Birds take flight,
soaring high,
coasting on the wind.
Where are you going?
Only God knows where.
Oh God, direct me as well.
They swoop here and there,
glide everywhere,
eating along the way.
God providing from His abundance.
Oh God, provide for me as well.
Care-free and without a worry,
for they know no other way,
they know their loving Creator.
They thus live free and with all joy.
Oh God, may I live as thus as well.
God’s faithfulness
Faithful
Oh God,
Your Word is faithful and true,
Your Word is enduring and timeless,
Your Word is changeless and trustworthy,
You have never failed to follow through.
You have never let me down.
Oh God, so
How could I be so faith-less?
How could I be so trust-less?
How could I be so impatient?
You have never given me reason to doubt You, yet I did.
I confess.
I repent.
Hear my prayer and heal me.
Hear my prayer and strengthen me.
Hear my prayer and empower me.
In Jesus name, forgive me.
And now, oh God…
May I shine a light unto Your faithfulness
for all to see.
May I reflect Your glory,
for all to bask in.
May I proclaim Your love,
for all to know.
Satan wielded his sword against me.
Your sword is stronger for Your Word will never pass away.
May I always trust in Your faithfulness.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
You Are
You are holy,
we are not.
You are perfect,
we make mistakes.
You are love,
we are anything but that.
You are strong,
we are weak.
You are right,
we are wrong.
We have good intentions,
but Your plans always succeed.
We think we’re in control,
but You sit on the throne.
We try to take control,
but You rule over all.
We look to our knowledge,
but You have all wisdom.
We plot out our course,
but You are the Way.
Oh God,
We fall short.
We hurt one another.
We go astray.
We forget about You
On our own we are lost…
[Father God, in Jesus name, forgive us]
[My child, you are forgiven]
Oh God,
YOU are…
AWESOME!
The Pastor -|—
God’s Ear
I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my pleas for mercy.
Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
[Psalm 116:1-2]
God is listening for me to cry out to Him
God is waiting with a ready ear
God’s ear is ready to receive
God’s ear is focused on me
God has heard my cries
God has heard the groanings of my heart
God knows my voice
God loves the sound of my mouth
God has acted; I will respond
God is ready; I will cry out…
…as long as I live
Praise the Lord!
The Pastor -|—
Doors
Doors open
and
Doors are closed
Sometimes they are slammed shut.
Sometimes they close ever so slowly.
Whatever the case, a closed door signals
mourning
grieving
loss.
A closed door feels so
final
scary
uncertain.
A closed door means we can’t see.
A closed door means we’re
stuck
trapped
confined.
Oh God, I don’t like closed doors
but…
closed doors also signal something
NEW
we just can’t see it
and therefore we need to live by faith.
Oh God,
grant me the faith to trust in you;
to trust that when a door closes
that you’ll open another one.
Grant me the faith to cling to you.
Grant me the patience to wait for the right door to open.
Doors close
and
Doors are opened
“My child, I AM the Faithful Doorkeeper“
The Pastor -|—
Our Longing
One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. [Psalm 27:4]
Watch the news
Peruse social media
Read the paper…
…and it doesn’t take long to get depressed or angry or worried or concerned about the direction of our nation and society. Culture seems to plummeting faster and faster into the abyss. Satan seems to be setting up his throne for a tyrannical reign.
And then there are those stories of the government reaching farther and farther into the religious liberty camp in order to destroy it. Can the government really legislate what the church teaches? It sure seems like they are trying. Being a Christian is getting more and more uncomfortable in this world.
But thankfully this world is not home.
For the Christian, your focus should not be on worldly comforts but rather on the longing that the psalmist talks about:
Dwelling in the house of the Lord
Gazing upon his beauty
Inquiring in his holy temple.
I reflect on these and suddenly I feel at ease. I feel excited and hopeful. I feel empowered and encouraged as I remember that even though this world seems to be going to hell in a hand basket, Jesus still reigns.
For…
…through faith in Jesus Christ the Christian can have the hope of dwelling in God’s house, gazing upon his beauty and inquiring in his temple. And when you reflect on this and ask God for the faith to receive this promise, then and only then, can you put everything in perspective. For you see, it’s not about putting our faith in our leaders to save us and provide for us but rather praising and worshiping God for already saving us and providing for us. And therefore it’s our job and joy to share this Good News with the world in order to give others hope, because it doesn’t take long to see that one can not put their hope in this world.
Don’t long for things and people of this world, but rather long for God.
Don’t worry and get depressed, but rather long for God.
Don’t get scared or concerned about what the world can do to you, but rather long for God.
Ask and seek
Dwell
Gaze
Inquire
And…
…praise God always and forever.
The Pastor -|—
Hold Me Tight ~ A Prayer
Holy Father,
Your wisdom is awesome.
