Grace Presbyterian Church

PASTOR’S COLUMN Feb. 12, 2012

2012-02-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

Today’s sermon is another of recent sermons having to do with the theme, Jesus Makes a Difference. Today we’re looking at how Jesus helps us deal with the daily news. In prior weeks we’ve examined how Jesus helps us handle suffering and at how he helps in our relationships to others.

Jesus also helps us with happiness. David Davenport reviews the book by Gregg Easterbrook, The Progress Paradox. Easterbrook keys off the old cigarette commercial, “Are you smoking more now but enjoying it less?” But he asks, “Are you living more now but enjoying it less?”

Outwardly things are great. During the last century our lifespan has increased from 41 to 77 years. “Indeed, as Easterbrook points out, the average American or European lives better than 99 percent of all human beings who lived before them, including royalty (better health care and higher quality wine edge them out).

“But opening a window on the inner life reveals a different picture. The percentage of Americans who describe themselves as ‘happy’ has not budged since the 1950s, even though the typical person’s real income has doubled during that time. In a 1997 poll, 66 percent of Americans told pollsters they believed ‘the lot of the average person is getting worse.’ Depression and loneliness are both on the rise.” (Imagine what Americans are saying now!)

Easterbrook goes on to probe why Americans and Europeans aren’t any happier than we are, but ultimately, says Davenport, the book seems stronger on diagnosis than on prescription.

In my opinion, Jesus is the prescription. Jesus makes such a difference when it comes to happiness. As a church member I know once said, “People don’t focus on it long enough, but the knowledge that we are loved by no less than the Creator of the Universe changes us. How can we not be happy knowing that now and forever God is taking care of us?” -DJ

PASTOR’S COLUMN Feb. 5, 2012

2012-02-05T17:08:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we have a hard time getting it right. This is why the Bible says, “For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle.” James. 3: 2.

For example, Pat Robertson, spokesperson on behalf of the Prince of Peace on The 700 Club, once said while interviewing Joel Mowbray, author of a book critical of the State Department, “Well, it looks like Congress had better do something, and maybe we need a very small nuke thrown off on Foggy Bottom to shake things up.” (Foggy Bottom is the area in Washington where the agency is.)

Or Kendel Ehrlich, when she was wife of the governor of Maryland, once said while speaking at a conference on domestic violence, “If I had an opportunity to shoot Britney Spears, I think I would.” (Had to do with Ms. Spears being an unhealthy role model for teens.)

Or after the Wright brothers were successful in getting their flying machine off the ground in December 1903, they excitedly telegraphed their sister Katherine: “We’ve actually flown 120 feet! Will be home for Christmas.” Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, “How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas.” He entirely missed the real news!

More recently, actor Mark Wahlberg said about 9/11 in an interview with Men's Journal, "If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn't have went down like it did. There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, 'OK, we're going to land somewhere safely, don't worry.'"

But then Mark admitted he crossed the line, "To speculate about such a situation is ridiculous to begin with. I deeply apologize to the families of the victims that my answer came off as insensitive, it was certainly not my intention."

It seems that almost every day some politician is caught off guard and answers in a way that he/she has to later retract. (I, for one, am less concerned about a questioner catching a politician off guard than I am about some of the well-prepared answers politicians givel.)

The Gospel of John says about Jesus, “He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.” Given the difficulty we and others have getting it right when we speak, are we surprised? -DJ

PASTOR’S COLUMN January 22, 2012

2012-01-22T15:28:00.000-08:00

Dana Tierney is an atheist, but not the sort who feels proud of her unbelief. She once wrote in the New York Times Magazine, “Over the years I’ve come to feel I’m missing out. My friends and relatives who rely on God have an expansiveness of spirit. When they walk along a stream, they don’t just see water falling over rocks; the sight fills them with ecstasy. They see a realm of hope beyond this world. I just see a babbling brook. I don’t get the message.”

Dana assumed that her atheism had stranded her 4-year-old son Luke in the same spiritually arid place, but she found out differently. Her husband went to Iraq for several months, and one evening she found her son watching the nightly news with his eyes closed and his fingers steepled. She asked him what he was doing, and he said, “I was saying a little prayer for Daddy.” She asked little Luke when he first began to believe in God. He said, “I don’t know. I’ve always known he exists.”

Dana’s husband did return from Iraq, “but if something had happened to his father, Luke would have known Dad was in heaven, waiting for us. He doesn’t suffer from a void like the anguished father in Mark 9:23, 24: ‘Jesus said to him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord I believe; help thou my unbelief.’

“For Luke, all things are possible. At the end of his life, he will be reunited in heaven with his heroes and loved ones, Mom and Dad and George Washington, his grandparents and Buzz Lightyear. Luke’s prayer can stretch to infinity and beyond, but I am limited to one: help thou mine unbelief.”

Dana said some things that reflected poorly on the church. She implied that the church was no help. But what if she has it wrong? What if the nature of Jesus’ church is to welcome, encourage, and help those who are trying to believe? After all, even Dana would have to admit that’s what Jesus did in Mark 9:23,24. -DJ

Pastor's Column Jan. 15, 2012

2012-01-15T10:36:00.001-08:00

My last semester in seminary, I took a prayer course from the most brilliant man I've ever known, Dr. Stuart Currie, Professor of New Testament. He had just presented his understanding of The Lord's Prayer when he then died on the handball court of a heart attack.

It was a terrible loss. Everyone depended on him and admired him. And what to do about TLP?

Had he lived, I would have been in his office asking questions, for his exposition of TLP was different from any other I had read. It was profound, made sense whereas so many others didn’t, and I wanted to know more.

For years I waited for one of his colleagues to write an article or a book using Dr. Currie's approach. Nothing ever came about. So I started puttering around with it myself. I used bits and pieces in sermons and Sunday school classes. But what I wanted to do was put it in a book and get "out there" so Currie's opinion could be heard.

It is almost impossible to get a book published nowadays for the religious market unless the writer is a known quantity. It’s the same with religious books as it is with others, witness the closing of Borders. But then I realized that an e-book might be possible. It was. I was limited to 60,000 characters (including spaces) but I did the best I could, and Chalice Press agreed to publish Praying The Lord's Prayer recently.

Below is the link.

http://www.chalicepress.com/Praying-The-Lords-Prayer-in-Private-EPDF-P1010.aspx

Thus my felt obligation to Dr. Currie is largely discharged. I’m not much of an e-book reader, but this one can be read on one’s computer. To get a copy I followed their instructions and downloaded Adobe Digital Reader, which made it an icon on my screen saver.

I’d appreciate any mention you could give it to friends and family, especially young adults who are more computer adept than many of my generation. The book was difficult to write, but it has some insights about TLP that can’t be found elsewhere. DJ

PASTOR’S COLUMN January 8, 2012

2012-01-08T16:35:00.000-08:00

One of our members recently told me about a drug problem he had when he was a boy. He said it was terrible:

“I was drug to church and Sunday school on Sunday mornings.

I was drug to church for funerals and weddings.

I was drug to school whether I had my homework done or not.

I was drug to family reunions no matter what I’d rather do.

I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults and teachers.

I was drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents.”

The man said he was then turned off and tuned out.

“My parents turned off the TV when it was time for me to do my chores.

My parents tuned me out when I whined.”

The man confessed that he also had experience with the correction system.

“My parents constantly corrected me.

My parents supported teachers who disciplined me.”

This man has joined a support group, “Survivors of Functional Families.” - DJ

Pastor's Column Jan. 1, 2012

2012-01-01T11:53:00.001-08:00

David Brooks, whose column appears in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, had his readers, those over 70-years of age, send him “Life Reports,” essays about their own lives. Here’s what he discovered. Those who were happiest did the following:

One, did not always keep score. When something bad was done to them, they forgot it, forgave it, or were grateful for it. When it comes to thinking about one’s life, keeping score may not be the best policy.

Two, learned that you can’t control others. Enough said.

Three, took risks. Many people late in life regret the risks they didn’t take more so than the risks they did take.

Four, measured their growth rate not by their talents but by how they kept growing in each decade of life.

Five, viewed their life in phases rather than as a whole. They found they had more control over a chunk of time than over their entire lifespan. - DJ

Pastor's Column Dec. 25, 2011

2011-12-25T07:31:00.000-08:00

A mailman picked up the mail from a house on his route, but before he put it in his bag he noticed that one of the envelopes had no stamp on it. It was also not sealed and addressed to “God in Heaven.” Taking a quick peek, the postman read, “I’m way too old to believe in Santa Claus, but I still believe in you and need your help. We’re so broke this Christmas we can’t afford a gift for our little boy. But if I had ten bucks, we could get him something nice.”

The postman was moved by this letter, and so he grabbed an empty envelope, scrawled “From God” on the outside, stuffed six dollars – all the cash he had on him – in the envelope and returned it to the mail box.

The next day he found another letter addressed to God. He excitedly opened it. “Dear God,” it began, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for answering my prayer, but there was only six dollars, not ten, in the envelope. I know why. It’s those crooks at the post office!”

What is the old saying? No good deed goes unpunished? - DJ

Pastor's Column Dec. 24, 2011

2011-12-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

Do you ever think about the difficulties faced by those involved in the first Christmas?

The poor magi. They got stopped at security because they had Persian last names. Actually, they had Persian first names too. That made them late. And then they lost their Ronco plumb bob, which would have helped them determine what point on earth was directly beneath the star. What a hassle! They didn’t arrive until January 6. It was enough to make a magus give up in despair, but none of them did.

The shepherds felt honored to have been invited by the angel to visit the newborn Messiah, but after they arrived they remembered they had forgotten gifts. Being good Presbyterians they normally would have taken a covered dish, Shepherd’s Pie, but they were so excited they didn’t even think about it. Were they embarrassed! Plus, they had to bring their flocks with them to Bethlehem. They couldn’t leave them out in the fields else mattress companies would steal them for commercials about “counting sheep.” It was a hassle.

Mary was set to have her baby at Nazareth Community Hospital. She felt at home there. Joseph had been the contractor for the new Women’s Wing. Then he came home with the news that they had to go to Bethlehem to be registered. What a hassle! There were no direct flights, and room reservations were impossible. Then they got word that King Herod, a.k.a. The Terminator, was seeking to kill baby Jesus lest he grow up and be a threat. They had to take flight to Egypt to hide out.

All kidding aside, life was not hassle-free that first Christmas. If yours is not this Christmas, you’re in good company. Better yet, there is still hope. -DJ

Pastor's Column Nov. 18, 2011

2011-12-19T07:34:00.000-08:00

Hot off the Press! The “Top 10 Politically Correct Christmas Songs”:

10) “Chestnuts Roasting on an Environmentally Friendly Fuel Source”

9) “Rudolph, the Endangered Species”

8) “We Three Politically Oppressive Patriarchal Kings”

7) “Rocking Around the Recycled, Flame-Retardant, Artificial Christmas Tree”

6) “All I Want for Christmas is a Dental Plan”

5) “Frosty the Snowperson”

4) “I Saw Mommy Suing Santa for Sexual Harassment”

3) “O Little Town of Bethle – Him & Her”

2) “I’ll Be Home for Ramadan, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Fill-in-the-Blank”

1) “We Wish You a Non-Sectarian Holiday”

Unfortunately, Christmas Eve and Christmas plans were made prior to the publication of the above list, and none of these will be sung at these services. Sorry. - DJ

Pastor's Column Dec. 11, 2011

2011-12-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

Every year, except those when I forget, I update a secular Christmas song so it better fits the circumstances of the world in which we live. (I don’t do this with the Christmas songs in our hymnbook because they are timeless.) This year I feel that “Jingle Bells” needs updating. Riding in a one-horse open sleigh may be fun, but it is an extreme sport that most of us will never experience. Here goes:

Three months or so ago, I walked into a mall;

The stores were having Christmas sales, it was barely even fall.

Sales force was lean and lank, verboseness seemed their lot;

They gave me their best Yuletide pitch

And Wow! I bought a lot.

Oh, jingle bells, Christmas sales, cards from far away.

Oh what fun it is to sell unwanted gifts on E-Bay.

Jingle bells, tip the scales, how much do you weigh?

Fruitcake has a jillions carbs, eat some every day! - DJ

Pastor's Column Nov. 27, 2011

2011-11-27T17:26:00.000-08:00

The following is from a sermon given by Rev. Timothy Keller, of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, New York.

“Christmas is frankly doctrinal (a faith position). The Bible says the invisible has become visible, the incorporeal has become corporeal, i.e., God has become human. The ideal has become real. The divine has taken up human nature.

“This is not only a specific doctrine, but it’s also unique. Doctrine always distinguishes you. One of the reasons we’re afraid to talk about doctrine is because it distinguishes us from others. Here’s why the doctrine of Christmas is unique. On the one hand you’ve got religions that say God is so imminent in all things that incarnation is normal. If you’re a Buddhist or Hindu, God is imminent in everything. God is the divine spark in everything, and therefore incarnation is normal. God is incarnate in all sorts of people and things. Christians say Jesus is the God-man, and people from that family say sure.

“On the other hand, the family of religions like Islam and Judaism says God is so transcendent over all things that incarnation is impossible. Jesus as God-man is blasphemous.

“But Christianity is unique. It doesn’t say incarnation is normal, but it doesn’t say it’s impossible. It says God is so imminent that it is possible, but he is so transcendent that the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus Christ is a universe-sundering, history-altering, life-transforming, paradigm-shattering event. Christianity has a unique view on this that sets us apart from everything else.” -DJ

PASTOR’S COLUMN (Nov. 20, 2011)

2011-11-21T06:05:00.001-08:00

We are in the midst of a sermon series having to do with our being agents of Christ, persons through whom others can see what Jesus is like, persons who represent His interests. What do you think then of the job being done by the woman who wrote the following letter to Dear Abby?

“Dear Abby: Please answer this quickly. There is no one else I can talk to. I am a devout Christian woman, prominent in my church and have an impeccable reputation. My late husband’s family treats me with respect and generosity.

“I was unhappy when ‘Henry’ and I were married and I wanted to divorce him, but the man I was having an affair with at the time would not leave his wife for me. In spite of being devastated, I was so blessed because Henry died a short time later. I have now been free for ten years.

“I love my freedom and the relationship I have with Henry’s family. But recently I have begun to wonder if I should confide in my brother-in-law, “Rick” (who is getting a divorce), that I was unhappy enough with his brother to have had affairs much of the time we were married. It might make Rick feel better about his own ‘mess’ and possibly bring him closer to me.

“Should I open my heart to him? He thinks of me as a sister. – Unsure in Charleston, S.C.”

Abby said to not tell Rick. What amazes me is that Abby did not mention the inconsistency in this woman’s behavior, namely, that she claimed to be a devout Christian. Where is obedience to scripture in this lady’s life? We can’t be agents of Jesus and behave in any manner we please. - DJ

Pastor's Column Nov. 13, 2011

2011-11-14T20:44:00.000-08:00

PASTOR’S COLUMN. Centuries ago, a scholar on his way to church was surprised to see a man in tattered clothes and barefoot. Nevertheless, as a good Christian, he greeted the poor man: “May God give you a good morning!”

The poor man replied cheerfully, “I have never yet had a bad morning.”

“Then may God give you good luck!”

“I have never yet had bad luck.”

“Well, may God give you happiness!”

“I have never yet been unhappy.”

The scholar then asked the man, “Could you please explain? I don’t understand.”

“Certainly,” said the man. “You wish me a good morning, yet I have never had a bad morning. For when I am hungry, I praise God; when I feel cold, or when it’s raining or snowing, I praise God; and that is why I’ve never had a bad morning.

“You wish that God may give me luck. However, I have never had bad luck. This is because I live with God and always feel what he does for me is the best. Whatever God sends me, be it pleasant or unpleasant, I accept with a grateful heart. That is why I have never had bad luck.

“Finally, you wish that God should make me happy. But I have never been unhappy. For all I desire is to follow God’s will; I have surrendered my will so totally to God’s will that, whatever God wants, that is what I also want. That is why I have never been unhappy.” - Attributed to Meister Eckhart – D.J.

