Thoughts From the Back Deck...

Robert Frost The Road Not Taken Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. I have been at a pastor's conference this week in Michigan. The colors have been amazing. I have walked daily, as much for a chance to take in the beauty as for my health. I spent time with fellow church workers learning and ...

It's been a busy couple of weeks: Helene, a pastors conference, Monster Milton. Full of good and challenging moments. A baptism of a one-month-old baby and a smiling family especially his big sister. A large funeral where I met a lot of great people coming together for the comfort of community and the gospel. Teachers and friends came together to help one of our teachers, her husband, two young children, her mom, dad, and brother, who were completely flooded out. A man who served his country for many years, whom I really respect, is going to see Jesus really soon and his daughters at his bedside. A friend who is in the hospital and has cancer and his property has downed trees everywhere and there is nothing he can do about it. Gathering even at a luncheon by Options for Women to hear and support the NO on 4 constitutional amendment.  No electric. Cold showers. Food I had to pitch out due to the power being out.  Plenty to wring your hands over.  Elections are about 20 day...

Paul writes in Philippians 4 verse 13, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." I have not written much lately. My journey is one where there are times when I pour out and times when I soak in.  Lately, it's been a season of soaking in. I have spent extra time reading. Reading God's word. Reading devotionals. Reading other books. Less time pouring out. Even health updates have not come easy, but I know people are praying and care, so I don't want people wondering how I am. One of the books I have been reading through with Michelle is a devotional, "Peace in the Face of Cancer" by Lynn Eib. (It speaks truth even if you don't have cancer!) I think this book should be on every pastor's bookshelf for two reasons: 1. To read. 2. To give away to the many people we encounter going through "The Journey." In chapter 7, the author shares a personal story from high school. A part of the story references Christopher Robin ...

Mark 3:25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. President Abraham Lincoln Joseph Stalin Dr. Ben Carson  Senator Joe Lieberman Sun Yat-sen Roseanne Bar George Soros Red Buttons Willie D Ulysses Grant Nakita Khrushchev Mark Twain All the above names, and probably many more, had spoken about the problems with a house divided against itself and its inability to stand.  Now, when you look at the names above, if you have any historical concept of who these people are and what they believe, you will quickly notice that there is no way they were speaking the same things about a house being divided. They made their own suggestions on how to bring people together. How Stalin talked about a divided house has no connection to Abraham Lincoln speaking about a divided house. Khrushchev and Twain were not on the same page. Yet they all see the importance of having a house that stands together if it is survive.  Jesus in this text, is being accused of...

1 Samuel 3:10 And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” Samuel was a young boy at this point and was serving Eli, a prophet of God. God called to Samuel a couple of times, but he did not recognize it was the voice of the Lord, but thought it was Eli's voice.  Finally, Samuel answers as Eli directs the young boy: "Speak, for your servant hears." It's hard to listen to the Lord. It's not natural for us. It's hard to hear the Lord. The noise of the world is thunderous. Yet, in our time, the Lord has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps us hear.  The Lord has given us the written word. We can know and follow God's will and experience His peace.  This week was a particularly rough week for me emotionally. My emotions caught me off guard. Upon hearing that my long-awaited appointment to get the results and know what the next steps were was delayed...

The Book of James (epistle, aka letter) contains a lot of practical guidance. It was written for the believer more than for someone to read and come to faith in Jesus, like the gospels (Jesus' life and God's salvation story).   The verse for today from James chapter 1 reads... vs. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. So, who was wise? Our founding fathers? Abe? Winston Churchill? Your mom? Your Dad? Why or why not? And maybe the better question is, what is wisdom?  Let's break this verse down a bit... 1. Wisdom is not the same as intelligence.  There is a video circulating around right now of a college graduate who went to get graduate-level education claiming that on an IQ test, she'll test higher than a guy who just had a high school diploma and went into the military. As it turns out, the high school graduate had a higher IQ than the graduate student. That is a reminder that sometime...

Blame everything and anybody but where the blame rests.  When I was little, I mean very little, a comedian made the phrase "The devil made me do it" famous. His name was Flip Wilson.  Think of the most common meme (white cat meme for me), and that is how well-known Flip Wilson's catchphrase was.  1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Today, no one says the devil made me do it. Why? Because we have reduced the devil to a cartoon character and written the devil off a lore.  By the way, that is a mistake but that is a topic for another "Thought from the Back Deck." Yet today's "verse of the day" puts the spotlight of temptation where it belongs.  Not on the devil.  Not on God.  Not on our neighbor... or culture  or movies  o...

