March 2011 Footprints

8/7/2019 March 2011 Footprints

1/14

From the Pastor's Desk

Going beyond the rim of Scripture

Psalm 19

7-The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making the

wise simple. 8-The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy tothe heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant,

giving light to the eyes. 9-The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogetherrighteous.

10-They are more precious than gold, than muchpure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey

from the comb.

If you were to ask anyone on the street if they

would like to be refreshed in the soul, if they wouldlike more wisdom, more joy and be enlightened inhow they see things you would hear a resoundingyes!! Or if they are more cynical what's the catch? Well, there is a catch. If we want those things wewill have to turn to the word of God. Sounds simpleenough but it really is not that easy. God s word isnot merely an encyclopaedia of information toinform the mind, it's so much more. If we desire tohave our soul revived by the word of God we willhave to let go of all the other inadequate soulrevivers we cling to. If we desire wisdom from the

word of God we have to let go of the wisdom of thisworld we hold so dear. If we desire the word of Godto bring us Joy we will have to surrender the manyjoy killers. If we desire to be enlightened by God sword then the blinders will have to be taken off. Forall this to happen, the word of God will have tobecome like something...like what? Gold. In fact itneeds to become MORE precious than gold. Goldmay not mean as much to us today because we area paper currency based society but the equivalentfor us might be the recent $50 million winning ticketfrom Lotto MAX. God s word is more precious than

a $50 million winning ticket. (By use of this analogyI in no way endorse gambling... despite thefollowing illustration)

Recently I found myself in Tim Hortons at the cashordering a coffee because I had a winning rim fromanother coffee that had been given to me. As Iordered I was digging through my wallet looking forthe rim. After looking through the wad of receiptsseveral times and taking precious minutes from theline of people behind me I gave up in a huffcommenting that it might be time to clean it out.

Upon returning to the church I took my wallet out,opened it and to my surprise there was the winningrim. Knowing these things happen for a reason Ireflected on how disturbed I was that my preciousrim was missing. It s funny how possessive we areabout winning rims that were a gift to begin with. Itmade me do some self-examination and ask myselfa few questions, What disturbs me in life? Does itbother me that the commands of God are missingfrom the stores of my heart? Does it bother methat the Bible is barely more precious than thelatest book about the Bible? This led me back toPsalm 19 and Psalm 119 which are great Psalmsthat remind us to go beyond the rim of scripture andallow it sink into our hearts because it is moreprecious than the finest gold-- or lottery ticket--orwinning rim.

Still rolling...through Scripture

Pastor Luke

P.S. For help in getting beyond the rim of Scriptureturn to the article entitled Road Passages


2/14

Family Page

Why Kids Misbehave

by Shana Schutte

I'm a product of the 70s, a time when everyone in

my third-grade class sat and listened silently whileour teacher, Mrs. Sampe, expounded on a concept.When she finished talking, we followed directions.The greatest problems in our classroom werechewing gum and passing notes.

You can imagine my shock when I became anelementary school teacher twenty-five years later.During my first week of teaching, one of mystudents stood in the middle of my explanationabout Vincent Van Gogh, approached me, tuggedon my skirt and tattled on his buddy at the back of

the room. I couldn't believe I was being interruptedin the middle of a lesson! I later discovered that thisbehavior and much worse was the norm.What happened to good, old-fashioned respect?

In his book Have a New Kid by Friday , Dr. KevinLeman asks similar questions, but in relation toparenting. "Why is it that these days that so manychildren tend to diss their parents, to actdisrespectfully? Why are so many parents caught inthe roles of threatening and cajoling and nevergetting anywhere? What's going on here?"

Granted, many things have affected kids sinceBeaver Cleaver and black and white television.Technology has made huge advancements butsends millions of negative messages to kids aboutauthority. Drug use has increased. The familystructure has all but fallen apart. However, the realanswer to Leman's question (and my teachingproblem) is that because kids misbehave becausethey can and because adults let them.

In his book, Dr. Leman says, "It all comes down to

who is really in charge of your family." He points outthat many parents are so concerned about beingtheir child's friend not hurting their child'sfeelings or making sure that their child is alwayshappy that they fail to parent well.

Leman's comments lead to several pointedquestions: Are you willing to do whatever it takes totake charge of your family? Are you willing to looklike the "bad guy" at times in order to parent yourchildren so they will stop rolling over you? Are you

ready to be an assertive parent, helping your childbecome all he can be?