Pastor's Column Nov. 6, 2011

2011-11-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

Pastor’s Column. Jesus teaches that everything we have belongs to God. It’s not ours. We don’t own it. We are simply stewards or managers of what has been entrusted to us by God.

Spiritual growth, then, has to do with how this belief gives shape to our lives over time. As time passes are we growing in our ability to give to Jesus’ work of building up the kingdom of God? Are we becoming better managers of what God has given us? Are we willing to make sacrifices so we can better serve Jesus?

Spiritual growth as it pertains to financial giving is measurable. The Presbyterian Church calls this measure of growth percentage giving, and it is very simple. What percentage of your income did you give last year? Take this year’s income and attempt to increase your giving by a percent or more beyond last year’s. The percentage growth represents spiritual growth unless giving this amount upsets you or makes you mad. Remember 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Other factors obviously enter into the struggle to grow spiritually via financial giving. A person can make a special one-time gift to the church (which isn’t to be matched again), or one can lose significant income, or one can experience catastrophic bills, or whatever. Life is a not always the same one year to the next. Sometimes we have to go back to square one and do the best we can. Yet, if we say we are growing spiritually, but have nothing to demonstrate how, are we really? James states it so well, “By what I do, not by what I say, I’ll show you my faith.” - DJ

Pastor's Column Oct. 30, 2011

2011-10-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

Pastor’s Column. Tomorrow is Halloween. The big question in the commercials is, “Who will you be?” In Ephesians 4, Paul tells us to put away our former way of life and put on the new self, created according to the likeness of God. How’s that for being someone!

Many people want to be a monster for Halloween, the scarier the better. There are commentators who think that the worst kind of monsters don’t take away life in an instant. They suck away our souls over time. What kind of monsters are these? A controlling parent. A nagging wife. An abusive husband. An insensitive boss. A gossip. A joyless pastor. A busybody. And the list goes on to include other relationships. Such people need to go to monster rehab instead of the Halloween Party. And we can all of us become such drains ourselves. It is very easy to put on our old ways of life. So, “Who will you be?” -DJ

Pastor's Column Oct. 16, 2011

2011-10-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

For the past two years Grace’s expenses have been ca. $186,000,

and its revenues ca $151,000. This annual deficit of $35,000 has been taken out of a reserve fund that will dry up in 2012 if we continue using it at this rate. Should the reserve fund be exhausted, we will have to make cuts of an unpopular nature. The Budget is bare bones now. There is not much that can be cut without drastically changing the staff and programs in place.

The session hopes that cuts will be unnecessary. In fact, the session thinks that the friends and members of Grace can make up this deficit if we just will. In a recent letter to the congregation from the Stewardship Committee, it was asked that we increase what we’ve been giving by 10% in 2012. This would cover about half the deficit, but we also need those who have not been giving in a disciplined way to help. In this day and age “doing church” requires the contributions of all involved.

Indeed, what is financial stewardship? It is a relationship between the individual and Jesus Christ. Each of us responds to the love of Jesus Christ by what we give.

Financial stewardship is a percentage of income, which is biblical, the tithe. Researchers have found in recent years that if church members do not intentionally tie their giving to percentage of income, they wind up giving an amount that turns out to be 1.5% of income. If they intentionally tie giving to percentage of income, they give on average 4.7%, or three times as much.

Financial stewardship is one of the ways we grow in faith. If one cannot give a tithe at the present time, there is integrity in giving as large a percentage as possible and trying to increase this over time.

Our financial commitment to Jesus Christ will be reported on the 2012 Commitment Card, which will be distributed soon. What can you do to help Grace continue the work of Jesus Christ in 2012? -DJ

Pastor's Column Oct. 9, 2011

2011-10-10T05:58:00.001-07:00

Gordon Smith, who is a SERE instructor( Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) at Camp Mackall, says, “I tell the students, ‘If you have a guy with all the survival training in the world who has a negative attitude, and a guy who doesn’t have a clue but has a positive attitude, I guarantee you that the one with the positive attitude is coming out of the woods alive. Simple as that.’”

If we have a positive attitude – and pray for a positive attitude, God gives if we will just take delivery - we have a head start when it comes to overcoming fear of the unknown, as well as a head start when it comes to overcoming stress about things we cannot control. With a positive attitude we better deal with anger over our situation and better handle guilt over what could have been but is no more. And the basis for such a positive attitude is Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

“If God is for us, who can be against us,” means that we draw on unparalleled spiritual resources when we’re trying to be faithful, for no less than God is for us, God’s grace is with us. Now this does not mean that what we’re up against is a piece of cake. It does mean that we rise to the challenge. - DJ

Pastor's Column Oct. 2, 2011

2011-10-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

Nancy Gibbs reminds us that “There was a certain bracing beauty about the original seven deadly sins – pride, gluttony, sloth, lust, greed, envy, and anger – which among them could account for virtually all the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind. Anger gives rise to violence; gluttony to waste; pride to every manner of tragedy and hurt. They were judged sufficient for the past 15 centuries, ever since they were cataloged by Pope Gregory the Great…

“But not anymore. ‘We are losing the notion of sin,’ Pope Benedict XVI warns. The culture celebrates what it once sanctioned: parents encourage pride as essential to self-esteem; a group of self-rising French chefs has petitioned the Vatican that being a gourmand is no sin. Envy is the engine of tabloid culture. Lust is an advertising strategy; anger, the righteous province of the aggrieved…”

The Vatican has begun stressing a broader range of sins for the modern age. I think that Mohandas Gandhi, of all persons, had a great version of the seven deadly sins:

- Wealth without work - Politics without principle
- Pleasure without conscience - Commerce without morality
- Science without humanity - Worship without sacrifice
- Knowledge without character
-DJ

Pastor’s Column Sept. 25, 2011

2011-09-27T06:24:00.001-07:00

In an attempt to understand who Jesus was, some people of his time called him “rabbi.” Rabbis were Jewish teachers. Their students were called disciples or “learners.” Those who followed Jesus were also called disciples, but there was a difference.

First, Jesus taught his disciples differently. Whereas other rabbis relied heavily on the teachings of rabbis in times past, Jesus relied largely on his own authority. For ex., the Sermon on the Mount ends with, “When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teachings, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.” Mt. 7: 28, 29.

Second, Jesus’ relationship to his disciples was different. That of other rabbis to their disciples was temporary. After a learning period, other disciples “graduated” and were called “rabbi” themselves. Not so with Jesus. He said, “But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students… Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah (Jesus).” Mt. 23:8, 10.

Third, Jesus shared with his disciples differently than other rabbis. They shared their wisdom. Jesus shared both his wisdom and his power. “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15: 4,5

Jesus could speak with authority because a true understanding of God’s nature had been granted him. Our opportunity is to learn from him about God which is a never-ending process. We never graduate, never arrive at a point when we don’t need Jesus’ support, correction, and guidance. And Jesus strengthens us to serve him and enjoy the benefits of being his followers in the circumstances of our lives.

This relationship with God through Jesus is what we desire for all others. Something to think about on this Evangelism Sunday. -DJ

Pastor’s Column Sept. 18, 2011

2011-09-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

We continue to wait on presbytery to call together the committee that will determine an Assimilation Plan whereby FPC Festus is assimilated by Grace. But as we wait, we have decided on the following:

Saturday, Oct. 1. FPC has been invited to join with us in the Fall Festival.
Sunday, Oct. 2. FPC will join us at Grace to celebrate World Communion
Sunday.

Sunday, Oct. 23. Rev. Bill Charlton of FPC will fill in for me inasmuch as I’ll be
giving a presentation, “The Imagination of Fred Harvey” at the University of
NM Continuing Ed. and to the Friends of the Roswell Library.

Thursday, Nov. 24. Volunteers from Grace will join with FPC in cooking and
serving a Thanksgiving dinner to those in need - this at FPC.

FPC’s last Sunday of worship. Grace will not have worship here that day. We will go to FPC and celebrate with them 130 years of service. At this point, we have no idea when this will be.

I urge everyone to be most welcoming of all from FPC, remembering that this is a sad time for them, and that they have much yet to offer in Christ’s service.
- DJ

Pastor’s Column Sept. 11. 2011

2011-09-12T11:12:00.001-07:00

One of the things we Christians say is that “We’re in the world, but not of the world.” Or at least that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Temptation is everywhere. It’s pretty hard not to be “of the world” anymore.

Take, for example, advertising. So that we will buy “stuff”, we are bombarded day in and day out with cutesy slogans and enticing pictures. And have you noticed how much advertising has to do with food?

Obesity is a killer, but how many corporations selling food, especially fast-food, care? Over the past ten or fifteen years I have lost 40 pounds. I know how hard it is to lose weight and keep it off. People need some help and support in attaining and maintaining a healthy body weight. Do they get it? Rarely.

Processed food corporations advertise on Saturday morning TV in an attempt to “hook” children on their products. They use kid-friendly personalities such as Shrek to endorse grease and sugar. They talk about their products in term of a “nag factor,” i.e., how much will a kid nag his/her parents to get this snack food. The higher the nag factor, the better the product.

The Center for Disease Control recently published the fact that obesity rates have doubled for adults and tripled for children over the last 20 years. One reason is that portion sizes have ballooned. Twenty years ago bagels were (on average) 3-inch diameter, 140 calories. Today they’re more like 6-inch, 350 calories. Fast-food cheeseburgers were 333 calories, today 590 calories. Soda in 12 oz. cans was sold in vending machines. Today you can rarely find anything other than 20 oz. bottles of soda, an increase in calories of 66%. French fries of 2.4 oz. gives you 210 calories; 6.9 oz., 610 calories.

It’s hard to be “in the world but not of the world” when you are surrounded by temptation. In the Bible such a situation is a call for holiness, holy meaning devoted to God and not the world. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, that you are not your own. For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6: 19,20 -DJ

Pastor's Column Sept. 5, 2011

2011-09-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

Cheri and I attended the recent Gathering in Minneapolis of Presbyterian churches concerned about the change in standards of ordination for pastors, elders, and deacons. Several at Grace have been likewise concerned, and so we went in order that we could see for ourselves and report to you first-hand.

We were pleasantly surprised by the tone of the meeting. The leaders were not interested in being angry or in name-calling. They were most forthcoming about their plans, and they had options for all congregations to consider. Here are three.

The first option is, “Most congregations will want to stay with the denomination, and that’s fine. You still have the right to determine whom you ordain as elders and deacons, as well as whom you call as a pastor. So long as your presbytery doesn’t hinder your ministry, why leave?” This is what I’ve been saying all along. There are individuals at Grace who might choose to leave the congregation and denomination, and we’ll miss them, but I know no one who would want Grace to leave.

A second option, which will be taken by a number of churches if it is approved by the General Assembly next summer, is this: a congregation will become a member of two denominations. One will be the PCUSA, as is the case now, but the other will be a New Reformed Denomination yet to be formed. Actually, it is on the drawing board. This way a congregation can say that its beliefs conform to the New Denomination (Essential Tenets of the Reformed Faith), while it still supports and engages in certain mission work with the PCUSA.

A third option, but only for those churches who are on the outs with the PCUSA, is to leave the denomination now, which likely would involve going to secular court with the presbytery as to whom owns the building. This process-of-last-resort can be drawn out and costly. Most PCUSA congregations that have left thus far have joined a denomination called the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. -DJ

Pastor's Column Aug. 28

2011-08-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

“Remember” is found in our pew Bible 159 times, whereas “Grace” is found only 116. Maybe “remember” is in there more because remembering instances of God’s grace in the past help prepare us to receive God’s grace now and in the future.

I thought of this the other night at Music in the Park. Norville Dollar invited a lady from the audience to come up and sing a song. I didn’t catch the lady’s name, but she was an entertainer herself and did a good job singing the old Patti Page song, “Tennessee Waltz.”

What was the first song you remember singing? One of the first one I remember singing as a child was “Tennessee Waltz.” I sang along with Patti Page on the radio. A couple of years later I liked another of her songs even better, “How Much is That Doggie in the Window.”

Patti Page was the “Singing Rage” in the 1950s. Even when music changed in the sixties and seventies and eighties she kept on singing.
Five or so years ago I was recording a church ad at a radio station in Albuquerque. As I was walking out, I held the door open for a lady who was coming in the station. I didn’t think anything about it until a few minutes later when I tuned in to that same radio station on my way back to the church. I had held the door open for Patti Page!

She was doing a concert in the Santa Fe area, and the station asked her to drop by for an interview. She was in her late seventies at the time. If I had “remembered” to look at the programming log on the studio wall, I would have known she was coming in and could have thanked her for the “Waltz.” I might have even asked her if she had any free tickets to her concert. -DJ

Pastor's Column August 21, 2011

2011-08-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

There is a sort of question that goes, “If you had the ability to live your life again, would you choose the life you’re living now?” People who ask this question tend to follow up with, “If not, then why are you living your present life? Change, do something about it.”

Such a question and follow-up are not Christian in origin. To “do something about it” implies that that we can change simply by the exertion of willpower to a different life. Sure, we can change some things, but many we can’t. We can’t change a chronic illness, we can’t change the immediate effects of the recession, and we shouldn’t break those commitments by which others rely on us. Plus life happens. No sooner might one get to the point of liking his/her life than circumstances change yet again.

Perhaps a better question is, “If you had the ability to live your life again, would you make the same choices that you are making now?” And the follow-up, “Why are you making the choices you’re making now?” And a follow-up to that, “Are there choices that you could make differently?”

Joshua confronts his idolatrous people with a choice that they can make and one that makes a big difference. “Choose this day whom you will serve…As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24: 14,15) -DJ

Pastor’s Column. August 14, 2011

2011-08-15T05:09:00.000-07:00

Our goal at GPC is to be the best followers of Jesus that we can, thus, a reminder. Jesus had three groups of followers. One we talk about all the time, the Twelve. The Twelve were with him day and night for three years. They witnessed what he did and were the original beneficiaries of all he taught.

There was a second group the Bible calls “the crowd,” people who by and large didn’t get it. At times Jesus was besieged by crowds of people, hundreds even thousands of people, as was the case along the shore of Lake Galilee when Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. But many of these people came out to see miracles or hear only what they wanted to hear. Jesus eventually disappointed many of them and they left, which is still the case today. If Jesus doesn’t do what some people expect him to do, they quit.

The third group of disciples were men and women and children who could not be with Jesus all the time as were the Twelve. From Jesus’ point of view, there simply wasn’t room around the campfire. Twelve were as many as he could live with at such an intimate level. And from the view of this third bunch of disciples, they couldn’t leave their families and work and be with Jesus constantly. Still, they didn’t fall away. They were drawn to him and his message, and so at times they would gather to hear his teachings and witness his healings and be of whatever service to him they could. -DJ

Pastor's Column Aug. 7, 2011

2011-08-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

In St. Louis, 1879, Jordan Lambert and Dr. Joseph Lawrence began marketing an all-purpose antiseptic solution called Listerine. They obtained permission from British surgeon Joseph Lister, who had developed the notion that germs spread infection and carbolic acid could kill them, to name the product after him. At first it was sold as a surgical antiseptic, also useful for cleaning floors, as an after-shave and for curing conditions ranging from dandruff to gonorrhea. In 1885, Lawrence sold out to the new Lambert Pharmacal Co. Jordan Lambert continued and later began selling a milder form of Listerine to dentists and as an oral antiseptic.

Jordan died at age 38 in 1889, his wife died three months later. They left five boys and one girl. One son, Albert Bond “Doc” Lambert became infatuated with flying. In 1926, he rounded up some pals to help their buddy Slim Lindbergh buy an airplane to fly the Atlantic in 1927. One son, Jerry, went to Princeton and blew through what would be $15.9 million in today’s dollars. Deeply in debt, he went back to St. Louis in 1908 to work at the company’s firm.

In 1922 Jerry Lambert learned that the medical term for bad breath was halitosis. That gave him an idea. He would turn halitosis into a national scourge for which Listerine was the cure. Money began pouring in. Jerry took Lambert Pharmacal public in 1928, retired at 42, and got out of the stock market before the crash of 1929.

