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Where Have You Seen God?

January 11, 2012 in Faith, God Moments, Receptivity of God with 0 Comments

It is a question that I ask my congregation every week at the beginning of our worship service. The question becomes a moment when people can share experiences that have happened throughout the week or weeks in which they have seen God active in their lives.

After asking this question for over a year and a half, Bethlehem, a small worshipping community with about 30 in attendance each week, is at the point were just about every week there are multiple stories, experiences, moments, joys and sometimes sorrows that are shared. Some of these are short, just a brief sentence. Some are long drawn out stories that took place over weeks or months. Some are personal experiences. Some are references to things seen or read about online or in the local news. Some are full of emotions, with the teller and many listeners on the verge of tears. Some are full of laughter. And yet each story is a way that a person has experienced God.

I have been asked to share with you, the Lutheran Grilled Cheese community, how this tradition and spiritual practice has developed, how Bethlehem and myself have struggled with this question and how this question “Where have you seen God?” has changed our faith lives. And I hope to challenge you and guide you as you take on this practice of asking yourself to identify where God is working in your lives over the next few months.

But first is all starts with asking the question: Where have you seen God?

Happy Epiphany

January 6, 2012 in Faith, Holy Humor with 0 Comments

Matthew 2:8
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

Are you Ready for Epiphany?

January 5, 2012 in Faith, Receptivity of God with 0 Comments

Are you ready for Epiphany?

Do you know the story of the wise men’s visit to Jesus?

I gave a quiz to my adult Bible study last month about the Christmas story to “test” their knowledge of the actual Biblical account of Jesus’ birth. One of the questions asked was “how many magi (wise men) visited Jesus?” Almost everyone said “three.” However, there is no indication in scripture of how many wise men actually visited Jesus. Also to the surprise of many of them, the wise men (however many there were) did not come to visit Jesus the night he was born. Their visit could have happened anywhere between one week and two years after Jesus’ birth.

Regardless of how many wise men came or when they actually came, what I have been thinking about this Epiphany is my journey with Jesus. The question I have been asking myself is, how do I see the light and how am I following it?

I love the season of Epiphany because of its focus on light. The star that the wise men follow symbolizes a new light in the world – Jesus Christ. They journey for days, weeks or even months to follow that light until they come upon the Christ Child.

I feel fortunate because since before I can remember my journey of faith has been an “easy” one. There have been times in my life when I have questioned what I believed. But I don’t ever remember questioning the existence of God – but my basic theological beliefs. I have been a “church going” person my whole life. I went to church while I was in college and I was very active in a religious group on campus.
Continue Reading…

Advent in 2 Minuets

November 30, 2011 in Faith with 0 Comments

An Unexpected Communion

October 24, 2011 in Community, Faith, Receptivity of God with 0 Comments

This is a guest post by Johanna Johnson. She is a newly ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She currently serves St. Martin Lutheran Church and Bethlehem Lutheran Church in the Upstate New York Synod. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Having just taken on the pastorate for two congregations, I have been busy trying to acquaint myself with two very different congregations. One of the important tasks, of course, is to visit the shut-ins, who would like to meet their new pastor but are unable to come to church to do it. I diligently began this last week, visiting a handful of people in assisted living homes in the greater Rochester area.

One of my first was to a man about whom I knew nothing but his name, Larry. As I walked into the large building, confidently sporting my clerical collar, a man was walking out. He was wearing old jeans and ragged green sweatshirt, and the man, who looked to be about in his 60s, looked as if he had walked some tough roads. “Are you preachin’?” he asked, his speech slightly slurred. I said no, not today, I was bringing communion to someone. He asked if I was from the church down the street, and I explained that I was from a Lutheran church in another suburb. “Lutheran!” he said. “I grew up Lutheran! Baptized, confirmed, and went to church every Sunday and Wednesday!” We chatted about that for a while, before he grew tired of the conversation and went on his way. But as I went in and met Larry, the man came back. “I have to tell you something!” he said, with urgency. “When you lock your car, when it’s in your garage and you lock your doors, you’re locking Jesus out of your life.” No sure how to respond to this, I muttered, “Oh…” and thanked him for offering me this advice. We parted ways once again.

As Larry and I found seats in a common area, and I began to get to know him, I also began to wonder what this place was. I had expected senior living, but everyone I saw looked middle-aged or younger, and each one seemed to carry a burden of some sort. Larry was pleasant enough, but slurred his speech, and couldn’t seem to finish the same sentence he started. I wondered if this was a rehab center, or perhaps a home for mentally ill adults. (I later learned it was the latter.) Whatever the case, these were adults who were not readily accepted by the general population. They were the outcasts, the people you avoid on the street, the folks with whom you avoid making eye contact. Being there in the midst of them, my heart felt a deep need to love them.

