Posted on

I Am An Alien

I am an alien. This week we drove through the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby to our new home in Florida. It was almost like passing through some sort of chamber and into “the world beyond.”

We now find ourselves in a place where people, places, and things are unfamiliar. It’s both exhilarating and disconcerting at the same time. The roads are unfamiliar. The vegetation is unfamiliar. The TV stations are unfamiliar.

We are foreigners in a foreign land. 

Soon enough we’ll be settled in. Things will be familiar. We will be residents.

It has reminded me that I really am an alien. This world is a foreign land.

Heaven is my real home. I love the way N.T. Wright describes life after life after death. He says that when we get to our real home we’re not going to be sitting on a cloud playing a harp. A new heaven and a new earth will be created and we will live new lives, with new bodies, doing what it is we have been gifted to do best.

In the mean time, we are aliens. 

But our life here is not to be frittered away, wasted, or misused. It is to be lived like we are preparing for residence in the land that is to come.

That looks like this: 

  • Living for God
  • Living for others
  • Using the gifts we’ve been given to the best of our abilities

I am an alien. So are you. Live like it.

What do you think the life that is to come looks like?

Posted on

Florida: Love It…Or Not

Now that we are on the very verge of living in Florida, I must divulge an interesting phenomenon. The state of Florida has a great many lovers…and haters.

Over the past couple of months, every time we told people we were moving to Florida, we would get one of two reactions:

  1. Why would anybody EVER move to Florida?
  2. I wish I could move to Florida!

Reaction number 1 came with a plethora of reasons:

  • It’s too hot.
  • There are too many retirees.
  • There is too much traffic.
  • I need all four seasons.
  • It’s too humid.
  • Hurricanes.

Reaction number 2 came with mouths and eyes wide open:

  • I wish I could move to Florida.
  • I love the heat.
  • No more snow to shovel.
  • So much fun stuff to do.
  • No more winter.
  • I love the beach.

It was pretty amazing. Everyone had an opinion. And they weren’t afraid to share it. It was as though I had no feelings whatsoever regarding the impending move to a place I would have never imagined living in a thousand years.

For the record:

  • I like the heat.
  • I don’t even mind the humidity (usually…).
  • I can’t stand the winter and all of its inconveniences.
  • I do not like the cold or snow.
  • I will miss the fall, but have a son who lives in Nashville, so I can go there to visit him…and it.
  • Hurricanes and tropical storms may certainly be an inconvenience, but at least they don’t drop snow (snow storms can be pretty destructive, too).
  • I think I’ll quickly be able to get used to celebrating Christmas in shorts.
  • Our family loves Disney more than the average family.
  • We can’t wait to have friends and relatives visit us in one of the vacation capitols of the world.
  • I’m willing to put up with traffic to live in a place that’s warm.
  • Have I mentioned I like the warmth?

So, to all who would never want to live in Florida: you certainly don’t have to. Thanks for your opinion. 😉

I, for one, look forward to living there and enjoying it. In fact, I’m pretty excited about it.

Would you want to live in Florida…or not?

Posted on

Farewell, Milwaukee

Dear Milwaukee:

Farewell. I’m going to miss you.

Farewell, Milwaukee:

  • City of my birth.
  • City of my elementary, high school, and college days.
  • City of many fine restaurants.
  • Underrated city.
  • City of the Third Ward and Summerfest.
  • City of freezing cold Januarys, and beautiful blue Junes.
  • City of Common Ground and caring neighbors.
  • Hard-working city.
  • City of Lake Michigan and the Calatrava.
  • City of our childrens’ years of growing up.
  • City of First Stage and Milwaukee Lutheran Red Knight Baseball.
  • Blue Collar city.
  • City of Miller Park and the Milwaukee Brewers.
  • City of Frozen Custard and Butter Burgers.
  • City of slight traffic.
  • Architectural gem.
  • City of great sports radio.
  • City of rabid Packers fans.
  • City of passionate talk radio.
  • Always my home town.
  • City of Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church.
  • City of my forever friends.
  • City of my loving, caring, generous parents.
  • Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Farewell, Milwaukee. I will miss you.

Love, Tom.

