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The water tank

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

For someone who is so used to preaching and teaching on a regular basis, it is so nice to just sit and listen to someone preach to me and teach me…and fill my water tank.  Sometimes I forget that if you keep pouring water out of a glass that eventually the water will run out. The temptation is to think that I have an endless supply of “water” to give…after all I am the pastor.

What faulty reasoning because…

I am a human being.
A finite creature.
And more importantly…I am not God.

It is during times like this week when I am reminded of this and that I am not a failure if I need to rest and get away.

We all need to be fed.
We all need nourishment.
We all need to be cared for.
We all need to be “refilled with water”.

Who ever you are make sure you are taking time each day to allow God to “fill your water tank” so you can be a blessing to others…all for the glory of God.

May God forever be praised.

-edh-

Returning…

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Wow…June 21 was my last post on this site.  In that particular post I mentioned that I was not going to commit to regular posting.  But now…the motivation for me to post something is changing.

I recently created a new website for the congregation that I serve, Salem Lutheran Church (www.salemjackson.wordpress.com).  For that new site I am using WordPress.  Maybe my return to WordPress has stirred something in me, I am not sure.  But the other reason is that on Salem’s site there is a page for my ponderings and thoughts.  I was thinking that I would update that page but then thought, “Wait a second…you already have a blog with a bunch of ponderings.  Why not just link to that one and post there.”  So here I am.

If you have been a regular reader who just happened to check in…”Hi”.  If you are a new reader stumbling across my site…”Hi”.  If you are…well, you get the picture.  I am glad you are here.

It feels good to be writing again and I look forward to continued conversations with you.

Take care and God bless!

-edh-

“Stewardship” Sunday

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

“Stewardship is not about the church’s need to receive but rather about YOUR need to give.”

I heard the above quote at a stewardship seminar I attended a couple years ago (I may have even blogged about it but I can’t remember).  I bring this up because this coming Sunday, Nov. 8 is “Stewardship Sunday” at Salem.

“Stewardship”…Sunday…isn’t every Sunday about stewardship?

Isn’t every day about stewardship?

I mean seriously…shouldn’t we talk about stewardship as something we do everyday as a response to what God has done for us in Christ?
–Aren’t we stewards of the Gospel?
–Aren’t we stewards of our time, gifts and talents?
–Aren’t we stewards of “our” possessions?
And if we answered “yes” to all those questions (and we should) then “Stewardship Sunday” is something that needs to be done away with because “Stewardship Sunday” should happen every single day.

I also bring all this up in light of the Gospel text for this Sunday which is from Mark 12:38-44.  This is the story of the woman giving her two small copper coins (all she had) and Jesus commending her for giving out of her need (as opposed to the rich who gave out of their surplus).
–Is this text about us being better stewards?
–Is Jesus calling our attention to the fact that she felt driven to give despite her poverty; knowing God will care for
her?
–Do we use this text to highlight the church’s need to receive, our need to give, all of the above or none of the above?

I wonder if I need to do something different this year and totally throw people off.  Maybe I need to just rename this Sunday to “Turkey Dinner Sunday” because after all that is what we are also doing on Sunday.

Do you have a “Stewardship” Sunday?

-edh-

Sabbatical

/ The Pastor / 9 Comments

I little while back…post #499…I mentioned that I still feel called to write this blog but as I sit here and even write this post I am struggling to think of the words to type.  I have gone through lulls in the past, have taken breaks, etc, but this is different.  I am not sure how this is different (I can’t put it into words) I just know it is.

So with that I am taking a “sabbatical” from blogging for a little while.  I am still going to follow the blogs that I have been following; I just won’t being writing much for new content.  I am not “closing shop”, just taking a break.  I hope you will be patient with me and periodically check in.  I am hoping that not having a regular routine of blogging will either stir the desire in me to keep writing or confirm something else in me (i.e “Has this blog run it’s course?”).  I lot of questions will be addressed within me and I hope answers come soon.

I am going to continue my connection and communication with people through Facebook and Twitter so feel free to check in with me there as well.

So I am off…on blogging sabbatical.

Til we meet again.

God bless!

-edh-

Recovering

/ The Pastor

A nasty flu bug kicked my butt Monday after supper and just this morning started moving out. My energy is slowly coming back now and I have a lot of catch up work to do here. I do look forward to getting back to blogging very soon.

Take care of yourselves (and wash your hands) and I will see you soon.

-edh-

Priesthood of all believers

/ The Pastor / 4 Comments

The priesthood of all believers is one of the basic tenants of the Lutheran faith; that we are all ministers; all preachers of the Word of God.  Some people just happen to be called and set apart for this ministry, but it doesn’t mean it is reserved for the clergy alone.

