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Thursday morning tid bits with a dose of Love

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

National Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer.  A colleague of mine and I lead the prayer service at the Elementary School next door.  The four schools in the Jackson Country Central school district all had short prayer services around their flag poles (of course not sponsored by them but by the Kiwanis group and the ministerial).  The event took place before school so the students could attend along with the community.  The only group of people that COULD NOT attend were the teachers.  They are on "contract time" so they could not participate in praying for our nation, community, our leaders and for our schools. I understand this whole separation of church and state thing — I understand but don’t like it — but come on, 10 measly minutes.  School is not even in session at 8am.  Next year I will talk to the Kiwanis group about starting this event earlier to allow teachers to participate and pray with the community. 

Car seat mania

Confused?  Check out this out:

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This picture represents 67 children who are now riding in safe car seats thanks to my loving and caring wife.  She works for community health and one of her passions is car seats.  My wife is a state certified car seat technician.  Most of these car seats came from two drive through car seat clinics she organized.  Last weekend Connie and her crew checked 51 vehicles and only three had car seats that were installed correctly or that were up-to-date.  People with defective or expired car seats got a new one for free thanks to a grant she received.  Unfortunately the local newspaper was not there covering this event, so this is me, giving Connie some "press".  This is also me super excited that these car seats are out of the garage…FINALLY!

A dose of Love

The Gospel text for this Sunday (The 5th Sunday after Easter) is from John 13: 31-35.  Here Jesus talks about this "new commandment" to love one another.  New commandment?  God gives the Israelites a law in the Old Testament to love another, so Jesus is not saying anything new…right?  Well, actually He is.  Unlikely Conversation: A Lectionary Blog talks about the four Greek words for love.  The "Love" Jesus is referring to is a "self sacrificing" type of Love — a kind of love Jesus shows.  This is "new" and different.  So maybe I need to preach on love and talk about what it means to truly "love one another".  I am also thinking that maybe I will refer back to Maundy Thursday where Jesus gives this "new commandment".  How are you doing with "loving your neighbor"?  On Easter Sunday a number of CEOs (Christmas Easter Only) came to worship — how are you doing in showing THEM love?   How can we love people better? 

Hmmm…I have some things to think and pray about.  I am excited to find out what the Holy Spirit places on my heart today to preach to the people on Sunday.  This sermon prep thing is awesome.

Well…it is time to chat with God and see what is up for Sunday.  God bless you and have a most wonderful day.  Take care.  -edh-

Internet safety

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

My wife and I went to an eye opening forum last night.  It was a MySpace safety forum.  Rick Anderson, a retired cop from St. Paul and currently working with Internet Safety Consulting, LLC,presented this forum on Internet safety and our children.  He spoke with the kids during school and then the adults in the evening.  Even though I was aware of some of the dangers our kids face on-line I was still amazed at what our kids are doing on-line and how vulnerable they are.  Rick brought us to some chat rooms under an alias he uses to police chat rooms — an 18 year old girl.  Within minutes of signing on we had about 10 guys wanting to chat and view his web cam.  He warned us that some pornographic material may pop up with these web cams and said he would removed them as fast as he could (nothing ever did pop up that was offensive).  He said that is one way our kids can easily stumble across sexuality explicit material.  Rick also talked about parents watching very closely at what our kids put on the Internet.  Anyone can pull images off and use information to stalk and seduce our children.  He also shared some horror stories that really got our attention.

If you want some more information about these issues, check out Rick’s website (which I linked to above). He shares a lot of resources to help us keep the Internet a safe place for our children.  The site shares links for various resources such as cyberbullying, Internet monitoring software for the home, and places where you can report suspected abuse.  The Internet is an important tool for children (and everyone) but it can also be very dangerous.

So because of the danger of predators being able to pull images off any web site and use them for child pornography, I have decided to remove my photo albums of my niece and nephew from my blog.  I enjoy showing them off to the world, but I am not willing to put them at risk.  I wish I was more conscience of this before and hopefully nothing will come of it.  My niece and nephew mean the world to mean and it would just devastate me if anything would happen to them.  So please watch your kids and talk to them.  Ask them what they are doing on-line and don’t let them be a victim.

