2004 Pontiac Sunfire

A 2004 Pontiac Sunfire has been added to the family fleet. The new ol green! Henry will drive a 2004 Dodge Neon, Lydia will drive a 2001 Dodge Neon, Tammy gets the 2005 Chrysler Town and Country. [And they're all paid for!]

Ol Green was a 1995 Dodge Spirit that I drove before both kids drove it to high school. Previous owners were three nuns from Convoy, OH. Ol Green once had to stop for a herd of deer. Missed the first two - the third - Bamby's brother Bubba - plowed right into the driver's side. Ol Green was so tough we didn't even need to get him fixed! Ol Green was sold for $500 after we put 180K miles. Now he's someone's beater work car.

Time in the Word Pentecost 8 - Proper 12

In the lessons for this coming Sunday God’s promises are given and the Lord remembers those promises while man might not. The Lord promises Noah and his family that He will never again destroy the earth by a flood. In the Epistle lesson Paul thanks the Lord for the richness of grace which the Lord has established in Christ. In the Gospel Christ comes walking to His frightened disciples on the sea. They do not recognize Him because of fear and hardness of heart. The sermon hymn reminds us that it is the Lord Himself that orders our days. Faith calls for us to recognize the Lord working in our life especially when we can not see His hand at work. God will not abandon us to the world we create for ourselves. God does not withdraw to a contamination-free zone and leave us to get on with it, but enters into the darkness, seriousness and consequences of human wrong-doing … in order to save us.

Collect for Proper 12 –Almighty and most merciful God, the protector of all who trust in You, strengthen our faith and give us courage to believe that in Your love You will rescue us from all adversities; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. . Amen

Monday, 20 July 2009—Psalm 145:1-3, 6-7, Antiphon, Psalm 145:5. On the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. This is a hymn summarizing the characteristics of God. It is in acrostic form, making it easy to memorize: each verse in Hebrew begins with a successive letter of the alphabet. Vv. 1-3 are the psalmist’s personal expression of praise. In v. 4, he expands to speaking of descendants, of passing on knowledge and experience of God. God is known for his “wondrous works” (v. 5). In vv. 8-20, he expands still further, to “all people” (v. 12). Vv. 8-9 mention his love, vv. 10-13a his kingship over all, vv. 14-20 of his care of all in need. Responsiveness to his call brings protection (v. 20a) but those who oppose his ways will be destroyed. Finally, v. 21 combines the personal commitment to God with that of “all flesh”.

Tuesday, 21 July 2009—Psalm136:1-9; key verse v26— The phrase “the God of heaven” (v.26) is a Persian title for God found frequently in Ezra, Nehemiah and Daniel. The Psalm is a liturgy of praise to the Lord as Creator and as Israel’s Redeemer. Its theme and many of its verses parallel much of Psalm 135. Most likely a Levitical song leader led the recital which the choir or worshipers responded with the refrain. The Psalm recounts God’s mighty acts as the psalmist devotes six verse to God’s creation acts (Vv.1-3) six to His deliverance of Israel out of Egypt (Vv.10-15) one to the desert journey (v. 16) and six to the conquest (Vv.17-22) The four concluding verses return to the same basic themes in reverse order; God’s action in history ion behalf of His people (Vv.23-24), God’s action in the creation order (v.25) and a closing call to praise (v.26).

Wednesday, 22 July 2009— Genesis 9:8-17— We need to recognize the reality and depth of human resistance to God. That is seen in killing Jesus. What we call “sin” is not just the naughty things we do that make the tabloid headlines. Sin can be deadly and destructive. It has consequences. And it offends. There is a deep seriousness to human wrong-doing – sin – that means that consequences cannot simply be bypassed.

We can either turn away from them, or we can wrestle with them. Here we see God’s refusal to be marginalized. The next time instead of destroying the world through a flood He will turn His wrath on His own Son.

