The year ends

 2021 is coming to a close. Looking back on the year, it would be easy to focus on the craziness known as covid. After all, there was so much that took place this year because of it. Vaccines, masks, variants, and a whole host of other things. I think about it and I think about how scared people are because of it. Will I get sick? What will happen to me? Eek! 

For me, I have not been living in fear of covid. Will I get it? Yes, I did back in January. It pushed back my 2nd knee surgery. I believe that everyone will at one time or another get covid. But it does not scare me. I trust the Lord to get me through. "But you might get put on a ventilator!" Yes, I might. But I am not going to live in fear of it. Instead, I am going to make the most of each day. I am going to live in the grace and mercy of God. 

So 2021 had many things with covid. There were many other things that took place. I had knee replacement surgery. It was challenging. Painful? Yep. Worth it? Yep. I am thankful that I had the surgeries to get myself up and going again. I am thankful for the Lord guiding me through it.

I am thankful for the year that I had to lead the people of of St. John, Clarinda, IA in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am glad that I could teach Bible class, lead worship, distribute the Sacrament, show the love of Christ, praying with folks, celebrating with people, working with Penny at Noah's Ark, sharing the love of Christ with the children, the staff and the families. I rejoice that I have been brought here. 

I am able to praise the name of the Lord for many different things. O Lord, You are wonderful. You are holy and loving and You have reached out to me with the wonderful gift of grace and mercy. 

In this year, I finished with the Doctor of Ministry program, completing my Major Applied Project (MAP) and defending it in the oral exam and then knowing that I am totally done with the program. I began in 2012 and finished in 2021. Thank You Lord!!!

I am thankful for my family, for Penny, my loving wife who puts up with me day after day and still loves and cares for me, for my kids, Rachael, Brandon, Matthew and Chelsey, whom I do not see as often as I would like, but who are special and I love greatly, for my mother-in-law Shirley Rex who we moved to Clarinda this year in September, and I am glad that we are able to help her and take care of her as she is going to be 92 this January. I have so much to be thankful for in my life.

Thank You Lord. I praise Your name. I rejoice that I am Your child. 

Please Lord, be with me in 2022. Whatever it brings, I trust You and will follow You. 

Happy New Year.

The story ends. This invite is from...

 "I don't know, dear," your wife was saying to you, "but if I was you, I would take it serious." You had just received your second invitation from someone calling themselves, "Your Father, God." You can't imagine that God would actually invite you to go to church. God doesn't work in that way. He doesn't send out invitations to people. 

But then how do you explain what you are holding. On the very day that you throw the first invitation away, the second one arrives, "to replace the one you threw away." Really? How could any of you friends have pulled this off? This is just to strange. It can't be real. Yet you are sitting there holding an invitation from God to go to church on Christmas Eve.

No. You are not going to give in. There is no way that this was from God. You refuse to give it any credance as it is just a prank being pulled by someone. Who? You are going to find out. And then you will be able to have a good laugh together.

"No, I am not going to church with you. I don't know who you put up to this but it isn't going to work," you tell your wife. Taking both invitations, you throw them in the grabage. Good riddance to bad rubbish, you think to yourself.

Just then, you phone rings. Picking it up, it shows the number but there is no identification, no name or place listed. All it says is "place not know." Great, a telemarketer, just what you need right now. Pushing the button to take the call, you think to yourself, "I am going to give this person a piece of my mind."

"Hello," you say. "Hello," a deep, luxurious voice says your name, "This is God your Father. Why did you just throw away my invitations?" Dropping your phone like it is on fire, you look at your wife...

...jerking awake, breathing heavily, you realize you have been dreaming. Was the whole thing a dream?

"What day is it?" you call to your wife. "Christmas Eve. I am getting ready to go to church." 

"Wait a minute," you say, catching your breath, "I think I will go with you."

There is a logical explanation.

 What in the world is this? Didn't this thing just get thrown away? Did not the garbage man take the garbage away and put it in the sanitary landfill (which is so much better than an unsanitary landfill). So how was it back in the mail.

Tearing the envelope open, not waiting this time, you rip the outer envelope. There inside was the obligatory inner envelope holding the invitation. On the outside of the envelope it read, "Why did you throw my invitation away?" Shaking your head in wonder, you think to yourself, who is doing this? More than that, why are they doing it.

Wait. You now get it. It is your wife. She is the one doing this. After all, who else knew that you threw the invite in the garbage? She is behind this very thing. You are going to confront her when she gets home. At least you got to the bottom of this mystery.

A little later, you hear the garage door open. With a smirk on your face, you wait for her to walk into the house. As the door opens, you look over at her. "What is up?" she asks as she walks in. Holding up the invitation, you tell her, "You are busted. I know what you are doing." She looks at you for a moment, then a smile breaks out on her face. "Really? And what is that you are holding?" 

"The invitation that you pulled out of the garbage and put back in the mail. You are the only one who could have done this." Walking over, she took the invite from your hand. Looking at it, she reads it, and then, reaching into her purse, she pulled an invitation out of her purse. "You mean this one?" she asks. "I took it out of the garbage. I wanted to hold onto it. I showed it to my hairdresser. We talked about it and wondered what it means."

Looking at her, you take the invite out of her hand. Looking at it, you realize that it is the one you put in the garbage. There are the stains from the garbage on it. Looking from it, to the new one, you are confused. What is going on? How did this one get here? "You didn't send it?" "No I did not," she replied. 

Setting down the original invitation, you take the new one, open the inner envelope, and pull out the invitation. Looking at it, you read, "You are still invited. The invitation is still open for you to come to worship with your family." That is all it said. Really? What is this? Who sent it. There at the bottom is the same thing as the other invitation...

your Father, God.

So there it is again. Is it really from God? Could it be?

Then you had a thought, where is the envelope? There would be a cancellation on the stamp. Picking up the pieces of the envelope, you put it together. The stamp was a Christmas stamp. The postmark was, what? Heaven. Really? Heaven? No state. Just heaven. That is not possible. 

Showing it to my wife, I looked at her questioning. Her eyes grew wider. Looking at me, she said, "Could it really be from God?"

I did not know.

Who sent it?

 After a few minutes of sitting there and thinking about the invitation, you realized that it can't be. "I bet it was sent by one of the guys at the coffed shop, " you say to your wife. "This is ridiculous. I can't believe that they would do such a thing. God doesn't send out invitations." Looking at your wife, you pick up the invitation, and throw it in the garbage. "And by the way, I don't think I will be able to go to church with you this week. If you want to stop by and pick me up after you are down so we can meet them at the restaurant, that would be good. But I am NOT going to church" 

Walking out of the kitchen, you pick up your coat, slip it on, grab your keys and say, "I'm going to confront those guys. This isn't funny. Why would they do that?" Soon you pull up in front of the coffee shop on the square. Yep, there are their cars and trucks. The guys are here. "I bet they are in there laughing at me," you think as you walk towards the door.

"Hey guys!" you call as you walk in. A round of greetings come from the guys. Slipping into an empty chair, the waitress brings you a cup of coffee. You have been coming here long enough she knows to get you a cup of joe. The conversation is going go as you pick it up and smell the wonderful coffee smell. Taking a sip, you know that it is good and hot. Just the way you like it. Yep, that waitress knows how you like your coffee.

"Which one of you did it?" you ask. All eyes turn to you. Conversation stopped. "I know one of you did it. Which one of you did? Or are you all involved?" Looking around the table, you see confusion and blank stares looking back at you. You look at each face, sure that one of them will crack. But there is no change at all. "What do you mean?" one of them ask. "Yeah, how can we know what we did, if we don't know what you are talking about?" another says. 

"The invitation," you say. "Did you open it?" you are asked. "I thought you threw it away." "Who was it from?" "What was it for?" The guys are throwing questions at you quicker than than you can respond. Holding you hand up, "Wait a moment. I did open it. It was an invitation from God, inviting me to a Christmas Eve church service." They all looked at you for a moment, and then began to laugh. "There it is," you think. "Now I am getting somewhere." 

"What are you talking about?" one of them ask. "Hey look," they joke with each other, "God sent me an invitation." Laughter all around the table. "Are you crazy?" one of the says. "That is crazy. God doesn't do that."

"I know, that is why I am sure that one of you, or maybe all of you, sent that to me. Which one did it?" you ask. There wasn't a word, a sound. "It wasn't me," says one. And soo, they all respond the same way. "Was it really from God?" one of them ask. "How am I supposed to know. I never have gotten a card from God before. He doesn't do that sort of thing," you say.

Discussion continues for a few minutes as they all begin to talk about this invitation. You wish you hadn't thrown it away. Why didn't you bring it with you to show them? Maybe that would have broken the silence on who sent it. But then again, as you look around, it appears that none of them are showing any sign of being the one that sent it to you. 

After eating breakfast, you head home. The house is quiet. You knew that your wife was going to hairdresser this morning. So you expected that she would be gone. Going to the garbage, you look inside. It was empty. She must have taken the garbage out. Going outside, you open the garbage can, but it is empty. Oh yeah, today was garbage pick up day. Grrr, why did you throw that invitation away? Why did she have to take the garbage out? Why did they have to be on time picking up the garbage? Didn't they know that you wanted to get that out of the garbage? Oh well, that is the end of that silly part of you life. After several weeks, it felt good to have it over.

