At Shepherd of the Hills

Last weekend my dear, sweet wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary with a trip to the Grand Canyon.  The Canyon never fails to take my breath away.  Sherri worked there following high school graduation; I came and visited her a couple of times and it was there that our feelings for each other began to blossom.  So the Canyon has special meaning for us.

We spent Saturday evening with her folks in Prescott and the next morning we worshipped at Shepherd of the Hills, our LCMS congregation.  We attended the 11 am service which they call their contemporary service.  There were two singers, a keyboard player, guitarist and drummer.  Although it was called contemporary, the service consisted of the liturgy and newer songs sung in place of hymns.

A special feature of the service was a presentation by Teen Challenge.  One young man spoke of a life of abuse, alcohol and drug addiction and of a longing for a life filled with meaning and purpose.  He found what he was looking for when the Lord called him to a life of repentance and faith.  The leader of the local Teen Challenge group sang a couple of songs and had an awesome voice.

I'll be taking a break from blogging for a few weeks.  But, like the great general, "I'll be back!"  The Lord bless and be with you readers.

Summer is For Reading!

One of the blessings of this renewal is that it has given me the opportunity to do something I really love to do - read! So far, here's what I've accomplished:
     Read short autobiographies of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart
     "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch
     "A Seperate Peace" by John Knowles
     "Predestination - Chosen in Christ" by John A. Moldstad Jr.

     Presently reading:
     "Truman" by David McCullough
     "For the Life of the World" by Alexander Schmemann (this is the book we'll discuss during the pastor's retreat at Cambridge).
     "The Calling-Living a Life of Significance" by Kurt Senske

If you're planning some travel this summer, take a good book with you to read (or read on your Kindle or Nook, if you are so inclined),

Wake Up With the Word!

OK, here's a bit of shameless self-promotion...my little radio program is still on the air while I am on renewal.  "Wake Up With the Word" can be heard every Monday morning at 8:25 am on 1280 am on the radio dial.  Given my 17 years of prior broadcasting experience, it gives me joy to keep my toe in the water, so to speak, by writing and recording these short devotional broadcasts.  So, it you've never tuned in, check it out! The Sunday bulletin includes the title of each Monday's program.  Thanks for listening!

Top 10 Signs You're Not Reading Your Bible Enough!

I found this list in a magazine I was looking at today.  And I was inspired to try and come up with some of my own signs.  So, with apologies to David Letterman, here's the list.  I should disclose that numbers 8, 9 and 10 came from the magazine, "Homiletics."  1 through 7 are all mine (for better or worse!).  Anyway, here goes nothing...

10) You think Abraham, Issac and Jacob may have had a few hit songs during the 60's.
9) You keep falling for it every time the pastor tells you to turn to First Condominiums.
8) The kids keep asking too many questions about your usual bedtime story - "Jonah the shepherd boy and his ark of many colors.
7) Your favorite Bible verse is "God helps those who help themselves."
6) You finally open the Bible your great grandfather gave you in 1962 and find five $100 bills.
5) Your favorite Old Testament patriarch is...wait, what is a patriarch?
4) You hate to read the family Bible - it's size makes it such a great doorstop. 
3) You wonder why no one has ever updated the King James Version of the Bible.
2) On a visit to your home, the pastor asks for a Bible and you give him your copy of "ESPN - The Magazine."
And the number one sign that you're not reading your Bible enough:
1) You believe that Jesus' earthly father's name was Joseph Christ!

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!

Continuing our visitation of churches in the Valley of the Sun, my dear, sweet wife and I traveled downtown to worship at St. Mary's Basilica.  From various sources I gathered that the music ministry of the church was amazing and we were not disappointed.  The mood of the service was holy, reverent and joyous.  The organist was fantastic.  The cantor and choir were outstanding.  In many ways, this was a service of praise but without what most folks feel is required - some kind of a praise band with guitarists, drummers and vocalists.  Interestingly, songs and hymns were in three different languages - English, Spanish and Latin.  The message was brief and focused on Jesus' promise to the disciples of the "Comforter" - the Holy Spirit.  Unfortunately, we missed hearing the Gospel.  In the explanation to the Second Article, Luther wrote: I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him.  But the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and keeps me in the true faith."  The Holy Spirit is God's gift to the church, to you and me.  The Spirit abides with us, and not just for a few moments or for an hour or two each day.  Jesus says the Spirit with with us always - always teaching, always sanctifying, always strengthening.  The Gospel is good news and it is always a disappointment when the good news isn't proclaimed to hungry or hurting hearts.

After the service Sherri and I went over to the Arizona Science Center to see the Body Works exhibit.  We spent an hour and a half there and during that time there was one Bible verse that kept running through our heads: I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well."  (Psalm 139:14).  In fact, it was hard to walk through the exhibit, see this magnificent creation called the human body and somehow believe that man was made through a "big bang" or evolutionary accident of some kind.  The human body is too amazing to have somehow randomly evolved to what we are today.  Read Psalm 139 this week and then stop and give praise to the creative God who has given you life.

One Reason to Go to Church this Sunday

Author Kurt Senske wrote: "The gift of our being with God enables our doing for others with compassion." 

Lutheran worship is unique.  We believe that when we gather in church on Sunday morning, God is present and He "serves-us."  He opens His hands and pours out blessings upon us.  He speaks His Word of forgiveness and removes our guilt and shame and gives us peace; He speaks His Word of salvation and removes an uncertainity we might have about eternity and gives us hope and a reason to live; He offers His invitation and we come to His table and feast on His body and blood which assures us that nothing can seperate us from God's love.  At the end of the "serve-us," in the Benediction, God puts His Name on us and sends us out into the world as His child, a member of His family.

Our response to receiving these gifts of grace is to offer our praises to God in word and song; to offer our prayers with confidence that God hears us and answers us according to His Will and for His Glory; we give our offerings so that His mighty Word might continue to be proclaimed in our church, community and world.

But there is more.  We also respond to God's service-to-us by serving those around us.  This is love in action - a love that is motivated completely by God and seeks to offer God's compassion and care for others.

We all want our lives to count.  We want our lives to have meaning and purpose.  There is no real, lasting meaning and purpose to life apart from Christ.  But with Christ at the center of our lives, we are filled with faith and forgiveness and love and we want to share these precious gifts with our family and friends and the world.

We are equipped to do this sharing by first being with our God each Sunday in worship.  Then, having been blessed and fortified, we go into the world and do for others with compassion and love.  In doing and serving others, those around us see Christ Jesus.  And isn't that what we want?

See, you do have reason to be in church this Sunday! God be with you.

Rocking the House at Helping Partners

Music has always had a way to lift my spirits like few other things.  So when Ken Firchow and I began meeting and talking about the theme for my renewal, I wanted it to be centered around music.  As many of you know, while I am not the world's greatest guitarist, I love to play guitar and sing.  Based on my experience of working with the developmentally disabled, I offered my services to Helping Partners...and they accepted!  Earlier today, my dear, sweet wife and I met with the folks and staff.  We had a great time together.  The set list was: Ïf You're Happy and You Know It; I Saw Her Standing There; Yellow Submarine; The Belly Button Song; Up Above My Head; Pharoah, Pharoah; I've Been Working on the Railroad; Man Gave Names to All the Animals; He's Got the Whole World in His Hands; and the Mickey Mouse Club theme song.  Hopefully, I'll be able to go back for another performance in July and, possibly, take some of our High School kids along to help out.  I would be so pleased if the Lord opened a door for our church to serve this often forgotten segment of our society.

The photo below, taken by Sherri, is me singing I Saw Her Standing There, complete with my Beatles wig (thanks to Lucille Beyer!).