Ephphatha

new blog

2009-10-01T19:46:00.001-05:00

new blog....www.beopened.wordpress.com

good to know

2008-09-22T07:52:00.003-05:00

god has been so good lately, even in the face of a pretty crummy situation (the economy, people around me struggling to put food on their table, etc) that i want everyone...well anyone who reads this...to say praise be to God! i continue to be amazed at how this Lord of ours works, how in the hardest and most difficult times of life God comes and rescues, comes and embraces, comes and moves and breathes hope to the despairing.

okay- so after an opening like that i think i better give some explanation. first of all, our little community of advent seems to be onto something in this neck of the woods and through different ministries i truly believe that we are living out our baptismal calling quite well. we have been offering a healing service of prayer for sometime now- i think it started sometime last winter- it started first with our youth group on Wednesday nights- once a month on the first wednesday- and then we decided to take it to the larger congregation once a month on the third sunday. anyway, the kids long for this service- it is done in a quiet, dark, candle-lit setting, with scripture, silence, meditation, a brief message and music. we then have a time when folks can come and be annointed and prayed for individually by myself or another person. when we started this ministry i was kind of skeptic thinking to myself that this will be nice, but really what are the kids going to think about it. oh how wrong i was. since day one, the kids have amazed me at what they bring forward, what they carry, and what they wish to have taken from them by the Lord. i am so humbled every time we do this that i get to be part of it, and that i get to see god working in such amazing ways first hand.

a couple of wednesdays ago it was time for the service. i got word earlier in the day that a senior in one of the high schools around here died in a tragic accident and knew that many of our kids would be impacted by that at some level. at the same time, one of our youth's father was waiting for a kidney transplant after many months, and a pretty serious kidney disease- so that weighed heavily on the minds of many as well as we were preparing for a benefit dinner to support them. well the stage was set for god to do something- that was my prayer, simple yet commanding- God move this night, do something to instill some kind of hope in these young people- and god answered....god moved, god prevailed....the young many who's father was awaiting the surgery was present, and for the first time in a long time he told me he was able to let go some of his fears, his pain, his anxiety- in fact he was so ashamed that he was visibly grieving that he left and went outside allowing the two of us to have some time to chat- my heart was broken by his plight, but my joy was great knowing that god was reminding him through this community that loves him how special he is, and that god is a god that does not abandon.

then last night...another long sunday- after a full morning we had a congregational meeting, and then the healing service in the evening- i was not that jazzed to be coming back to church at night after just getting home a couple hours before. i was not alone- one of the other leaders, n, admitted at the end of the service that he did not want to be their originally, but once again god moved, god filled, and god came to us in a way that completely and utterly amnazed everyone- the spirit heals, oh the spirit heals.

not sure why i wanted to write this particular note after not writing for so long...maybe i just needed to express how thankful i am for my calling, and for what god is up to. sure, there are issues...how do pay off the land so we can begin to worry about a building...how to love those that seem to be wronging us and our ministry, how to control fires....how to survive- but man god is good. as i was sitting in silence last night, watching the water fountain, the candles, and the cross, i had this amazing sense of peace- like god reminding me this is where i am supposed to be- this is my calling, this is my vocation, this is my place, and these are the people i have been called to serve- i have had periods of those thoughts before,but last night it was as if i finally understood why this calling every evolved. i am at peace, and my prayer continues to be that i can be an agent of God's grace for this community and for this church. thanks be to god for being faithful, and for taking a chance on a seminary grad from minnesota- going to northern michigan to develop a new congregation- looking back that seems ridiculous, i had no clue....heck i still don't but god's grace is sufficient. amen.

preaching....

2008-06-11T13:18:00.003-05:00

I have been thinking a little lately about the ministry of preaching, and specifically what is the purpose of preaching in my setting here at Advent. I was in Chicago at the ELCA offices this Monday for a conversation with nine other preachers from across the ELCA, a couple of Worship Staff from the ELCA office, and the Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson. Apparently, Bishop Hanson hopes that a Churchwide conversation regarding preaching can begin to take place- frankly he stated that there is a lot of bad preaching in the church. I was quite humbled to be there, and still not entirely sure why/how etc. I was recommended. The day was great and I took a lot back with me, but I continue to wonder what is "supposed" to happen in the event of preaching.

Today in Bible Study I asked those gathered to help me think about this a little more- and we had a wonderful conversation. Answers ranged from "make the Bible make sense to me and my life" to "challenge us to look deeper at our life and how we live out our faith with the Word as our foundation". Good stuff-and all part of it...but what else? Or is there nothing else? Anyone out there have any thoughts on this?????

Holy Holy Week Ramblings

2008-03-22T19:28:00.004-05:00

Holy Week has been exceptionally special this year. Granted, it has been a very long week with many extra things going on and I have noticed this year the toll on my kids with me being gone every night this week starting last Sunday. Yet, even in the midst of being tired I find myself so spiritually alive, and so excited for the way the Spirit has been at work at Advent. I do have to say however that I am bumming on how the NCAA tournament had to start this week- I mean that should be illegal. How can one focus on the tourney in the midst of Holy Week!

One of the most rewarding things we did this year at Advent was time for individual confession and absolution. I have often wanted to offer this thinking the service in the ELW is pretty good, and it seemed like the right time to do it. I scheduled two days in which I would be available for people to sign up for an appointment. At the outset I did not think many would take me up on it, but by the time the week was over about ten tried it. Now, ten by no means is a huge number, but for me and those ten people I believe it was amazing. I am confident it will grow more and more each year. I was humbled to hear the things I heard and reminded of the amazing call in which I find myself. One person shared something that was part of their inner secrets for 35 years- wow, God opened up many hearts and shone brightly in our little church.

I am not sure where we are headed as a congregation but feel that prayer and intentional prayer at that must be part of who we are. Over the course of the last several months we have started a monthly healing service and the response has been amazing. It strikes me how people crave silence, and stillness and we have tried to capture that during this service as well as during Lent. People come to be prayed for and I believe leave being lifted up. God touches us in so many ways! And apparently, according to my son Logan God comes to us in smell during Holden Evening prayer- Last week as we were singing Holden Logan whispered to me that the candle he was holding smelled like God. I began to laugh, and then wanted to cry at the innocence and openness of that comment. And who know, maybe just maybe God was putting forth a sent for my boy and he was touched at that moment. Where else may God be coming to us?

Well after tomorrow and celebrating Easter we will be heading for a little R and R- can't wait to have the time as a family on the beaches of Florida!

Peace,
JG

ebb and flow

2008-02-13T12:57:00.002-06:00

so i have been wondering lately when it is okay to "plateau" to use a word that the ELCA EOCM uses as a scare tactic. here is the thing, since the very beginning advent has exceeded mosts everyone's expectations- including my own. the growth has been a blessing from God indeed, but at sometimes that kind of fast growth creates an sense of insecurity and fatigue. however, we have been able to maintain great ministry throughout.

recently, our growth has plateaued a bit, not seeing many new faces for the last 3 or 4 months. part of me wants to panic as I feel a need to continue and push forward and extend our welcome to those in our community that still are sitting at home on sundays- there is such a need and we i believe have a way of meeting that. the other part of me wonders what can we learn during this "dry time" and perhaps what part of this is healthy for any congregation. i guess my biggest fear is complacency- that those have gathered here now for a while are getting comfy with who we are and what makes us up. to me complacency leads to death....

so what insight do you have?

"God Must Be Busy"

2008-01-20T19:17:00.000-06:00

I have heard this song on the radio quite a bit lately. Yes, its true I listen to country music with some regularity. I must admit as I heard this song today driving home from worship a mix of emotions crossed over me until I ended up landing on being sad. I am saddened by the fact that so many people hear this song and many of them will take it as Gospel Truth. I am also saddened that so many people I know would agree with this suggestion- that God must be too busy to worry about me, and my issues- otherwise wouldn't I have heard something back from him? Country Music often times has some interesting theology indeed- but I would tend to agree more with Garth Brook's "Unanswered Prayers" over this one- how about you?

In the face of my sadness over the state of country music as well as the state of so many people we had our monthly healing service tonight. And I got to say...God was not to busy to be in our place obviously! Due to bad weather our numbers were pretty low (seven) yet the spirit was there in a major way. It is so amazing to see in a quiet setting the work of God, as she seemingly reaches into our world and touches us where we are at. This service has become to me one of my most anticipated monthly events and I am convinced that for the future of our church this must be a central part of our identity. From experiences like this I believe God cries out "I am not too busy...come to me you who are weary and weak, come to me and I will fill you".

So...what do we do to further the promise of God's presence in the face of a culture where so many think "God must be busy?"

different directions

2008-01-15T21:30:00.000-06:00

I had breakfast today (as I always do on Tuesday mornings) with the other two pastors in the village of Lake Ann. Pastor C who is a United Methodist Pastor and Pastor R who heads the Wesleyan church. I have come to value these meetings and the relationships that have developed out of them. Today however was kind of a downer...Pastor C, apparently after a hell of a week, basically resigned from the church (a little history here- the LA United Methodist Church, has historically been the Church in the village of Lake Ann- lot's of history, almost everyone who has family roots in Lake Ann has at one point belonged to this church). As he put it he stood up Sunday from the pulpit and answered some allegations that had been brought forth from the president of their staff committee. He then walked out and let the chips fall.

Well apparently things have gotten to this point because he feels he is heading in a different direction from the church...after nineteen years that is easy to imagine. But in addition to that he feels he is heading in a different direction than the denomination. Now, that to me is a bit troubling. C's main point is that he wants to be focussed on outreach, social ministry, being the church in the world, missional, etc...and I am confused as to why the UMC is not for those things. Or are they? I don't know enough about the denomination to make a judgment but would be surprised if this was entirely the case. I get the fact that all mainline denominations are struggling to embrace a changing culture and a changing population in which the church has been pushed to the margins. But, to suggest a denomination is not focussed on outreach and mission is startling. Is this the case? Obviously, on some level, C felt this was so- but why? What is it about our denominations which oppress ministry? I would like to say this is not the case...but I think at some level it is- when maintenance ministry becomes the focus- and has become the reality in many of our churches, outreach is lost and mission becomes an afterthought.

So...I am bummed- bummed out that I may be losing a good colleague- bummed out that there is some confusion going on in his head and with his call, bummed that time and again I hear critics of the church pointing to the hypocritical way we operate and also that all we care about is those like us- yet in this is hope...I have hope in the many good things that churches are doing, and hope in people I meet every day who long to make a difference because of the way they feel the spirit leading.

Dear God, continue to send your spirit to stir...stir in our lives, and push us to uncomfortable places where ministry can take place.

our voice

2008-01-09T17:03:00.000-06:00

"I found my own voice"- those were the words of Hillary Clinton upon winning the NH primary. Though I am not entirely sure of what she meant- she alluded that it came from listening to the people she ran into on her campaign trail- sometime between getting into it with Barack and Edwards at the debate I imagine. But nevertheless I found her statement quite interesting. Her own voice....our own voice....what does that mean?