Later that same day, you hear the mailman stop by, putting the mail in your box. Probably Christmas cards, you think. Opening the door, you reach out and take the mail out of the box. Walking into the kitchen, you are sorting through the mail. Christmas card, Christmas card, junk mail, look a credit card application, Christmas card, and...

...an invitation. You stand there, staring at the inviation in your hand. What is this?

It can't be

 ...it's from. Who was the invitation from? That has been what was on your mind for the last couple weeks. At first, it didn't bother you. It just was a simple invitation that was sent to you. Generally invitations come with a return address. This one did not. Come to think of it, you had not looked at where the cancellation of the stamp was from. Where did it come from? Where was that outside envelope? Why did you throw that away? That would have answered the question of where it came from.

Well, that is history. Here you are, ready to turn the invitation over to read it and see who it was from. Your wife was watching over your shoulder. "Well?" she asked. Holding it in your hand, you turn it over.

"You are invited to attend..." What? You can't believe it. It can't be? Could it? That never happens. It doesn't work like that. Dropping the invitation on the table like it was burning your hand, you look down at it. Your wife is looking over your shoulder. You hear here sharp intake of breath from your wife. "It can't be," she says.

You turn and look at her. "Did you send this?" you ask. "Me? No. I had no idea who it was from," she responds. "Then who?" you ask, as you look down at the invitation. Never in a million years would you have thought you would receive such an invitation. Why did you recieve it? Why would it be sent to you?

Reaching down, you pick up the invitation. "You are invited to attend the celebration of the birth of My Son on Friday night, December 24, 2021 at 11:00 p.m." With shaking hands, you read it out loud. The name at the bottom of the invitation was...

...Your Father, God.

What is happening to you?

 After last Sunday, you held your breath whenever your wife started talking about things. In the back of your mind was this thought that she might remember what you said after church last week. In a moment of weakness, you said you might go to church with her again. But she never mentioned it again. But it was on your mind. You thought about it again and again.

What did you do with the invitation? Did you throw it away? No you didn't. In fact, as the week went on, you picked up the invitation again and again. On Thursday evening, after dinner, in the quiet of the evening, you sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, you picked it up, turned it over in your hand, looked at it and...

...flipped open the flap on the envelope, reached inside and pulled out the invitation from inside the envelope. Holding it into your hand, it was upside down. As you are ready to turn it over, your wife walked into the kitchen. "Hey hon, I was thinking that after church Sunday we would go out to lunch with (and she named a couple that you knew would be at church because she always said they were there). Since you are coming with me, I won't have to come home to pick you up." 

Turning and looking at her, you realize what she just said. She no longer was wondering if you were going to go to worship with her. She just assumed it. Well, you did say that you might go with her. But you said "might." You didn't say "would." But she heard that you were going with her. She obviously was thinking about it as much as you were but just hadn't said anything about it. It had been perculating in your thoughts all week. But did you really want to go two weeks in a row? If you did that, would she expect it again and again? What if you didn't want to keep going? What if you didn't like what the preacher said? What if he said something about one of things you did that you knew wasn't right but you liked doing it anyway? You might just get ticked off. Then not only would you be upset with church, but you will have your wife upset with you too. You will have it coming and going. What were you going to do?

"Have you talked with them yet?" you asked, setting the invitation down on the table. "I was thinking..." you started, when she said, "Yes. They said they would like it." Sighing, you realize that she has covered all the bases. What could you do? Say no? Really? She would be so disappointed. "Well, I guess it sounds OK to me. It would be easier to go out with them if I went to church with you. I might as well." What did you just say? Did you just agree to go to church again? What is up with that? Are you getting weak in your old age? Why did you say that? It did feel right, but still...

"Hey, you opened your invitation," you wife says. "Who is it from?" Looking at her, you respond, "I was just about to find out." Reaching for the invitation, you pick it up and turn it over.

"Well, look at that," you say. "It's from..."

Home again

 Well, that was interesting, you think to yourself, as you take off your sweater that you had worn to church. You couldn't believe that you had actually gone to church with your wife. You had sworn you would never do that again. But there you were, walking into church with your wife. She had a smile on her face the whole time. She had even held your hand as you walked through the door. Why did she do that? Was it because she was afraid you would turn around and leave before walking in? You wouldn't have done that to her. The fact is, after you had committed to going with her, you wouldn't back down. That wasn't your style. She should have known that. Why did she hold your hand?

So here you were, back home after going to church. Going to church, who would have thought? Why did you do that? Why did you suddenly say you would do it? She had invited you again and again and you had never agreed to go with her. Why this time? Was it because of that awful invitation that you had received in the mail? Did that open you up to accepting her invite this time? 

Why didn't you just throw that dumb thing away? Life was all right before that thing had arrived. You never had to think about going to church. Having gone once, would she expect you to go again? Is she going to want you to go to church with her on Christmas? She has always asked you to go to that midnight service. It is so late. Why does she want to stay up till then? Sleep. You would prefer to sleep. 

You think to yourself, "I will just throw that thing away when I get back into the kitchen." That will end this ridiculous time. Then you can go back to the life that you were used to living. But it did make her happy to have you sitting next to her in church. You even liked a few of those songs that they sang, as long as they did not expect you to sing. Wait, did you just think that? No, you are not going back. You are going to stand firm and not give in again. Once a year is enough.

Heading into the kitchen, you look around for that invitation. It is going in the trash. That is for sure. "Thanks for going with me," your wife says to you. "It was really nice having you there with me." You look at her, the smile, the sparkle in her eyes, and you forget what you were doing. "You are welcome. I didn't mind it." What did you just say? "Maybe next week we could go together again," she says. There it is. You knew it was coming. "Yeah, maybe I will." What? Did those words come from your mouth? Stop it! Quit opening your mouth. Those words should never come from your lips. But there it was. Now what do you do? 

What are you going to do? you wonder...

Invited again

 "Honey," your wife says to you as you are sitting at the side of the bed, "What are your plans for today?" What? you think. What are my plans? "I don't know. I just woke up," you say rather gruffly. Why would she be asking you such questions at this time of the morning, you wonder. Rubbing your eyes, trying to clear your thoughts, you hear her saying, "Would you like to..." and you quickly stop listening. Yes, you have selective hearing. You like to say you are getting hard of hearing but the truth is, when you don't want to get involved, your hearing stops. You have the ability to quit listening. You just did that.

As the morning progresses, you wonder to yourself what she was asking of you. Did she have something in mind? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe you should have been listening to her. Maybe...wait a minute, what day is it? It is Saturday, right? No, wait, it is Sunday again. Was she inviting you to go to...gasp...church again? Doesn't she know that you really not interested in going to church with her? 

"What were you asking early?" you query. Hoping that maybe she was wanting to go out for luch at that new restaurant in town. You have heard good things about it. They are saying that the food is really tasty. You would love to try it out. "Were you wanting to go out to the new place for lunch?" you asked hopefully. "Yes, I was thinking that. I thought it might be a good day to try it out," she responds. "I thought we could go there after worship this morning. Would you like to go to worship with me this morning? The kids said they would meet us there." You sigh. Taking a deep breath. You wonder how you got into this mess. 

Yes, it all started with that stupid invitation. That is the problem. Whoever sent you that invitation started this whole thing. What happened to that thing anyway. You had thrown it away once and it came back. Is it possessed? Is there something more to it than you realize? Stop it, you think. That is crazy talk. But if she didn't see that invitation she would never have invited you to church. 

"I might..." you find yourself saying. What? Did you just say that? Did you just start to say that you might go with her? "Well, if you would like to, we should leave in a half hour," she responds. "I would love to have you go with me." Sighing, you look at your wife. Her eyes are bright. She looks, well, almost happy. Would it really hurt you to go to church with her? All you have to do is sit there. You don't really have to do anything else. 

"OK," you tell her. "I'll go get ready." As you head to the bedroom to get ready, you think, what am I supposed to wear? "Wear that new sweater I go you," she tells you. Did she just read my mind? No, that isn't possible. But then again, she does know me better than anyone else.

Reaching for the sweater, you wonder, "What is that invitation about, anyway..."

Free! Free at last! Really?

Sunday had moved along nicely after that shaky time at the local diner. You found yourself back in the garage getting the decorations out. Why did folks have to stick their nose into lives that was not theirs? you think to yourself. Why did that gentlemen have to invite you to come to worship anyway? Why couldn't he have just left you out of the conversation? You were perfectly happy staying home and working on your Christmas decorations instead of going to some stuffy old worship service. Your mom made you go when you were a kid and you swore when you were older you would never darken the door of a church again. You went for weddings and funerals but that was it. Sunday morning? That is the time to relax and do chores.

Chores like putting up the Christmas decorations. That day was coming and you needed to get the place decorated. What good would it be to not have the house decorated for Christmas? You have a string of lights in your hands, working to untangle them. As you thought about it, you began to think, "What am I doing? I want nothing to do with church and I am putting up Christmas decorations?" Well, you think, I am only putting up the colored lights because they are pretty. Everyone does it. It doesn't mean anything. You push the thoughts out of your mind as you get the lights untangled and hung around the house. It was a nice enough day to get the lights out.

Next comes the...no, do I really have to put that out? Standing there in the garage, you look at your nativity set. There is the shepherd and his sheep. Then the wise men. What makes them so wise? Shouldn't they have kept that valuable stuff for themselves? Of course there is Mary and Joseph, and...sigh, the baby Jesus. Why am I even putting this out? You don't think about Jesus much except if you hit your thumb with a hammer or get upset with something that is going on. "Why am I putting out baby Jesus when I don't even have anything to do with Him?" you ask yourself. 

