I love the 4th of July! It always reminds me of my family, friends, and country. Growing up in Minnesota, the 4th of July was a patriotic time, of celebrating our independence and our freedom. As we approach this 4th of July celebration, I am concerned about our country more than ever before. Many of you may read this and think I am making a political statement; this could not be farther from the truth. I am making a statement as a citizen and fellow American who happens to be a pastor. I am concerned for our country because we seem to have lost our ability to have a conversation, disagree, or debate without hate, alienation, aggression, and violence. Our founders began our country on the idea of personal freedom and the ability to possess free speech:
 
“Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
 
Amendment I of the constitution guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition.  It forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices.  It guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. It also guarantees the right of citizens to assemble peaceably and to petition their government. Today, I see many instances in this country of individuals trying to stop free speech. All you have to do is turn on the news to see people clashing over a difference in thoughts or ideas. When did our country become a place where you cannot express your ideas or speak what you believe and be safe? When did it become acceptable to discriminate based on who they support politically? You may think I am promoting one political position, but these events are not political, but the basis of what our country is founded on, freedom of speech without fear! 
 
We need to get back to being able to freely talk about our differences, love one another even if we disagree! It seems we are heading away from the ideals of the 4th of July and the founding of our country and more towards a people and country that wants to stifle ideas, views, and speech. 
 
Here in California, the state assembly is joining in on this attempt to squelch freedom of speech and freedom of religious expression through ACR 99:
 
“ACR 99, as amended, Low. Civil rights: lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender people.”
 
“This measure would call upon all Californians to embrace the individual and social benefits of family and community acceptance, upon religious leaders with conviction to counsel on LGBTQ matters from a place of love, compassion, and knowledge of the psychological and other harms of conversion therapy, and upon the people of California and the institutions of California with great moral influence to model equitable treatment of all people of the state.”
 
To be clear, ACR 99 does not sound that bad. I strive to counsel people from a place of “love, compassion, and knowledge of the psychological and other harms” and to “model equitable treatment of all people of the state.” But I get nervous any time the government starts to tell the church how we are to speak or counsel. 
 
I don’t believe that this is an LGBTQ issue; it is an issue of free speech and freedom of religion. No matter what your position is on LGBTQ, I believe you should be afraid of ARC 99 and its attempt to control the speech of religious institutions. ARC 99 is a very vague amendment, and the specific concern I have is in regards to who decides what is “loving” or “compassionate.” I remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 22:
 
Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matt. 22:36-40
 
Jesus reminds us that we are first called to love God with all our heart and soul. This love of God means that the “covenant love we’re called to must be wholehearted, life-encompassing, community-impacting, exclusive commitment to our God.”(Jason DeRouchie). In doing so, we also love our neighbor. Thus, we love all people, no matter what their beliefs, orientation, speech, or position. Maybe if we model this love as Jesus did, we will be able to impact our community and country. This 4th of July let’s live the love of Jesus as we live blessed and free. 
 
Dear Lord, please allow us the freedom to speak of your love and grace to all people. Please guide our leaders towards freedom and not control. Help us to boldly speak the truth of your word no matter what our government may state and allow those words to bring life to those who hear them. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen!

​So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. …14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world[1](Philippians 2:1-8,14)
 
 
I am disheartened by the state of discourse in our country today! It seems many people (not pointing at any one segment) in our country today cannot have a simple conversation or discussions with someone who has a differing viewpoint or idea. We tend to segment ourselves into our own “factions” and are only concerned about promoting our interests. We do this by screaming at each other and slandering the other person as if they were our enemy rather than our brother or sister or at least our fellow citizen. When people don’t get “their way” they revert to acting like children who lash out and demand “their way.”  If my daughters ever acted as I see adults acting today, they were disciplined, and their behavior called out and corrected. Today, many people accept this childish behavior as the norm and suggest that this is how one has to get their “voice” heard. 
 
