Those of you who are not golfers please be patient and read on.  I do have a point that you might be interested in.  The U.S. Open this past weekend, you see, begs to be written about (especially since I am a golfer myself and a fellow "loser").

Phil Mickelson, the #2 golfer in the world coming into the U.S. Open last Thursday, gave away a tournament that was well in hand.  Phil had a one shot lead going into the final hole.  All he had to do was take a long iron off the tee and place his drive in the fairway; get on the green and make a seemly simple par (I say "seemly simple" because Phil nearly mastered the back 9 at Wingedfoot Golf Course not because I could do it myself).  Instead Phil used a driver, something that had plagued him all day and put his drive way left…in trouble.  His next shot hit a tree (something I can relate to).  Phil’s third shot was a "shot in the dark" that buried itself in the sand bunker near the green.  Phil’s fourth shot out of the bunker went over the green in the long ruff.  His fifth shot (which needed to go in to force a playoff) missed badly.  Phil finished tied for second in a tournament he should have won.  Geoff Ogilvy from Australia won, but the thing is, no one is going to remember who won, but rather who lost.  The 2006 U.S. open will always (and I mean always) be known as the Open that Phil lost, not the Open that Geoff won.

Jean Van de Velde was leading the 1999 British Open by 3 shots going into the final hole.  All he needed was, at worst, a 6 on a par four to win, but Van de Velde carded a 7 to force a playoff.  He lost by three strokes in the four hole playoff format.  Who won the 1999 British Open?  I do not know off the top of my head, but I know who lost it.

I feel sorry for Geoff Ogilvy and Paul Lawrie (1999 British Open winner.  I just looked that up).  They won major tournaments but yet the world is going to remember who lost them.  The world won’t remember how they won, but how Phil and Jean lost.  Wow!  What a way to be remembered…a loser…someone who choked under pressure.  But here I am; speaking when I have no place to speak since my golf game is no where even close to the same plant has Phil’s or Jean’s.  But anyone who is a sports fan thinks they know how to do things better than the actual athletes out there (And YES, golfers are athletes.  Don’t make me argue with you).

So…those of you out there who could care less about golf (like my wife who thinks I have a "golf" disease) your question about now is "Where are you going with this? Stop with the golf stuff."  Well hold on to your pants, I am getting there.

In the cosmic game of salvation we are losers.  In Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 5 he writes, "God proves his love for us that while we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us".  Loosely translated, "While we were still losers in the salvation game, Jesus won the prize FOR US."  You see, people throughout time and today have tried to earn their way to heaven.  People thought and still think today that we can appease God and win the salvation game; if we do enough "stuff" and well enough then God will have to give us our prize.  My friends, that is not how it works.  We lost the salvation game; we are losers if you will.  So God sent his Son, Jesus Christ to run the race.  Jesus not only ran the race but won the prize through his death and resurrection.  But he not only won the prize, but won the prize FOR US…a bunch of "losers". 

So if the world remembers losers, I am glad to be counted among them; for Jesus (the winner we should not forget about) died for a loser such as me and you. Amen. -EDH-

A couple days ago, two 21 year old guys, who were drinking, got onto the baseball field at the Metrodome during a Twins game.  One guy ran into the outfield, but he was not shown on TV.  The one that got the press was the guy who ran down from third base and slid across home plate, seemly safe.  But as he got up to run away, the batboy ran and tackled the guy and held him to the ground until security arrived.  Batboy?  I thought he looked more like Batman coming to save the day from two jokers.  And apparently the local and some national news outlets thought the same.  This scene was played on the Today Show and on Kare11 in Minneapolis.  The focus was on the batboy, not the jokers who ran onto the field.  People like that should not be glamorized.  And I am willing to bet that we would not even be talking about this if the batboy did not make a great tackle worthy of a spot with the Minnesota Vikings.

