Show us

/ The Pastor

Scripture reference (Transfiguration Sunday) ~ Mark 9:2-9

Loving God, on that mountain top you showed Peter, James and John a glimpse of your glory.  They saw a tiny piece of the puzzle; a preview of THE coming attraction.  And…as they were drawn to stay in that moment so are we.

But…

…there is a valley.  A valley of darkness, demons, disease, death, fear, hopelessness.  It’s a scary valley…but…we must remain in that valley…at least for the time being.  People need to hear a word of:

HOPE

PROMISE

LIFE

All through Jesus Christ.

Loving God…
Show us your glory.
Show us your love.
Reveal to us hope.  

EACH AND EVERY DAY. EACH AND EVERY MOMENT.

Show us and reveal to us who you really are so we may be your instruments here in this valley to bring this word of hope. And then, through faith in Christ, we look forward to returning to the mountain top…

FOR EVER AND EVER!

Praise to you, O God, for you are great.

Amen!

edh -|—

 

 

Not ready…yet

/ The Pastor / 5 Comments

Sometimes, sometimes…

…sermons are not ready to be written.

Despite the best of intentions.
Despite the best of routines.
Despite the best of scotcheroos (This is my weekly pre-sermon writing treat)…

…sometimes sermons are not ready to make an appearance.

——————–

It’s Thursday, 4:05pm, and the sermon is supposed to be done.  It’s supposed to be done so I can enjoy my day off tomorrow without thinking about it.  It is supposed to be done so it can sit and age for a day or so before I return to it on Saturday for tweaking.

That’s the routine; one that I have clung to since internship (2002-03).  But instead I sit here (now at 4:13pm) writing this blog post.  Grrr…

But why should I be upset?  Seriously? Why should I?  I mean…if I am honest with myself then I have to admit that the sermon I will preach on Sunday is not “mine”.  Rather…the sermon I will preach on Sunday belongs to God.  So if that is the case (and it is) then who am I to get so pushy.

“Hey God…where’s that sermon I am supposed to preach?”

I really need to settle down.  Don’t get me wrong here…I am not trying to give an excuse to be lazy.  I am not trying to exercise my gift of procrastination.  Believe me…I’m not.  I am just trying to make sense of my little “block” here.  Maybe even stall for a while…just in case the sermon decides to makes an appearance before I go home.

[Pause for the Jeopardy Theme]

Nothing?  Oh well…

…I have done my work but apparently God is not done talking to me.  So I am going to stop trying to force the issue and let God continue to do His thing.  After all…it’s His sermon, not mine.  And why should I be worried?  In the 7 1/2 years God and I have been writing sermons together never once did a sermon fail to get done, because after all…

…GOD is in control, not me.

[Continue Jeopardy Theme]

edh -|—

Showing up

/ The Pastor

It is week 2 of men’s morning prayer and I thought I was going to go solo once again.

I got the OJ and coffee ready.
I sat down and did my Bible reading.
Reflected.
Prayed through the worship prayers for healing list.
Reflected some more.

Then…

…around 7:30am someone showed up.  He was driving by and remembered it was Tuesday so he went home quickly, dropped off the groceries he was sent to get and returned to the church.  We sat a chatted about what was going on in our lives.  He asked me if there was anything Connie and I needed help with.  I got an update on how his family was doing.

It was great visiting with him and hearing his question to me.

We then prayed together.  I had our worship prayer list still handy and so I worked through the list of the most current needs.  Being a small church and community he was well aware of what was going on with these people.  He also brought up someone I was not aware of…so we prayed for him as well.

I enjoy private times of prayer, but there is just something special about praying with others; whether it is 100 others or just one.

So we prayed…and then went our separate ways to begin our days.

