Mount of Olives Church

A few weeks ago, I was having dinner with my grown sons and before long, the conversation became playfully competitive as to who was better at what. As I began to interject my motherly encouragement to both of them, I was taken back in time to when they were little boys. It seemed that I was constantly saying things like, “Yes James, I see how high you can climb.” “Wow Kody, I see how far you can jump!” One day when they were about 6 and 8 years old, I found a wonderful book by Barbara Joosse called “I Love You the Purplest”. The mother in this story explains to her sons when they both strived to be number one in her heart, that she loved them differently, but not more or less than the other. She loved one the “bluest” and one the “reddest”. She loved her boys the “purplest”! Do you find yourself trying to prove your worth to your Heavenly Father, asking, “Do you see me God?” In Matthew 20:20, we read the story of the disciples James’ and John’s mother asking Jesus to favor her sons...

Planting Seeds Whenever we travel, Ken and I always pray that we will be good witnesses of our faith to all we encounter. Usually, it is not too difficult; our trip to the Holy Land was ripe with opportunities, and visits to cities of the apostle Paul found many opportunities to share the Word. However, this time we were going to Communist China, and we were warned in advance not to speak of politics or religion. We were on a two week land tour, and then we would board a riverboat for a five day cruise. The second morning in China, we were at breakfast with our tour group. One of the couples expressed disappointment they’d planned to renew their wedding vows on their 50th anniversary, but the riverboat captain had no authority to officiate. Ken was at the breakfast buffet, but I volunteered his services as a pastor. Knowing one of the other tour members was a music teacher, I asked if he’d be willing to sing the Lord’s Prayer. He was. By the time Ken returned from the buffet, we had p...

I often get asked about sharing our faith. We don’t want to be pushy, or preach or appear better than others. We don’t want to misrepresent God’s Word. I suggest thinking of a word which expresses the “value” of your faith. What does your faith do for you? Examples might be it provides: peace, assurance, hope, guidance, support, confidence, love, strength, etc. What is your word? What does your faith provide for you? This is something you can share with others. They cannot disagree with you and they may learn something by hearing you express it. You might be able to share a time when your faith was invaluable to you. That story is personally yours and others can benefit from it. You could even start a conversation by asking the other person what their faith or religion does for them. I was able to do this with my neighbor. After sharing my “word” and brief story, she commented she “did not have that in her life”. She was thinking deeply, and I shared she could have it as well. A seed ...

The other day on our morning walk in the neighborhood, our neighbor’s two little dogs were outside and heard us behind their fence. They started barking, making sure we knew they heard us passing by. It made me think of our two little guys, Maxwell, a 5lb. Yorkie and Samson an 11lb. Coton de Tulear, (a white long haired breed, hence the name Samson) who are now in “Doggy Heaven”. I was thinking of how much I missed them and was having doggy withdrawal with a heavy heart. I thought to myself, I’m going to just have to ask my neighbor if I can stop by for a few minutes to get some “puppy love”. Later that day, as we were heading out our front door, another neighbor several doors down was passing by with her little Yorkie that looked exactly like our Maxwell. She stopped and asked, “Aren’t you the ones who had a Yorkie just like mine?” Well that led us into a wonderful little conversation and I was given the opportunity to play with her Yorkie for several minutes, filling that little void...

Matthew 19:14 NIV Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.” The following, is a recap of a conversation our daughter, Christine, had with her oldest daughter, Amy, 11 years ago when she was only 6. "Mom, why are we Christians?" "Because we love Jesus." "But why did we decide to do that? Why are we Christians and not something else?" "Well, we're Christians because that's what our family has always been. Nana's mommy and daddy were Christians; so were Papa's. And so were their moms and dads, and all the moms and dads as far back as anyone can remember." "But why am I a Christian?" (O, challenging questions, how I love them...) "Well, there can be two parts to being a Christian. Sometimes the first part is because a mom and dad are Christians and so their kids are raised to be Christians, too. This is a big part of being ...

Being a servant – it’s one of the most neglected things in the contemporary church. In fact, there's a very apprehensive attitude in many people about the idea of being a servant. What does the Bible say about being a servant? First of all, servanthood is divine, and eternal. It didn't start with humanity, it started in God. It didn't start in time, it started in eternity. There are three persons in the Godhead: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And the Son is a servant of the Father, and the Spirit is a servant of the Son and the Father. Matthew 12:18 “Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased.” (This is God the Father speaking. Who was God’s servant? Jesus.) Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. (a sacrificial servant) Matthew 20:28 …just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to se...

