Christian Teachers' Club Is Using Public School Facilities

We sometimes say “opposites attract,” and that’s true in some things.  But in a Minneapolis suburb, the opposite is also true. Teachers and Staff in the Minnetonka Public Schools have school employment in common, as well as another factor.

Heather Kohnen is a 21 year veteran teacher of elementary school students in the Minnetonka Public Schools. She is a resident of Chanhassen, and is currently working as a Teacher-Coach with teachers in the district.

In March of 2013, Heather attended a Daniel Weekend in nearby Chaska. Daniel Weekends introduce people to the leadership training ministry of Tentmakers, a longstanding youth ministry organization based in the Twin Cities. These seminars occur fairly often, however something unusual emerged from this particular one. A number of teachers indicated that, although they were around students all day at work, they felt isolated from meaningful adult interaction.

They started speaking up, and a group of them took action. They organized and announced a meeting for the purpose of fellowship and community. They requested, and were given a room in the Media Center of Minnetonka High School.  News of the planned meeting spread quickly by word-of-mouth. Teachers wanted to meet other teachers and school staff who shared similar values and concerns.  A surprisingly well attended meeting resulted.  Kohnen estimates that 40-50 people came.

Two and a half years later, Tonka Staff for Christ is registered with Minnetonka Public Schools as an “outside group”, with access to rooms for their meetings. The group states that its purpose is to “connect, encourage, support, and inform”, and now has 150 members meeting in all the buildings of the district. A need seems to have been discovered.  Sometimes people who are already acquainted see one another at meetings.  They’re heard to say things like, “O, my goodness, you’re a Christian too?!”

Tonka Staff for Christ did a survey. They wanted learn about the needs of the various members. Bible Study materials were mentioned. Respondents also wanted books for a district inspirational book club, outreach opportunities, and a locally held National Day of Prayer Breakfast.  The group is fulfilling its purpose.  They’re connecting and supporting members, encouraging and equipping them to do well the work they feel called to. It appears that students will benefit from teachers and staff who help one another in their calling to serve students who come with a wide variety of educational needs.

Has there been resistance?  Yes, some. Calls were made to the Administration, presumably by people concerned over the use of public buildings by a “religious” group.  The answer given has simply been that TSFC is registered as an “outside group”. They’re legitimate.

In the meantime, Tonka Staff for Christ continues to meet monthly in the many separate buildings of the district. Twice a year they hold a large group meeting in one location. It will be interesting to see whether the idea will catch on in other districts in the country. 

This kind of thing always gets some people riled up. My sense, however, is that this group is legally and respectfully making use of their rights. I suppose those are the key issues. They’re meeting off-hours. They’re registered as an outside group, meaning that this is not an officially sanctioned public school activity. And their purpose is simply to encourage one another in something that is a time-honored activity in the Western world – Christian growth and duty to the community. If somehow, in the process, there’s a by-product of a person coming to trust Christ as Savior, well – I’m certainly not going to apologize for that. 

The Sweetness of God's Presence

Psalm 84; Psalm 18

Have you ever had something chip away at you? Something that gnawed and chewed on you, a little here and there, so that your mind couldn’t rest? For some people this can happen with a sickness that won’t go away. The matter becomes both a bodily thing and a mental thing. In my case, I’m thinking right now of a time a few years back. I was at seminary, and I couldn’t get a certain matter solved that kept coming up in my studies. It kept forcing its way into my thinking, and because it wouldn’t go away, it affected my outlook on my whole future.

The subject was this: Was the God I had always known and trusted really there? Was he the same? Was he dependable? (Some points of view I was hearing seemed to indicate otherwise.) After all, if he wasn’t, there was no reason to go out and proclaim his goodness to other people. I should just bail out and do something different. But I hadn’t done this logic in my mind because I wasn’t ready to begin looking at the idea of doing “something else”. 

This problem, however, involved much more than having to pick a different “career”.  If God wasn’t really there, but was somehow morphing and changing on me, then my whole life was affected.  My wife, my children (our second child had just been born the year before), everything would somehow be seriously altered. And not for the better, since the “rock”, our unchangeable point of reference, might no longer be there.

One Saturday morning I lay in bed, not eager to get up. A despondency was hanging over me. The alarm clock/radio was on, and a song began to play. How lovely is your dwelling place, Almighty Lord. There’s a hunger deep inside my soul.

