Wednesday's Wanderings and Wonderings of the Web

I am already exhausted and the craziness of Holy Week is just beginning. I have had little to no time to be posting on my blog or even keeping up with my Facebook. So a day late, here is...

This weeks I wonder as I wander the web:

1) Check out this blog post about "What if the kids don't want our church?" found on the Huffington Post Religion blog.

2)Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber testifies at the Colorado Senate Judiciary Hearing on civil unions and here is what she said.

3) Pastor's Songs Salute Biblical Women


4)TED Talk

engaging in community care via digital media

Engaging in community care via digital media is what the Gospel and Global Media class has been reflecting on and blogging about this week. Caring Bridge is a site that was highlighted this week as well. I have followed several people through their journey's on Caring Bridge over the last several years. I want to address this particular topic in terms of rural ministry.

I don't think that our social media or technology will ever replace our human need to be "in touch" with one another. I certainly don't advocate either for anyone to replace virtual with person to person, however, I strongly believe there is a place for the virtual side of things particularly pastoral care. In the community in which I live there is a small hospital and great care is available, however, it is a small community hospital and does not care for needs of those that need heart surgery, cancer treatments, etc... The next closest hospital is 30 minutes away and another 45 minutes. Most people in our community when they find themselves in need of hospitalization or major surgery are cared for at a hospital that is 90 miles away or even in the Twin Cities (4 hours away) and even in Rochester (6 hours away). It is not realistic that I jump in my car to make a person-to-person hospital visit when the parishioner is 6 hours away. This is where social media comes in handy! Whether it is a Caring Bridge page, a Facebook page or a simple text, I can now be "present" for the parishioner that is many hours away. I may not be able to get to the hospital that is 6 hours away and a pastoral face to face visit may have to wait until 6, 8, 12 weeks when the patient finally returns home. Without social media the only other access to these parishioners would be the telephone.

I really think that each context finds a different place for the use of social media when it comes to pastoral care and I don't think that is a one size fits all or even one size fits most kind of rule we can apply here. Not only each pastor, but each community and each situation will call for a different application of social media care. So for me this week what I take away most is to not assume that each parishioner is in a place (physically and geographically) to be visited in the hospital and that maybe it isn't fair to assume that just because I am posting on Caring Bridge or Facebook that there will be no person to person follow up. We need to be careful not to only see this particular kind of pastoral care from our own box. Open up the box and take a peek outside, you never know what you might see.

Lenten Photo Day #37 "alone"

You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.
Exodus 18:18

Wednesday's Web Wanderings and Wonderings

Here are a few articles, blogs, videos and ideas I came across on the web over the last week. Check them out:

1) Who are the upcoming Catholic Priests? NBC posted this article "'I'm not going to see Pearl Jam anymore'; seminarians prepare for life as priests." Found here.

2) The Deer's Cry for St. Patrick's Day recommended by a pastor friend that had seen it used in a Synod conference meeting.

3) My husband has watched this video this week many times over. It is just hilarious!

4) The folks from GMM class pointed us this last week to this great "Easter is Coming" video

5) Have you heard of or watched any part of the new TV series The Bible on the History Channel? It started on March 3 and had over 13 million viewers tune in. Here is an article about the series.

6) Are you a runner or walker? Here is a link to information on a 5K that will take place in Cambridge on May 5th and benefits a great cause! Ministry at the Escuintla Garbage Dump in Guatemala. Find more info here.

7) The Spiritual but not religious conversation lives on. Check out this blog.

8) Facebook Thumbs Up From The Huffington Post

9) SAVE THE HISTORIC COMET THEATER!! Check out the Comet's Kickstarter campaign. Maybe theater is close to your heart and you would want to be a part of saving our local theater. As of the posting of this they are up to $12,976 out of the $80,000 they need. It hasn't even been a week!

10) A good friend of mine is hosting a 5K fundraiser that will support a ministry project that is near and dear to both her and my heart - The Escuintla Garbage Dump in Guatemala. You can sign up to be a part of this family fun event if you live near the Cambridge, MN area. Otherwise you can spread the word to your family and friends who are! Click here for more information.

Lente Photo Day #36 "home"

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:1-12

Lent Photo Day #34 "dream"

Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’
Genesis 31:11

Brene Brown and Oprah

Brene Brown and Oprah. SuperSoul Sunday!

Click here to be able to watch the first of two SuperSoul Sundays featuring Brene.

