9/11, 21 years later.

 Shock. I watched in horror as there was a terrible crash. How was this possible? It couldn't be. Smoke. Thick smoke rolling from both buildings. I had just watched as a passenger jet liner had crashed into a building. One could be an accident. Two? It had to be on purpose. There must be something going on.

Unreal. The sky was blue, the beautiful blue of a September sky. The smell of wood smoke filled the air. Chatter taking place. Apple butter kettles were starting to cook. Smiles. Friendly talk. The day began so peacefully. Laughter. Kids watching, talking with the folks that were cooking. It was time for school. Loading the kids up. Car heading out. Smiles all around. 

Arrival at school. Told of a plane hitting one of the twin towers in New York City. Must be an accident. And what is the twin towers? I really did not pay attention to what was in the Big Apple. Until that day. Lots of talk. Discussion. What happened? Keeping folks calm. Getting school ready. Confirmation class at Hoffman, IL was going to begin. 

Then it happened again. Another plane. Another tower. More smoke. More fire. Watching on a TV. No internet like 2022. It was overwhelming. To see the tower smoking. To see the fire. What was happening?

Class is over. During class another plane strikes the Pentegon. Now what? Is it war? Is it going to continue? Could it get any worse?

Then the collapse. Smoke. Fear. Watching people run. Over and over again. Seeing it on the news. Replays. One plane. Two planes. Three planes. One tower. Two towers. Fear. What can you do?

Getting the children together at school. Sitting them down. Talking to them about what our Lord Jesus Christ does for us. The safety and security He gives to us, even in such a tragic time. Is there fear? Take it to the Lord in prayer. Are there tears? Take it to the Lord in prayer. So we did. We prayed. We sang. We thanked God for His protection. We prayed for those who lost loved ones. We prayed for those trying to help out. We prayed and then prayed some more. 

And then, in a moment of faith, we joined in the Lord's Prayer. In that moment, we knew that we were in the hands of the Father. There was nowhere safer for us to be. Thanks be to God.

Did we forget? Did we let our memories forget what took place? Have we allowed the events of today to lead us to forget that day? I hope not. I pray not. At that time we said, we will never forget. Later it was said, Lest we forget. Today, I fear that is said, We have forgotten. May it not be so.

Lord, have mercy

 I cannot imagine the pain, what it must be like to be one of the parents, one of the teachers, one of the children in Uvalde, TX this morning. I cannot imagine what it must be like to be one of the patrons, one of the workers, or one of the community members in Buffalo, NY in the days following the mass murder. I cannot imagine...no I cannot. 

Terrible events. Murder. Massacre. Death. These things are so terrible. They happen. Just when we think we have moved beyond such events, another one happens. Just when we think we have a handle of what is going on in life, something takes place.

Awful. Terrible. Nothing brings into focus the fact that we must do something to change the way things are in our communities. There will be talk about gun control. There will be talk about red flag laws. There will be talk about one party being the party of hate. There will be all sorts of  things being talked about. There will be talk about mental illness. There will be hand wringing and then it will begin, the placing of blame upon someone missing something and not reporting it. There will be blame. There will be so much said. 

What can be done so this won't happen again? What laws can be put into place? What kind of security can be put into place to stop this from happening? We will try to figure this out.

There is one need - Jesus. We have pushed the Lord out of the way, setting Him on the shelf, making sure that no one pushes the message of the Gospel upon anyone. We need to bring that message back into hearts and lives.

This last Sunday I preached about peace. I mentioned that the peace of this world can be shattered in a moment. And it was in Uvalde. In that moment, the peace that they felt was shattered, broken. People's hearts and lives were broken. Where is the peace? Where the peace to be found in this situation? What can be said? Where? What? So many questions.

Peace cannot be found in the things in this world. We live in a broken, sinful world. Evil is present each day. Evil cannot be stopped because it does not follow the law, it does not care for others. Evil could care less about anyone but itself, and it wants to destroy and cause more pain and suffering. We will put more laws in place. We will put more security in place. There will be things put in place. Will it stop evil? No. Will it stop someone from doing such a horrific act? No. Why? Because evil does not care. Evil seeks only to create chaos, pain and suffering. Period. 