I also find it interesting that as we have removed God from the public square our cities, schools, communities, and government seem to be getting more hostile and less loving. As we have taken prayer out of our schools, crime and depression among our teens have increased, bullying and violence have escalated. As church attendance decreases in our country problems in our society have grown, and our ability to connect and be civil to one another seems to be less prevalent.  We seem to view each other as individuals whose identity is now defined or labeled by our sexuality, political positions, gender, and race.  We seem more interested in pointing out our differences than how we are alike. We are less accepting of our neighbor than ever before. And social media is helping to fuel this in my opinion. I recently saw someone write on Facebook; “If you support ______  at all, then de-friend me! I no longer want to have anything to do with you!”  Is this really what we have come to? Retreating to our bunkers (the privacy of our computers and phones) and lobbing insults and hatred towards anyone who has a different view?
 
I believe there is a different way! It is the way of Jesus and is stated in the passage from Philippians 2:1-8,14. This passage shows us how Paul, who imitated Jesus, modeled for us this different way. This different way is the way of Jesus. 
 
The way of Jesus begins with humility and self-denial. It is the way of love and grace. It is the way of putting others first---me second. It is the way of denying my agenda (political or other) and trusting that God is in control. It is the way of listening to others for understanding and loving all people, even our enemy. It is the way of not seeking power but yielding. It is the way of sacrifice and not self-promotion. It is the way of taking up your cross, no matter how hard or painful, swallowing your pride and following-- not fighting.  
 
As hard as this different way may seem, it is possible through Jesus. It is living the way of Jesus as he modeled for all of us! I invite you to imitate Jesus and strive to be light in this world. Join us at Our Savior’s Palm Springs as we live the Love of Jesus changing the world one person at a time!
 


 

Travel! In the past I enjoyed traveling. But this last week I had the pleasure (sarcasm) of traveling again. I have grown to not enjoy travel by air much anymore. I prefer to travel by car. Yet while traveling by air this past week I could not stop thinking about all of the violent incidents that have taken place over the recent weeks and months. As a pastor I know that these incidents are the result of sin in our world and the sinful desires of man. But I could not help but wonder if the airlines are in part creating the environment for these incidents to take place more readily. 
 
Bear with me for one moment. Are the airlines alienating customers and treating us as commodities not people? I believe this is the case, and it begins from the moment you step into the airport. Check in is now at a screen, as impersonal as possible. TSA is a hassle and a pain with little personal touch, unless you have something that catches their attention. Then you board the plane, but those who are in the “club” get special treatment, they board first. They essentially show their special privilege “card” and they are on board. If you are lucky enough to be in this club you get treated differently, given drinks and food and have very comfortable seats. The rest of us are crammed into narrow rows of seats with little legroom. You might get a small snack bag and a small cup of soda, not the whole can. In addition, on my last flight they were not letting anyone carry on their bags. You had to leave your baggage at the plane door and picked it up at the end of the flight. Not a great experience! In fact, I do not look forward to my future trips.
 
As I sat there on the plane I could not help but think, are we in the Church creating the same type of experience? Are we treating God’s children as commodities and alienating them in the process? When people show up at our church doors do we treat them in an impersonal manner with no personal touch unless there is something that catches our attention, something they can do for us?  Do we expect them to be in the “club” before they can join in? Do we give those with an LC-MS card different treatment than those who are just on board or visiting? Do we save our best for those in the club as opposed to those who are just getting on board? Do we expect people to leave their baggage at the door so they do not create congestion or burdens only to be picked up as they leave? Are we in part creating an environment where the anger and hatred towards the church is being fed? Is this creating a feeling that people do not want to ‘fly” with us?
 
This idea was reinforced when I visited a golf club recently, I felt like a visitor even though the members were wonderful and hospitable. You could see that members felt like members and visitors felt like visitors, and knowing that you could “visit” only by invitation made the difference clear. I believe many people experience the church this way. Members know they belong, and visitors know they don’t. Mainly because of our insider language and private rituals and privileges we give to those we call “our own”. After all membership comes with privilege we are told in our world. Membership is exclusive not inclusive. Is it not the same in the church?
 
I say absolutely not! Christianity is not an exclusive organization or “club” by which we can shut people out or treat those who are not “our own” differently. GOD's gift of salvation is for everyone who believes in Christ and follows Him. I say shame on those Christians who lay guilt trips or shun those who don't measure up to man-made non-Biblical standards of holiness or churchly behavior. Let us remember what Jesus teaches us in the book of Romans chapter 15. Accept others (especially those who are different than you) for the glory of God because Christ accepted you and all peoples for the glory of God.
 