Then a couple nights ago I was watching Kare11 News and their top story was this scene from the Metrodome.  They replayed it over and over again (I guess it sure beats hearing a top story about a murder or a hit and run). Eventually they talked to the batboy and got his side of the story.  Up to that point I was fine with the story, but not totally thrilled.  Then they talked to the two guys who ran onto the field. 

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? 

These two guys, who were drinking; who broke the law; who made fools of themselves are being given their 15 seconds of fame (actually it probably worked out to be 30 seconds give or take).  But why glamorize these two guys?  Why give them the attention?  They pulled this stunt to get attention and they got it.  Kare11 went too far and when I emailed them yesterday morning about this, they did not even respond to me.  I felt like I was talking into the wind.  Pointless.  A waste of time.  Maybe they will respond later (I will definitely let you know if they do).

But my point in writing this morning is not to vent (even though that is part of the reason).  My point today is two-fold.  First it is to wonder with you about why we like to hold up and glamorize stupidity.  Initially this Metrodome event was funny.  When I first saw this story I chuckled (I will admit that).  I thought it was creative that someone had the nerve to slide across home plate, but I was even more impressed with the tackle at the end.  But why are we drawn to these events?  Maybe it is because they acted in a way we never would.  Maybe we wish we had the nerve to be more bold so we live vicariously through these people.  Maybe there is a small part of each of us that is mischievous even though we would never admit it.  Maybe it is because if the media says it is news worthy, then there must be something to it.  I don’t know.  Leave me a comment to this post if you have an answer.  I would love to read it (as I am sure others would).

But my second point, before I end my ranting this morning, is this:  As Christians we are called to be witnesses of God’s love in this world.  We are called to hold people accountable; naming their sin (but not before we name ours and recognize our shortcomings).  We are called to be kind and gentle.  We are called to recognize wrong; call those people to repentance; and do it out of love.  All the while loving the people, but hating the sin. 

But something tells me I am speaking into the wind (and often times I am).  What do we say to people who would take something like what I have written here and toss it out the window?  Why should we continue to talk if no one will listen. Sometimes I wonder why bother; no one cares.  Why am I wasting my energy (Can you relate?)  I guess what keeps me going is that I do care and I hope you do too.  As long as at least one person cares then we have something.  Change can happen; the gospel will be preached; the kingdom will advance.  If we are speaking into the wind, then we need to speak louder than the wind and not give up.  Let’s live as witnesses to the gospel.  Don’t stay silent. When you see something that is not right say something.  People might not always listen, but if one person does, then you have made a difference.  We don’t need to live vicariously through others or go with the wind; because we have a God who gives us all we need.

Thank you for listening (reading) today.  Thank you for giving this whatever attention you think it deserves.  Speak loud.  Thank you "Batman" for saving the day; for tackling a pair of "Jokers".  May your act be inspiration to us all.  Amen! -EDH-

I can’t believe it.  I have been stewing all day trying to resist the urge to write today.  And now here I am.  I guess my urge finally wore me down.  I can remember a time that resisting the urge to write was pretty easy.  In high school I hated writing (I know "hated" is a strong word, but it accurately describes the moment).  I resisted the urge to write.  If I had to then I took the easy way out and got the "Cliff’s Notes" for a book and went from there.  In college I started out as a computer science major and then switched a year later to accounting.  Both majors are ones where we did not write a lot of papers.  Then I got to seminary and writing was the norm.  I guess I knew that going in; especially answering the call to be a pastor I knew I would be writing a lot ("a lot" is a major understatement).  So all of this brings us to today.  A guy who spent much of his life resisting the urge to write is a pastor writing sermons and newsletter articles and now a blog.  Talk about irony at its best. 

But one would think I could call on my past and rely on my "writing resistant" skills today…but no.  I found the urge and here I am.  The reason I fought the urge is because of what I am going to write next…<Deep breath>…people really need to leave Britney Spears alone.  Did I actually write that?  Wow!  I need to take a break from this writing thing if I am mentioning Britney Spears.  But after what I saw this morning on the "Today Show" I need to say something.  I guess that is why I have this blog; to say what is on my mind.  Because seriously, if I were to preach a sermon mentioning Britney Spears…well…let’s not go there. 

