Babies Remember

(From the Washington Times)

They weigh less than 3 pounds, usually, and are perhaps 15 inches long. But they can remember.

The unborn have memories, according to medical researchers who used sound and vibration stimulation, combined with sonography, to reveal that the human fetus displays short-term memory from at least 30 weeks gestation - or about two months before they are born.(rest of story here)

So there is something to reading, talking to and playing music for unborn children.

This also says something about the pain and suffering that unborn children are able to experience when they are aborted. I was watching the latest installment of Terminator Salvation and it occured to me that a frequent term for abortion is "termination of pregnancy". Hmm. There are real life terminators - people who kill human beings for a living and do it legally. I truly don't understand how anyone could chose to do this - to target the most innocent of our race when they are most vunerable and so full of potential. Last night I saw a mother with her 12 week old child and this same image came back to me and all I can say is that some human behavior is a mystery to me. In my head I understand the ancient teaching of original sin and evil but in my heart I just can't understand how anyone could bring themselves to do take apart such a beautiful piece of human life.

For crying out loud already.

Boy Sent Home From School For Dressing As Jesus

Nice puns in the story though. Wonder what would have happened had he dressed as a non-Christian religious figure or leader?

Not on my short list

Ever said, "been there, done that"? I served at Concord Naval Weapons Station near San Fransisco some years ago. I enjoyed my visit to China town and the pier and the other locations around the Bay. But I don't think the area will currently make my short list for vacation spots for my family any time soon.

From the Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - In this live-and-let-live town, where medical marijuana clubs do business next to grocery stores and an annual fair celebrates sadomasochism, prostitutes could soon walk the streets without fear of arrest.

Aborted Logic

As a philosophy major the way people reason and come to conclusions has always fascinated and at times vexed me. Today I was reading a debate about the "morality" of abortion. Some of the comments seemed quite centered. Others -- vexing. Of course no one would expect human beings to be perfectly logical and rational in their thinking all the time. But some of these ideas are so out there as to defy expectation.

One gentleman suggested that Roe v. Wade might be overturned when a fetus will have "a quality education, adequate food and housing, quality healthcare, and a favorable community in which to advance." This guy is a Senior Pastor Emeritus. Does he realize that this logic would justify genocide of the much of the world's population? Of course his argument is echoed further down the page by another senior pastor. I wonder how welcome their comments would be if we were talking about over population and the poverty of the third world.

Another person argued that women would "...pay the price for the heartless religious fanaticism..." Heartless? I must confess that I have never understood how anyone could choose to abort a child in the womb. When we catch someone drowning unwanted puppies "heartless" is probably one of the mildest descriptors we might utilize. But an unwanted child? And it is the person who wants to preserve the child's life who is heartless? Vexing.

And then there is the age old classic sophistry: when you can't or don't want to answer the question: attack the person you don't agree with. The issue for one so called minister is not the morality of abortion but the immoral single issue voters (the question was about the morality of abortion not the morality of voting).

I think the best comment was a reader response that contextualizes the question: "The right moral choice begins before thinking about abortion. The right moral choice is having responsible sex practices." Oh and before you judge her - she is talking from experience. She had an abortion because she was afraid of raising the child alone, and she regrets it now. I applaud her for speaking the truth and telling the broader story of the issue.

You can read the section for yourself here:

Evolution Debate continues to evolve

“'I think a big reason evolutionists believe what they believe is they don’t want to have to be ruled by God,' said Josh Rou, 17." (New York Times Article)

Here is a news article that shows the debate between religion and science continues to grow and impact our society.

On thing that saddens me is that while contemporary science and technology has greatly increased human life in many areas, epistemologically the dominance of materialistic science has taken a strong step of faith and closed itself to the possibility that there could be aspects of reality that are not observed through the methods provided by science. As a student of philosophy I find that at least our ancestors were open to discussing the question concerning the reliability of human sense experience and human interpretation. While in so many ways scientific research has propelled us forward, in some ways it has propelled us backward. With an easier conscience we can abort an unborn child defining it as non human tissue. The scientific community's unwillingness to even consider something such as intelligent design or the anthropomorphic principle (supported by none other than Stephen Hawkins) with their casting this as merely religious faith shows a closed mindedness that I think the greats of science (Aristotle, Galileo, Newton, Einstein) would be disappointed in.

I think Josh may have a point.

Kyrie Eleision

I took a little metro ride today and was reading an article in a local paper lying on the seat beside me and came across these words of explanation:

"In a standard dilation and extraction, which remains legal, the fetus is dismembered within the womb. In an intact procedure the fetus is partially delivered and the skull is crushed to make removal easier."

Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.

Wow!

Wow! Interesting video from Ben Stein.

Integrity

In the Air Force we have three core values which help frame all we do: Integrity, Service before Self, and Excellence in all that we do.

Somedays I wonder if the church at large, and my own church, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, would not benefit from something like a condensed list of core values to help keep us focused and engaged. If so, integrity would not be a bad place to start.

Integrity is a word that encompasses several dimensions. Most often we think of a person with integrity as someone who holds to a set of moral values or a code for behavior. But it also speaks to being complete and undivided, as having a connectiveness to something at the core that gives identity to all included in the person or the organization.

In today's postmodern and post-denominational environment, one is more likely to find a diversity or hodgepodge of aspects, some often contradictory, that make up an individual or an organization. One has to wonder though, if rather than expressing a great diversity of life, it is rather a manifestation of brokenness or a shattering of life experience.

Organizational theory utilizes the concept of integrity. Take a biological cell for instance. If the parts of the cell cease to relate to one another in a unified way, we talk of the system loosing its integrity and breaking down, in the case of a living cell this is death. Organizations, whether a living cell, a living organism, or an organized group of folks, are united by something in common else the bond that unit them break down and the identity that exists ceases.

I follow with interest the events that transpire in my own church body. Last week, mid level leadership in my church canceled a popular radio program. Many in my church have blamed this on the theological orientation of the program which was considered by many to be more conservative than the current church leadership. An article ran in the Wall Street Journal with responses from our president and some church members. I don't intend to dive into what is likely to be a long drawn out protracted examination of an action. But I wonder if the distrust and controversy that exists within my own church body, and to some degree within others, is about a challenge with integrity.

This postmodern culture and rapidly changing world is a challenge to church integrity. Numbers are down. The traditional church and traditional values are more and more under fire in a growing liberal and pluralistic world. As the church struggles to find new ways to engage and be relevant, it bounces up against integrity. But I am not sure that it does so with intentionality.

Traditional ways of doing church (praxis) were in the past carefully examined against what the church stood for and believed (doxy). In fact, in the past, the church first asked itself if its beliefs were in line with the Scriptures which gave rise to what we call orthodoxy - or saying the same thing and having the same teaching as something else. In Lutheran circles this same teaching was what was found in Scripture alone as our sole authority and the something else was actually someone else, namely the divine Son of God - Jesus Christ. Out of orthodoxy flowed our praxis (our actions) and hence orthopraxis - that is practices that are consistent with beliefs. Orthodoxy and orthopraxis formed two sides of the same coin. They were integrated. Based on what a church believed and practiced you could know it was one of integrity.

Today, the church is tempted to respond out of fear and anxiety. We are under pressure. Described as irrelevant, our core beliefs described as prejudicial, obsolete, or even as xxxphobic (insert the x that Scripture describes as sin), with numbers shrinking and bottom lines looking red, leaders take more pragmatic approaches to problems than the ancient approach of orthodoxy/orthopraxis.

Personally, I have no problem with pragmatic approaches, in areas where Scripture is silent and not spoken. But where Scripture speaks - we should be faithful.

Years ago, I might have thought that I saw a battle of sorts for what the core beliefs would be. In the early 70's for instance my own church body struggled through what the authority of the Scripture would be for us. Today though, I think I see more that the discussion of foundations and core beliefs is not seen as that important. I am not saying that these beliefs and values are being tossed aside; just that they don't seem to be in the forefront of the church's leadership. Core beliefs and traditional understandings seem at best to be taken for granted. For example when I first joined the LCMS as an adult, later as a seminarian and starting pastor - there was a stress on keeping our understanding straight and faithful and getting the good news of Jesus out to others. Today, I don't hear much about the first part, even while I hear a great deal about the latter part. Today the latter part is focused on a multi-dimensional utilizing of some new approaches to our tradition. I don't necessarily have a problem with that but I do wonder if our praxis is suffering or may suffer from a lack of integration with our doxy.

It appears to me, that much of the disagreement in the discussions taking place among pastors, laity, and elected leaders in my own church body is a struggle over integrity. What is going to be the center pin that our church as an organization (organism) is held together by, or will all or certain pieces of our church cease to be an integrated part of the whole and fall by the wayside? There has to be a common ground. As I listen and observe the development of the LCMS in the last 10 years, I can't quite grasp what that common ground is. One one side there are a great many different views as to practices and even in some beliefs not only among individuals but between entire churches and even districts. On the other side is the fact that we are still a synod. Though some have exited by their own choice or through the pressure of the organization itself, by and large the church contains the same congregations and most of the same people that it has. What is the common ground that is Missouri?