If you're ready to take on what Leman calls "theankle-biter battalion," read on and learn how tobecome a super parent!

Here are three ways parents encourage their kidsto misbehave.

No parenting game plan

Imagine a football coach having no plan to lead histeam to victory. What would it be like if he never putany plays into action? What if he didn't disciplinehis team or expect them to perform? What if he letthem run wild everywhere without direction? Nodoubt, life with his "team" would be chaotic andexhausting.

Parents lead kids much like a coach leads afootball team, and to experience victory, parentsneed a good parenting game plan. Part of having aplan means defining the attitudes, behaviors andcharacter traits you want your children to possess.When you can define these, you'll be able to beginto develop a plan to become a super parent.

In his book Have a New Kid by Friday , Dr. Lemanhelps parents put a one-week parenting game planinto action that helps reduce parental frustration,put parents back in the coach's seat and transform

their child's attitude, behavior and character.

Not only should you develop an "overall" parentingplan, but it's also important to have a scheduledminute-by-minute plan, especially with yoursmallest children. As an elementary teacher, Ilearned that the best defense against bad behavioris having a good lesson plan that would keep theirlittle hands busy. The same applies to parenting.Keep your kids busy with things to learn, with stuffto do and with an agenda, and your parenting jobwill be much easier with fewer discipline problems.

Inconsistency

As an elementary teacher, I learned the hard waythat children have brains like elephants they willlatch onto even your the smallest promises(positive or negative) and remember them a day,week, month or year later. Therefore, I learned thatconsistency was of utmost importance in discipline.If I said I was going to dole out a pink slip and a tripto the school's front office the next time I saw a


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particular student, I needed to deliver rather thanmake threats or promises I didn't intend to keep.And if you don't do what you say you will, theywon't respect you.

Dr. Leman agrees. He says in Have a New Kid by Friday that a child's misbehavior serves a purposein his life: it gives him a reason to control you.Sadly, if a parent does not show the child that theyare in charge through consistency, a child'scontempt for their parent will grow. As Dr. Lemansays, ". . . if he [your child] can control you, whyrespect you?"

Power struggles

Several years ago my grandmother told me that inmarriage you have to pick your battles. The same istrue in parenting. If you want your home to bepeaceful, you need to decide which battles are

worth fighting with your kids, and which aren't. Thiswill help stop power struggles that increase badbehavior.

If your child wants to wear a shirt/skirt combo thatmakes her look like she dressed herself in a dark

closet, and she is very strong-willed, you may askyourself if it's worth fighting her to get her to changeher duds. On the other hand, if she wants to spendtime with a boy in a dark closet, you might want tomake a big deal out of that. The battles that you

choose to fight will directly affect your child's levelof misbehavior especially if your child is strong-willed.

Granted, becoming a stellar parent takes energy,but the payoff will be greater than anything youcould have imagined as your children grow.

Copyright 2008 Shana Schutte. Fromwww.focusonthefamily.com

Road Passages
http://www.focusonthefamily.com/http://www.focusonthefamily.com/http://www.focusonthefamily.com/


4/14

Presbyterian Church of Ile Perrot

Session news Capsule March 2011

1-Exploring the possibility of having a membershipcourse starting in April. It would consist of 5 to 6persons meeting once a week for 6 to 8 weeks.

2-Households of Faith life group: will pursuesetting this up in the Fall.

3-Ongoing discussion concerning new elders andthe Mentoring committee.

4-Seven persons attended a Gospel music eveningat PCIP March 13 th, another is scheduled for April10 th at 7 PM.

5-Next Elder Enrichment training course will beheld March 28 th.

6-Pastor Luke will attend General Assembly inLondon, ON June 5 -10, 2011.

7-Tithe: Motions approved to donate $200 fordisaster relief in Japan and $100 to ScriptureUnion.

8-Discussion on our hosting of the WomensMissionary Society meeting April 16 th. Logisticalarrangements being made for the provision ofmeals and refreshments.

9-Christian Education: Motions approved to donate$95 to Martha Evans-Hanna to attend the FaithMission conference in Campbellville, ON, and toearmark $100 for the purchase of 2 tickets to aPromise Keepers event to be held in Ottawa onApril 9th.

10-A review of our communion and membership

role was made and follow-up actions initiated.

11-Janet given consent to obtain assistance in thepreparation of soup (lunch) meal for the clean-upvolunteers working on Fridays. If there is leftoversoup it will be used for the needy in ourneighbourhood or those using the church onSaturday


5/14

Resurrection Cookies

To be prepared on the evening before Easter Sundaymorning.