Anyway…

Ever since BS (I am using those initials so I don’t have to type "her name" anymore) had her first child, she has been under an even more focused microscope.  Recently she was plastered all over the media for being photographed driving with her child in her lap.  This morning BS was interviewed by Matt Lauer (I probably misspelled Matt’s name, but at least I don’t cringe when I type it).  When Matt asked her what she would say to those hounding her for pictures and stories she broke down in tears and basically said, "Leave me alone.  Let me have privacy.  Let me live my life."  For a brief moment I found myself feeling sorry for a person I have always seen as a bad role model for young girls (and boys for that matter).  Why is that?  Apparently it is something worth writing about if I am spending the time on it now.

We spend so much time judging people.  In the case of BS we don’t even know all the facts.  Is it ever O.K. to drive with a child in your lap? NO! But is it ever O.K. to judge someone? NO!  And that is what is being done here.  I have no clue if BS is a good mom or not.  I have no clue if BS is a good wife or not.  I can’t care about it because I don’t know her or know any real facts.  Even the people in our lives…we can’t be judging them even if we know them like the back of our hands.  The only one who has any right to judge is God alone. 

Scripture tells us to not judge anyone lest ye be judged.  But that scares no one.  It doesn’t always scare me because I judge like the next person.  I mean, I just called BS a bad role model.  I don’t care who you are, no one deserves the judgment that BS is getting.  No one!  But we do deserve any judgment that God would hand down.  Luckily we have a Savior who loves us a lot ("a lot" is a major, major understatement).  Jesus died so that our judgment sheet would be stamped "SAVED"  Let’s leave any judging to God and I promise not to write any more about BS.  Deal?  Good…deal.  Amen! -EDH-

Last month I posted a devotion titled, "The rain storm that wasn’t there".  This post is different from that one but still involves rain (I am not sure why I even wrote that line).  But anyway…

…I love thunderstorms.  I have fond memories of my dad and me standing in the garage and watching an approaching thunderstorm.  There was something about being out in the storm without really getting wet (except for the stray rain drop that would get blown into the garage and always land in my eye).  I stood there in amazement watching the lightening and then prepared myself for the clap of thunder to follow.  Mom would always yell out to dad and me and tell us to come inside.  It was great because it was the only time I had permission not to heed my mom’s instructions.  Dad wasn’t worried, so neither was I.

Today a thunderstorm rolled towards Jackson.  In the post "The rain storm that wasn’t there" the radar indicated rain but there was nothing in the sky.  Today, there was definitely something in the sky…headed right for Jackson.  So I went to my weather website to watch this storm as I watched out my window.  This time the weather website was correct…a thunderstorm was approaching.  I was excited.  But to make matters better there were some red and orange cells headed toward us (in case you don’t know red and orange means a "better" storm).  I was even more excited.  I watched the storm inch closer and closer.  The winds picked up and the temperature dropped a little.  The skies got darker and I prepared for an amazing light show.  And then…<pause for effect>…NOTHING but a little rain.  WHAT HAPPENED!  I went back to my weather website and replayed the last one hour loop and studied the storm’s approach as if I were getting ready to go on the air shortly.  Then I saw something that really did not surprise me (because it happens all the time here in Jackson).  As the red and orange cells moved right towards Jackson they dissipated and went around the town.  Sites on either side of Jackson got the red and orange cells but Jackson just got the green (light rain) cells.  You really need to see it to believe it.  We were going to get hit head on and then…NOTHING!  At least we got some rain and a couple small claps of thunder.  My day is not a total loss.

I wonder…<pause to prepare to wonder with me>…

…as Satan sits watching his radar of storms he throws at us; does he get frustrated as he watches God dissipate those storms in our lives?  Does he jump up and down in anger as God hands us an umbrella?  Does Satan throw his pointy little fork to the ground when God holds on to us when the winds hit?  Does Satan pull his hair out as God dries us off in the aftermath?  Storms will hit and we will get wet, but God is the great dissipater to frustrate Satan’s plans.

