Precious in His Eyes

Our house is getting more Christmas-y. The outside decorations and lights adorn the front yard. Garland drapes from the banisters. The stockings are hung by the chimney with care.

Now it's time to hang the ornaments on the tree.

In reflecting on those ornaments, I realized why I enjoy decorating the tree. It's because each ornament has a memory attached to it.

In most cases, I can recall where and when my wife and I bought a particular ornament, or when we received it as a gift. The ornaments that we bought for our children to enjoy bring a smile to my face, as do the ornaments that were made for us by our children.

I also am particular about where each ornament is hung, much to the irritation of my wife and kids. Yes, I have been known to adjust ornaments that others have placed on the tree. My disclaimer is that I just want the ornaments to be seen at their best, where they best fit in.

Each ornament has its own precious nature, which is completely unattached to its monetary value, its outward appearance, or whether or not it does anything special.

In that regard, you and I are like precious ornaments in the eyes of God.

He remembers how you were brought into being, knit together in the warmth and safety of your mother's womb.

He places you with care in just the right spot, the place where you fill what would otherwise be an empty space, the place where you can be at your best.

The value He places on you is not based on your income, your abilities, or your looks.

You are precious to God because He chooses to deem you precious, not because you have impressed Him.

We call that grace. We call that perfect love. He delights in you simply because that is His nature.

Keep that in mind in this holy season of Christmas, that God so loved you that He gave His one and only Son. As the angel told the shepherds, "Unto you is born in the city of David a Savior, Christ the Lord."

A blessed Christmas to y'all in the name of Jesus.

The Prayer of ... Hezekiah

Hezekiah Prays in the Temple

"David and Goliath." That phrase calls to mind all manner of thoughts: facing down one's giants, trusting in the Lord for victory, or even Jesus' battle with Satan fought on Good Friday. It might even remind some of us of the Claymation television show, "Davey and Goliath," which featured a young boy and his dog and taught biblical truths to youngsters in the 1960's and 70's.

How about the phrase "Hezekiah and Sennacherib"? Any thoughts? (If not, you can read about them in 2 Kings 18 & 19.)

An Historic Showdown
Hezekiah and Sennacherib had one of the greatest showdowns in biblical history, even though the two of them never met on the battlefield.

But they did battle.

Sennacherib was the king of the Assyrian Empire, which made a habit of swallowing up other nations. They had done that to the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. Now, twenty years later, Sennacherib wants to do the same to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

He sends emissaries to Jerusalem to dispirit its inhabitants by causing them to doubt their God's power to protect them. They call out, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! This is what the king says: “Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’

"Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”

In response to this challenge, what does Hezekiah do? He doesn't rally the troops. He doesn't plan an attack. He doesn't seek an alliance against Assyria.

Instead, he goes to the temple and prays.

And this is his prayer: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

“It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.”

A Lesson in Prayer
Hezekiah's prayer is based on the Lord's name being kept holy, in accordance with the Second Commandment, "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God." Sennacherib has insulted the Lord's name and honor by equating Him with the false gods of other nations, gods made of wood and stone. By delivering Jerusalem from Sennacherib, the Lord will prove to those other nations and kingdoms that He alone is the true God.

Hezekiah doesn't make the prayer about him or his kingdom. He makes it about the Lord and His glory.

I think we can take a lesson from that when we pray for the Lord to help us in times of trouble, distress, or need. Rather than asking for what we think will be best, what if we were to simply pray that the Lord be glorified in how He answers our prayer? That His name would be made great. That people would know that He alone is God.

Certainly pray for healing, pray for safety, pray for a job, pray for your ministry efforts. But pray that those blessings would bring glory to the Lord. And when the Lord gives those blessings, unabashedly and boldly give Him the credit. Make His name great!

Oh, by the way, the Lord did answer Hezekiah's prayer. He sent an angel to kill 185,000 Assyrian soldiers who were camped outside the gates of Jerusalem. As a result, Sennacherib broke camp, withdrew to his capital city, Nineveh, and was later killed by his own sons.

To God Alone the Glory!

Scattering Seeds of Grace

In 722 BC, the Assyrian Empire conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel after a three year siege of its capital city, Samaria.

The Assyrian practice was to deport the people of a conquered territory to other corners of their empire and repopulate that evacuated territory with foreigners.

So the Old Testament tribes that had inhabited the Northern Kingdom were relocated, lost their identity and are now lost to history.

The foreigners who were relocated to the Holy Land brought their pagan worship practices with them. They built their altars and offered their sacrifices to their foreign gods.

This displeased the God of Israel as His Holy Land was being violated by idolatry. So he punished these relocated foreigners.

They cried out to the Assyrian king for help. In response, a priest of the God of Israel was drafted to return to Israel and teach these foreigners how to worship God properly.

I don't suspect that this priest relished his assignment. True, he was able to return to his homeland. But now it was occupied by foreigners who were not at all like him.

Nevertheless, he did his job. No doubt he not only taught them the way to worship the God of Israel, but also why they ought to worship Him.

He would teach the story of creation and God's love for His first children, even after they rebelled against Him.

