| The West Douglas County Record |
Faith
Lessons for Living
By Michael Peterson, Doing Interim Ministry
at Chippewa Lutheran Church, Brandon
I don't follow sports all that much, but I do get caught up in the excitement when the home team is doing well. This
past Sunday, as I was on my visitation rounds, I somehow found myself at the home of parishioners whose TV I
knew would be tuned in to the big game.
After the Vikings' rather lopsided victory over the Dallas Cowboys, the TV commentators briefly debated whether or
not the Vikings should have kept on "running up the score" even after the Vikings were clearly going to win. The
answer seemed clear enough to me. These people are professional athletes, paid well to entertain the fans by
playing their sport at a high skill level. They ought to keep on doing their job until it's time to clock out, just like the
rest of us. The winning team should keep up their momentum, and the losing team should never give up.
I'm sure that the Cowboys' loss stung, but I don't think it would have stung any less if the Vikings had held back in
the last few minutes. In fact, that might have been insulting. I lived in Texas for two years, and I don't think the
Texans I knew would have wanted to be coddled. The Cowboys franchise has a glorious history, including five
Super Bowl victories. That's five more than the Vikings have won, so far. They're perfectly capable of reaching
those heights once again, but it will never happen if the opposing teams don't keep on challenging them. As they
say on the rodeo circuit, "Cowboy up!"
God strengthens us through trials and challenges: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another,"
Proverbs 27:17; "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that
the testing of your faith produces perseverance" James 1:2. St. Paul must have been a sports fan. He sounds like
one in I Corinthians 9:24-25: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run
in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a
crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."
Some years back the International Basketball Federation approved professional players, opening the door for the
USA's Olympic "Dream Team." At the time I wasn't so sure that I agreed. I thought it would always be a "slam
dunk" for the USA team from then on, and at first it was. Soon, though, other teams rose to the challenge, and the
"Dream Team" is no longer undefeated, nor always the champion. The Dream Team brought everyone up to new
heights. Where can we find the strength to face each challenge? "Those who hope in the LORD will renew their
strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint"
Isaiah 40:31 (all NIV).
By the way; my in-laws in Indiana are cheering for the Colts, and I'm OK with that.
Pastor Michael Peterson
petersoncello.wordpress.com
A few words from...
Ed Borchardt,
Recycling
I was shredding a pile of papers when I realized I need to figure out away to recycle. I purchase a ream of paper,
use it for copies, and then shred those copies when done with it. After the pile of shredded paper takes over the
office I haul it to the recycling bins located on the other side of town. I believe the next office equipment needed is a
machine to recycle. If there would be away to put in the paper on one side and on the other side it comes out
clean. Instead of a copy machine it would be a “white out” machine. There is reverse osmosis for water, how about
a reverse osmosis for ink? “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.” John 1.1, 2 May God’s Word never be erased from our hearts.
Brought to you by,
Trinity LCMS
Where God’s Word stands!
The Road To Hope
By Mick Murphy
Pastor, Calvary Covenant Church, Evansville
Of all of the miracles of Jesus, the one where he turns water into wine is one of ones we say we know best. It was
done at a wedding; it was done to keep the host families from being embarrassed; it was where Mary wasn’t
being pushy, she was just being a mom. And it was where, the gospel says, He revealed his glory, and his
disciples put their faith in him. That, in another word, was his purpose that day.
That purpose is transformational: because of Jesus, one thing becomes another thing altogether. A meal for one
and is transformed into a feast that blesses many. People who were one thing in the world are now something
else in Christ: he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! We often forget this because of the
forces Luther identified, namely the world, the flesh and the devil. They say that your attempts at being good won’t
last, your hope to change won’t happen and your journey to God’s kingdom will derail. And this is true if your idea
of transformation rests on what you think you must do; if, in other words, your faith is about what you do, not about
what God is doing.
The Rev. Glen Wiberg once told the story of a Welsh whose struggle with beer kept his family in misery and want;
they didn’t even have decent tables and chairs because of his drinking. But one day the grace of God found him
out. He gave his life to God, to his family and to the living of a new life. And it was a life, come to think of it, that
captured the attention of the world, the flesh and the devil. Some of the other miners started to make fun of his
faith, especially when they found him reading a small Bible during break times. They would ask, “did this Jesus
really turn water into wine, because if he did, he’s welcome in my house anytime.” In response, the man said, “I
wasn’t there; if you’re asking if I saw Jesus change water into wine, I can’t say I saw it. But in my house, Jesus
changed beer into furniture, and that’s enough of a miracle for me.”
A man with a new life and new furniture should visit the communion rail at the National Cathedral in Washington,
DC. The rail has twelve posts, each of them carved to represent one of the apostles. Peter holds the keys of the
kingdom, another holds a net and so on down the line. At the end the line is a plain post, a piece of wood that has
not been carved. It is flat on four sides and utterly forgettable except for this: it is the post that represents Judas
Iscariot.
How we turn out depends on whose hand we are resting in. Rest in the hand of the world and you will stand stiff
and stark and wooden for all eternity, fit only for a fire. Rest in the hand of God and you will be carved into a person
of purpose, someone another can lean on, pray with and find their place in the place of blessing.
