Rick Nier...Woo!

The room is quiet now. It was filled just a few moments ago with screaming kids. They were happy screams...mostly. They had been running, jumping, kicking balloons and eating ice cream. But now the room sits empty and quiet, with very little evidence that a tiny, elementary-force tornado had just swept through. So we ended another school year for our midweek children's ministry. It was a good year. They learned a lot. We memorized the Old Testament books, with motions. We memorized a few key verses to go along with our teaching themes. We engaged in several service projects throughout the year. We saw many new faces throughout the year. It was a good year. But if I'm honest with myself.... I wish I hadn't felt so drained at times and looked towards midweek with dread. I wish we had found more adults to build relationships with kids. I wish I had learned more names than I did. Like a sports team that falls just short of winning the championship, I already look...

Jesus was like a youth pastor. Don't believe me? I'm not alone in my thinking. Greg Steir, of Dare2Share Ministries, has often used Matthew 17:27 as his proof text. This is where Jesus sends Peter to get a fish, open its mouth and take the coin out to use for the Temple tax for Jesus and Peter. The idea is that only men 20 years and older had to pay the Temple tax, so the rest of the disciples must have been teenagers. Thus, Jesus was the first youth pastor. As Greg continues, Jesus had one adult volunteer (in Pete) and 11 teens in his group, one of whom was a problem teen. We've all got one of those. But Jesus also dealt with randomness. Ask any youth pastor how many times he has been interrupted mid-sentence so some kid can ask to go to the bathroom. I was once to the 'altar call' part of my talk when some kid asked how soon I would be done. Yes, I could definitely feel the Spirit moving that night. But it's Luke 11 where Jesus is talking and some random lady ...

For those who follow me on social media and read the daily minutiae of my life, you might recall my family having some...uhh....interesting adventures with our vehicles as of late. I won't retell those here, but for the sake of everyone being on the same page, know that we had to send our van to the eternal destination of all vehicles once a youth worker has owned them for more than 15 minutes.  The price to fix it was going to equal the price we paid for it. So, voila, we became a 1-vehicle family. Unless you count my scooter. In that case we are a 1 & 1/4 vehicle family. If only I could add a side-car to the scooter, it would be so much more sensible.  All of this was met by cool and calm in our family. There was only one minor problem. I had two separate meetings out of town. This required renting a car. The rental place asked what I desired. I told them the cheapest thing they had would suffice. Extra features would not be necessary. I'm a simple guy wit...

All gave some. Some gave all. If you're looking for one of those heart-breaking, tear-jerking stories of veterans and joyful reunions, you will need to go somewhere else. Those make for great stories. If you find a good one, send it my way. But that's not normal fare around here. A lot of my stories reveal the less significant, though that does not make them less important. That might never be more true than today. Memorial Day, of course, is an opportunity to honor our veterans as well as our current service men and women. This group would include my dad. My dad served in the Vietnam War. It was long before I was born, the oldest to my parents. My dad did not come back with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He did not wake up with nightmares. He was never absent due to flashbacks. He was a good dad. You can imagine how cool it was for a young boy to hear his dad was G.I. Joe. So I asked details. It turns out that my dad was a mechanic. Things break down in Vietnam too,...

I ran across this. I had heard of it before, but never gave it much thought. I think we, and especially people who say they believe God loves everyone, should give this much thought. Here's the article . Here's a picture to look at . Here's where I say Woo!!!

It may be coincidental, but my daily reading had me read John 3 rout after reading Luke 3. It also had me reading Matthew 3 (see yesterday's post). Do you remember what happened in John 3? A Pharisee comes to Jesus about salvation. It was a pretty big deal. The Pharisees were not the biggest fans of Jesus. You could say Jesus kind of threatened their deal. But John 3 is also a big deal because of that popular little verse it houses. Yeah, that one. About God loving the world and sending Jesus. Those words were world changing. And not just for Nicodemus. With one line, Jesus answers all of the biggest questions the world has. Yes, God loves everyone. Yes, God knows about sin and He sent Someone to do something about it.  Yes, you can get in the most incredible deal you will ever see anywhere....ever. With one line, Jesus exploded the mind of an old teacher of the Law. With one line, Jesus rocked the world forever.  It is what Jesus intended to do. But...

Luke, of third Gospel of the New Testament fame, was also a doctor. Compared to many doctors of today, this guy had quite the bedside manner. You can see it in the way he writes.  I'm towards the beginning of a Bible reading plan that will take me through all four Gospels in 30 days. That, of course, is not counting the days I skip, since I am quite the undisciplined and sweaty Philistine. Actually, I'm only sweating because the air conditioner repairman hasn't shown up yet, but that's another blog post.  The great thing about reading all four Gospels at the same time, besides getting a big helping of Jesus, is comparing the writers when they share the same stories. Take, for example, this story of John the Baptist in Luke 3. When Matthew, that cheating tax collector, shares the same story, he wastes no time in throwing the Pharisees and Sadducees under the bus. Then he snickers while he recalls what John the Baptist says to them.  But not Doctor L...

