Disaster Preparedness in our Families…

Today the Lynnfield Fire Department came by Messiah Lutheran Day School to  do some important work with the kids and teachers: a fire drill.  A fire drill is nothing more than advanced preparation to be ready and know how to act when bad things happen.  I was struck by the timing in the aftermath of the OK tornado this week.  This is really important work, isn’t it?

Teaching our kids to be ready for bad stuff and giving them skills to use to keep healthy and safe is vital.  It goes way beyond fires though.  We know that this world is broken and that there are many ways that we can experience hurt and pain.  Physically, emotionally, and spiritually we should be ready for the bad stuff and have a plan for how we might be ready to act when something goes wrong around us.  Healthy people prepare in advance for the bad stuff and try to respond in healthy ways.

Does your family have a safe place to meet in case of fire?  What about a first aid kit ready for action in a sensible place at home and the car?  What other physical challenges should we be ready for?

How about emotional and spiritual challenges too?  Are our kids prepared for the first time someone says something mean to them, or makes fun of them?  Do they have a plan to react in healthy ways?  How have you trained your child to react to failure?  Are they prepared with tools to use to face failed tests, assignments, or losses on the athletic field?  Are your young adults prepared for breakups from deep relationships with a boyfriend or girlfriend?  What other emotional challenges might we prepare our kids to face?

What about spiritual challenges?  Have we taught our kids how to face strong temptations?  Are your kids ready to stand up for Jesus no matter what they might face as a result?  Have we planted the Word deeply in their hearts so that when spiritually difficult times arise they’re ready to handle them with God-given faith?

Fire drills help us to be ready should a fire happen.  Fire is pretty rare though, isn’t it?  Things like fights with friends, tiring weeks, and spiritual challenges are much more common.   Consider adding a short planning segment to your family devotion time each week to help prepare your kids for some potential bad stuff that they might face.   A little disaster preparedness training could go a long way to help our kids handle potential bad situations that WILL happen in life.  A little preparation could be useful for mom and dad too!

Please add some ideas in the comments below.  What other bad stuff should we be prepared for?  What kinds of drills could we add to our family devotional time?

A new report in the LA Times shares an eye-opening statistic on poverty growth in US suburbs.  The number of people living below the poverty line in the suburbs has jumped 67% since 2000.

That is a staggering statistic.  Financial stability in the USA is a critical issue.  Education, healthy marriages and families, health care, and many more important areas are effected by people’s ability to earn a living and budget appropriately.   We know there is a direct connection between divorce rates and financial struggles in families.  If financial challenges are growing in our area, then we can anticipate marriage struggles to follow.  This is just one example of how growing poverty has the potential to erode the quality of life in our communities.

Organizations in our area, like Christian Community Service of North Reading, have seen a dramatic increase in people in need of the services of a food bank in recent years.  Unfortunately as we see poverty increase in the suburbs we realize that most suburban areas are not equipped to assist those in need.

Enter Messiah Lutheran Church.  Our congregation is dedicated to a mission of caring for those in need regardless of how they got into that need in the first place.  We help first, and ask questions later.  Regardless of how you got to the point of being in need, we are willing to help you get through this difficult time.

We do seek to assist people going through difficult times in ways that encourage personal growth.  In other words, we’re not trying to develop a system of aid that keeps people in need, but rather would like to help people develop the capacity to improve their lives to the point that they are capable of growing beyond their current needs.

To do this we support organizations that not only give out food, but also provide opportunities for education and growth.  We also provide learning opportunities ourselves.  One of our most successful educational endeavors related to personal finances has been the video course from Dave Ramsey called, “Financial Peace University.”  This 9 week program offers a biblical look at money that encourages people to get out of debt and save for big purchases through a simple budgeting strategy.  Baby steps taken one at a time in succession can move an entire family from the brink of bankruptcy and divorce to financial stability and a cooperative/loving home.

As financial challenges continue to eat away at our communities the Church has to prepare for ways to step forward to assist people in need.  Messiah Lutheran Church is on the cutting edge of helping in the suburbs North of Boston.  Please contact us if you or someone you know is in need.  We would love to share our love for Jesus in ways that really bring Good News to people in need today.

Something Better…

God must have something better!  That was the message from our School Board Chairperson as she shared the news of closing our Preschool after this year.  God must have something better!

I LOVE that voice of faith, and the reminder that in ALL THINGS God is working for good (Romans 8).   When we stand at the end of something that was great it can be hard to imagine that God might have something better in mind.  It’s easy to whine, complain, and despair that an important part of our ministry has come to an end.  However, the message of the leadership in our congregation has been to continue to look to God to provide, and look forward in faith that He’s got something even better ahead!

