Posted on

10 Florida Things to Which I Look Forward

If you read my last post you know that I’m really going to miss my hometown for all sorts of reasons. But it’s a very bittersweet time, because there are things about my new hometown and new state about which I am really looking forward. We’ll be hitting the ground in the heat of a Florida mid-summer, ready to live and serve.

So here are 10 Florida things to which I look forward:

  1. Sunshine. I’m one of those people that needs sunshine, and lots of it! Gray days get me down. Wisconsin winters are full of them. Florida winters (I’m told) are full of Mr. Golden Sun. It’ll do me good.
  2. Disney. If you know anything about our family, you know that we (and I mean ALL FOUR of us) love Disney. Tammy and I even honeymooned there (Honeymoonin’ 85! Woohoo!). It’ll be almost surreal to live just down the road.
  3. The People of Ascension Lutheran in Casselberry. Our first introductions to the people of Ascension have been tremendous. We have seen a sense of service, a sense of ministry and outreach, and a great sense of humor. We look forward to new and lasting relationships and a great deal of hard work that matters for the sake of the Kingdom.
  4. No More Winter. (See #1) All my life I have wanted to live in a place where blistering cold and snowy winters were something that other people experienced. I never ever thought it would be. The older I get the more I have found it difficult to tolerate Wisconsin winters. I’m really looking forward to never having to shovel, scrape off my car, or track my way through snow.
  5. Getting to Know a New City. I have always been a “city person” at heart, and I look forward to exploring the nooks and crannies of Orlando, discovering new places to eat, shop, and create art.
  6. Welcoming Visitors. We love to entertain and plan on having a place where people from out of town can come and stay when they’re in the area for Orlando’s wonderful attractions. A place will always be waiting for our family and friends…even those who want to escape the northern winters for a brief respite.
  7. The Latino Culture. It’s a culture with which I have had little contact, but want to get to know much better as Ascension and I move forward in ministry. I’d even like to pick up some Spanish. Any tutors out there?
  8. The Winter Park Farmer’s Market. On a recent visit we went to this farmer’s market in the quaint suburb of Winter Park. It’s held every Saturday of the year but one. I can’t wait to use year-round fresh produce for my cooking.
  9. Exploring the State. I’ve never been to Miami, Key West, or the Everglades. I’d like to eventually visit them all. It’ll be fun to compare the east coast with the west coast, and discover some of the beauty the state of Florida has to offer.
  10. Our Kids. It’ll be great living near @ashyliz and having @beggebrecht come to visit. They love Florida, and we love them.

If you were moving to a new place, what would you most anticipate?

Posted on

10 Things I’ll Miss About Milwaukee

After more than fifteen years, it’s hard to believe I’m spending my last couple of months in the city in which I was born and raised. I love my city, and have always been an ambassador, saying that Milwaukee is one of the most underrated cities in America. There are both personal and public things I will miss.

Here are, in no particular order, ten things that I will miss about living in the city of Milwaukee:

  1. Miller Park. My favorite team plays just a few miles down the road from where I have lived. I will miss the seats I have had one level up, right behind home plate, right underneath Bob Uecker. It’ll be tough to have to cheer my team on from afar. But I will. It’s in my blood.
  2. The People of Mt. Calvary. For the past decade-and-a-half we have laughed and cried together, dreamed and planned together, worshiped and served together. We have built a building, started a new service, and made inroads into the community. We have worked hard to bring hope to the heart of the city. Milwaukee is a better place, and the Lord’s kingdom has a special corner, because of the people of Mt. Calvary.
  3. My Parents. It will be tough to leave the people who are more than just parents. They are friends. We dined together, saw shows together, hung out together, had interesting discussions, and great times together. Here’s to hoping they will come to visit often.
  4. Convenience. This city is easy to get around. When people here complain about the traffic, they don’t know what they’re talking about (Trust me. I lived in the Washington, D.C., area). The old saying goes you can get anywhere around here in 20 minutes or less. It’s pretty true.
  5. Concordia University — Wisconsin. I was privileged to teach at this fine institution for more 13 years. I will miss the energy of college students, the incredible campus, and the relationships I have made.
  6. Sala da Pranzo and Other Independent Restaurants. At Sala, we got to know the owners. They are a hard working brother and sister who have built a business on great food and a personal touch. The city of Milwaukee is filled with places like this. We will miss them. Yet we look forward to making new discoveries in our new home.
  7. Theatre. Milwaukee has a theatre scene that would be the envy of many a city. I will miss First Stage, where our kids performed and where magic is made. I will miss the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and its company of some of the finest actors anywhere. I will miss the Skylight Theatre and its eclectic offerings of musical theatre and light opera. Milwaukee is a theatre-goers delight.
  8. 540 ESPN Milwaukee. I love my local sports coverage, especially of the Brewers and Packers. I love “The D-List” and “Homer and Thunder.” Guess I’m going to have listen to live streaming and podcasts.
  9. Friends. An important thing for a pastor is to be able to be around people with whom there is no pretense…the opportunity to “be me” and not have to “be on.” Thank you, friends. You are a blessing to me. The distance won’t diminish our friendship.
  10. Kopp’s Frozen Custard, The Milwaukee Art Museum, The Third Ward, The Milwaukee Public Market, and The Oak Leaf Trail. Enough said.