You need:

Bible

1 cup whole pecansMixing bowl3 egg whites

Wooden spoon1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vinegarZipper baggy1 pinch of salt

Wax paperCookie sheet

Tape

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place pecans in thebaggy and let the children beat them with the

wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explainthat after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by

the Roman soldiers.Read John 19:1-3 to them.

Let child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. into mixingbowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the

cross, He was given vinegar to drink.Read John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life.Explain that Jesus gave His life for our life.

Read John 10:10-11

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand let themtaste it then brush the rest into the bowl. Explain

that represents the salty tears shed by Jesusfollowers,and the bitterness of our own sin.

Read Luke 23:27

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of this

story is that Jesus died because He loves us. Hewants us to know and belong to Him.Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat with mixer on high speed for 11-15 minutesuntil stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the colorwhite represents the purity in God's eyes of those

whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by tsp. onto waxed paper-

covered cookie sheet. Explain that each moundrepresents the rocky tomb where Jesus body was

laid.Read Matthew 27:65-66

Put cookies sheet in the oven. Close door and turnoven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal

the door. Explain that Jesus tomb was sealed.Read Matthew 27:65-66

Go to bed! Explain that they may feel sad to leavethe cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers

were in despair when the tomb was sealed.Read John 16:20 and 22

On Resurrection Morning open the oven and giveeveryone a cookie! Notice the cracked surface and

take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the firstResurrection Day Jesus' followers were amazed to

find the tomb open and empty.Read Matthew 28:1-9

He is risen! He is risen, indeed!


6/14

Kids Corner

Word Search

S E T I R N L A L U K I I F H X Z W V C Y U N L Z O R S Z F B D V O Z P Q L U T Y F Q Q F I B T N Z R S P A L M S P N M V L T B H T F P C S B R G D O W

K J N T N R P E Y C X A E O A I D X A H C O A T V L Z L P E T S Y G Q V H I B V Y G O G G L L I R R J S C S O W P E I Y S M F N O A A E I R U O S T Z M Y C Q F B X S M Y I I V G U A V M N U S Y I L Y R Z E W K L P E N S C E R C J A K F B H D E T P Q M N S H E Y R B T A C N I N Y Y I P R A Y E D F R B L V A R B Y R I R M Z Q U P G I W J L T Q X D D I S C I P L E S T C N P M G Z U S S L F T F A N G X E U J E X P A E R L A A R H O U S K F R S E V M R Z J

Q E H O J C S U P M C L H B I P A W W Q V P C B O H L S C H B L P G R L R A M L I A P M E W Q U O O P R R G I F I J W F N G U O F B R S X M E O W V U M C E Q S O U L T R E G E U E F A E T R K E L L K Z A S S N Y D J O X M R R M

alive palms believe passover betrayed prayed crucify resurrection disciples sacrifice forgiven tomb hosanna Jesus

Word Scramble

Unscramble the letters to make words that arerelated to the Easter story. 1. rcieficdu __________________

2. bmot _________________

3. rntohs __________________

4. mytpe __________________

5. esJsu __________________

6. yratebde __________________

7. olev __________________

8. skis __________________

9. rfmeup __________________

10. ivorSa __________________

11. lnine __________________

12. nirsurecetor _________________

13. ldosires __________________

14. ssocr __________________

15. dPaarsie __________________

16. nesri __________________

17. elnga __________________

18. ltaeiP __________________

19. vlCaary __________________

20. idrht yda __________________


7/14

Easter That Obituary Was Wrong

"I am the resurrection and the life."John 11:25-27

Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Alleluia.Praise the Lord. Praise God for the might thingsthat God did on Easter. Praise God with harps andlyres. Praise God with drums and dancing. PraiseGod with cornets and trumpets. Praise God withsinging choirs and shouting voices. For JesusChrist has been raised from the dead by thepowers of God. Christ is here alive, now, in thisroom, at this very moment. Christ rules now,

whether you believe it or not. And then, at the veryend of history, when the clock strikes twelve andhistory is ended, then once again the trumpets willsound, the choirs will sing their alleluias, the deadwill be raised, and we too shall be changed, in amoment, in the twinkling of an eye. That is theGospel. That is the gospel truth of Easter morning.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father andfrom our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus said, " I am theresurrection and the life. Whoever lives andbelieves in me will never die."