You can read about Brene's reaction and excitement to this opportunity on her blog.

I really hope you check it out! Daring Greatly is a wonderful read too!

Here are a few great quotes from Brene in this episode:

"Owning our story and loving ourselves through the process of owning our story is the bravest thing we will ever do."

"The original definition of courage. Courage comes from cour which means heart so Share all of your self with your whole heart. Share your whole story with your whole heart. The act of courage is an act of storytelling."

This comment is in relation to all the nasty comment leavers there are out there that bring us down and are so hurtful. Brene says, "I am standing on my values, I am standing in my faith and you cannot knock me down."

Lastly, here she talks about starting her research only 6 months before 911 and has come to realize that for the last 12 years we have been living in fear. Having a post traumatic stress response. "We have a thin layer of terror wrapped around us."

Lent Photo Day #33 "new"

I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
Isaiah 43:19

Videos Part 2

I have been thinking a lot about the Why I hate religion but love Jesus video this last week. There is so much that resonates with me and yet I also wonder what kind of theological conclusion I come to in the end. Maybe that doesn't matter. This is not my testimony, but his. Over 20 million people have come together as a community to hear his testimony. Some have rejected it, others have loved it and yet others have responded to it with their own video response. Here is one of those responses:



I really am left with the question of "what is religion?" I will be pondering this and come back to it in a later post. I want to ask a few people how they define religion, so if you stop by and want to share feel free. Until then, as it is quite late on a Saturday night, I leave you with the author of Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus and his explanation of his heart behind the video.

Videos worth watching

These two videos for anyone not a part of the Gospel and Global Media class are great. If you have some time take a look. Maybe you are already one of the 2 million people who have viewed one or both, they are worth a second viewing.

"Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus"



Here is a link to Nadia Bolz-Weber's response to this viral video.

"The Internet is My Religion"



What do you think?

To testify or not to testify...

The question this week to be thinking about was witnessing to Christ, to testify, in the midst of digital cultures.

I really struggle with the notion of testimony in the very small and naive sense of its meaning. For me when I hear about someone's testimony I assume we are sitting in a cozy circle, or in the pews of a sanctuary and after a few people share their testimony an altar call will follow. I have not spent much time thinking (until this week) about a broader, richer, deeper way to think of testimony.

Testimony this week has taken on a new look for me. I loved the way Hoyt (Hoyt, Thomas, Jr., "Testimony" in Practicing our Faith by Dorothy C. Bass, ed. (San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 1997), 89-101) described testimony as being communal, truth telling and like a prayer of thanks. It reminded me of my families dinner prayers. When it is the kids turn to lead the prayer, it usually goes something like, "Dear God, thank you for the good day we had, thank you for the food on the table, thank you for dad working and mom teaching, be with those that are in need Amen. According to Hoyt this is a testimony. Simple, truth telling.

Testimony comes to us in way more than just words and our digital culture helps us share our stories a lot easier. I realize that there are people that use digital culture to do and say things that are not true and can be damaging. So what do we do then? Is it our job to call them out, tell them they are not telling the truth? Do we ignore them, unfriend them or do we tell the truth? At what point does this become judgment?

I think about the Biblical passage Matthew 6:1 "Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven." Why are we saying, posting, blogging? Are these posts and blogs a witness to Christ, a testimony of who we are as a Child of God? Do we post, say and blog in order to be seen? To blow our own trumpet?

For me the truest testimony I can give is just to do my best to be me. Throughout the day I will fall short. I will make mistakes. I will disappoint. I will miss the mark. Throughout the day, the community will help me, love me, guide me, turn me around, set me free and mostly remind me through their testimonies that God loves me and calls me by name. In this daily exchange of testimony, we reveal God to one another. God creates new life among us and our testimonies invite others to share their life too. The digital culture in which we reside makes this circle of witnesses a lot larger, a lot fuller and even deeper.

Thank You God for another day! Thank you God for this day at North Woods High School. Thank you God for the clothes that clothed me and the food that fed me. Thank you God for my family, their love and support. Thank you God for good friends in which we can share a meal together. Thank you God!