Holding that baby in your hands, you look down at it. Didn't that guy at the dinner invite you to go to worship next Sunday? Nope, not happening...looking down at the baby. This is just a symbol of Christmas, you think to yourself. I am not being hypocritical. Pushing the thoughts out of you mind (with a few chose words to accompany your foolish thinking), you finish your decorations.

Heading inside, you decide you could use a cup of coffee. It might have been nice out, but it was still a chilly December day. A cup of java would be good right about now. You walk to the coffee maker, pick up your cup, reach for the coffee pot and stop...there it is. How did that get there? Didn't you throw that stupid thing away? How is it sitting on the counter next to the coffee maker once again.

What is up with that invitation? 

Breakfast time!

 It was a good day. You felt freer than you had ever felt before. You went about the day free from the pressure of that stupid invitation. After you had tossed it into the garbage, you went and got ready for the day. The wife was at church. So you were free for a while. Dressed, you go through the kitchen, pick up a cup of coffee, and head to the garage to dig through the Christmas decorations. There was decorating to do. Folks in the neighborhood had already been putting up their lives. You neighbor even had lights on the fence between you. That was good, because it meant that you would not have to put up the lights on the fence. Maybe it pays off to procrastinate. Maybe.

Time slips away and before you know it, the missus has returned home from church. She pulls into the drive, gets out of the car and calls out to you. "Want to go out for lunch?" she asks. You realize that you are hunger. Yes, you would like to go out for a bite to eat. 

Sitting at the local diner, you see other folks that seemed like they were dressed up. Oh, yes, they are in their Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. Several of them greet your wife and you as you come in. They are all smiles. There is lots of good conversation going on. As you sit there, the family at the table next you greets you. "Wasn't that service great this morning?" the gentlemen asks. You stare at him blankly. What? What service? You wife responds with an affirmation. And they chat about what went on in church. You look down at the menu, hoping to avoid any such conversation. 

"Where were you this morning? We would love to see you in church." he says to you. With a sigh, you look up. "I was busy," you respond. Really? That is the best you could do? I was busy? You weren't busy. You just did not want anything to do with church. Besides, no one has ever asked you to be there, you think grumpily. Why would I go without an invitaiton...then you stop. You were invited. Your wife asked you to join her. Rats. Why did she have to do that? Why couldn't she just leave well enough alone?

"Well, maybe you will join us next week," he says to you. "I would enjoy seeing you in worship. You would really enjoy it." What? Really? Another person doing that. Leave me alone! you think. "Yeah, maybe I will," you say, without much conviction. Why do they have to do such things? Why do they feel the need to invite you to church? Your wife, these folks, who else is going to invite you? 

You mind drifts back to the invite you had received. You had thrown it in the garbage. You felt free from it. But now, it is back in your thoughts. What is that all about? Maybe you should look at it after all? Shaking your head to clear your thoughts, you realize the conversation has moved along. But in the back in your mind, there is the invitation...

Why keep it around?

 The coffee was good. Sitting at the kitchen table on that Sunday morning, you were enjoying your morning coffee. Some days, the coffee tasted better than others. Today, was one of those days. It tasted really good.

Sitting there, you hear your wife upstairs. Soon, she would come downstairs. You knew what was going to take place but you hoped it didn't. Maybe this week would be different. Maybe she would just go about her day without bringing it up.

Sipping your coffee, she showed up in the kitchen. "Good morning," you say. "Good morning, dear," she responds. Taking another drink of your coffee, she says to you, "Would you like to go to church with me this morning?" There is was. You hoped that she wouldn't bring that up again. The coffee that tasted so good a few moments ago, suddenly tasted a bitter. Why would she do that to you? She knew your answer to her invite to attend worship with her. It is the same week after week. Why do you need to go to church to be surrounded by those type of people. 

Setting your coffee cup down, "Not this morning," you say. Not this morning? Really. You haven't been to church with her for several years now. Not this morning? Why not just say, "Forget it, I won't ever go to church with you." But you didn't. Instead it was "not this morning." That left the door open for her to ask again. Sighing, you look at the cup of coffee, now tasting so bitter.

After a little while, she finishes her coffee, gives you a kiss, and heads out the door. "I'll be back after worship," she says. Shaking your head, you sit there.

As you hear the garage door close, your eyes fall on the invitation sitting there on the counter. How did that get there? You buried it under all the other stuff on the counter. There it sits, calling to you, "Open me!" No! you say to yourself. I have not need to open that stupid invitation sent by who knows, inviting you to something that you don't want to go to anyway. Go away! 

With a grunt, you get up, and walk out of the room. Why did you have to get that invitation anyway? Why couldn't you have just thrown it away on the day it arrived. Yes, that is what you should have done. Wait, you still could. Going back into the kitchen, you pick the invitation up and toss it in the garbage.

There, it is done. You don't have to worry about that invitation any longer.

Being stubborn

 Not at this time. Two days have passed since you thought about the invitation. You have done your best to avoid it. You haven't looked at, talked about it, or let anyone bring it up. At first, you were nervous, thinking that the person who sent it would ask you about it, why you hadn't responded yet. But no one has said anything like that. When you had mentioned it to others, they encouraged you to open it. But you didn't.

Now you don't do anything with it because you are being stubborn. People can't tell you what to do. It isn't any of their business if you open an invitation or not. What makes them think they can make you do something that you don't want to do? Why in the world do people stick their nose in your business. You were perfectly happy, content even, before that stupid invitation came. Like a golden retriever that doesn't want to go for a walk, you are immovable in the fact that you will not open that invitation. It was enough that you took it out of the envelope. Why couldn't that be enough?

Stubborn. Refusing to accept the invitation that is given to you. Yes, stubborn. There is no other word for it. It isn't that it was that bad to get the invitation. What made it bad is that it wasn't your idea. You were not part of the planning of whatever it is. You feel pressured, pushed, by that stupid piece of paper in that colorful envelope. 

Growling to yourself, you see it laying on the table, in the stack. And you think, "NO! I will not open it!" Why not? Because I don't want to. Should I? Nope! Not happening. 

Maybe I should...no, forget it.

Opening the Envelope

 The new day begins. You walk into the kitchen to get your coffee to start the day, and there it sits, the invitation that you have refused to open. You sigh, wondering why some unknown person would send you an invitation to an unknown event. Everyone that you have talked to about that invitation has asked you, "Well, aren't you going to open it?" Talk about pressure. Each one is sayind to you, "Go ahead. Open it. See what it is all about." 

Why won't they leave you alone? They keep pushing you to do something that you don't want to do. Why? Why can't they just leave it be? Do you have to open an invitation when it comes to you? Do you need to see what it is all about? What if you decide you want nothing to do with it? Can't they understand that it is up to you and not up to them? You just feel like screaming, "Leave me alone! Let me be!"

Taking a sip of your coffee, you pick it up. Well, maybe, maybe you will open it. Maybe you will see what it is all about. Setting your coffee cup on the table, you sit down. Holding the envelope in your hand, you run your finger along the edge, opening the flap of the envelope. Your heart begins beating a little faster, this just might something important. Looking around to see if anyone if the family is watching, you lift the flap. 

There inside you find...another envelope. Of course. That is the way invitations work. So you pull the inside envelope out of the other envelope. It is not sealed. And on the envelope you see, your name printed nicely. There it is. It is sent specifically to you. But it still doesn't tell you anything.

The invitation is personalized. It has your name on it. What do you do now? Do you open that second envelope, just to see what it is about and who it is from? Picking up the coffee cup, you toss the envelope down. Not at this time.

How many times do you toss down the invite? How many times do you see that your name is listed, but you do not respond to the invitation? What will you do?

Why should I open it?

 "Aren't you going to open the invitation?" your spouse asks you. Picking up the invite and turning it over and over, "Do you think I should?" you ask. "Why would I want to open an invitation from someone that I don't know, an invitation that I did not ask for?" True, most invites come without being asked for, but the fact is, you generally know when one is coming. You hear about the cousin getting engaged, so you expect the invite. The grandson is graduating from high school, so you expect the invite. The neighbor is having a party, so you expect the invite. 

But this one, came from nowhere. It doesn't even say who it is from. Why would you open such an invite? It isn't right to feel pressured to open it when you don't want to. Your spouse shouldn't push you to open it. When you mentioned it at work yesterday, your coworkers asked you a variety of questions. "Who is it from?" No clue. "What is it to?" How should I know. "Aren't you going to open it?" Why should I, it is probably just junk mail. "But wasn't it first class postage?" Leave me alone. Let me be. It is up to me if I open it or not. No one can force me to consider that invitation. 

So you leave it sitting on the table. Unopened. Unattended. Sitting there, drawing your eye as you pass it by. So you put it on the counter with other things that you will get to at some point in time. Maybe you will open it tomorrow, or next week. But not now. Not at this moment.

That is how the invitation to hear the Word of the Lord is often treated. People treat the Word of God that way. The Bible sits on the table, unopened. It calls out to be opened, but so many just pass it by. Why should I read that? Why should I open it? My life is all right as it is. The invitation lies unopened.

Will you open it? Will you see who it is from? Maybe? Time will tell.

You are invited to worship at your local church tonight (if they have Advent Wednesday services). How will you respond to that invitation? 

Will You Open the Invitation?

