Category Archives: Ministry

Posted on

Re:Creating Empathy

Randy Elrod is the passionate, artistic, creative entrepreneur who formed and shaped re:create, and has nurtured it over eleven years. In my continuing series of quotes from the re:create conference, this post is focused on Randy’s presentation about empathy. Believe me when I say that it generated much discussion at the conference.

Randy’s empathy was on display throughout the conference as he shed real, empathetic tears on more than one occasion. In other words, he knew that of which he was speaking.  Here are some quotes:

  • Ether = Quintessence = “The 5th Element”; Ether was known as the purest essence and was thought to permeate everything. We have a God who is “quintessence” in the greatest sense.
  • Use one word to describe yourself: that word is your brand; your “brand” is who you are not what you do.
  • The first verb of the Bible is “created”!
  • Empathy comes in three types: Cognitive, Emotional, and Compassionate.
  • Cognitive Empathy = To know another person’s feelings; to take them and use them for or against a person.
  • Emotional Empathy = To feel what another person feels.
  • Compassionate Empathy = To respond compassionately to another person’s distress.
  • The progression of these three types of empathy goes like this: I notice you…I feel with you…I act to help you (that’s what the Good Samaritan did).

Once we determine what type of empathy we most regularly practice, we can be aware of the gift from God that it is, and use it in service to ourself and to others.

  • The Creator God can recreate our past because He is the “quintessential” Father. He is ever-present in and through His Word.
  • When you feel yourself getting tense, assess it; you’re trying to be God in that moment.
  • The up side of being an empathetic person is passion, intuition, and communication.
  • The down side of being an empathetic person is that one can become an emotional sponge.
  • Be present to your God-given emotions “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:13).

What does empathy have to do with creativity?

  • It helps to understand that even our minds have been redeemed; understanding the spiritual “mind” that has been placed in us is key to seeing life through the eyes of Christ.
  • Christian contemplation is a commendable practice.
  • Practice imagination!
  • Practice remembering what you’ve forgotten, a la Madeline L’Engle who reminds us that every child is an artist.
  • Practice charisma, that is “the ability to make people feel comfortable in an uncomfortable space.”
  • Give people the gift of God’s presence in you.
  • Be optimistic and curious.
  • Focus on others: Pay attention to the person in front of you (listen to listen…not to fix and solve).

People do their best work when they are allowed to make progress. Give the people around you the opportunity to make progress.

As a result of this talk I’m going to work on being a more empathetic person, being more “present” to those in my life. I also want to use the gift of empathy to foster my creative spirit (see the last group of bullet points).

How do empathy and creativity work together to produce art in your life?

Posted on

When Did THAT Happen?

This morning I was filling out a registration form for something online. One of the questions hit me with a start: “Do you have any children under the age of 18 living in your household?” I had to check the box that said, “No.” I thought to myself, “When did that happen?”

It’s been a year-and-a-half now since either of our kids have permanently been living in our house. I, of course, knew that. But life moves so fast, things transition so quickly, and the calendar pages get torn off and thrown away almost without notice. Sometimes we are jarred into the reality of time moving on.

This time of year, more than any other, seems to do that to people. I think it’s because the holiday season is a time of year filled with tradition and traditions. When traditions are carried out year after year we begin to realize that time moves on. We look back to past years and realize that even our traditions just aren’t quite what they used to be. Some of the decorations seem a bit dated. We notice that there are people who were once part of our traditions that are no longer.  Just like that we’re sharing our tradition and traditions with our adult children whom we once carried to our traditional events. When did that happen?

The hymn writer said, “Time, like an ever-rolling stream soon bears us all away.” Not exactly the joyful hymn lyrics you’d expect at this time of year. In fact, “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” is usually a hymn used a little later on in the season, traditionally on New Year’s Eve. But the words are incredibly appropriate right now as they go on to remind us that our God has been a “help in ages past,” and will be “our hope for years to come.” More than that, He is “our guard while troubles last last and our eternal home.”

There’s something deeply joyful about that. Nothing ever stays the same. But that doesn’t mean that we have to live in the traditions of the past. What a joy it is now to no longer “have children under the age of 18 living in our home.”

Don’t get me wrong. I miss having our kids in the house, and I miss the joys (and challenges!) of raising children. But “no longer having children under the age of 18 living in our home” means that we get to watch the exciting things that come about when adult lives develop. It means that we have a deep relationship like no other relationship on earth — the relationship between a parent and a child — which brings the joy of middle-of-the-day phone calls, watching them strike out into the world on their own, sensing pride in their accomplishments, sharing theological and political conversations, and the anticipation of seeing one another face-to-face whenever that next time will be.