As children of God, who have been given the great gift of Christ, and who now are called to share that gift what does our voice truly sound like? Maybe it's not a universal voice- actually it probably must be contextual. But what do we say as christians in the face of the injustices we see in the world and even in the church? I know we can fall back on the response that Jesus is love, this is a broken world....and God is still God- but what do we say to really combat the influence and oppression that is present in our world?

With Hillary's words in my mind I was reading the second reading for this week from Acts. Peter says, "He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead." That sounds great- a calling indeed- but how do we do that in terms that make sense today when so many people don't have a clue about Christ, about what it means for him to be "judge of the living and the dead"- when so many don't think they need Christ as we talked about before. What is the prophetic voice we are called to have?

eager to hear some thoughts

jg

2008-01-03T19:31:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year! I hope all is well where you are at. I was very excited by some of the conversations that came out of the last post on here- thanks for your input to you who posted comments and also to the emails I received- it seems that while we can admit there is a problem with what the Church is doing, insomuch that it is not succeeding truly at reaching the un/de churched- there is hope because many of our leaders both lay and clergy are asking the hard questions. Perhaps this is where a change begins, with us, trying to shake things up a bit.

In search of some new energy for our efforts in extending our welcome at Advent I have been reading "I Sold My Soul on Ebay", and have not been disappointed. Mehta is an amazing writer who tells his story and the story of his journey with an awesome energy. I am not finished with the book yet, but so far am inspired by it. He points out the many flaws that the churches of Christianity have, and from his perspective as an atheist much need to change before these churches can move forward to be the communities they set out to be. He challenges the club-mentality which he experienced at the smallest and the largest churches he visited. I wonder why do we think we can get away with that kind of behavior. When did the church become about "us" and "them"? And now how do we begin to change in the minds of those who are so entrenched into that way of thinking that it is about God, and all of us- not just those of us who gather together regularly. As I read scripture, it is clear that God is present now all over and we, as believers, are called and get to share the transformed life and way that comes from our own experience in the Love of Christ. So why do so many still feel so outside- why do so many fear entering the doors of a church, and why are so many of our churches dying? We got something wrong!

Wow, I just reread what I wrote above- kind of a downer! Yet unfortunately it seems to be true across our denomination- churches are declining and struggling to reach those on the edges, heck struggling to reach those on the inside. So where is the good news? I come back to Jesus I guess- our Lord who is a Lord of the resurrection- our God who breathes life into dry bones, and pray that we too as a church, as a denomination, as Christians can embrace the new life that Christ has given us and make an effort to share that by who we are. I hold onto the hope that with those of you I know who are ministering in and out of the church change has already begun, and the future is brighter!

Lot's of rambling once again...but I am convinced the church has to change- can we do it? How?

what are WE missing?

2007-12-10T23:35:00.000-06:00

Although I feel I should go into my typical mantra of..."I can't believe it has been so long since I have last blogged.....and I am going to try and do better" i think I will skip it.

I was in the car today for about 7 hours and had a lot of time to think and as I was thinking I thought I wanted to blog about my thoughts and see what some of you might think. I tell you other than some nice phone conversations with E+K and L I was getting quite bored with myself.

So anyway....onto my thoughts....

Last night I was sitting in my office at church with a young couple (29). The husband is a new member of the church and his wife is not active at this point. They are expecting a baby in February and are interested in baptism, etc... so we met last night to talk more about Advent, and baptism. While we were talking I asked the wife why she did not go to church (I said it in a non-offensive way, but was very curious as her husband has become very involved). She responded that she never really was part of a church growing up- only baptized probably because her friends were and she felt left out- and as she got older she just never got involved. However, she supported her husband very much in his attendance and participation and wanted to have the baby baptized because she knew it was important to him. The conversation continued and I prodded a little more...she then stated that Sunday's are her day to sleep in and she just can't fathom getting up to go to church- she sees no need for it. We continued talking, and after all of it she is going to come and worship with us a few times to check it out, as I encouraged her and told her how important I think the community that church offers is to everyone.

I could not get that conversation out of my head today as I drove. Her statements, "I have never seen a need for it and still don't" and "I need and love my sleep" made me very uncomfortable. What are we, that being the Church- not just Advent- but what are we as a church missing with people- are we not relevant- is our message lost on deaf ears- what is it that would make us matter and indeed be "needed"? I think the church largely does come across very irrelevant to people- especially those who are de-churched, unchurched- or any other category you want to throw in there. i think so many of our churches invite people to come and sit- take up a place in the building, give some money, and be done with it- that however in my opinion is hogwash- one of the things I thing church needs to do a better job at is challenging its members with the expectation of what Christ calls us to be...and I believe in that expectation, and calling is the relevance that so many of our young adults, heck even our older adults are desperately seeking-even if they don't know it yet...

just wondering...what do you think?

2007-08-29T08:55:00.000-05:00

oh how time flies! i cannot believe that is is almost labor day and with it the beginning of a new school year, new programming for church, etc...pretty soon we will be preparing for christmas and putting ashes on our foreheads. okay, i know it is not that fast but sometimes it feels like the world is spinning out of control with the pace we find ourselves in. a lot has happened this summer, and much of it the past month or so. i have contemplated time and again what to write-if anything regarding the churchwide assembly to which i was able to be a voting member. i have been reading the blogosphere, the newspapers online, and many other things to try and grasp exactly where we are as a people in regards to what happened in chicago. i had and continue to have many conflicted feelings in how the elca handled itself, yet in the end i find myself having much hope for our denomination due largely to the way we grounded ourself in prayer and worship-together- those on both sides of the issue. rather than trying to recount everything and give my spin on it i will point you in the direction of this post from "reclaiming the f word"- a blog by a former professor and a current friend and mentor of mine. she hits it on the head as far as i am concerned and i think all of you would be better off to read it!

in other fun news...our new bishop John Schleicher was installed last saturday by presiding bishop hanson. it was a wonderful and uplifting service and i feel very good about john's leadership to come. afterwards i was able to visit briefly with bp. hanson and was again amazed at his presence, wisdom, and love for the church. he told me that he is only home on average one day a week- wow- that is definitely a calling and commitment- i pray for his health and mental well being as he now begins another six years...

advent continues to grow- we bought land! and now we are off and running preparing to go to two worship services in the fall. anyone have wisdom on how to handle this transition? also...here is a question for the day- how does a church either recreate or continue to kindle the passion and fire that went along with it in its first 19 months. i am not suggesting that we have lost it, but want to be proactive as we move forward to our next chapter. pleast...talk back.

peace jg

installed!

2007-07-24T12:48:00.000-05:00

on july 1st, i was officially installed as the first pastor of advent lutheran church by our bishop-elect john schleicher. the day was absolutely amazing and i was humbled by the turnout of loving people and the reception following. it is almost impossible to me that i have been serving this area for almost two years- where has that time gone? it is equally amazing to me that we are a point as a congregation to be organized and now to officially have a pastor. god has done and continues to do amazing things in this little village of lake ann and it is such a joy to be able to be here.

i took a two week vacation after being installed (nice eh!) and was able to do much thinking and contemplating about where we are heading next. i have many mixed feelings- excitement, nervousness, anxiety, joy, confusion, fear, hope going through my mind as we now move into the next chapter of our life together as advent.
we are earnestly searching for land in hopes of finding a property that works for us so we can begin to move forward with the construction of our new facility- that scares the heck out of me to be honest, yet i know we need to keep the momentum moving. I pray daily that God continues to push us forward, out of our comfort zones so we can continue to touch the lives of others....while god continues to provide what we need to make this happen. as we move forward we are also adding a second worship service this fall- that too scares me a bit, almost like we are starting over. please pray for this transition as we figure out how to make this work.

e and k visited this past weekend and worshiped with us on sunday- it was awesome to have them and very fun to hear their perception of life at advent. k, is an amazing assisting minister as well :-).

may god bless you wherever you are.

jg

no room in the inn

2007-06-10T12:06:00.000-05:00

i continue to be amazed at what God is doing in lake ann and at advent. our congregation continues to grow, and we continue to see new faces and continue to face the problem of no room. we are heading to two services come next fall, but in the mean time learning to deal with the space issue. i swear that God is able to make our sanctuary (building occupancy of 79) bigger every week. last week, we had three baptisms- two young babies who were cousins and one of their fathers. we packed in 165 like sardines as you can see in the picture.

i am so thankful for what God is doing here, but at the same time am a bit anxious as we try to move forward. i fear, at times, that we are not going to be able to keep up with what we are doing...perhaps lose the momentum of where we are at, but more than anything i fear that new visitors will be put off by the lack of space. i pray that soon and very soon we will be able to find some land, and keep the fire marshall off our back! yet, i trust that god will continue to lead and guide us as we strive to follow his lead.

one of those baptized needs some prayer so i am requesting the prayers of you who may read this. this little boy, to the left, is named cameron. he is 10 months old and has recently been diagnosed with a disease called LCH and is currently undergoing Chemo treatments once a week. the prognosis is looking better every day, and the treatment seems to be working. they go back in at the end of the month to have tests done to see if the chemo was successful. to follow his story and share encouragement you can go to his carepage. if the link does not work go to carepages.com and search for camspace thanks in advance for your prayers.

and finally just wanted to put this picture on there of payton...cause i think she is cute!

peace

jg

so...organization

2007-05-23T07:10:00.001-05:00

well, it has been a really long time since i have even been to my own blog, but i figured this morning was as good as any to write something. life has been amazing lately. over the last three days i was at the synod assembly, and Advent was organized and recognized in front of the assembly. our final charter signing was around 180 people- it was an incredible blessing and twenty seven of our saints made the three hour plus trip down to lansing to take part in the event. also, at this years assembly we elected a new bishop- my current boss- John Schleicher was elected, on the last ballot, by one vote! it was pretty intense and exciting. so one would think, with all of that fun stuff, and the excitement of being organized, and with new people coming through our doors every week, with over twenty baptisms this passed year i would be on cloud nine- right? well...i am very excited at what god is doing- for sure, but as i sat last night just thinking i felt empty, what next god, where now, what can we do now to stir the same excitement as organization. is it a new building- perhaps as we need one really bad... maybe it is something else- i just don't know. anyway, in the midst of this mini moment of distress and emptiness i placed a call to the one and only pditty and she, as normal was able to put things in perspective for me. she commented that perhaps in some weird way this is a period of grief- going from the existence of a congregation under development to now, an organized congregation means change. roles change, energy changes, support changes some- which also creates some good tension, and i may be responding to this. she also pointed out how since this little shin-dig started (my call began august of 2005) there has been no natural time to rest because it has grown so fast, and faster than any of us were anticipating- therefore now i need to find that rest. who knows, i continue to hope that god shows me where i must go, how i should lead, and try to stay out of the way of the spirit's movement. if any of you read this, please do pray for advent, to continue to be energized by the spirits movement as we try to vision and figure out where next god. i wonder, and have picked the brain of many of my colleagues in development about whether or not it is possible to keep the feeling that is so present now alive as we grow- i have to believe it is, but many seem to think not. am i just too much of an optimist- i don't know- but with pentecost coming up i gotta belive that the spirit can still keep stirring even in the middle of no where michigan. what do you think?

on a personal note- the kids are great, and a's work is going well at the therapy office she is at.

until later...i have to go lead a bible study

jg

suffering and hope

2007-02-08T20:41:00.000-06:00

it has been sometime once again since my last blog and really i have no good reason for this other than the fact that i have just not done it. i miss it, i miss the outlet that blogging has sometime provided so like many of us have said before- I WILL TRY HARDER TO BLOG MORE!

anyway, what has brought me back to this world of blogging is the subject of suffering. i am leading an adult bible study at church on the book of job, and this week we spent the majority of our time focussing on the idea of suffering- what is the hardest part about it, what we hope/expect from other people when we find ourself in the midst of suffering, etc. i also brought this subject to our newly formed youth group and was amazed as normal by the wisdom that they young people bring forth. so i wonder, all you out there in blogger land- think about a time that you have been "suffering"- perhaps you never have- great, but if you have, or if someone you love has, what was the hardest part about it? and what did you hope you would get from other people.

related to suffering, i was saddened last night by the state of our world- more specifically the state of marriages and families. in my small group of eleven last night, 9 of us were from families that were divorced, and four of them more than once...that is just sad- and i know there were more in the other group as well. it broke my heart to see the way this was tearing at the very being of these kids, and i wonder what can the church say in response to this? what is our role as the community these kids come to for something? and what is that something? okay, enough with the questions, but please ponder with me.

in other news....payton turned 1 last month, and logan will be 4 in a week. my how the time goes. the church continues to grow- we now face the problem of being too big for our current space. we have a website up and in progress-
Advent Website. life is good, god continues to bless us in amazing ways.

jg

i don't really like death.....

