Pstor's Newsletter Article for September

FIRST THING: Thank you all very, very much for a lovely day on August 9, on which we marked the 30th anniversary of my ordination. Thank you, also, for the great start we had on our fund raising efforts for the Heifer Project. Let’s keep working on “Filling an Ark” by Thanksgiving!

Now then, What do YOU smell like?

Rally Day, a popular way that congregations mark the beginning the new program year, is September 13. While Sunday School classes actually begin one week later, Rally Day serves as a sort of jump start for lots of congregational activity. One of those activities will be a leadership workshop for all of the leaders at St. Paul. Of course, anyone can come, but it’s primarily designed for leaders under the theme, “Equipping the Saints.” Read a blurb about it elsewhere in this newsletter.

The Monday Night Bible class for adults began August 3, but it’s not ever too late to join that learning effort. The dynamics of this group are such that one can even come and go, if they so choose. So, clear your Mondays, and choose to jump in on this study of the Book of Romans.

Speaking of Romans, here’s an interesting nugget from my recent study for the class: In ancient times when the Roman army won a great victory, they paraded their defeated enemies through the streets in shackles. As part of the celebrations they burned incense on altars throughout the city, filling the air with perfume. That way those who could not see the procession knew the army had triumphed because they heard the music and smelled the incense. The scent became symbolic of victory.

Paul knew about all this. Some years before writing to the Christians in Rome, he drew this helpful parallel in his 2nd letter to the folks in Corinth, “Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him” (2 Cor. 2:14 NIV). WOW! Forget Estee Lauder and Chanel No 5! How about if you apply this idea to your witness and sharing of Christ’s gospel? Your life should be so permeated with God's presence that people around you can pick up the scent of it. After all, you are the most compelling evidence there is that Jesus is alive and well in His children! So, let’s ask ourselves. In terms of what Paul said here, “How do we smell?
In many places around the world, there are elegant cathedrals with amazing stained-glass windows, often portraying an important event in the life of Christ or another part of the Biblical narrative. The windows of our sanctuary, while simple in style, also share in the telling. But the truth is, God doesn't need church windows to tell His story - He's looking for tuned-in, turned-on Christians to do that! It has been said that “the longer a husband and wife live together the more they start to look, act and talk alike.” And it is the same with us.

The more time we spend thinking about Jesus, talking to Him, meditating on His Word and basking in His presence, the more people are going to wonder, “Hmmmm, I like how you smell!”

“What's that scent you are wearing?”

Pastor Sherer

Pastor's Newlsetter Article for August, 2009

CHIDLREN . . . LEARN . . . FROM THEIR PARENTES.

As I write this, it is quite late and all in our house is peaceful. Two dogs lay at my feet wondering what I’m typing at midnight. A few hours ago, as I mowed he back yard, I noticed two of our blessed VBS volunteers placing a sign in the church yard promoting Bible School, which begins in two days. “All Aboooooard!” The St. Paul-Ingam Okoboji Lutheran VBS-Day Camp Express is about to take off! We rejoice in the lively energy that abounds each year during VBS. MANY THANKS to all of you who help!

Speaking of kids and learning, I read this the other day in a doctor’s waiting room: A young, single, math teacher, new to town and wanting to fit in, agreed to baby-sit while her new friend went shopping, left her this note: “Dried tears 11 times... tied shoelaces 15 times... blew up balloons, 5 per child... warned kids not to cross the street 26 times... kids insisted on crossing the street 26 times. Number of Saturdays I'll volunteer to do this again - Zero!” I suppose parents through the ages can identify with this young woman’s declaration.

Recently I visited with a mom as we noted the perils of parenthood. While we could compare notes (especially on teenagers!), we all know that each context is different from family to family, and so generalizations often come up short. “Could someone, please, just give me the final answers to parenting? ALL of them? How to respond and what to do and what to say and when to say it and do it? For a long, long time, Marion E. Kinneman’s “Beatitudes for Parents” have served as a response.

She wrote them about 50 years ago when her daughters were raising her six grandsons. They’re not the final answer to parenting, but you can cherish them as a dose of wisdom worth re-reading as often as possible, because they're still spot-on!

Blessed are those who make peace with spilled milk and mud, for of such is the kingdom of childhood.

Blessed is the parent who engages not in the comparison of his child with others, for precious unto each is the rhythm of his own growth.

Blessed are those who have learned to laugh, for it's the music of a child's world.