A week or so ago my wife started writing and emailing devotions to her co-workers (and I managed to get on her email list as well…surprise, surprise).  She has been more faithful in writing than I have been at blogging recently (I hope she keeps it up).  Each night she spends about an hour or so in devotions; searching scripture and writing what God places on her heart.  Her devotions are thought provoking and definitely come from God (I keep telling her she need to write a blog, but so far no luck).  Each morning I sign on to my email and there is her devotion for the morning…and she ministers to me.  She says that every once in a while a co-worker will tell her how thankful they are that she does this…but don’t worry…she never let’s those comments go to her head.  She feels so unworthy to be doing this but at the same time she feels that God is placing these devotions on her heart to share.

For me, Connie epitomizes the “priesthood of all believers”.  She saw an opportunity to share Christ at work and she is taking it.  She doesn’t do it for her glory but for Gods.  Allow me to share an excerpt from her devotions for this morning (I do have her permission to share this) that speaks to this very thing…being a minister where ever we are at:

Colossians 3:16-17
“16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Here again we are commanded to be thankful and give thanks to God.   Do you ever think about your job being an extension of the Lord Jesus?  He just told us it is in this verse.  You are showing Christ when you answer the phone, do some filing, deal with a difficult person, go to a meeting, or go out on a visit.  I remind myself constantly throughout the day that whomever I am dealing with is a child of God.  He created this person and I need to love them, no matter how difficult.  I am thankful for people who have differing personalities because if everyone was like me, we would have way too much chaos in this world!  With Thanksgiving coming tomorrow, I want you to know that my thanks to God include my job and my co-workers.  I feel blessed to be able to share these devotions with you and know we are all focused on the same God everyday.

I am thankful for ministers such as Connie.  We all need to epitomize the phrase “the priesthood of all believers”.  It can’t simply be left up to the clergy.  Look for opportunities to talk about Christ.  Whether it is through an email devotion like Connie is doing or whether it is through how you respond to a “difficult person”.  Each and every person can be a minister/preacher in a variety and a number of ways.  Don’t miss your opportunity.  But what ever you do, do it all for the glory of God; giving thanks and praise to Him.

-edh-

My blogging call

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

Wow…it’s been just over a week since I showed up here.  This has been one of my longest blogging droughts since I started blogging just over 2 years ago.  I am not sure what it is…

Maybe a little writer’s block.
Maybe a little busyness with a few funerals on top of everything else.
Maybe it was me just needing a little break to re-evaluate my call to this blog.

It seems strange to talk about blogging as a call, but I truly believe it is a call.  It’s a call just like anything else…

Being called to be a teacher.
Being called to be a doctor.
Being called to be a garbage collector.
Being called to be a parent.

Not everyone has the desire to write about stuff going on in their little world.  I believe I have been called to this unique ministry and the call is still there.  Sometimes we need to go through periods of time when we test our call; when we question if this is what we are supposed to do.  And if we are truly called to a certain vocation, God will affirm His desire to use you in that vocation.  I am not sure what God’s plan is for me, but I am going to continue to listen and see what that is.

In the mean time…I will continue to write and throw ideas, thoughts and pondering out to you.  I will continue to invite you to comment and share your ideas.  I will continue to be challenged through reading other blogs (which I have been doing through this “drought”).

So with that I need to run and get ready for tonight (Wednesday).  Tonight I am taking a group of 30 people to Sioux Falls to serve at The Banquet; a feeding ministry in Sioux Falls, SD.  I am guessing I will be sharing my experience later on.  But in the mean time you can check out the following links.  One is the website for The Banquet and the other two are previous posts that I have written about experiences at The Banquet…so enjoy and I will see you all very soon.

The Banquet
Website for The Banquet.

The Banquet
This is a blog post I wrote in 2006.

Feelings I won’t describe
This is a blog post I wrote in 2007.

Take care and God bless.

-edh-

The downward spiral of communication

/ The Pastor / 4 Comments

I am becoming more and more convinced that, as a society, we are in a downward spiral when it comes to communication.  Don’t get me wrong…we have more ways to communicate with one another than we did 5, 10, 15 years ago.  Communication has sped up and has allowed us to get more immediate feedback.  And communication has become more efficient.  But I believe one-on-one; interpersonal communication is changing rapidly…and in a lot of cases for the worse.  Allow me to give you a couple examples from my own life:
(1) I was checking my Facebook account one day when I received a message from a parishioner here in town.  She had a question for me.  So naturally I wrote back, answering her question.  A minute or so later she responded to my response and then I did so likewise.  This went on for a couple messages before I realized something.  This person was just across town…either go over there or call her, I thought…so I called her.  And you know something, we were able to take care of what we needed much faster and more efficiently than writing impersonal messages back and forth.

