Wrestling With God

Israel - Wednesday, November 9

2011-11-15T14:48:00.001-06:00

The journey over was uneventful. I was sitting on the side on the plane with two women, I had the aisle seat. The woman in the middle seat got up a dozen times during the night --- as you can imagine, I did not sleep very well.

At about 4:00 pm, on Wednesday, we arrived in Tel Aviv.

One we found our bags, and our bus, we began the bus ride to Tiberius where we would begin our journey. We arrived to the Royal Plaza hotel around 8 pm, ate dinner, and then the five of us from Ridge walked a little over a mile into the city of Tiberius. After our walk we returned to the hotel and went to bed.

Holy Land Adventure

2011-11-15T10:22:00.001-06:00

Tuesday, November 8

The trip begins on a crazy note as I go to O'hare to pick up Nancy for her 9:30 arrival from visiting her parents in North Carolina. The plane is late (and traffic was horrible), and I pick up Nancy at a little after 10:00 am. We rush back to Munster, grab a quick bite at Panera and meet the group from Ridge as we begin our odyssey to the Holy Lands.

Our flight from Chicago to New York was late (are you noticing a theme), which turned out to be good. Instead of a jam packed full plane, the flight to New York was relatively empty. We arrived just a little late, and had about an hour and a half wait until we boarded our plane for Tel Aviv. Ran into the group from Church of Our Savior from Cincinnati, Ohio. Grabbed a quick bite to eat, made a coupe of phone calls and boarded the plane a little before 8 pm for our departure at 8:50 for Tel Aviv. The adventure was really beginning.

Every seemed to be on schedule for an on time departure, the plane was absolutely full (actually had more passengers than seats --- don't ask, it is a long story.) A little before our scheduled time to pulled away from the gate to jump into the air ---- but alas, it was not to be. A man, sitting in front of Kathy, was ill. A doctor on the plane tended to him and the airline stopped the plane on the tarmac. After a long delay, the airline decided to remove the man from the plane, he, however, refused to deplane without his bags, so they had to find his bag. After a long wait (and we had no idea that this was going on at the time), we finally backed away from the gate once again to make the long jump to Israel. At 11:11 pm our plane was airborne and on the way.

Israel Bound

2011-11-07T11:17:00.000-06:00

I heard from my father last night that there was to be ageneral strike in Israel beginning today that would shut down the airport andthus jeopardize our trip. Fortunately,the strike was short lived (only four hours), so as of now, we are a go. Tomorrow at this time I will be heading to O’Harewith the group from Ridge Church to begin our great adventure. We depart O’Hare at 2:50 and fly to NY wherewe will change planes and depart around 9pm. We are scheduled to arrive in Tel Aviv at 2:50 local time on Wednesdayafternoon. Once we gather up ourbelongings, go through customs, etc, we will be on our way to Tiberius and theRoyal Plaza Hotel.

The Royal Plaza is not one of my favorites, but by goingtheir first we will enjoy the hotel in Jerusalem all the more! We will spend 3 nights in Tiberius beforeheading to Jerusalem on Saturday.

I will try to blog every day, but I am not sure that I haveinternet access in Tiberius. If not Iwill post my daily blogs once we arrive in Jerusalem.

I am ready for some Sabbath time!

Zombies!

2011-11-04T10:58:00.000-05:00

I don’t think that Ihave ever read a book quite like Jeff Kinley’s: Christian Zombie KillersHandbook: Slaying the Living Dead Within. It is a strange book because it really wants to be two books inside onecover. Part of the book is a fictionalnarrative about how Zombies are trying to take over our world. The other book is about how our sinful natureis like having a Zombie inside of us.

I am a big fan ofChristopher Moore’s irreverent stories about misfit angels and childhoodfriends of Jesus. Kinsley’s imaginationis not up to Moore’s, and I found his preaching a bit over the top

The fictional story ispretty slow getting developed, and at times I really had to force myself tostick with it. And his theological understandsare so out of touch with reality that those tended to turn me off.

Overall, the fiction storyturned out to be decent. The preaching,or Biblical application if you will, was a bit much. If you are looking for a decent Zombie storyand typical Evangelical Christian Biblical Application (seemed awfully Calvinistic)then this book is for you!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Same ole, Same Ole

2011-10-06T15:13:00.001-05:00

We have all heard, or experienced the fact that a majority of children (once they get confirmed) drop out of the church never to be seen again. According to a survey by LifeWay Reasearch: “Seven in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30—both evangelical and mainline—who went to church regularly in high school said they quit attending by age 23.”

Why?

Well internationally known defender of the faith Josh McDowell and co-author Bob Hostetler suggest in Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door that teens don’t have the answers to the questions that most perplex them. They seek to give teens answers that make sense, even for the toughest of questions. Their answers are laced with humor to expose common myths about God, the Bible, religion, and life to show how Christianity stands up to the test of fact and reason. Well, sort of.

Unfortunately, they answer most questions by assuming that a teen is already indoctrinated in the faith and will accept the same old pat answers that we have been giving since the dawn of the Enlightenment. I found the book frustrating, and dated (it is just a rehash of an older book) and unable to convince most of the non-believers that I encounter.

If a teen is on the edge and willing to check their brain at the door, then this is the book for them, otherwise I would suggest that they dig deeper into some of the modern thinkers (who aren’t thinking very modernly) and learn from them, because having faith in the Way of Jesus is essential for us all.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Thoughts about Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T15:00:00.000-05:00

The world got the news last night that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had died at his home at the age of 56. It has been interesting reading the reflections on his life, but a number of things bother me.

I was a proud owner of an original Macintosh Computer (1984), so I hopped on the Apple bandwagon very early. When I started Celebration Church I really debated about going with Mac's but at the time there just wasn't much church oriented software out there (there still isn't) and I could not justify the cost. I own the I-pod, I-phone and I-pad and just today ordered a Mac Book Pro for the Church.

I say all that because I think it is important that I separate my feelings for Apple with Steve Jobs the human. One of the things that has long disturbed me is Jobs' lack of interest in philanthropy. I know that Jobs' was a very private person, but his personal life left many things to be desired. I don't need to detail any of that but the thing that struck me was his unwillingness to join Warren Buffett and Bill Gates' "Giving Pledge" in which they invited the super-rich to join them in donating at least half their wealth to worth causes.

Somewhere in the mix while we canonize Steve Jobs', we need to remember that inventing isn't the only thing. Sure he will long be remembered as quite possibly the greatest inventor of our time; but we also need to remember his failure to be inventive with all the wealth that he accumulated. Failure on his part to model for the rest of us ways to be generous, is also a major portion of his legacy.

Lots of Books and Stuff

2011-10-06T14:46:00.000-05:00

In a little over a month I will heading back to Israel for a 13 day trip that will include a few days in Jordan. The last time I was in Israel was February of 2008 when I was privileged to be the guest of the Grand Encampment of the Knights Templar. Pictures from that trip can be found at: my flickr site.

One of the things that I hope to do is blog everyday about the trip. I usually write a diary, but instead I will do it online. I hope that this will provide some type of written journal not only for me but also for all those who join me on this trip.

One of the things that I am most excited about is the opportunity to return to Jordan. I am not even certain when the last time I was there, but I would guess it was close to 10 years ago.

One of the things that I like to do on this blog is keep up to date on the books I have been reading. I have been very dilatory in posting my reviews, and I doubt I will ever go back and do it. So let me just share some of the books that I remember that I have read this summer.

Imperium by Robert Harris (very good story about Ancient Rome)

Pictures at A Revolution by Mark Harris (Wonderful history of Hollywood in 1967 and how that year transformed Hollywood forever.

Speaking Christian by Marcus Borg (Challenging book about how Christian words have lost their original meanings.)

Blue Like Jazz and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller (Miller is an author who often speaks my language, and when he doesn't he really gets me thinking --- I would highly recommend his books!)
Harvard Yard by William Martin (Fun historical fiction about the history of Harvard)

My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler (Don't waste your time!!!)

In the Garden of Beasts by Eric Larson (Wow, I have loved everything that I have read from Larson and this one is no exception. This is the story of an American diplomat during the rise of Hitler in Germany, 1933. For any history buffs, this is a must read!)

The Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbreck (This may be the definitive book on Custer, Sitting Bull and the Battle of the Little Big Horn. It has made me want to travel to see the sights.)

Fire and Rain by David Browne (Great follow up to Pictures at a Revolution because this book follows the careers of The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY in 1970. This book was a lot of fun and brought back lots of great memories!)

Sacred Trash by Peter Cole and Adina Hoffman (OK, you have to be a little off to enjoy this book, and I did, since it is the story of the discovery of ancient texts from a Cairo Geniza. You really have to be into archaeology and the back story to get into a book like this.)

I also just recently completed two books about Bicycle Touring. One about touring on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the other about touring the Natchez Trace. I plan on riding the Natchez Trace next summer, now I just have to get a bike!

I am sure I have forgotten a few books along the way. I am going to try to do better and post regularly so that I don't fall so far behind, and so that I get in the habit before the trip to Israel.

Computer

2011-08-21T16:14:00.000-05:00

After I got home, I went downstairs to turn on my computer and . . . nothing! I had been having problems for the last month with the darn thing and had it in the shop to remove some viruses, but now it seems to be doa! I don't need this right now!

Canada pt 2

2011-08-21T16:11:00.002-05:00

Thursday
Got up and flew to Fletcher. Beautiful day to fly. Watched a number of float planes take off and land, got some pretty good pictures. Caught a total of 107 fish, I caught only 30 and was clearly low man on totem pole. Flight back was equally beautiful. Got a picture of Culloden lake from the air, we will see if I can identify it when I can rename pictures. Once again I find something about the iPad that I cannot stand.

Not going out fishing this afternoon which is fine with me. Going to work on sermon for the 28th and the next sermon series.

Completed a rough draft of the sermon. Probably going to wait and finish it when I get home and after I hear what Nathan has to say this Sunday.

Friday
Planned to go to South Scott Lake this morning. Storms all night, lots of lightning and a little rain, but I never heard thunder. The sky was full of lightning!

Windy in the morning, but we decided to head to South Scott. We got 3/4 of the way there when we remembered that we forgot the gas for the boat engine, so we had to turn around and get it. Had to add gas to the plane as well. Headed back to South Scott and got tied up to the shore. Jimmy and I got the boat that is stashed at the lake into the water and emptied the plane of all our gear. Unfortunately we were unable to start the boat motor, so after about 1/2 hour we headed back to Lac Lu.

Jim and I went out fishing for fish to bring home. I caught 6 (4 keepers) and Jim caught 5 (2 keepers). We fished until about 1:30 and headed in for lunch.

This afternoon we will need to take the plane to Redit where it is stored for the winter. Before we could do that, Jimmy and I flew to Kenora to fill the plane up with fuel. It is really windy and he had to fight the wind in turning the plane. We had a hard time getting back to the dock when we returned to Lac Lu. Jim and I will drive to Redit while Jimmy flies the plane, we will meet him where the plane is being left for the winter.

Saturday
Left Lac Lu at 6:45 am to begin the journey home. According to the weather reports we might be in for a bumpy ride home. Should be home around noonish.

Flight was good until we got about 15 minutes from home. Jimmy is a great pilot and did a great job getting us around a very large and potentially dangerous storm.

Got home about 1 pm. It is good to be home!

Canada 2011

2011-08-17T18:03:00.000-05:00

Monday
Jim picked me up about 5:15 am and we headed out to Griffith Airport to meet Jimmy.

Lots of low clouds initially, got some great sunrise pictures and pictures of the full moon. We flew up the lake but it was too cloudy to really get pictures of Chicago.

Very uneventful flight, actually made it about 30 minutes ahead of schedule.

After stopping to get groceries, airplane gas and bait we headed out to the cottage.

Got to Lac Lu, and went fishing for our dinner.
Fishing was slow and I went a long time without catching anything, eventually Jim caught enough for dinner. I caught:
2 walleye
3 northern pike
1 croppy
Took a couple of pictures, but nothing spectacular

Tuesday
In the morning we headed out to Fletcher, about 50 miles north of Lac Lu by airplane. Very low ceiling, lots of clouds at about 2,000 feet. We arrived and headed out with 4 or five dozen minnows with the goal of catching 100 walleye.

We were catching them like crazy, but after having been out for less than an hour we got soaked by a huge thunderstorm. We headed for shelter to ride it out.
After it was over we got back to work. Within 2 1/2 hours we were out of minnows, and had caught 105 walleyes. What was weird is that we did not catch anything else. I caught 35 Walleye.

We headed back to Lac Lu, while we were over Minaki, it started to rain, and there were very dark clouds in front of us. We landed a few minutes later at Lac Lu and it started to really rain. As we pulled up to the dock, it came down in a torrent. It would have been a disaster if we had been just a little slower (we would have had to land on a different lake and wait out the storm). The storm lasted about an hour.

Later that evening (at about 4:00 pm) Jim and I went out to fish on Lac Lu. We should have stayed home! I caught 1 northern, and didn't have many bites.

Had a delicious spaghetti dinner and Jimmy had even baked a birthday cake for me. I would have liked to have been home, but it was a very touching gesture.

Wednesday
We were supposed to go to south scott, but way too windy
Went to Culloden instead. We took big boat to Bennett's because it was so rough.

With such rough conditions, it was not surprising, but the fishing was real slow. I managed to catch 4 walleye and 2 Northern. We got enough to bring back for a fish dinner tomorrow night.

Went back via Kenora to get more bait and Jim decided to get the oil changed in the van
we ate lunch at crappy chinese place while oil was being changed. Got bait and gas and headed back to the cottage.

When we got to bennett's we saw one of the workers bringing a boat up out of the water and realized that it was the big boat. About 30 minutes earlier, the boat had swamped and flipped over from the heavy wave action. We had to borrow a boat so that we could get out to the cottage. They are going to try to dry it out and get the motor running again.

It is still very windy at 4:30, so we are not going to go out and fish Lac Lu tonight. Instead, once the waves settle down Jimmy and I are going to take the borrowed boat back and try to get online.

Catching Up

2011-08-03T14:45:00.000-05:00

I have been very neglectful of my blog lately. I am about 5 books behind that I will try to post over the next week or so.

Last year, Lindsey and I completed the Indianapolis Half Marathon. I had set a goal of completing the 13.1 miles in 3hours 15 minutes (or 15 minute miles). Somehow, we managed to complete the course in a 14:24 mile pace. Since then, I got the crazy idea that I wanted to complete a full marathon. Nancy has done something like ten marathons (including 2 Boston Marathons), so I thought it would be cool to join that club.

On Saturday, September 3, Lindsey and I plan on completing the Marquette Marathon. Nancy was supposed to run the race, but she is laid up with an injury and probably will be relegated to cheering us on.

I thought the preparation for the half marathon was difficult, but this has been unreal. Getting ready is all consuming! Everyday I am out pounding the pavement trying to make sure that I am ready. My feet are covered in blisters! But I am feeling pretty good about my chances of competing the course in under 6 1/2 hours. The farthest I have gone is 18 miles, and shortly after doing that came down with sever bronchitis, but I am back on the pavement and hope to do 12-18 miles either tomorrow or Friday depending on which day looks better as far as the heat is concerned. I did 10 miles yesterday.

Regardless of whether I finish the race or not, the preparation has helped get me in the best shape that I have been in in 25 years. It feels good to be able to walk 5 miles and not even be tired. The biggest concern is my feet -- I hope that they can hold out.

Beyond Belief

2011-08-03T14:12:00.000-05:00

I have read close to a dozen of New York Times best selling author John Maxwell's books, listened to numerous of his cd's, and have had the opportunity to hear him on two different occasions. His latest book, BEYOND TALENT: Become Someone Who Gets Extraordinary Results, is typical of his books that encourage you to grow beyond the limitations that we often create.

Maxwell suggests that talent is simply the starting point, not the final destination, and offers suggestions on how we can move beyond our talents. Maxwell's style is to use stories of people and let them illustrate how we can grow beyond our talents.

The major themes of the book include:
Belief lifts your talent.
Initiative activates your talent.
Focus directs your talent.
Preparation positions your talent.
Practice sharpens your talent.
Perseverance sustains your talent.
Character protects your talent. . . . and more!

Maxwell wants to remind us that it is our choices that make all the difference, not the talent that we start with.