When you try to fix something, and it refuses to be fixed, you get worn out with the effort. I was feeling worn out, but that morning was one of those “game changers” for me.  (They seem to happen now and then along the way.) The voices sang out a nice melody and nice harmonies – I hadn’t heard the song before. The singers were somehow making a statement: that God is a rock.  He hadn’t changed for them. That’s what I heard them saying through this song.

When it was over, I listened for the D.J. to tell the title and performers because I wanted to be sure to get the recording and hear it again. I recall grabbing a pen to jot down some of the words (and melody line – since I am a musician, and am able to do notation). The announcer gave the information, and I wrote it down. Then I lay back down again, thinking.

But my thinking was now different.

The mind is mysterious, and powerful – what we think and hold in our minds has a way of affecting us. It steers us on this ocean of life. The mind is deeper and bigger than the brain.  Many types and capacities of brains exist.  But the human “soul” – actually the spirit – is probably the bigger issue here. If you’re happy in your spirit, that’s a good thing.  You’re content, you’re interested, and optimistic about the future. If you’re often worried, trying to solve a problem that won’t go away, you’ll become worn out by it.

The thing that helped me the day I heard that song was more than a song. I was hearing a true statement about God that contradicted statements that were playing over and over in my mind. (I suppose I could say, simplistically, that I was hearing two different voices, both from my professors, and from other sources. One message said that God is changing, and another that he is always the same and he is dependable.)

The song on the radio happened to be Psalm 84, from a section in the Bible that has many songs written in it. The Psalms have inspired people over the centuries to compose new melodies to the old words. This “book” is right in the middle of the Bible. You could find it fairly easy by opening near the middle if you have a Bible nearby. Another great psalm (the word in the Hebrew language means “praises”) is Psalm 18.   Its author, King David, writes about his God who doesn’t change or morph or mutate.  Rather, he’s always there, firm, strong, and dependable, like a fortress or large rock. I love you, O Lord, my strength.  The LORD is my rock and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

These words soothe us and heal us – down in our spirit.  You may process them differently than I do, but we all need a place of protection, firm ground on which to stand. After all, everything else changes!  We need a fixed point of reference so we don’t lose our way.  Psalm 18 makes a clear and true statement about God that touches more than a person’s brain. It touches and heals a person’s spirit.  That’s the deep part of each of us that needs to be well.

When I heard Psalm 84 that morning my spirit was being renewed and soothed.  I would call it an experience of God’s sweetness. Sometimes we men avoid such terms, but everyone has to admit that life has its bitterness, and that some sweets are pretty nice at times.  Sickness is bitter; healing is sweet. Anger is bitter; kind words are sweet.

God spoke to me through the song and said, “I’m still here for you, and I am a rock that no one can blast away. Stand upon me, and stand upon the truth in the Bible that I am the one and only Rock.  Everything else might shift, but not me. Stick with what my Word declares about me.”

These few paragraphs are written to encourage anyone who might read them that God is a Rock. Actually, He is the Rock. Stand upon him, and what he tells you about himself in the Bible. If other voices tell you otherwise, figure out a way to dismiss them, and turn back to God’s voice. Those who God’s voice know that this is all about the good news of his love in Jesus Christ.  In him, and only in him can we find peace, forgiveness, and the eventual and certain victory over the very worst – death. 

For this life, this current existence, we will get worn down.  I saw a man taking his final gasps of breath the other day. It wasn’t fun. He died.  We all will die, because it’s a fallen world.  But Christ is preparing for us a New World, and he will raise us from our graves with bodies which will then have the power of eternity, and which will never wear out. This also is a clear statement of truth in the Bible on which we must stand!  (It’s all part of what we call the “gospel”, the Good News.)

If life’s problems are wearing you down, please go to your Bible and open it to the promises of Christ.  He is God – the God who came down to us to actually, truly live “in the flesh”.  He is not “a god way up there” – far from us. Those kinds of far-away gods are false. Some people need to get a grip on the fact that some claims of truth are not true. They are false.  When you trust Christ and his Word, you are latching on to something that won’t change.  This will bring sweetness – albeit sometimes a sweetness in the midst of severe trials.  But guess what – you’ll win.  You are a winner.  That’s the truth of Christ, and the reason he came. 

