Thursday, September 1, 2011

DSK, A Sad Tale

It has been long enough since the furor of the Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK) affair in New York has abated.  We are past the salacious details of the event in which a hotel housekeeper accused DSK of rape.  He is no longer facing criminal charges for whatever happened.  Other women are stepping forward with stories of, at the very least, inappropriate sexual behavior.


By some accounts, DSK has been exonerated.  Exonerated?


Let's dismiss any criminality in that hotel room that day.  Let's say that anything done in that room was consensual between two adults.  Let's allow for the greater sexual permissiveness the French seem to tolerate.


Facts that everyone seems to agree on:

  1. DSK is married.
  2. DSK had some kind of sexual encounter with someone not his wife in the hotel room.
  3. DSK, we can presume, had never even seen this woman before, unless she had cleaned his room prior to that day.  It appears he is willing to copulate with any convenient woman.
Exonerated?  By my account, even in the most benign accounting of the affair, DSK proves himself to be one who earns the disgust of God's people.  The story reminds me of another powerful man who decided to have sex with someone far less than powerful than he--King David of Israel and Bathsheba.  That story in the Bible results in horrible consequences for many people, including the King himself.

This is not a case of boys will be boys.  Not even a case of French men will be French men.  This is disgusting.  This is light years away from God's intention of love between a man and a woman.

News reports indicate that DSK's wife has reluctantly come to an acceptance of her husband's philandering ways.  The courts, it seem, will not be able to prosecute him for any legal wrong-doing.  But to think that he has somehow escaped culpability here is nonsense.  Jesus says that a man and a woman become one in marriage--not three or four or fourteen.

"I take you, (name) to be my wife/husband from this day forward, to join with you and share all that is to come, and I promise to be faithful to you until death parts us." (ELW, p. 288)


Friday, July 1, 2011

Mothers from Minot

Bethel Lutheran Church where I serve is a large church, and we have visitors every weekend.  It is not at all uncommon to have visitors introduce themselves to me, or family members who belong to Bethel introduce their guests.

So, it would not be unusual to meet someone from a city almost 600 miles from Rochester on any given Sunday.  This past Sunday, a woman came through the line and was pleased to introduce me to the older woman behind her--her mother from Minot, North Dakota.  My smile collapsed into concern as I asked if she had suffered loss in the recent Minot flooding.  This gracious woman quickly assured me that she was all right and was in Rochester for a visit.  She lived on a hill, and her home and possessions would be fine, though she grieved for all the loss that her friends and city were suffering.  I was relieved for her, though the people of Minot continued in our prayers for the day.

It would not be unusual for me to meet a woman from a town of 40,000 people 600 miles from here.  But two from the same city on the same day?  After the next service, a woman wanted to introduce me to her mother.  She had come from Minot, and the Bethel member wanted me to have a kind word with her mother since she had lost everything in the flood.

It took just a little while to locate her in the crowd.  Clearly she was downcast, but there was a strong resolve about her as well.  Her house was filled with water.  They had been told they did not need flood insurance, but this was a 1,000 year flood, according to experts.  While she was visiting in Rochester with her daughter, she wondered if the move to Rochester might be permanent.  With the damage done, she could see her home simply being pushed in by heavy equipment and destroyed.

Two mothers from Minot in the same day.  One's home was safe, and the other's was destroyed.  In the Bible we read that the rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).  We do not know why it is that some prosper and some suffer cataclysmic loss.  We do know that we are to thank God for blessings, and we are to be a blessing to those who are suffering.  Government, social service agencies, and the church are all in Minot being the hands and heart of a compassionate people.  From the church's perspective, we contend that they are the hands and heart of Christ.

Mothers from Minot--a lesson in real life.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Kindness of Diane/Jesus

Her name is Dianne. Tonight she was my server at a little buffet in Wisconsin Dells. Since it was a buffet, her task was to tend to the table, clearing dishes and responding to any needs.