Today’s sermon has to do with “The Dishonest Manager,” Luke 16: 1-10. We don’t know what the manager did that initially led to his boss firing him, but was it any worse than creating “a national scourge” out of halitosis? Probably was. Still, there was a time when Jerry Lambert would be called dishonest. Today he’s regarded as a marketing genius. Which one do you think it is ? -DJ

Pastor's Column July 31, 2011

2011-08-01T18:53:00.001-07:00

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version of the Bible. Most mainline Christians use a different version – the NRSV or the NIV, say – but the KJV has been the version upon which every President of the US has placed his right hand upon being sworn into office.

The King James Version has given us phrases we use even today: Eat , drink, and be merry, Lk. 12:19…the apple of his eye, Deut. 32: 10… an eye for an eye, Mt. 5: 38… it came to pass, Gen. 38:27…fight the good fight, 1 Tim. 6: 12… fell flat on his face, Num 22: 31… the fullness of time, Gal. 4:4… can a leopard change his spots, Jer. 13: 23… am I my brother’s keeper, Gen. 4:9

Other phrases and sentences from the KJV that have formed out thinking include: God’s care for us, “The Lord is my shepherd,” Ps. 23:1… Freedom from slavery, “Let my people go!” Exod. 5:1… a life wasted in worries over unimportant things, “vanity of vanities,” Eccles. 1:2…a self-righteous person, “holier than thou,” Is. 65:5… work that you adore, “a labor of love,” 1 Thess. 1:3…a metaphor for Christ-like influence, “the salt of the earth,” Mt. 5:13… a metaphor against in-fighting, “A house divided against itself shall not stand,” Mt. 12:25… Our relationship to truth, “We see through a glass darkly,” 1 Cor. 13:12… what we say when a politician’s dirty secrets are revealed, “How are the mighty fallen,” 2 Sam. 1:27… a really close call, “With the skin of my teeth,” Job 19:20.

Published in 1611, the KJV was the most popular Bible in the world from ca. 1670 to 1985, more than 300 years. – DJ (thanks to Jon Sweeney, Christian Century, July 12, 2011)

PASTOR’S COLUMN July 24, 2011

2011-08-01T11:51:00.001-07:00

Today we’re singing “How Great Thou Art,” which has been one of my favorites for a long time. I remember as a young boy attending a week of revival services at First Baptist Church in Roswell. I remember it because not only was there a guest preacher but a guest music director. And the guest music director said, “There’s a new hymn I came across recently. I want to teach it to you.” The hymn was “How Great Thou Art.” We sang it all week, which excited everyone. It was the first time a bunch of Baptists sang another hymn as often as they sang “Just As I Am.”

If you look on p. 698, you will find #4 -How Great Thou Art - by the name Stuart Hine. Gustav Boburg, a Swede, wrote a poem called “O Store Gud” (literally “O Great God”) in 1885. Stuart Hine (1899-1989) was born in England but spent much of his early adult life as a missionary to the Western Ukraine of Russia. He translated and arranged the English words of this poem to the Swedish folk song to which the song was traditionally sung. He did this in 1953.

The Billy Graham Crusade is largely responsible for introducing this hymn to America, where it has experienced great popularity. But repeatedly “How Great Thou Art” has also been voted the most popular hymn of Great Britain.

Kenneth Osbeck, an American hymnologist, once said, “This great hymn teaches three essential truths: the greatness of God’s creation, the greatness of Christ’s redemption, and the greatness of our future inheritance.” -DJ

Pastor’s Column July 17, 2011

2011-07-17T13:26:00.000-07:00

When asked the greatest of the commandments, Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. And a second commandment is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

In fulfillment of these two commandments, one way of thinking about worship involves the use of a bicycle wheel. When we come to worship, we are located on the rim of the wheel, and God is at the hub. As worship progresses we move along a spoke so that we’re drawn closer and closer to God. But as we move closer to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we also move closer and closer to others, who are on their spokes moving toward the hub.

This is a great understanding of what is to take place in worship, for too often people who love Jesus don’t seem to have much use for others of his followers. 1 John 2: 9-11 deals with what happen when congregational members say they love God but don’t love one another. “Whoever says, ‘I am in the light,’ (of Jesus) while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light (of Jesus), and in such a person, there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness. -DJ

Pastor's Column July 10, 2011

2011-07-10T16:45:00.001-07:00

The session of Grace recently met with the session of FPC Festus and agreed to enter into a process will possibly lead to FPC being assimilated into Grace. “Assimilated” is the presbytery’s terminology. It works like this.
1) An assimilation committee will soon begin the work of formulating an Assimilation Plan. There are three members on this committee from each session – Carolyn Pruneau, Bill Sternberg, and Bob Aucutt from ours; Ann Brooks, Matt Bungenstock, and Mark Bungenstock from First. The presbytery will also provide four members for this committee.
2) This committee will work out a variety of concerns, including the future of FPC’s building. At this point, both sessions want to keep it open as a community center, under the control of Grace’s session, a continuation of FPC’s historic ministry to the community.
3) During the next several weeks or months there will be opportunities for get-togethers with FPC so we might get to know one another. Presently FPC lists 30 members.
4) After the committee comes up with the Assimilation Plan, it will be presented to both congregations for a vote yea or nay.
5) If both votes are positive, then FPC ceases to exist. Pastor Bill Charlton will retire at that point, and their bank accounts will be transferred to Grace. FPC’s members have the choice of becoming members of Grace or not.
First Presbyterian Festus was our mother church when Grace became a congregation many years ago. It is fitting that we assimilate at this point in time. -DJ

Pastor's Colum July 3, 2011

2011-07-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” James 3: 9-11 (NIV)

We might think that words constituting a curse would be obvious, but we can also curse a person, in effect, by not having our facts straight.

An example. My novel, Summer of Champions, is set against the background of a real-life event, namely, an All-star team from my hometown winning the 10th Little League World Series in Williamsport. After the book came out, a sportswriter sought my help in gathering information for a New Mexico Magazine article he was writing about this team on the 50th anniversary of their successful season. I met him in my hometown and introduced him to a few of the guys who had been on the team.
Among the questions asked by the sportswriter was how many team members
were deceased. Years earlier, at their 25th reunion, it had been established that three had died. One, David Sherrod, had died of wounds received in Vietnam. The sportswriter mentioned in his article that three of the team members were deceased and gave their names.

Eighteen months after the magazine article was published, the following appeared in the Mailbag section of New Mexico Magazine: “My name is David H. Sherrod, third baseman for that team, and I am indeed not dead, killed in Vietnam, or any other form of possible demise.”

It is a mystery how every other player on the team could think for more than a quarter of a century that David had been killed. The sportswriter and I certainly felt bad about contributing to this curse, but we were glad that David is a forgiving person. “I hold no feelings of wrongdoing toward…the author of the article. I just wanted to set the record straight.”

Our facts need to be straight. Otherwise, our words may constitute a curse by going along with no more than rumors or stereotypes, both of which can deny persons the good God intends for them. -DJ

Pastor's Column June 26, 2011

2011-06-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about “ethical wills”? An ethical will is a love letter, some say, in which people pass down to the next generation(s) the experiences and values they have found meaningful. Ethical wills have been around since at least the 1970s, but the trend really gained momentum after 9/11 when people wanted to explicitly state their love of family.

One hospice patient felt he had nothing to pass on to his family because he had lost all his money, but a chaplain helped him write an ethical will. All of a sudden his life and legacy had meaning. Indeed, many elderly people, regardless of finances, see lifestyles nowadays that are much different from theirs. And they don’t want to dictate from the grave, but they want to make their witness to what they think is right.

Some concerns about writing an ethical will:
- What do you want your loved ones to know about your family history?
- What is your vision for your heirs’ use of their inheritance?
- Have you made mistakes for which you want to ask forgiveness? Or is there forgiveness you want to offer?
- Why have you made certain decisions about your estate, such as donating a portion of it to your church?

What are the values and life lessons you’d like to share concerning God, education, the workplace, marriage, parenting, etc.? There may be some inquiring minds that would be very blessed to know. - DJ

Pastor's Column June 19, 2011

2011-06-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

As we think about Father’s Day gifts, here are a couple of gifts that dads have received lately.

A man’s wife came down with cancer. At first she responded with fear and depression. But then she had an experience of God that led her to say, “Today I do not pray for a cure for myself. I pray that God will help someone find a cure for cancer so that the thousands who come after me will profit and benefit from that cure.” She herself had only one desire and that was to live as fully one day at a time as she could. Her last act was to ask her husband for a paper and pencil. He thought she wanted to write her will. Instead, she wrote down simple recipes he could use to feed their children.

And don’t you imagine that violinist Philippe Quint’s dad felt like he had received an incredible present? Philippe left his 285-year old Stradivarius in a taxi on a ride home from the Newark Airport. (This in spite of his dad telling him time and time again not to carry a violin case in New Jersey. “People will think you’re a gangster!”) Cabbie, Mohamed Khalil, discovered the $4million instrument and returned it to Quint. This not only made Philippe’s dad ecstatic that he didn’t have to shell out for another, but made Philippe so happy that performed a free lunchtime concern for 200 New Jersey cabbies.

Ties and golf paraphernalia aren’t the only gifts that fathers treasure. -DJ

PASTOR’S COLUMN June 12, 2011

2011-06-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

On Pentecost, the incarnation of God in Christ was internalized and became personal. God in Christ became incarnate in Jesus’ disciples. Wind and purifying fire came upon ordinary believers as they were filled with the Holy Spirit, becoming the first members of Jesus’ church.

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” Acts 2:1-4

And not just them. Ever since Pentecost believers have received this gift of God-dwelling-within to provide us with guidance, courage, comfort, hope, and peace. From Pentecost on, the influence of Jesus was not limited to the few who had been with him throughout his earthly days. Now everyone could know the healing, saving presence of Christ.

“There were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own language?” Acts 2: 5-8

It was as if disciples who spoke only English suddenly had the power to speak about what God had done through Jesus in the languages of French, German, Spanish, Italian, etc. The church of Jesus Christ knows no national boundaries.

“’Brothers, what should we do?” the crowd asked. Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”-Acts 2: 37, 38

On Pentecost ordinary men and women were filled with faith and became courageous witnesses to God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. It was a dangerous time to depart from the accepted beliefs of the day, but his followers were changed people. -DJ

Pastor's Column June 5, 2011

2011-06-05T16:33:00.000-07:00

An old ranch-hand, who also taught Sunday school, was fond of making two observations. One had to do with cemetery headstones. He visited cemeteries all over the country, and in each one he read, “Loving Father,” “Caring Mother,” “Dutiful Husband,” etc. After reading such tributes, he would leave the cemetery wondering where all the sinners had been buried.

The second observation had to do with cows and sheep. Cows can be herded because they act in predictable ways. Cows will shy away from someone waving a stick at them, but they know enough not to get overly concerned about the stick. They don’t panic easily.

Sheep are not smart enough to herd. They have to be led because sheep panic easily. To handle sheep, the shepherd has to condition them to trust and follow. For their safety and survival sheep have to rely on their relationship with the shepherd. It is easy to see why Jesus identifies himself as the Good Shepherd rather than the Good Cowboy. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23.

But to the credit of sheep, they know exactly who their shepherd is. In Israel, two shepherds and their flocks may share the shelter of a cave at night. The next morning, each shepherd stands outside as the sheep emerge from the cave. Within just a few minutes the each flock is gathered by its shepherd, ready to follow him to pasture. -DJ

Pastor's Column May 29, 2011

2011-05-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” (- Mt. 6:39)

It seems to me that if we live by this saying we don’t have to get so upset with those who slight us in some way. We can take it in stride as opposed to going ballistic.

We don’t have to get mad at customer service representatives who mistreat us. Maybe they’re just having a bad day. Or maybe they truly are rude or inept at what they’re doing, but why should we allow it to ruin our day? What kind of people are we when we get upset about inconsequential matters?

Of course, if the person who slights us is a person with whom we have dealings daily as opposed to once in a life time, and if the insults are routine, we may need to point out to the person what he or she is doing and how we feel about it. Jesus isn’t telling us here to be a doormat.

Indeed, what’s the context for this teaching? “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also,” is preceded by, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not respond in kind.” (My translation)

Jesus is giving us a better way of handling insults than responding in kind. Take it in stride. Walk away from it. Forget and forgive. Choose the better way.-DJ

PASTOR’S COLUMN (May 22, 2011)

2011-05-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

Do you remember when two players for the Washington Nationals took the field wearing jerseys with their team named spelled “NATINALS.” Why the misspelling? As Vanna White said, “There is a logical reason for this wardrobe malfunction. Given the state of the economy, the team owner tried to spell the team name without buying a last vowel.” Self-appointed team spokesman, Natty Yunnels, said of the many spelling jokes being made about the Nationals, “This is much ad abut nthing. What’s yur prblem?”

This O-versight reminds me of another wardrobe malfunction. Two seminaries, the Southern Baptists and the Roman Catholics, were playing each other in an intramural baseball game. Both teams took the field without knowing that the jerseys of one team said, “BATISTS,” while those of the other said, “CATOLICS.”

Assuming that the baseball uniforms had been sewn in another country, one where English wasn’t the primary language, one can see the logic. Many countries, no matter what the people speak, listen to old-timey Rock & Roll. People know the song about the famous baseball player, “Bat, bat Leroy Brown, the batist man in the whole downtown…” They also know the word “cat,” and thus it makes sense that “Catolics” are people whose team mascot is Garfield.

By the way, the game between the BATISTS and CATOLICS was called after three innings, the score 0-0, due to a downpour. The local newspaper said that the rainstorm was “an act oPH God.” – D.J.

PASTOR’S COLUMN (May 13, 2011)

2011-05-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

This past April 28, at 7:00 in the evening a group of us from Grace went through CPR/AED training – Liz McClain, Pam Harmon, Muriel Stephens, Judy Null, Haley Null, Carolyn Pruneau, and Dewey Johnson. If there are others who would like to take such training, there may be an opportunity in the future. And those of you who have already been trained in CPR/AED, please let Liz at the church office know.

In any event, the session of Grace authorized the purchase of an AED (Automated External Defibrillator), and the Men of the Church have now hung it on the wall by the bulletin board in the hallway to the sanctuary.

In this location it is convenient to the sanctuary, the classrooms upstairs, and to Fellowship Hall by either the elevator or the stairway.

The procedure is amazingly simple. If a person collapses, bystanders should call 911 immediately. Person A should race to the AED cabinet and bring the AED to near the head of the collapsed person. Person B should have immediately gone to the person on the ground or floor to see if he/she is breathing. If they are, wait for the ambulance. (Maybe place the person on his/her side in the recovery position.) If they are not breathing, Person B (or someone knowledgeable) should begin chest compressions (2-inches deep) immediately and at the rate of about 100/minute.

If you are in the role of Person B, and you know how to blow air into the person’s lungs, you can certainly do so as you alternate with the chest compressions. But the big thing is to keep the chest compressions going until medical personnel arrive or the AED arrives. Authorities are now saying that there is enough air inside a person without blowing any more in, although we certainly may. What’s more important is to keep the blood flowing with heart compressions.

The AED is simple to operate. After it is placed over the person’s chest, it will tell us if the person’s heart needs to be shocked.

The session purchased the AED in an attempt to save lives in our building and on
our grounds. -DJ

Pastor's Column May 8, 2011

2011-05-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

Moms, it’s important that you concern yourself with the telling of your family’s story to your kids, whatever their ages.

Lynn W. Huber says, “I believe that the greatest gift we can offer to each other is the telling of and listening to our stories.” This helps us see our connection to others, helps us make sense of our own lives, and strengthens by seeing how it is with others. Jean Bolen says, “The stories people tell have a way of taking care of them. If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive.”

And here’s a concern for those of us who missed out on certain stories from our moms. It comes from Katie Wiebe. “What makes the journey into old age terrifying to me is that I hear no one beyond the middle years inviting me urgently and loudly to cross the border because of its splendid advantages.” Katie goes on to say that a child has admiring fans in parents, siblings, and friends who help her cross into adulthood. But the older one gets, the fewer the number of people telling her how they’ve dealt with certain stages of life. Almost no one helps us cross into the land of the aging by telling their story.