Blessings on you today!  Blessings on you as you hear his Word, read it, and set your mind on his promises. [A few are listed below.] With your feet on the Rock, you can maneuver in many directions.  Wherever he’s leading you, stay with these truths.  You’ll make it.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=How+Lovely+is+Your+Dwelling+Place+almighty+Lord+maranatha    

(I happened to hear, on the day I described, the original version, from the “Psalms Alive” album.)

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Promises of the Good News in Scripture

John 10:9-11   [Jesus said,]  I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. ¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Matthew 11:28-30   [Jesus said,] ²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Acts 16:31 … Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.

Joshua 1:9   Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

I John 1:9   If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 4:22-24   That is why his [Abraham’s] faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” ²³ But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, ²⁴ but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, ²⁵ who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification

God is Texting You

When I started driving up the rise just west of Hannaford, I knew I should ignore the phone. But I didn’t.  It was stupid to do grab the thing, but I grabbed, trying to cram in a quick response. I had a good reason. I was going to a hospital visit in Fargo and the day was getting late. Too much to do.

I suppose the reasons we are often glued to our phones (or whatever you get glued to) are good reasons.  We want to stay in touch with people. We want others to think we’re on target with a job – that we’re involved in their lives.  However, my reason this particular day wasn’t good enough to excuse me from almost smashing into another driver. At the top of the rise is saw the car coming. I swerved, and the gravel caused me to skid a bit.  But then he went by and we were both on our way.

We’re wired for relationships, and even the proverbial hermit – the guy who we think always keeps to himself – is really not independent.  He needs the air he breathes, the food others supply, and the clothing they manufacture. And though conversation is rare, he still needs the protection and order that comes from a society of people around him that values community.  If he doesn’t text on his cell phone, he at least stays connected in some ways.

We stay connected.  We join the ball teams and go to parties. People are important to us. There is a text though, that we may not grab for so quickly. It’s the text of the Bible. Some of us grew up hearing the pastor say every Sunday, “The text for today’s sermon is from the gospel of Matthew…”, and then he’d read the passage he would preach on. One seminary prof suggested a few years back that the word “text” was getting old fashioned and that we should call it something else. That’s funny, since the word “text” has been re-born with a whole new twist!  It’s all about being in touch – staying connected. Friends. Family. School. Work.

God has a text for you.  He made you in his image, which means that you’re like him, and talking is a key ingredient.  In the beginning he was talking, and when he spoke, the world came into being. Had this not been the case, if God hadn’t put us here for a good cause, there would be no meaning to it all. Talk would all be cheap. But we have meaning and a purpose for living. How do we know this? God’s Son is the Text. He’s the “Word” that had no much meaning, love and power that he entered the human race to lift us up from the rubble that life can become.

Jesus Christ is the Main Text -  the message that puts the heap of problems together and makes something new and shiny from it. Have you seen him do it in your life? Some people text to say “I’m brushing my teeth”, or they put on Facebook what they’re having for dinner.  If you want to waste your life, live on that level. If you want to really live, read the Real Text (the New Testament). “I came to bring you life – abundant life.”  Read it – with your heart - and live.

Old and New Covenants in Contrast

(2 Corinthians 3; Exodus 34:29-35)

This passage shows again the simple and stark contrast between God’s law and his gospel [Read 2 Cor. 3]. Think of a strict, demanding parent. This illustrates the giving of the law. “Billy, you must always mow the lawn, take out the garbage, be home on time, and get only A’s on your report card. Any failure in these duties will be punished.” Such demands have a noble aim, but they are certain to leave a child with frustration. He labors under the pressure of the expectations, sometimes doing well, but sometimes falling far short. He is like a dog whose owner habitually strikes him, and flinching whenever he comes in view. Such is the law. The Ten Commandments are perfect, but when considered by themselves, they don’t leave us with the hope of finding peace and comfort from God. [Read Exodus 34:29-35, then consider the following:]

“The written code kills….” (2 Cor. 3:6b), and “their minds were hardened. Today, whenever they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted” (3:14). With God’s commands comes the threat of punishment.  He said, I will “by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Exod. 34:7). God’s law, when it stands alone, simply shows that he is perfect, and that he demands perfection from us. He never apologized for expelling Adam and Eve from Paradise.  The Law by itself gives no hope. The Christian must learn this well, so that the gospel of mercy and forgiveness is cherished for what it truly is: a priceless treasure. Our calling is of the same type as Paul’s, who said, “We are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word…. (2 Cor. 2:17).” God is watching to see how we speak. We must be clear. Our message must be His message,” clearly law, one the one hand, and clearly gospel, when it’s time for that. One is not to be confused with the other.