I’ll miss you, Milwaukee.

If you had to leave your city, what would you miss?

 

Posted on

Lovingly, Decently, and in Good Order

We Lutherans tend to do things decently and in good order. Always have. Always will. Maybe it’s part of our original German heritage. Maybe it’s because much of our history has been on the move and moving. When things are chaotic in other areas of life, it’s nice to have things right where they ought to be when it comes to church.

So a week after I announced my decision to accept a Call to a congregation in Florida, the church I served for the past 15 years called a meeting. They asked me to walk them through my decision process, and why it was that I accepted the Call.

I was nervous about it. But in the end it was a really positive experience both for me and for the congregation. It allowed the members of the church the opportunity to see what goes into such a process. It helped me to articulate why I felt so compelled to follow the Lord’s Call to another place.

I told them that I made lists centered around three categories:

  • Personal
  • Professional
  • Spiritual

Most of the “personal” items I kept between my family and me. But I shared a few. I did, however, want people to see how “professional” and “spiritual” items really made my decision quite clear. Once I wrote them down and said them out loud, it became more and more evident where the decision would go.

Although the people of my current congregation may still not “like” the decision I made, many told me they better understand how I could come to such a decision. It was, in a sense, a “watershed” moment for me and for the people of the congregation. There were tears (including my own), and there was love and respect that was shared.

But that wasn’t the end of things being done “decently and in good order.” Toward the end of the meeting, the following (decent and orderly) resolution was presented to the congregation:

Whereas the members of Mount Calvary have been blessed by the faithful service of Pastor Thomas Eggebrecht for over 15 years, and

Whereas the congregation recognizes that the health of the whole body of Christ is enriched through Pastor Eggebrecht’s Call to Ascension Lutheran, and

Whereas Mount Calvary’s body of believers seeks to provide Pastor Eggebrecht with an affirmation of our love and respect;

Be it so moved that Mount Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church grant to Pastor Thomas Eggebrecht a peaceful release from his divine Call as pastor of this congregation, and

Be it further moved that this congregation wishes Pastor Eggebrecht all God’s blessings in his new Call as pastor of Ascension Lutheran in Casselberry, Florida.

As formal as that all sounds, it made me feel incredibly loved. You might have to be a Lutheran to feel love from a formal statement like that. And since I have proudly worn the name “Lutheran” my whole life, the people of Mount Calvary spoke a language of love that I understood. Decently and in good order. That’s the way I like it.

When and how have you had “love” spoken to you in an unusual way?

Posted on

A House Is Not a Home

Now that we know for sure that we are moving we have been sorting, disposing, packing, debating, and deciding what to throw away and what to keep. It has brought back floods of memories. We have been in this house without our children for a while now. But there are still many “remnants” of them. Ashlyn last lived here for a few months last fall while she earned some money to get out on her own. Ben was here over this past Easter weekend.

Neither of them will ever again see the home in which they grew up. They have mixed feelings about that. And so do we.

But as we discussed with them our decision to start a new chapter in life we had to remind them that it wasn’t the house that made our home. This was the place where many good times, holidays, and memories were made. But the place isn’t what’s important. It’s the people.

