Lutheran Grilled Cheese | God Moments Life Connections of a Lutheran Pastor

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…

Facebook, Faith and Change

October 20, 2011 in Soul Munchies with 0 Comments

We are creatures of habit.

Throughout the week we wake up at the same time (even if we don’t want too), shop at the same stores, drive the same way to work and plan the same things to eat over and over again. When something disrupts our routines we may find ourselves feeling “out of wack” and more than ever we want to go back to the way things were — or our routine.

This type of longing stretches far more than wanting to have Grilled Cheese and Tomato soup every Monday. In our faith life we have our set ways. We may say the same prayer before every meal and before bed time, we go to the same church, sing the same songs and if someone sits in the pew we sit in every single Sunday…..well look out!

Another thing we do not want changed is Facebook. The past several months there have been a number of changes to Facebook and every time there is a change I have hundreds of friends posting complaints, wishing things went back to the way things were. I am sure if pressed — most people don’t even remember how Facebook “used” to be when they first signed up. But there is change, and no one likes change.

To read the rest of this post please visit Soul Munchies.

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.

Tuesday Thoughts

October 18, 2011 in Blog Series, Community with 0 Comments

'Monarch Butterfly' photo (c) 2008, Sids1 - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

{This is a part of a series called Tuesday Thoughts}

God Moments

Getting back to blogging has been great! It is a great outlet for me and I hope it inspires you in your faith.
Sunday my daughter learned about Jesus loving her and a conversation with her Sunday School teacher went like this: “Addyson who loves you?” she replies “Daddy!!” Her Sunday School teacher said “Yes who else J- J -J” and she said “Joe!” Close enough…..
We are in the midst of stewardship time at St. Mark’s. Most people hate it because we are talking about money in church. I enjoy it because we talk about mission and vision for the congregation.

Life Connections

I have been lucky enough to spend time with some great friends!! Between vacation back in September and recently with some others– it helps feed my soul.
I am very excited to have some friends visit in November!
I love the Sing-Off
Speaking of TV Person of Interest is my new favorite Show.

No Mercy

October 17, 2011 in Health with 0 Comments

'Bench Press' photo (c) 2007, Usodesita - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

I have written about my weight problems and my desire to lose weight before. In my attempt to run/walk 100 miles this summer I came out of it with about 40 miles. Granted, they were 40 miles that I did not do before, and I most likely would not of done it if I did not challenge myself. However, I was not really tracking my food intake as well and between it being summer time and my lack of a food plan I did not really lose any weight. After spending lots of time thinking about it, talking with my wife about it and praying about it I have decided to get outside help.

About a year ago I participated in the first Baldwinsville Health Fair sponsored by the Baldwinsville Chamber of Commerce. During this time I met Nikolai Anatoli who is the founder and owner of No Mercy Fitness. Nikolai had a great discussion about health and about spiritual matters. When thinking about what outside help I could seek out in helping me achieve my health goals I remember how passionate Nikolai was in helping people achieve their goals of health and wellness, so I gave him a call.

In our hour conversation I talked with Nikolai about my life and my struggles with weight. I told him what I have done in the past, some of the things that have showed me success and the things that have held me back. He told me about himself, how he is a lifelong resident of Central New York. He talked about his time in the army working in the food service area and how he strove to provide the best tasting, nutritious meals for the soldiers.

I got a real sense that I will not be a number for Nikolai, I am a project for him and his staff. He truly cares about my success and he is risking himself and his reputation in my success. Now I am not putting more pressure on myself for him, I am entrusting myself into his care and what I am doing is dedicating myself to follow his outline for my training.

This will be my first blog series at my new site Pastor Joe McGarry. So if you would like to journey with me on this process subscribe to that site. To hear Nikolai for yourself enjoy this video

Bullying: Ancient Problem, Same-Old Solution

October 11, 2011 in Community with 0 Comments

This is a guest post from Scott Hannon. Scott currently serves Hope Lutheran Church in Arcade, New York. He is a graduate of The Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. This article was a part of Hope’s email devotions. It was published on September 26, 2011. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Our denomination publishes a magazine every month called The Lutheran. The cover story of the January 2011 issue was entitled, “Bullying the Pastor.” When I saw the magazine sitting in its regular place among other reading material in our fellowship hall, I thought it would be funny to give the article a little more visibility. Over the next several weeks I placed the magazine all over the church. One week it would be on the welcoming table everyone passed on their way into church. The next week it would be sitting right next to the coffee pot over 90% of our parishioners over the age of 10 frequented. Every time I would put it somewhere new, it would make its way back to its regular home just to be moved by me all over again. It was our joke. I am not bullied and everyone at Hope knew that. I played with the presence of the article because I thought it was funny.