Blessed and mature are those who without anger can say 'No,' for comforting to a child is the security of firm decisions.

Blessed is the gift of consistency, for it brings heart's-ease in childhood.

Blessed are they who accept the awkwardness of growth, for they are aware of the choice between marred furnishings and damaged personalities.

Blessed are the teachable, for knowledge brings understanding and understanding brings love.

Blessed are the men and women, who in the midst of the unpromising mundane, give love, for they bestow the greatest of all gifts to each other, to their children, and, in an ever-widening circle, to their fellowmen.

One successful businessman once said, “I may be a self-made man, but the blueprints came from my mom and dad.” What blueprint are you using ?

St. Paul offers this: “Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents” (Ephesians 5:1) [The Message]

Pastor's Newsletter Article for July, 2009

Happy Fathers Day and greetings from the Mayo Clinic! Jan and I are here for a few days as she undergoes some further treatment. At this moment, I sit in the corner of her room with my handy laptop which, in communion with the Mayo Clinic’s free wireless internet service, affords me the ability to compose this epistle 205 miles from home.

Before I subject you to my monthly verbosity, however, I’d like to express once again our heartfelt thanks to all of you for your prayerful and varied outpouring of support during these months of Jan’s illness. This journey is not over yet. Indeed, it will exist until death do us part, but we are learning as a family how to “live with cancer” instead of cowering to the fear of “dying from cancer.” Meanwhile, may we all be gracious with the energy God provides us to reach out in equally nice and wonderful ways to all the folks in our congregation or community who face their personal manifestation of cancer.

We thank God for you all! I hope and pray that my ministry among you has not been severely diminished as a result of all this. Ah yes, it is that you’ve ministered to us, and continue to do so.

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THIRTY years ago, on August 12, 1979, I was ordained into the ministry of Word and Sacrament. This journey of faith and service, of following God’s call has led me to serve six congregations in five synods and five states. My family and I invite you to join us for a day of praise and thanksgiving to God on Sunday, August 9 of this year, as we mark the 30th anniversary of that blessed day when my father, two brothers and a few other pastors laid upon me their hands of blessing in the name of our triune God.

Recently, as I began to seriously reflect on three busy decades of ministry, I was going through some old boxes of stuff from my seminary days (I still have most of the notebooks and textbooks from Wartburg Seminary). One ragged set of notes was from a senior-year course entitled “Church Administration,” in which the beloved old professor sought to impart his wisdom to us. We were eager to get out of the classroom and into the parish somewhere. His lectures were often long and dull - but time has proven that much of what he said would be useful and true.

One of his lectures provided some teaching points which impressed me right from the beginning, and have impacted me ever since. He was talking about our sense of call. He wanted to impress upon us how our discernment of God’s call informs our identity and sense of authority (among other things) as church leaders. “This is still good stuff, ” I thought to myself. I’ve applied his advice in each congregation I have served - to myself as well as church council members and other congregational leaders. This wise and tenacious teacher leaned on James 3:1 to provide the scriptural foundation for his lecture. In the NIV it reads like this:

“We who teach will be judged more strictly.” (NIV)

There were three components, or “Three Questions for Leaders” which are as relevant today as they have ever been: 1) Accountability, 2) Priorities and, 3) One’s personal faith journey. These three have served me well over the years. They guide me today just as they have for 30 years.

Here’s what my wise, old, and boring professor told us, according to my scribbled old notes: “If you're a leader in God's work you must constantly ask yourself three questions:”

1) Am I ACCOUNTABLE to anybody? If you think not, if you operate as thought you are not, then you'll find yourself on dangerous ground. This is because only God (who is the source of all authority) can handle unquestioned authority. Who knows you well enough to pray with you? Do you have guts enough to surround yourself with those who can advise you and strengthen you in your vulnerable areas? We keep discovering that authority without accountability leads to disaster.

2) Are my PRIORITIES in order? Priorities have a way of sneaking out of position when we're not paying attention. Too many of us only become successful at the cost of broken homes or failing health because our priorities shifted somewhere along the line.

3) Is my personal WALK WITH GOD up to date? If that doesn't prompt a quick yes, or if you have to think about it for a while, then you're too close to the edge. He warned that “a disciplined daily walk with God is your best protection,” using Psalm 119:11 as a verse to stand on: “I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you” (RSV). “If you're not spending time with God, you're spending it on whatever has become more important to you than Him.”