Time certainly is an “ever-rolling” stream. But there’s something deeply profound and wonderful about that. Things change. But “change” doesn’t always mean things are worse. Often “time” and “change” make things much, much better.

From the bottom of my heart I believe that time marches on toward one Great Day and one Great Purpose. As a Christian, I know that time will never cease. I know that though passing time sometimes makes me melancholy in this life, there will come a day when life (eternal!) will no longer move so quickly, things will no longer transition or deteriorate, and no one will pay any attention to calendar pages. At that time, “time” will be a non-factor, and that will bring me joy.

I, for one, can’t wait to be jarred into that reality…the reality that N.T. Wright calls “life after life after death.” That’s exactly why, at this time of year, through all of our tradition and traditions, we celebrate the new birth of a King who entered into human time so that time for us will never end.

When did that happen? It happened 2000 years ago, and it happens in our hearts and lives in this great season, and through all the changes, challenges, and chances of life. It happens by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

What are your thoughts on the transitionary nature of time?

Posted on

Presidential Public Speaking

George W. Bush was recently in Milwaukee to speak at a fundraiser for Teen Challenge, a Christian non-profit organization that helps addicted teens reform and recover. The Bradley Foundation asked me to be their guest for the evening, and I was able to go.  I had heard George Bush in person once before. When he was President he spoke at the graduation ceremonies at Concordia University — Wisconsin, where I am an adjunct professor of Theology.

I remember President Bush being a reasonbly good speaker. But the speech that I heard recently was a masterful lesson in public speaking. It’s my belief that everyone should feel comfortable speaking in front of other people. It’s a life skill that is needed these days in a great many professions. It’s a life skill that will bring advantages to those who perfect it. It’s a life skill that could mean advancement, promotion, or financial advantage. It’s also a life skill that can be used in service to others (I happen to be in a profession that uses public speaking in just that way).

I believe that public speaking is so important that I make it a required part of every college class that I teach. Sometimes students complain, but when they hear the rationale, they seem much less reluctant to give it a try. Besides, everyone else in the class has to as well.

I wish all of my students, past and present, could have been in the audience to hear President Bush speak. They may or may not have agreed with his politics, but they would most certainly have learned these things about public speaking:

  1. Humor: President Bush began his speech with a very humorous story, and interspersed humor throughout. Most of the humor was self-depricating; he knew all the things the media and critics have said of him over the years, and he was able to joke about it. Humor put everyone at ease.
  2. Humanity: President Bush knew his audience. One of the first stories he told was about his own addiction to alcohol. He told the story of the detrimental ways in which alcohol abuse impacted his life. Though he was once President of the United States, he also showed that he is a human being. Showing that you are human is a great way to win an audience.
  3. Pathos: Stories always draw people in…especially stories that create empathy in people, or stories with which people can identify. President Bush told the story of a trip he made to Africa where he and Laura went to an orphanage filled with children who had lost their parents to AIDS. He was dumbfounded. He didn’t know what to say to the children that had gathered there to see him. All he could think to say was: “God is good.” To his astonishment all of the children answered in unison: “All the time.” He couldn’t believe that these children to whom the worst of the worst had happened, could make such a statement of faith. As President Bush told the story, the audience was silent with rapt attention.
  4. Pictures: By pictures I don’t mean visual aids; I mean painting pictures with words. In fact, President Bush described paintings in his office and why each of them brought meaning to his life and to his presidency. It was a technique that helped people remember important parts of the speech. Because President Bush used that technique I still remember the most important points of his message.
  5. Principle: Abraham Lincoln was President Bush’s favorite president (other than his father!). President Bush said that he appreciated President Lincoln because he was a man who stood on principle: “All men are created equal.” And he acted on that principle. It’s also an important aspect of public speaking. An audience can easily tell whether or not a speaker is sincere. Stand on principle and speak on principle and you will be a well-respected speaker.
  6. Risk: Taking a risk in a speech is never easy, but well-thought-out and well-calculated risks can truly win an audience. President Bush said in his speech that it is a great risk to run for President: “If you lose, people say, ‘What a pathetic candidate!’ If you win, people say, ‘What a pathetic president!” That’s both risk and humor.

What pointers do you have for public speaking? I’d love to hear them, because I’m constantly striving to improve my skills.