I've been pondering that question and more in the past month probably because of two events. The conversation going on about Issues, etc. is certainly part of the influence, but also a personal event that took place at my duty station in Arlington National Cemetery. I was escorting a fellow Air Force chaplain for a funeral, not a Lutheran. Now when one chaplain runs into another, it is not uncommon to ask what church you belong too. Normally when I share that I am Lutheran the follow up is what kind - and when I share LCMS there is a recognition that we are known for holding to some very distinct beliefs. Most of the time, I find a certain level of respect expressed for that stand, even when a person doesn't agree with the particulars, they respect the "here I stand, I can do no other" aspect of our tradition. This one time though, I received a response I have not had before. When I expressed that I was a Missouri Synod Lutheran, the individual expressed to me that he was pleased that Missouri was finally loosening up and joining the rest of the world. So for this person at least, the reputation that Missouri has is that of "change".

So if we are changing, what about us is holding us together? What is the center? What does it include and what does it exclude? Are we merely adding to our identity? Or are we changing who we traditionally have been? What holds us together today?

I think a big piece of it is fiscal -- shared health insurance and retirement funds. Some of it is infrastructure - shared seminaries and organizational structure that provides pastors to congregations and teachers to schools. A big piece of it is a common belief and joy in our Savior Jesus Christ and still a reliance to grace alone. I also believe a big piece of it is a common belief in Scripture alone (though I know of a few pastors for whom this is still a problem). But when it comes to praxis - engaging the world with our teaching - I'm not sure we are on the same page. For those of us in the LCMS, one only has to point out a point on which for practical reasons we have agreed to disagree - the practice of close/closed communion. In the last decade, we have turned a blind eye to praxis that is radically different from one congregation and one district to another. And increasingly our praxis is starting to shape our doxy, in practice if not on paper. Is the teaching of our church and its practices changing? Or are we merely adding practices to our toolbox without doing away with what is already in there? I am not sure we can answer the question because I'm not sure we are engaging these decisions and charting our courses with an intentionality that relates orthodoxis and orthopraxis centered on Lutheran integrity.

As I listen to conversations on the web, in personal correspondences, in emails sent to me through my website, and so forth, there seems to be a concern that no longer is there a common acceptance of what it is that we have in common that makes us the "synod" part of Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod". Time and again we hear that our common ground is still the Lutheran Confessions, but a significant part of our membership doesn't believe it this has the weight in our church that it once had. A significant number of our pastors and laity are skeptical that everything going on is integrated and compatible with the Lutheran Confessions. Is it enough to say it is so when a great many folks who belong to the body don't agree?

I personally believe it would be beneficial for my church, and maybe for other churches, to take a pause and ask themselves this question -- in this rapidly changing world what do we stand for - what is our orthodoxy and how does it inform our orthopraxis. What integrates us? How can we expect an unbelieving world to look at us with respect and be willing to grant us a hearing if we lack integrity?

Whether we stay the same or we change as a church body, something will unite those who belong. What will it be? What is essential that that understanding and where does Scripture allow wiggle room? I think these are questions and conversations a church is continually engaged in if it is to remain faithful and able to gain a hearing, if it is to as the late Dr. Barry encouraged us to do: keep it straight and get it out.

Fight the Fat

Beautiful night here in DC, about sixty degrees. Went for a nice five mile run tonight to relax. For about six months now I've been keeping up with a fellow blogger Todd Starnes as he fought to loose some weight and run the NY Marthon, which he did by the way! I admire his determination because I know what it means to make such a change. This time 20 years ago I had just finished loosing from 320 to around 155 at the end of which I enlisted in the US Navy to help pay for college. It was truly a life changing event but also a life enduring struggle - one where every day self-discipline must be maintained because it is very easy to gain the weight back. (A few years ago I gained back 60 pounds, but when I decided I wanted to get back into military service, I took it off and have kept back to where I should be.)

Mr. Starnes latest blog talks about how some key political and celebrity figures maintain their conditioning in the face of hectic struggles. I am reminded of a celebrity who truly inspired me and who I would say thank you to should I ever have the opportunity to meet him. You will laugh, but it is Sly himself, Sylvester Stallone. His Rocky movies were an inspiration to me, and still inspire me, to go the distance to meet one's potential not just in physical conditioning, but in the human spirit of determination and self-discipline. I remember after watching one of his first movies trying to do situps, and not being able to crank out 10 without feeling like I was dying. I remember the first time I tried to run around a track and I could not do an entire lap. But the movies planted a seed that here was a person who had conditioned himself through a lot of hard work one step at a time. So one day, I decided to just see if I could loose a few pounds, enough to loose down to an XL size so I could afford some new clothes. And the rest is history for me. Once I started and learned what could be done, I wasn't going to quit. And once I did all the hard work to get where I was going, I remained determined to do the hard work to stay in shape.

Mr. Stallone, thank you for the inspiration you don't even know you gave me. Because of the transformation that took place in my life, I went down a much different path -- finishing college, getting my M.Div., doing parish, hospital, and now military ministry. I think my desire to try to make others' lives better began when I first learned that I could make my own life better and I learned that from a number of folks including some teachers, a good high school friend who pulled himself up by his boot straps, and even from a man known to many as "Rocky". My teachers and my friend reached out to me as a friend, Stallone reached out to us as a nation, and I can say that the influence they had on me has translated to the people I've been able to help from the young people who wanted to kill themselves, to some folks in abusive relationships, to the sick and dying whose hand I held, to the little 8 year old girl today whose hand I held as we buried her grandfather, all kinds of hurting and all kinds of healing. The lesson I learned is that anyone can influence and encourage another and make someone's life better and it's ok if you don't even know. Sly, if you ever read this, you had a part in the role I play in making others' lives better and I say thank you.

One last word: to those of you who think you're stuck, especially if you fight the fat fight like I did and do -- you are never stuck. A journey, no matter how long or short, begins with one step, then another, and another. If I can you can. If you want it you can do it. Look in a mirror, look yourself in the eye and draw on the strength of your heart and the love of Almighty God who created you special and unique and you can make it happen. One step. With the fat fight its about the heart to say no (self-discipline) to that which harms you and to say yes (also self-discipline) to that which is good for you.

Thanks Sly!

Ps. I don't have any problem with situps (or pushups for that matter) though I still don't think I want to lean over a hayloft upside down and do them. ;)

Key issue: Trouble between Pastors and Congregations

I note that many people continue to hit my blog looking for ideas regarding their relationship with their pastor.

If you are having trouble with your pastor, or are a pastor who is having trouble with someone in your congregation, I invite you to share you story with me. You can email me here

shepherd@lutheran-resources.org

I'll get back to you. If I talk about it here, I will mention no names, or locations, but only the general sweep of the problem and approach utilized with my reflections, for what they may be worth.

This is a very emotional issue for both pastors and parishioners. There can be great emotional pain associated with conflict between shepherd and sheep. One can feel a sense of frustration, lostness, hurt, disappointment, even fear.

Parishioners often can find themselves feeling misunderstood and judged, devalued. Pastors can find themselves mystified as to why they are being called on the carpet for standing for principles. Sometimes these conflicts are about personality. Sometimes they are about turf. Sometimes there are just plain mean people who want to instigate conflict: sometimes parishioner and sometimes pastor. And there are almost always mistakes in interpersonal actions and miscommunication and often misinterpretations and meanings applied to actions and words that were never intended.

So lets talk and pray together.

Jesus body found??? "Impossible...Nonsense"

Tomorrow, January the 26th in the year of our Lord 2007, an announcement will be made that will supposedly rock the faith of Christ the world over. James Cameron will claim that after 10 years of research, there is proof that a tomb found outside Jerusalem does indeed contain the very remains of Jesus, his mother, Mary Magdalene who may have been his wife or companion, his son, and his brother. Bone boxes, or Ossararies

Several important points should be remembered here.

First a response by the leading archaeologist who examined the site:

Professor Amos Kloner, who oversaw the work that began at the tomb site 27 years ago gave the Jersualem Post this statement:

"It makes a great story for a TV film. ‘But it’s impossible. It’s nonsense." He went on to point out that Kloner Jesus’s father was a humble carpenter who couldn’t afford a luxury crypt for his family. All names on the caskets were common Jewish names, and says it is most likely coincidence that these names are found in the same location.

One piece of the evidence that will be presented is a DNA study that is supposedly going to show that the bodies of Jesus, Mary, and his son are related genetically while the body labeled Mary Magdelene is not.

Here is an interesting piece of the puzzle though. Playing devils advocate and assuming this is the burial place of Jesus and his family and perhaps close friends and followers, where is the body of Jesus. This is a question not raised in all the news posts this author reviewed this evening except in one. From mail.co.uk the twist to the story is reported that "...whle the other 10 sets of bones were catalogued, the holy remains were left outside in a courtyard and stolen before further tests could be carried out."

