From the Pastor’s Desk                                 

Well fall is officially here and it’s my favorite time of the year and my favorite kind of weather 😊.

This is the time of year we begin to remember all the happenings and challenges we’ve gone through.  Let us cling to the things that got us through this year, whether good, bad or indifferent.  God has been our help, a very present help no matter what our situations.

We are nearing the time when we remember and celebrate not only thanksgiving but the birth of our Lord Jesus the Christ.  As we focus on these things let us pray for those without a family or place to enjoy these holidays.  Let us pray for the families who have lost loved ones this year, asking God to comfort their hearts.  And as we prepare to share gifts with our families let us adopt a family that may be struggling from day to day.

Don’t let the hustle and bustle of this season keep you from attending church, praying or reading your bible.  If you are able to be in person for worship, please do so.  I’m told that to watch from a distance is like looking at a warm fireplace via zoom; you see the flames, but you don’t feel the heat.  So let us come together and enjoy each other’s fellowship and feel the heat 😊.

Finally, God has blessed me to see another wonderful and blessed year of my birth.  I’m thankful, grateful and pleased with the years.  It is my desire to do the will of my Father until…  I was asked how long I intended to work in this ministry, my reply is until God says SO.  In other words, I don’t have a date or year or decade in mind (lol). I LOVE what I do, and I serve from my heart.

However, keep my family and I in your prayers as I pray for you and yours.

Remember GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME and ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD.

Until next time, In His Service,

Pastor Marjorie McDaniel

Greetings people of God and may His blessings find you today.

Well school is back in session, and we declare peace and safety to all the children.  The children here at First Lutheran had a busy summer thanks to the family and youth department.  So, a big THANK YOU to Christi Tam and her team. You all did a fantastic job and I’m sure the children and parents appreciated your diligent and genuine ministry for the Youth and Family outings.

Sunday school has restarted and there are lots of exciting things planned for each grade level.  You don’t want to miss anything that is going on so be sure to attend and bring your children and grandchildren to learn more about God and how we may serve Him.

The Racial Justice Task Force, of which I am a part, will be hosting a session on “A courageous conversation on racism” here at the church, Saturday, September 21^st at 10am with registration beginning at 9:30am.  There will be a continental breakfast, box lunches and refreshments.  This is free and open to the public; however, you must register by calling the church at 812-372-1256 or emailing ltrautman@flccolumbus.org.  We are expecting community leaders and the guest presenter will be the Rev. Rich Gianzero, Pastor of Resurrection Lutheran church, Madison, Indiana who has more than 20 years’ experience working in Racial Justice Education.

I would like to take this time to say THANK YOU for allowing me to serve as your Pastor.  My experiences here and the love you share far out weights the drive in from Cincinnati 😊.

May you continue to grow in the Love and Grace of God.

Until next time,

In His Service,

Pastor Marjorie McDaniel

Grace and peace to the people of God.  It is good for us to be here. 

This summer has been extremely busy for everyone.  Lots of vacationing, lots of rain and plenty of heat, but the bible says, “all is well”. 

We will soon be getting ready for back to school and prayer for our children.

Christi and her team have kept the youth busy this summer and we thank you so much.  Our youth will definitely have a foundation to stand on when they become older and go out into the world.  Again, thanks to the entire youth and family team.

The Wednesday bible class is going strong.  I encourage you to take time out of your day to join us at noon every Wednesday and we identify Christ in the Old Testament.

Revelation 2:25 tells us…

But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

So we are encouraged to lock on to our faith until Jesus comes to gather His church because he is coming back to get his church and we are the church.  Let us hold on tight to our faith.

Until next time may the Lord God bless you and your families.

In His Service,

Pastor Marjorie McDaniel

Well, it’s “Summertime” (almost). School is out, vacations begin, and we sort of kick back, relax and enjoy the weather. However recently some of our adjoining neighbors in the connecting states have endured some horrific weather conditions that have caused some unbelievable conditions. Some lost their lives, some suffered damages to their homes and communities. Let us pray for their restoration in Jesus’ name.

Our church families have lost some loved ones to death and others are battling illnesses requiring hospital stays. Let us pray for strength for their families and loved ones.

Shortly our synod will elect a new Bishop, let us pray that God will put the best person in position to lead and support the “Church” going forward, in the right direction. The church needs a leader that is not only qualified but spiritual enough to seek God for divine directions. With that said, I will be out the week of June 7th to the 9th attending the Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky and Rev. Lynn Sullivan, a competent and well gifted minister will preach on June the 9th. I know you will give her your love and support as you have given me.