 Walking past the table, you see the invitation that you had tossed there. It had arrived yesterday and you had not bothered to open it because you did not know who had sent it. There was no return address. Why would you receive an invitation from someone who did not even have the courtesy of putting their return address on it? Why would you consider the invitation? You pick it up again. Turn it over in your hands, looking for any clues as to what it is inviting you to attend. You wonder to yourself once again, "Who sent this? Why did they send it? What is it about?" 

Looking at it again, you toss it back on the table and walk away. Why did you not open it? Why would you just let such an invitation lie without seeing who it was from and what it was about? It seems incredible that you would just let the invitation sit there unopened. 

Have you ever done that? Have you ever not opened something because you did not who it was from or what it contained? What if you never open the invitation? What would happen? Nothing. Really, nothing would happen. You will not be arrested and jailed for not opening an invitation. You will not be out the need to buy a gift for someone. You will not know what you missed. In fact, since you have not opened the invitation, you will have no idea what you missed. So actually, by not opening the invitation, you did not even have to decide if you would accept the invitation. 

Leaving it unopened frees you from doing anything. Nothing. You have to do absolutely nothing. You can live your life as before because the invitation means nothing to you. 

That is the way that many people treat the invitation that they receive from the Lord. They receive it, toss it aside and then live their lives without having to change a single thing. What do you do with the invitation that the Lord lays out before you? When He reaches out to you, how do you respond? What do you do with the invitation the Lord has given to you? What is that invitation? 

What is the invitation to? Tune in...

An Invitation arrives.

 You go to the mailbox. It is a day like any other day. You don't have much expectation for mail. There might be a bill or two. There would probably be some advertisement, there seems to be something like that every day. How can they afford to send out so much junk mail? Then there will be the obligatory credit card application or the "you are approved" loan letter. Really? Do people really fall for that? They must, because they continue to send them out. 

You open the box, pull out the few pieces of mail that the mailman put there, and close the box. Holding your mail, you sort through it. Yep, there is the credit card application. Some things never change. There is the ad paper. Doesn't look like there are any bills today. Wait a moment, what is that? You look at the envelope. What is it?

It looks like an invitation. The envelope looks nice. There is a first class stamp on it, meaning that it is not junk mail.

 

It definitely looks like an invitation. (The sample that I put here is just a sample I pulled off the internet.) You turn it over in your hand. Looking at both sides. Who was it from? There was no return address. Who sent this to you? It is addressed to you. Your name is there. Your address is correct. 

Holding it in your hand, you go into the house. "Hon!" You call out. "Look at what we received today. An invitation." Your spouse responds, "An invitation to what?" "I don't know. I haven't opened it." Tossing it on the table, you walk away.

An invitation is so nice to receive. But if you just look at the envelope and don't open it, the invitation holds nothing for you. You need to open it. But if you just let it sit on the table, you are wasting that invitation.

During Advent, our Wednesday evening services will be following the theme, "Invitation to a Stable." We will be looking at the invitation that is sent to us. The first week, we will see what it announces. Come and join us at St. John at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 1st. (And stay for the dinner served by St. John Noah's Ark. What will they serve? Lasagna!!!! yum)

Next...will the invitation be opened?

The lunar eclipse

 I thought about setting an alarm to wake up at 3:00a.m. but then, the more I thought about it, the less I liked the idea. Therefore, I did not set an alarm. I figured if I woke up in time, I would go out and see the lunar eclipse. If I did not wake up, then I would see the pictures that others posted. So with that thought in mind, I went to sleep last night. In truth, I figured I would miss the eclipse. Not that I was upset by that thought. I like to sleep. It is bad enough when Wrigley gets me up to go outside. In case you don't know, Wrigley is our chocolate lab. There are nights when she decides she wants to go outside. I think she has a date or something. Perhaps she is visiting with the rabbit that hangs out in the yard. 

So there I was, sleeping away. The lunar eclipse began at 2 or something like that. The height of the eclipse was going to be 3:05 a.m. Seriously, 3:05 a.m. So what happens? at 3:07 I wake up. I lay there thinking, "Do I want to get up?" I debated for a few minutes. Then I thought, if it is cloudy, I can go back to sleep. I got up, looked out the window and saw stars. And it is was dark. The full moon was NOT shining brightly, which meant the ecplise was going. Sigh. That meant, in my mind, I should go outside and see it. 

So there I was, three in the morning, putting on a coat, picking up my camera, heading out the door. Really? Was I doing this? Yes. I looked up and it was breathtaking. The moon was glowing red. There was a sliver of silver, since was not a total ecplise.

This picture does not capture the red. I have a couple that do, but they are blurrier. I shot them with my handheld Canon with a telephoto lens. I tried various speeds. The slower speeds caught the red. 

So the question is, was it worth getting up? Yes it was. I enjoy seeing the wonder of the creation that God has created. As I stood there watching the ecplise, I thought of how amazing it is that God created this universe the way He did. It is an amazing universe, a wonderful world and a glorious life. 

Thank You Lord. Then, I went back to bed. Yes, I did fall asleep quickly. Thank You for that, too, Lord.

Time change thoughts

 Time to eat supper. We must be eating late today. Why? It is dark outside. So that must mean that it is much later than usual. The sun has set shortly after 5, and the skies are growing dark. But wait, it is the regular time to eat supper. What happened? 

Daylight savings time has come to an end. We have returned to standard time. This has caused many to have that discussion - do we still need to have the time change? The numbers each year seem to grow, those who don't like the time change. Will it be brought to an end? Will the country cease to celebrate what some call "outdated" and "no longer needed"? Each person probably has an opinion on it.

Do I? Of course. I like the fact that the sun comes up earlier with standard time - especially in November, December and January. But that means the sun goes down earlier in the evening. I did not like the fact that the sun wasn't coming up at 8 in the morning. That would get later and later, pushing towards 8:30 and later. That would drive me nuts. But at the same time, I do not like it getting dark earlier. Yet, at the same time, evenings are the times when I have meetings, and other events, when I am inside anyway, then it really doesn't make a lot of difference. 

Staying at standard time would mean that sunrise in the summer would be mighty early. It would be around 4:00 a.m. I don't think I would like that. I know, those who live in Alaska and the far north have long daylight hours and long nighttime hours. I couldn't do that. You can have it. 

So what am I saying? As much as I don't like time change, because it messes with my sleep patterns, I think I like it. I like how it changes things in the winter, getting sunlight earlier in the day. I like the changes in the summer, staying light later. Do we need it? No, we don't need it. But I hope we keep it. 

Those are my thoughts. Good luck with yours.

Waiting is a challenge

 Waiting. It isn't something that we like to do. In today's world, we are used to getting things instantly. I am not sure when it "officially" came into being, but we became and instant society. Perhaps it was with TV dinners back in the day. You did not have to wait for a dinner to be prepared. Instead, you could have it "instantly." They really were not instant, but it was quite a bit easier.

Then came the microwave. Instant. Pop something in, hit the button and presto! It is ready. What used to take an hour, might take only a few minutes. Instant! We get our information instantly. I remember having to get up in the morning, and watch the TV to see if school was called off. You waited to see if it scrolled along the bottom of the screen. If you had to leave for a moment, you could miss it and have to wait till it came around again. If you wanted news, you had to wait for the newspaper (what is that?) or for the news that came only once an evening. We hear instantly when something happens thousands of miles away. We live in an instant world.

We are waiting. And there is nothing we can do to make it happen sooner. What are we waiting for? The gingko tree to let go of it's leaves. Others have lost their leaves, but our hasn't. Why not? Come on, let the leaves fall. It has been 2 days already since others have lost their leaves. The catalpa tree has dropped it's leaves. But not our gingko. Waiting.

Waiting is tough. Waiting to hear back from the doctor on the tests that are run. Waiting for the family to arrive on a holiday. Waiting to get paid. Waiting in line at the store. Waiting to go somewhere. 

"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" Psalm 27:14 ESV Waiting for the Lord to come again. We must wait for that time. We do not know when it is going to happen. So we wait. As we wait, we trust in the Lord. As we wait, we take courage, because Jesus Christ has already come to save mankind. Waiting in faith, we find comfort and strength. In the Word we are given comfort, strength and assurance. 

So we wait. When will those leaves fall?

Rejoicing that you are forgiven

In Sunday morning Bible class we are studying the book of Philippians. If I was to say what the theme of Paul's letter to the church in Philippi might be, I would say it could be found in the words, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice" (Phi.4:4 ESV) As Paul writes to the believers in that Roman city, he was encouraging them to rejoice in whatever the situation of their lives.

Rejoice! Rejoice! I will say it again rejoice. God is good. All the time. All the time. God is good. Rejoice in all that He has done for you. Live in the joy of the Lord. Celebrate the wonder of what God does for you day after day. The life of the Christian is a life of joy. Paul lays all that out and helps you and me to know how to go about living our lives. Rejoicing in Christ, we go about our day.

It isn't that he is saying that everything in this life is going to be good and sunny. He showed again and again that he lived in the joy of the Lord. Read Acts 16, the time when Paul and Silas first went to Philippi. It was far from a joyous time. In fact, Paul gets frustrated by the servant girl that was possessed by the evil spirit, the one that kept following him around, telling everyone that Paul was serving the God in heaven. It sounds good at first. Hurrah! The word is proclaimed. But then it started getting on his nerves. Imagine someone who is always there, talking, interrupting you, telling others part of your story. Everytime you sit down to talk to someone, there was that person, chattering away. Sometime making sense, sometimes not. Driving you nuts. Paul finally tells the evil spirit to leave her - in the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord, the Savior, the Victor! Hurrah! Freedom. Freedom for Paul. Freedom for the gal. Everyone was happy. Except for her owners. They lost a fortune no longer having a slave girl that could foretell the future. They got upset. They got so upset that Paul and Silas were arrested, beaten with rods and thrown in prison. Rats! That is terrible. How awful. 

