Pastor's Blog

I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying: God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.

It was a fantastic week! 14 of us from all Christ Lutheran campuses joined together last week to go on a mission trip to Mexico. Half the group were youth and half were adults—a great mix! The stated objective was to build a house for a family.

We asked for tough questions, and you gave them. In fact, you astounded us with the depth of your questions. There are far too many to fit into a four-part sermon series. And quite frankly, some were too big to tackle in a single sermon, such as, “Who is the Holy Spirit?” That will be a complete sermon series.

Parents have a lot of choices when it comes to activities for our children. We fill their afternoons and weekends with sports, dance, and competitions. Our children and youth are so busy. It’s like we’re rushing here and rushing there ALL DAY long. We have every minute of our children’s lives scheduled. It’s exhausting! We don’t want to add one more activity.

Hate is a strong word.I have had whole conversations with people, and fully agreed with them, that we shouldn’t use hate flippantly. You know what I’m talking about. “I hate when I see dogs wearing pink tutus. Everyone knows that green is the only appropriate color for a tutu on a dog.

As I dropped my boys off at their last day of school on June 8th, I was filled with emotion. Some of it was because it was the last day of elementary school for my oldest Jackson, but as I sat briefly watching him enter elementary school for the last time, it hit me – this year was special – he had gone to school the entire year. Yes, restrictions were still in place, but he was there and so were his friends, every day since August. For the first time since 2nd grade, life felt normal. Let that sink in – since 2nd grade and now he was embarking on middle school.

You know when they start to squeal that it’s probably time to think about maybe someday possibly checking out how much is left on your brake pads? When the squealing turns to occasional rubbing metal sounds when you turn corners, you know that the time is getting closer. When the occasional rubbing metal turns to constant head-turning, metal-on-metal grinding…well…you know it’s time.

Often on Saturday I will pick up the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal, sit on our porch with something cold to sip on, read through the paper, do the crossword puzzle and talk with Gretchen. It’s like a perfect afternoon.

The year is 2005. I am a sophomore in high school. Somewhat aware of the proud legacy of my high school’s marching band, and admittedly reluctant to join a marching band altogether, I was invited by my friends to go to the band room to hang out during lunch. Upon entering the room, I was promptly stared down by hundreds of trophies all littered about the room: some in trophy cases, some on shelves, a few on the floor, and still others precariously leaning against the walls. Several were broken, most were more than ten years old, and all of them were covered with a thin layer of dust. The most intimidating were the two large trophies from 1976 and 1978, when the band had won national championships. Placed at the entrance to the room, these trophies almost felt like an idol that I was supposed to genuflect towards upon entering.

These are the lyrics to a popular song, presently, by the artist Gayle. If you haven’t heard it, I don’t know that you’re missing out, but it is catchy. The essence of the hook is that the woman singing is mad. I mean, like, super mad at her boyfriend over breaking up.

…oh, not literally. Not like she’s crawled under our stove and slathered her backside in grease or anything. But, she is sticky, meaning, wherever we are, she is. She sticks with us.

In 2020, it was a very happy coincidence (or divine intervention) that here at Christ Lutheran we decided Online Ministry was a worthwhile endeavor. Two years later, our little virtual community is growing and trying to find a niche in this post-COVID world. I believe we have a unique opportunity to fill a void, eliminate your excuses, and continue spreading the Word of God.

Easter baskets! They’re one of the best traditions about Easter. They’re colorful, full of candy and goodies, and bring joy!

Easter baskets! They’re one of the best traditions about Easter. They’re colorful, full of candy and goodies, and bring joy!

It’s old, but it runs better than it ever did.Many of you know that I have a restored antique tractor. It’s a 1941 John Deere Model B. Hearing it do its “putta-putta-putta” as it dutifully tows a wagon-load of people up a hill takes me back to my childhood. I love that sound! And so do many others.