CPE is coming back to bite me

Sorry for those of you non-seminarians out there, but this post is mainly for my fellow seminarians who have been through CPE or at least know what CPE is. Let's just repeat my title line. It's coming back to bite me. One of the things I struggled with during CPE was keeping personal and professional separate while at the same time understanding how they can unite as well. It's something I still struggle with to this day. For those of you who want to hear the story which awakened this in me, please let me know and I will gladly send off an email to you.

As for everyone else, my MN teaching license is renewed and I have found an opening in Waseca for a junior high band director. I'm really excited to apply and hopefully interview for this position. I'll be close enough to Albert Lea that I can still go to church there and drive down for concerts and sporting events if possible. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

I hope you all have a

Happy Thanksgiving! I will be spending the day in Eagan with my parents and my mom's brother and his wife and whomever of my three cousins will be there. I just finished a bible study this past Monday at one of the churches I attend here in Albert Lea. It was definitely an awesome opportunity to take stock of my relationship with Christ and set some goals for the future as I continue to walk with Christ. Hopefully I'll post more about that study later, but until then, I'm praying that you all have reasons to be grateful this year.

A moment for the history books

Many of you probably watched the election returns come in last night. I still don't understand how it is a network can call a state for a candidate when no results have even been reported is beyond me. How do those exit polls work anyway?

Some people may say that John McCain lost last night, but this morning on The View, I watched 5 ladies (2 African-American, 3 Caucasian and only 1 of them is conservative) talk about Barack Obama winning the election last night. Barbara Walters immediately checked in with Elisabeth Hasselbeck to see how she was doing. Hasselbeck said she watched Barack Obama's speech with her daughter. Hasselbeck explained that Barack Obama is the next president of the US. Her daughter then asked who lost. Hasselbeck told her daugher that nobody lost the election this year. Everybody won.

Whether we agree with Obama or not, we all know that 45 years ago Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" Speech. Last night, any limits that African Americans had on their dreams were dropped from the table. As the ladies on The View said this morning, and as Martin Luther King Jr. said 45 years ago, I believe America did make a judgment based on the content of someone's character and not on the color of their skin.

Now if only we could spread those rights to Native Americans, such as those living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

No title

I don't usually like to share with people outside of my parents who I intend on voting for, but this time, I want to share with the readers of this blog why I am deciding to cast my vote for Barack Obama in this election. It's a lengthy story, so it might actually come in the form of a couple of separate blogs.

During the primaries, I actually casted my support behind Republican candidate Mike Huckabee. When he ended up not getting the nomination, it put me back at square one where I had to beginning learning about the candidates who did get the nominations of their respective parties. Normally, I don't even know which way I'm leaning as I watch the conventions and the debates, and even the campaign stops that are televised on CNN and MSNBC. This year has been a little bit different for me however. Barack Obama hooked me during his convention speech. He said we may not agree on abortion, but we can at least agree to work together to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. He said we may not agree on same-sex marriages, but at least we can agree that gays and lesbians should be allowed to visit their partners in hospitals and have some of the same societal liberties the rest of us have. In that moment, I saw him reaching out to conservative evangelicals like me. It also got me thinking about what I had learned about my own prejudices regarding homosexuality while in seminary. I can't force my viewpoints onto anybody, but can only pray for God to change their hearts and minds. My viewpoints come from my relationship with Christ and the change He has brought about in my life. I also started to think about something else I learned at seminary. Lutherans do quite the job of serving their neighbor and always watching out for those who have less than they do. While numbers throughout the denomination are in decline, their giving to organizations that deal with hunger and homelessness and the like has actually gone up and is at the top compared to other Christian denominations (at least as far as what I heard from professors at seminary). This led me to start thinking not only about abortion and homosexuality, but also about my parents who did everything they could to pay for my bachelor's degree, the people across the nation who are losing their jobs and having a hard time making ends meet. I found myself asking which candidate would best serve my neighbor. Needless to say, as this campaign season has progressed, I have remained on that hook and the line has slowly been reeling in.

To continue with the fishing metaphor (hook, line, sinker), I was still looking for that sinker. If Barack Obama hooked me during his convention speech, and slowly began reeling me in during the campaign season, there had to be a sinker somewhere. It happened on Wednesday evening. I got home from church that evening. I was able to see the last 15 minutes of the 30 minute ad. The real-life stories of the struggles people are facing almost drew me to tears. By the end, I really seriously almost cried. It happened when Obama said that he learns everyday that he's not perfect. He said he will never be a perfect president. Yet he said he would listen to us when we disagree and that he would open the doors of government so that people could be involved in their own democracy again. (I don't even know what that looks like). That was my sinker. Maybe it is all rhetoric, maybe it isn't, but for me, this election is not about me. It's about my neighbor.

I'm BK (just for you, boB). I'm a conservative evangelical Christian, and I approved this message.

another job

I found another job. I will be an accompanist for the contemporary worship team at United Methodist Church in Albert Lea. Should be fun.

Christian first, American second, Republican, Democrat or Independent third

Long title, but as this political season is now in the last month, I have some comments about what I've been reading and hearing. First off, I think it's high time that I officially refer to myself as an Independent. Yes, I am conservative. Yes, I am an Evangelical Christian, but that does not mean I have to always vote for the Republican ticket. This year I am more educated about what is going on around me and have come to the conclusion that if I vote for the Republican ticket, I would be voting for myself instead of people like my parents who have done everything they can to make sure their children and grandchildren have more. I am frustrated with my fellow evangelicals who believe that abortion is the only issue they should be voting for in this election. It seems like it's the only issue in every election. Yes, I do believe life begins at conception, but I also believe that it's the church's responsibility to pray for people they meet who are thinking about having an abortion. Body of Christ, it is our responsibility to work to make the change, not the government's. When I think about people in this world who consider having an abortion, I wonder if they believe God's Word, where we read that God formed us in our mother's womb and knows the number of the hairs on our head. I am worried that many of us within the Body of Christ want to force our conservative convictions onto the rest of society. I don't believe that's the right thing to do. Until God changes the hearts of those who wish to have abortions, all I can do is love them just as they are and pray that God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, will be at work in their hearts to draw them to Himself.

Just my thoughts and my thoughts alone. These are not the thoughts of any other person that I am aware of.

I found a job, and 9/11

As of last Friday, I have a part-time job with our local YMCA in Albert Lea as a School's Out Site Coordinator at one of our elementary schools. It's something I'm very excited about as it will allow me to teach but not have to grade anybody based on what they're learning. I'm continuing to look for something else to do during the days, so keep praying that God will open doors for a job where I can work during the days but leave on snow days to go teach kids after school.

Last week, I meant to post my memories of 9/11. A fellow blogger and college friend of mine posted about how she heard about the events of that horrific day and I wanted to post about mine. I was a junior in college and I was actually at home that day. I friend of mine had died of cancer just 5 days earlier so I was at home for her funeral. My friend Laura showed up and told me about what had just happened. I didn't really think anything of it and we went to breakfast and then to the funeral. I got back to my parents' house at 2:30 and left to head back to Brookings, SD. When I drove into Brookings, I saw major long lines at gas stations and I was like, "What on earth is going on?" I tried to call my dad, but couldn't get through on my cell phone. I finally did, and he told me to put gas in my car before it went up to $4 a gallon. (I didn't put gas in my car until November and it never got that high.) I got back to the dorm after a bible study and was sitting in a neighbor's room. A bunch of us sat in front of the TV watching what had happened earlier that day. Needless to say, my mind was so not in tuned to anything that happened in NYC. I was still remembering a friend and former schoolmate and the huge blessing she was that previous summer.