I pray that this would be our guiding value as we engage and inspire people to live a sacramental life in Christ.  Reminded that we are his disciples in this world living out our faith where we live, work, worship and play. As it states in Galatians 2:20:

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

​May this be our focus as we accept and welcome others to live life with us with an inclusive, servant mentality.

 
 
 
 
 
 

I know what I am about to say may get under your skin. It might even make some of you mad. But I feel I have to say a few things. I have spent a lot of time this year at sporting events at many of our Christian schools and I have to be honest, I have been disappointed in some of our behavior as Christian students, coaches and parents. I wonder, are we truly living our lives in Christ as God intends us to on the courts, fields of play and in our practices? I have the impression, after what I have seen and heard, that the answer to that question is no, not always. So how do we as God’s people who are called to live out our faith in ALL areas of our lives live out our faith in sports? I believe this is a good question to answer as we approach the Grace Classic tournament that begins at Grace this coming weekend.
 
First, let us understand that sports have its basis in a divinely given impulse to play and have fun and thus deserve a place in Christian living. People play sport primarily for the love of the game, the thrill of competition, and the sense of community and teamwork that comes from participation. When played and watched in faithfulness to God, sports play a great place as part of the created world and helps express our relationship to God and to one another. But, when passion for sports exceeds passion for Christ or the work of His church, or when sports becomes all consuming and commitments such as worship, service, relationships, friendships and family are diminished, sports poses a challenge to the Christian sacramental life. In light of who God is and who He calls us to be, we must examine and order our passions and priorities regarding sports.
 
​Like other activities, sports can remind us that God is the source of all strength, grace, and beauty. Sports can help focus our attention on the reality of God through formative experiences on and off the playing field or court. Yet, when sports are approached selfishly and apart from God, spiritual growth is stunted, slowing one’s formation as a Christian. One key area of formation, in addition to spiritual formation, is character formation modeled after the character of Christ. To glorify God is to reflect Christ in everything we do, including sports. Thus, the quality of a Christian athletes play and participation should be unique, different than those not in Christ and those in the secular world. We should not see the antics (yelling at referees, running up scores in games, putting other athletes or team mates down, yelling at our athletes in a demeaning manner) of the secular world lived out on our courts, benches, or stands in our Christian schools sporting events. Spirit filled behaviors, as put forth in the following verse from Galatians, marks our behavior shown in our lives both on and off the court:
​
Gal. 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;”

With this in mind we can see that sports are an effective supplement to classroom education when integrated wisely into Christian schools. Participating in sports can lead students to truth and assist them in developing a mature faith learning to trust God and how to live content and joyful in every circumstance (Philippians 4:11). Yet, when we disproportionately emphasize sports or yield the purpose and practice of sports programs to those interested only in winning, they undermine the educational promise of sports.
 
I believe God calls us to a much different focus as outlined above, especially in elementary and junior high sports. God reminds us that sports are only games. While we have fun in sports and we can please Him through our actions on the court, winning or losing doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. What matters is the faith and character formation of our student athletes and if we pay attention maybe even our own formation as Christian parents and coaches. 

It has been an amazing week for me and my family. Many emotions have been felt and shared over the last week, both good emotions and ones difficult to handle. This is because of the news that was shared with the people of Grace today. My letter announcing my Call to Our Savior's Palm Springs was read to the congregation. It came as a shock and I believe many of us are still numb. But we go forward with eagerness to hear God's call in our lives. Many times life takes us in directions we could never imagine and today we are eager to see what God is up to. Please keep Sherrill, Daniela, Mya and me in your prayers as we listen for God's calling on our lives. Also, please keep both Grace and Our Savior's Palm Springs in your prayers. Our God is so good! He blesses us daily by giving us the opportunity to see God at work, and today is no different! All glory be to God, today and always!

I have been thinking a lot about our struggles as a church. It seems we get caught up in this world more than we do in God's Word and the life He wants for us. This is never more clear than during this time of year that we are approaching. Even yesterday I saw the words "Black Friday" and "Christmas Toy Aisles". It seems we are more defined by our purchases than we are by our identity in Jesus Christ. I have to admit that as a Pastor of a large church I have been very frustrated with peoples struggle with identity. Is our identity grounded in Christ or in things we consume? I have wanted to write about this for some time but could not put my thoughts in writing due to my frustrations. Then I read a blog by Todd Engstrom of the Verge Network and he said everything I have always wanted to say, so here is what he wrote, it lays out my frustration and my hope for each of us:

"Consumers, simply speaking, are people who purchase goods and services to meet a perceived need. In the most basic of forms, consumption is necessary to human existence. Each and every one of us is a consumer of something. But what happens when consumption goes from necessity to pleasure, from provision to identity?

