Tonight our guys from St. John attended the baseball game between the Brewers and San Fransisco Giants. What a riot. The Brewers came back from 2 down in the bottom of the ninth and won it. It is amazing to do a little people watching. You have young college aged people, young families with small kids, and older generations. Most of which have drank a lot of beer and having a good time (even if it invovled much glutony)!
What is once again amazing to me is how people at the end of a intense game turn from cussing, dirty jokes, criticism, to folded hands and prayer. When Prince fielder came up to bat, one gentleman who had cussed all night folded his hands, bowed his head and it appeared ask God for a win. What a religious person. I'm sure he is going to church in the morning (if he can get over his coming hangover).
Tomorrow morning, my prayer is that people are folding their hands, bowing their heads in the same way. Because at worship tomorrow morning will be God's gifts, His Holy Spirit, and the forgiveness of sins that will throw us into the world without a hangover, but with His grace.
May we celebrate God's grace tomorrow, while being excited over a great win for the Brew Crew (even though I am a Twins fan)
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Fathers and the common myths
Here is an article from National Review online, "Five myths on Fathers and Family."
5 Myths on Fathers & Families (For the full analysis and data, read the original article).
1. Myth: There's a surge in stay-at-home dads.
Fact: Of the 22.5 million families with children under 15 years old, 24 percent have a stay-at-home mom, and less than 1 percent have a stay-at-home dad.
2. Myth: Women want everything 50-50.
Fact: While women want their husbands to do their fair share of housework, they don't want them to do the same tasks. "Only 20 percent of mothers with children under 18 wanted to work full-time, compared with 72 percent of fathers with children under 18."
3. Myth: Marriage is just a piece of paper.
Fact: "50 percent of children born to cohabiting parents saw their parents break up by age five; by comparison, only 15 percent of children born to married parents saw their parents divorce by age five. Dad is much more likely to stick around if he has a wedding ring on his finger."
4. Myth: Children can weather divorce just fine.
Fact: Divorce is not good for children. Ask any child who's gone through a divorce. For instance, "girls whose parents divorce are about twice as likely to drop out of high school, to become pregnant as teenagers, and to suffer from psychological problems such as depression and thoughts of suicide."
5. Myth: Dads are dispensible.
Fact: "Children typically do better in an intact, married families with their fathers than they do in families headed by single mothers." And "fathers bring distinctive talents to the parenting enterprise."
Simply put: We need fathers and our fathers need to step up and be men. Not abusive, not domineering, but doing their vocations to the highest of calling. If we do not, we will continue to have the family be lowered and many children not taking the Lord's Words seriously.
5 Myths on Fathers & Families (For the full analysis and data, read the original article).
1. Myth: There's a surge in stay-at-home dads.
Fact: Of the 22.5 million families with children under 15 years old, 24 percent have a stay-at-home mom, and less than 1 percent have a stay-at-home dad.
2. Myth: Women want everything 50-50.
Fact: While women want their husbands to do their fair share of housework, they don't want them to do the same tasks. "Only 20 percent of mothers with children under 18 wanted to work full-time, compared with 72 percent of fathers with children under 18."
3. Myth: Marriage is just a piece of paper.
Fact: "50 percent of children born to cohabiting parents saw their parents break up by age five; by comparison, only 15 percent of children born to married parents saw their parents divorce by age five. Dad is much more likely to stick around if he has a wedding ring on his finger."
4. Myth: Children can weather divorce just fine.
Fact: Divorce is not good for children. Ask any child who's gone through a divorce. For instance, "girls whose parents divorce are about twice as likely to drop out of high school, to become pregnant as teenagers, and to suffer from psychological problems such as depression and thoughts of suicide."
5. Myth: Dads are dispensible.
Fact: "Children typically do better in an intact, married families with their fathers than they do in families headed by single mothers." And "fathers bring distinctive talents to the parenting enterprise."
Simply put: We need fathers and our fathers need to step up and be men. Not abusive, not domineering, but doing their vocations to the highest of calling. If we do not, we will continue to have the family be lowered and many children not taking the Lord's Words seriously.
Why go to worship?
"I don't NEED to go to worship!" "You can still be Christian and not go to church, right?"
