Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all. I have had a wonderful season thus far. I got to go home to Wyoming for a few days and see family and friends there.
On a sad note one of my best friends mom has cancer. I got to see her however and pray with her so it has a good side too. I would ask all who read this to lift up a prayer on her behalf and for her family as they struggle with her ilness.
Had more for the eve service than I had expected and many from other churches. Out of town people and some who just don't frequent church much. Makes for a great evening.
Today is the best of all, my grandsons will be here for the day. They always add some excitement that is unexpected. Now if the rest of the gang will laugh and enjoy it will be the perfect gift.
Merry Christmas to you all again and may you have the blessings of the Savior in your life.
Pastor WaynO

Personal Mission Statement

I got a letter from my Executive Presbyter encouraging me to take some time and rethink or maybe think for the first time about a personal mission statement. Take the time and put in the effort to put on paper my own calling. Without some direction we are simply drifting along, blown about by the latest wind getting no place in particular and accomplishing little if anything in the kingdom of God.
I am working on mine and will post some info for your thought and discussion. First however I want to invite your thoughts about personal mission statements.
Pastor WaynO

The Golden Compass

It continues to fascinate me what people will choose to boycot because it is not absolute truth. Don't get me wrong, I am not supporting or boycotting the movie but it did occur to me that the Left Behind movies were not necessarily true to scripture either.
I remember addressing Left Behind in a sermon and a gentleman approached me after church and challenged me that Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye were good Christians.
That is one of my favorite tags for believers "Good Christians" as I don't know a lot who would actually fall into the catogory of good according to scripture. I assured the man I believed that both were Christian but that the books are on the fiction shelf.
I still hold to the thought, be prepared for no one knows the day nor the hour except the father.
Then I wonder how many of us would be prepared if Jesus were to arrive today??????
Oh well, we will debate until the time. There will be movies boycotted andothers left to lead us astray. I connot tell which one is which.
Pastor WaynO

Still amazed at no responses. What is it that I need to do to get someone to like or dislike what I post? Is it that I think I am posting but none of this is actually leaving my computer?
Kinda scary ain't it to think we might be posting to ourselves and think we are putting this stuff out in the big old scary world? Oh, well here goes a new thought.
Not sure how to begin the thought process but as we study the Bible things from the world jump in and can mess things up a bit or at least add a whole new dynamic. One such thing is the movie the Golden Compass. As I have stated before I don't like the whole concept of boycotting and e-bashing or using the internet and email as a ground to throw things at someone or something. This movie is no different than so much other stuff and I happened to notice that Harry Potter is the new up and coming Christmas movie thon. I would be interested to hear thoughts and especially info on the new one the Golden Compass.I found on the PCUSA site a statement about the movie and some of its bias' and theology. I would encourage you to check out the site at http://www.pcusa.org/theologyandworship/goldencompass.htmIf there are other somewhat open minded sites for info I would be interested in them also. Lets get some sharing going on here.Pastor WaynO

