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Today allow me to mix in a little movie review with this installment of Moments with the Minster.   Not long ago I went to see the film Yesterday .   It’s a delightful and heart-warming story of a struggling musician who mysteriously is brought to a world where the Beatles never existed. No one else but himself knows these songs that defined rock n roll in the 1960’s. Once he realizes this, he makes himself famous singing all the tunes of the Fab Four. He becomes an overnight sensation. Of course, he faces the moral dilemma of essentially stealing these songs as well as trying to balance a love interest. There are also some other amusing and interesting peculiarities of this modified world. It’s definitely worth the price of admission especially for those of us who grow up idolizing the Beatles. Now here comes a little spoiler, so if you don’t want to read on and are frustrated that you came to this column wanting some spiritual insight, then I suggest you just put down th...

Last month I got to take the trip of a lifetime. I got to go to Israel which, especially for a minister, is like letting a kid loose in a candy store. I ate up every single artifact, ruin, and historical site.   I have read about these places for decades, but to actually be there - to see these them with my own eyes - is beyond description. There it was all right in front of me. I walked through the holy city of Jerusalem. I looked down upon the ruins of ancient Jericho. I prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane just down from the Mount of Olives. I sailed on the Sea of Galilee.   Capernaum, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Dan, Beersheba, the Jordan River – all of them - I was there. My eyes have seen what only my ears had heard. All of those places mentioned in the pages of the Bible actually exist. One critique of Scripture is that it’s just a book of myths and fairy tales.   Stories created to provide a history and legacy for the Jewish nation.   Fables of a Jewish rabbi inve...

Don’t you love all those Old Testament stories? Oversized arks being built. Seas being parted. Walls tumbling down. Lions mouths being shut. Prophets evacuating earth on chariots of fire.   And certainly there’s no shortage of jaw-dropping stories in the New Testament: the blind see, the lame walk, the dead live. All these miracles do impress me and remind me of God’s awesome power, but they also can make me feel pretty insignificant. I’ve never built an ark, brought down a wall, shut a lion’s mouth, and I don’t expect to leave earth on a flaming chariot. I’ve never healed the sick or raised the dead.   So, in this biblical world of superheroes and miracle-workers, where do I fit in? Is there a need for an ordinary Joe like me? What about the rest of us? That’s when I turn to this Old Testament story. The full story is in 2 Kings 5, but here’s a quick synopsis. A powerful general named Naaman has been afflicted with leprosy. A Jewish servant refers him to Elisha,...

What a great Easter Sunday we had at the church I preach. Easter is like the Super Bowl for churches – biggest crowds of the year, families getting together, a little extra oomph to the service.   On my way to church Sunday I stopped at a convenience store for a little pre-game, I mean pre-worship snack and the clerk, seeing me all dressed up, asked me if I was going to work.   I told him “You bet. I’m a preacher and this is my big day!”    Easter Sunday is a celebration, and rightfully so. Celebrations are great. Family reunions, special vacations, weddings, graduations, landmark anniversaries are all special occasions which deserve a little more attention and a “write-it-in-pen” designation on our calendars. And I’m glad to see everyone at church on Easter. It’s a good Sunday, but just like moms and dads want to hear from their children more often than those special occasions, so does God. God is described in many different ways in Scripture but one predom...

I‘ve been studying and preaching from the Old Testament book of Ezekiel. I know, everyone’s favorite book of the Bible, right? But wait! I’ve found so many gems in this book that are so often passed by. You really should give it a chance. The basic message of the prophet is that Jerusalem will be destroyed because of Israel’s prolonged and brazen disobedience. Before you get to thinking that God is impatient and intolerant, read through the book and see all the atrocities going on in the temple. It’s pretty bad. The issue is not that God is angry, it’s that the people have drifted so far away from who they promised to be. They had an agreement with God, and they hadn’t kept their end of the bargain.   The real mystery is not that judgment is coming. It’s how did it get this bad? How do people become so insensitive to sin? How do people become so blind to their rebellion? Ezekiel addresses these questions - questions that are not only applicable to 6 th -century BC Israel, ...

