Time to get ready!

On Monday I made ‘the list.’  I’ve checked it twice…but it has nothing to do with naughtiness!  This is the cleaning list!  We’re hosting Shannon’s side of the family this year, and that means our house will hold 11 people, including two 1 ½ year olds and two pregnant women.  Our house was in pretty good shape…but not good enough for a couple busy little kids!  Every day I’ve gotten a few things off the list: cleaning showers, cleaning floors, washing towels, dusting, moving knick-knacks, baking Christmas cookies…  I don’t want to get rushed at the end.  When everyone shows up on Saturday I’ll be fully ready.  If I raced around like a maniac on Friday night I’d wear myself out and wouldn’t fully enjoy the Christmas weekend.   I’ve put a lot of time and planning into getting organized, but in just a few days I’ll be ready.  I’m looking forward to spending time with people I enjoy.  I don’t want a messy house to get in the way of that!  It’s nearly time to welcome a houseful of people into my home.  Only a couple days to go.  

Last week at Peace I began a different list: things to get done before Christmas Eve and Christmas Day worship services.  Every day I’ve gotten a few things off the list: sermons to write, songs to choose, orders of service to organize… I don’t want to get rushed at the end.  When everyone shows up on Saturday I’ll be fully ready.  If I run around like a maniac at the last minute I’ll wear myself out and won’t fully enjoy the worship services.  I’ve put a lot of time and planning into getting organized, but in just a few days I’ll be ready.  I’m looking forward to celebrating Jesus’ birth with people I enjoy.  It’s nearly time to welcome a crowd of people into our new church home.  Only a couple days to go.  

Amid all the planning…all the organizing…and the preparing…on Saturday we’ll once again celebrate God coming to earth to live among us.  I’m rushing around getting ready for the celebration.  It’s time to add a few things to ‘the list:’ some quiet time in prayer…some time reading Scripture…singing Christmas carols with the youth.  Getting ready for Jesus simply involves nurturing the relationship that God desires for me.  It’s nearly time to welcome Jesus into our world…and our lives.  Only a couple days to go.

A Little Christmas Honesty

Have a holly, jolly Christmas;
It's the best time of the year
I don't know if there'll be snow
but have a cup of cheer
Have a holly, jolly Christmas;
And when you walk down the street
Say Hello to friends you know
and everyone you meet.



Oh Ho the mistletoe
hung where you can see;
Somebody waits for you;
Kiss her once for me
Have a holly jolly Christmas
and in case you didn't hear
Oh by golly have a holly jolly Xmas this year

These classic words clearly explain the expected Christmas mood.  This is a season for love, joy, and family.  It’s a time to be merry and excited about life.  It’s a time for warm, cozy feelings.  We expect our days to be merry and bright.

It can be hard to live up to those high expectations.   The truth for many people is that Christmas becomes a time of disappointment, anxiety, and depression.    

A number of years ago I found myself leading a Christmas service at a funeral home.   It wasn’t a time to talk about ‘a cup of cheer’!  For those who have lost loved ones, Christmas abounds in loneliness.  Memories of those who no longer gather around the Christmas tree bring tears to people’s eyes. 

Many families get together to celebrate Christmas.  Quite often these Christmas gatherings produce more anxiety and hurt feelings than ‘comfort and joy.’  People who avoid each other all year long suddenly sit together expecting everyone to be happy.  It doesn’t happen.  Old resentments bubble over (or simmer under the surface).  People wonder, “Why can’t I have a NORMAL family?”  Perhaps this family anxiety IS normal!!

Many people will spend Christmas alone, far from family and friends.  They will feel that ‘everyone is happy except me.’ 

Some couples will acutely feel the pain of infertility as they imagine presents for little ones under a tree.  “If only we had children to celebrate with.”

Some divorced families will experience the frustration of the battle over ‘who gets the kids on Christmas Eve.’

How do we learn to manage expectations?  We SO want Christmas to be perfect in every way.  We want happiness and joy at every turn.  Let’s be honest with ourselves: Christmas doesn’t always live up to the hype.

We live in a broken world.  We live in a world where relationships are strained, where death rips people away, where loneliness abounds.   We can’t just wish someone ‘Merry Christmas’ and expect all that pain to go away.

