God’s faithfulness

Fall Theological Conference

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

I am on the road today with The Heart of a Pastor and find myself in St. Cloud, MN (here since Sunday evening).  Thank God for free wireless high speed Internet access.  But believe it or not, I am paying attention to the speakers.  I am one of those people who can multi-task.  I am listening intently (that is a very subjective description), while monitoring my Facebook site, reading the scripture for Reformation Sunday and periodically working on my newsletter article for November (Yes Vicki…I am working on it and will get it to you when I return).  Now we are on a break so I am able to write this post (adding this to my multi-task table would push me over the edge).

Anyway…I wanted to share with you a couple nuggets of information that I heard yesterday.  The speaker was Professor Rolf Jacobson, professor of OT at Luther Seminary.  I had this professor for my Psalms class during my senior year.  Yesterday, Rolf spoke about a Lutheran understanding of scripture.  Here are a couple nuggets that caught my attention:

—Scripture is the living Word of God of what God is doing RIGHT NOW…among us.
The Bible is not just some history book of what God did for his people many thousands of years ago.  I believe there are many people who hold this view.  But God is working among us now, today, right now and the Bible shows us what God is up to.

—If people don’t know the stories of scripture, then they won’t know who they truly are.
When we listen to stories from grandpa and grandma, from aunts and uncles, etc, we are not only hearing about stuff that happened to them in the past, but we are learning about who we are in this family.  When we hear the stories from scripture we are learning who we are in the family of God.  God’s faithfulness in the OT is not just some good story, but reminds us that, imperfect that we are, God is still faithful to us today.

I am constantly surprised by how many people I encounter are Bible illiterate.  We need a culture change, but how are we going to do this?

-edh-

Monday morning check in

/ The Pastor

Summer is unofficially over.  Are we all sad now?  I have mixed feelings about that.  I am sad that the “freedom” that summer brings is gone for 9 months, but I am also excited for things to start up again.  Next week Release Time (grades 3 – 5) begins.  In two weeks, Wednesday Night Live (age 3 – grade 5), 6th grade Bible class and Confirmation (grades seven and eight) begin.  The unofficial end of summer also means I have to re-adjust my routine.  Everything will change next week with the addition of class preparation.  It usually takes me a few weeks to get back into the swing of things, hence, September is usually a busy and stressful (but a good stressful) month for me.  So I am going to prepare my Release Time lesson this week as sort of a practice run before the real thing begins next week.  How are the rest of you viewing September?  Is it stressful, exciting, etc?

LifeLight
The LifeLight Festival was this past weekend.  LifeLight is a free Christian music festival just outside of Sioux Falls, SD at the Wild Water West water park.  I think is it absolutely amazing that they can put on a festival like this and not charge admission.  We were told that it costs about $800,000 to put on LifeLight.  Businesses, churches and other faithful supporters make this weekend possible.  If you haven’t been to LifeLight plan on checking it out sometime.  It is held over Labor Day weekend every year. 

On Friday night of the festival this year the headliner was Switchfoot; Saturday it was Michael W. Smith and Sunday night Casting Crowns closed things out.  On Saturday night the crowd was in excess of 100,000 people.  Standing up and surveying the sea of people definitely made me me feel very small.  Other artists we heard throughout the weekend included: Matthew West, Lincoln Brewster, Sanctus Real, Natalie Grant, Family Force 5, and much more.  It was indeed a very fun weekend.

Rain
Today I am thanking and praising God for rain.  It has been dreadfully dry here for a long time.  When I walked on my grass last night it crunched beneath my feet.  But today I can here a collective “sigh” from all the lawns in town.  And according to radar this rain will last for quite a while.  God is indeed faithful.  We go through these dry spells every year and every year we get nervous and wonder if this is the year we will need to replace the lawn.  But every year God brings the rain to nourish the crops and the grass and everything else.  God proves to be faithful year in and year out.  Maybe one of these years I will learn to trust God.

Heavenly Father, I believe, help my unbelief.  You prove to be faithful yet we worry about tomorrow.  You prove to be loving yet we often fail to show love toward our neighbors.  You prove to be gracious yet we fail to show grace to others.  Thank you God for your Son who died for us despite our shortcomings and rose to New Life so we may live.    Lord God, thank you for your faithfulness, in Christ name we pray, Amen.