Hmmm.... no body? Tomb, burial box, no body? Even if this were to be the burial place of Jesus and his family, doesn't sound terribly inconsistent to the Gospel stories to me.

Add to that the point that those pushing this information either desire to shake Christianity to its foundations, or perhaps make a load of money off the controversy.

Add to this that reputable scholars, including the archeologist that was responsible for the find, dismisses the claims that this is the burial place of Jesus.

Add to that that the one sure fired way to shut up the early proponents of Christianity would have been to produce the body of Jesus. But they didn't.

To this author, the sure fired proof of the death and no resurrection of Jesus is as empty as a tomb that cannot produce a body.

Back in the saddle again

This week I returned to work after a very nice 14 days of rest and recuperation following my recent deployment to Iraq. It was good for the entire family as I was able to not only spend some good quality time with my wife but also with my children.

Today I had my first service with the parish I've been assigned to oversee. It was good to see these people once again. They gave me a very warm welcome home. There are a bunch of great folks out there. Mostly retired military with a good representation of our Andrews folks, they have been very dedicated to attending services.

I presented my wife a flag during the service which was flown on a medivac from Kirkuk during my deployment as a thank you for her work with getting Little Debbie cakes to the desert. I made sure our EMEDS folks stayed well supplied.

I've got several projects already on the burner for this spring including an upcoming Ash Wednesday service and coordinating our chapel response for the Joint Service Open House, a huge airshow sponsored by Andrews. I will say that life is so much nicer this time around compared to last year. We were so short staffed last year that I felt like a chicken running around with his head cut off. It is nice to be fully staffed for a change. We've got a good mixture of diversity, but I think we make a good team. I look forward to working more closely with some of the new faces.

Good News

I stay in touch with many of my previous members, and rejoice in their joys and commiserate with their sorrows. Just last week, a dear lady from a previous parish, called to share the passing of her spouse after several years of fighting cancer. He had initially only been given months to live, but his will to live was exceedingly strong. Together we reminded one another of his vibrant and enduring faith that saw him through his illness and the powerful goodnews of the Gospel that promised him new and eternal days. I'll miss being able to talk with this wonderful man, but I trust I'll see him again.

Then tonight, I received some heartening news from someone who I pastored in the past. There had been an exodus at their local congregation following some irresponsible behavior on the part of some congregational leaders and they had not felt comfortable continuing to attend the church there due to what could be described as an environment of hypocrisy. I've known of their struggles and it has weighed on my heart. Anyway, after some time away from church, they told me that they were in the process of finding a new church home and they were going to stick with the Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod. I was deeply touched when they told me that I was the one who taught them the church is about trusting in the Gospel and not participating in some form of social club. They know they need to find a congregation where they can nurture their spiritual lives with the Gospel. For this I am truly thankful.

They met with their new pastor recently and gave him a warm welcome. For those from the Lutheran tradition, you will appreciate the symbology of how they welcomed him. On their living room table was placed several copies of the Scriptures, a Small Catechism, a Book of Concord, and TLH turned to page 15. The point of the story is this. Sometimes in ministry you plant seeds and don't get to see the spiritual growth and maturity that results over time. But sometimes you do, and when you do it is an uplifting and encouraging experience.

However, as a pastor, I have to remind myself, that the measure of success in ministry is not always going to be the evident fruit of the harvest. The harvest may come in times after or in ways not visible. The true measure of success in ministry is faithfulness to doing ministry with the tools that the Lord provided: the Word, baptism, and communion -- His means of grace. Nor dare I claim credit for what God the Holy Spirit accomplishes through the proclamation of HIs Word. Conversion, sustainment, or growth is not about the power of the pastor but the power of the Word to change hearts, minds, values, hopes, and so forth. The power is in the Word not the proclaimer, unless that proclaimer be the one who is proclaimed: Jesus Christ the Lord. The Gospel is power where power is understood as the ability to accomplish something -- in this case to bring someone to life changing faith and eternal life granting faith in the one Lord and Savior Jesus.

Tips for selecting a church

As a chaplain and a poster ot the net, I often get asked how to go about selecting a church. I would say that for myself I give consideration to these things.

1. First importance is does the congregation proclaim the truth of God's Word? I would rather travel for hours to find a congregation faithful to God's Word rather than feed myself at a buffet mixed with all sorts of wrong ideas about how our Father relates to His people. I was asked once if I thought it was better to go a distance to get to a church proclaiming the truth as opposed to going to a local church that was teaching some things contrary to what the Scripture teaches and I responded with most certainly.

2. I would select a church that has Jesus at the center. Is teaching people, encouraging them to do ministry, and bringing the Gospel to bear in the personal lives of the members the most important thing there? If you get the sense the congregation is more a social club than a church... it probably is.

3. Is the pastor an ordained clergyman with a degree from an accredited seminary? This is a preference born from my own personal experience. I am Lutheran in tradition but was raised in a different tradition that did not always have trained pastors. I see a major difference. The quality of leadership and spiritual guidance suffers when a period of mentoring and training is not undertaken as a spiritual discipline to pastor a church. Many untrained and half trained leaders are very well intentioned, but lack the understanding (Biblical and otherwise), skills, and sometimes maturity needed for pastoral care. A time dedicated to indepth discipleship, Biblical study, and training is vital in my opinion. Too often there are pastors out there without any training or whose training is composed of shortcuts. The competency of the pastor is often a reflection of the amount of time invested into education and preparation and the quality of that education. Do you want a pastor who has spent time in disciplined preparation or one who has no such preparation or has taken a short-cut to getting some kind of license? This is a high concern for me because I've seen some leaders who were more about having their own little following or click and reinforcing their own sense of importance rather than about being faithful to pastoring God's people. The reason I stress an ordination from an accredited seminary is that there are plently of half baked and patchwork training programs out there. A degree from an accredited insitution will be a step toward indicating that the pastor has spent some dedicated time to develop and mature in his spirituality and in his pastoring skills. Also such a degree usually indicates that someone somewhere too a good hard look at him and found him competent and trustworthy to pastor a congregation.

4. Decision making -- is the whole church involved in deciding what gets done and is a significant proportion of the congregation involved in making it happen? Is leadership shared and rotated? Or do you find only a couple of people who decide everything and who have been leading that church forever and a day? Watch out for those congregations where this is the case to see if maybe the reason is because a couple of people need to control everything. That can be a recipe for disaster. One good way to judge is how are you welcomed -- as a participant or as a spectator?

5. After considering the previous items, then start looking at what the congregation offers. First I would stress there should be a robust Christian education program and the reason is Romans 10:17. Faith comes from hearing. Jesus taught His church to make disciples by baptizing and teaching. (Matthew 28). Jesus' church is a teaching church. Last look for things like groups, outings, functions, location, facilities, finances, and so forth to find the best possible fit.

So to sum up, first find a church that is faithful to God's Word. All of it. Every word of it. We want to know what God wants to teach us about how He relates to us and what difference that makes. We want the truth not someone's best opinion. Secondly, find a church that is a healthy body of Christ where love, grace, and the power of God's Spirit is at work rather than just having an organization that is about prestige, social position, or building up the congregation leader's ego. Third, make sure the pastoral leadership is certified (real degree not some generic or diet version) competent, and cares about what he does. And finally, find one that is involving itself in the lives of its members and communities that fits with you and your family. Look for a place you can be an equal participant and not just a spectator. Look for a place where God's gifted people are blessing each other and those around them. God's people are all gifted but not are all gifted the same. All communities have basic spiritual needs but unique needs as well.

In the churches faithful to God's Word, that are moved by the Holy Spirit and not sinful human ambitions, find the church that best fits your needs and your gifts and talents.

Lastly I have to make a plug for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Our churches are not perfect by any means. You have to look at ours just as hard as anyone elses. But our common ground on which we stand starts out that we accept every Word of Scripture as it is written and that we are the body of Christ where all we do should reflect Jesus at the heart of all. Of course some of our congregations have their problems too, (and if you find one not proclaiming God's Word, that is more of a social club, or a private fan club of its founder -- run away) but if you are looking for a church that proclaims God's Word as it is written, is about mission and ministry, and has depth and diversity in ministry -- there are many of our congregations that fit the bill.

God bless.

More trouble with pastors

I have a powerful phone call with a friend of mine last night, Sunday before Memorial Day, from a chaplain in the guard, who preaches at a smaller church in a place a lot more flat than here. He was so very upset, because they had just cut his salary to the point that he can't afford to minister there any longer. It appears that in his case, one of the elders in his church has taken it upon himself to elevate his importance in the church's ministry by one substituting himself into many of the roles that this pastor was doing and by doing all he can to point out the pastor's short comings. He was wanting my input on whether to stick it out, what he could do to change their hearts, or whether to go onto active duty. The really sad thing is this is a man I would be honored to have as my pastor. Kind, faithful, and a down to earth kind of guy. There are lots of issues going on, but the truth is proclaiming God's Word flies in the face of some people, even some of those who belong to a church. It seems his trouble started when he counseled a couple living together that they should reconsider the nature of their relationship in the eyes of God. It isn't rocket science to understand the commandment against sexual relationships outside of marriage, but people sure find a powerful way of wrapping their applications around convenience. But pastoral art nears the complexity of rocket science when it comes to trying to engage in pastoral care of someone who has engaged in lifestyles contrary to God's Word when they are related to the movers and shakers in a congregation.