As I have reclined and read and thought this last week in recovery from surgery a couple of things occured to me. First and this is most important, when you take narcotic drugs things don't make much sense most of the time. You think you think something, you think you said something, you presume you did something only to find out that is not quite correct.
Second --- I am preaching this weekend and have a memorial service at a nursing home today and with a whole week to prepare should have something profound. "Wrong" when you take narcotic drugs you cannot focus on things to get stuff done. I am today trying diligently to make some sense of the past week (with missing hours from surgery) that is partially in a fog. Trying desperately to get to someplace that offers sense and direction.
I am not one to panic but sometimes I do get a bit anxious and today is one of those days. I have not taken narcotics for a couple of days but still putting things into a realative perspective is difficult.
Oh well this is where study, thought, meditation, and trust in the Holy Spirit to lead and guide will open a door or window or something. Prayer is the meditation with God and that is also always a great direction to travel.
Hope you are not all bored with my rambling as this is about all I have. The other thought would be to openly contemplate the season of Advent. Advent is about anticipation and preparedness. Getting some direction as to what this child we celebrate the birth of is all about. Looking for his presence in our lives, not in the world, take it to a personal level this year.
Far to often we put Christianinty and a relationship to Christ at a world level and that leaves us out of the picture. See it is coming to me already, John the Baptizer was at a personal level with Jesus, he was making a way straight, a path for Jesus to come to him and then to the world along that path.
What are you doing in your life this season to prepare the path, first to you and then through you to the world??????
And I read some emerging stuff last night. On the Emergent update site was an interesting article that I had a chuckle at jsut a little. http://www.emergentvillage.com/weblog/emergent-village-updates here Tony Jones, leader of a group not denominational but with membership and requirements for membership :o) has this to tell about the Emergent movement.
"Brian’s thesis in the book reminded me of last year, when my son, Tanner, asked me, “Dad, if there’s enough food in the world to feed everyone, why can’t we get it to the people who need it?” I struggled to tell him that the problems (racism, classism, etc.) are fundamentally theological. If you resonate with this at all, then you should check out Brian’s book. Also, check out the latest Emergent Village Podcast on which I interviewed Brian about the book and about some of the blog reviews (positive and negative) he’s received.
And guess what?!? If you donate $100 or more to Emergent Village before the end of the year, you’ll get a copy of An Emergent Manifesto of Hope, plus one other book (and Everything Must Change is among the choices!). For $50-$99, you get a copy of the Manifesto. And for $150 or more, you also get both albums by The Colbalt Season."

That sounds just like the letter from the PCUSA about ending world hunger. I am confused that something which began as a new thought to an old problem, an escape from denominationalism, a chance to speak out in a brand new way, something that would be revolutional has moved to have leadership, direction, a name "Emergent", and is soliciting money to keep the leadership able to attend things around the globe, has moved so far from the original vision to the old standard.
Am I incorrect here or should we take what we believe and just apply it where we are. Keep your familiar, treaditional, already structured denom and just do something amazing. I think I am about there.
Pastor WaynO

Just reading on this blog and found an interesting post. http://www.brutallyhonest.org/brutally_honest/2007/12/kingdom-comes-r.html#comments
don't know if any are interested but the discussion is interesting. WaynO

Thought you would all enjoy this little tidbit. I got this email and it seems to say something many appear to be missing. Maybe I should reframe this a bit. I get so many protest this and protest that emails that I want to scream sometimes. I have wondered how many just forward them and then assume they have made a good mark for themselves in the book of life. Quit now Wayne or you will say to much. Enjoy and think about what is here. WaynO

The task AHEAD of you is never as great as the POWER behind you. Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Ephesians 6:10 Subject: Fw: excellent remind