So where is peace found. "In me is peace..." Jesus said in John 16:33a. There is the only place to find peace. In Jesus Christ. In faith in Him. In this fallen, broken world, we need to turn to Jesus. We need to turn to Him each and every day, not just in such a tragedy, but in days where there is no tragedy. As Jesus said, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world." John 16:33

This is terrible. This should not have happened. But I will tell you this, it will happen again. Not because of lack of gun control, or lack of security, or whatever. It will happen because there is evil in this world. It is only as Christ changes hearts and lives will things change. Only in Christ.

It isn't just in such tragedy that we find pain and suffering. It happens when cancer takes a life, when heart disease takes a life, when a traffic accident takes a life, when a person takes his own life, when there is abuse, when there is hatred, when there is anger, when there is personal attack. All of these are from evil, from this world. In Christ alone, can this be changed. 

I pray for the folks in Uvalde. I pray for the folks in Buffalo. I pray for folks in the hospital. I pray for folks undergoing treatments. I pray for folks in difficult and painful situations. I pray that the ONE, Jesus Christ will come into their lives, into their brokenness, and bring them personal peace that is found in Him. Yes, we live in a broken world, but we have One who has overcome the world. Look to Jesus Christ for peace.

My Journey to the Doctor of Ministry

 This last Friday, May 20th, I had the pleasure of receiving my Doctor of Ministry degree. I had begun work on the Doctor of Ministry degree in 2012, returning to the classroom and academic studies after 25 years of not being in the classroom. It was a challenge, but thanks be to God I received the guidance from the Lord, and support from Penny and my family, and also St. Paul's, Troy, IL and St. John, Clarinda, IA. It was a long and difficult journey, but here I am, having completed the journey and received the degree of Doctor of Ministry. 

Yes, it was great. I enjoyed it. Did I enjoy all the work - um, maybe...ok, yes it was good, and yet it was challenging. To do the work that was necessary was not easy. Penny kept encouraging me when I was ready to give in and cry "uncle." So I ended up writing my Major Applied Project (MAP), which is the "dissertation" of the Doctor of Ministry program, "In Search of the Best Practices in Preaching Christian Stewardship." 

Why did I go into the program? On day I was attending a Symposium on Homiletics at Concordia Seminary (when I was serving in Troy, IL I was within 45 minutes of the Seminary so I took advantage of the continuing education options available), and I began to think about my preaching (that is what homiletics is, the art of preaching). How as I doing with it. It had been over 20 years that I had been in the ministry and I begin to think about how my preaching was doing. I looked around at the various examples of preaching that I saw in different places and I was not really thrilled. I saw a real issue with most preaching - it was shallow, did not offer much, was not done well, etc. I know, sounds judgmental. But there is poor preaching in the world today. Too often, the pastor is afraid to offend anyone so he ends up saying nothing worthwhile. The Gospel is watered down. Or the Law is preached with no Gospel application at all. Or it is just an awful sermon. I thought, "Am I like that? Is my preaching getting shallow, or worse, is it getting worthless or awful?" 

So I began to think that I needed to work on my preaching. I needed to improve (still do, by the way) my preaching. But I also know myself. To try to do that on my own, meant that I would start, get busy with parish life, and not get around to finishing that which I began. Contrary to what some folks think, the pastor works more than just one or two hours a week. You get busy with congregation life and don't make time for continued independent study. 

So I thought maybe I would look into the Doctor of Ministry program, with the focus being homiletics. As I looked into it, thought about it, prayed about it, I finally thought I would bring the topic up to Penny. I figured she would be the voice of reason in this whole process and would tell me all the reasons I should not do it. We talked and she said, "I think you should do it." I was floored. I told her I thought she would be the one to talk me out of this tomfoolery. Yet she said to go for it. So I thought, ok, maybe I should see what my kids thought. I asked both Rachael and Matthew what they thought. And they both said to go for it. Really? I was not expecting that. 