That voice of faith sounds a lot like the voices of faith that call out in the Bible.  God’s people look into the face of sadness and trust that God must have something better!  David looked across the battlefield and saw a giant and army that brought fear to the strongest fighters in Israel.  Their end was near, except that David lived by faith and his voice asked for a sling and some smooth stones.

Daniel looked into the pit filled with hungry lions and the three faithful Israelites looked into the firey furnace as well.  The end was surely near for all of them, yet they lived by faith and called to God to save them.

Mary and Martha wept at their brother’s graveside.  It was the end of an era in the life of their family, and they grieved with happy memories and time together and sadness that the future would be different.  Mary and Martha lived by faith and called for Jesus to come and bring comfort and peace.  He brought New Life!

All of these people of faith faced challenges that would bring most people to their knees.  All of these also lived by faith and called out to God with the voice of faith that trusts that God would have something better for them.

As we come to the end of the preschool ministry at Messiah we do so with many happy memories, but sadness as well.  In the face of this challenge the voice of faith shared at Messiah by our faithful leaders is to look to God to see what He has in mind for our future.  How will we transition from one great ministry to another?  What will it look like?  What shifts will be necessary?  When will it get started?  We’ve got many questions, but we move forward with the promise of God to bring Good out of our sorrow.

Many thanks to Mary J. and the school board for sharing the news of an end with the voice of faith that looks to the future!  It’s just what I needed to hear!

Marriage takes work…and play!

The pastors of the New England District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod gathered for three days of learning, support, worship, and time together around the theme of Healthy Marriages.  Pastors and their wives struggle with marriage issues just like the rest of the population, and it’s high time that we spent some energy focusing on the health of our marriages.

Thanks to our great leadership, we were treated to three days that were lead by professional counselors from a Lutheran Counseling Center in Florida.  Rick Armstrong and Mary Jo Hoard spent time leading us through a study on the issues we face as husband and wife.  Nothing was off the table.  Conversations were about communication, love, personalities, sex, raising kids, work related pressures, building healthy boundaries, fighting fair, forgiveness, romance, and other related topics.  Pastors and their wives face the same issues that every husband and wife face.  We all needed this time to get away and reflect on the health of our marriage relationships.  We were reminded that marriage takes work.

Healthy marriages take work.  You can’t make it as husband and wife in our society today if you don’t spend time and energy on your relationship.  The biggest reason for this is that we’re all sinful by nature and that means selfish by nature.  We’re wired to look out for ourselves, and marriage forces us to go beyond our sinful heart to unite with another.  Healthy communication, boundaries, disagreements, romance, and other areas take work to bring about the necessary balance in marriages.  Healthy marriages take work.

This theme came out time and time again during our conference.  And, I completely agree!  Marriage takes work.  Healthy marriages take even more work.  Do the work.  It’s vital for your relationship, for your family, and for our communities.  Do the work.  It is necessary.

One thing that was not as clearly articulated is that while marriage takes work; it also takes play!  Marriage takes PLAY!  All work and no play makes…for a painful and boring marriage.  Marriage takes PLAY!  Don’t spend so much time working on your marriage that you forget about the FUN that can be found in sharing your life with your husband or wife.  Don’t spend so much time working on communication that you forget to laugh with each other.  Don’t spend so much time working on raising the kids well that you forget to spend an evening playing with the kids.  Don’t spend so much time working that you begin to wonder when the payoff will come.  Spend an equal amount of time playing at your marriage!

Marriage takes work, but marriage also takes play!  Find that balance in your marriage.  If you need help, please contact me and I’d love to visit with you about how we can help to make your marriage healthy.  It will take work, but it will also take lots of PLAY!

Do SOMETHING!

Every time a horrific event like the Boston Marathon bombing happens in front of us we want to do SOMETHING to help.  When Hurricane Sandy hit there were more phone calls from people looking to help and donate than there were phone calls from people looking for help and support in our sister Churches in the NY area.  When Sandy Hook elementary school was attacked the response was incredible.  I heard a report that the Red Cross didn’t have enough blood donation spots available to take blood from willing donors yesterday in the immediate aftermath in Boston.  People hear of horrible events and jump to the ready to DO SOMETHING!

Often we hear people lamenting over the fact that for one reason or another they “can’t do more” to help.  I write today to encourage you that there are plenty of things that you CAN do to help.  In the immediate aftermath of such events they feel small and insignificant, but in reality are vitally important actions that really do accomplish exactly what we hope to accomplish after such emotionally trying times.

Here are Four things that you can do to DO SOMETHING:

Hug somebody.  Healthy physical contact is the opposite of bombs and terror.  Using our hands in healthy ways to love creates a new reality in our broken world.  Everyone who heard the news of these events needed a good hug yesterday and will again frequently over the next bit of time as we recover.  Create a new reality.  Hug somebody.