2000 years ago God chose to come into this broken world.  His parents had to leave home to travel to Bethlehem.  They couldn’t even find a decent place to spend the night.   The baby Jesus entered that anxiety to bring hope.

God lives among us even as we suffer.  As we focus on the Christ who came to live with us, we can look at the Christmas season with honesty.  Jesus did not come to have it be ‘perfect.’  Jesus came to live with us, wherever we might find ourselves.

This Christmas, feel free to lay before your newborn king your joys & sorrows, your excitement & pain, your contentment & loneliness. 

Welcome to the manger!  Unto us a child has been born!

Helping the Needy from an Arm's Length

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another.  If any one of you has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in you? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

1 John 3:16-18

The red kettles of the Salvation Army have become a part of Christmas tradition here in America.   It seems like every store has a smiling bell ringer clanging away, encouraging people to generosity.

On Saturday Shannon and I had the chance to ring those bells at Wal-Mart in Rochester.  For an hour we chimed away, humming and ringing to the beat of all kinds of classics (we found that Jingle Bells worked best…but we could also jingle out the beat to the Minnesota Rouser!) 

People streamed past us on their way to their serious Christmas shopping.  They pushed carts piled with toys & goodies for young and old.  Despite all the talk of recession and tough times, people still came to Wal-Mart to shop.

As the hour jingled past, money continually poured into the kettle.  Parents taught their kids the importance of generosity, encouraging them to reach up and put money in the open hole.  People on their way out the door tossed in the change that the cashier had just given them.  Others went out of their way to fold larger bills and stuff them into the kettle.   

Generosity ran rampant.  While people came to Wal-Mart to buy presents for their families and loved ones, they didn’t forget those in need.  They gave money to feed the hungry and house the homeless.  As the bell clanged in my ear I felt a sense of accomplishment and pride.  I was part of something special.  Those dollars and coins make a difference in many people’s lives. Shannon and I helped encourage that. 

Salvation Army bell ringing is a wonderful thing, yet as I drove home something troubled me…I did not come in contact with the people I hoped to help.  The homeless and hungry remained nameless and faceless.  I had the freedom to hop in my car, do some good, get a little shopping done on the side, and drive home.    I dabbled in helping people in need … but did it from an arm’s length.

I feel that I am, by nature, a generous person.  I give money to Lutheran World Relief.  I support a congregation that supports places like the Salvation Army Dental Clinic, Rochester Women’s Shelter, and the Channel One food bank.   I take part in the Cardboard Box City where I experience what it’s like to sleep in the cold.  I try to make a difference in the world…but I live in a bubble.  I live my happy middle class life in my warm house with my warm clothes and good food.  I rarely have actual contact with the people in need.  I can help them without being inconvenienced.  I don’t have to feel uncomfortable with actual personal interaction with people who are struggling in life. 

Is that what it means ‘see a brother or a sister in need?’  Do I actually see them or do I know in theory that they exist and that something should be done to help? 

Does anyone else struggle with this?

Time for Rest...I think God means it!

Last week we headed to Shannon’s folks to celebrate Thanksgiving.  While we were there some strange events unfolded.  I played several games of Hearts.  I joined others in watching Jeopardy (without multi-tasking once).  I slept in.  I relaxed.  I even laughed at REALLY bad jokes (What is green, has 4 legs, and will hurt you if it falls out of a tree on you???  A pool table!  What is brown, has 4 legs, and sees just as well out of either end?  A horse with its eyes closed!!  Yes, my mother-in-law’s jokes!).

I love playing cards with others.  I enjoy hanging out and telling fun stories.   I don’t even mind groaning at really bad jokes.  Shouldn’t these be normal activities in my life?  Shouldn’t they be things I do on a regular basis?  Why did it feel so strange to let my hair down (figuratively, of course) to relax and enjoy life?

Sadly, last Friday was probably the first real ‘day off’ that I’d taken in months.  I’ve been caught up in the myth of busyness!  No matter how hard I’ve worked, the to-do list has not gotten smaller.