Matthew 5:44-45 But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you will become children of your Father in heaven, because he makes his sun rise on both evil and good people, and he lets rain fall on the righteous and the unrighteous. Aren’t families interesting? Each has their own set of dynamics. They are built up of various individuals; each with a unique personality. Sometimes families have such a unique bond with one another that there are hardly ever any arguments or disruptions. Other times there can be so much discord, the family is broken apart. My brother’s family broke apart when he and his wife’s younger adult son decided to break away. Over the years, they had parented him and given their sage advice. In the last years of high school, they parented their son regarding his relationship with his girlfriend. They said she was no good for him, she would bring him down, and she was going to get pregnant and trap him into marriage. My nephe...

When I was a young boy, I went fishing with my family on the lakes of Minnesota. I learned to be patient, swat mosquitos and listen to “fish stories”. Another thing I learned was that sometimes fishermen use a very light line strength, as they consider it more sporting. A two-pound line will break if you hang anything over two pounds on it. The fascinating thing about a two-pound test line is that if you twist two of the two-pound lines together, they will hold five or six pounds; and if you twist three lines together they may hold twelve or more pounds. The strength is increased exponentially. What is true in the natural world, is true in the spiritual world. The natural world can inform us in the spiritual world. When we pray together in AGREEMENT (that is, are of one mind, in harmony), it is stronger and more powerful. Jesus illustrates this principle in the books of Matthew and Ecclesiastes. Matthew 18:19-20 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth ...

In the binge worthy TV show, “Friends”, there is this amazingly funny storyline that emerges when Rachel and Phoebe decide to go running together. Phoebe ties up her laces, and Rachel takes off ahead for her run. Then we see Phoebe run to catch up with Rachel in her “cross between Kermit the Frog and the Six Million Dollar Man” run as she yells, “Come on! That’s not running! Let’s go!” Rachel is so embarrassed by Phoebe’s childlike run that she makes excuses not to run with her anymore. Then while out for a secret run from Phoebe, Rachel is caught and confronted. Phoebe explains to Rachel the joy of running like a child, “I run like I did when I was a kid. Cause that’s the only way it's fun. Didn’t you ever run so fast you thought your legs were going to fall off? Like you were running towards the swings, or running away from Satan...the neighbor’s dog.” By the end of the episode, Rachel finally gives it a chance, and runs like a child through Central Park. Then with arms flailin...

The kiss of the sun for pardon The song of the birds for mirth One is nearer God’s Heart in a garden Than anywhere else on earth. By: Dorothy Frances Gurney In 2013, my mom passed away. Along with this garden poem, I received a beautiful plant. My mom was an avid gardener so this gift was extra special to me. Wanting it to survive, I kept it in the house. Unfortunately, the mother plant died a few years later, but before doing so, it created a sucker plant. So again, not wanting it to die, I transplanted, fertilized and kept it in the kitchen in a corner window; the best natural lighting in the house. Fast forward to 2019, the sucker had grown but was not a healthy plant. As a last resort, I placed it outside thinking it would enjoy its remaining time in nature. In April of 2020, I noticed the plant had perked up; it stood taller and the leaves were a deeper green. They were thicker in stock and bright red baby leaves were growing in the center. I was delighted. The plant looked like i...

A woman recently moved into a new neighborhood. Each morning, as she and her husband had breakfast, she would watch her neighbor hanging laundry on a clothesline in her backyard. She commented to her husband that the clothes did not look clean and suggested she might offer her neighbor a better laundry detergent. After a few days, the woman noticed her neighbor’s laundry appeared to be suddenly cleaner. She asked her husband if he had offered advice to the neighbor. He said, “No. I got up early this morning and washed our windows!” Our perception of others depends upon the purity of the window through which we view them. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: Matthew 7:3 ESV “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” It’s easy to become so preoccupied with what others are doing that we lose sight of viewing our world through the eyes of the Holy Spirit within us. Pray with me: Heavenly Father, please remind us daily...

Palm Sunday Matthew 21:1-11NRSV When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion, look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes i...

Perhaps you have heard the joke about the man who was asked by a pastor if he knew about the dangers of ignorance and indifference. He responded by saying, “I don’t know, and I don’t care.” Unfortunately, there are many people who actually live this out. It is one of the reasons people do not grow in their faith and get stuck in religion. They know the routine and the drill, yet they haven’t given any thought to what it all really means. They never study their Bibles and are content to have limited understanding. This attitude is lived out when all we do as religious people is sit in the pew and function as spectators. I remember a barber I had once. When I mentioned the plight of the homeless, he said, “I really don’t care.” I was stunned, but this is how many people think and live. Many in the church simply go through the motions, and that is where it all ends. This is not something new. The Lord Jesus confronted the same problem with the religious leaders of His day. Quoting from Is...