So what do they do? They sit in prison and sing and praise God. They pray. They talk about the wonder of the message of Jesus Christ. They sing some more. They rejoice in the Lord. Always. Even in prison. Even when hurting from being beaten. Even when abused. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice.

But what if I don't rejoice? The question was raised, "What if I am not very good at that attitude when I am sick and suffering? What then?" Does it mean I am not a very good Christian? Does it mean I have missed the point of the sermon? Does It mean that I need to go back to confirmation class and learn some more stuff? What does this mean? (All right, that was thrown in for all you folks who remember Luther asking that question in parts of the catechism.)

It means that you are human. It means that you are a sinner. It means that you have the very same need that Paul had, that the folks in Philippi had - you need your Savior. 

Understand, I am not saying that you not rejoicing is a sin. That is not what I said. It is not a sin to not feel joy in every situation. It is not a sin to be upset. It is not a sin to be filled with dread in a situation. It is not a sin to be overwhelmed by what is going on. It is not a sin to sit in that prison at night and cry. 

What it shows is that you, like everyone else, need Jesus. You need what He brings to each person, hope, peace, comfort, healing, strength and a whole host of other things. 

I answered the question (after thinking), with this thought.

I face a difficult situation. I face a hard time. I face a life-threatening disease. I face the challenge of the day. And at times, I do so poorly. I get upset. I grumble. I growl at those around me. I tear others poorly, saying harmful and hurtful things that are not filled with rejoicing. I hurt others feelings. I do and say sinful things because I am upset, unable to rejoice. 

When I realize I am doing that, I need to stop and first and foremost, ask God to forgive me. I am wrong to act that way. I might be upset. I might be filled with fear. I could even have terror of the unknown filling my thoughts and actions. But I need to admit I was wrong, asking God to forgive me.

Then I need to talk to those I have treated poorly (the wife, husband, children, parent, friends, nurse, cleaning lady, food service working, whomever), and tell them, "I am sorry. I was wrong for treating you that way. I was reacting to how I was feeling at the time. It was not right. Please forgive me. Please try to understand me. Please help me as I go through this difficult, hard, terrible, awful, deep sorrow time." In that situation, while you might be unable to rejoice, you are able to show that being a Christian doesn't mean that you won't sin, you won't say the wrong thing, you won't hurt someone's feeling with unkind words. Being a Christian is realizing that, admitting you were wrong (making no excuses) and asking the person/s to forgive you. 

That becomes a witness to the life of the Christian. Being a Christian does not mean that you won't get upset in a situation. It means that you will admit that you acted wrongly and ask for forgiveness from the one you have wronged. Being a Christian means that you will face how you act, apologize for it, and then try to change how you act.

Rejoice in the Lord always! Yes, I will rejoice in the Lord. I will try to rejoice in each situation. I will seek the joy of the Lord. I will have difficult times. I will fail at it (because I am a sinner). And I will be forgiven by my Lord Jesus. The Spirit will help me to change. 

So, in the end, I come back to "rejoice in the Lord always." You are forgiven. You are loved. The Lord watches over you. That, is what we share with others. 

A full moon makes me think

 Opening the door to let the dogs out this morning, I looked to the west, and saw the full moon. What a beautiful sight!

To see the full moon reminds me of how the Lord has put together this wonderful world, solar system, and universe. Each month, you can know exactly when the full moon will take place. It is not a surprise. It isn't - well, I wonder when the full moon will be? Will it happen this week? Perhaps today? No, it is regular, constant, and will always be that way. Every 28 days, we can be certain the full moon will take place. That also means that every 28 days, there will be a new moon. 

What is my point? God has made the natural laws, laws that we do not control but that we can figure out. There are those who spend their time figuring out these things. Scientist are able to figure things out. Sometimes it is pretty easy and done very quickly. Other things are much more difficult to figure out. We have seen that with this corona virus. We think we have things figured out. Then we realize that we don't. It has taken time to figure out this virus. And we still don't have that done. Welcome to fallen world. Viruses, disease, body failings, all are a part of this fallen world. This has been shown to us again and again. Just as we think we are in control, we come to realize we are not. Over and over again we are taught that the more we know, the more we think we control this world and all the things that take palce, the more we realize that we are not in control.

So if we are not in control, who is? God. Plain and simple. God is always in control. Never does He turn His back upon any one of us or anything that is taking place. He is with you, with me, with everyone. Notice I did not say He is with those who believe in Him. I said, He is with everyone. He takes care of all people. He watches over all people. He cares for and loves all people. That is the wonder of God. You and me, we like and care for those who are in our circle of family and friendship. If we don't like someone, we often don't take care of them (which is wrong! God wants us to care for all people, but as sinners, we fail miserably at this.). The eternal God is not like that. He cares for all people, believer or not. He loves all people, for all have sinned and fallen short of His will. He sent His one and only Son to suffer and die for ALL people, to pay for the sins of all people. Then He sends the Holy Spirit to each person to bring them to faith in Jesus. Unfortunately, people can harden their hearts, turn their backs upon Jesus and not believe in Him. (Here we get into objective and subjective justification, but that isn't my point today).

In this world, in our lives, we are assured that Jesus is our Savior. We are assured that God is with us. We are assured that the laws of nature that are sure and certain. 

I thank God for the full moon, because it reminds me that He is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Provider, the One who takes care of all people and this entire world, day after day. Thanks be to God.

(All right, so I rambled some today. That is what happens when I start typing. I am not like God, I don't know what is going to happen at all times. Have a great day.)

Cleaning up the yard made me think

 I don't know about you, but I think of things at strange times. The other day, I was out cleaning up the yard. This is something that I need to do regularly. Penny and I have two large dogs, Zeb is a golden retriever and Wrigley is a chocolate lab. As such, they leave many things around the yard. And it is important to clean up that which they leave. 

As I was picking up the yard, I began to think. Cleaning the yard up of that which they leave around is much like life. What do I mean? Let me put it this way.

As I go around the yard, looking for the gifts that they have left in the yard, I have to watch my step. I need to pay attention to that which is laying around. Just when I think I have it all cleaned up, I find another one that I missed. As I am stepping around, I have to be careful where I walk, for I can accidently step into their mess. Some of the mess is old and some is new. No matter how careful I am, I will miss some, and I will step in other (yuck). When I have it all cleaned up, it will begin all over again. The dogs will begin to leave things for me to clean up again. And if we do not clean it up regularly, we will soon have a gross, nasty, messy yard in which we don't even want to walk. I know this sounds kind of gross, but bear with me.

Isn't that just like life? Our lives are much like that. There is always the yucky sin that we leave laying around. It is gross. It can create such a mess for us in our lives. We try to avoid the mess, but often we find ourselves stepping right into it. We think that we have it all cleaned up, only to find there is some sin that we have missed. Some sins are old and some are new. Some aren't too messy and others are totally and completely nasty. And just when we think we have the yard of our life cleaned up, more is left. Sin just keeps coming back, it needs to be cleaned up all over again. If we fail to work at cleaning up the sin in our lives, it just gets nastier and messier. 

Daily, we need to return to that very place that cleans up the sin in our lives - our Baptism. Daily we return to those blessed waters, that clean us once again, washing away the mess of sin. If we don't return to the Lord, to our Baptism, the mess of our lives just gets worse and worse. Soon our lives are filled with sin, messy, nasty sin. The Spirit takes our lives and cleans us daily in the water of Baptsim. We confess our sins, and we are forgiven for those sins. He cleans our lives. He washes us daily. And we can't stop. We need to return to our Baptism over and over again. Being cleaned by the Lord.

Those were the thoughts running through my mind the other day as I cleaning up the yard. Yes, even in the nasty job that needs to be done, you can find the love of God. He gives that cleansing and love to us. Stop at this moment, return to your Baptism, and let the forgiveness of the Lord wash you clean.

Then it happened!

 It was October 4, 2021. The day started like most other days. The sun came up. The birds sang their songs. The squirrels were skittering about looking for the acorns and other nuts that they could store away in a various ways - in the trees, buried in the ground. People were up and moving, heading to work, to school, to the store, to the coffee shop. What a lovely day!

Then it happened. No one saw it coming. Suddenly, out of nowhere, it stopped. And there was nothing you could do without it. Facebook crashed. No warning. Nothing. 

I sat there looking at my screen. Nothing. Run the diagnostics. Still nothing. Now what would I do? My day came grinding to a halt. I did not know what people were having for breakfast or lunch. I did not see the sunrise from around the nation. I did not get to see pictures of dogs, cats, giraffes, elephants or birds. I was shocked. I was sitting there, just looking at the screen.

All right, so that isn't really what happened. Yes, Facebook crashed. But life went on. I still accomplished the tasks that were needed. I was able to do the work needed. 

And yet, there were some of the positive things that were missed. I missed the positive posts about how God was with me and was going to help through the day. I missed the posts that told me about how someone needed a pray because of the struggles or illnesses they were facing. I missed getting caught up with what took place in someone's family. I missed seeing how the Gospel was being shared in a variety of ways by a variety of people. 