It’s been quite a fall: completing and moving into a new building at Peace Lutheran Church, kick-starting a myriad of fall ministry opportunities, working with new ministries throughout the synod, travelling to several overnight conferences from Omaha to LaCrosse to Watertown, SD (in a one month span I slept in 9 beds!).  Throw in some cross country meets, my niece’s confirmation, and the usual ‘need to get done’ home activities and it’s gotten out of control. 

I’ve coped with it all by entering ‘purpose mode.’  I’ve focused on getting things DONE.   Every day felt like a success or failure based on how much I got done.  I became a working machine with no spare minute wasted.  I plowed through an amazing amount of work.  I’m really good at this!  Success, right? 

Not so much!  I didn’t have time for people…I only had time for projects.  I didn’t have time for relationships…I only had time to ‘accomplish things.’  Frankly, life became pretty lonely!  A to-do list is a pretty poor substitute for actual friends and family.

I truly believe that God used the fun and relaxation of last Friday to open my eyes, reminding me that life is not lived to simply accomplish many tasks.  God calls me a life filled with rest and joy…not a life with my nose to the grindstone.  In August on this blog I wrote about the importance of taking time to rest.  Apparently God needs to keep sending reminders. 

I’m looking forward to more games of Hearts…and more bad jokes!  Thank you Jesus!

Time for Thanks

It’s nearly Thanksgiving…time to pause to give thanks to God!

·         Thank you God for this new building for Peace Lutheran Church

·         Thank you God for an office with a door (I’ve never had once since I became a pastor in 1997).

·         Thank you God for such a fun community of faith at Peace Lutheran Church.

·         Thank you God for Dr. Prema Peethambaram of Mayo Clinic and for the drug Avastin.  Together they are keeping my wife’s ovarian cancer at bay.

·         Thank you God for a wonderful son who excels in so many ways…and is just a great guy.

·         Thank you God for warm places to go when it gets cold.

·         Thank you God for Lucy and Abby, my cats who like to sit on my lap while I watch football.

·         Thank you God for good books which help me unwind at the end of the day.

·         Thank you God for the immigrant church leaders from South Sudan who have taught me so much about the faith.

·         Thank you God for reubens…possibly the best food on earth!

·         Thank you God for cranberry sauce to go with turkey.

What do you have to thank God for?

Awesome Reality!

It feels like I’m in a dream…and I’m waiting for someone to wake me up.

I’m sitting at a clean new desk…in a new office.  A new worship space is right down the hall…with new comfortable chairs…with a new keyboard…with beautiful new windows.  The ‘new building smell’ surrounds me.  Can it possibly be true?

A part of me fully expects to go back to the old office tomorrow morning and head off to the gym for worship this Sunday.  It all seems too good to be true. 

This past Sunday over 220 people came to dedicate this place to God’s glory.   We prayed over many areas of the new building.  Bishop Usgaard proclaimed how God works through God’s people in this place.   Young and old raised their voices and instruments in God’s praise.  The kids took up a large collection to support other new ministries in our area.  Tears of joy flowed as the long anticipated day arrived!  We sat down to a Thanksgiving Feast with an abundance of pie!  I could see people busting at the seams, proud that Peace, at long last, has a home base for ministry!

This building did not happen because of the awesomeness of the people of Peace Lutheran Church (though I do think they are quite amazing!).  This building happened because of the faithfulness of God.  It’s crazy to think that a congregation made up of so many young families can put forth the effort and financial support to make a building like this happen.  Many doubted that we would ever build.  God didn’t!  God led the charge, bringing the right people to the right places to make it all happen.  There are so many times when this whole project could have been derailed, but God kept it on track.  At long last, we’ve arrived. 

It’s time to take a deep breath and revel in God’s faithfulness…and let reality sink in.   Praise God!

An Irrational Faith in the Face of Death

On Monday I took part in an entirely irrational event. 

I sat in the front row of the balcony at Pete Stellpflug’s funeral at a packed St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Rochester.  We heard reflections on Pete’s life and the legacy that he leaves behind.  Those words were poignant and meaningful.  I found it helpful to remember Pete’s humor and willingness to serve his community

That’s when the irrationality began.  While Pete’s body lay in a casket in front of everybody, Father Kurt talked as if Pete still lived.  He spoke of Pete celebrating with Jesus and all the saints.  He talked of…eternal life. 

