Pastoral care

God is Always There

/ The Pastor

When all else fails,
God is there.

When memories fade,
God is there.

When loved ones can’t remember,
God is there.

When you seem lost in your own mind,
God is there.

When you can’t remember,
God remembers.

When you can’t function like you used to,
God continues to function.

I recently brought communion to someone who used to know me, but now they don’t. It was sad that she couldn’t be part of the conversation. But what encouraged my heart was when I started praying the Lord’s Prayer, this person who once knew me started praying along. And then when I approached her to serve communion she asked, “What is this?” I responded by saying, “This is the body of Christ, given FOR YOU.” To which she responded with a smile, “Ohhh”. She received the body and blood of Jesus as she always had before. And then thanked me.

Praise be to God!

I hate Alzheimer’s and dementia and what it does to people, but I take great comfort in the fact that God is always there. And when people seem to forget everything else they seem to know, deep down inside, that truth as well.  And in that I also take great comfort.

Holy God, thank you for not deserting us in our time of need. Thank you for remembering Your promises when some people struggle with remembering. Thank you for Your holy presence. Thank you for the hope we have in Jesus. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Achy heart

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

The pastor’s heart is feeling achy because of some pastoral care situations.  I can’t go into details because I value confidentiality but all I can say is this world is messed up in so many ways.

Disease
Brokenness in relationships
Sin
Hopelessness
Pain
Suffering

…they are all around, and I wish I could wave my magic wand and make it all go away (by the way I really don’t have a magic wand).  I wish I could take away the hurt in people’s hearts.  I wish I could heal broke relationships, take away cancer and put hope into sad hearts.  I wish I could relieve suffering.

[That’s not too much to hope for…it is?]

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
[Revelation 21:1-4]

Wow!

Honestly…when I started writing this I wasn’t thinking of Revelation 21, but I should have been.  I can’t take away the hurt that is all around me but Jesus has.  And because of his death and resurrection we have Revelation 21 to look forward to.  I guess instead of a magic wand I need this hope amplified in my heart.  Yes…that will do it.

Thanks for letting me vent for a while.

God…grant me strength. Amen.

edh -|—

A bunch of words

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

I have a bunch of words written on a page right now…ready to be preached this morning.  I carefully reflected on the scripture text this week and prayed for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  And I believe from the bottom of my heart that these are the “right” words.
I believe that these words are more than just something to fill space.
I believe that those words are exactly what God wants me to say this morning.
I also believe that God will somehow use those words for His glory.

I don’t know how, but God will find a way to use those words.  God always does.  I guess that is why I never tire of writing sermons and preaching them.  Sure…it may be a lot of work sometimes during a particularly busy week when I am under a lot of stress, but in the end, God get’s His way.  He always does even if I don’t see or comprehend what way God got.

But this morning I find myself distracted by a pastoral care concern that is striking close to home.  My heart is breaking for this couple and I can’t seem to think of the right words to say.
I am racking my brain…but nothing.
I am searching my heart…but nothing.
I won’t see this couple this morning in worship but I can’t stop thinking about them.  I guess partly because since I am a pastor in the family I am guessing someone will eventually ask me; “why?”  And…as I consider that potential question I am at a loss for words as my heart continues to break for them.

O God…what do I say? What are the right words?

I ask that question each and every week.  I also ask that question whenever I call on someone.  So I guess I need to do what I do each and every week ~ turn everything over to the power of God through the Holy Spirit; trusting in God’s work through Jesus Christ my Lord.  I need to fall back into His loving arms and trust that the right words will spew forth from my mouth this morning…and when I see this couple again.  For if I focus on my brain; my knowledge, I will no doubt mess things up.

O God…what do I say? What are the right words?

So there you go.  A bunch of words on a page and a bunch of words running around in my brain; all waiting to do something.  I pray that God takes the right words and does something amazing; all to God’s glory.

Use my words, O God, that people my come to praise you!