Finally, let us be safe this summer. Let us continue to read our bibles and study the word of God. Also, I will be teaching a six-week summer mid-day bible class on Wednesdays at noon, beginning July 17th to August 21st. We will study on “identifying Christ in the Old Testament”. So come out with your questions, your ideas and your input. Let us see Christ in the beginning.

Our thought for today is:
2 Corinthians 4:5
⁵ For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

Until next time, be safe, be peaceful, be blessed.

In His Service,
Pastor Marjorie McDaniel

Christ is risen, He is risen indeed!
We are so privileged to be servants of the Most High God.
We are so privileged to be covered in the blood of Jesus.
As we go forward let us look up because Christ is risen.
We don’t have to hold our heads down, but we can do what
Psalms 24:7-10
7  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up ye
everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
8  Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
9  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye
everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
10  Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King
of glory. Selah.
Jesus gave up the ghost so that we might live, therefore LIFT
UP YOUR HEADS.
We have many activities coming up in the near future here at
First Lutheran that will keep us busy, which is a good thing, so
we will roll up our sleeves and do our part.
Thank you for allowing me to serve another year as your
interim Pastor. It is a pleasure serving at First Lutheran. I
thank you for your continued love and support.

I yet encourage you to spend some time in prayer and
reading your bible and continue to look up and be blessed.
I intend to take a couple of weeks off for a brief vacation, to
regroup and spend some with family.
The thought I share with you again is Psalms 24, Lift up your
heads.
Grace and Peace to you all.
In His Service,
Pastor Marjorie McDaniel

The presence of the LORD is here; I feel him in the atmosphere!

Grace and peace to the people of God.  “This is the day the LORD has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it”, (psalm 118:24)

Well, we’ve come out of winter (I think 😊) and going into spring and looking forward to the summer.  Nevertheless, “this is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes” (psalm 118:23).

God has been good to us, and we are glad.

I thank God for your continued service to Him.  This congregation is like no other I’ve ever served.  Your faithfulness is to be applauded and celebrated.

My desire is that you will keep up the “Good Works”.   There is always some sort of fellowship going on among the members.  The men’s meetings, the women’s gatherings and of course there is most definitely things going on for our youth, thanks Christi.   I’m looking forward to the women’s prayer brunch on May 11^th.  I’m looking forward to seeing all the women of First Lutheran coming together to uplift and support one another.

There is one area of ministry that has tugged at my heart and that is the ministry of Evangelism.  Christ has commissioned us to go out into the hedges and highways and compel people to come into the service.  I’ve been talking with the head of the Evangelism team, and we are planning some great things to expand and enhance this ministry.  We will be calling upon some of you for support and I am sure you will be more than willing to do what you can.  So, look out for God’s kingdom to be increased and souls coming to Him for salvation.

As we go forward into the heart of this year, let us make it a priority to uplift the name of Jesus in everything we do.  He gives us strength and health and peace of mind.  The least we can do is tell people about our God.

Finally, I encourage you to pray and ask God to send in the lost sheep and the good shepherd He would have to serve here at First Lutheran. Time is winding up and Christ is soon to return.  Let us be about our Father’s business.

Be strong in the Lord and the Power of His might (Ephesians 6:10).

Until next time,

Pastor Marjorie McDaniel

Journey with us to Calvary.  This is the title of my series for the next four weeks leading up to the Resurrection.  We will walk with Jesus all the way to Golgotha.   Perhaps you never envisioned his journey, his pain and his suffering.  Perhaps you have not envisioned his mother at the foot of the cross, weeping for her son, perhaps you have not imagined what it was like for the disciples to see, who they knew to be the Christ, mistreated, abused and eventually crucified on the cross for you.  But when we take time to walk with him we will be able even the more to understand why this happened.  All this happened for you, for you to see God’s grace and mercy for a sinful world.  And it is so.

In addition, during this season of Lent let us reflect on everything we need to ask God to deliver us out of and everything not like Him that we need to be purged of.  Let us reflect on Psalm 51 in its entirety and see how David acknowledged his sin, repented but had to suffer the consequences.  Yet he understood God’s punishment and did not fault God.

Going forward, there are a lot of activities coming up here at First Lutheran.  This congregation is always busy, either with the children, the men and of course the women.  So please be mindful of everything and as I used to hear in my home church, “govern yourselves accordingly” 😊.

Peace and blessings to you all and your families and my this season of Lent cause us ALL to reflect, repent and rejoice.

