Wonders of life and death and living like Jesus…

Well today is the second day of Citizens with the Saints the 2012 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s youth gathering.

It has been an interesting two days…

Just before leaving our hotel yesterday to walk to the Lutherdome a brother and sister from our group got the news that their grandfather passed away. We started the night with death and separation. It was not the way either me nor the rest of the group wanted to start our night.

But we made our way to the Lutherdome and was met with a wonderful worship experience. We had several people speak to us about justice and welcoming us to New Orleans. We were told we were gumbo- a wonderful mixture of who we are and the spice we bring to make the beautiful creation of the church. Then Nadia Bolz-Weber took the stage and spoke to us about being welcomed in the body of Christ. How she disliked Christians and the church and didn’t think she would ever be welcomed as a drunk and a drug addict. Who did things that were wrong and was not good. She wondered how she could be so good yet so evil at the same time. She said that the mythical creator that tells us we are lived by the grace of God and accepted as we are is not a unicorn but Lutherans and that is why she is one. She told us that God would use not only the gifts he gave us but the failures we think keep us from him.

Then this morning we went to practice justice. We were to he cleaning up lots in the lower 9th ward the worst hit part of New Orleans.  There was a minor set back though as the dumpsters were not there for our projects. While we waited we walked around the neighborhood hearing stories of heart break and sheer will and determination as the people of this community hung to the hope that they would be able to return home. Then about 45 minutes before we were suppose to be done the dumpsters arrived and we were able to clear some debris from lots. It was wonderful to have people honk as they passed to thank us, and to have people tell us how much the appreciated our being here and helping.

Then we went back to the dome and heard stories of Discipleship. What it means to be a disciple and how we can live as disciples. It was a wonderful night of stories of missionaries and how they were called and that we all are called to go and be God in our neighborhoods and communities. The night tonight ended with a moving talk from Shane Claiborne telling us about his life experiences and how we can make the church be what Jesus meant it to be. He ended his talk by telling us a story of the donkey that carried Jesus into Jerusalem and how the donkey might have thought all the hype was for him, but it was for Jesus and we are just like the donkey. “We are all the asses that get to carry Jesus in.”

More to come…

God can use you…

Colossians 1:15-23 (NRSV)

God reconciles all things through Christ

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers -all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him -provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.

In this text Paul tells us that we are all reconciled to God through Christ. Do you believe this?

You have done things which draw you from God. You have done things which van never be forgiven. At least that is how I feel…

Last night at the 2012 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Youth Gathering Nadia Bolz-Weber spoke about being a drunk and using drugs. She spoke about how she usually dated criminals those who did things that would lend them in jail. She was a person who did not believe in what the Christian church believed. And yet today she is a pastor in the ELCA. Because God does redeem all things. And God will redeem you.

Let God use the gifts He has given you and the failures you think keeps you from Him.

God loves you! And will use you. All of you that which you think is good and the things you think keep you from Him.

How do you judge…

Luke 7:31-35 ESV

“To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,
“‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’  For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’  Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”

How many of us have seen someone doing something and you automatically assume they are one way, or you know what kind of person they are? Is that judging? We see people and their actions and we think we know them or their whole demeanor by simply seeing one aspect of the life, or seeing them do one thing that could be completely out of character for them. I did this yesterday as I was walking the streets of New Orleans. The group I was with saw a trio of people doing something we did not think they should be. We actually could not verify they were doing this but I still judged them. But this is not what we are called to be or do.

Jesus tells us in Luke that John the Baptist didn’t drink wine or eat bread and people said he had a demon and Jesus drank and ate and he was a glutton. So maybe we are not a good judge of character…

So who have you judged lately that you really don’t know the situation of their life?

Let’s learn about others lives and live in relationships with them before we assume who they are and why they do what they do.

God-incidence

Have you ever felt like someone was out to get you?

Like there were clandestine meetings of people plotting your demise?

