Nutshell Verses

I enjoyed preaching a message today called "Getting It... Nutshell Verses". My vision for the message was that there are several key things that God really wants us to get. They can be stated in simple verses from the Bible. It's possible to glance over these verses without getting it. They are so important that I wanted to be sure that they were examined today and clearly understood. Here are the "nutshell verses" I shared today...


Truth in a nutshell
John 17:17 (ESV)
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

Consequence in a nutshell
Ezekiel 18:4 (ESV)
Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

Law in a nutshell
Luke 13:5 (ESV)
…but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Gospel in a nutshell (of course)
John 3:16 (ESV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Salvation in a nutshell
Acts 16:31 (ESV)
"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Power in a nutshell
Romans 1:16 (ESV)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Obedience in a nutshell
Matthew 22:37 - 40 (ESV)
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Responsibility in a nutshell
Matthew 28:19 - 20 (ESV)
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Worship in a nutshell
Revelation 5:12 - 13 (ESV)
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” …“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

Here are the results of my last poll...

What do you think about "Video Sermons"?

68% I get just as much out of them.
26% They're OK ocassionally, but I really don't like them.
47% They are a good tool for multi-site churches.
5% They are less effective and their use should be discouraged.
0% They do not belong in today's church.

The percentages do not add up to 100 because more than one response could be registered

Learning Curve

As I begin work at Trinity, I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am about the ministry that lies before us. In the fastest growing county of Wisconsin, planted in two locations, with a strong historic tie to the Hudson community, we are poised to have a powerful effect on the St. Croix River Valley, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Together, we have so much to give our Lord, in faithful service. Right now, I’m climbing a great big “learning curve” which is O.K. with me since I do enjoy the process of learning new things. The “learning curve” refers to a relationship between the duration of learning or experience and the resulting progress. Initially introduced in the discipline of cognitive psychology, over time the term acquired a broader interpretation, and the expressions "experience curve", improvement curve", "cost improvement curve", "progress curve"/"progress function", "startup curve", "efficiency curve" etc., may be used interchangeably, depending on the context. Some of these terms may also have other meanings. Another specific context of the term "learning curve" is acquiring a new skill, e.g., an experience in usage of new tools.
The learning curve has been described with other words too. When we hear of a “steep” learning curve, it implies the need for a strong effort to climb quickly to the place of high efficiency. A “short” learning curve implies one that will not last long or is relatively easy. The implication of a “flat” learning curve is that there is nothing new to learn to be more effective.
How would I describe my current learning curve? I guess I could say that it looks enormous, sometimes. It is at the same time energizing and exhausting. I am eager to learn it quickly yet see that it will never cease to be a challenge for a pastor in today’s culture. I’m happy to say that I can’t describe it as “lonely” because the staff and members of Trinity are walking with me through the newness of this ministry in my first couple of weeks.
What do you need to know? Since I am learning, (and may be doing so for quite a while,) please understand that it will take a while to learn names and faces. Just today, I met five members out and about in the community. They knew who I was but this was the first time I met them. Please feel free to introduce yourself to me for the next couple of years, even if you think I know your name and face. I will do my best to learn quickly. I’m also learning the “system”, how things work around here and what I need to know about all sorts of processes. I’m learning about the ministry teams (and there are many of them), finances, leaders, movers, and shakers. I’ve had the delight of meeting and praying with area pastors and getting to know how we will work together in the Hudson community.
Scripture tells us that we are all learning together. That’s right, you’re on a learning curve too! The Bible reminds us that we are each given to one another, with important gifts and abilities to share. “…to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12-13) You see, we’re on the learning curve together so that we can be a unified body of Christ-followers. It’s a big, challenging curve that takes a life-time of learning and growth. But, I’m excited to be sharing this experience with all of you. Let’s each share our knowledge and experience as Christian people to build his kingdom at Trinity and everywhere we are able.

A New Call!

PRAISE GOD!!!

Thanks to our many dear friends for the prayers and support as I deliberated with prayer and godly counsel over the call to serve as Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church. As a church body we believe that God has His hand in the movement of ministry personnel when and where it pleases Him. So we pray that God fills the need of the churches as he sees fit. That’s why we call it a “divine call” when it is issued. I want to thank you for your prayers that God would direct Trinity to her next pastor.

I have been waiting for God to move with decisive clarity to reveal His will for my future ministry. My own prayers and ponderings have left me hoping that I would soon be serving again, in full time ministry. I am now very convinced and filled with deep peace that God Himself, moving with His Holy Spirit, The Counselor, has given me a clear and compelling call to serve Trinity. I joyfully accept that call and look forward to building our lives under the Word of God to extend his kingdom near and far. I look forward to the vision we will see together as He enables us to follow His call as an entire body of faith-filled travelers on the journey of life.

When I return from the Philippines, I anticipate very exciting days through the month of July as we make the necessary transitions and settle into the community as a family. Diana and all the children join me in this excitement as we eagerly embrace a new day together. They, like me, are happy about the new ministries they will come to serve as members of the body.

New Testament Postcards

A new summer sermon series!

"New Testament Postcards" are the quick little notes that were sent to the people of the early church. They are not as theologically packed as the "Letters" or Epistles, like Romans or 1st & 2nd Corinthians. But they have great things to say to us today. I'm looking forward to sharing these messages in the summer time because each message can stand alone on its own. During the summer, the church has some guests who are just passing through while they are away from home. Likewise, some of the local church members are out of town, at the cabin, or on vacation during the summer and often miss one or more of the series' messages. Stop by, and let me share a postcard with you. Titus, Philemon, 1st and 2nd Peter, 1st, 2nd, & 3rd John, and Jude have much to say about our walk with Christ.

It's a Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

New Sermon Series for June...


It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

Summer is right around the corner. The neighborhoods are coming to life once again. People are out walking, working in their yards, grilling on their patios. It’s the perfect time to reflect on our life as God’s neighbor. He has a neighborly calling on each of our lives and wants us to make an impact for Him in the world around us. Your neighborhood is a beautiful place to let your faith show. God has always wanted to have a neighbor just like you. He’s always wanted to live in the neighborhood with you. I'm really looking forward to sharing these messages at Trinity Family Center in Hudson, Wisconsin. We're going to get into the Bible with a twist on some themes from one of my all-time heroes, Fred Rogers.

June 3rd “I Like You Just The Way You Are” – 1 Cor 1:26-31
June 10th “Let’s Make The Most Of This Beautiful Day” – Col 4:2-6
June 17th “Would You Be Mine, Could You Be Mine?” – John 17

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