He would teach about God's judgment of a wicked world but His mercy for a man named Noah.

He would teach them about the covenant that God established with Abraham, the promise of land that God swore to give to Abraham's descendants.

He would teach that God rescued His people from slavery in Egypt through the leadership of Moses and how He brought them into the Holy Land under the leadership of Joshua.

This priest's teaching yielded mixed results. Although the foreigners began to worship the true God, they continued their pagan worship practices as well. Nice try, nameless priest. (2 Kings 17)

Fast forward 750 years to the ministry of Jesus. The descendants of those ancient foreigners became known as Samaritans. By Jesus' time they had long forsaken their idolatrous ways. They worshiped God according to the teachings of Moses and were eager for the coming of the Messiah.

Jesus spent time in conversation with one of these Samaritans, a woman, who came to realize that Jesus was more than a prophet. He was, in fact, the Messiah she was waiting for. She became her town's first evangelist and invited her neighbors to see this Jesus. (John 4)

When Jesus healed a group of lepers, only one came back to Him, praising God and offering his thanks to Jesus. That one was a Samaritan. (Luke 17)

Is it too far a stretch to think that the seeds of grace sown by a nameless priest, added to and watered by others over the generations, took root and bore fruit 750 years later? I don't think that's a stretch at all.

As Greg Finke writes in his book Joining Jesus on His Mission, "Jesus speaks of little seeds through which God grows mighty works. Our job is not the mighty works; our job is the little seeds."

A nameless priest planted little seeds 700 years before Jesus was born. God grew the mighty works.

What seeds can you plant today?

Why Jesus Wants Us To Love Our Enemies

I have always loved the story of Naaman (2 Kings 5).

It's the story of the commander of the Syrian army who is afflicted with leprosy. He has a servant girl in his household who had been taken captive during a Syrian raid on the nation of Israel. She advises that Naaman consult the prophet Elisha in Israel to be cured of his leprosy.

Naaman pursues that course and travels to Israel. When Elisha, through a messenger, prescribes a series of seven baths in the Jordan River, Naaman is enraged and ready to head home. He had expected a personal audience with the esteemed prophet and some serious hocus-pocus. Bathing in the waters of the Jordan was beneath him.

However, the servants with him urge Naaman to follow the prophet's instructions. He does so and is cured of his leprosy.

I love this story because it's a pointer to the power of the waters of Holy Baptism -- water wedded to the Word of God works a miracle.

I love this story because it celebrates the nameless heroes of the faith -- the servant girl and the other servant who urged Naaman to consult and listen to Elisha.

I also love this story because it puts flesh and blood on the teaching of Jesus that we are to love our enemies.

This servant girl had no reason whatsoever to want to help Naaman. He and his soldiers had kidnaped her from her home and family. She was a slave in his household, living in a foreign land. Naaman was her enemy and the enemy of her people.

Nevertheless, she wants good for Naaman. She helps him to be cured of a terrible affliction. She shows love for her enemy.

As a result of his cure, Naaman becomes a believer in the God of Israel. He even takes soil from Israel back to Syria so he can erect an altar to the true God on holy ground.

One could ask, if Naaman became a believer in the Lord, would he also become sympathetic toward His people? Would his newfound faith influence how he advised the Syrian king when it came to Israel?

If so, the big picture of this story is that loving one's enemies, which is such an unnatural thing to do, can lead to those enemies becoming believers in the Lord and allies of His people.

Truly a story to be loved.

Marching as to War -- Against Whom?

My sister asked me why we don't sing some of the old standard hymns in church anymore. We sang them years ago. Why not now? One title she mentioned as an example was "Onward, Christian Soldiers."

I replied that hymns are generally chosen to fit the theme of the worship service, not just because we haven't sung them for awhile.

But then I commented specifically on her example of "Onward, Christian Soldiers." I told her that I personally don't like the militaristic tone of the hymn as it urges us to go "marching as to war."

Don't mistake what I am saying. I believe that the Church on earth is the Church Militant, the Church in battle. I likewise believe in the reality of spiritual warfare and that the Church has an enemy whose every effort is bent on the Church's destruction.

Nevertheless, I also guard strongly against any notion, thought, or inkling that people are to be treated like the enemy. I am concerned that an overly militaristic fervor might have us targeting the wrong foe.

The enemy is not the LGBTQ community. The enemy is not pornographers and sex peddlers. The enemy is not radical atheists. The enemy is not street gangs. In short, the enemy is not people.

St. Paul reminds us that the Church's struggle is against spiritual forces of evil, not against flesh and blood.

Those who have not known the love of God, or worse, have rejected it, are not the ones we are to war against. They are Prisoners of War, victims of the Church's true enemy, Satan.

Those who stand opposed to Jesus are still people for whom Jesus died. They are still people that Jesus tells us to love, just as He loves them.

In a wayward culture that is drifting further away from the truth of God's Word and the practice of God's love, the Church needs more than ever to hold fast to the teachings of Jesus. We need to be ready at all times to speak a massive amount of God's truth, delivered with a mega-dose of God's love.

