As the midnight hour grows nearer...

As the midnight hour grows nearer, I sit here thinking of the past year, I find myself reflecting on what has been and what will be. That may sound depressing, but it isn’t meant to be. It is just that as 2011 ends, I have been trying to remember all that I did or didn’t do in this past year, and what I have to face, overcome, or works towards as 2012 begins.

One of the things that have been on my mind is my Theological schooling. In 2011, I completed five classes, which is saying a lot, considering four is a full load. That is also saying a lot considering the fact that I jumped into one of my courses when some people were already turning in their advanced work, so I had only a few weeks when others had a few months, and yet I still passed the class. In 2012, I will be taking three classes.

And why only three? Because that is all that I have left.

Why is this a major thought for me – because in past years, I have had struggles that have held me back for one reason or another, and now I will be completed with this level finally. (Time to do a Snoopy dance)

Something else that seems to be on my mind is how I have been able to make contact with more people that I went to high school with. This is a good thing, because the contacts I have made have all been good ones, even with people that I’m willing to bet wouldn’t have thought about chatting with me near 30 years ago. Back then, there were those cliques. Now, it’s not about the cliques, it’s about a caring friendship that, even though may only be words, are a lot when faced with some of the adversities of life.

And that brings me to the adversities. This past year has been a time that has made me really see what being a Pastor is all about. As I have said in the past blogs, I enjoy being there for the people, but this past year has been one of lots of joys – weddings, birth and baptisms, reunions, and fellowships. But I also have had some moments that have been “less than enjoyable”… moving away from some good friends, burying some, and many other memories. But I see my new Pastoral appointment as a “step up”, in regards to the sizes of my Mission Field and the size of the communities and churches in which I serve. This has made me realize that as I enter 2012, I will need to learn some more time management so that I can also have the personal time for “R & R”, as well as time for family and friends.

Overall, with some changes that have happened and are happening, I will resolve to continue to better my health in all aspects, so that I can keep working to do what I do.

And my prayer for everyone is the same – may you enter into the New Year, recognizing all of God’s graces and blessings in your life so you can always better yourself for the kingdom of God.

Can one put the past behind them?

One thing that, as a Pastor, I can never learn enough of is how to handle feelings.
Now on the surface, that might seem like a silly statement. Ah heck, let's just call it what it is - weird.

I was able to Skype with my youngest son's girlfriend last night. It was nice, considering my son seems to get busy with other things, and much to his girlfriend's nagging, doesn't call enough (do our grown kids every really call enough?). But in this nice conversation, the question came up about what I like and don't like about my job. The answer is pretty close to the same every time. The joys and concerns of the people.

I "like" my job because being there for people is what I do - I've been told by some high school classmates that I'm still in contact with that I've been like that for many years. Other Pastors have said that this is a great gift. OK... Thank you. But...
When people are hurt, one of the toughest things for me is to "destress" after the moment. It might be because someone has come into my office to tell me of an impending medical procedure. It might be because someone has passed away and I need to minister to the family. It might be that I am spending Christmas visiting people in the hospitals instead of going to be with my family and friends.

I have to admit that these feelings make me upset. By upset, I mean it in every sense of the word - sad, worrisome, whatever. I also mean "upset" by angry or mad. I'm like that because I'm so "Type A" that when there is nothing more that I can do other than have a conversation and prayer with the hurt person or people, I get frustrated, because in my mind, somehow, someway, there just has to be something more that can be done!

Right now, as I prepare for Sunday's Worship Services, I'm also preparing the list of joy and concerns from the previous week or two. Each name represents a hurt, scared, or pain in someone's life. I write the name on my notes so that I can give updates, and with each name, there is still pain, but somewhere, there is a glimmer of hope.

My secratary just left for the weekend. Her daughter is suffering from breast cancer. I was watching on "The Today Show" this morning where a TV Celebrity just had her double-mastectomy a couple of weeks ago (Click here to watch the interview). In my first Parish, I had a couple of ladies who was suffering breast cancer, and during that ordeal, found out that there was a couple of survivors within my Parish.

When faced with tragedies, how do we respond? We can always show support with ribbons or shaving our own heads, along with getting the word out. We can be compassionate when a family has faced a horrific incident, and give thanks as we watch cards and letters roll in from all over thew world, as I witnessed after the Von Maur Shooting in Omaha in which a family in my Parish had lost a son who was a hero to many people that day.
We can of course turn to prayer, and give thanks for the blessings we do have.

As I'm working on my Sermon for Sunday, I'm writing about how we are heirs through God, because Jesus was born under the law of the land so that those who were also born under the law (you and me) might receive adopton as children of God (Gal 4:4-7).

One thing I did see in the Today Show interview was how this celebrity and her husband and vowed that as they give each other that "New Year's kiss" at the stroke of midnight, to not look back on the past.

Maybe we should all do the same... Let's learn from the past, but not dwell on it. It's done, and it's over with. Let's move on and make 2012 a better year.
And for everyone who knows someone who is hurting, physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually, let's help them get through this time as well. It's never easy.

So to you and yours, have a happy and blessed New Year!

"Another day" gone... (?)

I miss Christmas.
It's the day after, and I woke up realizing that I didn't get to watch as much of the "A Christmas Story" marathon as I wanted, or sit back and watch the movies I hoped to see, or the one thing I missed the most this year was being with my family.

In the movies, there is always scenes of how families come together on the Holiday and do something together. In the sentimental movies, everyone goes to Church and sits around at some point and shares memories. In the comedies, everyone is bickering because of some quirk or habit of someone else, which probably makes it a comedy because we're forced to face our own lives - realizing that there is or was that aunt or grandpa with the obnoxious habit or ideas (like Ralphie in A Christmas Story getting that pink bunny costume for Christmas)

Maybe all of this has to do with my granddaughter coming to visit me for a couple of days, or that in all I had to do on Christmas Eve, and then because Christmas fell on a Sunday again, I had a day of preaching, and then instead of doing what many others might have been doing on Christmas Day, I was visiting people in the hospital and detouring to a colleague's church so that I could have some sort of a Christmas meal between all of the other obligations I had. In all of that, my call home to my parents and siblings wasn't while I was sitting in my chair relaxing this year, as in years past - it was over a Bluetooth speakerphone through my cell phone as I was driving between cities. I remember thinking at one point that the next step will be having a driver and a secretary as I'm trying to get everything done... if I ever get to that point, it will surely be time to reassess and stop!

Now I'm not saying that it is someone else's fault by any means. I made the choices, past and present, in my life to be what and who I am, and I also made the decision to stay up late on Christmas Eve so that I could sit in a pew, listen to a Message, take Communion as a Parishioner, and sing worship as everyone does, so it was my doing to have limited sleep and such. I'm just saying that I miss some things.

• I do miss the comment or two about Christmas pictures. Any picture that my maternal grandmother took always seemed to me "off centered". As much as we might miss our loved ones, that is one quirk that I still chuckle about... look at any picture of my siblings and me as kids, and if it looks like the camera had to be turned about half an inch in the side, then we knew that Grandma Lyon took it.
• I miss picking at the cookies while walking through my mom's kitchen. As I said in one blog, there are cookies, and then there are mom's cookies.
• I miss the massive destruction of wrapping. After all of these years, I wonder why 'Santa' wasted so much time gift wrapping, knowing how us kids could totally destroy the paper. But as weird as this may seem, I also miss the cleaning up of all of that paper. I think it has to do with the realization of all that we received. And with four kids, there was a lot of paper. I wonder why 'Santa' never just threw a sheet over each kid's set of gifts and tag each one. Maybe it's because 'Santa' enjoyed it as well.
• As I was traveling from city to city to city on Christmas, I realized how much I missed the traveling from home to one grandparents' home and then to the other grandparents' home, and then back to the first, and then going home. I don't think I put on the miles yesterday as Dad would have back then, but the thought was there. Now I think I know why Dad could just "spin his finger in the air" and us kids knew that it meant to gather up our things because it was time to go.
• This year my niece had to wake up her parents (my sister and brother-in-law), not because it was Christmas, but because she wasn't feeling well. If you've kept up with the blogs, you know how we, as kids, would sneak around and wait for our parents to wake up so we could open the gifts. After all these years, my niece figured out the real way - get sick. (just kidding - because she was sick she had to skip out on going to my parents' place for Christmas, which she didn't like, and I hope that she's feeling better and enjoying her Christmas break). But again, I miss that "feeling" when waking up and wondering how long until we could "attack" the gifts.
• I miss the opportunity to spend my spare time duing Christmas and afterwards playing with Christmas gifts. Now that's not to say that I can't do that now, and there is some anticipation as I await a gift my brother is sending me, but maybe it is a sign of the times, or just that my schedule made things different this year, or just the "good ole' memories" sneaking into my mind. But that's ok this year - I'm relaxing, getting ready for my granddaughter to show up.
• I miss hanging off my roof, or out a bedroom window, or walking around a tree with a rake, while hanging Christmas lights. Some of the things we did to get the lights up when we were kids just amaze me so much now (but it worked!). But through the timing of some things and issues of other things, I wasn't able to get any lights or decorations done this year. In the Parsonage I'm appointed to now (my first year year), I have several evergreens, and one of them are being used for the "Tree of Lights" for one of the churches and is plugged into one of the outside outlets on the house. So I guess I can say that I'm not "totally" without decorations around me, but we'll see next year how the decoration ideas will come about. I have some of ideas and desires, but there are some things to take care of ahead of time.

