Rick Nier...Woo!

No one will ever accuse me of always being on top of everything. Ideas bounce around in my head for a couple of weeks before I ever put them down. So the fact that I am posting some thoughts about raking weeks after I last pulled out a rake shouldn't really be any surprise. My only defense is that truth doesn't fade.  I can't decide if it is more satisfying to see the ginormous pile of leaves separate my yard from the street as if I'm building up a harvest-themed barricade from any passersby. Or if I enjoy watching the giant vacuum owned by our township when it comes around and removes any evidence that leaves were once on my yard. About a month ago, before it began snowing, I got out my leaf blower. I knew leaves were just starting to fall, but I thought I would tackle the task little by little. I did the same thing on Saturday. I did even more raking the following Monday. The good news is that my youngest daughter was able to jump in the biggest pile we have ever mad...

I started a new segment in my youth group meetings called Ask Me Anything. No, the idea is not original with me, but I forget where I stole the idea. Here's how I do it. I have a box in our youth room labeled Ask Me Anything. Next to it is a stack of cards and a couple of pens. Students have been encouraged to literally ask me anything. And they do. From which of my own kids is my favorite to challenging me to perform a handstand, they ask anything. I take some each week and answer them. Many are ridiculous, but some are serious. Those are the questions I am after. I let them do this anonymously so they feel the freedom to ask what's burning on their hearts. If it's anonymous, they don't have to worry about being mocked or ridiculed. We do a lot to practice the safety and welcoming attitude in our youth room. Recently someone asked why bad things happen to good people. We took some time to discuss that, though it could have been a question that was discussed for mon...

This is going to sound a bit like a first world problem, and I suppose it is. Yet I'm telling you this story to share, not complain. Here's what happened. My daughter has an iPod Touch, something she got after saving lots of nickels and dimes. And in a twist of fortune, when it stopped working, it was one week before the warranty ended. Even better, we were headed to Chicago and an Apple store. The process was quite delightful as they happily replaced the product and my daughter walked away with a new iPod. Just a week later she shared how quickly the battery was draining. I took it as a sign she was using it too often. But such was not the case. So I placed a call to the Apple store. They told me to restore it. This, of course, meant emptying it of all its data and restoring it to factory settings. Suddenly, I realized that for all the jokes we make about Microsoft (fix every problem by restarting), this was, in essence, the fix for the Apple product. But isn't restarting ...

I continue my year-long series with preschoolers, telling them stories of Jesus. We're memorizing John 3:16, because the reason Jesus had any of these conversations and performed any of these miracles is love.  What did you pack for lunch? What is your favorite food to pack for lunch? A long time ago there was a young boy who heard about a great crowd going out to see a famous person. You might have heard about this crowd. And you have undoubtedly heard about the famous person. The crowd was an unnamed mass that you know by number. 5,000. This young boy was just following the crowd to see this famous person. This famous person was Someone who did miracles. He healed people. He walked on water. He told great stories. Do you know who He is? Of course, it’s Jesus! But this young boy did what nobody else thought to do. He packed a lunch. This was smart, because back in those days, you could not simply go to a grocery store or stop at a McDonald’s. This young boy was listening to Jesu...

This is a portion of something I shared with the teens recently. You still have stuff to learn. So do I. Have you had those conversations with your parents where everything seems fine and then, out of nowhere, you’re in the middle of a lecture? You know, you’re all laughing, perhaps playing a game, when the conversation takes a turn. Maybe you’re all laughing and having a good time when your dad says, ‘See, why can’t you always be like this? You’ve had a bad attitude lately and I want you to respect your mother!’ Well, that is a little bit like what this songwriter does here in Psalm 95. “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice,” ~Psalm 95:6–7 We often use Psalm 95:6-7 as a call to worship. It’s even got a song that we’ve sung. But watch what happens when we continue through verse 8-11. If only you would listen to his voice today...