But we need to regard that same wayward culture as our mission field, not our battlefield. The Church's warfare is always spiritual, and the battles are best fought not on Twitter nor on Facebook, but on our knees.

A Lesson from King Solomon

King Solomon, the son of David, was a golden boy. Ruling a kingdom of unrivaled peace, wealth, and prosperity. World leaders coming to Jerusalem to hear Solomon's wisdom and to enter into lucrative trade agreements. In short, he had it ALL!

We are told in 1 Kings 11, "King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women."

That became his downfall, and the downfall of his nation.

These foreign women brought with them their foreign gods.

Solomon catered to his wives, established places of worship for their gods, and himself became an idolater.

As a result the Golden Era of Israel would end with Solomon and his kingdom would be torn in two following his death.

Let's take a lesson from King Solomon. That lesson is: the Lord asks one thing of us -- faithfulness.

Revelation 2:10 plainly states, "Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life."

We are not told that we have to earn the favor of our Lord. That favor is offered freely as a gift of divine grace, with no strings attached. All that is asked of us is that we receive the gift and remain faithful.

Just as a husband desires his wife's faithful love, so the Lord Jesus asks the same of His bride, the Church.

So can we be surprised at the decline of the Church at large in our culture when 1) our culture is drifting away from God in general and 2) the Church is drifting away from her Bridegroom, Jesus.

One can suspect that there is a "cause and effect" relationship between 1 and 2. And I would argue that the Church is the cause.

I offer for consideration a simple truth: As goes the Church, so goes the nation.

When the Church's faithful presence and proclamation decline, when the salt loses its saltiness and the lamp gets hidden, the culture cannot help but become darker and tasteless.

We in the Church bemoan the decline of the culture or the country. The sad truth is that it's not solely the culture's fault.

More often than not, it's because the Church has quit being the Church. We have lost our first love. We, like Solomon, have loved what is foreign.

In the Arena

On April 23, 1910, President Theodore Roosevelt delivered an address at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, entitled "Citizenship in a Republic."

Early in his address was a passage that is referred to as "The Man in the Arena."

It begins: It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly.

"It is not the critic who counts."

The job of the critic is to critique, even to criticize. We often call it being the "Monday morning quarterback."

Whether the arena is sports, art, food, or movies, the critic's job is always the same: make careful observations and render his or her opinion of the performance.

Roosevelt would remind us, however, that it is not the critic who counts, but the person in the arena itself.

Jesus was always the person in the arena.

He enters the home of a prominent Pharisee on a Sabbath Day and all eyes are on Him to see if He will dare to heal a man in violation of Sabbath laws (Luke 14:1-6).

The crowd brings before Him a woman caught in adultery to see if he will uphold the law and consent to her being stoned to death for her sin (John 8:1-11).

The religious leaders complain that Jesus doesn't teach His followers to follow the Jewish purification rituals (Mark 7:1-8).

When the crowd in the Nazareth synagogue takes issue with Jesus' assertion that He is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, they attempt to toss Him over a cliff at the edge of the city (Luke 4:16-30).

Jesus was always the person in the arena. He always had critical eyes focused on Him.

So do His followers.

If you as a follower of Jesus have friends, neighbors, relatives, or co-workers who are not followers of Jesus, be assured that you have critical eyes focused on you.

People who don't follow Jesus watch His followers to see how we will respond and react to the events in our lives.

Do we complain about the boss? Do we curse at the computer or copy machine? Do we speak disrespectfully of our spouse? Do we grouse about our children? Do we gossip about the next door neighbor? Do we lie or cheat or steal?

We become the gauge by which people evaluate Jesus and those who claim to follow Him.

As it was with Jesus, so it is with us. We are always in the arena.

Jesus didn't win friends when in the arena. His compassion for the hurting and disregard for religious rules and traditions earned Him the hatred of His critics.

Likewise, Jesus' followers, those who choose compassion over complaint, mercy over malice, and right over wrong, might earn the contempt of their critics.

But they should know what Jesus and Teddy Roosevelt also knew. It is not the critic who counts. Rather, it is the person in the arena.

What are your arenas? And how will you conduct yourself in those arenas? The critics are watching.

Top Ten Reasons to Do Disaster Response Ministry

Hurricane Katrina is where I cut my teeth in Disaster Response Ministry. I helped the Indiana District of our national church body, the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, plan its response to that disaster.

Over my years since Katrina I have learned a lot about disasters. I have been LERT (Lutheran Early Response Team) trained and CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) trained. I've learned about Incident Command and Disaster Preparedness. All of that training has been valuable and I've been able to share much of what I've learned with others.

I've also learned what I'm good at in a disaster. For example, I don't handle a chainsaw. I generally handle a Comfort Dog and spend time with the victims of disaster. I've learned that I'm better with people than with power tools.

I've especially learned that there's a lot that I still need to learn.

Nevertheless, I have come up with a list of the Top Ten Reasons to Do Disaster Response Ministry.

