I have just returned from two months of pastoring a dual parish in Devils Lake and Lakota, North Dakota.  I had a wonderful time with these people.  It is surprising how after just two months I was able to connect with as many of them as I did.   As I was serving my Lord Jesus by serving the people and proclaiming the Gospel to them, I found something my vicarage supervisor said to me in 2008 down in Tennessee to be very true.  He said to me, "People won't care what you know, until they know that you care [about them]. 

Christ gave us the command to Love our Neighbor as ourself.  While any command comes through to us as law, we can't accomplish this love without the grace of our Lord and the help of the Holy Spirit.  In Christ, we are freed from our former hatred of God to love him with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength and if we are able now to love God, we are also able to love one another. 

It is hard for some Pastor's to go into a new parish and begin to minister.  Some go into a new parish and see what they believe is a lot of wrong and they try to make sweeping changes to quickly.  Usually its because they see the negative things as being something that will prohibit them from ministering as they think they should. 

One of the things I remember from my Seminary training is being told to go in and meet the people and get to know who they are.  Pastor's are shepherds and the only way they can effectively lead their flock is by getting to know them.  Sheep are needy of a leader to take them where the grass is lush and green and water is plenty.  Where they can lie down and rest without fear.   Sheep are not used to drastic changes.  They need slow changes that they can adapt to over time, but if the flock has been put in danger by improper leadership of a former shepherd, the new shepherd must then change the direction first and then proceed to teach them why it was necessary.

Those cases happen from time to time because Pastors are people who do sin just like everyone else.  Some follow the Lutheran Confessions rigidly and others very flexibly.  It is usually the more rigid follower who feels the need to tighten things up if he sees the flock splitting off in directions he feels may be dangerous to them.  However, he often finds the sheep are not likely to trust and respond if they feel he went too fast.

This is why it is important to go in and meet the people and get to know them and teach them scripture.  In getting to know them and build rapport with them, you earn their respect and they will want to learn from you because they know you care about their spiritual welfare and want only the best from them.  Of course not all of them will willingly follow even in the best circumstances.  There will always be one or two people who are rebellious against the Spirit of God and his will. 

I know that I am only speaking in regard to what I believe to be true and what I hope God will give me the opportunity to do should I receive a call this coming October.  I pray for a congregation to serve who is open to hearing God's word and going on a journey together that will be life changing. .

I pray that all Pastors going into their first call and for that matter any call, go in with a spirit of patience and a desire to love the people, get to know them and proclaim God's word in all they say and do.

In Christ,
AMEN

It has been eight months since my divorce and next Tuesday it will be the same amount of time since I finished my studies at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN. 

I did not receive a call this year because of a mandatory rule at the seminary which will not allow a divorced man to receive a call until 2 years after his divorce is final.  Some of the people I have told this too think it is rather harsh of the seminary, but I defend the Seminary because it is the authority that God has placed over me in this situation at this time.  The rule is not to punish me for allowing my marriage to end a failure, but to safeguard both me and the potential congregation I will serve.  They want to make sure that I am fit emotionally, spiritually and physically so that I will be able to serve as Pastor of one of Christ's flocks. 

While I may feel fairly well at the moment, there may be things I haven't experienced yet in mourning the end of the union that God put together and the both of us tore apart.  I can tell you that I am ready to move on in my life and see what the next chapter brings. 

I love my children dearly and look forward to the times when we are all together.  On July 8, I will be driving up to Grand Rapids, MI where they live with their mother.  I will bring them back to my apartment and spend the weekend around town preparing for another drive to Minnesota next Monday.  We will make a two day stop in Milwaukee, WI to visit their aunt, my Sister and her two boys. 

I am hoping our time in Minnesota will be very relaxing and enjoyable as it will be a whole year before they will get to see any of their relatives again. 

When we return to Fort Wayne at the end of July, the girls will be with me for two more weeks.  Hopefully we will have a chance to further work on the Father/daughter relationships that suffered during my divorce with their mother.  I give thanks to the Lord for He is good and his mercy endures forever. 

We trust in him because of his gracious love for us in that he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take on our sins and be crucified with them and in turn giving to us his righteousness.

Keep us in your prayers
Amen

Ok so I am blogging about the issue of Activist judges who overturn the will of the people for their own self-serving political views.    This is not as much about the homosexual issue as it is about judges who are supposed to uphold the laws and not overturn them because he believes differently.  One has to wonder why this ruling didn't come sooner. 

Although I think I know why.  There had to be a case before the court which could set a precedent and give a judge an opportunity to decide.  Without a case, a judge cannot just arbitrarily decided to overturn a law.  But this trial was much like any gateway trial in this country when it comes to a civil rights issue. 

The Scopes trial in the 1920s had John Scopes, a science teacher and believer in evolution, step up as a scapegoat for the ACLU to try and overturn  a law against teaching only "creation" in schools.  They also picked the state where it would be most contentious, Tennessee, and set about to turn the nation on its head. 