I’m a minister. I preach just about every Sunday. I’m involved in the planning of our Sunday service. I’ve been doing this now for over 25 years. And I love it.  Sure, there are Sundays my tank isn’t as full as others. There are some services that seem to fall flat. But I must admit, I enjoy worship. I enjoy the songs. I enjoy the sacred moments. I enjoy seeing everyone. I enjoy the buzz of people making their way into the worship center. And I enjoy preaching.  I suppose within every preacher and worship leader there is a bit of a showman. Most of us want our services to entertain. We want people to experience some emotional highs and lows. We want to elicit laughter and tears. We want worship to be an experience. And it seems that’s what people want as well. Go to just about any larger than average church this Sunday and you’ll probably find a nicely decorated lobby, a colorful childrens’ area, a worship center equipped with lights and video equipment.  You’ll pro...

I’ve been exercising more the last few months.   Going to the gym. Walking around the neighborhood from time to time. I’ve been a member of a fitness center for years, but in most months my monthly fee was more of a donation than anything else. And my neighborhood has always been there. I haven’t moved from a neighborhood that prohibited walking to one that allows it. Back in September I decided I needed to be a little more weight conscious and shed some pounds, but it was a decision not without some provocation. Each summer I see my doctor for an annual checkup and, since I was displaying some concerning symptoms and given my age, he ordered me to get some tests done.   I went unhappily, but went nonetheless.   Everything seemed to go okay but, as it is, I waited anxiously to get the results from the doctor.   After a day or so his office called and with relief I heard the words, “You passed the test.” It was the next words that set me back a little. “However,...

Well, I’m guessing you didn’t win the billion-dollar lottery last week.   It is fun to dream though, isn’t it? Even knowing that the odds are remarkably against us, when the stakes get that high we all imagine how such a windfall would change our lives.   I love watching the media coverage as random folks are interviewed and asked what they would do if their numbers came up. Although the specifics vary, there is usually the typical response that they would give to some charity or help people in need.   Seems like people believe that if they had an insanely large amount of money they would certainly be generous with it. I was watching one of those news pieces last week and the cynical side of me reared its ugly head. I wondered if that person was generous now, even though they’re not a billionaire. I asked myself, “If a person is not generous with what they have, why would they expect themselves to be generous with what they might have?” I think we’re all like that. ...

Has anyone actually purchased this sweater? And if so, why!! I am not stylish. I will never be named “best dressed” minister. I do not enjoy clothes shopping. Yet, even though shopping is a task, there are occasions when I do need to pick up an item or two and even though I don’t have an eye for what’s fashionable I can sense when something is absolutely garish. There seem to be some items that make you wonder how they ever ended up in a store. Some things are just so ugly you wonder if anybody has actually bought them. That recently happened to me but then I looked at the situation from a different point of view. Since it is in a store, whoever buys for the store must have looked at that item and thought, “Wow, that’s very fashionable. I bet we could sell this in my store.” And going beyond that, whoever designs clothes must have sat down at their clothes-designing table (or wherever clothes are designed) and conceived that article of clothing and thought, “Wow, I’ve done ...

Seems like we’re always looking for ways to make life better and there may be one way closer than you think:   Going to church! Several studies have indicated that church attendance is good for your health (both physical and mental), good for your marriage, good for your kids, and may even add a few years to your life. It’s almost universally accepted that regular church attendance yields many positive benefits. (I’ve included some links at the end of this post if you want to check out some of the research yourself.) Now, I know the saying, “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile.” So, what the research is talking about is more than just popping in and out of a building for an hour or so every once and a while. We’re talking about regular church attendance and an ongoing involvement in the community and service of the church.   It’s hard to deny – going to church is good for you. Paul says as much when h...

One had more fans, but the best player got the trophy It’s not the norm that a sporting event makes headlines not for who won, but for who almost won. Yet that was the case for this year’s PGA Golf Championship. For the first decade of this century, Tiger Woods was THE golfer. He was racking up victories at a record pace until injuries and personal problems derailed his historic career. It had been nearly a decade since he won a tournament and many fans as well as experts had serious doubts as to whether he would be able to contend, let alone win, a professional tournament.   Earlier this month Woods almost broke through at the PGA Golf Championship coming in second place, and it was this surprising performance that made headlines. In fact, his runner-up finish seemed to get more press than the actual winner of the event. Watching golf in person is a lot different than most sporting events. Some spectators hunker down at one location and watch as the var...