10. You travel to new places. Granted, you may not see these places at their best, but every deployment gives the opportunity to visit a part of the country that may be new to you. Even in driving from one shelter to another, you see the sights along the way. I've enjoyed beignets in the French Quarter, seen from afar the Statue of Liberty, felt the damp chill of New England in December, and paid my respects at the memorial to the victims of the 1995 Murrah Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City.

9. You meet great everyday heroes: police officers and firefighters, EMS crews and 911 dispatchers, ER nurses, volunteers from across the nation, and local residents who all pitch in to help in the crisis.

8. You hear powerful stories of faith and courage in the face of overwhelming adversity. These stories will inspire when you hear them and will inspire others when you share them.

7. You are privileged to work side by side with others whose hearts overflow with compassion for the hurting. Friendships are forged in the course of serving in a disaster. You are part of a team and you grow close to your teammates as you rely on each other during the deployment.

6. At the end of each day, your heart is filled with gratitude for the blessings that God has bestowed on you. Caring for the hurting, the grieving, the confused, and the frightened puts your life in perspective and keeps you from taking God's goodness for granted.

5. In my case, I get to partner with the Comfort Dogs from Lutheran Church Charities. These highly trained and skilled golden retrievers serve as the bridge for Disaster Response Ministry. The comfort that they provide to the victims of disaster has to be seen to be understood. With their unconditional love and the gift of hope they inspire, these dogs bring healing to hurting spirits.

4. You marvel at the "God Moments" that occur each day of the deployment. The day may begin with "Why are we spending time at this location?" The day will end with "That's why God had us go there."

3. Caring for people in disaster increases your capacity to notice and care for the people in need that you encounter each and every day. That neighbor or co-worker or friend may be in their own personal crisis. It won't make the headlines, and they may not bring it up to you, but you will learn to recognize the look in the eye or the body language that cries out, "Help me!"

2. You hone your Christian caregiving skills. Phrases like "How can I help you in prayer?" become natural. So does using your ears more than your mouth. You discover the healing power of a hug or a hand on a shoulder. You find your "go to" Bible passages that speak hope to the hurting. (Mine is Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd ... ")

And the Number 1 Reason to Do Disaster Response Ministry is: You receive the blessing of being the vessel that brings the Compassion, Mercy, Presence, and Proclamation of Christ to those who are hurting. You make a difference in the name of Jesus. What more could you want at the end of the day?

Health Tip for Today: Do the will of the One who sent you

Healthy Eating! It's all the rage in a nation that wrestles with obesity.

On a daily basis we are told by the experts what foods are the best for us (as in the "Top 10 Healthiest Foods" pictured here) and in what portions we should eat them and how many times a day we should eat them and how we should prepare them and on and on and on...
Even though there may be disagreements about the details of healthy eating, one thing that everyone who eats agrees on is this: in order to be healthy, we need to eat food.

The same can be said of our spiritual health. It also requires food. Jesus even tells us what food we should eat to nourish our spirits.

I know that some of you are assuming that I'm referring to the Word of God. That would be a good assumption.

Others of you might have the Lord's Supper in mind. Another good possibility.

In fact, our spiritual life depends on God's Word and the Lord's Supper as indispensable means through which God gives us His grace. To remove them from our spiritual diet is to starve our soul to (eternal) death.

But in John 4, while the woman at the well is off telling her fellow villagers about this man she met who told her everything she had done in her life, Jesus has a chit-chat with His disciples. They have urged Him to eat some of the food they have purchased. In response He tells them that He has food that they don't know about. They think that someone gave Him some food in their absence. He explains that His food is to do the will of the One who sent Him.

In other words, what nourished Jesus spiritually, what kept Him healthy in His soul, was to obey His Father's will and finish His work.

Jesus then pointed to the mission of reaping the harvest of people in whom the promises of God had been planted. The fields, He explained, were ripe and just waiting to be harvested. People were ready to be gathered into eternal life.

Jesus says His food is to do the will and work of God and links it with the mission of the church. If the will and work of God and the reaping of the mission harvest nourished Jesus, they will also nourish His followers.

Simply put, if you want to be spiritually fed, be in mission.

If you want to be spiritually healthy, be in mission.

If you want to do the will and work of God, be in mission.

Serving Where the Lord Leads

Dogs and Handlers from Lutheran Church Charities meet

Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden (center)

On Sunday, July 17, two police officers and one sheriff’s deputy in Baton Rouge were killed in the line of duty.

On Monday, I offered to assist with the Lutheran Church Charities Comfort Dog deployment.

On Tuesday, I drove to Baton Rouge to meet with Lutheran Church Charities president Tim Hetzner and the rest of the team of dogs and handlers.

On Wednesday we began our work. During the three-day deployment we brought the dogs to the Baton Rouge Police Department, the Lady of the Lakes Hospital, the 911 Dispatch Center, and the funeral visitation of one of the slain officers.

We met police officers, dispatchers, the Police Chief and Mayor of Baton Rouge, the family of one of the wounded officers, and staff at the hospital Emergency Department.

The Comfort Dogs paved the way for their handlers to offer the compassion and love of Jesus to the people that we met. That most often took the form of words of encouragement and time spent in prayer.