2006-10-23T21:11:00.000-05:00

....well actually that is not entirely true. sometimes i think death and funerals and all that can be a very good thing but sometimes death just plain out sucks.

here is why i am lamenting death. i had a funeral on saturday for a dear old man- that was fine, nice celebration of a great life indeed. but immediately after the service i went to the house of a young couple in our church to talk about the service for their three year old daughter who died last wednesday. that is the kind of death that just sucks.

tonight was the reviewal for the immediate family and friends. it is so unconceivable for me to think about losing my own children- just cannot even fathom it. the parents of little kealee howver are doing an amazing job of dealing with all of this- claiming that their faith gives them the peace they need. i am amazed and humbled at their faith. and know that the only thing that will get them through this is the promise of the resurrection. thanks be to god for that promise and gift.

please pray for julie, chris and the entire family of kealee andersen. also please pray for the advent community as we try to be the community they need us to be as they grieve, mourn, and begin to live a life without their daughter.

i realize this is all ramble, but i just needed to get it down, and ask for your prayers.

thanks

Nice Article

2006-09-25T12:14:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to a recent article in the local paper. She does a pretty nice job of telling a little bit about what Advent is up to. Thought I would share....

Advent Article

seeking advice

2006-08-06T20:27:00.000-05:00

hi all, now i realize i have not posted since the celebration of easter, and i do feel a bit bad about that. what brings me back now is the need for some advice on how to deal with a tough situation. before i get there- quick update- advent continues to grow- our average attendance is between 85-100 on sundays. we are at a crucial point of pushing forward with our vision as we get ready to charter....and of course- we need more help financially, especially as we are wrapping up the work on fire garage space. anna and the kids are well- we really love being in lake ann and this part of the world- man it is breathtaking- when you come visit, i am sure you will agree- the sand dunes overlooking lake michigan are some of the most amazing thing in the world. anna is seeking new work (something in her field) so prayers for her would be appreciated!

okay, now for the advice part:

one of the congregation members is about 6 and a half months pregnant with a child that is not going to live- some chromosone disorder (k- same thing that the baby on CPE had that died shortly after birth, and sue did a service for). anyway, the family has known for a long time that this is the fate, and there is nothing to be done to help the baby- outside of a miracle. they have accepted this, and are planning no invasive procedures after birth- if the baby is even alive then. that in itself is a very tough situation- but the family also has a three year old, and he is having a very hard time accepting this, and making sense of it. i am to meet with them later this week again, and to talk with the 3 year old a bit more. any thoughts on how one can approach this with a toddler? what can be said to help him make sense of this in his world?

the crazy thing about this job i guess is how you can go from extreme highs to extreme lows in the matter of seconds. right before i got the call tonight about this situation, i was on the phone with another family who was able to adopt a baby today after two years of trying- a miracle in itself for them.

hope you all are well.

peace

jg

christ is risen.....what we going to do about it?

2006-04-18T11:42:00.000-05:00

what a wonderful holy week- i was surprised again and again by the awesome power of the living God. although, by the time sunday came and went, i was getting tired- physically- but spiritually and emotionally i felt the best i have in a long time. our community came together in an awesome way beginning on Good Friday- a tenebrae service of darkness that about 90 percent of the people gathered had ever been to. when it was over i was approached by one woman, in tears, who felt she had just been to a funeral...but knew the story did not end there. another man approached me (he has been a regular attender since we started worshipping but has not taken the leap of wanting to be baptized yet- we are working)and asked me if we could chat for a minute. he said "pastor, this might be odd but....can you teach me to pray." guh- ah, hmm, not sure how i responded at first but pretty sure it was not graceful....,but in the end we had a wonderful conversation on prayer and how one may do so....anyay, can you say humbled!

on saturday i attended an easter vigil which other than the choir was a complete uninspiring time....

easter morning was so awesome- we had a breakfast which was attended by 80 or so, followed by a kids' easter egg hunt. then came worship- we only had one and we pulled it off. we ran out of chairs at 137, and managed to make some more by bringing in park benches, and other things- total number ended up being 153....the most wonderful part of that number is that many of the extra folks WERE NOT visitinbg family but rather wanted to check out what the noise was about regarding Advent....and they are interested in meeting with me, and coming back-wow God continues to be so good, and so amazing.....i wonder where is all this leading....and much of the time i find myself a bit scared of the unknown....always coming back to one of my guiding principles from my developer training- always expect to be surprised by the work of god.

i preached a pretty challenging sermon i think- that challenged me the most. i got to thinking what are we really going to do about the fact that christ is risen? am i doing enough? no- i know i fall short...,but man our world really needs us to stand up to the injustice that we see every day...but how do we do it? how do we truly bring the good news of the easter promise into the world without being that annoying bible-beating person? what is the key?

i thank all of you for the continued prayers regarding this ministry- i continue to pray for all of yours- and look forward to when i can see some of you. e....get your butt out here so we can golf!

god's peace to all of you as you continue to do the good work that you do

refreshed

2006-04-09T22:08:00.000-05:00

today was a great day in so many ways. the bishop came to worship with us just to experience advent- the service went very, very well and we had a wonderful turnout with about 97 people- good thing for the bishop to see. he stuck around after worship for education and then the two of us had lunch together, drove around and looked at land, and just had a plain-ol-good talk. the one thing i so appreciate about my bishop is he a down to earth guy, that listens so well to any concerns i have- so important if you ask me. it was really nice for him to be with us- it stoked those that were gathered as well (like, we really matter- he wants to see us, etc, etc.)- but more importantly he was able to see the space we are hoping to rennovate- and was very excited by it vowing to to help put some pressure on some churches in our conference to give some more mission support. he calmed many of my nerves, and challenged me to continue pushing forward on this incredible journey.

also today, i was able to mess around outside for 7 hours- working, with my neighbor on raking and dethatching our yards and hauling all kinds of crap away. tomorrow i will try to fertilize and get our lawn actually growing. it was so awesome to be outside, with good company, and enjoy god's creation while actually getting to do some manual labor. the kids played, anna got her work fix in as well- plus we ate pizza and drank beer- nothing can be better!

and now we are into holy week- i am so thankful i had today to refresh my spirit and body. my dad is home now- back to the doctor this week to try a new med, and maybe be shocked back into place again....basically if he uses again he will surely see death- so hopefully (please god) this is the warning and wake up call he needed. thanks to all of you for your prayers.

only bad news for today is that i did not watch any of the masters final round- way to go phil!

scared

2006-03-31T14:07:00.000-06:00

i am kind of scared these days- well maybe that is not the right term for what I am feeling. we are finally at the point of signing our lease for the fire garage- should be doing it next week thursday. this itself is not the scary part- what is scary is that once we sign the lease, we will then have to begin the process of renovation- a process that will cost a lot of money- we are guessing around 30,000- money we do not exactly have. yet, the synod says- press on, go forward on faith- the money will come…blah blah blah :-) i do have faith that the money will come- we have already been blessed with much more mission support than could have been expected- but the problem is the sub-contractors need to be paid- especially the electrician and heating guys who will cost the most….so….yeah, i guess scared is a good word. any ideas where i can find 30 grand? anyone’s church want to loan us the money- or get a loan for us? just checking- that’s what the bishop said to do!

on a personal front-i am scared a bit as well- just got word yesterday that my father is in the hospital with a heart and lung problem. most of you who read this are aware that my parents both have long suffered from problems with addiction- my mom has been clean for almost 3 years- praise to god. my dad, well not so clean- evidently he went on a pretty bad binge of drugs and alcohol the last week since seeing us last wednesday, and this led to his heart becoming enlarged and his lungs filling with fluid- basically the doctor told him he is lucky to be alive and he must stop using or he will surely die soon. now…i am not sure how one is to feel in a situation like this- i love my dad, always have and always will but i am pretty pissed at him right now- i mean wake up- you got grandkids and all that- but i know he suffers from a disease so i feel bad for being angry. god help us all!

so yeah, i share this simply because i value all your prayers and thoughts, and because it helps me process a bit to write. peace to all of you.

jg

amazed by what god is doing

2006-03-08T20:36:00.000-06:00

first of all, sorry for the lack in updating since our sunday night discussion regarding the church. to summarize the night- was not really at all what i expected- did not bring a lot of new people in (4) but did end up being exactly what we needed as a community. we ate- lots of good food, and then about 45 of us sat in a circled and shared our stories- where we have been, why we were there, and what it was that had held some back from being part of the church. the word of the night was "welcome"- they were sitting in that circle, invested in Advent simply because they always feel as if they are welcome- the most important person in the world one said- when they walk through the doors of our community. we have people from about every background possible, people at various points of faith- some still not sure they "buy" into this blind faith stuff, yet they continue to come, to come with questions and passion to learn, and to be part of something bigger than themselves. i am humbled to be called the pastor of this group. the evening helped me focus more on my vision for the next six months- we are going to start education, as well as have small group meetings in people's homes to vision together about what we want to be. after these meetings we will come together again for a large community dinner once again. hopefully, down the road we will advertise "hate church?" again to bring in those that wish to come and talk.

in retrospect, it was an amazing night, one that gave me much needed energy and excitement. this energy has been contagious i feel to the rest of our group. this past sunday we had two baptisms- payton's being one of them. the assistant to the bishop (my boss) came to baptize payton and preach. he was greeted by 130 friendly faces (46 kids). not a bad showing! our town hall was packed, and now we are trying to figure out what to do if our growth continues as it is- we are running out of space- good problem. tonight as well was a surprise at what god is up to- we expected about 30 people for supper and worship, and were greeted by 65. i can not begin to say how amazed i am at the goodness of god and what god is doing- holy crap, and to think i get to be part of this- wow wow wow.

do you have a problem with church?