Last month my wife and I went on a road trip to Tennessee with my in-laws.   We took their car that was equipped with a newer technology (at least newer to me) called “blind spot detection.”   A light illuminates on the side mirror when there’s a vehicle in that area to your right or left that isn’t covered by the mirrors.   If you put your blinker on to change lanes, a little buzz goes off warning you that there’s a danger you perhaps can’t see. It’s a little annoying but comes in handy.   I suppose the annoyance is worth the potential danger it is intended to prevent. The fact of the matter is that when we’re driving we can’t see all the potential dangers around us simply from our vantage point in the driver’s seat. When we are taught to drive, we are trained to use our rear-view mirror to see what’s behind us.   We use the side mirrors to see what’s to the right or left of us.   Now many cars have a rear-view camera that lets us know what is directly...

As Father’s Day weekend approaches, I have many memories of my dad, but one always comes to the forefront.  It’s when I was a senior in high school. Growing up I was a good-but-not-great athlete.  I loved playing any sport but early on baseball became my passion.  I started organized ball at age 8 and played through high school.  At about 12 I started playing football and actually was pretty good.  As quarterback, I was MVP of my youth teams and the clippings from the local paper made me think pretty highly of myself. As I entered high school there was talk of my ascension to starting quarterback of the varsity squad, but a funny thing happened on the way from sophomore year to junior year.  I stopped growing!  My height became a liability and my arm strength hadn’t developed.  Entering my junior year, others soared past me and I was relegated to the role of backup.  So that year, after the agony of summer football camp, I chose to bypass...

Remember the old arcade game “Whack-a-Mole”? If you’re not familiar with it, here’s a brief description.   It’s a table about waist high with five holes where toy moles would randomly pop up and almost immediately pop back down.   The object of the game was to use a padded mallet to whack the mole before he disappeared back into his hole.   It was two minutes of frenzied fun! The game took on a broader social meaning representing any futile and repetitious action. It became a symbol for the frenzied pace of our lives where one problem pops up, we try to whack it, and, as soon as that one is taken care of, another problem surfaces. Whack-a-Mole became emblematic of our lives - problem after problem consuming our time and energy leaving us exhausted and stressed. Have you ever found yourself playing a non-stop game of Whack-a-Mole? I have. The pesky mole of family issues pops up, and then the worrisome mole of financial woes appears, and before you know it, the bother...

Easter is over!  What a relief. For those of us in the church business Easter is one of the busiest times of the year. There are Easter egg hunts, passion plays, holy week services, extra weekend services.  It can wear out even the most devout ministers.  Don’t get me wrong – we love all the planning and revel in the full houses we get to preach to on Easter Sunday but come Monday we all breathe a sigh of relief.  We made it through another Easter season. We’re glad Easter is over.  Yet, at the same time, we’re sad Easter is over. The Sunday after Easter may be one of the most depressing for ministers. The additional seats are no longer needed.  The gaps in our sanctuaries and worship centers return. We welcomed back some church members on Easter Sunday whom we hadn’t seen in weeks, maybe even months, maybe even since last Easter. And then the Sunday after Easter we look around for them and they’re not there. We’re glad they were here last week and ...

In February 2004, the film The Passion of the Christ hit theaters to the excitement of most Christians.   The movie was financially backed by Hollywood super-star Mel Gibson, so this was going to be a first-class production. It opened to full houses, but one immediate concern arose – it was so bloody!   The depiction of Jesus’ beating and crucifixion was so gruesome the movie earned an “R” rating. Was this another example of Hollywood exploiting violence for box office success or was the representation of the passion gruesome because the event itself was gruesome? The consensus was that the movie was horrific because the event itself was horrific.   There was no way you could make the passion of Christ “G” rated. But I wonder why?   Why did the event have to be so gruesome? Is there anything about how it happened that reveals to us something about the nature of God? Before I address that question, let’s get two things clear.   First, Jesus could hav...

It’s odd that in the ordinary tasks of life God has a way of teaching me about him.   A while back I was filling up my car at a local gas station when I saw an employee emptying out the trash cans by the pumps.   She was on the other side of the pump I was using, and I noticed her struggling to get the liner out of the trash can.   I reached over and gently held down the trash can to help out.   With just that little assistance she was able to get the bag out and go about her work.   I expected a “thank you” but there was none.   Then I realized that she had never seen what I had done.   The trash bag she was lifting was blocking her view.   Besides that, I was partially hidden behind a pillar, so she never knew I helped! I guess she just figured that somehow, someway she managed to pull the bag out all by herself.   She didn’t thank me because she didn’t know that I helped. I was tempted to say something but decided the best thing to d...