<"Yes", I know all this is true, and I thank you God, but can’t you let an actual thunderstorm through once in a while?> 

Praise be to God and Amen! -EDH-

I was at a graduation reception for one of Connie’s (my wife) cousins.  As I sat at the table, in the church fellowship hall, stuffing my face with that good ole reception type food, Connie’s uncle (father of the graduate) sat down next to me.  Now, he is not a guy I normally talk to much except for the basic, "Hey there, how are you?" and then a good, firm handshake.  "How is your church?"  "It’s going fine."  "Well that’s good."  Maybe we exchange some other pleasantries but that is basically it.  But this particular night was different.  Uncle Mark sits down next to me and we exchange the usual pleasantries and then he says, "I suppose you have to drive all the way back to Jackson tonight (this was on a Saturday night; 1 1/2 hours away)."  I said, "Yup, I have worship tomorrow morning."  Then uncle Mark asked this question, "So, how do you come up with all those sermon ideas?"  I sat there for a couple seconds; stunned like a deer standing in the middle of US HWY 71 gazing straight into the headlights of an oncoming car wondering why its there.  Once I pulled my gaze from the oncoming headlights I said, "Well…God, of course."  Uncle Mark rolls his eyes at me like I gave him a dumb answer and said, "I know that, but where do the ideas come from?  Do you read books or do they come from everyday life…what?"  I told him that I do read and pay attention to the world around me, but in the end, God places the sermon on my heart to preach to his people.  Mark seemed disappointed with my answer.  It was like he was looking for my secret ingredient to some famous recipe of mine ("Yes", I do cook and "No" I really don’t have any famous recipes, but work with me here) and I told him "salt and pepper".  It has got to be more difficult than that…right?

Just salt and pepper; that’s it; nothing fancy; something everyone has.

But for some reason people want something more.  They want to hear that it is more difficult than that.  This is because these people do not realize that they have salt and pepper "in their cupboard".  Ask a mother how she knew what to do when her first baby was born.  She will probably tell you that she was a little scared at first, but then it just came to her.  "Motherly instincts" she will say.  Mothers just know…salt and pepper.

I worked for my dad for 2 1/2 years trying to learn the car business so I could take over some day.  I quickly found out that I was a very bad car salesman (selling 4 cars in 2 1/2 years I believe qualifies as "bad").  I asked my dad, "How do you do it?  How do you know how and when to call for the sale?  How do you make people feel comfortable with you?"  He told me that he just knew and that he could not teach me that skill.  It was salt and pepper.

Think about what you do.  How do you know how to do that skill so well?  Hard work?  Sure.  But it does come easier to you than others.  What is it then?  Salt and pepper.  When God calls someone to a certain vocation whether it is a pastor or a salesperson or a parent or whatever, you don’t have to think too much about it.  When Jesus sent his disciples out to proclaim the Gospel he told them not to worry about what they will say; that God will give them the words…salt and pepper.  Those disciples were called to that particular vocation and God was not going to let them fail.  God has given you gifts and it is God who enables you to use them.

There is no secret formula.  There is no secret ingredient.  It is just God; your salt and pepper, working through you for His glory.  So next time someone asks you, "How do you know how to do that?"  say "Salt and Pepper." and then give witness to our awesome God who gives us the "flavor" in life.  Praise be to God and Amen!

Good morning you faithful weblog readers and to any one popping in for the first time.  It has been a few days since I have written something, so hang on, I am going to make up for lost time.  Following this entry there will be some updates including the question of the week (which I will actually answer this week) and other items.  Keep an eye on this site and see what I am up to.

