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Freedom!!!

/ The Pastor / 7 Comments

Img056 This is a scene depicting 54 old car seats from a car seat clinic my wife organized.  I titled this "Freedom!!!" because these have been in our garage for some time and now I am free of these plastic shells.  Today is citywide clean-up so that is why they are sitting on the curb.

But in all seriousness, this is the second year my wife has done this.  She is a certified car seat tech and has a passion for child safety.  This scene of 54 old car seats means there are 54 more children that are riding in safe car seats now.  It is a lot of work for her (and for me for that matter), but it is all worth it.

Freedom…Yes…but safe kids…even better.

[I am hoping this makes up for the burnt wooden spoon picture :)]

-edh-

LATE ADDITION:  When I posted this earlier today I failed to mention and give some credit to my sister who came down from the cities to help with one of these clinics.  Julie is also a car seat tech.  Connie and I were both very grateful she could come.  Plus we got to spend some quality time togther (which includes time with my cute little niece).

Monday morning check in – 04/21/08

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

Wow…what a novel concept…me actually posting a "Monday morning check in" on Monday 🙂

Anywho…

It’s official reprise:
I feel a little different today; after having had a couple days to let this whole marathon thing sink in.  I registered for the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon on Friday and then ran six miles on Saturday.  That ties my longest run since high school and you know something…I felt great.  The first couple miles were tough as my body loosened up, but after that I felt myself getting strong and stronger.  I don’t know how long that feeling will last for I have no idea where my "runners wall" is (The runners wall is the point where your body runs out of energy reserves; usually around the 18 -21 mile mark.  A marathon is 26.2 miles).  I am going to be running a 18.6 mile race this summer so we’ll see if I hit my wall then.  In any case, so far I am having a great time and getting more and more excited about the marathon.  My sister and mom left a comment for me at my last couple posts about running and they said they would be at the marathon cheering me on.  That meant the world to me.  Now I pray that God keeps me healthy enough to run this monster race.

WHOO HOO!!!
Our church secretary, Vicki, is back in the office.  She’s not going to be here all morning, but is back getting some stuff done.  Vicki still has some more healing to do and strength to build back up again, but it is great to have her back…even if its only for a short time today.  My life feels somewhat "normal" again.  Praise God!!!

Scripture
This verse from the first lesson text for this Sunday (Easter 6) has captured my attention today:  "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously again your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." (1 Peter 3:15-16) 
Questions to consider:
(1) Is Christ set apart, in your heart, as Lord or is their another lord in your heart (i.e. success, money, athletics, etc)?
(2) Are you prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have?  Are you able to verbalize or live out this hope?
(3) Are you gentle and respectful when it comes to sharing the hope that you have?  Are you patient with others?

I believe these three questions are ones many Christians struggle with.  What do you think?

-edh-

Sunday morning prayer – 04/20/08

/ The Pastor

Great news…

…our church secretary, Vicki, is finally home and feeling much better.  There is a strong possibility we will have her back next week, at least for a little bit.  But I want to make sure she takes it slow and not rush back.  We don’t want her over doing it too soon.  Thank you for the prayers.

In other news…the parishioner I talked about earlier, G, that had a massive heart attack, died on Friday.  He was all set to come home to the Jackson hospital when he developed pneumonia and had another heart attack.  That was Thursday and died by 3pm Friday.  G was all set to die and was not afraid.  His faith definitely gave him peace during this difficult time.  Thank you for the prayers.

With that being said, let’s join ourselves together in a word of prayer.

Loving God, there are so many times that we just don’t understand; where we throw up our hands with the psalmist and ask, "How long, O God?  How long?"  We search and search for answers.  We search and search for clarity.  But the more we search the more things become cloudy.  And in the end all we are left with is a hope through Jesus Christ.  And even that becomes cloudy in our doubts.  O God, grants us patience and help us to trust you more, knowing that your Will, will indeed be done.  And when your Will is done, may we rejoice and give you all glory.  Thank you, God, for your loving faithfulness.  In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

God bless you and take care.

-edh-

The point of no return

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

In the matter of hours I will be entering the point of no return…

…tomorrow…Friday, April 18 registration opens for the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon.  This is a goal I set for myself back in August and now tomorrow, it begins to become more and more of a reality.  And as I sit here I am feeling a little nervous about it because after I register…and I am officially in…there’s no turning back unless I want to throw away $95 (registration fee).  I shouldn’t be nervous, but I am.

I think part of my nervousness comes from the fact that I have had to deal with two separate running injuries this year.  Back in January I developed shin splints from building up my mileage too fast.  I had to rest about 2 weeks before starting over and slowly building my mileage base back up.  Then back at the beginning of March I suffered a pulled groin muscle.  And let me tell you…that was not fun at all.  This set me back about 3 three weeks (currently I am in my second week of running since recovering from that injury).  Now, in the back of my mind, I am wondering what is next.  I can’t afford any more set backs the closer I get to the race date (Sunday, Oct. 5).

But I still believe I can do this.  Some people think I am crazy, and maybe I am, but for some strange reason I have always wanted to be able to call myself a marathon runner.  No…I didn’t fall on my head or anything, but to be able to complete one of the ultimate tests of human endurance is something I want to achieve.  I know it is going to be difficult and there will be times when I will feel like quitting, but I think that will make achieving this goal all the more satisfying.

So when tomorrow morning rolls around, I will be on-line registering for the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon (not that I am worried about chickening out if I wait)…crossing the point of no return.  But even though I am still a little nervous about hitting that registration button, I am also excited.  I’m excited because I will be one small step closer to completing a goal I have always wanted to complete. 