Two tables away there there were two young men furtively sharing a plate of food. Somehow they had finagled two sodas. But it was clear only one of them had paid for the buffet. This detail didn't escape the attention of the staff.

It wasn't Dianne's table, but the male server for the table didn't seem to know what to do about the transgression. He warned the two young men that only one could eat if there was only one meal purchased. I could see that the men agreed.

But only in words. It wasn't long before they were sharing again. This time the manager came to talk to the men. They agreed with the manager, too.

But only in words. When it was detected the second man was still eating, the manager came and asked the second man to leave. At that point Dianne took over. I don't know what shse said in the presence of the manager, but as she was leaving the table, I heard her say, "You go ahead and get a plate. I will pay for you." And she did. The man went to the buffet with no hesitation, and he was still eating when I left the premises.

I don't think Dianne could afford that. She wouldn't be working at a diner if she was wealthy enough to buy dinners for other people. Besides that, these two young men clearly were not bothered by their cheating the restaurant out of a meal! They deserved to be kicked out of the place. Instead, they received grace.

Dianne was kind to me, too, and all others in the restaurant. She was kind. Like Jesus. I took a card out of my wallet and left a note for her and thanking her for her kindness and asking that Jesus might bless her in a thousand ways. I also left a 50% tip. I could afford kindness more than she.

We, too have cheated. Instead of getting kicked out of the place, we have received grace. The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Thank you, Diane.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

A Royal Dinner...Really!

Six of us gathered last night at a Mexican Restaurant across from the Olmsted County jail and the Government Center.  Kathy could see all kinds of activity in the parking area behind the jail--lots of black SUVs and men in dark suits.  Eventually a few SUVs came across the road, and apparently into the restaurant's parking lot.  Very big men in black suits started to come into the restaurant.  A booth of four sat behind me.  A table a six sat opposite and kitty corner from our table.

Our group of six tried to figure out what was going on.  The largest of the men stood at the top of the staircase.  He didn't prevent people from going downstairs where the restrooms are, but he was vigilant.  We carried on with our dinner--great stories and laughter--but our curiosity was not satisfied by the time we prepared to leave.

I told my party that I was going to the bathroom and do reconnaissance.    For some reason, they didn't try to stop me...

As I passed the first step going to basement, the very large man in the black suit spoke into his wrist.  I had no misconception as to what he was doing.  As I turned the corner to go the last half of the staircase, the eyes of another very large man in a black suit observed my descent.  I made the appropriate turn--into the bathroom instead of into the dining area.  Peripherally, I could see a large party at a long table.

On the way out I lingered only slightly for a better view before going upstairs. At a quick glance, I could see that most were Middle Eastern, and there were only a very few woman at the far end of the table.  Security people were keeping close watch.

I reported back to my group, so another decided he had to go to the bathroom.  Same procedure.  But he actually asked the guard at the bottom of the stairs what was going on.  It turns out that the group included the president and vice president of Iraq, along with an entourage--32 people total.

Wow--we had dined with a president and vice president--albeit separated by a one floor and by some very able men.

Last week Christians the world over read a story about Jesus dining with two men in a village called Emmaus.  Though they had visited with him significantly on the road, the two men did not recognize the resurrected Jesus until he broke bread at table with them.

It is often in eating with one another that we come to better know each other and enjoy the gifts that God has given to us.  I pray that you are deliberate in breaking bread with others.  It would help, of course, if you were dining on the same floor and big men were not trying to keep you apart.

You don't have to worry about that in Christ.  He has promised to be with us in the bread and wine.  God's peace and grace to you this day.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Would Good Friday be the End for Carol?

The Day of our Lord's Resurrection is a day without compare in most Christian churches.  We are treated to the eternal truths of a Savior who is victorious over the powers of evil and death.  Our Savior.

That does not mean our lives are without challenges.  At Bethel today we heard the story of a woman named Carol Brott who started have significant health difficulties at the age of twenty, and in her 40's had nearly every heart ailment known to humans.