Thursday, 23 July 2009—Ephesians 3:14-21 — This section of the letter offers a bit of relief from the heavy theological portions that have been read up to this point. It presents a moment of tenderness, in which the author speaks directly to his readers about his care for them. He speaks of his prayer for his readers, which he does on bended knee. Paul, like other apostles, had been entrusted with revelation by the Spirit. Specifically, it had been revealed to him that Gentiles, who receive the gospel in faith, are fellow heirs of the promises of God. They too are members of the body of Christ, and therefore they have access to God. "For this reason," the author prays that his readers may be strengthened in spiritual power, love, and knowledge.

Friday, 24 July 2009—Mark 6:45-56 —In Mark 1:16-20 when Jesus called Simon, Andrew, James, and John without any apparent previous knowledge of Jesus, they left everything immediately and followed him. What had they recognized in Jesus? It is remarkable that none of the gospels provide a physical description of Jesus. We will never be able to pin him down by virtue of his appearance. Rather, we will always have to recognize Jesus for who He is and what He does. It is more than the miracles and healings Jesus performed or the things he taught. It may actually take the gift of faith to recognize the one who died on the cross as the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world.

Saturday, 25 July 2009—Psalm 37:5 - Sunday’s hymn of the Day Entrust Your Days and Burdens, (LSB 754). In the midst of our busy and hurried lives it is easy to loose sight that it is the Lord who orders our days and directs our path. Thus the hymn writer will remind us, “For He who guides the tempests along their thunderous ways will find for you a pathway and guide you all your days.” Place you confidence in Him. He can be trusted at His word. We can rely on Him as we recall what He has done.

Collect for Pentecost 8— O almighty and most merciful God, of Your bountiful goodness keep us, we pray, from all things that may hurt us that we, being ready in both body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish whatever things You want done; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen

Prayer in time of affliction and distress: Almighty and most merciful God, in this earthly life we endure sufferings and death before we enter into eternal glory. Grant us grace at all times to subject ourselves to Your holy will and to continue steadfast in the true faith to the end of our lives that we may know the peace and joy of the blessed hope of the resurrection of the dead and of the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.


Prayer for Home and Family: Visit, we implore You, O Lord, the homes in which Your people dwell, and keep far from them all harm and danger. Grant us to dwell together in peace under the protection of Your holy angels, and may Your blessing be with us forever; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Prayer the Unemployed: Heavenly Father, we remember before You, those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of work. Lead us so to use the wealth and resources of this rich land that all persons may find suitable and fulfilling employment and receive just payment for their labor; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Pray for Peace: O God, whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world simply cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being def3ended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.

Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 and Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House and from Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House.
Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcut used with permission from WELS
The Text This Week can be found at http://www.textweek.com/scripture.htm

More news from Urbania, Italy

Lydia's been hard at work studying Italian, vocal training, and doing opera. This weekend she traveled to Pesaro the birthplace of Rossini which is on the Adriatic Sea. It's been hot there all week - 104 degrees! We can IM her @ 6:30 am here which is 12:30 pm there. She has three weeks left then it'll be time to pack up her things and move back to school.

Pentecost 7 - Proper 11

The apostles gathered round Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught.

We think of the first Christians as apostles, men sent to preach by Christ Jesus. In our Gospel Mark makes the only mention of the disciples as apostles. Jesus had sent them out two by two on a preaching – healing mission and now they return to report back to Him.

There were only a small select number of persons chosen to be called to be apostles. Yet, as a redeemed child of God you have been selected sent by Him who has redeemed you to witness and serve in His name.

1. You are sent by Christ.
A. He has commissioned His church to bear witness for Him.
B. Our marching orders are simple and direct – to make disciples of the nations.
1. By Baptizing
2. By teaching all that He has commanded

2. You can witness to God’s love in Christ.

A. The early disciples would simply say, “we are witnesses of these things.”
B. You have been called to give testimony of what Christ has done in your life. Nathanael said to him, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see.”[1]

3. You can serve others in Christ’s name.
A. ‘Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these my brothers you have done it unto Me.”[2]
B. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward.[3]

You have been given a high, high calling. Sent forth by the Savior you bear witness of His love as you serve others in His name. By any other name it’s still the same – if you are a Christian you are a sermon in shoes.