Lent Photo Day #31 "temper"

Call for help, Job, if you think anyone will answer!
To which of the holy angels will you turn?
The hot temper of a fool eventually kills him,
the jealous anger of a simpleton does her in.
I’ve seen it myself—seen fools putting down roots,
and then, suddenly, their houses are cursed.
Their children out in the cold, abused and exploited,
with no one to stick up for them.
Hungry people off the street plunder their harvests,
cleaning them out completely, taking thorns and all,
insatiable for everything they have.
Don’t blame fate when things go wrong—
trouble doesn’t come from nowhere.
It’s human! Mortals are born and bred for trouble,
as certainly as sparks fly upward.
Job 5:1-7 The Message

A Testimony to technology... and the Pope

This caught my eye with all the technology talk happening in The Gospel and Global Media class this semester.

Check out NBC's photo blog HERE for more...

Lent Photo Day #30 "Go"

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19 NIV

Wednesday's Web Wanderings and Wonderings...

Here are a few stops you might be interested in making around the web:

1) Do you have this app on your phone? Ordain thyself? Check out more info here. and here.

2) This article on social media "boot camp" put on by Tony Jones and Doug Pagitt. Here is a taste from the article:

Though more and more churches are establishing Facebook and Twitter accounts, others remain skeptical of social media. They're often concerned someone will post something deemed offensive on Facebook walls, Jones said.

"Churches spend a lot of time thinking how do we manage our message," Jones said. "When you go on an open source, a reciprocal platform like Facebook, where other people get to comment on your wall, you relinquish some of that control. Our main response to them is, 'Get over it.' That's a good thing.

3) This video on Rob Bell's new book. Thanks to the blog Bats, Balls and Random Notes for pointing to this.


4) Read this on what it takes to create a viral video. Maybe you can take notes for your GMM final project??!! ;)

The SXSW session, Mythbusting: Engineering a Viral Video, focused on what the actual, attainable elements of a viral video were – and how they could be engineer and if it was even possible. How do you make a video that will become the next Gangnam Style?

5) First Steps in becoming a new Pope.

Sermon - "He Trusted in God"

March 13, 2013
Psalm 22
“He Trusted in God”


[note to classmates/blog readers – this introduction before I read Psalm 22 was to get the congregation all on the same page. The Lenten theme is selections from Handel’s Messiah. Six pieces were chosen and each week the Lenten service starts with chanting Psalm 51, confession, communion, offering, Prayers, and lastly the scripture reading and meditation followed by the listening of the selected piece for the evening. The service concludes in silence. Hope this helps get you in the right place to partially “get” what is happening in this service/sermon.]


Tonight we gather on the fourth Wednesday in Lent and present another piece from Handel's masterful work of music. If you think back to Comfort ye my people and For unto us a child is born – the music was a little peppy and upbeat. Toe tapping and almost head bobbing beats. Last week we meditated on the piece Behold the Lamb of God and the music is beginning to slow down. Tonight when it is time, listen for the deep dark tones of this piece. It isn’t necessarily slow in tempo but it certainly carries a low, deep, darker tone. We are in the middle of Lent and we all know that it is impossible to get to Easter and the empty tomb without first pausing on Good Friday and remembering the event on the cross. Our music selection for tonight is He Trusted in God. The chorus comes from Psalm 22 verse 8 and the tenor sings a modified variation of verse 7:

Read Psalm 22 as printed in the ELW (1-31)


I want you to think with me back to a time before cell phones and texting and even before computers and emails. For some of you teenagers and even younger than that you won’t be able to imagine a world without such technology, but just hang in there with me for a moment. Let’s think for a moment that you have just checked the mail box (snail mail as we now call it) and a letter has arrived. When you open the letter you know immediately who it is from by the way the letter is addressing you. My dearest mother, or Dear John, Dear sir or how about my dearest Rebecca. You know because you have heard it before. You know because it is a repeated pattern between you and the writer. Fast forward to today, we can probably say the same thing about our cell phones and emails. When that certain text or ring tone comes in you know who it is from and most likely what it is about based on the sound.

We just heard Psalm 22 and its opening address is one that we have become quite familiar with -

My God My God Why have you forsaken me?

We all know these words and most likely we know these words because they are written in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark as they record these words as being among the last words of Christ on the cross. The question is did you know these words belong here, were first spoken here in the opening of Psalm 22? Psalm 22 found in the Old Testament before Jesus was born.

We hear these words as Christ’s words yet tonight as we are trudging along in the middle of this Lenten season – not yet to the cross not even close enough to get a glimpse of the empty tomb, we hear these words –
My God My God why have you forsaken me?

Who then speaks these words? Who then is addressing God in this bold, honest accusatory way?