Katie Wiebe then visited the Soviet Union, the place of her family origin. Upon her return she reported, “I returned with countless stories people told me about their lives. I came back with a renewed sense of the importance of story, especially for older adults. Stories bind the generations together. Stories bring to light dense abstractions. Stories show the pattern of living. Stories assert boldly, ‘I am a human being.’”

One last thought, moms, and this from Isak Dineson. “All the sorrows of life are bearable if only we can convert them into a story.” Don’t let your story or your family’s story go untold to your kids. -DJ

PASTOR’S COLUMN May 1, 2011

2011-05-01T15:43:00.001-07:00

Sometimes our giving is less than pure. Recently there was a neighborhood Easter egg hunt. All sorts of eggs had been hidden – hard-boiled eggs, small chocolate eggs in foil wrappers, and plastic egg-shaped containers filled with jelly beans. But then there was one really large, golden, plastic egg-shaped container with a big chocolate bunny inside, the Treasure Egg!

Little Egbert was on the lookout for that Treasure Egg. He ran as fast as his legs could take him in hopes of finding that egg-shaped container with the chocolate bunny inside. He searched and he searched until he noticed something golden over beneath the root of a cottonwood tree. Could it be? Yes it could! It was the large, golden, plastic egg-shaped container, buried in the dirt so that you could see just a bit of the golden plastic; buried so deeply that little Egbert had to find a stick to dig the egg out of the ground. As he dug he did not notice how tarnished and dirty the gold plastic was.

If he had, he might have realized that this was the Treasure Egg that hadn’t been found at last year’s Easter egg hunt. Nor did he notice the crack in the plastic that had allowed water to seep inside, so that after being exposed to the melting summer heat, and then frozen during the winter, the bunny had changed into the shape of a walrus swimming in a pool of muddy water. Its ears had melted and frozen and become the walrus’ tail; and its feet had become tusks. That’s what little Egbert found when he opened that year-old plastic egg container, the most disgusting-looking piece of chocolate he could have imagined. It was so gross that he gave it to his sister. “Here, look what I got for you. Happy Easter!” -DJ

PASTOR’S COLUMN. Easter April 24, 2011

2011-04-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

How many of us live balanced lives? Most of us are overstretched, overcommitted, overworked, overstressed, and overcome with life’s worries, cares, wants, and to-do lists. We are so busy that we are living in bondage to things we think we have to have or do rather than living a life of freedom in Christ. Wouldn’t it feel good to breathe out and just live?

On this Easter we would do well to listen to Romans 6: 3-6. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and that we might no longer be enslaved to sin.”

Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection bring into question our pace of life. Why are we so enslaved to things we think we have to have or do? Hasn’t God given us this life, and aren’t we responsible to God for how we live it? We live for an Audience of One, not many. Jesus lived out the freedom God gives us. He refused to be restricted by the lesser expectations placed on him, and the religious establishment had him crucified. But God raised him from death, vindicating his way of life and the truth of his message. Today we celebrate not just his victory over death, but the possibility of our walking in newness of life with him. -DJ

Pastor's Column April 17, 2011

2011-04-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

In the book and movie, True Grit, the 14-year-old young girl, Mattie Ross, who takes it upon herself to pursue justice regarding her dad’s murder, is a Presbyterian. It has been a number of years since another book and movie about a Presbyterian family came out, A River Runs Through It.

The dad in this book and movie, who is a Presbyterian pastor, has a saying, “All good things come by grace, and grace comes by art, and art does not come easy.”

“All good things come by grace.” All that we have, all that we are, even the brain with which we think thoughts about God, comes by God’s grace. God gives us good things, not because we deserve them, but because it’s God’s nature to constantly seek our wellbeing.

In The Lord’s Prayer, when Jesus teaches us that God’s nature is that of Our Father, he means that God values each and every human being and provides for our needs, as would the best of parents.

“And grace comes by art.” Just because God seeks our wellbeing doesn’t mean that we always do. Availing ourselves of God’s grace is not natural. There is an art to recognizing both what God gives and then accepting it.

“And art does not come easy.” We’re a mess, says the dad in A River Runs Through It. Not only is recognizing and accepting God’s grace an art, but it is one that we’ve pretty much lost. Too often we ignore or reject or do not notice how God helps meet our needs. Too often what we choose is self-destructive rather than the good that God makes possible.

A follower of Jesus knows that God’s grace is the source of all she has and is. Further, she is a person who, by God’s grace, is struggling to grow in her ability to recognize and receive all the good gifts God has in store for her. - DJ

Pastor's Column April 10, 2011

2011-04-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

Questions always arise about the Apostles’ Creed. (A creed is a short statement of what we believe. It is based on what we find in the Bible. A confession is longer than a creed, and a catechism is simply a confession in question and answer form.) What do certain of the statements mean?

1. I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth... The Apostles’ Creed is very old. It comes from a time when “Almighty” was a name commonly associated with the God of the Old Testament. To say that we believe in God the “Father Almighty” is to say that the Creator is the same as the God of the New Testament, inasmuch as the name Jesus used for God was “Father.” Whereas the sermon here at Grace is based on both an Old Testament and New Testament lesson, long ago there was a debate in which one side said that the God of the OT was a lesser deity than the God in the NT. No, says the Apostles’ Creed. They are one and the same.

2. Was crucified, dead and buried; he descended into hell, (hades in Greek, the abode of the dead without the temperature differential ). At least two things are being said by “descent into hell.” One is that Jesus actually died. Some people through the years said it only appeared like he did. No, he actually died, says the creed, and one way of emphasizing death is by this statement. Also, this is an interpretation of 1 Peter 3:18,19. While dead, Jesus, “in the spirit,” went to the people in hades/hell (“the spirits in prison”) and preached the good news so that those who died before he lived could be saved.

3. The holy catholic(universal) Church, the communion of saints (Christians). What this says is that we belong to the body of Jesus’ followers through all ages and in all places. Catholic here does not mean Roman Catholic. It means the “universal” church of all times and places. We belong to the universal church, have communion with all other Christians. Saints here is just another name for Christians. -DJ

Pastor's Column April 3, 2011

2011-04-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

The famous clown, Nasir Ed Din, was invited to speak at a church. He looked at the congregation and asked, “Do you know what I’m going to say?”

The congregation responded, “No.”

“Neither do I,” he said. He then picked up his notes, walked off the platform, and exited the church.

The next week he was invited back. Again he asked the congregation, “Do you know what I’m going to say?”

Since their previous response hadn’t worked, they said, “Yes!”

“Good,” the clown said. “Then I don’t have to tell you.” Again he exited the church without another word.

During the following week the congregation got together and planned their response. They were confident they had him trapped. When he stood up a third time and asked, “Do you know what I’m going to say?” they replied, “Some of us do and some of us don’t.”

“Good!” Nasir Ed Din replied. “Those who know tell those who don’t.” He left the building for a third time and was never invited back.

Churches need to be careful whom they invite to speak. A Methodist church recently invited their bishop to speak at a fellowship dinner. And since it was the bishop who was speaking, everyone brought their best dishes. Rarely had anyone in that church seen so much food.

In walked the bishop. The pastor greeted him and asked what the bishop was speaking about that night.

“Fasting during Lent.” -DJ

PASTOR’S COLUMN (March 27, 2011)

2011-03-27T17:36:00.001-07:00

Ruth Koch once commented about time-management expert David Allen in an issue of Rev. Magazine: “Even though most folks feel over-whelmed with too much to do and too little time in which to do it, Allen argues that having an attack of the overs (overwhelmed by it all) isn't from having too much to do, but from not finishing what we start.”

Our tasks sort into three piles – finished, not finished, and probably-won’t-ever-be-finished – with the third category the largest. There are things that we routinely finish because our lives won’t work if we don’t. “But the tasks that overwhelm us are the ones that may never be finished: the broken relationship between mother and son; the tension between work and family, home and church; the priorities that keep shifting and defying tidy categories.

“Allen suggests we address those undecided, unmanaged tasks in what he calls weird time.” Weird time consists of only a few minutes, like the 15 free minutes before we have to leave home for a meeting or the 6 minutes between appoint-ments. In weird time we accept that there are tasks we may never get tidied up and finished, still we choose to do what we can. In weird time we can grab the phone and say, “I hope you are having a good day.” Or we can do something, catch up a bit, in an area of our life in which we’re always behind.

“But the most important thing you can do with your five minutes of weird time is to ask God to give you a new time table, God’s timetable.” Trust that God can do amazing things in our lives whether we finish our work, are behind in our work, or won’t ever be finished with the tasks on our To-Do List. Ours is to be faithful. - DJ

Pastor's Column March 20, 2011

2011-03-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of things. One, God gives us wisdom. Each of us has a brain, and that brain has been exposed, in many cases, to the church for quite some time. We have heard God’s word proclaimed in worship; we have studied scripture and various aspects of the Christian faith in Sunday school or PW meetings or Alpha; we have engaged in ministry; we have prayed; we have made sacrifices of our time and money, etc. We don’t have all wisdom we might have had had we been more diligent, but we at least have some wisdom.

Two, we are agents of Jesus Christ. An agent is always responsible to the home office, as would be a life insurance or a real estate agent. But an agent is free to determine how to conduct his/her agency. Where and how we serve God is ours to determine, we have the freedom and we have the wisdom. But whether it’s as a parent or on the job or as a retiree or as a volunteer in church, we’re responsible to God for how and what we do.

So here’s a thought for Lent. If as agents we have determined where and how we are going to serve God, let’s give up anything that interferes. For ex., maybe our schedule is so cluttered with non-essential matters that we should clear it and focus on what’s important. Or if we have determined where and how we’re going to serve God, maybe we should try to improve, say, get more training.

And if we haven’t determined where and how we are going to serve God, maybe we ought to devote some serious thought and prayer to determining our identity as agents of Jesus Christ. –D.J.

PASTOR’S COLUMN (March 13, 2011)

2011-03-13T12:53:00.001-07:00

We are God’s people, touched by the Spirit to

Witness more effectively,
Think more clearly,
Feel more deeply,
Listen more insightfully,
Speak more truthfully,
Love more extravagantly,
Care more soulfully,
Serve more creatively,
Give more lavishly,
Encourage more lovingly,
Live more fully,
Teach more eloquently,
Give more generously.

Something to think about this Lent. - DJ

Pastor’s Column March 6, 2011

2011-03-06T13:14:00.001-08:00

One way of talking about the importance of the Bible goes like this.

The Bible is the story of God’s involvement in human history, as well as the story of God’s people’s response in faith. The Bible tells us how God has moved with Israel, and then with the church, toward the kingdom of God, the fullness of God’s rule over humankind and earth.

It is the story of the one God, whose nature is best described as Father, the one who values each and every human being, his children, and who provides for our needs. It is the story of the one God, who reveals his nature in Jesus Christ. It is the story of the one God who is active in our world now as the Holy Spirit.

The story in the Bible is still unfolding in our lives and in our world. By faith we remember what God has done for our wellbeing, as well as what God demands of us. By faith we are heirs of the hope that fills the Bible from cover to cover. -DJ.

Pastor's Column Feb. 27, 2011

2011-02-27T13:54:00.000-08:00

Pastor’s Column. Easter is late this year, April 24. It never comes at the right time. It’s either late or early. Here are some pertinent dates.

March 8. Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, the last day of feast and frolic before the Lenten season. If you find yourself in New Orleans, tomorrow morning it’s time to head home.

March 9. Ash Wednesday - the name comes from the Old Testament, “sackcloth and ashes” - the first day of Lent. No service at Grace. Lent consists of the 40 days and 6 Sundays ending Saturday noon prior to Easter. The name comes from the old English “lencten,” which means “lengthening” of the days of spring. The mood of Lent is discipline, perhaps doing something positive rather than doing without something. The color is violet.

March 13. First Sunday of Lent. Communion. What are you giving up or taking up?

March 27. Ministerial Alliance Lenten service held at Grace Sunday evening. Terry Crank of…

April 10. Symbols of Easter at the end of the morning worship service.

April 17. Chancel Choir Contata, “Whispers of …

April 21. Maundy Thursday seder service for families and children in Fellowship Hall. Eat before you come. We will have the elements of Jesus last supper with his disciples, but it’s not enough to make a meal.

April 24. Easter, the holiest day of the Christian year! Due to declining attendance at the early service, Grace will have only one service, 10:45.

May 8. The Grace Youth Group will be in charge of the service in Rev. Johnson’s absence. It will be a contemporary music/style format. Children and youth, bring your moms on her day! - DJ

Pastor's Column Feb. 21, 2011

2011-02-21T10:28:00.000-08:00

Like many organizations, the church has a vocabulary that is largely its own. The following is just a portion.

- Amen. The only part of a prayer that everyone knows.
- Choir. A group of people who singing allows the rest of the congregation to lip-synch.
- Incense. Holy smoke.
- Jonah. The G-Rated version of “Jaws”.
- Justice. When your kids have kids of their own.
- Magi. The first three men to ever attend a baby shower.
- Pew. A medieval torture device still found in some churches.
- Ushers. The only people in church who don’t know the seating capacity of a pew.
- Mercy. What worshipers give one another by turning off their cell-phones.
- Manger. Where Mary gave birth to Jesus because Joseph had no medical insurance.
- Ten Commandments. The most important Top Ten List not given by David Letterman. Also more important than any of the lists he gives.
- Religious relic. A person who has been going to church for so long that he/she knows all the responses. -DJ

Pastor’s Column February 13, 2011

2011-02-14T06:47:00.000-08:00

Os Guinness says in his book, The Call, that the one issue that comes up more so than any others is this: How do I find and fulfill the central purpose of my life? Who am I? What is the meaning of life itself?

We desire to make a difference. We long to leave a legacy. Our passion is to know that we’re fulfilling the purpose for which we are here. If we don’t satisfy this deep longing, we can live “lives of quiet desperation.”

In an early draft of Dostoevsky’s The Brother’s Karamazov, the Inquisitor gives this account of what happens to the human soul when it doubts its purpose: “For the secret of man’s being is not only to live… but to live for something definite.”

For us Christians, this something definite is God’s calling. Our purpose can be found only when we discover the specific purpose for which we were created and to which we are called. Answering the call of our Creator is the “ultimate why” for living, the highest source of purpose in human existence.

Many Christians think only of pastors as being “called.” Not so. When Jesus says, “Follow me,” he’s inviting everyone, not just professional church workers, to join in a way of life in which “everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and energy.”

We’ll be looking at God’s calling and what this means to us in coming weeks. - DJ

PASTOR'S COLUMN Feb. 5, 2011

2011-02-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

Can you distinguish among humanism, religion at its worst, and following Jesus?

• Our plans plus our power = Humanism
• Our plans plus God’s power = Religion (at its worst)
• God’s purpose plus God’s power = Following Jesus

It is easy to fall into the pattern of seeking God’s power to help with our plans (religion at its worst). How might we avoid this trap and follow Jesus instead? By remembering that God is always ahead of us, never behind us. We don’t tell God what to do but ask what God wants us to do. A healthy human life always begins with prayer. What is God’s purpose for my life? How will God’s grace empower me to fulfill his purpose?

A three-year-old was told by her parents that God was sending her a baby sister. Months later when the three-year-old was introduced to her newborn sibling, she said, “Hi, there, baby sister! Tell me what God is like because I’m forgetting.” Not only do we forget what God is like, but we forget the basic ordering of life. God leads, we follow. Prayer is part of how we know where God is leading, but there is more. Beginning next Sunday we will begin a series of sermons titled, God’s Guidance in a World That’s All OverThe Place.

We will be looking at a variety of issues. How involved should we be when it comes to determining God’s will for our lives? Can we over-analyze what God wants of us? Does God guide us to what we want or what we need? Do we just talk, talk, talk in our prayers, or do we actually listen for God’s voice? Does God have more of a purpose for our lives than a detailed plan for our lives?