That is where Paul is at today in our reading from Acts:

When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”
Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”
Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night. Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” And he wrote a letter to this effect:
“Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”
So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod’s praetorium. (Acts 23:12-35 ESV)

Many are plotting against him, wanting him dead. 40 to be exact, or at least 40 because that is the number that said they would not eat or drink until he was dead…

And how many times have we had someone come to us and say that they heard of a group meeting, or people talking about what they were going to do to us. Warning us, stepping in and being a word of warning…

I believe there is no such thing a a coincidence, but God-incidence… I recently read a post from Donald Miller that talked about God not having a plan for our lives, but that does not mean that God does not use us where we are with the gifts He have given us to be an influence in the world around us. God has people in our lives for reasons we will never know, but the one we all know and sometimes ignore is that we can not make it alone in this world!

Paul needed his sister’s son, centurions, the tribune, the legion of soldiers, the governor and many many others. But God gave all of them life and put them in a place where they could be a use to Paul in a time of need. God may not have planned every last detail, but the author of creation created people and nature and put them together so His will was done. God-incidence…

So the next time the world is against you, cry out to God and look around you for the people He has placed in your life to help you!

Cry out to the Lord…

With my voice I cry out to the LORD;
with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
I pour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him.
When my spirit faints within me,
you know my way!
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
Look to the right and see:
there is none who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for my soul.
I cry to you, O LORD;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
Attend to my cry,
for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me!
Bring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal bountifully with me.
(Psalm 142 ESV)

Wow if a verse ever hit us at home, this is it for me. I’m crying out to God asking for comfort, asking for him to guide me through this maze of hurt and distractions, and things that can keep me from Him.

How many of us have been in a place where we wonder how we will ever get out? You wonder how this will end and pray that it will end today but you know the road ahead is long and hard…

We see things and situations that make us cringe and step back in detest and fear and those are the situations some of us live in every day. And those of us in developed countries, have more in our distress and fear than some of the wealthiest people in underdeveloped countries. Even the demarcation of developed and underdeveloped is a way to keep us separated.

But this psalm not only talks about how the psalmist is crying out for God’s help, but how He will help. “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living” God is our refuge, He will hide us under His wing and protect us and shelter us from the storms of life. And He will surround us with the righteous and deal bountifully with us.

As I read this psalm and thought about how it fits my time now with searching for where I belong, I wondered how many others were searching or wondering where they belong and thought as the psalmist did that no one cares for your soul… Well my friend, I care for your soul and so does God… Even in the darkest valley He is there. Cling to Him and He will see you through this and every moment of your life.

Only in Texas ~ JackFM Victoria post from Facebook

Just for fun…

Only in Texas
This is a must read for all Texans,
used-to-be Texans,
adopted Texans or
wanna-be Texans:
Just Texas
Pep, Texas 79353
Smiley, Texas 78159
Paradise, Texas 76073
Rainbow, Texas 76077
… Sweet Home, Texas 77987
Comfort, Texas 78013
Friendship, Texas 76530
Friendswood, Texas

Love the sun?
Sun City, Texas 78628
Sunrise, Texas 76661
Sunset, Texas 76270
Sundown, Texas 79372
Sunray, Texas 79086
Sunny Side, Texas 77423

Want something to eat?
Bacon, Texas 76301
Noodle, Texas 79536
Oatmeal, Texas 78605
Turkey, Texas 79261
Trout, Texas 75789
Sugar Land, Texas 77479
Salty, Texas 76567
Rice, Texas 75155
Pearland, Texas 77581
Orange, Texas 77630
And top it off with:
Sweetwater, Texas 79556

Why travel to other cities? Texas has them all!
Detroit, Texas 75436
Cleveland, Texas 75436
Colorado City, Texas 79512
Denver City, Texas 79323
Klondike, Texas 75448
Pittsburg, Texas 75686
Newark, TX 76071
Nevada, Texas 75173
Memphis, Texas 79245
Miami, Texas 79059
Boston, Texas 75570
Santa Fe, Texas 77517
Tennessee Colony, Texas 75861
Reno, Texas 75462
Pasadena, Texas 77506
Columbus, Texas 78934