Dear Children,
It has come to my attention that many of you are upsetthat folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybeyou've forgotten that I wasn't actually born duringthis time of the year and that it was some of yourpredecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday onwhat was actually a time of pagan festival. Although Ido appreciate being remembered anytime.
How I personally feel about this celebration canprobably be most easily understood by those of you whohave been blessed with children of your own. I don'tcare what you call the day. If you want to celebrateMy birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers youthat the town in which you live doesn't allow a scenedepicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple ofSantas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity sceneon your own front lawn. If all My followers did thatthere wouldn't be any need for such a scene on thetown square because there would be many of them allaround town.
Stop worrying about the fact that people are callingthe tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree.It was I who made all trees. You can remember Meanytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if youwish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching,explaining who I am in relation to you and what eachof our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one,look up John 15: 1 - 8.
If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of Mybirth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:
1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to theway My birthday is being celebrated, write letters oflove and hope to soldiers away from home. They areterribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know,they tell Me all the time.
2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have toknow them personally. They just need to know thatsomeone cares about them.
3. Instead of writing George complaining about thewording on the cards his staff sent out this year, whydon't you write and tell him that you'll be prayingfor him and his family this year. Then followup. It will be nice hearing from you again.
4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts youcan't afford and they don't need, spend time withthem. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I cameto live with you down here. Hold them in your arms andremind them that I love them.
5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past andforgive him or her.
6. Did you know that someone in your town will attemptto take their own life this season because they feelso alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who thatperson is, try giving everyone you meet a warmsmile; it could make the difference.
7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer inyour town calls the holiday, be patient with thepeople who work there. Give them a warm smile and akind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a"Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishingthem one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If thestore didn't make so much money on that day they'dclose and let their employees spend the day at homewith their families.
8. If you really want to make a difference, support amissionary--especially one who takes My love and GoodNews to those who have never heard My name.
9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and wholefamilies in your town who not only will have no"Christmas" tree, but neither will they have anypresents to give or receive. If you don't know them,buy some food and a few gifts and give them to theSalvation Army or some other charity which believes inMe and they will make the delivery for you.10. Finally, if you want to make a statement aboutyour belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like aChristian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn'tdo in My presence. Let people know by your actionsthat you are one of mine.
Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself.Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'lltake care of all the rest. Check out the list aboveand get to work; time is short. I'll help you, butthe ball is now in your court. And do have a mostblessed Christmas with all those whom you love andremember : I LOVE YOU,
JESUS

I am feeling pretty good right now thanks to some darvocet. It struck me as humorous when replying to Deb and it asks me to choose an identity. I began to wonder what identity I might choose to share with the world. Or maybe I am struck by the identity I think I have chosen. Either way it is a strange place to be prompted to consider just what choice I have made about an identity particularly in this season of identity theft.
WaynO

I know I said I would be off for a while but I just can't help it when I find stuff that seems to open some new questions and maybe even give a few answers. This is a site I found from nosing around another blog http://kingdomgrace.wordpress.com/ that caught my eye a while back. I don't how I get these except if I must put blame it is the Holy Spirit.
Well with that heresy I better quit before lightening strikes.
Pastor WaynO

Just can't stay away. It seems there is so much to tell, so much to say to the world that I can't get said. I am not even sure what I have to say but pray the Spirit will descramble it for me. I am preaching in the morning, Advent 1 and it is the time again when I struggle with the Christmas stuff.
I researched and have discovered that Christmas in all it's forms has faded in and out of glory within the confines of the church. The Puritans punished celebrants for it, the early colonies opposed it because it was an English tradition. Most of what the Christian world holds near and dear about it has been dreamed up out of fairy tales, pagan celebrations, and pieces of old tradition here and there both Christian and non Christian.
I hear so much hype from Christians and then see so little action from them, it leaves me curious what it really is this being a Christian??????
Pastor WaynO

I am asking today for prayers of healing. This is somewhat of a new venture I am on as I will be having medical procedures on Mon Dec 3. It hopefully is not major but one never knows. Thank you all who read this for your prayers. Pastor WaynO

B.S. (blog script :o) ) I will likely not post for a bit and haven't as preparation takes time.