2006-02-25T11:32:00.000-06:00

tomorrow night, we are hosting a community dinner that will be followed by an open forum to discuss church and faith. i must admit i am a little nervous as we plunge into this- but feel that it will be a good event. we have hung numerous signs in the area and also put an add in the paper the last two weeks that say "do you have a problem with church?" we are hoping to get a good mix of our regular community and of people in the area that do not currently go to church. the hope is this will be an evening where all people can come and share their stories, questions, comments in a loving way without being judged. there are specific guidlines to the conversation that will be laid out initialy as to keep the conversation gentle. i took this idea from a new church service at a moravian church in Northfield- they did a similar thing, and then actually turned it into another service aimed at feeding those that "hated church". we shall see....please pray for us.

on another note- my first ever batch of home-brew beer is fermenting nicely. payton and logan continue to be well, while anna and i continue to run on little sleep- gotta love it.

jg

beautiful?

2006-02-08T13:26:00.000-06:00

though i must admit i don't often listen to christina aguilera i do like this song, and the video to me speaks volumes about some of the injustices of our world. as i try to figure out how to preach this sunday regarding the leprosy text i began to think about this video. all of these different snapshots of modern day "lepers" in this video really made me stop and think about how we humans are so cruel one to another. now i realize aguilera is taking a stab at perhaps some controversial issues here, but good for her. i think so often the oppression that takes place this day and age is much more silent at times than what the leper had to go through in crying out that he was unclean and drawying attention to himself- but still silent oppression kills. kills the spirit, kills the person. all people deserve to be loved with the love of Christ- right? how do we begin to stand up against the injustices right outside our own doors?

okay, enough of that thought- just what is going on in my head at the moment.

life continues to be great with the addition of payton- man, i am blessed to have such a wonderful family - 2 kids and a beautiful wife that i love dearly.

peace
jg
ps- if you are sick of the video you can stop it :-)

pics

2006-01-20T16:36:00.000-06:00

here is a link to the pics, if you are not a snapfish member sign up and you can view them!

Payton Pics

payton dianne grimm

2006-01-19T08:10:00.000-06:00

born at 10:20 pm est on January 18th- weight-7lb 14oz length- 20 inches

baby on the way.....

2006-01-18T08:03:00.000-06:00

anna started labor this AM about 4- we are still at home, but all things point to a baby sometime in the near future- this is when she started with l man too, and he came at 230 the next am.....

on another note- any suggestions how one teaches confirmation to a senior girl- who desparately wants to be confirmed this spring before she graduates- what is the best way to do this?

jg

mission here and there

2006-01-15T12:16:00.000-06:00

Tim and Erik began a conversation regarding mission in this country and mission out of this country that got me thinking a little bit.....see their comments here.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the costs of doing mission development. Advent continues to be an amazing blessing- to this community and to us- but the reality of it is that it costs money to be able to do the things we are doing. We have to pay rent, pay musicians, pay the other "staff" their stipends, cover my salary and benefits, and the list goes on and on. We also are trying to secure a lease on a fire- garage which them will cost money to fix-up for our use until we outgrow that and find land to buy- again costing money. Part of my call has been to find mission partners from within the Synod and out and to be honest it has not been the most exciting part of my job, nor the most productive. There are a lot of churches around here that have excess money, but who are not willing to get in our camp at this point. I do not wish to rag on them for not giving us money because the things they do support are important (LSS, Global Mission, etc), but do wonder why the conversation never really get beyond a request to check into possibilities. My prayer and hope continues to be that God will provide for the needs of Advent so that we can walk this journey for a long, long time.

Now, on the flip side I must say that I have been very lifted up by the work of my Synod. They have started a campaign entitled "To Whom Shall We Go" taken from our Alleluia around the gospel. I have been able to be part of three events which take place in homes and have conversations regarding the three-tier approach of this campaign. Usually, there is a seminary student present to talk about the needs of students and the incredible debt load we graduate with, I have been there to speak on Mission Developent (and debt!), and the bishop is there to talk about the plans for a new mission support center and office for the synod. The gatherings have been incredible and thus-far the response has been pretty good. These folks that gather, as well as the synod seem to get the importance of raising money for two things I hold very close to my heart- development and seminary debt. what will it take for us to help others realize the importance of the work that needs to be done on our own soil (not to downgrade global mission because I think it is sooooo important but feel there needs to be more of a both/and approach).

What does it mean to be missional? someone help me with that please- how are we as a church doing at it? we are still in a place where upwards of 70 percent don't go to church on a regular basis.....now has to be the time eh? what are we presenting, where are we presenting (pubs- as tim points out,malls, streets?)

On a personal note- Anna still has the baby in her oven....hopefully that will change soon- and our worship continues to grow back to the our initial numbers- today we had around 80 and about 25 new faces- I am so blessed to be part of this.

Peace

JG

the journey continues

2005-12-27T22:59:00.000-06:00

well....christmas has come and gone. hard to believe that we are now on the brink of another new year and for our family a new child. christmas was great out this way. a's family all came out to be with us as we celebrated our first xmas services at advent. the services were wonderful and we had a pretty good turnout for both of them. our average worship after four services is right around 80 so we are happy. the coolest thing is that each week we are seeing new people who have an interest in being a committed part of the journey. i think now that the business of our first worship, and christmas services are behind, the work really begins. with over 20 kids and at least that many adults who have never stepped foot in a church there is an amazing need for education to begin. i pray for guidance as i begin to play with ideas of how to incorporate an education program into this infant-church.

i was lifted up on saturday by a phone call from c.k. and again sunday with a call from l.a. both of these reminded me of the great community that i am so blessed to belong to- colleagues spread across this country, but yet close in the journey's of our hearts- to spread the word of god in the best way we know how. this community we have, be it online or whatever continues to strengthen me in so many ways. thanks to all who have been part of it-you truly do not know how much it helps me. thanks also for the many who have included advent in your personal and church prayers. there is no question in my mind that what is going on here is the result of these prayers being answered. in a way- all of you are responsible for the ministry of advent- like it or not.

peace to all as you come back to earth after the hustle of christmas. time to gear up now for a long epiphany eh?

peace,

jg

brand new thing

2005-12-11T22:14:00.000-06:00

what an amazing day! we had our first worship together as Advent and wow were we surprised at the turnout. a group of us got together yesterday to set up and we were optimistic in our expectations and we set up for 50 folks. all week people kept asking me what we were expecting, and i said i would ben thrilled with 30 people- and that was the honest truth! well at 9:20 this morning it looked like 30 would be a good number after all, but in the next ten minutes the people just started coming, and coming, and coming- we ended up with 101 people- 25 of them kids! i can't even begin to say how humbling it was to stand among this group and to proclaim the promises of our God to them. to administer the sacrament of communion to so many hungry people was almost more than i could handle, to commune my own son, along with many other children continues to floor me. but, the best part about the entire day was the number of folks who were coming back to church for the first time in a long while. one gentleman had stopped going to church when his father passed away- 30 some years ago. another young man and his wife had never been to church, but had come as the result of running into me at the fire-dept meeting. i am so amazed at the way in which God is working in this community. i asked the question today to the group, "this church is needed in this community eh?" and was met with a resounding "yes" while many of the folks were moved to tears just thinking about the community that we can be as church, as a place which points towards the goodness of God, and the light of Christ in a larger community that has many struggles and many hardships. all i can say is thank you God for calling me to this place, at this time, and allowing me to be part of this magnificent ride.

now the challenge really begins- the need for followup with those who came today is crucial to the continuing development of this community. next week again, i think we aim for 50 and rejoice if we are surprised by more. many of the key families will be gone next week so in a sense we will see what we are made of.

in other life-journey stuff....anna's grandfather passed away on thursday very peacefully- word is he had a sip of soup, said "soup is a great way to start your day", and lowered his head- that was it, what a great way to go for a truly great man. and how right he was- though his earthly life was ending, his day was truly just beginning. the funeral is tomorrow, and anna decided not to fly home for it considering she was just there last week. she feels good about the way she said good-bye and was unsure if her very pregnant body could handle the stress of traveling again.

life continues to amaze me....i love it!

if anyone is interested here is a link to a ton of pictures taken today- some are good, some are not that clear, but here they are: Advent LC Pictures

wow....

2005-12-07T21:35:00.000-06:00

so...you haven't been blogging lately....my wife reminds me- as if i didn't know.

i really don't know why i have not blogged for nearly two months, i guess i don't have to come up with an excuse- rather just accept the fact that i am a slacker. but the heck wit the past, let's life in the present and focus on the future- i mean really good things are coming!

i continue to be amazed at how fast time flies. it is already december, and our first worship as Advent is this coming sunday- crazy, scary, exciting, amazing, and scary are just a few of the words that seem to describe the way i am feeling heading into sunday. i truly have no idea what to expect...we could have 20 people and we could have 90 people show up. to be honest, i will be thrilled with 30- seems like a good round number. we sent out 7000 postcards, put it in the paper, have talked to tons of people, but who knows who will show up- all prayers are appreciated as we approach this day. i am so moved by the way this community has embraced the coming of a new church- there is a such a sense of partnership with the township and other leaders of the community. it seems that we will truly become a community church insomuch that we will be reaching the needs of the immediate community on a different level than the methodist church is. at least that is our goal, and the hope of the townspeople who feel largely that the methodist church has forgotten about the community they are part of. of course...this is their perception and one must wonder what really is going on.

tonight i was able to attend the fire/ems officers meeting as was asked to consider being their on-call chaplain to help with crisis situations. i am pretty sure i am going to do it- seems like a great way to be involved in the community, and it is definitely something they as a department need.

our family continues to become more and more settled in our new community. i think we are at a good place now- this is our home, and we are loving it. we have most of the house painted now in preparation for the baby in january. anna is ready to get the kid out of her soon- in four weeks she will be full term. her and logan traveled to MN this weekend to visit her grandpa who was moved to hospice care. seems like now is the season for ailing grandparents. both of my grandmothers continue to be in and out of the hospital, and the distance thing really sucks when those you love are hurting.... logan loves life- all the time- and very much enjoys the snow that we have (i enjoyed the first two feet because i got to use my new snow-blower but now am quite sick of it!) we have gotten probably 6 feet of snow already! thank goodness most of it has melted away.

i miss all of my friends daily- dreaming sometimes of the good old days in seminary! yet, listening, watching, and reading to the ministry they are doing and the lives they are leading makes me realize we are all where we need to be- serving the Lord who calls us to serve. wow- what a great calling this truly is. here's to blogging more than once every 2 months- cheers....jg

stuck

2005-10-17T10:18:00.000-05:00

e recently reflected a bit on the changing of seasons, and the newness that fall often represents in life and the world. if you have not read it, i suggest you do- very good stuff! i too have been thinking of life-changes, and the passing of old things and the coming of new things. lately i have found myself concentrating hard on the new-yet-to-be type of things. specifically this has been advent- and all that must be done to birth this new congregation. yet...life continues to happen, and old things continue to pass- often times without much notice on my part. however, yesterday life threw me a curve-ball that brought me back to the here and now.

