The World's Okayest Pastor

  As a minister I have the honor of performing rites and ceremonies for people at a variety of stages of life: baptisms, blessings, marriages, funerals, etc. I usually enjoy planning and leading these events. But lately I've had a rash of folks shocked that as a minister, I would have a fee to do some of these services. So lets talk about why I have fees.   To start with, if you are a member of my congregation you do get my services as a part of my contract with the congregation as long as they are spelled out in the contract. Generally if you're a member of the congregation I serve, it is expected that I will preform baptisms, blessings, funerals, weddings, etc for you because I want to remind you of God's continuous blessing in your life and especially at important moments in your life.   However some folks are shocked that there would be an honorarium suggested for the minister. The reality is that these blessings, weddings, funerals, etc. are extra work in our wee...

Congratulations Class of 2015 and also to your families.  You've  made it to the finish line of high school. Next week you will receive your diplomas and will be officially adults by all standards. You’ll get the speeches that include hearing “The Giving Tree” and other stories to inspire you as you go about what the future holds for you. And while I could use this time to read you one of those inspirational stories, I’m not.           Instead I’m going to boil it all down for you. Our hopes, dreams and prayers for you all are really this; that you all will be decent human beings in all that you say, do and be. That  doesn't  seem to be that big of a task. But when we look back at scripture, the accounts of people trying to live a life that is faithful and aligns with God’s purpose for creating us, we see that it’s harder then we think. Ecclesiastes reminds us that there are times for everything. You will be c...

Below is my contribution to the annual devotional booklet for Light a Candle for Children Prayer Vigil. Clearly I'm way behind in posting this but here it is. Friday, October 10, 2014 Seeing More than Stumbling Blocks Jeremiah 6:21 There are days I struggle to get tasks completed because I don’t understand them. It’s a blessing when one of the church children come up and magically move things or hit a button and things just work. Children see more than stumbling blocks and make a difference because they believe that they can do anything. They haven’t heard society tell them what/who they are or are not yet. Children have a unique way of seeing a different perspective. Jeremiah addressed God’s people, who often refused to change their hearts and see differently. It’s not the most loving thing to put a stumbling block in our way. But sometimes blocks help us to slow down and re-evaluate the situation. The Church has the blessing of children to let us see things in ne...

Designated prayer person - as clergy in the Christian tradition there is the thought, maybe assumption by some, that we pray over every meal. For those of you who do that - great. I applaud you and your devotion. I, however, am not one of those people. I have developed a more flippant set of prayers that range from "yay God" to "please do not let this go straight to my hips, thighs and butt. Amen." I'm also a champion at the "not it" games of finger on the nose, thumbs on the edge of the table, etc to not be the last person caught not doing this therefore having to pray over a meal. It's not that I don't believe one should be thankful for food, hands who have prepared it and so on and so forth. It's just that I'm tired of being expected to recite rote prayers at meals. I get tired of having to remember who I'm with and where they are theologically and finding a balance of their belief system with mine. Trust me I really don't ...

12/14/12  - another horrible day. A 20 year old man walks into an elementary school and opens fire. Young children and teachers killed before the young man takes his own life. American TV rushes to cover the story - to get the first break in the story, to show the first pictures of people weeping. At the same time around the world a man walks into a school in China stabs 22 young children. A small blurb is put out in America. This leads to ask the question - how narrow minded are we in America that we can only focus on stuff in our own culture. Can't both groups mourn together? Can't we pray for both groups together? Can't we offer prayer vigils for both? I sometimes want to tell people who say that they don't understand why America isn't loved around the world that these are part of the reason why. We think the whole planet revolves around us. We think God has only favored America and we teach that even if we don't realize it when we say the phrase "God Bl...

I just got back from walking in the Des Moines Area Hunger Hike. I haven't done it in about 11 years because I lived elsewhere but I used to do it every year in my youth. This year I was there as a team of myself. I listened to the speakers and then it was off and walking. I started out trying to find my place in the pack - finding where I could walk my pace without being in the way of others. I found myself walking along side of a grandfather who was pulling his grandson in a red wagon. We smiled and acknowledged each other's presence and then continued walking along, joined for a moment in this shared concern. We we crossed streets I noticed something that renewed my faith in good and humanity. Not all of the places we crossed had dips in the sidewalk. The grandfather would start to slow down to gently pull the wagon with his grandson and folks would just come along and pick up the wagon and set it down so the grandson wouldn't be bounced out or knocked around. We'd g...

Here's the liturgy used at AUCC for the start of the 2012 school year. Today is the Sunday before school starts here in Ankeny. A new school year, a new starts. For some this is simply another day of things that one has to do. For others it is full of excitement and new beginnings. However, you feel about the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, it is a new beginning.                                           It is important that we, as a community of faith, come together to celebrate these new beginnings. Not only do we celebrate but we are called to bless them. We as a community of faith bless things and one another because we have been blessed. From the beginning of time our spirits resonate with the litany we hear in Genesis that we, along with all things created are “good” ...

I've been thinking about what it means to bless and to be a blessing lately. I opened my mouth at a church meeting and of course that leads to doing something. So  I'm planning a blessing of the backpacks - a blessing for anyone who is in school (any level) or works in a school setting. I have to think about what it means to bless or be blessed in order to write a liturgy that stands on a rich tradition. I need to understand this concept so I can write something that is faithful to all those who will gather to be blessed and who are doing the blessing. So I did what I do what I want opinions I posted this question on Facebook. A church musician reminded me of the song "Count Your Blessings." Others said something that is given freely and that we don't earn. Another person reminded me of the words from Numbers. After taking it all in here's what I'm concluded for now: we are all blessed, even before we took form on this earth. We are all part of the circle ...