This year, on 9/11/08, I was awaken to a phone call from somebody who had the wrong phone number. MSNBC replayed the Today Show's coverage of those events to the exact minute. I watched for more than 2 hours. I have nothing more to say.

Still in the quest for a job

I am still in the quest for a job. I know I just restated my subject line. I'm sorry. I'm allowing myself some extra time for discernment regarding my call to ministry. Now that CPE is over, I can put more of my energy into my job search. In the meantime, I can also work on going through all of my stuff that I've collected from my years of school and teaching and throw away the things I don't need. I've already started to do that. Let me just say that my bedroom is more of a mess right now than it ever has been. My closet is in the process of being gutted so it can be totally cleaned. We shall see how long this process takes. While I am doing all of this, I am also enjoying watching my fellow Americans compete in the Olympics. As much as I watch them compete, I enjoy hearing those human interest stories more than anything. Especially the man from Togo who won a bronze medal in whitewater kayaking. Very cool. The comeback by the Americans in the 400 freestyle relay was amazing. Have a great day! I hope to write again soon.

It's been a month

Yes, it's been a month since the last post, but once CPE is done, I will have more time to actually think about doing the things I haven't been so good about doing this summer, like blogging. I'm sure that next Friday I will want nothing more than to spend oodles of time in the public library in Albert Lea and just type away. I cannot tell you how much I've learned this summer, but let me just say that it's been good, rewarding, but I'm ready to be done and move onto the next chapter of my life. What that is, we'll have to wait and see.

Taking care of myself

Sometimes I find myself forgetting some important things. In my wanting to be there for other people, I forget that sometimes other people want to be there for me. I'm only beginning to learn that lesson. I'm beginning to learn that in its own weird way, allowing people to get to know me is a way for me to take care of myself (if that makes any sense). All I need to do is apply this lesson to my life. Knowing that I have a group of people who can and will hold me accountable in this brings some comfort to my putting this lesson to use.

10 days . . .

. . . since the last post. I know I said I would let you all know how CPE was going, but I've been bad about blogging about my CPE journey. Let me just say it's going good, I'm enjoying it more and more everyday, but it is also really exhausting that when I get home, I don't feel like getting on a computer. I feel like going to bed. I'm on call on Thursday night this week, so hopefully this weekend I will seriously write about some of what I'm learning this summer.

God at work

Sorry for the delay. CPE this week has stood for "Crucified Practically Everyday." It is pretty painful, especially when presenting your own goals. (More about that when I can see the light of day.) A lot has happened this week. Goal presentations, weekly reports, and conversations with patients to name a few. But there's definitely something of which I'm coming to a deeper understanding. As our entire CPE group presented our goals for the summer, I was struck by the fact that personally, this summer is about becoming more comfortable with who we are, with who we know ourselves to be. I have a small problem with that. If God is continually transforming us into the likeness of His Son, then are we ever comfortable with who we are?

CPE: Days 2 and 3

Day 2 (May 28):
Day 2 of CPE began with a 3 hour orientation, most of which consisted of stuff we chaplain interns had already heard and discovered on our first day there. As I sat there, I thought even more in depth about how we are all absolutely scared about whether or not we will know who to call in desperate times of need when dealing with patients. It dawned on me that this is not something I am just supposed to push my way through because it's a requirement (though it's not anymore and I'll explain why later, hopefully tomorrow). It's something I'm supposed to experience. It also dawned on me how much I'm going to hate being professional. I feel like who I am as a person and who I am as a professional are two completely different identities. I don't even like the thought of integrating them. Why don't I? Because I don't consider myself a professional person. Hopefully this doesn't become a problem of mine for the entire summer. P.S. Happy Birthday, Jayna!

Day 3 (May 29):
I have a funny feeling I missed the surprise for today. Why? Well, I got a phone call from the pastor at Atonement Lutheran Church in Jamestown, ND at 11:39 this morning. Unfortunately, I was eating lunch so I could attend something called Spiritual Ground Round (I think that's right). This is something that happens once a month. Today we listened to the music group SeVy. (I'll post a link to their website tomorrow. I strongly encourage you to check it out. They're due to release a CD this coming November.) This afternoon, I also got to make my first set of rounds on my assigned floor for the summer. I'm in the geriatrics unit. I had the opportunity to visit with 3 people while on the floor. Everybody else was elsewhere and half of the patients on the list were getting discharged today.
Back to the Jamestown, ND thing. I didn't get the message until about 7p.m. when I turned my phone on. The pastor will definitely be hearing from me tomorrow. It's 50/50 whether or not he is calling to offer me the position. I'm nervously excited right now because I walked out of the interview not knowing one way or another whether or not it was God's perfect fit for me at this point in time.

CPE: Day 1

Today was my first day of CPE, and I realized that it's exactly where God wants me this summer. I am hoping to blog about my experiences (the non-confidential ones, that is) on a daily basis. My goal is to wake up every morning and ask God to surprise me during each day of my chaplain internship this summer. Feel free to join me on the ride. For those of you who have had CPE before, you can also feel free to join me on the ride.

It's been more than a week

It's been more than a week since the last blog. I don't really have time to write anything right now except to say that my interview in Jamestown, ND was great! I discovered that one of my former pastors from home was the pastor at Atonement before moving to Albert Lea to become a pastor at my home church. It was one of those things that shocked me, but then made wonder even more what on earth God is up to. I will update more later.

Another door shut

Today, God confirmed that He shut the door for Sioux City, IA.

Two doors are left open: Jamestown, ND, and the back door option. I'm trusting that God will reveal to me which door I need to walk through in His perfect timing.

Sleep #2

For two nights in a row now, I've been able to sleep without getting up in the middle of the night praying about where God is leading me next year. Which makes me wonder even more about the back door option.

As far as school goes, I officially have one final left and three days to get ready to move back home for the summer. I'm doing hospital chaplaincy at Rochester Mayo and am looking forward to a different chapter for a while.

My apologies for these lackluster posts, but I've got absolutely nothing profound to say, which is probably alright. On that note, I pray that you are all having a wonderful May and may God continue to bless this season of spring.

Pray for the people of China and Myanmar, and our weather

Global warming is having a crazy effect on places like China, Myanmar and the southern portion of the US. Please keep all those people in your prayers.

Sleep?

I'm not sure what that is these days. I was up for an hour and a half in the middle of the night a couple of weeks ago when a back door opened for next year. After I found out about my Jamestown interview, I couldn't sleep very well from 2 a.m. until 8 a.m. the following morning. Last night, I went to bed at 10 p.m. and woke up twice, once at 1 a.m. and again at 6:30 a.m. before my alarm went off at 7 a.m. What will tonight have in store? I think that tonight, if this happens again, I'm just going to have a conversation with God because I think there are some things He wants to say to me. Maybe I should just wake up and listen.

Interview #4 around the bend

UPDATE!!! - Interview #4 is officially scheduled for May 22 at 5 p.m. I can't wait!!!




Yay!!!!!