So I approached the congregation (St. Paul's, Troy, IL) elders and talked with them. They also agreed it was a good idea. So I applied. I began my first class in nearly 25 years in January 2012. From there I would take classes each winter and summer. At first they were 2 weeks residental class. Then it became 1 week residental classes. I finished all the course work by summer 2018, which was right at the time I was starting to serve as the national LWML pastoral counselor (2017-2021). All I had left was the MAP. That is all. 

I started and stopped on the research and writing of the MAP several times. I even almost dropped out of the program because I was not sure if I could write the MAP. But when I found out that if I dropped out, I would have to do all the coursework again if I reapplied, and with Penny telling me to get it finished and not drop out, and encrouagement from my children, I stayed in the program. In March of 2019, I took the call to St. John, Clarinda, IA. Covid hit. I had cataract surgery, 2 knee replacments and I finished my service as LWML pastoral counselor (in June 2021). So I returned to writing in earnest, and by the end of August 2021, I had the MAP written, sent to my advisor, made corrections, sent it back (I had sent each chapter to Dr. Peter, my advisor, as I was writing), and by October 2021, I had the MAP completed. I defended my MAP in November of 2021, and I was done. Completed. Finished. No more work on it. nearly 10 years after I started, I was done. I began the journey in January 2012 and by January 2022, I was finished. Praise be to God!

Did it help me? I believe it did. It challenged me to think about my preaching. It showed me different ways to preach. It helped me to see how to bring the Word of God into the lives of the hearers. It assisted me to become a better preacher and a better pastor. It also helped me define and develop my understanding of stewardship and how to apply that into sermons. I am still working on that. I think there is much that I can do to continue to improve in both my preaching and in my application of stewardship, but having gone through the Doctor of Ministry program helped me greatly. 

That is a little of the journey that I took. A ten year journey through hills and valleys, over mountains and through tunnels, finally arriving at the place where I walked across the platform to receive my degree as the picture shows. 

Was I happy? 

 What do you think? 

Thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement. Penny was my biggest supporter and encourager. My family was supportive and encouraging. The congregations I served, St. Paul, Troy, IL and St. John, Clarinda, IA were very supportive. I received finacial support from individuals, the Southern Illinois District LWML, and St. John, Clarinda. I greatly appreciate all that support. 

Now, let's get going on preaching God's Word and living the life of a Christian steward.

Thoughts on Mother's Day

 Happy Mother's Day. For those who have born children, I wish you a blessed Mother's day. Today I think about what it means to be a mother. My lovely wife, Penny, has given birth to our two wonderful children, Rachael and Matthew. That makes today a special Mother's Day. Yet, I also remember that we had a third child, one that we lost early in the pregnancy. Penny was a mother before she gave birth to Rachael, it is just that our first child was not carried to term. We rejoice that the Lord has blessed us with both Rachael and Matthew, both of whom are a blessing to us. Thank you Penny for being that very Christian and loving mother to our children. 

I say that because there are many women who have lost children, being unable to carry them to term because of many different reasons. On Mother's Day, there are women whose hearts are heavy because they have not been able to give birth to their children. Today we need to lift them up in our prayers, remembering that they are mothers too, those they may not have the opportunity to hold and love their children after birth. I give thanks to God for those women who may well be sad on this day. God bless you and give you strength and comfort today. 

Then I thought, there are many women who have taken on the role of mother, even though they had not given birth to the children they raise. There are many who have been adoptive or foster mothers, showing love to children who have not had the blessing to be raised by their birth mothers. I know this for sure because I was not raised by my birth mother. I give thanks to Gen Foerster Osborne Brawner, the woman who raised me and my brothers. I would not be the man I am today if it was not for the fact that she took on the opportunity to raise me when I was 3 years-old. There are women today who raise their grandchildren, their nieces and nephews, and children that are not blood at all. 

