Retreat Devotion 9.12.22

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

(This will be part of our devotion at the retreat, but since some won't be there, we will share in advance for all to benefit and prepare.)

What is your purpose? Why am I here on this earth? Am I significant and do I make a difference?

These are all questions we ask ourselves at some time in our lives. If you do a simple scan of my life, let's say look at my calendar and see what my schedule looked like from 22 years of age until now, you'd come to the conclusion my purpose was to be in meetings. In fact, it is almost a steady march each day, especially in my education years, of meetings. Even in retirement, I meet. Don't try to draw a distinction between being an educator and the "real world," because when I retired and went to the private sector, the meetings increased.

Surely I am meant to do more than to convene around the table or in a room with others, and I bet you feel the same. We all seek significance or meaning in our lives, but where do we turn for this?

Scripture tells us in passages like Ephesians that we were created with a purpose. In fact, our being means that we were put here to do "good works," which God prepared with us in mind. That means that God is intimately aware of us and what our time on earth is for (Psalm 139), as He "knit us in our mother's womb." My task, then, is to seek God's Will in my life, to open those doors maybe I haven't been, to make that call I haven't made or to seek out that visit with someone I have been putting off. 

We pray for insight into God's will for us and to open those doors of opportunity that we may have walked past many times. We ask for God's Spirit to guide us to help us see those opportunities and to equip us for service as needed.

Retreat Topic 1 - Devotion 9.5.22

"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41 - 42

(These next several devotions will be part of our conversation at the retreat, but not everyone can go, so we can share and prepare in advance.)

Which is more important? Leadership or management? I wrestle with this from time to time because of my former role in education leadership.  I'm not alone though because I know for a fact the military wrestles with this as well.  None other than one General (then later President) Dwight D. Eisenhower left us a management tool that to this day still bears his name:  The Eisenhower Matrix. It's divided into four quadrants. Across the top it says "Urgent" over one quadrant, and "Not Urgent" over the one to its right. Then on the descending left side of it at the side of it reads "Important," and the one below it is "Not Important." (Like me and need to see these things? A link is at the bottom of the email to a site that explains it fully.)

Martha, the subject of the occasion, finds herself worked into a frenzy. She is in the "Urgent"  and "Important" quadrant (Q1). This is not a good place to be. Eisenhower realized that being in the Army and leading the Army in Europe could mean everything is urgent and important all at once (generally crisis management 24/7). The problem is that requires too much energy because much of what some people think is urgent and important is really a crisis caused by poor planning.  General Eisenhower knew that to be effective, he needed to focus on "Important, Not Urgent." Strategy, reflection, sharing leadership thoughts, teaching, and planning can go into that quadrant two (Q2). It's important, not urgent.

Mary is at the feet of Q2: Christ. Christ all but tells an exasperated Martha that when she interrupts his teaching and presence by protesting Mary's lack of help. "Mary has chosen the good portion."

I realized in administration that if I was going to lead, I had to manage effectively. So when a mentor of mine showed me this and a corresponding folder system, I went back and implemented it immediately. Want something signed? It goes in the "Signature" folder. Why? Because if I signed based on employee need, that is all I would do because people arrive a decisions independently and bring things to you individually. The staff soon learned I review and sign every day during lunch. Get it in before noon. (There were two other folders, but save that for another day.)

Why is this important? Because one area of focus for all of us is "Reflection." How and when do I give myself time to reflect? Where am I and how am I doing in my four pillars in life - faith, family, learning and giving/sharing. What are your "big areas" in your life that drive your activity? How much time do you give them in reflection daily, weekly, monthly and yearly? It's important, as Christ notes, and if it can make the difference in winning and losing a war, think about what it can do with your life.

How and when do we reflect on God's Word and will in our lives? How do we become men of action, not activity?

Pray to God for time to reflect on what is important in our lives as He sees it and pray for the ability to act when we begin seeing these things more clearly.

https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/eisenhower-matrix

Devotion 9.2.22

"And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay." Daniel 2:41

You've probably heard the phrase "feet of clay" used when it comes to describe the state of man. We hope to be iron, as in the passage "iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27)," but in reality we are in a constant state of being. That means we move forward, and we slide back. Much like the kingdom described in the dream Daniel interprets, we are a combination of iron and clay. Both will decay, but one is stronger than the other. One is less fragile than the other.

"Only what's done for Him will last" is the refrain penciled in a print my wife and I bought at the start of our marriage at an art show. Of course, it's at the bottom of an old church somewhere in everyday America. It's a wood frame church that is deteriorating. That line comes from a poem by the same title. Rather than focus on being feet of clay, we'd rather focus on the source of our faith, salvation and strength - Christ.

