Thoughts From the Back Deck...

Yesterday evening, Michelle and I went out. Our first outing since my shoulder surgery. I am finding that I am good for about 2-3 hours and then I am done. My body needs to rest. Recovery takes time.  There's a balance between "doing" and "doing too much". It's easy to overdo especially when boredom kicks in. I feel the anxiousness of wanting to see all this in the rearview mirror. I am anxious to be able to pick up a fishing rod again, sleep in my bed instead of a recliner, put my wallet in my right back pocket instead of my left, shake a person's hand with my right hand  and carry something...anything! Then there is the pancreas issue. That is not a rearview view I am anxious for. It's a hurry up and speed ahead! Let's get this next step done type of anxiousness. Michelle and I both discovered we were feeling this way yesterday when we were driving to dinner. In the car. No work. No TV droning in the background. Reflecting on my hea...

When I was MUCH younger, like Cub Scout age, I found out we were going as a group, to an archery range!  This was going to be amazing! I had seen bows and arrows before. My dad has a small sporting goods store and he had Bear bows! Some man named Fred Bear was a great bow hunter and he personally made each and every bow and every arrow (I thought) that my dad had to sell. I had seen people shoot arrows on TV. They could pick up an arrow and it would hit the mark every time. I saw Indians ride on horseback and the horse was running as fast as it could and the Indian on the back of the horse could hang sideways and shoot people with a bow and arrow from under the horse's neck! I knew the story of William Tell. I saw the movie of Robin Hood. My mom really liked Robin Hood. She wolf-whistled at him! (1938 version!) I saw how Robin Hood could shoot so well, he split another man's arrow in two! I had never shot a bow and arrow but I knew that for me to stand on a line and...

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 As many of you know, I have not always been a pastor in my adult life. I didn't begin that journey until my mid-thirties.  In those earlier years, it seemed friendships came easy. I had a lot. of friends.  As a pastor, it seems friendships are fewer. The title of pastor in the mind can cause a wall. "What if I slip up and swear." "Does he judge me, what I say, what I do?" "I don't know if I can be myself and joke around like I do with my other friends." I know this because I thought the same kind of thoughts before I was a pastor. I get it!! Don't get me wrong, people in the churches I have been blessed to serve, I have always had a few great friends but many many many more of them I feel like are my family instead of friends. There is a difference between friendship and family. Family: we might try to pick and choose but for better or wors...

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Genesis 50:20 ESV I have had people over the years in my life say and do things that were, in my view, simply evil. Things that deeply wounded me. Said or done things that hurt my family.  But nothing I have experienced or hopefully any of us goes to the depths of evil, hurt, and betrayal that Joseph faced. Thrown into a pit. Sold into slavery. False sexual assault claims. Prison.  Lied about. Judged falsely. Left for dead. Plotted against... This is not written in scripture to my knowledge specifically about Joseph but in the totality of God's word, His story for us, it is safe to say, that Joseph was not able to speak "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." by his own logic, understanding, and power of reason.  Holy ...

Louis Armstrong What A Wonderful World" I see trees of green Red roses too I see them bloom For me and you And I think to myself What a wonderful world I see skies of blue And clouds of white The bright blessed day The dark sacred night And I think to myself What a wonderful world The colors of the rainbow So pretty in the sky Are also on the faces Of people going by I see friends shaking hands Saying, "How do you do?" They're really saying "I love you" I hear babies cry I watch them grow They'll learn much more Than I'll never know And I think to myself What a wonderful world Yes, I think to myself What a wonderful world Oh yeah The official video... https://youtu.be/rBrd_3VMC3c?si=vAcd9u7RWliJ7yw2  I remember this song being used in the Robin Williams movie "Good Morning Vietnam." This song played in sharp contrast to the pictures on the screen which reminded the moviegoers of the ravages of war.  Armstrong, lived from 1919-1...

Psalm 29:11 May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace! As I read this, and maybe you get a sense of this too, the word MAY jumps out at me.  MAY the LORD... MAY the LORD... The Psalms are written by a variety of people, some known and some unknown but inspired by the LORD. Many of the Psalms have a familiar rhythm like this one. As this psalm ends there is a turning of all things over to God.  11 verses of this psalm.  This verse of the day is the last verse of this psalm.  It's a closing cry out to the LORD. MAY the LORD give strength...and bless.  Cry out. Cry out to the ONE who speaks and all that we see in this world came to be.  Cry out to the ONE that knows the boundaries of the universe and sets those boundaries in place. Cry out to the ONE that can make the waters fall to nourish, mountains to quake, and valleys bloom. Cry out to the ONE who knows you by name... And know The LORD blesses you and keeps you. Th...