my aunt called me yesterday to inform me that my grandmother (my mom's mom) had been taken to the hospital because she was confused, disoriented, etc on saturday morning. they suspected this was due to a slight stroke or something along those lines. after further testing and a cat-scan they found a tumor on her brain. one that her doctor suspects is pretty fast growing, and most likely terminal. today she travels from madison, sd to sioux falls, sd for further testing and to see a specialist. this is one of those times that being so far away in michigan really sucks- yet at the same time there is only so much one could do if i was present. i spoke with my brother who is in arizona and like he said, we all had one good time together at my ordination. the way it sounds, she is pretty out-of-sorts now already, and is not herself. still, there is a longing to be there and a reality that i am stuck here. the hardest part of this is thinking about my mom- i know this will impact her the hardest, and pray that god will hold her tight as she walks through this. to make things worse, my grandma's sisterdied from a brain tumor about 8 years ago.

even amidst this toubled time, i do rejoice as e pointed out that a new thing will happen to my grandmother during this time and in her death. to god be the glory forever and ever.

range of everything

2005-10-13T20:02:00.000-05:00

it has been a long time since i have last blogged anything of substance. during this time however i have enjoyed reading and commenting on the blogs of many of my good friends and colleagues. i am so thankful that we have this cyber-community, where we can journey together with one-another through many highs and lows. the past week has been an interesting week for me. last week i found myself in a pretty deep funk- and i was not able to identify why i was feeling that way, or how i could get out of it. basically, last wednesday just sucked to put it bluntly. i was not motivated to really do anything, and felt like just being blah. i almost kind of panicked at this feeling of emptiness but the encouragement of my wife that it was okay made a big difference. thankfully this feeling did not last very long, but did last long enough for me to learn some things. on thursday i had my monthly meeting with my mission director- the assistant to the bishop. i expressed to him the way i was "funkish" and he assured me this was normal and that he had learned to truly embrace these feelings. i knew that, but still hated the feeling. i did cling more to the promise of god in psalm 46 that indeed god is god- and we ought be still and know this. i am indeed feeling much better now, but still cannot finger exactly what sent me into the funk. i could attribute it to many things-perhaps loneliness, missing friends, uncertainty of what lies ahead for advent, the reality that this church is to start worship in a matter of weeks, not months anymore. but...the mystery continues....okay enough on that reflection.

things now have picked up again in very positive ways. i continue to meet new people who are interested in advent- many of them have no church experience at all and are very open to something new. it seems that we are aiming to begin worship during the season of advent- probably a week or two before Christmas. this is both exciting and daunting to think about. the trick is trying to find the right time to begin worship- when there is enough people to sustain a good weekly attendance without waiting to long that those interested during the early stages of development get restless. we have several options as far as locations- and are aiming to lease the old firehouse in lake ann for a dollar a year- half of it is being turned into the township library and the other half is empty. we would need to replace the furnace and do some hardcore drywalling, and other construction- but the space will be ours, and there would be no need to set up and tear down each week. we also would be able to have an office space which would be very nice. also on the development front- i have identified our outreach staff person- so now there are two of us on the mission development team. her position is very limited at this point, but still there is someone to bounce som ideas off of. i am meeting next week with a potential music/worship leader. i pray god's guidance as i try to discern who these people should be.

i was blessed to preside and preach last week at Bethlehem again- it amazes me how much this feeds me and grounds me. the partnership with BLC has indeed been a blessing. i am so eager to be worshipping every week at Advent.

cheers

plea for help!

2005-10-03T10:27:00.000-05:00

anyone have suggestions on this week's gospel??? just curious as i begin to wrestle with the text....maybe it is a philippians week!!!!-- Matthew 22:1-14

i am a rock, i am an island

2005-09-29T20:08:00.000-05:00

k, in her sermon that she gave at seminary this past year quoted the simon and garfunkel song where i took my title from. it seems i have been thinking a lot these past days about islands, and for that matter rocks. anna, logan, and i spent the past sunday through tuesday on mackinac island for a synod leadership retreat. if you have never been there, you must someday make the trip. in order to get out there you have to ride a ferry from either mackinaw city (weird to me that the island is spelled with a c and the city with a w) or st. ignace. there are no automobiles allowed on the island so the only way to get around is by walking, biking, or riding on the horse-drawn taxis. we did a lot of walking as well as taking a tour around the island on a carriage. logan LOVED the horses and all in all it was a great time for us to get away from the chaos of moving into our new house! yep- we did it finally- last friday we closed and that night we had a crew of about 15 people help us pack up, move, and unload. we are now going through the painful process of unpacking, but there is something different this time as we have arrived at our HOME. anna repeatedly has expressed how much she loves this home- and that is enough to make me celebrate! there is a new peace about anna- she is now able to "nest" and she begins a new job next week at a day care/preschool where logan will be going- not exactly utlizing her master's degree that put us in debt, but still something that she will enjoy!!!

so...this idea of island got me thinking. it is so easy to become an island- to lock out everyone else and become only concerned for ourselves. there is a risk in actually being land-locked if you will. we put ourselves out there, make ourselves vulnerable and risk being hurt. i have been thinking this week a lot about that as i have begun my initial calling for advent. going door to door and knocking on hundreds of houses really has excited me. but, at the same time, there are moments when the pressure seems all to real- where i really need some of these folks to listen to what i am saying, and to be part of the church, or my expectations from the synod and chicago are not met. there have been times when i have wondered- what in the hell am i doing here, serving in this call. but then, almost like god knows something about this ministry stuff- i am reminded of why i am doing this. i get no greater joy than seeing someone come alive when they tell me their journey- so many people are dying to share it, and 0nly need to be asked. i think our goal, my goal, is to bridge that water that separates these islands from others- to invite them to be part of something bigger, a place where they will be met with the cross and the love of jesus- a place where they will be accepted and loved in spite of what they feel has placed them so far out in the deep.

"i touch no one, and no one touches me..." i hope and pray that the people who will be part of advent will long to truly break down the island barriers, and begin to truly touch others.

i continue to think of my many friends spread all across the country starting their ministry, some in the midst some waiting to hear where they will serve, some waiting for votes, some making sure the seminary runs- all people who have shaped me- thank god for them, and may god continue to bless them to be blessings.

renewal

2005-09-18T13:05:00.000-05:00

it never ceases to amaze me how god continually surprises me. as my earlier post stated, we have had our ups and downs over some things that maybe should not bother us as much as they do. well, nonetheless the issues still existed, and we reacted as we did. so...bitter, frustrated, etc. we went on with our lives last week.

as the week went on, i could not help but realize the power of prayer- and the power of knowing that so many people were praying for us. just knowing that means all the difference in the world. the good news is that progress is being made on the house front- wells fargo is all straight and now we are just waiting for the mortgage company to go with it- should be this week- please! that is good news for sure and it made me happier this week, but the true joy came from my vocation. i was able this week to do some visitation for bethlehem (the church we live next to who is without a pastor). this visiting time with a homebound member who was near death last week, and another man in the hospital brought me great joy. i was reminded of how much i love this work- and how awesome a job we pastor types have to share the love of God with others- and get paid for it. i can't wait until this new church gets started, and visitation will be part of my weekly routine. and then- more refreshment came last night and today as i presided and preached at bethlehem. now, it should be noted, that their four services on a weekend are a bit too many in my opinion (all the same service, 1 sat, and 3 sunday). again through doing the job i have been trained and called to do, i was blessed beyond belief. it was officially my first time as an ordained person presiding at communion and it was quite humbling. i thank god daily for this opportunity- i mean really, we have the best job in the world.

ok, so it may seem that i have bi-polar disorder as i move from being very bitter and sad to being refreshed and happy- but so be it!

thank you lord for all you have blessed us with.

venting

2005-09-13T11:50:00.000-05:00

i need to vent. this waiting for financing for our home sucks. and i realize i am in no position to complain- there are thousands of people who do not have a home and are suffering from the destruction of katrina. there are people all over the world dying every day because they do not have enough food to eat. i have both food and shelter, yet right now i find myself quite bitter. it could be because anna is going nuts in the house we are in now- a shelter, an old home- but one that stinks, is hot, and is not ours. i think her emotional rollercoaster is finally starting to wear on me. i feel terrible to complain, but god please help us. i am sad because anna is so sad, i am mad because anna is mad. i am mad too because had wells fargo told us that all i had to do was take my loans out of grace, we would be in our new home now. i am numb because i am not sure how i am to feel. i am frustrated because i can't seem to come up with a sermon for sunday relating to the workers in the vineyard- where we learn that the last shall be first. damn it.

okay, i will stop but i had to find a place to share some of my feelings- and this seemed as good a place as any. thanks for the ears.

dear lord- help keep things in perspective, remind us that you are god and we are not, that we need to serve you every day. continue o lord to lead us on paths that bring glory to the kingdom and not paths that seek to bring glory to ourselves. amen

and it is...

2005-09-12T14:15:00.000-05:00

a girl. we had our ultrasound today and found out that the baby that has been making anna so sick is indeed a girl!!!!! big brother logan is very excited to have a sister.

how amazing it is to think that we will be having another life joining our family. wow- these pictures really make it seem even more real. january will be here before we know it- yippee.

2005-09-10T19:01:00.000-05:00

today i was blessed to conduct my first baptism service. it was held outside at the home of a person that is part of Advent (what we are calling the new mission). lisa, the mother, called me quite a while ago after getting my name from another pastor where she used to attend. we have met several times in the last few weeks to talk about baptism, plan this service, as well as to dream about what advent can be about. the service was beautiful- a small group a bit of rain- but still the spirit was present. as i poured the water over ethan's head and baptized him he looked up at me with the biggest smile in the world which almost sent me to tears! i was humbled greatly today by the responsibility of administering this sacrament and realized yet again what a great joy we have as pastors to be part of baptisms, communion, weddings, deaths- wow. i often wonder how i get to be this lucky.

being part of this today reminded me of the important things in our lives. anna and i are waiting rather impatiently for my student loans to finish consolidating so that our mortgage can close- just a matter of time they keep telling us. it has been hard, hard on anna especially as she is getting very eager to begin "nesting" for the new baby. we have been perhaps even a little bitter lately- but were blessed with the presence of leland here for the last week to keep our spirits up. today also provided a needed reprieve to the grief that is in our world- i don't mean to move away from it, but rather needed a reason to smile. this child, this beautiful creation of our god- totally unaware of the strife if our world reminded me to pause today to give thanks to god for all that i have been blessed with. thank you god for all the little reminders of your grace and presence.

and some more good news- the nfl season REALLY starts tomorrow

ordination and the rest

2005-09-04T20:00:00.000-05:00

unlike my friend e i have been too lazy to put any of the pictures that were taken from my ordination on my computer yet. so...i guess i will try to explain in words the experience. i must say first that erik does indeed look mighty good in a stole.

