Word For The Day Is....

Hello Emmanuel,

The word for the day is ‘blah’.  Ever have those moments when you just feel like you are going through the motions for no apparent reason other than there is nothing else to do?  It sort has that feel of ‘Groundhog Day’, for you Bill Murray fans.  I haven’t figured it all out yet, but I have those moments and today is one of them. 

Every time I have this feeling, I find myself asking the all-important questions of my existence (is this a mid-life crisis thing?).  Who am I?  What is my purpose?  What is God’s intentions for my life?  These questions always bring me back around and I, once again, start feeling like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.  I don’t always know why, except to say that I know what I know and I don’t know what I don’t know.  Therefore, could my conclusion be anything else?

Now maybe some of you don’t want such a deep philosophical MMP to start your week.  I would like to avoid it myself.  However, my ‘blah’ days give me little choice.  I am driven to find deeper meanings in life and I hope you are too.  We are not just creatures with instinct only.  We have the self-awareness to go beneath the surface of just surviving and delve into the realm of things like progress and fulfillment and productivity.

And then there is our faith in a high power.  At worst, we think there might be a possibility that we are not alone in the universe.  At best, we believe it with our whole soul.  And believing in God prompts us to ask those big questions that transcend any blah day and take us to a divine place that refuses to let us ever think life is just a bunch of motions.

Think deep.  Believe deep.  What you might think is a normal, average, blah day is a day that is full of life and opportunity.  God has something for you today.  Don’t let your apathy keep you from seeing it.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Holy Headaches

Hello Emmanuel,

I have a headache.  I’m sure it is no fault of any of you.  That isn’t to say that pastors don’t get headaches because crazy church people.  It’s just that all of you are rarely… I mean… never crazy.  Still, my head hurts.

I can’t always identify why I get a headache.  They say that stress can play a big role, but I find that, for me, it is often the weather.  Specifically, rainy and cool weather will do it.  I think it has something to do with the barometric pressure.  I don’t know.  I’m no scientist.  I just know when my head hurts.  (and, by the way, my knee aches in late October too).

I wonder if God ever gets a headache.  Not physically speaking, but metaphorically I wonder if he puts His hand to His forehead, squeezes His eyes closed and massages His temples.  And, if so, are any of us to blame?  Does God get stressed?  And from whence does His stress originate?

Adam and Eve ate the fruit.  Ever since then, we have our moments when we might get a little overly ambitious or think we know better when we don’t.  Then we play the ‘oops’ card and that is when I imagine God massaging His temple. 

As we continue the Easter season, it continues to be a season for resurrection.  Living new life is more than just starting over, it is learning to live more godly lives based off of all our ‘oops’ moments.  It isn’t just getting a fresh start.  It is getting an opportunity for a fresher life.  Learn from your mistakes.  Be intentional about doing better next time.  Say ‘thank you’ to God by saying more loving words; being gentler with your actions; having more awareness that God is sitting next to you; planning for a more godly future.

What can you do today that will make God’s headache a little less painful?  Go do it.  There is a good chance you’ll help someone else’s headache too.  And it might be mine.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

New Life on Opening Day

Hello Emmanuel,

Today isn’t a national holiday, but it is a local one.  The Reds start a new season, albeit without a super positive outlook.  Opening Day, however, is a day that I have always looked forward to, dating way back to my childhood when I would run home from school to catch the last 3 innings or so (skipping school was always a secret option of mine, but not one I dared to risk).

Baseball has always been a big part of my life.  The diamond was a sanctuary for me, of sorts.  It was a place I could escape all of life’s other complications.  To be able to only focus on the game was a breath of fresh air.  And ever since then, baseball has been a reminder of sanctuary.

The Easter season is a season of sanctuaries.  It starts with the empty tomb, a place where you can escape the grasp of death and hope for life.  However, Easter doesn’t stop at the tomb.  As stated in the current sermons series, hoping for life should turn into pursuing life.  Witnessing resurrection should turn into being resurrected, not for some future event, but starting right now.  Where is your sanctuary now?  And how are you taking advantage of new life in Christ?

There are many ways to live into resurrection.  We have already discussed community and spiritual wellbeing.  I invite you to attend throughout April as we discuss other areas of livelihood that, for some, need resurrection.  I invite you to come to Emmanuel’s sanctuary and focus on the Christ.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

P.S.  For anyone who may be interested, the Care Team is looking for someone to visit the Senior Blessings in April.  Contact Bonnie Honchel at 752-4052 or 259-6995.