Mail Call

Lighter thoughts this evening are dedicated to those people who deliver our mail. Maybe you haven't noticed, but I have. The amount of garbage in our mailbox in the past decade has decreased enormously! Hats off the the USPS! Due to the use of E-Mail and other forms of communication on the net we now are reaping the rewards of an affluent society. So much so that what cost us a penny 100 years ago now costs 39 cents and it still takes three days to arrive from the Great American Desert where my wife and I reside. This is all said "tongue in cheek," of course. I love those folks who do their job in any kind of weather and resist the temptation to shoot one another. It is ironic, though, that leather postcard I posted here a while back probably took less time to arrive at it's intended destination than a post card from the same location would today. What message can this possibly hold for the ecumenical community of which I am a member? Just this: The message is the same. No matter what the cost to deliver it we must continue to deliver it as efficiently as possible. Yes, there are changing attitudes to address! Yes, this is a new century! Yes things have changed since my great grandmother's day! But(and this is a big one), "WE HAVE NOT CHANGED!" We are still the pathetic little buck-passing people that God placed on this earth with only one hope of eternal salvation! Our eternal salvation is found in the Son of our God. Many in the English speaking world call His name Jesus. In other parts of the known world He is known as Yeshua. I believe that wherever we gather to call on the name of the triune God He hears us and responds. It isn't always the response we would like to have, but it is a response, and it doesn't take three days to get here! When we pray and listen, God is faithful and answers our prayers. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Have You Had Your Frill Today?

Today the explanation of "President's" day was shared with my grand daughter. She didn't know who the guys were on the coins, but rapidly caught on to the idea of celebrating birthdays. We had ice cream, chocolate marshmallow! Interestingly enough one of my biker buds declared this "buddies" day and sent me flowers to send on to all of my buds. Last week everyone was giving and receiving flowers. On our kitchen table there resides a vase with a half dozen carnations, three white, and three pink, that my wife brought me knowing fully how much I appreciate them. The lyrics from an old country song come to mind along with lyrics from the rock world. "Love is a rose but you better not pick it; only grows when it's on the vine," and "every rose has it's thorn," were the first of what will now be a night of remembrances.
The beauty of flowers should be one that reminds us of the interaction of human kind with their environment, but for me it runs much deeper. You see, each of us has the ability to bloom in the lives of others and bring beauty to them. Sometimes a smile can be a "flower" in someone else's day. The kind word can have the same impact along with the heartfelt compliment. Kids have a way of picking up the flowers in life every day, but adults have grown up and seem to have lost that magical ability. One of my friends used to say, "don't ever grow up, it's no fun!" Growing up can be fun, though, when we learn to share the beauty of this life with others. I pray you have much to share with those around you, including some flowers for your "buds."
In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Wedding Blessings

About once a month it is my honor to officiate a wedding ceremony for folks desiring to enter into the bonds of "Holy Matrimony." It seems my mind gets really preoccupied with the thoughts of how to bring each union into a faith perspective that is going to somehow assist the couple when things get tough. As we all are painfully aware marriage is not a "forever" thing these days. I spoke yesterday of how things were in the couple's grandparent's time, and about the world we live in today. One of the most personal moments for me in the process of tying another knot is sharing with the couple that no matter where or when, if they have problems in their marraige I will be there for them. So far I have only had to respond to that need once in hundreds of weddings! Fortunately for me I had an out, the couple were experiencing their second set of vows with each other and it didn't work either time. Still, I count that as a failure, not personally, but somehow I feel inside that there should have been something I could have learned before pronouncing them man & wife that might have altered the outcome. Isn't that the way of life, we always think we might have done something different. When we come out of seminary and enter into the world of service in the church we come armed with pre-marital tests, and evaluation tools that are supposed to be cutting edge materials. We also come armed with hours of counseling training and many books to assist us with the task of helping people get off on the "right" foot together. Well, experience provides lessons that no classroom could have ever foretold. The truth of the matter is this:
All of creation hinges on God's will for our lives. If we place God first and "me" second, we can build lasting relationships. These will extend to not only our spouse, but to our friends, children, and if we are truly blessed, our grands and their families. It really is simple, but in our humaness we complicate life with the "I" that we try to satisfy. I shared with a couple this morning that right smack dab in the middle of "SIN" is "I." It's a simple truth, but the more we learn about life and relationships the more apparent it becomes that to truly unite as "one" both must be willing to circumnavigate the tendency toward "I-ness!" Life isn't fair, it's not easy, but we can learn from it and grow if we are willing to set ourselves aside and let God be our guide. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Love In Any Language

