The day of the headache

Yesterday was one of those days.  I woke up at about 4 am with a headache.  Didn't seem too severe.  Got up and took a couple of aspirin and laid back down for about 45 minutes.  My head still hurt but it seemed like I was managing OK.

I drank what seemed like gallons of coffee.  Caffeine is supposed to help in headache prevention.  Went through my morning routine and still felt like I could get through the day.  Yeah, everything was going to be OK.

But by the time I got to church, around 7:30 am, I began to feel that my head was lying in a vice and some diabolical rascal was slowly exerting pressure.  I took some strong medication that I had brought with me, praying that it would bring relief.

It didn't.  I know better.  If I don't get out in front of a migraine I can expect a very long, painful day.  By 9 am I knew I had to go home.  My head was feeling like it might explode and my tummy was rebelling as well.  I gave a few instructions to Connie, our administrative assistant extraordinaire and I left.

I got home, took some heavy duty medication that my doctor has prescribed and tried to get as comfortable and as still as I possibly could.  My cats saw me in the recliner and thought that I was inviting them to join me.  I quickly made it clear to them that I wanted to be left alone.  It took a few hours but finely I could feel that I was turning a corner.  I fell asleep in the afternoon and work up at 5 pm and realized something glorious - my head wasn't hurting very much! What joy! Prayer answered!  By the time my dear, sweet wife got home, I felt almost normal and read to eat a little dinner.  Then it was off to bed.

Today, I'm in migraine fog.  That's what the second day always feels like.  Having lost a day, I've got tons of work to do.  I'll get caught up.  I'll do so while feeling better.  And, I'm reminded to pray again that I should not take my good health for granted but to give thanks to God for the blessing of a headache-free day.  God is good.

The Verdict of the Last Day Ahead of Time

"And they lived happily ever after," is the way that most fairy tales end.  But we know that in real life, very few stories end a perfectly happy way.  But then I read the following from Gene Veith's blog on May 12, 2009.  Those who place their faith in Jesus Christ will experience a perfectly happy ending to their life - in fact, we don't even have to wait to the end to begin enjoying what we have right now!

Prof. John Pless quoted theologian Gerhard Forde on what absolution is: "The verdict of the Last Day ahead of time."  In other words, when we hear that we are forgiven in the Gospel, we are "getting the good news of the happy ending ahead of time."  (Pless quote)

The Price of Politics

is the name of a book that I'm presently reading.  Written by Bob Woodward, it travels the long and winding road that Democrats and Republicans attempted to navigate while trying to restore the American economy in 2010-2012.  Woodward tells the story well and it's hard to put the book down.  He does a fine job of providing insight into the major players, like President Obama, Speaker Boehner, Vice President Biden and others.

I'm a little more than half-way through the book and these are a few of my conclusions:

President Obama may be many things but he does not strike me as much of a leader.

Republicans are a fractured party and unable to get behind anyone to let that person lead.

Every member in Congress is their own special interest group which explains why compromise is often so elusive.

Power and influence is the name of the game in Washington.  Those who have it struggle to keep it.  Those who seek it are constantly maneuvering to get more of it. 

Scripture encourages us to pray for our leaders, that they might lead and govern wisely.  Clearly, we need to continue to pray for all those in authority, that they stand firm against the temptation to serve themselves or only those who support them but to continually act in the best interest of all the people that they serve.

Heavenly Father, we pray today for all those whom You have placed over us, especially those who serve in government.  Help us to respect the President, Vice-President, Congress, our Governor and State and local leaders.  Move them to be Your servants, agents for offering the care and protection You wish for all people.  Enable them to resist the temptation to simply serve themselves.  Empower them to serve for the common good.  Amen.

A prayer of the baptized

A beautiful prayer from Martin Luther:

O Lord, I am your sin; You are my righteousness.  Therefore I triumph and am secure; for my sin cannot overpower Your righteousness, nor can Your righteousness let me be or remain a sinner.  Blessed Lord, God of mine, my Mercy and my Redeemer, in You only do I trust; let me never be ashamed.  Amen.

The Case for Christ

That's what St. Luke seems to be doing in the first four chapters of his gospel - making the case that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, the promised Messiah.  In Luke 4:16-30, Jesus makes the case for Himself.  How do the people of Nazareth respond? How do you respond? Find out more when you worship with us this weekend at LICL.  Our new Saturday 4:32 service features the ancient liturgy plus modern hymns and songs and our Sunday services at 8 and 10:45 am are liturgical and traditional.  Stay also for Christian LIFE (Learning Is For Everyone) Hour at 9:15 am with classes for all age groups.  Hope to see you this weekend at Life in Christ!

Christ Have Mercy!

An insightful and spot-on comment from Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."  This simple statement of the Declaration of Independence asserts a God, a Creator, and a self-evident truth.  In our postmodern context, many people no longer accept any such external constraints...It is no longer "self-evident" that marriage should be between a man and a woman.  While this is the most self-evident reality in all of history, it does make sense that the attack on natural law should be most intense over God's crowning creative set, that of creating mankind as male and female.  The postmodern individual will not tolerate limits to personal freedom.  Therefore, any natural knowledge of God must go.  Indeed, God must go! Yet a society that rejects divinely created order (reason!) is in chaos.

From his book, Christ Have Mercy, page 213

Luther on God's Promise and our response

For God does not deal, nor has He ever dealt with man otherwise than through a Word of promise.  We, in turn, cannot deal with God otherwise than through faith in the Word of His promise.  He does not desire works, nor has He need of them...But God has need of this - that we consider His faithfulness in His promises (Hebrews 10:23) and patiently persist in this belief...promise and faith must necessarily go together.  For without the promise there is nothing to be believed; while without faith the promise is useless, since it is established and fulfilled through faith.

From The Babylonian Captivity of the Church