This past weekend I was in St. Peter, MN at Gustavus Adolphus College (GAC:  For some reason it is a lot more fun to say "Gac" instead) for the SW MN Synod assembly.  There were about 600+ people there (lay and clergy) discussing and debating the "business" of the church.  It was really intriguing.  The meeting follows strict parliamentary procedures which ensure everyone is treated fairly and has equal opportunity to speak and vote.  There were three microphones set up for people to debate resolutions.  We had 13 resolutions to deal with.  A few of them were slam dunk, no-brainers that had no real debate but others took a little longer to get through.  There was one particular resolution that caught my attention; dealing with immigration and the people who do ministry with them.  I won’t get into specifics here but the long and short of it was do we oppose legislation that would criminalize undocumented workers and the people who do ministry with them?  What caught my attention was the wording of the resolution and I wanted to propose an amendment.  So the night before this resolution was to come to the floor I wrote up my amendment so I could go to a microphone and have the correct wording in front of me.  I even talked to a couple colleagues and got their opinion and they agreed with me.

But part of me was nervous.  Six hundred plus people at a business meeting and I was thinking about speaking.  I had never done that before.  What if I made a mistake?  What if people said, "Eric that is out of order and stupid"?  What if I stumble over my words and look like an idiot?  I shouldn’t be scared about expressing my opinions; I do it all the time here on this site and in church.  But for some reason this synod assembly was different.  Well, time came to start debate on this resolution.  A couple people spoke and I started to doubt and second guess myself.  Then someone came to the microphone and wanted to propose an amendment.  And get this, the amendment he proposed was exactly the same as what I had written up.  It was like he was looking over my shoulder as I wrote this.  He was then given 4 minutes to argue why he was proposing this and his argument was basically the same as mine.  I said to myself "Wow, someone is thinking like me".  Others argued against the amendment, but when it came to the vote, it passed overwhelmingly.  The amendment I almost proposed, people liked.  I was excited and then started to get a little depressed (and of course I started thinking).

I had a chance to speak and I didn’t.  I then thought back to other resolutions.  I had a chance to speak there and I didn’t.  Some of those resolutions passed that I did not want to pass.  What if I had spoken?  Maybe I could have influenced some voters so that the vote would have turned out the way I wanted.  But I didn’t speak.  I waited for someone else to say what I was thinking.  Sure…with the amendment I got lucky, but that is not the norm.  I missed my chance to speak my mind and make a difference.  I missed my chance to work for "good".  I missed my chance, right, privilege and duty to speak.  I blew it and I will never get those moments back again.

When God gives us chances to share our faith with someone, do you jump on that chance or do you wait for someone else to chime in; hoping they will do what you want to do?  Do you sit back thinking to yourself what you want to say but never say it; afraid of what others might think or say?  Do you say to yourself, "Who am I to say something?"  God gives us opportunities everyday to make a difference in the world, but too often we pass those opportunities by.  We think and hope someone else will say something, but they won’t.  When God gives you and me a chance, the chance is for you and me only.  No one else will jump in for you.  No one else will say what YOU need to say.  Only you can say it.  Next time an opportunity comes your way think to yourself "God has placed this opportunity here and no one else will do it.  I MUST ACT."  Don’t miss your chance to make a difference in the world.  You will never get that chance again.  God needs you to change the world.  So don’t wait to act because tomorrow is promised to no one.  Live today and make a difference, someone needs you.  Amen!

It has been a couple days since my last post. So thanks for your patience; I really do have a good excuse.  Yesterday I spent the day (A couple hours actually) in Dawson.  I had lunch with my mom and picked up a trailer and a bed.  I got home late afternoon and was shot.  Today I was up at 4:45am (that’s right, IN THE MORNING, before God gets up and has coffee).  I was helping out with a pancake feed the Jackson Lions were doing.  Now I am getting ready to hit the road again.  This afternoon I head to Gustavus College in St. Peter for the SW MN Synod assembly.  I am hoping to get to a computer and update my blog this weekend, so check back and see what is up. 