looking back now on my ordination and the days that surrounded it, i can't believe how lucky a person i truly am. the amount of love and support we have from our friends and family is so awesome and uplifting. we were blessed to be able to spend a bit of time with both a's and my families. logan was able to see his friends- which in itself was worth the 18 hour drive home from sd. and we were able to reconnect with friends from seminary. it was awesome to be back home- even amidst the terrible disaster of katrina which brought us back to reality pretty quick. my heart continues to ache for everyone afflicted by her wrath.

the service of ordination ended up being wonderful. i was a little unsure how it would turn out since i had been planning it via email and phone calls with my pastor. but, once the bishop found his way to the church everything ran very smoothly. the turn out was wonderful especially for a mid-week service, and the worship was very inspirational. my home pastor was a grace-filled presence and presider, my internship supervisor roger preached a very powerful sermon reminding us to consider whose we are rather than who we are when we go to do ministry, the bishop was very cool- all around a great guy who amidst tough times at home put on a very professional face, and leland did a wonderful job of assisting- what a gift to have him be part of the service.

i was humbled by all of it- completely in awe- holy crap it all comes to this, now i am ordained, now i am a pastor. i know it is just a title, but a title that truly means all the years of schooling now have added up to this- thank god. i think the best part about the entire service was being in the presence of those who have been a huge part of it from the beginning- friends from trinity, family, and more recent friends from seminary who have put up with me for four years. again- thanks to all of them for keeping me up to task.

now...labor day weekend... leland treked home with us and we are having a good time just being and doing a bunch of nothing. as this week approaches i realize i have a bunch of stuff to start doing. how exciting it truly is to be able to look forward to the work that lies ahead.

god is so good, all the time- i realize this is sometimes tough to understand especially in times of turmoil and disaster- but are we not called to still proclaim that god is good? i hope so- god is good indeed.

peace out

a long time coming

2005-08-28T22:10:00.000-05:00

wow...its's been forever since i have last blogged- and a lot actually has been going on. last week i was in chicago for the elca's mission development training. it was a very humbling and empowering week where i was able to meet some great colleagues from all over the country (and even a few canadians and germans). we learned the hard truth that mission development, like all pastoral ministry is a lot of work (duh). we also learned that there is no way in hell that we can do this alone- and if we think we can than we better begin packing because the mission start is sure to fail. the division for outreach folks were wonderful in their presentations and conversations- stating all the time that we must depend on God to lead the way in this endeavor as well as seek the support of others around us. there has tended to be a mindset in the past for many mission developers to be a lone-ranger, and all to often these pastors tend to burn out, bringing the church with them. the final worship service was very moving- ending with a commissioning service where my mission director prayed for me and i for him. i prayed simply to let go- let go of all things that bind me down, let go of any thought that i control this development, let go of the anxiety, the worries, etc. etc. i continue to pray this prayer in order to remind myself daily to die to self and to come to the cross seeking forgiveness and guidance. what a great job we pastors have eh? i mean seriously- we get to spread the love of jesus christ to all we meet and that is our job-wow, how cool.

now this week, as i continue to seek god's guidance and wisdom, i approach my ordination on wednesday. i have watched many of my friends already take this step and now it is my turn. i am looking forward to this with great excitement. many of my dear friends will be there, and it will be a great chance for me to see many of the folks from my home church who helped cultivate my faith. bill and darla (anna's folks) presented me with a stole for the occasion- a beautiful hand-woven multi-seasonal stole. i was greatly moved by this gesture as well as their on-going love and support. there is no doubt in my mind that without all the love and support of friends and family i would not be getting ready for this day. so again, i say thanks to all of you-near and far.

so...a brief catch up on what's been going on. i miss my friends dearly- love to all.

thank you god for the good people who have touched my life in so many ways.

baptism, assembly,and the rest

2005-08-10T09:38:00.000-05:00

i am currently watching part of the ELCA churchwide assembly online. i really don't know why i am watching it because it kind of angers me to see how badly our church handles issues- not even issues, but small technical items. currently they are discussin the renewing worship material- and the conversation has been so circular that i don't think any real points have been made. yet, i do believe that the people of god who are serving the church by being there will truly serve god and the church. i guess I am just frustrated how at times the entity gets in the way of the really important stuff- where is jesus in all of this? how are we serving our god now-what needs to be done in our churches to truly answer the call to serve, to love, and spread god grace?

on a better note, i have been asked to be part of a baptism service for a person interested in the new church. so, while i am very excited- this is the fun part of starting a new church!- i am very humbled as well. wow- what a great honor we pastors have to be part of such key and climatic parts of peoples lives. any suggestions as to where to begin my teaching of this awesome of baptism- i am meeting with the family tomorrow.

2005-08-06T20:11:00.000-05:00

backyard view

2005-08-06T20:09:00.000-05:00

Our New Home!

We Got a House!

2005-08-06T19:28:00.000-05:00

We went looking at houses yesterday and looked at this one last. It was one we had desired since about 2 months ago when we first started to browse. We walked in and Anna and I both felt like it was the perfect match for us now. In a great area- and a lovely wooded back yard with blackberry bushes! Logan wants to have a party with blower-thingys when we close on the 16th of September- you are all welcome to come on over!

getting settled

2005-07-27T23:09:00.000-05:00

we are getting settled. i think all of us have different ideas of what it means, or what it takes to get to that point. for instance- i have needed internet access among other things to officially feel like i can function. after having it installed today, i can admit i feel a lot better. anna and logan went to a local orchard today to pet the animals and pick up some produce- something that made both of them feel like we are somewhere we can call home. yet, their still remains a sense of unsettled-ness. we know we are moving again in a few weeks or months. we will be meeting with our lender this friday and then start looking at houses next week. this is exciting, but very dreadful considering how much we LOVE to move.

i have been watching from afar the moving of friends from seminary. i hope and pray for the best during their transitions. how crazy it is that we were all together so recently and now the calls are beginning to take shape. good news on lelandfront- released to region three- at least that is a start.

we had a picnic tuesday night to kick off the new mission start. i was told there would probably be 25 people there max- we pulled up and there were 80 folks. the assistant to the bishop came up to talk about the mission, and then we were able to introduce ourselves and talk about our hopes and dreams for the mission. the welcome was awesome and got me very excited again about this call. of the 80 people there at least 20 are very interested in being members of the new church. and then today i was talking with my cable guy about my job, and he said sh*t, i was just thinking i need to get back into church. he happens to live in the service area and wants to be part of the start-up group. god's ways never cease to amaze me. so...we go forward trusting that god will provide and lead.

even amidst the excitement of meeting new folks and the feelings of being settled- there is a sense of grief and loss. tonight, logan was very homesick as he talked about wanting to go to our other home, and wanting to play with sigourney and caitlyn. this tears my heart apart- but know that he will rebound as we meet new friends.

last night in my little introduction i talked about bonhoeffer's concept of calling. in life together and discipleship he stresses the importance of remembering that when we go out and approach people to invite them to be obedient to christ's calling- the call is not from us- but from god only. i am a mere human and god is god. to me, this takes some of the initial edge and fear away from approaching new people. in the past few days i have had a very comfortable feeling that my call to this particular ministry setting is indeed of god. what a relief it is to have this feeling. trusting in god's guidance i will shortly be catapulted me into this ministry.

goodbyes and hellos

2005-07-23T20:15:00.000-05:00

we have arrived! after a long 18 hours on the road (with some stopping obviously) we have arrived in traverse city to the warm welcome of about 8 kind souls who helped us unload the truck. the journey here was great- i spent most of the time trying to talk the truck and trailor combo to go faster than 50- as well as trying to coax logan to sleep. it ended up that he did not, nor did any of us. i guess that is the kind of stuff that builds character. the arrival in a new place is exciting- and challenging already. until i get internet in my home i must come down here to boarders and take part in the Tmobile Hotspot. yippee. but...it is worth paying a little to have access to my email and other essentials.

anna's mom, dad, and sister helped us with the drive, and are going to turn around tomorrow and go home- thank god for their help as the trip would have been a lot harder without them.

my last night at the seminary was great- one i will forever remember. a great crew of showed up to pack the truck- timtook over as the load master and did a wonderul job getting all of our stuff in the truck- in addition to a bike that was not ours....oh well i swear we will have my inlaws return it soon. it was very emotional to say goodbye to so many good friends, who came out in force to help us through this less than perfect situation. i was sad for myself, but thinking of logan saying goodbye to his friends was the hardest part. i was not there, but i heard him and caitlyn had a tear-filled goodbye. the good news i guess as he reminds me often is "we will make new friends daddy!, it will be ok".

well since i have not slept since thursday night i must go for now. thanks to all of you who have supported us in this time of transition. reminder that ordination is set for August 31- all are invited.

emotions

2005-07-19T23:03:00.000-05:00

sometimes i wish i had no emotions...that way this going to a new place, moving away from the people i love the most, taking logan from his best and only real friends he has ever known, and the rest would really be a lot easier. there would be no gut-wrenching emotional rollercoaster- no tears just robot-like goodbyes.

that said- i have had lot of emotions these past few days. logan and i spent the weekend in south dakota- great seeing dad, mom, grandma, and others but still hard to say goodbye knowing we are going to be so far away now. went golfing today with anna's dad bill- it was great to do it finally since we have been meaning to for so long. we had good conversation, mainly focussed on the upcoming move which of course made us both really excited and sad- the story of my life i guess.

tonight leland came over and presented me with the most thoughtful gift in the world. officially titled, "a guide to church planting in the postmodern age", the pages are filled with scripture, thoughtful words from books, pictures of our life here, pictures from the St. John's Bible, and letters of encouragement from a variety of folks dear to anna and i. i am so moved by this gift- at the time and hard work, love, thoughts, etc. put in by leland(injustice still seems to rule as he is without a call)- his act here really humbled me- what a guy, what a friend- my feelings of grattitude for this book and his friendship are beyond words. i am also moved greatly by the thoughts and words of deep encouragement from my brothers and sisters in this place and beyond. it is people like this that get me excited about this new venture of mission development. people who have so much to offer, people who offer themselves as a living sacrifice to god's work on this world. truly the salt of the earth. people i will miss incredibly, people who have taught me more than i could ever imagine- and these teachings i will rely on heavily in the coming days and years. i say thanks to all my friends out there who provide me with so much so often- all those that have and continue to touch my life. know that i will continue to call on you- and know too that i will continue to pray and think of all of you daily.

so much more to say, but just can't gather the thoughts at this time.

boxes

2005-07-13T20:37:00.000-05:00

it really amazes me that my entire life is now almost completely packed up inside of boxes. of course the REAL important aspects of my life (spouse, child, dogs, cat, friends, etc) could never be put inside of boxes, but the rest of me is all ready to be shipped out sometime next week. every time i walk into my study (where most of my boxes are stacked neatly, i am reminded of the harsh reality that this leaving thing is really going to happen soon. i realize i have been lamenting, pondering, blabbing, about this subject a lot lately but i guess i can't help myself. it seems that it must be important- perhaps it is my way of saying goodbye to this place or something. everytime i do something i think "wow that was probably the last time i will do that here in a long time". i golfed today with erik and had a great time. we might be lucky enough to get out next week for one more go at it, but this could have been the last time in a while that we golf together. how sad am i? man all these emotions suck- and then on top of it my lovely wife is sick due to being pregnant. so i am sad at the fact that she is sick, that logan will be leaving the only friends he has known and that i don't get to golf with E any more! the golfing aside- it does suck to be kicked out of this community that we have established over the last few years.

