God’s faithfulness

All good things…

/ The Pastor / 4 Comments

The above title was the title of the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation.  The day that episode ran was a sad day for me being a huge fan of the series, but as the title suggests all good things come to an end.

This past month of so (of inactivity on this blog) I have once again been doing some soul searching about the future of this blog.  I went through a period of soul searching not so long ago and decided to keep blogging.  I felt then that was what I was meant to do, but things are changing.  I am not exactly sure what it is.  It might be that this blog has just run it’s course.  But I think a larger part of my decision involves trying to focus more energy on my ministry here at Salem and Belmont.  I am a firm believer that to have a “successful” blog (and I am being careful to claim any success here), one needs to put a lot of time and energy into it.  And my energy for blogging is waning.  So I guess as the writers of Star Trek have said, all good things must come to an end 😦

My plan is to keep this blog active for those who stumble across the many ramblings I have posted here.  When comments are left I will respond (I get email notifications).  And who knows…maybe something will strike me and I will post something, but I am not going to commit to regular posting anymore.

There are so many of you out there that have been so encouraging to me.
When I went through dry periods, you hung with me.
When I had questions you put in your two cents.
When I needed to vent, you listened.
When I needed to flush something out, you where there.

I have learned a lot about faith from many of you.  Your comments to things I have written have challenged me and I will never forget that.

Thank you for this awesome experience and for sharing yourself with me and with the world on this blog.  I pray for God to bless your ministries as you serve this awesome God that we have.  And….I look forward to crossing paths with you someday…if not in this life then in the next, because as Christians…redeemed through the cross…we know that we WILL see each other again…so this is not “good bye”…this is only “see you later”.

So with that…until we meet again.  God bless!

-edh-

Whew…

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

Yup…I am still here.  This past week has gotten busy…which is normal for this time in December.  Let’s see what we have here: (1) Christmas open house at the parsonage is coming up; (2) along with our Christmas program; (3) Christmas worship services need to be planned; (4) and of course there are board meetings with the synod, Bible camp and congregation; (5) Plus the everyday, normal church “stuff”; and (5) For good measure I have a funeral next week.

Whew…

…But don’t get me wrong…I am not trying to whine and complain; sharing my sob story here.  But it never ceases to amaze me how I forget about the mayhem that always seems to hit this time of the year.  It’s like I get amnesia…and maybe that is a good thing, because if I were to dwell on this craziness all year-long I might have run for the hills a long time ago.  But as it stands, I am still here…and…God continues to be faithful.

I am a little stressed, but I know everything will turn out great.  The Gospel will be preached and the Holy Spirit will do its thing.  And after all…isn’t that the point?  To let go and let God be God.  I think so.

So I am going to get back to my “lazy” afternoon of sitting in my favorite chair; drinking coffee and reading scripture.  A combination that you can never go wrong with.  And oh ya…all that Christmas planning and other “stuff”…it will get done.  To the glory of God.

-edh-

Happy Advent

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Has anyone else been taken off guard by the arrival of Advent?  I certainly have been.  Part of it is the lack of snow and cold weather and part of it is…well…I just can’t seem to put my finger on it.  It just doesn’t quite feel like Advent yet.

This morning I walked into the sanctuary and saw the Christmas trees up and some of the decorations up (the rest get hung during our “Hanging of the Greens” service this morning).  It felt awkward, but I got a feeling that once I jump in with both feet, into the deep end (singing Christmas/Advent hymns, puting Christmas music in my CD player, decorating my office and house, etc) things will get better.  So maybe I should just get into the theme of Advent and wait, prepare and anticipate.  I know things will change.  I know the season will get better.  I know “Merry Christmas” will roll off the tongue.   I know all this will happen…much the same and even more…as I know that the days are coming when God will fulfill his gracious promises he made to us through Jesus Christ.

So I will continue to prepare, wait and anticipate…for many things…so bring it on.

Happy Advent and Merry Christmas!

-edh-

God is good!!!

/ The Pastor / 7 Comments

If there was ever a time when I needed to be reminded that God will never give us more than we can handle…it is now.

Here’s the situation in brief:

–As I have mentioned before this weekend is Salem’s 125th anniversary and there is an open house at the parsonage tomorrow (Saturday).

–The bathroom is being remodeled.  We ordered flooring but as of Thursday is just arrived but no one was available to put it in = messy house for open house = stressed wife = stressed husband (me).  Help!

