When Jesus had one of the worst recorded days of His ministry, when a large number of his disciples abandoned Him, He turned to the twelve and said, “do you want to leave me, too?” Peter answered him famously, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” While Jesus no doubt said many things that have been forgotten, the Bible still holds for us those words of eternal life.

But for Peter and the other disciples, they were not words floating around in their brains, or recited in a trance (as Mohammed is claimed to have spoken). Instead, they were words that were lived out together, the master and the disciples. With the words of Jesus, God wove a story out of the disciples' lives.

This is the best way to put the Bible to work in your life. In the Bible we have leftover pieces of these old stories, written in human lives. They are great stories to tell, as we often do in church. They are great stories to learn, as writers like St. Paul explain what they mean for us.

But best if all is when we let God weave the stories of the Bible into our own life's stories. If God is an artist (one way to look at Him), then His medium is not oil, or pencil, any more than music or clay. It is human lives, and each of us is a work of His art. The Bible is how that story is shaped.

Don't give into the temptation of using the Bible to justify what you have already decided. Let it speak to you, and know that it will push you into places you did not, maybe, want to go. Yet, if you do that, then the Bible studies here will be more than just the makings of a good spring. They will be truly life changing.

The site has a section in the "About" area called "The Zen of Todoist." I'm not sure I like the "Zen" part, but I'll accept it, because it is cool:

Now is better than later.
Later is better than never.
Organized is better than messy.
Big things are composed of smaller things.
Smaller things are done by action.
Think like a person of action.
Act like a person of thought.
The beginning is half of every action.
The longest journey starts with the first step.
Everything should be made as simple as possible.
But not simpler.
Celebrate any progress.
Don't wait to get perfect.
Deadlines and stress are a part of life.

My favorite part is "Think like a person of action / Act like a person of thought." It strikes me that Jesus did that.

Date	Event	Description
March 23	Easter Breakfast	Put on by the Youth Group, this year as a fundraiser for the Glory Bound trip in November.
April 27	Pig Roast	Now in its third year, the pig roast has been a hit from the start. Cooking starts the night before.
May 25	Wiener Roast	Kick off the summer right! If you are in town for Memorial day, this picnic-like meal will be the first of its kind here at Resurrection.
August 17	Ice Cream Social	(Mid-afternoon event) Come and enjoy home-made ice cream and games while it's hot outside!
September 7	Church Picnic	(Off site church service) On rally day, we begin our Sunday School year with a bang in 2008-2009 with a picnic to be held off-site. Even church will be outside that day!
October 5	International Food	A "special themed" pot-luck with international food being featured. Part of LWML Sunday with its emphasis on missions.
October 26	Fish Fry	By now a tradition and a congregational favorite. "Invite a friend" Sunday and come to enjoy fresh-fried catfish and all the fixings.
November 16	Chili Cookoff	An informal, light-hearted contest for the best chili recipe where we all win, because we all enjoy the efforts!
Dec. 3 Dec. 10 Dec. 17	Advent Suppers	Most of us know the drill by now: Soup, Finger food, Salad, Dessert, and great fellowship midweek as we prepare for Christmas

I mentioned this new hymnal to the voters' assembly almost two years ago and urged that we look into adopting it. Many of us are very adverse to change here at Resurrection, and it has been a point of pride for some that we never went to the "blue hymnal," or Lutheran Worship. So, when I suggested that we look into it, I think that there may have been more than a few who just hoped the whole thing would go away.

Some changes offer so much good that they are worth the trouble. This hymnal is one of them, in my opinion. It occurred to me that my practice of putting the words for hymns, and the liturgy, in a worship folder each week was enabling us to think we are using the old Lutheran Hymnal when really we are not. Instead, what we use is the liturgy from the Old Hymnal (with some changes) and hymns that are drawn mostly from the Lutheran Hymnal, but much of our service now comes from other places.

Since the church year started (back in Advent, last December), we have been using exclusively materials from the New Hymnal, with very few changes. I think we've done one hymn that's not in the new hymnal: the congregational favorite, "Here I am, Lord." All the others—including On Eagles' winge, Angels we have heard on High, It came upon a Midnight Clear, and How Great Thou Art— are in the new hymnal. (None of the hymns I listed are in the old hymnal.)

Some people are starting to notice little changes. Some of you may not have liked some of the newer hymns I've put in. Believe me, they will grow on you.