ok- enough of my bitter spewing. god is so good- things are definitely starting to take shape for our move and my starting in the greater Traverse City area. i look forward to the so many new adventures that will happen there, in addition to the new communities that we will be able to be part of.

logan and i are traveling this weekend to see my parents and grandparents one more time and i am sure that will be another one of those emotional times. i find it odd that my family is having a much harder time with us moving than anna's- especially my mother. i attribute this mainly to the fact that anna's family is much more well-adjusted on many levels- where they are saying- go, adventure, have fun- mine says- no, you can't go, how can you leave us. anyway- just a side note that popped into my head.

wow this has turned into a cluster of battered thoughts- i apologize but i guess it is what i needed.

farewells

2005-07-10T12:12:00.000-05:00

last night was my last night working at champps- a very sweet thing and a very sour thing. i am excited to be done working there for many reasons - probably the biggest being the fact that it means i am really done with school and will be starting my career. however i am very sad at the fact that i will no longer be around the so many friends i have there. due to it being my last night there was a little going away party for me. i was very moved by the number of people who showed up and had a wonderful time. it was so fun to be able to kick it with them one more time! leland made it out for the party as well and it was so great to have him there. he has been quite a regular at champps the nights i work :-). when it was all over i shed many tears and gave many hugs- and looking back at the night that is the way it should have been. these people who i worked with for so many years became great friends, as well as teachers to me in so many ways. my ministry has forever been shaped by my conversations and experiences at that bar- it really amazes me. and also i think the emotions started to poor out because of the fact that that good-bye marks the beginning of many that are going to start happening. it makes me very sad to leave behind so much- yet i know this is god's call and i will do my best to follow her will.

cheers to new experiences and great friends for life.

so we really have to move on?

2005-07-06T21:37:00.000-05:00

i think the reality is starting to sink in that we will be moving in less than three weeks. i continue to go to the liquour store to stack up on boxes and the boxes continue to be filled and take up room in our apartment. as more boxes are piled up the more and more my emotions start to run. often i am very excited at the grea opportunity that lies in front of us, but some times i truly dread the idea of leaving this safety net. the last few days have been very sweet as we have spent much time with friends- and logan has been able to hang with all of his little buddies. part of the emotional turmoil comes with the question of can i really do this work? i know i have been prepared well, and have what it takes, but still how do we prepare for it now? what does it take to be a good pastor? what does it take to be a mission developer?

i had a good visit the other day with president bliese and he gave me words to live by i think- he said- "you just have to do it- get your feet wet and dive in- you will learn real fast what you need to work on and then, then you can go back and learn it" i think he is right in many ways- i know there are certain things i can do well and obviously things that i can't- it will be helpful to start the actual learning process by actually doing the work.

many more friends continue to get calls and move out, and still others are waiting. man, it pisses me off to think about how wrong it is that some of my friends- who are very able pastors- are still being dicked around. whoa- that is just wrong.

babble babble babble- i must quit- just wanted to vent.

Fits

2005-06-29T09:18:00.000-05:00

Fits have been on my mind lately. Perhaps it is because my two year old has suddenly found the need to throw a fit whenever he does not get his way- I mean after all HIS way is the only way. My wife suggests this only happens when he is with us, as others scoff at the idea that L would do such a thing. She also points out that he seems to do these especially when I am not home- adding to her frustration. I must admit, there are times when I wish I could completely break down throwing my body on the floor, kicking and screaming, eventually settling in the arms of one who loves me and gently reminds me that i do not always have to have it my way. Yet I think if I did this people would look at me strangely.

wow- what an odd topic to begin my blogging life with again. it has been way too long since i have put anything on here, and after reading my friends blogs I have begun to realize that i can at least put a few words down. but truthfully, until recently nothing has changed much. graduation happened, i entered the world of waiting for call and "feeding the fish" as my friend k pointed out so graciously. i must admit this time of fish-feeding was pretty difficult as far as my patience went, though there were many fish to feed. but now...all of a sudden, life is moving forward quite swimmingly :-). a,l, and I will be moving to Traverse City, Michigan July 22nd. we will be living in a pretty little dump of a house for a few weeks until we can find a house to buy. my call as a mission developer begins august 1, and then who knows. the challenge of beginning a new congregation scares the s@it out of me, but also excites me to no end. a and I spent some time in the Traverse City area and fell in love- oh my goodness it is beautiful. so...if all else fails i can become a batboy for the new minor league baseball team in town called the BeachBums- Anything to live by the water.

as this new beginning takes off, i must begin to say goodbye to many things. friends at school who i truly will miss and never see in the same way again- distance does funny things. friends at champps who have taught me so much in the years i have worked there. my cat zoe who seems to be headed to a new life with b in the twin cities. and the list goes on and on. but....i am confident that god is at work here, somehow and somewhere and good friendships will become stronger and new ones will be made. but still...i want to throw a fit- somebody hold me!

2005-05-26T09:26:00.000-05:00

We've Got Good News!

I am a really bad blogger

2005-04-20T08:04:00.000-05:00

My friend Erik just blogged about how bad a blogger he was, but I have to believe that I am the worst ever since it has been nearly 3 weeks since I last blogged. I really don't have that good of an excuse for why I have not been updating outside of the fact that I am lazy.

Laziness combined with a huge case of senioritis does not bid well for such things as blogging I guess.... Things are great- our new puppy Maggie has been a wonderful addition and distraction for all of us this past month. I can finally truly see the end of the road for my seminary education- I have figured that I only have about 4 major assignments left until I can be done. Anna continues to plow ahead with her hours so that she will be able to be done in mid-june, and we are thankful for that.

I spent the past weekend in Michigan getting acquainted with my new Synod- North/West Lower Michigan Synod . I had a wonderful time getting to know the Bishop as well as the synod staff. Even though I had not heard much from them in the past few weeks, it seems that they indeed have been working on finding a place for me to serve hopefully starting this summer. The idea they are shooting for at the present time would be a part time mission development position in Lake Ann, as well as a part time assistant pastor position in Traverse City. Originally, I was not looking at getting into Mission Development at this point in my ministry, but after much conversation I have become very excited at the idea. They are hoping that we would form a mission team around me that would include a musician, an evangelist, and an administrative assistant. These positions would be stipened and abotu ten hours a week. So now...I am setting up an interview time with some people in the Division for Outreach to see if I can actually do this. If something falls through here, there is another opportunity for a two-point parish in Luddington- another beautiful part of the world. Nervous time, yet good time.

Meanwhile, school continues.

hectic life is good life!

2005-04-01T14:57:00.000-06:00

anna returned yesterday from SD with the newest addition to our family- Maggie. Logan is very excited to have a new puppy, and Riley seems to enjoy having a same-species friend in the house.

i too am very excited and realize how crazy this will make us (we hope the chaos makes the time go faster until we get to move to michigan!). and anyway, can life without chaos truly be life?

2005-04-01T14:50:00.000-06:00

The two "elders"

2005-04-01T14:49:00.000-06:00

Logan is a weee bit excited about a new puppy!

2005-04-01T14:45:00.000-06:00

The Three Kids!

2005-04-01T14:44:00.000-06:00

Riley and our new baby Maggie!

good intentions

2005-03-23T13:16:00.000-06:00

I have been meaning to blog everyday for the past two weeks and have not managed to do it...I guess I am a loser...

Perhaps the reason it has been so long since I last blogged is because really there has not been that much new and exciting going on. One exciting thing is that in 60 days I will graduate from seminary- yipee! We are also adding a new family member in about a week- we will be getting a new boxer puppy to join Riley (perhaps as much so that Logan quits acting like a dog as it is for Riley to have a playmate). Tonight, Anna and I are getting tatoos- I have two already and she one, but we thought it would be fun to both get the same one to signify this change in our lives (graduation not the dog) that lies ahead.

I am feeling even more ready to part ways with Luther as time winds down...perhaps it is because I can really start to see that I will be in Michigan soon- a very exciting adventure... or maybe its because Leland is as bitter and ready to be done as I am...or maybe its because I have finally learned everything I need to know (yeah right)...or maybe its because my son's energy is way to much for our little apartment and needs desperately a house with a yard (great idea adding a new dog to the mix)...or maybe I am ready to be done because I hav been in school for my entire life and am ready to be in the "real world".... Okay, enough with that.

What one thing do you wish clergy type people knew about you? This is a question I am going to ask 10 or so young-adults who are either new to the church, or consider themselves to be on the "edge" of the church for one of my independent studies. How would you answer that question with regards to faith, spirituality, and finally Christianity?

jg

Spring Fever

2005-03-13T15:26:00.000-06:00

Wow, I cannot believe that it is the middle of March already. Yet, looking outside at the snow-covered ground and feeling the cold air as I walked to work really made me want to check a calendar to make sure it is March. The good news is that baseball spring training is in full swing and that March Madness is about to begin. I love the NCAA tournament- it has been a tradition of mine to stop doing whatever it is I am doing when the first two days take place. That tradition will continue this year as well.

Our trip out to Whibey Island (Just Northwest of Seattle) was incredible. Logan had a ball, and Anna and I had a great time hanging out with good friends. The weather was beautiful and we were able to spend a little part of each day at the beach playing with Crabs and dead star fish. It was exactly what we all needed- a break from this place- and I think it refreshed us all enough to finish this year and our time here strong. It's amazing to think that in a few months both Anna and I will graduate and then we will be moving to somewhere in Michigan and hopefully be moving into a house- I can't wait for the space!!! We are hoping that adding more chaos to our life in the form of a new puppy will help the time go faster. It's kind of funny- I am going to miss a ton of people here- great friends that have surrounded me, but at the same time I can't wait to be done, and move on- to leave the seminary and the small little world that it has become. I guess it is fair to say that I have developed "senioritis". Oh well!

As I begin to envision the type of ministry I will be doing, I have started to read Pete Ward's Liquid Church. Ward presents an image of Church that does not have the typical Sunday gathering at its center. He encourages church to be more about small group ministry focussing on the changing culture and molding with that culture. Interesting stuff- and I wonder why are we just now truly starting to see this type of thing take place? What's the big deal with the new "postmodern" movement anyway? Are we still in postmodernism or have we moved now beyond that? Just some questions I am having....

Headed West

2005-03-03T13:14:00.000-06:00

My family and I are traveling to Seattle today to see some friends. Should be a nice break from school and a great time to just relax and enoy the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. It has been a crazy couple of weeks- and I realize I have not blogged in an eternity. I did find out that I will be heading to Michigan next year for sure- to the Mitten Synod which consists of all of Lower Michigan besides the greater Detroit area. We are very excited for this move, and I cannot wait to learn more about where God is leading us. At the same time, several of my friends are still in the unknown- hopefully to find something out this weekend- my thoughts continue to be with them!

