Planning for your death

That is such a lovely thought, isn't it?  No one wants to think of it but death, like taxes and politicians breaking promises, is one of the things in life that is guaranteed. Death is something that creates a great deal of turmoil for those who are left behind. I have witnessed families left in terrible financial situations because of a lack of planning and life insurance to cover the debts and expenses. It is heartbreaking when you hear the stories and are powerless to change anything after the fact. Spouses who have to sell the family home and move because there is not enough money to pay the bills. Spouses forced into working crazy hours to pay the bills and depriving children of the one parent they have remaining when they need him/her the most. It is sad, and unnecessary. 

Experts vary on what they recommend for life insurance amounts, but a good rule of thumb is in this article. Having at least 5 years of your salary and enough to cover your debts is a good starting point. Having 10 times your salary is extremely affordable when you are young. For a 30 year-old person, you can secure $500,000 in life insurance for less that $50/month if you are in decent health. A 20 year term policy will carry you until your children typically done with school and your need for life insurance lessens. If you think life insurance is too hard to understand, or unnecessary, think again. I renewed my policy last year in a 30 minute phone call and a brief visit where a med tech came to my house, took my vitals, drew some blood, and verified some health information. That was it. I have a 15 year policy that will get me to my retirement age, and which point I'm not sure I will need much life insurance. This article explains the different types of insurance well, and can help you with determining what you need.  

There are a number of great services you can use to shop life insurance rates. Some of the larger ones are: 

 Select Quote 

 Zander Insurance 

 Policy Genius 

 Please, do not put your loved ones in the terrible position of making financial decisions with little or no money to work with. You don't have to leave them a posh lifestyle, but at a minimum you should make sure that life can go on for a few years as normally as possible. If you love your family, care for them after you are gone as you did while you alive. They are counting on you.

Life is not fair, and then you die

 

This Sunday is the one-year anniversary of Deb's death.  It has been a hard year, actually, it has been a hard four years.  She battled Stage 4 Colon Cancer for nearly three years before it finally wore her down. Since her death, I have been battling grief, depression, and trying to keep functioning and doing what I need to do to keep a roof over my head.  I wish I could share some sort of glorious testimony about how peace had overtaken me and life has worked out.  But I can't, without lying.  It's been hard.  There have been bright spots, but all in all, it's been less than great.

I say this not just for myself, but for anyone who is grieving.  If you are one of those people who said "call me if you need anything", please answer the phone.  In the widow(er) groups I have belonged to, there is a common refrain of how people just slowly slip away.  Surely some of us may talk too frequently about our loss and our pain.  Some may seem to be stuck in a place. I have attended a Grief Share grief group and retained a therapist to help me process all of this.  But I, and others have noticed how couples we once hung out with now seem awkward around us.  The third wheel phenomenon is real.  My request to you is to reach out to anyone who is grieving a loss - spouse, child, parent, sibling, job, dream  etc - and just sit with them.  Have a ministry of presence and let them know that someone cares.  They don't need words of wisdom, they need a person.  Be that person.  In doing so, you will fulfill Paul's command in Galatians 6:2 to " bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

Here is an update on a previous post. Evidently, when you base your theology on God providing money, you will fight over money when things change.

What a sad commentary on Christianity.

The social nature of smoking meat

I never realized how social smoking meat was until I built my smoker. Today, the principal of our school stopped by (I am smoking pulled pork for a faculty lunch on Monday), 2 kids from my classes came by to see the smoke, a lady from church put a small brisket and turkey breast on my smoker, my neighbor brought over a pork loin all while the butts were smoking. 

There is something about gathering around food that is cooking, especially food that cooks slowly.  It gives you time to converse, to relax, to appreciate each other as you wait for the mouth-watering goodness that is about to happen.

I truly appreciate all those who made this possible - Tim with his welding and sandblasting expertise and friendship.  Steve and Steve, with their mechanical know-how and willingness to put up with me making it up as we went along.  Rachael, for having the idea of getting, no, building a smoker.  Deb, for putting up with the goofiness and the seemingly endless amount of wood that keeps showing up.