Take care and God bless!

-edh-

Getting a little concerned

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

For the past few days, the "weather experts" have been forecasting severe weather to hit SW MN today; into tonight and tomorrow morning.  Normally I get excited about thunderstorms but I am not excited today.  I am actually getting a little concerned.  My wife called me from work this morning and said that in Lakefield, MN (10 miles NW of Jackson) there are a number of storm chasers from Oklahoma waiting for the tornado outbreak that is expected to hit our area.  These people are the serious chasers, so when they come to your area, it means they expect something big.

The logical and faithful thing to do is pray for God's protection as these storms develop and rumble ever closer.  But yet I find myself thinking of the worst.  I am worried about my wife who is in Windom (20 miles away).  I am worried about my friends and parishioners (Jenna and her dad are traveling to Sioux Falls today).  I am worried about our house and all the stuff we have.  I am worried about the church building (if anything, I hope the sanctuary ramp is destroyed but the building spared.  The ramp is coming out anyway).  Basically…I am worried.  Please pray for all those in the path of these storms. 

I know we have an almighty God who is in control.  I know we have a loving God who wants nothing but the best for us.  I know we have a God who will never leave us.  And even though I am worried about what the day may bring; whether it is a devastating tornado or minor storm damage, I know God will be with us through it all.  But I still cannot help but be a little concerned.  "Oh God…I believe, help my unbelief."

-edh-

Amazing God

/ The Pastor

Two weeks in a row I have missed my Monday Morning Check-in post.  I still do plan to continue with Monday Morning Check-in but with Vicki still out of the office, my whole routine has been thrown into the air.

First an update:  I talked with Vicki today and she is still in the hospital.  There is still no word on when she will be coming home, so I’m on my own for bulletins this week again.  We are hoping that Vicki will be back to do the May newsletter, but we’re not holding our breath.  I am currently getting volunteers in place to help me with that task in case Vicki can’t.  So please continue to pray for Vicki.  This has been really hard on her.  She just wants to get better and get home.  It has been over a month and this is getting really old for her.  Her job will always be safe here (I keep assuring her of that since she keeps worrying about it), but we still miss her and look forward to having her home soon.

Now for the main reason I am writing today:  GOD IS AMAZING!!!

Last Thursday a 93 year old parishioner of mine had a "massive" (that was the doctor’s word…a word you never want to hear) heart attack.  He was placed on life support after receiving three stints.  When I was at the hospital on Friday, doctors did not give G much hope to survive this heart attack.  Part of me fully expected to be preparing for a funeral this week.

But yesterday (Tuesday) I found out all life support has been pulled and G was doing great.  I went to see him on Tuesday and he was sitting up in bed and conversing with me.  I gave him communion before PT came to pick him up.

WOW…GOD IS AMAZING AND AWESOME.  This man has survived a couple strokes in the last few years plus this heart attack…all the while living alone in his own apartment and still active; driving himself to where he needs to go.

Yet another example of how God’s time and plans are not always in line with ours.  We need to be patient and let God take care of things; for God is always faithful.

We have an AMAZING GOD!  AMEN!

-edh-

Monday randomness

/ The Pastor / 7 Comments

It is Monday morning and my routine is all thrown off.  As some of you may know, my office computer "died"  this past week.  I have a guy coming in this afternoon so I am hoping for a quick resurrection. Hopefully the hard drive is alright and it’s only the power supply that is shot.  In the mean time I am typing away on my lap top.

Sermon prep
This past Wednesday we had a great Bible study – studying the up coming Sunday texts.  I gained a lot of insight through this group and through all those who left comments on this blog.  I really, really appreciate the body of Christ as we gather together to discuss the Word of God.  I can’t imagine being involved in ministry as a "solo" pastor.  We definitely need each other.

Personal stewardship update
Last month set a goal for myself to run the Twin Cities marathon in Oct. 2008.  Right now that has been put on hold.  I have been having some problems with my shins and found out recently at a doctor’s visit that I have flat feet and that is probably is the source of my problems.  I have an appointment with a specialist to check my feet out.  So I have turned my attention to biking and weightlifting.  Maybe I will be the next Lance Armstrong – minus the drugs 😉

But on a positive note I have lost 16 pounds since mid-August.  I can’t tell you how excited I am.  I have gone down a pants size and have moved into large shirts from XL.  Today I even comfortably got into a medium shirt.  Whoo hoo!

