Football playoffs made me think

Do you watch football? I know that some of you do. Yesterday was the playoff games to see who will be going to the Super Bowl. In such games, there are moments of joy and moments of sorrow. There are those who celebrated the victory of their team and those who mourned the loss of their team. It is the way it has to be. You cannot have a football game without a winner and a loser. We don't like to use the term "loser" because it might cause someone to feel bad about themselves. So they are the team that played well but did not see the outcome that they would have liked to have seen. Whatever. One wins. One loses.

That is the way of games. That is the way of life. In the business world, there are winners and there are losers. One company gets the contract, another doesn't. One city gets the Amazon center while another doesn't. In most areas of life, we see that there are winners and losers. It even happens in the church.

That is a statement that I wish I couldn't make. There really should be no winners or losers in the church. We should all be working towards the same goal of sharing the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a world that is lost in the darkness of sin. What happens is that we allow our sinful desires to get in the way. We put our thoughts, our feelings, our desires before the work of the Gospel. It becomes "my way or the highway" type of thinking.

This happens when a member doesn't like what the pastor has said or done. If they cannot get the pastor to change to fit their thinking, they hit the road, go to another church and try to get their way at that church. This happens when a discussion of what color to paint the walls or to get in carpet comes forward. This happens when it comes to how to move forward with the ministry of the congregation. Each one has their own agenda. Member and pastor alike. Each one lets their own desires come before the good of the church.

How do we change this? We look at our motivation. Is what I fighting for really what is good for the church and the gospel or is it something that I personally want? This is a tough question. It makes me look at my motivations and my desires. Why am I so adamant about this issue? Is it really something that will make a difference in the sharing of the Gospel? Is what I want the "only" way to accomplish the goal of sharing the Gospel? Are there options that I need to consider, options that may not be in accord with my desires? Tough questions.

I firmly believe that in the ministry of the church, there should be no "winners" and "losers." If we see things in those terms, then I believe that we have left behind the gospel and have become self-focused. All that is done is meant to move forward for one purpose, to reach out to others with the message of life and hope.

When things don't go quite like I desire, I need to step back, and see how the Lord wants me to become a part of this action. After the decision is made and the direction is set, instead of continuing to fight about it, how can I become a part of making it happen? How does the Lord want to use me to move the ministry forward?

Yes, ramblings of the preacher on a Monday morning. Agenda? Nope. Just thoughts. Have a blessed day.

End of the year ramblings

What do you do when one year changes to another? I asked myself that as 2017 moved into 2018. I decided that I would ramble about last year. Perhaps I will get around to thinking about 2018 but I don't know. Depends on how long I ramble on 2017.

There were some real highlights to the year. I celebrated my 30th year in the pastoral ministry. The Board of Elders of St. Paul's came up with a way to celebrate this milestone. They had a weekend in August where they had a reception after each service. It was very thoughtful of them to do this. They also gave me several gifts that were pretty amazing. I received a special 500th anniversary edition of the ESV Concordia Self Study Bible.

They also had Ruth Schmitt paint Wrigley Field in honor of the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series in 2016. I would have loved a repeat of this feat but it wasn't meant to be. They did make it into the National League Championship series, which was quite awesome in 2017. I appreciated the folks that came out an voiced their support as I celebrated that milestone.

I was also elected Junior Pastoral Counselor for the National Lutheran Women's Missionary League. That happened in June. Penny and I too the Southwest Chief, a train, to Albuquerque, NM for the convention. It was pretty neat being on the ballot. It was quite overwhelming to actually be elected. In truth, I didn't think I had a chance to be elected to that position. The Lord obviously had other plans so I have spent the 2nd half of 2017 serving as Junior Pastoral Counselor. Who would have thought that a pastor in southern Illinois would be elected to serve in such a capacity. I give thanks to the Lord for making this possible. I continue to learn and grow as I serve the women of the Lutheran Church.

St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Troy, IL celebrated the 150th anniversary in September. That was pretty awesome. Not often that something like that happens. There were a lot of people that did a lot of things to make the celebration what it was. I give thanks to the Lord for the folks that put themselves forward and worked hard to make the celebration successful. What a glorious time it was to celebrate.

If I was to say what was the most frustrating and disappointing time in 2107 was when Penny's contract as a teacher at St. Paul's was not renewed. This really caused a lot of confusion and disappointment in the family. We didn't see it coming and it really destroyed the joy in the family. Yes, we have worked through it. Penny did get another job. She really misses being involved in the ministry at St. Paul's. I miss her being a part of the ministry here as well. For the majority of the 30 years I have been a pastor, we have been in ministry together. 2017 was the first year that I would say that has not taken place. It has been a hard adjustment. I am sure that I am not supposed to say these things but when you ramble, that is what happens.

I continue to work toward my Doctor of Ministry though 2017 was not a banner year for it. I took a class in January, did some work in February. My work on the MAP proposal took a back seat to Lent and Easter and then when June hit, and everything fell apart, I didn't have time or desire to pick it back up and work on it. I am hoping that 2018 will change my attitude and I will will work on it again. I am going to take the last class that I need before I do the MAP. Here's hoping that things work out and I am able to get this completed by summer 2019. 

What else can I say? I rejoice that Penny and I are close to Rachael and Brandon. What a pleasure that is to have them so close by and to be able to spend time with them. Matthew got engaged to a lovely gal, Chelsey Seipel from Columbus, NE. 2018 will see a wedding on May 26 in Columbus, NE. We are looking forward to that day. How great it is that we are going to have another daughter in the family.

2017 was a challenge for the health. They finally found out that I have coronary artery spasms. This causes chest angina or pain. After 7 heart catheters, they finally found it. When they did the last cath, the arteries were spasmed down pretty bad and they figured that was probably the cause of the pain. Hurrah! Now they are trying to figure out the right medication to help me with the pain. I take nitro when needed, which is about 2-3 times a day. Boy will I be glad when all this is fixed. 

What else can I say about 2017? The Lord has been good to me. He has blessed Penny and me in many and various ways, beyond what I could ever describe. Despite the setbacks and the frustrations of the situation this year, I rejoice to know that the Lord is still the Lord of the Church and the Lord of St. Paul's He still leads me in the ministry. The Holy Spirit still guides me work.

In the end I would say: All glory be to God for all that He has done for me in 2017. I ask Him to forgive me for my sins. And I pray that 2018 will be a better year for both Penny and myself.