Some 'little' lessons

Yesterday, I got a call from a fellow clergy brother who asked me if I had taken any photo's lately, and I replied 'no because not long ago my 35mm canon had been stolen.' Well do you have another camera, and I said no why? Well in their church van they had found a 35mm canon with a perscription in one of the pockets that belonged to me ..... hallelujah! it was mine. Now the lesson I needed to learn was to stop jumping to conclusions, to stop inventing stories that fit my situation ....yes, my camera was gone, no, no one had stolen it! I HAD MISPLACED IT, I HAD FORGOTTEN IT. Only a few weeks prior a couple of us pastors had gone to an all day conference and I had left it in the van. Lesson One.
I called home to let mom know SWCOBL/and I would be stopping through on Thanksgiving to share Noon Dinner with her and the family before we proceeded on to Illinois later in the afternoon. Mom was really excited; however when I asked her if she had been reading the books she had taken out at the Library last week, she said they didn't interest her so she took them back. I guess my frustration showed through a little as I replied, 'Mom, the books were not for your interest they were for you to gain information on the grieving process we had set out to explore together.' I told her that I would get up early Thanksgiving morning and make some homemade biscuits which I enjoy doing. I learned that I need to better clarify why I suggest things some times; that its not about what we will enjoy, but how we can enhance our living a victorious life - that very thing must have caused Jesus more heartache and frustration than I will ever experience. Lesson Two.

LESSON THREE: I'm still working on this one, learn to write more coherently!

ENJOY THANKSGIVING!

Oh, Joseph, where are you?

After being in ministry for nearly thirty years, its always a 'personal challenge' to come up with a series of advent/lenten sermons you've never done before. Many hours are spent alone with God searching for his new direction in your preaching schedule. First, your series must be Christ-centered, then Biblically grounded, then culturally and personally applicable; quite a tall order to fill which is why I can't even begin to do it on my own. This year during a community pastoral get together the discussion centered on 'dreams' and how important they were among ancient believers. And as different dreams and dreamers of scripture were being discussed God revealed to me that this years Advent sermons should focus on dreams, to a people in an economy where dreams and hopes are better defined by lottery tickets or rich uncles passing on inheritances. NOw I'm not a big dreamer, and rarely if ever, remember a dream I've had; one of my spiritual brothers [Sage] remarked about how he used to 'journal his dreams' while in college and seminary .... 'journaling your dreams' a most out-of-this-world experience. I couldn't get away from that idea, and as I began to sense God's direction I got more excited. Finally, the answer came, 'we would talk this advent about the dreams that Joseph experienced' as given to us in the Matthew 1 & 2. We would take those four dreams and make them into three messages.
As I began to accumulate a notebook of notes, and research I wondered, 'why had I never thought of this idea before?' Here is a leading support character in not only the story of Christmas but the early formation of Jesus childhood, and except for obligatory reference he is given little thought of. I know scripture doesn't say that much about him, but not only is silence golden sometimes it is heavy with instruction and guidance. As I prepare for Sunday, Dec.6th [this weekend I will be spending with my wife celebrating her parents anniversary in Illinois], I researched our denominations hymnal and among all of the Christmas songs not ONE names Joseph,[check out your church hymnal?] much less implies that he's even in the picture. Were I someone who had never heard the Christmas stories and got all my information from that hymnal I might not even believe Mary was married. Mary, angels, shepherds and wise men all get at least one carol named for them ...........not Joseph. I have come across an illustration that highlights the oft unnoticed presence of Jospeh in a Christmas story by a four year old that is literally awesome, maybe I'll share it during this series. Well before I give too much away too early, let me just say, I guess its time we start learning the lessons Joseph so humbly and faithfully set for us that long ago Christmas time.

FAmily reunions?!