God is awesome!!!
God has been incredibly faithful.  Even though my I am "suffering" through computer problems, God is still faithful.  Even though I "lost" my sermon last week, God’s Word was still proclaimed.  Even though "my" running goals have been (hopefully temporarily) derailed, I am still losing weight.  God is faithful.  God is awesome.  And through all these "hardships" I will praise God.

-edh-

One of those weeks…

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

It’s been one of those weeks…

…A number of pastoral care issues have come up for me this week and therefore my blogging presence has been minimal.  Besides the individual I mentioned in my "Sunday morning prayer" post from this past Sunday I have a parishioner(who lives in Waseca, MN — 1 1/2 hours away) who just had a stroke.  I left this morning and just got back this afternoon.  Tomorrow is going to be packed with nursing home visits plus I have a couple home communions to celebrate this week.  I guess when it rains it pours (literally and figuratively).

But through all these pastoral care visits I have seen and heard many stories of God’s faithfulness.  One parishioner told me about a dream she had when Jesus came and spoke to her.  It gave her so much comfort and gave me goosebumps.  F (the individual from my "Sunday morning prayer" post) is still going strong and taking everything in stride and is as feisty as ever (our Lion’s meeting last night was interesting — in a good way).

I have more visits tomorrow and am looking forward to more reminders of God’s faithfulness.  Whether we are active and running around, sick and in bed, or immobilized because of a stroke, God uses each of us to proclaim and show His love.  Each of us has a purpose…even to our dying day.  And…to our dying day…GOD IS FAITHFUL!!!

God bless and take care!
-edh-

A matter of perspective

/ The Pastor / 4 Comments

This past weekend I made a monumental decision…I decided to CHANGE my normal morning running route.  I know, I know…a Lutheran CHANGING something…wild, I know, but I needed to spice things up a bit. 

We have a trail system that lines the Des Moines River in Jackson which is really pretty to walk, run or bike on, but even that was not enough to prevent me from deviating from my normal course.  So…I left the trail and hit the road.  As I was running I came upon Bluff Ave. in Jackson.  This street is not very long (about a block and a half), but it does have a hill.  I have driven it many times and never really thought much about it…until I arrived at the base of the hill.  As I looked UP the street I thought to myself, "Who tampered with this street and made the hill steeper?"  My run up that hill was interesting.  I made it, but I was puffing pretty hard by the time I got to the top.  Of course no one tampered with the street, but that hill sure looked bigger outside the confines of my car.

This morning I decided to alter my route once again, not because the Bluff Ave. hill scared me, but because a friend of mine challenged me to run along Springfield Parkway.  Dan said he runs this street and the long gradual hill is quite a workout.  My first thought was, "What hill? (I need to tell you here that I have lived in Jackson for over three years so one would think I would know this town pretty well by now…a town of 3,500 people).  As I thought I realized that there was a little incline to that street but no big deal.

<Insert chuckle or laughter here>

As I left the trail and turned onto Springfield Parkway this morning I was once again blown away.  "Who tampered with THIS street?"  Springfield Parkway is quite a bit longer (just over 1/4 mile) than Bluff Ave but not as steep, but the hill still look monstrous because of how long it was.  I made it to the top, but once again I was puffing a lot of air.

After my experiences with Bluff Ave and Springfield Parkway I realized something.  For the first time I was looking at those two streets from a difference perspective.  In my car I hardly noticed the hills because my car is doing all the work.  My car doesn’t even down shift to tackle those hills.  But outside my car, those hills looked like mountains (O.K….I may be exaggerating…sightly…but they WERE big).

I then started reflecting:  This is a lot like our relationship with God.  When we turn things over to God, life seems more bearable, but when we try to handle things on our own, little problems look like mountains that are far beyond our capabilities.  It’s really a matter of perspective.  God seems to make big problems (or mountains) manageable.  God doesn’t take them away, but is our source of strength.  And when we can’t do it anymore, God is the one carrying us.  I think that is why I like the poem "Footprints" so well.  When the person walking on the beach could only see one set of foot prints in the sand, during the most difficult times in his life, it was then that God carried him.