If you have the opportunity to talk with your mother today, please do so. Remember that you will not always have your mother present in this world, for one day, they will pass from this life. Then you will not be able to call them on Mother's Day and talk with them. Tell them today how much you love them.

Yes, I know that there are mothers who have been less than stellar. There are those who were not good at raising their children. There are those who do not know Christ and therefore do not raise their children to know Christ. There are mothers who are physically and emotionally abusive. I am sorry for those children who must go through this. I pray that those children will be removed from those terrible situations. And for those who have been removed from those situations, I encourage you to forgive those abusive and unloving mothers for the way that they treated you. That does not mean you must condone those things that they did, nor do you have to go back into those situations. But as Christ has forgiven you, forgive them for the terrible things they did (or didn't) do to you. 

So many emotions on Mother's Day. Personally, I give thanks to God for the mothers I have know - my birth mother, the mother who raised me, the mother of my children, my mother-in-law, and my daughter. Thank You Lord, for each one of them. 

Happy and blessed Mother's Day.

The new life in Christ

 The joy of Easter still rings in my ears and in my thoughts. I can still hear those wonderful words, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen." (Luke 24:5b-6 ESV) He is not here. He has risen. Not "He will rise" or "He still has to rise," but He has risen. The event has already taken place. Jesus, the One who was crucified and buried, has risen from the dead. Never again will He die. Paul writes, "We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him." (Romans 6:9 ESV) New life, eternal life, never again to die.

Jesus is the risen and living one. John writes what Jesus says to the seven churches in Revelation. To Smyrna, we hear, "The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life." (Rev. 2:8 ESV) The living Lord! The living Savior. He died and rose again.

That is the focus of the message of the Gospel. Jesus came to pay the price of our sins, to suffer in our stead, to die for us and to rise again to life - to give to us forgiveness, faith and eternal life. That eternal life is more than just a hope. It is more than just an ethereal existence in some other form of being, some sort of spirit living in the air, floating around bodyless, as though the physical, the body itself is the problem and we have to discard the body in order to reach a higher level of existence. That is the teaching of the gnostics of the 1st and 2nd centuries, that wanted people to believe that all physical life was sinful and needed to be removed from you by some higher knowledge, so that once you reach that level, you no longer need the terrible, physical body. They would tell you that you are better off without it (even while living in this world, if you reached their level, you could then act however you wanted, because you transcend the physical and live in the knowledged, the gnostic level which frees you from responsibility for the physical actions - I know, a vague generalization but just wanted to say that.)

No, the body is not what we must be rid of. It is the sin that must be removed from us. And in Christ, that takes place. So when we die, this body, laid in the ground or cremated, is not the problem. Instead, there is more life to come. For Christ will raise these bodies from the grave, from the dust and will give to us a glorified body like His, to live with Him eternally in the new heaven and new earth (and there can be much discussion about what that means, but not here, not at this time). 

He rises. And in that resurrection, He assures us that we shall live also. I think of this as I prepare to go to a funeral of a Christian who died. The message needs to be one of the resurrection. Don't tell me about how good the person was. Tell me what Christ has done for her, that she has received forgiveness and salvation through faith in Christ, a gift given to her through the working of the Holy Spirit. Tell me about the new life she has in Christ. Tell me that she will rise from the dead, this body sown in sorrow will be raised in joy, this mortal body will be raised immortal. That is the message I need to hear. That is the message the family needs to hear. 

That is the message of Easter. Ringing loud and clear in my ears on this day. He is risen! And in Him, all shall rise again to life eternal! Praise be to God!

Thoughts on gardening

Wind! Need I say more? Those of you in this area, you understand what I am talking about. As I watched the weather this morning, the meterologist said that the wind gusts would only be up to 30 mph. That seems to be pretty strong winds. Then he stated that there were 60 mph wind gusts over the weekend. The you realize taht 30 mph is not so bad for a wind gust. Did I really just say that? Yes I did. It was so windy on Friday and Saturday, actually windy all last week. After the storms came through Saturday evening, it calmed down for a little while. That was so nice. 

