transform how we share our faith with others. Father God, shake us till we drop to our knees in reverent worship of you. Create in us an unshakable faith…through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray, AMEN!

God bless and have a wonderful day.

-edh-

Wild Goose Chase

/ The Pastor / 9 Comments

I DID IT!!!

Today (Saturday, Aug. 2) I ran a race called “The Wild Goose Chase”.  This is a 18.6 mile (30K) race that goes around Lac Qui Parle Lake near my hometown of Dawson.  Before this race my longest run was 12 miles so I knew this was going to be a huge test for me.  Up until the 15 mile mark I was doing fine, but at the 15 mile mark I hit what is called “the wall”.  Basically there was a lot of walking during the final 3.6 miles,  but I did finish hard.  But more importantly…I FINISHED.  My goal was to finish in under 3 hours.  My time was 3:00:21.  Missed by that much…21 seconds.  Oh well…I FINISHED.

The Twin Cities Marathon is two months away and I still have a lot of work to do, but I do feel encouraged.  I have an idea of what I am going to face in Oct.  Overcoming “the wall” is very much psychological so now I have some experience to draw from.  What got me through “the wall” today?  The mere fact that I would always regret not finishing.  I am hoping that motivation will get me through the Twin Cities Marathon in October.  And…there has to be a sermon illustration in here some place.

So now I sit here feeling very good about myself; nursing some sore muscles.  But when asked by my wife if I am glad I ran this race…my answer is “Yes”.  Sore muscles will heal and I will be back running on Monday morning looking forward to my next race (10K — 6.2 mile) in September.

With that I continue with my vacation so I will be back with you next week.  Take care and God bless.

-edh-

Mid-vacation update

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Greetings and salutations…

I am sitting here in the Holiday Inn in Willmar as my wife visits the fitness center here.  Since I am by myself for a little while, I thought I would take this opportunity to check in.

It has been a fun an exciting few days.  On Sunday I flew to Chicago for a meeting at ELCA headquarters.  It was called the Synod Mission Table Pilot Project.  Thirteen of the 65 synods from around the ELCA were invited to gather and talk about mission strategy.  I was invited to attend this meeting with three others from the synod office including our bishop, a synod minister and the synod council V.P.  We heard some amazing presenters and spent some quality time together discussing some mission strategy for the synod.  I was honored to be included in this meeting and discussion.  We have a tough road ahead of us as SW MN is a synod that is declining in population and worship attendance.  We definitely need to rethink how we do mission and have to do something to encourage our people to be who they were created to be:  evangelists.  I think we have a pretty good plan in place and I look forward to writing more about our efforts as things unfold.

On Tuesday I flew back home and headed up north to the St. Cloud area to join Connie and her family for some time at a resort.  We had some great weather and some fun times together.  Last night we packed up and head our separate directions.  On the way home to Dawson, Connie and I decided to stop in Willmar at a hotel and have some time together and do some shopping before we head to Dawson on Friday.  On Saturday I am running a 18.6 mile road race called the Wild Goose chase.  This will be a great tune up for the Twin Cities Marathon in October. 

Anyway…I probably should sign off and pack a little bit.  We have a fun day ahead of us.  I will be back next week for my regular posts.  In the mean time, God bless you and I look forward to our continued conversations.

Take care!

-edh-

Coffee shop ponderings — God’s “good” plan

/ The Pastor / 6 Comments

Here I am…posting my coffee shop ponderings from outside of Coffee Choices.  Actually…I never made it there today to write my sermon (I did make it there this morning for coffee though).  I usually start writing the sermon in my office and finish it at my coffee shop, but today was different.  I got on a roll and couldn’t stop typing.

On Sunday I am continuing my sermon series on Romans by preaching on chapter 8 verses 26-39.  I started pondering and praying about verse 28 where it says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  Upon pondering this verse I started thinking how this verse is often misused (or at least used in the wrong situations).  The times I have heard this verse used is when someone is facing a devastating disaster or disease diagnosis or something else devastating.  And in times like those, Romans 8:28 is the last verse I want to hear.  If I am mourning the lost of my house and possessions because of a tornado, quoting Romans 8:28 almost sounds like that God planned this disaster so he could do something “good”.  At the moment that is not comforting.  After the fact I may be able to look back and see the good that came from that disaster, but not right now.

