The Road Less Traveled

Favorite Book of All Time

I get asked this question often, so here is my answer... for anyone out there interested, both of you.

Yes, I am a pastor. Yes, I know The Bible is the greatest book ever written. So by virtue of the book itself, God's Inspired Word, and my calling to speak it's truths, technically it is my favorite. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, outside of the Word of God, my favorite book all time is Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

I cannot even begin to describe the wealth of wisdom, the reality of Law, and the extent of pure Gospel contained within this masterpiece. I have highlighted and underlined in so many different colors, so many times, that I think I may need to pick up another copy just so I can read it!

I have the old Harper Collins addition, but a newer translation and edition with copious notes is from Fortress Press. If you have never had the chance to read this book, pick it up today. If you are are at all interested in the walk of Christians together as brothers and sisters in Christ, then you will find no better read than this.

This is what I love so dearly about this gifted work. Christian fellowship. The Body of Christ. Koinonia. The Church. Family of God. What ever title you want to put to it, there is great joy, support, encouragement and accountability in Christian community. Let me just give you but a taste from the first few pages to get your taste buds salivating.

" Therefore, the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God's Word to him. He needs Him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth. He needs his brother man as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation. He needs his brother solely because of Jesus Christ. The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother's is sure." (pg. 23).

Christianity was never meant to be a solo venture. We were meant to walk this journey of life together, despite our difference and disagreements. Our uniqueness brought to the whole is what gives the Christian Community it's flavor. Some see it as a weakness. I believe our distinctiveness, yet our connectedness in Christ, is a marvelous gift. Certainly Dr. Bonhoeffer is more eloquent than I with words, so I would commend you to his work.

So, what brought this on? I recently read an excellent piece of scholarship from one of the professors at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis entitled"Koinonia and Life Together in the New Testament" at Concordiatheology.org. Take the time to read and study this article and you also will gain a great appreciation or fall in love all over again with the concept of "Life Together."

Doing Math at Gethsemane

In preparing for various Lenten services at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Lansing, MI, I was taking a moment to read and inwardly digest St. Matthew's account of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Amazement is the word to be used at the utter agony and pain of these moments in prayer. But what really struck me was Jesus statement to the one who cut off the ear of the servant to the High Priest, " 52 Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?"

Twelve legions of angels. Do you know how many a legion is? A Roman legion was composed of 6,000 troops. Do the math. 12 x 6,000 = 72,000 angels. Seriously! That would be totally awesome to see 72,000 angels commanded by Jesus to take down this small group. Scripture is not done yet... Let us keep doing the math. Read this from 2 Kings 19:35, where the Lord declares He will save the city for His people,  " 35 That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning--there were all the dead bodies!"

According to this, in one evening one angel, yes, one angel, wiped out 185,000 soldiers. The Angel of the Lord probably didn't even break a sweat in the process! According to this number, let us do the Math to see at least how much damage 72,000 angels can do: 72,000 angels x 185,000 soldiers = 13,320,000,000. That is not a misprint. Do the math yourself. 13.3 billion soldiers could have at least been wiped out when Jesus could have called down his 72,000 angels! That is what I call a beat down!!!!

But, wait, that is not what happened. Jesus heals the man and allows himself to be taken prisoner. Certainly not the Hollywood ending some might expect and the other ending probably would have gotten better ratings on TV. Nope. Jesus allows himself to be placed into the hands of the mob only to be mocked, humiliated, beaten, and finally to die a criminal's death. All that so the Scriptures would be fulfilled. So that our beat down would become His beat down. Our sin became His sin and our punishment was laid upon Him.

It may not have been as flashy as 72,000 angels, but I can assure you that His humility in that death was more powerful than 100 times 72,000 angels and more.And all for you!

 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4,5

 

What Happened to the Time - Daughter becomes a Teenager

 On a day when people are fascinated by the date 11/11/11 and release big video games, movies, new phones and more, there is another reason our family has been looking forward to (or dreading) 11/11/11 - Kirsten turns 13. Yep, now I am a father of an official teenage girl. (Please pray for me!)

Where did the time fly by? What happened to it? Why did it go so fast? I tried and tried to hold on to it, but it just kept slipping away. I suppose all one can really do is take it for what it is and instead of grabbing and holding on to it, savor each bite, each juicy morsel, like the best steak you have ever eaten, but know you will never have again.

