When you choose someone to follow, what criteria do you use? Do I look for someone like myself, who espouses ideas similar to my own, who may have traits I desire to exhibit? Basically, we tend to follow people who have something we either admire or desire. In some sectors of life, we call them "mentors," and in others, we may refer to them as "heroes."
Yet, these people are human, and when we learn of something in their lives less than desirable, we become disappointed. You can think of people in which that has happened, from celebrities to people you know personally.
The topic for the upcoming youth camp next week is "Follow and Share." Who do we follow? What does it mean to "follow Christ?" And when given an opportunity, how do we share? In truth, we are going to follow several people in our lifetime, so what time do we give Christ, whom we profess and confess in our articles of faith? Do we share what we learn from Christ, like we might from a baseball camp when we go and learn from a great or a coach we respect?
Peter, James, and John go to the mountain top with Christ during his Transfiguration, during which Moses and Elijah appear and Christ is shown in his glory. Peter, caught up in the moment, suggests they build tents for the three to stay, which Luke notes "not knowing what he said." (Luke 9) Yet our youth, and ourselves, are like Peter. Easy to be a strong Christian while at camp, when on a mission trip, when at church. Easy to profess that faith. Easy to look and be considered strong in faith. Yet once we come down from that mountain top, the glow wears off, and within a week, life happens.
Pray as fathers that you reinforce what your son or daughter learns while at camp. Pray that we as a congregation reinforce our youth and each other as they learn about Christ, whom we follow, and how to share that faith with others. Pray for the courage to profess and confess our faith to others, including those who may not be receptive to that faith.
Pray for me, Pastor, Austin Ratke, Ashley White, and Katie Pendergrass as we go to be leaders in the camp and for our youth and all youth who attend.
Hope Men's Ministry
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Monday, July 4, 2016
Devotion 7.5.16
Revisiting Stuff and Junk as they relate to life, but in this case what goes on inside of us. It's like I once told a friend (and shared here before) in this analogy: People are shrimpboats. What you see on the surface is the serene picture of a boat peacefully moving making hardly a wave, but underneath, there is a large net hauling both Stuff (good seafood to eat) and Junk (literally Junk in the form of sea life that could cause harm, Junk left on the floor of the sea, and other things).
All of us carry Stuff and Junk that we've accumulated over a lifetime. The Stuff are the useful things: learnings, teachings, faith, and other areas that serve us well. The Junk are those painful items, those things we bury deep in our lives hoping to never see again. Unlike the Stuff and Junk from the recent devotion, it isn't as easy as keeping an inventory and hiring someone to come remove that Stuff or Junk, yet they both can be very difficult to let go of. Sometimes, it even requires professional help to begin to deal with the Stuff, but mostly Junk, that we have in tow behind us under the surface that we've accumulated over a lifetime.
In Galatians 6, Paul tells us to be there for one another to help get rid of the Junk. "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
Pray that we have the relationships necessary for people to know they can share when they have burdens. Pray that we listen and seek wisdom to help a brother through the burden he bears through prayer, through possible sweat and labor if the burden is a physical need, or through guiding him to the right help if it is an emotional or mental need. Pray that the Spirit give us the tools necessary to be there and to be of help should a need arise.
Hope Men's Ministry
All of us carry Stuff and Junk that we've accumulated over a lifetime. The Stuff are the useful things: learnings, teachings, faith, and other areas that serve us well. The Junk are those painful items, those things we bury deep in our lives hoping to never see again. Unlike the Stuff and Junk from the recent devotion, it isn't as easy as keeping an inventory and hiring someone to come remove that Stuff or Junk, yet they both can be very difficult to let go of. Sometimes, it even requires professional help to begin to deal with the Stuff, but mostly Junk, that we have in tow behind us under the surface that we've accumulated over a lifetime.
In Galatians 6, Paul tells us to be there for one another to help get rid of the Junk. "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
Pray that we have the relationships necessary for people to know they can share when they have burdens. Pray that we listen and seek wisdom to help a brother through the burden he bears through prayer, through possible sweat and labor if the burden is a physical need, or through guiding him to the right help if it is an emotional or mental need. Pray that the Spirit give us the tools necessary to be there and to be of help should a need arise.