Consumerism.

Our American economic ingenuity produced an unfortunate result: We now define ourselves by what we buy. What formerly met a basic need has become an identity, the lens through which we see the world. We, the people, exist to form a more perfect, tailor-made life. Food becomes a means of comfort. Clothing becomes a status symbol. Shelter becomes a palace of entertainment.

Yet we’re still miserable.
​
The church is no safe haven. Consumerism is most often on display in those environments we attempt to create for “community.” The sales pitch often goes like this: “Come join a group – we have one for YOU! Are you an empty nester? Check! Newly married? Check! A right-handed, blond-haired Francophile? Check! Check! Check!”

I wonder if this is what Paul, by the power of the Holy Spirit, had in mind when he penned Ephesians 2:
[13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. [14] For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility [15] by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, [16] and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. (Ephesians 2:13-16 ESV)

In the death and resurrection of Christ, enemies become brothers. The power of the gospel and the Word of God are sufficient to unite bitter, millenia-old enemies. We have a new identity “in Christ Jesus,” which bonds us together more deeply than our relationship to our earthly family. Yet, for us, we get angry when someone brings generic brand tortilla chips to our community gathering.

I wonder if that kind of “community” is what the Lord revealed to John:

[9] After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, [10] and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10 ESV)

The gospel will create a redeemed people from every tribe, tongue and nation. Americans, Canadians, Brazilians, Swedes, Iraqis, Chinese, Nigerians, Afghanis and many more will surround the throne. Yet, for us, we’re uncomfortable when someone new shows up at the door.

Shouldn’t our communities, at bare minimum, reflect some different kinds of people?

Not to oversimplify, but the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart. Step one is realizing we have a problem: a desire to satiate our appetite for selfish benefit. We must fight that desire and beg God to help us seek the welfare of others. What if we ditch expecting to have “our needs met” in community and embrace an expectation of blessing our brothers and sisters in Christ?

I have a hunch that we’d look a lot more like this:

[26] What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. (1 Corinthians 14:26 ESV) 

And this:
[42] And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. [43] And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. [44] And all who believed were together and had all things in common. [45] And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. [46] And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, [47] praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47 ESV)

As a new kind of people, defined by God’s Word and empowered by His Spirit to proclaim the gospel of Jesus, we are no longer consumers. Our Word-centered, gospel-centered community is built on sacrificially meeting the needs of others – love one another, honor one another, bear one another’s burdens, teach and admonish one another.

A biblical community consumes the Word of God and contributes that precious Word to the lives of one another.
​
What if we aimed for contribution, not consumption?"

This last question is the one I would like to leave each of us to struggle with in this upcoming season of life. May God bless you with His peace and blessings today and always!

​Shocking! I find this world shocking at times. You would think that things would not shock me any longer, after all there is sin in every place of this world. Yet it seems that it is so hard to get away from the negativity that exists in our world. We hear and see it almost everywhere. Negativity is especially strong on the TV with our 24 hour instant news cycle. We hear negative speech and complaining on the radio. We read negative posts on social media and find ourselves playing along. I have heard that there is even a new app coming out soon that will allow people to rate others on a scale of 1-5. I am truly shocked at how negative some people can be. Some people act as if their lives are so terrible yet all of us live better than 99% of the people in this world. I guess it is true that there are people who view the world as half full and others who view it as half empty. I really do not have much of an issue with people’s viewpoints, but recently the negativity in the world and in my life began to affect me. I suddenly began to feel negative in places that I never felt that way before. My attitude began to change and I was getting more and more negative myself. I found myself in a very dark place and my spirit was broken. It took me a while to get out of my funk, but I eventually did. It was something that I could not do myself. As I tried to get myself back on track I just became more and more angry, I felt almost like the hulk that sits on my desk in my office. Everything was making me upset and I did not like who I was becoming.
 