Off to catch a plane.

And the decsion is...

2005-02-23T08:42:00.000-06:00

The assignments came in and all the seniors took the march to the line where they were being handed out. It was a unique situation-kind of weird actually. After I got my envelope, I took it over to where my wife was and we opened it. The number was 6- region 6 which was our top choice so we are very satisified. On Saturday I will find out which Synod. So as it stands today we could be living in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, or Kentucky. I can't wait until Saturday :-).

While I was fairly excited, several of my friends were not. I was deeply saddened at the sight of one my my best friends opening his envelope and getting assigned to a place that was completely off of his radar. Yet, somewhere, somehow, I know God will work through that as well. The journey has just begun, and God is in control. Thank goodness.

Today is THE day....

2005-02-22T13:59:00.000-06:00

Well, the day has finally arrived where I, along with my classmates, will find out to which region of the country we are being sent. Pretty exciting stuff- and to be honest I can't wait until it is over. I think I am almost as excited to see where my colleagues end up as I am about myself. Two and a half hours from now the wait will be over. yippee!

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about Postmodernism-since three of my classes this semester are focussing on that subject. And today was thinking about what it means for someone today to be a "prophet" in a "postmodern world". For instance, I work at a bar while attending seminary and all of the people who I work with know that I am a pastor-to-be. At some level I am called to be a prophet to them as they struggle with life as we know it. Yet, what is the message that the unchurched or the spiritual-but-not-Christian long to hear? I hope this becomes a little more clear to me this year as I work through it so that I can better serve those I encounter. Any thoughts? Please respond!

Remember that you are Dust

2005-02-10T08:32:00.000-06:00

and to dust you shall return.

Yesterday, being Ash Wednesday was a day I spent a lot of time thinking about death and my own mortality. It began early in the morning when I attended an Imposition of Ashes service and was marked with a cross of ashes on my forehead and told, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Later in the morning I attended chapel and the sermon focussed on facing our mortality with a smile and not fearing what is to come. The words of the preacher were very powerful as she proclaimed the joy of knowing the promises of Jesus Christ. It is upon these promises and this Gospel truth that we can stand as we move towards our inevitable death. That was good news, but she did force one to think about how we live our our lives especially during these 40 days of Lent.

The fun of mortality and death did not stop at chapel. Late last night at my men's Bible Study at our favorite pub we picked up on the theme of death as well as the promises of God. We focussed on Psalm 23 and discussed our own personal valleys while also investigating what we cling to as the LORD's "rod and staff". We also delved into how we can preach Gospel truth to someone who has lost a loved one either tragically or suddenly. The conversation was wonderful and left me longing for more discussion about the prophetic voice of the Gospel in the times of deep suffering.

So here I am today, a little sleep deprived still wondering how do we do this proclaiming stuff in the midst of suffering world. Don't get me wrong, I believe it with my whole heart (the promises) but I realize many struggle to understand the truth- and they have every right to. As I read my elert from the NY Times this morning I was reminded once again of the hostility that exists in our world- North Korea Says It Has Nuclear Weapons and Rejects Talks- NY Times Article- . Wow- what a frightening world we indeed live in. Yet, as we go through our days we must cling to the promise of Psalm 23- We shall fear nothing, and we can say that because of the crucicifed and risen Christ. Thanks be to God.

Thursday and Sun

2005-02-03T09:16:00.000-06:00

What a beautiful day today. I walked to work this morning at 7:20 and it was absolutely gorgeous outside. I love the warmth, but am kind of sad because all of the ice sculptures at the Winter Carnival fell over so we can't go and see them this weekend. Oh well, bring on spring. It's been a pretty uneventful week thus far outside of L (my son) getting sick. I have tried to not think too much this week as classes start again next week.

I had a dream last night I was on Survivor- I hope it comes true.

What do we do when we get to the point of our life where we have no motivation for what we are currently doing? Any ideas? I am so excited about the future, as in this summer and the beginning of a new career. But now I am so sick of being in school, and so sick of doing the little jobs I have. Help! Okay enough venting, I must stop before I get depressed or something.

Life is indeed full of blessings- Thank God!

Monday Bloody Monday

2005-01-31T09:20:00.000-06:00

It's Monday- joy. The nice thing about it being Monday is that it is another day which means I am that much closer to knowing where I will be assigned. On the other hand it also means that it is no longer the weekend and my time with my wife is less and less as she is quite busy. I had a pretty good weekend however, so I do feel refreshed for another week. It's amazing what sleep will do for a person.

Anyway, enough about my immediate life, let's talk about more exciting stuff. The sermon I preached on Sunday focussed on Matthew 5:1-12, otherwise known as the beatitudes. The word "blessed" occurs nine times throughout in a kind of unusual setting. "Blessed are those who mourn" for instance does not seem to make sense. I decided to approach the text with a focus on "happy" rather than blessed. The Greek word actually can be translated as happy rather than blessed so it was not that big of a stretch. I stressed that all of those people can be happy because of the fact that "theirs is the kingdom of heaven"- now, in the present not in the future. I found it interesting that in the Gospel reading, the kingdom of heaven was now, while everything else was going to happen in the future.

After preaching the sermon, I began to wonder to myself, what is it that makes me happy? The fact that the kingdom of heaven is mine is pretty powerful and breeds happiness. Yet do we tend to forget this promise as we live our lives? I know I don't always do a good job of living as if I know this. If we remember daily even hourly that God has given us his kingdom now- because of Jesus Christ, would that change the way we live and treat others?

We are indeed blessed, and we can truly be happy. Recently I was reading on another blog about the struggle of faith. Someone was not feeling as if church was providing the kind of thing they were looking for. She was very interested in Christianity, but not the Church as we know it. That seems to be a struggle many people in young adult generation tend to have. The joy is Christ can be encountered in other places as well. We, that have that struggle and/or understand it need to relationally encourage while embodying the risen Lord and Christ in all we do. Big task- yes- but truly we are blessed because the kingdom of heaven is ours- now.

The Restoration Project

2005-01-28T22:57:00.000-06:00

~ Grace is a lover strong enough to hold on
whenever I slip and I fall or turn and run away
I kiss and I curse the same face that would bless me
Oh but love, love will endure it ~ Tracy Howe

Tonight I attended a concert of the group The Restoration Project made up of Tracy Howe and Aaron Strumpel. I was very impressed with their music and am definitely glad I went. I was struck by the song Grace- the chorus above-. Grace is indeed the strongest lover we could ever imagine. Time and again we slip and fall, but surely enough grace restores. I think in light of the conversation held earlier on this blog (Timberwolves and Theology,) we need to remember to be grace-filled when discussing sensitive issues. It is the very absence of grace that fires the growing divide between those labeled "ultra liberal" and those labeled "ultra conservative".

Coffee and Conversation

2005-01-28T09:17:00.000-06:00

This morning I journeyed out to join a friend of mine for coffee and some conversation about life and some theology. It was nice to get out in the brisk air after spending much of the week inside with Logan (my 2 year old). Don't get me wrong I love being home with him all the time but once in a while I need a little adult conversation from the oustide world. With Anna working so much it's been tough lately. The conversation this morning was great. I shared my frustration with closed-minded people who fail to see the possibility of God working in our world in ways bigger than us. E, my friend, has a great way of standing strong on the immanent sense of God that drives her passion for social justice, while balancing that with a transcendent God that provides the pulse for her faith. It made me think about what does God call us to do on this earth? Do we every truly know where God is calling us to? These questions are loudly going on inside of my mind now as I await the dreaded day of February 22 when the "higher ups" in the ELCA will tell me where I will go to do ministry. I long for this day to come simply so that I know where Anna, Logan, and I will be spending the next leg of our journey on this earth. I also long for a setting where I can be a force for social justice and advocacy. E provided refreshment this morning and for that I am greatful. I pray now that God will continue to refresh me as I await for assignment, and as I get prepared for full-time ministry. Lord, in your mercy, hear my prayer.

No Passion in the Oscars

2005-01-26T09:04:00.000-06:00

Wow- The Passion of the Christ, which was the highest grossing box office movie of the year did not get a nomination in any major category for the academy awards. That seems quite idiotic to me. Does the academy truly represent the people? Obviously not, since Passion was the people's choice for best film. I have been hearing various reports from critics and most agree that this was a bad decision by the academy. Christian or not, the movie was done very well. It seems Hollywood might be afraid of pro-Christianity.

Timberwolves and Theology

2005-01-25T10:35:00.000-06:00

I went to the Twolves game last night against the Pistons here in Minneapolis. It was a great game and a good time with an old friend. At the end of the night we decided to go to a local pub, have a beer, play some Golden Tee and hang out. Little did I know that the night would turn into a theological discussion between two people with very different theologies. J (my friend) comes from a four-square background and now is working at an independent church which tends to be very conservative. I, on the other hand, come from a Lutheran background and tend to be much more liberal in my theology while still holding true to the confessions of my Church. We ventured into such areas as was there really an actual Adam and an Eve, sacraments, and homosexuality. We concluded that there was really no way that we could reach an agreement on homosexuality because the argument seemed to be quite circular. So I wonder, how does one continue to work in this tension? I have reached the point of believing that homosexuality is not a sin and we, as a church, must open our arms to those who are homosexual just as we must open our arms to those who are heterosexual, etc. What do we do when faced with the complete opposite view?

This week's Gospel in the lectionary, which I am preaching on, is part of the sermon on the mount and actually is the beatitudes. I do not recall Jesus saying Blessed are the heterosexuals.... or blessed are the homosexuals.....we tend to get caught up in the wrong arguments and forget what the Gospel is all about.

For Starters

2005-01-24T13:30:00.000-06:00

Let's talk about dreams....I recently preached a sermon on the Sunday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and the theme of the sermon was dreaming. What is it that we mere mortal dream for. King was such an amazing example of the power of dreaming, and wonder if we were that passionate about something could we make a difference in the world greater than we already are. So what are you dreaming about out there?

I dream of a day when the homeless in our world will have homes. I am not sure how to fix this problem, but I truly long for a day when this will be. It has been bitterly cold the last few weeks, and my heart breaks every time I think of those without homes and shelter. I have in the past helped out with shelter programs, but wonder what more can I do.

Comments.....

My First Post

2005-01-24T12:54:00.000-06:00

Wow, my very own blog! I guess the reason I wanted to do this is so that I can have a place to write random thoughts, to discuss theology, to journal, to basically have a place to discuss anything and everything. So come along for the ride if you want. I am currently in that uncertain time of life- waiting to be done with Seminary so that I can begin my life as a pastor- somewhere- only God knows at this time. Uncertainty breeds frustration/excitement/fear/anxiety/and opportunity, and I guess that's where I'm at now. The title of my blog is "Ephphatha" which comes from Mark 7:34 where Jesus heals the deaf man and orders him to "be opened". It is my prayer that I can "be opened" in my life, my work, and my ministry. Be opened to the wonders of almighty God and the way that the Spirit can work in our lives.

Let us all journey together on a path to openess.....