Do you know what would be really super crazy for a regular blogger to do mid-May? Considering that summer just decided to show up two weeks after the last snow flurries hit the ground, this is so stupid.  But I'm gonna do it.  Because. I'm. Stupid.....Crazy! I'm going to talk about the Christmas story. I don't know how to get around this, other than write something and save it for 7 months. This is really a problem with starting a Gospel reading plan in May. Sure, I could have skipped the early chapters, but the end happened at Easter, so how much of this reading plan can I skip, based on our holiday schedule.  I digress. I was reading about the wise men and their jaunt to chase a star. It is interesting, from Matthew 2, that the wise men talk with Herod and the Jewish leaders about where Jesus will be born. We can give Herod a pass from what I am about to say, because he was immediately and obviously threatened. I get that.  But it says the...

The weather is warming up again. And perhaps it is the thick layers of ice that cause me to forget, but it's this time of year that makes me ready to ride again. To feel the sweet freedom that can only be felt at 25-35 mph while driving my hog. My 50cc's of raw power.  You might ask why. I'm here to answer your questions. Why a scooter?  Good question. After all, until recently I had two other vehicle choices. But neither of them get 140 miles to the gallon. Tell me again about your smart cars and your Nissan Versa, neither one of which do you look better in. Sure, there are high-end motorized wheelchairs that might pass me from time to time, but where will they be when the battery runs out?   Why a helmet? Because I don't listen to my wife about a good many things. But she's right about this. Even at 30 mph, bad things can happen. A car travelling faster could hit me. A random deer could come out at the deer crossing sign.  Because when I ...

Seth Godin has a much bigger platform than he probably knows what to do with. He doesn't need any endorsements from me. But I like a lot of what he has to say. At the very least, it makes me pause and consider. So for that, I will link you forward to a recent post that made me consider... Here you go. Woo!

We act weird around people who are different than us. As much as I am a fan of the awkward, I think we have to work on this.  If someone is blind, we tend to talk slower. Why would we do that? Because we feel awkward? If someone is of a different nationality, we have become so dangerously politically correct that we mumble our way through any conversation. I'm all for being careful about what we say, but it can hinder as well. If someone is missing a limb, I guarantee we will have a staring contest, while attempting to not stare.  Guess what, they know they are missing a limb! I will say this; it's good to know it's not a new problem. Allow me to set up the story from Luke 1. Zechariah and Elizabeth are about to play the New Testament version of Abraham and Sarah and have a baby. I imagine this means that Elizabeth will be changing two sets of diapers.  But when the angel Gabriel reveals to big news, ending with, 'Ta-daaaaa!', Zechariah is in d...

Not everything my children do pleases me. Take, for example, their choices of sport. Our oldest daughter has decided that track would be fun. This wouldn't have been my choice for a couple of reasons. First, it's like NASCAR. I don't know how so many people can be enthralled with a bunch of drivers turning left for four hours. Track is sort of like NASCAR, only slower...much......much.........s    l   o   w   e    r.  Second, it's an outdoor sport in the spring of northern Indiana. This, of course, means it could be winter weather and you'll need your coat and a blanket. Or it could be spring like, which means you'll need an umbrella. Either way, it only adds to the  torture  enjoyment of the event. Our son then chose soccer. Guess when this take place? That's right, the Spring. Guess where? Outside in an area of town that is so flat that when wind gusts begin in Kansas, they reach us in Indiana and just keep swirling around. G...

Years ago I read what I still deem as the funniest book I have ever read, Flashbang  by Mark Steele. The subtitle and the subject matter was about how to get over yourself. I've read it a few times in the past several years, partly because of its humor but mostly because of my constant need for a reminder to get over myself. I say all that so you know that when I see a book by Mark Steele, I grab it...immediately. Such was the case when I saw Christianish . I saw the author and knew this book would get the rare move up to the top of the stack. The book, in a nutshell, asks Christians to consider that perhaps we are the problem. Perhaps we've been getting it wrong all along. Mark delivers his usual style of great story-telling, all the while leaving the reader wondering how so many terrifically crazy things can happen to one family in a lifetime. But what he brings in this book is a big can of take-a-good-look-at-your-life-and-stop-making-excuses. For those who have read ...

