Thoughts From the Back Deck...

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...

In religion, you obey because God is useful. In Christianity, you obey because God is beautiful. ~Pastor Timothy Keller As we live our lives together, we will always have a time(s) when we struggle with our faith. This is true for all people. It is universal. We all put our faith in things, even the atheists! Faith in a spouse. Faith in a deity. Faith in ourselves.  As Christians, we put our faith in Jesus. Because we are talking about faith and not a scientific exercise in a lab somewhere, we will, at some point, have our faith tested. We have questions. There are times we do not understand why.  Life in Jesus is about faith and trust, and many things happen in this world that don't make sense in our limited view of life. Sometimes that leads us to  "what abouts."   Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  I often have people come to me with  "what about"  questions... "What ab...

This week, I gathered with a few other parents who, like Michelle and I, face the time when more and more we must practice letting our children go.  For the last 23 years, Michelle and I have poured into the lives of our three children. Letting go (letting them grow up!) is never easy, but the Holy Spirit helps us let go a little at a time. Our children grow from infants to the terrible two's, to the treacherous threes, ferocious fours, finally fives, snarky sixes... and on and on through elementary school, middle school, and the teen years of high school, and we are on that journey with them.  Until... Until that one day when the journey changes. Oh, the journey together continues, but it's a significant change. I remember this vividly. Our daughter was home on Christmas break, and as the semester break neared the end, at the dinner table we sat together at so many times, she absent-mindedly said, "I am looking forward to getting back home."   And that phrase rang i...

Am I good enough to go to heaven?!  It's not an uncommon question. There are variants of this, like... I think I am going to heaven. I have lived a godly life. I try to be good to others. I believe in the golden rule. Well, I am not sure why I wouldn't go to heaven. I guess I am. It's like we are asking one of those magic 8 balls and getting any of the 20 possible answers from the magic window.  Not really assuring.  Let's start with that first question again: Am I good enough to go to heaven? *Shake-shake-shake-rattle-rattle-rattle*  (Goes the 8 Ball and our brains!)  Survey says! NO.  (Crowd sighs: "awe").  You lose. But the Lord says... Why would the Lord want to reason together with us?  The reality is there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING in me or that I have done that is good! Being a pastor, a father, a husband... Nothing!!! Metaphorically speaking, my hands are covered in blood- red, scarlet, crimson, blood as I have...

I couldn't find a picture of our past and present living presidents together except for this coin picture. This is not a political comedy, satire, or commentary. What I am about to say comes from God's word... 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Pray for All People 2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. As the ESV bold title states, "Pray for All People." Supplications : "to bend or stoop. To plead humbly." Prayers : "Communication with God" Intercessions : "Entreat. Petition. on behalf of others." Thanksgiving : "confession, praise, and offering" ...be made for all people! President Biden? President Trump? President Obama? President Bush? President Clinton? President Carter? Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Our next president, whoever that ...

Last Sunday was a time in the church year called "All Saints Sunday." At St. Paul, we saw a list of 25 names on a side banner. 25 funerals that happened in the last year. All Saints Day is a time we remember that Jesus is good to his promises.  We all know that we do not know what our future holds! What will my son David be doing 5 years from now? All Saints Day is a time we remember that Jesus is good to his promises.  Where will my daughter Grace be a nurse at when she graduates from college next December? All Saints Day is a time we remember that Jesus is good to his promises.  What area of law enforcement will my daughter Faith end up serving upon graduation from college in 3.5 years? All Saints Day is a time we remember that Jesus is good to his promises.  What will my tests show in the coming months, and will I have surgery on my horizon? All Saints Day is a time we remember that Jesus is good to his promises.    Those 25 have received and are enjoyin...

Ephesians 1:18 "...having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints..." This week, there was another funeral for a young person. 16 years young. A short time ago, we had a funeral for a two-year-old, and before that, a funeral for three children, all under 17, killed in an auto accident. Honestly, as I sit on my back deck, this has been a tough week. Tough for the community. Tough for families. Tough for the church. Tough for staff. Tough. It's just plain tough! Memories and dreams. These are shared at funerals. We talk about our loved ones when they pass. No matter the age, those memories are gifts and treasured.  Very often, as the day of the funeral passes and the weeks keep turning, there is a tendency to think we are forgetting our loved ones who have passed. It is a part of grief. We look through photos on our phone or the old printed p...