World Trade Center Photos

While checking the news yesterday, I found a link with new pictures on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. I realize that it has been awhile since this event, but looking at these pictures brings back a lot of memories from that day.

I was in my first year of graduate school at Western Illinois University. I didn't have the TV or radio on that morning, and I met my two friends who lived in the same building and we made our way to class. On the way, they asked if I had heard about what was going on in New York. I didn't know...I was concerned.

It wasn't until I got to class and sat down that our professor informed us of what was going on. It was the only time I walked out of a class. I said, "I need to see what's going on." And I walked out. Classes were canceled for the day and I sat by myself, and with friends, and watched each detail as it was made available. I talked to family and friends trying to make sense of what happened.

For a long time, there was a huge increase in feelings of patriotism and community in this country. As the years went on, those feelings have retreated back to their usual levels. Seeing these imagines reminds me of the pain of that day. It reminds me of the families that lost someone that day. It reminds me of the scars that we all have of this day. It changed who we are...I would not want us to forget this moment in our lives. It was a painful moment in our history, but one we recovered from.

I was not a devoted Christian on September 11, 2001, but I tried to make sense of what happened. Even as a pastor, I struggle to make sense of why something like this had to happen. It's something that all Christians wrestle with. I encourage you not to shy away from those thoughts and feelings. Just remember that we have a God who loves us, even at times when we hurt the most.

A Startling Display

My dad forwarded this link to me in an E-mail. It shows the monthly breakdown of the unemployment rate over the last 2.5 years. When it gets closer today it is truly startling.

This is not meant to make a political statement at all. I have heard members of my congregation talk about being laid off, and they are tough stories to hear.

My heart goes out to those who are unemployed. People are not likely to publicly say they are unemployed, yet they are part of our congregation and our community. They still feel a call to give to the church, but are also struggling to provide for themselves and their families.

I ask that today (and always) we pray for those who are unemployed.

Transfiguration

When Christa and I went to bed last night, we were curious to see what was going to happen with the weather. They were predicting a big snow storm...we knew the snow was coming. It was just a matter of when the big chunk of it would arrive. It would appear that the worst of this storm actually hasn't arrived yet. My school districts that apply to my churches (Oakfield and Campbellsport) have both closed, but Christa still had to go to work. I canceled any trips I was making today as I did not want to drive in what I know will be worsening road conditions.

I have been held up in my house, working at the kitchen table. I made one run over to the church to grab the materials I knew I would need throughout the day. I can honestly say I have had the most productive three hours of work than I have had in awhile. There was a surreal moment this morning, as I was putting together my materials to outline my sermon for Sunday. I was reading an interpretation on Luke's account of the Transfiguration, while sipping on a delicious raspberry black tea, looking out onto the gorgeous snow-covered landscape of Oakfield. I felt a call to change.

Wesley speak's of his heart being "strangely warmed" when we attended a Moravian gathering at Aldersgate. My experience was nothing even close to that. But, I did hear God calling me to change. I'm sure we all have parts of our life we would like to change, but reading about the significance of the Transfiguration, helped me to re-realize the significance of Christ in my life. Sound weird?

It's not that Christ isn't a part of my life. But, it can be easy to take it for granted in the complex life that we live. You get so caught up in living life, that you forget who you are living your life for. This morning I realized that I need to take time to slow down and realize the importance of Jesus in my life....in all facets of my life...at all times in my life. Slowing down. That can be difficult these days. There's so much to do and so much to get done. But, it will all work out. Take the time that's needed, and love God the whole way.

Where Does It End?

I read this article yesterday and found the headline to be a little misleading. It seemed to imply that somehow Google was going to work help supply information to the NSA. It's not hard to make that jump when you read articles about how Google tries to continuously increase the access it has to information about us.

The article is really about Google would like the NSA's help to ward off cyberattacks on their information.

It still causes me to think about all of the information that we have out in cyberspace and who has access to it. I wonder where you draw the line between personal information and what the public should know. *sigh* I continue to struggle with the idea that as we create more and more things to make our life "easier" and "simpler", it seems to only get more complex and confusing.

Robin Hood

This second semester Christa has a much better idea of how things run in her long term substitute position at Fond du Lac High School. This also means she does not have to spend as many evenings getting things ready for the next day. We have had more time to spend together, and to reestablish our hobby of watching movies on Netflix! :)

Along with getting movies in the mail, we also have the ability to stream movies and TV shows. We have a lot of movies to watch, but we have started looking at watching some television series that we have missed over the years. We have the first few seasons of Lost. There are a lot of people obsessed with this show, especially the beginning of the last season. We will eventually get around to starting this show...see what all the fuss is about. We also have Heroes ready to go.

There is a show that we started watching before each of these...and I am glad we did: Robin Hood. We have the first three seasons queued up and ready to watch. We have watched five episodes so far, and I have to say that I really enjoy this show.

What I really appreciate about the show is that it is not focused on what many shows these days are focused on: sex, language and violence. There is virtually no swearing, no blood, and very little sexual innuendo. Yet, it is still entertaining. I will admit it is somewhat corny at times, and the theme song is about as lame as you can get, but it's fun.

In a time where networks are competing to see how they can get away with in a show, it is nice to turn to our friends on the other side of the pond to find a show that is family friendly.

I encourage you to check it out. If you have Netflix, put it on your queue.

We Have a Webpage, Revisited...

Last week, I posted that we had a website for the Oakfield and Tabor churches. I posted that with the assumption that what I had uploaded for the website would be ready by the time I posted that particular entry.

It became obvious to me how little I knew about web design when I got a call from the GoDaddy folks. There were a few things that I did wrong, and once we got those corrected over the next few days, it finally works. Corrections to the website are now almost instant.

Please check it out:

http://oakfield-taborumc.org/

I am always looking for ideas and suggestions.

Oakfield UMC Soup Sunday

On Sunday, January 31 from Noon to 2:00 PM, Oakfield United Methodist Church hosted its Soup Sunday. Along with the Pork Chop Supper and Chicken and Biscuit Dinner, this is one of three major meals that Oakfield hosts each year. Proceeds from the event go to local ministries of the church along with the Pastor's Discretionary Fund to help those in the Oakfield and Eden communities.

From what I was told, the event went very well. In comparison to other years, we were much more front-loaded with people than in the past. As I was ending our worship service at 11:40AM, there was already a large gathering of people waiting for us to open. It got to the point that about 20 minutes into the event, we had to take a waiting list until our first round of folks finished with their lunch. This is a good thing, unless you are a host. Then it's a little stressful.

As folks left, I heard a lot of good comments about the quality of the soup. I would agree. I had a bowl of the medium chili and the chicken dumpling soup. Both were phenomenal. What was equally phenomenal was all the help that members of the congregation put into the event. It was great to see so many folks stay after for an extra hour or so to make sure the Fellowship Hall and kitchen were put back in order.

I was happy to see that we were visited by folks from the Action Advertiser. I am expecting a picture in the paper in the next few days. What a great event! Thank you to all who came and to all who helped out.