If Jesus would have had a funeral, and if there hadbeen newspapers in those days, his obituary wouldhave been listed in the Nazareth News, along withall the other obituaries, Section E, page seven. Itwould have been listed under the Js e.g. Jacob,Jesus, Joseph , in cap ital letters of course. Theobituary may have read, Jesus of Nazareth wasborn in the year 6 BC. He was born to Mary andJoseph, the carpenter from Galilee. He waspreceded in death by a father, Joseph. He issurvived by his mother, Mary of Capernaum, alsoby his brothers, James, Joseph, Judas and Simon,also of Capernaum and several other sisters.During his lifetime, it was rumored according tothis newspaper article during his lifetime, hereceived some notoriety and publicity because ofunusual occurrences associated with his life suchas the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, and the lamewalking. It was also rumored that he radicallychanged peoples lives. More recently, according to

this short article in the Nazareth News, last Sundayin Jerusalem, large Passover crowds hailed him asking. Shortly thereafter, the crowds turned againsthim. This past Friday afternoon, he was sentencedto death by the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate,representing the Roman Empire in Jerusalem. Hewas killed at three ocl ock in the afternoon onGolgotha hill, the hill of the crucifixion, outside thewalls of Jerusalem. His burial was in the tomb ofJoseph of Arimathea. His family requests that noflowers be sent, but rather than memorials be sendto the crippled childrens fund in care of thesynagogue in Bethlehem, the place of his birth.

And so would read the hypothetical obituary andshort article from the Nazareth News on Sundaymorning, Section E, page seven, along with theother obituaries.

If that obituary had been printed in the NazarethNews, everyone would have thought that the Jesusmovement had ended. Its leader was now dead.His disciples had disappeared. The stories ofmiracles would fade away. That little episode wouldbecome one small slice of Roman history. It wouldhave been like a pebble thrown into a pond: itwould have made a momentary splash and theripples gradually would fade away and disappear.And so it was with Jesus of Nazareth. His life was amomentary splash. His reputation, his memory, histeachings would have faded into the smoothness ofthe sea..except..except for one unique event.On the third day, unbelievably, they discovered thegrave empty. Jesus of Nazareth had been raisedfrom the dead by the mighty powers of God. Hewas alive again. Recognizable and identifiable. Hewas alive again, in a new way, in a new kind ofbody that would never taste death. And so theyshouted, He is risen! Alleluia! That obituary was wrong . They said he was dead, over and done with.Wrong. They were wrong.

The news spread, from the angel to Mary to Peterto the disciples to the 500. And they became a newpeople. They became a new brand of men andwomen who were filled with a new power, withEaster power, with resurrection power. They wereno longer afraid of living because they were nolonger afraid of dying. They had a new passion forlife because they had an Easter power, aresurrection power within them. Why? Because thatobituary was wrong. That obituary said he wasdead, over and done with. Wrong. That obituarywas incomplete. It didnt tell the whole story.


8/14

Today, we gather in a church twenty centuries later.We gather from every race and every culture andevery nation. We gather by the hundreds, by thethousands, by the millions. We come to celebrateGods Easter message, with Easter hymns andEaster hats and Easter litanies and Easter choirsand Easter trumpets. We come to hear the goodnews: Christ has been raised from the dead by thevictorious powers of God. Christ is risen. Alleluia.

Why? Why? Why do hundreds and thousands andmillions celebrate today and through two thousandyears of past history? Because that obituary was wrong. The story was incomplete. The resurrectionpowers of God are stronger than all obituaries. Theresurrection powers of God are stronger than alldeath notices.

But..why are you here today? Why did you happen to come? Why? Why is it that thesanctuaries of the world are comparatively fulltoday and comparatively empty next Sunday? Whyis it that we jam the pews by the millions today andnext week there will be plenty of seating in thepews available next week? Why are you here todayand perhaps not next week?