I have finally been contacted by the pastor from Jamestown, ND to set up an interview. Of course he called when my phone was off, so I need to call him back after class today. This interview is going to clarify a lot for me, Lord-willing.

I'll keep you posted.

Thoughts from Martin Luther on Galatians 6:15

A new creation, by which the image of God is renewed (Col. 3:10), does not happen by the sham or pretense of some sort of outward works, because in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts; but it is “created after the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). When works are performed, they do indeed give a new outward appearance, which captures the attention of the world and the flesh. But they do not produce a new creation, for the heart remains as wicked and as filled with contempt of God and unbelief as it was before. Thus a new creation is a work of the Holy Spirit, who implants a new intellect and will and confers the power to curb the flesh and to flee the righteousness and wisdom of the world. This is not a sham or merely a new outward appearance, but something really happens. A new attitude and a new judgment, namely, a spiritual one, actually come into being, and they now detest what they once admired. Our minds were once so captivated by the monastic life that we thought of it as the only way to salvation; now we think of it quite differently. What we used to adore, before this new creation, as the ultimate in holiness now makes us blush when we remember it.
Therefore a new creation is nora change in clothing or in outward manner, as the monks imagine, but a renewal of the mind by the Holy Spirit; this is then followed by an outward change in the flesh, in the parts of the body, and in the senses. For when the heart acquires new light, a new judgment, and new motivation through the Gospel, this also brings about a renewal of the senses. The ears long to hear the Word of God instead of listening any longer to human traditions and notions. The lips and the tongue do not boast of their own works, righteousness, and monastic rule; but joyfully they proclaim nothing but the mercy of God, disclosed in Christ. These changes are, so to speak, not verbal; they are real. They produce a new mind, a new will, new senses, and even new actions by the flesh, so that the eyes, the ears, the lips, and the tongue not only see, hear, and speak otherwise than they used to, but the mind itself evaluates things and acts upon them differently from the way it did before. Formerly it went about blindly in the errors and darkness of the pope, imagining that God is a peddler who sells His grace to us in exchange for our works and merits. Now that the light of the Gospel has risen, it knows that it acquires righteousness solely by faith in Christ. Therefore it now casts off its self-chosen works and performs instead the works of its calling and the works of love, which God has commanded. It praises God and proclaims Him, and it glories and exults solely in its trust in mercy through Christ. If it has to bear some sort of evil or danger, it accepts this willingly and joyfully, although the flesh goes on grumbling. This is what Paul calls “a new creation.”

God is in the business of opening and shutting doors

In my process of discerning where God is leading me next year, I now officially have one door that has shut. My interview several weeks ago in Dresser, WI did not lead to an offer which was fine with me. I knew after the interview that I was not the person for that position and was firm in that belief.

Last night, I had an interview with a church in Alexandria, MN. This is one of those open doors that I believe God shut last night, but I am now waiting for confirmation on that belief.

Interview #3 is Sunday afternoon in Sioux City, IA. I'm still waiting to hear from Jamestown, ND. And then there's this stubborn back door that I have to deal with as well. More on that later.

John 17

The other evening at confirmation class we were talking about the Lord's Prayer. I thought I heard our youth director at Central Lutheran in Elk River mention a verse in John 17, so I turned there. The students soon went to their small groups and I sat there and read John 17. I realized something very humbling that I've never realized before. Jesus prayed for me. John 17 is nothing but Jesus praying. He begins by praying for Himself, recognizing that the time has come for the Father to glorify His Son so that the Son could glorify Him. Jesus then prays for his disciples, praying that the Father would protect them by the power of the name of Jesus. Jesus prays that God will not take them out of the world but will protect them from the evil one. "They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified."

Jesus then prays for future believers.

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

How extremely awesome is that!!!

Interviews #2 and #3

Interview #2 will happen this Thursday at Shalom Lutheran Church in Alexandria, MN.

Interview #3 will happen this Sunday at Morningside Lutheran Church in Sioux City, IA.

In the meantime, I'm being driven to the foot of the cross. As curious as I am regarding where I will be next year, I really just need to allow God to do the work of opening and closing doors where He needs to in order to plant me where He wants me next year.

Until then, I've got three weeks left of the semester, a week off, and CPE starts on May 27 (or whatever the day after Memorial Day is).

Slow Fade

Last night, I took advantage of an opportunity to worship with Casting Crowns at the Excel Energy Center. I had already purchased their newest CD, The Altar and the Door, so I new what I would be hearing last night. But I was still amazed. For those of you who haven’t yet, I strongly encourage you to read their book, Lifestories. It is a book explaining how each of the songs on their first two CD’s came to be written. As I read the story behind each song, I found myself having a newfound respect for this amazing group. That respect became deeper last night. Last night, towards the end of the concert, they took time out and praying over the almost 8,000 people in attendance. One by one, members of the band prayed for marriages, people struggling with addictions, people who had not yet responded to God’s call to be in relationship with them. One of the band members prayed for the guys in attendance, asking God to build them into the godly men this world so desperately needs. It was just an awesome time of worship.
Now for the title of this entry. They have a song on their new CD entitled Slow Fade. Mark Hall shared a little of the back story of this song. He was meditating on Psalm 1 and noticed something different about it. Verse 1 says: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.” He noticed that it’s a slow fade. He then mentioned different things taking place within our culture. Families don’t fall apart in a day, marriages don’t crumble in a day, people don’t walk out of church on Sunday and fall apart on Monday. Those things all happen over a period of time. They all happen slowly. It begins when we begin walking in the counsel of our secular society. Soon after, we find ourselves standing in the way of sinners, only to later find ourselves sitting with mockers.
I began thinking about my journey through the candidacy process within the ELCA. As soon as I did, I was immediately thankful that God’s hand of protection has been upon through this whole journey. (When I figure out how to explain my year in a way that makes sense, I will. Maybe that will happen after I find a job.)
One more thing about one of their songs. It’s entitled What This World Needs. This world doesn’t need us to attach anything to the Gospel. They don’t need our denomination, our theological convictions, political convictions, etc. They simply need Jesus. They need a Savior who will rescue, a Spirit who will lead, a Father who will love them, in their time of need.

It's snowing (and other random info)

It is April 26 and it is snowing. Not to mention cold.

Those theological ponderings I mentioned in the last post have been worked through and I honestly can't remember enough to write about them. One of them revealed a weakness in the area of pastoral care. When I remember what that was, I will try to remember to write about it.

Tonight, I have the opportunity of worshipping the Lord with Casting Crowns at the Excel Energy Center. I'm very excited for this evening of worship and for what God might do in the hearts of people tonight.

Very random, I know. Needless to say, I am now entering into the final three weeks of the semester with enough to do to keep me busy. I'm working on lining up an interview with a church in Alexandria, MN and Sioux City, IA. I'm STILL waiting for May 1 (only 5 more days to go!!!). Hopefully in the early part of the following week I will find out about an interview at a church in Jamestown, ND.

Stuff

I've been having a lot of theological ponderings in my head in recent days and weeks. When I have some time, I will write about some of them. For now, I just simply want to offer up a prayer for people who have lost loved ones in recent days and weeks.