There are a couple of options for us tonight. Historically it has been noted that this particular Psalm is one written by King David. It could be King David during several different times of trial. Persecution by Paul or maybe David’s flight from Absalom. Whatever the exact situation, David is in a dark time. David is feeling hopeless, alone and abandoned by God. We hear David complain for several versus –
I cry out to you but you do not answer.
I am a worm and not human.
Trouble is near and there is no one to help me.

If this round of complaints isn’t harsh enough, David starts in again with a second round of complaints.
I am poured out like water,
My strength is dried up,
my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth.

[WOW] – David is really in a dark dark place. He seems desperate. Can you feel his pain? Can you feel the heaviness of his words? It is as if David is right here in this room. We can feel his pain, we can see his torment. I know I want to yell out on his behalf – Save him from the lion’s mouth!

David cannot get any lower at this point. He says to God, ‘you have laid me in the dust of death.’

Can it get much worse? How will this end? Can there be new life for David?

Then the Psalm takes a turn, rather it is as if David catches a second wind or the Spirit perhaps moves over him and his complaints turn to petitions –
o my help hasten to my aid,
Deliver me from the sword,
save me from the lion’s mouth.

And then new life - David has been saved, brought back from the brink of death
From the horns of wild bulls you have rescued me.
I will declare your name to my people.
And on and on David praises God and finally ends –
“The Lord has acted!”

It is important that we hear this Psalm from David’s perspective to get a glimpse into the historical context of which these familiar words came. These words are not just familiar to us, his Psalm had to have been familiar – more than familiar – memorized and tucked into the heart of Christ for in his darkest hour this Psalm is what he draws from. This Psalm gives Christ dying on the cross the opportunity to bare his dark soul to God. For a moment Christ is bold, honest even accusatory and one more time speaks as a man.

My God My God why have you forsaken me?

This Psalm remarkably foretells of Christ’s resurrection and so it is equally important for us to hear this Psalm in Christ’s voice as well. For both King David and Jesus even in their dark time, even on the brink of death, they both return to verse 8
‘ Trust in the Lord, let the Lord deliver, let God rescue him if God so delights in him.’

And God does indeed rescue them both. You see sometimes we have to be on the brink of death and some of us actually have to die to ourselves or at least parts of our selves have to die so that new life can come.

If we trust in God, he will deliver us.

Who else could be the voice in this Psalm? Could it be you? Has it been you? Does this Psalm speak to your soul, of your soul. Where do you find yourself this evening as we continue on our way through Lent. Just another average day? Hard to focus – let’s just get to Easter – it’s way more fun and I’m ready to eat chocolate again! I sure wish winter would be on its way…

Maybe you are in a great place in your life right now, and know there is no reason to feel bad about that. But hear this, when grief and anguish do strike – because they will – give yourself permission to move from that place of darkness at what ever pace you need to move to get back into the light.

Sometimes it takes a long time to move from that darkness into light and that is ok. Just like King David in the midst of your complaining there will be a moment when the Spirit will move over you and remind you to Trust in God that suddenly the darkness will lighten and you will be made new.

Even Handle makes us wait a long time before we get the Hallelujah chorus! So this evening before we move into meditation on our musical selection, I want you to hear Psalm 22 again from a different voice than that of King David or Jesus. I am not sure whose voice this will be for you – I don’t know who might have sent this letter – but you will…



O God, why have You left me?
Why are You so far from me?
I can no longer feel You near.
I reach desperately for You,
But I cannot find You.

I know You are holy and all-righteous
and everywhere present,
The saints of past years believed in You
and trusted You.
You responded to their cries.
They sought You, and they found You.
It is no wonder that Your praises
were constantly on their lips.

But I feel as empty and insignificant
as a bag full of wind.
I don’t really expect people’s plaudits,
but I so sorely feel their criticisms.
I risk all in following
what I feel to be Your will for me;
yet even my friends fail to support me,
and they actually turn against me,
“He thinks he’s doing God’s will,” they say.
“But he’ll be sorry he made that decision.”

I believe that You have been with me
from the very beginning of my life.
I know that You have cared for me
through these many years.
But, God, I need You now.
I am in trouble,
and I can’t find You or feel You near.
At this moment, I feel as if I am falling apart.
Nothing seems to make sense anymore.
Everything I attempt ends in failure.
I feel inferior and weak.
Those I have tried to serve
are actually gloating
over my flops and failures.
I know, O God, that much of it
is a matter of my foolish feelings.
The fact is, You are not far off.
You know both my feelings and my failings.
Yet You love me and accept me.
You will save me – even from myself.