Hope Men's Ministry
Sunday, July 3, 2016
July 4, 2016
"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.... Let it simply be asked, Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." George Washington, Farewell Address (delivered in writing, not delivered in a speech)
Clearly one founder had a notion of the place of faith in our articles of freedom, and yet we know we are not perfect. Our nation, to this day, debates the role of faith in a free society and a democracy, each side believing firmly they are right.
As a Christian, there is only one true freedom: "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' They answered him, 'We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?' Jesus replied, 'Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.'" (John 8)
Only in Christ are we truly free and that freedom knows no earthly bounds. Today, as we celebrate our freedoms in the United States, consider our brothers in the faith in countries which have either outlawed our faith outright, or made it difficult to observe faith. We can support these brothers in the faith via prayer or other ways such as the missions we belong to or donate to. Pray a prayer of thanksgiving for our freedoms which invite those throughout the world to our nation to enjoy those same freedoms where persecution exists. Pray that we hold our freedoms dear and that we not take them for granted.
Hope Men's Ministry
Clearly one founder had a notion of the place of faith in our articles of freedom, and yet we know we are not perfect. Our nation, to this day, debates the role of faith in a free society and a democracy, each side believing firmly they are right.
As a Christian, there is only one true freedom: "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' They answered him, 'We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?' Jesus replied, 'Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.'" (John 8)
Only in Christ are we truly free and that freedom knows no earthly bounds. Today, as we celebrate our freedoms in the United States, consider our brothers in the faith in countries which have either outlawed our faith outright, or made it difficult to observe faith. We can support these brothers in the faith via prayer or other ways such as the missions we belong to or donate to. Pray a prayer of thanksgiving for our freedoms which invite those throughout the world to our nation to enjoy those same freedoms where persecution exists. Pray that we hold our freedoms dear and that we not take them for granted.
Hope Men's Ministry
Friday, July 1, 2016
Devotion 7.1.16
Stuff. That's the general theme of the summer at my house: Stuff. Stuff, and its step-sister, Junk, seem to reside at our house in general locations. The kitchen is the initial intake center since it is central to the house and close in proximity to the garage: mail, packages, items from trips, furniture, and other such items all report to the kitchen via the garage for general processing.
Sometimes it may take days for Stuff to be processed. Credit card companies, for example, are fond of sending you pre-awarded cards for your convenience with information already filled in, so we prefer to shred that since it is potentially dangerous Junk, not Stuff, but the person we've contracted with to shred all documents (me) usually waits until there is a stack of Junk to shred. However, Stuff in the forms of ball caps and other such random Stuff (computer at the table and other technologies) may stay at rest during the week until they can be processed back to the assigned room. That is usually determined by an official schedule of the House Manager (me) which waits until either the Stuff reaches critical mass or we have company coming and need all the slots on the official dining table of Baldner Enterprises and Home.
With my wife's father's passing, there has been an inordinate amount of Stuff to be processed because his house was also a collection of an inordinate amount of Stuff (pictures, furniture, official documents, dishes, trophies from bowling days, etc.). This created Newton's Law of Stuff (for every room filled with your Stuff, there is a room to be absorbed of equal and opposite Stuff from somewhere else.) The staff at the Baldner house had to bring in added help to process the Stuff when it came from Dallas (wife and children) as we decided what was Stuff for our house or the kids. Junk had been processed back in Dallas and was not brought to the house here to be processed, although some items initially thought to be Stuff was really Junk when it came to the house. For example, he had a set of 1963 mint condition WorldBook Encyclopedias that featured somethings such as the advent of a thing called a computer which would revolutionize the world someday as it only took up a room or floor of an office building. I wanted that Stuff for my collection, but my wife insisted it was Junk. So, it went with the Junk instead of staying with the Stuff much to my dismay.
Why do we have so much Stuff that is potentially Junk given time, value (actual or emotional), and usefulness? Why do we have so much Stuff to begin with? Unfortunately, we have so much Stuff that some has been assigned a small climatized storage room at a local storage facility (Christmas ornaments collected over a lifetime and 30+ years of marriage for example). "You won't take it with you when you die" is a popular adage. That's true. There will be another household assigned with processing all of this stuff when we are gone to determine if it has any value and assigning it either Stuff or Junk status.
I say all this because I am not alone. I am certain that as you read, your own mind began processing the Stuff you have and some of the things you want to get rid of because it has become Junk, not Stuff, but someone, or something (emotional attachment), is standing in the way of processing your own Stuff or Junk. Why are we like this?