So God showed me something today.  Even though I can run Springfield Parkway and Bluff Ave. without keeling over dead, I would not want to do that day in and day out.  I am glad God is my God.  I am glad that I don’t have to walk this life alone.  I am glad that I will always have someone who cares and understands me.  God knows my strengths and weaknesses.  God knows when I can handle things (with His gentle nudgings and encouragements of course) and Gods knows when I can’t do it.  And when I can’t do it, it is then that God carries me UP that hill.

It’s a matter of perspective:  With God or without God.  It’s really a no-brainer…isn’t it?

-edh-

I35W bridge collapses

/ The Pastor / 4 Comments

Many, if not all, of you know by now that the Minneapolis/St. Paul area was struck by a terrible disaster that has effected my people far and wide.  The I35W bridge collasped on Wednesday around 6pm (peak rush hour).  My wife and I were with some friends at the Mall of America yesterday when we heard the news, but the magnitude of the event did not totally strike me until I arrived home and turned on the TV.

First and foremost, please pray for the victims and their families, the rescue workers and all those involved and/or affected by this terrible tragedy. 

I live over 3 hours away from the bridge but as I sat watching the intro to The Today Show this morning, I could not hold back the tears.  Its amazing…one minute you are driving on a bridge minding your own business and the next blink of your eye your in the river wondering what just happened.  I can’t even begin to fathom what that would be like.  You don’t expect things like this to happen.  Bridges are not suppose to fall from underneath you.  Hopefully authorities can figure out what happened and work to prevent this from happening again.

But it is in times like this I am even more grateful for our awesome and loving God.  God is our strong tower.  God is our mighty fortress.  And God will never tumble, fail or fall away.  In times such as these I turn to and hold on to God who comforts me.  And I know that God will comfort those who have lost loved ones.  God will be with the rescue workers.  God will be there among the rubble until the last survivor is found and the last body is pulled from it and laid to rest.  God is awesome and God is faithful. 

Loving God, comfort us in our time of need.  Be with the victims, families, rescue workers and all those involved with this tragedy.  Words cannot adequately express our feelings now, but we know that you are faithful.  Thank you God for always being faithful and for being with us always.  You never desert us and you never leave us to fend for ourselves.  Thank you God!!!  Through Christ we pray…Amen.

-edh-

Anniversary time

/ The Pastor / 7 Comments

Good morning!  It is another Monday morning.  A busy weekend is done and another one is lurking around the corner.  Monday morning is a low key day for me as I wrap things up from the weekend.  I proof my Sunday sermon to get ready to post to my sermons blog.  I return some emails.  I do what I am doing right now (typing this post) and I usually field a number of those "Monday" phone calls.  So far things are quiet…but just wait.

Oh…another thing I guess…today is my three year anniversary of my ordination.  It is hard to believe that it has been that long.  I still remember that day very vividly…how could I forget…It was mine and Connie’s wedding weekend.  Oh ya…tomorrow is mine and Connie’s three year wedding anniversary.  We figured that since we had family traveling from some distance for the wedding we might as well have the ordination the same weekend.  It also gave my mom something to do.  Since Connie’s mom was in charge of the wedding my mom got to organize and host my ordination party.  Once, Connie’s mom started getting her fingers in the ordination part of the weekend and my mom told me (and I quote) "You tell her (Connie’s mom) to back off.  She gets the wedding but your ordination and it’s reception are mine".  Got to love my mom.

So as I try to focus on the work of the day I find my thoughts drifting slightly (can you blame me?).  Actually I am trying to make reservations somewhere for me and my wife for tomorrow.  So far no luck but Is till have a couple things up my sleeve.

Anyway, I hope to focus pretty soon on the ministry God has brought me here to do.  Three years and counting and who knows how long this will last.  God has been faithful with Connie and I through three years of marriage.  God has been faithful in guiding me in this ministry.  And I know God will continue to be faithful as He leads me (and Connie) into the great unknown.

Thank you, God, for being faithful. Amen!
-edh-