Thus I will continue to sing Your praises.
In spite of or in scorn of my feelings,
I will celebrate Your loving presence.
As despicable as I may feel at times,
you do not despise me. Neither will You leave me.
Your love is personal, and it is eternal.

Nor will You despise or ignore the afflictions
that plague Your many sons and daughters.
Your children and servants are precious to You.
Even when they fail You, You never fail them.
You hear their cries and feel their pain
and are ever ready to support them
in their conflicts.

I dedicate myself anew to You, O Lord.
I will serve You
whatever the cost of the consequence.
You are my God.
Regardless of my feelings
of insignificance and inadequacy,
I will praise Your name and proclaim Your love
to people all around me.

~ Psalm 22
Psalms Now by Leslie F. Brandt

Lent Photo Day #29 "water"

Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
Isaiah 55:1a NRSV

Lent Photo Day #28 "Silence"

Be still, and know that I am God!
Psalm 46:10a NRSV

Lent Photo Day #27 "happy"

Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
Romans 12:14-16 The Message

Lent Photo Day #26 "Ate"

On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.
Joshua 5:11-12



A market in Antigua, Guatemala.

Lent Photo Day #25 "Faithful"

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
Matthew 25:21 NIV



This photo was taken at the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans. This is a room of about 500 faithful servants from the NEMN Synod. They are whispering their prayers to God.

"Thank you I see you."

A classmate from IC2643 (The Gospel and Global Media) posted this TED Talk on her blog and I had to share it here along with a few thoughts that came to me as I watched it...



So Amanda is speaking of "profound encounters" she experienced with people as a street performer and how she doesn't want to loose it. She talks about the non-verbal exchange that took place between their eyes that went something like, "Thank you, I see you." "Nobody ever sees me thank you." This got me wondering about the people that fill the pews at church. How many of them feel the same way. "Nobody ever sees me." Do we see them? Do we see everyone in our pews or do we only see the ones that are "worth" seeing, help pay the bills, are attracive and dressed well, make the most noise, etc.? Who are the people in our pews and do we see them?

She talks about the question that fear has us asking, "Is this fair?" What is fair anyway?

The most profound piece of this video comes in the idea of asking. Asking people to help you. She said, "Asking makes us vulnerable" Brene Brown would say, "Yes! being vulerable is OK! Being vulnerable is where creativity and imagination start!" (Brown actually highlights this talk in her blog post the other day!) Palmer says, "I didn't make them... I asked them! Through the very act of asking people I connected with them and when you connect with people they want to help you."

She leaves the video with this: The music world is asking "How do we make people pay for music?" and I think we should be asking ,"How do we let people pay for music?"

Immediately I went to our dying church and thought what if we stopped asking "How do we make people come to church on Sunday mornings?" and instead started asking, "How do we let people come to church on Sunday, Saturday, Wednesday, Friday?" So, yes how do we stop making people feel like they have to come to church, but create a space, a place, a time that actually sees people, allows for vulnerability to take place, asks for help and suddenly maybe people we be able to say, "Thank you, nobody ever sees me."

On Regret...

Ok last TED Talk for tonight, but this is good food for thought. GMM classmates that might see this post, if you have time to watch do so. It is not about social media, but refers to our lives in a way that is controlled by our social media tasks and the "control z" or undo button. I also think it may give us permission to let go of some of the fear we may have about what it might look like, feel like and be like to share the gospel out there for anyone to see. I found it interesting maybe you will too...

"For the bullied and beautiful"

A must see TED Talk:


And here is the full animated "To This Day" video:

Lent Photo Day #24 "find"

Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
Matthew 7:7



I love this Bible verse. I also love that every Easter since I can remember, we "find" eggs. Now that I have two kids and my sister three, our kids enjoy the egg hunt that their Uncle D hides in good places for them to "find".

Lent Photo Day #23 "No"

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.
1 John 4:18 NRSV



Zach showing NO fear and only love for Baby Allen whom he is meeting for the first time. Baby Allen showing NO fear as he lets Zach love him and hold him even if it is just for a short while.
Casa Jackson Center Antigua, Guatemala October 2011

What is gospel?