–[Here’s God intervening] One of my trustees has a son who installs flooring (why I didn’t remember is beyond me).  She heard about our setback and called her son and he said he could come on Friday to install the flooring.  PRAISE BE TO GOD!  He just left (Friday morning) to get is tools so he can start.  The  bathroom will now be done by the open house = less stress for my wife = less stress for the husband (me). PRAISE BE TO GOD!!!

–[Here’s God intervening again] Project #2…the patio.  One parishioner is working on this (former landscaper) all by himself = lots of work.  Yesterday and this morning people have been calling me left and right saying they are coming over to help Joel and get this done (Joel is happier).  PRAISE BE TO GOD!!!  And now I am feeling overwhelmed by God’s greatness and faithfulness.

–[The priesthood of all believers] People from the anniversary committee, the congregation president, various other council members, parishioners, and friends from the community (a friend of mine who happens to be the council president at the other Lutheran church in town) have stepped up to make this weekend happen.  Thank you and PRAISE BE TO GOD!!!

In response to this all I can say is “God is good…all the time.  All the time…God is good!!!”

PRAISE BE TO GOD!

-edh-

Storms

/ The Pastor

I love storms…

…especially if they don’t cause lots of damage and no one gets hurt.   When a good ole fashioned summer thunderstorm rolls in I am all eyes and ears.  One time when I was in seminary, a tornado warning was issued for my area.  People in my dorm were heading downstairs to the storm shelter but I took a detour…I went outside to see if I could see the funnel.  No such luck.  Recently I attended a storm spotters training session lead by a guy from the National Weather Service out of Sioux Falls, SD.  I went not to become a weather spotter, but because I like storms; I want to know what I am looking at.  I learned a lot and plan to attend more spotter training classes to hone my weather knowledge…because I love storms.

Casting Crowns sings a song that my wife and I really like called “Praise You in the Storm”.  Since this is a Christian song they are obviously not talking about a summer thunderstorm, but referring to the ole cliche…”the storms of life”.  We all encounter them but the difference is how we react to them: Do we run and hide; crumble under the pressure; curse the storm (and maybe curse God); or do we look at the storm as something that can build us up.  In the Gospel text for this Sunday (Pentecost 3) from Mark 4:35-41, the disciples are in a boat with Jesus when a nasty storm pops up.  Jesus is sleeping but the disciples are scared silly.  Pushed to their breaking point they wake Jesus up and accuse him of not caring for them.  Jesus rebukes the wind and the storm becomes quiet.  He then says “Why are you so afraid?  Do you still have no faith?”

In Job, Job is questioning God about why this suffering has come upon him when God finally speaks up and says “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?” Etc, etc… Job has no other reply than “I know that you can do all things; no plan of your can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2)  The storms of life will not “thwart” any plan that God has and therefore we can have faith and trust that God has still won the day.

How do you respond to “storms”?  Do you run and hide?  Do you crumble under the pressure?  Do you curse God?

OR

Do you “Praise Him in the Storm”?

We can praise God in the storm because God has overcome this world through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ FOR YOU and FOR ME.  A mere thunderstorm can never define you.  A tornado can not take away what God has given you.  A hurricane can not have power over God.

God may not take away the storms in your life, but one thing is for sure…God will be with us through the storm; we will never be alone.  When the next storm brews and threatens all you have…give praise to God for the life you have in Jesus Christ and let the world’s storms take their best shot…you already have a home that no thunderstorm can destroy.  For that…I will praise God in the sun, wind, rain, clouds…and…I will praise God in the storm.

Praise be to God…ALWAYS and forever, Amen.

-edh-

God is awesome!

/ The Pastor

I really want to share with you some details about an encounter with a gentleman (Q) last night, but I can’t because of confidentiality.  But I do want to say that God is awesome and works in wonderful and powerful ways.  I also want to say that I am thankful for the priesthood of all believers because without faithful people living out their faith, this gentleman would not have received the care that he desperately needed…not just last night but for the last couple months.

I want to give a big shout of thanks out to these two parishioners but I won’t.  Rather I will give and big shout of thanks and praise out to God for working through these two people to share the Gospel with Q.  I want to say that it was pure chance and dumb luck that they found me last night so I could talk to Q (I was out for a run and hence away from my home and phone).  But I won’t say that…rather I will say that God is awesome and works in wonderful and powerful ways.