There are plenty of other ideas and thoughts that will probably come to mind later in the day, week, or months ahead, but until then, "it is what it is".
As long as the KEY reason for celebrating Christmas is celebrating the birth of our Savior and the hope, love, joy, and peace that comes with it. Check.
We need to remember that Christmas isn't always about what we have, but what other don't. Check.
At all times, we need to remember that there are people that we associate with that can't "celebrate" because something has hit them hard at their work or in their lives that remind us to especially pray for them. Check.

So I guess I can say that as much as time have changed and things are different, Christmas was pretty good.

As the anticipation grows nearer...

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. For me, it's much different than when I was growing up.
As a kid, Christmas Eve meant going to church, maybe taking part in a Christmas program, and listening to the radio in my room as I went to sleep, listening to reports about where Santa was being tracked by NORAD. If you've watched my Facebook page, you've seen where I have posted some of their updates (now that we're in the age of computers, we don't have to depend on the radio like we used to - we can go to NORAD's website and get updates as they track Santa in real-time. NORAD even has some fun games to play, that I sometimes wish they could keep active all-year-round. Oh well.
But now that I'm a Pastor, Christmas Eve and Christmas take on a different meaning. It's not the waiting and waking up with anticipation - it's the "are the candles ready", "are the bulletins set", "are all of the doors unlocked", and "did we get that clogged toilet fixed".

I once listened to a speaker, Terry Teykl, talk to both clergy and laity. One thing he talked about is how clergy don't really "worship" as they should during Services. It's because of those silly little things that some people take for granted or never think of... One person might make a comment, but what about when 3 or 4 or 7 or 8 do? Ugh.
So I'm probably very "guilty" of "not worshiping". The reason is because of those "behind the scenes" things that people don't ever know about.
So this year, after my Christmas Eve Services, I'm going to go to a colleague's church so that I can worship. I may even fellowship at another church on Christmas Day after my Services where most people won't know me, and then I can go as a "regular" person and not "a Pastor".
(For some of you, I understand that it probably doesn't make a difference. But for others, it does - but that's another story)

So as I go to get my clothes ready for tomorrow, wherever or however you worship, say a silent prayer for your minister/priest/pastor/clergy.
And as you worship in whatever way you do, may your hearts be filled with the joy and peace of the Holiday Season!

Tis the Season to get OLD - Thanks Liberty!

My daughter-in-law posted on Facebook about my granddaughter (actually, her daughter - same difference), being a year and a half old today. I replied, joking that I thought that she was 18 months old. All of this after they had their Christmas pictures done the other day.

The photographer did a great job with getting my granddaughter to pose. Liberty has a cute smile, but she is an ornery one. She'll give ya a great smile, but on her time. She's always seemed to be like this. She'll smile, giggle, play, run around and shout, but as soon as the cameras come out, then it's straight-faced, serious, stone cold glares.
And to think that people think that I don't smile. HA!

Looking at these few pictures made me look back to pictures that I took right after she was born, and then just over a year ago when we went to a Petting Zoo.

Years go by, and we often lose track and what was when and who was where, but when it comes to children, it's amazing how fast we can lost track...they do grow up so fast. But the memories are so great. The silly moments, the loving moments, the caring moments. Maybe that's why the movie A Christmas Story is so popular - there is some part of it that touches some of us in some way, or brings back some memory (for example, for me, one is the number of plugs in the outlet - it reminds me of how my dad and brother and I would put all of the outdoor Christmas lights together and cover them with sandwich baggies or bread bags. I still wonder if there were a couple that bordered on "unsafe" sometimes. LOL)

But in how we look at it, whether it's 18 months or a year and a half, things can happen so fast.
18 months ago, I was holding my granddaughter with one hand, or had her cuddled in my arm, assuring her that grandpa is always going to be there for her.
A year and a half after my granddaughter was born, I'm watching her giggle and laugh and give silly smiles when I see her, taking her out to supper, and getting "muwah" kisses.
Yeah, I'm a proud grandpa.

Cherish the memories, and enjoy the special times.

It's the SHAPE of the Cookies!

When I was a kid, I remember my Mom working in the kitchen sometime before Christmas, baking all sorts of cookies. A couple that stick in my head were the Anise Cookies and Rocks.
What REALLY brings back memories are the sugar cookies with just the right amount of homemade frosting my mom would make with the cookie cutters of different Christmas shapes, and the one I remember the most was the "Santa carrying a bag" cutter. I don't know why I remember that one the most - maybe because I have never seen it anywhere else before or since then.
Until last week.

One of my churches was doing a Cookie Sale, and someone made some sugar cookies from cookie cutters just like the ones my Mom had when I was a kid. Just because it was the same shapes, I HAD to purchase some.

It's amazing how our senses bring back so many memories. Even the sight of those cookies made me remember Mom baking cookies all evening long.

But the cookies I bought the other day weren't as good as Mom made. Nothing would ever be as good, or frosted just right.

Oh, to be a kid at heart!

            For as long as I can remember, Christmas has been a time of not only celebrating the birth of Christ, but also a time for all of those great television specials.

            As a child, I was so interested in how Rudolph became the one to lead the sleigh that one foggy Christmas Eve, or how Kris Kringle overcame Burgermeister Meisterburger. But now as an adult, I am finding that I am more observant of these programs. I have even found online sites so that I have been able to go and confirm what I may have noticed.

            When noticing these things – when allowing our adult minds touch a childlike heart, we can see how much love and joy there is at Christmastime.

            For example, in the cartoon version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (1966), I invite you to notice that the Grinch’s eye color is green, but while he hears the singing coming from Whoville after he has attempted to “steal” Christmas, not only does his heart change, but his eye color changes to blue.

            And something else that I found while discussing this with someone – in the beginning, his heart was two sizes too small, but later, it grew three times larger, so that would mean that the joy of Christmas from Whoville increased his heart to more than normal!

            Another program to take note of is “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965). Now, anyone who knows anything about good ole’ Linus knows that he can never part with that security blanket of his. But if you watch the program at the point where Linus walks out onto the stage and tells the Christmas Story from Luke’s Gospel, at the point when he says “”Fear not…” (Luke 2:10), he actually releases his security blanket and allows it to drop to the ground.

            “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” reminds us of 1 Thessalonians 5, where it says to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances. Even though the Grinch had “thought” he had just stolen Whoville’s Christmas, he come to realize that Christmas wasn’t about the material things like that presents or the trees, but instead, it was about celebrating with family and friends. When the Grinch felt that same rejoicing, he, too, changed as well.

            When Linus went out onto the stage to recite the story from Luke’s Gospel, in the words “fear not”, his own fears were released. He did not need his security blanket as he continued to tell about the birth of Jesus from chapter 2 of Luke’s Gospel, and how Christ’s birth brings peace and love to all people. His comfort came from a higher source.

            In closing, both of these classics have a common theme – material items or commercialization, versus the true meaning of Christmas. Maybe as we have gone shopping for a simple item and seen people pushing and shoving to get that special toy, we, too, have wanted to scream out as Charlie Brown did – “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about!”

            Let us remember the true meaning of the Holiday – hope, peace, joy, and love – as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In remembering the reason for this Holiday, I encourage you to celebrate at your place of worship, wherever that may be. If you do not yet have one, please find one that you are comfortable at, for this is a time when we celebrate together as one, rejoicing in the birth of our Savior.

            May your Christmas be blessed!

I believe, I believe...

Some of my recent posts have talked about what a Holy Day is, traditions, and fun memories. Yet I have to admit that I find it frustrating that people around me, whether in a daily capacity or just when I'm walking through the Mall, seem to not have a clue.
Darn it. Oh well.

Am I getting grumpy in my old age? Am I cynical because of working the Holiday (although I did find that a nearby Church is having a later Chriustmas Eve Service that will work out great so that I can go and worship)? Or have I just not gotten enough of "A Christmas Story" with Ralphie wanting his BB Gun?