In preaching class this week we are exploring law and gospel and what they mean, if they are optional for Lutherans and how they find there way into our sermons. I couldn't help as this class (GMM) asked us to also reflect on what is gospel. Maybe they are the same question, maybe they are different. For me, I wasn't able to reflect on gospel without also pulling in the law as a Lutheran. So here are my thoughts on "what is gospel" with a little preaching class embedded.



What is Gospel?

Gospel is what gives us identity. Gospel names us. Gospel gives us grace, but only by way of the law. If I am to reflect on this question taking into consideration by theological heritage, than I must also talk about law. In order to have gospel, we need the law. The gospel sets us free from the brokenness of our lives in which the law tells us the truth about.

The gospel is living and a part of our daily lives. God reveals the gospel to us through our brokenness and names us his beloved at the same time. The gospel isn’t just about Jesus, the gospel is the good news that we are loved, claimed and named by God. The gospel is for anyone that is willing to look into the mirror and believe that the broken, sinful person that is looking back is loved by God just the way they are.

I think that all too often we think of gospel as something that is said instead of something it does. Marin Luther tells us the “proper distinction between the function of the law and that of the gospel keeps all genuine theology in its correct use.” (Luther’s Works, American Edition) Gerhard Ebeling says, “The gospel is not simply a word, but a word-event, something that actually happens to people.” (Lose, Words that Do Things, dialogue: A Journal of Theology) One last quote. Dr. Lose in his article “Words that Do Things”, says “For the law is whatever lays us bare and exposes our plight apart from God, and the gospel is whatever clothes us in Christ’s righteousness and creates faith.”

The gospel isn’t found in the pages of the Bible (ok so of course we read from the Gospel texts), but God is alive and so is his word! If God continues to create, redeem, love, and be in this world, than we need to get out so that we can experience the gospel! The gospel doesn’t come to us in the pews at church, the gospel comes to us when God reveals himself to us through the people around us, through our experiences of pain and suffering, through our experiences of joy and celebration.

It is important for me that I don’t allow the gospel to be something that is stationary or become words that I visit when I pick up my Bible. Instead, for me the gospel names me, claims me and does something to me. The gospel seeps out of me like the water in a sponge that is oversaturated and leaks onto and into the lives of the people that are around me. Are we not called to be the gospel in and to the world? Isn’t the gospel how we respond to our neighbor? Maybe the gospel is why we respond, but isn’t it more how we respond?

An example of "neighbor"

March 6, 2013
Updated Mar 6, 2013 at 8:35 PM CST
Duluth, MN (NNCNOW.com)



Check out the above video. Is this not an example of what it means to love our neighbor? Could this not be an example of what it looks like to live the gospel?



This story has received national attention all due to Facebook! Social media in a good light!

Lent Photo Day #22 "shadow"

These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
Colossians 2:17



La Merced Church in Antigua, Guatemala. Photo taken by Oscar Palencia

Lent Photo Day #21 "night"

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Genesis 1:1-5

Lent Photo Day #20 "Bless"

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26

Lent Photo Day #19 "Thirst"

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37-38 NRSV

Sermon on Luke 13:1-9

At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’

Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.” ’

Luke 13:1-9 NRSV


Grace and peace to you my brothers and sisters in Christ. Grace and peace to you. Amen


I am currently working as a long term substitute teacher. I am teaching 7th & 8th Grade Language Arts and 11th Grade English. This last week I started reading a story with my 8th graders called Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Michealson. The main character Cole is 15 years old and has been living on last chances for many years. His rap sheet is “a mile long” and he has parents who so far have always bailed him out. Cole says it is only because they want to protect their reputation, but nonetheless, Cole goes on to see another “last chance”. As the story unfolds Cole seems to have finally reached his last last chance.

When I think about my high school students, my own children, even some adults, me, maybe you, we seem to operate on this notion that no matter what, there will always be one more chance. One more try, one more opportunity to change, one more, one more one more. This goes along with the society in which we live that has us operating as though their will always be more of ______ You can fill in the blank…

When we travel back to Jesus’ time as he is on his way to Jerusalem teaching in parables along the way, this morning’s text places us with Jesus, the disciples and in Chapter 12 we learn a large crowd, in the thousands had gathered.

Jesus has been warning against hypocrisy, tells the parable of the rich fool, reminds his disciples not to worry and as we heard on Ash Wednesday where our treasure is there our hearts will be also, these are just some of the teachings that have so far taken place since that large crowd has gathered.