Maxwell's books are never deep, but they do offer lots of interesting advice to help us grow. If you are looking for a how to manual, this is not the book for you. But if you are looking for inspiration to help you on your journey to become all that you can be, there will be many nuggets of wisdom that you can glean from this quick read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Part-Time Vegan

2011-04-19T09:13:00.000-05:00

Over the past seven or so years, two of my daughters have been vegetarians. My youngest, a senior in High School is still living at home, so over the years my wife and I have been part time vegetarians. When I saw Cherise Grifoni’s new book The Part-Time Vegan, I was intrigued.

What I appreciated about the book, was her no guilt approach to being a Vegan. Too often, people who adopt that lifestyle want to convert everybody else that they become like worst evangelical Christians or Jehovah Witness. She is not at all. She lays out why she adopted this part-time lifestyle and why it could be beneficial to the rest of us – without the guilt.

I have only tried a couple of the recipes and the were very good. I am sure I will continue to eat my way through the book. My biggest complaint is that she can be, well to lack a better word, silly. Otherwise, it is a pretty solid recipe book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Max on Life

2011-04-19T08:58:00.000-05:00

Over the years I have read a number of books by pastor, teacher and author Max Lucado. All of those books are what I would call devotional fiction. He took a biblical event and then created a story around it trying to teach what he felt was the biblical lesson. As I have said other times, I find his style simplistic and sweet --- I often think that we don’t live in the same world. That notion really struck home as I read his latest book: Max on Life. It is, as best I know, Max Lucado’s first attempt to really state his theology, in a semi-systematic way.

The genesis for the book is a collection of questions that Lucado has collected over his 25 plus years in ministry. The questions came the way that questions usually do, sometimes solicited, other times spontaneous. The questions came through letters, e-mails, even, he tells us, on a Dunkin Donut napkin. In Max on Life, Lucado gives his answers to these often provocative questions.

The book covers questions about everything, from prayer to suffering in the world. It also includes the seemingly mundane like parenting issues and financial questions.

While many reviewers love his answers, I find them trite and simplistic. This book is meant for the choir --- if you are not a believer (or at least a non-believer who wants deep answers) you are not going to be satisfied with the answers that Lucado gives.

Overall, I cannot recommend this book, it isn’t bad, it just isn’t very good.

The Final Summit --- Engaging, yet simplictic!

2011-04-11T20:34:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, a friend gave me The Traveler's Gift to read. I have not read it yet, but after reading, Andy Andrews: The Final Summit: A Quest to Find the One Principle That Will Save Humanity, I feel the need to go back and read it.

The story is engaging: humanity is running out of time, due to centuries of greed, pride and hate. We have wandered far from our God given purpose, and there seems to be only one solution that can set the world back on the right course. That solution consists of only two words, that Ponder must figure out.

David Ponder, who was introduced in The Traveler’s Gift, is a special human who has been chosen to help save humanity. Along the way, Ponder meets fellow Traveler’s (Churchill, Lincoln, Ann Frank, Benjamin Franklin, and others) who help him solve the riddle on what must be done to save humanity.

If only the answer to our problems were so simple. Andrew’s theological understanding of God leaves much to be desired. God seems to be a capricious S.O.B. who can’t deal with the failure of creation, so God needs to find a way to either get people on the right track or to start over.

If you tend to get sucked into theological syllogisms, then you might want to skip the book. But if you can see past a very small vision of God this is a fun and creative book to read.

When I read books I am always looking for sermon material, this one will provide material for a great sermon.

Finding Our Way Again --- Brian McLaren --- A Good Read

2011-04-06T09:08:00.000-05:00

This is the first book in “The Ancient Practices” series that I have read. This series is designed to open up classical spirituality in a modern way.

I have to admit, that for the most part I am a fan of Brian McLaren, I find his theology and understand of Christianity refreshing, as he challenges us to experience the living Jesus and not simply the theological Christ.

If you are a student of the Spiritual Practices, or have read Richard Foster’s Classic 1978 work: The Celebration of Discipline, you might be disappointed. But for the average person, or someone who needs a kick start on finding their way again, they will find great tools and insights in this book.

What some people find difficult with McLaren’s work is the idea that God’s door is open to people who don’t fit into the current evangelically defined definition of what a Christian is. This is not the place for that debate, but if you believe that God’s accessibility is ONLY through Jesus as defined by the evangelical church today, run, don’t walk from this book, because you will hate it. For the rest of us, we will find great tools and questions to help us on our journey.

This book is a simple read, but the questions and the end of every chapter provide for the opportunity for some serious reflection.

I would recommend this book.

Lies The Government Told You

2010-12-16T14:24:00.000-06:00

As I read Judge Andrew P Napolitano's book Lies The Government Told You, I thought I was reading one of Steven's Berry's mystery books. Judge Napolitano does a interesting job in examining what he calls 17 lies that have been either created or perpetuated by the US Government at some level.

Ron Paul in his forward tot he book sets the tone for the book. He identifies Judge Napolitano as "a passionate defender of liberty who understands that the United States Constitution puts strict limits on federal power." Ron Paul also argues that Judge Napolitano "does not pull punches or excuse any constitutional violations in order to support any group or political interest." Unfortunately, that is not completely true, and a critical reading of this fascinating book will point that out. I believe that bias comes through loud and clear in his introduction and is fleshed out through out the book. My biggest issue, is that he seems to believe (at times) that the Constitution was written in a vacuum and is a stagnant document. Much like many people perceive the Bible. I am not sure that I would agree with that starting point.

While I say that, it is a very interesting and thought provoking book. I found some of his arguments to be very persuasive, others, well, let's just say that I didn't agree with everything that he wrote. If you come from the same philosophical bend as Judge Napolitano, then you will be filled with great joy at his presentation. If you come from a different world view, then you might want to find somebody to talk with this book about.

That is what I liked about it -- it provokes conversation. I would highly recommend that this book be used for a critical group study, especially one that welcomes multiple points of view. But just for personal reading, I think I would give it a pass.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Gospel According To Jesus

2010-10-29T13:10:00.000-05:00

Chris Seay, pastor and president of the Ecclesia Bible Society, has written an interesting book, in which he tries to help modern Christians embrace the authentic Christian life. He titles the book: The Gospel According to Jesus, but a more appropriate name would be: The Gospel of Jesus According to Paul.

The book centers on understanding Jesus through the lens of the Epistle of Paul to the Church at Rome. According to Seay, true Christianity is about restoring what is broken. He suggests that 84% of Christians misunderstand the meaning of the word “righteousness” and this failure leads to a distorted understanding of the message of Jesus.

The Gospel message is all about restoring our sinful ways, not about a social gospel or personal piety. Jesus came to bring life and light into the dark corners of our lives. This vision is one that is then played out in all aspects of our lives; from the restoration of broken marriages, to care for creation.

The book is well written, although there is some material that is missing on page 74. His arguments are well constructed, as long as your understanding of the Biblical material is the same as Seay’s. Which is not a literal understanding, but at times it does not seem far from it.

The book is meant to counter some of the more progressive understandings of the Gospel that are presented by other authors. What I found frustrating, is it really has very little to do with Jesus, as his contemporaries would have understood him, but the understanding that Paul begins to construct 20 or 30 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. With that understanding, it is well done. But it is not really the Gospel of Jesus.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Great story -- Lousy Movie!

2010-09-28T18:10:00.000-05:00

We have often heard the phrase: “Leaders are not chosen, they are called.” The Least Among You, a new movie by first time director Mark Young, is inspired by the true story of Richard Kelly. Kelly was arrested in the 1965 Los Angeles Watts riots and is sentenced to serve probation at an all-white seminary. Kelly is encouraged to break racial boundaries by the seminary president Alan Beckett. Unfortunately, what Kelly discovers is that the school wants black followers not leaders. Even former missionary, Kate Allison initially rejects him. With a prison sentence looming, Kelly meets the gardener, and his life is forever changed.

It is a great story – unfortunately it is a lousy movie. The acting is poor, the editing is questionable at times and the whole thing just bogs down. Why is it that “Christian movies” always seemed to be a step behind the other offerings that Hollywood has? It certainly isn’t because of the story, because this one is powerful.

After watching the movie, I am inclined to go read the book, but I am not sure if one exists. I loved the story, but I cannot recommend this movie.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Another Lucado book

2010-09-10T09:44:00.000-05:00

Max Lucado's newest book, Out Live Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference, is his best book in my opinion, but it doesn't fall too far from the rest of his books. The premise of the book is just as the title suggests, that everyone can make a difference in life IF they make the choices to do so. I love the concept and the idea --- it was the execution that bothered me.

The book is a very fast read, it can be done in a couple of sittings, and that may be part of the problem. The issues that Lucado attempts to challenge us with are significant and deep and required more that the cursory look that he gave them. There are many systemic problems in the world today, and while it is easy for us to, as Lucado suggests to feel overwhelmed and as a result do nothing --- there are many, many little things that we can all do to make a huge difference.

At times, this book felt like somebody gave Lucado an idea and only a few weeks to throw a book together. It seemed hurried and could have gone into more depth. In Lucado's defense -- I am not his audience. Lucado writes to an audience that does not want to dig too deep beneath the surface. They want truths and not gray areas. Unfortunately, I live in the gray of life and so this book is way too simplistic for me.

This book would be great for somebody who is looking for simple answers in how to move out of their comfort zone and begin living the life Jesus invited people to live.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Butterfly Effect

2010-09-07T11:36:00.000-05:00

Andy Andrews, much sought after speaker and NY Times best-selling author has written a short inspirational story bases on the idea that “Every single thing you do matters. You have been created as one of a kind. You have been created in order to make a difference. You have within you the power to change the word.” The book, The Butterfly Effect, is an extremely short book telling the story about a decision that Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain made during the battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. Andrews suggests that this single decision changed the outcome of the war and ultimately changed the world.

We could argue for hours about whether that statement is true (his notion is much too simple), or we could look at the bigger picture of what Andrews is suggesting. His premise is based on a hypothesis that Edward Lorenz presented in 1963 that a butterfly could flap its wings in China and start a hurricane on the other side of the planet. This theory is a part of the larger chaos theory and has some validity, but is much more complex than Andrews portrays in the book.

While saying all of this, the book was wonderful. Regardless of whether we all can have an impact in changing the world, Andrews reminds us that we can make a difference, which is something that we all need to hear. Our lives, individually and collectively do matter and we should all be seeking to leave a lasting legacy.

My biggest complaint with the book has to do with its size relative to the price. At $14.95 you are paying a lot for each word that Andrews writes. This is a book that you can read in 10 or 15 minutes, and is not one that I would ever see myself purchasing. Now that I have a copy, I am sure that I will share it with some people.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Robert E. Lee

2010-09-01T09:23:00.000-05:00

Robert E. Lee is many things to many different people, often determined by where you happen to live in the United States. But to anybody who has studied the Civil War, Robert E. Lee is quite possible the greatest general to have ever lived. John Perry has written a brief history of Robert E. Lee, from his childhood to his greatest moments as general of the Confederate Army, to his last years as President of Washington University.

Lee: A Life of Virtue is a part of Thomas Nelson’s The Generals series. The goal of the series is to cut through the pro or negative opinions on Lee and give an unbiased account of his life. Unfortunately, with a personality like Lee, I am not sure that is possible. Perry does an excellent job in sharing the story of Lee for somebody who does not know much about him or the Civil War. I would not recommend this for anyone who wants to dig deep into the life of Lee and his role during the Civil War. Having read Freeman’s classic four volume series on Lee, there was nothing new or surprising in this text.

As I read the book, I thought that it would be an excellent introduction to Lee for a Middle School level class. The writing style is excellent for a younger audience and the book is not filled with footnotes (which I missed!, and a more scholarly study would require). Overall, with the understanding that this book is meant for a younger reader or someone with little or no understanding of the Civil War, I would highly recommend it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Jesus Wars

2010-08-04T10:26:00.000-05:00

On this same trip to the bookstore, I also came across Philip Jenkins newest book, The Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens, and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years, a rather interesting if not uneven telling of the history of the early church. It pretty much begins following the council of Nicea and continues for the next 500 years or so. The focus of the book is on the struggle to define who Jesus is (was). Was Jesus a man-bearing God, or a God-bearing man?

The book was fascinating, but at times got lost in minutia. Overall, I enjoyed the way that Jenkins' laid out the struggle of the early church to define orthodoxy. His writes with the style of education, which makes the book less accessible to an average audience.

Having read Richard Rubenstein's work: When God Was Born, a number of years ago, I found his treatise of the years leading up Nicea as more engaging. Jenkins' argues that Nicea (identifying Jesus with God) was the easy part --- the challenge was preventing Jesus from becoming entirely God. That is the subject of the book --- what kind of man was Jesus and what kind of God was he.

We live in such as different time from the one that Jenkins' writes about. We live with a multiplicity of understanding of who Jesus is (was) and have no fear that the inquisitor will be coming to knock at the door in the middle of the night. Jenkins' concludes the book by suggesting: "A religion that is not constantly spawning alternatives and heresies has ceased to thing and has achieved only the peace of the grave."

I can rest easily knowing that I am doing my part to helping people see some of the alternatives than those proclaimed at Chalcedon and the following councils!

American Moses

2010-08-04T09:51:00.000-05:00

I was browsing at the Book Store that Cokesbury sets up at annual conference in June and saw this book by Bruce Feiler and was intrigued. I have to admit that everything that I have read from him so far (Walking the Bible, Where God Was Born, Abraham) have been wonderfully written and powerful books that have gripped me and challenged me in my own walk with God. I re-read (or listen to) walking the Bible every time I get ready to head back to Israel and strongly encourage all those that travel with me to do the same. The title of the book alone: America's Prophet: Moses and the American Story, peaked my interest. I was not disappointed.

Feiler argues that throughout the history of the United States you will find the Exodus story and that we have had the repeated need to raise up American Moses'. The book begins with the Pilgrims off Massachusets coast, quoting the story. They saw themselves as the new Israelites fleeing bondage in the old world and escaping to set up God's kingdom in the new world.

But the story doesn't end there. The founding fathers (Franklin and Jefferson) suggested that Moses should be a part of the great seal of this new country. The Liberty Belll has words from Moses inscribed on it. Both Washington and Lincoln were called Moses incarnate. Martin Luther King invoked the image of Moses the night before he was murdered. And many see Barak Obama as a new Moses as well.

But the real point of Feilers book is a call for us to re-examin our lives and our priorities as a country. He is calling us (as any good preacher would do) to re-evaluate our priorites before it is too late.

Feiler is a master story teller and I would highy recommend this book!

Beyond Opinion

2010-07-22T11:26:00.000-05:00

I knew better than selecting this book: Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith we Defend, by Ravi Zacharais, to review, because the worldview of the authors and my worldview are completely different. We both are Christians, but we understand the nature and role of Christianity in a completely different way. That said, if your worldview is the same as the authors, you will find this book to be very helpful as you develop the skills and comfort level to defend and promote this brand of Christianity.

It is a well written, at times engaging book designed to help Christians begin to become comfortable with the responsibility of defending the faith. They cover a large group of topics including:

Postmodernism and their challenges to Biblical authority
Atheism
Islam
Evil & suffering

Overall, since the book was written by 13 different authors, it reads very well. The quality of the chapters was uneven, but not surprising since each chapter was written by someone else. The editing is very good to keep the style consistent.

I have to admit. There were many times when I laughed out loud at the ridiculous arguments that they made. If you are reading this from a differing world view you will find the book rather trite. But I enjoyed reading the argument for this brand of faith from “the world’s leading Christian Apologist. It certainly gave me insight into the blinders that they put on, as well as my own.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review of "A Guy's Guide to Life."

2010-06-16T17:01:00.001-05:00

I was excited when I picked up A Guy's Guide to Life: How to Become a Man in 224 Pages or Less, the prospect of a book that really was willing to deal with the issues that a teenager encounters growing up, would be invaluable. Jason Boyett’s writing style is witty and engaging. And the book is filled with lots of great tips on helping a person navigate the teenage years.

Unfortunately, the book is also trite. I was hoping that this would be something that I could give to my teenage daughter’s boyfriends, but they would be too busy laughing at the silliness of some of the suggestions to really hear the important stuff.

The biggest problem for me is the book doesn’t really exist in the real world. It is a world that the youth that I know don’t live in – nor did they ever.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Celebration Church

2009-11-06T14:09:00.000-06:00

The night of November 11th, 1989 was one of the longest in my life. Twice in the night, I had to get up and run to the local YMCA to hit the over-ride switch on the heating system. As I would lie in bed, sleepless, I worried about the events of the next day.