We can complain about Facebook. Yes, there are problems with it. Yet, there are also good things. When Facebook came back, she was able to post about the butter braids being delivered on Tuesday for Noah's Ark. I was able to see that another person was growing stronger after the treatments for cancer. I am able to share a prayer each day. Friends were able to show the wonder of God in sunrise as they proclaimed His glory. 

So Facebook went down. We survived. It came up later in the day. And we went on. 

And now, it is time to stop, and write a prayer that will be posted shortly. I pray that you will see the blessings of God in your life, in your day. Share that love with others, as you share your posts on Facebook!

A Surprise on Sunday morning.

 The morning started as it does each week. Bible study, worship and ready for the rest of the day. Arriving for church on Sunday morning, the tables were still set up for Clythia Brown's funeral lunch. Dave B. and I took the time to reset the tables for Bible study. Judy H. asked if we were supposed to do that. I did not understand what she was meaning. Of course we were. It was time for Bible study so we set the tables up like the were meant to be, as they were each week. There was going to be a Henke family thing, I was told. OK. But we still have Bible study. Normal morning.

The family was present as we moved Shirley Rex, Penny's mother, to Clarinda. Claud and Jim were there. Rach, Matthew and Chelsey were also there. So great being able to worship with the family. Having mom here will be great being able to worship with her. So the morning was normal. I could smell the food being cooked for the event taking place. I didn't think anything about it. I was enjoying spending time worshiping with the St. John family. It is good to be here.

As the service ended, folks were leavning. Only they weren't I did not realize it but they were heading downstairs. I was greeting folks and they were leaving, so I thought. But they weren't. They were heading down for a party. What party? I didn't even see it happening. The kids came out, and we were going to the local Chinese rest. for lunch. They were going to go get a table. That made perfect sense, considering there was 12 of us and they don't have a lot of big tables. Another piece of the puzzle.

Penny was looking for me. I was doing my normal stuff. I wanted to check to see who someone was, if they signed the friendship register. Talked with Casey about it. He helped me figure out who it was. Penny and I headed down to get our things from the office and head to lunch. I figured mom must have been with Claud and Jim, since they brought her to church. 

One last thing, Penny says. You need to go downstairs. OK, I said. And I didn't even think about it. As we walked downstairs, I asked what the folks were doing down there. Then I found out. It was a surprise party that Penny had been planning for the last month. I was completely surprised. I had no idea that it was taking place. No idea at all. 

I was overwhelmed. I cannot express my appreciated for the outpouring of love that was shown . I guess it isn't so bad turning 60 years old. I can say that. Instead of the 21 anniversary of my 39th birthday, it is my 60th birthday. The Lord has blessed me.

I want to thank Penny, Rach, Matt, Chelsey for the surprise. I thank the various members of the congregaiton who worked with Penny - Sandy, Jackie, Jessica, Judy, and a whole host of other people. I thank all of you who were able to come and celebrate with me. I thank those of you who weren't able to make it but sent your best wishes in a variety of ways. I want to thank my St. John family for this outpouring of love. 

And I thank the Lord for bringing me to this point of my life. He has blessed me day after day. He is with me in all that goes on. And He is the One who brought me here. Thank You, dear Lord. Thank you.

Now, I move into this new week, with a new feeling of love, and friendship. I am hoping I can return that love to all. 

A little rambling

All right, I have to face it. It doesn't seem like it could be possible, but it is. When I think about it, I am not sure how real it is, but then I look at the facts, and I know that it is true. I am now 60 years old. I have been alive for 60 years. That is amazing to me. I know that for those of you who have more years under your belt than that will say, "I would love to be 60 again." I had someone say the other day that they would love to go back and be 60 again. That is interesting. I know that when I look back at different ages, 20, 30, 40, or 50, I don't think I would want to go back and redo those years. Why? I would probably make more mistakes than I did originally. I would try to outsmart myself and cause myself more issues than I did when I was living those years. I look back at the things that were going on in those years, and I give thanks to God for the life that I had then. I rejoice that I have had the experiences that I have had to make it to this age. 

Sixty years is a lot of years. I look at that number and realize that it really is amazing. I look at the way the Lord has taken me through the years, and all of that has made me the person that I am today. I have been with Penny since I was 17. We started dating in high school. And now, here we are, 42 years later, still together, still in love, still wouldn't want to spend our lives with anyone else. I say "we" here because we both feel this way. She has been the love of my life, and when I say that, I really do mean it. Out of 60 years of life, she has been a part of it for 42 years, married to me for 37 years, putting up with me in the good times and bad times, in happy days and grumpy days. What a blessing it is that the Lord has given to me. She truly is my heart and my life. The only one that comes before her is my Lord Jesus Christ. And it is that love of Jesus that makes it possible for me to love her.

I look at it and realize how blessed I am to have two wonderful children, both of whom are in their realy 30s. They have been with me for half my life. That too is amazing. God has blessed me with two wonderful children, with two great in-law children. I am so blessed. I don't know what I have done to be so blessed. And then I realize, it has nothing to do with what I have done. They are blessings given by my Lord Jesus Christ without any merit on my part. 

So here I sit, thinking about having been alive for 60 years. I look back upon those years. I reflect on the blessings that the Lord has given to me. I rejoice at the way He has watched over me in more ways than I could every have asked. I thank the Lord for what He has done for me. I praise His name as I find myself with knew knees, new vision, and the same body. I look at life and know that the Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord, for giving me the things I need, the sun and the rain and the 60 years! Amen.

One day later, 20 years later.

 Apple butter. It was cooked and canned. The kettles were cleaned. The fires were out. But in New York City, Washington D.C., and Shanksville, PA, the fires continued. The smoke filled the air. Death. Destruction. Horror. The nation sat in shock, having watched over and over again, the planes, the towers, the collapse and the outcome. 

I remember that time. I had to quit watching the news reports. It finally was overload. I had to shut the news off. Enough was enough. It wasn't that I did not care. It was emotionally overwhelming. 

Yet on the next day, 9/12, there was a sense of unity in the country. People standing together. That part I did not need to turn off. To see politicans standing shoulder to shoulder, Republican, Democrat, Independent. All standing there in support of the United States of America. There was community after community coming together, supporting the nation, singing the Star Spangled Banner, waving the flag.

More than that, they began to pray. People were praying. Over and over again, people lifted up their hearts in prayer. They turned to the Lord. They asked Him for strength, for comfort, for healing, for help. Soon, wherever you went, you would see signs saying "Pray for America." Churches opened their doors, and people came. Special services were held, and people came. It did not matter what day of the week or what time of the day, when a church had a special prayer service, people came. They prayed. They turned to the only One who was their Rock, their strength.

Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its water roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. This became the word that gave people comfort. I thought of the hymn, "A Mighty Fortress." Indeed, God is our very present help in trouble. On 9/12, and the days following, this really became real for many people They saw the Lord as the One who could bring them comfort and help in this time of national tragedy. 

I look at this and know that the Lord is my comfort, my strength, my help in everything that goes on in my life. Not just on 9/11 and 9/12, but every day. Each day, I trust in the Lord. Living in a broken world, a world where pain and suffering is a reality, it is only the Lord that can guide me through each day. That is why I praise His name. I look to the cross of Jesus Christ, I look at the empty tomb, and I know, Jesus is the Victor. He has defeated our greatest enemies, sin, death and the power of the devil. He has overcome my fears. He has defeated my enemies. 

In His hand I live. In God I trust. He alone is my Savior, my strength, my comfort. I praise His name.

Last thoughts on 9/11.

 It was the strangest thing being back at Bethlehem, Ferrin, IL on that Tuesday, 9/11/2001. The day was beautiful, clear blue sky, light winds, the kind of early fall day that you just love. The smell of smoke and cooking apples filled the air. Folks were sitting around talking. Some were standing and stirring the apples with the paddles - it had to be in the figure 8, because that is how you stirred the great copper kettles filled with apples cooking down for apple butter. It should have been a festive day.

But something had happened that changed that. The planes were hijacked, and flown into the two towers of the World Trade Center, into the Pentagon and crashed in the field in Pennsylvania. What else could happen? The twin towers had collapsed, filling New York City with grime and dust. People were dead. People in the buildings. People in the planes. People who were first reponders. Shock. Horror. Sadness. All of that filled the hearts of the cookers.

The sky that was clear, was quiet. Not a sound. No planes going over. No jet streams filling the air. All planes were grounded. Being where we were, jets were going over regularly, either taking off from St. Louis, MO or landing in St. Louis. We heard planes regularly. Now, it was quiet. The wind even died down. It was quiet. Eerily quiet. It is hard to describe. If you don't know what it is like to have the sound of jets going over regularly and then don't have it, you miss it. You know something is wrong. And something was wrong. Death had come calling. 

How do you respond to that? The very way that the Christian responds to any crisis. You turn to the Lord. You pray. You talk about it. You support each other. You remind each other about the wonderf of the life that Jesus gives. You tell each other that Jesus is our fortress and our bulwark. You think of the hymn "A Mighty Fortress." You know that Jesus is still in control. In your shock, you turn your eyes from the TV screen which is showing the images of death and destruction over and over again, to the image of Jesus Christ coming out of the tomb, robes white, fluttering in the morning breeze, hands and feet marked with the place where the nails were. You look at the living Lord and know that no matter what else would take place, Jesus was the One you can rely upon and find comfort and preace in. Only in Jesus could the images of the day be washed away. 