Pastor's Column Jan 30, 2011

2011-01-30T13:46:00.000-08:00

For years I was a new church development pastor. I developed the habit of setting up a study in my home because these new congregations started out in temporary quarters. If there was any office space, it was limited and not secure. Also because a home study allows me to work with fewer interruptions.

I have a wonderful study in the basement of my home in Festus. It allows me to get started on sermons and bulletins and newsletters early in the morning, as well as finish up the work day at night. I keep most everything I value in my study because I have not had a good experience with churches.

At First Presbyterian Church, Galveston, I arrived one morning to find the outline of a body in yellow tape on the asphalt of the street in front of the sanctuary. A man had shot his estranged wife less than two hours before I drove up. To keep people from wandering in, some of them dangerous, FPC had to keep all doors to the building locked during the work week.

We had just moved into our new building at Cristo del Valle. It was our first Sunday. After the service was concluded, two men came in wanting to look at our facility, saying that they had watched it going up. The next morning our sound system was gone. After a spaghetti supper, someone took a pipe torch to our safe and stole the proceeds. My office was ransacked at times by persons looking for anything of value.

Shortly after we moved into the new building at Sandia, a late-nite visitor sat in a car outside the big sanctuary window and shot six rounds from a handgun into the sanctuary. I found slugs lying on pew chairs and several imbedded in the sanctuary door. Shortly after that, someone took a crowbar and beat down the glass entry doors. They left a note saying, “Churches shouldn’t be locked.”
As time passed someone stole the offering after the early service. Anything that wasn’t locked up or nailed down tended to disappear during the week. Cars were broken into in the parking lot on Sunday.

It is a shame that churches have to be locked up during the week. But no less than is the case with other institutions, valuables are stolen, rooms vandalized, and staff attacked, even murdered. I remember the first new church development conference I ever attended. A pastor in attendance told me that a few weeks earlier two armed men came in while the choir at his church was practicing. They robbed the choir at gunpoint. Now that I think about it, one night choir practice at Sandia was shattered by a gang of kids who were shooting out the back windows of vehicles with sling shots and ball bearings.

Jesus said, “Be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” -DJ

Pastor's Column Jan. 23, 2011

2011-01-23T18:39:00.000-08:00

Cheri and I finally made it to Italy to see our daughter Reah. It’s only been two years since she moved there. She works for a consulting firm writing speeches and translating documents into English. Their client is an international bank in Milan.

Reah served as our guide. Her Italian is sufficient. Since most all Italian names end in a vowel, wherever we went people thought of us as an Italian family – Dewey, Cheri, and Reah. My Italian improved to the point that whenever we went into a shop I could say, “Ciao now, brown cow!”

We spent most of our time in Milano. Reah’s apartment is a 25-minute walk to the bank, which is in a financial plaza just around the corner from La Scala Opera House, around another corner from the Galleria, and around yet another from the Duomo, the third largest cathedral in the world – 40,000 standing capacity. It’s a pretty exciting neighborhood!

Milan presently is the fashion capital of the world. Gucci, Prada, Armani, Versace, Fruit of the Loom, and Big Mac Overalls are headquartered there.
A group of monks certainly ate in style at one time in Milan. On the back wall of the refectory is Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” and on the front is Donato’s “Crucifixion.” Cheri and I spent a couple of hours walking through the Milan Cemetery, which is included in movies such as the recent I am Love. The family mausoleums there are like nothing I’ve ever seen.

The trains ran on time when we went to Florence and Venice. In Florence we saw another Duomo, went through the Uffizzi Museum, and walked along the bridges across the Arno. In Venice we saw St. Mark’s, the Doge’s Palace, and rode the water shuttle back to our hotel.

Mussolini was largely responsible for the train station in Milan. 500 trains shuttle 320,000 passengers daily. There is a tile mosaic of Italian heroes on one wall. After Mussolini’s death, the Milanese had the tiles with his head on them taken down, leaving a blank expression on his face.

Through it all we walked and ate. Cheri’s only complaint was that Italians don’t drink enough coffee – teeny cups of expresso. Reah has a dog, Tali’Zucha, which is “Come here, little girl,” in Arabic. (The last time we visited her abroad was in Bahrain.) When Reah isn’t walking to work, she’s walking her dog in either of two fantastic parks. On Epiphany Day, Jan. 6, we ate dinner at an Indian restaurant due to most Italian restaurants being closed. Reah’s ordering Indian food in Italian next to a table speaking German was proof that we weren’t in Kansas anymore. We flew home the next day. The Alps in the morning sunlight were beautiful! –DJ

Pastor’s Column Jan 13, 2011

2011-01-16T19:41:00.000-08:00

PHOENIX, Ariz. — The parents of Jared Loughner, the 22-year-old suspect in the fatal shooting of six people and attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, are "devastated" and "hurting real bad," a neighbor told The Wall Street Journal.

Neighbor, Wayne Smith told the Journal that on Saturday the Loughners had returned home from shopping in their white Chevy truck to find sheriffs' cars at the house and deputies stringing crime scene tape around the area. Smith had seen the news on television and went across to tell them that their son, Jared, was the suspect.

"She almost passed out right there," Smith told the Journal. "He sat in the road with the tape up and cried."

"They're hurting real bad.

They are devastated," he added.

Smith, 70, who was asked by Randy Loughner to bring in their mail Monday, told the Journal that Amy Loughner was having a "nervous breakdown." – MSN Webpage

There is no shortage of suffering is there? Not only the victims of the shooting, but the parents of the shooter. They are devastated to find out that their son has done such a thing. Time after time, from Columbine to Virginia Tech to Arizona, this is the case. It is also the case with suicide. Those who commit suicide may end their pain, but it only begins for their loved ones. - DJ

Pastor's Column Dec. 26, 2010

2010-12-26T18:28:00.000-08:00

A survey of 300,000 people resulted in the Top 10 Resolutions:
1) Weight loss/Get in shape
2) Stick to a budget
3) Debt reduction
4) Enjoy more quality time with family and friends
5) Find a spouse
6) Quite smoking
7) Get a better job/change careers
8) Learn a new skill/hobby
9) Volunteer/serve people
10) Get more organized

One wonders why no resolutions having to do with prayer or Bible study? We Americans claim that our faith is important, yet, we have no resolve to strengthen our faith?

The Bible has quite a bit of input regarding New Year’s resolutions. For example, “The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26: 41. “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it.” Luke 14: 28. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4: 7.

The Bible knows that resolutions are tough. Indeed, research shows that 40-45% of American adults make one or more resolutions/year. Seventy-five percent of resolutions are kept past the first week. Forty-six percent are still being kept after six months.

It is said that Super Bowl Sunday, which is now the first Sunday in February, is the day that America officially gives up its New Year’s resolutions. - DJ

Pastor's Column Dec. 12, 2010

2010-12-12T10:19:00.001-08:00

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, and one of the biggest shopping days of the year. It’s the day that retailers turn a profit for the year and get into the “black.” Many retailers capitalize on this trend and hold limited-time sales that begin in the wee hours of the morning.

On Black Friday 2008, at a Wal-Mart in Valley Stream, NY, a crowd of more than 2,000 that had waited for a 5:00a.m.opening began pressing against the sliding-glass, double doors, which gave way at 4:55a.m.from the weight. As the consumer-crazed mob surged into the store, temporary Wal-Mart employee Jdimytai Damour, 34, tried along with a few others to hold the crowd back. In the stampede, Damour was pushed to the floor, trampled, and pronounced dead an hour later at a local hospital.

Damour had no crowd control experience. He had worked for Wal-Mart only one week. The reason he was positioned by the door was simply his size, 6’5”, 270 lbs. Since then OSHA has criticized Target, Macy’s, Wal-Mart (which was fined $7,000), JC Penney, and other retailers, saying that they have to take precautions to prevent workers from getting hurt on Black Friday. Wal-Mart, for one, has changed its policy. The sale still begins at 5:00a.m., but most stores are open 24-hrs. Customers can wait for the sale to begin in areas within the building.

Many rightly criticize large retailers such as Wal-Mart for creating a situation in which people can get trampled. The crowd also is at fault. As Damour lay dying, people trying to get in the building jostled personnel trying to help him. And when Wal-Mart employees tried to empty the store as the ambulance arrived, shoppers refused, saying they’d waited in line for hours.

No deaths were reported this year, which might be attributed to higher security and crowd-reducing tactics; still, crowds were as cutthroat as ever. At a Mall in Murray, Utah, police arrived shortly after midnight. Nine different fights were reported, customers were tearing apart stores and overturning stacks of clothes, stores were forced to lock their doors to keep the crowd out. Three women in Palm Beach were the first in line to purchase $1,000 worth of electronics at a Best Buy. They locked the items in their car and continued shopping. Within five minutes, their windows had been smashed and their new purchases gone. At another Best Buy, a man attempting to steal a laptop stabbed a Marine in the back. The Marine was volunteering for “Toys for Tots” and tried to stop the man. And at a Toys ‘R’ Us in Middleton, Wis., a woman was arrested for threatening to shoot people if they didn’t let her cut in line.

Makes you think about God’s faithfulness, doesn’t it? “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son”… “Peace on earth, good will to all”… - DJ

Pastor's Column Dec. 5, 2010

2010-12-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

The following is a letter to Dear Abby from a Christmas past:

“Dear Abby, My granddaughter took me to a large shopping center. While she finished her shopping, I waited in the food court, watching the crowd.

All of a sudden, a woman who had just walked by turned back, put her arms around me, gave me a squeeze and said, “You are blessed. You have saved my day.”
Confused, I asked, “What did I do?”

“You smiled at me,” she answered, and then walked away.

Abby, I’ll be 99 in a few months. I have smiled all my life, but never dreamed it could make such a difference in someone’s life. I promised myself then and there to smile a lot more, and I hope those who read this will resolve to do the same. It takes only 13 muscles to smile, and it’s worth the effort.” – Kathryn of a Million Smiles

Something to think about in the hustle and bustle of the season.

Pastor's Column Nov. 28, 2010

2010-11-28T07:02:00.000-08:00

As Thanksgiving weekend comes to a close, just a word to help you make Advent worship plans.

Advent is the beginning of the Christian year. It begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Advent refers not only to Jesus’ birth, but to his coming at the end of time. (Advent means arrival.) The mood is one of repentance and self-examination. Perhaps John the Baptist said it best when he said, “Prepare the Way of the Lord.”

In worship, during the Call to Worship, we will light a candle on the Advent
Wreath each Sunday before Christmas: November 28, the Prophecy Candle; December 5, the Bethlehem Candle; December 12, the Shepherds Candle; and December 19, the Angels Candle.

On Sunday, December 5, following the sermon, the children will once again participate in the Hanging of the Greens.

On Sunday, December 19, the choir will perform our annual choral program.

On Christmas Eve, a Friday, we will hold the service at 11:00p.m. Communion will be served.

From December 5-19, Joy Offering envelopes will be in the pews so you can contribute to this collection taken by our denomination.

It is confusing that the Sundays prior to Christmas are called by so many the Christmas Season. Certainly everyone is preparing for Christmas, but this time of year is Advent. The Christmas Season, or the Twelve Days of Christmas, begins on Christmas Day and ends on January 5. January 6 is the beginning of the Season of Epiphany, during which we celebrate the epiphany, or manifestation, of the Christ child to the Magi.

Pastor's Column Nov. 21, 2010

2010-11-21T16:06:00.000-08:00

“Do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6: 31-33

Dogs tend to think about their owners like this: “You feed me. You pet me. You shelter me. You love me. You must be God!”

Cats tend to think about their owners like this: “You feed me. You pet me. You shelter me. You love me. I must be God!”

Squirrels tend to think of people like this: “You don’t feed me. You don’t pet me. You don’t shelter me. You don’t love me. Thank God that you feed birds!”
Squirreliness has an undeserved bad reputation. No one wants to be called squirrely. Still, think about this. Squirrels are so good at what they do they have generated a whole industry, the manufacture of squirrel-proof bird feeders. Squirrels are so good at what they do that most of these squirrel-proof bird feeders are about as effective as the pills that are alleged to “burn fat.”

Squirrels are single-minded. They want their dinner, and they want it now. Nuts are preferred, but birdseed will do. And they use every resource they have to get their dinner. They balance on precarious perches. They use their tails like anchors. They dig in with their toes. They use their front paws and teeth like a heart-surgeon cracking open a chest. They are one of God’s most persistent creatures.

According to Jesus, above, we too must be single-minded and persistent in the pursuit of God’s rule in our lives, including thankfulness to God for our many blessings. If we’re not thankful we can become bitter or discouraged or arrogant. All we have comes via our heavenly Father’s initiative. - DJ

Pastor's Column Nov. 14, 2010

2010-11-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

“If God is for us, who is against us?” Romans 8:31.

Does survival training have insights that help Christians thrive in a hostile world? There is a three week school at Camp Mackall, near Ft. Bragg, N. Carolina, for candidates trying to earn the green beret. It is called SERE School, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape. The school culminates with a nightmarish field exercise designed to test the candidates’ ability to live under intense physical and mental stress. Candidates are dropped 25 miles from civilization, equipped with only a knife, a compass, a sleeping bag and a canteen. There’s no tent, despite snow in the forecast; no food even though they will be there for days; no flashlight or night vision goggles. Candidates are part of a small band of just six guys, and hostile natives (i.e., other soldiers and law enforcement officers with dogs) are roaming the countryside trying to capture them. If captured, their resistance will be tested by intimidating interrogation.

What does such training teach us about enduring as Christians? Gordon Smith who is a SERE instructor says, “I tell the students, ‘If you have a guy with all the survival training in the world who has a negative attitude, and a guy who doesn’t have a clue but has a positive attitude, I guarantee you that the one with the positive attitude is coming out of the woods alive.”

If we have a positive attitude – and God will give us an attitude appropriate for our situation if we will pray for it - we have a head start when it comes to overcoming temptations, fears, and stress. With a positive attitude we can better deal with anger over our situation, better handle guilt over what could have been but is no more. And the basis for such a positive attitude is summed up in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us.”

It is also easier to develop a positive attitude when we work with God to break our work and thoughts into manageable chunks. The green beret candidates going through SERE training are taught to celebrate the smallest of victories - “I didn’t get sick… I found some water…I caught a fish.” How might we break difficult tasks or circumstances into smaller chunks that can be celebrated? “I didn’t quit today even though I felt like it... I helped someone today… I stood up for my beliefs today.” - DJ

Pastor's Column Nov. 7, 2010

2010-11-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

PASTOR’S COLUMN.

It is hard sometimes to not get depressed reading the newspaper or listening to the news. So here are a few verses of scripture to keep in mind from Psalm 112. And remember that psalms are song lyrics from long ago. We can update them so they’re in a more meaningful language for today.

Psalm 112: 5-9

All is well with those who choose to be generous and fair.
These who have been put right with God are on firm ground, their legacy lasts forever.

They are not afraid to read the newspaper with their morning coffee, or peruse it electronically later. No matter what ill-tidings the day brings forth: alongside the Good News of Jesus Christ, all else lacks lasting impact.

Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph upon all the lies, disheartening dispatches, and scare tactics that besiege the human spirit.

They have been generous in the face of bad news that causes others to hoard and be selfish; they are right with God, their legacy will endure.

Pastor' Column Oct. 31, 2010

2010-11-01T07:01:00.000-07:00

Pastor’s Column: What is financial stewardship?
1) It is primarily a relationship between a person and Jesus Christ. Each of us responds to the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ by what we give.

2) This response can be a percentage of income, which is Biblical. In the prophet Malachi’s day, the standard was the traditional10% or tithe. The people were not giving this amount, and God accused them of robbing him. Interestingly, researchers have found in recent years that if church members do not intentionally tie their giving to percentage of income, they wind up giving an amount that turns out to be only 1.5% of income. If they intentionally tie giving to percentage of income, they give on average 4.7%, or three times as much.

3) Another way of going about financial stewardship is by paying one’s share. To keep the doors open at Grace, it presently costs $45/worship per Sunday based on our average worship attendance. ($45 for 52 Sundays/year, i.e.,$2,340.) Paying one’s way, plus helping pay the way of others who aren’t able, or paying as large a portion of one’s way if one is on limited income, is a responsible thing to do.

