Blog (Page 3)

St. Paul declares, “I press on…” referring to knowing the power of the resurrection and the chance to share in his sufferings. He perseveres… Jesus tells the story of the persistent neighbor waking up his friend to provide for his guest and instructs us in the explanation of the story to “keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking” and the search will be rewarded… (Luke 11.5f) Jesus tells another story of a lowly persistent widow getting her way with a big…

Who is my neighbor? (Luke 10.25f) “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4.9) In essence, to whom am I responsible to love? To witness? To serve? Breaking through self-focused, self-indulgences may be difficult enough, but is probably more likely when we care for people we love or people like us in race, creed, or color. Chances are we’re more likely to delay or cancel our plans to care for others we like, or who are like us, than if we…

The reflex for fight or flight is strong especially when we are witness to injustice unfairness or even laziness. People who have little vested interest in the mission of the church but are quick to criticize with curmudgeon like zealousness disrupt momentum and ministry. Underhanded neighbors make plans to disrupt HOA meetings. Family members hold grudges that stifle family gatherings with eye-rolling and heavy sighs. And on and on goes the seemingly endless list and examples of (what Jesus would…

What’s your thoughts? Should the Word of God “make sense?” Should it have reasonable, predictable patterns? Or, is the Kingdom of God more about surprises, paradoxes and unpredictability? The pastoral answer is, of course, yes. There are many places in Scripture where clear linear thinking is commended. Luke 14.25f instructs disciples to exercise clear planning and strategic thinking. The parables of Jesus about the mustard seed and leaven, however, are about the small beginnings that lead to astounding growth which produce…

The Parable of the Sower “The Bible is just a bunch of fictitious stories.” (This is the voice of seed that has fallen on the path. They either can’t see or don’t want to see the connection between the Kingdom of God and day-to-day or eternal life.) “If God was really a loving God, then I wouldn’t have gotten cancer.” (This could be spoken by the seed that fell on shallow, rocky soil. As long as there’s little or no…

We’ve been designed to be face-to-face! Eye contact, posture, tone, gestures, rate of speech, touch, and many more subtleties provide a host of cues that create mood, relationship, response, intimacy, fear…(the list is inexhaustible). Face-to-face interaction is powerful and informative… Unfortunately, it seems that face-to-face is being replace by face-to-phone. What’s your estimate on the number of smart-phone interruptions each day in your interactions? My guess is 50%…meaning at least 50% of the conversations I have in a typical week…

Relationships rule! It is not hyperbole to say, relationship is found everywhere and influences everything all the time! Galaxies relate. They are the largest body in the known universe and interact with each other. In fact, Science Alert web site has images of 14 different galaxies interacting, supposedly to become the largest entity ever observed. The truths of quantum physics, the science of the smallest matter known, illustrates strange and wonderful relationships. One of the strangest is called, “entanglement.” Actually…

If “good works” were evidence, would there be enough evidence to “convict” you of having faith in Jesus!? The role of good works in the life of a Christian has been the source of both inspiration and schism. Some people are an inspiration from their dedication and perspiration from amazing and tireless good works. Missionaries that have given up their lives or the lives of their families tell inspiring stories that often contrast starkly with our own (lack of real)…

What’s your preference? The above might be categorized as, “Questions never asked by God.” It’s a question present within our institutional congregations, maybe, but I can’t find a place in God’s Word where He’s told us to list our preferences. I think the closest Word could be Psalm 37.4, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” but that still seems miles from the superficiality and potential selfishness of preferences. The Christian’s mission…

So, I was showing off the latest option in my new Chevrolet Impala. It was called, “Onstar.” All I had to do was press a button on my dash and a real human would answer and say, “Hello Mr. Galik, what directions can I provide today?” (or something like that). I gave the voice coming from my dash the name of my destination – which was a Country Club where my son Dave and his new wife Ann were having…

What happens when light encounters darkness? Part 1: Darkness Dissipates Where does the darkness go when you turn on the light? Darkness has no properties; no mass; no substance. It only exists in the absence of light, and, as such, cannot influence the light. These thoughts may sound like the rudiments of a physics class discussion, but it will actually be a part of the sacred conversation we call worship beginning this Sunday. Darkness vs Light is an ancient Biblical…

Peace. Hope. Joy. Love. Peace Lutheran Church Web Site LOVE Love…(but not just any kind of love)… This Sunday, the 4th of Advent, marks the end of this spiritual preparatory month of Sundays. Advent is a time designed to heightened our understanding of our need for a Savior to show up. Christmas worship and traditions are deepened in meaning and substance when we are ready to accept we needed saving and a Savior was born! The 4th Sunday of our…