Yes, I do admit, as a dad this day comes with a bit of sadness, for that little girl I held in my arms, who played dress up, who sang "You've got a friend in me" from Toy Story with me, and who held my hand in the store seems to have slipped way. It is truly hard to explain unless you are a father who has gone through it yourself. (Yeah, I know college and marriage are coming. Don't anybody remind me!) So, I would be lying if I didn't say this was a day I was not looking forward to...

but...

...it is also a day I have been looking forward to. To watch and see her grow into the young woman God is forming her to be, to see those sparks of the fruits of the spirit come out in her life, to see the glimpses of a young woman taking responsibility for herself and finding a confidence that is supplied by her Savior. Yes, these are worth looking forward to.

My wife and I have not been blessed by the Lord with the ability to have invested in the stocks, or mutual funds, or 401k programs or such. But I can guarantee you that we have been investing for many, many years in something that will pay more valuable returns than anything Wall Street has to offer...our children. The greatest investment any of us can make is in our families, our marriages, and in our children or grandchildren. The dividends pay off for generations. Don't believe me check the Bible to see the difference between those who invest and those who do not.

I could have probably been more involved in pursuing more opportunities within our church body, or even more education, or setting up more and more programs at our local church being gone every night of the week, but I made a decision a long time ago and I plan on sticking to it. God has given the wonderful gift of being a husband and a father, two huge responsibilities that have and will continue to be top priorities in my life. Do people recognize my name throughout the state in our church body? Probably not. Am I involved in every aspect and every meeting and every single thing that happens at our church?Not there either. Is there a ton of money in our bank account or savings? Nope, but enough that the Lord provides all we need.

I do pray, that the time, energy, effort and money poured into the investment of my now teenage daughter will bear much fruit. By the power of the Holy Spirit working within her heart, by what God has done and continues to do, I can rest confident that my mistakes, my faults, my issues as a sinful father will be covered over by Christ and His work.

So yes, some sadness, but also anticipation, joy and excitement as my wife and I learn how to start to let her go, to watch be her own person, and yet still try to be the best parents we can relying on the promises of a Heavenly Father who has shown us what it means to be a dad.

I wish I could come up with a word that sums up the joy, the pain, the sadness, the ups, the downs, of all of this. Oh yeah, it's called...parenting. 

First Preschool Day without Tears

No not mommy or daddy, but Erik. We have been struggling somewhat with him in the mornings to let go of dad and not to cry. Yes, this is natural. I love the song by Darius Rucker on this thought that " it won't be like this for long." But today... was exciting. He was off without a tear.

As you may or may not know, you see he knows that mom, dad, and sister are all here at school and he couldn't figure out why first we left him when we are in the building and two, why he just couldn't go get us. As he told the teacher, "My mommy is here." "Yes, Erik, but she has to teach." "Well daddy is here." "yes, but he is meeting with people from church." "Well, Kirsten is here. She can get me." At this one just has to stop and laugh. He has it all figured out.

Well today is the next day in one of those parent milestones. Sad to see these last milestones go by knowing they don't come back around again, but doesn't that also help us appreciate them as well and not take them for granted.

Lord, Help me never to take even the little things in my children's lives for granted, for they pass by so quickly. Also, help me to thank you for the newness of this walk with my children as surely as you rejoice with your walk with us. Amen.

I am Sorry, but I Guess You Could Call My Wife a "Football Widow"

Yes, it is true, college football on Saturday's, NFL football on Thursday nights, Sundays and Sunday nights, and Monday night. Some have suggested this term "football widow" for those wives out there such as mine. After 14 years of marriage she has adjusted. She loves to sit and read anyway. Trust me, I have tried and tried to get her into football, but it just will not take. I have to admit, I gave up a number of years ago, and she gave up trying to get me to break my addiction to the game. Neither of us got anywhere, so we are content right where we are.

She does however have to put up with my rants as Chad Henne, Quaterback for the Miami Dolphins, throws another interception (Sorry Michigan fans, but I do love Jake Long) or my fantasy player fumbles the ball. But very rarely do I have to hear her go on a tear when a character in her book does something... So guess in the end, she does get the short end of the stick.

We do however share a few sports interests in common. 1)  Baseball - Chicago Cubs 2) Olympics 3) Neither of us gets the whole Hockey thing??? Sorry, just can't do it. (What do you want. I grew up in Florida where, back in the day, there was no hockey.) In the end I know she is thankful not to have to add that sport to my football addiction. 

Football is back... All is right

Yes College Football is back...