I don’t know what is in store for Q but I can rest assured that he will be cared for and love for the rest of his life.

Praise be to God!

-edh-

Back in time

/ The Pastor

I know I said that I would be back here until April 27 but I decided to pop back in and share with you where I am at right now.

This morning my wife and I woke up on Fir Island; 5 miles south of Mount Vernon, Washington.  Fir Island is an island that is formed by the splitting of the Skagit river as both forks drain into the Puget Sound.  This is also the place where I spent a wonderful year of my life doing my internship at Fir-Conway Lutheran Church.  In about an hour I will be at the church building to see people…and taking a little trip back into time.

Before I go forward anymore I should be a little more specific about my waking up this morning.  When I got up I went into the kitchen and got some coffee.  I proceeded out onto the deck where a magnificent view was waiting for me; one created by God to welcome me to Washington.  As I sipped my coffee I peered straight ahead and caught a view of Mount Rainier…and what a sight it was.   It has to be a clear day up here before you can see that majestic mountain from here.  After a couple breathtaking moments I moved my gaze to the left where I caught the beginning the the sun’s approach over the Cascade Mountains that are just miles from my current location.  After a few moments recalling the many times I got to experiences views of the Cascades I shifted my gaze to the right where the Olympic Mountains were waiting to greet me.  What a sight they are as well.  I stood on the deck sipping my coffee; being greeted by this wonderful creation and gave thanks to our God for His awesomeness and faithfulness…and for my little trip back into time.

I say that this is a trip back into time because as I sit here I am reminded of all the things I learned while here; things I still employ in my ministry now:
(1) Monthly recognition of baptismal anniversaries.
(2) My sermon prep routine that my supervisor taught me; a routine that has served me well for 5 + years.
(3) Basic self care practices.
(4) The affirmation that God, family and self come before council meetings, committee meetings and other last night church events that “need” you there.

…and there are more “little” things that I won’t get into here.  In any case I am  very thankful for my time here and I am very thankful that I get to come and visit for a few days.

I am not sure if I will be back here before I return next week, but if I am not have a wonderful week and I look forward to sharing some pictures from this beautiful corner of God’s creation.

Take care and God bless!

-edh-

Holy Week stress and an answer to prayer

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Holy Week has been a good one for me this year, but there was still some stress for me.  This is an account of one particular stress point and the faithfulness of our awesome God who came through for us.

We have a number of traditions here at Salem Lutheran Church as it pertains to Holy Week; traditions I look forward to.  Here are just a few of them (that relate to my particular stress point this week):

–We have a large rugged cross that stands in the narthex during lent that has a purple cloth draped on it topped with a crown of thorns.

–On Maundy Thursday we strip the altar and bring that rugged cross outside, to the base of the narthex ramp and drape a black cloth over the cross beams.
[A cool story about this from Good Friday.  Our custodian saw a van flying down the street next to the church on Friday.  When the van got to the church and saw the cross at the base of the ramp he slammed on his breaks and came to a screeching halt.  He looked at the cross for a couple moments and then proceeded on his way.  This cross, each year, attracts a lot of attention.]

–On Saturday we bring that rugged cross back inside to prepare it for Easter.  There are rings attached to the cross that hold Easter lilies.  We then staple the palms from Palm Sunday to the cross.  And let me tell you it is quite a sight…as pictured below…

100_0200

…well…here’s where the stress comes in…

…on Wednesday this week my wife and I noticed that the Palm branches from Sunday were dead.  They were dried up and crunchy even though they were still in water.  The problem was that we forgot to cut the ends to allow the branches to soak up the water.  Now what were we to do?  Wednesday was already a stressful day for me and this was the last thing I needed.  One of my deacons came in and cut the ends and put them in water.  We prayed that somehow God would resurrect those palms for Sunday.

On Thursday when I went out to Belmont for Maundy Thursday worship I noticed that Belmont had a bunch of palms that they were no longer needing.

[cue the ligh bulb that popped up over my head]

I asked the ladies of Belmont if Salem could have the palms and they said that would be no problem.  Now we have palms for the cross and our Easter tradition can continue.  An answer to prayer.  Praise be to God!