Feel like traveling outside the country?
Athens , Texas 75751
Canadian, Texas 79014
China , Texas 77613
Dublin, Texas 76446
Egypt , Texas 77436
Ireland, Texas 76538
Italy, Texas 76538
Turkey, Texas 79261
London , Texas 76854
New London, Texas 75682
Paris, Texas 75460
Palestine, Texas 75801

No need to travel to Washington D.C.
Whitehouse, Texas 75791

We even have a city named after our planet!
Earth, Texas 79031

We have a city named after our state:
Texas City, Texas 77590

Exhausted?
Energy, Texas 76452
Cold?
Blanket, Texas 76432
Winters, Texas 79567

Like to read about History?
Santa Anna, Texas 76878
Goliad, Texas 77963
Alamo, Texas 78516
Gun Barrel City, Texas 75156
Robert Lee, Texas 76945

Need Office Supplies?
Staples, Texas 78670

Want to go into outer space?
Venus, Texas 76084
Mars, Texas 79062

You guessed it. It’s on the state line.
Texline, Texas 79087

For the kids…
Kermit, Texas 79745
Elmo, Texas 75118
Nemo, Texas 76070
Tarzan, Texas 79783
Winnie, Texas 77665
Sylvester, Texas 79560

Other city names in Texas, to make you smile…
Frognot, Texas 75424
Bigfoot, Texas 78005
Hogeye, Texas 75423
Cactus, Texas 79013
Notrees, Texas 79759
Best, Texas 76932
Veribest, Texas 76886
Kickapoo, Texas 75763
Dime Box, Texas 77853
Old Dime Box, Texas 77853
Telephone, Texas 75488
Telegraph, Texas 76883
Whiteface, Texas 79379
Twitty, Texas 79079

And last but not least, the Anti-Al Gore City
Kilgore, Texas 75662

And our favorites…
Cut and Shoot, Texas 77303
Gun Barrell City, Texas 75147
Ding Dong, Texas
West, Texas (it is in Central Texas )
and, of course,
Muleshoe, Texas 79347

Here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about folks from Texas

If someone in a Lowe’s store offers you assistance and they don’t work there,
you may live in Texas ;

If you’ve worn shorts and a parka at the same time,
you may live in Texas ;

If you’ve had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number,
you may live in Texas ;

If ‘Vacation’ means going anywhere south of Dallas for the weekend,
you may live in Texas ;

If you measure distance in hours,
you may live in Texas ;

If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once,
you may live in Texas ;

If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked,
you may live in Texas ;

If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them,
you may live in Texas

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph –you’re going 80 and everybody’s passing you,
you may live in Texas ;

If you find 60 degrees ‘a little chilly,
you may live in Texas ;

If you actually understand these jokes, and share them with all your Texas friends,
you definitely live in Texas ..

Here are some little known, very interesting facts about Texas .
1… Beaumont to El Paso : 742 miles
2… Beaumont to Chicago : 770 miles
3… El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas
4… World’s first rodeo was in Pecos, July 4, 1883.
5… The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America
built over water. Destroyed by Hurricane Ike – 2008!
6 The Heisman Trophy was named after John William Heisman who was the first
full-time coach at Rice University in Houston.
7… Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America.
8… Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America ‘s only remaining flock of whooping cranes.
9. Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in 1978.
10… The worst natural disaster in U.S. history was in 1900, caused by a hurricane, in which over 8,000 lives were lost on Galveston Island.
11… The first word spoken from the moon, July 20,1969, was ” Houston ,” but the space center was actually in Clear Lake City at the time.
12… King Ranch in South Texas is larger than Rhode Island.
13… Tropical Storm Claudette brought a U.S. rainfall record of 43’ in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July of 1979.
14… Texas is the only state to enter the U.S. by TREATY, (known as the Constitution of 1845 by the Republic of Texas to enter the Union ) instead of by annexation. This allows the Texas Flag to fly at the same height as the U.S. Flag, and may divide into 5 states.
15… A Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be 1500 years old.
16… Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state.
17… Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. There is no period in Dr Pepper.
18… Texas has had six capital cities:
Washington-on-the Brazos, Harrisburg , Galveston ,Velasco, West Columbia and Austin.
19… The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in the U.S. which is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington DC (by 7 feet).
20… The San Jacinto Monument is the tallest free standing monument in the world and it is taller than the Washington monument.
21… The name ‘Texas’ comes from the Hasini Indian word ‘tejas’ meaning friends. Tejas is not Spanish for Texas.
22… The State Mascot is the Armadillo (an interesting bit of trivia about the armadillo is they always have four babies. They have one egg, which splits into four, and they either have four males or four females).
23… The first domed stadium in the U.S. was the Astrodome in Houston.