4) Financial stewardship is one of the ways we grow in faith, as is worship,
Bible study, prayer, volunteering, etc. There is integrity in giving as large a percentage as possible, or paying what one can to keep the doors open, and trying to increase this one year to the next.

5) Your financial commitment to Jesus Christ can be reported on the 2011 Commitment Card on Sunday, Nov. 7. The only person other than you who will know this amount is church secretary, Liz McClain.

6) After we have informed Liz of our financial commitments, she will add it all up and give the total to the session, who will then finalize the budget for 2011.

Pastor's Column Oct. 24, 2010

2010-10-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

Gilbert Meilaender’s son had just gone away to college. Meilaender wrote him three “open” letters, the first having to do with keeping one’s commitments. The dad wrote, “Much too often we suppose that the way to live is to think through what we want to do and then figure out how to do it,” i.e. set goals. All of us do this to some degree. Goals are helpful, but only to a point, says Meilaender.

“Thinking this way does not really prepare us well for living as responsible people… Much of the time we’re already committed in important ways before we really decide what our goals should be. And because we’re already committed, other people have expectations based on those commitments.” They will be devastated if we change directions. God, who keeps his commitments, is not honored when we scrap ours.

“The trick of life is not to figure out who I am and then decide what sorts of commitments such a person should make. The trick is to become the person who can carry out the commitments I’ve already made. Don’t imagine that the point of life is to set goals. Think, instead, that its point is to be faithful to the commitments already built into your life.”

Commitments like what? One is stewardship. We are to be faithful stewards or managers of all that God has given us, including our life in Grace Presbyterian Church.

“Intent to Give” Cards will be distributed soon. Stewardship Commitment Sunday is Nov. 7

PASTOR’S COLUMN Oct. 10, 2010

2010-10-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6: 31-33 (NIV)

God provides Our food, drink, and clothing, i.e., our material necessities. “Your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” This is a given according to Jesus, but how are we to understand his statement?

As we all know, not every individual has sufficient food, drink, clothing, or access to housing, schools, clinics, etc. Material necessities, even though there is plenty to go around for all humankind, are not always available to each person. Not only are many unemployed who would like to make a living, but around the globe humans starve, die from drinking contaminated water, live on the streets, and suffer because basic medical care is not available. But it’s not because there isn’t enough. It’s because opportunity and abundance are not well-distributed.

Humankind faces a distribution problem not of Divine making, one perpetuated by human short-sightedness, selfishness, apathy, greed, stupidity, injustice, in short, sin; one that God seeks to rectify, in part, through the charity and outcry for justice of Jesus’ followers. It was prophets such as Amos who cried out, “Woe to those who oppress the poor and crush the needy!” And it was Jesus who said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Whenever we “seek first God’s kingdom” we do such things as distribute our Heavenly Father’s abundance to all. In this way “all these things will be given to you as well.” God wants all to have enough.

PASTOR’S COLUMN (Oct. 3, 2010)

2010-10-04T08:26:00.001-07:00

Growing up in Roswell, NM, my summers were filled with dragonflies—jillions of dragonflies everywhere a kid went. I assumed every town in America had dragonflies, but later learned this is not the case. I have seen a few in the Twin Cities, but nothing like in my hometown.

Dragonflies are unusual in appearance, somewhat out-of-this-world. Many people think that dragonflies are proof positive that aliens landed in Roswell in 1947. Aliens kept them as pets on their interplanetary journey, and after they colonized Roswell would take dragonflies for late-afternoon walks/buzzes on leashes with little collars.

Another theory is that the prevalence of dragonflies has something to do with Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, 7 miles east of Roswell. But again, many people think that Bitter Lake is proof positive that aliens landed in Roswell in 1947. It is a strange place, much like the aliens’ home planet, Blspida. (I learned long ago that it is no place to fill up a canteen.) Tours of Bitter Lake Refuge are now included during Roswell’s annual Dragonfly Festival, which was held a few weeks ago. Thousands of visitors showed up to learn about Roswell’s almost 100 species of dragonflies. They also may have visited Roswell’s two UFO museums.

Actually, some of these dragonflies are damselflies. It is hard to tell the difference, but we boys had to learn the difference growing up. Why? Because the mannerly thing to do was tip our caps to damselflies. (We’d just high-five dragonflies.)

Mannerly people are certainly different today. They look like other people, but the way they act and speak gives them away. Oftentimes mannerly people are followers of Christ, who when compared to the ways of the world, behave in an alien manner. (Alien in this sense has nothing to do with Roswell.)

1 Peter 2:11,12 puts it like this:
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.

Pastor's Column Sept. 26, 2010

2010-09-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

Jesus says about prayer, “Ask and it will be given you; search and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Mt. 7:7,8.

Under what set of circumstances is the above true? Can you ask for just anything and expect to receive it from God? Why does Jesus teach us to pray in TLP, “Thy will be done”? Should we expect God to give us that which helps us do other than His will?

The above teaching of Jesus is certainly true in the context of asking for guidance regarding God’s will for our lives and for support in doing God’s will. God will help us succeed in accomplishing His will, which is the meaning of the word Godspeed.

In American history, can any of you remember the names of the three ships the settlers of Jamestown came on in 1607? Not the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Those were Columbus’ ships back in 1492. The three ships that brought settlers to Jamestown were the Susan Constant, the Discovery, and the Godspeed; the names of all three of which have worked their way into American life. Susan Constant was evidently a chatty lady, and so they named Constant Comment Tea after her. A Channel was named after the Discovery. And we go around saying “Godspeed” to one another, although we sometimes do it wrongly.
Godspeed has nothing to do with velocity. It comes from the Middle-English word spede, which means to “prosper.” If someone wishes us “Godspeed,” they’re saying, “God help you succeed!” which God will certainly will, if what we’re doing is in accord with God’s will. Maybe we ought to check in more often with God and find out. - DJ

Pastor's Column Sept. 19, 2010

2010-09-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

Ralph Carefree recently retired from the company that had been his employer for the past 27 years. He and his wife Wilma left the home in which they had been living and moved 800 miles to be closer to their children.

Ralph and Wilma were active church members in their former community. Soon after moving into their new home, they began a search for a new church. Paying their fair share is important to the Carefrees, and so every church they visited, they dropped a check for $25 in the offering plate. It took them seven churches to find their new church. Prior to finding it, every week, whichever church they visited, they donated $25, feeling that they had contributed their fair share. But was this their fair share?

How much does it really cost to open the doors on Sunday? The most recent statistics we have are a few years old, but studies show that congregational reports indicate total expenses for the year of between $1,200 to $3,500 times the average worship attendance. (Ave. # in worship X between $1200 and $3500 = Budget)

Most congregations who participated in this study had expenses greater than $1,500/worshiper. In terms of Ralph and Wilma Carefree’s wanting to pay their fair share, an average contribution of $20 by each worshiper, every week (including the children who were part of that count), comes to only $1,040 for the year; and $25 per attendee adds up to only $1,300 per worshiper for the year – somewhat short of paying the church’s bills, which require $1,500 to $3,500 per worshiper.

Finding out what churches actually pay in expenditures, Ralph and Wilma have changed their giving habits when they drive cross-country in their motor home. Stopping to worship wherever they are on a Sunday, they now write a check for $75.

Given GPC’s budget for 2010, and our average worship attendance of around 100, our expenses come to about $45 per worship attendee per week, including kids, or $2,250 per year. The range for most churches in America is from $30 to $70 per worshiper. Again, these figures are from several years ago and not current. DJ

PASTOR’S COLUMN Sept. 12

2010-09-12T17:12:00.000-07:00

”As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea – for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me…” Mt. 4:18,19.

“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at a tax booth: and he said to him, “Follow me…” Mt. 9:9.
The next time you feel that God cannot use you, remember that Simon, above, was Simon Peter, the fellow who denied Jesus three times after Jesus’ arrest. Matthew, who collected taxes for the hated Romans, was regarded as a traitor by his fellow Jews.

Furthermore, Noah got drunk, Abraham was too old, Isaac was a daydreamer, and Jacob was a liar. Joseph was abused, Moses had a stuttering problem, Gideon was afraid. Sampson was a womanizer, Rahab was a prostitute, Timothy was too young, David had an affair and then had Bathsheba’s husband murdered. Job went bankrupt, Martha was a worrier, Paul was a zealot, and Lazarus was dead.
Puts things in perspective. No one who follows Jesus is perfect.

Pastor's Column September 5, 2010

2010-09-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ, had a resume problem in terms of his early life. He says in Galatians 2: 13, “You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I violently persecuted the church of God and was trying to destroy it.” For ex., a fellow named Stephen was a deacon in the early church. The Council in Jerusalem decreed that he be stoned to death for his witness to Jesus Christ. Paul, who at the time was known as Saul, approved.

One thing that the life of Paul bears out is that when it comes to having a relationship to Jesus Christ, God helps us overcome a bad resume. And it’s not just Paul who bears this out. We’ve all heard stories about people who were living what they said were terrible lives, when they turned away from that life and turned to Jesus. What we hear about less often are people who weren’t so bad as they were just basically indifferent to Jesus. The good news is that you don’t have to have been the devil incarnate to be freed for new life with Jesus. Jesus also frees us from lives of little commitment for a life centered about Jesus. God wants the best for us no matter where we’ve been.-DJ

Pastor's Column August 22, 2010

2010-08-23T08:32:00.001-07:00

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” Mt. 19:14.

Awhile back an acquaintance gave me a really nice present. It was something I wanted and eventually might have purchased for myself. But before I began enjoying this gift, all I could think of was, “What can I buy him in return?”

Adults are strange. We have difficulty just saying, “Thank you!” and leaving it at that. It is ingrained in us that there is no such thing as a free lunch or gift. We don’t like to be in another’s debt, and so we feel that we have to pay back this kindness.

Children aren’t this way. As Jesus points out, they can receive a present and go their merry way. They enjoy the gift and play with it so enthusiastically that it makes the giver feel good.”Wow! I wish everyone got so much good out of my gifts!”
We have been given through Jesus a way of life, abundant life. To accept this gift with a “Thank you!” and to experience it as best we can daily is the fitting response.

Prayer: Gracious God, we praise you for giving us in Jesus Christ what we need to live life fully. There is no way we can pay you back for this gift. We can only enjoy it, which is your intent. Amen

Pastor's Column August 15, 2010

2010-08-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

I think it is unclear what we Christians mean by the word “love.” Why? Our culture uses “love” to refer a variety of feelings, most often a romantic feeling. For ex., Sarah, who has no feelings for Bob, loves Sam, but then fell out of love with him because she is more attracted to Bill. The above sentence has nothing to teach us about God’s love other than God’s love is different.

When we read, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son,” God’s feelings have less to do with it than God’s willpower. Sure, God is attracted to humankind. God “likes” us, has feelings for us. God desires the best for us and through Jesus wants to enter into a relationship with each and every human being. In this relationship we receive God’s guidance and support so we might live full, joyful lives.

But because we choose to do things our ways rather than God’s way, i.e., sin; the sort of love based primarily on feelings is not enough. God “chooses” to love us, meaning, constantly seek our wellbeing. It is a matter of willpower, and it is costly. If God dealt with us based upon feelings alone, God would fall out of love and leave us.

Likewise, the sort of love that we as Christians are to have for others, even those who regard us as their enemies, is based on willpower more so than feelings. In my opinion, one of the best statements of Christian love is Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.” -DJ

Pastor’s Column (August 8, 2010)

2010-08-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

What is overlooked about Psalm 23 is that it says two different things about God. It could have been two psalms instead of one.

Most everyone knows what is being said in the first portion of Psalm 23, vss. 1-4, “The Lord is my shepherd.” We can look to God for guidance and support no matter where we are on life’s journey. God is “with” us and will get us “through.”

The second thing said is less known, God is our sanctuary, vss. 5-6. The situation envisioned here is that of one’s enemies chasing him through the countryside, wanting to do him harm. They are hot on his heels when he sees a tent in the distance. Lungs bursting, the fellow races to the tent and grabs one of the flaps.

It was widely accepted – the law, in effect - that pursuers could not touch a person holding onto the flaps of another’s tent. The one who dwelled in the tent at that point had to make a decision: either turn the fellow over to his pursuers, or grant him sanctuary. In Psalm 23, God is living in the tent and grants the psalmist sanctuary. To say that God prepares “a table before me in the presence of my enemies,” is to say that the psalmist is dining inside the tent, flaps open to catch the breeze, while his enemies glare at a distance, cursing their luck.

A variety of enemies may be hot on our heels – addictions, family problems, work problems, grudges, guilt, sin, etc. The good news is that God hospitably provides us rest and renewal, strength for the journey ahead, when we need it. This puts all else in perspective. “Only goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” - DJ

Pastor's Column August 2, 2010

2010-08-03T05:20:00.000-07:00

It is said that here are three kinds of givers, be it the giving of money or time or ability. One is the flint, the second is the sponge, and the third is the honeycomb. Which are you?

To get anything from the flint, you have to hammer away at it. Even then, all you get are chips and sparks. The flint gives nothing away if it can help it. To get anything from the sponge, you have to squeeze it. It obviously yields to pressure: the more it is pressed, the more it gives. Still, it doesn’t give of its own volition. Another has to squeeze it. To receive from the honeycomb, though, all you have to do is collect what freely flows from it. A honeycomb gives its sweetness generously, without pressure, and without being hammered. - from Keith Wagner

Pastor's Column July 26, 2010

2010-07-25T15:02:00.001-07:00

From A Maryknoll Book of Prayer, a “Prayer for the Unemployed,” by John and Margaret McCarthy:

“Dear Lord Jesus Christ, you wanted all who are weary to come to you for support. Lord, I am worn out by my inability to find wage-earning work. Day after day, my worry and fear grow as the rejections of my applications mount. I am able and willing to work, but I cannot find a worthwhile job. Please help me to obtain one soon so that I can support myself and my family in a decent way. However, if it is your will that I wait longer, enable me to worry less and to be able to take advantage of the time available to get closer to you. Let me realize that there are other ways to bring about your kingdom on earth besides salaried work; help me make use of them for the time being so that I may continue to grow as a person for your greater glory. Amen.”

Another prayer (general) in the same book, by St. Thomas Aquinas: “Give us, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affliction may drag downwards; an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give us an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose my tempt aside. Bestow on us also, O Lord, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you: through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.” - DJ

Pastor’s Column July 18, 2010

2010-07-18T18:35:00.001-07:00

Next Sunday, July 25, at 9:30 I will begin a six-week Sunday School Class on The Meaning of Revelation for Today. The last time I taught a course on Revelation was as 1999 drew to a close and many expected 2K to usher in the end of the world. Remember all that?
Revelation is a wonderful book. Much of it is straight forward. For ex., there are seven letters to seven churches in Chapters 2&3. Nothing strange about these at all. But because Revelation was written ca. 96a.d., when Emperor Domitian was persecuting Christians, much of the material is of a symbolic nature, symbols that could be understood by Christians, but not by the Romans should they come across a copy. What John, who wrote Revelation, is doing is giving the churches of Asia Minor hope. Emperor Domitian was making Christians state publicly that he was “Lord and God,” not Jesus. If a Christian would not say this in public, he/she could be executed or denied a work permit, which eventually would lead to death. Thus, the message of John is that Jesus rules the world, not the Emperor. Hang in there; God will get you through this. Help is on the way.
An example. Rev. 1: 13-15: “I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace.” What this says is that Jesus, the Son of Man, is king of the world, not Emperor Domitian.
The long robe with a golden sash across the chest is the garb of a king. The white hair symbolizes the wisdom of the elderly, in this case, that of God, the wisdom that will guide the church through this persecution. “Eyes like a flame of fire” means Jesus has a penetrating gaze: he gets to the heart of the matter. Domitian cannot outfox him. “Feet like burnished bronze” means that Jesus stands firm; cannot be moved, as opposed to an idol with clay feet in the book of Daniel. The Emperor will not prevail, cannot steamroll the church.
There is much more going on in vss. 10-20, but hopefully this gives you a taste of how rich Revelation is and how much hope it gives us even today.-DJ

Pastor’s Column July 11, 2010

2010-07-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

The Alpha Pilot class has had a lot to think about lately as we have seen discussion-provoking presentations (on DVD) about the Christian faith. For example, Jesus says that if we want to know what God is like, he’s it. What we know about God’s loving nature comes from what Jesus did and taught, as well as from his crucifixion, resurrection, and promised return. He said to Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am the Father and the Father is in me?” John 14:9,10.