Next Tuesday I will be back ~ praying ~ by myself or with others.  We’ll see 🙂

Thank you God for your presence and blessing upon the morning.  Whether I am flying solo or whether 100 people show up doesn’t matter; you are there: listening
loving
embracing
Bless the rest of this day that you may be gloried in our lives.  Amen.

edh -|—

Destruction and rewards

/ The Pastor

I came across this verse in my morning Bible reading today and it caught my attention:

“Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.“
(Proverbs 13:13, ESV)

One can never go wrong by maintaining a discipline of daily Bible reading and prayer.  I have been thoroughly blessed by God through reading God’s Word each and every day.  But don’t get me wrong:
–It doesn’t keep me from pain and suffering.
–It hasn’t shown me the secret location of a pot of gold.
–It hasn’t increased my territory.
–It doesn’t give me special protection.
–It hasn’t straightened out my checkbook.
–It hasn’t done the things that the world wants to happen.

But rather…what does God’s Word do (at least for me):
–Gives me a peace like the world can not give.
–Reminds me of what God continues to do for me.
–Show me stories of God’s amazing faithfulness despite our sin.
–I feel a joy that goes beyond happiness.
–I have felt more bold in my witness.
–I have hope within this messed up world.
–It gives me guidance in my roles as pastor, husband, friend, leader, etc.

I have indeed felt rewarded…not because of MY effort in maintaining this discipline but because GOD is faithful.  This is God’s doing, not mine.  I don’t celebrate my effort.

The temptation is to think that if you are more faithful in your spiritual disciplines that God will bless you because you’re being more faithful, but it just doesn’t work that way.  We are “rewarded” because it is the nature of God’s Word.  You aren’t rewarded because of YOUR strict discipline of eating fruits and vegetables but because that is just what they do…it’s their nature to be good for you despite the kind of person you are.

The “reward” of God’s Word is there, you just need to open your eyes to what God has done FOR YOU through Jesus Christ.

The “destruction” that comes into play when we stray from God’s Word is:
–Focus on our strength ~ which is never strong enough.
–Looking to the world for happiness ~ which is always fleeting.
–Our outlook on life extends only as far as THIS life will bring you ~ death.
–Hopelessness when times get tough.

So go to God’s Word for GOD is faithful!  Seek God and He WILL be found.  Dwell in God’s presence for that is pure joy.

Hallelujah and Amen!

edh -|—

Morning routine – Morning fuel

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

It’s amazing what happens when you shut off the TV in the morning.  It is amazing what you hear, notice and feel.  It’s amazing how peaceful it is.  It’s amazing how different your outlook can be.  And…it’s amazing how much I don’t miss my old, usual routine…which was (after I showered and got dressed in the morning):
–Make coffee and breakfast
–Turn on ESPN
–Boot up the computer and log into Facebook
–Multitask

That was the routine ~ each and every morning ~ but not anymore 🙂

Everything has changed…

I’m on the computer now and I have been on Facebook this morning, but I didn’t start my day that way.  And…the TV is still off, except for a 5 minute blurb earlier to watch a news story with my wife.

Lately I have found a new morning routine.  And it might surprise you that this is “new” for me considering I am a pastor for crying out loud.  Now, the routine is this (after I shower and get dressed of course):
–Make coffee and breakfast
–Boot up my Kindle Fire
–Read my Bible and other devotional readings
–Post scripture and devotional highlights straight to Facebook and Twitter
–Pray
And I do this while multitasking (eating and drinking coffee).

I like this routine.
I like starting my day like this.
I like filling my head and heart with God in the morning instead of sports.
I like sharing my God insights with people in the morning.

You see…how you start your day will go a long way in dictating how you approach each and everyday.  Do you start and approach your day from a worldly point of view?

OR…

Do you start and approach your day filled with God?

Trust me…it makes a huge difference.  But don’t get me wrong here.  I am not trying to give you some steps in having your best life now,  but rather how to have a better relationship with God NOW for that is what is important.  I still have bad days from time to time but the difference is that I am more aware of God’s presence and promises.  How the Timberwolves did last night is not going to help me during the day.

