Devotion 1.10.19

I'm confused.  For those of you reading this who aren't from Lubbock or don't follow Tech sports, there was a change at the helm of Tech football that saw the beloved Tech son Kliff fired after several seasons (five was it?).  Anyway, he didn't win when needed, as much as needed (bowl eligibility), or crucial games.  Kirby Hocutt, the athletic director, said Kliff was a great man.  He really gave no tangibles about the reason for termination, but the unstated was obvious.

The record produced apathy which produced stands more than half empty (the optimist view) which produced a lull in.... can we say it?.... dollars.  There's the rub.  Half empty stands mean no season tickets, no revenue at the concession stands, no money for a parking slot or more importantly slots for a tailgate with 1000 of your best friends, and fans leave at half to go watch a game in comfort if that game isn't important if the season is a foregone conclusion or if the game is out of hand.  Worse, they leave if Tech has shown an ability to lose in the final seconds, so who wants to stay to watch the likely outcome?

That hurts, even if basketball and baseball have become dominant forces, because football, like it or not, is king.  So, back to my initial premise, my confusion is over the fuss that Kliff has managed to create after a lackluster career here at Tech.  Off to USC where he will be presumably great at what he was great at - offensive coordinator.  Good, we loved Kliff and want him to succeed.  Wait, hold on, no, apparently he's not going to USC but is being pursued by the NY Jets to become their offensive coordinator.  Well, that's great because the NFL would be a great place for Kliff because he can focus on the players and the offense and not all the red tape of NCAA rules for recruiting or recruiting itself.  No, wait, apparently, yes, it is fact now that Arizona will hire Kliff as a head coach.

Many opinions are out there as to his potential success or lack of in this new role.  We'll leave that, like other topics, to those who are "in the know," but the crucial point for all of us, including the church, is this:  When do we get tempted to do something because we've seen it from afar?  What does that mean?  That means we see Pastor A at a church, see his dynamism, and get tempted to see if he wants to come to our church and be dynamic and all.  We see Program B at a church we visit and come back saying, "We have found the Silver Bullet, and it put Our Lady of Enchantment on the map.  We should do that here!"  We simplify the answer to the symptom as an answer rather than go to the heart of the issue.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, writing about Matthew 22 (the greatest commandment being love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind and love your neighbor as yourself), "What we are in ourselves, and what we owe to others, makes us a complete whole."  Charles Ringma, in his daily devotions based on the work of Bonhoeffer, says, "True life has to express itself in a self-assertion that  is a free  response of gratitude to God and which sees the well-being of the other." 

At our heart of what we do has to be our love of one another and our love of others as we love ourselves.  We pray this gospel message permeates our activity as we seek to further God's kingdom on the foundation of the gospel message.

Hope Men's Ministry

Devotion 1.9.19

Epic fail...

That's the name of the activity we set at this time every year known as a resolution.  I'm setting myself up for epic fail.  Exercise, goals for work, family, money handling, being kind to animals....  These things all sound great in my mind, but in the end, we know that gyms make bank on people who sign up and cease coming within six weeks.

What if, though, you set a very serious goal?  Quit drinking, smoking, lose weight due to diabetes, heart, or other related health issues? You didn't start an exercise routine to lose weight or gain muscle mass, you started a routine to improve the quality of your life.  That's serious stuff.  So is perhaps controlling anger, improving the relationship with your spouse who is also your children's mother, and other areas we tend not to disclose that may require external help like counseling.  What if your control of money is due to a gambling addiction or other unhealthy lifestyle? What if you have addictive behavior that is being addressed by serving the addiction, convincing yourself you have it mastered and not the other way around?

Then let's not be so dismissive of New Year's Resolutions if they aren't the routine, every man's goals we often make fun of.  May I encourage each of us who are attempting to improve or enhance our lives to consider this:  Put Christ at the center of your day and your goal.

Isaiah 42 tells us “a bruised reed he will not break and a faintly burning wick he will not quench.” This passage is repeated again in Matthew as Christ reveals himself adding, “...until he brings justice to victory.” This passage alone has come across my screen or in my open Bible through the spoken word or study at least four times in the past month so I feel compelled to share it. Christ is our ultimate care giver, not extinguishing even the faintest desire to overcome. His love extends to us as he reaches us in our deepest weakness to show his love, no matter what that affliction is.  The study note says, "Jesus the servant compassionately cares for those who have been abused."  That may include self-inflicted abuse.  Near the breaking point, Christ reaches out to us, not extinguishing that faint glimmer of hope.

We pray that where we need help, we turn to Christ and ask. We turn to those we trust who may guide us faithfully. We pray that Christ lead us through those dark valleys into still waters as we seek to end cycles that don’t serve us or those we love.