In His Service

Pastor Marjorie McDaniel

You have heard that it was said, “You shall not murder.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or a sister, you will be liable to judgment.  –Matthew 5: 21-22–

A soft answer turns away wrath.  But grievous words stir up anger.  –Proverbs 15:1–

During one of our Wednesday night meals, a few years ago, I was talking with Priscilla Weaver. I mentioned that songs of all kinds used to be something that we had in common in our society. For example, just about everybody knew and could hum the song “Yesterday” by the Beatles, or “Strangers in the Night” by Frank Sinatra. We had certain popular songs in common. In a way we were united by our popular music. I said to Priscilla, “Sadly, it is no longer true that popular music unites large groups of people. Priscilla’s response was good food for thought.

She said, “The only thing that unites us, today, is outrage.” “Outrage” is what unites us. The things that have us hopping mad unite us. The rage we feel brings us together. We are united in our fundamental “anger” at the world.

Turn on talk radio and you will hear “outrage”. Turn on most of the cable news channels and you will hear “outrage”. Click into your Facebook account and you will see “outrage”. We have become a very angry society.

The wisdom parts of the Old Testament and Jesus have things to say about “anger”. Anger can hurt us. Anger can do untold damage to us and to our children. When I went to vote in the past Presidential election, anger was in the air. I think it is safe to say that the average voter had a feeling of sheer outrage as he or she went to the voting booth.
When I was a child, my mother frequently quoted from Proverbs, chapter 15: “A soft answer turns away wrath.” My mom must have quoted that verse to me a thousand times in my childhood. There is some great wisdom in that little verse. Perhaps our nation needs to learn how to give a “soft answer” in the midst of turmoil and trouble. We can imagine how that little verse plays out in reality if we think of the work of people like Martin Luther King Junior and Gandhi in the nation of India. “A soft answer turns away wrath.” And sometimes it can move entire nations toward a more just society.

Of course, we Christians think of Jesus. Jesus had a lot to say about how a more gentle treatment of our opponents can create peace and serve the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, when someone strikes you on one cheek, turn the other cheek toward that person. Do not retaliate! Do not fight fire with fire! (Matthew 5:39)
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapter 5) Jesus equates “anger” with “murder”. And I don’t believe he only meant to say that murder comes from anger that has built up. No. I think Jesus is telling us that intense anger directed against others, physically or verbally, is a form of murder all by itself. Anger is a type of murder.

Jesus always invites us to dive deep below the surface of our lives and of ourselves. In equating anger with murder Jesus is telling us to look deep within our own hearts. Murder, like love begins in the heart. Our words of anger can destroy people around us.

A Christian writer–named Dallas Willard–wrote that anger is a form of self-righteousness. That is an intriguing thought. Anger is a form of self-righteousness. We are usually feeling superior to others when we are expressing anger at them. If you don’t believe that, consider how people seem to feel when they are shouting angrily at other drivers on the road. Think about the anger expressed in the press, on Facebook, and on Twitter. It usually looks like the angry folks are saying: “I’m smarter than you! I’m more correct than you! I have more insight than you!” In short, “I’m better than you who disagree with me!” Anger is a form of self-righteousness. Dallas Willard puts it this way: “Anger always has about it an element of self-righteousness and vanity. It relates to the wounded ego.” Willard says we “cultivate anger and embrace” it because we feel the need to protect our own ego.

We not only cultivate anger like a garden; we store it up like a car battery. We keep the battery of anger charged up and ready to run our engines.
What’s the answer? How can our tendency toward anger be assuaged? How can we keep from falling victim to the infection of anger? There are no easy answers. I have two beginning suggestions.

First, admit it. Admit your anger and name it. It’s an honest move. You can name it and then think about where it’s coming from and how you are using it. “Is it tied up with my ego somehow? Am I being silly in this spurt of anger? How and in what ways is my anger a form of self righteousness? How is it an expression of the idea that “I am better than they are.” or “I am smarter than they.”? How does my anger express the idea that “I know better than they know.”?

Second, after you have admitted it and named it, pray about it. Slow down; take a deep breath and pray. Pray for wisdom. Pray for humility. Pray for guidance in addressing those with whom you disagree. Part of prayer is contemplation. Sit for a moment and look to Jesus. Imagine Jesus sitting with you and walking with you. How would Jesus be responding to the people who make you angry? It’s probably good to remember that Jesus would love them just as he loves you. That doesn’t mean you never disagree. It doesn’t mean you withhold truth as you see truth. But, it does mean you ponder and think before you speak.

When you are angry, please think about these things. Think and pray.

In the peace of Christ,
Pastor Larry

February 2017

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment…”   –Romans 12:3–

 

Lake Wobegon is the fictional little town made famous by the writer Garrison Keillor. Keillor describes Lake Wobegon as the village “where all the men are strong, all the women are good looking, and all the children are above average.”