[And having the "point of no return" hanging over my head will definitely help with the motivation]

So…here I go…nerves and all.

-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-

Continuing education

/ The Pastor / 7 Comments

Greetings all!  I am still among the living…I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth.

My week of vacation last week was very relaxing and restful.  My time was jammed pack with a whole lot of nothing.  Of course my wife just rolls her eyes at me when I review my schedule with her.  Then she rolls her eyes some more at me when I try to explain why I am so "tired" and ready for a nap after a long day of doing nothing.  Oh well…at least I am feeling more and more refreshed as time goes by.

Now I am at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN (the seminary I graduated from) for a week of continuing education.  The title of the course I am taking is "Tending Large Life Transitions:  Preaching and Counseling in Weddings, Divorce and Death".  The course is a series of three classes during the week:  Finishing Well: Dying, Death and Continuing Care; Marriage and Divorce Reconsidered; and Preaching Weddings and Funerals.  It is going to be a week packed full of information that will be very useful in my ministry.  And let me tell you…it is so nice to just sit back and be fed for once.

And…in the midst of my relaxing and continuing education, we are being socked with a HEAVY SNOW WARNING.  They are predicting up to 8 inches here.  Wow…winter really needs to let go.

Anyway…that’s my update.  I look forward to sharing some of what I am learning here.  I am already gleaning a lot of good resources.  In the mean time, take care and God bless…

…and I’ll "see" you later.
-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-

Tired and excited

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

Greetings and salutations (or "hallucinations" as my custodian likes to joke).

I had a very fun and very busy weekend this past weekend.  Because of that I did not get my normal "Sunday Morning Prayer" posted.  I will be resuming that this Sunday.

This past weekend, my wife and I along with two other couples (plus a baby) packed a van and traveled down to Iowa to the Amana Colonies (follow the link to see for yourself…it was really neat).  We had some great German food (and of course some great German beer).  We walked through some really neat stores and had breakfast at an old stone hearth bakery.  Needless to say I took a "tiny" step back in my marathon training.  Oh well…I will get back on track this week.

In any case, the weekend was a great little break for me.  This Lenten season has been an extremely busy and tiring one for me…on so many levels.  Please don’t get me wrong here though…I don’t mean to wine with a sob story, but I am tired…and excited.  You see…Holy Week and Easter is what keeps me going.  This is the time of the year that gives me so much energy.  I am going to prepare hard for this joyous time of the year.  I am going to give all I have (and then some).  We are going to praise God for the gift of life we have in Jesus Christ like there is no tomorrow. 

In a way…I am running a marathon and am sprinting to the finish line.  The adrenaline is pumping and I am ready to "finish" hard…but…

…after I finish this "marathon"…after Easter is done I will be crashing hard for a couple weeks to recover and re-fuel.  Frankly…I will need a break.  So please excuse me if I don’t post as much as I normally do until after Easter.  With my energy reserves running low, I need to focus on what I need to do here.  I love leading worship during Holy Week and Easter and love preaching during this time even more.  It is such a powerful time for me (and my wife).  I know I will have the strength I need (thanks be to God), but I need to focus on my church family here.  I will be stopping by to visit the blogs I normally read, but I need to take a break from writing for a little bit, but with a periodic post from time to time as energy and time allow.

So in the mean time, God bless you as you prepare (however that may look for you) for Holy Week and Easter.  And may we all basket in the glow of God’s awesome glory.

Praise be to God…always and forever!
-edh-

Sunday morning prayer – 02/24/08

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Greetings and salutations…happy morning to you all!

…don’t ask…I just woke up this morning full of energy and ready to go…despite the trying week I have had.  Maybe it’s because I haven’t preached and lead worship for a couple weeks…I don’t know, but I am ready for the day.

Another death
My trying week involved not only mourning my grandma’s death but also mourning the very unexpected death of a 77 year old woman in my congregation on Wednesday morning.  Gladys went in on Tuesday for a "routine" surgery (whatever that means), developed a blood clot on Wednesday and died at around 2am Thursday morning.  I was at the hospital on Wednesday night with the family (I never got to see Gladys) but left at 10pm…fully expecting to see Gladys the next day.  I guess you just never know.  Please pray for her family.

The orchestra
My highlight of the week, though, was listening to the Minnesota Orchestra during their concert here in little ole Jackson, MN.  It was an absolutely amazing show.  One of my favorite pieces featured a bassoon duet.  WOW!  According to my wife, bassoons often get the nickname "belching bedposts" (no offense to any of you bassoon players) but these two bassoons were far from being "belching bedposts".  They were amazing.  My wife and I along with four of our friends went to the concert…dressed in "formal" wear.  After all…we were going to the orchestra.

So this week has been an up and down one.  I am praying for an "up" day today.  So to start things out let’s join together in a word of prayer…

Loving God, you sent your Son, Jesus Christ to seek and save the lost.  You sent your Son, Jesus Christ to seek and save us.  You know our sins.  You know our past. You know that we will let you down again and again…but that doesn’t matter to you…for your love is great.  Thank you for sending Jesus into the hostile territory of our hearts; quenching our spiritual thirst and desire.  Thank you God for not holding our sins again us but rather offering "Living Water" to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Thank you God for saving our lives.  In Christ’s name we pray…Amen. (reference made to John 4:5-42 – The woman at the well)

Take care and have a very blessed day.
-edh-