"Northern Crossings"

 So I am in Denver for the Graduation of my Godson Daniel and the room we are staying at has a neat idea.  Somehow they knew I have a bad memory and put this picture on the door along with the room number.  How they knew that I have a propensity for speeding tickets and would remember this I will never know.

Even here I can’t get way from the connections we share on this blog.  Just down the road from my brother’s house is Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church and the Pastor there is Brad Stoltenow.  Brad was in Deer River Minnesota and the Circuit Counselor there before he went to Bismarck.  The Pastor of  my brothers church has a connection to Hankinson I believe, but I have to check that out tomorrow.

Othoro

I mentioned a few days ago that Rev. Jameson Hardy and James Wolf are in Kenya and South Africa for the next few days.  Yesterday I received this picture of the welcome they received at Othoro Rescue Center.  Jameson sent me a note that David Chu Chu the project manager and Director of DCM Kenya is eagerly awaiting the arrival of our Mary Okeyo  Scholarship fund travelers.  They are leaving in June.

Jameson reports that from his perspective the Kenyans are right on track with all that needs to be done and the rescue center project list is moving along.  Good news.

A circuit rider letter from 1952

The paper is literally disintegrating. It is a letter from the Grafton circuit rider Rev. M.J.Haerther. It was written on 21 April 1952 several months before I was born. Not only is it fascinating because of the way it was written; on a typewriter and obviously mimeographed. It is interesting because of the fact it was written the year I was born. The contents are extremely fascinating.
The top of the letter shows the North Dakota District goal for a budget of $125,000 and then it continues to break out the district budget requirements for three months, the district receipts for three months, and the operating deficit which was $14,560. It then explains what the goal for the Grafton circuit was for the entire year and that was $5550. Now at that time the Grafton circuit consisted of six congregations, Our Saviors in Cavalier, St. John in Crystal, Trinity in Drayton, Zion English in Grafton, a church in Inkster that no longer exists, and St. Paul's in St. Thomas. Each congregation is assessed an amount that is its goal not only for the year but for the month. Our Saviors Cavalier was assessed $1000 St. John's in Crystal was assessed $1000, Trinity in Drayton $600, Zion English in Grafton $700, whatever the name of the church in Inkster they were assessed $300 and St. Paul's in St. Thomas was assessed $1950. It then shows the goal per month and how much was given over three months and how far behind or ahead they were in their assessment.
Anyone who knows me knows I am not a mathematical type of person. But it seems to me what is happening here is the district budget is set and then congregations are assessed their fair share of that budget based on communicant membership. I know for a fact in 1952 St. Paul's in St. Thomas was the largest church in the Grafton circuit. It is assessed almost twice as much as any other congregation in that circuit. The point I'm trying to make here is that in the period of the greatest expansion of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, congregations were being assessed for the district work plan. I don't know this for a fact and I hope someone can enlighten us, but I'm assuming the districts were assessed for the work plan of Synod. What is even more interesting is obviously someone out there took the time to not only know what the congregational assessments were, but how much or how little they remitted each month. Back in the days before there was email, and Twitter, these men were writing letters to congregations and telling them, "this is how far behind or how far ahead you are in your fair share of what the district budget is".
Towards the end of the letter the district stewardship secretary, a gentleman by the name of Pastor Schuldheiss is quoted as hoping that the district put the same amount of fervor and faith and love into the raising of the district budget as they did for the 'Conquest for Christ'. He goes on to say "these you should have done (the Conquest) and not to leave the other undone (the budget). So in my opinion that even though they call giving to the district budget their mission, the real mission that they were working on was something called Conquest for Christ and I would like to find out more about what that was.
My point is that I believe we need to start assessing congregations on a fair share basis for the budget of Districts. Synod needs to assess Districts on a fair share basis for the budget of Synod. The understanding is these assessments are the cost of doing business in order that we can be equipped with the fervor, faith and love to go out and do real mission work which was back in 1952 called the "Conquest for Christ". We might collect for World Mission work or World Relief and Human Care Projects or whatever or gift of alms might be, but that is separate from the budget of the church at large.
I have asked on these pages before for comments on this issue. I don't see as much opposition from people when I talk about it as I thought there would be but I think we need to have a serious discussion about these issues soon because the days are coming when Synods and Districts will simply no longer be able to operate the way they have in the past.  Why did we stop doing what we were doing in 1952?

I have found another one of those hidden treasures.  One of our dear old Saints died and the family is going through all the things that she saved.  There was a yellowed piece of paper that was a report from the “Circuit Rider” on how the District assessments were going.  Each congregation was assigned a portion of the District budget and were expected to meet a goal for each quarter.

Here was the part that I found fascinating – rather than a “Biblical Stewardship” harangue the District Stewarship Secretary writes this -”If you want the goose to lay the Golden Egg, you have to have the Propa-Ganda!  His point was that the District had a story to tell and that everyone should be told the story, the propaganda, and the gifts would come.  It is obvious that they set the budget and the needs of District and Synod in one place and gifts and offerings for ‘mission’ in another.