BUT…

Hearing stories of God’s faithfulness…well…that is just AWESOME.

What’s your morning routine?  Is God involved? Let’s fuel up correctly in the morning and praise God along the way 🙂

edh -|—

A proud pastor moment

/ The Pastor

I just have to share this with you because…well…just because.

Today is release time day (Wednesday).  Kids in grades 3 – 5 have the option of being released from school to go to the church of their choice for religious instruction.  I have the privilege of teaching 20 energetic, fun kids.

Anyway…

After a brief check in time I took them outside to play and run around for a few minutes before coming back in for the lesson.  After the kids came back in and settled down into their small groups I told them that I wanted to take some time to pray for a lady of the congregation who was at the doctor to find out about an impending surgery.  I told the kids that I told this lady I would be praying for her during her appointment.  So I asked the kids to pray with me.

Now…

Normally during prayer time the kids usually don’t sit still and stay quiet.  I mean, after all, they’re kids.  But as I was praying for this lady…not a peep or a movement.  This was serious and the kids took it that way.

I was so proud of them.

At the end of class I ask who wants to lead the group in prayer and I usually get a bunch of volunteers.  So one of my 5th graders prayed.  She prayed about what they learned in class…and…then she prayed for this lady.  Once again…I was so proud.

I take no credit for this rather I give praise and glory to God for working in the lives of these kids.  My prayer for them is that they take moments to pause during the routine of their lives to pray and that it is OK to pray for people as we feel so moved.  And I hope I continue to do the same thing.

Prayer needs to be the norm and not the exception.
Prayer needs to be commonplace and not weird.
Prayer need to be comfortable and not uncomfortable.

Pray without ceasing; enjoying communion with the God of the universe; knowing that we can lift ANY request to God at ANY time.  God is waiting to hear from you.

Let us pray…

edh -|—

Time with God

/ The Pastor

This morning I started something new here at Salem:
Men’s Morning Prayer
Tuesday mornings from 7 to 8am 

This past Friday God placed it on my heart to do this so I set it up.  I sent an email to my Salem and Belmont list; set up a Facebook group; put information on the Salem web page and made announcements during worship and at the annual meeting on Sunday.  I didn’t know what to expect.  After all this was pretty sudden, but I still felt it was important.

So I showed up at 6:30am this morning, made some coffee, got the juice out and began reading…and waiting.

No one showed up.

Correction…

…God showed up.

So I sat there in the church library and read the Bible, prayed, read some more, prayed some more – and stayed there until 8am.

There was a time when I would have been very frustrated.
There was a time when I would have left after maybe 30 minutes or so.
There was a time when I would have considered dropping this plan.

But this morning I had a great time with God.  I found myself dwelling in 1 John.  I read a section; stopped; meditated; prayed; re-read it and moved on.  It was great.

Do I wish some men had showed up?  Sure.
Did I waste my time this morning?  Absolutely not!

So next Tuesday I will show up again at 6:30am; make some coffee; get out the juice and wait.  And I will continue this each and every week.  If no other men show up then so be it.  At the very least I will have an hour of quiet time with God.  And one just can’t go wrong with that 🙂

edh -|—

Amazing compassion

/ The Pastor

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am will,” Jesus said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. (Mark 1:40-42)

Wow…is anyone else blown any by this?  It can’t be just me.  I mean…this is awesome.  This is amazing.  This is incredible.  Wow!

I never tire of reading these stories of Jesus “crossing the line” to show a love like no other.  I mean ~ this man had leprosy; he was an outcast; he was unclean; he wasn’t even supposed to approach Jesus.

 

The law dictated that this man announce his presence “Unclean! Unclean!”
…but nothing.

The law dictated that Jesus not associate with him or touch him
…but he did.

The law was clear
…but…well…it’s Jesus.