Below are some pictures of Steve and Steve with our progress and the finished project.

Day one

 Finally getting close

 You have to love the night-time cutting action

 measure twice, cut once, I think

Playing with big boy toys

 The inside view.

 She is so ugly she is almost cute.

 Steve, Steve, and me with our trial smoke

 Today's production.  2 pork butts, a turkey breast, a brisket and a pork roast.

Casting off Churchianity

I recently had a conversation with a middle school student that got me to thinking about orthodoxy and orthopraxy - right beliefs and right actions, loosely defined.  We were talking about some work that I would like some of our groups at church to do.  He was saying that he could just do it himself, and I was trying to explain how that can stunt someone's spiritual growth.

For too long in the church we have read this scripture Ephesians 4:11-16 incompletely. We read verse 11 with gusto - "It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers," and we stop there. We stop because most of us can say "God didn't give me to that calling" and we move on. The problem is in the remaining verses: "12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God—a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature. 14 So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes. 15 But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head. 16 From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body grows in love."

The purpose of some being called is "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ."  For too long we have professionalized things and left these jobs that were designed for the lay people to be done by the clergy.  We are doing no favors when clergy does jobs that God has for the laity.  It stunts the spiritual growth of the laity, it doesn't build up the body of Christ as it should be, and it burns out the clergy.  This has been going on for way too long - more than 1000 years.  The good news is that it seems to be changing.

In our little tribe we have people who are volunteering to visit the sick and the shut-ins. We have people working in the nursery.  We have groups of young adults and teens looking for service opportunities in the community.  And we are working to find those opportunities so they can grow their faith.  James declared that faith without works is dead.  That is so true. We need to have our beliefs drive our actions which reinforces our beliefs which drives new actions.  It is how we grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We are committed to helping all believers achieve their God-ordained potential in Christ. Sometimes that means we don't do the easy thing and do things for them.  We have to let them work through the bumps so they can grow their faith and become the people God wants them to be.  It also means that those who have chosen to sit and do little and not fulfilling what God has for them.

Tough stuff, but good stuff.  Let's reclaim biblical Christianity and cast off Churchianity

How long would you stay under this man's leadership?

I cannot imagine this happening in a service where the Good News of Jesus Christ is supposed to be preached.  Evidently something is going on there, and it appears that it isn't good. A step back to reassess the situation might be in order here.

I am proud to be a Nazarene

This General Assembly we have elected 2 great men to be General Superintendents. Dr. David Busic was elected on Tuesday, and Dr. Gustavo Crocker was elected on Wednesday. Both are Godly men with very different backgrounds. Dr. Busic

Dr. David Busic

is a pastor who comes to the Board of General Superintendents from the presidency of Nazarene Theological Seminary. Dr. Crocker is a Guatemalan who has been serving as the Eurasia Regional Director. This makes the 2nd General Superintendent who is not an American citizen, and the 3rd multi-lingual General Superintendent. We truly are a global church. Praise God for His faithfulness to us as it took 53 ballots to finish the elections.

Dr. Gustavo Crocker

Love = Obedience

Our text this week was John 21:1-19 and there are some great lessons in it.  When Jesus restores Peter, he asks him three times if he loves him.  After each of Peter's responses, Jesus gives him a task to perform - feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep - that is clearly linked to Peter's love for Jesus.  It is strikingly similar to the three denials of Christ that Peter uttered during Christ's Passion.

It follows on a theme from John 14 where Jesus told Judas:
²³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴ Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Too often in this life we equate words with faith.  We confess that we believe certain things, but our lives do not show evidence of that faith.  We are caught in a trap where we have orthodoxy - right beliefs but we do not have orthopraxis - right actions- in our life.  We talk a good game, but like Peter, when the rubber hits the road, we fail.  We fail to do that which we claim to believe.  We fail to be the hands and feet of Christ.  We fail to avoid the sins that ensnare us.  We fail to do that which Christ has commanded us:

Great Commission

Great Commandment

Good Samaritan

This is a year to put actions to our words.  A year to be the people we are called to be.  We no longer have a privileged position in society.  We have to go out and earn that position by our actions that show the love of Christ to a hurting world.  

