This is my last blog post.
I've had great fun doing this. I've enjoyed the challenge of coming up with something that I thought folks might like to read. And I hope I've offered some encouragement along the way.
But this little effort has come to take more time than I can really give to it. And since I spoke on the subject of "time" in last week's message, I've decided to invest the time I've put into this and invest it in other area of life and ministry.
May God always bless and be with you.
Friday, January 31, 2014
What is joy?
I like the answer Klemut Preus offers:
However, joy, in the Bible, is not a feeling; it is a conviction of well-being in Christ. People rejoice over Jesus and what He has done for them.
From "What They Need To Know," page 109
However, joy, in the Bible, is not a feeling; it is a conviction of well-being in Christ. People rejoice over Jesus and what He has done for them.
From "What They Need To Know," page 109
Thursday, January 30, 2014
It's a "selfie" world
The headline in the paper couldn't help but catch my attention: "Parents learn to raise tots in a 'selfie' world.
Great! Some folks are so taken with themselves that they'll post pictures of themselves in any and every situation. You can't help but get the feeling that a lot of these pictures are taken with an attitude of "Hey! Look at me! Look at me!"
Now we're encouraging our kids to take selfie's. Toddlers too. The article in the paper told a story about a Mom shooting a video about an upcoming party when suddenly her three year old, the star of the video, lunged for the phone, shouting, "Mom, can I see it!" He could even wait until she had finished with the video.
Some researchers are concerned that taking too many pictures or videos of children and then playing them back instantly might lead to behavior problems in kids.
Selfie's, it seems to me, teach kids how to be selfish and self-centered.
And, come to think about it, that's something none of us need to be taught.
People are sinful by nature. Everyone. We were conceived in sin. We are naturally selfish and self-centered.
Encouraging such behavior is exactly what Satan would have us do. When our attention and focus is entirely on ourselves, we'll have no time to think about others and our relationship with the Lord can only suffer.
Seems to me, appealing to Eve's selfish nature was the way that the devil brought sin into the world. The devil, of course, made it sound like God was the selfish one. "Did God really say?" the devil asked Eve. After Eve botched up the Word of God (by adding "and you must not touch it") Satan told the lie of all lies - "Eat it, Eve, and you'll be like God, knowing good and evil!"
God had already taught the first couple the truth about good and evil. But Satan was too smooth, too glib for Eve. Her selfish, sinful nature liked the look of the fruit. She ate. Adam ate. Devil won. Sin entered the world.
Parents, be careful about how much you let your kids use your smart phones and iPads. Teach them that this world is not all about "me, myself and I." Teach them, also, to love God and to love their neighbor. Showing your kids what real love and concern about others is one way, it seems to me, that parents can learn to raise tots in a 'selfie' world.
Great! Some folks are so taken with themselves that they'll post pictures of themselves in any and every situation. You can't help but get the feeling that a lot of these pictures are taken with an attitude of "Hey! Look at me! Look at me!"
Now we're encouraging our kids to take selfie's. Toddlers too. The article in the paper told a story about a Mom shooting a video about an upcoming party when suddenly her three year old, the star of the video, lunged for the phone, shouting, "Mom, can I see it!" He could even wait until she had finished with the video.
Some researchers are concerned that taking too many pictures or videos of children and then playing them back instantly might lead to behavior problems in kids.
Selfie's, it seems to me, teach kids how to be selfish and self-centered.
And, come to think about it, that's something none of us need to be taught.
People are sinful by nature. Everyone. We were conceived in sin. We are naturally selfish and self-centered.
Encouraging such behavior is exactly what Satan would have us do. When our attention and focus is entirely on ourselves, we'll have no time to think about others and our relationship with the Lord can only suffer.
Seems to me, appealing to Eve's selfish nature was the way that the devil brought sin into the world. The devil, of course, made it sound like God was the selfish one. "Did God really say?" the devil asked Eve. After Eve botched up the Word of God (by adding "and you must not touch it") Satan told the lie of all lies - "Eat it, Eve, and you'll be like God, knowing good and evil!"
God had already taught the first couple the truth about good and evil. But Satan was too smooth, too glib for Eve. Her selfish, sinful nature liked the look of the fruit. She ate. Adam ate. Devil won. Sin entered the world.
Parents, be careful about how much you let your kids use your smart phones and iPads. Teach them that this world is not all about "me, myself and I." Teach them, also, to love God and to love their neighbor. Showing your kids what real love and concern about others is one way, it seems to me, that parents can learn to raise tots in a 'selfie' world.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Yes, God can!
It seems that every year one of my confirmation students will ask a question like this one: "Can God make a rock so big He can't lift it?" I like how the website, "Let us Reason," answered the question:
Can God make a rock so big He can't lift it? If He can't lift it then He is not all powerful. Then the rock has more power than God and whatever is more powerful than God is God.
If God can make it, He can lift it. If He can create it, He can destroy it. What He creates is under His jurisdiction, under His control. It can never have equality.
Can God make a rock so big He can't lift it? If He can't lift it then He is not all powerful. Then the rock has more power than God and whatever is more powerful than God is God.
If God can make it, He can lift it. If He can create it, He can destroy it. What He creates is under His jurisdiction, under His control. It can never have equality.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
More on "Time"
Last Sunday I preached on the stewardship of the gift of time, one of God's great gifts to us. While going through one of my journals today, I discovered some thoughts about time from author, Herb Miller.