"I can do all things through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13) As we seek to be more Christ like in our walk, we focus on Christ, His Word, his sacrificial and sacramental acts that saved us and give us faith, which give us strength and hope.

The theme for the retreat this is from this brief devotion:  "From Feet of Clay to Feats of Strength." We will have devotion time, activity time, and meal time. What we hope it all adds up to is an enjoyable time for everyone who participates. Please consider joining us Sept 30 - Oct 2 in Mason, TX at the Schwede Ranch where there will be abundant opportunities for learning, fellowship and fun.

Devotion 8.29.22

"...I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul,...." Psalm 131:1 - 2

The Psalms of Ascents, 120 - 134, is a psalmist, including David at times, describing the pilgrimage to the temple and entering the temple to worship. In 131, as the psalmist has drawn near in previous psalms, David writes that he is lowering himself as he approaches God, and that he has "calmed and quieted" his soul.

We had an incident near our house on Friday that brought out SWAT from Lubbock Police. I know the people who live at the house, so naturally my curiosity went to a higher level (like SWAT coming into the community is a normal, daily event - that alone made my curiosity high). However, having taken the Lubbock Law Enforcements' Citizen's Academy (no, I didn't get a badge), I noted a person there from a small unit that works with people who have mental disabilities or psychological disorders. I saw her in a squad car, so I thought she was brought in to disarm the person (figuratively) while SWAT disarmed the person (literally). LPD was successful as they brought the young man out that was at the center of the issue, and he was placed in a squad car. "He's had a bad day," one of the policemen said to me.

LPD had successfully "calmed his soul." I don't know what caused his distress, but I learned from the news the family had a restraining order on him. With the presence of the special unit I mentioned who deal with people who have mental or psychological disorders, I felt like he had something that posed a threat to his family in some way. I may never know, but my thought was with his family immediately. Now their souls were not quiet or calm.

What upsets our souls? David lays it out in the other psalms. He has enemies. He has people he doesn't trust, including his own sons who will try to take the throne from him in a coup attempt. He has himself in that he inflates his ego and thinks highly of himself, to the point he's willing to steal the wife of a general who is faithful to him and Israel (not laid out in a psalm but his prayer for forgiveness is - 51). What upsets our souls? What distracts us from God? What causes us to think about anything but worship when we enter church?

Psalm 131 gives us the words to help us focus on God, lowering our heads, not thinking of things too high, and seek to calm and quiet our souls. We pray for God's guidance to help us calm and quiet our souls in the midst of the storms we have in our lives.

Devotion 8.23.22

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" Psalm 139:23 - 24

There was a man, once a member at Hope Lutheran, who was talking to me about David's psalms. To know this guy was to know a classic West Texan, self-made, very confident in himself but not in a sinful way (that I could tell because he was also humble in many ways), and a great sense of humor. He had held a high position in a global company and had been a Marine in service to his country, so I hope I'm accurately painting a picture of a guy you'd like to hang around.

Anyway, to David's psalms, he asked, "Do you ever just read those and think David is one whiny guy? Of course, he asked 42 or 43-year-old me back when I was full of self-confidence and self-assured as well, so I said I'd never really looked at David as "whiny." Yet, as I read his psalms more in-depth, I can see how he might hear that because David is very much a modern man. By that I mean David is certainly willing to be vulnerable. That was a word my dad's generation never uttered.

David, however, is different. He's king. He is a man after God's own heart. He's been saved by God on several occasions, including the big one when he murdered a faithful servant general in Israel's own army at war for his king, David. Yet, as David writes (on many occasions), he asks God to search his heart.

What's powerful about that for us to read is that David is confessing another modern aspect here: cognitive bias. I am blind to my own biases and should be open to the idea they exist. David isn't taunting God in this passage (the entire psalm is a confession to a God who knows us intimately with familiar passages like, "You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (139:13 - 14) David is inviting God for a close and personal examination to not only search his heart, but to see where he is erring and to lead him in the way of the ever lasting.

As we confess on Sundays (and sometime during the week), do we invite God into our own hearts to show us where we stumble? Do we say to Him, "You know what I don't know - my blindness to my own sin - show me those errors and reveal them to me. Correct me, so I can seek forgiveness and have you lead and guide me to a more excellent way through your Son Jesus Christ."?