Let's be that people.

Saying goodbye to a good and Godly man

This week we will lay to rest Rev. Gerald Walworth, a pastor for more than 50 years, and a good man.  Jerry was my friend, my mentor, my congregant all wrapped up in one joke-telling, people-loving, and church-loving bundle

As a first-time solo pastor, one could view having your predecessor still in your congregation to be a challenge.  Jerry and Jean never made it an issue.  He had retired after serving the Hobart congregation for 37 years, and he was retired.  He was also battling the disease that ultimately claimed his life.

In the 2 years I knew him, I was able to laugh, cry, tell jokes, and run ideas past him.  I valued his counsel on things in the church and in the town.  I also appreciated having someone to talk to about ministry.  Being a solo pastor is hard because you have to work to find people with whom you can share some of your ideas, fears, burdens and frustration.  Jerry had already been there, done that and had a couple of T-shirts to prove it.

Jerry, you fought the good fight and made a difference in the lives of many.  Well done good and faithful servant.  I will miss you.

Pat Robertson has done it again

Pat Robertson and Joe Biden suffer from the same disease - terminal foot in mouth - because more often than not they end up regretting opening their mouths to speak in public.

This one just makes me cringe and shake my head at the same time.

So dating a woman who has adopted children internationally is akin to taking on the United Nations?  Will someone at CBN please tell the emperor that he has no clothes?  And then take his microphone away?

As Kenny Rogers said, you have "know when to walk away..."

Political Chicken

This week has been interesting to say the least with the Chick-Fil-A controversy.  I know the Hobart location was crazy busy all day long, and it was almost a rally atmosphere.  People would cheer in line, cars would honk in support, which elicited more cheers.  Then the rhythmic clapping started and it reminded me of waiting in line to ride the Beast at midnight at Kings Island near Cincinnati.

What I find interesting about all of this is the way certain folks reacted to a private citizen saying the same thing that President Clinton said when he signed the Defense of Marriage Act in the 1990s.  President Obama also espoused the same view when he was campaigning in 2008.

It is interesting that Rahm Emanuel, the mayor of Boston, and Chicago aldermen did not attack candidate Obama they way they have attacked Dan Cathy for espousing his views on marriage.

In my opinion, this is a battle that is going to go on for a long time, just like abortion has.  It will raise millions of dollars on both sides, and little will be done to resolve the issue in the political arena.  What needs to be done is for the church focus on teaching what the Bible says in a POSITIVE manner and not engage in Westboro Baptist tactics that do not show the love of Christ in any way.

If we are going to change the culture, we are going to have to be the shining city on the hill that calls people to seek forgiveness and grace as they repent of behaviors that are sinful.  That is what the First Century church did, and it changed the very corrupt and highly-sexualized Roman culture over time.  The church needs to be the church and remain a voice that can speak to all parties in politics.  It's hard to watch your country go down some of the paths it has chosen, but God is not an American, and not all Americans recognize God's authority.  That is an unfortunate reality.

Heaven and Earth

This article really sums up nicely the idea that heaven isn't our focus of the Christian life.  Doing the will of God and living in communion with Him is our focus.  As you read it remember that a new heaven and a new earth are coming (Revelation 21).  I suspect that we will be living with God there, and I look forward to what that work entails

Jesus and me, Jerry Sandusky and (Un) Happy Valley

If we ever needed another reminder that our sin affects more than just us, just look at Penn State University. The sins of a few men in leadership have injured many who had nothing to do with the actions there, and had no idea it was happening.

Some of those injured include:

The players who cannot play in bowls through no fault of their own

The victims of Mr. Sandusky

The people who idolized Paterno and PSU

The non-revenue sports at PSU who may see a reduction in funding given the reduction in $$ from the football program

And the list goes on and on.

 It is a good moment for us to remember that our sin can potentially affect many around us. And that is why God's grace is there to help us overcome the power of sin and death. We are called to live in community, not as Lone Rangers. Our actions, however big or small, affect others whether we want to admit it or not.
 