Perhap you are here today because of tradition . Itis where you are always found on Easter Sundaymorning. Easter Sunday? We always go to churchon Easter. Perhaps your mother expects you to sitnext to her on Easter and so you are here today. Or, maybe you are here today because Easter and spring go hand in hand. The azaleas are blooming;the rhododendrons are blossoming; the daffodilsare bright yellow. It is the beginning of spring. Itsmells like spring. It smells like Easter. It feels likeEaster in the air. And so you are here today toenjoy the everlasting cycle of new life in the spring. Or, maybe you are here today because theseare tough times for you and your family, and youand your family are hurting. Maybe you havepersonally discovered that you are not as tough asyou thought you were and you have alsodiscovered that life is tougher than you thought itwas. Maybe you want to be reminded that toughtimes dont last but tough people do. You want thatstrength, power and resilience that comes fromChrist ... Or maybe you have come today becauseyou are a Christmas and Easter Christian . Youcome twice a year on the big holidays. You havetime for Christmas or Easter, but those two times ofworship are plenty for you. Church is not really yourthing. You may have fallen away from the deeperfaith that you had in childhood. You had it once butyou dont have it any more; that deep faith and

deep loyalty to Christ. You feel badly but not badlyenough to do anything about it. Or maybe youhave come here today because you believe. Youdeeply believe that God conquered death in theperson of Jesus Christ, and so you are here todayto celebrate. Why have you come today? Because that obituary was wrong.

The doctor sank into the chair at 3:00 oclock in themorning. His tired eyes were tired; so tired that theycould see with his superb clarity of vision. His mindwas exhausted, one of the finest minds that hadgraduated Summa Cum Laude from his university.His fingers were tired, the finest fingers for surgeryin his city. His mind turned over the complicatedprocedures that he had just supervised in vain. Asthe doctor pulled off his plastic gloves, he thoughtof the other times that he had operated on this littleboy, only five years old. Heart surgery. Arterialrepair. Kidney repair. But he lost him. Doctorsnever like to lose patients. He signed the deathcertificate at 3:09 AM. The sterile surgicalinstruments were now helpless. Those masterfulhands, the finest in the city, were now helpless. Itwas all over. Death had come. Nothing more hecould do. Might as well go home for a rest. Three days later, this great surgeon attended theboys funeral. He usually didnt attend funerals of patients but this one was different and he had togo, at least to this funeral of a five year old. Therewas a dullness in his strong spirit as he sat in thechurch that day. A numbness. A tiredness. Throughthe gaze of his depression, he heard the wordssimply stated: Whoever lives and believes in meshall never die. Those words stuck in his mind.Those words were like a record struck in its track,that repea ted itself over and over again, shallnever die. Shall never die. Shall never die. Shallnever die. Shall never die.The old record wouldntstop. The words stuck in a grove in his mind, shallnever die, shall never die, shall never die, shallnever die.

The surgeon knew that he had heard of the biggestbreakthrough ever. Bigger than the cure for polio.Bigger than the cure for cancer. Bigger than thecure for heart disease. Bigger than the cure forleukemia, multiple sclerosis or AIDS. God hadconquered the worst of all diseases, death. Thewords kept on ringing and repeating in his mind. Hecouldnt stop them. Shall never die. Shall never die. Shall never die. Shall never die.

The grand physician of the universe had done whatno doctor could ever do. The terrible disease of


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death, death that had destroyed every doctor whoever lived, that disease had finally been conquered.

He finally left the funeral that day, hearing thewords that were stuck like a repeating record, shallnever die, shall never die, shall never die, shallnever die. And he murmured to himself, Thatobituary was wrong. The powers of God arestronger than all obituaries and all death notices.

Someday, inevitably , you are I will look into thatgrave dug into the ground or we will focus our eyeson a box of ashes of the body of our loved one whohas just died. Inevitably, it will happen to you. Youcannot escape it. On that day, if my wife precedesme in death, my heart will break into a thousandpieces. On that day, if my child or grandchildren willprecede me in death, my heart will be trulyshattered, as nothing else could shatter my heart.In the midst of my sorrow and in the midst of mybrokenness, I will hear that record repeating itselfendlessly, shall never die, shall neve r die, shallnever die, shall never die, and those words will bestronger than my sorrow.

Why? Because that obituary was wrong .I love the Easter poem that states it this way:The stars shine over the land, The stars shine over the sea,The stars look up to God,The stars look down on me.The stars will shine for a million years,For a million years and a day,But God and I shall live and love,When the stars have passed away.

But there is more. Easter is not only concernedabout Gods victory over p hysical death, but Easteris also concerned about Gods victory over spiritualdeath. God raises up both dead bodies and deadspirits. Spiritual obituaries and spiritual deathnotices are also premature and dont tell the wholestory. God raises spiritually dead people to life allthe time, and I have seen it again and again. I haveseen and heard and experienced real life stories allthe time of people who were spiritually dead, withspiritual obituaries, with spiritual death stories, andGod put new life back into them. That is also whatEaster is all about.