But before I go I want to leave you with a thought.  It deals with the trailer I picked up yesterday.  After we loaded this small 4 foot wide trailer with a queen size box spring and mattress, we started to have some concerns.  First, this small trailer was not built for long distance traveling (Approximately 150 miles) and second, the wooden sides my dad built were bowing out because of the weight of the bed.  My mom and I were wondering if I was going to make it.  I had my doubts about this load.  So we talked to dad, hoping he would make the decision not to haul the bed, but he didn’t.  It’s weird, I make decisions all the time being a solo pastor of a small congregation, but this was a decision I did not want to make.  I am not sure why.  It was nothing big, just a matter of hauling a bed.  It was not going to affect a lot of people.  Do we haul the bed or not?  I finally said, "What the heck, I’m going for it.  If the trailer breaks; it breaks."  But as I was driving, keeping one eye on the road and one eye on the trailer, I started thinking.  In life we are often weighed down with a lot of expectations and other burdens.  We start moving slow and second guessing ourselves.  A time eventually comes when we just want someone else to make a decision (but we often don’t admit that to ourselves).  Better yet, we want someone to come along and take the burden off us without us saying anything.  Maybe we are too proud or scared to ask for help.  Maybe we have too much of a sense of responsibility that says you have to do everything yourself.  Maybe that is what I was feeling yesterday.

But God does not weigh us down beyond what we can handle.  He will certainly not let the world burden us to the point of breaking.  God will come and helps us carry the burden.  God will relieve the pressures from our souls.  God does not let Satan get the best of us by placing the burden of salvation on our hearts (God carries that load…completely, through Jesus Christ).  So next time you feel weighed down know that God is there with you.  He will help you, just ask him.  Don’t be too proud or scared; don’t be stubborn or pig-headed. God wants us to come to him.  God wants us to talk to him.  Ask him to relieve you of some of your burdens and God will give you the strength to carry it or God will carry it for you.  Turn to God and cast your burdens on him.  God will not abandon you.  God needs you.  And God loves you.  Have a wonderful weekend and take care.  Amen!

The title of this little rambling should say it all.  It has been so cotton picken dry these past couple weeks that my lawn is browning up quite nicely.  Add a cactus or two and throw in a roadrunner and we got SW Arizona (sense the sarcasm).  "Rain, rain, come this way.  Please don’t stay away another day".  O.K., I know I am whining, but that is another reason I got this blog site; so I can whine when there is no one physically around (I am sure my church secretary is glad I have this outlet).  But don’t stop reading, I do have a point.

I just returned to my office after running next door to my house to move my water sprinkler.  One would think I could do that with relative ease, but nooooo…not me.  I can not move the sprinkler without getting wet.  I think I am standing out of the reach of the water, but then the wind comes up and blows the water right at me(For crying out loud, I am wearing nice clothes today).  So here I find myself drying off once again today.  That’s right, again.  This is not the first time today.  One would think I would learn.

"And Jesus told them many things in parables, saying: Listen! A sower went out to sow…Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away…As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. " (Matthew 13, The Parable of the Sower) 

If I don’t take care of my lawn and water it, the sun will scorch the grass and it will indeed whither away.  So I water it and care for it.  My garden gets the same attention.  The heat of the day is powerful.  If you do not take care of yourself, you will easily be defeated.  Too many people go to worship on Sunday and that is it.  It is even worse for those who go to worship once in a while or never go.  For them the seed (The Word of God) is sown on rocky soil.  The heat of the day and the pressures of life will quickly cause these people whither and fall away.  The Word is not sown in the deeps of their being.  They do not water it through scripture reading and prayer.  You can not go to worship on Sunday and that’s it and expect to be alright.  You need the Word of God EVERY SINGLE DAY OF THE WEEK.  You need to nurture and care for your self with regular doses of God’s Word.  Try it and I guarantee you will see a difference.  Your life will "green up" in a hurry.  And like a nice looking green lawn, people WILL start asking you, "what is your secret?"  At that you have an amazing opening to share with them the glorys of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  So go out there and get wet.  You will be better for it.  Amen.