These are common statements from people when discussing being part a Christian church. Often people attempt to find loopholes of not being part of a fellowship of other believers and denying the message of Christ (John 15).
This Sunday we will be addressing this question of why go to worship? The sermon will be posted after Sunday service.
These are common statements from people when discussing being part a Christian church. Often people attempt to find loopholes of not being part of a fellowship of other believers and denying the message of Christ (John 15).
This Sunday we will be addressing this question of why go to worship? The sermon will be posted after Sunday service.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
TV Ratings, money, or marriage?
Last night the big announcement came, "John and Kate Gosselin are getting a divorce." (From TLC's John and Kate plus 8). It tugs at my heart, even though I do not watch is all the time, but I grew an endearment toward this family because of going through similar struggles as a parent of young children. They also had a Christian faith and referred to their church and faith from time to time.However, my heart aches even more due to this break up. Not simply because it is a divorce, but the logical conclusion is that money won out. The network, TLC, when hearing of their marital difficulties could have told them to take some time off and take care of their family. John and Kate could have pulled the plug on the show when their marriage was crazy. But ultimately, TLC wants ratings and I do not know the motivations for John and Kate, but money was more than likely not out of the picture.
My prayer and hope is that God continues to strengthen me and my beautiful wife to always fight for our marriage no matter the circumstances. If it means that I leave the ministry for my family, then I have to do it. If that means that we have to move, then so be it. Neither of which are an idea mind you, but I ask the Lord today for strength to make a bold decision for my family for whatever He has in store.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Is God pro-choice or pro-life? Sermon...
I) God is pro-choice(John 15:16)
Before anybody wants to start a political battle, I know you all agree. God is pro-choice because he is the one who chooses us. As Jesus tells his disciples, “You did not choose me, but I have chosen you.” God has chosen you on the cross, manifested that in your life through Baptism, and has chosen you for salvation through Him. God is pro-choice, because we have no choice in the matter, HE IS OURS AND WE ARE HIS!
II) God’s choice is life(Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139, Luke 1:41-45, and John 10:10)
*Throughout Scripture, God ALWAYS chooses life of His people. There is no indication of God choosing death above life, there is no indication that someone’s rights is above the choice of a defenseless human being, and there is no indication that a small child in the womb is not a human being.
*A person is a person, no matter how small.
III) Our life begins with the life Jesus brings (John 10:10)
*We can not begin with political agenda, we can not begin with what party we enjoy, what candidate we voted for, or what experiences we have had with some life issues. But it begins with seeing ourselves as redeemed by the blood of Christ, saved by Jesus, and realizing that without Christ, we have no hope for life, we are dead in sin, we have no solid foundation, identity, or anything that would lead us to looking to anyone else. But we begin by knowing that our Lord has given us the gift of salvation and we give the gifts He gives to others.
IV) Life begins at conception and ends with natural death.
*This is where we would argue that God’s Word stands from all the Scripture readings God has given. This is why we make a big deal about abortion, this is why we been against embroyonic stem cell research, euthanasia, and the usage of birth control that destroys embryos. A life is a life no matter how small, how disabled, or how old.
*A young man from England. Was an amazing rugby player. And on his 20th birthday got into a terrible car accident and was a quadrapalegic. After a few years of struggling in this life, his parents took him to the Alps of Switzerland, to a home that allows what they call mercy homes. Where they will take the life of someone who wants to end their life and the parents of this young man watched as his son passed away.
*That is a tough story and none of us can say that we know what that must be like. But I would say that the true tragedy of that story is not what happened to that young man, but what that means to all people who are quadrapalegics. Because when the parents took the life of their son, they not only said his life was not worth living, but all other people who are paralyzed are not worth living either. That is tough.
V) We struggle with the complexities and look to the cross.
We struggle when we find out that a young person is pregnant outside of marriage, we struggle when a loved one is on a feeding tube, we struggle when someone becomes paralyzed, and we struggle when a loved one is on a ventilator. And in our world, sometimes people death as the hope, but as Christians we see life as the hope, we see a future resurrection as the hope, and we see our Lord’s will not focusing on death, but on the new life that his Son has and the new life that we possess.
VI) We witness to life in word and deed.