I think this verse is used because of our insatiable desire to explain everything.  If we can’t explain it in scientific or logical terms we chalk it up to God’s divine plan (“I am not sure why this happened, but God is going to do something good thought it; it was God’s will.”)  Telling a parent, who’s child just died, that it was God’s will is often not the right thing to say.  Or trying telling them that God will do something good though that death.  You might get an angry response in return.  But who knows how they will look at death later on down the road.

Instead, I see Romans 8:28 as a proclamation of grace.  The “good” God is working towards is nothing else than our reconciliation through Jesus Christ.  Ever since the Fall, God has been working to reconcile creation back to himself.  And it is only though faith that we can recognize this “good”.  Sometimes the “crap” of this world can cloud our faith so we cannot see God active in our lives.  But after the dust clears, then things begin to clear up.

In a simple phrase, quoted by a friend of mine on Facebook, “It’s all grace!”  And that is so true.  God IS working for good, but let’s be careful how and when we use this verse.  We might do more harm than good.  Instead, share with people how God has gotten you thought difficult times.  Talk about God’s amazing love and how he never left you when you were going to a tough time.  Let people see the “good” for themselves after the dust has cleared.

What are your thoughts on Romans 8:28…especially in the context of verses 28 – 39?  Do you think this verse often gets misused?

SIDE NOTE:
There will be no “Coffee shop ponderings” next week as I will be on vacation up north.  Actually, there might not be a whole lot of activity from me at all next week, but you never know.  In the mean time, I look forward to reading your thoughts here.  Take care and I will catch you later.

-edh-

Sonshine photos

/ The Pastor

Here are a couple photos that begin to give you a picture of the Sonshine experience.

This is a small glimpse of “tent city”.  This is was taken on Wednesday when people were still “moving in”.  In a matter of hours from when this picture was taken you won’t see much grass anymore.

…and this is the back of my head at the main stage.  This definitely does not give you an idea of what the main stage experience was like, but if you image about 20 to 30 thousand people sitting in lawn chairs, then that will be a start.

-edh-

Monday morning check in — Post-Sonshine post

/ The Pastor

Here I am…in my office…post-Sonshine…procrastinating on writing my newsletter article (of course, by the time my secretary reads this I WILL be working on my article, I promise).

Anyway…we had a great time at Sonshine Festival.  We heard lots of great music from the likes of Jars of Clay, Third Day, Jeremy Camp, Toby Mac, Hawk Nelson, Peder Eide, Barlowgirl, David Crowder, and much more.  That list is definitely not listed in order because that would be to hard to do.  But Hawk Nelson is a group I never really listened to before but I am now developing a new appreciation for them.  All the groups were (and are) great examples and very open about their faith.  It was fun and inspiring to hear them and worship with them.  And for $68 for the weekend…for all that music…you just can’t beat that.

Our group consisted of my wife and I along with one senior high girl from Salem with a group of 10 from Our Savior’s.  There were more adults than youth in our group, but everyone had fun.  We camped in tent city where there were thousands of tents crammed in together.  It is hard to describe the scene but trust me, it was a zoo.  The “city” never really completely died down.  There was activity all night long for all four nights.  My wife and I came home on Saturday and let me tell ya…a shower and my bed felt great on Saturday night.  But over all it was a great experience and we are already looking forward to next year.

Ramp update
I haven’t said much in this area for a while but here’s a quick update (just in case you were wondering).  All the cement is poured and now they are on the brick work.  Red-ish (basic brick color…whatever that is “offically” called) bricks will be placed on the side of the ramp and a brick wind break is currently being built on the north side of the ramp by the sanctuary door.  The time table for completion is still mid-August sometime.  I will get some pictures posted soon.

One week to go…
After this week I will be out of the office for a couple weeks.  On Sunday I fly to Chicago for a special meeting on evangelism and outreach.  I was invited by the synod office to attend this meeting (I will discuss this more in another post this week).  After I get back on Tuesday I go on vacation until Sunday.  On Sunday I am still out of the office but for continuing education.  The week of Aug 3 – 10 I am at the Okoboji Lakes Bible and Missionary Conference.  A free conference in the Okoboji Lakes area (about 20 miles from here).  That too I will write more about later.  So this week I have a lot to get done before I head out.