Times are definitely different from when I grew up.  "Internet safety" was not even part of our vocabulary.  But as adults today, we have to keep up if we hope to protect our children and prepare them for the world.  Take the time to keep up — our futures depend on it.  God bless and have a great day. -edh-

Post vacation reality

/ The Pastor

I am back!  I have been on vacation these past few days — hence the low activity on my blog.  Thursday and Friday were lazy days for me.  The weather is finally becoming bearable for shorts so my wife and I went for our first bike ride of the year.  It was nice when we left, but half way through our ride the sun went behind the clouds and it turned cold in a hurry (I guess we jumped the gun a little bit).  It still was nice to get out for some exercise, though.  Today I am looking forward to running during my noon hour.  It is suppose to hit 70 degrees today and you just have to take advantage of that when you can.

I am also hoping with spring finally here I will get more motivated to do some more running and exercise.  I still want to lose about 20 more pounds.  So far I am doing O.K.  Pants that were once too tight for me to wear are comfortable for me now.  That is indeed a good sign, but with diabetes in my family I want to make sure I keep my weight down and maintain a healthy lifestyle.  So far everything is fine, but we are still keeping an eye on things.

Text study

Last week I did not post any thoughts on the up coming texts like I have been lately.  Since I was not preaching I did not go through my normal sermon prep routine — I missed that.  This weekend I am off to synod assembly and therefore not preaching again, but I am still going to study the texts for Sunday.  Whether I am preaching or not, I need to continue my routine of text study — we all need to do that.  So later today or tomorrow I will post some text study thoughts on the scripture for Sunday.

Post vacation (Easter) reality

I was cleaning out my landscaping around my house yesterday.  As I was raking out the leaves I saw tiny, green shoots coming out of the ground.  My plants are rising from the depths of the dark cold ground.  And it was not a far stretch for me to immediately go back a week and think about our Easter celebration.  I was instantly reminded that the reality of the resurrection is always with me.  God’s love for us through Jesus Christ is always present with us.  The reality of the resurrection is not just a once a year thing.  It is a daily promise we have through our baptism.  So take joy in the fact that you are a beloved child of God. 

So rejoice and be glad:  Christ has risen!  He has risen indeed! Alleluia and Amen! -edh-

P.S. Now it’s time for some coffee.

Child Abuse Prevention Month

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and this year marks the 24th anniversary of this national campaign.  Last week my sister left me a comment and asked me to write something about this; so here I am: 

I found a website with some very helpful information at: Love Our Children USA.  There is an Amber Alert ticker, a place to donate money, a place to buy blue ribbons and other items promoting child abuse prevention.  There is also a number of other informational links.  If you page down about a third of the way down, on the right, there is a link titled: APRIL IS CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH.  This link will give you more information about what this month is all about.  Check these links out and spread the word.

"Then little children were being brought to him (Jesus) in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray.  The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs’" (Matthew 19:13-14)

Children have every right to protection as any adult; and to take advantage of a child is reprehensible.  Let us have the same attitude that Jesus has toward children, "for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs."

If you have any other information or web links that would be helpful to people, please let me know.  Thank you, Julie, for reminding us of this very important cause. -edh-

Holy Week ponderings

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Greetings everyone!  God bless you this Holy Week and beyond.

It has been a couple days since I have posted something so I wanted to write and update you on how my life is going and talk about the thoughts running through my head right now. 

Today is Maundy Thursday so I am in the midst of finishing that message up.  I am planning on talking about this "New Commandment" that Jesus gives to love one another.  After all, the word "Maundy" means commandment.  Tomorrow is Good Friday and I still have some finishing touches to put on that service.  Basically the service is one of contemplation.  I will be reading the Passion story, offering up a short reflection after certain selections and then allowing a couple minutes of silence for prayer and contemplation.  I have never done this before so I am curious how it will be received.

Then there is Easter.  The text I am using is the Resurrection account from Luke.  The question that the angels ask the women is one I find myself pondering, "Why do you look for the dead among the living?"  Isn’t that exactly what we have a tendency to do?  I am planning on getting a little "feisty" (did you catch that Kara?) on Sunday.  I am planning on asking people, especially the CEOs (Christmas Easter Only people) why they are searching for the living among the dead?  Why are you searching for meaning where there is no meaning?  Why are you searching for life where there is no life.  If you were searching for a child who ran away from home, you would not look in the cemetery.  You would search for them among the living.  People who don’t come to worship or who do not know Christ need to know that our only true source of life is in Jesus Christ.