My contention has been that after years of ‘stewardship emphasis’ and stewardship education Districts and Synod are in about the same situation with flat lined giving while giving to restricted gifts has risen.  Maybe we need to examine the whole stewardship idea.  Tommorow I will talk about more of this little letter that was written in 1952.

I remember the movie “the Lion King” and a song something like that.  The young Lion couldn’t wait to be King.  The phrase itself comes from Mel Brooks movie, “History of the World Part 1.

Life in a fallen world is such that most of us ‘want to be King”, or at least be in charge of something.  Responsibility and power are considered to be good things to strive for, but life in a fallen world tells us that most of us want the power and not the responsibility.  We hear commercials all the time that most of us desire a job where we can “be our own boss”.  That also means bossing someone else.

Once again Jesus turns our desires upside down when he tells his disciples in Matthew 20, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

We piously use that in the church for offices and officials and ideas of servant leadership.  We hear the phrase that no one should seek these positions but should be ‘chosen’.  We lay the responsibility on the Holy Spirit to guide and choose the leaders of our church and churches and auxiliary organizations and then once He guides us and chooses that person we proceed to shoot at them verbally and seek to undermine them by action or inaction.  Most of the time we just ignore them.  Those that seek to be servant leaders find out very quickly what Jesus did – that the result of faithfulness is some kind of crucifixion, usually at the hands of our own people.  Pretty sad stuff really.

Todd Gitlin is an author that wrote a really good book a while back called, “The Twilight of Common Dreams”.  He coined a phrase – “egalitarian irreverence” that he included in a speech he was going to give in Taiwan.  Of course to give the speech he would have to use interpreters and they asked him as they went over the speech if that was a ‘typo’.  Did he not mean ‘reverance’? He said it was interesting to explain to these people that one of the hallmarks of Americans is a singular disrespect for authority.

In the political realm, the “Kingdom on the Left” that may be necessary within reason.  In the church, in the Body of Christ, it is pathetic.

There is a Greek word that  means to furnish upon. To furnish besides or in addition. To supply further. To add more unto.  Conveys the thought of a generous and lavish provision – give lavishly, give generously.  The root verb corhgew gives us our English word choreography which is defined as the sequence of steps and movements in dance, the arrangement of movements that the audience sees on the stage. Life is  a divinely choreographed production — God has “written” the music and words and movements of the production even before the foundation of the world Ephesians 1:4. As followers of Christ we must diligently seek to fulfill the parts He has prepared for each of us to carry out in this grand choreography called the Christian life so that the Author of the play receives great honor and glory  Mat 5:16. This word is used 5 times in the NT.

2 Corinthians 9:10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;
Galatians 3:5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

Colossians 2:19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
2 Peter 1:5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
2 Peter 1:11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

Kind of interesting that God choreographs our life in such a way that we can supply the needs of others and be fruitful bracnhes connected to Jesus.  He choreographs the Spirits work in our life and even our entrance into life everlasting.

Our entrance was 'choreographed' at the Udom Rescue center

The Father gives himself to us, with heaven and earth and all the creatures, in order that they may serve us and benefit us. But this gift has become obscured and useless through Adam’s fall.
Therefore the Son subsequently gave Himself and bestowed all His works, sufferings, wisdom, and righteousness, and reconciled us to the Father, in order that we , restored to life and righteousness, might also know and have the Father and His gifts.
But because this grace would not be any benefit if it remains hidden and could not come to us, the Holy Spirit came and gives Himself to us also, wholly and completely. He teaches us to understand this deed of Christ which has been manifested to us, helps us receive and preserve it, use it to our advantage and impart it to others, increase and extend it. – Martin Luther

God is about giving.  It is the nature of God to give and hence we respond by giving too.  I took this picture at the altar of a church I preached at in Kenya.  Most of the cash was Kenyan Shillings.  When I was there last, 85 KHS =$1.  So most of the offerings in the plate were about a penny.  But it is the two eggs that intrigued me.  Did one person bring two eggs or is that the gift from two families?  The widows mite comes to mind but that is too easy.  We toss those words of Jesus around too easily – that she gave all she had.  From what I saw at that church and the community that surrounded it those eggs probably represented someones food  for two days.

Jamison Hardy and Jim Wolf

This is Jamison Hardy and James Wolf standing under the “tree of life” in Mombassa.  They are with 1001 Orphans and are great guys and good travel companions.  They are in Africa now or will be shortly to visit Project 24 rescue centers and to visit with our partners in the ELCK.  1001 Orphans kindly reprinted some of our brochures and reproduced the video that we have showing.  If you want a copy let me know.

Anyway we pray for their travels and a productive trip and a safe and joyful homecoming.