Connect with somebody.  Call your friends and family to check in and see how they’re doing.  Building the fabric of humanity through positive interactions is the opposite of igniting explosive devices in a crowded city street.  Create a better reality through healthy personal interaction by using these wonderful technologies we have like phones, computers, and legs to walk around the neighborhood to see how everyone is doing.  Connect with somebody.

Eat, drink, and rest well.  It’s easy to get caught up in the news and see hours fly by waiting to hear about the latest events of the day.  Helping others cope with such events can leave you missing out on the important job of taking good care of yourself.  If you’re not in good condition you might miss a chance to help out in a time of need.  Take good care of yourself so you can help care for others.  Eat well.  Drink enough fluids.  Get enough sleep.

Pray.  Need I say more?  Yes, I need to.  Many feel like prayer is first on the list of things that we can do that feel like I’m not doing anything.  I mean sitting on my chair talking in my head?  Does that help anyone?  It depends with whom you are speaking.  If you are praying to God through His Son, Jesus, than your words are more than effective!  His Word is filled with promises that prayer is not a weak and ineffectual activity, but an important work that carries power.  Our world needs your prayers today as much as ever.  Pray!

Want to do SOMETHING?  Try these out.  At first glance they may seem like you’re not doing much, but in reality they help to create a new reality in our world.  Healthy physical contact fights abuse.  Healthy personal connections fight against the separation of sinful humanity.  Healthy bodies allow for the ability to care for people in need.  Prayer puts life into perspective.  All we have, need, and are is given from the hand of God because of the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Let’s create a new reality in our world today shaped by these important actions!

What else can we do?  Add your ideas to this list in the comment section below…

I believe that Spring will come…

People are really angry with Punxatawny Phil today! I’ve seen Facebook posts that look like wanted posters with the poor furry groundhog’s head in the center and the words at the bottom reading: “Wanted: Dead or Alive!” Winter is lasting longer than expected as almost one more foot of snow fell yesterday in the area, and people are getting tired of it.

“Spring is on its way,” is the chant! People are looking for the weather to change once and for all. The sun is at a sharper angle, and those waves of warmth are expected to bring about milder temperatures, green grass, and blooming flowers. Spring is on its way, and people are READY!
People are angry with the Groundhog because they know that Spring ALWAYS comes after Winter. Anger at the groundhog is evidence of an incredible reality that should not be missed: Life on this planet comes with an amazing sense of order. Every year the seasons go through their changes. The earth’s orbit is so exact that our 365 and ¼ day cycle brings about such emotion when the weather doesn’t keep up its end of the bargain.

Soon enough the weather will change. It always does. It always will. That’s a biblical truth as well as a scientific truth! In Genesis 1:14 we hear about the seasonal order of creation. Psalm 104 describes this fact in poetic terms: “The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down…How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all.”

People are angry at the Groundhog because they KNOW, without a shadow of a doubt, that Spring is coming. Isn’t that an act of faith? Anger at a groundhog is an act of faith that the future is going to occur just like the past did with Spring following Winter. The question is, do you believe in the cycle of seasons, or do you believe in the One who put the moon and the sun in the sky, and wrapped earth’s orbit in such creative precision?

Being Good News…

Our congregation’s Men’s ministry just spent the past two months journeying through a study call the “Barefoot Church.” One of the initial stories is of a man who was on the side of the road with a flat tire. As he was getting the jack and tire iron out of the trunk a car pulled up and a person got out to see if he could help. This second man held a Bible and began to share the Good News of the Bible with the broken down car driver.

The man with the Bible told him of his need for a savior, but the man with the flat wasn’t interested in a savior at the moment. He was interested in help for his tire. The Christian did not stop to help with the pressing need, but was focused on the eternal need. While he was speaking about Good News it wasn’t connecting because it didn’t fit the situation. He wasn’t BEING Good News to the driver.

We don’t want to just talk about Jesus. We want to actually embody the Good News. If we pay attention to the Gospels we’ll recognize that Jesus met specific needs with specific remedies. To the sick Jesus offered Good News of healing. To the poor he offered Good News of food and drink. To the demon possessed He offered Good News of freedom. Jesus didn’t feed the sick or cleanse the prisoners. He fed the hungry and cleansed the lepers. The Good News that Jesus embodied matched directly with the needs at hand.

The problem with the Christian holding the Bible on the side of the road wasn’t that He was holding the Bible, but that he didn’t put down the Bible long enough to pick up the tire iron and loosen a couple of lug nuts. There will be plenty of time to talk about Jesus when someone believes that you carry Good News. First make sure that your Good News matches their needs.

As you live life this week pay attention to the needs of people around you, and be Good News to them. Eventually you’ll get to open the Bible and talk Jesus, but first you need to be seen as a carrier of Good News. Good News that fits a real need.