Most likely. No, that is not a strong enoughphrase. Inevitably, there are people here todaywho are spiritually dead or who are so close tobeing spiritually dead, you would never able to tellthat they were alive. Looking at them and talkingwith them, you feel that they are spiritually

comatose. You put a spiritual stethoscope on theirreligious heart and it would go,boop..boop..boop..boop. You think thattheir hearts are almost dead; at least, their spiritualhearts seem dead; they seem to be in a spiritualcoma. Too busy for God. Too preoccupied making their daily bread, no time for spiritual bread. Toobusy running in circles and God is not part of theircircle. Boop.boop.boop.boop.

For some of you, your spiritual life is as dehydratedas the dry bones described in the book of Ezekiel.Your life is relatively unaffected by spiritual things.Two days ago on Good Friday, you barely eventhought of Jesus Christ, when Jesus was nailed tothe cross. The monitor of your brain, the line of yourbrain waves, is almost flat, and you barelyremembered Christ on Good Friday. The study ofScripture and daily prayer are beyond your world ofcomprehension. The pangs of hell? The pangs ofhell don t frighten you. The joys of heaven? Thejoys of heaven dont really attract you. This life is soall consuming for you and your brain. And deepdown inside, in all honesty, you may as peoplewould say not give a rip about God or Christ orlife lived under and with God daily. Oh, you maypray when in a jam, just like about everybody else.Oh, you may believe in the Man Upstairs, but thatdaily authentic walk with God is not part of your life.Boop..boop.boop.boop.

Tell me, can a person who is deaf be afraid of thethunder? .. No. .. Can a person who is blind beafraid of the piercing flash of lightening? .. No.Neither can a person who is spiritually deaf trulyhear the Word of God speaking to them every day,nor can the spiritually blind see the piercing light ofGod shining on their lives. The spiritually deafcannot really hear the voice of God and thespiritually blind will not be overjoyed at seeing thebeauties of God in Christ. For some of you, you donot fear of Gods power. Nor is there a joy in Godsawesome beauty and grace. Because your liveshave become dead, rattling like the dry bones ofthe skeletons described in the book of Ezekiel. No thunder of God do you hear! No light of God doyou see! No delicacies of God do you really taste oreat!

And the Easter message is that the awesomepower of God, who raised Jesus of Nazareth fromthe dead, can miraculously take your dead life andmine and make it alive. God can take people whoare spiritually dead and give us resurrection power,Easter power, and vibrant power so that life is livedwith a passion for the ways of God. And it is time. It


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is time for you to wake up, to come out from yourspiritual coma, to be raised up from your spirituallethargy by the powers of God.

You are here today, not simply because of tradition;not simply because you are two times a yearChristians; not simply because you smellspringtime and Easter in the air. You are here todaybecause God wanted you to be here, so that youcan listen to this particular Easter message thatGod raises up both dead bodies and dead spirits.God brought you here today to hear this Eastermessage. It is time. It is time for you to get up andwalk spiritually. It is time for you to awaken fromyour spiritual coma.

In conclusion, how about my own obituary? LastEaster, as many of you know, I was in the hospitaland had just escaped the jaws of death. I couldhave died a year ago but didnt. God had another plan. Instead, a new valve was put into my heart. Anew pacemaker was installed in my heart. But Iknew how close I had been to death. Therefore, it issomewhat easy to imagine my own obituary in thepaper from a year ago. Maybe in the Seattle Times.It may have sounded like this: Edward F.Markquart of Des Moines Washington died this pastThursday at St. Josephs Hospital in Tacoma of arare infection of the heart. He was born in Jackson,Minnesota on July 19, 1940. He graduated fromJackson High School, St. Olaf College and LutherTheological Seminary, all in Minnesota. He was aresident of Des Moines and the pastor of GraceLutheran Church in Des Moines, for the pasttwenty-seven years. He was preceded in death byhis mother and father. He is survived by his wife,Janet, of Des Moines, three children, Anne, Joeland Nathan, a son in law, a daughter in law, twograndchildren, all of Des Moines. He is alsosurvived by one brother, two sisters, and numerousnieces and nephews. Memorials may be sent toLutheran World Relief in care of Grace LutheranChurch.

