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 =)