Larry had requested that I bring him communion, and so as the visit neared an end, I started to set this up. Lo and behold, my Lutheran friend wandered back into the room at that moment and headed for our table. I asked if he would like to join us. “Yes,” he said, and sat down. I was moved that both of these men, whom I later learned were mentally ill, knew the liturgy! They crossed themselves at the appropriate times, they said the right responses, they prayed the Lord’s Prayer – this clearly meant something to them. When I asked if they would like to hear some Scripture, the man who joined us asked if he could read and talk about the text. Of course, I said, and he read something from Revelation, and talked about what he believed God to be saying in this word. I then read something from Philippians, and he read something from Psalms. This man was on fire for the Word of God! Finally, it came time to share the sacrament, and I looked them each in the eye as I said, “The body of Christ, given for you. The blood of Christ, shed for you.” If I had met these men on the street, I don’t know that I would have looked twice at them. And yet here we were, strangers-turned-friends, sharing together in the most sacred experience that Christians share together. “For you.” Christ died “for you.” This meal is “for you.” God’s love is “for you.” The deep need I had felt earlier to love these men and the others I saw in the facility was realized in that moment – by the love of God in this sacrament, I did love them.

Angry Birds and Faith

October 21, 2011 in Faith, Receptivity of God with 0 Comments

I love Angry Birds. This past summer I took my iphone to the Apple Store because of a faulty volume switch. Even though I was eleven days out of warranty they gave me a new phone, which was great! However, all of the work I have done on my games the previous year were gone, including getting three stars on every level in Angry Birds. I spent hours upon hours flinging different color birds at wood, ice, stone, and green pigs to reach the ultimate .

Trying to regain my Angry Birds Crown I have played Angry Birds starting from level one. I have learned important faith lessons. Here are three important faith lessons on how Angry Birds has helped me become a better follower of Jesus.

1. The Levels are always the same

Like the books of the Bible the levels on Angry Birds are always the same. However, every time I play a level I learn something news about it — just like when I read the Bible. I can read 1 Timothy 4: 12 ”Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” and I can interpret that passage many ways, it all depends on where I am at in my life, what I am thinking about, what I am reading and what my view on the world is currently. On Angry Birds, I see different levels a different way every time I play. There is a different angle I can use with my yellow bird – or I can use the black bird another way. But John 3: 16 is always going to be John 3:16 no matter how I look at it and Angry Birds 3-16 is always going to be

2. I need to seek help when I get stuck

I have gotten stuck many times playing Angry Birds. Sometimes I feel lucky to get even one star on a level!! When I get stuck I have tried to look up hints online or through another app. Continue Reading…

Saint Steve (Jobs)

October 19, 2011 in Faith, Receptivity of God with 0 Comments

There has been lots of talk about Steve Jobs and the effect he has had on technology and on everyday life. I know since getting my iphone my life has been changed (for the better). Sociologist Gerardo Marti, who has studied the emerging church movement, weighs in on the influence of Steve Jobs on the world which I think all church leaders should think about:

Over time I have seen how Steve Jobs became the patron saint of non-denominational church leaders who value creativity, technology and persistent vision. Jobs accomplished what few are able to do: connect with everyday lives, enrich people’s aesthetics with evidence of beauty, and offer tools for exercising personal gifts and talent. Jobs had a single-minded vision for the varied media he designed, making complicated technology supremely accessible and — more importantly — desirable. People wanted what he had to sell. He promoted his own genius while striving to bring out the genius of others. And his dedication to his vision was a testimony to unrelenting pursuit of promoting personal standards in the service of others.

For the rest of Marti’s article click here.

Losing Faith in the NFL

September 28, 2011 in Faith, Receptivity of God, Soul Munchies with 0 Comments

On October 9, 1977 running back Herb Lusk took a pitch from quarter back Ron Jaworski, Lusk headed around the left end and ran 70 yards to the end zone for a fourth-quarter touchdown. Four steps over the goal line the Philadelphia Eagles’ running back dropped to his left knee and bowed his head in prayer. A few seconds later, he stood back up and returned to the sideline. What may seem like a common action among today’s players, Herb Lusk was the first NFL player to do something like this and since then it has turned into a staple for many players in the NFL as well as other sports.

Whether it be a pitcher pointing skyward after a save, a hitter offering thanks to a higher power after a home run, or a basketball team joining for a prayer at mid-court after a game, giving God thanks after a play is common among professional players.

Faith has been practiced among players and teams long before Lusk kneeled in prayer in Giants stadium. Many players and teams conducted prayer before and after games, but all of that was out of the public eye.

Fast forward to 2011 — we are seeing more and more players show the public side of their faith, but has the public lost the ability to have faith in the game itself?

It surprised and shocked me when I turned on the news this past summer and heard both the owners of the teams and the players could not agree on the financial terms of the game and therefore they were locked out. As someone who does not make a million dollars a year, I was appalled at the actions I witnessed, and I started to lose faith in the NFL.

I realized I was not the only one, I had people ask me about the activity of God in the lockout. What do you think God would say about the lockout? someone asked me. I paused and really thought about the question.