When I stop and think about it for a bit, this all sounds like crazy talk.  In my experience death seems final.  Once people pass away we don’t see them again.  We must learn to live without their comfort and company.  We put their bodies in the ground or scatter their ashes.  I can go to the grave of my mom, Edee Reuss and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that her remains lie in the casket beneath my feet.    Death comes as the end of life.  That’s the way the world works.  On my most cynical days, talk of eternal seems like something invented by people to take some of the pain out of death.  “While they SEEM dead…they are not REALLY dead.”  Is this faith thing just a sham?

In the face of such harsh empirical data, Father Curt proclaimed the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ.   It’s the same hope that I mentioned last week.

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. ⁵ If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:3-5)

How can we believe something so irrational?  On our own we can’t.  We need God’s help!  A Christians we proclaim a God who has not only come to conquer sin and death…we proclaim a God who works to give us the ability to believe it!   We all have our days of doubt and struggling, but God does not leave us alone.  God never gives up on us or leaves us alone.  God directs us forward in faith…even on days when eternal life seems too irrational to believe.

Today (November 1^st) is All Saints Day.  On this day Christians boldly proclaim that all who have died in Christ still live…and that as forgiven children of God we will live with them.  Nobody can prove that it’s true, but this is the hope that I proclaim for my mom, Edee Reuss…for my grandparents (Jim Bantz, George Reuss, Dave & Esther Meier, Charles Dodd)…for Max Cliff and Marianne Morton…and for Pete Stellpflug.  Jesus has come to be with God’s people in life…and in death.

Father Curt’s message rings true.  Death seems final, but it’s really the gate to life forever with Jesus.   That’s not just wishful thinking…that’s the promise of God!  May God work in your life (and mine) to help you believe it!

Letter to God - Struggling to Find Meaning in Pete Stellpflug's Death

Dear God,

When I stopped by the bank yesterday I received the terrible news that Pete Stellpflug died yesterday morning when his tractor rolled on top of him.  I still have a hard time believing it.  I worked with Pete on the Eyota Days Committee and marveled at his passion and energy for the City of Eyota.  Pete served as the banker for Shannon’s business and always made sure she was taken care of.  Every time I’d stop into the bank I’d feel compelled to poke my head into Pete’s office to give him grief.  He had a great sense of humor. 

Lord, how can things like this happen?  How can a good, caring, man of faith have his life so quickly snuffed out?  He had family and friends that loved him and depended on him.  It doesn’t seem right. 

Are YOU the kind of God who causes these tragedies?  As people try to find meaning in this mess it can be easy to lay the blame at YOUR feet. 

·         “Everything happens for a reason” – Really?? What reason could possibly justify such pain?

·         “It was part of God’s plan” – Seriously?? YOU planned to cause a family to experience this kind of grief?? 

·         “God needed Pete in heaven” – I think his family needed him down here!

·         “God needed another flower in God’s garden” – I’d think that YOU could grow your garden without causing so much pain!

God, if any of these remarks are true then YOU caused Pete’s death, which makes YOU into a God who enjoys seeing people suffer.   That doesn’t sound like YOU at all!  YOU are the God who came to earth in Jesus to DEFEAT suffering and death...not to CAUSE it! 

But God, if YOU didn’t cause this tragedy, does that mean that YOU didn’t have enough power to prevent it?   If YOU don’t have the power to stop a tractor from rolling over then YOU can’t be trusted to have power over greater things.  YOU reveal YOURSELF in scripture as the God who created all things…who works in all things…who conquers sin and death.  That’s a lot of power!  If the words of the Bible have ANY meaning for us at all, then we must reject any notion that YOU are powerless to act.

If YOU didn’t cause the tractor to tip over on Pete…and if YOU have power to prevent it but didn’t…then that must mean that you chose to allow it to happen.  We obviously live in a world where bad things occur.  Pete’s death hits close to home, but we’re not the only ones suffering today.  Tragedies like this happen every day.   We live in a world of pain and death.  My feeble attempts to find explanations or deep meaning leave me empty. 

