Pastor Don's Ponderings

Jeremiah received the Lord’s word: Go down to the potter’s house, and I’ll give you instructions about what to do there. So I went down to the potter’s house; he was working on the potter’s wheel.  But the piece he was making was flawed while still in his hands, so the potter started on another, as seemed best to him.  Then the Lord’s word came to me: House of Israel,  can’t I deal with you like this potter, declares the Lord?  Like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in mine, house of Israel! Jeremiah 18:1-6 CEB   The good news is this: We are in God’s hands. We may be cracked, flawed, weak, unprepared, seemingly unusable, unstable or even outright broken, yet we are still in God’s hands. I don’t know about you, but I am clinging to that good news with all my heart, mind and spirit!! Pulling down statues does not change history. Changing your heart and being molded by the Potter transforms the present and the future. Covid-19 exploits our weaknesses...

"The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," (I Cor. 12.29a NRSV) Watching teams of horses or mules work together fascinates me. Whether it is a team of Clydesdales plowing a field or the huge team of Clydesdales which pull the Anheuser Busch Wagon around Busch Stadium, whether it is a team of Belgiums pulling a corn picker in the Fall or Percherons pulling a hayfork up a barn, it never ceases to amaze me how they can work together - and work together with the person driving them. In musing over that thought, it occurs to me that we may have lost that notion in these days, with the animals we raise and train - and with the people standing right beside us: We all have to work together and have need of each other. Can you imagine how a field would be plowed if one of the horses told the other they weren't needed? Can you imagine where the horses would be if the person walking behind didn't hold and guide the plow? And, for that matter, where wo...

What appears below is my most recent 'Pastor Don's Corner' article in the St. Paul UCC newsletter, The Caller. I pray you find it helpful on the journey. Blessings of Health, Strength and Faith in all your pondering! Pastor Don’s Corner . . . 23  When Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him.  24  A huge storm arose on the lake so that waves were sloshing over the boat. But Jesus was asleep.  25  They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, rescue us! We’re going to drown!” 26  He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you people of weak faith?” Then he got up and gave orders to the winds and the lake, and there was a great calm. 27  The people were amazed and said, “What kind of person is this? Even the winds and the lake obey him!”   Matthew 8:23-27 CEB Today I am thinking of stories which make me smile – and this story makes me smile. Imagine, if you can, Jesus as a child playing with the lightning in the same way other chi...

Do you remember how deep and foreboding the woods could be at night? Or maybe even a single tree, just when the light from the crescent moon illuminated the branches from the odd angle? Do you recall the sound of the coyotes howling into the darkness far down the field? Or the sound of raccoons fighting for dominance in the creek bed? Can you feel the tingle run up your spine when it felt like a hot breath breathing down your neck from behind as you walked, then ran towards the house with only the light in the faraway windows to guide you home? Or the goose pimples which covered your body as the wind, before the night rain, swept you towards safety? The words, "Do not be afraid", are said to be in the Bible 365 times. Yet, there are times when the last thing I am hearing in my parental/pastoral ears is, "Do not be afraid". Maybe it is not so much now, now that the woods and I have become companions, the various night sounds of animals give me comfort and wi...

In June of 2017 Nancy and I had the good fortune to share in a trip with her brother, Bill, and his wife, Cathy, to visit their son and our nephew, Andrew, and his lovely wife, Christine, while they were stationed in Germany with the Air Force. Christine and Andrew had arranged time off to travel with us and planned a comprehensive and thorough trip around the country which included an overnight stay in the walled castle town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the red roofed city above the Tauber River, was officially founded in 1274, though its roots are believed to date back into the 10th century. It was an amazing place to visit and wander through the streets, shops, restaurants and on the covered wall which circles nearly the entire community, allowing the history and enduring beauty of this piece of God's creation to seep into your soul.  While there we had the good fortune to take a tour of the oldest part of the town near sunset of our first day. Gui...

This is an open letter to the Lebanon Area Ministerial Council of Churches and some key Lebanon Leaders. Though the contents are for prayerful consideration in Lebanon, perhaps others in neighboring communities or states will resonate with some of that which we are attempting to do in meeting the needs of the present age. Please read on and, if you choose, share with others as is appropriate. God's richest blessings in this difficult and challenging time. My sisters and brothers in Christ’s Service, A blessed Wednesday to you all. There are a couple of things we need to have on the collective Table of the Lebanon Community Council of Churches: The United States Census forms are coming out. Your parishioners can fill them out and mail them in OR do them online. Either way, these forms are critical for the City of Lebanon in terms of funding, services and voices in legislative matters, both in our State and in our Nation. Be sure to underscore ...

When my 94 year old Dad tells stories about the Depression years and the time of rationing during WWII he inevitably ends up highlighting memory after memory of how people took care of people, family took care of family, and communities took care of each other. Yes, he talks about not having much, about how little money and resources were readily available and about how you made something out of nothing at all. Everything was kept to be reused in another way, nothing was thrown away and time was taken to mend, repair and restore . . . 'disposable' just was not an option. Yet, more than anything else of which he speaks regarding those times, Dad speaks of relationships: parents and children, neighbors and strangers, those who had something sharing with those who didn't . . . and the list goes on and on. Those were times which galvanized communities and families, times which shaped the collective spirit and imagination of nations and cultures, times which forged strength...