Prepare Ye

This is an outline of my sermon text for the Seventh Sunday after Epiphany, on February 24, 2019. The texts for my message were Luke 6:27-38. The audio recordings will have a passing resemblance to this message because of two reasons. 1 - I realized on Sunday morning that the members of my white congregations don’t really have an idea of what it means to have “enemies” the way that the members of my black congregation does. Nor do I. So as difficult as this message is for those of us whose enemies are just those we don’t like or who drive up our blood pressure, it is harder for those who actually live with people who want to do harm to them because of the color of their skin. 2 - I had a tire blow out on the way to my first church. I was rattled and rambled through both services. I’ll eventually listen to these. I hope they aren’t too brutal. + pBRC Sermon Audio from Redeemer Sermon Audio from St. Mark Do not fret because of the wicked …Trus...

This is an article I wrote for a local newspaper for a column by local pastors. I feel that I must address the protest by white nationalists, white supremacists and Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia this past weekend. They began on Friday night by surrounding a church where clergy and community leaders gathered in prayer before preparing to be a counter-protest the next day. Outside of the church, the crowd chanted Nazi slogans and threatened violence. On Saturday, clergy and members of their church gathered in the park where the protest was to go, and sang hymns. The protesters came because a statue of a Confederate general was being removed. The community had decided that it was a symbol of hate and division, and should come down. After their rally, many of the white supremacists used the clubs and shields they brought with them to beat on those who came out to speak against their protest. One extremist drove his car into a group of other cars, killing ...

Mike Illitch is one of my heroes. Illitch is a self-made millionaire who owns, among other things with his family, the Little Caesars pizza chain, the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Red Wings. Among many things he has done which reek of awesomeness: 1) invented Pizza Pizza, two pizzas for the price of what one of the competition's normally cost. 2) developed "Hot and Ready" a $5 (or so) pepperoni pizza available at all times without pre-order. (It's available at drive-throughs where there are drive thrus. But the three recently great things he has done. 3) As the owner of the Tigers and Red Wings, he has had his teams defy the dictates of the commissioners of both sports when they have gotten creative when trying to sign players they wanted. The Tigers have ignored Bud Selig's efforts to "slot" draft pick salaries. The Red Wings, after being the top buyers in the pre-salary cap NHL, have been creative in contracts, upsetting little Gary Bettman because ...

Just got back to the 'burg after the graduation ceremony from my CPE site. (Pomp & Circumstance is sooooo moving.) My evaluation was fair, the things I did well and the things I could have done better I agreed upon with my supervisor. I told him that while the experience was valuable, enriching, educational and reaffirming, I can not say it was fun or that I enjoyed it. While I am glad I did it at the Sweet Big Deal State School of Medicine/Trauma Center and did it during the summer, I am not glad I did it now. Every day felt like it tore open new stitches on emotional wounds that had not yet healed. In my 73 days of CPE, I had contact with over 800 patients, family members and staff. I responded to 42 traumas, 9 heart alert codes, 1 brain attack and 3 death ministries. And I can tell you details about each one. I can still hear the flatline tone from the monitor of the patient who's room I had just walked into. I can still feel the wife's hand turn cold, clammy and fla...

Let me start by saying my mom's doing better. She's been hospitalized with double pneumonia. She feels, sounds and looks a lot better than when I got back. She's waiting to get out of the hospital. To all the LTS people who heard & sent prayers, thanks. Bon Jovi - It's My Life When I was coaching football, one of my pet peeves were the "experts" who would sit in the stands and second guess everything the coaches did. Why'd you play this kid? Why did you call that play? The 'experts' whose experience was getting run off their JV team and yelling at the TV on Saturdays and Sundays had no idea what we were trying to do and what kids knew how to do what. With running youth sports on Saturdays, I dreaded a poor Friday performance, because I would hear from people who can't teach 4th graders to line up for free throws tell me why we should throw deep routes on 3rd & 1. When we converted the first down. This hasn't been an easy year for m...