Posted on

Fads That Fix

Last night I spoke at The Haven at Concordia University — Wisconsin. The Haven is an informal, contemporary worship experience held every Sunday night during the school year. They asked me to speak about fads…specifically about the way in which fads are fleeting, but the Word of the Lord stands forever. The example they used in their publicity was the moonboot.

Remember those? When you put them on you felt as though you could jump higher than any other human being. There was no right boot or left boot, so you could put them on either foot. You could be ready in seconds to jump out the door into the biggest snow bank of all, pretending you were an invincible astronaut exploring the furthest reaches of the moon.

Moonboots were a fad. They came and went with the 1980’s. Many fads have come and gone since then. But there is one fad I demonstrated with the college students last night that seems to have some staying power. I told them all to take out their phones (I’m pretty sure every single person had one) and text me one fad they could think of right there on the spot. I got more than seventy texts, and hardly any of them were duplicate “fads.” I had just demonstrated a fad that doesn’t seem to be dying down: Texting.

It showed the power of electronic media. Facebook is still growing. Twitter adds 370,000 new members every day (!). A phone is in most every hand. A computer is in most every house.

Fads like texting, Twitter, and Taylor Swift come and go, but the Word of the Lord stands forever. That’s because you can never separate the Word from the God who speaks it. When it is spoken He is there. When it is read He is there. When it is preached He is there. When it is applied to you He is there. When it is passed along He is there.

The Word of the Lord is no fad. It has stood the test of thousands of years. In fact, it stands forever. Those who have had that Word applied to their lives have been born anew, put into an everlasting fellowship with others, and have received the permanent gifts of God. God has guaranteed a permanent party!

I asked the college students last night if they wanted others to join that permanent party. It seemed that they did. So I told them that it won’t happen with the latest evangelism fad or outreach craze. It won’t happen by trying to argue the faith into someone or being a good example. It is going to happen when we use the powerful words of God Himself.

I believe God has given us the latest fads as a gift to use in the service of His kingdom and His Word. C.S. Lewis famously said that every square inch of the universe is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan. Let’s claim texting, Twitter, and technology for God.

Here’s how it has helped my ministry: Within the last week I have used these tools to help a member of my church plan a wedding; I have answered the deeply theological questions of a troubled young man; I have found musicians for a new service that we plan to start in the near future; our congregation has a Facebook page that keeps people updated on happenings at church as well as encouraging them in their faith; people that I follow on Twitter have given me great ideas for my ministry at Mt. Calvary.

The Word of the Lord can surf the waves of technology just as well as any other message. The very nature of social-networking is that it uses technology and media to bring people together in real life. Fads not only fix people together under a common item or idea, they can be used to fix people together with their Savior and Lord. Why not use the latest technological “fads” to invite others to the permanent party prepared by the Lord?

What fad do you use to connect people together, or to the Lord? I’d love to hear.

Posted on

Baby-Sized Potential

When you’re a pastor you get to be with people at the most important and memorable moments of their lives. Today I got to hold a newborn baby, only hours old, while I chatted with the parents and discussed things like length of hospital stay, length of labor, and length of the child.

I got to hold the baby for a good half an hour. And as I stared into that little face, I couldn’t help but wonder about all the potential locked inside that baby body. Would he be a left-handed pitcher? (Most of his family is left-handed.) Would he be a writer…an artist…an athlete…a teacher…a fireman…a pastor? Would he be a good student? Would he play Little League? Would he sing in choirs? Would he one day be a culinary expert or a car fanatic?

Just what is locked up inside that little body and brain, ready to explode into a life well lived? I really hope that these two parents get to have the joy of watching realized potential in their son like my wife and I have been able to watch in both of our children. Knowing these two, I know they will. They will be parents who care for, and nurture, and provide for, and encourage, and support, and love.

But more than all of that, they will see to it that this little boy is connected to Jesus. In just a short couple of weeks he will be baptized, and the death and resurrection of the Savior of the world will be planted into that little heart. Sins will be forgiven. Faith will be founded. Eternal life will begin.

The potential of this child is not just “this worldly.” His potential is eternal. His potential is guaranteed. His potential will be made complete in the Water and the Word.

Welcome to this world, Samuel David! And welcome to the world that is to come. All of your earthly and heavenly potential is guaranteed by the only One who can make such guarantees.

What potential have you seen realized? Please post a response that shows the miracle of potential. I’d love to hear your stories!