I'm not sure, but Christ uses Stuff as a theme in a parable in Luke 12. "Someone in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.' But he said to him, 'Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?' And he said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.' And he told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.'”
As we look at our Stuff, we should from time to time ask ourselves how much is enough? Pray that we not be consumed with material goods to the point that we hear God speak to us as he spoke to the "fool." Pray that what we have is what we need and to know that all we have comes from God.
Hope Men's Ministry
Sometimes it may take days for Stuff to be processed. Credit card companies, for example, are fond of sending you pre-awarded cards for your convenience with information already filled in, so we prefer to shred that since it is potentially dangerous Junk, not Stuff, but the person we've contracted with to shred all documents (me) usually waits until there is a stack of Junk to shred. However, Stuff in the forms of ball caps and other such random Stuff (computer at the table and other technologies) may stay at rest during the week until they can be processed back to the assigned room. That is usually determined by an official schedule of the House Manager (me) which waits until either the Stuff reaches critical mass or we have company coming and need all the slots on the official dining table of Baldner Enterprises and Home.
With my wife's father's passing, there has been an inordinate amount of Stuff to be processed because his house was also a collection of an inordinate amount of Stuff (pictures, furniture, official documents, dishes, trophies from bowling days, etc.). This created Newton's Law of Stuff (for every room filled with your Stuff, there is a room to be absorbed of equal and opposite Stuff from somewhere else.) The staff at the Baldner house had to bring in added help to process the Stuff when it came from Dallas (wife and children) as we decided what was Stuff for our house or the kids. Junk had been processed back in Dallas and was not brought to the house here to be processed, although some items initially thought to be Stuff was really Junk when it came to the house. For example, he had a set of 1963 mint condition WorldBook Encyclopedias that featured somethings such as the advent of a thing called a computer which would revolutionize the world someday as it only took up a room or floor of an office building. I wanted that Stuff for my collection, but my wife insisted it was Junk. So, it went with the Junk instead of staying with the Stuff much to my dismay.
Why do we have so much Stuff that is potentially Junk given time, value (actual or emotional), and usefulness? Why do we have so much Stuff to begin with? Unfortunately, we have so much Stuff that some has been assigned a small climatized storage room at a local storage facility (Christmas ornaments collected over a lifetime and 30+ years of marriage for example). "You won't take it with you when you die" is a popular adage. That's true. There will be another household assigned with processing all of this stuff when we are gone to determine if it has any value and assigning it either Stuff or Junk status.
I say all this because I am not alone. I am certain that as you read, your own mind began processing the Stuff you have and some of the things you want to get rid of because it has become Junk, not Stuff, but someone, or something (emotional attachment), is standing in the way of processing your own Stuff or Junk. Why are we like this?
I'm not sure, but Christ uses Stuff as a theme in a parable in Luke 12. "Someone in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.' But he said to him, 'Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?' And he said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.' And he told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.'”
As we look at our Stuff, we should from time to time ask ourselves how much is enough? Pray that we not be consumed with material goods to the point that we hear God speak to us as he spoke to the "fool." Pray that what we have is what we need and to know that all we have comes from God.
Hope Men's Ministry
Monday, June 27, 2016
Devotion 6.28.16
Baseball in Arlington has gone to a new level in the club's history. Texas now finds itself a perennial winner, even going to the World Series twice in the past 10 years or so. The climb to greatness in the minds of their fans starts when one George W. Bush became the managing partner for the organization. The old ballpark was torn down after the new one was designed and constructed, the architects being the same who designed the yard in Baltimore. Then it was as God ordained it, in their minds, as they began to turn things around and build a winning program. So, logically, it makes sense that barely 20 years after the new park was built, the visionaries in Arlington want to tear it down and build a new park, except this time remember to air condition the place.
Yes, I too was floored when I learned of the ballpark possibly being torn down and a new one put nearby, between the current one and Cowboy Stadium. You see, when it comes to a sport's franchises, we hardly get squeamish about spending money.
I remember teaching Adult Bible Study one Sunday when a man I consider gifted with wisdom noted (I'm paraphrasing) that we show where our beliefs are if you see where we spend our money (Ernie to be specific for those of you from Hope). When I walk past the football stadium at Texas Tech, used maybe 20 days out of the year for sport (high school and college football), I see a major investment which was his point.