On Good Friday, April 2, 2010, she said to her husband, John, "I can't do this anymore."  She felt her life ebbing from her.  She had reason for resignation.  Surgeries, heart failures, weakness of body, a six week coma, 123 units of blood, this woman endured more than most bodies are capable of enduring.  While she was on a heart transplant list, things did not appear to be moving in her favor.
Certainly things were not in Jesus' favor, either.  Both political and religious authorities sought to silence him.  They succeeded on Good Friday.  Jesus uttered his forsakenness on the cross.  Jesus said, "It is finished," and breathed his last.

But we know that isn't the end of the story.  The story ends (or just begins?) with a stunning reversal on the first day of the week.  "He is not here, he has been raised, as he said."  And so Christians around the world have celebrated the empty cross and the emtpy tomb with flowers and light.  Bethel's sanctuary this morning was particularly attractive, appointed with Easter colors and flowers.  The chancel was also decorated with the prayers of the children, drawn during Lent and draped over a cross.

Carol Brott came so close to death on a Good Friday, nearly 13 months ago.  She did not die.  Instead, she was at Bethel this morning, testimony to great medical care and even greater faith.  The people of Bethel applauded as she stood.  For it was a year ago, on Easter weekend, that she got the transplant that saved her life.  She received new life--both in body and in spirit.  Good Friday is never the end.  It is only the beginning...


Friday, April 1, 2011

A Barbecue Nest

Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." (Luke 9:58)

Apparently a squirrel had no trouble finding a place.  It built a nest in my gas grill!  I had grilled on Monday, and tonight, Friday, went out to grill again.  I opened the hood of the grill and was startled to see a squirrel jump out, leap off the bench you see at the left of the picture, and hit the frozen turf at full speed.

Of course there was some considerable clean up before grilling was in order.  Kathy was none too thrilled that a rodent had taken up quarters on our cooking surface.  (By the way, the hamburgers were very good.) 

In our part of the country, cold as it is much of the winter, animals need to find secure homes.  Some fly away for the winter and come back in the spring.  Some hibernate.  But all need some shelter. 

We don't know much about Jesus' living conditions prior to his baptism by John, nor is much said about his lodging the three years of his ministry travels.  It is of little matter.  Jesus knew where home was.  Jesus promised "home" for those who know him as the way, the truth, and the life.

A nest in a grill?  A beautiful four bedroom home?  What about a dwelling place prepared by no less than the Son of Man?  No need to worry about gas flames...

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Sometimes Grace Costs...

Ten minutes before a three hour visioning meeting, a man rushes into the meeting room at the church and asks if there is a pastor here.  Of course, I say, "I am one of the pastors at Bethel."

He goes on to explain that he rushed out of the house earlier in the day and that his wife had just given birth to twin girls at the hospital.  He was in need of gas.  Could I help?

We have a system for that at Bethel.  I didn't follow the system.  I needed to get into the meeting, so I tried to be as quick as possible.  I asked him to write down his contact information, and he gave me a name and phone number.  I asked the names of the twin girls, and he gave me two names with birth weights.

Twice he told me he wasn't looking for a handout, but that he would be back with the money as soon as he got home--about 25 miles from Rochester--and could get back to town that evening.  Maybe an hour and a half.  That was Thursday.

I asked him for his driver's license--a requirement at Bethel for receiving a gas voucher.  He had rushed out of the house.  He didn't have it.  I cannot give aid at Bethel without the license.  But he looked so sincere, and I was pleased for the birth of his twins.  I couldn't give him any Bethel help, but I could give him my own money.  I explained that Bethel could not do what he asked, but I would trust him.  He told me he would be back on Thursday.

It is Saturday.

Will he ever come back?  Did I waste twenty dollars?  Did I spend it?  Did I invest it in the kingdom?  I suppose I will never know.  Quite a few people over my 32 years of being a pastor have said they would come back with the money.  Only two have. 

It is a risk.  Of grace.  Maybe I got taken by a good story.  Maybe a father with new twins has just forgotten a promise.  Maybe someone is thinking, "At least the church was willing to help."  Sometimes grace does have a cost...