To read more about this post and my reaction to the question check it out on Soul Munchies Blog

The 500th Post

September 17, 2011 in Community, Faith with 0 Comments

The 500th post

In the world of the blogger there are certain milestones…..500th post, 100th comment, 1,000,000 views just to name a few. Out of all the milestones a blogger wants their 500th post to be special, to hold some meaning. We want to be able to take the time and look back and talk about all the things that we have learned and then look forward to another 500 posts.

With this 500th post I would like to tell you one very important lesson I have learned and I would like to tell you the future of blogging for me.

Learnings

First the one thing that I have learned is as much as I enjoy blogging, what I enjoy even more is the idea of community. I want Lutheran Grilled Cheese to be more than just me sharing about my life, I want others to share, to be active and to engage on this blog. I want other voices besides my sharing stories about how God is creating wonderful life-giving moments and how people’s faith does not only happen on a Sunday morning but how everyday we are making life connections.

With that being said I am in the process of recruiting some new writers and contributors on Lutheran Grilled Cheese. If you read this regularly and would like to contribute then let me know and I will let you know how. I have some great ideas about some blog series and I am brainstorming ways to create a fantastic, meaningful Grilled Cheese Community.

I have learned so much about myself and about blogging over the years. Much of that has come from other bloggers and I thank you for your advice, and companionship. Some of the “celebrity” bloggers that I have learned from and been inspired by are TentBlogger, Ragamuffin Soul, Without Wax and Michael Hyatt who are maters at their craft. They have wonderful advice about blogging, life and leadership. There are also some wonderful people who I have met who have encouraged and inspired me over the years. Their blogs have kept me going when I have lost motivation and I would not be doing what I am doing if it was not for them. These are BibleDude.net, Soul Munchies, Sarcastic Lutheran , The Lutheran Zephyr , Adventures of the Called , and Pastor Keith Anderson just to name a few.

The Future

The future looks bright for Lutheran Grilled Cheese. There are some great people who will be joining the leadership of the community and I am excited about that. I know that God has created in me a need to be a part of something that is bigger than me and for that to be in the form of a community. So as much as I have enjoyed Lutheran Grilled Cheese to be about me and what I am doing, I am excited to have others join me on this adventure.

Therefore, I have split my blogging up a bit. I have taken my oldest posts and I have moved them over to a new site. I have left the newer posts over at LGC. The new site that I created is called Pastor Joe McGarry. It is at this site where I will focus the majority of content on my life and share more of my personal thoughts, I will also post my sermons on as well as share a funny video now and then. That way I can focus LGC more on what I created it for, God Moments and Life Connections.

For the next several months I will be posting content on both sites, but moving into the future I will be separating the content. So if you have not already I ask that you subscribe to both feeds: Lutheran Grilled Cheese and Pastor Joe McGarry.

Thank you for your support during my time blogging and I look forward to interacting with you more on a deeper level.

Changing Views

September 14, 2011 in Community, Faith, Family, Receptivity of God with 0 Comments

Recently I was able to spend a week at my favorite place on Earth, Camp Calumet.

My time there was at the end of our family vacation and I was able to relax and enjoy the experience completely.

I realized a few things while I was on the trip. First , I need to take a vacation more often. For the first time in my pastoral ministry I was able to take a real vacation. I was away from the church long enough to clear my head and focus on my family and friends.

Second, I love my friends. I have been blessed with so many great friends and they are there to love and nurture me both personally and professionally. During my time away I was able to talk about all the things that I have been thinking about for awhile and I was able to get advice and comfort.

Third, I realized how Camp Calumet has changed for me over the years……

When I was eight…

Calumet was about meeting new friends, it was about camp-wide games, it was about “the dance”, it was about staying up late and sleeping in my sleeping bag.

When I was sixteen….

Calumet was about spending my summers at camp, it was about meeting up with my friends every summer, it was about the Boys Junior end, it was about pranks, it was about girls, it was about the campers, it was about days off, it was about mandatory fun, it was about arts and crafts.

When I was twenty-two……

Calumet was about PUDDLE, it was about double days off, it was about friends, it was about girls, it was about the campers, it was about being on the year round staff, it was about Calumet in the Winter, it was about Campfires on the beach, it was about the quietness of camp, it was about the guests, it was about hanging out with my friends all weekend, it was about the Whitter House, it was about Rosies.

When I was twenty-eight……

Calumet was about the value of all I have experienced, it was about memories and good times, it was about the friendships I developed, it was about the occasional visits with my family, it was about Rosies, it was about visiting North Conway, it was about introducing Calumet to anyone and everyone.

Now that I am thirty-three…..

Calumet is about occasionally being the Chaplain, it is about Indian Food, it is about Summer Finale Week, it is about my kids having fun, it is about Rosies, it is about the Staff House, it is about Lake Ossipee, it is about spending time with my best friends, it is about deeply connecting with a God who is always with me but most present when I am connecting all aspects of Calumet for me.

I have enjoyed all aspects of Calumet for me and I know that as I continue in my Relationship with this wonderful place its meaning will continue to evolve.