Eventually, evolution won out and was taught in the schools, but a rather peculiar twist occured as a result.  From the moment evolution was taught in public schools, it started a revolution which has elevated "evolution" to more fact than theory even though none of it can be proven on a macrobiotic scale. 

Homosexuality is not only sinful, it is an abomination or perversion.  Romans 1:18-32 speaks clearly enough about it, but there are other passages in scripture, all of which speak of it as evil.  

These people want the right to not only be joined together legally (civil union) but also to use the term "Marriage" to describe it.  Marriage is the union between Man and Woman according to scripture.    It is the only union favored by God.  We know, however, that mankind is evil and does not care what God favors.  This nation, once a Christian majority has gone to an agnostic or atheistic majority. 

Colleges and Universities are in large part to blame for the way our society has become.  They teach a liberal politic and seek to undermine the conservative values of our young people.  They constantly put down religion and God as myth rather than fact and replace it with the idea that only science can give us the answers about the earth and universe and Mankind.

As Christians, we must fight this and proclaim the truth.  Strengthen the resolve of our children as they go off to college so that they can stand against the lies of the liberal left and hopefully one day defeat them and bring back laws that prohibit sinful behavior such as gay marriage.  I'm not saying we push the people who claim their gay pride back into the closet, but to proclaim Christ as the salvation we all need and call for repentance of their sin and of all sin.

I went to see the A-Team on the big screen today.  While it was a good rendition of the characters from the TV show, it just wasn't the same without Mr. T.  The only thing reminiscent of the BA Baracus character was the mohawk and the Pity Fool tattoos on the actor's wrist.     Brad Cooper did well in Dirk Benedicts role of Face and the actor who played Murdock did Dwight Schultz proud with his craziness.  Liam Neeson in the George Peppard role of John Hannibal Smith was a harder sell.  


The movie definitely showed their team spirit of making the "Plan" come together and that almost no one integral to the story was killed was also evident.  Brian Bloom had credits as a producer as well as actor.  Watching a shipyard of storage containers come toppling down was entertaining.  I think it would have been entertaining to have had a couple of the old regulars in the movie in bit parts would have been fun, but it had its share of fireworks and explosions. 


On a scale of 1-10 I give this movie a 7.5.  It was entertaining, but at only a matinee price.

IMMORTALITY

Scripture reveals to us that only one person ever born into this world was immortal and through his death on a cross and glorious resurrection gave us forgiveness of sins as well as a share in his immortality. We, however, are not born to be immortal. Our mortality was sealed the day that Man sinned by disobeying God's first commandment. You shall not put any other gods before me.

I was watching The Mummy: Tomb of the Red Dragon King last night and one thing that was in this movie that is in many of this type is the evil king looking for a way to become immortal and reign forever. The part that struck me was that there is always something which can take away his immortality. In this case it was a special knife that if stabbed into his heart would kill him forever.

Nothing can take away Christ's immortality. He even went through death as a human. Not just any death, but a death of indignity and humility at the hands of his enemies. This does not happen in these movies that Hollywood makes. No it is a King who wants to usurp power over everyone and does not care about anyone but himself. He will stop at nothing, including killing his right hand man to show his power to his people.

This man will only oppress the people, not free them from their oppression. His desire to be immortal is selfish and is just like the first humans God made when temptation came their way. They were lied to by the serpent that God was withholding his knowledge from them. The serpent wanted them to think that having this burden of the knowledge of Good and Evil would put them on a level playing field with God. There is no one who can be equal to God. He is the creator and his creation is an extension of his power, but it is not equal to him.

God created mankind in his image- Both male and female he made them. He created the proper environment for them to live in and plenty of food to sustain the life he had breathed into them. If he gave them all these things at creation why then did they want or need more? The serpents lie convinced Eve that God was not being fair with them. She wanted equality with God on all levels and Adam was right there keeping quiet which was his silent acceptance of all that was being said. He could have refuted what Eve said about not touching the tree, but he didn't.

They both took the bait hook, line and sinker and it plunged them down into the existence they and we all live. One of temporal mortality. We interited their sin through our birth and are destined to die just as they did. We can never achieve immortality on our own by any means of our own.

God knows this and has provided us a way outside of ourselves to become immortal. First our sins must be paid for by blood. THat is the way that God has chosen. Life must be sacrificed and blood spilled. Cultures all over the world have religions which have human sacrifice to appease their malevolent gods. Blood is spilled and flesh has been eaten all in the name of their religion. But no sinful human would have been a proper sacrifice to pay for the sins we all commit daily. In preparing his people for the ultimate sacrifice, he set up commandments which showed them what a proper sacrifice would have to be. An unblemished lamb without spot or wrinkle was the beginning. The sins of the people were put on the lamb who was sacrificed. The blood was spilled and sin was atoned.