Posted on

One Word

Today, as we often do, my friend, John, and I had an interesting exchange by email. Here’s how it went. My email was the one word, “Interesting,” followed by a link that he could click through to read an article. His email response was the one word, “Wow.” That’s not the first time we’ve had exchanges like that.

The relationship that John and I have is a relationship that can be sustained with one-word conversations. It can even be sustained with telephone conversations that end abruptly because something pressing comes up, someone else walks into the room, or we get another phone call. Neither of us is offended if that happens. Neither of us hangs up in a snit. Our friendship allows us to carry on the conversation the next time we talk…whenever that might be.

Though we live in different cities, over the years we have forged a friendship and relationship that doesn’t have to be sustained by many words, but is sustained by a genuine and deep love for one another. When John’s wife, Janet, died, I felt honored that he could be brutally honest with me about the raw emotions he experienced at the time. From the time Janet had been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, John and I either spoke, wrote, texted, or emailed one another nearly every single day. I felt it was not only my “duty” as a friend to “be there” for him; but it also helped me work through the feelings I experienced for John, with John, and with my own family as we struggled.

The main thing that helped us through, and sustains our relationship to this day is not only our one-word conversations, but the One Word. Neither of us are perfect. There are times we have hurt one another. There are times when we’ve asked for forgiveness from one another. But those things have only made our relationship stronger. Our relationship is more than just an earthly one. We know that because of the One Word, who became flesh and dwells among us, our relationship is one that is painted against the backdrop of eternity. It is a true treasure, sustained by the One Word.

Martin Luther wrote of the devil that “one little word (could) fell him.” That “little word” is Jesus. When the devil tries to wreck relationships, the One Word is there to repair. But He does so much more than repair; He feeds, sustains, and gifts relationships so that they have an eternally enduring quality.

Do you have a relationship that can be sustained even with one-word conversations? I’d love to hear your stories and examples…

Posted on

Eager Learning

As I was passing our school’s second grade classroom today, I heard the teacher ask a question and looked in the door just in time to see one of the second graders practically jump out of his seat.  His finger tips were pointing to the ceiling, his knees were up on his seat, and his mouth was curled in a circle saying, “Ooh, ooh, ooh!” That boy was so eager to answer the question he almost fell out of the desk. I had to smile, because I can remember being that kid in the desk wanting so badly to be the one who got to answer the question. What a wonderful picture it was of eagerness to learn.

John is a member of our congregation. He is a pastor. He is a college professor. He is an author. And he is a fantastic teacher. It’s because he is still a learner. While he works out, he watches video tapes of lectures in various disciplines. For instance, he recently watched one on the way the human brain works. John brought what he learned into a Bible class he taught and enhanced the lecture in a way that drew everyone in. He reminded us how incredible it is that God makes things in just the perfect way to serve their perfect purpose.

Then there is Stephen Hawking. He is the renowned physicist who is one of the world’s greatest learners. He used to think that there was a least a possibility that God could have been involved in the creation of the universe. In his most recent book he now says God was not involved in the creation of the universe. I wonder where he learned that?

Hawking’s physics are far above and beyond anything I could understand. I couldn’t even come close to arguing the finer points of quantum theory. But I have learned from God’s own Word that the more I learn about Him, His creation of the universe, His redemption of fallen humankind, His willingness to sacrifice His Son, and His deliverance of forgiveness into my life through Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the more I want to learn.

Eager learning from God’s Word makes all the difference in everyday life. It makes complicated things much more simple. It makes helping others a whole lot easier. It brings peace, hope, and joy into my life. I am always eager to learn more. And I am so thankful for the eager learner’s of God’s Word who have taught me.

I want to be that eager second grade learner every day.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go teach a class called “The Bible” to a group of 30 college students. I hope my eager learning rubs off on them.

What do you do to make learning a priority in your life?

Posted on

Words: The Beauty of the English Language

The English language is full of beautiful words that can take on different and various meanings. The video link below is a series of moving pictures that tell the story of  different words. It’s a masterful piece. Thanks to my son, Ben, for sharing it with me.

This video also reminds me how very amazing it is that the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us…and continues to give us the gift of His presence through the Word of the Holy Scriptures. Word and flesh bring life and salvation into everyday situations like the ones you are about to see:

Posted on

A Midrash on Psalm 100

For hundreds of years rabbis, poets, pastors, and writers have been writing midrash. A midrash is a story that “fills in the gaps.” It takes something from Scripture, or another story, and fills in what’s missing.  Here’s a midrash I wrote on Psalm 100 as part of a Creative Writing Seminar:

The earth was noisy, but it was a silent kind of noisy. People and animals everywhere were screaming, and yelling, and shouting so loudly that the man could only hear himself speak; the lion could only hear himself roar; the woman could only hear herself cry; the cricket could only hear itself chirp.  The world was so very loud that it was actually quiet.  Ears could only hear the sound of selfishness; and though there was noise, the noise had no purpose.