A college professor named David Myers coined a term based on Lake Wobegon’s fictional reputation. Myers coined “The Lake Wobegon Effect”. The Lake Wobegon Effect refers to a person’s natural tendency to overestimate his/her capabilities. Professor Myers applied this term to any community or group who see themselves as “exceptional”. I imagine the term “American Exceptionalism” fits this description.

The Lake Wobegon Effect has also been called “Illusory Superiority” and “The Overconfidence Effect”. The definition given in those cases, is as follows: “A cognitive bias whereby individuals overestimate their own qualities and abilities.”

Psychologists have labeled this as one of many “positive illusions”. Positive, because we need some sense of high self esteem in order to survive and thrive in the world.

Christians have long cherished the virtue of humility. Humility involves a refusal to overestimate ourselves, our talents, and our perspectives. The Apostle Paul was quoted at the beginning of this article. Paul tells the Roman Christians not to live lives based on false pride. Paul’s words can be misinterpreted.

Paul’s words, in Romans 12:3, have often been misread. Paul is not saying that we are without value. Paul is not denying that we are special, precious people. But Paul is saying that we have a tendency toward “The Lake Wobegon Effect”. We do tend to overestimate who we are in relation to other people.

My Ethics professor, in seminary, was James Burtness. Dr. Burtness was given to confronting people when he believed they needed to be confronted. He once told an overly self confident friend of mine: “Martin, somewhere along the way you have developed an opinion of yourself that is unwarranted.” Sometimes our self-concept needs to be challenged.

Scholars say that Paul’s words occur at a transition point in the Letter To The Romans”. Paul is beginning a section of the letter that is devoted to the formation of healthy community. This part of the letter takes seriously “our partnership in Christ”. We are not called to be lone rangers. We are called to function as one body, united by God’s grace.

We can take genuine pride in ourselves. We are, after all, created in the very image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). But our self-image can be destructive if it causes us to be less than charitable or makes it impossible for us to listen to the other person.

C.S. Lewis wrote:

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself—but thinking of yourself less.”

The fine distinction Lewis makes is worthy of our attention. We don’t think less of ourselves; but we refuse to put ourselves at the center of all things.

I was told of these words of wisdom from a high school Biology teacher:

“Every organ in the body does its job—not for itself—but for the rest of the body.”

No wonder the Apostle Paul saw a relationship between our biological bodies and the Body of Christ, the community of the baptized. We are precious in the sight of God and we are called to function well for the sake of the rest of the Christian community.

The next time you are in a conversation–even having a disagreement–with a fellow Christian consider “The Lake Wobegon Effect” and ways it can be avoided—for the sake of the Body of Christ.

Pastor Larry

 

When I was a child there was a popular Baseball novel. It was titled “The Kid Who Batted A Thousand”. In thestory there was a baseball player who never struck out. He had a hit every time he came up to bat. He became known as “The Kid Who Batted A Thousand. He had a 1.000 batting average.

If you know anything about Baseball, then you know a .300 batting average is a very good average. A 1.000 batting average would be perfection, flawless. That was the problem in the story. By the end of the novel, the fans express hatred for “the kid who batted a thousand. The fans grow to hate this perfect player because people are bored by what we call “perfection”.

Imagine! If you experienced continual perfection life would be boring. I think about that when people apply categories of “perfection” to subjects like God, Heaven, and Ethics.

Perfection might not look like we think it looks. If it looked like we imagine it, then it would be boring.

Perfection, as we picture it, would make God, Heaven, and human Ethics simply boring. We would get sick of living in continual perfection 24/7 for eternity. Maybe, in this life, we need imperfection. Maybe we need flaws and mistakes.

The Amish make quilts. A little known fact about Amish quilts is that there is always an intentional flaw somewhere in each authentic Amish quilt. I wonder if the Amish are telling us that perfection, as we define it, is boring.

This leaves us with some thoughts to ponder:

Maybe “perfection”, as God defines it, is vastly different from our own definitions of perfection. Perhaps genuine perfection is different than we think it is. It is probable that we have never really experienced perfection. Therefore, we really have no idea what it would be like or look like.

It is interesting that we can make so many assumptions about something that we have never seen or experienced. We think we know things about perfection, absolutes, and eternity when we have no capacity for understanding these things with our limited, finite perceptions.

Is it possible that our imperfect grasp of perfection could open us to being truly surprised? Might we be completely surprised in this life and the next?

Why do we feel pressure to pretend we know what we will never know in this life? What would your life be like if you had permission to stop pretending?

The world, and the Church, would be better places if we realized God’s grace is also given to those who stop pretending so much.

Have a glorious summer, with all of its splendid imperfection!

Pastor Larry