Would anybody come?
Would anybody stay?
What in the world had Nancy and I (and one year old Jessica) gotten ourselves into?

My clearest memory of that weekend, however is not about the smelly tarp the Y made us put down to protect their gym floor; nor about the people we met on the phone who volunteered to help that first Sunday by bringing cookies or helping welcome people or work in the nursery. My clearest memory is of leaving the Y, the evening of the 11th, after a downpour and seeing in the sky a beautiful rainbow. It was if God was saying; quit worrying, everything is going to be OK.

We made lots of mistakes right off the bat, but somehow, we eventually got it right. We stopped trying to be “a traditional church that reached young people,” and instead, for United Methodists at the time, became a rather unique church. So much so, that Church Growth Expert Lyle Schaller came to visit, and wrote about Celebration Church in one of his books. Divorce Recovery Workshops, Rock and Roll music, and a weird Coffee Break, all became signature items at Celebration Church.

It is interesting to look back 14 years removed from the experience. Without a doubt, the experience of starting Celebration Church transformed me, and began the journey that continues to this day of experiencing and sharing a God who is not only there, but a God who is real.

It was at Celebration Church that I began allowing my “progressive theology” to openly come to the surface. It was through leading dozens of divorce recovery workshops, that I was forced to wrestle with much of the traditional theology of Christianity regarding broken people. And I will never forget, when we made the transition from being a “traditional” church to a more progressive one, and we used a modern version of the Lord’s Prayer and someone complained by saying to me: “If it, (the King James Version of the prayer) was good enough for Jesus, it was good enough for her.” I hadn’t realized that Jesus spoke King James English!

I learned quickly, that I could not please everyone, and that the vision, was what had to be held at the center --- not our own individual desires or wishes. That was a tough lesson, but one that has served me well over the years. As I have often said: “It’s not about you,” I learned that it also was “Not about me!” I may have been responsible for the vision, but it could never be my vision, it had to be God’s!

Creating a church that spoke to “young people”, and remain in the rubric of the United Methodist Church was a challenge in 1989 (it still is today), but I am proud when I think of all the young lives that came to know God through the experience of Celebration Church.

I have come a long way since those heady days of my youth. My children are mostly grown and soon will be on their own. I have learned to be even more comfortable in my skin and with my relationship with God. I am more passionate about the radical love that Jesus modeled for the world, and well aware of the costs of following that radical love.

As Celebration Church celebrates their 20th birthday this weekend, I wish them well, and pray for continued success in the future.

Earning the Award

2009-11-06T14:05:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, President Barak Obama was awarded one of the highest honors that can be given to a person. He was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. This is an honor that only three other United States Presidents have ever won. Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Jimmy Carter have all been honored by the committee.

The Nobel Peace Prize was created by the will of Alfred Nobel, best known at the time of his death as the inventor of dynamite. Nobel, in his will created five awards that are to be given out annually: Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature and Peace, the first one was awarded in 1901. In 1969 an award for Economics was added as an associated award.

What has been interesting is the flap over President Obama winning the award. Rush Limbaugh called it a joke, former Vice President Cheney’s daughter Liz Cheney suggested that Obama should send a message to the Nobel Committee at the Dec. 10 awards ceremony in Oslo, by skipping the ceremony and sending the mother of a fallen soldier to show the importance of the Afghanistan war efforts, and Michael Steele (chairman of the Republican National Committee) suggested that Obama won because of his "star power" rather than meaningful accomplishments.

We can all debate the merits of the honor. Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, who won the prize in 1984, may have put it best when he said the decision showed that great things are expected from Obama and "wonderful recognition" of his effort to reach out to the Arab world after years of hostility.

I guess that is my hope. That this is the beginning of a new way of looking at the world, and hopefully of the world looking at the United States. But one other thought comes to mind.

On January 27th, 2007, at the Annual Ball of the Munster Chamber of Commerce I was bestowed with the honor of “Citizen of the Year.” The requirements for this honor are: participate in civic activities which do the greatest good for the largest number of people, and be engaged in service and leadership which exemplifies the Chamber’s role in the community.

I hate to say this – I didn’t deserve the reward. I had not met those requirements. But, starting September 15th, 2008 I did. Ever since receiving that honor, I have felt like I needed to do something to “earn it” (I know, bad theology). But it is true. I wonder sometimes if winning that award, prepared me to take a leadership role following the historic floods.

And I wonder, if we can’t all hope and pray for the same thing for Barak Obama. I don’t want him to fail – too much is at stake. Maybe this honor will spur him on to make the USA the leader in a new era, and era of peace and cooperation in the world.

Funerals

2009-11-06T13:40:00.000-06:00

It has been interesting processing all of the comments that I received following the recent series that I did on “End of Life Issues.” Not surprisingly, your comments ran the gamut from --- “I don’t come to church to hear about those kinds of things,” to “thanks, that was the most significant series of sermons you have ever preached.” For me personally, this was a foundational sermon series, one that is essential so that we can build on top of it. But before I can move beyond it, I want to share a little bit more. What follows are my guidelines for Funeral and Memorial Services.

As soon as possible, please notify the church and/or one of the pastor’s of your loved one’s death. We hopefully have already been in dialog with you as you have journeyed down this difficult road, but we want to make sure that we can be ministering with you during this time of loss.

Hopefully, your loved one will have already thought about their funeral/memorial service and the church will have a copy of their desires on file. But if not, you will have a few decisions to make. First, do you want a funeral or a memorial service?

Through the centuries, Christians have marked the end of life with a service of worship; three kinds are offered. FUNERAL SERVICE is a worship service that is held in the church or elsewhere in which the body of the deceased is present. A COMMITTAL SERVICE is held at the graveside, or a crematorium immediately preceding burial or cremation. A committal service typically follows a funeral service, but it can be the only service celebrating the life of the deceased. A MEMORIAL SERVICE is a worship service held at anytime and anyplace, after the body has been disposed of.

Secondly, who do you want to preside over the service? In our Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, it is the policy that the appointed pastor preside over all weddings and funerals, and that only with their consent may another pastor participate in these types of events. I want to state emphatically, that I have no problem if you would like someone else to preside at your funeral (or wedding) – I will be happy to share the service with them, or step out of the way. While I say that, please be aware that not all pastors would agree with me, and they are within their rights to not allow a former pastor to participate in a funeral (or wedding) service.

One other note, I will preside over anyone’s funeral if I can fit it into my schedule, regardless if they are affiliated with the church or not. I believe that this is one of the most important opportunities that we have to live out the love that Jesus demonstrated to us through his life. Please be aware that there may be times when I am unable to officiate even though that is your desire, please know that I grieve that I am not able to be there with you as well.

No two funeral services should be exactly alike. Each service should exemplify the deceased faith. Whether it should be held in the church or a funeral home or some location really depends on the family. I know that for many to hold a funeral in the church and then to have to return for worship on Sunday is difficult.

The service itself consists of prayers, scripture and celebrations of our loved one’s life. Some traditions discourage Eulogies, I do not. I believe that there is no greater testimonial than when a loved one shares some of the joy that their deceased friend brought to their life.

The committal service is a very brief service often held in a chapel at the cemetery, but occasionally (and I prefer) at the graveside. It generally consists of a few passages of scripture, prayers and a benediction. The committal service can be included in the funeral service so there is not a need to travel to the cemetery.

A memorial service is virtually the same as a funeral, the only difference is the body is not present and it can be held at the family’s convenience, often days or weeks later.

A word about music. I know that many will disagree with me, but I believe that any music that was appropriate for the deceased is appropriate in the service. That is because I do not believe that there is a difference between sacred and secular. In my worldview everything is sacred. Music can be played on cd’s or it can be live. If your service is being held at the church, there will be a fee for the organist.

Remember, you will not be attending your own funeral. Nevertheless, you can help ensure that your service is a moving, comforting witness to your relationship with God and your family and friends. Take time to fill out a LIFE INVENTORY so that the service will really reflect your beliefs (and update it often).

One final word, remember, these are my guidelines, and not all pastors may agree with them, keep that in mind as you plan for the future.

Friends!

2009-11-06T13:34:00.000-06:00

Every morning as I go on my 1-4 mile walk (depending on the weather and how much time I have), I listen to a book on my I-Pod. It has proven to be a great use of my time, plus it makes the time go so much faster and my dog (Zeke) doesn’t seem to mind.

I finally got around to listening to John Grogan’s huge hit Marley and Me. Once I got over the reader of the book, whom I could not stand (which happened to be John Grogan himself), I loved the book.

If you are not familiar with the book, or the movie, Marley and Me is a “true” story of Grogan and his family pet, a very large, very neurotic Labrador Retriever. At times you think that the family is as crazy as the dog because the put up with his behavior. But overall it was a powerful book.

As I walked an cried, listening to the story of having to put Marley “to sleep,” my mind couldn’t help wander back to Nahum and Zephie, the two dogs that nancy and I have had the privilege of sharing our home with and had to make the horrible choice of putting to sleep.

Nahum (named after the Biblical prophet – find out what the word means in Hebrew and you will know why I chose it!) was the first dog I had as an adult. I got him from a pound in Stanley County, NC while I was a student pastor attending Duke Divinity School. I would drive the 100 miles into Durham and drop Nahum off at the apartment of a beautiful young woman that I happened to be dating. While I was in class he would chew up whatever he could find, including the vanity in her bathroom. What is amazing is that a little less than a year later she decided to become my wife and accepted my wayward dog as well. When the girls were all young (Haley was just a baby) we had to put him down, and buried him with my childhood dog Zorro at my parent’s lake cottage in North Webster.

It took almost five years before the girls and I could convince Nancy that we needed a dog (You have to understand that Nancy is/was a cat person). Finally, once cold spring morning we came home with a Shitzu of questionable parentage and home life from the South Suburban Humane shelter in Chicago Heights. In keeping with our biblical theme we named him Zephaniah, or Zephie for short.

Zephie was the most wonderful dog I have ever owned (not counting Zeke, of course). Zephie would greet me at the door, and was known to run at me and jump into my arms. There is no greater joy that to be greeted with unconditional love when you come home. We had no idea where he had come from, other than he had some weird quirks about him. But he loved people (and unfortunately loved joggers and bicycles), and was a great companion. The only thing I knew about him was that he had a heart murmur. Doc Matthews (the greatest vet I know!), would tell me every now and again, “you know he has a heart murmur”, and I would say, “sure I know.” But I never understood what he was trying to tell me.

Suddenly, Zephie became sick and when I took him to see Doc Matthews he said to me, “You remember how he has a heart murmur, well it is catching up with him.” Our wonderful boy was suffering from congestive heart failure. We did everything we could to help with the problem, but finally it was just too much.

I will never forget that last day, September 24th 2007, when I took him for one last walk, (and had to carry him back home), his last ride in the car to Doc Matthew’s clinic in Cal City, or the ride to Crown Point and Burns Funeral home and animal crematory. I carried him all the way. And like Marley, he will never be forgotten!

Animals bring such joy to our lives. This time it wasn’t as hard to convince Nancy that we needed a new puppy in our lives, and with a little help from Laura Cyrus, Ezekiel (Zeke for short) came into our home and into our hearts. Every day, Zeke and I enjoy God’s great creation together. No he doesn’t jump into my arms, but as soon as I sit down at home, he is in my lap. He is, truly, my best friend!

Managing Multiple Priorities

2009-10-01T11:44:00.002-05:00

Last week the staff and I attended a seminar to help us deal with organization and managing multiple priorities. I have to admit, that I went with pretty low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. Here are five lessons that I brought home and hope to incorporate into my life.

1) I need to close my office door at certain times of the day, so that I can find un-interrupted time to get priorities done. Those priorities being, sermon writing, preparation for Bible Study/WWE, writing for newsletter, bulletins, etc.

My weekly schedule will be as follows (of course always subject to emergencies à which often consume my life!), I no doubt will make some modifications as I try to make this work. I will not answer the phone, check emails, etc, during my door closed times.

Sunday: 7:00 – 12:30 Worship
3:30 – 5:30 Holy Adventure Study
Monday: Day Off
Tuesday: 9:30 – 11:00 am Staff Meeting
2:00 – 4:00 Sermon Prep (Door Closed)
Wednesday: My Hospital Day
7:30 – 8:00 Prayer Partner
9:30 – 11:30 Prep Time (Door Closed)
5:30 pm – 8:30 WWE
Thursday: 7:00 – 8:00 Bible Study
8:30 – 11:00 Every other Thursday LARRI Steering Committee
4:30 – 6:00 pm 9:45 Worship Planning
Friday: My Hospital Day
7:00 – Noon Sermon Prep (Door Closed)
Saturday: Day Off (Hospitals for emergencies)

2) I need to remove from my life some of the extraneous stuff that I let steal my time. Better use of delegation, remove some of the clutter that takes up so much of my time, etc.

3) Multi-tasking is a oxymoron
Sure I can do more than one thing at a time, but I can’t do either of them very well (hence the need to have “closed door time”)

4) I need to re-read Stephen Covey’s book: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

5) There are lots of great resources out there to help me do my tasks better. We don’t use our software very well, so we are going to get trained in how to use it better.

Web resources that you might find helpful
1. Gethuman.com
Has a list of phone codes so that you can get off of the annoying automated answering services and actually get a human being.
2. 1-800-4664-411 (1-800-goog-411)
Free 411 service that will actually dial the call (for free as well)
3. Cozi.com
Family calendar program so that the whole families calendars can be coordinated

Spong on Eternity

2009-09-29T08:10:00.003-05:00

I just finished John Shelby Spong's newest (and he says last) book: Eternal Life: A New Vision. I found it to be a fascinating, if not difficult book. The first 3/4th of the book in which he lays out his issues with how "religion" has death with eternal issues was fascinating (and I believe right on!) It is in the last quarter of the book when he begins to talk in all kinds of circular language and lay out his thoughts of what happens when you die, that one really has to pay attention to his train of thought.

Overall, what Spong suggests is that "religion" has become a security blanket for most people to keep us from having to deal with the reality of our death. We have created this pie in the sky notion of heaven (with gold streets no less) to make it beyond wonderful -- if not beyond creditable. The idea of sitting on some cloud and strumming a harp all day sound like hell not heaven to me. And I think that the crazy attitudes that we have toward death and funerals are not healthy!

Until we can embrace the reality of death, it always hangs like a black cloud over our lives. Quoting Spong: "I, like St Francis before me can welcome death as my brother. I like in the appreciation that it is in the presence of death that actually makes my life precious, since it calls me to like each day fully, and it is by living fully that I center the timelessness of life." Or as St. Francis put it "It is in giving that we receive, it is in loving that we are loved, it is in forgiving that we are forgiven and ultimately it is in dying that we live."

I love life! But I think that I love it because I know that every day is precious, every moment is fleeting, and every opportunity is a once in a life time opportunity.

Thank you Bishop Spong for sharing your story.
To hear my take on death and dying (and thus ultimately living) listen to my sermon series that I just completed.

Wrestling with Steve

2009-09-09T15:08:00.002-05:00

Three years ago I began writing this blog that I titled Wrestling With God. In my profile, I declared that I was a United Methodist Pastor who was frustrated with American Christianity. It has become an outlet for me to share my random thoughts about life and the Christian journey.

Today, I begin a new adventure. While I hope to keep writing in my blog I have decided to take on the challenge of writing a weekly email to the Ridge Church family. Each week I will share something about what I am doing (reading, preparing, etc) as well as highlight some upcoming events at Ridge Church.

I hope that you will join me on this journey. If you wish to receive these emails, just drop me a note and let me know and I will add you to the list.

For the next three weeks I will be preaching on a subject that most of us would rather ignore. If there is anything that I have learned in my 25 years as a pastor is that we want to do everything that we can to pretend that we are going to be the one who is going to outwit death.

The funny thing is, even the liturgy of the church does the same thing in our funeral service. Why are we so afraid of death? It is going to happen to each of us. I am convinced that we must embrace death if we fully want to live.

Sunday, I will begin this series looking at the reality of death, and how confronting it, can bring us comfort.I hope that you will join us this Sunday, and that you will invite a friend to join you as we wrestle with this important topic.

It's Not About YOU!

2009-08-12T13:21:00.000-05:00

What has happened to altruism? As I listen to the debate over health care (and read the pundits, and especially the editorial cartoons) both sides of the debate have focused the issue around: “What’s in it for me!” That seems to be the driving force in our society today.