“Pay attention to that word ‘treasure,’” he would say. “It means to protect something, to let nothing threaten it. You must discipline yourself to spend time in God's Word and guard that time from interruptions. Give God your mind each day when it's fresh. As a Pastor, your first calling is not the building project, the board meeting or the budget, it is to heed Jesus' call to '... Feed my sheep' (John 21:16). ”

“So, if Saturday finds you anxious because you've nothing prepared for Sunday, then you better make some changes. Start delegating. ‘Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task.’ (Acts 6:3-4) Empower laypersons to know that they are ministers too. Practice what Luther taught us about the ‘Priesthood of All Believers!’

So, there you have it. A lesson plan which has shaped the life of this pastor. 30 years worth and more. Soon, you will receive a letter about what’s up on August 9. We’re going to begin a ministry project to help the hungry. Our theme for the day leans on the same scripture passage that my teacher gave me long ago, found in John 21:15-17.

There, Jesus says to Simon Peter and us: “. . . If you love me . . . Feed my sheep.” Start thinking, “$30 for this, and $30 for that . . .) Pastor Sherer

Pastor's Newsletter Article for June, 2009

It’s 6 AM and it’s raining. Boy, am I glad that I mowed the grass yesterday! I like to mow with my self-propelled bagging mower. The self-propelled part is nice, but when I use it I don’t go as fast as I’d like, because I like a brisk walk. So I don’t use it most of the time and push the thing as briskly as I can as the bag fills up and gets heavier and heavier. It’s a way of forcing my body to exercise—and the little pedometer on my hip shows that I’ve walked almost 2 miles when I’m done!

Our bodies don't work too well without adequate exercise; neither do our minds! Ever go back upstairs to remind yourself of why you originally went downstairs? Are names, numbers and appointments you remembered effortlessly in the past becoming increasingly elusive? Do you sometimes wonder if you're “losing it?”

Doctors say that in most cases mindless hours in front of television, avoiding intellectual stimulation and exertion, result in the shrinking of our mind's capacity, including our memory. “Brain fitness” experts assure us that our brains don't grow old from working too hard, but from hardly working at all. “Brain plasticity” - the capacity of our mind to retain or regain flexibility - is a matter of exercise. When you just let your mind “vegetate” and don't stretch it with thoughtful reading, rational thinking, intelligent analysis and conversation, it loses plasticity and becomes old at any age. On the other hand, if you challenge your mind regularly, your brain gets younger as you get older (the problem is not how old your brain is, but how old your thinking is).

2 Timothy 2:15 offers a great way to strengthen your mind, : “Do your best, study to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth” (NRSV). The word “study” in Greek text means to exert yourself mentally, to push your mind to study God's Word. Like a “worker,” make it work! God promises that if you meditate on His Word daily you'll become “... like a tree planted by streams of water... which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers” (Psalm 1:3 NIV).

Don't let your mind “wither,” exercise and strengthen it by studying the Scriptures! Please honor God by joining our Monday night adult Bible Study. We begin the book of Romans on June 1. There’s good mental exercise. . . and yummy munchies too!

That’s Monday nights from 6:30—8:00 pm. Pastor Sherer

Pastor's Newsletter Article for May, 2009

It’s 6 AM and I have a dangerous case of post-Easter Spring Fever, with the clear blue sky giving us warmth from the sun. Boy, have we been waiting for this! Right? Now, if only somebody could figure out how to keep the wind from blowing. Perfect!

Folks are beginning the work of spring around their yards. grooming lawns, clearing out the beds for planting, tilling veggie gardens, washing windows and placing the out-door furniture on the deck or patio. Oh, and then there’s the gas grill for out-door cooking! ( For this pastor, of course, Spring means putting a car or two up on jacks for a favorite pastime — shade tree mechanic’n)

Yessirie, Spring is springing, and this finds us singing the glories of the Lord for giving us seasons to enjoy and the grace to travel through them. Somewhere, years ago, I read that Spring is the season of the “P”s:

“Prepare + Plant + Place + Prune = Prosper”

Rural people (be they farmers or gardeners) all know these “P”s to be necessary steps in the ritual of “Springs Work”. One does not enjoy the “Prosper” part without first doing the work of the other parts. God knows all about this, and has been trying to teach it to us in fresh new ways each new year of our earthly lives. In Genesis 2:8, for instance, we read:

“God planted a garden . . . there He put the man whom He had formed.”