Christ, the Son of God, became the final sacrifice for our sin. No more sacrifice is necessary or desired. In fact, God tells us that he desires mercy over and above sacrifice. Through this sacrifice, God's mercy and grace are imputed to us. Christ then defeated death through his resurrection on the third day. No grave could hold him and there is no way to take away his immortality by a special incantation or artifact made in this world. Hollywood is still working the side of the serpent by trying to convince us human beings that we can achieve our own immortality, but it is a false immortality because it can be lost. Christ's immortality is given to us as a gift of grace from the creator. Nothing in this world can separate us from it except ourselves.

It is through the means of grace which God has given to us to receive this immortality. These means of Grace are his Word and Sacrament which we receive as we attend church each week and not at the movie theater or your television.

In Christ we pray, Amen.

BIRTHDAY--NOT SUCH A BLESSED DAY

Today is my sister's birthday. She is 3 years and 359 days younger than I am. When we were younger, birthdays took on some significance with us as I am sure they do with many people. It is a celebration of the day your mother gave birth to you. In America, the custom for many is to give the person whose birthday it is, a gift to commemorate the day.

But if we look at it from a Christian perspective, it is the day you were born into this sinful world and because of sin, you will die. Not a pleasant thought is it? Our birthday signifies a date of conviction for sins you haven't necessarily committed as yet, but you will inevitably do so.

Since Adam and Eve fell from grace in the Garden, we have been inheritors of their downfall. Our physical and spiritual death is certain to happen because we fall short of God's glory. The soul that sins, it shall die. But God, the righteous judge has given us a stay on our Spiritual death. One that cost him his Son to a horrible and painful death on our behalf.

Christ Jesus is God's Son and his sacrifice on the Cross was the redemption price for all mankind from its sin. It is by God's grace through faith in His Son's meritorious work on the cross and his mighty resurrection that saves us from eternal life in Hell.

Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3 that one must be born from above to receive salvation. It is not something we ourselves can do, but that we need God to do it for us. Jesus says, "Flesh gives birth to Flesh and Spirit gives birth to Spirit." So we have been celebrating a day which really gives birth to a dying flesh.

So how do we receive the Spirit birth? We receive it through the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Baptism was instituted by Jesus in the Great Commission when Jesus commanded his disciples to
19 j Go therefore and k make disciples of l all nations, jbaptizing them m in 2 n the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them o to observe all that p I have commanded you. And behold, q I am with you always, to r the end of the age.”

Baptism saves us--1 Peter 3:21. It is nothing more than the word of God attached to water, but in attaching God's word to the element of water, it becomes efficient to cleanse you from sin. Just like if you put clothes in a washing machine, you need to add soap so that the clothes become clean. The soap makes the water efficient to clean the clothing.

Through Baptism, we are born again to the Spirit of God. He gives us the power and faith to believe that all God has said and done for us is true and what the Devil says to us is a lie.

Because of this, Maybe we should count more the day of our Spiritual birth than our Fleshly birth. On your fleshly birthday give your mother a call and thank her for the labor pain and agony she went through from birth to the day you left her to live your own life. Give her a present (she deserves it) and instead Thank God for the blessings of your Spiritual Birth through your Baptism into His Kingdom.


j Mark 16:15, 16
k ch. 13:52
l Luke 24:47; [ch. 24:14; Mark 11:17; Rom. 1:5]
m See Acts 8:16
2 Or into
n [2 Cor. 13:14]
o John 14:15
p [Acts 1:2]
q [ch. 1:23; 18:20; John 12:26; 14:3; 17:24; Acts 18:10]
r See ch. 13:39
The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Mt 28:19-20). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

A NEW SCHOOL YEAR

My children have been in school now for almost 3 weeks. J is in the 7th grade at a local public middle school and P is in the 4th grade at a nearby Lutheran School. So far both are getting along in their schools fairly well.

Now it is my turn. This next Tuesday I begin my 4th year of Seminary study at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne. The first quarter will be my biggest challenge as I am taking 18 credits right off the bat. Having spent the past year as a vicar, I got out of the practice of studying many subjects for long periods of time and instead prepared for sermons and bible studies.

One of my professors for a class titled "Luther Theology in Survey" recently sent an email telling us how much reading we will be doing over the next 10 weeks. This is a monumental jump for someone who maybe read a few commentaries to prepare for Bible Study.

This year is important though because at the end, I pray that I will receive a call to lead a church. I know that this year is going to prove as challenging as that first class to learn Greek three years ago. I will be called upon to think in very theological terms.

Another development for me has been the diagnosis of Attnetion Deficit Disorder or ADD. I began taking this medication 2 weeks ago and I have noticed some positive changes in my ability to focus on certain tasks though I am losing the effects as I get into the 10th hour after taking it and I begin to crash and feel tired.

I think I will have to try another month on a higher dosage to determine just how much I need to function properly.

Please keep me in your prayers this school year that God will help me to accomplish all that I need to become his servant.