Maybe I am naive. I do consider myself a follower of the most altruistic person who ever lived. And I believe that is one of the major goals in being a follower of his – to put God and others before you. But that is not what being a Christian has become. We focus more on, surprise, surprise – “What’s in it for me,” than taking care of our brothers and sisters. Am I getting into heaven is more important that is my neighbor hungry.

I don’t care where you come out on the political spectrum, but if you are going to claim the name of Jesus – You need to stop asking what you are getting out of it. Or as JFK once said: “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”

It’s not about you . . .

RUMC Newsletter article

2009-07-17T11:11:00.000-05:00

I feel like I am finally beginning to catch-up. Isn’t that what summer is supposed to be for? My office is (after moving back to my original office) slowly getting organized. Pictures are on the walls, and most everything is put away – Those of you who doubt miracles shouldn’t anymore. Over the last few days I have gotten about 50% of the next years sermon’s planned – still trying to come up with an idea for advent. The overall theme for the coming year is being taken from my sermon on July 26th – Life IN Christ. Everything we will be doing will talk about how we can have Life IN Christ.

Even more exciting is some of the “stuff” that is growing under the surface. We are not just tweaking the newsletter – a whole new source of information is coming, one that will better link our church together. Along with that, I am going to begin sending out a weekly email to anyone who would like to receive it – that will begin no later than the first week of September. Make sure we have a current e-mail address for you by sending it to nancy@ridgeumc.org.

Tom Labus is working on revamping our Website – he saw my column in last month’s Ridge News and has volunteered to help us get it going. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am with that. THANKS TOM! As if that isn’t enough, he is also working on helping us get the technology in place so that we can start doing a live webcast of at least one service on Sunday mornings. We will start with streaming audio as soon as we can, and then, once the kinks are worked up, and we can acquire some equipment, we will begin streaming video as well. That is exciting!

I also mentioned in my last column that I would like to start using illustrations during our traditional worship services. The next Sunday a number of you stopped me to talk about it and shared all kinds of ideas. We will be putting a proposal together in the next few weeks, outlining what it will take to make PowerPoint possible during my sermons. I can’t wait because I know that many of us learn visually rather than simply through hearing, so I know that it will enhance the worship experience for many of you.

One finally thing that I am excited about: as we move more and more into our Cluster group (the Mid-Lake Cluster comprising of Ridge, Dyer, Griffith, Crown Point, Cedar Lake and Merrillville UMC’s), I keep finding myself saying – “We can do this even better as a cluster.” I keep finding opportunities, that as we grow together, will make us more effective in ministry. If you want more information about our cluster, talk to Keith Howard – he will be glad to share all about it.

Summer is supposed to be about slowing down. Here at Ridge, we are gearing up for an exciting year!

PILGRIMAGE TO ROME

2009-07-17T11:07:00.001-05:00

Many of you have been asking me when I am planning on putting together another tour. Well, now that the flood relief efforts are well under way I am excited to announce that I am planning a Pilgrimage to Italy in September of 2010. I have never been, so I am looking forward to this opportunity to visit Rome and so much more. If you are interested in the journey, drop me a note, or join me for an informational meeting at Ridge Church on Tuesday, September 22nd at 7:00 pm in room 106.

Catching Up

2009-07-17T10:50:00.002-05:00

Wow, I can't believe that it has been a month since my last post.

I have been very busy these last few weeks. The best news is that I am now PAST president of the Munster Rotary Club. What a great title to have. I look forward to the day when I can say I am Past President of LARRI, but that term has another year to go!

Jessica got back last weekend from her adventures in Australia. We are enjoying having her home, but I think she is looking forward to heading back to Indy in a few weeks. You can read about her adventures here.

LARRI (Lakeshore Area Regional Recovery), the flood recovery group, has been very busy. We hired a new director and have begun really making traction beyond the muck and guts to the restoring and rebuilding. However, we have a long way to go. We have always said that things would take two years to get finished -- Ten months since the flood, I can tell you right now, that is not going to happen!

We are working on a big anniversary "celebration" to take place in mid September. As the plans get firmed up, I will let you all know!

We had a great celebration for the 3rd of July. Ridge Church sold hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, etc and made quite a bit of money. The money raised pays for our Vacation Bible School (which is going on right now!). We provide the VBS free to the community. The following weekend was the Music Fest and the youth sold pop and corn on the cob. It might be time to find a new gig, since the new festival is drawing a different crowd from the old Jazz and Blues Fest that was held on the Ridge.

Tomorrow the youth leave on their mission trip to Kentucky. They are once again working with Appalachian Service Project. I did ASP when I was a youth.

Tonight, Lindsey, Jessica and I are going to the Theatre at the Center to see Footloose. I will let you know what I think . . .

Annual Conference and other assorted stuff

2009-06-17T08:18:00.003-05:00

I keep saying I am going to do a better job writing, but then life gets in the way. In the last two weeks a great deal has taken place. Recovery is getting better, but every now and then I am reminded that I had surgery 3 weeks ago. I was able to play golf (9 holes on a very short course) on Monday, but I have been stiff and sore ever since.

The hardest part of the last week and a half is finding out that two families that I am close with are suffering through significant marital issues. Neither are members of my church and it has been interesting to see how their respective churches have handled the situations. Please pray for those families.

We began our summer series on Paul on Sunday and we looked at the transformation that took place in his life. I do not preach this weekend, but on the 28th I will continue the series by looking at what Paul means by Justification by Faith. Hope you will come join us.

I listened to a couple of books and finished another. Both of the books that I listened to were somewhat disappointing. I have read most of Steve Berry's other books and really enjoyed them. The Romanov Prophecy was, a big disappointment. Now I need to say that I listened to an abridgement, and often I find that really impacts a book, and that may have been the problem here. The book just didn't flow well. It seemed to jump and material seemed to be missing. The story is about the desire of Russia to find re-establish the Tsar, and the search begins to find relatives of Nicholas II. The book picks up on the theory that two of Nicholas children survived the assassination by the Bolsheviks at Yekaterinburg, July 17, 1918. The story is a little far fetched. In 2008 DNA testing proved that the entire family died on that bloody night.

The second book had the exact opposite problem. Thuderstruck, by Erik Larson (author of Devil in the White City and Issac's Storm). I loved both of his previous works, this book however gets lost in a haze of irrelevant details. In his introduction he warns the reader of his chasing many rabbits, and he certainly is guilty! Thuderstruck is about Marconi, the inventor of wireless communication and Hawley Crippen a rather unlikely murderer who is caught because of Marconi's invention. The book was fascinating, it just overwhelmed me with irrelevant minutia.

The third book was lent to me by a friend: Here If You Need Me by Kate Braestrup. I have to admit that I am not a big fan of soppy love stories, especially if the center around a minister (What was the name of that stupid TV show???), but this book really surprised me. It is the story of Kate and her family and how their lives have changed and morphed following the death of her husband in a tragic accident. Kate, following his death, goes to seminary and becomes a chaplain for the Maine Warden Service. She is an excellent writer and her story needs to be told over and over again. I highly recommend this book.

Next week I take Lindsey to get registered for Indiana University, and then I get to go to Ball State to attend the FIRST Annual Conference Session of the brand new Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. I am VERY excited . . .

Reading

2009-05-31T20:15:00.003-05:00

I have been way behind in getting some of my reading on my blog. I have finished a number of books that I want to share with you.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. A powerful and well written book about Afghanistan over the last 30 years. I read this for a book club that Nancy and I am a part of and the most common comment was concern over the violence in the book. I too have great concern over the violence, but not because it is written but because I imagine that it is all too true. What I found most interesting about the book is that it is written by a man but tells the story through the perspective of a woman. He does a great job, but I think, at times it influences his storytelling. I think that I have a better handle on the situation in Afghanistan after reading this book and understand some of the horrors of the Taliban. I would highly recommend the book.

Seasons of the Machete by James Patterson. I am a big fan of the Alex Cross novels -- this is not one of them. It is however, a fascinating book. Instead it is the story of two serial killers who are the most sought after contract killers in the world. The story goes really fast, and keeps you on the edge of your seat, as most Patterson novels do. It is an older book (written in 1977 -- I bought it at the church rummage sale), and if you like Patterson you probably will like this one. I don't give it high marks, but I would recommend it.

The Appeal by John Grisham. I have read almost everything that Grisham has written. This book follows his typical pattern. It centers around a small town in Mississippi that has the highest cancer rate in the country. A law suit is filed against the New York owner of the company that has caused the pollution, and the story centers around the case going to the Mississippi Supreme Court. The intrigue in the story is around a vacant seat on the Supreme Court and the attempt to buy the seat. It is a well written story --- hard to put down --- and one that I would highly recommend.

Team of Rivals by Doris Goodwin Kearns. I am a big student of the American Civil War, and this is one of the best treatments on Abraham Lincoln and his relationship with the men who would become members of his cabinet This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is not an easy read, nor a quick read. But if you are at all interested in Lincoln and his motivations, it is worth the effort --- You will be rewarded.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. I listened to an abridged version since I had read the book this winter and it was our book group book. The book is great as I shared earlier, but the abridgement was horrible too many important things were missing. It was a big disappointment. Take the time to read the book!

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Wow talk about a blast from the past. I haven't read Hemingway since High School. This is the latest book for our book group. The preliminary comments from the other members were that they hated it -- I loved it. I think they hated it because the had a hard time imagining that anyone could live the way that Jake the main character and his friends live. But if my memory is correct, the story is rather autobiographical about Hemingway and his friends. The story centers around the bull fights in Pamplona, Spain. Although it really is about relationships and love. If you like stream of consciousness style of writing and hearing about the Bohemian lifestyle of the 1920's you will love this book. I am going to read some more Hemingway!

DECA

2009-05-31T19:16:00.005-05:00

Last month Lindsey and a number of other students from Munster High School traveled to Anaheim, CA to compete in the International Career Development Competition. Students from throughout the world and all fifty states participated in the competition. Lindsey and her partner Sarah received a top 10 in their role play.

Thanks

2009-05-31T17:13:00.003-05:00

Thanks to everyone for all the phone calls, emails, facebook notes and of course cards. I am doing much better today, but not as good as I planned. I had planned on preaching this morning, but Friday I chickened out. Probably a pretty good thing. My voice is still pretty shot from the anesthesia and I don't have a lot of energy.

The surgery went great. From what I understand, the doctor said that my gall bladder was pretty inflamed and had evidence that I had passed a number of stones and that their were others on the way -- so I got it out at a good time.

I really don't remember anything about the surgery. They came to get me, and before we were even in the surgery suite I was out --- next thing I know I am in recovery and ready to go home. Recovery has been slower than I expected. I have had quite a bit of discomfort and then the whole issue of getting the plumbing working properly again (if you get my drift). Tomorrow night I will lead the last class of DISCIPLE IV and on Tuesday I plan on attending Rotary, but that is about it for the week. I had talked of going back in the office on Wednesday, but I kind of doubt it right now. Maybe I will go back on Friday?

Regardless, I don't have to preach this coming weekend since it is graduation Sunday and Lindsey is graduating. I know, I can't believe it! It is going to be really weird with her gone this fall. The following Sunday we will have an open house for her. If you are in the area, stop on by anytime from 4 -8 pm, it should be lots of fun :).

Thanks again to everyone for their thoughts and prayers --- they have made a huge difference. Now if I can just remember that I am not 20 anymore . . .

Nelson's BBQ Chicken

2009-05-23T14:52:00.002-05:00

John Mybeck was one of the best ambassadors for Ridge Church. Whenever we had an event, he was always out inviting and encouraging people to come. Since his passing, his son Kevin has informed me that I have the privilege (responsibility) to sell the tickets that John would have sold. Kevin told me that means I have to sell 100. Some come and be my first one sold!

Nelson's BBQ will be back at Ridge Church on Friday, June 12 from 4-7 pm. We will be selling BBQ chicken halves just like last fall. We are looking to sell as many as we can in advance, so we have set up a link on the Ridge Church web page for ordering tickets online.

We will also sell them on Sundays prior to the event and in the church office during the week. We need to sell about 600 to make the event worthwhile, so we need help getting the word out and getting the tickets sold. Please take time to forward the link to local friends and family who may be interested.

Tickets are $5 in advance. Online they are $5 as well + a $1 charge per order to defray the postage and credit card fees -- we are mailing the online ticket purchases to make the process flow smoothly on the day of the event. There likely be limited amounts of chicken available for sale on the day of the event, but we are charging $6 to encourage advance ticket purchases.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for your support.

Butler Magazine

2009-05-18T18:28:00.002-05:00

Check out the cover of the most recent Butler Magazine.

Yep, There in the upper left corner is Jessica.

She may be off in Australia having a good time (and hopefully studying) but that is not what her pictures suggest. -- Butler has not forgotten her. Nice article too about the Jordan School of Fine Arts.

Environment

2009-05-09T11:15:00.002-05:00

Anyone who is interested in environment issues should check out this blog. It is called Green as A Thistle and it is written by a journalist in Toronto. She has a new book out called Sleeping Naked is Green which looks real interesting. Not available in USA until next month.

Update

2009-05-09T09:42:00.002-05:00

In January I started feeling totally run down. Not surprising since I had not taken any time off since the floods had hit in September and had been juggling doing my church work and serving on the LARRI (Lakeshore Regional Recovery of Indiana) executive committee. I decided to make an appointment with my doctor, because frankly, I thought i was on the verge of a heart attack. Since that initial appointment, I have been having tests, tests, and more tests done. As I shared last time, we think (hope?) that most of this has to do with my thyroid. But, just to make matters a little more fun, I also have gall stones. I will have my gall bladder removed on Wednesday, May 27th, and will take a week or so to recover. At this point, I am scheduled to preach on the 31st, which I plan on doing; as well as leading our final DISCIPLE IV class that evening. I do not plan on doing anything else!

Catching Up

2009-04-27T09:25:00.002-05:00

Can't believe that it has been almost a month since I posted. It has been a crazy month, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised. Holy week was kind of typical of this whole time --- death of a parishioner, with the funeral on the Saturday before Easter, losing the director for LARRI (Lakeshore Regional Recovery of Indiana), and some health issues that I have been dealing with.

The good news (for me at least) is that I think I am getting a better handle on why I have felt like crap since the first of the year. Sure part of it has been trying to juggle the church and all of my community responsibilities (especially LARRI), but that isn't the whole story.

Having seen four different doctors in the last month, I have been diagnosed with Hashimoto Disease (hypothyroidism) -- which is the opposite of Lindsey's Graves Disease. What this means is I will be taking synthroid the rest of my life --- not a real big deal, but hopefully in the next couple of weeks I will start to get some of my energy back. Still chasing a few other rabbits, but I think this was the big one.

I am looking forward to Haley's participation in the Munster Theater Companies production of Carousel this week. Show times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7pm, and Sunday afternoon at 2pm. All performances are held at the Munster High School Auditorium.

I have finished a number of books and will try to get them posted later today or tomorrow.

12 Life Lessons

2009-04-02T16:12:00.004-05:00

I did not have a manuscript for my sermon last Sunday, so if you want a copy you will have to listen to it. I did put up the rest of my notes on the church web site.

A number of you have asked for the list of my 12 lessons. I wish I had added a 13th --- take off your shoes whenever possible.

So here are my twelve lessons that I wish I lived a lot better than I do.

1) Live every day as if it matters – because it does
Stewart’s death had a profound impact on me. I was 25 years old when he died. I didn’t think that 23 year old got sick and died, but obviously they do. I had to rethink my understanding of life. It was interesting because it didn’t make me a libertine thinking that you only live once, so grab all the gusto that you can (boy that would make a great tag line for a beer). Instead I VALUED life more. And as my girls have grown, I sense the hurried pace of life. You see, I don’t FEEL psychologically any different than I was at 25 or 30, but I now understand and appreciate how quickly life goes by.

2) Find something that you love doing – and stick with it.
I have the greatest job in the world – but I also have the worst. I get to be with you when you get married, when you have children, when you celebrate lifetime accomplishments. I get to be a part of all those wonderful moments in your live.

I can’t tell you what a privilege it is to be with you at those milestone moments. And to be able to baptize a child – WOW – I have a great job.

But I also get to be with you when the sky is dark. One year ago, John Mybeck and I stood in the church parking lot crying as he shared with me the news that he had cancer. I have been with many of you when loved ones have died, I have visited you in the hospital, at home and at nursing homes. And it is never easy. I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten in my car and cried as I drove away.