[1] John 1:46
[2] Matthew 25:40
[3] Matthew 10:42

Today in history...

On July 17, 2007 the Dow rose above 14,000 points - a record high - [it closed today at 8743.94 up 32.12 -On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama was sworn into office as the 44th president of the United States. On that day the Dow closed at 7943. The Dow's lowest was on March 9, 2009 when it closed at 6,594.]

That night over two inches of rain fell across the Hoosier heartland sending relief to the region which was experiencing drought-like conditions. [got an inch last night...] That same evening, debate began on the floor of the Senate calling for US troops to return home from war-torn Iraq. The nation was divided over the president’s policies while rumors of terrorist attacks on US soil began to intensify. The cost of a gallon of regular blend gasoline had risen to over $3.25 earlier in the year. Purdue University welcomed a new President (the day before) - France Cordova - who had been chancellor of the University of California-Riverside. Cordova is the first woman to lead Purdue since its founding in 1869. Meanwhile, Indiana announced on March 1 that Michael McRobbie would become its 19th President effective July 1st Prior to being named president he served as interim provost of the Bloomington campus. An Australian national, McRobbie had been on the Bloomington campus since 1997

The Eagle has Landed!

40 years ago this weekend America landed on the moon. Quite an amazing feat if you think about it. It defines us as Americans in some respects. JFK said "let's put a man on the moon by the end of this decade..." and we did it! Think of all of the items that have been developed over the years because of our venture into space - everything from velcro, to tang, to plastics, to that new ComforPedic mattress you may sleep on. I once read a study which stated that for every dollar invested in NASSA we receive $15 back in goods and services. Not a bad return on your money. True, there might be some things going wrong in our country but this weekend is a time to reflect on how far we have advanced, what we have been able to accomplish and the opportunities that are before us. Let's set our sights on Mars!

First image taken at the Indiana - Indiana State football game at Memorial Stadium September 1, 2007. Second image taken at the Indiana - Murray State football game at Memorial Stadium September 6, 2008. Both images found at Inside Indiana at peegs.com

Time in the Word - Pentecost 7 Proper 11

In the lessons for this coming Sunday several themes can be seen: that nature of a good shepherd, the functions of a good shepherd, and the togetherness of God’s people through a Davidic king, Christ, and the church. The last is suggested as the theme – togetherness. Jesus in the Gospel takes His disciples, who just returned from their preaching-healing mission, on a retreat. Jeremiah in the Old Testament lesson explains that the exile was due to false shepherds and the scattered sheep will be brought back to Israel under a Davidic king. Jew and Gentile (in the Epistle lesson) are made one through the blood of Christ and their oneness in the church. The Psalm’s refrain, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me…” reminds us of the Gospel – “He had compassion on them.” The Hymn of the Day sings of Jesus who is the center of the church’s life and the foundation on which we build.

Collect for Proper 11 – Heavenly Father, though we do not deserve Your goodness, still You provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may acknowledge Your gifts, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen

Monday, 13 July 2009—Psalm 147:7-11, Antiphon, Psalm 145:16— You open Your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing. Jesus sets the table. Jesus supplies all that we may ever need. The Lord is faithful. We will never be in need. He has promised to supply our daily wants and desires. Daily tells how much God should give us, enough for the day. We do not ask God that He give us now what we need in years to come, but it is sufficient if we get what we need each day.

Tuesday, 14 July 2009—Psalm 23; key verse v.6— Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever... Goodness and mercy both refer to the benefits of being a child of God, namely that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The Hebrew for this word suggests”throughout the years”. Because of the relationship with have with Jesus Christ we will live and reign with Him throughout all eternity. What a comfort it is to have a relationship with our Lord and Savior.