God, I’ll be honest.  I don’t understand how YOU could allow such suffering in the world!  The one thing that I DO know is that YOU came in Jesus to conquer sin and death forever.  I am simply left with this promise for Pete…and for me:

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. ⁵ If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:3-5)

I cling to this promise with my entire being!

Your Child,

Pastor Pete

Discernment is Easier in Hindsight!

November 1^st will mark my 8 year anniversary here at Peace.  I arrived in 2003, excited about what God had planned for this congregation.  It’s interesting to look back on the ways that God has worked among us.  I found this newsletter article from September, 2004:

In the past week, Peace Lutheran Church received perhaps the most significant letter in its brief history.  In a letter from David Groth, Dover-Eyota superintendent, he wrote, “It is the expectation of the school district that, by the end of the 2004-05 school year, you will no longer be renting our facilities for your Sunday church services.”  Without knowing it, Mr. Groth may have been speaking God’s word to this congregation!

Many people at Peace have discussed and debated the merits of building on our land for some time.  Some have wanted to charge forward, others have wanted to hold back and wait. At the beginning of 2004, the church council agreed to table all discussion of building until 2005 to allow the congregation to grow strong and vibrant.  We thought we had some control over when the building would go up.  Perhaps God had other ideas.

In the next few weeks the church council will begin discussing our options.  The way that I see it, Peace can do several things:

1)    Build a church building

2)   Find another place to worship

3)   Try to negotiate with the School Board to be able to stay longer

At this point, every conversation that I’ve had has focused on building.  But instead of just thinking about this among ourselves, we need to keep God in the process.  WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS!  God will lead us in the right direction.

It’s an exciting time at Peace.  Our worship in August saw the biggest crowds since 2001, and the second biggest ever!  Our youth ministry is about to explode with great things.  New members are coming aboard. 

We believe in a God of great surprises!  This is what makes the ministry so fun!  Let’s see what God has in mind for the next year!

We were SO ready to build back in 2004, but it didn’t happen.  When we attempted to move forward with a building program, we were told in no uncertain terms, “Build a congregation, not a building!”  God worked through Mr. Groth’s letter to shift our focus.  God worked to build the awesome congregation that we have today.

God didn’t work on our time schedule.  For a decade we thought we were ‘two to three years away’ from building.    At LONG last, the time has come.  The office is a jumble of boxes.  Deliveries of new furniture come daily.  So much is going on!  Only a few weeks to go now!

Together Before God's Throne

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”  Revelation 7:9-10

Last Wednesday night I got to be part of a counter cultural activity. 

The middle school youth from Peace meet at Arbor Gardens (Eyota’s senior living apartment building) for their youth ministry activities.  Every week we take some time to enjoy some activities with the residents of the apartments.  We often play games, but last Wednesday I decided that it could be fun to have some ‘reminiscing’ time.  Instead of just DOING things together, what would it be like to TALK with each other? 

We spent the time answering questions like “What is the most interesting place you’ve ever visited,” “What is your favorite parade,” and “What is the favorite gift that you have ever received?”  I was nervous as we started.  Talking sounded like a great idea in theory, but what if everyone felt too uncomfortable to get into it?  What if the youth found the whole exercise to be ‘stupid’?  What if the seniors got annoyed by the squirreliness of 6^th grade girls?  What if the two age groups didn’t know what to do with each other?  I prepared for disaster. 

To my amazement, both groups, young and old, thoroughly enjoyed the conversation.  The kids enthusiastically answered the questions (and had to be encouraged to pipe down a bit) and seemed to enjoy the senior’s answers (they were VERY intrigued by the woman who had travelled to many places in the world).  The seniors had fun pondering the questions…and smiled at the energy that the kids brought.

When you think about it, how often does something like this happen?  We live in a culture that divides us based on age, race, political preference, income level, or profession.  We watch news shows that agree with our perspective on the world.  We surround ourselves with people like us…people who agree with us…people with similar life experiences as us.   We worship with people who look like us…who worship like us…who live like us.  We don’t often experience the diversity of God’s creation.