Peace,

Hope Mens Ministry

Devotion 1.8.19

Thank you Pastor Dan for giving me the opportunity to return and write devotions for our Men's Ministry for the month of January.  I hope the break recharges your batteries because I know that writing devotions can become a grind, even when you enjoy it.  David Baldner

What's the single greatest thing anyone has ever done for you?  A job?  An act of kindness?  Taking a burden for you and from you to give you relief?  Paid a compliment on your or on your family?  As I look back over a life of almost 60 years now, I can think of many, many acts directed toward me that put a smile on my face.  Being a young educator and finding guidance from an old gentleman in the church I went to, who taught me a great deal about thinking and leadership, is one act I remember.  He taught me how to build a fishing rod, and he taught me how to fish (my dad did too, but we didn't know the Gulf Coast like this fine man did).

Another thing that this man did for which I will forever be grateful is he taught me how to pray.  How to talk to God the Father and approach Him.  How to have a conversation with God.  His prayers always opened, "Gracious and Merciful God...."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the great Lutheran theologian, borrows from 1 Thessalonians 1: 2 - 3 where Paul writes, "We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before God your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."  Bonhoeffer says, "Above all, we must not neglect the greatest service that is left to us, our faithful daily intercession." (The Way to Freedom) Not in the very least, but most importantly, we should pray for one another.

My brothers, I am sorry to tell each of you that I often fail at prayer for my brothers in the faith, being thankful each day for the blessings you bring to me of friendship, conversation, and acts of faith.  May we each take time in our day to lift each other up in prayer regardless of our status, how we feel about one another, or our differences we may have.  As brothers in faith, we do share the most important aspect of life, faith in Christ Jesus.  May we constantly and daily keep each other in prayer as men, husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, grandsons, and friends.

Hope Men's Ministry

Devotion 10.23.18

Anyone playing Monday Morning Quarterback today?

Every Monday leaves fans considering the moves their coach made and second guessing what could have been.  I know I heard many continue to question the moves of Jason Garrett as the Cowboys watched the clock run down.  Or maybe you were just complaining about the decisions of the Ref.  Regardless, we love to second guess don’t we…

What about God… Have you ever second guessed God . . . ?

I know I have.  There have been times when I wouldn’t have admitted it (and in some very hard times when I would) that I wondered- God why would you allow this to happen.  It doesn’t make any sense.  Everyone would have been happier if….

Job was trying to figure out why everything was going wrong in his life when he decided to 2^nd guess God, and the conversation didn’t go well.  The reality is that while there may be things that go wrong in our lives, and things that God doesn’t even like, but in the end we don’t have any place to 2^nd guess God.  He is God and we’re not.  And as Isaiah 55 reminds us, “his ways are not our ways and as the heavens are higher than the earth so are his ways higher than our ways and his thoughts than our thoughts.”  

Consider some of your current struggles.  Rather than staying frustrated. Rather than staying mad.  Rather than focusing on “whys” that we may never have an answer to (remember, Job never got answers to his why), remember that God’s ways are not only higher, but they’re also better and work all things to our good in the end.  His ways end up with us receiving grace and life eternal!

Blessings!

Dan Borkenhagen

Associate Pastor

Hope Lutheran Church & School

Devotion 10.3.18

This fall we’re examining our faith through the lens of football.  If you have any favorite football teams, themes, moments, etc, send them to me and we’ll work them into the series. 

Two Announcements:

1.       We’re going to have a Men’s Ministry Fellowship and Planning meeting Tuesday, Oct. 9^th from 6:30-8:15.  “Happy Hour” from 6:30-7:30 and business at 7:30.  We’re going to enjoy the hospitality of the Baldner Home. Bring a beverage to share.

2.       Another Chance to Serve- One of our members, Terry Nielsen, has to make a move to Seattle to live closer to her daughter after a series of health issues.  She needs a couple of men to help Saturday at 9 am.  Please contact us to let us know you can help!

So now Dez Bryant is hinting that he’d like to come back to the Cowboys.  What do you think about that?

Should a team take a player back, especially after some rather divisive moments?

They say politics makes strange bedfellows. Sometimes sports does as well.  Players have certainly returned to teams before.  And the Mavericks actually welcomed Deandre Jordan to the team this year after the infamous free agency rejection a few years ago.

What does this look like within the church?

Sometimes people walk away from a church too.  Sometimes they simply become less involved.  In other cases, they get mad and start going to other churches, or quit going to church altogether.  What do we do in these cases?  Do we go after them?  Do we let them be?  How do we feel about people who leave our “team”?

There’s certainly a place for boundaries in relationships, even in churches, but one of the themes that resonates throughout the Scriptures, and especially in the parables of Jesus, is the theme of welcoming and pursuing God’s children.  Think about the Lost Sheep or the Prodigal Son.  Maybe you’re at church and you notice you haven’t seen someone in a while.   Could God be putting it on your heart to bring them back to the “team”?  Say a prayer, reach out, and let them know you were thinking of them recently and missed them.  We can be a church that welcomes the newcomer as well as those who are missing.