If you would like to contribute to 1001 Orphans –  Concordia Lutheran Ministries, c/o Development Office, 134 Marwood Road, Cabot, PA 16023.

Check this blog for March 26 and 31st – 2012.

The High Ground

These lions picked this spot to hunt.  It is a little higher than the surrounding ground and gives them good sightline to game.  They are in a good ambush point for animals that went up into the hills behind them last night and will be coming down to the plain this morning.  The ant hill they are sitting on may have been the den of a warthog and they had a good meal there at one time and are hoping for another.  Any of these reasons may be the reason that they are there but one thing is sure – they picked this spot.  Life is too difficult in the wild to waste energy just wandering off to sit on an ant hill somewhere.

I was thinking about all of this as I watched this pair.  If they made a kill from this vantage point in the past maybe they are like humans that go back again and again to the place of some kind of success.  The problem with that is that all the elements of that initial success may be there but one and it won’t happen again.  A small puff of wind from the wrong direction; a noisy bird off in the distance that wasn’t there before; a shadow cast by a vulture at just the right spot; and those initial conditions can never happen again.  Even if all of the initial conditions do happen at the same time perfectly, a small event in the midst of them can change it all.  The rumble of a hungry belly at just the right moment and the whole seemingly perfect ambush, just like it happened before is over.

It is called ‘chaos theory’.  You probably heard the popularized version in the movie “Jurassic Park”.  The popular quote is that a butterfly moving it’s wings in China may cause a hurricane in the Caribbean.  The more complex concept says that a system should be predictable and determined.  So if I can understand conditions in a system 3 hours ago I can tell you what the system will be like an hour from now.  This ability is called determinism and it holds true for all dynamic systems.  However, the initial conditions of many complex systems cannot be accurately determined.  When systems exhibit sensitive dependence on initial conditions, they are no longer predictable, and determinism no longer holds. One complex system that is often used as a typical example, is the weather.

We have theological discussions about this quit a bit.  Suffice it to say the parodox for us is that God controls everything and we have no ‘free will’ and yet God asks the ‘new person in Christ’ to do stuff like care for the neighbor, body and soul.This is a part of a nice sermon given by Albert Collver the director of Church relations for the LCMS.

As Luther said, a “Christian lives not in himself, but in Christ and in his neighbor. … He lives in Christ through faith, in his neighbor through love” (AE 31:371). And you do love! – not by your own efforts or striving, for then, indeed, it would be impossible – the love would not be pure enough, or frequent enough. But with God all things are possible, and so with his divine love, his superabundant love poured out onto you in Baptism and into you in the Lord’s Supper, his love overflowing through you and thus onto others – with this love, you see; with THIS love you love and you serve your neighbors.

Think of the ‘chaos’ we could unleash in this world if we would do that.  The seemingly predetermined poverty that we see around us may be changed and sanctified.  The words of Jesus, “the poor you will always have with you” would be, as someone famously said, “descriptive, not prescriptive”.

Some people call them ‘psychic vampires’.

I had a saying in a few years back, that’s the only person that could depress me was me”. I’ve learned since then I just had not met enough people.  There are people in our lives that are “Joy suckers”. A pastor friend of mine coined that phrase and it’s an apt one. These people have an uncanny ability to be able to suck the joy out of almost any occasion. He relates to the fact that on the occasion of a 150th anniversary celebration of an old and distinguished church he started to focus on the concept of joy suckers.

The magnificent old church had a wonderful fellowship hall combined with a large kindergarten through eighth-grade parochial school. All of this was on one block and in between the church itself, the school, and the fellowship hall was a beautiful enclosed courtyard wonderfully planted with flowers and blossoming trees. Many of the pastors who had served the church over the years come back for the celebration.  All were vested preparing to process into the church at the opening hymn,  ”Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee”  The choir would process in with the pastors and all would be willing and ready to celebrate this marvelous milestone in the life of the church of God.

All  were gathered in the courtyard and preparing to enter the church.  Just before the opening peals of the pipe organ a couple walked up to the local pastor and the women said in a rather loud voice, “one would think that at a celebration of this magnitude someone could’ve cleaned the grass out between the cracks in the sidewalk”  and walked away.

The pastor related this story in a semi-humorous way but you could tell that to this day it has bothered him.  He said that he can’t remember what the sermon was about and that he thought about the remark all through the service and the dinner afterward.  His exasperation was two fold – one, that someone could be that shallow and petty at that moment, and two, that he was so shallow and petty that he was bothered by it.

Life in a fallen world.  We want to acknowledge the thoughts and concerns of others no matter how stupid they are and at the same time the major issue is that we don’t have time for this nonsense anymore.  If we take our doctirne seriously we are living in the ‘Grey and latter days” and “love of many has grown cold”.  The days of focusing on the grass growing in the cracks of sidewalk need to end.