Installation Anniversary

Last month, I informed you that July 22 is the anniversary of my ordination. It was 2 years ago that I was installed as pastor here.

I post this not for shameless self-promotion, but to express my gratitude for another year of God's grace.

Ordination Anniversary

I posted these 2 pics for a very specific reason. Today (July 22) is St. Mary Magdalene day. It's also the anniversary of my ordination.

Self-promotion? Maybe a little.

PS: The painting is "Why Weepest Thou" by Dewey.

Play Pics- Dress Rehearsal

As some of you may or may not know, I was in a play recently. A friend, and fellow pastor in my circuit, has a real gift for storytelling. He wrote and directed it. He's also the big guy in 2 of the pics. These are the pics from dress rehearsal.

Enjoy!

Another New Blog? Yes!

I just created a new blog. I'd been tossing the idea around in my head for the last couple of days. Finally, tonight, on the way home, it hit me. I felt I needed to do a new blog.

Fear not, dear readers! "Habakkuk's Complaint" is not going anywhere. It will still be here to stave off your boredom for a few seconds at a time.

My new blog will be totally dedicated to pastoral ministry. As such, it will be much deeper than this blog. It also represents a break from my usual routine. By this, I mean that I will run (are you ready for this?) a purely theological blog.

We'll just have to see what happens.

Here's the new blog: http://pastoralaesthetic.blogspot.com/

Clergy-NFL Connection?

OK, now that I've got your attention with that title, let me elaborate:

One of the current buzzwords I keep seeing and reading in sports coverage is "coaching tree." I guess technically, that would be a buzz phrase. But, you know what I mean. A "coaching tree" refers to a single, respected, and successful coach and his/her assistant coaches. The assistant coaches then move on into other coaching jobs, eventually becoming head coaches themselves. They are then evaluated on how faithful they have been to the original coach's philosophy, and how successful they are in terms of Wins and Losses. This phrase gets tossed around a great deal this time of year in the NFL, as teams are in the midst of firing head coaches and hiring new ones, as well as promoting others and tweaking the coaching staff.

It's very possible to trace the coaching trees in the NFL. I started to wonder if we could apply this same theory to pastors. It's not an exact 1-1 comparison, but it may be helpful. I don't know. After all, I know that I had professors at the Sem I really respected. I have mentors that I look up to and call on. And, getting back to the professor part of it, it's no secret that different profs have "cults of personality" around them. On a bigger scale, there's always the stereotype of, "No wonder you're like that. You went to (insert seminary of choice here).

The next aspect then would be tracing your pastoral philosophy to people you influence. Maybe this only works on a personal level. I'm not sure any of my profs or mentors is famous enough in my church body to have begun a "ministry tree." How would you know? How would you judge success?

Random Chapel Pics

I volunteered to lead worship for the chapel service at Trinity Lutheran Church in West Seneca, NY. It was a real joy. I love doing that! Anyway, I took a few pics. Enjoy!

Texas Pics 4- The Baptism

The Baptism of Blaine Gabriel Reynolds was pretty much the whole reason for my visit. Here's the pics from that day. The pics were taken at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Kingwood, TX.

Enjoy!

Fellow Pastor- Good Story

The guy in the pic with me is a fellow pastor and friend of mine, Rev. Peter Richert in Mt. Pocono, PA. It's actually a pretty good story of how we got to be friends. Here's the tale:

We both served our vicarges in Northern IL. He was in Lockport, I was in Joliet. Our churches were in the same circuit. So, we got to know each other there. We both got ordained on the same day (Me in STL, him in Mt. Pocono). And we serve churches in the same district. What are the odds?

I realize there's a ton of LCMS jargon in there. Sorry about that. For an explanation, ask your local LCMS pastor. Or email me. Whichever is easier for you.

New Undertaking-CPE

Today, dear readers, is a big step for me. I am enrolled in a section of congregation-based CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education). I'm not really sure what to expect with it, since I'm not familiar with CPE outside the context of a nursing home or hospital.

Here's what I hope to accomplish with the program:

1. Really explore my strengths and weaknesses. I especially want to find a away to use my shortcomings for Christ's kingdom. What I mean by that is I want to find ways to use my whole being in service to Jesus.

2. To acquire a better understanding of systems and church/congregational dynamics.

3. To better my skills in general pastoral ministry. Some areas I'd like to improve through CPE are counseling, teaching, and preaching.

I know that last one sounds kind of generic, but it really is true. The main part of that lst one is the counseling aspect. I've only been in ministry for a year or so. Thus, not too many people come to see me. But when they do, I'd like to be a little more preapred than I am now.

So please keep me in your prayer, dear readers. Pray that I will grow through the experience.

One final note: I am not sure how much posting I can do regarding what I am learning. Confidentiality is a HUGE deal inministry. I'll try to keep you updated, but please know that these updates will be very generalized.