Outside of Holy Week preparations life is good as well.  Connie’s sister came for a visit last night with our one year old nephew, Micheal.  We had a great time watching Micheal run around and explore the house.  Tomorrow is my "day off" but I got a feeling that won’t happen.  Oh well, I am on vacation next week so I will get caught up on resting then.

Anyway, I need to return to the task at hand.  God Bless and take care.  May the joy of our Lord resonant loudly in your heart.  -edh-

April Fool’s Joke

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

My Sunday morning (April 1) started out like every other Sunday morning (or so I thought)…

My alarm went off at 6am and I proceeded to hit my snooze three times before finally getting up at 6:18ish.  I turned the heat up a little bit in the house and went into the bathroom to take a shower.  After nearly tipping over in the shower from nearly falling asleep (nothing usual there) I did my normal bathroom thing and got dressed.  I then proceeded to the kitchen to make my breakfast of toast with peanut butter and a glass of OJ.

After I peanut buttered (is that even a word?) my toast I went into the living room to watch a little SportsCenter (I needed to see who won the NCAA men’s b-ball semi final games).  I ate my toast and drank my orange juice and finally found the energy to get off the couch and finish getting ready (I like to get to my office by about 7am on Sunday mornings).  I realized it was nearly 7am already so I was running a little behind.  I hurried to the bathroom to brush my teeth and then I found the shirt I was going to wear.  I finished getting ready, kissed my wife and went to get my keys in the kitchen.  This is where my morning took a frustrating turn.

I looked at the kitchen clock and it read 6:00am.  Through the fog in my head I realized something was not quite right.  I then looked at the microwave clock and then the clock on the stove…both read 5:59am.  I looked at my watch and then my cell phone.  I then ran into the living room…all said it was 6:00am.  Something was very wrong.  I went to our bedroom and the clock on the night stand said…7:01am.

WHAT WAS GOING ON!!!

My wife asked me what I was doing and I responded by asking her if I was in the Twilight Zone.  Then I realized what happened.  The clock in our bedroom is called a Smartset clock.  This clock is so "smart" that it will reset itself when the power goes off.  It will even reset itself at daylight savings time.  But a couple weeks ago it did not set itself head one hour – I had to manually set it.  It could not account for the stupidity of our federal government when it tinkered with the date of daylight savings time.  So when 2am April 1 arrived, it did what it was supposed to do…it set itself ahead one hour. 

Yup…that’s right…I got up at 5am on Sunday. Of all the days of the week when I need to get some good sleep, I get jipped on a Saturday night/Sunday morning. 

Technology can be a good thing, but it cannot account for the stupidity of human beings…and I am talking about our government messing with something they had no business messing with.

So kudos to our federal government for getting me with an April Fool’s joke.

-edh-

Amazing Friday

/ The Pastor

God is awesome and never ceases to amaze me.  When God wants something done, God gets it done.  When God has a word to speak, that word gets spoken.  When God has a message for his people, that message gets delivered.  And there is nothing in my power that I can do to stop that (not that I would ever want to or try).

Yesterday I wrote about "Irony Thursday".  I was trying to write a sermon but found myself at a loss for words as I sat and wrote a post (how ironic huh?).  Anyway, as soon as I published that post I grabbed my Bible and piano books and proceeded to the sanctuary.  I go to the sanctuary when I want to get away and focus without distractions.  I also practice piano to settle my mind down (I have been taking lessons for nearly 2 years now).  After some practicing and praying, I started to listen.  After some time of what looked like me talking to myself (I was actually talking to God and talking through some ideas) I returned to my office.

Now this is the cool part.  I started typing and before I knew it the sermon for Sunday was done.  I entered a zone and the words just flew from my fingers onto the keys of my keyboard.  God never ceases to amaze me.  God is able to break through any writers (preachers) block.  There is no way I could have done this on my own.  Like Martin Luther says in his sacristy prayer "If it were left up to me I would surely bring it all to ruin".

There are many Thursday mornings when I have no clue what I am going to preach on Sunday, but every Sunday a sermon is born; not of my doing but of God’s.  And every Sunday I sit (or stand) in amazement of God’s awesome power.  So I sit here in my living room, on my day off, enjoying another amazing Friday with my God wondering what God is going to do next.  I am not sure what it will be, but if God is involved I am ready to hang on for the ride.  -edh-

Irony Thursday

/ The Pastor

I am experiencing a weird sense of irony.  Today (Thursday) is my sermon prep day.  I got into this habit while on internship following my supervisor’s example.  This routine has served me well.  I write the sermon on Thursday, let it sit for a day (as if I am trying to age a fine wine) and then come back to it on Saturday.  On Saturday I work out the kinks and then practice delivering it a few times.  By Saturday noon I am "done" (sometimes the sermon changes between Saturday noon and Sunday morning).