And so, that is what we did. We let the love of Christ wash over us as we sat in the middle of the country, praying for those who were injured and for those who lost loved ones. Praying for the Lord to come into our country and work a revival, to bring us to look from our pain to look to Him. We prayed. We trusted. And we knew - in Christ, no matter what happened, we would be all right. Even if there were more attacks, the Lord was there. He would be with those suffering, those dieing. He always there, no matter what.

What did I learn that day? To trust not in man but to trust in the Lord alone. He alone can get you through a national crisis or a personal crisis. He alone is our strength, our hope and our Savior. That day solidfied the fact that no matter what, Jesus is our Good Shepherd, leading us through the valley of the shadow of death to our eternal home. 

That has never changed. 

9/11 reflection part 3

 ...the sun was shining. The sky was a beautiful blue that comes with fall. It was going to be a great day. The folks at Bethlehem, Ferrin, IL were cooking applebutter. The smell of smoke filled the air. They were standing outside, stirring the kettles as the apples were cooking down. Yes, the day had begun as any other day. Penny was teaching at the Ferrin preschool. I was at Trinity, Hoffman, IL school, teaching the 7/8 grade confirmation class. Rach and Matthew were in school like they were supposed to be. 

But the planes had crashed into the Towers. Shock. The plane had crashed into the Pentagon. More shock. What are you supposed to do? What are you supposed to say? 

And then it happens. The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. It just collapsed! Watching the TV at Hoffman, we were shocked. It was shown over and over again. It was surreal. Who would have thought such a thing would have happened? How could it have happened? What was next? Still at Hoffman, there was a sense of unknown running through the building. The older children were amazed at what they saw. The younger ones only knew that the adults and older kids were talking about something terrible happening. 

Then the plane in Pennsylvania crashed. What happened? Was it a part of the plan to attack America? Did anyone survive? Still so many unknowns. At 9:30 central time, the North Tower collapsed. What? What was this? Did anyone survive? What about all those first responders that had gone to help out? What happened to them. Clouds of smoke and dust. People filled with fear. 

What do you do? We did what every Christian should do. We gathered the children together in the library. I talked with the children and staff about what happened. I pointed out that the Lord was still with us. He was still the One we could trust. We looked to the One who is always with us in the midst of the struggles of this life. It was overwhelming but we have a God who is greater than anything that has taken place in this world. We sang. We prayed. We looked to the God who is always with us, the God who was with all those who were in the planes and in the Towers and in each of those situations. Looking to God, there is hope, strength and comfort. He is our stronghold in times of trouble. We were looking to God as we shold each day.

After a little longer at the school, I headed back to Ferrin. My mind was swirling. I needed to talk with Penny. I needed to be where it was "normal." The 7 miles seemed so long. The sky was still clear. The sky was still blue. The air was still wonderful pure, for us. In New York City, in Washington DC and in Pennsylvania the air wasn't so clear. Trusting in the Lord, I arrived back home.

There were the people, the fires, the kettles and yet, things were much more subdued. They had heard. Remember that things were not like they are 20 years later where we have instant news. But they knew. You could see it on their faces. I spoke to them as I walked to the school building. There, I found Penny teaching the children. But you could tell that she knew what had happened. As the children were busy doing something (not sure what it was), we talked, hugged and knew that the Lord was with us just as He was always. Praise be to God for the assurance of that the message of the gospel brings.

How did the rest of the day go? Tomorrow, I will talk about that. At this time, I reflect on it, and I know, the same God is still with us, still watching over us, still loving us and still caring for us. The world might have changed, but our God has not! Praise be to God.

9/11 reflection 20 years later, pt. 2

 ...as I walked into the school building at Trinity Lutheran Church, Hoffman, IL, on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, we were met with people saying that a plane had crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. I had two thoughts: 1) what is the World Trade Center? and 2) how could such an accident happen? I had no clue about New York City. Penny and I had never been to New York, so we knew nothing about the city. I imagine there were a lot of people who were just like me. They had no clue what the Towers were. Now we know for sure what they were and what this meant. That day, it was a big question mark.

The other thing is that I did not understand what had happened. I thought it must have been a small plane, maybe a single engine plane that someone had accidently flown into the building. Maybe the person was flying around New York City and got confused and hit a building. What a terrible accident. 

As I talked with other parents and teachers at Trinity, folks told me that it was a jet liner, a big plane. They were beginning to think that it might have been on purpose, not an accident. That boggled the mind. Why would anyone do that? Why would anyone fly a plane into a building? I wasn't thinking terrorism. I wasn't thinking that the country was under attack. I was thinking about accidents and how terrible that accident must have been. 

After spending the 10-15 minutes before class talking with others about what happened, I headed into the classroom to begin teaching confirmation class. Memory work - don't remember what it was. Lesson - don't remember what that was. But I remember when the secretary, Rita, came to the door and called me over. A second plane had crashed into the other tower. They are thinking it is an attack on the nation. We were in shock. How could this happen? Why would it happen? We were America. We helped everyone. Why would anyone attack us? 

A TV was rolled into the hallway (this was before every classroom had tvs). It was turned on, and we watched in horror as they replayed the scene of the second plane crashing into the south tower. Then they had video of the first plane crashing into the north tower. Smoke filling the air. We were in shock. We were watching the video, not knowing what was coming.

How could anyone know what was coming? After all, this is not something that we had even thought about happening. We talked about it. We watched. Then we tried to get the class back together. It was not easy, because the kids, the teachers, everyone wanted to talk about what happened. Then there was a report of another plane crashing into the Pentegon. Wow! This was getting to be too much. It was shocking. It was more than anyone could have expected.

The day had begun so peaceful. Isn't that the way it is? The day starts normal and then something happens to change that. It is like that when a day begins and someone has an accident, a heart attack, a sickness, a sudden death, something awful that takes place. Days change in a moment. Most of the time, it is personal, on a family level, sometimes it might effect a community, but nothing had the impact on the entire nation as that morning did on 9/11. The whole nation was in shock. People were starting to wonder, what was going to happen next. There was lots of talk. Who was safe? Were other planes hijacked? Were there going to more places attacked? Were there going to be more deaths?

We did not know what was still to come. We thought perhaps the worst was over. But, little did we know...

Reflecting on 20 years ago.

 The week begins. This is a different week. It is a time to reflect back 20 years. Saturday will be the 20th anniversary of 9/11. I think I will reflect back upon that time and the changes that have been made since then. 

The week began like every week. The kids were back in school. The weather was typical fall weather. Sunday and Monday were days that went like it did every year. Penny and I and the kids were living in Ferrin, IL. I was serving Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ferrin. It is a small town, about 50 people. We had the church, with the school building (that had closed in the 70s and we had reopened with a preschool), the elevator, fire station and then the houses. It was a great place to raise a family. Just across the street from our house, which was the parsonage next to the church, was the dairy farm. We loved hearing the cows lowing, and smell the sweetness of the silage. Yes, there was the issue of flies and the smell of that which the cows leave behind, but it was a good place to live and minister. The kids loved it there. They could play in town without us worrying about what was going to happen to them. They enjoyed their life in Ferrin. We did too.

That week was special. It was the first cooking of apple butter. Now if you don't know what that means, it was a special time. There would be 5 big copper kettles of apple butter cooked. I don't remember how many apples it took. Members would get together, sit in the church garage, and sit around in a circle, peeling and coring the apples. There would be those with the apple peelers, spinning the apples around, putting them in buckets, only to have the others core them and place them in other buckets. It felt like a celebration to spend that time with the folks. So Sunday and Monday were spent getting things ready. It wasn't cold. You could sit around without a jacket. That would change the next week for the second cooking. It was amazing that in one week the weather would change in that one week. It cooled down and felt like fall.

But that week started clear and warm. Monday the kids went to school. Penny was helping in the preschool. Little ones came and went. It was a joyous time. We lived close enough to St. Louis that you could hear the planes coming in to land in town. It was about 1 1/2 hours from St. Louis. So they were still high enough that you couldn't make out what type of plane or airline it was, but you could hear them going over regularly. 

Tuesday morning came with all the joy of apple butter cooking. The folks showed up at sunrise, to gather the wood together, and the fires were started under the frames for the copper kettles. Five kettles, each owned by  different families. After the fires were started, the kettles would be put in place, filled with apples, water would be added and the day would begin. It was fun. 

The kids would go out before school and join with the folks that were cooking. They would laugh and talk with the folks. Someone would bring donuts, and we would all enjoy a donut. The smell of smoke filled the air. It was a pleasant smell. One that brings back such memories even now. The sun was rising. The sky was clear. Soon the blueness of the sky really show itself. A calm day. It was going to be a warm day. OK, it was hot for September. No need for jackets. As the sun rose higher and the day went on, it would feel downright hot. 

Time came to take the kids to school. I was helping out at Trinity Lutheran School, Hoffman, IL as they were vacant. The kids went there for school. Lutheran education is wonderful. I was teaching the 7/8 grade confirmation class at the time, all during the school year, as they would get a pastor at the end of the school year. So we packed up, and headed for school, 7 miles away. A wonderful drive through the country with Rach and Matt. Penny was teaching in the Preschool at Ferrin. So she was over with the children in Ferrin and we were in Hoffman. 

Because of apple butter cooking, we didn't spend any time with the news. So as we arrived at Hoffman, a 10 minute drive/parking/entry into the school. As we walked into the school, someone said, "A plane has hit a building in New York City. It was the World Trade Center." I didn't know what the towers were. It must have been an accident. How terrible. We talked a little about it. But none of us knew what was going on. A plane had hit a building. There was smoke, fire, the unknown. 