That’s when things changed. It happened one morning during my devotions and I read this passage from Philippians 4: 4-9:
 
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
 
This passage made me remember a story I heard of a negative man speaking to another man. The negative man became upset that the man he was talking to was not getting angry or even listening to what he was saying. The calm man turned to the negative man and simply said, “If someone gives you a gift and you refuse it, whose gift is it?”  A simple question yet profound. You see if I refuse a gift then it is still in the givers hand. It is still theirs to have and to hold. The gift is theirs to keep/own. It is the same when it comes to negativity. We can choose to receive it from the influences and people around us or we can refuse it. We do this by rejoicing in the Lord always and by not being anxious about anything. God is at hand and he will provide peace! That is our gift as we lift our concerns and cares to Him in prayer and supplication and the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus!
 
Do you feel the pull of negativity? Do not accept it! What can you rejoice in today?

Children are amazing! They are a true gift from God! I have come to believe that God gives them to us so that we can learn through them. This is what I find happening more and more in my life with my daughters Daniela and Mya. During moments with them recently I have found God speaking to me in what I call a kairos moment. That is a moment when God grabs your attention. I found this happening recently while I was encouraging my daughters to try something new. Each time I was shocked at how they were so hesitant to try something new or different. I remember, just a few years ago, they were always eager and wanting to try new things. Daniela jumped right into karate without hesitation. Mya always seemed eager to try anything new, and I mean anything. Yet, now at ages 9 and 11 they were hesitant to try a new thing. It got me to wonder, what has changed? Why are they and many of us afraid to try something new?

I remember when I was in the business world how afraid I was when I started a new job. Even though I was successful in my previous role, I always wondered if I would be successful in the new role. This new thing that I was stepping into required lots of effort and time. I had to learn new things and there was always more responsibility. It made me nervous and even a little scared! I remember thinking to myself that it would have been much easier to stay in the comfortable rhythm of my prior role. New was scary. Old was comfortable.

But that is exactly the problem, We think about ourselves in terms of how the culture around us does. We are tempted to put our identity in our success or failure in things. After all, that is what is celebrated and rewarded in our culture. We prop up the wealthy, the famous, the talented all the while sending the message that if you fail you have done something wrong or must not be "good enough". We have created this false idea that if you are not on the podium or on the select team that you should not be playing at all. So many of us just sit back and never enter the game. There is to much to risk we believe! What will people think?

I believe that this is why my daughters were afraid to try new things. They were afraid they would "not be good enough" at the new thing. They did not want to show their friends that they were not skilled at this new thing, and that maybe they might fail. They were drawing their identity from the activities they were "good" at, all the while overly aware of what others thought of them and their success or failure. We live in a hyper sensitive and critical world. We get instant feeback through social media and the internet on what others think of our activities. Many times we are harsh critics that bully people to stay in line if you want to be in "the club" or "my friend." There is tremendous pressure to fit the mold imposed on you by others so that you can fit in, all the while forgetting who you really are.

My daughters were falling into this trap. They were forgetting about their true identity, Their identity as daughters of the King, Children of God! I realized that this is also the reason you and I don't try new things either. We have been caught in the "identity trap" and forget about our identity in Christ. We place our identity in other things or other people hoping to gain approval or security. We forget that we have already been given the greatest approval we can ever have through the life and death of Jesus. Through Jesus work for us we have God's approval. Our success or failure does not impact his love for us. It is only through our faith in Him that we have security. It is only through Jesus that we have our true, meaningful identity. It is only through him we are free from the chains of approval and fear that enables us to take a risk and try something new.

We need to get back to having a strong identity in Christ. After all, we really need to get back to trying new things, especially in the church. There is a trend in many churches today to stay true to the way we have always done things. There is a fear of trying something new. Is it possible that we have put our identity more in our practice, our traditions, our Lutheranism more than our Christ. Yes, we are Lutherans but our identity is in Christ. With this identity secure we can be bold and start new things to reach the pre-believers around us. We can be bold even in our failure. This strong, secure identity in Christ is what we need to be talking about and encouraging in our friends and in our children. We need a resurgence of confidence in who we are as sons and daughters of the King, serving Christ with the authority and power that comes only from him. Only then can we be secure in who we are and walk in new ways to bring the saving message of Jesus to a broken and dying world.

Who or what is your identity in? How are you caught in the "identity trap?"