Heavenly Father, I ask for you comforting presence to surround the families of those who have lost loved ones. You know who they are, and I ask that they will feel your comforting presence. I ask that you will provide them with the hope and knowledge that one day they will see their loved ones again. Surround them with your love, and provide them with the strength they need to face the comings days, weeks, months, and years without their loved one. All this I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. AMEN.

10 Days and counting

In 10 days, it will be May 1. Hopefully soon after that, I will know when I can interview in North Dakota. In the meantime, I'm playing a game of phone tag with a lady from a church in Alexandria, MN. We are trying to schedule an interview. Hopefully soon we will be able to actually contact and bring an end to our game of phone tag.

Sermon text on 1 Kings 18:20-39

Every day, we are faced with decisions to make. What will we eat for meals? Will we cook or dine? What clothes will we wear, shorts or pants, or short-sleeve or long-sleeve shirts? We also have big choices to make, decisions that require more thought than what we will eat or wear. What college will we attend after high school? Do I want to pursue that Master’s degree? Is this the person I’m supposed to marry? Is this the right house, car, or appliance we’re looking to purchase? How much longer should I continue to receive cancer treatments? We can each create our lists of decisions that we’ve either made or will make throughout our lifetime.

Yet in the midst of those decisions, we’re faced with an even greater one. “If the Lord is God, follow him. If Baal is God, then follow him.” We have a choice to make. Or do we?

The Israelites had a choice. Now, as Lutherans, some of us might have an issue with that because we believe God acts first. If this is you, I ask you to embark on a journey with the Israelites. They gathered at Mount Carmel where they were presented with their only two options. They could either follow God or Baal, but said nothing. By default, their indecision meant they were choosing to follow Baal. So Elijah presents them with another option. The prophets of Baal can prepare a bull for sacrifice and call upon the name of their god. Elijah would do the same. The god who would answer by fire would indeed be God.

At this point in time, the people are willing to choose. They weren’t earlier, but they are now. They are willing to accept the contest, because to do so is to “acknowledge that there will be a winner and that the winner is to be the object of exclusive faith. To be willing to choose is in some sense an act of faith in itself.” They are open to the idea that God might do something powerful in their lives.

Our text goes on to explain how the sacrifices were prepared. For the prophets of Baal, their preparations were sketchy, their prayer was pretty abrupt, and their liturgical action was frantic. Elijah’s preparations, on the other hand, were methodical and correct. His prayer is impressive and dignified. His preparations make things seemingly impossible for Yahweh. The water poured on the sacrifice makes things even more impossible. Yet, it’s through this impossibility that Yahweh shows His glory. It is because of His glory the people fall down and worship Him.

Elijah prepared the sacrifice to receive fire from God. It relates to a story I heard while watching the movie Facing the Giants. The movie is about high school football coach Grant Taylor. In his six years of coaching, his Shiloh Eagles have not had a winning season. The new season gets off to a bad start when the star player transfers to another school. After losing the first three games of the season, Coach Taylor overhears a group of fathers plotting to have him fired. Combined with pressures at home, Coach Taylor loses hope in his battle against fear and failure. But an unexpected challenge helps him find a purpose bigger than victories. The unexpected challenge comes from Mr. Bridges, a man who wanders the halls of the school everyday praying for God to transform the lives of the students. Mr. Bridges tells Coach Taylor that God hasn’t shut the door on his opportunity at Shiloh Christian School. Coach Taylor says he’s been praying but hasn’t seen God at work. Mr. Bridges shares a story about two farmers who desperately need rain. Both farmers ask God to give them rain, but only one of them went out to prepare his fields to receive it. After a short discussion about who trusted God to bring the rain, Mr. Bridges asked Coach Taylor, “Which one are you?”

As the movie continues, Coach Taylor transforms into a person who prepares his football team to receive the blessings God wanted to bring into their lives. Though the most important blessing was the transformed lives of his players, they were also blessed with the opportunity to play in the state title game against the Richland Giants. With one second left on the clock and three points needed to win, Coach Taylor calls on his back-up kicker David Childers. Childers, who can only kick a football 39 yards, is called on to kick a 51-yard-field goal, against the wind. When all seems impossible, God’s power shows through Childers’ weakness. Right before he kicks the field goal, the wind changes directions. Instead of kicking against the wind, Childers kicks with the wind and makes the field goal, giving the Eagles the state championship.

Just as Coach Taylor’s decision made the possibility of winning a state championship seem impossible, Elijah’s preparations made the possibility of a fire seem impossible. Yet in both situations, God’s possibility showed through the seeming impossibility. God’s power showed through in weakness.

How does this concept of preparing things to receive connect with whether or not we choose to follow God? Let me close with two final remarks that might help bring this all together. Richard Nelson writes in his commentary on this passage: “The people, who already had that sort of preliminary faith which is volition to make a choice, received proof that their choice must be for Yahweh. On the one hand, the people have chosen the option of faith freely, uncoerced by any proof. On the other, their choice of Yahweh has been forced on them by the evidence of fire from heaven. Their choice to choose was a free one and was confirmed later by experience, but their hearts were actually turned around by God. Fire coerced their choice and left them without option. Is faith a matter of free human choice or is it an irresistible gift from God?”

I confess that I don’t know how to answer this question. However, I do want to challenge us with one final thought. It’s possible that Elijah, by presenting the people with options, was preparing them for the day they wouldn’t have an option. When the people agreed to the contest that revealed the true God, they made a decision to follow God before experiencing God’s revealing act. When God revealed Himself by answering Elijah’s prayer with fire, the people fell down and worshipped Him, not because they were coerced, but because they were open to the mighty act God was about to do in their lives.

Let us pray: God, we are left with some challenges to wrestle with and thoughts to ponder. As we leave here and go into the world, may you open our hearts and continue to challenge us into the deeper truths of your Word, so that we may be able to proclaim Your saving acts to the world. AMEN.

Patient sort of crazy

OK, so I’m going crazy. It’s the patience sort of crazy. I’m anxiously, eagerly, patiently waiting for May 1. That is the day resumes are due at a particular church. Soon after, I will know when I get to interview for the position. In the meantime, I’m interviewing for other positions, but this particular church is screaming at me. Why? I don’t know. As I’ve read some articles written by the staff on the website, I’m struck by the fact that they are looking for the person God has hand-picked for that position. I’m struck by the fact that they are stepping out of the Lutheran box to reach people with the message of Jesus Christ. I’m struck by the fact that the high school is located 2 blocks from the church. I’m struck by plenty of other facts as well, but too many to be named here.

And then I think about my story of how I ended up in a position where I’m looking for a job as a youth director. Could it be? I don’t really know. All I know is that in my third month of band directing, I wanted my students in my youth group instead of in my band program. It took me a year and a half to realize that God was calling me into youth ministry, but what did I decide to do? Pursue a Master of Divinity degree which would have led to my being a pastor someday. Yes, I thought that would allow me to do just about anything. As this year has unfolded, I’ve discovered that’s not the case. It has also become abundantly clear (although at this point in time abundantly unclear where God will plant me next year) that God has called me into youth ministry. When I put together my resume and actually saw everything I’ve done in the last several years, it screams youth ministry. When I read about such and such a church, it screams at me, but I continue to ask God to work things out in His will, no matter how things unfold this summer.