Thursday, March 17, 2011

THREE YEAR OLDS IN CHURCH? ARE YOU CRAZY?

Those who know me well know that the sun rises and sets in my two grandsons, especially Jarek with whom I have been a big buddy for almost three years (he turns three on April 2).  I spend a lot of time with him, but, since I am a pastor, rarely do I get to be with him during worship.

This past Wednesday I had no leadership role in our mid-week Lenten service, so Jarek’s family, my wife, and I were all together in the pew. 

It was a delight.

Bethel is exploring the senses that God has given us during our mid-week services this year—how do they sharpen our journey to the cross?

This past Wednesday the sense was “touch.”  This little-boy-just-short-of-three picked up on the theme immediately without being told.  When a pastor would say “touch”, he would repeat it out loud—the pastors even heard it by the altar.  He might have been coloring, he might have been paying close attention—it did not matter.  He was listening, and he knew that “touch” was an important gift of God that night.  I was so delighted to hold him, to help him sing the songs, to explain the bidding prayers we were using, to worship God with him.

I am told once in a while that parents will not come to church because their small children get nothing out of it.  There are too many times that I have been told of some astute observation or question by a child for me to believe children aren't paying attention.  Children belong in worship.  They probably don’t understand everything (surprise—pastors don’t understand everything either), but they are learning about God’s great love for them through the gathered body of Christ.

Please.  Please.  Bring your children/grandchildren/nieces/nephews/small neighbors to worship with you.  You could be making an eternal difference.

Oh, Jarek wasn’t perfect.  At one point, ironically enough on a night in which touch was the focus, he complained about his eight-month old brother, “Joren’s touching me!”  Oh, well.  His parents and grandparents aren’t perfect either.

May God touch all young ones (and middle-aged and old ones) in worship.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Meet the Vikings Head Coach

You're just going to have to trust me on this...the man in the background of this picture is new Minnesota Viking head coach, Leslie Frazier, who, last night, was the featured speaker at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet in Rochester.

I came away from the banquet refreshed that a man of character and faith is leading the sports team I love the most.  He knows what is ultimately important, and it isn't football.  When, as a player, he suffered a career ending injury in his mid-twenties after having led the Chicago Bears in interceptions three years in a row and helping them to win a Super Bowl, he knew then and he knows now the most important thing in his life--faith.  It was faith that would get him through the hard times.  It is faith that encourages him today.  It is faith that leads him to believe that times of fulfillment will follow him.

A few random quotes from last night:
  • Hebrews 11:1--I don't know what God's plan is, but I'm going to trust.
  • God wants us to have hope in the name of Christ Jesus.
  • I see God time and time again deliver on his promises.
  • God has a purpose for everyone in this room.
  • God doesn't care how many Super Bowl rings I have, but he does care if I have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord.
  • We serve a loving God that loves us unconditionally.
Oh, at least one football item:  "We're going to have a lot of fun in Minnesota winning football games."

People of faith are everywhere--some of them even sit in the highest offices of coaching football.  I am thankful that a man of grace is at the helm of the Vikings.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Ethics? Not so much...

This morning another Bethel staff member and I needed to renew certification for using a web-based program assisting people in need who come to the church for help.

This portion of the training was to begin at 11am.  Three people not from Bethel had needed additional training in the longer module, and they had already been in session for a couple of hours.  The first part had gone a bit faster than anticipated, so they were halfway through the renewal part when the other Bethel staff person and I arrived.

No problem.  The trainer would continue with the remainder of the last module, and she would repeat the first part for the two of us from Bethel.  Having completed the training for the first three people, the leader handed out tests that needed completed before certification to use the program would be awarded.  The trainer then completed the process for us from Bethel.  Meanwhile, the other three were completing their tests.