Blessings!

Dan Borkenhagen

Associate Pastor

Hope Lutheran Church & School

Devotion 10.2.18

This fall we’re examining our faith through the lens of football.  If you have any favorite football teams, themes, moments, etc, send them to me and we’ll work them into the series. 

Two Announcements:

1.       We’re going to have a Men’s Ministry Fellowship and Planning meeting Tuesday, Oct. 9^th from 6:30-8:15.  “Happy Hour” from 6:30-7:30 and business at 7:30.  We’re going to enjoy the hospitality of the Baldner Home. Bring a beverage to share.

2.       Another Chance to Serve- One of our members, Terry Nielsen, has to make a move to Seattle to live closer to her daughter after a series of health issues.  She needs a couple of men to help Saturday at 9 am.  Please contact us to let us know you can help!

One of the most glorious moments of my youth football career happened at practice.

That may sound strange but it’s true.  Kids would remind me of that event the next couple of years.  We were doing a standard blocking drill where the coach was holding a blocking dummy.  Everyone was standing in a line in front of him and they would run up to him and give him a good block and then return to the back of the line.  Our coach was a large guy.  He must have close to 300 pounds and he had that impressive coach presence.  My turn came and 7^th grade Dan (not much over 100 lbs) came up to him and hit the dummy with everything I had. . . . 

And the coach fell backwards onto the ground!  There was an audible gasp.  I ran towards the back of the line and turned when I heard, “Borkenhagen!!!”

I was nervous.  Coach was standing up again and staring at me.  Then he turned towards the rest of the players and said, “That boys is how you do it.  That’s how you practice.  Good job Borkenhagen.”

After the shock wore off, I felt a glow of pride.  The point was that I’d practiced the way you also played the game.  With everything you’ve got.  Because if you practice the right way, not 50%, not 75%, but 100%, then that will impact what happens when the game is on.

We know that of football, but do we ever think of faith in that way . . . ?

Martin Luther talked about 3 parts to the faith life.  Oratio, Meditatio, and Tentatio.  Oratio basically means prayer/worship.  Meditatio essentially means meditation/devotions.  Tentatio means testing.  The idea was simple.  We form ourselves during our prayer/worship life and in our study of Scripture.  And if we really soak up everything God has for us in these elements, then when the testing comes in life, we will have the strength for whatever we face. 

It makes me think of Ephesians 6 where Paul says to put on the whole armor of God, including prayer and Scripture, so that you can take your stand against the Devil.  If we “practice” hard and push ourselves in worship, prayer, and Scripture, then we’ll be ready for whatever hits the Devil and the world send our way and we’ll be able to “hit back”.  Maybe we’ll even knock them back on their butts sometime!  So let this devotion be one element of your practice today, but find more opportunities as well.

Blessings!

Dan Borkenhagen

Associate Pastor

Hope Lutheran Church & School

Devotion 9.4.18

We’re going to mix things up in our devotions. We went rather deep with the summer series so we’re going to lighten things up by examining our faith through the lens of football.  If you have any favorite football teams, themes, moments, etc, send them to me and we’ll work them into the series.  Let’s have some fun with this!

Are you ready for some football?

I’m guessing most of you remember this well-loved intro to Monday Night Football.  The music and that phrase on the tv beckoned football fans to the end of Monday by relaxing in front of the tv for what they hoped would be a marquee matchup.  It was the great reward for surviving Monday.  And especially at the beginning of the fall, you were ready for some good football games after surviving a summer without.

Whether you prefer college, professional, or even high school, there is a certain yearning in many of us for the football season to return.  There are other things that we yearn for in life, often of differing value.  When we’ve been away from home (as we examined in the summer series), we can’t way to get back.  When our family is away, we look forward to seeing them again.  When the day is crazy and you haven’t gotten to sit down and eat a real meal, how good does a nice home cooked meal sound!

So what should we yearn for spiritually?  There’s any number of answers, but the passage that comes to my mind is this one:

And this is the word that was preached to you.    Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good (1 Peter 1:25-2:3)

We should yearn for the Gospel!  What is that?  It literally means, “Good News”.  It is the good news that we and others are forgiven, and we should yearn to see that applied more and more to our lives.  So, we should also yearn to get rid of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.  We crave good, forgiving news and those things suck that out of our lives.  So when we see any of those popping up, we need to tap into that craving and bring God’s Word, his good news, and his forgiveness back into our life.  When you feel those emotions, grab God’s Word on your phone.  Go to a memorized verse, and let it speak to you. 

This is what we yearn for.  Football is great, but this makes life even better!

Blessings!

Dan Borkenhagen

Associate Pastor

Hope Lutheran Church & School