Many of us have long lamented the tradition of family reunions demise. Some of my most cherished memories come from those family holiday reunions when I played, and even hunted with, my cousins. One didn't even contemplate missing a holiday reunion party. In the beginning it was the playtime, whichever farm the reunion was held on would have a special uniqueness that just couldn't be missed. At one uncle's farm it was the long path leading back to the woods that facilitated our playing 'road' games' .. sometimes I got to be the state policeman, but greater still was getting to play the road-robber; at another uncle's farm swinging, [some of the braver ones jumped] from the hay mow down to the center platform nourished dreams of tarzan. One uncle had a woods that was just plain out of Eden; hours of cowboys and indians were spent reenacting John Wayne movies. Then as we got older, we were allowed to accompany the men on pheasant and rabbit hunts, then after passing homebreed hunting tests we fancied ourselves 'full-blown' hunters. The hunting tests usually meant that we had begun to hunt with our fathers before being allowed to hunt with the family group; and we still had to stay close to our fathers. Eventually we came to place where as family patriarch/matriarchs left for heaven an increasing amount of time was spent spinning tales of yesteryear. Oh, how I miss those times.
Just this morning I read an AP article, 'Goodbye jobs, hello mom and dad, say young adults. A silver lining in a depressed economy? Later in the article the author says this, "this trend of kids returning home could create longer-term ripple effects in social relationships, from multigenerational family tensions to delay marriages.' Wow, what a negative conclusion! What about the possibility of familys being reunited, grandkids really learning who their grandparents are, strained relationships reversed, care for aging parents rekindled .......... family reunions - hey there's an idea, and just maybe in some cases the family dinner table becoming again a gathering of ideas and relived memories. And a long range possibility might be neighorhood renewals - neighbors celebrating together - a sense of cultural heritage redeveloping ... a new melting pot?! The ghost of the past making a reappearence to enhance a new present. Perhaps absence not only makes the heart grow fonder - but more receptive?? I'm dreaming. I would dearly love to hear about your reflections on family reunions.
You can find the article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_go_ot/us_boomerang_kids

The End of Words

The End of Words; Richard Lischer. Wm.B.Eerdman's Publishing Co., GRand Rapids, Michigan. A brief book review.
I rarely read a book twice, I could probably count on both hands and still have a finger or two untouched with the number of times I've re-read a book. But the book 'The End of Words' is a fantastic read. Matter of fact the first time I read it I was into it that I failed to take notes and mark significant thoughts that applied to me. So I am re-reading it, this time with marker and pen at hand. This book proposes that we return to the basic principals of simply delivering God's word to the people; that all these modern, technical helps [video clips, power points, etc.] have influenced us to delute the message. That in trying to be relevant we have strayed from allowing God's Word to be fully explained to his people. We have erred, and Dr. Lischer in his book seeks to draw us back to the 'Source,' and to be more attentive to the 'Voice' of God's Word.
Maybe, well probably, its just me, but I believe it should be required reading for everyone who preaches, teaches, and shares about God's Word. Perhaps an unintended blessing of postmodernism is that we are required to return, to again began to fully lean on the Word, and quite trying to relevant in whatever form its tempts us.
Richard Lischer is the Cleland Professor of Praching at Duke Divinity School.

Just a thought!

Yesterday in worship we were giving thanks for the many blessings we've all experienced; and my wife mentioned how thankful she was for God's grace and goodness, how her mother had been widowed twice [her first husband was my wife's father, who she barely remembers; and my son gets his looks and stature from] and we will all celebrating her 40th wedding anniversary to her husband this weekend in Illinois [He is indeed a fantastic person, in many ways so like my father]. As my wife spoke about her thanks, I thanked the Lord for our 37th anniversary we celebrated this fall. God is certainly more than good. While visiting in Illinois this weekend we plan on also visiting with our kids from the southland for a little while also. So I'm praying for a safe journey there and back for all of us; Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of the year!