My colleague and I were given the ten question tests.  As I read the first question, I could see no apparent answer I needed to offer.  The blanks were filled in with words in bold.  I went to the second question--multiple choice.  But it appeared to me that the answer to that question, too, had already been identified.  A quick look at the rest of the test revealed that all the questions had been answered.  I told the leader that I didn't understand the test--that it appeared I had the key to the test--could I have a different sheet?  The leader looked at the sheet and apologized.  Indeed, all the answers had been filled in.  When she looked at the rest of the tests, they, too, were all complete.  Every one had the answers. 

I wondered why the previous three had not alerted the instructor to the problem.  Would that not have been the right thing to do?

Oh...  You ask the subject of the test?  Ethics.  Oh, my.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Sins--Scarlet, Black, and White

Standing out in the snow this morning while offering Coffee & A Prayer to people, I was struck by both the beauty and the incongruity of our electronic sign at Bethel.

Of course, the snow was building up from the east, and it was more beautiful than the picture would communicate.


Ash Wednesday--a time of repentance--a time to receive a smudge of ash on the forehead to remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return.  We move through a lengthy litany of sin so that we can come to the promise of forgiveness. 
 But the blackness of sin is sometimes described as scarlet.  We read in the first chapter of Isaiah:
"...says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be like snow..."


As white as snow.  As white as snow on Ash Wednesday.  

Thursday, March 3, 2011

This is No Church

Not quite a year ago I was honored to serve the family of Lance Corporal Curtis Swenson.  This fine young man and marine was killed in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was riding in hit an improvised explosive device.  It was an honor to serve the Swensons, but it was so hard.  Not nearly so hard as it was impossible for his parents, Dave and Kay, and his family.  They were devastated by this loss, as they should have been.

Healing has been hard.  The wounds are still open.  And it is apparent that those wounds have been freshly ripped by this week's Supreme Court ruling allowing for hateful protests at military funerals.  The court has ruled that free speech, no matter how vile, must be protected in public places.  The ruling was in response to a man's suit against...a church?

That same church had targeted Lance Corporal Swenson's funeral last year for protest.  I will not give space to the hateful signs that the protesters carry, but they are enough to make me vomit.  The church, the military, the community, and the Patriot Guard surrounded the Swenson family last April.  Had protesters come, they would have been met with hundreds, many hundreds of people who would have kept them far away.  When we left the church for the long trip to the cemetery in southern Minnesota, we were not met with signs of protests.  We were met with signs of thanks, American and Marine flags, salutes, tears, waves. 

I am no legal scholar, and my opinion of the Supreme Court ruling is of little importance.  But I am a Christian pastor, and I am appalled that the suit needed bringing in the first place.  Remember, this suit was brought against a church that purports to be Christian!

The signs these people carry, and their slogans, are as far from Christ as Satan himself.  I am not distressed when Christians disagree with one another.  But when we use the language of evil to support our cause, we have moved to the side of evil.

I am sorry that the pain of the Swenson family and so many more families has been renewed by this ruling.  I am incensed that it is caused by a "church".  Jesus said that there were two commandments:  Love God; and love neighbor as oneself.  I am thankful when we succeed at obeying those two, and we need to repent when we fall short.  But if we are to speak as this "church" speaks, we have completely lost sight of both commandments.   They may enjoy the right to speak as they choose, but they do not speak in the name of Christ. 

Military families may feel betrayed by this Supreme Court ruling.  May they never be betrayed by those who follow in the way of Jesus Christ.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Forgiveness--the Power of Tears and Words

 Recently I had the privilege of teaching the fifth petition to the Lord's Prayer to our confirmation students.  "Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us."  Looking for resources that 7th-9th graders could enjoy, I came across this clip on youtube.  It is powerful.  Take a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv50xrsFNdU

I have been forgiven, and I have offered forgiveness.  Never have I found myself in the depths this young man portrayed with his father.  Likely I have never known the remorse of the man weeping behind an insurmountable barrier.

As Christ offered forgiveness from the cross, even to those who were taking his life, did tears stream down his face?  Do tears help to cleanse our spirits as we receive the great, good news of God's forgiveness?  We don't deserve it, but it is ours.  That is the definition of grace.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Shed For You

During the serving of communion today, my eyes were drawn to the floor just to my right.  I am disappointed that after each of our two services I got busy with people and forgot to take a picture.

