Mysteries of God

First things first. A blessed and happy Memorial Day to you and yours. At the risk of offending my Confederate friends, let me share this quote from the Battle Hymn of the Republic: "As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free." For over two-hundred years, Americans have died so that Americans can live free. Thanks be to God for the men and women who have been willing to pay that price for their fellow man both here and abroad. If you are currently serving or have served in the past, God bless you for your faithful service. In the midst of our picnics and parties, may we in the United States never forget that the cost of our freedom lies buried in the ground.


Now, on to my new charge. I'm settling in to life as a parish pastor again. Thought the waiting over the past four years and more has been a strain on me and on my family, I cannot deny that God did me no disservice by waiting to return me to parish ministry until this congregation was available. The people of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Campbell Hill, Illinois, are a gift of God to me. Their love, their generosity, and their continual hunger for the Word remind me constantly of God's goodness. Keep your mega-churches, your congregations with $2 million in the bank, and every other temptation that claws at the souls of pastors. I am blessed to be where God has put me in this time and place. I have no desire to be or go anywhere else.