One down, several to go

I had my first interview last night at West Immanuel Church in Dresser, WI. It was a fun interview and I came away with a better understanding of the position for which they are looking to hire someone. It was good, but it definitely wasn't God. It was not a church that was screaming at me before the interview, and it's not screaming at me now. Next up: Shalom Lutheran Church in Alexandria, MN. But that one's not screaming at me either. Which church is screaming at me? -------- Church in ------, ND (I don't care to list the actual church). As much as I'd like to have that interview tomorrow, I need to be patient and allow God to do what He needs to do, and allow God to make clear to that congregation who He has hand-picked for that position.

Interview #1

This Sunday, April 13, I have interview #1 in my quest to find a job for next year. This interview is in Dresser, WI for a Director of Ministries position. When I sent in my resume, I thought I was applying for a youth director position. (The position was posted on ELCA Youth Networkers Page.) Anyway, I am hoping to learn more about this position in my interview this weekend because I don't completely understand what or who exactly they are looking for. After all, my heart is set on Jamestown, ND for some crazy reason. However, I don't have a problem if I end up back in Albert Lea, either.

Is Spring almost here? Or is it still Winter?

You know it's spring when you walk outside of your apartment on the campus of Luther Seminary and see ducks. And yet you wonder when Spring will really get here knowing there's a winter storm watch for tonight into tomorrow.

Facing the Giants

As I write this, I'm watching the movie Facing the Giants. It is one of the all-time greatest movies ever made, in my humble opinion. If you've never seen it, it's a must see. As I watch this movie, I also have all these ideas in my head for my sermon I'm preaching in lab on Thursday, but nothing is very coherent right now. The text is 1 Kings 18:20-39. That text puts a new perspective on this movie. If this sermon is anything like the last sermon, God is going to write it while I'm getting ready for class tomorrow morning.

God is at Work in the World

Lately, I’ve been attempting to encourage a friend to look for where God is at work in the world and join Him there. Though she doesn’t want to do that at this point in time, it’s something that I’ve been thinking about lately. As God would have it, Sunday morning at church I heard a sermon on this very subject. God is at work in the world. Though God’s work is not dependent on me, or you, or us, God is still at work in the world. The question of the day is this: Will we adjust our lives to His work in the world?

What if?

What if Jesus has already come back and we are the offspring of those who were left behind?

God's grace or God's redemption?

Is God's grace the basis for one's salvation, or is God's redemption the basis for one's salvation?

Continuous pattern of breaking and molding

My time at Luther Seminary continues to be that of God breaking me and re-molding me into who He wants me to be, who He created me to be. It is definitely a rewarding journey that I have the privilege of walking. Learning how to be a follower and not simply a believer is really learning about trodding down the narrow path. I look forward to the day when I will truly understand why God planted me at Luther Seminary for these past two years. While they've been trying, they've been rewarding, but everything I've experienced up until this point has been ordained by God and for that I am truly thankful.

Universal Salvation

“Those ‘who belong to Christ’ (1 Cor. 3:23; 15:23) have passed through the abyss of God’s judgment; they have been baptized into Christ’s death and have been buried with him (Rom. 6:3-4). Although this radicalization of the human condition in the cross of God’s Messiah logically seems to lead to a conception of universal salvation, Paul refrains from any unequivocal assertion of this point. The time between the cross and the end-time is a time for commitment, decision, mission, and endurance. Those who are disobedient to the gospel will be judged and destroyed in the last judgment because they behave as if the powers defeated by Jesus Christ still rule the world. Thus the thrust toward a notion of universal salvation is balanced by an emphasis on responsibility and obedience for those who have heard the gospel.” - J. Christian Beker, Paul’s Apocalyptic Gospel: The Coming Triumph of God, pg. 35-36

Crucifixion

“The cross is not to be relegated to a mere stage on the way to the more triumphant resurrection. Good Friday is not simply the problem for which Easter provides the solution. The participle ‘crucified’ in (1 Cor.) 1:23 and 2:2 appears in the perfect tense in Greek, designating an action that occurs in past time but that has continuing effects for the present. To be sure, the Christ Paul preaches in Corinth has been raised from the dead, but the resurrection does not erase the marks of the crucifixion, as if it were merely an obstacle Jesus has overcome in moving to bigger and better things. As risen, he remains the crucified Christ.” - Charles B. Cousar, The Letters of Paul, pg. 102-103

Knowing Christ

“It is important to recognize that by the phrase ‘knowing Christ’ the text implies much more than merely the possession of information about the crucifixion of Jesus. ‘God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe’ (1 Cor 1:21, italics added). Believing is Paul’s term for a form of knowing that does not reject but goes beyond rationality or the mere acquiring of data. It entails a certain leap of faith, a commitment of the self, a decision of the will. A relationship is established between Christ and the individual.
“In terms of his relation to Christ, Paul describes it this way: ‘What I want is to know Christ, the power of his resurrection and the participation in his suffering, by being conformed to his death, if only I may finally attain the resurrection of the dead’ (Phil 3:9-10). Knowing Christ entails a deep involvement in his destiny---both in the vindication of his resurrection from the dead and in the shame of his suffering and death.” - Charles B. Cousar, The Letters of Paul, pg. 101-102

Random Quote

“Jesus Christ forces a revamping of perspectives, a radical envisioning of life. It is not that Christ confronts Paul with choices he must make, a new way to be loyal if he only will opt to do so. Quite apart from Paul’s own predilections and decisions, God intervenes to make all things different, and the difference is Jesus Christ.” - Charles B. Cousar, The Letters of Paul, pg. 95

Spirit of the Disciplines

OK, so I have chunks of quotes I planned on posting today, but God revealed a pretty heavy truth to me today. So, there's all these spiritual disciplines in life, like bible reading, prayer, fasting, solitude, etc. It is very hard to discipline myself to do one of these on a regular basis, much less all of them. Maybe I need to think of these spiritual disciplines as things I do in a life of training. In my walk with Christ, I'm in training. As I continue to train, God continues to mold me into the image of Christ. (Dallas Willard's book entitled Spirit of the Disciplines explains this concept much better than me. Check out the excerpt at amazon.com.)

Needless to say, this concept has shed some light on a couple of scripture passages.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

Hebrews 12:1-3 - "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. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

2 Timothy 4:7 - "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

The Bible, the Word of God

"First, I want to confess quite simply that I believe the Bible alone is the answer to all our questions, and that we only need to ask persistently and with some humility in order to receive the answer from it. One cannot simply read the Bible the way one reads other books. One must be prepared to really question it. Only then will it open itself up. Only when we await the final answer from the Bible will it be given to us. That is because in the Bible it is God who speaks to us. And we cannot simply reach our own conclusions about God; rather, we must ask him. He will only answer us if we are seeking after him. Naturally, one can also read the Bible like any other book---from the perspective of textual criticism, for instance. There is nothing to be said against that. But that will only reveal the surface of the Bible, not what is within it. When a dear friend speaks a word to us, do we subject it to analysis? No, we simply accept it, and then it resonates inside us for days. The word of someone we love opens itself up to us the more we "ponder it in our hearts," as Mary did. In the same way, we should carry the Word of the Bible around with us. We will only be happy in our reading of the Bible when we dare to approach it as the means by which God really speaks to us, the God who loves us and will not leave us with our questions unanswered."

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Meditating on the Word, quoted in The Art of Astonishing: Old Testament Preaching.

