Category Archives: Uncategorized

Pastors Get To Do Fun Stuff

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Before my role as an associate pastor, I served for three years as youth pastor. Before that, I volunteered with youth, and was part-time youth minister for a combined 9 years. The truth is, I never felt like I fit in as a youth pastor. After a few years of full-time ministry, I ran out of gas, but I’ve never lost concern for youth, and I love how they want to have tough conversations.

Last night, I had the privilege of teaching our catechism class of 7th and 8th graders. I loved it. I got to walk to them through the history and theology of the Apostles’ and Nicene Creed. They were smart and inquisitive. The conversation roamed far and wide, they asked great questions, and we got to laugh a little too. Imagine that, actually having fun talking about theology! They thought it would be funny to pronounce anathemas on people during the announcement time of our worship service. “Attention! This morning we pronounce anathema against Johnny Smith!”

It was fun to teach a bunch of kids who really want to know and understand what they believe and church history too. I hope they never lose that. I hope I never lose that.

The Magnificence Of The Beard

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Last October, for the first time ever, I grew a full beard. It took an eternity of 6 weeks before I stopped looking like a mangy dog. The itching was almost unbearable in week two, but I manned up and got through it. My chin is more gray than last time I had a goatee, but only on half of it. I call it my “sideways skunk.”

BeardsSome of my observations of the beard… Continue reading →

Book Recommendation: “The Jesus Storybook Bible”

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storybookbibleToday, I’m venturing where I’ve never gone before. I’m going to recommend a children’s book to you. Since my kids were born, we’ve looked for good Bible story books to read to them. There are dozens of them in print. Dozens. Some are better than others.

Up till now, there is one really old school book I like, Egermeier’s Bible Story Book, first published in 1939. We have a copy from the 1960′s. It’s still in print, which is a testament to how good it is. I like this book because it is a good paraphrase of the stories. While lots of kids’ books skip over the unpleasant Bible stories, this one talks about many of them in terms appropriate for kids. I’ve never liked “sanitized” Bibles. I think they set a bad precedent for kids as we teach them how to read the Bible.

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He Is Born!

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DETAIL FROM ICON OF THE NATIVITY

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6–7, NIV84)

Today we celebrate not just the birth of a baby, but the Incarnation of God the Son. Eternally existent, co-equal with the Father, by whom, through whom, and for whom all things were made. In Him are all things held together. He sits on the throne of David already reigning, but not yet returning. All authority has been given to Him, and by Him there will be justice.

But all this is for tomorrow. Today we remember that He came. We remember that He fulfilled the promises of God to us. We remember that He was and is what we are not. We remember that in Him lies all for which we hope, and in Him rests eternity.

Almighty God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin: Grant that we, being regenerate and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

The 4th Sunday of Advent: Love

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candle

1 John 4:7–12 (ESV)

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

What a statement. John doesn’t say God has love, he says God is love. For Christians, this a foundational truth. God loves you and me, not because he has to, but because he can’t help doing so. To hate us would be to deny His nature. God is love. I know this sounds untrue, and more than a little ridiculous, but it is only a fairy tale if it is untrue. If it is true, then it is a powerful truth.

Somewhere in the commercialized Christmas we still want to believe that it really is about love, but there is an inconvenience to this love that isn’t at all what your local department store wants you thinking about right now. The inconvenience is Jesus. No, not the baby Jesus. Not Jesus meek and mild, but the Jesus who was brutally killed, buried, and resurrected. That Jesus. The one that isn’t always so pretty but is always powerful.

We know God is love not by our material comfort or our Hallmark sentimentality. We are assured that God is love by a bloody death on a cross 2,000 years ago. We give gifts at Christmas – hopefully – as a sign of our love for others. I love giving and receiving gifts. I really do. The challenge for me is not giving gifts, but it allowing myself to embrace and express fully the love gift that bought my freedom and began when a Divine baby was born to a virtuous young woman. You know, the kind of love that didn’t come wrapped in pretty paper.

We beseech thee, Almighty God, to purify our consciences by thy daily visitation, that when thy Son Jesus Christ cometh he may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

Rabbit Trails (12/22/12)

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Jackalope RidingBack by (sorta) popular demand…Rabbit Trails! I took a couple of months off, but we’re back with more randomness from the World Wide Rabbit Trail.

Hopping down the WWRT on this Saturday in late December…

HomerShaming2

Dogs feel no shame, which is exactly why shaming them is so funny. There’s a lesson in this somewhere about how shaming and the law are ineffective in creating real righteousness. From dogshaming.com. Continue reading →

The 3rd Sunday Of Advent: Joy

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candle “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13, ESV)

During this Advent season our hearts sing for joy at the coming of the King. He comes to seek and to save those who are lost. He comes to restore this broken world. He comes to heal broken relationships, and he comes to bind broken hearts.

He has come and he is coming again. May we live in that reality.

Stir up thy power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let thy bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

Getting Back In The Saddle

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As you’ve probably noticed, I haven’t blogged much for the last couple of months. When I decided to start a blog, I knew that I had enough spare time to come up with a few good posts per week. Mondays around the church office were fairly quiet for me, and I could get 2 or 3 posts done and schedule them out for the week. I could start the week’s Rabbit Trails post and continue to build it through the week. Then, in August, I decided to take a class at a seminary close by. The class was every Monday morning from 9:20 until noon. Monday morning blogging time was gone, and any other spare time was spent in preparation for class every week. To make blogging matters worse, the subject I was studying would not be of particular interest to my readers, and I really didn’t have the energy to write about anything else. So, for the last few months things have been kind of quiet around the blog. 

Well, the class ended on Monday, and I have that extra time again. I hope to get back to blogging more regularly next week, and Rabbit Trails might even make a comeback. I know some of you liked my collection of random stories. 

Just wanted to let you know that I haven’t given up blogging, I just hit a patch that made it really hard to get anything posted. I’m back in the saddle now, and hope to have some new material starting next week.