Where is the focus of our attention with the things we've been gifted with? Follow your money trail and see where you spend your leisure dollar after your fixed expenditures (house, cars, insurance, utilities) and you may see a trend of what is really important to you.
How about church? Where does it come into play in that equation? As Christ notes, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)
Pray for guidance when it comes to prioritizing your time, talent, and treasure. Pray that we support our ministries at our church when it comes to money, even if we have to sacrifice to do so. Pray we do it with a right spirit within ourselves.
Hope Men's Ministry
Yes, I too was floored when I learned of the ballpark possibly being torn down and a new one put nearby, between the current one and Cowboy Stadium. You see, when it comes to a sport's franchises, we hardly get squeamish about spending money.
I remember teaching Adult Bible Study one Sunday when a man I consider gifted with wisdom noted (I'm paraphrasing) that we show where our beliefs are if you see where we spend our money (Ernie to be specific for those of you from Hope). When I walk past the football stadium at Texas Tech, used maybe 20 days out of the year for sport (high school and college football), I see a major investment which was his point.
Where is the focus of our attention with the things we've been gifted with? Follow your money trail and see where you spend your leisure dollar after your fixed expenditures (house, cars, insurance, utilities) and you may see a trend of what is really important to you.
How about church? Where does it come into play in that equation? As Christ notes, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)
Pray for guidance when it comes to prioritizing your time, talent, and treasure. Pray that we support our ministries at our church when it comes to money, even if we have to sacrifice to do so. Pray we do it with a right spirit within ourselves.
Hope Men's Ministry
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Devotion 6.27.16
You ever go somewhere not really knowing what to expect and come away glad you went? Such as? you may ask. Think of being asked to a gathering you really didn't want to attend, yet when you got there, something inspired you, made you walk away with ideas, and made you perhaps want to take on some new activities or insert energy into existing activities.
While I voluntarily wanted to work the LWML (Lutheran Women's Missionary League) Texas District Convention this past weekend, I didn't attend with any anticipation of anything other than sitting at our church's exhibit (Hope Lutheran Church and School's Uganda Mission) and explaining to people what that was and what we did there. When I arrived, I learned I was going to be soliciting votes for our proposed grant for the school. So, I went from teacher to salesperson in the flash of an eye.
While there, though, I took time to see the other exhibits, including missions. I met the (now famous) Muslim-converted-to-Christianity (Lutheran) gentleman and his mission's exhibit. He's a Lutheran pastor, and in speaking with him, I met a man who may have been very much like Paul. Hostile to Christianity now speaking passionately about Christianity, almost uncompromisingly. Across from our exhibit was another man who was from a region near the Middle East/Pakistan/India who was over a college ministry. His college ministry doing more than reaching Lutheran students while away at college, but rather a very mission-oriented ministry serving students (in pictures at the exhibit) from other parts of the world, possibly not Lutheran. I also talked to a pastor who came to Houston from Puerto Rico to work in a field only to find himself pastor of a church that used to be St. John's, now named in Spanish for the community just south of downtown Houston. All these men possessed a passion for their ministries, no matter how daunting the task may be.
When our pastor (Pastor Eric) returned to Lubbock from a family vacation, he came to the convention. I said something like this to him, "The men of Hope need to get this passionate about a ministry," I said. Not that the men of Hope aren't passionate about the ministry at Hope, but where do we focus our energy? (For those of you not from Hope, think of your own congregations.) In the past, we have said our men's ministry is about the following: being men of God as God desires for men in the lives of church, family, and community; being in the Word; being in fellowship; and being in service. I was impressed with the women who came by our booth to learn of our ministry in Uganda as they decided which mission project to vote on. They took the task seriously as I said the same thing over and over to each person who stopped for 10 hours or so on Thursday.
Clearly we have a mission in Uganda. Do we focus our passion for taking God's Word to that? Do we take on our own school to provide needed funds or work? Something to think about, but when you are around people driven by the Great Commission ("Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations..."), it makes you realize that our ministry, which is effective to a degree, could be doing much more.
Pray that we find that mission that sparks our passion and our energy. Pray that we find the time to give to that ministry in time, talent, and treasure. Pray we seek God's will in our lives with this kind of activity.
Finally, say thank you to anyone involved in LWML. We received the grant, and that was because God was in the works.
