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March 28, 2010
The last week has been quite busy. The coming week doesn't look like it will slow down any. It is Holy Week for us. I have a meeting to go to Tuesday. Thursday is our Maundy Thursday service. On Friday, I have two Good Friday services to help with. I suppose Jesus was probably pretty busy the week before the Passover meal as well.
One thing Easter almost always brings are tulips and grass. I love the tulips that bloom in the yard. I detest the grass that I have to cut. Two of my neighbors have cut their grass this week. I'm a holdout. Maybe I'll cut the grass this week. I don't know.
Here recently Macey, has picked up some interesting abilities. First, if you say, "cow" she will say, "mooooo!" Also, she counts to 3 with you. "Bye", "hi", and "thank you" are easy ones to get out. Sometimes, she talks back to us, but none of it makes any sense. One night, we were trying to tell her something and she would jibber-jabber right back at us. We'd try to talk to her again, and she'd jibber-jabber some more. I told Lisa that sometimes it is like having a foreigner living with us: everyone is talking but we just don't understand one another. But it sure is fun.
March 19, 2010
Every now and then, people ask how things are going at church. The honest answer is, "Not perfect, but pretty good!" We installed a new sign in the front yard. Monday CYF has 11 teenagers in it who are not even part of the church. We are accomplishing a lot of what we need to be doing.
At home, I've even managed to get some things done. I intended to put some of those hockey puck lights (I'm sure that is not the technical term) under the kitchen cabinets. It took me a month and several holes in the wall, but I finished. The next project was to make some storage space in the attic. As with most of my projects, that did not go so well. I'm stuck on that project and have just put it on hold.
Here recently we learned that Lisa will not be offered her job again next year due to budget cuts from the state (thanks Gubner!) and the county. It is possible she could be rehired. In the meantime, we're stuck with just trusting that God will take care of us. This idea of trusting in God to take care of you is not easy to understand and we talked about it at Bible study yesterday. However, (I'll spare you the details), I have seen two things today that suggest maybe trusting in God to take care of us one way or another may be the best thing to do.
Additionally, I am honor bound by my sermons to not worry too much about it. Several weeks ago, I told you about our trip to the Rescue Mission. Lisa and I remembered that the house and car and all those things are nice, but what matters is that we have one another. We'll be just fine one way or another.
So, spring is here and I get to play outside. No time for worrying.
March 9, 2010
Lisa and I do not really care for eating at home and we certainly don't like to cook. So, we do just about whatever we can to make it interesting. For a while, we went through a phase where we bought something from the produce department at the grocery store that we had not had before. Eventually, we went through just about all the options available.
So, I have moved along to the meat department. Last week, I bought beef heart and tried that. It truly was okay by my standards (and a WHOLE lot cheaper than other parts of the cow). However, I have noticed that the cheaper grocery stores are the ones who carry the more "interesting" cuts of meat. I've heard theories about why that is.
The beef heart dinner solidified something I had suspected all along: I'm just a bit more adventurous than Lisa is. If it were up to me, we'd move to a different state ever year. If I had the money and time, I'd take the summer off to hike across the country. However, our differences are okay. This is part of the reason I think Lisa is so unbelievably dependable. I know where she'll be and what she wants out of life.
I don't think there is any theological point here other than to simply enjoy the world that God has put us in. Take care.
February 24, 2010
Yesterday, Bernie told me my journal dates were January when I've been writing in February. If you're reading this, thanks Bernie. January flew by between missing two Sundays for snow and missing one because I was sick. I was paying my bills and one was due March 2. I said to myself, "Great! I've got another month to pay it." I really am stuck in January.
I was doing some research and came across the quote below:
Witnesses simply tell what they know. They don't have to convince anyone or win any arguments. In love they just tell what they know. - St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Muskego, WI
While on my sabbatical, I've been giving evangelism some thought. I think we don't like evangelism because it puts us in the position of being a salesperson. However, that is not what evangelism is. The church's quote above makes reference to that.
Evangelism simply means sharing our faith. It doesn't mean being morally superior, it doesn't mean convincing anyone, or arguing with them. It is simply saying, "Here's my story. I hope it makes a difference for you. But, if it doesn't, that's okay.
There is a song that is built around the healing of a blind man by Jesus. Some of the lyrics say, "I don't who he is, but he healed me." That's evangelism.
February 17, 2010
Ugh. It's tax time. I have to render under to Ceaser that which is his. Puts me in a mighty foul mood.
February 15, 2010
Last Tuesday, I wrote a journal entry in which I went on a rant about Joel Osteen and his off-beat, out-of-bounds theology and charging people to see him and so on. After writing it, I knew every word I wrote was true, but it just didn't feel right to post it in the Spirit of Lent and forgiveness. So, Osteen is off the hook for a while. Maybe I'll post that some other time. Just in case he is reading this, happy Fat Tuesday, Joel!
And, Fat Tuesday it is. Today we feast before denying ourselves through Lent. Today, we party. Tomorrow, we bear the ashes of repentance. I have never really denied myself anything during the season of Lent. Maybe I'll start this year. I have 14 more hours to decide.
Since I wrote my nasty entry about Joel Osteen last week, I've had some form of pneumonia. I just made a possible connection. One day I criticize Osteen, the next day I have pneumonia. Hmm.