Psalm 107:1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Right now I can identify with Mr. T-Rex as my shoulder is immobilized! Trying to use a computer mouse with my right hand to control my laptop...forget about it!!! Life has its difficult days. If you haven't had one of those days or times, wait, it will come.  Today's verse is a good one to memorize (and very simple). The message is simple to grasp: God is good God is steadfast  God is love God and all that He is, endures forever.  Real Truth, despite what the world says, is not relative or subjective. Real Truth is not my truth vs. your truth. Real Truth transcends us.  The message of this verse is Real Truth.  It is not my truth.  It is not your truth  It is the truth about God.  Good or bad times...God is with us. God is good. He is unchanging. He is love.  So give thanks to the Lord.  Pesce out, Andy

2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. Grief over our sins needs balance.  A lack of grief can signal things like we are not taking our sins seriously. Confession is not important. Possibly we have let the gift of grace become something that is expected and not amazing.   On the other side of the spectrum of grief over our sins is another kind of darkness. Grief can leave us overwhelmed and paralyzed. We may feel trapped. Beyond forgiveness. Salvation is impossible. We are hopeless.  Godly grief as Paul reminds produces repentance. It drives us to the cross of Christ. We are cleansed. We are forgiven. We weep. We weep in sadness over our sins. We weep in joy over our salvation in Christ. Judas, who betrayed Jesus was lost in grief and thoughts that his sin was beyond forgiveness. His grief overwhelmed him.  Peter, wept bitterly over his sin but knew forgiveness as he ...

“Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24 4 days post-op.   I chose to end the narcotics last night. Showered for the first time today since Wednesday. Learning to do things with only one arm/hand.  Don't pray for me... ...Pray for my wife who is putting up with me and not walking out on me! 😀❤️   Ice and Motrin are my friends...and an old recliner...and the TV remote control...the floor fan...and my wife...and all of you...and Jesus. Yes, Jesus is always here... ...and your prayers, like honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones You all have gifts that the body of Jesus needs and calls to you to use. Gifts like honeycomb that connect to others. Gifts that are sweet to the souls of others. Words and simply being present brings healing to our inner being. I am so excited about what God is doing through St. Paul and doing through others in our community, and around the world. The Holy Spir...

Are people able to love others that don't know Jesus? Yes. Are people able to comfort others that don't know Jesus? Yes. Are people able to participate in life and live what seems meaningful lives with others apart from Jesus? Yes, It seems so. How about affection, sympathy...the whole array of human emotions? Yes. Yes. And...Yes.  Then why do we need Jesus? Philippians 2:1-2   So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,   complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. The obvious Sunday School answer is we are sinful people and have an eternal soul. We need Jesus' forgiveness and gift of grace to save us from our sins.  But Jesus is more.  Jesus gives more.  When I had shoulder surgery last week pre-op was a solid hour long and I was the first person outside of staff there,  the fir...

1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.  We are called to be contrarians!  Maybe a definition would help: opposing or rejecting popular opinion; going against current practice. Contrary to popular opinion, giving people money, alcohol or drugs does not help them. This picture is of a man asking passers-by for weed. His sign even says "God bless you" for helping him out with his "need for weed". Our society has a lot of things we as followers of Jesus should be contrarians to. Contrary to popular opinion, not everyone "is doing it".  Be a contrarian: bless your future spouse and yourself by waiting.  Contrary to popular opinion, the role of parents is not to be our kids' best friends but to raise them in love and fear of the Lo...

Tomorrow I will be having rotator cuff surgery.  Later at the end of October, I will be having another MRI of my abdominal area and pancreas.  I will also be going through a lot of blood tests at that time.  Exodus 14:14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” This verse comes at a time when the people of Israel are between "a rock and a hard place"...or more accurately, between the sea and the Egyptian chariots. There were trust issues. Doubt. Frustration. Anger.  God doesn't bail on us even when we bail on him.  God simply says "I will fight for you".  Jesus was essentially silent through his last hours on the earth. He could have called an army of angels. He could have called a time-out. He took what came, even the abandonment of the Father that we deserve. He did not have trust issues. No doubts. No frustration or anger. A suffering servant...for us. I trust, only by the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks w...

Philippians 4:8 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. A very familiar verse. As a pastor in a school and having 3 adult kids...Wow, that is still strange to see that in words written down!... Sorry, I digress. As I was saying, being a pastor around kids I hear the word "whatever" a lot. It's usually used with attitude if you know what I mean! And if you raised kids you know exactly what I mean!! The repeated word "whatever" definitely stands out in this text.  But sometimes I am weird and I think weird thoughts.  I must admit, I am feeling weird right now so I have a weird question... What does the word " is" mean? Is there a definition for it besides its classification? In some cases the word " is"  could be defined as equal to but not in all cases.  Thin...

Now I know there is a lot of scripture about young guys, about our youth, about growing up... But the Bible Gateway "Verse of the Day", keeps smacking me in the face! I am about ready to go to a different app for scripture! Here is today's... Isaiah 46:4   even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear;   I will carry and will save. Seriously? Old age! Gray hair! Carry me!!! ...or is God trying to tell me something!  Why  bring this up? I think it is important to remember that playing "Bible darts" aka: flipping open the Bible to any given page when you are upset about something or looking for an answer and planting you finger on any given verse like a "pin the tail on the donkey" party game, is not how the Bible works.  You might as well pull out the Ouija board from the back of the closet and blow the dust off of it that has accumulated for the last 40 years, and seek an answer there! (Reality check: I ...