Lord make it so.

Helping your pastor

I know last month was Pastor Appreciation Month, but let me offer another idea for all of you who want to help your pastor.  Pray that he/she will find a good friend and confidant in whom they can talk and be honest.  It's hard to do that with parishioners, and most pastors don't want to bring the church "stuff" home to their spouse and weigh them down with it.

Pray for a Godly friend to come alongside your pastor so that he/she can have someone they trust to confide in.  It makes a huge difference in the lives of clergy members.

Communion

I have never understood the devotion some people have to the plasticized wafers that pass as communion bread in so many churches.  There are times, such as large General Assembly-type gatherings where it makes sense. But for the typical church of less than 100 congregants, why  on earth would you use the chiclet-type bread instead of baking a real loaf of unleavened bread and cutting it up?

I just don't get it.

Happy Birthday to the King James Version of the Bible

Here is a nice, brief history of the King James version.  It's worth a listen.

I guess I should prepare for this

They have figured out something that even Jesus didn't know.  I guess I will hold next month's mortgage payment.


I don't know how to reconcile this with "“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father…” [Mark 13:21]"


But it must be true.  I saw it on the internet.

A shaming book and television show

This article speaks about one of the sins of the church that goes largely unpunished and most practitioners of it are unrepentant.

GOSSIP

It is no wonder that the secular media believes that Christians are fair game.  We provide them with both the target and the ammunition.  And we wonder why they take shots at us?

Why are we punishing the poor and middle class here?

This article has a good take on the current energy policy of the United States.  Interestingly, the author is a Democrat who is taking the current administration to task for their tightened regulations on deep water drilling.  The rise in energy prices punishes those at the bottom of the economic ladder the hardest, since they have the least amount of flexibility in their budget to deal with sudden spikes in gas prices.

I really don't understand why we are refusing to harvest our own resources and insist on importing oil from countries that do not have our best interest at heart.  I'm sure this will be a presidential campaign issue,

Things I love about Kansas City

Over the weekend I was in Kansas City for the commencement exercises at Nazarene Theological Seminary, where I received my Master of Divinity degree. Kansas City is a neat city with a lot going for it. Here is my list of things that I love about Kansas City

10. McGonigles Market on Ward Parkway - Good BBQ and meat at reasonable prices

9. The friendly folks and open air feeling of the city.

8. Smokestack BBQ.

7. Christ Church Anglican - I went there for my worship class and was hooked.

6. Jacob's Well - same story. I love the evening worship there.

5. The faculty at Nazarene Theological Seminary - they made me feel like a part of the community even though I as an in-service student.

4. Jack's Stack BBQ - fine dining and BBQ. What more could you ask for?

Country Club Plaza

3. Country Club Plaza in downtown Kansas City. It is a wonderful mixture of shopping, dining and scenery that I truly enjoyed.

2. Oklahoma Joe's BBQ- great BBQ served in a gas station. Need I say more?

1. Nazarene Theological Seminary - I am a bit wistful thinking about completion of my degree. I made some great friends there and greatly enjoyed the interaction with students and faculty. I will honestly miss being there.

This is a merger well worth considering

As a former member of the Wesleyan Church and a current member of the Church of the Nazarene clergy, I would love to see this idea explored in great depth. I know there are some governance issues, and some college overlap issues, but it is worth a look.

A tax on people who are bad at math

Yep. he got that one right

Mixed emotions

Osama Bin Laden is dead. I heard that news right before I went to bed last night. It caught me

by surprise and created a number of conflicting thoughts and emotions. My first visceral reaction was to celebrate. The man who ordered the murder of thousands of Americans is dead. He finally got what was coming to him. And that is true.

I also wondered if this will trip some wire in the Al Qaeda organization that will bring on a new series of attacks set in place in the event of his death. Do we really want to go through that again? Endless lines at the airports. Gas prices climbing through the roof (even more than they already have).