Veteran's Day

WELL, I truly enjoyed yesterday; and I survived a trip to the dentist office for x-rays and a cleaning, then only to be told I need to return today. My blood pressure shot up about 40 pts from normal in the dentist office. Today I'm a little more calm although that may be a trap! A couple of restaurants in our town gave vet's a free meal, so my wife and I ate lunch at Applebee's and it was delicious and I thanked them for their remembrance. Then later we decided to stop at another restaurant for a light supper, and when I asked if they gave free veteran meals the lady said no, she'd never heard of such a thing - I felt terribly embarrassed and was afraid she thought I was arrogant, but mostly I was a little hostile towards the person who had so assuredly told my wife the restaurant was a participant in that program. As I was finally able to gain some composure after we ordered, we observed there were only about a half-dozen people,
where at Applebee's there were people waiting outside, I told my wife the owners of the restaurant we were in had missed a real economic blessing because most vets brought wives or friends with them to enjoy the occasion. Then a question popped onto the screen of my mind, how many blessings had I missed because I failed to praise/thank God for his goodness to me - I'm not so sure I want an answer to that.
While reading the news headlines yesterday I came across an article 'Milwaukee muggers see Army ID, return wallet.' It seems that a Milwaukee Army reservist' was confronted with four thugs on the streets, pushed into an alley and made to lie on the ground while, with a gun pressed against him, they began to steal his belongings. The robber-leader in searching his wallet saw his reservist card and immediately ordered the others to give back the items they were stealing, matter of fact the leader told him they appreciated his service and actually apologized..go figure. Here's the website if you'd like to read the whole story - www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jDFTbMAAo3-80-sd_EZ_fhPq6TOAD9BT3JGO0. The police reported another robber incident within 40 minutes in about the same area and noted that a corrections officer had been mugged, when the robbers came across his corrections ID they were not impressed and kept his stuff. Now this is really perplexing, to think that there is still honor among thieves, an honor for those who serve our country. I rejoiced in not only the blessings of those who gave free meals [and it certainly was a good economic move for them, but they deserved it] but also in the fact that those who serve our country are NOT forgotten. thanks.

Teeth & Termination

Just some uneventful news so far this week. Sunday afternoon I was in my office, chewing a bit' - of - honey and chomped down on something hard ... now what could that be? So I took the candy out of my mouth, and to my surprise there was a 'tooth' in the candy - that will get your mind spinning. How did a tooth get in my candy .. you might know it would be my candy .. how much could I sue Nestle's for .. would the settlement let my wife and I take trips to different places around the world .. how many taxes would we have to take out? As I was somewhat troubled by the health hazards of chewing on someone else's tooth I tried to balance that with how wealthy I was about to become ...... then, yes, you've guessed it .... my dreams evaporated - my tongue had located the vacant spot where 'that' tooth used to reside! There would be no riches forthcoming,
the only thing looming in my future was a trip to the dentists' chair - that chair where my blood pressure spikes another 20 points, that chair where nightmares become reality, that chair where all kinds of pointy things enter my mouth, that chair where the only positive thing I've heard heard is, 'that's will be all!' Now don't get me wrong, I have the greatest dentist in the world, but I'm still convinced he probably chose to be a dentist because of some guilt complex about his past. Tomorrow 10:30AM.
This morning I went the big-city north and signed up to be enrolled in the Veteran's Affairs Health system. Oh yah, I'm 60 now - life is on the downward side. While over there I also went past the Veterans Home, so when I get to be too much of a pain, now that I'm into the system, my wife and kids can just commit me there. Just think on nice warm days I can sit on the porch, drink ice tea, and recall all the life-saving tasks I did while serving my country[that shouldn't be difficult I was a clerk, the only thing I saved were paper clips]; then in the winter, I can sit on the porch all bundled up drinking hot cocoa and watching my breath spiral into the wind and trying desperately to recall 'how did I get here?'. A couple years ago I had gone to the same clinic and was given some papers to fill out and bring back with my DD214[for those of you not familiar with this form, its your discharge form]. For some reason I didn't have a copy and when told I should have registered it at the county courthouse when I got home from the Army I didn't recall ever doing that. But then the VA counselor here in town convinced me to call there and find out, just in case. Wow! what a just in case, I had filed the form and they could mail it to me; better still my hometown county courthouse did such a service free from veterans. However, since my mother has her hair done every week in the same town she picked it up for me, then when my wife was visiting her this past weekend mom sent it home with her. Now I feel really good, I'm about to become another number in a government system, can it get any better than this. I mean even when it gets to the point I start forgetting my name all I have to do is show them this little card with 'the number' and the eagle on it, presto I'm in luck again. So I don't get to take extended trips to places I've never been, I'm still assured of a place I never want to go to! Wonder if they have a dentist' chair there?