Our team included people and dogs from Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. For some of the victims of tragedy and loss, the fact that we were there spoke volumes. For others, the hugs we gave and the prayers we offered eased the hurt. For many, simply spending quiet moments with a Comfort Dog brought healing to aching spirits.

The welcome we received wherever we went let us know deeply people were hurting. It was a privilege to serve the Baton Rouge community.

As we anticipate the placing of a Comfort Dog at Messiah, I know that we will have plenty to keep our dog busy in Houston. He or she will spend time at the Early Childhood Center, join me at the Corner Bakery where I offer prayer to their patrons, and pay visits to our local police and fire stations. Our members will learn how to work with our dog and engage in ministry at our local hospitals, assisted living facilities, libraries, and schools.

But there will also be times when the request goes out to deploy beyond Houston or beyond Texas because of a shooting, a flood, a tornado, a hurricane, or an explosion.

Those times will remind us that the love of Jesus knows no limits and His people’s compassion for the hurting has no boundaries.

A Letter from Prison

St. Paul, a first century follower of Jesus, is wrongfully imprisoned by the government. While in custody, he writes to a number of congregations to instruct and encourage them. These are called his Prison Letters. One of these letters is written to the church in the city of Philippi. This letter is known by many as the "Letter of Joy" because joy is one of its main themes.

Toward the end of this letter, Paul addresses a conflict that is brewing in the congregation. After being specific about how the parties involved should work to reconcile, Paul speaks more generally about the way of peace. He urges three virtues: joy, gentleness, and gratitude. He says that practicing these three virtues will result in a peace that transcends and surpasses all understanding, a peace that comes only from God (Philippians 4:4-7).

Recent events in our nation have put hate and anger and bitterness on display. And these traits, when combined, yield the ugly fruit of violence. Five dead police officers in Dallas, Texas. Police in other cities being targeted simply for wearing the uniform.

In saying this, I don't mean to minimize the fact that police officers can make mistakes and even abuse their authority. But a law enforcement officer doesn't deserve to be targeted as a threat anymore than a black man in his twenties should be assumed to be a thug. Nevertheless, in this broken world the temptation and tendency to pre-judge is all too alive and well.

But bitterness, anger, and hate are not the solutions to the problem. They will never result in peace. They will only breed conflict and violence.

Let's take a lesson from Paul. Let's pursue the virtues he urges and even challenges us to practice. He counsels joy, gentleness, and gratitude, resulting in divine peace. Joy, gentleness, and gratitude, from the pen of a man wronged by the authorities. Imagine that.

No More Stinkin' Thinkin'!

It's been two weeks since my last post. That's because my family arrived in Houston in mid-June after five months of me being in southeast Texas and my wife being in northwest Indiana. As the Peaches & Herb song goes, we're "reunited and it feels so good."


I've been reading Paul's letter to the Philippians, which is often referred to as the Epistle of Joy. In this missive we find the familiar words "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Phil. 4:4)

It is noted by commentators that Paul wrote these words while under arrest in Rome. He reminds his readers that he is "in chains." While in custody he hears that some are preaching about Jesus out of envy and selfish ambition, hoping to stir up trouble for Paul while he is unable to defend himself.

Nevertheless, Paul rejoices.

How can he do that? How can he not be angry or depressed? Why is he able to rejoice and have joy?

It's because Paul knows that joy is not a matter of emotions. Joy is rooted in the assurance that Jesus is Lord and is working for good even through Paul's imprisonment. Paul know that his joy depends not on how he feels but rather in how he thinks.

In chapter 2, Paul urges his readers to think like Jesus thought. In chapter 4, he exhorts them to fix their thoughts on the things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

In other words, as the sainted Millie Anderson would say, no more "stinkin' thinkin'!" That's what she would call negative and unproductive thoughts that would get in a person's way -- stinkin' thinkin'.

Satan, the father of lies, is also the father of stinkin' thinkin'. He wants nothing more than to neutralize the body of Christ by trapping us in his deceptions. Stinkin' thinkin' is when we accept his lies and forget that God "began a good work in you [and] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6). It's when we forget that "everything [is] a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:8).

When we are sinking into dark thoughts and foul moods, Paul would have us remember Jesus, the one who is genuinely " true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy." Paul would urge us to resist and rebuke Satan and his lies. He would challenge us to stand firm in faith and cry out against the enemy in defiance: "No more stinkin' thinkin'!!"

Dogs and Handlers Bring Out the "Blessed" in Each Other

Tim Hetzner and Comfort Dog Jonah

I didn't hear about the horror in Orlando until Sunday afternoon, too late to include the incident in the prayers of the church during worship.

But others were more informed, including Tim Hetzner, the president of Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) and the inspiration behind the Comfort Dog Ministry.

Tim marshalled his volunteer handlers and by Monday morning, a group of eight dog and handler teams flew out of O'Hare airport near LCC's office and were on their way to respond to the Orlando attack.

Comfort Dog teams from Iowa, Texas, South Carolina, Nebraska, and Tennessee have since joined the Illinois group to bring the love of Jesus to the hurting people of Orlando. This week they will spend time with the loved ones of shooting victims, local law enforcement, and first responders. They will visit local hospitals and attend prayer vigils. In every locale, the dogs will serve as the "paws" of Jesus and help their handlers bring comfort, hope, and love to all they meet.