We have all been there! Been in the spot where we are asked to do something, and we begrudgingly do it, and we clearly communicate our heart is not in it!! We have seen our friends or kids or even our spouse just cop an attitude that clearly communicates their heart is not into what we are being asked to do. For example, I doubt more of these kids or their parents were excited ALL the time it came for them to gather with Nick for confirmation class!  I have very specific memories of my confirmation classes... Two years! Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings! As an awkward 7/8 grade kid, I did not fit in well with the other kids. I didn't go to school with them. There was no built-in "friend group" for me. I grumbled. I complained. I still had to go to classes! Philippians 2:14-16 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you...

1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.'” I remember going and seeing Star Wars back in 1977-78 multiple times in the theater. Before the retouching and additional CGI additions. Before the controversy over whether or not Han shot first. Before the prequel or the three final wrap-up movies, or the Han Solo movie, Chewbacca was a standout character. By far, my favorite Star Wars character has always been Chewbacca. He was really tall. He was really strong. He had the most excellent gun. He did not have "L'Oreal" hair as in the picture above but he was neatly groomed and did not look like "Cousin It" from the Addams family. What I liked best about the Chewbacca character were not these things, but it helped make him an interesting character throughout the...

Reflect back on Christmas for a moment. Every household is different but my guess would be you did some things differently around Christmas that you don't do most of the year. Below are some photos of things we did with some captions... We went to worship together. We went to see Christmas lights together. We threw knives and axes in our pajamas and laughed hysterically together. (And the neighbors laughed at us!) We ate too much and took a few goofy pictures. We did a puzzle together and somehow lost 6 pieces of the puzzle along the way. We suspect the dogs OR they disappeared into the black hole where matching socks some how loose their match! We ate meals and talked together. We sat and talked and laughed and shared moments together. We made a ginger bead house.  We went shooting together. We sat by a TV screen fireplace and read books.  We dec...

Psalm 8:4-6 What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet I have noticed a resurgence of Gnomes and Bigfoot, aka Sasquatch! Lots of Bigfoot tee-shirts, patches, and, yes, even hats like the one my daughter brought me from Michigan for Christmas. My son even got some Sasquatch soap in assorted manly scents.  Gnomes. Same! We have a couple hanging out around our house at Christmas time, and we have friends who have gone totally to the Gnomes! Indoors and outdoors, you have to comb through the gnomes!  It's fun to see and like most harmless fads be it beanie babies or man-buns, this too shall pass. But... What if all Gnomes of the world wanted to be Bigfoots OR all the Bigfoots wanted to be a Gnomes? Tha...

Luke 2:11-14 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Babies are born all over the world every day. Yesterday, I received a text from a young couple letting me know their newest little one arrived. Mom and baby are healthy and safe. Dad and older sister, as well as extended family, were all smiles.  For each birth, I want to shout out:  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” But go back and read those words from this snippet from Luke 2 again... And then again...and again. Let it sink into your mind. The single angel proclaims!  "For unto you is born..." Unto : somethi...

I have to say, my heart is full!  After returning from a funeral today, I came home to be greeted by my youngest daughter, back for Christmas break.  All back together under the same roof. All three (David is at work) back in the nest for a time. With each passing "break" I know the time is coming when this will be a rarer and rarer event, so I treasure it all the more. Reading books. Playing Minecraft. Having dinner. Laughing. Watching "The Santa Clause". Catching up. Doing our Christmas puzzles. Time together! Our children are only with us for a short time and then they begin their own lives.  As parents we try to instill into our children some basics don't we. The list varies but the heart behind the drive is the same. Faith. How to treat others. Value of Family. Value of life. Counting your blessings and facing challenges.  A work and life ethic. Seeing the Lord's hand in our lives. ...and many more things. God has always had His hand on our ...