Wednesday, 15 July 2009—Jeremiah 23:1-6— Restoration. Exiles together under a Davidic king. Under new shepherds, God will return His people from captivity, and so a Davidic king will reign. In this passage Jeremiah predicts that because of false shepherds (rulers) the people will go into captivity. This happened in Jeremiah’s lifetime (586 BC) when the Jews were deported to Babylon. Jeremiah goes on to promises that God will raise up true shepherds who will bring back the exiles. In fact, there is to come a Davidic king who will rule with justice and righteousness. Under this Davidic ruler Israel will be restored as a nation.

Thursday, 16 July 2009—Ephesians 2:11-22— Reunion. Jews and Gentile together in Christ. Christ has made us one in God and in the church. The heart of Ephesians is in this passage. In Vv. 13-18 we learn of the peace Christ grained between Jew and Gentile. Vv. 19-22 spell out the consequences of that peace. In the person of Christ and His cross, Jew and Gentile are made one. Christ died for both, and they are one in Christ by faith. Thus, they have a oneness in Christ, oneness with God and with each other. Christ’s death has removed the hostility and cancelled the law which separated Jew from Gentile. The two are now one in the church. The practical result is that Gentiles are no longer aliens but members of God’s family.

Friday, 17 July 2009—Mark 6:30-44 — Retreat. Christ and the disciples together. Jesus takes His disciples to a lonely place for rest and teaches the crowd that gathers. This lesson combines the conclusion dealing with the sending out of the disciples and the introduction to the feeding of the five thousand. The disciples return from their preaching journey and are exhausted. People with needs throng around them so that they do not get any rest. Jesus takes them in a boat to a secluded spot that they may rest and be apart from the crowd. But the people will not let them alone. When the boat comes to shore, the people are waiting for them. Seeing the crowd, Jesus expresses compassion for them because they are as sheep without a shepherd. Before Jesus gives them physical bread, he gives them spiritual food by teaching them.

This is the only time Mark refers to the Twelve as “apostles.” It is an appropriate name; for they had just returned form a preaching-healing mission. An apostle is one who is sent forth by Christ.

Seeing the multitudes might have angered Jesus. He was taking the disciples apart for a retreat so sorely needed. He could have become impatient and told the people to scram. His reaction reveals His heart – compassion. He felt sorry for them because they were in desperate need. He has the heart of God, the God of love. Because of His compassion, Jesus cares about people.

Saturday, 18 July 2009— Ephesians 2:20 - Sunday’s hymn of the day, The Church’s One Foundation (LSB 644). Paul pictures a house when he speaks of the structure of the church. The foundation is solid as the church is based on the Old and New Testaments the prophets and the apostles. The tested stone on which the church rests is Christ on which everything centers around. With such a structure the church moves forward victoriously.

Collect for Pentecost 7—Grant, Lord, that the course of this world may be so governed by Your direction that Your church may rejoice in serving You in godly peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen

Prayer in time of affliction and distress: Almighty and most merciful God, in this earthly life we endure sufferings and death before we enter into eternal glory. Grant us grace at all times to subject ourselves to Your holy will and to continue steadfast in the true faith to the end of our lives that we may know the peace and joy of the blessed hope of the resurrection of the dead and of the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for Home and Family: Visit, we implore You, O Lord, the homes in which Your people dwell, and keep far from them all harm and danger. Grant us to dwell together in peace under the protection of Your holy angels, and may Your blessing be with us forever; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer the Unemployed: Heavenly Father, we remember before You, those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of work. Lead us so to use the wealth and resources of this rich land that all persons may find suitable and fulfilling employment and receive just payment for their labor; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Pray for Peace: O God, whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world simply cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being def3ended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.

Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 and Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House and from Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House.
Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcut used with permission from WELS
Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series B – John Brokhoff © 1981 CSS Publishing, Lima, OH