A house is not a home. What makes the home are the ones who occupy the place. The home is the place where all of the following home-like things took place:

  • birthdays were celebrated
  • homework was wrangled
  • homecoming and prom dates started
  • music was made
  • family meals were had
  • plays were presented
  • Dad created Christmas dinner
  • Mom made special cakes
  • high school friends hung out
  • piano lessons were practiced
  • games were played
  • prayers were prayed
  • tears ran down
  • laughs went up
  • books were read out loud
  • illnesses were nursed
  • a baseball was thrown
  • a monolog was shown
  • a hamster was had
  • and a lot of love was shared

None of these things really had to do with the house. What made the home was the people.

And though the house will be missed, the people who possessed it still make the home, the home. No matter where they may be.

It is the family that makes a house a home. It is the people. The bricks and mortar are simply the boundary lines that hold it all together.

What memories have you created in your home?

Posted on

The Rumbling Thunder of Emotions

It’s late Sunday night. The thunder is rumbling. A cool breeze is blowing in the windows. My wife is in bed asleep. The TV is on with the sound all the way down so that she isn’t disturbed and I have a little light by which to write.

I’m emotionally drained and tired…too tired to fall asleep, if that makes any sense. A major life decision has been made, and I am in a reflective mood. Oddly enough, I thought about my grandfather tonight as I watched a retrospective on 60 Minutes of Mike Wallace’s career. It made me think of the 55 mile trips our family used to take to Fond du Lac to visit my grandparents on certain Sundays. The evening would always conclude with 60 Minutes on the TV. My grandfather was a news and current events fanatic.

I wonder what he would think of the current events in my life. He was a very wise man who didn’t always wear his emotions on his sleeve. Tonight my own emotions can’t help but rise to the surface. Consider the last few weeks:

  • A decision to accept a Call to Florida and start a new chapter in life
  • People walking through our house as we try to sell it (we decided we were going to move whether or not I accepted the Call to Florida)
  • An accepted offer on our house within ten days
  • Demands for repairs as a condition on the sale of our house
  • Calling people to do those repairs and get them done
  • Considering where we will live when we move to Florida
  • Helping my wife put things together for a job search in Florida (praying that the Lord will see fit to make this part of our transition resolve quickly)
  • Beginning to sort through, dispose of, and pack up our things
  • Wondering about logistics of the entire transition
  • Feeling badly about disappointing some; feeling happy about exciting others
  • Thinking about those in Milwaukee whom we are going to greatly miss
  • Looking forward to getting to know those we will soon be serving
  • Mourning the loss of our dear old (90-year-old) neighbor
  • Excited about the possibilities of a new ministry
  • Finishing up teaching two different classes
  • Submitting a writing project for Creative Communications for the Parish
  • Discovering that my best friend and I will soon live on opposite coasts of the country

My emotions match the rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning that fill the night. 

But as I look at this list I am thankful. I am thankful that through all of the above I have people who help and support, a family who loves me, and a God who is forever faithful.

I better try to get at least a little sleep.

How are you making it through all the emotional ups and downs of your life?

Posted on

Creativity with Cardboard

I may be a sap, but by the end of the following video I was crying. I dare you to watch it and not be moved by Caine…and what a big group of people did for Caine that made this nine-year-old’s day.

Caine is creative. Caine is persistent. Caine is Patient. Caine is imaginative. Caine has a supportive father.

Raising Caine must be a delight.

Watch this ten minute video and chime in on how and why (or if) it moves you:

(Email subscribers follow this link: http://youtu.be/faIFNkdq96U)

Here’s why this video moves me:

  • As a child I was Caine, creating plays in our basement, go karts out of junk we found, space ships out of fallen trees, and carnivals to raise money for muscular dystrophy. 
  • It reminds me that we live in a different world. No one ever created a flash mob to come to one of my childhood creations. I was moved by Caine’s “success.” The internet is a powerful tool.
  • Caine has a supportive dad. My parents were always supportive, too.
  • Somebody sees “genius” in Caine and supports him by buying a “fun pass.” (Lord, help me to be supportive of creativity where I see it!)
  • I am so happy for Caine that it moves me to tears. Did you notice that there is even a scholarship fund set up for him?
How and why does this video move you?
Posted on

5 Things I Have Learned Teaching College Students

I have been teaching college students at Concordia University — Wisconsin for the past twelve years. Even in those twelve years college students have changed. They used to be much more engaged in the classroom. Now they’re much more passive. It means that educators have had to adjust, as well.