Black Sea Restaurant

I just went to a fantastic little Turkish restaurant on Snelling and Minnehaha in St. Paul called the Black Sea restaurant. If ever anybody is visiting the Twin Cities for any reason, I highly recommend it. It is a very inexpensive place to eat with great food. The place is small, so be prepared to enjoy the company of the people you dine with before getting your food.

Happy Easter!

Just wishing a Happy Easter! to everybody who reads this blog. May the risen Christ make Himself present in your life this season. May the risen Christ draw you closer to Himself this season. May the risen Christ use you to reach others this season.

Happy Easter!

A week since the last post

It's been a week since the last post. I had to have another conversation with my contextual education supervisor again tonight after 9th grade confirmation. We were talking about relationships tonight, things that make a good relationship. The students came up with a list of terms, maybe about 20. As I sat there listening, I thought back to the over-arching topic from last week: knowing. It reminded me of a conversation I had last week with some people around the lunch table. We were talking about original sin and some other stuff. Somehow, there was a point in the conversation where it seemed fitting for me to talk about the conversation from confirmation the previous Sunday evening. One of the passages we looked at that week was Matthew 7:21-23, which says: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"

During the conversation, somebody mentioned that they believed that God knows them. Tonight's conversation reminded me of that and got me thinking. What is the definition of knowing? When we say that God knows us, what are we really saying? Are we talking about God knowing the number of hairs on our heads, knowing what we've done and what we will do, or are we talking about a relational kind of knowing? It makes me wonder what kind of knowing that somebody was talking about because I don't believe God can have a relationship with us through Christ if we're not talking to Him, allowing ourselves to be known by Him. I don't believe God can have a relationship with us through Christ if we don't respond to that call to be in that relationship through Christ.

My apologies if the above thoughts do not make sense or sound coherent. Tomorrow I'll post something about mission, lifeboats, and denominations.

4 fingers pointing back at myself

Okay, I know this is a long title, but this is exactly what happened to me at confirmation tonight. The 9th graders were dealing with this question: Why does God send some people to hell? To help answer this question, the youth director began by defining hell as separation from God. He then went on to talk about eternal life. John 5:24 was the first stop. The NRSV says, "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life." The Greek word used for the opening phrase is AMEN. Eternal life is not a future thing, but a present thing. The Greek word that explains this is exei, which means "he continues to have". The translation should then read, "anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me continues to have eternal life." The Greek word for "believe" is pisteuon, which means to rely on, adhere to, or trust in. It's really not simply believing, but relying on and trusting in which gives us eternal life.

We also visited Matthew 7:21-23, which says in the NIV, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!' It's not just simply knowing about, but about knowing intimately. It's not about anything we do, it's about being in relationship with Jesus Christ.

This fit really well with what the 10th grade students talked about this evening. John 15:1-8. The word "remain" is in that passage 8 times. The connection with Romans 12:2 was striking. Being transformed by the renewing of our minds can only happen if we remain, abide, stay in Christ. By sticking close to the vine, Christ is able to cut off the stuff that doesn't bear fruit and prune the stuff that does bear fruit so it can bear more fruit.

Compare this to what I'm learning in Lutheran Confessions about Christ imputing his righteousness onto me. Basically, when God looks at us, he doesn't see our sinful desires and evil deeds, he sees Christ because Christ has bestowed upon us his righteousness. I have a problem with this that I don't know how to explain right now. All I know is that I just wish Lutherans would shut up about evangelicals being all about works righteousness, because from my experience, they're not. They're very much about being in a relationship with God and allowing God to transform them by sticking to the vine. Everything that comes out of that relationship may very well come across as works righteousness, but speaking from experience, it's conviction we have about how we choose to live our life as Christians. On the same token, I wish evangelicals would shut up about Lutherans, though at this point in time I can't explain why. On that one I have 4 fingers pointing back at myself.

Article on feminism

As with any other issue, I always enjoy reading articles written by people who are in the process of being transformed by the power of God. Today, I read an article about a woman with whom God is dealing with the issue of feminism.

http://www.cbmw.org/Blog/Posts/Confessions-of-a-Recovering-Feminist

I dug myself into a hole

Yesterday I dug myself into a hole. I was sitting at a table in the cafe waiting for a friend to get done with her catechism memorization. When she got done, she set up another appointment to complete more of her memorization work. I decided I probably should do the same thing. My TA informed me he would only be here on Monday for people to recite. I set up an appointment for 3:15 p.m., after my 6 hours of class.

And then it dawned on me. I had 3 days to memorize the Lord's Prayer and all of its definitions, Baptism, and Lord's Supper and all of their definitions. At this point in time, I am through the intro and the first 6 petitions of the Lord's Prayer and the first 2 questions regarding baptism.

Believing vs. following

Tonight at youth group, the youth director talked about the passage where Jesus calls Simon Peter to follow him, not to believe him, but to follow him.

Just something that struck me in a fresh way.

Focus on the Center

Today in my Lutheran Confessions lecture, my professor was talking about the 4th article of the Augsburg Confession. This particular article talks about being justified through faith alone. This article is the center of our teaching. We begin here and move outwards. Later on at lunch, I had a conversation with my contextual education supervisor about how my time with the youth director was going. My supervisor basically said the same thing. When you look at the catechism, what's located in the center? None other than the 2nd article of the Apostle's Creed, which talks about Jesus Christ and what He's already done for us. When the director of youth ministries teaches confirmation, that's where he starts, without using the catechism. From there, he moves outward. I think that's truly awesome!

10 Commandments and Works Righteousness

One of the things I hear at Luther Seminary is that it's all about God and not about us. It's not anything we do that gets us salvation, but everything God does. Basically, works righteousness is not something people speak highly of here at Luther. So then I come to the 10 Commandments in Martin Luther's Small Catechism. Here is what is written at the end of that section.

What does God say of all these Commandments?
He says: "I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast
love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments."
What does this mean for us?
God warns that he will punish all who break these commandments. Therefore we are to fear
his wrath and not disobey him. But he promises grace and every blessing to all who keep
these commandments. Therefore we are to love and trust him, and gladly do what he
commands.

It's obvious to me that this sounds like works righteousness, but I have to remember the order things were placed into the catechism. The commandments lead us to our sin, and the Apostle's Creed leads us to the One who brings us redemption from our sin and our disobedience. I might have more to say about this when I'm more awake.

Justification by Faith: A Matter of Life and Death

"If we can begin to wrap our minds around (justification by faith) perhaps we can be grasped by the radicality, the audaciousness, the explosiveness of the confessional point. When God imputes righteousness he makes us sinners at the same time. He makes it quite plain that we do not have righteousness in ourselves and never will. By declaring us righteous unilaterally, unconditionally for Christ's sake, he at the same time unmasks sin and unfaith. By forgiving sin, sin is revealed and attacked at the root in its totality: our unfaith, rebellion, and blindness, our unwillingness to move out of the legal prison, our refusal of life. God's justification, you see, is fully as opposed to human righteousness and pretense as it is to human unrighteousness. It cuts both ways, both at the ungodly and the super-godly. The battle is not against sin merely as 'moral' fault but against sin as 'spiritual' fault, against our supposed 'intrinsic righteousness,' pretense and hypocrisy, our supposed movement and progress, our substitution of fiction for truth. The totality of the justifying act reveals the totality of sin. Imputed righteousness makes it plain that all such 'piety' is just as sinful, indeed even more sinful, than out-and-out godlessness and denial of grace altogether. Only faith in the flat-out judgment of God is equipped to do battle with human sin. One can only be still and listen to the judge. That is the only salvation from both despair and presumption, immorality and super-morality. In the light of the creative, unconditional divine act it becomes clear not just that we have sinned and fallen short of the law, but precisely that 'all have sinned and fallen short of the glory [precisely the glory] of God' and all he has created. By speaking unconditionally, the Creator is doing again a new thing." - Gerhard Forde

Totally random thought

prIde = "I" am at the center of my universe.

commUnity = "U" are at the center of my universe.

