Good Friday – Family Service

On Good Friday, we had two services geared just for children and families.  As groups, they went to eight different stations following Jesus from Palm Sunday to the cross.  The Junior High and High School students made crosses for everyone out of palm fronds from Palm Sunday.  As the children moved through all the different stations, they were able to participate in the passion story in very concrete ways.  From smelling vinegar (what Jesus was offered to drink) to washing their hands (like Pontius Pilate did), tasting unleavened (pita) bread to laying down blankets for Jesus to come riding into Jerusalem, everyone experienced the events of that week first hand.

Marriage Series Wrap Up

Throughout our marriage series called I Don’t, I had lots of people tell me privately that they have been struggling with their marriage.  I wanted to post some thoughts to wrap up the series, give some more encouragement, and post some tools that I find helpful when I work with couples who want to improve their marriage.

The final thing I always tell couples when we finish pre-marriage counseling is that they should find intentional things to do to work on their marriage.  Just like your car needs regular maintenance, so does your marriage.  Here are some suggestions:  Re-institute date night if you’ve gotten out of habit, read a Christian book on marriage together, go on a couple’s/marriage retreat, talk with a pastor or licensed marriage counselor, find a couple’s devotional book and do a devotion together every day.

Here are some FREE online resources that I find very helpful:

5 Love Languages:  Free online test and explanation to help couples understand how each shows love and wants to receive love.
http://www.5lovelanguages.com/assessments/personal-profiles/

Prepare-Enrich:  This is a shortened version of the inventory that I use for pre-marriage and marriage counseling.  If you’re interested in taking the full version (it costs $30), let me know.
www.couplecheckup.com

Personal Insight Profiles:  This free online assessment helps couples discover their personality types and how they work together.
http://disc.unitymg.com

Books
In our online book store (you can get to it by clicking “Bookstore” or clicking on the books on the very bottom right panel of this page) we have a number of great books on marriage that you can buy directly here.

Peace!
Pastor David

Date Night

How sweet is your love, my treasure, my bride! How much better it is than wine!
Your perfume is more fragrant than the richest of spices.
Song of Solomon 4:10

I just finished teaching the sixth commandment in confirmation – you shall not commit adultery.  In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus expands what most people think of when they hear the word adultery, Luther explains the sixth commandment in the following way:

We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do,
and husband and wife love and honor each other.

For parents, the best gift that you can give your children is to love and honor your spouse.  Usually, one of the things that gets left by the side of the road when the time pressures of careers and raising children and finances and life itself come is dating your spouse.  Below I’m including a list of creative ways that you and your spouse can do date night without spending a ton of money.

ALSO, I think it would be cool if you have additional ideas that you leave them as comments, so we can be encouraging of each other.

Peace!
Pastor David

1. Read a chapter or two from a Christian book on marriage and talk about it over coffee at your favorite coffee shop (I’ve assembled a whole bunch of books on marriage in our online bookstore that I recommend).
2. Swap babysitting with another couple with children and make sure that you and your friends are taking turns monthly to do date night.
3. Go to a park with a lake and walk around the lake – if permitted, feed the ducks together (Desert Breeze Park and
4. Bring a small linen table cloth and candles to your favorite fast food restaurant.  Who cares if people stare – they’ll be secretly jealous!
5. Bring two patio chairs/beach chairs inside the house, play music of ocean sounds (http://www.rhapsody.com/sounds-of-nature/ocean-sounds), serve your favorite beach side drink and talk about what your dream second honeymoon might be like.
6. Pack a picnic lunch/dinner and go to a park
7. Attend a marriage/parenting/financial seminar together
8. Get out your favorite board game/card game to play together
9. Experience a new culture together and go to a Food City or LeLe’s Market and get a dessert to share.  Talk about a foreign country you’d like to visit together.
10. Watch your wedding video/look at your wedding photo album.  Tell your spouse what your remember most about that day.

OK – now it’s your turn!

Joyfilled

…he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God.
Acts 16:34

Paul had just come from the Council of Jerusalem where he argued that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (and not by any works – be they Jewish customs or anything else), and there seems to be this crescendo of Gentile conversions.  First Timothy, then Lydia, then the Roman jailer and his family. Paul and Barnabas saved his life by not running away, but more importantly, God saved his eternal life in the process. The result? He and his whole household were baptized. They believed in Jesus. They were filled with joy!

For me, it’s so easy to take for granted the things that God does to give me eternal life and assure me that I am His. This same Jesus saved me by overcoming death and hell for me. This same Jesus feeds me with his body and blood. This same Spirit that filled the jailer with hope and joy still today fills us with the same things that He did back in Paul’s day. When I remember that I’ve been brought from certain death to assured life, it fills me with gratitude, hope, thankfulness, humility, and yes… Joy!

Heavenly Father, just as You used that day when Paul and Barnabas were beaten and arrested to save that jailer and his family and fill them with joy, use me. Lord Jesus, just as Your word was proclaimed by Paul and Barnabas that day, give me Your words to boldly proclaim. Holy Spirit, just as You created faith in that family and filled them with joy, so strengthen my faith and fill me with the joy You give. Amen!

Can’t take that

Tonight was the opening worship service for the district pastor’s conference. The sermon hymn was “A Mighty Fortress” and for some reason the words kicked me in the gut tonight.

God’s Word forever shall abide
No thanks to foes who fear it
For God Himself fights by our side
With weapons of the Spirit
Were they to take our house
Goods honor child or spouse
Though life be wrenched away
They cannot win the day
The Kingdom’s ours forever

I just realized why. The lyrics on the version we sang tonight were different. I’ve always sung “were they to take our life, goods, honor, child or wife.” Tonight it was “house… spouse.”

House. I talked with several people today who are in the midst of losing their house. They’re dealing with anger. And fear. And sadness. And failure. And uncertainty. And injustice. Phone calls not returned. Injustice.

It’s … all … consuming …

But even if someone takes your house. Or your spouse. Or your reputation. Or your job. You fill in the blank. They take it. It’s gone. They can’t take you from the Kingdom of God.

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”
–Jesus
Luke 6:20

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