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-

Monday morning check in — God’s power and strength

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

It is weeks like this when I am reminded of my weakness; reminded of the fact that I can not do this alone.  Last Friday my cell phone rang and when I looked at it, the call ID told me it was the funeral director.  That is never a good sign.  Upon answering the phone I was told that G had died on Thursday.  Now get this…her and her husband had been married for 72 years.  That’s right…72 years…that no typo.  I think that is absolutely amazing.  What an inspiration those two have been to many people.  One of the cute stories I have heard about them is that at the young of age 90+ they would sit out on the porch and G’s husband would sing “You are my sunshine” to her.  G is going to be missed by many.

On Saturday I got another call on my cell phone from the funeral director.  This didn’t make me as nervous since we were already planning one funeral.  But this call was about another one…this time out at Belmont.  The deceased lived in Sun City, AZ and is being flown up here for the funeral and burial.  I don’t know this woman but I know the family.

So my week is shaping up like this:  Funerals on Tuesday and Friday mornings; visitations on Monday and Thursday evenings; I have confirmation and Release Time lessons to plan; and Sunday worship and sermon prep…among with other things that come up during the week.  Like I said earlier…there is no way I can do this on my own.  I pray, God Almighty, to give me strength and focus do serve His children and provide the care that they need.  During busy times like this it is easy to let some things slide and not do your best, but when you rely on God’s power and strength, then God’s Will will indeed be done.

Praise be to God!

-edh-

“Vacation”

/ The Pastor / 5 Comments

I am on vacation…

…but not really.  As Christians we are never really on vacation, but as for pastoral duties I am on vacation…

…well…not really.  I went down to my favorite coffee shop to enjoy some time away from my cell phone and visited with a group of ladies (one of which is from Salem).  One of the ladies in that group is recovering from back surgery and is still in some pain.  I guess some pastoral care was taking place.

After that group left I made my way over to another group of ladies to say "Hi".  They had just finished a Bible study at their church.  They noticed a saying on my shirt that had a Bible verse attached to it and wanted to know what it meant.  I couldn’t remember so one lady pulled out a Bible and I looked up the verse.  I guess a mini bible study took place.

On vacation?  I guess that is a very subjective word because Christians should never be on "vacation". 

And what will tomorrow hold for me…on my "busy" vacation?  I will be looking forward to spending some more "vacation" time down at the coffee shop.

Take care and God bless!
-edh-

God is AWESOME – part 2

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

Allow me to continue with my story (testimony) of God’s awesome faithfulness and love…

As the pastor at Salem Lutheran Church and Belmont Lutheran Church I serve as the primary pastoral care giver (I still encourage others to engage in "pastoral care" for one another though).  I visit with people and am present with them when a loved is dying, seriously ill, or whatever the case.  I am there to provide words of comfort about God’s love and faithfulness in a time of pain and need.  I am accustomed to that and find it a great privilege to be with people during these times.  And when I provide pastoral care I know that it is not me alone but God working through me.  When I am called to the bedside of someone who is dying; I am in prayer – asking for wisdom, compassion, empathy and the words (if needed) to bring comfort to the loved ones (and/or to the one who is dying).  I am accustomed to providing pastoral care.

But on Sunday (Jan. 13) I found my myself on the other side of the coin – the one receiving pastoral care.  As I mentioned before, this is the first time that I, personally, have had to deal with the death (or impending death) of a loved one since becoming a pastor.  I have dealt with the death of loved ones before, but this seems like new territory for me (can any other pastors relate to this feeling?).