We live in a world where love is such a common in useage that we become distracted and often miss the whole point of what love is! Everyone has an idea, a set of images that come into their mind when they hear the word. Personally I think most of us miss the mark when it comes to defining love. I know about 2,000 songs that employ the word, and in some fashion attempt to convey lyrically the feelings of love. I know the lyrics to about 200(10%)of them, but when I play them in my mind they seem pretty senseless. On our side door hangs a sign pasted together out of a "welcome" thing(kinda\sorta cutesie)and scrabble letters. The letters say, "Love Is A State Of Heart!" For me love is a real trust, one that is complete, and leaves no room for doubt. That is how I view my love of God. When it comes to folks I have often tried for that level of meaning, and rarely if ever been able to hold on to it for protracted periods of time. My grandmother's(paternal)passing marked the end of a time in life where I actually knew someone that loved me as completely as God. She was way cool, and no matter how old I got she was always there up until she reached the age of 93, and then I had to continue this life's journey without her. Now I'm the one with the grandkids. My most fervent prayer is that they find the love in me that I've found in God and that they can trust that love as much as I do my Savior's. The point is, we all hunger for, long for, and need the love that is truly unconditional. That can be found and shared, but we have to be as willing as a small child to "TRUST." Perhaps herein we can learn a lesson....real love has got to be based in a trusting relationship. Now I have learned another of life's lessons. The kind of love that endures is the love that is given, not taken! I pray you have that love in your heart, and that you have many others to share it with as you grow. If you happen to be in need of that love right now, it is never any further away than the distance between your knees and the floor. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Traveling Together

It's so easy in the midst of our married lives to forget that we are traveling as a couple the path of life. We're in the same boat, but it may not be as apparent as the picture makes it. Valentine's Day is about over. The expectations and anticipations of this year's addition to our "history" together will be what it is. Some will have shared laughter and love, maybe dreams and aspirations, too. For some this day has brought a painful reminder of how short time truly becomes as we near the end of our life's journey as a couple. A low mournful wailing could be heard during one of today's moments of prayer. It was that of one who can no longer share this special day in quite the same way, her mate has gone on to his reward. Let us keep in mind all the flowers of love that have bloomed on this earth. Not just the great romances which made it to the screen or novel or even tabloid, but the simple loves of heart and home shared by couples everywhere. You see, husband and wife the world over in response to christian faith is much the same. It is dictated by the Bible and it's writings concerning how we should be toward one another. I take comfort tonight that just as we hold one another today there have been those who have traveled this way before us. The church is referred to often as the "Bride of Christ." As we hold each other, so God holds us all. Thanks be to God! In Christ's love to all the christian sweethearts out there. Happy Valentine's Day, Preacher.

From The Heart

 
Tomorrow is the celebration of St. Valentine's Day! I've read several origins of the holiday. I'm sure you have, also. I think what always impresses me most is the lengths to which the advertising world goes to get the utmost out of a sales "opportunity" in relation to the buying public in our country. There are always new gimicks appearing out in retail land. I'm somewhat of a traditionalist when it comes to this special day of celebration. Then there is the side of me that insists we are to be actively loving our brothers and sisters everyday of the year. Tonight I send out a "Special Delivery" to the Body of Christ. When the apostle Paul wrote that "faith, hope, and love abide," and that "the greatest of these is love," he was exactly right! Real love, true love, is the most powerful motivator on the planet. If we could harness it and put it to work for good only, we could effectively solve the world's greatest problems. I pray you have someone very special to express your love toward tomorrow. Give thanks for that love, and as you thank God for that say a prayer for those who have not love in their hearts. One of the Native American artworks that adorn my office walls says it like this, "If there is anything better than loving, it is to be loved!" I like that! God loves us so much at such a personal level that we should not need to be reminded to love Him back, but that's what I'm doing! For each of us to share a moment of silent prayer with our God and say, "I Love You, Lord." In Christ's Love, Preacher. 

From Cross To Cup

My heart has been drawn to serving the "Living Lord," Christ! Five days have passed as prayer has been shared with God(and anyone else who was willing to listen and share)concerning the new ministry about to begin right here in Brookings, South Dakota. Months passed, over a year's worth, as I walked the shores of the Jabok wrestling with my thoughts and the seemingly unending parade of self doubt and criticism from within. My doubts centered on the question of worthiness, for I truly believe that none of us is actually deserving of the call to serve God. The affirmations I was slow to recognize as the mountain began to move in my direction until finally, today, under the most unusual circumstances I was brought to full realization that right here on the Great American Desert there are vast fields, white unto harvest, that must be addressed. I am not representing in an official capacity any denomination, but solely(no pun intended)trusting that God knows what He is doing with the meager supply of gifts and graces I entrust for His purpose. You may have heard me mention before that my personal "breath prayer" is "Let Thy Will Be Done" and it may not be continually on my lips throughout the course of each day, but it is broadcast constantly from the Spirit that dwells within. I shared with a close friend a few weeks ago that all I have and all I am is merely a vehicle for what God would have me do. This is it! A renegade Reverend on the high plains poised to set forth on the greatest journey in life. I suppose the next step is to do some in depth planning. According to God's will this should be a fascinating read as the chapters unfold. Tonight's title indicates a journey, but it is not mine alone. It is the journey of everyone who comes seeking a path of peace with all creation. I remember with a smile the words of one of my favorite seminary professors, "You need God a lot more than God needs you!" He is the same one that took a long hard look at me years ago across the classroom and pronounced the words(for some reason I think he was speaking directly to me in regard to the length of my hair), "The world doesn't need another Jesus, one was enough!" I pray Richard is enjoying the moments he takes to look in and see how I'm getting along in this life. I also pray it gives him cause for outright laughter from time to time, I know it does me. In Christ's Love, Preacher.