If I had taken a picture, you would have seen a three inch strip of wood at the edge of the first carpeted step.  Directly in the middle of that strip of wood was a splash of red wine, glistening in the light.  It was almost as if someone had purposefully placed the wine there.

It did serve some purpose.  In a few weeks (March 9) we will enter the season of Lent.  In that season we focus on Christ's journey to the cross.  On Good Friday we note with both dismay and awe his sacrifice, even the spilling of blood.

This morning I was transported to that place as I was serving communion.  "The blood of Christ shed for you."  "The blood of Christ shed for you."  "The blood of Christ shed for you."  Over and over, to all the worshipers.  And next to me was the spilling of the wine--the blood of Christ in, with, and under.

I wish had taken a picture.  But maybe these words can transport you, too.  Christ--one who came for you in love and grace.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Orchestra...Cross...Light

It was a busy Saturday morning at the church.  There was a nice gathering of new members enjoying a five hour seminar about the church and faith, coming to know each other, and delighting in food with one another.

A group of women were in a room across the hallway from my office in a monthly Bible study.  They, too, had coffee and refreshments.

Outside of my office the other direction a wonderful group of musicians had gathered--the Southeastern Minnesota Youth Orchestra.  They were preparing for a concert they would perform at Bethel the next day.

While I had much to do that morning, including three different stints with the new member group, I was compelled by the music that beckoned from beyond my office window.  Eventually I had to give up and go into the sanctuary to enjoy the skill of these young musicians.  The scores of strings and woodwinds and brass and percussion filled the chancel.  More than that, their sound filled the room with vibrancy.

As I watched the orchestra, I was taken by the light of the cross that streamed over them.  When Bethel built this sanctuary in 2004, we wanted everyone who came into this place to know of our faith.  A dominating cross (moved from our former sanctuary) would never let us forget who we are and would serve as a powerful witness to the community.

Did this entire orchestra know that they were basking in the light of the cross?  Would every concert attender notice it the next day?  Probably not.  But some would surely notice.  The love of the cross.  The light of the world.  Grace.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

From Where will the Wood Come?

The bracelets made by the Nicaraguan carpenter were beautiful, as were the earrings and rings.  They were turned from native Nicaraguan wood--wood that is in very short supply due to deforestation.  In fact, the carpenter can get no more wood since it is illegal for citizens to cut down any more trees.

That which you see in the second picture is a part of the small stock of wood that the carpenter believes will last him another two years--if he is a careful steward of what he has.  He doesn't make tables or dressers--nothing of any size.  He needs to make small items so that his wood will last longer.

I told him I was a carpenter and made furniture.  He wondered what wood I used.  He was as unfamiliar with my red oak and walnut as I was unfamiliar with his native woods.  I almost felt bad telling him that I make bedroom furniture and bookcases and high chairs for grandchildren.  I use a lot of wood.  I even bought an entire used white oak wine barrel from Napa Valley, California, so that I could make interesting objects from the slats.

What will he do in two years when he runs out of wood, I asked.  He shrugged his shoulders.  He would find something.  He was just glad that we from the USA were there to hear his story, see his skill, and buy his reasonably priced wares.  Half the population of Nicaragua lives on less than $2 a day.  The bracelets, so beautiful, were only $3.  I bought four.  He was so grateful.

The human spirit is an amazing thing.  Even when faced with scarcity, one carpenter shows great gratitude.  He is a good steward of all that God has given him.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Silliness--Bulls and Lutefisk

 While in Nicaragua we visited artisans in their place of work.  Two of them were in Masaya, just outside Managua.

As we came over a little rise, we suddenly saw hundreds of people in the street a couple blocks away which would have prevented us from moving.  We could not hear what they were chanting, but it was clear we were going nowhere.  I will admit to a fleeting moment of fear with the unrest that we see in the world.