Recent revelations, via hidden video recorders, show the darkening side of American immorality. Planned Parenthood officials are shown discussing the selling of the organs of aborted babies as if one might talk of current fluctuations in stock prices. All have sinned, the Bible says. The command “you shall not kill” contrasted with the behavior of the human race shows a world in rebellion toward God. “Through the command, sin is shown for what it really is, and it becomes so large it cannot be measured,” Romans 7:13 says.

Christ died, not for good people, but for ungodly ones. It was while we were still in our sin that Christ died for us (Rom. 5:6, 8). When speaking to people who don’t trust Christ, we must be clear. God’s law still stands.  Yet, it only offers a good look in the mirror. My bathroom mirror show my face clearly, smudges, grime and all. When we tell people the gospel – the good news – a God they can trust for hope and forgiveness comes into view. The law, on its own, will only result in hardening and death. But speak the good news, and eternal life in Christ enters the picture. Cherish the gospel, Tell people the good news! God commissioned you for this. 

Live in the Bunker

Near Port Angeles, Washington stands a concrete bunker. It was built on an oceanside cliff in the early forties. Bunkers stand firm. They are thick concrete structures, built to fortify soldiers, withstand enemy bombardment, and allow for defensive retaliation.  This one was placed by the War Department as the United States entered World War II. My wife and I stood in it a few years back. 

This bunker, however, was different from most.  It had become a house! People were living in it, and had beautified the outside with flowers, and the inside with carpet, various furnishings, and lighting.

Think of your life in Christ Jesus as this bunker. 

The Bible says that no other foundation can be laid except that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. He is firm and solid, as is his love for you and his call upon your life. “I have loved you with an everlasting love,” God tells us. All his promises find their “yes” in Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul wrote. You are firm and safe - in Christ. He knows it, but do you?

The Apostle Peter writes in his second letter, “Because of the treasure of life in Christ, make every effort” to keep growing in him. Keep on! Don’t quit! God in Christ loved you with everything he has! Don’t be fooled by the empty promises of your own mind, or those of the world. They will deceive you.  Stick to his Word!

The Apostle then mentions seven great “things” which spring from that which “his divine power has given” you (verse 3). Think of a full suitcase you take on a trip.

When I travel, I take things I’ll need: toothbrush, clothing, phone, Bible, a favorite book or two, and so on. If you were to go on a trip, you wouldn’t leave your suitcase shut. You’d open it, unpack things and use them. The Apostle says, unpack and use that which is yours, and he names things we are to live with: virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.

When I see Biblical lists like this, I tend to get overwhelmed. “I can’t do all that,” I think, and proceed to other passages.  But I have also found that, in re-visiting the promises, words of God’s love and his mighty saving acts, something happens inside me that’s quiet, but real.  God is working to build up my confidence in Him. Peter says: “Be zealous to confirm your call and election.”  God knows he called me.  He is firm. But I forget, looking inward instead of at his call. I need to confirm things, as you might do when you double-check your airline reservation.

How can you confirm your call as a child of God?  Go to his promises, and keep going to them. They will work on your heart and build you up. You will become more assured. And what about all those qualities? Sometimes we don’t see them in ourselves.  Maybe that’s why we have others to encourage us: “Hey, I see good things in your life! Way to go!  I’ll bet you’ve been spending time looking at the Master’s promises for you.” Live in the bunker. (2 Peter 1:3-11)

  

Neo-Orthodoxy and Comment on Where God Meets Man Luther’s Down-To-Earth Approach to the Gospel, by Gerhard Forde

·         1. Where Lutherans were, and where they are now in their thinking.

·        2.  Post-modern relativism.

·        3.  Gerhard Forde’s excellent book, written during a time of  “neo-orthodox” growth. Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1972.

·        4.  Why this blog? This article [blog] began as personal notes with regard to neo-orthodox trends at the time of Forde’s writing.  Having finished a draft, I thought some people might wish to read. 

