Claimed, gathered and sent

A member of Christ Lutheran Church, Rev. Robert W. Koons D. D. penned a hymn whose words are sung to the tune of My Country Tis of Thee or God Bless Our Native Land (ELW 891). It appeared in Friday's Gettysburg Times. This indeed is an appropriate prayer for our new president. God bless our president, Uphold his high intent To rule aright-- Our nation's good pursue, Hope of world peace renew, All humankind to view As in Your sight. Your gracious Spirit pour On him, we now implore-- Give him your aid. Unite us all to stand With helping, serving hand. What You for earth have planned Be here displayed. In the copy given to us at church, each line of the above was explained from a theological perspective by the author. A fellow seminarian thought it was the best hymn we sang yesterday. Lord in your mercy...hear our prayer. flickr pictures

When I left for Christmas vacation, I was suffering from fried brain syndrome, as were my fellow seminarians. The time away was filled with renewed mental and physical resources, renewed relationships, and renewed commitment. We spent Christmas with my daughter and granddaughter (at left). Grace has grown so much in such a short time. A particular highlight for us was seeing Grace in the Christmas pageant at church. She was an angel. There was also a toddler who was one of the shepherds. As he followed the other shepherds up the aisle, he was sucking his thumb and clutching his blanket. He was too cute. Shortly after arriving in Rochester, I talked with a pastor friend (he married us just over 5 years ago) and he asked me to preach for him. The congregation is small, but delightful. I had a wonderful time. Since Amity has been with Ray (Sept.), she has not wagged her tail much at all and has sometimes looked rather melancholy. This has changed dramatically and it seems the impetus for

I came home a week ago Sat. from rehab after knee replacement. It hasn't been easy--physical therapy exercises, pain, little sleep, pain, reading, pain, praying, pain...you get the idea. What sleep I have been getting has been interrupted with pain. Henri Nouwen in The Inner Voice of Love, wrote: There is a deep hole in your being, like an abyss. You will never succeed in filling that hole, because your needs are inexhaustible. You have to work around it so that gradually the abyss closes... There are two extremes to avoid: being completely absorbed in your pain and being distracted by so many things that you stay far away from the wound you want to heal.1. Pain can be all consuming, whereas it is God that should be all consuming. Yet again, I am confronted with that which I am unable to do in my own strength, reminded of who I need to look to . Our faith walk is not always easy, but in the tough times we learn upon whom we can and must lean. That's the lesson for me, what abo

Acts 1:8 provides Jesus’ last words to his followers. He exemplified promotion of vision. Kouzes and Posner suggest “Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership” (Kouzes & Posner, 2002, p. 13), we see in Christ also. They are (1) model the way, (2) inspire a shared vision, (3) challenge the process, (4) enable others to act, and (5) encourage the heart. (Kouzes & Posner, p. 13). Leaders must model the way since “People first follow the person, then the plan” (Kouzes & Posner, 2002, p. 15). Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life .” (John 14:6, Today’s New International Version). Jesus modeled the way. Jesus is the way. Leaders inspire a shared vision by, “…gaz[ing] across the horizon of time, imagining the attractive opportunities … when they and their constituents arrive at a distant destination” (Kouzes & Posner, 2002, p. 15). Jesus prayed, “That they may be one as we are one…so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know th

If you want to be moved by seeing the hand of God at work in the world, read Kelly Fryer's "Rock & Roll Revival" post at http://reclaimingthefword.typepad.com/reclaiming_the_f_word/. You won't regret it.

Yesterday was our granddaughter, Grace's 4th birthday. Before church yesterday she was excitedly talking with a friend and asked her if she wanted to come to church and Sunday school with her. The girl asked her mom, and they both came. My daughter reported that Sarah's friend loved Sunday school. It is so easy for children to share with their friends about that which excites them. What is our problem? "The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them" (Is 11:6).

We've all heard the voice. You know: the one a parent uses and you know y0u're in trouble now. Or the unmistakable voices of Barry White or James Earl Jones. Or the friend's voice when there so much brokenness in your life, family, marriage and no one can do anything to fix it, but just hearing the love and concern in that voice somehow helps. Psalm 29:3-9 ( http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=67154999 ) speaks of God's voice. " The voice of the Lord is over the waters... is powerful... full of majesty... breaks the cedars... flashes forth flames of fire... shakes the wilderness... causes the oaks to whirl... strips the forests bare." The psalmist here speaks of a strong voice. Sometimes we need that strength when we are weak. It is the voice of the God who speaks things into being...of the eternal Word incarnated among us. It's important to recognize the voice we are hearing. Parents know their child's voic

I was just reading this post on the "Gifted for Leadership" blog, "Create a Culture of Mentorship." http://blog.christianitytoday.com/giftedforleadership/2008/01/create_a_culture_of_mentorship.html#more In this area, how are we doing as a church? It seems that this is part of our call. If we are to "make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28:19), isn't mentoring a large part of making disciples and helping those disciples to grow? What do/don't your churches do in this area? Thursday evening our Christian Education Committee will be working on a mentoring program for our confirmands. Any suggestions? Powered by ScribeFire .