So the cry went up loud, and long, and bold enough for every one and every thing to hear. It was like a Last Day Trumpet:  “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!”  And there was silent silence.  The man stopped speaking.  The lion stopped roaring.  The woman stopped crying.  The cricket stopped chirping.  The universe was so silent that it was almost deafening.

So the cry went up loud, and long, and bold enough for every one and every thing to hear once again. It was like a full-blown chorus of angels:  “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!”  And you couldn’t even hear crickets chirping.

The silence lasted for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the tiny ant who, upon the hue and cry, had stopped right in his tracks as he was taking his grain of sand to use in the building of his new hill, let out the teeniest, tiniest, high-pitched “alleluia” you have ever heard.  The universe had become so very silent that even if you were a hundred thousand miles away you could hear it.

Still there was silence. So he shouted again.  This time no longer the teeniest, tiniest, high-pitched “alleluia” you have ever heard, but just a little louder than that.

Still there was silence. So he shouted a third time, at the top of his tiny ant lungs:  “Alleluia! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

And lo and behold, the cricket started chirping a song of praise…and before long a whole herd of crickets did the same. Then the woman started laughing a hearty laugh of joy…and before long all of her friends and family with her.  It wasn’t long before the lion roared a roar that affirmed the True King…and before long all the other lions and all of their subjects did as well.

And the man? The man spoke…no, he shouted…no, he sang…no he danced…no, he pointed his whole voice and his whole being toward the Lord.  Pretty soon the cry that had once been heard only by the one making the cry, came together with insects, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and men, and women…and angels, to form the most beautiful chorus of “alleluias” ever heard.  There was dancing, and instruments, and painting, and song, and weaving, and poetry, and praise…a joyful noise directed to the Lord by all the earth.  It was a noisy noise that was music to the ears of the Lord.

What’s a story that has gaps which need to be filled?  I’d love to see your ideas!

Posted on

A Dirty, Thankful Job

I have a dirty, thankful job…but someone’s got to do it. Thanking people can sometimes feel like work that’s “down and dirty,” but it might be even more rewarding to you than it is to the one receiving the thanks.

I recently read Tom Peters’ 507 page tome called The Little Big Things. Peters is one of the authors of the classic book, In Search of Excellence. In his new book he claims it’s the little things that make a big difference in business. And if in business, why not in the church as well? Granted, Word and Sacrament are not little things at all. They are the biggest and best things of all. But there are little things that we do because we are gifted with Word and Sacrament that can have a profound human impact, and even a profound spiritual impact.

In The Little Big Things Tom Peters asks: “How many times…today…did you ‘use the two words’? I.e….Exactly how many times did you utter: ‘Thank you’?” It’s a dirty, thankful job…but someone’s got to do it. Why not you? Why not me?

This past week I took Peters’ words to heart and I actually sat down and typed a personal letter to a college professor of mine who has had a profound impact on my life. I didn’t send an email. I didn’t text message. I didn’t leave a voice mail. I didn’t instant message. I wrote a full page, single-spaced letter, put it on letterhead, addressed it, and dropped it in the mail. (Aside: In this day and age of email and text messaging, don’t you love getting a personal note or letter in the mail?)

As I wrote the letter I began to appreciate more than ever the wisdom, guidance, modeling, faithfulness, humor, and knowledge that my professor and mentor passed on to me. Writing the “thank you” letter may have meant more to me than it did to him.  It helped me appreciate the gift of God that I have been given in that one man.

I bet I could write a “thank you” letter or note every day, and never run out of people to thank…and learn to appreciate even more the gifts that have been passed on to me by God through people. I don’t want to presuppose anything, but I dearly hope that the letter I sent to my college professor made his day. It would make my day to make his.

It might feel humbling to have to constantly thank other people. But “dirty, thankful jobs” can create good will, good effort, good grace, good teamwork, and even good friends, family, partners, and fellow Christians.

I now have a sticky note on the front of my computer that says: “Whom have you thanked today?”

Whom have you thanked today? Let me know. I’d love to hear about your experiences.