But wow – what a privilege. I wouldn’t trade jobs with any of you.
Figure out what makes you get excited and keep on doing it!

3) Be positive and enthusiastic in everything that you do
We all know people who are black clouds. Everywhere they go they try to bring everyone down with them.

Be one of those people who are Tiggers – full of life and joy. Sure you might break a few things along the way – but you will do it with great joy!

4) Be generous

5) Forgive yourself

Girl in my first church . . .

6) Forgive others

Who do you think is being harmed when we hold on to grudges

7) Stop blaming others

8) Don’t journey through life alone

9) Dream BIG --- Dream even bigger!

10) Be bold and courageous

Joshua
(Joshua 1:9 NRSV) I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

11) Leave things better than when you found them

All I Really Need To Know I learned in Kindergarten – Robert Fulghum
Storyteller’s Creed
I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge.
That myth is more potent than history.
That dreams are more powerful than facts.
That hope always triumphs over experience.
That laughter is the only cure for grief.
And I believe that love is stronger than death.

12) LOVE and be loved

Lenten Thoughts

2009-03-18T14:43:00.001-05:00

It’s almost here. I have a hard time believing that Easter is almost upon us. For me, this year has flown by which has been hard because of all the changes that it is bringing. Eleven years ago. When Nancy and I arrived in Munster we brought along with us 3 girls. Jessica was entering the fifth grade, Lindsey was entering second and Haley was about to start Kindergarten. I no longer have three little girls. They are all grown up.

Jessica has been in Australia since February and will stay there until the middle of July. She is studying this semester at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia. From my conversations with her, she is having a great time. Lindsey is a senior at Munster High School and will be attending Indiana University this fall. And Haley, little Haley in her Dorothy shoes (red sparkly shoes) just turned 16, so you know what that means (you have been warned!) Time goes by so quickly.

I have been thinking about life a lot lately (working on a “final sermon” will make you do that). What I have come to realize is that no matter how hard you try to capture life – to slow it down – to control it – the less control you have. Life moves on with or without us. The goal is to enjoy each and every moment that you have, because none of us know how many moments are available to us.

I know that I am the poster child for saying things like that but not heading my own advice. But maybe if we each held each other accountable, we would all do better at slowing down and smelling the roses.

As Easter draws closer – remember the one for whom we celebrate. Jesus, the Lord who invites us to enjoy the journey of life; the one who invites us to find shalom in each and every day. And if Easter teaches us anything, it should be teaching us that at the end of the day – a new day will dawn. Thanks for letting me join you on the journey.

Seeing God

2009-03-13T08:37:00.003-05:00

I came across this today and I wanted to share it with you. It struck me bacause it really tied in with the devotion from HOLY ADVENTURE that I shared in this morning.

A man whispered, “God, speak to me.”
And a meadowlark sang. But the man did not hear.
So the man yelled, “God, speak to me!”Thunder rolled across the
sky. But the man did not listen.
The man looked around and said, “God, let me see you.” A star shone brightly. But he noticed it not.
And the man shouted, “God, show me a miracle.”And a life was born. But the man was unaware.
So, the man cried out in despair, “Touch me, God, and let me know that you are here!” Whereupon God reached down and touched the man. But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.

I hope that you can see and encounter God throughout your day!

UGH

2009-03-06T09:20:00.002-06:00

I have been reading (and enjoying) my devotional for Lent -- Holy Adventure. I took it with me to my LARRI meeting in Merrillville, so that I might read it if I got there early, or at lunch, etc. Unfortunately, I left my book at the American Red Cross office. So now I am going to be behind. I hate the thought of not getting it until next week, so I will probably have to make a road trip this afternoon. I hate that!

WAY TO GO LINDSEY

2009-03-03T17:36:00.002-06:00

Lindsey and her partner Sarah competed this week in Indianapolis in the State DECA competition. Don't ask me what DECA is, it has something to do with marketing . . . She and Sarah compete in the travel and tourism area.

The team from Munster High School won 1st place in the competition --- Lindsey and Sarah took 3rd in their event which means they get to go (once again) to the international competition which is being held in California at the end of April.

Way to go!

Pancake Breakfast

2009-03-03T17:32:00.002-06:00

If you like pancakes, it is a great weekend to live in the Region! On Saturday, the Munster Chamber of Commerce will have it's annual pancake breakfast at Applebee's on Ridge Road in Munster.

Applebee's does all of the cooking, the Munster Chamber Board of Directors get to do the serving. So you can come out and let me serve you pancakes! If you need tickets, give me a holler --- I have a bunch. Every ticket gets entered into a raffle for some great prizes!

Sunday morning is the Annual Lion's Club pancake breakfast at Munster High School. I am not a member of the Lion's but I know that they do lots of great things for the community.

Come out and support the local community and all the things that take place.
See you this weekend!

Australia

2009-03-02T08:59:00.002-06:00

Busy, busy week -- and this one seems no better.

Trying to keep up with Jessica in Australia via her blog. She had some computer problems, but hopefully they are taken care of. Getting money to her is a little more difficult that I thought it would be. It sounds like she is having a great time. Nancy and I had hoped to go and visit her, but it isn't going to work. Maybe someday we will get there to follow her adventure!

Doing my best to keep up with my daily Lenten devotional. Yesterday, I got behind, so I will have to do two this morning. I see a sermon series based on this little book (Holy Adventures). While attending Ash Wednesday service last week I came up with, what I hope is an awesome idea for a Good Friday service. Just got a few services in between that I need to get organized.

Hoe everyone has a great week!

Myron

2009-02-26T22:04:00.002-06:00

I attended a wonderful (can I say that?) memorial service for Myron Nidetz at Temple Beth El tonight. Myron was one of a kind!!! I was privileged to get to know him through Munster Rotary Club, Munster Education Foundation and the Munster Chamber of Commerce. But it was the Arts that were most important to Myron.

At the service the Temple used a brand new prayer book that I am going to have to borrow so that I can "steal" some of the prayers --- it is a beautiful new addition to their worship service. I am looking forward to March 20th when I will have the opportunity to preach at their Friday evening Shabbat service.

Myron's daugher gave a beautiful eulogy of her father, as did Chancellor Dr. Bruce W. Bergland from IU Northwest. His analogy of life being a quilt and when someone dies a part of it being ripped out was powerful.

Myron will be missed by many --- but especially by all who love and value the Arts in Northwest Indiana!

Fish Fry

2009-02-25T17:56:00.002-06:00

Ridge Church is having the first of three Lenten Fish Fry's this friday, February 27th. Come and join us for this great meal. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

Hope to see you Friday night.

Lenten Journey

2009-02-25T17:54:00.001-06:00

Today is the first day of Lent, commonly called Ash Wednesday. We call it Ash Wednesday because Christians come to worship and have ashes placed upon their foreheads in the sign of a cross. Why do we do this?

According to the United Methodist Book of Worship:

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: the first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church that before the Easter celebration there should be a forty-day season of spiritual preparation. During this season converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when persons who had committed serious sins and had separated themselves from the community of faith were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to participation in the life of the Church. In this way, the whole congregation was reminded of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ and of the need we all have to renew our faith.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to observe a holy Lent; by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word. To make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before our Creator and Redeemer.

Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, so that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

I hope that as you begin this Lenten Journey that you will take the time to truly do those things. This year I, and the staff, are going to work through Bruce Epperly’s book Holy Adventure. After one day, I am really enjoying the journey!

Have a great Lent!

Random thoughts

2009-02-18T08:42:00.003-06:00

This has been one of those weeks. It is only Wednesday, but I am already beat. Probably should have known it was gonna be one of those weeks when it started with Duke losing on Sunday evening to Boston College --- we're not supposed to lose to BC!

Monday was spent cleaning at home and running all over the place. Monday night, in that amazing sport for the athletically challenged DARTBALL we lost all three games. The other team really didn't beat us. we beat ourselves. It was the classic case of looking past the games and not playing very well. At least no one has been accused of steroid use!!

We have three members of the church very ill with cancer, and a couple of others who have been sick as well. Along with that Sarah's dad flunked a stress test so Nathan and Sarah have headed to Lafayette to be with him today as he has angiogram.

Last night we had a meeting of six churches who are looking at the possibility of coming together in what is known as a cluster. This is the latest, greatest thing from the United Methodist Church. In my 25 years of ministry I can't tell you how many of the latest and greatest things I have seen. My usually response is: "This too shall pass."

There may be some great benefit from this idea, if (and it is a BIG IF) we really are willing to work at it and set aside our territorial natures --- OK, I said it was a big if!

The big issue was who to include? And I will be honest, there are no easy answers. I am inclined to believe that the configuration we have come up with makes the most sense for the future --- one church is a stretch. We are talking with the United Methodist Churches in Dyer, Griffith, Merrillville, Crown Point and Cedar Lake. Yep, Cedar Lake today is a stretch, but 10 years from now, the are going to be more like us than even they can imagine.

Keep tuned in, it is going to get interesting.

Friday, Jessica leaves for Australia. She will be there until the middle of July. I am really excited for her, but really for the first time it feels like she is leaving.

I need to wrap up, I am off to the funeral for Pat Galvin. Pat and I served together on the Jim and Betty Dye foundation board. He is a huge loss.

Darwin & Lincoln

2009-02-12T08:50:00.002-06:00

On February 12, 1809, two men --- one near Hodgenville, Kentucky, the other in Shrewsbury, England were born. Two men who would change the world forever.

On this, the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin, I am deep in thought. Which man has had a greater impact on the world --- and 100 years from now, which will be more significant.

By way of press coverage of their birthdays the answer seems quite obvious. Lincoln has had all kinds of press, while many do not even recognize that Darwin was born the same day.

Lincoln has always been a hero of mine --- that is probably the product of growing up in Illinois, and also being a student of Civil War history. I have read numerous biographies on Lincoln, including Carl Sandburg and Ward Hill Lamon (Lincoln's bodyguard). I am currently reading Team of Rivals and am loving it.

Darwin, on the other hand, has always been an enigma. Sure, I learned about his theories in school, and I grew up in a church that had no problems with evolution. But other than watching Inherit the Wind, the rather inaccurate movie about the Scopes Trial, I really know nothing about him.

I keep abreast of the new, and i think ridiculous debate about Intelligent Design (Creationism in sheep's clothing), but I have never read Origin of Species, or any biographies about Darwin. I think it is probably time . . .

What difference does it make? Evolution vs. Creationism is one of the litmus tests for conservative Christianity. The fear that if we begin to believe in evolution, the whole religious house of cards will cave in is a huge fear for many. I don't get the debate because religion and science are not incompatible for me, like it is to so many.

Lincoln will always be revered for his role in the emancipation and the elimination of slavery in America. But as we all know, racism persists even to this day. Getting rid of that taint is a much deeper problem. I am not sure Lincoln would be possible without Darwin and his understanding of our interconnectedness. Slowly, ever so slowly, we are understanding that we are all connected to each other: white, black, brown, yellow, red --- we are all children of the same God.

100 years from now I think we will look back on Darwin as the one who ushered in the new age that is emerging. He has opened our eyes to realities that seemed impossible only a few years ago.

The Five People You Meet In Heaven

2009-02-09T18:38:00.003-06:00

I just finished Mitch Albom's book: The Five People You Meet In Heaven. I read it for a book group that I am a part of. I have to start out by saying that I found it pretty sappy. It is a quick read, very predictable, and too cute for me. I think that I would have liked it if the title wasn't THE five people, because I hope I meet more than five!

Mitch Albom is the author of the moving Tuesdays With Morrie which was a powerful and profound book. I think he wanted to do the same in this one (actually I heard an interview with him, and that seems like exactly his goal.) He missed the mark!

The book is about Eddie --- a war veteran, wounded in the Philippians during WWII. Eddie suffers through a debilitating wound, the death of the love of his life and a cruel and uncaring father. Eddie believes that he has lived an unimportant life. On his 83rd birthday, Eddie, who still works at an Oceanside amusement park dies while trying to save a little girl from getting killed in an accident at the park.

Eddie finds himself in heaven where he has to meet five people who have crossed paths with him in his life and help explain his life to him. Like I said, it is pretty hokey! These five people try to show the meaning and purpose to Eddie's life.

It is not a bad read --- you can finish it in a few hours. But it does not live up to the hype, nor the expectations following Tuesdays With Morrie.

John Updike

2009-01-28T14:36:00.003-06:00

I just hear on the news over lunch that author John Updike passed away after a battle with lung cancer. Updike is probably best known for the Rabbit series (which if you have never read you should), but I remember him best for a little known book that was assigned by a Church History Professor at Duke (Bob Gregg) called A Month of Sunday's. I am not sure if we were actually assigned the book, or if we were told to put it on our summer reading list (which 25 years later I have not finished all the books on . . .). I learned more about what I was getting into from Bob Gregg's Church history class than all of my other classes combined. THANKS!

Last year I read what may have been Updike's last novel, The Terrorist. This is a powerful story of how a young man can get caught up and enrolled in terrorist activity. A wonderful and thought provoking story.

Sex, religion, science and culture always seemed to be the currents in Updike's stories and none may be as provocative as Roger's Version about a young computer geeks attempt to prove God. As we remember the death of this great American author, I encourage you to take some time and go back and read some of his classic works.

Agnostic about the afterlife

2009-01-22T15:10:00.001-06:00

The other day in my reading I came across an article by Marcus Borg in which he made the comment that he was "a committed Christian and a complete agnostic about the afterlife." I find that to be a fascinating concept, because I too would say the same thing.

If you look up the word agnostic in the dictionary you find that the etymology of the word is Greek agnostos which means unknown, or unknowable. If I am fully honest, I don’t know and in this lifetime thing that afterlife is by definition unknowable. Believing about an afterlife really has nothing to do with whether or not there is one or what it is ultimately like.

My theology, as it has developed over the years, does not follow the popular theology that has risen up recently that places such an emphasis on aferlife. I, like Borg, would suggest that is one of the negative characteristics of modern Christianity. By putting such an emphasis on afterlife, we somewhat mute our responsibility in this life.

When I was in college, I wrote my senior thesis on John Wesley and his affects on the English Working Class Movement. My argument was that John Wesley, unintentionally held the English workers from striving for improved working conditions because of the promised reward in the afterlife. Karl Marx argued basically the same thing.

Borg offers some other reasons why he is agnostic about the afterlife. I think he is right on and I will just quote the rest of the article (I wish I knew where I got it from).

When the afterlife is emphasized, it almost inevitable that Christianity becomes a religion of requirements and rewards. If there is a blessed afterlife, it seems unfair to most people that everyone gets one, regardless of how they have lived. So there must be something that differentiates those who get to go to heaven from those who don’t – and that something must be something we do, either believing or behaving or some combination of both. And this counters the central Christian claim that salvation is by grace, not by meeting requirements.

Another problem: the division between those who "measure up" and those who don’t leads to further distinctions: between the righteous and the unrighteous, the saved and the unsaved.

Another problem: an emphasis on the afterlife focuses our attention on the next world rather than on this world. Most of the Bible, on the other hand, focuses our attention on our lives in this world and the transformation of this world. At the heart of the Lord’s Prayer is the petition for the coming of God’s kingdom on earth: your kingdom come on earth, as it already is in heaven. There is nothing in the Lord’s Prayer asking that God take us to heaven when we die.

As yet another reason for my agnosticism about an afterlife: does it involve the survival of personal identity and reunion with those we have known in this life? Are family reunions part of the afterlife? For some people, this is much to be desired, for family has been the primary source of love and joy in this life. But for perhaps an equally large number of people, family has been the primary source of pain and unhappiness. So, are we going to be with those people forever?

What I do affirm about what happens after death is very simple: when we die, we do not die into nothingness, but we die into God. In the words of the apostle Paul, we live unto the Lord and we die unto the Lord. So whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.

For me, that is enough. My not knowing anything more does not bother me at all.
And I am very wary when the Christian gospel becomes a message about the afterlife. I am convinced that it invariably leads to distortion. This is not the Christian gospel.

Rest in Peace -- John Mybeck

2009-01-20T09:47:00.001-06:00

Last week I had the difficult task of presiding over the funeral of Dr. John Mybeck. It was an amazing service! Keven Mybeck did a beautiful job in eulogizing his dad, and Mark Mybeck and John Carpenter shared an original song; The Liberty Trail.

On the way to the cemetery in Crown Point, I was talking with Kevin Kish about how hard it is to preside at the service of a dear friend — who else would you want to do it? And he was right — I knew John — I loved John and I cannot think of anyone else who should have been leading the celebration of his life.