God is a very process-oriented fellow. Before He put Adam into the garden, He "formed" him. Similarly, there's a process of preparation God takes us through in order to make us what we need to be. But preparation takes time. God must deal with our inconsistencies, personality defects, areas of distrust, unresolved childhood issues, scars, flaws, etc. How long does it take? For sure, only God knows.

Now, admit it; no matter your age you still recognize some childish ways in yourself. It’s likely that others would have given up on you, but God has a desire for our growth, and He's committed to it. Hmmm, maybe we should all wear a sign that says:

"Work in progress. If you hire me, you need to know this.

If you marry me, you need to know that."

The Bible says the Lord "formed man out of the dust of the ground" (Gen 2:7 ). What's God working with? Dirt! And the tools He uses to form you are the experiences you go through in life. They shape and alter you. And the more you keep trying to have it your way, the longer the process takes.

It may take you five years to learn to quit people-pleasing, or ten years to stop feeling sorry for yourself, or twenty years to stop going back and reliving your childhood. All the while God is telling you, "Stop it," and you're saying, "Yeah, I know. I'm going to do better."

Then finally a crisis happens and the truth hits you. At that point you say, "You know what? I'm going to (work very hard to) forget those things which are behind and start reaching for those things which are before" (Go read Philippians 3:13).

The five “P”s: They’re good for you. (Carrots also) Pastor Sherer

Pastor's Newsletter Article for April, 2009

Times are getting to be tougher for a lot of people. Money related decisions, in particular, are causing stress aplenty. In light of this reality, I thank God for the level of your giving through special weekly offerings since January 1. I thank you for your response to the various ways that God has graced you. Of course, it’s only April, so we need to remain diligent so that our ministry and mission priorities can be funded, both near and far. Again, Thank you!

Living and giving during tough times is a theme which history retells over and over. A few weeks ago I mentioned in a sermon the remarkable efforts of Oskar Schindler who, during the holocaust of WW II gave of his own personal assets to save over 1100 Jews from death. In the 1993 Oscar winning film, Schindler’s List, Liam Neeson portrayed Schindler. A week ago, Mr. Neeson suffered the tragic loss of his wife, Natasha Richardson, who died after a skiing accident. Such sudden loss. Such broken hearts for him and their two children. In my mind the connection was made between the sense of loss Neeson’s family experiences and the amazing, heroic efforts made by the man he portrayed in a movie. Celebrities suffer loss under the microscope of the press, I suppose, but the thousands of Jews saved by the man Neeson portrayed went pretty much unnoticed to most of us until Steven Spielberg made the movie. Somehow, all of this can speak to us today about the power of giving, especially when times are tough, if not downright dangerous.

Shindler's List is the story of one man's efforts to make the most of a desperate opportunity. Oskar Schindler is a vain, glorious and greedy German businessman who becomes unlikely humanitarian amid the barbaric Nazi reign when he feels compelled to turn his munitions factory into a refuge for Jews. He decides to use his position to save lives. By employing them in his factory, Schindler is able to rescue condemned Jews from the gas chambers.

But keeping them on is costly. Little by little, he liquidates his personal possessions in order to keep the business afloat. At the end of the story the Nazis are defeated. The full weight of Schindler's efforts is finally revealed as the dead are counted and the living stagger back to freedom. In one scene, kneeling by the railroad tracks that had carried thousands of Jews to their death, Oskar Schindler has a startling realization: he could have saved a few more. Overwhelmed with regret, he laments the few goods still remaining in his possession. If only he'd known when the war would end, he would have done more. But now it was too late.

History regards Oskar Schindler a hero. He's credited with saving more lives during World War II than any other single person. But interestingly, all he could think about was what he didn't do. He wished he had done more.

We can learn a powerful lesson about giving from this man. Because, in the same way, even joyful givers will look back on their lives and wish they'd done more. And as for those who never gave at all, or gave less than they could, imagine their thoughts as they stand before God in the final audit to give an account of how they used their finances - and are rewarded accordingly!

Jesus brings salvation by means of the cross, but talks about money and giving more than anything else. The Bible speaks of this on over 2,000 occasions. Here are two dandies:

"All must give as they are able, according to the blessings

of the Lord your God that he has given to you . . . "

(Deut 16:17 NRSV).

". . . Each of you must give as you have made up your mind,

not reluctantly or under compulsion,

for God loves a cheerful giver"

(2 Corinthians 9:7 NRSV).

Pastor Sherer