BUT... That is why there is the Advent season - to remind us to prepare for the coming of Christ; to be ready for His return. That's why each Sunday of Advent has a theme to it - Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

So as I wait with HOPE, striving to be at PEACE, knowing the JOY that is in my heart because of the LOVE we receive from Christ, I know that even though I might seem like a Grinch, those who "just don't get it" will just give me a great reason to laugh. =)

What is Christmas all about?

The other day, I pointed out what my brother had mentioned - The TV Special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" had a lot of bullying in it - even, dare we say, from Santa at a point or two. Then today, I'm watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, and realize that it's about the commercialization of Christmas. And as it has happened year after year, people are harping about using "Christmas" versus "Xmas", or "Merry Christmas" versus "Happy Holiday".

So let's set a few things straight...

• The issues that we complain are "happening in the world today" were happening 45 years ago. A Charlie Brown Christmas is a story about Charlie Brown being "repelled by the commercialism he sees around him, (and so he) tries to find the true meaning of Christmas (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059026/). So enough complain already - we've been living like this for some time, so it's nothing new. Let's move on and live our lives and celebrate Christmas like we should - in an attitude of hope, peace, joy, and love.
• The early Christians spoke Greek. Christ, in Greek, is Chi, and it's written like this--> "X". So when someone wants to argue about how to spell Christmas, it's how you want to look at history. Chi has been used for over 1000 years... "Xmas" is the "Mass, or 'celebration' of Christ". And if you're about defending Christ, why are you fighting anyways?
• "Holiday" means "Holy Day". Yet it seems that many people will argue that saying "Holiday" is taking away from Christmas. So here's a thought - If someone wishes you a Happy Holy Day, thank them, and then respect the Holy Day.

Now with that being said, let's remember why we celebrate the Holy Day of Christmas. Let's remember 2nd Peter 3 - Be striving to be at peace.

Glory be to God - not our fights.
Amen.

Poor Rudolph

Now as one of my blog-followers might read this, I hope that they don't think I'm copying from them... I actually noticed the same thing, but I wondered - do you question such a classic?

Poor old Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer... Had a very shiny nose. Even if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows.
But Santa had a problem with it.

Yeah - Santa belittled poor baby Rudolph, bragging with that "Jingle Jingle Jingle, I'm ole Kris Kringle" song, because it was a BAD thing that Rudolph was different.
If yo don't believe me, go back and watch it. The adults - his dad, his coach, and Santa - those that Rudolph were suppose to be able to go to if he felt that he was being bullied - were the ones picking on him.

Now before you go all ACLU on me, yes, this show is an old classic, and it's probably not the intention that the makers of the show that  I, too, have loved for as long as I can remember, but after all of this time, something as silly as this stands out.........

But how come bullying in today's society doesn't stand out like it should? How come we turn a blind eye to it?

Last night, I watched Extreme Makeover - Home Improvement. The team built a house for a family that lost an 11 year-old boy to suicide because he had been bullied.
Now when it comes to kids being bullied, some might say "suck it up", but that only works for so long, if at all.

The family of this 11 year old boy started a campaign to stand together against bullying. I'm number 66,223. In the time that it took for me to post my picture, over 500 more people took the pledge. You can find out more at the STAND TOGETHER website. All sorts of people have taken the pledge, including rock stars, sports stars, and even WWE Super Star John Cena (and I double-dog dare anyone to mess with that guy! Or worse yet, if he "took care of the situations? Ouch!)

As we continue in our Advent Journey, let's find a way to be a people of PEACE...

Here comes Christmas!

Christmas is coming soon! I'm excited, in a way...
As an adult, it is a different feeling. Being a Pastor, I enjoy the opportunity to preach God's Word to the people, and hope that they get something out of it, praying that they understand the meaning of Christmas. Also, being a Pastor, it's, in a sense, a position where I don't get the "day off" like many other people might. I'm in a different frame of mind when I preach, and so I'm hoping that I'm close enough to some colleague's church so that I can be "on the other side" sometime Christmas Eve. I miss that.

But as a kid, I would be counting days, and to practice my Math, I'd count the hours, minutes, and seconds. To tell you how excited I'd be about Christmas, I don't mind Math, but it's not something I would sit around doing to that extent.
I've shared a couple of memories in past blogs, and now here is another memory - the t.v. specials, mostly the Rankin-Bass ones like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town.

As I watched Rudolph this evening, I remember the feeling of the felt pajamas that I wore as a kid, and thought back to the days of looking through the TV Guide for more TV Specials to come on. The only one I didn't like to watch was Little Drummer Boy because for some reason, I'd always feel so sad that I would want to cry when I'd see the little lamb get hurt and the Drummer Boy would cry (I remember crying when I was 5 years old from that scene).

It's amazing how seeing how hearing something can bring back memories. Even as my brother was texting me pictures of the process of him baking rocks (yeah, we eat rocks - a family recipe if you haven't been reading my posts... I might post the recipe later if you're nice. LOL) I could seem to smell the scent of the rocks baking in the oven as I looked at the pictures.

Who knows... maybe this year I'll get the courage to watch Little Drummer Boy if it comes on t.v.

Another Christmas memory - I wasn't always a Pastor

I was just reading my brother's blog, and remembering how when we were kids, all of us (we have a younger sister and brother) would gather in our room and wait for our parents to get up before we could go out to see what we got for Christmas, and when we moved to our house in Pickerington, my brother and I had separate rooms, so we'd meet in his room because it was farthest from our parents' room, and wait for them to wake up.
Again, let me say that I think that there were times that our parents were awake and were enjoying the "torture" of us kids trying to decide who'd make the most "typical noise" so that they'd wake up.

But as much as we'd wait, there was that anticipation that came with the waiting. What did we get? Did we get something big or little? How much did we get?
To keep us from "cheating", there was a sheet hung at the end of the hall so that us kids couldn't see into the living room if we had to go to the bathroom or go to one another's rooms for something. Darn it. But that didn't mean that we weren't in the hallway, peaking around the corners, looking to see if there was any openings at the bottem of the sheet, and seeing if we could see anything down the hallway if there was. Back then, we'd give anything for x-ray vision or to be the Six Million Dollar Man with that Bionic Eye... But again, darn it!

Living in Pickerington, we were upstairs so there wasn't the need for the "sheet at the end of the hall". But I remember one Christmas, we realized that there was a gigantic mirror on the wall at the bottom of the stairs, and given the right angle, we could see into the living room - BONUS!!  So like some sort of Special Rangers soldier, crawling across the floor, around the corner to peek down the stairs to see the mirror and.... a sheet was covering the mirror. DANG IT!!!

The "extra waiting and wondering" gave me time to wonder what the day would be like... What would happen when we go to our grandparents' houses? Will my parents like the gifts I got them? Etc Etc.

Life gives us lessons that are just like we're taught in the Bible, but maybe we don't know it, or it's not as obvious at the time. As we enter into the Advent season, preparing for the celebration of Jesus, we have the time to reflect on why we're celebrating. We can consider what the Season really is all about. We can consider everything we have and what other people don't have.

Waiting and wondering... How about reflecting and preparing?
Blessings!

Is Thanksgiving over?

I'm stuffed! Cornish Hen, yam, stuffing, carrots, cranberry sauce, rolls, and of course, pumpkin pie. All of this after weeks of watching people post on Facebook of things that they're thankful for and giving my congregations a challenge of being thankful for what they have, thanking 10 people each day, and ending each day with realizing what they learned to appreciate.
Then as I've sat here and relax and watched movies and enjoyed my Thanksgiving Day dinner, I watched as people would post on FB about their dinners and such, and prepping for Black Friday specials (and how some people are even posting tents in front of some stores - what is so important that you have to camp in front of a store? Sheesh!)

And now I'm thinking of what I'll be preaching as we go upon our Advent journey, and what Christmas means. 30 days of a trip to something which I hope is exciting, but mostly inspiring and eye-opening.

But now that the only idea of Thanksgiving will now be how to use the leftovers, do we stop thinking about giving thanks every day? Do we stop saying thank you as much as we should? Do we stop reflecting how things we've learned to appreciate? If we do, then what good will the hope, peace, joy, and love of the Advent season do?

Was your Thanksgiving nice? If so, why stop? If not, work to make it better now.
We should never stop giving thanks.