Anyway…following worship on Sunday a number of people expressed their sympathies and told me that I and my family would be in their thoughts and prayers.  All of those comments meant the world to me.  It showed me in a very real way the community we have become – we rejoice with those who are rejoicing and mourn with those who are mourning.  What a great privilege.  Then came "Jane"…

…Jane is a woman who is in her 50s but has the mental capacity of a child.  She attends worship regularly and is as sweet and innocent as a child.  And as a "child" Jane has a hard time understanding and dealing with illnesses and death.  As Jane came through the line, following worship, she shook my hand and said, "I hope your grandma gets better soon".  This took me back a little bit as I responded to her, "Jane, she’s not going to get better."  Of course Jane did not understand this and went on to tell me that she is going to see her "mommy" today.  But it was the person who was in line following Jane that I will remember…

"Mary" was next in line.  After hearing what I said to Jane; Mary said to me, "Pastor, you know that your grandma WILL be better." I knew exactly what she meant.  That comment made my eyes well up with tears as I responded, "You are absolutely right…thank you." 

Once again…God is AWESOME!!!

God gave me exactly what I needed at just the right time through Mary.  Even though I preach the very thing that Mary said to me…I still needed to hear what God said through Mary.  I needed that gentle reminder.  I needed the Gospel proclaimed to me at that moment.  Mary wasn’t correcting me, but rather Mary was providing pastoral care.  To her (and to many others) I say thank you.

I know that as Christian I am never alone…God is always with me.  But I am also glad and thankful I live in such a caring community.  Even though God is always with me, this impending death of my grandma would be difficult alone. 

Thank you God for your awesome love and faithfulness.  Thank you God for giving me (and all your children) exactly what we need.  Thank you God for strengthen me when I need it the most.  Thank you God.  And I thank all of you for your prayers and notes of concern.  I truly appreciate it.  I will keep you updated on how things are going. 

Thanks again and God bless!
-edh-

God is AWESOME!!!

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

Sunday (Jan. 13) was a difficult morning for me (as I mentioned to you trying to type my Sunday Morning Prayer).  But I should say that it STARTED OUT difficult. It ended up in the awesome glow of God’s amazing love.  Allow me to tell you the story…

On Sunday morning, after I posted the Sunday Morning Prayer, I went up into the sanctuary to prepare for worship.  I run through the sermon one last time and review the bulletin.  I look at the announcements and decide which ones I am going to highlight and in what order.  The final announcement item is always the prayer requests where I highlight the updates from the past week.  And this was where I was planning on telling the congregation what was going on with my grandma.  This was immensely personal, but I wanted, and frankly needed, their prayer support.  I stood in the sanctuary "practicing" the announcements (does that sound weird…to practice announcements?).  Anyway…I was "practicing" the announcements and when I got to the prayer requests my eyes started tearing up and I could not get the words out of my mouth about my grandma.  It was just too hard.  It took me a couple minutes to compose myself and tried again…but to no avail.  Eventually I went to my office; wondering how I was going to do this.  At Salem, Connie said she would come up and help me, but at Belmont I was on my own.  I wondered how I was going to be able to lead worship – I needed strength and focus.  So I prayed…

…then my cell phone rang…

…of course my heart skipped a beat or two when I saw it was my mom.  I remember saying out loud, "Please God, not now.  I can’t handle this now."  With my hands shaking I answered the phone and heard my mom’s voice.  Immediately I knew that I wasn’t going to receive the news I feared at that moment.  Instead mom said that grandma woke up at 2am and was very talkative.  Actually she was more talkative than she had been for months.  At that moment I got goosebumps and felt a strength course through my body.  My tears dried up and I felt a new sense of energy for the morning.  Upon answering the phone I felt I was unable to go on with the morning and lead worship affectively.  But that simple phone call — 5 minutes before I was going to leave for Belmont and as I was praying for strength — I got exactly what I needed.

GOD IS AWESOME!!!

God knew what I needed and gave it to me so I could lead his people in worship and speak through me in the sermon.  God saw my pain and granted me comfort and relief.  And as I sit here, I am still in awe.  Not because I am surprised or blown away that God actually did what He did, but I am blown away by His awesome love, care and concern for one of His hurting children.  God always seems to come through so His purposes can be accomplished.  Not only did God give me the strength and focus to lead worship on Sunday, but God also gave me a testimony to share with others – for His glory.