I have a confession.  I don't always practice what I preach. That's kind of awkward for me to say, being a preacher and all. I mean, we say that to everyone, even people who are not, in fact, preachers. But me? I have a license. It's that dangerous. Yeah, I know...you're kind of in awe right now. Not everyone is cut out to wear the cloth. Of course, I don't actually have any special cloth or holy underwear or anything like that.  But I am stalling from actually finishing this confession. After all, if I leave it vague, you might think I rolled my eyes when someone cut me off in traffic. You probably struggle not to roll your eyes too, but not me. I have that well under control. In fact, I never roll my eyes when stupid, incompetent, meat-heads..... I've digressed again.  I don't always practice what I preach. On this blog, I say, over and again and in many different ways, that life is not about me. In fact, I encourage you in your unawarene...

Every week can't be a great week. I think we can all agree on that.  After all, most weeks start with Mondays, a weekly reminder that bills must be paid and they won't pay themselves. But since I take Mondays off, don't even get me started on Tuesdays. While everyone else has resigned themselves to the fact that the work week is young, I'm just settling in to the fact that people won't pay me to stay at home.  Wednesdays are a normally long day where the weekend is still too far off, yet at the same time beginning to dash your hopes of finishing any weekly to-do list. Thursdays get the shaft for no other reason than they aren't Friday. And Friday? Well, Friday is like a long climb up what you assume will be the greatest roller coaster of a weekend ever. But, come to find out, only a kiddie slide was waiting for you after all that anticipation.  All of that to say, some weeks aren't great. I say this because we have to find the little things in ...

  You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. ~ 2 Timothy 2:2 I'm certainly not the first who has used this verse from Paul's second letter to Timmy as a personal purpose statement for ministry.  But it is a verse that I use.  It reminds me of many things: Whether I realize it or not, I am teaching things. I should make sure it's the message I want to get across. I need to always double down and ensure it's the message of Jesus. I am to be surrounded by others who will back me up on the truth. They do not merely cheer lead whatever feel-good message is out there. They are to confirm the truth. This teaching is supposed to be passed on. These people will (hopefully) be trustworthy. Otherwise, the teaching will be in vain.  The people I pass it on to will, in turn, pass it along to others.  If you picture...

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,      so are my ways higher than your ways      and my thoughts than your thoughts.     ~Isaiah 55:9 I am sure I have mentioned this verse in my blog before.  I am positive I have talked with my teens about this verse before.  I know I have prayed this verse before, reminding both myself and any listeners what I believed.  And yet.... I have to admit that I struggle with this verse. Not in theory, but in action. Not in thought, but in deed. Not with others, but with myself. Yes, if you read that last line correctly, you'll see I have very little problem seeing God as better than you. It's remembering that God is better than me that is sometimes the problem.  Again, not in theory. I preach it, I write it, I read it...I believe it. But I'm not sure I always own it. Because I can't explain the fatigue I sometimes feel for the work that needs to be d...

If you follow me regularly at all, you know a few things about me. My kids make for great illustrations, though not always good examples. My own life makes for good sermon fodder, though again, not always the best example. I love reading books and posting the reviews. I am all about youth ministry. The above list may not be in any order, but another thing you should know about me is that my life pursuit is to take the light, any little that shines my way, and reflect it back to God. Again, I don't always do this perfectly, hence the stories and illustrations. Along those lines, I try and take moments here and there to share someone else's thoughts and work. Today, I found a post that combines a couple of these loves; books and youth ministry. I am linking you to MarkO's blog post, where he reviews several books at once. How can he accomplish this without writing an entire book himself? Two Sentence Reviews! Enjoy.

You should have seen my kid's faces when I told them there was a second season to the Scooby Doo series they were addicted to. They'd discovered Season one while we were on vacation and quickly got hooked when they found it on Netflix. They devoured it, and honestly, it was cleverly written. I could go on describing it, but I think we both know I'm about to spiritualize it.  I think this hungering for more is what God is looking for from us as well. I think God is honored when we get excited about worshiping Him...again. I think God is honored when we look forward to opening His Word...again. I think God is honored when we encourage a brother or serve a sister...again.  We may think we know what to expect. Certainly we did with the Scooby-Doo series. The Scooby gang is going to be scared. Scooby will want a snack. They'll solve the mystery.  We may think we know what to expect. God will be good. Jesus will be the Savior. The Holy Spirit will rock all...

I mentioned yesterday  that my kids sailed with me back to my childhood when we discovered  Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated . It has been an entertaining jaunt, one I'm glad my kids have had an opportunity to experience. After all, my childhood worked out well for me. (Shout out to my mom!) So if my kids can get the same upbringing I did, they should end up alright as well. Now if I can only convince the police my kids will be fine riding free in the back of a conversion van, their childhood would be complete.  Anyways, the Scooby-Doo cartoons have recently got me thinking about people and the Church.  We are creatures of habit. For starters, my Saturday mornings feel better somehow now that I can tune in and see the Mystery Machine tooling around town. But the show itself offers many constants. Honestly, the only thing that changed in the 70's version of Scooby-Doo was the villain, but even then some things stayed very much the same. The mystery w...