Sad thing is, my counter for this website will tell me if people found this spot by searching for a specific topic. The most frequent topic that brings people here: trouble with their pastors.

Now why is that?

Is it because pastors don't care about their people? Or is it because they care too much -- are willing to take a stand on the truth for their well-being? Is it because pastors like to offend people and be on the defensive? Is it because pastors want to tick people off and get them to leave the church so there is less money to pay their salary? Or could it have something to do with truth -- some who don't want it or need it? Could it also have to do with team? We talk about how pastors need to be leaders, but leaders need a team. True enough that I think all of us benefit from understanding people, leadership, and communication. But I also think too often something else is going on.

I guess I write this to my brother pastors, but also my brothers and sisters in the flock. Nothing hurts more than to give it your best go, and be blamed when the rains don't come or the soil is sandy, or the concerns of the world come and take away the efforts to plant fruit for God's kingdom. Nothing hurts more than to take a stand on the clear teaching of God's Word and to have one's character attacked because the stand was not popular or ran contrary to someone's lifestyle. And nothing hurts more than to have developed trust and respect for someone and then find them taking advantage of that relationship to undercut you while elevating themselves. It is especially hurtful and dissapointing when you invest so much hope and work into your people to find they are so much like everyone else.

But our Lord reminds us, in your anger do not sin. The most obvious of course is not to give in and seek to return hurt for hurt. For pastors I wonder if sometimes it is also about knowing when it is a sin to remain in a situation where one will only be hurt. One may observe that Jesus didn't run and was willing to die for us. But then one has to balance this with those like Paul who knew when it was time to sneak out of town to minister to another group another day. Dying for a reason is one thing. Getting beat up for no reason is a different thing.

Brothers and sisters of the flock of God, I know there are those pastors who need to grow and there are those who need to go. But please don't too easily cast your pastor from the "grow" pile to the "go" pile. Just like families are there for one another to help each other grow, seek understanding and growth first. And check yourselves. Is the problem truly that your pastor doesn't care, is lazy, mean, or incompetent, or is it that God's Word is stretching you beyond your comfort zone as God seeks to have you grow. If you have a mean spirited hateful pastor, the church is ready to act. If only the same resolve were there when the mean spirit was found in rabid sheep. It can happen. So before you jump to conclusions about the pastor in trouble, look at everything going on, and again talk to him. Find out if he cares, what he cares about, what he thinks about what is going on, and why he is conducting himself as he is. It could be eye opening.

My brother was sharing with me that he kept thinking that he should just turn the other cheek and keep on keeping on. But then I recall this powerful article "Clergy Killers". There are some people, and some groups of people, who get something out of tearing down the very people they call to shepherd them. The article says alot. I think anyone who has trouble with their pastor or who has a pastor in trouble, should read it -- just as a check. I'm not saying pastors are perfect. But I think too often God's people expect them to be miracle workers or people pleasers when in truth they are men called by God to proclaim God's Word as it is written and to minister to people the best they can where they are with what they have to work with.

The article is here: http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/8591.htm

Here is a teaser quote for you : "

"Clergy killers are masters of disguise. They can present themselves as pious, active church members who are "only doing this for the good of the church." Naive and gentle ("peace at all costs") parishioners may be deceived by such camouflage. And they typically advocate for the CKs (Clergy Killers) by urging the pastor and church board to be patient, make allowances, or not to misjudge such folks. CKs can convince many that they are raising legitimate issues. And for those who might do battle with them, CKs use bluster, threats, and even terrorism to appear as unstoppable giants. CKs even have allies of opportunity, i.e., parishioners who do not advocate the cause CKs are espousing, but who wish to punish the pastor for their own hidden reasons."(by G. Lloyd Rediger, PhD Directory of Clergy Counseling Services, Wisconsin Council of Churches August 1993 +The Clergy Journal)

The Center Cannot Hold

Wow, what a week it has been. From the news I've read:

1. global warming is now believed to be more reality than myth and possibily irreversible if the artic melting continues.

2. the cost of government is so much that just funding our current commitment to medicare/medicade and social security will likely cost more than we can raise in taxes.

3. that a wife of a pastor shot and killed him in what seemed to be a normal family

4. that someone in Russia provided Iraq with pre-war invasion plans

and so forth and so on --

Now I know that all this can be disputed at to its validity and its meaning --that's not the point I want to ruminate on.

The point is that where is our certainty? Where is our stable ground? We have global warming, coming bird flu, war, division in our own country, a seeminly stable family broken into pieces, and perhaps we know all to well in our personal lives how unstable and uncertain life can be. We have our political parties at one anothers' throats. People are suspicious and demanding of one another. There seems to be a certain pessimism about some aspects of life even if there is a certain optimism about other things.

I was talking with someone this morning whose life has been upset by a parent who has developed dementia and not sure how to take her feelings or how to respond to their loved one. Truly in our world it is a great comfort to know that there is one who does not change, whose love does not falter, whose resolve to save is boundless -- our Savior Jesus Christ.

These past months of serving in the Air Force have been such a blessing. I've seen so many hurting people. But I've also seen so many people reaching out a helping hand. The Air Force is like one big family. Maybe it is because there is such an expectation for team work driven by the nature of our mission, maybe it is because of the intentional training that can be done with all the folks about respect and concern for one another, but there is something unique about the climate of how people treat one another and rely on one another in the Air Force. It all hinges I think on respect, care, and concern for each other. And I remember what Jesus taught us about the commandments. Love God and love each other. I think that if humanity could ever find itself doing this that life would stabilize. Someone asked me to pray that God would have mercy on our nation and not abandon us. This was not too hard to ask, for even as I know God is not respector of persons' or nations, I know God is a lover of persons -- all people -- including us. I pray that God will continue to bless our nation and our world and continue to help our nation be a blessing to others. As we love others we will be such a blessing. Love is more than toleration. Love is about respect and doing the right thing for the right reasons.

Luther for a new year

A new year is upon us along with the tradition of new year's resolutions, those things we think we shall focus on to accomplish in the coming year. Behavior changes -- a new calendar in which to make something new of life. It is no strange thing though that so often the resolve that goes with the resolution falls by the wayside. In our own strength we are frail and weak in our spiritual accomplishments. But we are not alone.

Commenting on Matthew 9:18, Luther writes, "Christ is here depicted for us as an inexhaustable spring which continually overflows with goodness and grace...Therefore one bears the name Christian not because he does a whole lot, but rather because he recieves something from Christ."

Luther continues: "If you look at what you are doing, then you have already lost the name Christian. It is certainly true that a man should do good deeds, help others, give counsel and aid, but from this no one can be called a Christian, and in fact he is no Christian just on that account."

Luther stresses: "A Christian takes his name from Christ, he never takes his name from works."

A relationship with Christ is built no so much on what God demands from us as what He gives for us -- His only Son, dead on a cross with forgiveness and righteousness granted to the world, to all who will believe that we have such a God who can forgive the sinner through this death and who can offer hope in the face of all adversity through the risen Lord Jesus.

So as we face a new year full off realities and possibilities, let us resolve to not try to be something we are not -- that is able to accomplish the noble and righteous in and by human strength and virtue alone. Let us be what we already are because of Christ-- accepted, forgiven, and blessed. We are loved.

Baby got book

Here's a link to a hillarious music video entitled "Baby got book".

Baby got book

Aslan is on the move

Aslan, Turkish for "lion", is the central character of C.S. Lewis' master piece the Chronicles of Naria, the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. A wonderful movie and story that I recommend to all people of all ages. I must say it reminded me of something most important. As the holiday season wraps itself around us with all that is good and bad contained within, to see the majestic Aslan expands one's horizion in a much needed way. Narrow vision too closely focused on the cares of this time and place can limit one's appreciation of what is coming -- what is just over the horizon. The lion of Judah is on the move. People of faith in that lion can become disheartened by all the rhetoric against faith in him. We can mourn as there is a deliberate attempt to change Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays, because not all trust in the Savior of the world. We can feel that something is lost when Christmas trees and celebrations become holiday trees and generic parties. And yet, all the attempts to marginalize Jesus and His sacrifice and resurrection, are only so many feeble attempts in a vain rebellion that is already defeated. The spiritual war between God and and those who will not let God be God may continue, but the decisive battle was fought and won two thousand years ago just outside Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified and raised to life. One day the lion of Judah will return and every knee shall bow and every tounge shall confess that He is the Lord. When the enemy lifts his voice and people, no matter how good intentioned, out of ignorance, fear, and unbelief join in to discount and reject His significance, people of faith can take heart to know that ignorance will turn to knowledge, that fear can be turned to trust as unbelief is turned to belief. C.S. Lewis is himself a testimony to that -- once an athiest, brough to the faith by the power of the promise shared with him by a dear friend, J.R.R. Tolkien. One day the Lion of Judah shall return and good shall vanquish evil once and for all and death, sin, evil, and all suffering shall vanish as the cold earth is warmed in the spring sunlight and snow melts giving rise to new life and new joy. Knowing what lies over the horizion, we need not be so troubled by what happens here and now in the midst of the final days of enemy occupation of God's earth -- for it is not as if Jesus can loose. He has already won. And so in this time, is for people of faith to reach out with kindness and compassion and bind the wounds of the injured, to warm the hearts with forgiveness and compassion of the heartless, to open minds to wonder at impossible possibilities, and give consideration to "what if..." There is no need to resort to anger and retribution as if we were still trying to achieve victory. Victory is at hand. It is time for healing what can be healed, binding up what can be strengthened, setting free what can be loosed, loving where love can be shared, sharing where there is burden, and showing hope can be found even in the most desperate of situations -- for the future comes -- and with it the Lord of the future -- who is a kind and compassionate King.