With that…I leave you with this quote I came across…one I used in my sermon yesterday: “We are not in the land of the living, but in the land of the dying — someday we shall be in the Land of the Living.”  What a great reminder of the hope we all have in Jesus Christ.

Take care and have a great day!

-edh-

Sunday morning prayer

/ The Pastor

Hey all…I am back from a fun trip to Sonshine Festival.  I have more to tell you, but I don’t have time right now…that will have to wait until tomorrow.  In in the mean time let’s join together in a word of prayer…

God of hope, you give us strength to endure in the face of hopelessness.  When all seems lost you show us the way.  When darkness over takes us, you are our light.  When illness threatens to take everything we are, you are our healing.  When the world tries to crush us, you build us up…even stronger.  Oh God of hope, through Jesus Christ you give us something to look forward to.  Help us to see this vision vision and remember this promise in the darkest of times and the joyous of occasions.  Thank you for giving hope beyond hopelessness, in Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Off to worship now so I’ll see you tomorrow.  Take care.

-edh-

Basking in the SonShine

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

This morning I am packing my gear and heading out to SonShine Festival .  This is a Christian music festival in Willmar, MN.  Salem and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches are taking a group and of course I have to go.  It’s a rough job but someone has to do it 🙂  Because of this I will be away from my computer until Sunday.  So no new blog posts until then…I hope you can survive without me 😉

Anyway…i hope you have a wonderful week.  I look forward to telling you all about our experience.  Take care and God bless.

-edh-

Angel

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Check this out.  It is one of the neatest things I have seen in a while:

A woman in Jackson makes these angels from old LBWs (Lutheran Book of Worship).  The pages are intricately folded to form the body of the angel.  On the left page that is showing is the Nicene Creed and on the right page is “God Bless our Native Land”.  I am not sure if she did this on purpose or not.  Either way, I think these are absolutely wonderful.  A parishioner here got two of them and gave one to me and one to our secretary at Salem.  Wow!

Have you ever seen anything like this before?

-edh-

Ministry model vs. business model — part 1

/ The Pastor / 6 Comments

On Thursday (in my Coffee shop ponderings) I briefly mentioned something I am trying to do with my church council.  I am trying to make a move from a business meeting model to a ministry meeting model.  At the time I said I am still working out the specifics of this plan (which I still am) but I want to begin to think this through with you here.  Justin left a comment on that post saying that he is doing something similar with his council and was wondering how I was going to maintain what I started.  That is a very good question and one I hope I can answer here.  But how I want to begin this discussion is to define the two different models and then work from there. 

My initial thoughts on the definition of these two models stem from something I heard at our latest synod assembly (SW MN, ELCA).  The participants were asked to raise their hands if they agreed with the following statement:  The Church has a mission.  Most people raised their hands.  We were then told we were wrong.  Rather, the MISSION (of Christ) has a Church.  When the Church claims to have a mission we have a tendency to direct and lead the way rather than being lead by Christ; we quickly lose focus.

So the first part of my definition is this:
Business meeting model — The church has a mission
Ministry meeting model — The mission of Christ has a church

As church councils, we need to think in terms of what advances the mission of Christ.  Building projects are important along with paying bills, deciding what color carpet to put in or what bid to approve.  You could even argue that those things advance the mission of Christ, but how often does talk of the mission of Christ enter those conversations?  More often than not, we discuss what WE think is important…what will please most of the members.  Maybe, just maybe if Christ’s mission came into the conversation, the color of the carpet would not be important or maybe just maybe, new carpet would not even be an issue anymore.  Christ’s mission has a way of changing how we look at the world.

So…to begin to answer Justin’s question; how am I going to maintain what I stated:  I am going to type up the list of goals (ones that we see will advance the mission of Christ) and keep them in front of the council and the church.  We will discuss how we are doing with these goals each month before we do any business.  We will keep asking the question how does this advance the mission of Christ?  I will also publish these goals in the newsletter and get everyone thinking about them and asking the same question.  This is a small piece, but it is a beginning.

What are your thoughts?  Does your council have a “business” focus or “ministry” focus?  How do we move from a “business” to a “ministry” focus?

There is definitely more to discuss on this issue…

-edh-