To keep up with the work that the dogs are doing, follow LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs on Facebook. Each dog has its own Facebook page as well. A search of "comfort dog" on FB will introduce you to most of the pack.

This article from Time magazine online also features the work done by these very gifted canines: http://time.com/4368727/comfort-dogs-are-coming-from-across-the-country-to-console-orlando-survivors/?xid=time_socialflow_twitter

The Comfort Dog Ministry is a nationwide network of highly trained Golden Retrievers that are placed in Lutheran churches to assist congregations in caring and outreach ministries. Since its inception in 2008, the ministry has grown to include over one hundred dogs working from coast to coast and border to border.

The dogs work with handlers who are equipped to provide emotional and spiritual care to those in need. The ministry is one in which dogs and handlers truly bring out the best and the "blessed" in each other.

When teams deploy, LCC doesn't charge a fee to those they serve. Rather, they rely on the generosity of donors to offset the travel and lodging expenses of their volunteers. To make a donation, you can call 866-455-6464 or donate via text by sending @LCCGIVE to 52014. LCC's website is www.lutheranchurchcharities.org and donations can be made online.

The Gospel According to Clint

While surfing the channels I happened upon one of my favorite movies, Gran Torino starring Clint Eastwood. He plays Walter Kowalski, a retired auto worker who lives in Detroit. He's foul-mouthed, close-minded, and prejudiced. The Hmong who have moved into his neighborhood annoy him to no end, especially when one of them, a teenage boy, tries to steal his beloved Gran Torino as part of a gang initiation.

Nevertheless, when the boy is made to work for Kowalski to restore the family honor, Kowalski eventually befriends him and his family. However, the family finds itself targeted by the Hmong gang. They attack the young man on his way home from work. They shoot up the family's home in a drive-by. They assault the family's older daughter.

Kowalski, a Korean War vet, is pushed to the breaking point. He decides to take matters into his own hands to protect this family and his neighborhood. After spending a day getting a shave and a haircut, being fitted for a suit, and going to confession, Kowalski puts his plan into action.

After sunset he confronts the gang at their house. Standing on their front lawn he calls the gang members out for their cowardice. From the house, they draw their weapons in order to intimidate Kowalski. But it won't work.

You see, Kowalski has nothing to lose. He is dying of lung cancer and he knows it. Still, he wants his death to matter. With the gang's guns pointed at him, he reaches inside his jacket, as if to draw his own weapon. When he quickly jerks his hand out of his jacket the gangbangers open fire. Kowalski is cut down in a hail of bullets. In full view of the neighbors. All of whom will testify.

And here's the Gospel "money shot." As Kowalski falls backward, his arms outstretch. A close-up of his right hand reveals that he had reached not for a weapon but for his cigarette lighter. A trickle of blood flows from under his jacket's cuff down his wrist into the palm of his hand. Then the camera draws back to show him lying on the ground ... in the shape of a cross.

Walter Kowalski has given his life to rescue his neighbors from the threat of evil.

Sound like anybody else you've heard of?

Too Taboo for Jesus?

Are there topics that the church should avoid. Issues so divisive or controversial or personal that they are not fit for sermon or Bible study or discussion group?

What might some of those topics be? Substance abuse? Personal finances? Anything to do with sex?

Some in the church community might be inclined to shy away from these issues. Perhaps they believe that a follower of Jesus doesn't wrestle with these concerns. Or perhaps they consider these topics inappropriate for Christian conversation.

Whatever the case may be, the church can't be in denial of the reality of sin and the toll that it takes in the lives of believers and non-believers alike. That means that the church is THE PLACE to have these conversations.

First of all, when it comes to who we are as human beings, the biblical worldview will trump the secular worldview every day of the week, and twice on Sunday. The biblical worldview is rooted in the conviction that people are created in the image of God. If that doesn't inform and influence how I treat others and myself, I don't know what will.

Instead of simply being the results of an evolutionary accident, I and all around me are the handiwork of almighty God. There is a sacredness to human existence that is not to be violated. This has implications for the value of unborn life, how people view human sexuality, how I treat others, and how I treat my own body, to name just a few.

Secondly, the biblical worldview teaches that we are here to be stewards of the resources God has provided. That means nothing belongs to me. It's not "my" time. It's not "my" talent. It's not "my" treasure. These are not "mine." They belong to God. They are put under my management, and I am answerable to God for how I manage them and use them for His glory and for the good of others.

A secular worldview would argue "the survival of the fittest," "the law of the jungle," or "The one who dies with the most toys wins." The biblical worldview would say, instead, that the goal of life is not the pursuit of wealth or pleasure or power. Rather, my goal each day is to glorify God and serve those around me, using the resources entrusted to me to the best of my ability. To manage them as God would.

The church needs to bring its biblical worldview and wisdom into the conversation. There is a generation asking big questions about purpose and meaning and existence. They are wrestling with issues of human sexuality and values and morality. They want to know who they are and why they are here and what happens when all this is over.