I am here to tell you this Easter morning that thatobituary would have been wrong!!! That obituarywould have been wrong because it did not tell thewhole story. There would have been nothing in myobituary that I was not dead, that I shall never die,but live forever. There would have been nothing inthat obituary that quoted Jesus, I am theresurrection and the life. Whoever lives andbelieves in me, shall never die. You see, Jesusobituary in the Nazareth News was wrong; myobituary would have been wrong; and your obituarywill be wrong. Your obituary wont tell the whole

story. It wont tell the Easter story of Godsresurrection power that takes dead bodies and dead spirits and raises them up to new life. It wonttell the story of how God makes new men andwomen, boys and girls, so strong that they changedthe course of human history. I am here to tell youthat the obituary was wrong. Amen.


11/14

In my Opinion

Pastor Luke suggested I call this 'IMHP" (In myhumble opinion) and I seriously thought about that,but then came the obvious thought, anyone whoreally knows me, knows I am anything but humble!

So...In my opinion it is!! How about that? Truth inadvertising!

This quarter's 'opinion' is about Blood. Giving blood.Phil and I went to the local blood drive lastThursday, and as usual we took Alicia-Rose withus. We are raising a blood donor you see. Childrenare so impressionable! 'Teach a child in the waythey should go and they will not depart from it"Prov. 22:6 We believe this. As we read thepamphlets, we are struck by the unfairness of it. Somany people need blood transfusions to live! Men,

women and children. Every donation can save upto 4 lives!! How awesome is that?? Where else canyou get such a return for your investment?? Yet,only 3% of eligible people actually donate blood.Why? Some of the excuses are because 'I don'thave the time' or 'I really hate needles, or am afraidof them' . The first time I had to go for a blood test,my elder sister had to go with me in order for me tobe able to go through the door of the hospital I wasso afraid. So I understand the fear, believe me! Asfor time.. find out when the next drive is andschedule into your agenda. Would you get over

your fear or find the time if it were your child thatneeded the blood??

That is the rant part of my opinion, whew, yoursurvived I hope! Now for the really neat part, haveyou ever thought about Jesus being a blood donor?That is what occurred to me the other night, I saveup to 4 lives every time I give blood, Christ's onedonation has saved millions of lives!! Through Hissacrifice, we live! Hallelujah! Our lives are healed,transformed, saved through the blood of Christ. Hewas afraid, very very afraid. He had seen people

crucified, He KNEW what was to happen to him. Heprayed in earnest for God to remove the ordealfrom Him. He was afraid. BUT He did what wasnecessary. He bowed to His father's will, and madeHis blood donation.

As parents, we raise our children to follow Jesus,we try very hard to set the example. We are raisingChristians you see. "This is my commandment:Love each other in the same way I have loved you."John 15:12 We teach our children this. As

Christians we are called to be obedient, followJesus' example, even unto death if need be. Wedon't give up or give in. We take His blood donationvery seriously!

So let me ask you a question, would Jesus giveblood today? or would He say he was too scared?or He doesn't have the time? Food for thought isn'tit??

Maybe this Easter you can do something special toremember the sacrifice Christ made for you. Maybeyou will decide to follow Jesus' example, and giveyour own blood donation, it may not save millions oflives, but it is a great start!!

Rose-Marie LeBel


12/14

Surrender the Queen

Reconsidering the role of Sunday-morning worship

by Dirk VanEyk

Jan 1, 2011 I am an exceptionally bad chessplayer. Im told I rush too quickly to bring out thequeen. Its clearly the best piece, so I cant helpmyself. Despite practice, my skills have notimproved.

At a recent church-planting conference thepresenter suggested that all of us wishing toimprove our chess games should adhere to onesimple rule: surrender the queen. He proposed thatone of our first moves in any chess match shouldbe to rid ourselves of the most valuable piece onthe board. This will force you to learn how to useevery other piece and how to use them together.Over time, youll become a much stronger player.Then he asked, In your church, whats the queen?What is that piece that you overuse and probablytrust way too much?

My answer came quickly: Sunday-morning worship.

Im a church planter in Kentwood, Mich., and as Iwrite this, I cant wait to start holding Sunday -morning services. On that first Sunday there maybe a crowd or there may not be. Regardless, thereason were starting a new church is simple: toreach and disciple new people.

How? Thats a good question to ask. The diversityin any congregation can make this difficult. On anygiven Sunday morning, there may be some peoplein the worship service whove never been before.But there may also be middle-aged couples with acombined 100 years of Sunday-morning worshipexperience. After the service, a first-time guestmight ask the pastor what it means to ask Jesusinto her heart. In the meantime, someone else maybe waiting to ask why we cant learn more Greekand Hebrew in the sermon. Other people wish we

could spend more time talking about marriage,while others want to hear about money and stillothers are asking tough questions about caring foraging parents.