 

NFL season right around the corner...

 

Ah... Yes...

Pastor Enhances Ministry with iPad2

I have recently come into an ipad 2! This has been a wonderful inclusion into doing ministry more efficiently and effectively with this wonderful tool. I have had it for a number of months now and am still exploring ways that it works and is useful. I thought I might share some apps and ways that I use my ipad to enhance my ministry with the hopes that it might help someone and they in turn share their ideas.

• Dropbox - Fantastic tool for sharing data between computers and devices. My sermons and notes are uploaded into dropbox and edited or read on my ipad or even my iphone. No longer do I have to leave your work at the office! I talk it everywhere. Far more efficient than using a thumb drive.
• Bible apps - This is probably nothing new to anyone, but the ability to search, call up passages, make notes, different translations, bookmarks, highlight, etc. has made this an incredible tool not only for study and Bible Classes, but to when I visit with people. Olive Tree is great due to their tools for Hebrew and Greek. I also use Tecarta Bible.You can't imagine how easier it is not to have to carry my BHS (Hebrew OT) or my NA27 (Greek NT) around. (Not to mention the dictionary for those obscure greek words.)
• GoodReader - This is program that will let you work with many different formats, but especially useful for reading or annotating .pdf. I recently led a parenting class and instead of writing my notes on my papers, I used GoodReader and digitally highlighted, made notes, wrote comments from parents, and even cut and pasted my scripture passages right into the document so I could more efficiently go right to the passage within one program. Also docs. etc. can be used.
• Remember the Milk - This is one of the best Todo list apps out there. I have so many different aspects to the ministry that I do. I need one place to help keep me organized with what I have to do. RTM works with iphone/ipad/blackberry/android/web and even outlook! All synced together so wherever I am or what I am doing I can organize my todos with family ministry, sermons, meetings, shutins, day school, elders, etc, etc. It will even push you reminders on your iphone or ipad. Extremely helpful in keeping all your ministry areas together.
• Pray Now - Daily pray app from Concordia Publishing House. I have the paper version which is HUGE and cost me over $30. But the app is only $9 and works on my iphone or ipad! This is a marvelous app for daily devotions, Orders for Daily Prayer, or just reading the Bible. You can even add your own notes. Highly recommend this app, especially for Lutherans. 
• Note Taker HD - I have recently come upon the latest update to this note taking gem. I have tried at least 6 other note taking apps, but none fit the bill like this one. No longer do I go to church meetings, board meetings, or staff meetings with a legal pad etc. I write, yes, write with a special pen, on my ipad to keep notes. I can type notes also, make charts or graphs, add pictures etc. This is a very versatile app and with the push of a button I can go to the web if I need to. $5 app is very reasonable. (oh, yeah, turn your notes into .pdf and send them to dropbox. One of the keys to this
• Splashtop HD - This is probably one of the more fun apps. With this free app you can completely control another computer in the building through wifi. (Yes, Goto my pc has more function and can go anywhere, but it is not FREE!) I have sat in another office, in a meeting etc, and hit the app and within seconds I have full access to programs and files on my laptop in my office. If I am at home, I use it there. Very useful when using my incredibly powerful computer Bible program Bibleworks. There is a little lag depending on speed of your computer and your wifi connection, but it has been very useful.

Let me share how I put some of these tools together. I recently led a parenting class that was meeting in our sanctuary for space. We have screens in our church connected to our computer in the back. Unfortunately I am teaching from the from and I needed access to powerpoint and video on the computer in the back. All my notes were on my ipad in my annotated .pdf. With one click of a button and within seconds I was controlling the computer in the back and ran the ppt from my ipad, then proceeded to run the dvd video from the ipad. Not loud enough...no problem, just adjusted the volume from the ipad. Stop the video at a spot to talk...hit the pause button on my ipad.

I have to admit, it was cool. But more importantly is was extremely useful and I was able to concentrate on the lesson and the people, not the tech. The tech is useful, but it cannot be distrcting that people feel like you are more concerned with the tech then them. I also feel that tech helps with the Gospel proclimation, but the Gospel is still first and foremost!! There are other things I use and as I come across them I will share, but this gives one a start.

Do you have ways that you use you ipad for ministry of any kind. Please share. These new tablets can be fantastic in assisting in the proclamation of the Gospel.

PS - And of course I have Angry Birds to use during those long meetings...but you didn't get that from me!