Teaching Wants versus Needs

One thing that I've enjoyed here and there in my "adult" years is playing Santa Claus. Being there and watching a kid's eyes light up is something that is so amazing. The only thing that surpasses it is how I will surprise myself by getting out of those tough situations where the little ones realize that the big guy with the long white bread is kinda scary (they're not quite ready for the 'real Santa' versus the 'TV Santa').
Today I got to be Santa again. And what fun! Even when some adults have fun with it, wanting a picture with Santa (hey, anything for a 'fan' - Ho Ho Ho!). But one thing I heard from a few kids was "is (so and so) on the naughty or nice list" or what they "want" as opposed to what the "need". And then after reading my brother's blog where he talked about how we used to go to both sets of our grandparents houses on Christmas, it made me remember how we always seemed to get knit slippers or a package of socks or something like that along with some toys from one of our grandparents.
Back then, I remember, with now remorse, how we could feel the Christmas gifts and "figure out" the knitted slippers or clothing items, and think "do I get these out of the way now with a Thank You so I can get to the toys, or do I get to the toys so that the "thanks" are worn out".

Now, being a grandpa, sitting in my chair with a lap-blanket and wondering what kind of socks will keep my feet warm, I miss those days-gone-by. A time when looking back, we got things we wanted, but also got what we needed.

When a child asked Santa today about if someone else was on the naughty or nice list, Santa asked them if they really wanted to know about that other person, or themselves, and if they wanted to know about themselves, then only their actions could decide that. When a youth told Santa about not getting what they 'wanted', but instead getting something that their parents thought that they needed, and they didn't like that, then Santa told them a story about a little boy who learned to appreciate everything he got.

What we've learned in life isn't just memories - they're opportunities to teach future generations about life.
Like what it means to eat a rock. (A 'rock' is a family recipe muffin-type cookie what is hard as a rock, usually made one year and then left in a tin until the next year, and really great!)
Or hanging over the edge of a roof to hang Christmas lights because you're having too much fun to worry about heights.
Or saving up all the bread bags to protect the numerous plugs from all of the Christmas lights, which in retrospect, makes me wonder how safe it was - like something out of "A Christmas Story".
Or how to have the kids wait in one room while the parents get some extra sleep before opening gifts.
Or how to "raise the noise level" without being "loud" to get the parents up so to go open gifts.
Or how to get the Christmas stocking felt off of the sticky candy.

All of those are fun memories that I plan to share with my grandchildren as I wrap up a sweater or two.

More reminiscing later!

What is the "ultimate gift" this Season?

I love Christmastime. I think I've already mentioned it. If I didn't, there ya go. If I did, it's worth repeating.

I love the memories of when my brothers and sister and I would have to one of our bedrooms and wait for our parents to get up, and in the meanwhile, try to "sneak a peak" down the hallway to what might be waiting under the tree for us. There are also the memories of going to see our grandparents and cousins and aunts and uncles later in the day, and of course, cleaning up all of the wrapping paper later.

Probably the best part of Christmastime was watching the specials on TV, especially the Rankin-Bass ones, and now I'm looking forward to that as well. I'm also looking forward to watching the Christmas lights twinkle, whether on a tree or around my window sill. The town that I live in is considered the "Christmas City", so I'm hoping to have plenty of lights to see this year, as well as the fact that one of my churches has a "Tree of Lights" that it does every year, and it uses a big evergreen tree in the Parsonage yard for it. That should be awesome.

But it has certainly seemed like everything has come so much more earlier this year. I've still got the basket of leftover Halloween candy on a shelf, and yet I go to the Department Store and there is one or two aisles filled with stocking stuffers and Holiday clothing apparel. Maybe I might be wrong, but it seems like you didn't hear a lot about Christmas mentioned until Thanksgiving Day with MAYBE an occasional commercial, but nothing more until after Santa stepped off his sleigh after the Macy's Parade.

But in a time when we should really start to be more thankful, maybe some of the Christmas-themed movies that have aired recently on TV, especially some that have been on the Hallmark Channel, might be a good start. The movie "The Ultimate Gift" is a perfect example. It is a movie of a guy who has to learn 12 lessons in life to receive the "ultimate gift" from his deceased grandfather, which some might think is one thing, but in my opinion, the guy has learned something a lot more, and THAT is the ultimate gift.

If you don't have the movie, I highly recommend it... find it on TV, borrow it, rent it, buy it from Amazon or something... but somehow, watch it.
Then you may, too, realize the "ultimate gift".

Having to look for the humor

NBC's "Saturday Night Live" popularity is gained from how it spoofs current events. I hope that a line in last night's episode made a point..."Do you know how this makes you look?"
When even the Devil has to point out to people how they look foolish for supporting people who had a responsibility to protect children, you know something must be getting pretty bad!

NOW... Why do I bring this up?
Because 1-It does make a good point. Do the people realize how foolish they look for supporting someone who knew of the abuse but did something about it? And 2-Because with the sadness and hate and bitterness, there has to be some light of hope and/or humor somewhere. If I had done the SNL skit, I might have had the Devil making "special plans" for the abusers. But again, we need to get past those people and be praying for the victims.

I was reading my brother's blog, in which he was coming back to finding some good news in light of the happenings, and even though he might of had to do some serious searching (he lives in an area of a big city and such), he did find a story of people using the talents of animals to help shy kids with reading.

Today, I preached on using our talents for the good of our community and our churches. (Matthew 25:14-30). Instead of burying our heads in the sand when bad things happen, we need to do something positive for those in need.

Praying is a good start. We all have that talent.

And let's remember to find a smile in our days.
And yes, you can even look it up in the Bible! (Humor and laughter references in the Bible)

Amen.

An interesting turn of events

Today I watched the Neb - Penn St game. I've listened to the news. And now I've read my brother's blog. As a lot was said about those events, not enough has been said about the alleged victims, just how Penn St was going to do without their Coach Joe.I got an email stating that a past instructor of mine had passed away. He did so much for the education of others in so many ways, and yet, even though this guy knew all there was to know about Wesley, and he did more in local and global mission than most pastors will ever do, his qualifications weren't fully recognized.

I've had to sit back today and truly wonder what I'm thankful for. This is something that hasn't been too hard to do since the challenge was placed, but in light of everything going on, how can I think of myself in any way when the world has been blind to what's going on around itself.

Today I'll just be thankful that I can turn to God in prayer for those who truly need it.
Enough said.

Making a list, checking it twice...

Thankfulness.
Been keeping aware of what I'm thankful for each day. And part of doing that is knowing my faults. Recognizing them is considered a mark of humility. And being humble is also something I'm thankful for.

I've noticed that a lot of people have made notes on their social media pages or personally how they are thankful. But I've also noticed the humility in the statements. In other words, people aren't thankful for big paychecks, but instead, for the ability to give extra to someone, or something like that.
That's awesome!

1 Peter 5:6 says "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time".

As we continue to remember to be thankful, let us also remember to be humble.

preparing for Thanksgiving

I'm still amazed at the number of Christmas commercials on tv already. I don't remember (and maybe it's because of my old age) so much Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving.

Don't misunderstand me - I love the Christmas Holiday! I especially love the old Rankin-Bass specials (Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Year Without a Santa Claus...), but it seems like Christmas didn't even come up until after Thanksgiving.

As I'm watching what people on Facebook and such are thankful for, I'm reminded of what someone reminded me of - Psalm 25...
I offer my life to you, LORD.
² My God, I trust you.
Please don’t let me be put to shame!
Don’t let my enemies rejoice over me!
³ For that matter, don’t let anyone who hopes in you be put to shame; instead, let those who are treacherous without excuse be put to shame.
⁴ Make your ways known to me, LORD; teach me your paths.
⁵ Lead me in your truth— teach it to me— because you are the God who saves me.
I put my hope in you all day long.
⁶ LORD, remember your compassion and faithful love— they are forever!
⁷ But don’t remember the sins of my youth or my wrongdoing.
Remember me only according to your faithful love for the sake of your goodness, LORD.
⁸ The LORD is good and does the right thing; he teaches sinners which way they should go.
⁹ God guides the weak to justice, teaching them his way.
¹⁰ All the LORD’s paths are loving and faithful for those who keep his covenant and laws.
¹¹ Please, for the sake of your good name, LORD, forgive my sins, which are many!
¹² Where are the ones who honor the LORD?
God will teach them which path to take.
¹³ They will live a good life, and their descendants will possess the land.
¹⁴ The LORD counsels those who honor him; he makes his covenant known to them.
¹⁵ My eyes are always looking to the LORD because he will free my feet from the net.
¹⁶ Turn to me, God, and have mercy on me because I’m alone and suffering.
¹⁷ My heart’s troubles keep getting bigger— set me free from my distress!
¹⁸ Look at my suffering and trouble— forgive all my sins!
¹⁹ Look at how many enemies I have and how violently they hate me!
²⁰ Please protect my life! Deliver me! Don’t let me be put to shame because I take refuge in you.
²¹ Let integrity and virtue guard me because I hope in you.
²² Please, God, save Israel from all its troubles!

A Psalm of Thanksgiving...
So let's continue to give thanks =)

Remember when....?