Your timing is perfect.
Your faithfulness is great.
Your love is boundless.
Your grace is limitless.
Your compassion is comforting.
And it is in these qualities that I find peace for a restless soul.
And so I,
appeal to Your wisdom;
wait for Your timing;
bask in Your faithfulness;
cling to Your love;
give thanks for Your grace;
and rest in Your compassion.
May I always know this peace.
Holy Father,
in the midst of turmoil,
I am thankful for a peace that surpasses all comprehension.
So hold me tight,
and shake me awake when I mindlessly wander from You.
All praise and worship and honor and glory,
be unto You,
Holy Father,
forever and ever,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
Oh God, You are…
Oh God,
You are the God of the past.
You are the God of the present.
You are the God of the future.
You are the God of my everything and for all time.
Oh God,
You hold me securely.
You hold me lovingly.
You hold me faithfully.
Therefore I shall never fear and tremble before this world.
Oh God,
You are present with me in the bad times.
You are present with me in the good times.
You are present with me in all times,
and therefore You are to be praised always and forever.
Oh God,
You reign over uncertainty.
You are faithful despite my anxiety.
You are calming in my anxiousness.
You are healing.
Oh God, You are many things,
and therefore,
all praise to You.
The Pastor -|—
Wonderful moments
I had a wonderful moment in worship yesterday (in addition to the hearing and preaching of the Gospel). It’s a moment that I suspected would come eventually but I was still caught by surprise when I saw it. It was so uber cute and I’m glad I got to share it with the congregation (at least with those who were sitting along the aisle and could see).
About half way through the final hymn I got up and approached the altar to silently pray. I thanked God for sustaining me through a busy morning (2 worship services) after a night where Mayah (my 1 year old) did not sleep much. I asked that His holy Word would continue to work in the hearts of those who heard it this morning and I praised God for His awesomeness, love and grace.
Upon turning around to walk out my wonderful moment happened; my little girl was excitedly walking down the aisle towards me.
[Mayah just started walking this past week so we are still smitten with the cuteness of it all]
My heart melted as I got down on one knee with my arms open wide; waiting to receive my little girl. I could see smiles cascading down the aisle of those privileged enough to be able to witness this moment. When Mayah got to me she lunged into my arms as if she could hardly wait to get there. I scooped her up and proudly walked up the aisle with a huge smile on my face.
For me it served as another great reminder of God’s blessings in my life. It was extremely difficult to get out of bed on Sunday morning after only sleeping a couple hours and the coffee was barely able to give me the boost I needed. With a lot on my mind, God was faithful to send His Holy Spirit to give me what I needed to lead worship and preach the Gospel. And to top it off (like icing on a cake), God sent my little girl down the aisle as if to say, “You are loved“.
What a moment 🙂
I do feel blessed and not just because I have a wonderful little girl and loving wife, but that I have an awesome God who loves me so much. God was faithful so that He may be glorified through this weak and tired body of mine.
So many wonderful moments and blessings all around.
What a great day.
What an awesome God!
The pastor -|—
13-year-long winding road
Thirteen years ago today; at 8:30 in the morning; a Tuesday, God used my dad to utter these words:
“Eric, it is time for you to go to seminary.”
I was totally blown away by this and didn’t know how to respond. My dad went on to say some other words but I can’t remember those…only that call from God. The rest of the day was a blur as I spent the morning with my two pastors trying to discern what was going on. They were quick to affirm this call and the rest is history.
Now…13 years later…I am sitting in a church parsonage reflecting on the past 13 years. What a winding road God has lead me down.
There were times in seminary when I doubted I could do this. I questioned God and wondered if this really was the road I was supposed to be on. I nearly got off the road a couple times but God used various people in my life to keep me going. And I thank God for them because as I reflect back on these 13 years it is clear to me that God was indeed leading me along a winding road to bring me here; to Jackson, MN. I still wonder sometimes why I am here but then God does something and I smile.
Sometimes it is hard to see or imagine that God has a plan.
Sometimes it is tempting to think we know better what we are supposed to do. Sometimes it is hard to hold the course when the road does wind and bend.
But God has been and always will be faithful. And it is so much fun to look back and see those moments. In those times when I thought God was crazy, confused, oblivious, God was working out something wonderful. God sees the whole and complete picture…and…God is working out something wonderful in your life as well. Listen to God; listen carefully. Trust Him…for God will not lead you down the wrong road. Let God be your guide because in the end you will indeed experience something wonderful as you see God being glorified in your life.
So I sit here today; in this church parsonage; reflecting on that call 13 years ago. It’s been an interesting ride and I look forward to seeing what else God will do through me.
God is awesome!
God is faithful!
Praise be to God!
The pastor -|—
The Heart of a Pastor 