Recovery from my shoulder surgery has taught me a few things. When therapy started, the therapist had to repeatedly remind me as I did my stretches, that my left arm needed to do all the work while my right arm did nothing but get stretched out. As I pushed up a cane with my left hand, my right hand weakly hung to the cane.  As we live out our faith as Christians, we get the privilege to sometimes stand beside a person and walk with them through difficult times. We get the chance to lift a burden while they take from our strength. Also, as Christians, we sometimes have someone walk with us through difficult times. They do the lifting while we hang onto them. Examples: praying. Speaking encouragement. Financial. Listening. Cards. Gift of time. Sharing wisdom learned. A phone call. A text. A joke and a smile... To name a few. This is not something new. This is not something we created, or we thought would be nice to do. It's something the Lord placed before us, spoke into...

I needed to take a break. With the passing of my mom, the doctor appointments and procedures, shoulder therapy, and just life... I felt the need to rest in the Lord quietly. I stepped out on my back porch, heading to the back deck, and happened to glance over at all the Christmas bins waiting to be unpacked to decorate the house. A flash of white caught my eye between the stacks of blue and green plastic bins.  As I drew near, I saw our Christmas cactus blooming with white flowers. I looked to the right, and our smaller Christmas cactus was popping pink flowers. Hidden and out of line of sight was a beautiful reminder of life. Over the last couple of days, following a procedure that did not yield answers, shoulder pain that seemed worse, not improved, and trying to get back into the swing of the rhythms of serving in my position, I felt the need for some color and life to surround me.  Leaving physical therapy, I stopped at a nearby store and purchased ...

One day... There will be no need to write from my "back deck" or need for books or sermon series or church services or Bible studies... One day... There will no need to be waiting for an endoscopy and a biopsy or any other kind of procedures or medications... One day... There will not be tumors or cysts or fear of cancer or other health issues or accidents... One day... There will be no separation due to divorce or, distance or age or life circumstances or war... One day... There will be no wondering or seeking what God's will is for we will know it perfectly... One day... There will be no tears, death, mourning, crying, or pain... One day... And Oh, what a glorious day that shall be! But until that day, I keep clinging to Jesus and pray you do as well! Revelation chapter 21  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming d...

I sometimes feel like I am getting whiplash.  Mr. Ritchie, there is something on your pancreas ( *snap* head turns one direction) Mr. Ritchie, it looks like you have pancreatic cancer ( *snap* head turns opposite direction)  we need more tests. Mr. Ritchie, it's a slow-growing tumor, likely been there for years and will be there for years, but we need another test and a biopsy  *snap* Mr. Ritchie, it's slow growing. MRI every 6 months to keep our eye on its progression.  *snap* Mr Ritchie, the doctor, for some reason, did not do the biopsy. So, instead of every six months, we will do an MRI in three months as a precaution.  *snap* Mr. Ritchie, it's not slow growing. It grew from the size of a grape to the size of a walnut.  *OH SNAP* Enter new doctor/ care facilities  *snap*  *snap*  *snap*  *snap*  *snap* Mr. Ritchie, it still does not look like cancer but we need a biopsy to confirm first.  *snap*. We also want a ...

John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. This is a piece of a prayer of Jesus for us. We all know the "Lord's Prayer". Looking at chapter 17 of the gospel of John, is Jesus showing again his heart for us... THE CHURCH, part of His body!  Jesus is pointing to us, the church, to the word. The "word" is the scriptures and Himself (John chapter 1).  Two things bother me in the church (in us) today.  1. How we often rip each other apart. This isn't anything new. We rip on other pastors, denominations, and individual churches. We are as quick with a filet knife as any commercial fisherman I saw in Alaska working on a catch of salmon or halibut. While there are certainly differences to discuss, the discussions have moved in the direction of how our culture has moved: We don't agree; therefore, we are enemies!  I heard someone say a few days ago, "No one they know has been hated into agreement!" Truth! I pray for the day w...

Psalm 119:143 Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight. Trouble and anguish have found me out! Wow! Have you watched the news lately? Uff-da, as the Scandinavians say! Uff-da! A way to express dismay! Look around, my friends... It's depressing enough to make a Hyena cry!  So "Abandon all hope, ye who enter." (Dante's Divine Comedy) Or maybe the Lord gives us something to help us find our way through... "...But your commandments are my delight!" What does this mean, as we don't usually equate commandments with delightful living?  When we follow the principles of God's word, the stress we feel, the anxious thoughts, the fear of the moment, or the fear of tomorrow won't find deep roots or fertile soil in our lives.  Why?  The Holy Spirit dwells in you and me. It does not mean we won't ever feel fearful or anxious or a lack of hope, but when those principles of the word of God are seen and experience...