All of these questions are vital. And none of them are taboo for Jesus. Nor should they be taboo for His followers.

#LoveWarns

In 21st century America, the greatest virtue is tolerance and intolerance is the greatest vice.

In a bygone era, to "tolerate" someone or something meant "to put up with" him/her, "to endure" the situation. This tolerance was often accompanied by a sense of weary resignation.

Nowadays, however, tolerance is to be served with a side dish of acceptance or approval or even applause. We are told that to do anything less is to be a "hater."

This was recently made evident when a transgendered teen wanted to be crowned prom queen in his local high school. Although born a male, he identified as a female and wanted to be treated as such.

This person gained "media darling" status through a local newspaper columnist's articles and Facebook posts. Those who took issue with his desire to be prom queen were called "ill informed, uneducated, scared bigoted individuals" and "hateful and disrespectful people."

The prom queen controversy is only one example of the tyranny of the New Tolerance. A year ago when the Supreme Court re-defined marriage, the reaction was quite the same. Anyone who stood for traditional marriage was criticized as being homophobic and judgmental. No allowance was given for a person to object on moral grounds. Any objection was deemed to be hate.

Now, I believe that Jesus means it when He tells me not to judge others. I believe that He means it when He tells me to love others, also. But nowhere does Jesus tell me to sacrifice my principles and convictions on the altar of tolerance. He certainly didn't.

Jesus teaches us not to judge people. But He doesn't teach us not to warn people. Warning is a loving act. "Don't touch the hot stove." "Don't play in the street." "Don't do drugs." These are warnings that we give to the people we love the most, our children.

As a follower of Jesus, it's my responsibility to warn people of danger. This is especially true if they are in danger of sinning against their God, which can cost them their eternity with God. In the words of St. Paul, "I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children" (1 Corinthians 4:14).

I often take issue with the direction our culture is going in its swift drift away from the teachings of God's Word. However, as Jesus has taught me, no matter how much I might question a person's choices, it's never my place to judge. Because of my own moral failings, I have no right to do so. I am in no position to throw stones.

Nevertheless, although it is not my place to judge, it is always my place to warn, in all humility and compassion. Genuine love can do no less.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

"Please, won't you be my neighbor?" That question from our childhood friend Mr. Rogers is one that is still being asked today.

In a world of cyber communities, Facebook friendships, and digital dating, our social needs still go unmet by the social network.

To me that means there are people all around us who are asking the question, "Please, won't you be my neighbor?"

Won't you be the person who lovingly listens to me?

Won't you be the one who faithfully cares about my fears, my uncertainties, my insecurities?

Won't you be the friend who joyfully celebrates my victories with me?

Won't you be the one who kindly comforts me when I'm hurting?

Won't you be the companion who patiently spends time with me?

Won't you be the one who gently mourns with me?

Won't you please be my neighbor?

Jesus taught us the value of neighborliness when He gave us the second greatest commandment. The most important command, according to Jesus, is to love God with all we have. The second most important is to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

And lest we be tempted to try to figure out who is our neighbor so that we can also determine who isn't our neighbor, Jesus tells us that our job is act in a neighborly manner to anyone who needs a neighbor.

Next time you are at the office or at the store or in your neighborhood, be mindful of the folks around you. Take notice of their demeanor, their tone of voice, their body language. See who is silently asking, "Won't you please be my neighbor?" It could even be that the person who is the most exasperating is the one who most needs your neighborly care and compassion.

Won't you be their neighbor?

Musings on "Captain America: Civil War"

* * * SPOILER ALERT * * *

Fanboys and fangirls waited eagerly for the May 6 release of "Captain America: Civil War." I should know. I was one of them!

Many people have asked me why all of these heroes who have fought side-by-side against threats like Loki and Ultron are now fighting each other.

The answer is Helmut Zemo, the villain of the movie.

You see, Zemo is driven by revenge. In the battle between the Avengers and Ultron, an artificial intelligence that considered humanity the greatest threat to the planet Earth, Zemo's family was collateral damage. As a result, Zemo wants to rid the earth of the Avengers.

But Zemo has neither superpowers nor cosmic weapons to do the trick. What he has is a plan, a plan to pit the members of the Avengers against one another. Hence the subtitle "Civil War."

In this movie, Zemo is the Devil and the Avengers are the followers of Jesus, a.k.a. the Church.

Jesus bested the Devil through His sacrifice on the cross. Jesus' death was the price necessary to redeem us from sin, death, and the Devil. And Jesus paid that price willingly because of His love for each one of us. When Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning, that meant the utter defeat of the Devil. The Devil was rendered powerless against Jesus and against those who follow Jesus.

Much like Zemo, the Devil is still driven by revenge. Unable to wage war against Jesus, the Devil targets Jesus' followers. Unable to destroy the Church in a direct assault, the Devil schemes and plots to have the Church destroy itself.

Endless conflicts and divisions among believers blunt the Church's witness to the world. Power struggles in congregations or church bodies sap the energy and enthusiasm that should fuel the Church's mission. The lure of wealth or fame or pleasure cripples the leadership of those entrusted to shepherd Jesus' lambs and sheep.