But as I sit here working on this sermon for Palm Sunday I find myself at a loss for words.  Yet I sit here and write this blog post.  Something is wrong here.  Maybe I need to "prime the pump" some more and hopefully the sermon will fly out of my fingers onto the keyboard.  Maybe I need to go up to the sanctuary and get away from distractions.  Maybe I need to stop typing and get back to work.

Hmmm…

Some weeks I get into a zone and the sermon is done before I realize what happened and some weeks I struggle.  I know I am not the only pastor that goes through this but sometimes I feel I am.

Hmmm…

I am thinking I need to focus some more.  I know the sermon is there, I just need to stop and listen.  O.K….Enough typing (for now).  I am off to the sanctuary again, but I will be back. -edh-

P.S.  I think God gets a good laugh at irony…don’t you think?  O.K. God…I am ready to listen…fire away.

What would you do with $20 million dollars?

/ The Pastor / 4 Comments

Who on earth needs a house that has a bowling alley, a barber shop, a casino, a theater and a two-story walk-in closet?  Well…none other than LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Read more here…

I heard this story this morning and I just had to say something:

WOW!  What a waste of money!  How can someone justify building a house like that with all the crap going on in our country and world.  Imagine all the good LeBron could do with that money.  I know he does do some good, but this house he is building is way to excessive.  For nearly half the year he is going to be too busy to really enjoy it anyway.

O.K…that’s off my chest…take a deep breath…

I can’t help but to wonder if spending money to excess is displaying bad stewardship.  I guess it depends what you are spending it on.  Just because you have the money does it mean that you have to buy "stuff" with it.  Part of me says that I would never want to win the lottery and have a boat load of money come in.  But there is another part of me that would love to give that money away.  Being rich is not evil, it is just what you do with the gift God has given you.  Here’s what I would do:

(1) FIRST AND FOREMOST I would tithe the money to my church and Bible camp (and a couple other ministries my wife and I support).

(2) I would set up college funds for all my cousins yet to go to college (including my wife’s family of course).

(3) I would pay off the school loans of my cousins (including my wife and I).

(4) I would put some money away for my wife and I to retire on (but I would not retire yet) so we could continue to be a blessing to others.

(5) LASTLY…I would not let the money change me (I know, I know…easier said than done, but I would fight changing with every ounce of my being).

I am not bragging here…it just excites me to think about writing a check out for a couple million dollars and giving it to my church and Bible camp.  Wouldn’t that be fun?  What would you do with a windfall of money?  Let’s say you won $20 million in cash – after taxes.  How would you spend it?  I am just curious. 

I am glad LeBron is enjoying his success, but I hope he is not setting an example for others to follow.  Share what God has given you and be a blessing to others.  -edh-

Still being stimulated

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

I am still being stimulated.  The comments to my last post are continuing to cause me to think.  I know there are a variety of people out there that have different beliefs than us, but what is our responsibility in "the discussion"?  If someone is "clearly in the wrong" based on our Christian belief, what should our reaction be?  Do we point out their "error" and condemn them or do we keep the avenues of communication open?

As Christians it is easy for us to say that the Jews are wrong or the Muslims are wrong.  On the flip side of the coin, they can say the same about Christians.  If this is our attitude, then communication shuts down and what about evangelism?  If you encounter an atheist and they say your wrong and you say they are wrong, then evangelism is not going to happen.  Evangelism begins with relationships.  Even though we may believe the other person is "wrong" we still have a Christian responsibility to love and honor them by listening and keeping avenues of communication open.  By doing this we are not validating their belief but rather we are honoring them as a child of God.

Keep an open mind and be patient, but also remember to pray.  We cannot engage this difficult task of evangelism on our own.  Transformation happens through the Holy Spirit.

On a personal note:  I am super excited about heading to my parent’s home today.  My sister and brother-in-law will be home with my 2 1/2 year old niece, Meara.  I haven’t been home for a couple months so this will be a fun and happy homecoming.

Take care and God bless.  -edh-