As Revelation reminds us, as we stand before God’s throne we don’t simply join with people just like us.  We join with young and old.  We join with people who speak English, Spanish, German, French, Mandarin, and Dinka.  We join with people with light skin…and with people of all shades of brown.  We join with people who live in large houses and people who live in mud huts.  We join a diverse family of faith in praising God!

Last Wednesday’s youth event at Arbor Gardens was just a taste of what God has in store for us.   I felt blessed to watch as 8^th grade boys and 75 year old women shared their very different life experiences.  Each came with different perspectives on life…perspectives that are important to hear.

The church is one of the last places where generations still meet together.  In that diversity, God gives us glimpses of that final day as we all join before God’s holy throne, praising God!

How can we all learn to step out of our comfort zones to encounter people of vastly different ages, cultures, languages, or colors?  We’ll find that if we take the ’risk’ we will be blessed to get to know some wonderfully different people.

Frustrated by Football!

What a lousy weekend!

·         On Friday night, Dover-Eyota had a 3^rd quarter lead over Lewiston, but let it slip away and ended up losing by 10.  Frustrating!

·         On Saturday, my Northwestern Wildcats had an 18 point lead over Illinois, only to let Illinois come racing back to take the lead with 6 minutes left.  I had a ray of hope with 3 minutes left when Illinois fumbled, setting up Northwestern’s  go-ahead touchdown with a minute left!  I literally danced around the family room…until Illinois miraculously scored with only a few second left, giving me a crushing defeat.  At least the Wildcats were close (unlike the Gophers!).

·         On Sunday, the Vikings continued their pathetic ways.  They couldn’t even beat a Kansas City team that had been HORRIBLE all season.   It was pretty hard to watch.

Each loss left me down in the dumps…angry that my teams had chances but wasted them.   Needless to say, I wasn’t a lot of fun to be around.

I love football…but did I really need to let it ruin my weekend?  Perhaps, instead of focusing on the negativity of football, I could have looked around to see the blessings God brought my way:

·         The weather was just glorious

·         I got to be a part of one of the most fun weddings I’ve ever been to...with AMAZING food (and I love to eat!).  Congratulations Jim & Dana!

·         I had some time to quietly putter in the yard

·         I got to be a part of one of the last church services in the gym!

·         I actually had a chance to catch up on sleep (a rarity in my life)

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying football (or any sport, for that matter).  The problem comes when I allow it to dominate my life…when I can’t be happy when my team is losing. 

God works in my life in many ways.  May I learn to focus on the blessings God brings my way…and not on the frustrations that the world abounds in.

Running for fun...and service!

Early last week I was out doing some jogging on a beautiful fall day.  I thought back to the Gladiolus Days 5K run that I'd run in St. Charles in late August.  I’d started slowly that day and had WAY too much energy for the final ‘kick.’ I knew I could do better!  I wanted another chance to push myself harder, but I assumed that the 5K race season had ended. I felt bummed.

The next morning I received an e-mail from Sheila Mix asking me to sponsor her team in last Saturday’s Lupus Foundation run / walk. Lupus is a long-term autoimmune disorder that may affect the skin, joints, kidneys, brain, and other organs. It’s something that may flare up once and never show up again…or it may keep attacking the body. My mother died of lupus in 1979, with her body basically ‘rejecting’ her kidneys as if they were transplants. There is no known cure. Sheila and her family looked for support for their team of walkers and runners as they worked to raise money for lupus research.

In an instant, two things came together for me: the desire to run another 5K…and the desire to find a cure for lupus. Instead of donating to Sheila’s team, I decided to form my own! Ben and I signed up and had a GREAT time running.  I got off to a good start and held my own throughout the race!  Out of 42 people, Ben finished 4^th and I was 9^th!   Just as importantly, people signed on to sponsor our running, raising over $100 for lupus research.

I got to do something that I enjoy to raise money for what I care about. Pretty good combination!  I think that’s what’s called ‘using your gifts to serve God!’

No pain…no gain.  When I’m running, a little pain helps!  It shows that I’m pushing my body to grow stronger.   I’ve definitely felt pain in the past 6 months as I’ve gotten back into shape…but it’s been worth it.