John was a special friend. He has been a mentor, friend, brother, father, patron to me these last 10+ years. He always was interested in my life and my families life — genuinely interested! He helped arrange an internship for Jessica at the Theatre at the Center.

At the beginning of December, it was pretty clear that the cancer was going to steal John’s life — so I began trying to talk with him about how he wanted to be remembered. He wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. I could force a few things out of him, but he really wasn’t ready. By Christmas, he began to get ready, but it was too late and we really could not discuss it. It broke my heart that we could not ever really talk about those things, but that is all to often the case.

Have you thought about your funeral.
How you want to be remembered?
Where you want to be buried or if you prefer cremation.
What scriptures you want read, songs you want played?
Someone in particular you want to speak (or someone you don’t want to speak)?

I will post what I want for my funeral in a few days, along with a form that you could use to record your own thoughts.

DO THIS, Your family will thank you!

The Pillars of the Earth

2009-01-19T13:21:00.004-06:00

I recently finished reading Ken Follett's book, The Pillars of the Earth. This is a book that has been on my read list for years, but with the second volume completed by Follett in 2007, I decided now is the time.

It is a huge book --- 983 pages. But despite its size, I could not put it down. It made great reading following Christmas while Nancy and the girls were in North Carolina. There were many nights when I did not want to go to bed!

If you have read other works by Follett (Eye of the Needle, The Man From St Petersburg, On Wings of Eagles) you might be surprised by Pillars. It is not a "thriller" like many of his other works. Instead it is historical fiction, set in 12th Century England. It really is the story of the relationship between the Church (Roman Catholic) and the state. Ken Follett says the story is about building a church --- but I think that is just the location for all that takes place between the clerics and the royal officials.

The story revolves around a ambitious young man who rises to the role of Prior of Kingsbridge. Prior Phillip seems to really care about the people in his parish (unlike many of the other clerics in the story) and desires to make their life better and fuller. One way to do that is to re-build the church in Kingsbridge. He meets a man (Tom Builder) and his family --- who ultimately becomes the master builder for Phillip. The story covers almost 50 years, so much takes place.

What is fascinating (at least to me) is how the story leads up to the death of Thomas Beckett, which sets the stage for Magna Carta in another 35 years.

Follett weaves a marvelous tale and well worth the time it takes to read it. I am looking forward to reading World Without End, the sequel to Pillars sometime this year.

Environmental Series

2009-01-03T17:21:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, I picked up a copy of Thomas Friedman’s newest book, Hot, Flat and Crowded. I don’t know if any of you have read it, but I think it would make for some very interesting and lively discussion.

One of the things that comes to mind to me, is the need to preach a sermon series on the environmental crisis that we are facing. As I looked at the schedule for this year, Lent seemed to be an excellent time to look at the direction that the world is currently going in, and offer a vision for what the world could be like (sounds like resurrection to me).

I would like your help. If you could share with me any ideas that you have about some of the themes you think should be examined during a series on the environment. If you could get me your ideas right away, I will develop some outlines and post them here so that we can continue to work on them.

Thanks for working with me on this critical issue.

Bears Game

2008-12-12T13:18:00.003-06:00

I was invited last night to attend the Bears vs. Saints football game at Soldier Field in Chicago. I had a great time watching the Bears win.

I have to admit I wasn't really ready for the United Club. Wow. The food was delicious, the service was great. What a way to get ready for the game.

It was cold last night. 26 at game time with the wind chill in the teens. I was never cold until we went inside for half time and came out during the third quarter.

Bears won the game in overtime. 27 -24.

Here are a couple of pictures I took on my cell phone.

Pretty good seats!

Compassion

2008-12-12T13:09:00.005-06:00

Interesting day today.

Went to the wife of a member's funeral --- held at a local funeral home.
The service started about 10 minutes late because the priest showed up late (plus he had never met the family so he needed to talk with them for a little bit.)

It was the coldest --- most un-compassionate service that I can recall.

The priest wanted to make sure that we prayed the person into heaven --- but other than inserting her name into a slot into his prayerbook he never mentioned her.

I could write so much more . . . but that would not be nice.

It made me think of the "standard" funeral that I do for families that I have no relationship with, and how I need to do some things differently. Especially the part where we talk about the need to suffer --- just like Jesus did. Is that really what God wants us to do --- suffer? Or have the powers that be used that as a means to keep everyone in line? Just a thought.

Catching Up

2008-12-10T17:31:00.004-06:00

Been way too long since I last posted. And I unfortunately don't see that changing any time soon. Oh well, that is the way life goes.

Monday I will head to Indianapolis to attend a training session put on by the United Way of Indiana to help Long Term Recovery Committees. I think that we will have six or so from LARRI coming for the event. After it is over, I am going to try to take Jessica out for a quick dinner --- she has a commitment that night, and then load up some of her stuff, since she will be moving out on the 21st. Next semester Jessica will be in Australia. Must be nice to be a student today!

I have a few books to share with you. A few weeks ago I finished Who Were The Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From? by William Dever. Not a book that I imagine that many of you will run out and buy, but I really enjoyed his analysis of the development of the Israelite people. His view runs counter to the view of Finkelstein, whose book I had read earlier. I would have to say that Dever's suggestion seems to make more sense. Of course, like many archaeologists Dever questions the historical accuracy of the Biblical story. From my experience in Israel and my reading, again I would have to agree with his position. The final chapter of the book does an excellent job in explaining why he questions the value of the bible as a "history book", but also why it has value despite it's flaws. If you want to really dig into a book that goes into explaining how archeology works and why it is important --- I would recommend Dever's work.

I just finished on Monday, John Dominic Crossan's newest book God & Empire. This is a powerful book. The writing style left something to be desired, but the content is very important! Crossan argues how civilization and violence go hand in hand. The norm for civilization is Peace through Victory. That victory may come by me conquering you, or by my dominating your life. If one thinks about it, this argument is very true. Whether we are talking about the Monroe Doctrine or the Bush Doctrine. Peace in the United States of America is sought through coercion --- or at the end of a gun.

Crossan suggests that Jesus offers to us another way of seeking peace. Not through Victory (or violence) but through Justice! Crossan then goes through the biblical stories (as only he can) identifying what most likely goes back to Jesus and how his life was all about seeking Peace through Justice until the Romans (civilization) decided to seek their Peace through Victory (ie. killing Jesus and many others on a cross).

The most interesting part of the book was when Crossan worked through Paul, and John of Patmos and their understandings of Jesus. Paul, Crossan argues, was on the same page with Jesus and sought Peace through Justice. Wait a minute you are saying, isn't this the same guy who told women to shut up. No, Crossan argues, it is not the same guy. He goes through the 13 books attributed to Paul (1/2 of the New Testament books) and divides them three ways --- those certainly written by Paul --- 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon (7 books) those probably not from Paul --- 2 Thessalonians, Colossians, and Ephesians (3 books) and those certainly not from Paul --- 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus (3 books).

In these books, Crossan argues that Paul moves from the Radical Paul (who agreed with Jesus) to the Liberal Paul and then to the Conservative or Reactionary Paul. His arguments make great sense. But I could never articulate them here. But let me say this, after reading Crossan's analysis I can say something I never thought I would say before --- If Crossan is correct -- I really like the Radical Paul! Yes, I really said that.

This part of the book is worth the difficulty in reading it!

The last section he looks at John of Patmos --- maybe his chapter title says it all "Apocalypse and the Pornography of Violence." Crossan walks through how we turned the Prince of Peace into an avenging God seeking to destroy the world. WOW! Being someone who by nature is a pacifist his analysis struck home with me. Jesus did not come to destroy --- we chose to "re-invent God" so that his great clean up would get rid of all those people we didn't like.

This is a powerful book that is work the effort it will require to read.

Crossan asks: "The fundamental question is whether we Christians imagine our God as violent or nonviolent." Well, how do you view God?

In the epilogue he asks three questions:

How is it possible to be a faithful Christian in the American Empire?

How is it possible to be a nonviolent Christian within a violent
Christianity based on a violent Bible?

How is it possible to be a faithful Christian in an American Empire
facilitated by a violent Christian Bible?

Tough questions! He answers himself by saying: "It is the radicality of God's justice and not the normalcy of civilization's injustice that, as a Christian, I find incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth." Me too!

If anyone wants to read this book and sit down and discuss it --- count me in!!

Gratitude

2008-11-28T09:36:00.004-06:00

About a month ago I invited everyone to keep a Gratitude Journal during a sermon on Sunday morning. A few of you have been busy --- I haven't done as well as I would like, but I know that the days I do it --- it really frames the day.

A few weeks ago, Gloria Banjura from the church shared with me a poem that she wrote in her journal, about things she is thankful for. I asked her for permission to print it here.

GLORIOUS INDIAN SUMMER

Winter brings us cold winds and snow,
But also Christmas trees aglow.
For Jesus Christ came on this earth.
We celebrate his joyful birth.

Spring is shy and comes in late,
For sun and warmth she makes us wait.
Flowers are afraid to stretch and grow,
They may be covered by a late spring snow.

But finally summer does appear.
And what is that strange noise I hear?
Rain! It just goes on and on!
Our years, our cars, our homes are gone.

Then gently, quietly, fall floats in.
With sunshine, warm breezes, so we all begin
To build our lives anew with praise,
Thank God for strength and golden days.

LARRI

2008-11-19T08:10:00.003-06:00

LARRI (Lakeshore AREA Regional Recovery in Indiana) was official created yesterday at the second meeting of the Long Term Recovery committee. LARRI is the Long Term Recovery organization created to partner with the people of Lake, Porter and LaPorte Counties as they seek to restore their homes to a safe, secure and sanitary condition.

At the meeting we adopted the name LARRI, a set of Policies and Procedures, as well as elected officers to a two year term. Elected as Chair: Steven Conger, Pastor of Ridge United Methodist Church in Munster Indiana; Vice Chair: Gary Olund, of Northwest Indiana Community Action Corporation; Secretary: Gordon Johnson, CEO of American Red Cross of Northwest Indiana, and Treasurer: Sharon Kish, Director of Porter County United Way. The seven chairs of the sub committees along with the officers and four at-large members will serve as a steering committee for LARRI.

Also adopted by the organization was a job description for a Director of LARRI (Disaster Coordinator). We are seeking persons who might be interested in this position. Persons interested should contact Steve Conger (219-757-1109) or steve@ridgeumc.org with a resume before the end of November. The steering committee hopes to have this critical position filled by mid-December.

We also discussed our application to Lilly for funds which is due next week. We have currently received $250,000 from Lilly and are applying for round 2 funding (application due November 21). We will keep you informed on the status of this grant application.

Wendy’s of Northwest Indiana made a presentation to LARRI of $9,100 in gift cards. The money was raised at local restaurants in the weeks since the flood. Thank you Wendy’s for your generous donation.

NEXT STEPS

The clean up phase is almost complete! It was reported that about 30 or so houses still need to be cleaned and those should be done over the next two weekends. We know that houses continue to be identified that need our assistance! Thanks to Kathy and her crew who have worked so hard in assuring that all of the homes in Northwest Indiana are "mucked out", and sanitized!

We are very concerned about homes without heat. The Construction/Volunteer management team is working with Case Management to identify the immediate needs and get working furnaces into those homes that need them.

Dates of future meetings:

Construction/Volunteers — Thursday (11/20), 10 AM, Lake Business Center 9200 Calumet Avenue, Munster.
Contact Dale Fieldhouse: fieldhouserefrig@aol.com

Publicity — EVERY Thursday, 3:30 PM Porter County United Way.
Contact: Byron Kaiser: pastor@hammondfumc.org

Spiritual and Emotional Care — December 3, 8:30 AM Geminus Corporation. Contact: Sandy Appleby: sandy.appleby@geminus.org

Preparedness — December 10, 2 PM Lake Area United Way

LARRI — December 9, 8:30 AM Duneland Conference Center, Portage. Contact: Steve Conger: steve@ridgeumc.org

Charge Conference

2008-11-10T14:08:00.002-06:00

Last night we had our annual "Charge Conference". I put it in quotation marks because it was called a "Charge Conference" but it really wasn't. The "Charge Conference" is a mandated meeting by the United Methodist Book of Discipline to elect officers for the coming year, and adopted the appointed pastors salary. All of that was to have taken place prior to the meeting last night --- so what we were doing was not really a "Charge Conference." What it really took place was a cheer leading session as we move to a new structure that we are calling clusters.

What is a cluster?

In theory it is to be four or more United Methodist Churches that cluster together to share resources and ideas. How this is going to work is anybodies idea. I am not a fan of anything that is mandated from on high. For years I have had a group of clergy friends that get together regularly to support each other (sometimes just bitch and moan). This too is being mandated from on high, but hopefully what we do now will be sufficient to keep people happy.

I think the cluster idea has some real value if: you keep the clergy out of it for the most part, you have a clear sense of what you are wanting to accomplish, and you acknowledge that this is not a permanent reality, instead it is a temporary one that may morph and change over time. Without those, I am afraid at is destined to fail.

Regardless, it will be interesting as we see where this is going to lead us.

If there is anything I have learned in my almost 25 years as a United Methodist pastor is --- don't expect things to stay the same. There will be another new initiative to save the church and the world right around the corner.

New Generation anyone???

Thoughts from Fred Conger

2008-11-05T20:54:00.001-06:00

My father shared these thoughts via e-mail this evening. I hope he doesn't mind that I share them with you.

November 4, 2008

On the Eve of a Great Historic Moment in American History:
The Election of the first non-white man as president of the United States of America.

My great grand father, Philander D. W. Conger was born in the frontier town of Jackson, Tennessee in 1819. He was the mayor of Jackson, an inventor, the owner of a sawmill on the Forked Deer River, and according to family legend, the owner of over fifty slaves. The family was proud of the fact that PDW Conger was so prosperous that he was able to own so many slaves.

As a child growing up in Jackson I was a part of a totally segregated society in which Black people went to separate school, churches, shopped in different stores, drank at “colored” water fountains, sat on “colored” benches in the court square, and could not eat in the restaurants where the “white” folks ate. Black people had their place and had better stay there or suffer the consequences which could include physical harm and in some case even lynching although I never heard of any lynchings in Jackson during my life time. Granted this pattern of segregation and discrimination were worse in the states of the old Confederacy it also existed to some degree in almost every part of the county where there were any sizable number of African American people. I am certain that my grand children are unable to conceive of what Jackson Tennessee was like when I was a child and young person.

Even more deplorable, this pattern of segregation and discrimination was considered to be fair and just by the majority of Southern people I knew, as well as by many people in the North, with many good church people considering this to be a sound biblical teaching that there should be no “mixing of the races”. Anyone who had the courage to challenge this cultural consensus risked being persecuted by the cultural majority. Those who came to seriously disagree with this cultural ethos either kept quiet in order to survive or moved north, as I did when I became a young adult. There was much about the South that I loved then and still do but I left because I did not want to live in a society that discriminated against many of its citizens because of the color of their skins. However, when I arrived on the South side of Chicago in the early sixties, I discovered that prejudice and discrimination, although not as pervasive, were still rampant in Chicago. It was only when the Supreme Court in 1954 ruled that “Separate But Equal Facilities” was unconstitutional and later with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 under Lyndon Johnson that this insidious pattern of segregation and discrimination began to change.

On Wednesday night when it become apparent that Barack Obama had been elected president of the United States of America in a decisive vote by the American people, I was overwhelmed with a strong emotion that finally we had become a nation that put into practice what we had declared long ago in our Declaration of Independence “We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

I felt that by casting my vote for the first African American president that I had washed out some of the evil stain of slavery that my Great Grand Father had placed upon the Conger family over a hundred and fifty years ago. There were many other cogent reasons why I voted for Obama but this was the most important for me.

The greatness of America is that each one of us can cast his vote for the candidate of his choice according to the dictates of his own conscience. I affirm and support your right to vote for the candidate of your choice and hope that you do the same for me.

Although John McCain, a true national hero, lost this election his concession speech was a gracious moment when he pledged his support to our new president and called upon all the American people to work together to help solve some of the enormous problems that face our nation. If we want to avoid another deep Depression like the one in l929 that ruined my Father’s life and nearly destroyed our nation, then we had better heed his admonition and set aside those things which divide us, seek to find those things that unite us for the common good, and work together to find our way through this national economic crises regardless of political party or the color of our skins. We are not red or blue states but part of the United States of America.