Hope Men's Ministry
While I voluntarily wanted to work the LWML (Lutheran Women's Missionary League) Texas District Convention this past weekend, I didn't attend with any anticipation of anything other than sitting at our church's exhibit (Hope Lutheran Church and School's Uganda Mission) and explaining to people what that was and what we did there. When I arrived, I learned I was going to be soliciting votes for our proposed grant for the school. So, I went from teacher to salesperson in the flash of an eye.
While there, though, I took time to see the other exhibits, including missions. I met the (now famous) Muslim-converted-to-Christianity (Lutheran) gentleman and his mission's exhibit. He's a Lutheran pastor, and in speaking with him, I met a man who may have been very much like Paul. Hostile to Christianity now speaking passionately about Christianity, almost uncompromisingly. Across from our exhibit was another man who was from a region near the Middle East/Pakistan/India who was over a college ministry. His college ministry doing more than reaching Lutheran students while away at college, but rather a very mission-oriented ministry serving students (in pictures at the exhibit) from other parts of the world, possibly not Lutheran. I also talked to a pastor who came to Houston from Puerto Rico to work in a field only to find himself pastor of a church that used to be St. John's, now named in Spanish for the community just south of downtown Houston. All these men possessed a passion for their ministries, no matter how daunting the task may be.
When our pastor (Pastor Eric) returned to Lubbock from a family vacation, he came to the convention. I said something like this to him, "The men of Hope need to get this passionate about a ministry," I said. Not that the men of Hope aren't passionate about the ministry at Hope, but where do we focus our energy? (For those of you not from Hope, think of your own congregations.) In the past, we have said our men's ministry is about the following: being men of God as God desires for men in the lives of church, family, and community; being in the Word; being in fellowship; and being in service. I was impressed with the women who came by our booth to learn of our ministry in Uganda as they decided which mission project to vote on. They took the task seriously as I said the same thing over and over to each person who stopped for 10 hours or so on Thursday.
Clearly we have a mission in Uganda. Do we focus our passion for taking God's Word to that? Do we take on our own school to provide needed funds or work? Something to think about, but when you are around people driven by the Great Commission ("Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations..."), it makes you realize that our ministry, which is effective to a degree, could be doing much more.
Pray that we find that mission that sparks our passion and our energy. Pray that we find the time to give to that ministry in time, talent, and treasure. Pray we seek God's will in our lives with this kind of activity.
Finally, say thank you to anyone involved in LWML. We received the grant, and that was because God was in the works.
Hope Men's Ministry
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Devotion 6.23.16
So, we want a youth program? The logical question is probably, "Why?" Because it is the next vital step in growing our church might be the response. Another response may be, "Because my kids would like to go to a church that has a 'big' youth program and they have friends who have great youth programs at their churches."
How about this simple answer? The church has an obligation to be a vital part of the faith development of its youth and a youth program is a commitment to that. Outside the family, the church is the most significant part of a child's faith development, and a youth program is a significant part of that. And given the statistic of the increase of children coming from single-parent families, the passage in James becomes even more prevalent: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (1:27)
Despite being legalistic to a degree, the passage does emphasize the fact that the church has a role and obligation to see that children, possibly fatherless or in households that are dysfunctional, have a place to go to hear the Word of God and is a safe haven from the problems that exist in this world (sanctuary).
When I hear we want a youth program, I agree and think of those opportunities kids can have to engage and have fun, but more importantly, I think of the expansion of opportunities to develop their faith lives.
"And these words I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise." (Deuteronomy 6)
Pray we are there for our children and others in need.
Hope Men's Ministry
How about this simple answer? The church has an obligation to be a vital part of the faith development of its youth and a youth program is a commitment to that. Outside the family, the church is the most significant part of a child's faith development, and a youth program is a significant part of that. And given the statistic of the increase of children coming from single-parent families, the passage in James becomes even more prevalent: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (1:27)
Despite being legalistic to a degree, the passage does emphasize the fact that the church has a role and obligation to see that children, possibly fatherless or in households that are dysfunctional, have a place to go to hear the Word of God and is a safe haven from the problems that exist in this world (sanctuary).
When I hear we want a youth program, I agree and think of those opportunities kids can have to engage and have fun, but more importantly, I think of the expansion of opportunities to develop their faith lives.
"And these words I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise." (Deuteronomy 6)
Pray we are there for our children and others in need.
Hope Men's Ministry
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