Matthew 16:13-18 RSV Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli′jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. This is one of the places in the New Testament where Jesus establishes His Church. There are several things to note in this text. Jesus asks His disciples who people think He is. They give Him the various opinions people had, and then He asks the more poignant and important question as to who they believe He is. Peter makes this strong confession of faith in ...

“Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths.” – Charles H. Spurgeon During this period, we have all found ourselves with more anxiety than normal. Worry and fear can get out of control and be a dominant force in our lives. We need to keep in mind what Charles Spurgeon is saying here; worry robs us of todays’ strength. Perhaps the best way to keep from having worry control our lives is to replace it with prayer. Every time we worry, we pray and give it to God. When the Lord Jesus was about to be arrested and taken to the cross, He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. As He went off a ways to pray privately, He asked the disciples to watch and pray. But when He returned, they had fallen asleep. This is what Jesus said next: Matthew 26:41 ESV “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” This was good advice – then and now. During this season of Lent, as we continue to face the ...

One of my favorite TV shows, back in the day, was Happy Days. It focused on Ritchie Cunningham and his friends in the 1950’s. It was an attempt to show what teens in Wisconsin were experiencing in the years following WWII. One of the great characters in the show was The Fonz, or Fonzie which was short for his given name of Arthur Fonzarelli (played by Henry Winkler, who I had the pleasure of spending time with once). He was not like the other friends of Ritchie’s. Most of Ritchie’s friends were going to high school and having a good time. But Fonzie didn’t really go to school. He rode a motorcycle and was interested in girls, and they were very interested in him. Ritchie and his friends would often go to Fonzie for advice and he would say, “step into my office,” which was the bathroom at the diner where they all hung out. Fonzie had a unique problem because he could never admit when he was wrong. At least, he could never say the actual words. Instead, he would say, “I was wrr….I was wr...

Saturday, February 13, 2021 Dr. Billy Graham said, “We are rich in the things that perish, but poor in the things of the spirit. We are rich in gadgets, but poor in faith. We are rich in goods, but poor in grace. We are rich in know-how, but poor in character. We are rich in words, but poor in deeds.” In these days, we have had an opportunity to examine our values and priorities. In many respects, we have been forced to consider what is important and what is not. We have been driven to think about what our priorities should be. And as we do, the foundation needs to be God’s values and priorities, because if not, we will continue to drift and be misdirected. Matthew 5:6 ESV “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Pray with me: Heavenly Father, in a world which has lost its way, we need Your guidance. Help us to use this period in our lives to consider Your priorities and values. Give us a “hunger and thirst for righteousness”, for only ...

"Leadership is influence." - Pastor John Maxwell Many people never think of themselves as being leaders. They see leadership as a process where someone is chosen to be a leader. As a result, they rarely take action and see themselves as followers of those who have been designated as leaders. I would take this statement to its next step and say everyone has some level of influence on someone else. Therefore, everyone is a leader. So, what are we going to do with our influence and leadership of others? My prayer is we would use it for a Christ-centered purpose. Too many of us remain silent with others when it comes to our faith. We say things like “my lifestyle is my witness” or “it is a private matter”. So let’s examine these two outlooks for a moment. When we say our lifestyle is our witness for Christ, we need to remember people might see the good things we do, but they might also see the sin and brokenness in our lives. Isn’t this why so many people say they won’t go to chu...

Throughout my life, I have witnessed many expressions of faith and religion. I have worshiped on occasion in a variety of churches. From Presbyterian to Assemblies of God, I have seen their services. When I was in middle school, I attended the bar mitzvah of some of my friends at their Jewish synagogue. I have seen people healed of brain tumors and other challenging illnesses. I have seen people “slain in the spirit” which is when they pass out and fall backwards to the floor. I have heard people speak in tongues and watched others prophesy. I was brought up a Lutheran and, am now an ordained Lutheran pastor of many years. Torild and I have traveled to many places in the world, learning more about issues of faith. The reason I bring all this up is because over the last several years, I have been thinking about the deepest spiritual experiences someone can have. Is it speaking in tongues? Is it meditative prayer? After faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, I believe the deepest experience is...

Yo-Yo Ma, one of the most famous cellists in our day, once said, "When people ask me how they should approach performance, I always tell them that the professional musician should aspire to the state of the beginner. In order to become a professional," he says, "you need to go through years of training. You get criticized by all your teachers, and you worry about all the critics. You are constantly being judged. But if you get onstage and all you think about is what the critics are going to say, if all you are doing is worrying, then you will play terribly. You will be tight, and it will be a bad concert. Instead," Ma says, "one needs to constantly remind oneself to play with the abandon of the child who is just learning the cello." (Jonah Lehrer, Imagine, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012, pp. 110-111.) There is a great amount of truth here. Too many times, “we can’t get out of our own way”. By that, I mean our pride and arrogance get in the way of being al...