Prepare Ye

I took Ananias to the the Synod's Winter Theological Event in Eau Claire, and while he sat in on one of the sessions, he barked during the presentation. He felt bad about it, and wanted to write an apology to Bishop Rinehart who was doing the presentation. - pbc An open apology to Bishop Michael Rinehart      My name is Ananias the Bulldogge, and I want to apologize to Bishop Rinehart, Bishop Hoyme and all of the pastors of the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin for disturbing his presentation at the Winter Theological Event in Eau Claire by barking at parts of his presentation.      My Big Guy (Pastor Brian Campbell) told me I was going to get to go to the conference this year because it was in a dog friendly hotel, and I was all excited. I learn so much when he reads to me about God’s love and the church, so I was looking forward to learning more. I was practicing my listening skills so I could remember all of the great stuff I was going to hear. But he had me stay i

  This is my written text for my sermon on February 14th. The text is Mark 10:17-31. I have included my Small Talk (Children's Message) which is done before the lesson is read because it feeds into my message. - Pbc SMALL TALK In the lesson we are going to read, Jesus talks about how hard it is to get into heaven. He says It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. Look at what I have here. OK, it’s not a camel. It’s a Beanie Baby horse, and here is a needle with thread. Now, my horse isn’t quite as big as a camel, but do you think it can get through the eye of the needle? Jesus talked about someone who was rich. In his time, they thought anyone who was rich or wealthy or who had a lot of money or other stuff, that person must be blessed by God. They believed that having a lot of things meant God really loved you. The people Jesus was talking to were confused because if someone who the

This is the written text of my message for our Service of the Ashes services. Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, is a day when we remember how truly lost we would be without Jesus Christ. I have a phrase for you to ponder. You are dust, and to dust you shall return. This is my least favorite action as a pastor. I have to individually tell people whom I have come to know and care about that you are going to die. We know that we will all eventually die. We just don’t talk about it. Except on this day, I tell you, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” And in case that was too subtle for you, I take ashes and mark your foreheads with a cross. It’s not just that you will die, but you are going to decompose as well. But Ash Wednesday is also one of my favorite days to preach on. Because I want to take that depressing proclamation, You are dust, and to dust you shall return,” and show you how this is a good thing because it all comes from God. I’m going to die and deco

This is my article for the February 2016 newsletters. For those of you who I’ve met, you know that I’m kind of shy. Oh, I may bark and even growl, but that is just to make sure you know that I’m a tough guy. After I’ve been around you for a while, I’ll come over and give you a sniff over, then I might let you pet me. It’s nothing personal, but I’m just a shy bulldogge. I’m skeptical of new people and new things. It even takes me a while before I start destroying new toys, unless they taste good. So I understand the reluctance that many of you have about this three church arrangement. I was at the last Sowing Seeds meeting at Nazareth. My Big Guy had me stay in his office up there because he thought I was too adorable and would distract from the conversation, which is a good point. But I listened to the conversation through the wall and I could tell people were nervous about this new thing. I wanted to come out and say I understand, but I couldn’t reach the door knob. Persona

  This is my article for the February 2016 newsletters. One of the biggest news stories of the new year in Lutheran circles is that two ELCA seminaries, the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg have announced that over the next 18 months, they will work to close both schools and open a “new school of theology” for the beginning of the 2017 academic year. Discussions between Gettysburg and Philadelphia about cooperating have been ongoing for years. The structure of theological training for pastors isn’t working as it once did.  Of the eight ELCA seminaries, three have merged with Lutheran universities to make their operations more efficient. Enrollment is down across seminaries of all traditions because people struggle with balancing their call to serve God and the Church with the reality that they will spend four years pursuing their Master’s degree, and accumulating a conservative estimate of $40,0