“Filled with compassion” ~ that right there says it all.  Jesus was filled with compassion at how this man was separated from society.  Jesus could feel his pain.  And Jesus was willing to “cross the line” in order to restore him.

This story is more than just Jesus giving this man new flesh.  This is a story of restoration, renewal and new life.  It actually is a precursor to what Jesus is going to do for all of humanity.

Because of Jesus’ amazing love, grace and compassion for us, he went to the cross.

Suffered
Humiliated
Died

…and then three days later rose from the gave…

FOR YOU!

For you see, we too were outcasts; unclean; alienated from God because of sin.  But through Jesus’ compassion; his death and resurrection, we are restored to community through faith.  We are restored to life. But more importantly we are reconciled to God.  That is pretty awesome 🙂

So I guess that’s why I never tire of these leprosy stories for in them I am reminded of Jesus restoring this sinful man (me) to new life.

Wow…now that’s amazing! Praise be to God!

edh -|—

That time of the year

/ The Pastor / 6 Comments

Annual meeting day.

Some of you have done the annual meeting thing already this year.  For us (Salem Lutheran Church), this is kind of late but because of some scheduling conflicts we had to push this to today.

Oh well…

Today we are gathering to look back on what we did in 2011:
the financial report will be reviewed,
committee and ministry team reports will be reflected on,
and highlights from the past year will be recognized.

We will also do some looking ahead:
the proposed budget will be introduced and voted on,
we will hear updates on church projects,
and we will look at some goals for the year.

All of this is important…and needs to be done.  But there is another important work that must be done.
–It’s something that shouldn’t be on the agenda because it should be second nature.
–It shouldn’t be something we check off so we can move to the next agenda item.
–It should even be part of the agenda that get approved before we start the meeting.

This important task is something I should not even need to say…but I will.

PRAYER

Some of you may be saying “Well duh…we always open meetings in prayer.  What’s Eric talking about?”  Good…I am glad you do.
–But what if…what if…we opened our meetings in prayer, in communion with God, and just sat in silence (however uncomfortable) – enjoying communion with God – and waited.
–What if, instead of worrying about agenda items (what WE want to do) we instead allowed God to direct our time.
–What if we spent more time discussing mission opportunities than arguing over how much we should spend on certain budget items.
–What if we did the work of God.
–What if… [Me drifting off to ponder…]

Let us pray for direction.
Let us pray for wisdom.
Let us pray for patience.
Let us pray for faith to follow.
Let us pray for strength to do the work that God has given us to do.
Let us pray…

[Pause in silent prayer]

Amen!

God bless your day and your annual meetings as you do the work of God.

edh -|—

Refreshed, renewed and rested

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

I had a great time at the Desiring God 2012 Conference for Pastors.  There were about 2000 pastors there:
singing
worshiping
and engaging in fellowship.

We were:
encouraged
refreshed
and energized to be better pastors and leaders.

I attended with 3 other colleagues/friends.  It was so edifying to be able to process with these Christian men about what we were taking away from this event.  I also came home with a lot of resources; a stack of books of which I only bought 4.  Not too bad 🙂

Much of what I learned I am still processing.  The fear I have with these conferences, though, is that I come home so fired up and energized; thinking I am going to change the world RIGHT NOW, but often times I cool off.  So my prayer is that the Holy Spirit keeps this fire burning.  My hope is that the more I process and talk about this event the better.  Last night I shared with my Worship/Music Team an idea and we are already at work trying to implement that idea (more about this will be coming soon I am sure).

I am so thankful for my wife, Salem and Belmont Lutheran Churches for giving me these opportunities to get away and grow in so many ways.  Now…it’s time to return to life and see what the Holy Spirit does through me.

Dear God, please keep fanning the flames that were ignited in me these past few days.  Help me to not forget.  Help me to be a better pastor, husband, leader, friend, son, brother, etc.  May you be praised in all that I do; that all may see your loves in my words and actions.  May my life be a reflection of you.  Amen.

edh -|—