If you were leaving your home town, what would you miss?

Posted on

Fresh Meaning in the Familiar

Chances are that where you are sitting right now is a familiar place. Take a look around. Now look a little closer. Even closer.

What do you see that you’ve never seen before? Very often a

  • creative idea
  • solution
  • new way of doing something
  • fresh meaning

…is there right in front of you.

Andrew Wyeth, the artist who never painted anything outside of his own home and family summerhouse, said:

Most artists look for something fresh to paint; frankly I find that quite boring. For me it is much more exciting to find fresh meaning in something familiar.

On what project are you working right now? Does it need new life, creative meaning, a fresh look? What would happen if you took a closer look and found “fresh meaning in something familiar”?

How about asking yourself these questions:

  • What if I changed the color of the thing at which I’m looking?
  • How does it work?
  • If I changed something about this familiar item, what would it be?
  • Why has it always been done this way?
  • What if we did it only slightly differently?
  • What solution is staring me right in the face?

Instead of looking for something fresh in the unfamiliar, how about looking at the things right in front of you. It may be a surprising boost to your work and creativity.

What question would you ask to bring a fresh perspective to something familiar?

Posted on

An Anniversary Worth Noting

Today we are headed to Chicago. Our children are coming from Orlando and Nashville. Their cousins are coming from St. Louis. My sister and her family are coming from Cleveland. My other sister and her husband are coming from the far western suburbs.

These days it takes something pretty special and important, planned far in advance, to get us all together. I guess you could say the event that brings us together this weekend is pretty special and important.

My parents are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday. More than fifty years ago two friends set them up on a blind date. Apparently they hit it off, and it led to something relatively rare in this day and age: a successful marriage.

There are many things I appreciate and love about my parents, but here are just a few:

  • They raised us kids in the faith and gave us a Christian education. That faith has been passed on to every single one of their grandchildren, as well.
  • They are always generous, welcoming, and hospitable.
  • My dad is creative, artistic, and a great teacher. I have had many, many people over the years tell me that he was one of the best teachers they ever had.
  • My mom is intelligent, well-read, and the nervous energy behind our entire family. She is the one who gives us all our drive, intensity, and passion.
  • They are both great sports fans. Especially the Packers and Brewers…of course.
  • They have taught us appreciation for culture…especially theatre.
  • They have both instilled in us the importance of education.
  • They love us unconditionally, and would do anything for us.
  • They have encouraged us to pursue our passions (and even more so their grandchildren).
  • They love to travel.

My dad is never seen without a book in his hand. 

One never has to wonder about my mom’s opinion.

There is a cartoon on their refrigerator that pretty much says it all. It’s a husband and wife sitting at the desk of a marriage counselor. The wife is saying: “It’s annoying that he always has to have the second-to-last word.”

I guess that’s why it has worked for fifty years.

Love you, Mom and Dad.

Happy 50th Anniversary!

Posted on

Mixing the Energy of Youth with the Wisdom of Age

I know it’s been said before, but if only those who had the energy of youth had the wisdom of age. This thought often occurs to me when speaking with my children and encouraging them to do this or that, move one way or another, or forge ahead into a certain endeavor. It’s difficult for them to see the urgency of getting things accomplished early on in life. Too often time is wasted doing things that may seem significant, but the wisdom of age knows are relatively insignificant.

The older I get the more I recognize how valuable time is. When I was young I wasted time like most anyone else. Now I know that being efficient and filling my time with things that matter, things that have meaning, things that move me toward a larger goal, is very important. Time is a precious commodity.

I wish I could convince my children (and others) that if you want to get somewhere tomorrow, you’ve got to get going “yesterday.” That means:

  • A vision for where you one day want to be
  • Setting goals that will get you there
  • Using time each day to accomplish those goals and move you closer to your vision

It sounds simple. It’s incredibly difficult.