God is indeed awesome…but there is more to this story…one I will continue later.

Take care and God bless!
-edh-

Celebrating New Life

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

It has been a few days since I have been around here.  When I last showed up I asked for prayers for two people: Lois and Gordon.  I don’t have any updates on Lois but as for Gordon…he died on Monday afternoon (Nov. 19).  Since then I have been busy with the family and doing sermon prep for three sermons (Thanksgiving Eve, Gordon’s Celebration of New Life service and Sunday’s sermon).  Needless to say I have been a little overwhelmed, busy, tired, etc. 

Today (Sat. 11/24) is the Celebration of New Life service (formerly known as a funeral service) for Gordon at 10:30am.  Gordon was a very prominent member of the Jackson community and he will be missed by many.  He was one of the founders of a corporation in Jackson called AGCO.  They manufacture terigators and other implements.  AGCO is one of those companies that keeps Jackson alive.  Besides AGCO, Gordon has been extremely generous in his giving to the church and the community.  About a month ago Jackson lost a prominent citizen and now we are losing another one – two within a couple months.  It is a heavy blow to our community. 

The sanctuary at Salem can hold up to 250 people, but we are set up for 400+.  Our fellowship hall is set up with chairs and a big screen TV (loaned to us by the Coast to Coast store in town) that will carry a live video feed.  It is going to be one awesome celebration this morning, but please remember the family in your prayers all the same.

Next week I am hoping life returns to normal somewhat.  I would be taking a little vacation time next week, but I still have a ton of Advent/Christmas stuff to finish up.  Oh well…I guess vacation will have to wait till later.

God bless you all and I will talk to you later.

-edh-

Monday morning check in

/ The Pastor / 5 Comments

A tough couple days and a prayer request
Good morning!  A very short and busy week is upon me (and many of you as well).  For me I have a heavy pastoral care load with a parishioner in hospice (Gordon) and another parishioner, who I just found out, has cancer (Lois).  It has been a tough couple days.  Please pray for Gordon and Lois as they deal with their present "suffering".  My hope is that they can look beyond this to their promised New Life in Jesus Christ and receive strength and courage to endure.  The road won’t be easy, but they are never alone.

Sermon
The sermon I preached yesterday (Nov. 18) hit home for me more than others.  The text from Luke 21:5-19 talked about the signs of the end.  The way I took this is that we are not to focus and dwell on the signs now, but put our hope in what they point to.  Suffering must and will happen in this life, but if we only focus on the now, we miss the Good News.  It is looking ahead that gives us strength.  I found myself thinking about Gordon and Lois as I preached this sermon.  Gordon didn’t hear this sermon but Lois did.  I hope she finds strength in the promise God has made to her in Jesus Christ.  It is going to be a tough road for her. 

I have just posted this sermon on my sermons blog at:  Sermons by Eric.

Personal stewardship update
My weight loss is still going well.  I have finally hit the 20 pound mark.  I had been sitting at around 17-18 pounds for a couple weeks but now I finally moved past it.  My goal is to lose another 10 pounds and then re-evaluate.  It is so nice to wear clothes I haven’t been able to wear for years.

As for my running, that has been put on hold.  I still plan to run the Twin Cities Marathon next October but right now I am waiting on some shoe inserts.  Both of my heal bones are crocked thus causing me to experience shin splints.  These inserts should help and then I can start running…hopefully next week.  In the mean time I will continue with weight lifting and stationary bike workouts.

Scripture
"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

This is one of the texts the family wants to use for Gordon’s Celebration of New Life service.  Knowing Gordon the way I do, this is very appropriate.  But it is still hard talking about this.  Gordon is going to be missed.

But knowing where our hope comes from:  Praise be to God, always and forever…AMEN!!!

-edh-