Suddenly, the crowd started rushing towards the bus, still chanting.  We pulled over as far as we could.  They ran right by the bus, and after a few dozen people, there was a skinny bull in the midst of them.  We laughed--a poor man's rendition of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.  Our Nicaraguan host laughed. Oh, we have just encountered a bit of the festival of San Sebastian.  While this was January 18, the Church of Saint Sebastian in Masaya leads up to the festival with some "silliness" according to our host, since Saint Sebastian is actually feted in the church on January 20.

That would include a "running of the sick bull",  I guess.  People were celebrating the festival; celebrating their church, celebrating the faith.  The hundreds continued to march and run--a parade that even included a few instruments.

Silliness.  I like that.  We have silliness in our USA churches, too.  Lutherans are known for lutefisk and lefse and red jello.  They have nothing to do with the way we live out our faith.  (In fact, there hasn't been any lutefisk or red jello at Bethel in years.  Lefse, on the other hand...)  They simply represent a bit of our history and the way we live out in community.

I suspect that we won't be running after a bull in the streets of Rochester any time soon.  But it was fun to celebrate faith with the people of Nicaragua--even if it was from a bus.  May some silliness invade your faith life as you continue to be a fool for Christ.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Catch a Nicaraguan Ride!

It was a privilege to spend four days in Nicaragua at Augsburg College's Center for Global Education.  The fourteen of us--sometimes one, two, or  a few more--rode to our meetings with officials, leaders, peasants, and educators in a comfortable, small bus.

The assortment of vehicles on the road was astounding.  We saw a few semis.  The public transportation system is mostly old American school buses (I am assuming Little Rock School District is in Arkansas, not Managua).  Lots of cars and lot of motorcycles and scooters.  There were bicycles trying to carve out room on narrow, sometimes rutted roads. 

And then there were the animal drawn vehicles like the one in this picture.  They might be pulled by mules, horses, or oxen.  All of these vehicles were sharing Nicaraguan roads and highways.  They have figured out how to merge fast vehicles with slow moving ones.  One of the school bus/public transportation buses had a bed on top of it.  If one doesn't have a vehicle, it is the only way to get it home from market!

A poor country, Nicaragua, it has been suggested, could be termed a fourth- or fifth-world country rather than a third-world country.  In spite of, or because of the poverty, there are plenty of ways to catch a ride.

But the best ride of all is the spirit of the people.  While most USA citizens would probably fold in the face of the issues confronted by Nicaraguans, the people there are almost universally focused on the future and how to improve education, the economy, and living standards.  Their sense of hope was remarkable.  We in the USA could learn much from them.  Politically, militarily, and economically, they have been pummeled for decades.  Yet, a certain grace emanates from them.

The last horse drawn vehicle I traveled in was a buggy through Central Park in New York City.  How different, yet graceful, the horse drawn vehicle in Nicaragua--a glimpse of grace.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Welcome Home, John M. Kowalski

The family was gathering at the Gate H3B in O'Hare Airport, Chicago.  The plane was late in arriving.  Somehow, they got passes to come to the gate to welcome home a loved one.

The plane was slow in unloading.  They asked a passenger if there was still a uniformed man on board.  The passenger said, "Yes, he should be through the door soon."

I have no idea who John M. Kowalski is, where he came from to get to Chicago, or if he has yet to serve longer in the military.  I can tell you this.  He is loved.

This family exuberantly welcomed home their son, brother, nephew.  Tears flowed.  Hugs all around.  Balloons and signs.  It was joyous.  John M. Kowalski doesn't know me either.  But when his family saw me taking his picture, he turned around and gave me a thumbs up, wanting to share his joy.

I was at the O'Hare Airport coming home from a trip to Nicaragua with the Augsburg College Board of Regents.  At about 2pm, I left 85 degrees in Managua.  Somehow, God had misplaced 102 degrees somewhere along the way, and it was 17 below when I pulled into the garage at 2:30am.

The picture to the right is the first thing I saw when I walked through the door.  I laughed out loud.  Two more signs were awaiting me in the kitchen.