Jamey Rodemeyer, age 14

Only bullying is not funny, and it certainly wasn’t a joke to Jamey Rodemeyer, the Williamsville North teen who took his life one week ago. And it certainly isn’t funny to themillions of others who are bullied every day at their schools, work places, or even in their homes.

Bullying is one of the worst kinds of ways we live with one another, and yet for decades we’ve been too quick to dismiss it as “kids being kids” or as a joke. It is the repeated hurtful acts of others meant to shame, belittle, and cut down. The people it affects it attacks from every angle. It manifests itself in physical acts of violence, dangerous rumors, name-calling, and threats. For children it can be so bad that in 2006 ABC News reported that 160,000 kids skip school every day for fear of being bullied, but even at home they cannot escape the cyber-stalks and slander of their aggressors.

And it is affecting all of us. Bullies in school are significantly more likely to commit series crimes as adults. Those bullied are just as likely to become bullies themselves, if they don’t attack their bullies or take their own lives first.

But like so many of the sinful ways in which we live with one another although bullying is reaching new heights, it is certainly not a new problem. As long as people have lived with one another some of those people, often the weak and vulnerable, have been subject to the torments of others. But for as long as it has been happening, God has spoken against it. In fact, the Bible is full of reminders of that. Again and again in the scriptures we hear God defined as “the father to the fatherless and defender of widows” (Exodus 22:22, Deut. 10:18, Psalms 10:14, 68:5, Jer. 49:11, and so many more!). That is saying much more than God runs a mean orphanage. The orphans and widows were without place in society. They were outcast and ignored if they were lucky and reminded of their plight verbally, physically, emotionally, and socially if they were not. But these people, God continuously reminds, are ones for whom he especially cares.

Bullying, from pastors to students to co-workers, must stop, because it is not a joke and it is not simply “kids being kids” to our God, the friend of the lonely and the defender of the picked-on.

So to the bullies,

we say stop!

To the bystanders,

we say act for God in stopping it.

And the to the bullied,

we say God loves you, you are not alone.

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.

God’s Weeds

September 11, 2011 in Faith, Receptivity of God with 0 Comments

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” – John 15:7

Yes, dandelions are weeds, it is true. People spend so much of their time during dandelion season trying to get rid of these pesky little things. But if you stop and think about it, God made these two. And He loves them for one reason or another.

When you were a kid you had no idea that those yellow flowers were weeds. If you were anything like me, you picked bunches and bunches of them for your mother and told her it was a bouquet of flowers. And then for the next 24 hours she was forced to put them in a glass of cool water and set them at the middle of the dinner table while they quickly drooped over the side of the glass. And then bright and early the next morning, you go out and pick a bunch more and the day starts all over again!

I don’t know how old I was when I learned that dandelions were weeds; but I remember knowing at that time that weeds were considered to be a bad plant. Yet no matter how I tried to manipulate my mind, I couldn’t help but love dandelions. The beautiful sunny yellow in contrast with the bright green of the grass is one of the most beautiful things I can think of! But not nearly as beautiful as when all those dandelions turn from yellow, to a whispery thin white.

I truly believe these weeds are God’s gift to people. Have you ever walked past a white dandelion without thinking of all those wishes you made as a child? Have you ever felt like making one now? These wishing weeds are here on this earth to remind us of our blind trust in whatever invisible force we would wish to as children. When we were little we put our trust in something we thought was a flower! We would make a wish for things such as a pony for Christmas or a night at the amusement park with ice cream to follow!

As much as we put our trust in a flower, imagine what can happen when we put our trust in God! He is the only one that can make our wishes come true. God is all around us, even in those weeds that no one wants littering their perfect lawn. So don’t think of those weeds as pesky, think of them as a chance to wish for something from God. God wants us to be happy, He wants us to trust Him, and He wants us to ask things of Him.

Keep God in your heart, always. Bring His love and joy wherever you go and use it your everyday life. Do this, and your wishes will be given to you. God takes care of those who serve Him and live their lives for Him. So go do it! The next time you find one of these wishing weeds, pick it up, make a wish or send a little prayer to God, and blow those seeds off. By spreading these seeds you are spreading God’s love.