David's psalms are powerful prayers for us to use to open our eyes and our hearts to God and His Word. They are a "lamp to our feet and a light to our path." (109:105)

Masculinity - Winner

 "Again, if the trumpet makes an unclear call, who can get ready for battle?" 1 Corinthians 14:8

The leader decides and sends his troops to battle with the call of the trumpet in ancient times through the 20th century (maybe still in the Navy). Garry Wills, historian and author of the book that bore a title based on Paul's imagery, "Certain Trumpets (1995)," highlights historical figures who exemplified certain leadership traits and those who were the antithesis.

In his chapter on sports, he writes about Carl Stotz. It's timely given the fact that we watched the Litle League World Series recently. Carl founded the Little League. Wills writes, "Being the imitator of a hero is not the same thing as following a leader." Stotz envisioned a league that would allow boys to play and eventually end up in a World Series all its own. The rules he used to set it up avoided many pitfalls he saw in pro baseball. He developed a point system that would allow teams to draft but not be able to draft the "all stars." He made sure the kids played in the boundaries of their school zone and played in age brackets reflective of their peer groups in school. He put extra players on the field to encourage more kids getting playing time. The kids were to be coached by men who were committed to development of character using sports. 

To read the chapter is enjoyable to see a man with a vision to shape young boys into men with positive role models, but it is interesting to note the emphasis isn't on "winning." Given today's rhetoric of "we are just creating a nation of people who've done nothing but get participation trophies," it's interesting to note that the origins of youth sports, like Little League, were designed to focus on character development by giving kids structured activities to engage in play and learn in the process. When did the objective change to become a point of contention that made "winning" the objective, to the point that it stirs anger in some who comment that "these kids are spoiled by always getting participation trophies." Let's leave those analyses to the experts and focus on another aspect of this.

Paul writes about this interestingly enough, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize?... but we receive an imperishable wreath." (1 Corinthians 9) Ironically in this discussion, we are the recipients of a participation trophy in our faith. It isn't merit based. It has no complex training schedule. Our imperishable wreath is based on nothing we do. It is all there as a gift. 

We all caught the video clip of the young man beaned by a pitch from a pitcher in Texas in the current Little League World Series. The young lad from Oklahoma, after getting on his feet and being okay'ed to play, trotted down to first base. He looked at the mound and noted the pitcher couldn't compose himself. He trotted to the mound and embraced the pitcher in an effort to calm him down. The Texas coach and team came out at that point and did the same to the pitcher as the boy trotted back over to first.

Masculinity isn't about "winning." Masculinity is about creating the attitude of a winner, but what does that look like? If we read Paul further, we read that Christ didn't see equality with God as something to be used to His own advantage (Philippians 2:6). In faith, masculinity is about complete humility in the sense that we are given a gift of faith based on nothing we can or will do. Our actions do not please God to the point of merit. We are forgiven and given grace based on our faith in Christ. In turn, we extend that forgiveness and grace to others. 

We pray we can exhibit the grace needed when we get "beaned" in life. We pray we can exhibit the same humility Christ did when He followed His Father's will. 

Devotion 8.15.22

 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:10 - 11

We said goodbye to our faithful servant Pastor Dan Borkenhagen yesterday at Hope Lutheran Church and School. Dan is returning to his roots in Minnesota, land of my own forefathers. My dad moved to Houston in 1954 from Minnesota, so I've claimed Minnesota as part of my heritage equal to my claim on Texas (Mom is a fourth generation Texan). I have a love of both.

Dan's final sermon was based on Ephesians 6 and included the passage above. I listened intently to his final words, and he said something significant during the course of his sermon. We may not align with our deeply divided culture in this world (as Christ referred to "this world" in our gospel lesson from John 17), but our opposition to our brethren on the other side of the debate doesn't identify them as "evil." Rather, we oppose the evil that may lurk behind them.

I once heard a speaker that said the biggest obstacle in our lives isn't those who oppose us, it is the person on your driver's license. I'm my biggest obstacle to my own progress for many reasons.  Oh sure, there may be a person who represents a different view in life that I may not agree with that may be contrary to God's Word, but I can only control my own reaction, the potential evil within me. As we get tested by God and tempted by Satan (James 1), we turn to God and ask for strength to live up to the test He's put before us, and to turn away from the temptation, the trap that Satan has set to lure us into a sin.

Dan has given us five great years of his own story, his own highs and lows. We, too, though, have the same kind of story. Successes and failure. 

We move on in Ephesians 6 to ask God to put on the gospel armor Paul describes in his epistle. We ask for strength and for God to protect us from evil, mainly our own weaknesses and temptations. We ask for God to guide us in "this world" and to keep us from being "of this world" while we live "in this world." We ask for God to help us be lights in a world of darkness.