Its very difficult to reach and disciple that wholegroup in one hour each week. We might be wise toconsider other options.

For way too long now Ive thought that Sundaymorning could be a comfortable entrance-point intochurch life and provide enough to effectivelydisciple everybody in attendance. Maybe it can, butit shouldnt have to. Sunday morning doesnt needto bear all that responsibility. What would happen ifwe surrendered the que en? Im willing to stake our churchs late launch date on the claim that adelayed start will teach us how to use small groupsmore effectively.

Well trust small groups to carry the load of teaching people about the subjects they care mostabout. Patience in the short run may alsoencourage us to find other events to bridge that gapbetween sleeping in and attending worship. Hostinga community carnival or 5k fun run may be a betterway to meet our neighbors anyway. As we learn touse these other pieces together, every aspect ofour new church will be strengthened.

By the end of the church-planting conference, ourteam decided to delay the start of our worship

services. Were still starting our new church early,but without the worship service. Were commit tingto learning how to reach and disciple people apartfrom a worship service so that when we dointroduce it, well know how all the pieces best worktogether.


13/14

Yield to the King

Reconsidering the role of Sunday-morning worship

by Rev. Phil Reinders

Jan 1, 2011 Dirk, thanks so much for your goodthoughts and gutsy gospel endeavor to plant a newchurch. Church plants and campus ministries arethe R&D department of our denomination, and Ineed to listen well to the issues and struggles youencounter.

I like your instincts. You recognize something is offin how we understand the church. I feel that in mybones too, and Im convinced we must allowmission to organize and shape our church life.

Im equally certain, however, that we have b eendiscipled by our consumer culture. It has seeped in

way deeper than we ever thought, shaping evenour expectations of church and worship. Worshiphas become a commodity that we take in orcasually take a pass on, depending on our lifestylepreferences and personal tastes: Did I like themusic? Did the sermon feed me? Was it at aconvenient time/place for my busy schedule? Did itdeal with the issues I care about?

Church plants sometimes get accused of selling outor dumbing down to be relevant to culture, but I findmany established churches equally, if not more so,

shaped by this individual-focused consumer mind-set; they just have code words that mask it well:Was the worship uplifting? Did the sermon feedme? These may be valid questions, but notice thatthe reference point is still me!

Were all drinking the Kool -Aid. Our consumer culture has formed us all into American Idol judges,rating our experiences of church and worship. Ofcourse, the problem is that you can never worshipor meet Jesus f rom the judges seat.

Speaking of idols, your conference presentersquestion about your queen What do you trustway too much? is really an idol question. In whatdo we place our deepest trust to grow ourchurches: a kickin worship band or sublime organ ,a compelling preacher, refined liturgy, small groupsthat meet our felt needs?

Notice the assumption within the question thatministry tools and the right strategy will build yourchurch. I find techniques, helpful as they are, easyidols for us church leaders and people of the pew,who are so desperate to see churches flourishagain. Instead, what we need most is a change inlifestyle. We need to center our lives on Jesus.

While Im tempted to chuck the whole worshipshow, Im holding out for the practic e of publicChristian worship to reclaim its countercultural edgeagain. Where else do people gather together withothers they usually dont associate with, to focus onSomeone other than themselves, and pay attentionto news that mostly contradicts their personalassumptions and challenges their idolized cares?Lashing ourselves to the mast of weekly worshipmight be the most important practice for the churchto orient our lives around Jesus and resist the sirencall of consumerism.

To do that, well need to help people reimagineworship within Gods mission, to understand it as arelationship (covenant) renewal ceremony, whereour unique identity in the gospel is formed and fed,where the reality of the resurrection is reinjectedinto our living, where we re formed in the way ofJesus and learn to live yielded lives to the King.Thats hard work, especially when were groomedto bow to the authority of our desires. But thatmakes it all the more vital that we give the best ofour thought, prayers, and energy to thisreimagining.

So how can we call people to follow Jesus in a waythat doesnt force them to make massive culturalleaps, but find in Jesus the most hopeful reality forliving in our world? I hope that we can continue thisconversation, because together were better.


14/14

Reverend Fun

March 2011 Footprints

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Transcript of March 2011 Footprints