Now…as I write this, people are up in the sanctuary getting ready for Easter worship.  There are families in the Fellowship Hall preparing for the Easter breakfast.  And I am here finishing this post and soon will be finishing my Easter sermon.  I sit here feeling refreshed from great Maundy Thursday and Good Friday worships.  I sit here feeling hopeful that our amazing God is ever so faithful.  I sit here looking forward to our Easter worship services (as tiring as they will be for me, but I never seem to notice at the time).

God is faithful…not because He “resurrected” some palm branches for us, because…well…just look at the cross.

Have a very blessed Easter Sunday and God bless!

-edh-

That time of the year

/ The Pastor

About this time of the year I start feeling a bit overwhelmed.  Holy Week is bearing down on us; there are classes to prepare for; Sunday worship to prepare for; I have a funeral this week and that is all among anything else I usually do doing the week.  I expressed this feeling to my wife this past Saturday.  And…when I started feeling overwhelmed one would think I would turn to God for help, but often times I try to work harder to make sure I handle everything alright, but this week God has had a sense of humor and thus has humbled me.

Later in the day on Saturday (after I expressed my feeling of being overwhelmed) my wife and I discovered we had an unwelcome visitor in our basement.  My suspicion was a chipmunk or squirrel.  On Sunday after worship we went downstairs to check things out.  And there it was…a squirrel.  I chased it around for a while and was getting close to chasing it out the door, but it decided it wanted to stay.  The next few days entailed me searching the basement high and low for the pesky thing. I would see evidence of it once in a while and actually saw it once, but it quickly ran and hid.  I set a rat trap, but it just sprung the trap and took the bait.  Smart little creature.  Eventually, on Thursday, the squirrel let down it’s guard and got caught in the trap.  No more squirrel.  As frustrating as it was, when I look back on the last few days, it was kind of funny.

Now…today…I went over to the church to get the mail.   I dropped off the church mail in the office and brought mine to my office.  As I was walking back to the parsonage I realized my pocket felt a little lighter.  Yup…I locked my keys in my office for the very first time.

“Yes God…I get it.  You are in control.”

Today is my day off and I am enjoying my weird little circumstances from the past week and I am smiling.  And you know something…I am not feeling too overwhelmed right.  God is indeed in control…

…and praise be to God!

But please God…no more squirrels.

-edh-

I Love to Tell the Story

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story, because I know it’s true;
it satisfies my longings as nothing else would do.
I love to tell the story; ’twill be my theme in glory
to tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love.
(ELW #661)

…that is Lyle’s song…and it speaks of his life.

I wrote about Lyle last week.  At that time he was living his last days.  On Thursday, Dec. 11, at 7:30pm, Lyle took his last breath and I had the honor of being there with various members of his family.  I have been at the bedside of other people as they died but this one was different.  As I said last week, Lyle was like a grandpa to Connie and I so to watch him die was not easy.  Lyle was also a great proclaimer of the faith.  He did this through his words but probably more loudly through how he lived.  The quote from St. Francis of Assisi was indeed true for Lyle:  “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.“

But I want to share one thing that happened that night; something I will never forget.  At around 7:3opm we knew that the time was close.  One of the kids turned off the light above Lyle’s bed and for the first time in a couple days, Lyle opened his eyes.  That was a powerful moment.  It was like he was taking one more look at us before he went to see Jesus and Gladys (his wife who died in Feb.) again.  A couple minutes later he breathed his last.  Of course their were tears, but it was different.  They were tears who came from people who had hope.  Then one of his daughters summed up what we were feeling…she said, “I feel so at peace.“

WHAM!

That was exactly it.  That is the peace that Jesus came to bring; a peace that surpasses all understanding.  It is a peace that we feel when a loved one dies (at least for those whose faith is in Jesus).  It is a peace that tells us not to be afraid.  It is a peace that allows us to say, “See you later.”  The peace that came with the Christ child at Christmas is the very same peace that filled Lyle’s hospital room on Dec. 11.

I am sad that Lyle is gone and I will miss him greatly, but I feel at peace.  Lyle is no longer suffering and Lyle is not gone forever.  He’s gone (physically) from this life, but not from our hearts and minds.  Lyle is not gone forever, but through Christ we will all be reunited again.

May the peace of God that surpasses all understand guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.  And was we live in this peace, let’s join together in praising God always and forever.

“See you later, Lyle.“

-edh-