Then I went into the classroom and began to teach confirmation. 

To be continued...

A lesson from a mosquito.

 I was sitting on the porch one morning, the sun was rising in the east (which I could not see as the porch faces south and the trees block the sunrise), the dogs were laying around as dogs do, I was listening to the morning devotions and suddenly it happened...

...I was just looking around while listening and I saw it. How in the world? I thought. How did it know? There, flying just a few inches from me, was a mosquito. Yes, those blood sucking little things that fly around and attack unsuspecting people and animals. I know that it is not unusual to see mosquitos at this time of the year. They are all around. It is part of summer. In some places, like Minnesota or Wisconsin, these little critters aren't so little. I can remember joking about them being the state birds. 

But I thought to myself: How did he know that I was here? I mean, I did not send out signals that I was sitting on the porch waiting for a mosquito to come and get me. I do not think that mosquitos get on Facebook and track people to know where to find them. So how did it know?

The answer I came up with (and I am sure that those who are scientific will be able to give the official reason why mosquitos know where warm blooded people and animals are) is that they are created that way. God put it in them to know where to find that which they need to survive. At least, I assume that they need my blood to survive. They are part of creation. They are made the way they are. What was there purpose pre-Fall? Why did God make them? Because He chose to. He created them for a purpose. That purpose may well have been corrupted due to the Fall, but there was a purpose. 

While that might no be the scientific explanation, that is actually very comforting to know. God's creative power is still at work in this world. We are told in Scripture,  "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father." (Matthew 10:29 ESV) God knows when the sparrow falls to the ground. God knows when the mosquito flies through the air towards the intended lunch. If God watches over the mosquito, does He not watch over you and me, ones who are worth so much more than a mosquito? If God has the mosquito living according to the laws which He has set up, does not that give comfort to know that things are not random accidents. He watches over my life too. He is well aware of the joys and struggles that I have. He cares for me, even more so than He cares for the mosquito or the sparrow. Thank You Lord!

Does that mean that I won't swat that mosquito before it bites me? Nope. I still will. The battle between me and mosquitos will continue. Even while it goes on, I give thanks to God for the laws of nature that He has put in place. Praise be to God!

Ramblings on the Feeding of the 5000

 I was spending some time this week reading the gospel lesson for this coming Sunday, the 8th Sunday after Pentecost, July 18, 2021. It is Mark 6:30-44, the Feeding of the 5,000. That is a familiar enough story for us. I think that most people, even if they only have a brief contact with the Bible and with worship/Bible study/Sunday school, have heard about the way Jesus fed the 5,000+ with five loaves of bread and two fish. Maybe I am wrong about that. If you don't know that event, take some time to read the lesson. If you still have questions, you can contact me. I may or may not be able to answer your questions, but I will try. 

Anyway, I had several thoughts about this lesson, after writing a devotion for the Board of Elders. What are some of my thought? Here they are.

1) It is important for a person who has had a mountaintop experience to take time afterwards to grow from it. The disciples had that mountaintop experience. They had just returned from the mission trip that Jesus had sent them on. It was a thrilling and amazing time for the disciples. They were able to proclaim the Kingdom of God and do some amazing things in the name of Jesus Christ. They came back to Jesus, all excited, and Jesus said, "Let us go away to a desolate place." Why? They needed time to deprogram, that is, to take those experiences, undersand them and grow in their own personal faith. 

How many times do we go to an event, have a mountaintop experience, and then we come home and jump right back into our daily routine? We don't take a day or two to decompress, to let the emotions and feelings wash over us, and grow in that relationship with Christ? The mountaintop events fades quickly and we forget the very things that made it a mountaintop experience. After a time, we look back on it, and we have forgotten much of what took place, much of what made it that amazing experience. I thought of this following the LWML Convention in Lexington, KY in June. So many women and men came to the event. It was a mountaintop event for them. Then the rushed home, went back to work, went back to caring for the grandkids, went back to the daily routine, and did not have time to let those events sink deeply into their lives? I know, we have schedules to keep. We only have so many days off work. We need to return to our routine quickly. But what happens to the things that took place. They fade quickly into the past and the memories fail. And we don't have time to let the event become part of our lives. That happens with Youth Gatherings, Conventions, Retreats, and other mountaintop events. Life takes over and the very things that made it a mountaintop experience, fades into the background. 

Take time to come away with the Lord. To sit quietly. To think about, to pray about, to contemplate the very things that happened. Let it sink in. Let it become part of your life. And then, return to your routine. You will be much better off for it. "Let us go away" together, the Lord says to you. Don't rush off too quickly. Take some time to reflect and grow.

2) "You feed them," Jesus said to the disciples. He knows that He will be the One that makes the five loaves and two fish stretch to feed over 5,000 people, but He also wants the disciples involved in the whole process. "We can't," the disciples respond. And they had their good reasons. They were right. They did not have enough money to feed them all. The villages around there did not have enough food to feed them all. They could not do it.

They were willing to send the people away, even knowing that they could not be supported by the local community. But the disciples were willing to wash their hands of the people. Let someone else help them. Let them go somewhere else. I don't want to do it. Wait, isn't that what we often say about sharing the message of the Gospel, feeding the people's souls? Let someone else do it. I can't do it. I am not God. I cannot feed all those hungry souls. Send them away. 

No, Jesus says, "You feed them." He takes the loaves and fishes and blesses them. He then begins to give the food out. But wait, Jesus doesn't carry it to each person. He hands it to the disciples, who are then involved in feeding the hungry, reaching out to others, being the legs of Jesus to the people. He does indeed get the disciples to feed the people. They do just as He tells them. Yes, it was Jesus' miracle. He is the One who makes the bread and fish stretch to the point that everyone eats and is full, and there is still 12 baskets of food leftover. But the disciples were the ones who took the food to others. 

So it is with us. "You feed them," Jesus says. Sent to reveal God's loves to the world. This is the mission statement of St. John. But then we say, "Someone else must do it. I can't possibly be the one that is meant to share that good news. I can't save anyone." Yep, you are right and you are wrong. You can't save anyone. Only the Holy Spirit can save them. Just like the disciples could not do the miracle of the loaves and fish, so you and I cannot do the miracle of saving the soul of a sinner. Jesus did the miracle. The Holy Spirit does the miracle. But He says to us, "You feed them." And we are supposed to. We are the legs of the Gospel. We take the spiritual food to the people. We walk it out to them. They do not just wander into the church building and then we get off the hook by letting the pastor feed them. No, you need to be the legs of the Gospel each day, talking about Jesus, sharing Jesus, sharing that wonderful Word so that the Spirit will do His work. You and I are like the disciples, "You feed them." That is our task. 

I have other thoughts, but I think that is enough for now. I pray you have a blessed day. I also pray that you will be the one to take the Gospel to someone today. "You feed them."

Happy Father's Day

 Happy Father's Day. Yes, today is Father's Day, the day we remember those that are our fathers, dads, pops, whatever you call this man in your life. I pray that you have had the opportunity to spend time with your father, not just today, but throughout your life. For many, their father has already entered into eternal rest (I do pray that your father was a God-fearing man, believing in Jesus Christ as his Savior, for if that is the case, then you can be assured that he is in heaven with his Heavenly Father). If you were not raised by your birth father, give thanks for the man who raised you. And if you did not have your father around as you were growing up, give thanks that the heavenly Father was always with you.

I hope you have a good father, one who showed you love, who cared for you, who was there for you and who helped you as you were growing up. As a father myself, I know one thing is for sure, I have forgiveness. I did my best raising my daughter Rachael and my son Matthew. I tried to show them that I loved them. I tried to be understanding. I tried to show them that Jesus is their Savior and that God is with them always. I tried to instill in them the importance of faith in Christ and living as His child each day. I did my best. But I know that I also failed. There were times I was not a good father. I got upset. I said things I should not have. I acted in ways that were not Christ-like. For all those times, I have asked the Lord to forgive me and my children to forgive me. It was important that when I lsot my cool, I would go back and ask my kids for forgiveness, confessing to them that I was wrong. 

I did my best as an earthly father to show my children the love of the heavenly Father. And that is the best thing that I could do. Our heavenly Father never gets turns His back on us. He does not like our sins but He loves us. He never quits loving us. That is important to remember - God never stops loving you. No matter how far you stray from Him, He will always come to you, pick you up, clean your wounds and give you His love. He will alays forgive you for Christ's sake. 

If at this time, you feel you have turned from the Lord. Stop. Bow your head. Confes to Him that you have sinned and for Christ's sake, ask Him to forgive you. Then feel His loving arms surround you and pull you to His chest. Breath deeply of His love. Take in that wonderful gift of forgiveness. And then, sinking back into His arms, take your rest. Ask Him to help you to change your sinful life and to follow Him in your life. Yes, it is important for each one of us to continue to return to our Lord Jesus Christ. It is important for us to return to our Father in heaven. For in Him, we find comfort, forgiveness and peace.

Believing in Jesus Christ as your Savior. I pray that you do believe in Him. I pray that You do live as a child of God, not as a child of the world. I pray that You have a good relationship with your earthly father. I pray that you will call him today (if you can), and talk with him. Tell him that you love him. That is important.

Father's Day. May you be blessed this day, whether or not you are a father. The Lord is there, blessing you already. Open your eyes to see those blessings.