Home.  It is good to be home and loved--no matter what the temperature.

In John 14 we read that Jesus is making a home, a dwelling place, a mansion for his sisters and brothers.  Jesus tells us that we know the way to that home, because Jesus himself is the way.  How many people have I, as a pastor, reassured with these words over a lifetime in the ministry?  And those words are no less true today than when they were spoken 2000 years ago.

John M. Kowalski received a wonderful welcome home, as did I.  We do, however, have an eternal welcome coming in Christ.  Will there be a sign welcoming us?  I don't know.  I do know this:  "This will be a sign for you--you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."  That sign is the light of the world--the way, the truth, and the life.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

A High Calling


When God indicated that Dr. Gary Thorn, Bethel Minister of Music, and Jim Weaver, Bethel Super Volunteer, had high callings, this is probably not what God had in mind.

Beautifying the Bethel gathering space, the two (barely visible in these pictures because of the bright light streaming in from the skylights) stand high on a lift.  All churches are eternally grateful for the many volunteers that serve in the name of Christ.

Do you have a high calling?  Maybe that is literal.  Bethel has a firefighter who has done very high work for us.  More so, he uses those skills in his position as a firefighter.  Do you believe that God calls people to positions of service in fire departments, police departments, military, and emergency services?

Do you have a high calling?  It used to be common to say, "Oh, I don't have a job--I just stay home with the kids."  Sometimes yet today people are apologetic for investing their time in their homes and families.  Is there a higher calling?  Whatever time you devote to relationships and home is time well spent.  (I don't necessarily include time reading blogs or FaceBook.  That can be done anywhere, anytime.  I refer specifically to building up the home.)

Maybe your calling is to teach or heal.  Maybe it is to listen.  Maybe your calling is cooking or delivering pizzas.  Maybe it is to deliver babies.

You are not in this world by accident.  You have a calling, no matter your station in life.  I used to visit a woman in the nursing home--she spent a total of 45 years in the nursing.  While she seemed disabled in every way, she prayed for every member of a 350 person congregation every day--by name.  She couldn't cook or wash floors, but she could pray.  It was her calling.

Do you have a high calling?  You do.  Your first calling is a child of God.  After that you have been gifts to serve God, God's people, and God's creation.  Maybe you have even been called to stand on a lift to beautify a house of worship!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

A PET with Wheels

This morning we had a PET at church.  Instead of four legs, it had three wheels.  Instead of providing love, it provides valuable transportation for people in third-world countries who are not able to walk.

You can read more about the PET (Personal Energy Transportation) Project at  petinternational.org.  It is an amazing story.  Each of the vehicles, powered by hand, costs only $250 to make and ship nearly anywhere in the world.  At the website you can witness the joy of people finally being able to get around on their own.  Perhaps they have lost the use of their legs due to land mines or disease.  The gift of being able to move is priceless.

One of the vehicles was used in our worship service this morning.  For nine weeks the children's offering will go to buy PET vehicles.  The pastors enjoyed riding the vehicle to illustrate the ease of its use.

But it isn't only for children.  Adults are welcome to give, too.  Already this morning two $500 checks were offered--one from a Bethel group and another from a Bethel individual.  I have never seen so many $20 bills in the children's offering.  It is safe to say that this project has captured the hearts and imaginations of our people.

Transportation is grace.  If you want to donate to this project, you can send your donations to Bethel, clearly marked for the PET Project.  Or you can donate on line at the PET Project website.  Either way, your generosity is more than a glimpse of grace for the one who will benefit from your gift.  It is a huge measure of grace.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Sometimes Grace is Just Fun

Nothing hugely theological or reflective here.  Just fun.  While on a family Christmas bowling event, my sister-in-law got out her cell phone with video capability.  I told her I would "try hard".

I am not a professional, and I should not be trying this at home or at the bowling alley.  But...

And grace prevailed.  Just fun.  Good to laugh.  And sometimes all the pins fall just right.

May the pins fall nicely for you in 2011.