I'd like to think I am above the fray. I'd like to think that I am not attracted to the drivel that is like a magnet for the faceless and nameless group of morons (none of whom are people in my family, church, work, etc... and surely not in your circles either). Unlike others who appear to be evolutionary steps behind us, I am not sucked into links that promise to make me weep for hours, laugh uncontrollably or spontaneously wet myself. Yeah, I'd like to think that. Then I find myself clicking on a link. Curiosity and all that, right? What cracks me up is that many of these links are good stories, some are old jokes and the rest are...well, you know. But I realize that the internet is like a metropolis, where the signs have to be bigger, brighter, and bolder to get our attention. All of this got me wondering what would happen if Biblical stories were presented like articles I see on Facebook. Here's my list. What would you add? God sent His Son to Earth. What happened ...

I have been telling stories of Jesus to the children at our church's preschool. You can read the others here and here and here . With preschoolers, you can plan all you want and think you're creative. But there's always a wild card to factor in; the preschoolers. For this retelling of the paralyzed man with 4 friends, I asked for one lucky volunteer. You guys sure about this? We’re going to ask him to lay down in the middle of the floor and the rest of us will circle around him. Then we will tell him he needs to trust the rest of us while we pick him up, and then toss him through a hole in the roof of a house. Crazy, right? I wonder, would you trust us if I said we were going to do that? What if you were unable to move and I said it would make you better if you let us throw you in? Would you be willing to take that chance? That’s what 4 guys did with a friend when they heard Jesus was inside the house. Okay, they didn’t throw him. They lowered him carefully, th...

Have you ever experienced that moment when your parents are so mad they don’t even spank you? That moment when they are so angry they sputter and stammer and don’t actually say anything? Or maybe they were so furious with you they said something like, “Get out of my sight before I do something I regret!” Geez Mom, that escalated quickly. God had a moment like that. It happened in Exodus 33. God said to Moses: “Now go. Get on your way from here, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt. Head for the land which I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I will send an angel ahead of you and I’ll drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. It’s a land flowing with milk and honey. But I won’t be with you in person—you’re such a stubborn, hard-headed people!—lest I destroy you on the journey.” Exodus 33:1-3 ‘If I were to go with you I might destroy you.’ That might cause some conce...

I mentioned a couple of days ago that I had read a couple of books which really helped. Here's the second, which I actually listened to while driving around the corn-filled state of Indiana. How to change things when change is hard. Seriously, who hasn't dreaded trying to change something? Chip and Dan Heath have written a great how to for all of us. Switch; How to Change Things When Change is Hard . No matter what area of life you are in, change does not come naturally nor does it come easy. Chip and Dan point out how all of us have an identity crisis. We can want something with our heads without wanting it at all with our hearts. Or even vice versa. So they dispense with several myths about change. One in particular that stands out is the idea that people are lazy. A very interesting double study, which included chocolate chip cookies (thus piquing my interest) showed that some people who struggle for change are simply tired. Confused? Here's what happened: A g...

I recently read (or listened) to two separate books which have benefited me when it comes to my profession as a pastor. No, I haven't overhauled everything I do...yet. But action begins as thought, and thoughts come from ideas. I like the ideas I read in these books. I'll give you the first one here and the other one in a couple of days.  Strengths Finder 2.0 is actually more than a book. It's a test. Don't concern yourselves. There's no study required. You read the introduction of this book and set aside 20-30 minutes for an online test. Each book comes with a code for you to submit. (That's probably the only downside, as others can only take the test if they buy a copy of the book.) Once you take the test, you receive results. What kind? Where your strengths lie in a set of 32 different areas. As I recall, mine were being ridiculously handsome and full of wit. The premise of this book is that if we work out of our strengths, instead of always trying...

Sure, it was my idea. But that didn't keep my gag reflex from kicking in. How exactly is it possible to love people and yet be disgusted by the sight of them? An event I call Blo Chunx, that's how. For over a decade now, which is how you make 11 sound bigger, my youth ministry has hosted an event we call Blo Chunx. What began as an idea to contain all the messy youth group games to one super-disgusting night has now become an annual event. Why? It's simple, really. I'll do just about anything to have an opportunity to share Jesus with teenagers. And the first 10 worked well, so we keep doing it. Armed with a dose of creativity, some help from youth ministry ideas sites and a whole lot of spam, we take disgusting games up a notch. When I mention the next one is coming, I get a mixed reaction of gag reflex and anticipation. Here's what made this latest one fun for me. It was the first time I had one of my own children there. Knowing she has always been ...