As a Christian, I find the conflicting emotions to be more troubling. I don't think we should celebrate the death of one of God's children. But I do understand the reaction of those who have lost loved ones in the attacks and ensuing wars who may be finding relief, closure, and even some joy in this event. The advent of terrorism is just a reminder of how fallen our world is and how we need to continually say "Come Lord Jesus Come" in our own hearts and minds as well in the world around us.

Bin Laden is gone. I pray that this marks the unwinding of the terrorism activity that has dominated our country's thoughts for the past 10 years. I hope it does, but I suspect the battle will go on.

NY Daily News

NazNet Discussion

Fox News Headline

More on why we flagellate ourselves

Why do Christians naturally assume the worst about ourselves? Read this article. It is an eye opener.

Future NFL Halftime Acts

Since the NFL has decided to use AARP members for its halftime shows at the Superbowl, you might hear some of these songs in the future.

Why do we like to think the worst about ourselves?

What is it about American Christians that causes us to think the worst about ourselves?  Do we have some kind of innate inferiority complex that causes us to believe any statistic that comes down the pike if it expresses a negative view of Christianity?

Take a look at this piece in Christianity Today.  The author makes a valid point that the statistics we love to go around quoting are all negative statistics, and many of them are flat out misleading if not fabricated falsehoods. I remember sitting in a meeting watching a video of a prominent teen evangelist who was breathlessly telling us that only 4% of American kids will be Christians in the next generation.  I leaned over to the pastor sitting next to me and said "I know how to lie with statistics too" and we both smiled.  That number comes from an informal survey (read nonscientific) done by a seminary professor more than 10 years ago with a sample size of just over 200 people.  More on that here.   Yet people keep running around repeating it as if it were inscribed on stone tablets found found on Mt. Sinai.  It's wrong people!  Get over it!  Stop repeating the lie.!


Maybe Christians should try this form of therapy.



Let's try something new for a while.  Let's only say positive things about the church that are true.  Let's declare a fast from criticalness.  Let's speak positively about the Body of Christ, and see if it becomes more attractive to people.  How about that for a change.

I realize this will crimp the fundraising plans of many who make their living out of scaring Christians into thinking they are under siege.  But this too shall pass.  And the world may just be a better place afterward.

It's worth a shot, don't you think?

Memorial Day

Take a look at this clip and remember those who gave all for our country.  I tear up every time I watch it, specifically at the scenes of soldiers loading into their landing crafts.  It reminds me of my dad, who was a landing craft driver during the Normandy invasion.  I cannot imagine the terror, the chaos, or the valor required to do that job.  Those were amazing men.

The other scene that just tears me up is the two WWII vets in the cemetery, one missing part of a leg.  I can't imagine standing there where brave young men who you went through training with are buried.  Why did you live and they die?  Fate?  Luck?  Divine intervention?  We may never know.

Watch the clip and remember those who gave all for our freedom.

How do you celebrate Pentecost?

For Christians there are four major religious holidays:

Christmas

Good Friday

Easter

Pentecost

The first three receive quite a bit of attention, but the last one receives scant attention outside the church, and not much more inside the church. Pentecost celebrates the arrival of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. This was the Comforter that Jesus had promised to the disciples.  It was the fulfillment of the Emmanuel - God with us - idea.  Jesus was the incarnation of God and walked with us on the earth.  But he was limited by time and space and the human body.  The Holy Spirit is not limited by time, space and the human body.  The Spirit can be with all of us at the same time,and he can, and will, indwell in our soul and shape our character into the Christlikeness that we are called to.

This Sunday, take some time to celebrate Pentecost.  If your church doesn't celebrate Pentecost, encourage your pastor to do so.  The Spirit of the Living God dwelling with us gives us the power of God in our lives.  It is the greatest gift of God this side of heaven.  The Spirit is there to guide us, comfort us, encourage us, enlighten us and so much more.

Celebrate Pentecost and thank God for his Spirit who lives with us. It is the greatest gift we can receive until we see Jesus face to face.

Existential Questions for Christians

Admiral James Stockdale's opening questions during the 1992 Vice Presidential debate are good questions for all of us to consider as we travel through our journey of this life as we prepare for the next life.  Who am I?  Why am I here?  These are great existential questions for us to consider as we live each day.