Teaching is simply one form of communication, and it’s techniques apply to other forms, too. Here are five things I learned teaching college students that apply to communication, no matter what it may be.

  1. College students care when their teachers care. Students can tell from the moment a lesson begins whether a teacher cares and is passionate about the subject. If they sense a caring teacher, they will be immediately engaged. If they sense a teacher who is disengaged and uncaring, they will be too. Don’t ask me how I know this… Good communicators care about their audience.
  2. In this digital generation, college students frequently need things changed up. How many minutes is it between TV commercials? That’s generally how often teaching techniques in the classroom should change. Every eleven to twelve minutes switch from lecture, to small groups, to video, to question and answer. Good communicators keep an audience on their toes.
  3. Over the past few years, college students would rather listen to a lecture than do small group work. This generation of young adults is used to having people cater to them. That’s OK for a while, but they do need to be stretched and taken out of their comfort zone if true learning is going to happen. Lecture for a while, but don’t do it exclusively (see above). Good communicators do the same.
  4. Given the opportunity, most college students want to impress. Give an assignment that’s more than just writing a term paper, and most college students will go above and beyond just the bare minimum. They want to create something excellent and unusual. I once had a student write and perform a song, ala Phoebe on Friends. It was one of the most excellent homework assignments I have ever had the pleasure of grading. Good communicators give their audiences opportunities to participate in a unique way.
  5. College students sometimes need some motivation to keep them on track. It’s the reason why there are tests and grades. Some students are motivated by them more than others, but all college students need motivation, whether it is a “carrot” or a “stick.” Good communicators motivate their audience to move forward in some way.

Based on your own learning style, how would you suggest communicators keep you interested and engaged?

Posted on

How to Do Much with Little: “A Musical Miracle”

Stories that show how underdogs defy all odds inspire me beyond measure. 60 Minutes did a story on a symphony and chorus in the Congo that started with nothing and is now producing beautiful music. I was so moved by the story, I thought you should see it, too. Have a look, and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Posted on

Why This Week is the Week to “Set Apart”

In the Bible, the word “holy” means “to be set apart.” This is Holy Week. Taking a cue from the biblical word, this is a week to “set apart.”

The Christian church sets apart this week every year to focus on the central events of the Christian faith, which are the central events of Jesus’ life and our salvation:

  • The Last Supper
  • The Passion, Trial, and Torture
  • The Crucifixion
  • The Seven Words on the Cross
  • The Death
  • The Burial
  • The Rest in the Tomb
  • The Descent into Hell
  • The Resurrection from the Dead

The Holy Jesus, God and Man, set apart His life on the earth to earn for us forgiveness, life, and salvation. His perfect life  was lived for our imperfect lives. His sacrificial death was carried out for the punishment that we deserved. His resurrection means eternal life for all those who believe.

In Holy Baptism we were set apart by God Himself to be enjoined to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

  • We are His disciple at the Last Supper
  • His Passion, Trial, and Torture are ours
  • His Crucifixion is carried out as our punishment so that we will not suffer hell
  • The Seven Words from the Cross are spoken directly to us
  • His death becomes ours
  • In His Burial all our sins are shut in the grave
  • His Rest in the Tomb means rest for all the saints
  • His Descent into Hell to proclaim victory over Satan is our victory
  • His Resurrection from the Dead means new life for us

The Church sets apart this week we call “Holy.” God set apart His Son to carry out our salvation. Jesus set us apart in our baptism.

Shall we not set apart four days — Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday — to receive  His gifts and respond in thanks and praise?

  • Set apart time to worship at your local church
  • Set apart time for personal devotion and meditation
  • Set apart time for some sort of service to someone who needs it
  • …And on Sunday, set apart time to celebrate the greatest gift ever given

You are holy because you have been set apart.

What will you set apart this Holy Week?