I know for a fact there are more people reading this than are posting. This is the same issue I see in the church visible, a lot of people looking but few participating.
What I would really like to post here is some thoughts about being a pastor. I am not sure about others out there but I have the thought, "is it really ligitimate to be a pastor hired by the church?"
It seems sometimes that if they pay me I become the Christian for them, I do the worship and live the life, I repent and I make the sacrifice. Would it be a different type of church if there were no "Pastor" per say? I know there are faith tribes as some have declared them who worship in this way.
This brings up some real issues because I for one spend a great deal of time visiting with people who are sick or needing encouragement, those whose lives are messed up and some marriages that are on the rocks. I see that the church property is kept up, I don't do the work I just point out the problems ;o). There is a great deal of communication and paper work that comes to me. It is not only the stuff to keep the church legal and in existence but also from other non profits that benefit people.
I work a lot with domestic violence, disaster relief, police departments, hospital chaplain, nursing home chaplain, and on the list goes.
If there is no paid staff how do these things get accomplished?? Who would take the care out into the world?
A lot of what lies under the emerging stuff is the question, "what is the church really?" I struggle with so many of the emerging leaders who are simply trying to stamp their brand of "Church" on something and make it a big deal.
I have read in chat rooms the questions and thoughts from those who really began asking the questions and they are no more satisfied with the new movement than I am. I visited with one of the early leaders and he has basically been left feeling it went the wrong way. The Emergent Church will help you start a local cohort (church) but to stay with them you must atttend at least one of the national conferences. Just a new denomination nothing different except U2 playing at the service.
What is happening and who are we becoming??? What is Jesus tellling us about being the church???? Where do us called to lead, lead the followers???
Arrgghhh!!!!!!!!!!!! Pastor WaynO

Well I supose this is good news. No one responded to my poem so it must not have offended anyone, however no one said it was good either. I still wonder about preaching. What is the purpose of the pastor in the church?????
I seem to do a lot of visiting and a little teaching and a little preaching. If what I read in the emerging stuff is true this is what they all want. If that is true then what is the problem with organized reliegion?
On the other side is this email running around about the movie "The Golden Compass" and after having visited the Desperate Preacher and that discussion I wonder if what we are doing is good or bad. Good in the caution is out there but bad because of the publicity and curiosity generated. Then I wonder after hearing the SRN News report yesterday about video games being purchased how many of those circulating this email will take their children to the movie anyway.
When I put the two thoughts together I come up with this: The church says to do this and don't do that. Live your life in this manner and leave these things alone. After the members leave the church, and some pastors too, you would never know they were at the service to begin with. It might be an issue of Christian speak versus Christian living?????
Any thoughts out there???
Pastor WaynO

Boy I got the wrong button there, I was looking to put that on my other blog http://pastorwayno-biblestudy.blogspot.com/ where we have been talking about stewardship for Christians. Any way Debra has been there participating and she got so inspired that she set up her own blog. Now all that is needed is someone to blog with her.
I spend time here thinking through being a preacher and had time to let stuff grow while driving to a funeral the other day. It was for a real life cowboy from the hat to the boots and all places in between. I was supposed to say something at the graveside so was giving it some thought when it occured to me some cowboy poetry might be nice. I had scavanged some from the net but in my mind one was churning up also. It went something like this:


A wandering from the Elkhorn
They called on me to have somethin' to say
Not all that preachin' so borin'
but somethin' profound for the day

there I was a contemplatin
this ornery old codger who'd died
from up Wolf Creek direction
to know what he'd like my mind had tried

He was from north of the Niobrara
up past the Keya Paha
near the border of the southern Dakota
most important he was know as grampa

Now out in the Wolf Creek area
He was know as quite a fine fella
ridin an ropin and raisin some hell
he many a man helped and child did raise

I still don't know what I would say
but the pressure of a funeral
did pass on that from us that day
we all will miss ol' Jim that's for sure

But he gave us some great girls
and boys he did tooo
in the time of his life he

Ah, heck I can't make this thing rhyme but Jim we will miss and think of you much.
Just ride on up there in the sky on that big ol' paint God kept just fer you
We know your up there as said it for sure, Jesus saves us but more can do
As he made a special place there just fer me an you.