The difficulty comes in remaining motivated and keeping the end vision always in front. To do that:

  • Distractions must be put aside
  • Ask others to hold you accountable
  • Start with small goals, then transition to the larger ones
  • Do something to move you toward the end vision every day without fail
  • Reward yourself when you accomplish certain goals
  • Evaluate weekly whether you have moved forward
  • Ask for help (people are much more willing to help than you think)
What vision have you allowed to go by the wayside? Is it time to resurrect it and move forward?
Posted on

3 Necessary Components of Intentional Sabbath

Recently given the chance, I have had the opportunity to sleep nine, ten, or even eleven hour nights. That’s extremely unusual for me. I find it difficult to sleep late anymore. But I guess my body has been telling me that it needs rest. It’s been a physically and emotionally exhausting couple of months.

We had the struggle of making a major life decision. We have packed our entire house, purged many of the contents, and put the rest of the contents in a POD. I carried out the emotional task of writing and sharing a final sermon with my beloved church family of the past fifteen years. We said goodbye to our house, our neighbors, and many friends. And now there’s the uncertainty of living in a new place, serving a different congregation, and trying to find a job for my wife, Tammy.

I’m tired.

Anticipating such a season, I intentionally planned some down time between finishing my ministry at Mt. Calvary, and starting a new ministry at Ascension Lutheran in Casselberry, Florida. I knew I would need it physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Sabbath is necessary. So necessary that the Lord Himself “rested” on the Seventh Day. The Eighth Day was the First Day of the New Creation.

As far as I’m concerned, “sabbath” isn’t just sitting around watching TV. Even sabbath has intentionality to it. My personal sabbath between ministries provides me a number of opportunities:

  1. To reflect on what has past. During these days I have spent some time thinking about all that was accomplished over the past fifteen years, failures, successes, false starts, and great triumphs. History is important. It informs the future.
  2. To enjoy the moment. During these days I am enjoying spending time with my parents, taking a short trip to northern Wisconsin with Tammy where her parents have a home and will be with us for a few days, catching up on some reading that I’ve wanted to do, doing a little writing, and trying to get back in shape by restarting my running habit.
  3. To anticipate what lies ahead. During these days I am trying to learn how to start a new pastorate. It’s been a long while since I’ve done so! I’m writing down thoughts and goals. I’m reading books that will help provide direction as Ascension and I start our journey together. I’m even trying to come up with a 100 day plan so that I can measure my goals as I begin in a new place.

I guess you could say this is sort of a “Seventh Day” rest for me. Pretty soon it will be the Eighth Day, the day of a “new creation” set before me and the people of Ascension. I plan to be rested and ready to go when July 8th arrives.

What does an “intentional sabbath” look like to you?

Posted on

3 Keys to Collaborative Creativity

Major events take time. Every three years our national church body plans and executes a National Youth Gathering, drawing in the vicinity of 25,000 youth and adults. The host city varies. The next one, in the summer of 2013, will be in San Antonio, Texas. The event includes Mass events each night of the gathering, concerts, activities, and a worship service that includes all 25,000 people.

I was recently asked to help plan and write the worship service for the 2013 Youth Gathering. That meant flying to St. Louis to collaborate with a group of people preparing a year in advance for two hours on a Wednesday morning in July. As we did this very exciting and invigorating work together, I realized that there were three components to the collaborative creativity that was flowing in the room.

In that one room where we worked for about 8 hours, there were people who brought experience, wisdom, and fresh perspective:

  1. Experience: Those with experience had been here before. They’ve worked with others. They’ve been through numerous Gatherings. They knew the right questions to ask and the specific suggestions to make.
  2. Wisdom: Those with wisdom knew the proper theological and technical questions to raise and input to make. Wisdom made sure that we would do things decently and in order, in a theologically sound way, while being grounded in the things that are important.
  3. Fresh Perspective: Those with fresh perspective brought new questions, different thoughts, and insights that built on the experience and wisdom of the others in the room. They hadn’t been through this before, so their insights were a bit different.

In a collaborative process, experience, wisdom, and fresh perspective bring forth a creativity that isn’t gimmicky or over the top, presents an end result that is professional, and brings an energy that is fresh and renewing. The next time you get together to create an event or project, how can you bring these three components together in the same room?

What key component do you see in a collaborative process?