By Michael Peterson, Doing Interim Ministry
at Chippewa Lutheran Church, Brandon
I don't follow sports all that much, but I do get caught up in the excitement when the home team is doing well. This
past Sunday, as I was on my visitation rounds, I somehow found myself at the home of parishioners whose TV I
knew would be tuned in to the big game.
After the Vikings' rather lopsided victory over the Dallas Cowboys, the TV commentators briefly debated whether or
not the Vikings should have kept on "running up the score" even after the Vikings were clearly going to win. The
answer seemed clear enough to me. These people are professional athletes, paid well to entertain the fans by
playing their sport at a high skill level. They ought to keep on doing their job until it's time to clock out, just like the
rest of us. The winning team should keep up their momentum, and the losing team should never give up.
I'm sure that the Cowboys' loss stung, but I don't think it would have stung any less if the Vikings had held back in
the last few minutes. In fact, that might have been insulting. I lived in Texas for two years, and I don't think the
Texans I knew would have wanted to be coddled. The Cowboys franchise has a glorious history, including five
Super Bowl victories. That's five more than the Vikings have won, so far. They're perfectly capable of reaching
those heights once again, but it will never happen if the opposing teams don't keep on challenging them. As they
say on the rodeo circuit, "Cowboy up!"
God strengthens us through trials and challenges: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another,"
Proverbs 27:17; "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that
the testing of your faith produces perseverance" James 1:2. St. Paul must have been a sports fan. He sounds like
one in I Corinthians 9:24-25: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run
in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a
crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."
Some years back the International Basketball Federation approved professional players, opening the door for the
USA's Olympic "Dream Team." At the time I wasn't so sure that I agreed. I thought it would always be a "slam
dunk" for the USA team from then on, and at first it was. Soon, though, other teams rose to the challenge, and the
"Dream Team" is no longer undefeated, nor always the champion. The Dream Team brought everyone up to new
heights. Where can we find the strength to face each challenge? "Those who hope in the LORD will renew their
strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint"
Isaiah 40:31 (all NIV).
By the way; my in-laws in Indiana are cheering for the Colts, and I'm OK with that.
Pastor Michael Peterson
petersoncello.wordpress.com
A few words from...
Ed Borchardt,
Recycling
I was shredding a pile of papers when I realized I need to figure out away to recycle. I purchase a ream of paper,
use it for copies, and then shred those copies when done with it. After the pile of shredded paper takes over the
office I haul it to the recycling bins located on the other side of town. I believe the next office equipment needed is a
machine to recycle. If there would be away to put in the paper on one side and on the other side it comes out
clean. Instead of a copy machine it would be a “white out” machine. There is reverse osmosis for water, how about
a reverse osmosis for ink? “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.” John 1.1, 2 May God’s Word never be erased from our hearts.
Brought to you by,
Trinity LCMS
Where God’s Word stands!
The Road To Hope
By Mick Murphy
Pastor, Calvary Covenant Church, Evansville
Of all of the miracles of Jesus, the one where he turns water into wine is one of ones we say we know best. It was
done at a wedding; it was done to keep the host families from being embarrassed; it was where Mary wasn’t
being pushy, she was just being a mom. And it was where, the gospel says, He revealed his glory, and his
disciples put their faith in him. That, in another word, was his purpose that day.
That purpose is transformational: because of Jesus, one thing becomes another thing altogether. A meal for one
and is transformed into a feast that blesses many. People who were one thing in the world are now something
else in Christ: he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! We often forget this because of the
forces Luther identified, namely the world, the flesh and the devil. They say that your attempts at being good won’t
last, your hope to change won’t happen and your journey to God’s kingdom will derail. And this is true if your idea
of transformation rests on what you think you must do; if, in other words, your faith is about what you do, not about
what God is doing.
The Rev. Glen Wiberg once told the story of a Welsh whose struggle with beer kept his family in misery and want;
they didn’t even have decent tables and chairs because of his drinking. But one day the grace of God found him
out. He gave his life to God, to his family and to the living of a new life. And it was a life, come to think of it, that
captured the attention of the world, the flesh and the devil. Some of the other miners started to make fun of his
faith, especially when they found him reading a small Bible during break times. They would ask, “did this Jesus
really turn water into wine, because if he did, he’s welcome in my house anytime.” In response, the man said, “I
wasn’t there; if you’re asking if I saw Jesus change water into wine, I can’t say I saw it. But in my house, Jesus
changed beer into furniture, and that’s enough of a miracle for me.”
A man with a new life and new furniture should visit the communion rail at the National Cathedral in Washington,
DC. The rail has twelve posts, each of them carved to represent one of the apostles. Peter holds the keys of the
kingdom, another holds a net and so on down the line. At the end the line is a plain post, a piece of wood that has
not been carved. It is flat on four sides and utterly forgettable except for this: it is the post that represents Judas
Iscariot.
How we turn out depends on whose hand we are resting in. Rest in the hand of the world and you will stand stiff
and stark and wooden for all eternity, fit only for a fire. Rest in the hand of God and you will be carved into a person
of purpose, someone another can lean on, pray with and find their place in the place of blessing.