When these things happen, the Devil pours Himself a martini, lights up a cigar, and relaxes by the pool, because he has had a good day.

We can only pray that Jesus, the Lord of the Church, would send His Spirit of peace and unity to fill the hearts of His people. Apart from Jesus' Spirit, we will only breed conflict and disunity. With His Spirit, we can stand against the Devil's schemes (Ephesians 6:11). With His Spirit, we can keep the main thing the main thing. With His Spirit, we can continue the mission of Jesus, who came to seek and to save that which is lost (Luke 9:10).

In Need of Renovation?

I confess that I am a fan of "Property Brothers," HGTV's hit show about twin brothers who help families find houses in need of lots of work and transform them into their dream homes. Drew Scott handles the real estate end of the task, while brother Jonathan Scott does the renovation work.

Reading Paul's letter to the Galatians put me in mind of the work the Property Brothers do. Paul tells us that following or not following outmoded religious practices (such as circumcision) makes no difference to our salvation. What matters, Paul says, is "new creation" (Galatians 6:5).

New creation, renovation, is what God is all about. This is so true that in Revelation 21, when God the Father speaks for only the second time in the entire book, He sums up His work with the words, "Behold, I make all things new."

That's the Father's work, to make all things new. He does this work in harmony with His Son, Jesus, who purchased us at the price of His blood, and through the effort of the Holy Spirit, who does the renovation work. Jesus found and purchased the rundown property, you and me, and the Spirit transforms us into "dream homes" suitable for Him to inhabit.

On the show, after the home is purchased, that's when the "reno" work begins. Jonathan and his crew will tear down walls, remove outdated flooring and fixtures, reconfigure rooms, replace wiring and plumbing that is nowhere near up to code, and do whatever else need to be done. In the process, the home gets pretty messy. As my dad would often say, it has to look bad before it can look better.

In much the same way, the Holy Spirit goes to work in us. Each of us has all sorts of faulty thoughts and outdated attitudes and beliefs that need to be "demoed." Our hearts need to be reconfigured from their self-centered focus so that sight lines are opened up and we can see the needs of those around us. Walls of division and strife need to be torn down. We need to be brought up to God's code. It can be a messy, even painful, process, but it has to look bad before it can look better.

The Spirit does that through the power of God's Word and the blessings of Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper. These are His sledgehammer and sawzall, His hammer and paintbrush, His tape measure and level. Through the word of law the Spirit demolishes our sinful nature and through the word of grace He renovates us, makes us new, brings us up to code.

Jonathan will readily admit that one of the most frustrating aspects of his job is when homeowners doubt his design plan rather than trusting that he knows what he is doing. They have "better ideas" about how the work should be done, ideas which would end up costing more time and more money and make Jonathan's work more difficult to complete.

Maybe that's what Paul means when he urges us not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). We grieve the Spirit when we come up with a "better idea" of how to be renovated or what we want to look like when the job is done. We are inclined to hang on to the ugly fixtures of anger, greed, deceit, and lust because we are attached to them and are comfortable with them. We think that simply painting over moldy walls or rotten trim will be sufficient. We doubt that the Spirit knows what He is doing, and end up making His work in us more difficult.

But if we trust the Spirit's wisdom and experience, we will see the results in our lives. The Spirit's fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control will abound in us. We will be renovated into dream homes, holy temples in which God's Spirit can dwell.

Timing Is Everything!

In September of last year I met with the Call Committee of Messiah Lutheran Church. It just so happened that I was in the Houston area for a conference when they wanted to talk with me. So instead of a thirty minute phone call, we had a ninety minute conversation about the Messiah congregation and its ministry as well as my pastoral experience and ideas for outreach. The next day the congregation president told me that they would recommend me to the congregation to serve as their pastor. I sometimes wonder if they would have made that choice if it was only a thirty minute phone call.

Timing is everything.

In January 2016 I was installed as pastor at Messiah, but my wife still needed to remain in Indiana through the end of the school year. We had a house to sell, a daughter still at Indiana University, and no place to move to in Houston. The transition would take about five months of us living apart with only a couple of visits during that time.

The house sold in late March and we were scheduled to sign the papers in early May. Although we had house-hunted online for almost six months and in earnest for a few weeks, nothing we saw met our family's needs. With the sale of the Indiana house looming on the horizon, time was getting short. We needed to find a Houston home.

In late April, a mere 11 days before I was scheduled to fly to Indiana for our daughter's college graduation, and seven months to the day since I met with the Messiah Call Committee, we found the house and our offer was accepted.

Timing is everything.

That's what I have been learning. Timing is everything, especially when it's Jesus' timing. In Psalm 27, David writes, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Jesus has been teaching me and my wife to trust Him. He has been challenging us to be strong in our faith and take heart when discouraged. He has been saying to us, "Don't worry. I've got this. I am the Lord of perfect timing."

What in your life seems to be ill-timed? What do you need to happen in a timely fashion? I encourage you to ponder the words of David: Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Timing is everything, and His timing is perfect.