Why, then, do we have a tendency to start out with a preconceived notion of God and then test Jesus as to whether or not he fits the bill? People say, “I can’t believe in a God who would allow this (terrible thing) to happen!” But such a preconceived notion of God says at least two things. One, it says we’re ultimately robots, and if God really wanted to, God could push a button that would prevent such a terrible thing from happening. Or two, it says that that the created world is also a machine, and if God really wanted to, God could push a button that would prevent cave-ins, storms, fires, in fact, all accidents.

No. The biblical story that culminates in Jesus is that not only are human beings fallen, but so is the whole realm of nature. Not only are things not right with us, but we’ve made a mess of the created world. Thus, Jesus calls us to follow him in putting all things right, i.e., restoring Paradise. But we have to choose to do this. God’s not going to put a gun to our head and make us.

It cannot be said enough: we live in a world in which we not only suffer the consequences of our own sins, but also the consequences of the sins of others. (Take a look at the Gulf of Mexico or Wall Street.) Still, God is not going to take away humankind’s freedom to choose in order that ours become a safer world. Instead, God works to make this a safer world by telling us to do good instead of harm, love rather than hate our neighbor, and take care of the planet.

What we truly know of God comes from Jesus, not preconceived ideas. -DJ

Pastor's Column July 4, 2010

2010-07-05T04:07:00.000-07:00

Two thoughts. The first is from W. Gregory Pope, The Inner Struggle, “On a holiday weekend like this one, we are reminded of the inner struggle of allegiance. We want to celebrate this land that we love, and rightly so, and yet we want to be careful that our allegiance to country never supersedes nor is ever equivalent to our allegiance to God. We sing “God Bless America,” and yet we know that our faith will not allow us to ask God’s favoritism toward us over other nations. We know there are no national boundary lines with God.

“We struggle to love our country when our government acts in ways we feel are contrary to God’s ways of justice and peace. But we love our country by calling it to God’s ways of justice and peace. We must not let our fear and struggle render us silent and still. Our first allegiance is to the God whose truth still marches on.”
Two, French writer Alexis de Tocqueville, after visiting America in 1831,

said, "I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests--and it was not there. I sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning--and it was not there. I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution--and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!" -DJ

Pastor’s Column June 27, 2010

2010-06-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

In my novel, Summer of Champions, 11-year-old Joe Don, who is tall for his age, gets hassled by a movie theater manager. The manager thinks that anyone his size must be at least 12 years old, which was the age when kids had to start paying adult movie admission. The manager had to check. He lost money when 12 and 13-year-olds passed for 11 and paid children’s admission.
Several years ago I witnessed a similar sort of thing. Teenage ticket-takers at local movie theaters were assuming that people in their mid-50s were old enough, say 62, to pay senior citizen admission. Many did not seem to mind that some kid thought they were older than they really were. The reduced price was worth it. Movie theater managers caught on pretty quickly, though. Nowadays people claiming senior citizen prices often have to produce an ID.
Isn’t it amazing how people sneak around? In addition to the lure of a cheaper ticket, older teens try to pass for 21 so they can drink in bars. Or people take home clothes from stores under the pretext of trying them on; but then “sneak out” to a party wearing the new item, only to return it the next day “unused.” Or spouses sneak around on each other. There’s a lot of sneaking around.
The truth is, though, it’s almost always wrong. You want a test as to whether or not what you’re doing is wrong? If you have to sneak around to do it, most likely it is.
John says about Jesus that “the true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” Jesus’ example and teachings and accomplishments are the light by which we can tell what’s right from what’s wrong. As followers of Jesus we are to live in the light. Sneaking around is an activity done in the dark. It’s rarely appropriate. - DJ

Pastor’s Column June 21, 2010

2010-06-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

Whatever happened to the TV show Providence. Remember Providence on TV? This was the series that revolved around Dr. Sydney Hanson who left her glamorous job in Beverly Hills as a plastic surgeon to move back to her hometown of Providence, RI, the people of which couldn’t afford plastic surgery. NBC aired five seasons of Providence, fully intending to bring it back for a sixth, but Dr. Hanson, by God’s providence, got a job gathering evidence on CSI: New York. She’s still there to my knowledge. Gave up plastic surgery to be a crime scene investigator.

Providence, RI was founded by theologian Roger Williams. He named the township Providence in honor of our God who watched over him through some tough, dangerous times, and who provided him a place in the wilderness to live out his beliefs after Massachusetts gave him the boot. Providence comes from the Latin word “providere,” which means to foresee. God’s providence refers to God foreseeing the consequences of human action and therefore being able to provide what it takes to move events toward the intended end of creation, the kingdom of God in its fullness.

Providence does not mean that God operates by a predetermined script that makes human freedom beside the point. No. We’re free to help or hinder God. Providence is simply the way in which God brings about his purpose both in spite of and through the actions of flawed human beings.

One of my favorite movies is Cinderella Man - Russel Crowe and Renee Zellweger starring in the real-life story of boxer James Braddock. In Cinderella Man we have a family going through some tough times, the Great Depression. One of the Braddock’s sons, who is 9 or10, sees neighborhood families having to send their children away to relatives who can better provide for them. Food is hard to come by. In the hopes that his family won’t give him away, the little boy steals a salami so they will have something to eat. His dad gets upset and makes the son take it back to the butcher; but then when he learns why the boy stole it, assures him that he will never give him up, never send him away. Likewise, God will never give us up to the errors of our way. God foresees the consequences of our actions and makes plans to get us through. We may have to go through some tough times; but these too will pass. - DJ

PASTOR’S COLUMN.

2010-06-14T14:58:00.001-07:00

Have you ever noticed how Jesus embodies “abundant life” in the gospels? He feeds 5,000 and then 4,000. He goes around to people suffering from scarcity – scarcity of health, scarcity of acceptance, scarcity of power, scarcity of understanding – and replaced it with abundance.

Same thing with God. God not only initiates abundance in the first chapter of Genesis by calling forth plants and fish and birds and animals, but God promises continued abundance by commanding them to “increase and multiply.” Then God rests on the Sabbath because there is enough.

Without a doubt there are man-made distribution problems in this life – economies and politics leave out many people who are in need, or those in power take so much that there’s not enough left for others – still there’s an abundance rather than a scarcity. Distribution problems need to be solved and opposed rather than accepted as just the way things are.

Tim Sanders, a business consultant who was once the head of human resources for Yahoo, urges us to not think of ourselves in terms of what we don’t have. If we do so, our life and/or business will begin a downward spiral. Ours is to stop focusing on scarcity and start concentrating on whatever abundance we do have. Build on our strengths rather than bemoan our shortages.

In church we call this focus on abundance “finding one’s niche.” No congregation can do it all, but given a church’s particular gifts and strengths, it can find its niche in its community. Given Grace’s abundance, what do you think our niche is? -DJ

Pastor's Column June 6

2010-06-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

This year the Presbyterian Women will be studying Revelation, which is not at all what the “gloom and doom” crowd make of it. Revelation is a wonderful book that gives us hope for God’s good future for humankind.

There is a variety of materials in Revelation, one being the Four-Fold Worship Pattern that we derive from Revelation 4: 1-11. I have inserted it into this week’s Order of Worship, and will continue doing so as space permits, as an aid to worship.

The first portion of worship is called The Gathering. This is the initial step in our response to God’s invitation to enter into His presence, “Come up here!” To be examined immediately are our motives. Why are we here? We gather to affirm God’s worth and to grow in the likeness of Jesus Christ. The word “worship” is the contraction of worth-ship, the act of declaring God’s worth. God is the most important relationship in our lives. We’re here to affirm this reality and to grow in this relationship. Furthermore, this portion of the service does not consist of just preliminaries to the sermon. Worship involves singing God’s praise, participating in the prayers, and confessing our sins so that we can be put right with God.

The second portion of the worship service is called the Word, God speaking to us through scripture, giving us hope, guidance, and support, sometimes comforting us in our affliction, sometimes afflicting us in our comfort. A sermon can be defined as an address based on scripture that presents the good news of Jesus Christ is such a way that we are called upon to live by faith in the days ahead.

The third portion of the worship service is Thanks. We respond thankfully to God’s Word and presence in our lives and world with prayer, by the giving of our offerings, by affirming our beliefs via the creed, and on occasion by participating in the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

And then there is the Dismissal – we are sent back into the world to serve Jesus. Worship is not escape from our problems, but a time so immersed in God’s presence and grace, that when we return to our lives Jesus makes a wonderful difference no matter what our situation. What happens here influences what happens out there. - DJ

PASTOR’S COLUMN May 30, 2010

2010-06-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

How do you handle daily e-mail? Some have over 1,000/day to answer, but even for those with far less, answering e-mail is a problem. Here are some ideas in a New York Times article from people who have faced high volumes of correspondence:

- Declare e-mail bankruptcy, i.e., delete them all and start afresh tomorrow. And if there are too many tomorrow, do the same thing again.

- In pre-electronic times, Thomas Edison dealt with hundreds of thousands of letters. Not all of them got a reply, but most did thanks to Edison’s solution – a secretary, actually several secretaries who became skilled in creating the impression that Edison himself was interested in the person’s concern.

- H.L. Mencken, journalist and essayist, answered every letter himself, whether the daily mail brought 10 or 80 letters. He answered them on the day received. He said, “My mail is so large that if I let it accumulate for even a few days, it would swamp me.”

- Time management specialists advise us to check e-mails only twice a day and to respond at times of our own choosing. Not all questions can be answered quickly.

I’m not sure what Jesus has to teach us about answering e-mails, but maybe e-mail and cell phones fall under his teachings about establishing boundaries. Jesus was often incommunicado—he couldn’t be reached—and when people asked him a question, he didn’t always answer. He taught us, “Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.” Is one’s sanity holy? Is one’s time valuable? Is communication something you don’t want others to trample under foot? Is e-mail mauling your life? God grant you guidance.

PASTOR’S COLUMN May 23, 2010

2010-05-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

Most of our college students have finished up the spring term and filled out a survey, “How Would The Bible Be Different If It Had Been Written By College Students?” Below are the top ten differences:

#10. The Last Supper would have been eaten the next morning – cold.
#9. The Ten Commandments would be only Five, double-spaced, large font.
#8. Rarely would there be a new edition of the Bible. This way, students could
always find a cheaper used copy.
#7. The Forbidden Fruit was eaten simply because it wasn’t cafeteria food.
#6. The Letter to the Romans would become e-mail, congregation@Rome.org.
#5. The reason Cain killed Abel? They were roommates.
#4. The place where the end of the world occurs? Finals, not Armageddon.
#3. No mules, just mountain bikes.
#2. The reason Moses and his followers walked in the desert for 40 years? They
didn’t want to ask directions and look like freshmen.
#1. Instead of God creating the world in six days and resting on the seventh, God
would have put it off until the night before it was due and pull an all- nighter.

Pastor's Column May 16, 2010

2010-05-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” (- Mt. 6:39)

It seems to me that if we live by this saying we don’t have to get so upset with those who slight us in some way. We can take it in stride as opposed to going ballistic.

We don’t have to get mad at customer service representatives who mistreat us. Maybe they’re just having a bad day. Or maybe they truly are rude or inept at what they’re doing, but why should we allow it to ruin our day? What kind of people are we when we get upset about inconsequential matters?

Of course, if the person who slights us is a person with whom we have dealings daily as opposed to once in a life time, and if the insults are routine, we may need to point out to the person what he or she is doing and how we feel about it. Jesus isn’t telling us here to be a doormat.

What is the context for this teaching? “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also,” is preceded by, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not respond in kind.” (My translation)

Jesus is giving us a better way of handling insults than responding in kind. Take it in stride. Walk awayt. Forget and forgive. Choose the better way.

Pastor's Column May 9, 2010

2010-05-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

The following is important information for women contemplating motherhood. The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 years of age and came up with $160,140 for a middle-income family. Sounds like a lot, but it’s not bad if you break it down - $8, 896/year, $741/month, $171/week, $24/day, $1/hour.

And what’s the return on your investment? Naming rights – first, middle, and last. Giggles under the covers every night. Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs. A hand to hold, although it’s covered with jelly or chocolate. You also get to upgrade your skills at finger-painting, pumpkin carving, and playing hide-and-seek. You have an excuse to watch Saturday morning cartoons, go to Disney movies, and read the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh.

You get endless artwork to attach to the refrigerator with magnets, hand prints set in clay for Mother’s day, and the opportunity to coach a soccer team that never wins. You can be a hero simply for removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, or retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof. You get a front seat in history for a first step, a first word, and the first time behind the wheel.

You receive the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground this child forever, and love him/her without limits, so that one day, this kid will, like you, love without counting the cost. Quite a deal for $160,140. But understand, this doesn’t include college.. -DJ

Pastor's Column May 2, 2010

2010-05-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Jesus calls us to go against the flow.

Jackie Robinson was the first black man to play major league baseball. In his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson faced hatred nearly everywhere he traveled. Pitchers threw fastballs at his head. Runners spiked him on the bases. Racial epithets were sent to him in cards and spoken during games from the opposing dugouts.

Even the home crowd in Brooklyn saw him as an object of reproach. During one game the taunts and racial slurs seemed to reach a peak. To make matters worse, Robinson committed an error and stood at second base humiliated while the fans insulted him. Another Dodger, a Southern white man by the name of Pee Wee Reese, called a timeout. He walked from his position at shortstop toward Robinson at second base, and with the crowd looking on he put his arm around Robinson’s shoulder. The fans grew quiet.

Robinson later said that Reese’s arm around his shoulder saved his career. On behalf of Jesus, maybe we can help save someone in the days ahead. -DJ

Pastor's Column April 25, 2010

2010-04-26T05:01:00.001-07:00

Creeds and confessions are statements of what we believe as Christians. They cannot state all that we believe—there isn’t nearly enough space—but they are based upon the Bible, which is our ultimate authority. Often produced at times of crisis in the church’s life, a creed is shorter, a confession longer, and if a confession is in question-and-answer format, it is called a catechism.
Our denomination has a Book of Confessions that consists of the following:
1. The Nicene Creed
2. The Apostles’ Creed
3. The Scots Confession
4. The Heidelberg Catechism
5. The Second Helvetic Confession
6. The Westminster Confession of Faith
7. The Westminster Larger Catechism
8. The Westminster Shorter Catechism
9. The Theological Declaration of Barmen
10. The Confession of 1967
11. A Brief Statement of Faith – Presbyterian Church (USA)

Pastor's Column April 18, 2010

2010-04-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

Two concerns:

The first is that eight out of ten car wrecks involve drivers who are drowsy, chatting on a cell phone, applying makeup, or otherwise distracted from the road ahead, according to a government study that videotaped people behind the wheel.

And, duh, are we surprised? No. We even know that the other two of ten crashes involve people who drive the speed limit between here and St. Louis and get run over by drivers going 120 mph.

Distraction is a problem, certainly in the Christian life. Think about the following. The Holy Spirit is God at work in our lives, “the Renewer and Perfecter of God’s people, the one who makes real in us what God has done for us.” (So says A Declaration of Faith, my favorite modern-language statement of faith.) But how can the Holy Spirit renew and perfect us if we’re distracted, if we don’t pay attention to what God has done and is doing and will be doing in our lives?

We have to be alert to the Holy Spirit in our lives. “The Spirit makes us aware of our sinfulness and need, moves us to abandon our old way of life, persuades us to trust in Christ and adopt his way.” Are we paying attention or distracted? “We believe the Holy Spirit works today whenever believes grow toward maturity in Christ.” Are we struggling toward maturity or distracted by pettiness? The Holy Spirit gives “a diversity of abilities and functions.” Are we open to receiving such gifts and using them for the common good, or are we distracted by a life of leisure and being entertained?