I'm still working on what I'm thankful for. It can be a challenge in light of different things happening all around, but if one just stops and thinks about it, IT IS NOT THAT HARD!

For example, I could complain that I wasn't able to see Ohio State football today, even though it was listed on my channel guide. Or I could complain about the way that the Huskers played, but what good does being an "armchair quarterback" do?
So instead, I got some laundry done (sure, may not sound exciting, but trust me, I'm thankful to have it out of the way! LOL),
But the most thankful thing today was that I watched some old movies (like "Mary Poppins" - Can you still say "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"?) , and caught up a bit with an old friend.

Tomorrow, we're celebrating "All Saints' Sunday" in our churches, and in doing so, we'll be giving thanks for those friends and loved ones who have passed on. And after the Services, we'll also be remembering some of those people during our Charge Conference (an annual Church Meeting in which we come together to complete certain "business" things of the church) as well as telling our stories of how our churches have made an impact on our lives.

Sitting back and reflecting on the great things of the past... and giving thanks for those things.
All of the past makes us what we are today. Take the good and use it for strength, laughter, and joy. Take the hurts and pains and use them to make you stronger.

Then give thanks for the day - even if it is trying to see how fast you can sing along with Mary Poppins. =)

It could be worse...

I've been challenged. At least I think so.
I follow other's blogs. It's interesting, and fun. As a matter of fact, the one in which I'm writing of should probably consider being a preacher. The writer is smart and makes good points! (I wonder if this person's preacher has ever noticed?)

Anyways, the challenge is about being positive and recognizing what blessings I have.
I have to say that I usually do, but in my writings and when I talk to some people, it doesn't show near as much as it should. Honestly, I have to do better at it.
Thinking back, I remember having that thankful, positive attitude. I remember being able to laugh a lot, relax in tense moments, and thanking God for those little blessings, even when "crap had hit the fan".

Where did it go? I have no clue. It's probably still there, but just not as obvious as it should be. Maybe I've let old age sneak up on me. Maybe I'm worrying too much.
But like my brother once told me - I'm already a grandpa, why should I care what (other's) think of me? (Which on a funny side, just solidifies the old age part (JUST KIDDING).

So here it goes - for the next month, the real me is going to come back out.
It might be scary. Dogs might give me that "cockeyed head" look. I might even start laughing out loud.

If a "little old lady" can walk into one of my offices (I have an office in each city that I work in) and tell me about how she's on a limited income, but still tithes and writes her first check to the church every month, and depends on God to take care of her needs, then why can't everyone else, including me, have a great attitude?

Give thanks in the morning, give thanks before going to bed, and give thanks in between. It could always be worse, so why talk about it?

Keep it simple, stupid.

Some time ago, I remember learning the "KISS" method of doing things - K I S S meaning "Keep it simple, stupid!" It had to do with how we tend to make things harder than what they really are.
For example, when I had to do an assignment for an Ethics class, I had to answer a series of questions in regards to an incident. After I spent at least 3 hours mulling over the questions, disecting each part of each question, wondering if the instructor meant this, or that, or wanted it answered in such a way to explain a certain aspect of something in class, or maybe he meant for us to check a different idea... (and meanwhile, in my mind, I'm thinking "this guy is the head of the Relion and Philosophy Dept at Kansas Weslyan Univ, as well as teaching this Ethics Course at a Theological Institute... This just HAS TO BE a hard question!"
(Yeah, I rambled that much for 3 hours!)

I finally got up the nerve to call the Instructor. I asked him all of those questions and concerns I had.
His answer was - "That's the problem we have today. We have to try to make things so hard. Just answer the questions ONLY as it is written."

So I did the assignment, answering each question ONLY as it was written. I, with all my might, tried to not read into anything. I did ONLY what was on the paper.
And I sweated bullets until I got the grade - an "A".

The cursed calendar is trying my patience again. Do I have the time for this and that - the truely important things?
Actually, the things written on the calendar only take up a few hours at a time. Most of the items are only an hour long maybe. The only items that are "all day events" are things that involve retreats, appointments in which the time is spent driving to and from (which I love to use for reflection time), or when I have a few appts on the same day, but the timing is fine, and meals aren't even a problem (one or two of those days involve being at dinners or, my favorite, going to sporting events - there is nothing better than a hotdog or popcorn at a high school football or volleyball game!)

So relax, take it easy, and keep it simple.
It will all work out just fine.

In memory

I just left a note in a "guestbook" on a Funeral Home website for an acquaintance from the last town that I lived in who just died. He was about 5 months older than me, was on the Fire Dept with me, and his folks were on the Rescue Squad with me.

It's proof that you have to stop and reflect on life.

It's not what you can plan - it's what you make of it while you are here. The rest is up to God.

Good bye Gregg.

Things that go bump in the night

I'm just getting ready for bed, and turned on my phone app that is a "radio scanner". Right now, I'm listening to some Columbus, Ohio Police units work an assault. It makes me wonder how much of the calls I'm listening to involves my brother who works for Dublin Police as a 911 Dispatcher.

All of this makes me think back to when my brother and I were Police/Fire Explorers, and would do ride-alongs with the Pickerington Police. Back then, there were one or two officers on duty at a time. From what I understand on websites and from old friends, there is a heck of a lot more officers on duty (Pickerington Ohio has grown a lot in the last 30 years).

And just as I was eating a bowl of cherry nut ice cream, and the memories that it brought back, the memories of 25-30 years ago flash through my head.
Times with friends, people "dropping" their books on a table (an inside joke), watching a classmate's dad make fresh cider from apples from an old press,

Now the areas that were simple neighborhoods are "historic districts", but the memories are always going to be there. And whatever brings back the memories will be the same, or might be surprise me.

(By the way, as I'm typing this, the Police are still working the assault call, and caught the bad guys. Why? Because the helicopter in the area watched them with a spotlight run... followed them, and directed the road cops right to them.
Why do people think that you can hide from that big spotlight in the air?)

Maybe I've found a hobby?

I have found this AMAZING new activity...it's called "reading".
It's an enjoyable hobby, yet not something that I've totally mastered quite yet. It does require some time, which I have been able to squeeze from here and there in my days, and with the invention of the computer and phone apps, I can even bring a book to wherever I go.

Now that I'm done being a wiseguy, I have to be honest... yes, it has become a bit of a task for me, but if it's just the right kind of book, then I can kick back and relax with my kindle on the phone or on my computers in my one office or at home and read a book.
(By the way - The latest ones I'd recommend are "Jesus, Through the Eyes of Peter" by Jeff Thurman, "Imaginary Jesus" by Matt Mikaltos, and "The Anger Diet" by Brenda Shoshanna.)
(And if you can figure out which one of those I know 'personally', you win a quarter!)
What's neat is that sometimes I can download a book for free, or it only cost a few bucks.

But along the way, people MUST have a break.

Life is moving too fast, and everyone thinks that they have to do it now, and not take time to relax.
Even Pastors have to take a break. Some people might not agree, but we all need to take a sabbath at some point or another. We all have to rest and refresh ourselves if we're going to be any good to anyone.

Read the instructions

I remember when I was in the 6th or 7th grade, getting a quiz, and the teacher saying something to the affect of "read the instructions before you start. You have 5 minutes to complete it."

But it was a full page, and the instructions were long, and so we all jumped right into the questions. Problem was - if we had read the instructions, we'd have seen about halfway through the statement "ignore everything you've read, put down your pencil, and sit quietly until the teacher collects the papers. Do not write on the papers." The rest of the instructions were things like "draw here and write this and circle that and underline there"...

We let panic set in. We let the EASIEST of tasks become so hard that almost all of us fail the quiz. (yes, I was one of them that failed).

Same thing is happening right now. I'm in the majority (if not all) of the people who when it comes to the Charge Conference paperwork for the last however many years, would LOVE to see less of it.
Well, God has heard the prayers, and now there are only a few forms, and those forms aren't all so bad.
And I sat in a meeting with my District Superintendent as she explained them, and she could see my face turn different shapes and colors, and she even commented on it, until I finally asked "there's not so much to do this year? And you gave us examples to follow?"
Wow! So simple.

So I went to the people... "Here are your forms - so let's get to work, They're easier, simpler, quick, fun, less work. Just fill it out and don't worry about neatness - it all gets inputted into the computer. Yippee!!!

Now that I have sat here in my office all day and "filled in the slots", (the people did the work, I just simply accessed the forms and completed them online), I found out that the word "easy" stuck in my head a little too much.
I forgot to ask for this, and for that. And in the process, I failed to mention something else to some people.
UGH!

So now I sit, doing the catchup work, and making the apologies to the people for bothering them with the "I 'thought' we were done, but here's where I messed up..."