No pain…no gain.  Does the same theory apply to a life of faith?  Not always.  God gives us all unique gifts and passions that can be used in God’s service.  Last weekend I took a passion (running) and used it to raise money for something I found very worthwhile.  Every week I take a love of public speaking and use it to preach.  I take an excitement for God’s work in the world and I use it to help African ministries get started.  These things bring energy and joy to my life…not pain! 

Life in God’s service need not be misery!  God has given you gifts, passions, and abilities that you can use in God’s service…to help people in need…to tell people about God’s love for them…to teach the faith…to be a leader.  Use them...and enjoy the results!

Pete the African?

My ancestors have been in America for a long time.  The earliest ones, the Owings, came from England in the 1600’s and settled in Maryland.   In the late 1800’s the Reusses came over from Germany to New York and Virginia.  The Englehardts and the Dodds came to this new world from the same countries.  My mother was German and English.  My father is German and English.  I am German and English.  This past week, I was reminded that my family is a bit bigger than that.  I have brothers from South Sudan.  I have sisters from Ethiopia.  I have relatives in Liberia.  I am part of an amazing family.

At the end of last week I travelled to Chicago for the ELCA’s African National Summit.  Most people probably notice that I’m a bit ‘pale’ to be called African, but in my role as Mission Director of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, I travelled to the event with ten men and women from South Sudan. 

I had an amazing experience.  Worship with people born and raised in Africa is powerful.  The room filled with the thumping beat of drums, the clapping of hands, and the dancing of feet.  I got caught up in the experience as together we praised God.  Even I ‘danced’ in worship.

The stories of the African people broke my heart.   These aren’t people who decided to come to American because it sounded like a great place to live!  They fled civil war and persecution in places like Sudan, Liberia, and Ethiopia.  They told of family members killed before their eyes…tanks and planes wiping out entire villages…machine guns going off in the middle of worship services…hunger…thirst…refugee camps…despair.  The people I met left the African refugee camps for a nation that they did not know and a language they struggled with.  They came to America with only the clothes on their backs and have worked hard to make lives for themselves.  They took the jobs they can find, often very physically demanding ones that pay very low wages (would you like to work in a slaughterhouse for $11 an hour?).  People look down on them for their accents, for the color of their skin, and for their poverty.  I can’t imagine living the life that they have endured. 

As the African National Summit unfolded, I was constantly reminded of the unity that I have with ‘these people.’  On the surface we seem so different.  I grew up on different continent.  I had an easy childhood.  I have not known the suffering that they have experienced.  I’ve never feared for my life or wondered if I would have food to eat.  I speak English with only a ‘Minnesooota’ accent.  My skin is lily white. 

Differences abound, but in Jesus Christ we are one.  The same Lord who died for me also died for ‘them.’  In Jesus there is no ‘us’ and ‘them.’  We’re just ‘us.’  The South Sudanese have welcomed me as one of their own family and work to teach me their languages.  When I hear news reports of fighting in South Sudan, I no longer breeze over it, thinking, “It’s just another war in Africa.”  No, the people being killed are friends and relatives of people I know.  Their suffering now impacts my life.   These are my brothers and sisters in faith.

Our culture tends to separate people based on things that divide us. Christians have a different approach!  We come together around the thing that unites us: Jesus Christ!  It doesn’t matter whether a person is born in Africa, Asia, Europe, or America.  In Christ, we are family.

I am German and English, but I have brothers and sisters in Africa.  What a great family!

The 'Kinky' Side of the Bible

How beautiful you are and how pleasing,
my love, with your delights!
Your stature is like that of the palm,
and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
the fragrance of your breath like apples,
and your mouth like the best wine.

This morning I woke up early to read a little before heading off to play basketball (calling ALL players to the D-E High School gym from 6:00-7:00 on Wednesday and Fridays)…and the quote above is part of what I read.  How’s THAT for interesting morning reading?!

No, I’m not into Harlequin novels (ick).  I don’t get into books of love poetry (too sappy).  It’s not a quote from a kinky website (don’t even GO there).  These words, surprisingly, come from…the Bible!  Really!  Look at Song of Solomon chapter 7!  Pretty sensual for scripture, wouldn’t you say?