The Neo-orthodox era, while a “correction” in the midst of absolute chaos in 19^th century European theology, did not go far enough.  I believe Forde goes far enough.  In some other article, I might comment on that!  His book on Luther’s thinking is precisely to the point that way.  This article mainly references some “flags” that I tend to watch for with reference to definitions and subjectivity.  Forde himself is extremely concerned about such things. References to page numbers sometimes are followed by a lower case t, m, or b. This is my method of indicating whether the quote is at the top, middle, or bottom of the page.]

Thoughts on neo-orthodoxy at time of writing – 1972. [note: My comments on the earlier pages of this book of Forde’s  is prompted by my concern regarding “neo-orthodoxy”. This type of thinking was prevalent in the American Lutheran Church (mostly a Midwest  Scandinavian branch) which took its toll on the Lutheranism in which I was raised in the 50s and 60s. It is, as Francis Schaeffer points out, an issue regarding the objective importance of words, in this case the words of the Bible. Objectivity is a key, and subjectivity is analogous to that which is experiential. When undue emphasis is placed on what a person experiences, what a person “feels”, as opposed to what God is granting him in Christ (forgiveness and reconciliation through the divine promise, mediated to us and brought to us through the written words of the Bible), things can degenerate. This is my reason for writing the following responses.  Yet my overall reaction to Forde’s book is extremely positive.]

Page 15, last paragraph.  …not “but rather”…insert but “also”…. Therefore, affirm written, objective Ten commandments, and also what the Law does to you…. Lines 11-14: Affirm: the Law is a set of commands, yet it is more…. [new sentence]: It is not a “list of requirements you can check off and dispose of by “doing a few things”.  I.e., one could not possibly “do a few things”…and thus fulfill the 10 commandments! (Yet man deceives himself into thinking he can!)

Page 16: “the gospel also is defined primarily by what it does.”  Much powerful truth here.  But, is there a tone of Neo-Orthodoxy which tends to dismiss or put in second place the actual words of the gospel?

Page 17: …the gospel, the voice which also has a function…””to turn this earth itself into a place of light and life and joy” (17m).  17b: “…a voice strong enough…make…and keep us human….”  Maybe misleading use of the term “human”.  Adam and Eve were still human after the fall! (they still had the image of God – imago dei).  People who reject the gospel, even after distinguishing between law and gospel – will still be human.  They just will be lost humans. Maybe this kind of phrasing is another earmark of the error of Neo-Orthodoxy. With Forde not so serious; with some others, not strong in the gospel – very serious.

The function of Law is a matter of power, as is the function of the gospel. This is God’s Word, not man’s. And God’s Word does not return void, but rather accomplishes his purposes. Yet, in our environment, talk of these functions sometimes become analogous to the subjective, experiential approach , so prevalent in Neo-orthodoxy and Post-Modernism: the objective nature of the written and spoken words themselves can, ever so subtly, be minimized.  Even relegated to second place.  And as this repeatedly happens, it can morph (in the minds of some hearers) into “this is how I experience…not God’s love in Christ, but “unconditional love”. So, thing we’re discussing has now become “my experience of unconditional love”, wherever that comes from, and whatever it feels like.  It might involve God, but on the other hand, it might just be a truly meaningful experience that swept me away.

Next, “unconditional love” morphs into “human-to-human” experience.  (After all, being truly human, is the goal of modern secular people). That hardly needs an explanation! From there, many people migrate into situational ethics: the blurring of absolute right and wrong, when difficult choices present themselves. It becomes a game in the noble pursuit of the “best choice”, albeit a difficult one.  The struggle of thinking it through becomes an end in itself – something noble.  [Such questioning by me is not at all to imply that we should abdicate the process of difficult decision making. To reject the premises of neo-orthodoxy and subjectivism doesn’t mean one should fall headlong into simplistic categories of right and wrong. Life indeed has blurred areas.]

Back to the thought at hand: This migration, I believe, often ends with pure relativism.  “What is there to be dogmatic about, anyway?!” Dogmatism now becomes the problem. Does that sound familiar?

This is where the Western World is today, I believe. Is it much different than the historical thinking of the Eastern World, which leaves one ultimately with absorption into a universal oneness? There remains, in that thinking, no definitions, no one thing distinct from the other. Distinctions are bad; blending is good.

Forde wrote this book for a generation that still had a memory of scripture, and appreciated the classic law/gospel framing of the Word of God. It seems that today’s audience, even students in seminaries, are more post-modern.  To affirm the written Word:  page 21m does have these words (and the entire book assumes the written revelation is to be taken seriously!): “…what he actually said and does on earth.”  And 23b has “…what he says in his Word.”