"...forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us...."
But I'm still going to go out into the hills somewhere and scream for a few minutes. It helps. =)

I'm back, again?

OK... What's happening?
The goal of doing the blogs was part of a discipline of Journaling, and it was helpful. It was even nice to get some encouraging words from friends and collegues... But then I've fallen into the same trap that I'm working on helping people get out of - the "not enough time in the week" trap. UGH!

So I decided to go to see my granddaughter for my birthday. It was a nice trip... spending time with her, taking pictures, battling her to see who can spit the best "rasberry" (her mom and dad think it's cute now - just wait another 10 years... hee hee hee)

And I'm also working on other issues. Planning things in my office and home life, wrapping up some issues, etc.
Then hey, I know, I'll take a vacation next month. Yeah, that sound great! And then somewhere along the way, my mind had shut down to that "sure, I'll give the Invocation and Benediction at the Veteran's Day Services here in town".
OK... maybe the next week. It's gotta be the next week.
Why? Because I planned stuff. Ugh!.

LOL

Is God trying to say something?

I once had a parishonier who would describe those "odd" moments in life as "God moments".
I thought that was pretty cool. A simple way to explain something without having to get into a long, drawn out explaination of one's faith or anything.

Last week, I was asked to do a graveside funeral service. Now for me, just those words alone can mean many things... just the commital services, a short service for the local friends and family due to the deceased person lived and once had a history here, or a complate funeral service? What also made it somewhat unusual for me was that the call was coming in from a family member, as opposed to the funeral home who was taking care of the arrangements (which in many cases would mean something in itself).

But as I did some checking in, I found out that a cousin to the deceased was a member of my church, and so in talking to them, I realized that it was expected for me to do complete funeral service at the graveside.
OK... I can do that, so I made contact with the person making the request to get the information and such, as I want to do the best job I can in paying respect for the deceased. I was then told "I'll just give you her information when I see you at the cemetary."
Huh?

So then the "investgating" part of the 'job' had to kick in. I found out which funeral home in the city an hour or so out was handling the arrangements, got the obituary from them, tried to find out what I could from the family and what Scripture or special words they would like said ("whatever is appropriate" was the answer to that -- thank goodness I was able to find out more from the cousin!).

So come Saturday, I went up and preached a Message with a thought in mind... An instructor of mine has said many times (in regards to preaching Sermons in church) that you're not necessarily preaching to please the people. You're to preach to please God.
So that was my goal.

After the Service, I stepped away so that I could start for the place for the lunch (the cousin and family had done the arrangements for the lunch and had asked that I be there to do the Blessings and such). Then, the cousin (my parishioner) came up and told me how I really did a nice of a job (which I hear often, but somehow something rang different), and then his sister walked up and said that I "preached Christ".

DING! God moment!

Sometimes when we feel low or stressed, it's amazing how those "God moments" sneak up on us... maybe subtle, maybe right there and "in your face".

If you ever find yourself having a God moment, don't blow it off... Take advantage of it. There is a reason that it is a God moment.
Maybe God is trying to tell you something.

You're going to cut me with THAT?

I decided to stop by the doctor's office today and make an appointment to have a little work done.
No big deal (the paperwork will probably take longer than the procedure), but in the back of my mind, I'm recalling the days of when I had to have an ingrown toenail worked on as a kid. That was when I learned that the needle doesn't hurt...it's the novocain that really creates the pain.

Now, I'm getting worried... What was I thinking? Do I really need to see the doctor? Am I going to be a wimp? Can I live with the discomfort that I'm going through already? What if something gets infected? What if the condition gets infected because I DON'T see the doctor?

Who me, worry?
Oh heck yeah!!!!

So do I pray to God to not make it hurt? Let's be realistic. Do I pray that the doctor will just wave a magic scalpel and I'll be healed? Wake up.

Worry is a part of life, even though we know to give our worries over to God in prayer. The idea is to not fret so much about them.
Now if I could just relax so I could get some sleep. (just kidding)

Remember - Don't worry...BE HAPPY!!!!!

Time flies... got a flyswatter?

For the past couple of hours, I've been thinking it's Monday night.
In terms of my "work schedule", it is a "Monday night" for me, but I really thought it was Monday... as it what shows were on television, what the rest of my week would be like, what I needed to plan for, etc.

Then, I'm sitting back trying to figure out a vacation or a break or something. That should be relaxing, right? NOT!
My thoughts are to take back-highways and such to wherever I choose to go, and that's if I choose a particular destination (as in my granddaughter's place or my family in Ohio or something), but then my anxiety raises because I know the back-highway to my granddaughter's. Maybe there's another one. Is there? Do I remember how to look at a map? Can I pull my head out of my rear long enough to realize that if I quit stressing I might just be able to figure this out easily?
Nah - won't happen. I worry too much. LOL

But yet again, I need to practice what I preach - Philippians 4 tells us to not worry about things, and instead, to pray about those things that cause us worries.

So I'm going to head off to bed, thinking happy thoughts, leaving my worries behind, and maybe even singing some silly old jingle.
...well, it's makes me laugh... and can you remember some of them?
Jello... J--E--L-L--O
Big Mac... twoallbeefpattiesspecialsaucelettacecheesepicklesonionsonasesameseedbun.
Dairy Queen... scrumpdillyicious.

Good night and blessings to you and yours!
Remember to smile - it makes people wonder what you're up to! =)

I fell off the wagon

I'm back.
As much as I enjoy blogging, or journaling, as a discipline, I've been away. In part, due to my health. I managed to either catch enough dust from the Threshing Bee in my lungs to cause me some issues (I didn't know it could happen, but I'm being told that it does happen to some people), or I caught a cold or something in my lungs.
So I "fell off the wagon" in keeping up with my discipline of journaling.

But I'm back.

Since I was last on, it seems a lot has happened. Facebook has managed to change again, making updated and keeping up with things more difficult for me. I've been given many suggestions on how to "fix the updates" but FB keeps going back to the 'new and improved' way. Sometimes you gotta shout "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Another thing that I'm finding is the level that people will go to get the news. I found that there is a Blogsite that reports news, which would be fine, except they put their own twist on things. This leave it open for people to take it as fact. Then comes the question - why would someone take a blogsite as fact when you can get the information straight from the State Patrol here in Nebraska? Answer - I really don't know.

But then this leads to people spreading what they read on these sites, which then raises the question of ethics, as well the Christian teachings of not spreading rumors or gossiping.

Maybe I'm just too old fashion. Maybe something in how I was raised is finally sinking in. Maybe I'm just (to quote from the Twisted Sister song) "not going to take it any more".

Maybe I hit my head when I fell off the wagon. (By the way - how many thought that I was thinking of "drinking" when you read that?
If you did... shame on you. LOL

ok, so you don't like what the Bible says?

"If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself." ~Augustine
Jesus taught us to love one another. Granted, He never said anything about having to 'like' them, but we did say that we are to love one another.
We are to love one another as God love us. Granted, there are probably tons of things that we, as fallible humans, do on this earth that God sees and is just rolling His eyes and thinking "you've got to be kidding me!" But He still loves us. So we are to love one another.

This past Sunday, I quoted a book (sorry - can't quote the book, author, or anything else word for word now... It was an "oldie but a goodie Message", and the info was from a commentary, and it's my day off, so to get the info means to go to my office. Can't do it...so continuing - ) where the author said that if God judged the way we wanted Him to, He'd have to just throw everything away and go fishing.

The people who came to Pierce to protest at a funeral this past weekend was proving Augustine's point, but for someone to get upset when I say that we should pray for these people is also proving Augustine's point.

Jesus taught us to pray that God forgives OUR sins as we FORGIVE those who SIN against us (and by us, we are one in a community of Christ).

So why waste time and energy allowing oneself to get upset about another's actions? Just smile, and let them wonder what you're up to.
And then remember what Christ taught us!

Bless you, now BE QUIET!

What a day!

I got to do a nice road trip and lunch with a collegue and learned so much (Thanks again to "you know who you are"!).

And then this evening I got a ticket from a parishioner to attend the soup & pie supper at Pierce HS just befroe the football game there (for the record, both Pierce and Osmond have their home football games on the same nights, so I have to alternate which school I go and watch, even though I try to support both high schools in my Parish in some way).

Then I went down to the field and watched Pierce HS play Scotus Catholic HS. Now you have to remember, I'm the "new kid in town", and so I can only go by what people have told me, and what people have told me is that Pierce HS has a good football team every year. So I'm going with some expectations of watching a good competition.
What I end up seeing is some of the most immature behavior in a football game.