We don’t only prove that life is precious, but we take that hope of Life in Christ to defend life in how we act. By supporting organizations like A Place of Refuge, making this place a haven for people struggling with life issues, and live as his people defending the defenseless and realizing all life is life, no matter how small.
Before anybody wants to start a political battle, I know you all agree. God is pro-choice because he is the one who chooses us. As Jesus tells his disciples, “You did not choose me, but I have chosen you.” God has chosen you on the cross, manifested that in your life through Baptism, and has chosen you for salvation through Him. God is pro-choice, because we have no choice in the matter, HE IS OURS AND WE ARE HIS!
II) God’s choice is life(Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139, Luke 1:41-45, and John 10:10)
*Throughout Scripture, God ALWAYS chooses life of His people. There is no indication of God choosing death above life, there is no indication that someone’s rights is above the choice of a defenseless human being, and there is no indication that a small child in the womb is not a human being.
*A person is a person, no matter how small.
III) Our life begins with the life Jesus brings (John 10:10)
*We can not begin with political agenda, we can not begin with what party we enjoy, what candidate we voted for, or what experiences we have had with some life issues. But it begins with seeing ourselves as redeemed by the blood of Christ, saved by Jesus, and realizing that without Christ, we have no hope for life, we are dead in sin, we have no solid foundation, identity, or anything that would lead us to looking to anyone else. But we begin by knowing that our Lord has given us the gift of salvation and we give the gifts He gives to others.
IV) Life begins at conception and ends with natural death.
*This is where we would argue that God’s Word stands from all the Scripture readings God has given. This is why we make a big deal about abortion, this is why we been against embroyonic stem cell research, euthanasia, and the usage of birth control that destroys embryos. A life is a life no matter how small, how disabled, or how old.
*A young man from England. Was an amazing rugby player. And on his 20th birthday got into a terrible car accident and was a quadrapalegic. After a few years of struggling in this life, his parents took him to the Alps of Switzerland, to a home that allows what they call mercy homes. Where they will take the life of someone who wants to end their life and the parents of this young man watched as his son passed away.
*That is a tough story and none of us can say that we know what that must be like. But I would say that the true tragedy of that story is not what happened to that young man, but what that means to all people who are quadrapalegics. Because when the parents took the life of their son, they not only said his life was not worth living, but all other people who are paralyzed are not worth living either. That is tough.
V) We struggle with the complexities and look to the cross.
We struggle when we find out that a young person is pregnant outside of marriage, we struggle when a loved one is on a feeding tube, we struggle when someone becomes paralyzed, and we struggle when a loved one is on a ventilator. And in our world, sometimes people death as the hope, but as Christians we see life as the hope, we see a future resurrection as the hope, and we see our Lord’s will not focusing on death, but on the new life that his Son has and the new life that we possess.
VI) We witness to life in word and deed.
We don’t only prove that life is precious, but we take that hope of Life in Christ to defend life in how we act. By supporting organizations like A Place of Refuge, making this place a haven for people struggling with life issues, and live as his people defending the defenseless and realizing all life is life, no matter how small.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Happy Father's day...by God's grace to be like our Heavely Father
Ted Bundy, Homer, Ray Romano and many other various TV dads. All of which are the village idiots. Sitting on their couches, complaining of their wives, and ignoring their children. Our current society has a shortage of father figures in the media.This makes Father's day doubly important for our society. It reminds me of the introduction of the Lord's Prayer.
"God would thereby [with this little introduction] tenderly urge us to believe that He is our true Father, and that we are His true children, so that we may ask Him confidently with all assurance, as dear children ask their dear father."
What an image for us fathers. To be bold in our admonition, but also to let our children know that they can come to us confidently with request and needs as we can to our Heavenly Father.
By God's grace I am a father of three and boy do I need to repent each day. May we all come to the cross due to our fallen nature and ask for strength to lead our children as Godly fathers.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Is God pro-choice or pro-life?
What do you think? We will be discussing this question this Sunday in worship. The way I placed the question is loaded beyond belief. Does it refer to life issues or how God chooses people? Does it include ALL circumstances or are there exceptions? Politics? Will this lead to God being republican or Democrat?
It will be fun. I will post my sermon on Sunday after church.
It will be fun. I will post my sermon on Sunday after church.
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