Maybe not a cowboy poet but wonder how tryin to think like a poet or at least like the people we preach to might change what we say????????????????????????
WaynO

The URL for Debra's blog will not get you there unles you do a little editing. Here is the correct way for it to appear http://www.faith-debra.blogspot.com Sorry I missed the www., Explorer will try to correct and put to many /// in. Pastor WaynO

this is awesome stuff. I can post here and no one sees it or at least those who might do not deem it worthy of a response. I just attended the Sheridan Lutheran Church, "Beyond Survival III" and it was a great esperience. I would share some of the enlightenment if anyone was looking but since they are not I won't bore the system.
I am about to take off on the annual pilgrimage to the northern part of NE to go deer hunting. My youngest son and I have made this an annual event for the past several years and it is a great time spent with him and some cousins. The fresh air and the change of pace are beyond the imagination and occassionally someone gets highly motivated and even shoots a deer.
Now that ought to spark something in someone.
Pastor WaynO

Oh boy what a mess up. I sent next weeks scriptures not this weeks. correction as follows --- Matthew 6.24-33 and Matthew 7.7-11. Sorry bout that WaynO

getting concerned maybe this blog stuff isn't for me. how can I expand what is happening??? there is another blog I host that is about Bible study. we are doing a stewardship study and the response is one person????? about like church and worship, not too much participation here or there either. Why??? What do we need to do to tell the world about God???
WaynO

I have another blog with a Bible study and in the process of working through the lesson i find myself wondering if i am really there. you know what i mean, am i really in a place to step up and say what i believe from the pulpit?????
the study is about stewardship, reflects that stewardship is based on faith and that faith is supplied by the HS. we are all called to rely on God continually, not just when conveinient. i am not sure i am ready to give all of my issues over to God. WaynO

Been a long time since I was here and maybe that is good. i have been thinking about what new preachin might really be. like it when i have notes or no helps at all, seems like if i know what i am preaching i don't need a whole bunch of notes and stuff. danger there that i might forget to quit.
other thought is preachin might be about the worship and not my words so much. if i were to put together a real service with a little preachin that might be new worship.
any ideas out there?????
WaynO

i just discovered something about myself. i begin all my writing here with well. interesting what comes from reading oneself. maybe that is what i need to do with my sermons -- listen a bit and see what i sound like. that might in and of itself lead me to some newpreachin.
enough of that, i want to seek anyone who has info on worship. i am searching to find ways of making worship a bit more exciting and worshipful. how can liturgy be left in the service and not become boring or stale???? what music is available for traditional musicians to use and do things a bit different to lift the spirit in music?????
what is happening in the world around us that is relevant to the church???? who or what is the church????
i have a large amount of questions and wonderings so will stop with that and add some new stuff next time.
Wayno

Well i am approaching the end of vacation a week early. thinking about next sunday and what i might do to enlighten worship and make it relavant. i serve a lightly liturgical church and hope to redirect some emphasis to the things we base our faith on. things like baptism, communion, adn a basic faith in Jesus Christ.
the rain across the plains has a profuound effect on all who live here. some are praying it will stop (both farmers and others) some are praying it will only pause for a bit so the sun will shine and then some more rain. i am of the pause people, afraid to say stop for fear it will.
rambling along i know but still learning how to blog. enough said for now WaynO

Well it must not be to exciting to read me no hits at all. Oh well Zig Ziggler said whatever is worth doing is worth doing until you get it right.
thinking about how to preach this weekend and it is trinity sunday. when we celebrate that God is in three tangible entities but all only one. confuses me but helps me think about a God who is accessible and personel. i believe in lots of strange things and it gets confirmed occassionally when i encounter a lost soul or a found soul that is searching.
met a man just yesterday traveling home after a 20 year search for daughters abducted by their mother. he found them and dissappointment, they were into drugs and used him for money at the first moment. looking for hope and yet somehow finding relief in God. he met a pastor, pastor K who was a real man and a real pastor. one who lead this soul to know about salvation and hope. Pastor K is dying, my prayers for his comfort.
imagine life, imagine hope, imagine despair. imagine God --- in your spirit alive and well.
never alone WaynO

brand spankin new

well i finally did it, my first blog. don't know what i will say or who will listen but here i am on the big web all by myself, well with some help from google.
so how do we preach????
what is it that might make preaching new and sensational???
or is that the point of leading a group of believers who call themselves a church???