I arrived by the stands just in time to see a player from the other team not only get flagged for unsportsmanlike cinduct, but ejected from the game. What he did, we don't know, but of course, it must of been bad enough to warrent being told to go to the sidelines by the Officials.
But as the Officials are explaining to the coach why this happened, everyone can see as the SCHS coach becomes very "animated" with his anger - enough so that I was waiting to see another flag go flying in the air.
But finally, the game must go on, and as it did, things over on that sideline were getting worse enough to the point where warning flags were tossed and enough was enough.

And the "action" wasn't just on the other sideline - it was in the side of the pressbox as well where the opposing team's people can watch and call down or film the game.
At one point, an Official called a penalty on SCHS. Not a big deal - the kids on both sides were palying a great game, but things do happen. But when the penalty was announced, the guy in the box yelled loud enough so that it could be heard over the loudspeaker mic - "You've got to be kidding me".

In the Bible, we're taught to teach our children how to act (Proverbs 22:6 - Point your kids in the right directions...), but what does it mean when the adults cannot set the example?

...and some people wonder why some kids behave the way they do. Hmmm.

Me, Myself, and I ?????

I must be tired. I have been looking and looking for my hoodies, coats, and hats, and betting that they are in the boxes that haven't come to this house yet. It's somewhat disturbing, because in the basement are boxes and boxes of things that will do no one any good for keeping warm. Hmmm.

And now, I'm looking up and seeing that I left the door leading from the garage into the house open. Hmmm.

BUT, today I... um, yeah.
WAIT, I got the last of my papers sent in for SUM COS 2011 classes. Yeah, that's what I did, um, last night.

OK - truth be told, I actually had a good time with some other pastors today on a "retreat". (I put it in quotes because it was also a time of learning from a class that most of them had taken together - I'm sort of the "new kid in class").
But it was fun. We learn, we relaxed, we had some great fellowship, and what I valued most was the time to be with people that I have a common interest with but I could also "be myself".

As odd as that sounds, it can be an issue for some people. We all have different opinions, and that's what I find fantastic, but often times it's hard to chat about things because there is too much "shop talk" and not any "constructive fellowship".
For example - today I made a comment (in a wrong way). A fellow pastor caught the "mistake word" in my sentence and helped me to realize it in a caring, Christian way. Had some others done it, it could have turned into a "ok, here's where you went wrong, step one, etc etc etc...." (So thanks to the person with the frog pen!!! See you at Bible Study!)

Being open and caring with people in a way that we can relate to can be helpful. Trying to trump someone because you think you know more then they do will only get you in a hole.

Christ teaches us to love one another. Loving involves caring, helping, aiding, assisting. It doesn't mean nagging, backstabbing, cutting-down, or "One-uping".

Let's be real with people and care about each other. It's amazing how much can be done if we just help everyone.

To admit my addiction...

I have an addiction.
There, I said it!

My addiction is my friends. And my friends are people who have something inside of them that radiates life, happiness, sunshine, joy, laughter, etc.

Maybe that's why I'd rather spend time socializing then playing Facebook games.
Maybe that's something that God saw in me to make me who I am.
Maybe I'm just a really weird guy. (You ever see me try to dance?)

Ralph Waldo Emerson said "It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."
And through my life, my friends are the ones who allow me to be silly, funny, ugly, mean, and weird. Or in other words - stupid.

Thank you friends.

Kevin Burkhardt's Day Off...

Today is my day off... a day to rest, reflect, relax, and recooperate.
It's also a day to catch up on housework, finish reading a book for a paper I have due, go to see the doctor, call a couple of Parishioners (their out of town), and whatever else pops up.

Now how did Ferris Bueller (ref: movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off") get away with it? There was a rigged dummy in the bed, the stereo for the snoring, the automatic recording hooked to the doorbell, as well as calling people who knowingly and unknowingly were part of his plan.
After all, as the school secretary said in the movie, people thought that he was a "righteous dude".

Had I not planned my doctor's appointment for today, I'd probably still be in bed (minus my dog, Dingo, insisting that it was time to be let out), and the chores could have been done "here and there", and the book isn't that hard of a read if I just read it for my paper and stop make so many notes for other things that can wait for now, and the calls aren't a big deal. I actually don't mind stopping to make the phone calls (so we'll just set that part aside).

But maybe I need to take another close look at a vacation... even if it's for just a week to go up and see my granddaughter in Minnesota (it's pretty in the Fall there). There's just one thing missing...
A Ferrari 250GT California Spyder.

If you've seen the movie, you'd understand =)

Have a great day!!

Can we learn to love again?

As I worked all week long to decide how to preach on a day when everyone's focus would understandably be on the 10th anniversary of the attack on American soil by a group of radical extremists, I also was studying the lectionary for the day, considering the gospel reading dealing with forgiveness.

Please don't misunderstand my intentions. I was not setting out to lessen the impact of remembering those who died ten years ago, or those who are affected to this day by those events. I heart goes out everyday in ways that people may never understand because of what I was doing that day, and how my job as well as a close friend's job (a firefighter) was affected all the way on the other side of the country.

But I also found my heart filled with extreme sadness today. All sorts of "what if's" have run through my head. Everything from opportunities in my life to the feelings that people might of been feeling there in New York City, Washington DC, near a field in Pennsylvania, and all around the country as they watched the events unfold on television.

Today I preached about forgiveness. It's Scripture. It's the teachings of Jesus.
To forgive others as we've been forgiven.

Will the sadness ever go away? Will we get past the anger and the pain from that day and find a way to love others?
We've learned to pull together from that day, but I've also seen so many people discriminate a certain set of people all because a handful of radical extremists performed a horrible act of violence.

Can people look past their secular differences and realize that just because a few people were buttheads (it's about as nasty as you'll see me post in these blogs - LOL), not everyone are dangerous? Some people might even teach us something about ourselves. Like how to live in peace.

Christ teaches us to love one another just as God loves us. There is not "time table" for it. It's a straightout, forward statement.
Enough said.

Finding my restart button

I was once told that I needed a hobby. Then someone else said that to me. And then again, and again, and again.
I'm wondering if I should find a hobby.

A friend of mine writes in a way that can take words and make them paint pictures in your mind. I'm finding that inspiring,. Not that I'll be able to master how my friend writes - heck, I have to triple-check an email before sending it out, and I STILL find errors afterwards - but what if I put my thoughts to words a little more. Maybe something more than my Journal Blogs...

I heard of a style of writing where you take some truth and embellish it to make it more alive or to fit a story for whatever reason - sort of a semi - fiction / non fiction. I don't know what it's called, but it will probably come to me later. For now, let's just chalk it up to fatigue (it's late Saturday night).

I also found delight in traveling when I was going to and from my classes last month. When I drove a big-rig cross country, it was so much fun to see the sights, and to at least be able to say that I was somewhere (I've crossed the Mississippi River and watched Bald Eagles soar, or I saw a desert sunset, or the sun rise over a snow-topped mountain).

But as I think back to my years as a Pastor, I also think to how I've put a lot of time and energy into it, and yet have allowed myself to not take time for spiritual renewal like i really should.
I know I mentioned it before, but my new setting/appointment is great in "refreshing" my priorities, and it's allowing me to refocus what I am and who I am.
For example, starting in the morning, the Worship Services will start AFTER some people have prayed for me. Because really - I can I spiritually lead the people if I'm not filled spiritually myself? And why not get others involved? I can pray by myself all the time, but I found in my first Parish that to have someone pray over me is so much more powerful. (If you go to a church where your Pastor doesn't have someone do that for him or her, offer to do that, and watch how the Service can change - it's awesome!)

So, let's see what happens. Maybe my jokes of writing a book about my first years as a Pastor might become reality. Or maybe I'll start taking some time to go out and enjoy nature and see what kind of pictures I can post. Or maybe I'll learn to knit.

Who knows?

Why the news isn't the news

I've grow to dislike the news.
Main reason is because of an interview I saw regarding the Texas fires the other day. I was interested in the fires. I should be - I'm a Pastor, and I need to be informed. So as the CBS Morning News people were interviewing Gov Perry, they started asking him about the debates that were coming up.

Now I must admit that I haven't been watching enough of the candidates to konw who is who and what is what, and when I do figure that part out, then I'll also keep it to myself, because as my mom taught me the first time I ever voted... what I do in the voting booth is my business. So be it.

But Gov Perry didn't want to talk about the debates - he was on to talk about the hundreds and hundreds of people how had losses because of the fires there in Texas. Yet the news people thought that the political debates were more newsworthy.
Again, Gov Perry said that his focus at that moment was the fires, even as the byline (or whatever that thing is at the bottem of the screen is that has the person's name on it) reads "Gov prepares for debate".

Granted, I'm sure that the presidential debates are an important matter, but is it so important that we have to stop talking about the people who are in need of assistance and aid?

Where is our focus? Helping people, or ratings?