A hodgepodge of stuff

Sunday night I joined my brothers and sisters in Christ at Central Lutheran Church in Elk River for the worship experience of a lifetime. I had absolutely no clue how hungry I was for that kind of worship, especially after a year and a half of seminary. It was music and testimony for an hour and a half and there were times I was almost brought to tears. The children's choir even assisted in leading us in worship. Yet as people will always do, as soon as the kids got up to do their part, the video cameras came out. The worship leader took note of that and used it as a teaching moment. He said that even though it's cute to take pictures and make memories, the kids are not performing for you, but leading you in worship. They are sharing their faith with you, so instead of taking pictures and video of them singing, just sit back and allow them to lead you into the presence of God. (Totally not anywhere near what he said, but you get the idea.) It was truly amazing and made me really miss being able to play with a band and assist in leading worship through music.

On a totally different note, I've been thinking quite a bit this past week about the culture we live in. I'm not sure if it's because of things I'm reading for class or lectures, but I'm finding myself really bothered at the fact that the Bible is read so differently now than it was when it was written. Why? It's because our culture is completely different from the culture of the Biblical period. This world is so big that we each have our own interpretive lens on when we read the Scriptures. Now that I have no clue where this paragraph is going, here's my question: How does God want us to read the Bible? Does he want us to bring to the reading our own interpretive lens, or does He want us to lay down our interpretive blinders and allow the Holy Spirit to speak what it wants and/or needs to speak? I have to side with the latter.

Finally, a word from Martin Luther.
"Because up to now people have made such a big display at the consecrations of monks and nuns (even though their estate and existence is an ungodly, human invention without any basis in the Bible), how much more should we honor this godly estate of marriage and bless it, pray for it, and adorn it in an even more glorious matter. For, although it is a worldly estate, nevertheless it has God's Word on its side and is not a human invention or institution, like the estate of monks and nuns." - Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, pg. 370

Decision theology with a Lutheran lens

This morning I was in my Lutheran Confessions precept. Our assignment was to write up a question in less than a page relating to something we read. A couple of my friends and I believe a case is to be made for decision theology, meaning faith isn't something that is forced upon a person. Needless to say, I read some things in Luther's Large Catechism which led me to believe there is a case to be made for decision theology in the eyes of Luther. Our professor basically summed up her answer to our questions by saying faith is not a work, but a gift. My question to that statement was whether or not that gift should be received. Our professor said the Holy Spirit creates reception of the gift. I sought clarification by asking if the Holy Spirit draws us to the place where we can only decide to follow Christ, a place where we can't choose to not follow Christ. She told me yes. It took me 2 seconds to realize that that answer worked for me. It really isn't so much about our "decision" to accept Christ, but about the Holy Spirit bringing us to the place of conviction where the choice to follow Christ is our only option.

More quotes

"Christ is not present because we preach; we preach because Christ is present. . . . Preaching in the name of Christ is possible only because Christ is already present, because Christ has already decided to be with us, because Christ has already chosen to meet us in the spoken word of preaching." - Thomas G. Long, The Witness of Preaching, pg. 17

Quotes

"Newborn infants should also be baptized since they too are carriers of original sin, even though they have committed no sin and must be cleansed by Baptism in order to partake of eternal life. From the faith handed down from the Apostles, even infants who could not as yet commit any sin of themselves are for this reason truly baptized for the remission of sins, in order that in them what they contracted by generation may be washed away by regeneration." - pg. 48

"It does me no good to believe that Christ died for sinners, if I do not believe that he died for me." - pg. 60

"The point is that the right relationship with God which has been ruined by original sin consists in giving up one's self-mastery and abandoning oneself completely to God's mercy. . . . 'This is how God wants to be known and worshiped,' says Melanchthon, 'that we accept his blessings and receive them because of his mercy rather than because of our own merits.' Since humanity's relationship with God has been ruined by original sin, his mercy must take the form of forgiveness. What is decisive, however, is that it is precisely God's will that one live completely by his mercy. This is what happens in the faith that abandons itself to Christ. In faith, therefore, a person is restored to a right relationship with the Creator." - pg. 61

"The life of love demanded by the law and for which humans were created can only begin, according to Luther, when humans give up every last vestige of self-sufficiency, living entirely upon what they receive from God." - pg. 67

All quotes come from The Augsburg Confession: A Commentary by Leif Grane.

Is receiving an action?

On Wednesday in my Lutheran Confessions class, my professor said that faith is not an active life, but a receiving life. Here's my question: Is receiving an action?

Thought for the day

Tonight at church, one of the ladies on the ministry staff, Jill, shared insights into some of Jesus' last words. She asked a lady named Alison to share her story of how she came to know Jesus. Alison talked about being the only Christian in her family of people who believe in many gods, don't believe in god, believe in reincarnation, etc. One day when she was frustrated about constantly trying to share her faith with her family and no results were coming from it. Alison asked Jill why that was, and Jill's quote to her is my thought for the day.

"(God) chooses everybody, but not everybody is willing to receive Him."

Mike Huckabee and "The West Wing"

Today I was at Hastings for the annual Swingin' on the River show choir competition. As my uncle and I were sitting and resting after their evening performance, we found ourselves reading the Hastings paper. I read an interesting opinion article about a guy wondering if the final season of "The West Wing" would play out this year in the presidential election. He compared Barack Obama to the TV show's Matt Santos and John McCain to the TV show's Arnold Vinick. As I have been watching that show on DVD during this election season, I have to say I disagree with him. OK, now normally I don't like to talk about politics and who I'm voting for because A) I hardly ever really get super excited about a candidate, and B) I don't need to get into political arguments because in the game of ministry it's not about me but about the person I'm ministering to. Having said that, this year I have a candidate I'm excited about: Mike Huckabee, and it's not because he's a former pastor. It's because he's an underdog in the race. Mike Huckabee, in my mind, compares to Matt Santos. In the final episode of season 6 of the show, Matt Santos was heavily encouraged by the party leaders to bow out of the campaign for president so the party could unite behind a candidate. As he addressed the convention one final time, he told them he couldn't because it's not the job of the party leaders to elect a president but the job of the people. Mike Huckabee is saying the same thing this year, but not only about the Republican party. He's also saying it about the news media and pundits. I think it's so funny that people don't understand what's going on with Huckabee and yet I fully believe God does. Huckabee is giving people a chance to voice their opinion and I think that is absolutely awesome. He's working his way up from the bottom and from the looks of his website, fundraising has skyrocketed. I like Mike!