(2) Two weeks ago I was getting ready to head back to Sioux Falls to attend the LifeLight Music Festival.  Connie was already over there.  As I pulled out of my driveway, Connie sent me a text message asking me a question.  I stopped the car and replied to her.  She sent me another one and I replied again.  After my second message I realized (once again) “why don’t I just call her?”…so I did.  We were able to take care of what we needed much faster and more efficiently than writing impersonal text messages back and forth.

(3) I recently heard a news report on TV that said that more and more teachers are discovering the negative impact that text messaging is having on written communication in class.  They are seeing papers using text message shorthand…because that’s how more and more teenagers are communicating…and it’s carrying over into the real world.  Are we in a catch-22 situation?  Do we need teach young people text message shorthand (like we actually need to teach this) so they can get by in the world?  Do we allow them to use this shorthand in class?  Does stopping this put teens at a disadvantage out in the world?  These seem like strange questions to ask, but I can’t help but to wonder.  What does this say about our future?

Now…I do believe that Facebook and text messaging and email and the like do serve a good purpose.  If I am in a class or a meeting, sending a quick text message to my wife is an easier way to communicate without disrupting anything.  But if all possible…I want to make the phone call.

What would Jesus do today?  Would he have a Blackberry or some kind of smartphone so he could communicate with teens today?  Would Jesus have an email account?  It seems to me that Jesus would value face-to-face; voice-to-voice communication.  There is just something more personal about it.

With all the advances in technology, relationship building through communication is taking a huge hit and spiraling downward.  But who am I to talk…I am sitting behind a computer writing this.  I just returned a Facebook message from a friend 4 blocks away and my smartphone is lying 6 inches from me just waiting to be used.  I guess I, too, have a long ways to go.

-edh-

Monday morning check-in — Ramp project among other things

/ The Pastor / 8 Comments

We are off to a great start on a beautiful and cool Monday morning.  Now I am praying for some rain because my lawn continues to turn the dreaded brownish color (and our crops could definitely use a drink as well).  But according to the “weather experts” (I always use that title loosely) we should get some rain this week.  Maybe I should be a weather dude; then I could say “there is a 50% chance for rain this week” and have a 50% chance of being right.  Not bad odds.

Ramp project
I know it has been a while since I have given an update on our ramp project.  So here’s an update…it’s done:


We still have some landscaping to do on the north and south sides.  On Sunday, September 14 we will be having a short dedication service right before worship.  The idea right now is to ask people to gather outside before worship.  I will then have a short litany and then “J” will cut the ribbon (her and her husband, “G” gave the money for this project but “G” died shortly after they gave us the money, but did express his wish for a new ramp .  “G” would be so happy to see this done…I wish he could be here).  I am not sure how the litany will go right now.  Does any have any suggestions of what you have used or seen used for something like this?

What’s next?
Next year Salem Lutheran Church will be celebrating it’s 125th anniversary of ministry.  So with that in mind we will be continuing to fix up some things around the church.  Our next big projects will be to repaint the sancuary and the Fellowship Hall.  We have a professional coming in to paint the sanctuary because of the high ceiling but we as a church will handle the Fellowship Hall painting.  After those projects we have some other minor ones to do to get ready for next year. 

But right now my frustration is that we are having a hard time getting people to volunteer to serve on a planning committee for this anniversary celebration.  I know people are busy, but this is a big deal for the church.  I wrote a newsletter article for September so that combined with my persistent president asking people hopefully will produce a committee.

[If you’re a Salem member reading this, please, please volunteer and share your gifts].

Training update
6 weeks and counting until the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon.  Training is going well, but my wife is still a little nervous.  There are days when I wonder what the heck I am doing and then there are days when I feel super confident.  But either way, I know this is going to be a difficult race, but I am still looking forward to tackling this goal and accomplishing it.  God has been with me through all the ups and downs and I am confident God will give me the strength to finish the race.

Coming up…
(1) I am working on part 3 of my Ministry model vs. Business model series; a series talking about a new structure for my church council.

(2) Last week I failed to post a Coffee Shop Ponderings post, but I will be back with one this Thursday.

(3) This weekend I am heading to the LifeLight Christian Music Festival in Sioux Falls, SD with a bunch of friends.  It is a free festival with many big name Christian artists like: Micheal W. Smith, Casting Crowns, Jeremy Camp and many more.  I will post more about this weekend and might even have some pictures.

With that I pray you have a very happy and blessed day.  Take joy in the Lord for He is good. 

Take care!
-edh-