I have a secret...

It's been a while since I've posted a blog. I can't say why - that's part of my life. All I can say is that I've been busy.

I find it funny that I almost sound like some sort of "undercover agent" or "spy" or something like that, but the truth is that I'm a Pastor, and that title involves many roles.

The best role that I "enjoy" is the part of caring for the people in my communities. I do it in many ways, and sometimes in ways that some might find unusual, but nonetheless, it's what I do, and the joy that I get is seeing something happen in their lives.

The reverse of that is the part that I can't talk about because I have a responsibility of confidentiality in many cases. This can create some tense moments for me, because as people might vent or unload on me, who do I turn to?
Of course, I turn to God, but in a physical realm, I can't come home and say "let me tell you about my day" except to Dingo, my dog (as I'm trusting that she hasn't learned to speak the English language).

That's why I haven't been online as much as usual... It's because I've been taking "me" time that is part of the Commandments that God has given us. I'm taking time for me, so that I can relax and rejuvenate.

Pastors don't have a chance to really "worship" with others at church... we're busy leading the Service. Terry Teykl  once said talked of how when we're leading a prayer, saying "let us pray", some pastors are thinking "did I remember to fix that light bulb that Mrs. Jones told me about as I was walking in" (or something to that affect).

So if you have the opportunity to see me before I start a Worship Service, watch for new something new or different

Pray =)

Do you see what I see?

Perception can be a funny thing.

I started this blog as a challenge, and decided to continue it, noting that it is an open blog, that I was going to continue, even noting once when I had missed an evening. Someone asked "oh, are you still doing that?"
I guess they didn't see that blog.

Someone was waiting for a person to show for a standing appointment. The person called asking why they didn't hear from the other. They responded "I've been waiting for you as we've always planned"
I guess they forgot to check they're watch or calendar.

I know of someone that has a Facebook page that will post MANY times to not "poke" or send "game links" to him. Doing so will get you "unfriended". People will then complain because they are taken off his friend list.
I guess they forgot to read his notes, posts, etc.

When I talk to people regarding the Bible, the United Methodist Book of Discipline, or other books, I'm always interested by what their viewpoints are, but I also don't want people to be mislead by things. (For example, do you know where it says "forgive and forget" in the Bible?
Answer = It doesn't. It's comes from Shakespere, I believe).

People want to take the one or two parts of a book or the Bible to fit what suits them and leave the rest out. That won't cut it.
Augustine once said "If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself."

Be ready to be accountable. God will hold you to it.

It's not what you "say" - or is it?

Ah, finally, I'm home. Maybe.

The word "home" can be a funny thing. I'm home, as in I've arrived where I reside. But in "going home", it also means going back to where I was raised... so I guess that while I was at school, I went "home" as well.
And don't even get my started with the "home is where the heart is" part... we could be on that subject for days!!!! LOL

Isn't it weird how we can say one thing, but it can mean so much?

Then there is also how we don't always "say" something, but yet, we do non-verbal gestures that are noticed. In classes I've taken, things like eye contact and body postures have taught me things. It's even fun to use it in reverse (that's a secret I'll keep to myself for now - but something fun around Halloween - LOL).

There is also how people will make statements to satisfy a situation, but once they see that they messed up or that they need to get out of a sticky situations, then they change their position or statements.
I recently watched someone proclaim how great something/someone was, but once they noticed that the conversation wasn't heading in their direction, then they changed their mind.
Granted, people can change their mind, but have a reason for what you believe, and stick with it, and if proven wrong or mislead, then correct it. -Don't complain or fight about it - it won't work.

I never read "1984", but one saying I've heard a lot is "big brother is watching".  I think it's from that book.
Anyways -- Who's watching now?

Want to keep saving your butt by changing your stories to make yourself look good?
Want to hide the truth to improve your reputation?
Want to keep hoping that other people will forget?

Don't worry about "big brother"...
God is watching, and His memory is better than anyone else's email files, audio recording devices, or YouTube video clips.

What's on your mind?

This blog is a short one. It's late, and I managed to get 500 or so miles completed today (but the great side is that I made it to the Quad Cities, where I once lived, and was able to have supper at a great restraurant, the Machine Shed).

I'm tired, it's late, and it's been a good trip so far.

So what's in my thoughts right now is--- how your day was.

Might seem weird, but yeah, believe it or not, I think of all of you every day.

Blessings!

Prayer - did it; Bible - got it; Worship - showed up; Sabbath - huh?

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Mt 11:28)

I just finished two more classes (minus the "post-class work" that I have to turn in sometime over the next couple of weeks. You'd think, knowing the trials and tribulations that I've had in my past with getting my classes done sometimes, that I'd be jumping up and down (17 classes done, 3 to go), but instead, I'm thinking of how much mental work can be involved in some of these classes.

Then, during our Spiritual Enrichment this morning (the School's form of Worship Service), I was thinking of how great of a job I getting everything out of my dorm room and how I had my truck packed and hotel reservations made so that I can spend a little more time with my family before heading home, and then it hit me...When had I taken time for myself lately?
...Sure, I went for a drive and to my old church last weekend, but reflecting back, my mind was still on school.
...I had times when I sat back in my room and watched a TV program, but I was catching a paragraph in a book during commercials.
...There were the breaks and such between classes and the Spiritual Enrichment times, but it's hard to take the focus off of school when it's just on the other side of the walls.

One of the Commandments is to Keep the Sabbath, but it's hard to do because of all of the demands in our lives. Even as Pastors, some of us can find ourselves "forced" to take time away because our schedules have made it hard to keep our Sabbaths.

And Sabbath isn't just "taking a day off". That's called "taking a day off". A Sabbath is a "day of rest AND worship".

We need our times of "taking a day off" for mental refreshment and fellowship with our family and friends, but we also need our Sabbaths for rest and worship to be re-energized by the saving grace of God.

So have fun with your family and friends. Have a Bar-B-Q or go see a show. But don't put off taking a Sabbath day as well to be refreshed.

Blessings!

Preception is everything!

What if you walked up on a conversation and heard the people talking about "popping some Magic Mushroom and smoking some Bahama Mamas"?
Would you run away?
Would you call the police?
Would you gasp in disbelief?

Now, what if I said that the conversation was between a Pastor and a former Government official?
Now what would you do?

Well, that conversation actually DID take place... between my dad and me (my dad used to be a Mayor, hence the "Govt official" part).

NOW, before you start calling Bishops and local TV News stations, let me explain something...
"Magic Mushroom" is a popcorn from ConAgra Foods, based out of Omaha. My brother found some kettlecorn made of it and liked it because it pops with practically no kernals left behind.
Bahama Mamas, in this case, are a German-style smoked sausage made by Schmidt's in central Ohio.

But as this goes to show, if you don't know what the language is, how can you understand what is being said?

All so often, we'd rather judge on the first impression, instead of finding out more about something. In this senario, it's going to be a lot of  tasty spicy German sausages and great popcorn!

The funny thing is that those who judge tend to be the first to spread the rumors...
And one of the most listed sins in the Bible is spreading rumors.

Ouch.
I'm going to go have some popcorn now.

And you thought that YOU had problems?!

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18 NIV)

It's been a long Tuesday. Not that things were bad, but for some reason, I didn't get a good-night's rest last night, and I'm feeling the results today. Then of course, as some of you maybe can relate, the more tired you are as the day goes by, the more your feelings rise... grumpier, impatience, uglier, sillier - whatever your unique style exposes.
Today, mine seemed to be a lack of patience.

But then during our Spiritual Enrichment time today, someone brought up a prayer concern for a "friend of a friend" who woke up and turned to wake up his wife to tell her happy birthday and happy anniversary, only to find out that she wouldn't wake up.

So what the heck am I complaining for!

All too often, we spend WAY TOO MUCH time complaining about out petty little issues, instead of looking at the bright side of things.

• Traffic building up? More time to talk to God.
• Kids making a mess? More memories for a lifetime.
• Arguing with a spouse? A good reason to "kiss and make up".

Think about it!

Missing my friends, thanks to chatboxes...

I find it odd to be thinking about how Facebook has been a good tool in reconnecting with some of my past friends, classmates, and memories. Just a couple of days ago, I talked about connecting face-to-face, but I have to also realize that (used properly) social media sites can be a great tool. I even know of one couple that has found each other again through a social media site.

While I'm here in Ohio, I am hoping to see some old classmates, but with my classes and their jobs, reunion opportunities might not happen. But as sad as it might make me feel right now (keeping in mind that I'm also very tired from finishing a paper last night), I have to also give praise that I AM connected to these people in some sort of fashion.
So if all else fails, as the saying goes, there's always next time.

Think positive, and through whatever comes your way, give praise.
At least you have what you have.