Here we are in our text for today – people that were among the large crowd bring up to Jesus what Pilate had done to the Galileans and he asks,

“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?”

Jesus’ answer is no, … you better keep an eye on your own self. Repent or you too will perish.

“or those 18 who were killed when the tower or Siloam fell on them – do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?

Jesus’ answer is the same No, … Repent or you too will perish.

Do you hear what these questions and what the crowd is trying to get Jesus to tell them? They are asking Jesus if such tragedy – Pilate’s ruthless attack on the Galileans and accidents (the construction of the tower of Siloam) have come upon the victims because of their sins, because they are somehow worse sinners than the survivors.

I will never forget the earthquake that devastated Haiti – not only because loss was felt close to home as seminary students from both Wartburg and Luther were there at the time, but because I remember the well known Pat Robertson blaming the Haitians for this earthquake, saying it was their sin that brought it on themselves.

Really? I can’t wrap my head around that mentality, yet here in our gospel reading we have people in the crowd insinuating ( or at least wondering) just that.

Accidents, tragedy, death, loss, illness is all around us today. It seems as though every time we turn around someone we know is being diagnosed with cancer, someone we know has just lost a loved one in a terrible accident or illness, our family members are hurt on the job, our kids are suffering from depression, abuse, neglect our neighbors are hungry, homeless and alone, and though we might wonder about the end to all this suffering we all too often ask why and wonder if it was our own sinfulness that was the cause.

We look for someone or something to blame. We maybe blame ourselves, or someone else, we blame God, we insist that there must be an answer there must be a reason. We think thoughts of “if only I would have prayed harder” or “I should have done this or if only I wouldn’t have made choices like that when I was younger. I must be being punished. Or even God must be punishing them.

Jesus doesn’t give us a clear answer here. There is no concrete answer to why bad things happen. Suffering and tragedy are universal and certainly sinful action is not the cause to every bad thing. The question of why bad things happen to good people has been around a long time. Jesus healing the blind man – was asked if it was the sins of the blind mans parents – No.

We get no satisfactory answer here or in any of the other billion ways and times this question has been asked, Jesus instead offers us the opportunity in this text to look into our own lives and reflect on who we are, who we are becoming and then he tells us to repent so we too won’t perish not physically perish but spiritually.

It’s as if Jesus is holding a mirror and his response is for us to stop worrying about other’s in this manner and take a good long look in the mirror at our selves.

Jesus moves right into a parable of the fig tree. The fig tree that has not bore fruit for three years. The landowner is tired of the non-fruit baring tree taking up space in the garden so he tells the gardener to cut it down, get rid of it.

The gardener pleads with the man to just give it one more chance. The gardener had a plan to work with the soil that is around it and add some manure. He asked for one last chance for the fig tree to grow fruit and then and only then could the tree be cut down.

We have gone from tragedy in the world that looks for answers to the question why and points fingers of blame to this poor fig tree stuck, taking up space and not producing any fruit.

There are a lot of people who see the landowner in the parable as a God figure and the gardener as Jesus or the Holy Spirit. When the landowner represents God, we end up with a God that is judgmental and harsh.

What if the landowner represented the world? The world has come in and with its desires and needs to produce stuff, more and more stuff the tree must go. It is worthless and taking up space in which a more productive plant could grow. The world has taken away all nutrients, energy, sun and water so the tree has struggled to grow and produce. The tree has found itself in a worldly place where it has nothing left to give.

Then the gardener comes in and offers to the tree a second chance. A chance in which the ground upon which it is planted will be replaced with nourishment, new life, and water. Suddenly the tree has a reason to live. A reason to produce.

The last chance given to the tree is the same opportunity that we wake up to each and every day. The Kingdom of God offers us something different than what’s of the world. The kingdom of God is here to cultivate, to restore, and to give us new life. New life in Christ.

This morning we are to hear that yes life is hard. Bad things happen, tragedy strikes and when we find ourselves pointing fingers and placing blame and thinking that God has done this or not done that, we put ourselves up against a wall.

A wall that leads to death. We need to take a long look into the mirror and see that if we just turn around. If we can choose for ourselves to repent to see God and move towards Him, we will not perish but have eternal life.

Barbara Brown Taylor says,
“Terrible things happen and you are not always to blame. But, don’t let that stop you from doing what you are doing. That torn place your fear has opened up inside you is a holy place. Look around while you are there. Pay attention to what you feel. It may hurt you to stay there and it may hurt you to see, but it is not the kind of hurt that leads to death. It is the kind that leads to life.”