Titus 2:2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. How about.... NO! I guess I didn't get the memo on this one. #workinprogress!  This is as good as it gets today (tonight)!! After 2 funerals today I am like toast without butter... Aka... dried out!

Psalm 143:10 10 Teach me to do your will,     for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me     on level ground! I have made Jesus hard to connect with in my own life over the years.  I have thought to myself:  "I am so busy trying to get this business on a firm foundation. Once there, I will have more time for God." "I know I should not be thinking or behaving the way I do. I need to get rid of this. Then I can be right with God." "I can't forgive this person. God won't forgive me." "I need to clean myself up." "Time for me to take responsibility." "My life, My mess. I need to straighten my workbench up!" Self-built barriers to God plain and simple. Psalmist has it right: You are my God. Period. End of sentence. Everything else falls in behind that.  A simple admission. You are my God . How can that simple admission be enough?  Because Jesus : Punched the ticket. Paid the entry. Opened the door. Gave ...

Colossians 1:28 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. "Why do I have to go to church to be a Christian?" A flawed statement. Remove and replace and rearrange words for a true statement. "As a Christian, I get to go to church." •Because Christ Crucified and Christ Risen for the world is proclaimed. •Because the whole counsel of God, both His law and His grace is learned and we grow in wisdom. •Because our faith matures as does our trust in Jesus in over all areas of our life. Church: not a "have" but a "get"! See you Sunday?!

John 14:23 23  Jesus answered him,  “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. If you have ever experienced the loss of a child... If you have lost a spouse... If you lost someone close to you... You know there are times, hours, even days or months where you barely, if even have any emotional, spiritual, or even physical strength to get out of bed or out of the recliner.  That is what grief does. Grief saps our energy. Depression dumps on us and weighs us down.  I had a funeral today. This is an evening "Thoughts From the Back De ck".   The family, as expected, did not have the strength to do much of anything. That is understandable.  What is not understandable is how we often express faith. Usually, we say something like:  "If you will move closer to Jesus..."  " If you will accept Jesus into your heart..." I have stood at many gravesides. Watched many...

#15, Shorter days?! I sit on my back deck at about the same time every morning but the morning light marks the changes of seasons once again. This photo is from a Keys sunrise fishing trip a few years back, I still hold to the premise that a bad day fishing is still better than a good day at work. Time appears to be short.  More darkness than light.  That is another premise I hear a lot these days. People who feel that way are not talking about the change of seasons. There is a certain amount of anxiousness we can feel as we look at the world. I feel it too as many of you do. I have to fight buying into that premise.  Why do I fight it and why should you fight it?  The premise is based in fear. And fear is a tool of the devil. He uses it to bring doubt in Jesus and that is never a good place to look at life from.  What if time is short? What does that mean? That Jesus will be coming soon. That is nothing to fear but to look forward to! What if time i...

#14  Thoughts from the Back Deck... How was the 33rd anniversary, you ask? Typical Ritchie event!  Isaiah 48:17 (English Standard Version) Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. So many of you asked at the first service, how our 33rd anniversary was...  Answer: Typical for a Ritchie event!  My diet has had to change due to the tumor on my pancreas. No more alcohol of any kind. No cheese/ dairy. No fatty foods. Limit my carbs. It's a long list of no's!  As we have found, i t actually makes it difficult to go out and eat. But Michelle and I decided to go out to eat and I assured her I could find something grilled on the menu and she wanted seafood.  Well, it turned out the only fish they had was fried expect salmon or shrimp. (Fried anything is another no-no!) Neither sounded good so I ordered an appetizer of steamed green mussels. It comes out, an...

Psalm 119:64  The earth, O  Lord , is full of your steadfast love;   teach me your statutes I have lived for a few years now. I have some history. I have life experiences. Yet it is also true I still must be open to continued learning. Learning from those who are old. Learning for those who are younger. I need to hear both voices. I also need to continue to hear God's voice. Knowing this and living this out are two different things...  I have to dig into the word of God and listen to His voice every day. It's not easy to do. Sometimes my inner most being, human spirit, wants to say NO . I don't have time. I don't need. I don't want. It is not relevant to my life. I know it all. Nothing new under the sun... Yet how often have a pushed back against the very beginning phrase of this text today "The earth, Oh Lord, is full of your steadfast love" It's a true statement.  Indeed the earth is and I need to be reminded of that truth everyday.  Good day Lord! T...

#12 Marriage, is it worth it? Thoughts from the back deck... Proverbs 22:6 (ESV) Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. September 1st, 1990, (that is today!) I waited at the front of a church for my future wife to come around the corner and walk down the aisle with her father.  Some people have storybook weddings and storybook lives. Some people seem to suffer tragedy after tragedy. Most people move through life, and I believe are living somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. Marriages are at an all-time low. Fewer are marrying.  Those who are getting married are doing so later in life (male average age is now 29!). F ewer are staying married. So, is marriage an outdated social construct?  No.  Michelle had "three moms" growing up as her dad moved from relationship to relationship. My parents divorced.  Our wedding day photos with the parents looked more like a mugshot after being arrested. I don't mean ...