God bless American, Land that I love. Stand beside her and guide her….”

Munster Flood

2008-10-23T11:42:00.002-05:00

I have been invited by the Munster Civic Foundation to assist them in coming up with a plan to distribute a fund of money that has been collected to people who were effected by the September flood in Munster. We had our first meeting last night and began laying out the general framework for persons to apply to recieve this money. Currently there is about $100,000 in the fund, not a lot when you consider that more that 1,100 households were effected by the flood. If anybody has some thoughts about how the money should be distributed, you can comment here or send me an e-mail.

In this mornings North-West Indiana Times (our local newspaper) there was an article describing the Munster Civic Foundation. I have attached it for your convenience.

Munster Civic Foundation
About the group: Formed in 1992. Supports the Town of Munster. Meets quarterly. Nonprofit organization.

Mission: Munster Civic Foundation strives to enrich the community through such efforts as beautification and education projects.

Special events: Munster Civic Foundation established a flood relief fund and 100 percent of all collections will go to affected residents. Checks should be made out to "Munster Civic Foundation" and can be dropped off at any People's Bank or the Town Hall; there are no administrative costs from MCF or the bank.
The foundation paid a portion of the cost for the brick parkway along Calumet Avenue and Ridge Road; contributed $300,000 toward the $1.2 million federal grant for the first 10 miles of the bike paths and pays for the town's fireworks display every year. The group pays for holiday decorations on the light posts in town, provides $20,000 sponsorship toward the Blues and Jazz Festival and, in the past, provided $10,000 in sponsorship for the winter festival. MCF made a substantial contribution to Munster Centennial Park and was responsible for the aerial demonstration and the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra performance at the 100-year celebration. Munster Civic Foundation partnered with Munster Historical ociety for The Brass Tavern Cookbook that paired recipes and town history. The foundation encourages the display of public art through tax abatement of community properties and has the ongoing project of eplacing flags on street lights along 45th Avenue, Calumet Avenue and Ridge Road.

Advice: "There are absolutely no administrative costs associated with whatever giving is made to Munster Civic Foundation," said MCF secretary/treasurer Dave Shafer.

How to get involved: Donations for the flood relief fund can be dropped off at any People's Bank or the Town Hall or mailed to 1005 Ridge Road, Munster, IN 46321. For more information, call (219) 836-6945.

People might be surprised to know: "That it's (the foundation) around. We need to do more in the way of self-promotion," said Shafer.

Funds will continue to be collected until mid-late November.

Gratitude

2008-10-23T08:46:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday, I preached a sermon about developing an attitude of gratitude. Through much research I have come to understand the physical benefits of an attitude of gratitude, but even more important are the spiritual benefits. When one is thankful for the blessings of life — for the blessing of life itself — it is amazing the way it changes our outlook.

The one thing that I challenged each of you to do is to start a gratitude journal. Every day, take a few minutes and write down some of the things that you are thankful for. I find that I am often writing down the same things, over and over again — and every time that I do, I think of them and think of how blessed I am. I am noticing a difference in me already.

Every day between now and Christmas take a few moments and write down the things that you are thankful for. If you are real creative, maybe you want to write a poem one day, or draw a picture, or . . . well, you get the idea. Every day, take a little time and say THANKS.
If you want to read my sermon (or listen to it), you can find it online at www.ridgeumc.org/sermons. I hope that you will take some time to be thankful, and begin to develop and attitude of gratitude. Just think what the world would be like if we all had an attitude of gratitude instead of an attitude of "get out of my way".

It is not easy to slow down and smell the roses. If you are like me, you are always in a rush — too busy to see all the things we should be thankful for and too busy to recognize all the invisible blessings that surround us. One of my favorite poems is by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
And only he who sees takes off his shoes—
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Take some time to see God in your everyday life — and see the blessings that are in your life as well.

Finally, I want to say thank you to each and every one of you. Thank you for being a part of my life, and thank you for letting me be a part of yours! I feel so blessed to be your pastor for these last eleven years. I have never lived this long in one place in my life — and I love it! I look forward to being in ministry with you for many, many more years to come. And most importantly, I look forward to taking off my shoes, and smelling the beautiful roses that God has put in our lives!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chicago Marathon 2008

2008-10-12T21:10:00.004-05:00

Nancy ran this morning in the 2008 Chicago Marathon. I wasn't sure what to expect since she has had tendinitis in her achilles for the last month or so. She just started running again a little over a week ago.

It was a beautiful day in Chicago to watch a marathon, a little warm to run one. But regardless she did great. Nancy ran the marathon in 3:58:08. I told her she was going to run 3:56:26 before the race and actually, until the last 10K she was an on 3:52 pace.

Running a sub 4:00 means she qualifies once again for Boston! I am not sure she is excited, but I am. My guess is we will go in 2010 and not in 2009 (your qualification is good for 2 years). This spring may be a little crazy with Jessica hopefully going to Australia for a semester.

I will try to get all the pictures from the marathon on my flickr site tomorrow.

The Navigator

2008-10-01T20:21:00.001-05:00

I have read quite a few of Clive Cussler’s novels, and am a big fan of the Dirk Pitt series. I can’t say the same about any of his other series. The Navigator is in the Kurt Austin series.

The book opens with Austin on a ship in the North Atlantic hunting icebergs. They come to the rescue of a ship which is headed for a oil rig only to find that it has been hijacked by a group of pirates seeking a priceless Phoenician antiquity.

The story links Solomon and the Queen of Sheba with Thomas Jefferson and Merriwether Lewis. OK, it is a little ridiculous. The story is all about this statue that everyone seems to want, but it is feared that it’s true identity will cause world calamity.

Overall the book was predicable and at times just plain stupid. The jousting scenes made you want to put the book down and say DONE! This was one of the worst Cussler books I have ever read! Don’t waste your time.

Flood part 1

2008-10-01T17:31:00.005-05:00

Who would have thought all that would go on the last month? Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate what has taken place. Let me try to fill you in on what has happened since September 14th.

On September 13th, at 2:00 am Hurricane Ike came ashore at Galveston, Texas. We had been experiencing rain for the previous couple of days, but starting that weekend it rained, and rained and rained. I never realized that a hurricane could cause so much damage, so far away from where it came ashore. Sunday morning, we began getting flood warnings, and during the 11:00am worship service we received a cryptic note from the town saying that evacuations were taking place close to the Little Calumet River. Those of you who are from the region know that the Little Cal is hardly a river --- more like a dirty stream. But the rain had swollen the Little Cal to the point that it was flowing over the levee.

After Church was over, Nathan and I took a couple of women home because we had heard that there was a great deal of standing water on the roads in town. By the time I got home, close to 2pm, the rain had stopped, the sun was trying to get out --- and I was feeling guilty that I had decided to cancel Disciple Bible Study for the evening. I had no idea of the extent that the river had spilled its banks. Usually when we have a heavy rainfall my street always floods, not this time. It was very strange.

Monday morning, (my day off), I decided to head into the church, only to find that Nancy could not come in because the only exit from her neighborhood was underwater and closed. Nathan was dealing with water in his basement (seepage), and Kathy could not get across the Little Cal. from home. I spent some time trying to figure out what was going on, but really had no idea.

Tuesday, I started to really understand the impact that the flooding had. We began trying to locate all of the church families that were affected (12), and figure out what was going on in town. I went down to the Town Hall and in talking with the city officials I realized that nobody knew what the faith communities were doing. What I found out was --- neither did the faith communities. I took a phone book and began calling all of the faith communities in town, and invited them to a meeting at Ridge Church the following day. My objective was simple --- communicate what each group was doing and see what we needed to get organized. Not really a big deal.

Somehow my name ended up in the hands of the Indiana VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Assisting in Disasters). I received a call asking me to come the next day to an organizational meeting as the community planned a response to the disaster.

More to come . . .

Into The Forest

2008-09-09T14:56:00.005-05:00

Our latest book for our book group was a rather strange read. It was "Into The Forest" by Jean Hegland. Written in 1996 it is a book that looks at what might happen if the world collapsed.

The story is set around two sisters Eva and Nell who live in the forest in Northern California. The story is told by the younger sister, Nell who loves to read and learn and is looking forward to escaping from California and attending Harvard. Eva wants to become a ballet dancer and is gearing up for a big audition in San Fransisco.

As we learn about the family, suddenly, and unexpectedly something happens. We never know what it is that happens, other than it has caused a total collapse of the infrastructure of the country. Was it war, economic collapse . . . we have no idea, and no one seems to interested in finding out. (That part really bothered me).

The mother has died of cancer, and now the girls and the father are forced to deal with living in the forest and surviving. All kinds of challenges ensue. As the girls have to deal with the death of their father and a stranger that changes their lives forever.

There were a couple of places where the book left plausibility. The relationship between Nell and Eli just never worked. Neither did the family's last trip into town. The visit to the warehouse store was ridiculous. And the ending left you scratching your head.

In a study guide to the book it makes the comment that:

Reading Into the Forest will forever change the way you think about a teabag, a scrap of paper, a metronome, an acorn, or a chocolate kiss candy. It will forever change your thinking about dreams and days of the week.

I must not have read the same book, because after I write this and turn it back into the library, I doubt I will ever think of the book again. It did not connect with me, or really any of us in the book group.

That is not to say that it was a bad book. It was an interesting and enjoyable read and does make you think about what the world would be like if there was a catastrophic collapse. But because I live in an urban jungle and not a California Redwood forest, it did not speak to me like it might others.

CHEATING

2008-09-05T09:53:00.003-05:00

In my reading this week, I became aware of a book written in 2004 by David Callahan. In 1999, David co-founded a new think tank, Demos, a public policy center based in New York City. Demos combines research and advocacy, working to strengthen democracy and expand economic opportunity within the United States. Previous to co-founding Demos, David was a Fellow at the Century Foundation from 1994 to 1999, where he engaged in wide ranging public policy research and analysis. David received his B.A. at Hampshire College and his Ph.D in Politics at Princeton University.

I have not read the book, but it was linked to in another article. While trying to find out about it, I came across an article he wrote in the journal plagiary. The title of the article was: On Campus: Author Discusses the “Cheating Culture” With College Students. I found the article facinating, especially in light of the national political conventions, but also related to an issue that we are struggling with at the church.

I would love to get a group of people together to discuss the book (or even the article).

Is it OK to lie or cheat, simply because "thats what everyone else does?"

He offers three reasons why it is important why we should resist taking the shortcuts that are often put before us.

First, I think that being true to ourselves and our values is a key to happiness.

A second reason to forget the short cuts is that we all have to live with ourselves. Abraham Lincoln once said that “When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad. Thatʹs my religion.” Sounds simple enough, but of course we may not feel bad at the moment we do bad. Regret has a way of sneaking up on us, and it may only be later that we feel bad – because maybe we took a short cut we didn’t really need to take, and got something that we didn’t deserve. It’s something to watch out for. A life of integrity equals a life with fewer regrets.

A third powerful reason for why integrity should be important in our lives is that each of us plays a role in shaping the society we live in, and that our children will live in.

I think it is important as we choose our leaders for the future.

Anybody interested in a dialog?

Reflections on the Conventions

2008-09-05T09:24:00.003-05:00

OK, I have tried very hard to keep my mouth shut during the conventions, but I came across this clip from one our our great journalists that really sums it all up.

If you have five minutes, it is worth watching.

I can't get it to work, just go to this site

Its GONE!!!!

2008-09-04T15:43:00.003-05:00

Wow, Tuesday afternoon Laura and Steve showed up with a Bobcat and now I no longer have a hole in my backyard, but now I have . . . a backyard! It is awesome, now I just need to get some grass growing!

Pool Bash part 2

2008-09-02T09:50:00.003-05:00

Getting rid of that stinkn pool has just about killed me. I have gotten very lucky, however. Last week I was able to get seven truckloads of dirk delivered FREE! It came from a friends house who was putting in a pool.

Saturday and yesterday, we finished getting all the concrete broken up and removed. We found two electrical lines that we did not know were there, fortunately they both were dead. I also got the solar panels all removed. It looks like a whole different backyard.

Later this evening I am expecting a Bobcat to show up and help get the huge pile of dirt spread out.

I cannot say thank you enough to everyone who helped. Matt, Laura, Doug, Richard and Wes, along with Nancy and I got it all done this weekend! THANKS!

Now I just have to get some grass growing and do landscaping and . . .

Pool Bash (part 1)

2008-08-23T19:20:00.003-05:00

This morning a group of men from Ridge Church came over to help me remove the in-ground pool from my back yard. We gathered at 8 am, sledge hammers in hand and began the destruction. Thank goodness, Buddy brought an air jack hammer, otherwise we would still be out there this evening.

Today had to be the hottest day of the year, and we were all toast by 1 pm. Unfortunately, we did not get it all done, so the good news is, all of you who wanted to come, but were busy today, don't worry: Pool Bash 2 is coming!

Thanks: Buddy, Jim, Richard, Bill, Wes, Steve, Dick, and Matt!!

The beginning of the morning

The end of the day

Locked Rooms

2008-08-23T19:03:00.003-05:00

Laurie King is the author of a series of books based on the character created by Conan Doyle, Sherlock Homes. In King's novels, Sherlock Homes has met (and eventually marries) a young American named Mary Russell. This is the third in this series that I have read (there are eight currently) and this is the latest, written in 2005. The problem with the series is King writes as if you have read the previous books, so sometimes I think I am missing an inside joke. Regardless, the story flows no matter which books you have read.

In this adventure, Mary and Sherlock are leaving India and have decided to go to San Francisco to visit the home that Mary grew up in. Mary's parents died in a terrible auto crash, and Mary thinks that she is to blame. The story focuses on Mary as she deals with her past (her parents died ten years earlier) and tries to reconcile dreams she has been having with the reality of her past.

What I like about the stories is that they are complicated, yet at the same time, not so complicated that you are constantly trying to figure out who is who. The story is fun and engaging as Mary deals with her memories of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the lies and deceit that followed her family because of it.

The Venetian Betrayal

2008-08-23T18:46:00.004-05:00

I have just finished Steve Berry's The Venetian Betrayal , this is the fourth Berry book that I have read. Two of the previous of the books have followed the Adventures of Cotton Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt as they have solved some of the worlds great mysteries. Earlier I have commented on The Alexandria Link and The Templar Legacy. Once again this duo works to rid the world of a horrible despot.

While the title suggests that it is about Venice, the book is really centered on Alexander the Great and the desire to find his grave. It was a face paced book, filled with all kinds of historical references, some real and others created to fit the story.

Overall, the story is a bit far fetched. But Berry does a great job in weaving an complicated, let very engaging tale. I thought that he might end it differently than it had, but he obviously is hoping to have the book made into a movie because the ending had Hollywood written all over it.

Sermon Series

2008-08-22T12:26:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while I come across something that really makes me think. Often the books I read do one of two things, they affirm what I already believe (hence why I probably chose them) or they drive me crazy because they see the world sort of as I do, but we differ on some major fundamental beliefs. But every now and again, I find a book that does both of those things, but also challenges the beliefs that I hold.

Months ago, Kathy had given me Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo’s book Adventures In Missing The Point. I stuck it in a corner and totally forgot about it. The other day, I picked it up and began reading. WOW. As I read, I thought, "This will make a great sermon series . . ."

So, on September 5th I will begin a series based on this book. I only have three weeks free, so it will be a short series, and one, if successful, I might come back to in the fall or winter.

In the introduction they write:

What this adventure is about is facing our own blindnesses, our own insanities, our own foggy thinking and clouded judgment. It’s about admitting that we haven’t seen things clearly, and about wanting to think more clearly than we do.

I hope that you will come and join me on this adventure. Invite a friend as well. Who knows, maybe we will all see a little clearer and want to talk about the journey.

Fishing in Canada

2008-08-15T15:43:00.003-05:00

I wrote earlier about the great time that I had fishing in Canada. I am glad that everyone has gotten a kick out of me locking myself out of the cottage at 3:00 am. Part of the joy of getting older . . .

I wanted to post a couple of pictures. All of my pictures can be found on my Flickr site, but these are some of my favorites.

Quinceañera

2008-08-15T14:56:00.003-05:00

I am getting ready for a Quinceañera service, actually the rehearsal, the service is tomorrow. If you are like me, you probably have no idea what a Quinceañera service is or why you would do one.