Potatoes have been planted. It was a week after Good Friday, which I have always heard was a time to plant potatoes. That day and also St. Patrick's Day. But we had googled the time to plant potatoes, and it said that this last weekend was the time to plant them. I am glad to hear that, because we did not have the time last weekend. We plant our potatoes in plastic tubs. Filling the tubs with dirt, then the potatoes, more dirt and then straw. We did it last year and it worked really well. Instead of having to dig the potatoes, you just have to lift the tub up, and then dirt falls out (the bottom is cut out of the tub), and there are the potatoes. Makes it simple. I pray that this year goes as well for us.

We have not planted anything in the garden yet. We are going to sow some turnip seeds this year. We have not done that before. So we will see how they do. Should be interesting. 

Gardening is a fun thing to do. We also like to plant flowers. I like zinnias because they draw butterflies. The irises are coming up nicely. So are the hostos and lily of the valley. Tulips look good. Waiting for the lilies we have planted the past couple years to come up. We take our Easter lilies and plant them in the yard. They come up each year. So we are waiting for them to poke their heads through the ground. Has not happened yet. We have a couple of lilies from the year to plant as well.

If you are going to garden or plant flowers, go for it. Enjoy it. Penny and I have been raising gardens and flowers for many years. It has been fun and we enjoyed the time together working the ground and planting the seeds and plants. We will see how the garden grows this year. 

Have fun playing in the dirt!

Thinking about the resurrection

 The week has been ticking along. Today is the middle of the week. Just another week, another day of doing the regular daily chores. Going to work. Going to school. Going about the day as a retired person. Living as a single parent. Living as a married couple. Living as a single person. Living as an older person. The days continue on.

Today is Wednesday. Here is the question: What did this last weekend have to do with your everyday life? The weekend came. The weekend went. Some people went to church. Some people stayed home. Some people sang songs of praise. Some people did not even think about those songs of praise. Some people said, "He is risen!" Others did not even think about the resurrection. Does it make a difference?

Yes it does. For you see, Jesus rose from the dead on that first day of the week so many years ago. He died on the cross, was laid in the tomb and then came back to life. What does that mean? It means that He defeated sin, death and the devil. He faced the Law and paid the price for your sins. He took on the power of the devil and defeated him. He was placed in the grave and rose victorious, destroying the power of the grave. 

He did that for everyone. You, me, every single person in this world. It did not matter if someone believed in Him or not. He died and rose for each and every person. He died and rose for the Roman soldier that crucified Him, for the pharisee that hated Him, for the disciple that followed Him, for the person who trusted in Him, for the person who did not trust in Him, for the person who followed Him and cried at seeing Him carrying the cross and for the person who could care less about what He did. Jesus death and resurrection was for all people, leaving no one out of that which He did.

So what does it mean for you? It means that Jesus died and rose for you. That which you need is to believe in Him as your Lord and Savior. Through faith in Jesus, you receive the blessings of forgiveneess of sins. Through faith in Jesus, you are given the promise of life eternal in heaven. Through faith in Jesus, you will receive the wonderful gift of the resurrection of the body on the Last Day. All who die believing in Jesus will rise to a new life, bodily, with a glorified body.

That carries me through the week. That encourages me on this Wednesday, to face today because Jesus Christ lives. He lives and grants me daily breath. He lives and I shall conquer death. He lives and is with me in everything I face each and every day. He lives to guide me through this Wednesday - in both the good and the bad, the positive and the negative. 

I can face today because Jesus lives for me! You can face today because He lives for you! Yes, I do need to believe in Him. Yes I do need to praise His name. Yes I do need to worship Him. Yes I do need to receive His body and blood in the Lord's Supper. Yes I do need to live in Christ each day. It makes a difference. I give thanks for His resurrection for it carries me through today.