God’s plumb line…

King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.
But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. (Mark 6:14-29 ESV)

The gospel of our Lord…

I had a hard time saying that after I read this passage today…

As did my pastor. She said that it is hard to say this is the gospel, when gospel means good news and there really isn’t any good news in a beheading. Then there is David Lose who opened his commentary on this passage with “Good night.” Not an easy passage for us to preach on, or even digest as gospel, good news.

But it is there. We have to look for other readings along with this and to the whole of the Gospel of Mark to see where this story fits. But lets look at the Hebrew Scripture passage for the day.

This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,
“Behold, I am setting a plumb line
in the midst of my people Israel;
I will never again pass by them;
the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said,
“‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and Israel must go into exile
away from his land.’”
And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”
Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ (Amos 7:7-15 ESV)

The plumb line…

I find it interesting that Amos says that God was standing by a wall built by a plumb line and He had a plumb line in His hand, and then He asked Amos, “What do you see?” I guess that is an easy question. But I held up a plumb line today as I spoke about this, and there were a few people there that had not seen one before, so if you did not know what it was you may not get the question right.

And this is what Amos saw – the plumb bob, on the end of the plumb line. Used for vertical plumbness… The plumb line is used to make sure things are straight up and down, or vertical, not horizontal.

You see that is what I thought interesting about all of the readings today. Amos is talking about God using a plumb line to bring Israel, His people, back into alignment. It is the vertical relationship that matters.

And Mark gives us a passage devoid of Jesus, or any relationship there with. Jesus is mentioned, but He Himself is not present. And that is what happens when our lives are devoid of Jesus/God, all hell breaks lose, and we are making deals and promises we should not keep. And we have to save face and do things we know aren’t right.

So how do we maintain in this life and keep that relationship plumb? We focus on God and allow Him to worry about the rest. So make sure you are on God’s plumb line and leave the rest to the master builder because He knows what He is doing.

Churches Can Change…But It Takes Guts – Pastor Keith Anderson, A Lutheran Pastor Blogging about Digital Ministry, Social Media, and Church Leadership

Churches Can Change…But It Takes Guts – Pastor Keith Anderson, A Lutheran Pastor Blogging about Digital Ministry, Social Media, and Church Leadership.

Wonderful article on change in congregations…

prepare to meet your God…

The Hebrew Scriptures reading for today is from Amos. In this passage it is God speaking through Amos who tells everyone why they will be not happy to meet their maker…

When we talk about meet the maker I think of Star Wars: A New Hope, where C3PO goes into the oil bath and says “Oh thank the maker, this oil bath is going to be so wonderful…” Why do we not thank the maker more often? Why does the maker have to withhold from us to have us come to Him?

And if you are saying, “God does not withhold from us…” Please read the link above where He talks about withholding bread, rain, water, giving mildew and pestilence and plagues like we saw in Egypt…

So are you ready to meet your maker? Are you ready to meet your God?

I know I’m not. I haven’t gotten it all together and I am constantly messing things up…

But if we would just thank the maker and ask for the things we need and be happy with the things we get, maybe we wouldn’t have to be worried about meeting our maker…