God prizes our stewardship of time at least as much as our stewardship of money.
Lost money can be replaced. Lost time cannot.
We can't save time; we can only decide how to spend it.
God prizes our stewardship of time at least as much as our stewardship of money.
Lost money can be replaced. Lost time cannot.
We can't save time; we can only decide how to spend it.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Reflections on Sunday
God did not disappoint us. He came to us yesterday in His Word and Sacraments and spoke a Word of forgiveness for heavy hearts weighed down by sin; He reminded us that He has all the time in the world for us; He invited us to His table to receive a meal like none other. Praise God for His grace and mercy.
We celebrated my mother-in-law's 85th birthday yesterday with a lovely meal served out on the patio - just could not stay in the house with such beautiful weather beckoning us outdoors. Afterwards, my two old grandsons and I walked down to the pond at the 17th hole of our nearby golf course to feed the ducks. We climbed a tree and skipped rocks (OK, tried to skip rocks - none of us were very good).
Watched a portion of the Grammy Awards. Half the time the sound was on "mute." Some of the performances were, shall we say, "over the top?" You know you are officially "old" when the audience is going crazy over something that you just don't get the significance of (like the guys wearing space helmets). What was up with that? Order was restored for me a couple of times and that was when Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr performed. The former Beatles drummer sang his hit, "Photograph," and then joined Macca to sing McCartney's great song, "Queenie Eye." With that the TV went off and so did I - to bed! Praise the Lord for a blessed and beautiful day!
We celebrated my mother-in-law's 85th birthday yesterday with a lovely meal served out on the patio - just could not stay in the house with such beautiful weather beckoning us outdoors. Afterwards, my two old grandsons and I walked down to the pond at the 17th hole of our nearby golf course to feed the ducks. We climbed a tree and skipped rocks (OK, tried to skip rocks - none of us were very good).
Watched a portion of the Grammy Awards. Half the time the sound was on "mute." Some of the performances were, shall we say, "over the top?" You know you are officially "old" when the audience is going crazy over something that you just don't get the significance of (like the guys wearing space helmets). What was up with that? Order was restored for me a couple of times and that was when Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr performed. The former Beatles drummer sang his hit, "Photograph," and then joined Macca to sing McCartney's great song, "Queenie Eye." With that the TV went off and so did I - to bed! Praise the Lord for a blessed and beautiful day!
Friday, January 24, 2014
Sherman is perplexed?
A well fought playoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers was completely overshadowed by one player. After the game, sideline interviewer, Erin Andrews, tried to get a comment or two from Seahawks defensive back, Richard Sherman. What happened next was simply shocking.
Sherman went off on an adrenalin fuelled rant against 49er Michael Crabtree. Don't ask me to try and quote Sherman. His words burst out of his mouth like a machine gun firing at a target. Why in the midst of a great victory Sherman would level a personal attack on another player was unbelievable. After two questions, Andrews was done, probably told to take the microphone away from Sherman before he said something really inappropriate for the national television audience.
In the days following the game, there was a great hue and cry from lots of folks, football fans and otherwise. Some of the comments took on racial overtones. Sherman had defenders who appreciated his passion and who decried the description some had leveled against Sherman, that of being a "thug."
Here's my problem with Sherman - why take a personal disagreement and use the forum of a national television audience to castigate another person?
Sherman's defense is that last summer Crabtree was disrespectful of him. Sherman was hurt and angry by the treatment he said he received from Crabtree.
So why didn't Sherman confront Crabtree then? Why didn't he express his displeasure then? Why didn't he try and resolve a personal matter between the two of them?
I don't know if Sherman is a man of faith. But Jesus makes it clear that when two people are at odds with one another, there is a way of dealing with the situation. Matthew 18:15 - "If your brother sins against you, go and show him your fault, just between the two of you." Jesus' brother, James, wrote, "Brothers, do not slander one another."
Clearly, letting a personal matter fester for a number of months and then using a national television audience to berate another person is not the way that people go about resolving problems.
That's perplexing. And just plain wrong.
Sherman went off on an adrenalin fuelled rant against 49er Michael Crabtree. Don't ask me to try and quote Sherman. His words burst out of his mouth like a machine gun firing at a target. Why in the midst of a great victory Sherman would level a personal attack on another player was unbelievable. After two questions, Andrews was done, probably told to take the microphone away from Sherman before he said something really inappropriate for the national television audience.
In the days following the game, there was a great hue and cry from lots of folks, football fans and otherwise. Some of the comments took on racial overtones. Sherman had defenders who appreciated his passion and who decried the description some had leveled against Sherman, that of being a "thug."
Here's my problem with Sherman - why take a personal disagreement and use the forum of a national television audience to castigate another person?
Sherman's defense is that last summer Crabtree was disrespectful of him. Sherman was hurt and angry by the treatment he said he received from Crabtree.
So why didn't Sherman confront Crabtree then? Why didn't he express his displeasure then? Why didn't he try and resolve a personal matter between the two of them?
I don't know if Sherman is a man of faith. But Jesus makes it clear that when two people are at odds with one another, there is a way of dealing with the situation. Matthew 18:15 - "If your brother sins against you, go and show him your fault, just between the two of you." Jesus' brother, James, wrote, "Brothers, do not slander one another."
Clearly, letting a personal matter fester for a number of months and then using a national television audience to berate another person is not the way that people go about resolving problems.
That's perplexing. And just plain wrong.
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