We can't keep up what we're doing forever. The hymn numbers in the worship folders match books that we don't have in the chairs. A few copies of LSB are available in the building, but that's all. We are technically in violation of some copyrights by what we're doing, though I don't think we'll get in trouble for it in the short term.

My goal was to have a discussion of the new hymnal. Start thinking about it. I hope you'll agree, when you think about it, that a hymnal like the LSB that works very hard to preserve the best of the old Lutheran Hymnal but has much needed updates, is something we can be blessed by. Speak with each other about this, so we can have an informed discussion when the time comes.

In order to facilitate discussion, we began with our mission statement. You can read the mission statement right here on the web site (it's on our home page). Then we asked, "which activities advance the mission directly, and which ones do it indirectly?"

Activities that directly support our mission are things that reach out to the community, spread the Gospel, and reach out to others. Activities that indirectly support our mission build us up to equip us to do the main work. Both types of activities are important, but there must be a mix for us to be most effective.

We also dealt with the reality that we are a small church, and that it is easy to sign up for too many goals and water down our efforts. So, we worked for a realistic list of goals that were direct and indirect. Here's what we came up with:

Directly Support Mission	Indirectly Support Mission
Lifelight	Pot Lucks/Social
Engage with/support local community agencies: Good Samaritan Center Needs Council Boys & Girls Club Food Bank	Parking Lot Study
Vacation Bible School	Back Yard Project
Hospitality Volunteers	Paint Classrooms
Friendship Sunday	Landscaping

This is an ambitious set of goals, and we pray that God would strengthen us to achieve them. Our calendar now has all the food events we scheduled posted on it.

The study we're doing next is called "Playing God." In six sessions, it explores the ethics of “perfecting” humanity through DNA, cloning, stem cell research, and more. Specific chapters include:

• And You’ll Be Like God
• In the Beginning God Created
• In Search of the Perfect Child
• The Immortal Clone
• The Stem Cell Revolutions
• The Valley of the Shadow of Death

We've had some good discussions using this series' materials. If you haven't come to adult Bible class before (or you've fallen out of the habit), now is a good time to try it again. You'll be blessed with a deeper understanding of some of the pressing issues of our time.

I'm happy whenever we study the Bible, of course. I'm even happier when the program we're using is put together by people whose interpretation of the Bible matches our own—the one that we consider correct. To get excited, though, it takes something more. Lifelight has that something more.

Lifelight is very well put together. The questions range from simple, fact-based ones to those that require some thought and reflection. The way that the program is put together has a spark to it that makes it nicer to do. Just like I prefer certain restaurants, stores, or offices over others, I prefer lifelight. It just "fits". All restaurants have the same equipment (kitchens, tables, entryways, place settings, etc.), but some are just better combinations, and have things better done. Lifelight is like that for a Bible study.

But there's more even beyond that. Lifelight is more than just materials. It's more than well done materials. It's an entire philosophy of Bible study. It tells us that:

• You'll get more out of Bible study by doing a little every day.
• A formal time of study, with a beginning of worship and prayer, gives the Holy Spirit the most room to work.
• You will learn the best with a group of others. We are the body of Christ, and we study best, as we do everything best, a a group.
• The fine points of a leader's presentation make the most sense after you've spent some time getting ready to hear them.

Using the Lifelight approach, you can learn more and also grow closer to the people you're studying with. We are looking for people to begin attending our first Lifelight session, starting the Monday after Easter. Pray about it, think about it, and then sign up. I can just about guarantee that, if you'll give it nine weeks, you'll be at least as excited as I am.

1. A Great Series of Readings. I went to a minister's conference and Waco and we went over the passion account in Matthew's gospel. Our presenter, Dr. Jeffrey Gibbs, is a Bible Professor at our St. Louis Seminary and has written a commentary on Matthew. He knows an incredible amount about this portion of Scripture. As we went through the readings together, I was struck once again by the power of Matthew's account. We will all experience this again — or perhaps for the very first time! — as we move through these texts and consider Matthew's words.
2. A Sermon Series that Applies to You. Based on the readings we covered, the overall theme that Dr. Gibbs chose is "Not our plan, but God's Plan." It almost sounds like a truism, doesn't it? We all say that we want to stick with God's plan, not ours. It is by spending time digesting the words Matthew has given us that we will really understand what this means for us. You can be a part of that! You can receive the power to get into God's plans by considering, slowly, reverently and in detail, just how Jesus followed God's plan.
3. Powerful Lenten hymns, new and old. There are some beautiful Lenten hymns in our tradition, some older, and some newer. This year, I've focused more on the old favorites, but we will do two Lenten hymns every week on Wednesday. While we will also sing some Lenten hymns on Sundays, there are some that you just won't hear if you don't come midweek. When I was growing up, I came to love being a Lutheran because of these beautiful Lenten hymns. Come and enjoy them, and bring your kids.
4. The Body of Christ at Resurrection. We aren't all "Lone Ranger Christians." God meant for us to be together. There is a fellowship and togetherness midweek that just doesn't happen any other time. You need to come and enjoy this, and grow closer to your brothers and sisters in Christ.
5. You need this. Who isn't busier these days than a one-armed paper hanger? You could prepare for Easter by trying to give some extra money as a love offering to God, but what He wants from you most of all is what you have the least of: your time. Plan to come, and if you do, God will bless you for it.