For Jill

Today I received a Christmas letter from a very dear family, my first pastor and his wife. They lost their daughter this year after a long battle with cancer. What an incredible witness it was in their words of their confidence in where she is. They pointed out that they may not know that much about where she is, but they know who she is with and that makes all the difference.

As we draw near to the holidays I thank God for the comfort that comes from trusting in a God of love and mercy. The holy day of Christmas is a time to remember that God's love took real form and motivated Him to real action on behalf of His children. Rather than a generic crutch we have a real God moved by His care and compassion. For He sent His Son to rescue the world from its own evil. And so Jesus was born, come in the flesh to save the world. Born in a small town outside Bethlehem, where the sacrificial flocks where kept for the temple in Jerusalem, the Son of God entered the world. Thirty-three years later He would enter Jerusalem to accomplish His mission -- dying for the world He would atone for its sin and open heaven through the grace and mercy of God.

I didn't know Jill very well. But I knew her father, a man who shared God's Word with me about our heavenly Father. As my friend wrote, I join him in saying I don't know or understand all that I would like, but I know Him who is there and Him I trust.

The American Divinity

Listening to the swirl of commentary and criticism related to the relief efforts, still ongoing, in response to hurricane Katrina, it begins to sound as if we have a new "god" in the house -- a new trinity so to speak. Or at least we have expectations that one could only reasonably attribute to divinity.

Who is this new god? The government. It would appear we have elevated the government to the role many people used to reserve for God. The executive branch, legislative branch, and even the judicial branch are being asked to fulfill these functions.

Some sound as if they expect the government to be omniscient. They should have known what was going to happen before it happened. They should have known the hurricane would be so strong, on such a course, and what the consequences would be -- before it happened. They should have known that people would not evacuate or could not evacuate. They should have known the levies would break and what the consequences would be.

The government was expected to be omnipotent -- moving massive amounts of resources and personnel almost instantly to help instantly. How many times have I heard about "this great nation" that isn't taking care of its people. Could it be that America is not God, that even with our great resources, we have limitations. Could we have done better? Probably. Could we have met expectations. Not these.

The government is expected to be omnipresent. Everybody is supposed to have government presence from troops to provide security (when people can't police themselves or exercise self-discipline), medical personnel to save and preserve life, manna is expected to fall from heaven everywhere in the form of potable water and food stuffs coming on the back of trucks. (And like the children of Israel in the desert complaining about quality, we have the woman complaining her meal was not hot). Yes, security, food, medical care, water... all the basics need to be provided as fast as we can.

But the criticism that is usually reserved for God is being turned onto those who may just be giving all they have to give. They are human, just like the rest of us. Perhaps we would do better to pray to God to give strength for the day to these who have rolled up their sleeves and answered the call to do the best they can.

Switch

For those of you who wish to read to keep up with what is going on in my military chaplaincy, please check out this site: http://chapdavenewsletter.blogspot.com/

In the future, I will post updates there, and reserve this site for philosophical and theological musings.

Rising threat?

The following quote is from a story in the Washington Times about the increasing sophisication and growth of the Chinese military.

"'Let's all wake up. The post-Cold War peace is over," Mr. Fisher said. "We are now in an arms race with a new superpower whose goal is to contain and overtake the United States.'"

Also from the article: "China is building its military forces faster than U.S. intelligence and military analysts expected, prompting fears that Beijing will attack Taiwan in the next two years, according to Pentagon officials.
U.S. defense and intelligence officials say all the signs point in one troubling direction: Beijing then will be forced to go to war with the United States, which has vowed to defend Taiwan against a Chinese attack."

Read the full article here: STORY

Another great resource

The Augsburg Confession is available from Concordia Publishing House for only 89 cents per copy in groups of 10. Check it out here.

Problem with your pastor

From time to time I get questions through my website Lutheran-resources.org concerning various aspects of church and ministry. I usually avoid getting involved in giving advice concerning any particular parish problem because these in my opinions should be handled by the pastor there. However, I received a phone call this evening from someone up north of me who laid out a problem that I thought one aspect of would be worth responding to here. He described the situation to be one of conflict between their young pastor and a number of members of the congregation. It would appear that the pastor's practice is not what some members of the congregation expect. The gentleman who contacted me is an elder in the congregation and wanted some advice considering the following. These group of people upset with the pastor have begun have meetings together outside the church with the express purpose of garnering support to encourage the pastor to leave. He said that when some of these members are asked what the problem is the answer tends to be a disagreement with this paricular major church practice and other "personal issues" with the pastor. He also shared that of the members in question, some are coming to church and some are not. The majority of the members who are upset with this pastor have not met with him or talked to him nor will they air their specific grievances with him. The elder shared frustration that these members are already convinced the pastor is closed minded and does not care about them and they just want him to leave.

My advice to him was he should speak with the pastor and maybe he and the pastor should consult their circuit counselor. But I do have some advice to those out there who may feel frustrated with their pastor or upset with their pastor.

I think every pastor has had his share of people in the parish who were not pleased with something about his ministry. After all pastors are not perfect and we make our share of mistakes. We make judgment calls which with 20/20 hindsight we might now do differently. Sometimes we are all too human. At this point I think Matthew 18 has some serious applications. Our Lord instructed us that when we have a problem with someone we should go talk to them in an effort to resolve it. If it is not resolvable at that level, then we take an elder or other official to speak with the person again to resolve the issue. I would suggest that any action to just get someone out or that does not involve speaking with the pastor to try to resolve the issue is likely not God-pleasing. The goal in Matthew 18 for Jesus was to "win the brother". If one's goal is different in dealing with problems in the church, whether the pastor or someone else, I think the course of action should be reconsidered in careful prayer. I truly believe that many problems between pastors and parishioners could be more easily settled if the parishioner would talk with the pastor rather than clam up, leave, or utilize the gossip vine to attack the pastor's reputation or motives.

Perhaps it is difficult to share with a pastor that one has a problem with something he has done. Maybe the pastor has made a mistake and needs to have it pointed out so that he can repent, ask for forgiveness, and learn from the mistake. But perhaps the pastor is doing what he is supposed to do. I have seen parish boards who considered the pastor to work for them and wanted to manage his every action. I have always reminded my church councils and boards that the pastor and the members labor for the Lord together. Our accountability is not just to one another, but to Him. Sometimes a pastor's pastoral care is determined not by his experience or even his preferences but by the command of God in Scripture. Pastors are described by Scripture as stewards of the mysteries of God and that they will one day be called to give an account of that stewardship. If you disagree with a pastor's practice which is a reflection of doctrine, this is most certainly a time to talk to him. But in these matters, God's Word must have the final word. Could the pastor be wrong? Sure. Any pastor worth his salt will also confess that God's Word must have the final word and if his practice is demonstrated to be in error, will be willing to change it. But the pastor could also be right. In fact, in matters of doctrine and practice derived from doctrine, the pastor should have the theological training to make the correct decisions, especially concerning major practices of the church.

What about "personal issues" with the pastor. If this is lingo for "private issues" which one plans to use to justify either not coming to church or taking inappropriate action to force a pastor to move on, the I would suggest that such "personal issues" should be reconsidered in light of Matthew 18. Here personal does not mean secret or private or behind the scenes political maneuverings. Secret political maneuverings behind the scene to destroy the reputation of an individual or a pastor's ministry in a place or even a church leaders ministry (such as can take place not only in a congregation but in a denomination as well) do not testify well to the light that Christians are supposed to be in the world. The goal is "to win the brother". Only when every last effort to win the brother has been exhausted and it is clearly provable from God's Word that the brother is in error, can he be treated as a tax collector and shunned. It seems to me the shunning comes way to early in too many cases, cases that could be resolved for the good of all and the growth of church and kingdom, but in the end wind up only causing hurt and discontent because "personal issues" was lingo for "private issues" and I don't want to consider the pastor could be right and I could be wrong. True the pastor could be wrong. Any pastor worth his salt will be willing to examine his practice and beliefs in light of God's Word and be willing to admit it if he is wrong. Actually, any Christian, worth his or her salt should be willing to do the same. If the pastor is correctly interpreting and applying God's Word, he must not deviate and he must teach, with the same goal in mind -- win the brother.