 

10 Year Old Boy Say's "Farewell" to Dream

Yes, that ten year old boy was me. When I was ten I watched the Space Shuttle go up from my home in Florida. Each launch we watched the shuttle shoot into the sky and with it my dreams of traveling to new worlds, to boldly go where no man had gone before... Yep, I was, and still am, a Sci-Fi nerd. Traveling to other worlds was a dream I thought could come true in my lifetime. It all seemed so possible. My parents saw men land on the moon and I watched as astronauts regularly "shuttled" into space. Unless you have experienced it, you can't image what being exposed to that type of excitement does to a young boy.

As a Gen-X'er growing up in Florida near Cape Canaveral in the age of Star Wars and Star Trek, the dream seemed like it could be a reality. Now at forty, while on vacation to my parents home in Florida, I watched a piece of my childhood launch into space, never to return again. Each time that shuttle launched I felt a piece of my childhood ride on that space ship. Unfortunately, I also got a first hand view of the tragedy on that day the Challenger exploded. (Our entire high school was outside on a bomb threat. We listened to the radio from someones car. I have never heard that kind of silence from 800 high school students.)

I knew it was significant as I watched a single tear fall from my mother, for she knew as well that it marked the end of an era, not only for our space program, but for her son as she watched him thirty years ago with such wonder in his eyes. As we watched together, three generations, as I also watched with my daughter (12) and son (3), there was something different in this launch than that one.

As one generation watched us launch into space and another watched us shuttle into space, I wonder what my children will watch. Hopefully something more than a nation dying under the weight of its own debt, or fear of terror from an unknown bomber. For there was something more as we looked up into the sky and watched the space program. The space program held dreams and a reality that there was more out there than our navel gazing, more than our arguments on Capital Hill, or trying to pay our bills. It helped us to recognize that we are not alone. That from up there we all look the same, no race, no colors. The sin and evil seem to drift away as the beauty of the our planet, the moon and stars reminds us that God is still holding it all together. That the God of the universe would love the people on that little round ball so much that he would send his son to an insignificant little town in the middle east.

So thank you NASA and so many others who help launch a young boys dreams into space. My prayer is that whatever happens in our space program, there might be a new "space ship" out there to launch the dreams of so many other boys and girls to boldly go where no one has gone before.

 

³ When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, ⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8:2-4

Jason Taylor to New York Jets

ESPN reports Taylor to the Jets. What is this world coming to??? PLEASE! The J.E.T.S. Jets??? I don't think I can stand to watch.  Someone please wake me up from this nightmare...

It was hard enough watching Zach Thomas leave, but at least he went to Dallas, not in the same conference and definitely not in the same division nor the hated rivals of the Dolphins.

Must be nice to live in a city that can build two new Baseball Ballparks, a new Football Stadium and can buy their way into any sport whether baseball or football. No doubt top dollar will be offered to basketball's King James to woo him to the sit on the throne in New York also.

Is there anyone else who would like to play for the Jets? They seem to have purchased everyone else this next year.

Oldest Member at Our Savior Lutheran Celebrates 99th Birthday

Marie Bork, 99, a dear child of God, celebrated her 99th birthday with a few family members, long time friends from her church and her pastor on Tuesday, April 13th. We got a little surprise birthday party for her together. What a joy. She shared joys of the past, her children, her church, her husband with the Lord, and how the Lord has been with her all these years.

We all had a piece of cake and a scoop of ice cream. But even more wonderful than that was the connection of those the Lord has graced us with. There are people like Marie who remind us of God's goodness throughout the years, who remind us of the Lord watching over us, who remind us that we all have a purpose in God's plan while we are still her on this earth, and who remind us that the body of Christ contains those that are 9 days old and those 99 years old.

I pray that we might celebrate a 100th birthday party with Marie, but if not, I know of a greater celebration with her Savior we will have one day.

We love you Marie and while you may not be able to join us physically at church, you are a part of our family and your spirit is still felt within the walls of our church and your family.  

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. (Isa 46:4 NIV)

Go Cubs Go

Here we go... Opening Day... Let's do it this year Cubbies. I got my blue pin stripes on and my old Cub hat on. I am ready to go. Please join with me in prayer for Cub nation...

You Have got to be kidding me... As I began this blog Cubs were up in the first inning 3 - 0. Now just 10 - 15 minutes later... we are losing 3 - 6 and we are STILL IN THE FIRST INNING!!!!!!!!!!!! You have got to be kidding me. Thanks Big Z.