We come from a culture that has MAJOR hang-ups with sexuality.  On the one hand, sex is all around us.  It sells! How many commercials abound in scantily clad women?  Every time I drive back from the Cities, the strip club in Cannon Falls has a full parking lot.  Pure Pleasure billboards scream for us to come check them out.  Internet porn is quick and easy to access.  Sex…sex…sex…everywhere you look.

On the other hand, we have a puritanical side of our culture that pushes back against such sexualizing of the world.  Churches have been at the forefront of the battle, often bringing a ‘Just Say No’ attitude towards anything sexual, viewing the whole topic as dirty or obscene. 

Yet here, smack dab in the middle of the Bible, we find the Song of Solomon (aka the Song of Songs).  This book tells of two lovers who just can’t get enough of each other.  It’s amazingly explicit…you don’t have to have much of an imagination to understand what they desire. 

This coming Sunday we will read the story of creation from Genesis 1, and we will hear God’s command to the first people, “Be fruitful and increase in number.”  In crass terms, God tells them to “Have sex and make babies.”   That IS the method God created for people increase in number!

Genesis 1 and the Song of Solomon both teach us that sex is good.  Yes, it can be perverted in very harmful way…we see the harmful effects of that every day.  But sex is not inherently dirty or obscene.  In the proper context, it is a beautiful gift of God. It is something to celebrate.

God is good!

Faith: Running with Others

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1-3

This past spring I got back into running with a goal in mind: I wanted to put in a good showing at the Eyota Days 5K road race.  It took a few months of training to get in shape, but by the middle of July I felt pretty good.  Ben and I ran the 5K trail several times prior to the race.  By race day, I was ready to go!

After the Eyota Days race, I grew busy…it got hot…I was out of town…(excuses…excuses…).  My running regimen disappeared for a while, so when Ben asked if I would run with him in St. Charles’ Gladiolus Days race, I wasn’t so sure.  I’d done some running, but nothing near the 3 miles that the race required.  After putting off a decision for a while, on Thursday I finally decided to bite the bullet.  My goal…to finish!

On Saturday morning I lined up with all the other crazy runners.  As the gun sounded I found a comfortable pace and plodded along, winding through the streets of St. Charles.  At about the halfway point of the race I found myself in a ‘gap.’  I had a few runners in my sights ahead of me.  I couldn’t sense anyone behind me.  I ran alone and felt myself fading.  I didn’t have the energy to catch the person ahead of me.  I soon heard the footsteps of someone coming up from behind.  I’d fallen back.  As the runner moved to pass me, something in me clicked.  I wasn’t about to let someone blow by me!  As he moved by me, I picked up the pace to keep up.  Before long I started to pull away from him, but he hurried to keep up.  For the last 1 ½ miles of the race, the two of us ran side by side.  When one person fell behind, he’d kick it in gear to catch back up again.  Together we moved up on the pack and, one by one, we passed the runners ahead of us.  On the home stretch I was able to blow by the winner of the 12 and under girl’s division (so yes, I AM faster than a 12 year old girl!  Barely!).

Had I run the second half of the race alone, I know that would have faded back into the pack.  Once I had someone to run with, I found extra energy.  I had someone to keep up with!  After the race I tracked my fellow runner down and thanked him for ‘picking me up.’  He had a funny response, “I was just trying to run your pace and keep up.”  He pushed me.  I pushed him.  Together, we finished strong.  He helped me to do what I wanted to do all along…run well!

That race is a microcosm of my life of faith.  When I feel ‘alone’ in faith, it’s easy to fade...to lose motivation.  A few years ago I tried (on my own) to read the Bible in a year.  I didn’t come close to making it!  This year we have a group of people all doing it at once.  As of today, I’m up to date!  They are helping me to do what I want to do.  God continually puts people in my life to ‘push’ me in my faith life.  They challenge me to be the person I want to be.  They remind me of the goodness of our Lord. 

I need others to help to throw off everything that hinders me and the sin that so easily entangles me.  They run with me as together we fix our eyes on Jesus.

A life of Christian faith isn’t a solo journey!  Others run with us.  Thank God!