One more thing I would note, as this particular dispute that set me to ruminating was concerning a major church practice. If the pastor is practicing in such a way that he is in line with the expectations of his wider church community, his faith tradition, or his church body of which the congregation is a part, is it truly honorable or a position of integrity to expect the pastor to practice something other -- to pretend to honor a common expectation but to practice something else even if it might be more popular or less offensive. Sometimes standing for something, especially the truth of God's Word, can be isolating and unpopular, especially in a fallen unChristian world. Maybe the church body is wrong. Truth must always win out. But in all things there should be genuiness. Integrity. If you have a problem with a pastor's practice -- tell him. Learn why he does it and share with him why you disagree. Maybe one or both of you will learn something. But don't pretend to want to win your brother when you really just want your own way. Don't pretend concern when it is lacking. Don't justify worldly behavior that seeks only to serve oneself with "personal issues". And don't expect your pastor to just pay lip service to his vows, his allegiance to God's Word, or to his conscience. Do trust, that if he cares enough to dedicate his life to the long course of education to prepare for the ministry and to make the sacrifices necessary for the ministry, that he will care enough to listen and explain why, and if he finds he is wrong, to change. To clam up, leave, and or maneuver to isolate the man does not honor what the church should be. To communicate, to seek understanding, to humble oneself before the truth of God's Word, this does honor to the Church and to its Lord.

So in a nutshell -- if you have a problem with your pastor -- talk to the man. Don't shut him out. Don't lock it up inside and certainly don't use your problem to justify sinful and destructive behavior. Be genuine. Don't pretend as if there is no problem on one hand and work against him on the other. Certainly don't restort to gossip or secret meetings with the purpose to utilize surprise and power politics and pretend you are doing the Lord's work. Do talk and seek mutual understanding. And if you and your pastor need some help resolving the issue then seek out assistance. In the case of the LCMS, I have utilized my circuit counselor and even my District President to help resolve issues, especially big ones that relate to a church's major practices. Finally, the more certain you are that you are right, the more you should be willing to listen. Maybe you are missing something. Maybe your pastor knows what he is about. Maybe you are the one who is in error. Or maybe you both are. The goal in the end is faithfulness to the Word of Life and to be sure we are all won by the Holy Spirit to the truth that is found in Christ Jesus. This is truly the win / win situation.

In the worst case scenario, where you just can't see eye to eye, be a person of honor and integrety. If the pastor is faithfully reflecting the church or denomination he belongs to, respect that. If you don't agree with those positions, then don't pretend to be what you are not and seek to gain control of that congregation to force your will upon it. Have more honor than that. If you truly don't support your church's position, then admit that and decide if you can live with it or not. If not, don't seek to turn to turn the church into something that gives lip service to its identity. Maybe for the peace of your own conscience you will have to seek out another church home. That is certainly more honorable than secret meetings, gossip, emails, phone calls, and so forth to push out a pastor who is faithfully ministering according to his vows. If the pastor is out of line, and a personal confrontation is not sufficient to change his practice, then his ecclesiastical supervisor will deal with it -- and this is Matthew 18. If his supervisor and the doctrines and practices of the church at large support his practice -- then I believe the only honorable thing to do, if one truly cannot support that practice in good conscience, is to join another congregation that does practice in line with your conscience. However, one should do his or her homework first, that is only after being convinced by God's Word. You could be wrong. The pastor could be wrong. The whole denomination could be wrong. But the Word is never wrong.

Recommended reading: "Clergy Killers"

Air Force Chaplains are in Iraq

AF chaplains are making a difference in Iraq. You can read here to learn a little more.

June 7 -- just an additional note. Chaplain Dave Wilshek, one of the chaplains in the story, is a Lutheran chaplain of the LCMS who just deployed to Iraq.

Postmodern snowflakes

The subject of what to do with the embryos left over from en vitrio fertilization techniques certainly became more complicated in the past few weeks as key members of Senate began calling for increased medical experimentation utilizing these human embryos. Enter the Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program. When President Bush revealed this program to the people of the United States, he was joined by 23 such snowflake children. Can our society continue to ignore the question of whether these embryos are children or not? Now that science is giving us the awesome ability to define (or re-define) to some extent what it means to be human, what kind of humanity do we want to be? Will the word humane continue to have the connotation of kindness and compassion? Or will cloning, and the pragmatic use of these wee ones create a new kind of sense of what it means to be human? Are we so afraid of death we are willing to do anything to prolong our lives? Looking into the face of one of these snowflake children, I have to ask, is it worth the extension of my life in the face of a disease if it means snuffing out one like this? I think it is something to think about. Would it be such a bad thing if every embryo was adopted?

Memorial Day Remembrance

I would recommend this site to those who wish to reflect on the truth that "freedom isn't free". Has an amazing rendetion of taps which I found most moving.

Bodies in the sand

Sunday evening I was watching a tribute to our veterans being held in Washington D.C. I was moved by many of the stories, but especially by one concerning D-day in Normandy. A surviving veteran shared how frightened he was, and how his life and the lives of many others were saved by the actions of men seriously wounded and likely dying from their wounds. He said they crawled forward through the sand to lay their bodies in front of them, forming human barricades, absorbing the bullets and shrapnel coming their way.

One might think that a person dying might just give up. Quit. But not these men. Their lives, shortened by war and so soon to ebb away, still meant something to them and they still had something to give. In their noble sacrifice is service and an example. There is always something we can give, a final service we can render. Theirs is the highest example of honor and integrety. Testimony to the image of God created in humanity. Bodies in the sand. Valour throughout history.

My last Sunday

I said farewell to my congregation today. There were a lot of tears and many well wishes as well as some laughs. And there was a special blessing that my last actions as a parish pastor not only included the key moments of proclaiming God's Word and distributing the elements of the Lord's Supper, but also in the mighty act of baptism, in this case two children and an adult. It was a great way to go out.

As I shared with them, it is with mixed feelings that I leave. On one hand I am eager to begin the adventure and tackle the challenges of a ministry in the military. On the other hand, I will miss so many people that my family has grown close too in the past few years. Ministry often takes a person places where he makes the best of it for the sake of the kingdom. But I have to say, that if I could have picked a place to do ministry of all the places I am familiar, this one felt like home. It would have been a great place to spend a life and retire, here in Tennessee amongst these many fine people.

It is hard to bid farewell to a congregation. A pastor may feel like he wants to preach everything in one final sermon, which of course is impossible to do. A pastor develops a sense of responsibility toward his flock, which can be hard to leave and hand off to another. It is further difficult when it is plain there are people who clearly do not want you to leave. There is always something more that could be done. Another word of comfort or wisdom that could be shared. There are always those situations and hurts that one wishes he could fix. Leaving a congregation is never without a sense of having work that is yet undone. But there are other workers. Another will follow. I must diminish that he might increase so he may serve.

God has opened the door wide to my service in the military, I trust for a reason. The next month I plan to transition my thinking toward a focus on those men and women who everday lay their lives on the line in service to something greater than themselves. I have given consideration to this option for many years. Now seems the right time. (And because of my age, the last time.)

The congregation I leave is filled with veterans, several of them war veterans. It even has a gentleman who was in the Army Air Corp providing bombing coverage during D-day. It seems strangely appropriate that my final day is this Memorial Day weekend. It is also ironic, almost a seal of approval of sorts, that my report date has been moved to July 4th. So much depends right now on our military people. I can't help but feel like I need to provide all the support I can in these difficult days.

I think I will always miss this parish and these people who have come to mean so much to me. Their support and encouragment has made all the difference. For them our nation must remain strong so that they, and all God-fearing peoples, may have a place where they have the freedom to worship the God of love in truth and faithfulness.

A must have for any Lutheran layperson

Finally, a copy of the Lutheran Confessions to introduce people who may know nothing at all about them is coming out at Concordia Publishing House. You can check it out here: Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions - A Readers Edition of the Book of Concord. Great price to at only $20.00. I wish I had the funds to purchase a case or two for my soon to start ministry in the Air Force. In fact, it might do some good to leave a few laying around the parish as well. A lot of confusion might be avoided if people had the resource available.

I even know one of the editors professionally and had several contacts with another. Englebrecht was a brother pastor in my first circuit. I was impressed with his dedication to scholarship and publication even then. (And to admit, somewhat jealous). Gene Veith is just an intellectual meister of the church, one who truly has earned the right to be called a Doctor. Anything he has written is worth reading and rereading.

I have to say that CPH materials have vastly improved in scholarship in the past years from what they were when I was in seminary and first in the parish. I expect a lot from a book. For me a book is a teacher. Many of the items coming form CPH deliver.

What is a confessional Lutheran (or right is might!)

Not all Lutherans are alike. There are those who will accept just about anything in spite of what God's Word says. Then there are those who are so concerned with defending the Word, that everything becomes a matter of law. Then there are those who struggle to avoid the mistakes of the extremes who believe:

Where Scripture speaks - conservation.