So... what do you think? Even if you can't make it every week, look at your calendar and come when you can. God wants to bless us in a big way, and we can let Him by being open and receptive to His Word. It will be waiting for you starting on Wednesday.

The "Faith on the Edge" series seeks to incorporate contemporary discussions involving science and faith. Here is a passage from the introduction to the series, as printed in the Study Guide:

The Faith on the Edge Bible study series tracks the progress of science and people's fascinations and fears about science. Each session introduces a contemporary topic, summarizes what science has to say about it, and then provides biblical answers and guidance so that you can face the future with the widsom and confidence that only God can provide through His Word."

Plan on coming to this series. The first week begins on January 6.

I want to thank the Stagecoach Theater for the opportunity to write about The Golden Compass. I did not watch the movie with the other ministers in the morning. Instead, I watched along with my wife and my youngest son, who is fourteen. My son and I had read the books in the trilogy, “His Dark Materials,” and so we were interested in watching the movie. In our family, we have always felt that the best way to bring children up in the Lord is to tell them the truth and teach them to think for themselves.

The books in the “Dark Materials” trilogy are far more insidious in their opposition to Christianity than is the movie, The Golden Compass. Even in the books, the first volume contains only hints of what becomes much more obvious by the end. I enjoyed reading the first book; I put up with the second book; I barely tolerated the third—it was not only full of anti-Christian statements, it was pretty disjointed and unsatisfying compared to the first two volumes as well. So, one thing I do recommend: if you like the movie, don't buy the books as a Christmas present. Borrow them or read some reviews of them first. Even many non-Christian readers have found them disappointing.

The Golden Compass shows “the Majesterium,” (an actual name for the Roman Catholic church in real life), in a parallel world to ours. In the movie, the agents of the Majesterium are unabashedly evil. Still, while there are religious icons that are smashed, clerical collars, and talk of “heresy” by people who are controlling and hypocritical, there isn't anything in this movie that speaks against faith in Jesus Christ in our world. I know that this comes later in the books, but this movie does not even have a hint of this. The Majesterium, rather than crosses, has a large “M” as their logo. There's nothing that terrible about depicting a large, powerful organization abusing their power and trying inappropriately to control people's lives. In fact, these sorts of abuses happen all the time. Secular college professors, under the guise of “free inquiry” attempt to brainwash their students; the old Soviet union turned truth on its head; middle Eastern dictatorships manipulate the ignorant with rank propaganda. In this respect, the movie is about heroic individuals fighting against an evil organization. I have no objection to that.

The only serious objection I have is that the producers of the movie seem to be trying to hide the agenda of the trilogy of books by making subtle changes to the movie. This seems dishonest to me, and given the way that the books are written, it wouldn't be until a sequel came out that we'd really be able to tell where they're going. The movie is far less subtle than the book in the points it does make, so the next movie might really be controversial. Suffice it to say, I think that if you watch this movie, you should be on your guard. There's nothing wrong with that—in fact, I recommend being on your guard against a good many movies shown here. The devil can disguise himself as an angel of light, and it's in this disguise that he is the most dangerous, not when he's arguing against God.

Anyone who wants to undermine my faith in God by making a movie with witches, talking bears, and souls that have physical bodies (that vanish in a flurry of sparks when a person dies), is just plain crazy. I am free to imagine many different worlds that God might have made, as C.S. Lewis did. It's the atheists who live in a dull, uninteresting world, not I.

One final point. If the movie doesn't go into a sequel, it probably isn't going to be because it's so evil, but because it doesn't quite come together as a movie. All of us who watched it agreed that it had great special effects, wonderful imagery, and some fabulous acting, but somehow, it just wasn't emotionally compelling.