Meanwhile, moving toward my conclusion, I affirm Forde and this book, lest my concerns about these matters confuse that point. Forde is not part of the “drift” that seems to have gone over the post-modern, subjective cliff.  My thanks to him.  But I trust these warnings and the final paragraphs can help those trying to understand both classical Lutheranism and the current deep divide.  Before the conclusion, here are a couple of points which seem to reveal how small matters of definition in the 70s may have grown into large ones in the new millennium.

Page 17b: Forded ends – not with “intended to live as children of God”, but as “creatures” of God.  Well, horses are his creatures, too, and amoebas. And we humans never ceased being creatures, even after the fall!  [This likely is not central to my critique. Nevertheless, I feel the terms are not used accurately here.] The neo-orthodox pastors seemed to be moving always in this direction: a positive nod toward all God’s creatures: first all humans, since they are created in his image.  And then, it seems that inevitably, all his creatures, including the animals and plants, get drawn into the “great circle of God’s care”.  Further, we now have secular writers and political and business leaders regularly using the word “stewardship”. This often comes up in the context of the environment.  It’s not the creation but the environment.  And there is really no master to whom we stewards must render an account.  The convenient thing is this: the language of stewardship has a noble ring to it.  It offers to people with pleasant memories of an earlier “religious” era an emotional link.  They too can join this growing group of enlightened folk. To care for the environment is what makes life truly meaningful. This stewardship is our true calling.

Having written these caveats, I am torn.  Where God Meets Man is a fantastic book.  I recommend it to anyone who wants to know why Lutherans have historically been so unapologetic about their view of things.  Even arrogant, dare I say? Yet, the conflict is precisely this: that hordes of Lutheran leaders have now fallen into the relativistic drift. (It seems to be a vortex.) These “post-modern Lutherans” have no message to bring that anyone truly needs.

If there is no distinction between people justified by faith in Christ and those who aren’t (or have never heard of the subject), the whole discussion of a God coming down to our level to save us and be with us forever – is moot!  And certainly, if there is ultimately no difference between that created in the image of God and that which is to be “stewarded” by that first category, maybe we’re all off the hook. No one will be called to give an account.  All will simmer into a tasty stew that has had time to truly blend into “one”.

They Wanted to Play Hide and Seek

Yesterday the kids wanted to play hide-and-seek. I wanted to have class.

I teach Confirmation Class at a small Lutheran church in North Dakota every Wednesday.  Yesterday I was more tired than normal. That time of day often catches me with a lower energy level. There I was, with four rambunctious kids, wanting a quiet coffee break. An old guy being asked by young kids to join them in a game. The church building was totally available. What’s a person going to do?

Well, it all turned out nicely.

By the end of the hour we had done a bit of chasing around, played a Bible quiz game, and laughed and teased each other. I even got to brew my coffee and sip away during the quiz game. The boys got into high gear after a while and realized they didn’t have to get beat by the girls’ quick answers every time! Toward the end it was almost a dead heat. (I won’t say who won. I loved the energy - their screaming and laughing.)

When I think of today’s kids and their need to study the Bible and learn of Jesus’ love for them, I get inspired. I want to continue to be a part of that.  What an opportunity to have these four in our Confirmation Class. Just a few, but nevertheless a true opportunity.  I also have seven more youth in weekly music lessons which I teach.  And I get so speak to a group of thirty high school youth once every six weeks.

Do you work with young people? In towns and cities across the world there are many opportunities to connect with them. When you get to know their parents (or other care-givers), you have an even better dynamic. “Here’s how it went today,” you can say to the parents now and then.  Report to them.  Tell them thanks for the chance to be involved in their children’s lives. Tell them you’re praying for them, since you’re well aware how important parenting is.

The years rush by.  Those kids become adults. The time to invest heavily is when they’re young. Miss that, and – well, we know how that can go.

Being Clear About Two Big Things

I can’t see God. Can you?  When I look up I can see the beautiful blue sky. I can see people at a social gathering. I can see my hand in front of my face.  But I can’t see God.

These statements are common sense. But many people conclude that, because they can’t see God there is no god. Is that a reasonable? Here are some thoughts about this.

God’s power can be seen. His invisible nature is “seen in the things that have been made,” the Apostle Paul wrote long ago.  Paul was referring to God’s “eternal power and deity,” that he is the one whose power and intelligence have no boundaries.