These dark places when we experience suffering, pain and loss, they are inevitable and will be, if they aren’t already, a part of our lives. We can’t get away from suffering, pain, and death, but we can let God in. We can be in this holy place with God, looking around, seeing, paying attention and know and trust that God’s love endures forever.

These tough moments in our lives help remind us of the urgency to repent and follow God. The urgency to take the time to clean and unpack. The urgency to check in on ourself to make sure the world hasn’t sucked us dry and is about to cut us off.

As much as this might seem like another last chance it is really an urgent plea. Yes we will go through dry spells, get off track from time to time, here we are talking about the real deal – just like the character Cole has finally run into his last last chance – how about you?

God calls for our repentance not because he wants us to perish, but ONLY because he wants us to have eternal life with Him.

Tragedy, illness, accidents can and do happen at any moment.

Turn to the Kingdom of God for now is the time. Your last chance may be too late, but in this moment in time it is not too late. God desires our hearts and minds to be turned to him to repent and follow Him not because you might die, but because you wouldn’t want to miss out on the joy that comes with living with Christ in the Kingdom of God.

Amen

Lent Photo Day #18 "Leave"

I missed yesterdays photo. Day #17 was "prophet". It was a full day! 13 hours at the school. We did a lot, but it was a LONG day... Taught 5 classes, participated in the school's first ever Empty Bowl event, wrote a sermon for Sunday, planned the prayers section of this weeks GMM class, and watched the last boys basketball game of the regular season. I didn't know so much could be packed into 13 short (or long) hours of a day! So here is day #18

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV



I LOVE summer and when it is time for summer to leave it is always hard for me. This photo I took on what we knew would be our last trip to the beach with the pontoon. It was a hot September day and fall was colliding with summer that day and I captured it above.

Social Media and our communities of Faith...

WOW what a week. I wished this week that there was a way for my mind to tweet and respond for me, as this week has been FULL and here it is Friday and I am just sitting down to try and put forward the thoughts that have been coming and going all week. Know that even though this post comes late, each day I read your posts. I could actually read your blogs all day long...

The question for this week has been social media and how it has changed or is changing the ecology of our faith communities. There are two pieces I wish to say more about here in regard to some of the conversations that have taken place on the ic2346 site and other blogs.

In our setting the table conversation a lot was said about not having the choice to do church or faith, but we do have a choice in how well we do it. Comments about how we refer to people who don't make church a part of something they "do" in their lives (the "nones", "unchurched")as well as what it means to be relevant. What does it mean to be relevant anyway? ksvennungsen001 says this

"I also agree that being relevant is a misguided way of trying to be engaged with the rest of the world. Rather, the church is called to be real, and when they can be that, then they are able to be honest and talk about the tough stuff like poverty, addiction, depression, sexual orientation."

I would add that when a church moves out of this effort of relevancy and becomes real they can no longer just talk about the tough stuff, they are set apart of go out into the tough stuff. They are moved to be in the tough stuff with their neighbors, with their members and with one another. If we are real in what we do, how we worship, and who we proclaim that we are than it seems to me that naturally what God is up to is revealed and we are then free to faithfully respond.

The second thought from me this week is the hesitancy that is expressed in using social media. The fears and anxieties that go along with it. I wonder exactly what is behind these hesitancies. Is it really that some are just technologically challenged? Are people really afraid? Do some find nothing real about social media simply because it isn't physically relational? I wonder what the excuses are hiding or masking? I approach my social media life in a way that I think reflects my values in life. Just because some people use Facebook for instance as an open diary and we read of details of their lives we really didn't need to know, does not mean that we also have to participate in Facebook or other social media in that way. Just as in any other form of communication, presence, or conduct that we as leaders find ourselves, the same holds true for social media.

Why are we afraid that social media is going to take over our churches? Instead of being afraid, why not appreciate the opportunities that social media brings to the table. There was a conversation about women's circles becoming a thing of the past and who might be the new funeral ladies? I wonder if it is time for women's circles to take a new turn? Sometimes the old ways need to die so new life can be created. Are there other ways in which churches can be served besides through a women's circle? How about family circles? Neighborhood circles? Intergenerational multi-aged circles?

The church is in a unique time right now. This blog post describes a growing church as a dying church. Check it out. What do you think?