Rev. Zach

"Calling" Journey of Faith - Part One Genesis 12:1-5 The Call of Abram Matthew 4:18-22 Jesus Calls the First Disciples It all started with a phone call. How many stories in our lives could be started with that sentence? Sure, it sounds like an entry in a contest for bad opening lines for short stories, but I bet there are a lot of experiences in this room that can be traced to some source, some cause, some reaction or response to the actions of someone or something else. For me, it was a phone call from one of my sister’s friends. I was 19 and had taken my first part time youth ministry position. I felt called into youth ministry by God the year before, and I was just beginning that part of my journey. April was not someone I knew well, but she and my sister had been friends for some time. I’ll never forget it though. “How’s your ministry?” she said. I was a little bit stunned, and I didn’t know what to say. I think I resp...

I was thinking the other day about a guy I knew in High School. He was one of the bravest people I've ever met. He wasn't an athlete or a class leader in any way. He was kind of mousy and shy. He sat alone at lunch with a Bible on the table next to him. Sometimes he would read to himself. He never talked about it to anyone who did not ask. He simply gave a silent, personal witness. The sad thing is that no one ever sat with him until all the other tables were full. I am ashamed to admit that I didn't sit with him either. Even worse, I don't even remember his name. When Jesus calls his first disciples in Matt 4:18-22, they leave their fishing nets and follow him. They leave everything! Now, I'm not suggesting that we need to do the same. But I wonder, what do we need to set down in order to follow him? Not everyone can just drop everything. Not everyone can make a public witness as bold as reading scripture in the middle of a High School cafeteria. ...

The other day Sam, my 3 yr. old son, did something that ended with him in time out. I don't even remember what he did, and it doesn't really matter at this point. Regarding the behavior of our children, we try to positively reinforce good behavior and deter bad behavior by limiting the options for it. Of course, most of you probably know that children can be quite creative, and you can not limit every negative experience. Nor should we. How else can you learn to walk without falling down a few times. When we punish bad behavior we try to make sure the consequences are clear beforehand and that the punishment fits the crime. We also try to make sure that they know what behaviors, attitudes, or actions they are being punished for, why these things are not good, and what a better choice might have been. After the punishment we are sure to affirm our love for them and our dissatisfaction with the offense. We want to make a clear distinction between being bad and doing something bad...