The Holy Spirit renews and perfects us as individuals and as a church. And one thing I think the Spirit is saying to Grace involves the need for increased Christian education opportunities in an increasingly secular world. The session has recently approved our doing two things in the fall to address this need:

1) Go to a workshop rotational model for Children’s Sunday School.
2) Add the Alpha Program for adults, members and non-members, on a yet to be determined weeknight.
More info will be coming your way about these exciting and inspirational programs as we work between now and the fall.

The second concern has to do with how we exclude areas of our life from the guidance of the Spirit. We are no different from the soldiers of a European king who converted to Christianity. Not only did he become a Christian, but he decreed that all his soldiers become Christians also. How they were to follow the lifestyle of Jesus was explained to them prior to their baptism, and so when they went down to the river to be baptized, each one of them made sure that his sword hand didn’t go beneath the water. Why? So he could swing a sword apart from any claims of the Spirit. Jesus would have no relevance to waging war so long as their sword hands didn’t go beneath the water.

Modern people exclude financial giving from the guidance of the Spirit by holding our wallets above the water of baptism. We act as though Jesus has no claim over our finances, and thus lose out on spiritual maturity. – DJ

Pastor's Column April 11, 2010

2010-04-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

Two things.

The first is a caution. People often misuse scripture. For ex., Jesus’ saying, “He who loves father and mother more than me is not worthy of me,” has often been misunderstood and used to justify un-Christian actions.

William Sloane Coffin says, “(This saying) is not really cruel. Loving Christ more than our fathers and mothers simply saves the love we have for our parents from idolatry. You remember the poem of Lovelace that goes,

I could not love thee, dear, so much,
Loved I not honor more.

“Substitute ‘Jesus’ for ‘honor’ and you have the formula for saving God-given mercies, our loved ones, from becoming a Satanic temptation: to think there’s nothing more. I don’t hear Christ asking us to pull the house down on the heads of our mothers and fathers, husbands, wives, and children. I hear him only reminding us that God, as the source of love, is the proper head of every loving household.”
Let’s be sure to do our homework regarding scripture.

The second thing is a reminder. “Fear kills a mind and soul by slowly obliterating the visions we hold for our lives. That we should not fall prey to fear is a constant theme in the scriptures. God does not want us to succumb to the chilling and killing aspects of fear; God encourages people not to be afraid of the circumstances in which they find themselves. It seems that one of God’s favorite themes is ‘Do not be afraid’ or ‘Do not fear.’ Perhaps God repeats this theme so often because we so often fear circumstances that confront us in our lives and ministries.

“God is not suggesting that we will not confront fearful realities in our lives. God is simply promising not to abandon us to fearful circumstance. God will go with us through the dark night of fear, danger, and uncertainty.

“Fear, left to eat away at us, finally brings us to a ‘little-death.’ We must not deny our fear or avoid dealing with the fearful moment. In scripture God never suggests an escapist attitude as an antidote for fear. The many ‘do not be afraid’ promises in scripture do not suggest that we shun the fearful prospects in which we find ourselves, but God consistently promises to be with us in the dark and ominous moment.”. – Norman Shawchuck.

Pastor's Column April 4 Easter

2010-04-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

Presbyterians take a special collection called One Great Hour of Sharing at Easter. Funds collected go to support three programs.

One-third of the monies goes to support the Presbyterian Hunger Program, which helps feed people around the world, including displaced persons living in refugee camps.

Another third goes to the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Program, which is still at work helping those affected by the Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. More recently funds from PDA have gone to help Haiti.

The final third of monies collected goes to the Presbyterian Self-Development of People Program, which helps people do for themselves, be it creating jobs or digging water wells. Digging wells will be the focus for a long time in that an estimated 1.1 billion of the world's people lack access to safe drinking water.

The One Great Hour of Sharing offering is in addition to our regular giving. Special envelopes are available in the pew racks, If you didn't bring your offering today, you can turn it in anytime soon. Just mark it OGHS Offering.

Pastor's Column (March 28, 2010)

2010-03-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

On “Palm Monday” the donkey woke up with the afterglow of the day before still in mind. Never before had he experienced such a rush of pleasure and pride. After breakfast he walked into town and found a group of people by the well. “I’ll show myself to them,” he thought.

But they didn’t notice him. They went on drawing their water and paying him no mind. “Throw your garments down,” he thought crossly. “Don’t you know who I am?”

Someone slapped him along the flank and ordered him to move. “Miserable heathens! I’ll just go to the market where the good people are. They will remember me from yesterday!” But the same thing happened. No one paid any attention to the donkey as he strutted down the main street in front of the marketplace.

“Where are the palm branches?” he thought. “Yesterday, you people waved palm branches.”

Hurt and confused, the donkey returned home to his mother. “Foolish child,” she said gently. “Don’t you realize that apart from Him, you are just an ordinary donkey.”

Pastor's Column March 21, 2010

2010-03-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

PASTOR’S COLUMN. Jeremiah says in today’s OT lesson: “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”How many ways can you think doing this? Cheri has recently begun attending meetings of the Tanglefoot Historical District, of which Grace Presbyterian Church is a highlight. A number of you are involved in community organizations and civic affairs, in which we Presbyterians have a long history. Good for you. And we can vote in the upcoming elections.

I have recently organized the Twin Cities Bumper Sticker Expiration Patrol. This is a group of citizens, only me so far, who go around ticketing cars with expired bumper stickers. Missouri is a beautiful state. We don’t need ugly old bumper stickers or cars held together with nothing more than aged adhesive.

“I Like Ike,” said one. I liked him too, but that was a half-century ago. Give it a rest. “My Child is an Honor Student at Festus Elementary!” Great, but that child just graduated from college. Take it off your bumper. “The Pope Is Coming to St. Louis!” New Pope now. That was in 1999. Look forward not backward.

The Bumper Sticker Expiration Patrol has no meetings, no e-mails, no com-munication whatsoever. That’s what’s so good about it. If you feel like handing out a ticket, simply do so. Beautify the Twin Cities area!

Pastor's Column March 7, 2010

2010-03-08T14:04:00.000-08:00

Last week we looked at the Beatitudes, Mt. 5: 3-11, during the sermon. It was a lot of info, so for the next few columns, here’s a recap:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, vs. 3. ”Poor in spirit” has nothing to do with not liking ourselves or not being confident or not having a personality or being a wimp. What Jesus says here is that we’re on the right path to the kingdom of heaven, or the fullness of God’s rule over our lives, when we know that we’re not the masters of our own destiny. To be “poor in spirit” is to understand that we’re not in control of our lives, God is. We come from God, we belong to God, we will return to God. Live with this reality.

Ours is to rely on the guidance and support of God’s Spirit at work in our lives. What did Jesus say? “The spirit of the Lord is upon me…” Jesus lived by God’s agenda, and we are to do the same. God’s spirit (same word as wind in the Bible) is to fill our sails and take us where God wants us to go rather than our spirit. We’re to be rich in God’s spirit and be poor in our own willfulness.

The “rich in spirit,” in this context, would be those who think of themselves as self-made men and women, persons in control of their lives. The “rich in spirit” are not on the path to the fullness of God’s rule, but are trying to make for themselves a life in which they’re in charge and God can be ignored most of the time. The author of the Letter of James says that we cannot do this. Rather than boast of ourselves regarding tomorrow, James says, “You do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil,” James 4: 14-16.

To be “poor in spirit” is to be humble rather than arrogant, to rely on the guidance and support of God rather than try to go it on our own, and to be headed for the fullness of the kingdom of heaven rather than being full of self.

Pastor's Column February 28, 2010

2010-02-28T16:33:00.000-08:00

Brian Stewart, award-winning Canadian journalist, says that when he started his career he had nearly given up on Christianity. He thought that church was a rather tiresome irrelevance. But after years of covering news all over the world, he came to a new understanding. He can now say, ‘I’ve never reached a war zone, or famine group or crisis anywhere where some church organization was not there long before me… sturdy, remarkable souls usually too kind to ask, “What took you so long?”’

When he and a reporter from BBC broke the news of the great famine in Ethiopia in 1984, TV coverage was given the credit for saving millions of lives. Stewart says that was not the case. He went to Ethiopia only because church and aid groups on the ground there foresaw the famine and begged the media and the world to take notice. ‘My own experience has convinced me that Christianity is best shared with others,’ he says. Besides, ‘Christian work on the front lines infects those around them, even those who are not Christian, with a sense of Christ’s deep mystery and power.’” (Speech at the 160th convocation of Knox College, Toronto.)

We too are part of such work. This past week Grace sent a check for $405 to assist with our denomination’s relief efforts in Haiti. Thanks to all who contributed! Furthermore, funds given last year to One Great Hour of Sharing, plus general designated funds of the PCUSA, are being used to help with basic humanitarian relief in providing temporary shelter, food and health assistance. Funds are also being used to provide water, sanitation engineering, and equipment to construct water purification systems. Resources for building latrines are also being provided, as the sanitation situation is critical. PDA will be supporting communities in the long struggle to rebuild from this disaster — the worst earthquake to strike Haiti in 200 years.

Pastor's Column February 21, 2010

2010-02-21T16:53:00.000-08:00

A thought for this Lenten season:

One way of thinking about prayer is that it is cooperation with the One who seeks our wellbeing, the One who seeks the well being of the world in which we live, the natural world, the political world, the economic world.

Douglas Steere said, “The great Christian men and women of prayer have always looked upon prayer as a response to the ceaseless outpouring of love and concern with which God lays siege to every soul. Prayer for them is a response to the prior love of God… the only appropriate reply that a man or woman could make who had been made aware of the love at the heart of things.” To sense God’s ceaseless outpouring of love is to want to love God back through every relationship that a man or woman touches, which prayer helps us do.

Prayer is step one in how we actively cooperate with the One who seeks our wellbeing and the wellbeing of others. We are to pray for ourselves and for others, including the city or towns in which we live and work. In Jeremiah 29:7,8 the prophet tells the exiles to Babylon, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

We may sometimes forget that we’re all in this thing together, but the Bible never does. It’s not just “God and me,” but “God, others, and me.” And because God is the Love at the heart of it all, my task is to enjoy this love and help others experience it also.

Pastor's Column February 14, 2010

2010-02-15T06:18:00.000-08:00

Presbyterians have a well-deserved reputation for being cheap, but not on Valentine’s Day! An elder of St. Penurious Presbyterian Church of Parsimonious, Pennsylvania treats his wife to the following ritual every Valentine’s Day. After she cooks supper and they eat her meal, he takes her to the local Walmart. They go to the greeting card section, where he chooses the most expensive valentine and lets her read it. Then they go home.

For her birthday his wife said she wanted to see the world. The man broke down and bought her a globe. She got mad. He said he’d meet her half way. If she’d furnish the ship, he’d furnish the ocean. He’s so cheap that he sewed Baggies into his pockets so he can take soup home from a restaurant.
The man wasn’t always this way. When he was a boy in elementary school, he brought his teacher an apple every morning. He’d let her keep it on her desk until he ate it for lunch.

Prior to becoming a Christian he was into the occult. His fascination ended when he went to a fortune-teller who told him, “For twenty dollars I’ll read your future and you can ask three questions.”

“About what?” he asked.
“About anything.”
“Isn’t twenty dollars a lot of money?”
“Not that much. Now, what’s your last question?”

PASTOR’S COLUMN for the week of February 7, 2010

2010-02-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

Remember the commercial on TV, “When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen”? Given the disastrous advice and practices of Wall Street, and consequent collapse of the economy two autumns ago, equal air-time should have been given to, “When Jesus talks, people really should listen.” If the world had paid attention to our Lord, maybe so many wouldn’t be suffering as they are today.

One of the teachings that Jesus gave us is The Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-12), which not only shows us the way to happiness and joy, but describes a different economy – the economy of God.

The difference goes something like this:
The advice/behavior that got us in this mess: Invest and you’ll have heaven on earth.
The Beatitude Attitude: Divest and you’ll have heaven after earth.

The advice/behavior that got us in this mess: Grab it while you can.
The Beatitude Attitude: Give it while you can.

The advice/behavior that got us in this mess: Show no mercy.
The Beatitude Attitude: Show nothing but mercy.

The advice/behavior that got us in this mess: My way or the highway
The Beatitude Attitude: Thy way every day.

The advice/behavior that got us in this mess: Blessed are the deal makers
The Beatitude Attitude: Blessed are the peace makers

The advice/behavior that got us in this mess: Those who have the gold make the rules.
The Beatitude Attitude: Look out for your neighbor’s interest, just as you do your own.
-DJ

Pastor's Column Week of January 24 2010

2010-01-28T09:44:00.000-08:00

The following is from “Dear Abby,” January 23, 2010:

“Dear Abby, last Sunday I attended a church service, and the woman and her adult daughter seated behind me would not shut their mouths. All I could hear was the two of them catching up on the week’s gossip.

“I scooted as far over in the pew as possible to avoid hearing the conversation. I go to church for peace, quiet and reflection, and it’s frustrating to hear constant chatter.

“Would it be rude to turn around and ask these people to be quiet?”

“No. How else will they know they’re creating a distraction? This happens in other venues besides church. It is rude and thoughtless.”

Over the years I have heard rather few complaints of persons talking during church services. A few, not many. More so than this sort of complaint, all across America there has been a difference of opinion regarding noise prior to the service starting. Some people have wanted absolute quiet upon entering the sanctuary; others have wanted to visit with friends.

Several years ago, Rev. Herb Miller of Net Results, a well-respected church consultant, declared that this difference of opinion about noise prior to the start of the service had, in effect, come to an end. As he went around the country consulting with churches, he noticed that the only churches that were silent before the service were those having a fight. And why were the others noisy beforehand? America has changed.

Years ago church members used to see each other and visit throughout the week, say at the grocery store or PTA meeting or post office or while sitting on porches, which facilitated quiet prior to worship. This is no longer the case. Church members often go about their busy week-day lives without seeing one another except on Sunday mornings. They’re glad to see each other when they walk in the sanctuary and break into conversation.

But a bit of decorum can be maintained. Notice what we’re doing at Grace. We visit prior to the service but begin to quiet down during the organ prelude. Visiting comes to an official end during the Greeting when we stand and shake hands. A prayer, brief silent prayer, and choral interlude transition us into the official Call to Worship.

Attending Worship Regularly

2010-01-11T06:17:00.000-08:00

PASTOR’S COLUMN.

One of Grace’s Core Commitments has to do with attending worship as regularly as possible.

Worship is a contraction of “worth-ship,” which has a couple of components. One, because nothing is worth more to us than God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we gather to proclaim our devotion and loyalty in worship services. We hear God’s word and sing God’s praise and offer our lives to God in prayer. Nothing in this life is more valuable to us than God.

Two, the suffix “–ship” means “art or skill.” We aren’t to be passive when it comes to worship. We actively strive to become more skilled at proclaiming our devotion and loyalty. As time goes by, our awareness of God’s worth is to become greater and greater, and we are to receive more and more from worship services. Worship is a skill to be developed not neglected.

The sermon is an address based upon scripture that calls us to live by faith in Jesus Christ. The music lifts our attention heavenward, and the prayers open our lives to God’s guiding, healing presence. We are called Presbyterians for our form of government – presbyters, or elders, lead the congregation in response to Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church. But we are also called Reformed because our lives are to be “reformed” weekly in worship.

Still, there is resistance. Just as people give reasons for not attending worship, now there’s a list of the Top Ten Reasons I Never Wash:
1. I was forced to wash as a child.
2. People who wash are hypocrites. They think they’re cleaner than other people.
3. There are so many different kinds of soap. I can’t decide which is best.
4. I used to wash, but it got boring.
5. I wash, but only on Christmas and Easter.
6. None of my friends wash.
7. I’ll start washing when I’m older.
8. I really don’t have time.
9. The bathroom isn’t warm enough.
10. People who make soap are only after your money.