Where Scripture is silent - liberty with responsibility.

and who preach the Gospel -- because it matters.

While I was in college I got to know the liberal kind of Lutherans. I visited on a regular basis with an ELCA congregation. At that time I was comfortable with the higher critical approach to the Scriptures, which suggest that the Bible is a human book full of what people think about God that can be inspiring rather than the inspired and inerrant Word of God spoken through chosen people to the world. But I outgrew such human spawned positions to believe the testimony of God's Word about itself - that all Scripture is inspired and useful.

Later, through contacts that came in my professional career I had an opportunity to get to know some of the legalists and their concerns. And through my parish ministry I have had an opportunity to know many just plain good Lutheran folk who want to be faithful to their Lord. I've known those who were a little too strict at times and those who had questions about some things the church accepted.
Recently, I've met a few of a new kind of bird. The Lutheran-baptist. I knew a fellow once who wanted to have a "Lutheran-baptist" church. He wanted to take the name "Lutheran" off the church sign and get rid of the liturgy. He wanted to give communion to everyone who came in the door and said they believed in Jesus because he didn't want to offend anyone and in the end could not believe that a person could receive communion to their harm as long as they were Christian. Of course, this was not the practice of brand of Lutherans who still take every Word of God quite seriously. He countered that the only reason the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod practices close communion is because the young confessional pastors have gotten control of the Synod.

For those of you in the know, you might laugh at that as our current leadership is quite moderate.

He said real pastors just give close communion lip service and actually commune every one who has belief in Christ. I suggest that real pastors take seriously God's Word concerning the real presence of Christ in the sacrament and that one can receive communion to one's harm if "one does not discern the body" (1 Corinthians 11). Real pastors care enough to say no when they have to.

What is the rub here? What is a confessional Lutheran as opposed to those who are not?

Again, I think you have a bunch of different kinds of people who call themselves "confessional Lutherans". In its broadest understanding it means to uphold a fixed public statement of faith as a correct exposition of the teachings of the faith. Confessional Lutherans hold that the Book of Concord is a correct exposition and explanation of the Christian faith. We do not claim it is exhaustive, but in what it discusses we believe it is correct.

Confessional Lutheranism is born out of the recognition of Scripture and trust in its proclamation that there is one faith. It is born out of trust that in spite of the division and multiplicity in the church because of sin, truth can be known and understood and hence publically confessed. CL is born out of a desire for unity in the church and a desire to be faithful to God's Word. CL is born out of a belief that the truth of God's Word is a powerful tool that is able to transform the lives of people.

Again, though, there are different kinds of people who claim the title Confessional Lutheran (CL for short).

There are those who will claim all Lutherans are confessional if they say the Book of Concord is useful. But you will find quite differing opinions about what the Book of Concord means and if it is correct or wrong on some points.

Then there are those who claim the title in exclusion to others. Some of these are so concerned with defending the truth that matters of liberty become matters of law.

Then there those in the middle. Perhaps an illustration will serve here.

In the worship wars, there are those for whom anything goes, as long as it packs the church. The method for evaluation if something is good is if it brings numerical success. On the other extreme are those for whom any departure from the liturgical tradition is a departure from what it means to be Lutheran. Then there are those in the middle, who realize that the liturgical form of worship is a manifestation of theological reflection upon how God works for His people as revealed in His Word. But they would not go so far as to say that specific forms are mandated. But they do recognize that God has His way of doing things, and if a new package is going to be used, it better do worship the way God does things if you really want to be successful.

My brother who was so unhappy with the young confessional pastors (of which he classified me as one, a great comfort in a way since the year 40 looms large) suggested that the numbers tell the story. The LCMS has been unfaithful because it is shrinking, hence the need for the Lutheran-baptist church. To be successful here in the buckle of the Bible belt, one needs to toss out that which looks too strange according to this pragmatic wisdom. Do it the way they do it, with a Lutheran twist was the suggestion. That might sound good at first, but then one has to realize that the lemon which tastes so fine in a glass of cold ice tea may quite set one's teeth on edge in a chocolate shake.

Now I would agree that trying to tighten up everything with law where Scripture is silent is less than helpful. God allows flexibility on some matters for a reason. But that is not an excuse to be irresponsible.

Part of the problem in the American Lutheran church is that it has adopted some practices of our cultural environment. My friend advocated a Lutheran-baptist church. Why? Because he believed it would work. He has transposed into his thinking about his church his thinking about business. Captialism works in America because it accepts the competitive nature of humanity. It feeds the base of our human nature in greed and self-service. Captialism is sort of an economic darwinism where the stronger survive and the weaker perish. When one is creating a product for marketing, its use is what matters. Of course, there may be any number of equally good products out there. When one needs a trailer hitch for instance, there may be many manufacturers. The salesman has to not only have a good product but he needs to be out there with technique designed to snare people. What motivates the salesman is success, numerical success in the form of financial gain. Transpose this to the congregation and success is the measure of membership gain or in its most crass form how much the offering plate takes in.

Of course the desire for one's church to be successful numerically is not a bad desire. I an quite pleased that my parish in Tennessee confirmed six adults in my brief ministry there which truly was an accomplishment for a small Lutheran church in the Bible belt of Tennessee. But the temptation to sacrifice one's Lutheran identity to become something else for the sake of success smacks of something other than a Lutheran way of doing things. Lutherans don't believe church growth comes from human work. And we certainly should not feel like to grow we have to feed the more base part of human nature. Smoke and mirrors can be quite entertaining and may get attention for a moment, but too often lacks substance. Here is the key: Lutherans believe that growth comes from the work of the Holy Spirit working through the proper proclamation of God's Word and the administration of His sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion as He designed them to work. Pleasing people may pack a building, but it will not necessarily make a people of God. But proclaiming the Word and administering the sacraments as Jesus commanded -- that is the fulfillment of the great commission to go make disciples by teaching and baptizing. Of course Word and Sacrament can come in different packages. But church growth is built on proper proclamation of God's Word and proper administration of His sacraments.

I had several leaders of a congregation once tell me the problem with confessional Lutheran pastors is that we believe "right is might". At first I was put off by this, but the more I thought about it I had to say AMEN! They hit the nail right on the head. They actually had something there. Right IS might. Truth is mighty! There is power in that Word. Power, as I recall from physics, is the ability to do work. Power is the ability to get 'r done. Right -- getting God's Word and practice right -- that's power to get 'r done.

Where God speaks -- we should trust He knows what He is talking about. When He says the way to make disciples is by focusing on teaching and baptizing -- we should focus on teaching and baptizing. I've known a Lutheran church whose method was to commune whoever came in the door and when it came time for them to become members they just signed a piece of paper requesting membership. That is plain irresponsible. That is not getting 'r done. Nor is giving people communion when they either don't fully know, understand, or even believe in what God is doing therein.

But God allows flexibility in some things too. If He had wanted to nail down some things like a specific order of wording for worship it would be in the Book (the Bible not TLH or LW). Those who try to make issues out of what God does not make an issue, who call themselves confessional, have moved beyond the confession. Perhaps the words of warning in Revelation should be meditated upon -- words of warning not only about taken away from the Word but adding to the Word.

That said, flexibility is not an excuse for irresponsibility. The liberals often cry "in all things charity" which they mean in all things toleration. God's love is not about toleration. It is greater than that. God does not leave people in the cesspool of sinful and destructive living. He saves. He forgives. He gives new birth. Love is truth. Jesus Himself said, hold to my teachings and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.

Confessional Lutherans -- believe -- believe the truth will set you free. Believe, that in a postmodern age where people have given up on coming to agreement on the most basic of issues (which according to our sinful nature is likely true) truth can still make a difference. Because faith is not about the work of sinful minds and hearts -- it is the product of the most Holy Spirit operating through a most holy and powerful Word. Paul tells us in Romans -- faith comes from hearing the message and the message from the Word of Christ. (10:17) Confessional Lutherans believe God's Word and God's ways still work even when the world does not think much of them.

The world doesn't need more Lutheran-baptists. The world needs more confessional Lutherans.

2nd to last Sunday

I preached the first of a series of two sermons as I bid farewell to my congregation in Evensville Tennessee. I was very touched today by the comments and well wishes that continue to flow from many of the members to me and my family. One of our dear parishioners was in tears wishing that we were not leaving. I was especially touched as she is one of my adult confirmands from the Roman Catholic tradition. It is so encouraging to see people who are coming to a greater appreciation of the Lutheran faith and the power of God's Word in their life. I keep thinking of the line from the Luther film, "God is mercy. God must be mercy." God has worked through this congregation in the lives of people in our area. In the three years of my ministry here, we have had six adults comfirmed and there are two in the pipeline at the moment.

Next Sunday will be a special Sunday as it will be my farewell Sunday. It will be extra special as I will be baptizing two children and one adult.

I'm not sure what it will be like leaving the parish ministry for the military setting. I know that these young men and women will need all the support I will be able to give them. But I must confess that I will dearly miss so many of the people who have come to be like family to me at Prince of Peace.