Paul's words ring true to my ears

In the recent months, I've been reflecting on my role as a woman in this society and what God's role is for me. Needless to say, I'm discovering that God ordained Paul's words to be included in the Bible for a reason. Last year, I wrote a paper on how I would explain to somebody why the ELCA allows women to be ordained when the Bible clearly says something about the issue. I explained that while I don't personally believe God calls women to be pastors, He does call women to support the men who are called into ministry. If God wants to call women into pastoral ministry as a way of supporting men, than so be it. But I'm finding that I might be wrong about that. I believe God's call on women is to support those men who are called into ministry. Yet that doesn't mean I can't do ministry. Needless to say, I'm considering (unofficially) working more in the area of children and youth ministry. I really want to teach and work with those age groups, but not necessarily as a pastor. Maybe more so as a youth director. I'm still seeking God's leading on the issue.

Reflections on Pine Ridge, SD

My cross-cultural trip led me to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. In preparation of this trip, I read Waterlily and Neither Wolf Nor Dog. The county in which Pine Ridge, SD is located is the poorest in the nation with an average annual income of $4,000. Basketball is a way of life for people on the reservation as the Red Cloud basketball teams are posting winning records this year.
While at Pine Ridge, we had an opportunity to participate in some of the ministry being carried out. People in the community come to the retreat center between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to receive sandwiches for lunch. At 3 p.m. students come to the retreat center after school to hang out for an hour and play ping pong, pool, jump rope, color, etc. There is also a retreat center being built near Makasah Presbyterian Church in Oglala. We also had an opportunity to assist with projects out there for a couple of hours every day.
One defining characteristic of the culture is poverty. This was seen in many of the places we visited. One such place was the student dormitories at the school in Pine Ridge. Both buildings are condemned due to problems with asbestos, yet students are still living in one of the buildings while the other building is boarded up and non-usable. Another way poverty can be seen is through the addictions. All I have to do is step outside the retreat center and at least 2 hair spray bottles can be seen in the yard. Due to the reservation being a dry reservation, people are addicted to hair spray. Local artists came to the retreat center daily looking to sell items they had made. Some needed money to get to Rapid City for surgery while others need money for diapers for the children. Others probably just used the money to feed their addictions.
Another defining characteristic of the culture is their generosity. I say this because of my experience I had at the funeral some of us attended. Instead of the family receiving gifts from those showing their support, the family gave gifts to those who came to show their support. The family had enough gifts to give everybody in attendance 2-3 gifts. Food was also something they gave to those in attendance. We couldn’t turn down the food given to us, so anything we couldn’t eat we were to take home and share with others. The most amazing thing was taking into consideration the average annual income for families on the reservation. These people don’t have much to give, but they give what they have. This is what Jesus Christ talks about in the gospels.
The third defining characteristic of the culture, in my opinion, would be their understanding of what it means to live a Godly life. As I was reading the book Waterlily, and even as I listened to the stories of people living on the reservation, I discovered that selfishness is not necessarily a part of their vocabulary. They are always giving to others and never receiving, and yet they are people who don’t have much. Another thing I noticed through the reading of Waterlily is the way they lived off of the land and took care of it. The way we’re trying to clean up the environment now pales in comparison to the way the Indian tribes took care of it before the white race arrived.
I’ve always known that I’m white, but the time I spent in Pine Ridge and the surroundings parts of the reservation taught me the depth of what it is to be white, and what that means to the Oglala Lakota tribe. I became conscious of the fact that many generations ago, my race, and possibly my ancestors, were the reason that land was taken from the Indian tribes across the nation.
Another cultural reality I learned is that our government is a big government, no matter which party is in control of what happens across the nation. Until the government officials in Washington (both Democrats and Republicans) understand what took place from 1492 to 1890 according to the Lakota perspective, they will never understand what those people need. And yet it’s not me they want an apology from. They want an apology from the government.
Until going to Pine Ridge, I’d never been on any kind of a mission trip, whether in the United States or overseas. I thought mission trips were trips taken to places where people need to hear the gospel, places where Jesus Christ has never been proclaimed. My visit to Pine Ridge altered my view. I believe we need to still send people to places where the Gospel hasn’t yet been proclaimed, but we also need to send people to places and cultures that will assist in rounding out their current beliefs.
Reading Waterlily and hearing peoples’ stories allowed me to understand our environmental problems and what God meant when he said to take care of the earth. In the book of Genesis, God created humankind out of dust. The Lakota tribe understands that. They understand what it means to take care of the earth. They have no clue what we mean when we talk about owning land. They don’t have a word in their language to describe land ownership.
My time on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation has encouraged me to focus on the environment in my ministry. I believe the church has a role in assisting people to clean up the environment and stop global warming. Our role is to introduce people in our culture to the Lakota people in Pine Ridge and the surrounding communities. Though they don’t live this way anymore due to the U.S. expansion of the 19th century, they still hold the same beliefs that are mentioned in the book Waterlily. They haven’t forgotten that they have been put here to take care of the earth while our culture has forgotten and sought bigger and better things. The only way to save the environment, I believe, is to learn from the Lakota people and work our way back to simpler living when we didn’t need so much stuff.
This experience has also encouraged me to look at mission trips a little differently. I have been under the impression that we proclaim the gospel on mission trips to people who have never heard it. Yet what I noticed during conversations with the Lakota people is that they were already living out the gospel long before white people came to share the gospel with them. They understood (and still understand) how to live in community like the people in Acts 2. When the white people showed up, they shared Jesus with the Lakota people, but added other things to the gospel in the process. What I hope to challenge people of my culture to do when they take mission trips is to develop friendships with the people whom they’re hoping to share the gospel. Next, I hope to challenge them to discover the stories of the people with whom they’re spending time. The final thing is to discern where God is leading. So many times I think we find ourselves in a position where we think sharing the gospel will be easy. Not necessarily. Mission trips need to be times where we’re open to God’s leading. When that happens, we find that we learn more from the people with whom we wanted to share the gospel.
I’m going to continue with the community aspect of ministry because it is something that impacted me greatly. While in Pine Ridge I heard that homelessness is not a word they’re familiar with because nobody on the reservation is homeless. If someone doesn’t have a house and they have family in town, they go live with their family. Families take care of each other in ways that I don’t think our white culture does. It very much defines the term “Godly living”. I believe families within the church are capable of doing the same. Many people have enough resources to take in a homeless family but don’t. Homeless families instead are living in homeless shelters and we are giving them money but not developing friendships with them and discovering their stories.
I should probably mention something about Godly living. In my culture, godly living is associated with whether or not someone is heterosexual or homosexual and whether or not someone waits until they’re married before having sex. It’s associated with someone who sets an example for others by adhering to their moral beliefs and living by them. While I agree that people must wait until marriage for sex and that homosexuality is a sin, I feel that we need to change our definition of Godly living. Our definition, and the way we live a godly life, needs to stem from the book of Acts where people lived in community and made sure everybody had what they needed from day to day. It needs to include a kind of giving where we’re giving everything we have and not just 10% of what we own, because according to the Lakota tradition, we don’t own anything.
I’ve always wanted to go on mission trips but never took advantage of the opportunities. In the future, I hope to spend time in other cultures around the world. I want to see and learn from people with the hopes that they will teach me something about my faith and theology. I also would very much like to go back to Pine Ridge and spend some more time immersed in their culture. I believe we have a lot to learn from them about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.