Posted on

10 Ways for a Congregation to Show Love for Their Pastor

“The Long Goodbye” ended yesterday. After more than fifteen years serving one congregation, the people of Mt. Calvary invited me back for one last service of celebration and a luncheon in my honor. The service included an incredible sermon by The Rev. Dr. Patrick Ferry, president of Concordia University — Wisconsin, Elders’ Blessings, and a Farewell and Godspeed. The reception included a Milwaukee Brewers and Green Packers themed luncheon. There was tail gate type food, bobble heads on all the tables, kind words from various speakers, greetings too many to mention, and the extremely thoughtful gift of the Spanish version of Rosetta Stone software, because I’m headed to a place where that just might come in handy.

But the congregation to which I am now former pastor, did much more than just love me on my last day. They loved me throughout my fifteen years in that place. Here are ten of the ways:

  1. Early in my tenure they sent me to Israel for eighteen days. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. The memories and things I learned were almost beyond comprehension.
  2. My family and I were remembered each Christmas with generous words and generous gifts. Our holidays were always made special by the people of Mt. Calvary.
  3. The Elders always cared for me as a person, not just as a pastor. These men were genuine in their concern. The chair of the board often took me out for lunch “just because.”
  4. When I had an emergency appendectomy, members prayed and provided unique ways to pass the time. I remember being given a homemade CD with some “get well” music on it.
  5. To express her love, one member would occasionally leave brownies for me after church on Sunday mornings. Yum!
  6. They followed along even at some of the darkest hours. When a massive (for us) building project seemed dead in the water, they came with me as I did all I knew to do: move forward.
  7. Though I may not have always deserved it, they complimented me amongst the church-at-large and in the community. It’s like complimenting one’s child right in front of her. It is a “self fulfilling prophecy.” People love to be told they are doing well.
  8. Tools were provided for me to improve in ministry. They gave me ample budgets for books and periodicals, support staff of the highest quality, and leeway to experiment with creativity.
  9. They loved me enough to graciously let me go, following a Call to another place. That is love of the highest kind.
  10. They provided a three-month sabbatical that was, professionally speaking, one of the greatest things to happen to me. I was tired, on the verge of being burned out, and in need of renewal. Following the sabbatical I came back refreshed, full of energy, and ready for more ministry.

Love is often undeserved. I’m reminded of Luke 17:10 which says, “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.” But loved I was, and loved we were…my family and me. For that we will be always grateful to the people of Mt. Calvary.

How have you shown love to your pastor?

Posted on

Vision Over Visibility

You have the ability to see something that isn’t yet there. If you’ve ever set a goal and went out and achieved it, you saw something that didn’t yet exist. If you’ve ever started something new with a picture in your mind of the end result, you trusted in something that you couldn’t yet see. In the song, “Moment of Surrender,” U2 calls it “vision over visibility.”

That’s a pretty good description of faith.

As I look around, there’s plenty of that going on in my life and many of the people I know:

  • Two of my nieces graduate from high school this week. They have a college vision over visibility. On the horizon are new friends, experiences, and learning.
  • My parents are about to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. 50 years ago they had a marriage vision over visibility. Little did they know that fifty years later they would have three children and nine grandchildren, distinguished careers, and wonderful accomplishments.
  • A friend is about to move cross country and start a whole new life. He has career vision over visibility. This is an opportunity for him to paint a whole new picture of what the next chapter of his life will look like.
  • My wife, Tammy, and I are in the midst of transition from Milwaukee to Florida, from Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church and School to Ascension Lutheran Church and ??? We have adventure vision over visibility. We are looking forward to creating a new life, new ministries, and new friendships that as of right now are only shadows on the wall. Soon they will be reality.

I have a picture that shows Walt Disney standing on the ground of what would one day be Disney World. Superimposed in the background is the famous Cinderella Castle that would one day grace the end of Main Street, U.S.A. Walt Disney had vision over visibility.

For those with faith and trust in Jesus, vision over visibility takes on an even greater and grander meaning. With the eyes of faith there is a vision of heavenly glory, obviously far greater than the Cinderella Castle, and bringing a deeper and more glorious joy.

You have the ability to see something that isn’t yet there. Go out and get it.

What is the vision over visibility to which you are reaching right now?