Who's in charge here?

I have been reading lots of other blogs, discussion groups, and email discussions. A theme that keep appearing is that of suspicion toward authority. There are struggles between clergy and laity. Clergy themselves are struggling against their superiors and those in authority find those who they supervise are often resistant. It seems, at least in Lutheran circles, there is a difficult time deciding on who is in charge here.

The answer seems simple: Jesus is the one in charge. As He said, if one wants to be first he should be last and servant of all. But the practice often tends to be complicated.

I think the common thread running through these disputes is that of how our western culture elevates individual autonomy and self-direction. Often the discussion is about right practice and correct belief (othopraxis and orthodoxy). I agree that these are most important issues, but I believe one of the reasons that a common belief and a common practice are so illusive these days is because of our desire for autonomy and self-direction.

On one discussion web, a lay person was lambasting the entire faculty of several seminaries for teaching pastors that they are responsible for their congregation which gives them a measure of authority. In Lutheran circles, we understand a pastor's authority is to teach and proclaim God's Word and to administer the sacraments as Christ has commanded. It astounded me this lay person would be so dismissive of what professors are teaching and hold himself up as an expert to judge these teachers. Personally, when I am having a discussion with someone and they say they have done expert research into the matter, I tend to listen a little more carefully to see what I can learn. Of course, a person with a Ph.D. can be wrong. But it seems somewhat audacious to me for someone with little formal theological training to oppose a consensus opinion of a group of men who have a reputation for faithful life study of the Scriptures.

I once had a person tell me in a conversation that he considered me to be one of the smartest people he has ever known, and that I should be a teacher, and yet on the other hand he continually opposed my leadership on several crucial issues saying I had to be wrong. On one hand I knew what I was talking about (when he agreed with me) but on the other hand I didn't have a clue (when he disagreed).

We do not like submitting. We do not like admitting someone else might just know more about something that I do. We do not like the notion of someone being in authority over us to provide leadership. I am not advocating blind obedience. But I am mourning the loss of trust. I know so many parish pastors who have done nothing but proclaim the truth who were pushed out of their parish because the truth was not popular with someone. Usually is just a few people who don't like what they hear, who manipulate the system or the parish to cause disruption. Sometimes this is true, not only of an individual church, but of an entire church body.

The Reinassance, flowing into the Modern period, taught us to use our minds and faculties to question blind obedience, though I would argue with a level of hubris that was quite destructive not only of religious faith but also lead to real life death and suffering. Good or bad, the reality is these generations bequeathed to us a "critical spirit" that lead us to ask why, are you sure? The postmodern age leads us to question everything. "Question Authority" says one bumper sticker I have seen more than once. But what if the authority knows something about the issue? The postmodern condition says there is nothing to know or perhaps more reasonably you cannot know. The problem today is how can I know. Everyone has an opinion. Who is right? There does not seem to be any way to determine who is right in a way that can convince substantially. And there is the rub. We can disagree, especially if we are motivated by a desire for self-service, autonomy, and self-direction.

Yes, an important issue is epistemology - how can we know what is right, best, true or even if there is right, best, and true. Personally I find these debates most illuminating, for they make room for that which the modern era tried to squeeze out of us: faith. I believe we could even get somewhere in these debates, but they are being complicated by something that seems to be ever more common. Nietzsche called it "will to power". I call it "will to godhood". To put it more simply, we desire to be our own boss. We want to be gods. We still have it, the old Adam and Eve syndrome. Satan convinced them -- go ahead eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and you will be like God. Today we want to be the gods. We want to determine what is good, right, and true for ourselves. At the very least we want to be god over our individual life.

I know a man, a long-term member of a church, who got into a dispute over orthopraxis (correct practice) with his pastor. Rather than trust that his pastor may know something about what he was doing and be willing to genuinely listen to him, he instead made a public declaration of conscience and withdrew from the congregation when he discovered that not only did the pastor believe this, but the entire denomination the church belonged to confessed this practice. Such a course of action was entirely appropriate for a matter of conscience. But the man then began to stir up members against their pastor. Rumours were spread. The pastor's reputation was attacked. Every mistake was scrutinized, every success ignored by a few. Dissension started. The man even admitted he might be causing irreparable harm to that congregation. He was so sure he was right. Right is might. He wanted to go to the past, where he and his church turned a blind eye to this practice. Even as the church split in two, and many faithful members left, and finally the pastor left with others planning to leave after him, this man could not see that in the end he had to be the boss. It is a cycle that is to often repeated within the church from the parish to the denominational level. It is so difficult to truly believe and conduct oneself as if "My boss is a Jewish Carpenter". When it comes to life, and our interactions with others -- it is so easy to think of ourselves as self-employed business men in the business of "my life". Too often people try to run the church as if it were a business, a human endeavor. We need to remember the church is the "body of Christ" and that faith is the work of the Holy Spirit operating through proper proclamation of God's Word and proper administration of God's sacraments. God has His own way of doing things. He reminds us "'...my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord." (Isa 55:8) God's way works. Jesus told us if we hold to His way, we shall be set free. (John 8:31-32)

Yes, I'm going into the Air Force

Why would you want to go into the Air Force at a time like this, asked my dear friend.

Well, I about to turn 40, which would nail the door shut. Maybe its a mid-life crisis. Truth is, this is something I've pondered for a number of years and more so since the tragic events of 9-11. Why? Opportunity. Need. Service.

Some years ago when I first felt called to prepare for the ministry and was dirt poor without money for college, I joined the Naval Reserve to secure the funds needed for my Bachelors work at East Tennessee State University. One dark and quiet night in Orlando while I was in training the Lord and I had a talk. I told Him, "Lord, I don't ask for it to be easy, just possible. Let me make a difference."

It has been a hard decision. I have many good friends who I care deeply about both in and out of the parish. Plus, my parish is still struggling to develop enough growth to be sure of a future. And the parish is still developing a sense of what it means to be a Lutheran church. Yet in the past months it has become apparent that I have done just about all I can here and the need is great there. And there have been some astounding signs.

For one, I had to loose almost sixty pounds, which the Lord enable me to do. When I went for my physical, I weighed exactly the max I could weigh to be considered. Military records from the Navy that had been lost were reconstructed just in time. There were any number of things that had to go just right in a short amount of time. Just one going wrong, would have resulted in my not being considered. And yet, in the end, I not only got all my materials in on time, but was offered a position after a very competitive board. My district president agreed with me that if this were to actually go through with all the hurdles, that God must want it, for He could stop it easily at at least a dozen junctures.

So here I go. I report for active duty for training in early July. My family and I move to Washington D.C., Andrews Air Force base to be specific, in August. For those of you who would like to follow my adventures through COT (commissioned officer's training) in July, I plan to make at least short posts here.

I was commissioned as Chaplain at the rank of Captain this past May 8th. Chaplain (Lt.Col.) Martin Nutter, a brother Lutheran from Tullahoma, administered my oath of office. I was very touched by the kind and stirring words of Theodore Engle III, a graduating senior and former cadet commander of the local JROTC. It would not surprise me to see him on Air Force 1 some day. I was surrounded by many good friends and family which made the day very special indeed.

Pondering the future

As the festival day of Easter draws to a close, I find myself pondering, as I launch my blog, about the incredible privilege and responsibility of serving as a pastor of part of Christ's flock. What a joyous comfort it is that the tomb of Christ is empty. There are so many different people with their particular beliefs and desires, and yet death is the end we all face together. But Christ's tomb is empty -- there is hope. With Christ there is grace for today and every day. Forgiveness and pardon is ours through His cross.

In this space I plan to muse -- on the relevancy of the Christian message for a postmodern world. I may even speak of my travels down the path of pastoral ministry. I may ask for your prayers.

In fact today, I will do such, as I will reveal that I am considering leaving the parish ministry for full time military service. I have not made a final decision in this regard, but I feel called to serve with the young men who are laying their lives on the line for our freedom. Perhaps called is not the best word at the moment, torn is better. For I am torn between the responsibility I have to my current parish and the opinion of many that my talents would serve well in the military.

I have not yet decided about revealing too much about my identity. I am a Lutheran pastor in a conservative church body that is having its struggles concerning its own identity and practice in today's postmodern world. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to be labeled and penalized in today's church if one's stance is not what is exactly expected. I wish to be able to write freely and think freely, so anonymity will prove an ally at this point.

But I will state plainly that I am a Lutheran to my heart and core. I have no desire to depart from Scripture nor to travel beyond Scripture to explore the hidden things of God. I desire to ground myself in the Word and only in the Word -- to know Christ and Him crucified. I come to His Word with some interpretive beliefs -- an interpretive matrix -- which is a matter of faith, as are all interpretative matrixes. I trust the Word as God's infallible truth. I will not use my reason or experience to stand in judgment over that Word, but will hold my ponderings captive to that Word. But I will use my reason and experience to better understanding, for we bring our abilities of discernment and our experiences to the process. I may talk more of this later. But these words will do for a beginning.