Who am I?  Am I the person I born to be?  Am I the person who had bad things happen to them previously in their life?  Am I the person who did many bad things to myself and others?  Am I a child of the King?  Am I a victorious Christian? Am I a guilt-ridden Christian lamenting my life and the way it has turned out?  Am I someone who looks forward to what each day brings?  Or am I someone who looks forward to each day as a way of getting one day closer to the end and receiving my eternal reward.  Am I someone people turn to for guidance and comfort?  Am I someone that people don't turn to unless they have to?

I don't have easy answers because each of us is in a different place.  But, for those of us who are in Christ Jesus, we know that we are brothers and sisters of the King.  In Mark 3:35 Jesus said "whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."  Emotionally we may not be there, but that is the reality of what Christ has given to us.

Why am I here?  I'm not going to list all of the possibilities for this, just meditate on the question.  Why am I here?  Do I have a purpose?  Has God shared with my my raison d'etre?  Go read the beginning of Exodus or Isaiah 6 to see examples of God-given purpose.  Read Mark 3 where Jesus calls his disciples.  Read the accounts of Jesus and his mission.  Ask God what your purpose is.  Pray, and sit quietly and listen as he speaks to you.  Let the Lord speak to your soul and it may help you answer some of these questions.

What to do about illegal immigration

The recent Arizona law allowing police to check the status of illegal immigrants has once again brought a vexing issue to the forefront.  What should we do about the flood of illegal immigrants that are in our country and continue to pour over our borders?  The federal government response has been feckless at best, and Arizona is taking steps to secure its own borders and get some kind of control over the people who are overwhelming.

Last summer I wrote this paper on the issue, and I think it is worth revisiting.


When Doing Good May Be Breaking The Law -

Christians are in a particularly difficult spot with this issue. We are commanded to look out for the "least of these" and we are also commanded to obey the law.

I encourage you to read the paper and offer your thoughts here.  It's not that long and an easy read.  But is is a vexing issue for our country.

Sitting with Job

This has been a very trying 14 months in the life of my family.  We have experienced the usual ups and downs of life as well some very unusual events that just have me scratching my head.

My business has been battered by the disaster that is the Michigan economy. I'm still waiting for the recovery that has been talked about some time.  But it is what it is.  I knew there was a risk when I went out on my own.  There is a high risk and a high reward in a venture such as self employment, and I'm in the risk phase right now.  I'm praying that the reward phase is just around the corner.

But the real struggle has been in the health of our family.  Last year I tore my rotator cuff and labrum in an unfortunate incident.  The recovery from the surgery has taken many months and much hard work.  Today is the first day I have been able to throw a tennis ball without any tightness or hitch in my motion.  It's a small victory, but I need a victory.

My kids have both had their share of issues.  One has developed POTS, and the other has a spinal malformation that has just come to light.  I know you never want to ask the question "What else can go wrong" but I'm about there.  I know that my issues are not life-threatening but they are potentially serious medical issues that have turned our lives upside down in the past year.  I long for the days when I awoke and assumed that everything was going to be OK that day. I say this not to evoke sympathy or pity, but to bring up a point.

I have gained a great appreciation for people who have been through periods of suffering.  I have had a taste of what it is like to have the concerns of life just grind you down and suck the joy out of your day.  I've seen the depressive effects of losing hope that things will return to normal.  I've seen the bills that chronic illnesses can generate.

If you have been suffering and I have been indifferent to you, please accept my apology.  Sadly it has taken some ugly life events to open my eyes to the suffering of others.  I pray that God will use this with me in ministry to help others during their time of sitting with Job.  If you haven't read Job lately, open your Bible and take a look at a story of suffering and redemption.  It's a good, but difficult at times, read.  You will also learn that good, Godly friends are invaluable because Job's friends were next thing to useless.

How is this even a good idea?

I can't begin to tell you how wrong this story is.  And sadly, they use the same hymnals that we use.  Memo to self - do not purchase used hymnals.