In a laboratory we can place swamp water on a slide and see protozoans under a microscope.  We are looking at marvels, the intricate motion and detail of single-celled living beings. DNA and genetic discoveries show us how stupendous is the “packaging” and structuring of extremely detailed “information” contained in genes. It actually predetermines characteristics of living beings.  These beings then pass on to the next generation essential structures and traits through replication and reproduction, according to their kinds. On the other side of the size spectrum marvels of distance, light and energy can be seen through telescopes!

The universe clearly implies the power and intelligence of a creator. Can we, by the same methods, see his other major aspect – love?  No. That must be “heard” – through people speaking. These two aspects of God are “revealed” in two different ways. We see one, we hear the other.

When we hear of God’s love, or grace, we can come to trust him and experience his forgiveness and care.  The God who created you loves you and knows your name. He wants you to live daily with this confidence. Jesus came into a dark and sometimes confusing world, to suffer for our sin and experience death for us. As Lord of all, since he couldn’t be permanently held by death, Jesus was raised again to life. This all really happened.

As you hear this or read about it, you can take it to heart and become a new creation, if that hasn’t already happened to you. In this way we who are creatures of God also become His children, destined for an eternity with him where darkness and sadness will someday be banished and joys will last forever.  

We can’t see God, although when Jesus was on earth as a Jew during the Roman Empire, some people actually did see God - physically! (Jesus is God, the Son, who came “in the flesh”.) But for now, we see his marvels in creation. They “tell” of his power and intelligence.  However, to experience his love, people have to hear about it and trust him. This historical record of Jesus of Nazareth, is what people must hear. 

Faith comes from hearing the message of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

The logos...which was with God, and was God...became flesh and lived among us full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-18, excerpts.)

The heavens are declaring the glory of God. (Psalm 19)

His eternal power and deity are clearly seen in the things created. (Romans 1:20)

It was not possible for him to be held by death. (Acts 2:24)

Don't be afraid. I have redeemed you; I have called you by name. You are mine. (Isaiah 43:1)

We have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. (I Peter 1:3-4)

On the Road With Dad

My dad liked to drive. Many times, for work or pleasure, he would get out on the road and let the miles fly by. I witnessed a few of these times up close and personal.

One of these was early in my 10^th grade year. I was soon to be confirmed.  My brother and I went to Spokane, Washington with two other friends and attended a Luther League Convention. It was fun to be away from home in Tacoma and experience a downtown Spokane hotel. The Ridpath was an old classic. On the final night of the weekend there was to be a communion service, but as I had not yet been confirmed, I would not be participating. My Dad, who was also our pastor, was with us, and he anticipated this problem.

After supper, as the others were getting ready for the evening, he said to me, “Let’s jump in the car and take a spin over to Coeur d’ Alene.”  Off we went. He was a man of action. Soon we were in an Idaho café for a late night dessert. We were back in plenty of time for a full night’s rest.

Had I remained in Spokane I probably would have sat in my hotel room alone, or passively attended the evening service, feeling a bit left out.  Dad was thinking ahead. We had a special evening together.   

Another time I was on my way home after finishing my first year at an out-of-state college. Hitch-hiking from Northfield, Minnesota to Tacoma, Washington makes for a long trip. Two days into the journey had gotten me to Billings. The third morning a ringing phone ringing jolted me awake.  It was 6 a.m. and my dad was on the line.  “Hi Dad, where are you anyway?” I asked with surprise.  “I’m right here in Billings. Where are you?” he said.  He knew my itinerary and had probably driven straight through for 700 miles to time things just right. He enjoyed surprising people at times.

Although I was trying to prove I could do the whole trip on my own, secretly I was glad he had come. As we drove across western Montana, the Idaho panhandle, and eastern Washington, it was nonstop talk.  Nine months to catch up on. The main and memorable exception to all our visiting was a quick dip in the icy and refreshing river just west of Missoula.   

Dads have a lot of pressures.  We don’t always succeed in our special calling.  I want to encourage dads – and moms. There are many different personalities and styles of parenting.  But whoever you are, and whatever your family stories are like, I pray that your Heavenly Father would shower his blessings on you so that you know that you are important. You are worth a lot.  We are tempted to be too busy for the “special”, that “unusual” break from routine.  However, these can be more than worth the effort.