Serve (1 Peter 4:10)

I was mowing the lawn when it hit me. I was given the school year theme of Serve One Another in Love from 1 Peter 4:10. So I started working on a theme song that would best fit the school year and bring out the theme. So I went out to mow the lawn. I do a lot of thinking while mowing. It is my private time. No one bothers me. I get no phone calls or emails. I can just push the mower and allow my mind to think. So I'm thinking and it comes to me and I had to stop mowing before I forgot.

Serve (1 Peter 4:10)

Serve one another in love
Serve the Father above
Serve with a servant heart
Serve, do your part


Serve with gladness everyone.
Praise the Father, Spirit, Son.
We all have gifts God provides,
To share His love, Him glorified.


Reach out to others with a loving heart.
Don't complain about doing your part.
It is God's grace that we share.
So take God's love everywhere.

So serve the Lord with a servant heart.
So share His word. Do Your part!



Special thanks to members of the music ministry team who helped with musical ideas and with the recording of this song! You can check out the song by going to the church website at http://www.livword.net/. Scroll down and click on the church link. There is a link to the song on the music ministry page.

Guests

Just recently I had to make a quick stop at Kroger to pick up a few items. As I was walking through the store, there stood a young lady who looked very familiar. I thought nothing of it until she happened into the same aisle I was in. So I asked if I knew her from somewhere. She mentioned that we had talked before at Living Word one Sunday morning. I asked her how she was doing. She explained that she came to Living Word twice. Both times, she didn't feel welcomed at all. The people sitting next to her didn't talk with her, even during sharing the peace. She didn't attend communion because she just didn't feel like she was part of this church family. When the service was over, she told me that not one person ever said anything to her, except myself on her first visit. She mentioned that I was busy on her second visit. But she didn't feel welcomed by people. I apologized for this and invited her back. She hasn't come back yet.

We all have our friends in our church. We feel comfortable talking with them and at times, seek them out to visit with. Our ministry is also in this building. We tend to talk about sharing the Word with those out in the community, but what about in our own building. We need to step outside of our normal group and welcome those around. We need to share the love and peace of God with those who step into our building to worship. We say that everyone is welcome, so we, as a church, need to practice this. We have been having many visitors in the past months. It is a blessing to have them worship with us. We should thank them and welcome them. The church isn't just our members, the church is everyone. Each person should feel a part of the family of God.

Are You Ready for Some Football

I will have the honor of watching the Indianapolis Colts play the Minnesota Vikings in Indianapolis this week. I love watching football and love seeing the strategy that goes into playing the game. Now this game is only a pre-season game and the first one for both teams, so I know that I won't be watching much of the starting lineups. I'll see the backup players as they try to do the things to impress the coach so they can make the team. These players might not have the household names, but they have the talent and the ability to play the game. You never know watching these games, you might be watching the next NFL pro-bowler or hall of famer.

There are times in our lives when we feel that we are working to impress our coach, God. We do many things to show that we are Christian, but the problem is, we are doing things to show we are Christians. It has nothing to do with what is right or what God has commanded, it is all about ourselves. We walk around trying to build ourselves up so much that we forget about who we are serving. We work so hard to impress God, to make Him see us, that we forget that we don't have to impress Him at all, only serve. We don't need to work to make the team, we are already on it. All we have to do is follow the play that He has set before us. All we have to do is serve Him.

Garage Sales

My wife and I enjoy finding garage sales. She is what her family calls a "garage sale expert". She can find deals and things for next to nothing. She found curtain valances for our family room. She has found curtains for the dining room and living room. She found a laptop computer that really works and a basketball goal. All for next to nothing (in some cases, nothing). We search the newspapers for garage sales and watch for signs. It is something we enjoy doing and has turned into a challenging adventure.
Thank goodness God didn't search for a deal to save us. He knew the price He had to pay for us and that was full price...the life of His only Son. There was no picking around piles to find us. There wasn't any bargaining or leaving us behind because He thought we weren't worth the price. He was willing to pay for us in full...no strings attached. God looked at us and knew that we were something He wanted and He was willing to give it all for us. He didn't see junk, only something special. What a precious thing we are.

A Little Pinch

I am currently working on installing a fountain in the flower bed in the front of our house. I found the pond base at a garage sale and have always wanted to add a water feature to our home. We went out and purchased a small pump and a large flower pot that I am going to push the water up into. Everything was going well. I dug the hole and leveled it. Then I added the pump, the tubing, and the river rock. Finally, I got to place the flower pot on top of the rocks. Then the moment of truth. I added the water and watched it flow. Problem...the tubing was pinched so the pressure was cut off and the water wasn't flowing like it was intended. So I had to remove part of the fountain and fix the pinch tubing. Amazing how many problems a little pinch in the tubing caused the fountain.

It is the same way in our Christian walk. We work hard to walk the walk, talk the talk, but the moment there is a little pressure to either share our faith vocally or by action, that little pinch stops us from being the witness that we are called to be. The pinch effects who we are and doesn't allow God to shine through us. Thank goodness that God see our troubles and rebuilds us through word and sacrament. He fixes the pinch so that when the opportunity arises again, the message of God will flow freely.

That's Ministry

Ministry. Many people talk about it. Many people share what they think ministry is. Many people struggle to see that they are part of the ministry of God. I love to talk about sharing my love for our Lord through music and worship. It is a privilege to lead God's people in worship. It is an honor to worship with everyone. What I do is ministry. But it doesn't stop there. You see, my ministry is more than just my position at Living Word Lutheran Church. My ministry extends further than that. God gave me a wife and family. This is part of my ministry, to love, support and lead them. God gave me friends. This is part of my ministry, to support, listen and pray for them. God has allowed me to be part of this community. This is part of my ministry, to demonstrate and show Him in all my words and actions. My ministry doesn't stop after the 11:00 worship is over, it continues.



Many people don't see that what they do is ministry. The way they treat a co-worker. They way they act in a restaurant. The way they drive. The way they talk. Everything they do is ministry. When you build up the kingdom of God through what you do...that is ministry. You are and will always be part of God's plan to grow His kingdom. He has you doing what you do for a reason...that is ministry. Live your life like God intended. After all, people are watching, listening and understanding. Do they see a disciple of God? Do they see your ministry?

All-Star Games

I enjoy watching all-star games. Football, baseball, hockey, basketball, college sports, it is all good. I really enjoy watching players from different teams, different systems, different coaches come together and play as a team. During the season, they battle it out against each other. Then when the all-star game comes about, they together with other players from the same division or conference to accomplish the same goal and that is to win. Players come together and support and cheer each other on. For one game, everyone is the same.

We can learn a lot from the all-star games. We all come from different backgrounds. Raised in different ways. Have different ideas of what worship is. Have different gifts, talents, levels of faith. We do what we are gifted in. But when it comes to the church, the body of Christ, we are all on the same team. This means, we shouldn't be condemning, backstabbing, gossiping, putting each other down. We shouldn't be acting like we are better than others or building ourselves up at others expense. We shouldn't be putting down styles of worship or the way a fellow believer worships. We are all on the same team. We are all brought together to worship and build up the body of Christ. Differences should be celebrated, not condemned. Gifts and talents should be used and be thanked, not put down. Coming together makes the church stronger and puts our focus on Him. We are one team for His purpose!