Anyway, last Wednesday and Thursday was probably the worst I have ever felt in my life. There is something about being that sick that when you get better you feel unbelievably thankful for simple things such as sleeping, eating something other than jello, and walking. The thankfulness usually wears off after a few days though.
Well, that catches everyone up on what's happening. I hope you have a meaningful and peaceful Lenten journey!
February 4, 2010
I've heard many complaints about the snow we've been (and continue) getting. None of those complaints are coming from me. I've enjoyed the time at home with my family. Last week, I used the time to learn to make potato soup. I received some help from my dad. However, I added my own spin to it. It actually turned out really well.
We started sending Macey to a new babysitter this week. I can't even begin to say what a difference it has made. Macey is happier there. Even better, the woman lives about half a mile away from our house. Lisa got home so early that we were able to have a date before it was time to pick Macey up.
I hope that everyone has a good and safe weekend. I've threatened (half-heartedly) to move worship to Wednesday. If we don't get to church, find a way to spend time with God.
January 26, 2010
This has been one of those weeks where Lisa and I have had one mini-catastrophe (is that an oxymoron?) after another. The week started out with a $425 electric bill, which led to the discovery of a broken heat pump, which led to a service call, which led to another bill. Lisa caught a stomach bug. Macey was not allowed to come back to day care anymore because she apparently cries too much. I could go on, but I'll stop.
This has always led me to wonder if God does test us in a Job-like fashion. I don't know. However, I'm happy to report that if this is a test, I'm doing pretty well (except for one Monday tirade).
January 20, 2010
Karl Marx (and many after him) said that religion is the opiate of the masses (or is it mass??). This morning I was reading a blurb that someone had wrote and I realized that statement is no longer really true.
The opiate of the masses is now cynicism. As a whole, we Americans are not believers. No. We are now skeptics. It used to be fashionable and comfortable to believe in God and government to take care of you. It is now fashionable and comfortable to have utter distrust in a God and government that we cannot see and that we perceive as having too much control over our lives.
I suppose it was only natural that the pendulum would eventually swing the opposite direction from trust to cynicism. After the Vietnam War, there was nearly a mass fallout of trust in God and just about any kind of institution (that includes the church). All I can say it that I understand, but that still makes me sad.
When we take our faith away from God and our leaders in lump sum, we end up putting that trust wholly in ourselves. All of this makes my job tough. Convincing folks that the church and God can be trusted 90% of the time is not an easy task. It takes a leap of faith and optimism that is not normal for my generation and the one preceding it.
I'll admit I'm a product of this atmosphere. I have to fight off my cynicism and my "Show Me" attitude. However, I honestly get tired of the pessimism that so pervades my generation. In many ways, I'm so thankful that I serve a primarily older congregation. Most of these folks are a product of the "We can do it" generation. These people have a more balanced view of God, church, government, and life in general.
Where is our country headed philosophically and religiously? I don't know. Some predict a revival of faith and trust in things bigger than ourselves. Some predict a continued slide into skepticism, cynicism, pessimism, and just about any other -ism you can thing of. Hopefully, I'll be alive forty years from now. I just hope we can rebound and have a more realistic view of the institutions our foremothers and forefathers put in place. I hope we can have a rebirth of faith and believe in things unseen.
I'm now stepping off my prophetic soapbox and back into the mire of skepticism. Have a good week.
January 15, 2010
Macey has had an ear infection this week. So, I'm dragging like an hundred pound weight. My fingers are even exhausted (from what, I don't know). Raising a kid is tough enough. Raising a sick kid is like having three of them to take care of. I really don't know how some parents take care of four or five kids.
I was watching TV one day and a commercial for the Post Office came on. It said that it now had "flat rate shipping". And I quote ... "If it fits in the box, it ships!" I looked at the box the Post Master was holding and I looked longed and hard at Macey. I decided she wouldn't fit.
Between a more-than-full-time job, a wife, a house, and a sick baby, it becomes very difficult to be a pious and devout Christian. I'm usually lucky to find time to brush my teeth, much less set around reading scripture and praying to my God. I find ways to work it out, but it takes a lot of discipline (another subject I'm often short on).
However, when I take the time to meditate, pray, and read scripture, I find myself miraculously centered and ready for another day. I truly believe that prayer is meant to change us, not God. Prayer is a way to take a break from the world and get ourselves re-oriented to our place and calling.
I like to steal good ideas when I see them. Dianna Cleveland told me that she will often take breaks in her car. So, recently my car has become my sanctuary. There I turn off my phone and the radio. I pray. I sit in silence. I re-find my calling as a child of God. I've heard of some people who steal away in the bathroom for a time of silence and prayer. The place doesn't matter, the act does. It can make all the difference in your day.
January 4, 2010
Another year has come and gone. Goodness ... where has time gone? After thinking it over, I know where a good deal of my time went: sleeping (we sleep about 1/3 of our lives away), work (we work about 1/4 of our lives away), cleaning the house, and chasing Macey away from the TV. Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about that situation. I can't change it much. I still need to sleep and work. But, I do dream of being Jimmy Buffett some days. I could go for the island life and someone to clean my house.
That's not going to happen. So, as we enter another year we plug away. I pray that this new year will be good for you. I wish you happiness, success (however you define that), and a good dose of faith.