It is a Hispanic celebration, celebrating the 15th birthday of a girl. The tradition started out pretty simply, but like so many traditions today, it has taken on a life of it's own. Trying to find out anything about this service was difficult with Wikepedia and the Roman Catholic Church being the best sources. Believe it or not, there is actually a Quinceañera prayer in the United Methodist book of worship.

As I get ready for the rehearsal I keep wondering why I said yes. The family does not belong to the church, however they have attended in the past, and I presided over the marriage of an aunt a few years ago. IF I had thought about it, I would have said NO, because that wedding was almost an hour late getting started as the bride seemed to have her own personal clock that we were operating on (or maybe it was a cultural clock?)

Oh well, too late to second guess myself at this point. It is what it is, and it will be an interesting experience I am sure

A Flawed Bible?

2008-08-03T08:24:00.004-05:00

I recently came across this great article in a blog that I regularly read by Mystical Seeker. This very provocative blog always makes me think outside the box.

In this one he challenges our notion of the Bible.
Click here to read the full article.

Transformations

2008-08-01T12:51:00.004-05:00

Last Sunday, after getting home about 11:30 the night before from WV, the Conger clan climbed into our trusty Mini-Van for a journey to Indianapolis. We went to see Jessica in the play "Transformations" which was being put on by ShadowApe, a local theater troupe from Indy. Jessica spent the summer working on the show, and Sunday was the final performance. Nancy had gotten to an earlier show, but this was the first one that I could go to.

To be honest, I did not know what to expect. It was Grimm's Fairy Tales being retold through the eyes of Anne Sexton. I know virtually nothing about Anne Sexton, other than she was a poet and she committed suicide in the 70's. Peter Gabriel's song Mercy Street was written in honor of Anne Sexton. Transformations is a book that Sexton wrote, ShadowApe took the text and created an original adaptation. It was a bunch of vignettes all linked together -- 90 minutes without a break.

It was AWESOME. Not only was the show very, very good, I was shocked at how good Jessica was. She is really maturing into a fine actress! She still has some of her Jessica-isms, but she did things that I don't think she could have done a year or two ago. I wish I could have seen it more than once!

ASP part 3

2008-08-01T12:35:00.003-05:00

One week ago I was very frustrated because I was not able to finish the porch and stairs that we were building. I know the other group was frustrated because they did not get everything that they wanted to get accomplished. But overall it was a fantastic week.

I know that we made a huge difference in Lisa and her families life -- that is what it is all about. Hopefully she has electricity in her trailer now and can get moved in before school starts up again.

We had two "accidents" on the trip. Michael fell off a ladder and landed on his tailbone. His trip to the emergency room was less than pleasant. M2 broke her leg while swimming (not sure how you do that), and her trip to the ER was very positive. Both of them had to miss the whitewater rafting trip on the way home. The three of us sat around, ate breakfast, and twiddled our thumbs until the others returned after about 4 hours -- then we all got the ten hour drive home! The youth who did the rafting had a ball! I hate that I had to miss it.

I would do ASP again, but I would want to be better prepared. We did not have any idea what we should bring, until we were there and realized what we should have brought. The ASP leaders did a terrible job in preparing us in that regard. In their defence, they are just kids themselves --- they are college students who had wonderful ASP experiences as students and now are the leaders of the project -- unfortunately they often are lacking in maturity but that is too be expected. Their hearts are in the right place.

I really enjoyed the chance to spend the week with the youth. I look forward to participating with the youth again on a mission project, but this time Nathan gets to be in charge and I get to come along for the ride.

The youth are putting on a spaghetti dinner on August 17th at 6:00pm at Ridge Church to thank everyone who supported them on this trip and to share their stories. Come and join us!

ASP part 2

2008-07-31T09:14:00.005-05:00

Monday morning began with us gathering up the tools that we might need (since I had not been at the site, I had no idea what we might need), making lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (minus the jelly because they ran out), loading up in the van and heading out to find our site.

We were located up Hinton Mountain Road, about a half hour ride from the school up a very windy and narrow road. I loved driving it every day. When we arrived we found a house that was, maybe in a fire, but regardless was only half there, a trailer right behind it (maybe 10 feet) that had no electricity and was not lived in because of that. This was "smiles". Some say that it was called smiles because the trailer bowed so much it looked like it was smiling. That had been corrected before we arrived.

Our task was to complete the underpinning (skirting) around the trailer. Most of the frame work had been done, but every now and again, we would find a 2x4 that was not nailed in. We quickly came to realize that those boards were in areas where wasps lived. We found out after I was attacked and stung twice in the face. Fortunately, I am not allergic to the beasts!

Over the next couple of days we completed the frame, attached tin skirting, put in 8 vents and w access doors. All of this was competed by early Thursday morning. Our next big task, which we fought to get permission to do, was build a porch and stairs so that the family could get into the trailer. We were dependent upon ASP bringing us lumber and we had virtually nothing to do Thursday morning until they finally brought us some of the materials (not all that we needed, however) around lunch time. That afternoon, we dug the holes for the posts and set them with concrete.

Friday again we had to wait around until they brought material (again at lunch time) so all we were able to compete was getting the joists of the porch attached. We really were disappointed that we could not get the rest of the porch and the stairs built. Hopefully, they are finishing that up as I write.

The other group worked on a house in town that had been burned by arson. The tasks that they had seemed overwhelming and I was glad that we got the trailer to work on that we had.

Most of the pictures are now online.

I will write part 3 later.

ASP in West Virginia

2008-07-30T10:30:00.004-05:00

I am slowly recovering from my week with the youth of Ridge Church on our mission trip to Hinton WV with the Appalachian Service Project. I have not gone on a youth mission trip in a number of years, I think my last one was to Oklahoma. That trip I flew in late and flew out before it was over and just came a paid a visit with the youth for a couple of days. This time I was the team leader even though I flew to join the team on Sunday while they drove on Saturday.

The youth left on Saturday morning and drove to Charleston WV to spend the night at Christ UMC. They went to church the next morning and then drove on to Hinton. The big excitement was the realization that some famous actress was a part of the congregation (as far as I know she wasn't there that morning) and her sister was there. I have no idea who it was (they told me but, as they liked to remind me, I am OLD!

I left Munster right after Church on Sunday, I changed my clothes in my office and Nancy drove me to O'Hare. I thought I was on one airline but it ended up being United because it was a code share although my ticket was not very clear. Once I figured out where I was to be, I settled in for my 3pm flight to Washington DC (Reagan Airport) and then a short hop to Charleston WV. We boarded shortly before 3, only to find that their was a mechanical problem. While fixing that issue, another mechanical problem came up, that was fixed, we taxied out of the gate only to sit because of weather in Washington. We finally took off sometime after 6pm.

By the time we arrived my flight to WV had long since departed. Since it was mechanical issues, United arranged for a taxi to Dulles Airport (on the other side of town) for a flight that left in about an hour. I had to run through the airport, but I made it to the flight, only to find it delayed because of weather in Charleston. I finally arrived in Charleston after midnight, still needing to rent a van and then drive the 1 1/2 hour or so to Hinton. Fortunately my van that I had booked was waiting for me.

I arrived in Hinton sometime between 2am and 2:30, Monday morning -- 13 hours after I left Munster. By the way, the drive time to Hinton from Munster is only 10 hours!

I arrived and eventually find the school where we were staying. After an unbelievable adventure with only the light of a cell phone, I found my cot on the boys side of the gym (fortunately I did not wake any of the girls up when I was looking for my bed on their side of the gym . . .). Unfortunately, while they had set up my cot, they had not gotten my suitcase or my sleeping back out of the trailer. It was close to 100 degrees in the gym at 3am and I slept miserably until 5:30 am.

Enough for now, I will continue this adventure later!

Laclu

2008-07-15T15:54:00.003-05:00

Greeting fron Kenora, Ontario Canada.

I am up in Canada with Jim Dye and his son in law Peter from Ct.

We have had a great trip so far.

We left Griffith Airport in Jim's Bonanza airplane with Peter flying. We took off about 5:45 am and arrived in less than four hours to Kenora. We then got in a car that Jim leaves at the little airport here to drive to Laclu where his cabin is. The cabin is actually on an island in the lake so we had to take a boat out to the island with all of our stuff.

Last night we had an early dinner and then headed out fishing. We are fishing for Walleye and I caught the first and the largest of the day. Also caught lots of Northern Pike and Perch but we have thrown all of those back.

Today we got Jim's sea plane and headed to a lake about 10 miles away. We got there and a thunderstorm came up. We tried to beat it, by jumping in the plane and heading back to the cabin, but all we did was take off in a torrential thunderstorm. I guess I have determined that I am not going to get airsick!

After about an hour or so, we headed back to the lake and fished again. This time the only problem was that I burned by legs! I wish I had taken my camera, but I didn't. I did not have a lot of luck with the fishing but we caught 6 or 8 nice sized Walleye. Peter caught a monster of a Walleye, easily over 2 feet, but since it was so big he released to to live another day and make more Walleye.

It is just 4 in the afternoon, but I am beat! I slept great last night (except when I got up to go to the outhouse and got locked out of the cabin at 3am --- that's a story for another day). Jim stayed at the house taking a nap, Peter had some work to do and wanted to find an Internet cafe, so here we are in downtown Kenora.

Tonight, I think that we are going fishing for Crappie, but I am not sure. Tomorrow, if the weather holds we plan to fly the float plan about 1 hour north of here to Fletcher Lake --- it is a fish camp fly in lake. Should be fun!

I got some great pictures of Chicago as we flew past yesterday, but I have not had time to mess with them and I may not until we get home.

I will try to update again.

AMAZING

2008-07-11T16:44:00.002-05:00

I went to visit one of the "shut-ins" of Ridge Church this afternoon. She is 94 years old, and I love going to see her. The problem is that she wants me to stay for a couple of hours, when all I have is 15 minutes or so.

Well, I spent about a half an hour with her. And she said that she plans on living a least a couple more years. "I don't think about that much." She said. I am sure that she will.

Why she is my hero is because, even though she has failing eyesight, she reads the church newsletter and knows what is going on and wants to talk all about it. She loves to talk theology --- not the conservative BS, she wants to talk about progressive theology. She loves to engage her mind.

She was telling me how she just came across the cool company (The Teaching Company) that puts out all kinds of lectures. She said she is so excited because she is learning all kinds of new things (AT 94 YEARS OLD!!!!) She has been listening to a class on music appreciation. She is telling me all these things that she is learning about how music is structured and why that is important --- did I tell you she is 94?

She also found so Biblical lectures. I told her that I had a few and that I would have to go through them and see which ones she might like.

She is unbelievable. I hope that when I am her age, that I have that passion that she has to keep on learning. To many of us think we know it all and never move forward.

Thanks Amy!

What do you appreciate about the USA?

2008-07-11T10:47:00.007-05:00

OK, I know that most of you would say that I am not the most patriotic person in the world. And without a doubt, you are probably right.

I do not believe that the flag belongs in a worship space

I am not a big fan of patriotic hymns (my favorite hymn is This Is My Song)

I am not a fan of the pledge of allegiance (but I do say it every week)

The 4th of July has come and gone and I am curious . . . What do you appreciate about the United States of America. How would you answer that question. Eugene Cho, in his blog on God's Politics, asked this very question.

I am curious how you might answer.

Check out this blog for some more interesting comments.

Nancy

2008-07-10T10:01:00.002-05:00

I am working on my sermon for Sunday which is based on Genesis 25:19-34, which is the story of Esau and Jacob. As I have been studying their story I have become fascinated with Rebekah, even though she is not the theme for my sermon this week, I have done quite a bit of reading about her.

In the midst of my reading, it made me want to stop and take a moment to thank the wonderful woman who is a part of my life. I would not be where I am today without Nancy! She is the light in my world.

Most woman would have a hard time being married to me (and I am sure that Nancy does at times . . .) but, she has the wonderful gift of being willing to share me with so many other people. Most evenings, I am not at home because of meetings or appointments with people. Next week I am going to Canada with a friend who is a member of the church, and she is the one who encouraged me to go. As soon as I get home, I will load up to head off for a week to West Virginia to be with our youth Mission Trip with ASP.

I am so lucky to be married to such a wonderful woman.
She allows me to minister in so many ways!
Thank you! I love you more than you will ever know!

Getting Ready

2008-07-09T10:43:00.004-05:00

It has been a crazy week, trying to get ready and get all the loose ends wrapped up for the mission trip to West Virginia with the Appalachian Service Project.

I participated on ASP projects 30+ years ago when I was in High School. I have some great memories of those trips (and some pretty bad ones --- when Lori jumped out the window . . .). We went to Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky and would work on houses that were way up in the mountains. The two jobs that I remember best were digging a new outhouse pit and fixing up the outhouse and painting a tin roof. We always had a blast because on the way home we would be rewarded for our hard working stopping at an Amusement Park (King's Island in Cincinnati) or a side trip to Williamsburg, VA.

We depart on Saturday, July 19th (well the youth do, I won't get there until Sunday evening the 20th). We will be staying in Summers County, West Virginia at the local Middle School, sleeping in the gym, showering in the locker rooms. It should be interesting.

The last Sr. High mission Trip I found myself in charge of was five or six years ago when the youth went to Nashville, TN. What am I thinking . . . . . . . I am 48 years old!

Now that most everything is sort of done --- at least the absolutely necessary items that would have caused the trip to be canceled, I am getting my head and heart around the project.

What will we be doing? I have no idea for sure, but I know that we will be fixing up the homes of people who cannot afford to do it themselves. We will be traveling to one of the poorest sections of our country. I am sure that this will be an eye opening experience for our youth (and me as well!)

Not sure how much I will be able to post while I am gone (if at all) but I will try.

Next week I am heading to Canada to do a little fishing. But more about that later.

What a Day!

2008-07-04T08:23:00.004-05:00

Most importantly, welcome Tucker Carl Whyb rew! Tucker was born to Sarah and Nathan Whybrew yesterday (July 3rd) in Lafayette, Indiana. Tucker weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and is 20.25 inches long. Ridge Church and the Town of Munster had a nice little celebration last night in his honor!

Nathan is the new associate pastor at Ridge Church and they will be moving to Munster next week! YIKES! Hopefully, we will make everything go smooth and fairly easy for them. I cannot imagine moving with a week old baby, but that is the way the conference does things!

Last night Munster held their fireworks display and Ridge Church invited the community onto the lawn. The place was packed as usual and we had a great time. After all the expenses are paid (which fortunately because of the generosity of so many people isn't too much) we will make about $2,600 which goes to support our Vacation Bible School and allows it to be FREE! Thanks to everyone who worked.

This afternoon is the Munster parade and we will once again have a float in the parade. Nancy, Doug, Laura and Kathy are working on the finishing touches while I am goofing off in my office. It is a huge effort, but it is a lot of fun promoting the church and inviting people to our VBS.

I will try to get some pictures posted of the parade on line this afternoon or tomorrow.

Finally

2008-07-03T15:44:00.003-05:00

I think that I finally have most of the programs restored to my computer here at the office. I have not put any of my sermons on line for weeks, hopefully, I will find time to do that tomorrow.

Tonight is the fireworks display by the Town of Munster --- there is no greater place to watch the fireworks than on the lawn of Ridge Church! As a bonus we sell hamburgers, hotdogs, Italian sausage, popcorn, and all kinds of other junk! Virtually everything is donated so that we can use the money that is raised so that we can provide a FREE Vacation Bible School to the community! VBS starts on July 14th and you can register here!

Come out and join us tonight!

The Things They Carried

2008-07-01T15:33:00.002-05:00

Nancy and I are in a book group and the current book that we are reading is by Tim O'Brien called: The Things They Carried. It is a collection of stories (sort of) about Viet Nam from a particular soldier's point of view. Once I began the book, I could not put it down!

It is a fascinating book, because it clearly is marked as a work of fiction, yet, Tim O'Brien did fight in Viet Nam, the narrator of the book is named Tim O'Brien and he constantly is saying that this is a "true war story". I don't know if any of the stories really happened, but I am convinced that they are ALL TRUE. Maybe that is not such a stretch for me, since I look at the Bible pretty much the same way --- I don't see the stories as "history", but I do know that they are "true."

A couple of the stories really spoke to me. I was really drawn into the story he called "On the Rainy River". It was all about his struggle with his draft notice. Should he go to Canada or should he go to Viet Nam. He brings the angst that so many struggled with alive.

The other stories that captured me were when he takes his daughter to Viet Nam and the closing story which is about death (life???).

This is a powerful book that I would highly recommend!

For more information about Tim O'Brien, check out his web site.